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
his peculiar prayer for his Apostles as going in his ambassage for the reconciliation of the world he then also prayes for the world exclusively and inclusively exclusively to those that persist in their precedent apostasie against the imbreathing of the foresaid externall and internall light when it came unto them and hated his ambassadors and in this sense saith hee I pray not for the world for so runnes the force of the implication But on the other side hee prayes inclusively for them which were as once was Cain the subjects of reconciliation wherefore for them hee prayes which shall believe in him through their ambassage directly according to the rule delivered to Abraham Joh. 17.8.9.14 15.20 So likewise according to this rule of cursing and blessing Acts 13. the Apostles by distinguishing betweene them which were the sonnes of peace and them which were not that is betweene the apostate Iewes resisting the call of the Gentiles at Antioch as men of old ordained to that damnation and betweene the concourse of Gentiles in that great assembly who also of old by covenant with Abraham were given to Christ and ordain'd to that salvation wherfore the Apostle rightly referres the efficacious call of the spirit by their doctrine to the levell of Gods fore-ordination with Abraham as cutting betweene these two sorts of people saying when the Gentiles heard this that is their doctrine of God his intended mercy to them they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordain'd to eternall life believed but they shooke off the dust of their feet against these Iewes therby witnessing that they stood as men that were under the foresaid curse or ordination to eternall death for despising that grace which the Gentiles according to Gods covenant did now imbrace verse 41.46 47.48.51 So that the point is cleare that Gods proceedings is without all respect of persons according to his covenant with Abraham for cursing and blessing And the ground why man sinning through ignorance and unbeliefe is the summe or subject of peace and reconciliation and not obstinate refusers of the light is because they are more properly subjectively disposed to mercy then the others for if the one knew the evill of the thing as doth the other they would not so stand out hence Saint Peâ—er saith to some of the Iewes I wot that through ignorance yee did it as did also your Rulers implying that had they knowne that is as did some others they would not have slaine the Lord of glory Acts 3.15.17.19 So likewise Saint Paul of himselfe saith I was a blasphemer a persecuter and injurious but I obtained mercy because said he I did it ignorantly in unbeliefe 1 Tim. 1.13 So likewise to the Gentiles hee preached the same doctrine saying This time of ignorance God wincked at but now he commandeth all men every where to returne Acts 17.30 Wherefore the Apostle might well say as many as the Lord God shall call and yet intend no such thing as is pretended And for conclusion here first observe that there hath proceeded from God a threefold extraordinary call of mankinde in Christ Jesus to enjoy their day of Grace as a day of grace to receive in his gift of righteousnesse the day of eternall glory The first was immediately upon Adams fall in the promised seed of the Woman Chap. 4. This was equally alike universally to all mankinde The second was at Noahs comming out of the Arke when God renewed this covenant of grace to Noah and his sonnes with them and his seed after them which at that time comprehended all alike without respect of persons as Chap. 5. The third extraordinary call of the world was this of the Gentiles as is precedently in this Chapter inlarged when God was found of them that sought him not Secondly is it so that it is extraordinary mercy in God thus to be found of them that sought him not hence observe that this is no ordinary rule for man to rely upon because what is Gods extraordinary rule is not his ordinary rule to man Thirdly observe that in this extraordinary calling of the Gentiles to receive the blessing of Abraham when God hath enlivened the aforesaid dead principle of enmity to Satan and Amity to himselfe that hee will then have man to put forth this enlivened disposition to come to him as he doth excitively draw forth that internall inclination so to convey further mercies I say hence observe that as God will crowne one grace with the guift of another so also (a) From this ground it is that in this fourth estate of man what God commands man to doe before justifying Faith or after he promises his own efficiency to accomplish what he commands that is if man thus apply himselfe or otherwise not as Prov. 1.23 24. c. he will communicate by exercise of the inferiour the conferrence of a grace more Superior as to the first inlivened principle he will adde the guift of Faith and to Faith a power rightly to receive his guift of Christs righteousnesse accounted to be mans to remission of sinnes which is his justification consequently his eternall life by salvation But it will here be objected Object that one man hath more because hee works more consequently hee deserves more Not so but because he works to submit more Answer and so to receive by mercy more therefore he receives more but he that as did Cain by pride so refused to submit or doth it in the remisse degrees he therefore receives lesse mercy or none at all Fourthly is it so that the force of Gods extraordinary pouring forth his spirit raiseth the minde of man to him being dead in sinnes and trespasses Then hence observe also when the spirit of a man is dead in sinnes and trespasses namely when it is habitually habituated to seeke its eternall felicity for the worth of his own righteousnesse or the like errors or habitually habituated to terminate his felicity in a terrestriall or sensuall good of bodily contentments as Psal 49.20 And the ground why this is so is because these habituall errors or the like doth (b) When man is in his spirit dead to live by beliefe in the object of justification if then Gods Spirit doth not imbreath to enliven mans spirit to hearken by som dispositions to Gods voyce and to bring him so beliefe in the object of life he then perisheth eternally for now man can do noe more to raise his mind to God in Christ as the object of justification to salvation then can the Leopard to change his spots or the Black-moore his skin extinguish even the least dispositions to true godlinesse (c) Although it doth extinguish the inclination to true godlinesse yet in some there may remain dispositions to civility or the like namely mans internall dispositions to God and his enmity to Satan flowing from the universall grace of the Covenant but what it is to be twice dead and pluckt up
which the faithfull shall receive is their back-sliding so farre before the third degree of faith from this sacred object as that they destroy or crucifie Christ to themselves that is by a totall separation of their Spirits from God in this object of blessednesse for then they do all that a wicked man doth but not before that is without any internall difference from an unbeleever (c) But so long as any of this seed of Gods word by faith remaines hee sinned not without some internall difference from unbeleevers neither can he because this seed remaineth as 1 Ioh. 3 8 9. wherefore that which they have made totall by justice God will make finall denying them repentance so blotting their names out of the booke of life namely Christ in whom they were written And God in sacred Scriptures speakes to this point fully First implicitly as in Exodus 32. 32. blot me I pray thee out of the booke which thou hast written and sundry other the like which for brevity sake I passe over Secondly God expressed this in a figure that is figuratively in his elect Sâ—ouse for to them of them which did by an evill heart of unbeliefe depart from the living God hee sware they should not enter the promised rest by Iosua the Type of I sus although they were the Children of promise in the Type as are all right beleevers in the truth Heb. 3. Gal. 3.26 Againe more fully for the House of Israel this elect Spouse charging God of impartiall proceedings towards them namely of imposing the sinnes of the Fathers to the Childrens destruction implyed in these words the Fathers have eaten sower grapes and the Childrens teeth are set on edge Ezek. 18.2 But to remove this false surmise because God could sweare by no greater he sweares by himselfe As I live saith the Lord you shall not have any more occasion to use this Proverb in Israell therefore he explaines his minde in this point first in generall secondly in particular In Generall in these words Behold saith the Lord all soules are mine as the soule of the Father so also the soule of the Sonne is mine and therefore he referreth the soules destruction of either to the sinnes of him that committed it saying the soule that sinneth it shall die ver 4. Secondly more particular for saith God if a man do that which is lawfull and right c. but here we must remember what to this Spouse was lawfull and right as formerly is declared Chapt. 6. namely intentionally to follow all the Laws of Moses as Schooling her to Christs righteousnesse in the object of Faith the ground of all their happinesse Secondly in love to cherish each others as members of his Spouse elect or mysticall body but from both these generall Rules they were now degenerated and therefore did not the thing which was lawfull and right for God to cleare himselfe from this aspersion proves them faulty in both And to the first he implies it by speaking to them negatively for having said if a man be just and do that which is lawfull and right he then speakes negatively Hee that hath not eaten upon the Mountaines neither hath lift up his eyes to the Idoles of the house of Israel Implying as they had done generally there is proved their Apostasie from the object of Faith to Idols and the same is againe twice repeated in the 11 and 15. verses Againe he proves them degenerated from the second Rule for instead of cherishing each other as Christs mysticall members they had done the contrary wherefore saith God he that hath not defiled his Neighbours wife neither hath come neare a menstruous woman and hath not opressed any but hath restored the debtor his pledge hath spoyled none by violence ver 6 7 8. ver 20. God cleares himselfe and drawes up the conclusion saying the soule that sinneth it shall diâ— the Sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the Father neither shall the Father beare the iniquity of the Sonne and then God expresseth himselfe impartially both to the righteous and to the wicked in plaine termes saying the righteousnesse of the righteous shall be up n him the wickednesse of the wicked shaâ—l be up n him but saith God if the wicked will â—urne from all his sinnes which he hath commiâ—ted and keepe all my Statutes and do all that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live he shall nâ—t die all his trespasses which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righte usâ—esse which he hath done he shal live And have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die saith the Lord God and not that he should turne from his waies and live ver 23. Then to this Spouse by the rule of contraries God speakes of the righteous (a) Note that the opposition in the Text of righteousnesse iniquity is in one the same subject with this proviso that if he turne from righteousnesse to sinne therefore this cuts off that conceit that this righteous man was but seemingly righteous for then it must follow this iniquity was but seemingly wickednesse when he turned to imbrace it and consequently his dying in sinne was but seemingly death all which is absurd man in her which is the thing that proves the point in hand for saith God when the righteous man (b) Because God doth in this Spouse of Christ thus distinguish betweene the righteous and the wicked in her as that not middle sort of people could remaine in her therefore by Gods own affirmative testimony the Saints may totally fall from Christ and for that God wil cut them off finally from him turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity and doeth according to all the abominations which the wicked man doth shall he live all his righteousnesse which he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasses that he hath trespassed and in his sinnâ—s which he hath sinned shall he die ver 24. Plainely proving the totall and finall falling away of the Saints from Christ as the object of Faith under the old Testament first implyed by the words of Moses Secondly by a figure Thirdly in plaine termes Againe likewise in the New Testament also our Saviour Christ loved his own to the end of his life Ioh. 13.1 therefore after his last Supper having washed his Apostles feet his corporall departure from this world drawing neare takes occasion from thence to expresse himselfe in severall instructions to them and amongst the rest in this point And first saith yee are cleane but not all Joh. 13.10.11 Implying Iudas was not cleane and so explaines himselfe in the 26 verse and Iudas having received the sop being gone out from him and them to betray him then to them said Iesus the Sonne of man is glorified and God is glorified in him meaning by his death and thereupon he exhorts them to cherish each others in love according to his owne example towards