As for that part of the service of God which is moral all of that neither is not discoverable by natural light For 1. If you consult the seventh to the Romans you shall find that there were some secret moral wickednesses which Paul did not see which Paul could not have seen by the light of nature no although a Pharisee and by that means very expert in the letter of the Law Rom. 7.7 Rom. 7.7 I had not known lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet 2. If the light of nature be imperfect in us since the fall which I suppose you will grant then there may be many things moral now imperceptible by the light of nature which it might and did see in its state of perfection and therefore it must needs be of dangerous import to make the Law of nature a weak faint shadowing imperfect light the perfect rule and only measure of moral duties to cry up the Law written in our hearts is in this case to cry down the Law written in the Scriptures this is as it were to pull the Sun in its noon-day brightnesse in its greatest lustre and glory out of the firmament and to walk by the light of a Candle a stinking snuffe in the socket almost gone out this is to make the Primmer the Horn-book the A. b. c. of natural light the highest piece of learning in morality The Law of nature to our shame and grief we may speak it is so obliterated and darkened that it cannot show a man the least part of his wickednesse Pelagius was a man of great learning and by his studies and diligence had snuffed the Candle of the Lord and made it burn with a clearer shine yet how little could he see into this matter It was his affection that we are borne as well without vice as vertue tam sine vitio quam sine virtute nascimur and we see all Popery to this very day hold motions to sinne not consented unto to be no sinnes but necessary conditions arising from our constitution and such as Adam had in innocency But I forbeare the issue of this particular is thus much if that which concerns the worship and service of God cannot be found out by the light of nature much lesse that which concerns his essence and subsistence 2. The doctrine of the Gospel is called by the Apostle a mystery and a mystery without controversie great is the mystery of godliness and what greater Gospel-mystery is there than the Trinity which neither men nor Angels can comprehend and both men and Angels must adore Now if this doctrine be discoverable by natural light it is no more a mystery The works of the flesh are manifest Gal. 5.19 20. saith the Apostle Gal. 5.19 20. Now why are they said to be manifest because they stink in the nostrils of nature and are discernable by the dimme eye of conscience Object 1. Possibly some may say man hath as it were the image or likenesse of a Trinity within himself there are three prime faculties understanding will and memory in one and the same reasonable soul Resol 1. A similitude doth not prove a thing to be but only represent a thing to our fancy which at present hath or at least had a being one way or other for instance it is impossible that any Sonne should know his fathers picture unlesse first he hath seen or heard that his father was such a person as the picture doth represent and by that means hath before hand his fathers idea and image presented in his own soul 2. 'T is denyed that these faculties in mans soul bear the image or likenesse of a Trinity neither can any man by a reflex act upon his own soul attain to the knowledge of this great mystery but such notions as these are the luxuriant extravagancies of some curious braines that would advance earth as high as heaven and do indeed rather darken then illustrate this truth as he who would adde any colour unto light doth rather blemish it than adorn it what a piece of folly would it be to undertake to emblazon a sun-beam Object 2. The doctrine of the Trinity was known to several of the Heathens which had not the Scriptures and therefore is discoverable by the light of nature Resol 1. If the Heathen had any notions of the Trinity they might receive them either by tradition from those who had read the Scriptures or out of the Scriptures themselves and not by the improvement of natural light 2. 'T is very probable that these notions of a Trinity which are found in Plato and Trismegistus were not writ by them but foisted into their works by some that lived in after ages my Reasons are these 1. Those writings which go under the name of the Ancient Fathers are not all truly such but a great part of them supposititious and forged as Mr. Dally proves largely in that learned piece of his called A Treatise of the right use of the Fathers where he gives you an account of whole books that were published under the names of the Apostles as Saint Peter Saint Barnabas and others which were not such Now if men durst be thus bold with the Apostles no wonder if they did not stick to deal thus with Heathens This imposture in the Primitive times was very ordinary yea the fathers themselves have used this Artifice to promote their own opinions as you may read largely in the third Chapter of that book 2. Some are apt to believe that there are clearer notions of a Trinity in some of the books of the Heathens than in the books of Moses and so by consequence the Heathens should know more of the Trinity than the Israel of God which is flat contrary to the Scriptures Psal 76.1 Psal 76.1 In Judah is God known his Name is great in Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his judgements thy have not known them praise ye the Lord. And thus I have done with the first Assertion in answer to this question whither the mystery of the Trinity may be found out by the light of nature viz. that the light of nature without divine Revelation cannot discover it 2. The light of nature after divine Revelation cannot oppose it For 1. As the judgement of sense ought not to be urged against the judgement of reason so the judgement of reason ought not to be urged against the judgement of faith The judgement of sense ought not to be urged against the judgement of reason for instance sense tells us that some of the Stars are as small as spangles I am apt to believe that some Country men think the Sunne to be no bigger than their Cartwheele here reason interposes corrects sense tells us that there being a vast distance between us and them they must needs be very great bodies or else they could not be visible There are thousands of Stars that cause the white streak in the
clearly implies there were that did say so 3. A third principle he layes down is the doctrine of original corruption even in the regenerate themselves (c) Pelagiani negant originate peccatum Aug. cont Mendac Against those that taught the * Pelagiani Aug. contr Mend. total abolition of original sin in and by Baptisme or that denied the being or at least the damnable nature of it Verse 8. If we say we have no sin c. 4. The necessity of confession of sin not only against them (d) Epiphanius calls the Novatians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 murderers of repentance Basil de poenit that decried repentance for sin and confession of sin but against them that denied pardon to them (e) Montanistae Novatiani Jerom. Ep. ad Marcel de erroribus Montani that repent If we confesse our sinnes he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins c. 5. He asserts the doctrine of actual sinne in the regenerate against them that affirmed that (f) The Simonians Gnosticks and other hereticks of that age taught that there was no sin but unbelief that to the justified all things were clean however they live vid. Aug. de perfectione justi c. 21 Clem. Alex. c. conceived the Apostles after the coming down of the Holy Ghost upon them nullis esse peccatis aut passionibus ohnoxii Joviniani docebant justum nec leviter peccare a justified person could not sin or which is the same that God sees no sin in his children If we say that we have not sinned we make him a lyar c. If we say we have no sin there 's the denial of original sin if we say we have not sinned there 's the denial of actual sin both make up the great heresie of the (g) Catharists in the third Centurie after Christ Catharists who held perfection in this life 6. The Apostle vindicates the preceptive obligation of the moral Law even over justified persons Against the Antinomian (h) The Simonians Carpocratians Marcionites Maniches did not only deny the moral law but curse and blaspheme it as given not by God but by some unlucky nature heresie which presumptuously breaketh even that yoke also from the neck of the Disciples Chap. 2. verse 3 4 5. Hereby we know that we love him if we keep his Commandments So early were these poysonous weeds sprung up in the Church of God The other Module which the Apostle layeth down is a Catalogue of Gospel-evidences certain marks and signs of an interest in Christ A Catalogue of Scripture-evidences and of a right and title to life eternal such as these 1. Obedience to Gods Commandments ut sup 2. Contempt of the world Ch. 2.15 3. Stedfastnesse in the doctrine of the Gospel verse 8 19 20 24. 4. Conformity to Jesus Christ in holinesse ch 3. ver 3. 5. Mortification 6 7 8 10. 6. Love to the Saints verse 14. and chapter 5.2 10 11. 7. A believing confession * Most blasphemously denied by the Simonians Chrystolites Pâ—oâ—tâ—es c. Aug. de haeres of Gods sending Jesus Christ into the world as the promised Messias with love to him and thankfulnesse for him chap. 4. In the four first verses of the fifth chapter we have no lesse than seven evidences each lincking in with the other and bearing witnesse to the other As 1. You have faith in Christ bearing witnesse to Regeneration Whosoever believeth c. is born of God 2. Love to God bearing witnesse to faith He that loveth him that begat c. 3. Love to the Saints bearing witnesse to our love of God He loveth him also that is begotten Augustine understands it of our love to Christ but the Context expounds it of our love to the Saints for so it followeth ver 2. where we have 4. Love to God reciprocally witnessing our love to the Saints Hereby we know we love the children of God when we love God 5. Obedience to Gods Commandments bearing witnesse again to our love And keep his Commandments 6. Delight testifying the truth of our obedience His Commandments are not grievous 7. And lastly Victory over the world bearing witnesse to Regeneration For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world Verse 4. It were easie out of this and the other two subsequent Epistles to compleat the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Gospel EVIDENCES which are not thus expresly delineated that by them only the Church might describe her members as some loose and vaine spirits fancy but for the members of the Church to try and examine themselves by whither they be real and living members yea or no. It were easie I say to adde to the Catalogue but I have insisted too long upon the first demonstration sc Scripture Pattern I come now to the second demonstration namely The advantages of such Modules 1. For the Ornament of the truth The excellency and advantage of such Forms and Collections of Evangelical truths And In the first place it addes much to the beauty and ornament of the truth whither it be delivered from the Pulpit or from the Press in such Systemes and Platforms the Hearer or Reader may as in a Map or Table sometimes of one sort sometimes of another behold divine truths standing one by another in their Method and Connexion mutually casting light and lustre upon each other Every truth single is very precious and indeed of infinite value as purchased with and ratified in the blood of Christ but to see the truths of the Gospel linked together in their proper union facing one another like the Cherubims Exod. 25.20 is very glorious As the stones of the Temple when they were squared and polished in the Forrest were very costly for both matter and workmanship but when they were layd into the building and formed up into a Temple what a beautiful and magnificent structure did they make The Disciples beholding it Luk. 21.5 were filled with delight and wonder The Curtains of the Sanctuary each by themselves were very rich both for their materials and curious Embroyderies but had you seen them in their Connecture each Curtain fastned to the other with taches of gold and so making up one entire perfect Tabernacle sparkling and shining in all its native spendour it would have been a ravishing sight The very representation of many Countries in one Nation of many Nations in one of the divisions or quarters of the world and of all the quarters described in one Globe or Map it is very delightful to the eye of an intelligent beholder at once discovering the scite and cognation the Longitude and Latitude the distance and degree of every Kingdome and County such globes and tables are full of delight and profit It is in a most eminent manner observable in the Creation of the world of every single days work it is said God saw that it was good but when the whole Compages of heaven and earth was set together into
He was furnish't with particular principles inclining him to comply with whatsoever the Law of nature had laid before him and with a general principle disposing him to yield to whatsoever any positive Law should lay before him as the Will of God And if it be said in reference to the former of these that this Law of nature impressed upon Adams soul was his very rectitude therefore how can this rectitude be a conformity to this Law I answer Aquin. Summ. 1. A Law is twofold Regulans Regulata 2. The Law of nature impressed upon the soul of Adam must be considered 1. As subjected in his mind so it consisted of certain practical notions about good and evil right and wrong c. 2. As subjected in his heart so it consisted in certain habitual inclinations to conform to those principles Now these inclinations of the heart though they are a rule to actions they are yet something ruled in reference to those notions in the mind and their conformity thereto makes one part of Original rectitude And those notions though they are a rule to these inclinations yet they are something ruled in reference to the Will of God signified by them and in the conformity thereto consists another part of this Original rectitude 2. We have to consider the manner of this endowment And as to this 't is much disputed among the Schoolmen whether it were natural or supernatural I shall only lay down in few words what I conceive to be cleare and indisputable 1. If by natural you mean essential whether constitutively or consecutively so Original righteousnesse was not natural to man for then he could never nave lost it without the loss of his being 2. If by natural you mean connatural i. e. concreate with the nature of man and consonant thereto so I doubt not but it was natural to him Prop. 6 6. This rectitude of mans nature could not but infer and include his actual blessednesse while he should act according to it According to the tenour of the Covenant it could not but infer it And consider this rectitude in it self it must needs include it The rectitude of his understanding including his knowledge of the highest good and the rectitude of his will and affections the acceptance and enjoyment thereof Aug. de civitate Dei as Augustine in this case nullum bonum abesset homini quod recta voluntas optare posset c. Thus far of the holinesse and blessednesse of mans first state It follows to speak of the mutability of it and of his fall as depending thereon Doctrine 2 2. That mans defection from his Primitive state was mearly voluntary and from the unconstrained choice of his own mutable and self-determining will For the asserting of this truth take the following Propositions Prop. 1 1. That the nature of man is now become universally depraved and sinful This Scripture is ful of * 1 Kings 8.46 Psal 14.1 Rom. 3.12 c. cap. 5.12 13 c. 1 John 5.19 c. and experience and common observation puts it beyond dispute 'T is left then that sinne must have had some Original among men Prop. 2 2. The pure and holy nature of God could never be the Original of mans sin This is evident in it self God disclaims it nor can any affirm it of him without denying his very being He could not be the cause of uâ—holiâ—esse but by ceasing to be holy which would suppose him mutably holy and if either God or man must be confessed mutable 't is no difficulty where to lay it whatever he is he is essentially and necessity of existence of being always what he is James 1.17 remains everlastingly the fundamental attribute of his being Prop. 3 3. 'T is blasphemous and absurd to talk of two principles as the Manichees of old the one good per se and the cause of all good the other evil per se and the cause of all evil Bradwardine de causa Dei Bradwardines two Arguments 1. That this would suppose two Gods two Independent beings 2. That it would suppose an evil God do sufficiently convince this to be full both of blasphemy and contradiction Prop. 4 4. It was not possible that either external objects or the temptation of the Divel should necessitate the will of man to sinne External objects could not for that were to reject all upon God for if he create objects with such an allective power in them and create such an appetite in man as cannot but work inordinately and sinfully towards those objects it must needs inferre his efficacious necessitation of sinne being it would destroy the truth already established that God created man with such a rectitude as that there was a sufficient ability in his Superiour powers for the cohibition and restraint of the Inferiour that they should not work inordinately towards their objects The Divel could not do it for the same reason having no way to move the will of man but by the proposal of objects yet that by this means which he could in many respects manage most advantagiously he did much help forward the first sinne Scripture leaves us not to doubt Prop. 5 5. The whole nature of sinne consisting only in a defect no other cause need be designed of it than a defective i. e. an understanding will and Inferiour powers however originally good yet mutably and defectively so I shall not insist to prove that sinne is no positive bang but I take the Argument to be irrefragable notwithstanding the Cavils made against it that is drawn from that common Maxime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dion de Div. nom that omne ens positivum est vel primum vel à primo And that of Dionysius the Areopagite is an ingenuous one he argues that no being can be evil per se for then it must be immutably to which no evill can be for to be alwayes the same is a certain property of goodnesse 't is so even of the highest goodnesse And hence sinne being supposed only a defect a soul that is only defectibly holy might well enough be the cause of it i. e. the deficient cause Nor is it in the least stranage that man should be at first created with a defectible holinesse for if he were immutably holy either it must be ex naturâ or ex gratiâ ex naturâ it could not be for that would suppose him God if it were ex gratiâ then it must be free then it might be or might not be therefore there was no incongruity in it that it should not be And indeed it was most congruous that God having newly made such a creature furnished with such powers so capable of government by a Law of being moved by promises and threats he should for some time hold him as a viator in a state of tryal unconfirmed as he did also the innocent Angels that it might be seen how he would behave himself towards his Maker and that he
between the parts Thus Abraham entred into Covenant with God and he took a Heifer Shee Goat Gen. 15. Ver. 9.10 and a Ramme and divided them in the midst and laid one piece against another Ver. 9.10 And behold a burning Lamp passed between those pieces Ver. 17.18 in that same day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham This cutting of the sacrifice into pieces and passing thorow was a lively and dreadful signe that the party who should break Covenant should be cut asunder and into pieces as he well dâ—se ved and as he at least implicitely imprecated upon himself notable to this purpose is that in the Prophet Jeremy I will give the men that have transgressed my Covenant Jer. 34.18 19 20. which have not performed the words of the Covenant which they made before me when they cut the Calfe in twaine and passed between the parts thereof the Princes of Judah the Princes of Jerusalem the Eunuchs and the Priests and all the People of the Land which passed between the parts of the Calf I will even give them into the hand of their enemy into the hand of them that se k their life c. that is to be slain and cut in pieces by the Sword And herein I take the Emphasis of the expression to lie Lev. 26.25 I will bring a Sword upon you which shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant i. e. by cutting them asunder And this custome was conveyed to the Gentiles they went between the fire and carried a Sword in their hands and so took an oath Lib. 10. contra Jul. as Cyril proves out of Sophocles Thus Virgil speaking of Romulus and Tatius Aeneid 8. Hinc foedus à foedo animali foedè mactato Caesae jungebant foedera porcae They cut a Swine in sunder and made a League and to name no more Titus Livius speaking of the League between the Romans and Albans the Foecialis Herald or Minister of those Ceremonies cryed If the Romans shall falsifie by publick and wicked fraud in that day O Jupiter do thou so smite the Romans as I smite this Swine and so knock't the Swine on the head with a stone By all which it appears that Covenants have been ever held solemn and sacred things and that men by breaking of them deserved dreadful punishments In like manner there was the shedding dividing and sprinkling of blood at the making of Covenants and hence it was called the blood of the Covenant Exod. 24.6 7 8. Moses took half the blood and put it in Basons and half of the blood he sprinkled on the Altar and he took the book of the Covenant and read in the audienâ—e of the people and they said All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient and Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Note He sprinkled the Altar instead of God who being incorporeal and a Spirit could not be sprinkled yet being a Covenant party would have the Altar sprinkled for him So much shall serve for the first Question setting forth in our Answer to it the name and nature of a Covenant in general the second Question follows Quest 2. What ground we have to speak of Gods Covenant with Adam and to call it a Covenant there being no mention of it here in the Text nor elsewhere in Scripture do we read of Gods Covenant with Adam Answ However the name be not here yet the thing is here and elsewhere comparing Scripture with Scripture it is a nice cavil in Socinians to call fot the word Satisfaction others for the word Sacrament others for the word Trinity others for the words Faith alone justifying others for the word Sabbath for Lords day c. and thence to conclude against Satisfaction Sacraments Trinity Justification by faith alone and Sabbath for want of expresse words when the things themselves are lively set down in other words so in this case of Gods Covenant with Adam we have 1. Gods Command which lays man under an obligation 2. We have Gods promise upon condition of obedience 3. We have Gods threatning upon his disobedience 4. We have their understanding it so as appears in Eves words to the Serpent 5. Chap. 3.3 We have the two Trees as signs and symbols of the Covenant 6. We have a second Covenant and a New Covenant therefore there was a first and Old Covenant a Covenant of Grace supposeth one of Works Object If any shall say by first and old Covenant was meant Gods Covenant with Israel and not with Adam and so by Covenant of Works the same is meant namely that which the Lord made at Mount Sinai Answ Hereunto I answer There is a repetition of the Covenant of Works with Adam in the Law of Moses Hebr. 8.7 8 9. Gal. 3.12 Rom. 10.5 as in that of the Apostle to the Galatians The Law is not of faith bâ—t the man that doth these things shall live in them so likewise to the Romans Moses dsscribes the righteousness which is of the Law that the man who doth these things shall live in them Thus it was with Adam principally and properly therefore he was under a Covenant of Works when God gave him that command in my Text. Quest. 3. Wherein then doth this Covenant of Works consist what is the nature tenour and end of it as such Answ 1. This Covenant required working on our part as the condition of it for justification and happinesse therefore called a Covenant of Works Gal. 3.12 thus before the man that doth these things shall live Working indeed is also required under grace now but 1. Not to Justification 2. Not from our own Power Ephes 2.8 Jam. 2.20 3. Not previous to faith which worketh by love and lives by working but man lives by faith 2. A second Characteristical signe of the Covenant of Works is this that in and under it man is left to stand upon his own legs and bottome to live upon his own stock and by his own industry he had a power to stand and not to have fallen this is meant when it is said God created man in his own Image Gen. 1.27 Eccles 7.29 And again This only have I found that God made man upright 3. In the first Covenant namely that of Works man had no need of a Mediatour God did then stipulate with Adam immediately for seeing as yet he had not made God his enemy by sin he needed no days-man to make friends hy intercession for him Gen. 1. ult After mans Creation God said He saw every thing which he had mude and behold it was very good and after the Covenant made in chap. 2. it s said They were naked and they were not ashamed i. e. they had not contracted guilt by committing of sinne from whence onely ariseth shame therefore under the Covenant
Demon. 1 1. Ratione faederis by the reason of the Covenant of Works which God made with Adam we were in him all of us legally when God first made a Covenant with man it was not with Adam ratione individui as an individual person sed ratione â—aturae as he bore our nature with him as the representative of man-kind God makes his Covenant with Christ as Head and Mediatour of his Church with Abraham as the father of the faithful with Adam as the stock of man-kind Isa 53.11 Psal 40.8 we were in him parties in the Covenant and had interest in the mercy which should accompany the keeping of it and were liable to the curse which should follow the breach of it Now Adam violating the Covenant the guilt of that violation descends upon all his posterity Rom. 5.19 Constituti sunt peccatores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chry. they were constituted sinners It is to be noted that God never makes a Covenant with a single person personally and individually that all others are unconcerned in it but with whomsoever God enters into Covenant that person is a representative of others and is to be looked upon as a publick person otherwise God should make as many Covenants as there are persons which is the greatest absurdity to assert and so in Covenanting with Adam he looked on him as the stock and root of mankind Arg. 2 2. Ratione Collationis The Apostle in two places makes a remarkable comparison between Adam and Christ the first and second Adam comparing the good of the last with the evil of the first the grace of the one with the sin of the other the life conveyed by the one with the death transmitted by the other Rom. 5.12 c. 1 Cor. 15.45 c. Now the righteousnesse of Christ redounds to believers to justification so the sin of Adam redounds to his posterity to condemnation by Adam we are cast by Christ we are cleared by Adam guilty by Christ innocent the comparison would else be wholly insignificant as by Christ we are made really righteous so by Adam we are made really sinners we are Princes in Christ Prisoners in Adam Crowned in Christ cursed in Adam this is is one great drift of the comparison Particle 2 2. The sin of Adam is derived to us not only by way of imputation but by way of inhaesion we receive from offending Adam Adamus genus nostrum tabificavit Aug. vitiositatem libidinem morbidum affectum a vitiosity lusting and a contagious distemper we receive not only a defect of holiness but deordination pravity evil disposition propension to mischief Ephes 4.22 John 3.6 Jam. 3.15 Col. 3.5 aversion to all good this sometimes the Scripture calls the Old man the flesh divelish wisdome the hell that sets the whole course of nature on fire earthly members And that Adams sin is propagated to us by way of inhaesion is likewise demonstrable by a double evidence Arg. 1 1. From the confession of some of the best of Gods Saints Psal 51.5 The soul of David was no sooner united to his body than sin was united to both he had not only a Crown of gold but grace he was not only a King after mans desire but a Saint after Gods heart 1 Sam. 13.24 yet this sinful leprosie he drew from Adam this Original staine clave to him he was a sinner in the womb though a Prince in the Throne and a Saint in the Sanctuary And so Paul that excellent Apostle how doth he moan this inward spot which he drew from Adam how doth he complain of indwelling sin Rom. 7.17 of an evil within him verse 19. of a law of his members verse 23. These groans of such eminent Saints are too pregnant an argument that the sin of Adam transmitted to us doth not only cast guilt on our persons but filth on our natures lay a charge to us but throw a stain upon us Arg. 2 2. As Christ doth not only vouchsafe believers imputed but infused righteousnesse the merit of his obedience but the graces of his Spirit to justifie but to renew and sanctifie us 1 Cor. 1.30 so the first Adam not only conveighs guilt to condemn but filth to defile us else the work of sanctification would be wholly unnecessary and the comparison between the first and second Adam would be maimed and imperfect Christ makes us heavenly as well as pronounceth us heavenly and Adam makes us earthly as well as leaves us to the punishment of those that are so The full comparison between the first and second Adam speaks this clearly Adam had sin to defile Rev. 1.5 Christus valnera sanarit quae Adamus portavit Cypr. and therefore Christ had blood to wash Here may that observable passage of Austin come in Vidi ego zelantem puerum c. I have seen saith Augustin a child with his eye full of envy venting his malice c. Whence comes this incurvation and waywardness of nature but from Adam happily the parents of this child were true and eminent believers so that there must be a tabes a disaffectednesse transmitted from Adam to his posterity against the opinion of Peter Lumbard and the Schoolmen 2. The second thing to be opened for the dispatching of the doctrinal part of the Text it is this To vindicate the righteousnesse of God in this transmission and conveyance And the justice of God is most glorious in this propagation of Adams sinne and this may be cleared in a double Demonstration Demon. 1 Adams sin is ours as well as his as a Learned man most elegantly Si quis peste laborans alios inficiat hi moriuntur Pet. Martyr dicitur illorum quisque non alienâ sed sua peste mortuus esse Now there is a double Argument to prove Adâ—ms sin ours 1. Else God did punish us for anothers sin that fault which is not our own which is against divine justice God doth not usually strike the son for the fathers crime and make the son feel the bruise of the fathers fall that the father should merit the stroak and the posterity feel it this is against his own protestation Ezek. 18.2 2. The Antithesis between Christ and Adam would not hold if Adams was not to be reputed ours for as the righteousnesse of Christ ita communicatur membris ut quisque fidelis dicere possit illam esse suam c. as Bucan well observes is so communicated to us that every believer may say This righteousnesse is mine so the iniquity of Adam is so communicated to all his posterity that every child of Adam may sadly say This iniquity is mine and I am righteously punished for it And now therefore I say if Adams sin be ours in the guilt and stain of it let us acknowledge Gods justice in the transmission of it Demon. 2 2. Had Adam stood we expected the entaile of perfection and happinesse that the Crown should have descended to us as his issue
himself hath contracted it into a very brief but full 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The ten Commandments a brief abstract of the whole Law Three Modules delivered by Christ in his first Sermon or Module in the ten Commandments which are called ten words Deut. 4.13 because they are the briefest Epitome of the Law And thus our Saviour as he laid down the great and larger draught of Gospel-doctrine so also in his Sermons he hath left some shorter forms or types of necessary points and principles of Religion exempli gratiâ in his first Sermon after he entred upon his publick Ministry he hath drawn up three very concise and most excellent Modules 1. Of beatitudes Mans summum bonum The first Module contains the beatitudes A list of particulars wherein mans true and chiefest happinesse doth consist Matth. 5. from the third verse to the twelfth wherein he doth totally crosse the judgment of the blinde world writing blessednesse where the world writes woe and woe where the world writes blessednesse Credenda These we may call the credenda Articles of faith to be believed by all those that would be accounted Christs Disciples The second Module contains a list of duties things to be done by every one that would be saved This our Saviour doth by asserting and expounding the Moral Law from the seventeenth verse to the end of the Chapter confuting and reforming the false glosses which the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon the ten Commandm nts thereby making the Law of God of none effect Facienda And these we may call the facienda things to be done The third Module contains a list of petitions which in the sixth Chapter from the ninth verse to the sixteenth he commends to his Disciples and in them to all succeeding generations of the Church as a form or directory of prayer Not that Christians should alwayes confine themselves to the words Petenda 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but conform to the matter in their supplications at the Throne of grace After this manner pray ye And these we may call the petenda things to be prayed for The Apostles method in their Epistles The Epistle to the Romans the Christian Catechisme The holy Apostels tread in our Saviours steps you may observe in all their Epistles that in the former part of them they generally lay down a Module of Gospel-principles and in the latter part a Module of Gospel-duties The Epistle to the Romans is upon this account justly called by some of the Antients The Christians Catechisme As containing an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or list of the chief Articles of the Christian Religion for although the principal designe of the Apostle be to discusse that prime Evangelical doctrine of justification in the negative and affirmative part of it Neg. not in works Affir in a free gratuitous imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ applied by faith together with the grounds evidences and fruits thereof yet occasionally according to the wisdome given unto him he doth with a most profound and admirable art interweave other deep and fundamental points of Religion scilicet A parallel between the a Chap. 5. two Adams The doctrine of Original sinne The corruption and depravation of b Chap. 7. nature The doctrine of grace chap. 7. The merit and efficacy of Christs death and resurrection Chap. 6. The doctrine of AFFLICTION and the use of it to believers Chap. 8. The mysteries of Election and Predestination Chap. 9. The excoecation and rejection of the Jews Chap. 10. The vocation of the Gentiles Chap. 11. with the restituion of the seed of Abraham c. And when he hath finished the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of doctrinal principles he winds up the Epistle with a short but full delineation of Evangelical duties wherein he doth bring down those principles unto practice The former part of the Epistle is the DOCTRINE the latter part is the VSE I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God c. The whole Epistle to the Hebrews is nothing else as it were but a delineation of the THREE OFFICES OF JESUS CHRIST King Priest Prophet The Epistle to the Hebrews Especially his Priestly office with a most profound and yet dilucid Exposition of those Levitical types and figures which did more obscurely Heb. 10.1 shadow forth Christ under the Law so that in that Epistle as in a Table Christians may behold the Law to be nothing else but Evangelium velatum veiled Gospel and the Gospel to be no other thing than Lex revelata unveiled Ceremony or the Law with the Curtain drawn But there be divers short Modules or Compendiums of Christian doctrine occasionally delineated by the Apostles in their several Epistles In the Epistle to the Galatians within the compasse of five verses the Apostle gives two full Catalogues or Lists chap. 5. The one of sinnes ver 19.20 21. The other of graces ver 22.23 In the Epistle to the Ephesians chap. 5. 6. you have an excellent and compleat Module of Relational duties Of Ver. 22. Wives towards their husbands Ver. 25. Husbands towards their Wives Chap. 6.1 Children towards their Parents Ver. 4. Parents towards their Children Ver. 5. Servants towards their Masters Ver. 9. Masters towards their servants The Epistles to Timothy give us a type or table of Ministerial offices and qualifications yet so as most beautifully adorned with other most precious Evangelical principles the sum whereof is CHRIST 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying c. And the principal comprehensive parts FAITH LOVE faith apprehensive and love active These two in my Text many learned men conceive to be intended by Saint Paul as the two great comprehensive fundamentals of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commended by him unto Timothy his care and fidelity Hold fast the form of sound words the two main branches whereof are FAITH and LOVE but of this more hereafter In the Epistle to Titus the Apostle will furnish you with two short but very perfect systems one in chap. 2. ver 11.12 13 14. Where you have Ver. 11. 1. Gods grace made the original and fountain of all the good we expect from God and perform to God Ver. 11. 2. And this grace issuing it self by Christ for the salvation of the creature Ver. 11. 3. And appearing by the Gospel there you have Scripture intimated and Ver. 12. 4. Teaching us as to the Privative part of obedience to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts terms capacious enough to comprise all sinne As to the positive part to live soberly implying all personal duties for the governing of our selves in our single capacity Righteously implying all duties to our neighbours Ver. 12. godly noting our whole Communion with God in the duties of his worship More cannot be said as to the duty of man Now 5. The encouragements are either from
called another Comforter now he who is distinguished from the Father and the Sonne in the manner as to be called another comforter is either distinguished in regard of his essence or in regard of his personal subsistence not in regard of his essence for then he would be another God and therefore he is another in regard of his personal subsistence 4. You have a clear proof for this doctrine in the words of the Text There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one and to that purpose consider 1. You have mention here of three witnesses now three witnesses are three persons 2. The Word and holy Ghost are conjoyned in their Testimony with the Father which is not competible to any creature and lest we should doubt of this it is expresly said even by Saint John himself to be the witnesse of God Verse 9. If we receive the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater for this is the witnesse of God which he hath testified of his Son and concerning Christ it is said that he is the true God ver 20. This is the true God and eternal life let the Socinian shew me where any creature is called the true God Concerning the Spirit also in this Chapter it is said ver 6. that he is truth it self It is the Spirit that beareth Witnesse because the Spirit is Truth 3. If there be three witnesses whereof every one of them is God the one not the other and yet not many Gods but one true God the point is clear there are three distinct persons subsisting in one divine essence or which is all one there are three persons and one God 3. I am to speak something to the distinction of these three persons though they cannot be divided yet they may be they are distinguished many things in nature may be distinguished which cannot be divided for instance the cold and the moisture which is in the water may be distinguished but they cannot be divided Now that those three persons are distinguished appears 1. By what hath been already said the Father is not the Son nor the Son the Father nor the holy Ghost the Father or the Son 2. By the words of the Text here are three heavenly witnesses produced to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God namely the Father the Word and the holy Ghost now one and the same person although he hath a thousand names cannot passe for three witnesses upon any faire or reasonable account whatever you may be sure that God reckons right and he sayes John 8.13 Father Sonne and holy Ghost to be three witnesses there are three that bear record in heaven so in Saint Johns Gospel the Pharisees charge our Saviour that he bare record of himself say they thou bearest record of thy self thy record is not true now mark what Christ replies ver 17 18. It is written in your Law Ver. 17 18. that the Testimony of two men is true I am one that bear witnesse of my self and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me where you have our Saviour citing the Law concerning the validity of a Testimony given by two witnesses and then he reckons his Father for one witnesse and himself for another 4. I shall speak a few words to the order of these divine persons in order of subsistence the Father is before the Son and the Son before the holy Ghost The Father the first person in the Trinity hath foundation of personal subsistence in himself the Sonne the second person the foundation of personal subsistence from the Father the holy Ghost the third person hath foundation of personal subsistence from the Father and the Sonne Now although one person be before the other in regard of order yet they are all equal in regard of time Majesty glory essence this I conceive to be the reason why in the Scripture sometimes you have the Sonne placed before the Father as 2 Cor. 13.14 2 Cor. 13.14 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen Gal. 1.1 So Gal. 1.1 Paul an Apostle not of men neither by men but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead Sometimes the holy Ghost is placed before the Father as Eph. 2.18 Through him we have an accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Eph. 2.18 Rev. 1.4 5. Sometimes before Jesus Christ Rev. 1.4 5. John to the seven Churches in Asia Grace be unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits which are before the Throne by the seven Spirits there is meant the holy Ghost and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witnesse c. The consideration of this caused that rule amongst our Divines ab ordine verborum nulla est argumentatio there is no argument to be urged from the order of words Now this shews that although one person be before another in regard of relation and order of subsistence yet all are equal one with another in regard of essence And therefore beware lest you derogate the least jota or tittle of glory or Majesty from any of the three persons As in nature a small matter as to the body may be a great matter as to the beauty of the body cut but the haire from the eye brow how disfigured will all the face look If you take away never so little of that honour and glory which is due to any of the divine Persons you do what in you lies to blot to stain to disfigure the faire and beautiful face of the blessed Trinity 5. I am to enquire whether the mystery of the Trinity may be found out by the light of nature Resol There are two things in the general that I would say in answer to this question 1. That the light of nature without divine Revelation cannot discover it 2. That the light of nature after divine Revelation cannot oppose it 1. That the light of nature without divine Revelation cannot discover it and for that purpose take into your thoughts these following considerations 1. If that which concerns the worship of God cannot be found out by the light of nature much lesse that which concerns Gods nature essence or subsistence but the Antecedent is certainly true For 1. As for the part of the worship and service of God which is instituted and ceremonial it is impossible that it should be found out by the light of nature for instance what man could divine that the Tree of life should be a Sacrament to Adam in Paradise How comes the Church to understand what creatures were clean what were unclean that the Priesthood was setled in the Tribe of Levi and not in the Tribe of Simeon or the Trible of Judah certainly these lessons were not learned by the candle-light of nature 2.
in his creation with a perfect and universal rectitude 2. That mans defection from his primitive state was purely voluntary and from the unconstrained choice of his own mutable and self-determining will Though the latter part of the Text would afford a sufficient ground to treat of the state of man now fallen yet that being by agreement left to another hand I observe no more from it then what concerns the manner of his fall and that only as it depended on a mutable will In handling these truths I shall 1. Open them in certain explicatory Theses 2. Improve them in some few praictcal and applicatory inferences 1. About the former that God endued c. take these Propositions for explication Prop. 1 1. All created rectitude consists in conformity to some rule or Law Rectitude is a meer relative thing and its relation is to a rule By a rule I here mean a law strictly taken and therefore I speak this only of created rectitude A law is a rule of duty given by a Superiour to an Inferiour nothing can be in that sense a rule to God or the measure of increated rectitude Prop. 2 2. The highest rule of all created rectitude is the will of God considered as including most intrinsecally an eternal and immutable reason justice and goodness 'T is certain there can be no higher rule to creatures than the divine Will Rom. 7.12 Rom. 12.102 Ezek. 18.25 ch 33. and as certain that the government of God over his creatures is alwayes reasonable and just and gracious and that this reasonablenesse justice and goodnesse by which it is so should be subjected any where but in God himself none that know what God is according to our more obvious notions of him can possibly think Prop. 3 3. Any sufficient signification of this Will touching the reasonable creatures duty is a law indispensably obliging such a creature A law is a constitution de debito and 't is the Legislatours will not concealed in his own breast but duly expressed that makes this constitution and infers an obligation on the Subject Prop. 4 4. The Law given to Adam at his creation was partly natural given by way of internal impression upon his soul partly positive given as is probable by some more external discovery or revelation That the main body of laws whereby man was to be governed should be at first given no other way than by stamping them upon his mind and heart was a thing congruous enough to his innocent state as it is to Angels and Saints in glory it being then exactly contempered to his nature highly approvable to his reason as is evident in that being faln his reason ceases not to approve it Rom. 2.18 fully sutable to the inclination and tendency of his will and not at all regretted by any reluctant principle that might in the least oppose or render him doubtful about his duty Yet was it most reasonable also that some positive commands should be superadded that Gods right of dominion and government over him as Creatour might be more expresly asserted and he might more fully apprehend his own obligation as a creature to do somethings because it was his Makers Will as well as others because they appeared to him in their own nature reasonable and fit to be done for so the whole of what God requires of man is fitly distinguished into some things which he commands because they are just and some things that are just because he commands them Prop. 5 5. Adam was indued in his creation with a sufficient ability and habitude to conform to this whole Law both natural and positive in which ability and habitude his original rectitude did consist This Proposition carries in it the main truth we have now in hand therefore requires to be more distinctly insisted on There are two things in it to be considered The thing it self he was endued with The manner of the endowment 1. The thing it self wherewith he was endued that was uprightnesse rectitude otherwise called the image of God though that expression comprehends more than we now speak of as his immortality dominion over the inferiour creatures c. which uprightness or rectitude consisted in the habitual conformity or conformability of all his natural powers to this whole Law of God and is therefore considerable two wayes viz. In relation to its Subject Rule 1. In relation to its subject that was the whole soul in some sense it may be said the whole man even the several powers of it And here we are led to consider the parts of this rectitude for 't is coextended if that phrase may be allowed with its subject and lies spread out into the several powers of the soul for had any power been left destitute of it such is the frame of man and the dependance of his natural powers on each other in order to action that it had disabled him to obey and had destroyed his rectitude for bonum non oritur nisi ex causis integris malum vero ex quovis defectu Davenant de justitia habituali i. And hence as Davenant well observes according to the parts if I may so speak of the subject wherein it was Mans original rectitude must be understood to consist of 1. A perfect illumination of mind to understand and know the Will of God 2. A compliance of heart and will therewith 3. An obedient subordination of the sensitive appetite and other inferiour powers that in nothing they might resist the former That it comprehends all these appears by comparing Col. 3.10 where the image of God wherein man was created is said to consist in knowledge that hath its seat and subject in the mind with Ephes 4.24 where righteousness and holiness are also mentioned the one whereof consists in equity towards men the other in loyalty and devotedness to God both which necessarily suppose the due framing of the other powers of the soul to the ducture of an inlightened mind And besides that work of sanctification which in these Scriptures is expresly called a renovation of man according to the image of God wherein he was created doth in other Scriptures appear as the forementioned Authour also observes to consist of parts proportionable to these I mention viz. illumination of mind Ephes 1.18 conversion of heart Psal 51.10 victory over concupiscence Rom. 6.7 throughout 2. Consider this rectitude in relation to its Rule that is the Will of God revealed 1 John 3.4 or the Law of God sin is the transgression of the Law and accordingly righteousnesse must needs be conformity to the Law viz. actual righteousnesse consists in actual conformity to the Law that habitual rectitude which Adam was furnished with in his Creation of which we are speaking in an habitual conformity or an ability to conform to the same Law This habitual conformity was as of the whole soul so to the whole Law i. e. to both the parts or kinds of it natural and positive
thereof thou shalt surely dye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebr. Dying thou shalt dye THe next head in the body of our Religion which falls this Morning to be spoken to in Course is Gods Covenant made with Adam before the fall which we call a Covenant of Works and we ground our Discourse upon the Text read to you When God would communicate his goodnesse to the creatures he made the world out of nothing for his own glory but especially man after his Image this inferiour world he provided for mans house and habitation but he dresseth and trimmeth one part for him especially and calls it Paradise In the Paradise or pleasant Garden he was not to live idly but must dresse and keep it In the midst of all mans enjoyments which the Lord allows him with a liberal hand yet he lets him know withall he was under subjection though Lord of all and therefore gives him a command obsequii examen obedientiae quoddam rudimentum Calvin a test and tryal of his obedience to which God trains him up As Lords when they let out their Lands to Husbandmen reserve somewhat to themselves which the Tenants are not to meddle with that they may have some check upon them Muscul so God here That which the Lord commands Adam was no hard matter he grants him a vast latitude to eat of all freely Oecol only one sort excepted in which exception as God was not envious to him as the Envious One suggested so was not this Commandment grievous to him Object It may be objected from 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law is not made for a righteous man why then for Adam in his righteousnesse Resol Paul means good men do not so need the Law as bad men do for good Laws rose from evil manners yet in a sense the Law is given for righteous men not to justifie them for it finds them justified already and past the condemnation of the Law it finding them also sanctified Beza it treats them not as enemies but leads them and delights them consenting to it This serves to explode the errour of Antinomians and Libertines so then God to declare his Soveraignty and mans subjection gave Adam though innocent a Law Mark how God bound mans obedience with a double fence first he fenced him with a free indulgence to eat of all but one this was an Argument to his ingenuity secondly by a severe prohibition upon pain of death by the first the Lord wooes him by love by the second he frights him by the terrour of his justice and bids him touch it if he durst Observe among all the Trees of the Garden there are two here mentioned in a more peculiar manner the Tree of life and the Tree of knowledge which are called by Divines two Sacraments in a large sense in which sense also the Ark of Noah the fire which descended and burn't the Sacrifice Polanius the Baptisme of the Red Sea and Cloud the Manna the water out of the Rock the pouring out of the blood of the Sacrifices the Land of Canaan the Tabernacle Temple Ark of the Testimony the propitiatory the golden Candlestick the twelve stones taken out of Jordan with the pool of Bethesda all these I say in a large sense are Sacramental Symbols of the Covenant of Grace or extraordinary Sacraments but the Tree of knowledge and Tree of life are called Sacraments of the Covenant of works By these the Lord did signifie and seal to our first Parents that they should alwayes enjoy that happy state of life in which they were made upon condition of obedience to his Commandments i. e. in eating of the Tree of life and not eating of the Tree of knowledge For it was called the Tree of life not because of any native property and peculiar vertue it had in it self to convey life but Symbolically Morally and Sacramentally it was a sign and obsignation to them of life natural and spiritual to be continued to them as long as they continued in obedience unto God Aug. In like manner the Tree of knowledge of good and evil was spoken from the sad event and experience they had of it as Sampson had of God departed from him when he left his Nazaritish haire by Dalilah Now that a Covenant of Works lay in this Commandment is clear 1. Because that was the condition of mans standing and life as it is expresly declared 2. Because in the breach of that Commandment given him he lost all This obedience as it was Characteristical to Adams Covenant and Contradistinguished to the Covenant of Grace was perfect personal and perpetual In a sense though different from the other those three things are required in our obedience under the Covenant of Grace not in reference to the Covenant nor to justification neither is our personal righteousnesse perfect I mean legally yet is it perfect though not in us but in our surety neither was the Covenant made primarily with us but with him and with us in him and on his account even as God made the Covenant of Works primarily with Adam and with us in him as our head inclusively Now for our better opening this doctrine to you I shall propound and answer some questions 1. What is meant by Covenant 2. What ground we have to call it Adams Covenant or a Covenant of Works 3. Wherein doth the Nature and Tenour of it consist 4. Whether the Covenant of Works was revived and repeated to Israel 5. How long it lasted whither till now unto any Quest 1. What is meant by Covenant name and thing Answ The word in the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Berith which hath a threefold derivation very fit to be taken notice of for clearing of the nature of the Covenant 1. From Barah to choose because the persons are chosen between whom the Covenant or Agreement is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indeed Gods Covenant with man is not only with his elect and chosen ones but a fruit and effect of our election yea the Lord doth encline our wills to make choice of him and of his terms I have made a Covenant with my chosen so again Choose you whom ye will serve ye are witnesses against your selves this day Psal 89.3 Josh 24.15 22 that you have chosen the Lord. 2. Or else this word Berith Covenant may be taken from Barah to eat Illyricus because they were wont to eat together of the Sacrifice slain and provided at the making of the Covenant at which time they had a Feast hence the Apostle speaking of the Eucharist the signe and seal of the Covenant and which is a spiritual Food and Feast upon a Covenant account saith This Cup is the New Testament or New Covenant in my blood 1 Cor. 11.25 3. Or from Bathar to cut and divide asunder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by transposing a letter for so the sacrifice was divided and the Covenanting parties were to passe
take off the veile from the Text in a short explication By one man and him we may consider 1. His name Adam and this comprehends his person sex and kind 2. His order he was the first man 1 Cor. 15.45 3. His person in the individual And so Original sin properly is not derived from the proximate Parents but the prime-parent 4. His nature Adam was one non tantum in individuo sed in specie one comprehending the whole root representing the whole stock the seed and generation of man-kind so Adam is taken for the species of man Sinne The Apostle here speaks of sin not sins as if he would precisely determine it of that one root of sin distinct from those many following fruits this sin hath been the Original the incentive the cause of all sinne this sinne stained the world Entered into the world viz. by propagation sin entered like death Now death is actually propagated as he said scio me genuisse mortalem I know I beget a dying child a child subject to death sinne entered not by example but generation The World By the world we must not understand terrenam corpâ—ralem vitam the pleasure and delights of the world for the Saints are crucified to the world in this sense Gal 6.14 and so Original sin should not seize on believers Nor 2. In locum mundi for as Pareus observes the Angels first sinned and sin first entred by them into the place of the world Nor 3. In Paradisum into Paradise for sin was first committed by Eve in Paradise But 4. We must understand the inhabitants of the world Vniversum genus humanum all man-kind Martyr Gorranus as Mart. Gor. And death by sinne The query among Divines is what this death is Some suppose the death of the body as Ambrose some the death of the soul as the Pelagians but as Haymo observes mors animae corporis in omnes pertranstit the death both of soul and body passed on all for as Origen saith Orig. Mors corporalis umbra est spiritualis the death of the body is only the shadow of the death of the soul so that by death in the Text we must necessarily understand the death of soul and body with all the antecedents and consequents of both Willet sicknesse weaknesse corruption guilt horrour despair Death passed upon all men Corporal death on all the most holy most flourishing most probable to live spiritual and eternal death on all men in the sentence not in the execution Rom. 3.19 the sentence is reversed the execution for ever forborn to believers For all have sinned For the opening of this I shall only give you the glance of Musculus In Adam omnes fuimus in lumbis ejus c. we were all in the loynes of offending Adam from that masse we sprung and therefore as Levi paid tythes in the loyns of Abraham Hebrews 7.9 10. so it is no wonder if we being in the loyns of Adam are found sinners in him Doct. Now the mournful truth that the Text presents us with is this viz. That our first Parent by his transgression hath left an unhappy portion of sinne and death to all his posterity thus much the Text expresseth thus much it confirms we have this unwelcome entail from our first Parent Concerning death I shall not dilate because the shade of death doth alwayes accompany the body of sin but I shall only insist on that part of our portion sin We are entituled to Adams sinne 'T is a derivation from the root to the branches as poyson is carried from the fountain to the Cistern as the children of Traytours have their blood tainted with their fathers Treason and the children of Bond-slaves are born in their Fathers condition Omnes in Adamo peccaverunt Aug. quia omnes unus ille fuerunt Aug. All were entangled in Adams sin because all were folded up in Adams person And the same Father in another place Traxit reatum homo quia unus erat cum illo à quo traxit Man drew down guilt upon himself because he was one with him from whom he drew it Greg. And it is an excellent observation of Gregory Genus humanum in parente primo velut in radice putruit Man-kind putrified in the first parent as in a root Adam is as the poysoned root and the clusters are envenomed because the root was poysoned had Adam stood and preserved his perfection his glory as a royalty had descended to his seed to man-kind but by his offence forfeiting his beauty and contracting on himself both guilt and an universal loathsomenesse both losse and loathsomnesse he transmits to his posterity and it is upon his breath that every child that comes into the world sucks in poyson with his first breach and is no sooner a living creature than a deformed sinner This truth we find early confirmed in the world so Adam begat Seth according to his own likeness Gen. 5.3 non ad similitudinem Dei sed ad similitudinem sui Brockman and it is very considerable the Original phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his image in his likeness the word is as it were redoubled to set the greater brand upon corrupt nature in his image nay in his likeness And to shew the necessity of our drawing corruptness from Adam holy Job expresses it by a quick and smart interrogation Job 14.4 Nay th s truth David seems to bedue with tears and deplore with sighs Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sinne did my mother conceive me In the times of the Gospel this spot is more clearly discernable and from whence we received the contagion Rom. 5.19 By God we are creatures by Adam we are sinners so that Text By one mans disobedience many were made sinners And so most remarkably 1 Cor. 15.49 And as we have borne the image of the earthly c. Nor is that gloss of Cyprian upon the place to be over-passed Imaginem terreni portavimus Cypr. peccandi propensâ—â—nem mortem imaginem caelestis portemus constantiam in sanctitate instaurationem ex morte corruptione ad vitam immortalitatem i. e. We have borne the image of the earthly Adam a propensity to sin and death let us bear the image of the heavenly a constancy in holiness and instauration from death and corruption to life and immortality I shall only adde one Scripture more Ephes 2.3 We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Now there are three things which are considerable for the dispatch of the doctrinal part of the Text. 1. To demonstrate more particularly the transmission of Adams sin to us Now Adams sin is transmitted to posterity two wayes 1. By imputation 2. By inhaesion the guilt and the stain of his sin is propagated to all his posterity Particle 1 1. The sin of Adam is derived to us by way of imputation and that upon a double demonstration may be evidenced
and off-spring we expected that the beauty of his mind the harmony of his will the holinesse of his desires the absolutenesse of his Soveragnty should have fallen to us as a Princely inheritance and therefore Adam falling it is but just that the entaile of sin and death should be fixed upon us 3. Now the third thing to be opened in the finishing of which the doctrinal part will be dispatcht is to shew that Adams sin is not propagated to us by imitation but by generation against the heretical Pelagian And this shall be briefly coucht under the evidence of a five-fold Argument Arg. 1 Arg. 1. As our Divines seasonably observe Christs righteousnesse is not only proposed to us to be imitated we should then all fall sho t in writing after the copy but those that lay hold on his righteousnesse by faith they are changed and renewed in their minds there is a physical communication of this righteousness they feele the power of his death in the crucifying of their lusts and the vertue of his resurrection in their newnesse of minde and life Rom. 6.5 Phil. 3.10 as the Apostle most pathetically So Adams sin is not only our Copy but our corruption it doth not only seduce but defile our natures not only entice but condemne our persons Adam was not only a sinful pattern but a sinful Parent the plague of his sin hath infected the humane nature not only me but man-kind Arg. 2 Arg. 2. Baptisme that is administred to little ones to our infants it cannot be thought to blot out sins of imitation for they are guilty of none then Baptisme would in vaine be administred to our infants and this raises the feud of Anabaptists against this great truth of Original sin They deny the sin of Infants that they may deny the Baptisme Now we cannot conceive that tha blessed Ordinance of Infant Baptisme should be administred for no designs and purposes and why doth the Apostle call Baptisme the Laver of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 were there no stain in Infants what need of a Laver or of washing Arg. 3. And as Ambrose observes David ait ante usuram lucis Ambrose se accipere originis injuriam David complains that he lay under the stain of original sin before he was blest with the first light of the Sun he was dog'd with native corruption when the womb bore him it bore a living but a leprous childe he was wrap't in sin before he was wrapt in swadling cloaths Arg. 3 Arg. 4. And how many offend in the world who think nothing of Adam they transgresse and look not on his Copy And what is murder so often acted in the world to the earing of an Apple What proportion is there between those two Sins Adams eating of an Apple and Cains shedding of his brothers blood How many transgressours are there in the world that ne-ever heard of his offence or that ever there was such a man in the world whom did Philosophers imitate in their sin that opinionated the world to be eternal as Aristotle and his followers Arg. 4 Arg. 5. And that Argument of a learned man is most considerable Si peccatum originis sit tantùm ab imitatione Paulus non dixisset ex Adamo fluxisse peccatum sed à Diabolo quia ipse peccandi exemplum dedit i. e. If original sin were only propagated in a way of imitation Paul would never have said that sin entred the world by Adam but by Satan for he set the first pattern of sinning And now the doctrinal part is dispatch't I shall only annex some few things for the clearer evidence of this truth Arg. 5 1. If the guilt of Adams sin be not imputed to us why do our Infants of en labour under the wracking torments of some distempers and why often is the Cradle turn'd into a Coffin why come they crying and moaning into the world why doth palenesse of face plenteousnesse of tears and a multiplicâ—ty of diseases seize upon them as the prisoners of sin Surely God cannot forget the bowels of a Father this could not befall our Infants were not the hand of justice armed with sin and guilt let us not conceive God trying practice upon poor moaning innocents 2. If Adams sin be not inherent in us why have we not free will to good why do we not naturally burn in love to Jesus Christ and flourish with all vivacity in duty why flye we not to the Sanctuary as to our Paradise but on the contrary why do we draw the Chain of a body of death after us Duty is our burden sin our Element Rom. 7.24 the world our beloved the creature our Idol How are we dragg'd to service we flye to sin but are drawn to duty And in a word how come our understandings to be prisons of darknesse our wills stages of rebellion our affections heaps of dung or drosse for naturally we love sin or the creature what was then the inoffensivenesse of infancy thus to envenome our natures how came in the evil heart of unbelief Hebrews 3.12 3. This Truth of original sin was generally held in the Church till Pelagius who liv'd in the fifth Century confirmed by divers Councels in the Primitive times Quis ante Discipulum Pelagii prodigiosum Cael estium reatu praevaricationis Adaegenus humanum negavit esse astrictum Concilio Melevitano Concilio Toletano c. and the sixth Council of Carthage This truth hath been acknowledged by Heathens Plato complained Homines naturâ suâ esse pravos induci non posse ut justitiam colant i. e. That men were naturally very evil and could not be induced to the embracement of what was righteous And Cicero lamentatus est homines à naturâ novercâ in lucem edi Cicero complains that men were brought into the world by nature their step-mother the Heathens themselves universally enjoyned a strict Discipline to curb the ranknesse and untowardnesse of nature Actus ille Adami quo ipse peccavit omnibus imputandus est censendus omnium esse proprius c. A lap Nay this truth hath been confirmed by the most learned of the Papists A lapide in his Comment on the Romans acknowledgeth that that one act of Adams in eating the forbidden fruit wherein he offended is to be imputed to all men and is to be reputed the sin of all men and from hence it comes to passe that every childe of Adam hath contracted a necessity of sinning even with his first breath Nay the very Rabbies have attested this truth and we finde it clearly though sadly witnessed by our constant and much to be bemoaned experiences and here we might suppena and summon two witnesses for the further verification of it our own aversenesse to good and our natural propensity to evil 4. Nor was this truth ever opposed but upon some designe The Pelagians opposed it to maintain the perfection and power of nature which is mans proper Idol The Papists have opposed
it to establish merit The Socinian to overthrow the satisfaction of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ And the Anabaptist to subvert the precious Ordinance of Infant Baptisme as was before hinted But that this truth may leave off its mourning as to us let us be carefull in the application and improvement of it which may be diversly Vse 1 Use 1. Let this check those who pride themselves in their noble descent that they are of a worthy family of an elder house of a noble lineage their Scutchion is blazond with more than ordinary honour these should do well to look back a little further and observe what their great Progenitour Adam left them nothing but poverty shame and guilt and this would make them wrap the silver Star in Cypres and cover their honour with mourning this would put a half Moon into their Scutchion and clip the Plumes of their boast Indeed a noble descent it may be our priviledge it must not be our pride such vain-glorious persons should sometimes think of their first Parents Adam left them nothing but a stock not of glory but of sinne to trade with Vse 2 2. Let our losse by the first Adam be an incentive to us to pursue advantage in the second Adam Musculus observes Muscul this is one of the general uses we should make of this doctrine ut gratiam Christi eò subnixiùs ambiamus i. e. That we should be the more importunate in our pursuits after the grace of Christ rags and wants bring beggars to the door we are bankrupts in the first let us look after an estate in the second Adam the first Adam hath betrayed us let us study that the second may betroth us that our forfeiture in the first may be abundantly repaired in our felicity by the second Adams fall should make us more sensible to rise by Christ Vse 3 3. Let us see what a miserable piece of Pageantry a gaudy sinner is you see happily what he hath received by his immediate parents but you do not see what he hath received from his first parent you see his rich apparel his fair complexion his full estate his great attendance his splendid pomp but ye do not see those Mountains of guilt that lie upon him those waves of corruption which rowle up and down in the dead Sea of his corrupted nature ye observe not the unhappy portion that Adam left him his immediate parents may leave him the heir of an Estate but his first Parent left him the heire of Condemnation Vse 4 4. Let this truth be the plumb-line to measure out the length the depth the breadth and heighth of the love of Christ in the work of our Redemption and of that work that Christ is pleased to work in the heart of every believer how much sin must he remove sin imputed upon the account of Adam besides the manifold accessions of his own and what blood must quench that hell of sin within Peter Mart. as Peter Martyr well observes Commendat malitia hujus peccati dignitatem satisfactionis acceptae per Christum The knowledge of original sin puts a glosse upon the satisfaction of Christ The work of Christ upon the soul receives its admirable rarity from the full knowledge of our sin by Adam Vse 5 5. Let us not triumph over our inferiour afflicted and distressed brother that Providence hath bruised with its frowns and stroaks and happily cast down in the dust Adam left him and thee an equal portion of sin and misery so that all the distinction arises not from thy dignity but from Gods pity and if God hath had more compassion for thee wilt thou have more scorn for thy brother Gods pity should not be food for thy pride Adam left thee as large an enditement as him as corrupt a nature as him as great a losse of original beauty and perfection as him and shall the opening of Gods hand to thee procure the lifting up of thy heel against him you and your despised brother were both co-heirs of original sin Adam divided that portion exactly between you Vse 6 6. Let us see the nature of sin one sin of Adam can subject the whole world to pollution and destruction As we see the scorching Sun doth not only dry up a Field but bring a drough upon the whole Land sin is of a poysonous and propagating nature if ye would view sin in its native and real deformity look on it in the glasse of Adams fall Adam falls and his whole posterity feel the bruise one man saith the Text is sufficient to bring sin into the world sin like chain-shot it can cut off many as well as one how should this raise our holy zeale against sinne and how should we arme our selves with holy resolutions against this ruinous evil sin is a ball of poyson that can destroy a world Vse 7 7. Let all Parents be cautionated by the example of our first Parent Adam he propagated dea h to his posterity Oh that Parents would study as instruments to propagate life to their posterity he propagated sin let us study to propagate holinesse to our children I mean instrumentally as moral not as natural instruments Adams fall should be every Parents Alarum Our first Parent unravel'd the happinesse of his seed let us that are Parents endeavour to build up the felicity of our issue sinful Parents that are miscarrying copies to their children and serve to poyson the creature of their own generation they are indeed the true children of Adam they are in some sense like Sampson Job 16.30 that will destroy others with themselves But let Adams example be our caution his folly our warning piece sometimes shipwracks make them that follow more cautelous and let us study to imitate the second not the first Adam this ruines his off-spring but the other saves his seed and issue The forgetfulnesse of Adam might put bowels into every Parent towards the souls of their children Now there are three ways for Parents to preserve their Families which Adam left to ruine 1. By their holy pattern Fathers are the childrens Looking-glsses for to dresse themselves by we know the old Aphorisme Ducimur Exemplis we are guided and led by Examples we more follow Copy than Command children will more minde the mothers Conversation than the Ministers instruction let us study to build up our Families by a holy life Adams sin ruin'd his issue let our holy Conversation preserve our issue and though Adam were our common Parent let him not be our authentick pattern 2. By their watchful care When Adam sinned he more minded his sense than his seed to please the one than to preserve the other Let Adams neglect of his posterity move us to a greater watchfulnesse over ours we are often very solicitous to make our children rich in gold let us be more solicitous to make them rich in grace Not so much that they may be rich in Fields as in faith let us
Parents be leprous or infected with some other disease not to be named they entail their malady as well as their nature upon their unhappy off-spring Nothing can exceed the vertue of its cause which is the ground of our Saviours assertion John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh It is very remarkable that the like phrase is not used when Scripture speaks of Adams begetting Cain or Abel though both these were begotten in Adams likenesse too because Abel being to dye without issue and all Cains progeny to be drowned by the flood it is noted the rather of Seth by whom all mankind hath hitherto been continued in the world that he from whom as well as from Adam we all came was begat in Adams own image that into which by sin he had transformed himself and not in that likenesse which was Gods in which God at first made him Nay though the Parents be regenerated yet their children by nature are altogether defiled because they beget children as they are men not as they are holy men though the Parent be circumcised the childe brings into the world an uncircumcised foreskin with it as the purest wheat that is cast into the Field comes up with husks and stalks I might adde that the holiest men upon earth are but holy in part they have a dark side as well as a light side and proles as conclusio sequitur deteriorem partem their children are like to what they were by nature and cannot without the same Almighty mercy be like what they are through grace witnesse Josiah's and Hezekiah's children but there are too many sad Evidences of this amongst us daily Arg. 2. From the Redemption of man by Christ Our second Argument for to prove our corruption by nature the Apostle furnishes us with 2 Cor. 5.14 If Christ dyed for all then were all dead And the stresse we lay upon it it will very well bear for what need all that are saved to be saved by Christ if in themselves they are not ruined Destruction is first asserted to be from our selves and then it follows but from me is your health is not Christ made to all those that shall come to heaven and happinesse wisdome 1 Cor. 1.30 righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Does not his death satisfie for their debts his Spirit sanctifie their hearts Thus none go unto the Father but by him and whosâ—ever would but see the Kingdome of God must be borne again John 3.3 This very reason St. Austin urges concerning children I shall give this Arg. de verbis Domini serm 8. and some larger passages in English that I might not overmuch entangle the thred of my discourse Whosoever sayes that infancy hath nothing from which Jesus should save us he denies Christ to be a Jesus to infants baptized in his Name for what is a Jesus Jesus is by intâ—rpretation a Saviour a Saviour is a Jesus those which he does not save be ause they have nothing that he should save them from or cure in them he is not to them a Jesus Now if your hearts can endure that Christ should not be a Jesus to such I know not whither your faith can be sound c. Thirdly Scripture Ordinances prove this corruption to be in us for else what need their institution to take it from us Third argument is taken from Ordinances Sacraments c. If there be no pollution in the foreskin why was Circumcision appointed to do it away if we have no filth what needs baptismal washing and if we may borrow light from any shadows of the Ceremonial Law why should women be so long unclean and need solemne purification after their child-birth if the fruit of their womb had been so immaculate and pure as some would make us believe 'T is true the Virgin Mary offer'd though she brought forth a holy Childe Isa 53.11 but he was by imputation sinne for we know he bare in Gods account our iniquities Saint Austin upon the bringing of Children unto Christ August serm 36. In Evangel secund Lucam observes this also Children sayes he are brought to be touched to whom are they brought to be touched but to the Physitian if they come to a Saviour they come to be cured and presently after he addes video reatum I see there is guilt in them Another passage of his I shall the willinglier quote because many that oppose this truth pretend much to reverence antiquity De verbis Apostoli serm 8. Wherefore dost thou say this childe or this person is sound and hath no disease why then dost thou runne to the Physitian with him art not afraid lest he should say unto thee Take him away that is sound The Sonne of man came not but to seek and to save that which was lost why didst thou bring him unto me if he were not lost Lib. 1. And in his tract against Julian the Pelagian the same father quotes several that were his predecessors in the maintaining of this very truth as Irenaeus Cyprian Hilary Ambrose c. but I proceed because we have heard a greater than all these God himself so abundantly attesting of it This corruption shews it self by its effects if we be so spiritually foolish Fourth argument The sad effects prove it as not to believe there is such impurity in us from any other Arguments produc'd for the proof of it experience may be our Mistresse to teach it 1. The miserable effects 1. Experiences of multitude of miseries that flow from it This is that Pandora's box which the Heathens so much talk of out of which all manner of mischiefs flow abroad in the world Why do we come into the world crying rather than laughing but as a sad Omen of the world of evils we are ever after here to meet with De Civitate Dei lib. 21. cap. 14. But if there were no sin there would be no suffering in those tender yeares And what have these sheep done When I see a childe lying bound hand and foot in its swadling clouts skreaming and crying out I cann't believe but God and nature would never have dealt so hardly with it so noble a creature especially if guilt had not procur'd these bonds and miseries nay methinks they speak its desert to be bound hand and foot for ever to be speechlesse for ever and to be cast too unlesse infinite mercy prevent where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever And all these things Scripture makes only the products of sin that only is the fruitful Parent of all evils Wherefore does a living man so much as complaine 't is for the punishment of his sinne Lam. 3.39 Death which raigned over all Rom. 5.14 is the wages of sinne Rom. 6.23 Nay of that sin too which is communicated to man-kinde by Adams fall 1 Cor. 15.21 22. By man came death death is not of Gods making but of mans of our sinnes
and living in heaven should not be as powerful to save and bring us to God as Christ dying was to reconcile us to him The third Comparison is the privative mercy or being saved from hell with the positive mercy or obtaining a title to heaven Verse 11. and not only so but we joy in God as having now received the atonement 2. For the comparison between Christ and Adam the sum of it is that Christ is more able to save than Adam to destroy and therefore justified persons need to fear nothing As Adam was a publick person and root of man-kinde so is Christ a publick person for Adam was * The figure of him that was to come Rom. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adam was a publick person but a finite person having no intrinsick value in himself and only was all us by divine institution but Christ besides the institution of God was an infinite person and therefore there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a much more upon Christ his sacred vertue exceedeth that cursed influence of Adam in many particulars amply set down in the latter end of the Chapter by the Apostle The words begin the first Comparison In them 1. The condition wherein we are by nature is set forth by two notions ungodly and without strength the one noteth we have no worth to move God to help us for we were ungodly the other that we have no power to help our selves for we were without strength we were without strength and so need help ungodly and so refused help 2. The means of our recovery Christ died for us 3. The s asonablenesse of our redemption in due time For the first notion whereby our natural estate is expressed ungodly I shall pass it by the next notion without strength will yield us this point That man faln is destitute of all power and means of rising again or helping himself out of that misery into which he hath plunged himself by sin This will appeare if you consider his condition with respect to the Law or with respect to the Gospel and those terms of grace which God offers in Christ the former more properly falls under the consideration of this place but because of the method of this exercise you expect the discussion of the latter also I shall take occasion from hence to speak of that 1. With respect to the Law that will be understood by a view of that Scripture that expresseth the tenour of the Law Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the words of this Law to do them where is considerable 1. The duty is exacts 2. The penalty it inflicts 3. The operation that both these have upon the faln creature 1. The duty it exacts an innocent nature that is presupposed for the person must continue it doth not say Now being the sentence of the Law doth not suppose man as lapsed and faln or as having already broken with God but as in a good and sound estate and then universal perpetual perfect obedience is indispenceably required he must continue in all things with all the heart and that continually if he fails in one point he is gone this is personally exacted of all men as long as they abide under Adams Covenant he that doth them shall live in them and the sould that sinnes shall dye Now if God should call us to an account for the most inoffensive day that ever we passed over what would become of us Psal 130.3 If thu shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who could * That is rectas in curia be able to make a bold defence stand better never born than to be liable to that judgement when the Law shall take the sinner by the throat and say Pay me that thou owest what shall he poor wretch do so that here we are without strength altogether unable to come up to the obedience of the Law of works Rom. 8.3 The Law can make nothing perfect because 't is become weak through our flesh to faln man it establisheth a course of punishing sin not of taking away sin we may increase the debt but we cannot lessen it if our obedience were exact for the future let us suppose it yet the paying of new debts doth not quit old scores they that could not keep themselves when intire and innocent cannot recover themselves when lost and faln 2. The penalty it inflicts Cursed is every one how cursed cursed in all that he hath Deut. 28.15 16 17 18. All his enjoyments become a snare and temporal comforts do but harden him and prepare him for a greater misery Cursed in all that he doth his prayer is turned into sin his hearing the savour of death unto death all his toyle and labour in outward service is to no purpose Prov. 21.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind At the best 't is but an abomination God will not accept an offering at his hands much more when 't is pulluted with sinful and evil aimes but this is not all he is cursed for evermore the Law bindeth him over body and soul to everlasting torments and in time he shall hear that dreadful sentence Matth. 25.41 Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels there is but the slender thread of a fraile life that hinders the execution of this sentence upon him a sinner stands upon the very brink of hell and ever and anon is ready to be cast in where he shall eternally lie under the wrath of God so that here we are without strength because we cannot satisfie the justice of God for one sin but are alwayes satisfying and can never be said to have satisfied like a poor man that pays a debt of a thousand pounds by a farthing a week 3. Consider how this works with him an exaction of duty under so severe a penalty doth either terrifie or stupifie the conscience he that escapeth the one suffereth the other or else thirdly doth irritate corruption or fourthly obtrude us upon a sottish despaire so as to give over all endeavours and hope of salvation First Sometimes it terrifieth that 's easily done the conscience of a sinner is a sore place they are all their life time subject to bondage Hebr. 2.14 There is a hidden fear in the heart of a wicked man not alwayes felt but soon awakened either by a sound conviction from the Word or some sore judgment or by the agonies of death or serious thoughts of the world to come Foelix trembled when Paul did but mention Gods judgment Acts 24.25 the Prisoner makes the Judge tremble a sinner is afraid to think of his condition if God do but a little break in upon his heart do what he can he lies under the bondage of a wounded spirit and where ever he goes like the Divels he carrieth his own hell about with him Secondly If it terrifieth not the conscience it
passion of God-man Man being every other way finite must have suffered infinitely in regard of duration even to eternity And none but Christ who was infinite in regard of the subject and dignity of his person as he was God could have so speedily and effectually delivered us from this punishment by suffering it himself whereby Gods justice was satisfied his hatred against the sinner removed and his mercy at liberty to act in the pardon of the sinner Sixthly This passion of Jesus Christ God was graciously pleased to accept for us and impute to us as if we had suffered in our persons and so he receives us into mercy And this is the substance of the Doctrine of the Gospel about mans salvation So much for the first thing the Explication of the point 2. I now come to the Assertion or Demonstration of it that you may receive this Doctrine as a Truth not built upon the traditions of men but revealed in the Word of God Now to prove this point viz. That the death of Jesus Christ is the procuring cause of mans Justification and Salvation I may use two sorts of Arguments First Some from the consideration of Christs death Secondly Some from the consideration of mans Justification and Salvation 1. From the consideration of Christs death I shall offer six Arguments 1. It s Possibility 2. Necessity 3. Nature 4. Cause 5. Vicegerency 6. Peculiarity First From the possibility Let me be bold to assert had it not been for this purpose it had not been possible for Christ to dye as it was not possible for Christ to be holden of death Acts 2.24 the price being paid and so the Prisoner of course to be released so it had not been possible because not just Id tantum possumus quod jure possumus to put him into a prison if it had not been to pay a debt And a debt of his own he had none he was a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1.19 Holy blameless undefiled separate from sinners Hebr. 7.26 He knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.21 which I the rather mention because Sâ—cinus hath the impudence to lay down this blasphemous Assertion That Christ like the Jewish High Priest did offer for himself as well as for the people You have seen he had no debt no sin of his own he professeth of himself that he did alwayes those things which pleased his Father John 8.29 and therefore he must needs dye for our debts it is plain that Adam had he continued in integrity should not have dyed death is not the effect of nature then the Saints in glory must dye again for they have the same nature but the fruit of sin death entred into the world by sin Rom. 5.12 And the Apostle proves the sin of Infants expressed by that Periphrasis such as have not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression from the death of Infants and in Adam all dyed i. e. by his sin 1 Cor. 15.22 Therefore Jesus Christ being purified from the guilt of Adams sin by his holy birth and no lesse perfect than Adam should have been could never have dyed if not for our sakes Secondly From the necessity of Christs death it was necessary for our Salvation and Justification without which end it had been in vain The Socinians mention two other reasons and ends of Christs death the one to be an example of obedience but such we have many others upon far less charge the other to be a ground of hope for the remission of sin and the fulfilling of Gods promises but properly it is not the death but resurrection of Christ which is the ground of our hope 1 Cor. 15.14 If Christ be not risen your faith is vain so that those ends are improper and insufficient And to strike it dead I urge but one place Gal. 2.21 If righteousnesse come by the Law Christ is dead in vain What can be more plain if righteousnesse be not by Christ that the death of Christ be not the procuring cause of our Justification Christ is dead in vain to no end or as Grotius and others rather understand without any meritorious cause i. e. our sins however all comes to one Thirdly From the nature of Christs death it is a Sacrifice this consists of two Branches 1. Sacrifices did expiate sin 2. Christs death is a Sacrifice and a sin-expiating Sacrifice 1. I say Sacrifices did expiate sin Levit. 1.4 He shall put his hands upon the head of the burnt-offering and it shall be accepted for him and many such places And this they did typically which strengthens the cause we have in hand as representing and fore-signifying Christ without which it was not possible for the blood of Buls and Goats to take away sins Hebr. 10.4 And the sins pardoned under the Old Testament were pardoned thorough Christ and not through any vertue of their Sacrifices Christ being a Mediatour for the Redemption of the Transgressions that were under the first Testament Hebrewes 9.15 2. And this brings in the second Head that Christs death is a Sacrifice and a sin-expiating Sacrifice if either the names or nature of it may be regarded for the names and titles proper to Sacrifices they are attributed to it and God doth not give flattering titles nor false names but such as discover the nature of things it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Oblation or offering up of himself Ephes 5.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 John 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3.25 to omit others and for the nature by vertue hereof sin is atoned he is our High Priest for this end to make reconciliation for the sins of the people Heb. 2.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being by an Enallage put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pacifie God reconcile God turn away his wrath You meet with all things in Christ which concurre to the making of a Sacrifice The Priest he is our High Priest the Sacrifice himself Christ was once offered the shedding of blood and destroying of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the essential part of a Sacrifice Add to these 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passeover is Sacrificed for us where is a double Argument 1. That Christ is expresly said to be Sacrificed 2. That he is called a Passeover which at the best seems to have been both a Sacrifice and a Sacrament Now then Christs death being a Sacrifice it appeares that it appeased Gods wrath procured his favour Fourthly From the cause of Christs death I might urge a double cause 1. The inflicting cause it was Gods displeasure Nothing more plaine than that he had a very deep sense of and sharp conflict with Gods wrath from those dreadful horrours in the Garden where his soul was exceeding sorrowful unto death not certainly at the approach of an ordinary death which many Martyrs have undergone with undaunted courage but at the apprehension of his Fathers anger and upon the Cross where he roared out that direful complaint My
account of mercy without any consideration had of justice This is the first way of pleading when guilty meer mercy for mercies sake but to be justified upon this plea is an evident contradiction Therefore secondly the only plea for a guilty person to be justified upon is to plead mercy for the sake of some satisfaction made to the justice and honour of the Law And by how much the fuller this satisfaction is by so much the fuller is the justification of such a person as is upon this plea discharged Now a full satisfaction may be made two wayes 1. By suffering the whole penalty due 2. When a valuable consideration is accepted by the offended party or Judge wherein the honour of the Law is as much saved as if it had never been broken or as if being broken the full penalty had been inflicted on the breaker And here I have these two things to prove 1. That man could never make such satisfaction to the justice of God nor any creature for him 2. That the Lord Christ hath made such full satisfaction that it stands now with the honour of the holy God to justifie sinners upon the termes of the Gospel Assertion 1 First That neither man nor any creature could satisfie offended justice 1. Not by suffering the penalty for that being infinite requires an infinite continuance under it there beiâ—g no other way for an finite creature to suffer infinitely and so the whole penalty will ever be suffering but can never be suffered for in etetnity stop where you will and there is yet as much to come as is already past nay infinitely more for that which is past is but a finite time of suffering though millions of ages are past but an eternity of suffering is yet to come and after as many more millions of ages still still an infinite eternity is future that never can be so exhausted but an eternity will still be left Secondly not by any act of service which amounts to a valuable consideration worthy to be accepted of the Judge as satisfactory to his affronted justice for two Reasons 1. Because God is more dishonoured by one sin than honoured by an eternity of obedience for God is not at all obliged to Cherubims and Seraphims for obeying him all the Creation naturally oweth its utmost possibility of service as an eternal debt to its great Creatour Now the least act of disobedience or sin being injury and Treason thereby a new obligation is contracted viz. to suffer condigne punishment the former obligation unto duty remaining eternally in as full force as ever which if we could discharge yet were we but unprofitable servants Luke 17.10 Can a man be profitable to God Job 22.2 If thou be righteous what givest thou to him or what receiveth he of thine hand Job 35.7 An eternity of service in the highest perfection is every creatures debt as a creature and besides this an eternity of suffering too is every delinquent creatures debt as delinquent But one debt cannot pay another since therefore all that the whole Creation can do for ever would but just satisfie the first natural obligation unto pure justicâ— viz. the debt of obedience it â—s quâ—te impossible that ever any creature should supererogate or spare any thing from hence towards satisfying the secondary superadded ob igation unto offend d iustice viz. the debt of punishment either in its own behalf or anothers Secondly The other reason why neither man nor any creature for him can ever satisfie the offended Creator by the highest services because they all have it from him when they do obey him of his own do they give him for in him we live and move and have our being What hast thou O man nay O Angel O Arch-angel that thou hast not received all our nay all their springs are in him without him we can do nothing The more we do for God the more he doth for us and consequently still the more we owe him So that acts of obedience are so farre from satisfying our Obligations to God as that they contract new ones for even for them are we obliged Assertion 2 Having cleared the first we come to the second point That Christ hath so fully satisfied his Fathers offended justice as it stands now with the honour of the holy God to justifie every sinner that can upon Gospel termes plead his interest in this satisfaction Here we must enquire into these three things 1. The matter of this satisfaction 2. The forme or that which makes it infinitely satisfactory and meritorious 3. What are those Gospel terms First For the matter of Christs satisfaction I humbly conceive that the whole state of his humiliation from his conception to his resurrection for at his resurrection began the second state of Christ as Mediatior viz. his exaltation to be continued to the general Resurrection and then he shall resign up the Kingdome to the Father and God shall be thenceforward all in all 1 Cor. 15.24 28. that this state I say of our Redeemers humiliation is entirely lookt upon by God as the valuable consideration wherein his justice with honour acquiesceth and rests satisfied It hath two parts First his taking the forme of a servant at his incarnation Secondly his management of and deportment in that state First his Incarnation and this presents God with a double satisfaction whereby he may with honour entertain thoughts of love to man-kind 1. In that humane nature is in Christ unstained with either original or actual sin for by his divine conception by the holy Ghost he received of his Virgin-mother a pure undeflowred Virgin humane nature the second Adam revives the inâ—ocency of the first those eyes could without disparagement behold his manhood which are purer than to behold iniquity and even in their sight though no other flesh living could yet this flesh must be justified 2. In that humane nature is in him dignified with union to the divine and is become the seat and mansion of the Godhead so that how loathsome soever sin hath rendred it in us yet in him it is highly exalted even as highly as the Divine Nature in him was abased for the Humane Nature ascends just in the same proportion as the Divine descended that is to the utmost possibility for God could stoop no lower than to become a man nor man rise higher than to be personally one with God Thus you see Christs entering into his state of Humiliation hath rendred the nature of man very considerable againe in the sight of God so that he can now with honour exercise good will towards it Secondly His management of this state consists in his active and passive righteousnesse By his active Righteousnesse I mean his obedience to the whole Law to the Ceremonial in being circumcised baptized keeping the three yearly feasts c. To the moral in not committing one sin or neglecting one commanded duty even to subjection to his Parents and paying Tribute to
receive him cordially verse 12. and were more graciously entertained by him ib. and this was his active entertainment he dignifying all who received him with the priviledge of Adoption ver 12. Quest 2. How came it to passe that some received Christ when the generality rejected him Answ Not from their own free will or good nature but from the especial grace of God regenerating them whereby they were made able and willing to close with Christ whom others as likely or more likely than they being devoyd of grace rejected And thus I have brought you to the Text as it stands in its relative consideration In the words absolutely considered you have a singular commendation or Encomium of Faith 1. From its nature a receiving of Christ 2. From its root Regeneration or being bâ—rne of God 3. From its consequent or sâ—uit Adoption he gave them power to be the Sons of God Passing sundry useful points I shall pitch only upon that which comprehends the marrow and substance of both Verses Doctr. Every true Believer is a childe of God by Regeneration and Adoption They were born of God and so were Sons by Regeneration they had a great priviledge given them and so were made Sons by Adoption In handling this excellent Doctrine my work shall be Explication Confirmation Application The Explication shall be first general secondly particular That respects the doctrine of Filiation or Sonship in general this the doctrine of Regeneration and Adoption in particular they being distinct kinds of Filiation For the first in general General Explication A fourfold Sonship a Person may be a Son foure wayes 1. By Creation and thus 1. The Angels Job 38.7 2. Adam Luke 3.38 3. Christ according to his Humane Nature was the Son of God Luke 1.35 Not that Christs Humane Nature was a Son or a Person lest we make two Sons or two Persons in one Christ And thus believers are Gods Children by virtue of their new and spiritual Creation 2. By Generation and this is 1. Eternal or temporary eternal as in Christ John 1. ver 1 14 18. compare Isa 53.8 Temporary as in other men 2. Natural or spiritual natural as in the Son of God and the sons of men though with infinite disproportion spiritual as in Regeneration James 1.18 3. By contract of Marriage Or as some think the legal Son of Jacob the natural Son of Heli. and thus Joseph was the Legal son of Heli Luke 3.23 but the natural son of Jacob Mat. 1.16 And thus we are Children of God by marriage with Christ his Natural Sonne as Leah and Rachel were both daughters of Isaac by marriage with Jacob See 2 Cor. 11.2 4. By Adoption which is 1. External and federal Exod. 4.22 Rom. 9.4 by virtue of external profession and Church-member-ship Gen. 6.1 compare Job 1.6 By Sons of God in this last place may be understood either Professors or the Angels This Sonship may be lost as is evident by the Jews who are now cut off Rom. 9.7 8. 11. ver 15 19 20 23 31. yet so high is this priviledge that in comparison of such Adopted Children Persons without the Pale are called Dogs Matthew 15.26 2. Adoption is internal and real which leads me to the particular Explication Only before I proceed let me subjoyne a word of general Application in two Heads General Application 1. What comfort doth this speak to every Believer who bears so many indearing relations to God in point of filiation and otherwayes Relations we say are minimae entitatis but maximae efficaciae and if one endearing relation draw so much love what wi l all do especially considering God and Christ will be sure to fill every relation with love and grace the Church and by proportion every true believer is Christs childe and mother his brother and sister his Spouse body and member Cant. 5.1 Matth. 12.50 1 Cor. 12.27 Yea his Childe not one way but every way by Creation Regeneration Marriage Adoption external and internal how much love may such expect from Christ in every kinde No wonder Gods people are such gainers by their losses and sufferings for Christ who is an hundred fold better to them in this life than all the relative comforts they part with for his sake Matthew 19.29 2. How doth this by proportion oblige us in point of reciprocal duty who stand in all relations of subjection to God and Christ as owing to him all the duty of a Creature Servant Chiâ—de Subject Friend Wife c. and particularly the duty of foure filial relations as chiâ—dren by Creation Marriage Regeneratâ—on and Adoption both external and internal Particular Explication I shall now proceed to the particular Explication and open 1. The doctrine of Adoption according to the order of the Text. 2. The doctrine of Regeneration and remember we are now speaking of internal and real Adoption Quest 1. What is this Adoption Answ It 's considerable 1. For its name or notion 2. For the thing it self For the first It s name The word Adoption is used but five times in the New Testament Rom. 8.15 23. 9 4. Gal. 4.5 Ephes 1.5 In the Original its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifies the putting or placing one for a Son It 's applyed to other things besides man thus we are said to Adopt a name when we take a new name to Adopt a Plant when we give it a name as Lysimachus did to the herb Lysimachia and Artemisia to the herb Artemisia and thus one branch is said to adopt another by inoculation according to the Poet Venerit insitio fac ramum ramus adoptet which Metaphor as it is very elegant so it serves to illustrate the Nature of Adoption Compare Rom. 11.24 For the thing It s nature Adoption is the acceptance of a stranger into the Relation and Priviledges of a Son It was much in use among the Romans and was ratified by the Law of the chief Magistrate and the approbation of their Pontifices or chief Priests wherein great respect was had to the ho inesse and dignity of persons whence a Patrician might not adopt a Plebeian c. lest the dignity of the Adopter should be stain'd by the meanness of the Adopted There was also great care used to prevent all fraud on the part of the Adopter or the Adopted Thus our Adoption is ratified by the Law and gracious sentence of God the Father and by the Approbation of God the Son our High Priest without any fraud on Gods part or any reflection on the dignity of God and the holiâ—esse of Christ though in this gracious act those two most glorious persons stoop infinitely below themselves Thus Moses was the adopted son of Pharaohs daughter Exod. 2.10 and Esther was the adopted childe of her cousin Mordecai Eâ— her 2.7 both which illustrate Gods singular grace to us who are before Adoption Captives slaves and lost creatures
conscience are constrained to repent of their miscarriage like Shimei his repentance for cursing David occasioned only by the change of Davids condition 2 Sam. 19.20 1 King 2.39 40. and crosse of his own expectation which yet at length leads him to sin against his soul and break his bounds unto his own ruine and like Judas in a dogged humour deploring his sin unto self-destruction many men turn out of sin because it turns Wife and children out of doors deprives them of expected preferment disposeth them into distresse and anguish of soul or body or both these men have no natural enmity to sinne but are like a Bowle turned out of its Biasse by some more than ordinary rub to their desires Give me leave to adde one more and that is the Quakers Repentance 7. False Repentance not fit to be mentioned nor worthy the least refutation it is so notoriously prophane and ridiculous were it not too much successeful in these sad times in which God hath given us up to a spirit of delusion so as that the most palpable of errours finde entertainment this is the Repentance whereby men following the pretended light within them are suddenly converted from extreame loosenesse to extreame strictnesse of behaviour it is to be wondred at to see what a sudden leap the lewdest men make by this rude spirit from the most horrid lewdnesse to the most strange solitary and self-affected way of behaviour these men we must not deny to be changed unlesse we will deny our senses nor own to be Gospel-penitents unlesse we deny our Religion and very reason for themselves professe it to be from no other principle than the light within thâ—m which they say also is common to all men and so is at the best but natural though in them plainly visible to be diaboli al whilst it carrieth not so far as the light of nature but is contrary to the dictates thereof in natural and civil society darkening nay declaiming against those very notes of distinction which God and nature hath in all Nations made between man and man being violent sudden and precipitate by some absession or enthusiastique impulse as from the Devil not by any moral swasion or intellectual conviction which is proper to a reasonable soule and therefore acts wilfully with rage and rabid expressions not able and so refusing to render a reason of their actions or perswasions but with obduracy persisting in their own self-affected profession without the least possibility of conviction or capacity of discourse reducing them into a direct Bedlam temper fit for nothing but Bedlam Discipline so that in the very forme thereof men of reason and the least measure of Religion must needs conclude their conversion Devilish not Divine yet in the effect of it their repentance must needs appear not to be true Gospel and saving repentance as being dissonant to the nature in the very formality thereof for however it turns them from sin yet not with due contrition and confession or on due conviction not from sin as sin they retain pride railing disrespect to men are void of natural affection despise dominion speak evil of dignities whilst they damne drunkennesse swearing and other the like abominations but it never turnes them unto God nay it keeps them at an equal nay a greater distance from God than from the Devil from heaven than hell whilst they deny civility and the common reverence children owe to Parents Servants to Masters and all Inferiours to Superiours decline God disown and declaime against holinesse praying hearing Sabbath and Sacraments are to them as the vices they do detest Gospel-Ministers and Ministrations are to them an abomination whilst they refuse to sweare they refuse to pray drunkennesse and devotion are equal in their account if with Jehu they drive furiously against Baal and Ahab yet they mind not to walk with God but follow the way of Jeroboam both for Rebellion towards men and confusion in the Church so that they appeare farre from Gospel-penitents I have done with the first general part considerable viz. the nature of repentance and shall now proceed to the second and that is The NECESSITY of Repentance Repentance in the very nature of it which hath been explained doth appeare useful and necessary It is not a thing base and vile to be despised neglected and contemned but admirably excellent and to be prized and pursued by every soul that is studious of true excellency for however proud men prophanely deem and damne it as a puling property and pusillanimous temper of spirit below a man on every ordinary action to sit drooping and pensive and not dare to do as nature dictates and good company requires yet the children of wisdome well pondering what hath already been spoken of it cannot but see it sparkle with such splendid notes as engage them to esteem it and employ themselves in it night and day making it their work and businesse saying as Tertullian Nulli rei natus nisi poenitentiae I am born for nothing but to repentance For from what hath already been spoken it is apparantly excellent in its First Nature being a remorse for guilt and return from sin which who even among the Heathen did not esteem remorse for guilt is the rejoycing of heaven returns are the delights of God in Luke 15.7 10. rhe teares of sinners is the wine of Angels saith Bernard Secondly Authour and Original a grace supernatural grows not in natures Garden cannot be acquired by the most accurate industry or endowments of nature it is from heaven by the immediate operation of the holy Spirit Christ himself is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance Shall divine works celestial influences lose their esteem Thirdly Ground and principle â—t flowes from faith and is the result of hope it is not the lamentation of despaire but complaint of candor and confidence affording comfort streami g with pleasure from the soule the priviledge of the Gospel and Covenant of grace it flowes from the fountaine of Divine favour 4. Concomitants Confession and Supplication accesse to God with assurance of acceptance Confession is the souls physick saith Nazianzen and Supplication is the Childs portion And indeed what is there in the Nature of Repentance which rendreth it not desirable by every gracious heart or good nature so that to men that seek excellent endowments and are for high and honourable atchievements I must say Repent Repenâ— This is Alexanders honour this is the only ornament of nature the way to highest preferment is to be humbled under the hand of God But not only is it in it self excellent and to be esteemed by such as can and do obtain it but also necessary not of indifferency but of absolute and indispensable necessity men may not choose whether or no they will repent but must do it with all care and diligence with all speed and alacrity and amongst the many Demonstrations which might be urged I
glory of God be it spoken since this Exercise was first set up such a moneth hath not been known in this City A word of Exhortation What now remaineth men and brethren but that the Ministers of the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Hieros praef Cat. Nostrum est dicere vestrum vero agere Dei autem perficere Gospel having done their work in holding out unto you a Form or Model of sound words you stir up your selves in the strength of Jesus Christ to do yours and what is that but that which is commended here to Timothy That you hold fast the form of sound words which you have received of them They have held it forth it concerns you to hold it fast First see therefore that you hold it fast in your understandings My brethren in this Moneths Exercise you have had many of the chief Heads and Points of the Christian Faith unvailed to you * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem ut supra Non existimes institutiones istas homiliis esse similes c. Sed haec quae per ordinem tradimus documenta c. not only as so many single truths and several precious Jewels to lie by you but that to which possibly most of you have been strangers hitherto as far as the design could well suffer Methodized as it were into a Chaine of Pearls to weare about necks truths fitly joyned together and compacted into a body by that which every joynt supplyeth Now your duty is to wear this Chain or Bracelet carefully that it may not be broken Your labour must be to imprint this Method of truth in your mindes and judgements by vertue whereof you may be able to know them in their Series and Connexion and when you hear any of these Points handled in Sermons you may be able to know one truth from another where they are to be fixed in the Orb of Divinity and so to refer them to their own proper place and station which will prove to be a greater advantage to your proficiency in the knowledge of Christ then you can easily believe It is observable Rom. 8.28 when the Holy Ghost having hinted effectual calling as the ground of that blessed truth that all things work for good to those that love God yet he mentions it again in the very next verse and why but to shew us what place it obtains in the golden chain of salvation how it takes its room between Predestination and Justification Whom he did predestinate them also he CALLED and whom he CALLED them he justified of so great moment it is not onely to know Gospel-truths but how to posture them in their proper rank and file where every truth is to stand This advantage in a great measure you have had by this Moneths Exercise see that you improve it to the clearing of your understandings in the Method of Gospel Doctrines Secondly Hold them fast in yor Memory Truely the Order of this Moneths Exercise if you be not wanting to your selves will not contribute lesse strength to your memories than light to your understandings The truths themselves have been a Treasure given you by your heavenly Father and the Method will serve you for a sack or purse to keep them in and truely it would be a labour neither unprofitable nor uncomely to take so much paines your selves and to teach your Families to do so too scil to Conne this Model without book and the Lord teach you to get them by heart You may once a week or so revolve them thus in your minds I. There is a God II. The Scriptures are the Word of God III. In the God-head there be three Persons or Subsistencies Father Son and Holy Ghost God blessed for ever IV. God Created man in a perfect but in a mutable estate V. The Covenant of works God made with man in his innocency VI. Original sin in the first spring of it in Adams first transgression VII Original corruption derived from thence into mans nature VIII Mans liablenesse to the curse or the misery of mans state by nature IX Mans impotency to help himself out of this estate X. The Covenant of Redemption or the transaction between God and Christ from all Eternity about mans salvation XI The Covenant of Grace revealed in the Gospel XII Christ the only Mediatour between God and man considered in his Person Natures and Offices XIII Christs state of Humiliation XIV Christs state of Exaltation XV. Christs satisfaction to Divine Justice XVI Effectual calling XVII Vnion with â—hrist XVIII Justification by Christs Righteousnesse XIX Son-ship to God consisting in Adopition Regeneration XX. Saving Faith XXI Repentance XXII Holinesse XXIII The Resurrection XXIV The last Judgement XXV Hell XXVI Heaven Christians this and other such like Catalogues or Formes of the Articles of Christian Faith imprinted upon your memories will be of great benefit and service to you Do ye serve your memories and your memories will serve you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Hieros praef Catechis labour to get them so imprinted upon your memories that they may never be blotted out Thirdly Hold fast yea hold forth these precious Truths delivered to you in your lives and conversations Christians let it be your care and behold it shall be your * Deut. 4.6 wisdom in the eyes of all the beholders to live this morning Exercise the glory whereof hath filled this Assemblie for a moneth together To engage and quicken you herein let me mind you of one rare advantage this Model carrieth with it above most of the acute and learned Treatises of Schoolmen or solid Tractates of Catechetical Divines who have taken great paines in opening and stating the Principles of Christian Religion The Reverend Divines who have travelled in this service of your Faith have in their several Sermons with singular skill and piety brought down Principles unto practice and improved all their Doctrines to Vse and Application wherein they have shewed themselves Workmen that need not be ashamed wise Builders that know how to handle the Trowel as well as the Sword and that made it their design to build up their hearers in holinesse as well as in knowledge The School and the Pulpit met together the Doctor and the Pastor have kissed each other Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. They have not discust the Doctrines of Faith in a jejune frigid speculative way only but what they cleared to the judgment they wrought it home upon the heart and affections with such warmth and sweetnesse as that the hearers seem'd for the present to be carried into the mountain of transfiguration where they cryed out with Peter It is good for us to be here So that although their Sermons were very large yet the greatest part of their Auditories thought they had done too soon and went away praising God that had given such gifts unto men Oh let it be your care dearly Beloved that as this Model hath been
in dignity offices and dominion the priviledge of Adoption 441. Love of God Father and Son manifest in the Covenant of Redemption 227. Love of Christ in his death 293. and union with Sinners 386. Love to God the evidence of Faith concerning his being 55 56 59. Losse of all good the paine of Hell Natural 625 626. Spiritual 625 626. Eternal 625 626. M Mans composure of body and powers of soul prove that there is a God 41. Man comprehends the whole species of such a creature 106. Man made mutable though holy and why 113. Man is depraved 〈◊〉 sinful 111. Mans misery by sin 173 174 175 p. 176. Man not Angels subjects of Faith 455. Mediator needful 263 264 265. Mediator of the Covenant of Grace who 241 261. Mediator one named man and why named Christ Jesus and why ib. Mediator is Christ and none but Christ 265 266 c. Mediator comfortable in all conditions giving man confidence of accesse to God 254 255. Misery inevitable to such as despise the Mediator ib. Merit of Christ the ground of Adoption and Regeneration 447. Method in Sermons necessary and profitable 22. Means of Repentance 546. Ministry needful unto Faith 483. Ministers must be burning and shining lights 1 2. Ministers must suffer affliction ib. Mixture of grace and sin is in the best men 167. Mutability the meer cause of mans sin 112. Mutability of mans created estate was just and necessary 113. Mutability attended mans Happinesse as well as Holinesse p. 114. Mutability and its sequel must lead us to God for confirmation 119. N Name of Christ part of his Exaltation 315 what it is 316. how it is above every Name 317 318 319 320. how Christs Name was given by God 320 321. Nature by three Arguments proveth that there is a God 30 31. Natural Agents by their operation proveth a God 42. Natural conscience proveth a God 43. Nature stained with Adams sin 151. Nature without Divine revelation discovereth not a Trinity nor yet opposeth it when revealed 77 78 79 80 81. Nature of God well studied a special help to repentance 547. New Covenant better than the old 243. Nobility no cause of boasting 145. Notes of repentance 539 540. O Object External could not necessitate man to sin p. 112. Object of New better than of the Old Covenant 251. Obedience in Subjection to Commands Submission to Providence The duty of such who believe God is 63 64. Offence at preaching Gods anger against sin is groundless 192 193. Offices of Christ fit him to be the only Mediator 271 272. Offices of Christ communicated to the Saints 441. Old Covenant abrogated 252. Opposition of Christ consistent with subjection to Christ how 327 328. Sin Originale originans discussed 135 c. Originale originatum discussed 150 151 c. Original sin is a defection 112. Original how said of mans pravity 155 156. Original sin is hard to be understood 134. Original sin confirmed by counsel 144. Acknowledged by Heathens ib. Original sin is called man and old man in what sense p. 157 158 159 160 161 162. a body and a body of sin 162 163 164. Original sin hath polluted mans nature 151 152 153. Original sin is to be subdued 170. Original sin to be conf ssed and bewailed 165. Original sin imbitters all worldly comforts 171. Ordinances argue original sin in mans nature 153. Ordinances means of union with Christ 383. P Pain in Christ his death 285 286. Pardon of sin freely given how 425 426. Parents beget their children in their own image 151. Parents good yet children by nature evil 152. Parents care for posterity quickned by the miscarriage of the first Parent of us all 147. Parents childrens looking glasses by which they dresse their lives ib. Penitent must be humbled and why 498 499 450. Peace a duty and blessing to be pursued 556. Peace an effect of Faith 47. Pelagius the first opposer of original sin p. 144. Person in the Godhead what it is 69. Persons in the Godhead three 70. Plurality of persons in the Godhead proved 71 72 73. Persons in the Godhead distinguished not divided 75. their order declared 76. Person promises properties and providences of Christ all belong to believers 393 394. Persecution of Saints a crimson sin 386. Perseverance of Saints certain 387. Pleading at Gods bar necessary to justification 404. Plea of not guilty can never procure justification at Gods bar 405. Popish Repentance false 515. Pravity and inbred corruption what it is 155. the parts of it 156. Pravity and a naughty nature is in every man 150. Pravity of the nature of man evidenced by Scripture 151 152 153. Salvation of Christ 151 152 153. Sacraments 151 152 153. Sad effects 151 152 153. Prayer an help to repentance 552. Prayer answered an effect of Faith 469. Prayer its extent and encouragement p. 262. Preparations of heaven how from the foundation of the world 660 661. Preparation to last Judgement characterised 617 618. Priestly office of Christ and its parts 272 273. Price of the soul of Christ his death 298. Price paid for man was not idem but tantundem 425. Principle and cause two distinct things 69. Principles good and bad two distinct blasphemous to assert 112. Promises were made to Christ on the account of his satisfaction for mans sin 209 300. Promises of Justification Sanctification Resurrection Eternal life The Promises of the better Covenant 240 241. Promises of temporal mercy better under the New than under the Old Covenant 248. Protestant doctrine of the imputation of Christs righteousness defended 387. Profane repentance what it is p. 516. Prosperity of profane no plea against Deity 50 51. Q Quakers repentance vile false and wicked 518 519. R Reason and sensation evince the Divine authority of the Scriptures 90. Revelation from God admitted by all and reason it should 88 89. Revelation not to be received untill cleared to be of God ibid. Rectitude is conformity to a Rule 107. Rectitude of Adam by Creation was of the whole man understanding will and sensitive appetite 109. Rectitude natural and not natural to man how 111. Regeneration explained 442. it s Synonimas 443. it is defined ib. Regeneration compared with natural generation 443 444. they agree in cause subject and manner of production ib. 445. disagree in properties 446. Religion making known Christs satisfaction most excellent 350. Relations of men subject to Gods wrath p. 187. Relation to God reason of comfort and duty 436. Repentance not to be repented explained 485. In its Nature 487. Necessity 520. Notes 539. Next way to it 546. Repentance defined 487. Repentance is a recession from sin and return to God 502 503 504 505. Return to God the second part of Conversion 506 507 508. Repentance seven false kinds 515 516 517 518. Repentance contemned when 334 335 336. Repentance neglected when and with what issue 537 538. Resurrection possible and credible 579 582 583 584 585. what it means ib. who to be