Serpents possessor and his seed of vnfaithful and rebellious people on the other side betweene them I say is heere fore-decreed a spirituall Battell Satan called the Dragon Rev. 12. 7. it may be because hee here possessed that kind of Serpent he shaâ— bruise the heele of Christ and his mysticall body far enough from the heart but the Blessed-seed in the end breaketh the Dragons head and casteth him out of Heaven into the Earth as worthie to be excommunicate to the death This Seede of the Woman darklie preached heere is afterwards in God his booke more and more clearlie revealed and taught 5. Staffe Promise of Life made through that holy seed Adam he calles her a Heuah dame of Life Then God to let them haue their right meed Our of the b Garden sends Man and his wife Life and Heaven lost they lost the Signes withall which holy Signes we Sacraments do call a Gen. 3. 20. As the Lord of Life was to come of womans not oâ— Mans seed so he entitleth his wife Heuah that is Giving Life From the Beginning holy significatiue names were given but we neglect the wisedome of God b As the Lord is the onely Institutor of Sacraments so he hath appointed that the sacramentall signe shuld be removed from These that haue not the Thing signified by that signe Adam Heuah hauing in themselues and for their seed lost Heauen they therefore are expulsed the Garden the signe of Heaven hauing lost Life they are banished from the sight of the Tree that signifyed Life Sacramentall Signes therefore are outwarde visible Creatures preaching vnto Man some inward invisible grace which inward thing or thing signified is as verilie to bee apprehended by Faith as is the outward Sign to be apprehended by the eye hand mouth 6. Staffe HEVAH after conceiu'd and brought forth c Kain Then holy c Habel churches figure right Who for his goodnes was by brother slaine In roome of whome God gaue her blessed d Sheth As of Kain came the seede of Serpents brood So of this Sheth came many Persons good cc whether Kain and Habel were Twyns Kain first came foorth and afterwards Habel in the same Conception it is not plain Yet considering that Heuah was to increase and multiplie for filling of the Earth it is not vnlike that in that her strength shee brought foorth more than one at a Birth-time Kain being taught Husbandrie by his Father and Habel instructed to keep sâ—eep Gen. 4. they brought sacrifices to the Lord. Kain as it seemeth rather as standing in awe of his Father but Habel offered with a free heart which was cause that the Lord reiected Kain and accepted Habel Kain seeing this Reiection he therefore slaieth Habel As hereby appeared Satans Serpentine-seede so the first borne of the Holy-seede is persecuted to death This wicked seede in Kain argueth that Heuah had not conceived till after their fall and therefore by consequent that Adam had not carnallie known the woman before their Fal. For had he there being no sin in them to hinder the blessing she must needs haue conceived an holy seed and so haue brought forth no Murderer That Habels sacrifices pleased God it was because hee first professed that maner of spirituall obedience not of his owne head but by God his Commaundement which precept he might well receiue of his Father Secondly because in that sacrifice he did though darkly see that one was to bee offered vp a slaine sacrifice for the sinnes of the People d In the next Staffe 7 Staffe To passe by Some of a Sheth came Henoch he Who walkt with God till God tooke him away Lamech and Noah that time Sheths petigre Matcht with Kains daughters to their dyre decay That sinne so greiued God as plainlie he Foretold to Noah the world should drowned be a Habel being slaine God giueth to Adam Sheth in his rome Sheth begot Enosh Enosh Kenan Kenan Mahalaleel Mahalaleel Iered Iered begot Henoch the 7. from Adam IVDI 14. Henoch begot Methushelah Methushelah Lamech Lamech Noah Noah begot Shem Châ—â— and Iapheâ— elder brother of Shem. Gen. 10. 21. Here Sheths seede was deeply degenerate from Henoch and Sheths sinceritie for they seeing the daâ—ghters of Men viz. of Kains lawles race to be snowt-faire Sheths Petygre marrieth with them mixing the holy seede with the vnholy by reason whereof Gyants and strong Miscreants abounded This so vexed the Lord as hee hastely repaireth to Noah and fore-tels him that hee may preach it to others that after the expirement of 120. yeares he would drowne the whole world with water Commanding him in the meane time to build an Arke of Pyne trees wherein HE and His might then be saved 8. Staffe One hundred yeares and twentie after then The a Cataracts were loosd Seas burst ope The rayne and waters drown'd the wicked men And over Earth had libertie and scope But â—re that day as God had Noah told An Ark he built of Pyne-trees room'd threfold a Noah preaching and building the Ark that 120. years the people believed not the spirit of GOD preaching in Noaâ— for the which as their bodies were drowned in the â—â—ood so their soules nowe remaine in the Prison of God his wrath 1. Pet. 3. 18 19 20. That water was a figure of Baptisme for as by that water Noah and his Familie the faithfull for Cham was not then seene-wicked were saved from Iehouahs wrath even so by Baptisme the Faithful are saved and the lurking hypocrite for the time fareth not the worse But as all without the Arke were vtterly destroyed by the same water even so shall Baptizing water be but a Sacrament of condemnation vnto such as receiue it vnworthelie whether they be within the Ark the visible Church as was Cham or baptized in the Church of the World or visible worldlings such as is that great Citie Revel 17. 18. 9. Staffe Into this Ark did Noah and his Wife His sonnes Shem Cham Iaphet a enter anone With sortes of Creatures all that breathed life Preserved in the Ark by God alone b After twelue Months the Men their wiues and all Out of the Ark did go at God his call a The Worlde was here 1656. yeares old and so tooke his end with water Noah hauing in the Ark of every cleane Beast for Sacrifice and of vncleane for preservation of their kinde to the Newe World aswell as of the cleane b Noah and his Wife with his three sonnes and their Wiues even 8. Persons in the whole as they went into the Arke at God his commaund so they come not foorth vntill he commaund Gen. 8. 16. Comming forth Noah offereth Sacrifice to God whose savour was acceptable and therefore the Lord blesseth Noah to the beginning of the Newe World promising that he would no more smite the World as he had done with water and thereof he appointed the Rainbowe to be a signe sacramentall Here was Noah permitted to eate flesh but forbidden to eate of the blood of
Essence or Soule But as the Father worketh not without his Sonne nor the Holy Ghost without the Father and the Sonne so neither doth the minde or will or working power effect any thing sundred but ioyntly yet as wee attribute Creation to the Father Redemption to the Sonne Illumination to the Spirit So to the Minde we attribute Vnderstanding conceipt to the Will we attribute well or ill affecting and to the working power we attribute the thing wrought or done As in that one God no Person is before or after another in Time but in Order of some externall work to vs wrought So neither in that one Soule is the minde before the will in Time nor the working power behinde them in time For the power of working is before the â—hing wrought but onely in Order for there is no sooner a Soule but there exist all them three and without any one of them the Soule cannot be If one demaund what is it that Createth all things I answere God What is it that Redeemeth Man falne God What is it that enlightneth man God yet there are not three but One God So demand what it is in mee that vnderstandeth I answere a Soul What is that which willeth or affectionateth any thing the Soule What is it whereby thou art enabled to liue mooue I answer a Soule yet are there not three but one Soule in me whereby them things are wrought Philosophandi quia non institutum Dixi. But as no Image can almost any whit attaine the peâ—fection of that Thing whereof it is an Image so neither this Image of GOD in man able to attaine the excellency of the Highest who in every thing is Infinite Onely and the Cause of other things h Hauing Created man ELOHIM bringeth all inferiour Creatures before him to see howe he will call them who in the depth of his vnderstanding minde willeth and vttereth such names as the Lord approved But euery living thing hauing his yoke-felowe man was alone and therfore imperfect ELOHIM casting HIM therefore on sleep doth from his side extract a Rib whereof he made Mans-mate putting Her vnto Him with blessing to Encrease i He giveth vnto Both but one Name Gen. 5. 1. contrary to some Cuntries custome nowe where the Wife beareth not her Hus-bandes Name to teach them that they were but One He the Root She the Braunch sprong out of his side 2. Staffe That a Man and a Mans in b Eden placed were To whome God gaue Commaund of all the fruites The fruit of c One Tree only to forbeare In paine of death as holy writ disputes Which Precept kept A sacramentall wood of Life d during before their eies there stood a He was called Ish that is Man she was called Ishah that is Mans fiâ—st because she was deriued from Man secondly for that she was made for Man b They being made of Dust Genes 2. 7. God notwithstanding preferreth them before all other Creatures First by putting in their Soule an Image of himselfe Secondly by seating them in the most glorious plot of the Earth called Eden or Paradisâ— Thirdly by giuing them dominion over other his Creatures Fourthly by commending onely vnto them Hierogliphiks or holy preaching signes as followeth c One Commandement was laid vpon them that thereby they might professe subiection to the Creator The Tree was called the Tree of knowledge of good and evill Gen 2. 17 because it preached sacramentallie to Adam that hee should do Good in not eating of it but hee should do Evill in eating of it d This second Tree sacramentally preached to Adaâ— that to them and their seede Life should be immortall if so they kept ELOHIM his Precept 3. Staffe But e Satan f Devill envying God and Man Possest the Serpent beautifull and feate Who vnto Woman subtellie soone came And her perswades on fruit forbid to eat g She eat and gaue to Man so both did sinne And cruell h Death his kingdome did begin e Adversarie f Accuser when this Advers-spirit was created I knowe not except in the first day togither with the Light But created an Adversarie he was not but first togither with the whole Armie of Angels hee was created good but sinning against God God cast him and all that sinned with him downe to Hell 2. Pet 2. 4. He can yet transforme himselfe into an Angel of Light in being a false Spirit in the mouths of men 2. Cor. 11. 14 15. and King 21. 22. No maruell then if here hee could occupie the tongue of the Serpent the Serpent then beautifull and so speake from his Iawes vnto Heuah she as yet not hauing like knowledge of the Creatures nature as had Adam who before her Creation had seene and named the Creatures g As Satan durst not first assaile Man so hee hoped that Woman once perverted shee would easilie pervert Man h Sinne brought in Death for hauing sinned Mortalitie seazed on their nature so that from the day of their sinning their nature ever was dying Before immortall but thencefoorth mortall subiect to diseases agues gripings by the which Nature finallie is overthrowne 4. Staffe Their soules once stript of a Light and Holines b They flie from God He calles them back againe And then besides the Soule his dead distres He doth inflict on both their c Bodies pain But promiseth that d WomaÌ„ seed shuld bring who should destroy Satan his deadly sting a Thus They lost the Image of God and in roome of Light the mind was cove red with spirituall Darknes the will possessed with vnholines from both which proceeded the Power of doing Evill In this perversion therefore of the Soules Faculties they caried in them the Image of the Deuill b Their Mind conceiving wrongly of God the Will which is as the foote of the Soule willed to walk a wrong way The erroneous mind begetteth an vnholy Wil and from them both proceede that Power whereby they conceived and brought forth evill where is nowe Free-wil vnto good This spirituall death of the Soule for life to good was lost liuelie preached the desert of eternall death c He enjoyneth Man and all in Man to labour in honest calling And to the end that there might be occasion of Mans labour the Earth is cursed after which Curse it bringeth foorth bryars brambles and other annoying Creatures which had no place in the first Creation holy The sight of these things should teach Man much wisedome Vnto Woman he appointed dolor of the womb in bringing foorth Children As for the Serpent Satans Instrument he is enioyned to go on the Earth with his bellie and to feed of dust betwene whome and Mankind there should ever be enmitie Hereof it commeth that nether Man can abide the Serpent nor the Serpent brooke Man d Woman being the first in transgression is by ELOHIM his free-favour here appointed to bring foorth the Saving seede namely Iesus the Christ. Betweene this blessed seed and his members faithfull on the one side and Satan the
and this Name the Angel remembreth to good Ioseph Maâ— 1. 20. c. what time hee imagined God had not beene with Marie and therefore had resolved secretly to divorce himselfe from her e In English Annoynted So is Christ. he was annoynted to be the Churches King Priest and Prophet To be called Christian is to be called Annoynted the tearme therefore agreeth to none that are not Annoynted with the holy Spirite as was Hee This Iesus received the Spirite beyond Measure Iohn 3. 34. that so he might communicate of his aboundance to his believing Members These that haue beene trulie engrassed into the Vine Christ Iohn 15. do liue by the sap of his Spirite and therefore cannot but bring foorth good fruite and that In due season Psal. 1. 3. If a man be incorporated by Faith into this Annoynted-one hee must ey he will shewe foorth his faith by workes Iam. 2. 18. Let vs therefore remember why wee are baptized Christians or Annoynted-ones f This Name Iaacob in his last Testament vseth to his Son Iudah of whome Iesus was to come Gen. 49. 10. In English Sent. Hee was sent of the Father to giue sight and health and Hee sent the Blind to Siloams poole for sight Iohn 9. 7. This was the Sent-one To whome the Diademe appertained that before was overturned overturned overturned Ezek. 21 27. His Kingdome is spirituall figured out vnder the former and such is his Diademe and Scepter but a kingdome euerlasting and vnable to be shaken Heb. 12. 28. Few Christians haue yet learned this g The Womans Seed Gen. 3. 15. was to break the Serpents heade Here the Father hath sent his Sonne to assume the seede not of Angels but of Abraham Heb. 2. 16. Here is Abrams seede come promised Gen. 12. in whome all Nations should be blessed The holy Ghost overshadowing Woman she conceived this holy one The Anabaptists must knowe that if IEHOVAH in the beginning Gen. 1 did with a Word make something of Nothing and that Good then much more easie it was to make Something of Something and that good though the first something were evil for easier it is to draw a good Substance from an evil than to draw a good substance out of Nothing Though the Womans seed in it selfe was as her selfe polluted yet the holy Ghost by his ineffable sanctifying power overcovering her and she conceiving by him we matuell not though the Babe conceived were sin-les Secondly hee must not passe through her as winde through a Pype but of absolute necessitie take our Nature and flesh vnto him if so we be saued It was our flesh that had sinned and brought in Death everlasting for Sinne If our flesh therefore scape this death eternall it must first by rule of Iustice make satisfaction for sinne This it did He assuming our flesh sanctifying our flesh iustifying our fleshe and by strong hand Maugre hellish power carrying our flesh into the highest heavens seating it on the right hand of Glory This hee had not done for vs if so hee had assumed some quintessence or newe found flesh brought I knowe not from whence taken either from no Creature or else from some other Creature than Man h When the fulnes of time was expired God sent his Sonne made of a Woman Gal. 4. 4. i That Isaiah foresawe Cap. 7. 14. k Though a Virgin yet betrothed to Ioseph of Iâ—dahs Tribe by vertue of which betrothment absolute shee was true wife to Ioseph For Absolute not Conditionall betrothment of a lawful couple is mariage before God and the same betrothment made knowne to others by themselues maketh it strict marriage towards Man That was cause that vnder the Law the Man that lay with a betrothed Virgin did dye the death as having knowne another mans wife but being vnbetrothed he was not to haue any corporall punishment inflicted vpon him so he forced not the Virgin Deut. 22. 23. 28. compare with Exod. 22. 16. That Marie and Ioseph stoode Married-mates appeareth first by their liuing togither Luke 2. 16. 22. Secondly by their own accompting themselues Father and Mother â—o Iesus He by reason of the Marriage ordinance She by Nature Luke 2. 48. Thirdly by the Peoples accompting Iesus Iosephs sonne Luke 3. 23. Fourthly by Iesus his subiection to them both as Father and Mother Luke 2. 51. Lastiy by the holy Ghost his Testimonie who rehearsing the Story doth still cal them his Father and Mother Mat. 1. 9. Luke 2. 41. l Al should knowe this Contract of Ioseph with Marie because it was foreprophecied not only that a Virgin which she was though a wife Mat. 1. 25. should bring forth the blessed seed but also that he should spring out of Iudah and out of Davids lyne This Mathewe and Luke plainly record but many will be ignorant Mathewe recordeth his Genealogie from Salomon Davids first Sonne vntill the deportation to Babel for the 70. yeares Captivitie then Mathewe crosseth over to Nathan the other Sonne of Dauid his progenie because Salomons rase ended in Iehoiachin or Chonias carried to Babel who after his deliverie by Euil-merodach did declare Shealtiel or Salathiel of Nathans house his heyre for himselfe died without seede Ieremiah 22. 28. 29. 30. Iustly therefore is Castalio blamed before in the 29. Staffe for finishing Salomon in Ahaziab This draught by Mathewe is called the Legall descent whereby Iesus was borne hevre lawfull to the Crowne As for Luke he descendeth not but ascendeth from Iesus not to David by Salomon but by Nathan to David and that vprightly by the Naturall Lyne wherein was no breach through want of issue and that is called the Naturall Ascent The diversitie of Names must not trouble thee considdering thou findes that common in the old Testament especially at the beginning in and after Iudahs Captivitie Nor yet at the tearming of Nephewes Sonnes or Brethren whereof I haue spoken Staffe 30. For thy easier conceiving of Matthewe and Luke take this Table where I haue placed both the Evangelists descending to Iesus DAVID The Legall descent for IOSEPH Salomon Rehoboam Abia. Asa. Iehosophat Ioram Ahaziah Ioash Amaziah not worthie Memorie Ozias Iotham Ahaz Ezechias Manasses Amâ—n Iosias Iakim Iechâ—nias seedles adopteth Salathiel Pedaiah Zorobabel The Naturall descent for MARIâ— Nathan Maâ—â—aâ—ha Mainan Melea. Eliakim Ionan Ioseph Iuda Simeon Levi. Matthat Iorim Eliezer Iose. Er. Elmodam Cosam Addi Melchi Neri Zedechias omited because Iechoniah did liue after him a King being restored to honour at Babel See the first Staffe 30. at b ZOROBABEL Abiud Eliakim Azor. Zadok Akim Eliud Eleazar Matthan Iacob Ioseph Rhesa Ioanna Iuda Ioseph Semei Mattathias Maath Nagge Esli Naum. Amoâ— Mattathias Ioseph Ianna Melchi Levi. Matthat Eli. Marie Nowe was Zorobabel the Sons sonne of Salathiel 1. Chron. 3. 19. made Iehovahs Signet Haggai 2 24. Matthewe and Luke both accompt from Zorobabel as they did from David but Mathew for observing Generations by 14. omitteth divers contenting himself with the
that haue not this Spirite as also because no Requests Vocall or Mentall is true Prayer that is not conceived and suggested by the spirit of God therefore Paul Rom. 8. 26. plainly putting himselfe in the number â—aith Wee knovve not hovve to Pray as vve ought but the Spirite it selfe maketh request for vs that is The Spirit of Iesvvs putteth into the mouth of our spirite vvhat to praye To prescribe therefore and enjoyne Setvvordes is to strip the Spirit of his office and the way to quench our Spirit Obiect Every one hath not knovvledge to pray therfore set formes do help such Ans. True and so doe the written set Scriptures help such but yet it followeth not that that is praier it selfe The helpe to Praier Preaching is not our Prayer and preaching it selfe the first is a Cause the second the Effect no Cause and his Effect are the same every halfe-pennie Sophister knowes that Secondly where you say Euery one hath not knowledge to pray thereto I answer every one that is adopted as afore hath the spirit of Iesus every one that hath that spirit hath a speaking not a dumbe spirite a spirite of knowledge and holy Light Obiect But every one who is to be hoped to haue Gods spirite cannot vtter words orderly as were to be wished Ans. That is besides the Question the Question is this Can every one of God his children meaning of aged Persons pray rightly I haue saide they can Nowe for praying so orderly as were to be wished I graunt that young ones in Christ Iesus cannot pray so fully and methodically as these that haue spent som years in Christ his Schoole Children cannot speake as do Elder persons yet Children aswell as Elder persons can cry vnto the Parents vpon the feling of some Want even so can the youngest Babe in Christ. That the blessed Apostle teacheth Rom. 8. 15. when he saith that the Adopted do cry as also Verse 26. 27. when hee affirmeth that the Spirit teacheth vs to pray vvith grones vnvtterable the meaning of which grones is well knowne to God for hee is not ignorant of the meaning of his own spirit And most grosse headed are such as think that any words please God but what hee himselfe first breathes into our hearts by his spirit for he only accepteth the fruites of his owne spirit the fruits of his Sonnes spirit which first fruites are the sanctifier of our whole lumpe Otherwise to think is flat Idolatrie and derogaâ—orie to the spirite of our onely Sacrificer IESVS Quest. Do you then simply condemne all such as vse the wordes of our Saviour as they are set downe Ans. No S. Peter 1. 4. 11. saith If any man speake let him speake as the vvords of God Better wordes than our Saviour than the Apostles than the Prophetes haue vsed we cannot vse nay wee must learne to speake as they before vs haue spoken as in other speach so specially in Prayer which is An holy speach vvith God Whosoever shal vse all or any of our Saviors words according to knowledge and that by the instinct of God his spirit which Spirit teacheth the soule what is most fit necessary for the time to him I say Go in peace But if any for customes sake and of a foolish superstitious affection to the words shall vse them or any other forme of speach in the Scriptures of such I say They are no better than Idolaters Magiâ—al inchautaters neither knowe they what prayer meaneth Two sorts of People offende against our Saviour his forme of Prayer the one sort are such as through a Romish custome do value all their other prayers deade and vnprofitable if so they do not annex it the other sort are such as think it vtterly vnlawfull because the same is repeated for to vse them wordes for Prayer If our Saviour Marke 14. 39. did at his second time of praying vse the same vvords he had before vsed then why should the same in any Faithfull their vse be offensiue to vs But as our Savior there vsing the same words did it because his case was one and the same vnchanged so let vs learne then to vse the same words when our case is the same otherwise we shal make holy Words but prophane Idoles Concluding therefore that Prayer is a povvring out of our soules-feeling according to the present motion of God his spirite as also that Neither olde vvords nor newe vvordes are acceptable to God otherwise then they are sent vp to God the Father in the name of Iesus and that by the immediate vvorke of the spirite I now come vnto our Saviour his Exemplar of Prayer Math. 6. consisting 1. of a Preface in these wordes O our Father vvhich art in Heuen 2. of a SupplicatioÌ„ in these words Hallovved be thy name thy Kingdom come thy vvil be done in Earth as it is in Heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread and forgiue vs our debts as vvee also forgiue our detters And lead vs not into tentation but deliuer vs from euill 3. It consisteth of a Reason why Prayer is offered vp onely to God in these words For thine is the kingdome and the povver the glory for euer 4. Of Faiths Signet or Seale in this word Amen or So it is The first part of the Preface O our Father OH dul heart vntowarde Soule why art thou so lumpish and so heavie trust in God thy deliverer cast out yea breath stronglie out what God his spirit hath conceived in thee ô my heart Sweete Father when thou by thy powerful word had created all Creatures for Man his vse then thou created Man and Woman to vse them Man thou didst make of the earth woman thou took from Mans side by drawing from thence a Rib whereof thou builded Her that she vnto him might be an Helper And so having put thy Image in them thou placed them in Eden yea in the garden of Eden the beautie of the whol earth vnto them thou gaue two Commaundements the first That they should dresse the garden the second That they should not eate of the tree entitled The Tree of Knowledge of good and euill and so they should liue whereof thou gaue them an other Tree sacramentally called The tree of Life but if they disobeyed then in the Daye of such disobedience They should die But thy commandemeÌ„ts were soone broken for Satan adversary to thy glory Mans wel-fare did even in the same daye possesse the Dragon the subtillest beast of the fielde and speaking with the Beasts mouth Woman neglected her Calling and with an idle eare stood harkening vnto the Serpentes voice by whose subteltie she was soone drawne to break the other commandement and then by Her was man also caryed into Transgression Sinne so seazing on their Bodies substance the body became Corruptible and Corruption effected the period of death Sinne seazing not on the Substance but on the Faculties or powers of the Soule thereby it came to passe that