which they continue in and would not part with and as hard on the other hand is it to bring them to see that particular thing to be their interest and duty which they have no mind to do they will be still in thoughts and hopes that what they like at present may prove much better than God hath ordained or any before them have found so dangerous and hardning is the deceitfulness of Sin Well may the Apostle be in such earnest and haste as he is in his calls to us Hebr. 3. when hardning by the Deceitfulness of Sin is so near us ver 13. But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin Having by this Text produced the Supream KING's Warrant under his Hand and Signet for what I have herein already done or intend to do I may justly expect for his sake some regard from you as also for that I intend to propose for Common good only i.e. to make our King and People a perfect and happy Church and State And as means thereunto shall suggest nothing but what will recommend itself to every man's Conscience and evidence itself as most loyal and most affectionate to the Person of his Majesty his Government in Church and State his Subjects of all sorts so most conducing to Peace and most subservient to the Interest of the whole as my next Chapter will shew CHAP. III. I Intend nothing more than to bring us to these two most edifying and saving things 1 To do our Own business 2 To Love On these shall hang as I intend all my following Discourse Section I. 1 To do our Own business which cannot well if at all be done without knowledge especially the doing I am now upon which respects a great Kingdom and the Salvation thereof Are the blind the ignorant or erroneous fit for this business There is then as I conceive a four-fold knowledge requisite hereunto 1 Knowledge of God in the Incommunicable and Communicable perfections of the Divine Nature also a being fixt in belief of the reality and excellency of his Being And though Unity be necessary thereto yet that there are Three subsisting therein which doctrine of the Trinity is not so mysterious as I once took it to be and to the pure and humble Inquirer after God will be found that which renders Christian Religion the more reasonable and worthy of all acceptation in that it gives light and beauty to all other parts of that Institution The Socinian then by denying this shews himself a false pretender to Reason having it not in truth if he hath any it is so gross and material that it exceeds not the Animal State or Life among men when he meddleth with Divine Mysteries But to return The knowledge of God in himself as I have said is a requisite hereunto so is that what he is to us and to the Societies of men 2 Another requisite is to know Our selves i.e. to know what we are or have with respect to our own Nation i.e. as we are Men and Christians now living in England That you may see in short what this knowledge of God and Our selves is I will present the Heads thereof to your view in this order GOD Father Spirit The First Good A Being of all possible perfection Son Spirit Supream Good A Being of all possible perfection 1. Incommunicable proper to him alone which he gives to none Absolute Simplicity Essential Unity Immutability Infiniteness of Place Time Immensity Eternity 2. Communicable of which he gives to Creatures belonging either to the Divine 1. Understanding Knowledge Wisdom Particular Providence 2. Will namely his Goodness Justice Faithfulness 3. Faculties of acting his Power or Omnipotence Dominion over us in this life Distributing future Rewards and Punishments This GOD is the Universal and Supream LORD of all Beings by Creation and Prefervation Owner Ruler Benefactor of England Redemption Teacher Expiator Head of England Renovation Restorer Reassumer In-dweller of England MAN Reasonable Created In England to be known and considered 1. Naturally Spirit i.e. Highest Pure Divine Good Soul i.e. Middle Solicited by Flesh and Spirit to evil or good Body i.e. Base Sensitive Bruitish bending always to Matter and Earth to which when the Soul yields it is carnal or evil 2. Providentially in 1. Relatives Governing Supream Real King Lords Commons Parliament 1. Relatives Governing Supream Personal King 1. Relatives Governing Subordinate Magistrates 1. Relatives Governed People 2. Religion Revealed Naturally in Law of Nature Supernaturally in Holy Scriptures 3. Constitutions Humane Civil Ecclesiastical Laws 4. Riches 5. Times Ordinary or Extraordinary Prosperous Adverse Reforming Degenerating Uniting Discordant 6. Examples Good Bad at Home Abroad of Superiours Equals Inferiours 7. House or Family Governour Parent Master 7. House or Family Governed Child Servant The other Relations in Churches and Schools I leave you to supply MAN discovered in Supernatural Revelation to be 1. Created upright Spiritual To Rule Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation A Free Agent Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation Lord over God's Works Animal Sensitive To Obey and Apt for temptation Put into Paradise Bliss 2. In Covenant with God which contained benefits on God's part made over to Adam as Root or Head of Mankind and On Man's part Duty required by God Absolute on God's part to Man Law Natural for him as Spirltual To be without sin and to do all required Strength Absolute on God's part to Man Law Positive for him as Animal Sensitive To be without sin and to do all required Strength Internal viz. Rectitude in all his parts Virtuous qual External viz. Divine Communications Laws their Sanctions Conditional Continuance of Light to direct Strength to assist Conditional The gift of Eternal life or felicity with God for ever On Man's part required by God Walking in the Light Using the Strength Perfect Obedience 3. Tempted to Sin by an Apostate Angel 4. Disobedient to God in eating forbidden Fruit and so fell and Mankind with him from Happiness into a state of Sin and Misery Sin Guilt Darkness Corruption Impotence Obduracy The Law of Sin wrought in his Body Sin reigned therein No good thing dwelling there the Law of his Members being predominant Rom. 7.23 not possible to be without Sin Misery Privative Good withdrawn God's Spirit Privative Good withdrawn Happiness Positive Evil inflicted Captivated by our Enemies evil or foul Spirits Positive Evil inflicted Tortured by Lusts Passions Positive Evil inflicted Subjected to the Base and to our Servant or Subject Positive Evil inflicted Pains c. Death present future A state of all this i. e. very extensive and out of which Man cannot recover himself Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am and that thou art who can or who shall deliver thee from the body of this death ver 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath provided to be a Saviour GOD
Father Son and Spirit from Eternity fore-seeing Man's Fall do decree his Recovery through Jesus Christ i.e. God-Man or God manifested in the Flesh Or to speak as we may conceive through the Second of the Holy Trinity in the one Divine Nature his assuming and performing in our Nature what in so great a design as Man's Reconciliation to God was sit to be done Man by disobedience being in the state I have described to you two things at least must be to restore him 1 Expiation for Man's Sin 2 Renovation of Man's Nature He being unable to do either and these things being less fit or impossible to any other than the ONE DIVINE NATVRE or GOD no one acts therein but who is God It is decreed to be accomplished as was the first Creation by the three Persons or Relatives in the One Divine Essence The Divine Persons moving herein though in One Nature are apart as Relatives So far as I can see into this great Mystery by Scripture and Natural light it seems thus The Father who is of none acteth as Father i.e. in the Relation most eminent wherein he may be said To give or send His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him To be moved by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Justice satisfied by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Authority owned by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him His Law vindicated by His Son On this account is it that what in Man's Recovery belongs to God Essentially is ascribed to the Father because he is the first in order is of none acts from none but all derive from or act under him And Man is said to have sinned against him and by him was cast out of Paradise That he called to Adam and by Promise opened the door of Hope to him Gen. 3. That all issues from his Love In short from hence as I conceive it is That what in Man's Creation or Recovery belongeth unto the Supream either to receive or to do is in Scripture given to God in the Relation most eminent i.e. unto the Father The Son as of the Father in the Relation Second in the Godhead moves as subordinate accepts and executes with propensness or delight the Father's Will herein Which he did in Leaving his Father Assuming our Nature Sinless Infirmities to be to us Priest To Live a holy an afflicted life Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Prophet To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Assuming our Nature Sinless Insirmities to be to us Head To Die upon the Cross Arise Ascend Intercede for us Whereby he perfected Expiation and brought it to this That God was in him also reconciling of us to himself These his Transactions whilst in decree only afar off before the fulness of time was come were to the Faithful Fore-seer saving and most cheering things How much more now is it a mighty Salvation which he hath raised up for us in the House of his Servant David Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People This should cause us chearfully to obey him and willingly to part with every thing for him who parted with life for us and is still mindful of us This should excite our hope of Good from him no less than the supply of all our wants especially forgiveness of our Sins Sanctification and everlasting Salvation In no case are we now to entertain any Despairing thoughts for this God our Saviour being both God and Man is able and willing to help us What though as Sinners our condition is sad yet this JESUS of God is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Which will be compleat Salvation to us being in extent to that from within us or from without us which did cast us into Sin and Misery For obtaining all which we have only possible reasonable and desirable Conditions on our part to perform viz. Deep sense of our Unworthiness truly repenting that we have sinned i.e. unto hate and forsaking Real sense of God's undeserved goodness Faith in Christ i. e. believing him to be Truth Expecting from his Free Grace accepting of him entire to be ours Obeying of his Commands Fearing his Threatnings with the perfection of Sincerity Newness of life i.e. in denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly If we faithfully intend to practise these things though we are not of our selves sufficient so much as to think one good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 yet is all possible and easie to us in the enablement of God's blessed Spirit Who to perfect or compleat our Cure and Recovery is the Eternal Spiration the Third in the Divine Essence sent forth from Father and Son to finish or carry on the 2 Renovation of Man's Nature The Son is more eminently to save and the Spirit to renew The Son is to perform so that before Angels and Men it shall be congruous for God to Pardon to come down as it were to Man and the Spirit is to bring Man up to God That it may become God to let Man live in his Kingdom and that Man may be an agreeable and obedient Subject therein In a word That a Sinner dead in Law might by Grace live and be holy and happy both here and hereafter To know and to consider all this is required to the well-doing our Own business as we are single Men or as we are in Societies and Kingdoms that lapsed Nations as a lapsed Man may be restored unto God From what I have said another Analysis might be drawn to represent at one view how Man is to be known and considered Now GOD the Father through the SON and both of them by the SPIRIT have Redeemed him As thus MAN In Propitiation by Christ is most fitly by God Continued in his Creature State Spirit To Rule In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour Continued in his Creature State Soul Body To Obey Apt to err In Dominion over God's Works Put in capacity of God's Present Eternal Communion or Favour In the Operations of the Spirit we may as it were see him Restored unto Conviction
this question to thy self How will this when this is done agree with me Shall I have no occasion to repent of it Yet a very little while and I am dead and gone and all things at an end What then do I care for more than this that my present action whatever it be may be the proper action of one that is reasonable whose end is the Common good who in all things is ruled and governed by the same Law of Right and Reason by which God himself is Section III. Come we next to the most holy Oracles which we call the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament they declare yet more fully the same things For God made that Supernatural Revelation of himself now written for us not because there was fault in the Natural or to lessen either our Obligation or our Regard thereto But to shew us he had been graciously erecting upon the Eternal Foundation Natural Truths and Duties for our greater knowledge and better practising of those things Which he therefore did because we had weakned and darkned our selves by Sin so that this further Grace became necessary to us In these Divine Oracles you will find that God 1 Made the World out of nothing and Adam the first Man 2 That God made Man in his own * Gen. 1.26.5.1 Image that he was †Eccl. 7.27 upright and set as Lord ‖ Gen. 1.26 over his works The former confirms that whereon God's Right to us is founded That our Self-possession is subordinate to his possession i. e. that we are more his than our own The latter expresseth the Being the Business and the Happiness of Man wherein Self-possession lieth or when it is that we are truly our own Man as to Moral liberty and safety which is then only when we 1 Use and enjoy our selves as made by God i. e. as his Created ones 2 When with our selves we enjoy God i. e. His own Image 3 When we are sincerely good in heart and life i. e. Vpright 4 When we keep just Empire over all things made which are inferiour to that in us which constitutes us Men i. e. in one sense To be Lords over his Works Man's Fall hath not varied the matter the same is now his Being his Business and Happiness as was before only this having sinned he must now do he must receive he must enjoy and expect all that I have said not only as a Created but also as a Redeemed Man i. e. in and through the Mediator Jesus Christ the Saviour God and Man or God manifest in the flesh He must be All and in All Coloss 3.11 in assistances unto us and in our acceptance with God Which yet is so far from lessening what I before said that this Mediator hath farther obliged Man thereto For appearing in our Nature he hath shewed these are perfective of it and by his own practice among us possible to it He also came not to destroy but to fulfil them which he admirably did in his Sermon on the Mount c. He gave many great and precious Promises to this very end 2 Pet. 1.4 That we might be made partakers of the Divine Nature He gave Precepts to sanctifie us and prayed that we might be one with God his Father He as the Catachist tells us lived a holy yet a Heb. 4.15 an afflicted life and b 1 Pet. 3.18 died for our sins upon the Cross c Matt. 28.6 Rom. 4.15 rose out of the Grave d Act. 1.9 Eph. ◠8 ascended into Heaven where he now sits to make e Heb. 7.25 Intercession And as he promised sent the Spirit the Eternal Spiration from Father and Son And what is all this for the f 2 Cor. 5.14 15. Rom. 8.32 Phil. 4.19 Tit. 3.7 Texts on the Margent when piously and diligently consulted will tell you It was not to change our work or happiness but to bring us to know Eternal Truth and practice Eternal Duty better compleating what was fore-told of him Isaiah 61.1 2 3. so as that it might well be said as it is John 8.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed Section IV. What is said in the next preceding Section equally concerns Societies of Men their Being their Business and Happiness as also God's right to them is the same which I would evidence if I could think it were doubted by any who grant it with respect to a single man One main design of our Saviour was to bring Societies and Kingdoms unto his Father He sends forth his Twelve St. Matt. 10. directs them unto houses and declares to Zacheus that having called him Salvation was come unto his house He Commissionates his Disciples St. Matt. 28. to go and teach all Nations baptizing them c. i.e. to mark them out for his and bring them to Covenant so to be One Reason as some have thought of Circumcision being to the Males only was because of them were the Heads of Tribes and Families to be and in the Apostles administration of Baptism where the Governour was baptized his House is baptized with him And St. Peter is express that the Gospel's design is to make a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People c. Chap. 2.9 of his first Epistle Many Duties are required which cannot be performed but in Society And so great a part of the Scripture is either Precept Prohibition Promise Threatning Form of Prayer or Praise or Example c. bearing relation to men in Society as puts it past doubt that no single man is more obliged to be the Lord's than they as also that God is most desirous they would be his These holy Oracles largely represent the sorts and frequently inculcate the practice of those Vertues and Duties our Humanity obligeth us to express to others Such as to obey Magistrates Parents Natural and Civil not to provoke their Children to have Natural affection to them to deal bona fide with them to make provision for them to be kindly affectionate one to another to be pitiful and courteous and merciful to render a reason when out Faith or Practice is questioned c. to propose fairly unto mutual consideration matters of greatest advantage to each other that it may appear we treat each other like Men and propose for Common good Thus the Apostles as common Doctors of the World proposed to all things perspicuous and manifest of themselves that every one might by bare reading learn them and see their obligation to observe them in their conduciveness to Common benefit I will mention as instance two Precepts given by St. Paul the one to the Thessalonians in his first Epistle to them chap. 4. ver 11. And that ye study or contend to be quiet and to do your own business The other is that to the Corinthians in his first Epistle to them chap. 16. ver 14. Let all your things be done in Charity Which
Or in the words of St. Paul Coloss 3. ver 12 13 14 15. Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and Beloved bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind meekness long-suffering forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man hath a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so do ye And above all these things put on Charity which is the Bond of perfectness And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and be ye thankful By all which we shall be as the pictures and resemblances of God prized and valued by him we shall shew his Spirit hath sanctified us and is given unto us and by the most excellent Bond we shall be united indissolubly one to another and tyed to the exercise of all Graces not only as our duty but delight We shall hereby be perfectly skilled in all necessary and perfecting knowledge particularly the unspeakable Love of Christ the knowledge of which is a Science of great concernment to us far beyond all other Sciences for hereby our hearts will be enflamed with Love to God will be fortified against temptation to evil and will be filled with the Vertues which are most Divine Now the God of Peace or which delighteth in the Peace and Unity of Christians that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and eternal Spirit three Subsistences or Persons and but one God be glory for ever and ever Amen Postscript I Am not ignorant of Exceptions the more Curious may make against the management of this Discourse being wrote by one who is more willing than able to do well As 1 That I have started many things but have not pursued them as I ought 2 That I have insisted too little on the Explication of things i. e. as Divines are wont to say The Doctrinal part Answ 1 I intended to have delivered my whole mind in two or three Sheets to make it as little labour to me and charge to others as I could 2 I conceive that they who under God are to help us do fully understand the matters I do here only point to So that it may be here if ever said A word is enough to the Wise 3 I more doubt the Rectitude of the Will in applying or choosing unto Practice than the capacity of the Meanest to understand the things I have proposed unto 4 The Nature of some things required my stop to farther proceedure into them and others are explicated or fully stated already by some of greatest comprehension and ability in our Church In special the late excellent Bishop Wilkins in his Discourse of Natural Religion out of which I took one part of the Analysis pag. 31. and Isaac Barrow D. D. in his Sermons Mr. Baxter in his Cure of Church Divisions c. and the most Worthy Citizen of London Mr. William Allen in several of his Treatises Also that Great Man Edw. Stillingfleet D. D. now Dean of St. Pauls in his Irenicum From whom I expect de novo as great a Healer as was his Weapon Salve His Temper his Wisdom and Goodness I know are disposing thereto rather than to self-Vindication or Conquest over his Antagonists 5 Which is enough alone I have not the ability or leasure of other men and do reach in great part my design if I hereby excite some of Ability to be doing that so it may be well done Lastly The Pair of Extreams in our Church may see their Sin and their Recovery from it by what I have wrote in the first and third Chapters Provided they afford them more thoughts as they ought if they will give any than I have given words to them The like may I say to the Pair of Extreams in our State For thereby men may see their station in this Kingdom the Constitution they are under and their duty therein part of which is to be Faithful and Constant thereunto King-Flatterers and Republicans or Self-Designers know themselves to be so and a Prince needs no more to find them out than his own Observation of them in their daily mean towards his Person or Government To the latter more especially in two things 1 In Suggestions to a Variation in that Constitution Wherein the Prince is already Supream and unto which he hath sworn Adhesion 2 In Proposals to Things less acceptable to his People and which the King cannot but see if he looks into any thing are not necessary to the maintenance of the Government or his true Greatness therein These two or such are alwaies Casts of the Office of the Flatterer or Leveller in his Kingdom So that a more particular account of this matter would have been as too tedious so almost needless Sincere Obedience to God and Charity or as I have said Doing our own Business and Love have Natural and Moral tendancy to Knowledge and Wisdom i. e. to the seeing and to the well-managing of all things so that he who is Upright shall not fail of Science requisite to the knowing and doing of his duty in the station God hath set him He hath Infallibility nearer or more secured in God's Promises to him than the Pope and Conclave at Rome have they being not so good Men. Besides so far as any one proposeth to Vertue or Grace he doth propose as to all Wisdom and Knowledge as hath been said so unto all that is neceslary to cure all Maladies For Vertue in the Blossom and Fruit being of the same nature with that in the Root Peace and every thing prosperous or truly desirable thence must come Contrary hereunto is Sin of which St. James saith Chap. 1.14 15. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own hearts lust and enticed Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death Most fully to this purpose is Prov. 14.14 The Backslider in heart shall be filled with his own waies and a Good-man shall be satisfied from himself In short Men must have and Nations will find as they are corrupted and lapsed or as they be restored and renewed by Grace I will conclude with the words of St. Paul Gal. 6. ver 7. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap Which is most true of Kingdoms and Societies of Men. Now of Obedience to God of vigour or sincerity therein and of Love I have spoken though little yet I hope what may be understood and what a good Heart will improve to every needful purpose in his Converse with God or Man If the Antidoter or any for him be displeased at me I will not be overcome of that Evil but endeavour to overcome