comfort it for the loss of that famous Man Your Learned Predecessor which that You may long adorn with those Virtues and Excellencies which shine in Your Lordship shall always be zealously wish'd for by My LORD Your Lordships Most Humble Most Obliged and Most Obedient Servant JA. BUERDSELL THE CONTENTS DISCOURSE I. Concerning our Saviour's Divinity On 1 Joh. ver 1. The Word was God pag. 1 DISC. II. Concerning our Saviour's Satisfaction On 1 Epist Joh. Chap. 2. V. 2. And he is the Propitiation for our sins p. 25 DISC. III. Concerning Miracles On Heb. 2. 4. God also bearing them witness both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles p. 57 DISC. IV. Shewing that the Moral Law of Moses is the same with that of Christ against the Racovian Catechism and others On Luk. 10. 25. A certain Lawyer stood up and tempted him saying Master What shall I do to inherit eternal life He said unto him What is written in the Law How readest thou p. 83 DISC. V. Proving that the Celestial Law is the same with the Moral or that the Moral Law is a Rule for the Angels and Saints to act by in Heaven being a Sequel of the former Discourse On Mat. 6. 10. In Earth as it is in Heaven p. 110 DISC. VI. Concerning the Qualisications of Prayer or A Method to Pray in the Spirit against the Enthusiasts On Ephes 6. 18. Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit p. 137 ESSAY I. Vpon Melchizedec or A Parallel between the Priesthood of Christ and Melchizedec p. 169 ESSAY II. Vpon the General Resurrection p. 185 ESSAY III. Against Scepticism in Matters of Religion p. 205 ERRATA PAg. 11. in the Margin join Tom. 1. p. 656 with Praesat ad Respons F. David p. 17. in the Margin join Edit Sylburg with Apolog. 2. p. 76. p. 51. l. 3. for eexcute read execute p. 86. l. 14 15. instead of the purport of the Lawyer 's Question a preparation to which Answer is made c. read the purpoâ—â— of the Lawyer 's Question and our Saviour's Answer a preparation to which Answer is made c. p. 92. in the margin for Mor. Nov. read Mor. Nev. p. 156 l. 21. for on read in p. 167. l. 22. dele Yet A DISCOURSE Concerning Our Saviour's DIVINITY 1 JOH ver 1. The Word was God WHERE Christ is not styl'd the Word purely in a Figuratiue Sence as the Door the Way Valentia Smalcius Paraphr in 1. cap. Job p. 107. because he discover'd to us the Will of God as Men by Words reveal their Sentiments one to another For at this rate the Prophets or Apostles or any Person who was ever furnish'd with God's Authority to make known his Will might be term'd the Word of God But since this glorious Character is not given to any but to our Saviour it seems to follow That it must be given to him in such an extraordinary manner as could not sute with any one besides must imply Christ Incarnate God made Man sutable to Plato in Philebo p. 30. c. the manner of speaking us'd by Plato and others who make the Divine Word to be the Former and Contriver of the World Tho's as to their making it a Person distinct by peculiar acts from the Nature and Mind of God seems only a new Fancy started by Modern Divines particularly by two excellent Persons of A. Bp. Tillotson p. 590. our own Nation the one the strongest as well as justest Reasoner the other the Dr. Scott Vol. 2. p. 51. Christ Life and in his Notes at the end most delicate Thinker which perhaps it ever produc'd For Plato makes the Wisdom Power and other Attributes of God to be as much personally distinguish'd as the Nature or Fountain of the Deity the divine Word and the divine Mind and from his Writings we may as well conclude That all the divine Attributes of which he had any Idea were personally distinguish'd as the three before mention'd This Divine Word or Christ Incarnate is by St. John call'd God not as Smalcius imagins because Eomil 1. in Joh. 1. 1. p. 12 13. all things which appear'd in his Prophetick Function were full of Divinity and far surpassing what was discoverable in the former Prophets For every Prophet who at any time produc'd the divine Credentials came into the World after an extraordinary singular and miraculous manner a divine Lustre spread it self through all their Actions and whether we regard the Will of God which they reveal'd or the Power of the Almighty by which they supported their Doctrin there was something Heavenly in both And according to this Standard of Divinity they too might put in their pretensions to it in some measure as well as our Saviour Nor is the Divine Word styl'd God because he was born after a Divine Val. Smalcius ibid. manner above the Laws of Nature of a spotless Virgin For then S. John Baptist who was born after as wonderful a manner in some sence as our Saviour might be said to be God For the Nativities of both being miraculous and Miracles as springing from an equal Power being equal it cannot be lookt on as a greater Miracle that Mary should Conceive than Elizabeth Nor is he God because he was Smalc Ibid. taught by God after a divine way For since God cannot be taught since infinite Knowledge can admit of no enlargement there can never from any communication of this kind between God and something else result a likeness to much less an equality with God Nor lastly is he God because He was endued with Divine Smalc Ibid. Innocence For from whence does this Innocence arise but from an uniform Obedience to the Will of God But now if to obey God makes the Person obeying capable of being call'd God the holy Angels who always preserv'd the most exact conformity to the divine Will may as justly challenge the divine Attributes as our Saviour So that by God is meant God by Nature and Substance God who had a Subsistence and that Subsistence from his Father of whom he was together from all Eternity and was Himself Eternal God So that the sence of the words will be that the Word the divine Word which assum'd Flesh is God not by Office or any other foreign denomination but by Nature Essence and Substance In order to prove which I shall First Shew that the Nature and Essence of Christ is truly Divine Secondly I shall reflect on the ill Consequences of any Assertion different from this The Nature and Essence of Christ is truly Divine 1 st Because he is justly honour'd with Divine Worship and 2 ly Because of his Co-partnership with God the Father in those actions which could only be perform'd by his substantial union with the Divine Nature First The Nature of Christ is truly Divine because he is justly honour'd with Divine Worship For if nothing can be honour'd with Divine Worship but God himself
and if Christ is honour'd with such a Worship it follows that Christ must be truly God But nothing can be worship'd with Divine Worship but God himself For every act which signifies an Honour peculiar to God signifies also an Excellence which belongs to none but him and to ascribe Divine Honour to any Object is at the same time to attribute Divine Perfections to it The Command of worshiping the Lord our God and of serving him only was not a Temporary Command which as some pretend Volkel de ver Rel. l. 5. 6. 29. oblig'd purely under the Old Testament but is a standing Rule for Divine Worship under the Gospel as well as under the Law For our Saviour did not abrogate any Branch of the Law but what was meerly Typical But how could a Precept for Divine Worship be a Type What could it represent or figure out in the Evangelical Occonomy But 't is farther reply'd That in worshiping Christ we worship the Father by whom he was endued with such a Power and that this is the difference between the Worship of God and of Christ That the Worship of the former is circumscrib'd and bounded within Himself whereas that of the batter is only relative or as others term it God is worship'd as Jo. Lud. Wolzogen on Matth 4. 10. p. 189. the supreme cause of All things as the first Author of our Salvation but Christ only as the Means which God had appoinied to bring about that miraculous Work But this way of reasoning does not only conclude for the worshiping of Christ but of any other extraordinary Instrument of Man's Salvation The Apostles themselves on this account might have been ador'd as well as their Divine Lord and Master And St. Peter was not justly acquainted with the Privileges annex'd to his Apostleship when he reprimanded the devout Centurion for falling down at his feet and worshiping him The chief Objection which can be form'd against this Argument is That Angels have had Divine Smalc Hom. 1. in 1 Job Worship paid them by the Patriarchs and therefore Divine Worship may be given to others besides God To this the Orthodox Junius Piscator and others reply and even the Socinians themselves grant that these Angels were God or the Messias himself That he on some great design assum'd an Angelick Form as he did afterwards for Man's Salvation an Human Nature and therefore the paying of Divine Worship to Him was no alienation of it from God But upon a due enquiry it will appear that this is more than the Orthodox ought to have said or than the Socinians had reason to have allow'd For these Celestial Beings mention'd in Scripture if ever yet certainly were not always the Messias but sometimes at least as they are expresl Angels For as the Messias never took on him the Nature of Angels so neither did he in all these places of Seripture their Appearance For the Apostle St. Paul with a great deal of Elegance and equal Passion recommending the Virtue of Hospitality in allusion to these Texts of Scripture says That some of the Patriarchs in practising it had entertained Angels unawares But would not his Reason have had much more force as well as beauty if they had entertain'd God or the Messias himself unawares What cause had he to dissemble the dignity-of the Person who vouchsafed to visit these hospitable Roofs and do an injury if not to the Truth at least to his Subject But to return Why should this Veneration which was paid to the Angels be any thing more than a Civil Honour and Deference exprest indeed after an extraordinary manner on account of the greatness of the Persons and the glorious import of their Message So that from hence cannot be deduc'd any Worship due to Angels nor have we hence any reason to conclude that any thing is to be worship'd besides God alone As it is thus plain that God only is to be worship'd so is it equally so that Christ may be honour'd with Divine Worship For it is made part of the terms of Salvation to worship him â—â— for Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Where Lord can only be apply'd to our Saviour Jesus and not to God the Father since it agrees only to Him who in the former part of the Discourse was by the Apostle styl'd a stumbling stone and a rook of offence which cannot fute with God the Father who was own'd by all Nations without the least scruple And it is farther to be observ'd that these words are cited from the Prophet Joel where the word Lord is Jehovab God by Nature Being and Essence not a Creature invested with Divinity according to the new fancy of our Adversaries Secondly St. Paul ushers in most of his Epistles with this Prayer full of Charity Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christs combineing Jesus with God the Father which had been the highest injury to the former had the latter only been a Creature how exalted soever his Rank might have been to have jointly petition'd him to have given Grace and Peace to the Saints And tho' to this it is return'd That St. John in the Revelation might by the same reason be said to pray to the seven Spirits which were before the Throne of God and so have equal'd them with God Yet this objection will rather support our Reasons when we consider that by the seven Spirits are to be understood the Holy Ghost and its seven-fold Gifts as they are brancht out by the Prophet Isaiah into The Spirit of Wisdom and Vnderstanding the Spirit of Counsel and Might the Spirit of Knowledge of Piety and of Fear of the Lord. For otherwise why should St. John place any other Spirits between God and Christ Why should he omit the Holy Ghost the Giver of Grace and address himself to Angels who are but Ministring Spirits So that this instead of overthrowing what was before laid down will be a new Instance of joyning nothing with God but what is God Farther St. Stephen a Man full of Faith and the Holy Ghost recommends his departing Soul to our Saviour as equal to the Father of Spirits with this solemn Invocation Lord Jesus receive my Spirit And tho' to this it is reply'd That this act of St. Stephen ' s can be no Precedent to us because he saw the Heavens open'd and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God yet why should the sight or concealment of the object of our Adoration make it more or less adorable God tho' He is a God who hides himself who tho' He inhabits Regions of Eternal Light is invisible to our Eyes of Flesh yet is He still to be worship'd with the most humble Devotion And as long as we are convinc'd by Faith that Christ is ready to succour us in our Necessities and give us what we ask we have reason enough to Pray to Him tho'
Doom at last and was to be the common Event of all both of those who sacrificed and those who sacrificed not It being therefore thus reasonable That God should release Man's Punishment it is as reasonable That he should lay this Punishment on Christ For either the Punishment must be laid on Christ or on some other or be remitted without any Satisfaction But without Satisfaction whatsoever the Deist may fancy the Penalty could not be sutably remov'd for that God should pardon Sin without receiving any Satisfaction is first against his Nature and Being for He is of purer Eyes than to behold Evil and cannot look on Iniquity Against his Justice because as a just and righteous Governour of the World he may not suffer his Laws to be affronted without vindicating their Honour Against his Truth since in his first Covenant with Man he has inseparably combin'd Sin and Punishment In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Nor could the Punishment be laid on any other but Christ because none except one of the Persons of the ever-blessed Trinity could suffer Punishment sufficient to clear the Guilty For it was infinite Majesty which was injur'd and it must be satisfy'd by Majesty as infinite But it was not reasonable that the Father who i 〈…〉 the Oeconomy and Order of the Trinity is superiour to the Son and Holy Ghost should by this Humiliation be debas'd below them both It was not meet that the Holy Ghost should propitiate because he was to be sent by the Mediator in order to the applying of the Salvation which he should purchase So that whatsoever imaginary Models the School-men may raise of other Methods by which God might save the World yet there is none which agrees with Reason in all Points but the Propitiation which Christ wrought through his Sufferings The summ of all is That Christ is become our Propitiation not by Dying to bear witness to any saving or sanctifying Doctrin not by gaining a Right by his Death to forgive Sin not by giving us an Example by which we may have our Sins pardon'd not by any Encouragement his Death might yield us to an holy Life not by any of these single nor by all united but by Dying for our Sins and paying a Price tantamount to our Transgressions By clearing the Mulct which the breach of the Divine Law had contracted by an Act which at once secures Honour to the Law and Impunity to the Offenders Which Substitution of our Saviour to suffer for our Sins was shewn to be Just and Reasonable Just as having nothing in it which disagrees either with other methods of Divine Justice or with Human Proceedings Reasonable as being the only means by which God might shew his high value of his own Commands and yet his compassion for his Creatures and by one well-mixt Action display at the same time both his Justice and his Mercy A DISCOURSE Concerning MIRACLES HEB. Chap. II. ver 4. God also bearing them witness both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles THE Apostle in the entrance of this Chapter informs us That Christ being a Prophet so much surpassing all before him and now advanc'd above the Angels to his Royal Office in Heaven whereby he is certainly able to perform what he foretold we ought in all reason to heed his Predictions and to make use of them as means to fortifie us when we are tempted to Sin or Apostacy For if the Law were given only by the Ministry of Angels and yet the Threats on the breaking of that did come to pass and all the Sins committed by the Israelites against it were severely chastis'd and the Transgressors not suffer'd to enter into the promis'd Land How shall we avoid equal Punishment if we do not by Constancy and Obedience make our selves capable of that Deliverance which Christ first at his being upon Earth and the Apostles which heard it from him assur'd us of and which God himself has testify'd by so many Prodigies and ominous Presages And by giving them who foretold 'em Power to work Miracles and other Abilities of the Spirit God also bearing them witness both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles By Wonders in a strict sence are meant any extraordinary surprizing and new Operations whether springing from a divine Power or a natural By Miracles are understood Effects of a divine and infinite Power whether wrought privately or publickly on purpose to confirm any Doctrin or without any such design Thus our Saviour's Fast for fourty Days was a Miracle tho' it was not wrought for the confirmation of any Doctrin nor before any publick Assembly of Spectators A Sign is something more than a Wonder or a Miracle for it is wrought publickly by an infinite Power in confirmation of a Doctrin Thus our Saviour's changing Water into Wine is said to be the first of his Miracles of this kind that is the first of his Signs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For as to pure Miracles he had acted several before as his Fast for fourty Days tho Descent of the Holy Ghost in a Bodily shape This is the distinction of the Schools tho' in common vld. Aquln 2. 2dae q. 178. art 1. ad 3. acceptation Signs and Miracles are taken in the same sence Under which Notion I shall consider them and shew First What a Miracle is Secondly I shall examine what Power is capable of working a Miracle Thirdly I shall enquire into some of those Marks by which we may distinguish a true Miracle from a false one Fourthly I shall prove That the Miracles wrought by Jesus Christ and his Apostles have all these Marks of a true Miracle Lastly I shall close all by briefly shewing That tho' Christianity was at first establish'd by Miracles yet that there is no reason that we should expect a continu'd succession of them to the present times First I shall shew what a Miracle is A Miracle is something that surpasses the Power of Men or of Nature wrought in savour of a Person who knows that this Miracle shall be thus transacted 'T is a Work that surpasses the Power of Men or of Nature for let an Effect be never so surprizing or extraordinary yet while it is within the force of second Causes it is no Miracle It must in strict speaking bear the lively Impression and sovereign Stamp of Divinity upon it so that we may without hazard of being deceiv'd boldly vouch that This is the Lord 's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Which we may safely say when Diseases are cur'd by a Touch the tumultuous Seas calm'd by a Rebuke and the Dead rais'd by the Command of One who assum'd no more than the Form of a Man When the Unlearned speak Languages which they never learn'd When the Flames shall lose their destructive Nature and instead of consuming guard When a Hand rais'd up shall determine the Fate of Armies When the Lord shall hearken to the voice
every Virtue essential to Religion shall continue and as it was our Employment in this World so it shall contribute to make up our Happiness in the next Our Faith * Sanctus Paâ—lus dixit câ—teris evacuatis manere Fidem Spem Dilectionem Irenaeus lib. 4. c. 25. shall be Eternally exercis'd in adhering to God in believing in Him in entertaining the noblest Apprehensions of His Goodness Justice Wisdom and Mercy Our Hope shall be employ'd in Desiring Loving and Enjoying Him But to take a clear View of so nice a Subject I shall First enquire whether any Acts of Virtue which ought to be practic'd on Earth are useless and unpractic'd by the Blessed in Heaven Secondly I shall shew what Virtues which ought to be practic'd here on Earth are practic'd in Heaven in their greatest latitude in all their Acts and most material Circumstances Thirdly I shall give some Reasons why they a 〈…〉 First 〈…〉 shaâ—ll enquire wh 〈…〉 Acts of 〈…〉 which 〈…〉 be practic'd on Eaâ—â—h are 〈…〉 practic'd by the Blâ—ssed 〈…〉 It must be 〈◊〉 that the Actâ— of some instrumental and aâ—â—â—ticâ— Vi 〈…〉 are unnecessary in H 〈…〉 wh 〈…〉 Reason of theiâ— Obligation shall 〈◊〉 and the they may 〈…〉 abide in Charity 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 co 〈…〉 Seminary 〈…〉 they 〈…〉 are here 〈…〉 in 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 in which 〈…〉 upon Earth yet the Paral 〈…〉 suppos'd 〈…〉 eve 〈…〉 and P 〈…〉 of 〈…〉 Virtuâ—â— are only 〈◊〉 to this 〈…〉 and therefore cease with our Relation to it 〈…〉 Patience must lose its Name in Heaven where there shall be no Misery to be 〈…〉 no Wrong to be endur'd Sorrow for Sin shall be no more w 〈…〉 all Pears shall be wip d away or else chang'd into those which rise from an Excess of Joy That Sagacity which is only a Defence against the Wisdom of the Serpent shall be utterly disus'd where nothing shall appear but the Harâ—â—lessness of the Doâ—e where all our Desires are squar'd by the Rule of Reason and the most refin'd Purity Temperance under its present limitation will have no Place nor Chastity enter there Where there is no Hungry to give Meat to â—â— Straâ—ger to be taken in no â—aked to be cloathed no Siâ—k to be â—ifited none in Priso 〈…〉 be relieved Merâ—y and A 〈…〉 will want a Subject and the they bring us into Heaven they themselves shall not pro 〈…〉 y only 〈…〉 they are 〈…〉 into oâ—â— habitual Piety and good 〈…〉 inations 〈…〉 Secondly There are Virtues which ought to be practic'd 〈…〉 which are practic'd in Heaven in all their most 〈…〉 Circumstances and so become an exact Rule for our Complying with the Will of God And these are those whose Act are agreâ—able to the State of the Blessed and which bear a just proportion with their glorious Condition such as are not prest with any Grievance nor have any ill or irregular Affection to restrain Temperance it self is even in some regarde practic'd by the Blessed foâ—â—ho in â—hose spotless Regions it is not employ'd in conquering any impure Passion yet it is advanc'd into a Virtue whose Nature consists in adhering to God â—s the purest and most inco 〈…〉 upâ— of Beings the most unstain'd and immaculate of Natures by such a firm Union as not to be parted from Him by the Prospect of the greatest sensual Pleasures if they could possibly be offer'd to a sâ—iritual Being Their Prudence is exercis'd in making God their only Choice and in 〈…〉 triving the fittest Means to please and serve Him in aâ— happy Eternity Their Fortitude in such a dependance on Him as not to be shak 〈…〉 by the greatest 〈…〉 Their Justice in a due Submission to Him as the only Lord to whom they owe their Homage And thus all other Virtues whether they relate to God to themselves or to acts of Charity one towards another are practic'd in compliance with the Exigencies of that Blisâ—â—ul State which I shall Thirdly Prove by some Reasons or Arguments drawn chiefly from the Holy Scripture And first The Blessed possess Habits of Virtue and secondly They discover them by outward Acts. The Fathers apply to the Saints all those Places of Scripture where the Queen is said to stand on God's right hand in Gold of Ophir where she is said to be all Glorious within and her Cloathing of right Gold These they understand of the Saints and the Ornaments with which they are Cloath'd they apply to that habitual Virtue with which they are adorn'd â—â— Chrysostom understands them not * In his Homily on the Text My Grace is sufficient for thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Aretaâ— Casarâ—ensis says that the Saints were not drest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But granting that this Sence of Habitual Virtue may be only a flourish of these Fathers or as some imagine that these Places only imply the glorious State of the Church Triumphant in general yet it may be clearly made out secondly That Acts of Virtue are perform'd by the Blessed and since these flow from Habits and are not really distinct from them we may suppose that they are endued with Habits of Virtue too since it is the most perfect Act of Virtue which flows from the most perfect Habit. The Saints practice the Acts of the first Table for they are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night And secondly Acts of Charity which belong to the second Table in rejoycing in one another's Happiness in their provoking one another to praise and glorify God The Angels that higher Order of bless Spirits perform God's will in the same Manner For first they act in conformity to the first Table in Adoring and singing * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atnanas q. 30. ad Antiochum Praises to God for all the Angels stand round about the Throne and fall before the Throne on their Faces and worship God to the second by their Acts of Charity towards Men by their Guardianship over them by ministring to their Salvation by transporting them from this Seene of Woe and Vanity to Mansions of Bliss and Joy Thus the Blessed practice the great Duties of Virtue and Religion act above as we ought to do below in conformity to the Divine Will But Secondly As they practice these Virtues so they practice them by a Rule Which is very evident for every Agent which is whether it is the supreme Agent or an intermediate one whether it moves by pure Instinct or Nature or whether it acts by Choice or Election yet has some Rule of its Actions whether this Rule is planted in its Nature within or deliver'd to it from without God Himself the supreme Agent who acts sometimes without Instruments without the Interposal of Time without Matter or Principle yet never acts without Rule Tho' his Actions are free and uncontroul'd yet are they confin'd to a Standard by His Wisdom and Justice from which even His Power cannot make them