To relie upon God thus represented and believed as able and promising eternal life unto sinful man upon fairest terms 3. To profess this our faith God is the efficient cause by his Spirit of this faith he is the object his word is the rule 3. This faith we Protestants do profess this faith they of Rome do profess and both agree not only in the words but for the most part in the sense of this Creed as appears by the exposition thereof given in their Trent Catechism This is not so to be understood as though there were no errours in that except in these three particulars For besides the many truths delivered in that part of the Catechism there are several errours intermixt though none of them so gross as these three 1. In the manner of Christs birth 2. In the division of Hell into several parts 3. In the visible Headship of their Roman Pontif over the universal Church Though none of these have any ground in Scripture or in the writings of purest Antiquity are no ways necessary or conducing to Sanctification and Salvation and are more like Fancies and Fables then any solid truth yet we must be condemned as Innovators Hereticks Schismaticks as having no hope of salvation till reconciled to their Church and having no existence of a Church before Luther this is their charity but this is our comfort God will be Judge and they as well as we must be judged and they cannot prove that by our publick Doctrine we have added any new Article to the Ancient Catholick Apostolick Faith nor rejected any matter of doctrine or practice which is necessary or effectually conducing to salvation 4. Though this form of confession be generally received amongst us yet we find in it two additions not expressed in many former Creeds 1. Is the descent of Christ into Hell 2. Concerning the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints Concerning the first its doubted 1. When it was added to this confession 2. What the sense and genuine meaning of it is 1. We find it not in many of the ancienâ— and Apostolical forms of confession not in the Nicene or Ephesiene or Constantinopolitan Creed nor yet in the Roman Therefore Ruffinus in his exposition of this Creed confesseth that this article of Christs descent into Hell is not found either in the Roman or Oriential Creeds Besides some inform us that it is not found in genuine Copies of Athanasius his form therefore some say that it was brought in by a Synod held at Aquileia 2. As for the sense it s much controverted For some will have the words to signifie no more then that he was buryed others that Christ suffered in his soul the pains of Hell others that he passed into the estate and place of the dead others that in his soul he passed locally and substantially into Hell to preach unto the spirits and souls there imprisoned Thus Lib. 6. Ruffinus in his exposition thus Stromat Clemens Alexandrinus thus the first Reformers wko in the time of Edward 6th composed the Articles of Subscription for which they out of Clemens Alexandr alledged the Text 1 Pet. 3. 18 19. yet that explication was omitted in after-times when the Articles were reduced to the humber of 39. as now they are without any addition to the words of the Creed for the words of the Article are only these As Christ dyed for us and was buryed so also is it to be believed that he went down into hell The second addition is concerning the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints For though there is no Creed but implies that there a number of people who being called do believe and are partakers of the benefits of Christs Redemption yet in many ancient forms we find no mention of these words Yet the sense of them is plain and the matter clearly expressed in Scripture The occasion of the inserting of them might be the Schism of the Donatists or some others like them who confined the Church to themselves at Cartenna in Africk and like many in our days refused Communion with any other Christian but of their own party Whereas the Article according to the Scriptures signifies that the Church since this commission in my Text was put in execution by the Apostles going into all Nations and reducing many unto Christ became universal And these reduced are all of them Saints and though they be many living at a distance without any interview or converse civil one with another yet they are but one Body Society Corporation under Christ their Head and have spiritual communion one with another in the same Faith Sacraments and Spirit This is against not only the Jew but the Schismatical Donatist and also Rome it self as confining the term Catholick to her own party and engrossing the priviledges of the universal Church as though they did only belong to her who is but a little part or particle of the same Chap. 5. Shewing how in this Doctrine of our Saviour we have the abridgment of the Scripture Sect. 1. THe second proposition in the Mandate was That Christ commanded the Apostles to teach all Nations after the explication whereof I did enlarge and undertook to manifest four things 1. That the Doctrine to be taught was our Saviours Creed 2. That it was the ground of all the Apostolical and ancient Creeds 3. That the Creed commonly called the Apostles is agreeable to this Doctrine 4. That it is the abridgment of the holy Scriptures This undertaking in respect of the first three things according to my poor ability I have performed It remains I make good the fourth and last which is to make it evident that it is the abridgment of the holy Scriptures To this end I will 1. Acquaint you with the principal subject and parts of the Scripture according to the method of the Creed 2. Teach you how to refer the several parts of the Scripture to those parts 3. Reduce the whole to the form of a confession 1. The principal subject of the Scriptures is God and therefore they are called the word of God in writing not only because in them God speaks to man and hath revealed his mind but also because they speak of God So that he is not only the efficient but the Subject of the same This most excellent subject is represented in this Book of Books 1. As he is in himself from everlasting to everlasting 2. As he is the univesal and supreme effiecient of all things out of himself 1. As in himself he is represented as only one most perfect glorious substance whâ— always acting upon himself and contemplating himself produceth a word which perfectly and fully represents himself and his own infinite and eternal goodness unto himself and so is infinitely and eternally enamoured delighted and satiated with himself For the Scriptures tell us that he doth know and love himself from all eternity and is infinitely and eternally blessed in himself Sect. 2. As he
who hath redeemed thee and God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth thee so that the Covenant of grace which was made effectual and immutual by the death and blood of Christ being first made between God and the party to be baptized the proper effect of this rite of Baptism is a solemn confirmation of this Covenant in respect of both parties This confirmation being finished both the parties are more strictly and highly bound to performance God to make good his promises man to make goods his vows For God is bound not only by his promise in general but by this rite to the person baptized in particular And man is bound not only in general but by name not only by the command of God and his own vow but also by receiving of this solemn rite and being baptized Upon this obligation follows a more particular and certain right unto the mercies merited by Christ and promised in the Covenant and a nearer relation unto and a more special interest in that God who made him loved him and redeemed him by Christ and sanctifies him by the Spirit yet the actual enjoyment of these mercies depends upon the performance of the conditions to which man is bound yet because this performance depends upon the sanctifying power of the Spirit therefore God in his infinite mercy gives the Spirit to the party baptized that so the Covenant should not be in vain For God nulling the Covenant of works which had no promise of grace and making a Covenant of free-grace as a Father a Redeemer and Sanctifier and promising and really intending to save man must needs by vertue of this promise give him the Spirit which is absolutely necessary to salvation and also merited by Christ for such as believe in Christ to abid in them and enable them to perform all duties necessary to Salvation This is the reason why Baptism and the Spirit are sâ— often joyned together yet the giving â—â— this Spirit is not absolutely tyed and limited to the very time of Baptism but is given sometimes after and sometimes before and sometimes in or at the time of Baptism This Covenant is made by way of stipulation and restipulation and when the answer of a good conscience is made the Spirit may be received the more speedily By all this we may easily understand how willing God is to strengthen our weakness and confirm our hope and how deeply we that are baptized are bound and engaged to our God and to him alone so as to renounce all other confidences and to relie upon him as a Father loving us and his Son redeeming us and the Holy Ghost sanctifying us And here it s to be remembred that those supernatural effects which in the Scripture are given to Baptism are properly and principally to be ascribed to the love of the Father the merit of Christ and the power of the Spirit as by this Sacrament we subject our selves unto God alone as our Supreme Lord so we renounce the Devil all other false Gods profess our selves Christians and separate from all other Religions For Baptism is one of the bonds which ties the members of the Church together in one body a badge of our profession and character whereby we are didistinguished from all Idolaters Mahumotans and unbelieving Jews Sect. 7. Thus we understand what Baptism is the next thing to be inquired into is who may lawfully by this commission administer this Sacrament The Text doth plainly determine the person For he that must teach the same must baptize It 's true that this power as universal and extending to the Gentiles was given immediately unto the Apostles yet unto them as first dispensing the word yet because the word was to be dispensed and preached not only by them but also by their successours unto the worlds end therefore the ordinary powâ—â— of preaching is continued to all such as a 〈…〉 lawfully called to the Ministry and so the power of baptizing too So that according to these words of our Saviour they wâ—â— are trusted with the dispensation of the word are trusted with the administratioâ— of the Sacraments for the promise of asistance in the dispensation of both is madâ— only unto them as they are Ministers oâ— Christ to be imployed in the calling anâ— conversion of sinners and the applicat 〈…〉 on of Redemption These are the fitteâ— and most able to prepare them for the S 〈…〉 craments and should be most able to ju 〈…〉 who are rightly qualified for the receivi 〈…〉 of them It 's true that unworthy and insufficient persons may be admitted into the Ministry and others though more sufficient may be careless negligent yet these must answer for their infidelity betraying of their trust However it 's evident that the persons who may lawfully baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are the Ministers of the Gospel Sect. 8. The third and last thing to be examined is who are subjects capable of this Sacrament and have a right unto Baptism by the rules of divine institution and according to the Text they are such as are taught and made Disciples for neither the Apostles nor their successours have any warrant from Christ to baptize any but Disciples for here it 's said Go and teach or disciple all Nations baptizing them that is these who are discipled For we must know that the Apostles were sent not to gather Churches out of Churches and to find the Nations made Christians to their hand but to call men out of darkness into light and perswade men unbelievers to believe that of no Christians they might be made Christians They must not first baptize and then teach but first teach and then baptize and so prepare them for Baptism yet to be taught was not sufficient they must learn understand profess their faith in God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost promise to obey Christs commands and desire by Baptism to be admitted into the Church yet a Simon Magus may do all this and so obtain Baptism and Phillip was bound to receive him for God doth not bind the Minister of the Gospel to try the hearts and reins of any man for that he could not do but he must perswade them in the name of Christ to profess and promise sincerely from their hearts yet if they do not this and it appear to him to do it so that he knows nothing to the contrary he not only may but must baptize such if they desire it yet Baptism is little advantage unto such for though they may be admitted and received into the visible Church yet they are not members of Christ nor heirs of Gods Kingdom but such as come with an upright heart and make the answer of a good conscience inwardly believe with their souls as they profess with their lips may certainly expect the Spirit of Regeneration and the benefits promised in the Covenant But in all this discourse upon this part of
successours yet these things though not here expressed are certain 1. They must go to all Nations for none are excepted or excluded 2. They must begin at Jerusalem and first tender salvation to the Jew 3. They must begin in this place immediately upon the receiving of the Holy Ghost and the gift of Languages 4. They must go to other Nations as providence did direct them and the Spirit did reveal unto them 5. They might go severally and have their several assignations yet so that sometimes two or more might go together or meet at the same place 6. They might do and did many things by assistants 7. The principal work of the Apostles was to plant and lay the foundation of the Christian Church and Religion 8. Seeing the work could not be finished before the Worlds end therefore much must be left to their successours 9. Christ did not so limit himself to the eleven Apostles then present as that he could not commission others and invest them with Apostolical power for afterward St. Mathias was substituted in the place of Judas and St. Paul made a thirteenth Apostle 10. This universal power in respect of all Nations was not so limited to the Apostles or any extraordinary Ministers that the ordinary might not do Christ service in the universal Church or any Nation whether God should call him according to the opportunity and ability which God should give him But to be brief and hasten to the principal part of the commission I will in this proposition briefly observe four things 1. The preventing grace of God 2. His enlarging mercy 3. The benefits which redound unto us thereupon 4. Our duty to be performed in respect of this grace mercy and those benefits Sect. 3. 1. The preventing grace of God appears in this that the Nations did not pray to God to send them nor seek to the Apostles to come unto them nor did they come unto the Apostles but the Apostles were commanded to go to them and did go and came to all Nations They must not take their ease and make Jerusalem the place of their residence in one College Consistory or palace there They must not stand upon terms of Honour and send out their Edicts to cite and summon the Nations to come unto them and appear before them It s true that hitherto the Jew had taken State upon him and because of Gods Election of that City and the Temple the Gentiles must assemble there appear before God in that holy place If thus he refuse to do he must stand at a distance and continue without Christ without honour without God in the World If the Gentile will not come over to the Jew the Jew will not must not go over unto him But the time of this dispensation was expired and God will take another course and in his infinite mercy he will prevent the Gentiles of all Nations The Apostles must part asunder take several ways and with great labour peril charge visit the Nations of the World and seek their souls in every climate And God by them did bring the Gospel Christ and Salvation to their doors and offer Heaven and Eternity of bliss unto most unworthy wretches who never sought or thought of any such thing Then began to be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Prophet long before Esay 65. 1. I am sought of them that asked not for me I am found of them that sought me not I said Behold me behold me unto a Nation not called by my Name The distance between God and sinful man is very great and would for ever so continue if God should deal with him in strict justice nay if he should not shew him great mercy For man would never think of God as he ought never desire him never come unto him if God should not prevent him call him and come unto him first For man will never seek his God if God do not seek him first For mans salvation must begin in Gods free love and preventing grace whereby he seeks him finds him and finds him dead in sins and trespasses and ready for to perish This is Gods preventing grace 2. His enlarging mercy appears in that the Apostles must go not only to the Jew but to the Gentile and not only to the Gentiles of some few Nations but of all and seek to gather them into one body and close them up into one fold For formerly his special mercy was confined to a single Nation the people of the Jews the posterity of Abraham by Jacob but now it must be extended to all Nations and to all sorts of all Nations No Nation in particular by name is excepted excluded or to be omitted and passed by God for a long time inclosed the Jew and by a partition wall severed him from all Nations in matter of Religion His Oracles his Covenant the promise of Christ the sanctifying Spirit and all the means of conversion were the priviledges of this people But now Gods mercies will not be thus straitned and contained in such narrow bounds The partition wall must be broken down and his saving grace will overflow these petty Banks and like the Ocean compass the whole Earth 3. But for what end must this mercy thus enlarge and why must they go unto all Nations of the Gentiles They might have gone to denounce most fearful judgements For what could Idolatrous Apostates who had forsaken their God who made them and every moment preserved them expect but some fearful punishments to be executed upon them Yet such was Gods mercy towards them that they were not sent to denounce judgement but to proclaim an act of Eternal Indemnity and Pardon of all their many grievous sins and promise and that upon fairest terms Eternal life Therefore the benefit of this preventing grace and enlarging mercy which did redound to all people of all Nations was very great They sate in darkness and the shadow of death under the power of Satan ignorant blind corrupted hardned without any means of conversion or hope of salvation But by the Apostles God sends unto them light life peace joy comfort Heaven gates are opened Eternal Life offered and Christ is very willing and desirous to save us and give us eternal bliss O that men would consider how great a mercy it is for God to come so near unto us and put us in a capacity of salvation 1. This benefit would appear to be the greater if we would remember how unworthy we are 2. The sad condition of others to whom God never vouchsafed the light of the Gospel without this preventing grace Salvation is impossible to all without this enlarging mercy impossible to many especially to us who live at so great a distance in a corner of the World But it hath been so enlarged that it reached us God hath found us Christ is come unto us and the heavenly light of saving truth doth clearly shine upon us So that if we perish we are deeply guilty and
World loving sinful man 2. His only begotten Son given to redeem us 3. The Holy Ghost regenerating us and working Faith in us that by faith we may escape eternal death and attain eternal life For this is the true and genuine sense of these words we read of many forms of faith and confession some called Apostolical related by many of the Ancients and of the Nicene Ephesine Constantinopolitan Roman Athanasian and others yet this is before them all above them all the ground of them all immediately divine delivered by Christ himself recorded in holy Scipture and therefore no unwritten Tradition In this respect Tertullian might well say that the Apostles had the rule of Faith from Christ and Christ from God For from whom he received his power from him he received this Doctrine which he commands his Apostles to teach and all Nations to believe Sect. 3. This is the ground of the ancient and Apostolical Creed delivered by the Apostles to the Churches which they planted as by several of the first Primitive Writers we are informed For they for matter and method agree with this and in both are conformable unto it The matter of them all is God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost and the method is to begin with the Father go on with the Son and end with the Holy Ghost though not in express terms yet by consequence By which it appears they took their rise from these words 1. They begin with God the Father and under this part bring in that first great work of Creation 2. They proceed to the Son the eternal word of the Father who was made flesh and redeemed mankind created righteous and holy and faln in Adam 3. They speak of the Holy Ghost who as Tertullian expresseth it is Sanctificator fidei by whom Christ was conceived the Prophets inspired the Church comforted Divers of them conclude with the final judgment wherein Christ shall render to all such as being sanctified by the spirit do believe eternal rewards to the devil and wicked men eternal punishments where we must observe 1. That creation extends to all things for God created heaven and earth and all things therein 2. Redemption reacheth only man for Christ redeemed not the Angels nor any other creature but sinful mankind 3. Sanctification is confined to the Church and the Elect people of God So that the Spirit sanctifies not all men but the Church Christ reedeems man but not all creatures God the Father createth all things and all persons The first part of the Creed concerning one God is against all Atheists and Heathen Idolaters The second concerning the Son Jesus Christ is against all Mahumetans and Unbelieving Jews The third concerning the Holy Ghost is against all Pelagians enimies of grace and counterfeit Christians And here it is to be noted that the mystery of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost was never so clearly and distinctly made manifest as it was when the Father out of Love gave his only begotten Son and sent him into the World and when the Son and eternal word was made flesh and redeemed man and when the holy Ghost descended in the likeness of a Dove and rested upon our Saviour Jesus Christ and came upon the Apostles and sanctified believers Sect. 4. After it hath been manifested that in this Doctrine concerning God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost 1. We have Christs own Creed and 2. That this was the ground of the ancient Apostolical Creeds and Confessions it remains 3. that I say something of that which is commonly called the Apostles Creed which we find in Ruffinus with an Exposition and which is used in the Catechisms and Liturgies of the Roman and reformed Churches In this we may observe 1. That for the principal matter and method its grounded upon our Saviours Creed and exactly agrees with the ancient and primitive Confessions For therein we have three principal parts the 1. Concerning God the Father and the work of Creation of the world the 2. concerning God the Son and the work of Redemption of man the 3. concerning God the Holy Ghost and sanctification of the Church and the Elect people of God This appears by that brief contraction of it in our publick Catechism which is a prime peice in this particular of antiquity and gives great light how to understand the confession and implies that it was grounded upon our Saviours Creed 2. To understand this Creed the better we must observe 1. The object 2. The act of man about this object 1. The object is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost considered 1. In himself 2. In his works which are 1. Creation 2. Providence Providence where of there are two parts 1. Preservation 2. Ordination 1. General of all 2. Special of man especially as faln Of this special providence there be two principal branches Redemption Application Concerning the Redeemer two things are to be observable 1. Who he is 2. What 's his work 1. He is Jesus Christ who for person is the only Son of God for Natures God and man and as man he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary for Offices he is King Priest and Prophet 2. His work is that which we call Redemption whereof two parts His Humiliation His Exaltation His humiliation in that he taking upon him the form of a servant suffered under Pontious Pilate was Crucified dead and buryed descended into Hell His Exaltation in his Resurrection His Exaltation in his Ascension His Exaltation in his Session at the right hand of God His Exaltation in his Comming to Judgement The application of this Redemption hath three things considerable 1. The principal cause which is the holy Ghost by the word working Faith in us 2. The subject to which this application is made which is the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints which is the number of believers 3. The effects of this Redemption applyed Which are 1. Forgiveness of sins 2. Resurrection of the body 3. Life everlasting And here it s to be noted 1. That by the humiliation of Christ and especially the death and sacrifice of himself upom the Cross these effects and blessings were merited and in consideration of the same were promised 2. That God as loving us Redeeming us by Christ and applying this Redemption by his Spirit is the fountain and cause of salvation and eternal happiness 3. That God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as considered in himself and in his works of Creation Redemption and Sanctification is the principal object of the acts of this saving faith 2. As these things are the object of our Faith and the Credenda so the act is to believe To believe is 1. To be certainly perswaded of the truth of these things as revealed by God and certainly known to be so For the ground of a divine infallible faith must be a divine Testimony known certainly to be divine 2.
means of Conversion of the Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministery of Information and Instruction Promises Threatnings Conmands Reproofs Exhortation good Examples Afflictions and many other things used by God in the vocation the power of the spirit accompanying these means and working upon the heart of the sight and sence of sin of godly sorrow fear hope prayers tears hearkning unto the word receiving it into the heart longing after Christ some beginning of comfort faith and conversion To this place also reduce the Scriptures which speak of the contrary as God passing by a people and denying them the means of conversion of such as to whom the means is vouchsafed yet they refuse to receive them despise them blaspheme rebel persecute Gods messengers and seek the abolition of Gods Laws and Kingdom Of such as seem to receive these means yet do not use them or if they use them yet not diligently and aright but are like to the high way the stony or the thorny ground Such places as speak of impenitency hardness of heart unbelief neglecting the day of Visitation unfruitfulness under the means of Salvation Hypocrisie Apostacy all neglect or resistence of any motives unto repentance deferring the time of conversion after conviction and falling off from any resolutions to repent or any degree of grace To that of Justification which presupposeth not only Gods mercy and Christs merit but also the sinners Repentance Conversion and sincere faith may be reduced all Scriptures which speak of Christs Intercession Remission Regeneration Reconciliation Adoption Manifestation of Gods special love hope of glory a right unto eternal life peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost freedom from condemnation removal of judgements the earnest and first fruits of the spirit abiding in us the guardance of Angels near communion with God Gods special care of the justified the turning of every thing to their good mortification of sin sanctification continued good works heavenly affections divine vertues patience and perseverance in Hearts Afflictions Persecutions Martyrdom Conflicts with sin Satan the world fastings falls recoveries increase of heavenly vertues longing desires to be with Christ watching praying providing for removal hence and the last account comfortable death conveyance into Abraham's bosom the secure expectation of the Resurrection freedom from all sin misery temptation and troubles of this life To this Head must be referred all such Scriptures as speak of the contrary as of Gods desertion after disobedience to his heavenly call withdrawing the light of the Gospel taking away his blessed spirit leaving the parties thus deserted to the power of Satan delivering them up to a reprobate mind security in sin despair terrours of conscience loss of all the former mercies and graces or rather a dinial of them exemplary judgments as forerunners of eternal destruction abiding under Gods eternal displeasure a cursed death and a reservation of the parts thus dead unto final condemnation and that sad condition till that time To the last of Glorification refer such places as speak of the universal Resurrection of the power and spirit of God raising us the manner of this Resurrection the nature and excellent qualities of the body raised as being immortal uncorruptible glorious spiritual and like the body of Christ our final Justification and glorious reward of ejoyment of the blessed presence of God and Jesus Christ our full and final Sanctification by the spirit our Society with Saints and Angels our spiritual glorious pleasant Paradice our full joys eternal pleasure unspeakable content freedom from all sin temptation sorrow songs of praise and the certainty and security of the continuance and perpetuity of full bliss Here also must come in those parts of Gods word which speak of the contrary as of the resurrection of such as are designed to eternal death upon their final impenitency of the immortality of their bodies that they may eternally suffer in body and soul their appearance before the dreadful Judge their condemnation their ejection out of Gods blessed presence into utter darkness and unquenchable fire their society with the Devil and his Angels their everlasting and intollerable sorrows and pains and the certainty of the continuance thereof without any hope of ease intermission deliverance Sect. 7. After that I have first declared the substance of the Scripture abridged in the Creed and secondly given some directions how to reduce the principal particular places of the word of God unto the heads of the Creed I now proceed to reduce the former particulars into the form of a Confession in this manner I believe in God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost who is only One Infinite Incomprehensible Eternal infinitely and eternally Wise Just Holy Powerful Glorious and every way Perfect and perfectly knows and loves himself from everlasting and is blessed in himself unto all eternity I believe that this One Glorious God did by his wisdom contrive and by his will decree to do many things out of himself and when he thought good he issued out with his Almighty Power to effect those things which he had before contrived and first he created Heaven and Earth and all things therein and the most glorious place which he made was the Heaven of heavens and the most excellent creatures were Men and Angels intellectual immortal free capable of Laws and of an eternal estate Man for his body was created of the dust of the earth and by the breath of God became a living soul and he was sanctified by the holy Spirit endued with heavenly gifts and virtues whereby he was righteous and holy and like unto his God and capable of eternal bliss tho his present estate was not immutable he might stand he might fall When this great work was finished by his Word Spirit without any pre-existent stuff any assistant any tool or instrument he continued by his Almighty power to support and preserve all things which do subsist by that word whereby they were created at the first By creation he manifested his eternal power and God-head became the absolute surpreme and universal Lord of all things and so continues by his preservation I believe that as he preserves all things created so he orders all things preserved in such a manner as that a Sparrow falls not to the ground without his will And as he created all things in an excellent order and gave them their inclinations power moving and tending to some end so he by his wonderful Wisdom directs every thing unto its several end and all things to the supream which is the manifestation of his glory In this ordination the government of his most noble creatures Men and Angels which he orders by certain Laws and Judgements unto an eternal estate as most excellent and wonderful to both he gave certain laws which they were able to observe and upon the observation they might certainly expect a confirmation in that blessed estate for which they were created many of the Angels sinned and were
the Earth did quake the Rocks did rend the Graves were opened the Veil of the Temple was rent in the midst from the top to the bottom to signifie that the great High-Priest having offered himself by the eternal Spirit without spot was entring with his own Blood into the Holy Place of Heaven to obtain eternal Redemption and the expiation of mans sin for ever The very frame of Heaven and Earth seem'd to be shaken in the time of this great suffering men were astonished women wept many beat their breasts the Centurion who had the charge of this execution was convinced that the party executed was the Son of God Our blessed Saviour suffered this death with unparallell'd patience meekness he laid down his life willingly in obedience to his heavenly Father and out of love and a longing desire of sinful mans salvation No man could take it from him till the hour was come and he was willing to part with it because he as a Priest and general head and representative of mankind offered his life unto his heavenly Father as supreme Judge as a ransom for sinful man therefore his death was the greatest Sacrifice and the highest piece of service and obedience that ever was performed and was so highly accepted of God that it made him propitious satisfied his Justice merited his favour to sinful man made his sin pardonable and his salvation possible upon fairest terms whil'st he was by his own blood entring the sacrary of heaven his side is pierced and out of the same issue water and blood His body is taken from the Cross decently interred in a new Sepulchre where never any man was laid before his soul abides for a time separate and under the power of death and his humiliation did continue till the Resurrection and by his burial he hallows the grave to all believers By this Humiliation thus finished the foundation of our eternal salvation is laid and a way prepared and opened for a passage into heavens Kingdom I believe that Jesus Christ who was thus humbled who suffered cruel pains and was delivered to death for our transgressions was raised for our justification and so to communicate the mercies merited by his death converts us and procures the actuall remission of all the sins of such as repent and believe in him and by his life saves such as he had reconciled by his death He that did rise was the very same who died upon the Cross and the same body and soul which were separated by Death were united again by Resurrection as man he was raised as God he raised himself he rose never to die again but to live for evermore The time was the third day according to the predictions and prefigurations of old and the decree of God's eternal wisdom God did not suffer his Holy One to see corruption The manner of this Resurrection was glorious God then shook the Earth sent from Heaven an Angel appearing in great glory who terrified the Guard rouls away the stone which closed up the Sepulchre and made way for Christs Disciples to come freely and see that he was not there The Graves were opened divers of the Saints raised and appear'd in the holy City Death was conquered and divers of his Captives rescued out of his hands This his Resurrection was made manifest by testimony of Angels and of divers others who saw him spake with him and were assured of it he appears unto many and that many times and especially to the eleven Apostles who saw him heard him did eat and drink with him touched him with their hands To these he unfolds the Mysteries of his Kingdom gives them commission to go into all Nations and commands them to stay at Jerusalem till they received the Holy Ghost according to the promise of his Father God by thus raising him did manifest that he had accepted his Sufferings and Death as a full propitiation of the sins of men and by saying Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee made him universal King and Priest fully consecrated for ever He rose as head and representative of mankind especially of his Church and became not only the pattern but the first fruits and cause of our Resurrection so that as in Adam dying all died so in Him rising we shall all be made alive first to newness of life then to eternal glory The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead shall raise us from the death of sin unto newness of life and raise our bodies to immortality forty days he stays on Earth to comfort his Disciples strengthen their Faith make evident his Resurrection and give orders for the administration of his future Kingdom then he ascends from Mount Olivet in a Cloud up into the Heaven of Heavens Men and Angels being witnesses according to a former Vision that one like the Son of man came with the Clouds of Heaven and came unto the ancient of days and that the Angels brought him peace before him He ascended that he might fulfill all things send down the Holy Ghost enjoy full joy in his Fathers presence and pleasures at his right hand for ever make intercession for his Saints prepare eternal blessed mansions for them raise up their thoughts and affections to that heavenly estate he had merited and prepared for them that where he is our hearts might be also and that he might receive a place at his Fathers right hand so it was prophesied of old that when the Son of man was brought before the ancient of days there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People and Nations and Languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroy'd For his Father said unto him Sit at my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool and gave him a name above all names and set him far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but in that which is to come He was solemnly invested with a supreme universal power above all men and Angels established in his Kingdom confirmed by Oath in his everlasting Priesthood sent down the holy Ghost the Gospel the rod of his power went out of Zion he reigned in the midst of his enemies and many thousands did willingly submit unto him and his people for number were like drops of dew which fall from the womb of the morning When all things are fulfilled all enemies subdued the number of his Saints finished he will come from Heaven to determine of the final estate of men and Angels and judg both quick and dead And then he will deliver up his Kingdom to the Father that God may be all in all I believe that the Holy Ghost which is One God with the Father and the Son and is the Spirit of the Father and the Son by whom all things in Heaven and
of Christ as before his Ascension or explicitly as after They must be made especially by us Christians in the name of Christ who by his blood hath satisfied Gods justice made him propitious the Throne of grace accessible hath merited all mercies promised to be our Advocate and to sollicite our cause in heaven and procure for us whatsoever we ask in his name They must also be made by the Spirit who alone doth sanctify us and qualifie our hearts for this duty and enables us to perform it so as that it may be effectual and when we know not how to pray as we ought he stirs up in us sighs and groans which cannot be uttered by which he makes intercession for us to the Father who not only understands these dark expressions but is much moved and affected with them So that a Christian effectual prayer is a presenting of our petitions to God the Father in the name of Christ by the Spirit And how powerful must that prayer be which is offered to the Father in the name of his Son by the power and grace of his Spirit A prayer may be made inwardly in the soul without any words of the Mouth and it may be â—o qualified as to prevail very much with God who principally looks at the heart It may be made outwardly and that without any understanding sense and inward affection and this is but a Carkase of prayer and not regarded of God though delivered in most excellent expressions and as it were in the language of Angels This outward prayer whether said or sung in Prose or Verse if made in publick or in company must be in a language and in terms more easily understood by the people with whom we pray that they may say Amen which they cannot if they understand not And though they understand yet if their hearts be not affected with the matter and rightly disposed towards God it s to no purpose For all outward prayer should be joyned with the inward and issue from an heart rightly disposed A prayer of a righteous man may sometimes be ineffectual because it s not made by him as righteous Sect. 2. These things concerning prayer in general observed I proceed unto the Lords prayer we find many particular prayers praises and thanksgivings in the Scripture and many forms both for publick and private devotion taken out of this blessed Book yet all these seem to be but so many branches of that excellent form which our Saviour taught his Disciples wherein he contracted the substance of all lawful prayers and that in an excellent method It was taught and prescribed in the days of his humiliation and was suitable unto their present light and condition For herein he gives no direction how to ask any thing in his name and the reason was he was not yet glorified nor made Advocate general in heaven nor possessed of his glorious Kingdom This may seem to be intimated in that petition Thy Kingdom come For then to him and so to them it was to come In it we may observe 1. The Entrance or Preface 2. The Body and Matter 3. The Conclusion In the entrance we may take notice of 1. The parties who must perform this duty 2. The parties for whom Prayer must be made 3. The party to whom Prayer must be made 4. The qualification of the Prayer it self 1. The parties who must perform this duty are persons living on Earth who have not lost their interest in God upon whom all and every one depends and our necessities are many and great and prayer is Ordained as a means whereby all things we need may be obtained and that more certainly because we have a Promise Besides its an universal Command and all Men are bound in that respect to pray and by prayer to worship and glorifie God For by it we acknowledge that God is the supreme Lord the fountain of all goodness the Father of Mercies willing freely to give us what we need and that we are miserable and indigent persons and that God is no ways bound to relieve us or supply our wants but only he promised to hear and help and this promise was freely made Some will not pray some cannot some can pray but not effectually yet all these are bound to pray and therefore their sin or misery must be very great 2. The persons for whom we must pray are our selves and all others who are capable of any benefit by our prayers For we are directed to say Our Father and in this word Our we include our selves and others too As we must love our Neighbour as our selves so we must pray for our Neighbour as for our selves And by Neighbour we must understand not only our Acquaintance and Friends but strangers and Enemies For we must pray for them which despitefully use us So Christ prayed for such as did Crucifie him saying Father forgive them for they know not what they do yet as we must love some more then others so we must pray more especially for some then others most of all for the Church and our persecuted Brethren For Christian charity in our prayers doth enlarge it self and abhors partiality and self-love 3. The person to whom we must pray is God and God is our Father in heaven Father is a word of power and pity Father in heaven is a term of supreme power and infinite pity And if all the power and pity of all Fathers even the best were united in one yet all were nothing to the pity and power of our God This Father loved us and gave his Son for us when we were Enemies and called us when we were dead in Sins and Trespasses greater love never was manifested to any creature and greater love to any creature there cannot be And how much must he love us when once we begin to love him as our God! What cannot a Father in heaven what will not a father in Christ do for his Children seeing in him meet in one power and pity might and mercy greatness and goodness which include all his perfections Thus we must conceive of God to whom we address our selves to whom we direct our prayers 4. The qualifications of prayers are many 1. One is faith whereby we believe that he is present in all places at all times hears all prayers knows all things and with what heart we pray that he is just holy wise of infinite goodness and unspeakable mercy in Christ who makes intercession for us in heaven that his power is Almighty and his dominion over all things is supreme 2. In respect of his infinite and eternal excellency and supreme dominion we must come into his presence with all humility and reverence adoring his eternal Majesty 3. As he is holy we must be holy and draw near with pure and upright hearts 4. As he is just we must petition for just things 5. As he is a father we must be obedient Children 6. As he is full of love so we must
our wants defects and imperfections be many and our corruptions what by nature what by custom be great yet they are some ways from our selves And we make our selves guilty by consent so that our hearts are the chiefest subject and also either the sole or principal or accessary causes of our sins This consent appears by our continuance in them or return unto them and that especially when we contrary to the light of nature the law of God and other means and motives of repentance walk according to the imaginations and lusts of our hearts Therefore we must say Our trespasses that we may charge our selves and justifie God 3. The Forgiveness of Sins the freeing of the party sinning from the sad and woful consequents of sin and especially from the guilt and so from the punishment in this respect its called remission or absolution loosing because pardon takes away the obligation unto penalty This act of forgivness presupposeth first that sin is pardonable and that without any violation or breach of justice yet according to the rules of Gods proceeding with sinful man this cannot be without satisfaction made unto divine justice Therefore God to signifie that he was just and hated sin yet willing to shew mercy to the sinner required the bloody sacrifice of his dearest Son to be offered without spot unto his eternal Majesty before he would grant that any sin of man should be pardonable and this blood must be pleaded by Christ in heaven before he would actually pardon any Neither would this blood-shed pleaded be accepted for any but such as were penitent and believing and did rely upon this satisfaction and intercession And this freedom from guilt doth not leave the party pardoned under the dominion of sin which is the greatest penalty but is alwaies joyned with sanctification of the divine Spirit without which remission is to little purpose because the root of sin remains and will be a cause of new sin which will make man punishable again when man is thus pardoned and purified the greatest cause of shame of fear of grief is taken away Gods wrath averted the sinner reconciled adopted and in a state of salvation of peace and joy in hope of everlasting life There is no sin but is pardonable in respect of Christ death Gods mercy and the general promise yet upon impenitency and unbelief no sin not the least shall actually be pardoned There are some sins so hainous and so directly contrary to the blood of Christ and the holy Spirit and no benefit can be expected from the blood nor any hope of repentance to be wrought by that Spirit which was never promised to renew such persons These are sins to death for which we must not pray By forgiveness we are freed from the eternal punishment by way of prevention from present punishment lying upon us by way of removal 4. The party which can forgive and to whom we sue for pardon is God yet as atoned and propitiated by the blood of Christ. This is proper unto him for as he is the supreme Law-giver so he is the supreme Judge whose peremptory sentence is irrevocable from him lies no appeal who only knows the hearts of men seeking pardon who alone can free not only from temporal but eternal punishments and can execute his sentence to the full which none else can do He may make use of men to declare his sentence and apply his promises to such as by them being prepared may seem capable of pardon yet their sentence and absolution on earth is so far good and valid as he shall ratifie and make it effectual in heaven This absolution by some is said to be only declarative by others to be judicial yet if it be passed by vertue of their commission and according to the rules of that commission from Christ it s judicially declarative Therefore if man believe Christ plead the Church absolve and God justifie who can condemn who can lay any thing to our charge 5. The parties who being capable of remission upon their prayers shall obtain mercy are such as being conscious and sensible of their sins are grieved because they have offended God hate sin loath themselves are willing to amend their lives confess themselves guilty offer the sacrifice of an humble and contrite spirit rely upon the Death and Intercession of Christ the promise and mercy of God and are as willing to be merciful to their offending Brethren returning unto them as they desire God to be merciful unto them These and only these are they who shall be washed in the Blood of Christ and justified before the throne of God and being justified shall have peace with God and joy in the hope of glory In these words therefore we in all humility and godly sorrow confessing our sins and daily renewing our repentance do earnestly pray that God for Christs sake would forgive our many and grievous sins turn away his wrath receive us into favour look upon us as his children give us joy and comfort seal unto us a pardon by giving us his blessed Spirit of consolation and sanctification that so we being delivered from the terrours of conscience the accusations of the devil the danger of hell and fear of eternal death may magnifie his mercy and glorifie his name for evermore 6. We pray Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil This petition is against sin and respects it as to come and us as in danger to contract new guilt for as before so after our-penitent and believing Prayers made in this name of Christ we have obtained remission of sin past we may be tempted and overcom and so sin again therefore we pray to be delivered from temptation And here we must consider 1. What temptation is 2. What it is to be led into temptation 3. What we pray for in these words 4. What it is to be delivered from evil 1. To tempt in this place is taken in an ill sense and to tempt is to sollicite and perswade man to sin and disobey the just and good and holy Laws of God and seeing man is endued with understanding and free-will the way is to delude his understanding and pervert his will by representing that which is evil as good and that which is good as evil and by taking away the fear of punishment and promising some happiness to follow that so the understandding may assent to that which is false and the will consent to that which is evil Those suggestions are always false and contrary to the holy Scriptures and the thing perswaded unto is against the Laws of God which always should be the rule of our thoughts words and deeds So likewise the swasives and motives are contrary to the promises and the comminations of the word And if we be ignorant of the Scriptures depraved in our hearts or rash and inconsiderate the tempter will have great advantage against us The great tempter the devil that old subtle serpent who