nature common to all the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve 5. He took an humane Soul as well as an humane Body For he increased in wisdom and stature Luke 2.52 In the one in respect of his body in the other in respect of his Soul He whose knowledge did increase with his years must have a Subject proper for it which is no other than an humane Soul This was the Seat of his finite understanding and directed will distinct from the will of his Father and consequently of his Divine nature as may appear by that Luke 22.42 Not my Will but thine be done 6. In this union the two natures remain really distinct in Christ without either conversion or transubstantiation of the one into the other and without commixtion or confusion of both into one There was no conversion of the humane nature into the Divine or of the Divine into the humane 7. Though with us the Soul and Body being united make a Person yet in Christ the Soul and Body were so united as to have their subsistence not of themselves as in us but in the God-head No sooner was the Soul united to the Body but both Soul and Body had their subsistence in the Second Person in the Trinity SECT III. How our Saviour became Man THis union between our humane nature and the Deity of the Son of God was wrought in the womb of the Virgin Mary Yea our Saviour was not only made man in her but of her The humane nature which he assumed being made of her substance This I shall clear and make out by these assertions was conceived by the Holy Ghost 1. He was not conceived in her by the help of Man but by the power of the Holy Ghost Her womb was the Bride Chamber where the Holy Ghost did knit this indissoluble knot between the Deity of the Son of God and our humane nature Joseph was only Christs legal Father his Foster-Father Luke 3.23 Being as was supposed the Son of Joseph This conception therefore was wrought by the Holy Ghost He immediately and miraculously inabled the Virgin Mary to conceive our Saviour Luke 1.35 And the Angel said unto her the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God The Holy Ghost did not perform any proper act of Generation such as is the foundation of paternity but framed the humane nature of Christ of the substance of the Virgin 2. The humane nature of Christ was totally sanctified and so fitted for a personal union with the Word John 17.19 For their sakes I sanctified my self Christ out of his infinite love humbled himself and became Man Yet at the same time out of his infinite purity he would not defile himself by becoming sinful man The humane nature in its first original was formed by the Holy Ghost and in its formation sanctified and so united to the Word that as the first Adam was the fountain of our Impurity so the second Adam might be the fountain of our Righteousness 3. Christ took our nature cloathed with sinless infirmities Culpable and sinful infirmities he did not take on him Indeed poenal infirmities such as are common to all the Sons and Daughters of Adam as to be subject to pain grief and sorrow hunger thirst cold c. such he took on him Isa 53. v. 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows But he took not on him poenal infirmities such as are personal He took our sinless infirmities to shew the truth of his humanity He took them on himself that he might pity us and might teach us by his holy example how to bear them 4. As the Virgin Mary conceived our Saviour by the power of the Holy Ghost so she brought him forth into the world He was born of her And under this head these particulars are to be taken into consideration 1. Christ was born of a woman that was a pure Virgin Born of the Virgin Mary untouched by man even when she brought him forth The promised Messias was to be born after a miraculous manner Jer. 31.22 The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth a woman shall incompass or inclose a man It is a new Creation because wrought in a woman without the help of man The Prophesie in Isaiah must be fulfilled Isa 7.14 Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel The Messias promised before and under the Law was to be born of a Virgin 2. The Messias was to be of the house and lineage of David Of whom the Apostle says Acts 2.30 that he being a Prophet knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his Throne And it is from many places of Scripture evident and certain that Mary and so Christ did lineally descend from David 3. Observe the time when Christ was born It was when Augustus was Emperor and taxed the Jews and all Nations under his dominion as we find Luke 2. 4. Observe the place where our Saviour was born It was in Village of Judah called Bethlehem that the Prophesie in Micah might be fullfilled Mich. 5.2 But thou Bethlehem Ephratah though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel 5. Let us consider the manner of his Birth which was very mean namely in the Stable of a common Inn. 6. Observe the first tidings or manifestation of his birth which was made by Angels to poor Shepherds Luke 2.10 11. And the Angel said unto them Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And thus we have shewed how our Lord and Saviour was born into the World and became man Before I shut up this particular it will be needful that I shew why it was requisite he should be both God and Man 1. It was requisite he should be God for these reasons 1. That by his Divine and mnipotent power he might uphold his Humanity that it should not sink under the weight of Gods wrath lâ—id upon him for our sins * This sâ—nne think was shadowed in â—â—e Altar â—n which the Sacrifice waâ— to be burned which was made of wood but covered with brass to keep it from beiâ—g coâ—â—umed So Christ was Man but the weakness of the humane nature was covered with 〈◊〉 powâ—r oâ— Divinity so that it might be supported under its sufferings The wrath of God was so heavy that no meer Creature could bear up under it The man-hood of Christ would have sunk under those sufferings had not the Divine power upheld it 2. That he might
pierced Now our Saviour was actually condemned and delivered up to that kind of death by Pilate who gave sentence it should be as the Jews required and they required he should be Crucified There are three things observable concerning Crucifixion 1. 'T was a painful death The hands and feet which of all parts of the body are most nervous and consequently most sensible were pierced through with nailes which caused a lingring and tormenting death 2. 'T was an ignominious * 'T was servile supplicium Thieves and Robbers were usually by the Romans punished with this kind of death death and therefore among the Romans inflicted upon their Slaves and fugitives 3. A cursed death as 't is written Deut. 21.13 Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Having premised these things let us now consider what are the instructions we should learn from this Article that our Saviour was Crucified 1. Christ hath hereby redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 that is he hath indured that most shameful death of the Cross which was accounted accursed and inglorious 2. Christ hath blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us and taken it out of the way nailing it to his Cross One ancient custome as they tell us of Cancelling Bonds was by striking a nail through the writing Our Saviours Crucifixion hath done this for us 3. Seeing Christ was Crucified for us we should in imitation thereof labour to Crucifie sin in our selves Our old man must be Crucified that the body of sin may be destroyed We must remember that those that are Christs must crucifie the flesh with its affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 4. We should often meditate on the bitter Cup our Saviour drank and on those nails that pierced his hands and feet that so we may be the more ready and willing to suffer for him We should consider how he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross teaching us thereby to humble our selves and with patience to bear the lowest condition for his sake and to imitate him who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the shame We come now to the next word in the Creed viz. He Dyed Our Saviour was not only nailed to the Cross but died thereon He suffered upon the Cross a dissolution and died a true and proper death Dead He died for our sins according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15.3 He was cut off from the Land of the Living Isa 53.7 8 10. and made his Soul that is his life an offering for sin He said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and having said so he gave up the ghost Luke 23.26 'T is true Christ did voluntarily die for he saith no man taketh away my life from me but I lay it down of my self John 10.18 That is He laid not down his life by a necessary compulsion but by a voluntary election He took upon him a necessity of dying for our benefit But the Jews were the causes of his death and by wicked bands crucified him Acts 2.23 and slew him and hanged him on a tree Acts 5.30 They are truly said to have done it because by their incessant importunity they prevailed with Pilate to do it Our Saviour therefore being truly put to death and suffering a real dissolution let us consider what union was dissolved by his death and what continued In Christ there were two different substantial unions One of the parts of his humane nature each to other in which his humanity consisted and by which he was truly man the other of his natures divine and humane by which it came to pass that he was both God and Man in the same person Now the union of the parts of his humane nature was dissolved on the Cross and a real separation made between his Soul and Body But yet there was no disunion of either of them from his Deity The union of the natures remained still nor was the Soul or Body though separated one from the other separated from the Divinity but still remained united unto it When he cried out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me it intimates no more but that he was bereft of those joys and comforts from the Deity which were necessary to asswage the bitterness of his present Agony Having thus shewed that our Saviour did really die Let us now inquire why it was needful he should die 'T was requisite for these reasons 1. That the new Covenant or Testament might be ratified by his blood Where a Testament is there must needs be the death of the Testator Heb. 9.16 2. That he might perform that part of his Priestly Office which required the shedding of his blood For without shedding of blood there is no remission Heb. 9.22 Therefore Christ our Passeover must be Sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5.7 3. If he would redeem us he must give himself a ransom for us 1 Pet. 1.18 19. For we being enemies could not be reconciled to God but by the death of his Son Col. 1.21 And by his death he hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2.15 By his death was our redemption wrought as by the price that was paid as by the atonement which was made as by the full satisfaction that was given that God might be reconciled to us who was before offended with us and Buried Thus we have seen what our Saviour died on the Cross And as he really died by the separation of his Soul from his Body so his body was carried and laid up in a Sepulchre hewn out of the Rock in which never man was before laid This the Evangelists do sufficiently testify Now that the Messias was to be buried was typified by Jonas who was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly And accordingly the Son of Man was to be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth * He is said to be three dayes and three nights in the Grave the whole time or space of three dayes being put for a part of it by a synecdoche see my Harm Ch. 6. pag. 266. Mat. 12.40 The Psalmist intimates as much Psal 16.9 My flesh shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell (a) My Soul In Hell that is my dead body in the Grave see the next §. nor suffer thine holy one to see corruption Isay 53.9 He was cut off out of the land of the living He made his Grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death Christ being put to death his body was by Joseph of Arimathea begged of Pilate and by him and Nicodemus one of their great Council taken down and wound in fine linnen with spices as the manner of the Jews was to bury and laid in a new Sepulchre in a Garden nigh the place of his execution and a great
by the consideration of the high dignity of the Person whom we have offended so the value of Reparation ariseth from the dignity of the Person satisfying And this satisfaction consisteth in the reparation of the honour which by our sin was cclipsed And all honour doth increase proportionably as the person yielding it is more honourable or worthy 2. This may shew us that the more worthy the Person of Christ was before he suffered the greater was his condescention in stooping to such great and unworthy sufferings for our sakes 3. This greatly magnifies the love of God in sending his only begotten Son into the world to die for Sinners This love of God is frequently extolled and admired by the Apostles Rom. 8.32 He that spared nâ—t his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things 1 John 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our Sins What an amazing thing is this love of the Father in sending his only begotten Son to be our Redeemer and what an amazing thing is this condescention of the only Son of God to dy for such worms as we are I come now tâ— Christs fourth Title Our Lord. Our Lord. After our Sav◠〈◊〉 Relation viz. of the only Son of God founded upon his eternal generation followeth his Dominion as the necessary consequence of his Son-ship because the only Son must of necessity be Heir and Lord of all in his Fathers house and all others which bear the name of Sons whether they be Angels or Men must be looked upon as his servants who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Acts 10.36 He is Lord of all Mat. 28.18 All power is given unto him both in Heaven and Earth Ephes 1.20 21 22. God hath set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and hath put all things under his feet The word Lord signifies properly Dominion and implies a right of possession and power of disposing This premised let us consider how and in what respects Christ is Lord As there are two natures united in the person of Christ so there are two kinds of dominion belonging respectively to those natures One inherent in his Divinity the other bestowed on his humanity One by which he is Lord maker of all things The other by which he is made Lord of all things Christ as God hath a supreme universal dominion over the Worlp So Thomas acknowledges in those words John 20.28 My Lord and my God But Christ as Mediator has some kind of dominion or Lordship bestowed on him and given unto him And in this sense the Apostle says Acts 2.36 He was made both Lord and Christ And one branch of this his dominion was his power on earth to forgive sins Mat. 9.2 6. He said therefore to the sick of the Palsie thy sins are forgiven thee that they might know that the â—on of Man had power on earth to forgive sins And another is the right of Judicature or Judging the World committed to him Joh. 5.22 The Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son and hath given him authority to execute Judgment because he is the Son of Man He will Judge the World by that man whom he hath ordained Acts 17.31 But let us further consider by what right Christ is Lord. 1. By right of Creation Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made 2. By right of sustentation and preservation of the Creatures he hath made Col. 1.17 And he is before all things and by him all things consist Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the word of his power 3. By right of donation ordination and the appointment of God Acts 2.36 To him all power is given both in Heaven and Earth 4. By right of Redemption The ransomer of a bondslave was wont to be his Lord. When we were bond-slaves to Sin and Satan Christ paid our ransome No bondage so great as ours was no price so great as that which he paid therefore no service too great for us to pay unto him 5. By right of Covenant In our Baptism we bind our selves and Covenant to be his Thus we see by how many Titles Christ is Lord. If any shall further inquire how he exercises this his dominion I Answer In these particulars 1. In giving Laws to his Subjects and servants 2. In appointing Officers in his Church 3. In providing for and protecting his Family 4. In correcting his servants for their miscarriages 5. In rewarding them according to their Works and Services both here and hereafter The improvement we should make of this Doctrine is in short this We should seriously consider whether we do indeed take Christ for our Lord as well as for our Saviour Many do like Christs Saviourship well enough but do not like his Soveraignty They will not have him rule over them But let us often think by how many Titles Christ is our Lord by right of Creation Sustentation Redemption and Covenant that so we may stir up our hearts to own him as our Lord and humbly to submit to him and to pay him the Homage we owe unto him and heartily chearfully diligently and constantly to obey him even to our lives end SECT II. Of the Person of Christ WE come now to consider what manner of person our Saviour was He was God and Man in the same Person The Eternal Son of God the second person in the Trinity took to himself our humane nature a humane Soul and Body and united it after a wonderful manner to his God-head and so God and Man became one person This I shall labour to make out by these seven following particulars 1. Jesus Christ who was God before by the Divine nature which he had from Eternity was in the fulness of time made Man Gal. 4.4 2. He was made Man by assuming our humane nature unto himself and joyning it to his Divine nature 3. Although our humane nature was joyned with his Divine nature that is with the nature common to the Father Son and Holy Ghost yet was that Union made only in the Person of the Son Not the Father nor the Holy Ghost but it was the Son that was incarnate 4. The Divine nature did not assume an humane person but the Divine Person of the Son did assume our humane nature If Christ had only taken the Person of a man then there must have been two Persons in Christ a Person assuming and a Person assumed Yea then that only Person which Christ had assumed should have been advanced and saved by him He therefore assumed not an humane Person but he assumed the humane
not their first Station they sinned against God and by sin fell from their happiness 3. Let us inquire how they came to sin Being created pure they had no lust within to incline them to it and being in Heaven they had no Object without to draw or allure them to it neither had they any â—empâ—â—r before one or more of their own number fell to intice them to it Some late Divines conceive that the great Angel â—ow called Belzebub first fell and then drew others by his tâ—mptaâ—ion and seducement into the same rebellion and disobedience with himself For Matth. 25.44 we read of the Devil and his Angels and Matth. 12.24 of Belzebub the Prince of Devils From whence we may probably conjecture there was some Prince or Chief of the Apostate Angels who was the Ring-leader in this faction and rebellion against God And if any shall further inquire how sin came into the Angels at first all that we can say is this They were created good yet mutable and they voluntarily chose not to abide in their first estate 'T is Gods Prerogative only to be immutable All Creatures though never so pure if not assiâ—ted by grace are mutable and may sin Job 4.18 Behold he put no trust in his Servants and his Angels he charged with folly The Angels being mutable Creatures might fall from their righteousness if left to themselves and some of them did fall and God charged them judicially with folly for it They were created in a blessed state and from that they might and some of them did fall But however it was we may assure our selves God was not the cause of their fall by infusing any evil into them Neither is he to be looked upon as consenting to their sin in that he did not hinder them from it or in that he did not support them by his Grace For he oweth his Grace to none and giveth it when and to whom he pleaseth And in the Angelical Nature as well as the humane he would discover his Justice and his Mercy and the freedâ—m of his dispensations 4. Let us consider the time when they fell How soon they fell we cannot certainly determine 'T is probable they fell very soon For Joh. 8.44 Satan is called a Murderer from the beginning and 1 Joh. 3.9 'T is said the Devil sinneth from the beginning that is soon after the Creation That these Angels were created plainly appears from Col. 1.16 And probably they were created on the second day when the Heavens the proper place of their residence were created 'T is certain they sinned before Man fell For the Devil in and by the Serpent seduced Eve Gen. 3.1.2 Cor. 11.3 5. Let us consider their number 'T is certain that the number of these Apostate Angels is very great and that there are very many of them going up and down in the World as may appear by this that an whole Legion of them was in one man Luke 8.30 * Legio apud Romanos continebat 12500 miâ—ites numâ—rus certus pro incerto ut ipse Daemon explicat But how great their number is cannot by us be certainly determined 6. Let us consider their Nature Properties and Employment 1. They are Spirits of great knowledge cunning and subtilty They are subtil by Nature and by long experience in tempting since the beginning of the World their subtilty is much increased They can transform themselves into Angels of light 2 Cor. 11.14 But this is observable they never move to good as 't is good but as it may have some evil consequent upon it And further they know how to suit their temptations to the several tempers of men They have much Natural and Experimental knowledge so as they can discern hidden causes and virtues which mans reason cannot reach unto They know how to apply actives to passives they can guess notably at future events but as for a certain knowledge of them unless of such things as depend upon necessary causes or have been some way or other made known unto them by God that they have not That knowledge is proper to God and accordingly he challengeth it unto himself Isai 41.23 Shew things that are to come hereafter that we may know ye are gods says he of the vanities and Idols of the Heathen They are of wonderful sagacity to judge of mens hearts by their outward gestures and carriage In a word they are wise enough to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge 2. Their malice is very great This is set forth to the life 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devil like a roaring Lyon goes about seeking whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in the Faith His malice is so great that he goes about doing mischief though he knowes that he gets no good by it nay though his punishment will be so much the greater for the mischief he does His malice is great against all mankind but principally against the Saints and Servants of God First Because they bear the Image of God Secondly Because they through grace resist his temptations here and shall as approvers of Christs righteous sentence judge him hereafter 1 Cor. 6.3 3. They are Spirits of great Power though it be limited by God so that it cannot be exercised but when and where and how it pleaseth him The Devil doth exercise his power as far as he is able to the hurt of the Children of men but especially to the hurt of the Saints obstinately endeavouring to hinder them from enjoying that happiness which he lost 4. They are Spirits of great industry to do mischief as we may see Job 1.6.7 The Devil not only does all the outward mischief he can but he tempts also by inward suggestions For being a Spirit he hath communion with our Souls and Spirits and can dart evil thoughts into us thus he filled the heart of Judas to betray his Lord and Master Thus he provoked David to number the People 1 Chron. 21.1 His temptatioâ—s are many times suddain impetuous importunate And his suggestions may oftentimes be known from those that arise from our own corrupt hearts by the suddenness violence and unnaturalness of them Those that arise from our own corrupt Natures are usually pleasing unto us But if the teâ—ptation be against the light of Nature as for one to kill a friend whom he dearly loves and do fill the Soul with horror as blasphemous thoughts do those may be reckoned as Satans fiery Darts For they torment the mind as poisoned Arrows do the body And by an humble recourse to Christ for help we should labour to quench these fiery Darts Our Saviour himself was tempted by the Devil to most hideous things Matth. 4. And having been tempted himself he knows how to succour those that are tempted Heb. 2.18 The Saints of God therefore should encourage themselves from these considerations 1. A restraint is put on Satan in all his temptations 1 Cor. 10.13 He
cannot tempt further then God permits 2. His temptations tend to the increase of their graces Satans temptations increased Job's patience Paul by Satans buffeting was humbled 2 Cor. 12. 3. They tend to promote the fervency of their prayers 4. Their wisdom and watchfulness will hereby be the more quickned 5. The resisting of these temptations shall tend to the increase of their glory hereafter 7. Let us consider their punishment Present and Future Their present punishment may be considered first in respect of loss 1. Upon their sin they fell from the place of happiness and glory which before they enjoyed Rev. 12.8 Neither was their place found any more in Heaven Though that place in a mystical sence may speak of the overthrowing of Satan in this present World and casting him out of the Church yet here is a plain allusion to Satans first fall from Heaven as the ground of that expression and therefore it may serve as a proof in this matter Their place of innocency was Heaven they stood round about the Throne of God where the Angels do continually behold his face Their happiness was to enjoy God their duty to glorifie him From this place they are now driven into the lower parts of the World as a place more fit for sin and misery Sometimes they fly up and down in the Air therefore is Satan called the Prince of the Power of the Air Eph. 2.3 And exercises the power that God permits him in the Regions of the Air by raising Tempests c. Sometimes he compasseth the earth too and fro Job 1.7 And 2 Cor. 4.4 He is called the god of this World that is whom the World generally serves and who by the just Judgment of God hath got such a Dominion over Multitudes that they serve him as their God 1. Their present punishment may be considered in respect of sense They are kept in Chains That is 1. They are under guilt and horror of Conscience Cehennam suam secum portant They carry their Hell about them 2. They are under an utter despair of deliverance to them there remaineth nothing but a certain looking for judgment and fiery indignation 3. Their malice spight and power is curbed and bridled and held in by the Almighty power of God so that they cannot vent it as they would which is no small vexation to them And thus much of their present punishment both of loss and sense 2. Let us consider their future punishment which at the day of Judgment will be greater than now it is They are not yet in that Prison and Place of torment where they shall abide for ever under the wrath of God They are now entered into some degrees of Hellish torments but they are in expectation of greater And therefore they cryed out to our Saviour Matth. 8.31 Art thou come to torment us before our time There is a time coming when the wrath of God shall be increased upon them Hell is prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25.41 Though for the present they are under Gods wrath yet they do not taste the dregs of it Therefore they besought our Saviour Luke 8.31 That he would not command them into the deep that is the place of full and perfect torment 8. I come now to shew what improvement we are to make of all that hath been said 1. Let us meditate with trembling on the fall of Angels If they fell how should we look to our standing If such excellent Creatures fell and fell do dreadfully how should we look to our selves 2. Let us observe the evil Nature of sin especially of Pride If Pride threw the Angels out of Heaven and laid the foundation of Hell we had need labour to maintain a great abhorrence in our hearts of that sin 3. We should often consider and it should deeply affect us that we lost our first estate as well as the Angels we lost our Original state of holiness and happiness as well as they As they fell soon so did we As they fell by Pride so did we 4. Let us meditate with astonishment on the wonderfull goodness of God who of his infinite mercy provided a Redeemer for us but none for them Let us admire the freeness of Gods love to the Children of men 5. Let us tremble at Gods Justice Angels Creatures of the highest excellency are not spared when they sin O admire at his patience that he hath yet spared thee 6. Remember the Devil and his Angels are in the World O how watchfull ought we to be and sensible of our continual danger from those evil Spirits 7. Let us remember that Spiritual Judgments are the most dreadfull The Devils are given up to an obstinacy in sinning Let us take heed of imitating them in their obstinacy and willfulness 8. Let us remember for our comfort that the Devil is in Chains He had not power over an Herd of Swine without leave Matth. 8.31 So Luke 22.31 He could not sift Peter till he had a Commission He could not touch Job's Estate or Skin till he had leave nay he could not deceive Ahab a wicked man till God said go 1 King 22.21 22. He is but Gods Executioner And therefore the Psalmist shewing how God punished the disobedient Israelites Psal 78.49 says He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger wrath and indignation and trouble by sending evil Angels among them 9. Let us take heed of being of the Devils faction or promoting his work and interest 10. Let us resist Satan as a Tempter here in this life As a Tormentor in the other life he cannot be resisted James 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will flee from thee 11. Let us daily seek help from God against Satans malice and power and humbly commit our selves to his especial protection 12. Seeing there are so many Devils and evil Spirits in the World this may be a mighty argument to assure us that there is a â—od a â—pirit of infinite goodness and power who restrains the malice of Satan and all his instruments else we could never be safe one moment 13. We should often meditate on the glorious Attributes of God His transcendent power his infinite wisdom and mercifulness For the deeper impressions are made upon our hearts by these Attributes the less we shall fear Satan They that know thy Name says the Plasmist Psal 9.10 That is thy Nature and Attributes will trust in thee 14. We should exercise faith on the merits and intercession of Christ for the quenching of the fiery Darts of Satan when ever he casts them into our Souls Eph. 6.16 Above all take the Shield of Faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery Darts of the Wicked One 15. Consider 't is the Devils sin not thine if he force evil thoughts upon thee which thou defiest and abhorrest 16. Meditate on the promises of God for thy support Rom. 16.20 The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly 1 Cor. 10.13 God
notorious sinners and rescuing from their malice pious and good men in answer to their prayers is another argument of Providence and must needs force impartial men to say Doubtless there is a God that ruleth and judgeth in the Earth The Histories of all ages bear Testimony to this so that I need not add any particular instances 6. The restraining of the rage and power of Devils and infernal Spirits and such as are imployed by them is another great and convincing argument of Divine Providence These Fiends of darkness and perdition are acted with extreme rage and fury against all that are good and if God did not restrain them they would quickly pull the World about our ears We could never be secure in our Houses or abroad one moment for them 7. Events and issues very often are not correspondent to the designs and intents of the contrivers As Joseph told his Brethren Gen. 50.20 Ye thought evil against me but God meant it for good Who could have thought that Haman should have been a means of advancing Mordecai And yet so it came to pass what ever the World thinks the actions of men and their successes are under the Regiment and guidance of the Divine Will and Providence that invisibly governs and over-rules Have we not often seen how in one moment a pitifull small unexpected occurrence has broke in pieces a design laid with long deliberation with huge prospect and forecast of difficulties and with great reserves and preparations against all imaginable obstraites I say one poor unthought of accident has on the suddain crack't and broke to shivers all this long elaborated project That suddain and unexpected discovery of the long-elaborated Hellish Gund-powder Plot in our Nation is a pregnant instance of this and many more might also be given 8. The Miracles and extraordinary things that Sometimes happen in the World contrary to the course of Nature loudly proclaim a Providence 'T is true God does seldom alter the regular course he hath setled among his creatures But sometimes he does it to acquaint the World with his Power and Prerogative lest otherwise the arrogance of men should question his Omnipotence and be apt to suspect he could not do it Thus he made the Sun to stand still at the prayer of Joshua Thus he commanded the fire not to burn the Three Worthies when thrown into the fiery Furnace Thus he stopt the mouths of the Lyons that they should not devour Daniel Who can bind the hands of the Almighty or hinder him from doing what he pleaseth both in Heaven above and in the Earth beneath 9. The horrors of Conscience that wicked men sometimes feel upon their commission of very secret sins is another argument of Providence Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a Moth. God makes mens own Consciences oftentimes chastise them for such secret sâ—ns as the World knows not of 10. Tâ—e exact fulfilling of what was foretold promised or prophesied of in the Scriptures is another great argument of Providence And thus much for proof both by Scripture and reason that there is a Providence I come now to the Third thing I propounded to consider viz. The extent of this Divine Providence Under this head I shall shew these two things 1. That the Providence of God extends to all his Creatures 2. That in a more special and singular manner it manifests it self for the good of his Church and People 1. The Providence of God reaches all his Creatures and all their actions I shall labour to prove this by an induction of particulars 1. It reaches things casual Prov. 16.33 The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposal thereof is from the Lord. God is said to deliver him to a mans hand whom we suppose to be killed by chance compare Exod. 22.13 with Deut. 19.4.5 2. It reaches to things inanimate viz. Natural Agents The water rises to that height that it drowns the Old World when God commands it The fire will not burn the Three Worthies if God forbid it Daniel 3.25 3. It reaches to Creatures that have only the lowest life viz. Vegetables and Plants How wisely hath God ordered those things Some Herbs he hath made good for food Into others he hath put excellent Medicinal virtues and hath made them good for Physick Some Flowers have glorious out-sides Solomon in all his glory was not cloathed like one of them Others of them have rare qualities and virtues beneficial to mankind 4. It reaches to Creatures that have only sense Who can sufficiently admire the wise Oeconomy of Bees and Ants and Silk-worms Flyes and Lice and Frogs the very corruption of the Earth when they have received a commission from God are too strong an Army for Pharaoh a mighty Prince When all Egypt besides was pestered with Flyes the Land of Goshen a little spot in the midst of it was not molested with any no not with Flyes which cannot be kept out of any place What Walls Rivers or Armies can hinder their motion or prevent their entrance And yet those active sprightly Creatures did not invade Goshen though they were round about it when God forbade them 5. The Providence of God reaches unto Angels Good Angels he makes use of as his instruments in the government of the World and sends them abroad to serve and minister for the good of his People As for Devils and evil Angels he hath them under restraint so that they can do no more then he permits them And the curbing and restraining such malicious Spirits is a mighty argument of Gods Providential care over us 6. It reaches unto men That will evidently appear if we consider these things 1. The first thing that speaks Gods Providence and Government over mankind is his giving them Laws 1. The Law of Nature which he gave them in their first Creation which directeth them how to discern good from evil truth from falshood right from wrong 'T is true by the fall of our first Parents these common and universal principles are much weakned and darkned Yet God hath so ordered it by his Creation at the first and his provident care over man since that those principles are not nor can be ras'd quite out of mans Soul but there are still some Natural motions of good and evil of right and wrong some rules of right practice left in their minds if they will attend to them 2. He gave unto his people the Jews the moral Law on Mount Sinai which as to the main is an epitome or abstract of the Law of Nature 3. He does now in these Gospel times as he promised write his Law on the hearts of his people and inclines them to observe it That so they may not only have a Law without them but an inward living Law of holiness and purity within their Souls Ezek. 36.26 27. 2. The second thing that speaks Gods Providence over man is his
for which justly to correct them 2. God may love his Children with a great love even then when he does sorely afflict them 3. Though godliness have the promises of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Yet this is to be understood with this limitation so far for thas to the infinite Wisdom of God seems fit and good and convenient for his People and no further 4. The prosperity of the wicked is but a seeming prosperity 'T is many times really hurtfull to them Eccles 5.13 I have seen Riches says Solomon reserved for the hurt of the owners thereof Yea not only for their own hurt but for the hurt of many others round about them 5. The outward calamities of the People of God through his sanctifying of them tend to the prosperity of their Souls to the increase of their graces and furtherance of their glory 'T is good for me says David Psal 119 71. that I have been afflicted 6. Eternity is long enough to punish the wicked who most prospered in their wickedness and to reward the righteous who suffered most deeply for their righteousness Having thus spoken of the Nature of Divine Providence and the extent of it and answered the Objections usually made against it let us now considâ—r what improvement we ought to make of this Doctrine 1. Let us all own and acknowledge and take notice of the Providence of God actually working in the World Let us not impute events to chance or fortune or fate but labour to see and take notice of an all-wise and Soveraign Providence over-ruling ordering and disposing of all things here below God is King and Lord of the World and does and will govern the Creatures he hath made 2. Let us earnestly beg Gods Providential care over us and humbly trust our selves and our concernments to his disposal Let us stir up and excite our selves to depend on his Providence from such considerations as these 1. There is no better way to obtain any good thing we desire than by an humble depending on God for it and referring our selves to his holy will no surer way to miss any good thing we desire than to be peremptory and inordinate in our desire of it 2. Why should we not depend on God now who took care of us in the Womb and when we hung on our Mothers Breasts and hath all our life hitherto taken care of us 3. How easily can God help us in our greatest difficulties 4. Why should we not depend on God for accessaries on whom we must depend for the main 3. It the Providence of God governs the World let us not disquiet our selves upon any of these accounts 1. Because we are at present under many and various afflictions For let us consider First all afflictions have their commission from him Job 5.6 Affliction comes not out of the dust 'T is God that brings us and our afflictions together Secondly He suits and proportions our afflictions He knows the strength of the Disease and what Physick is necessary to remove it Successive afflictions are his câ—urse of Physick to remove a stubborn malady Thirdly He sanctifies afflictions to his Children and betters them by them and so they tend to their great advantage 2. Let us not disquiet our selves in reference to our Posterity We are apt to be very thoughtfull what will become of our Children which we shall leave behind us But let us consider though we must go hence yet the Providence of God never dyes Gen. 48.21 Behold I die says Jacob to Joseph but God shall be with you and bring you again to the Land of your Fathers Let us commit our Children to the care of that gracious Providence which hath watched over us for our good all our days 3. Let us not disquiet our selves in reference to the Church of God Let us remember what our Saviour hath promised viz. That the gates of Hell shall not prevail against his Church Matth. 16.18 4. Let us labour to get an interest in the Essential love and favour of this God who governs the World by his Providence if he be our reconciled Father in Christ we need not fear what Men or Devils can do unto us 5. Let us study the promises especially those that are made to assure us of Gods caring for us Such as Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose See also Psal 84.11 And Heb. 13.5 6. And lastly let us reflect upon our former experiences of Gods merciful care over us and his gracious ordering our affairs and concerns for us when we humbly trusted in him and thereby let us encourage our selves to trust in him with a Holy confidence for time to come CHAP. II. Of Man SECT I. Of the happy state wherein Man was created Maker of Heaven and Earth COncerning Man we are to consider Three things 1. The happy estate in which he was created 2. His fall 3. The way and means of his recovery 1. The happy estate in which he was created This I shall labour to clear in several Propositions 1. God made man at first after his own Image The Image of God in man consisted principally in these Three things 1. In the Nature of mans Soul which being a Spirit represents God who is a Spirit And this I may call his Natural Image 2. In the gracious qualities wherewith it was at first indued viz. Knowledge Holiness Righteousness which I may call his moral Image So that mans Original moral rectitude may be understood to consist in these particulars 1. In the perfect illumination of his mind whereby he understood the Will and Law of God and whatever concerned his duty 2. In the ready compliance of his heart and will therewith 3. In the obedient subordination of his sensitive Appetite and his inferiour faculties to the guidance of his inlightned mind and holy will And every part of this Original righteousness was con-natural and con-created with the Nature of man and a qualification which fitted and prepar'd him for communion with his Creator 3. In the Dominion God gave him over the Creatures here below Gen. 1.26 Psal 8.6 7 8. Thou madâ—st him to have Doâ—inion over the works of thy hands thou hâ—â—t put all things under his feet all Sheep and Oxen yeâ—â—â—d tâ—e Bâ—â—ts of the Fiâ—ld the Fowl â—f the Air and the fish of the Sea c. Further his bâ—dy was so exactly framed at first as to be a habitation for so excellent a Sâ—ul a fit instrument for its Opâ—â—ions and in it there were some traces of the Divine Majesty 〈◊〉 â—orth as a body is capable of representing the Soveâ—aign of the 〈◊〉 viz. In the Majesty and comeliness of mans face and 〈◊〉 â—â—â—nance Therefore God says He that sheds mans blood by man 〈…〉 blood be shed For in the Image of God created be him Geâ— 9. â— Having thus shewed how God
mutable Creature that he should fall It was most congruous that God having made such a Creature as Man furnished with such powers and capable of being governed by a Law and of being moved by promises and threats should for some time hold him in a state of tryal unconfirmed that it might be seen how he would behave himself towards his Creator and that he should be rewardable or punishable accordingly in a state that should be everlasting and unchangeable But if any shall further inquire into the manner of this first defection 't is most probable there was in the instant of temptation a suspension of the understanding's Act not only as previous to the sin but as a part of it and thereupon a suddain precipitation of Will as Estius determins But let us not too curiously inquire into this matter 'T is wholsom counsel that one gives that we should labour rather to get sin out of our Souls than trouble our selves how it came in For as a man that falls into a deep Ditch or Pond 't is Austin's similitude does not lie there considering how he fell in but labours speedily to get out so it should be with us in this case 4. Let us consider what were the sad effects and consequents of this sin and breach of Gods Covenant First Upon our first Parents Secondly Upon us their Posterity 1. Our First Parents were hereby deprived of their Original Righteousness and Communion with God 2. They became depraved and corrupted inclin'd to evil and indisposed to good 3. They brought themselves under an estate of wrath were driven out of Paradise and were made liable to death both Temporal and Eternal And though they were reprived for the present from suffering the penalty the Law requires yet 1. Sorrows were inflicted on the Woman in Child-bearing Under which we may comprehend her sorrows in breeding bearing bringing-forth and bringing up her Children 2. Sorrow also was inflicted upon the Man Gen. 3.17.18 Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thy life Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread c. 3. His Dominion over the Creatures was much impaired 4. He was rendred utterly unable to help out of this miserable estate 2. Let us consider the sad effects of Adams fall in reference to us 1. We were involved in the guilt of his first transgression For the Covenant was not made with Adam only but with all mankind who where seminally or radically in him We were not indeed then personally in him for we were not then Natural Persons but we were in him seminally and virtually And God may justly reckâ—n us to have been seminally in him because our Essence was to be derivâ—d from him And as when a man is guilty no part of him is innocent so we were guilty of â—dams first sin so far forth as we were parts of him and in him As Levi is said to have payed Tythes in Abraham because he was in the Loins of his Father Abraham when Melchizedech met him Heb. 7.9 10. though he was born some Generations after him on the same grounâ— it may well be inferred that all Adams posterity did eat of the forbidden fruit in him because they were all at that time in his Loins And the Apostle speaks to the same purpose Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entred into the World c. In whom * Eâ—â— in qâ—â— hâ—â— viro non muâ—ieâ—e qâ—â—d vir sit praecipuuâ— aâ—â—â—or posteritatis tam â—si mâ—lio pâ—iâ—â—est laâ—sa â—raim all have sinned If a Father by Treason forfeit his Estate no wonder if his Children de deprived of it 2. We were hereby dâ—prived of Original Righteousness Rom. 3.23 All have sinned that is in Adam and so come short of the glory of God that is are depriv'd of his glorious Image which in mans first creation was stamped upon him By reason of that first sin of Adams whereof all are guilty want of Original righteousness and depravation of Nature are come upon us as a just punishment of Adams transgression and are the sad consequents of it Therefore some say that God now deprives Souls of Original Righteousness Non qua Creator sed qua Judex 3. Instead of Original Righteousness a corrupt disposition and vitiosity of Nature was imparted to all their Posterity descending from them by ordinary Generation The Soul is now propense to evil because it wants that rectitude that should regulate it As sickness besides the depriving us of health affects our bodies with corrupt humors Mr. Cotton on Eccles 11 Vers 5 holds that God forms the Soul of man of the Spirituous part of the seed of the Parents and so Original corruption is naturally propagated from the Parents to the Children This corrupt disposition is called The old Man Rom. 6.6 The sin dwelling with us Rom. 7.17 It is called Flesh as opposite to grace Rom. 7.18 The Law of the Members Rom. 7.23 Body of sin Rom. 6.6 The body of death Rom. 7.24 Lastly A mans own lust James 1.14 In which place by the next words following 't is plainly distinguiâ—hed from actual sin as being exprâ—sly affirmed to be the procreant cause of it So that by this Original corruption all our Faculties are depraved 1. Our Minds blinded 2. Our Wills rendred averse to that which is good 3. Our Memories unfaithful to retain what is good but too tenacious of evil 4. Our Consciences defiled 5. Our Affections disordered These are some of the sad Consequents of Adams First transgression 4. We are cast under the wrath and curse of God Besides the effects of this wrath and curse upon our Souls of which before our bodies are now liable to diseases and deformities and all our enjoyments and every condition of our lives is subjâ—ct to a curse And which is most deplorable we are liable by reason of our sins to Eternal wrath and misery 5. We are hereby rendred utter unable to help our selves Rom. 5.6 The Law exacts perfect and perpetual obedience under a curse Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Now here observe Two things 1. What the Scripture speaks concerning mans Impotency and inability to help himself out of this miserable condition wherein he is by Nature 1. He is said to be meer darkness Eph. 5.8 Ye were sometimes darkness sayes the Apostle to the Converted Ephesians but now ye are light in the Lord And 1 Cor. 2.14 But the Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God For they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 2. To have a heart of stone Ezek. 36.26 3. To be enthralled under the Dominion of sin and Satan Acts 26.18 4. To be dead in sins and trespasses Eph. 2.1.5 5. To be without strength in Spiritual things Rom.
stone rolled to the door of the Sepulchre Matth. 27.60 Thus the design of the Jews made his Grave with the wicked intending he should be buried with them who were crucified with him But the design of Heaven placed him with the rich in his death and caused a Councellor and a Ruler of the Jews to bury him So that we may interpret that place of Isaiah thus He was buried nigh to the wicked yet with the rich when he was dead Our Saviour notwithstanding the malice of the Jews being thus honourably buried The Chief Priests desired of Pilate that the Sepulchre might be made sure lest his Disciples should steal him away which was accordingly done the Stone being sealed with the publick Seal and then a watch was set upon the Sepulchre We come now to consider what improvement we are to make of this Article 1. Then seeing Christ did really die and was buried let us testifie our communion with him in his death by dying unto Sin 2. In his Burial by the burial of the old man 3. In his Resurrection by rising unto newness of life This the Apostle hints to us as our duty Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life SECT VI. Of that Article in the Creed Descended into Hell He descended into Hell AFter Christs Crucifixion Death and Burial the Creed subjoyns He descended into Hell In treating of which I must in the first place suggest this that this Article of Christs descent into Hell was not in the antient Creeds 'T is not found in the Rules of Faith delivered by Irenaeus lib. 1. c. 2. by Origen lib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Tertullian Adversus Prax. cap. 2. 'T is not in those Creeds that were made by the Councils as explications of this Creed particularly not in the Nicene where the words are these He was Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate He suffered and was buried and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures It was not in the Roman or any of the Oriental Creeds This being premised we come to consider this Article which cannot with any shew of reason be understood of Christs Divine nature which is every where present and cannot be said either to ascend or descend It must therefore be understood of his humane nature And here it will be needful to enquire whether it be to be understood of his Soul or of his Body If it be to be understood of his Soul it must be meant either Metaphorically or really Some understand it Metaphorically and so by Christs descent into Hell they understand those inexpressible sufferings of his Soul a See Calv. Instit lib. 2. c. 16. which of all his sufferings were the most grievous by which he felt the wrath of God in his Soul for our sins But these sufferings were all antecedent to his death he having suffered part of them in the Garden and part on the Cross and all before he commended his Spirit into the hands of his Father and said it is finished and gave up the ghost But the descent into Hell as it now standeth in the Creed seems to signifie something done after his death Besides the torments of the damned are surely such as these 1. Remorse of Conscience or the never-dying worm 2. A bitter sence of an utter rejection from the favour of God 3. Despair of ever being eased of that unsupportable misery Now certainly none of these could befall our Saviour He did not endure so much as for a moment any of the Hellish torments Therefore surely in this sense Christs Soul did not descend into Hell Others hold that Christs Soul did really and by a local motion descend into Hell This they pretend 1. To prove and that from three places of Scripture And 2. To assign the ends for which he did thus descend We shall examine both First They say that though these words are not formally expressed in the Scriptures that Christ descended into Hell yet they are contained virtually in them which they will prove 1. From Eph. 4.9 Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth by which they understand Hell For answer by the lower parts of the earth I humbly conceive is meant the earth it self which is the lowest part of the World as Heaven is the highest For before Christ could ascend unto Heaven it was necessary he should descend to the Earth by his incarnation but there was no necessity of his descending into Hell And further the Grave may be called one of the lower parts of the earth in opposition to the surface or upper part of it on which we live And this is all that seems to be meant in this place 2. They pretend to prove it from 1 Pet. 3.19 where 't is said that Christ being put to death in his humane nature was quickned or raised up again by the power of his Spirit or God-head by which he preached to the Spirits in Prison whence they infer that he descended into Hell to preach to the Spirits there in torments Answer From these words it appeareth 1. That Christ preached in the dayes of Noah by the same Spirit by the vertue and power of which he was raised from the dead But that Spirit was not his Soul but something of a greater power 2. those to whom he preached were disobedient all that time the long-suffering of God waited for their repentance and return while the Ark was preparing And 3. Their Souls or Spirits for their disobedience are now in Hell and for refusing of that mercy that was offered to them by the preaching of Christ 'T is true indeed this was not performed by an immediate act of the Son of God as if he had personally appeared on earth and actually preached to the old world but it was performed by the Ministry of Noah who was guided and inspired by his Spirit and accordingly is called a preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 The third place they alledge for the maintenance of their opinion is Acts 2.25 26 27 a place that relates to Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell c. Therefore say they surely Christs Soul did locally descend into Hell I Answer Soul is sometimes taken properly only for the Soul or Spirit of a man sometimes improperly for the whole person as Acts 27.37 We were in the Ship two hundred threescore and sixteen Souls Sometimes the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nephesh which signifies a Soul doth also signifie a dead body as Levit. 19.28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead Levit. 21. v. 1. There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people Numb 6.6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no
Now Parents dedicate their Children 1. Virtually when they dedicate themselves to God 2. Actually when their hearts actually and particularly consent to dedicate this Child to God 3. Sacramentally when they bring him to baptism and solemnly there dedicate him to God And this is the title of Children to baptism and not their meer natural relation to their Parents As for Sponsors God-fathers or witnesses probably the use of them in ancient time was this They were such as came to the Church and professed they believed the Parents were true believers and in case they did Apostatize or die did promise to see to the Christian education of the Child themselves But surely as the Parents faith and consent to dedicate their Child to God and that either of one or both conveys the right of baptism to the Child so the Parents themselves ought to be the principal dedicators of their Child to God in baptism If God-fathers or Sponsors be chosen by them as their deputies to do it for them it may possibly be admitted but as this is generally used 'tis a matter more of ceremony and civility than of Christianity And as a learned man * Fuller in his Infants Advocate page 156. sayes God-fathers are generally like brass andirons standing more for sight than service more for ornament than use 2. If Children were circumcised under the Law they may be baptized under the Gospel For baptism succeeds to all the essentials of circumcision Circumcision was not a meer badge of distinction to distinguish the Jews from other nations but a Seal of their consecration to God It had more in it of what was Sacramental than of what was Ceremonial And the chief mystery signified by circumcision was that natural corruption must be cut off and done away Now Christians are said by baptism to be spiritually circumcised Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands sayes the Apostle Col. 2.11 12. He urges it as an argument to them to throw off the Jewish circumcision for they were circumcised with the circumcision of Christ viz. with that which he had appointed in his Gospel and that was baptism So that baptism is now come in the room of circumcision And as Solomon sayes Eccles 1.4 One generation passes away and another comes but the earth remains for ever So may I say one Sacrament of initiation viz. Circumcision passeth away and another viz. Baptism cometh in its stead but yet the same Covenant of Grace that was then remaineth still So that what circumcision was to them our baptism is to us as particularly 1. Circumcision was to be a sign or token of the Covenant to them Gen. 17.11 So is baptism to us Acts 2.38 39. Then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins c. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call 2. Circumcision was a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith to them Rom. 4.11 And so is baptism to us Acts 22.16 Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord. 3. Circumcision signified the necessity of sanctification to them and therefore they were required to be circumcised also in heart Rom. 2.29 So baptism to us Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life All the difference between circumcision and baptism is for our advantage For 1. Baptism is not so painful as Circumcision was None of our blood is required here to be shed 2. Baptism is not confined to the eighth day but may be done before or after 3. Women and female children may be baptized who could not be circumcised Acts 16.5 We read that Lydia was baptized And Acts 18.1 't is said they were baptised both men and women But we come to a third argument for infant Baptism and that is this 3. Whole Families were baptised under the new Testament as Lydia and her houshold Acts 16.15 Stephanus and his houshold 1 Cor. 1.16 And the Jaylor and his houshold Acts 16.31 32. Can we imagine so many families without any Children in them 4. Children are capable of receiving benefit by baptism why should they therefore be kept from it The benefits of Baptism are 1. Remission of sin by the blood of Christ and children need that remission by reason of original sin 2. Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ and they need the Sanctifying of the Spirit to renew their natures And Christ may in the due administraion of this Ordinance graciously work on the Soul of an Infant and change its disposition and infuse the seeds of grace into it before it comes to the use of reason why then should not children be brought to Christ and dedicated to him by baptism Surely they that keep them from him dangerously expose them to the grand enemy of their Souls 5. The fifth and last argument I shall bring for Infant Baptism shall be the practice of the Church in ancient times and near to the Apostolical And for proofs of this nature I shall take my rise from the time of Austin without looking lower and so ascend toward the days of the Apostles First then for Austin Augustinus Anno. Chr. 410. who flourished about the year of Christ 410. he is positive and express for it Epist 3. ad Volusiam consuetudo matris ecclesiae in baptizandis parvulis nequaquam spernenda est neque omnino superflua deputanda nec omnino credenda nisi apostolica esset traditio Idem libro primo de pec mer. remiss cap. 26. Parvulos Baptizandos esse Pelagiani concedunt Qui contra authoritatem Vniversae Ecclesiae proculdubio per Dominum Apostolos traditam venire non possunt Et Serm. 10. de verbis Apostoli de Poedobaptismo loquens Nemo inquit vobis susurret doctrinas alienas Hoc ecclesia semper habuit semper tenuit Hoc a majorum si de accepit hoc usque in fidem perseveranter custodit Somewhat before Austin lived St. Hierom Hieronymus 4â—0 viz. Anno. 400 who is clear for Infant Baptism Epist ad Laetam Qui parvulus est Parentis in Baptismo vinculo solvitur c. Children sayes he are freed in Baptism from the sin of Adam in the guilt whereof they were involved but men of riper years from their own and his Hieron advers Pelag. libr. 3. in fine And in conclusion he resolves Infantes etiam in peccatorum remissionem baptizandos esse that Infants are to be baptized for the remission of sins Before him lived St. Ambrose viz. about the year 370. Ambrosius 370. who speaking of the Pelagian Heresies who published among other things that the hurt which Adam did to his Posterity was exemplo non
lovely and amiable even in thine humiliation in this World but O how glorious art thou now triumphing in heaven O how beneficial are thy merits how desirable are thy graces O let that fulness of grace that is poured forth without measure on thee flow down to us thy poor members O my Soul imagine now thou sawest thy sweetest Saviour nailed on the Cross his body torn with the nails and his side pierced with a Spear Canst thou chuse but love him who endured so much to redeem thee from eternal misery The Apostle Paul ravished with the love of Christ cryes out If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema maranatha The penitent woman in the Gospel to whom much was forgiven loved much Luke 7.47 And shall it not be so with thee Now consider O my Soul Christ sayes if ye love me keep my commandments If thou love him love him in sincerity and delight to please him Love his person highly value his merits love his ordinances love his graces love his commands O my Soul canst thou upon all these considerations say with Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee 5. Excite in thy self love to all Christians to all the members of Christ Pray earnestly that the Lord would protect them and defend them that he would be pleased to perfect holiness more and more in their hearts and unite them more and more one to another in his truth and in the bond of love and make them more exemplary in a holy conversation and supply them with all needful outward mercies and conduct them safe to his heavenly Kingdom 6. Excite love in thy Soul to thy very enemies say to thy self O my Soul thou must forgive if thou expectest to be forgiven Thy dear Saviour requires this of thee Matth. 6.14 If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you Verse 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses If thou expectest to be forgiven so many thousand Talents thou must not take thy brother by the throat for an hundred pence Matth. 18.28 Thou must labour to be merciful as thine heavenly Father is merciful Readiness to forgive injuries and wrongs is a great sign of a gracious state but malice and revenge is a black mark and character Therefore O my Soul pray for thy very enemies this day Lord convince them of their sins give them hearts to repent of them turn their hearts from them draw them to thy Son that by him they may have pardon and life give them such a frame of spirit that thou maist bless them O that I may meet their souls in Heaven where we shall always love and agree together and never fall out more 7. Awake and excite in thy self spiritual joy and thankfulness Say with holy David bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Hath Christ redeemed thee from the curse of the Law being made a curse for thee Hath he redeemed thee and that not with silver and gold but with his own precious blood Hath he made thy peace with God through the blood of his Cross Hath he vanquished death and Satan for thee Through his blood shalt thou have an entrance into heaven and eternal glory Oh transcendent mercy Oh how great is this Salvation which Christ hath purchased for us On the heighth and depth and length and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus Be astonished Oh my Soul at this love and never be forgetful of it call upon the holy Angels to joyn with thee this day in blessing God for these great and glorious benefits and never be unmindful of so transcendent mercies And thus much of the graces we must especially labour to excite and exercise in the time of Receiving There are some other directions also that it will be needful thou shouldst observe at this time 1. Employ thine outward senses so as to stir up in thine heart Spiritual graces For the work of the Communicant lyes not so much between the body and the elements as the Soul and Christ 2. When thou seest the bread broken think of these four things 1. The great pain and anguish our Lord endured when his Body was broken on the Cross Canst thou see Christs body broken for thee and thy heart not break with deep contrition for thy sins 2. Consider the great love of our Lord in submitting to such grievous pains and such disgrace for our sake Think thou hearest him say behold my friends how my flesh is torn and wounded for your sakes Was there ever grief was there ever love like mine 3. Consider the vile and odious nature of sin which brought our Lord to such miseries and required such blood to expiate it 4. Consider what the redemption of every Soul that shall be saved did cost It cost more than all the men and Angels in the World could ever have paid for it 3. When thou takest the bread into thine hands and eatest of it then say Lord thou art the bread of life thou art the only redeemer of lost Souls I freely take thee for my Lord and Saviour I freely consent to the Covenant I was entred into in my Baptism Lord save me and sanctify me O interpose thy merits this day for my pardon and strengthen me by thy grace that I may be faithful to thee to the end and so may at last receive a crown of life Lord behold the Sacrifice of thy Son For the sake of his obedience and sufferings be pleased to be reconciled to me to pardon all my transgressions and by thy grace so to sanctify mine heart that no sin may have dominion over me Fill me with joy and peace in believing If I have found favour in thine eyes give me more and more of the graces of thy holy Spirit and cause me to grow in grace daily and make me fruitful in good works 4. When thou takest the cup into thy hand think again of the wonderful love of Christ that he should purchase us to himself with his own blood Oh the infinite value O the infinite worth of this blood This was the blood that only could make expiation and give God ful satisfaction for our offences One drop of this blood is worth a World This is the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 that is whereby our Saviour ratified and confirmed the covenant which God made with fallen man which covenant shall never be altered O blessed Saviour wash my Soul in this thy precious blood from the guilt of all my sins and cleanse me from all mine iniquities and be to me all that which thou didst intend to be to those who shall be saved by thee By such prayers soliloquies and holy meditations thou should'st labour to Sanctifie thy heart when thou art about receiving this holy Sacrament 5. Joyn with all the rest of the Communicants in a hearty praysing God for
dust Fine cloaths may make Children and young folks proud but wise and considering persons are not usually affected with such things Be cloathed with humility sayes the Apostle 1 Pet. 5.5 that is the best cloathing of all 9. Is it grace or goodness that thou art apt to be proud of This is a thing very irrational and absurd For predominant pride cannot consist with grace but is a great sign of a graceless state If thou hast grace so far as thou art proud of it thou dost abuse it contradict it and act against the very nature of it For Pride is to grace what a consumption is to health Be not high minded but fear sayes the Apostle Rom. 11.20 When you think you stand take heed lest you fall 1 Cor. 10.12 And thus much of the eleventh Direction namely that we should reason our selves into a loathing of this sin 12. Look on the humbling judgments of God that are abroad in the world and turn them all as so many Cannons against thy Pride Methinks every serious Christian should think it unreasonable and unsuitable in such a calamitous time as this is when God calls to humbling and abasing our selves and to sympathize with others that are in an afflicted condition now to lay it out in pride and vanity and garish garbes and attire more than formerly We have seen many humbling sights and felt many humbling strokes and have heard many dismal cries of our afflicted Brethren and shall we now be proud I know the world is at that pass that a Minister will be thought to do more wisely to save his breath than spend it upon so hopeless a design as to think by all his arguments to reform people in this particular The pride of the world is now too high to be born down by Sermons or the most earnest and serious exhortations Alas 'T is a monster that has not been conquered by War nor Plague nor Fire And do you think it will be born down by the breath of a poor Minister though exhorting never so seriously However we must do our duty and lift up our voice like a Trumpet and shew Israel their sins whether they will hear or whether they will forbear And if I can bring but one sinner who is concerned in this reproof to consider his wayes and to forsake his pride and vanity I shall not repent me of this pains 13. Consider how God in the contrivance of mans redemption designeth the humbling of all whom he intends to save For he hath ordained that no man shall be justified by a righteousness of his own performance but by the satisfaction merits and intercession of the Redeemer Therefore he prepareth men for the reception of this pardon by humbling them and making them vile and mean in thir own eyes 14. Read what Christ expects from them whom he intends to save and then you will see what a great measure of humility and self-denial is required of them Except ye become as little Children ye cannot enter into the Kindom of Heaven Matth. 18.3 15. Treasure up some Scripture precepts against Pride and have them alwayes ready in your minds such as these he that humbleth himself shall be exalted God resisteth the proud Pride goeth before a fall Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 16.5 A mans Pride shall bring him low but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit Prov. 29.23 16. Earnestly beg of God to give you the grace of Humility Concerning which excellent grace that I may treat the more profitably I shall shew 1. The Counterfeits of it 2. Wherein the true nature of it consists 3. The great benefits and advantages of it 4. The means to attain it For the First The counterfeits of it There are four things that carry a shew of humility but are at a great distance from it 1. When men vilifie and discommend themselves or their own performances on purpose to draw others to praise them He that doth so cozens himself into Pride by a shew of Humility A man would be ashamed if he were told he used that mean stratagem to procure his own praise But so glorious a thing is humility that pride to hide its own shame does sometimes put on the vizor and semblance of it 2. When men effect to wear some unusual habit or some mean and sordid cloaths or to use some clownish unhandsome and uncivil behaviour which may make them taken notice of and observed by others This may look like Humility but is far from it There may be a russet Pride and a leathern Insolency 'T is not alwayes couched under silk and sattin Many times there is a very ugly pride under mean cloaths The Capuchins among the Papists go in poor cloaths with naked legs and Sandals Who hath required these things of them I think the Apostles rule is here to be observed whatsoever things are honest pure lovely and of good report and praise-worthy among men Phil. 4.8 These we should follow and not affect a vain signularity not warranted by the word of God 3. When they choose to converse for the most part with their inferiours that they may bear sway and be the chiefest among them this is no argument of Humility but rather of Pride 4. When men live basely meanly in no degree answerable or according to the estate and condition God hath put them into this is not humility but an argument of a covetous and sordid spirit And so much of the counterfeits of humility 2. I come now to shew wherein the true nature of Humility consists and in what particulars it evidenceth it self In the general True Humility is a lowly frame and temper of Soul arising from wise serious and deliberate consideration 'T is principally rooted in the mind and evidenceth it self in these Particulars 1. The Soul that is truly humble is deeply sensible of its manifold weaknesses wants and imperfections 'T is sensible of the darkness of its mind the depravedness of its will the disorder and irregularity of its affections * Humilitas est animi demissio orta ex vera status conditionis suae agnitionâ— Camer 2. 'T is very sensible of its great sinfulness and manifold transgressions against God O sayes such a Soul who have I in the whole course of my life too much neglected my Creator who gave me my life and being and in many things how grievously have I sinned against him And the wages of every sin being death how obnoxious and liable have I made my self to the wrath and curse of God What a mercy is it that I am out of Hell who have so many wayes broken the holy and righteous Law of God 3. As a consequent hereupon 't is very sensible of its great unworthiness of those mercies it enjoyes from God The humble soul sayes as good old Jacob did Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies which thou hast shewed to thy