that have the Spirit And therefore Peter saith Having purified your Souls by the Spirit 1 Pet. 1.22 From all which places it appears very plainly that the perfect or true Man does not only consist of Soul and Body but also of the Spirit And for as much as the ungodly and Sinners do enjoy the two former Viz. Body and Soul as well as the Faithful and Believers and yet do not understand those things which are of the Spirit it follows that they must needs want that by which Spiritual things are alone to be discerned now that which discerns Spiritual things is the Spirit 1 Cor. 2.14 15. § 40. It is true that often times the perfect man is in the Holy Scripture described by two Beings to wit the Spirit and the Flesh as this Apostle speaks at large Rom. 8. of them that walk after the spirit and not after the Flesh and describes the regenerate as those which walk after the spirit and mortify the Flesh and the Ungodly as walking after the flesh and as not having the Spirit And Gal. 5.7 he saith that he has the flesh and the Spirit and that these two do War against each other for the flesh saith he lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other by reason of which conflict which the Apostle felt in himself he complained Rom 7. that after the inward Man that is after the Law of his mind or after the Spirit he delighteth in the Law of God but that the Law in his Members that is to say the Flesh warreth against the Law of God And there are many other such like places in the Holy Scripture which do oppose the Flesh to the Spirit but in these and the like places the scope is not so much to teach us how many parts there are in a perfect Man as to shew us that Man who is not yet perfectly born again has a Warfare against his Flesh that is against his unregenerate part But no man can be so foolish as to think that when it is here said that the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit that we must thereby understand only the Flesh or Body but that under the Term Flesh is to be understood that part of Man that is called the Soul which desireth and thinkerh and lusteth and it is notorious that this is usual in the Holy Scripture by the word Flesh also to understand the Soul from hence because when the Holy Scripture opposes the new birth unto Sin it uses the Terms Spirit and Flesh as was just now shewed But it does not only oppose the Spirit to the Flesh but also the Spirit to the Soul or to the Soullish part as we but just now shewed in 1 Cor. 2. James 3. c. From whence then it evidently appears that the fleshly part is included in the Soullish part and that by the fleshly part is meant the Soullish part And that the Soul has fellowship with the Body and does continually co-operate with it we will shew in the next Chapter where we shall particularly Treat of the Soul § 41. But here some body will perhaps say that the Holy Scriptures makes mention of more than three parts of Man as of the Spirit of the Mind of the Heart the Soul and the Body The Hebrews call the three parts of man chiefly by the names of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ruach the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nephesh the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neshamah the Breath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adamah that out of which the Body is made As to the Neshamah this is properly no part of Man but it is that from whence the Soul proceeded as shall be shewed in that Chapter where we shall expresly treat of the Soul for which cause Neshamah is sometimes used for Nephesh the Soul as is to be seen in Isaiah 57.16 In the New Testament we meet with three Parts of Man more especially under these Denominations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pneuma the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psychce the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phreen the Vnderstanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nous the Mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kardia the Heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sarx the Flesh But what part is to be understood by these Terms we must learn from the Circumstances of the places themselves where we meet with them as for Example the Vndestanding belongs to the Soul which is common to all Men for whether a Man has a good or bad understanding however it ceases not to be the understanding in like manner the Soul is meant by the heart because the Heart is the Seat of the Soul and therefore our Saviour saith Mat. 15.18 19. Those things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart they defile for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts c. So that for the most part I say not always for sometimes the heart is also used for the Spirit as well as for the Soul because it is the receptacle and habitation of both but for the most part I say by the Vnderstanding and the Heart is meant the Soul CHAP. III. Of the Image of God or the Spirit § 42. SEing it is easie to be understood from the precedent Chapter that a perfect Man consists in these three to wit Spirit Soul and Body we are here especially to consider what the Spirit or the Image of God is and the properties thereof as also the necessity of the Sinners being restored to his former State § 43. Every body knows that when an Image Picture or likeness of a Man is made that it must resemble him after whom it is made because if it have no resemblance of him whom it represents it could not be called his Image Picture or likeness § 44. Seing then that Man is made after Gods Image man must needs bear the Image or Likeness of God § 45. Now this Image which Man has of God cannot be or consist in the outward Shape of his Body but in his Spirit because God is a Spirit and has no bodily or outward shape form or figure at all as is shewed already § 12. § 46. But because we Sinners have lost it and so cannot as Adam know what manner of Being the Being of God is by contemplating the Image of God which was in him it is needful that we first enquire at the Holy Scriptures how the Divine Being is there described that so from the Divine Being we may learn what the Image or Likeness of God must needs be § 47. The Holy Scripture then describes the Being of God not only to be a Spirit but also shews what manner of Spirit it is to wit that God is a Light and Fire Micah 7.8 The Lord shall be a Light unto me And 1 Iohn 1.5 it is in express words said that God is a Light in whom there is no Darkness at all to wit in opposition to the
what God aimed at by him because God Created man after the most perfect manner From all which in then follows that the Sinner cannot be made perfect in another way but by receiving again that very Image of God which he lost by Sin § 64. Now that the Salvation of the Sinner consists in the recovering of this Image of God the Holy Scripture does so abundantly testify that there is nothing held forth unto us more in the Holy Scripture than that our Salvation does consist in the receiving of the Spirit and Image of God again as is manifest from the places by us already cited § 51.53 54 55. and of which Eph. 4. and Colos 3. c. do treat § 65. But now altho' we have discovered that the Sinner cannot attain unto Salvation unless he receive again the Image of God yet this difficulty still remains in the case to find out how and by what means the sinner can recover this Image of God again § 66. It is then an universal truth in Nature that nothing can be meliorated nor united with another thing so as to bring forth fruit thereby except there be a previous suffering dying or mortification To wit such a suffering death or mortification as tends to melioration not such a death as tends to putrefaction for there are these two sorts of Death as for Example the Seed passeth through a death in order to the bringing forth of Fruit and sometimes it dyes so that it remains in putrefaction out of which no new Seed but Worms are generated Now that such a dying or mortification must go before the Union is manifest in Trees whose Twigs or Buds when they are Ingrafted or Inoculated they dye as it were and wither before they can unite with the Tree in like manner can no Seed unite with the Earth so as to bring forth Fruit unless it first dyes and therefore it is that our Saviour saith with respect to the profit which was to accrue unto sinners by his Death Iohn 12.24 Except a grain of Wheat fall into the ground and dye it abideth alone that is it cannot then be united with the Earth to Multiply but if it dye it bringeth forth much fruit and 1 Cor. 15.36 That which thou sowest is not quickened except it dye § 67. Now to bring this Universal truth home unto faln Man how he fell we shall shew hereafter we shall find that the Scripture does expresly teach us that no man canattain to the Image of God again so as to bring forth Fruits of Righteousness but by a dying as our Saviour testifies Iohn 12.24 under the similitude of a grain of Wheat not only applying this unto himself that he must dye in order to acquire unto himself a Church or People but he also applys the same to them which will be his his Followers For Verse 25.26 Our Saviour saith He that loves his life shall loose it that is he that fears to follow me for fear of Death he shall dye without bringing forth Fruit and he that hateth his life in this World shall keep it unto life Eternal that is he that fears not death but will chearfully deliver up himself unto death for my name sake he shall by his death bring forth Fruit which shall not change but abide for ever And therefore Christ adds if any man will serve me let him follow me that is let him give himself chearfully up unto the death as I do now give my self up unto it And very expresly saith the Apostle Col. 3.3 Concerning the Faithful ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And V. 5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon Earth c. Now because suffering and Death must go before Glorification the Apostle saith Act. 14.22 that we must enter into the Kingdom of God through much tribulation Moreover if we consider the manners of Speech used by the Apostles concerning the manner how the Sinner recovers the Image or Spirit of God again how emphatically do they represent unto us that no sinner can attain unto any fellowship with the Spirit except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God that is if a Man be not born of Water and of the Spirit as our Saviour there further declares Vers 5. Now this is certain that no body can be born again except he first die how this Regeneration is to be understood we shall shew hereafter in its proper place and Titus 3.5 he hath saved us by â—he washing of Regeneration and renewing of â—he holy Ghost which is 1 Peter 1.3 called 〈◊〉 being born again through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Now this is certain that if we be born again by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ we must first have been dead wherefore from all this it is manifest that no man can recover the Image of God again but through suffering and death § 68. But now for as much as no Sinner has any the least power to give unto himself Salvation according to the Testimony of the Holy Scripture an that every one finds in his own experience that he is nncapable of coferring upon himself any perfection it follows that that Being which restores him must be more perfect than the Sinner himself and yet such as can unite and have fellowship with man It must be more Perfect than the Sinner because if he had no greater Perfections than he he could not impart unto the Sinner that which he himself should want It must also be such as can be united and have fellowship with man because that which cannot be united or have fellowship with another thing cannot make the thing better or change its state for the better because all Melioration doth require the most close union that is a Spiritual union with the life of that thing which is changed for the Life being the worker of all our Actions and the former of its own body as is proved in the Observations of Bar. Van Helmont concerning Man § 34 35 36 37. it is necessary that this Union be with the life it self that so the life may come to change its former working § 69. Moreover This Being that should thus change the sinner must not only be perfecter than he but it must also be so perfect that it can give perfection unto other Beings Or else it would be of no use to the Sinner as for Example It is manifest that Gold has more perfection in it than Iron has but Gold cannot therefore communicate its perfection to the Iron while it self remains meer natural Gold because it has no more perfection that it self stands in need of to be Gold in like manner we say of all Creatures or Created Beings none excepted that altho' they had more perfection than the Sinner yet they cannot communicate their perfection to the Sinner because they possess no more perfection than just belongs to their own Beings Besides Seing Man is the head
can be the Head of all Mankind it must needs follow that Christ must have taken upon him Adams Mandhood that he might justify all men by his own Righteousness Objection I. But in Answer to this Consequence which we draw from Rom. 5. That Christ cannot have taken upon him other Manhood but that of Adam if all Men be so justified in Christ as they all sinned in Adam it will be said that that manner of Speech that all men are justified in Christ is not to be taken for all every man one by one but for all those which are Born of Christ to wit for the Faithful For the Apostle makes here an Antithesis betwixt Adam and Christ and betwixt those which are born of Adam and those which are born of Christ so that those which are born of Christ are not born of him after the flesh as those which are born of Adam are but after the Spirit and consequently that it does not necessarily follow that Christ must needs have taken upon him the Manhood of Adam because they that are born of Christ are not born after the Flesh but after the Spirit Answer For Answer to this Objection it is to be observed First That the Apostle does not say that as all that are born of Adam are become sinful by Adams Fall so all that are born after a Spiritual manner of Christ are justifyed in him but he says without any Limitation at all That as by Adams Fall all men are become Sinners just so by Christs Righteousness are all men justified So that he here opposes these two Effects or Out-workings to wit The Transgression and the Free Gift of Grace each to other and shews that as the one has made all Men Sinner so the other has made all men Righteous Now where the Apostle makes no distinction as well with respect to the Righteousness of Christ as with respect to the Fall of Adam by what Justice can we then limit the word ALL and that in one and the self same Argument without offering Violence to and wresting the Words Secondly It is manifest that Christ as Mediator was Man if then those which are said to be born of Christ are only born of him Spiritually to what purpose did Christ take the Manhood upon him Verily Christ needed not to have taken Manhood upon him to effect such a Spiritual Birth as they that make this exception do understand by this Birth as is already shewed more at large in the fourth Objection Thirdly The Apostle does not here oppose the Spiritual Birth of Christ to the Fleshly Birth of Adam For Christ is not here opposed unto Adam with respect to his Spiritual Being but with respect to his Manhood For the Apostle says V. 15. The Man Jesus Christ and 1 Cor. 15.21 For since by Man came Death so by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead by man I say so that Adams Manhood is here opposed to the Manhood of Christ and as all Men Fell in the Man Adam so must all Men also be justified by the Man Christ and consequently all men must as well be born of Christ as of Adam and that in the same manner because they are all justified in Christ after the same manner according to the Apostles Doctrine As all men Fell in Adam so in Christ are all men restored again Wherefore this exception cannot be admitted here to wit that Christ Regenerates all those whom he justifies only after a Spiritual manner and not as those that are born of Adam seing then all men can have none else but Adam for their first Father and yet that Christ justifies all men in that manner viz. by his own Righteousness it necessarily follows that the Man Jesus Christ could not thus justifie all men by his own Righteousness except he had taken upon him the Manhood of Adam for the reasons rendred in the former § 78. Fourthly I would willingly understand of these men which say that all that are justified are generated by Christ only after a Spiritual Manner what they mean by that manner of Speech Do they thereby mean that the body proceeds from a spiritual beginning as we have shewed in § 27. as also in the Considerations of B. Van Helmont concerning Man § 93.94 continually formed by his Life which is a Spirit as we have shewed in the aforesaid Considerations § 13.34 35 36 37. so that the Body must be obedient to the direction of its Life then I willingly grant them that the Faithful are born of Christ after such a spiritual manner But then they must withal grant me seing the bodily proceeds from the Spiritual as we have just now shewed that there must needs be a fellowship betwixt the Spiritual and the Bodily that is that they do both come from one and the same beginning Originally and consequently that the Spiritual must always contain in it that from whence the bodily does proceed or else there could be no fellowship betwixt these two If then there be somewhat in the spiritual which can also become corporeal then this manner of Speaking concerning a spiritual birth signisies nothing else but this that that out of which the Body is formed is Born of Christ as well as the Life or Spirit of Man and then man is born of Christ as well as to his Body as to his Spirit And then this spiritual Birth will not at all differ in this sense from the Birth out of Adam because those which are born out of Adam are also generated out of the spiritual Now that all Births are first spiritual that is that they do proceed from a spiritual beginning I have proved in the Considerations of B. Van Helmont concerning Man § 93.94 But because Men now a dayes are Carnal and unacquainted with that which is spiritual they are utterly ignorant that all things must needs have come from a Spiritual beginning Fifthly Suppose yet that we granted them the Point to wit that those which are justified in Christ are born of Christ only after a spiritual manner Does this spiritual birth relate to the Soul alone or to the Body also That is to the whole Man Seing the Apostle saith that the Man and not the Soul alone is justified Now if the Bodily as well as the Spiritual must be justified has not Christ then generated the Bodily as well as the Spiritual Verily yes or else the whole man could not be justified and consequently if the Bodily be justified as well as the Soullish pâ—rt then it is absurd to say that Christ hath generated the Righteous only after the Spirit seeing that if he justifieth the whole Man he must have generated him after the whole Man that is as well after the Body as after the Soul Wherefore those that make this exception that Christ has generated men after a Spiritual Manner in Opposition to the Generating of or from Adam must either contradict themselves or confess that they speak they know
dayes then God does not yet daily Create in this World because there would then be a contradiction in the Reason why God blessed the 7th day under which are included the following days to wit because he rested from Creating upon the 7th day but if God should still Create after the 7th day to what purpose then should this Blessing and Sanctification be Or if they say that the 7th day is Holyer than the rest because God did then rest from the Work of Creating I then ask these men whether it be their Opinion that God never Creates in this World upon the 7th day As also whether God does not as well rest upon the other dayes when he has Created a new Being in this World For we find by Experience that all men are not Born upon one and the same day but that upon all the seven days men are Born in this World and consequently according to the Modern common Opinion that God Creates Spirits upon all days without distinction what reason can there then be if God Creates upon the Fourth and Fifth day a Spirit c. and then ceaseth why should he not bless the Fourth or Fifth days as well as the Seventh day seing that he resteth on it as well as on the Seventh day But to pass by all further disputes the sense of these Words cannot without contradiction signify any thing else but that God ceasing upon the seventh day from the work of Creation or resting from it blessed that day to wit appointed the Creatures from that time forward to Multiply and so sanctified it that is set it apart from the time of Creation as not appertaining thereunto and to what purpose I pray did God bless and Sanctify that day As the Dutch Bible has it it was to perfect or throughly to finish all to wit that the Creatures might now begin to Work but that which God had given them in the Creation to work forth viz. That they should be Fruitful and Multiply c. seing then that God hath sanctified or set apart the Seventh day from the days of the Creation for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kadash properly signifys nothing else but to set a thing so apart that it belongs no more to that whereunto it did at first appertain it must needs follow that God Creates no more in this world or else that would be no reason why God should have Sanctified the 7th day more then any other day Furthermore the work Create is not any where in the Holy Scripture that I know of used concerning things that are produced by Generation nor is it the modern way of Speech to say this day a man is Created but born But some will perhaps ask If God Created all things that belong to this World in the beginning of the Creation why were not all things that to this World belong made visible at first in the Creation as for Example wherefore did not God produce so many Men Beasts Trees c. at the beginning of the Creation as were appertaining to this World In answer that true it is that if we do only look at the power of God we might be apt to think that all the Creatures might have been made visible at the beginning of the Creation at once but seing we cannot consider the Almightiness of God without his other Attributes these must be so considered that they do agree in one Now nothing is more certain than that there is in the Almightiness Freewill c. of God a Wisdom according to § 22. and 30. that is to say that God does nothing but in Order and not confusedly and seing we find every day by all Creatures how wisely exactly and Orderly all things do proceed the one out of the other in their Seasons that all things should not be brought forth at once and at the same time but in process of time And consequently the Answer to that Question Why did not God make all things visible in the Creation is this to wit That God according to his own Wisdom and the Order which he keeps in all things has so Created all things in this World that the one Creature being hid in the other each is in its appointed Season to come forth out of the other and not altogether at once But it will perhaps be yet further said in opposition to this Doctrine that all things were indeed Created in the beginning of the Creation and that now there are no more new Beings Created in this World That the Bodies are indeed generated by the Parents but that God Creates the Spirit and consequently that it does not follow that God Created all that which to this World belongs in the beginning of its Creation But because this Objection is of great consequence and properly belongs to the birth of Man therefore we will answer it in that place where we treat of the Soul § 33. For as much then as we have already proved more than sufficiently that all those things which do at any time appear in this World were in the beginning at the Creation It is likewise certain that every Creature has received a particular own or proper working or capacity to Work out those things which the Creator has appointed it to work out For if the Creature had no own working that is if God had not communicated to his Creature a capacity or power to work out something of its self what wisdom would there be in the Creation and what profit would it be to the Creature to be created Verily none at all because then the Creature would be nothing else but a meer Instrument that can Work nothing except the Workman does perpetually move it and then no Creature could be said to do any thing but only God the Creator might be said to work and not the Creature Now if this were so there would be no Wisdom in the Creation because all the Creatures being void of all capacity of acting of themselves and all that they do being nothing else but Gods working the Creatures could be of no use or service at all and as meer nothings and God would only be said to shew unto himself after how many sorts of ways he could work just as one that playing with Puppets shews unto himself how many sorts of motions he can make with them while the Images or Puppets themselves have nothing at all of it but he alone that moves them to and fro which manner of doing is no way consistent with the Wisdom of God being a meer Puppit Play of Children that would be of no use or service but God only playing with himself a conceit most dishonourable to the Wisdom and Goodness of God But besides the Holy Scripture does most evidently shew that God produced the Creature to that very end that it might have an own out-working for Gen. 1.6 it is said that the firmament of Heavens was made to make a division betwixt the Waters which are
Created Spirits or Lights which do consist not only of a Fiery but also of a Spiritual-watry Substance as shall be shewed in the Chapter of the Life or of the Soul And Deut. 4.24 Hebrews 12.29 The Lord your God is a consuming Fire and many times when God appeared to his People it was in a Fire or Light § 48. We shall as we go along discover our Thoughts why God is said sometimes to be a Light and sometimes to be a Fire and leave them to the further consideration of the Reader We shall every where find that where God is said to be a Fire he is represented as a Judge executing Punishment and on the contrary that he is called a Light where he displays his Grace Favour and Mercy by which Grace man is saved And thus God can be both a Light and a Fire a Light to them which purify their Hearts and that have put on the new Man and so are capable of enjoying of Gods presence by vertue of the Spiritual Fellowship which they have with their God Whereas on the Contrary he is a Fire to those which have not mortifyed the old Man or their flesh so that their impurity to wit their Carnal corruption cannot stand before the pure and clean Divine Fire But that we may shew this yet more plainly even in Nature it self we must consider that one and the same Fire is to some Subjects and in some respects a consuming Fire and to others not so nor able to do the least dammage to them as is most manifest in the imperfect Metals which are consumed in the Fire whereas on the contrary the perfect Metals as Gold and Silver are not in the least to be consumed by fire so that the fire with respect to Gold and Silver is properly no fire to wit no fire that consumes them or burns them as it does burn the imperfect and impure Metals § 49. Therefore from the Description which the Holy Scriptures give us of the Being of God it is evident that it is a Light and a Fire § 50 Seing then the Being of God is a Light and that man is Created after the Image of God it must needs follow that this Image in man is also a Light for as is said § 45. because the Divine being is a Spirit which has no outward shape or form the Image must needs also be a Spirit and such a Spirit as bears resemblance to that which it represents to wit it must be a Light as God is a Light § 51. Now that the Image of God or Spirit of the mind as it s called Eph. 4. consists in an inward Light the Holy Scripture teaches us for he that putteth on the new Man which is Created after God and who is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that Created him Col. 2.10 is said Eph. 5.8 To be Light in the Lord ye were sometimes Darkness but now are ye Light Col. 1.12 which has made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light And that inheritance saith the Apostle is the Light this Light saith the Psalmist Ps 97.11 is sown for the Righteous and Ps 112.4 unto the upright there ariseth Light in the Darkness And thus are the Faithful said to be Children of the Light 1 Thes 1.5 § 52. But that it may yet further appear that the Image of God is Light which Image or Light they receive who do mortify their flesh with the Lusts thereof it will be needful to enquire into the properties or Nature of the Image of God and of that Light which is given to the Faithful that so it may farther appear from the consonant properties thereof that the Image of God is a Light and even that very same Light which the Faithful do receive § 53. When God had Created man after his Image it is written Gen. 1.26 And let them have Dominion over the Fish of the Sea and over the Fowls of the Aire and over the Cattle and over all the Earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth From whence it is evident that the Image of God makes men meet to Rule over the whole Earth And thus also it is said of the Faithful Ps 25.13 That his seed shall inherit the Earth and Psal 37.11 The meek shall inherit the Earth which is again repeated Mat. 5.5 Now what is it to possess the Earth but to be Lord and Master of it as it is the Right of an Heir to be And Mark 9.23 Our Saviour says If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth and what he meant by all things our Saviour shews at large Mark 16.17 18. And these Signs shall follow them that believe in my name shall they cast out Devils they shall speak with new Tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover And Luke 10.20 The Spirit are subject to you and such other places which do evidently shew us that the faithful that have received the Light have the same Power as Man had before he lost the Image of God § 54. And as Man that was Created after the Image of God had Power to fill the earth and to subdue it Gen. 1.28 So those that have received the Spirit or Light are said to mortify and subdue their Flesh that is the Earthly part and to make it Spiritual Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is Crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed But it is more properly rendered weakned or impeded in its working And Rom. 8.11 12 13. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you Therefore Brethren we are Debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh for if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body ye shall live And Gal. 5.24 And they that are Christs have Crucified the flâ—sh with the Lusts And this is treated of at Large Eph. 4. Col. 3. c. § 55. Now before man had sinned while the Image of God yet shined in his inward parts how great Wisdom and Knowledge in all things did attend him continually It must needs have at least been such that he did not only see through the external Objects the frame of things but also must have had knowledge of their most inward state to wit of the Spirit or Life of every thing because he understood how to give Names to all things according to their Natures Gen. 2.19 And when the Lord God had formed out of the Ground every Beast of the field and every Fowle of the Aire he brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them and whatsoever Adam called every living Creature that was the name thereof Now he
our selves proved § 68.69 c. But that 's not the Question here who it is that alone can restore man but we are here enquiring on what manner and by what means or way Christ could restore Sinners as may be seen from § 76. Now the Means to reunite sinners to the Image of God again I say is that Christ should take upon him manhood as is proved § 77. therefore we are here only to consider whether this means that is whether that Manhood which Christ did take upon him be a fit means whereby all men could be united again to the Image of God or no Therefore this exception has here no place and this our answer might very well suffice But to discuss this Shift a little more narrowly I say that if Christ has imparted Salvation unto all Mankind only in vertue of his Spiritual and Divine being then he needed not to have become man and to have suffered death and that Christs becoming man would then have been utterly needless and of no advantage unto sinners because Christ had that his Divine power before he became man and did not receive it by his becoming man But if they will say that Christ as he Saviour was to become man as we our selves have proved the necessity thereof § 76.77 I ask such what Advantage Christs becoming man has effected And whether Christ by becoming man could reconcile all men if he had not taken upon him the Manhood of Adam as the Stem or Root of all Mankind the contrary of which we have just now shewed Objection V. But against this Position that Christ must needs have taken upon him Adams Manhood to reunite all men to the the Image of God again this Objection will still be made Viz. That if Christ had taken upon him Adams Manhood and so had united Adam again with the Image of God he should at the same time have also united all men with the Image of God because they are the Parts of Adam as we our selves have affirmed in answer to the former Objection and yet we see nothing less than that all Men are one with the Image of God but daily experience shews us the contrary and consequeâ—tly that it seems to no purpose that Christ should have taken upon him the Manhood of Adam more than that of any other Man Answer But this Objection discovers more the Objectors ignorance of the Order of Nature than any real Contradiction for Example is it not evident from Experience that the Fruit of a Woman with Child is a part of her Verily yes because she does some times change the form thereof in the Womb wherefore her life has the direction over the Life of her Fruit while it is in the Womb But when she has brought forth her Chiâ—d then she has no longer power to change her Child according to her passion but then the Child stands upon its own bottom and it s own life must preserve it so as that it has then received an own out-working But altho Children and Aged People have an out working yet they do not therefore cease to be a part of their Parents and consequently do always retain an Union with them altho' they do also stand upon their own bottom for these two things must be well minded here to wit that they have their Corporeal Being of their Parents and so far are a part of them as Adam said of Eve She is Bone of my Bones c. and yet that they also have their own out-working because they are always in Union with their Parents and yet have a power to Work of their own according to § 27. Yet they cannot come into that state of their Parents altho' they do partake of their bodily Being unless their own out-working do incline to come into the same state in which their Parents are As for Example when the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7.14 The Vnbelieving Husband is Sanctified by the Wife and the Vnbelieving Wife is Sanctified by the Husband Does he here signifie that when the Unbelievers are Sanctified by their believing Husbands or Wives that they do thereby become Believers or does he only signifie thereby that when two are become one Flesh and so do enjoy each others Spirit through love the Unbeliever becomes Sanctified through that Spiritual Fellowship which they have one with another that is That the Unbeliever receives by the Spirit of the Believer who is his Co-partner a Capacity or meet occasion of becoming a Believer if he does also co-operate thereunto but not else In like manner when the Apostle saith in the same Verse That the Children are Holy which are born of a Believing Father or Mother does he mean that the Children do thereby become Believers surely no for that would contradict all Sense and Experience For do we not see that the Faithful Abraham had an unbelieving Ishmael as well as a believing Isaac and that Isaac had as well an Esau as a Jacob But the Apostle signifies thereby that there is in them a Seed Beginning or Principle of coming to the Faith but yet that Principle or Seed never brings forth Fruit if they themselves do not join unto it and cooperate with it just thus it is now with Adam and his Posterity that Participation which they have of Adam gives unto all Men by vertue of that Union which they have with Adam that they are so far Co-partners of the Divine Image in so much and as far as they are a part of Adam and so have the seed or Principle that the Image of God can Work in them but because as they have their own out-working for which reason also Faith unto Salvation is required of every one so they do not feel the Working of the Image of God in them till their own out-working and desire inclines thereunto viz. That the Image of God may Rule in them instead of their own Carnal Drivings Lusts and Self Wisdom which do as long as they bear Rule in them hinder the Spirit of Christ from bringing forth Fruits in them altho' their Origine to wit Adam be actually and effectually reunited unto the Image of God again Objection VI. But it will here again be Objected That Christ as to his humane Nature or Manhood was without Sin but that Adam was sinful and that therefore if Christ had taken upon him Adams Manhood he could not have been without Sin but would therein have also partaken of Adams Nature Answer True it is that Adam was a Sinner but that it is also true that Christ took not Adams Manhood on him till after Adams death viz. About four thousand years after his Creation so that Adam suffered and dyed before Christ was united unto Adams Manhood Now because nothing can become better but by Suffering and dying according to § 66.67 And seing Adam did Suffer and dye it does not necessarily follow that because Christ took upon him Adams Manhood that therefore he must take upon him also his
unchangeable Light and attain to Communion with the same And to the end he might thus fill the Earth that is make it Spiritual God also Commanded Adam to subdue the Earth whereby is not meant that man should have the Earth under his Feet go upon it or Till and Cultivate it for this Nature sufficiently teacheth us neither was there any need of a Command to inforce it but hereby is intimated to us that it is the great duty of Man to have the Earthly and Dark Essence whereof his Body doth Consist under his power and Command so as that the said Dark Essence might not bear Rule over the Fiery but on the contrary that his Glorious and Illuminated Spirit should Rule over the Dark or Watry Essence whereof his Body doth consist and over the Spirits that are in it of which see § 107. and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to have Dominion over to Conquer to bring into Subjection and Obedience And when we put such a Sence as this upon these Words Replenish the Earth and Subdue it we shall find them to hold forth Wisdom and Understanding and such as doth excellently agree and comport with the Nature of Man seing that he consists of these two different Essences viz. The Fiery and the Watry Neither is there any thing throughout the whole Current of Scripture more prest upon than to mortify his Flesh to Subdue it and Glorifie it through the Spirit as hath been shewed § 39.40 105 107. So that the same thing which was Commanded to Adam Gen. 1.28 the Sinner must now obtain through much suffering and manifold Deaths § 115. Seing therefore that it is the great duty and Work of Man pursuant to Gods Command to Subdue that which is Earthly and Bodily and to make it Spiritual it was of absolute necessity that he should be partaker of the Earthly in order to his Glorifying of it And for this Reason Man had an Earthly Body bestowed upon him to the end he should make that Body which is fed and maintained from the Earth Spiritual and illuminate its Darkness Moreover God gave to Man Dominion over the Fishes of the Sea and over the Fowl of Heaven and over every living thing that creepeth upon the Earth And this was necessary because man was appointed to fill or replenish the Earth and to Subdue it In the word Earth being also comprehended whatsoever consists of the Earth or Water because the Earth hath its Original from the Water to the end therefore that Man might have Dominion over all these Creatures it was necessary for him to have some Communion with them that is to be partaker of their Natures to the end that Ruling over them he might in and through the Glorification of his own Body Glorify them also and make them Spiritual And this could have been done in and through Adam because he being the Head of the Earth did Govern all things by his Spirit and therefore was partaker of all Living Crèatures that so they might not be exempted from his Dominion And that Adam was thus Partaker of all Living things appears from this that Man to this day doth Partake of the Fish Fowl and Beasts because he enjoys the same for his Food and Nourishment Moreover which is well to be minded he was also to have Dominion over every Creeping thing viz. Worms and other Infects which Worms were not without him for the Body consists of Worms as appears because when it dies it turns to Worms and Worms are the first Life of all Creatures because all things that die turn to Worms § 116. And to the end we may more clearly Dissect the Condition and Qualities of Adam we are well to consider that Adam before the Fall did not consist nor exist as we Sinners now do for we are part and Members of Adam which were in Adam as is hinted § 78. we therefore being the Members of Adam cannot have the same Perfection which Adam had who was the whole that is who had all Men in himself And in this respect the Apostle saith very well 1 Cor. 12. That we all are one Body yet so as that we are Members of that Body now the Members have not one and the same or an alike powerful Operaton neither are all of the same worth and dignity nor hath every Member separately the same worthiness with the whole Body Whence we understand that none of Adams Posterity can have the Excellency which Adam hath because Adam is the Head and Body whereof all Men are only the Members and every Member Separately hath only the Perfection of being such a Member and not of being the whole Body Neither is Adam only to be considered as the Head of all Mankind and by consequence far more excellent than any of his Posterity but such also was the Prerogative of Adam that the had the whole Earth and all Creatures in himself that is that he Ruled over them all and this could not be except that his Spirit had dwelt in all things and Govern'd them And that all Creatures were in Adam that is that the whole Earth and all living Creatures were upheld and Govern'd by his Spirit in the same manner as the Central Spirit of Man upholds and Governs his whole Body we learn from hence because when Adam had sinned the whole Earth was cursed for his sake Gen. 3.17 Now if so be the whole Earth and all that is in it had not been a part of Adam what consequence or connexion could there be in this that upon Adams sinning the whole Earth should be declared sinful Moreover we Read Rom. 8.19 20 21 22. That the Creature as with a stretched forth head waiteth for the Manifestation of the Sons of God For the Creature was made subject to Vanity not willingly but by or through him who hath subjected the same in hope that the Creature it self also shall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the Glorious Libery of the Sons of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and is in travel together until now When the Apostle here saith that the whole Creation that is the whole Earth is made subject to Vanity or Corruption by him who hath subject it viz. to Vanity can this possibly be understood of any one but of Adam No surely for God had Commanded Adam that the should Subdue the Earth or subject it but not to Vanity but by Glorifying the same as hath been said § 114. tho he did the contrary If therefore Adam being the Head and Governour of the whole Earth hath made the whole Creation viz. the Earth subject to Vanity is not then this our Assertion true and stedfast that the whole Earth and all that is in it is a part of Adam Yea the Apostle saith as much in plain words by calling Men the Earth and whatsoever is in the same one whole Creation or Creature thereby expresly shewing that the whole Earth is