naturall generation of man is necessarily to be considered The naturall generation of man is performed first by the mutuall concourse of man male and female in the act of generation whereby the naturall seed of man male is received and united to the naturall seed of man female in the womb by the innate vertue and callidity whereof the masculine and feminine potentiall vertue of the united sensitive seed is produced in act in the matter of the seed and actually and sensitively conceived and formed And this is the first conception of woman which is the seminall and sensitive conception of man Secondly the formed sensitive body fed and nursed by the pure blood of the woman being brought to such sensitive perfection as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doth appetite the intellectuall form the intellectuall soul humane spirit is essentially united to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the womb by the eternall Father of spirits according to his covenant by which immediate essentiall union the Infant in the womb is man and so conceived man by woman And this is the second conception of woman whereby man as he is man is conceived in the womb and in the prefixed time of naturall birth brough forth man by man female the woman without the naturall seed therefore of man male it is impossible that man can be either begot conceived or brought forth man by naturalll generation To return therefore to this sacred mysterie of the generation and conception of the word the promised blessed seed to be made flesh of the seed of the woman by whom the Serpents head is to be broke which is mystically set down in the second branch of this censure First by the word It in this branch of the censure the only naturall seed of the Virgin is mystically signified Secondly by this word It all naturall seed of man male is excluded from this sacred generation and consequently the sacred overshadowing power of the most High is necessarily implied By which sacred overshadowing act the potentiall masculine vertue was communicate and united to the potentiall vertue of the feminine seed in the womb of the Virgine and by the innate naturall power and callidity of the womb the united potentiall masculine and feminine vertue was produced in act in the matter of the Virgins seed of which sanctified seed that holy thing was conceived and actually and sensitively formed Thirdly this holy thing so formed was fed nursed and cherished by the pure naturall blood of the Virgine in the womb which being brought to such sensitive perfection as the elaborate vitall spirits of the heart of the holy thing did appetet the intellectuall form The true spirit of man begot by the Father of spirits essentially united to the divine nature was indivisibly and essentially united to the vitall spirits of the heart of the holy sensitive thing and by the indivisible power of the Trinity essentially anointed with the spirituall oil of gladnesse Heb. 1.9 and so conceived by the second conception of the Virgine and in the fulnesse of time brought forth the first born Son of the blessed Virgine and the naturall Son of the most High the word and the seed of the Church And thus was the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman which was most lively prefigurate by the ark of the covenant placed in the inner Tabernacle which was the covenant of the blessed seed whereby God did covenant with Adam and with all naturall men condemned in Adam the head that the Word should be born man of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death Adam and all men condemned in Adam should be redeemed from the eternall curse of the Law for that first sin which was prefigurate to the posterity by the Ark of the covenant First by the Ark the blessed Virgine was prefigurate by the capacity of the Ark the Virgines womb was signified By the word of the two tables of the Testimony the Word conceived in the Virgines womb was signified By the Pot of Manna the eternall life of the Word and by Aarons Rod his infinite power which were placed severally by the Word in the Ark signifying the essentiall union of the divine nature to the humane nature of the Word in the womb of the Virgin By the two Cherubims with their out-stretched wings overshadowing the Mercy-seat the overshadowing act of the indivisible power of the Trinity in the sacred generation of the Word of the seed of the Virgin was most lively represented For by the two cherubims the distinct persons of the Father and holy Spirit and by the Mercy-seat the second person of the Trinity Mercy it self is signified By which sacred overshadowing act of the indivisible power of the Trinity as the Word was first begot man sensitively of the seed of the Virgine so the Word was sensitively conceived by the Virgines first conception and as the Word being brought to sensitive perfection in the womb by the immediate act of the Father of spirits which is the indivisible act of the Trinity the holy thing was begot man essentially united to the divine nature So was the Word conceived by the second conception of the Virgine and in the fulnesse of time brought forth Mat. 1.25 the first born Son of the Virgin and the naturall Son of the most High and therefore that holy thing is called the naturall Son of God For though the sacred generation of the Word of the female seed of the Virgine was supernaturall yet the twofold conception of the Word by the Virgine the maintaining of the childe by her pure blood and the bringing forth of the Word so made man of the seed of the Virgine was the naturall act of the Virgine and therefore the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman true man essentially united to the divine nature and therefore it is said Colos 2.9 that in him the Godhead dwelleth bodily Of this gracious promise of the blessed seed thus prefigurate by the Ark three main fundamentall points are to be precisely observed First the pot of Manna and Aarons Rod placed severally by the Word of the two Tables of the Law in the Ark prefigurating the essentiall union of the divine nature to the humane nature of the Word was to signifie to all men that though the divine and humane nature of the Word were essentially and indivisibly united yet that this essentiall union is without any confounding of the two natures or of their essentiall attributes And therefore though we may truly say that the Word is God and man yet we cannot say that the Word is man as he is God or that he is God as he is man neither must we attribute the essential properties of the divine nature to the human nature of the word or the essential attributes of the human nature to the divine nature of the word The second point to be observed is the reason that the Church of
God is mystically signified by the woman the reason whereof is the twofold naturall conception of the woman which is as it were the embleme of the twofold conception of the morall and mysticall members of the Lord Jesus Christ which are brought forth by the Church For as the morall conception of the naturall man by morall faith by the preaching and sowing of the seed of the Word doth resemble the seminall and first conception of the woman So doth the spirituall conception of the regenerate man by the Church resemble the second conception of woman For though the regenerate man be spiritually enlightned by the immediate light of the holy Spirit yet that spirituall light is the spirituall light of the Word which is the seed of the Church and the regenerate man is enlightned thereby as he is a member of the Church which is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ The third main fundamentall point to be observed in this gracious promise is the immediate cause of the Lords love to his militant Church For the immediate sole efficient cause of his love to the Church is the essentiall union of this divine and humane nature of the Word As the immediate cause of this essentiall union is the Lords infinite love to all men eternally condemned to the curse of eternall death for the sin of Adam Whence the infinit joy and gladnesse of the sacred Trinity did arise to rest eternally upon the essential union of which essentiall union and unction doth arise the Lords love to his Church by his sacred Word as his Word by his love is the Image of this essentiall union For as by the literall light of his Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith proceeding from his love which is of one reall light with the redeemed word in the heart of man the naturall man is morally led to the Lords merit So by the Spirituall light of the Word proceeding from his spirituall love which is the spirituall light of his holy Spirit the regenerate man is spiritually led to the Lords merit and spiritually mystically and indivisibly united to his mysticall head For by this spirituall love all the regenerate are coupled and united joynt to joynt one to another and all indivisibly to their mysticall head whence the spirituall joy and gladnesse of the regenerate doth arise which is called the joy of the Holy Ghost for this spirituall union and unction is really one in the head and members but it is essentiall in the head and spirituall in the members spiritually flowing from the essentiall union and unction of the head and this is the reason that it is said by the Prophet David prophecying of this union and unction Psal 45.7 Thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladnesse above his fellowes Whose fellows are his mysticall brethren begotten of the same Father for both the head and the members are the sons of God the head essentially and therefore the naturall Son of God the members spiritually and therefore the spirituall and adopted sons of God in their mysticall head who are therefore predestinate to be made like to his Image that he might be the first born Son amongst many brethren And in this sense our Saviour is called Luke 2.7 The fiâ—st born Son of the Virgine the woman in respect of his mysticall members who are begot of the woman the Church Though the spirituall joy therefore of the regenerate doth many times ebbe and flow yet the spirituall love whereby they are spiritually united to their mysticall head whence this spirituall joy doth arise is indivisible in the head and members It is as impossible therefore for the regenerate to fall totally and finally from the grace of their spirituall love whereby they are indivisibly united to their mysticall head As for the humane nature of the word to fall from the divine nature and alone For the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Word is the sole immediate efficient cause of this indivisible union and must mutually stand together By this spirituall union and unction whereby the regenerate are indivisibly united to the truth of the Lords merit the regenerate man is so armed with the spirituall valour of patience as he is enabled to resist the strongest temptation of the Devill and of his powerfull instruments and to stand to the Lords truth even the losse of his naturall life by which spirituall valour the regenerate man doth overcome the power of Satan and of all his cruell crue in this life For this spirituall valour doth proceed from the decreed victory of this irreconcileable bloody war to the seed of the woman For the seed of the woman must break the head of the Serpent and the head of the Serpents seed though the victory be not without temporall danger and afflictions as may appear by the mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure next to be declared CHAP. XXII The mysticall sense of the third branch of the censure SAtan and his cursed bloody brood by the mysticall sense of the first branch of the censure being necessitate to hate the truth and the professors of the truth who are the Church of God and to induce all others to his power to hate and persecute the Church Satan first by the mysticall sense of this third branch of the censure is limited how far his power shall extend mystically signified by the word Heel which is the lowest part of man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive whereby the sensitive power of man as he is man is signified Satan therefore by his cursed sting of enmity hath the power to sting and bite man as he is a naturall man intellectuall and sensitive but no wayes as he is a spirituall man For Satan with all his power cannot sting the regenerate man not so much as to induce him to commit the least actuall sin For the regenerate man is born of God 1 John 3.9 and cannot sin as he is a spirituall man And therefore the Apostle Paul Rom. 7.17 18. doth disclaim his actuall sins to be his to wit as he is a spirituall and a regenerate man but doth attribute his actuall sins to his rebellious flesh as he is a naturall man and the old man corrupted by Satan and his wicked instruments even in a manner from the cradle Secondly by the mysticall sense of this word His Satan and his cursed brood according to the eternall Decree of God is permitted first to sting the Word the blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman whom that old murdering blood-hound and his cursed bloody brood did sting most cruelly to the cursed death of the crosse Secondly by the word His Satan and his seed is permitted to sting and bite the heel of the Lords mysticall members who are predestinate to be made like to the Image of their mysticall head that they may taste of the cup of his afflictions in this
believe his promised rest of the blessed seed to rest upon the last Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath to whose beliefe the blessing of his promised rest was due by the Law So he graciously and freely obliged himself to man to redeem man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to redeem all which was lost by that sin and consequently to redeem the blessing of the first seventh dayes rest lost by Adam which was the blessing of his promised rest by the propheticall Sabbath all which he graciously performed by his bloody rest in the grave upon the last Sabbath For our Saviour upon the last Sabbath did rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam And by his resting in his sacred grave for the whole space of the last Sabbath our Saviour in the seventh day having fulfilled the whole Law as he was obliged to the fulfilling of the Law in the promise of the blessed seed the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law of God to the merit of his bloody seventh dayes rest where three main fundamentall points of faith are precisely to be observed by the juditious Reader The first point is that the last Sabbath whereon our Saviour did rest in his sacred grave after his death was no wayes propheticall For all the prophesies prophecying the birth and death of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world were all fulfilled and determined by our Saviours bloody rest upon this last Sabbath by whose bloody rest in his grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath from end to end the Law was fulfilled for man And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 5.17 that he came to fulfill the Law The second point of faith is that no man naturally to descend of Adam was obliged to fulfill the command of the Law by this last Sabbath For Christ Jesus only the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman was only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day by the last Sabbath as he graciously obliged himself by the propheticall covenant The third point of faith is that Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were only obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath And therefore Christ Jesus being born under the propheticall Law obliged by the propheticall Sabbath was circumcised the eighth day and did observe other ceremonies of the Law as other men did For though our Saviour did not naturally descend of Adam yet he did descend of the seed of Adam according to the flesh The second mystery of his bloody rest was that by his bloody rest the promise renewed to Abraham was fulfilled which was the same reall promise first made to Adam though renewed to Abraham after a more cleere and particular manner which promise had two branches The first was that the blessed seed according to the flesh should descend of the seed of Abraham which promise was prefigurate first by the glorious light of the Golden Candlestick by the table of shew-bread signifying the life which was in that light wherby the blessed seed who is light and life to descend of Abrahams seed was prefigurate Secondly by the sweet insence burned upon the Golden Altar the appeasing of Gods wrath by the blessed seed to descend of Abraham was prefigurate all which were placed in the holy place of the Tabernacle The second branch of the promise made to Abraham was that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should bee blessed which was likewise prefigurate by the sacrifice of the brazen Altar For at our Saviors giving up of his last spirit upon the cursed altar of the crosse the vaile of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom within which vaile which was the holiest place was the Arke with the word therin and the Golden Crowne the Cherubint covering with their wings the mercy-seat prefigurating the conception of our Saviour of the seed of the woman wherby the first promise made to Adam was signified Now the vaile of the Temple being rent asunder by the power of our Saviours death the first promise made to Adam was laied open and made patent both to the Jewes and Gentiles who were mutually called the next day by the new covenant which was the day of Christs resurrection Now the new covenant being made with all the nations of the world the promise made to Abraham that all the nations of the earth should be blessed in his seed was fulfilled And so much for the twofold mystery of our Saviours bloody rest The mystery of his joyfull Evangellicall rest did consist in these two maine fundamentall points of faith The first was by his resurrection from the grave wherby our Saviour by his triumphant victory over sin Satan eternall darknes and death the curse of the Law and the grave by the infinit act of his owne immediate power did manifest himselfe Truth to man in his faithfull fulfilling of his promised rest of the blessed seed and in that Truth Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity God by the infinit act of his owne immediate power Man begotten of the father of the seed of the woman by the immediate act of the holy spirit in the essentiall union of his divine and humane nature implied in the word Lord which is the sacred name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature of the Lord of life comprehending both the names of Jesus and Christ afterwards to be declared For though Jesus Christ as he is the Son of God begotten man of the seed of the woman did performe his bloody rest Yet his Evangelicall rest by his resting from the fulfilling of the Law implying his rest from the redemption of man was performed by our Saviour as he is Lord Jesus Christ God equall with the Father and holy Spirit in whom the Godhead dwelleth bodily And therfore the day of his resurrection is called the Lords day In the second point of the mystery of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth stand the very period of the mystery of the Lords day for man naturally descended of Adā being only obliged to the cōmand of the seventh day of the Prophetical Sabbath and no waies to the seventh day of the last Sabbath to which man Christ Jesus only was obliged the day of our Saviours resurrection from the grave the Lords day doth fall out to be the just seventh day from the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath still obliging man to the seventh day of the Law Though by including the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath in the account the Lords day is the eight day as it was prefigurate by the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision To the administration wherof
Virgins wombe in the bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh without the help of woman or man which was the naturall birth day of the Son of God So by the Virgins bringing forth of her first borne the word made flesh the mysticall bringing forth of the first borne evangelicall Word by the mysticall Virgin Sabbath without the help of any created power was prefigurate Which was the mystical birth day of the Evangelicall word Whose mysticall birth day being the just seventh day frō the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God his mystical birth day is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law By the power of the word of his seventh daies Evangelicall rest commanding the Evangelicall worship of the seventh day of his Law by man and in the seventh day the Evangelicall obedience of man to his whole Evangelicall Law implied in the seventh day To whose faithfull obedience the eternall blessing of his Evangelicall birth daies rest is due by the Law of God The second type and figure whereby the mysticall Virgin Sabbath was prefigurate was the Sabbaticall yeare of Jubile For first as in the yeare of Jubile all bound men all sold and pawned Land the earth and the labouring Cattell were set at liberty So by the bloody rest of Christ Jesus blessed body in the grave for the space of the whole last Sabbath all men condemned and bound by the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to eternall death and darknes and the creatures created for man where freed from the eternall curse of the Law and set at liberty Secondly as the yeare of Jubile by the immediate influence of God without all labour help or industry of man the earth of its owne accord did produce the fruit thereof for the comfort of man and for the creatures created for man So by the mysticall Sabbath without all the help aide or asistance of any man naturally descended of Adam did bring forth the Evangelicall word enabled by the immediate act of his owne infinit power upon the joyfull day of his resurrection Who is the life light and foode of man and by whom only man and all the creatures created for man doe live move and have the continuation of their redeemed being The blessed day of whose mysticall Evangelicall birth being the just seventh day from the last formall Jewes prophetical Sabbath as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the Law of God the blessed day therefore of the Lords resurrection is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith whereby the Son of righteousnes in his blessed day began to shine one high by inlightning the ceremoniall darknesse of the propheticall Sabbath prophesying his death through all the Nations of the world by the light of his blessed day leading all men by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Evangelicall word the Lord of the life light and rest of man and of the creatures created for man to be inbelized by the thankfull praises and Jubiles of all the Nations of the world The mysticall Evangelicall birth day therefore of the Evangelicall word the Lords day is the true joyfull day of all the years of this life prophesied by the mysticall yeere of Jubile which by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest is the true Evangelical word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith next to be declared CHAP. VII The declaration of the Evangelicall word THe Evangelicall word is taken in a twofold sense first the Evangelicall word is taken essentially for the second person of the sacred Trinity God equal with the Father and Holy Spirit in which sense the Evangelical word is incommunicable to man or Angel Secondly the Evangelical word is taken for the word of the Lords day the 7th day of the Evangelical Law of faith as it is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus For as the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is the Image of the Lords eternall life and rest So the light of the Lords day is the Image of his inaccessable light and in this sense the Evangelicall word is communicable to man and it is the life and light of man and hath a twofold acception first the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of the Lords day as it is the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnes of faith Secondly the Evangelicall word is taken for the word of promise and new covenant whereby both God and man are mutually obliged For though the word of the seventh day of the Law and the word of promise and covenant be really one yet they are of a formall difference First therefore of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day as it is the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith The Evangelicall word of the Lords day is the same reall word which was from the beginning And therefore it is said by Iohn 1.4.5 that in it that is in that word was life and that that life was the light of man which doth in this manner appeare First in the state of perfection by the word of the Law written in Adams heart spiritually enlightned Adam did live move and had the perfection of his naturall and spirituall being and felicity Wherby Adam was the Image of righteousnes and holines And the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses obliging Adam to the command of the Law of righteousnes To the merit of whose perfect obedience the blessing of the first seventh daies eternall rest was due by the Law of righteousnes Wherby Adam had the continuation of his created estate of perfection and felicity while Adam did stand in the perfection of his obedience And was to have continued eternally upon earth to Adam by covenant if Adam had continued in the perfection of his obedience The word of God therefore to Adam before the fall as he was the head of all men naturall to descend of his loines was the word of the first seventh day of the Law of righteousnes implying the command of the whole Law Secondly Adam in whome as in the head all were created having transgressed the command of God of the Law of righteousnes the transgression was infinit for the transgression of the Law as it is the Law of righteousnes is an immediate contempt against the infinit Majesty of God and consequently the sinne infinit And the second Person of the Trinity in whom is only mercy being then not revealed to Adam the sinne was without any hope of revealed mercy wherby Adam and all men created in Adam as head naturally to descend of Adam were in the justice of God by covenant condemned to the eternall
the world built thereon by which partition the Gentiles were barred from the judiciall service of God all are rased from the very foundation never to be reiterate in the Church of God Last of all Mary Magdalen did not know the Lord of life John 20.16 17 the eternall rest of his blessed day though Mary did see the Lord with her bodily eyes till she heard the sound of the word of the Evangelicall seventh dayes eternall rest calling Mary At the hearing of the sound of whose Evangelicall word while Mary knowing the Lord would have embraced him in her armes the Lord said Mary touch me not to wit but by thine arms of faith The Lord after his resurrection did first honour Mary to be the joyfull trumpeter to sound the news of the word of his mysticall Evangelicall birth-day to the Apostles themselves as the Lord of life the Son of God as he is man did honour Mary the blessed Virgin to be inclosed in her wombe and to be the first proclaimer of the joyfull day of his naturall birth Though woman therefore seduced by the false trechery of Satan was the instrument of the fall of man yet woman first and last was the most happy news-bringer of the most joyfull tidings that ever came to man or Angel Let a man therefore honour woman whom God the Lord hath so highly honoured For first woman was the happy instrument of the salvation of man and of the confirmed grace of the Angels Secondly woman was the happy instrument that man is crowned with the incorruptible crown of glory eternally in all heavenly happinesse whereas though man had stood in the state of perfection man must have enjoyed his perfection and felicity but eternally upon earth And so much for the declaration of the Evangelicall word as the word is the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law which is the Lords day the blessed day of dayes We are next according to our method to declare the Evangelicall word as it is the word of the new covenant and promise of God But a question doth arise of the Lords day first necessarily to be answered CHAP. XIII The Evangelicall sense of the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus THe Question here may be moved Since at the name of Jesus every knee must bow Phil. 2.10 11. of things in heaven of things upon earth and of things under the earth wherefore is not the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith called rather by the name of Jesus day then by the name of the Lords day I answer because it is by the light of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith by the truth of the Lords Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed that Jesus is known to be the Saviour of man the eternall Son of God Lord God and man equall to the Father and holy Spirit as hath been formerly declared by the infinite sanctified power of whose blessed merit the Lords day is blessed and sanctified and the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day immediatly commanded Though Jesus therefore be the name of the Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman and the Saviour of man by his cursed death and bloody rest in the grave without whose resurrection from the dead Jesus the Son of God Adam and all men created in Adam as head must have diâ—d eternally under the eternall curse of the law yet the name Lord is 〈◊〉 name by his infinit power he hath overcome the power of death and the grave necessarily implying the name Jesus and Christ as hath formerly been declared The Lords day therefore is the day of our Lord Jesus Christ immediatly and not immediatly the day of Jesus And consequently the bowing of the knee at the name of Jesus is the bowing of the knee at the name of the Lord Jesus by which bowing of the knee the Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day is implied as may plainly appear by the Apostles words saying that God hath given him a name above all names that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and that every tongue shall confesse that Jesus Christ is the Lord For as the religious bowing of the knee is from the believing heart implying the Spirit of the mind that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord wherâ—by the internall and externall worship of God is expressed So the confession of the tongue as likewise from the Spirit of faith in the heart that Jesus the Saviour of man is the Lord by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the Lords day whereby the worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth In which commanded worship â—ll the internall and externall worship of God is necessarily implied In this sense thâ— Apostle saith Rom. 10.10 with the heart man doth believe to righteousnesse and with the mouth man doth confesse to salvation that is with the heart implying the Spirit of the mind enlightened by the light of the Lords day really one with the light of the redeemed word of the law in the heart man doth believe that the Lord hath fulfilled the law of righteousnesse by whose merit the believer is saved and with the mouth man doth confesse before God and man that he is saved by faith in the truth of the Lords only merit for as by his only merit all men are saved from the first death which is the curse of the law for the sin of Adam so all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith The externall bowing of the knee therefore at the name of Jesus without adding or implying Lord proceeding from the believing of the heart is but a faithlesse and irreligious worship of God by man In these words of the Apostle concering the bowing of the knee which is a Prophesie and now fulfilled by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest and resurrection three speciall things are to be observed First though the name Jesus signifying a Saviour be given to man as at the power of the Lords command â—â—n is saved by man from temporall danger yet the name Jesus as he is Lord God and man is incommuâ—icable to man or Angel and a name above all names propâ—rly and immediatly ascribed to the Son the second person of the Trinity And therefore we see that in the Apostles salutations by their Epistles they do pray for peace and grace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ For as the Lord is man the Son of God equall with the Father and holy Spirit before all time so he is man the Son of God in time of the seed of the woman in the essentiall union of the divine nature of the Father Son and holy Spirit with the humane nature Lord God and man And consequently the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the Trinity Lord God and man The second thing to be observed in the words is
referred to man where we shall meet with the two like collaterall causes all which 4. Causes as they are effects they are al produced by one and the same next and immediate superior cause from whence we arise to the supreme cause of all By the last and lowest effect therefore of the new Covenant as it is referred to God God in his Son Christ Jesus doth oblige the naturall man in his redeemed state of natural and morall grace First and immediately to the Evanglicall faithfull worship of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law as the eternall word Christ Jesus hath revealed himselfe by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest arising from his bloudy rest Truth in the fulfilling of his promise to man and in that truth God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity cleerely and Evangelically without all propheticall mystery or Ceremony Secondly God doth oblige the faithfull Evangelicall obedience of man to the command of his whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith implyed in the Evangelicall seventh dayes commanded worship both upon the eternal blessing of the Lords dayes Evangelical rest upon the mercilesse curse of the law of faith The immediate cause of Gods obliging of man thus by his new Covenant is Gods eternall purpose to manifest himselfe mercy and justice to man by rendring of the reward of his Evangelicall law of faith according to the faith of man obliged by his law The immediate cause whereof is Gods enabling of the naturall man with such freedome of naturall and morall grace as he is able to give morall obedience to his calling by the new Covenant without any manner of necessitating of his morall disobedience To the naturall mans finall perseverance in which morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the spirituall grace of faith is due to the naturall man by Covenant whereby he hath the temporall blessing of the Lords dayes of Evangelicall rest in this life and eternal rest in the life to come The immediate cause of such naturall morall grace is the perfection of the redemption of man And here we fall in with the two former causes of the first covenant for both the creation and redemtion of man are by the same immediate cause we must therefore yet stop our resolution till we meet with the fourth colatorall cause arising from the new covenant as the new covenant is referred to man which must be likewise resolved both as the new covenant is fulfilled by man and as the new covenant is broke and transgressed by man The last and lowest effect of the regenerate man as he is obliged to the command of the law of faith by the new Covenant is the faithfull Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to whose thankefull faithfull worship the blessing of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest is temporally naturally and spiritually united in this life and eternally in the life to come as the temporall naturall morall blessing of the Lords daies rest is morally united to the morall worship of the naturall man The immediate cause of the regenerate mans faithfull worship of the seventh day implying his obedience to the command of the whole law is his spirituall faith The immediate cause of his spirituall faith is his love to spirituall righteousnes The immediate cause of his spirituall love is the sanctifying light of the holy Spirit enlightning his understanding by his spirituall calling in the immediate act of regeneration The immediate cause of his spiritnall calling is the finall perseverance of the naturall man in his morall obedience according to the word of promise Mat 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling for the naturall man by his spirituall calling being actually regenerate is saved by spirituall faith and consequently justified The immediate cause of the naturall mans finall perseverance in his morall obedience is first and immediately the perfection of the redemption and secondly Gods speciall free concursive grace in saving of the naturall man from being overcome by Satans temptations This immediate cause of the perfection of the redemtion doth fall in collaterally with the three former causes and so we have foure in number But yet we must not rise without resolution from these foure causes till the new Covenant be resolved as the law is finally contemned and transgressed by man obliged to the new Covenant The lowest and last effect to the Reprobate obliged to the new Covenant is his finall willfull obstinate contempt of the gracious promises of Salvation purchased by the sacred bloud of the son of God To the reprobates finall wilfull contempt whereof by his unthankfull merit the mercilesse curse of the law of fayth is eternally united whereby the reprobate is eternally condemned by God upon his eternall prescience of the reprobates finall contempt according to his eternall decree which is actually inflicted upon the soule of the reprobate so soone as he departeth this life and in the full extent both of soule and body in the great day while by the resurrection from the dead the soule and body being essentially reunited the curse of the Law in the full extent is actually and eternally inflicted upon man as he is man The immediate cause of the reprobates finall wilfull obstinate contempt is the hardning of his heart The immediate cause whereof is the reprobates wilfull impenitent obstinat continuance in all sin and wickednesse by his contemning of God in the contemning of his law and truth and of the professors of the truth The immediate cause whereof as the cause is externall is the objective temptations of Satan and of his wicked instruments whereby the reprobate is spiritually and morally corrupted from his childhood The immediate cause of the reprobates continuance in sin as the cause is internall is his wilfull yeelding to be induced by the temptations of Satan and of his instruments while there is nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience whereby the reprobate doth so wilfully ungraciously unthankfully and presumptuously contemn the blood of the new covenant Thus having the foure causes met together we are to ascend from the foure causes as they are effects produced by the next superior immediate cause to the supreme cause of all The immediate cause therefore of these foure severall effects as they are the immediate subordinate effects of the next and immediate superiour cause is Gods eternall purpose of the election of man in his Son Christ Jesus For the immediate object of Gods eternall purpose of election is the state of man redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate For in this estate all men are equally redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse for their sin in Adam all equally shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse all equally reconciled to the love and favour of God for that
first sin with such freedom of morall grace as all the created powers of God are not able to necessitate the will of the redeemed naturall man to morall disobedience To whose finall perseverance in his redeemed grace by his morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the grace of spirituall faith is due by the new covenant which is established with all men in the grace of this redeemed estate Of this redeemed estate of man God without all impeachment to his justice did decree from all eternity to elect to his mercy a certain number of this redeemed state of man known to himself by preserving of them from being finally overcome by the temptation of Satan and of his instruments in this life and to leave a certain number known only to himselfe in this redeemed estate of naturall and morall grace to be induced or not induced by Satan and his instruments to finall disobedience at their pleasure and perill For there is nothing to necessitate their will morally and finally to disobedience The immediate cause of Gods election of man in this redeemed estate is the freedome of his mercy who in this case will shew mercy on whom he will have mery in his Son Christ Jesus The immediate cause of his shewing of mercy to some in this redeemed estate is his foreknowledge of them whom from all eternity he hath predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son in this life The immediate cause that they are predestinate to be made like to the Image of his Son in this life is that Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time may be the first born amongst many brethren who are his mysticall members The immediate cause that they are the mysticall brethren and members of their mysticall head Christ Jesus is that as their mysticall head by the bloody persecution of Satan and his cruell instruments did seal the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed with his heart blood So his mysticall brethren and members by tasting of the cup of his afflictions by the bloody persecutions of Satan and his cursed crue may stand in the defence of the truth of their mysticall head valiantly to the end of this life The immediate cause whereof is to the end that whereas the Lords mysticall members hath born the Image of his bloody persecution in this life So in the great day they may in their mysticall head revenge the blood of man upon Satan by the finall breaking of the old Serpents head and the head of his cursed seed to their eternall confusion And that in recompence of their valour they may in their mysticall head be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory eternally and triumphantly in all heavenly happinesse in the life to come The immediate cause whereof is the Lords promise of the blessed seed that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent which seed of the woman is first the Word the Lord Jesus Christ begot by his Father man of the seed of the blessed Virgine And next his mysticall brethren begot by the literall and spirituall light of the Word brought forth by the woman the Church The immediate cause of the Lords promise of the blessed seed is Gods eternall decree of predestination upon his eternall prescience of the full of man by the malicious treachery of Satan The immediate cause of Gods eternall decree is Gods infinite love a and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman from whose infinite love to man as all the effects of his sacred decree do proceed So all return to the infinit eternall word second person of the glorious Trinity God and man God equall with the Father and holy Spirit to whom with the Father and holy Spirit three coessentiall distinct persons one incomprehensible indivisible infinite essence God of all power and majesty be ascribed of all creatures all eternall honour glory power praise and thanksgiving for his infinite truth love and mercy to man the only Rock and Rest of the faith of man FINIS
the law though eternall death be properly and immediately by the covenant for the law of God in its proper nature which is the image of his righteousnes doth command the obedience of man only upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and not upon eternall death And therfore we see that the curse of the Law is not set downe in the Decalogue But because as the covenant is established upon the immediat command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes it is the image both of the righteousnes and justice of God rendring to man according to his merit For this cause the law commands man both upon the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of disobedients and therefore though by covenant it be left to the freedome of mans election to live the life of righteousnes according to the command of the law of righteousnes and to merit eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience yet as the covenant is established upon the immediate command of the words of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes the obedience of man is both obliged and commanded upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the inevitable curse of eternall death By the light of this Theologicall infallible ground arising from the light of the truth of the sacred word the judicious Reader is led in the knowledge of the three covenants made by God with man which are linckt together as it were in a chaine as may appeare by the subsequent declaration of this tractat First therefore of the first covenant made by God with man CHAP. II. Of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man and of the immortality of the soule BEcause the first covenant doeth necessarily presuppose the first estate of man with whom the first covenant was made This first Booke therefore shal be divided into these two parts The first shall contain the declaration of the first estate of man The second shall contain the declaration of the first covenant The first state of man was the created state of man the last created of all creatures whose creation doth presuppose the whole workes of the creation which is the very first period of the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination exercit by the infinit essentiall word immediately As for the knowledge of the first estate of man it must necessarily arise from the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest For the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse and the word of the law first written in the heart of man are of one reall life and light For as the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes was the word of the eternall rest of righteousnes by the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest so the word of the law of righteousnes first written in the heart of man was the word of the power of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word For by the immediate power of the word thus written in the heart of man man was inabled to live the life of righteousnes to live the naturall life of man in his first state condition But as man of all creatures was last created so man was the ornament perfection and as it were the master piece of the workes of the creation For of all the creatures created by God the creation of man was the most rare and curious worke And though it be sayd That man was made a little lower then the Angels to wit in the perfection of glory yet the perfection of mans creation was superiour to the creation of Angels for all creatures were either intellectuall or corporall But that two so strange differing natures should be essentially united in the nature of man it is the wonder of nature it selfe All the creatures therefore being perfectly created man the ornament of the workes of the creation was created in the state of humane perfection This created perfection of man was the perfect life of righteousnes necessarily implying the perfection of the naturall life of man This perfection of man did arise from the perfection of the word of the law first written in the heart of man for in and with the immediat act of the creation of man as the word of the law of righteousnes was spiritually and immediatly written in the soule essentially united to the heart so by the same immediate act of the spirituall writer the word of the law as the law is spirituall was actually and spiritually enlightned by the spirituall light of his holy spirit in the soule of man By the power of which sanctifying light the heart of man to which the soule is essentially united was by the same immediate act sanctified with the spirituall action of holines By the immediate sanctifying power of the word thus actually and spiritually enlightned man was enabled to live the perfect life of righteousnes and holines wherby man was a perfect naturall and spirituall man and the perfect image of righteousnes and holines And this was the first state and condition of man with whom the first covenant was made by God Man therefore by the perfection of his creation was of a twofold perfection The first was the naturall perfection of man the second was his spirituall perfection Of this twofold perfection of man briefly so far as concerneth the subject in hand And first of the naturall perfection of man and next of his spirituall perfection The naturall perfection of man doth consist in the essentiall union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man First therefore of the created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man abstractly and next of the created perfection of the sensitive nature of man and of the essentiall union of the two natures The created perfection of the intellectuall nature of man is in the perfection of the soule of man and the perfection of the soule is from the perfection of the naturall power of the life of the word which the perfection of the spirituall life of the word doeth necessarily imply For the word is spiritually and immediately written in the soule of man as it is the image of the infinite word infinite power perfection life light righteousnes truth and eternity it selfe By the immediate naturall power of the word thus immediately written in the soule of man the soule doth live move intellectually and hath its perfect eternall state of intellectuall being as the word immediately written in the soule is perfect and eternall the soule of man therefore was created as perfect a true eternall spirit in the humane sphere as the Angelicall spirit in the Angelicall sphere for both as they are created spirits of a simple immateriall substance doe live move intellectually and have their eternall state of intellectuall being by
know the externall sensitive object by the literal sensitive light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse for the literall light of the Law which is by the sound of the word doth necessarily begin at the externall senses And therefore since the fall and redemption of man faith which is morall faith is said to bee the hearing of the word But because it is in the freedome of mans election by the act of his senses proceeding from the free act of his will to apprehend the externall sensitive object inlightened by what light soever therefore God by his Covenant doth only binde and oblige man to live this life of righteousnesse according to the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse As man is enabled to live the life of righteousnesse by the immediate power of the word written in his heart But God by his Covenant doth not formally command man to live the life of righteousnesse but leaveth it to the freedome of mans election by his obedience to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law either to choose eternall life by his obedience or eternall death by his disobedience The reason is because the life of righteousnesse doth immediately proceed from the act of the will which is the act of the soule of man which cannot bee necessitate by any command whatsoever for the will of the soule is created with the perfection of such contradictory and specificall freedome as all the created powers of God are not able to necâ—ssitate or enforce the free act of the will by any meanes under the heavens though the act of the will as it is intellectuall and sensitive may be externally coacted for as the will cannot be killed so the will can neither bee necessitate by any command But as the Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse the workes of righteousnesse according to the Law are commanded both upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death the first and immediate command whereof as the seventh day is the great command of the Law is the seventh dayes commanded worship implying the command of the whole Law which doth both oblige and command man to worship God in the truth of his promise for by the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest the word of promise is alwayes fulfilled according to the obedience of man or by the inflicting of the curse of eternall death upon the disobedience of man to the command of his word his promise is likewise fulfilled for it is all one for God not to fulfill his promise by his Covenant as to be no God And this is the first reason of Gods essentiall attribute of truth and that his word which is his immediate image is called truth The literall command of the Law arising from the letter of the Law is called by the Theologs the morall command of the Law and therefore the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse is called the morall Law of God obliging and commanding as it were the manners of man to God and to his image man as the voluntary action of man doth concerne God or his image man and from this morall denomination of the Law the voluntary action of man whether by his obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law is said to bee formally morall for both are equally the exercite act of the Law and to both the reward of the Law is equally due by the Law according to the merit of mans obedience or disobedience to the command of the Law from this morall denomination likewise of the Law the literall light of the Law is called the morall light of the Law for a formall difference between the literall and morall light of the Law arising immediatly from the letter of the Law and the spirituall light of the Law which is the immediate light of the holy Spirit And from this morall denomination of the litterall light of the Law since the fall and redemption of man faith arising from the morall light of the Law is called morall faith for a formall difference of morall faith from spirituall faith which doth arise from the immediate spirituall light of the holy Spirit in the immediate act of regeneration CHAP. IV. Of the created spirituall perfection of man THe intellectuall and sensitive nature of man being thus essentially united in the heart by the immediate power of the word inabling man with the power of naturall life and with the life of righteousnesse God in and with the immediate act of the creation of man did inlighten the word of the Law of righteousnesse spiritually written in the soule of man with the spirituall light of his holy Spirit sanctifying the heart of man to which the soul is essentially united with the spirituall life of holinesse By the immediate power of this spirituall life and light really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse Adam was enabled with the perfection of the spirituall understanding of the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law and to frame his spirituall life of righteousnesse and holinesse according to the perfection of the command of the Law which is the spirituall command By this perfection of spirituall life and light Adam was the perfect image of righteousnesse and holinesse and a perfect spirituall man And this is the image of righteousnesse and holinesse which the Apostle exhorts to bee renewed in the Ephesians and Collossians which was lost by Adams fall Adam therefore being created in this state of naturall and spirituall perfection the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole Law was objected to Adams externall senses by the power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest commanding Adam according to the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law really one with the spirituall light and command of the word of the Law of righteousnesse in his heart to worship God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse As God did manifest himselfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest from the workes of the creation And in that commanded spirituall worship commanding Adams spirituall obedience by his spirituall works of holinesse to fulfill the command of the Law of righteousnesse according to the spirituall light and command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest to whose perfect worship and obedience the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law of God By this light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of God from the workes of the creation Adam by the perfect act of
all men are concluded was prefigurate by the darknesse of the second Tabernacle which was called the Holiest place wherein there was no light at all neither any light to be carried in therein In this Tabernacle the ark of the Covenant was placed and in the ark the word of the two tables of the Law Heb. 9 3 4. the pot of Manna and Aarons rod. Upon the ark was the golden crown the two cherubims with their wings covering the Mercy-seat representing the over-shadowing power of the three distinct persons of the indivisible Trinity in the generation of the word the blessed seed conceived in the womb of the blessed Virgin afterwards more plainly to be declared For this covenant was the covenant of the blessed seed first made with Adam and with all men redeemed in Adam the head shut up in temporall darknesse which covenant was afwards renued to Abraham though after a more peculiar manner For God did promise by his covenant to Abraham that the blessed seed should descend of Abrahams seed and that in Abrahams seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed For this cause the Lord did set down to Moses descended of Abrahams seed the patern of the Tabernacle commanding Moses to erect a Tabernâ—cle according to that patern which was erected to the end that the Jews the posterity of Abraham might understand that the promise made to Abraham was really one with the promise made to Adam for as the second tabernacle called the Holiest place did signifie the first promise made to Adam So the first tabernacle called the Holy place did prefigurate the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham which was to be fulfilled before the second tabernacle could be opened signifying the promise made to Adam which promise first made to Adam was fulfilled by the rending of the partition-wall by our Savious death more fully to be declared in the third Book In this second Tabernacle Aaron the High Priest as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed did enter once ever yeer arrayed in a white vesture besprinckled with the blood of the sacrifice of the brazen Altar with a censure of coales taken from the brazen altar kindled with the fire which came down from heaven and with powdered sweet incense in his hand to be burned upon the coals when he came into the Holiest place that a cloudy sweet fume might ascend between the Mercy-seat and Aaron The end of Aarons entring into the Holiest place once every yâ—er was to obtain pardon for his own actuall sins and for the actuall sins of the congregation to whom as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the pardon of actuall sins was given first to himself and in him as he was the High Priest to those whose actuall sins God decreed from all eternity to pardon and forgive Now though the free grace and mercy of Gods holy Spirit cannot be tied neither to time place or person by pardoning of actuall sin for that spirituall wind Joh. 3.8 bloweth when and where it listeth yet God according to his decree from all eternity did decree to grant this grace of pardon of actuall sin at this time to the High Priest in the behalf of the congregation as he was the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck for these three weighty Reasons to be precisely understood by all men The first was that all men might know that the power to pardon actuall sin is only and immediately in the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck the blessed seed as he is God and man to whom all power in heaven and earth is given by the Trinity And this was the reason that the Scribes and Pharisees did accuse our Saviour for saying Luke 7.48 49. Thy sins be forgiven thee as if our Saviour had spoken blasphemy The second Reason is that the Jews might understand that all their externall sacrifice for sin all their sin-offerings and all their legall rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law could not take away their actuall sins and that the pardon of actuall sin is in the only free absolute power of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck as he God and man by faith in his only merit The third reason is that all men might understand that the pardon of actuall sin is by the spirituall inlightening of the spirituall darknesse of man by spirituall faith which was signified by the pardon of actuall sin which past through the cloud of the sweet incense from the Mercy-seat to Aaron as he was High Priest and the figure of the High Priest after the order of Melchisedeck by the spirituall light of whose holy Spirit the spirituall darknesse of man is spiritually inlightened by spirituall faith in his merit whereby all the actuall sins of the regenerate man are covered and freely pardoned The second fundamentall point to be observed in this concluding of aâ— men in spirituall unbelief proceeding from this spirituall darknesse is thâ— reason that this spirituall unbelief is called sin by the Apostle The immediate cause of this spirituall unbelief and sin proceeding from this spirituaâ— darknesse is the eternall decree of God And this is the sin which is calleâ— by the Theologs originall sin For a formall difference between actuall siâ— and this originall sin which by the eternall decree of God doth descenâ— from Adam the redeemed head of man upon all men naturally descended anâ— to descend of Adam to the end of the world to the end that by this sin and naturall death which followed this sin all men may know that they are redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse to which all men were eternally condemned for Adams first sin in whom all men transgressed the Law by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God as he is man and therefore it is said Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred in â—he world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned where this one man is Adam in his redeemed estate for his sin which entred in the world is necessary to be understood of originall sin which did enter by Adam the redeemed head of man and did descend by degrees upon his posterity And therefore this sin which entred in the world must not be taken for Adams first sin For first Adams first sin cannot be said to have entred in the world by degrees for it did cease upon Adam and all men at one instant For it was as really the sin of all men transgressors of the Law in Adam the head as it was the sin of Adam Secondly temporall naturall death followed this sin that entred in the world by this one man but eternall death followed Adams first sin from which all men are reâ—eemed The sense therefore of the words is this As by Adam the redeemed head of
all men concluded in originall sin originall sin entred in the world by descending upon his posterity and temporall naturall death by that sin that all men may acknowledge that they were all transgressors of the Law in Adam their head So temporall natuâ—all death did passe over all men young and old male and female from Adam â—o Moses In the 14. verse of the 5. Chapter to the Romans the Apostle doth â—ffirm Adam to be the figure of Christ Jesus the second Adam for Adam was â—he figure of Christ in his redeemed estate concluded in spirituall darknesse â—nd originall sin and naturall death which followed that sin where the Apostle makes a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam â—he first is in the 15. verse the sense of the words is this As by the first Adam in whom all men sinned by his first transgression of â—he Law as he is the redeemed head of all men concluded in spirituall darkâ—esse and naturall death many are dead to wit by naturall death So by the â—pirituall enlightning of the spirituall darknesse of man by the spirituall light â—f the second Adam the grace of spirituall faith did abound to many whereby many are alive and in this sense the 19. verse is to be understood The second comparison is in the 16. verse the sense whereof is this 〈◊〉 was for the one sin of the first Adam against the Law of righteousnesse â—hat all men were eternally condemned but it is for the remission of many â—ctually committed against the Law of righteousnesse of faith that the faithfull are justified by faith in the second Adams infinite merit The third comparison is in the 18. verse the sense is this As by the first Adams first sin against the law of righteousnesse all men were condemned to eternall death so by the righteousnesse of the second Adam by his satisfying of the transgressed law of righteousnesse for man by his cursed death the free gift of his merit came upon all men to the justification of life for that first sin so that neither Adam neither any man naturally descended or to descend of Adam to the and of the world shall ever be charged with that first sin of Adam to condemne man Of the concluding of the redeemed naturall man in originall sin arising of the spirituall darknesse and spirituall unbeliefe I infer these ten Theologicall demonstrative conclusions 1. The first transgression of the law by Adam as he was simply obliged to the law of righteousnesse was infinite and mercilesse without any revealed mercy It was infinite because the transgression of the law of righteousnesse is the contempt of God as he is God and the transgression was mercilesse because the second Person in whom is only mercy was not then revealed to Adam 2. The act of the redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law of righteousnesse being performed by man Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of woman in time in the justice of God doth equall the eternity of the curse of the law for the transgression of the law of righteousnes by man 3. All men created in Adam the head transgressors of the law in Adam condemned to eternall death and darknesse for Adams first sin are all redeemed from the eternal curse of the law for that first sin by the cursed death of Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God as he is man begot of the seed of the woman And by the eternall Decree of God all men in Adam the redeemed head of man are concluded in originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin 4. It is only for actuall sin by the transgression of the law of righteousnesse of faith for which man is now condemned to the eternall curse of the law of faith and that by finall contempt and impenitency for all men by the old and new Covenant have all the dayes of this life to repent them of their actuall sins 5. Fifthly and consequently the childe in the wombe actually and intellectually informed man and the son of Adam departing this life or being borne and departing this life before the childe come to actuall morall understanding and action the childe doth depart free from actuall sinne and a true Saint in heaven for the childe is redeemed in Adam the head by the sacred blood of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God begot man of the seed of the woman in time by whose pretious blood all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam the redeemed head of man are saved from the curse of the law of the sinne of Adam And therefore our Saviour saith Mar. 10.14 Suffer little children to come unto mee for of such is the Kingdome of heaven 6. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men from Adam the redeemed head of all men yet Adams actuall sins doe not descend upon his posterity For since the fall and redemption of man the soule that sinneth must only dye for the sin Ezek. 18.4 And therefore while as it is said I wiâ— visit the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation This visiting of God must be understood of his temporall visitation by his temporall judgements in this life which is a caveat for all parents to have a care of their posterity lest by their evill example they induce their children to follow their sin and so draw downe the temporall judgements of God upon their children in this life 7. The doore of the naturall mans spirituall darknesse is only and immediately opened by the spirituall key of David enlightning the understanding of the naturall man with the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration While that door therefore standeth open which all the created powers of God cannot shut againe though the regenerate man doth too too often stumble and fall yet the regenerate man can never fall totally and finally from the grace of spirituall faith 8. The free pardon of actuall sin is onely and immediately by the free mercy of the Lord Iesus Christ For by whose immediate spirituall power spirituall faith is begot by his onely immediate power actuall sin is onely pardoned which power since the power of the high Priest is determined is communicall to all the created powers of God for this power is the immediate act of the holy Spirit 9. Though Adams good workes while he stood in the state of created perfection did proceed from his spirituall faith in the promise of God the Creator yet the reward and eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse was not due by the Law immediately to Adams faith but immediately to his workes But the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is due by the Law immediately to the faith of man and not immediately to the workes of Faith though by the Law of faith the workes of
redeemed word of the Law written in the heart of man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Iesus in the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed enabling all men by morall saith to beleeve the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed And the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith blessed and sanctified by the truth of the merit of the Lords Evangelicall rest is now objected to the externall senses obliging all the Nations of the World to believe the truth of the Lords merit by his rest from the fulfilling oâ— the promise of the blessed seed To whose faith the blessing of the Lords eternall rest is due by the Evangelicall Law of faith As for the formall difference of the word of every severall seventh daies rest of the Law from the beginning it doth consist in these two pointes First the formall difference of the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law doth arise from the formall manner of Gods revealing of himselfe by the word of his severall seventh daies rest by the formallity of which severall rest the formall worship of the seventh day is commanded The second difference is that by the least transgression of the Law of righteousnes in the state of perfection the sinne was without all hope of any revealed mercy or time of repentance But the transgression of the Law of righteousnes of faith is withall hope of mercy and time of repentance while there is day in this life Of this declaration of the Evangelicall word as it is the redeemed word of truth written in the heart of man And as it is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith implying the perfection of the redepmtion of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam I infer these subsequent necessary demonstrative conclusions CHAP. IX Conclusion 1. IT is by the redeemed word of the Law as the Law is spirituall immediatly written in the soule of man necessarily implying the power of intelectuall life and light that the soule doth live and hath its intellectuall moving and being which is the first act of the soule of man as he is intelectuall and a true humane spirit in potency to his second intelectuall act And it is by the word of the Law literally written in the heart of man necessarily implying the power of naturall life and light that man as he is man doth live move and hath his redeemed being which is the first act of man as he is man and a rationall creature in potency to his second naturall and morall act by the species of the externall sensitive object and this is the reason that Iohn saith Iohn 1.4 in it was life and that life was the light of man Conclusion 2. It is by the litterall light of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith objected to the externall senses which is one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law in the heart that the understanding and will of the naturall man is formally and morally produced in act necessarily implying the naturall light without which the species of the externall object can neither be morally or naturally apprehended by the act of the understanding of man Conclusion 3. Though man as he is a spirituall man shut up in spirituall darknesse till he be regenerate be said to be dead as he is a spirituall man because he is deprived of the spirituall light of the holy Spirit for the time yet by the word of the Law immediately and spiritually written in the soule necessarily implying the intelectuall life and light the soule of man humane spirit doth live and move intelectually which intelectuall life and light the spirituall light of the holy Spirit doth necessarily presuppose for the formall action of holines doth as necessarily presuppose the intelectuall act of the soule as the formall morall action the naturall action of man which are both by one reall light though the intelectuall be a pure unmixed light and the naturall a mixed light by the essentiall union of the intelectuall and sensitive nature of man without which light man were neither an intelectuall or rationall creature as hath bin formerly demonstrate Conclusion 4. As by the internall word of the Law which is eternally spiritually and immediatly written in the soule the soule of man humane spirit is spiritually immediatly and eternally obliged to the Law as the Law is â—pirituall So by the eternall word of the Law literally written in the h art of man man as he is man is eternally and morally obliged to the Law of God and consequently the sensitive body being resolved from the soule must remaine in its principle to be reunited to the soule in the great day Conclusion 5. The Lords day blessed and sanctified by the Lords blessed resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed in time was in the eternall purpose and councell of God before all time the decâ—eed seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith Conclusion 6. The literall light of the Lords day the seventh day of the Lords Evangelicall rest doth farre surmount the light of all the severall seventh dayes rest of the eternall word from the foundation of the world for by the literall light of the Lords day the naturall man is fundamentally and literally led to all the former seventh daies rest of the eternall word from the beginning all proceding from the love of God to man Conclusion 7. The literall light of the word of the Lords day doth emply the literall light of all the Scripture of God and consequently the whole excercite act of the sacred decree of predestination so farre as is revealed to man in this life Conclusion 8. By the Lords daies Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest the Lord did manifest himselfe truth and in that truth love and mercy to man Conclusion 9. As our Saviour by his birth life death and by his rest in the grave did manifest himselfe true man and by his wonders and miracles did manifest himselfe the Son of God begot of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit So by the infinit power of his Evangelicall rest in his triumphant victory over the power of Satan sinne eternall death and darknesse of Hell over the power of the curse of the Law and over the power of the grave his last enemy the Lord did manifest himselfe Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity the maner whereof is clearly set downe in the Chapter following Conclusion 10. As by the Lords Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed arising from his bloody rest was by his infinit power So his merit by his rest
from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and from his fulfilling of the Law for man by his bloody rest was likewise infinit By the power of whose infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest as it is the word of the eternall life and rest of man the formall worship of the Lords day is commanded in spirit and truth And therefore the Lord told the Samaritan woman The houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father and consequently the Son and holy Spirit in Spirit and truth For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth By which words the formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is both set downe and commanded by the Lord of the Lords day For first the Lord told the Samaritan woman commanding her to beleeve that the houre should come which is the houre of the Lords day which was then to come Secondly the Lord commanded the Samaritan woman to beleeve that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and truth that is in the Spirit of faith in the truth of his Evangelicall rest fâ—om the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed Which is the formall Evangelicall commanded worship of the Lords day which must be sanctified by man after that formall manner in the Spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest as he hath manifested himselfe to man by the day of his resurrection to wit Lord God and man in the three coessentiall distinct Persons of the glorious Trinity Thirdly whereas the Lord told the Samaritan woman that God must be worshipped in Spirit and truth and that the Father requireth such worship The formall Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the Lord of the Lords day for Gods will and requiring of man by his word is the Lords immediate command to man Fourthly whereas the Lord said to the Samaritan woman the houre is in these words the Lords last will testament to be executed after the testators death is fully implied for in the commanded worship of the Lords day the whole Evangelicall morall Law of God which is the whole Evangelicall word is necessarily implied Fiftly while as the Lord saith to the Samaritan woman the houre cometh when ye shall neither worship the Father in this Mountaine or at Jerusalem By these words the formall ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law is actually determined by the actuall immediate commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to the great comfort of both Jewes and Gentiles in tâ—eir freedome from the sore yoake of the ceremoniall Law Conclusion 11. All propheticall ceremoniall worship is barred from the truth of the Lords commanded worship for by such ceremoniall worship the truth of the Lords fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is belied and necessarily denied by the will worship of man Conclusion 12. All ceremoniall pretended worship of God by any maner of carved or painted Image objectively representing to the eyes of man the Son of God as he is man is contradictory to the truth of the Lords commanded worship by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed as he is God and man For first by this ceremoniall pretended worship God is immediatly worshipped as he is man Secondly by the intervening of the sensitive object between the Lord and his worship the Lords worship is necessarily interrupted and consequently the worship a false faithles idolatrous worship necessarily denying the truth of the Lords commanded worship Conclusion 13. All mediate pretended worship of God by invocation of Angels or Saints departed this life is repugnant to the Lords infinit merit by the truth of his Evangelicall rest For first by the immediate object of such worship intervening between the worshipper and the Lord as by his infinit merit he is eternall life rest the infinitnes of his merit is confined Secondly prayer being a most essentiall part of Gods immediate worship by such invocation of the object to which the prayer is directed the worship of God is necessarily interrupted while as man by the Lords owne immediate command is commanded to call upon the Lord himselfe immediatly in the day of trouble and neither upon Saint or Angel And consequently such mediate pretended worship of God equall idolatry with the former Conclusion 14. As all men for their first sinne in Adam as head were condemned to the curse of eternall death and darknes So by the infinit powâ—â— of the Lords merit all men were redeemed in Adam as head from the curse of eternall death and from eternall naturall and spirituall darknes shuâ— up its â—â—mâ—orall spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne for â—he infinit good of man Conclusion 15. As by the perfection of the redemption of man by the power of the Lords infinit free merit all men are freed from the curse of eternall naturall morall and spirituall death and from the eternall curse of naturall morall and spirituall darknesse though shut up in temporall spirituall darknes So all men by the redeemed free power of the word in the heart as they are naturall men are restored to the free grace of naturall and morall life and light without any manner of necessitating the act of the understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Conclusion 16. All men redeemed from the curse of the Law by the eternall decree of predestination being concluded in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and originall sinne all naturall men comming to actual morall understanding and action before they be regenerate are necessarily dead in actuall sinne by their transgression of the Law of faith Conclusion 17. By the redeemed word of the Law in the heart of man man is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus as he hath revealed himselfe by the light of the word of the Lords day truth love and mercy First therefore the naturall man by the power of the redeemed word of the Law written in his heart is enabled to produce the workes of truth love and mercy morally though not spiritually which are the workes of morall faith Secondly and consequently by the reall unity of the power of light and command of the word of the Law in his heart with the light and command of the Lords day the naturall mans heart is morally moved to assent and to beleeve the truth of the Lords day and to give morall obedience to the command of the Law implied in the Lords day Thirdly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word in the heart man is enabled to morall repentance which doth necessarily proceed the act of morall faith Conclusion 18. All tenents and assertions denying the universall grace of the redemption of all men from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam shut up in spirituall darknes called unbeleefe and sinne
are contradictory to the truth of the Lords infinit merit contradictory to the whole current of the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination Conclusion 19. All tenents and assertions denying the freedome of the naturall mans redeemed grace by the free act of his understanding will and senses without any manner of the necessitating of the free act of man either naturally or morally are contradictory to the perfection of the redemption of man by the Lords infinit merit For the naturall mans will being necessitate either naturally or morally man is no man as hath bin formerly demonstrate And consequently the naturall man by the perfection of his redemption is enabled with morall grace by the act of his understanding actually enlightned by the literall light of the Lords day to understand morally the grace of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest and by the act of his will to beleeve morally the Lords offered grace as hath bin formerly declared Conclusion 20. All tenents and assertions affirming the universall spirituall grace of man by the only act of the redemption which grace is only by the spirituall light of the holy Spirit enlightning the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man in the act of regeneration are contradictory to the sacred word and consequently to the sacred decree of predestination For all men freed from the curse of eternall death and darknesse are shut up in temporall spiritual darknes called unbeleef and sin by the eternall decree of God Conclusion 21. By all tenents and assertions affirming that the naturall man by his morall good workes doth merit eternall life The infinitnesse of the Lords merit is denied Such assertions are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant For by the new covenant the morall blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life is immediatly offered to the morall faith of the beleever And therefore the Evangelicall Law is called the Law of righteousnesse of faith and not the Law of workes for from the morall faith of the naturall man his morall good workes doe immediatly proceed and consequently can merit nothing at all and therefore the morall blessing of the Lords day as it is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law is due morally and immediatly by the Law to the morall faith of the naturall man whose faithfull workes of truth love and mercy are mediatly commanded as the effects of his morall faith whereby the truth of the Lords infinit love and mercy is testified by the naturall man without the blessing of whose truth by the Lords infinit merit the naturall man could not so much as craule upon the earth Conclusion 22. All tenents and assertions affirming that the free grace of the Lords infinit merit by the new Covenat is offered only to the elect are contradictory to the very words of the new Covenant whereby the free grace â—f thâ— Lords infinit merit of eternall life and rest is freely offered to all the Nations of the world And therefore this state is called the state of grace for though the state of man under the propheticall obligement of the Law of faith in the promise of the blessed seed was likewise the state of grace yet that was the estate of promised grace and this is the state of grace of that fulfilled promise for as the faithfull Fathers were saved from the curse of the propheticall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed So the faithfull are now sâ—ved by faith in the fulfilled promise Conclusion 23. All tenents and assertions whereby the faith of the beleever and the Lords infinit merit are seperate and devided which is the Rocke whereon the Lord told Peter the Church of God is builded are false and adulterous tenents and assertions arising from the false light of errour Now because the Church of God is so much distempered by a multitude of such tenents and objections all arising from the false light of the spirit of error two short Theologicall Canons or rules shall be set downe whereby the judicious Reader is enabled to make the strongest objection against the truth of the sacred word to vanish with the objecters breath By meanes whereof the spirit of error is discovered according to the Apostles command CHAP. X. The first Canon ALL tenents and assertions of faith repugnant to the literall light and truth of the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith are from the false light of the spirit of error The second Canon All pretended worship of God repugnant to the truth of the commanded Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is a false adulterous worship The explanation of the twofold Canon As the immediate object of faith is the Lords infinit merit by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed the eternall life light and rest of man So is the literall light of the Lords day the light whereby the object is enlightned to be apprehended by the faith of man which being one reall light with the literall light of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his being As by this literall light the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the Lords truth So his will by its love to that truth is moved to apprehend the object of the Lords merit as it is the eternall life light and rest of man This literall light is in the sound of the word of the Lords dâ—y For as by the light of the Sunne fire or of any materiall light the understanding of man is produced in act by the mediate sense of seeing So the sâ—uâ—d of the word is the light whereby the understanding is produce in act by the mediate sense of hearing I doe not meane heare the light of the sound of the words â—s â—â—â—y are simply words but as they are the sound of the Evangelicaâ— word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith the word of the eternall life and light of man which being founded by the faithfull Minister in the naturall mans hearing his understanding and will is morally produced in act to understand and believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise of the blessed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by covenant which was fulfilled by the Lords twofold resurrection The first was by his resurrection from the grave the second was by his resurrectiâ—â— from the earth to the heavens from whence he did descend For as the Word is man the Son of God with the Father and holy Spirit before all time he did descend from the heavens to the earth and as the Word is man the Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time he did ascend again to the heavens This twofold resurrection of the
Word doth comprehend the twelve Articles of Christian faith all depending one upon another like as many links of a chain linked one into another all arising from the literall light of the Lords day by his rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blâ—ssed seed as the Lord did graciously oblige himself to man by the covenant First therefore of the Lords resurrection from the grave and next of his resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens The Lords resurrection from the grave doth comprehend these ten fundamentall points of faith First by the literal light of the sound of the evangelicall Word of the Lords day really one with the literall light of the redeemed Word of the Law written in the heart of man whereby man doth live move and hath his redeemed state of being the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediate sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was the last period of his rest from the redemption of man and all things lost by man from the curse of the Law for the first sin of Adam And that the Lords resurrection from the grave was from the bloody rest in the grave and his bloody rest in the grave from his sustâ—iâ—ing of the bloody cursed death of the crosse and his bloody cursed death of the crosse from his love and mercy to man Secondly as by our Saviâ—urs bloody death and rest in the grave necessarily presupposing his birth and life our Saviour did manifest himself true man so by our Saviours gracious words glorious wonders and miracles while he was personally upon earth as our Saviour was man the Son of God before all time so he did manifest himself man the Son of God in time begot of the seed of the woman by the overshadowing act of the Almighty Thirdly as our Saviour as he is the eternall Son of God by his sustaining of the eternall curse of the Law did merit the salvation of Adam and of all men naturally to descend of Adam from the first death which was the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam so our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave for the full space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath whereby the Law was fulfilled as he was obliged to the Law for man as our Saviour is the eternall Son of God he did merit the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam due by the Law to his eternall merit which is the blessing of the Lords day offered to the faith of all the nations of the world by the new covenant whereby all the faithfull are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith Fourthly by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day the naturall mans understanding is morally produced in act by the mediat sense of hearing to understand that the Lords resurrection from the grave was by his rest from the power of eternall death and darknesse of hell from the eternall curse of the Law the cause of eternall death from sin which he made himself for man the cause of the curse of the Law from the power of Satan the cause of sin and from the power of the grave his last enemy whereby the Lord by the immediate act of his own immediate infinite power did gloriously and triumphantly manifest himself truth to man by the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed and in that truth love and mercy to man and by that truth love and mercy Lord God and man in the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature Lord God and man equall with the Father and holy Spirit Lord God and man equall with the Father by the work of the redemption of man eternally lost by the eternall curse of the Law and by the redemption of the creatures which were cursed for the sin of man which are equall to the works of the creation and the Lord did manifest himself Lord God and man equall with the holy Spirit as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures which he hath redeemed are conserved in their redeemed estate which is the proper blessing of the holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son The name Lord therefore is the name of the essentiall union of the divine and humane nature necessarily implying the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity and consequently implying the name Jesus and Christ For as by the Lord God and man the lost creatures are râ—stored the Lord is the Father Lord and commander of the creatures And as he is the Saviour of man from eternall death he is Jesus the eternall Son of God aâ—d as by the continuall influence of his blessing the creatures are conserved he is Christ the anointed with the oile of gladnesse the holy Spirit and sanctifier and consequently as the redeemed word written in the heart of man by the power of which redeemed word the naturall man doth live move and hath his redeemed state and grace of naturall and morall being is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus so the redeemed word in the heart of man is the Image of the Lords truth love and mercy whereby the naturall man is morally enabled by the act of his understanding and will to produce the works of truth love and mercy Fifthly the Lords rest and resurrection from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed being by his infinite immediate power his merit by his resurrection and rest is infinite and his love and mercy to man by his rest is infinite Sixthly as by the infinit power of the Lords merit by his resurrection and rest the day of the Lords resurrection is blessed and sanctified for his worship by man to whose faithfull worship the infinite blessing of the Lords merit of eternall life and rest is due by the Evangelicall law of faith so by the infinite power of his merit the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day is immediatly commanded and in that immediate worship as the Lords day is the Evangelicall seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith implying the command of the whole law the whole Evangelicall law is commanded obliging all the nations of the world to believe the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords Evangelicall eternall rest is due by the law whereby the faithfull man is saved from the second death which is the curse of the law of faith and doth enjoy eternall life Seventhly the naturall man being commanded to believe that by faith in the Lords merit he is saved from the second death and Evangelicall faith being the act of the redeemed heart of man and the originall of all his naturall and morall actions to which all men are inabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy written in the heart of man faith
the Sacramentall bread the breaking of our Saviours body by the curse of the Crosse is signified as by the Sacramentall wine our Saviours heart bloud is signified whereby the bread of life is purchased which being Sacramentally received by faith the receiver hath the temporall blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest in this life and eternall rest in the life to come and therefere it is said Wee must not live by bread alone but by every word proceeding from God Mat. 4.4 And this is the reason that the Word is called the Bread of life as by the sensitive bread the sensitive nature of man is temporally continued and preserved so by the spirituall understanding of the Word Christ Jesus the Word and Bread of life spiritually and Sacramentally received by faith the spirituall life of the receiver is eternally continued according to our Saviours owne word This is life eternall to know thee the onely true God and Christ Jesus whom thou hast sent Here a Question may be moved to be answered in the Chapter following CHAP. XI The light of the word is in the sound of the word THe Apostle doth affirme that faith is by hearing of the word Rom. 10.17 The Question therefore may bee moved Is not faith likewise by reading of the word I answer The Question here is of morall fâ—ith And therefore I say That faith is not by reading of the word as the written word is the object of the sence of seeing but as the written word doth presuppose the word spoken for it is the word spoken that is read in which case morall faith may be said to be by reading For many times God by his objective concursive grace doth concurre with the naturall mans reading of the word and with the reading of the spirituall Writers upon the word whereby the naturall mans understanding is enlightened and his will moved morally to beleeve the word and his heart inclined to give morall obedience to the literall command of the word But while God doth not afford his coÌ„cursive objective grace which is in his free pleasure the naturall man readeth but a dead letter for the life of the word is in the sound of the word to the hearing while as by the spirituall Ministers word the heart of man where the redeemed word of the Law is written is rouzed and moved by the sound of the word threatning of Gods judgements for sin whereby man is raised from sin and moved to arme himselfe against Satan and his instruments And this is the reason that the Ministers of God are called Trumpeters for as at the sound of the Trumpet the whole Army is roused to Arme themselves against the enemy so at the sound of the word by the spirituall Minister man is roused and stirred up to resist the temptation of Satan and of his instruments The life of the word therefore is in the sound of the word And this is the reason that the Apostle saith that faith is by hearing of the word which is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of saith implying the whole Evangelicall Law and Word of God Now as the Evangelicall Word of the Lords day hath bin declared to be the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith So for the Readers satisfaction in this fundamentall point the cheife point of Christian faith the manner shall be set downe that the sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the written word of God CHAP. XII The sound of the word of the Lords day doth arise from the writen word of God FIrst the whole Evangel is only the sound of the word of the Lords day from the Lords promise of the blessed seed to his conception of the seed of the woman from his conception to his birth from his birth to his death from his death to his rest in the grave whereby he did manifest himselfe first that he was the promised blessed seed the Son of God the light and life of man by his gracious word by his glorious wonders and miracles Secondly that he was love and mercy to man Love by his gracious curing of many sensitive diseases of man incurable by man as he is only man Mercy by his pardoning of sinne as he is the Son of God Thirdly Christ Jesus the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman did manifest himselfe by his death that he is the Saviour of all men for their sinne in Adam Fourthly by his fulfilling of the Law in his rest in the grave for the whole space of the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was manifested to be redeemed by our Saviour All performed by Jesus Christ the Son of God man begotten of the seed of the woman But his resurrection from the grave by his rest from the fulfilling of the Law implying his bloody rest in his grave from the redemption of man was by his infinit power as he is Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the seed of the woman by the immediate unction of the holy Spirit God equall with the Father and holy Spirit By whose rest the Lords day the day of the Lords resurrection was blessed and sanctified for the Lords thankfull worship by man implying the light of the word of the whole Evangel Though the Lords day was first called by the Evangelists the day of the Lords resurrection to convince the false report of the Jewes who had suborned the Keepers of the sacred grave to affirme that the Disciples had stolen away the Lords blessed Body from the grave As the Lords day was called by the Apostles the first day of the weeke least by naming of any other seventh day then the great propheticall Sabbath in the first plantation of the Evangel the stubborne Jewes should have utterly rejected the embracing of the Evangel All which is but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day But of all the sounds of the word of the Lords day in the Evangel Iohn Baptists sound that Elias did passe all for his sound was as if the Lord then had suffered and had risen from the dead For first by Iohns pointing at the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the World our Saviours death was signified Secondly by Iohns baptizing of our Saviour in Christs submersion and rising out of the water his rest in the grave and resurrection was lively expressed Thirdly by Iohns affirming that he did see the Spirit of God in forme of a Dove to descend from Heaven upon our Saviour the calling of the Jewes and Gentiles by the new Covenant was most lively expressed for by the Doves outstreched wings the Lords armes of mercy by his Evangelicall bloody rest were spread out from Heaven to embrace all the Nations of the World Secondly the whole tractate of the acts from
rest which is the blessing of the Lords day is the immediate object of faith and therefore the Evangelicall law is called the law of righteousnesse of faith though the works of faith which are the works of truth love and mercy are equally commanded in the command of faith which is the necessary sole immediate efficient cause of the works of faith and therefore necessarily commanded in the command of faith while the Apostle therefore doth affirm that man is justified by faith without the works of the law we must understand that the works meaned by the Apostle are the ceremoniall works of the Propheticall law and not the Evangelicall works of faith to which works the Apostle doth exhort both the Jews and Gentiles and therefore the Apostle James saith shew me thy faith by thy works Now the Lords merit of eternall life which is the blessing of the Lords day being really one the word of promise and new covenant and the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law are really one and so much for the reall unity of both next of the formall difference The formall difference of both doth consist in this that by the new covenant God and man are mutually obliged in the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For as God by his new covenant doth formally oblige man to believe the truth of his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed by his Evangelicall rest So the Lord doth mutually oblige himself by the truth of his merit by his Evangelicall rest to save the believer from the curse of the second death obliging likewise the unbeliever and finall contemner of his free gracious offer to the mercilesse curse of the law of faith But by the Evangelicall word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law the Lord doth formally command man to testifie his beliefe to the word of eternall life as the Lords Word is his law to man The chief precept of whose law is the commanded worship of the Lords day in which commanded worship the whole Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith as formally and necessarily commanded commanding the faith of man in the originall which is the love of the heart where the redeemed word of the law is written really one with the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the law the Lords day by the power of which redeemed word in the heart which is the Image of God in his Son Christ Jesus truth love and mercy it self all men are morally enabled by the works of truth love and mercy to give morall obedience to the command of the Evangelicall law which are the works of faith the chief work whereof is the truth of the commanded worship of the Lords day whereby the Lord by his Evangelicall rest hath manifested himself truth love and mercy to man The judicious Reader therefore may plainly perceive that though there be a formall difference between the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law and of the word of promise and the new covenant yet they are really one and the one necessarily implyed in the other For as hath been formerly declared God cannot morally command man to his new covenant but by the immediate command of the word of the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall law which is the Evangelicall word of the Lords day For there is neither life light or the power of command in any precept of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith but by the only immediate commanded worship of the Lords day in that commanded worship implying the command of the whole law And therefore the blessing of the Lords merit by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest is only and immediatly due by the law to the faithfull worship of the Lords day for the fulfilling of the whole law which is fulfilled by faith in the Lords infinite merit by whose infinite sanctified merit by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise the Lords day is the word of eternall life and the immediate object of Christian faith without the command therefore of the Lord day as it is his law to man there is neither life or light for man or any law or new covenant or any object for the faith of man dead in actuall sin as all men freed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam are before they be regenerate by their transgression of the law of faith And therfore as our Saviour by his bloody rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the command of the seventh day did fulfill the whole law as our Saviour was oblieged to the law for man to whose merit the eternall life and rest lost by Adam is due by the law so the Lord Iesus Christ eternall life and rest by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the day of his resurrection did obliege all men again to his new Covenant by the immediate command of the Lords dayes commanded worship blessed and sanctified by his merit to believe in his fulfilled promise of the blessed seed to whose faith the blessing of his merit of eternall life is due by the law which is commanded in the cōmanded worship of the Lords day as may appear by the word of promise new covenant Go and teach preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit Mar. 16.15 16. he that shal believe shall be saved but he that wil not believe shall be condemned The sense of the word of the covenant is this Go and preach the Evangel that is go and preach proclaim the glad tidings of my resurrection and rest this day from the fulfilling of my promise of the blessed seed which is the summe of the whole Evangel implied in the Lords day by the Lords Evangelicall rest go therefore preach the Evangel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit as my my resurrection and rest this day from the power of sin Satan hell eternall death the curse of the law and the power of the grave I have manifested my self by mine own infinit immediate power Truth to man by the fulfilling of my promise and in that truth love and mercy to man and in that truth love and mercy God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity whosoever shall believe in me to wit eternall life and rest by the power of my infinit merit by my Evangelicall rest shall be saved from the curse of the second death for the transgression of the law of faith as by my bloody rest in the grave from the cursed death of the crosse all men are saved from the curse of the law for their transgression of the law in Adam which is the first death he that will not believe in me shall be condemned to
is impossible either to know or please God As the fundamentall knowledge of God doth arise from the Covenants made by God with man So the fundamentall knowledge of the Covenants doth necessarily arise from the light of the word of eve y severall seventh daies rest as God hath revealed himselfe to man from the beginning in his severall state and condition For as hath beene said upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh daies rest the severall Covenants are established First and immediatly obliging man to the seventh daies formall comanded worship and in that commanded worship obliging the obedience of man to the fulfilling of the command of the whole Law without the light therefore of the word of the seventh daies rest we can never attaine to the knowledge of the Covenant The word of God therefore in this sense implying the Covenant established upon the word of the seventh daies rest is the subject of this small Tractate And as God from the beginning did manifest himselfe after a threefold formall manner to man by the word of his severall seventh daies rest of his Law of righteousnesse â—o from the beginning God did make three severall formall Covenants with man in his severall state and condition Whereby the Law of God from the beginning was formally obliged after a threefold formall severall manner obliging man in his severall state and condition which was likewise after a threefold manner As for the Covenant made with Abraham that in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed it was the same reall Covenant made to Adam after the fall in the promise of the blessed seed though the promise was made after a more particuler manner to Abraham after to be declared According to these three Covenants This smale Tractate shall be devided into three severall bookes containing the fundamentall declaration of the three Covenants made by God with man which are the exercit act of the sacred decree of predestination so farre therefore as is revealed to man in this life Errata Paâ— 1. l. 38. read internally p. 3. 16. of mâ—n p. 5. 23. execute p 7 27 externall p. 8. 3. infer p. 9. â—3 sustaining ib. 24. soule p. 13. 5. â—â—e act ib. 29 lamp p. 14. 17. adâ—e by p. 28 23. severall p 41. 32 the iâ—t rnall p 42. 14. extend p. 48 17. might p. 55. 19. adde more p 57. 10 addâ— spirituall ib. 35. after and sin adde and in temporall naturall death which followed thâ—t sin p. 60. 3. adde demonstratiue ib 6 literall p. 64 29 after necessary adde spirituall p 65. 14. spirituall ib. 17. indivisibly p. 67. 3. sin ib 22. he is p. 82. 21 supernaturally p. 83. 17. read thus they do necessarily hate all harers and pe secutâ—rs of his truth and of p. 89. 18. adde to p 90. 24. to Adam p. 93 11 for seed head p. 94. 36 adde from Abel p. 96. 4. adde promised ib 14 dele the second of ib. 24. are p. 97. 2. addâ— after rest of God p. 104. 25. barren works p. 107. 3. the reason p. 128. 4. of the. p. 130. 6 ancient subv rted p. 132. 23. be likewise p. 133. 31. be essentially p. 147. 7. which is p. 150. 29. light of p. 160 â—3 by his p. 165. 20. is flatly The First Booke of the Theologicall Key c. CHAP. I. Of the reall unity of the word of the law of righteousnesse written in the heart of man Of the word of promise and of the word of the seventh dayes rest and of the formall difference of each from the other WIthout the knowledge of the first Covenant established betweene God and man upon the immediat command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse there is no rest for the faith of man to rest fundamentally upon the immediate object of faith for without the true light of this fundamentall knowledge the faith of man is unstable apt to be carried away with the light of error from the true rocke of rest For the better informing the judicious Reader in the true knowledge both of the first and likewise of the two last Covenants made by God with man I doe premit this certaine Theologicall ground arising immediatly from the truth of the sacred word most necessarily to be first set downe The word of God in the Scripture is taken in a twofold sence first the word is taken for the infinite word infinite power life light righteousnes necessarily implying the essentiall power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word man the son of God before all time as he is man the son of God begotten of the seed of the woman in time second person of the glorious Trinity By the word in this sense before the word was made flesh of the seed of the woman heaven earth the hoast of both to wit man and the creatures were created in the beginning of time and in this sence the word is incommunicable to all the creatures created by the word Secondly the word is taken for the image of the infinite power of the life of righteousnesse of the word necessarily implying the image of the power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word and in this sense the word is called the word of the power of righteousnesse and the word in this acception is communicate to man and that after a twofold maner First the word of the power of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word is eternally written in the heart of man Secondly the word of the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word is objected to the externall senses of man and by the sound of the word written as it were in the sense of hearing This power of the word of righteousnes both as it is internally written in the heart of man and as it is objected to his externall senses is twofold The first power of the word as it is internally written in the heart of man is the power of the life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word By the immediate power of the word thus written in the heart of man man is enabled to live the life of righteousnes and the naturall life of man for without the power of naturall life man can no way live the life of righteousnes and in this sense it is said that in him we live in him we move in him we have our being that is in the word for by the immediate power of the word written in the heart of man as it is the image of the infinite word power life and being it selfe man doth live move and hath his being in his severall state and condition Joh. 1.4 The second power of the word of righteousnes as the word is internally written in the heart of man it is the commanding
was a singular vertue in the tree of Life to maintain the sensitive natu e of man eternally by the eternall preservation whereof the union of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man was eternall for by this eternall union man was to have continued eternally upon earth in the state and felicity wherein he was created It was therefore the infinite mercy of God to man to cast man out of the earthly Paradise For if man had had that freedome to eat of the tree of Life as he had formerly man must have lived in sorrow and misery subject to the continuall temptation and afflictions of Satan and of his wicked seed eternally in this life while as then by faith in the promised blessed seed Adam the redeemed head of man after this life should live in the heavenly Paradise eternally in all joy and happinesse For this cause by the fourth branch of this censure the Cherubims and the flaming sword were placed at the East of the Garden to keep the way of the tree of Life that man should not come to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise by the way which he run before Next therefore of the mysticall sense of the censure The main mysticall point of this censure inflicted upon Adam as he is the head of the woman and the redeemed head of man is to let our first parents understand that the word the promised blessed seed to be made flesh of the seed of the woman is the second person of the blessed Trinity First therefore by the curse inflicted upon the earth the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to which Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam the created head of man were condemned is mystically signified To the end that all men might then and now know that all men were redeemed from that curse of eternall death and darknesse and that all men are concluded in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and that naturall death by the censure of God did follow that sin And therefore it is said Rom. 5.12.14 As by one man sin entred in the world and death by sin so death went overall men from Adam to Moses Secondly by the sorrow labour and pains and sweat of the face which ariseth to man by reason of the curse of barrennesse inflicted upon the earth whereby it doth produce Thistles and Thornes which are to be weeded out by the care and labour of man is mystically signified the sorrows labour sweaty pains and prickly thorny afflictions which our Saviour the promised blessed seed was to sustain by the curse of the Law for man to put man in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love of God to man in his Son Christ Jesus Thirdly by the skins wherewith the Lord clothed and covered our first parents nakednesse the righteousnesse which is the skin of the promised Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the sins of man was mystically signified to the end that our first parents might understand that it was by their only faith in the merit of the righteousnesse of the blessed seed the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman that all their actuall sins and unrighteousnesse was covered Fourthly while as the Lord saith Behold man is become like one of us to know good and evill whereby our first parents did see the state which their desire to know good and evill had brought to the Lord would have our first parents understand that the promised Redeemer of man the blessed seed was one of us that is one of the distinct persons of the glorious Trinity Fifthly by the excluding of our first parents from the tree of Life growing in the earthly paradise is mystically signified that our first parents were admitted to the tree of Life growing in the Paradise of God which is the promised blessed seed Sixthly by the Cherubims and flaming sword the morall power and literall light of the sword of the Word is mystically signified by which only light â—ll redeemed men are morally enlightned to enter the way of the tree of Life planted in the heavenly Paradise which is the promised blessed seed By this flaming light of the sword of the Word First the flaming light of the redeemed Word of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of man is signified which is the flaming Light of conscience Secondly by this flaming Light of the sword the flaming literall light of the Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is signified which is of one reall flaming light with the light of the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith writtten in the heart of man of the reall unity of which flaming light morall faith doth arise that by the morall hands of faith the redeemed man may lay morall hold on the word of promise shining with the same reall flaming light which was then the tree of Life growing in the Paradise of God to wit the promised blessed seed who is now our tree of life by his fulfilled promise And though the Cherubims and the flaming sword were placed at the East of the Garden of Eden pointing as it were to the Land of Canaan for the promise of the blessed seed was to be made afterwards to Abraham and to his seed in a more particular manner then it was made to Adam which promise was to be performed before the promise first made to Adam could be fulfilled yet the flaming sword turned every way that as by the power of the sword all men were barred from entring to the tree of Life growing in the earthly Paradise So that by the flaming light of the sword of the Word all redeemed men might be morally enlightned to enter the way to the tree of Life which is planted in the Paradise of God which is the promised blessed seed Here by the way the question may be moved whether this barrennesse whereby the earth was cursed for man doth still remain CHAP. XXVIII The first and second rain TO the Question moved in the former Chapter I answer Though the earth was cursed by a positive barrennesse for man that by his toil labour and pains he may eat the bread of sorrow and the bread of the thorny cares and afflictions of this life inducing naturall death in the end to put him in continuall remembrance of the continued sorrow and afflictions which the eternall Son of God the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman by making himself a curse for man did sustain in this life induring the cursed death of the crosse in end yet the curse of barrennesse is removed and the fruitfulnesse of the earth is restored by the morall and spirituall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith which morall and spirituall blessing of the Word Deut. 11.14 is called the first and second rain in the
successors themselves and that all men under the heavens have the continuation of their redeemed light and life moving and being It is most certaine that there was great power given to the Apostles and in the Apostles to the Apostolicall successors though all the power given to the Apostles was not given to the Apostolicall successors and Ministers of the word But all the created powers of heaven and earth are not capable of any such power as to command the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day implying the command of the whole Evangelicall morall law of God The great power which was given to the Apostles was for the maintaining of the Evangelicall word of the seventh day of the law of righteousnesse of faith implying the whole word and law of God which the Lord of the Lords day did plant while he was personally upon earth and watered with his precious bloud for the enabling of the Apostles to the establishing and encrease whereof the Keyes of the kingdome of Heaven that rich Pearle were delivered to the Apostles which are the keyes of the Old and New Testament this power of the keyes of the kingdome of heaven delivered to the Apostles was threefold The first was the power of the light of the word which did shine from the word it selfe the Lord of the law of righteousnesse of faith By which power the Apostles were enabled to teach and preach the Evangell to all the Nations of the world The second power of the word was the power of healing disposessing and the power of miracles whereby their doctrine was confirmed and the Evangell established The third was the power of command whereby obedience was given to the word taught and preached by the Apostles The power of the light of the word whereby the Apostles were enabled to teach and preach was morall and spirituall the morall light was the light of the sound of the mediate word of the Lord of life by which light the Apostles were first literally led to the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest which is the first light leading to the kingdome of heaven The glorious riches of this light bought at the price of the sacred bloud of the Lord of light was prefigurate by the light of the golden Candlesticks in the holy place and by the rich robe and vesture of the high Priest as also the sound of this rich word was prefigurate by the sound of the bells hanging at the high Priests rich vesture Exod. 28.33 The spirituall light by which the Apostles were enabled to teach and preach the Evangell was in the spirituall sanctifying understanding of the word of the law of righteousnesse which the Apostles received of the holy Spirit of the Lord of light and life immediately signified by our Saviourâ— breathing upon the Apostles John 20.22 while as he said Receive yee the holy Spirit by which power of sanctifying light the Apostles were enabled with the spiritual power to teach and preach and with the holinesse of spirituall action whereby they shined as pure light in the darkenesse of the world leading all men to the kingdome of heaven who were able to be led by that light This pure light of spirituall righteousnesse was likewise prefigurate Exod. 28.36 by the inscription of righteousnesse and holinesse ingraven in the Brest-plate of the high Priest and by the high Priests white pure vesture with which he was cloathed when he went in once a yeare into the holiest place to obtaine pardon of actuall sin at the Mercy-seat And this is the light and holinesse of life with which the Apostolicall successors are to be continually vested to goe in and out before their charge The second power of the Keyes of the word whereby the Apostles were enabled Marke 16.17 was the power of healing disposessing of possessed with evill spirits and with the power of miracles which was given to the Apostles for the confirmation of their doctrine and for the establishing of the Evangell planted by the Lord of the Lords day sealed by his precious bloud Which being established by the Apostles and the establishing thereof sealed likewise by their owne bloud the power of healing dispossessing and miracles did determine in the Apostles according to the eternall decree of God And this power of the word given to the Apostles was likewise prefigurate by Aarons Rod placed by the word in the Arke of the Covenant The third power of the Keyes of the word given to the Apostles John 20.23 which is likewise given in the Apostles to the Apostolicall successors is the morall power of commanding the obedience of man to the command of the word And this power doth consist in mercy and justice In mercy the authority is given to pardon the morall sin of the penitent scandalous contemner of the command of the word delivered by the Apostles and Ministers of the word The power of justice is in the authority of the morall sword of excommunication Whereby the proud rebellious contemners of the word preached by the Apostles and Ministers of the word are cut off from the visible Church and from the blessing of the Lords merit which is by the hearing of his word To the end that Evangelicall morall obedience may be given to the teaching and preaching of the word Now because the pardon of spirituall sinne is incommunicable to any created power of God The Lord therefore did obliege himselfe by Covenant to the Apostles and in the Apostles to the Apostolicall successors to remit or retaine spiritually what morall sin soever the Apostles should pardon or retaine morally upon earth which is a most admirable power given to the Ministers of the Word For by this power of the keys the proudest rebellious contemner of the command of God sounded by the Ministers of the word and sacraments is brought to subjection And that for two main reasons The first is because the proud contemner being excommunicate the sin is never pardoned by God before it be first pardoned by the Ministers of the Word which is a most fearfull case if the contemner should die in his impenitency and obstinacy The second reason is because the civill sword of the Magistrate is to second the power of the morall sword to free the Church of God from such proud contempt to whose protection the militant Church of God is committed as to the Father of the family to be preserved in the purity of the light of the word and in the freedome of the profession of the word in which respect the twofold portion of the first born is due by the law of God to the King The first is the inheritance of the crown for the enabling of the King to advance the obedient to the command of the word who are alwayes his most faithfull and loyall subjects The second is the power of the civill sword implying the power of the King to cut from the militant Church the proud contemner of the command of God by his Church that by
righteousnesse Creator by his word of the first seventh dayes rest Secondly God of the law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed by the word of his Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest whereby God did manifest himselfe to man God in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the Trinity Creator and Redeemer of man first Prophetically by the woâ—d the Propheticall seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord And now Evangelically by the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith Secondly by the word of election which is onely in the Lord Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the creation of man in the state of perfection the obliging of man to the first covenant the fall of man under the eternall curse of the law and the redemption of man from the curse is necessarily implyed Thirdly by the condemnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God to the eternall torments of hell which is the curse of the law both the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the justice of God by condemning of man are necessarily implyed So that this absolute pretended decree which the Authors doe obtrude to us as free from all respect by the very tearms whereby they doe expresse their imaginary decree is charged with all manner of respect subordinate to God and consequently there is a flat contradiction between the furmised opinion and the tearmes whereby the opinion is expressed The absolute decree therefore being repugnant to the literall light and truth of the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith necessarily implying the literall light of all the severall word of the seventh dayes rest from the foundation of the world The absolute decree according to our twofold Theologicall Canon set downe in the tenth Chap. of the second book of our Theologicall key is a false and adulterous tenent of faith arising from the spirit of error This error doth proceed from the confounding of the immanent and transeant act of God which must no wayes be confounded for the immanent act of God being God himselfe essentially is only absolute necessary infinite and incomprehensible by the act of any created understanding And his transeant act is only free which as it is transeant and terminate to man it is onely by his word which is his law to man the image of his eternall life and light of righteousnesse necessarily implying the naturall life and light of the word for by the onely power of the word written in the heart of man man is inabled to understand God by the word of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall seventh dayes rest from the beginning Now the surmised decree being absolute and without all subordinate respect it is pretended to be the immanent act of God but because the immanent act of God is infinite The maintainers of the absolute decree are constrained to expresse their imaginary opinion by the tearmes of the transeant act of God which is by his word for the salvation and damnation of man is the twofold reward of the word and law of God to wit the blessing and curse of the law Fourthly and lastly by the salvation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the Lord Jesus Christ the alone pleasure of God doth intervene between the faith of man and the Lords merit whereby the faith of man is overthrown and by the damnation of man out of the alone pleasure of God without respect to the merit of man the alone pleasure of God by the condemning of man doth intervene between the merit of man by the transgression of the law and the law whereby the justice of God is overthrowne Now though the fearefull unworthinesse of this miserable opinion doth not merit the refutation thereof by any Theologicall penne yet for the Readers satisfaction I thus demonstrate that such a pretended absolute decree never was or could be decreed by God 1. That absolute decree whereby God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute decree God is affirmed to elect and condemne man out of his alone pleasure without all respect to God as he is God of the law of righteousnesse This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 2. That pretended absolute decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without all respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man That decree never was or could be decreed by God By this absolute pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect and condemne man without respect to his subordinate word as his word is his law to man This absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 3. That absolute pretended decree whereby God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Jesus that decreee never was or could bee decreed by God By this pretended decree God is affirmed out of his alone pleasure to elect man to salvation without all subordinate respect of his love and mercy to man in his Sonne Christ Iesus This pretended absolute decree therefore never was or could be concluded by God 4. That pretended miserable absolute degree whereby God out of his alone pleasure is affirmed to condemne man to the eternall curse of the law without any subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of his law That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God By this miserable pretended absolute decree God is affirmed to condemne man to the eternal curse of the law out of Gods alone pleasure without all subordinate respect to the merit of man by transgressing of the law This miserable absolute pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 5. That pretended miserable absolute decree which is repugnant to his suordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man That miserable decree never was or could be decreed by God This miserable pretended absolute decree is repugnant to Gods subordinate justice by his law of righteousnesse whereby he decreed from all eternity to oblige both himselfe and man This miserable pretended decree therefore never was or could be decreed by God 6. That miserable absolute pretended decree whereby it is affirmed that the will of man in his state of perfection was necessitate to fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the law contrary to Gods obliging of himselfe by his