his perfect love as naturally an holy man without sinne nor all those manifold works hee did as personally God man even to blood and death but by his righteousnesse that was imputed I meane only this one worke to which all precedently named were but meanes namely his dissolving Satans lyes * Our second Adam and Saviour improved his personall perfections as our suâ—etâ— against the spirit of Satan his lyes in Saints Sinners Divells and under the 2. fold Separation and so made good his fathers truth namely that God really and simply intended Eteâ—nall glory for man with Angels or the contrary according to his revealed will in either estate the which gave full satisfaction to divine Iustice and was accepted in the behalf of the World and therefore imputed to the worlds felicity and mans the cheife part therein by witnssing Gods truth as is described pag. 101.102.111 And the reason why this only was imputed is this because only this is it which all men should set to their seales in this fourth estate of man and was the first Adams worke in the Covenant and then to be imputed to the supernaturall felicity of the world as Chapt. the 2. Therefore the second Adams witnessing Gods truth to the repelling all the lying powers of Satan is only that righteousnesse which by God is imputed to the supernaturall felicity of the world in Generall or to man beleeving truth more speciall as precedently is described CHAP. IX Declaring Gods impartiall proceedings in the third part of time to the Gentiles when by the Gospell he called them to the blessing of Abraham THe call of the Gentiles I will referre to two generall heads First to the extraordinary call for a time Secondly to the ordinary call to continue till time shall be no more And in the first this was extraordinary that upon the promised seed his fulfilling all righteousnesse the partition wall of the Mosaicall Ordinances of God should be abolished by which the uncircumcised Iewes precedently had insulted over the uncircumcised Gentiles and yet those Mosaicall Ordinances witnessed not only the Gentiles exclusion from the oracle of life but also against the Iewes for their own Apostasie from Christ wherefore he saith unto them even Moses in whom you trust doth accuse you Joh. 5.45 But upon Christs fulfilling all righteousnesse this witnesse against the Gentiles was canceld for so Saint Paul writes to the Gentiles remember saith hee that you being in times past Gentiles in the flesh were called uncircumcised by that which was called the circumcision in the flesh made with hands that at that time yee were without Christ being aliants from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promises having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus yee who sometimes were afarre off are made nye by the blood of Christ for hee is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition betweene us having ab lâ—shed in his flesh the enmity even the Law of commandements contained in Ordinances for to make in himselfe of twaine one new man so making peace c. Ephes 2.11 Likewise God pouring out his spirit upon all flesh was extraordinary as Acts 2. saith the Apostle this is it which was spoken â—f by the Prophet Joel it shall come to passe in the last days saith God I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie and your old men shall dreame dreames c. vers 16. And this powring out of Gods spirit was two-fold that is externall and internall first externall for whereas before God did in his externall call excitively draw the Gentiles to Christ it was but implicit by the voyce of the creatures and as formerly is declared likewise his externall drawing of the Iewes was but by the Gospell as wrapt up in the glorious vaile of Moses therefore the externall way to eternall life to all the world was then but narrow and obscure but now made broad and perspicuous by the naked externall demonstration thereof as in the spirit of prophesie the wonderfull gift of Miracles by the Apostles understanding the Oracles of life more cleare than ever before and divulging the same in burning zeale for the glory of God by the salvation of the world and in the wonderfull gift of tongues by plainnesse of speech excitively drawing the Gentiles or rather God in Christ by them reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their sinnes and manifesting to them that their precedent ignorance hee regarded not but now admonishing all men to returne from lying vanities to imbrace their owne mercies that the confused fugitives of Babel tasting the waters of life at Ierusalem cryed out saying How heare wee every man in his owne tongue wherein we were borne Parthiaus Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotomia and Iudea and in Cappadocia and in Pontus Asia Phrygia and Pamphilia in Egypt and in the parts of Lybia about Cyrene strangers of Rome Iewes and Proselites Cretes and Arabians we doe heare them speake in our tongues the wonderfull works of God and they were all amased Acts 2.8 Thus from Ierusalem as from Paradise or the throne of God now did issue the living streames of eternall life to the families of the earth dead in sinnes and trespasses wherefore precedently Christ said unto his Disciples Yee shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the utmost parts of all the earth and accordingly at Ierusalem they first receiv'd this power from above which they thus divulged Luke 24.49 Luke 2.39 and so God perswaded Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Shem and in this extraordinary call he was found of them that sought him not nor asked after him all being gone out of the way and become abominable none seeking after God doing good no not one Thus God who keepeth covenant and mercy for thousands according to his purpose as with Abraham he predestinated and prepared them to this glory So now hee called them to it in Christ Jesus externally and so much for the externall powring out of his spirit upon all flesh Secondly the internall powring out of Gods spirit upon all flesh I say powring out because in comparison of his precedent dropping into the hearts of the Gentiles circumcising their spirits as aforesaid and as to the Iewes but sparingly in comparison of this powring out in this day of Salvation and acceptable yeere of the Lord It was but sparingly as by drops and that which the spirit did now internally powre out upon the spirits of all men may be reduced to two generall heads first wheresoever the Oracle of truth manifested Gods gift of Christs righteousnesse imputed as it went from Kingdome to kingdome by the conduct of the spirit like a Chariot of light and life rising upon the nations as the sunne of righteousnesse with health under his wings the first powring into
this fruit to the ruine of him and all the world and his posterity if hee had not beene remisse of all comprised in the conditirn of the Covenant Now as Adams remissenesse brought on this sinne of omission so his sin of omission brought on his sin of commission namely the eating of the forbidden fruit for when the divell in the Serpent told them saying yee shall not die at all and also that their obedience to Gods commandement denying themselves that fruit was the onely thing that kept them from having their eyes opened to be as Gods to know good and evill thereupon the Woman seeing the Tree and that the fruit was good for food saith the Text and that it wâ—s pleasant to the eye and a Tree to be desired to make one wise Gen. 3.16 Shee tooke the fruit thereof and did eat and gave it to her Husband also and hee did eate to Gods great dishonour esteeming his truth as false and God himselfe to them as a meere imposture and so magnified Satan as faithfull beleeving his lyes for truth because they imbraced them with a plenary consent and thereby they ventured the world their posterity and themselves upon his lies and so became the Generation and Offspring of reprobate Divells for it was with them now as it was with the Divells as the Angels became Divells not by change of their Essence but by change of their operations not abiding in the truth so this made them and us * And as we aâ—e pâ—rtakers of the diaâ—olicall nature by union with his will opeâ—ations as Iâ—hn 8.44 so on the contrary are we partakers of the divine nature not essentially but by the union of our will with his word by which we fly the corruptions that are in the world through lust 2 Pete 1.4 17. Iohn 17.21.22 23. as Divells by full amity to Satans will and enmity to God in beliefe of Satans liâ—s And thus was this sinne finished And so much for the first branch namely The evill of Adams transgression Secondly the evill of punishment followes yet not evill punishment because it was just and therefore good and just because according to the equall Ballance of the conditions of the Covenant that was good or evill as Adam did obey or disobey and therefore because Adam transgressed the Covenant justice now required these particulars First the extinguishing the perfections of the Creation from us because it was dependant on Adams worke in the Covenant and hee by eating the forbidden fruite denyed its perfection therefore it to him in justice must not only be stript of aâ—l perfections but on the contrary by Gods power turned into defections crosse operations and hideous representations to mans toâ—turous torment as the first fruits of his remote damnation because th s was the contrary evill In this third â—â—tate man was more deepely dead in sinnes and trespasses then hee can be in this world in his fourth Estate although hee be twice dead and pluckt up by the roots Secondly under this dreadfull Estate Justice now required that in it be that could of stones tell how to raise Children to Abraham should finde a way to raise a Posterity of Aâ—aâ— which to the last of man kinde must have bâ—n produced in conceptions births breedings dâ—spositions and operations totally evill like the generations of Serpents yea as reprobate Divells for if all must have bin equivalently contrary in evill to the precedent good as we see it must therefore so in this particular Thirdly as the prefiguration of the Plantation was the most immediate meanes to leade man by Faith to his highest end in eternall felicity Justice requireth contrarily that now thâ—s Plantation must be turned into the most certaine demonstration within the confines of the creation of our full terminating in eternall tortures to all eternity As Adam by refusing Gods truth refused the place and fellowship of Glory with the elect Angells by choosing Satans he so on the contrary Justice now required that he and his posterity must descend successively to the place prepared for the Divell and his Angells in fellowship with them as to our last and everlasting Habitations Mat. 25.41 for now all man-kinde and Divells were in Reprobation As the Latitude of Gods glorious Attributes are displayed in â—aking shaping and creating the supercelestiall Heaven of Heavens to be the most immediate expressions which demonstrate the glory of Gods Essentiall perfections to the ultimate felicity that men or Angells can be capable of On the contrary of this place for Torment Justice required that the Latitude of Gods Attributes glorious in power and wisdome must be stretcht out at as equall a distance to make shape or create this place with most dreadfull visions of the Almighty in the most torturing torments that the nature of Divells or mans body made spirituall can be capable of for a Spirituall body is not a body glorified no more then to be a Spirit but it is powerfully capable to inherit the glory of Angells or the misery of Divells to which we all should have descended none excepted for the Covenant was for al and al alike therefore in this vast depth of Gods pure justice we must ever have bin sinking in despaire never to come to the bottome thereof for the wrath of God must have bin feeding it as with Rivers of fire and brimstone to our torâ—urous torments to all eternity therefore endlesse easelesse remedilesse in darknesse never seeing light Esay 30.33 Againe mans conscience beholding the evill of his sinne how easily really certainly hee might once not only have avoâ—ded this torment but on the contrary might have attained to the height of all felicity to all eternity This worme would to Adam and will to all men which will needs be perishing be ever gnawing with griefe and never cease and so all man-kinde should hereditarily throughout all generations discend as travailing together to the foresaid place of their ultimate miserie and infelicity with this Creation as stript of its precedent perfections into crosse defections and operations c. Yet man not then sunke downe to his ultimate misery by Separation of his Body from his Soule as now man doth but in a personall union both of body and Soule together For the justice of the Covenant could not admit so much rest to mans Body as to sleepe in the dust nor any time of respit of execution for a day to come to judge the world buâ— immediate execution was to passe according to judgement In the day â—hou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death But this Judgement pass'd not to execution according to justice because that as by the offence of one judgement passed upon all men to condemnation Rom. 5.16 even so by the righteousnesse of one the free guift came upon all men to the justification of life And so we are come to Adam and our fourth Estate in the restauration of the world by Redemption in the second
the breadth of this Land is thy Land O Emanuel as saith the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 8. ver 8. Thirdly this was likewise Typified to Christ in that all Sacrifices in the Type were excluded from all places in the world and included only in this Land of Canaan neere the Temple restrictively to expire their lives in the Type Therefore in this Land was the Lord Iesus Christ in the truth Personally to performe the worke of the redemption of the world the which accordingly hee did Againe Christ the Sonne of God as he was man was borne under five relations to this worke First by promise the Sonne of Adam as the seed of the woman immediatly upon the fall and therefore bound by the Law of Nature to relieve his Parents in their Lapsed condition Secondly by promise borne the Sonne of Abraham and therefore bound to the Law of circumcision figuring his cutting off the powers of Satan that is of sinne and the consequences thereof for the Covenant was that all the Sons of Abraham must be circumcis'd in their generations therefore hee was borne in subjection to that Law Thirdly hee was by promise borne the seed of David therefore borne under the Law of the Typicall Mediator as added to the law of circumcision therefore bound to love God with al his heart al his strength his Neighbour as himself in the work of the redemption of the world Fourthly as the Sonne of David so hereditarily to the crowne of the Terrestriall Canaan figuratively leading him by Faith to his eternall Throne in the Celestiall Canaan Fiftly at last all these relations meet in one issue by being borne of the blessed Virgin Mary his Mother for when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman made under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sonnes Gal 4.5 Sixtly he was the Sonne of God also by eternall generation the second person in the sacred Trinity and so personally God man and therefore bound to the fulfilling of all the law and the Prophets to the regaining of Gods glory by restauration of the world by redemption as it was said it shall breake thy head the truth is and so he did for as we first in Adam magnified Satans lies for truths and nullified Gods truth for lyes so likewise at that time when hee came to this worke all the world This definition is an answere to Pilates Question viz. What is truth Ioh. 18.38 For Christ as he was the faithfull and true witnesse against Satans lyes did undoe what he had done and so destroyed the works of the Divell but Satans finall bruise shall be at the day of judgement in â—wo paâ—ticulars first when Satan and all mankinde which from the beginning have refused mercy to adhere to him shall receive by the seed of the woman the sentence of their full damnation in immediate execution to all eâ—ernity Mat. 25.41.46 Secondly by rendring up to God all mankinde from Satans power which from the beginning hath died in infancy and that through all Generations haâ—h adheâ—ed unto Christ in right beliefe of truth and so God by Christs ministeriall ordinance shall be all in all that is fully glorified to all eternity according to the simple and plaine meaning of his truth in the eternall life of the one and in the eternall death of the other and as Christs ministeriall Ordinance shall therein terminate so then shall all Creatures be subjected to him as Iudge of quick and dead and so all knees in Heaven and Earth and under the ea th shall bow and bend to him for ever Rom. 14.10.11 both Jewes and Gentiles generally had made God a lyer as much as in them lay for they were all Apostates from Gods guift of Christ his righteousnesse imputed which came upon all men to the justification of life not believing it but following lying vanities so forsaking their own mercies and the truth is the work of Christ was to witnesse Gods truth which wee thus betrayed wherefore of himselfe hee saith to this end was I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse unto the truth 1 Ioh 3 8. and for this purpose the Sonne of God was manifested that hee might destroy the works of the Divell Iohn 18 37. And in briefe that truth which Christ made good as the faithfull and true witnesse against Satans lyes may be thus defin'd namely that God never intended his glory upon mâ—nkinde to all eternity but according to two generall Rules First according to the Covenant made with the first Adam a Covenant of works Secondly but according to the Rules of that Covenant as now it is turned by Gods guift of the second Adam into a Covenant of grace and mercy and to the last Christ is the most proper witnesse in Gods behalfe to his glory by the salvation of mankinde as Iohn 3.16 saith hee God so l ved the world that hee gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting l fe And he saith God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved Also he saith He that believeth is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because hee beleeveth not in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God Implying that although sinne simply as sinne did not at that time of grace condemne them yet their persisting in their precedent Apostasie from that grace now light and life is manifested unto them this would be their Condemnation wherefore he saith This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and Men lâ—ved darkenesse râ—ther then light because their deeds are evill And of himselfe he saith Io. 8.45 I proceeded forth and came from God neither came I of selfe but the Father sent me Also Iohn 5.36 he saith The worke which the Father hath given me to finish the same worke that I doe beare witnes that the father hath sent me the which was his witnessing the truth as before is proved And hee did it in these paticulars First against the Spirit of Sathans lies in the Saints Secondly in Sinners Thirdly against Sathan hand to hand Fourthly against Sathan in flames of Faith in love under Gods most flaming and dreadfull wrath of these in their order and first in the Saints as in Nichodemus who in the Spirit of Sathan being averse to his sacred doctrine as declaring this truth Iesus said unto him art thou a Ruler in Israel and understandest not these things Ioh. 3.9 Likewise to the Spirit of unbeliefe of this Truth in his Disciples Iesus answered and said O faithlesse and perverse Generâ—tion how long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you Mat. 7. 17. And to the same Spirit in Peter Hee turned and said unto Peter get thee behind mee Satan thou art an offence unto mee for thou savorest not
the things of God but the things that be of men Mat. 16.23 And to the same spirit in Iames and Iohn He turned and rebuked them and said yee know not of what Spirit yee are of Lu. 9.34 To the same spirit in the two Disciples that went to Emaus saith hee O fooles and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so to enter into his glory Luk 24 26. Likewise saith the Text Hee appeared to the Eleven as they sat at meate and upbraided them wits their unbeliefe and hardnesse of heart Marke 16.14 And to the Virgin Mary his Mother Jesus saith unto her Woman what have I to doe with thee mine houre is not yet came implying in her request something was not sutable to his Spirit of Truth consequently so farre forth according to the lying spirit of Satan Ioh. 2 4. Secondly he also witnessed this truth of God against the lying spirit of Satan in sinners That is Man in the state of unbeliefe as resisting this truth as for instance he proving himselfe to be the light of the world not only by Doctrine but â—lso by a miraculous fact giving sight to the man that was borne blinde then the lying spirit of saâ—an attempted to extinguish this truth by saying give God the praise we knew that God spake with Moses as for this fellow wee know not whence hee is But Christ in the mouth of the man retorts the argument upon them saying herein is a marvellous thing for yee know not whence hee is and yet hee hath opened mine eyes Now wee know that God heareth not sinners but if a man be a worsh pper of God and doeth his will him God heareth and since the world began was it never heard that any man opened the eyes of any that was borne blind Joh. 9.5.6.16.24.29 c. Likewise he being in the Synagogue intermingling this Doctrine of truth with another miraculous fact called to a woman bound by Satan eighteene yeares and by the word of his mouth makes her free from the bondage of satan implicitly telling them that if by the call of his Doctrine they would in beliefe of that truth but as they were able by sense and reason come to him he then would dissolve the power of satan in them and so the truth should make them free but the lying spirit of satan in the Ruler of the Synagogue resisted this truth for he answereth with indignation because that Iesus had healed on the sabbath day and said unto the people are there not six days in which men ought to worke in them therefore come and be healed and not on the Sabbath day But this evill spirit so changed into an Angell of light the Lord discovers and said Thou Hypocrite doth not each of you on the Sabboth day loose his Oxe or his Asse from the stall and leade him to the water and ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham which Satan had bound loe eighteene yeeres be loosed on the Sabbath day and all his enemies were ashamed likewise hee miraculously fed many with small parcells of bread declaring himselfe thereby as by his doctrine that hee was the bread of life to man by beliefe of this truth to nourish him to everlasting life Likewise by raising up the widowes sonne and lairus daughter and Lazarus foure dayes dead declaring by this as by his doctrine that he was sent of his Father to them the resurrection and life to man by their beliefe of truth in him Or the resurrection of faithlesse man to everlasting death for saith hee If yee believe not that I am hee yee shall die in your sinnes that is and rise to perpetuall shame but all this truth in the lyings spirit of Satan they resist by pretence that Abraham and God was a Father to them but he according to truth witnessed the contrary against them saying I know you are Abrahams seed Joh. 8.37 but vers 39. Iesus said unto them if yee were Abrahams seed yee would doe the workes of Abraham but now yee seeke to kill mee a man that have told you the truth which I have heard of God this did not Abraham implying that although they were Abrahams seed in the flesh yet not Abrahams seed in the faith consequently not children to God but to the Divell verse 44. Yee are of your father the Divell and the lusts of your Father yee will doe For although by light of sacred truth they came to know hee was the heire namely the promised seed from God to Adam Abraham and David and so heire to all yet their minds by pride was lifted up with the glory of the Terrestriall Temple and princely Priesthood as a worldly magnificence to their Nation but not to the celestiall mysterie therein leading to the imputed righteousnesse of the seed as the onely ground of all their glory for in their hearts him they hate and attempt to extinguish both him and his doctrine because it tended to put an end to that typicall magnificence and * Man perversly proue by custome in sinne to attaine a glory adequate to his corporeall part namely his mouldering body is therefore an enemy to Gods way as leading him to an eternal felicity sutable to his unperishing part namely his soule and body made spirituall but so farre as man is led by the spirit of Christ he is of another minde worldly glory Marke 12. from verse 7. to the 12. Matth 21.38 and 45. But the Lord Jesus Christ witnessed the truth in plaine termes and said My Kingdome is not of this world my Kingdome (a) If Christ refused to be an ea thly Monarch in Canaan and Sion hill declaring by plainnesse of speech that his Kingdome is not such consequently this Kingdome of Christs Spouse nationall elect was but a figure of that grace that was most cleaâ—ely powred out under the Gospell and also of his eternall throne in moâ—e then Angels glory and not a type of an earthly Monarchy of his of one thousand yeeres in length see this point more cleare in cap. 9. is not from hence Mat. 18. 36 Likewise he refused to be made a worldly King on Sion hill so proving his doctrine to be true by this fact for saith the Text when Iesus therefore perceived they would come and take him by force to make him King he departed thence c. John 6.15 Likewise to his successoâ—s which were to witnesse this sacred doctrine of truth hee gives the same rule not to (b) In the judgement of the Sonne of God it is a safe way to keepe his ambassadors to the worke of his ambassage by keeping them from worldly government and terrestriall pompe yet they must have a compleate competency as is implyed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.12.13 14. but the former is the ruine of simple godlinesse in Christs Spouse for saith Gods Spirit Like Priest like People Hosea 4.9 aspire
creation hee was to eate of the fruit of the creation for his nutrimentall sustentation so now of the fruits of this Garden also for the Lord God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest eate freely Gen. 1.29 Gen. 2.16 The negative rule was it by which hee was to improve his strength of body and mind to God by obedience namely the forbearing to eate of the tree of knowledge of good and evill but of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate c. Gen. 2.17 And this rule led him to be both passively and actively obedient passively in two things First although in the perfection of the creation all things good for food was due to him by Gods allowance without restraint yet in this Garden or Plantation by this rule hee was to suffer this restraint namely to deny himselfe to eate of the fruit of this Tree of knowledge of good and evill upon paine of most dreadfull consequences for saith the Text In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt certainly die the â—â—â—ath Verse 17. Although in the perfection of the creation God rendred his sweete imbreathings very good and no evill yet in this Garden the obedience of these rules bound them to suffer the imbreathings of the assaults of Satan that evill one in point of triall (a) As did the second Adam Luk. 4.3 2.3.4 And here lay the life of their obedience for without this assault their triall had beene no triall to the improvement of their naturall perfections of righteousnesse and holinesse to Gods Covenant in point of good and evill And againe this negative rule led them to active obedience in two particulars first the fruits of this tree of good and evill being naturally good food it required of them a diligent observation of their naturall appetite lest it might dispose them to transgresse the rule of the Covenant This rule led them in stead of feeding their bodies with the fruit of this tree to feed their soules by beliefe of the signified knowledge of good equivalent to Angels in glory or with the signified knowledge of evill equivalently contrary in eternall misery So much for this point what Adams obedience in the Covenant was Lastly the intended end of Gods Covenant with Adam was of great consequence for it respected God all mankinde the World and the Divell for what if Satans lye to the woman pretended that there was no truth in Gods word for their death if they did transgresse saying yee shall not die at all and what if Satan did make God to them to be but a meere imposture as only pretending that Angelicall good but never intended it for to the woman in the Serpent he said God doth know that in the dâ—y that yee eate thereof your eyes shall be opened and yee shall be as Gods knowing good and evill He not denying a higher good intended in the Covenant but implying Gods command was the only thing that kept him from attayning it I say what of all this for if hee had in beliefe of Gods word abstayned from eating the fruit according to the rule of the Covenant then they had not only freed themselves from being murthered the world had not been destroyed Gods word had not been nullified Satan had not in the beliefe of his lyes bin magnified bâ—t on the contrary from their beliefe of truth working to God by love God over all by his word of truth had bin glorified in two respects 1 Because (b) So that Gods justâ—ce would have bin glorified to all eternity in the â—irst demonstrating his righteousnesse and goodnesse in the eternall felicity of all mankinde with Angells 2. righteously demonstâ—ating his wrath in the Apostate Angells oâ— Divells by Adams repeling their lies yet not but that justice precedeÌ„tly did in the right of Gods glory passe to immediate execution on those Apostat Angels and by their murthering of Adam Gods justice from thence did supâ—rabound upon them by Gods giving way to them to bruise the heele of Christ in the aggravation of their malice so thaâ—â—hey weâ—e not oâ—ly â—â—cluded Angels glory at the 〈◊〉 but shâ—ll dâ—â—w upon themselves the latâ—tude of Gods Attributes glorious in wisdom power and his iâ—efull justice to all eternity wheÌ„ God shall loose their chaines of darknesse by which they are reserved unto that day at the remembrance whereof they tremble by his Justice according to the Covenant the naturall perfections of the Creatures together with man in his pure Naturalls for wages to Adams worke should have received a quickning Spirit and man in the perfection of faith So travailing together towards their celestiall perfections 2. And Satans lyes by beliefe of Gods truth nullified and consequently Satan most justly condemned for a lyer and murtherer of mankinde the destroyer of all the works of God and adjudged for a most impudent blasphemer of God and all this would immediatly have followed upon Adams perfect repelling of Satans temptations For the Justice of the Covenant was expresse for immediate execution even the same day and minute for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die the death Gen. 2.17 Againe a second reason is drawn from the nature of the Covenant which was for good and evill therefore no middle Estate but good or evill immediatly even as upon Adams offence judgement passed upon all to condemnation So on the contrary if Adam had obeyed the Rule of the Covenant there would have bin produced a posterity through all Generations ascending successefully to the Elect Angells in Angelicall glory in perfect union in soule and body for the Couenant was for all mankinde alike in good But it may be objected mans body in its pure naturalls being but flesh and blood Object in an Elementary compound could neither ascend nor be able to inherit the spirituall Glory sutable to the nature of Angells so powerfully glorious therefore that Angelicall glory was not intended in the Covenant Although mans naturall body could not inhabit that Kingdome as St. Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 15.50 Answere yet that body naturall made a spirituall body is a powerfull body as St. Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 15.43 And therefore it could both ascend and inherit with Angells for if Adam had â—â—ept the negative Rule of the Covenant as is declared then as in the perfection of nature he was made a living Soule so in the justice of the Covenant God would have made him to his posteritie a quickening Spirit not only in the perfection of Faith living a spirituall life in his pure Naturalls but would also have quickened his naturall Elementary body with a spirituall Nature powerfull to ascend and inherit the glory of Angells successively to the last man that should live on the Farth but now in the second Adam onely is this twofold quickening Spirit found who only is the Resurrection and the life of man as St. Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 15.45 Object But it may be
and holinesse naturall or supernaturall to the least disposition in either was lost and gone by the fall of â—dam and left in the contrary evill Therefore in mercy comes God and saith I will put that is I will * This gracious and mercifull infusion is only that that since the fall doth originally bend the nature of man towards his ultimate felicity by Châ—ist yet although it doth so bend nature it is not therefore the Law of nature propeâ—ly so called foâ— what that is is described cap. 1. Iohn 1.4.9 infuse some disposition into mans spirit towards mee in Christ in whom I have chosen them Or by this word put I will write or imprint some principles which shall dispose man to my Law in Christ the second Adam in whom is life who is the life of men and enlightneth every man which commeth into this world and in a word God in Christ now put into the universall nature of man the effect of the Law written in his heart from whence he doth by nature the things contained in the Law of Christ and that it is the Law of Christ * See in cap. 4. and in cap. 6. And the truth is the naturall force of this infusion being by man improved he having not the written Oracle of God it will terminate in the circumcision of mans heart as is clearely proved in the seventh Chapter following Secondly and answerably as there is any disposition of the law in mans heart tending towards God by Christ answerably the same tends to this enmity with Satan but more as the same disposition is reduced to act towards God according to truth for the same disposition is enmity to Satan even as the Amity of this world is enmity with God so amity with God is enmity with Satan and in a word this infusion is most properly this enmity with Satan when it comes to the degree of faith actually to receive Christ his imputative righteousnesse as Gods gift to salvation and his rule for imitation Thirdly by Woman in this Text is not meant womans individuall person restrictively but this word Woman is the woman collectively meant as drawing all mankinde in Adams transgression into condemnation for example in the 16. Verse when God said to the Woman I will greatly increase thy sorrowes and thy conceptions in sorâ—ow shalt thou bring forth children Here by Woman hee speakes Relatively as to all women which shall conceive and bring forth and of all mankind which shall be conceived and borne so is this word Woman collectively in this Text to be understood of all mankind implying that this amity by internall disposition to God in Christ was by God infused universally into the nature of mankinde to descend hereditarily in their naturall conceptions whereas in justice none was left before in the fall but contrary dispositions to evill Secondly in the next word God saith to Satan and betweene thy seed and her seed and because the Text saith not onely I will put enmity * See this point cleared to Objection 10. in cap. 12. betweene thee and the woman here is a further matter implyed First by this word Seed what seed soever it was it was certainly the seed of the Divell conteined in this word thy seed and in a word this seed was the foresaid dispositions and mans acquired operations which entred originally into the nature of man by Adams sinne totally and eternally to remaine according to the justice of the Covenant as is declared Chapt. 3. And because in this Text God calls it by the name of a seed it further implyes that by Christs answering of the justice of the Covenant in the blood of the Lambe the nature of Divells namely originall sinne in the nature of man is by grace reduced but to a seed and it must needs be so because Gods foresaid infusion did imprint the principles of amity to himselfe And therefore from this ground onely mankinde now is conceived and borne but with the seed of originall sinne and not divels totally and eternally as justice required and this is the onely ground why men are in naturall dispositions better than divels Againe by this word her seed is implicitly meant Christ the second Adam in one nature and essentially the one God and second person in the sacred Essence and also in his other nature the nature of all mankinde in the Womans seed and in a word here is meant his personall union as God-man by this restriction her seed not of seeds as of many but of one which is Christ Gal 3. Againe this word and relates the precedent words Put and enmity to Christ also to be betweene the Serpent and him for as I noted before that the promise of his conception was without the promise of addition of the tast of sorrow so also this word put as related to him implies his conception and birth not only without the internall principle of originall sinne but also that his conception and birth was in its pure naturalls totally disposed to righteousnesse and holynesse in all perfections for his Mother being overshaddowed by the holy Ghost by which God put this enmity in Christ This Seed therefore which was borne was called a holy thing and so enmity in a superlative sense I will put enmity betweene thy seed and her seed but here note that that Amity with God which was enmity to Satan which was put into all mankinde by infusion and into Christs humane nature more then miraculously was in the generall nature one and the same disposition for as Christ is pittifull so mankinde is naturally inclined to pitty likewise as Christ is mercifull so mankinde is naturally inclined to mercy and as Christ worshiped God purely so mankinde is inclined to worship a Deity c. Yet in another respect farre different for that in men there alwaies remaines some seed of the Serpent at best in this life and therefore perfect but in part but the perfections in Christ from his conception to his expiration of his life was in all the degrees of naturall righteousnesse and holynesse a meanes by Faith and love supernaturall witnessing the truth of God against Satans lyes or Serpentine seed in men or Divells dissolving the works of Satan all comprehended in these words It shall breake thy head as will appeare in the eight Chapter Againe in the third place to the Serpent saith God thou shalt bruise his heele and in this point Christ is considerable in a foure fold respect First as him in whom God elected * Note that this universall election is grounded upon the meere favourable mercy of God so is also that second election or predestination in the beginning of the 6. Chap. from reprobate Divells all mankinde to grace and glory when in the justice of the Covenant all stood rejected and reprobated from him with Divells to the contrary evill as before is proved Yet as God then left them and chose us in Christ from them
so by him then were all men saved from the imputative damnation of Adams transgression wherefore in this respect all mankinde is the heele of Christ in this relation But from this relation Satan drawes us in our remissenesse by lying vanities to forsake our own mercies and so to perish not for Adams transgression but for our owne against this grace in Christ and so are bruised by Satan for thou shall bruise his heele Secondly as God is the Saviour of all men from Adams imputative damnation so more especially hee is the Saviour of them that beleeve and that in two respects First by pardoning their owne personall transgressions against this universall mercy Secondly by estating them in that eternall life by Faith in Christ which they lost by their owne sinne and in Adams for saith Christ he that beleeveth in me hath eternall life and is past from death unto life And because these men by beliefe of truth set to their Seales that God is true in his guift of Christ and his righteousnesse imputed and in the perfection of parts in some degree of inherent righteousnesse witnesse Gods truth against Satans lies or lying vanities Therefore Satan by tentations and other envyous operations as by Cain to Abell doth bruise this heele of Christ or but his heele for this company of the Faithfull here Militant in comparison of that with Christ triumphing in heavenly glory is but the heele of Christ and thou shalt bruise his heele Thirdly because the second Adam did apply all the power of his pure Naturalls of holinesse and righteousnesse a meanes witnessing Gods word of truth for good and evill opposing Satans lyes therefore Satan by himselfe or men adhering to him did by envious operations as he did by Cain to Abel crush Christ himselfe yet it did not extinguish his Faith and love to God and his Neighbour in the least degree but drew it out the more as in due place it will appeare Yet all these envious operations being but extended to the affliction of his body and soule being his nature humane the lowest nature in his Sacred Person therefore it was but his heele as it was foretold thou shalt bruise his heele Fourthly againe as if God should say to Satan true it is that in the first Adams faithlesse fall from me thou didst devour all both heele body and head but against this the second Adam whom I wil raise up in the nature of all men of the seed of the woman to him doe thy worst yet thou shalt but bruise his heele at the most and thou shalt bruise his heele So much for opening of this first out-breake of the object of Faith once given to the Saints in this fourth estate of man Gen. 3.15 As Adams traÌ„sgression and the guilt and punishment was from the justice of the Covenant reckoned or imputed to al mankind in the fall even so by Gods mercy in the free guift of Christs righteousnesse reckoned or imputed to all was that sinne guilt and punishment removed from all and therefore noÌ„e ever perished for that transgression for although Adams eat ng the forbidden fruit and the demerit of it was not any mans indâ—vidually but Adams yet God in the justice of the Covenant did reckon or impute it to all and every individuall of mankinde as if it had bin their own act and demerit even so although Christs righteousnesse and merit of it was his own onely and alone individually considered yet that righteousnesse and merit being to satisfy Gods justice in behalfe of the world it was therefore by Gods free guift in mercy reckoned or imputed to all and every individuall of man generally and to man beleeving more specially as is declared but what this righteousnesse is which was so imputed see the end of the 8. Chap. Againe Rom. 5.18 the Apostle saith for as by the offence of one judgement came upon â—ll men to condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free guift came upon all men to the jâ—stification of life from these words I will make these briefe observations following First that in the next verse before this Christs righteousnesse is called the guift of righteousnesse but in this Text it is spoken as if Christs righteousnesse were the procuring cause of the guift of it selfe as imputed to come upon all men and the truth is so it was for had not Christs righteousnesse in the figurative lamb to the justice of the Covenant in every respect answered the imputative unrighteousnesse of Adam the righteousnesse of Christ could not imputatively by free guift have come as it did upon all men to the justification of life for till the justice of the Covenant was so satisfied although God was willing to impute it to life yet he could not for as God cannot lye so he cannot deny his truth but all mankinde must certainly have dyed according to Gods-word that death in the day that Adam did sinne Secondly here note that this free guift of Christs imputative righteousnesse came at this time on all men unfought for or unthought on by them for when God brought this guift to them Adam runne away from him therefore here God waâ— found of them which sought him not Thirdly here observe that this free guift of righteousnesse came upon al men when there was not any d) See this justification before mans faith and without faith cleared in the answer to the 10 Objection in Chap. 4. Faith in man for we by Adam faithlessely betray'd Gods truth and at this time as in our naturall roote in his loynes runne from the God of truth Therefore Faith foreseene was now no cause or instrumentall meanes of all mens salvation or election from Divells in Adams imputative damnation 4. Againe observe that this guift of imputative righteousnesse conferred upon all men viz justification for saith the Text It came upon all men to justification Therefore mans Faith can be but the receptive instrument of this justification and justification with Faith or justification without Faith is all one except that in the last mans receptive instrument is of use and this presents unto us two things first a definition of Iustification what justification then was men having not as yet the guift of Faith Secondly what it was not And first in a word this justification by Chriâ—ts impâ—tative righteousnesse was this the pardon and the removall of the imputative sinne guilt and punishment due for Adams transgression as farre as the East is from the West and so gave man a gracious acceptance and at this time this was the justification of all men Secondly mans owne works of righteousnesse was not his justification nor no good works foreseene for as now man by the fall his works were onely so euill as the Divells so all mens works but Christs works in this fourth estate of Restauration at best are but in the perfection of parts by reason of the Serpentine seed which hereditarily runnes down in the
be on an eighth day by his bodies resurrection and therefore then on an eighth day precisely Infants were to be admitted visible members of Christs mysticall body on earth in the Kingdom of grace implying their right by him to his glory (b) Then Infants have much more right to be â—eceived into the Church Militant by Baptisme triumphant in Heaven From which ground when people brought little Children to Christ that he might blesse them hee was angry with the Apostles which kept them from him and commanded them to suffer little (c) Notwithstanding the males onely were admitted to be visible members of Christs body by circumcision yet not onely the women but all the female Infants were then members of Christs body though they received not the seale of the Covenant they being not capable of it in their flesh yet the Grace of the Covenant in Christ received them to be visible members and the ground why that signe of the Covenant was precisely related to the males was to figure that the Lambe of God of the seed of the woman was not to be a female but a male therefore this hinde eth not but that the Infants of believing parents under the Gospel much more may be admitted visible members by baptisme and from the beginning of the world as appeares in the practice of the ten fathers before the flood they esteemed their Infants visible members of Christ for in their infancy they stablished upon their persons by their names the conveyance of the Oracle of life or the object faith once given to the Saints variously to ensuing posterities as appeareth at large in the fifth Chapter of this Treatise Children to come unto him and renders this as a reason of his command for of such is the Kingdome of Heaven therefore so departing this world they ascend to that Kingdome which so belongeth unto them Quest Now the question may be whether circumcision was onely intended to mankinde as in Infancy Answere It was not onely intended unto mankind as Infants but also to men as capable of reason as is Baptisme now for to them it did not â—nely prefigure that the nature of Divels became not totall and the imputed damnation of the Covenant was cut off by Gods mercy in Christ but also to men capable of reason it did prefigure that they submitting in beliefe of truth to receive Gods guift of Christs righteousnesse imputed theâ—r sinne should not onely be cut off in the habite of sinne in them against Christ weakned in this world and in the next world none (d) Hence it is God adding the law to the promise gave this one law viz. that the Paschal Lambe must be eaten with sowre herbs Exod. 12.8 to remaine but also that they in glory with Christ should ever remaine therefore God to Abraham called the sharpe cutting of the fore-skin of the member of Generation his Covenant meaning that to man believing truth that sharpnesse was a seale of Christs imputed righteousnesse which they received by faith including their vivification and mortification and the ground of all happinesse for so it was to Abraham being circumcised at a full age as Rom. 4 And therefore saith Christ hee that believeth in mee hath eternall life Againe although God cut off the fore-skin of the Member of generation yet but the foreskin for hee left the next innermost skin uncut off this implicitly told men capable of reason that although the grace of the Covenant did cut off the serpentine nature yet hee left a seed to remaine to let men understand that as Abraham could not be justified by workes having this serpentine seed remaining in him therefore in this life man must submit to God guift of Christs righteousnesse imputed as did Abraham for justification and his rule for imitation therefore saith the Apostle being justified by faith meaning men capable of reason we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom also we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein wee stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.1.2 But the question may be here Quest whether mens sins which themselves commit be against the law naturall as supernaturally related to Gods Covenant with the first Adam I answer no for in the second Adam onely after the fall Answ this law of nature in it's perfections was inherent and was related as a meanes to attaine that supernaturall end and then given to us imputatively for justification in him and a rule for imitation for us and therefore all our sinnes are against that law of righteousnesse so manifested to us in him by the Covenant of grace and not as the law was in the first Adam a Covenant of workes and man capable of reason stands bound so to receive it by beliefe of truth in Christ Iesus or the rejection of this rule cuts him from Christ for be that believeth not is condemned already and that by just consequence because he that is guilty of sinne in one is guilty in all for hee that rejects it in point of justification rejects it also as his rule in point of sanctification and from this ground Moses pronounced that man accursed which did not doe all things contained in the Law that is as not intentionally ayming to doe all things contained in that Law as leading to Christ as hereafter in due place will appeare Yet if man did then or now doth but at least intentionally respect this object of Faith as the truth is in Iesus hee is guilty of none although hee actually sinne in many things wherein we offend all Iam. 3. â— and the ground of the point is this that in Christs righteousnesse imputed and by beliefe of truth received as the truth is in Iesus this man wants no righteteousnesse which in heart hee desires to have in Christ nor is guilty of no sinne which in heart hee desires to be freed from Rom. 7.22.25 and Rom. 8.1 Quest Againe another question here to be resolved will be this that in regard Gods mercifull imputation did remove from all mankinde that imputed damnation of the Covenant for Adams sinne then how farre forth doth it also extend to take off the guilt and punishment of mens owne sinnes individually committed against the Law of grace as it is in Iesus Christ Answ It extends exceeding farre in this case also even to any man submitting by beliefe of truth to receive this gift of righteousnesse as the truth is in Iesus for then it takes off all manner of sinne committed against him one sinne onely excepted for saith Christ All manner of sinne and blasphemy against the Sonne of man shall be forgiven unto men but the sinne against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men Mark 3. And the ground why God thus foreappointed Christ before the world was to be ready as the Ram in the bush in that point of time to enter the worke of the Covenant to take off the just
to dignities and glory in the government of this world for saith the Text Iesus called them unto him and said yee know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them but it shall not be so amongst you Mat. 20. vers 25. Likewise by a remarkeable fact he condemned the pride of the priests and others of this elect Spouse in their proud apostasie after the flesh couched under a pretence of the celestiall doctrine the worship and the Temple for the eternall Son of God rides upon an Asse in a contemptible manner into Ierusalem the Metropolis of this Nation and so despised the vanity of all that glory yet this fact tended to the consolation of the meeke in Sion by beliefe of truth as was fore-prophesied behold thy King commeth unto thee meeke and sitting on an Asse and a Colt the foale of an Asse and the common people and his Disciples gave him high praise and glory at which the proud apostate Priests Scribes and the like their hearts did rise for to him they said Hearest thou this but hee repelled this lying Satanicall spirit in evidence of truth and answered and said If these should hold their peace the stones would cry Also hee fore-prophesied the destruction of all their supposed present felicity Mat. 21. from verse 4. to the 16. Luke 19.36 and 42. So much for the second point his witnessing the truth against the spirit of Satan in sinners Thirdly Christ witnessed this truth hand to hand with Satan himselfe for when hee had denyed himselfe not the fruit of one tree as Adam was to have done but all food forty dayes together dedicating himselfe to the great worke of the Redemption of the world in obedience to his Father so mediating for mercy to the world he afterwards was an hungry then came Satan to him and said If thou be the Sonne of God command this stone that it be made bread and Christ by the word of truth repells his assault For Iesus answered him saying It is written That man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God implying that as mans temporary life is maintained by an influence from God in bread so his life spirituall here by faith is in every word of God from the influence of his spirit Likewise then the Divell taking him up into an high mountaine shewed him all the Kingdomes of the world in a moment of time and the Divell said unto him All this power will I give to thee and the glory of them for that is delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I give it if thou therefore wilt fall downe before me all shall be thine Iesus answered and said unto him get thee behind me Satan for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve implying that himselfe was personally God-man and ought therefore to be worshipped by him Likewise he brought him to Ierusalem and set him on a pinacle of the Temple and said unto him if thou be the sonne of God as thy words import then cast thy selfe downe from hence for it is written He shall give his Angells charge over thee to keepe thee and in their hands they shall beare thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone And Iesus answering said unto him it is said Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God implying what he had said before was his answer Luke 4. So that although the first Adam believed a lye to the destruction of all yet the second Adam was constant in Gods truth dissolving Satans lies for the restauration of all and Satan saith he hath nought in me He likewise discovers to the world what Satans operations was and is for Iohn 8. he saith Saâ—an was a murtherer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because no truth is in him when he speaketh a lye he speaketh of his owne for hee is a lyar and the fâ—ther thereof verse 44. Fourthly Christ now witnesseth Gods truth against Satans lyes by faith and flames of love to God under Gods most dreadfull wrath so offering himselfe as a whole burnt offering to God yet not but that Gods truth may be witnessed under divine justice and not under wrath likewise under mercy and not under wrath Also under Justice in exceeding great wrath The first was Adams estate in the Covenant before his fall The second is the Estate of the Saints witnessing Gods truth in some conformity to Christ in which respect hee which sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are one Hebr. 2.11 The third was the estate of Christ as the Redeemer of the fallen world for as hee was for our sinnes in Adam and for the Iewes and Gentiles apostasie a sinner imputed Hee therefore in this respect was a man as hated of God as himselfe saith reckoned amongst the transgressors And the truth is so it was with him from his conception to the expiration of his life for although his conception and birth was not in sinne but * Christ partaking mans nature as do children viz. seminally in the womb is a twofold pledge to us first that it was to destroy the workes of Satan in our behalfe secondly after man believeth truth to free him from the feare of death to which precedently all his life long hee was subject Hebr. 2.14 conceived and borne an holy thing the Sonne of God yet his conception and birth was from her in whom was sinne the seed of the Serpent wherefore shee rejoyced in him as her Saviour and salvation So likewise no sooner was he borne but Satan in Herod attempted to bruise his heele Likewise his breeding under his supposed father was but meane a Carpenter Likewise with his kindred which nationally was his Spouse he was reputed but a meane fellow a friend of Publicans and sinners a mad man a conjurer an impostor a blasphemer of God a Divell Therefore rightly doth the Apostle incourage the Saints to undergoe the hatred of the world to consider him that indured such contradiction of sinners against himselfe Hebr. 10.13 Againe the first Adam by the justice of the Covenant in point of triall against Satans lyes was estated not onely in the sweet perfections of the glory of nature but also in the splendor of the Garden relatively drawing him by faith to enjoy God in the heavenly glory but the second Adam not onely under wrath but under exceeding great wrath as appeares in two particulars First by his feares of the neere approach of that wrath Secondly by what it was when he was directly under it first when this houre and power of darknesse did draw neere although it was a thing greatly by him desired as his aspired end to his fathers glory for when he commeth into the world he saith Sacrifice and offrings thou wouldst not have but a body hast thou prepared mee then said I
lâ—e I come to doe thy Will O God Luke 22.15 Heb 10. yet I say the neer approach of this houre and power of darknesse was dreadfull to his apprehension as appeares by his feares sorrow prayer and cryes who as saith the Text In the dayes of his flesh when hee had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and teares to him that was able to save him from death was pitied in the thing he feared for there appeared unto him an Angell from heaven yet not to take off his misery but to strengthen him to it and there was need so to doe for his bones were sundred in this agony his spirit waxed hot within him as melted wax and from thence it was that his sweat became as great drops of blood falling down to the ground Hebr. 5 7. Psal 22.14 Luke 22.41 But hee having resolved in beliefe of truth by flaming love to goe on through the apprehension of its neere approach to him to approach to it in resignation of his will to his Fathers Will in the worlds redemption Hee demanded twice of his apprehenders whom seeke yee and affirmes himselfe twice to be the man whom they sought and although they fel backwards before him yet he goes forward with them to encounter this dreadfull wrath which extended to a two-fold separation of God from him First God separated himselfe from him in all naturall good either to soule or body and left him to the contrary evill Secondly God separated himselfe from his soule and body in all supernaturall and celestiall good and left him to the contrary evill and first of the first To his body and so to the anguish of his soule for it was torne with whips pierc'd with thornes his hands and feet pierc'd with nayles and riven or rent with the weight of his body hanging on the crosse sixe houres or thereabouts Likewise to coole his thirst they gave him vinegar and gall to drinke the people and Priest blaspheme him as a man forsaken of God the whole powers of nature as it were rising against him extinguishing from him all things but dread and dolour for darknesse from the sixt houre to the ninth covered him the Temple rent the earth quak't the Rocks rent so that in respect of Gods separating all naturall good from him leaving him to the contrary evill he might truly say in the dolor of his soule All yee that passe by beâ—â—ld and see if there be any sâ—rrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto mee wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce anger Lam. 1.12 Secondly God likewise separated himselfe from him in all supernaturall and Celestiall good and left him to the contrary evill for because this separation of God from him in all naturall good leaving him to the contrary evill was in this place namely the Land of Canaan this implyed that God also separated himselfe from him in all supernaturall good because this Land in generall was to the second Adam as the garden of Eden was to the first Adam that is a figure by the Terrestriall good of the Celestiall good in the Heaven of Heavens Therefore this figured to him that God shut the Kingdome of Heaven against him rendring him no light in that respect but leaving his soule the only object of eternall darknesse Againe this being at Ierusalem the figure of eternall peace this implyed to him that no peace or consolation at that time was his portion from God but the contrary apprehensions of eternall woe sutable to the damned Spirits of men and Divells Againe this being also in the place of residence of his elect Spouse the Kingdome of grace on Earth this imply'd that he was to God a man cut off from the land of the living in all respects consequently no place left to him by divine justice but the place prepared for the Divell and his Angels for saith the text he was reckoned amongst the transgressors Luk 22 37. Therefore his cry upon the crosse was according to truth My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee which words implyed two things First that this twofold Separation of God from him in his apprehension was more dreadfull then he could reach in his humane comprehension and therefore cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Againe his words further imply that his separation was onely on Gods part never on his for he in this darknesse where was no light and this depth where no humane nature could feele any bottome yet hee kept union in faith and flames of love to God and his Neighbour in a right relation to the worlds redemption and therefore hee said My God my God as never letting him goe So raising his Soule from that depth of death under Gods flaming wrath by Faith and love and so rendred his Soule to God from his body and his body to dust a whole burnt offering saying Father into thy hands I commend my spirit therefore this was the first and great Resurrection of the Lord Iesus Christ in which hee raised himselfe by his own power from the depth of infernall death yea the most certaine death that is death in the substance as it was said in the day that thou eatest thou shalt certainely die the death Object It may be here objected Christ knowing his Fathers power to be infinite and therefore all things possible to him consequently Christ in his prayer willed this cup to passe him absolutely Answer Answer It doth not follow for although Christ did know as indeed he did that to God all things were possible in respect of his power yet hee knew this cup could not possibly passe him in respect of Gods justice he being the second Adam and therefore he willed it not absolutely Object Againe it will then be replyed that Christs prayer was vaine and consequently a sinne Answer It doth not follow for if he had not prayed that if it were possible to let that cup passe he had then sinned against the Law of nature which bound him to love himselfe consequently unfeynedly to desire to avoyd the destruction of himselfe But because in respect to Gods justice he submitted in Faith and love in a full resignation of himselfe to his Fathers will therefore he was right in both and wrong in neither Object But it will be againe objected that his prayer on the crosse implyed sâ—me ignorance in this great worke because he saith why hast thou forsaken me consequently he sinned Answer It doth not follow for it is one thing to be ignorant of what a man is not able to know by the perfections proper to his kinde and another thing to be ignorant of what he is bound to know but Christs ignorance was of the first sort because that vast distance of the twofold separation was more then his pure naturalls was able to comprehend as before is explained Againe although he was at the neerest brink of a totall and finall desperation yet hee sinned
not for the Covenant required faith in truth and love to God in that relation hee stood but with all his heart and all his soule and all his strength and no more Therefore though hee was at the foresaid brink of desperation yet he sinned not Againe the strength of his humane nature being not able to keepe up from desperation under that vast and dreadfull separation yet hee in his unfained cry why hast thou forsaken mee as the second Adam witnessed Gods truth namely that God really intended death that is this twofold separation as it was said in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt certainly die the death (a) This death of the second Adam proves that God really intended the same to man wâ—th the fi st Adam and so dissolved that lie of Satan who said yee shall not die at all for he being personally God-man and so more powerfull then any meere creature therefore justice required his personall power so farre as need was and therefore although as a meere creature he cryed out Why hast thou forsaken mee yet in the power of his personall operations hee cries out My God my God and so Faith mightily (b) Christ descended not locally into the place of the damned because his faith and love to the full sati faction of divine justice wrought up to God through all interposing difficulties therefoâ—e it was unpossible hee should be held of the sorrowes of death and so hee triumphed over all the enemies of his Fatheâ—s glory which was to result to him out of the good of mankinde Psal 16.8.11 working by love reached the power of an endlesse life from under the most vast depth of separation in an endlesse death I say this was by Faith in Gods truth and Gods righteous justice to him in that relation in which he then stood for his eternall blessednesse for saith hee to God I set thee ever before me and thou wilt open to me the way of life and so with a loud voyce hee renders his soule saying Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Luk 23 46. And so by the eternall Spirit as saith the Apostle Hee offered himselfe to God without spot to purge our consciences from dead works to sâ—rve the living God he so (c) But now to this point there are three which beare witnesse in heaven namely the thâ—ee persons in the one God in their severall order by upholdâ—ng and maintaining that created Angelicall glory for the members of the second Adam to all eternity which God from time to time here on earth hath promised them and still doth evidence it by three witnesses on earth namely first by Christs blood-shed as the seale of the satisfaction of divine justice which obtained that eternall life Secondly by water namely the worke of Reâ—eneration cleansing mans Spirit in Faith and love to the mystery Thirdly by the Spirit in the ministeâ—y of the word and Sacraments most eminently witnessing the purchase and free gift of that glory to man through aâ—l ages 1 Iohn 5.7.8 witnessed that other truth of Gods against Satans lie namely that God really intended to man the knowledge of good in the glory of Angells by his Covenant with Adam and in the righteousnesse of the second Adam and so dissolv'd that other lye of Satan that God only pretended it but never intended it and to the same end he gave himselfe also a ransome for all men in the fourth estate of man to redeeme them from their Apostacie And for conclusion to this Chapter observe these five particulars First that when in common speech we say that Christ fulfilled the Law we may rightly understand it only of the Morall Law because he by perfect love to God and his Neighbour did fulfill all Lawes that is not only the Covenant as it was with Adam but also as upon these two did hang all the Law and the Prophets with respect of mans fourth estate as before is proved Secondly is it so that Christ rais'd his Soule (a) The first Resurrection of Iesus Christ our Lord. by beliefe of truth and perfect love from that vast depth of death and that that was his first and great resurrection as the second Adam Hence observe that the raising of his body was his second resurrection and most properly by the glory of the Father (b) The second Resurrection of Iesus Christ our Lord. and from Divine Justice his first step to his eternall happinesse for so great a worke as the redemption of the world Phil. 2.9 in this fourth estate of man Thirdly is it so that the works of the Sonne of God was so potent in beliefe of truth to that blessednesse which was set before him Heb. 12. as that it wrought up to God from under so vast a separation in flames of burning love to Gods glory by the redemption of the world Hence observe that to put any worth upon any other mans works as to affirme they can deserve by their obedience to God that he should free them from eternall death or render them the reward of eternall life yea and that they can supererogate for others also I say observe that any of this Doctrine is not only a blasphemous derogating from Christs workes but also against the guift of God imputing it arrogating to man that which is not his also it overthroweth the foundation of mans salvation and that fundamentally for it not only makes voyd the object of Justification but cuts off mans worke of Faith to that object in a justifying relation as before is observed against the Iewes pag. 78. Fourthly is it so that God estated the Covenant with Adam that if it were by him fulfilled God by him should then receive the praise of his justice to all eternity in the foresaid twofold respects as Chap. 2. pag. 12.13 And likewise if the second Adam did fulfill it that by him under divine justice hee also might receive the praise of his justice to all eternity and that Christ accordingly did render him his justice to every tittle and pronounc'd it finished Hence observe that God never intended nor needed to make a personall reprobation of most men to unavoydable destruction to the everlasting praise of his justice For if the Covenant had bin fulfilled by either Adam it it was to the praise of his justice to all eternity as here we see and the Covenant of grace is so full to this point that all mankinde may ascend to eternall life by Christ if they will but apply themselves in what they have received and to what they might receive in him yet by Christ Gods justice is eternally glorifyed as is proved Therefore God never made in vaine such a personall reprobation to passe upon the most of mankinde Fiftly observe that when I say Christs righteousnesse is imputed to all mankinde in generall or to man beleeving truth more speciall as is described I meane not Christ his righteousnesse essentially as God nor
by the roots appeares in the 12 Chapt. Is it so that when Christ did thus powre out his Spirit upon all flesh that yet at this time be denyed the spirit of Faith to his Nationall Spouse to the most part for their proud Apostasie to their ensuing rejection Hence observe how rightly the Lord of glory returned the same upon them But I said unto you that yee also have seene mee and beleeve not All that the Father * But at this time the Father giveth me the Gentiles to gather by the word of truth to salvation but of you but few for your call is not given to be at this time but in the future as Rom. 11.25 26 27. giveth mee shall come unto mee but not most of you at this time of grace for that 's implyed Iohn 6.35 36 37 38 39 40. Is it so that when Christ came personally into the world he then found Iewes and Gentiles generally both dead in sinnes and trespasses to him as the object of justification to their life and glory yea even his Nationall Spouse generally Hence observe how rightly spake the Lord Jesus Christ to his proud Apostate Spouse saying none can come to mee unlesse the Father which sent me draw him meaning his extraordinary mercy Ioh. 6.44 Is it so that Christ his righteousnesse as imputed by the Fathers gift and conveyed from Kingdome to Kingdome by the word of truth was and is the only object of life and glory and the removall of mans misery which submitted by beliefe of truth to receive that gift of righteousnesse in that sacred object Then hence observe how rightly spake the Lord Jesus Christ of himselfe saying I am the way and the truth and the life no man can come unto the Father but by mee Joh. 14.6 Againe is it so that this extraordinary calling of the Gentiles to righteousnesse life and glory being dead in sinnes and trespasses by their precedent Apostacie that even the second Adams satisfactory righteousnesse obtained as upon Adams fall so at this time also that this world should be mans day of grace againe as a day of grace to receive in it the gift of eternall glory the world of Gentiles being under wrath Then hence observe that from this ground Saint Paul in the 5 of the Rom. rightly brings in Christs imputative righteousnesse as opposed not only to our unrighteousnesse and misery in Adams transgression but also interminglingly opposing it against all mens own personall sinnes against the grace of God in Christ that whereas sinne in both respects had abounded so Gods grace by his gift of Christs righteousnesse did superabound as appeareth from the 8. verse to the end of that Chapter Againe is it so that at the height of Israels Apostacie and at the brink of their rejection from Christ that then God thus extraordinarily brought in the Gentiles to be his Spouse which were not his people Hence observe how rightly Christ in his life time Ioh. 10.16 opposed the certainty of the Gentiles for life and glory to his Apostate Spouse the Iewes then to bee extinguished ver 26. and in the three next verses grounding the stable felicity of the Church of the Gentiles only on his free gift and his Fathers power opposing it to all contrary powers whatsoever for although the Church of the Iewes became totally separated from Christ as now they stand yet so shall never the Church of the Gentiles nor yet the Iewes when they are againe ingrafted into Christs visible Church as was before Prophecied by * For by this word those days is not only meant the first extraordinary light of grace and truth divulged in the Gospell by the Apostles Ministery but this Prophecy also extends to those dayes of that extraordinary call of the Iewes mentioned Rom. 11.25 26 27. when also shall come in the fulnesse of the Gentiles Ieremiah and the Author to the Hebrewes Ierem. 31.33 32 40. Heb. 8.8.10 CHAP. X. Opening what in the calling of the Gentiles was ordinary to continue untill time shall be no more and that Gods proceedings therein is without respect of persons to all alâ—ke THe second Adam and Saviour of the world was not only a Priest in the dayes of his flesh after the order of Aron Heb. 10. by offering his body of flesh and blood so putting an end to that fleshly or bloody Sacrificing Priest-hood in which respect the Apostles in manifold regards referres things to the * The Apostle attributes so much to Christs blood death to leade us by sense to the more firm faith in his blood death as it was the expiration of his worke as the faithful and true witnesse for Gods truth against Satans lies to regaine Gods glory by the salvation of the world blood of Christ and often reiterates the same but also in his Militant Church he was and is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck till time shall be no more that is as Melchizedeck Shem I meane descending from the old world did not only in the Apostacie of the new world at Abel abide in the Faith of the first ten Fathers but also in the time of the Apostasie of his own Family remained durably constant in the oracle of life not only King of Salem that is of peace but Priest also of the most high God after the power of an endlesse life for he continued receiving as appeares in Abrahams Tythes the homage of the Sacrifice of praise for God and to God likewise in Gods stead returning comforts and blessings from God upon man Gen. 14.18 Heb 7.7 Likewise so did Christ abide constant by tradition discending in his spirit on men from the beginning of the old world figuratively by the promised seed of the woman through all occurrents or times of the worlds Apostasie remayned figuratively in the ten Fathers not only King of peace as Milchizedeck but also the Priest of the most high God receiving the Sacrifice of praise to God and for God by man believing truth and returning from God blessings upon them not only by his acceptable satisfactory righteousnesse imputed the ground of all acceptation but also in the oracle of life divulging it by his Ambassadors to the world and the imbreathings of his Spirit into the Spirit of man as sometime reproving the world of sinne as to Cain and the old world in the ten Fathers and in the Ministry of Noah sometimes receiving in good part the Sacrifices of the praise of his grace as in Abell his offering by beliefe of truth sometimes pouring out his blessings of consolation as in Noah his Sacrifice he smelt a savor of rest and comfortably renewed his gracious Covenant c. Sometimes in gracious incouragements to submit to this mercy as he did to Cain and sometimes enlivening the Spirit of man dead in sinnes and trespasses as to these Gentiles we see so raising these dead bones to live in his sight Therefore to continue this
good heart but in opening the first point before I define what justifying beliefe is I will shew what beliefes are not this beliefe as First to be induced to follow the object of Faith onely because occasionally by it wee receive our corporall support this is not so much as beliefe in it in any kinde but onely a following of sense much like the first sort of ground which from the seed of life received onely a glance of the object of life and no more Ioh. 6.25 26 27. Secondly to believe the object of life or oracle of justification onely because it is of good report of those with whom we live This is not to believe divine testimony and divine as divine testimony but to believe it meerely upon humane testimony as did the misbelieving Iewes say they doe any of the Rulers believe in him implying their beliefe of the Oracle of God was onely grounded upon the Rulers respect or credit which they gave to it So this was but the second sort of ground on which the seed of life was sowed wanting roote in time of temptation fell away Iohn 7.48 Ioh. 4.28 Againe to believe the Oracle of God from Gods owne testimony as Gods Oracle in severall respects is not this justifying beliefe for the divells believe the Oracles of God as Gods Oracle of truth in his gift of Christ to the world and from thence tremble at the certainty of their full damnation when God shall judge the world by the seed of the woman to the finall bruise of Satans power So some men believe the (a) Thus although the foolish virgins have not the internall lampe of justifying faith which onely hath in it the right reception of Christs imputed righteousnesse yet they have the internall lampe of beliefe of divine testimony as divine testimony as here wee see Oracle of God as Gods owne Oracle and from beliefe in God produce great miracles and (b) These men by the Scriptures are stiled virgins together with the wise virgins because in the judgement of charity the Church judgeth them visible members untill they discover the contrary glorifie God by the confirmation of the object of Faith and yet may be as some have beene voyd of love to God Therefore this is not this justifying beliefe 1 Cor. 13.2 Matth. 7.25 Likewise some men may and doe believe with consolation the Oracle of life to be Gods true Oracles and from thence in the spirit of prophesie powre out blessings upon men of an honest and a good heart as from the Starre of Iacob * But these kind of prayers are strivings to bring Gods wil to mans and not mans will to Gods will desiringly crave or pray for that blessednesse to themselves yet not rightly submitting to the reception of that righteousnesse in the object of justification as imputed by God to a sinner because in heart they are lifted up either to the esteeme of their owne personall operations or terminate their happinesse too much in terrestriall blessednesse as foolish virgins so perish in the way of Cain and wages of Balaam being the third sort of ground on which the seed of life was sowed as upon Cains spirit it was and choked with the cares and pleasures of this life bringing fruit but not to perfection wanting the * Here wee see why the foolish virgins wanted oyle right reception of Gods gracious oyle of mercy running downe from Christ the head wherefore this is not that justifying beliefe in men of an honest and good heart Mat. 25.1 2 Numb 9.10.19 Numbers 24.2 16 17.23 Genes 4 And now I come to define what beliefe is justifying faith and then to define what the perfection of this justifying faith is yet before I can do either I must briefly open the point of justification in foure particulars First as before is declared Gods instrument is the word of truth by which hee conveyes the object of justification to the minde of man as from the beginning till now in the word of promise to Adam by tradition conveyed by the ten Fathers down to Abraham then that word being renewed with him it came downe to Moses and by him committed to writing and now by the Apostles writings extant to the end of the world So much for the instrument Secondly The object conveyed or reached unto man by that instrument is Gods guift of Christs righteousnesse imputed or counted to the world in generall and to man believing truth more specially So much for the object so conveyed Thirdly Mans necessary instrument by which he receives this guift of righteousnesse from God is his beliefe of Gods instrument his word of truth as aforesaid by which God reacheth to man that object of justification as is formerly described The reasons moving man to apply his instrument of beliefe to Gods instrument to receive his gift of Christs righteousnesse imputed are these First because he conceiveth God in that guift is (a) Here maâ—â— understanding lookes at truth unfained therefore he sets to his seale that God is true in the testimony he gives of his Sonne Ioh. 3.33 Secondly because he conceives that in this righteousnesse so imputed or counted to be mans is conferred the removall of misery and conveyed all (b) Here mans will lookes at goodnesse felicity 1 Iohn 5.19.20 Thirdly because hee conceives his own (c) Man which out of sense of his sinne and misery looks to God as mercifull hath a right aspect towards eternall felicity Luke 18.13.14 Matth 5.3 Rom. 10.10 Rom. 4.6.7 poverty or need of that imputed righteousnesse so commodious to him that therefore he applies his hand of beliefe to receive that object for righteousnesse to justification and remission of sinnes to salvation So that in men of honest and good hearts justifying beliefe may thus be defin'd (d) justifying faith defined Namely it is mans heart in beliefe of Gods faithfulnesse submitting to the receiving his gift of Christs righteousnesse imputed (e) The oyle whâ—ch the â—oolish â—irgins waÌ„ted is Christs imputed righteousnesse as received by faith which is the right issue of Gods most speciall grace to sanctification justification A definâ—tion of perfection of justifying saith as the only ground to remove all his misery and convey all happinesse upon him And thus did Abel submit as Chapt. 4. and as many as by faith thus submit they then are received and adopted Sonnes in Christ and because Christs elect Spouse did not thus submit to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10 3. she was cast off And so much for the definition what justifying beliefe is Secondly the perfection of justifying Faith is no more but this the heart of man adhering to Gods unfeyned gift of Christs righteousnesse imputed for the removall of all misery and the conveyance of all felicity so firme and so farre as to worke up to God in that object through all interposing difficulties And I will in briefe prove this second definition by the perfection
the Prophecy that went of Iudas and the like Acts 1.16.20 Wherefore Saint Paul prophecying of future times concerning the Church of the Gentiles saith because they received not the love of the truth that is as conveying to them the object of justification for life and glory therefore God would deliver them up also from his grace and truth to their belief of Satans lies and so leave them to perish in their own corruptions for saith the Text. Antichrist his coming shall be after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish But the ground why Satan thus prevailed is exprest in the Text to be because the (b) Gods justice upoÌ„ the Church of the Gentiles for their ungodlinesse against him in his great mercy toward them was it which gave way to the Machivill an rising of the Beast namely the Roman Antichrist in Christendome therefore although it was against Gods will aâ— willing mans good in the distribution of his mercifull goodnesse yet according to his will in the administration of his justice upon this ungratefull Church for nothing is nor can be directly against Gods will but respectively as in Iudas it was Gods justice to deny him his spirit of grace to keepe him from that treacherous act for denying Gods spirits operations to follow his covetousnesse for faith the Text he was a thiefe and had the bag and to this case is that to be referred Acts 4.28 Gentiles received not the love of the truth that they might be saved Implying that the production of Antichrist was from the Churches owne corrupâ—ion * Therefore it is a daÌ„gerous tenet to make the Primitive Church our patterne for as witnesseth the Apostle in his time the mystery of iniquity began to worke therefore the safest way for Christs Spouse is to keepe close to the sacred Scriptures and Gods Spirit for her guid both for Discipline and Doctrine and Gods justice leaving them for their great ungodlinesse and that to this end that they might perish in their own corruption for saith the Text that they all might be damned which beleeve not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse that is under Gods superaboundant mercies for that is implyed and the ground how this great Antichrist became the great scourge of Christendome is this because answerably as he did rise by degrees in the pretence of the Celestiall verity to Satans Throne in his mystery of iniquity so answerably hee did extinguish that sacred mystery which he did but pretend not only by inclosing it in an unknowne tongue and his false glosses in Annotations upon the Remes Testament but most specially by his devised lie of the Doctrine of mans own meritorious works for their justification to their eternall felicity For so hee turned the oracle of life and glory into Satans darknesse as that liar and murtherer from the beginning but this prophecie of Saint Paul gives us a demonstrative description of this great Antichrist in three particulars First by his place of residence Secondly by the height of his aspired Throne Thirdly by what shall remove him from his place by his finall ruine Of these briefly First his place of residence is not within the place of Paganisme or Turcisme where Gods especiall presence is most remote for saith the Text he sitteth in the Temple of God implying his seat is where Gods most speciall presence of grace in Christ is most demonstratively resiant as once it was in the Temple at Ierusalem to his elect Spouse more then in any place of all the world besides the which now is only in the confines of Christendome Gods visible Church of the Gentiles therefore his seate at large is only within Christendome but his most peculiar seate is in the second point following Secondly also he is to be knowne by the height of his Throne who as saith the Text opposeth all that is called God or that is worshipped So that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Implying that the height of his aspired Throne in Satans darknesse is not only demonstratively above the Thrones of Kings and Emperors within Christendome but in the place where God most properly doth demonstrate himselfe in the glory of his grace which is twofold that is in the object and in the Subject namely in the object of justification and in the Subject that is mans beliefe of that object in both which respects Antichrist doth aspire First by extinguishing Gods guift of Christs righteousnesse as imputed to mans (a) Iustification in the object is God th Fathers gift of Ch ists righteousnesse reached unto man by his instrument the word of truth as was the brazen Serpent by an instrument of wood but justification in the Subject is man which by right beliefe of truth doth receive into his minde that object as the eye did the brasen Serpent and in that instant of time this mans sinne is removed from his person as farre as the East is from the West I doe not meane a totall removall of sinne inherently but a totall removall of the guilt and pun shment of sins past present as long as he doth so adhere unto that object actually or virtually but no longer justification and salvation which is the only object in which God sits most properly as in his mercies-seate to the praise of his glorious grace in the salvation of the world Secondly not only by extinguishing this sacred object but also the Subject namely the mindes of mankinde to extinguish that beliefe from them by which God ought to sit as in his inner-most part of the Temple by their beliefe in the object of justification so to receive his worship and glory in their eternall salvation but in Gods owne most proper seate In both these respects hath the great Antichrist set himselfe as God by bringing the mindes of most men to embrace and subject to him by their beliefe of his lying doctrine of their own meritorious works yea of supererogation for their own and others eternall felicity so in a mystery he is worshipped under a pretence of the Celestiall verity having made voyd this object of justification as also all obedience of faith to God in that justifying relation so hath hee subordinated God beneath himselfe and advanced himselfe in a mystery above all that is called God or that is worshipped within the confines of the (b) I meane the Greeke Church with the rest for although they are in the Turks dominions yet they are not of the Turcisme visible Church of the Gentiles So likewise for a continued supply to support his blasphemous Throne he hath fram'd to himselfe severall Religions orders of seeming sanctitie and his purgatory prayers to Saints alive and dead his abounding in superstitious and Idolatrous worship all tending but to the support of his Apostate Chaire of Thronized glory in Satans darknesse under