and living in perfection then we ought in reason to be reconciled together Let not him that is strong who liveth in the sixt or seventh day despise him that is weak that lives in the first or darkest dayes or dispensations Nor let not him that is weake judge him that is Rom. 14. 3. streng for God hath received him he walketh with God You will think him to be a mutherer that should endevour to make all mankind to eat one sort of meat either to make old men to eat milk or suck the breast or else to make new born Babes to eat such gross meat as old men do such will be murtherers of the body so in the like manner are they soul-murtherers that will bring all men into one conformity nay they are farr worse then the first for these doe not only make spirituall men feed upon spirituall meat of any kinde but upon Dogs meat and Husks and such as they themselves feed on I am not offended with them for their feeding but in that they go to take away my liberty these are soul murtherers to those who are conformable to them and also body-murtherers to them that will not conform with them But this Antichrist that thus exalts himself above all that is called god in the Saints shall be destroyed by the brightness of his coming they ought to have the liberty of their consciences be they never so corrupt in Worship But if thy Conscience be to take away my liberty in worship ought to be suppressed as an evil doer or as one endevouring to make murther this is of Cain whose seed thou art this is that City in which all the blood of the Saints shall be found in her all that dare to publish such a Tenet or attempt to doe it have committed murther and ought to dye by the Law of God and Law of reason as all mankinde cannot live upon one sort of naturall meat except some must starve neither can the spirituall seed live all upon one sort of spiritual food therefore Christ speaketh to the multitude in parables but saith to his Disciples Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom Christ speaks not according to the Excellency of his own knowledg and light but condiscends to their weakness in speaking according to their capacity therefore he saith to his Disciples I have many things to say but you cannot bear them now Also the Apostle Paul endevoureth to speak according to the capacity of them he speaks to as you may see 1 Cor. 2. 4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in the demonstration of the spirit and power Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery Verse 7. Thus the Apostle conforms himself to those he speaks to as he can live with the highest in Canaan so he can goe down into Egypt to take his Brethren by the hand to the end he may bring them from one degree to another untill they are come to sit with himself in heavenly places He was not so high with those to whom he speaks wisdom in a mysterie but he is as low where he saith And I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spirituall but as unto carnall even as unto babes in Christ I have fed you with milk not with meat for hitherto you were not able to bear it neither yet now are ye able 1 Cor. 2. 1 2. He became all thing to all men that he might gain some Also he saith Hebr. 5. 12 13 14. For when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God and are such as have need of milk and not of strong meat for every one that useth milke is unskilful in the word of righteonsness for he is a babe but strong meat belongs to them that are of full age or in the Greek word perfect since God hath always spoken in sundry times divers manners and speakes not in one way or one form therefore let us not persecute one another if God speaks not to others in the way he speaks to us doe not desire to lord Rom. 15. 1. it over Gods heritage we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak for who makes thee to differ from another 1 Cor. 4. 7. and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why doest thou glory as if thou hadst not received it before thou receiv'dst it thou wast as he thou thinkest meanly of wouldst thou have been willing to have been despised and stumbled and so destroyed when thou wert weak before thou hadst received this grace and if not lay not stumbling blocks in thy brothers way therefore since we come up all one way to perfection let every one of us be reconciled one to another let every one of Rom. 15. 2. us please his neighbour for his good to edification let us therfore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveale even this unto you nevertheless whereunto you have already attained let us walk by the same rule Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus Finis POSTSCRIPT THe Objection which saith That no man hath the knowledg that Adam bad before his fall to give the creatures names according to their natures as he did they being deprived of that understanding by his fall To which I answer thus It remains for you to prove that there was any creature in paradise which I am sure you cannot for we find first that man was put into paradise Gen. 2. 8. And 2ly he is drove out of it Gen. 3. 23. Here you see the mans bringing in and his driving out but no creatures are brought in or driven out with him therefore lest you can prove that the creatures were there I shall deny that he named them there 2. We are not to understand that the Scriptures are fulfilled in order as they are written for if so then Adam and all the creatures were twice made for in the fifth days work the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air were created Gen. 1. 18 to 23. and in the beginning of the six days the living creatures of the earth were created cattel and creeping things after their kind v. 24 25. then man was created v. 27. All things are said to be made and God is said to end his work and rest and yet Chap. 2. v. 5. it is said There is no man to till the ground and v. 7. it is said That the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground although before in Chap. 1. the Creatures are said to be made before man yet here in this Chapter man is said to be made again and the creatures after him for he is said to be made ver 7. and they v. 19. Again for all it 's said Male and Female created he them and also that he had ended his works and did rest from them Chap. 2. v. 2. yet you will finde that the Woman was made afterwards as it is ver 22. And therefore I say the Scriptures are not to be understood in order as they are written but many times when a thing is said to be done it is done many hundred years after and so also is this touching our naming of creatures and our ruling over them and our freedome to eat of every hearb or fruit of the earth if any one of these things is attributed to Adam and not to us then by the same grounds the other as ruling tilling dressing and eating of the fruit or hearbs must be attributed to him and not to us but we are Adam as well as he it is to us God brings the creatures to see what names we will call them 3. According to you own understanding of Scripture Adam did manifest knowledg and wisdom after his fall as well as before as you may see after judgment pronounc'd upon him Chap. 3. v. 20. it is said Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living So then if he had wisdom and knowledg to name the creatures before his fall it was a greater piece of wisdom to name one more excellent then the sensitive creatures and also to give the reason of her name because she was the mother of all living Gen. 3. 20. 4. There is nothing now in the Old-Testament named either by good men or bad but signifieth either good or bad God can speak in Caiaphas touching the great sacrifice or reprove Balaam by his Ass yet neither of these knew what they spake This Objection was omitted and I hearing some moving of it thought fit to point at this answer for the present satisfaction of the Reader FINIS
I shall also go on in proving that Adam as he was then made and stood in innocency was not made after the second image in holinesse righteousnesse knowledge and the like and my reasons are these First If Adam had been immortall in the image Reason 1. of God in respect of his attributes it had been as impossible for him to fall and become mortal and unholy as it would be for God himself that which is holy cannot become unholy that which is in the nature of God cannot change it nature into the nature of sin God is able to change other things into his nature but no other thing can change that which is of God into its nature Because I would leave nothing unanswered Object I would willingly know what you meane by holiness and righteousness if you mean natural holiness and righteousness knowledge light and the like Ans To this I answer God hath no such image the Scripture holds forth but a twofold Image the first a Personal the second a Spiritual according as I have already described Again If you say he was holy and righteous inasmuch as he had not sinned I say in that sense a stone or any other vegetative or sensitive creature is made in the image of God for it hath not sinned This is like that tenet or principle held concerning children for some say If children should not be saved who have never sinned actually who then can be saved as if that which had not sinned was holy and nearer God to be without sin only is not to be holy and in the image of God or to have never so much naturall knowledge and light adds nothing to holiness and righteousness according to Gods image But to be holy and righteous in the image of God is to be immortall unchangeable and to have eternall life in them which is the gift of God and there to live in the enjoyment of God having inherent righteousness in them and to be begotten by God and grow up in the very nature of God as a child grows up in the nature of his Father So that you must become little children and be born by the Spirit before you enter into the Kingdom of heaven that is there must be a new and second birth of a new creature a new life and conversation new feeding new spirituall meat and drinking anew of wine and water of life with Christ in the Father's kingdom a new enjoyment a new spirituall rest and all things must become new all this is held forth by the first birth life conversation feeding and resting If we must become like or as little children before we can enter into the Kingdom of heaven then I say we must become like old men before we sit down in the Kingdom of heaven in the full enjoyment of the Father or in the knowledge of him which is from the beginning as the Apostle John saith to the Fathers who out-stripped the children or young men in the knowledge of God as he was in them from the beginning 2 John 12 14. These children are not to be understood children by generation neither are the young men or fathers to be understood under a natural consideration but children in respect of regeneration and young men and fathers in respect of spirituall growth and knowledge in the mystery of God So then if Adam had been thus he had been in the image of God and could no more have fallen away from the nature and image of his Father then a childe can fall from the nature and image of his father into the nature and image of a beast neither did he fall in that sense as you understand he did nor do any thing against or contrary to his nature Secondly He was earthly and so he acted Reas 2. from that principle and therefore not in the image of God and that you may plainly see if you consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. 43. in these words There is a carnall body and there is a spirituall body Although this may be taken or understood to be our body or the body of sin fallen in Adam in opposition to the spirituall body which is the spirit of life in Christ yet it is not the Apostles understanding onely for he goes about to prove this by the written word and that is from Adam's first creation for saith he and so it is written The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. The Apostle understands this first man that was made a living soul to be a meer natural man as also he understands the second to be a spirituall as you may see ver 46. in these words Howbeit that was not first which was spirituall but that which was carnall and afterwards that which was spirituall There needs no further evidence in this neither can I speak any plainer then the Apostle for when he goes to prove there is a naturall bodie he doth not say it became naturall through some miscarriage but he saith he was made so he was made a living soul which living soul so made by God he saith in the next verse that it was not spirituall but carnal Nothing that is carnall can have communion with God But Adam was carnall Therefore could have no communion with God Nothing that was made carnall was in the image of God But Adam was made carnall Therefore not in the image of God in respect of his Attributes Thirdly The Apostle sets forth the pedegree Reason â— or root of the second Adam by the pedegree or root of the first in these words The first man is of the earth earthly the second man is the Lord from heaven vers 47. As the second did not come in a low estate and condition and attain to an higher afterwards for he is the Lord from heaven so the first man did not come in an high and glorious condition and afterwards fall into a lower Object If you said That Christ which is the second man came in a low estate and condition which makes against this Argument Answ To which I answer In respect of his Manhood he was the first Adam for it is said He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one It is not onely meant in respect of their spirituall estates after they were sanctified but also of their fleshly except actual sin as it is Heb. 2. 14. Forasmuch as the Children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same And as he was flesh and blood he came in a low condition and so he may be said to grow in grace and knowledge for he was not the Lord from heaven nor the second man in this sense but he was the Lord from heaven in respect of his Godhead or that spiritual influence or annoynting that came forth from God and took up flesh and dewlt therein In this sense he was the second Adam
instance will not serve the case being not the same if God had spoken to Adam there might have been some show or colour for such a thing but God speaking not to him there can be no ground or colour for it at all The second reason is why God speaks not in the way of an Irony is this because there was some thing enacted upon and by reason of his knowledge in the latter part of the 22. 23. verses and now least he take of the tree of life and live for ever as much as if God It was the knowledge of God in Adam that drove him out of the garden Gen. 3. 24. had said he is come to that knowledge by vertue of his eating the fruit he wil be ready to take of the tree of life and live for ever It is clear that Adam was put forth by reason of his knowledge therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden the word therefore hath some dependance upon the fore going words which was his becoming like God therefore he was driven forth The third reason proves it a truth because of the former 3 proofs First from the name of the tree Secondly from the Serpents testimony and Thirdly from the effects that the fruit produced in them all with speaking one thing it doth further confirm that Gods meaning was really so according as it was spoke behold the man is become like one of us knowing good evil 2 Object And that is from the latter part of the verse knowing good and evil it is true Adam knew good and evill but how he knew good by the losse of it and evill by wofull experience Ans I shall grant if God knew good by the losse of it and evill by wofull experience then Adam did so to But if God did not then Adam did not neither for Adam knew good and evill as God did and so saith the text Behold the man is become libe one of us knowing good and evill Obj. You will say Adam was made in the image of God as the Scripture holdeth forth and he being in the image of God in respect of his attributes before his eating the forbidden fruit therefore it followeth he became not like God by his eating as you do here affirm Answ In answer to this Objection you must understand that the image of God is held forth in Scripture under a two-fold consideration First The image of his person or visible appearance Secondly The image of his incomprehensible and spirituall substance Now as you understand Adam in innocency as meer man he was made after the first image that is to say in the image of God in respect of his person or visible appearance and not after the second image although he was in some sense in respect of God as I shall hereafter shew when I come to speak of the second image but when I say Adam was made in the image of God in respect of his person or visible appearance we are not to understand that God in his eternall Essence and being can be likened to any thing for he is invisible and incomprehensible but I meane in that shape and likenesse as God did alwayes appear and manifest himself in unto the sons of men before the law to Abraham and Lot and in the time of the Law and also in the fulnes of time in the flesh of a man even in the man Christ Jesus for God in his eternall thought and purpose beforetime did determine and intend as he did in other things to appear in this image in time and so called it his image likewise in his determination intended to make man according to it and one end was to speak according to mans capacitity for if God had appeared in other shapes and not in the shape or liknesse of man then man through feare would not be capable to receive a message or be instructed by him man being in that weak estate as he is made in so God in time made man according to the shape or image which he intended to appear in before time And when he saith let us make man in our own image his meaning is in the first sense that mans person shoul be made like the image of Gods person or visible appearance according as I have already described It must needs be so for this reason because the woman was not made in the image of God now if you understand by image any thing besides the image of his person or visible appearance let it be knowledge righteousnesse wisdom or what it will in that respect the man and the woman was both alike but if I shall prove the woman was not made like the man in the image of God then it must needs be granted that the image that Adam was made like unto God in was the image of his person or visible appearance To the end the controversie in proving that man was made in the image of God and the woman was not take notice what followeth First It will appear from Gods resolution before mans creation as you may see Genesis 1 26. where God saith let us make man in our own image the woman is not mentioned neither yet included in the man as it appears in the 27. verse where you shall find a particular relation First how the man was created in these words So God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him Secondly that they were both created in the latter part of the verse in these words male and female created he them the same expression is in Gen. chap. 5. vers 2. from hence it doth cleerly appear that the man was created in the image of God and the woman was not because there is a particular relation of their creation for if they had been both created in the image of God it had been easier to say in the image of God created he them male and female then to particularise out the man and say he was created in the image of God then go over them again and say male female created he them so that by this particular relation the Holy Ghost would have us to understand that the man was created after the image of God but not the woman the Apostle Paul by the same spirit clearly understands this truth and puts it out of controversie he speaking in 1 Cor. 11. 7. how a man ought to manifest his obedience and subjection to his head which is God by his being uncovered either in prayer or prophesying and also how a woman ought to manifest her subjection to her head by her being covered he saith if the woman be not covered let her be shaven or shorn and as he looks upon it to be a great evil in the woman to be uncovered so contrarily he looks upon it to be a great evil in the man to be covered and his reason 's this for saith he a man indeed ought not to
carnally minded in their comming up to God or their seeking after God by or in carnall things in endeavouring to make themselves perfect by the flesh as they did to whom he speaks Gal. 3. 3. Are you â—o foolish having begun in the spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh As also the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. 3. If he should give his body to be burned and all his goods to the poor and have not charitie which is love or the power of God living and acting and carrying him forth to do it it is as sounding brasse and a tinkling cymbal The Prophets and Christ himself condemn Israel or those Pharifaicall men for their fasting and making long prayers Isa 58. 4. Matth. 6. 16. Why so was it not good so to do Yea fasting praying and giving of alms are good in themselves So the things were good in themselves or matter of them but not in manner and circumstance they may be used but not fed on to be like God lest wee die but they had not the power of God carrying them out to do those things but the motive by which they were put upon those duties was self-ends for to become like God witnesse the Pharisee that made the large confession and thought to obtain much and yet was condemned by Christ Luk. 18. 11 12. Thus you see as Adam was forbidden Man is bidden or commanded to do good but not to obtain good by his doing to eat this fruit and death pronounced and a curse followed upon his eating thereof So in like manner are we forbidden to follow after or feed upon that fruit which is in the substance our righteousnss or the Law and also death is pronounced and a curse followeth upon our eating thereof Touch not taste not handle not for all perish Adam did lie down in sorrow with the using Col. 2. 21. This is the fire that man kindleth and compasseth himself about with the sparks but God saith This he shall have at mine hands he shall lie down in sorrow So then here you see that this ambition was not only in Adam the shadow but in us the substance after the forbidden fruit and our ends are the same as his was to be wise and become like God through the subtilty of the Serpent which holds forth the excellency of this fruit our righteousnesse This will also serve for an Answer to the Objection framed from Adams transgression Pag. 35. Object Some may say How can the tree of knowledge of good and evill and the righteteousnesse of man be all one Ans The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evill is nothing else but the morall Law or the righteousness of man It must needs be so for this Reason Because the other tree with it which is the tree of life was the righteousness of Christ and no materiall or naturall tree To prove that it was the righteousness of Christ you may see Rev. 2. 7. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God The like is said of the heavenly Manna ver 7. which is one and the same thing There is nothing promised to be given to the Saints to eat or to drink or to be clothed with but it is Christ or his righteousness He is all this to a Saint as you may see in these Scriptures He is water John 4. 14. and chap. 7. 38. This he spake of the Spirit He is Manna chapt 6. 48 50. 1 Cor. 10. 3. He is wine pomegranats or apples or pleasant fruit Matth. 26. 29. Cant. 4. 7. Let my Beloved come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruit Chap. 7. 13. At our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits new and old which I have laid up for thee O my Beloved And chapt 1. 14. Thy love is unto us a cluster of camphire All this is the love of God through Christ to the Saints and the reflections of that love carrying up the souls of Saints unto God So this tree of life is the same even the righteousnesse of Christ or the Spirit It is compared to an oak and a teyl tree and the holy seed is the substance thereof Isa 6. 13. 2. This tree of life must needs be the Spirit of Christ because it bears twelve manner of fruits which fruits are twelve degrees or severall gifts of the Spirit which are the twelve precious stones or pearls that the City is founded upon 3. This tree of life must needs be the righteousnesse of Christ because the leaves of it are to heal the Nations Nothing can heal the Nations but Christ but the leaves of this tree are to heal the Nations and therefore they are the fruits effected and brought forth by the Spirit of Christ 4. There is nothing life it self or can give life for ever but Christ But this tree is life it self and will give life to them that eat it Therefore this tree is the righteousnesse of Christ Gen. 3. 22. So then this being clear that this tree of life is no materiall or naturall tree but the righteousnesse of Christ and such a food as will give eternall life it must by the same grounds necessarily follow that this * The definition of the two trees proved pag. 2. is more fully proved in the seven effects brought forth by the tree and mans righteousnesse tree of knowledge of good and evill in the garden with it is the righteousnesse of man and is no materiall or naturall tree no more then the other 5. The fifth degree of Adam's rising was 5 Degree of Adams rising to put those ambitious thoughts and desires into execution Gen. 3. 6. Shee took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave to her husband with her and he did eat And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig-leaves together and made them aprons The fifth degree of the substantiall Adam or all those that are come up to that degree may examine themselves by the shadow which was our first parents thus as it followeth and it wil answer as face answereth face in a glasse for after they are come to the fourth degree which is to see the invisible God through the visible things that are made and also to see and beleeve our own righteousnesse which is by the Law to be the onely way and means by which they may become wise or like that God or to attain heaven And also the excellency of this fruit so set forth by the serpent they then with all their strength follow after their own righteousness and take of that fruit that was so lovely to the eye and so much to be desired to make one wise and eats thereof bear with the expression for it is a Metaphor much used in Scripture in such like words as these To feed upon husks and not bread Labour not for the meat that
out all those on whom this anointing or spirit of God comes into thus he threatneth and condemneth sinne Secondly He condemns sinne as being an Ensigne to be held to all those that he is a figure of to the end that they in the beholding of him may be changed into the same Image and become one with himself This is the second dispensation and that cloathing of skins which Adam was clothed with and as it was endeavoured by the first dispensation to cast man out of carnal pleasure and delight it was farre more endeavoured and neerer accomplished by the second dispensation for where it was said unto Adam and his wife did the Lord God make coats of Skins Gen. 13. 21. In the next verse it is said Behold the man is become like one of us Man must be cloathed by God with the righteousness of God before man become like God in either of his three relations so you see through the second dispensation man became like God and is also cast out of his carnall pleasure and delight God is the drawer of man out of sinne and self-righteousness There is a third dispensation by which The 7th degree of Adams rising man is wholly cast out of paradise kept out of paradise and brought in to a second and glorious paradise and that is the Spirit or Comforter the going away of the first is the coming of the second that of Mount Sinai must decrease Christ must increase so the going away of the second is the coming of the third as Moses gave place to Christ so Christ gave place to the Comforter It is expedient that I goe away or else the Comforter cannot come The first witnesseth to the second and saith Him shall ye hear in all things The second witnefleth to the third and saith I will send the Comforter and he shall lead you into all truth Upon the knowing of the third the second is to be known no more Although I have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth desire I to know him so no more This is the new and spirituall birth for he that is in Christ is a new creature to him old things are done away and all things must become new the law did convince of Sin Christ in the flesh did convince of Sin and so endevoured to make man like God and cast him out of selvish and carnall Paradise but what the second dispensation could not doe the third dispensation is sent to doe it and therefore Christ saith When the Comforter commeth he shall convince the world of sin righteousnesse and judgment He shall convince the world of sin the Law did endevour this and Christ did endevour this and may be said to doe it as a meanes but it is the Spirit it self that doth compleatly accomplish this work this is the Word of God that divideth between the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart none can call Jesus Christ but by this Spirit and this is that which convinceth of sin and casteth man out of carnall pleasure and delight and not only so but by this Spirit we are brought into the antitypicall and spirituall paradise of God and therefore Christ saith He shall take of mine and shew it unto you This is made good to the Apostle he being under this dispensation of God who witnesseth the accomplishment of what was written by Isaiah touching this dispensation as it is written Eye hath not seen non ear hath not heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man but God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit For the Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. Thus doth the Spirit take of God and shew it unto us this is the sword and this is the Cherubim that keeps the way of the tree of life that none can come to it but those whom it takes up to that paradise therefore the Apostle saith Such a man I knew who was taken up into Paradise and heard unspeakablewords which it is unlawfull for a man to utter this is the fire that will burn up all things as hay stubble straw or whatsoever is not of its own planting this shall be poured out upon the Governors of Judah they shall be as a hearth of fire among wood and as a torch in a sheaf of corn this is the Cherubim that brought a coal of fire from the Altar unto Isaiah by which he had his iniquities forgiven and was made fit to goe with Gods message when man is drove out of his carnality by this Spirit he is fit to till the ground from whence he was taken We may see God in a generall way through the other two dispensations but none can know God Scripture Sinne or Righteousness but by the Spirit all rules are uncertain but this rule of the new Creature and as many as walk according to this rule peace be unto them and to the Israel of God And thus you see how one God through 3 discoveries doth cast man out of earthly pleasure and delight therefore let us put him out a speech after the manner of men which holds forth abundance of mystery of which I have many things to say and hard to be uttered or understood seeing we are so dull of hearing that which I promised I shall here commend to the wise and onely point at two general Uses and leave what other Uses may be made of it unto you or the power of God leading you out unto it First If this be a truth that is here delivered Vse that no man fell in Adam really but figuratively as he did represent and assure us by his fall that we should fall in the like manner from hence we should be reconciled unto God and not to say that God is such a hard Mat. 25. 24. Master reaping where he never sowes and charge him with injustice iniquity and partiality in saying that all should dye for one mans fault you that are Christians and under the new Covenant what meane you by this Proverbe what meane you to say the fathers eat sower grapes and the Childrens teeth are set an edg and to shift your Jer. 31. 29. Ezek. 12. 24. owne necks out of the coller in charging your sinne upon another what meane you to make God a lyar when he saith As I live this Proverbe shall be no more but every one shall dye for his own iniquity and he that eateth the sowre grapes his teeth shall be set on edg therefore if you live in those dayes as the Prophets points at if you are Israell according to the Spirit if you are turned to the Lord this vail of Adam wil be taken away as well as the vail of Circumcision Tabernacle or Altar meats or drinks washings or purifyings or whatsoever of that nature they were all truths once but when the substance came the shadow was to be taken away as wel in the one
pleasure or delight they being not yet capable of the same being not yet put into the Garden of Eden This is our first estate answerable to Adam's first estate Secondly Adam is put into the Garden 2. Degree of Adams rising to till the ground that is into pleasure and delight The second degree of the substantiall Adam thus answereth the second degree of typicall Adam who is likewise put into Paradise and grows up to be capable of pleasures and delights and to feed themselves as the first Adam did There is no constraint in their natures of every tree they may eat that is there is no command or power inherent in them to debar or hinder them from every fancy or delight which is in the garden of mans pleasure for the heart hath a freedom to feed on any thing that is presented to the eye which delights are held forth under the name of the trees of the Garden according to the Metaphors held forth in * Ezek. 47. 12. Isa 55. 13. The thorn tree shall seem pleasant to them Scripture as you may see in the Margin Thirdly They were to till the ground 3 Degree of Adams rising that is they have knowledge and understanding to know what is good for nourishment to preserve themselves As also it may be more properly understood by tilling the ground their endeavouring to make themselves fit to receive good seed as it is understood in Jerem. 4. 3. Break up the fallow Hos 10. 12. Some are wrought â—pon by â—he Spirit â—f God beâ—ore others ground and sow not among thorns This is the condition from the age of six yeers and upwards upon all flesh before the creature be brought up to another degree Fourthly Adam the type was prohibited from eating of one tree in the midst of â— Degree â—f Adams â—â—sing the Garden upon the penalty of death So in the like manner is Adam the antitype which is all flesh prohibited from power in themselves and commanded in the word of God not to go to make themselves perfect by their own righteousnesse which is the tree of knowledge of good and evill in the substance which tree mans righteousness or the Law is in the midst of the garden that is of all the delights and shelters The chief in their apprehension that are This is one of the chief even placed in the very heart of man And as Adam the shadow had high and ambitious thoughts to be great and did endeavour to become like God by his own actings and endeavours through the subtilty of the Serpent who so set forth the excellency of the fruit and made it appear so lovely yet the Text saith When she saw it was good for food and pleasant to the eye and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave unto her husband with her and he did eat The taking of the fruit is here attributed to the woman only and not unto the man and the reason is because the woman held forth the Church which is both man and woman the man held forth Christ and therefore he was not active in plucking the fruit but Eve only was active in the transgression And although it be not proved that the man Adam did aspire to be great yet in as much as she did he did also in her for all men and women were in her and her name was Adam as well as his Gen. 5. 2. this holds forth the mystery of Christ and his Church who assume each others names So then it being cleer that Adam the shadow was ambitious as a creature and did endeavour to be great and become like God and to that end did pluck and eat of the forbidden fruit It is also as clear that Adam the substance that is all carnall men and women do the same thing When they are come through these three degrees and are capable of any thing they begin to meditate of the creation of the world and to admire him that made all things Thus it is naturall to all men besides being instructed by their parents to meditate and learn to see the invisible God in some measure through the visible things that are made And thus their serious thoughts and considerations make them leave the former fruit in some measure which is all manner of fancies pleasures and delights and begin to look into the middle of the garden upon the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evill which is the righteousness of man and it is very pleasant to the eye of carnall men they cry out This is the fruit that will make one wise this is the food that we must eat in our journey to heaven Thus mans righteousnesse is carnall mans food or strength by which he thinks to come to heaven If you ask such a man or woman how they think to be saved they will say by their good thoughts and works and all the Gentiles called Christians both Papists and Protestants do admire this fruit which is mans righteousness and nothing else is so pleasant to the eye to make one wise or like God or bring one to heaven as this is in their apprehensions 'T is true Mans righteousness which is Here begins the Answer to the Objection page 35. the tree of knowldge of good and evill was good to Adam and is also to us yet it was forbidden both to him and also to us that is it was or is forbidden to accomplish or bring about such an end as man would have it do that is to say to become like God although it doth so too in some measure in the knowledge of good and evill as I have already shewed yet it doth not in the performance of the thing known to be good or the omitting of the thing known to be evill or the living and the enjoying of that life and enjoyment that is in God which shall not be obtained by the eating of the fruit of this tree but by the eating of the fruit of the tree of life which also is in the midst of the Garden and yet no naturall tree no more then the first for this second tree is Gods righteousness and the very â—eaves of it shall serve for the healing of the Nations so then this first fruit is good in â—ts own place and without the eating of this we cannot be capable of the other yet it is forbidden to be eaten to accomplish the end that is before prescribed that is to say to become like God To prove this take notice of these Scriptures and you shall finde this fruit mans righteousness is forbidden and the sentence of death passed on those that feed on it to that end as our first parents did The Apostle Gal. 3. 10. speaks thus For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse To be carnally minded is death Rom. 8. 6. The Apostles meaning is to be