to bewail the losse of that happy estate with blaming our selves for our sin in Adam Thirdly to learn how grievous a thing sinne is in Gods sight that procured man this dolefull change Fourthly to labour and gasp to be heirs of the heavenly Paradise purchased for the elect by Christ by which we shall eat of the Tree of life Rev. 2. 7. Thus far of the state of innocency what is the state of corruption and misery The fearfull condition whereinto in Adam all mankind fell Eccles. 7. 29. by transgressing and violating that Covenant of works which God made with him at the beginning For man continued not in his integrity but presently transgressed that holy law which was given unto him willingly revolting from Gods command through Satans temptation into many sinnes by eating the forbidden fruit and so by the disobedience of one sin reigned unto death and death went over all Rom. 5. 12. 18. What are we then to consider herein First Adams fall Secondly the wretched estate he threw all his posterity into In what place of Scripture is the History of Adams fall handled In the third Chapter of Genesis the six former verses whereof setteth out the transgression of our first parents which was the original of all other transgressions the rest of the Chapter declareth at large the things that followed immediately upon this transgression How was the way made unto this fall of man By Gods permission Satans temptation mans carelesnesse and infirmity in yeelding thereunto What action had God in this businesse He permitted the fall of man not by instilling into him any evill Jam. 1. 13. 1 John 2. 16. or taking from him any ability unto good But first suffering Satan to assail him 2 Sam. 24. 1. with 1 Chron. 21. 1. Secondly leaving man to the liberty and mutability of his own will and not hindring his fall by supply of further grace 2 Chro. 32. 31. Was then God no cause of the fall of our first Parents None at all but as hath been said having created them holy he left them to themselves to fall if they would or stand if they would in respect of their ability as a staffe put on an end right doth fall without the furtherance of the man that setteth it right yet came it to passe not only by the permission of God but also by his secret Decree thereby to make way for the manifestation of his Power Justice and Mercy for being able to bring good out of evill as light out of darknesse he ordereth in his great Wisdome the fall of man to the setting out of the glory both of his mercy in those that shall be saved in Christ and of his Justice in those that shall perish for their sins Rom. 11. 32. yet without wrong to any being not bound to his creature to uphold him by his grace from falling Rom. 11. 35. What hand had Satan in procuring the fall of man Being himself fallen upon a proud envious and murtherous mind he deceived our first parents by tempting them to sinne to the end he might bring them into the like estate with himself and as in this respect he is said to have been a murtherer from the beginning Joh. 8. 44. so doth he ever since seek to do what hurt he can to mankind moving them still to sin against God and labouring to bring them to damnation What doe you observe herein His envy of Gods glory and mans happinesse together with his hatred and malice against mankind whom as a murtherer doth his enemy he hateth and laboureth to destroy What gather you from this attempt of his against our first parents in the state of Innocency That Satan is most busie to assail them in whom the image of God in knowledge and holinesse doth appear not labouring much about those which either lie in ignorance or have no conscience of walking according to knowledge as those that are his already What Instrument did Satan use in tempting man He used the Serpent as an Instrument to deceive the woman and the woman for an Instrument to tempt the man Gen. 3. 1. 2 Cor. 11. 3. 1 Tim. 2. 14. Why did he use those outward Instruments and not rather tempt their fancy and affection inwardly It seemeth that in their integrity he could not have that advantage against them in those things whereunto they were made subject by their fall Why did he chuse rather to speak by a Serpent then by any other Beast Because it was the fittest that God permitted him and wisest of all the beasts of the earth especially possessed by him to deceive man Gen. 3. 1. It was of all other beasts the subtillest and fittest to creep into the Garden unseen of Adam who was to keep the beasts out of it and to remain there without being espyed of him and creep out again when he had done his feat If there were craft before the fall then it seemeth there was sinne Craft in beasts is not sin although the word here used signifyeth a nimblenesse and slinesse to turn and wind it self any way in which respect it seemeth the Devill chose this beast before any other What learn you from thence That the Devill to work his mischief is exceedingly cunning to make his choice of his Instruments according to the kind of evill he will solicite unto Matth. 7. 15. 2 Cor. 11. 13 14. 1 Tim. 2. 14. But wee doe not see that hee commeth any more in the body of Serpents He may and in the body of any other beast which the Lord will permit him to come in Howbeit our case in this is more dangerous then that of our first parents for now he useth commonly for Instruments men like unto us and familiar with us which he could not doe before the fall Eph. 6. 12. Rev. 2. 10. Why did Satan assail the woman rather then the man Because she was the weaker vessel which is his continuall practice where the hedge is low there to goe over Luk. 5. 30. Mar. 2. 16. Mat. 9. 11. 2 Tim. 3. 6. and might afterwards be a fitter means to deceive and draw on her husband What are we to consider in his tempting of the woman First the time which he chose to set upon her Secondly the manner of the temptation What note you of the time First that it was immediately or not long after the placing of them in that happy estate which teacheth how malicious the wicked one is who if he could let would not suffer us to enjoy any comfort either of this life or of that to come so much as one poor day Secondly that he came unto her when she was some space removed from her husband that hee that should have helped her from and against his wiles might not be present to heare their conference whence we learn that the absence of wives from their husbands who should be a strength unto them is dangerous especially that we absent not our selves from the means
gather you from hence That the loathsomenesse of sin is hidden from our eyes untill it be committed and then it flasheth in the faces of our conscience and appeareth in its proper colours Was that well done that they sewed fig-tree leaves to hide their nakednesse In some respect forasmuch as they sought not remedy for the nakednesse inward it was not well but that they were ashamed to behold their own nakednesse of the body it was well for in this corrupt and sinfull estate there is left this honesty and shamefastnesse that neither we can abide to look on our own nakednesse and shamefull parts much lesse upon the shamefull parts of others although it be of those that are nearest joyned unto us What gather you from thence First that those that can delight in the beholding either of their own nakednesse or the nakednesse of any other have lost even the honesty that the sinfull nature of man naturally retaineth Secondly that such as for customes sake have covered their nakednesse with clothes doe notwithstanding with filthy words as it were lay themselves naked are yet more wretched and deeplier poysoned with the poyson of the unclean spirit and have drunk more deeply of his cup. Seeing our nakednesse commeth by sin and is a fruit thereof it may seem that little infants have no sinne because they are not ashamed So indeed doe the Pelagian hereticks reason but they consider not that the want of that feeling is for the want of the use of reason and because they doe not discerne between being naked and clothed What followeth That at the noyse of the Lord in a wind they fled from the presence of God and hid themselves where the trees were most thick What gather you from thence First that the guilt of an evill conscience striketh horrour into a man and therefore it is said that terrours terrifie him round about and cast him down following him at the heeles and leave him not till they have brought him before the terrible King Job 18. 11. 14. Thereof it is that the feast of a good conscience is so extolled as to be a continuall feast Prov. 15. 15. Secondly the fruit of the sinne comming from the feare which is to flye from God as from an enemy whereof it is that the Apostle affirmeth That having peace of conscience we have accesse and approach to God Rom. 5. 2. Their blindnesse which esteemed that the shadow or thicknesse of trees would hide them from the face of God whereas if we goe up into heaven he is there if into the deep he is there also Psal. 139. 7. 13. he being not so hidden in the trees but that a man might find him out What followeth That God asketh where he is which knew well where he was What learne you from hence First that we would never leave off running from God untill we come to the depth of hell if God did not seek us and follow us to fetch us as the good shepheard the lost sheep Esa. 65. 1. Luk. 15. 4. Secondly that the means of calling us home is by the word of his mouth What followeth That Adam being asked assigneth for causes things that were not the causes as namely the voyce of the Lord his feare and his nakednesse which were not the true causes considering that he had heard the voyce of God and was naked when he fled not dissembling that which his heart knew to be the true cause viz. his sin What learn you from thence That it is the property of a man unregenerate to hide and cloake sinne and therefore that the more we hide and cloak our sinnes when we are dealt with for them the more we approve our selves the children of the old man the cursed Adam Job 31. 33. What followeth The Lord asketh how it should come that he felt his nakednesse as a punishment and whether he had eaten of the forbidden fruit What note you from thence That before that our sinnes be knowne in such sort as the deniall of them is in vaine and without colour we will not confesse our sinnes What learn you out of Adams second answer unto God That the man unregenerate dealt with for his sinnes goeth from evill to worse for the sin that he did before and now cannot hide he excuseth and for excusing it accuseth the Lord as those doe which when they heare the doctrine of predestination and providence thereupon would make God partie in their sins What learn you further That howsoever Adam alledgeth it for an excuse because he did it by perswasion of another yet God holdeth him guilty yea dealeth vvith him as vvith the principall because his gifts vvere greater then his vvifes What learn you from the answer of Eve to the Lords question why she did so The same vvhich before that the unregenerate man doth goe about to excuse the sinne he cannot deny for shee casteth her sinne upon the Serpent and said that which was true but kept back the confession of her Concupiscence without which the Serpent could not have hurt her How commeth it to passe that the old Serpent the Authour of all is not called to be examined Because that the Lord would shew no mercy to him wherefore he only pronounceth Judgement against him What learn you from thence That it is a mercy of God when we have sinned to be called to accompt and to be examined either by the Father of the houshold or by the Magistrate or by the Governour of the Church and a token of Gods fearfull Judgment when we are suffered to rest in our sins without being drawn to question for them What observe you in the sentence against the Serpent That the first part contained in the 14. ver is against the Instrument of the Devil and that the other part contained in the 15 ver is against the Devil What learn you of this proceeding to sentence That after the cause well known Judgement should not be slacked Why doth God use a speech to the Serpent that understandeth it not It is for mans sake and not for the beasts sake Why for mans sake To shew his love to mankind by his displeasure against any thing that shall give any help to doe hurt unto him in which respect he commandeth that the Oxe that killeth a man should be slain and that the flesh thereof should not be eaten Exod. 21. 28. like a kind Father that cannot abide the sight of the knife that hath maimed or killed his child but breaketh it in peeces What manner of curse is this when there is nothing laid upon the Serpent but that he was appointed to at the beginning before he became the Devils Instrument to tempt Eve It is true that he crept upon his belly before and eat dust before as appeareth in the Prophet Esay 65. 25. but his meaning is that he shall creep with more pain and lurk in his hole for fear and eat the dust with lesse delight and more necessity
What learn you from thence Not to suffer our selves to be instruments of evill to any in the least sort if we will escape the curse of God for if God did punish a poor worm which had no reason or will to chuse or refuse sin how much lesse will he spare us which have both What is the sentence against the Devill The Ordinance of God That there shall be always enmity between the Devil and his seed on the one side and the woman and her seed on the other together with the effect of this enmity VVhat doe you understand by the seed of the Devill seeing there is no generation of the Devils for that there is no male nor female among them neither have they bodies to engender The seed of the Devill are all both wicked men and Angels Joh. 8. 44. which are corrupt and carry his image 1 Joh. 3. 8. In which respect the wicked are called the children of the Devil and every where the sons of Belial Act. 13. 10. What learn you from thence That the war of mankind with the Devill is a lawfull war proclaimed of God which is also perpetuall and without any truce and therefore that herein it is wherein we must shew our choler our hate our valour our strength not faintly and in shew only but in truth whereas we being continually assaulted with our enemy leave our fight with him to fight against our brethren yea against our own soules he continually and without ceasing fighting with us and not against his own as the blasphemous Pharisees said Mat. 12. 24. VVhat is the sentence against the Woman First in the pain of conception and bearing child Secondly in the pain of bringing forth wherein is contained the pain of nursing and bringing them up Thirdly in a desire to her husband Fourthly in her subjection to her husband Was she not before desirous and subject to her husband Yes but her desire was not so great through conscience of her infirmity nor her subjection so painfull and the yoake thereof so heavy What is the sentence against Adam First his sin is put in the sentence and then his punishment What is his sin One that he obeyed his wife whom he should have commanded then that he disobeyed God whom he ought to have obeyed the first being proper to him the other common to his wife with him What was the punishment A punishment which although it be more heavy upon Adam yet it is also common to the woman namely the curse of the earth for his sake from whence came barrennesse by Thistles and Thorns c. whereof first the effect should be sorrow and grief of mind Secondly labour to the sweat of his brows to draw necessary food from it and that as long as he lived Lastly the expulsion out of Paradise to live with the beasts of the earth and to eat of the hearb which they did eat of What learn you from thence That all men from him that sitteth on the Throne to him that draweth water are bound to painfull labour either of the body or of the mind what wealth or patrimony soever is left them although they had wherewith otherwise plentifully to live What observe you else I observe further out of this Verse and out of the two next that in the midst of Gods anger he remembreth mercy for it is a benefit to Adam that he may live of the sweat of his brows to Eve that she should bring forth and not be in continuall travell unto them both that he taught them wisdome to make leather Coats What learn you from that it was said God made them Coats That in every profitable invention for the life of man God is to be acknowledged the Authour of it and have the honour of it and not the wit of man that invented it as is the manner of men in such cases to sacrifice to their nets Hab. 1. 16. When there were better means of clothing why did they weare Leather It seemeth that thereby they should draw themselves the rather to repentance and humiliation by that course clothing What learn you from thence That howsoever our condition and state of calling afford us better array yet we learn even in the best of our clothes to be humbled by them as those that are given us to cover our shame and carry always the mark and badge of our sinnes especially when these which were even after the fall the goodliest creatures that ever lived learned that lesson by them What followeth A sharp taunt that the Lord giveth Adam ver 22. further to humble him as if he should say Now Adam dost thou not see and feel how greatly thou art deceived in thinking to be like God in eating of the forbidden fruit What learn you from it That by the things we think to be most esteemed contrary to the will of God we are most subject to derision and that it must not be a plain and common speech but a laboured speech that must bring us to repentance Why doth God banish him out of Paradise lest he should live if he should eat of the tree of Life seeing there is no corporall thing able to give life to any that sinne hath killed It is true that the eating of the fruit of the Tree of life would not have recovered him but the Lord therefore would have him banished from it lest he should fall into a vain confidence thereof to the end to make him seek for grace Wherefore are the Angels set with a glittering sword to keep them from the Tree of life To encrease their care to seek to Christ being banished from it without hope of comming so much as to the sign of life What learn you from hence The necessary use of keeping obstinate sinners from the Sacraments and other holy things in the Church Thus much of the miserable and unhappy condition which our first parents brought upon themselves Did this estate determine in their persons or was it derived from them to all their posterity It was for their sinne in eating the forbidden fruit was the sin of all men and we therein became sinners and guilty of eternall Condemnation So that they by this first transgression did not onely lose for themselves the Image and favour of God but withall all deprived their posterity of that blessed estate Rom. 3. 23. and plunged them into the contrary Rom. 3. 12. bringing damnation upon themselves and us all wherefore this cursed estate of mankind is called in the scriptures the image of Adam Gen. 5. 3. the old man Ephes. 4. 22. the flesh Gen. 6. 3. John 3. 6. c. And the Apostle teacheth expresly Rom. 5. 12. That by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death went over all men forasmuch as all men have sinned How doth the Apostle here call this the sinne of one man seeing both Adam and Eve sinned which are two and that Eve sinned before Adam In
of spirituall strength the hearing of the Word the receiving of the Sacraments and Prayer Thirdly that shee was neere to the Tree of knowledge at the time he set on her which sheweth his watchfulnesse in taking advantage of all opportunities that might further his temptations VVhat was the manner of the temptation First he subtilly addressed himself to the woman and entred into conference with her Secondly he made her doubt whether the Word of God was true or not Thirdly he offered her an object Fourthly he used all the means he could to make her forsake God and yeeld unto him pretending greater love and care of mans well doing then was in God and bearing them in hand that they should be like unto God himselfe if they did eat of the forbidden fruit Gen. 3. 5. What was the Devils speech to the woman Is it even so that God hath said Yee shall not eat of all the fruit in the Garden Gen. 3. 1. What doe you note in this That it is likely there had been some communication before between the Serpent and the woman that Satan had asked why they did not eat of the forbidden fruit seeing it was so goodly and pleasant to behold and that the woman had answered that they were forbidden whereupon he inferreth this that Moses setteth downe wherein we may observe First the Devils sophistry who at first doth not flat contrary Gods command but to bring her to doubting and conference with him asketh this question whether God hath forbidden to eat of all the trees in the Garden Secondly the wicked spirits malicious and subtile suggestion in that passing by the great bountifulnesse of the Lord in the grant of the free use of all the fruits in the Garden he seeks to quarrell with the Lords liberality Thirdly we learn from hence to take heed lest for want of some one thing which God withholdeth from us which we gladly would have we be not unthankfull to the Lord for his great kindnesse and liberality and enter further into a mislike of him for that one want then into the love and liking of him for his innumerable benefits we enjoy especially it being for our good that he withholdeth it and that being not good which we desire What did follow upon this question of Satan The woman answering thereunto not as God had spoken that surely they should die if they did eat of the forbidden fruit but by a tearm of doubting lest ye die Satan by this conference and doubting taketh advantage and assureth them that they shall not die but have their eies open and receive knowledge What observe you in this reply of the Devill First his craft in applying himself to the woman whom he seeing to be in doubt of the punishment contents himself with it and abstaineth from a precise deniall whither he would willingly draw her because he deemed that the woman would not come so farre and that in a flat deniall he should have been bewrayed which notwithstanding in the latter end of this sentence he doth by implication flatly doe whence we learn that the Devill proceedeth by degrees and will not at the first move to the grossest as in Idolatry he laboureth to draw man first to be present after to kneel only with the knee keeping his conscience to himselfe lastly to the greatest worship In whoredome first to look then to dally c. and therefore wee must resist the evill in the beginning Secondly that hee is a calumniator or caviller whereof he hath his name Diabolus Devill and an Interpreter of all things to the worst and it is no marvell though he deprave the best actions of good men seeing hee dealeth so with God surmising that God had forbidden to eat of the fruits lest they should know as much as he Thirdly that knowing how desirous the nature of man especially they of best spirits is of knowledge he promiseth unto them a great encrease thereof whereas wee ought to remember that which Moses saith that the secrets of the Lord are to himself and that the things that he hath revealed are to us and to our children Deut. 29. 29. Hitherto of Satans temptation the cause of the fall without man What were the causes arising from our first parents themselves Not any of Gods creation but their carelesnesse to keep themselves intire to Gods command for though they were created good yet being left by God to the mutability of their own will they voluntarily enclined and yeelded unto that evill whereunto 〈◊〉 were tempted and so from one degree unto another were â—rought unto plain rebellion Gen. 3. 6. Eccl. 7. 29. What was their first and main sin In generall it was disobedience the degrees whereof were first infidelity then pride and lastly the disâ—vowing of subjection by eating the forbidden fruit which they imagined to be the means whereby they should attain to an higher degree of blessednesse but proved to be the sin that procured their fall Gen. 2. 16 17. 3. 6 7. Did not Adam conferre with Satan and take the fruit from the tree No he received it from his wife and by her was deceived and she by Satan Gen. 3. 4. 17. 1 Tim. 2. 14. Satan indeed was the outward cause of Eves fall but what are the causes arising from her self They are either outward things of the body or the inward affections of the mind moved by them What are the outward things of the body They are the abuse of the tongue of the ears of the eyes and of the tast for in that she entertained conference with the Devill the tongue and ears in that it is said that the fruit was delectable to look on the eyes and in that it was said it was good to eat the tast is made to be an instrument of this sin What learn you from hence That which the Apostle warneth Rom. 6. 13. that we beware that we make not the parts of our bodies weapons of iniquitie for if without a circumspect use of them they were instruments of evill before there was any corruption or any inclination at all to sin how much more dangerous will they be now after the corruption unlesse they be wel looked unto What doe you observe in Eves conference with the Devill First her folly to enter into any conference with Satan for shee might have been amazed that a beast should speak unto her in a mans voice but her carelesnesse and curiosity moved her to it Secondly her boldnesse in daring to venture on such an adversary without her husbands help or advice Thirdly her wretchednesse in daring once to call in question the truth of Gods command or to dispute thereof or then to doubt of it What instruction gather you from her entertaining conference with Satan That it is dangerous to talk with the Devill so much as to bid him to depart if the Lord to try us should suffer him to tempt us visibly as he did Eve unlesse we have a speciall
calling of God thereunto 1. Because he is too subtile for us we being simple in regard of him 2. Because he is so desperately malicious that he will give place to no good thing we can alledge to make him leave off his malicious purpose What shall we then doe We must turn our selves unto God and desire him to command him away at whose only Commandment he must depart Is there any thing blame-worthy in Eves answer to the question of the Serpent Notwithstanding that so far she answered truly that God had forbidden them to eat of the fruit of that tree and telleth also the punishment truly that would follow thereof yet began she to slip in the delivery both of the charge and of the punishment for where she saith they were forbidden to touch it it is more then the Lord made mention of and she thereby seemeth to insinuate some rigour of the Lord forbidding even the touch of the fruit and where the Lord had most certainly pronounced that they should die if they eat of the forbidden fruit she speaketh doubtfully of it as if they should not certainly die What learn you from this latter Observation That albeit men are oft perswaded they sin yet that they are not perswaded of the Justice of God against it whereby the door is opened to sin which is to make God an Idoll in spoiling him of his Justice as if he were so all mercy as he had forgotten to be just when as he is as well justice as mercy as infinite in the one as in the other which correcteth sharply the sins of such as he will save What learn you of the abuse of the tongue in this conference That as the tongue is a singular blessing of God whereby man excelleth all the creatures upon the earth so the abuse of it is most dangerous because it setteth on fire the whole course of nature and it is set on fire of hell Jam. 3. 6. What observe you of that it is said that Eve saw the fruit was delectable to look on Her lustfull and wicked eye in suffering her mind to be allured to look on the beauty of the fruit with a purpose to affect the eating of it How is it said that she saw it was good to eat when shee had never tasted of it Shee knew by the beautifull colour it was so for if we are able in this darknesse we are fallen into to discerne commonly by the sight of the fruit whether it be good and the skilfull in Physick by the colour onely of the hearb to tell whether it be hot or cold sweet or sowre how much more were Adam and Eve who had the perfection of the knowledge of those things more then ever Solomon himselfe What learn you by the abuse of these outward senses That they are as it were windowes whereby sin entred into the heart when there was no sin and therefore will much more now the heart being corrupted What instructions gather you from thence First that we must shut them against all evill and unlawfull use of their objects and open them to the use of good things make a Covenant with them as Job did with his eyes Job 31. 1. by a strong and painfull resistance of the evill that commeth by the abuse of them as it were and cut them off and throw them away as our Saviour giveth counsell Mat. 5. 29 30. Secondly that as the senses are more noble as the hearing and sight called the senses of learning so there should be a stronger watch set upon them those being the senses that Adam and Eve were especially so deceived by What observe you of that it is said shee saw that it was desirable for knowledge That was only her errour which shee having begun to sip of by communication with the Devill did after drink a full draught of by beholding the beauty of the fruit and receiving the delicate tast thereof and withall observe how we can heap reasons true and false to move us to follow our pleasures What learn you from thence That the heart inclining to errour doth draw the senses to an unlawfull use of them and that the abuse of the senses doth strengthen the heart in errour What gather you hereof That before the heart was corrupted there was no abuse of these outward senses But that being corrupt the abuse thereof doth settle the heart deeper in errour What was the effect of all these outward and inward meanes First Eve yeelded to Satan and put his will in execution in eating of the fruit that was forbidden Secondly shee gave it also to Adam to eat What force hath the word also here used by the holy Ghost Thereby as by a speciall word of amplification the sin is aggravated against her to shew her naughtines not only in committing the sin her selfe but also in alluring the husband to doe as she had done What learn you from thence 1. The nature of sinners to draw others to the condemnation they are in as Satan Eve and Eve her Husband even those that are nearest them whose good they should procure 2. That we should take heed of that the Apostle warneth us not to be partakers of other mens sins as if we had not enough of our own to answer for which especially belongeth unto those in charge 1 Tim. 5. 22. 3. How dangerous an instrument is an evill and deceived wife which the Lord commandeth men should beware to make choice of and if the man which is strong much more the woman What learn you of that Adam eat forthwith First that which hath been before noted that the Devill by one of us tempteth more dangerously then in his own person so that Satan knew he could not so easily have deceived Adam by himself as by Eve Secondly for that in excesse of love he yeelded it teacheth husbands to love their wives but it must be in the Lord as the wives must doe their husbands How doth it agree with the goodnes or with the very justice of God to punish mankind so fearfully for eating of a little fruit Very well for first the heynousnesse of an offence is not to be measured by the thing that is done but by the worthinesse of the person against whom it is committed And how much more the Commandement our first parents brake was easie to be kept as to abstain from one onely fruit in so great variety and plenty so much more grievous was their sin by breaking it Secondly though God tryed their obedience in that fruit especially yet were there many other most grievous sinnes which in desiring and doing of this they did commit Insomuch that we may observe therein the grounds of the breach in a manner of every one of the ten Commandements For the transgression was horrible and the breach of the whole Law of God yea an Apostasie whereby they withdrew themselves from under the power of God nay rejected and denied him and not so little an offence
and whereas a man willeth a member of his body to be cut off we may rather call it a permission then a willing and yet a vvilling permission You have shewed how many ways sin is to be considered how many things are to be considered in every sin and how we are said to will a thing Now let me hear what you say to the matter in question that is whether God doth will sin or no Before I answer directly to your question I think it is not amisse to shew what every one must carefully take heed of in answering to this question for in answering there is danger Let me hear what dangers must be avoided in answering There are two and every one must avoid them and sail between them as between two dangerous rocks The first is this we must take heed lest we make God the author of sin by affirming that he willeth sin as the Libertines do as Adam did Gen. 3. 12. for that were the next vvay not only to put off our sins from our selves and lay them upon God but also to cast off all conscience of sin and all fear of God then the which nothing can be more blasphemous against God and pernicious to our selves What is the second thing to be avoided The other is this we must take heed that we affirm not any evill to be in the world which God knoweth not of or whether God vvill or no for that vvere to deny Gods omnipotency and al-knowledge These are two dangerous rocks and heresies indeed but now I expect a direct answer to the question That cannot be at once but by going from point to point according to our former distinction of sin and vvilling Very well then declare first of all what things God doth properly will which of themselves are to be willed God doth first and chiefly vvill himself that is his own glory and Majesty as the end for vvhich all things are and this he is said to vvill properly that is he loveth it advanceth it and delighteth in it and to this purpose serve all those Scriptures vvhich command us to sanctifie his name and to adore his glory as in Esa. 48. 11. Pro. 16. 4. Rom. 11. 36. Besides himselfe he doth properly vvill all other things vvhich he made and vvhich he doth himself insomuch as he doth approve them and love them as appeareth by these places following God saw all that he made and it was good and therefore gave a Commandement that one should preserve another by multiplying and encreasing Again it is said whatsoever the Lord will that he doth therefore whatsoever he doth that he wils and although he hateth evill yet he doth properly will and love that good which commeth of evill that is his own glory and the salvation of his people Whether doth God will punishments or no Yea his will is the first and efficient cause of all punishment which is proved by this reason and argument every good thing is of God every punishment being a work of justice is a good thing therefore every punishment is of God and he doth will it What say you to the words in Ezekiel 18. 23. 32. I will not the death of a sinner That place is to be understood onely of the elect for properly indeed God doth not will their death and therefore to keep them from death meaning eternall death he giveth them repentance Whether doth God will sin as it is a punishment of sin that went before Yes he doth and it usuall with God to punish one sin with another as for example the hardning of Pharaohs heart was a sin in Pharaoh and God brought it upon him not as a sin but as a punishment of his former sins You say that in every sin is an action or deed which is either inward or outward whether doth God will that or no So far forth as it is an action only God doth will it but not the corruption deformity of the action for in him we live move and have our beeing Acts 17. 28. But whether doth God will sin properly as it is a transgression of the law and a corruption in the action or no No he doth not neither can be for it is against his nature and to this effect serve these places of Scripture following Psal. 5. 5. Heb. 1. 15. 1 Joh. 1. 4. and reason doth confirm it many vvayes for looke vvhat God doth vvill properly he loveth and alloweth it but God hateth and damneth sin as the Scriptures vvitnesse and therefore he doth not vvill it properly Zach. 8. 17. Again he hath sent his Son to take away the sins of the vvorld and to destroy the vvorks of the Devill therefore he doth not vvill them Lastly if God should properly vvill sin then he must be the author of sin but he is not the author of sin for the Scriptures doe never attribute sin unto God but unto the devil unto men Ro. 9. 14. 1 Ioh. 2. 16. But although God doth not properly will sin yet he doth willingly permit sin doth he not Yes but for the better understanding how God doth permit sin vve must consider hovv many vvays or in hovv many senses one is said to permit a thing and that is three vvays To permit is sometime of two good things to grant that vvhich is lesse good although it vvere against our vvill as for example a man vvould bring up his son in learning rather then in vvarfare or in any other occupation but because his son hath more mind to an occupation then to learning and doth crave of his father to go to some occupation or to be a Soldier rather then a Doctor his father doth grant him his desire but he had rather have him to be a Scholar And this is a kind of permission and suffering but this permission ought rather to be called a will indeed for that which is lesse good yet because it is good he doth will it and approve it and it is a true object of his will and it may be called a permission in respect of that will which had rather have had the greater good And is thus God said to permit sin in this sense No by no means for sin as it is sin hath no shew of good in it which may be compared with a greater good Which is your second way of permitting Sometimes to permit is to grant one evill to goe unpunished that many more grievous evils thereby may be prevented as many times Princes Magistrates are wont to doe and so some do think that God hath granted some sin to be done without danger or threatning of punishment lest more and more hainous mischiefs should ensue And are not you of that mind No God forbid I should for the Apostles rule is both generall and true we must not doe evill that good may come thereof lest we be damned justly therefore no man may by the law of God admit any sin to avoid another
hatred of evill things as they are evill things Secondly it is manifest by David that it is no lesse vertue to hate the evill then it is to love the good and this hatred of sinne as it is a vertue and perfect hatred cannot be in us but by the grace of God for every good gift is from above c. and there can be no good thing in us but it is first in God after a more perfect manner then it is in us What are we to learn thereby First that it is a great vertue and acceptable to God to hate wickednesse and wicked men themselves not as they are men but as they are wicked and as David did Psal. 139. 21 22. And we are no lesse bound to hate the enemies of God as they are his enemies then to love God and those that love him And if we doe so then we must also flee their company and have no friendship or fellowship with them Secondly that we must distinguish betwixt mens persons and their sins and not to hate the persons of men because they are the good creatures of God but their sinnes we must hate every day more and more 2 Thess. 3. 6. 14 15. Having spoken of the essence and the essentiall proprieties of God tell me now how many Gods are there There is onely one God and no more How may this unity of the Godhead be proved By expresse testimonies of Gods word by reasons grounded thereon and by nature it selfe guiding all things to one principle What expresse testimonies of Gods word have you for this Deut. 6. 4. Heare Israel the Lord our God is one Lord so in the 1 Sam. 2. 2. Psal. 18. 31. Esa. 44. 6. 46. 9. Mark 12. 29. 32. 1 Cor. 8. 4. 6. What reasons have you to prove that there is but one God First we are charged to give unto God all our heart and all our strength and all our soule Deut. 6. 4 5. Mark 12. 29 30. If one must have all there is none left for any other Secondly God is the chiefest good Psal. 144. 15. the first cause and the high governour of all things Acts 17. 28. Psal. 19. 1. but there can be but one such Thirdly the light of reason sheweth that there can be no more but one that is infinite independent and Almighty if God be infinite and omnipotent that doth all things there can be but one for all the rest must be idle How doth nature guide all things to one principle The whole course of the world tendeth to one end and to one unity which is God How can that be when there be so many sundry things of divers kinds and conditions and one contrary to another That is true indeed but yet they all together serve one God Is that possible can you give an instance thereof in some familiar resemblance Yea very well in a field there are divers battells divers standards sundry liveries and yet all turn head with one sway at once by which we know that there is one Generall of the field which commands them all What makes this to confirm your assertion that there is but one God over so many divers and contrary things in the world Yes for even so in the world we see divers things not one like another for some are noble some are base some hot some cold some well some lame yet all serve to the glory of God their maker and the benefit of man and the accomplishment of the whole world And what gather you from all this That there is but one God which commandeth them all like the Generall of a field If one God be the Authour of all why are there so many poysons and noysome beasts They were not created noysome and hurtfull at the first but the sinne of Adam brought the curse upon the creatures Genes 3. 17. 18. Secondly although God hath cursed the creatures for mans sinne yet in his mercy hee doth so dispose and order them that they are profitable for us for poysons wee use them for Physick and the skins of wild beasts serve against the cold c. Thirdly the most hurtfull things that are might benefit us if we knew how to use them and whereas they annoy us it is not of their own nature so much as of our ignorance And what doe you conclude by all this That they have not two beginnings one good and another bad as some would imagine but one Authour thereof which is God himselfe alwayes most good and gracious If there be but one onely God how is it in the Scripture that many are called Gods 1 Cor. 8. 5. as Moses is called Pharaohs God Exod. 7. 1. and Magistrates are called Gods Psal. 82. 6. as Idols and the belly Phil. 3. 19. yea and the Devill himselfe is called God of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4 The name Elohim or God is sometimes improperly given to other things either as they participate of God his communicable attributes as in the two first instances or as they are abusively set up by man in the place of God as in the other but properly it signifieth him who is by nature God and hath his beeing not from any thing but himself and all other things are from him and in this sense unto us there is but one God and Lord 1 Cor. 8. 6. unto whom therefore the name Jehovah is in Scripture incommunicably appropriated Why then are Magistrates called Gods For foure causes first to teach us that such must be chosen to beare rule which excell others in godlinesse like Gods among men To encourage them in their offices and to teach them that they should not feare the faces of men like Gods which feare nothing To shew how God doth honour them and how they must honour God again for when they remember how God hath invested them with his own name it should make them ashamed to serve the Devill or the world or their own affections and move them to execute Judgment justly as if God himselfe were there To teach us to obey them as we would obey God himselfe for he which contemneth them contemneth God himselfe Rom. 13. 2. and we must not dishonour those whom God doth honour Why are Idols called Gods Not because they are so indeed but because Idolaters have such an opinion of them Why is the belly called a God Because some make more thereof then of God and his worship for all that they can doe and get is little enough for their bellies and when they should serve God they serve their bellies and beastly appetites And why is the Devill called the God of this world Because of the great power and Soveraignty which is given him over the wicked whom God hath not chosen out of this world There being but one simple and individed Godhead to whom doth this divine nature belong is it to be attributed to one or to many persons We must acknowledge and adore three distinct persons subsisting in
lost by Adams fall and is contrary to originall sin Wherein standeth that integrity of nature In the whole perfections of vertues appearing in the five faculties as 1. In the understanding true wisdome and heavenly knowledge of Gods will and works 2. In memory all holy remembrance of things we ought 3. In will all cheerfulnesse to obey Gods command 4. All moderation and sanctity of affections 5. All integrity of Conscience Is any part of Gods Image in the body No but as originall sin in our corrupt estate so in the state of integrity these vertues shine and are executed by the body But is not man the Image of God in respect of the essentiall faculties of the soul his mind and will and in the immortatality thereof Not in this strict and proper acception of Gods Image whereof now we speak for the essentiall faculties of the soul are not lost by Adams fall and the immortality remaineth still What is the larger acception of Gods Image When it is taken for that dignity and excellency given unto man in his creation which is partly inward and partly outward Wherein doth his inward excellency consist Both in his substance and in his qualities Wherein standeth the excellency of his substance In that he only of all the creatures of the visible world hath a reasonable and immortall soul given unto him as hath been declared and in respect of this spirituall nature resembleth God who is a Spirit What is the excellency of man consisting in qualities Knowledge and wisdome in the understanding Psal. 51. 6. Col. 3. 10. Righteousnesse and holinesse in the free-will Eph. 4. 24. 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. and herein as hath been shewed did man especially resemble his Maker Wherein standeth the excellency of the understanding In knowledge of all duties either concering God his neighbour or himself unto which knowledge may be referred Wisdome to use knowledge to discern when where and how every thing should be done Conscience to accuse or excuse as his doings should be good or evil Memory to retain Providence to foresee what is good to doe it what is evill to avoid it Reason to discusse of the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse of every particular action of a mans own self hitherto refer the knowledge of the natures of the creatures whereby he was able to name them according to their nature VVherein standeth the excellency of mans will In holinesse as hath been said and righteousnesse or uprightnesse of desires and affections holinesse comprehending all the vertues of the first and justice or righteousnesse containing all the vertues of the second Table imprinted in the soul of man at his Creation VVhat were the outward gifts wherein mans excellency did consist God gave him a body answerable to his soul endued with beauty strength immortality and all gifts serving to happinesse 1 Cor. 11. 7. God set such a grace and majesty in the person especially in the face of man as all the creatures could not look upon without fear and trembling as appeareth when they all came before man to receive their names God gave him dominion and rule over all creatures of the world which were made to serve him being by this excellent Creation made and adopted to be as it were the son and heir of God who is the absolute Lord over all Psal. 8. 6 7. Gen. 1. 26. 28. of which dominion the authority to name them was a sign Gen. 2. 19. 20. What are the ends and uses of the making of man according to Gods Image That God who is in himself invisible and incomprehensible might in some measure be known of man as a picture or image sheweth the person whom it representeth To move man to love God that hath so gloriously made him like himself That men between themselves might love one another as like doth like How many of mankind did God create at the first Only one man Adam Gen. 2. 7. Out of him and for him one woman Evah Gen. 2. 21 22. Mal. 2. 15. so made he them male and female Gen. 1. 27. 5. 2. How doth God say Gen. 2. 18. It is not good for man to be alone did he make any thing that was not good God forbid by good it is not meant that which is set against sin or vice but in saying it is not good for man to be alone he meaneth it is not so convenient and comfortable What learn you from hence How foully they have been deceived that upon the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 1. It is not good for man to touch a woman have gathered that mariage is little better then whoredome Considering that as here so there by good is meant only that which is convenient and commodious That man is naturally desirous of the society of woman and therefore that Munkeries Nunneries and Hermitages are unnaturall and consequently ungodly What is meant by these words in the same place Gen. 2. 18. as before him That she should be like unto him and of the same form for the perfection of nature and gifts inward and outward What is the end why she was made To be a help unto man Wherein First in the things of this life by continuall society 1 Pet. 3. 7. Secondly in this life for generation Gen. 1. 28. Thirdly in the things of the life to come even as they which are heirs together of the grace of life And now a fourth use is added to be a remedy against sin which was not from the beginning 1 Cor. 7. 9. What reason is there brought to prove that God was to make a woman an help unto man Either he must have an help or companion but there is none fit among the creatures therefore I must create one the first proposition being evident the second is proved by Gods own testimony and Adams experience who having given names to all the creatures truly and according to their natures yet found none fit for his company Gen. 1. 20. What learn you from thence that the Lord would have Adam see whether there were a helper amongst the other creatures which he knew well to be unfit To teach us that ere we enter into mariage we should have a feeling of our own infirmity and need of a wife whereby that benefit may become more sweet and we more thankfull unto God which if it be true in a man it ought to be much more in a woman which is weaker and much more insufficient then he What else That it is a perverse thing to love any creature so well as mankind against those men that make more of their Horses and Hounds then of their wives and against those women which make more of a Monky or of a Parrat or of a Spaniel then of their husbands VVhat note you of that that when Adam was asleep his wife was made That the Lord is the giver of the wife without our care and that besides our prayers to God for one the care is to be laid
2. 8. and for the discovery of sin and punishment due thereto Deut. 27. 26. Rom. 1. 31. 3. 20. What then doth the Law now require of us All such duties as were required of Adam in his innocency Levit. 18. 5. and all such as are required since by reason of his fall Deut. 27. 26. binding us to eternall death for our least defect therein Declare now out of that which hath been said what the Covenant of works is It is a conditionall Covenant between God and man whereby on the one side God commandeth the perfection of godlinesse and righteousnesse and promiseth that he will be our God if we keep all his Commandements and on the other side man bindeth himselfe to perform intire and perfect obedience to Gods Law by that strength wherewith God hath endued him by the nature of his first creation What was done in this Covenant on Gods part There was his Law backed with promises and threatnings and unto them were added outward seales What was the summe of this Law Doe this and thou shalt live if thou dost it not thou shalt dye the death What is meant by Doe this Keep all my Commandements in thought word and deed What is meant by life promised to those that should keep all the Commandements The reward of blessednesse and everlasting life Levit. 18. 5. Luke 10. 28. What is meant by death threatned to those that should transgresse In this world the curse of God and death with manifold miseries both of body and soule and where this curse is not taken away everlasting death both of body and soule in the world to come Deut. 27. 26. 29. 19. 20. 32. 22. Levit. 26. Deut. 28. What were the outward seales added hereunto The two trees planted by God for that purpose in the midst of the garden Gen. 2. 9. 3. 3. that Adam before and in the sight of them might resort to some speciall places to serve God in and might by the sight of them be put in mind of those things whereof they were signs and seales What did the tree of life serve for It sealed up happinesse life and glory unto man upon condition of obedience that by tasting thereof which no doubt according to the manner of Sacramentall signes was a tree of marvellous comfort and restoring he might be assured he should live in Paradise for ever if he stood obedient to Gods Commandements Gen. 2. 9. Prov. 3. 18. Revel 2. 7. Was this tree able to give everlasting life to man or otherwise why did God after the fall shut man from it It was no more able to give everlasting life then the bodily eating of any other Sacrament but Adam having by sin lost that which was signified hereby God would have him debarred from the use of the Sacrament What did the tree of the knowledge of good and evill serve for Both for triall of obedience and also for a warning of their mutability and of what would follow upon sin so sealing death and damnation in case of disobedience not as though the tree was able to give any knowledge but that by tasting of it contrary to Gods command they should have experimentall knowledge of evill in themselves which before they had of good only and by wofull experience should learn what difference there was between knowing and serving God in their integrity and being ignorant of him by their sin Gen. 2. 17. What was done in this Covenant on mans part Man did promise by that power which he had received to keep the whole law binding himself over to punishment in case he did not obey In what state is man to be considered under this Covenant In a twofold estate 1. Of Innocency 2. Of Corruption and misery What things are you to note in the innocent estate of man First the place where he was seated Secondly the happy and glorious estate he there enjoyed both in soul and body Where did God place man when he created him In a most glorious pleasant and comfortable Garden which is called Paradise or the Garden of Eden for pleasantnesse Gen. 2. 8. What doth the Scripture teach concerning it The place where it was and the commodities thereof Where and in what part of the world was it In Asia neer the meeting of Euphrates and Tygris those two famous Rivers What commodities had it All the principall creatures of God did adorn it and therefore it is said to be more extraordinarily then the rest of the world planted by God There are set down also the precious stones thereof under the Sardonyx pure metals under the gold precious woods under the Bdelium and so all other living things and growing creatures that it might be as it were a shop furnished for man to see in and learn by it Gods Wisdome Power and Majesty Doth this place now continue The place remaineth but the beauty and commodities be partly by the Floud partly by mans sin for which the whole earth is cursed almost abolished though as may be observed out of good Authors it is a very fruitfull place still What happinesse did man enjoy thus placed in Paradise It was partly inward partly outward Wherein did the inward appear First in his wonderfull knowledge whereby he made use of all the creatures of God as the greatest Philosopher that ever was Secondly in that holy and heavenly image of God of which Adam had the use and comfort before his fall it shining in him without tainture or blemish and he thereby being without all sin or punishment of sin Thirdly in the full fruition and assurance of the favourable and blissefull presence of his Creator Matth. 5. 8. Psal. 17. 15. and his heavenly company and conference with God without all fear as a subject with his Prince Gen. 3. 8. Fourthly in his joyfull serving God together with absolute contentment in himself Gen. 2. 25. Wherein did the outward appear First in having so comely perfect and glorious a body in which there was no infirmity pain nor shame though naked Gen. 2. 25. Secondly in his dominion over all the creatures that submitted themselves and did service unto him to whom also as their Lord he gave their originall names Gen. 2. 19 20. Thirdly in the comfortable state and sense not of Paradise alone but of all the world round about him having neither storm winter nor extremity in any creature What employment had man in this estate A twofold employment the first outward to till and dresse the Garden Gen. 2. 15. the other spirituall to worship and serve God his Creator and to procure his own everlasting blessednesse whereto he was fitted with freedome of will and ability for perfect obedience unto God according to the tenor of the Covenant of works What use are we to make of the knowledge of mans happinesse before his fall First to admire and praise the great goodnesse and favour of God in so dealing with man a clod of the earth Secondly
as most men think it to be What breaches of the first Commandement may be observed in this transgression First infidelity whereby they doubted of Gods love towards them and of the truth of his word Secondly contempt of God in disregarding his threatnings and crediting the word of Satan Gods enemy and theirs Thirdly hainous ingratitude and unthankfulnesse against God for all his benefits in that they would not be beholding unto him for that excellent condition of their creation in respect whereof they ought unto him all fealty but would needs be his equall Fourthly curiosity in affecting greater wisdome then God had endued them withall by vertue of their creation and a greater measure of knowledge then hee thought fit to reveale unto them Fiftly intolerable pride and ambition not onely desiring to be better then God made them but also to be equall in knowledge to God himselfe and aspiring to the highest estate due to their Creatour How did our first parents break the second Commandement Eve by embracing the word of the Devill and preferring it before the word of God Adam by hearkning to the voyce of his wife rather then to the voyce of the Almighty Gen. 3. 17. What were the breach of the third First presumption in venturing to dispute of Gods truth and to enter in communication with Gods enemy or a beast who appeared unto them touching the word of God with whom no such conference ought to have been entertained Secondly reproachfull blasphemy by subscribing to the sayings of the Devill in which he charged God with lying and envying their good estate Thirdly superstitious conceit of the fruit of the tree imagining it to have that vertue which God never put into it as if by the eating thereof such knowledge might be gotten as Satan perswaded Fourthly want of that zeale in Adam for the glory of God which he ought to have shewed against his wife when hee understood shee had transgressed Gods Commandements How was the fourth Commandement broken In that the Sabbath was made a time to conferre with Satan in matters tending to the high dishonour of God If it be true that on that day man fell into this transgression as some not improbably have conjectured for at the conclusion of the sixth day all things remained yet very good Gen. 1. 31. and God blessed the seventh day Gen. 2. 3. Now it is very likely Satan would take the first advantage that possibly he could to entrap them before they were strengthened by longer experience and by partaking of the Sacrament of the tree of life whereof it appeareth by Gen. 3. 22. that they had not yet eaten and so from the very beginning of man became a manslayer John 8. 44. Shew briefly the grounds of the breach of the Commandements of the second table in the transgression of our first parents The fifth was broken Eve giving too little to her husband in attempting a matter of so great weight without his privity and Adam giving too much to his wife in obeying her voyce rather then the Commandement of God and for pleasing of her not caring to displease God Gen. 3. 17. The sixth by this act they threw themselves and all their posterity into condemnation and death both of body and soule The seventh though nothing direct against this Commandement yet herein appeared the root of those evill affections which are here condemned as not bridling the lust and wandring desire of the eyes as also the inordinate appetite of the tast Gen. 3. 6. in lusting for and eating that onely fruit which God forbad not being satisfied with all the other fruits in the garden The eighth first laying hands upon that which was none of their own but by a speciall reservation kept from them Secondly discontent with their present estate and covetous desire of that which they had not The ninth judging otherwise then the truth was of the vertue of the tree Gen. 3. 6. and receiving a false accusation against God himselfe The tenth by entertaining in their minds Satans suggestions and evill concupiscence appearing in the first motions leading to the forenamed sinnes Thus much of our first parents sinne and the causes thereof Now let us come to the effects of the same shew therefore what followed in them immediately upon this transgression Three fruits were most manifest namely guiltinesse of conscience shame of face and feare of Gods presence Did any punishment follow upon this sinne Sinne guiltinesse and punishment doe naturally follow one upon another otherwise the threatning that at what time soever they did transgresse Gods Commandement they should certainly dye should not have taken effect Declare how that threatning took effect They were dead in sinne which is more fearfull then the death of the body as that which is a separation from the favour of God for there came upon them the decay of Gods glorious image in all the faculties of their soule and also a corruption of the powers of their body from being so fit instruments to serve the soule as God made them and this in them is signified by nakednes Gen. 3. 7. And in their children called originall sin Then there issued from thence a streame of actuall sinnes in the whole course of their life which appeared in Adam even upon his fall by his flying from Gods presence and affirming that it was his nakednesse that made him flye his excusing of his sin and laying it on the woman c. By sin an entrie being made for death Rom. 5. 12. they became subject to the separating of the soul from the body which is bodily death and of both from God which is spirituall death signified by expelling them out of Paradise and debarring them of the sacramentall tree of life Gen. 3. 22. c. And thus by the just sentence of God being for their sin delivered into the power both of corporall and of eternall death they were already entred upon death and hell to which they should have proceeded untill it had been accomplished both in body and soule in hell with the Devill and his Angels for ever if the Lord had not looked upon them in the blessed Seed For the fuller understanding of the things that immediatly followed the transgression of our first parents let us consider more particularly what is recorded in the 3d. ch of Gen. And first shew what is meant by that in v. 7. that their eyes were opened they saw themselves naked were they not naked before and having the eye sharper then after the fall must they not needs see they were naked It is true howbeit their nakednesse before the fall was comely yea more comely then the comeliest apparell we can put on being clad with the robe of innocency from the top of the head unto the sole of the foot wherefore by nakednesse he meaneth a shamefull nakednesse both of soule and body as the Scripture speaketh elsewhere Rev. 3. 17 18. Exod. 32. 25. What
the name of Adam was comprehended the man and the woman for by mariage two are made one and Moses calleth both the man and the woman Adam Gen. 5. 2. and last of all the Apostle used the word here signifying both man and woman What reason is there that all their posterity should take part with them both in their fall and in the wofull effect thereof It seemeth not to stand with the Justice of God to punish us for the sin that we never did Our first parents by Gods appointment were to stand or fall in that triall not as singular persons only but also as the head and root of all mankind representing the persons of all that should descend from them by naturall generation and therefore for the understanding of the ground of our participation with Adams fall two things must be considered First that Adam was not a private man in this businesse but sustained the person of all mankind as he who had received grace and strength for himself and all his posterity and so lost the same for all For Adam received the promise of life for himself and us with this condition if he had stood but seeing he stood not he lost the promise of life both from himself and from us and as his felicity should have been ours if he had stood in it so was his transgression and misery ours So that as in the second Covenant the righteousnesse of the second Adam Christ Jesus the Mediatour is reckoned to those that are begotten of him by spirituall regeneration even those that beleeve in his name although they never did it so in the first Covenant the sinne of the first Adam who herein sustained a common person is reckoned to all the posterity that descend from him by carnall generation because they were in him and of him and one with him Rom. 5. 15 16 17 18 19. Secondly that we all who are descended from Adam by naturall generation were in his loyns and a part of him when he fell and so by the law of propagation and generation sinned in him and in him deserved eternall condemnation therefore as two Nations are said to be in the womb of Rebekah Gen. 25. 23. and Levi to have paid tithes to Melchisedec in the loins of Abraham Heb. 7. 9 10. who was not born some hundred years after so is it here Thus we see that as by the act of generation in leprous parents the parents Leprosie made the childrens and the slavish and villanous estate of the parents is communicated unto all the off-spring for a man being a slave his progeny unto the hundred generation unlesse they be manumitted shall be slaves even so the naturall man howsoever he thinketh himself free yet in truth he is sold under sin and is the very servant of corruption and in that state shall for ever remain unlesse the Son doe make him free Joh. 8. 33 34. 36. Rom. 6. 17. 19 20. 7. 14. 2 Pet. 2. 19. We see also that great Parsonages rebelling against the King do not only thereby hurt and disgrace themselves but also stain their whole bloud and lose their honour and Inheritance from themselves and from their children for by our Law a man being attainted of High treason the attaint of bloud reacheth to his posterity and his children as well as he lose the benefit of his Lands and Living for ever unlesse the King in favour restore them againe as God in his mercy hath done unto us Then it appeareth that by propagation from our last parents we are become partakers of the sin of our first parents Even so and for the same transgression of our first parents by the most righteous Judgement of God we are conceived in sin and born in iniquity and unto misery Ps. 51. 5. for men are not now born as Adam was created but death doth reign over them also that sinned not after the like manner of the transgression of Adam Rom. 5. 14. that is over infants who are born in sin not by imitation but by an inherent corruption of sin even as we see the young Serpents and Wolves that never stung men or devoured sheep are notwithstanding worthy to die because there are principles of hurtfulnesse and poysonsomnesse in them How is it shewn that babes new born into the world have sin In that they are afflicted sundrily which they bewray by their bitter cries and in that they comming out of the mothers womb goe straight into the grave What is then the naturall estate of man Every man is by nature dead in sin as a loathsome carrion or as a dead corps and lieth rotting and stinking in the grave having in him the seed of all sins Eph. 2. 1. 1 Tim. 5. 6. For the fuller understanding of the state of sin and the consequents thereof declare first what sin is It is defined in one word 1 Joh. 3. 4. to be the transgression of the law namely a swerving from the law of God making the sinner guilty before God and liable to the curse of the law Gen. 4. 7. Seeing by the law sinne is and the law was not before Moses Rom. 5. 13. it seemeth there is no sin untill Moses When it is said the law was not before Moses it is to be understood of the law written in the Tables of stone by the finger of God and other laws Ceremoniall and Politicall written by Moses at the commandement of God for otherwise the law the Ceremoniall law excepted was written in the heart of man and for the decay therof through sin taught by those to whom that belonged from the fall unto Moses Is every breach of the Law of God sin Yea if it be no more but the least want of that God requireth Rom. 7. 7. Gal. 3. 10. And doth every sin the very least deserve the curse of God and everlasting death Yes verily because God is of infinite Majesty and dignity and therefore what so toucheth him deserveth endlesse wrath wherefore Purgatory and our owne satisfaction for small sinnes is vain How many sorts of sins are there Sin is either imputed or inherent the one without us and the other within us What is the sin Imputed Our sin in Adam in whom as we lived so also we sinned for in our first parents as hath been shewed every one of us did commit that first sinne which was the cause of all other and so we all are become subject to the imputation of Adams fall both for the trasgression and guiltinesse Rom. 5. 12. 18. 19. 1 Cor. 15. 22. What sins are Inherent in us They doe either defile our nature or our actions the one called Originall sin the other Actuall Col. 3. 9. For every one naturally descending from Adam beside the guilt of that first sin committed in Paradise first is conceived and born in original corruption Ps. 51. 5. Secondly living in this world sinneth also actually Gen. 6. 5. Esay 48. 8. yea of
himself he can doe nothing but sin Jer. 13. 23. neither is there any thing pure unto him Tit. 1. 15. What is Originall sin It is a sin wherewith all that naturally descend from Adam are defiled even from their first conception infecting all the powers of their souls and bodies and thereby making them drudges and slaves of sin for it is the immediate effect of Adams first sin and the principall cause of all other sins How is this sin noted out unto us In that other sinnes have their speciall names whereas this is properly called sinne because it is the puddle and sinke of other sinnes and for that also the more it is pressed the more it bursteth forth as mighty streams are that cannot be stopped till God by his holy Spirit restrain it Wherein doth it specially consist Not only in the deprivation of justice and absence of good but also in a continuall presence of an evill principle and wicked property whereby we are naturally inclined to unrighteousnesse and made prone unto all evill Jam. 1. 14. Rom. 7. 21. 23. For it is the defacing of Gods Image consisting chiefly in wisdome and holiness whereof we are now deprived and the impression of the contrary image of Satan John 8. 41 c. called Concupiscence Rom. 7. 7. Jam. 1. 14. consisting first in an utter disability and enmity unto that which is good Rom. 7. 18. 8. 7. Secondly in pronenesse to all manner of evill Rom. 7. 14. which also every man hath at the first minute and moment of his conception contrary to the opinion of the Pelagians who teach that sinne commeth by imitation Is the Image of God wholly defaced in man No if we take it in a large acception For man remaineth still a reasonable creature and capable of grace having the same parts and faculties he had before and in them some reliques of Gods Image Gen. 9. 6. Jam. 3. 9. As in the understanding some light John 1. 9. in the conscience sometimes right judgement Rom. 2. 15. in the will some liberty to good and evill in naturall and civill actions Rom. 2. 14. and freedome in all things from compulsion c. Is there not a power left in man whereby he may recover his former happinesse Man hath still power to perform all outward actions but not to change himselfe untill he be changed by the grace of God Is man then able to perform the Law of God perfectly They that are not born again of God cannot keep it all nor in any one point as pleasing to God thereby in respect of themselves For except a man bee borne of God hee cannot see the Kingdome of heaven nor enter therein neither can he keep the Commandements of God Moreover all men by nature being conceived and born in sinne are not onely insufficient to every good thing but also disposed to all vice and wickednesse Can man in this estate doe no good thing to please God to deserve at least something of his favour We have lost by this sinne all the righteousnesse we had in our creation so as now if God should say to us Think but a good thought of thy selfe and thou shalt be saved we cannot but our nature is as a stinking puddle which within it selfe is loathsome and being moved is worse But doth not God wrong to man to require of him that he is not able to performe No for God made man so that he might have performed it but he by his sins spoiled himselfe and his posterity of those good gifts Is this corruption of nature in all the children of Adam Yea in all and every one that are meer men none excepted Rom. 3. 10. 5. 15. All children since Adams fall being begotten in it Ps. 51. 5. How then doth the Apostle say that holy parents beget holy children Parents beget children as they are by nature not as they are by grace How is originall sin propagated and derived from the Father to the Sonne Wee are not to bee so curious in seeking the manner how as to marke the matter to bee in us even as when a house is on fire men should not be so busie to enquire how it came as seeing it there to quench it But this we may safely say that what effect the committing of the first sinne wrought in the soule of Adam the same it doth by the imputation of it work in the soules of his posterity as therefore the committall of that sin left a staine behind it in his nature being like a drop of poyson that being once taken in presently infecteth the soundest parts or like the dead flye that marreth the most precious ointment of the Apothecary so in the creation and infusion of our soules into our bodies God justly imputed the same transgression unto us the same corruption of nature as the just punishment of that sin must ensue in the like manner Hath this inbred sin wherein every one is conceived equally polluted all men Yes though not altogether alike for disposition and motion to evill for experience teacheth us that some are by nature more milde courteous and gentle then others which difference notwithstanding is not so much in the natures of men as in the Lord who represseth these sins in some which he suffereth to rise up in others In what part of our nature doth this our corruption abide In the whole man from the top to the toe and every part both of body and soule Gen. 6. 5. 1 Thess. 5. 23. Like unto a leprosie that runneth from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot but chiefly it is the corruption of the five faculties of the soule which are thereby deprived of that holinesse wherein God created them in Adam Is not the substance of the soule corrupted by this sinne No but the faculties onely depraved and deprived of originall holinesse For first the soule should otherwise be mortall and corruptible Secondly our Saviour took our nature upon him without this corruption To come then to the speciall corruptions of the five faculties of the soul. Then first how this sin is discerned in the Vnderstanding The mind of man is become subject to blindnesse in heavenly matters First Darknesse and ignorance of God of his will and of his creatures 1 Cor. 2. 14. Eph. 4. 17 18 19. Rom. 8. 5. Secondly uncapablenesse unablenesse and unwillingnesse to learn though a man be taught Rom. 8. 7. Luk. 24. 45. Thirdly unbeleefe and doubting of the truth of God taught and conceived by us Fourthly vanity falshood and error to the embracing whereof mans nature hath great pronenesse Esa. 44. 20. Jer. 4. 22. Prov. 14. 12. 16. 25. What use make you of this corruption of the understanding That the originall and seeds of all heresies and errors are in mans heart naturally without a teacher and therefore we should distrust our own knowledge to lead us in the matters of God and Religion and
onely be directed by Gods holy word How is the Memory corrupted First with dulnesse and forgetfulnesse of all good things that we should remember notwithstanding we have learned them often Secondly with readines to remember that we should not and to retain errors and vanities as tales and playes much more then godly matters What use make you hereof As first to bewaile the defects of our understanding so to lament our forgetfulnesse of good things Secondly to distrust the faithfulnesse or strength of our memories in hearing and learning good things and to use all good helps we can as often repeating them writing and meditating on them Thirdly not to clogge our memories with vanities for which we should rather desire the art of forgetfulnesse How is the Will corrupted First with a disablenesse and impotency to will any thing that is good in it selfe Rom. 5. 6. Phil. 2. 13. Secondly with slavery to sin and Satan the will being so enthralled Rom. 6. 20. 7. 23. and hardened Eph. 4. 18. that it onely desireth and lusteth after that which is evill Gen. 6. 5. Job 15. 16. Thirdly with rebellion against God and any thing that is good Rom. 8. 7. What use are we to make hereof First that we have no free will left in us since Adams fall for heavenly matters Secondly that for the conversion either of our selves or any other we must not look for it from man but pray to God to convert man who worketh in us both the will and the deed Phil. 2. 13. Heb. 2. 5. as the Prophet saith Convert thou me and I shall be converted Lam. 5. 21. How are the affections corrupted The affections of the heart which are many as love and hatred joy and sorrow hope and feare anger desire c. are subject to corruption and disturbance Gal. 5. 24. James 4. 15. Job 15. 16. First by being set upon unmeet objects in affecting and being inclined to the things they should not be and not to those they should thus we hate good and love evill 1 Kings 22. 8. And in a word our affections naturally are moved and stirred to that which is evill to embrace it and are never stirred up to that which is good unlesse it be to eschew it Secondly by disorder and excesse even when we doe affect naturally good things as for our own injuries we are more angry then for Gods dishonour when we are merrie we are too merrie when sad too sad c. What use make you of the disorder of the affections First to keep our selves from all occasions to incense them to sinne whereunto they are as prone as the tinder to the fire Secondly to labour to mortifie them in our selves that we may be in regard thereof pure Nazarites before God Gal. 5. 24. Col. 3. 5. How is the conscience corrupted It is distempered and defiled Tit. 1. 15. both in giving direction in things to be done and in giving judgment upon things done How in the former It sometime giveth not direction at all and thereupon maketh a man to sin in doing of an action otherwise good and lawfull Rom. 14. 23. sometime it giveth direction but a wrong one and so becometh a blind guide forbidding to doe a thing which God alloweth and commanding to doe things which God hateth 1 Cor. 8. 7. Col. 2. 21. John 16. 2. How in the latter When it either giveth no Judgement at all being left without feeling or when it hath an evill feeling and sense How is it left without feeling When it is so senselesse and benummed with sin that it never checketh a man for any sin Eph. 4. 18 19. called a cauterized conscience 1 Tim. 4. 2. which reseth from the custome of sinning Heb. 3. 13. How doth it faile when it hath a feeling but a naughty one Sometimes in excusing sometimes in accusing How in excusing First when it excuseth for things sinfull making them no sinnes or small sins and so feeding the mind with vain comforts Mark 10. 20. Gen. 3. 10. 12. Secondly when as it excuseth us for having a good intent without any warrant of Gods word 1 Chron. 13. 9. How in accusing First when for want of time direction and lightening it condemneth for doing good as a Papist for going to Sermons condemning where it should excuse and so filling the mind with false feares Secondly when accusing for sin it doth it excessively turmoyling a man with inward accusations and terrors Esa. 57. 20. and drawing him to despair by such excessive terror as may be seen in Cain and Judas What use are we to make of this confusion of the conscience First seeing it doth thus abuse us we are never to make it a warrant of our actions unlesse it be directed by Gods word Secondly we are to feare the terror of the great Judge of heaven and earth when we are so often and so grievously terrified with our little Judge that is in our soul. What corruption hath the body received by originall sinne It is become a ready instrument to serve the sinfull soule having both a pronenesse to any sin the soul affecteth and likewise an eagernes to commit it and continue in it Rom. 6. 12. 19. whereby it is come to passe that the bodily senses and members are 1. As Porters to let in sin Job 31. 1. Psal. 119. 37. Matth. 5. 29 30. 2. The instruments and tooles of the mind for the execution of sinne Rom. 3. 13 14 15 6. 13. VVhat use are we to make of this doctrine of originall sinne First the due knowledge thereof serveth to humble the pride of man remembring that he is conceived in so sinfull a sort that howsoever the branches of his actions may seem green yet is he rotten at the root Secondly it should move him with all speed to seek for regeneraon by Christ seeing he hath so corrupt a generation by Adam VVhat is actuall sinne It is a violation of Gods Commandements done by us after the manner of Adams transgression Rom. 5. 14. to wit a particular breach of Gods Law in the course of our life which proceedeth as an evill fruit from our naturall corruption and leaveth a stain in the soule behind it Jer. 13. 23. which polluteth the sinner and disposeth him to further evill How is such sin committed Either inwardly or outwardly How inwardly First by evill thoughts in the mind which come either by a mans own conceiving Gen. 6. 5. Matth. 15. 19. or by the suggestion of the Devill John 13. 2. Acts 5. 3. 1 Chron. 21. 1. Secondly by evill motions and lusts stirring in the heart against the righteousnesse of the Law which condemneth the very first motions of evill that arise from our corrupt nature How outwardly By evill words and deeds Esa. 3. 8. which arise from the corrupt thoughts and motions of the heart when any occasion is given Matth. 15. 19. So that the imagination of mans heart the words of
his mouth and works of his hands are all stained with sin Be not outward sins more grievous then inward Some be and some be not for if they be against the same Commandement and the same branch thereof they are much more wicked and evill because first God is more dishonoured outwardly Secondly other men are offended if godly or inticed by their example if wicked Thirdly a man doth more ingrosse himselfe in sin outward then in a bare thought that he restraineth from outward action But how may some thoughts be more evill then actions If they be of more wicked matters as the denying of God in heart is worse then an idle word What use are we to make thereof It serveth first to condemn the common sort that say and hold that thoughts are free which are oft so sinfull Secondly to assure us that many though they lead an outward civill life in actions yet if their hearts be not cleansed by faith may be more odious in Gods sight that knoweth their thoughts then a godly person that may be left to some outward weaknesses in his life What be the degrees by which men doe proceed in the committing of actuall sin Out of James 1. 14 15. these foure degrees may be observed First temptation to sin James 1. 14. 2 Sam. 11. 12. which then only is sin to us when it either ariseth from our own corruption or from outward occasions to which we have offered our selves carelesly For if every temptation to sin offered unto us should be sin simply then our Saviour that was tempted should have sinned Therefore the outward or inward temptations that Satan may offer be not sins to us till they get some hold in us which is when we are the occasion of them our selves by inward corruption or outward carelesnesse in venturing upon temptations Secondly concupiscence bringing sinne to conception James 1. 15. which is done by these degrees First entertaining the sinne whereunto we are tempted and suffering it to have abode in the mind or thought Secondly withdrawing the heart from God whom we ought to feare with all our hearts and his Commandements Jam. 1. 14. Thirdly consulting whether that sinne which we ought to hate may be done or no. 3. Consent of the mind to commit sinne whereupon ensueth the birth of sin Jam. 1. 15. by which it is brought forth into act against God or man 4. Often repetition of sin by custom and continuance wherein the heart finally is hardened Heb. 3. 13. and sinne is come to a perfection or ripenesse Jam. 1. 15. which is the strength that sin getteth over man whom it ruleth as a Master doth a slave in which estate who so continueth must look for eternall death Jam. 1. 15. for sin then reigneth which it never doth in the godly Are these actuall transgressions all of one sort No for they are diversly considered in respect of the Commandement broken the object offended the disposition followed and the degrees attained How for the Commandement The breach of a Commandement that biddeth is a sin of omission but of one that forbiddeth is a sin of conversion the one is an omission of duty required the other a Commission of evill forbidden by the one we offend in omitting those things which we should doe by the other in committing those things which we should not doe Which be the inward sins of omission The not thinking so often or religiously of heavenly things respecting the first table or of good duties to man as we should but suffering our minds to be a through-fare for vaine or wicked thoughts to passe through more then good which sinne if it were thought of well would make men more humble before God and to make more conscience of their houres dayes and nights to mark how their mind is occupied What be inward sins of Commission All actuall sins of the mind and thoughts whether we be awake dealing with God or man or asleep dreaming Examples of the first against God are to think there is no God Psal. 10. 45. or to have vile and base conceipts of him or his government Psal. 10. 41. 1 Cor. 2. 14. And towards man every inward breach of the second table But doth man commit sin in the night when he dreameth Yes surely the soule is never idle but when it thinketh not of good it thinketh of evill and the godly may mark that after they have had any dreams of things unlawfull their heart is in a measure wounded till they obtaine peace and pardon from God What use are we to make thereof To pray earnestly that God would sanctifie our corrupt hearts that it may be a fountaine of holy and not sinfull thoughts and in the night 1. To commit our selves specially to God that because we having our Senses and Judgement bound and silent are lesse able to resist and judge our sinfull thoughts God would preserve us from them by his grace And 2. That we avoid all occasions thereof in the day What be the outward sins of Commission Such as to the committing of them beside the thought of our mind any part of our body doth concurre as our tongue to words and other parts to deeds How are sinnes distinguished in regard of the object offended Some sins are more directly against God some against men either publique or private and others against a mans self How in regard of the disposition followed Either as we partake with others sins Esa. 6. 5. or as we commit the sin in our own person What be the differences of partaking with others sins First when we conceal and winke at other mens sins which we ought to reveal and rebuke as Magistrates and Ministers oft doe 1 Sam. 3 13. Secondly when we further it by our consent presence or counsell Act. 7. 58. 8. 1. 22. 20. 23. 14 15. Rom. 1. 32. Thirdly when we provoke others to sin Mark 6. 25. VVhat difference of disposition is there in those sins which a man doth commit in his own person Some sins are committed of Ignorance 1 Tim. 1. 13. Ps. 19. 12. or of an erring conscience 1 Cor. 8. 7. which a man doth either not know or not mark others are done of knowledge Doth not Ignorance excuse Affected Ignorance doth rather increase then diminish a fault VVhat be the differences of sins of knowledge 1. Some are of infirmity and temptation for feare of evill or hope of good Rom. 7. 19. Mat. 26. 69 70. 2. Some of presumption obstinacy and stubbornesse in sinning against which David earnestly prayed Ps. 19. 13. 50. 21. Eccles. 8. 11. and this may proceed if men have not the grace of God to obstinate and wilfull malice against God and his truth and to the unpardonable sinne against the holy Ghost Heb. 6. 4 5 6. 10. 29. Mark 3 29 30. What is the sin against the holy Ghost the highest of all sins It is a wilfull and malicious falling from and resisting of the Gospell
after a man hath been enlightned with it and felt a taste thereof manifested in outward action by some blasphemous oppugning the truth of set hatred because it is the truth What are you to consider in this sin The nature thereof and the deadlinesse of the same What note you in the nature The reason why it is so called and the quality thereof Why is it called the sin against the holy Ghost Not because it is committed against the third Person only for it is committed against all three but because it is committed against the light of knowledge with which the holy Ghost hath enlightned the heart of him that committed it and that of set malice for every one that sinneth against his knowledge may be said to sin against the holy Ghost as Ananias and Sapphira were said to doe Act. 5. 3. But that is not this great sin of malice resisting the truth because it is the truth but of infirmity What qualities and properties hath this great sin First it must be in him that hath known the truth and after falleth away Heb. 6. 5. therefore Infidels and Heathens doe not sin this sinne neither any that are ignorant though maliciously they blaspheme the truth Secondly it must be done of set malice because it is the truth as the Pharises did Mat. 12. 31. Heb. 6. 6. Therefore Peter that cursed himself and denyed that he knew Christ to save his life did not sinne this sin nor Paul that did persecute him doing it of ignorance Thirdly it must be against God himself directly his Son Christ Jesus Mat. 12. 31. Heb. 6. 6. Therefore it is not any particular breach of the second Table nor a slip against any speciall sin of the first Can these qualities at any time befall the elect or children of God No and therefore they that feel in themselves the testimony of their election need not fear their falling into this sin nor despair VVhat is the deadlinesse of this sin above other sins First God hath pronounced it shall never be pardoned not because God is not able to pardon it but because he hath said he will not forgive it Secondly this sin is commanded not to be prayed for when persons are known to be guilty of it 1 Joh. 5. 16. whereas we are bound to pray for all other persons Thirdly this is the ordinary and first sin of the Devill and therefore is he never received into mercy no more then those that are guilty of it Thus much of the sinne against the holy Ghost Shew now the differences of actuall sins in regard of the degrees attained Some are only sins but others are wickednesses and some beastlinesses or devilishnesses for though originall sin be equall in all Adams children yet actuall sins be not equall but one much greater then another Are not sins well divided into Veniall and Mortall None are Veniall of their own nature but only to the faithful they are so made by the mercy of God in Christ. Doe all naturall men alike commit all these kinds of sin No for though all are alike disposed unto all manner of evill Rom. 7. 14. having in their corrupt nature the seeds of every sin yet doth God for the good of humane society restrain many from notorious crimes by fear of shame and punishment desire of honour and reward c. Rom. 13. 3 4 5. How doth God employ men in this state of sin First he guideth them partly by the light of nature Rom. 2. 14 15. Joh. 1. 9. and partly by common graces of the Spirit Esa. 44. 28. unto many actions profitable for humane society and for the outward service of God Secondly he over-ruleth their evill and sinful actions so that thereby they bring to passe nothing but what his hand and counsell had before determined for his own glory Act. 3. 16. 4. 27 28. What are the things that generally follow sin They are two Guilt and punishment both which doe most duly wait upon sin to enter with it and cannot by any force or cunning of man or Angel be holden from entring upon the person that sin hath already entred upon both likewise doe increase as the sinne increaseth What is the guilt of sin It is the merit and desert of sin which is as it were an obligation to the punishment and wrath of God whereby we become subject to Gods debt or danger that is to condemnation Rom. 2. 15. 3. 9. 10. 19. For every man by reason of his sin is continually subject to the curse of God Gal. 3. 10. and is in as great danger of everlasting damnation as the Traitour apprehended is in danger of hanging drawing and quartering Is there any evill in the guilt before the punishment be executed Very much for it worketh unquietnesse in the mind as when a man is bound in an obligation upon a great forfeiture that very obligation it self disquieteth him especially if he be not able to pay it as we are not And yet more because where other debts have a day set for payment we know not whether the Lord will demand by punishment his debt this day before to morrow What learn you from this That sith men doe shun by all means to be in other mens debt or danger as also the Apostle exhorteth Rom. 13. 8. Owe nothing to any man and Solomon also counselleth in the matter of suretiship Prov. 6. 1 2 3 4 5. we should more warily take heed that we plunge not ourselves over head and ears in the Lords debt for if it be a terrible thing to be bound to any man in stature Staple or Merchant or recognizance much more to God who will be paid to the uttermost farthing How else may the hurt and evill of the guilt of sinne be set forth unto us It is compared to a stroake that lighteth upon the heart and soul of a man where the wound is more dangerous then when it is in the body Gen. 44. 16. 1 Sam. 24. 4 5 6. and so it is also a sting or a bite worse then of a viper as that which bringeth death Have you yet wherewith to set forth the evill of the guilt It seemeth when the Lord said to Cain if he sin against his brother his sin lyeth at the door Gen. 4. 7. that he compareth the guilt to a dog that is always snarling and barking against us which is confirmed by the Apostle who attributeth a mouth to his desert of sin to accuse us Rom. 2. 15. What is the effect of this guilt of Conscience It causeth a man to flie when none pursueth and to be afraid of the fall of a leaf Prov. 28. 1. Levit. 26. 36. VVhen a man doth not know whether he doth sin or no how can he be smitten or bitten or barked at or flie for feare therefore against all this evill ignorance seemeth to be a safe remedy No verily for whether we know it or no his guilt remaineth as
neither God nor man for things mingled together cannot retain the name of one of the simples as hony and oyle being mingled together cannot be called hony or oyle 2. The properties of the Godhead cannot agree to the properties of the Manhood nor the properties of the Manhood to the Godhead For as the Godhead cannot thirst no more can the Manhood be in all or many place at once therefore the Godhead was neither turned nor transfused into the Manhood but both the divine nature keepeth entire all his essentiall properties to it selfe so that the humanity is neither omnipotent omniscient omnipresent c. and the humane keepeth also his properties and actions though oft that which is proper to the one nature is spoken of the person denominated from the other which is by reason of the union of both natures into one person The glory of the Godhead being more plentifully communicated with the Manhood after his resurrection did it not then swallow up the truth thereof as a whole sea one drop of oyle No for these two natures continued still distinct in substance properties and actions and still remained one and the same Christ. Why did he not take the nature of Angels upon him Heb. 2. 16. Because he had no meaning to save Angels for that they had committed the sin against the holy Ghost falling maliciously into rebellion against God without temptation Are not the elect Angels any way benefited by the humane nature of Christ No his humanity only reacheth to sinfull mankind for if he had meant to have benefited Angels by taking another nature he would have taken their nature upon him How is it then said Eph. 1. 10. Col. 1. 20. that he reconciled things in heaven That is to be understood of the Saints then in heaven and not any way of the Angels although by the second Person of the Trinity the Angels were elected and are by him confirmed so that they shall stand for evermore Why was it requisite that our Mediatour should be Man was it not sufficient that he was God No it was further requisite that he should be man also because 1. Our Saviour must suffer and die for our sins which the Godhead could not doe 2. Our Saviour also must perform obedience to the law which in his Godhead he could not doe 3. He must be man of kin to our nature offending that he might satisfie the justice of God in the same nature wherein it was offended Rom. 8. 3. 1 Cor. 15. 21. Heb. 2. 14 15 16. For the righteousnesse of God did require that the same nature which had committed the sin should also pay and make amends for sin and consequently that onely nature should be punished which did offend in Adam Man therefore having sinned it was requisite for the appeasing of Gods wrath that man himself should die for sin the Man Christ Jesus offering up himself a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour unto God for us 1 Tim. 2. 5. Heb. 2. 9 10. 14. 15. Rom. 5. 12. 15. Eph. 5. 2. 4. It is for our comfort that thereby we might have free accesse to the throne of Grace and might find help in our necessities having such an high Priest as was in all things tempted like unto our selves and was acquainted with our infirmities in his own person Heb. 4. 15 16 5. 2. 5. As we must be saved so likewise must we be sanctified by one of our own nature that as in the first Adam there was a spring of humane nature corrupted derived unto us by naturall generation so in the second Adam there might be a fountain of the same nature restored which might be derived unto us by spirituall regeneration What comfort then have you by this that Christ is man Hereby I am assured that Christ is fit to suffer the punishment of my sin and being man himselfe is also meet to be more pitifull and mercifull unto men What by this that he is both God and man By this I am most certainly assured that he is able most fully to finish the work of my salvation seeing that as he is man he is meet to suffer for sin as he is God he is able to bear the punishment of sin and to overcome the suffering being by the one fit and by the other able to discharge the office of a Mediatour Mans nature can suffer death but not overcome it the divine nature cannot suffer but can overcome all things our Mediatour therefore being partaker of both natures is by the one made fit to suffer by the other able to overcome whatsoever was to be laid upon him for the making of our peace Are these his natures separated No verily for though they be still distinguished as hath been said in substance properties and actions yet were they inseparably joyned together in the first moment the holy Virgin conceived and made not two but one person of a Mediatour 2 Cor. 13. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 18. 1 Cor. 15. 27 28. The holy Ghost sanctifying the seed of the woman which otherwise could not be joyned to the Godhead and uniting two natures in one person God and man in one Christ Luc. 1. 35. 42. Rom. 9. 5. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Joh. 1. 14. a mystery that no Angel much lesse man is able to comprehend Why so For that the manhood of our Saviour Christ is personally united unto the Godhead whereas the Angels of much greater glory then men are not able to abide the presence of God Esa. 6. 2. Was this union of the body and soul with the Godhead by taking of the manhood to the Godhead or by infusing the Godhead into the manhood By a divine and miraculous assuming of the humane nature which before had no subsistence in it self to have his beeing and subsistence in the divine leaving of it one naturall personship which otherwise in ordinary men maketh a perfect person for otherwise there should be two Persons and two Sons one of the holy Virgin Mary and another of God which were most prejudiciall to our salvation What then is the personall union of the two natures in Christ The assuming of the humane nature having no subsistency in it selfe into the person of the Son of God Joh. 1. 14. Heb. 2. 16. and in that person uniting it to the Godhead so making one Christ God and man Mat. 1. 23. Can you shadow out this conjunction of two natures in one person by some earthly resemblance We see one tree may be set into another and it groweth in the stock thereof and becommeth one and the same tree though there be two natures or kind of fruit still remaining So in the Son of God made man though there be two natures yet both being united into one person there is but one Son of God and one Christ. What was the cause that the person of the Sonne of God did not joyn it self to a perfect person of man 1. Because that then there
jurisdiction and authority Mat. 20. 19. Joh. 18. 31 32. as likewise to teach us that he appeared willingly and of his own accord before a mortall Judge of whom he was pronounced innocent and yet by the same he was condemned What comfort have you hereof That my Saviour thus suffering not any whit for his own sins but wholly for mine and for other mens sins before an earthly Judge I shall be discharged before the heavenly Judgement seat What did he chiefly suffer under Pontius Pilate He was apprehended accused arraigned mocked scourged condemned and crucified Mat. 26. 27. and 28. chapters What learn you here That he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. 1 Pet. 2. 24. Did Christ suffer these things willingly as he suffered them innocently Yes he laid down his life meekly as the sheep doth his fleece before the shearer being obedient even unto the death Luc. 23. 41. 1 Pet. 2. 22. Esa. 53. 7. Phil. 2. 8. Heb. 5. 8. Vnto what death was he so obedient Even unto the most reproachfull painfull and dreadfull death the death of the Crosse Mat. 27. 30. 38. Phil. 2. 8. Why was Christ put unto this death of the Crosse Because it was not a common death but such a death as was accursed both of God and man that so he being made a curse for us he might redeem us from a curse due unto us Deut. 21. 23. Gal. 3. 13. What comfort have you by this I am comforted in this because I am delivered from the curse which I have deserved by the breach of the law and shall obtain the blessing due unto him for keeping of the same Why was it requisite that our Saviours soul should be separated from his body Because we were all dead that so he might be the death of death for us 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Heb. 2. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 54 55. for by sin death came into the world and therefore the Justice of God could not have been satisfied for our sins unlesse death had been joyned with his sufferings How could the death and sufferings of Christ which were but for a short time be a full satisfaction for us which have deserved eternall death Although they were not everlasting yet in regard of the worthinesse of the person who suffered them they were equivalent to everlasting torments forasmuch as not a bare man nor an Angel did suffer them but the eternall Son of God though not in his Godhead but in our nature which he assumed his person Majesty Deity Goodnesse Justice Righteousnesse being every way infinite and eternall made that which he suffered of no lesse force and value then eternall torments upon others yea even upon all the world besides For even as the death of a Prince being but a man and a sinfull man is of more reckoning then the death of an Army of other men because he is the Prince much more shall the death and sufferings of the Son of God the Prince of all Princes not finite but every way infinite and without sin much more I say shall that be of more reckoning with his Father then the sufferings of all the world and the time of his sufferings of more value for the worthinesse of his person then if all the men in the world had suffered for ever and ever What use are we to make of Christs death and passion 1. The consideration hereof may bring us to a sound perswasion and feeling of our sins because they have deserved so grievous a punishment as either the death of the Son of God or hell fire 2. Hereby we reap unspeakable comfort forasmuch as by his stripes we are healed by his bloud washed by his sacrifice God is satisfied and by his death we are saved and redeemed 1 Pet. 2. 24. Rev. 1. 5. Heb. 10. 10. 12. Rom. 5. 8 9 10. 3. We learn from hence to die to our sins and to live henceforth unto him that hath dyed for us Rom. 6. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 15. What befell our Saviour after his soule was separated from his body He was buried Act. 13. 29 30. and went to Hades or as we commonly speak descended into hell Act. 2. 31. Why was it needfull that Christ should be buried 1. To assure us more fully that he was truly dead Mat. 27. 59 60. 94 65 66. Act. 2. 29. 2. That even in the grave the very fortresse of death he might loose the sorrows and bands of death Act. 2. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 55. What is meant by his descending into Hell Not that he went to the place of the damned but that he went absolutely unto the estate of the dead Rom. 10. 7. Eph. 4. 9. What doe you call the estate of the dead That departing this life he went in his soul into heaven Luc. 23. 43. and was in his body under the very power and dominion of death for a season Acts 2. 24. Heb. 2. 14. Rom. 6. 9. What comfort have you by Christs death buriall and lying under the power of death 1. I am comforted because my sinnes are fully discharged in his death and so buried that they shall never come into remembrance 2. My comfort is the more because by the vertue of his death and buriall sin shall be killed in me and buried so that henceforth it shall have no power to reign over me 3. I need not to fear death seeing that sin which is the sting of death is taken away by the death of Christ and that now death is made unto me an entrance into his life Hitherto of his sufferings what is the other part of his satisfaction His perfect righteousnesse whereby he did that which we were not able to doe and absolutely fulfilled the whole law of God for us Ps. 40. 7 8. Rom. 3. 19. 5. 19. Why was it necessary that Christ should as well fulfill the Law as suffer for us Because as by his sufferings he took away our unrighteousnesse and freed us from the punishment due to us for our sins so by performing for us absolute obedience to the whole law of God he hath merited our righteousnesse making us just and holy in the sight of God and purchased eternall happinesse for us in the life to come 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 4. 4 5. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Rom. 8. 3 4. For as we are made unrighteous by Adams sinne so are we made fully and wholly righteous being justified by a man that is God How manifold is the righteousnesse of our Saviour Two-fold Originall Actuall VVhat is his originall righteousnesse The perfect integrity and purenesse of his humane nature which in himselfe was without all guile and the least staine of corruption Heb. 7. 26. Being very man how could he be without sin The course of naturall corruption was prevented because he was not begotten after the ordinary course by man but was conceived in the
it is a judiciall sentence opposed to condemnation Rom. 8. 34 35. Who shall lay any thing saith Paul to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who shall condemn Now as to condemn is not the putting any evill into the nature of the party condemned but the pronouncing of his person guilty and the binding him over unto punishment so justifying is the Judges pronouncing the Law to be satisfied and the man discharged and quitted from guilt and judgement Thus God imputing the righteousnesse of Christ to a sinner doth not account his sins unto him but interests him in a state of as full and perfect freedom and acceptance as if he had never sinned or had himselfe fully satisfied For though there is a power purging the corruption of sin which followeth upon justification yet it is carefully to be distinguished from it as we shall further shew hereafter This for the name of Justification but now for the thing it selfe what is the matter first of our justification The matter of justification or that righteousnesse whereby a sinner stands justified in Gods sight is not any righteousnesse inherent in his own person and performed by him but a perfect righteousnesse inherent in Christ and performed for him What righteousnesse of Christ is it whereby a sinner is justified Not the essentiall righteousnesse of his divine nature but First the absolute integrity of our humane nature which in him our head was without guile Heb. 7. 6. Secondly the perfect obedience which in that humane nature of ours he performed unto the whole law of God both by doing whatsoever was required of us Mat. 3. 15. and by suffering whatsoever was deserved by our sins 1 Pet. 2. 24. for he was made sin and a curse for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him What is the forme or being cause of our justification and that which makes this righteousnesse so really ours that it doth justifie us The gracious imputation of God the Father accounting his Sons righteousnesse unto the sinner and by that accounting making it his to all effects as if he himselfe had performed it But how can Christs righteousnesse be accompted ours is it not as absurd to say that we are justified by Christs righteousnesse as that a man should be wise with the wisdom of another or live and be in health by the life and health of another No doubtlesse because this righteousnesse is in Christ not as in a person severed from us but as in the head of the Church the second Adam from whom therefore it is communicated unto all who being united as members unto him doe lay claim thereunto and apply it unto themselves Rom. 5. 19. Rom. 10. 4. For if the sin of Adam were of force to condemn us all because we were in his loynes he being the head of our common nature why then should it seem strange that the righteousnesse of our Saviour Christ both God and man should be availeable to justifie those that are interessed in him especially considering that we have a more strict conjunction in the Spirit with him then ever we had in nature with Adam And though it be not fit to measure heavenly things by the yard of reason yet it is not unreasonable that a man owing a thousand pound and not being able to pay it his creditor may be satisfied by one of his friends If Christ have paid our debt how are we then freely justified by grace It is of grace that Christ is given unto us and also that his righteousnesse apprehended by faith is accounted ours It is true that the justification of a sinner considering the case as it is between the Father and Christ no man dare call it free no the price of our Redemption was the deepest purchase that the world ever heard of but what ever it cost Christ it cost us nothing and so to us it is freely of grace from Christ yea and to us it is freely grace from God the Father too not because he acquits us without a full satisfaction to his Justice or accepts that for perfect righteousnesse which is not perfect righteousnes but because he receives full satisfaction from the hands of a surety and that surety being his own Son when as he might have challenged the uttermost farthing at our hands which were the principals and then there had been no possibility for us to have been delivered What gather you from this doctrine of Justification by Christs righteousnesse 1. To condemn the proud opinion of Papists who seek Justification by their owne workes and righteousnesse inherent in themselves whereas though being accepted we must in thankfulnesse doe all we can for God yet when all is done we must acknowledge our selves unprofitable servants the onely matter of our joy and triumph both in life and death must be the imputation of Christs righteousnes not our persons nor the best actions of the holiest men dare appeare in Gods presence but in his name and merit who consecrates all the Lords Jesus 2. We may here take notice that there is no comfort to a Christian soule like that which floweth from this Well of salvation this sweet doctrine of Justification 1. Here we have assurance of the sufficiencie of our Redemption that soule must be throughly acquited that is stated in such a righteousnesse that debt must be fully discharged that hath such a price laid down for it our sinnes though never so great cannot weigh down his righteousnesse and merit Rom. 8. 33. and God having accepted his Sons righteousnes for us will not hold us any longer trespassers but he disables his own Justice from making any further demand 2. Hence there is nothing comes upon the Saints from Gods revenging Justice but all our corrections are medicinall from Gods Fatherly love to purge out that sin out of our nature which he hath already pardoned to our persons 3. Lastly this doctrine may be great comfort to weak Christians in the midst of their troublesome imperfections and sense of their weak measures of Sanctification To consider that the righteousnesse that is inherent in themselves is not the matter of their Justification or that which must appear before Gods presence to be pleaded the righteousnesse of Christ is compleat and perfect that is our main joy and crown of rejoycing to be found in Christ not having our own righteousnesse but that which is in him and made ours by Gods gracious account But how is this great benefit of Justification applyed unto us and apprehended by us This is done on our part by faith alone and that not considered as a vertue inherent in us working by love but only as an instrument or hand of the soule stretched forth to lay hold on the Lord our righteousnesse Rom. 5. 1. 10 10. Jer. 23. 6. So that faith justifieth onely Relatively in respect of the object which it fasteneth on to wit the righteousnesse of Christ by which
upon for furtherance to this obedience Yes verily to make us feare to offend in our wayes Exod. 20. 5. 7. Psal. 119. 120. Remaineth there yet any more Good company which with David wee must cleave unto Psalme 119. 63. Prov. 13. 20. not the noblest or of greatest account but the godliest for if we will avoyd such a sinne we must avoyd all company that doth delight therein which is no lesse dangerous than good company is profitable What gather you of this That whosoever maketh no choyce of company maketh no conscience of sinne as those that dare keepe company familiarly with Papists and prophane persons thinking that they may keep their Conscience to themselves Hitherto of the helpes both of the knowledge and practice In what part of the Scripture is the Morall Law of God contained It is handled at large throughout the whole Scripture but is summarily first contrived into ten words or ten Commandements Exod. 20. Deut. 4. 13. 10. 4. and then into two Matth. 22. 37. 40. Luke 10. 27. comprehending the summe of the whole Law which are now to be spoken of Why hath God given ten Commandements and no more Deut. 5. 22. First that no man should either adde any thing to or take any thing from the Lawes of God Secondly that we might be left without excuse if we learned them not seing they be but ten and no more How are these ten Commandements propounded Sometime affirmatively as the fourth and fift Others negatively as all the rest Some with reasons annexed as the five first Some without as the five last and all of them in the time to come and in the second person singular Why they are layd downe in the second person singular you have shewed before and why some have reasons added unto them you shall heare a little after Declare now why God hath propounded all the Commandements in the time to come saying Thou shalt not c. Because it is not enough for us that wee have kept the Commandements of God heretofore except we continue in keeping of them to the end of our lives Why are there more of the Commandements negative telling us what we should not doe then affirmative telling us what we should doe all of them except two being set downe negatively 1 To put us in minde of our corruption which needeth greatly to be restrained whereas if Adam had continued in integrity sinne had not beene knowne and then vertue onely had beene propounded to us to follow 2 Because our soules being full of sin must have them plucked forth before we can do any thing that is good 3 Because the negative bindeth more strongly for the negative precept bindeth alwaies and to all moments of time the affirmative bindeth alwayes but not to all moments of time How are the Ten Commandements divided Into two Tables Deutero 4. 13. 10. 1 4. which Christ calleth the two great Commandements Mat. 22. What doth the first containe Our duty to God in the foure first Commandements What doth the second Our duty to man in the six last What is the summe of the first Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soule and with all thy strength and with all thy minde Deutero 65. Mat. 22. 37 38. Luke 10. 27. What is the summe of the second Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy selfe Luke 19. 19. Matth. 22. 39 Luke 10. 27. What is the summe of this summe Love which consisteth in two heads as we have heard to wit the love of God and of our neighbour Luk. 10. 27. 1 Iohn 5. 2. 1 Tim. 1. 4 5. What use is there of this short summe Very great both to shew the marvellous wisdome of God and also for singular profit that redoundeth to us thereof Wherein appeareth the wisdome of God That sith it was great cunning to contrive the whole will of God into Ten words it must needes bee more wonderfull to bring all into two What is the profit that redoundeth unto us It furthereth us unto that two-fold use of the Law before spoken of for first it is a means the more to humble us and so the more effectually to drive us unto Christ secondly it helpeth us much in our obedience to Christ and his Commandements What profit ariseth of the first use concerning humiliation That men being brought to a neerer sight of their sins might bee the more earnest to come unto Christ. How shall that bee That when all our sinnes are gathered into one heape and mustered into one Troope they may appeare the greater and cast us downe the more as a man owing sundry debts unto dives or unto one man in the particulars is confident of his ability to pay all as long as he heareth they are but small summes but hearing the whole summe despaireth of the payment of it or when as there bee many Souldiers comming against their enemy but yet here and there scattered they doe not affect us with so great feare as when they bee gathered and ranged in order and are all under one sight or view How is this shewed in our love towards God In that it should be done in simple obedience of the whole man that is of all the powers both of body and soule which is impossible for any man to doe What are they of the soule Two of the Minde and of the Will What are they of the Minde The Vnderstanding and Iudgement unto both which Memory is annexed How are these charged Our understanding should perfectly comprehend all thing that God would have us to know in Iudgement we should thinke aright of them and the Memory accordingly should retaine them but wee are ignorant of many things and those which we know wee know but in part and that which wee know wee judge not aright of nor remember as wee ought How stand the Will and Affections charged Hereby must we love perfectly all knowne good and perfectly hate all knowne evill of which wee come a great deale shorter then of the other What are they of the body All the Members parts and graces of the body as beauty strength c should bee wholly imployed in the Service of God and doing of His Will but the wandering of our eyes in the hearing of the Word and other parts of Gods Service doth easily bewray our great negligence and the small obedience and conformity of the rest of the Members and parts of the body Shew the same in our love towards our Neighbour In that we must love him as our selfe which as it is so much the lesse then the former as man is inferior to God so we being not able to accomplish it are much lesse able to fulfill the other How shall that bee tryed By examination of our selves in some particulars as for example whether we love a stranger or our utter and most deadly enemy as our selves which no man ever did nay a common Man or
other Ministery then that which God hath ordained to place any Religion in Meat Drinke Apparell Time Place or any other indifferent things What Caution must we keep in the use of things indifferent 1. VVe are to maintaine that Christian Liberty which Christ hath purchased for us 2. VVe must yet be carefull not to abuse the same to the hardening insnaring perverting or just grieving of any Remaineth there any thing else to be spoken of the first maine branch of this Commandement Yes the helps that may further us in performing this pure worship of God What be they 1. That all men labour for knowledge of the expresse VVill of God touching all parts of his VVorship Mich. 6. 6 7 8. and that they increase therein every day more and more by reading the Scriptures using also for that end meditation conference good Books and good company 2. That they marry and make leagues of Friendship only with such as professe the true God and therefore no Professor of the true worship of God may joyne himselfe in Marriage with one of another Religion or an apparent prophane and irreligious person but with such only as are godly at least in shew 3. That we give no toleration to superstition 2 Chron. 15. 13. but shew our hatred and reluctation of all false Worship so far as we may within our Calling 4. That we joyne together with order and decency in the performance of Gods Worship 1 Cor. 14. 40. 5. That such whom it concerneth take care that faithfull and able Ministers be ordained in every Congregation Tit. 1. 5. that sufficient maintenance for encouragement be allotted them 1 Tim. 5. 17 18. 2 Chron. 31. 4. 6. That places for publicke Assemblies be erected and preserved Luke 7. 5 6. 7. That Schooles and Vniversities be founded and maintained 2 King 6. 1. 8. That Books of necessary use and edification especially the holy Booke of God be set forth and divulged Rev. 1. 3. 9. That as occasion requireth Synods and Councels be called and assembled Acts 15. 6. 10. That such whose Calling and abilitie reacheth no further doe yet affoord the help of their prayers unto all these Mat. 9. 38. What is required in the second maine branch of this Commandement That all religious Worship and Reverence be given unto God alone and not imparted to those things which are not Gods at all What sins are here condemned Magicke and Idolatry both which are condemned by the name of spirituall Adultery Lev. 20. 5 6. Who are guilty of the first of these sins 1. The practisers of all diabolicall Arts Lev. 20. 27. Deut. 18. 10 11. 2. Such as seeke after them Lev. 20. 6. Isa. 8. 19 20. 1 Sam. 28. 7. 1 Chron. 10. 13 14. by going to Witches or consulting with Star-gazers or the like to whom Moses opposeth a Prophet as the only lawfull Minister of God and warrantable meanes to know his will by signifying thereby that to seeke secret things of strange Ministries is abominable Who are guilty of the latter of these sins 1. Such as worship those things that are not God 2. Such as countenance them or doe any thing that may tend to the furtherance of Idolatry What Worship is here forbidden to be given unto those that are not God All Religious service as 1. Praying Isa. 44. 17. 2. Thanksgiving Judg. 16. 23 24. Dan. 5. 4. 3. Offering of Sacrifice 2 King 17. 35. 4. Burning of Incense Jer. 18. 15. 44. 17. 5. Vowing 6. Fasting 7. Building of Temples Altars or other Monuments unto them Hos. 8. 14. 11. 12. 8. Erecting of Ministers 1 King 12. 31 32. or doing any Ministeriall Worke for their Honour Amos 5. 26. with Numbers 4. 24 25. 9. Preaching for them Jer. 2. 8. 10. Asking counsell of them Hos. 4. 12. 11. Outward religious Adoration of them Acts 10. 25 26. Rev. 22. 8 9. To whom must this Worship be denyed To every thing that is not God as the Sunne and Moone Angels Saints Reliques Images and such trash as Rome alloweth Deut. 4. 17. 19. Col. 2. 18 Rev. 19. 10. 22. 8 9. Acts 10. 25 26. What is here in this Commandement expressely forbidden concerning Images First the making of them Secondly the bowing unto them or worshipping them Why is the first of these so largely set forth To meet with the corruption of men that by nature are exceeding prone unto Idolatry What men are forbidden to make Images All men which have not some special warrant from God to make them But though I doe not make Images my selfe may I worship them that another man makes No For that is likewise forbidden Exod. 32. 1. Is it not lawfull to put them in Churches or in publick places if they be not worshipped No. Why then did Moses make the Cherubims and the brazen Serpent For so doing he had a speciall Commandement from God who may dispence with his owne Lawes when he will To what end did God command them to be made The one to signifie the crucifying of Christ Iohn 3. 14. The other to signifie the Angels readinesse to helpe Gods children in all distresses Is all manner of making of Images forbidden No but onely in matters of Religion and Gods Service for in civill matters they have a lawfull and commendable use Matthew 22. 20. But to make them for religious ends and uses is altogether unlawfull Amos 5. 26. with Acts 7. 43. What gather you of this That the Popish Doctrine of Images that they are Lay-mens bookes is directly contrary to the word of God and therefore as false and erronious to be detested of all Gods Children Hab. 2. 18. Ierem. 10. 14. Esa. 44. 10. What kinde of Images are we forbidden to make All kindes whether hewen or ingraven cut or carved which in the Commandement is expressed Molten Imbroydered Painted Printed or Imagined Hosea 13. 2. Ezekiel 8. 10. Acts 17. 25. 29. Of what things are we forbidden to make Images Of all things which are in the heavens above or in the earth beneath or in the waters beneath the earth What is meant by things which are in the heavens GOD CHRIST the Angels and the Saints which are in the Highest the Sunne Moone and Starres which are in the middle and the Fowles which are in the lowest heaven Deut. 4. 27. 19. Is it not lawfull to make the Image of God To represent him by any shape is most of all forbidden and condemned for it is a great sinne to conceive or imagine in our heart that hee is like any thing how excellent soever we thinke it Acts 17. 29. but it is much worse to set him out to the view of others considering that the minde can conceive a further beauty then the hand of the Artificer can expresse and therefore the children of Israel did sinne grievously and were worthily condemned for making God like a Calfe Exod. 32. 4 9 10 27 28. How may it further appeare that it is
of the second Commandement What is the third Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine For the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine Exod. 20. 7. What is contained in these words 1. The Commandement 2. The Reason What is the summe of the Commandement That we impeach not but by all meanes advance the glorious Name of God in all things whereby he maketh himselfe knowne to men Psal. 29. 2. and carefully endeavour in our whole life to bring some honour to God Mat. 5. 16. What doe you observe herein The high honour that God sheweth unto us who being able without us to maintaine his owne Name and glory either by himselfe or by his Angels hath notwithstanding committed the maintenance thereof unto us which should teach us to be very chairy of it and carefull to discharge our duty faithfully in walking worthy of this honour and defence of his Name which he vouchsafeth us What is the meaning of those words Thou shalt not take Thou shalt not take up upon thy lips or mouth as this phrase is opened in Psal. 16. 4. and 50. 16. that is not speake use or mention for the tongue is here specially bound to the good abearing Why was it needfull to have a speciall Commandement for the direction of the tongue in Gods service Because it is an untamed evill and unbridled Iam. 3. 8. and therefore a whole Commandement cannot be imployed amisse for the direction of it in the use of the Name of God And seeing in the second Table there is a Commandement tending almost wholly to restraine the abuses of our tongues towards our neighbours there is much more need of a Precept both for direction and restraint of it in the matters concerning God and his most glorious Name What are we to understand by the Name of God The speech is taken from the manner of men who are knowne by their Names to signifie God himselfe both in his Essence and Majesty Isa. 26. 8. Exod. 3. 13 14. 34. 5 6 7. And in all things whereby he hath made himselfe knowne unto us as he is holy 1. Titles and proper names as Iehovah Elohim Iesus 2. Properties and Attributes as Love Wisdome Power Iustice Exod. 33. 18 19. 34. 5 6 7. 14. 3. Works and Actions Psal. 8. 1 9. 14. 5 10. 4. Word both Law and Gospell Psalme 138. 2. Deut. 18. 19. 22. 32. 3. Acts 9. 15. Whence the Law of Christ Esa. 42. 4. is expounded to be his name Matth. 12. 21. 5. Sacraments Matth. 28. 18 19. Acts 2. 38. 6. Censures 1 Cor. 5. 4 5. Matth. 18. 20 7. Prayer Gen. 4. 26. 8. The whole worship of God with all the Ordinances pertaining thereto and whatsoever he honoured reverenced and glorified Deut. 5 Mal. 1. 11 12. Mich. 4. 5. Acts 21. 13. What is meant by this word in vaine All abuse of them and all rash negligent and carelesse dealing therein where mentioning the smaller fault he declareth the hainousnes of the greater For if the taking of his name in vaine only be a sinne how hainous a sin is it when it is blasphemed or used for confirmation of a lye What is then forbidden in the Commandement Every wrong offered to the glory of God and doing of ought that may any way reproach the Lord to cause him to be lesse esteemed Mal. 1. 6. 12. All unreverent and unholy use of his name and prophaning of his Titles Properties Actions and Ordinances either by mouth or by action Lev. 21. 32. What are the parts of the Prohibition Two 1. The mentioning or using of Gods name in word or in deed when it should not be used and when there is no just cause so to doe 2. The using of it amisse and abusing it when duty bindeth us to use it with feare and holinesse What is required in this command 1. That we sanctifie Gods Name as it is holy and reverend Matth. 6. 9. Psal. 111. 9. and labour by all we can to lift it up that others may be moved by us more to love serve and honour him 2. That we use the things aforesaid with all reverence and circumspection to such uses as they are appointed unto by God In a word that we have a carefull and a heedy watch to all things that may advance Gods glory and use all sincere and diligent behaviour therein What is that wherein this our carefulnesse is required 1. A diligent preparation and advisednesse before we meddle with any of these holy things that we bethinke our selves before hand what we are to doe and consider both of the cause that should move us to speake of them and of the reverent manner of using them 2. A reverent disposition in the action it selfe that wee use earnest attentivenesse therein and seriously thinke how powerfull God is to punish the taking of his name amisse as also how able and ready to blesse them who shall reverently and holily behave themselves in the right use thereof for which cause we are to remember that the Name of God is fearefull as it is written Psal. 99. 3. Deut. 28. 58. Declare now what particular duties are contained in this Commandement 1. The honouring of God and his Religion by our holy conversation Mat. 5. 16. Tit. 2. 10. The contrary whereof is profession joyned with hypocrisie Tit. 1. 16. Mat. 15. 7 8 9. prophanenesse and an evill life whereby the Name of God and profession of Religion is dishonoured Rom. 2. 24. 2. Confession of Christ unto suffering yea martyrdome if cause be Rev. 2. 13. the contrary whereof is shrinking in case of perill and denying God the honor of our suffering for him Mat. 10. 33. 3. Honourable and reverent mention of God and his Titles Properties Attributes Works Word and Ordinances Psal. 19. 1 2. 71. 15. Prov. 31. 26. What vices are repugnant to this An unreverent mention or an unadvised sudden and causelesse speaking of any of these and all abusing of the Names and Titles of God How is that done 1. By saying in our common talke O Lord O God O Jesus c. or in wondring wise good God good Lord c. in matters of light and no moment and for such foolish admirations and taking Gods Name lightly upon every occasion is here condemned 2. By idle wishes 3. By imprecations and cursings Gen. 16. 5. 2 Sam. 16. 8 9. 4. By Blaspheming 5. By the abuse of Oathes Jam. 5. 12. Is there any true use of Oathes Yes in matters of importance that cannot be decided but by an Oath it is good and lawfull to sweare by the Name of God and a duty specially commanded Deut. 6. 13. and 10. 20. so that it be done truly advisedly and rightly for so is the Commandement Jer. 4 2. Thou shalt sweare in righteousnesse How are we to sweare in truth Affirming what we know to be
It is also called habituall concupiscence which is nothing else but an evill inclination and pronenesse to the transgression of Gods Law which by corrupt Nature is bred with us How is it called in the Scriptures The old man Ephes. 4. 22 Coloss. 3. 9. Sin inhabiting and dwelling in us the Law of sin the Law of the members warring against the Law of the mind the flesh the encompassing sin c. Rom. 7. 23. Gal. 5. 17 24. Heb. 12. 1. Is this to be reputed sinne Yes and a great sin as may appeare by these reasons First because it defileth and corrupteth the whole man soule and body with all their faculties powers and parts as the minde will memory heart affections appetite with all the members of the body which it maketh to be the instruments of evill Secondly it polluteth all our words and works and maketh them all repugnant to the Law of God Thirdly it is the root and fountaine of all our actuall sins from which they grow and spring Fourthly because it continually warreth against the spirit and choaketh and quencheth the good motions of it Gal. 5. 17. 1 Pet. 2. 11. Fifthly because it maketh a man the slave of sinne and Satan Rom. 7. 14 23. Sixthly because it joyneth with the Devill and the World and betrayeth us to their tentations Eph. 2. 2 3. Seventhly because it is an uncurable evill seeing it so hangeth upon us that we cannot shake it off Heb. 12. 2. Eighthly because it is but the more irritated by the Law of God which should suppresse it Rom. 7. 8. Lastly because it maketh us children of wrath and liable to everlasting condemnation although dying in childhood we should never commit any actuall transgression For death and damnation raigned even over them which had not sinned after the similitude of Adam that is by actuall transgression Rom. 5. 14. But doth this Commandement extend to the prohibition of Originall sin in the whole body and all the parts of it No for it forbiddeth sins committed against our Neighbours only like all other Commandements of the second Table as appeareth by the words themselves and the Apostles epitomizing of this whole Table in those words Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe Rom. 13. 9. And therefore all originall injustice wicked inclinations thoughts and affections are here only forbidden as they respect our neighbours and are opposite to charity but as they respect God and are repugnant to the love of him they are forbidden in the first Table What are actuall Concupiscences They are evill motions which are repugnant to charity What are the kinds of them They are either such as are vaine and unprofitable or such as are hurtfull and pernicious How are they unprofitable So farre forth as they fasten mens minds to earthly things and thereby withdraw them from heavenly In what respects are they hurtfull First because they are instruments of sin as they are fit objects to every sin in its kinde For if any objects are offered to the minde or senses which self-love causeth them to thinke to be profitable pleasant and desireable concupiscence presently apprehendeth and catcheth at them to satisfie worldly lusts Secondly They choake the seed of the Word in the hearts of carnall men Mar. 4. 19. Thirdly They make men insatiable knowing no end or measure in pursuing worldly things Fourthly They cast men headlong in whom they raigne into sin Eph. 2. 3. and give them up to vile lusts and a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 24. Psal. 81. 12. Fifthly They fight against the soule and if they overcome bring it to destruction 1 Pet. 2. 11. How many wayes are these motions evill Two wayes either in respect of the phantasie and cogitations of the minde or in respect of the affections and imaginations of the heart When are the thoughts evill Then and so far forth as they sollicite and encline us unto evill Why doe men thinke that thoughts are free and not to be charged upon men or called to account Foolish men thinke and say so but the Scriptures say otherwise and affirme them to be sins Prov. 24. 9. as being repugnant to charity 1 Cor. 13. 5. and therefore forbid them Deut. 15. 9. injoyne us to confesse them and to crave pardon for them Isa. 55. 7. Acts 8. 22. and though we sleight them yet God taketh notice of them Psal. 94. 11. 1 Chron. 28. 9. Ezek. 11. 5. Psal. 139. 2. yea he hateth evill thoughts as abominable Prov. 15. 26. Zach. 8. 17. and severely punisheth them as we see in the example of the old world Gen. 6. 5. and 8. 21. How are these evill thoughts injected Either by Satan or else arise from originall concupiscence and both of them either waking or sleeping How are they injected by Satan Either immediately by himselfe 1 Chron. 21. 1. John 13. 2. Luke 9. 46 47. or mediately by his instruments as of old by the serpent And that he may the more easily insinuate into his minde whom he tempteth he often suborneth those that are nearest and dearest unto us to be his instruments as we see in the example of Jobs wife and Peter Iob 2. 9. Math. 16. 23. But are these tentations to be reputed our sins Not if we repell and extinguish them as fire in water for Christ himselfe was tempted yet without sin Heb. 4. 15. But if we admit them and doe not presently reject them they infect our minds and hearts with their poison and become our sins How else doe evill thoughts arise in us From our naturall corruption and habituall concupiscence Luke 24. 38. Gen. 6. 5. Math. 15. 19. 2 Cor. 3. 5. And these thoughts arise in us either waking or sleeping How are these motions evill in respect of the affections of the heart These though they have not the consent of the will to act them yet are they sinfull in respect of the sins which arise from them of which also they are the first degrees as we see in the first boyling of anger in the heart and of lust and uncleane motions which proceed from the defect of that charity and purity which God requireth in us and afterwards produce the acts of murther and fornication when the will consenteth unto them Mat. 5. 22 28. Are there no degrees of these evill affections and perturbations of the heart Yes for they are to be considered either in their first beginnings as they are the first motions of concupiscence by which the minde is first withdrawne from its rectitude and then the heart suddenly affected Or else when by the pleasure and delight in those first motions they are tickled and inticed to retaine them still that they may enjoy a greater and more full measure of delight What followeth this pleasure thus retained and continued in the mind and heart Consent to the acting of the sin which in Gods sight is all one with the sin it selfe seeing he reputeth the will for the deed
That the breaches of all the Commandements concurred in Adam and Eves sinne 134 The effects of the fall 136 Sin guiltinesse punishment Of our first Parents nakednesse 137 Of their hiding themselves Of sinne Why all Adams posterity are partakers of his sinne and misery 142 What sinne is 143 Imputed sinne 144 Inherent sinne Originall sinne The propagation of originall sinne 145 The minde corrupted The corruption of the memory The corruption of the will 147 The corruption of affections The corruption of the conscience Of the corruption of the body Actuall sinne Of the sin against the Holy Ghost 151 The divers differences of actuall sinne 152 Guilt of sinne 153 Punishment of sinne Of Gods covenants of man 157 Of the covenant of grace 158 The differences between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace 159 Wherein they agree Of Jesus the Mediator of this covenant 160 The foundation of it Of the person of Christ. Of the natures of Christ Divine Humane Of the divine nature of Christ Why it was necessary that Christ should be God 161 Of the humane nature of Christ. 162 Why it was necessary that Christ should be man 164 Of the union of the two natures of Christ. 165 Of Christs Office Mediatorship 166 That here is but one Mediator Of his names Iesus Christ. 167 Of Christs Priest-hood 168 The Popish Priest-hood overthrowne 169 Of Christs satisfaction 170 Of Christs sufferings 171 Of Christs sufferings in his soule 172 Of Christs sufferings in his body Uses of Christs passion 174 Of Christs buriall His descending into hell Christs righteousnesse in fulfilling the Law Christs originall righteousnesse 175 Christs actuall holinesse Of the intercession of Christ. 176 Of the Propheticall office of Christ. 177 Of the Kingly office of Christ. 179 Of Christs humiliation 183 Of Christs exaltation Of the Resurrection of Christ. Of Christs ascension 184 Of the third degree of Christs exaltation his sitting at the right hand of God 185 The state of the godly in Christ. 186 Of the Church of Christ. 187 The Catholick Church The property and office of the head of the Church The Church triumphant 188 Of the Church militant Prerogatives of the members of the Catholike Church 190 What Sanctification is What Redemption is Of our union and communion with Christ. 192 Communion of Saints The benefit of our Communion with Christ. 193 Justification Glorification Of Justification What Justification is Vses arising from the Doctrine of Justification 195. Of Faith 196 The various acception of Faith The divers kindes of Faith 197 Historicall faith Temporary faith Miraculous faith Justifying faith The Popish implicite faith 198 That the whole soule is the seat of faith What reconciliation is 200 What adoption is 201 The benefits of adoption Sanctification 202 The differences between justification and sanctification The differences between the Law and the Gospell 203 The Morall Law the rule of sanctification Ceremoniall Law 204 Judiciall Law The Morall Law The end and use of the Law 205 1. Knowledge of the Law required Rules to be observed for the Interpretation of the Law 1. Rule the Law is spirituall 2. Rule the Law is perfect 206 3. Rule in every commandement there is a Metaphor or Synecdoche 1. Branch of the third rule 2. Branch 3. Branch Why the Commandements are propounded in the second person 207 Good company required Why the Commandements are propounded negatively 208 The division of the Decalogue The summe of the 1. table The summe of the 2. table 209 The division of the 1. table 211 The Preface of the Commandements 212 How the reason of the 1. Commandement belongeth to us 213 The fift Commandement The scope and meaning of this Commandement 214 What is forbidden and required in this first Commandement The severall branches of the first Commandement What it is to have a God 125 Of the knowledge of God Opposites to the knowledge of God Ignorance of God Affiance in God 216 Patience Hope Love of God Thankfulnesse 217 Feare of God Reverence 218 Humility Pride Sorrow Joy Vnity in Religion 219 What it is to have other Gods Sinfull confidence 220 Inordinate love Sinfull feare Sinfull joy and sorrow The third branch of this Commandement True Religion How we must come to the true Religion Helpes inabling us to obey this Commandement 221 Meanes of the knowledge of God Hindrances Meanes of ignorance here forbidden What is enjoyned in the three following Commandements The second Commandement 222 The scope and meaning of the second Commandement What is here forbidden What is meant by making of Images The speciall branches of the second Commandement 223 Of Prayer 224 Of Fasts Of Vowes 225 The manner of Gods worship Of Preparation Of the disposition in the action What is required after the action 226 Ecclesiasticall Ceremonies Of bodily gestures Of the abuse of Gods Ordinances Defects respecting the inward Worship 227 Defects in outward Worship 228 Helps in performing Gods pure worship The second maine branch of the second Commandement 229 What is forbidden concerning Images 230 That it is unlawfull to make the Image of God 231 That it is unlawfull to make the Image of Christ. What is meant by worshipping Images 232 Of countenancing Idolatrie 233 Reasons to back this Commandement taken from Gods Titles Jealous God Reasons drawne from the works of God 234 The first reason The second reason 235 The third Commandement 236 The summe of the third Commandement What is meant by the Name of God What is meant by the word In vaine 237 What is forbidden in the third Commandement What is required in the third Commandement The particular duties required in the third Commandement The duties repugnant 238 The right use of Oathes What persons may lawfully take an Oath 239 The speciall abuses of an oath How Gods Name is taken in vaine in regard of his properties How in respect of his Works 240 How in respect of his Word Of the helpes and hindrances 241 The reason annexed to the third Commandement The fourth Commandement The meaning of the fourth Commandement 242 What need there is of one day in seven to serve God That the Sabbath day is not ceremoniall Of the change of the seventh day to the first and the reason thereof 243 The time of the Sabbath and when it beginneth 244 What is meant by the word Remember 245 Of the preparation of the Sabbath The parts of the fourth Commandement 246 What workes ought to be declined What rest required in the fourth Commandement 247 The speciall breaches opposite to an holy rest To whom this Commandement is chiefly directed 289 The second part of this Commandement which is the sanctifying of the rest The exercises and duties required on the Sabbath Prayer with the Congregation 250 Hearing the Word Receiving the Sacraments Private duties of the Sabbath Of the evening preparation 251 The first duties of the morning Of the publick duties of the Sabbath 252 What is to bee done after the publick Ministery Sins to be
yeers And finally that hee who was Davids Son should yet bee Davids Lord a case which plunged the greatest Rabbies among the Pharisees who had not yet learned this wisdome nor known this knowledge of the holy The untying of this knot dependeth upon the right understanding of the wonderfull conjunction of the divine and humane Nature in the unity of the Person of our Redeemer For by reason of the strictnesse of this personall union whatsoever may bee verifyed of either of those Natures the same may bee truely spoken of the whole Person from whethersoever of the Natures it bee denominated For the clearer conceiving whereof wee may call to minde that which the Apostle hath taught us touching our Saviour In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily that is to say by such a personall and reall union as doth inseparably and everlastingly conjoyn that infinite Godhead with his finite Manhood in the unity of the self-same individuall Person Hee in whom that fulnesse dwelleth is the PERSON that fulnesse which so doth dwell in him is the NATVRE Now there dwelleth in him not onely the fulnesse of the Godhead but the fulnesse of the Manhood also For wee beleeve him to bee both perfect God begotten of the substance of his Father before all worlds and perfect Man made of the substance of his Mother in the fulnesse of time And therefore wee must hold that there are two distinct Natures in him and two so distinct that they doe not make one compounded nature but still remain uncompounded and unconfounded together But Hee in whom the fulnesse of the Manhood dwelleth is not one and hee in whom the fulnesse of the Godhead another but hee in whom the fulnesse of both those natures dwelleth is one and the same Immanuel and consequently it must bee beleeved as firmly that hee is but one Person And here wee must consider that the divine Nature did not assume an humane Person but the divine Person did assume an humane Nature and that of the three divine Persons it was neither the first nor the third that did assume this Nature but it was the middle Person who was to bee the middle one that must undertake this mediation betwixt God and us which was otherwise also most requisite as well for the better preservation of the integrity of the blessed Trinity in the Godhead as for the higher advancement of Mankinde by means of that relation which the second Person the Mediator did beare unto his Father For if the fulnesse of the Godhead should have thus dwelt in any humane person there should then a fourth Person necessarily have been added unto the Godhead and if any of the three Persons beside the second had been born of a woman there should have been two Sons in the Trinity Whereas now the Son of God and the Son of the blessed Virgin being but one Person is consequently but one Son and so no alteration at all made in the relations of the Persons of the Trinity Againe in respect of us the Apostle sheweth that for this very end God sent his own SON made of a Woman that WE might receive the adoption of SONS and thereupon maketh this inference Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a SON and if a SON then an HEIRE of God through Christ intimating thereby that what relation Christ hath unto God by Nature wee being found in him have the same by Grace By nature hee is the onely begotten Son of the Father but this is the high grace hee hath purchased for us that as many as received him to them hee gave power or priviledge to become the Sons of God even to them that beleeve on his Name For although hee reserve to himselfe the preheminence which is due unto him in a peculiar manner of being the first born among many brethren yet in him and for him the rest likewise by the grace of adoption are all of them accounted as first-bornes So God biddeth Moses to say unto Pharaoh Israel is my Son even my first born And I say unto thee Let my son goe that hee may serve mee and if thou refuse to let him goe behold I will slay thy son even thy first born And the whole Israel of God consisting of Jew and Gentile is in the same sort described by the Apostle to bee the generall assembly and Church of the first born inrolled in heaven For the same reason that maketh them to bee Sons to wit their incorporation into Christ the self-same also maketh them to be first-bornes so as however it fall out by the grounds of our Common Law by the rule of the Gospel this consequence will still hold true if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heires with Christ. And so much for the SON the Person assuming The Nature assumed is the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. the seed of David Rom. 1. 3. the seed of the Woman Gen. 3. 15. the WORD the second person of the Trinity being made FLESH that is to say Gods own Son being made of a Woman and so becomming truely and really the fruite of her wombe Neither did hee take the substance of our nature onely but all the properties also and the qualities thereof so as it might bee said of him as it was of Elias and the Apostles that hee was a man subject to like passions as wee are Yea hee subjected himself in the dayes of his flesh to the same weaknesse which we find in our own fraile nature and was compassed with like infirmities and in a word in all things was made like unto his brethren sin onely excepted Wherein yet wee must consider that as hee took upon him not an humane Person but an humane Nature so it was not requisite hee should take upon him any Personall infirmities such as are madnesse blindenesse lamenesse and particular kindes of diseases which are incident to some onely and not to all men in generall but those alone which doe accompany the whole Nature of mankinde such as are hungring thirsting wearinesse griefe paine and mortality Wee are further here also to observe in this our Melchisedec that as he had no Mother in regard of one of his natures so he was to have no Father in regard of the other but must bee born of a pure and immaculate Virgin without the help of any man according to that which is writen The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth A woman shall compasse a man And this also was most requisite as for other respects so for the exemption of the assumed nature from the imputation and pollution of Adams sin For sin having by that one man entred into the world every Father becommeth an Adam unto his childe and conveyeth the corruption of his nature unto all those whom hee doth beget Therefore our Saviour assuming the substance of our nature but
King 4. 33. Mat. 10. 29 30. The uses Of the Omnipotency or almighty power of God Gods absolute power Gods actuall power Gods power Infinite The uses Of Gods will Whether God doth will evil 1 Cor. 10. 31. The holinesse of Gods will Esa. 6. 3. Psal. 145. 17. Of gods goodnesse 1 Tim. 2. 2. The uses of Gods goodnesse The graciousnesse of God Of the love of God Uses of Gods love Of the mercy of God The uses of Gods Mercy Of the Justice of God The uses of Gods Justice Of the Trinity What a person in the Trinity is Vide Melanchthon loc com Of the Father the first Person of the Trinity Of the other Persons of the Trinity in generall Of the second Person in the Trinity Of the third Person in the Trinity Prov. 8. 3. How to know that we have the Spirit How to keep the Spirit Things common to the three persons In what they all agree 1. Coc-essentiall 2. Co-equall 3. Co-eternall Things proper to each of the Persons Of the Kingdome of God The parts of Gods Kingdome Of Gods Decree Of Predestination Parts of Predestination Election Reprobation Election Reprobation Execution of Gods decree Creation Providence Creation in generall Uses of the Creation The creation of the particular creatures The Heavens Of the earth Of the invisible creatures The third heaven and Angels Of Angels Of the creation of visible things Of the Chaos or rude masse Of the parts of the rude masse Of the frame of the world Of the Elements The foure Elements Of the mixt or compounded bodies The severall works of the six dayes The first day Heaven and earth and the light The second day The Firmament The third day Grasse corne trees Of the water and earth The fourth day The creation of the lights The fift day Of the creation of fishes and birds The sixt day Of the creation of man and woman Of the parts of man and first of the body Of the soul of Man The immortality of the soul. Of the seat of the soul. What is the Image of God in Man Of Gods Providence Definition of Gods Providence The uses of the doctrine of Gods Providence Of Gods special providence over Angels Good Angels Of the evill Angels Uses of the doctrine concerning evill Angels Of Gods particular providence over man Of Gods providence towards mankind Of the Covenant between God and man 1. Covenant of works The state of man in the time of his Innocency Of man in the state of corruption and of his fall That the breach of all the Commandements concurred in Adams and Eves sin The effects of the fall Sin guiltinesse punishment Of our first parents nakednesse Of their hiding themselves Hab. 3. 2. Of sin Why all Adams posterity are partakers of his sin and misery What sin is Imputed sin Inherent sin Originall sin a Gal. 3. 22. Rom. 8. 3. b Phil. 3. 9. Tit. 3. 5. The propagation of originall sin The mind corrupted The corruption of the memory The corruption of the will The corruption of the affections The corruption of the conscience Of the corruption of the body Actuall sin Of the sin against the holy Ghost Of the divers differences of actuall sins Guilt of sin Punishment of sin Of Gods Covenants with man Of the Covenant of grace The differences between the Covenant of works and and the Covenant of grace Wherein they agree Of Jesus the Mediatour of this Covenant The foundation of it Of the person of Christ. The natures of Christ. Divine Humane Of the divine nature of Christ. Why it was requisite that Christ should be God Of the humane nature of Christ. Why it was requisire that Christ should be Man Of the union of the two natures of Christ. Of Christs office of Mediatorship That there is but one Mediatour Of his names Jesus Christ. Mar. 9. 23. Luke 4. 18. Joh. 3. 34. Of Christs Priesthood The Popish Priesthood overthrown 1 Sam. 2. 25. Of Christs Satisfaction Of Christs sufferings Esa. 53. 10. Christs sufferings in his soul. Christs sufferings in his body Uses of Christs Passion Christs buriall His descending into hell Christs righteousnesse in fulfilling the Law Christs originall righteousnesse Christs actuall holinesse Of the intercession of Christ. Of the Propheticall office of Christ. Of the Kingly office of Christ. Act. 2. 9. Mat. 25. 24. 31. 33 34. Of Christs Humiliation Of Christs Exaltation Of the Resurrection of Christ. Phil. 3. 10. Of Christs Ascension Heb. 10. 20. Of the third degree of Christs Exaltation His sitting at the right hand of God The state of the godly in Christ. Mat. 13. 15. Acts 14. 16. 17. 30. Of the Church of Christ. Eph. 1. 1. 5. 23. Col. 1. 21. 27. Catholick Church Gal. 4. 26. 1 Pet. 1. 13. 14 15 16 17. Lev. 20. 7. The property and office of the head of the Church The triumphant Church The Church militant Prerogatives of the members of the Catholick Church VVhat Sanctification is VVhat Redemption is Of our Vnion and Communion with Christ. Communion of Saints Rom. 12. 13. 1 Ioh. 1. 17. Eph. 4. 3. The benefit of our Communion with Christ. Justification Glorification Of Justification and first what Justificaon is Vses arising from the doctrine of Justification Of Faith The various acceptions of Faith The divers kinds of Faith Historicall Faith Temporary Faith Miraculous Faith Justifying Faith The Popish implicite faith confuted That the whole soule is the seat of Faith What Reconciliation is What Adoption is The benefits of Adoption Sanctification The differences between Justification and Sanctification Eph. 1. 19. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2 Pet. 3. 18. Phil. 3. 16. 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. Job 22. 22. Joh. 17. 17. Eph. 4. 20 21. The differences between the Law and the Gospel * John 5. 23. 14. 1. Mat. 19. 23. The Morall law the rule of Sanctificatiō * Deut. 10. 4. Ceremoniall Law Judiciall Law The Morall Law The end and use of the Law 1. Knowledge of the Law required Rules to be observed for the interpretation of the Law 1. Rule The Law is spirituall 2. Rule That the Law is perfect 3. Rule In every Commandement there is a Metaphor or Synecdoche 1. Branch of the third Rule 2. Branch 3. Branch Why the Commandements are propounded in the second person Good company required Why the Commandements are propounded negatively The division of the Decalogue The sum of the first Table The summe of the second Table The division of the first Table The Preface of the Commandements How the reason of the first Commandement belongs to us The first Commandement The scope and meaning of this Commandement What is forbidden and required in this first Commandement The severall branches of the first Commandement What it is to have a God Of the knowledge of God Opposites to the knowledge of God Ignorance of God Affiance in God Patience Hope Love of God Thankfulnesse Feare of God Reverence Humility Pride Sorrow Ioy. Vnity in Religion What it is