men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men 5. His appearing in and under a visible sign argues his Personal existence This is related Matt. 3.16 And Jesus when he was Baptised went up strait way out of the water and lo the Heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting upon him He took the form or shape of a Dove and nothing but a Person can assume a shape wherein to appear 6. He is placed in the same rank and order with other Divine Persons and is set forth as the proper Object of Divine and Religious Worship Matth. 28.19 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost 7. To him is ascribed Vnderstanding 1 Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God Searching is a Personal action and undeniably argues him to be an understanding Agent 8. To him is ascribed Will Vnderstanding and Will are most eminently distinstuishing Characters of a Person 1 Cor. 12.11 But all these things worketh that one and the self same Spirit dividing to every one as he will 9. He is said to teach Luk. 12.12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say Joh. 14.26 But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you And those that pretend to be Teachers of others and neither seek nor regard his guidance or assistance had need consider what they do 10. He calls men to the Ministry Act. 13.2 3 4 And the Holy Ghost said Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them Act. 20.28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his blood 11. He is spoken of as the Object of such actings and actions of men as none but a Person can be the Object of Thus he is said to be tempted or provoked Acts 5.9 Then Peter said unto her How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord He is said to be resisted Act. 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye He is said to be grieved Eph. 4.30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption Compare this with Isa 63 10. But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought against them Now to be tempted provoked gresisted rieved though improperly spoken of God yet are such affections as a quality is not capable of And these expressions declare what effects they would produce in a Nature capable of such Affections And so much of the first particular the Holy Ghost is a Person Secondly He is not a Created but an Eternal Divine Person having one and the same Divine Nature with the Father and the Son and so is truly and properly God This I shall prove by these Arguments 1. He is expresly called God Act. 5 4 9. Then Peter said unto her Hâ—w is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lâ—rd You have nâ—â— lyed unto men but unto God 2. Divine Properties are attributed to him which none can be enduâ—d with to whom the Divine Nature belongs not and which â—viâ—◠〈◊〉 dâ—â—lâ—re him to be the most High God Such are first Eternity Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal â—pirit offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God Secondly Immensity Psal 139.7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Or whither shall I flee from thy presence Thirdly Praescience Act. 1.16 Men and Bâ—ethâ—eâ— This Scripture must needs be fulfilled which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas which was guide to them that took Jesus Fourthly Omniscience 1 Cor. 2.10.11 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man which is in him Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God Thirdly Divine Works are ascribed to him and which are only proper to God Such as are Creation Job 33.4 The Spirit of God hath made me And the working of Miracles Matth. 12.28 If I by the Spirit of God cast out Devils then the Kingdom of God is come unto yâ—u And thus we have proved that the Holy Ghost is a Divine Pâ—rsâ—n 3. He is a Person distinct from the Father and the Son I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter saith our â—â—viour to his Disciples Joh. 14.16 Now the Person sending and the Person sent must need be distinct the one from the other And this same reason also proves the Son and the Holy Ghost to be two distinct Persons bâ—câ—use the Holy Ghost is also sent by the Son Joh. 15.26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me Joh. 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto yâ—u but if I depart I will send him unto you 4. He is a Person prâ—ceeding from the Father and the Son The Father proceeded from none the Son from the Father the Holy Ghost from both First from the Father Joh. 15.26 The Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father Secondly From the Son For he is called the Spirit of the Son Gal. 4.6 Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Rom. 8.9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he his none of his Thus we have proved that there is but one God and yet Three distinct Persons or Hypostases distinctly subsisting in the same Divine Essence or â—eing Now a Divine Person is nothing but the Divine Essence considered with an especial property and subsisting in an especial manner As in the Person of the Father there is the Divine Essence with its especial Properties of begetting the Son and subsisting in an especial manner as the Father And because this Person hath the whole Divine Nature all the Essential Properties of that Nature are in that Person The like may be said of the Persons of the Son and Holy Ghost Each Person having the understanding will and power of God becomes a distinct intelligent voluntary Omnipotent Agent
that except we be converted we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3.3 2. Let us examine our hearts Let us consider what Principles we act from what projects we are driving on and what ends we aim at let us examine whether Grace rule in our hearts or Sin Whether we labour to keep a good Conscience toward God and Man 3. Let us examine our lives Have we performed duties of Piety towards God as we ought Have we performed our relative duties towards men as we ought Have we been so careful in the right governing our selves as we ought 4. Let us consider whether we have improved our Talents as we ought 1. Our Spiritual Talents viz. the means of Grace God hath afforded us 2. Our Temporal Talents such as Power Riches Health Strength c. Let us remember that of all these things we must give an account 4. Let the consideration of the day of Judgment quicken our Repentance There is no way to live free from inward rebuke here or to appear with comfort at the day of Judgment without having our peace made with God upon Gospel terms O Sinner break off thy sins by repentance now while there is time before thou be brought to thy tryal at Gods Tribunal 5. Seeing we must all come to Judgment let us be wise before-hand to make the Judge our friend But how shall we do that 1. By repenting unfeignedly of all our past sins as I said before 2. By believing in him and giving up our selves sincerely to obey him 3. By owning him before the World and owning our selves for his Disciples 4. By being willing to deny our selves for his sake and to take up his Cross Luke 9.23 5. By duly regarding his Embassadors and their Message Matth. 10.40 6. By prizing and and improving his Ordinances 7. By doing good to others according to our abilities and opportunities See Matth. 25. from 34. to 41. 6. Having prepared our selves for our tryal let us watch for our Summons to appear before this great Judge And so much of the first use 2. This Doctrine may serve for consolation to the Righteous 'T is a fountain of great comfort to all the people of God 1. Christ the Judge is their Head Husband Advocate their elder Brother their Intercessor who hath loved them and washed them from their sins in his own blood Rev. 1.5 O let them think of it to their unspeakable comfort 2. Let them consider that he will reward them for all the works and faithful services they have done for him in this life Here they have performed many secret duties that no eye hath seen there is a time coming when he that sees in secret will reward them openly such or such a service they have done for God the thing possibly in it self but small as the Widows mite but it was performed with much love and desire to please God and much singleness of heart such a service shall not go unrewarded 3. Let them consider that though here they they lie under many scandals and reproaches for the name of Christ and the â—estimony of their Consciences yet there is a time coming when God will wipe away all tears from their eyes and blots from their names 4. Though here they suffer many afflictions and tribulations yet let them comfort themselves and have patience but a little James 5.8 for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh whose coming will be to their unspeakable comfort 3. And lastly This Doctrine speaks terror to the wicked Acts 24.15 When Paul Preached of Righteousness Temperance and Judgment to come Foelix trembled People love a general way of Preaching such as will give fair quarter to their Lusts but they should be often told of that great day wherein God will judge them for all their proud Rebellions against him Here they will do what they list as far as they are suffered but they should be remembred that for all these things God will bring them to Judgment CHAP. IV. SECT I. Concerning the Holy Ghost I believe in the Holy Ghost IN speaking to this Article it will be requisite that I 1. premise this viz. that each Person in the sacred Trinity is to be believed in by us and we are thankfully to accept the mercies that are conferred by each Person and to labour to perform the duties we owe to each of them distinctly For as to take God for our God is more than barely to believe that there is a God and to take Christ for our Saviour is more than barely to believe that he is the Messiah so to believe in the Holy Ghost is not barely to believe that he is the third Person in the Trinity and truly God but to take him for our Guide Sanctifier Helper Advocate and Comforter 2. We are to know that he is called the holy Spirit because of all the three Persons his peculiar office is to Sanctifie and make Holy the Church and people of God And therefore the Apostle tells the Thessalonians 2 Thes 2.13 that God had chosen them to Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth There are some that say they believe in the Holy Ghost and that he Sanctifies them and all the elect people of God and yet reject all his Sanctifying motions and hate all those that are Sanctified by him making them the objects of their scorn There are others of another strain who enthusiastically plead the authority of the Spirit in themselves against the authority of the Spirit speaking in the Holy Scriptures But let us take heed of both these That therefore I may speak pertinently to this Article I shall shew that we must labour 1. Rightly to understand the Doctrine of the holy Spirit 2. Our duty towards him The Doctrine concerning the Holy Ghost which is to be believed by us we have in part already explained in the Section concerning the Trinity viz. Sect. 2. of Chap. 1. Wherein we have shewed 1. That the Holy Ghost is a Person not a meer quality energy or operation 2. That he is a Divine Person and has one and the same divine nature with the Father and the Son and so is God truly and properly 3. That he is a Person distinct from the Father and the Son 4. That he is a Person proceeding both from the Father and the Son We shall now in some more particulars shew what is further to be known and believed concerning this blessed Spirit 1. This holy Spirit infallibly inspired both the Prophets of old and also the Holy Apostles and Evangelists first to preach and and then to write the Doctrine of Christ which is contained in the holy Scriptures 2. This same blessed Spirit setled this holy Doctrine and the testimony of those holy men by many miracles and wonderful works which he enabled them to work by which they did convince the unbelieving World and plant the Gospel 3. This same blessed Spirit having constituted the Offices and
in his promises It should be the solid ground of our faith the stay of our Souls the foundation of all our hopes Faith is animated by Gods veracity and truth and from thence all other graces are excited in us O Christians what life should it put into our hopes to think that all those words that God hath spoken are most certainly true that all those descriptions of the everlasting Kingdom all those exceeding precious promises that concern this life or that which is to come will certainly be made good that all those expressions of the exceeding love of God to his poor Servants are certain and sure O how should our faith live upon this truth of God and by it be daily more and more strengthened And particularly that none of his promises concerning his Church will fail or fall to the ground Fourthly How thankfull should we be to God for giving us such gracious promises to encourage us in the ways of our obedience He has promised that he will never never leave nor forsake those that are in Covenant with him Heb. 13.5 We have good assurance That all things shall work together for good to them that love God Rom. 8.28 That he will give grace and glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.11 And what can we desire more Fifthly We should labour to get an interest Christ in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 That is have their foundation firm establishment and unalterable ratification Sixthly We should learn the Divine art of living upon the promises of God and fetching comfort for the support of our lives from them Most men live on their present enjoyments not on Gods promises Whereas the Prophet tells us Habak 2.4 The Just shall live by his Faith Certainly nothing makes us so humble lowly and puts us into so much ease and quietness of mind as to live by Faith on God Isai 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stay'd on thee because he trusteth in thee Seventhly The truth and faithfulness of God should engage us to be true and faithfull to him Have we not ingaged in our Baptism to forsake the Devil the World and the Flesh and to devote our selves to the sincere service and worship of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Are not his Vows upon us that is Vows to serve him faithfully Psal 56.12 And shall we be like those false Israelites of whom 't is said Psal 78.36 37. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their Tongues For their heart was not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant And have we not in the course of our lives made many particular promises to God in our particular distresses And shall we expect that God should perform his promises to us when we take no care to perform ours to him Shall we expect that God will perform his promise of pardon to us when we take no care to perform the conditions required of us upon the performance of which we may comfortly expect to have the Divine promises made good to us Eighthly We should endeavour to imitate God in this Attribute of his faithfulness Let us be true to God and true also to man Remember you serve a God of truth and 't is the glory of his servants to be like him The Devil indeed is the Father of lyes but God hates all lying as contrary to his Holy Nature If you would be like God labour to imitate him in his truth and faithfulness SECT II. Concerning the Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Divine Essence TO prevent all misapprehensions concerning God and the Divine Nature it will be requisite that we carefully attend unto the Declaration or Revelation that God hath been pleased to make of himself in the Holy Scriptures For surely we have all the reason in the World to assent to those assertions or testimonies that God is pleased to give unto us concerning himself and that according to their natural and genuine sence The Sum then of this Revelation held forth to us in Holy Scriptures is this That God is one That this one God is Father Son and Holy Ghost That the Father is the Father of the Son and the Son the Son of the Father and the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and the Son and by reason of their mutual respects and relations to each other and their peculiar properties arising from those particular relations they viz. Father Son and Holy Ghost are distinct each from other This one God is set forth to us in the Scriptures as the only true God whom we are to believe in adore worship and obey This is the first cause Soveraign Lord and ultimate end of all For the proof hereof we shall produce Divine Testimonies whereon Faith may safely rest And first we shall prove God to be one Secondly The Father to be God the Son to be God the Holy Ghost to be God Thirdly We shall shew that the explanations usually made of this Doctrine are accordiâ—g to truth though we make use of some words or expressions which are not literally or Syllabically contained in the Holy Scriptures but are such as do not teach any other Doctrine than what is therein contained and are to our apprehensions fairly expository of them And surely if Ministers may not set forth the sence of the words of Scripture in such expressions as they apprehend do most clearly convey the true and genuine meaning of them to the People to what end serves that great Ordinance of preaching the Word I shall begin therefore with the Original Revelation and shew you what is delivered to us by Divine Testimony and this I shall give you in these particulars following First We are assured by Divine Revelation that God is one Deut. 6.4 Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. Isai 44.6.8 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God Is there any God besides me Yea there is no God I know not any Isai 45.5 I am the Lord and there is none else there is no God besides me 1 Cor. 8.4 As concerning therefore the eating of things Offered in Sacrifice unto Idols we know that an Idol is nothing in the World and that there is none other God but one Secondly That the Father is God He is often so called only in reference to his Son And if he had an eternal Son as we shall prove presently He is an Eternal Father and his Paternity was from Eternity co-existent with his Deity The Father is a person subsisting of himself This is denied by none Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Christ Luk. 23.34 Then said Jesus Father forgive
with thee before the World was Secondly Let us consider this All the ways whereby we can come to know God are either by his Name or his Properties or his Works or the Divine worship given unto him Now all these belong to the Son He therefore is God or we cannot tell either who or what God is And First The proper Name of God viz. Jehovah is given to Him Jer. 23.6 This is his Name whereby he shall be called The Lord our righteousness And Rom. 9.5 He is called The most high God who is over all God blessed for evermore * A Title peculiar to the most high God Secondly Divine Properties are ascribed to him and such Divine excellencies as naturally and necessarily appertain to the Divine Nature Particularly these Four First Eternity Joh. 1.1 2. In the beginning was the Word * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sic Mos Hebraeis aeternitatem populariter exprimare Grot. In the beginning when the World began to be created then was He. And so Prov. 8.23 24. I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was when there was no depths I was brought forth The Essential Wisdom of the Father was from everlasting Col. 1.17 He was before all things viz. All things created And Revel 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty That this place is meant of Christ may appear by comparing with it Chap. 2.6 22.13 of this Book Secondly Omnipresence Mat. 18.20 Where two or three are met together in my Name says our Saviour there am I in the midst of them viz. By my Eternal Spirit Joh. 3.13 No man hath ascended up to Heaven but he that came down from Heaven even the Son of man which is in Heaven And Mat. 28.20 And so I am with you always even to the end of the World Thirdly Omnipotency Philip. 3.8 'T is said of Christ that He shall change our vile bodies and make them like to his own glorious body according to the mighty working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto himself Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Heb. 1.10 And thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth and the Heavens are the works of thine hands Fourthly Omniscience Joh. 21.17 Lord thou knowest all things says Peter And Joh. 2.25 'T is said of our Saviour that He needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man * De animis hominum certo judicare solius est Dei. Thirdly Divine actions or works are ascribed to him As 1. Creation Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him So that there must needs be granted unto Christ a prae-existence in his Divine Nature antecedent to his Incarnation 2. Providence Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the Word of his power And Col. 1.17 He is before all things and by him all things consist He is not only before all Creatures and their Creator but together with the Father and the Holy Ghost their Up-holder powerfull Preserver and Governour Fourthly Divine Worship is given to him Heb. 1.6 Let all the Angels of God worship him The Angels themselves refused Divine Worship Rev. 19.10 See thou do it not says the Angel there that is See thou do not worship me I am thy fellow Creature Joh. 14.1 You believe in God says our Saviour believe also in me Now to be believed in and rested on is an honour or homage peculiar unto God alone Indeed the Socinians say that though Christ be not the most High God yet he ought to be worshipped with Divine and Religious worship But surely they do not well consider that only Divine and Essential excellencies are the formal Object of Divine and Religious worship and to give such a worship to one that is not God by Nature is plain Idolatry Where the Divine Nature is there is the true proper formal Object of Religious worship and where that is not it is Idolatry to ascribe it to or exercise it towards any other So that if the Word and Testimony of God be able to decide a difference among the Children of men I see not but that the Testimony given to the God-head of the Son are as clear and unquestionable as those which are given concerning the Deity of the Father And thus we have spoken to the Third thing viz. That Jesus Christ is God Fourthly It is delivered to us by Divine Revelation that the Holy Ghost is God This will plainly appear if we consider what is revealed to us concerning the Divine existence the Divine excellencies and the Divine Operations of this blessed Spirit Such things are ascribed to him in the Scriptures which do uncontrolably evidence him to be a voluntary Divine Agent an Eternal Divine existing substance a Person or intelligent subsistence the Author of Divine Operations and the Object of Divine and Religious worship There are some that hold he is a meer emanation of virtue or power from God and not a Person Others grant indeed his Personality and that he is a distinct self-subsisting Person but deny his Deity they deny him to be a participant of the Divine Nature A Created finite Spirit they will allow him to be and the chiefest of all Spirits that were created and the Head of all the good Angels But they will not allow him to be a Divine Person We shall therefore endeavour to prove from plain Testimonies of Scripture 1. That he is not a meer emanation of virtue or power from God but an intelligent subsistence or Person 2. A Divine Person 3. A Person distinct from the Father and the Son 4. A Person proceeding from the Father and the Son First It will appear he is a Person because he is endued with Personal properties and Personal actions such as are peculiar and proper to a person are Attributed to him As namely 1. To make intercession Rom. 8.26 The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities For we know not how to pray as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession for us v. 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God 2. To come to men being sent to them Job 15.26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall teâ—tifie of me 3. Our Saviour says He shall receive of mine * That is communicate nothing to them bâ—â— what tâ—â—y râ—câ—iv d from him and shew it unto you Joh. 16.14 which is a personal action 4. He is such an one against whom a sin may be committed and therefore surely he is a person Matth. 12.31 Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
to the Jews But now is my Kingdom not from hence Rom. 14.17 For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and jâ—y in the Holy Ghost In the Kingdom of Christ 1. The King is Spiritual the Lord from Heaven 2. The Subjects are Spiritual those that are regenerated 3. The Laws are Spiritual reaching the inward man 4. The Priviledges are Spiritual Justification Adoption Sanctification Glorification Now Christ's solemn inauguration into this His Kingly Office was at his Ascention into Heaven and sitting on the right hand of the Father Not but that he was a King by right before but he entred on the ful and publick execution of this his office when God raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principalities and Powers Eph. 1.20 21. Then He whose name is the word of God had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.13 16. Let us now consider what improvement we ought to make of this Article that Christ is a King 1. If Christ be a King we should daily pray that his Kingdâ—m may come that is His Kingdom of Grace into the hearts of men We should all earnestly desire and pray that he may reign in our hearts and the hearts of others by his holy Spirit 2. This may shew us the blessedness of those that are his Subjects They are under a powerful Protector 3. We should all examine our selves whether his Kingdom beset up in us or no. Christ is sometimes called the Head of the Church Eph. 1.22 23. Let us seriously consider whether we are guided and governed by him as the members of the body are by the Head and whether we do receive life and influence from him 4. If Christ be a King then we may assure our selves that he is able to defend his Church and subdue the enemies of it though they be never so strong or subtil 5. If Christ be a King then we should acknowledge his Soveraignty The Apostle tells us Phil. 2.10 11. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father To bow at the name of Jesus is to confess his Soveraignty to submit to his power and to humble our selves before him 6. If Christ be a King We should pray that the Kingdoms contrary to his Kingdom may be subverted viz. the Kingdom of Sin Satan and Anti-Christ And thus much of Christs three-fold Office We come now to speak of the third Title given him in the antient Creed which is His only Son Christ is the only Son of God Thus Nathanael the true Israelite makes his confession of him John 1.49 Rabbi thou art the Son of God thou art King of Israel Thus Martha expresses her Faith concerning him John 11.27 I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of God which should come into the World This was the famous confession of Peter John 6.69 His only Son We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16.16 And Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God And the Gospel of John was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God John 20.31 Now Christ is so the Son of God as no other is or was or ever can be He is his only Son his only begotten Son This I shall further explain by these particulars following 2 Our Saviour had a real being and existence before his conception here on Earth and distinct from that being which he assumed here John 8.58 Before Abraham was I am Yea he had a Being before the Flood 1 Pet. 3.18 19. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the Just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickned in the Spirit By which also he went and preached to the Spirits now in prison who were disobedient in the days of Noah Yea he had a being before the World began for the World was made by him so the Apostle tells us Heb. 1.2 God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds Col. 1.17 He is before all things and by him all things consist 2. The being which he had before his conception was not a created being but the Divine Essence he was truly God John 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the World was See more in the third Section of the first Chapter 3. The Divine Essence which he hath was eternally communicated to him from the Father who was always Father as well as always God And this is called his Eternal Generation And therefore he is called the only begotten Son of God John 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And thus he is distinguished from the Holy Ghost who proceeds from the Father and the Son and from the Adopted Sons of God being his Eternal Son by eternal and ineffable Emanation Joh. 7.29 I know him that sent me says Christ for I am from him Joh. 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Bâ—t some will possibly here object God the Father says of Christ Psal 2.7 Act. 13.30 33. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee To which we answer God speaks not there of Christs Generation but of the manifestation of it which was accomplished at the time of his Resurrection by which he was mightily declared to be the Son of God Rom. 1.4 And though he was then declar'd to be so yet his Generation was Eternal The Grave is as the Womb of the Earth Christ when he was raised from the dead was as it were begotten to a new life and on this account God who now raised him is stiled his Father But some will further Object Christ is called The first Born of every Creature Col. 1.15 How can he then be the Eternal Son of God I answer he is call'd The first born of every Creature because he was begotten of God as the Son of his love antecedently to all other Emanations from him and before any thing was framed or created by him And thus much for the Explication of this Article Let us now consider what improvement we should make of it 1. This should shew us the excellency and dignity of the Person of the Messias and should assure us of the infinite value of his active and passive obedience As our offences are aggravated
Christ and are purified thereby and are Sanctified by the holy Spirit of God and by vertue thereof do lead a holy life daily endeavouring to perfect holiness in the fear of God such persons are really and truly Saints and being true members of the Church of Christ are the proper subject of this Article 2. Who are those persons with whom these Saints have communion and in what doth this their communion consist 1. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with God the Father praying unto him and praising of him trusting in him and exercising such acts of worship as he requires 1 John 1.3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ David affectionately expresseth his desire of this communion Psal 42.1 As the heart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God 2. They have Communion with God the Son 1 Cor. 1.9 God hath called us to the fellowship of his Son For being united to Christ by faith they are thereby made partakers of his Righteousness and receive spiritual life and grace from him for the sanctifying of their natures and sincerely endeavour after conformity unto him 3. They have communion with God the Holy Ghost The Apostle hath two wayes assured us of the truth hereof one Rhetorically by a seeming doubt If there be any fellowship of the Spirit Phil. 2.1 The other directly praying devoutly for it 2 Cor. 13.14 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen This is the communion which the Saints enjoy with the three blessed persons in the Trinity John 14.23 If any man love me sayes our Saviour he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And the presence of the Spirit cannot be wanting where these two are inhabiting for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his The Spirit therefore with the Father and the Son inhabiteth in the Saints For know ye not saith the Apostle that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 3.16 4. The Saints of God living here in the Church of Christ have communion with the Holy Angels They are Ministring Spirits for our good Heb. 1.14 They rejoyce at the Conversion of a Sinner They do many good offices for the people of God which possibly they are not sufficiently sensible of And this their Ministry is exercised as 't is probable about the ordinary concernments of our lives and not in some extraordinary cases only 5. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with all the Saints departed out of this life and admitted to the presence of God The Godly on earth do in heart and affection converse with the Saints in Heaven And 't is probable the Saints triumphant wish to the Saints militant the happiness they enjoy and possibly pray for them in general though their particular cases they may not know But we are not to think as the Papists fondly conceive that they interpose their merits for us and that for this cause we are to invocate them or perform any Religious worship towards them These are but inventions of mans brain wanting warrant from the word of God 6. The Saints of God living in the Church of Christ have communion with the Saints living in the same Church If we walk in the light sayes the Apostle we have fellowship one with another 1 John 1.7 And another Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 12.13 By one Spirit they are are all baptized into one body So that they have communion one with another in these offerings 1. They all joyn together in the use of and have benefit by the same ordinances and all partake of the same promises are all ingraffed into the same stock and receive life from the same root 2. According to their places and calling they teach and admonish one another 3. They endeavour to walk by the same Rule and to mind the same things * Acts 3.16 Heb. 3.13 4. They pray one for another Ephes 6.18 and Jam. 5.16 Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 5. They comfort and encourage one another in the wayes of God 6. In respect of temporal things they are ready to succour relieve and help one another according to their abilities Having thus opened the nature of this Article let us now consider what are the instructions we should learn from it 1. If we believe this communion of Saints which hath been before described then let us seriously consider whether we have a part and share in it or no. There are many instead of communion with God and with Christ have communion with Satan and instead of communion with Saints have communion with the ungodly and wicked and joyn with them in the practice of iniquity in swearing swaggering drinking revelling and scoffing at Saints and Saintship and this they account and call good fellowship But let no man deceive himself The Apostle tells us 1 John 1.5 6 7. That God is light and in him there is no darkness at all If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another c. 2. If we have a share and part in this communion it should inflame our hearts with an ardent love to all that are within this communion If similitude of shape or feature will beget a kindness if congruity of manners and disposition will unite affections what great love should there be among all the Saints who have the same image of God stamped upon them and are acted by the same spirit Surely all that are true members of Christ should heartily desire and pray for the welfare of all their fellow-members And should have their hearts touched with the miseries that befall either the Church of Christ in general or the particular members thereof See Amos 6.6 3. A belief of this Article should teach us that as we are to do good to all in our several places and according to our abilities so especially to those who are of the houshold of Faith SECT IV. Of Forgiveness of Sins the forgiveness of sins REmission or Forgiveness of Sins is a priviledge that belongs to them who are true members of Christs holy Catholick Church That we may the more clearly explain this Doctrine we shall consider 1. What Sin is 2. What are the kinds of it 3. What is the wages due to it 4. By whom sins are forgiven 5. Vpon what account they are forgiven 6. What forgiveness of sins doth contain in it
what sweet Meditations should we have of Gods Mercy Love thankfulness and praise should be our daily exercise Had we Davids heart what Songs of praise would the consideration of Gods Mercy teach us to indite How affectionately should we recount the Mercies of our youth and riper years Yea of every state and condition we have been in to the honour of our great Benefactor But especially if God hath touched our hearts with his saving grace if he hath effectually called us and inabled us to repent of our sins and believe in his Son O then how should we bow down our heads and adore his free grace as the cause thereof If we have received any grace tending to our own sanctification or the edification of others Let us say as Paul did 1 Cor. 15.20 By the grace of God I am that I am Thirdly The meditation of Gods goodness and mercy to us should possess us with a superlative love to God Most certainly the prevailing love of God is the surest evidence of true sanctification He that hath most love has most grace And if you truly love God you will be loath to offend him The love of God doth not reign in that soul where the love of the World or of the Flesh or Pleasure reigneth Fourthly The Mercy of God should teach us to imitate him in this Attribute We should labour to be mercifull as our Heavenly Father is mercifull that is as to the manner though we cannot reach to the measure The goodness of God should possess us with a desire to be conformed to his goodness in our measure Summae Religionis est imitari quem colis Now God is mercifull two ways especially in Giving Forgiving First In Giving O how does the Lord supply our wants daily Let us therefore shew mercy to those that want our help Secondly In Forgiving O what a vast number of debts does the Lord forgive us Gods mercy to us layes the greatest Obligation imaginable upon us to forgive others (c) A Christian may remember offences in cautelam though not in vindictam Matth. 18.23 Shall not we forgive an Hundred Pence who have had Ten Thousand Talents forgiven unto us Fifthly We should especially observe and take notice of the mercy of God so highly manifested in the design of our Redemption 1 Joh. 4.10 Here is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins Was there ever Mercy like this We have reason to cry out O the depth of the riches of the mercy of God! O Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him or the Son of man that thou thus visitest him with thy favour and mercy Sixthly Gods goodness and mercy should encourage our Souls to trust in him How many friends have some men with whom they dare trust their Estates or Lives because they are confident they truly love them And shall we not trust God who is love it self 1 John 4.16 I come now to the last of Gods communicable Attributes which I shall speak unto which is His faithfulness in keeping of his Covenant and Promises V. God is Faithful Faithful One letter of Gods glorious Name is abundant in truth or faithfulness The Scriptures abundantly bear Testimony unto this Deut. 7.9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandements to a Thousand Generations Isai 49.7 The Lord who is faithfull Rom. 3.4 Let God be true that is owned and acknowledged for such though all mankind should be false and deceitful Now Gods Faithfulness is manifâ—sted Two ways In fulfilling his promises In accomplishing his Threatnings God cannot in any case fail of his word It is impossible for him to lie Heb. 6.18 Tit. 1.2 As God is light and in him there is no darkness 1 Joh. 1.5 So he is truth and in him there is no falshood The strength of Israel will not lye 1 Sam. 15.29 And Numb 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye God hath promised to them that repent and believe in his Son that they shall be saved He hath promised to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11 9. And we have reason firmly to believe these promises As for Temporal things he hath not promised them to any of his Children absolutely but with a tacit condition if he in his infinite Wisdom see it good and expedient for them So that as to these we must humbly refer our selves to his infinite Wisdom 'T is true we are required to pray for these Temporal things in faith but not with an assured particular perswasion that God will give us the very particular things we ask but with a faith of dependance on God and submission to his Holy will When we act faith on the All-sufficiency and Power of God and humbly resign our selves to his Holy will we may be said to pray in faith I come now to the Lessons which we are to learn from the consideration of this Attribute First We should learn from hence that the commands of God are serious and his promises and threatnings will certainly be accomplished There is nothing of reason or sence can be spoken against an Holy life by any one who believes the veracity and faithfulness of God and the truth of his Word Hath God said and do you believe it that he will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance on all them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.8 And can you continue in ignorance and disobedience Hath he said that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 And can you continue in unrighteousnâ—ss Hath he said Heb. 12.14 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord and can you slight Holiness And mock at serious Piety If you believ'd God to be faithfull and his Word true how could these things be so Secondly Gods faithfulness is a great aggravation of the heinousness of the sin of unbelief He that believeth not God hath made him a lyer faith the Apostle 1 Joh. 5.10 And this is the rather to be heeded that we may stir up in our selves a diligent watchfulness against this sin which with many is accounted but a meer infirmity O what matter of humiliation doth our proneness to this sin namely to distrust God justly minister unto us Many men hardly trust the promises of God so much as they would the word of a mortal man whom they account honest and just Certainly Gods faithfulness and truth should teach us to hate every motion to unbelief Vnbelief is the very bane of all Religion so far as it prevails Let it be our great care therefore to extirpate all remainders of this sin of Infidelity out of our hearts Thirdly If God be faithful this should be a great encouragement to us to trust in him and
them for they know not what they do Eph. 3.14 For thâ—s cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 8.6 To us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in Him Joh. 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the World was Joh. 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 20.17 Jesus saith unto her Touch me not For I am not yet ascended to my Father Thirdly That Jesus Christ is God the Eternal Son of God and did prae-exist in the form or Essence of God having all the properties of the Deity before his Incarnation which was effected by voluntary actings of his own which could not be without a prae-existence in another Nature Let us consider the Divine Testimonies whereby this truth is confirmed and established Psal 45.6 Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter This is applied unto Christ Heb. 1.8 But unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever c. Psal 102.25 26 27. Of old thou hast laid the Foundation of the Earth and the Heavens are the work of thy hands They shall perish but thou shalt endure yea all of them shall wax old like a Garment as a Vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy years shall have no end This is declared by the Apostle to be meant of the Son of God Heb. 1.10 And Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth And the Heavens are the works of thine hands c. Prov. 8. from the â—2 to the 31. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old I was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was When there were no depths I was brought forth When there were no Fountains abounding with Water Before the Mountains were setled before the Hills was I brought forth * He is called the only begotten Son of God Joh. 1.14 Angels and Adam were the Sons of God by Creation The Worshippers of the true God are called the Sons of God by profession Gen. 6 1. All true Believers are his Children by Adoption Joh. 1.12 But Christ is the Son of God by Nature by Eternal Generation Whilst as yet he had not made the Earth nor the Fields nor the highest part of the dust of the World When he prepared the Heavens I was there When he set a compass upon the face of the Depth When he established the Clouds above When he strengthened the Fountains of the Deep When he gave to the Sea his Decree that the Waters should not pass his Commandment When he appointed the Foundations of the Earth Then I was by him as one brought up with him And I was daily his delight rejoycing always before him Isai 9.6 For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulder And his Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellour The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of peace Jer. 23.5 6. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute Judgment and Justice in the Earth In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely And this is his Name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousness Joh. 1. v. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God v. 2. The same was in the beginning with God v. 3. All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made v. 14. And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth v. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Joh. 3.13 And no man hath ascended up to Heaven but he that came down from Heaven even the Son of man which is in Heaven Act. 20.28 Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the Flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Rom. 9.5 Whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amen Col. 1.15 Who is the Image of the invisible God the first born * As being from all Eternity begotten of the Father before any Creature was made or created and so Lord and Heir of all the Creatures as the First-born was among his Brethren Gen. 49.3 of every Creature v. 16. For by him were all things Created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers All things were created by him and for him v. 17. And he is before all things and by him all things consist 1 Tim. 3.16 And without controversie great is the Mystery of godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into Glory 1 Joh. 5.20 And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true And we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and Eternal life And thus much of the Divine Testimonies that prove that Christ is God The Socinians indeed acknowledge that Christ is God but they say he is not so by Nature but by Office They say He is not the most high Eternal God This therefore we shall labour to prove by several arguments First He had a Personal prae-existence unto the whole Creation And nothing can prae-exist * Quod ante omnem creaturam suisse dicitur simpliciter aeterrum est Gloss to all Creatures but in the Nature of God which is Eternal In the beginning the Word was God and so continues unto Eternity Joh. 1. â—â— In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Yet he was so God that he was distinct in something from God the Father by whom afterwards he was sent into the World The Word was with God and so distinct from him and was God and so one with him And he was so from the beginning before the Creation that he made all things even the World viz. All things in Heaven and Earth To which we may add our Saviours own Words Joh. 17.5 And now O Father glorifie thou me with the glory I had
To look into the deâ—th of so great a Mysterie and cannot buâ— cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle did in another case O the unsearchableness O the depth of this Heavenly Oeconomy in matters of so high a Nature I believe more then I am able to understand the gift of Faith supplying the defects of my understanding as considered in this or that man which are not all absolutely against it We grant that nothing contrary to the reason of things must be admitted But reason as it is in this or that man may be very weak and imperfect and very short of a juâ—t and a full comprehension of the whole reason of things Therefore that is no fit measure to try this Divine Doctrine by Certainly it is the highest reason that in things of pâ—rely Divine Revelation we should captivate our understandings to the Authority of the Revelator Let us therefore earnestly pray unto God that it may be given unto us to know the Mysteries of his Kingdom The Apostle Peter knew Christ to be the Eternal Son of God which is a part of this Mystery of the Trinity and our Saviour tells him Matth. 16.16 17. That Flesh and Blood had not revealed it unto him but his Father A man ought not presently to desert his perswasion grounded upon Scripture because he cannot answer every Objection that the subtil Wit of man can make against it For though this or that private Person may not be able to Answer such Objections yet others more learned and knowing may easily do it and to them he ought to betake himself for satisfaction Thus I have shewed what is the Original Declaration or Revelation of this Doctrine of the Holy Trinity contained in the Scripture and how the same is explained by Pious and Learned men very sutably to that Revelation And it will not be amiss to give my Reader these two further directions First If at any he be attaqued by any adversary of this Divine doctrin I advise him in the first place to hold him strictly and peremtorily to the Original revelation and to put him to disprove if he can that God is one that the Father is God the Son God the Holy Ghâ—st God understanding by God the most High God Soveraign of all the World If he cannot do this as you may see by the Testimonies forecited he cannot with any shew of reason do then suffer him not to quarrel at the explanation and fall foully as their manner is upon the terms Trinity and Personality and such like expressions which though they be not literally aâ—d syllabically found in the Scriptures yet are agreeable to the Original Revelation of this Doctrine therein contained and fairly Expolitory thereof And having given this hint or admonition which I think very needfull at this time let me in the closing up of this Discourse advise all those that have any true desire to walk in the narrow path of Truth and Holiness which leads to everlasting bliss to labour in the first place judiciously to understand this Sacred Doctrine according to the Original Revelation thereof made in the Scriptures When this is done the explanation thereof as we have here delivered it will not seem harsh to them nor to contain any thing unsuitable to that Revelation And let me add this one word more that I fear the failing of so many mens profession as we have seen of late years has begun with their relinquishing this Foundation This has been the fatal miscarriage of those poor deluded Souls called Quakers and I am afraid of some others more learned than they If they could be brought to a right understanding of this Doctrine of the blessed Trinity as 't is in the Scripture revealed I suppose their other fond imaginations would quickly vanish and come to nothing SECT III. Of the Works of God I Have spoken of the Nature of God Maker of Heaven and Earth and his glorious Attributes and of the Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Divine Nature I come now to speak of his works Viz. Creation Providence And First of Creation The Apostle Heb. 11.3 Of Creation tells us that by Faith we understand that the Worlds namely the inferior middle and superior as the Jews were wont to distinguish them and all the Creatures in them were made and framed by the Word of God And certainly this goodly Fabrick of Heaven and Earth was not from Eternity as Aristotle that great Philosopher destitute of Scripture-light was inclin'd to believe but was created and made at that time when it seemed best to the infinite Wisdom of God And the special Motives as we may humbly conceive which inclined him to make it were a desire and purpose to express his infinite Power to declare his transcendent Wisdom and Goodness and to exercise his all-wise Providence all conducing to the manifestation of his own glory and praise Some Creatures he made immediately out of nothing as the terminus a quo by a proper Creation giving them a reall being which before they had not Other things he made out of some prae-existent matter which matter he had before made out of nothing by a mediate and improper kind of Creation As he made Adams body out of the dust of the earth * The remembrance of this should be an Antidote against Pride in all his Posterity Abraham Gen. 18.27 acknowledges himself but dust and ashes cum sis humillimus cur non es humillimus says Bernard and Eves of Adams Ribb When Solomon was to build a Magnificent Temple for God he needed many Materials * Ex nihilo nihil fit id est Physice a Creaturis Sod non vaâ—â—t regula si intelligatur iâ— Deo and many Workmen and they many Tools But God did not so He made all without any Coadjutor or any Instrument by the sole word of his command And when he looked upon every thing he had made behold all was very good Neh. 9.6 Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of Heavens with all their Host the Earth and all things that are therein the Sea and all that is therein and thou preserved them all and the Host of Heaven worshippeth thee Colos 1.16 For by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers All things were created by him and for him Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created The chief of the Creatures God created were Angels and Men. All the Angels were at first made holy and happy Spirits Some of them continued in their obedience to God and are still Angels of light others of them fell from God by pride and disobedience and are become Devils of darkness First I shall speak of the good Angels
said unto them fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all People For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. 3. They prevent danger to him from Herod Matth. 2.13 14. And the Angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream saying arise and take the young Child and his Mother and flee into Egypt and be thou there untill I bring thee word For Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him And he arose and took the young Child and his Mother by Night and departed into Egypt 4. They minister to him in his temptations Mark 1.13 And he was there in the Wilderness Forty days tempted of Satan and was with the wild Beasts and the Angels ministred unto him 5. They comfort him in his agony Luke 22.43 And there appeared an Angel from Heaven strengthening him 6. They open his Grave at his Resurrection Matth. 28.2 And behold there was a great Earth-quake for the Angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sate upon it 7. They witness his Resurrection to them that looked for him Luke 24.5 6. And as they were afraid and bowed down their face to the Earth two men in shining Garments said unto them why seek ye the living among the dead He is not here but is risen remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee Vers 23. And when the Women found not his body they came saying that they also had seen a Vision of Angels which said that he was alive 8. They attend and attest his Ascension Acts. 1.10 11. And while they looked stedfastly towards Heaven as he went up behold Two men stood by them in white apparel which also said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven this same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven 9. They attend and magnifie him in Heaven Rev. 5.11 12. And I beheld and heard the voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders and the number of them was Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand and Thousands of Thousands saiyng with a loud voice worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing 1 Pet. 3.22 Who is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him 10. They reveal what he will have done on Earth Rev. 1.1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his Servants things which must shortly come to pass and he sent and signified it by his Angels unto his servant John Rev. 22.16 I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie unto you these things in the Churches 11. They will attend him at the last judgment Mark 8 38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull Generation of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels Matth. 25.31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the Throne of his glory 12. They will sever the wicked from among the just and execute Christ's righteous sentence on the ungodly Matth. 13.49.50 So shall it be at the end of the World The Angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from the just and shall cast them into the Furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth Thus much of their Ministery in reference to Christ Next follows III. Their Ministry in relation to the Saints and People of God Heb. 1.14 Are they not all Ministring Spirits sent forth to Minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation Matth. 18.10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven They are not only ministring Spirits but their Ministry extends to such things as are most needfull and usefull for the Saints 1. They are appointed Guardians and Protectors of the People of God The protection of holy â—ngels is invisible yet true and real Psal 34.7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Gen. 32.1.2 when Jacob journeyed 't is said the Angels of God met him An Army of Angels was his Convoy and therefore he called the place Mahanaim that is Two Hosts or Armies they appearing on either hand of him or before and behind him to secure and defend him The holy Angels do the People of God many more good Offices then they are aware of They help us against our Spiritual enemies as the Apostle tells us Eph. 6.12 For we wrestle not only against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities and Pâ—wers against the Rulers of the darkness of this World against Spiritual wickedness in high places Good Angels as 't is probable are more in number as well as stronger in power than the wicked and defend the People of God against many evils and direct them in difficult cases what to do Dan. 6.22 My God saith Daniel hath sent his Angel and hath shut the Lyons mouths that they have not hurt me â—en 24.7 The Lord God of Heaven who took me from my Fathers Hâ—use and from the Land â—f my Kindred and which spake â—nto me saying unto thy seed will I give this Land he shall send his Angel before thee and thou shalt take a Wife unto my Son from thence saith Abraham unto his servant Acts 16.9 A Vision appeared to Paul in the Right There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying Come over into Macedonia and help us Matth. 1.20 But while he thought on these things behold the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying Joseph thou Son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost 2. 'T is probable they suggest Holy thoughts to us If the Devil can suggest filthy sinfull thoughts and incite the heart to wickedness surely good Angels can suggâ—st good thoughts and incite the heart to holiness Christ spake of Judas that Satan had put it into his heart to betray him John 13. And Peter said to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thy heart 〈◊〉 lye to the Holy Ghost The Nature of good Angels is as fit to deal with our Spirits as the Nature of evil Angels can be That of the Apostle seâ—ms to hint if not to prove this 2 Cor. 11.14 Where he tells the Corâ—â—thians that deceitful workâ—rs transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marveâ— for Satan himself is transformed into an Aâ—gel of light namely when he
in Old time by the will of man But Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2. He taught himself in Person for the space of about Three years and a half John 12.49 For I have not spoken of myself but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak Eph. 4.21 The Apostle tells the Ephesians they would not give themselves up to Licenciousness if so be they had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that is had received the Divine truth as it was preached by Christ himself and is delivered in his Gospel John 15.15 All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you John 8.26 I have many things to say and he that sent me is true and I speak to the Word those things which I have heard of him And Vers 28. Then said Jesus unto them when ye have lift up the Son of man then shall ye know that I am he and that I do nothing of my self but as my Father hath taught me I speak these things Here let us observe 1. The Matter he taught which in general was what he had heard and received of his Father John 7.16 My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me Joh. 17.8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me In particular he taught both Law and Gospel The Law he vindicated from the corrupt glosses of the Pharisees who placed the observance of it in outward acts But he shews that the Law forbids not only outward acts but in-ward lusts also And besides the Law he preached also the Gospel as you may see Joh. 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day And John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 2. Let us observe also the places where he taught 1. In the Synagogues Mark 6.2 2. In the Temple Matth. 26.55 3. In the Cities and Villages Mark 6.6 Luke 8.1 4. By the Sea-side and out of a Ship Mark 4.1 Matth. 8.2 5. In Houses and Streets c. John 13. Chap. 14. Chap. 15. Chap. 16. Luke 13.26 6. On the Mount Matth. 5. Chap. 6. Chap. 7. 3. Let us observe the manner of his teaching which was frequently by Parables and Similitudes and he spake with Authority 4. Let us observe how he confirmed his Doctrine with sundry Miracles which were real plain open and visible to Multitudes of Spectators and Witnesses Matth. 11.4 5. 3. He taught also by his Apostles Evangelists and Ministers giving them extraordinary gifts and stirring up some of them to write Books by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit for the Churches use Eph. 4.11 12. 4. He now teaches outwardly by those Pastors and Teachers and Ministers of his word whom in all ages he raises up for that purpose And thus much of his outward Teaching As for his inward Teaching he performed that of Old and so does also now by his Holy Spirit 1 Pet. 1.10 11. Of which Salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who Prophesied of the grace that should come unto you Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow John 16.13 14. Howbeit when he the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you It remains now that we consider what improvement we are to make of this Doctrine that Christ is a Prophet Let us learn these Lessons from it 1. If Christ be so great a Prophet and teaches now by his Ministers then they should be listned to as Dispensers of his Mysteries 1 Cor. 4.1 2. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God c. 2. We should pray to Christ that he would please to teach us inwardly by his holy Spirit * The Spirit teaches by inlightning the minde and inclining the heart and bowing the will to obey 3. We should labour to be humble For the humble he will teach 2. Christ was a Priest Christ was a Priest There are Two parts of his Priest-hood Oblation Intercession 1. Oblation We were all liable by reason of our sins to eternal punishment from which we could not be freed except our sins were remitted Now without shedding of blood there was no remission Heb. 9.22 It was therefore necessary that Christ should appear to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself Heb. 9.26 2. When Jesus had offered up himself a Propitiatory Sacrifice for our sins He ascended up on high and entred into the Holy of Holies to make intercession for us Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for us In the time of the Old Levitical Priest-hood the High-Priests Office had two Parts 1. Oblation to offer up Sacrifice 2. Presentation of it in the Holy of Holies with prayer and intercession unto God to accept it for the sins of the People See Levit. 16 from 11 to 17. Now in answer to this Type there are two distinct parts of Christs Priest-hood 1. The offering up himself a Sacrifice on the Cross for us Heb. 9.26 which answers to the killing of the Sacrifice without the Holy of Holies 2. He carried this his Blood virtually into the Holy of Holies namely into Heaven Heb. 9.12 where he appears and there also prays and intercedes for us in the virtue and merit of that Blood And the Type of those prayers was the Cloud of Incense made by the High Priest Both these parts of his Priesthood the Apostle mentions 1 Joh. 2.2 Where he calls Christ a Propitiation or a Propitiatory Sacrifice for our sins and an Advocate to the Father for us Christ therefore offered a Satisfactory Sacrifice to God for us on the Cross and now intercedes for us in Heaven The virtue of Christs Priest-hood began with the first sinner that was pardoned By him alone all that are pardoned are accepted and without him none ever were or will be accepted His blood was reputed by God as shed from the time that the first Promise of the Covenant of Grace was
make his obedience and sufferings in the hâ—mane Nature of infinite value and merit This One-man this God-man was more worthy then all the men of the World put together Thâ— humane Nature of Christ being Personally united to the God-head is of more worth than all the Race of mankind So that Christs obedience and sufferings do make a full satisfaction to God for all the dishonour done him by our sins 3. That he might do those great things for us after he had laid down his life for us which none but God could do viz. 1. To Baptize us with the Holy Ghost None can send the Spirit of God into the hearts of men but he who is God 2. To repair his Image in us 3. To subdue sin in us 4. To conquer Satan for us 5. To guide and carry his Church to Eternal life through all those hindrances that lie in their way 6. To conquer Death and raise our bodies to a glorious Immortality Secondly It was requisite he should be Man for these reasons 1. Mans Nature had sinned therefore it was requisite mans Nature should suffer It seems fit and requisite in respect of the justice of God that the same Nature should be punish'd which had offended 2. He could not have suffered if he had not been man 3. If our Mediator were only God he could have performed no obedience the God-head being free from all manner of subjection 4. It was fit he should be man that Satan might be vanquish'd in that Nature he had supplanted Gen. 3.15 And I will put enmity between thee and the Woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel 5. That he might be a merciful High-Priest For in that in our Nature he experienced temptation he knows how to succour and pity us when we are tempted And lastly He was both God and Man that he might be a meet Mediator to deal between God and Man and to work a Reconciliation between them SECT IV. Of our Saviours Life HAving thus spoken of our Saviours Birth and how he came into the World it will be requisite we should now speak of his Life and how he lived and conversed in this World which the Ancient Creed mentions nothing of but passes immediately from his being conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary to his suffering under Pontius Pilat I have in my Harmony of the Four Evangelists fully set forth the History of the Life of our blessed Lord and Saviour Here I shall only give a short Summary of what I have there more largely delivered to which I refer my Reader The Life of our Saviour we have divided into Six Parts and in each Part have taken notice of the Particulars observable The First Part of our Saviours life was from his Birth to his Baptism containing the space of about Thirty Years In which we have these particulars 1 At Eight days old he was Circumcised Luke 2.21 Matth. 1.25 2. Mary the Fortieth day after her delivery goeth up to Jerusalem to the Temple to be purified where she and Joseph present the Child Jesus to the Lord according to the Law Exod. 13.2 12 13. Mary presents the offering for her Purification viz. being a poor Woman a pair of Turtle Doves Levit. 12.6 8. Simeon and Anna here acknowledge him and prophesie of him Luke 2. from 22. to 41. 3. This done Joseph and Mary return with Jesus to Bethlehem and there continue for some time For about Two Years after our Saviours Birth the Magi or Arabian Astronomers who had in their own Country at our Saviours Birth seen a strange Star or extraordinary brightness over Judea and understanding either by some Old Prophesie or New Revelation from God that it signified the Birth of the Messias promised to the Jews they being moved by the Spirit come to Jerusalem to inquire after the place where this New King should be born They are told by Herod and the Priests that the Birth-place of the Messias was to be at Bethlehem Herod bids them go and inquire for him and when they had found him bring him word They come to Bethlehem and there finding him do homage to him and present him with gifts This done being warned of God not to go back to Herod they return into their own Countrey another way Matth. 2. from 1. to 13. 4. After their departure Joseph is warned by God in a Dream to fly into Egypt and so provide for the life of the Child which accordingly he did and there He Mary and the Child remained till Herod was dead But in the mean time Herod finding himself deceived by the Magi and thinking that this young Child had been still at Bethlehem or thereabout that he might be sure to destroy him he commands all the Male Children from Two years old and under that were in Bethlehem or the Coasts thereof to be killed Mat. 2. from the 13. to the 19. 5. Not long after Herod dying Joseph is warned of God in a Dream to return with the young Child unto the Land of Israel which accordingly he did and dwelt in the City of Nazareth Mat. 2 from 19. to the end 6. Christ at Twelve Years old is brought to Jerusalem at the Passover and there disputes with the Doctors in the Temple From hence he went down with his Parents to Nazareth again and there lived privately till his Baptism Luke 2. from 41. to the end .7 John Baptist being newly entred into his publick Ministry preaches Repentance and Baptizes He sharply reprehends some of the Pharisees and Sadduces that came to be Baptized of him He gives particular answers to the questions of the People of the Publicans and of the Soldiers enquiring what every one of them ought to do He gives his first Testimony to Christ preferring him before himself Luke 3. from 1. to the 18. Mat. 3. from 1. to the 13. Mark 1. from 7. to 9. The Second Part of our Saviours life from his Baptism to the Passover next ensuing containing the space of half a Year in which we have these particulars 1. He is Baptiz'd by John in Jordan and witnessed from Heaven to be the Eternal Son of God and a Second Testimony by John given of him Mat. 3. from the 13. to the 18. Mark 1. from 9. to 12. Joh. 1. from 15. to the 19. Luke 3. from 21. to 24. 2. Immediately after his Baptism he goes into the Wilderness and is there assaulted by Satan with a Threefold Temptation Mat. 4. from 1. to 12. Mark 1. from 12. to 14. Luke 4. from 1. to 14. 3. John being now Baptizing in Bathabara some of the Pharisees come from the Sanedrim at Jerusalem to enquire who he was He tells them he was only the Fore-runner of the Messias Joh. 1. from 19. to 29. 4. Christ now comes to John whom John calls the Lamb of God and declares that he was made known unto him to be the
they had performed whom he teacheth to be humble and wherein they ought most to rejoyce He giveth thanks to his Father who hath hid Mysteries of Salvation from the wise of the World and hath revealed them to despised little ones He sheweth from whom saving knowledge cometh He declareth them happy whose eyes have seen the Messiah in the flesh whom many Prophets and Kings desired to see and saw not Luke 10. from 17. to 25. 25. He answereth a Doctor of the Law inquiring what he must do to inherit Eternal Life and shews him who is his Neighbour by a similitude of one fallen among Thieves and pitied by a Samaritan Luke 10. from 38. to 43. 26. He is now entertained at Bethany by Martha and Mary where he commends the Godliness of Mary above the Carefulness of Martha Luke 10. from 38. to 43. 27. He now a second time prescribes unto his Disciples that fâ—rm or pattern of Prayer which he gave them in the Sermon on the Mount He stirs them up to fervency and importunity in Prayer from the Parable of a Friend coming to his Friend at midnight and especially to pray for the Holy Spirit which the Father will not deny to them that ask him Luke 11. from 1. to 14. 28. He casteth out a dumb Devil and confutes the Blasphemy of those who said he did it by Belzebub He shews by a Parable the miserable state of that man into whom the unclean spirit returns again after ejectment Luke 11. from 14. to 27. 29. He sheweth to a woman who pronounced the womb blessed that bare him that they are blessed that hear the word of God and keep it Luke 11. from 27. to 29. 30. He testifies that no other sign shall be given to those unbelieving Jews than that signified by Jona's rising out of the Whales belly that is the wonder of his Resurrection He opposeth to their stifneckedness the example of the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh He teacheth by the similitude of a Candle that the light of the Gospel must not be hid He shews why that generation continued so blind namely because the eye of their mind was darkned Luke 11. from 29. to 37. 31. He is invited to dinner by a Pharisee He complies not with them in washing before dinner He there reprehends the Pharisees Scribes and Lawyers for their Hypocrisie Ambition and Cruelty against those sent to them from God and threatneth the Judgment of God unto them They lay new snares to catch him but fail of their expectation Luke 11. from 37. to the end 32. He warneth his Disciples of the Leaven and corrupt Doctrine of the Pharisees he exhorts them to do all things uprightly seeing all things shall be brought to light and not to be fearful of men in publishing his Doctrine but to depend on God's care of them he exhorts them to own and profess him before men and he will own them at the day of Judgment He shews the horrible danger of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and exhorts them not to be solicitous how to answer when they are brought before Councils seeing they shall then be instructed what to say by the Holy Ghost Luke 12. from 1. to 13. 33. He refuseth to arbitrate a difference about an Inheritance between two Brethren and upon that occasion he dehorts them from covetousness by the Parable of a rich man who would needs build his Barns bigger He disswades them from being over-careful and solicitous about earthly things and by the example of the Ravens and Lillies he shews that the care of this life should be committed unto God and that his Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof should be sought in the first place He exhorts to give Alms and so to deposite their riches in Gods hand and to lay up Treasure in Heaven To watch for his coming the time of which is uncertain like the coming of a Thief in the Night And if they approve themselves vigilant Servants they shall be rewarded He shews that his Ministers are diligently to look to their charge which if they do they shall be highly recompensed but if they prove slothful negligent and tyrannize over their fellow Servants they shall be severely punished He forewarns them of persecution and trouble He shews them that he himself came to suffer and to bring fire on Earth He exhorts the People to discern take notice of and improve the season of grace and merciful visitation afforded to them for it is a dreadful thing to die without reconciliation with God Luke 12. from 13. to the end 34. From the report of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their Sacrifices and from the example of the eighteen on whom the Tower in Siloam fell He takes occasion to exhort the Multitude to repent and to that end propounds the Parable of the barren Fig-tree Luke 13 from 1. to 10. 35. He healeth a Woman on the Sabbath day that had been bowed together Eighteen Years and justifieth the same against the Ruler of the Synagogue He compares his Kingdom to a Grain of Mustard-seed and Leaven shewing thereby the power of his word and spreading Nature of his Evangelical Doctrine Luk. 13. froÌ„ 10. to 22. 36. He comes to Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication and being compassed about with the Jews he is asked by them whether he be the Christ He affirms it and proveth it by his works He tells them the reason why they believe not in him namely because they are not of his Sheep Those that are his Sheep believe in him and they are kept by him and his Father to eternal life Upon this the Jews would have stoned him as a Blasphemer but he proves by Scripture and by his works that he did rightly call himself the Son of God They attempt to seize on him but he escaped out of their hands Luke 13. vers 22. John 10. from 22. to the end 37. Being asked whether few should be saved he exhorts them to enter in at the strait Gate and to take the present season of grace from the Parable of a man that had invited guests and admitted those who came in due time but shut out the Loyterers He shews that the Gentiles shall receive and imbrace the Gospel and shall enter into the Kingdom of God whilst they for their impenitency shall be cast out Luke 13. from 23. to 31. 38. He tells the Pharisees who warned him of the great danger he was in from Herod that he feared him not for he knew he must die at Jerusalem and then he passionately complains of the cruelty and stifneckedness of the People of Jerusalem and foretels their ruine Luke 13. from 31. to 36. 39. He now cures one that had the Dropsie on the Sabbath-day and justifies the same He reproves the ambition of the Pharisees striving for the upper-most Seats at Feasts and exhorts them to humility He exhorts them also to feast the Poor who cannot requite them Luke
spitting upon him blindfolding of him smiting and mocking him John 18.15 16 19. And from 20. to 24. Mat. 26. from 57. to 69. Mark 14. from 53. to 66. Luke 22. verse 54.63 64 65. 11. Peter having got into the High Priests Hall there denies him thrice but upon Jesus's looking upon him he goes out and bewailes it bitterly Mat. 26. from 69. to the end Mark 14. from 66. to the end Luke 22. from 54. to 63. John 18. from 15. to 19. and from 25. to 28. 12. Friday Friday Morning The Elders and Chief Priests met together in Council again and have Jesus brought before them They ask him again whether he were the Messias and the Son of God He tells them he was hereupon they judge him again a Blasphemer out of his own mouth and lead him away bound to Pilate Mat. 27.1 2. Mark 15.1 Luke 22. from 66. to the end 13. When they came to Pilates Palace they would not go in lest they should be defiled Pilate coming forth to them they accuse Jesus before him of three things 1. Of perverting the Nation 2. Of forbidding to pay Tribute to Caesar 3. Of saying that himself was Christ a King Our Saviour makes no reply to these apparently false accusations Pilate bids them judge him according to their own Law They reply they had not power to put any man to death Pilate hereupon examines him himself and asks him whether he were the King of the Jews Our Saviour answers he was a King but his Kingdom was not of this World That he came into the World to bear witness to the truth Pilate asks what is Truth yet would not stay for an answer but bringing Jesus out to the gate where the Jews stood he professeth he found no fault in him The Jews at this were more inraged saying that he stirred up the People through all Jewry even from Galilee to that place Pilate hearing that he belonged to Galilee sends him to Herod who was then in Jerusalem Our Saviour would not work any Miracle before him nor so much as vouchsafe him a word Hereupon Herod and his attendants abuse him and mock him and array him in a gorgeous Robe and so send him back to Pilate Upon this occasion both the Governors were made friends Mat. 27. from 11. to 15. Luke 23. from 1. to 13. Mark 15. from 2. to 6. John 18. from 28. to 39. 14. Being brought before Pilate again he calls the Jews and tells them that neither he nor Herod found any fault in him he would therefore to gratifie them chastise him and so release him Then it comes into his mind how he might release him without any chastisement at all He makes therefore a motion to them to have Christ given them in honour of their Feast and that they might be the more willing to it he matched him with Barabbas but they by the instigation of the Priests chose Barabbas though pressed three several times by Pilate to the contrary and cry out that Jesus should be crucified When Pilate saw that all this would not do he orders Jesus to be soundly scourged supposing that that lesser punishment would have pacified the rage of the Jews The Soldiers hereupon strip him scourge him put a Crown of Thorns upon his Head smite him and mock him Pilate now shews him to the people thus cruelly used they cry out Crucifie him Crucifie him for he made himself the Son of God When Pilate heard that he was more afraid not knowing how Divine a Person Christ might be therefore he examines him again concerning his original and parentage but our Saviour gave him not a word Pilate at this is offended that he would not speak to him who had such power over him Christ answers he could have no power over him except it were permitted to him of his Father This so wrought on Pilate that he now seeks more earnestly to release him but the Jews cried out if thou lettest this man go thou art not Caesars friend By that word he is vanquished He sits now upon another Tribunal in open view and has Jesus brought before him He says to the Jews behold your King They scornfully reject him saying they had no King but Caesar Whilst he is upon the Bench his Lady sends to him to have nothing to do with that just man He calls for water and washes his hands before them and declares he is innocent of the blood of this just person and bids them look to it They cry out his blood be upon us and upon our Children Then he released Barabbas and condemned Jesus to be Crucified Mat. 27. from 15. to 32. Mark 15. from 6. to 21. Luke 23. from 13. to 26. John 18.39 and 40. John 19. from 1. to 17. 15. Judas repenting brings back the money and casts it in the Temple and so goes and hangs himself With the Money a Potters field is bought as was foretold by the Prophet Zachary Mat 27. from 3. to 11. 16. They now lead forth our Saviour to Crucifie him Simon of Cyrene is forced to help him to bear his Cross Two Thieves are led forth to be Crucified with him A great many people follow him and several women lamenting him to whom he foretells the misery that should come on them and their Children When they were come to the place of execution they gave him a bitter portion of wine mingled with Myrrh which having tasted he refused to drink They strip him of his cloaths and lift him up on the Cross placing him between two Malefactors He prayes Father forgive them they know not what they do Pilate caused a superscription to be written in Hebrew Greek and Latine This is Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews Not long after he was fastned to the Cross a wonderful prodigious darkness began and continued till three in the afternoon The Souldiers divide his Garments and cast lots for his seamless Coat They that passed by reviled him The Chief Priest and Rulers mocked him saying he saved others himself he cannot save The Soldiers also did the same offâ—ring him vinegar One of the Thieves also cast the same in his Teeth but the other rebukes him for it and prayes unto Christ to remember him when he came into his Kingdom His Mother standing by the Cross is commended by him to Jehu's care about three of the Clock he cries out Eli Eli Lamasabacthani The Jews scoffingly say he calls for Elias to help him He then said he thirsted They that stood by gave him vinegar which having tasted he said it is finished then crying with a loud voice he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and bowing his head he gave up the Ghost The Centurion seeing these things glorified God saying certainly this was a Righteous man truly this was the Son of God Immediately upon his death four Prodigious things ensued 1. The rending of the Veil of the Temple 2. An Earthquake 3. The rending of the
stone rolled to the door of the Sepulchre Matth. 27.60 Thus the design of the Jews made his Grave with the wicked intending he should be buried with them who were crucified with him But the design of Heaven placed him with the rich in his death and caused a Councellor and a Ruler of the Jews to bury him So that we may interpret that place of Isaiah thus He was buried nigh to the wicked yet with the rich when he was dead Our Saviour notwithstanding the malice of the Jews being thus honourably buried The Chief Priests desired of Pilate that the Sepulchre might be made sure lest his Disciples should steal him away which was accordingly done the Stone being sealed with the publick Seal and then a watch was set upon the Sepulchre We come now to consider what improvement we are to make of this Article 1. Then seeing Christ did really die and was buried let us testifie our communion with him in his death by dying unto Sin 2. In his Burial by the burial of the old man 3. In his Resurrection by rising unto newness of life This the Apostle hints to us as our duty Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life SECT VI. Of that Article in the Creed Descended into Hell He descended into Hell AFter Christs Crucifixion Death and Burial the Creed subjoyns He descended into Hell In treating of which I must in the first place suggest this that this Article of Christs descent into Hell was not in the antient Creeds 'T is not found in the Rules of Faith delivered by Irenaeus lib. 1. c. 2. by Origen lib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Tertullian Adversus Prax. cap. 2. 'T is not in those Creeds that were made by the Councils as explications of this Creed particularly not in the Nicene where the words are these He was Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate He suffered and was buried and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures It was not in the Roman or any of the Oriental Creeds This being premised we come to consider this Article which cannot with any shew of reason be understood of Christs Divine nature which is every where present and cannot be said either to ascend or descend It must therefore be understood of his humane nature And here it will be needful to enquire whether it be to be understood of his Soul or of his Body If it be to be understood of his Soul it must be meant either Metaphorically or really Some understand it Metaphorically and so by Christs descent into Hell they understand those inexpressible sufferings of his Soul a See Calv. Instit lib. 2. c. 16. which of all his sufferings were the most grievous by which he felt the wrath of God in his Soul for our sins But these sufferings were all antecedent to his death he having suffered part of them in the Garden and part on the Cross and all before he commended his Spirit into the hands of his Father and said it is finished and gave up the ghost But the descent into Hell as it now standeth in the Creed seems to signifie something done after his death Besides the torments of the damned are surely such as these 1. Remorse of Conscience or the never-dying worm 2. A bitter sence of an utter rejection from the favour of God 3. Despair of ever being eased of that unsupportable misery Now certainly none of these could befall our Saviour He did not endure so much as for a moment any of the Hellish torments Therefore surely in this sense Christs Soul did not descend into Hell Others hold that Christs Soul did really and by a local motion descend into Hell This they pretend 1. To prove and that from three places of Scripture And 2. To assign the ends for which he did thus descend We shall examine both First They say that though these words are not formally expressed in the Scriptures that Christ descended into Hell yet they are contained virtually in them which they will prove 1. From Eph. 4.9 Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth by which they understand Hell For answer by the lower parts of the earth I humbly conceive is meant the earth it self which is the lowest part of the World as Heaven is the highest For before Christ could ascend unto Heaven it was necessary he should descend to the Earth by his incarnation but there was no necessity of his descending into Hell And further the Grave may be called one of the lower parts of the earth in opposition to the surface or upper part of it on which we live And this is all that seems to be meant in this place 2. They pretend to prove it from 1 Pet. 3.19 where 't is said that Christ being put to death in his humane nature was quickned or raised up again by the power of his Spirit or God-head by which he preached to the Spirits in Prison whence they infer that he descended into Hell to preach to the Spirits there in torments Answer From these words it appeareth 1. That Christ preached in the dayes of Noah by the same Spirit by the vertue and power of which he was raised from the dead But that Spirit was not his Soul but something of a greater power 2. those to whom he preached were disobedient all that time the long-suffering of God waited for their repentance and return while the Ark was preparing And 3. Their Souls or Spirits for their disobedience are now in Hell and for refusing of that mercy that was offered to them by the preaching of Christ 'T is true indeed this was not performed by an immediate act of the Son of God as if he had personally appeared on earth and actually preached to the old world but it was performed by the Ministry of Noah who was guided and inspired by his Spirit and accordingly is called a preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 The third place they alledge for the maintenance of their opinion is Acts 2.25 26 27 a place that relates to Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell c. Therefore say they surely Christs Soul did locally descend into Hell I Answer Soul is sometimes taken properly only for the Soul or Spirit of a man sometimes improperly for the whole person as Acts 27.37 We were in the Ship two hundred threescore and sixteen Souls Sometimes the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nephesh which signifies a Soul doth also signifie a dead body as Levit. 19.28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead Levit. 21. v. 1. There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people Numb 6.6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no
so do ye Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come He ordains that their Collections for the poor Saints and oblations should be on that day And St. John sayes Rev. 1.10 I was in the Spirit on the Lords day Thus the observation of the seventh day of the week which the Jews kept did cease and was buried with our Saviour And the observation of that day on which the Son of God rose by the practice of the blessed Apostles was transmitted to the Church of God and so hath continued in all ages of the Church ever since As God spake by Moses to the Israelites Exodus 31.13 Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you viz. that you profess your selves to be my people in an especial manner So they that belong to the Church of Christ are known by observing the first day of the week on which he arose and by this mark among others are distinguished from such who own not Christ nor his Gospel 6. And lastly Let us consider the ends for which Christ arose And those were such as these 1. for our justification Rom. 4.25 He was delivered for our offences and rose again for our justification 2. To assure us of our resurrection If Christs body had not been raised how could we have expected the Resurrection of our bodies The Resurrection of the members depends upon the Resurrection of the Head 2 Cor. 4.14 3. That he might be declared to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead Therefore says the Apostle Acts 13.32.33 We declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their Children in that he hath raised up Jesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Christ was the Son of God before but then he appeared so to be against all contradiction For he arose by his own divine power which no meer man ever did or shall do 4. He rose again to encourage us firmly to believe in him as a most perfect Redeemer Our Surety is released and set free therefore Gods Justice is satisfied and so we are begotten unto a lively hope of eternal life by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead 1 Pet. 1.3 5. By his Resurrection he hath shewed us how we ought to imitate him and to rise from the death of Sin to the life of Grace This the Apostle intimates to us Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Let us consider therefore and seriously examine our selves whether we be risen with Christ or no Are our affections set on things above Acts 3.2 Do we delight in the Ordinances of God They that have a spiritual life will delight in that food whereby that spiritual life is maintained Do we delight in communion with God and exercise our selves in frequent meditation and the believing views of the Glory of the other life Those who are risen with Christ seek the things that are above SECT VIII Of our Saviours Ascension and sitting on Gods right Hand He ascended into Heaven THe words of the Creed are these He ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty In treating of this Article I shall first shew that the promised Messias was to ascend into Heaven 2. That our Jesus did really and truly ascend thither 3. I shall shew what Heaven it was he ascended into 4. The reasons of his Ascension 5. The time when he ascended 6. The place from whence he ascended I begin with the First namely that the promised Messias was to ascend into Heaven This was typified of him by the High Priests going once a year into the Holy of Holies Heb. 9.11 which was a type of Heaven The High Priest when he had slain the Sacrifice did with the blood thereof enter into the Holy of Holies So the Messias having offered up himself a Sacrifice to God for us with his own blood went into the Holy of Holies viz. into Heaven there to intercede for us by the virtue and merit of that blood And as this was typified so it was also prophesied of the Messias Psal 68.18 compared with Ephesians 4.8 Thou hast ascended up on high thou hast led Captivity Captive thou hast received gifts for men He was to conquer Sin and Death and Hell and triumphing over them he was to ascend to the highest Heaven and thence to send the precious and glorious gifts of the Spirit unto the Sons of Men. And accordingly he himself did foretell his Ascension John 6.62 and John 20.17 2. This was not only foretold of the Messias but really performed by him He who was the Eternal Son of God and by his Divinity present in Heaven while here upon the Earth did by local translation of his humane nature really and truly ascend from this earth below into the Heavens above as is sufficiently testified by these following Scriptures Mark 16.19 Luke 24.50 51. Acts 1.9 10. Christs Ascension was visibly performed in the sight of his Apostles They saw him when he ascended the holy Angels there present bearing also Testimony unto it Acts 1.10 11. 3. Let us consider the place he ascended unto which was the Heaven of Heavens he passed through all the regions of the air through all the coelestial Orbs till he came to the Heaven of Heavens the most glorious presence of the Majesty of God He ascended far above all visible Heavens to the third Heaven 2 Cor. 12.2 that he might fill all things that is fulfill all things prophesied of him 4. Let us consider the reasons why he ascended 1. Having finished the work of our Redemption it was meet he should return thither from whence he came John 16.28 John 17.4 5. 2. After his Humiliation his Exaltation was to follow The first step of which was his Resurrection and his Ascension another step of it 3. Christ by his Ascension manifested his victory over Sin Satan and Death 4. He Ascended to make intercession for us Rom. 8.34 1 Joh. 2.1 Heb. 9.24 5. That he might send down a more plentiful effusion of the gifts and graces of his Spirit And accordingly he tells his Apostles John 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you John 7.38 39. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy-Ghost was not yet
Officers of the Church he doth qualifie and fit men with requisite gifts for their stated ordinary ministerial work which is to explain and apply the foresaid Scriptures and administer the Sacraments and guide and govern the Flock and doth assist them in a discharge of their Office 4. This same blessed Spirit is Christs advocate with men and does by the word illuminate their minds and sanctifie and renew their wills and draws them to Christ to rest on his great propitiation 5. This same holy Spirit also assisteth the Sanctified in the exercise of Grace given them as in the exercise of Repentance Faith Obedience and Selfdenial He also directs and governs their conversation inabling them to walk watchfully that they may not dishonour God nor their holy profession For if we live in the Spirit being quickned by his renovation we must also walk in the Spirit following his directions and if we walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lusts of the Flesh And as many as are thus led by the Spirit they are the Children of God Gal. 5.25 6. He teacheth us to pray and guides us and directs us in our prayers and devotions Zach. 12.10 Rom. 8.26 27. and so is said to make intercession for us by teaching us how to pray and intercede for our selves For which intercession among other things he hath the name of a Paraclete given him by Christ Joh. 14.16 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sive Advocati officium est Clienti suggerere utilia ad ea hortari eum animare atque confiâ—mare coram judice ejus causam agere pro eo intercedere 7. We are said to be sealed by this holy Spirit As a mans Seal does signifie the thing sealed to be his own so the Spirit of Holiness in us is God's Seal upon us signifying that we are His Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of Redemption 8. This holy Spirit is the earnest or first fruits to us of eternal life The Spirit is given to us by God as the earnest of the glory which he will give us To whomsoever he giveth the Spirit of Faith Love Holiness he gives the earnest of eternal life 9. This Spirit doth also witness or evidence to true Converts that they are the Children of God and so is called the spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 16. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God And this he doth evidence to us several wayes 1. By shewing or manifesting to us the Grace which he hath given us 2. By shewing the certainty of the Promise made to all those who have such Grace 3. By helping us from those Graces and those Promises to conclude with confidence that we are the Children of God And then he comforts us and helps us to rejoyce in what we do or suffer for Christ in the hope of the glory that we shall be partakers of Thus much concerning the Doctrine of the Spirit we come now to consider the duties which we owe to him Which are these 1. We ought to obey and follow his blessed motions Yet here we must take heed that we do not mistake the Spirit of God and his motions and instead of them follow the motions of Satan or of our own Passions or Pride or fleshly wisdom By these marks the Spirit of God may be known 1. The Spirit of God infuses into us Heavenly wisdom to mind the securing our peace with God and our title to the Kingdom of Heaven in the 1. place 2. He is a Spirit of Love his motions are for love and doing good 3. He is a Spirit of Concord and moves Believers to unity and disswades them from divisions among themselves or to joyn in carnal confederacies with the wicked see 1 Cor. 12.25 Eph. 4.3 4 5. 4. He is a Spirit that teaches Humility and Self-denial making us little in our own eyes 5. He is a Spirit that teaches Meekness Patience and Forbearance not Boisterousness Contention Reviling or Revenge 6. He is a Spirit that teacheth zeal for God not a furious destroying zeal but a zeal against known sin and for known truth and known duty 7. He is a Spirit that teacheth mortification and crucifying of our lusts and subduing of sensuality 8. He is a Spirit that doth not contradict the Doctrine of Christ delivered in the holy Scripture but moveth us to endevour to conform our selves thereunto Isa 8.20 9. The motions of this blessed Spirit do alwayes tend to our good and to drive us to God and to obey his holy Will and Commandments and never to transgress any of his precepts 2. We must take heed of quenching the Spirit 1 Thes 5.19 that is the gifts and graces of the Spirit in our selves but must labour to stir them up by prayer and the due exercise of them 3. We must take heed of grieving this blessed Spirit Eph. 4.30 Not that he can properly be grieved but he is said to be grieved when we do that which in it self is apt to grieve him if he were capable thereof and which provokes him to do that which grieved persons use to do namely to withdraw his gracious and comforting presence 4. We must not neglect the means the Spirit hath appointed us to use for our improvement in Sanctification We must attend upon him and expect him in his own ways and not in wayes wherein he useth not to go 5. We must do most when this blessed Spirit helps us most If he extraordinarily help us at any time in prayer we should not break off so soon as at other times 6. We must be very thankful for the assistances he is pleased at any time to afford us And above all if he hath convinced us of the evil and danger of our sins hath wrought in our hearts true Godly sorrow and contrition for them and a real hatred and loathing of them and hath drawn our hearts to Christ Jesus to seek pardon and reconciliation with God in and through his merits and Intercession and hath begun a work of Sanctification in us then we ought to admire and to be for ever thankful for the free and efficacious grace of this Holy Spirit SECT II. Of the Holy Catholick Church The Holy Catholick Church THat which we are bound to believe concerning the Holy Catholick Church is this viz. that Christ hath a Church upon the earth which for the latitude and extent thereof may be called Catholick and for the Piety of the Professors thereof may be called Holy In the treating of which I shall speak 1. Of the name 2. Of the nature of the Church 3. Of the distinctions of it 4. Of the notes of it 1. Of the name Church is a name not found in all the writings of the Old Testament in which the body
of Gods people is represented to us after a figurative manner of Speech by the names of Sion and Jerusalem Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the Gates of Zion more then all the dwellings of Jacob and Psal 112.6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee The name Church occurreth not till the time of the Gospel and then it was imposed by our Saviour For no sooner had Peter made this confession for himself and the rest of the Apostles Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Mat. 16.16 but presently our Saviour adds upon this Rock that is the rock of this confession or upon this Truth whereof thou hast made profession will I build my Church As if he should have said This profession or this Faith which thou hast professed shall be the foundation of Believers especially the object of this faith and confession viz. I my self who am the true Messias The Greek word for Church is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies coetum evocatum a chosen or selected company a company called forth of the world or chosen out of others to profess Faith in Christ and to worship the true God according to his will And hereby is to be understood the body collective of all Gods people professing Faith in Christ though made up of several particular Congregations which have been called by the grace and goodness of God to a participation of his Word and Sacraments and other outward means of eternal life The Church therefore in the language of the New Testament doth alwayes signifie a company of persons professing faith in Christ Single persons so professing are members of the particular Churches to which they appertain And all those particular Churches are members of the universal or Catholick Church which is one by unity of aggregation not only of many persons but also of many Congregations of believing and baptised persons The Church is therefore one though the members be many And there are several things wherein the members of the Catholick Church do agree and several things also wherein they differ The things wherein they differ are these 1. The members of the Church are not all of the same age or standing in Christ Some are Babes some Young men and some are Fathers 1 John 2.12 13 14. 2. They are not all of the same degree of strength Some are of small strength and have need to be fed with milk and not with strong meat Some are weak in Faith and apt to be offended whom the stronger must take heed of offending Some are of sounder understandings and others are tainted with errors and corrupt opinions 3. They have not all the same degree of gifts nor the same sort of gifts 4. They are not all of the same usefulness and serviceableness to the Church Some are as Pillars Gal. 2.9 Some are fit to be teachers of others some so live that the Church hath much benefit by their lives and great loss by their deaths And some are such troublers of it by their weaknesses and corrupt distempers that their death is some ease to the places where they did live 5. They are not all the same in regard of office Some are appointed to be Pastors Teachers Elders Overseers and Stewards of the mysteries of God and to feed the flock and to be their Rulers in spiritual things And some are the Flock commanded to learn of them and to have them in honour and high esteem for their works sake and to obey them As there are diversity of gifts so also of offices 6. They have not all the same imployment The Magistrates work is of one kind and the Ministers of another There is one sort of duties belongs to Parents and another to Children one to Mâ—sters and another to Servants 7. All the members of the Church are not to be equally honoured and loved Even among the Elders there are some that are worthy of double honour Some are of high and excellent gifts and graces and as more of God doth shine forth in them so a greater love and honour is due to them 8. The members of the Church will not have all an equal degree of glory there being a great inequality in their graces and the services they have done for God in this World And so much of the things wherein the members of the Church do differ 2. Let us consider what are the things wherein they agree 1. The members of the Catholick Church strictly taken as comprehending only the true living members thereof have all one God the fountain of their being and happiness and are all related to him as Children to one Father Eph. 4.6 2. They have all one Head Redeemer Saviour and Mediator Jesus Christ to whom they are all united 3. They have all one Holy Ghost dwelling in them illuminating sanctifying and guiding of them and are all animated by this one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 4. They have all one principal ultimate end which is the glory of God and their own eternal Salvation which they all aim at hope for and expect Eph. 4.4 5. They have all one Gospel which teaches them the knowledge of Christ and the things appertaining to their Salvation 6. 'T is one kind of Faith that by the holy Doctrine is wrought in their Souls though the degrees be various and in the main essentials of Christianity they usually agree though in lesser things there is sometimes much difference among them Eph. 4.5 7. There is one new disposition or holy nature wrought by the spirit of God in them all And the affections predominant in them have one and the same object Sin is the chiefest thing that all of them hate the displeasing of God is the chief thing they all fear and God in Christ is the prime object of all their loves 8. They have all one rule or law to live by The moral Law is to them all a rule of life 9. They are all entred into one and the same Covenant to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and to give themselves up sincerely to the service of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost 10. They agree in a special love to the whole Church and desire of its welfare And though there may be some differences through mistake between some particular members yet they desire and pray for the safety of the whole 11. They agree in their love to all the Ordinances and institututed means of Grace and make use of them in order to their improvement in holiness And thus much of the things wherein the members of the Catholick Church do agree 2. We come to consider the nature of this Church There are two things by which the nature of this Church may be discerned from such other publick Assemblies which may seem to lay claim to this title 1. Holiness 2. Catholicism or Vniversality Now this Church may be called Holy 1. In respect of its vocation All the members hereof are called unto and engaged
unto Holiness 2 Tim. 2.19 Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The end of Christs gathering them out of the World to be his people is that they may be holy and a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Thus Moses speaking of the Congregation of Israel Deut. 7.6 Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God That is they were so by destination and engagement though many of them were not really soâ— 2. The Church may be called holy because it trains up people in the wayes of holiness and godliness 3. It may be called holy in respect though not of the greater yet of the better part of it whom God hath sanctified by the graces of his holy Spirit The other Attribute of the Church is Catholick Catholick as it is not in the Scriptures so was it not anciently in the Creed but inserted by the Fathers of the Constantinopolitan Council It signifies General or Vniversal Now the Church is called Catholick 1. In respect of place It being not now shut up in the narrow bounds of Judea but diffused through the World 2. In respect of persons All sorts of persons being promiscuously called to Faith in Christ Neither Jew nor Gentile neither bond nor free being excluded Gal. 3.28 3. In respect of times It comprehending all the Faithful that have been in all times and ages ever since the giving of the first promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head And to our Saviours dayes and since then to the age in which we live and is to contitinue from hence by a continual accession to the end of the world Nay it doth not only include that part of the Church is now militant on earth but that also which is triumphant in Heaven Both they with us and we with them make one body mystical whereof Christ is the Head And all together together with the antient Patriarches and other holy men of God which lived under the Law do make up that one glorious Church which is called in the Scriptures the general Assembly the Church of the first born whose names are written in the Heavens Heb. 12.23 Catholick then the Church may be called in regard of extent whether we consider time place or persons 4. In respect of Doctrine because it maintains the Catholick Doctrine quae semper quae ubique quae abomnibus credita est Adversus Haereses c. 3 as Lirinensis d sayes which hath allwayes and in all places by all sorts of real Christians been received as Orthodox Catholick in this sence is the same with Orthodox and a Catholick Christian the same with a true professor A private Christian may be called Catholick in this sense And thus the Fathers of the purest times made use of this word Catholick to distinguish themselves from Hereticks according to that famous saying of Pacianus Christianus mihi nomen est Catholicus cognomen Christian saith he is my name and Catholick my sir-name By the one I am known from Infidels by the other from Hereticks And so long as the main body of Christians retained the form of wholsom words and kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace it served fitly for a distinctive mark to know an Orthodox Professor from an Heretical But when the main body of the Church was once torn in pieces and every leading faction would be thought the true Church of Christ they took to themselves the name of Catholicks also And thus our great Masters in the Church of Rome have appropriated to themselves the name of catholicks accounting all men Hereticks that differ from them and do not hold communion with them in their errors And then they defend themselves by the name of Catholicks from having dealt unjustly with their fellow Christians men every way more Orthodox than themselves But let them talk what they will the Church which is truly Catholick containeth within it all those Congregations which are truly the Churches of Christ And all persons whatsoever who are true Christians belong to it So that whosoever is not of the Catholick Church cannot be of the true Church out of which ordinarily there is no Salvation 3. I come now to the distinctions of the Church 1. The Church of Christ may be considered either as Militant or Triumphant The Church Militant is that company of Christians here on earth who are in warfare warring against Satan the World and the Flesh 2. The Church Triumphant are those Saints who having vanquished and overcome those adversaries do now reign and triumph in Heaven This distinction is founded upon Ephes 3.14 15. Where the Apostle sayes I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family in heaven and earth is named The Family in Heaven is the Church Triumphant The Family on Earth the Church Militant of which the Apostle himself was one when he said 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith The Triumphant we may read of Rev. 7.9 After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white Robes and Palms in their hands Having thus premised this distinction of the Church Militant and Triumphant I come now to speak particularly of the Church Militant 1. Then we must know that the Churcrh Militant here on earth consists partly of such as are truly of it partly of such as only in respect of their outward profession belong to it As the Holy Ghost speaks Rev. 2.9 of some who professed themselves Jews I know the Blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan so we may say of some who profess themselves Christians that they are very far from being such in truth and reality For prophane persons and hypocrites are rather in the Church than of it The Militant Church is either visible or invisible The visible Church is a visible company of people professing the Gospel whether they do it in truth and sincerity or no. It doth consist of good and bad It is compared to a net cast into the Sea which gathered of every kind c. Matth. 13.47 And to a field wherein were both wheat and tares Matth. 13.24 And to a great house wherein are vessels of several sorts some to honour some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2.20 The invisible Church consists of such as truly are what they profess themselves to be It is called invisible because it is not visible to the eyes of men They can see the profession but whether it proceed from the heart or no they cannot see The Invisible Church therefore is hid in the visible and there is no more difference between them than between the whole and a part 3. The Church Militant is distinguished into Particular and Vniversal A particular
Church is a company professing the Faith in some particular place Thus we read of the seven Churches of Asia Rev. 1.7 that is Churches that were in seven Cities in Asia as appears verse 11. Yea we read of Churches in particular houses as in the house of Aquila and Priscilla Rom. 16.5 and in the hâ—use of Nymphas Col. 4.15 The universal Church is the whole company of Believers that profess Faith in Christ throughout the world All Christians as Christians who profess and hold the essentials of Christianity are the Catholick or universal Church And all Congregations consisting of lawful Pastors and Christian people associated for personal communion in the worship of God and holy living are particular true Churches though they may also much differ in degrees of purity This is the universal Church as upon earth Otherwise as I said before the universal Church comprehends both the Saints on Earth and the Saints in Heaven The Church of Rome most absurdly affects to be called the Catholick Church yea Roman Catholick Cathotholick imports the universal Church and Roman but a particular The Church of Rome was once indeed an eminent part yet but a part of the Catholick or Vniversal Church But now she is so degenerate and corrupt that she is termed Babylon Rev. 1.7 And the people of God are commanded to come out of her Rev. 18.4 And I heard another voice from Heaven saying come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Did the Church of Rome in the Apostles dayes worship Images Did it pray to Saints Did it pray for the Dead Did it perform its Divine Worship in an unknown tongue Did it withhold the Cup from the Laity Was this the Primitive practice of the Church of Rome I suppose the Romanists themselves will not assert it We can make it appear that we hold the same Faith that was of old delivered to the Saints and that we have not departed farther from the Church of Rome than they have departed from this Faith and the truth of Christianity Yet the Papists notwithstanding use to ask us where was your Religion before Luther To which we answer wherever there were any true and real Christians before Luther among them was our Church This is the Church we profess our selves of And surely there were many more more Christians at that time in the world then those that were in the Cummunion of the Church of Rome 'T is true Christianity that makes any to be Christians and members of the Catholick Church it is not every inferiour truth that doth so neither doth every error cast a man out of it That Church then which comprehended all the true Christians in the World is the Church we were of before Luther We do not confine the Catholick Church to any Sect or Party Protestants we hold are the soundest part of this Church but not the whole Church All within the Communion of the Church of Rome that are true Christians we allow to be of this Church And the same we say of the Greeks Armenians Ethiopians Abyssines or any other professing Christianity And though the Papists talk much of Antiquity if they will try whether their Doctrine or ours be the sounder we are willing to appeal to Antiquity Let the eldest way of Religion carry it We are of a Religion that is not less then sixteen hundred years old For we hold the Doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles which they have shamefully departed from But the Papists farther ask us If their Church be not the true Church what is become of our Fore-fathers who died in the Communion of their Church We answer They might live and die in the Communion of that Church and yet be free from many of the gross errors in it And God might graciously pass by their ignorance and weakness who had not so great a light as we have to shew them the error of the Romish Church We do therefore in Charity think that some of our Ancestors formerly and some of the Papists at this day who hold and believe the main Articles of the Christian Faith and do live good lives according to their knowledge may be saved but not by their Popery but by their Christianity And thus much of the distinctions of the Church 4. I come now in the last place to speak of the notes of the Church which are these three 1. True and sound Doctrine preached 2. Right administration of the Sacraments For as those are more or less purely administred so the Church is more or less pure 3. Obedience to Christ and his Doctrine Discipline indeed is necessary for the preservation of the Church in purity of Doctrine and Manners yet it belongs not to the very being but to the well being of it But here a question may arise How is the Church said not to erre Answ 1. The whole doth not erre though some particular Church may 2. The Church doth not erre universally though in some points of Doctrine it may which are not essential or fundamental to Salvation Let us now consider what improvement we are to make of this Article 1. This shews us the admirable priviledge of every truly regenerate sanctified person who is most certainly a member of the true Catholick Church All true Christians are Catholicks in a better sense than the Romanists use that word But whosoever is wicked and prophane let them talk they are for the Church c. 't is manifest they are not members of Christs Holy Catholick Church 2. All that are true members of the Catholick Church should keep close to the Catholick Rule of Faith and Life which is the will of God revealed in the holy Scriptures 3. They should labour for a Catholick Spirit and Catholick affections which may incline them 1. To love all Christians as Christians for Christs sake though they may differ from them in some particulars A true Catholick Spirit is for union among all the People of God 2. To compassionate all real Christians in their sufferings and afflictions Rom. 12.15 16. 3. To pray earnestly for the prosperity of the Catholick Church and to be solicitous and much concerned touching the welfare thereof And all true members of the Catholick Chhurch may comfort themselves with this consideration that they have a share in the paayers of this Catholick or Vniversal Church now Militant upon the Earth SECT III. Of the Communion of Saints the Communion of Saints COncerning this Article we shall inquire 1. Who may truly be called Saints and wherein the true nature of Saintship doth consist and how the Saints are distinguished from others 2. Who are those persons with whom these Saints have Communion For the first 1. By the tenure of the Gospel we shall find that those are truly and properly Saints who being called with an holy calling have not been disobedient to it but are indued with a holy faith uniting them to
by Baptism is called the blood of Sprinkling Heb. 12.24 1 Pet. 1.2 And sprinkling comes nearer the baptism mentioned in the old Testament than dipping doth For the Children of Israels passing under the Cloud and through the red-Sea 1 Cor. 10.2 is called a baptizing And surely they were not dipped in the Cloud but only sprinkled with it that is with some drops that fell from it nor dipped in the red-Sea as the Aegyptians were who were drowed therein but only touched it with their feet or else possibly some drops from the waves of it might be blown upon them by the wind But against this some object that place Rom. 6.4 Buried with him in Baptism Answ Our Baptism shews our communion with Christ in his death it being a sign and representation of Christs blood shed and consequently of his death and burial and should mind us that in conformity to him we should die unto sin But we must not press Metaphors too far else as Christ lay three dayes and three nights in the Grave so we must lie under water which if it were practised would quickly end this controversie Besides our pouring water on the person baptized resembling in a sort the pouring dust or earth on a dead body may be a representation of Burial also But we must not as I said strain resemblances too far Besides we do not find that our Saviour and the Apostles continued every circumstance that was in use in the first institution of the Sacrament of the Passover As particularly they were at first injoyned to sprinkle their door-posts with the blood of the lamb and to eat it with their loins girt and staves in their hands as people in haste ready to march out of Egypt But this and other circumstances we do not find observed by our Saviour or his Apostles in their eating the Passover Therefore some circumstances may be varied according to Christian prudence provided we keep close to the main of the institution and the ends of it To conclude this particular baptizing is any kind of religious washing or sprinkling in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost duly performed by a person rightly qualified for it And what Mr. Perkins sayes in this matter is considerable viz. that if we were to baptize a converted Pagan or Turk of ripe years in a hot Countrey mark that we might baptize him by dipping And so much of the outward part The inward part of Baptism or the spiritual mysteries hereby signified are these two 1. The blood of Christ sprinkled upon the Soul for the washing away the guilt of sin and procuring remission and justification to the person baptized 2. The grace of Christ poured into the Soul purging out the power and dominion of sin by regeneration and sanctification 3. We come now to consider the excellent ends and uses of Baptism 1. Baptism as it has reference to God is a sign or solemn rite signifying the washing away of the guilt of our sins in Christs blood and the Sanctifying our natures by his holy Spirit And is a Seal to confirm it to us as circumcision was to the Jews Rom. 4.11 Into whose place it succeeds as we shall shew anon 2. Baptism as it has reference to us is a solemn dedicating and and consecrating us to the sincere worship and service of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost 1. 'T is a dedicating and consecrating us to God the Father as our Creator that we should obey him as our rightful Lord love him and depend on him as the fountain of our happiness preferring his favour before any thing else in the world 2. 'T is a dedicating us to Christ that we should believe in him and accept him as our Saviour and Redeemer expecting to be saved only by his merits righteousness and intercession 3. 'T is a dedicating us to the Holy Ghost that we should accept him as our guide sanctifier and comforter that by him we may be freed from the dominion of sin have the image of God repaired in us be led into all saving truths and guided in the wayes of godliness and comforted with a sence of Gods love in Christ and hope of eternal glory 3. 'T is a solemn ingaging us to renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh as the three great enemies of God and our Souls They are all expressed in Ephes 2. v. 28. and 3. in times past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the air the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of disobedience Among whom we also had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath even as others 4. 'T is an enrolling us into Christs family the visible Church to walk in union and holy communion with the members thereof 1 Cor. 12.13 By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free 5. 'T is an obligation or bond of obedience engaging us to perform the precepts of the Gospel We are thereby engaged to repent of our sins to believe in Christ to endeavour to be holy in all manner of conversation and to take up our cross when our Saviour calls us to it As the Apostle speaks to the Galathians Gal. 5.3 I testify to every one that is circumcised that he is debtor to the whole Law So say I to every one that is baptized he is a debtor to the whole Gospel and bound to observe the precepts of it And so much of the excellent ends and uses of Baptism I come now to the fourth particular to consider who are the persons who ought to be baptized Those are to be Baptized who are converted to the Faith of Christ whether Jews or Gentiles and the Children of one or both Christian Parents The former part of this po is granted by all But there are some who doubt of the latter sition That I may therefore more clearly prove the right of infants of Christian Parents to baptism I shall first lay down some rules which it will be requisite for us to observe in this matter 1. There are many great truths couched and comprehended in the Scriptures which are not plainly and in so many words expressed and whatsoever may be rightly deduced by necessary and unavoidable consequence from Scripture is Scripture and binding to us Our Saviour Mat. 22.31 proved the Resurrection of the dead against the Sadducees not by express Scripture but by consequence and deduction from Scripture See Sect. 6. concerning life everlasting 2. Those truths which are more plainly revealed in the Old Testament are more sparingly mentioned in the New and those that are more darkly mentioned in the Old are more clearly revealed in the New There is much said of the priviledges of children in the Old Testament and particularly of their right to the
manner was by thanksgiving and praâ—er to God Hence this Sacrament is called the Eucharist And this blessing and praying over the Bread and Wine is called the consecration of the Elements or setting them apart from a common to a holy use Yet this must be observed by the way that this Consecration changes not the Elements as to their substance * In caena Domini nuâ—la est transmutatio signorum in res signatas aut existentia rerum signatarum in signis sed signa vocantur res signatae Metaphoricè non propriè Pontificij panem traâ—smutari in coâ—pus Lutherani cuâ—pus essâ— in pane statuunt ut qui non expâ—ndunt locuâ—ionem esse Sacramentalem qualem etiam habemâ—s Gen. 17. uâ—i circumcisio vocatur foedus In his verbis hoc est corpus meum tropus est in copula est quemadmodum in istis Septem vaccae sunt septem anni Item Semen est verbum Dei Iâ—i enim copula est accipitur pro significare Consecration makes the Elements only representatively the body and blood of Christ but as to their use office and signification only This is my body are not the words of consecration For Christ bad them take and eat before he pronounced these words And the words of Consecration should in reason be spoken to God and not to the Disciples as these were 2. He brake the bread * The papists break not the bread but give it whole in wafer cakes And they take away the Cup from the Laity whâ—reas our Saviour instituted it to be received in both kinds and to receive it otherwise is a palpable violation of his order Hence this Sacrament is called the breaking of Bread Acts 2.42 And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking bread and in prayers 3. He gave it to his Disciples saying take eat and so the Cup take and drink ye all of it So that the duty of a Minister who shall according to Christs institution administer this Ordinance is 1. To praise God for the elements of bread and wine and setting them apart according to Christs institution from a common to this religious use to pray to God that they may be effectual representations signs and seals of the spiritual blessings they are appointed to signifie to all those who shall receive them in a right manner And then to distribute the bread and wine so consecrated to the Communicants And the duty of the communicants is to take and eat of this bread and drink this wine in a right manner Of which more afterwards 2. We come now to consider the inward mysteries and spiritual blessings signified by these outward elements Here Christ is represented to us as Sacrificed for us and delivering himself to us with the fruits and benefits of his death for our eternal good I say sayes our Saviour This is my body which was broken * Though a bone of him was not broken yet the Apostle speaks of his body as broken in regard of those cruel wounds he received for you The body of Christ that was nailed to the Cross and his blood that was shed was a Sacrifice as offered up to God But it is meat and drink as offered to us He was given for us in the Sacrifice and is given to us in the Sacrament with the blessed fruits and benefits that flow from his death John 55. Christ sayes my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed And verse 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him that is He dwelleth in me by Faith and I dwell in him by the constant influence and quickning vertue of my holy Spirit Christ must be received by us and united to us by faithâ— as meat is received by our mouth and tasted by our Palate and so turned into our substance Being so received he will strengthen and refresh our Souls as meat doth a hungry man There is an absolute necessity of closing with Christ as crucified and of being highly pleased with him on that account as the Palate is with wholsom agreeable food that our Souls being united to him may of his fulness receive grace for grace Not that we must be like the gross Capernaites John 6. who had a gross appehension of eating corporally the very flesh and drinking the very blood of Christ There is indeed a spiritual eating of Christs flesh and drinking of his blood by Faith which may be exercised when this Sacrament is not administred And of such an eating our Saviour speaks to the Jews John 6.53 Verily verily I say unto you except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you Now that he does not mean Sacramental eating there is plain and evident for that Sacrament was not instituted till a good while after this as will appear to any one who understands the history of our Saviour nay this kind of eating of his flesh by Faith he shews to be of so great necessity that without it he tells them they had no life in them v. 53. which cannot be said of all that never received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper When therefore we approach to this holy Table let us not be like the Carnal Israelites that did eat Manna and drink of the rock in the wilderness but neither saw nor tasted Christ in them 3. We come now to consider the command for the observing of this ordinance Do this in remembrance of me This command is not to be extended to circumstances and accessaries but to the substance and main of the institution This Sacrament is called the Lords Supper from the time of the first institution not that we are bound to receive it only at that time Occasional circumstances the prudence of the Church may alter let us look to the substance end and intent of this Sacrament and chiefly mind that The dying charge of a Friend does usually make great impression on the by-standers And so should this solemn charge of our dying Saviour make upon us Do this in remembrance of me and observe it in all ages till I come So long it must be continued in the world 4. Let us consider now the ends for which this Sacrament was ordained And here I shall speak 1. Of the true and proper ends for which it was instituted 2. Of the mistaken ends for which it was not appointed The true and proper ends for which it was instituted are these 1. To be a solemn commemoration of the death and passion of our Lord and Saviour to keep it in remembrance and in the eye of the Church till he come to Judgment 1 Cor. 11.24 25. 2. To be a Seal of the new Covenant or new Testament with all the promises and priviledges of it and of the ratification of it by the blood of Christ Luke 22.20 This Cup is the New Testament in my blood that is a Sign and
practice of these things 1. Betake thy self to some retired privacy and sequestring thy self from worldly cares and business labour to bring thy mind into a good calm sedate frame and fitness for this great work 2. Earnestly beg of God to give thee the assistance of his holy spirit to inable thee to fit thy self for this solemn Ordinance 3. Seriously consider the danger of receiving this Sacrament unworthily that is without such a disposition of mind and such a preparation of heart and such reverence and devotion as is agreeable unto so holy an Ordinance Such persons as are not so fitted and yet approach to this holy Table are guilty of profaning this Sacrament which is the commemoration of Christs death and of vilifying the signs and pledges of his body and blood and so incur the danger of temporal Judgment and chastisement here and without repentance of eternal hereafter 4. Seriously consider what is required to a worthy receiving And here a twofold caution is to be observed 1. That the pitch of worthiness is not to be set too high so as none shall be thought sit to partake of this Table but such as have a high and eminent degree of grace For this â—â—dinance was appointed for the benâ—fit of the lowest Believers and sâ— such as are weak in the Faith 2. That it be not set too low so â—hat aâ—â— person though very ignorant of the true nature and end of this ordinance if he be free from gross open and scandalous sins may be thought fit to come and be admitted to it That we may therefore avoid both these I shall set down 1. What qualifications are requisite to a worthy Receiver 2. What are insufficient The qualifications requisite are these 1. Knowledge The fundamental principles and grounds of Christianity and the nature signification end and use of this Sacrament must be known by every one that would be a worthy receiver Ignorant persons therefore are totally unfit for the present and must first be instructed before they be admitted to this holy Ordinance But by the knowledge required we do not mean the profound knowledge of a Scholar who knows how to dispute upon any of these points and knows all the distinctions about them but the savoury knowledge of a Christian which hath these properties 1. 'T is not a meer speculative floating or swimming in the brain but a knowledge that affects the heart and works upon the affections 'T is such a knowledge of God as causes the heart to fear him such a knowledge of sin as works in the heart a hatred and loathing of it 2. 'T is an humbling knowledge Knowledge not sanctified puffeth up 1 Cor. 8.1 But the more any Soul is savingly inlightned the more it sees and is sensible of its own folly and corruption and great depravedness 3. 'T is a knowledge that is operative for the drawing the Soul to Christ and for the mending of the heart and reforming of the life Never let any man tell me that he has knowledge enough he knows as much as the Minister can teach him he knows the way to Heaven and Salvation as well as any body can shew him when I see him going on in paths leading down to Hell Shall any man perswade me that he has a sufficient skill in Physick and yet when he is dangerously sick he is neither sensible of it nor applies any fit remedy for himself Certainly that knowledge of the things of God is not right which does not affect the heart nor reform the life 2. Repentance They that are truly penitent have wrought in them by the Spirit of God 1. A Conviction of the evil and danger of their sins 2. True contrition and godly sorrow for them 3. A hatred and loathing of them 4. They are brought humbly to confess them with sorrow and shame unto God And 5. To turn from them unto God by sincere amendment of their lives 3. Faith in Christ This is a main qualification requisite to a worthy Communicant The main acts of Faith are these two 1. A serious owning and acknowledging Christ for the only Saviour of the World 2. A sincere giving up of the soul to him to be pardoned in his blood and sanctified by his Spirit and a solemn trusting and depending on him for all the benefits purchased by his death and passion And such a faith as this is operative for the purifying of the heart and reforming the life 4. Love Of this grace there are several acts required 1. We ought to excite a great love in our Souls to God our Creator and constant benefactor who sent his Son to redeem us 2. We ought to excite and stir up in our souls a great love to Christ Jesus who humbled himself to the death for us In contemplation of which transcendent love of Christ the Apostle cries out If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 Q. But you will say how may we know whether there be in us a sincere love to Christ or no 1. Have we been deeply wounded with a sence of our sins and have we betaken our selves to him as our only Physician to be cured and have we found him curing our accusing condemning consciences Hath our love to Christ any such foundation as this 2. Do we own Christ and love him as considered in all his Offices Do we love Christ not only as a Priest that has made atonement for us but as a Prophet and a King Do we love the guidance of his holy Spirit and the guidance of his word Do we love his Soveraignty as well as his Saviour-ship 3. Do we love him for his deep humiliation and bitter sufferings which he so readily underwent for us and for the great redemption and salvation he hath wrought for us 4. Are we willing to obey Christ If you love me sayes our Saviour keep my commandments 5. Is the interest of Christ dear to us Are we concerned in his honour and dishonour Are we suitably affected when his interest prospers or is trampled upon when it goes well or ill with his Church 6. Do we love him for those eminent graces which were so conspicuous in his life 7. Are we willing to be serviceable to him and to suffer for him when he calls us to it 8. Do we love him for his constant intercession for us at Gods right hand Let us try our love to Christ by these marks 3. We ought to have in our hearts a true love and charity to all Christians We should excite in our Souls a true love to all those that are real members of Christ We should love their persons graces and fellowship These we should love with a complacential love But besides these we should love our very enemies with a love of benevolence wishing well unfeignedly to them and praying for them The proper offices and effects of this Charity are 1. Forgiving injuries 2. Doing good against evil 3. Speaking
his spirit 4. They are such who by the assistance of grace do labour to mortifie their inward lusts and to purifie their hearts from secret sins 5. They are such in whose hearts the interest of God prevailes above the interest of the World or of the Flesh 6. They are such who labour to be holy in all manner of conversation 1. To be religious towards God 2. Righteous towards men 3. Sober and temperate in the government of themselves 4. Diligent and faithful in the discharge of their relative duties 7. They are such as truly love all the people of God and such as are true members of Christs holy Catholick Church 8. They are such as labour to be sincere in all that they do 9. They are such as labour to be watchful over themselves viz. over their thoughts over their affections over their words over their actions and over their aims and ends 10. They are such as in their Judgments do approve the wayes of God as most eligible and most safe 11. They do consent to and own the Covenant they were entred into in their Baptism And these are the characters or marks of such as are Converted Now if any one on serious examination of himself do find that there is any seed or principle of true grace in him and that it is the sincere purpose of his heart to walk with God then he ought to encourage himself to come to this Ordinance which was instituted to strengthen the weak Christian And so much of the duties which are to be performed before you come to this holy Ordinance I come now to shew what are the duties required of you in the time of receiving Which are these 1. Carefully avoid distractions as much as possibly you can through the whole administration and gird up the loyns of yâ—ur mind and be intent upon the work you are about 2. Labour to quicken and excite and awaken in your souls these following graces 1. Awaken repentance and a bleeding sorrow in thy heart for all thy sins past and especially for those that sit heaviest upon thy conscience Say to thy soul in some such soliloquies as these O my soul that ever I should have been such a vile wretch that I should have so grievously offended my merciful and bountifull Creator O what a mercy is it that I am out of Hell God might have cut me down in my sins and cast me down into the Lake of fire and brimstone And has he hitherto spared me and does he now offer me a pardon sealed with the blood of his dear Son O the unsearchable riches of his free grace and mercy O my soul how should this melt thee into penitent tears How should this consideration make thee loath and hate every sin that thou hast ever been guilty of and make thee willing to renounce and forsake them all and to turn to God in sincere obedience 2. Awaken and excite a spiritual appetite in thy self Say to thy soul Happy yea thrice happy O my soul are they whose sins are forgiven and whose iniquities are covered blessed are they to whâ—m God will not impute their transgressions but will pardon them in and through his Son Yea happy are they whose justification is testified to their consciences by their Sanctification and by their sincere desire and endeavor to walk before God in all holy obedience O my soul that this may be my portion whatever God denies me else in this world Oh that this may be a day wherein I may have a clear manifestation of Gods pardoning mercy made to my Soul Oh that I may receive a plentiful effusion of the graces of the Spirit into my heart O that my lusts and corruptions may be mortified and subdued O that I may be enabled to do all my duties better than ever I have done O that I may be more watchful over mine heart and tongue and all my wayes than ever I have been O that my soul may depart much bettered much revived comforted and strengthned from this holy Ordinance 3. Awaken Faith Say to thy self O my Soul it is not a confident and groundless perswasion that Christ will save thee that is the faith now required of thee But thou must humbly cast thy self at Christs feet and seriously and deliberately own and acknowledge him for the only Saviour of mankind and humbly cast thy self on the free mercy of God and his merits and intercession for the obtaining the pardon of all thy sins and must consent to take him for thy Lord as well as thy Saviour and be willing he should rule in thee by his holy Spirit and govern thee by his Laws O my Soul willingly freely deliberately surrender thy self to him to be pardo ed in his blood to be sanctified by his spirit go to him trust in him for grace as well as pardon And though thou hast before given up thy self to him and by acts of Faith united thy self to him yet labour now to excite and put forth stronger acts of faith and affiance in him that thou maist be more firmly united unto him Say Lord I come to thee sweet Saviour I give my Soul here anew to thee Take it wash it in thy precious blood from the gâ—ilt of all my sins and sanctifie it by thy holy spirit Thou hast said whoever comes unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out O receive me though an unworthy wretch O absolve me from the guilt of all my sins of every sort and kind O keep my poor Soul that I now commit unto thee unto eternal life There in no other name given under Heaven whereby I can be saved Therefore I do profess and declare that thy merits obedience and sufferings I do alone depend on and abide by for my reconciliation and peace with God and do now renew my Covenant that I was entred into in my Baptism resolving by thy grace to be for ever thine 4. Awaken excite and stir up thy heart in love to God and to Jesus Christ Say to thy self O my Soul how great is the love of God in sending his only Son to dye to save poor lost Sinners He did not thus for the Angels that fell O how great is the love of Christ who would stoop so low That the eternal Son of God should take our nature and be born of a poor Virgin that he should dye and suffer and endure so much for poor worms for enemies that he should sweat drops of blood in the Garden in his agony that he should have his precious body thus broken and his blood shed to redeem us Was there ever love like this O my Soul what hath been done by thee in return for all this love O my sweet Jesus thou art worthy of all love and service from me though mine heart is base and disingenuous and is not sufficiently affected with thy love Thou art infinitely lovely though my heart loves thee not as it ought to do Thou wast exceeding
lovely and amiable even in thine humiliation in this World but O how glorious art thou now triumphing in heaven O how beneficial are thy merits how desirable are thy graces O let that fulness of grace that is poured forth without measure on thee flow down to us thy poor members O my Soul imagine now thou sawest thy sweetest Saviour nailed on the Cross his body torn with the nails and his side pierced with a Spear Canst thou chuse but love him who endured so much to redeem thee from eternal misery The Apostle Paul ravished with the love of Christ cryes out If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema maranatha The penitent woman in the Gospel to whom much was forgiven loved much Luke 7.47 And shall it not be so with thee Now consider O my Soul Christ sayes if ye love me keep my commandments If thou love him love him in sincerity and delight to please him Love his person highly value his merits love his ordinances love his graces love his commands O my Soul canst thou upon all these considerations say with Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee 5. Excite in thy self love to all Christians to all the members of Christ Pray earnestly that the Lord would protect them and defend them that he would be pleased to perfect holiness more and more in their hearts and unite them more and more one to another in his truth and in the bond of love and make them more exemplary in a holy conversation and supply them with all needful outward mercies and conduct them safe to his heavenly Kingdom 6. Excite love in thy Soul to thy very enemies say to thy self O my Soul thou must forgive if thou expectest to be forgiven Thy dear Saviour requires this of thee Matth. 6.14 If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you Verse 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses If thou expectest to be forgiven so many thousand Talents thou must not take thy brother by the throat for an hundred pence Matth. 18.28 Thou must labour to be merciful as thine heavenly Father is merciful Readiness to forgive injuries and wrongs is a great sign of a gracious state but malice and revenge is a black mark and character Therefore O my Soul pray for thy very enemies this day Lord convince them of their sins give them hearts to repent of them turn their hearts from them draw them to thy Son that by him they may have pardon and life give them such a frame of spirit that thou maist bless them O that I may meet their souls in Heaven where we shall always love and agree together and never fall out more 7. Awake and excite in thy self spiritual joy and thankfulness Say with holy David bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Hath Christ redeemed thee from the curse of the Law being made a curse for thee Hath he redeemed thee and that not with silver and gold but with his own precious blood Hath he made thy peace with God through the blood of his Cross Hath he vanquished death and Satan for thee Through his blood shalt thou have an entrance into heaven and eternal glory Oh transcendent mercy Oh how great is this Salvation which Christ hath purchased for us On the heighth and depth and length and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus Be astonished Oh my Soul at this love and never be forgetful of it call upon the holy Angels to joyn with thee this day in blessing God for these great and glorious benefits and never be unmindful of so transcendent mercies And thus much of the graces we must especially labour to excite and exercise in the time of Receiving There are some other directions also that it will be needful thou shouldst observe at this time 1. Employ thine outward senses so as to stir up in thine heart Spiritual graces For the work of the Communicant lyes not so much between the body and the elements as the Soul and Christ 2. When thou seest the bread broken think of these four things 1. The great pain and anguish our Lord endured when his Body was broken on the Cross Canst thou see Christs body broken for thee and thy heart not break with deep contrition for thy sins 2. Consider the great love of our Lord in submitting to such grievous pains and such disgrace for our sake Think thou hearest him say behold my friends how my flesh is torn and wounded for your sakes Was there ever grief was there ever love like mine 3. Consider the vile and odious nature of sin which brought our Lord to such miseries and required such blood to expiate it 4. Consider what the redemption of every Soul that shall be saved did cost It cost more than all the men and Angels in the World could ever have paid for it 3. When thou takest the bread into thine hands and eatest of it then say Lord thou art the bread of life thou art the only redeemer of lost Souls I freely take thee for my Lord and Saviour I freely consent to the Covenant I was entred into in my Baptism Lord save me and sanctify me O interpose thy merits this day for my pardon and strengthen me by thy grace that I may be faithful to thee to the end and so may at last receive a crown of life Lord behold the Sacrifice of thy Son For the sake of his obedience and sufferings be pleased to be reconciled to me to pardon all my transgressions and by thy grace so to sanctify mine heart that no sin may have dominion over me Fill me with joy and peace in believing If I have found favour in thine eyes give me more and more of the graces of thy holy Spirit and cause me to grow in grace daily and make me fruitful in good works 4. When thou takest the cup into thy hand think again of the wonderful love of Christ that he should purchase us to himself with his own blood Oh the infinite value O the infinite worth of this blood This was the blood that only could make expiation and give God ful satisfaction for our offences One drop of this blood is worth a World This is the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 that is whereby our Saviour ratified and confirmed the covenant which God made with fallen man which covenant shall never be altered O blessed Saviour wash my Soul in this thy precious blood from the guilt of all my sins and cleanse me from all mine iniquities and be to me all that which thou didst intend to be to those who shall be saved by thee By such prayers soliloquies and holy meditations thou should'st labour to Sanctifie thy heart when thou art about receiving this holy Sacrament 5. Joyn with all the rest of the Communicants in a hearty praysing God for
Souls How ready was he to comply with his Fathers will The Cup that my Father hath given me to drink shall I not drink it sayes he John 18.11 and Luke 22.42 Father if thou be willing remove this Cup from me yet not my will but thy will be done 1 Pet. 2.21 Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 4. He teacheth this lesson by his Spirit Now the spirit teacheth contentment these wayes 1. By convincing the Soul of the reasonablnest of it He shews that it is most fit and reasonable that God being our Creator and having absolute soveraignty and dominion over us and being infinitely wise holy just and gracious we should submit to him and lie at his feet 2. By strengthning our faith in the promises of God 3. By strengthning our hearts to bear the burden of afflictions Eph. 3.16 We are strengthned sayes the Apostle with might by his spirit in the inner man And Col. 1.11 Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness And 2 Tim. 1.7 God hath not given us the Spirit of fear but of power of love and of a sound mind 4. By shedding abroad a sense of Gods love into our hearts Rom. 8.16 The spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God and if Children then heirs heirs of God and j ynt heirs with Christ And so we rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 And this hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Hâ—ly-Ghost which is given unto us And thus we see how Christ teacheth this lesson by his word by his example and by hâ—s Spirit Would yoâ— learn this lesson put your selves under Christs institution Particularly labour to practice these things 1. Break off your sins by true repentance and secure the pardon and forgiveness of all your transgressions by Faith in Christs blood A condemned man hath no contentment in any thing he enjoys But a man pardoned is content and well pleased with a Morsel The Apostle tells us Rom 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus There may be much tribulation to such but thanks be to God no condemnation 2. Labour to be holy in all manner of conversation For Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promises of this life and tâ—at which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 Keep and cherish a good consciâ—â—ce and a good conscience will cherish and comfort you 3. Prepare for afflictions and think it no strange thing when they happen to you And when they come meet them as discreet Abigal met David Let not my Lord be angry Beg of God that though he do chastise thee yet he would not be angry w th thee Earnestly implore him that though there be much bitterness yet there may be no wrath in thy Cup. And pray also that all your afflictions may be sanctified to you and may do you that good which God sent them for And be more careful of your carriage under afflictions than troubled at them 4. Moderate your desires after worldly things Though God cut you short as to the things of the world yet think often of your portion and inheritance in the other life Take Mr. Herberts pious counsel Pag. 131. Content thee greedy heart Modest and moderate Joyes to those that have Title to more hereafter when they part Are passing brave Let the upper Springs into the low Descend and fall and thou dost flow What though some have a fraught Of Cloves and Nutmegs and in Cinnamon sail If thou hast wherewithal to spice a draught When griefs prevail And for the future time art heir To the Isle of Spices is' t not fair 5. Be humble under a sense of your own weakness and earnestly beg strength from Christ to inable you to be content in every condition A Believers strength both for doing and suffering the will of God is from Christ Psal 131.3 When I cried unto thee saies the Psalmist thou strengthnedst me with strength in my Soul 6. When thou art strengthned to bear afflictions with a quiet placid and sedate mind give all the glory unto Christ and say as Paul did 1 Tim. 1.12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me 7. Be not secure but watch and pray lest you enter into temptation Moses though the meekest man upon the earth in his time yet once fell into such a fit of discontent and passion and spake so unadvisedly with his lips that God was angry with him and would not let him go into Canaan Now if a person of so eminent grace so failed what eruption of discontent may we be subject to if left to our selves CHAP. VIII Of Covetousness and Earthly-mindedness IN handling of this Subject I shall proceed in this Method 1. I shall shew what Covetousness it 2. In what particulars it discovers it self 3. The causes of it 4. The marks and characters of such as are covetous 5. The great evil of it 6. I shall give some directions and prescribe some remedies against it For the First Covetousness is an inordinate and excessive love of riches and an immoderate desire and hankering after them The simple desire so riches is not Covetousness but an inordinate and over-greedy desire of them And therefore this sin is especially in the heart One may have little and yet be Covetous One may be rich and yet free from Covetousness 2. Covetousness discovers it self in these Particulars 1. In getting wealth unconscionably without regard either to Piety Equity Justice Charity or Humanity When men have their hearts so bent and set upon the World that they use indirect means to get it such as are Oppression Over-reaching Cheating Lying Stealing And so in treasuring up Wealth they treasure up wrath to themselves 2. In an unduede taining and with-holding from the Poor through hard-heartedness and penuriousness what is fit to be given to them When a man is so strait-hearted and strait-handed in works of Charity so cruel so hard and miserable that he gives not at all to the poor or very little and only what is extorted from him with great difficulty and importunity When men are continually hoarding up for themselves but have no bowels or pity for the poor or their indigent relations and though they have enough and abound yet are inordinately carking and caring for more still being perplexed with an Infidel fear lest they should want when they are old Like Symonides who being asked why he was Covetous in his old age Answered I had rather leave riches to my enemies when I die than stand in need of my friends while I live 3. In spending too sparingly and niggardly when men that have plentiful estates have not hearts to allow themselves
which we must account for As we must not vainly waste and mis-spend our estates so neither may we our time Time is an Universal Talent that every one that lives to the years of discretion is intrusted with Every man hath not a Talent of Learning or Wealth but every man who liveth to years of understanding is intrusted with a Talent of Time which he may improve to his great advantage if he be not wanting to himself How highly guilty then are those careless wasters of time and those voluptuous livers whose time lies upon their hands and if they have not almost every day a new divertisement to pass away their time as they wickedly phrase it they know not what to do with it O wretches do you study to pass away that which flyes away so fast You had need clip its wings or hang leaden Plummets upon it to stop its course and keep it from flying away so fast if you could possibly do it You say you are for a short life and a merry Surely you think to live in the World like Leviathan in the Sea meerly to sport and take your pastime therein Hark you in your ear you that are such prodigal spenders and wasters of your precious time This is the time that God hath allotted you to work out your salvation in with fear and trembling If a condemned Malefactor had but two or three dayes allowed him to sue out his pardon do you think that he would spend that time in sports and pastimes in feastings and merriments in idle visits and complements without any sense or regard in what condition he was and how his life was certainly and unavoidably at an end if he did not procure his pardon I suppose you would not think him in his wits if he should so do 'T was a woful speech of that dying person who cryed out on his death-bed call Time again O call Time again But that could not be done 6. Another reason why we should redeem time is that given by the Apostle Ephes 4.16 Because the dayes are evil 'T was not in our power to order in what part of time since the Creation we should be born God in whose hands our times are and who determines our times and the bounds of our habitation Acts 17.26 hath appointed us to live in these evil times and therefore we should now more especially endeavour to redeem our time and improve it for all those excellent purposes before mentioned There are three things that speak times to be evil 1. When iniquity abounds and little restraint is laid upon it but there are great examples to incourage it 2. When great troubles and sufferings befall the people of God and such as desire to walk in all good conscience towards God and man 3. When the times are full of snares and temptations whereby multitudes are intrapped And if these things be found among us at this day We had need from this consideration as well as the former endeavour to make the best improvement of our Time 5. I come now to give some directions as to the manner how time should be redeemed 1. Consider there is no part of your time you should be more careful well to improve than the seasons of grace which God affords you The Scripture speaks of a time of visitation Luke 19.44 Of a day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 Of a time wherein the Lord may be found Isa 55.6 Of a time wherein the Spirit of God striveth with the children of men Gen. 6.3 And this time of all times ought to be well improved But you will say possibly how shall we know this day of Gods visitation and of the striving of his Spirit with us I Answer you may know it by these things 1. When he casts you by his providence under a powerful and awakening Ministry whereby you are shewed the great evil and danger of your sins and the absolute necessity of your conversion if you intend to be saved 2. When his holy Spirit co-operates with that Ministry and draws and perswades your hearts to break off your sins by repentance and to turn to God and to lay hold on the offers of his grace in Christ 3. When he sends some awakening afflictions either publick or private upon you whereby he makes your hearts soft and tender and ready to embrace good counsel 4. When he affords you the company and example of pious and faithful Chistians who are ready to help and forward and encourage you in the way to Heaven When God affords you these helps highly value and prize them as special favours from heaven and account that this is the day of your visitation this is your season of grace and therefore be very careful to make a right improvement of it All wise men are careful to lay hold on and to improve all fit seasons and opportunities for the effecting the business they design For that may be done in its fit season which cannot be done out of it How easie is it to sayl with the wind or to form iron while it is hot But these things cannot be done at another time The case is thus also in reference to the Soul Seasons of grace must by no means be neglected For as there is a time of visitation which God affords to the children of men so there is a time wherein men having outstood their visitation the Spirit of God will no longer strive with them And though we cannot certainly determine this time yet there are some things that are shrewd signs of it which it will behove us all well to consider and to examine our selves whether such signs be found in us or no. Those signs are such as these 1. When people have long lived under the powerful means of grace and are nothing bettered by them but are as ignorant or worldly as carnal and sensual as before Observe what our Saviour sayes Luke 13.7 These three years have I sought fruit on this fig-tree and have found none cut it down why cumbreth it the ground 2. When people have had many convictions and secret workings of the Spirit of God in their hearts and have resisted and quenched them Observe what God sayes by the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 24.13 of that people because I have purged thee that is have used means to purge thee by sending my prophets unto thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee And dreadful are those words of the Lord also Hosea 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone 3. When God sends affliction after affliction upon them and they are nothing amended by them Esay 1.5 Why should you be stricken any more you will revolt more and more 4. When they come to have a vile esteem of the Ministers of Christ and of his Ordinances 5. When they go on confidently and presumptuously in their sins notwithstanding all the warnings and threatnings
many frequently do in their ordinary communication I swear I will do such or such a thinâ— or I swear I never savv such a man c. Which vvords I swear are by some suppâ—sed to have the import and signification of an Oath in them though they have not the form of it And if any think there is no hurt in using such vvords I desire them to tell me vvhen they say I swear I vvill do such a thing vvhether they do indeed Swear or no. If they do Swear they do heinously ill to svvear in ordinary communication as vve shevved before If they do not swear and yet say they do swear I desire to knovv of them vvhether they do noâ— lye and that they knovv is a grievâ—us sin also So that let them tâ—kâ— it vvhâ—ch vvay they vvill I suppose their ovvn Reason if they vvill listen to it will tell them that it is a thousand times saâ—er for-them to forbear such a form of words than to use it Page 5. line 20. read so incomprehensible an p. 7. l. 12. r. God p. 8. l. 4. after help us r. novv the lessons that vve may learn from hence are these p. 17. l. 6. r. in Christ l. 32. r. comfortably p. 23. l. 28. r. testimonies p. 24. marg r. he p. 25. l. 35. r. resisted grieved p. 26. l. 32. r. needs p. 30. l. 33. r. at any time p. 32. l. 5. marg r. humi limus p. 32. l. 25. r. preservest p. 35. l. 10. r. named p. 37. l. 11. r. Angel p. 40. l. 3. r. Christs p. 41. l. 19. r. the p. 45. l. 25. r. Secondly l. 30. r. fearful looking for of p. 46. l. 16. r. so p. 49. l. 28. r. disappointeth p. 51. l. 25. r. obstructions p. 53. l 32. r. notions p. 54. l. 13. r. conversion l. 15. in Marg. r. a Deo l. 17. r. vvithin p. 57. l. 21. r. Gods p. 59. l. 29. r. hath l. 31. r. so far forth p. 61. l. 16. r. especial p. 64. l. 37. r. in it p. 65. l. 16. r. Secondly p. 67 l. 37. blot out a l. 38. r. an higher p. 68 l. 8. r. affectation p. 69. l. 10. r. of the will l. 36. r. help himself p. 70. l. 17. r. be l. 36. r. in us p. 71. l. 18. r. utterly p. 74. l. 24. r. Seal p. 90. l. 27. r. be set p. 91. l. 21. r. First p 107. l. 18. r. from 46 to 51. p. 108. l. 2. r. Luke 8. p. 110. l. 29. r. 18. p. 111. l. 16. leave out the p. 118. l 8. leave out to p. 121. l. 5. r. too dear p. 123. l. 10. r. sometime p. 124. l. 22. r. held p. 130. l. 14 r. potion p. 132. l. 15. l. 21. r. counsel p. 133. l. 25. r. Sacrifices p. 136. l. 9 r. that p. 148. l. 29. for Acts r. Colos p. 153. l. 23. r. improvement l. 37. put out them p. 154. l. 24. for to r. the p. 160. l. 34. leave out they p. 16â— l. 13. blot out and l. 24. for a r. the p. 170. l. 3. put out and l. 5. r. succession l. 6. after Church put in which p. 172. l. 32. r. Catholick p. 173. l. 13. leave out more p. 177. l. 5. r. offices p. 179. l. 17. r. needs p. 182. l. 7. r. their l. 18. put out against l. 18. r. in after is p. 191. l. 19. r. would not have p. 192. l. 19. after 2 put in as p. 209. l. 31. r. position l. 33. leave out sition p. 210. l. 29. r. Apostle p. 211. l. 8. r. 1 Thes 2. 7. p. 229. l 7. r. chap. 6. p. 223. l. 14. r. fitness p. 250 l. 32. r. duty p. 251. l. 9 put in Thirdly after injoyned p. 252 l. 35. r. swear not at all p. 262 l. 37 for and r. add p. 285. l. 32 r. which renders p. 286. l. 30. r. unreasonable p. 288. l. 29. ult for who r. how p. 290. l. 32. blot out â— p. 305. l. 33. r. another mans liberty p. 319. l. 9. r. to this sin p. 332. l. 13 for twenty r. forty l. 16. for ten r. twenty p. 334. l. 35. for sorts r. sects p. 3â—0 l 24. for this r. the p. 342. l. 22. for it r. them p. 343. l. 1. r. far p. 345. l. 36. after Philadelphia add Rev. 2. and l. 37. r. by which p. 349. l. 3. r. is l. 13. r. of p. 352. l. 33. r. Matth. p. 359. l. 4. for Heb. r. Habac. p. 388. l. 37. r. given p. 390. l. 35. r. in a year CHAP. I. Of God SECT I. Of the Nature of God and his Divine Attributes I believe in God the Father Almighty THere is nothing more necessary and essential to true Piety than a clear and distinct (a) Theologâ—a est Scientia affâ—ctiva Practical and affective Knowledge of God That there is a God a Supreme and Soveraign Being who was always what he is the very Light of Reason is able to manifest For that it is utterly impossible for any Being to raise it self from nothing to be something we shall pass for an undeniable Principle seeing otherwise it should act and work and be a cause before it was or had a Being which is a plain contradiction From hence it will unavoidably follow that there was some Being or Entity always and from Eternity and that there never was a moment whereof it may truly be said that then there was no Being at all Now if it be clear and evident that there is a Being that was Ever and Eternally for else there never had been any Being at all it will hence follow that this â—eing is a necessary Being and is absolutely First and before all other Beings and had no Cause or Author of its own existence There was an absolute necessity of this First Being's existence and an utter impossibility of his not Being or not being always what He is and as He is And this necessary this Eternal this First and absolutely independent Being is the Being we call God When therefore we are well assured and satisfied that there is a God our next work should be to labour to knew this God aright In order to this I shall First Shew what apprehensions we ought to have of God Secondly What impressions those apprehensions should make upon our hearts and what effects and fruits they should produce in our lives 'T is true God doth not require we should exceed the measure of our wâ—â—k and fâ—eble understandings in apprehending of him But yet we should labour to attain to as clear and distinct a knowledge of him as we are capable of And He hath been pleased of His infinite Goodness graciously to consider our frame and weakness and seeing our Natural light is not sufficient to discover and find out what may be known of him he hath vouchsafed in his Holy Word to reveal and manifest himself Of the Nature of God and his glorious
Nature to us And First He hath revealed himself to be a pure simple immaterial invisible Being a Spirit of transcendent glory Joh. 4.24 not having any matter or corporcity nor being compounded as bodies are And therefore we should not Picture him to our Eye-sight nor represent him to our Fancies under any bodily shape or figure whatsoever but should raise our apprehensions to the highest and holyest to the purest and most Spiritual conceptions of him that we can possible frame We should labour to see this invisible God by the eye of Faith and observe his power and efficacy working in all his Creatures 'T is He that enlightens us by the Sun and warms us by the fire and makes our food to nourish us and his other Creatures to do us good The Schoolmen say There are Three ways of knowing God First Per viam eminentiae when we ascribe all possible perfections to him Secondly Per viam negationis when we remove from him all imperfections whatsoever Thirdly Per viam causationis when we see and acknowledge that all things that are made are made by him and receive their being and all their powers and perfections from him Secondly God is an infinite Being for whatsoever hath no cause of being can have no bounds or limits of being set to it For the reason why any Being is bounded limited and confin'd to such a measure and degree of Being only is because the Author of its existence communicated and bestowed only so much being power and efficacy upon it and no more He that made it set limits and bounds to it that hitherto its Essence should go and extend and no further All things that receive their Being as all things Created do can have no more of being life power or vertue than is given them by the Author of their Nature And as they received their Being from him so they received their limitation to this or that set kind of Being also The First Being therefore that hath nothing to give it Being hath nothing to give it limits and as it were to confine it to this or that kind form and degree of Being As therefore the First Being could not be the cause of existence to it self so neither could it limit confine or bound it self And there was nothing else without it that could set bounds or limits to it It remains therefore that it must needs be an Essence unbounded unlimited and so absolutely infinite and immense Infinite in Life and so Eternal Infinite in Wisdom and so Omniscient Infinite in Power and so Omnipotent and infinite in Goodness and all perfections That Being therefore that hath more Power Wisdom and Goodness than all the World beside that is the Being we call God That Being that hath communicated to all things else the Being Power Life Virtue and all such perfections as they have is the God whom we acknowledg adore and worship We come now to consider the Attributes of God more Particularly which are those glorious excellencies Of the Attributes of God and proprieties of his Divine Essence which declare and manifest his Nature to us and whereby we are inabled in some measure to conceive aright of him And these are of Two sorts Incommunicable Communicable First Incommunicable which are such Attributes as agree to God alone and cannot belong to any Creature Such as are His Eternity Omnipresence Omnipotence Omniscience Secondly Communicable which are such Attributes which though they be infinite perfections in God yet some resemblances of them are found in the Creatures Such are His Wisdom Holiness Justice Mercy and Faithfulness I begin with His incommunicable Attributes And God is Eternal I. God is an Eternal Being and none is Eternal but himself Psal 90.2 From everlasting to everlasting thou art God That which had no cause had no beginning and that which had no beginning is Eternal Time which is a duration that hath beginning and end is competible to man and other visible Creatures Aâ—viternity which is a duration that hath a beginning but no end is competible to good and evil Angels and to the Souls of men But Eternity which hath neither beginning nor end belongs only to God Isai 57.15 He is called The high and lâ—sty one who inhabiteth Eternity that is who alone is Eternal He speaks of Eternity as a House or Palace which a King inhabiteth or dwelleth in as his own peculiar Possession in which no other man has any right but himself And 2 Pet. 3.8 The Apostle says A Thousand years with him are but as one day and this is the first of his incommunicable Attributes He is Eternal Let us now consider what improvement we should make of this Attribute Gods Eternity should fill our Souls with admiring thoughts of him Who can think of Eternity without amazement Man is a Creature of few days and ere long shall be no more here Our Bodies are perishing but our Souls must last to Eternity Let us therefore mind things Eternal 2 Cor. 4.18 Whatever we neglect let us labour to secure to our selves Eternal happiness Zeuxiâ— that famous Painter said He did pingere aeternitati he drew his Pictures with such care that they might last if it were possible and be famous to Eternity Let us all so pray so read so live and do all that we do as those that desire to obtain a happy Eternity Nulla satis magna securitas ubi periclitatur aeternitas We can never be over carefull to secure our Eternal state in Bliss and happiness II. God is Omnipresent Omnipresent or every where present He is not confined or limited to any place Jer. 23.24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill Heaven and Earth The sweet Singer of Israel Psal 139.7 8 9 10. Cryes out Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Or whither shall I free from thy presence If I ascend up to Heaven thou art there if I make my Bed in Hell behold thou art there if I take the Wings of the Morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me if I say the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be light about me yea the darkness hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee Gods Omnipresence should imprint a constant awe of his Majesty upon our Souls We should always behave our selves as those that believed he stood by He is neither shut up in nor excluded out of any place nay he is beyond all place or space where any Creature is He is every where for his Essence is unbounded And further this should convince us that he is incomprehensible and that we cannot have a full adaequate and comprehensive knowledge of him (b) Non esset Deus magnus nisi esset major captu nostro Canst thou by searching