us light and heat by the Sun he upholdeth us by the Earth c. A. The word Immediate sometime signifieth A cause that hath no other cause under it So the Sun is the immediate cause of the emanation of its beams of Light And so God is not alwaies an Immediate Cause that is He hath other causes under him But sometime Immediate signifieth that which is next a thing having nothing between them And so God doth all things Immediately For he is and he acteth as near us as we to our selves and nothing is between him and us He is as near the person and the Effect when he useth Second Causes as when he useth none Q. 6. But is it not a debasing GOD to make his Providence the cause of every motion of a Worm a Bird a Fly and to mind and move such contemptible things and so to mind the thoughts of man A. It is a debasing God to think that he is like a finite Creature absent or insufficient for any of his Creatures That there is not the least thing or motion so small as to be done without him is most certain to him that will consider 1. That Gods very Essence is every where And wherever he is he is himself that is most Powerful Wise and Good And if such a God be as near to every Action as the most immediate Actor is so that in him they all Live and Move and Be how can he be thought to have no hand in it as to Providence or causality 2. And it 's certain that God upholds continually the very Being of every thing that moveth and all the Power by which they move For that which had no Being but from him â—an have none continued but by him That which could not make it self cannot continue it self Should not God by his causality continue their being every Creature would turn to nothing For there can be nothing without a Cause but the first Cause which is GOD. 3. And it is all one to Infiniteness to mind every Creature and motion in the World and to cause and rule the least as it is to cause and rule but one God is as sufficient for all the World even every Fly and Worm as if he had but One to mind Seeing then that he is as present with every Creature as it is with it self and it hath not the least power but what he continually giveth it and cannot move at all but by him and he is as sufficient for All as for One it 's unreasonable to think that the least thing is done without him Is it a dishonour to the Sun that every Eye even of Flies and Ants and Toads and Snakes as well as Men do see by the light of it or that it shineth at once upon every pâ—le of Grass and Atome This is but the certain Effect of Gods Infiniteneâ—s and Perfection Q. 7. How doth God Govern all things A. He Governeth several things according to their several Natures which he hath made Lifeless things by their natural Inclinations and by moving force Things that have sense by their sensitive Inclinations and by their objects and by constraint And Reasonable Creatures by their Principles and by Laws and Moral Rules And all things by his Infinite Power Wisdom and Will as being every one parts of one World which is his Kingdom Especially Man Q. 8. What is Gods Kingdom and why do you call him our King A. I call him our King because 1. He only hath absolute Right Power and Fitness to be our Supream Ruler 2. And he doth actually Rule us as our Soveraign And in this KINGDOM 1. GOD is the Only Supream King and Head 2. Angels or Glorified Spirits and Men are the Subjects 3. All the Bruits and lifeless Creatures are the Furniture and goods and utensils 4. Devils and Rebellious Wicked men are the Enemies to be opposed and overcome Q. 9. How doth GOD govern Man on Earth A. 1. The Power of God our Lord Owner and Mover moveth us and disposeth of us as he doth of all things to the fullfilling of his Will 2. The Wisdom of God our King doth give us sound Doctrine and holy and just Laws with Rewardâ— and Penalties and he will Judge men and execute accordingly 3. And the Love of our Heavenly Father doth furnish us with all necessary blessings help us accept us and prepare us for the Heavenly Kingdom Q. 10. Why is man Ruled by Laws rather than Beasts and other things A. Because man hath Reason and Free-will which maketh them Subjects capable of Laws which Beasts are not Q. 11. What is that Free-will which fits us to be Subjects A. It is a Will made by God able to determine it self by Gods necessary help to choose Good and refuse Evil understood to be such without any necessitating Predetermination by any other CHAP. V. Of Gods Law of Nature and Natural Officers Qu. 1. BY what Laws doth God Govern the World Ans. How he Governeth the Spirits above us whether by any Law besides the immediate Reâ—elation of his Will seen in the face of his Glory or how else is not much known to us because â—t doth not concern us But this lower World of man he Governeth by the Law of Nature and by a Law of Supernatural Revelation given by his Spirit or by Messengers from Heaven Q. 2. What is it that you Call the Law of Nature A. In a large and improper sence some call the â—nclinations and forcing or naturally moving Causes of any Creatures by the name of a Law â—nd so they say that Beasts and Birds are moved by the Law of their Nature and that Stones sink downward and the Fire goeth upward by the Law of Nature But this is no Law in the Proper sence which we are speaking of whatever you Call it Q. 3. What is it then that you Call A Law A. Any Signification of the Will of the Ruler purposely given to the Subject that thereby he may know and be bound to his Duty and know his Reward or Punishment due Or any signification of the Rulers will for the Government of Subjects constituting what shall be Due from them and to them A Rule to live by and the Rule by which we must be judged Q. 4. What then is Gods Law of Nature made for man A. It is the signification of Gods Governing Will by the Nature of man himself and of all other Creatures known to man in which God declareth to man his Duty and his reward or punishment Q. 5. How can a man know Gods Will and our duty by his Nature and by all other Works of God about us A. In some things as surely as by words or writings but in other things more darkly I am sure that my Nature is made to Know and Love Truth and Goodness and to desire and seek my own Felicity My Nature tells me that I was not made by my self and do not live by my Self and therefore that I am
Christ wrought his Miracles and rose again and that the Apostles by the Holy Spirit did work theirs and that Believers received the Spirit by their Ministry 2. They had not been made Christians but by these Miracles They all professed that it was the Gifts of the Spirit that Convinced and Converted them 3. All the forementioned Professions of their Christianity contained a Profession that they believed these Miracles As the use of the Lords day Baptism the Eucharist shewed their Belief of Christs Life Death and Resurrection 4. They suffered Persecution and Martyrdom in the Profession of that Belief 5. They pleaded these Miracles in all their Defences against their Adversaries 6. The Writings of their Adversaries commonly acknowledge this Plea yea and deny not the most of the Miracles themselves 7. But most fully their receiving the Sacred Scriptures as the Word of God as indited by the Holy Ghost in the Apostles sheweth that they believed the Miracles recorded in that Book Q. 25. You are come up to the last part of the Doubt in the History How are we sure that these Christians then commonly believed the Book as now we have it and that it is the very same A. We have for this full infallible historical Proof premising that some parcels of the Book the Revelations the Epistle of Iude the Second of Peter the Epistle to the Hebrews and that of Iames were longer unknown to some particular Churches than the rest 1. The constancy of Christian Assemblies and publick Worship is a full proof seeing that the Reading Expounding and applying of these Books was a great part of their publick work as all History of Friends and Enemies agree 2. The very Office of the Ministry is full proof which lay most in reading expounding and applying these same Books And therefore they were as much by Office concerned to keep them as Judges and Lawyers are to keep the Statute-book 3. These Ministers and Churches which so used this Book were dispersed over a great part of the World If therefore they had changed it by adding or diminishing they must have done it by Confederacy or by single mens errour or abuse It was impossible that all Countreys should agree in such a Confederacy but the meeting motives and treaties would have been known But no History of Friend or Foe hath any such thing but the clean contrary And that it should be done by all single Persons in the Christian World agreeing by chance in the same Changes is a mâ—d supposition 4. And it is the belief of all Christians that it â—s a damnable Sin to add or alter in this Book And the Book it self so concludeth Therefore if â—ome had agreed so to do the rest would have detected and decryed it 5. They took this Book â—o be the Charter for their Salvation And therefore would never agree to alter it when Men keep the Deeds Evidences Leases and Charters of their Estates and Worldly Priviledges unaltered 6. When a few Hereticks rose up that forged some new Books as Apostolical and rejected some that were such indeed the Christian Churches condemned and rejected them and appealed to the Churches that had received the Apostles own Epistles and kept them 7. The many Heresies that rose up did so divide Men and set them in cross Interests and Jealousies against each other that it was impossible for any one Sect to have altered the Scripture but the rest would have fallen upon them with the loudest Accusations But all sorts of Adversaries are agreed that these are the same Books And though the weakness and negligence of Scribes have made many little Words uncertain for God promised not infallibility to every Scribe or Printer yet these are not such as alter any Article of Faith or Practice but shew that no Corruption hath been designedly made but that the Book is the same For instance Let it be questioned Whether our Statute-Book contained really the same Statutes that are there pretended And you will see that the Historical certainty amounteth even to a natural certainty the contrary being a meer impossibility For 1. They are the Kings Laws and the King would not bear a fraudulent alteration 2. Parliaments would not bear it 3. Judges that successively judge by these Laws would soon discover it 4. So would all Justices and Magistrates 5. Mens Lives and Estates are held by them and therefore Multitudes would decry the Fraud 6. Enemies have daily Suits which are tryed by these Laws and each Party pleads them for himself and their Advocates and Lawyers plead them against each other and would soon detect the Forgery So that to suppose such a Change is 1. To suppose an Effect that hath no Cause in Nature 2. And that is against a stream of Causes Moral and Natural and so impossible And to â—eign such forgeries in the Book that all Christians have taken for Gods Laws is just such another Case and somewhat beyond it That is but Moral Evidence which dependeth only on Mens Honesty or any free unnecessary acts of Mans will But Mans will hath also of Natural Necessity such as the Love of our selves and our felicity c. And it is a Natural Impossibility that all Men or many should agree in a Lie which is against these Acts of Natural necessity But so they must do if all Men of cross Interests Principles and Dispositions should knowingly agree c. g. That all our Statutes are counterseit that there is no such place as Rome Paris or other such lâ—â—s And so the Gospel History hath such Testimony of necessary Truth Q. 26. You have made the Case plainer to me than I thought it had been But you yet seem to intimate that some Words yea some Books of Scripture have not the same Evidence aâ— the rest can a man be saved that Believeth not all the Scripture A. All Truth is equally True and so is all Gods Word But all is not equally Evident He that taketh any Word to be Gods Word and yet to be false believeth nothing as Gods Word For he hath not the â—ormal essentiating Act and Object of Faith If God could lie we had no certainty of Faith But he that erroneously thinketh that this or that word yea Epistle or Text or Book in the Bible is not Gods but came in by mistake may be saved if he believe that which containeth the Essentials of Christianity A lame Faith may be a saving Faith And he may see how Miracles sealed the Gospel that cannot see how they sealed every Book Text or Word in the Bible Q. 27. Though we have been long on this it is of so great importance to us living or dying to be sure of the Foundations of our Faith that I will yet ask you Have you any more Proof A. I have told you of four Proofs already I. The Antecedent Testimony of the Spirit in the Old Testament II. The Inherent Constitutive Testimony in Christ and the Gospel III. The concomitant Testimony
is folly to be stalled at the Believing of any thing which we once are sure that God revealeth considering how unmeet our shallow Wit is to judge of the things of infinite Wisdom to us unseen 2. To Holy illuminated prepared Souls Belief is not so hard It 's Blindness and Vice that make it difficult 3. God did not become Man by any Change of his Godhead nor by confining his Essence to the Manhood of Christ But 1. By taking the humane Nature into a special Aptitude for hiâ— Operations 2. And so Relating it neerly to himself 3. And Operating peculiarly in and on it as he doth not on any other Creature And when all are agreed that God is essentially every where and is as near us as we are our selves and more the Cause of all good which we do than we our selves are it will be harder to shew that he is not Hypostatically united to every Man than that he is so to Christ Though the foresaid Aptitude of Christ's humane Nature and the Relation and Operation of the Divine indeed make that vast difference If God can so peculiarly Operate in and by our humane Nature where lyeth the Incredibility Q. 31. But it is so transcendently above all the Works of Nature that such condescension of God is hard to be believed A. Great Works best beseem the Infinite God Is not the make of the whole World as wonderful and yet certain Gods Love and Goodness must have wonderful products as well as his Power But is it not very congruous to Nature and Reason that God should have Mercy on lapsed man And that he should restore depraved humane Nature And that he should do this great work like his Greatness and Goodness and above Mans shallow reach And that Polluted Souls should not have immediate access to the most Holy but by a Holy Mediator And that Mankind should have one Universal Head and Monarch in our own Nature And that when even Heathens are conscious of the great need of some Divine revelations besides the light of Nature and therefore consult their Oracles and Augurs that God should give us a certain Menssenger from Heaven to teach us necessary Truth Many such Congruities I have opened in the Reasons of the Christian Religion Part 2. Ch. 5. The Summ of all that is said is This I. If any History in the world be sure the History of the Gospel is sure II. And if the History be sure the Doctrine must needs be sure III. The continued Evidences 1. In the Holiness of the Doctrine And 2. In the Holiness of all true serious Believers are a standing proof of both as the Miracles were to all the beholders who did not Blaspheme the Holy Ghost Q. 32. But how comes it to be so hard then to the most to become serious Believers and Godly when the Evidence is so clear A. A Blind Dead Worldly Fleshly Heart doth undispose them and they will not Consider such things nor use the means Yea they so wilfully sin against Knowledge and Conscience and will not obey that which they know that they forfeit further Grace I will name you briefly many things which every Mans Natural Reason might know and ask you whether you ever knew any Unbeliever that was not false to this Light of Nature 1. Doth not Sence and Reason tell men how vile a thing that Flesh is which they preferr before their Souls 2. Doth it not certifie them that they must die and so that Fleshly Pleasure is short 3. Doth it not tell them of the Vanity and Vexation of this World 4. And that greatest Prosperity is usually parted with with greatest sorrow 5. Doth it not tell them that Mans Nature can hardly choose but fear what will follow after Death 6. Doth it not tell them that there is a God that made them and Ruleth all 7. And that he is infinitely Great and Wise and Good and therefore should be Obeyed Loved and Trusted above all 8. And that their Lives and Souls and all are his and at his will 9. And that Man hath Faculties which can mind a God and a Life to come which Bruits have not and that God doth not make such Natures in vain 10. Doth not experience tell them that humane Nature seeth a vast difference between Moral Good and Evil and that all Government Laws and Converse shew it And no Man would be counted false and bad 11. And that Good Men are the Blessing of the World and Bad Men the Plagues 12. And that there is a Conscience in Man that condemneth Sin and approveth Goodness 13. And that most Men when they dye cry out against that which Worldly Fleshly Men preferr and wish that they had lived the Life of Saints and might die their death Are not these easily knowable to all And yet all the ungodly live as if they believed none of this And can you wonder if all such Men understand not or believe not the Heavenly things have no experience of the Sanctifying Work and Witness of the Holy Spirit and have no delight in God and Goodness no strength against Sin and Temptations no Trust in God in their necessity no suitableness to the Gospel nor the heavenly Glory But as they lived in sin do die in a stupid or despairing state of Soul CHAP. VII Of the Christian Religion what it is and of the Creed Q. 1. NOw you have laid so good a Foundation by shewing me the certain Truth of the Gospel I would better know what Christianity is and what it is to be a true Christian A. First I must tell you what Religion is iâ— general and then what the Christian Religion is Religion is a Word that signifieth either that which is without us the Rule of our Religion or thaâ— which is within us our conformity to that Rule The Doctrinal Regulating Religion is the Signification of Gods will concerning Mans Duty to God and his Hopes from God The inward Religion of our Souls is our Conformity to this revealed regulating Will of God even our absolute resignation to God as being his own our absolute subjection to him aâ— our absolute Sovereign Ruler and our prevailinâ— chief Love to him as our chief Benefactor and aâ— Love and Goodness it self Thus Religion is ouâ— Duty to God and Hope from God Q. 2. Now what is the Christian Religion A. The Christian Religion as Doctrinal is The Revelation of Gods will concerning his Kingdoâ— as our Redeemer or the Redeeming and savinâ— sinful miserable Man by Jesus Christ. And the Christian Religion as it is in us is Thâ— true Conformity of our Understanding Will anâ— Practice to this Doctrine or The true Belief oâ— the Mind the Thankful Love and Consent of thâ— Will and the sincere Obedience of our Lives to God as our Reconciled Father in Christ and to Jesus Christ as our Saviour and to the Holy Ghost as our Sanctifier to deliver us from the guilt and power of Sin from
the Flesh the World and the Devil from the revenging Justice of God and from everlasting Damnation giving us here a Union with Christ the Pardon of our Sins and Sanctifying Grace and hereafter everlasting heavenly Glory Q. 3. Is there any other Religion besides the Christian Religion A. There be many errours of Men which they call their Religion Q. 4. Is there any True Religion besides Christianity A. There be divers that have some part of the Truth mixt with Error 1. The Heathens acknowledge God and most of his Attributes and Perfections as we do But they have no knowledge of his Will but what meer Nature teacheth them and they worship many Idols if not Devils as an under sort of Gods 2. The Iews own only the Law of Nature and the Old Testament but believe not in Jesus Christ our Redeemer 3. The Sadduces and all Bruitists worship God as the Governour of Man in this World but they believe not a Life to come for Man 4. The Pythagorean Heathens look for no Reward or Punishment after Death but by the passing of the Soul into some other Body on Earth in which iâ— shall be Rewarded or Punished 5. The Mahometans acknowledge One God as we do but they believe not in Jesus Christ as Mans Redeemer but only take him for an excellent Holy Prophet and they Believe in Mahomet a Deceiver as a Prophet greater than he 6. The meer Dâ—ists believe in God but not in Jesus Christ and have only the Natural Knowledge of his Will as other Heathens but worship not Idols as they do Q. 5. Is there but One Christian Religion A. No True Christianity is one certain thing Q. 6. How then are Christians said to be of divers Religions A. Sound Christians hold to Christian Religion alone as Christ did institute it But many others corrupt it some by denying some parts of it while they own the rest and some by adding many corrupting Inventions of Man and making those a part of their Religion as the Papists do Q. 7. Where is the true Christian Religion Doctrinal to be found that we may certainly know which is it indeed A. The Christian Religion containeth I. The Light and Law of Nature and that is common to them with others and is to be found in the Nature of all things as the Significations of Gods Will II. Supernatural Revelation clearing the Law of Nature and giving us the Knowledge of the Redeemer and his Grace And this is contained I. Most fully in the Holy Bible II. Briefly and summarily in the Creed Lords Prayer and Commandments III. Most briefly of all in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper and the Covenant made and sealed by them Q. 8. But are not the Articles of our Church and the Confessions of Churches their Religion A. Only Gods Word is ouâ— Religion as the Divine Rule But our Confessions and Books and Words and Lives shew how we understand it Q. 9. What is the Protestant Religion A. The Religion of Protestants is meer Christianity They are called Protestants but accidentally because they Protest for meer Scripture Christianity against the Corruptions of Popery Q. 10. What sorts of false Religion are there among Christians A. There are more Corruptions of Religion than can easily be named The chief of them are of these following sorts I. Some of them deny some Essential Article of Faith or Practice As the Immortality of the Soul the Godhead or Manhood or Offices of Christ or the Holy Ghost or the Scripture c. II. Some of them pretend new Revelations falsely and set their pretences of the Spirits Inspirations against the sealed Word of God III. Some of them set up an Usurped Power of their own against the Office Authority or sufficiency of the said Sealed Scriptures Pretending that they are Successours to the Apostles in the Power and Office of making Laws for the Universal Church and being the Judges of the sence of Scripture yea and what is to be taken for Gods Word and what not and Judges of all Controversies about it Of these the Papists pretenâ— that the Pope and a General Council are Supreaâ— visible Governours under Christ of all the Christiaâ— World and that none may appeal from them â—… God to Christ to the Scripture or to the Day oâ— Judgment Others pretend to such a Power iâ— every Patriarchal National or Provincial Church And all of them instead of a humble helping guiding Ministry set up a Church Leviathan a silencing Abaddon and Appollyon a destroying Office Setting up their Usurped power above â—â— equal in Effect with Gods Word Q. 11. How come the Scriptures to be Gods Worâ— when the Bishops Cannons are not And to be â—â— far above their Laws A. You must know that God hath two differenâ— sort of Works to do for the Government of hiâ— Church The first is Legislation or giving Neâ— Doctrines and Laws The other is the teachinâ— and guiding the Church by the Explication anâ— Application of these same Laws God is not stiâ— making New Laws for Man but he is still Teaching and Ruling them by his Laws Accordingly God hath had two sort of Ministers One sort for Legislation to Reveal neâ— Doctrines and Laws And such was Moses undeâ— the Old Administration and Christ and his Commissioned Apostles under the New These werâ— Eminent Prophets inspired by God infallibly â—â— record his Laws and God attested their Officâ— and Work by Multitudes of Evident uncontrolled Miracles But the Laws being Sealed the Second sort of Ministers are only to Teach and Apply these same Laws and Doctrines and not to reveal New ones And such were the Priests and Levites under Moses and all the succeeding Ministers and Bishops of the Churches under Christ and the Apostles who are the Foundation on which the Church is built And though all Church Guides may determine of the undetermined Circumstances of Holy things by the General Laws which God hath given therein Yet to arrogate a power of making a new Word of God or a Law that shall suspend our Obedience to his Laws or any Law for the Universal Church whether it be by Pope or Council is treasonable Usurpation of a Government which none but Christ is capable of And as if one King or Council should claim the Civil Soveraignty of all the Earth which is most unknown to them Q. 12. But I pray you tell me how the CREED comes to be of so great Authority seeing I find it not in the Bible A. It is the very Summ and Kernel of the Doctrine of the New Testament and there you may find it all with much more But it is Older than the writting of the New Testament save that two or three words were added since I told you before 1. That Christ himself did make the Nature and Terms of Christianity Commissioning his Apostles to make all Nations his Disciples baptizing them into the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy