made man after his own Image I come now Secondly to shew what Laws he gave him The Law given to Adam in innocency was tâ—â—fold 1. Naturall which was written or imprinted upon his Soul in his first Creation 2. Positive given as is probable by some external discovery or revelation and imposed on man to try whether he would be obedient to his Creator or no. The Law of Nature as subjected in mans mind consists in certain practical Notions or Rules about good and evil right and wrong true and false just and unjust honest and dishonest And mans will was dispos'd and inclin'd to conform to the Dictates of this Law So that these Natural Laws by which Man was to be governed and which were at first stamped on his Soul were such as were exceeding agreeable to his Reason and sutable to the inclinations of his will and not at all contradicted or opposed by any principle within him which might make him doubtful about his duty or disincline him to the performance of it So that Adam in innocency was indued with sufficient ability to conform to the whole Law of God both Natural and Positive He was furnished with particular Principles inclining him to comply with whatsoever the Law of Nature prescribed and with a general Principle disposing him to yield obedience to whatsoever any positive Law as the declared will of God should injoin Thus much of the Law of Nature I come now to shew what positive Law God gave Adam in innocency Of the Covenant of Works God having placed our first Parents in Paradise besides the Law of Nature which he wrote on their hearts he gave them also a positive command to assert his right and dominion over them as their Creator that they might be obliged to do something because it was their Creators will as well as other things because they appeared in their own Nature reasonable and fit to be done Something 's God commands because they are in themselves and in their own Nature just and fit to be done and other things are therefore fit to be done because God commands them God therefore gave Adam a positive Law as a test or proof of his obedience and to try him how he would behave himself towards his Maker Gen. 2.16 17. And the Lord God commanded the man saying of every Tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat but of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof of thou shalt surely die In these words is contained the Covenant that God made with man at first and which is commonly called the Covenant of Works or Covenant of Nature being made with man in the time of his innocent Nature And this is contradistinguished to the Covenant of Grace which was made with man after the Fall of which we shall speak more afterwards Now a Covenant between God and man is not to be considered as between man and man where consent is mutually requisite For man was bound to accept the terms God offered him being in themselves exceeding reasonable God is an absolute Lord and hath full power in his hands to give and impose what Laws he pleases on his Creatures and to require what duties and impose what conditions he sees good and man is bound to accept and submit unto the Law or Covenant so propounded and imposed And in a dutiful performance of the conditions on his part required he may expect the benefits promised Here therefore it will be requisite 1. To shew that this was a Covenant 2. To shew the Nature of it Now that the command included in a Covenant may appear 1. Because God promises Adam life if he obey As if he should have said Till the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely live So much must needs be included 2. He threatens him with death if he disobeyed In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye 3. We find our first Parents did so understand it by Eve's words to the Serpent Gen. 3.2 3. The woman said unto the Serpent We may eat of the fruit of the Trees in the Garden But of the fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said Ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die 4. He appointed the Tree of life as a Sacrament * Erat homini in lignis aliis alimentum in hoc vâ—ro Sacramentum Aug. de Gen. or Symbol of this Covenant Gen. 2.9 Which Tree did signifie to them that they should always enjoy that happy estate in which they were made upon condition of their obedience viz. A most blessed life free from all misery and flowing with all manner of good things that were agreeable to the Soul and Body of man in that perfect state Having thus shewed that those words Gen. 2.16 17. contained a Covenant we come now to consider 1. The Nature and Tenour of this Covenant And for the clearing of that let us observe these particulars 1. The great honour that God put upon man by entring into Covenant with him 'T is a great honour to a mean man to have a King enter into Covenant with him How much greater honour is it unto Man to have the great God of Heaven and Earth to enter into Covenant with him 2. Observe the great goodness of God in laying upon man no harder a command then the forbearing of one Tree which he must needs judge easie and reasonable 3. Obâ—erve Mans great advantage by this Covenant Before this God had not engaged himself to man to continue him in that happy estate in which he had made him Nothing hindred but he might have annihilated him But by this Covenant God freely bound himself and gave man a right to expect the things promised in this Covenant God now promises to continue mans life and happiness if man continued his obedience 4. Under this Covenant man was furnished with sufficient ability to stand but was left in the hand of his own counsel He was left in a mutable state he might stand or he might fall 5. Observe Gods great care of man in arming his mutable will against falling both by promises and threatnings He encourages him to obedience by the reward promised he deters him from disobedience by the danger threatned What greater good could man expect than what was here promised What greater evil could he fear than what was here threatned 6. This Covenant required on mans part perfect personal and perpetual obedience as the condition of it It required perfect obedience to the moral Law stamped on mans heart and to this pâ—sitive precept which God had given him A curse and death was to be the wâ—ges of the least transgression thereof But if he were obedient he might expect a reward answerable to his works and thereupon it was called a Covenant of works 7. Under the Covenâ—â—t man had no need of a Mediator Till man
had by sin madâ— God his enemy he needed no Mediator to mediate or intercede for him 8. This Covenant in case of disobedience afforded man no relief no not upon his repentance And thus the case stood with man in the state of his Innocâ—nce Of Maâ—s faâ—â— We come now to the second thing I propounded to treat of concerning man and that is his fall from his Original happiness by disobeying the precept and command of God and forfeiting the priviledges of the Covenant contained in it Gen. 3. from 1. to 7. Now the Serpent was mâ—re subtil than any Beast of the field which the Lord God had made and he said unto the woman Yea hath God said Ye shall not eat of every Tree of the Garden And the Woman said unto the Serpent We may eat of the fruit of the Trees of the Garden But of the fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said Ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die And the Serpent said unto the Woman ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil And when the woman saw that the Tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a Tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also untâ— her Huusband with her and he did eat And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed Fig-leaves together and made themselves Aprons Rom. 5.12 19. Wherefore as by one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous And that I may speak more distinctly of the matter I shall inquire in to these particulars 1. Who were the first sinners among men and by whom sin entered into the World 2. What was the first sin 3. What were the causes and occasions of Adams first transgression 4. What were the sad effects and consequents of this sin and breach of the Covenant First Upon our first Parents Secondly Upon us their Posterity 1. We shall inquire who were the first sinners among men and by whom sin entred into the World Adam and Eve the first Man and first Woman were certainly among men the first transgressors as may appear by those places before cited Gen. 3. And Rom 5.12 And the Apostle tells us 1 Tim. 2.14 Adam was not deceived that is First and by the Devil and so as to draw Eve into transgression but the woman being deceived was first * Thâ—â—gh Eve was first in the trangression yet Adam was the chief and therefore Adam is sometimes taken collectively both for man and woman in the transgression and drew Adam into it Hosea 6.7 God says of the unfaithful Israelites They like Adam have transgressed the Covenant And 2 Cor. 11.3 We read that the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty viz. To eat of the forbidden fruit and she persuaded Adam to eat also It therefore we trace corruption and depravation to the well-head we shall find we cannot stay any where till we come to the first Man the common Parent and Root of us all And 't is very evident that the first Fountain of mankind was corrupted seeing all the streams are so 2. Let us consider what was the first sin God made our first Parents holy and happy and whilst they performed their duty they could not but be happy But the Devil having fallen from God himself as we have seen before Sect 3. and envying our first Parents their present happiness he sets upon Eve to draw her from her obedience to God And the temptation he spred before her is this you shall be as God He pretends to acquaint her with a way whereby they might raise themsâ—lves to a higher condition than that wherein they were at present They should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like God himself or like Angels they should be lifted up to a higher estate than now they enjoyed And this happiness he tells them they might acquire by eating of that Tree in the midst of the Garden which God had forbidden them which he intimates would be so far from procuring death or misery to a them that it had a contrary virtue in it namely to raise them to higher state of happiness than now they enjoyed Eve being caught by this subtil device began to believe this Serpent who thus proves himself a Lyar and a Murderer from the beginning and to dâ— believe God and to doubt the truth of his threatning and commination who Gen. 2.17 had told Adam Of that Tree thou shalt not eat for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Evâ— being thus won upon by the Dâ—vils temptation did venture to eâ—t of this sorbidden fruit and dreâ— Adam to eat also So that infiâ—elity and doubting of the truth of Gods word and threatnings tâ—rough the Devils insinuation and pride and affection of an hâ—gher estate seem to be the first miscarriages and sins of Adam and Eve O the cursed Nature of pride and unbelief How soon did these â—â—ns enter into the very Angels How soon did they undo our first Parents 3. Let us inqâ—ire what were the causes and occasions of Adams sin 1. God was not The pure and holy Nature of God could not be the Original of mans sin The Holy God cannot be the cause of any unholiness God indeed permitted man to fall seeing he knew how to bring good out of it But he inclin'd him not to it 2. Neither external Objects nor the temptations of Satan could necâ—ssitate the will of man to sin The Devil might persuade but could not force 3. The persuading cause in respect of Eve was Satan in the form of a Serpent The Devil opened the Serpents mouth and caused it to speak with mans voice as an Angel opened the mouth of Balaams Ass Numb 22.28 Now the Serpents cunning may appear in this 1. He first assaults the Woman not the Man 2. He equivocates about knowing good and evil which he represents to her as a state of perfection Whereas the forbidden Tree was called the Tree of knowledge because Adam if he did eat thereof should experimentally know to his sorrow from how much good he had fallen and how much evil he had brought upon himself 3. He uses Eve a Companion newly made for Adam and surely very dear to him to draw in her Husband 4. Man being not created at first immutably Holy but defectible and sin being only a defect a person that was mutable and defectibly Holy as Adam was might fall into sin 'T was no strange thing that Man should be created defectible and being a defectible and
own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2.24 2. From the dominion of sin we have a promise Rom. 6.14 that sin shall not have dominion over us because we are not under the Law as a Covenant of Works exacting perfect obedience and ministring no strength to perform it but under a Covenant of Grace in Christ which ministers strength to resist sin and overcome it So Tit. 2.14 The Apostle tells us that Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 3. From Satan He rescues us 1. from his power and dominion The Seed of the woman Gen. 3.15 destroys the power of the old Serpent the Devil And therefore the Apostle tells us Acts 26.18 that he was sent to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles that thereby he might open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they might receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified 2. From his Temptations By Faith in Christ we are inabled to quench the fiery darts of the Devil Eph. 6.16 And the Apostle tells us 1 John 5.18 that whosoever is born of God keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth him not that is tactu qualitativo as Cajetan saith so as to leave an impression of his own Devilish nature upon him 3. From his Accusations Rev. 12.10 I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now is come Salvation and Strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accuseth them before God day and night And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb c. 4. From the curse of the Law He came not to take away the Law as a rule of life but to free us from the curse of it He hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being made a curse for us Gal. 3.13 5. From death The last enemy is Death But Christ will raise our bodies to a glorious life and so destroy Death 1 Cor. 15.26 54. Thus Christ is an All sufficient Saviour able to save to the uttermost Heb. 7.25 able to save both soul and body and that for ever Heb. 5.9 He is the author of eternal Salvation to all that obey him And therefore Ephes 5.23 He is stiled the Saviour of his mystical body All the three Persons save but in a different manner The Father saves by the Son The Son by paying the price of our Ransom and Redemption The Holy Ghost by perswading the heart savingly to close with Christ for the obtaining this Salvation Wouldst thou therefore O sinner have Christ to be thy Saviour then 1. break off thy siâ—s by Repentance and surrender thy self up to him to be pardoned in his blood and sanctified by his spirit For though Christ be able to save and willing to save yet they that remain impenitent and disobedient have neither part nor portion in him 2. Labour to stir up in thy heart a high love to Christ who has done so much for thee 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ says the Apostle let him be Anathema Maranatha So much of his first Title Jesus The second Title of our Saviour is Christ Christ which signifies anointed now He was anointed by the Spirit of God to three Offices To be our Prophet Priest King Messias and Christ signifie the same thing Joh. 1.14 we have foâ—nd the Messias which being interpreted is the Christ Among the Jews after the Babylonish Captivity the name Messiah was very frequent and familiar In the Chaldee paraphrase * The Chaldee Paraphrase was not an Exposition word for wâ—rd of the Hebrew Text but it took in the general sense of the learned Jews by way of Comment now extant there is express mention of the Messiah in above seventy places The Jews expected a Messias to come of their own Nation of the Tribe of Judah and of the Family of David And so was Christ our Lord. In the old Testament three sorts of persons were anointed Kings Priests and Prophets To these three Offices was Jesus annointed and took them all on him for our benefit For a threefold misery lay upon men that were to be saved 1. Ignorance and blindness of mind 2. Guilt which we were not able to satisfie for 3. Depravation and corruption of nature Bondage and Captivity to Sin and Satan which we were not able to free our selves from Suitable to these three necessities Christ is Anointed to a Threefold Office of Prophet Priest and King He was a Prophet to teach us a Priest to make Atonement for us and a King to govern us and defend us Of these his Three Offices I shall speak in order 1. He took on him the Office of a Prophet Christ was a Prophet Anointing with Oyl was a Ceremony used in the Old Testament whereby three sorts of persons viz. * 1 Kings 19.16 Prophets * Lev. 8.2.12.30 Priests and Kings were inaugurated into their Office And their Vnction signified 1. Their call to their Office 2. A collation of gifts to fit them for their Office As Oyl does revive and refresh so the effusion of the graces of the Spirit of God makes Persons fit and apt for the work to which they were called Thus Christ though he were not materially yet he was really Anointed by God to this Threefold Office with the gifts * Hae duae partâ—s Unctioris Christi siâ— differunt quod donorum collatio ad humanam naturam tantum ordinatio ad officiuÌ„ ad utramque naturam peâ—tinet and graces of the Holy Ghost which quickned and made him joyful in all his undertakings for our Redemption Which Anointing or effusion of grace into his humane Nature he received not in measure John 3.34 But abundantly above what was ever imparted either to Angels or any of the members of his mystical Body This may appear from Psal 45.7 compared with Heb. 1.9 Thou hast loved Righteousness and hated iniquity therefore God even thy God hath Anointed thee with the Oyl of gladness above thy fellows And from Isa 61.1 compared with Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath Anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor c. Acts 10.30 God hath Anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with Power c. And the Apostle tells us Acts 3.22 23. That Moses had Prophesied of this great Prophet commanding he should be heard and obeyed in all things Deut. 18.15.18 19. Now our Saviour executed his Prophetical Office by making known the will of God to the Children of men and by revealing to them the way of Salvation His teaching was of Two sorts Outward Inward For his Out-ward teaching 1. He taught by the Patriarchs and Prophets that lived before his coming in the Flesh 2 Pet. 1.21 For Prophesie came not
made namely that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents Head Gen. 3.15 And therefore Christ is said Rev. 13.8 to be a Lamb slain from the beginning that is in Gods Decree So that the Fathers that lived before he was offered injoyed the benefit of his Death and Sufferings They were saved merito pretii praestandi as we are saved merito pretii praestiti And of this Priesthood of our Saviour there is no end in regard of the virtue and efficacy of it And thus we see how Christ was our Priest and how he made atonement for our sins by his perfect obedience and sufferings His Person God-man was the Priest The Sacrifice was his humanity the Lamb of God without blemish The Altar which consecrated this Sacrifice and added merit to the sufferings of his humanity was his God-head And thus he made himself a Sacrifice for our sins Three things Christ hath done for us as our Priest 1. He hath obeyed the Law perfectly 2. He hath offered up himself a Sacrifice for our sins 3. He now lives to make intercession for us From all that hath been said we should learn these lessons 1. That Christs active and passive obedience is of sufficient value worth and merit to satisfie Gods Justice for all our sins For in that he voluntarily took on him our humane nature and so voluntarily put himself under the obligation of the Law his very active obedience becomes meritorious 2. That Christ did intend his obedience and sufferings for this end and purpose 3. That God has accepted of what Christ has done and suffered as a sufficient price for our Redemption 4. We should learn from hence highly to prize Christs Sacrifice 'T is the great relief we have against sin He has made satisfaction to Divine Justice so that God is now reconcilable to fallen Man in and through him 5. This should teach us to have a great care of our precious souls The great price paid to ransom them should teach us their worth We are wont to be exceeding careful to keep things that cost dear Never any thing cost more than the soul 6. Seeing Christ was Crucified for our sins we should learn from him to crucifie sin in our selves Gal. 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts 7. Seeing Christ suffered so much for us we should be content yea ready to suffer for him when ever he calls us to it 8. From the consideration of Christs intercession and the constancy and prevalency of it we should encourage our selves to go to God in and through him for help in all our needs He is a powerful advocate 9. The Consideration of Christs oblation of himself once for us and his continual intercession still performed in heaven for us should inflame our hearts with intire love to him He deserves our best our most inlarged affections We can never love him enough I come now to Christs third Office 3. Christ was a King Christ was a King God speaking of his Son Psal 2.6 says I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion Zech. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem Behold thy King cometh unto thee He is just and having Salvation lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a colt the fole of an Asse This is applied to our Saviour Mat. 21.5 The Prophet Isaiah fully attests this Isa 9.6 7. For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father The Prince of Peace Of the increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no end upon the Throne of David and of his Kingdome shall he sit to order it and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And Luke 1.33 'T is said of Him He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end To which we may add Rev. 17.14 These shall make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings Now there is a twofold Kingdom belonging to Christ 1. Regnum Essentiale an essential Kingdom which belongs to him as God 2. Regnum Vicarium or a deputatory Kingdom and dominion which God gave him as Mediator This Kingdom Christ administers and his Kingly Office he executes several ways and by several royal Acts. 1. By gathering to himself a People out of the several Kingdoms and Nations of the Earth and making them willing by infusing his grace into their hearts to submit unto him 2. By giving them Laws by which they are to walk 3. By appointing to them Officers and Censures Eph. 4.11 And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers V. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ And so for censures and discipline he has appointed how an offending Brother should be dealt with 1. He should be privately admonished then in the presence of two or three And if he shall neglect to hear them then they must tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church then he must be unto them as an Heathen man and a Publican Mat. 18.15 16 17. 4. By restraining and curbing and subduing His and His Churches enemies Particularly 1. Sin that it shall not have dominion over those that are His. 2. The World with its baits and allurements 3. Satan delivering them from his temptations and wiles 4. Wicked and ungodly men Thus he executed his Kingly power in bringing destruction upon the Jews by the Roman Armies and that destruction is called his coming in his Kingdom Mat. 16.28 Verily I say unto you There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom 5. Death it self 1 Cor. 15. He will despoil the Grave and make it give up all its Captives By judging the quick and dead at the last day And then this his Mediatory Kingdom He will render up to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24 Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power 6. By supporting those that truly believe in him in all their afflictions here 7. By rewarding them in a most royal manner hereafter And thus much of the several ways whereby our Saviour executes his Kingly Office Now as to the quality of his Kingdom we are to know it is not of this World it is a Spiritual Kingdom John 18.36 Jesus answered My Kingdom is not of this World if my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered
unto Holiness 2 Tim. 2.19 Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The end of Christs gathering them out of the World to be his people is that they may be holy and a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Thus Moses speaking of the Congregation of Israel Deut. 7.6 Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God That is they were so by destination and engagement though many of them were not really soâ— 2. The Church may be called holy because it trains up people in the wayes of holiness and godliness 3. It may be called holy in respect though not of the greater yet of the better part of it whom God hath sanctified by the graces of his holy Spirit The other Attribute of the Church is Catholick Catholick as it is not in the Scriptures so was it not anciently in the Creed but inserted by the Fathers of the Constantinopolitan Council It signifies General or Vniversal Now the Church is called Catholick 1. In respect of place It being not now shut up in the narrow bounds of Judea but diffused through the World 2. In respect of persons All sorts of persons being promiscuously called to Faith in Christ Neither Jew nor Gentile neither bond nor free being excluded Gal. 3.28 3. In respect of times It comprehending all the Faithful that have been in all times and ages ever since the giving of the first promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head And to our Saviours dayes and since then to the age in which we live and is to contitinue from hence by a continual accession to the end of the world Nay it doth not only include that part of the Church is now militant on earth but that also which is triumphant in Heaven Both they with us and we with them make one body mystical whereof Christ is the Head And all together together with the antient Patriarches and other holy men of God which lived under the Law do make up that one glorious Church which is called in the Scriptures the general Assembly the Church of the first born whose names are written in the Heavens Heb. 12.23 Catholick then the Church may be called in regard of extent whether we consider time place or persons 4. In respect of Doctrine because it maintains the Catholick Doctrine quae semper quae ubique quae abomnibus credita est Adversus Haereses c. 3 as Lirinensis d sayes which hath allwayes and in all places by all sorts of real Christians been received as Orthodox Catholick in this sence is the same with Orthodox and a Catholick Christian the same with a true professor A private Christian may be called Catholick in this sense And thus the Fathers of the purest times made use of this word Catholick to distinguish themselves from Hereticks according to that famous saying of Pacianus Christianus mihi nomen est Catholicus cognomen Christian saith he is my name and Catholick my sir-name By the one I am known from Infidels by the other from Hereticks And so long as the main body of Christians retained the form of wholsom words and kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace it served fitly for a distinctive mark to know an Orthodox Professor from an Heretical But when the main body of the Church was once torn in pieces and every leading faction would be thought the true Church of Christ they took to themselves the name of Catholicks also And thus our great Masters in the Church of Rome have appropriated to themselves the name of catholicks accounting all men Hereticks that differ from them and do not hold communion with them in their errors And then they defend themselves by the name of Catholicks from having dealt unjustly with their fellow Christians men every way more Orthodox than themselves But let them talk what they will the Church which is truly Catholick containeth within it all those Congregations which are truly the Churches of Christ And all persons whatsoever who are true Christians belong to it So that whosoever is not of the Catholick Church cannot be of the true Church out of which ordinarily there is no Salvation 3. I come now to the distinctions of the Church 1. The Church of Christ may be considered either as Militant or Triumphant The Church Militant is that company of Christians here on earth who are in warfare warring against Satan the World and the Flesh 2. The Church Triumphant are those Saints who having vanquished and overcome those adversaries do now reign and triumph in Heaven This distinction is founded upon Ephes 3.14 15. Where the Apostle sayes I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family in heaven and earth is named The Family in Heaven is the Church Triumphant The Family on Earth the Church Militant of which the Apostle himself was one when he said 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith The Triumphant we may read of Rev. 7.9 After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white Robes and Palms in their hands Having thus premised this distinction of the Church Militant and Triumphant I come now to speak particularly of the Church Militant 1. Then we must know that the Churcrh Militant here on earth consists partly of such as are truly of it partly of such as only in respect of their outward profession belong to it As the Holy Ghost speaks Rev. 2.9 of some who professed themselves Jews I know the Blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan so we may say of some who profess themselves Christians that they are very far from being such in truth and reality For prophane persons and hypocrites are rather in the Church than of it The Militant Church is either visible or invisible The visible Church is a visible company of people professing the Gospel whether they do it in truth and sincerity or no. It doth consist of good and bad It is compared to a net cast into the Sea which gathered of every kind c. Matth. 13.47 And to a field wherein were both wheat and tares Matth. 13.24 And to a great house wherein are vessels of several sorts some to honour some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2.20 The invisible Church consists of such as truly are what they profess themselves to be It is called invisible because it is not visible to the eyes of men They can see the profession but whether it proceed from the heart or no they cannot see The Invisible Church therefore is hid in the visible and there is no more difference between them than between the whole and a part 3. The Church Militant is distinguished into Particular and Vniversal A particular
this Lamb except they rid themselves of their Leven Leven it swells the mass and sours it Pride makes the heart swell and malice soures it search therefore O Sinner to find out thy leven when thou thinkest of approaching to this holy Table Search every corner of thy heart as with a candle and when thou hast found out thy sins manifest thy hatred and loathing of them Never think to be pardoned except thou part with thy sins Never think to be saved except thou be sanctified 9. They were to eat it with their loins girt and staves in their hands and shooes on their feet shewing themselves thereby to be in a posture of readiness to be gone out of Egypt and to seek the promised Land Which may intimate to us that we must receive this blessed Sacrament with intention to leave the dominions of Pharaoh the Kingdom Service and bondage of sin and Satan and to march on towards our heavenly Canaan People would fain escape damnation yet are loath to leave their pleasing and profitable sins No coming to Canaan except you leave Egypt 10. When they had eaten of the roasted Lamb if any thing thereof remained it was to be burnt with fire and not left till the morning This may shew us that Sacramental elements are not Sacramental * Nihil habet ratione Sacramenti extra usum legitimum Sacramentalem but in their use only and while they are used As Bread and Wine in this Sacrament and Water in Baptism after the Sacramental use are no longer Sacramental A stone is boundary in its use and place Remove it 't is a meer stone no boundary 11. Two sorts of persons were barred from eating the Passover 1. The uncircumcised the stranger and foreigner Exod. 12.43 48. Such as are not initiated into Christs Family the Church by the first Sacrament of Baptism cannot regularly be admitted to the Lords Table 2. unclean persons though circumcised or such as were in a journey were to be put off to the Passover of the second moneth being not cleansed for the present according to the purification of the Sanctuary 2 Chron. 30.18 19. Numb 9.10.11 This shews us that some persons who are within the communion of the Church may be unfit at some particular times to come to the Lords Table yea though believers may at such times eat and drink unworthily 12. After the Paschal Lamb was eaten on the next day viz. on the fifteetnh day of the first moneth began the Feast of the Passover or feast of unlevened bread It continued seven dayes and no levened bread was to be eaten during that time and of those seven dayes the first and last only were holy Convocations or Sabbaths wherein they might do no servile work Exod. 12.15 16. Levit. 23.5 6 7. Numb 28.16 17 18. The Apostle alludes hereunto 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passover is Sacrificed therefore let us keep the feast As if he should have said those for whom Christ our Passover is Sacrificed on whâ—sâ— consciences his blood is sprinkled ought to be a holy people not levened with sin and wickedness and to walk before God in sincerity and truth living all their dayes in a holy rejoycing and thanksgiving Thus much of the first Passover as instituted and observed in Egypt some of the Ceremonies whereof were proper to that Passover and not intended for any other following And accordingly in after times they were not observed As particularly 1. The Paschal Lamb was afterwards to be slain and eaten only at Jeâ—usalem Deut. 16.5 6. The place which God had chosen for his publick worship 2. They did not observe the taking up of the Lamb four dayes before 3. Nor the sprinkling the door posts with blood 4. Nor staying within and not going out of the house that night For our Saviour and his Disciples did go out after Supper 5. Nor eating it in a travelling posture For we find our Saviour and his disciples eating it in a posture of discubiture or leaning on beds From whence we may take notice that we are not bound to observe all occasional or local circumstances or customs belonging to a Sacrament nor to follow our Saviour and his Apostles in those particular circumstances of eating the Lords Supper late at night or in a leaning posture or in an upper Chamber no woman being present c. Let us look to the substance end and intent of the Sacrament and chiefly mind that Having spoken thus much of the Passover I think it will not be amiss for the clearer understanding of the original institution of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper to insert a short description of the method and order of the Paschal Supper with the principal rites thereunto belonging which were then either all or most of them as it seems in use among the Jews as they are delivered to us by their own writers much after this manner consisting in several Cups or drinkings of Wine and two breakings of bread Some of which rites we shall shew that our Saviour took and ordained them to a new Evangelical use and mystical signification 1. When all things appertaining to the Feast were prepared and all persons belonging to that Company that were to eat together were ready the chief man of the company who was as it were the Priest among them takes a cup of Wine and blesses it in some such words as these Blessed be thou Lord who hast created the fruit of the vine and blessed be thou for this good day and this holy convocation c. Compare with this custome our Saviours words Luke 22.17 He took the Cup and gave thanks and said take this and divide it among you 2. Then the Table was furnished with provisions of several sorts viz. bitter herbs the unlevened bread the body of the Paschal Lamb roasted whole and so brought up 3. The chief man of the company takes the sower herbs and blesses them in some such words as these Blessed art thou O Lord who createst the fruits of the earth c. and then eats of them the quantity of an Olive at least and distributes to the rest uttering some such sentence as this These bitter herbs we eat in token that the Egyptians made the lives of our Fathers bitter in Egypt 4. Then he takes the dish or Charger which held the unleavened bread or Cakes and laying by a piece thereof to be eaten afterwards with the Paschal Lamb at the close of the Supper he blessed the bread in some such words as these blessed art thou O Lord who bringest forth bread out of the earth c. Then he breaks it and eats of it 5. When this is finished he begins the second Cup of Wine and the rest follow him Then their Children brought in were made to ask what is the reason that this night differs so much from other nights instancing in many particulars of the festival solemnities Then the master of the feast begins a a narrative how
with an impudent face said unto him V. 14. I have Peace-offerings with me this day have I paid my vows V. 15. Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and I have found thee Verse 16. I have decked my bed with coverings of Tapestry with carved works with fine linnen of Egypt Verse 17. I have perfumed my bed with Myrrh Aloes and Cinnamon Verse 18. Come let us take our fill of love untill the morning let us solace our selves with love Verse 21. So with her much fair speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her lisp she forced him Verse 22. He goeth with her strait-way as an Ox goeth to the slaughter as a fool to the correction of the stocks Verse 23. Till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life Verse 27. Her house is the way to hell going down to the chambers of death Prov. 9.1 A f â—lish woman sitteth at the door of her house to call in passengers Verse 16 â—hoso is simple let him turn in hither and as for him that wanteth understanding she saith unto him V. 17. Stol'n waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant Verse 18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there and that her guests are in the depths of hell Prov. 22.14 The mouth of a strange woman is a deep pit he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein Prov. 23.27 A whore is a deep ditch and a strange woman is a narrow pit Verse 28. She lieth in wait as for a prey and increaseth the transgressors among men Prov. 29.3 He that keepeth company with Harlots spendeth his substance Prov. 30.20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith she hath done no wickedness Eccles 7.26 And I find more bitter than death a woman whose heart is snares and nets and her hands as bands whoso pleaseth God shall escape her but the sinner shall be taken by her Jer. 5.7 How shall I pardon thee for this thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no Gods when I fed them to the full then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the Harlots houses Verse 8. They were as fed horses in the morning ever one neigheth after his neighbours wife Verse 9. Shall not I visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Jer. 29.23 Because they committed villany in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbours wives and have spoken lying words in my name which I have not commanded them even I am a witness against them saith the Lord. Ezek. 16.38 And I will judge thee as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousie Hos 4.11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart Mal. 3.5 And I will come near to you to judgment and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against false swearers and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages and the widow and the fatherless that turn aside the stranger from his right and fear not me saith the Lord of Hosts Mat. 5.27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time thou shalt not commit adultery Verse 28. But I say unto you whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her he hath committed adultery with her already in his heart Mat. 19.17 Jesus said unto him if thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments viz. thou shalt do no murther thou shalt not commit adultery c. Acts 15 20 29. But that we write unto them that they abstain from pollutions of Idols and from fornication and from things strangled and from blood From which if they keep themselves they shall do well Rom. 1.28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowlede God gave them over to a reprobate mind and to do those things which are not convenient Verse 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness fornication wickedness covetousness maliciousness c. 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind Verse 10. Nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 7. v. 2. To avoid fornication let every one have his own wife and every woman her own husband Verse 19. But if they cannot contain let them marry for it is better to marry than to burn 1 Cor. 10.8 Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand Gal. 5.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness V. 10. Idolatry witch-craft hatred variance emulations wrath strife sedition heresies V. 21. Envyings murders drunkenness revellings and such like of the which I tell you now as I have told you in times past that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God Eph. 5.3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints Col. 3.5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affections evil concupiscence and covetousness which is Idolatry For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience 1 Thes 4.3 For this is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication V. 4. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour V. 5. Not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God Heb. 13.4 Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge 1 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished V. 10. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lusts of uncleanness c. V. 14. Having eyes full of adultery c. Judge v. 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Rev. 21.8 But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 22.15 For without are Dogs and Sorcerers and whoremongers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye 2. This sin wherever it is found and continued in is a sign and mark of a man whom God hateth Prov. 22.14 The