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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	act_n	church_n	king_n	1,367	5	3.6863	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36446	Theanthrōpos or The great mysterie of godlines opened by way of antidote against the great mysterie of iniquity, (now awork in the Romish Church.) In a sound and seasonable treatise; wherein 1. The incarnation of the Son of God (and evangelicall love, wisdome, humility, &c. expressed in that contrivance) is fully explicated and displayed. 2. Ceremonies in poynt of divine worship are concluded to be by Christ (the true Messiah) abrogated; and examined whether they are not since Christ, Jewish-anti-Christian; where the Jew and Judaizing Christian are deservedly taxed. 3. Christian liberty with its VIII steps and V boundaries, is modestly and briefly asserted; and many other matters of consequence and moment are imparted; but now published for vindication of the truth and its assertor. By Thomas Douglas, M.A. minister of the Gospel at Olaves-Silverstreet, in London.	Douglas, Thomas, fl. 1661.	1661 (1661)	Wing D2040; ESTC R212841	54,580	83

Man that I am What will become of me Where shall I dwell for ever Who shall be my companions to all eternity Damned Spirits or the Spirits of just men made perfect Such terrors and fears are as it were a Preface and Introduction to hell Now Redeemed ones are free from those Legal terrors and in stead of a Spirit of bondage they are possessed of the Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father And this is that which breeds comfort in life and confidence at death in the children of God 7. The seventh is Exemption from the Ceremonial and Judicial Lawes of Moses That Unsupportable Yoke which neither the modern Jews nor their fathers were able to bear Acts 15. 10. This freedom and Immunity are we in a more especial manner to understand by Redemption in the Text. The Jewish Church like an Heir during his minority was subject to a Pedagogie viz. the Ceremonial and Judicial Laws of Moses in which respect the state of the Jewes seemed to be a servile-servile-state but when the fulness of the time was come even the time of the Churches maturity and riper age God sent forth his Son made of a woman to redeem his Church from that bondage and servitude There were three Laws committed to the Jewes viz. The 1. Moral 2. Ceremonial 3. Judicial The Moral Law was ordained to be a standing and Unalterable Rule of Life and Obedience both to the Jewish and Christian Church The Ceremonial and Judicial Lawes were Appendices of the Moral Law The Ceremonial of the first Table determining the particulars of that Worship which was peculiar to the Church of the Jewes The Judicial of the second Table determining the particulars of that Policy which was peculiar to the Common-wealth of the Jewes So that the Ceremonial contained the Ecclesiastical Lawes of that Church and did respect God The Judicial the Civil Lawes of that Commonwealth and did respect their Neighbour Now Christ did in the fulness of the time redeem his Church both from the Ceremonial and Judicial Laws as a * Gal. 5. 1. yoke of bondage imposed not upon the necks but even upon the Consciences of the Jewes binding them to a strict and accurate observation of the same As touching the Judicial and Civil Law What things soever contained therein were communis juris of common Equity and had a foundation in the Law of Nature and might be enforced by the Law Moral are still Obligatory to Christians But what was peculiar to the constitution of the Judaical Policy and are not enforceable by any common Right but were the particular positive Laws of the Jewes do not more binde Christians then any other Municipal Law For Christ destroying the Jewish Commonwealth their Temple and City according to the Prophesie of Daniel chap. 9. v. 26 27. did withall abrogate and destroy the whole Jewish Policy and Lawes And thus it is said The Priesthood namely of Aaron being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law namely of Moses Heb. 7. 12. As touching the Ceremonial and Ecclesiastical Law That together with the Judicial Law might be condered in a fourfold respect as is evident from Scripture viz. as 1. A Badge of distinction between the Jewes and all other Nations Gen. 17. 13 14. 2. A Ratified signe of Guilt Col. 2. 14. 3. A Typical Adumbration of Christ and his Benefits Heb. 9. 9 10. 4. A Tutor and Schoolmaster to the Infant-Church Gal. 4. 1 2 3. Now The Christian Church is freed from the Ceremonial as from the Judicial Law in all these respects For 1. Christ hath broken down the middle-wall of partition between Jewes and Gentiles c. Eph. 2. 14 15. 2. Christ hath abolished and taken out of the way the hand-writing of Ordinances which was against us c. Col. 2. 14. 3. Christ the Typified Body of Levitical shaddows and Adumbrations Col. 2. 17. is come 4. When the fulness of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman c. to redeem them that were under the Law his Church from a Mosaical Pedagogie and Elements Gal. 4. 4 5. Then 1. The Ceremonies are not things Indifferent in the Christian Church They were abrogated by the Son of God whose designe in coming in the flesh was to redeem his Church from that Legal Yoke so that to obtrude them upon the Gospel-Church were to frustrate Christians of one great End of the Incarnation and to infringe their Christian Liberty O! How sad is it when men pursue Iniquities for Indifferencies Ergo c. * Do Cas Cons lib. 4. cap. 11. Cas 3. Baldwin in his Cases of Conscience hath a passage which I cannot omit Charles the fifth caused a wretched book called INTERIM to be published wherein yeilding to the Cross Surplice Holy-dayes and other Ceremonies was enjoyned conformity thereunto being much urged by some furious Zelots who pleaded the Emperours Commandment in a thing Indifferent the non-conforming Protestants replyed That the Question was not about a thing Indifferent c. The same Reply might we make to those that urge the Ceremonies as Indifferent things How can those be said to be things Indifferent which Christ hath abolished From which he hath Redeemed his Church 2. How impudent is the Church of Rome in burthening Christians with a yoke which neither they nor their fathers were ever able to bear namely a heap of superfluous yea ridiculous yea impious and Antichristian Ceremonies But Sunt pompae istae omnes Ceremoniae Papisticae nihil aliud quam furi meretricii ad hoc excogitati ut homines ad spiritualem scortationem alliciantur Zanchy ad Regin Elizab. Epistol lib. 1. pag. 112. this is like her Though they are a burthen to the better sort of Christians yet they are a part of her Whorish paint whereby she endeavours to allure Christians to partake of the cup of her Fornications 3. The Ceremonies of the Jewish imposed upon the Christian Church were an Antichristian yoke What insolent Tyrannie is it then in the Romish Church to obtrude old Rotten Ceremonies together with a monstrous heap of her own cursed hatching upon Christians I pray God professed Protestants take not pattern by her its sufficient proof that she is Antichristian and that THE MYSTERIE OF INIQUITY is at 2 Thess 2. 7. work there By reason of such execrable Tyrannie the case of Christians I speak it with much regret is abundantly more sad and their condition more servile then was that of the Jewes O what pity is that Observe 1. The Ceremonies were imposed upon the Jewish by God himself They are imposed upon the Christian Church by Men like our selves There the Jews were the servants of God Here Christians are made * 1 Cor. 7. 23. the servants of Men. Nay 2. The Jewish was an Infant-Church the Christian is a ripe and Adult-Church The Jewish-Church was like an Heir under Age and more servile The Christian-Church is like an

de substantia sed de potentia non generatione sed fussione benedictione Aug. Serm. 6. de Tempore So that Christ's Conception in the womb of the Virgin was without all exception pure and immaculate 3. The Father's Commission is specified in these words God sent forth his Son This is the Authority of the Son 's undertaking it is no less then that of Heaven and the blessed Trinity He did not assume our Nature without a special Commission Which may condemn those that run when they are not sent forth into the great work of the Ministery and irregular engaging therein The Son of God himself came not in the flesh without a Commission his undertaking was * Dispensatio authentica Musculus in locum Authentique God sent forth his Son c. which argues not an inferiority of Nature to the Father but only a Voluntary subjection in state and condition now an in-equality of condition and a co-equality of Nature a Natural Parity and a Voluntary Disparity are not inconsistent 4. The circumstance of Time when the Son of God came in the flesh is intimated in these words When the fulness of the time was come c. Where it may be enquired What are we to understand by the fulness of the time or the full time Answ Aquinas notes here a threefold fulness viz. Annus Incarnationis est Lambardo Annus benignitatu lib 3 Sent. Dist 1. 1. Of Grace 2. Of Promises 3. Of Types and Legal shaddows In a word By the fulness of the time we are to understand tempus praesinitum a Patre say the * Ambrose Carnel a lap Estius Luther Calvin Learned the time appointed of the Father as it is in v. 2. and * Divina ordinatione non fatali necessitate Aquin. infallibly destined for the manifestation of his Son in the flesh and the Redemption of his Church from the Legal yoke and bondage of Jewish Rites and Ceremonies by Him of whom these were Typical Shaddows and Adumbrations This fulness of time notes the accomplishment of all Prophetical Predictions and Promises of the coming of the Messias and the abrogation of all Legal shaddows and Figures whereby he was typified But more particularly for our more distinct knowledge of what is meant by the fulness of the time The Son of God did take upon him our Nature 1. A little before the end of Daniel's seventy weeks mentioned Dan. 9. 24 25. which contain from the end of the Babylonish Captivity till the death of Christ as is una voce granted by Chronologers four hundred and ninety years * De Incarnat lib 2. Quaest 6. Zanchy is of opinion that about the space of thirty and three years the time of Christ's bodily commoration in the world before the end of the seventy weeks the Son of God came in the flesh I confess it were the more remarkable if Christ and Daniel's seventy weeks did both expire together 2. Under the Roman Empire which was the fourth Monarchy mentioned Dan. 2. In the time of Augustus Caesar Christ was born in the 42d yeer of his Reigne say Epiphanius and Eusebius in the 41st say Tertullian and Irenaeus 3. Three thousand and nine hundred yeers from the Creation of the World this is undoubted but what the particular yeer of the Incarnation of the Son of God was is variously resolved upon by * Bullinger ann 3970. Funccius ann 3965. Melanchthon ann 3965. Luther ann 3960. c. Chronologers but * Chron. Genevae Edit Anno Christi 1575. lib. 3. cap. 7. 8. Notus Christus anno Mundi 2929. Aequinoct Autumnali ab Vrbe condita anno 752. anno 4. Olympiad 194. c. Beroaldus his computation is most received as the exactest of all According to his Calculation Christ was born in the yeer of the World 3929. in the yeer of Augustus Caesar his Reign 42. in the yeer of Herod's Reign 33. at or about the Autumnal Equinoctial c. This was according to him the fulness of the time mentioned in the Text even the set and predestinated time of the Manifestation of the Son of God in the flesh and the Churches Immunity and Exemption from a servile-state by and through him Quest But why did the Son of God come in the flesh at that time of all others Why not sooner Why not later Answ This is a curious Question Hidden things belong unto God but were we to resolve it we could assigne no other reason for it then To Velle Divinum the absolute good pleasure of the All-wise God who in his great wisdom pitched upon this season as most proper and convenient for the manifestation of his Son to the World in our Nature Men can but admire the Wisdome of God in this Circumstance as well as in the thing From Aquinas we may reverence the Wisdome of God in this in two respects 1. Christ was a great person though he came not in great State the King of Saints the Soveraigne Majesty of Heaven though he came not into the World in Majesty therefore it was fit that some preparation of some thousands of yeers should be made for his coming into the world especially in the hearts of the little World 2. Christ was a Physician the Physician of souls therefore it was fit that his coming should be deferr'd for some thousands of yeers after his Patients indispensable need of him that so though his Merits were of perfect vertue and efficacy for the salvation of believing sinners from the beginning of the world yet they might insatiably long after even his Bodily appearance and inestimably prize him when come The Old-Testament Saints might have come to this O that the Deliverer were come out of Zion O that our Physitian were once come When shall the promised Seed of the woman come O how acceptably did the Son of God appear in a Body in the * Heb. 1. 2. last dayes to the sinful undone captive sons of men * De Incarnat lib. 2. Quaest 6. Zanchy after many pious and solid reasons given for the conveniency and seasonableness of the fulness of the time for the Son's assumption of our Nature doth well observe That this was of all others the fittest season for God's producing to the world at once two most signal instances viz. of Justice and Mercy Of Justice towards the rebellious and unbelieving Jewes once God's peculiar people in rejecting of them Of Mercy towards the Gentiles in electing and making choice of them for his Christian Church and in * Gen. 9. 27. Hic Iesus in novissimis temporibus apparens lapis summus angularis in unum collegit univit eos qui longe eos qui prope hoc est circumcisionem praeputium dilatans Japhet constituens eum in domo Sem. Iren. adver Haeres lib. 1. perswading Japhet to dwell in the Tents of Shem. O the profound depth of the Wisdome of God! How unsearchable are his judgements His wayes past finding