to constitute and establish an universal conclusion by these steps and degrees may we ascend into sound knowledge and with more speed ease and satisfaction learn the best part of profitable Arts and Sciences This doth set out the true real Nature of created Beings as they are in the things themselves whereas mere humane attemps this way have no certainty of demonstration nor infallibity of evidence no further convincingness than as they agree with this there is answeringness in this to the Nature of Existences which are printed in this Word and sealed in the Creation here the laws of words are one with the laws of things here the conducture of the word doth lead the way and the architecture of the Creation doth follow after whatsoever doth contradict the grounds of God-inspired Scripture and the reasons of created Nature must be rejected by us here Scripture revealeth Nature and Nature declareth Scripture the LORD's Mouth in his Word doth not gainsay his hand in his Works there are such inner secrets in created Beings as are separate from outward Senses and exempt from experimental discovery and withdrawn from mere humane inquisition which works of Nature are best contemplated in the word of Grace so sweetly doth this insinuate into and incorporate with those How is the Intellect of man likely to be receptive of useful Truths till it be first purified by Scripture-knowledge all the impresses of Wisdom of Truth and of Goodness that are in created things they are but the transcribed Characters of the Word and the visible representations of those shining perfections that are in the All-glorious Author of this Word who doth direct their Nature and govern their operations to bring about his own holy just ends for the good and benefit of particular Beings and of the whole Universe Scripture descriptions are most significative of created Natures and best expressive of their real Virtues let therefore these Philosophical Imperialists no longer exercise Lordship over the Faith of Christians however they have thus far usurped dominion over the Reason of Pagans let not our Understandings be commanded by their Laws of Arts nor ruled by their Decrees of Sciences who would have all Intellects to bow before them whilst they sit in the Throne and King it over mens Souls It is the Scripture Revelation that doth best preserve the due order of Christ's Supreme Soveraignty and of its own pre-eminent authority and of our regular subjection under both him and it by its winning commendations of Truths and of Realities in the demonstrativeness of their evidence and in the choiceness of their excellencies operations of Nature and efficiencies of Arts co-operating with Nature and drawing forth its working powers are as so many instances and interpretations of such Scripture as do speak of them Wisdom is justified of her Sons though the common cry of the mis-judging World be against her Knowledges in this Word have their universal conprehensiveness and if mens Studies in them were fitted to their particular inclinations and framed to their constitution-desires more able instruments better furnished for publick employments both in State and in Church both for Peace and for VVar would then be found the skilfullest Scripturians would prove the wisest Artists and the prudentest Counsellors VVere Lecturers in all Countries encouraged and appointed in fit places to read in the Mother Tongue on such Scripture-subjects it would make popular Judgements and common Auditors great proficients in Arts and progressors in Sciences which spreadingness of knowledge of Christians should not make it contemptible whereas now the Philosophers would keep Learning in a few hands amongst Scholars in the Universities and Readers of Colleges and Professors in the Schools who would be monopolizing of Original Languages and of Scientifick Skills and be driving on of their rich Trade of over-reaching sophistry I judge it to be an Affirmation according to Truth and an undertaking according to Reality that a plain Believer of discerning capacity may be righter taught many useful things about the History of the Creation in natural Beings in their proper Causations productive Workings and genuine Effects in one year than several years and yet more times seven in the common way of Philosophical Studies will or can attain unto In this Scripture path Believers may expect the teachings of the Holy Spirit and inlightnings from the Father of illuminations much of the written Word would then receive more evident and full interpretations when Christ's Works are made a paraphrase upon his Words Here particular Sciences are true fruitful and complete not as in Philosophical VVritings in false barren and empty If little Children were commonly taught the Original Language and if there were in the Mother-Tongues of the several Nations such an exact Scripture Lexicon composed as might shew the true meaning of all the Original VVords Roots and Branches and of all the Original Phrases relating to the several Arts and Sciences and if the whole of these VVords and Phrases were orderly and distinctly with their cited Scriptures put into a common place of these special knowledges in various professions and if the most accomplished the best gifted the most excellingly graced the most diligently and faithfully industrious and the most practically and skilfully experienced for every particular Art and Science did make it much of the work of their day and business of their life to studie the Scriptures for that peculiar end and special purpose putting not only general Rules but particular Directions all methodically together it would be a complete Summary and an exact Directory in that Art and Science Shall my growing waiting hopes be only of the next Generation that they may listen to this counsel who will give that I may reap some good fruit of my labours in the present age if the LORD by his secret inworking with wonderful efficacy will renew and irradiate mens minds if he will bend and bow their wills change and awe their hearts then self-conceit pride and prejudice will quickly vanish away and a teachable Frame will so imbrace and improve this advice as that the ingenuous and studious will not be so injurious to themselves or unkind towards Christ as to kick Him and His VVord out of their Schools for it will be made manifest in a little time that created Beings in their natural efficiencies have such an hidden way of secret operation as is beyond the most significant expressions of any Philosophical VVorders and therefore only the words of God can fully so accommodate them to inlightned Understandings as withal to make them properly declarative of real workings All true both definitions and descriptions of things by words must be rectified by Scripture Language VVhatever be the issue I have through Mercy and Grace obtained from the LORD done this part of my Generation work and in this I do rejoyce and give glory to Him VVhere doth the whole Scripture that speaks of this matter send us to any other way of getting
Good to confess to Jehovah and to sing Psalm to thy Name O most high specially in the day of thy Sabbath Thou wilt make known this Name of thine to thine adversaries How long shall the Enemy blaspheme thy Name to perpetuity Remember this the Enemy reproacheth Jehovah and the foolish people blaspheme thy Name Thou wilt lift up the light of thy Faces upon thy gracious Saints so that the oppressed shall not return ashamed the poor afflicted and needy shall praise thy Name and blessed be the Name of thy Glory for ever The Reader is here advertised that he has no just cause to be offended at the expression of the Faces in the plural of Jehovah or of Aelohim for so it is in the Original and it doth set out that great Mystery of Father Son and holy Spirit and the different manifestations of each of these according as they are pleased with or displeased at such as do make their address to them The LORD Jesus Christ is Jehovah as his Father is Jehovah and as the Spirit of his Holiness is Jehovah they one Jehovah The Father of Christ is Jehovah Thus it is written in the second Psalm where he is more than once expresly so called The LORD Jesus is there said to be the Christ the Anointed and the Son of this Jehovah the Father And thus it is distinctly applyed by Peter in his Prayer to the Father by Paul in his Preaching and by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who reciteth that Text once and again It was Jehovah the Father who assuringly said unto Christ the LORD of David Sit thou at my right hand till I put thine enemies the footstool of thy feet For the Scriptures do often speak of Christ sitting at the Right hand of his Father And the LORD Jesus himself doth apply this passage in the one hundred and tenth Psalm of David's calling him LORD unto himself So doth Peter and so also doth the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews The House of him who is named Jehovah in the sixty ninth Psalm is called by the LORD Christ himself his Fathers House As John doth write of him those who are called the taught of Jehovah in the Book of Isaiah are such as Christ doth interpret in the Writings of John to be hearers and learners of the Father That Power which the LORD Christ had to bruse the Heathen as Potters Vessels with an Iron staff he acknowledgeth to have received from his Father in the Revelation Which words are taken out of the second Psalm where he who gave Christ this Power is Jehovah The Spirit of Christ's Holiness is also Jehovah He who by David in the ninty fifth Psalm did exhort the people to hear the voice of their God and is here said to be Jehovah the great Potentate is by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews called the Holy Spirit And this self same who in this Psalm is said to have been tempted by the Israelites in the Wilderness who also brought that people out of Egypt and did lead them in the Wilderness is as hath been observed named Jehovah there as he is also in the Book of Moses And this was the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Jehovah as saith Isaiah That people in the seventy eight Psalm have it spoken concerning them that they did bitterly provoke him in the Wilderness and grieve him in the Desert which is Jehovah Which same thing being Recorded in the Book of Isaiah they are said to Rebel and to grieve the Holy Spirit That which Jehovah did say and promise in the Book of Moses that he would set his Tabernacle in the midst of his people that he would walk in the midst of them that he would be to them a God and they should be to him a people they walking in his Statutes and keeping his Commandments and doing them This is renewed and fulfilled in the New Testament as Paul doth declare in his Epistles to the Corinihians who speaking of Believers and Saints he saith They are the Temple of the Holy Spirit of that living God as God had before said in the Old Testament I will dwell in them and walk round about in them and I will be their God and they shall be to me a people He who by Zacharias in his Song is said to speak by the mouth of the holy Prophets and is called by him The LORD the God of Israel and in Samuel's second Book is named the Spirit of Jehovah the God of Israel who spake in the Prophet David the God of Israel is expresly named in the second Epistle of Peter the holy Spirit who spake the Prophesies in and by holy Men. This Spirit is the LORD as Paul writes in one of his Epistles the Spirit Jehovah the LORD Jesus Christ also he is Jehovah The holy Spirit doth witness this to us in what he saith if their be a due diligent comparing of the Old Testament with the New it will thereby evidently appear that the same who is Christ in the one is Jehovah in the other in many places of the Scriptures of Truth What the Prophet Isaiah spake Prepare the way of Jehovah is applyed by John the Baptist to the way of the LORD Christ What by the same Prophet is said to be the Glory of Jehovah is said by John in his Writings to be spoken of Christ at which time that word of Esaias was then fulfilled that he spake Jehovah who hath believed our hearing and to whom is the Arm of Jehovah revealed Which Jehovah John doth interpret of the LORD Christ and that multitude in whose hearing this was spoken did acknowledge that they had heard out of the Law that Christ abideth for ever Now the Scriptures that do speak of this which that saying of their doth relate to do say of Jehovah what is spoken by the same Prophet of Jehovah the true God that to him every knee shall bow and all tongues shall swear which swearing must be in his Name thereby to confess him when there is a lawful Call thereunto this doth Paul ascribe unto the LORD Christ That which Moses did charge against the unbelieving disobedient unperswadable Israelities in the Wilderness they tempted Jehovah by speaking against Jehovah the same doth Paul in his former Epistle to the Corinthians affirm to be a tempting of Christ Paul says Christ was that Spiritual Rock who went together with that people in the Wilderness it was Christ who was figured shadowed and typified by the Cloud the Mannah the Rock it was he who led them in and out to and fro there He was that Angel of the Father's faces a Messenger by Office sent forth to be the Saviour and the Guider of that people who is expresly by Moses called Jehovah He was Jehovah who went before them together with them The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews doth testifie that
ten or twenty an hundred or a thousand Wives for where will you set the bounds of restraint if once you allow more than one at once there could not be an equal distribution neither would there be enough to suffice for every man who cannot contain to have one and so the remedy by Marriage would not reach to all men which yet doth belong to all as the disease of of proneness to Fornication is general to all and the like inconvenience and mischief would unavoidably follow if one woman might have ten twenty an hundred or a thousand Husbands Whereas the LORD in the way of his providence doth bring forth and breed up near about an equal number of men and of women of Males and of Females in all Nations of the inhabited Earth Where there is but one Wife allowed by the LORD to one man yet even in that case there are seasons when he would have the man forbear to know his Wise by Seed of Copulation as when her monthly sickness is upon her or when the Wife is known to be with Child thereby to evidence and to manifest purity of mind and chastity of body and mortification of inordinate lusts or when for a time they consentingly so agree for higher and holier ends that they may be the better at leisure for fasting and prayer How can this be where so many Wives call upon the Husband at once and so all the year long wandring lusts in their unbounded desire are belluine and bruitish impetuous and unsatisfied how could burning be cured and how could this afford a sufficient help against temptation to uncleanness It is only one Wife at once that is the proper the legitimate Wife no other woman at that time is so and it is only one man at once that is the proper the legitimate Husband no other man at that time is so The man hath not the authority or right of his own body but the Wife and how can this interest and propriety be preserved where many women do at one and the same time challenge such a pretended Right for but one can have it at once when the man doth give his body to another Wife or to more Wives the first who is the only lawful Wife has that benevolence which is a due debt owing only to her given and derived to another or to more and so she is wronged and suffereth loss she is injuriously defrauded of her Right which her Husband doth detain or take way from her and doth dispose of it to one or more besides who have no lawful claim to it When men are so much believers and so far Christians as to tremble at the word of Jehovah Aelohim and to feel their hearts to stand in awe of it and to find their judgements and wills throughly to submit to his Authority who gave it they will then acknowledge a forceabless in these Scripture-argumentations against those two heinous crimes and scandalous sins of Polygamy and of Divorce where God hath coupled an Husband and a Wife they must so remain joyned till the same God do disâ—joyn them by death That Doctrine which our LORD Jesus Christ did preach is expresly against Divorces however a contrary practice had much and long obtained which did put the Disciples upon asking of Christ of the same matter it was so great and so weighty a cause Whatever Moses said by way of permission about giving a Writing of Divorcement and so to put away a Wife yet this was no original Saying or Precept from our LORD Christ spake otherwise As in another instance in this Nation about Usury the same Laws of men that do tolerate the vice of Usury suffering a certain sum of gain yearly for the loan of a hundred pound yet doth withal condemn it as a thing unlawful The woman is of the man and must still be subject unto him as her head what man can dispense rightfully with the subordination and subjection of the body to the head and under it or sever the head from the body to make them depart from one another till death do part them When therefore Reader thou meerest any where with any Laws in the Scriptures that do relate to divorces and puttings away of a Wife look upon them as Permissions by Moses not as Precepts from Jehovah understand me not from Jehovah as they are Divorces but only a Law by consequenr upon a supposition If they were resolved to put away a Wife then this or that was to follow upon it if the case of the blind-minded and hard-hearted Husbands were such that they would be and were divorced from their Wives when such a fould matter came to pass then the LORD appointed that if another man had married the divorced woman or if that later man were dead that then she was not to return to her former Husband because she had defiled her self by and with another man the first great cause whereof was from her first Husband who thrust her out upon this temptation the first Divorce was unjust and the second Marriage was unlawful the first Husband being still alive and sin was thereby brought upon the Land which was punishable for this guilt for not only were the guilty persons themselves the man and the women liable and obnoxious to judgement for this crime but all the inhabitants also who knew it and suffered it if they did not in their places appear against it This shameful consequent was on purpose to deter them from the other sinful Antecedent And therefore that expression in Deuteronomy before cited in the Margin should not be rendred imperatively let him write her a Bill of Divorcement and give it in her hand and send her out of his house as if Jehovah Aelohim gave his Direction and Command that this man was in Duty or by any lawful rightful allowance to deal thus with her in this case But it expresseth what the man had done and would do the three first verses of that twenty fourth Chapter do declare the hard hearted mans purpose and practice it is the fourth Verse that doth open the mind of our LORD that if the man was resolvedly set upon such a sinful course that then it was not lawful for him to take her again which doth plainly shew Jehovah's utter dislike of that illegal Divorcement they were irregular miscarriages the LORD gave no countenance to such licentious practices We do not read of any express law and direct command of Aelohim for the jealously-suspitious unhumane Husband so to deal with his Wife Aelohim in this case doth hate that word put her away the man cannot lawfully break that Covenant which the LORD was called in to witness that he made with the woman when he took her first in Marriage nothing can justly loose the Matrimonial Bond but death or a case of adultery which was a capital crime and to be punished with death by the Judges One such
they here see Liberal Arts in their proper axioms made usefully Mechanical in their elicited operations If every one be to be credited in his own Art they must then learn this Art in the Scriptures and then also should Christ be believed in his Word who is the only Wise One a Teacher by Office from the Fathers Donation and by the Holy Spirits Unction This gives a great advantage to plain Believers for although they know not well how to evade Philosophical Juglings or to confute Sophistical Fallacies and cunning cheats of over-reaching Argumentation and insnaring syllogizing yet through this help and its secret suggestings they have so much perception as to discern things to be otherwise than colours and shews of carnal reasonings do make them seem to be so that when they have not their answers ready yet they will not suffer their Judgements to be misinformed by such impudent bafflings and if these vain affecters of Humane Wisdom be once taken off from their froward way of wrangling disputations to reason the case familiarly by Questions and Answers such as are proper and pertinent to the matter under debate and by a collating of the whole Scripture that doth speak of such a particular subject inquired about that sort of men would bewray themselves to be some of the most ignorant and sottish especially in the choicest Science of experienced Religion and in the best art of practical Christianity This way of arguing is the way of the Word which any diligent Reader of it particularly in that part of it by the four Evangelists may often observe hence disputing is set out by a word that doth signifie mutual inquiring by way of questioning in a friendly conference to search out the Truth by interrogations and responses examining of things by a disquiring reasoning about them in a familiar Colloquie and in an amicable manner where it is managed according to Rule hereby the understanding is weakned to attend and the mind is quickned to consider of the Arguments in disputation concerning that which is queried about hene also in Scripture we sometimes do find an answer at the beginning of a Speech of Debate which is as if somewhat were returned of satisfactory resolution to a secret question that did tacitely go before It would contribute much towards the increase of Learing if those practical Rules that are in the Word were well understood observed and improved for the right managing of an Holy Dispute and of a Spiritual reasoning about weighty Controversies in a Scripture way so as might tend to edification whereas in the Philosophick Modes argumentative exercitations are usually perverse brawlings interfering conflictations whereby Disputants do gaul one another and wear one another out corrupting the understandings of one another and depriving each other of the truth the right Scriptural dialectick logical Art of debating a question is to reason from out of the Scriptures to bring forth the Word of the LORD comparing of one word with another and putting of those words together that do speak of the same thing and then to discern how the whole Scripture doth say one and the same throughout about one and the same matter This were truly generous and would breed up a better and more noble race of arguers Let this be admitted and then put the most souly acute learned unregenerate Philosopher into the same room together with a serious believing discerning humble Saint and if the question be How may a Believer have access to the Father through Christ in one Spirit Or how may we have fellowship with Father Son and Holy Spirit in a distinct way as the Father as the Son and as the holy Spirit Or how should Grace be acted or what is the proper Grace to be acted in a particular case Or how doth one Grace operate upon another Or how should a duty be well filled up Or what is the true way of walking with God Or by what means and methods should such or such a corruption be mortified Or what is the Holy Skill of repelling and resisting a temptation and of overcoming of the World Or what is a Believers orderly applying of Christ to be Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Or what kind of frames should a Believer be always in Or how should Religion run into the whole of our Life in our particular as well as in our general Calling with many more such like as might be propounded and let some well-grown Fathers in Knowledge and in Grace over-hear and moderate between these two judging not according to the appearance but judging righteous Judgement giving their opinion and sentence according to the Scriptures upon a due searching of them Oh what empty mistaken insignificant unsavoury talk what prophane and vain babling would they conclude the Philosophers discourse to be and himself to be an ignorant unexperienced trifling pratler whilst the spiritual holy man has a name of honour proclaimed in their inner Court of spiritual Judicature they acknowledge him to be a knowing a discerning a skilful a God-taught one and they admire the gift and the graces of the Spirit in him the Believer so far as his attainment and acquaintances are has clear smooth equal representations of Truths and of things as they are in themselves directly reflected from the Word upon his inlightned Understanding and faithfully and sincerely taken in by him as his filling measures are whereas the Philosophizing contradicter has divers superstitious Conceits wrong Notions mis-shapen Opinions erroneous Apprehensions and deceitful Impostures about these matters In Scripture there is a perfect Analogie between Words and Truths and between Truths and Things so that as the Scripture is the written Revealer of Natural Beings and Powers so are Natural Beings and Powers the wrought Interpreters of Scripture The end of words is rightly to express the sense of the Mind and meaning of the Speaker matters and business to which our Religion is suited and fitted do require a significance in sayings Though man lost the Tree of Life by an inordinate lusting after the prohibited Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and of evil yet one good means to be restored to the Tree of Life again is by returning to taste the nourishing Fruit of the commanded Tree of Scripture-Knowledge and to grow thereby Scripture-Truths carrying their own evidence along with them do prove themselves as soon as a Spiritual discerner receives them because word Sciences are consonant to Primitive Light in Man and to concreated Nature in particular Beings Holy Scriptures unto renewed Natures do make suitable impressions of saving knowledges these discoveries unto serious inquiries and to considering spirits will in Jebovah's time upon a due pondering more manifest themselves to be solemn and grand matters and will yet more approve themselves in the pursuit and issue to be efficacious for operation and fruitful for use and will best season the minds of young Students whilst
their spirits are tender Truly-logical-Art is that which is really word-Art not a Disputative Knowledge or Syllogistical form of mens inventing generous Spirits those that are indeed such will conform their Reason to Faith and their Faith to Spirit-inspired Revelation This word-Declaration and written-discovery is perfect in its self and perfective in those who grow in it here the noble excellencies of rational Souls may be advanced to somewhat of their highest dignity in their utmost capacities here are the full Originals and the over-flowing Springs of useful Knowledge here the believing Trader with his spiritual Talents may increase his stock of sanctified Learning somewhat near in its approaching step to one of the Royal Priviledges of the Heavenly Glory which is unmixed clearness and perfect cooâ—mmateness of all profitable Sciences Philosophical Notions are idle stories and when they pass into vain janglings they are frothy talk and unâ—dâ—â—ying chat they fill the fancy with dreaming speculations and make the mind sick and weak whereas the Scriptures do afford such a kind of Learning as is sound and healthful in its own innate constitution and in its causal efficiencies here the intentive Reader is still held in a continued dependency on a spiritual Teacher of those necessary Lessons which are never well learn'd but in Christ's School and where he may get great skill with little cost in a short while This would make skilful Practitioners in ordinary Affairs and in the common Matters and Actions of Life which Philosophers do miscount to be beneath souly rationalists Students in Christianity when throughly seasoned with the in-working-knowledge of Holy Precepts and of practical Truths are more awed into an observance of what is taught in Scriptures Pew they are instructed in Duties and informed in Manners whilst they inquire into Arts and pursue Sciences Where the savingness of knowledge is suck'd in betimes all growing discoveries if they work kindly are improved towards the firm securing of a never-ending-felicity Faith and Fear and Love and other Graces as they widen the Understanding and compose the Mind and fix the Heart still to be taking of more so they also refine the Spirit and reform the Life The Eyes of the wisest men in the World can never see themselves truly represented so as that the direct beams may have a right incidence but in the Glass of God's Word and he is not as yet in a preparedness to take in other Learning who has not hitherto attained to the true knowledge of himself A growing Artfulness in Scripture-Science will commend it self where it is in any though the commender of this unto such court not their applause but seek their profit though I be forgotten who write this yet Christ and his Word will still have a living name in such for all Treasures of Learning there being here full instruction for all necessary Employments and complete Subsidaries for all practical Conversation Let not the judicious ingenuous Reader expect from me a System of Sciences or Platform of Arts with their proper Rules and Methods To handle these throughly in an exact tractate is too great and long a task for my little parts and short day it were an undertaking worthy of some Christian King to imploy the learnedest and holiest of mankind about that either love or promotion could procure or kindness or reward ingage or helps and materials incourage though in some few instances I may a little lead others the way with a Scripture Light in my hand I owed a great duty to the intellectual World of precious Souls and I had no other way to make such a publick payment of it the good of Communion must out balance any private concern of my own he that would consult his own reputation and quiet amongst men in this age would have concealed his apprehensions in such a day when many are so self-seeking and so angrily confident by strengthned preconceptions and fortified prejudices and radicated resolves against any discoveries that might convince and shake them What is done is subjected to Scripture-examination by spiritual discerners When received Opinions have got the Peoples Applause and Leaders Authority and Men's interest in this World he had need bring some clearness of demonstration who would have others to leave their former ways to which they have been so used that they may come into a Scripture-path It would be next to incredible in a mans self to perswade belief in others who are so far gone in prejudice and prepossession were there not a Prophesie and Promise that in the later days they who err in spirit shall know understanding and the murmurers shall learn instruction for the deaf shall hear the words of this Book of the Scriptures of Truth and the Eyes of the Blind shall see passing out of the obscurity and darkness when they will blush to consider how Truth had scarce any door to enter in at what by innate ignorances and attracted wilfulnesses and indulgent weaknesses I arrogate nothing to my self of being a first Inventer of Arts but do refer wholly unto that word which would illustrate and brighten adorn and amplifie Sciences The LORD may therefore have laid me low and left me despicable in the eyes of the reputed Learned that Christ and his Word 〈◊〉 be set the higher Careless neglects have given countenance to such 〈◊〉 errours as now by long prescription would pass into a common uncâ—â—â—ollable Law of Arts and of Sciences like the idle tales and fabulous stories and fictitious narrations which old wives filled our heads withal when we were little Chrildren and a traditionary credulity would still keep alive the memory of them till old age and so would transmit the frame of them to posterity Had I not Jehovah and his Word on my side there were little expectation of any considerable success in ingaging this Scholastick War where so many opposers are all up in arms against me and are so confident of Victory were it not for this the controversie would stare me in the face with so many frighting difficulties that my time about this that little of it which I can be master of to redeem it from the unavoidable intercurrences of other necessary work would scam to be mis-spent and my industry mis-employed and the powers and strength of my mind wasted I had else soon been dis-spirited whilst the chief scope of so many men's aims studies and indeavours is either to defend or execute other mens mistakes or to justifie and commend their own however if hereby the reputation of the Scriptures may revive after my death and if the just esteem and the good opinion of God's Word may be built up though on the ruines of my credit for the present I bless that Jehovah who has used me to trust him with hereafters wherein one of the greatest trials of our spirit and frame is and if this only means of improving so fertil a ground of knowledges be dislik'd
the design of this Treatise which in short is to hold forth all Sciences and profitable Arts in one Book of Jehovah Aelohim and to demonstrate the Scripture-way to be the true the right the excelling the only way of perfecting the knowledge of lawful Arts and Sciences and of the Restauration and advancement of real Learning so opposed to vain false and deceitful Philosophy to such affected humane wisdom as would make prey of precious Souls and as being contrary to Scripture-verity to word-Theologie to revealed Christianity and to created Nature and so not after Christ If thou be one of a plain understanding and if thy knowledge be only of the English complexion so that thou canst skill only in thy own Mother-tongue let my beseeching of thee be prevalent with thee not to be offended at it that so many words of other Tongues are used in this Treatise especially in the former part of it I am not my self fond of it as to be so greatly pleased with it but where I am some way even necessitated to it to express my self in some Scholastick Terms Phrases and Language chiefly when I open them according to the Original significancy of Scriptural expressions for the conviction and confutation of Philosophical Errours and for the confirmation and commendation of Scripture-Truths I have put the Scriptures referred unto mostly in the Margin not without some reasons which have been privatly satisfactory to me yet withal I desire the serious considerate lookerover of these lines to examine the Words of Christ as he goes along lest otherwise he rashly censure and over hastily condemn some passages which he will mistake to be only my own when it may be upon a more through examination they will be found to be Scripture-sense and significancy and so I put thee over unto the teachings of the holy Spirit according to the Word The LORD Jesus Christ hath hiddenly laid up all the Treasures of Wisdom and of Knowledge in his Word wherein are many choice Mysteries above the reach and besides the Rules of Philosophy THe LORD Jesus Christ himself is the Wisdom of the only wise God for whereas in one place Christ saith of himself Behold I send among you Prophets another Scripture speaking of the same thing doth thus express it Therefore also the wisdom of God saith I will send among you prophets He is in the bosome of the Father the very wisdom of the Father the Declarer and Interpreter of his Fathers Will all things even those which are most hidden and secret are absolutely and perfectly known to him and whatever is necessary and useful for us to understand observe and do he hath revealed in the Scriptures of Truth which are a perfect Word every way consummate and complete so far as concerns a word absolute and intire so that it cannot in any particular be justly reprehended and blamed as defective and insufficient that the Man of God may be perfect perfectly furnished unto every good Work it is equal even in number to truths and things so that nothing is wanting in it it doth fully consist of all and every of the members and parts which are required to make through work of the work of the Ministry it is well filled up in all numbers and modes all the Treasures of Wisdom and of Knowledge being to be sought for here in Christ and from Christ in his Word and therefore the administrator under Christ about holy Things was to be an Universal Artist by his office well skilled in that great variety of profitable knowledge in the several Arts and Sciences such a man of understanding should he be He was to be an Astronomer how else could he know which was the head of the Moons the number of the Moons the new Moon the Day of the Month upon which divers of the Festivals under the Old Testament-dispensation did depend which he was to proclaim by his function he was to be much in the diligent Contemplation of the Coelestial Luminaries to raise up his Meditations to a spiritual Admiration of their wise Creator he must be a Geometrician that he might know how the portions of the Promised Land were to be distributed amongst the several Tribes what their several borders were of what distance the Suburbs were to be how to take right just due measures of the brazen Sea both for circumference and diameter how to take the height the breadth and the length of the Tabernacle and of many things belonging to it as also of the Temple and how to determine many cases about these and such like matters as they came before him he must be an Anatomist that he might according to Art orderly dissect into their several natural parts the beasts for sacrifice he must have the Art of an Apothecary that he might compound the Spices to make the Holy anointing Oyl and the composition of the perfume he was to be an able Lawyer that he might give sentence according to the Word and might not err in Judgement he must have insight in the Medicinal Art and be a skilful Physician for how else could he judge aright of the disease of Leprosie of the cases symptoms cure and method of healing he must be an Herbalist that he might chuse proper Herbs for wholesome bitterness which were to be eaten with the Paschal Lamb Solomon was a Preacher and a skilful Herbalist too he was to know and to use the Art of Cookery for there were many of the Sacrifices that required much skill in roasting in boiling in frying in baking he must be an Historian about the Genealogies of the several Tribes particularly of the Priests and Levites and the Prophets did write the lives of the several Kings and those remarkable occurrences of their times and day which the LORD would have to be transmitted to Posterity by these Historiographers he must be an Arithmetician because otherwise without exactness herein he could not make a right computation about the sale of Lands till the year of Jubilee and concerning the redemption of Lands before that year came about and by what proportions more or less were a just valuation between the buyer and the seller according as the years were many or few for accordingly he must either add to the price or subtract from it that there might be an equal division and distribution thus also about setting the due value of estimation of persons according to their age sexes and abilities of beasts of houses and of fields whether of his possession or of his buying the Art of Arithmetick is found in the Book of Numbers he was to be as a Clerk of the Market for Weights and Measures and dimensions and this not only as to the Shew-bread the Meat Offerings and the Drink Offerings and such Sacrifices in the matters of Worship but also in their common dealings between man and man in Markets and
in Shops he was to be skilled in the Military-art for the charge was given to Aaron the high Priest as well as unto Moses the Superiour Magistrate to number with careful inspection according to the Hosts of the several Tribes of Israel to muster the Army and to give orders for their Incamping and Marching according to their Ranks and Bodies who were to be in the Van and who in the Reer and so for the disposal of the Battel and the manner of fighting and the giving of the exhortation to encourage the Soldiers he was to be a spiritual Nightingal for modulation an expert Musician both for Voice and for Instruments a Singer a Trumpeter a Corneter an Harper a Violist a Lutenist an Organist a Cymbalist a Psalterist he was to approve himself an Artist in Architecture to see workmanships appointed to be framed exactly according to the platform'd Ideas and work-patterns of the Tabernacle and Temple were there need more might be added How learned an Artist in conference and in arguing should a Minister of Christ be by Scripture-arguments to stop the mouths of Philosophical gainsayers sometimes deceptory affectation of Humane Wisdom doth bewray it self in opponents by being carried beyond due limits when it would be judging of such cases and things according to the ordinary course of Nature and the power of a finite Agent which are to be determined and resolved by such Principles of Theologie and of Christianity as are far above and beyond those as if the question be Whether this World were from Eternity or Whether created in time Empty and fallacious Philosophy will affirm That this World was not created in time but that it was from Eternity deceiving and being deceived by this colour and shew of carnal Reason that out of nothing can nothing be made thus it doth mis-judge because the contrary affirmation is besides the common Agency and the usual efficacy of Natural Causes but the holy Scriptures do otherwise declare rightly informing us that all these things were spoken and made into a Being which had no existence before by the Omnipotency of Jehovah the Being of beings that All-glorious Self-being only by his own powerful Word So as the things we see were not made of things that do appear Faith acted aright doth take in this discovery By the word of Jehovah or in him who is the Word Jehovah the LORD Jesus Christ the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth or in the Spirit of him who is the Fathers mouth to his people all the host of them he commanded and they were created Aelohim saith There shall be light and there was is and will be light who was it that did help the Spirit of Jehovah or the Spirit Jehovah or as a man of his Counsel gave him knowledge silly weak Creatures cannot work without some stuff and materials they must have their tools and other instruments to further what they are about to do and to form but the Almighty One doth not need any such foregoing matter or assisting help it is not impossible that that should be which before was not though the Believer only can rightly understand this here Humane Reason must stoop and Carnal Imagination must submit to Word wisdom and to Scripture-learning which has this mysterious secret treasured up in it the meanest proficient in Christ's School has more discerning in this than the learnedest Teachers and wisest Professors in such corrupt Philosophy If the question be Whether three Persons can be one in Essence who yet are each of them distinct Subsistences in themselves and Whether one in being can be three distinct several persons humane wisdom and the vain affecters of it will return this answer That a person is a living-understanding-nature subsisting by it self a prime or singular individual subsistence which is neither said of any subject neither is in any subject and therefore some of these Philosophets have affirmed that there are multitudes of Gods Whereas the Scriptures of Truth will inform us concerning this great Mystery that there is but one God for there can be but one only Being infinite eternal unchangeable perfection it self one only to exist of himself and by himself who gives existence unto all other things these undoubted Oracles of holy Scriptures will tell us that Jehovah the adored Almightiness of his people in Father Son and holy Spirit is one Jehovah he says of himself See now that I am be and there is no God with me Who saith the Psalmist is God besides Jehovah as long as it can be said as yet ever as yet so long Jehovah and he alone and no other but himself is such We know that there is no other God but one for albeit there be that are called Gods both in Heaven and upon Earth as there be in the vain wrong conceits of men who do seign such Idol gods and as some Creatures in some cases have somewhat of this honorary Title ascribed to them so far as by their Office and Call they do or shall represent the true God There is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we for him and one LORD Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him but in all in every one this knowledge is not it is specially revealed in the Word to and in such Believers and it is one of the greatest mysterious Truths of the Christian Doctrine There is one LORD one Faith one God and Father of all He that sets up many Gods doth withal set up many Faiths for every God would be calling for peculiar Faith to be given to him and every one would be severally believing in his several God In this most simple Essence and single Being there are three truly subsisting whereof every one is another from the other There are that do witness in heaven and they are three the Father the Word and the holy Spirit and these three are one If it be queried Whether one and the same person can be two distinct Natures of different kinds and Whether two such Natures can be in one Person Empty cheating Philosophy will wrongfully state this question and mis-resolve it thus That those things which are of disparate kinds cannot be predicated of one another nor united in the same suppositum whereas true pure Religion in the written Word doth give us to know that two distinct Natures as the Deity or Godhead and the Humanity or Mankind may be both of them united into one Christ In this wonderful one were both these inseparably knit together and yet they each one remain distinct from the other having several Natures Properties and Operations both making up one LORD Jesus Christ This word was made flesh this God hath been manifested in the flesh to the Godhead Christ took the seed of Abraham for so was he born according to the flesh as to his Humane Nature
all Translations into Mother-Tongues without any the least trajection or transposition of Words or of Points Variation Addition or Supplement or Substraction leaving the propriety of their meaning and Government to the Interpreter and Expounder of them the Commentator and Dilater upon them the Paraphraser and Applyer of them as the holy Spirit from the Father in the Name of the Son shall give him skill and utterance by a due regard had to the Context and by a faithful collating of other suitable Scriptures in an Harmonious Concent Q. Whether there be any thing in the Original Text either from the difference of the Stile or from the significancy of the Accents or from any other Grammacal consideration which doth either naturally in its self or by institution of the Holy Inspirator give us a more just accompt and genuine distinction of the several parts of Scripture than that which at this day is in common use amongst us by the Titles and order of the Books by Chapters and by Verses and what it is Q. Whether all humanely invented Enallages all changes whatsoever of one part of Speech into another of Persons of Genders of Numbers of Cases of Letters of Words of Names of Vowels of Accents of Syntax of Moods or of what else that doth belong unto the Original Languages as also wrong-fancied-Anomalies should not be altogether laid aside in such a Grammar especially when passing into a Translation Q. Whether all humanely pretended Paragoges Redundancies Expletives Pleonasms Insignificancies Deficiencies of any Letters Syllables or Words should not be quite rejected by discerning Grammarians in such a Grammar as obscurings and wrongings of the Original Languages Q. What is the true Orginal Emphaticalness of the Original Punctations and Accentations And how do these or any other part of the Original Languages direct in the right sound the just pronunciation of words and in the orderly distinction of a Sentence into its certain Members and Clauses by its due pointings Where the LORD has furnished any others in their greater store with more discoveries of this useful Nature could I live to see this way of Scripture-knowledges more countenanced and promoted by them it would give joy in my heart however it be whatever the issue and the success of these intimations be I exalt His Name who is the All glorious Jehovah the Ael of Sciences that he hath in this so graciously helped me so far to serve my Generation according to his will before I fell on sleep If the Reader be under such apprehensions that this Book of mine might well have been spared because it is my principle to bring all unto Christ's one Book of Scripture I expect so much ingenuity from him as to acknowledge that there must be some way and medium found out and held forth for the communicating and commending of the excellency of Christ's Book which is a Book One and All were it throughly understood rightly applyed and well improved and I knew no other means of like spreadingness with this that is before thee which I was in any present capacity of making known unto the World Wise Solomon condemns the folly and the fruitlessness the vanity and the vexation of Ethnick Books and of Philosophick Studies where Supernatural Directions were not to be had though men professing the true Religion did much betake themselves thereunto and did in many particular subjects write out of and according unto them What a multitude of Books are there that Humane Authors do make though their writings do not give that full satisfaction which the most do wrong look for there how often do new Treatises flutter abroad the last usually undertaking either to confute other mens arguings or to correct their mistakes or to reprove their miscarriages or to instruct them or to add to them or further to confirm them or with some such like design and then quickly after out comes another passing his judgement upon that which went but a little before and what do men by this but publish the imperfection of all their own Writings and the same sentence will be passed upon this Book of mine though my Treatise has this advantage beyond others that its design and drift is to plead for and to praise that Eminent Book of God which is the only perfect Book If the more spiritually discerning among the perusers of this Treatise do discover corrupt Mixtures humane Frailties ignorant Mistakes and unadvised Errors therein they are to remember and to consider that the Author is also a man of like affections and weaknesses as they there is no difference but what rich Grace and free Love doth make which therefore doth call for their compassionating pities earnest prayers and friendly helpings laying aside all proud insultings revengful tramplings and personal reflectings Courteous Reader let the Scriptures be more studied where is a complete declaration of the mind and will of the All wise Aelohim and which can fully satisfie thee in thy weighty inquiries It is an endless labour and a wearisome task both to make and to read other Books The end of the whole Word of God and of all hearing of it is that we might fear Aelohim and keep all his Commandments for this is all Adam about this Book should we lay out the strength of our thoughts the redeemings of our time and the bent of our Studies these holy Scriptures are not so large a Volumn but that it may be read over in some few Weeks or Months and the oftner it is read over by a spiritual discerner diligent observer wise improver and believing practiser still the more doth it open of its Treasure of Knowledge here is a Library made up of one Book so intire in it self as that it is able to make thee wise unto Salvation O bestow thy pains principally here here chiefly imploy thy Studies be not weary in turning these frequently over saving Knowledge and true Happiness is no were else fully revealed To move thee hereunto remember and consider that thy actions all of them open and secret good or ill must stand or fall according to this Book as they are conformable to it or not and all this as our eternal State either of bliss or of misery thine who readest this and mine who write this There is much of Spiritual use to be made by Believers of the improved knowledge of Natural things for the discerning and injoying of fellowship with the Creator and Redeemer IT is neither beneath the grave Majesty and Royal Anthority of the Word of the LORD nor besiders its real intent and designed purport to converse with Believers about created Beings those great works which do so much speak the glorious Excellencies of their admired Maker The orderly recording of the Works of Creation in the beginning of the Book of God severally and distinctly on each of the foregoing six days of the first week of the created World and of the Sabbath-rest upon the seventh the last
not as they seem unto common capacaties upon mistaken grounds from erroneous principles but as the verity of their existence is Nomenclature doth shew how that Things and Beings are put into the Names of those Things and Beings and this by institution of Original significancy as the expressions do declare The Word and the Works of God are here held out to be Truth Mens errings do proceed from their not understanding of the Scriptures and of the Power of God not from the taking of Christ upon his bare word Holy Ones in the Word do disswade from Error and can we imagine then that the Word should shew men how to err would this have men still to continue in their being deceived to have them read and think that for true and certain which is false and misconceived Christ witnesseth of his words that there is nothing wreathed or perverse in them they are words of Truth and there is certainty in them being fitted to resolve questions to the satisfaction of inquiring Spirits The LORD 's wording of the History of the Creation is his first revealed Idea of all things manifest to rational Creatures The real Natures of Created Beings do directly answer to Scripture-speakings concerning them the things seen were things made and the Maker of them would have his own real perfections to be read in them How unavoidable would the many dangerous ill consequences be that will necessarily follow upon the contrary opinion how would all Foundations of credibility and of veracity be shaken and over-turned There is a clear and a constant evidence and demonstration of the senses well exercised and rightly judging amongst all reasonable Creatures all the inhabited Earth over in all the Ages of the World who have brought in one and the same Testimony concerning the reality of things as this word doth express them to be which is a full proof It is a Theological Truth of resolving the probation by senses into Scripture-expressions and of rectifying all deceits and mistakes of the Senses by the word-Rule It was and is the Scripture-way to prove things by Senses and to call upon Senses to bring in their Verdict according to Scripture Thus were all the proceedings in Jehovah's judicial Laws in all Cases wherein any matter of fact is to be witnessed and accordingly any matter of right to be determined as Justice Truth and Equity required Inward and outward senses regulated by the Word are great resolvers of weighty questions these Senses being every one of them differenced both in Nature and in Grace by their distinct proper and singular operation Scripture-words do not set out Created Beings as directly opposite to right-judging rational Senses Should we resort to humane reasonings and to carnal imaginations in these inquiries we could acquiesce here for these in several men at the same time and sometimes in one and the same man take him at several times are varying one from another and contrary to each other and often they are but shews and colours not the real things themselves whereas the Creator will have his Creatures to be a sensible Testimony to the Truth of His Word Those that do tremble at God's Word and who do stand in awe of its Authority do find sensible Demonstrations within them and evident arguments in the things themselves against such bold assertions as do call those expressions to be absurdities which are literal affirmations and down-right positions in this word and that do mis-name it to be servile superstitious fear to oppose the meaning of Scripture-phrases Remember that I write not now about Types Shadows and Figures contained in the word where the signs are sometimes put for the things signified thereby though here also there be some outward and visible thing truly represented to our senses neither about communication of properties whereby that is sometimes attributed to aâ— whole Person or Subsistence which agreeth to him but in respect of one of his Natures as when God is said to purchase this Church by his Blood which Blood properly doth appertain to Christ's Manhood and not to his Godhead but of Created Beings in their real Existences which are the same in Nature that the Scriptures do call them in name Scripture and Nature are uniformly concordant one with another and all the whole Scripture as well as all the whole Nature doth well agree with it self and therefore let it be further considered whether it were a sound and sober a solid and savoury answer in him who being urged with the plain express significant Letter of the fourth word or command for the Seventh-day-Sabbath doth lay down this for one of his premised propositions that though the Letter of the Text ought alway to be carefully heeded yet alway to stick to it and never compare Scripture with Scripture for the better understanding of the sense thereof may prove a dangerous snare which he applies in part unto a sticking to the Letter of the fourth Commandment without minding the scope sense and meaning of it bethinking that thereby a man shall cast a mist before his eyes which will exceedingly hinder him from the right understanding of the Mind of God therein If I should do so saith he of himself I shall find it so to be Thus he That Word of Christ unto one who inquired by what doing he should inherit eternal Life is here now with me What is written in the Law How readest thou that answer must we receive in and from this Law which is written in this Law and which we do read so written in it for this is still a right answer To compare Scripture with Scripture for the right understanding of that fourth Word has been already done and will be further performed when I come to treat professedly on that subject-matter when it will be made evident from the Word that the whole Scripture doth speak in its true proper literal significancy for the Seventh-day-Sabbath the scope sense and meaning of the fourth Command being altogether expresly for it If the Law of the Ten Words particularly of the Fourth be not literally expressive of their true right meaning I know not what of the Scripture is where every discerner at the first reading and hearing may presently know its meaning as will be further shewn Here as it is written so we read neither is it to be otherwise understood nor in any other sense to be taken than in that which doth first present it self to the intelligent Reader or hearer So far as we are under the Commandingness of this Law we are under all whatsoever it speaks this way and it speaks of the Seventh-day in express Letters and Words as the Sabbath exclusive of all the other six foregoing days of the same week which it nameth and calleth to be days for working in our particular Functions every Iota and Tittle thereof being ratified by Christ and therefore its Letter doth bind It appears to me to be
a vain daring boldness for a worm-man to assert that the Seventh-day is not the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God and thou mayst do work therein when this great Lawgiving King of kings and LORD of Lords doth so expresly affirm and command the Seventh-day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God thou shalt not do any work When men will use more faithfulness and diligence to be better skilled in the literal significancy of the Original Language they will see cause to admire the Wisdom of Aelohim who has so self-evidencingly put things into words especially in these two parts of Scripture the History of the Creation and the Law of the ten words The vain affectation of Humane Wisdom which doth thrust upon the credulity of so many a Doctrine of probabilities concerning the works of Creation and Natural Things from Anti-Christian and unscriptural Philosophy but is not according to Christ and to his Word is such a deceitful way of false reasoning as makes a prey of Souls and is carefully to be avoided and is but falsly named Science THose who take the Holy Spirit to be their Leader and Conducter and the Holy Scriptures to be their Rule and their way may upon due search discover this The smooth-tongued Orators the deceitful Sophisters the vain Philosophers of this World they their Sayings and Writings are not a firm ground for a believing Disciple of Christ to bottom his Faith upon for as much as they are but slightly superficial and scarce likely's the ground-work of their Learning being but Humane Fiction and self-conceited imagination such a Doctrine of Probabilities as we are cautioned against That Philosophy and Wisdom which is derived from the Invention and Tradition of fallible men and is according to the Elements of this World and not according to Christ is a spurious wisdom not to be owned by the followers of Christ what a many of the Questions and Disputations in Ethnick Philosophy is there about Elements which the Scripture doth speak expresly at and against That Wisdom which is a worldly humanely-invented wisdom is judged by the Scriptures of Truth to be a terrene wisdom suited to the earthly designs of covetous worldlings to be animal fitted to the voluptuous Arts of sensual Souls and to be devilish framed to the proud Models of ambitious Climbers This corrupt wisdom is mischievous in the bad Fruits and the evil effects thereof how prone to quarrelsome litigiousness how contradictingly opposing of the Truth how impudently immodest how headstrongly inswasible how devoid of good Fruit how full of emulating disputes of fallacious brables of over-reaching controvertings observe in experience and see and say whether it doth not puff men up making them sick about Questions about strifes of words about verbal distinctions when every word almost in a debate is wrested and wryed to a multiplicity of meanings and a variety of senses about which they would endlesly cavil and craftily equivocate from whence have started up so many Sects in Philosophy and thereby in Theology too teaching another Doctrine and they who teach this do not come up to the wholesome words of our LORD Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to right Worship from such are Christ's Disciples to withdraw their unscripturally-curious concertations and their empty unprofitable disputations do shew a corrupt mind and do bewray a devoidness of Truth Heathenish Philosophy would turn men aside from Christ who is the true full essential Wisdom and from his instituted Worship unto carnal reasonings and a corrupt service Paul's manner of arguing in these Cases was from the true sound knowledge of Created Beings and of Natural Things Thus he convinced the Athenian Philosophers who generally counted Word-learning to be but verbal-babling and a proclaiming of new Demons or Devils and he expresly declareth against Greekish-Ethnick-Philosophers The Epicurean and Stoick Philosophers were some of the most violent opposers of and subtil adversaries against the Christian Doctrine and what shall rising Graduates in Christian Academies as they grow new and further proficients in Learning be still sworn unto the words of these Pagan Magistralists What can we expect from mere Animal or Physical men but a worldly Wisdom and humane Learning that which is foolishness whilst themselves are foolish the foolishness as these men do miscount it of God is wiser it is their animality and want of spirituality that doth put them upon mis-judging of this to be foolishness The Grecanical wise men are much in searching after that wisdom which doth chiefly consist in speculation or contemplation the wisdom of the incredulous Jews is more conversant about visible signs and ocular demonstrations for without such sensible confirmations as these they will not believe though multitudes of them in the days of Christ and of his Apostles did still continue infidels in the very face of miraculous attests Both these Wisdoms are distinguished and divided from that Wisdom which is of God whose Foundations is Jesus Christ and his Word the Disciples of Christ especially those of them who are in the office of the Ministery are to keep the depositum of sound Scripture-doctrine they are actually to be averse from profane clamours about empty vanities which do affix unto words such a sense as is wholly alien from their true proper significancy and which by sophistical School-distinctions do keep wrangling about Phrases to pervert their plain right meaning and do wrest some Scriptures they understand not wrongfully accommodating them to maintain some Error or to defend some Vice There have been such as have boasted much of their profound knowledge this way who have both themselves erred from the scope concerning the Faith and have misled others also It is a false assertion to affirm this or that is true in Philosophy though in Scripture it be found otherwise For if Scripture-truth do contradict it then that which is so contradicted is not a truth but an error however Philosophy miscal it true introduced by the Father of lies Where any Philosopher did assert any thing about the Creation according to the Truth there they had it either from the Word or by their outward Observation and experience from Senses agreable to the Word some of them either had the knowledge of God's Word and did read the first Books of Scripture or at least had some traditionary Records of them and did read them If that be indeed so which some whom I have met with have affirmed that those Books at least some of them which those Believers and Converts did burn in that part of the History of the Arts of the Apostles were the Books of Ethnick Philosophy such as the Heathens Logick Dialectick Grammar Rhetorick c. so that the like execution were to be done still against the same Treatises that to this day do persist in their Treasons against the Crown of Christ and the Dignity of his Word the Libraries and Shops in Philosophick Universities would
leave much of their Shelves empty though he who writes this is like to be judged and condemned for an Heretick in the Commonwealth of Learning and to have his Name and Reputation killed whilst he himself is alive and buried before he himself be dead But these must be let go for the sake and in the cause of Christ and of his Word who will have a day of Resurrection of Names as there will be at the last of bodies One of the most learned and most experienced of natural Philosophers in the present age who has been at great cost and pains to make the most watchful Observations after all his curiosity in seeking and searching has consented to the publishing of a Treatise to let the World of Vain Affecters of Humane Wisdom and of Philosophick Learning to know that after all his inquiries and researches into hidden secrets of mysterious Nature he can come at no certainty especially about the Heavenly Bodies and what doth belong to them and generally about what is at a great distance from our eye or quite out of our sight Cosmical suspicions are found in the Title and in the Pages so that his Philosophy as to the most of the eminent Works of the Creation particularly as to the Celestial Phaenomena and subterraneous hiddenesses is if not come to plain nothing yet quite passed into doubt suspicion and scepticism so that his acknowledgements are much the same in this with mine It would be the Wisdom and Honour of such generous spirited Virtuoso's now at length to come wholly over to the Scripture-way for the proficiency of Arts and for the augment of Sciences where and where only such men of deep understanding can sit down sweetly satisfied Scripture-Learning is gone forth conquering and Word-knowledges will ere long be triumphing All other Science is but falsly so called both about the Works of Creation and the Doctrines of Faith however the deluded world have given it the name yet it is devoid of the Essence it doth start a many thorny and argute Questions and it ingageth in a multitude of frivolous concertations of Sophisters and of Philosophasters such as School-Divinity or Scholastick-Theology doth abound in and is almost quite through all over run with Dialectick Nicities and Metaphorical Formalities to raise dust and to make a mist that mens eyes can see but little of their way as if all knowledge were placed in this whereas it neither doth deserve nor can make good such a name That is worth the name of Wisdom that is Wisdom to Salvation that is the commendable Learning that is sanctified Learning and that is the praise-worthy experience that is holy experience It is Scripture-Science that is the great the only deposited Treasury of all Writings that is to be kept for the confutation of all Opponents who object against the Truth The rest are but prophane Clamors about empty Vanities such as are of a different kind and nature from the Analogie of Faith frivolous concertations of Sophists Logical impertinencies Metaphysical puzlings that do not deserve the Name because they have not the Reality of useful Knowledge where they have any thing of profitable Learning as a few grains of good Corn in a great heap of Chaff there they Originally received it from the Word and from the LORD's people who held forth their knowledge according to the Word before others Thus the Chaldeans from the Hebrews so also the Egyptians the Phenicians the Grecians though they all mingle it with their several Errors Superstitions and Idolatries Never yet could the Disciples of any Unscriptural Antiscriptural of any Unchristian Antichristian Philosopher meet with such a complete Model of the Created World from any of their Masters as might give them any through satisfaction thereabout though according to their several Sects they have been great Admirers of themselves There are of them who have pretended to more skill than those who went before them in the Philosophick Way and have undertaken to be Correctors of other mens Opinions and Writings about a System of the World and yet they have not believed themselves that their own Hypotheses were true and sound as particularly the vertiginous Asserters of the Diurnal Motion of the Earth One great cause of his Eâ—â—ring who was the famous misleader of others into this gross mistake was his slighting and rejecting of the Scriptures about these matters as if it were a subject altogether alien from VVord revelation The several Earnest Contenders both for the old and new Philosophy of later years after all their new VVorlds which they have set up and trumpeted before as if all must bow before their Systematical Calf and worship their modular Moloc yet what have they done after all their studies and endeavours but proclaim openly in Print that they are both of them out of the right way the one and the other wandring out of the path of Truth and that they have taken up with such fallacious shews as are discovered by Scripture-light to be apparent falshoods And therefore the adaptest shortest and every-way best Method will be to lay aside all the rest and to take up things purely from the VVord of Christ All besides this are but the fanciful framings and imaginary VVorlds of self-pleasing Dreamers though they applaud their own cunning in excepting against the Scriptures as no fit Judges in these Cases yet I cannot commend their Conscience in such a wrongful dishonourable charge as they hereby bring in against Christ and against his VVord There are some parts of the Created VVorld which right Reason and enlightned Nature cannot but acknowledge that they must be As a place of reward for the Good and of punishment for the Bad And yet because they are not to those who are on this Earth exposed to their senses they cannot be understood what and where they are but only by VVord-revelation The great mistakes of some both Translators of and Commentators upon the VVord History of the Creation have been occasioned mostly from hence that they have followed Philosophers and their VVritings more than Christ and his Scriptures which is the great error and the blemishing spot in those expositions upon Job which many otherwise singular Annotators have completed and published For almost throughout that whole Book much thereof doth treat of Created Beings as the Heavens the Luminaries there the Rain the Dew the Snow the Hail the Wind the Earth the Water the Abyss the Gulph Hell Light Darkness the four Quarters of the World with many others and with many particulars about each of these they do much Philosophize which I now write not to revile the Name or bespatter the Memory of the departed Authors nor to undervalue the many choice Observations and profitable Collatings of Scripture every where almost to be found in several of those Treatises but to warn the Reader that when he comes to such passages about this kind of Learning which I am now upon he would
to them that trust in him when those who have either added to or taken from his words shall be reproved and be found to have been lying ones And I do hope there will be a pure every way uncorrupt Autograph or Apograph of the Scriptures of Truth Neither am I without some Words of the LORD upon which to bottom Faith Expectation and Prayer concerning this matter a great and a glorious Work highly and fully worth the most serious and diligent search after by Christian Princes by Learned Men and by Eminent Believers Spiritual Discerners should know how to take and to improve this hint which I had rather they themselves would industriously pursue than at present put me upon any further opening of my thoughts with the grounds of those my apprehensions in such an Age of quarrelsome jangling of endless contentiousness and of lips of folly In the mean time till there be this glorious appearing of Christ and of his Book according to Prophetical Revelations I bless his Name for himself and for his Word and for any gracious Work of his Word upon my heart having felt a day of his Power there whereby he has made me willing to stand in some holy awe of him and of his Word and to dispense it in some growing measures as I have received it in uprightness as of God in the presence of God so speaking it in Christ If any will so sell this Word of God as to falâ—â—e it by corrupting it any ways by dealing deceitfully with it by playing the Hucksters with it adulterating and sophisticating of it by mingling of Philosophick Errors and Humane Inventions and Unwritten Traditions with it Thus to make the market of their own private gain upon some ignorant deluded soul by their crafty handling and covetous dispensing of it by false glosses and counterfeit garnishes giving forth wrong senses and making undue applications of it raising false Doctrines and inferring ill uses from thence let such consider in the fear of Jehovah how they will answer it at that last Great Day when they shall be judged to their Eternal Estate by that Word which they have so much wrested and wronged O how great cause have they to inlarge in Jehovah's praises who having in their younger years taken in much of the Philosophick taint were afterwards by his Spirit and Grace cured of its gross mistakes and dangerous errors that a Moses escaped from out of Egyptian Astrology Sorcery and such other superstitious diabolical Arts That a Daniel Hananiah Mishael and Azariah got so well off from Chaldaick Books so full of vain Arts and of Idolatrous Sciences that Aelohim gave them Knowledge and Understanding to discern Truth from Falshood whereby to convince and to confute Ethnick Errors and Paganish Tenets and that they were so kept from prohibitell Magick and such black Arts That the new converted Christians were preserved and antidored by the Principles and Laws of their true pure Religion from and against the poysonous disputes of Epicureans Stoicks Libertines Gnosticks and such other Philosophers That a Paul so 〈◊〉 up in several corrupt 〈◊〉 was afterwards so savingly inlightned so sound in Scripture Learning so skilful so useful so successful a Preacher O what special matter of great thankfulness was there here Vain man would be wise above and besides and against what is written although Wo be threatried against those who are wise in then own eyes The wisdom of such shall perish There is a knowledge that is vain which a wise a man should not utter The worldly wise ones of Philosophers do irride the Christian Religion and of Polititians do hate it O the blessedness the happy goings on with a straight foot of them who are made Wise to Salvation It has been in all Ages of the Church the device and the attempts of Saran and of his Disciples to abuse men by paralogisms by such false reasonings as by a shew and colour of Truth do circumvent the unskilful and unexperienced in the Word of Righteousness And their assaults have been mainly made against the Churches and People of God under specious shews of Reason and of Religion to introduce somewhat that is quite contrary to the Nature Purity and Simplicity of the Christian undefiled Doctrine Hence have they endeavoured to thrust in the worshiping of Angels and of Saints departed by invocating of them by dedicating of Temples and of Altars to them by making vows to them with many other uninstituted Observations of humanely-invented Ceremonies and divers Philosophical trifles which are no authorized warranty nor legitimate argumentation from the Word of God nor from sound Reason judiciously informed thereby Oh how daring bold is humane curiosity that will adventure to be wise beyond due bounds of sober knowledge when men will presume to be Doctors not understanding what they speak nor of what they affirm The Schoolmen with the Papists and others who have trod in the steps of those Scholastick Doctors have generally greatly erred herein by obtruding upon others many Forgeries and falshoods for Articles of Christian Faith which were taught themselves only by the dark discoursings of their own blind minds such as are their Scientia media their free-will their inherent Righteousness their meritorious Works their creature-idolizings with such like dogmatical decrees and received opinions of proud men which they fetched out of the Metaphysicks of Philosophers and out of the Ethicks of Pagans from whose corrupt Principles they would deduce the great Truths and the saving Mystesteries of the Christian Religion bottoming their unsound conclusions upon their own sandy opinions thus subjecting Theology to Philosophy and Christianity to Sophistry Those Books which are commonly called Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy or the Book of Moses and of his Writings there have the approving Testimony of those true faithful Prophets that did follow after him as also of the LORD Jesus Christ himself and of his Apostles and the History of the Creation and of the Works thereof in the Beginning of the Bible is true in the literal sense and was intended and recorded so to be understood and all those Philosophical Allegorical and Mystical Senses which any do give thereof that are contrary unto this are to be avoided and rejected THis is the first revealed and written Word the most Ancient Book by which all Humane Treatises where they err must be corrected I exclude not any other part of Holy Scriptures but do own all through as a perfect Summary of all useful Learning and do bring them in for the confirmation of Truths only the Reader is to remember and consider that one great part of my present Design is to propound some such particular inquiries concerning the Works of Creation in the several Days of the first Week of the World and to give such a Scripture Judgement upon some special Cases as may restaur and advance true profitable Knowledges and Arts. Christ in his Word hath put his
Cherubins and of the living Creatures of the Angels in their subserviency The fourth is the later part of Ezekiel's Book from the fortieth Chapter to the end where the New City is described Though these two later places also being Visions may the more evidently as to the external part of them be plainly shewn to growing young ones who might in fewer Months be skilled in Geometry the Doctrine of Measures and some other Arts as the Truth Reality and Usefulness in those Knowledges is than others will attain unto in so many years by Philosophical Studies And what a shame is it to the Learned Artists of the Times that VVomen and Children would quickly be made more profiting Graduates than themselves If any Traders in Humane VVisdom are angry at this discovery for a while yet let them observe the workings of convictions by this Scripture Light upon their minds and they will when more considerate bring in a Testimony for Christ and for his VVord if they will be so ingenuous as freely to communicate their Experiences For my hopes do promise to my self that I shall have most mens Consciences with me in this Cause though my fears do threaten that most mens corruptions will be against me for this Cause Having led the Reader thus far along in his Way I suppose that now his Expectations are raised to meet with somewhat of weighty Inquiry about the Works of Creation on the several Days the clear distinct knowledge whereof may have a direct tendency and an apparent profitableness for the Restauration and Instauration of Arts and the Advancement and Augment of Sciences such of both these as are useful and so far as they are thus useful and all in a clean way of Pure Religion The first Great Inquiry at my Entrance shall be this Q. Whether was the LORD Jesus Christ Jehovah as his Father is Jehovah and as the Spirit of his Holiness is Jehovah they one Jehovah Whether he were appointed by his Father and Anointed by his Spirit to be One Mediator the only LORD and Lawgiver And whether he were the Creator of all things as the Father is Creator and as the Holy Spirit is Creator they the Creators And whether is not this included in the first words of the Holy Scriptures Bereashith baraa Aelohim and in that word Jehovah who presently in the very next Verse after the short History of the Creation is said to be the Creator and Maker THe renewing of the wonderful Works of Creation in the rare secrets thereof will be found in holy experience to be no derogation to the admirable Works of Redemption in the great Mysteries thereof when once it shall be made to appear that he who was the Creator is the Redeemer too and that one great Cause why the Redeemer is no more believed and adored is for that this Creator is no more credited and exalted It is mainly with a design of Honour to that Christ whom my Soul loves that I am ingaged in this Printing-war against such an Host and so many Armies of Philosophick Giants and of Hellish Forces In his Name and Authority with the Sword of his Spirit which is the Word of God shielded by Faith I am called to go forth against them all I therefore begin with this because Jehovah Christ himself is the Captain of created Hosts whose cause is the justest and whose side will be the strongest It is he who doth Banner it above ten thousand To him I resort as to an Almighty Warrier Whoever thou be that wilt give this Treatise the reading and considering do not look upon it as a low mean enterprise â—s if it were a subject-matter too beneath a Minister of Christ in his first printed Essay in such an Age of growing Light of abounding Knowledge of fruitful experience of prophetical discoveries of raised expectâ—tions of 〈◊〉 Christianity of many Scholastick Tractates published by the generous minded and learned Virtuosoâ—s of the Times For this design understood and improved according to its true worth and real usefulness will be found to be a great improvement in the Commonwealth both of Learning and of Religion by reviving the glorious Creation by restoring of Primitive Christianity by directing 〈◊〉 Studies aright into the only way of sound proficiency to Honour of Christ and the Reputation of his Word in the both Temporal and Spiritual the present and eternal good of the Sons and Daughters of Adam Christ hath magnified upon all his Name his Word The Portion of his Friends shall be to observe his Words such will he teach goodness of reason a savoury sense for they have believed in his Commandments O how sweet are his saying to their Palate more than Honey to their Mouth Their steps shall be firmly directed in his saying for his Servants love it and him will they hear Rise up O Aelohim Plead thou thy Plea That the passage here may be the more cleared I shall publish somewhat about the lawfulness of mentioning that great and glorious Name Jehovah and not only so but further also about the profitable use of it and further yet that it is a duty at fit seasons in its place actually to give it a vocal expression especially now in these later days though not only the superstitious Jews but many Philosophick Christians do declaim against the use and naming of this Word There are in the Hebrew Tongue several Names by which the great LORD over all doth call himself Some are Names of Essence Others are Names of Power Some others are Names of Preheminence and LORDship and Superiority Another of his Highness Amongst them all this proper Name Jehovah has its excellingness It doth set him out as that All glorious he who alone ever was now is and ever will be He alone who so is that he cannot Not-be all created Existences have their Being from him and were not only made by him but have also their continued conversation by him so that their subsistency is in him In him they are they live they are moved This is the confession of rational Nature All things are for him for this end has he given them their Being that they might be to his Glory It is he who puts a Being into his Words turning them into Works All the Promises in him are Yea and Amen he himself being the Interpreter It is he the same who gives a Being to the New Creature and doth uphold it in its Existence Of him and by him and unto him are all things To him be Glory for ever The Creator who in the beginning of the History of the Creation is called Aelohim or the Judging-adored-Almighties who spake particular Existences into their Essences he is named Jehovah joyned with Aelohim in the close of that History he that made the Heavens and the Earth was Jehovah Aelohim q Some parts of this Word are often put either
in the beginning or in the end of proper names By naming of Jehovah is noted the mode of his Essentiality and Agenty It is their sin who do not call upon this Name for it is expresly to be named It is therefore an Error in the vulgar versions of Greek Latin and English when they render this proper Name appellatively which hath no plural Number no demonstrative Note prefix'd is not read in the constructed State so as to change its last Letter neither doth it admit of any affixes at the end This particular Name of his shall be glorious This Word has been put into the name of a place and of an Altar So that such a place and such an Altar could not be rightly named without using that form and manner of pronunciation as its Consonants and Vowels are Though proud Pharaoh for a while would not know not acknowledge this Name Jehovah yet Aelohim by his Plagues upon Pharaoh did at last make his mouth pronounce it Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron concerning them and the Israelites Jehovah shall be with you This is that Hebrew Word which is made up of all the Vowels also of Accents and iâ— doth confist only of such Vowels and Acconts There are in it A E J O V it has H to begin a syllable and H to and a syllable It is evident that the Ethnick's Jove and Jao got its sound from their hearing of this word Jehovah to be pronounced by the Hebrews they retained some of the Hebraick Origination in the very sound of it O how incomprehensibly Glorious is this infâ—â—ite unchangeable Essence who was from all Eternity is and will be to all Eternity without any mutation Who really doth declare and exhibit himself to be indeed such a one as he manifesteth and promiseth himself to be in his Word Jehovah himself was the Author of this Name of his and it is not attributed to any Creature It has in it all the parts of Duration past present and to come Jehoshuah read all the words of the Law the Blessings and the Cursings according to all that is written in the Book of the Law there was not a Word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel with the Women the little Ones and the Strangers that were conversant among them If all and not a word unread then Jehovah was read for this Word was there It was foretold that even the Priests would be despisers of this Name but withal it is prophesied That it shall be great from the going forth of the Sun to the going in thereof and they shall in a more especial manner be remembred by him who wisely think upon his Name One of Solomon's Names of his cognames brought to his Father David by Nathan from an Oracle was Jedidjah beloved of Jah for Jehovah doved him and therefore he sent his Prophet Nathan so to call his Name because of Jehovah that somewhat of Jehovah's Name might pass over into Solomon's Name for Jah is the contracted word of Jehovah which name Jah is annexed to a multitude of names in the holy Scriptures whereby the ignorance and unbelief of the superstitious heart-veiled Jews is justly reproved who will not acknowledge this syllable this word Jah to be the contracted of Jehovah lest they should be made withal to confess that the Word the Name Jehovah should by found of voice be distinctly and expresly in all its Consonants and Vowels pronounced with due reverence How much is there of this Word and Name that doth 〈◊〉 into Scriptures Sometimes it doth set out the glorious excellency of the Eternal Being other times the virtue and favour of this Eternal Being The acknowledgement celebrating and praising of this Being The profession and worship of this Being of beings and much more This Name is invocated often in the Word and is sometimes put for the Command Will or Authority of this Great LORD How many times is this Expression used thus saith Jehovah in the beginning in the middle and in the end of a Sentence The Margin of this Page cannot contain all the Citations of these in every of the places of Scripture This Name and Word was to be on the High Priest's Forehead that all the people might see it and read it there how else could they understand the Mystery of it And the like is prophesied of elsewhere with an eye to this Name of his he will do much for his people in the later days and it is covenanted that in the purer Church then the knowledge of the Glory of this Name shall so aboundingly cover the Earth as the Waters cover the place of the Seas He doth take notice of it and is displeased at it when this Name of his is seoffed at As Jehovah is the proper Name so also the Memorial of him who is a â—ost lingle pure perfect infinite unchangeable self-being existing and subsisting in and of and by himself who was who is and who will be one and the same and not made another From whom all and every of Creatures in their first making did receive their Essence their Existence and by and in whom they 〈◊〉 kept in their Being who will really and indeed declare and shew forth himself 〈◊〉 such a one the very same True One as he hath revealed himself to be in his Word putting a real Essencâ— an actual Existence into all and every of his Command Promisings Threatnings and Pâ—â—pheses of whatsoever it is 〈…〉 spoken in their time A 〈◊〉 Name which he reserves only to himself had which is communicated 〈…〉 other Name which in the 〈…〉 of it is 〈◊〉 the fittest to work those night apprehensions and that 〈◊〉 knowledge of him in those who are acquainted with him which such 〈◊〉 Word is 〈◊〉 form in them Thou thy 〈◊〉 Jehovah Thou art Thy Name what 〈◊〉 Name hath in Thou 〈◊〉 â—hy Name 〈◊〉 His people shall more know in the later days from the 〈◊〉 of them unto the greateâ—â— of them that 〈◊〉 this He 〈◊〉 The Earth shall be full of the 〈◊〉 acknowledgement of the Glory of him who is this Name How glorious how fearful is this Name O how great in might How holy How wondrous excellent in all the Earth O how good how near how extolled how much hath he done How much doth he and will he do for this Name of his as this is so should his praise be They who knowing it will trust of him The desire of the Soul of Saints is to it and to the remembrance of him They love it they call upon it and do confess to him They praise it for it is high advanced this Name of his his alone This they fear In this they will lift up their Palms In this shall they shout and be glad all the day This they remembred in the night and have observed his Law this they see
in to mediate especially since the disobedience of Man has set God and Man at variance When Paul had once understood and found the benefit having felt the necessity and enjoyed the Good and Blessing of this Mediation and had the Word and the Ministery of Reconciliation committed to him he took much holy delight in opening of this great Mystery in his Epistles to the Churches discovering how God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their sins unto them Paul and such others as were called into that Office were Ambassadors for Christ as if God did beseech sinners by them and they prayed in Christ's Name that such would be reconciled to God For him who knew no sin hath he made sin for his people that they might become the Righteousness of God in him It pleased God to reconcile through Christ all things unto himself both the Things upon the Earth and the Things in Heaven This was much the end of Christ's coming upon the Fathers sending of him to preach Peace unto us He is our Peace and his Gospel is the Gospel of Peace Christ was Man that as Man had offended so Christ by becoming Flesh by taking the Manhood to his Godhead might pacifie God in Man in the Nature of Man and that Christ might be such a One as did suffer together with us in our infirmities and was tempted in all things like unto us yet without sin As the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews doth declare And Christ was God in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily as Paul speaks that there might be virtue and merit enough in him fully both to satisfie and please his Father and that he might be a fit Interceder for his people to his Father and that now Believers might in Christ see and enjoy the Father Christ being the Image of the Invisible God the brightness and resplendence of Glory and the Ingraven Form or Impression of his Person or subsistence so that he who seeth the Son seeth the Father also This shines in the face of Jesus Christ who as Mediator was also known to acknowledged by Believers under the Old Testament Dispensation whose Jehovahship has been already proved from thence whereby his Godhead is evidenced and as for his Humanity it was revealed to them That the seed of the woman should break the head of the serpent and that of the fruit of Davids body should Christ be raised up concerning the flesh as Peter in his Sermon hath expounded that prophesie in the one hundred thirty and second Psalm and Christ did several times appear under the Old Testament Administration as a man whereby he did visibly foreshew that Great Mystery of his being God manifested in the Flesh in time Thus particularly doth the Word speak that when Jacob was left alone a man wrestled with him till the morning whom Jacob did call the Mighty God whence Jacob named that place where this wrestling was Peniel that is to say the place where he saw the Faces of the Almighty One even of him who is Jehovah For thus the Prophet Hosea doth speak that Jehovah saith At Bethel God found him meaning this Jacob whom he met and to whom he appeared and there he spake with us he who has Jehovah for his Name of remembrance which also is another proof of Christ's being Jehovah It was made known unto them that Christ was both God and Man in one Hence in Isaiah Christ hath the name of Gnimmanu-el God with us which 〈◊〉 more eminently and evidently fulfilled when he was born of the Virgin 〈◊〉 as is declared in the Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by that Prophet saying Behold the Virgin shall he with child and shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel which is being interpreted God with us And the Prophet Zeehariah doth call Christ such a Man as was withal a Fellow-companion with the Father There were several Types of this of old Such a one was Moses when he stood between Jehosnuah and his people to shew unto them the Word of Jehovah Such was Aaron and his Sons the high Priests who were anointed to this Office to appear before the LORD for his people to offer Sacrifice for them to pray unto Jehovah for them and to bless them from Jehovah Thus did the people humbly supplicate to the Judge of all by a Mediator for Grace They of them that were believing appealed unto the Father for right presenting themselves and referring their Cause to his Righteous Judgement in a way of interpellation intreating his favour and praying against condemnation in regard that all his just demands were fully answered in the Virtue and Merit of his Son in whom his Soul was well pleased who was represented by the High Priest that did bear the Names of the people upon his Heart when he went in into the holy place for a Memorial before Jehovah continually and who did bear the iniquity of their holy Things for favourable acceptation of them to the Faces of Jehovah which was a significant Figure of the Mediation of Christ who by the Author of the Epistle of the Hebrews is called The high Priest of our profession and the high Priest of good things to come in which respect he is the Mediator of a better Testament as he is commended in that Epistle The Figures and Types which did shadow out his Mediatorship under the Old Testament dispensation having received under the New their full accomplishment and perfection in him It was Christ's Person and Office and Place that Jehovah the high Priest in the Prophesie of Zechariah did represent when he stood before Jehovah It was Christ whom Malachi doth call the Angel or the deputed commissioned Messenger of the Covenant he in whom all the promises of God even to Believers under the Old Testament were yea and Amen What was promised unto Abraham that in him in his seed all Families of the Earth should be blessed the same doth Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians apply to Christ as accomplished in him who was that promised Seed Hence Christ is called the Surety of this better Testament or Covenant he who by giving the hand did promise to the Father on the behalf of those whom the Father gave unto him for whom he did undertake and who did work their peace by making of a Covenant between God and them for who else could have set his hand to go through with so great a Work Who is he that can promise in his heart to draw near unto me saith Jehovah in the Prophet Jeremiah None else was throughly fitted and fully furnished for this but only Jehovah Christ Christ is the One Mediator Of this the Apostle Paul speaketh in express words There is one Mediator between God and men
of whom Micab foretold that he should come out of Judah for to be a Ruler and whose goings forth are of old from the days of Eternity which in the Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ is spoken of this Gâ—immanu el God with us Thus the Prophet Zachariah describes him at the least in the Type He shall sit and bear sway upon his Throne and he shall be Priest upon his Throne This was the voice of the Angel to Mary concerning Christ The LORD God shall give unto him the throne he shall be King for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end This is to be known for certain that God hath made him for a LORD him hath God by his Right Hand exalted for a Prince and Saviour Thus did Peter openly confess him before men This Jehovah Christ hath reigned he is reigning and will reign How high is that Majesty with which he is clothed He hath girded himself with strength Stable is his Throne from then from the Time that he has been from before any created Time as we now measure it he from Eternity He by the Authority of his Mediatoral Office has Royal Prerogatives to pass Acts of Grace to grant Pardons to particular returning sinners to speak the Peace of this into the conscience to give the joy and comfort of this into the heart Christ had a Glory with his Father before this World was and a love from his Father before the Foundation of this World as the LORD Christ himself doth acknowledge in his holy heavenly Prayer to his Father as John has recorded it He is high above all the people let the earth be glad let the many isles rejoyce Come let us shout joyfully to this Jehovah let us shout triumphantly to the rock of our Salvation For Jehovah a great God and a great King above all gods He is the King of Righteousness and the Prince of Peace All kings shall bow down unto him and all nations shall serve him Christ is the only LORD him only must we serve So doth Christ interpret Moses and so did the Prophet Samuel teach Let us hear the LORD Jesus himself speaking thus in the Book of his Generation One is your leader even Christ One is your Father which is in heaven One is your Master even Christ Paul doth write in the Epistle to the same purpose we have One LORD Jesus Christ And again There is one LORD And in another place He is the blessed and only mighty LORD the King of kings and LORD of lords He is the Head of the Church His Office is so appropriate unto him as that his Priesthood cannot pass unto any other but remaineth in himself for ever There is no other Name given us under Heaven whereby we may be saved Thus calls him The only LORD God and our Lord Jesus Christ speaking of that peculiar propriety that the called ones who are sanctified have in him He trode the Press alone and there was none of the Nations with him Thus did Isaiah hold forth Christ's Kingly Power and his Princely Government in redeeming and saving of his Elect and in subduing and destroying of his Enemies as saith the same Prophet in another passage of his Book The Father hath given him the Nations for his Inheritance and the ends of the Earth for his Possession His Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea His Scepter is a Righteous Scepter he hath loved Righteousness and hated iniquity He shall judge the people with Righteousness and the poor meek ones with judgement and equity He is the Rulling One by his Power from ever Jehovah hath firmly prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth ouer all His Kingdom is a Kingdom of all Eternities and his Dominion in every Generation and Generation Behold the Arm of this LORD Jehovah shall Rule His Enemies shall be made his Foot-stool and in the mean time he shall Rule though in the midst of them How great and wonderful are thy Works LORD thou Almighty God Just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints Who should not fear thee LORD and Glorifie thy Name For thou art alone Holy For all Nations shall come and worship before thee for thy Judgements are made manifest All Nations shall can thee blessed Blessed be Jehovah God the God of Israel who dost marvellous things thy self alone And blessed be the Name of thy Glory for ever And let all the Earth be filled with thy Glory Amen and Amen! This Christ is the Lawgiver Thus was it spoken by Isaias the Prophet a Jehovah is our Judge Jehovah is our Law-giver or Statute-maker Thus was it prophesied by Jacob concerning Christ at the least in Type that the Scepter should not depart from Judah and the Law-giver from between his Feet until Shiloh come The Saviour the Safe-maker the Author of Prosperity of Tranquillity and unto him the obedience or the gathering of peoples Christ was to spring from Judah as an after birth which as is implyed should be of the Flesh of a Woman according to which Prophesie and promise Jehudah is said to be the Law-giver in the sixtieth and in one hundred and eighth Psalms He it was who formed Decrees and who made Laws He was at the least figured by that Law-giver who was with the Princes and Nobles of the People when with their Staves they digged and delved the Well at Beer and of the same did Moses speak concerning the Tribe of Gad when he declared the Blessing and the Portion the Provision and the Protection to be from this Law-giver Christ himself calleth the Law his Law in the seventy eight Psalm wherein he himself speaketh unto his people for so the holy Spirit doth expound it in the Book of Christ's Generation when he opened the parable of the Sower and of the Seed One of the Laws of loving one another in bearing one anothers burdens is in express words said to be the Law of Christ by Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians It was Jehovah Christ who spake and gave the Law of the Ten Words at Mount Sinai when God's Chariot the twice ten thousand thousands of Angels were there This Lord was with them He it was the same who ascended on high who led captive a Captivity who had taken gifts in Adam among or unto men For of this LORD Jesus Christ doth Paul teach us to understand this place in his Epistle of the Ephesians where speaking of this One LORD he saith when he ascended into the height he took Captivity captive and gave gifts unto men Now this he ascended what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the Earth he that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the Heavens that he might fill all things This was that Angel of the LORD who appeared to Moses in the Wilderness of the Mount Sinai in a flame of
the heaven and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested the seventh day and hallowed it Thus injoyning both by his own Example and Command the perpetual Observation of that particular Seventh-day in order of Time in its successive course in every weekly revolution as the appointed day for holy Rest That day and that only and no other day of the Week Thou LORD art worthy to receive the Glory and the Honour and the Power For thou hast created all things and through thy Will they are and were created O that those who dwell on the Earth and every Nation and Kindred and Language and People would fear him and give Glory to him for the hour of his Judgement is coming And that they would worship him that made the Heaven and the Earth and the Sea and the Fountains of Waters The Father Son and holy Spirit they are the Creators They the Aelohim who spake Creatures into their Existence and Being of which adored Almighties an account is given in that Historicall Narration which doth contain a Diary or Journal of the first seven days The Father Aelohim It is spoken of him in the forty fifth Psalm Aelohim the Aelohim of Christ anointed his Son by his Spirit which Son also is Aelohim expresly so called in the same Psalm Thy throne O Aelohim ever and perpetual the scepter of thy kingdom is righteonsness The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews sheweth that this was spoken unto the Son of God by his Father And the holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Aelohim and the Spirit Jehovah by Isaiab In the second Book of Samuel this Spirit of Jehovah or this Spirit of Jehovah as Paul elsewhere is also called The Aelohim of Israel It is Aelohim who dwells in his people as in a Temple So saith Moses which Paul applyeth to the holy Spirit These three are the Creating one Thus Solomon the Preacher chargeth young men to remember their Creators in the days of their youth Where Aeloh my Makers those who making me that giveth the Psalms in the night So would Elibu have had Job to say The same hath Eliphaz in the same Book Should a man be more righteous than Aelohim Should a man be purer than his Makers Hence is Tzijon incouraged in the later days not to fear For saith Jehovah by his Prophet Isaiah to her Thy Makers is thy Husbands Thus doth the Psalmist call for an Hallelu-jab or praise ye Jab Sing ye to Jehovah a new Song his praise in the Church of gracious Saints let Israel rejoyce in his Makers in those who making him Let the Sons of Tzijon be glad in their King the whole Creation should joyn in this song of praise for this Reason which is common to the whole World of them for he commanded and they were Created I now propound it to serious examination according to the Word whether much of this glorious Mystery be not included in the first Words of the holy Scriptures Bereashith baraa Aelohim and in that word Jehovah mentioned a little after the short History of the Creation as the Creator and Maker which is to be left to further disquisition For I am inciting and encouraging of Religious Students and of Christian Disciples to deeper researches into the best Learning This Word has in it the signification of an Head so that this is not barely In the Beginning but it doth set out that first capital Beginning of all things In and By Christ the constituted Head of all Inquire whether it should therefore be rendred in the Head-captain or in the Head-captainship or in-by the Captain or the Chieftain or Head-commander or in him who is the Head-Captain or in the appointed Head or Captain the Preposition is properly In. And when it doth point out the immediate principal cause it is in by Let the diligent Inquirer about this collate some other Scriptures that doth relate unto this matter It was in-by Christ that the Father made these hidden ages For this is spoken of the Son of God whose Godhead is strongly proved by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the beginning of it by divers â—itations out of the Old Testament brought into the New It was in by Wisdom that Jehovah did Found the Earth and prepared the Heavens and made All his Great Works All things were created by Jesus Christ which is a great honour put upon our LORD The Father created all things If you ask by whom It was by Jesus Christ All things were made by him Christ was the Head-Captain of all the Host of the Heavens and of the Earth and he is the chief Head of his Body the Church Both these are affirmed of Christ with an eye to this In and By In by him who is the Image of the Invisible God the first-born of every creature were all things created which are in Heaven and which are upon Earth which are Visible and which are Invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions Governments or powers All things were created by him and to him and he is before all things and all things consist together by him and he is the head of the body There is one LORD Jesus Christ by whom are all things He is expresly called Reashith the appointed head of Jehovah's ways before his works from then speaking evidently of the creation As the words themselves in that place of the Proverbs do plainly declare He was anointed to this principate and is again and again called Roash the head Roashith is the name of one of the Types of Christ the First fruits are so called in the Old Testament And so is he in the New the First-fruits of them who sleeping It is not without great reasons and weighty considerations that this first written word should set out Christ as the Head Captain or constituted head or appointed Captain For all skillful Lexicographers agree that the original-propriety and root significancy of this word hath that of an head in it in its true first meaning to which the Scriptures do agree and divers Scriptures do speak of Troops of Bands of Hosts of Companies of Souldiers under an Head-Captain to this Honour and Office was Christ assigned and appointed by his Father which also this word doth remarkably set out If it be a composition of Roash an Head or Captain or Head-Captain and Shith to put or to place in martial order or in Battle-array For thus we may find the word used The LORD Christ doth put his Hosts or Armies into Rank and File in their Order with art and care Proper names are often compounded in the Hebrew wherein that Tongue doth delight though it doth not so easily admit of composition in appellatives The context favoureth the Interpretation with other Scriptures collated For in this History of the Creation we may read of the Hosts of this
Art because they conclude none can convince them from the received Astronomical suppositions that it is otherwise than they affirm and as they would fairly to the eye represent it in their Artificial Systems and fancied Schemes which are but witty devices of Humane Inventions not the real Natures of Created Being Should I ask for such a Scripture-proof as might directly answer to the truth of these Coelestial Bodies in their proper Nature of their Hypotheses whereby they would salve their cunningly framed Schematical Figures and Appearances It may be I must take a Jear for my information and a Jest for my satisfaction The Extrinsick Faces of those Heavenly Bodies a vulgar eye may behold but what their Created Substance is what their orderly Motion what their peculiar Scituation what their operative Influx what their periodical Revolutions and much more of this Nature in the true causes and real effects of them the most skilful of Ethnick Astronomers are but mere conjecturers about them and can never give us any certainty of knowledge in these matters so that the reputation of their skill is only maintained and upheld by the ignorance and unsearchingness of common understandings of vulgar Judgements who have neither leisure nor studiousness enough to discern the deceitful fictitiousness of such Philosophical Fabricks which have no evincing evidence in them That knowledge which these self flatterers do boast they have attained comes in mostly by the sense of seeing which how fallible must it be if the distance were so great between them and those Coelestial Lights as they boldly assert It appears by Job's reasoning about those matters that he had great knowledge of Natural Things and could speak much about the System of the Universe and the Positure of the World But when Jehovah came to argue with him about those Heavenly Creatures he now humbly acknowledgeth that he was without the knowledge of them by any mere humane disquisition which could never throughly find them out in their proper Existences and Operations no other way could the exact knowledge of this be gotten but by the LORD the Spirit and the Word he rehearsed that which he did not understand wonders above him which he knew not above him not only in place by great distance but also beyond hls natural powers of rationall Intellect to understand clearly or to comprehend fully he is now made willing to be instructed by Jehovah and his Word How quickly doth his Philosophical Astronomy vanish which he himself readily exploded when the LORD ask'd him some few Questions Canst thou bind the pleasantnesses of Cinah or loosen the strings of Cesit Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his time and lead Gnaish over her sons Dost thou know the Ordinances of Heaven or canst thou appoint his Government upon the Earth He points out and nameth some of the Coelestial Luminaries and Starry Lights to Job and quickly silenceth him who now lays his hand upon his mouth and will not answer such uncertainty and mistaking was there in his Optick Art where so vast a space intervened between his own eye and those Heavenly Objects whose Matter Motion and Influx he was so much now at a loss about though Jehovah Aelohim hath made use of this confutation of Job to instruct and to wise us in those Mysterious Secrets of Created Nature in the Coelestial Bodies Ptolemy and Copernicus had quite different Schemes and accordingly they frame quite different Theories and Suppositions and yet both of them have undertaken from the ordinary view and open face of the Heavenly bodies to satisfie their Scholars concerning the same Phaenomena and the same calculations upon quite different Astronomical principles and the Disciples of both these may find out enough whereby to confute the errours and to demonstrate the falsness of their several Hypotheses but can never convince others or perswade themselves upon any solid grounds that they are in the right Let the seigned Schemes and imaginary positures of vain Philosophers therefore be laid aside which are but their own fancied placits finely framed to their pleasing models and let us for the raising and advancing of this useful Science search after true subsistencies of concreated Nature in Scripture verity Which of these Philosophers can fatisfactorily inform us what kind of bodies the coelestial Luminaries are whether they be created Angels or not voluntary movers fice Agents or not Let the vertuous and generous and ingenious inquire As also whether the Angels were created on the fourth day Which of them can tell me whether the primitive light do differ from the shining of those Luminaries or not But instead of propounding more such questions to them I shall treat of some great particulars about these Heavenly bodies According to the Scriptures Contrary to vain deceitful foolish Philosophy The substance of the coelestial Luminaries or Lightners were not made on the first day of the created World as if the first scattered light were gathered together into these lightsome bodies on the Fourth day But the Sun Moon and Stars are different creatures of several Formation on a distinct day As the History doth expresly mention in the letter of it These Luminaries are in their created Nature separating dividers between the Light and the Darkness and so are distinct beings from the Light as well as from the Darkness neither are they of an Elementarily-aethereal Classis but have a separate distinct existence from the Heavens from the expanded They are not like studs fixed in solid Spheres externally moved by Intelligences or Angels They are not Deities as the Heathenish Worshippers by their gross Idolatry would make them They are not fluid Orbs circularly perpetually moving but they sometimes come out and at other times they go in according to their Creator's appointment for designed ends They do not move round about an Earthly Center nor about an Axis of the World I have shewn before that the middle of this Earth is not the common center of this visible World They are not of Magnetical Verticity which must be only Polar and if this were would reduce them to their Polar rest which then also would contradict a pretended perpetual motion They are not carried about by the imaginary Rapture of a first mover as if they had a second moveable of Renitency contrary to the Rapture of the supposed first moveable Magicians Judiciary Astrologers and Genethliacks who do undertake by inspection of Stars to foretell future things the Fate of men imposing a necessity upon Mens Wills and declaring events and telling fortunes as they Ethnickly call it have no firm footing in holy Scripture or created Nature It is a great wrong done unto these creatures and unto their Creator when such conjecturers pretend to prophesie by the Stars and especially by Comets the Fates and Fortunes in their Paganish Language of men even their very imaginations affections and inclinations and which is yet more the counsels and intentions of the
Monthly Pronosticators do proceed so many popular Ephemerides Calendaries and Almanacks in which they undertake to be Interpreters of the Heavens and of the Luminaries there and most of the buyers of these Books of imposture do look upon the foretelling part as the most desireable part of their Almanack Some attempts have been made by some to correct and to rectifie these abuses about computations of times and predictions of futurities to bring all to Scriptural Accounts and Prophesies upon which so many other Truths and Duties do depend but the honour of perfecting of this as well as of other such good work is like to be reserved for another generation the more grown in the present age being generally either cold and careless about it or averse from it or opposing of it All our Hebrew Lexicographers do generally agree in condemning both the Art and the Praxis of Astrology which would impose upon men a star-Star-word of Humane Invention without a written word of Divine Inspiration O how much is it to be lamented that as of old even in Israel so now even in England those Sooth-sayers and Wizards these Diviners of future things are so consulted with even by the LORD 's professing people which is directly contrary to Aelobim's express interdict and prohibition These kind of men were not to be tolerated in a truly Religious Commonwealth but by Jehovah's Law were to be put to death and to be exterminated It is charged upon Manasseb a King as his sin that he tolerated and used such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Prognosticator according to the Hebrew Idiotism having the force of a compound These were they whom the Heathenish Pagans so much resorted unto as if they had consulted with an infallible Oracler There is a sort of divining conjecturers who would be foretelling of omens or the good or bad luck or fortune as they Heathenishly phrase it by foretokens of things to come from Serpents Such a one is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they did abjure a Serpent and use him in their Sooth-sayings they were observers of conjectures and so they passed a foretelling judgement which is condemned by the LORD in his Word Reader art thou willing that I should pursue and apprehend more of these there is one of them called Kosem who also exercised himself to know future things foretelling them which word when it is taken in all ill sense is also much condemned for such did exercise their divelish art by jugling legerdemain crafty sleight and wily delusions and abominable witchcrafts These Diviners by clean Knifes by consulting of Idols by inspection of the liver and of the bowels inwards and intrals of Sacrifices would prenunciate future things sometimes they did use a staff or rod in their divinations otherwhile they would peep and mutter with much more but none shall escape a Scriptural arrest Gazerin in Chaldee were some of this sort which word Schindler doth render Astrologers these also undertake to foretel future things by inspection of the intrals of those Sacrifices which they did diffect it was one of the curious Arts of the Chaldeans Choberei Shamajin somewhat spoken of before were Planet-housers or Star-housers or Constellators Consociators of the Heavens such as had fellowship and compact with the Devil in their wicked Art Mutterers Inchanters by mussitation some of them sometimes would utter their verses to inchant Serpents that they might not bite nor hurt Melachasim also were one sort of such Mutterers with a submiss voice with a low hollow sound which is usual with Inchanters and Exorcists Conjurers secretly sibilating or hissing like Serpents or Snakes with their conceived words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Clandestine conjurings Lehatim are submiss low admurmurings or hissings waggings of the fingers and quick gesticulations or gesturings or movings of the hand like the shining vibrations of a brandished Sword holding and deceiving of the eye with jugling delusions and crafty sleights Chartummim were one sort of these such cozeners and juglers as did deceive and delude the sight with legerdemain dazeling and misting blinding and binding the eyes of by standers with their Inchantings Bewitchings and Sorceries and Magick devices that their deceits might not be discerned and discovered The word seemeth to be compounded of Cheret an Instrument to write in Tables and Atam he shut up or stopped because these juglers were wont to draw circles and many Characters with such a Pen or Pencil whereby to demonstrate or to make men mad with their witchcrafts circumventing of others with circulating figures and discourses Doresh ael hammatim is another kind of them a Necromancer a consulter of the Dead This sort of Magick Art the Scripture also doth condemn These Necromancers are wont to sit by Sepulchres by Graves in places of Burial to call and to fetch out departed Souls and to consult with them and they use to spend Nights in desert places the sacrifices of the dead were the sacrifices of those idols which were images or pictures of dead men which yet they asked counsel of as if they had been gods Jiddegnonim somewhat spoken of before if it be a compound word of Jad an hand and Jadang to know or of Jad an hand and Gnanah to answer then it sets out that sort of Fortune-tellers as they call them who pretend to an Art of Palmestry and of Physiognomy as if fates were inscribed on the hands and they could know by the lines there what should befal man and give answers to secret Questions about future contingencies by Chiromantick divination as if a Ship be at Sea whether it be safe or no If one be absent whether dead or a live if alive when he shall return Whether life shall be long or short happy or unhappy In what part of the World Country or City is best to live in Whether one shall be rich or poor if rich when and by what means attain it A Journey if good to go or no and when it may be the time to set forth in If good to buy Houses Lands or Leases when and in what place most profitable Reports concerning Husbands Wives Children Friends Ships at Sea or other things if true or false Whether a Woman be with child or no if with child whether a Male or Female Whether a man shall fall into the danger he fears or no or how he may escape it What kind of person one shall marry and when they shall see them if marry the person desired and the time when whether the Portion be small or great or may be attainable If good to remove and which way Money owing if recoverable and when Suits at at Law who shall overcome and in what time A voyage to Sea if good or no If one may profit by his Trade or no If one may attain the Dignity Office or Preferment he desires and when A Friend whether real or no
solicitude and of deadly slavery To consult the Devils Oracles in doubtful cases is Apostacy from and denying of the true God and to resort for divining unto one that hath a Familiar is a seeking to and a worshipping of the Devil So is Sorcery and Necromancy where the Devil is sought unto in the form of some dead man the Devil appeared in the likeness of Samuel it was not the true Samuel but mere illusion of Satan for God had refused to answer Saul by Prophets such as Samuel was Saul is said to have died for his Transgression principally in that he sought and asked counsel of a familiar spirit Sooth-saying by the flying and noise of Birds is also condemned usually the care of persons in this case is to avoid the seeing or the hearing of such kind of ominous signs which would signifie nothing as to good or evil in themselves in this matter were it not for the consent of the observer they have no force efficacy or operativeness at all this way were it not for the superstitious conceits of the mind when it is diligently bended and intentively turned to them whereby divers things do befal divers men according to the diversity of their thoughts and imaginations Of the like Nature is divination by looking into the entrails of Beasts so did the King of Babel who consulted with Idols and looked into the Liver so is star-gazing charms mumbling of words for such an end casting of Figures for this purpose and the like There should not be any found among us that useth witchcraft or is a regarder of times or a marker of the flying of Fowls or a Sorcerer or a Charmer or that consulteth with Spirits or a Sooth-sayer or that asketh counsel of the dead To a seeking unto these the holy Spirit doth oppose a Prophet as the only lawful Minister of God to know his Will by To ascribe such a special foreknowledge or foretellingness indicated by the positure of Stars which might rule over the consciences and wills of voluntary Agents is contrary to that Soveraign Authority which the LORD doth exercise over the wills of men bowing and bending moving and directing them which way he pleaseth and therefore such a power is not to be arrogated by any mere Creatures Angels themselves whether good or bad have not such an innate Light in them as of themselves to know future particular contingents before hand neither can the intellect of man so foreknow Astrologers therefore not having their pretended prescience and prognosticating skill either by Divine Revelation or by Natural Causalities they have it by diabolical suggestion That knowledge of determinate future things which any really have by Divine Revelation is Prophesie and not Divination Such prying curiosity as has neither Scripture or Nature to bottom upon is experienced and bewrayed to be the common disease of the vain itching mind of fallen unquiet man from hence has sprung this troublesome question about Judiciary Astrologers who would bind men to fatal Stars as if the body of man were composed and fashioned according to the twelve Signs of Heaven as if the Moon had dominion in man's body under the twelve Zodiacal Constellations placing Aries in the Head and Face Taurus in the Neck and Throat Gemini in the Arms and Shoulders and from thence running through the other Signs into the other parts of the body even to the very soles of the Feet which they ascribe to Pisces Did the Authority of Christ and of his Word take more sensible hold of mens hearts they would tremble more and not dare to adventure upon those prohibited evils which the LORD hath so dreadfully threatned with such sore judgements that the soul which turneth it self unto Diviners and Prognosticators shall be cut off from the midst of his people Man or Woman when there is in them a familiar Spirit or that is a Wizard they shall be surely put to death they shall stone them with stones their bloods shall be upon them their death shall be upon their own head their own sin is the just cause of it and the Statute Law of England doth make many of those practices to be Felony which yet are commonly used in this Nation In the day when the LORD will honour himself by reviving of his Judicial Laws and by raising up of such as Josiah was a None-such for reformation in this kind to put those Laws in due execution when these evils are espied out one such Example in such an age of speculative and practical Atheism and Infidelity may be a more forcible argument with some than ten Scriptural reasons now are The certain knowledge of future particular contingents is that by which the true God is differenced distinguished from Idols The LORD doth nippingly touch and sharply check the vanity of this Art and the cheatingness of its Arrists and the ignorance and credulity of those who do yield themselves to be deluded thereby He doth sttaitly charge and sorely threaten such confident boasters of their Astrological skill In the Apostles time when the Doctrine of the Gospel did more obtain and prevail these black Arts were condemned and the Books that treated of them were burnt Those kind of evil practitioners are described by a Syriack word and so is the word in Chaldee and Samaritan too which doth designate and denote not only such Magicians as are plainly and evidently given to diabolical arts but also to such arts of Inchantment of Jugling deceiving by slight conveyance deluding the eye-sight with Legerdemain such curious illusory Arts which though to the ignorant and vulgar may seem to be otherwise yet really are wicked Artifices such are the feigned devices of Planetaries and Casters of Nativities and the Constitutions of some of the Christian Emperours have ordered that such Books of such Astrologers should be burned A large Volume might be quickly written on this subject matter but if the Word of the LORD be not submitted unto Who am I that I should think to silence these Adversaries by the force of my reasoning with them I therefore leave it with the LORD to plead his own cause in his own way in his own time If I have Instanced in some evil Arts which the Reader may apprehend do not so properly belong to Judiciary Astrology let him consider that this black Art doth spread it self wide and far and besides when I was upon this I was willing to bring in my Testimony against all that evil which sought for some protection from Judiciary Astrology and had some ways a Relation to it I now proceed to the Scripture discovery The Darkness Evening and Night were divided more generally before as to Time Place and Nature from the Light Morning and Day in their created Beings and successive courses and now they were further specially distinguished and pointed out by the Heavenly Luminaries Time was not first measured by the Sun for there was
first Promise of his and believers should enjoy it as a Covenant Mercy when ever our eyes do behold the Light we may see there are more substances and fewer accidents as they name them than Ethnick Philosophers do own What was the first created Light according to their own descriptions Was it not an Entity of Nature Did it not truly subsist Doth not the Scripture affirm this Did it not subsist in it self VVhat substance did this Light naturally flow from or originally subsist in Did it spring from Heaven or from Earth or from VVaters Or from the gulphy space or doleful place The Expanse was not created till the Seventh-day As for the Air neither was that extended expanded or made so diaphanous or created on the one day And as for the Heavenly Luminaries they had not a Being till the fourth day If you imagine it to be inherent in the highest Heavens and transmitted thence why then is not the Light always sent forth to make it continual day What substance was the Light adventitious to in its first being created Was not the specificial Essence thereof in it self What other substance did the Light affect or perfect Was not the Light an actual Entity specifically differing from all other created Beings in the Time and Nature of it This Light is a stated solid substantial Entity always actual since its first Creation without continual sensible variations The Light has corporeal quantity of extension and corporeal Motion in coming and in going What was that pretended lucid Body in which this Light is supposed to be inherent to which to adhere and in which as in a Subject to be It is an essential and substantial Creature in its own Nature and Being which Aelohim gave unto it The Light was not gathered into the Sun not placed in the body of the Sun not affixed unto the Sun not sent into and inserted in it after its Being diffused and shed abroad not bound to any certain body the Light doth cast no shadow because it doth surround Bodies whereas the Sun doth cast shadows because its shining is in direct Beams It is a real thing and not only a notion all and every of the created Beings are truly subsisting Entities This created Light was not Christ though in another sense Christ is called Light For somewhat was created before the Light as the Heavens the Earth the Waters the empty space the doleful place and darkness whereas Christ is the beginning of the Works of Aelohim he was before all created Beings For a close of this fifth days VVork I apprehend the creating of the Beasts and VVorms to appertain to the fifth day for several weighty Reasons agreeing with the VVord All those Creature are here put together Such as have a sensitive Soul and Life So nobly formed a Creatures as Man who was to have the Royal Dominion over these sensitive Creatures and was endued with a Religious Rational Soul and Life he had the honour of a distinct day the sixth day for his Creation apart from other Creatures The cause why it is said twice that Aelohim will foreseeingly look on because good what he created on the fifth day may be this there doth appear some need of such a subdivision because there were two such divers kinds of Creatures made on that day Some in the place of the Waters the other in the place of the red Earth the goodness of both and of each of which doth the more clearly shine forth and is the better understood by this Spiritual Narration of doubling the Testimony There is a special Blessing given to Religious Rational Adam distinct from Bruit Animals Observe well also this further Reason here is a distinct Creature from tame Animals and wild Beasts particularly mentioned the creeping one the Reptil a word which was mentioned before in the Participle concerning the Fishes and therefore this kind of Creature must be created on the same day of the week on which the Fishes its Fellow-creepers were and so also the other mentioned here as the tame Animal and the wild Beast Thus also I judge that the gathering together of the lower Waters from other places with expecting desire into the Seas as its appointed place did belong to the Creation-work of the second day because to every one of the six days of this one week of the Creation this is expresly ascribed that Aelohim will foreseeingly look on because good whereas if this be carried on to the third day then the second day will be left without this approving Testimony from its Creator Further they are much a part of the same subject-matter spoken of in the second days Work which was that these Waters below might have a distinct place from those Waters above by an out-spread partition between them They were both of them Waters This Work about the severing of the Waters was begun upon the second day and there finished on the second day For as a wise good Worker Aelohim reserves the approbation till he had perfected that Work and put it in its proper place so discharged as it were his hands of it as to what concerned the Creation of it though as to its continued preservation it be still in his manutenancy How large and complete an History of the Fishes of Fowls of Beasts and of VVorms might there be composed and compiled for the perfecting of this Art and the polishing of the Science of Sensitive Souliness if all those VVords and Phrases were orderly put together that do treat of this subject matter in the Scriptures of Truth The Sixth Day towards the true Advance of useful Learning doth give us the hint of this profitable Inquiry Q. Whether Anthropology or the Doctrine of Created Adam or knowledge of Man or the Science of the Humane Nature be sufficiently taught in the Schools and Lectures of Ethnick Philosophers Or is it only contained in and augmentable and restaurable by the Word of Truth and the holy Spirits teaching of serious Inquirers this Art according to these Holy Scriptures Answ IT is not by Ethnick Philosophy and the Readers or VVriters of it but by the Scriptures of Truth and the holy Spirits instructing in and by these Man what is this man that the Creator has so crowned him with so signal an Honour Man how noble is his make Man is the Articulate Trumpeter of the Creators Praises the lingual Glory of the VVorld sounding forth the shining excellencies of Jehovah Aelohim in his glorious self in his good VVord and in his great VVorks How useful a Knowledge is this the true Knowledge of our selves VVhat profit would it be to me and to the Reader though we understood all other Mysteries and all other Knowledges if thou and I were ignorant of our selves How Royal Prerogatives hath the LORD dignified Man withal Unto how high a pitch hath he raised the ultim summities of the Humane Nature in all its created Perfections of Spirit of
one Wife being conjoyned with her without taking any more compeers into his Marriage bed How raving and unmortified would Mens lusts be if they were left to make the largest provision for their flesh by multiplying of Wives such an indulging of wanton sensuality would degenerate rational Animals into bruit Beasts Voluptuous Arts have sought to gain some reputation and countenance in this defiling defiled Age and they have obtained too far so that Mens lusts are grown unruly in licentious courses modesty and shamefacedness are become a jeer that which sin hath made shameful many now do glory in a moderate temperance a seemly sobriety a chast use of the Marriage-bed is now scoffed at Men will satisfie the cravings of their itching flesh and though God in his Word do require them to possess their vessel in Holiness and Honour yet they will take false an unbounded loose and uncurbed liberty This primitive Law in created Nature was afterwards revived by the LORD in the hand of Moses in the book of the Law of Jehovah where he doth expresly prohibit this with which he doth close the interdicted unlawful marriages of which when he had given an enumeration of particulars in several instances he shuts them up with this And a Woman or Wife unto her Sister thou shalt not take to vex to uncover her nakedness upon her in her Life The Conjunction Copulative And doth prove that this is a part of this one entire Law of unlawful incestuous forbidden marriages A Woman or Wife or a Woman-Wife For of such doth this Scripture here speak such a one a Man is prohibited to take who is already the Husband of another Woman and this other is still alive such a Woman unto this Sister he may not take in marriage not any other Woman whatsoever who in a large sense is some ways a Sister but especially if in a more strict narrow natural proper sense she be a Sister by conâ—anguinity or by affinity That this is much of the genuine meaning of this place forbidding the taking and the having of more Wives than one at once the reason here annexed and expressed which is assigned as that which doth inforce and confirm the prohibition doth shew seeing evidently from the Nature of it in it self in its causaulity of production it will be found in experience to be a vexing a vexing to the Wives when one thinks that she has too little and the other too much of the Husband a vexing to them if the one be fruitful and the other barren the fruitful Woman will be prone to despise the barren the barren is under temptation to envy the fruitful if they be both fruitful a vexing will follow about their children one of their Wives will imagine that the Children of the other Wife are better cared and provided for than hers are the stewarding of Family-affairs will pass into vexing when one of them will be more Mistress than the other a vexing unto the Children and Servants when they are under cross commands and when they are more desirous to please and to serve one Mother or Mistress than the other which also will be vexing unto the two Wives a vexing to the Husband when he sees such disorders in his Family a vexing to him when he discerneth that his kindness to one of his Wives doth beget jealousie in the other Wife a vexing to him when they both urge him to gratifie them in that which he cannot a vexing to him because of the troubles discontents and differences that hereby are occasioned to his Relations and to the several Relations of both his Wives a vexing also to those Relations of his and of theirs upon the account of contrary interests who on each side will be leaning more in their judgement and affections to their own nearer kindred and alliance who can express the whole of the vexing that followeth hereupon and still the more Wives be taken the more vexing will follow thereupon The first Wife will be provoked to jealousie judging that she is deprived of that which is her peculiar right and proper due and that her Husband 's superinducing of a second Wife is Treachery and falseness against the first The Law of Jehovah Aelohim must be our Rule in this as in all other cases If the contrary practice of some holy Men in Scripture be objected their example is no further in any thing to be followed by us than as they themselves walked by the Rule of the Word These Hebrew Interpreters and Commentators who were called Karoei Scripturarians such as kept close to the Scriptures as opposed to the Talmudists or Traditionaries such as set up Men and the inventions and Canons of Men in the room of the LORD and of his Word rule they have so given forth this to be the sense and meaning of this forbidding that the taking of a Woman or Wife unto a Sister is the taking of any other Woman to Wife the Husband 's former Woman-Wife being still alive which Interpretation by several other Scriptures warranted where the name and word Sister is any other Woman as the name and word Brother is any other Man and to interprer it otherwise would offer violent force to the particular special reason which is here expressed as one great cause of this prohibition For it would no less afflict grieve and vex the first Wife if her Husband did marry any other Woman as if he married his former Wives natural Sister and took her to him to be a second Wife if Polygamy or the having of more Wives than one at once were lawful and there were no injury done thereby to the first Wife by which vexing might be caused and contention kindled then the propinquity the nearness of the relation of two Wives to one another and to one and the same Husband should rather beget encrease and confirm love than beget jealousie and enmity for all such hatred and vexing would be causless were this taking of a second Wife whilst the former living lawful This being provoked to jealousie and being put into a vexation doth fall out not only between natural Sisters as Leah and Rachel but also between those who are not near of kin as Hannah and Peninnah As for two natural Sisters for them to be married unto one and the same Man more especially both of the Sisters living at once this was forbidden before in those Laws of prohibited marriage in that place of Leviticus the marriage of the natural Brother's Wife is expresly forbidden by an Analogical rule therefore a Woman may not marry her natural Sisters Husband so that two Sisters were already forbidden to be married unto one Man and therefore in this place it must be a new case which has this new prohibition In these prohibitions of such incestuous marriages as were and are and will be ever unlawful to contract there is no difference between the Masculine and Feminine Sex because in
but by death or Adultery and therefore also prohibited Digamy and Polygamy there is express mention made of two only and of no more in this Marriage-conjunction one man and two or more Wives cannot be one flesh for the flesh of one is not the flesh of another and the flesh of man is divided between two or more Wives neither can this closest Union be between more than two the man cannot give himself alike unto more than unto one in this case those two who before the Matrimonial Covenant were naturally two are now in the sense of God's Law morally one conjugally one no man therefore may separate them or unjoyn or unyoke or disunite them Man is without an Article neither the Husband nor the Wife neither their civil Judge nor pleading Counseller not Moses himself not Aaron by right in case of death the man is free and in case of Adultery the guilty person when known and convicted and legally sentenced for this crime ought to be put to death Antichristian infusions and popish mixtures have much corrupted the Laws in this case in the English Government for if the woman become an adulteress and be proved so to be all and the only and the utmost remedy the wronged Husband can come at is to sue out freely a Divorce in the Spiritual Court as is suited to a corrupt heart a Divorce from Bed and from Board allowing a lustful liberty to marry another whereas this word of our LORD is express that Whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication in which case her life ought to go for it by the holy just good Law of Christ and shall marry another the former still alive through the sinful indulgence of Humane Laws committeth adultery and who so marrieth her which is put away her former Husband still living doth commit adultery it is adultery both in the one and in the other if whilst they are both alive they take another the man another woman or the woman another man to which other Scriptures do accord The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth but if the husband be dead she is loosed from the law of her husband So then if while her husband liveth she be marryed to another man she shall be called an adulteress that is her proper right name in this case but if her husband be dead she is free from that law so that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man she may marry to whom she will only in the LORD The Matrimonial Bond brought her under the Husband to which living Husband she is bound by the Law and she is not made empty of this obligation not set loose and free from this conjugal tye till his death for if before his death during his life time she yoke her self to another there is a Divine Oracle a direct answer given forth from the LORD himself which should be so received as from him and accordingly should Civil and Ecclesiastical Judges pronounce a sentence when such a one upon sufficient witness is accused to them and found guilty by them but whatever men do judge of it that Oracle or Answer which Christ doth return from the propitiatory covering or Mercy Seat for Christ's Judicial Laws and Sentences and Judgements according to those Laws have mercy in their design towards his Covenant People it is this her true right Name is she is an Adulteress and should be proceeded against as such The same is applicable unto the Husband if he on his part do marry another woman whilst his former Wife is still alive for the Husband is bound by the Law of Marriage as long as his Wife liveth but if his Wife be dead he is at liberty to be married to whom he will only in the LORD They are Christ's own sayings Whosoever there is no man excepted neither King nor Minister nor People shall foresakingly put away his Wife thereby seeking to unloose or to dissolve the Marriage Knot the Matrimonial Bond and marry another committeth adultery against her he doth adulterate or act adulterously in and upon her to whom he is new married and against her whom he first married whom he hath forsaken and if a woman let her be what she will Queen or any meaner woman subject shall put away her Husband hereby indeavouring to give her self a loose from the conjugal tie and be married to another she committeth Adultery the same guilt on the mans part as on the womans and on the womans part as on the mans and they cause one another to commit Adultery by this unjust Divorce and he that doth marry such a divorced woman is thereby an adulterer and she who doth marry such a divorced man is thereby an adulteress So that if Polygamists and Divorcers will stand to this Scripture-judgement it is unlawful for the man to marry another woman his former Wife being alive and also for the woman to marry another man her former Husband being alive as also for either of them to divorce the other an Article were altogether required to be put to man if any certain individual were noted Man for the Humane kind let him be what man soever he will Moses or any man not any one of all mankind has rightful Authority to dissolve that Matrimonial Bond between Husband and Wife of which Bond God himself is the Author even the head Captain of Creation when at the beginning he conjoyned but one Male and one Female the man is to continue as inseparably with his Wife as with another part of the same flesh of his own flesh God united two into one this must not be altered it ought still to continue as it was established at the first it is utterly unlawful to do otherwise the prime Law at the Creation must obtain the Marriage Union may not be violated Husband and Wife are to cherish and sustain to assist and comfort one another as if they were members of one and the same flesh and body no man that is in his right wits and sober sences ever hated his own flesh but nourisheth it he will not rend and tear his own flesh from himself Let Paul's judgement upon the case be now weighed in the Scripture-balance he was written unto about it and he doth expresly declare concerning married ones that every man is to have his own proper Wife and every woman her own proper Husband and how could this be if Polygamy were allowable and warrantable for if every man must have her that is properly his own and no other mans and as exclusive of all other women who are not so properly his own and if every woman must have him who is properly her own and no other woman as shutting out all other men who are not so properly her own then Marriage must be between one man and one woman and between two such only If one man had
example of Justice in this Island were more likely to terrifie the inhabitants thereof and to prevent any further guilt in principle or in practice about this foul sin than ten other arguments in such an age of monstrous bodily uncleannesses of speculative unbelief and of practical Atheism Whatever success upon the hearts of Readers this paper Testimony has or shall have is with him in whose hands the hearts of men are In this I rejoyce that the LORD hath not left me to be ashamed of Christ nor of his Words in this Adulterous and sinful Generation They are the Scripture-Rules and Precepts of our LORD Christ which we must walk by and whom we must obey if we would have him to be the Author of eternal Salvation and who will judge Whoremongers and Adulterers all whosoever they be who are profane corrupters of Holy Marriage Whether thorowout the Scriptures where ever Adam is found in the Original it should not be so rendred in the Translation into other Languages leaving it to the expounder in the help and supplies of the holy Spirit to shew when it is meant properly of the The Adam and when collectively of more This I judge greatly useful to be far inquired into and seriously to be considered of It is scarce imaginable till proof be made of this what variety of choice discoveries would shine forth from hence That all the Old Testament thorow we can find Adam but twenty times or about that small number in our English Translation Whereas it is expressed in the Original many scores of times let the vulgar Reader think and consider whether much of this useful Learning about Man's Nature and State have not been hereby hidden from him And let the Judicious and experienced in the Hebrew words and phrases say whether many controversies in Religion about Adam and his fall and his conveying of guilt and corruption to his Posterity with much more of profitable practical Doctrines and Duties Graces and Privileges would not be evidently demonstrated hereby Adam was not created at the first Androg ynous with two distinct several Faces and with a double body afterwards to be divided and pulled asunder one from another to become two Aelohim created them in the plural Male and Female severed ones sundred Personages The Male and the Female Adam were both blessed together and therefore at that time they had both of them a created distinct being Aelohim's benediction which he gave to Adam the Male and the Female is more large and ample in expressions and in things than those words of blessing which before he uttered to other Creatures they had propagation as other living creatures made on the fifth day though not so numerous as the most of them and further they were endowed and enriched with many a good perfect gift of Spirit Soul and Body beyond them We must learn and know mind and consider That the Creation in the whole and in every part thereof together with all the Honour and Glory of that Power and Wisdom and other glorious Excellencies which did so manifest themselves therin is wholly and only to be ascribed and attributed to Aelohim whose name is so often as hath been observed used in this History Adam was bound actually to believe in Aelohim and in his Word as soon as he was created For he had a Word and a Promise from Christ in this History of the Creation Adam was to believe Aelohim's sanctifying of appointed Meats created for his Food to be received of them who being believing ones and acknowledging ones of the Truth to mention no more particulars now So that Faith in the creating Messias has a Foundation in created Nature Adam had a power in created Nature to believe in Christ and his Holiness and his Righteousness were a perfection suitable and con-natural to him Thus the sum of the Decalogue was imprinted in Adam's heart Faith in Jehovan Aelohim is the substance of the first word or command which was enjoyned to all the World of Mankind in Adam and so Faith in Father Son and Holy Spirit It was always a Truth from the very first creating and forming of Man and was actually a Law and command upon Man and Mankind that without Faith it is impossible to please God whom to please as well as to believe in was a plain duty accordingly Abraham believed in God who accounted it to him for righteousness and all the Children of Abraham must be of the same Faith and Practice For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him The eleventh Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews in several instances doth relate that the Saints and people of God under the Old Testament-administration did actually rely upon Christ by Faith for which Faith they are there commended This original concreated Holiness and Righteousness in Adam being such a Law of Nature as whereof the ten Words are a perfect Transcript and an exact Summary it were a matter well worth a further re-search and a deeper Inquiry whether the Doctrinal-part as well as the Duty-part of true pure Religion be not to be found in the Decalogue Thorah is one of the Names of this Law often used in the Old Testament The Native signification of which word is Doctrine It is a Doctrinal Law cast before the Disciples of the LORD teaching and instructing us concerning his will towards us and about our Office towards him and our Neighbour in what we are to believe as to the credends and to do as to the Agends of Religion informing us in the Truth of the premises as well as directing us in the practice of the conclusions Faith and obedience in their large comprehensive notation do take in the whole of Religion they are all Adam as to this For Adam was under a Law under this Law The Articles of our Belief are within the bounds of the Laws of the Decalogue He that would be regular in his obedience must also be found in the Faith These are the Essential constitutive parts of an entire perfect Holiness and Righteousness The LORD Jesus Christ confirmed the Truth of his Doctrine from the Authority of his own Law and in asserting the Doctrine of the Resurrection which is one great particular instance he fetcheth the force of his Argument from the first Word saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the Dead but of the Living To assent unto revealed Truth is as necessary a part of our Duty as to perform commanded service And if it be narrowly looked into and duly pondered it will be manifest that all the Acts of our obedience do as naturally result from some Act of Faith as all the Acts of Faith do naturally resolve into some Act of obedience as a general subjection of our whole Man to the will of
selves to prove our own selves that we may know our own selves whether Jesus Christ be in us unless we be unexperienced unapproved ones Man has such created faculties and Abilities whereby he can turn inwardly upon himself he can reflect upon himself The last of the Hebrew conjugations is self-reflexive which should have been more and better observed by Translators in their rendring of the Original significancy into other Languages Man can commune with himself as he walks with himself so he can talk also with himself he can treat with himself and entertain himself You may find Man in some Scriptures bespeaking himself evpostulating and reasoning the case with himself conferring with his constitutive parts particularly and distinctly often with his own Soul and about his own heart both in colloquies with himself and in his speech to God Which is one ground and reason both in Scripture and in Nature of the warrantableness of using the plural number of you and ye when we speak to a singular person or individual subsistence only to one there being more constitutive intelligent parts in Man than only one as his Spirit and his Soul particularly and therefore are not so justly reproveable if we do not always Thou it and Thee it to a single Man For sometimes others do speak distinctly to some particular constitutive part of us as to the Soul in special Reader if thou be serious and considerable dost thou not see cause why thy Face should be all in a blush and thy Spirit be covered with shame who hast lived so long with thy self who hast gone up and down and hast sat and lodged so often with thy self and yet all this while hast so little acquaintance with thy self For the promoting of Soul-humbling and of self-emptying in thee which is a singular Art O know thy self aright study thy self much observe thy self narrowly try thy self diligently examine thy self impartially judge thy self righteously report the whole state of thy self to thy self truly and faithfully make thy appeal to an Heart-searching God sincerely according to what thou dost â—ind brought in by way of evidence and of sentence upon the whole of the Matter whether it be for or against thy self There is great reason and need why thou shouldest know thy self examine and prove thy self in order unto the discovering and evidencing of this whether Jesus Christ be in thee or not For without this either Christ is in thee or not If he be not in thee and yet thou think thy Spiritual State safe then thou wilt deceive thy self and put a fallacy upon thy self thou wilt be in danger of living and dying under Soul-undoing mistakes thou wilt then some ways be the further off from getting Christ to be in thee thou wilt be most to seek of a Christ when thou shalt have most use and need of him Thou art like to be little owned and imployed by Christ And thy disappointment will be the more overwhelming at the last when it may be too late to remedy it and it will be too late if thou pass from hence into the other World in a Christless condition and for the present whilst thou art such as not to have Christ in thee then reigning sin is in thee then ruling domineering Satan is in thee then thou art not as yet in Christ then as yet thou art without Spiritualâ—saving-good exposed to all kind of evil dreadful wrath is over thee and then whilst severed from him thou canst not do any one thing spiritually acceptable If Christ be in thee yet without this self-knowing self-examining self-proving thou wilt not have so clear an evidence of this thou wilt not have so sweet a comfort and so sound an enjoyment of it Thou wilt not make so growing an improvement of it in Duties under Crosses by Priviledges Thou art not so likely in a dying day to discern whither thou wilt be going whether to be with Christ or to be driven from Christ Whereas with this selfâ—knowledge if hitherto thou have not Christ savingly in thee yet thou wilt be in the hopefuller way to make out after him and to get him into thee and if he be found in thee thou wilt then the more to thy fulfilling satisfaction injoy both him in thee and thy self in him Then will Christ more manifest himself to be by thee with thee and for thee All suitable good will be thine a full Christ and a full Covenant of Grace will be thy Portion The hope of Glory will then be in thee Christ and thou shall be ever together O the happy Progresses of that Believer between whom and Christ there is actual Mutual in-being in-dwelling in-abiding This Adam Art or Man Science is very spreading and fruitful very useful and profitable and it is to be considered either as man is made a sociable Creature and so fitted for congregated Fellwoship or as man was created a several Individunm and so is of a distinct segregating and accordingly the various knowledges of Adam of Man do widen and distribute and distinguish themselves Into so many sorts is this partition of Sciences that a long life might to advantages dwell upon them and make such Collections from out of the Word about them which if oderly disposed and freely communicated would be one rich Treasure in the Common-wealth of Learning If Adam or Man be considered as in society related unto other men in a way of Humane Fellowship so here might pass under disquisition and examination divers Arts and Sciences For if we look upon Adam as he that was in times after his first Creation an Husband a Patient a Master a Converser a Negotiator a King a Prophet a Priest a Church-Officer and Member so here might be brought in the Marriage-Art to know how to discharge the Duties and injoy the Priviledges of a conjugal relation the paternal Art what the carriage of Parents and of Children should be towards each other the Magistral Art what the Offices of Masters and of Servants are towards one another the whole oeconomick Art the conversation Art to have practical understanding and prudential skill in treating and in conversing with others the Art of trading in the World with and amongst men so as to negotiate all our Affairs with Humane discretion The Art of Government or the Science of Empire to discern how to Rule over inferiours according to the Word The Art of teaching or the Prophets Science to be able in Office for the instructing of others The Administrators Art to be well versed in the carrying on of all the parts of Instituted Worship after a spiritual manner so as to find acceptation of the LORD The Art of right constituting of a Church according to the Scripture-pattern in all the holy Laws and comly Orders thereof Of having all necessary Church Officers gifted graced called according to the Word-rule of wise faithful discharging of all Church-Relation of all the Duties of Gospel-Fellowship of orderly admission
and discouraging sorrow with terrible fear of God's giving over of such to the obduration and obstinacy of their heart and of their being shut up under all this when such an Heart like a Buckler or Shield doth keep off any blow or stroke from the LORD's Word or hand shutting it self up as within a Fence so that no counsels or comforts from Men can come at it Whither can the diseased send to any so skilful in the Medicinal Art as to open the Nature Causes and Remedies of this one disease of the Heart What shall I more say if I can fill up so many Lines with such a long Induction and large enumeration of particular Heart maladies which are so common in experience and which no counsels and prescriptions but what are Scriptural wisely applyed and duly received and well improved and followed can either prevent or remedy Is is not high time for such as are serious in the Art Medicinal and are tender of the health and lives of their Patients and would lift up their Faces before a righteous Judge at the last when they must stand or fall for their Eternal Estate according as they have walked by the Rule of the Word or not I say is it not high time for them to study their Art and to practice it in a Word-way The Heart sick ones might be referred to apt pertinent proper Scriptures speaking directly to a multitude of such cases Shall I open a little of the maladies of the Soul in Man The Scriptures can inform us of the discouragement of the Soul the grief of the Soul its bitterness its outcryes through wounding it s pouring out its Anguish its sore vexings it s drawing nigh to the Gulphy empty space its afflictedness its weariness it s being torn its Consumptiveness it s being spoiled its need of healing it s being cast down it s making a tumultuous stir within a Man its sinking it s being bowed down it s having of overwhelming Waters to come into it it s refusing to be comforted it s being filled with troubles its being cast off its breaking it s cleaving to the Dust its melting for heaviness its faintings its Imprisonments It s being bereft of good its being removed far off from peace its exceeding sorrowfulness its troubledness and drying away its bowing down its being destroyed its being pierced thorow its being utterly cut off its being dispossest or turned out of possession its being devoured its being perverted with such like evil effects of the Soul this breathing part in Man And what can Philosophick Recipes do in these cases Whither can we go for a proper cure but to Christ in the Scriptures of Truth Shall we consider the spirit of Man a little That Candle or Lamp of Jehovah in Man searching all the Inner Chambers of the Belly Oh how many are its distempers In the Word we may read of the trouble or shortnedness of the Spirit the hardning of the Spirit its sadness its being drunk up by poison its unsteadfastness its hastiness its having a breach in it 〈◊〉 or its brokenness its haughtiness its unrulyness its sleepy distemper its grievedness its failing or fainting its deep sighingness its pressures its being bound its weaknesses its restless disquieting raging its jealousies its anguish its overwhelmedness its perversness its Pride its erringness its vexing and more such Whither now to what Apothecaries Shop to what Philosophical Doctor will you send for a cure of these you must come to the word and to him in and through the Word one of whose Names is the Healingâ—one of his people In his Word there are not only spiritual directions given about these inner distempers of Heart of Soul and of Spirit holy prescriptions and Heavenly counsels but also divers apt remedies are pointed to from the con-created vertues which the LORD hath put into several of his creatures when those who are reputed to be very learned in this Art are so far honoured and used by the LORD as to be made humble enough to be willing to be better taught and believers enough to judge God to be wiser then Man and Word-wisdom and Truth to excel Philosophick Follies and falsities the Medicinal Art will then advance and flourish There are many original words and phrases which do in a more general way direct unto health and to the recovery of it out of sicknesss besides a distinct particular enumeration of several diseases with their causes and curses and several proper useful directions about the choice of Meats and of Drinks relating to the Regiment of health That distinction and division of Animals of Fowls of Beasts of Fishes into clean and unclean although it had a further Typical shadowy figuring meaning under the Old Testament administration of grace leading them into an holy seperation from unclean peoples from Communion with such they were many ways to abstain yet withal a skilful Artist in the History of Animals may find out natural natural reasons and causes for such a discrimination When spiritual reason doth wisely exercise it self about this discovery by Scripture Nature and Experience it may discern clean Animals to have a proper nutritive vertue more wholesome and continuing and increasing of healthâ—ness whereas the unclean do more breed diseases at least they are not so healthful whereby the All-wise Physician the faithful Creator hath instructed his rational Creatures and graciously at once provided both for the health of Mens bodies and for the salvation of their Souls for Meats do dispositively operate upon the mind who may not see that hath any thing of a piercing eye that some Animals are more ravenous and rapacious others are more luxurious and wanton or more cruel and bloody or more gluttonous or more fearful or more filthy or more muddy or more cholerick and adust or more excessively moist with much more that might be added and do not these malignly influence upon those who make them their usual food How few are there of mankind who do study their own complexions constitutions temperaments or what that is which is suitable food for them Insomuch as that the most are even going into the other World before they know how to make one good meal but every thing is counted good with some that will fill their belly and any thing with others that will gratifie their distempered ungoverned appetite whereas he who hath not due regard to his dyet for kind measure and season will in time overturn his strength overthrow his health and disease himself and then the sick do feel the need of a Physician or Surgeon in which cases the Scriptures are not silent but would make them Medicinal Artists and teach them practical skill I have not abilities and accomplishments for it neither is it my profession to undertake to set before the Reader an exact Treatise of the Medicinal Art though I question not but that it may be found out in the Holy Scriptures and in created Works
over Q. Whether would not an exact literal version of the holy Scripture word for word as they are in their order into the several Mother-tongues without any the least adding to or substracting from it open much of many useful Truths and necessary Duties and of experimental Christianity as well as many other ways be very profitable for the promoting of peace and purity in the Churches of Christ Q. Whether is it not a Duty for the people especially such of them as have more opportunities and advantages for this to be able to read and to understand the Word in its Original-tongue And whether it would not be of singular use to have the young capable Children in all places to be taught this Q. How may such an Hebrew Lexicon be so composed for words and for phrases as to make Scripture knowledge to be much more easier and familiar to out common people in which they may find out all sorts of little Bibles well fitted to all particular cases where they may quickly see over what the whole scripture doth speak to any subject matter carrying Truth through all the Word Q. In what order of time in exact Chronology are the several Books of Scripture and the several passages in every such Book And how may such Geographical Tables of all the places of the inhabited Earth mentioned in the Scriptures be so suited as that time and place and inhabitants may be made obvious to every plain understanding Q. What is the New Testament spiritual signified part of all and every of the shadowy Figures Ceremonial signs and Typical patterns through the Old Testament Q. What is the Urim and Thummim And whether is there any Prophesie or Promise of either restoring of that or of setting up any thing else in the room of that How may we have such an Oracle revived as to have a certain visible audibles sensible answer from the LORD in weighty cases Q. Whether it be not one evidence of the fulness and perfection of the Word of Truth that even there where its speeches seem to be somewhat broken and abrupt it carries with it a secret supplement in experience directed to all practical cases concerned therein which nothing else of man's word can fill up And whether would it not be very profitable and acceptable to put together some of the more eminent remarkable Scriptures for the better evidencing of the Truth and usefulness of this discovery Q. How may a Believer get and keep life and power in the Word continued upon his heart Q. What Scripture grounds are here upon which to bottom Faith and Prayer that if there were a spirit of believing the LORD would still give miraculous access from Heaven whereby to give sensible demonstrations of the Truth and Goodness of his Word And how may the Doctrine and Practice of Miracles be revived Q. What is the method whereby to evidence the oneness and sameness the well agreeing consentingness and uniform harmoniousness of the Christian Religion throughout the whole Scripture for Truth for Laws and for Priviledges For Doctrines for Duties and for Graces Q. How may the plainest Scripture-Truths be raised to a greater height of spiritual advancement Q. Whether now that Scripture-knowledge is so abounding any one be so competently well gifted for and called to the Ministerial Office who doth not understand the Scriptures in their Original Language And how may hopeful growing young men be so bred up in the Scripture Arts and Sciences as thereby to be fitted for the Ministerial Office And what Scripture grounds are there to expect a more able faithful successful Ministery than is yet at this day Q. VVhether it be not one great Truth of this age that the holy Scriptures are the one and the only Rule to judge by in all cases And whether there be any other boundary to be set to mens pretended liberty of conscience Q. VVhat is there of the Doctrine-part as well as of the Duty-part contained in the Law of the ten VVords Q. In what Method and Order may the Holy Scriptures be best read to most spiritual profit Concerning present Providences and Works of Jehovah Aelohim Q. WHat may the Reasons and Ends be why the LORD in the present day doth seem so much to with hold his Spirit and the gifts and graces of that Spirit now that the longings and petitionings of his Churches and people are so much heightned and drawn out with expectations of his larger pourings out of his Spirit and Blessing upon his new Covenant people Q. What is more especially that Work which the LORD hath been and is still carrying on upon the Wheels of his providence in this Age Q. What is there of Prophetical Scripture fulfilled in the present day which doth make way for the further accomplishment of what Propheties are yet behind And what are those after Prophesies And in what order of Time are all these Prophesies Q. Whether though there have been some partial fulfillings of the Revelation in all Ages of the Church since John's time yet will not the whole of that Book of the Revelation be gone over in the latter days visibly and sensibly fulfilled what John had in Vision and by Voice And whether are there any beginnings of this in our Day and Time At least whether Christ's Calls and Counsels from his Father by his Spirit in that Word of the three first Chapters of that Book be not more especially and particularly to those gathered separate Churches who have someways withdrawn from the corruptions of the Romish Way more thorowly to Reform and to Refine and to be at perfecting Work As that which must lead the way to the bringing about of all the rest which doth follow after Q. What and how doth the LORD Christ in the way of his present Providential Acting reveal of the pattern and platform of his new spiritual House of the latter day-glory and of the Laws and Orders of that House And how is he now with his golden measuring reed and rod and line in his hand to try whether particular Churches and Disciples of his do square well and exactly to his Word-rule And how would he have such societies to be rightly constituted gathered admitted disciplin'd and orderly walking in all things that such Churches may be able to evidence to all the World that they are the true owned and approved Churches of Christ Q. How is Christ at work under this Providence to bring every Institution and Ordinance of his unto its Scripture purity and perfection that they may be felt and enjoyed more in the lively efficacy and saving power of them Q. How is Christ at work in this day to frame his Churches and people to be more of one heart and mind and lip and way in the Truths and things of God and to set them righter in the way of Sisterly association of such purer Churches And how may a Believer see full home to this thorow so much as is quite
up to be such a Church as Prophetical Scriptures relating to the purer Times of the late days do call for Q. Whether Church-cases as to Officers and such like in a time of necessity when better provision could not be made nor had should still be pleaded for and born with when there is no such necessity Q. What are these evils and corruptions more especially to be watched against mortified and disciplined which are the makeâ—bates amongst Churches And what are those holy Frames and Duties which would make much for the peace of Churches Q. How may we so look upon all the late and the present Church-divisions in the glass of Scripture as to discern spiritually how through the LORD's wise gracious over-ruling they shall issue into the Churches growing Purity and Peace Q. Whether the Epistles to the Churches in the New Testament do not contain in them peculiar matter wherein they are more especially concerned as Churches and not only as particular professing Believers and Saints Q. What is severally meant by the word Law and what doth relate thereunto in the several passages of Paul's Epistles where that subject matter is treated of Q. Whether there be not some passages in Paul's Epistles wherein he takes upon him the person of an objector And if so what are those particular passages And when and where is it in the context of those places that he speaks as an answerer and asserter Q. Whether an exact literal version of the holy Scriptures from their Original Language into the several Mother-tongues word for word without any additions or substractions of men would not through the LORD's blessing of it carry an healing uniting vertue and efficacy along with it Q. Whom and what should Churches Church-officers and Church members bear with and whom and what should they not bear with according to the Rules Laws Orders and Discipline of Christ's new spiritual House Q. In what a large sense is Christ the Head of every man And in what a special the Head of the Church Q. Whether are not spaces of duration to be warily and wisely distinguished and divided And how so as what Jehovah's foreknowledge and Predeâ—erminations were in and with himself relating to his Creatures When the Fathers transactions were with his Son concerning his Sons great undertakings in the Mediatoral Office When and where and in what order these great Mysteries were revealed in the Word to Angels and Men How all this is brought forth in time impressed on Hearts and manifested by other Works of Aleohim Q. Whether if the same action be done though upon different Principles yet should not the Peace of a Church or Churches be so far preserved Or whether in order to Church peace is it not necessary to indeavour a nearer agreement in Principles by those who coalesce in associated Church-societies And whether should not Principles be regulated by Scriptures and not Scriptures interpreted by Principles Q. VVhether should there not be some peaceable meetings by agreement of messengers from the several divided Churches to debate how far they can walk together in a brotherly association and help one another by their mutual advice and counsel in particular cases without usurping of jurisdiction one over another Q. VVhether should not the Churches of Christ more especially keep close unto Scripture Names of persons and of things Q. VVhether should not that due order of superiority and of subjection which the LORD hath established in his word be more and better observed Q. VVhether should not the proper place of the several links in the Golden Chain of Love to God to our selves and to our neighbour be duly and diligently eyed for the stating and determining of practical Cases FINIS a Prov. 1. 20. 8. 1 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 1. 24 30. Luk. 11. 49. 7. 35. b Prov. 2. 6. Jam. 1. 17. John 6. 45. c Esai 40. 13 14. 48. 17. 1. Cor. 12. 8 11. John 16. 13. Isai 54. 13. Eph. 1. 17 18. d Coloss 2. 3. e Prov. 2 3 4 5 6 10. f Isai 42. 3. compared with Matth. 12. 20. g John 14. â— h John 17. 17. i Psal 45. 4. Revel 6. 2. k Coloss 2. 8. l 1 Cor. 2. 1 4 5 6 13 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 m 1 Cor 2. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 n John 5. 43. o Coloss 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 1 Tim. 6. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q 1 Tim. 6. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r 1 Tim. 6. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Å¿ 2 Pet. 1. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t Ephes 4. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 u Ephes 4. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 w 1 Cor. 1. 20. x Heb. 11. 3. y Mar. 13. 19. z Rom. 10. 6 7. a Prov. 15. 11 24. b Joh 38. 39 40 41 chapters c Coloss 2. 8 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d 1 Cor. 3. 18 19 20 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d Mat. 11. 19 e Job 38. 2. f Prov. 8. 11. 12. g Esai 28. 23 29 Eccles 10. 8 9 10. h Dan. 12. 4. Esâ—â— 11. 9. Habak â— 14. Jer. 3â— 34. Heb. 8. 11. i Mat. 22. 29. Mar. 12. 24 27. Dan. 10. 21. l 3 Tim. 3. 15. m Jude 25. John 3. 3. n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 8. 11 12 9. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. 12. 28 29. Luke 24. 15. Acts 9. 29. 15 2 7. 28. 29. 1 Cor. 1. 20. o Mat. 12. 28. c. 22. 46. Mar. 11. 29 c. Luke 1. 60. 3. 16. Acts 3. 12 c. 5. 8 c. p â— Tim. 6. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q Acts 17. 2 17. 18. 4 19. 19. 8 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r Acts 17. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Å¿ John 7. 23 24. 1 Cor. 10. 15. 7. 25 40. 1 Cor. 15. 3 4. Acts 18. 20. John 5. 39. Acts 17. 2 10 11. t 2 Tim 2. 16. 1 Cor. 2. 14. u John 6. 45. Esai 54. 13. 1 Cor. 2. 15. w Gen. 2. 9 16 17. 3. 5 6 7 â—1 22 23 24. x Prov. 3. 13 18. * 1 Pet. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 3. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y 1 Tim. 6 3 4 5. z 2 Tim. 1. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Phil. 4. 11 12 13. Mat. 11. 23 27 29. b Esai 29. 18 24. c 1 Tim. 1. 4. 4. 7. 2 Tim. 4. 4. Tit. 1. 14. 2 Pet. 1. 16. d Jerem. 44. 28. e Prov. 23. 23. Matt. 13. 44 45 46 52. f 1 Cor. 2. 1 â— 4. 6. Philip. 3. 8. g 1 Cor. 2. 13. Esai 59. 21. * Compare Matt. 23. 34. with Luke 11. 19. Jude 25. h Psal 19. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i Tim. 3. 16 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 k Coloss 2. 3. l Ezra 8. 16 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 m Levit. 23. 2 4