the world were all pierced as it were to the heart never to be reiterate in the Evangelicall Church of God Eighthly by the blood and water issuing from the wound of our Saviours heart the sacramentall seals of the new Testament were mystically signified For as in the sacrament of Baptisme by the sacramentall water the water of eternall life is signified representing the water issuing from our Saviours wounded heart accompanied with his heart blood whereby the baptized's actuall sins are signified to be washed away and whereby the baptized is raised from his death in actuall sin to the new life of saith to let the baptized and all men understand that actuall sin is washed away by our Saviours heart blood which was accompanied with the water issuing from his wounded heart and therefore it is said by the Apostle 1 John 5.6 This is he that came by water not by water only but by water and blood So in the sacrament of the Lords Supper by the sacramentall bread the bread of eternall life is signified as by the sacramentall wine our Saviours heart blood is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased to let all men understand that the new life of faith is fed and nourished by the bread of life purchased by his sacred blood which bread of life is the Word blessed and sanctified by the Lords infinite merit in the spirituall understanding whereof is eternall life according to our Saviours own word John 17.3 This is life eternall to know thee who is only known by his Word Ninthly by our Saviours last words upon the crosse Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit which was our Saviours humane Spirit it was signified that as our Saviour was man the Son of God from all eternity so is man begot by his Father of the seed of the woman in time and every way true man the Son of God Tenthly and lastly by our Saviours outstretched armes nailed to the crosse the new covenant to be made with all the nations of the world was mystically signified again And so much for the mysticall points of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen altar offered by the Leviticall high Priest Now since our Saviour was not a Priest after the order of Aaron or Levi the question may be moved What manner of Priesthood was this whereby Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck CHAP. IV. The reason that Christ is called a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck and the execution of Christs Kingly office while he was upon earth THe Question moved in the former Chapter is commonly answered that the Reason that Christ is said to be a Priest after the order of Melchisedeck is that as Melchisedeck was without father or mother So Christ as he is man is without a naturall father naturally descended of Adam and as he is God Christ is without a mother But this point is warily to be conceived For though it be said that Melchisedeck was without father or mother we must understand the words in this sense that Melchisedeck was without any known father and mother for his parents are concealed by the Scripture not that we should conceive that Melchiseck was not man naturally descended of Adam but for another reason which shall be shewed neither must we conceive that there was any such sacrifice offered by Melchisedeck as was offered by our Saviour For Melchisedeck could offer no other manner of sensitive sacrifice then the sacrifice of the Altar which was commanded by the propheticall Sabbath But Christ Jesus is said to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck in respect of the eternity of the Priest for Melchisedeck having neither known father or mother or kindred Melchisedeck is said to be without beginning or ending and consequently his Priestly office For there was no lineall succession of the Priestly office till it was established in the Tribe of Levi which did only continue during the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law Before which time the Priesthood was in private Families Of this lately declared I infer these three necessary demonstrative conclusions First the Apostles and Apostolicall successors are not Priests or to be called Priests either after the order of Melchisedeck or after the order of Levi For first they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order of Melchisedeck for so their Priesthood must be for ever Secondly they can be no Priests or called Priests after the order or by the name of Levi for so they must be ceremoniall sensitive Priests by offering of ceremoniall sensitive sacrifices and gifts still prefigurating the cursed death of our Saviour whereby the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed is belied and denied Against this it is objected Our Saviour in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death as he is high Priest after the order of Melchisedeck did by this blessing of the bread and wine change and transubstanciate the substance of the bread and wine in the reall substance of his body and blood and did offer up his reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice to his Father for the dead and for the quick which sacrifice is really one with his sacrifice of the crosse after the offering up whereof he did give his sacrificed reall body and blood under the externall forms of bread and wine to his Apostles for the sacrament of his last Supper commanding the Apostles and in the Apostles the Apostolicall successors to offer up his reall body and blood in a propitiatory sensitive sacrifice for the dead and for the quick And after the offering up thereof to give his sacrificed reall body and blood for the sacrament of his last Supper to the communicants The Apostles therefore and the Apostolicall successors by the power and authority of his command are still ceremoniall Priests and must offer this propitiatory sensitive sacrifice at the materiall Altar for the quick and for the dead under the externall forms of bread and wine The question therefore here is not of any metaphoricall sacrifice or of the spirituall sacrifice of the Lords mysticall members commanded to be offered at the spirituall Altar of righteousnesse but of a proper reall sensitive propitiatory sacrifice First I answer to the affirmed propitiatory sacrifice of our Saviours reall body and blood which is pretended to be offered up by our Saviour under the externall forms of bread and wine in the institution of the sacrament of his last Supper before his death which is the main ground of the objection Secondly I answer to the affirmed reall unity of this pretended sacrifice with our Saviours sacrifice of the crosse As for the first it is manifest both by the truth of the sacred History and by the very words of the institution
and ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was to be performed were as necessarily commanded by the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and upon the eternall curse of the Law of faith Secondly though the propheticall and ceremoniall works of faith were necessarily commanded by the Law yet the blessing of the eternall promised rest of the blessed seed was due by the Law immediately to faith and not to the works of faith The reason is because it was by the Spirit of faith that the merit of the promised rest of the blessed seâ—d was to be apprehended and not by the greatest works of faith which hath no spirit at all And therefore the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes promised rest of the blessed seed by the Law of righteousnesse of faith was not due by the Law to the greatest morall or ceremoniall works of Adam but immediately to the merit of man the promised blessed seed by the immediate power of whole redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of Adam Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and to produce the morall and ceremoniall works of faith as by the spirituall grace of faith in Gods prefixed time Adam was spiritually enabled with the spirituall grace of faith by the hands of spirituall faith to apprehend the merit of the blessed seed by his promised rest by which spirituall union Adams faith and the merit of the blessed seed were really and indivisibly one whereby Adam was saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the second covenant comprehended in the second branch of the censure as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed We proceed therefore next to the censure of God upon the two last delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first covenant CHAP. XXIV The literall sense of the censure in particular upon the woman FOr the better conceiving of the censure of God upon the last two delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant it is necessarily to be understood that Adam is said to be the head of man after a twofold manner First as under the name of Adam man male and female is comprehended For so Adam is the created head of all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam and in this sense as all men are said to have sinned in Adam the created head of all men Rom. 5.18 so all men are said to be redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse by the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and by the eternall decree of God shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin which was then according to the eternall decree of God pronounced upon Adam thâ— redeemed head of man by the censure of God in which censure of naturall death all the punishments inflicted by the censure are comprehended And therefore in the infinite mercy of God all the punishments by this censure pronounced upon man male and female are all temporall in this life to the end that all men and women might be put in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man from the fearfull eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam which nothing could redeem but the only cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman who therefore as he is man was made a curse for man Gal. 3.13 Secondly Adam is said to be the head of man as he is man male the head of the woman by matrimoniall union in which sense Adam is said to be the head of his wife the woman and the woman the wife is said to be the body of her husband To proceed therefore with the censure which is first pronounced upon the woman because she was first in the transgression to wit before Adam man male The censure upon the woman is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy sorrows and thy conceptions In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee The censure hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense of the censure which is pronounced upon the woman in particular as she is the wife and body of her husband The censure doth divide it self into two branches to wit sorrow in conception and child-birth and subjection to the husband First of the literall sense of the two branches and next of the mysticall sense As this sorrow in the infinite mercy of God at that time was not without greatest comfort to women so it is with no lesse comfort to women at this present For as 〈◊〉 in the bringing forth of children the promise of the blessed seed was confirmed to be born of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death the curse of the Law was removed from man the benefit whereof our first parents did then actually enjoy though the blessed child was afterwards to be born according to the eternal decree of God So there is great comfort at this time under the Law of Grace in the bringing forth of children by women For the child is brought forth actually freed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the first covenant and born a hopefull member of the Lord Jesus Christ And though it doth please God many times to take away the childe by temporall death yet it is no small comfort to the sorrowfull parents that the childe is a glorious Saint in heaven It is said here I will greatly multiply or increase thy sorrows because of the pronounced enmity between the old Serpent Satan and his seed and the woman and her seed of whose continuall afflictions the woman is never free while she is in this life And now her sorrows are increased by her conception and bringing forth of children which are inflicted upon women to the end that the woman in her greatest extremity by her sorrow in conception and childbirth should be put in mind of the eternall sorrows and pains of eternall death by the first covenant from which she was redeemed by the blessed childe then to be born and now born of the seed of the woman upon whose merit Eves faith may safely rest as upon a rock from any fear of the second death by the new covenant In which sense only the words of the Apostle are to be conceived to wit 1 Tim. 2.15 that women are saved through the bearing of children for
love And this was the greatest subjection of the wise to the husband in the state of perfection which was in this twofold union of mutuall love And therefore it is said Let no man separate whom God hath joyned together to wit in marriage This inseparable union of man and wife in the state of perfection as it was without any essentiall or spirituall reall difference so it was equall without all imperious authority either of naturall or spirituall subjection neither was it possible to be otherwise for the naturall and spirituall love of both being inseparably and indivisibly one as the love of the head to the body and of the body to the head Man the head could no otherwise command his body his wife but by a sweet pleasing regiment of love directing his body as head in all naturall and spirituall love And therefore woman was made neither of the lowest or highest part of man but of the rib equall in situation with the region of the heart Though this censure therefore was pronounced upon woman as she was the body of her husband for being the instrument to induce her head Adam to the transgression of the Law of God being first betrayed her self by Satans false deceiving bewitching light yet let man love and honour woman who was the happy instrument of the greatest blessing that ever came to man or Angel And therefore now in this state of Grace man is by a more strict union obliged to love his wife then if man had stood in the state of his created perfection For by his first estate man had been but an earthly creature for his perfection must have been eternally upon earth while as the woman is the happy instrument that man is advanced to be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory in the kingdome of heaven eternally And this is the reason that the husband even now in the state of Grace is to love his wife as himself and to expresse his love Ephes 5.33 by his care in providing and cherishing his wife even as he doth his own naturall life and that she may be as dear to him as his naturall life And consequently to bear much with the weaknesse of her sex for otherwise man must manifest his base unthankfulnesse both to God and to woman whom God hath made the happy instrument of so great a blessing never to be forgotten by man Let no man therefore think that the woman is given him to wife to be made his slave but to love her as his own naturall body As the wife his body is to love her head as a mutuall help and comfort to her head to her full power with all submissive reverence in love to be directed by her head This subjection therefore is still in the sweet regiment of love without all usurping imperious authority or rigorous command Here it may be objected Gen. 3.37 Adam is punished for giving way to his wifes perswasion and consequently Adam had an imperious authority over his wife in the state of perfection I answer This Text doth necessarily inferre an equall and mutuall love between Adam and Eve and no wayes any imperious authority of command neither doth God punish Adam simply for being perswaded by his wifes love but because Adam did preferre the love of his wife to the command of his gracious God and Creator to whose infinite love both Adam and Eve were so infinitely obliged In which respect all the love and command of man and woman whosoever must be misregarded And so much for the two branches of the censure pronounced against the woman as she is the body of her husband her head Next therefore of the mysticall sense of the two branches of the censure CHAP. XXVI The mysticall sense of the two branches of the censure pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of man her husband BY the mysticall sense of this censure literally pronounced upon the woman as she is the body of her husband First by the woman the Church of God is mystically to be understood As by the husband the Lord Jesus Christ the head and husband of the Church Secondly by the concepon and the bringing forth of children by the woman the conception and bringing forth of the morall and spirituall children of the Church by the Ministers of the Word is mystically signified For by the preaching of the Word and by the Ministers exemplary instruction 2 Tim. 4.2 in season and out of season the children of the Church are first brought forth by morall faith to know and practise the works of faith that morall obedience may be given to the Word Thirdly by the sorrow and grief of the woman in conceiving and bringing forth of children the sorrow grief and pains of the Minister is mystically signified by his hard conceiving and bringing forth of the rebellious natural man nuzled up in the lusts and pleasures of the flesh by the continued temptation of Satan and his seed whereby the naturall man is led to all wickednesse of life to the sorrow and grief of the whole Church As by the joy of the woman that man is brought forth in the world the joy of the Church at the conversion of the penitent sinner is mystically signified Fourthly by the barrennesse of the woman in bringing forth of children not only the Ministers barrennesse in the neglect of his weighty calling but also the barrennesse of faith in the particular members of the Church is mystically signified Fifthly by the second conception of the woman while by the intellectuall information of the Infant in the womb by the immediate act of God man as he is man is conceived and brought forth man by the woman the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church whereby he is brought forth a spirituall man is mystically signified For in the act of regeneration the naturall man having continued in his morall obedience to the preaching of the Word till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the naturall mans spirituall darknesse is enlightned by the immediate spirituall light of the Lords holy Spirit by spirituall faith whereby he is actually regenerate and so conceived and brought by the Church a mysticall indivisible member of his mysticall head to the great joy and comfort of the Church Sixthly by the strict naturall and spirituall union between man and wife the strict union of the Lord Jesus Christ to his body the Church is mystically signified which is both naturall and spirituall For as the Church his body is flesh of his naturall flesh and bone of his bones as he is man of the seed of the woman so the Church morally and spiritually brought forth is of the same spirit with the head whereby the head and body are spiritually mystically and indivisibly united arising of the essentiall spirituall union and unction of the divine and humane nature of the Word in the womb of the blessed Virgin Seventhly by the subjected desire of the woman to her
husband which is in all mutuall love the subjected love and desire of the Church to the Lord Jesus Christ the head is mystically signified who out of his infinite love to his Church by fulfilling of his promise to man as he did subject the desire of his own naturall life to the cursed death of the crosse to manifest himself truth to man So his mysticall members are to subject all their love and desire to his will and to preferre the love of his truth to the love of their own naturall lives for he is unworthy of the crown of life so dearly purchased by the merit of his truth who for any worldly respect whatsoever doth unthankfully deny his truth before men in this life And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the censure pronounced upon the woman as she is the body and wife of her husband Next of the censure of God pronounced upon man as he is the husband and head of his body the woman CHAP XXVII The literall and mysticall sense of the censure of God pronounced upon Adam as he is the head of the woman his body and wife by matrimoniall union THe last censure is pronounced by God upon Adam the last delinquent as he is the head and husband of the woman his body and wife by matrimoniall union For in this sense only Adam is the redeemed head of all men naturally to descend of Adam The censure is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.17 18 19 Because thou hast harkened unto the voyce of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying Thou shalt not eat of it Cursed is the earth for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thy life Thornes also and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread till thou return unto the earth For out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return First the cause of the censure is set down and next the censure is pronounced The sense and meaning of the cause of the censure is this because thou hast obeyed the voyce of thy wife and hast most unthankfully preferred her love to thy love to me thy gracious God and Creator and hast contemned my command which is the command of me God of the Law of Righteousnesse and hast eaten of the fruit whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat Next the censure is pronounced which hath a literall and mysticall sense The literall sense of the censure is set down from the eighteenth verse to the end of the chapter and hath four branches The first is cursed is the earth for thy sake By the second branch of the censure naturall death is inflicted upon Adam as he is the head of the woman his body and redeemed head of man Thirdly Adam is excluded Paradise to till the ground Fourthly the Cherubims and the flaming sword are placed at the East of the Garden of Eden to keep man from entring to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise First therefore of this curse inflicted upon the earth This curse inflicted upon the earth is no wayes to be taken for the curse of the Law For first the earth did no wayes come within the compasse of the transgression of the Law Secondly the curse of the Law which is eternall is cleerly taken away from man and from the creatures created for man by the promised cursed death of the blessed seed except the only curse which was inflicted upon the sensitive Serpent And therefore this curse of the earth is only a privation of the former fertilnes and a positive barrennes inflicted upon the earth instead of that fertilnesse that by that means of that positive barrennesse the earth might bring forth Thistles Thorns for Adam was then by the censure to eat bread of the herbs of the field that is of the corn and grain which was to grow upon the barren earth and therefore Adam by his toil labour and pains was to bring some fertilnesse upon the earth or Adam must starve by means of which toil pains and labour Adam must eat his bread in sorrow and care in the sweat of his face by which forced sweat surfets and colds must arise weakning the sensitive spirits and powers of man inducing temporall naturall death in the end But though this barrennesse was inflicted upon the earth for man yet in the great mercy of God by the power of the redeemed word in the heart of man First man is naturally enabled by his labour pains and industry to procure some fertilnesse upon the earth And therefore it is said 2 Thes 3.10 that he that doth not work and labour is not to eat Secondly by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man man is morally enabled to pray for the blessing of God upon his labour and pains who hath promised to hear his prayers by whose only blessing the curse of barrennesse is taken from the earth Thirdly for the defending of man from the danger of his heats and colds God in his mercy did cloath our first parents with skins By the second branch of the censure inflicted upon Adam the redeemed head of man Adam and all men redeemed in Adam shall return to dust which is to be understood of temporall naturall death by the dissolution of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man And therefore their sin is set down Because thou wast taken out of the dust of the earth to dust thou shalt return But Adams humane spirit with the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse spiritually and indivisibly written therein was neither taken out of the dust of the earth neither can it return to dust For first humane spirit is necessarily coeviternall with the Word and Law of God Secondly humane spirit is of the same reall specificall sphere with the humane Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ as hath been formerly demonstrate which was never taken from the earth or can return to the dust of the earth Temporall naturall death therefore by this branch of the censure is iâ—flicted upon Adam as he is the head of his body the woman who is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and therefore naturall temporall death being inflicted upon the head is necessarily likewise inflicted upon the body the woman and consequently and necessarily upon all men and women naturally to descend of both For in this sense only Adam is the redeemed head of all redeemed men naturally to descend of Adam By the third branch of the censure Adam the redeemed head of man and consequently the woman are excluded out of the earthly Paradise the reason is set down Lest they should eat of the tree of Life as they did formerly at their pleasure For there
Devils darknesse obscuring that glorious light as our blessed Saviour like a malefactor was haled to the judgement hall And though Pilat convinced by the power of this glorious light did thrice pronounce the Lord innocent yet Pilat led by Satans light his tongue condemned the Lord of life But Pilate by hearing one of the murthering crue say Joh. 19.7 that Christ affirmed himself to be the Son of God Pilats heart being prickt again by that word sought to set our Saviour at liberty till another told Pilate Joh. 19.12 13. that if he should do so Pilat should shew himself an enemy to Cesar at which words Pilate fearing by his letting of Christ go free the losse of his place if not his life Pilate delivered the King of glory to the murtherers For the Scribes and Pharisees cryed out that they had a Law and that by that Law Christ ought to die and there was a reason of right for all Our Saviour therefore being delivered to the mercilesse band first Mar. 15.15 he was cruelly scourged a fearfull bloody punishment and of no lesse cruelty according to the judiciall Law used amongest the Jews Secondly his glorious head in derision Mar. 15.17 was crowned with a prickly crown of thornes by the sharp pricks whereof streams of his precious blood did besmear his gracious face and blessed body Thirdly being so bloodily crowned Mat. 27.29 a reedy Scepter was put in his hand by their Apish gestures saluting the King of glory for the king of the Jews though by right descent Christ Jesus was their King indeed Fourthly our Saviour was commanded by the cruell torturors John 19.17 to bear his crosse the curse whereof he was to bear both in soul and body Fifthly our Saviour was with mercilesse cruelty nailed to the crosse and most ignominiously hanged between two notorious thieves Sixtly our Saviour thirsting in the agony of his passion Mat. 27.34.38 was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall to drink so that all the sensitive powers of the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man from his head to his body hands and feet were most cruelly and mercilesly martyred by the bloody murtherers for the space from the sixth hour to the ninth though nothing to the martyrdome of his burned soul burnt up by the fiery wrath of God from heaven proceeding from the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law to the sustaining whereof the Son of God as he is man out of his love to man did freely oblige himself by covenant The sustaining of which torture upon the cursed altar of the crosse made our Saviour cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All which miseries proceeding from the curse of the law the Lord of life the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father out of his infinite love to man did predestinate himself by his Decree from all eternity to suffer as he is man And last of all these bloody Helhounds that they might be sure that his glorious light might never shine again John 19.34 did with a spear pierce the Lord of life to the heart of which wound issued blood and water And so much for the brief summary relation of the sacrifice of our Saviour offered for man condemned to the eternall curse of the Law whereby the Son of God Christ Jesus out of his love to man made himself a curse for man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam Next some mysticall concerning points are to be observed of the cruell martyrdome of our blessed Saviour CHAP. III. The mysticall sense of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus the Son of God out of his infinite love to man FIrst by our Saviours coaction to bear his crosse to which he was predestinate by the Decree of God from all eternity The crosse of afflictions of his mysticall members predestinate to be made like to the Image of his afflictions in this life is mystically signified For his mysticall members as they are the Image of his afflictions must participate with their mysticall head and taste of the cup which their mysticall head hath drunk charged up to the brim that as they have suffered with their mysticall head in this life so they may raign in their head crowned with an incorruptible Crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come For afflictions is the strait gate in this life whereby his mysticall members must enter into the kingdome of heaven Secondly by our Saviours thirsting upon the cursed altar of the crosse while he was offered the bitter potion of vineger and gall by the torturing helhounds to quench his thirst is mystically signified the eternall torments of the Reprobate in hell burnt up with the actuall inflicting of the curse of the Law in the full extent by the consuming fire of Gods eternall wrath who while as they thirst no other liquor shall they have to quench their unquenchable thirst but the gally dregs of the Devils darknesse with the voluptuous sensitive pleasures whereof they did so surfet in this life Thirdly by the words of our Saviour while he did endure and sustain the curse of the Law upon the cursed altar of the crosse saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The extremity of his sustaining of the wrath of God in the full extent in the torturing of his soul is mystically signified as the tortures of his sensitive body by his sensitive martyrdome was patient to all whereby our Saviour did manifest himself true man to the world Fouthly by our Saviours words at the giving up of his Spirit saying John 19 30. It is finished was mystically signified that by his death all the materiall altars and sacrifices all the figures types rites and ceremonies prefigurating the coming and death of the blessed seed were all finished and determined by his death never to be reiterate in the Church of God Fifthly by the darknesse from the sixth hour to the ninth which was the hour of his death at which hour the darknesse vanished was mystically signified that all the cloudy darknesse of the propheticall ceremoniall Law were quite vanished away never to be reiterate in the Church of God Sixthly by the rending of the vail of the Temple at Christs giving up of his Spirit which hath been formerly mentioned the calling of the Gentiles with the Jews in one Church was mystically signified who upon the next day following to wit upon the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave were all actually called in one Church by the new covenant to the great joy and comfort of all the nations of the world Seventhly by the piercing of our Saviours heart with the spear where the intellectuall and sensitive spirits of man as he is man are essentially united It was mystically signified again that all the types figures and rites of the ceremoniall Law prefigurating our Saviours cursed death of the crosse from the foundation of
are contradictory to the truth of the Lords infinit merit contradictory to the whole current of the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination Conclusion 19. All tenents and assertions denying the freedome of the naturall mans redeemed grace by the free act of his understanding will and senses without any manner of the necessitating of the free act of man either naturally or morally are contradictory to the perfection of the redemption of man by the Lords infinit merit For the naturall mans will being necessitate either naturally or morally man is no man as hath bin formerly demonstrate And consequently the naturall man by the perfection of his redemption is enabled with morall grace by the act of his understanding actually enlightned by the literall light of the Lords day to understand morally the grace of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest and by the act of his will to beleeve morally the Lords offered grace as hath bin formerly declared Conclusion 20. All tenents and assertions affirming the universall spirituall grace of man by the only act of the redemption which grace is only by the spirituall light of the holy Spirit enlightning the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man in the act of regeneration are contradictory to the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination For all men freed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse are shut up in temporall spiritual darknes called unbeleef and sin by the eternall decree of God Conclusion 21. By all tenents and assertions affirming that the naturall man by his morall good workes doth merit eternall life The infinitnesse of the Lords merit is denied Such assertions are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant For by the new covenant the morall blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life is immediatly offered to the morall faith of the beleever And therefore the Evangelicall Law is called the Law of righteousnesse of faith and not the Law of workes for from the morall faith of the naturall man his morall good workes doe immediatly proceed and consequently can merit nothing at all and therefore the morall blessing of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law is due morally and immediatly by the Law to the morall faith of the naturall man whose faithfull workes of truth love and mercy are mediatly commanded as the effects of his morall faith whereby the truth of the Lords infinit love and mercy is testified by the naturall man without the blessing of whose truth by the Lords infinit merit the naturall man could not so much as craule upon the earth Conclusion 22. All tenents and assertions affirming that the free grace of the Lords infinit merit by the new Covenat is offered only to the elect are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant whereby the free grace â—f thâ— Lords infinit merit of eternall life and rest is freely offered to all the Nations of the world And therefore this state is called the state of grace for though the state of man under the propheticall obligement of the Law of faith in the promise of the blessed seed was likewise the state of grace yet that was the estate of promised grace and this is the state of grace of that fulfilled promise for as the faithfull Fathers were saved from the curse of the propheticall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed So the faithfull are now sâ—ved by faith in the fulfilled promise Conclusion 23. All tenents and assertions whereby the faith of the beleever and the Lords infinit merit are seperate and devided which is the Rocke whereon the Lord told Peter the Church of God is builded are false and adulterous tenents and assertions arising from the false light of errour Now because the Church of God is so much distempered by a multitude of such tenents and objections all arising from the false light of the spirit of error two short Theologicall Canons or rules shall be set downe whereby the judicious Reader is enabled to make the strongest objection against the truth of the sacred word to vanish with the objecters breath By meanes whereof the spirit of error is discovered according to the Apostles command CHAP. X. The first Canon ALL tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the literall light and truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith are from the false light of the spirit of error The second Canon All pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is a false adulterous worship The explanation of the twofold Canon As the immediate object of faith is the Lords infinit merit by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the eternall life light and rest of man So is the literall light of the Lords day the light whereby the object is enlightned to be apprehended by the faith of man which being one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his being As by this literall light the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the Lords truth So his will by its love to that truth is moved to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the eternall life light and rest of man This literall light is in the sound of the word of the Lords dâ—y For as by the light of the Sunne fire or of any materiall light the understanding of man is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing So the sâ—uâ—d of the word is the light whereby the understanding is produce in act by the mediate sense of hearing I doe not meane heare the light of the sound of the words â—s â—â—â—y are simply words but as they are the sound of the Evangelicaâ— word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith the word of the eternall life and light of man which being founded by the faithfull Minister in the naturall mans hearing his understanding and will is morally produced in act to understand and believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by covenant which was fulfilled by the Lords twofold resurrection The first was by his resurrection from the grave the second was by his resurrectiâ—â— from the earth to the heavens from whence he did descend For as the Word is man the Son of God with the Father and holy Spirit before all time he did descend from the heavens to the earth and as the Word is man the Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time he did ascend again to the heavens This twofold resurrection of the
righteousnesse Creator by his word of the first seventh dayes rest Secondly God of the law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the word of his Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest whereby God did manifest himselfe to man God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity Creator and Redeemer of man first Prophetically by the woâ—d the Propheticall seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord And now Evangelically by the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith Secondly by the word of election which is onely in the Lord Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the creation of man in the state of perfection the obliging of man to the first covenant the fall of man under the eternall curse of the law and the redemption of man from the curse is necessarily implyed Thirdly by the condemnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the law both the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the justice of God by condemning of man are necessarily implyed So that this absolute pretended decree which the Authors doe obtrude to us as free from all respect by the very tearms whereby they doe expresse their imaginary decree is charged with all manner of respect subordinate to God and consequently there is a flat contradiction between the furmised opinion and the tearmes whereby the opinion is expressed The absolute decree therefore being repugnant to the literall light and truth of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith necessarily implying the literall light of all the severall word of the seventh dayes rest from the foundation of the world The absolute decree according to our twofold Theologicall Canon set downe in the tenth Chap. of the second book of our Theologicall key is a false and adulterous tenent of faith arising from the spirit of error This error doth proceed from the confounding of the immanent and transeant act of God which must no wayes be confounded for the immanent act of God being God himselfe essentially is only absolute necessary infinite and incomprehensible by the act of any created understanding And his transeant act is only free which as it is transeant and terminate to man it is onely by his word which is his law to man the image of his eternall life and light of righteousnesse necessarily implying the naturall life and light of the word for by the onely power of the word written in the heart of man man is inabled to understand God by the word of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall seventh dayes rest from the beginning Now the surmised decree being absolute and without all subordinate respect it is pretended to be the immanent act of God but because the immanent act of God is infinite The maintainers of the absolute decree are constrained to expresse their imaginary opinion by the tearmes of the transeant act of God which is by his word for the salvation and damnation of man is the twofold reward of the word and law of God to wit the blessing and curse of the law Fourthly and lastly by the salvation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the Lord Jesus Christ the alone pleasure of God doth intervene between the faith of man and the Lords merit whereby the faith of man is overthrown and by the damnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the merit of man the alone pleasure of God by the condemning of man doth intervene between the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the law whereby the justice of God is overthrowne Now though the fearefull unworthinesse of this miserable opinion doth not merit the refutation thereof by any Theologicall penne yet for the Readers satisfaction I thus demonstrate that such a pretended absolute decree never was or could be decreed by God 1. That absolute decree whereby God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute decree God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 2. That pretended absolute decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without all respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 3. That absolute pretended decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Jesus that decreee never was or could bee decreed by God By this pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Iesus This pretended absolute decree therefore never was or could be concluded by God 4. That pretended miserable absolute degree whereby God out of his alone pleasure is affirmed to condemne man to the eternall curse of the law without any subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of his law That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable pretended absolute decree God is affirmed to condemne man to the eternal curse of the law out of Gods alone pleasure without all subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of the law This miserable absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 5. That pretended miserable absolute decree which is repugnant to his suordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God This miserable pretended absolute decree is repugnant to Gods subordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man This miserable pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 6. That miserable absolute pretended decree whereby it is affirmed that the will of man in his state of perfection was necessitate to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law contrary to Gods obliging of himselfe by his