therefore must needs take up the highest and choicest Desires to attain and keep him God is pleased to communicate himself to these Desires his acceptation of them and intimate Expressions of Love to his Creature This as it is the highest Happiness and the Rest of the Creature so it cannot chuse but ingage the Soul to return Love and Obedience to the Will of his God especially when all those Engagements to Obedience are likewise presented to the Soul that it owes its Being to him that his will is most righteous and fit to be obeyed And this Obedience arising from these Principles of Love to God as it was without all Hypocrisie so it was without all pain and tediousness for it did arise from an inward and active Principle and was acted by most obedient and active Faculties Man took no less delight in his Obedience which was the fruit of his Love and Duty to his Maker than he did in the knowledge of the Beauty and Goodness of his Maker which was the cause of that Love and Duty And as the actings of the natural Appetite upon a proper and seasonable Object when they exceed not their proportion are delightful so the actings of the rational Appetite consisting in Love and Obedience to God wherein they could not exceed their just proportion were the delight of the Soul his Holiness consisting in the returns to his Maker of Love and Obedience and the Goodness of his God in communicating himself and his favour exciting and accepting those returns did both conduce to the fulfilling of his Blessedness All this as it was derived from the Blessing of God 1 Gen. 28. so it ended in the Perfection of the Creature And God saw all that he had made and behold it was very Good. Ib. Ver. 31. 2. The Means whereby he attained or rather preserved this state of Happiness which was in effect congenite with though not essential to his Being This was only Obedience to the Will of his Maker In all inferiour Creatures we see a kind of inclination or instinct to follow the Rule of their Nature This conducts them to that degree of Felicity and Beauty which is commensurate to their Nature herein though they follow the Will of their Creator in the Law of their Creation it is not properly Obedience nor that instinct properly a Law the latter is only given and the former only performed by such a Creature as hath Liberty and Choice and consequently Knowledge and Understanding without which it is impossible to have the other Man alone of all visible Creatures is endued with both and so fitted to receive a Law and to obey it Being thus fitted he hath a double ingagement of Obedience viz. of Duty and of Profit 1. Of Duty he received his Being from his Maker and that Being furnished with Happiness This is an infinite and boundless engagement of Duty even to the utmost of his Being 2. Of Profit or Advantage this stock of Happiness that was but now freely conferred upon him is put into his hands under this Condition if he break his Condition he forfeits and that most justly his Happiness But yet if this Law were beyond the capacity of his Nature then there might be some excuse of his Disobedience But as this Happiness was fully commensurate to his Nature so was this Law which was the subject of his Obedience We shall therefore consider these three things 1. What was the Law of Man's Creation 2. Whence the Obligation of it 3. What the Sanction or Penalty 1. What the Law was Obedience was the Duty of Man to the Will of his Creator the Law was the Specification of that Will in this or that particular Command or Prohibition The Laws that God gave to Man therefore were of two kinds 1. Such as did bear a kind of proportion or convenience to the Nature of Man such are all those moral Dictates which we call Laws of Nature as keeping of Faith worshipping God and most if not all those Precepts in the Decalogue are but Expressions of these Laws These though they have no Obligation but by the Command of God yet they have a kind of Congruity with the very Nature of Man. 2. Such as though they have their original Justice of Obligation upon the same ground as the former hath viz. The subordination of the rational Creature to the Will of God yet in hoc individuo there doth not appear that Congruity of Nature of Man with this Command such was the Command of forbearing the forbidden Fruit and answerable to this in all times God hath been pleased to give Commands of these two several kinds Gen. 9.14 At the same time God forbids Murder which holds Congruity with Humane Nature and eating of Blood which doth not appear to hold such Congruity Gen. 17.2 to Abraham Walk before me and be perfect which is a Rule of natural Justice and a Command of Circumcision the reason whereof doth not so naturally appear so to the Jews not only the Moral Law but divers Ceremonial Rites which have no such necessary conformity to Reason The reason of this and why the first Man's Obedience was tried upon this Precept was because that in the Obedience to such a Command is given the clearest and most free Obedience to God for we hereby acknowledge his Freedom to command what he pleaseth and our just Obligation to obey what he commands meerly because he commands Now because it is impossible that any Law can bind unless it hath some Promulgation or discovery from him that gives it or somewhat equivolent unto it we are to consider How these Laws came to be published As for the latter it is most certain and clear that it was by express injunction from God. And the Lord God commanded Man saying c. Whether this was by an audible Voice or by an immediate infusion of the knowledge of it into the Mind it will not be material to enquire But certain it is that in as much as the Obligation of this Precept doth not arise from any intrinsecal conformity of the thing to Humane Nature there was an express injunction and command of God in it But as touching the former though they were discovered to Man to be the Will of God yet they did hold a kind of intrinsecal proportion and conformity to the very Nature of Men. And hence it is that though by the Fall a general deficiency was in Man yet the tracks and foot-steps of those Laws remain in his very constitution Though this cannot be the cause of their Obligation yet questionless this was part of the means of their Publication to Man Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles not having the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law. And although much were due to Education and Tradition and the course of God's Providence in propagating the Knowledge of the Moral Law yet such a convenience it hath with the nature and use of Men that when they once come to
the more intense and natural is the motion of the Will according to these Conclusions and according to that intensiveness of the Will are the Actions that are commanded by the Will a faint Conviction moves the Will but weakly and a weak Volition seldom ends in Action 2. Impotency Not only that which ariseth from the Impotency of the Understanding the Convictions there but that Impotency which is in the very Faculty it self which is evident in this that it is brought under the inferiour Faculties over which it ought to govern the Passions and Sensual Appetite For though it be certain that oftentimes the misplacing or overacting of our Passions and the violent pursuit of Pleasures ariseth from the mistake or blindness of the Understanding yet it is clear that oftentimes contrary to those very Convictions and Rational Decisions of the Understanding the Will is precipitated and carried away with the violence and importunity of those Faculties that in right Reason and by the Law of Nature are subordinate to her 3. Privation and absence of Inclinations conformable to the Will of God Righteousness and Holiness The whole Soul was formerly the seat of God's Image that part of it that was most conspicuous in and consonant to the Understanding were the Principles of Truth or Conformity to the Divine Understanding those Principles that were most proper to the Will were the Principles of Holiness and Justice or Conformity to the Divine Will. Now as Truth is not of the Essence of the Understanding which is only a Power receptive of it so neither is Holiness and Justice of the Essence of the Will. And as Man in a great Measure hath lost that stock of Truth whereby he is ignorant so it is apparent he wants that stock of Righteousness and Holiness in his Will which should incline and move the Will according to the Will of God. 4. There are not only these privative Evils in the Will but it is likewise evident that there is a Positive Malice or Inclination against Righteousness and Holiness a propension and inclination to that which is Evil. Certain it is that the Sensual Appetite of the Sensitive Creatures is good and conformable to their Nature and doth not carry them to any thing beyond the conveniency of their own Nature and questionless Man in his original had a Sensual Appetite no less conformable and suitable to his own sensitive Nature than the sensual Appetite of another Creature is to his and besides that parity between other Creatures and Man he had an advantage of a Reasonable Soul which might supply and regulate the defects or irregularities of the Sensual Appetite if any were How then comes it to pass that the poor sensual Creatures move conformable to their Nature and by a kind of Rule and Man alone runs into those Excesses and strange Prodigies of Vices whereof an inferiour Creature is capable but abhors the Committal For instance God hath ordained the Preservation of the Sensible Creature by eating things suitable to the Nature and Constitution of the Creature and in order to the use of that Means hath planted a natural Appetite in the Creature to those Meats and the more to excite that Appetite for the use of that Means to that End hath put a conformity between the taste of that Meat and the Palate Yet we do seldom see the Appetite of the Sensitive Creatures carry them in eating or drinking beyond moderation or that End for which that Appetite is given but the motion of their Appetite is commensurate to the Means of their Preservation but in Man we find in all Ages and Places strange Excesses beyond the conveniency of Nature and that with iteration and professedness Again in Creatures we find God hath appointed the Conjunction of the Male and Female to be the means of continuation of their Species and the more to excite the Creature to the continuation of its Kind there is a Delight mingled with that natural Action yet we never see the Sensible Creature divide the Action from the End But among Men we find in all times those Prodigies of Lusts as Prostitution Beastiality Buggery and other unnatural commixtions The like Instances might be given of Cruelty and excogitated Tortures and Crimes of like nature whereby Men do not only against Reason but also against and beyond the natural inclination of the Sensitive Appetite So that it is evident there is not only an Imbecility in the Will of Man whereby it is subordinate to its Servants and Handmaids but likewise a Depravation and Positive Maliciousness against the Rule of the Will of God. Much Labour hath been in the World by the wiser sort of Men what by moral Perswasions and Precepts what by Government and Humane Laws to suppress or reform the Defects of Mens Natures which as they evidence in themselves that Man is not what he should be so the daily new Remedies do sufficiently evidence the fruitfulness of the Disease and the weakness of the Remedy These things considered three things are the evident Consequents viz. 1. That as things stand with the Children of Men they are not in a condition to attain everlasting Happiness by reason of these two eminent Defects in those Faculties by which we must attain to it viz. the Understanding and Will. 2. That although these two Defects could be cured yet it is impossible for us in that condition wherein we are to attain it because we have violated that Rule which unless uniformly kept 't is impossible to attain it the chain is broken 3. That this violation of this Rule hath not only made us liable to the Loss of that Good whereunto it might have conduced but hath added Rebellion to our Fault and Obligation to Punishment as well as Loss Therefore before he can possibly attain that End to which he was created he must be put in the same condition in which he was created and which alone could make him capable of that End which is in a Conformity to Truth in his Understanding or Illumination a state of Conformity to the Will of God in his Will by Righteousness and Holiness a state of Innocence or Freedom from Guilt which is the cause both of his merit of Loss and Punishment Till these be in some measure attained it is impossible for a Man to attain true Happiness and when attained then he may because now restored to the same condition in effect in which created 3. These things being premised we are now to seek out What that Means is for the Restitution of Man to that Capacity of Happiness in which we have reasonably concluded he was created and from which it appears by experimental observations he is declined Concerning which we shall conclude 1. That it is not in Man nor in the whole compass of created Nature to put himself in that condition of Knowledge Justice or Innocence which might make him capable of that Happiness for which he was at first created Let us
of his own Nature yet wonderfully manageth them to Ends and Events which they dream not of who whiles the several contrary qualities that he hath planted in Bodies could be destructive one of another he hath so fenced their extremities one from another that one destroys not another and yet so tempers and allays them that they concur in the constitutions of other things There we find the various and most contingent motions of the Creatures marshalled by a Wise Providence to the production of those Events that the secret Counsel of the great God had appointed so that whiles with one Eye we see seemingly accidental casual motion of the World like the Finger upon the Dyal we may with the other Eye see in that Book that wheel of Providence moving and turning it rationally and with election for those Ends that it pleaseth the Wise Governour of all things to order Again in matters Moral what perplexed Questions have Men made concerning the Law of Nature in Men Whether there be any or if any What it is Whence it hath its Obligation since all Men are by Nature equal What is the original and radical Rule of of Just or not Just What the Standard of it or Whether any at ah Whether there be any Chief Good of Men What it is Whether attainable Hence have grown those infinite Disputes de summo bono every one stating his own Opinion and yet each sufficiently coâ—fâ—ting another All these Perplexities we find soon resolved in that Book of God shewing us That Just and Vnjust is only measurable by the Will of God that the Obligation of Just or Unjust ariseth from the meer Command of God and that relation of Duty which Man owes to his Creator and to the injunction that he gives shewing us the falsity of every of those Positions concerning the Chief Good and teaching us that it is to be had and to be had only in the enjoyment of our Creator True it is that many of these and the like Truths may be arrived at by the light of Reason But 1. It is not without much Difficulty and Labour and that of the most choice Men 2 It is not without the help of Tradition at least of some small Veins of these Truths 3. It is not without much mixture of corruptions errors and mistakes 4. Not without much hesitancy and doubting Our natural Reason as it lies in the Ore and therefore must be disgrossed from its dross by study and Education so it is weak and must be supported And where the strength of Reason is the same that Truth that another discovers is entertained with more confidence than if a Man singly had discovered it so that by the Scriptures Reason is enlighten'd and strengthened in those Truths which carry in them a consonancy to Reason and might haply though in a weaker measure and with more difficulty have been extracted out of sound Reason and Observation 2. It doth contain divers Truths which could never be discovered but by God himself as what the Will of God was that Man should do or the Law of God What the purpose of God was concerning Man both in his Fall and Restitution by Christ The Covenant which he made with the Jews and with us in Christ The uniting of the Divine and Humane Nature in the Person of Christ The last Judgment The motion of the great God towards his Creature in Mercy and Judgment and the like These as they are beyond the discovery of any Man so they were too high for any Man to invent or surmise It is true the Heathen Law-givers and Philosophers to gain Credit to their Laws and Dictates durst sometimes to patronize them upon Heaven but in them a considerate Man might clearly find those Laws to have arisen from a meer observation of the visible Inconveniences to publick Societies and a prudential application of such Rules as might meet with those Inconveniences the original of them was attributed to Divine Institution to gain Reputation and Opinion in the Vulgar but in truth all or at least those that were the best and best grounded were as naturally deducible from the observation of the Conveniences and Inconveniences of a civil Society as the Conclusions of Geometry or Arithmetick are grounded upon their Principles and therefore for the most part Humane Laws did in substance agree in the Points consisting in the relation between Man and Man as being more obvious and plain and did for the most part disagree and differ in those Points that concerned Religion as being more distant and difficult Now iâ— it be said That the distance and remoteness of those supposed Truths from natural Reason or discovery â—enders the Scriptures the more incredible or at best not credible thereby to be the Word of God for upon the same reason any improbable Relation may be obtruded upon us as a Divine Truth because not to be else imagined by Humane Reason In Answer to this we must premise two things 1. That it is possible there may be some intelligible Objects and Truths in the World that never any Man did nor without the help of a foreign discovery never can find out If a Man were supposed to be born without the Faculty of Seeing it were not possible for him to discover that quality or motion of a natural Body which we call Light or Colour nay scarce to understand it though a very rational Discourse were made concerning it And what Man can conclude but that there may be and are divers qualities or motions of natural Bodies which are without the Verge of any of our Senses and consequently never fall into humane discovery We clearly admit Spirits and we have notions of their motion locality and substance yet it is impossible for any Man by natural indagation without the help of some extrinsecal relation to find it out We may therefore conclude That as it is possible there may be so it is probable there are some intelligible Objects and Truths which we cannot discover without an extrinsecal help or discovery 2. That of necessity many of those Truths contained in the Scripture especially concerning the Deity the Will of God the Fall of Man and the Means of his Restauration are things that cannot be collected or concluded by any natural Reason partly in respect of the sublimity of their Nature being beyond the Verge of Sense and natural Discourse partly because they are Emanations of a free Agent whereof no other Reason can be given but the Will of the Agent and consequently not deducible into Knowledge or Assent by rational Conclusions 3. That though the discovery of or assent unto those Truths cannot be elicited by natural Reason yet they are not contrary to natural Reason but may be Truths notwithstanding any reason that can be given against them It is true that they being above the reach of Reason cannot be by force of Reason assented unto yet there is no reason against the truth of them Natural
Reason hath a privative opposition to the knowledge of them viz. an absence of a necessity of assenting not a positive opposition or a 〈…〉 by necessity of Reason to disassent to them 〈…〉 4. That though these Truths are 〈…〉 â—ry of Reason and beyond the 〈…〉 sent yet they carry 〈…〉 gr◠〈…〉 alt◠〈…〉 up◠〈…〉 p◠〈…〉 wi◠〈…〉 infra 〈…〉 Thus the Fall of Man 〈…〉 Truths unimaginable by Natu◠〈…〉 â—itness one to another and the Ju◠〈◊〉 Mercy of God bears witness to both The mâ—â—y of the Soul and the last Judgment bear witness each to other And as there is that mutual attestation by way of Congruity of one of these sublime Truths to another of the same nature so the Congruity that these Truths have to those Truths which rationally challenge an Assent from us That all things had a beginning from the First Cause is a Truth evident in Nature but in what way or by what manner is not possible to be known without a discovery How excellently doth that discovery of the manner of the Creation serve as I may say that Principle So again that Man being endued with a rational and immortal Soul was ordered by the First Cause to an immortal End by a rational Means prescribed by God may be concluded by rational inferences and deductions but what that Means was or clearly what that End was is not discoverable by natural Reason for it depends upon the Will of God. How admirably doth the Scripture discover that Means viz. the Law of God and that End the Vision and Fruition of God especially in the point of the Resurrection Again That the Violation of that Rule must incur a Guilt irreparable a loss of that End is rationally evident yet although that Man by that Guilt is justly deprivable of that End is clear yet that God should be disappointed in this End seems somewhat hard How clearly doth the Point of our Redemption by Christ a point inconceptible by Nature serve to extricate and untwist this difficulty gives God the Glory of his Justice and of his Mercy of his Wisdom and of his Creature Thus the subservience of a Truth more difficult to the exigence of a Truth that is more clear to Nature renders the former not only possible but probable 3. The third Evidence That this is the Word of God are those strange Predictions of most contingent Events fulfilled in their several times the Prediction in one Age and declared by one Instrument of God the fulfilling in another Age declared by another or seen by our selves This gives testimony both to the Truth and Divinity of the author or inspirer of it To omit those Predictions of Joseph concerning the removal out of Egypt The Prediction of the Jewish Captivity and the Restitution by Cyrus by Name The four Empires The destruction of Jerusalem take notice but of these two viz. The Prophecies of the coming of Christ describing his Nature Gen. 3.15 his Linage of Abraham Gen. 22.18 of Judah Gen. 49.10 of David Isa 11.1 the place of his Birth Micah 5.2 his Office Isa 61.1 his Mother Isa 7.14 his Death and the Ends of it Isa 53. the time of his Death Dan. 9.2 and divers other Circumstances fulfilled precisely in our Saviour 2. The Rejection of the Jews and Calling of the Gentiles to the Faith of Christ Deut. 31.29 and 32.21 Isa 11.10 Isa 42.6 Isa 49.6 this Prophecy fulfilled even in our own view yet upon such disadvantage of natural Reason as had not the same power effected it that at first declared it it could never have been effected considering 1. The utter Enmity between the Jews and Gentiles 2. The extream contrariety in Religion to it 3. The small and inconsiderable means of effecting that Conversion 4. The great Scorn and Sufferings of those that professed it 5. The visible impossibilities of making any temporal Advantages by it c. 4. The Consent and Harmony among the several parts of it When several Men in several Ages not brought up under the same Education write It is not possible to find Unity in their Tenets or Positions because their Spirits Judgments and Fancies are different but where so many several Authors writing or speaking at several times agree not only in matters dogmatical of sublime and difficult Natures but also in Predictions of future and contingent Events whereof it is impossible for humane Understanding to make a discovery without a superiour discovery made to it I must needs conclude one and the same Divine Spirit declared the same Truths to these several Men. 5. This Book alone and none besides but by derivation from it containeth matters of the most noble and useful nature The generality of all humane Learning do either in their Object or Use or both expire with this Life and none ever arrived to the discovery of the great and adequate End of Man. This is not only evident in these Arts or Sciences of Natural Philosophy the Mathematicks Physicks Politicks Laws c. all which at their highest are but only subservient to this Life but in those two great and noble Sciences that Speculative of Metaphysicks that other Practical of Moral Philosophy The former though it arrive to as high Truths as Nature can discover yet it rests in the knowing of them and in a meer Speculation and doth not shew wherein consists Man's true Happiness much less what is the way to attain it for the latter the most sublime piece of it is framed only for the Meridian of this Life both in the Use and End. Without all question the Great and Wise God did write in Man's Nature Habits exactly conducible to his internal Contentment and Felicity in reference to his living in this World as those which were of a higher Constitution and End as his communion with his Maker The wisest of Moral Philosophers though they have imperfectly copied out divers Positions of the former as Justice Temperance Contentedness Undervaluation of the World Patience yet they never arrived at the latter no Book in the World but this shews a Man the adequate End of his Being his Supream Good his Happiness nor directs the Means of acquiring it This doth not only inforce the nobleness and value of the Book but also the original of it for when I shall see a world of the most exact humane Wits turning every stone as it were within the reach of humane discovery and yet none of them all lighting upon this great Subject the way to eternal Happiness I must needs conclude That this discovery is of a higher extract than a meer humane invention and although when we have discovered that subject we begin to wonder that Mankind hath thus long roved and wasted its labour in those other impertinent inquiries and were so far from discovery of this Vnum Necessarium that they scarce so much as imagined there was any such Business yet we may justly forbear that wonder for this is a Path which the
Vultures have not seen the great God alone gave Man his End and appointed the way to that End we had once the knowledge of both but have lost it and we must owe the discovery of it to the Author of it And to Man he said Behold the Fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from Evil is Vnderstanding Job 18.28 6. It doth discover the whole Duty of Man to his Maker to himself and to others far beyond all other Books or Documents in the World. Man by his Sin hath lost the greatest part of his Light and Perfection his own discoveries of his Duty are lame and imperfect and till the God that first planted these Principles of Knowledge and Conformity to his Will give us a new Copy of them we shall never clearly attain unto them in our knowledge or practice There are these Eminencies touching Moral Precepts which this Book of God hath above all other Books in the World. 1. No other Book in the World doth discover the true ground of the Obligation unto Moral Precepts The Moral Philosopher perswades me to Temperance to Justice but what Obligation lies upon me for it If he tells me That it is his own Authority my Answer is He hath none over me more than I have over him If he tells me the Law under which I live binds me to it I shall enquire what binds me to observe those Laws but Power which if I can avoid by the like power or secrecy I am not bound or my own Consent which I am as well Master of as I was before I consented If he tells me the Law of Nature binds me I am still unsatisfied who gave that Law or when or to whom and there the Philosopher is to seek as well of my Conviction as of my Obedience But this Book shews what that Law is from whence the Obligation of Obedience to it ariseth even from that most Just and Uncontroulable Authority that God hath over his Creature 2. No other Book or Learning in the World perswades the observance of those Laws it injoyns with the like convincing and satisfying grounds of Reason that this doth The highest ground that ever Moral Philosopher could fetch to perswade to submit to Moral Precepts were but one of these viz. The Reputation and general esteem of Men which dies with me and while it lives is nothing else but a Fancie and contains no Reality or the Cohortion of the Laws which if I can avoid with secrecy or force I escape the strength of the Perswasion or that Congruity that sound Moral Precepts hold with Prudence and the permanent enjoyment of good here for it is a most certain Truth as appears before That the due observation of the Rules of right Reason hath a most clear connexion with Happiness in this Life and that the violation of these Precepts of Nature do necessarily introduce a loss of temporal Felicity These are the highest Motives of Obedience to these humane Documents But let us look upon the Motives that the very same Precepts are enforced with in this Book of God we shall find them of a higher Constitution we are there shewn they are commanded by that God to whom we owe our Being and therefore may justly challenge our Obedience as his Tribute by that God from whom we daily receive our Preservation and Mercies and therefore may justly expert the return of our Love and Thankfulness in the Observance of his Will by that God that hath annexed a Sanction to the breach of his Law which he both can and will inflict this may startle our Fear by that God that hath propounded and promised a Reward to our Obedience both in this Life and a future which he will certainly confer this doth quicken our Hope These and the like grounds and motives of Obedience fall upon the most active Affections with the most powerful and rational Perswasion and are able to conquer more difficulties in the Obedience of these very Precepts that are materially the same than all those faint and thin Perswasions that the wisest of Men could ever teach The great God that knows the frame of the Soul of Man hath not only given rational Laws to lead him to his great End and rational Means to draw out his Obedience by appointing Rewards or Punishments of his Obedience or Disobedience but also by the same Wisdom of his planted in him Affections which might be proper to receive the impressions of those Rewards and Punishments and by this Word of his conveys those Notions into his Heart which stick upon those active Affections of Love Hope and Fear in the most exact full and adequate manner This is therefore none else but the Finger of God. And this is not only evinced by the Threatnings and Promises in this Book but by the Historical part of it applying the Truths of both wherein we may see unriddled most of the varieties of Events that fall upon a People or Person especially knowing God which without this Light seem to be confused and meerly contingent Israel sins Israel is punished she repents and is delivered We are shewn by the very Historical passages of the Old Testament that when we are punished we eat but the fruit of our own ways 3. As the Eminence of the Scripture above other Learning and consequently its Original is discovered in the two former so in this that it doth distinctly and clearly evidence and set forth those Moral Precepts which are confusedly and imperfectly only delivered by the best of humane Writers especially in the Worship of God All agree God is to be worshipped but when they come to shew how then they are to seek for indeed as it is folly for any one to think that there can be any Worship of God acceptable but what is agreeable to his Will so it is vain to think that this Will of his could be discovered by any but himself And from the want of this grew Idolatries and other Vanities in Worship 4 The original of the Scriptures is discovered in this that it doth contain in it Precepts of a higher Constitution and therefore of a higher Pedegree than the best of all humane Learning ever did arrive unto such as are the Cleansing of the Heart and Thoughts from all Sin That the Formality of Sin consists in the Will even before it expresseth it self in Act That the outward Conformity of the Act to Vertue without the internal Conformity of the Will and Mind is but Hypocrisie and the seeming vertuous Action is at least dead and not of value if not sin That a Vertuous Action done out of any other End than in Obedience and Love to God that enjoyns it is not an Action rightly Principled nor acceptable to God The right directing of our Passions and Affections that nothing is worthy of our intense Love but God that nothing deserves our Hate but Sin and therefore teacheth us in the former to despise the World in the
an actual exercise of right Reason they have in all successions of times and places taken up those Laws of Nature which we call the Moral Law or the most parts of them 2. Touching the-Obligation of these Laws it was twofold 1. From the Injunction and Command of God who had an Universal Infinite and Unlimited Power over his Creature and might most justly require his Obedience And into this Power of God together with his actual Command or Prohibition is all the Obligation of all Laws whether Natural or Positive and of all inferiour Laws Compacts or Agreements to be resolved And without the due consideration of this Mankind is loose Though the natural Congruity of the Moral Law to the Nature of Man might be the means of its Publication it is the Command of God that is and ever was the cause of its Obligation 2. From the Compact and Stipulation of Man. God put into Man's hands a stock both of Blessedness and Liberty and though he might have commanded his Creature and it had bound eternally yet to add the greater engagement upon him he enters into Contract with him concerning his Obedience Hence it is called the Covenant of Works And in all ensuing times when it pleased God to reinforce the Law of Nature or Obedience he doth it by way of Compact or Covenant as well as Command to add another Obligation as well of Contract as Duty And from this grew the Universality of the Guilt that was contracted by Disobedience Adam covenanted for him and his Posterity Rom. 5.19 As the Obedience of Christ is effectual for his Seed by way of Contract and Stipulation with God the Father so was the Disobedience of Adam binding upon his Seed partly by reason of his Contract and Stipulation and so they are made there parallel Sed de hoc infra 3. The Sanction of the Law given to Adam The Violation of any Law given by him that hath Power contracts Guilt that is Obligation to Punishment the measure of this Punishment is that Sanction which God did put upon the Violation of this Law Gen. 2.17 In the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die Herein are four Particulars 1. The Offence eating the forbidden Fruit 2. The Punishment Death 3. The Time of the inflicting of it in the day 4. The Extent of it thou shalt die c. Touching the first The thing specially prohibited was eating the forbidden Fruit but that which was in the Mind of God to enjoyn was Obedience to his Command and although this particular was by God made the Experiment of Man's Obedience yet questionless the same Injunction and under the same Penalty was given to Men touching those other Moral Dictates which were received Exod. 20. which lost not their Obligation by the Fall of Man no more than if he had continued in his Integrity Gen. 4.7 If thou dost not well Sin lieth at the door and Verse 14. Cain acknowledgeth Death to be the consequent of that Guilt which he contracted by his Murder Every one that findeth me shall slay me The like of Lamech Verse 23. For the Formality of any Sin as hath been before observed consisteth in the disobedience of the Will to the Command of God By one Mans disobedience sin entred into the World. And as the object of Mans obedience was whatsoever God had injoyned so the disobedience to any one Command had contracted the like Guilt and were under the like Penalty as this though this being purely a positive Command wherein only the Obedience or Disobedience of Man could be seen was that which is here mentioned because that wherein he offended 2. Thou shalt die God made not Death saith the wise Man Wisd 1.14 but Death entred into the world by sin Rom. 5.12 It imports three things 1. A loss or loosning of that strictness of Union which was between the Body and Soul or temporal immortality This is the Argument that the Apostle makes that from the time of Adam's transgression till Moses sin was in the World because Death reigned all that while and in the place before mentioned till sin the Kingdom of Death was not upon the Earth This immortality was not essential to the Nature of man but was freely super-added to it by the Divine Will upon those terms of Obedience and he that gave it might with all imaginable Justice give it upon what terms he pleaseth and he doth it upon terms of Obedience Obedience to himself which but even now gave Man his Being and might justly exact the utmost of his Being Obedience to a Law most possible easie and quadrate to the Powers and Aids given to man Obedience ingaged by a world of Blessedness attending it and an inevitable loss ensuing the breach of it This was his Vegetable loss 2. A loss of that Happiness which accompanied this immortal Being in respect of his Senses viz. an uninterrupted stream of Pleasure and Contentment and instead thereof Shame Gen. 3.7 Pain and Slavery Verse 26. Sorrow Verse 17. anxious and painful Labour Verse 19. a Curse upon the Earth Verse 17. A loss of Eden Verse 23. 3. The withdrawing and stopping of that stream of Light and Love that passed between God and the Soul of man which filled his reasonable faculties brimful of Happiness and Contentment and instead thereof in the understanding darkness distractedness a continued motion to know and yet for want of Light not knowing what to pursue and therefore pursuing trifles and follies In the Will loss of the Good that it before injoyed yet a craving Appetite after somewhat but it knows not what and to satisfie this unsatiable desire takeâ— in whatsoever the Suggestions of the World Flesh and the Devil offers fills it self with Vanity and then with Vexation In the Affections especially our Love it hath lost what did take up the whole Vigour and Comprehension of it and what it loved it injoyed but now raves and boils like the Sea after Follies and changeable and unsatisfying pursuits The Conscience that Chamber of the Soul wherein the beams of the Light and Favour of the Creator and of the Love and Duty of the Creature met as it were in the point or angle of reflection and carried those comfortable Messages of Sincerity and Obedience of the Soul to God and delight and acceptance from God to the Soul is now become the Chamber of Death and like the Spleen to the Body the receptacle of the Melancholy and sad Convictions of a guilty and ungrateful Soul and of an injured and revenging God and pre-apprehensions of farther Misery But if in the midst of Millions of Miseries he could see his Creator inviting him to dependance and recumbance upon him the Miseries were nothing they are born by his strength upon whom he leans But when the Lord of Heaven shall give him a trembling Heart and failing of Eyes and Sorrow of mind as in that most lively Expression he threatens the Jews Deut. 28.65 66 c. and when he
Life concerning his neglect of his Studies at Oxford The truth of which to do him right is this His natural Genius inclined much to things of Wit and Gallantry and the Players coming to the Act at Oxford while he was a Student there he began at first to be taken with the Plays but having before among other religious Observations habituated himself to keep a strict Watch over his Heart and Actions he quickly reflected upon it and therefore the more he perceived himself affected with it the more resolved he was to correct it and left it should in time prevail so as to divert him from more serious Studies or at least rob him of too much time he made a solemn Vow or Resolution which he ever after observed never to see Play more and so returned to his Studies again before the Players went out of Town And certain it is he was as hard a Student there as he was afterward at London though he held Acquaintance and some kind of Converse with the most ingenious Persons at both places But so much for that These Studies which he began so early he continued to the very last so long as he was able to write within about a fortnight or three weeks before he died And here he did as he did in the Law spared neither Pains nor Cost upon any thing any way conducing to his main Design tending to discover and manifest the admirable Providence of God whether in the Composure Powers and Course of Nature or in the Government of the Actions of Men insomuch that if a true Computation was made I am perswaded that as much time as he spent and pains as he took in the Study and Practice of the Law and Business of a not ordinary Judge but Chief Baron and Chief Justice yet the Time he imployed and the Pains he took if I may call that Pains which afforded so much Pleasure and Satisfaction to him in these Studies and for that purpose would be found to exceed them The Benefit whereof I hope the World may receive some time or other but the Effect thereof upon himself was that his so much contemplating the Wisdom Power and Goodness of God discernable in his Creatures and observable in the Providential Government of Men especially that admirable Mystery of our Redemption imprinted in his Soul a most inlarged apprehension and deep sense of the Glorious Excellence and Majesty of God and his unconceivable Goodness to all who duly apply themselves to him This filled him with a most awful Reverence and devout Affection to him continually which further produced great Constancy Faithfulness and Readiness in his Obedience and Service and converted his very Civil Imployments into a kind of continual Course of Religion so that that laborious Life of his was in a manner intirely sacrificed to and continually imployed in or in order to the Service of God. And all this with those divine benign Influences which are never wanting to Souls thus disposed filled him with an humble Confidence and made it as it were natural to him to retire into himself with secret application to God upon all occasions in the very midst of his Business And certainly this Life was Heavenly and Holy and yet not more Holy than Happy All this is very true but he had very early taken up a Resolution to abstain from a high Profession of Religion 't is his own expression and he was so wary and cautious in it that very little of what I have said was perceived by any of his most intimate Friends but my self Insomuch that one of them whom I know he much valued and who had frequent converse with him hath divers times since confessed to me how much he was mistaken in him in that respect before he saw his Contemplations in Print And I should almost doubt of finding Credit in what I know to be true with those who do not know me had I not pretty good Attestations from this and a constant Course of most pious Meditations committed to writing under his own hand Were we now to take a View of his whole Life we might consider it as acted either in private or in publick His Actions in publick were visible to the World and yet it may be feared that much of the remarkable particulars thereof will be lost for want of competent Observers and Relators The private part of it was most employed in Retirement and Studies and of this the greatest part in Pious Meditations the Contemplation of God of his Works of Creation and Providence the great and admirable Mystery of our Redemption and the Sacred Scriptures and the Evidences of the Truth thereof And as this did influence all his Actions in publick so being once well understood it must needs give the clearest Prospect into the true and genuine Principles and Tendency of them which is the principal thing to be considered in them And this can never better be made appear than by his own Writings if they were published as I conceive they ought to be * Having done this Right to the Author I thought it but reasonable to do some Right to my self and to the World to shew by what Right I have published this and what Right the World hath to expect the rest of his Writings To which Purpose I had written another Sheet to shew that the Author had upon new Motives and Consideration of Occurrences afterward changed his Mind before declared in his Will wherein he had prohibited the printing of any of his Writings after his Death But upon further Consideration I think it may be sufficient for this place to let the Reader know in general that he had done so and to reserve the more particular Discourse of that if there be occasion for it to my Memorials of him And therefore I have suffer'd but few Copies of that Sheet to be printed off for the Consideration of such as it may most concern Of the Two little Discourses annexed I have only this to say That the First was one of his Later Writings and perhaps may a little vary from some of his Former and that the Latter was more ancient But neither of them was finished though the Printer according to the usual Mode hath put a Finis to them both But otherwise I hope he hath acquitted himself reasonably well For I was at too great a distance to peruse the Sheets as they were printed off The Copies he had were carefully examined by the Originals and I thought it most suitable to my Design to let them be printed as near as might be according to them without any Alteration presuming upon the Candor of the ingenuous Reader upon due Consideration of the Circumstances before mentioned The CONTENTS of the CHAPTERS OF THE FIRST PART CHAP. I. OF the Existence and Attributes of God. Page 1 CHAP. II. Of the Works of God of Creation and Providence Page 27 CHAP. III. Of Man his Excellence above other Creatures Page 39 CHAP. IV.
be produced by the First Being the consequences whereof are these 1. That all things except the First Cause had a beginning of their being and consequently there was no Eternal Matter out of which any thing was made 2. That all Beings had their first being from him that is the First Being This is evident by what goes before 3. That the first production of all things by the First Being is purely and solely by way of Efficiency and not by derivation of substance from himself for that is impossible his Essence is Immaterial and Indivisible 4. The manner of this Efficiency or his Causality is not any act distinct from himself but only the meâ—e act of his mere Will which is essentially the same with himself and with his Infinite Power And herein the first production of second Beings differs from that manner of causation which is ordinary in subsequent productions of things for the first production of beings was an infinite motion viz. from a simple not-being to a being and therefore was acted immediately by the Infinite Power and Will of the First Cause there being no instrument to be used or if it had been yet any instrument had been infinitely disproportionable to such a motion But in the subsequent production of most things the matter pre-existing and so the motion not being à non esse simpliciter the causation of the First Cause is by instruments and second Causes 5. That as the first production of all things was the immediate act of his will so the disposing of all things into that Order and frame wherein they now are was the immediate Act of his Will and Power and Wisdom This is evident upon a double ground viz. First because whatsoever had its being from another had its esse tale from him 2. It is not conceptible that if all the things in the World had been put together they being all irrational substances they should ever have marshalled themselves into that order they are in unless the First Being had so willed it And if it should be admitted that the Forms and Qualities of the several beings would naturally have inclined them to their several places and stations which though all things had been wrapt together would by degrees have severed and taken their places That as it is impossible to imagine would ever have been unless the substances themselves as well as their active qualities had been divided so if it were granted it were equally to be resolved into the Will of the first Being to put such Forms Qualities and Inclinations in things conducing to and effecting such an order as if that Order and Fabrick of things had been by the immediate call of every thing into its Order and Rank by the First Cause 6. That the production of Mankind especially was the immediate work of the First Being This is touched before 7. That all these Activities that are in Second Causes are put into them by the First Cause and they work in the virtue of the First Cause so that although the Effect be not the immediate production of the First Cause yet the Activity and Power that is put in the second Cause to work is originally due to the First Cause And hence it is that a more ignoble being doth produce sometimes a being of a higher nature than it self as the Earth produceth Vegetables Putrefaction Sensibles because the vigor and Activity that causeth it was at first put into the second causes by the First so that though they move uniformly omnibus rectè dispositis yet they act in virtute Primae Causae 8. Though Second Causes work naturally and uniformly for the most part where all things are equally disposed and this by the virtue of that Activity which by the will and Power of the First Cause was at first put in them yet this Activity is managed and ordered so that it neither breaks the Law of its causality or motion that was at first put into it nor yet disturbs or disorders the universal fabrick of Nature things being at first framed in that order that each should be a corrective to the other in case of exorbitancy de hoc infra 9. From hence it follows that the constant and uniform Course of Nature is not to be attributed to it self but only to the Will of the First Cause that wills it to continue in that frame though he hath ordained Means subservient to that end 10. From hence it follows that as all things in actu primo owe their being to the will of the First Cause constant and uniform Course of Nature is not to to be attributed to itself but only to the Will of the First Cause that wills it to continue in that frame though he hath ordained Means subservient to the will of the First Cause so in actu secundo viz. their continuance and subsistence is due only to that Will they were made because he willed it and they continue because he wills it And this as it is most true in respect of the whole frame of Nature which hath no adequate means of its subsistence but the Will of the First Cause so it is true likewise as in the beings so in the continued subsistence of Second Causes which though they are and are supported immediately by Second Causes Qualities and concurrences yet the Activity and Power that is in these Second Causes to produce or continue these Effects is due to the First Cause and continues in them by virtue of that Will that at first planted it in them 2. The Disposing of all things to their several Ends whether remote or near belongs to this First Cause Every Intellectual Agent works for some End or other the First Cause we have shewed to be an Intellectual Agent therefore what he works he works for some End answerable to the Work and Worker and it must of necessity be that he that is the First Cause or Efficient of all things must needs be the appointer of his own End in that Work. The End though it be last in execution is first in intention for it moves the Agent to the work or otherwise though he work not without an Event he doth it without an End. Now that which is first in Efficiency must needs be the first designer of his own End which is but the result of his Work A Second Cause though he may have an End in his Causation proportionable to the causality wherewith he is indued yet as his Efficiency is subordinate to and derived from the Efficiency of the First Cause so must his End be it may be an Ultimate End in respect of it it is but interlocutory or rather no End at all in respect of the First Cause but only a means conducing to the Execution of the End of the first Cause When a passionate Ambitious or Covetous Man drives mainly and wholly at the satisfaction of those lusts as his End and that End draws out his activity and strength to
compass them yet a wise Statesman according to the convenience or exigence of the Publick can manage and order this Ambition and the Satisfaction thereof unto a higher End which the other never so much as dream'd of As we therefore divide all Beings and Causes into First and Second so we distinguish all Ends into the Ends of the First Cause and of Second Causes Touching the End of the First Cause we say it is twofold 1. That which is the End in respect of himself This is nothing but the Satisfaction of his own Will. As we must resolve the being of all things into the Will of the First Cause in point of Efficiency so in this respect we must resolve all things into that same Will in point of Finality and this is the most adequate and Ultimate resolution of all things they are because he wills them to be For the First Cause being absolutely and infinitely Perfect and Good cannot originally be moved by any thing without him that would import a Passibility viz. to be moved and impulsed to any thing by any thing without him and an Imperfection which might be supplyed by the acquisition of that End for which he works both these are necessarily to be admitted in any case where any End extrinsecal to the Efficient it self is admitted for 1. the End hath an impulsion or action upon the efficient and 2. it necessarily supposes a vacuity or emptiness quoad hoc which shall be supplied with that End acquired be it an End of Supplement or Delight Neither of these are possibly to be admitted in the First who is an Infinite Good commensurate to the Infinite measure of his own Will. The Final Cause then of all things is He wills because He wills His Glory is a consequence of his Work in the Work not the ultimate End of his Work because nothing that he made can contribute ought to his Glory or Happiness 2. In respect of the thing produced the ordination of every particular thing to its particular End either in order to it self or to some thing else or both the Intermediate Ends of all things being different according to their several natures and the several dispensations of the Divine will. That this may be so is evident upon the consideration of that Infiniteness of Wisdom Power and Presence of the First Cause which before is considered and that it must be so is likewise evident upon the consideration before expressed viz. that the Will of the First Cause is the Cause of all beings and operations in the World Nothing can be unless he wills it to be and this will must needs be extended to every individual thing and motion in the World for as well as any might evade the determination of his will all things might There be three degrees of things Natural Contingent and Voluntary Now the Means of carrying things merely Natural to their several Ends ordinarily is that Rule and Order which he hath set in things Natural and those Propensions and Inclinations which are planted in things to the observance of that Law. Now this hath a threefold reference to the First Cause 1. Of Position or giving for it is not imaginable that this Rule was taken up by the things themselves the Law of Nature and the Frame order and Course of thing according to that Law doth most necessarily conclude a Lawgiver and although the motion of the Law or Rule of Nature is for the most part uniform yet it doth in no sort follow that therefore it moved not from a voluntary Agent But though it infinitely speaks his Wisdom that did so foresee and order all things that one uniform Law or Rule should serve without any alteration for a change of a Rule imports Imperfection in the Rule and a want of foresight in him that makes it of those emergencies that induce such an alteration Now in as much as nothing could be but it was first in the Will of the First Cause and consequently in his Knowledg all those Propensions Rules and Orders of Nature which he hath put into things are exactly subservient to those purposes and consequently to the effects produced by it 2. Of Concurrence with it all things depending upon the First Cause as well in the support as in the Original of its subsistence 3. Of Subordination to it Hence it is that extraordinarily the Ordinary Rule of Nature is intermitted for though the most exact uniform Rule unalterable in the least point may nevertheless proceed from a Free Agent because the uniformity of the Rule proceeds not from it self but because the First Cause wills it to be so and yet hath exactly fitted it to the bringing about his Ends yet because Mankind is apt to mistake sometimes there is an intermission or interruption of that Course of Nature this Subordination likewise appears by the Direction and forming of it to special purposes wherein whiles the Second Cause moves according to the Rule of Nature that is set in it yet by the Concatenation and Conjuncture of other things which happily moved naturally thither some strange effect is produced beyond the reach of that Natural Agent as when an Artificer by conjuncture of several things together makes use of the natural motion of the Lead poise to work a circular or other strange motion in a Clock or Engine Now the Law or Rule of Nature as in divers other particulars so in these it most evidently sheweth it self to be nothing else but the Course that the great Master of the World hath put in things 1. Those Propensions that are in things for their own Preservation and Protection Hence those motions of Inanimate things as it were to their several homes and stations appointed by the First Cause Multiplication of their kinds Specifical Inclinations incident to a whole kind 2. The Subserviency of one thing to the use and exigence of another wherein for the most part the more Imperfect is still subservient to the more Perfect and all to Man. 3. The Disposition of things in those places and ranks as may be most usefull and as may best prevent that disorder and confusion which contrary qualities would produce as appears in the Elements in hurtful creatures 4. The Subordination of the particular Inclinations and Dispositions of any particular to the prevention of that which is contrary to the Law of the universe 5. The admirable Concurrence of things indued with contrary qualities and destructive each to other in tâ—â—â—onstitution of mixt bodies shewing a hand that tempers and overrules them in their operations and causalities 2. Contingent Effects In reality there is nothing in the World Contingent because every thing that hath bin is or shall be is praedetermined by an Immutable Will of the First Being But we therefore call a thing Contingent because either we find no constant Rule or determination of the immediate cause to the production of the effect or an effect resulting out of the conjunction of
causes that have no natural connexion one with another When the Prophet that prophesied against Bethel returned back met the Lion and the Lion slew him here was a Voluntary Act in the Prophet viz. to go a Contingent Act in the meeting with the Lion a Natural Act in the Lion to kill him now because this death of the Prophet had no necessary connexion with all the causes that concurred to it neither had the journey of the Prophet any necessary connexion with the walk of the Lion that they must needs meet the death of the Prophet though it had a kind of natural connexion with the next cause that preceded it was in the estimation of Men Contingent yet in respect of that predetermination that was of all this business which was not therefore predetermined because spoken by the old Prophet who had only a revelation of That counsel the whole frame of this business was necessary yet note that this predetermination did not alter the nature of the intermediate causes the journey of the Prophet was nevertheless voluntary the meeting with the Lyon Contingent the death of the Prophet by the Lyon in effect necessary So the Divine Predetermination of Effects predetermines them in their several Causes and takes not away the truth of the denomination of Necessary Contingent and Voluntary it predetermines the being of each but the being of the first but to be necessarily because it predetermines it to depend upon a necessary cause as the Eclipse of the Sun it predetermines the being of the second but to be contingently because it predetermines it to be upon contingent and unconnexed causes it predetermines the third to be but to be voluntarily because it hath predetermined it to be upon a voluntary cause All things to him have the same necessity of being though distinguished in their manner of being which are represented to our understanding under the notions of Necessary Contingent and Voluntary 3. We have considered the influence of the First Cause upon the creature in actu primo which is giving it a being or creation and as to things Natural and Contingent in actu secundo which is Providence or Government Now concerning the relation that Man the only visible Intellectual and Voluntary being in the World hath We must premise to this consideration what hath been partly observed viz. 1. That the first disposal of every thing to its several End doth of right belong to the First Cause 2. That this End is twofold 1. In respect of the First Cause the mere fulfilling of his own Will 2. In respect of the Creatures 1. relatively one to another a Subordination of one thing to and for another as the more imperfect to the more perfect 2. absolutely the End that is planted in every thing is its own Preservation and Perfection 3. That as the implanted End of every thing is his own being and perfection so the being of things being different both in nature and degrees of Excellence so are their Perfections different the Perfection of Animate above the Inanimate the Perfection of the Sensitive above the Animate and of the Rational above the Sensitive 4. That as the several Creatures are moved to their several Preservations and Perfections as to their several Ends so they have suitable Inclinations Dispositions and Motions placed in them conducible to those Ends as the Motions of Bodies to their several stations the generation of Vegetables and their attraction of supplies of nourishment answerable to their tempers the fading of Sensitives and assimilation of the nourishment to their own nature supplying the decays thereof Natural Instincts of every species to avoid those things places and foods that are destructive providing for varieties of Seasons multiplication of their Species and infinite the like which is nothing else but that Rule Law or Means that the First Cause hath put in them for the attaining that End which he hath put in them viz. their Preservation and Perfection And this is the great Wisdom as I may call it of the Creature that it pursues that End by that Law which the First Cause hath given it Mankind hath some things in him common with other inferiour Beings and in respect thereof hath the same Natural End viz. the Preservation of his Subsistence by the same Law of Nature which he doth and may and ought to preserve as other Creatures do But if he have a higher degree of Being than other Creatures then consequently he hath these two things different from other Creatures 1. A higher End than other Creatures planted in him by the First Cause whereinto he is or should be carried 2. A higher and different Law given by the First Cause in order to that End which whiles he follows he is most wise because most conformable to the Will of his Maker and moves to a suitable End to himself by a suitable Means and which when he declines he is more bruitish than the Beast because he either moves to no End or by such a Rule by which it is impossible he should attain it The Conclusion then is That Man was by the First Cause made for an End answerable to his own Perfection by such a Rule or Law as was by the First Cause ordained to be conducible to this End That therefore all other Ends and Perfections that are below the uttermost hight and Perfection of Man may consist with this End for we are not to conceive so improvidently of the First Cause that he should put a thing in such a degree of being that the Ends and Rules incident to any consideration of him should be inconsistent with his Supream End all stood together but if by any casualty it should fall out that there were an inconsistency all the Subordinate Ends must give way to this Supream End That the pursuit of this great End whatsoever it is by this Rule is exactly conformable to the Will of the First Cause by this Man doth two works at once God's work and his own That this is the Great Business of Man the highest act of Wisdom deserves all his labour study and endeavour and all the rest of his Business in the World is either lost labour or worse if not subservient to this great End. We are therefore to enquire into these three things 1. Wherein consists the Eminence of the being of Man above other Creatures for without this we cannot know that Perfection which must be the object of his desire 2. What is this Perfection that is thus to be desired and attained 3. By what Means and how it is attainable CHAP. III. Of Man his Excellence above other Creatures THE Goodness of the Wise Creator was communicated to his Effects 1. in giving them a Being 2. in assigning to every thing a portion of Perfection in themselves answerable to the degree of their Being 3. a Motion or Desire to the attaining and conserving that Perfection and consequently of their Being which is the Vessel wherein that
Perfection is held 4. a Rule or Law wherewith it is indued to regulate and direct and enable his Motions in the attaining of that Desire Thus we find in all Creatures below Man every thing moving to its own Preservation and Perfection by a strong Desire and constant Rule and enjoying a kind of Happiness in the Fruition of that End which the First Cause gave it as its Portion Nay in the very Dissolution of the Creature this is that which moves the ingredients thereof to part themselves or concur in the production of some third thing the thing corrupted struggling nevertheless as long as it can to keep it self entire Man though in his lower part he hath somewhat common with other especially sensible Creatures and therefore in that respect resembles them in his Motions Fruitions and Ends yet he hath something that is of a higher Constitution and consequently capable of a higher Perfection whereunto he moves as his End by a Law or Rule answerable to so great an End this latter being of a higher Frame yet answerable to that in other Creaturers which we call the Law of Nature Instinct or Natural Inclination The first thing therefore examinable is Wherein consists this Perfection of Man above other Creatures And questionless that is in his Soul which actuates animates and directs his Body and therefore before we can find out what is that End that is answerable to the degree of Man's being we must enquire what this Soul is wherein Man's Perfection consists whereby we shall be able to measure out what End will serve it The Soul of Man is considerable 1. In its absolute Essence we must conclude it to be an Immterial Immortal Substance This though it be a certain truth yet it is impossible naturally to demonstrate it the reason is because nothing can come to our Understandings demonstratively but either by our Senses or by Discourse and Reasons deduced from such things as so come to our Senses It is true the First Cause falls not under our Senses yet by necessary deduction from what falls under our Senses we necessarily conclude That he is and in some things What he is but the Being of the Soul as it is not conspicuous to the Sense so it is not deducible by Demonstration it is a Truth which is revealed at first supernaturally and afterwards traductively It is true that when we have the knowledge of it we may find many reasons to fortifie it divers difficulties thereby reconciled which without that admitted were almost impossible to be broken through which stings the most bold and adventurous sinner or Atheist with an invincible suspicion of the truth of this Truths yet I cannot find how merely by Natural Reason a Man can first find out the truth of this Proposition That the Soul is a Substance Immaterial We owe this truth in its original to Divine Revelation though when discovered the contribution of rectified Reason may conclude it at least probable But that being granted it doth of necessity follow that it is Immortal and Incorruptible for that which is Immaterial is actus simflex which excludes a composition of Matter and Form not Simflicissimus which excludes the composition ex Ente Essentia or ex Actu Potentia Now concerning those Reasons those Reasons that conduce to prove the Immortality and Spirituality of the Soul I. From the manner of its Operation 1. In the understanding which though it takes its rise from things that pass through the Sense yet it refines them from their Materiality concludes from them things which are not conveyed in by the Senses abstracts riseth to the consideration and apprehension of Spiritual Truths 2. In the Will which is carried to affect a Good that falls not within the reach of Sense controlls and commands the Sensual Appetite takes it off from those things which it pursues as naturally and violently as the hungry Lion doth his Prey and imposeth a Law of Reason upon them 3. From the Conscience that startles at the committing of a horrid Offence though with the greatest secrecy and outward security in the World. Sed de his Latius infra 2. From the Justice of God. It is questionless certain that as God put in the several Instincts and Propensions in the inferior Creatures whereby they are carried to their Ends so there was some Rule given to Man that was answerable to the several dimensions of those Abilities he had above other Creatures viz. Understanding and Will. And questionless as those Propensions are internal to the inferiour Creatures and do not only rule their Actions but also their Inclinations so this Law that was given to Man extended not only to his outward Actions but to those inward Motions of his Soul by the violation of the least part of which Law he incurred a Guilt which is an Obligation to Punishment according to the Penalty of this Law. Now it is impossible that this Justice should be executed considering especially the outward dispensation of things without the Object of this Justice survived his Body 3. From the Wisdom of God who surely gave not his Creature an Understanding that might arrive to know him a Will rationally and ex deliberatione to obey him and yet that all this should die with the Body But who is sufficient for these things Here is the first Eminence then of Man above other things that he carries about him an Immaterial and Immortal Soul which survives his Body and this necessarily concludes that the Good or End or Happiness answerable to this Perfection cannot be either Material or Mortal 1. Not Material because it holds not proportion with that Nature and Receptibility of the Soul. And from hence as it is most rational to conclude that any Object of the Sense can never be that Good that the Soul drives at so it is most evident by two Experiments 1. In the Weariness Nauseousness and unsatisfactoriness of them If a Man had all the Wisdom and Contrivance in the World and the most eager and intense desire after these Objects of Sense or the Sensual Appetite that can be imagined and all those Supplies and Opportunities that might conduce to the filling of these Desires yet in the midst of those Enjoyments he would find a Nauseousness a Satiety a Weariness And that is the reason that voluptuous Men travel from one Pleasure to another Which though they are exquisitely proportionable to that Sense they are framed for yet there is somewhat within which is still empty and craves who cannot relish nor tast those Enjoyments and cries after something that may be more sutable to it and the Man not knowing what that is travels from one thing to another to find somewhat to satisfie that Desire but cannot till he light upon that Good that is Immaterial 2. In that the more Spiritual the Object is the more satisfaction it breeds Hence the Soul doth in effect Spiritualize all that cometh into it by abstractions
and rational deductions And from hence among mere natural Men the Contemplative is the most happy because he fits his Soul with Food in some measure answerable to it And according to the levity or weight vanity or reality of the Object this Enjoyment is diversified 2. Not Mortal or perishing As the want of a proportion between the Immaterial nature of the Soul and Material Objects renders them unpleasing and unsatisfactory to the Soul so if there were a suitableness between their Natures yet if there were a suitableness in their Duration it wants that which is necessarily required to Happiness or an End answerable to the Soul and that upon a double Reason 1. In the Fruition The very Enjoyment of a suitable Good which I am sure must leave me miâ—gles fear and preapprehension of the loss of my present Enjoyment and consequently cannot possibly be Happiness And from hence likewise grows that Vexation which is dipt in the highest Enjoyments every Man in the very Enjoyments hath the present apprehension of an inevitable future loss of them especially in Death which doth take away that possibility of farther uniting of external Objects to Man. 2. In the Loss of it That cannot be a suitable End to an Immortal Being that must be severed from it The Conclusion therefore of this Consideration is that the Wise Maker of Man as he hath made him a living corporeal Creature did put into his hand such a Good as was common with other Creatures which he may justly enjoy so as he furnished him with an Immaterial Immortal Soul he did order that Soul to an End answerable to it self and above other Creatures viz. an Immaterial Immortal Good. And less than this cannot be an End answerable to the Wisdom of the Worker nor value of the Work. 2. Thus concerning the Nature of the Soul now concerning the Faculties whereby it is enabled to move to that End. And these have a threefold use 1. First they serve as fit Receptacles to entertain and be united unto that Good which is the proper End of the Soul and hold some proportion with that Object wherein the Happiness of the Soul consists 2. They serve as Receptacles to receive that Rule or Law which must conduce to that End and therefore they are likewise fitted for that 3. They serve as Helps and Instruments actively to move to that End. these three are seen likewise in inferiour Creatures 1. They have a Receptibility of that Good which is answerable to their Nature 2. A Receptibility of that Instinct which is their Law whereby they are directed to that Good 3. An Activity in them to carry them on to that Good according to that Rule or Propension The two great Affections that every Being is endued with is the Truth of its being and the Goodness of it answerable to those are the two great Faculties or Powers of the Soul the Understanding which is conversant about the former and the Will which is conversant about the latter Yet in the very same Faculties both these are conjoyned under their distinct Notions the Understanding taking into consideration the Truth of that which is propounded as Good and the Will being carried with a desire to the Knowledge of Truth as Good. Now concerning the Vnderstanding it hath a threefold Power 1. A Receptive or Passive Power whereby it takes in those Objects that are conveyed to it by an impression from without whether it be by the ordinary and natural way of the Sense or by a supernatural impression or by artificial means as Speech or Reading or other Signs And thus it receives not only simple Apprehensions but likewise Complex or Propositions Now without this receptive power it were impossible for any knowledge to be in the Soul because our Knowledge is not by Intuition as the Divine Knowledge is but by reception of the thing known into the Soul. And hence it is plain that all Knowledge is extrinsecal to the Soul for though it be apta nata to receive the species or object into it yet without such reception it cannot actually know it 2. A Retentive Power of the Object or Proposition received Without this it were impossible for the Discursive Power of the Understanding to hammer any thing out of it 3. An Active and Discursive Power whereby the Understanding is able to work upon those Objects thus received and retained and deduce Conclusions and Consequences from them So that though the foundation of this intellectual Motion be from those things that are impressed from without upon the Soul yet when they are once there this active and discursive part of the Understanding can draw millions of Conclusions create millions of Mixtures and entia rationis which present not themselves at first to the passive Understanding The Rule whereby this Active Power of the Understanding works is that we call Reason which is but a beam of the Divine Light a part of the Image of God in Man and of singular use in all his Actions if rightly used De hoc infra Now as all Receptive or Passive Powers are perfected by the receipt of the Object which may fill that vacuity which is in the Power and as all Powers are likewise perfected by Acts and Habits so are these Intellectual Powers they have their several Acts and Habits whereby they are perfected and moved 1. Knowledge and this I may call of two kinds 1. Passive Knowledge which answers to the Passive part of the Understanding Such is the Knowledge of Simple Apprehensions which come through the Senses and the Knowledge of Principles and these are of two kinds 1. Such as are per se nota and without any Argumentation are subscribed unto as many Principles in the Mathematicks 2. Such as are inscribed in the Heart of Man by the Maker of Man. Thus without all question at first God did indite his Law in the Heart of Man but this being not essential to the Soul though he retained his Intellectual Soul his Principles of this kind were obliterated and therefore it was the Mercy of God from time to time to inculcate them into Man's Posterity Sed de hoc infra 2. Active or Discursive Knowledge This bottoms it self upon those simple apprehensions that are in the Passive Understanding and upon those Principles that are in the Soul and by purifying things from their materiality abstracting rising from the Effect to the Cause and so downward by the aid of that Light and Rule of Reason which the God of Wisdom hath put into the Soul arrives to those Truths that lie in the Creature as Gold in the Stone beyond the reach of Sense to acquire Now in this respect the Understanding of Man is of vast and boundless Capacity and is capable to receive all the things in the World and nothing that is finite can satisfie it And hence it is that it moves from one thing to another to meet with somewhat that may satisfie the vast Comprehension of it It
is true the higher and more noble the Object is that is known the more delight and satisfaction it gives but yet all is too strait and narrow to satisfie it If it could meet with an Object to which it might be united perfectly and that were large enough to fill it then this Faculty of the Understanding in this act of its Knowledge had its Happiness because it then had found that to which it most naturally moves and wherein it rests Now nothing can do this but the First and infinite Truth My Understanding is as capable of comprehending the whole Earth as it is of a Tennis Ball and could there be a means to unite the Object to my Understanding were as capacious of the comprehension of the Compass of the Heavens as it is of either of the former yet when I had acquired that knowledge I should still have a vacuity which might comprehend a million of Heavens more For my Understanding pares off the bulk of quantity and the vastest body take up no more room in my Understanding than an atome Therefore certainly I conclude that the Wise God that hath put my Understanding into such a motion that it cannot rest in the knowledge of the Creature and is too comprehensive for it hath appointed himself to be the End of my Understanding in this act or habit of Knowledge wherein I shall find an Object infinitely more than answerable to the value worth and comprehension of my Understanding This then is the End and consequently the Rest and Happiness in point of Knowledge to know my Creator 2. Wisdom This is nothing else but sound Reason and though it respect the whole Man yet it principally resides in the Understanding This is diversified according to the different Objects about which it is conversant and accordingly gives the denomination of a Wise Commander a Wise Statesman c. But that which is the adequate Wisdom of a Man denominates him a Wise Man. This consists in three things 1. In the discovery of the true and adequate End of Man. Man hath several particular Ends to which he is ordained though in several degrees and stations and every one of these Ends do and may consist one with the other but that Man that arrives not to the Ultimate and Supream End hath not that Wisdom which is commensurate to the Nature of Man. 2. The discovery of the right Means and Rule to attain to that End. Man as we have said hath several Ends and several Means there are conducible to that End. Conservation of the Compositum is an End common to Man and other Creatures and in order to this he hath several Means conducing to this End as choice of his Diet and moderation in it Securing himself from Injuries and in order to this acquiring of Riches and Power and Friends Settled Societies and Commonwealths and in order to these Policies Laws Trade c. Perpetuating of his kind by Propagation These Ends and those Means when known do denominate a Man Wise though this Wisdom differs in degrees according to the several values of these Ends But any or all of these do not rise to that Wisdom that is the proportionable Wisdom of a Man because these as they are but temporary and die with the Man so they are but extrinsecal and come not up to the value of the Soul. The Wisdom answerble to a Man is that which orders him to his Everlasting and Spiritual End by those Means that are suitable to it 3. The due Prosecution of this End by these Means There are three great Follies in the Actions of Mankind 1. In making that an End of his Actions which in truth is not but only a means in order to something else for instance Riches are in truth nothing but a Means tending to our outward preservation and support against Injuries and Necessities the like of Honour and Power but when a Man shall move towards Riches or Honour or Power to that end that he may be rich or great here is a mistake and a folly in resting in that as the End which in truth is nothing nor of no value but in order to Preservation of it self and of that Society wherein he is and consequently of himself 2. In misapplying Means to that End at which he drives which though the End be right is folly but if the End be mistaken is double folly He that makes Riches his End if he endeavour to attain it by playing at Dice or other unfit Means he misses both his End and Means of it 3. In Prosecution of inferiour Ends immoderately and without subordination to higher Ends. The Wise God hath so ordered all things especially Man with that order and subordination that all his Ends may be prosecuted by all due Means yet one End Means or Prosecution not injurious but rather helpful to another and the want of distinction in our Ends Means and Prosecutions breeds that disorder confusion and folly among men in their actions and Ends. Meat and Drink is necessarily conducible to my preservation I may and by the Law of Nature am bound to use it Wealth and Riches are a means conducible to provision of those supplies and to the propulsion of the injuries of necessity and Men Honour and Power in Civil Societies are conducible to the support and well ordering of that Society which is my defence against the Injuries that I may receive from another man or men All these may be used and all so far from hindering one another in my preservation and outward Felicity that they are all conducible to the same End and not only so but may be consistent with the prosecution of my high and supream End and assisting to me in it when I use them with subordination to it But without this right use of things to their own Ends and with their due Subordination all things prove unuseful and destructive to it self and one to another My eating and drinking turn to Luxury and Excess and become destructive to me and consume that Wealth which should be the provision of my conveniences and my support against Injuries My pursuit of Wealth turns to Covetousness and Sordidness whereby I straiten my self in the supply of my own Conveniences and lay my self open to detestation curses and envy of others whereby it is become the means of my ruine which well dispensed might be the means of my preservation My Honour and Power is turned into vanity and tyranny whereby I become the envy scorn and detestation of that Society wherein consists my outward safety exposing my self to be ruined by the Society whereof I am a Member and the Society to the ruine of others by my improvident managing of my Power And in this inordinate prosecution of any of them without the due subordination of all to my supream End I lose my Happiness miserably mispending the utmost and height of my Endeavours to the attaining of that which is below me and yet lose the
End which may be had by them if pursued with due subordination to my great End. By what hath been premised we see a double difference 1. between bare Knowledge and Wisdom 2. between that Wisdom which is particular and that which is the Supream Wisdom The difference between the two former is 1. In their Object though every Scibile is the Object of Knowledge it is not of Wisdom 2. In the Use Many things are known only that they may be known but Wisdom is in order to Action and Motion to the thing known as profitable or from it as hurtful it is an act of practical Understanding not purely speculative The difference between the two latter that which is particular Wisdom is but temporary subservient principally to the Body subordinate and when it wants its due subordination proves irrational but the other is perpetual because fixed upon a perpetual End principally concerning the Soul supream and simple without mixture of any thing in it below Reason 3. Conscience Which is a high act of the Understanding for as Wisdom looks and moves forward by the right Rule or Principle to the right End so Conscience looks backward and measures the acts and motions of the Soul by these Rules or Principles and consists of three Propositions 1. It doth of necessity presuppose a Rule or Principle given unto Man directing him in his motion to his Supream End. We see all things natural have some Principle Instinct or Law whereby they are carried to their several Ends and Operations That which is in them an Instinct was to Man a Law because being indued with Understanding and Will he was susceptible of a Law which inferiour Creatures were not Now as the interruption of that Law or Rule in Natural things brings an Obliquity and Irregularity in their motions and so diverts them from that End to which otherwise they would arrive so the Violation of this Law or Rule given to Man doth at once subject him to a threefold Mischief 1. A Loss of that End which the regular motion according to that Rule which God gave him would have carried him unto for the Wise God having disposed all things to their Ends hath done it in and according to those ways which he hath prescribed them to move in to those Ends. 2. A Deformity and Vncomeliness contracted by the violation of that Rule When the Creatures came out of God's hands they were Good and Beautiful that Beauty and Goodness consisted in nothing else but a Conformity to the Will of God in their Beings Motions and Ends if any of that Conformity be altered there ariseth presently a Deformity uselesness and uncomeliness in the Creature The same it is with Man he received questionless a Rule to live and move to a most suitable End and conformable to the Will of the First Cause that ordered him to that End as long as he moves conformable to that Rule he moves according to the Will of his Maker to a most suitable End but when once he violates that Rule he contracts a Deformity Ataxy and Uncomeliness by such violation 3. An Obligation to some Positive Punishment annexed to the violation of that Law for let us suppose any Creature wanting Will and Understanding that did notwithstanding not move according to this Rule by this he would most clearly contract the two former viz. Loss and Deformity but where a Law is given to a Creature endued with these Faculties the violation of the Law so given includes in it not only a Privative Offence as I may call it to which a Privative Punishment may be answerable but a Positive Rebellion Rejection and Disobedience to that Duty and Subjection he owes and is enabled to perform to his Maker and therefore it is most just and rational that there should be added as a Sanction to that Law some Positive Penalty to revenge such a violation that as the Obedience to that Rule would carry a Man to a Positive Good so the Disobedience thereunto should be followed with more than a bare privation of that Good. This then is the first Proposition that is laid in the Understanding or Conscience this or that is Commanded to be done or omitted as the Rule or Law given by God to carry me to my supream End and Happiness the violation whereof subjects me to Loss of that Happiness to a Deformity and Discrepance to the Will of my Maker to the Curse or Sanction of that Law. Without the knowledge of this Proposition the great work or act of Conscience is asleep therefore it is necessarily to be presupposed for it is the supream Resolution of all Obligation in the World both of Laws Contracts and Oaths as appears before And according as this Principle is either true or false clear or dubious so are the actings and conclusions of the Conscience true or erroneous quick or dull It concerns us therefore to enquire How these Principles come into the Vnderstanding We find in the Creatures several Instincts incident almost to every Creature which are connatural with it We may observe likewise in Man dispositions and inclinations of several kinds common to whole Nations Climates Families which though they incline the Men to actions and carriages suitable to those several dispositions yet are not Laws or Principles of Nature These Principles therefore of the Divine Law called Natural Principles of Conscience are in the Understanding these ways 1. Supernaturally Thus Almighty God did at first give Man a Copy of his Will shewed to his Understanding and Will commanded him to obey it and this perfect discovery he made at first and when it decayed after the Fall of Man it is evident he did by Divine Inspiration and Revelation reinforce and discover it as appears by the holy History 2. Artificially by Tradition from the first Man to his Posterity and from one Man to another For though the first Man lost much of his Light and Knowledge by the Fall yet he was not without divers of those Principles which God at first shewed him 3. Naturally viz. by the help of Reason and Discourse for although if a Man were bred up from his Infancy without any manner of Instructions it would be very difficult for him to take up of himself any sound Principles of Nature yet I do believe that the Divine Law given to Man hath that Justice and agreeableness to right Reason that when once the motions of Reason had any materials of Observation to work upon it would incline such a Man though weakly to some though not all of those Divine Laws which were first perfectly written in the Heart of the first Man. The Precepts of the Divine Law though they be not congenite with us yet many of them are so rational and hold such a conformity with right Reason that Reason exercised would light upon some of them Hence several Nations that we know not ever to have had correspondence one with another yet agree in many Natural
Instinct though it subjects to a loss and deformity yet it subjects them not to any Guilt but the Rule given to Man was given to a Creature endued with Understanding to know what it was and with Will that might obey it if he would Therefore by the violation thereof Man must needs incur not only a loss of that End which this Rule alone could guide him to but likewise a positive guilt or obligation to such farther punishment as the rebellion of a Creature against his Maker might deserve The Conformity then to this Law necessarily induced two things 1. Beauty in the Creature being conformable to the Will of his Maker which only denominates the Creature beautiful and consisted principally in these three things 1. Knowledge of God and of his Will by the immediate demonstration or inscription of God himself 2. Righteousness or Justice for as the Will of God and Law that proceeds from it is the only ground of all Obligation to any thing under the name of Just so it is the only Rule and Measure of Justice of Man toward God Man and himself 3. Holiness viz. a Conformity of Man's Will and consequently his Actions to the righteous and holy Will of the most Holy God And as this was his Beauty so it was his Happiness initiate and his way to consummate Happiness And as this Conformity to the Law of God produced this Beauty and Happiness in Man so of necessity the violation of this Law must introduce 1. Ataxy and Deformity in the Creature 2. Punishment and that of two kinds 1. Privative punishment whereby he lost what he had or might have had and that is double 1. In reference to his Supream End an irrecoverable loss for the Link is broken the Violation of that Law the exact performance whereof was possible and the only means to attain that End hath cut off that ordination that this Rule had to Manâ— Felicity 2. In reference to the Means The Light of the Understanding is put out or much weakened the Rectitude of the Will disordered and that irrecoverably The Soul continues substantially the same but these extrinsecal adventitious habits in the Understanding and Will are removed And as this Punishment of loss is a natural consequent of this Violation of this righteous and blessed Law so it is inforced with the Sanction of that Law which could do no less in justice than withdraw that Light and that Purity which was but a consequent of that Law that is so unjustly violated 2. Positive Punishment For were it given but as a means to attain another thing a punishment of loss of the End must necessarily follow the violation of that which is the only means to attain that End But Man was endued with Understanding and Will capable of the Knowledge and Observance of a Law a Law framed by the Wise God exactly suitable to those abilities Man had to perform it who gives Rules in all things proportionable to the nature of the thing to which he gives it This Law promulged by the exact inscription thereof in the Understanding who both knew what it was and by whom and for what End given the Violation of this adds Rebellion to the Violation and obligeth ex natura rei to more than a Loss 2. Let us now examine How things stand with the Children of Men in order to the discovery and prosecution and attaining of this supream and great End of his Creation All things in the World besides Man come and keep very near unto the Law of their Creation though some disorder we may find in them The reason is because they move not freely but naturally and the Rules by which they move are Inclinations Qualities and Propensions woven into their very Nature But in Man it is otherwise the Principles especially in his Understanding whereby the whole Man is much steered are extrinsecal and adventitious and so without any essential change in his Nature those Habits or Principles may be lost And let us but examine the temper of Mankind we shall find a general disorder in all his Faculties and want of those Rules which should lead him to his Supream End. 1. In the Vnderstanding We have shewn that Man had not only a vessel receptive of that Light and Knowledge which was his initiate and his way to a consummate Happiness but also had that Lamp of his fitted with that Oyl and Light which though it was not part of his Essence was the high Perfection of that Power or Receptivity But we do now plainly find that take any Man in puris naturalibus he hath scarce so much as a knowledge either what himself is or what his beginning was or what his End is and differs little from the highest degree of Beasts His Understanding and Reason is essential but the matter or furniture of these is wanting The supply of these defects must needs be therefore extrinsecal which is either by Instruction and Information or Tradition from others Thus doubtless much of the Knowledge that is in the World is propagated even from the first Man but this the farther it was from the original it grew weaker and weaker and more corrupted partly through the defects that were in those that propagated it partly through the supineness and negligence of those that received it and partly through the mixtures of the Fancies of Men every Man adding a new piece of his own to what he received and all truths the farther they are from the original grow the more corrupted and by this means a little truth passing through divers hands and receiving almost from every hand some addition and mixture in process of time it hath grown as difficult to sift out those small grains of Truth which were thus communicated in the Ear and crowd of other erroneous addittaments as to retrieve those Truths which the neglect of Men hath in effect lost And as thus some Truths have been discovered and transmitted from Man to Man so by diligent Study and Observation some of those Truths that have been in effect lost since the Creation of Man have been recovered and others that have contracted erroneous superstructions or accessions purged both matters natural and metaphysical This hath been the business of the exacter sort of Men which as it is not without the special Providence of the Almighty so the highest endeavours of Men in this kind hath been still mingled with much darkness and it is seldom that the Wit or Learning of the succeeding Philosopher discovered some Errors of him that preceded him but the same natural imbecility appeared likewise in him in producing some erroneous Opinion which as much deserved an expurgation as that which he before corrected And as this defect in the Understanding is visible in Mankind so it is most visible in that which is the way or rule unto our Supream End viz. Religion that though Men of several Ages and Centuries Nations Dispositions inclinations Educations agree in some common
Principles concerning other matters yet in matters of Religion the differences have ever been wonderful The reason is not only from the defect of our Understanding but likewise from the nature of the Object which falls not easily within the reach of those Mediums whereby the understanding arrives to the attainment of other Truths and therefore stands in need of some extrinsecal help to set him right in this It is true that the great points of Religion viz. the knowledge that there is a God and some things concerning his Essence that he is the Cause of all things that he made all things for his own End and those other things before mentioned may be acquired by the Light of Nature and Reason yet such is the heighth and remoteness of the Subject that it requires much Industry and Consideration to carry us step by step unto this heighth But when we have arrived to this which few attain unto yet there is so much confusion in these Notions and they are so far fetcht that they make not that clear impression upon the Understanding as is fit But admit they did yet we are still to seek what is that Rule whereby to lead us to attain to our great End and this we rove at In the ways of the Children of Men concerning Religion we may observe these Several steps of Ignorance 1. An Ignorance whether there be any God or no This is the grossest Ignorance because it is against the first and most universal Principle for the affirmation of the being of any thing is the first foundation whereupon every Inquiry is built this is Atheism and meer Brutishness 2. When a Man hath once stated that question affirmatively That there is some Superior Power the next question and the next step of Man's Ignorance is concerning the Nature of this God What he is Whether one or more Whether visible and if so What visible c. This though it may by natural Reason be stated very far as appears before and so this Ignorance receive a cure in a great measure yet so far are our Intellectuals darkened in this matter that Men are hardly set right in this And hence grew those strange varieties of Gods in the World this is the cause of Idolatry and Polytheism 3. When a Man is rightly Principle'd concerning God and consequently concludes that he is the Cause of all things the next special question is Whether God hath given to every thing his several End and Rule or Law conducing to that End and consequently Whether he hath appointed to Man any End and Rule conducing to that End different from other Creatures or Whether he be left to do as he pleaseth and not confined by the Will of God to some End and Rule conducing to it the Ignorance of this is the Cause of Supineness Epicurism Impiety and professed Injustice 4. When a Man finding that God is a free and intellectual Agent and sees as he may by natural Reason every thing ordered to a suitable End to his Being and by a suitable Means or Rule conducing to that End and finds a higher degree of being in himself than in other Creatures and consequently an higher End and consequently an higher Rule conducing to that End he doth most naturally resolve this Rule into that Law which by the Will of God is given to Man conducing to that End the Subject of which Rule must be all his Internal and External Actions both in reference to God to himself and to others but here then is the next question and the next degree of Ignorance in Men viz. What that Law or Will of God is concerning Man and from hence grow those Varieties and Errors in Worship of God. And though haply most Men knowing the true God may by the same Light of Nature concur in the general and fundamentals of Worship viz. That God is to be feared with all Reverence loved with all intention obey'd with all sincerity chearfulness and exactness all which are but natural conclusions from the Nature of God the Nature of Man and the Relation that he beareth to God as his Creator Lord and Preserver yet because we know not what that Will of God particularly is we frame several ways and Rules of Worship according as our several Fancies perswade us to be agreeable to that Will which are either unnecessary and superstructive or erroneous and offensive and which is the most dangerous Ingredient conclude both his own way necessary and the other dangerously Erroneous These Defects in the Understanding must needs be the cause of much Error and Obliquity in the whole Man and his Actions And these defects are most clearly visible in the whole World nay in the most knowing Climates Times and Persons thereof In the last part concerning the Worship of God we see several sorts of Men highly opinionated concerning their own particular Way or Worship and most Magisterially condemning the way of others as bad as Paganism when it may fall out and so for the most part it doth that what is superadded beyond the plain and sincere Fear of God Subjection to his Will Thankfulness for his Mercy Belief of the great Means he hath provided for our Salvation and those other grand Principles whereof before and anon are but meer Superstructions of Humane Invention Ignorance Imbecility or Policy and yet made the greatest part of the business and inquiries and differences among Men in matters of this Nature 2. In the Will we find several Defects 1. Those that are consequential to the Ignorance or darkness or impotence of the Understanding whose Decisions doth or should preceed the act of the Will Were the Understanding truly principle'd with the knowledge of God of his Perfection Power and Will with the knowledge of our selves our Nature and the Dependence we have upon him in our being and continuance those practical Conclusions that would most clearly and necessarily arise from these viz. of Love to his Majesty Fear of Offending Care to conform to his Will Dependance upon him Thankfulness to him Contentedness and Chearfulness in him Valuation of the World according to its true Estimate c. would most effectually follow in the Will and those Affections that are subservient to it and consequently in the Life and Actions of Men one Divine Principle soundly and clearly seated in the Understanding would improve it self into infinite practical deductions for the regulation of the Will But where these are wanting the motions of the Will must needs be excentrick But where they are but weakly and doubtfully received in the Understanding the operation of the Understanding upon them is but weak the inclinations in the Will weaker and easily overmatcht with the least difficulty and seldom arrive to action or constancy in the life for according to the measure and intention and clearness of the Conviction of the Understanding concerning any Object the more fruitful rational and powerful are those practical Conclusions deduced from it and
as things stand with Man he hath not this means of his Cure in or from himself but must derive it being now lost from him who at first gave it him the next Enquiry is Whether God hath appointed any Means for the cure of Man's Ignorance Perverseness and Guilt and consequently to lead him to Happiness and what it is wherein we conclude 1. That God in his infinite Wisdom and Goodness hath revealed and conveyed to the Children of Men the Means of their Happiness in several times by several ways and in several degrees in all successions of times 2. That this Discovery and Means of Happiness he hath by the course of his Providence put together and diffused to Man-kind in the Compilation of the Old and New Testament wherein are contained not only the clear Discoveries of things to be Known and Believed conducing to Man's everlasting Happiness but likewise things to be Done and effectual Perswasions for the doing of it 3. That in the Use thereof there are not only the natural Means of discovery of Truths necessary to be known of things to be done and most effectual and powerful Perswasions beyond all other moral Arguments to the Obedience thereof but likewise a strong Concurrence of the Power of God according to his Will subduing the Understanding to believe and the Will to obey 4. That by this Belief of those necessary Truths and Obedience to the Will of God thus revealed Man shall be conducted to his everlasting Happiness which was the great End of his Creation CHAP. VI. 〈◊〉 the Credibility of the Sacred Scriptures THESE things be of easie consequence if once this be clearly proved to be the Word of God for then we argue demonstratively and à priori from the Cause to the Effect viz. Because that whatsoever is the express Word of God himself which is the God of Truth cannot chuse but be infallibly true and beyond all disputation But the question will be upon the Assumption viz Whether this be in truth the Word of God which if once granted all the rest will need no proof The Understanding of Man hath wrought in it a four-fold Assent to every Truth whereunto it assents 1. An Inherent Assent that is of such Principles if any be which are connatural to Man. Thus the Understanding assâ—â—ts not to this Proposition That the Old and New Testament are the Word of God. 2. Knowledge wrought by Demonstration or Scientia per causam Thus though there be many Truths in the Scripture that are demonstrable yet that these Scriptures are the infallible Word of God is not naturally demonstrable 3. Belief which is the taking up of a Truth upon the Testimony of him that asserts it This that it may be firm requires two qualifications First a firm and absolute perswasion That what the Author affirms is trâ— And thus a Man once admitting That this is 〈◊〉 â—ord of God doth most unquestionably believâ— because the truth of the Author is demonstrably unquestionable 2. A firm and clear Assent That this is the Word of that infallible Author And this is wrought only by a secret and immediate work of the Power of God upon the Soul and is as firm Assent if not more firm than Science it self 4. Perswasion or Opinion which riseth upon probable grounds And although this can never arrive to Belief or Knowledge yet according to the strength concurrence and multiplicity of Arguments concurring to the Perswasion it may arrive to the very next degree to Belief or Knowledge Thus it may be firmly concluded That this is the Word of God and the Means which he in his Providence hath appointed to guide Man to the attaining of his last Happiness This Perswasion though it be not Faith it doth prepare the Heart for that high and noble Assent and mighly strengthens it being attained These are in the next place to be considered 1. It doth discover those Truths clearly and satisfactorily which hath perplexed all the Labours and Enquiries of the wisest Men and thereby unriddles and renders easie most of those difficulties and doubts in natural and moral Philosophy which could never or not without strange uncertainty and reluctation be so much as guessed at by them The abstrusest Truths are hardly discovered and found out which is one cause of those several absurd Opinions and Positions which have been invented and imposed by Mens Fancies to make out supply and reconcile those Difficulties which the Ignorance of it may be one Truth doth most necessarily occasion but when that Truth is once discovered it doth most clearly resolve those Difficulties and scatter those Absurdities and procure an easie Assent from that Reason in Man which could not at first easily discover it To consider this in some Particulars In Matters Natural Whence grew all those strange Chimera's concerning the first Matter Its Eternity Its undeterminateness and a thousand disputes Whether it is What it is and all end in nothing but unsatisfactory and unresolving Disputes concerning Eduction of Forms out of the power of it and by what Agent concerning the eternal succession and concatenation of Causes concerning the beginning of Motion especially of the Heavens the endeavouring to reconcile an eternal duration to a successive motion concerning the different activities and qualities of simple Bodies their mutual actings one upon another the cause of the disgregating of the simple Bodies one from another unto that convenient distance and of their concurrence in production of mixt Bodies the production of Creatures especially Man the nature of the Soul the fitting of Objects and Powers in the Senses and Intellect All these and millions of Disputes rise from the ignorance of that Truth which at one view we may with satisfaction read resolved in the First of Genesis and in no Book in the World beside but what hath been borrowed from thence Again Touching the orderly Position of the Creatures The conveniency of one thing to the exigence and necessity of another The moderation and government of things endued with destructive qualities each to other The concurrence of several contingent Causes to the producing of Mutations in States Religion c. as if those contingent Causes had been as it were animated with one Soul or Spirit and the like The observation of these and the like things and the want of true knowledge have put Men to those exigences of invention which resolve them into Fate or Destiny into the power of the Stars into the Law of Nature and yet we are still where we were not knowing What that Fate is What that Order or Power of Heaven is Whence that Law of Nature came or was given But if we look into this Book of God we find all these difficulties extricated we find the preservation of this Order in the Creatures to proceed from and depend upon the Wisdom and Power and Government of an infinite and intellectual Being who whiles his Creature for the most part moves according to the Rule
his Glory by the death of Christ who was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World Man is created in a glorious happy free Estate he hath a Covenant made with him which he may keep or break at his own liberty he is left in his own hands and not necessitated to break that Covenant which he but even now made with his Maker if he had done so the sending of Christ had been needless Man falls now is Christ promised Gen. 3.15 and after confined to the Line of Abraham Gen. 18.18 and after to the Line of David See what a World of Interventions of Accidents and Success interposed between the Promise and the Event the Birth of Christ any one whereof if it had miscarried had disappointed the whole Success When he was born what strange Events happen for the fulfilling of all the Prophecies concerning him So in the fulfilling of the Prophecy made to Abraham that after four hundred years bondage his Posterity should enjoy the Land of Canaan Gen. 15. ver 13 18. What a world of strange Interpositions were there conducing to the fulfilling of it between that and Exod. 12.40 and Joshua 18.1 The Births of Isaac Jacob and the Patriarchs the Dream of Joseph that caus'd envy against him and that very Envy conducing to the fulfilling of his Dream he is sold to the Ishmaelites by them to the Egyptians he is injured and imprisoned Pharaoh's Butler is imprisoned in the same Prison and then dreams this interpreted by Joseph the Butler delivered Pharaoh dreams Joseph is mentioned and interprets it is advanced furnisheth Egypt to be the Magazine of Africa the Famine pincheth Jacob's Family this lead his Sons to Egypt Joseph is discovered Jacob sent for he and his Family sixty six Persons go down into Egypt What a Circle is here of the Divine Counsel managing these seeming Casualties to fulfill that part of the Prophecy to Abraham That his Seed should be Strangers in a Land that was not theirs Well for their Deliverance from thence they must be oppressed that 's not enough the Males must be killed had not this been Moses had not been exposed Pharaoh's Daughter must come just to prevent his drowning and to give the opportunity of a learned Education this was the Instrument of their Deliverance The like we might pursue in the following Passages wherein we may see the Wise God by his Wise Counsel marshalling the Means fitting them most admirably with Circumstances and strange Conjunctures for the fulfilling of his purposed Ends. And herein is the Excellency of the Scripture that shews us a Hand ordering and disposing by a most Wise Counsel these seeming tumultuary and disorderly Passages in the World to most admirable and fixed Ends. This is the first thing wherein the Wisdom of this Counsel of God is seen in chaining all things one to another by the very same purpose whereby he determined the End. 2. That in the disposing of Means and Ends every thing notwithstanding moves according to that Law that he hath given to its particular Being We usually distinguish the actions or successes of things within our observation into three Ranks or Ranges viz. Necessary Voluntary Contingent 1. Necessary Effects are such as their Causes being admitted have a necessary conjunction therewith or consequence thereupon according to the usual course of Nature Such are the Consequences that rise upon the motions of the Heavens as the positions of the Planets the Consequents that arise upon the contiguity or conjunction of the Elements and divers such things that hold a constant course in Nature These although the great God may and sometimes doth interrupt by the extraordinary acts of his Power and to shew his Freedom yet most admirably he doth not hinder but useth them to the production of his own most sure Counsels And this evidenceth the Infinite Wisdom of the great God that hath so admirably framed his Works and his Counsels that while the former move uniformly according to that prescript Rule and Law which the God of Nature hath put into them yet the latter shall not be interrupted but effected by them though they know it not nor mean it not As when we see in a curious Watch the uniform motion of the Spring serving to produce several artificial motions as of the hour of the Day the day of the Month the age of the Moon and the like we commend the Wisdom of the Artist that hath so tempered the Spring that by one uniform motion it may be useful for all these and hath likewise so directed and managed this natural motion of the Spring to serve exactly those different intellectual motions and do conclude that the contrivance of this piece of Work was all at one time otherwise it were impossible that every part should hold that order So when we see the natural motiâ—ns of the Creatures conducing to the production of those rational Ends which God hath appointed we may justly admire the Wisdom of God that while he intends a Purpose above the conception or drift of a natural Agent he bringeth it about without the violation of the Rules or Laws which he hath appointed to be constant in Nature and may most justly conclude That the Law of Necessity in the natural Agents is but the Effect of that â—â—ry Counsel that hath predetermined his own Purpâ—â—â—s by them and that they are all of a piece all laid at the same time And from thence grows the subservience of the natural Agent in the most rigid Law and Rule of his Operation unto the free Counsels of the great God that doth most sweetly and infallibly â—ffect the latter without the violation of that Rule which he hath given to the former And hence it is that those Effects which are produced naturally by natural Causes we do and may call Natural and Necessary and yet it excludes not the Counsel of the Divine Will in the production of it for it is the same Counsel that hath made this necessary connexion between the Cause and the Effect that did predetermine the Effect to be produced Here then is conspicuous the Wisdom of God that while his Creatures in whom he hath placed an uniform Course of Working fulfil his Will yet they keep their Law of Unformity and Necessity 2. Voluntary And this is admirable that whiles Voluntary Agents do most necessarily fulfil the Counsel of God yet they do it without the least diminution of their Freedom The Jews did most freely crucifie Christ yet it was by the predeterminate Counsel of God Pharaoh did most freely refuse to let Israel go yet Almighty God tells him for this purpose had he raised him up to shew his Power upon him Exod. 9.16 And from hence we may observe the reason why Almighty God in all times hath used rational ways for the reducing of Men to the Obedience of his Will not but that he could if he pleased force the Wills of all Mankind to what Dispositions or Actions
comes to his Creator the last and supreme refuge of Man God himself shall write bitter things against him and eternally reject him Here is the Death of Deaths This and much more than this is included in that Sanction Thou shalt surely die And this appears to be a most just and righteous Sanction 3. Thou But we are taught Rom. 5.12 By one Man sin entred into the World and Death by sin so Death passed upon all Men for that all have sinned Here it is inquirable 1. Whether the Guilt of Adam 's sin did extend farther than Adam's Person and by what means or Rule of Justice that came to pass We must conclude in Adam all sinned Rom. 5.19 By one Mans disobedience many were made Sinners and as Sin passed over all so Death passed over all And this the Apostle useth as the Argument of the Universality of sin in the same place and 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all died so in Christ all shall be made alive The sin of Adam was the sin of his Posterity by a double Means 1. For that he contracted with God for him and his Posterity and as in Nature including so in Law personating them all And in this respect Rom. 5.14 he is stiled the Figure of him that was to come As Christ contracted for his Seed by Faith so Adam contracted for his Seed by Nature It is true regularly the personal sin of the Father or of any Person is not charged upon his Posterity Ezek. 18.20 The Soul that sinneth it shall die the Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father conform to that Law of God Deut. 24.16 The Children shall not be put to Death for the Father But yet by way of Covenant or Contract the Child as it may be interessed in the benefit of Obedience may contractively be sharer in the Guilt and Punishment of the Father's disobedience 2. For that by this his offence he contracted a Loss of that natural Disorder and Deformity which he propagated to his Posterity and the Constitution of Adam's posterity after his fall was of the very same Distemper and Corruption that Adam himself had contracted by his Fall. And herein the Case of Adam differed from all Mankind besides The best of men born of Adam hath the very same natural obliquity that the worst of Adam's Children hath and if he traduce his Nature to his Child he traduceth as good as he hath or ever had But that Nature which Adam had and was traducible to his Posterity before his fall though the same essentially which it was after in specie rationali yet by the Will and Dispensation of God had been accompanied with those Qualifications that had put them in the same Degree of Blessedness and Power of conserving it that Adam had So then the Sin of Adam ingaged his Posterity in the Guilt 1. By his personating of them 2. By his traducing Corruption to them hence Gen. 6.5 every imagination of the Heart of Man was only evil continually And as we by this see how Adams sin was the sin of his Posterity so upon the same ground we see the Justice of traducing the Punishment to his Posterity By the Law of Nature and Reason the power of the Father over his Child especially unborn is the most absolute and natural power under God in the World so that even by the Universal Rule among men especially where another Government is not sub-induced he had the power over his Life his Liberty and his Subsistence Man contracts for him and his Posterity in a part of loss and benefit his Posterity had a share in the latter in case of Mans Obedience and it is reason he should bear a part in the former in Case of Disobedience the sin of a publick Person draws a Punishment upon those whom he represents politically as David's sin in numbring the people much more when to the political Representation is added a natural inclusion And thus he visits the iniquity of the Fathers upon the the Children viz. when the Father contracts for him and his Children in a Covenant of benefit and loss as he shews Mercy unto thousands in them that love him the Children of Abraham notwithstanding their own personal Sins had the benefit of that Promise which was made to Abraham because by way of Covenant Gen. 17.2 Further the ingagement of the Creator to his Creature could not be farther than he himself pleased neither could Man or his Posterity challenge any farther degree or perfection of Being than God gave and upon those terms only upon which he gave it If he had resumed it of his own Will from Man or his Posterity after a day or a month Man had had that for which to be thankful in the enjoyment not to murmur in the loss But it was not so here the stock of Blessedness for Man and his Posterity is put into the hands of the Father while he had his Posterity within himself and not only so but put into his hands with a power to keep it for him and his Posterity the Father proves prodigal and spends his stock and if the Child was so he hath none to blame but the immediate Author of his Being This is enough most clearly to interest the Posterity of Adam at least in the Punishment of Loss of Happiness and Immortality and those outward Curses which followed upon Adam's Nature and the Creatures by Adam's Sin. 4. The time In the day thou eatest And this was put in Execution the same day as well as Sentenced the same day Shame and Guilt and Fear fell upon him Gen. 3.10 I heard thy Voice and was afraid because I was naked The same day shut out from the Vision of God and the place of his Happiness Verse 24. the same day set to his work to Till a cursed Ground with Labour and Sorrow Verse 23. So now we have seen Man what he was and what he lost The next thing considerable is How it could come to pass that Man having such a portion of Perfection both in his Faculties and Fruitions could be drawn to commit this Sin upon terms of so great and visible disadvantage to himself and his Posterity Negatively we say it was not any inherent Corruption or Malignancy in the Nature of Man or any defect of what was necessary to his perseverance in his Original righteousness for he was very created good Neither was it any Predetermination that did necessitate him to fall for God as he gave him a Power to obey his Will and a Law wherein to exercise that power did leave him in the hands of his own Will As to suppose him necessitated to obey what God commanded could not stand with Mans Liberty nor with the true Nature of Obedience which doth necessarily suppose an intrinsecal power not to obey so to suppose him constrained to disobey could neither consist with that Liberty nor the Purity or Justice of God God did foresee the fall of
liable to any of those consequences that fell upon Adam or his posterity by Sin because every Affliction of what kind soever is but a return upon the Creature of the Fruit of his obliquity therefore since we have concluded him without Sin he could not be of himself meritoriously obnoxious to any thing that had the Nature of Punishment in it therefore we must conclude that those inconveniences of his Life were Satisfactory It is time those defects of humane Nature which are not only consequents of Sin but have in them the Nature of Sin as disorder of Passions fell not upon Christ but such as were merely consequents of Sin Christ did suffer in his Life he became of no Repuâ—ation and took upon him the form of a Servant Ephes 2.7 Subject to scorns the Carpenters Son Matth. 14.55 a Friend to Publicans and Sinners Math. 11.19 casting out Devils by Beelzebub Matth. 12.24 a Samaritan and having a Devil John 8.48 a Friend to Publicans and Sinners Matth. 11.19 sometimes ready to be stoned John 8.59 had not where to lay his Head Matth. 8.20 and all this meritorious 2 Cor. 8.9 for our sakes became poor that we through his Poverty might be made rich tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil And these Sufferings in the Life of Christ as they were part of his Satisfaction so they are part of our Comfort Heb. 2.18 For that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 4.15 a High Priest touched with the feeling of our Infirmities hence are those passionate Expressions of his Compassion even to his infirm Members Isa 40.11 He shall gather the Lambs with his Arm and carry them in his Bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young Isa 42.3 A bruised Reed shall he not break Isa 63.9 In all their â—fflictions he was Afflicted and the Angel of his Presence saved them Matth. 1.29 Come unto me c. for I am meek and lowly of heart 2. The second great End of Christ's incarnation was that he might fulfil the Law and Will of God as well in the Command as in the Type Matth. 5.19 I came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it For as it was requisite that he should be free from Sin so it was necessary he should fulfil all Righteousness and as the Imputation of our sins unto him is that which cleanseth us from the Guilt of our sin so the imputation of this Righteousness unto us is that which makes our Persons accepted in the sight of God hence he is called The Lord of Righteousness Jer. 23.6 And Christ of God is made unto us Righteousness as well as Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Grace reigned through Righteousness by Christ Jesus Rom. 5.21 and the imputation of this Righteousness is that which perfects our Peace with God Rom. 5.1 By the Righteousness of one the free Gift came upon all to Justification Rom. 5.18 And thus though it were the Righteousness of the humane Nature yet it is called the Righteousness of God by Faith Phil. 3.9 And this Righteousness of Christ was that exact Conformity to the Will of God in which God was well pleased with us as well as him Now it was impossible for any to fulfil that Righteousness which was the Righteousness of a ratâ—onal and humane Nature but he that had a rational and humane Nature as the Righteousness of any thing below the humane Nature bears not a proportion to the Righteousness of a humane Nature such are the Regularities of the sensitive and vegetative Nature so the Righteousness of any Nature above the humane Nature could not be suitable for us Thus the Righteousness of an Angelical Nature is not proportionable to the exigence of our Natures the Law which was given to our Natures cannot square with theirs for that Law was fitted to our whole Compositum therefore it was necessary for Christ to fulfil such a Righteousness as might hold proportion to those for whom it was intended and this could be no other than that Righteousness which must be performed in the Life of an humane Nature 3. The third great work of Christ's Life was for an Instruction and that double 1. Of Example In those several Vertues that are proper for the humane Nature especially in Meekneâ—s Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek In Humility and Obedience â—hil 2.5 Let the same mind be in you as was in Christ who being c. humbled himself and became obedient Forgetfulness of Injuries Colos 3.13 Forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you Patience in suffering 1 Pet. 2.21 For even hereunto are ye called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an Example that ye should follow his Example who when he was reviled c. And this conformity to the Practical part of Christ's Life is called the Mind of Christ 1 Pet. 4.1 The following of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 The Life of Christ 2 Cor. 4.11 That the Life of Christ Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal Flesh The being changed into his Image 2 Cor. 3.18 The growing up into him in all things even to the measure of the Stature of his fulness Ephes 4.13 15. Now this Exemplary Life could not be given us but in our own Nature and yet without it we had been without a most rational means of pleasing God and so arriving at our Happiness the Pattern of the Tabernacle that Moses saw in the Mount was of as great use to him in framing it as the particular Dictamina concerning it 2. Of Doctrin The Will of God concerning man was in effect obliterated Partly by the corruption and decay of our Nature by sin Partly by the just Judgment of God in withdrawing himself and that light which Man had abused And as in the Principles of Truth man became defective so in the Principles of Practice Rom. 1.21 26. God gave them up to vile affections insomuch that among the very Jews who had the very Counsels of God among them the very Principles of their known Laws were adulterated and corrupted Now for this purpose was Christ born as he testifies of himself John 18.37 To this end was I born and for this end came I into the World that I should bear Witness unto the Truth and as he was the Light of the World as he affirms of himself 1 John 8.12 so he was furnisht with a Doctrin from God John 7.16 My Doctrin is not mine but his that sent me John 7.16 and with a Power of delivery beyond the Power of a mere Man John 7.46 Never man spake like this man and Matth. 7.29 He taught as one having Authority and not as the Sâ—ribes And thus we may observe that although the great God could have taught by a Miracle by his absolute power yet he chooseth to reveal his truth to his Creature by means apposite to our Nature the Son of God cloaths himself with Flesh and Blood and teaches Man the
way to his Happiness as one Man teacheth another though we must not exclude that powerful Co-operation of his mighty Spirit that strikes upon our Spirits even when his Word strikes upon our 〈◊〉 And herein the Pharisees spoke truth even against their own Wills Matth. 22.26 Thou teachest the way of God in Truth For God in these last times hath spoken to us by his Son Heb. 1.2 and revealed unto us the whole Counsel and Will of his Father concerning us For he spoke not of himself but the Father which sent him gave him Commandment what he should say John 12.49 And that this Doctrin of his might receive a Testimonial from Heaven it was 〈◊〉 with Miracles and with suffrages from Heaven John 12.30 This Voice came not because of me but 〈◊〉 your sakes Now among divers Particulars of the 〈◊〉 of Christ we may observe these great Master-pieces 1. Instâ—ucting us that there is a higher end for the Sons of Men to arrive unto than temporal Felicity in this Life viz. Blessedness express'd in those several Expressions of his Matth. 5.3 4. c. The Kingdom of Heaven Comfort Fulness sight of God c. And in order to this great Doctrin are those several Doctrines of the Resurrection the last Judgment the Immortality of the Soul truths that the whole World either never knew or had forgotten or doubted 2. Instructing in the true Way to attain this Blessedness teaching us that Righteousness accepted of God consists not in meer outward observations but in the integrity and sincerity of the Heart and hereby rubs off all those false glosses that the formallest of Men had put upon the Law of God teaches that the Love of God is the fulfilling of God's Commandments and the reason is because this Love of God if it be sincere will ingage the whole Man to the exact Observance of what he requires those abstruse practical Truths of Depending upon God's Providence Self-denyal Loving our Enemies Rejoycing in Affliction all flowing from the high Point of the Love of God this is the Law of Christ Gal. 6.2 3. In revealing that which is the only Means to attain the two former even that great Mystery of the Gospel that was hid with God in Christ A Man might rove at the two former though the World had almost lost them both but this latter was a mystery that the Angels themselves knew not 1 Cor. 2.16 Who hath known the Mind of the Lord that he way instruct him But we have the mind of Christ which contains the whole Counsel of God touching Man this is that which Paul calls all the Counsel of God. Acts 20.27 and Truth it self hath given us the Breviary of it John 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day These great Truths of so great Concernment to the Children of Men yet so far remov'd from their Understanding were the third Business of the Life of Christ 7. That Christ bearing the sins of his People did suffer the wrath of God for the Remission of their sins The sufferings of Christ did only befal his Humane Nature for his Divine Nature was impassible yet in respect of that strict union of both Natures in one Person they received a value from that divine and impassible Nature for the union of both Natures in one Person though it did not communicate the Conditions of either Nature to the other did communicate the conditions of either Nature to the same Person as is before shewn This Suffering of Christ had these several Attributions 1 It was a Voluntary Suffering and yet not without a Necessity The Suffering was Voluntary even in respect of his Humane Nature yet Obediential to the Counsel and Purpose of God Matth. 17.21 he must go and suffer Luke 24 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things Acts 2.23 Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God Yet was this most Voluntary in Christ Voluntary in the original undertaking of this Work in that Eternal Susception by the Eternal Word Voluntary in the discharge of that Undertaking in the Humane Nature the Humane Nature of Christ pursuing and following the will of Eternity Luke 12.50 I have a baptism to be baptized withal and how am I straitned till it be accomplished And even when the Humane Nature did according to the Law of Nature shrink from its own dissolution yet he presently corrects that natural Passion John 12.27 Father save me from this hour But for this cause came I to this hour Father glorifie thy Name Matth. 26.39 O my Father if it be pâ—ssible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt whiles his Humanity trembles and startles at the Business he goes about yet his Love to his Church his Obedience to his Father his Faithfulness to his Undertaking breaks through that natural reluctance Now the Voluntariness yet obedience of Christ's suffering both consistent appears Joh. 10.15 1 Joh. 3.16 I lay down my life for my sheep No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self yet Isa 53.6 10. All we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all it pleased the Lord to bruise him when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin Psal 2.7 8. As he made himself of no reputation and humbled himself so he became obedient to death Titus 2.14 He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity yet John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. Again 1 John 4.9 Herein perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Yet Rom. 8.32 He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all 1 John 4.9 God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Psal 40.7 Then said I lo I come yet he came not without a Mission I delight to do thy will O my God. The sum of all then is the Love of God to Mankind was the absolute and original foundation of our Redemption the same act of this Love proposed and undertook the Redemption of Mankind voluntarily and freely in this way contrived by the Eternal Wisdom and Counsel of God The Humane Nature of Christ in exact and voluntary submission unto this Counsel performed it If it had been Voluntary and not in Conformity to the Will of God whose Will could be the only measure of his Satisfaction it could never have been satisfactory And if it had been meerly Passive it could not have been an Obedience which requires a free Submission and Conformity to the Will of him that injoyns without which it could never be meritorious 2. It was a Meritorious and Expiatory Suffering for by that Eternal Covenant between the Father and the Son he was to bear the sins of
known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them 2. The Law pronounced given to the Jews upon Sinai 3. The Gospel of Christ shewing us what is to be believed and what to be done When the great God comes to Judge the World he will judge it according to the several Dispensations of Light Rom. 2.12 For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law There is light enough or neglect enough in the most ignorant Soul in the World to charge with Guilt enough for Condemnation though he never knew of the Law promulgated to the Jew or were bound by it As we there find the division of condemned persons unto such as sin without the Law and under the Law so we find another division 2 Thes 1.8 Taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ This seems to contain these two Rules whereby the Gentiles should be judged 1. Ignorance and want of Fear of God for such to whom the Gospel was not preached this was unexcusable ignorance and disobedience Rom. 1.20 2. Unbelief and Disobedience of the Gospel of Christ And though this be a high Truth that is not discovered by the Light of Nature yet being discovered it is an offence even against the Law of Nature not to believe it because a most high and absolute Truth 3. Not to love it and consequently obey it because the means to attain the most high and absolute Good. And as every Sin is an aversion from the chief Good either to that which is a lesser or no Good so it is impossible but the aversion from the greatest Good must needs be the greatest Sin even by the Rules of sound Reason Both these we find plainly set down John 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him John 3.19 This is the condemnation that light came into the world and men loved darkness rather than light as if he should have said that it is the most reasonable and natural Principle for reasonable Creatures to entertain and obey that Rule which will conduct them to the highest Good and therefore the condemnation of such as neglect is most reasonable and the rather for that this proceeds not originally from Ignorance but from the Perverseness of the Heart in preferring Darkness before Light. So that as Infidelity is the cause of Condemnation John 3.18 So this want of Love of the Light is the great cause of Infidelity And though Man hath put himself in that Condition that he cannot come to Christ or entertain this chiefest Good except the Father draw him John 6.44 Yet this doth neither excuse him from sin or guilt because as in the first Man he willingly contracted this disability so he doth most freely and voluntarily affect it though he sins necessarily in rejecting the Light yet he sins voluntarily Now concerning those several places in holy Scripture that seem to infer the Vniversality of an intended Redemption John 3.17 John 12.47 1 John 2.2 1 Tim. 2.6 1 Tim. 2.4 1 Cor. 15.21 It may be considerable whether the intention of those places be that the Price was sufficient for all the World so that whosoever shall reject the offered Mercy shall never have this excuse that there was not a sufficiency left for him Or whether it be meant that Christ by his Death did fully expiate for all that Original Guilt which was contracted by the Fall of Adam upon all Mankind but for the Actual Offences only of such as believed that so as the voluntary sin of Adam had without the actual consent of his Posterity made them liable to Guilt so the Satisfaction of Christ without any actual application of him should discharge all Mankind from that originally contracted Guilt These disquisitions though fit yet are not necessary to be known it is enough for me to know that if I believe on him I shall not perish but have everlasting Life John 3.16 And that all are invited and none excluded but such as first exclude themselves CHAP. IX Of the Means which God hath appointed to make this Sacrifice of Christ effectual viz. Vnion with Christ and how the same is wrought on God's part 4. WE come to that Means which the Will of God hath appointed to make this Sacrifice Effectual for us God in his Eternal Counsel foreseeing the Fall of Man did from all Eternity covenant that the Eterval Word should take upon him Flesh and should be an all-sufficient Mediator between God and Man and to that End did furnish this Mediator with all things necessary for so great a Work Colos 1.19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all Fulness dwell Fulness of the Godhead Colos 2.9 For in him dwelleth all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily Fulness of Grace John 1.16 For of his Fulness we receive Grace for Grace Fulness of Wisdom and Knowledge Colos 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Fulness of Perfection Ephes 4.13 The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ A Fulness of Life John 1.4 In him was life and the life was the light of men John 5.27 As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself A Fulness of Love Ephes 3.19 And to know the love of Christ passing knowledge All the Promises of God are in him and put into him as into a Treasury and bottomed upon him 2 Cor. 1.20 In whom all the promises of God are yea and Amen And this Plenitude of Christ was therefore in him that from him it might be communicated according to the Exigence of those for whom he was a Mediator for although the Plenitude of the Divine Nature was absolute and no way in reference to the Business of the Mediatorship yet the communication of that Plenitude to Christ as one Mediator was in order to his Office. And this Fulness of Christ was necessary to supply that Emptiness which was in Man by sin He stood in need of a sea of Love to redeem him and Christ was not without riches of Love and Compassion he had lost his Life The day that thou eatest thou shalt die the death and there was as well a Quickning as a Living Life in Christ to revive him Ephes 2.1 Those who were formerly dead in trespasses and sins hath he quickned Colos 3.4 When Christ who is our life shall appear Man had lost the whole Image of his Creator Christ who was the express Image of his Father re-imprints it again by forming himself in us Colos 3.10 Renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Ephes 4.24 Put ye on the New Man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness The nature of Man is corrupted and Christ hath a
in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus Gal. 5.5 For we through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing noâ— uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love 1 Cor. 13.13 Now abideth Faith Hope and Love c. But of these distinctly and how any or all of these do either unite or move us unto Union with our Saviour 1. Faith which is taken in a double sense 1. For that firm and sound Assent of the Mind to Divine Truths wrote by the Spirit of God and so differs little or nothing from supernatural Knowledge and thus Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seen and hath for its Objects all Divine Truths And as Christ dwells in our Hearts by Faith thus taken Ephes 3.17 so other Truths dwell in the Heart by this Faith viz. objectively so that Faith thus taken is more properly an act upon the Soul than an act of it for in our Assent to any Truth our Soul is in truth passive the strength of the Conviction conquers the Soul. 2. For that motion of the Soul whereby it rests casts and adventures it self upon the Promises of God in Christ for Remission and Salvation and so differs from the former in these three respects 1. In the Latitude of its Object it is more restrained than the former 2. In the Order of its Being it is subsequent in the Order of Nature to the former and produced by it 3. In the Manner of its working In the work of supernatural Knowledge or Assent the Soul is passive in this though it be the work of God yet the Soul is more active As the Sun when it shines upon a solid Body doth cause a reflection of his own beaâ—s so when the Light of Grace falls upon the Heart in this special act of Faith as in that or Love there is a reflection from the Soul back to God. And therefore those Expressions of Faith in the Scripture import a motion in the Soul Christ comes into the Soul by his Light and Spirit and the Soul again comes to Christ Joh. 6.45 He that hath learned of the Father cometh unto me As Christ abides in the Heart by the former act of Faith so by this latter the Soul abides and incorporates into him and both these we have joyned together John 15.4 Abide in me and I in you Now this act of the Soul is the most natural result upon the true discovery of a Man 's own Condition God's promise and Christ's mediation unto the Soul. When a Man finds that the Sentence of Death is passed upon him that nevertheless God in infinite Love and Mercy hath sent his Son to be his Satisfaction and Righteousness and hath promised and proclaimed by him and in him and only by him Peace and Reconciliation and that without exception of any person though laden with never so much guilt and sin and without any difficult Conditions Whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 John 6.40 That he is appointed a Sacrifice by him whom we offended John 3.16 God so loved the world c. The Son of God and able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 The most genuine and natural motion of the Soul in such a condition and thus convinced is Trust Affiance and Divolution of the Soul upon this Promise of God in Christ And it is an observable thing how the Wise and Merciful Providence of God hath ordered all things so that we might be even necessitated to the right way of our Salvation and to cast our selves upon it All were concluded under a common guilt by the voluntary offence of Adam Rom. 5.12 And if we could derive our Being from another then we might escape the Guilt and that Guilt brought with it Death in the World both eternal and temporal bound upon us by irreversible Sentence of an omnipotent God. But cannot I by my future obedience emerit this guilt No. What thou doest for the future is but thy Duty and thou canst not out-act it But grant thy future obedience might satisfie for the guilt under which thou liest thou shalt have the Copy of that Rule which I required from thee and once enabled thee to perform Do this and live But be sure thou do it without turning to the right hand or the left with thy whole Might and Mind and Soul without the least aversion and that out of the meer Principle of Love and Duty and Obedience and thy future observance may expiate that original guilt yet our Condition had been still dâ—sperate because as the Obedience was impossible so the least miscarriage had been fatal for cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 So we find an universal Guilt and Curse gone over all and all this discovered to drive us to a Saviour Galat. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under a sin that the promise by the â—aith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe We find a righteous Law given to our Nature but as the Obedience is unsatisfactory for a past Guilt so the Observance is become impossible by reason of our Corruption whereby our disobedience is rather excited than abated Rom. 7.8 When the commandment came sin revived and I died And all this still to drive us to the necessity of a Saviour Rom. 8.12 What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Thus in the midst of all those difficulties a Saviour presents himself with the suffrage of God the attestation of Types and Prophecies with reconciliation of all the difficulties which perplexed our Inquiries with Ability to save to the uttermost with Mercy and Acceptation and Pardon and Righteousness and Happiness offered and proclaimed to all and that upon most unhazardable and easie terms only believe him and trust on him So then Faith is nothing else but that result of dependance upon and confidence in and adherence unto Christ which follows upon the sound Conviction of the Truth of God concerning him It is true the Faith of the Ancients differed much in the distinctness of its acting and object from the Faith which is now required as Abraham's Faith Caleb's Faith c. But in this they both agreed 1. That it was a Confidence and Trusting upon God in that which was revealed unto them by God. The Promises of a Son was made to Abraham and he rested upon God for the performance The Promise of Canaan to the Jews and Caleb and the believing Jews rested upon the Power and Truth of God to perform it So with us God hath promised Mercy
and Happiness to them that believe on Christ the Soul resteth and trusteth in the Truth and Power of God in Christ for it 2. In that the Faith of both had a termination in Christ though theirs more indistinctly and confusedly in respect that the same was not so clearly revealed unto them In that Promise to Abraham In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed wherein the Gospel was preached to Abraham Galat. 3.8 Abraham did see Christ and rejoyced John 8.56 And so for the rest of those ancient Fathers Rom. 10.4 They drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ Now the Effects of Faith are of two kinds 1. In reference to God our Justification God having of his free Goodness exhibited the Righteousness of Christ and his Satisfaction to be theirs that shall truly know it and rest upon it Rom. Chap. 3 4 5 c. Galat. 2.16 2. In reference to us Peace with God Rom. 5.1 In him that is our Peace-maker Humility because the Righteousness whereby we are justified is none of ours Rom. 3.27 Where then is boasting worketh by Love Galat. 5.6 2. Hope is but modally or objectively distinguished from Faith for the same spiritual Life which is wrought in the Soul and brings Light with it when it looks upon Christ with Dependance and Recumbency is called Faith when it looks upon the fulfilling of these Promises yet unfulfilled with Expectation and Assurance is called Hope They are but the actings of the same spiritual Life with diversity only 〈◊〉 to the diversity of Objects Hence they are many times taken for the same thing Heb. 11. 〈◊〉 the substance of things hoped for Ephes 4.4 One Hâ—pe of your calling Galat. 5.5 We through the Spirit wait for the Hope of righteousness by Faith Rom. 8.24 We are saved by Hope 1 Pet. 1.4 Begotten again unto a lively Hope And the Fruit of this Hope must of necessity be Joy Reâ—â—ycing in Hope Rom. 12.12 And such a Joy as at once takes off the vexation sorrow and anxiety that the greatest Affliction in this world can afford and likewise the fixing of the Soul with over much Delight upon any thing that it here enjoys because it looks beyond both upon a Recompence of Reward that allays the bitterness of the greatest Affliction 2 Cor. 4.17 18. Heb. 11. and allays the Delight of the greatest temporal Enjoyment Heb. 11.26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt Purifies the Heart John 3.3 He that hath this hope purgeth himself even as he is pure that is winds up his Heart to such a Condition as is suitable to his Expectation 3. Love This is that first and great Commandment Deut. 6.5 Matth. 22.37 And therefore is the fulfilling of the whole Law Galat. 5.14 Rom. 13.8 Because it puts the only true and active Principle in the Heart which carries him to all true Obedience It is the highest Grace 1 Cor. 13.13 And that wherein consisâ—ed the Perfection of Humane and Angelical Nature because it was not only his Duty but his Happiness It was his Duty because the chiefest Good deserved his chiefest Love even out of a Principle of Nature and his Happiness because in this regular motion of the Creature to his Creator God was pleased to exibit himself to his Creature and according to the measure of his Love was the measure of his Fruition And in the Restitution of his Creature God is pleased to restore this quality to the Soul Gal. 5.22 The first fruit of the Spirit is Love 2 Tim. 1.7 The Spirit of Love 1 Tim. 1.14 with Faith and Love 2 Thes 2.10 receiving the Love of the Truth Ephes 4.15 speaking the truth in Love Jude 21. keep your selves in the Love of God now this Love is wrought by a double means 1. By the Knowledge of God as he is the Best and Universal Good and therefore it is impossible that there can be the true Knowledge of God but there must be the true Love of God 1 John 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God And this is an Act grounded upon a rational Judgment which even by the very Law and Rule of Nature teacheth us to value and esteem that most which is the greatest Good. 2. By the Knowledge of the Love of God to us The absolute Goodness of God deserves our Love but the communication of his Goodness to his Creature commands it The former doth most immediately work upon our Judgment and so is a love of Apprehension the latter upon our Wills and so is a love of Affection and yet both upon right Reason for as the Law of Nature teacheth us to love the Chiefest Good so the same Law of Nature teacheth us to love those most that do us most Good and consequently love us most Now when God by his Spirit sheds abroad his Love into the Heart and we once come to know the Love of Christ passing Knowledge Ephes 3.19 The Soul even out of a natural ingenuity being rescued by the Spirit of God from that malignity that sin and corruption had wrought in it cannot chuse but return to God again that hath done so much for so undeserving a Creature And therefore this was the great Wisdom and Goodness of God in sending Christ in the Flesh to die for us when we were Enemies and in revealing that Goodness of his therein that in a way proportionable to the conception and operation of our Souls we might understand the greatness of his Love to us 1 John 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God 1 John 4.9 In this was manifested the love of God Ephes 2.4 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead c. God commandeth his love to us c. All which being brought to a Soul that hath life in him must needs work Love to God again 1 John 4.19 We love him becâ—use he loved us first As it is the Love of God that gives us Power to love him for it is the first cause of our Happiness and consequently of our Love to God wherein consists our Happiness so it is the immediate cause of our Love to him When the Soul is convinced of so much Love from so great a God to so poor a Creature in very Ingenuity and Gratitude it cannot chuse but return an humble and hearty Love to his Creator again Methinks the Soul in the contemplation of the Goodness and Love of God might bespeak it self to this effect So immense and infinite is the Goodness and Beauty of thy God that were thy Being possible to be independent upon him he would deserve the most boundless and infinite motion of thy Love unto him But here is yet farther infinitude added to an infinitude he gave thee thy Being from nothing which was an infinite act of his Goodness and Power unto thee and doth and may justly challenge the highest tribute of Love
and Glory that thy Being can return unto him But had he given thee a simple Being thy Debt had not been so great so have the most unaccomplisht Creatures But thy Being was dressed with an Intellectual Nature and that Nature furnished with Fruition of Happiness filling the uttermost extent of its Capacity and that Happiness guarded with such a Law as was suitable to that Nature full of Beauty and Order in the obedience whereof thou didst at once perform thy Duty and improve thy Felicity But thou rejectedst all this and becamest a Rebel to thy God and a ruine to thy self and thou hast improved thy ruine and rebellion by a voluntary rejection of thy Duty and thy Happiness until this hour And what canst thou expect but a just return of an infinite Vengeance from an omnipotent injured Creator for so ungrateful a breach of an infinite Obligation But consider what thy Lord hath done for thee for all this and stay thy self and wonder Thy Lord proclaims Return thou backsliding Soul and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you Jer. 12. Hadst thou offended thine Equal for thy offended Equal to have solicited thy Reconciliation had deserved Acceptation and Love But for the infinite God to whom thou owest an infinite Duty and hast violated it who is able to annihilate thee and can receive no advantage by thy return to solicit it with an offer of a Reprieve nay of a Pardon But here 's not all our Deliverance from the Wrath of God is wonder enough Let me now be as one of my Father's hired Servants No there is more yet 1 John 3.1 Behold what manner of love he is content to accept of us as Sons But what must the Price be of so great a Change or who shall give it Thy Lord whom thou hast thus injured hath paid the Price of thy Redemption and such a Price as Heaven and Earth may wonder at the mention of it The Son of God lays down his Life for his Rebels Pardon and Assumption into a Partnership with him in his own Kingdom But thou art not for all this at the End of thy Debt this Price is rendred to thee upon easie terms Believe and live and this Life accompanied with infinite Advantages even Communion with this Creator But yet like the murmuring Israelite thou wilt die with the Manna between thy Teeth unless God who hath given thee such a Price of thy Redemption enable thee to receive him He sends his Spirit into thy Heart with Light and Life to strive with thy unbelieving Heart and to subdue it and to cleanse thy filthy and polluted Heart to bring Redemption into thy Heart and to solicite perswade importune thy Heart to receive him for thy own Good. What remains then but that thou shouldest ever admire that Love that hath done all this for thee that thou shouldest in all humility and humble reverence return love to thy Lord and magnifie his condescension that he is pleased to accept the Love of his poor Creature that thou study not to grieve the Spirit of that God that hath taken this pains and care with thee for thy good not to crucifie again that Christ that hath died for thee that thou labour to find out what is the Will of thy Lord and to obey it and to walk in love as Christ also loved us and hath given himself for us Ephes 5.2 Now according to the measure of the true Knowledge of God and of his Love in Christ is the measure of our Love to him and as that Knowledge is the immediate cause of its production so it must of necessity be the measure of its Degree And although both the knowledge of his Absolute Goodness which excites the love of Desire and the knowledge of his Benefactoriness to us which increaseth the love of Gratitude or Benevolence are mingled in every Soul that truly loves God yet according to the different degrees of the discoveries of either to the Soul so are the different manners of their working upon the Soul. The knowledge of the Perfection and Absolute Goodness of God is more suitable to an Angelical Nature and therefore produceth an high Angelical and Intellectual Love for this Love begins with the Judgment But because our Nature as it now stands as it arrives seldom to such a Knowledge so seldom to such a Love and that Love which comes into the Heart meerly upon such Contemplations is weak mingled with Servile Fear unactive because the Knowledge like the Sun in a Cloud shines dim and the Heat proves waterish and weak But the knowledge of the Goodness of God to us as it draws the Goodness of God nearer to us in Sense so it strikes more our Affections which God hath placed in us for this End. And this was the motive of Love and consequently of Obedience both under the Law and under the Gospel though the Expressions of that Love under the Law had more in them of Sense and under the Gospel more of Spirit Deut. 30.20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God and obey his voice and cleave unto him for he is thy life and the length of thy days c. Luk. 7.47 Her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much Christ argues from the measure of her Love to the measure of God's Goodness to her and her Sense of it And here we have the true Principle of all true Obedience to God The bare External act of any thing commanded by God unless it move from a Heart or Principle conformable to the Will of God is no Obedience for all External actions taking them divided from the Will they are all of one kind and nature The very same act proceeding from a Soul differently principled may be an act of Obedience viz. when proceeding from an obedient loving Heart an act of compulsion when proceeding from a bare servile Heart a bruitish act when it proceeds from a Soul not moved with any Consideration and an act of malignity against God when done out of a malicious cunning design Some even preached the Gospel for Envy Phil. 1.16 So then as the Knowledge of the Goodness and Love of God to us is the immediate cause of the return of our Love to God so this love of the Soul unto God is the true and immediate Principle of all true Obedience unto God Now these are the genuine and natural Effects of Love to God 1. It makes a Man to make God and his Honour and Glory the highest and supream End of all his actions And this must needs be so in Reason For as the great End of all the works of God are his own Honour so where there is true Love to God it cannot chuse but make the Soul value that most which God most values As he must needs be convinced in his Judgment that that which God makes his End must needs be the chief End of the Creatures actions so where this Affection is it
image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 We put on the new Man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Colos 3.10 And we were predestinate to be conformable to his image Rom. 8.29 5. This Love of God breeds in us an undervaluing of all things in comparison of him And this is a natural effect of Love for according to the measure of our Love is the measure of the Estimate of the things loved If God be the choicest and chiefest Object of our Love it will like Moses his Rod devour and confound the rest especially when they come in competition with it If we have disorderly Passions and Affections and Lusts This Love of God will mortifie them for Christ is our Life Mortifie therefore your earthly members c. Colos 3.4 5. It will crucifie the flesh with the Affections and Lusts Galat. 5.24 I will pull out a right Eye and cut off a right Hand if it offend Matth. 5.24 I will teach a Man to hate his Mother Wife Children Brothers Sisters yea his own Life when it comes in competition with his Saviour Luk. 14.26 To esteem his outward Privileges Learning Reputation c. and all things but loss and dung for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Philip. 3.8 nay the best of our Obedience Prayers Righteousness It makes this humble Confession O Lord I owe unto thee the strength of my Soul and when I have paid it I am but an unprofitable Servant Thy Goodness to me is none of thy debt to thy Creature but my most exquisite and perfect Obedience is due to thee And behold I have brought before thee these Services what there is in them worth the accepting is thy own the work of thine own Spirit the purchace of thine own Blood the rest alas is mine and is an Object rather for thy Mercy to pardon than thy Justice to accept 6. It works true Sorrow for any sin committed for as it cannot chuse but be sensible as of any injury committed to the God he loves so most especially of such an injury as is done by himself 7. The Love of God is the only true Principle of all Obedience Faith works by Love Ephes 5.6 And Christ died not only to redeem us from our Iniquities but to purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 And we are created in Christ unto good Works Ephes 2.10 And this is the will of God your Father eve◠your sanctification 1 Thes 4.3 And it is as impossible that where the true Love of God is these can be wanting as it is for the Sun to be without his Light. The Love of Christ is a constraining Love 2 Cor. 5.14 And he died for all that they that live should not from henceforth live to themselves but to him that died for them and rose again Our Obedience to Christ is the true Experiment of our Love to him John 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandments 1 John 2.3 So our Love is the only true Principle of our Obedience Deuteronom 6.4 and 10.12 And now O Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God and to walk in his ways and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul. The Love of God cannot be without his Fear and Obedience Now the Qualifications arising from this Love will be 1. A Sincere Obedience because it proceeds from a Principle within for the Obedience is formed in the Heart before it is formed in the Action Love cannot be dissembled because its residence is in the Soul the action that proceeds from Love must needs be therefore sincere 2. A Perpetual Obedience because the Principle within is perpetual and increasing for the more a Man loves God the more God is pleased to discover his Goodness to him and consequently his Love increaseth and consequently his Obedience 3. Vniversal Obedience for it is the same Principle within that looks universally upon all The Obedience is upon this ground It is the Will and the Command of him whom I love that ingageth my Obedience and wheresoever I find that impression there is my ground If the thing commanded be more unsuitable to my Constitution Occasions Exigencies yet it hath the Impression of my Lord upon it I will by his strength and Grace obey it If I love him his Will and not my own must be the measure of my Obedience And this is the reason why the breach of one Command of God knowingly is the breach of all because if my Obedience to the rest had been rightly principled upon the Love of God the same Love would have ingaged me to the obedience of this my Obedience therefore to the rest is not Obedience but a Pretence or Shew Some Commandments of God do include in them a greater suitableness to the Rational Nature of Man than others such are the Laws of Nature the Decalogue some are such Commands as seem only to be Experiments of our Obedience such were the Ceremonial Commands the Command to Abraham to sacrifice his Son to the Young Man to sell all he had But where this true Principle of the Love of God is there will follow Obedience to both though the more hard the Command the greater measure of Love to God is required to a full performance of it It teaches Obedience where the thing commanded is of it self full of Beauty as all Moral Commands are because but the Abstract of his Image and it teacheth to obey where the Command seems to carry nothing in it but asperity and unusefulness for it hath made the Will of God the measure of its own Will. Now concerning the Subject of our Obedience how far it extends and what the Rule of it is vide infra CHAP. XI Why or by what reason the act of Faith worketh our Vnion with Christ and so our Justification in the sight of God. HITHERTO we have seen those motions of God to his Creature and the motion of the Creature unto God again and both these must needs end in Union and this Union can be no otherwise than in the Son in whom the Divine and Humane Nature were united in one Person in whom the distance and difference between God and Man were filled up and reconciled And by virtue of our Union with him as our sins are made as it were his in point of Imputation and Satisfaction so we have all that communicable 〈◊〉 that was in Christ his Righteousness Phil. 3.9 the Righteousness which is of God by Faith his Life Galat. 2 2◠his Death Galat. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ his Spirit Rom. 8.9 his Resurrection 〈◊〉 2.6 hath raised us up together and made us sit 〈…〉 him in heavenly places Colos 2.12 Buried 〈…〉 Baptism wherein also ye are risen with him through the Faith of the operation of God of his Sonship
Corruption and the concurrence of the Prince of the Air it becomes our Misleader being filled with Errors and mistakings or our Tormentor being filled with horror and desperation and it is the great work of God in our renovation to restore the Conscience to his primitive office and place by taking away the guilt of sin which kept the Conscience in a continual storm Heb. 10.2.22 and by purging the Conscience from the pollutions and corruptions of sin Heb. 9.14 purging the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 3 In the Will there is irregularity upon a double ground 1. By reason of that Corruption that is in the Understanding for the prosecution or aversation of the Will are much qualified and ruled according to the Light that is in the Understanding and if that Light be Darkness and Error then there must necessarily follow a miscarriage in the Will. 2. By reason of that Captivity that is in the Will unto the Law of Sin and of the Flesh God gave unto Man a righteous Law which was to be the Law and Rule of his Mind and Will and while it was conformable to this it was conformable to the Will of God and so beautiful and regular But in stead thereof there is a Law of Sin and Death Rom. 8.2 Rom. 7.21 and this Law subdues the Law of the Mind and brings the Soul into captivity to the Law of Sin Rom. 7.23 And the Will being thus captivated is made carnal and filled with enmity against God and that Law which he once planted in us to be the Rule of our Will so that it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8.7 nay the Will is so much mastered and possessed by this Old Man and his Law that when it meets with the Law of God coming into the Soul it takes occasion thereby to work in the Soul all manner of Concupiscence Rom. 7.6 out of malice and policy to make that Law which comes to rescue the Soul more odious to the Soul and the Soul to it as Conquerours use to introduce Laws Customs and Languages of their own the more to estrange the conquered from any memory of their former duty or freedoms And when Christ comes into the Soul he rescues the Will from this Captivity and from the Dominion of Sin though not from the Inherence and Residence of it and doth by degrees waste and diminish that very inherence of sin Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have Dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace and plants and supports another Law in us even the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ which maketh us free from the Law of Sin and of Death Rom. 8.2 4. In the Affections The great and master Affection of our Soul is our Love and all other Affections are derived from it and in order to it Our Hatred of any thing is because it is contrary and destructive to what we love our Fear of any thing is because it would rob us of what we love our Grief for any thing is because it hath deprived us of what we love And according to the measure of our Love is the measure of our other Affections an intense Love unto any thing makes our Hatred of its contrary equally intense and so for the other Affections In our original Creation our Love was rightly placed upon God the only deserver of our Love and our Love was rightly qualified it was a most intense Love The Law and Command of God Deut. 6.5 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy might was but the Copy of that Law that was written in our Nature And our Love thus rightly placed and rightly qualified did tutor all the rest of our Passions and Affections both in their objects and degrees It taught us to hate Sin and that with a perfect hatred because contrary to the Mind of that God whom we did perfectly love and it taught us to hate nothing else but Sin because nothing but that had a contrariety unto God. But when we fell our Love lost its object and all the Affections thereby became misplaced and disordered And though we lost the object of this Affection yet we lost not the Affection it self our Love therefore having lost his guide wanders after something else and takes up our selves and makes that the object of our Love. But as our Love is misplaced in respect of its object so it mistakes in its pursuit of that object no Man can truly love himself that doth not truly love God because the true effect of Love is to do all the Good it can to the thing it loves Now the chiefest Good to our selves is only our Conformity unto God's Will and consequently our Love to him wherein consists our Happiness But it is no marvel that having forsaken the true object of our Love and chosen our selves to be that object we are likewise mistaken in the seeking of our own Good Rom. 1.26 Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the Creature more than the Creator For this cause God gave them up to vile affections Now every man that terminates his Love upon himself serves and worships himself And now that order which God planted being broken it is no wonder that all confusion and disorder falls among our Affections And now our Love being misplaced all the rest of our Affections are likewise misplaced and out of order Now the right frame of our Love and consequently the corruption of it consists in three things 1. In the ultimate Object of our Love it ought to be settled upon God and upon him only 2. In the Order of our Love it ought to be set upon God and upon him first and all other things may be loved but yet in him and after him 3. In the Degree of our Love our chiefest and most intense Love must be set upon God and upon him only And these are most rational and natural Conclusions as appears before Now the Old Man in our Affections consists in the absence and deprivation of this Order that God hath set 1. The deprivation of the first when either we love not God at all or which is all one when we make him not the Ultimate Object of our Love but love him meerly in reference to our selves the consequence whereof is that if God be not in all things subservient to those things we conceive most conducible to our own good we disobey him we murmure against him we blaspheme him we hate him If the basest Lust Pleasure Content come in competition with his Command it shall conquer it because we have made our selves our Ultimate and Chief End and therefore shall certainly prefer any thing that we think most conducible to this End. And certainly he that makes himself his Ultimate End and the chief object of his Love cannot chuse but fail in
so high and so proud because he is full of that which he makes his End he is full of himself In the Sensual Appetite This Motion or Faculty was planted in Nature by the God of Nature and is of it self good when it keeps within those bounds and in that subordination in which it was originally placed by the God of Nature and Order For it is the natural inclination and motion of Nature to its own preservation and perpetuity But our contracted Corruption hath put this out of its Place and out of its Order and out of its End. The rational part of Man being become weak and out of frame this that was placed in subordination to it hath got the mastery of it and so carries Man to all excess of Riot and Luxury The strength of the motion of the Sensual Appetite to its Objects and that Delight that by the Goodness and Wisdom of God was planted in the fruition of its Object was not for its own sake or the end of this motion but a wise dispensation of God to carry the humane Nature to its own preservation But Corruption in Man hath made that very Delight to be the end of its motion and therefore pursues that though it be to the ruine and distemper of his Nature The very Beasts that have not reason to rule them do instruct us in this very decay of our integrity For although they have no higher Guide than that Law and Instinct which God implanted in their Nature and although they have the same Delight in the fruition of their sensitive Objects as Man hath yet they seldom or never pursue their Appetites beyond the convenience of the preservation of themselves and their Species But it is visibly otherwise with Men and from hence is that excess in eating drinking sleep and other sensitive inclinations because they pursue not that End for which it was given but the very pleasing and satisfaction of the Appetite it self So then the Old Man in the Sensual Appetite consists 1. In the want of that Subjection and Subordination of it to the reasonable part which should direct moderate and restrain it according as may be most useful for that better part of Man so that now this power is out of its place 2. In that Exorbitancy and Extravagancy of it whereby it runs to Excess and so it hath lost its End viz. the motion to the preservation of Nature It is true God hath given to the Sons of Men in respect of these sensual things Objects not only of necessity but delight But here is our misery as well as our sin That either we rest not in what God lawfully allows 2 Sam. 12.8 God gives to David a full measure of temporal Comforts and Delights and if that had been too little he would have given him more yet David with Adam must needs be tasting the forbidden Fruit or in case we go no farther in the Object of our pursuit we go beyond it in the measure of our pursuits resting in the enjoyments of them as of our chiefest Felicity forgetting the God that gives them and those inquiries and pursuits that are of a higher Value and Concernment and which is the highest degree of vileness of our Hearts even by those outward Blessings he gives us we learn to admit his enemy into our Hearts to shut him out of it and to fortifie it against him And from hence it is that the God of Mercy curseth and that most justly his own Blessings unto that Man that thus perverts the use of them Wine rejoyceth the Heart of Man as it was given for that purpose But when a Man in the use of it looks no higher but to satiate himself there is a sting put into it and it proves a Serpent Prov. 23.32 CHAP. XIV How the Old Man is to be put off and 1. by Repentance THUS far concerning the Old Man the corruption of our Nature Now we consider How he is to be put off This putting off the Old Man looks backward and that is Repentance forward and that is Mortification The order of God's dispensation to a particular Man in bringing him to his great and supream End holds a proportion with his dispensation to mankind since the Fall from the time of the Fall of Man till the giving of the Law is like the first Condition of our corrupted Nature without God in the World Then he gave them his Law thereby to shew them what they should be and what they are for the Rule is not only the discovery of it self but of that crookedness and irregularity which is in the deviation from it Man having now the opportunity of discovery of the defects and consequently unhappiness of his own Condition he sends the Baptist to call him to repentance and then discovers unto him the means of his recovery Thus after our wandring in our corruptions God is pleased to shew us our Condition what it is and what it should be by the sight of his Law and that doth naturally breed a dislike of those ways which lead to so unhappy an End. The grounds and way of Repentance are 1. A sound Conviction of the Understanding concerning our natural ways and Conditions 1. That they are Irregular Deformed and Crooked ways God gave to Man a Righteous Law and the Conformity to it was Man's Happiness and Perfection for the Goodness which was the Perfection of all created Beings consisted in their Conformity to the particular Will of God concerning the Creature That Will concerning Man was the Law of God. This Law God hath again new copied out that Man may as well measure himself by it what he is and hath been as guide himself to what he should be 2. The consequence of this therefore is that those ways of his are Vnprofitable and Fruitless and therefore are they called the Vnfruitful works of Darkness and not only Unfruitful but Deadly What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end of those things is Death And this must most necessarily follow upon the former for if the Conformity to the Will of God be the Perfection and Blessedness of the Creature the Violation of that Will must needs be both unprofitable and miserable for Man is out of his way to his Perfection and therefore must necessarily meet with nothing but Vanity and Misery God that hath measured out to every thing his Being and the measure of his Perfection hath likewise chalked out the way of attaining it which if a Man miss he can never attain that End. And upon this Conviction of the Irregularity Unprofitableness and Dangerousness of his corrupted ways and condition doth naturally follow such thoughts as these I find God did make me a glorious Creature fitted to partake of a higher degree of Blessedness than the inferiour Creatures I find likewise that he gave me a most Just and Reasonable Law which was the way to lead unto it I see that
so much of the Creatures inferiour to my self as observe the Law of their Creation enjoy a measure of Perfection answerable to their Being and if interrupted in that law of their Nature they lose their Beauty if not their Being The degree of my Being was higher than theirs and so was consequently the End of my Being my Happiness of a higher Constitution than theirs And as my Debt was greater to my Creator for allowing me so high an End so was my ability proportionable to the pursuit and attaining of that End which was thus given to me But what have I been doing all this while I have measured my Heart by that great Law Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and I have found my Heart full of the love of the World of Pleasures of Vanities but scarce a thought bestowed on him that gave me Power to think and which is worse my Heart hath held confederacy with all that he hath forbidden insomuch that I may justly conclude that surely nothing but a Heart hating God could so constantly and universally oppose his Will I have measured my Life by the Law of God and I can scarcely find one regular action in it my Heart hath not been so out of frame but it hath still found a full subservience of my whole Man unto it and that with greediness and yet I find all this unsatisfactory and I have cause to fear that is not all Sense doth tell me that in the pursuit of the ways of my Heart I spend my self for that which is not Bread and my labour for that which profiteth not I find no fulness in them but much vexation And Reason as well as Conscience tells me it will be bitterness in the end and the end is death I cannot but know that the great Lord of all Being hath measured out to all his Creatures their Beings and their Happiness suitable to their Beings and their Ways and Rules and Laws to attain their Happiness and if all this while I have been out of that Way I am travelling to another End If in the way of God I should have found Life and everlasting Life for my End out of that Way my End must be Death If I were now to begin my Life I should order it better Though I cannot expiate what is past yet my Soul looks upon it with Sorrow with Indignation with Amazement This is the first degree 2. That they are Vnbecoming Vngrateful and Vndutiful Returns It is implanted even in the sensitive Nature to return good for good We have received all the Good from the hands of that God against whom the practice of our Hearts and Lives hath been a continual Rebellion and upon this Consideration natural Ingenuity works a Shame in the Soul and a secret Condemnation and some kind of loathing so Ungrateful and Undutiful a Constitution 3. But hitherto the Soul looks only backward and these Considerations though they are enough to breed Shame and Despair in the Soul yet they are not strong enough to work Repentance because in those Considerations the Soul looks upon it self in an unexpiable and irrecoverable Condition The amendment will prove fruitless where the former guilt is irreversible and yet enough to sink the Soul Therefore the third Conviction is of the love of God that hath provided a means of pardon and acceptation when a Man throughly convinced of the unprofitableness and desperateness of his actions and condition his extream Ingratitude unto God shall for all this hear a voice after all those things Return back thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful and will not keep mine anger for ever only acknowledge thine iniquity Jer. 3.12 13. This conquers the Soul not only into a dislike of sin past as dangerous and unprofitable but unto a hatred of it and of our selves for it as the enemy to such an invincible Love. The Consideration of our ways past and comparing them with the Law will enforce the Conscience to condemn them but it must be the sense of the Love and Goodness of God in Christ that can only incline us to change them as by the former he concludes his ways dangerous and unprofitable so without the latter he will conclude his Repentance unuseful And hereupon the Soul is cast into such Expressions as these O Lord I have been considering the present temper of my Heart and reviewed the course of my Life and have compared them with the Duty I owe unto thee and the Law which thou gavest me to be the Rule of that Duty and I find my heart and ways infinitely disproportionable to that Rule and thereby I conclude my self a most ungrateful and a miserable Creature But though I have sinned away that stock of Grace and Blessedness with which I was once intrusted by thee I find I have not out-sinned that Fountain of Goodness and Mercy that is in thee even whiles the sight and sense of my own Condition bids me despair either of repenting or acceptation of it yet I hear the voice of that Majesty which I have injured bids me Return and live Ezek. 18.32 Were there no acceptance of my turning from those ways of death and destruction yet it were my duty and though thy Justice might justly reject it yet it might justly require it But yet when thy merciful and free Promise shall crown my Repentance with Acceptation and Life This Love constrains beyond the sense of my own misery And when I hear the voice of my Lord calling to me to return and I will heal your backslidings that Love warms my Heart into that answer Behold I will come unto thee for thou art the Lord my God Jer 3.22 But who can come unto thee unless thou draw him send therefore thy Power along with thy Command for it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth Turn me and I shall be turned I will engage the uttermost of my strength to forsake my ways but I will still wait upon the same Mercy that did invite me to enable me to forsake them By that which preceeds we see a double Repentance 1. That which is Preparatory unto the receiving of Christ which is nothing else but a sense of the unhappiness and evil of our ways as destructive unto our Happiness and dissonant from that Rule of Righteousness which we cannot but naturally subscribe to be Just and Good and this doth naturally breed a Sorrow for what hath been so done and a Purpose and Inclination of Heart to forsake those ways And this was the work of the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord his Doctrine was a Doctrine of Repentance and his Baptism a Baptism of Repentance a Seal of the Entertainment of that Doctrine to as many as received it Matth. 3.2 Luk. 3.16 Acts 19.4 2. That which is Subsequent to that entertainment of Christ in the Heart by Faith which is the sense of
will discriminate between the Man and his Fault and whiles it is angry with the Man yet it hates him not it will hate the Injustice of the Man and destroy that but not the Man it may be he hates me without a cause his Fault cannot justifie mine God hath given him a Being and is the only Lord of it and that Being of his is good and deserves my Love to preserve it his offence is the only object of my hatred and cannot give me a Commission to destroy the Subject It is true that in order to my preservation I may do such a thing as may be prejudicial to him that hates me with such moderation that the evil I do him must not exceed the evil that otherwise I might suffer by him for this is agreeable to right Reason But this must be without the least grain of Revenge so much as in my thought For all Revenge hath in it somewhat of Irregularity The great God to whom Vengeance alone belongs Rom 12.19 that is absolute Lord of his Creature and therefore can owe him nothing yet punisheth not by way of Revenge as a party injured but by way of Justice as the supream Judge that inflicted that Penalty that was annexed to his righteous Law when he gave it Nothing that one Creature could do to another could be said to be Unjust were it not that it is against the Law of this supream Law-giver and Judge and therefore Retribution in me that am injured is an act of Revenge in God an act of his Justice and when he inflicts his Punishment though in respect of me that suffered it is his Revenge yet in respect of his Law that is broken it is but his own Justice The Lusts of the Flesh There are certain Natural Propensions in us for the preservation of our temporal being and kind those are planted in our Nature by the God of Nature as well as in the nature of sensitive Creatures and are in themselves good when acted according to that Rule which God hath given unto us Those Rules are such as either are adequate to the Sensitive Nature viz. That they should be acted with due proportion and to the end for which they are so implanted in our Nature or such as are applicable to them in respect of that higher degree of Being that is in our Nature viz. that they should be acted with subordination to the dictate of right Reason And when either of these fail even these natural Propensions do become Lusts of the Flesh and fight against the Soul for they are not in their place and consequently breed a disorder in the Soul. This is easie to be seen in the consideration of both of these defects The Appetite of Eating and Drinking is no Lust but a Propension incident to our Nature for the Preservation of the Compositum But when a Man shall act it beyond its due proportion eat or drink to Excess or when a Man shall use it to a wrong End to eat or drink because he will eat and drink placing the end of his Appetite in the use of it now he transgresseth the first Rule he makes his Belly his God and his Appetite becomes a Lust Again if a Man shall give way to his Appetite though in a due proportion or to a due end yet if upon rational Circumstances a greater Good shall be thereby lost or a greater Evil thereby incurred then this Appetite becomes a Lust because it is out of its place and wants its due subordination to right Reason as when my eating or drinking shall scandalize my weak Brother for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 10.28 and thereby bring a greater loss to him than good to my self Again if either the Providential Dispensation of God or his Command be against it it makes the exercise of that Appetite to become a Lust because it wants that subordination to right Reason for it is the most uncontrollable Principle of Reason to bear an universal subjection to the Command and Will of God Thus when God by the course of his Providence called to fasting then to find slaying of Oxen and killing of Sheep the Appetite becomes a Lust Again when God forbad the eating of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil then Adam's eating becomes a Lust and consequently a snare unto him for his sensitive Appetite was out of its place it should have been subordinate to his Reason but it was above it And these Excesses of the fleshly Appetite are expressed by several Expressions in the Word of Truth sowing to the Flesh Galat. 6.8 making provision for the Flesh Rom. 13. ult warring after the Flesh 2 â—or 10.3 walking after the Flesh Rom. 8.2 2 Pet. 2.10 viz. when a Man makes it his Business to study the desires of his fleshly Appetite and to fulfil it And the disorder that is wrought in the Soul by this misplacing of the sensual Appetite Ephes 4.19 Who being past feeling have given themselveâ— over to lasâ—iviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Galat. 5.17 The Flesh lusting against the Spirit 1 Pet. 2.11 Fleshly Lusts warring against the Soul Rom. 1.24 given over to vile Affections Rom. 6.19 yielding your members servants to uncleanness Rom. 7.23 A Law in the Members â—arring against the Law of the Mind and bringing it into captivity It is a sad thing for any Man to think that such a disorder should be in the Soul that the nobler part born to rule should be a Captive and a Slave to the inferiour part of Man much more when that noble part shall become a willing Vassal and Prostitute to that part of Man which is no higher than a Beast and not only so but improve its own Ability Wit Skill and Power to make that part of our Nature below a sensitive Creature The Beasts as hath been observed before though their sensual Appetite be their highest Faculty and so moves not in a subordination to any higher Power yet they move conformable to the End for which those Propensions were implanted in them But when the sensual Appetite in Man hath captivated his Reason which should be her guide and ruler it is made the worse by her Prisoner and now its motions are not only absolute and without controll of Reason excentrick to that very natural Rule given to the motions of the same sensitive Appetite in the very Sensitives themselves And the reason is partly because the Wisdom of God hath given a kind of natural Law or Boundary to those Propensions in the Sensitives because they have no higher Power in them to regulate them but to Man he gave a higher Power to order and manage this sensual Appetite which Power having lost his sovereignty the sensual Appetite doth not only want his Bounds but also having corrupted and displaced that higher Faculty is again corrupted by it and made by her captive and at length by Custom the reasonable Soul becomes only an Instrument to contrive
which was lost in Adam is re-imprinted by him that was the express Image of his Father by the secret transmission of his own pure and operative Spirit into all those that are united unto him and thereby the Will of God is fulfilled Be ye holy for I am holy 1 Pet. 1.16 4. It is necessary as a Preparation or Pre-disposition of the Soul to that everlasting condition of Blessedness which it expects in Heaven the place a holy place Heb. 10.19 an immortal and undefiled Inheritance 1 Pet. 1.4 where nothing that defileth can enter Rev. 21.27 The company an holy company the company of pure Angels and the Spirits of just Men made perfect Heb. 12.22 23. The Business a pure and holy Employment Rev. 19.2 c. The Presence a glorious and holy Presence the Presence of that God that cannot behold any unclean thing whose Name is Holy the Presence of our Mediator who is holy harmless separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 And what congruity can such a Soul have to such a Hope who spends his whole Life in a way quite contrary unto it He therefore that hath this Hope purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 John 3.3 And since all these tâ—ings shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holiness and godly conversation Couldest thou carry thy sinful and impure Heart into Heaven with thee yet thou couldest not see God which is the Heaven of Heaven Matth. 5. the pure in Heart shall see God Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. CHAP. XXV Of the Means of Sanctification and 1. On God's part his Word and his Spirit 2. THE Means whereby this is effected are either properly on God's part or on ours On God's part his Word and his Spirit 1. The Word of God He having to deal with Creatures which he hath endued with Sense and understanding hath been pleased in his Wisdom and Providence to preserve and deliver unto us his written Word whereby the Truths therein contained may be united to our Understanding And this Word as it contains the holy Counsels of the holy God so the Truths therein contained do naturally tend to our Sanctification though of it self as a bare Moral Cause it be not sufficient to effect it in respect of our indisposition and deadness which must have a Spirit of Life to quicken us and make that Word operative upon us Now in respect of the tendency of this Word to our Sanctification and in as much as God is pleased by it to work this work in us therefore often our Sanctification is attributed at least instrumentally to it John 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth Psal 19.7 the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul John 15.3 Now are ye clean through the word that I have spoken All which tend to no more than this that this Word of God contains those Truths in it which being truly known and believed do conform the Soul to the Will of God that Image which he first cast consisting in Righteousness and true Holiness Now the general Truths which this Book Exhibits to us tending to this end are principally two 1. It discovers what that will of God concerning Man is and this it doth two ways 1. By Precepts of most excellent and sound Justice and Reason which are nothing else but the Repetitions of that Law which was at first in our Nature 2. By Examples especially that Example of our Saviour's who was the Image of the invisible God Colos 1.15 and therefore in our imitation of him we re-assume that impression of God's Image which we once lost Now Christ's Life as it was a Meritorious Righteousness so it was an Exemplary Righteousness Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek John 13.15 For I have given you an Example that ye should do as I have done Ephes 4.13 the measure of his statuâ—e Philip. 2.5 the mind of Christ 2. It discovers a great deal of convincing Reason why we should conform to this Will of God 1. In respect of the Commands themselves it shews their Righteousness Justice and Perfection and that in our conformity to them consists our Perfection 2. In respect of God that commands them 1. It is he requires it that is the Author and Lord of thy Being and thou canst not chuse but infinitely owe what he requires 2. It is he requires it that will not cannot be mocked he is infinitely able to avenge the rebellion of his Creature 3. It is he commands it that hath been a Bountiful Merciful God unto thee that when thou hast incurred his Curse hath provided a Sacrifice to expiate it when thou hast disabled thy self to obey provides a Spirit of his own to assist thee that when thou fallest pities pardons and restores thee and though he owes it not to thee rewards his own Grace and work in thee with an immortal Glory to thee And what natural ingenuity can chuse but ingage to the uttermost expression of his thankfulness to such a God by a most advantageous Obedience 3. In respect of thy self if thou disobey the loss is thy own if thou obey the benefit is thine Deut. 30.15 For I have set before thee Life and Good and Death and Evil. And herein among divers others is the Excellency of the Word of God as it contains Precepts of most singular Purity and evidencing their own Perfection so it inforceth the Obedience upon Reasons of greater strength and more powerful Perswasions than all the Writings of Men ever did or could by annexing Rewards and Punishments of a higher constitution than the divinest Philosophers ever thought of 2. The Spirit of God Hence this work is attributed to the Spirit of God 1 Pet. 1.2 Through Sanctification of the Spirit unto Obedience and this principally these three ways 1. In preparing and disposing the Heart 2. In accompanying and coming in with the Word 3. In following that Work with a continual assistance of direction and strength 1. As to the first viz. the Preparation of the Heart Since the defacing of the Image of God in the Soul our Hearts like the first Creation are without form and void and darkness is upon the face of it till the Spirit of God move upon the face of these Waters Gen. 1.2 a Heart filled with evil thoughts and that continually Gen. 6.5 till this Spirit strive with it Gen. 6.3 a Heart dammed and blocked up with Lusts and Earth and Disorders so that there is no â—ss for Christ till the Spirit of God open it Acts 〈◊〉 â—n obstinate and a hard Heart an iron sinew 〈…〉 of brass Isa 48.4 till the Spirit of the 〈…〉 and a Heart full of madness Eccles 9. 〈…〉 Spirit be chased away and the Heart 〈…〉 Spirit of God. There oftentimes goes a secret disposition and calming of Heart before whereby some external act of the Providence of God which is prepared and
its Author is infinite and boundless by all the Justice that can be 2. Faith doth find in that Word a farther ingagement of Conformity and Obedience if a farther may be in that it finds the immense overflowing Love of God to Man It is that Love that did at first furnish him with those Excellencies of his Nature with that greater excellency his image and Superscription It is that Love that upholds his temporal Being and blesseth it It is that love that when he was lost sent a Sacrifice and a Righteousness for him whereby he is not only pardoned from his Guilt and Curse but restored to Glory and immortality And this it doth truly and really believe and is thereby convinced that there is a greater obligation than that of his Nature to live conformable to the Will and Mind of so unspeakable a Benefactor 3. Faith doth find in this Word of God his Mind and Will and believes it to be that very Rule the conformity whereunto is well pleasing and acceptable to God. Mic. 6.8 and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God It looks upon every Admonition Exhortation Reprehension and Direction as the very immediate Message of God unto the Soul and entertains it with the same awe and reverence as if it were audibly delivered in Thunder and trembles at it and therefore it receives it in the power and Life of it and in the uttermost compass and extent of it it will not take this part as most consonant to thy Temper Condition Designs Constitution or Ends and reject another part where it crosseth them because it is equally the Will and Command of the great God and so received 4. Faith finds in this Word the Rectitude Justice and Regularity of the Will of God concerning Man they are not only just as proceeding from him to whom his Creature owes an infinite Obedience as was the Command to Adam for forbearing the forbidden Fruit or to Abraham to sacrifice his Son but Faith finds in these Commands a natural Justice and Reasonableness and Perfection and concludes with David Psal 19. That his Statutes are right and his Commands pure such as include in themselves a natural and absolute Beauty and such as confer upon the Creature a Perfection and Happiness such as are exactly conformable to thy Nature were thy Nature conformable to it self for as the Rule or Law that God hath given to every Creature is that wherein consists its Beauty Preservation and Perfection according to the degree wherein it is placed and therefore every Creature labours according to its own Nature to continue in that Rule and when it misseth it it contracts Deformity and Corruption so the Divine Law or Command of God given to Man is that wherein consists his Perfection as being a Rule most exactly conformable to the reasonable Nature of Man sin hath deformed and blinded us that we cannot now see that Perfection and Excellency that is in our Conformity to his Will and hath perverted and corrupted us that as we are in this corrupted condition we cannot desire it but when God is pleased to anoint our eyes with the Eye-salve of Faith and presents this Glass this image of his mind in his Word unto that Eve Faith again discerns and discerning cannot chuse but desire that Beauty Perfection and Rectitude which is there discovered in the Commands of God and the conformity of the Soul to the â—ame 5. Faith doth find in that Word and finding it doth most assuredly believe the Presence of the Glorious and infinite God in every place even in the darkest and most remote Corners and Chambers of the Heart searching weighing and discerning the Spirit every thought of the Heart every word of the Tongue every action of the Life and measuring them exactly with the Rule that he hath given and this keeps the Heart in a continual awe of the Presence of God purgeth out all Hypocrisie sets a continual Watch upon the whole Man lays a Bridle upon the very thoughts and brings them into subjection to this Rule because that clear and pure and severe eye of the Great and Infinite God searcheth the most retired thoughts of the Heart and observes what conformity they hold with his most Just and Reasonable Command 6. Faith finds in this Word of God and doth more really and practically believe that that great God which hath given us his Will and is a witness to the Obedience and Disobedience of it hath most certainly annexed an everlasting Curse to the Disobedience of it so it hath most certainly annexed an everlasting Glory to the Obedience thereunto not as the merit of it but as the free and bountiful gift of his Goodness and Mercy in Jesus Christ And it finds and believes the Truth and Faithfulness and Glory and Power of the Infinite God there engaged for the performance of it and therefore it binds the Heart to the Obedience of this Will of God and Conformity unto it which is our Sanctification Thus the word mingled with Faith cleanseth and sanctifieth and perfecteth and purifieth the Heart and Life And as thus in Man God useth this instrument on Mans part to sanctifie his Creature and make him conformable to himself so Secondarily upon this Act of Faith upon the Word of God as its Object the Heart is likewise cleansed by Fear Hope and Love by way of emanation from this Act of Faith. Love Fear and Hope are those several Motions or Affections of the Soul that arise from the same Act of Faith only as Faith is diversified according to those different Objects apprehended by Faith or according to the different Notions Relations or Actions of the same Object as for instance God apprehended in his Goodness Love and Bounty moves our Love towards him as apprehended in his Glory Majesty Power and Justice excites Fear as apprehended in his Faithfulness Truth and Promises begets Hope and each of these Affections thus directed do habituate and dispose the Soul and Life to a religious frame and Constitution which is our Sanctification as will appear in these particulars 1. The Love of God this is that true Principle of all true Obedience where it is not the Obedience is a dead and unacceptable Obedience for God that is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth will be obeyed likewise in Spirit and Truth and the outward Conformity without this is but a dead Obedience and Hypocrisie and where it is it will work a Conformity of the Heart and Life to the mind of God upon which it is pitched and therefore it is called the First and Great Commandment Matth. 22.51 the fulfilling of the Law because when it is once wrought in the Heart whatsoever it can discover to be agreeable to the Will of him that she loves it will most sincerely and intirely obey John 14.15.24 If ye love me keep my Commandments he that loveth
our Flesh was to exhibit himself a Pattern of Holiness towards God and Righteousness towards Man. And thus the History of our Saviour's Life is a Rule of Righteousness in his Meekness Matth. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek in his Humility Philip. 2.5 Let the same mind be in you as was in Christ Jesus c. in his Patience under Affliction or Persecution 1 Pet. 2.11 12 13. Because Christ hath also suffered for us leaving us an example who when he was reviled reviled not c. in Offices of Love and Charity towards our Brethren John 13.14 15. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done in love and tenderness towards others Ephes 5.12 Be ye followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us c. in Obedience to Parents to Magistrates in Liberality in Compassion in sweetness of Conversation in a word we may in his Life find not only that external Conformity to the Divine Law that God requires of us but also a radical habitual frame of Mind and Life in all Vertue so that we may plainly see in the comparing of his Life with these Apostolical Precepts and Directions contained in the Epistles that the former was as it were the Text and the latter but Collections or Animadversions upon it turning the practice of his Life into Precepts and concluding what we ought to be by observing what he was and did God intending to re-instamp his Image upon Man did send his Son the Image of the invisible God as a Seal into the World to imprint upon his Followers the Image of God which consisted in Righteousness and true Holiness As in our Conformity to the Life of Christ consists our Righteousness here so shall our Glory be hereafter for we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him 2. As thus the History of Christ contains a Rule and Pattern of Righteousness so do the Precepts and Counsels of the Gospel contain a Rule of Righteousness and that more excellent than the Law and that especially in these particulars 1. In that it teacheth and infuseth the true Principle of all Righteousness by shewing us the Love of God to us and therewith commandeth and thereby begetteth Love to God again and in that Love and from it doth teach and enable us to all the Duties of Righteousness towards Men it discovereth a greater and higher act of God's Love to us than the Law did because it discovers his Gifts of Christ unto us and with and in him all things and it doth more distinctly inform us in that Principle of Righteousness in and from the Love of God. 2. It discovers more effectual Motives and Incitements unto this and all other duties in respect of our selves The Law having a shadow of good things to come did inforce its Obedience by Promises of Temporal Advantages and Threatnings of Temporal Punishments but the Promises of the Gospel and its Threatnings are of a higher and more operative nature viz. Eternal Life and Eternal Wrath. 3. It doth improve the Commands and Prohibitions of the Law to its proper yet spiritual and sublime Sense for the Commands or Prohibitions of the Law seemed to respect more principally the outward Act and though in truth it looked farther for the Law in spiritual yet the extent of it was not so clearly evidenced till our Saviours Divine Comment upon it Matth. 5. 4. It doth superadd many Precepts not only of Righteousness towards God but even of Righteousness towards Man that were not contained or at least not so explicitly and positively as in the Gospel such are Works of Mercy and Compassion Patience in Persecution Liberality towards others loving our Enemies abstinence from Revenge Gentleness Moderation and right placing of our Affections contempt of the World Humility and the like These though we find them commended in the passages of the Prophets and Psalms yet they are not so distinctly delivered nor so binding and peremptorily injoyned till we come to the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles who have put an equal necessity upon his Disciples to observe these as those other Injunctions of the mere Law. The Pharisees whose exact and rigid obedience to the Commands of the Law was their study and practice yet our Saviour tells his Disciples That except their Righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees they can in no wise be his Disciples nor enter into Heaven Matth. 5.20 Now this exceeding of their Righteousness consisted in this that is before observed 1. In an Obedience to the Commands of the Law in the spiritual intention and application of it 2. In the practice of those Vertues which came not under the Letter of the Law unto which he had before annexed his Beatitudes Poverty of Spirit Mourning Meekness Hungring after Righteousness Purity Peace-making Patience in Persecution And in these four Particulars especially the Rule of Righteousness contained in the Gospel I cannot say exceeded the Law but exceeded the manner or clearness of the manifestation of the Law it having been the method of Almighty God ever since the Fall of Man to make several steps of discoveries of his mind unto Man and the latter to contain a more eminent degree of Light than the former in Abraham and the Patriarchs was one step in the Law a second in the coming of Christ in the Flesh a third and in the sending of the Holy Ghost a fourth and yet all contained one and the same truth but different degrees of manifestation And as in these Particulars the Rule of Righteousness contained in the New Testament was more clear and excellent than that of the Law so in the same and other respects it infinitely outgoes all the Rules and Dictates of Righteousness contained in the Philosophers whose Rules were Traditions which God by his Providence conveyed from Age to Age for the ordering and governing of Mankind and those improved by the Wisdom and severe and polished Judgments of Men to whom God had given a great measure of Reason and Truth to whom he gave so much Light as might leave the World unexcusable in their disobedience yet reserved so much from them as might glorifie his Son to be one that was a Teacher sent from God and none taught like him CHAP. XXX Of the general Precepts of Righteousness given by Christ and 1. Loving our Neighbour as our self NOW as in our Duty towards God Christ doth not only deliver unto us many special and particular Duties but also delivers some short general Precepts which are easie to be remembred and do include our whole Duty to God As that of Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. so in the matters of Righteousness and Justice towards Men he doth not only deliver some special and explicite Duties but hath given us some general Precepts from whence a good Conscience may easily deduce Conclusions applicable to
every particular Action and Occasion of our Lives in reference to others These are principally two viz. that of Matth. 22.39 taken out of Leviticus 19.18 and again enforced by the Apostle Rom. 3.9 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self and that other which is but a repetition of the former in different words Matth. 7.12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets It is a certain Rule and easily applicable to every Action of our Lives because if a Man will not wilfully blind himself he is able to judge whether the Action he now doth or resolveth be such as he would be contented should be done to him were the Persons and conditions changed And because these two great Rules are the best and clearest direction of our Consciences and the Conscience is not regular where it is not conformable to these Rules we shall examine them more particularly Then as to the first Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self wherein we must take this word Neighbour as our Saviour himself expounds it that it includes every Person of what Relation or Condition soever though a Person is my Enemy therefore Matth. 5.43 our Saviour confutes that false Gloss of the Jewish Masters that did contradistinguish a Neighbour to an Enemy and tells us that an Enemy is to be the Object of our Love and Beneficence Luke 10.33 a Jew and a Samaritane between whom there was not only a kind of civil and national Enmity but an Hatred grounded upon difference in Religion in so much that the Jews could not use a more bitter reproach against our Saviour than to stile him a Samaritan John 8.48 yet these were within the comprehension of this Command So that whatsoever he be whether knit unto me in any relation or not nay though extreamly contrary unto me either in civil Enmity or in Religion yet such a Person is the subject of this Command This being premised these things are evidently consequent upon this Command 1. That every Man is bound to love himself 2. That every Man is bound to love another as he loves himself 1. Concerning the former it is certainly a Duty and if it were not a Man might easily elude this Precept for if I might hate my self the rule and measure of my Love to my Neighbour were lost therefore a Love to my self is implicitly injoyned in this Precept of our Saviour as well as in the Inclination of Nature Ephes 5.29 No man ever hated his own flesh but the Errors of Self-love are that which our Saviour elsewhere so often reproves 1. When a Man mistakes and esteems that himself which indeed is not when a Man takes that for an Eye or a Hand or a Foot viz. parts of himself which indeed are not Matth. 5.29 When a Man shall make the lust of his Eye as dear as his Eye and the corruption of his Hand as dear as his Hand to these our Saviour commands cruelty to be shewn to be cut off and pulled out when a Man shall mistake that old Man that is in him to be himself which is to be put off and crucified Ephes 4.22 and shall take those to be members of himself which are members of the old Man which are not to be loved but mortified Colos 3.5 Such is the disorder and corruption of our Nature that we esteem our Sins and Lusts to be part of our Essentials and thereby misplace our Love upon them in stead of our selves And this is a Self Love forbidden nay they are our only Enemies Enemies that fight against our Souls 2. When our Love though it be partly right placed yet it is either beyond the due measure and proportion or doth not take in our whole Selves Every one is bound by the Laws of God and Nature to love his own Flesh but he that so loveth his own Flesh that he neglects his Soul he loves not his whole self and consequently hath indeed less love for himself than he should have Thus he that loseth his Life shall save it That Man that for the advantage of a temporal Life much less for the advantage of some temporal Profit or Pleasure shall hazard his everlasting Soul loves himself less than he should because he prefers the temporary advantage of his worse part before the eternal advantage of his better part 3. When Love to a Man's self wants the due subordination to our Love to God. The Good that is in God is infinite and the Good that we receive from him is the highest Good we are capable of for our Being which is our Capacity to receive any Good and all the Comforts Benefits and Conveniences that fill up that Capacity we receive from him and therefore our Love to him ought to take up the whole Compass and Capacity of our Soul. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy might the first and great Commandment Matth. 22.37 And as the Being of the Creature is a dependant Being so his own Love to himself ought to be a subordinate Love to him upon whom it hath his dependance Luke 26.14 If any man come to me and hate not his father c. yea and his own life he cannot be my disciple Yet such is the wonderful Bounty and Wisdom of the Will of God that in Conformity thereunto a man exactly conforms to his own Happiness Our highest and most universal Love to God is joyned with a true and exact Love to our selves for he hath conjoyned the Happiness of the Creature with the Duty to himself Both which we find Matth. 16.25 Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it It may so happen that thy Love to thy Saviour may not consist with thy external Honour Wealth or Peace nay not with the enjoyment of thy own Life but it shall ever consist with the life and blessedness of thy Soul unto all Eternity and what can be an exchange equivalent to thy immortal Soul Thus whilst thou hatest thy Life when the Love and Duty thou owest to God calls for it thou dost at once perform a double duty of Love to God and Love to thy self 2. From hence it appears that in the relation between my Neighbour and my self there is a priority of Love due to my self to that Love I owe to my Neighbour for the Love to my self is presupposed and made the Rule of that Love I owe to my Neighbour therefore in an equality of Concernment to my self and my Neighbour I am to prefer my self as if this unhappy Necessity should lie upon me either to preserve my own Life or that my Neighbour must lose his and that without my fault I may I must prefer the saving of my own Life But where there is an inequality of Concernment there the difficulty is great to discover the measure of my Duty to my Neighbour
de quibus infrá 3. From hence it is evident that I am bound to love my Neighbour This is evident and it is that great Command of the New Testament 1 John 4.20 4. From hence it is evident and it is the scoâ—â— and substance of the Command that we must love our Neighbour as our selves Now this word as imports Equality therefore it is considerable how far this Equality of Love to our Neighbour as to our selves is to be extended 1. Our Love to our Neighbour must be of equal Sincerity and Integrity with that Love a Man bears to himself A Man loves himself sincerely he doth not pretend or bear a dissembled Love to himself but it is in good earnest and with his Heart I must love my Neighbour as truly as I love my self This is an Equality of Nature or Essence 2. Our Love to our Neighbour must be of the same order or method as our Love to our selves As we are to prefer our chiefest Good before our temporal Good and the good of our Souls before that of our Bodies so we ought to hold the same order in the Love we shew to our Neighbour Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but shalt reprove him There is sometimes a merciful Cruelty to be shewn to our Brother pulling him out of the Fire and holds resemblance to the Love of God to us that reproves that he may not strike and strikes that he may not destroy And this is an Equality of Order 3. But an Equality of Degree is not required as it seems and as is before touched But though in an Equality we may prefer our selves yet when there is a disproportion there in many cases our Neighbour's Good is to be preferred before our own 1. The salvation of our Neighbour's Soul is to be preferred before the preservation of our own temporal Life much more ought we to deny our selves in those things which are onely useful or pleasing to our Sense if the salvation of anothers Soul is concerned in it And this was that which was meant 1 Cor. 10.24 1 Cor. 8.13 Rom. 14.21 If meat make my brother offend I will eat no flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother offend And as our Saviour laid down his natural Life to redeem our everlasting Souls from an eternal Death so hath he lefâ— the same for an Example and a Command to us John 13.34 A new command I give unto you that ye 〈◊〉 one another as I have loved you He had before commanded us that we should love our Neighbour as our selves and because we might take out that Lesson by his Example Christ the Son of God who had all perfection in himself and consequently did and must love himself yet preferred the salvation of our Souls before the preservation of his natural Life to be in this an Example to us that if the exigence of the salvation of my Brother's Soul could not consist with the preservation of my own Life I am bound to lay down that Life of mine rather than his Soul should be lost 1 John 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren 2. We are by vertue of this Precept to prefer the preservation of our Neighbours temporal Life which otherwise would inevitably happen before our own Safety the hazard whereof may possibly but not necessarily endanger our own This among other Examples is evidenced in the Example of Esther Esther 4.16 A Decree was passed for the Massacre of the Jews which would necessarily have ensued if there were not a speedy prevention the only means to prevent it was Esthers Address to the King and such an immediate Address without an Invitation was present Death by the Law Esther 4.11 yet Esther resolves in that Exigence to adventure her Life Esther 4.16 I will go unto the King which is not according to the Law and if I perish I perish So that although the Concernment be equal my Neighbour's Life and my own Life in which case were there not a disproportion of the Danger I were bound to preserve my own Life rather than to lose it with the preservation of my Neighbours yet when the loss of my Neighbour Life is necessary without incurring some danger of my own I am to trust the good Providence of God with my own Life in a dangerous Adventure of it rather than to see my Brother inevitably perish And the like proportion holds in matters of a lower Concernment 3. Therefore much more it follows that if the being of my Neighbour cannot consist without the parting with somewhat that consists with my temporal well-being I am to prefer my Neighbour's being before my own well-being Thus I am bound to lose my Estate rather than see my Neighbour lose his Life if my Estate would preserve it But this is still intendible only in case of an injurious taking away his Life for if by the due course of Justice my Neighbour's Life be required I am not bound to buy his Pardon with the expence of my whole Estate and so in case my Neighbour shall wilfully cast away his own Life in such Cases there is a Latitude of Christian Discretion left unto me and I am not then a debtor to his Life 4. If my Neighbour's Necessity come in competition with my Convenience only I am bound by this Law of Love to prefer my Neighbour's Necessity before my own Convenience If there be a poor Man whose Exigences are such that he hath wherewith to preserve Life only but not to satisfie Nature and I have wherewith to satisfie the Exigences of my Nature with some Advantage I am bound out of that to supply his Necessity And though my corrupted Reason may object that my future Condition may stand in need of that which I now part with to anothers Necessity we are in this to trust the Almighty to whom I lend in this my Charity and though of his own yet he is content for his own to become my Debtor And that Man cannot want when God is pleased to become his Debtor He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord and he will repay him Proverbs 19.17 Yet in the measuring of Supplies for my own Necessity I am to account for all those for whom I am bound to provide for he that provideth not for his own Family is worse than an Infidel 1 Tim. 5.8 yet herein take heed that thy Heart deceive thee not CHAP. XXXI Of the second general Precept of Righteousness Doing as we would be done unto 2. THE Second Precept Matth. 7.12 Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets This is nothing else but a practical Experiment of the former for every Man is presumed to love himself and in order and subservience to that Love to be able to judge whether
any thing that he doth or suffers be answerable to his own well-being which is the termination of that Love and accordingly likes or dislikes it or wills it to be or not to be done This Precept is resolved into its Negative Whatsoever ye would not that men should do to you that do not to them And for the use of both we are to take them both with these Limitations 1. It is understood in an equality or parity of Relation and not otherwise For an instance the Father may expect that from a Son viz. Reverence and Observance which will not be fit for the Father to give to the Son. The Duties are diversified according to the diversity of the Relations The resolution of the Precept in this case is therefore this Whatsoever I would that my Father should expect from me that I would that my Son should do to me è converso Variations of Circumstances and Relations diversifie the Case and therefore the resolution of this Precept in case of different Relations must be as well with the change of the Relations as of the Persons and the Question to be asked the Conscience in such a case is Were I in my Neighbour's Condition and my Neighbour in mine what I would in such a Case expect from my Neighbour that I ought to do to him Ex Autographo cum eod collat FINIS A Brief Abstract OF THE Christian Religion A BRIEF ABSTRACT OF THE Christian Religion 1. THAT there is One and but one most Glorious God Eternal Incomprehensible perfectly Happy Infinite in Wisdom Power and Goodness filling all places but comprehended in no place full of Justice Mercy Truth and Perfection 2. That this God though but One in Essence is yet Three in number of his Subsistence Father Son and Holy Spirit 3. That this God in the beginning of time created the World commonly called the Heaven and Earth which he still governs by his Power Wisdom and Providence And this he did 1. For the Manifestation and Glory of his Wisdom Power and Goodness 2. For the Communication of his Beneficence Goodness and Bounty to the things which he thus made according to their several Natures and Capacities 4. That having finished this inferior World called the Earth and furnished it with all things necessary and convenient for the use and convenience of the nobler Creature which he intended he created the first Man Adam and the first Woman Eve the common Parents of all Mankind from whom all the Men and Women in the World are derived by natural Propagation 5. To these first Parents of Mankind Almighty God gave some Endowments or constituent Parts that are common to all Mankind as well as to them namely 1. Terrestrial or Earthly Bodies for the first Man was made out of the Earth and the Bodies of all other Men though they are derived to them by ordinary Generation yet their Bodies are terrestrial or elementary Bodies 2 Spiritual and Immortal Souls endued not only with the Power of Vegetation as Herbs and Trees nor only with the Power of Sense and Perception and Appetite as the bruit Beasts but also with the Power of Understanding and Liberty of Will whereby he obtains a kind above all other visible Creatures besides And this Soul thus endued with the Power of Understanding and Will doth not die with the Body but it is immortal and never dies And this is called a Reasonable Soul whereby we understand and think and consider and remember and chuse one thing and refuse another whereby we have a Capacity to know Almighty God his Works his Will and to obey and observe it and to perform all the Actions that belong to a Reasonable Creature 3. A Power of Propagation of their Kind by the mutual conjunction of Sexes by vertue of that Divine Benediction given to Man as well as to sensible Creatures Be fruitful multiply and replenish the Earth By vertue of which Benediction all the Families of Mankind that were or are or shall be upon the face of the Earth are in the course of ordinary Generation derived from the first Parents of Mankind 4. A Power and Right of Dominion over the inferiour Creatures which he doth exercise partly by the ordination and appointment of their Creation and partly by the advantage of his understanding Faculty and though this Dominion be in some sort weakened and decayed by the Fall of our first Parents yet it still in a great measure continues to the Children of Men. 6. But some Priviledges our first Parents had in their state of Innocence which by their Fall hath been much impaired and lost and not derived to their Posterity 1. A state of perfect Innocence free from all Sin and sinful contagion 2. A state of Happiness and Blessedness as large as Humane Nature could be capable of 3. A state of great Integrity and Perfection as far forth as it was possible for Humane Nature to enjoy as Light and great Knowledge in his Understanding Integrity in his Will right Order in his Soul Righteousness and Holiness 4. A state of Immortality of Body and Soul in their perfect conjunction so long as he kept his Innocence 7. The Ends for which Almighty God created Man thus were first those common Ends which moved him to create the World above mentioned namely his own Glory and the Communication of his Goodness and Beneficence but secondly these seem to be the special Ends of Man's Creation 1. That he might have a Creature in this lower World that might more conveniently actively and effectually give glory unto God and to that end he endued him with Nobler Faculties that might perform this Office his Understanding whereby he might know his Maker and his Will and his Works His Will whereby he might obey his Will his Affections whereby he might love and fear and admire him His Faculty of Speech whereby he might glorifie and praise him this is another kind of Glory than the other inferiours do or can bring to their Maker And to the end he might thus glorifie his Maker he placed him in the view and sight of the goodly frame of Heaven and Earth and gave him his Law wherein he should obey and serve his Creator 2. That he might be partaker of as much Happiness and Blessedness as the Humane Nature could be capable of while it stood in conjunction with his Body and that he should by a kind of Translation into Heaven enjoy more Pure Perfect and Everlasting state of Blessedness and Glory 8. When God had thus created Man he gave him a Law of Righteousness and Holiness and revealed it to him and for a Probation or Trial of his Obedience forbad him the eating of the Fruit of one Tree in Paradise under pain of Death 9. Our first Parents rebelled against that just and easie Law by eating the forbidden Fruit. And although they did not presently die corporally yet they by this Disobedience fell into these Inconveniences 1. They
Job 33.14 he useth a sharper and louder Messenger he speaks that he may not strike and if he strikes it is unwillingly Lam. 3.33 and that he may not destroy and destroys nor rejects not till his strokes prove fruitless Isa 1.5 Why should ye be stricken any more till there be no remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 He endures with long-suffering even the Vessels ordained to wrath Rom. 9.22 His Spirit did strive with the old World Gen. 6.3 was grieved forty years with the passages of a rebellious people Psal 95.10 pressed with our sins as a Cart under sheaves Amos 2.13 and yet no final destruction That admirable Expostulation of God's merciful Patience Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I see thee as Zeboim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim I am God and not man. As if he should have said 'T is true thou art Ephraim and Israel a People that I have known of all the Families of the Earth Amos 3.2 a People that I have chosen and thou art called by my Name but by how much the nearer thou art unto me by so much the greater is thy Ingratitude That which in another People would be a Sin is in thee Rebellion and Apostasie Admah and Zeboim were a People that knew me not that never entred into Covenant with me they had no light to guide them but that of Nature and when they sinned my wrath broke out in the most eminent Judgment that ever was heard of But thou hast been a Vine of my own planting and watering and dressing and yet thy fruit hath been the fruit of Sodom thou hast made me to serve with thy sins and according to the number of thy Cities were thy Gods O Israel Jer. 11.13 Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me Isa 1.3 And should I not be avenged upon such a people as this How can I How can I not make thee as Admah and set thee as Zeboim If a man as thou art should but once shew but a grain of that ingratitude unto thee which thou multipliest towards me days without number thy Revenges would be as high as thy Power and thou wouldest justifie thy severest dealings with him nay if I thy Lord that can owe thee nothing but Wrath should withdraw but any of my own Blessings from thee thou art ready to throw off all and presently to upbraid me with thy unuseful Services What profit have I if I be cleansed from my sins Job 35.3 And how canst thou after all this expect any thing from me but that my Wrath should burn against thee like fire till thou wert consumed and that I should stir up all the fury of my Jealousie towards you O but Ephraim I am God and not man and therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed my Mercy and my Patience are not the narrow qualities or habits of a mortal Man but the infinite Attributes of an Infinite God. Though I can see nothing in thee but what deserves my wrath I can find that in my self that sends out my compassion a heart turned by returning upon my own Mercy and repentings kindled upon the considerations of my own Covenant with thy Fathers kindled by a Sacrifice that thou little thinkest of even the Sacrifice of my own Son I will not therefore execute the fierceness of my anger although it be thy duty to repent Sinner yet I will repent of my wrath even before thou repent of thy sin it may be my long-sufferings will as it should do lead thee to repentance Rom. 2.4 But if after all this thou despisest the riches of my Goodness and Forbearance and Long-suffering know that thou treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and that day will surely find thee and then thou wilt find that every days forbearance and patience that thou hast had and abused hath ripened and improved thy Guilt and made thy sin out of measure sinful and will add weight and fire to my wrath which like a Talent of Lead shall everlastingly lye upon that treasure of thy Sin and Guilt 2. His Pardoning Mercy Those tender and pathetical Expressions of God's Mercy in pardoning Sin upon Repentance and turning to him carry more weight than it is possible for our Spirits to arise unto Isa 1.18 Come now and let us reason together though your sins were as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red as crimson they shall be like wool Isa 43.24 25. Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my ways higher than your ways Jer. 3.12 Go and proclaim these words Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and will not keep anger for ever only acknowledge thine iniquity c. FINIS A Catalogue of what Books are Printed and Publish'd written by Sir Matthew Hale Kâ— sometime Chief Justice of the King's Bench and are to be Sold by Will. Shrowsbery at the Sign of the Bible in Duke-lane THE Primitive Origination of Mankind considered and examined according to the Light of Nature Folio Contemplations Moral and Divine in Two Parts Octavo An Essay touching the Gravitation or non-Gravitation of Fluid Bodies Octavo Difficiles Nugae Or Observations touching the Torricellian Experiment Octavo Observations touching the Principles of Natural Motions especially touching Rarefaction and Condensation Octavo The Life and Death of Pomponius Atticus with Observations Political and Moral Committed to the Press since his Death viz. 1. Pleas of the Crown or a Methodical Summary of the principal Matters relating to that subject Octavo 2. A short Treatise touching Sheriffs Accounts Octavo 3. Several Tracts 1. Three Discourses of Religion viz. 1. The Ends and Uses of it and the Errours of men touching it 2. The Life of Religion and Superadditions to it 3. The Superstructions upon it and Animosities about it 2. A short Treatise touching Provision for the Poor 3. A Letter to his Children advising them how to behave themselves in their Speech 4. A Letter to one of his Sons after his recovery from the Small Pox. Octavo * Of this the Author hath written more largely in his Origination of Mankind * All which and divers others the Author hath largely prosecuted in another Work in the 6. first Parts This he hath likewise more largely handled in the 7. Part of the same Work. Of the Law of Nature the Author hath written a particular tract * That the Willing still continues the same shall be and is and hath been are the several relations of the thing willed which is capable of these successions of duration they are not relations that may fall upon that will which is incapable of them or upon the acts of it V. Originat 1. c. 2. * Of this the Author hath written a large Tract which he finished but a little before his Death and it was the last Work he meddled with This the Author hath elsewhere considered in two or three several little Tracts upon this Subject Of thiâ— the Author hath pâ—oâ—â—ssâ— and more largely wâ—â—tten in other Works Jam. 1.17 Mal. 3.6 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.26