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A91927 Collections, or brief notes gathered out of Mr Daniel Rogers's practical catechism for private use : and how hereby communicated to som private friends, towards the building of them up in their holie faith. / By R.P. D. R. (Daniel Rogers), 1573-1652.; R. P. 1648 (1648) Wing R1795; Thomason E1138_1; ESTC R210078 131,966 329

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of Christ as flesh reckoned to his Divinitie made an equal satisfaction to God's offended Majestie The influence and valor of the divine nature assisting the humane for the fulfilling of the merit for if the Suretie fail in any point his undertakeing is uneffectual The Mediator then beeing to mediate between God and Man must needs bee God 1. In respect of those evils hee was to expiate as sin and uncleanness 2. those enemies hee was to vanquish as Satan death and wrath 3. Those good things hee was too purchase eternal righteousness the image of God and glorie hereafter in the presence of God Vsn I. Let this teach us to adore the Mysterie of the Godhead of Christ that wee rest in no inferior object whatsoever the world can affoard us But remember hee is God blessed above all and hath merited by his glorious power a glorious deliverance for his Church from death to eternal life Vse II. This affoard's us a notable ground of understanding a real difference of the persons in Trinitie God the Father send 's God the Son into the world to save it by the power of God the holie Ghost conveying and sealeing his merit to the Soul of the Elect. Now except there bee admitted a real distinction of the persons in Trinitie how shall one and the same God for beeing bee the partie satisfying and satisfied Vse III. Of Exhortation to all that are loaden with their sin desireing eas to com to this second well-spring of salvation and to drink water of life freely from it that is believ it for themselvs Especially let this beat down self in us in the matter of our conversion What should wee bring to God for our Redemption can wee bring any light to the Sun or drop to the Ocean all fulness is his hee must do all for and in us before and in conversion Again let us lay hold on Jesus Christ who hath satisfied God and taken away wrath Let this give a beeing and bottom of truth to all the promises of God in our soul And let us draw neer with confidence to the God of promises and comfort our heavie heart in the view of the hainous circumstances of her sin makeing it out of measure sinful Bee not dismaid hee that is thy Suretie made not thy peace for small and som but all and the greatest so that thy thought must bee how to receiv this fulness not for the greatness of this sin III Branch The Personal Vnion Union of both Natures into one Person by the unconceiveable work of the Spirit it 's much that Soul and Bodie but much more that Flesh and the Word should bee really in one Person The person of the Word took the nature of flesh therein to subsist It is called Personal Union to distinguish it from other Unions in Christ and all other Unions whatsoever In Christ there is a well-spring of Unions but no personal Union in them The Union of Christs Godhead with the Father and the Spirit is Essential with his invisible Church Spiritual and Mystical with Water in Baptism and Bread and Wine in the Lord's Supper Sacramental In other Unions the things united are One either by bare notional apprehensions as things understood by the fancie or els One by compounding as when of three or four drugs is made one med'cine or els by mixture and confusion as when Water and Wine are made one substance or els by Divine institution as when man and wife are made one flesh none of these are personal Unions But Personal Vnion is such an one as whereby both natures so retain their distinct properties unconfounded that yet they remain indissolubly united in the person without the least seqaration no not at death in the grave Vse I. This teache's us to conceiv aright of the person of Christ wee must com to God in and by the flesh of the Son the second person The equal tearm and object must bee the personal Union i e. the Manhood must as truly bee praied unto and adored as the Godhead Vse II. It teache's us a difference between the subsisting of Christs flesh and all other subsistings wee subsist in the union of bodie and soul which two make one and the same person but the manhood of Christ is no person or subsistence by union of soul and bodie but by assumeing the nature of man into the person of the Son of God so that the flesh hath no subsisting at all save in the upholding power of the Godhead as the plant Misselto hath no root of its own to subsist in but subsist's in another tree Vse III. To encourage the soul that is afraid to draw neer to God for reconciliation and mercie in Christ becaus of the estrangement of it self from God by loss of image Lo the Lord is willing to unite himself unto thee poor soul in his Son by vertue of his union with thy fearful frail nature For by this union he hath purchased a spiritual union between himself and the sinful soul How singular an encouragemement then should this be to a poor soul to fasten on the promise when hee see 's it assisted by this all-sufficient merit issuing from the union of both natures both suffering and meriting Quest What is the Vnction of Christ Answ It is a consequent upon this personal union whereby the Godhead made the Manhood full of himself and of all gifts and graces of the spirit meet to enable him to his work of mediation and by name separated him from men to bee excellent as to bee the Prophet Priest and King of his Church Hee was Priest to satisfie and pray for Prophet to teach and King to rule and deliver his people I. Vnction of Priesthood The Uuction of Priesthood is the chief part of the Unction of Christ becaus by vertue of that office hee performed the great work of satisfaction Two things are to bee considered in this Annointing of Christ our Priest 1. The peculiarness 2. The furniture of gifts For the first although there were many things in the ordinarie Priesthood of Aaron which resembled Christ for the general yet becaus there were many things verie different therefore the holie Ghost set's him forth by the type of Melchisedeck's Priesthood For as hee was without beginning and end in his storie so was Christ not as Aaron mortal mutable sinful Secondly the Furniture which this Unction filled the Lord JESUS our high-Priest withall and that without measure For as the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily so all the communicable gifts and excellencies thereof dwelt in him Eminent wisdom rightousness humilitie unblameablenes holiness separation from sinners and all other graces but as I take it one fruit of his Unction was his peculiar fitness to satisfie That holie free consent of his to the will of his Father to do and suffer and fulfil all righteousness I say this absolute and unstained Obedience to go thorow all difficulties meekly long-sufferingly cheerfully
Let it likewise comfort all poor souls that need it both as concerning the propensness of God to love them and his constance of love toward them whom hee alreadie loved If thou had'st procured this love well migh'st thou fear the loss of it But if insinite goodness and a bredth incomprehensible were the fountain of it I speak to a poor soul under the condition loden or lost what doubt is there of his loveing thee If hee freely first mean't it and cut off the way of justice and the bridg of vengethat hee might not pass it over why should'st thou think hee should destroy his own work why should hee not bee willing to love thee whatsoever thy sin bee and haveing loved thee eternally what shall or can enter into him to change this principle in him or caus him to repent Vse V. This Doctrine serveth especially to stay the heart of a distressed wretch in the sight of his miserie by this light and door of hope Oh! bless that fountain which could not bee dried up by sin Wonder why Angels were left remediless not wee Ponder it in our deep fears and remember the Gospel of deliverance is from God as well as the law of terror Despair not the Lord cutt's of none who cut not off themselvs Vse VI. It teache's us to gather to our selvs a strong bottom against that slavish fear and emnitie of our spirit against God Why oh man if God were as thou framest him where had thy hope been Darest thou call him an hard Master the adversarie who of his own will and love cut off his own plea and devised a deliverie when no man or Angel could dream of it Vse VII Let it teach the Ministers of the Gospel to look to the order and substance of their teaching The order not to mis-match these two doctrines teaching this before the other bee well grounded For the substance takeing heed least they defraud the soul of this point when shee is brought low Vse VIII Let this bee a mean to carrie a poor heart quite beyond and out of it self The meditation of this freedom of God's purpose should ravish the heart and carrie it out of the baseness of self and self-ends into the stream of this Sovereign will and glorie of God It should bee above our own salvation Let us diligently trie our own spirit from the true spirit of Grace by this mark Further wee must observ that GOD in accomplishing man's deliverance out of this miserable estate is also the most free and sovereign Worker and applier of this deliverance to the soul For what els should it profit us that hee hath devised such a way as Christ and such means as the Gospel beleeved except hee took it upon him to possess the soul of it also Vse I. This will teach us to conceiv in what sens the Lord doth offer us his Christ command us to believ and promise us to eas us if wee hunger mourn bee poor in spitit to wit that hee is far from intimateing any power or will in us to concur with him in the least of these or to asscribe ought to him that willeth or runneth but rather to shew what those excellent Graces are which hee freely worketh in all whom hee will save Vse II. This will help us to judg who those parties are in all likelihood whom God will concur with and assist in the use of means tending to deliverance Such is the base slaverie of man that hee distrust's him sooner in no one thing then in that where in God offer 's himself to the soul As appear's in Manoah's and Gedeon's example For though hee bee free and tied to none yet I say with reverence hee tie's himself graciously to such as do seek him not themselvs for els should hee contradict his own ends which is blasphemous Vse III. To instruct us how wee may so go to work io the use of means as our own conscience may not accuse us for takeing God's office of freedom and sovereigntie out of his hands The honest soul sets up God in his own way of Christ in his own ends shee seek's the glorie of his wisdom power mercie and freedom who sought out such a deliverance and work 's it in her and all that concern her faith and conditions of it All seeking grace for a man 's own happiness is poor seeking for the present till God wod work better and all seeking for self must bee from self and by self But when the boat is tied to the ship of God's glorie shee need 's no more rowing of herself then the boat doth it 's enough for her that shee is set upon such a stream and ti●d to such a ship as can carrie her of it self and drown all her own welfare in the Lord. ARTIC II. The onely instrument of working out this deliverance is the Lord JESUS NO other name under heaven is given to save us by way of mediation or instrument but hee Act. 4. 12. God set him forth as a propitiation that all might see the salvation of God The father of our Lord Jesus Christ was content to part with his own Son and to make him the worker of this deliverance rather then it should fail in the execution thereof For in him the Lord purposed as in a mirror to declare the infinire grace of his election the freedom of the offer the efficacie of calling faith sanctification and eternal life all beeing established in him and nothing toward salvation subsisting without him therefore at the end of each gift Christ is mentioned as the gift of that gift Rom. 7. 24 25. 1 Tim. 1. 10. all the whole frame of grace and godliness is founded and sustained by him The whole work of his Mediation may bee referred to two heads 1. The qualification of his person to bee in case to satisfie 2. The actual performance of the satisfaction it self 1. The qualification of his person hath two parts Vnion and Vnction Vnion comprehend's three distinct things First The incarnation and flesh of Christ 2ly The Divinitie of Christ 3ly The joining of these two natures into one person or the assumeing of the nature of flesh unto the second person of the son of God not to swallow it up but to retain still his own distinct nature yet within union 2. By Vnion is mean't the calling or separation of the Lord Jesus beeing thus united in his natures to bee a meet Mediator which was the sanctification of him in time actually to the work of a Mediator to which God before all time had deputed him The Performance it self stand's of two parts 1. Either Meriting this price for all the Elect 2. Or actual applying it to them The Meriting part consist's of a double performance both of actual obedience to the Law and suffering the curs required thereby and due to sin And hee performed these two by way of real suretiship and no otherwise for takeing upon him the Person of a
Mediator to stand between wrath and us not by arbitrement as in humane sequesterships but by paiment for us Lo therefore hee take's our person upon him becom's piacular that is first seazed with our sin by imputation that by his righteousness hee might deface it and fulfil the Law broken by us and secondly seazed with our curs that by his suffring death hee might quit us of the fear and punishment thereof His Suffering or Passion hath two parts the Sacrifice it self or Passion and the Conquest or Victorie ensuing it whereby hee gave the Passion a full power to becom or rather to bee declared satisfactory The Applying part is the act of his intercedeing Mediation here on earth and especially in heaven serveth to settle the merit of Redemption upon all the Elect in the due season thereof These are called well-springs of salvation Esay 12. 3. becaus they are so many grounds of justifying faith Their number is seaven 1. Incarnation 2. Divinitie 3. Personal union with anointing attending it 4. Actual obedience 5. Passive 6. Conquest 7. Applying all to the Elect. I Branch Incarnation By the power of the holy Ghost sanctifying the flesh of the Virgin the Lord Jesus beeing conceived in and born of the poor Virgin did submit himself to such unspeakable abasement as to take upon him the nature of man that in and by it hee might obey and suffer those things which the divine nature could not beee capable off Touching this point observ further three things 1. The realness of the flesh of the Lord Jesus hee took verie flesh of verie flesh and not as som Hereticks thought a similitude and shadow of it 2. The differences of his incarnnation I. In respect of his father hee was not ordinarily begotten by man but by the holie Ghost who fulfilled the work of a father 2. In regard of his mother a Virgin before and in and after his Incarnation Divines make the Four differences of Generation I. When man is made man without father or mother as Adam in his creätion 2. When man is made without a woman as Eve was 3. When man is made both by man and woman and so are all her posteritie made 4. The last when man is made without either man or woman and so was the flesh of Christ made Thirdly hee took our nature the seed of Adam and caused it to subsist in the second person of Godhead 3. Resolution of som doubts about it as I. Why was it necessarie that our Saviour Jesus should bee flesh That hee might thereby bee fitted and accommodated for the work of suffering The Godhead could not suffer the manhood could not merit infinitely the Godhead therefore must merit by a flesh that could suffer 2. Why must the flesh of a man and his nature bee taken to satisfie The flesh of a person could have reached onely to a personal satisfaction but the flesh of our nature might satisfie for natue it self and all persons contained under it 3. Why must the second person in Trinitie take flesh 1. becaus the word of creätion and first subsisting in creäted goodness must also bee the instrument of the uncreäted 2. It behooved that as Christ is the engraven form of his fathe'rs likeness and the brightness of his person therefore so hee should bee the instument to bring us to partake the same image after wee had lost it 3 It was fit that the righteous servant and naturural son of God should make us his servants and obedient children Vse 1. To confute Hereticks and Papists who destroy the realness and truth of the bodie of our satisfier by their Ubiquitie which destroye's the properties of the true bodie and so the bodie it self Vse 11. Of instruction teaching us to magnifie this mysterie of Godliness Jesus incarnate It 's a modell of the unspeakable justice love wisedom of God in one a far greater excellencie is in it then in the creation It was and is the song and wonderment of Angels it was then and still is that which bring 's glorie to God peace to the earth good will to men It caused Mary to exult and to magnifie God the Shepheards to report it the Wise-men to travail after it Herod and Jerusalem to tremble Simeon and Anna to rejoice and all the Church of God to triumph and and shall wee hold our peace and want affections and admirations Again it should teach us to cast off all base carnal reasons and distrusts either touching our salvation or protection Hereafter judg not God by outward apparences in the fulness of 4000 yeers flesh came If the bodie of all promises bee com how shall the branches bee performed Hee that hath given us this deliverance what can hee denie us Vse 111. Let us learn whither to go when wee want any preferment in priveledges or any grace to to furnish our hearts or lives or to fill us for our places duties and callings or for use of odinances especially when wee are under streights and bitter enemies Let us bee perswaded that our flesh glorified in heaven bear 's such stroak with the Father that hee will hear him in all his requests yea let us remember that hee therefore took flesh and felt all our ailes and infirmities that hee might pitie us and bee afflicted with us in all our affictions and temptations as Esay 63. 9. and will not let us lie under any streights which hee can rid us off For hee count's ours his and our selvs his and will do for us in this as in all other things as for his own flesh Vse IV. To exhort us to sundrie duties 1 In the difficultie which wee finde in the life of our faith let us draw neer to the flesh of our Mediator for influence and succor oh how far off do promises seem to bee unto us Christ is our peace in guilt of conscience strength to sustein us with patience in our crosses libertie from all bondage sufficiencie to enable us to walk with God to crucifie corruption to persevere to attain the resurrection of the dead 2. Again it should encourage our faint timorous hearts so many as are loden with our burden to com to the flesh of this Mediator for eas For first in this flesh of Christ there is a general fitness in him to receiv every one whose nature hee beareth for in that nature each person is enclosed Secondly it should help our weakness in coming to God the father by coming by this flesh of the Lord Jesus Thirdly let us com and plead our part in the Lord Jesus for our portion of forgiveness and mercie Fourthly by faith com and draw waters from this well-spring of salvation II Branch the Divinitie of Christ The Lord Jesus our Mediator was true God also It was not onely the second Person and no other who took flesh but a Divinitie which enabled an Humanitie to obey and suffer that God's justtce might except against neither as insufficient The Acts and sufferings
universally and constantly emptying himself to the death of the Cross was the main effect of this Unction and the bottom of that infinite complacencie which his Father had in him saying This is my well-beloven Son in whom I am well pleased All the three Offices of Christ do conspire most sweetly together The Priesthood before the other two becaus els wee can have no right to them But then the Prophecie and the Kingdom do return their aide to the Priesthood First the Prophecie teache's what the Priesthood is and by what order and degrees the Lord settle's reconciliation and peace upon a poor sinner open's the doctrine of Faith and mysterie of Salvation Then it teache's how to put on the Lord Jesus daily to apply him continually for forgiveness as our daily sacrifice and how to live by faith and to bee guided in our particular cours and conversation according to knowledg Secondly the Kingdom convey's the power of the Priesthood into the Soul and effect's that which the prophecie teache's and then haveing so don it set's up a perpetual rule in the soul giveing it power to obey both in doing and suffering according to the truth revealed II. Vnction of Prophecie The unction of Prophesie is that insusion of divine light into the manhood of Christ by virtue of which hee did all at once habitually receiv all that knowledge and wisdom of God whereof hee was possibly capable far above all that nature art experience or education could attain unto yea far above all that which Angels could comprehend Onely those mysteries excepted which finite flesh could not conceiv as the day of Judgment c. our gain hereby is this that hee is made unto us by vertue hereof true wisdom 1 Cor. 1. 30. both in the purging our corrupt mindes from all blindeness and our judgments of all rashness error headlong conceit and our spirits from all misleading and misguiding of us in our conversations so that neither the delusion of Satan nor dice-play of men nor other error can carrie us from the truth as it is in Jesus III. Vnction of Christ's Ringdom The uuction of Christ's Kingdom is that influence of the Godhead into the Manhood by virtue whereof Christ our Mediator is the Vice-roy of God the Father deputed under him to govern the whole world but especially is Church Briefly the end of it is to support the Priesthood Prophefie in their vigor and efficacie that hee may bee a Prince and Captain of Salvation to the Elect to bring them to God This Kingdom of Christ assist's his Prophesie by susteining and strengthing the means of salvation that his Gospel Sacraments Sabbaths and all his ordinances together with the ministerie thereof not onely in beeing but also in their full effectualness of working in the hearts of his people with conviction and authoritie It is no small Power to preserv these pillars of his Throne from ruin For how many enemies are risen up since his asscention openly or secretly to persecute or undermine the truth how hath Satan bestirred himself by those lion-like Emperors in the first 300 yeers and since by those wolvish Popes and by Hereticks and other instruments of the Devill to raze the Scri●●●res to deface the chief truth of God the Divinitie the Humanitie the Union the Puritie of spiritual Worship the Integritie of Sacraments the justification of a Sinner by Faith alone the Works of the Spirit the Resurrection of the Bodie and the whole power of Godliness To this very hour he worketh against all these but in vain for this our King looketh down from his throne and laugheth them to scorn and destroyeth their policies no deluge or flood of his malice could ever prevail against these but still they continue as a brazen pillar and shall survive them all till his second coming And not onely so but still hee support's these in their authoritie to over-rule the consciences of men to pierce perswade convince convert or condemn whether they believ or despise them and to settle on the Elect all the liberties of Redemption Adoption Holiness and Glorie This Kingdom of Christ's assist's his Priesthood by sustaining and upholding his beleeving servants in that estate of grace both faith and sanctification in which hee hath set them For it is the Kingdom of Christ which giveth efficacie both to his satisfaction and intercession for the keeping of all such as are given him by the Father in his truth and name Hee enable's his sacrifice to forgive them and reconcile their persons his holiness to sanctifie them to change their natures to subdue their iniquities to set up his Kingdom in their hearts to make them spiritual Kings and Priests to God in the mortifying of their lusts and their liveing to God in the power of Faith and Godliness Moreover Christ as a King subject's all his people to himself by the lawes of his kingdom For hee rule 's not by tyrannie but by law and command These lawes hee settle's upon his Church both in respect of conversation and administration As a King likewise hee protect's his people shelter's them against all enemies ghostly and bodily for hee hath fought for his kingdom valiantly and got it as well by conquest as inheritance haveing overcom Satan Death and Hell triumphing over them all Vse I. What an happie estate is it for all true beleevers to bee Kings Priests and Prophets to God tbrough this Unction of Christ the Beard of Aaron and the skirt of his cloathing were not more fragrant with the overflow of his oyl of consecration then the persons and souls of the Elect are precious and savorie and accepted of God in the Unction of Christ Whither then shall wee go when wee want wisdom righteousnes sanctification and redemption save to this fountain which is made to us of the Father to convey them unto us IV Branch Actual Obedience The Lord JESUS became piacular for us not onely by bearing our punishent but by translation upon himself the real imputation of our guilt Hee was made Sin Original and Actual all the sins of the Elect were charged upon him that hee by his perfect obedience might disannul them and bring in and settle upon us perfect righteousness And as the miserie of man stand's in both sin and guilt and stain as well as in curs so must our suretie perform righteousness as well as bear the curs Now this righteousness of Christ is both his natural and his actual opposite to this natural and actual unrighteousness af Adam His obedience doth consist in his whole conversation but more specially from his baptism to his death in which hee fulfilled all both general and personal righteousness His whole conversation toward God and man was holy But especially for the manner measure end and ground of all hee did most sincere and entire adding thereto perfection both of parts and degrees so that there was nothing amiss Hee was a righteous servant no guile found in him V Branch
to our uttermost so far as it import's our calling 2. Resolvedness to cleav to God in the power of practice A solemn cours used by all the Saints both in ordinarie and by occasion Joshua cap. ult tell 's Israel That hee and his hous would serv the Lord. David did not onely resolv Psal 119. 57. and vow Psal 116. to keep the Word of God but also sware to keep his righteous judgments It was the sum of Barnabas his Sermon Act. 11. That they of Antioch would with full purpose cleav to the Lord. The people in Ezra came to the Oath and Covenant sealing thereto to binde themselvs to God the more strongly for starting Oh that in these staggering degenerate times wherein daily so many fall at our right hand and so many at our left wee might bee sustein'd with this resolution of heart to bee the Lord 's for ever II. Watchfulness is not onely given the Saints to awake out of their dead sleep but when the Lord hath given them light and grace in stead thereof and purged them from their filthiness Then doth this grace preserv them clean and keep them from defileing again It is like both to the eie and the eie-lid The one is the spie of the bodie to look before and to mark the occasions and opportunities offered by God of all dutie and service that wee may do it The other is the keeper of the eie from the least dust or mote which might fall into the same to annoy it Concerning the former the Christian soul must keep the watch of God Num. 9. 18. They must observ the Cloud and Pillar of fire constantly to pitch or remoov according to the mooving or resting thereof That is look what work the Lord hath for us to do whether in the round and cours of our life or in our particular Calling in which God hath set us that must wee watch unto yea wee must watch against all enemies and annoyances from without or within us And this work wee must do with the best spirit wee are able The Word first must bee the light by which wee must watch in a world of such darkness as wee live in There must be a voice behinde us saying This is the way Then secondly there must bee a marveilous active spirit in us attent to the word of God Thirdly there must bee a sensible tenderness and circumspection in the soul not to suffer any such dutie or occasion of it to escape as God afford's but to bee awake and aware of it to welcom and observ it Fourthly there must bee a special difference put between such occasions as are more safe and such as as are more dangerously beset as all lawful liberties are which lie open to much abuse Fifthly there must bee a very wakefull heart against the most secret affronts of a good cours not to stay till Satan appear in his foulest hue but even to watch the least appearances of danger which require's a marveilous jealous and scrupulous heart and yet ruled by knowledg not to bee a fool to believ every thing but wise to discern both of persons things and occasions Sixthly there must bee an heart watchful as as well to the grounds manner and measure intent and meaning of our Action as to their nature and unlawfulness Seventhly there must bee the Companions of watching fruitfulness unweariedness chearfulness and fulness in dutie redeeming our season and filling up the time with plentie abhorring emptiness and barrenness And lastly such a watching heart to a constant cours will breed a watchfulness for the coming of Christ III. Experience which is the life of a Christian's observation of the whole cours of God's government towards him both in his patience blessings corrections also exemples of others good and bad liveing and dying together with all his threats and promises against evill and to goodness with the performances thereof and especially the watch-words and warnings of Conscience out of the Word teaching us what waies to shun and what to embrace This experience teacheth the people of God to bee every one an Ecclesiastes to another a Preacher telling others what they have observed in the cours of things teach them what is vanitie and froth and what is substance The issue of which is That the whole dutie of man is this To fear God and keep his Commandements Holy experience is out of the Element of a naturall man hee is hedged out from it But it is the most blessed help to the godlie to order their life a true mistress not as to fools Vse I. And first seeing the chain of these holy helps is so precious and profitable to a godly life first wee confute all that break the links thereof and unsavorily make comparisons between one and other to the overthrow of all Son between preaching and praier som between Word and Sacraments as the Papists do Wheras wee hold that they have a sweet harmonie and neither without other to bee set up Let the solemness of the publick the familiaritie of the private and the need of all affect us with exceeding thankfulness especially for our libertie in the use thereof which Poperie had debarred us of in each kinde by a strange tongue of Scripture a Sacrifice for a Sacrament yea a confusion of many for a few Vse II. Secondly how precious and adored should the wisdom of our God bee in appointing so many and neither more of these nor less then the need of his Church required neither pampering nor sterving them but nourishing them Oh I say how should these list us up to God! As once an holy man rideing by the medows in the Spring seeing and smelling such varieties of flowers said Oh sweet Creatures but how sweet then is your Creator If this foot-stool bee so set forth what is his throne So let us say Oh sweet Ordinances oh beautiful Assemblies oh useful varieties but then how sweet is your Ordainer Vse III. Thirdly let this bee exhortation to all believers first to use secondly to live by faith in the use of means First to use them all closely constantly wisely despise not the filliness simplicitie of them judg them not by man or outsides of appearance sever not the things which God hath united hee hath ordained both their coherence and use seek him in all if by any means Phil. 3. 11. wee may attain our desire Forget wee not the scope of the whole Article to bee this That in the use of means under God the whole bodie of godly life is to bee preserved Use all not knowing in what box our chief health consisteth let not one eclips and stain the other affect not private to exclude publick honor not publick to weaken the esteem of private extraordinarie to despise ordinarie or ordinarie to exclude them And lastly let this teach us to live by faith in the use of Ordinances And by Faith let us crie out as the Church in the Canticles Arise O North winde and
translate us from this our poor walking with him to bee with him and to bee rid of all our clogs which hinder us from so doing and go from this our doing God's will as it is in heaven to do it in Heaven Give GOD the prais FINIS A TABLE Containing the Method and Principal Heads of the whole book Part I. Article I. pag. 1. II. pag. 7. III. pag. 12. IV. pag. 18. V. pag. 20. VI. pag. 22. VII pag. 58. II. Article I. pag. 64. II. pag. 72. III. pag. 107. IV. pag. 113. V. pag. 129. VI. pag. 172. VII pag. 185. III. Article I. pag 216. II. pag. 224. III. pag. 242. IV. pag. 253. V. pag. 272. VI. pag. 291. VII pag. 302 PART I. Artic. I. In Adam mankinde was creäted in perfection of light and holiness pag. 1. According to God's image pag. 1. 1. For matter p. 1. 2. For manner p. 2. 3. In respect of endowments p. 2. 4. In his bodie p. 2. This image of God is more distinctly considered in three things I. In the bodie 1. In the Production of it p. 2. 2. In the Frame of it beeing made p. 3. II. In the soul 1. In the nature of it p. 3 2. In the functions p. 3. III. In the whole person 1. In his reverend and awfull behavior p. 4. 2. In his honorable entertainment p. 4. Uses pag. 4. c. Artic. II. Adam fell from his Integritie by wilful transgression p. 7. This sin is set forth by two things 1. By the description of the holie Ghost p. 7. 2. By the parcels of the sin p. 8. In the fall consider the causes 1. Remote 1 Changeableness of their will 2. Unarmedness 3. Aptness of the temptation p. 9. 2. More neer and proper 1. Inward tickling of their affection p. 9. 2. Snareing p. 9. Secret assent to the tentation p. 10. Corruptions of heart flowing from this fall are of two sorts Special 1. Pride 2. Securitie 3. Vanitie 4. Sensualitie 5. Discontent 6. Sacriledg 7. Crueltie and injustice c. p. 10. General 1. Distrust of God p. 10. 2. Rebellion against God 3. Unthankfulness 4. Apostasie p. 10. Uses pag. 10. c. Artic. III. Adam's sin made him miserable pag. 12. This miserie hath two branches Miserie of sin Original p. 13. Actual p. 14. Miserie of punishment Of Soul Of Bolie p. 15. Vses pag. 16. c. Artic. IV. The whole race of mankinde is guiltie of Adam's sin p. 16. Vse pag. 19. c. Artic. V. There is no possibilitie for man of himof himself to escape this miserie p. 20. Vses pag. 20 c. Artic. VI. The convinceing Ministerie of the Moral law reveal's our miserie p. 22. c. The works of the Law are of two sorts 1. To the godlie it is a pattern and direction of righteousness p. 22. 2. In the Wicked it work 's two things 1. Knowledg 2. Conviction p. 22. The Law discover's sin 1. By dispelling ignorance p. 23. 2. By remooving the barrs against it viz. 1. Prejudice 2. Custom in darkness p. 23. 3. Hardness of heart p. 23. 4. Dulness 5. Slightness 6. Self-love p. 24. 7. Errors ibid. The Law enlighten's to discern actual sins both 1. In themselvs sundrie waies by her 1. Autoritie p. 24. 2. Harmonie p. 24. 3. Royaltie p. 25. 4. Int●gritie ibid. 5. Extent p. 27. II. In the penalties p. 28. The Lord discover's original sin to the soul 1. By the Special tearms of his Word 2. By Comparison 3. By the properties of Original sin 1. It is eminently sinful p. 29. 2. Predominantly ibid. 3. Perpetually p. 30. 4. It is an over-flowing sin p. 30. 5. It is an enslaveing sin ibid. 6. Unlimited p. 30. Vses pag. 30. c. Conviction is twofold 1. Of the judgment which the Law effect's by remooving three Letts 2. Of the whole soul called Terror and Bondage p. 37. 1. Deadness of spirit p. 33. 2. Loos incogitancie and carelesness ibid. 3. Subtiltie and slieness ibid. This Legal Terror is explained by the the consideration of three things 1. The difference p. 30. 2 The nature effects and end of it ibid. 3. The extremities and abuses of it which are two 1. Legal presumption p. 45. 2. Final despair p. 46. Vses pag. 53. c. Artic. VII The LORD leav's not the souls of his Children in this miserie but uphold's them by the hope of the Gospel p. 58. Reasons of the point p. 59. c. PART II. Artic. I. That there is a deliverance ordained and granted to miserable man out of this thraldom Note 1. There is a Deliverance p. 65. 2. Appointed by the Lord. p. ibid. Uses pag. 67. c. Artic II. The onely instrument of working out this deliverance is the Lord Jesus p. 72. The whole work of his Mediation may bee referred to two heads 1. The Qualification of his Person p. 73. 2. The Actual performance of the satisfaction it self p. 74. The Qualification of his person hath two parts 1. Union p. 73. and Unction p. 74. The Performance it self stand's of two parts 1. Meriting this price for all the Flect p. 74. 2. Applying it to them p. 75. These are called w●●l-springs of salvation becaus they are so many grounds of justifying faith whereof there are seven heads I. InCarnation p. 78. II. Divinitie of Christ p. 80. III. The personal Union p. 82. Hence the Unction of 1. Priesthoad p. 84. 2. Prophecie p. 86. 3. Kingdom p. 87. IV. Actual Obedience p. 91. V. Passive Obedience p. 91. VI. Conquesi of Christ p. 100. VII Applying of Christ's merit p. 104. Artic. III GOD'S imputation of the merits of CHRIST'S righteousness to a sinful soul is the formal caus of our justification Expressed by divers phrases p. 108. Vses pag. 109. c. Artic. IV The Gospel and the offer of Grace in it is the Revealer of this deliverance The special properties of this offer are three p. 120. 1. Libertie 2. Simplicitie 3. Fidelitie Uses pag. 121. c. Artic. V. The Lord offer 's Christ to the soul furnish't with all his benefits Concerning these benefits of Christ consider three things I. The Difference p. 140. II. The Order p. 131. III. The Nature and Use of them p. 131. 1. Vocation p. 132. 2. Union p. 134. 3. Regeneration p. 138. 4. Justification p. 145. 5. Reconciliatian p. 148. 6. Adoption p. 153. 7. Redemption p. 160. 8. Sanctificatiin p. 167. 9. Glorification p. 167. Artic. VI. The Church of GOD is the true and onely Object of all the former good things Two things here considerable I. The subject of it the Church it self distinguished into 1. Visible p. 172. 2. Invisible p. 173. 3. Militant p. ibid. 4. Triumphant ibid. 5. Malignant p. 174. II. The Adjunct of the Church the Communion of Saints in which consider 1. Qualification p. 176. 2. Due exercise of Communion p. 180. The Spirit of Communion may bee discovered in two particulars 1. In Preserving Communion and this it doth 1. By Separation of fals