said to be set forth or ordained to be a propitiation through faith in His blood Rom. 3. 25. For we are not immediately made justifiable either by Christ dying or Christ pleading but by Christ dying and pleading believed upon The righteousnesse of God is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe Rom. 3. 22. This is an unspeakable comfort to sinfull guilty man deserving to be sentenced unto eternall death and the extreme punishments in Hell that 1. There is a Court of Grace Equity and Mercy ever kept in Heaven 2. A propitiated and most merciful God is the Judge 3. Jesus Christ His Son being once tempted and having suffered cruel punishments is very sensible of our miserable condition and full of compassion 4. Every penitent and believing sinner on Earth is his client and he will vndertake his cause and plead it as his own 5. A prayer a sigh a groan will mind him of our cause 6. A most righteous Advocate pleading vehemently and before a Father of eternal mercy for penitent believing and heart-bleeding sinners and that with his own blood and urging Gods own promise must needs prevaile Oh! fear not guilty Wretch thy cause will be carried in Heaven There can be no doubt of it Yet the Saints of God who lived and died before Christ's exaltation to glory had faith in Christ and were justified by it as Abraham was Their faith indeed was implicit and far short of ours yet it pleaded Mercy a Promise a Messias a Sacrifice though very darkly and God did look upon Christ though to come as a Propitiatour and intercessour and for his propitiation and intercession foreseen and fore-accepted and imperfectly yet sincerely believed did justifie them This Faith whereby we are justified is opposed by the Apostle Paul § IV to the Faith of the Jew in his Letter to the Romans to the Faith of the Judaizing Christian in that to the Galatians unto the Faith of Jews of Philosophers of the Worshippers of Angels in that to the Colossians It s opposed to these severall faith 's in a twofold respect 1. As an assent and perswasion 2. As a confidence or reliance The Jew believed that he might be justified by the Works of the Law and so trusted unto and relied upon his own Works alone The Judaizing Christian believed that Christ alone without the Law could not save him but with the Law he might and so his confidence was not in Christ alone but in Christ and the Law The Jew the Jewish Christian the Philosopher the Worshipper of Angels were perswaded either that Christ was needlesse or yet if he was needful he was not sufficient without the Law or without Philosophy or without the Worship of Angels and did either trust in Christ with these or in these without Christ and none of these would be compleate without or with Christ without some of these The Doctrine of the Gospel different from and opposed to all these proposeth Christ and him only and Christ alone as the complete High Priest Sacrificing himself and pleading his Sacrifice as the meanes and only meanes of justification Justifying faith believes all this and out of this belief rests upon Christ and Christ alone and pleads him and him alone and none else nothing else This Faith is not a perswasion that our sins are already forgiven § V nor a speculative assent to the truths of the Gospel concerning Christ as our Saviour which vanisheth with the speculation and doth not pierce the inwards of the soul nor is it any kind of resting upon Christ as our High Priest and Mediatour neither is it a sincere receiving of Christ as our Lord and King much lesse is it a generall act of faith in God Redeemer meerly considered under that generall notion 1. It cannot be a perswasion that our sins for Christs sake are already forgiven For we must believe before we can be justified much more before we can be assured that we are justified But this perswasion follows justification and remission it self It puts the act before the object and the reward before the performance of the duty and so makes justifying faith which is antecedent to be consequent and needlesse and from hence its consequent that a man may be justified without faith by a faith which follows justification But these things are absurd to a considerate Christian. 2. It 's not a mere speculative assent to the truths of the Gospel concerning Christ for it presupposeth practicall acts antecedent and issues from a practicall habit It looketh upon and closeth fast with the object wherein there be the Highest and most powerfull motives unto practise and obedience that ever were or possibly can be How is it possible that a man should believe seriously that stupendious love of God which moved him to give his onely begotten Son That whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life and not be powerfully stirred up to love that most loving and mercifull God who loved him so much How can Faith look upon the Son of God bleeâ—ing and dying for his sins upon the Crosse and not hate sin with an eternall hatred and give himself wholly to Christ as infinitely more pretious and beneficiall to him then many Worlds Our reformed Writers had good reason to say that though this faith in receiving Christ Satisfying meriting interceding was Sola yet not Solitaria for it must of necessity work and work by love For it 's a lively principle of all heavenly virtues and sincere obedience That faith which is not predominant over all lusts and a mother of universall obedience is no faith whereby a man can be justifiable and justified 3. It 's not any kind of resting upon Christ as our High Priest and Mediatour For we may rest in part on Christ and in part on the Law and our own Works and in Saints and Angels and Superstitious rites of men We may rest on Christ for benefit and not duty We may rest on Christ and yet continue in sin be Hypocrites and so presume It must be a totall and a sincere dependance with a detestation of sin 4. It 's not a receiving him as Lord and King in that it presupposeth him as so received already For faith it self is a duty of obedience and presupposeth a submission unto him as Lord and King to command and bind us to obedience But it 's one thing to receive Christ for duty another to receive him for benefit Justification is a Benefit a reward not a duty not an act of obedience And though faith receiving Christ as Priest for justification be a duty as doing that which is commanded yet it 's but the generall nature of it whereby it agrees with and differeth not from any duty commanded by God Redeemer And consider it as a duty it 's a work and faith it self as a Work is not justifying But to come more closely up to the point and head of the matter now by some
much agitated and to speak distinctly and pertinently We may consider faith in Christ alone propitiating and interceding for sinful man as a duty and as a duty 1. In generall commanded by God Redeemer 2. As this particular duty receiving Christ as Priest in this matter But neither of these wayes considered is it a receiving Christ as Lord and King but presupposeth him as so received For so to receive him is the act of submission or subjection which is necessarily antecedent to the performance of any particular obedience to any particular command as this faith in Christ is Submission hath for object the power of the supreme Lord Duty looks at the command of the Lord acknowledged 2. Faith this faith may be considered as looking back upon the command or forward at the benefit In the former respect it 's a duty properly in the latter respect it 's a condition the performance whereof leads unto the receiving of the benefit 3. Faith may look at the command or at the promise both parts of the Law and it 's justifying as looking at the promise not as resting in the performance of the duty though without the performance it cannot be justifying For these things which God hath joyned together no man must put asunder 4. Faith may be considered as having connexion with the reward and benefit of justification or as having an aptitude for the connexion The connexion with the benefit is not Physicall that 's certain but it 's morall and divine and ariseth from Christs merit and Gods promise with respect unto the merit If Christ had not merited God had never promised If God had never promised justification had never followed upon this faith For let a man believe with the highest degree of â—aith in Christ and in the greatest sincerity yet justification had never followed thereupon nor could have been expected with any certainty except God for Christ's sake had promised that upon such a duty performed justification should have followed So that the indissoluble connexion of this faith and justification is from Gods institution whereby he had bound himself to give the benefit upon the performance of the duty to him that performeth it Yet there is an aptitude in this duty in this faith to be made a condition and have connexion and such an aptitude as can be in no other duty For no other duty commanded by God-Redeemer nor any other act of faith but this can receive Christ as Priest propitiating and pleading the propitiation and the promise of God for his sake as such to give the benefit As receiving Christ and the gracious promise in this manner it acknowledgeth mans guilt and so renounceth all righteousnesse in himself acknowledgeth God the Father and Christ the Son the onely Redeemer and so gives God the greatest glory of justice wisdome mercy and free grace and doth virtually acknowledge it self to be a gift and performed by the Spirit of God Redeemer and that as a duty a work an act of obedience it cannot challenge any right to justification This no other duty no other act of faith no good works can do Therefore God in his infinite Wisdome thought good to pitch upon this and make it the meanes the only meanes whereby justification both for the right unto it and the possession of it should be derived from Christ meriting and himself promising for Christs merit This aptitude is intrinsecall to the duty it self the connexion is extrinsecall for Christs merit and Gods promise This act of faith must look not only at the promise but at Christ not onely at Christ but the Promise too It must look at Christ as sufficiently and abundantly meriting and that without any Promise and at the Promise as grounded upon Christs merit not adding any Meritorious Vigour unto it but as added for mans sake that when the benefits were merited already man might know them have some hope of them and a remote conditional right unto them Christ is the speciall object of our faith and He is so not onely in respect of His Person Natures Acts but also of His Offices For He is King Priest and Prophet and faith receives Him in all His Offices But this act of saith as a duty presupposeth Him as you heard before received as King or else this act is no duty no obedience and as Prophet or else this act could not be a belief of the truth revealed and taught by him infallibly as a Prophet Yet if we consider the matter of this particular act believed formally and properly it 's Christ as a Priest Now let us abstract though not seperate the generall nature of this act as it is a duty and a belief according to both which though not without either because presupposed both must be it cannot be justifying faith then it will appear that it 's properly particularly justifying as receiving Christ as a Priest and as having formerly received Him as King and Prophet For there can be no justification of sinful man if we believe the whole tenour of the Gospell but as merited by Christ alone and promised as merited and procured by Him alone But it s no wayes merited and procured by Him but as a Priest And if it be so represented ex parte objecti it must be so received by this act of faith ex parte subjecti As the act must be conformable so it must be commensurable to the object represented it must neither exceed and be greater nor contract and be lesse If it be not conformable it 's irregular if not commensurable it 's either imperfect and defective or or else falls and fancy But the truth is it 's impossible for an act to exceed its object as its object To say that faith as a duty is justifying will bring in all other good works and duties to share with it in justification But this act of faith truly understood renounceth all good works even at the last judgment as giving any right unto justification and eternall life It annihilates all righteousnesse merit confidence in it self or any other thing but Christ It rests in Christ alone and pleads for pardon only in his name and urgeth Gods promise as made only for his sake It s the most glorifying and magnifying act that ever was performed by Man or Angel It glorifies Gods mercy and free grace in the highest degree It acknowledgeth on Earth as it will be perpetually acknowledged in Heaven that the whole Salvation of sinfull man from the very First beginning unto the Last degree thereof whereof there shall be no end is from God's freest love Christs merit and intercession his own free and gracious promise and the power of his own holy spirit And since the first sin and fall of man it could not be otherwise For man lost all power to save himself forsook the fountain of his happinesse made himself a slave to Sathan his deadly enemy and deserved eternall death This is the duty which qualifyes the
mother of concord the harmony of the world Therefore let us love our neighbour him more then his and endeavour by all means to observe this Commandement Though I have delivered many things concerning this Law § IX before I entred upon the Exposition of the several Commandements and therefore might immediately proceed to the Ceremonials and Positives yet it will not be amiss to add some Observations unto the former And 1. Obedience to this Law pre-requires the knowledge of the excellency and power of the Law-giver the matter of the Law it â—elf the binding force of it and the measure of this Obligation 2. These things first known we must consider the Wisdom of the Law-giver who knowing the Nature of Man and his very inward frame and so much the more perfectly because He made us He chiefly in this looked at the Immortal Soul and in the Soul at the Heart and Will which is the Queen and hath an Imperial Power over the whole Man and is resident in the Throne of the Soul and in the Heart at Love which is the principal Act of the Heart and is called Pondus Animae the Poise of the Soul inclining and carrying it whither it pleaseth 3. This love He directs by this Law upon the right Objects and gives it a right measure in respect of every Object whether God or our selves or our Neighbour 4. When we consider the right Objects and the right measure of love required in this Law and how far we observe both we shall find our obedience either to be disobedience or to be far short of what is required 5. By this we easily understand that by the obedience to this Law no man living can be justifyed and that after the Fall of Man it was never given or renewed for that end for if it had it must needs have proved ineffectual and such as could never reach that end 6. Yet it was an excellent means to discover unto man his sin let him see his misery and the necessity of a Saviour And when we make use of it to that end we must not onely examine whether we be Worshippers of Images perjured persons Prophaners of the Sabbath disobedient to Superiours Murderers Adulterers Fornicators Thieves False-Witnesses but how our very Hearts stand affected and in what measure we love God and our Neighbours Whether our love be rightly qualifyed fully extended and intended And by this we shall easily find the best imperfect the most abominably corrupted and few sincere and all of us by Nature before we be in Christ to be base and cursed Caitiffs And till by the first and last Commandements we see the inward depravation and the deep stain of our Souls we cannot throughly be humbled noâ— sincerely penitent nor truly reformed nor vehemently and effectually desirous of Christ for pardon of sin past and grace of Sanctification for time to come 7. It 's an excellent Rule of Obedience yet except we have a special care in the first place to observe the first and last Commandements all our performances are greatly defective and no ways acceptable 8. Though Faith as fixed in Christ dying for our sins and rising again for our Justification and Repentance as a return to God Redeemer be not commanded in this Law as given to Adam innocent yet both Faith and Repentance in their general Nature abstracted from their proper and formal notions in the Gospel are required in this Law For Faith as an assent to God's infallible truth revealed or as a reliance on God for his Blessings and Happiness is commanded in the first Precept Repentance as it 's an hatred of sin and an obedience to God in general is required in all the Commandements But Faith as presupposing the Party believing a sinner and guilty and as fixed upon Christ saving from sinne and Repentance as a return to obedience after disobedience and an hatred of that sin which is in us they cannot any ways belong to this Law as given at first or so understood 8. When we fell in Adam we lost our power to believe and return to God again otherwise what need is there to be born again of the Spirit And why are Faith Hope and Charity Gifts of the Spirit merited by Christ and given freely of God Actual Faith in God-Redeemer by the Word made Flesh they never had and therefore could never lose it 9. This Faith considered in general is a Moral Duty required in the Moral Law otherwise it could have no aptitude to be a condition of Justifycation and Eternal Life 10. Yet we by this Faith could not obtain either Justifycation or Eternal Life except Christ had merited and God had promised and ordained and that freely that upon Faith both should follow and Faith as a Moral Duty or a part of inherent Righteousness is not that whereby we are justifyed but as fixed on Christ and uniting us unto him 11. This Faith as a practical assent to the Truths of the Gospel which reveal the love of God in Christ suffering for our sins is a most excellent principle of obedience and love in the highest degree as it 's a confidence in God saving us onely for Christ's sake it tends most effectually to God's Glory and empties man wholly of all power and merit in himself as a base and miserable Wretch CHAP. XVII Of Positive and Ceremoniall Laws ordained by God HItherto of the morall Laws of God § I as a rule of obedience The Ceremonials and Positives come next to be considered And I will first enquire into the nature of a Ceremoniall Law in generall and so proceed to the more particular handling them according to their severall differences and distinctions The generall nature of these is 1. That they are Laws of God have a binding force and that upon the conscience The speciall nature and difference of them whereby they are distinguished from morall Laws is 1. In the matter which in it self is neither good nor evil morally 2. They differ in this also that they are religions rites which are compounded of outward and inward visible and invisible corporeall or sensible and spirituall sacred hidden parts In respect of the invisible and spirituall part and as instituted by God They are called Sacred and Religious Rites and if Ceremonia come of the Hetruscan word Cerus Sanctus then in the same respect they are called Ceremoniall too They are called Positive that is Arbitrary because they principally depend upon the arbitrary institution and position of the Law-giver The outward part may be performed without any respect to the inward and so ignorant and wicked men may observe them Yet the performance of them is never acceptable without the moral qualification of the party performing them in obedience to the institution and also joyning the practise of Morall duties with them This is evident out of many places of Scripture where men are reproved 1. For performing them with impure hearts and polluted hands 2. For neglecting the
said to be the confirmation of Prayer CHAP. XIX Concerning the Laws of God as a Rule of Judgment in the Promises and Comminations HItherto of the Law of God Redeemer § I both Moral and Positive as it 's a Rule of Obedience in Precepts and Prohibitions It remains that we speak of it and consider it as a Rule of God's Judgment in Promises and Threatnings By Precepts God binds Man by Promises He binds Himself Before I proceed one thing formerly omitted is to be added That some Precepts of this Law are mixt and are partly Moral partly positive as Faith and Repentance considered in their general Nature as Duties to be performed to God are Moral For Faith whether it be assent unto the Truth of God's Word or a reliance upon Him promising any Reward or Benefit Repentance as it includes materially in it subjection to God as Supream Lord and Obedience unto His Commands are Duties of the Moral Law as Moral But as Faith assents unto the Truths of the Word concerning Jesus Christ and relies upon God's Promises in Christ and Repentance as it 's a Return unto God-Redeemer in Christ as atoned by his Bloud and so made propitious may be said to be positive as the Objects of both are positive and above the Law of Nature as those positives which are Ceremonial are below it But to return to the Law as a Rule of Judgment we must enquire into 1. The Nature of Promises and Threats in general 2. The Order of this part of Divine Laws 3. The particular Nature of these Promises and Threats in the Laws God-Redeemer 1. For the Nature of Promises and then of Threats The Object of the Promises is Bonum suturum For we cannot promise evil but good at least that which is conceived to be good neither can we properly be said to promise good past or present The act of a promise is a voluntary Obligation whereby the party promising doth bind himself unto another for to do or give some good unto the foresaid party All promises are voluntary otherwise they are not promises The effect of them in respect of the party promising is Obligation in respect of the party to whom the promise is made some kind of right unto the thing promised To threaten is to signifie to another that we intend to do him some hurt or evil The Object is 1. Evil For we cannot properly threaten good 2. It 's evil to come otherwise it 's actual hurt or punishment 3. It presupposeth some intention or resolution to do hurt or inflict evil 4. It signifies by words or other signs this intention as Promises 1. Presuppose some intention to do good 2. A signification of this intention or purpose I will not here spend time in the enumeration of the Accidents or Adjuncts of these Promises to shew how they are private or publike annexed to the Precepts of the Law or not absolute or conditional made by Superiours Inferiours Equals feigned or unfeigned the Promises of such as have power to make them and also strength to perform them or of such as have nor I also pass by the accidental distinctions of Threats which word some think comes of Terreo to terrifie There are Promises and Threats of Man and of God These are of God annexed to His Precepts and Prohibitions as a Rule of Man's Obedience And in this respect they differ from other Promises and Threats The Order of these § II in this Government of God-Redeemer is very evident For 1. They are referred to that part of Government which is concerning Laws 2. In Laws they follow that part which in Precepts and Prohibitions is a Rule of Obedience For as the Law considered as a Rule of Judgment presupposeth something before in it as a Rule of Obedience So these Promises relate unto the Precepts observed as the Threats consider them as violated This is the Order determined by God to manifest His Justice in His Retribution of Rewards and punishments and hereby He signifies that though He be much inclined to reward and do good yet He will judge onely the Obedient a fit Subject of His Bounty and Rewards They that are just and obey His Laws and they onely shall live and enjoy His Mercies And he never threatens as He never inflicts punishments but upon demerit of the Disobedient For He never punished any but such as violated just Laws neither did ever intend it or signifie His intention otherwise The particular and distinct Nature of these Promises § III and Threats is the third thing to be considered They agree with the Promises and Comminations of the Law of Works in Creation with the Law also given to Israel from God by Moses both in that they are Promises and Threats of God and also because they are annexed to the Precepts as a Rule of Obedience These likewise as well as those may be called Sanctions as added to the Precepts for to enforce the Obedience For the Promises are mighty Motives and powerfully perswade to the Observation as Threatnings restrain from the violation of the Precepts And both these were so much the more effectual because there is â—n inward principle in man whereby he naturally desires his own preservation â—nd happiness and abhors to think of his own destruction or misery But these are distinguished from other Promises and Threats even of God 1. Because the Author of them is God-Redeemer as Redeemer 2. The things promised are merited by Christ and so promised and given and to be expected of Free-grace 3. The tearms upon which the Promises are made is Faith in Christ and sincere obedience to God Redeemer 4. The parties who must receive the mercies promised are in themselves 1. Unjust and unworthy 2. Derive their power to perform the Conditions and Precepts of the Law from the Redeemer upon the merit of Christ having satisfied God's Justice whereas the Promises of the Law of Works presupposed man to have power to keep it given in Creation and required perfect and perpetual obedience by that power And if man once lost that power there was no promise in that Law of restoring it again or giving new power It 's said Do this and live Sin in the least and die And so it bound to perfect and perpetual performance or unto death as unavoidable by that Law for there was no promiâ—e of pardon The Law of Moses did strictly command universal and constant obedience for Cursed is he that continueth not saith the Law in all things written in that Book it promised no Spiritual Blessing no Spiritual power nor Spiritual pardon As for the Threats of this Law they make Offenders liable punishment yet they determine Eternal Death as unavoidable to none offending but to final Impenitents and Unbelievers And this was the Imperabundant goodness of 〈◊〉 â—hat whereas He had given Man his Being his Laws his power to keep the 〈…〉 and by his absolute power might have required man's Service without any reward
of these are of any great force to such as are ignorant of them and know them onely upon the Tradition of others Neither is Universall Tradition the ordinary way whereby men are Converted For most who do believe to salvation hear onely one or a few teachers and the same not immediatly infallible and inspired and by their Doctrine contained in these Scriptures and the power of the Spirit attain to a Divine and saving faith For faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God preached immediatly unto them For so the place is to be understood Rom. 10. 17. And no man can prove that the immediate Proposer of saving truth should be infallible but that the Doctrine taught be infallibly true No rationall man can rationally reject any Doctrine much lesse this except he have some reason for it but there can be no reason of any moment ever alleaged against this Doctrine or any particular thereof rightly understood It seemes strange to me that any Christians especially such as do confesse the holy Scriptures in themselves to be Divine should make a question whether they can be believed to be the word of God any other wayes but by the Tradition of the Church It is indeed some advantage to the Bishop of Rome and his Associates and Vassals to make men believe that their faith and belief of the Divinity of the Scriptures depends upon the Tradition of the Church in their Sense For when all is well examined they understand by Church themselves and their own present Church Yet they cannot well agree amongst themselves what this present Church should be Whether the Pope in his Chair alone as the Visible head or he with a general Council Yet this Church is no wayes universall except so far as she professeth the universall faith as some of their Cardinalls have observed Neither is she any more infallible then other Churches be Yet men will believe that she is the Universall Church infallible and the onely infallible expounder and proposer of the Scriptures and can detain them and Seal them up in an unknown Language so as that the Vulgar shall neither read them nor hear them in a Language understood by them she will have some advantage For by this meanes the people are kept in ignorance and unity and so their unwritten Traditions Doctrines and Practises so directly contrary to expresse Scripture shall not be question'd but received by an implicit Faith This argument of Tradition well examined cannot advantage them of Rome nay it 's a Plain Disadvantage For their Tradition doth prove a Chimera and Some Protestant writers ascribe too much unto it and also speak too loosly and at random of it in this point especially But to return unto those ordinary teachers § XIII and especially the Ministers of the New-Testament Let us examine 1. How they acquire their knowledge 2. How they Communicate it to others 3. How the People must receive it Communicated 4. What God hath promised to do if both Minister and People perform their duty 1. They acquire their knowledge by such meanes which God hath given and ordained for that end They do not receive it by immediate inspiration as the holy Prophets and Apostles did God gives them naturall parts and endowments in the giving of them being and some of them from their Mothers womb are designed for this work But let their naturall parts and endowments be never so excellent yet they must at first be taught and instructed both in the Arts and Languages especially the originalls and after some foundation is layd they may much improve themselves by the Learned works of others their own industry Prayer and Gods blessing Lexicons Concordances Translations are great helps for the attayning the knowledge of the Originall tongues Expositions Commentaries Systems Treatises do conduce much for the understanding the matter of the Scriptures God hath done much for us in this kind but our neglect is great and many have not the benefit of good education and direction at the first And there is a great disparity between Ministers of the higher and lower forms yet no man is fit for this calling who is not furnished with so much knowledge and such a measure of utterance as to be able to declare to others the whole Counsell of God and â—each them all things necessary to Salvation Yet many will take upon them to teach before they have well Learned and will be Masters before they have bin Scollers And the most insufficient will pretend the Spirit to cloak their ignorance After these ordinary teachers have once stored up a treasure they consecrate themselves to Christ and engage to make it their work to do him service in this kind Being rightly qualified § XIV sent and called they begin to teach others and take the charge upon them yet so as that they may be probationers and assistants at the first They instruct others either by Learned Books or treatises of piety or by word of mouth and that severall wayes as by Catechisms Expositions Sermons and other ways The first work is to Catechize the Ignorant and teach them the first principles of the Gospel To this purpose they have our Saviours Creed of faith in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost the Commandements of the Moral Law contracted into the Love of God and our Neighbour The Lord's Prayer as we use to call it and the Doctrine of the Sacraments And these few understand yet the ignorant and unlearned and Children should know and that not onely the words but the true and Genuine sense according to their Capacity This though the foundation is too much neglected By Expositions they acquaint the people with the occasion Scope Method and Meaning of severall parts and portions of the Scripture By Sermons they explain and apply some Text of Scripture proposing out of the same some Divine axiom which once unâ—olded and made plain they apply by way of Instruction in the truth Confutation of errour Reproof of the guilty Consolation of the dejected stirring up to duty by exhortation restrayning from sin by Dehortation Their Doctrine should be the Pure word of God made plain dispensed wisely delivered out of an heart sincerely desiring and intending the Salvation of the People and ought to be confirmed by the Teacher's example and the Principall matter must be the Mysteries of Gods Kingdom § XV This is the duty of Teachers which performed by them God exâ—pects also certain Performances from the Persons taught which neglected the word of God cannot enter into the immortal-soul so as to work effectually and be manifested to be the Word of God indeed For 1. The heart of man must be prepared and that 1. With an high conceit of the Doctrine of the Scriptures taught that it is the word of God revealed from Heaven out of great love and mercy to man that it highly and very much concerns him upon the knowledge and observance whereof depends his eternal estate in the
gives him Laws both Moral and Positive and whilest man is obedient his estate is comfortable But this not continuing long he is tempted sinneth and so is judged yet so that the Sentence in part might be reversed the Eternal Punishment deserved was made upon certain conditions avoidable and might be prevented And least man should perish everlastingly this Government is altered and God acquires a new power by the work of Redemption and doth exercise it by the Redeemer The Redeemer is the Word who was God and the Son of God made flesh and anointed with the Holy Ghost by whom he was conceived to be a Prophet Priest and King As Priest he offers himself a Sacrifice upon the Cross satisfies God's justice merits mans salvation and his own eternal glory and upon his Resurrection he is invested with that glory and power which he had merited and God by him begins to exercise his new acquired power 1. By constituting a new Kingdom whereof the Head must be his Son at his right hand and the Church his body Politick 2. By the administration of this kingdom with victorious power unto the end For Christ must reign till his enemies be made his footstool In this Administration he 1. Appoints officers who must Publish the Laws of his Kingdom and endues them with the Holy Ghost from Heaven Their doctrine toâ—ether with the Power of the Spirit is made known and effectuall in all Nations and some believe some love darknesse rather then light The Believers make up the Body of the Church Unbelievers constitute the body both of Rebels and Enemies and both are the subject of the judgment of God Redeemer by Christ. This judgment is executed in Rewards and Punishments in this life upon particular persons severally and successively considered and is fully consummate upon the Resurrection at the Universall or generall Assizes when the Wicked with the Angels shall be cast into everlasting fire and the Righteous shall be rewarded with eternall glory The punishments determined by this Judgment as also the rewards shall be perpetuall And in all this there is in the matter or the method no difference or variation from the Ancient Creeds or in the expressions from the holy Scriptures Before I conclude this Chapter § VIII I will say something though briefly 1. Of the name of Creed and Confession 2. Of knowledge and Obedience 3. Of faith in Particular 1. These Sums and Methods are called Creeds because the matter of them is Credenda things or rather truths concerning things to be believed And Confessions because the Truths believed in the heart must be Confessed with the mouth For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousnesse and with the mouth Confession is made to Salvation Rom. 10. 10. 2. If we consider the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures contracted in these Confessions in respect of mans duty all things therein are proposed 1. As Truths 2. Some things as Commands or Laws As Truths mans duty is to believe them as Commands to obey them Thence that distribution of Divine and Saving Doctrine into Faith or Obedience The truths and so the knowledge and unbelief of them are first in order And because the matter of some truths are commands therefore Commands and Obedience follow as the second in order Both are contained in the Scriptures expresly In the Creeds the Commands and Obedience are implied Yet lest we mistake we must distinguish between the knowledge and obedience of Angels and the knowledge and obedience of man And both these may be considered in respect of man innocent man fallen man under the Law man under the Gospell For in all these respects they are different as will appear hereafter 3. Mans knowledge especially since the fall is imperfect and is not so evident as demonstrative and intuitive knowledge is and therefore called Faith which cannot perceive the things known cleerly or immediately but by vertue of a Testimony To define which faith in general it must needs be proper unto Logick which is the rule of mans understanding whereof faith is an act and in general that which we call assent allowing the connexion of the termes of a proposition and yeilds unto it as true Yet this Assent though firm and certain is not so perfect as that which is grounded upon immediate Evidence of the things represented by the Termes Therefore Lincolniensis makes the Genus of it to be Opinion and saith that fides est opinio And that faith which is grounded onely upon probable reasons can be no more then Opinion which alwayes is an Assent yet not firm and certain as this Faith we speak of must be For it is divine and immediately grounded on the testimony or word of God certainly known to be such It 's not the word of God immediately to me as spoken by man either fallible or infallible but either as attested outwardly by miracles or gifts of the Holy Ghost or some other way or inwardly by some real effects of the Spirit writing this word in mans heart powerfully to affect it and incline it to obedience A Speculative and general assent without any Saving effects the Devils may have The Tradition of the Church or testimony of any man cannot possibly represent the word of God as the word of God immediately to the Soul The Practical divine assent is a great part of our Regeneration and the Principle of all divine and noble actions as it is of all Spiritual Solid Comfort CHAP. IV. Of the Divine Essence and Attributes in General IN the Kingdom of God § I the Scriptures represent unto us 1. The King 2. His Government The King must be considered 1. In himself 2. In his Legal Capacity or as King As in himself he is God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost The term or word GOD puts us in mind of the Essence and being of this King and the terms Father Son and Holy Ghost of his acting in himself and those Wonderful and hidden productions Whence arise severall Relations and Relative properties But before I proceed to speak of these deepest Mysteries I must say something of our knowledge of God and the way how he doth represent himself unto us so that we may understand some little of him in the darknesse of the World till we see him face to face and more fully and clearly in Eternal Glory Such is the excellency of this King and such the brightnesse of his Glory that it denies any near accesse to Silly mortal man who must not curiously Pry into these Secrets but humbly adore and at a great distance That God is most intelligible in himself is certain For the perfect Being is the most perfect object of understanding But it 's one thing to be so clearly visible in himself another to be so to us An Infinite and Eternall Being must needs be far above a finite and limited understanding Such especially ours now is For our Capacity is Shallow and Narrow
and can in no wise Comprehend the Incomprehensible or apprehend that which is so far above our Sphear That God is will be granted of all a few grosse Atheists excepted Yet such is the want of due instruction in some the extinction of Nature's light by neglect and sin in many and the Judgment of Divine desertion whereby men are delivered up into a Reprobate mind that many do deny that God who made them and in whom they live move and have their Being and will not be convinced of the truth of his Eternall Existence So that the great Cardinal of Cumbray had some cause to say That by us it could not be evidently known that God is but only by the gratuitous union of God with our understanding representing himself as a Visible Object sufficiently clear and shining in his own light unto the understanding rightly disposed Bacon and Oâ—cam seem to be of this mind And surely if God withdraw his light man presently is so blind that no reason alleaged by any wit of man can make him see this truth that God is though it be the first of all truths Yea though we may know this that he is and doth exist yet no man can tell what he is Something the Heathens knew of God by Tradition and the light of Nature For his works did speak of his Eternal Power and God-head even unto them The Jews knew more for they had Moses and the Prophets The Christians most of all For they have not onely the light of nature the great Book and Volum of the World and Moses with the Prophâ—ts but also Christ and his Apostleâ— with the light of the Gospel Yet notwithstanding our knowledge is imperfect not only in respect of God who fully knows himself but in respect of Angels who know him clearly though not fully and infinitely The most accurate Logick in this particular can little advantage the most piercing understanding Yet so far God hath manifested himself unto us especially in the Gospel as will be sufficient for our eternall glorification in which estate we shall know him more fully even so much as will make us fully happy The manner whereby we know our God is by many Attributes § II whereby he represents himself sutably to our Capacity for seeing that we cannot apprehend that one Individuall Being by one act he hath given himself Severall and many attributes that so by many and severall acts we may know something of that which is one in it self Of these Attributes many things are observable as here they follow 1. It was Gods gracious condescension both to the manner and measure of our imperfect understanding to manifest himself by these Attributes 2. They are called Attributes because God attributes them to himself and affirms them of himself Properties because we conceive them as proper unto God and such as can be praedicated only of him So that by them we distinguish him from all other Beings Perfections not that they are perfections but because they are severall representations of that one perfection which is himself Names and Terms because they expresse and signifie something of his Essence Notions because they are so many apprehensions of his Being as we conceive of him imperfectly in our minds 3. These Attributes whether we call them names or notions do truly agree to God and by them we truly conceive of him 4. The reason hereof is because that one individual Being may be truly represented by severall distinct representations and so apprehended 5. There can be no inequality between these Attributes as considered in respect of God For they all signifie but one infinite Being Yet as they may be exercised not onely Severally but unequally So they may be apprehended as unequal in respect of the subject wherein they may be exercised For God may exercise his Justice in punishing the wicked more then his Mercy and his Mercy more then his Justice in the salvation of his people 6. Though the Unity immensity Eternity Understanding Will Wisdom Justice Mercy c of God in respect of their severall distinct Representations and our apprehensions do differ yet in respect of God they no ways differ either really or formally because they are one individual essence 7. Though Father Son Holy Ghost Creatour Preserver Lord Law-giver Judge be truly affirmed of God yet they are not properly Attributes as they are usually taken because Attributes are intended to represent the essence those other termes are Extrinsecal Denominations in respect unto the Creatures and are grounded upon his Works or else upon the intrinsecal acts of the Deity upon it Self To understand these things the better we must not be ignorant how our understanding acts upon things and beings intelligible § III It cannot touch and reach the things it self immediately but at the second hand as it is Cloathed with Logisms or Logical affections which we call Arguments For by these the thing irradiates and becomes visible to the Soul and so is perceivable These affections are like Colours upon the Surface of the thing without which it is not perceivable by the eye These affections and arguments upon the which the understanding so much depends are cause effect subject adjunct whole part and the rest God who knew this better then we our selves do was willing to represent this his glorious essence in such a manner as man by severall acts might know something of him For this purpose he in his blessed word did give himself these Attributes which are like unto Logical arguments but are not such for God hath no cause neither is his Being in its self a cause He is no effect no subject adjunct whole or part These do not agree to him The word of God therefore is the rule of our understanding and directing it in the knowledge of his essence is our Supernaturall Logick and the Attributes are our Divine Topicks For the Logick which we now have composed by man serves only for a rule in the understanding of things created We must have a far higher and more excellent Logick to understand the Being of our God These Attributes by some are numbred § IV but without any order By others they are reduced to a method but with some difference though not much materiall And in this particular every man may abound in his own sense so that he deliver the truth Some give a definition of God so as to include the Essence and Subsistences and make the Essence intelligible by his Names and Properties for so they call the Attributes which are either Incommunicable or Communicable by Analogy Some inquire what God is 1. In his Essence 2. In his Liâ—e And thereupon inform us that some Attributes agree unto him in respect of his Essence Some in respect of his Life Some rank them under 3 heads The first whereof agree unto him in respect of his Being The second in respect of his Life The third in respect of the perfection of his Life Some divide
impetuous stream did carry all before them This was the judgment of the Eastern and Southern Christians invaded by the Saracens and possessed by them from beyond Babylon and Arabia unto Barbary and Spain where they met the Northern Barbarians In these latter days How many Churches Christian are swallowed up by the Turkish Empire These were not meerly temporall judgments but spirituall Because the enemies did not onely invade and possesse their Countryes but in many places deprive them of their Teachers and the Gospel the glorious light whereof is mightily darkened as in â—ormer times so in these latter dayes by that Smoak and mist of Hell the doctrine of the Alcoran and that in many places of the World This is a just judgment of God which Christ avert from us because they walked not in the light of the Gospel when it so clearly shined upon them And its one of the most feafull punishments of Christians to be delivered up to believe lyes and false doctrine in matters of Salvation Yet Turks and other Mahumetans do not professe themselves Christians as we in this Western Corner of the World do But amongst us there be such as professe their faith in Christ who yet are in the just judgment of God delivered up to superstition Idolatry and most dangerous doctrines which have formerly been and now are dispersed into severall Nations We read That because men received not the Love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a Lie 2 Thes. 2. 10 11. Where we may observe 1. The sin which is Not to receive the love of the truth that they might be saved 2. The Punishment God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye For when God doth take away his Spirit from such as enjoy the word of God which they will not believe and practise it 's an easy thing for the Devil to delude the wisest and most learned in matters of Religion and then there is no Doctrine so false and absurd which man so deluded will not believe This hath been confirmed by experience of former times especially in that Temple or Church wherein the Son of Perdition shall exalt himself above all Civil and Ecclesiasticall powers The seat of this Wicked one must be some eminent City so the Scripture tells us and this City shall be called Babylon in a mystery and stand built upon seven hills Some say that Constantinople which was called New-Rome is so Yet that cannot be it Because it must be that City which did Reign over the Kings of the Earth when John received the Revelation from Heaven and that was not Constantinople which was obscure at that time The Character of this Whore was 1. That She made the Nations of the Earth drunk with her cup of fornication And 2. She Her self was drunk with the blood of the Saints and the Martyrs of Jesus Fornication is Superstition Image-worship and Idolatry The drinking of the blood of the Saints is the persecution and murder of all such Christians as shall refuse to acknowledge Her power and to receive Her abominable and Idolatrous worship Lest any therefore should be ignorant what City this is The spirit informs us 1. That it 's a City which professeth Christ. 2. It 's the seat of the Son of Perdition arrogating Supreme power not only in temporals but spirituals 3. It 's Idolatrous and Superstitious worshiping of Images 4. It sheds the blood of such Christians as will not acknowledge Her power and drink of Her cup of fornication 5. It 's a City that was built and once stood upon seven hills 6. It Reigned over the Kings of the Earth in the times of John the Divine 7. It 's a City that boasts of many lying signs and wonders and believes lies receives false Doctrine That this City and the man of sin therein should continue so long have so great power delude so many Nations inâ—atuate them seem to be holy profess her self the Mother of all Christian Churches the Temple of God infallible and that society out of which there is no salvation is a spirituall judgment from Heaven and far greater then the Iâ—vasion of the Saracens and Barbarous Nations yea then the damned Doctrine of the Alcoran For that in many things is grosse ridiculous and absurd In this Mysticall Babylon the grossest errours put on the Vizard of saving and infallible truth the most abominable superstition of zealous devotion the greatest pride of deepest humility and he that beareth the title of Servant of Servants will be the Lord of Lords Besides all the transcended perogatives of this Church as of Supremacy Infallibility Authority above Scripture are maintainâ—d by the choisest wits of greatest Schollars And their Sophisms are so effectuall that not only the ignorant sort of people and silly women but persons of greatest power the Princes and Potentates of the Earth men of most excellent parts profoundest Learning and Policy are enchanted and bewitched by this great City This is one of the greatest trialls of Christians and the Church of God that ever came upon the World And if we Seriously consider we may easily understand that it 's God alone who preserves us in the truth And all such as love the truth and endeavour to practise it according to the plainnesse and simplicity of the Gospel may expect this blessing from Heaven even in the midst of these most dangerous times This is a fair warning to us all who enjoy the Scriptures and therein the word of God to take heed least we live unprofitably through our own neglect under the means of salvation For if we do not seriously attend unto the saving doctrine of the truth and give all diligence to practise it so far as we know it it will be just with God to suffer Sathan to delude us be a lying spirit in the mouths of our Prophets and to give us over to believe lyes errours heresies as we see it come to passe with many amongst us at this day By the former sins and neglect of our duty we do not only lose all the benefits and comforts which God hath promised and we might enjoy in a well constituted Church reformed in Doctrine Worship Discipline according to the word of God but also make our selves liable to the former punishments and all others which God hath threatned against us in his Book It 's the great and unspeakable mercy of God § XII which signifies his tender care oâ— our poor souls that he will make known unto us what glorious rewards we upon obedience to his Laws may expect from him and what fearfull punishments will follow upon our disobedience and impenitency The Law-givers and Rulers of the World think it sufficient to publish their Laws once enacted and to leave every man to take notice of them or neglect to do so at their perill But our gracious and most mercifull Lord sends his