posture and thus the Jews which have been dead in sins and in trespasses this sixteen hundred years this Spirit of Christ will inliven their dead spirits that so they shall or may receive the said gift of life again for in this sense the gifts and callings of God to mankind are without repentance that is to call men and thus to give them as is said in pursuance of his said final end Again Is it so that the Spirit of Christ strives with the spirits of all sorts of men in the world to preserve and increase the one and to suppress the other as is proved Hence observe That all men which as yet have not the gift of faith are to be carefull that they are faithfull in that little they have received but especially not to resist this Spirit striving with their spirits as we see did Cain the old world Noah's posterity at Babel as did Shems in Terah's and Israel Gods Elect the offspring of Abraham lest God denying them the gift of faith and so his gift of life For then in seeing they shall not see and in understanding they shall not understand and shall never truely nor rightly be able to see the things which do belong to their eternal peace Again Is it so That this Spirit of Christs thus strives with all men of the world and also with all men in the visible Churches of Christ and also with the invisible Members as is proved then let them which think they have the true Spirit of faith in God and love to God and their neighbour kindled in their breasts by this Spirit of Christs beware they quench not the Spirits flame of love and firm faith by inordinate cares and love of this worlds profits or pleasurable lusts lest they having begun in the Spirit doe end in the flesh and reap corruption Again Is it so that the Spirit of Christ thus strives and effects in the hearts of the invisible Members of Christs true faith and love and other graces Then hence observe That although in attaining eternal life they can do nothing but in that Christ alone doth all and also that in the gift of internal light of Christ and in the gift of faith and in the gift of other graces and in the increase and grouth of them the invisible members of Christ are meerly passive in all this yet hence observe That by the same spirit of faith and love they are inabled to keep their hearts with care and diligence so that no man or power shall take away their Crown of comfort and hope of glory First because in the said gifts they have received the spirit of love of power and of a sound mind in some degree therefore they are able so to doe A second Reason is this The Spirit of Christ is at hand when they so put forth that power they have not only to assist them to keep their hearts in these endeavours but also to add that wherein they are meerly passive as I said before namely to add the increase of all these graces they have and so they grow from strength to strength in Sion and therefore they may and are able to keep their hearts as is said And therefore saith our Lord As I say unto all men so I say unto you Watch lest ye enter into temptation The Reason why I call the third in the one God or the third Person in Trinity the Spirit of Christ is this Because that as all that the Father hath is Christ's in pursuance of this said final end so Christ by the third in the one Iehovah in Gods mercifull voice in the Creation and most eminently and most properly by the voice of the Gospel in the tongue of man to man by the Ministry of this Spirit doth strive with the spirits of all men to depress the mind of the Devil in them and to implant the similitude of the mind of Christ in them which is mans sanctification in order to the Fathers will to a right receiving of his said righteousness imputed to their eternal life or to be either as is proved CHAP. IX In which is handled the fifth branch of the manifold wisdom of God precedently propounded and the last ingredients which makes up the said posture namely that God by the seed of the woman immediately after the fall gave a rule suitable to all men to work or operate by in reference to his said final end THis Point divides it self into three parts two whereof are handled in this Chapter the third in the next The first declares unto all men who it is that Governs them by this Rule for a Governor is imployed The second is to let all men see what this Rule is The third is that all men may see how suitable this rule is unto them Of these in their order As for the first Certainly he that restoreth all mankind out of the falne mass of death into the said posture to receive the said gift of life he it is that governs man by his own Rule and therefore saith man believing truth To us a Child is born and to us a Son is given and the Government shall be laid upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderfull Councellor and the mighty God and so forth And saith the Lord himself Esa 9.6 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and then goes on governing all men in this Government by his Apostles by the said suitable rule Mat. 28.18 19. For he commanded them saying Mar. 16.16 Goe ye therefore into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that will not believe shall be damned From this ground it is that the Father judgeth no man because he committeth all judgement to the Son John 5.22 So much for the first Point Secondly That all men may see what this Rule is And in a word it is no more but this namely The Tenor of the Gospel and that is a Rule of Justice and Mercy for the Gospel it self is one thing and its Tenor is another and the Gospel it self is no more but this Gods highest mercy manifested by Christ to man to relieve him out of his deepest misery First implyed immediately upon the fall Gen. 3.15 Luke 2.10 11. when God said unto the Serpent The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head Secondly In the fulness of time when the Angel said Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy that shall be unto all people that is That unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord and the Gospels Tenor is no more but this as is said A Rule of Justice and Mercy for all men to work by and not a Rule of Justice only as was that to Adam in his innocency before the fall in pursuance of Gods said final end For proof of this Point the Oracles
figure wherefore he said to the Iews Destroy this Temple and I will raise it and so forth Secondly I answer This Temple also was a figure that God would take up his dwelling place in the hearts of true believers only and in a word this dwelling in the Temple and in Christ himself and in the hearts of his members is no more but this his abiding residence in a manifestation of himself in a peculiar presence of his love and favour as in the Temple more then in any peculiar place in all the world and most eminently in Christs humane body more then in any created nature as is proved and his dwelling in the hearts of believers is a secret and silent manifestation of himself to their minds and is so restrained to them as it once was to the Temple at Jerusalem and therefore the Text says to believers if they destroy this Temple in themselves God will destroy them Again Observe that Gods dwelling place as personally considered is only in the humane Nature of Christ therefore Christ alone is personally Gods Elect for this end so to be the said seventh means therefore to affirm that any part of humane Nature besides that in his person is personally Gods Elect to eternal life is a great mistake The Reason why God thus dwells in the hearts of no men else in al the world is this because they are Regenerated only and their belief or faith the principal part thereof is that by which Christ dwelleth in their hearts as saith the Text Christ dwells in our hearts by faith so that the truly sanctifyed mind is Christs only habitation of all mankinde A Second Reason why Christ thus dwells only in the hearts of Believers by Faith is this because where this Sanctification or Holiness is not there is no proper place for him to manifest himself there as is said for all men else that are by being faithful in their little are but coming towards Christ or God by the said striving of his Spirit that so he might give them Faith but yet having it not there is no dwelling place for him and for all sorts of men in the world besides they are dead in sins and in trespasses their Light being turned into Darkness and therefore the children of the Devil and then what fellowship hath Christ with Belial Question If Christ by his Spirit thus strives with the spirits of all men not only as by his Prophets and Ministers but also in the days of his flesh personally by himself Why do so few men believe rightly as to receive Gods gift of Eternal Life and be saved Answer Because men do so follow this life of sense sutable to the body and in their Understanding do wink to follow their Lusts and will not see nor understand that which they do by the Doctrine of Christ truth shining to them either by the Creation or the sacred Oracles in which Christs Spirit so strives with their spirits And therefore because they are not faithful in their little they precedently had received whereby they might in some degree have been brought towards that Right Faith and received Gods gift thereof and also the said gift of life by it is that so few are saved For from this ground it was that Christ could not do no great works amongst them to whom he preached in his own person and so by a demonstrative force strengthning the striving of his spirit Mark 6.5 6. by his Doctrine upon their spirits For the Text implies it was because of their unbelief that is of what they might have believed from that light which formerly they had received as we see proved by those heathens which had not the Oracles of God yet being faithful in their little by the assistance of Christs Spirit striving with their spirits were brought to Circumcision of the heart which as saith the Text is by Nature and were saved as is proved The ground why Christs Spirit can do no great works to such men as is said is this he will not cross the orderly means to his fathers final end namely not to force the Will of man for then the nature of the Will is destroyed consequently the Reasonable Soul annihilated which must not be in respect of Gods final end for so God should destroy that means purposely made by himself that man might be made to honor or dishonor as is proved and therefore Noah by the spirit of prophesie in his prayer to God concerning the Calling of the Gentiles into the said posture doth rightly point at the manner of Christs Spirit striving with mans spirit saying God perswade Iaphet to dwell in the Tents of Shem that is not only by a moral perswasion in the voice of the Gospel but also by the Spirit of Christ the rectitude of the Understanding and the Will rightly to operate to receive the said gift of Christs Righteousness and life in it and thus always God proceeds with the spirits of men ordinarily in all the world Rom. 10.20 except in case of Restauration of the World from one universal Apostacy then as is proved Act. 2.17 God is found of them that sought him not as in the Call of the Gentiles and pouring out the imbreathing of his Spirit as it were compelling the Gentiles into the said posture by a more cleerer manifestation to their minds in the Gospel being unvailed then ever the Iews had but still this must be remembred that this extraordinary Cause is in prosecution of his final end against the Apostate Angels design against the said particular Branch and therefore not for mans sake but for his own Names sake for to this end he gives to some a greater emminency of Gifts and Graces throughout all Ages and Generations of men as to Moses Abraham Daniel and David and the seventy Disciples and the Apostles and so forth but in an ordinary course God proceeds with men to give them more Faith and so of every Grace according as they are faithful in their little and not otherwise Obser You put so much stress upon the use of mans Natural faculties in reference to his operations to that Rule which you call suitable to all men yet the Scriptures lead us another way namely that mans happiness is from a more immediate thing without all this ado Quest What thing is that Answ The Text affirms when God had made the body of man of earth a liveless Trunck he then breathed into his face or nostrils the breath of life that is God breathed into that body his own Essence or Nature and so man became one spirit with God partaker of his divine Nature as saith the Text. Therefore here is no use of all those natural faculties nor mans operations to a Rule to receive Eternal Life as given by God in Christs imputed Righteousness For God himself is Eternal Life which is Christ in us the hope of Glory as saith the Text and this Life of God or God in
in the loss of his glory and to his dishonour for ever by nulling his truth in that all mankind together with themselves might fall into eternal misery and so not one ever should aspire to eternal happiness that glory over theirs For in Adam all die that is eternally vessels of dishonour But for the further enlargement of the fall of man I refer the Reader to the third Chapter of my former Treatise but now in this particle of time when man fell and the world with him then God gave being to the seventh means to cary on his final End by the assent of humane nature to eternal glory in his manifold wisdom to the rebounding of his glory to all eternity notwithstanding what was done by the Apostate Angels as will appear in the next Chapter and Chapters following CHAP. IV. In this Chapter is proved that God gave being to the seventh means to accomplish his final end IN this case as is said God passed by Men and Angels because this means is not man only nor God only but personally God Man that is the second in the one God assumed not the person of any man but the nature of every man as it was said the seed of the woman And this person by this personal union was made the the seventh means in the beginning of time namely in that instant of time in which the whole frame of Nature fell by its principal part as is described Gen. 3.15 for then saith God I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed affirmatively concluding he shall break thy head Luk. 1.70 so that this seventh means was then known by name that is the seed of the woman And thus God spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets since the world began and accordingly when the fulness of time was come Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his son made of a woman and so forth And because the Text saith God sent forth his Son made of a woman he tels us that himself was the sole efficient of this means for womans seed was but the subject matter and no formal cause nor man any efficiency in it but God only and alone according to his word to the Serpent I will and so forth Wherefore when an Angel said unto Mary Luk. 1.31 32 33 34 35. Loe thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bear a son Then said Mary unto the Angel How can this be seeing I know not man The Angel then tels her how saying The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most high shall overshadow thee therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee Heb. 1.4 5 6. shall be called the Son of God From this ground the Text saith Who shall declare his generation implying none but God himself he being so much better then the Angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name then they For unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee Again when he bringeth in his first begotten into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Quest In regard he was not born nor begotten until the fulness of time how can he be Gods first begotten Answ I answer He was begotten so as never none was nor ever shall be by the power of the most High and so the first begotten in this sense that ever was Secondly The first begotten in priority of time for he was the first born of man from the dead fall of Adam in that word of God when he threatned destruction to the designe of apostate Angels by womans seed and so the first begotten from the dead fall of the whole frame of Nature this was intimated by God when he instituted the earths first fruits to be his and of the beasts which first opened the womb to be his and the first-born of man to be his implying that Christ was the only first-born from the dead of every creature in an universal relation and that he was the seventh means to destroy all the apostate Angels foresaid means and so to carry on Gods final end is clear For this purpose saith the Text was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil and our Lord himself saith For this end was I born 1 Epist Ioh. 3.8 and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness to the truth The which truth may be considered negatively or affirmatively Negatively thus That God never did Ioh 18.37 nor now doth intend glory to himself by mans operations good or bad everlastingly but according to his rules made suitable to man Or affirmatively thus That God really intended and still doth to return glory to himself for ever by mans operations good or bad according to his rule suitable to man that is some to honour and some to dishonour according to their works to all eternity and not as the apostate Angels lyingly affirmed that God really intended neither for we see they denyed man should die at all and for life God intended no such thing to us in our first parents as precedently is proved Consequently it must follow from their lies as our Familistical Ranters affirm that all shall be alike that is none saved nor damned Iohn 8.44 As the Scriptures affirm But these filthy dreamers are the children of their Father the Devil whose works they will doe But for the further inlargement how our Lord did witness the truth and what that righteousness of his is which is imputed to the world in general and to man believing the truth more special I refer the Reader to the eighth Chapter of my former Treatise to the which the fourth Chapter in the same Book will give much light Because the Text saith Observ God sent his Son in the fulness of time Hence observe what is implyed in those words namely That it was ful time then for God to send him and for him to com because by that time the apostate Angels had not only seduc d Noa's posterity by apostacy from that posture God put them in by Christ to Heathenish Idolatry universally as in due place wil appear and also what that posture was which they left Rom. 10 11 12 but also seduced Abrahams seed in the like apostacy excepting some very few of both sorts by which Gods final end became almost as it was in the fall of Adam Psal 2.3 Therefore when the Lord lookt down from heaven upon the children of men as saith the Text to see if there were any that would understand and seek God he concludes all are gone out of the way and so forth but when the time was come that by the just judgement of God he shut up all men in unbelief it was to this end that he might have mercy upon all to be put into the said posture and
of God manifested it first in Cain and Abel to Cain although his operations were not well according to this rule yet the mercy of it appeared to him after he had not done well in this That God interrogatively promised him acceptance saying If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted implying most certainly Thou shalt as is Abel thy brother And in the next words appears the justice of this rule If thou dost not well sin lies at the dore And as concerning Abel because his operations were according to his posture the justice of this rule appeared to him in that God approved thereof and the mercy of this rule because it admitted acceptance of him although unperfect in the perfect operations of another man as appears by his sacrifices which implyed the imputative righteousness of Christ for saith the Text Gen. 4.4 Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous Heb. 11.4 God testifying of his gift and so the same tenor of mercy and justice all along down the old world to the Flood the mercy of it when the wickedness of man is great on the earth by Apostacy from the said posture and all ungodlyness yet the mercy of this rule gave them time to repent and turn to the said posture to receive the said gift of life namely one hundred and twenty years in which time the long-sufferings of God waited in the daies of Noah so also the justice of this rule of mercy brought in the flood upon the world of ungodly and to Noah its justice and mercy were also both extended as unto Abel because he kept to the said posture in a constant reception of the said gift of life for by faith he being warned of God of things which were not yet seen moved with reverence prepared the Ark to the saving of his houshold through which Ark he condemned the world and so was made heir of the righteousness which is by faith and the same tenor was also extended to Noahs posterity after the flood and none other for as this justice scattered them from the Land of Shinor for their Apostacy from the said posture upon the face of all the earth as is proved so the mercy of this rule followed them eighteen hundred years under that wrath of God and none other as in the tenth Chapter following will appear and as in the seventh Chapter of my former Treatise is proved and this same Tenor and none other was extended to the said Nation elect in the loynes or seed of Abraham the mercy of it was figured in the Pot of Manna and the Rod that budded and the two Tables of the Moral Law as joyntly inclosed in the Ark and so a figure of the perfection of the satisfactory righteousness of Christ imputed to the world and therefore God named it his Mercies Seat and so he spake from thence to that Nation as a part of all mankind and the justice of this Tenor was figured to that Nation In my former Treatise p. 70. in the manner of the delivery of the Gospel into the vail of Moses as in fire in smoke in earthquake yet it was the justice of this mercifull Tenor because it was delivered on that Mount from God by an Angel into the hand of a Mediator namely Moses in the type which was Christ in the truth and therefore it is said the Law came by Moses but grace and truth by Iesus Christ That is the grace and truth of all contained in those Laws came by Iesus Christ and so made up a Gospel of glad tidings to that people and all Nations From this ground they had a daily sacrifice for sin in their generations and this Tenor more clearly appears to that Nation for God having stiled them the house of Israel he thus faith unto them If the wicked will turn from his sins that he hath committed Ezek. 18.20 24.29.30 he shall surely live there is the mercy of this Tenor If the wicked turn not the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself there is the justice of this Tenor. Again This same Tenor and none other now is when the Gospel is unvailed nor never shall to the worlds end for all men stand bound to their believing operations in their said posture to receive the said gift of life or to perish as witnesseth our Lord in the fore-cited Text to the Apostles Go ye into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved There is the mercy of the Gospels Tenor He that will not believe shall be damned There is the justice of its Tenor. CHAP. X. In which is proved that the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of Noahs posterity which were confounded and scattered at Babel in their succeeding Generations to preserve them in a narrow way to eternal life THis Point devides it self into three parts First that they had the truth of God to direct them to that way Secondly That that truth was the truth of God to them in the seed of the woman Christ the Lord. Thirdly 1 Rom. 18.25 26 28. That by this truth some of the best of them did attain eternal life although the generality refused it and so perished Of these in their order First That the truth of God they had is clear in Rom. 1. and the 18. because the Spirit of Christ by Paul chargeth them with with holding the truth in unrighteousness and with turning that truth into a lie and so forsaking the Creator which is blessed for ever Amen as verse the 25. And for this cause God delivered them up from Christs Spirit striving with their spirits to vile affections verse 26. And the reason thereof is further amplified in the 28 verse namely as they regarded not to acknowledg God in that truth they had even so God delivered them up to a reprobate mind therefore this truth of God the Heathens or Gentiles had although confounded and scattered at Babel from the residence of the Gospel and its Tenor with them Secondly That this truth was the truth of God to them by the seed of the woman Christ the Lord is clear also and it was twofold the one external and the other internal The external truth was manifested and shewed to them by Christ the Lord by the whole creation he being the only first-born of every creature as the second Adam from the dead fall of Adam for so he opened the womb of the whole creation in its tendency and travel from the bondage of corruption it then fell in to be partakers of the glorious liberties of the Sons of God and that this travel of the Creation is a continued act by the force of Christ as aforesaid is clear for the Text saith It travelleth untill now yet here note by the way That the continuation of the good things in Nature in the Creation is not simply
faith implicite as most weak to faith more strong and expressive as formerly is proved His third Reason is Because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all unrighteousness of men which withhold the truth in unrighteousness for as much as that which may be known of God is manifest in them for saith he God hath shewed it unto them namely by the Creation and the Gospel Rom. 1.19 as aforesaid for that is here implyed The first Reason why the Spirit of God thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else may be this although it be all alike unto God in respect of his final end whether the most or least number of men be made vessels of honour or dishonour unto eternity so all be either one or the other because by his mercifull and just proceedings in the suitable rule his glory in a most sweet righteousness shineth forth eternally in either to his praise and yet nevertheless in respect to man it being his Creature Acts 17. from 25. to 29. his offsprings and generation which as saith the Text he hath made of one blood and under the aforesaid universal election yet in this respect God would rather man would as he should and might according to this rule and Christs Spirit striving with his spirit return by his operation into the said posture to receive the said gift of life and be blessed for ever As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 18.27 I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his waies and live when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed Ezek. 33.11 and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall save his soul alive The second Reason why the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of these Heathens and all men is because the Apostate Angels do universally indeavour by their temptations lies and delusions to keep all mankind from receiving the said gift of life and therefore do endeavour not only to extinguish the Preaching of the Gospel but also to extinguish and turn the internal light of Christ in all men into darkness and if they could possible draw all men into eternal darkness and their main end in all this is that God might not have any glory in mans felicity to eternity and therefore to repel this their designe in that particular branch it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives with all men and for this end we see the seed of the woman was elected to be Christ the Lord and second Adam and for this end God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever by believing operations will receive the said gift of life shall not perish but have everlasting life for therefore we see God elected the falne Mass of mankind out of that despicable estate into the said posture as is proved and also therefore we see that God elected one Nation to be and to be in the said posture to carry on his said final end as it respected this particular branch not for their sakes but for his own names sake and likewise we see to carry on this said final end in this particular branch He hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth when by their acquired habits in sin against the said posture they are all alike dead in sin and trespasses I say not in love or hatred to any of these men personally considered but only in love to himself in the prosecution of this branch of his said final end as is proved that he called the Gentiles to this posture but denied it at that time to the Iews and so on this sixteen hundred years and that in pursuance of the said branch will call them to this posture again by which they may receive the said gift of life and this is the ground why he precedently made so many glorious promises of calling the Gentiles and also of the Iews according to his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and from this cause only they are beloved for their Fathers sakes as is proved and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strived with the spirits of these Heathens and all men else as is proved The third Reason may be this Because the more men are brought by the striving of Christs Spirit with their spirits to believing operations in this posture by the reception of this gift of life in point of justification the more fruit of righteousness abounds also in their sanctification in a redundancy to Gods glory against the Apostate Angels said designe and therefore it is that the Spirit of Christ thus strives as with these Heathens so with all men The first Use is for Information That if the Spirit of Christ thus strives with the spirits of all mankind to bring them to and to keep them in this posture Hence we learn two things First That the striving of this Spirit to all mankind as is proved is the universal favour of God in Iesus Christ to all men in the world The second is this That those amongst men which by believing operations rightly receive the said gift of righteousness shall muchmore receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness and shall reigne in life by one namely Iesus Christ that as sin had reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousnesse Rom. 5.19 unto eternal life by Iesus Christ The second use is this That God will never revoke that pardon of the guilt and punishment namely eternal death due to all mankind for Adams one offence First because of his said gift of life which came upon all men unto justification in the imputative righteousness of Christ as is proved for for this end he gave the Spirit of Christ thus to strive with the spirits of all men from the beginning of the world to the end thereof that they might receive the said gift of life therefore the pardon of the said guilt and punishment due to all mankind for Adams one offence stands irrevocable to eternity for ever since the fall this is the condemnation now this light of life is come into the world because men love darkness rather then light The third Use God is irrevocable in this Point also namely To give to any man the possession of eternal life in this world by belief and the fruition in the next world which is constant in his believing operations in the said posture according to the striving of Christs Spirit with his spirit for saith our Lord He that endureth to the end shall be saved In the fourth place this informs us also That if any man be by God dispossest of his eternal life in this world and so in the next it must needs follow he quencheth this Spirit of Christ which thus by belief gave him possession of it here and so would have done there had he not