knowledge and the unity of faith which now a dayes is so greatly requisite for all men are now for the most part drunken with their owne opinions reeling to and fro in uncertainties and the more ignorant sort which is oft times such as think themselves the wisest are so incapeable of true heavenly wisedome that all things delivered unto them out of the Scriptures must be delivered as unto little babes line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little and so we alwaies stay in the very elements of knowledge and never go forward to perfection because we cannot bear one with another and hear one another with patience because we pray not one for another that things unknown may be revealed but we blame one another and suspect one another and envie one another to our mutuall destruction now the Lord of his mercy mend these things both in the teachers and in the hearers that by the faithfull prayers and endeavours of Gods people once at last the divine order of the holy wisedome of God revealed in the Scriptures may be made manifest for me thinkes that Babilon which is the confusion of the whole world in all things but chiefly in the originall language of Canaan which is the true sence of the Scriptures will never be overthrown till this generall order of the text in the uniforme sence of all the distinct parts of it be raised up by God and brought forth as a true Zorubbabell to confound this confusion of uncertaine sences and when this shall be effectuated by the Lord of Hosts who is wonderfull in counsels and excellent in working then I am sure that the question shall be determined who ought to be judge of controversies the Pope or the Scriptures then Atheists mouthes who acknowledge not the divinitie of it shall be stopped and all those that seek the Lord shall find him and be fedd with understanding for there is such an incomprehensible extent of knowledge in a little parcell or book of the Scriptures and so uniforme a sence and light through the manifold parts of it that I cannot compare the parts of it more fitly then unto the body of the Sunne in our worldly firmament which though in appearance it seemes but a hand breadth yet it fils the whole world with the glory of one light by the meanes of infinite beames making up but one stream of resplendencie on every side alike defused so is it with one epistle even with every one of the epistles they are but as a hand breadth in substance but in light of knowledge through the infinite respects and references of divers parts as of great beames they are able to fill the whole church and the heart of every living soule with the resplendencie of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and as Ideots that wote not what optike or opticall demonstrations mean cannot beleeve or perceive although it be told them that there is an orderly dispositions of the beames of the Sunne amongst themselves and a subordinate proceeding of their parts from the body of the Sunne and that there is an unspeakably and incomprehensibly exact order in the disposition of all the parts of light so the spirituall Ideots that have no optike Organs it is no marvaile that they never beleeve nor see any order to be in the body of the Scriptures but so many of you as can make evident demonstrations or experimentall tryals in gathering the beames of the light together in your looking glasses to doe by the meanes of refraction or reflection some wonderfull effect either of representation or of burning in the hearts and before the eyes of godly soules you I say may know and can see that in this light is not onely an excellent order and disposition of all the parts of it but also the very cause of all order that is or ever shal be in this world for even as darknes is the mother of all confusion disorder because it bears under its wings as it were the shadow of destruction and the nature of a Chaos and as light is the mother of comlinesse and order setting forth and making manifest by the onely presence of it selfe the whole decency distinction varietie unitie and symmetricall disposition of every thing in heaven and earth and of the whole world so also ignorance hath been hitherto the mother of Babel and knowledge shall beget Zorubbabell now no knowledge is certaine but that which is in the word of God even as no light is pure light but that which comes from heaven by the same therefore that light can onely and shall bring all order and righteous disposition of all things in the church and world for in it onely is the true weight measure proportion and situation of every thing and by it onely the disposition of the Creatour who hath framed every thing most orderly and decently can be made manifest unto mankind and can any now be so sencelesle as to think that that word and light which is and must be the onely cause of order in every thing should want order and be confused in it self can any be so confused in judgement and drowned in foolish and disorderly imaginations as to think that Gods spirit who by wisedome hath in the first creation of this temporary world ordered all things in so admirable a manner that whosoever beholds it cannot but acknowledge the infinite providence of the workman of so strange a frame should not in the second creation of an eternall world which is his church order and expresse in the Scriptures the very decrees and precepts of wisedome it selfe orderly If the kingdome of nature which shall perish is established by so wonderfull an effect of wisedome and stands only by it for heaven and earth are naturally subsistant by no other thing but by the pillars and foundation of order shall the kingdome of grace and of the word of God which lasteth eternally be lesse wonderfull in the same effect of that same wisedome No surely for if order be one of the most certaine and chiefe effects and consequents of wisedome then wheresoever wisdome is expressed there order must be also and where wisdome is most eminently and highly expressed there also order must be found in the most eminent and high degree of prudencie righteousnesse decencie and comlinesse and for this cause I hold for certaine that in the text of the Scripture a divine order and disposition not only of matter but also of words and manner of expressing that matter is to be found which being perceived and found will bring a new light to all mens eyes and will discover hidden things more evidently hereafter then ever knowne things have been knowne heretofore which I beseech the Lord in his mercie to performe and to make manifest by his spirit of propheste in the testimony of Iesus Christ that in the revelation of his deare sonne all those that love him may be filled with joy and that the glory of his wisdome and goodnesse may be knowne in the truth of his word to the praise of his holy and glorious ame both now and evermore Amen Even so come Lord Iesus and let him that hear it say come Rev. 22. and 20. and 17. Finis Mat. 19 17. â—phes 4. 18 1 Iohn 2. 16. 17. 1 Iohn 3. 2. Heb. 3. 13 14. Colos. 2. 9. c. 1. 19. 1. 3. 1. 5. 8. 1 Iohn 1. â— 1 Tim. 6. 1â— Iohn ibid. v. 9 10 11. Phil. 2. 13 â—â—r 5. 19 〈◊〉 v. 16 17. â—â—r 6. 17. â—â—r 15. 45. Iohn 14. 9 10 11. 2 Pet. 1. â—â— 1 Cor. 12. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 13 14. ibid. v. 17. 1 Cor 2. 10 11 12. â—â—r 2. 11 12. 〈…〉 3. 17. 1 Per. 2. 3. â—nt 1. 1 Pet. 2. 5
wholy ignorant of the life of God must be convicted by the life of the Spirit that there is a better state more perfect happinesse which the Saints of God enjoye in the beauties of holinesse and in their communion with the Father and with the Sonne then that State wherein worldings take pleasure when therefore we know and earnestly study to walke so as it becommeth the Citisens of Heaven in our private and publike conversation doing all things as in the presence of God by vertue of the Covenant made betwixt him and us in Jesus Christ then we fulfill the second part of our profession of the Gospel and whatsoever undertakings may directly tend to advance the knowledge and the practise of this kind of life amongst men is most answerable unto the ayme of a publike good and ought by all meanes to be set forward towards posterity The third thing belonging to the advancement of the Gospel of Christ is the setting forth of the Doctrine of Truth wherein all the grounds of the holy profession are to be laid open unto the world That they may be taught what the ground of our hope is for which wee walke and what the rule is by which we walke in faith love to avoide offences to do good Hereunto belongeth fundamentally the Pastoral charge over a flock by Preaching of the word in season out of season by way of instruction and correction by exhortation and reproofe and by comfort and threatning and more particularly The Doctrinall charge which tendeth to confirme enlarge and maintaine the knowledge of Divine Truth revealed in the Scriptures the object of which charge should not be so much as now adayes it is almost wholy the Refutation ofsome errours and the handling of certaine common places but it should rather tend towards the setting forth of the hidden wisedome of God which is revealed in the written word not as it is the ministery of the letter which many doe onely attend and insist upon but as it is the ministery of the Spirit in the new Covenant wherein spirituall things are with spirituall words explained and being compared with the things of their owne nature and property they unfold the hidden mistery which God hath prepared for our glory before the world beganne In the opening of this mistery according to the Scriptures the Doctrinall charge should chiefely be employed and not in agitating with voluminous disputations after a Scholasticall way particular controversies for if this wisedome whereof the Apostle doth speake 1 Cor. 2. and the Ministery of the spirit whereof hee speaketh 2 Cor. 3. were really attended and made knowne all petty controversies wherein men spend their whole life Scholastically in Philosophicall notions without any profit to the Gospel would vanish away and be decided at an instant because the fundamentall Truth of the Covenant in the Spirituall and perfect wisedome of God which is hidden in the Mystery of Godlinesse is as a Sunne in comparison of a darke Lanthorne whereunto the particular straines and notions of learning followed now adayes are to be resembled Whatsoever undertaking therefore may tend directly towards the advancement of this kind of spirituall learning and the manifestation of the hidden wisedome of God in a mystery according to the testimony of the Scriptures that must be esteemed a reall furtherance of the Gospel and consequently a publicke good through the manifestation of the glory of God in the life of Jesus Christ From whence finally this conclusion is to be inferred That to partake for our selves and to impart the life of Christ to others the profession and preaching of the Gospel must bee maintained and advanced unto this generation and to posterity by the endeavors which tend first to avoyd and take away offences by composing of scandalous differences in Religlon Secondly to doe good workes in an examplary way that others may bee drawne on to walke after the spirit Thirdly to make knowne by the true discharge of the pastorall and Doctorall duties the Ruies and grounds of our spirituall life and conversation both for avoyding of evill and doing of good and what is not directly subordinate to some of these ends or to all of them is no true good nor a thing to be lookt after because it helpeth us not unto any part of our happinesse which is to partake of the life of God in the knowledge of Christ Having thus opened the grounds of that which I am to propose now I will make the motion which I suppose will commend it selfe as tending directly unto this most eminent publique good of this age and of posterity First then if wee beleeve what hath beene said and know that a man is first naturall and then spirituall I thinke it fit to move that assistance may be given as well by way of councell as by outward support unto those that labour for the rectifying of mens naturall parts by reforming and facilitating all the meanes of humane learning for the schooles aswell of old as young Schollers For the great defects and errors in the manner of teaching in the matters which are taught which are inferior and superior Schooles breede evill habits and make the Soules of men unfit for the apprehension of the mistery of Godlinesse in the profession of the Gospel Therefore to helpe the removeall of these and to frame aright course for the education of children and for the perfection of humane Learning is a most laudable publique good worke aswell for this age as for posterity Secondly I thinke it fit to move that assistance may be given towards the endeavors of Ecclesiasticall Pacification and taking away of scandales and differences amongst Protestants first and then also if it bee possible amongst all other Christians that the first part of our Evangelicall profession may be set forward to some perfection And the assistance to be given to this endeavour may bee besides the Spirituall Councell which by men of Spirituall parts should be suggested to the Agents and unblameable and peaceable conversation towards all men which every one is bound to intend for himselfe though different in judgement from each other a supply of meanes to maintaine the correspondency and the Printing of treatises and letters without which the negotiation of this matter towards Divines will bee wholly lame and imperfect Thirdly I move for the erecting of a professorship of Practicall Divinity in every University and one in London at Sion or Gresham Colledge That this Professor might intend besides the reading of Practicall matters The compiling of a compleate body of Practicall Divinity taken out of all the Practicall writers of this latter age which is a thing much desired by forraigne Divines as may appeare by their requests to that effect subscribed with many hands and sent to the learned Divines and the Patrons of Godlinesse and learning in England By which meanes the second part of our Evangelicall profession will bee much advanced towards some perfection
Seventhly That this change is brought to passe by the Spirit of the Lord which worketh upon our spirits the manifestation of the life of God which is the only good thing and happinesse to be sought after and propagated unto posterity Thus having discovered the true aime of a publique good and the means by which we must attain thereunto let us proceed to the endeavours which may be used towards the propagating of this unto the men of this generation that by them it may be advanced unto posterity Of the third If we have tasted how gracious the Lord is and are truly come unto him as lively stones to be built up a spirituall house and a holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ then we shall be fit to propagate this life unto others and not else for the means by which it is propagated unto others is none other but to labour that the light which is made manifest unto our soules whereby we are become partakers of the life of God may shine also unto others that they by the grace of God may partake in like manner of the same This endeavour hath three chiefe parts The first is the care of avoyding offences The second of giving good example by going before others in godlinesse The third of making the Rule and doctrine by which we walke to avoyd the evill and do the good known to every one These three parts of this endeavour are expressed Phil. 2. 15 16. thus Be blamelesse and harmles as the Sons os God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation amongst whom shine ye as lights in the world holding forth the Word of life Except we study to be in all things without scandall and offence as it becometh the Sons of God amongst the Sons of men the good which we do shall be evill spoken of and become unprofitable See Rom. 14. 13 14 15 16. And if we give no good example by our life in the profession of the Gospell all our Doctrine shall be blasted and we justly suspected and not worthy to be heard or taken notice of for teachers of Truth See Math. 7. 16. 21. Iohn 10. 3 4 5. Thus then the endeavour to be without offence is a preparative to make way for the good which is to be intended towards others in our practise and the good which is to bee intended towards others by our practise is a preparative towards the proposall of the Doctrine of Truth by which the knowledge of Christ is advanced unto the World that so many as God shall be pleased to enlighten and call out of the world by that knowledge may be joyned to him and made participant of his life These three endeavours comprehend all the objects which in the profession and preaching of the Gospel are to be studied by our selves and insisted upon towards others For in a word it is by the means of the Gospel that Christ is to be made known unto the world For the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeveth Rom. 1. 16. And seeing that in the wisedome of God the world by wisedome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that beleeve 1 Cor. 1. 21. Now in the Gospel there be two things First there is the doing of the Truth for ourselves and then the publishing of the same for others The doing of the Truth is the profession of the Gospel and the publishing of it unto others is the preaching of the Doctrine by which the profession is regulated As for the profession we see it hath two parts The first is a care to be blamelesse and harmlesse without offence and rebuke towards all men The second is the practise of Piety to do good to all and goe before others to lead them on towards the life of God Whence we must gather that all manner of endeavours and undertakings which tend directly to advance and perfect any of these three objects should be counted truly good endeavours and fit to be supported in this Age and transmitted to Posterity And the more neere any endeavour or undertaking doth come to reach any of these ends the more compleat and perfect it is to be esteemed in goodnesse as comming neerest unto the life of God Here then the endeavours tending to the advancement of the Gospel should be sought out and ranked according to the subordination and relation which these matters have one towards another and all towards the manifestation of the life of God in us by the knowledge of Jesus Christ in the Gospell Unto the matter of harmlesnesse and blamelesse conversation belongeth the endeavour of peaceablenesse and of becoming all things unto all men in that which is lawfull as the Apostle telleth us he did 1 Cor. 9. 19. 24. The endeavour of Peaceablenesse is a study whereby we are directed how to avoyd the occasions of strife in respect of our selves and to bring others who are at variance unto a peaceable and harmlesse disposition These endeavours are proper Characters of the Sons of God for in the place forementioned the Apostle maketh the in-offensivenesse of our conversation to be the property of the Sons of God And Christ saith that the Peacemakers are blessed because they shall be called the Sons of God Math. 5. 9. Thus then we must conclude that the endeavours tending to take away offences and scandalls from amongst Christians and tending to cause them avoyd strife and debates and tending to make peace amongst them and to bring them to the unity of the Spirit by a reconcilement of differences in the Truth are undertakings and endeavours immediately conducing to the furtherance of the Gospel and consequently to the setling forward of the life of God amongst men For God is the God of peace and hath no fellowship with evill but is harmlesse and good unto all for even unto those that are unworthy of his goodnesse he causeth his Sun to shine Therefore Christ exhorteth all his Disciples to be like his and their heavenly Father in this That they should be peaceable innocent and do good unto all even unto their enemies and persecutors Math 5. 38. till the end Unto the second part of the profession which is the practise of Piety belongeth the zeal of advancing the Kingdom of God and setting forth the image of Christ unto the world in Righteousnesse and holinesse This is somewhat more then to be unblameable by avoyding scandalls and strife for it doth imply moreover a care tending to the edification of many by way of example to lead others to perfection in the duties belonging to our christian calling for we are bound to shew others the life of the Spirit by our walking so that they may be able to discerne in us the powers of another life then that is whereby this world is upheld for this world being led by lust and selfe-conceited greatnesse and
of the Mystery of Spirituall Wisedome and how to discern this according to the rule of the Analogie of faith And how to make use of this rule to dive into the depth and riches of Gods wisedome and to know thereby what his working is towards our inward and Spirituall man and how the materiall truth is to be applyed and exalted with a reflection of the Spirit upon Christ unto a more heavenly use then the bare rationall consideration thereof doth afford unto a naturall man I say how to do all this for our owne instruction and the inlargement of the soule in communion with God is the third degree of Analyticall doctrine and meditation whereof a particular Treatise should bee elaborated for those that are to be counted Experienced and in some respect Fathers in Christianity For none should be initiated into this Doctrine but such as have experience of Gods dealing with themselves and others and are consequently able from their owne observations of Gods working to bear witnesse to the truth which the Scripture doth mention in a Mystery and which cannot be understood by any but by such as can discerne the worke of the Spirit in themselves and perceive the degrees of the worke thereof in others and consequently can judge betwixt the true and false motions of the Spirit and begun clearly to learne and understand the intention of God in particular proceedings as they are subordinate unto the main intention of God towards Mankinde in the worke of salvation through Christ as he is the Head of his Church Such I say as in the study of Christianity are come this farre may be called Fathers and none but they are capable of this third degree of Analyticall Doctrine And therefore this Treatise is not to be made common but only should be imparted unto them alone and that also by some degrees according to the measure of their capacity in this because here doth lie the danger of Spirituall pride and selfe-conceitednesse which draweth most men of knowledge headlong into errors and extravagancies whereby they confound themselves and others and draw many sometimes into endlesse perdition when they are stubbornly bent to flatter themselves in the deceitfull apprehension of Spirituall Mysteries Thus far all common Christians should be led and taught to attaine unto divine wisedome by way of Scripturall Meditation And besides these directions to be given by way of Treaties certaine Exercises of the minde as well in private solitarily as in company with others and publickly should be made use of and might be described if there were any appearance of hope that in these troublesome and unsetled times a foundation could be laid for the practise and training up of Christian soules in such away of Learning For if a Lecture were founded in some convenient place wherein the Doctrinall part of this Science might be delivered in publicke Lectures and further beaten out in private conferences then also such as would addict themselves unto this kinde of study and give up their Children to be instructed by those degrees of Humane and Divine Learning might be not only taught but actually exercised inured by some practicall wayes into the Method of knowledge for without some exercise fitted to the capacity of him that is taught wherein he may be brought to apply the rule which he hath beene taught to the use wherefore it is given all instruction in Divine matters is either unusefull or hurtfull For unlesse divine instruction end in the fruit of the Spirit which is righteousnesse holinesse which without some reall exercise cannot be received or entertained when God hath given them in any measure all instructions and theoreticall directions are but to none effect and rather hurtfull then profitable because they tend to a greater judgement over him that knoweth the way of truth and doth not follow it Therefore it is expedient to make many discourses and treatises of those things and to publish the doctrine thereof at adventures before tryall be made of the practise and before it may be knowne that those to whom the Doctrine is to be imparted are not doggs and swine that is to say carnall beastly minded men that will teare the truth by selfe conceited contradictions into peeces or if they are led not to contradict so much as to assent that then they will not drowne it in the mire of sensuall lust and swinish worldly mindednesse Therefore these pearles must not be cast before the world but ought to be dispensed unto the children of the Kingdome and that with a great deale of discretion and spirituall prudency because we have experience that even the true children of God are not capeable of al things but that if matters be not suggested to them by degrees they either get a spirituall surfet thereof so that their stomack is spoyled and unable to digest necessary foode when it is proposed to them or else become drunken with them and so in the heate of their braine they are as it were foolish and mad in using them without sobriety and disorderly neither to their owne nor other mens edification As for the Doctrine and exercises belonging to teachers to bring them to a demonstrative way of interpreting of Scriptures they are of two sorts The first is for the inlarging of knowledge for the discovery of the Mystery of Gods Kingdome in a Doctrinall or Hortatorie or consolatorie way to infuse knowledge into others The second is for deciding of doubts either arising from the words or from the matter of the Text Of each of these waies as they are to be fitted to higher or meaner capacities some Treatises should bee compiled to shew Ministers both how to divide the words aright unto their hearers according to the difference of their Auditories disposition how to deale one with another in matters of doubts and disputes to come to a full and satisfactorie decision of their controversies These two Treaties are of great concernement and not to be put forth till mens eares be opened by affliction the pride of learning be put down in the conceit of the worldly wise and of the disputers of this age which God will bring to passe partly by outward afflictions partly by the great variety or opinions and the 〈…〉 of received principles which will be shaken on all sides The men that are ingenuous and call upon God for light and direction will finde deeper principles of truth to rest their soules upon then hitherto they have received And by these God will abolish the wisedome of the wise and the learning and the disputer of this age and bring those that seeke wisedome in the simplicity of the word to understand the depths of Gods counsell which are hid from the great Rabbies of the world and men rather addicted to bookish learning to tell us what this or that Author saith then to search after the wisedome demonstration of the spirit of power by which the Apostles in