sacrifice as the altar and sacrifice is immediately referred to the propheticall Sabbath as it is the great command of the Law implying the whole command of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed Thus having declared the word of the second seventh dayes promised rest of the Law of righteousnesse of faith upon the immediate command whereof the second covenant is established I come next to the declaration of the second covenant God therefore in this gracious word of promise doth first bind and obliged himself by covenant to Adam the redeemed head of man and in Adam to all men naturally to descend of Adam that the word should be made man of the seed of the woman by whom the old Serpents head should be broke by whose merit by his promised rest Adam should have eternall life And because this promise of eternall life was to be enjoyed by the blessing of the seventh dayes Sabaticall promised rest God therefore doth mutually bind and oblige Adam the redeemed head of man to believe the promise and by his faithfull morall and ceremoniall works of worship to worship God upon the Sabbath as God did reveal himself to Adam by his promised Sabaticall seventh dayes rest God of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in three distinct persons of the Trinity Creator and Redemeer of man And because Adam by the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith in his heart was morally enabled to that formal commanded moral and ceremoniall worship God doth likewise bind Adam the redeemed head of man upon the finall contempt of his commanded worship to eternall death as if the word of the covenant were thus Whosoever shall believe in the promise of the blessed seed shall be saved from the second death as by my promised rest from the redemption of man he is saved from the first death whosover shall not believe shall be condemned Now as the formall commanded worship of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith is obliged by the second covenant Adam is commanded to worship God upon the seventh day of the propheticâ—ll Sabbath by his propheticall and ceremoniall worship of God as God hath revealed himself by his Sabaticall rest both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabaticall seventh dayes promised rest and upon the eternall cuâ—se of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in which commanded formall worship as the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath was then the great command of the Law of faith all the morall and ceremoniall works of faith are necessarily commanded To the continuance of man in which works of faith till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling the grace of spirituall faith is promised by covenant for Mat. 13.13 Whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved which is the saving of man from the second death by spirituall faith By faith in this promised rest of the blessed seed of Adam and the Fathers before Moses and the Fathers after Moses till the promise was fulfilled were saved For the formall morall propheticall and ceremoniall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse of faith was really and formally one and the same till the promise was fulfilled For as the morall and ceremoniall Law given to Moses in distinct precepts was necessarily implied in the command of the word of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath to Adam and to the Fathers before Moses So the distinct precepts of the ceremoniall Law given to Moses were as necessarily implied in the ceremoniall command of the altar and sacrifice for all the rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law and immediatly referred to the altar and sacrifice as the command of the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice is immediately referred to the formall commanded worship of the Sabbath Hence I inferre this necessary conclusion Adam and the Fathers before Moses having the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath implying the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed and the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice implying all the ceremoniall Law Adam and the Fathers before Moses had the morall and ceremoniall Law and were thereby as really obliged as after the morall and ceremoniall Law was given to Moses And therefore it is said 1 Cor. 10.3 4. that the Fathers did eat of the same spirituall bread and drink of the same spirituall Rock with us for that Rock was the blessed seed to Adam and the Fathers which is now to us the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore it is likewise said that the Evangel was preached to them to wit mystically and prophetically as it is preached to us cleerly and Evangelically To conclude the second covenant called the old covenant I inferre the second formall obligement of the Law of God by the old covenant As the first word of promise to Adam the created head of man in his state of perfection was eternall life by the rest of the Law of righteousnesse upon the first seventh day from the works of the creation So the second word of promise to Adam the redeemed head of man is eternall life by the promised rest of God of the Law of righteousnesse of faith the Redeemer of man by his promised rest upon the Sabbath from the works of the redemption First therefore this promised rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath being formally propheticall consequently the formall worship of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath obliged by the second covenant was formally propheticall and therefore typically and ceremonially commanded upon the performing of which commanded worship by Adam the second covenant is established Secondly the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day of the Law as it is the great coÌ„mand of the Law implying the command of the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith being prophetically and ceremonially obliged the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith is prophetically and ceremonially obliged commanding Adam first and immediatly to the formall propheticall ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath of the Lord both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabbaticall seventh days promised rest to his faithfull worship and upon the curse of eternall death to his finall contempt of that commanded formall worship necessarily implying the contempt of the whole Law For as in the commanded worship of the seventh day of the Law as it is the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command all the powers of man proceeding from his faithfull love to God are necessarily commanded So by the finall contempt of the formall commanded worship of the seventh day of the Law the whole Law is necessarily transgressed Hence I inferre these two Theologicall demonstrative conclusions First as necessarily as by the second covenant the faith of man was obliged to the faithfull propheticall and ceremoniall worship of the propheticall Sabbath upon the promise of eternall life to his faith and eternall death to his infidelity So the works of faith whereby the propheticall
and ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath was to be performed were as necessarily commanded by the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath both upon the eternall blessing of the Sabbaticall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and upon the eternall curse of the Law of faith Secondly though the propheticall and ceremoniall works of faith were necessarily commanded by the Law yet the blessing of the eternall promised rest of the blessed seed was due by the Law immediately to faith and not to the works of faith The reason is because it was by the Spirit of faith that the merit of the promised rest of the blessed seâ—d was to be apprehended and not by the greatest works of faith which hath no spirit at all And therefore the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes promised rest of the blessed seed by the Law of righteousnesse of faith was not due by the Law to the greatest morall or ceremoniall works of Adam but immediately to the merit of man the promised blessed seed by the immediate power of whole redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnesse of faith written in the heart of Adam Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and to produce the morall and ceremoniall works of faith as by the spirituall grace of faith in Gods prefixed time Adam was spiritually enabled with the spirituall grace of faith by the hands of spirituall faith to apprehend the merit of the blessed seed by his promised rest by which spirituall union Adams faith and the merit of the blessed seed were really and indivisibly one whereby Adam was saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And so much for the literall and mysticall sense of the second covenant comprehended in the second branch of the censure as the censure doth concern the woman and her seed We proceed therefore next to the censure of God upon the two last delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first covenant CHAP. XXIV The literall sense of the censure in particular upon the woman FOr the better conceiving of the censure of God upon the last two delinquents for the transgression of the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant it is necessarily to be understood that Adam is said to be the head of man after a twofold manner First as under the name of Adam man male and female is comprehended For so Adam is the created head of all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam and in this sense as all men are said to have sinned in Adam the created head of all men Rom. 5.18 so all men are said to be redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse by the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law and by the eternall decree of God shut up in temporall spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin and temporall naturall death which followed that sin which was then according to the eternall decree of God pronounced upon Adam thâ— redeemed head of man by the censure of God in which censure of naturall death all the punishments inflicted by the censure are comprehended And therefore in the infinite mercy of God all the punishments by this censure pronounced upon man male and female are all temporall in this life to the end that all men and women might be put in continuall remembrance of the never to be forgotten love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man from the fearfull eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam which nothing could redeem but the only cursed death of Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman who therefore as he is man was made a curse for man Gal. 3.13 Secondly Adam is said to be the head of man as he is man male the head of the woman by matrimoniall union in which sense Adam is said to be the head of his wife the woman and the woman the wife is said to be the body of her husband To proceed therefore with the censure which is first pronounced upon the woman because she was first in the transgression to wit before Adam man male The censure upon the woman is set down by Moses in these words Gen. 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy sorrows and thy conceptions In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee The censure hath a literall and mysticall sense First of the literall sense of the censure which is pronounced upon the woman in particular as she is the wife and body of her husband The censure doth divide it self into two branches to wit sorrow in conception and child-birth and subjection to the husband First of the literall sense of the two branches and next of the mysticall sense As this sorrow in the infinite mercy of God at that time was not without greatest comfort to women so it is with no lesse comfort to women at this present For as 〈◊〉 in the bringing forth of children the promise of the blessed seed was confirmed to be born of the seed of the woman by whose cursed death the curse of the Law was removed from man the benefit whereof our first parents did then actually enjoy though the blessed child was afterwards to be born according to the eternal decree of God So there is great comfort at this time under the Law of Grace in the bringing forth of children by women For the child is brought forth actually freed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the first covenant and born a hopefull member of the Lord Jesus Christ And though it doth please God many times to take away the childe by temporall death yet it is no small comfort to the sorrowfull parents that the childe is a glorious Saint in heaven It is said here I will greatly multiply or increase thy sorrows because of the pronounced enmity between the old Serpent Satan and his seed and the woman and her seed of whose continuall afflictions the woman is never free while she is in this life And now her sorrows are increased by her conception and bringing forth of children which are inflicted upon women to the end that the woman in her greatest extremity by her sorrow in conception and childbirth should be put in mind of the eternall sorrows and pains of eternall death by the first covenant from which she was redeemed by the blessed childe then to be born and now born of the seed of the woman upon whose merit Eves faith may safely rest as upon a rock from any fear of the second death by the new covenant In which sense only the words of the Apostle are to be conceived to wit 1 Tim. 2.15 that women are saved through the bearing of children for
was formerly prefigurate to Adam and the Fathers by the shedding of the blood of sensitive beasts and fowles And therefore the figure of the promised blessed seeed by the sacrament of circumcision was more significant then all the former bloody figures by the sacrifice of the Altar By the sacrament of circumcision therefore Abrahams family was distinguished and divided from all the families of the earth till they were reunited by the fulfilling of the promise by the new covenant For by the new covenant all the families of the earth were called and united in one Church and family For the strengthening of Abrahams faith in this gracious promise the inheritance of the Land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and to his seed whereby it was prefigurate that Abraham and his seed by faith in the promise made to Abraham should be inheritors of the heavenly Canaan the Kingdome of heaven The Church of God therefore being established in the family of Abraham and of his posterity the protection of the Church and the preservation of the line of the promised blessed seed was committed to Abraham to this end God did enable Abraham with the power of wisdome valour and with such an admirable gift of spirituall faith as Abraham is styled in the Scripture the Father of the faithfull And though I must passe over the History of Abrahams continuall victories over the enemies of the Church and leave the Reader to inform himself by the sacred History yet I cannot omit four memorable points of Abrahams faith whereby he is most justly called the Father of the faithfull The first was though Abraham was above an hundred yeers old when this promise was made and Sara was old and barren and both as it were dead by the course of nature and past all such hope yet faithfull Abraham considered not the deadnesse of his own body or the deadnesse of Sara's womb but stedfastly believed the promise against all naturall hope in hope that God according to his gracious wood would perform his promise Secondly Abrahams faith did wonderfully appear to his obedience to the command of God by his Word Gen. 12.1 commanding Abraham to depart from his native soil and to leave his kindred friends and possessions where he was seated in such plenty and to go into a strange countrey inhabited with the power of such mighty men who were every way unknown to Abraham and where he had no earthly help to trust unto but did as it were expose himself and his family to be made a prey unto strangers yet faithfull Abraham setting all doubts fears kindred friends pleasures and possessions aside did give obedience to the command of God and marched boldly to the Land of Canaan Thirdly how admirably doth our Saviour commend Abrahams faith while as our Saviour told the Jews saying John 8.56 Abraham did see my day and was glad and rejoyced therein For Abraham with the eyes of his spirituall faith did see the Lords day in the eighth day of the Sacrament of circumcision for the child was circumcised upon the eighth day though the eighth day of the circumcision fell out upon the seventh day of the great propheticall Sabbath which was commanded long before the Sacrament of circumcision and so precisely commanded as no mannâ—r of work was to be done upon the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath much lesse the shedding of the blood of man for the only commanded works of the propheticall ceremoniall worship of God were to be done upon the Sabbath Abraham therefore observing with the spirituall eyes of faith that the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath did give place to the administration of the Sacrament of circumcision Abraham did apprehend that the eighth day should be worshipped in place of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath The reason was because the Sacrament of circumcision did prefigurate both Christs death and the day of his resurrection from the dead for as by the shedding of the childs blood the shedding of the blessed childs blood by the cursed death of the crosse was prefigurate So by the stenching of the childs blood upon the eighth day whereby the life of the child was preserved the day of our Saviours resurrection from the dead was prefigurate to wit the Lords day which was the eighth day from the last Jews propheticall Sabbath for the last Sabbath whereon our Saviour did rest in the grave was no wayes the Jews propheticall Sabbath neither was there any Jew or Gentile bound or obliged to fulfill the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath For all men naturally descended of Adam the redeemed head of man were only obliged to the command of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath which did prophesie our Saviours rest in the grave by whose rest in the grave all the prophesies prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath were fulfilled The last Sabbath therefore whereon our Saviour did rest in his sacred grave was no wayes propheticall neither was there any man naturally descended of Adam obliged to fulfill the command of the last Sabbath Let us therefore leave the last Sabbath to the Lord of the Sabbath and adde seven dayes more to the last Jews formall propheticall Sabbath and we have the Lords day the day of his resurrection from the grave to be the just eighth day as the Lords day was prefigurate to Abraham by the eighth day of the circumcision But let us account the number of dayes from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath and begin the accompt at the first day of the week according to the Jews computation of the dayes of their Sabbaticall week as both Jews and Gentiles were obliged to the Law of God and the Lords day is the just seventh day from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath and the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith more satisfactory to be declared hereafter What an admirable faith was this in Abraham to see the Lords day so far off as it was prefigurate by the Sacrament of circumcision though the Lords day be the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith as all men naturally descended of Adam are obliged to the command of the seventh day of the Law for without the command of the seventh day of the Law there is no Law to command man The fourth memorable point wherein the excellency of Abrahams faith did appear was in Abrahams readinesse at the command of God to offer up in sacrifice his son Isaac his only hope and heir of the promise and his only comfort next to God For it may justly amaze the heart of a naturall man that Abraham against nature by forgetting of all naturall affection should be so forward to attempt such cruelty with his own bloody hands to cut the throat of his so dearly beloved childe the only hope and heir of the promise Though this command was out of the infinite love of God to Abraham for God did never intend that Abraham should commit
his spirituall understanding did perfectly apprehend God to bee the Creator of Heaven of earth of man of the creatures and that by the immediate eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of God the world man and the creatures were continued and preserved in the perfection of their created estate And upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole law of righteousnesse the first Covenant was made with man afterward to be declared As Adam by the spirituall light of his understanding really one with the spirituall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest wherein the perfection of Adams understanding of God did consist so Adam by the created perfection of his spirituall action of holinesse did adequate the perfection of the command of the Law as Adam was first obliged to the Law of God for if Adams spitituall action of holinesse had not been of equall power with the perfection of the command of the Law which is in the spirituall command and the first Covenant being established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seven dayes rest of the Law both upon the eternall blessing of the first seven dayes rest and upon the curse of eternall death Adam could never have fulfilled the perfection of the command of the Law but must have necessarily fallen under the curse of eternall death which had been most high injustice in God in binding and obliging his intellectuall creature man to a law upon the curse of eternall death above the power of his obedience by his spirituall action of holinesse for it was only by Adams spirituall action of holinesse that the law was to be fulfilled for though Adam was created with the power of morall action yet while Adam stood in his state of perfection Adams morall action was not actuall neither could his spirituall action of holinesse be called formally and properly morall which denomination is extended both to the obedience and transgression of the Law as hath been formerly declared Adams morall action therefore was not actuall till the Law of righteousnesse was transgressed by Adam and then Adams morall action was actuall and formally morall and morally evill and the greatest evill that ever was or can be committed by man Now as Adam by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse did perfectly understand God as God revealed himselfe to be honoured and worshipped by his rest from the works of the Creation So Adam by the perfection of his naturall understanding must needs apprehend the being power perfection goodnesse life light knowledge understanding wisdome in himselfe and the creatures to flow from the infinite perfection of the Creator whereby Adam was led in the understanding of the essentiall Attributes of God which essentiall understanding of God in Adam must be imperfect God as he is essentiall being infinite and incomprehensible Adams perfect understanding of God therefore was perfected by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himselfe to man to be understood and worshipped by man for God can no otherwise be comprehended by the act of the understanding of man or Angel but after that formall manner that God doth minifest himselfe to be understood and worshipped by either And so much briefly of the created naturall and spirituall perfection of man with whom the first Covenant was made by God which is the contents of the first part of the first Book Before we come to the second part an objection must be removed CHAP. V. Of a threefold comparison between the created naturall and spirituall perfection of the first Adam with the naturall and spirituall perfection of the second Adam IT is said That the first Adam was made a living soule a naturall man and from the earth earthly 1 Cor. 15.45 46 47. Adam therefore was not created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection neither could he be created the image of righteousnesse and holinesse or a true spirituall man I answer briefly to the Objection The Apostle in these three verses of this chapter doth make a threefold comparison between the first and second Adam The first is in the 45. verse the sense whereof is this The first Adam was made a living soule to wit to live the perfect life of righteousnesse necessarily implying the perfection of his naturall life but the second Adam was not only made a living soule but likewise a quickning spirit where the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the first Adam is compared with the power of the naturall and spirituall life of the second Adam The first Adam by the power of his naturall and spirituall life was not able to quicken himselfe or any man else being dead but the second Adam by the power of his naturall life in sustaining the cursed death of the Crosse did redeem the first Adam and all men condemned and dead under the curse of the Law by eternall death in Adam their head for the transgression of the Law by Adam and by the infinite power of his Resurrection from the dead did raise up Adam and all men condemned and dead in Adam their head quickning and reconciling all men by the price of his blood to the love and favour of God for that first sinne The first Adam therefore notwithstanding of his naturall and spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adam may be truly said to be but a living soule and not a quickning spirit The second comparison is in the 46. verse where the spirituall perfection of the first Adam is compared with the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the sense of the words is this Though the first Adam was created in such spirituall perfection yet his spirituall perfection was not essentiall but habituall and conditionall But the spirituall perfection of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ is Essentiall and therefore the first Adams spirituall perfection in respect of the second Adams essentiall perfection was but the perfection of a naturall man as the spirituall perfection of the second Adam was the essentiall perfection of an essentiall spirituall man the eternall Sonne of God begot of the seed of the woman in time The third comparison is in the 47. verse where the humane sensitive nature of the first Adam is compared with the humane sensitive nature of the second Adam The sense of the words is this The first Adam as he is man sensitively was created of earthly principles immediately and therefore from the earth earthly But the second Adam as he is man sensitively Christ Jesus the naturall Son of God was begot of the sanctified seed of the woman immediately and every way from the heaven heavenly in respect of whose humane
though Adam being created in the state of spirituall perfection by the spirituall light of his understanding of the word of the Law in his heart really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law Adam must needs understand that God was to be worshipped upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse yet without the word of the first seventh dayes rest Adam could never have known the certain first seventh day of Gods commanded worship Secondly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law Adam could neither have known the formall manner of Gods commanded worship to have worshipped God upon the first seventh day of the Law of God to whose perfect worship of God the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law was due by the Law by which only immediate blessing the created state of man and the creatures were continued while Adam did stand in the perfection of his Creation Thirdly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest no Covenant could be made by God to binde himselfe to man in the word of his promise or man to God for the word of the seventh dayes rest and the word of promise of eternall life as hath been formerly delivered are really one for the word of promise whereby God doth bind himselfe by Covenant to the eternall continuation of the present estate of man is enjoyed by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest Fourthly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest which is really one with the word of promise of eternall life as there is no covenant to bee made by God with man so there was neither any object for the faith of man to rest on for though the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was not due by the law immediately to Adams faith but due by the Law immediately to the merit of Adams works of righteousnesse yet Adams workes of righteousnesse did necessarily proceed from his faith in the promise of God of the Law of righteousnesse for without faith it is impossible for Adam to have pleased God while he stood in his state of perfection Fifthly without the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest Adam could never have understood that God was the Creator and Conservator of man the world and the Creatures created for man neither could Adam have known the formall worship of God whose worship is commanded to be after that formall manner as he did reveale himselfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest according to which formall worship Adam by the command of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law as it is the great command of the Law implying the command of the whole Law was commanded to worship God upon the first seventh day of the Law for Adams solemn perfect worship of God upon the first seventh day of the Law was as if all the workes of the Creation had falne downe with Adam to worship God the great Creator for as Adam was the life ornament and perfection of the workes of the Creation so Adam was the sum and compend of the workes of the Creation for all the creatures of God are either of an intellectuall or corporeall nature which were essentially united in the nature of man Sixthly without the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse to our first parents there could have been no law of God to command the obedience of man to the command of his law for all the power of life light and command of every severall precept of the whole Law is immediately from the power of the word of the seventh dayes rest without the power whereof there is no power of any severall precept of the Law to command man or any light for man to know that it is a precept of the Law of God And therefore we see that in the Decalogue set downe to Moses the word of the second seventh dayes rest then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord is placed in the end of the first Table of the Law uniting as it were both the Tables to the seventh day of the Law from whence all the severall precepts of the law receive the power of life light and command much like the last binding stone of an Arch whereon the strength and power of the whole Arch doth rely and depend for as the last binding stone of the Arch being removed the whole Arch as it is an Arch must fall to the ground so by the removing of the immediate command of God by his word commanding the whole law in the seventh day the whole law and the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest must necessarily fall and perish together which is necessarily removed while as the command of the seventh dayes worship is attributed to the immediate authority and command of man The writing of the word of the seventh dayes rest as it were in the heart of the Law in two Tables of stone to Moses is the true embleme of the word of the Law written in the two Tables of the intellectuall and sensitive nature of man in the heart of man for as from the immediate power of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law life light and power of command is diffused to all the severall precepts of the Law so from the immediate power of the word of the Law in the heart of man life and light is diffused to all the parts and powers of man as he is man And this is the maine reason that in the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law the whole law is necessarily commanded which the Lord calleth the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command which is like to the great command Seventhly without the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest necessarily implying the command of the whole Law neither Adam or any man created in Adam as he was the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam could have transgressed the Law Rom. 4.15 obliged by the first Covenant for where there is no Law there is no transgression of the Law And so much briefly for the declaration of the word of the first seventh dayes rest upon the immediate command whereof the first Covenant was established between God and man next to be declared CHAP. VIII GOD according to his eternall Decree of predestination having created man male and female in this state of naturall and spirituall perfection advanced to the high love and favour of God and to the soveraignty and dominion over the earth and over the creatures of the earth God entred his first Covenant with Adam not with Adam as he was a private person but with Adam as created man the head root and originall of all men naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world and therefore God according
faith be as necessarily commanded to be produced according to the formall command of the law as the faith of man is obliged by covenant to live the life of righteousnesse of faith as he is inabled by the power of the redeemed word of the law written in his heart For as the commanded worship of the seventh day is the great command of the Law necessarily implying the lesser command all the workes of faith are necessarily commanded as hath been formerly and necessarily demonstrate All the workes of man therefore be they never so morally good according to the literall command of the law are not able to merit the pardon of the least actuall sin of man committed against the law of righteousnesse of faith much lesse able to merit tâ—â— salvation of man from the second death but quite contrary by the intervention of the presumptuous merit of man between his faith and the Lords merit his vain faith is utterly destroyed 10. Though originall sin doth descend upon all men redeemed in Adam the redeemed head of man yet originall sin is no manner of cause of actuall sin For first originall sin is immâ—diately from God the eternall Father of the immortall spirit of man by the essentiall union of the intellectuall spirit of man to the vitall spirits of the heart of the Infant in the wombe So soon therefore as the Infant is man and the son of Adam the childe is concluded in originall sin in Adam the redeemed head of man and so brought forth man by man female the mother Secondly actuall sinne is from the devill and neither from God or from the parents for the generation of man by man male and female and the production and bringing forth of man by man female as it is the naturall action of man the humane intellectuall good creature of God is a good naturall action without any actuall sinne for it is not the naturall or the voluntary action of man simply that is sinne but it is the voluntary action of man as it is formally morall And so much for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam as it doth concerne both the old and new Covenant The redemption of man is the next to be declared as it doth concerne the old Covenant CHAP. XV. Adams arraignment by God for his transgression of the Law of righteousnesse obliged by the first Covenant AS the act of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darknesse doth concerne the old Covenant it doth necessarily presuppose the arraignment of our first parents and the censure of God for their transgression of the Law which in the infinite mercy of God is onely temporall in this life First therefore of the arraignment of our first parents as it is set downe by Moses so farre briefly thereof and of the censure as both doe concerne the subject in hand In the araignment of the parties delinquents for the transgression of the Law God doth beginne with the examination of the last delinquent but God doth beginne his censure where the sinne did first beginne The last delinquent by the transgression of the law of righteousne obliged by the first Covenant made by God with man was Adam God therefore as may appeare Gen. 3.9 doth first graciously call Adam by his word who hearing the voyce of God hid himselfe with Eve amongst the trees of the garden flying from the presence of God and from his gracious calling by his Word How fearfull is the voyce of God by his Word calling a sinner to account for the transgession of his Law as he is a naturall man For so soon as Satan doth induce the naturall man to sin by the transgression of the command of God by his Word as it is his Law commanding man Satan doth perswade the naturall man to flye from the gracious calling of God by his Word yet God according to his eternall purpose Psal 119.176 will finde out both Adam and Eve God therefore doth first call Adam saying Adam Where art thou as if the Lord had not knowne where Adam was O infinite mercy of God to man though man had lately committed high treason against God yet God mercy it selfe doth call Adam by his sacred Word graciously to repentance Who art thou therefore that wilt despaire of the infinite mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus calling thee so graciously by his word to repentance while Adam who had committed the greatest sin that ever was or can be committed against God by man was graciously called by God Here a Question may be moved Was not the sin of our first parents for their first transgression of the Law freely pardoned by the eternall Decree of God by predestinating the only Son of his love Christ Jesus as he is man to the cursed Altar of the Crosse for that first sin wherefore then doth God call Adam or Eve to repentance for that first sin I answer first This was more then was knowne to our first parents till the promise of the blessed seed was made Secondly all the punishments inflicted upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law are only temporall in this life and all inflicted by God to put all men in continuall remembrance of the infinite love and mercy of God in his Son Christ Jesus for the redemption of man by the cursed death of his onely Son as hee is man without whose cursed death all men must have dyed eternally under the fearfull curse of the Law by eternall death and darknesse and so to returne to Adams examination The words set downe by Moses are emphaticall as if they had been set downe after this manner Adam Where art thou This is strange that thou shouldest flye from my presence who have dealt so graciously with thee where it may appeare that God was then conversant with our first parents before their fall even by externall apparition Adam by his answer to Gods calling like a naturall man most ungraciously in stead of the humble acknowledgement of his horrible fact doth goe about to shift his accusation for hiding himselfe by pretending his shame by his nakednesse saying Gen. 3.10 I was afraid to come into thy presence because I was naked Naked indeed both internally and externally which is the true effect of sin Adam and Eve were both ashamed of their deformed estate to which they were brought unto by the base foil which they received by believing the Serpent both were sensible of their misery but both as yet insensible of their sin which was the cause of their misery such is the nature of sin till the sinner be spiritually called by God Now did Adam and Eve begin to feel the evill which they did so long to know and now was the perfection of our first parents understanding brought to such a passe as they knew not which way to begin to cover so much as their externall nakednesse but were fain to make a poor
Satan by the sensitive Serpent did first deceive the woman so the old Serpent Satans head shall be broke by man the seed of the woman This gracious promise was to be fulfilled First by the resurrection of the blessed seed the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman from the grave his last enemy to the face of the earth whereby he did manifest himself God and man by his rest from the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed Secondly by his resurrection from the face of the earth to the heavens from whence he came whereby he did manifest himself again by his infinite power God and man from whence he shall return again the second time in all glory and majesty united to his mysticall members who is the mysticall man that must break the head of the Serpent Satan and the seed of his cursed seed to their eternall confusion This last promised rest of the blessed seed the Word to be made flesh of the seed of the woman doth necessarily presuppose and imply his bloody rest in the grave from his cursed death of the crosse whose merit by his bloody rest as he is the eternall Son of God begot of the seed of the woman in time was twofold First by his rest from the cursed death of the crosse our Saviour was to merit the redemption of all men condemned to the curse of the Law of righteousnesse for the sin of Adam whereby all men in Adam their redeemed head were saved from the first death Secondly by his bloody rest in the grave upon the seventh day of the Law from end to end by his fulfilling of the Law in the seventh day as he obliged himself to man the eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was due by the Law to his merit that by faith in his merit all redeemed men might rest by faith till the promise was fulfilled whereby as all faithfull redeemed men were saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin So by the fulfilling of the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave all faithfull believers are now saved from the second death which is the curse of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith for actuall sin And this is the mysticall sense of this gracious promise which was made to Adam the redeemed head of man and to all men naturally to descend of Adam and was really fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ The benefit of which gracious promise was then actually to Adam and to all men to descend of Adam though the promise was to be fulfilled in time For by vertue of this promise the word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse first written in the heart of man was then the redeemed word of the Law of righteousnesse of faith whereby Adam was morally enabled to believe the promise and by believing in the promised rest of the blessed seed to have eternall life But before the second covenant can be declared whereby God doth oblige himself and Adam in this gracious promise first the word of the seventh dayes rest must be set down upon the immediate command whereof the second covenant was established between God and man For without the light of the word of this seventh dayes promised rest the second covenant can no wayes be known for the knowledge whereof we must necessarily understand that the day wherein this gracious promise was made to Adam was the seventh day of the Law from the creation by morall account as man naturally descended of Adam the head is obliged to the Law of God And this doth plainly appear by the words of the fourth Precept of the Decalogue set down to Moses where it is said Remember the Sabbath day be kept holy six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day to wit whereby Adam was obliged to the Law of righteousnesse by the first covenant in his state of perfection is now the promised rest or Sabbath of the Lord thy God to wit the promised blessed seed who hath promised to rest upon the Sabbath day in his sacred grave for the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam and to rise from the grave to break the Serpents head for the betraying of man to fall under the eternall curse of the Law The reason is given For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is Wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it that is to say as the Lord by his rest from the works of the creation did blesse the first seventh day of his Law for man and did sanctifie the first seventh day for his worship by man So from his promised rest from the works of the redemption of man the Lord hath blessed the Sabbath day for man and hath sanctified the Sabbath day for his worship by man This day therefore wherein this gracious promise was made was the seventh day by morall account from the creation sanctified by the word of promise then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord to Adam This gracious promise made to Adam being to be performed in time was formally propheticall and consequently the Sabbath day wherein this promise was made was likewise formally propheticall For by the literall light of the propheticall Sabbath day Adams faith was led to rest upon the promised rest of the blessed seed And this is the reason that our Saviour said Mat. 11.13 The Law and Prophets did prophesie to John For the Law did then prophesie by the Sabbath which did necessarily imply the whole Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed where it is to be marked that the Lord saith that the Law did prophesie to John lest the Jewes might conceive that the first seventh day of the Law obliging Adam did prophesie which did no wayes prophesie Now because this promised rest of the blessed seed upon the Sabbath was propheticall and mysticall therefore for the strenghthening of Adams faith and the faith of the Fathers in the promise the formall worship in the propheticall Sabbath was commanded to be celebrate by the ceremoniall Altar prefigurating the cursed Altar of the crosse and by the ceremoniall sacrifice of the altar prefiguraring the cursed death of the blessed seed that as Adam faith by the ceremoniall light of the Altar and sacrifice might be led to the cursed death of the blessed seed So by the literall light of the Sabaticall seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith Adams faith might be morally led to the grave of the blessed seed and from the grave to his resurrection from the grave for the breaking of the head of the Serpent In which commanded formall worship by the ceremoniall altar and sacrifice all the rites and ceremonies of the ceremoniall Law are implied and immediately referred to the Altar and
the great propheticall Sabbath did necessarily give place wherby the Lords day was mystically prefigurate to succeed in place of the Jewes propheticall Sabbath The day of our Saviours resurrection therefore being the next day immediatly succeeding the last Sabbath wheron our Saviour rested in his sacred grave is the just seventh day of the Law from the last formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath As man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the command of the seventh day of the Law of God implying the command of the whole Law The Lords day therefore the day of the Lords resurrection from the grave is the true seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of God decreed by God from all eternity Where three fundamentall points of faith are necessarily to bee observed by the Christian Reader First as the first seventh day of the Law was blessed sanctified by the Lords rest from the workes of the creation And as the next seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath was blessed and sanctified by the truth of the word of the Lords promised rest in the promise of the blessed seede to rest upon the last Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sinne of Adam So the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of faith is blessed and sanctified by the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise by his Evangelicall rest The last period of whose fulfilled promise was in his conquest of his last enemy by his resurrection from the power of the grave upon the Lords day Whereby the Lord rested from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed By the power of whose infinit merit by his Evangelicall rest the Lords day is the blessed and sanctified seventh day of the Evangelicall Law the word of eternall life rest and the immediate object of Christian faith Secondly as the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath was immediatly commanded by the power of the Lords word by his promised rest commanding Adam and the Fathers to beleeve in the truth of his merit by his promised rest which was then prophesied by the word of the propheticall Sabbath commanding the ceremoniall worship of the Sabbath immediatly as it was the seventh day of the propheticall Law and in the seventh day the obedience of man to the command of the whole propheticall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed to whose faith the eternall blessing of the Lords promised Sabbaticall rest was due by the propheticall Law So the Lords day is immediatly commanded by the power of his immediate word commanding all the nations of the world to beleeve the truth of his fulfilled promise by his seventh daies Evangelicall rest as the Lords day is the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law implying the command of the whole Law first immediatly commanding the seventh daies worship by faith in the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise to whose faith the blessing of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest is due by the Evangelicall Law of faith which is the blessing of the Lords day This is therefore the howre and blessed day which the Lord told the Samaritan woman should come when God should be worshiped In spirit and truth that is in the spirit of faith in the truth of the Lords fulfilled promise Thirdly as by the light of the propheticall Sabbath day Adam and the Fathers were literally lead to the blessing of the Lords promised rest So by the light of the Lords day all the nations of the world are literally lead to the blessing of the Lords merit by the truth of his fulfilled promise Whosoever therefore doth denie the light of the truth of the Lords day sealed by the precious blood of his blessed heart doth necessarily denie the Lord truth it selfe By this opening of the mystery of the Lords day blessed sanctified by his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody rest the judicious Reader may easily perceive the reason of the mistake of the lords day the only cause of which mistake is in the mistaking of the last Sabbath for the formall propheticall Jewes Sabbath which was no waies the Jewes propheticall Sabbath neither was either Jew or Gentile obliged to the command of this last Sabbath or had any hand in the fulfilling of the command of this last Sabbath being too hard and impossible a task for man as he is man Let us leave therefore the command of this last Sabbath to the Lord of the Sabbath who as he did in his great mercy oblige himselfe to the obedience of the command of this last Sabbath so in his love and mercy to man the Lord graciously fulfilled the command thereof for man Let us leave I say this last Sabbath to the Lord of the Sabbath who was only obliged to the command of this last Sabbath as it is the seventh day of the Law obliging the Lord himselfe as he is man and we shall have the Lords day the just seventh day of the Evangelicall Law as the Law of God obligeth man naturally descended of Adam And this is properly the Sabbath whereby the Lord is intituled Lord of the Sabbath And the Sabbath properly that the Lord saith was made for man For by the Lords fulfilling of this last Sabbath by his bloody rest the Lord rested from his cursed death of the Crosse for the redemption of man and by his bloody rest in the grave did merit the eternall rest lost by Adam By whose resurrection from the grave the Lord did triumphantly and Evangelically rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed This twofold rest of the eternall word arising from the last mysticall Sabbath was prefigurate by a twofold type and figure Of which twofold type and figure next CHAP. VI. The twofold type and figure whereby the last Sabbath was prefigurate THe last Sabbath according to the mysticall sense was prefigurate by a twofold type and figure First the fulfilling of this Sabbath was prefigurate by the blessed Virgin Secondly by the yeare of Jubile First therefore of the prefigurating thereof by the blessed Virgin As by the Arke with the word placed therein and the Cherubins overshadowing the Mercie-seat the blessed Virgin was prefigurate from her conception of the blessed seed till her delivery of the blessed Child So by the bessed Virgin the rest of Christ Jesus in the grave upon the last Sabbath till the day of his resurrection was prefigurate Wherein a threefold type most worthy of observation is to be marked First by the virginall conception of the blessed seed the virginall conception of the blessed body of our Saviour in the new hewen Tombe out of a Rocke wherein no man was ever laid was prefigurate Secondly by the Virgins going three quarters of a yeare with the blessed Child the three daies rest of the blessed body of Christ Jesus in the grave was prefigurate Thirdly as the renting the Vaile of the Temple did prefigurate the renting of of the sacred
end to end is nothing else but the light of the sound of the word of the Lords day For by the sounding of the word of the Lords resurrection by the Apostles what a world of wonders and miracles were wrought and how many thousands by the light of the sound of the word came by the hands of faith to lay hold on the Lords daies Evangelicall rest Thirdly the new Covenant is immediatly established upon the Evangelicall word of the Lords day by inseperable union Fourthly the Apostle doth affirme that the sound of the word to wit of the Lords day went to the ends of the earth Fiftly Iohn doth call the day of the Lords resurrection the Lords day Sixtly the Apostle to the Hebrews doth set downe the Lords day the Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith most plainly saying first that after a long time which was the time of the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day there was another certaine seventh day appointed in David that is in Davids seed Secondly that the Lord of life to wit the Son of David did enter this day into his rest from his resting from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is his Evangelicall rest necessarily implying his bloody promised Sabbaticall rest from the worke of the redemtion As he did first rest from the workes of the creation Thirdly the Apostle proveth that this day appointed in David was for the people to enter into this seventh daies rest For saith the Apostle Hebrews 4.8 if Joshua could have given the people of Israel rest to wit by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbaticall seventh day then bad not David bin appointed to speake of another day that sâ— another seventh day which the Apostle Hebrews 4.12 cals the lively powerfull word of God which is the word of the Lords day the true Evangelicall Word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse of faith by the Evangelicall sound thereof sharper then any two edged sword dâ—viding and seperating the soule from the spirit where the soule is taken for the soule of man as he is a naturall man and the spirit is taken for the soule of man as he is regenerate and a spirituall man for by the spirituall sanctifying understanding of the wâ—rd the rebellious powers of the flesh of man as he is a naturall man are devided and subdued by the power of the Spirit though not totally in thâ—s life And therefore the Apostle Paul doth affirme that the sins pro eeding from his rebellious flesh are none of his to wit as he is a spirituall man Seventhly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118 24. First that this is the day which the Lord hath made exhorting all men to rejoyce in this blessed day which day David did see with his spirituall eyes of faith for the Lord did fulfill this prophesie of David indeed for the Lord made this day with his precious bloud Secondly David doth prophetically affirme Psal 118.22 that it was the glorious light of this seventh dayes rest which David calls the corner stone which the Judaicall builders did refuse and now is made the head of the corner mounted above the heaven of heavens the Tabernacle not made with hands wherein the Lord of life Head of his mysticall members is entered to make continuall intercession as their Advocate at the Throne and Alter of righteousnesse by the merit of his fulfilling of the Law of righteousnesse whereby all the actuall sins of his mysticall members united to their mysticall head by his indivisible love are covered and freed from the curse of the Evangelicall Law of faith by the new Covenant As by his cursed death of the altar of the Crosse they are freed from the curse of the Law for their sinne in Adam by the first Covenant Eightly the Lord himselfe doth affirme John 8.56 that Abraham did see this his joyfull day to wit with his spirituall eyes of faith in the eight day of the Sacrament of circumcision wherein there doth lye no small mysterie for the child was to be circumcised upon the eight day though the eight day did fall upon the propheticall Sabbath day upon which day no worke was to be done under the paine of death much lesse the shedding of mans bloud The shedding of mans bloud therefore upon the Sabbath was onely lawfull by the command of the Sacramentall circumcision for both the propheticall Sacraments implying the whole propheticall ceremoniall Law were commanded in the Church of God before the Law was given to Moses to the end that the Jews might understand that the Law to the fathers before Moses and after Moses till Christs resurrection was really one and the same Law of God and one and the same formall obliegement of the Law The point of the mysterie lyeth in this That the Sacrament of circumcision which was the eighth day was preferred to the command of the Sabbath which was the seventh day of the Law implying the command of the whole Law Now the Sacrament of circumcision was but the shadow of the Sacrament of the Lords day which was the eight day from the last propheticall Sabbath reckoning the propheticall Sabbath inclusively for the first day in the accompt of the eight dayes though by beginning the accompt from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath exclusively the Lords day as man naturally descended of Adam is oblieged to the Law is the just seventh day from the last formall Jews propheticall Sabbath as hath beene declared What an admirable faith was this of Abraham to see this day so farre off which the Lord affirmeth that Abraham did see and that Abraham did rejoyce in the sight of this blessed day Ninthly the Lord of life the Lord of the Evangelicall law of the righteousnesse of faith the true eternall rest of the Evangelicall seventh day of the Law doth call this blessed day his owne day John 85.6 His owne day by all true title and right of righteousnesse it selfe his owne which in spite of the power of darkenesse must shine till the eternall day Tenthly this is the most joyfull day of dayes for by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest the Jews and Gentiles were actually called to one Church and were made one fold to the joyous and thankfull jubilising of all the Nations of the world Eleventhly by the Evangelicall sound of the Lords daies Evangelicall rest arising from his bloudy rest all the propheticall Sabbaths all the jubilees of Sabbaths and all the prophesies prophesying from the foundation of the world of the comming and suffering of the Lord of life the promised blessed seed are actually determined Twelfthly by his bloudy Sabbaticall rest necessarily implyed in his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest of the Lords day All the altars and sacrifices the foundation of the partition wall of the ceremoniall Law and all the figures types rites and propheticall ceremonies from the foundation of
that day confounded Though the High Priest or any man that day without any feare might have entered the highest place and have touched and looked on the Arke but it was more then was then knowne to the high Priest Against this it may be objected Luke the Evangelist saith Luke 23 56. That the women according to the command of the Law rested from going to the sacred grave that day which command of the Law was the command of the propheticall Sabbath day I answer Luke the faithfull Historiographer of the sacred History doth faithfully relate the act of the religious women with the precise circumstance of the time of the act what the women then full of sorrow for the Lord of life were constrained to doe out of their respect to the command of the Sabbath which was that day in force for ought that the women did know But Luke doth not relate what the women might have done that day Neither had it been sitting for the Evangelist so to have done for the formall command of the Sabbath day as it was the formall propheticall Jews Sabbath day was not actually determined till it was determined by the next day the day of Christs resurrection from the grave to wit the Lords day though the prophesies of the Sabbath were then actually determined And so much for answer to the first Question To the second Question I answer That it had beene as impossible in any morall right by the command of the Law that the last Sabbath for the whole space whereof the blessed body of our Saviour rested in the sacred grave could have beene worshipped for the Lords day For first the mournfull sorrowfull and lamentable light of the sound of the word of the seventh day of the last Sabbath had been repugnant to the joyful Evangelicall sound light of the word of the Lords day Secondly the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day to have beene celebrate upon the last Sabbath had implyed a manifest contradiction in the command of the law for so the law should have commanded the day of the Lords resurrection to be worshipped in spirit and truth while as contrary to all truth the sensitive body of our Saviour did lye dead in the grave that day Thirdly by the commanded worship of that Sabbath to be celebrate by the Evangelicall worship of the Lords day had been contradictory to the sacred written Word of God by his eternall decree for the last enemy to be conquered by the Lord of life was the grave Fourthly the commanded Evangelicall worship of that day had been contradictory to Christs own prophesie which was that he should rise again the third day while by his Evangelicall worship he must have risen the second day Fifthly by such commanded Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath the Apostles must have been false witnesses in preaching and proclaiming that the Lord was risen from the grave while his sacred body did rest in the grave Sixthly such Evangelicall worship of the last Sabbath had overthrown the chief Article of Christian faith For all Christians are obliged to believe that the Lord of life rose the third day from the grave and not the second day and so much for answer to the second question against this declaration of the Lords day three obejections are to be answered CHAP. XVI The reason that God is said to be Alpha and Omega the first and the last FIrst it may be objected that by the establishing of the Lords day for the Evangelicall morall seventh day of the law of faith there is one seventh day of the law implying the whole law lost in the account Now heaven and earth must perish before a jot or a tittle of the law shall perish Luke 86.17 For the law of God is eternall I answer By this account there is neither any jot or tittle of the seventh day of the law of God lost neither by this account is there my prejudice at all to the decreed six dayes work allowed by the law to man For the seventh day of the last Sabbath implying the whole law as Christ Jesus was obliged thereby as he is man was fulfilled by himself Now by the fulfilling of the law the law is established and not lost if man by his finall obstinate contempt of the law should escape the curse of the law at Christs second coming then the law we lost indeed Or if the Lord had not fulfilled the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as the Lord did oblige himself by the propheticall covenant the seventh day of the law implying the command of the whole law had been likewise utterly lost as man Christ Jesus the Son of God was obliged to the command of the law This objection therefore is easily answered by the former declaration For God and man being mutually obliged to the propheticall covenant by the seventh day of the law then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord the obligement of man to the propheticall covenant was formally twofold First man to wit Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam were formally obliged to the command of the seventh day as it was then the propheticall Sabbath obliging the faith of man to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed prophesied by the prophetical Sabbath untill the promised rest was fulfilled by the blessed seed Secondly man the Son of God Christ Iesus the blessed seed was formally obliged by the propheticall covenant to fulfill his promised rest by his obedience to the command of the seventh day of the last Sabbath as it was prophesied by the propheticall Sabbath who having fulfilled the command of the last Sabbath by his obedience even to the death of the Crosse by his redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam And by his rest in the grave after his death upon the last Sabbath haveing fulfilled the whole law in the command of the seventh day The eternall life and rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam was redeemed likwise for man and due by the law to our Saviours merit Now the eternall life and rest of man being in our Saviour The Lord by his resurrection from the grave did manifest himselfe truth to man by the fulfilling of his promised rest and in that truth Lord God Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God God equall with the Father and holy Spirit the eternall life and rest of man The day of whose resurrection being the just seventh day of the law as man naturally descended of Adam is obliged to the law of God the Lord by the power of his merit by his Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of the law for man implying his bloody rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam doth command the day of his resurrection the Lords day to be worshipped by man for the seventh day of his Evangelicall law And therefore to conclude this answer The seventh
THE THEOLOGICALL KEY Of the three first COVENANTS Made by God with Man in the severall state of Man obliging Man to his Law after a severall formall manner from the beginning according to his sacred Decree of Predestination Fundamentally declared according to his sacred WORD and TRUTH By David Dunbar Esq This is life eternall to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 LONDON Printed in the yeere 1646. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER BY the Judicious reading of this small Tractate fundamentally from the beginning the Reader is enabled to make the most powerfull objection against the word of truth to vanish with the objecters breath And to determine of all the misconceived opinions concerning universall redemption universall grace falling away totally and finally from grace originall sinne naturall corruption freedome of will merit by workes children departing this life unbaptized and such like all proceeding from the mistake of the sacred decree of Predestination which is here demonstratively and fundamentally resolved from the lowest effect in the supreme cause so farre as is revealed to man in this life arising from the three first Covenants made by God with man Thine in the Lord David Dunbar The Introduction leading the judicious Reader to the understanding of this Tractate THe perfect essentiall understanding of God being infinite as God in himselfe is infinite and consequently God in this sense being incomprehensible by the finite act of any created understanding God therefore is comprehensible by man by the onely light of the word of his severall seventh dayes rest as God from the beginning did manifest himselfe to man in his severall state and condition to bee honoured and worshipped by man upon the seventh day of his law of righteousnesse To whose worship the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest is due by the law to man in the severall state and condition of man The reason is because in the fulfilling of the commanded worship of God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse the whole law is necessarily fulfilled for the command of the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse is that command which the Lord doth call the first and greatest Command to which the lesser command is like and necessarily implyed in the great command For as by the great Command the seventh dayes formall worship of God is first and immediately commanded by the immediate power of the word of the seventh dayes rest commanding all the actions of man proceeding from his love to God to worship God upon the seventh day of his law which is the summe of the first table of the law So by the lesser command all the actions of man proceeding from his love are commanded to the image of God to wit man Which twofold command is necessarily fulfilled in the fulfilling of the commanded formall worship of the seventh day of the law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest For as no man can love God whom he hath not seen who doth not love his image man whom he doth see And in this sense it is said that love is the fulfilling of the law So no man can love Gods image man but he must love God whose image man is and therefore it is said That he that loveth his brother hath fulfilled the Law As in the great Command therefore of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse the whole Law is necessarily commanded So in the fulfilling of the great Command of the seventh dayes rest the whole law is as necessariâ—â— fulfilled for if the love of man be defective either to God or to his image man mans worship is no worship And this is the reason that all the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning are established upon the immediate command of the word of every severall seventh dayes rest as God did manifest himself to man from the beginning to be worshipped by man in the severall state and condition of man for every severall covenant is established upon the condition of the fulfilling of the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnesse implying the command of the whole law though after a severall formall manner as God hath mafest himselfe to man in his severall state and condition by the word of his severall seventh dayes rest Now all the covenants made by God with man from the beginning being but the exercite act of his most sacred and most comfortable eternal decree of Predestination By the understanding therefore of the severall Covenants made by God with man from the beginning we are led fundamentally in the knowledge of God at God did manifest himselfe to man from the beginning The new Covenant therefore which is the last Covenant made by God with man being established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh daies rest of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith which is the Lords day upon which blessed day the Lord by his glorious resurrection did rest from his fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed The Lords day therefore is the last period of the exercite act of the sacred decree of Predestination necessarily implying the exercite act of the whole decree so farre therefore as is revealed to man in this life As for the mystery of the Lords day after what manner it is the word of the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnesse of faith it is demonstrate from the truth of the sacred word immediately in this Tractate and set downe in the proper place For the Lords day must be the true seventh day of the Evangelicall law of righteousnes of faith or there is no object for the faith of man or any law to command man or any covenant to oblige God to man or any blessing by the Lords infinite merit by his Evangelicall seventh dayes rest to man for it is by the immediate power of the blessing of his infinite merit that man and the whole worke of the redemption is continued while there is day in this life By the light therefore of the Lords day which is the word of the seventh daies rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnesse of faith we are led fundamentally and demonstratively from the lowest effect of the sacred decree of predestination to the first supreme cause necessarily implying the light of all the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning Which supreme cause is God The understanding therefore of the Covenants made by God with man from the beginning is the understanding of God which is called the mystery of God In which understanding is eternall life and therfore the Lord saith this is life eternall to know thee to be the only true God The reason is because the word of promise whereby God and man are mutually obliged by Covenant is the immediate object of faith without which it
power of the word For the word of righteousnes in this sense is the word of the law of righteousnes internally commanding the heart of man which is the center and originall of all the powers of man as he is man commanding man to produce the workes of righteousnes according to the law of righteousnes as man by the first power of the word written in his heart is enabled to live the life of righteousnes For according to that Theologicall Principle As God doth command the action of his creature so before or in and with the command God in his justice doth inable his creature with the power of action to fulfill his command As the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man it is taken in a twofold sense First the word of the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of naturall life of the word is taken for the word of promise wherby God doth covenant with man to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes necessarily implying me naturall life of the word to man as man is inabled to live that life by the power of the word written in his heart which is called the word of eternall life Secondly as the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man it is taken for the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousâ—â—s implying the command of the whole law And the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law in this sense hath likewise a twofold power The first power of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law it is the power of command for in this sense the word of God is the command of his law of righteousnes commanding the obedience of man by his workes of righteousnes to fulfill the command of his law of righteousnes as man is inabled to live that life by the immediate power of the word of the law written in his heart And in this sense Gods word is said to be a law to man For all the commands of God righteousnes it selfe by his word are the necessary commands of his law of righteousnes and all the commands of the law of God are the necessary commands of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law which doeth necessarily imply the command of the whole law of God Gods command therefore to Adam commanding him to abstaine from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnes The second power of the word of the seventh dayes rest is the power of life of righteousnes necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word and this power of the word of the seventh dayes rest is by the immediate blessing of the seventh dayes rest which is due by the law to the seventh dayes worship and man necessarily implying his fulfilling of the whole law for the seventh day is blessed for man and the seventh day is sanctified for Gods worship by man by the immediate power of which blessing of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise The word of the law therefore written in the heart and the word of promise and the word of the seventh dayes rest are really one for by the word written in the heart man doth live the life of righteousnes and by the word of promise God doth promise the eternall continuation of that life and by the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of his life of righteousnes and the word in this threefold sense is the image of the righteousnes of God the infinite life of righteousnes But yet as there is a reall unity in the word written in the heart in the word of promise and in the word of the seventh dayes rest so there is a formall difference For the word of the Law written in the heart is formally the word of the power of life and the word of promise is formally the word of eternall life whereby the eternall continuance of the power of the word in the heart is promised and the word of the seventh dayes rest is formally the word of eternall rest for by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise wherby God doth fulfill his promise to man and therefore called truth And this is the reason that as in the word of promise the covenant is established between God and man upon the word of the seventh dayes rest the covenant and the word of the seventh dayes rest are really one but of a formall difference The reall unity of both is in this that the word of promise which is the word of eternall life is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest And the formall difference of both is in this that God and man in the word of promise are formally and mutually obliged by covenant but man is only formally commanded by the word of the seventh dayes rest of his law of righteousnesse For God in the word of promise doth bind and obliege himselfe to man by covenant to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes which man doth injoy by the power of the word written in his heart And because this eternall continuation of the life of man is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest therefore God doth mutually bind and obliege man by his covenant to fulfill the command of his seventh dayes worship implying the fulfilling of the whole law after that formall maner as God hath manifested himselfe to be worshipped by man by the word of his seventh dayes rest and this obligement of man by covenant is both upon the promise of eternall life and also upon the promise of eternall death By the light of the word therefore of every severall seventh dayes rest first we are led in the knowledge of the state and condition of man with whom the covenant is made For the word of the seventh dayes rest and the word of the law written in the heart whereby man doth live are really one Secondly by this light we are led in the knowledge of the covenant which is alwayes really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest For the word of promise is fulfilled by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh daies rest whereon the condition of the covenant doth depend Now because by covenant man is bound and obliged to the command of the law of righteousnes both upon the promise of eternall life and eternall death according to the merit of man The law of GOD is therefore sayd to have a twofold reward to wit the blessing of eternall rest to the merit of the obedient and eternall death to the merit of the disobedient which is called the curse of
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
first patents continue in their created state and felicity Secondly what could be the efficient cause of the fall of man created in such perfection advanced to such high honor happines For answer to the first question though the Scripture doth not set down and determine the precise time of the fall of man yet there is no ground at all to imagine that Adam did fall the same very day wherein he was created for so Adam and all men created in Adam must have falne without the curse of the Law for before the seventh day that God did rest from the works of the Creation there was neither any formall Law or Covenant to binde or command Adam to the Law of God which command was by the onely word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse upon the immediate command whereof the first Covenant was established betweene God and man But the maine reason of this imaginary opinion standeth in this point to wit Eve did or at least might have conceived the sixt day which Eve was given Adam to wife hence it is concluded that if Adam had falne after Eve had conceived the conception had not been lyable to Adams sinne because it was not then in the head but actually descended from the head in which case the Son in the Justice of God is not lyable to the sin of the Father for in this case the soule that sinneth must dye To this I answer Admit that Eve had conceived the same night which Eve was given to Adam to wife yet this conception was not man and the sonne of Adam untill such time as Eves sensitive conception was brought to such perfection as the intellectuall information of the soule the sensitive body was perfect man and the son of Adam Before which time if Adam the created head of all men naturally to descend of Adam had falne the posterity of Adam notwithstanding must have necessarily falne in the head for God did not make his first Covenant with the sensitive seed of Adam or Eve or with the sensitive conception or with the sensitive body of man but with man Adam the head and with all men naturally to descend of Adam the head as they are men intellectuall and sensitivâ— created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head Before such time therefore as Eve had conceived perfect man and the sonne of Adam Adams fall could not have been prevented from being the fall of his posterity all which time after the first Covenant was established our first parents might have stood before their fall and yet in all that time Adams fall must have been the necessary fall of his posterity till the very instant time of Eves conception of man which is by the second conception of woman while as the sensitive body in the wombe is brought to such perfection as the high elaborate vitall spirits of the heart doe appetite the intellectuall forme humane spirit to be begot by the eternall Father of spirits and by the power of the word essentially united to the heart whereby man is man and conceived man by woman and in the prefixed time of naturall birth brought forth perfect man by man female the woman though Eve in her state of perfection was to bring forth man in the image of righteousnesse and holinesse as in the second conception the intellectuall soule essentially united to the heart was to be spiritually enlightned and sanctified by God for otherwise man could never be enabled to bring forth man in such perfection as man was created to fulfill the command of the Law by the first Covenant As God therefore by his first Covenant did binde and oblige Adam and all men created and bound in Adam to his first seventh dayes commanded worship and in that commanded worship to the obedience of the whole Law upon the curse of eternall death So God in his Justice by his first Covenant did oblige himselfe to enable man to bring forth man in such state and perfection as he was created that God might be honoured and worshipped by the perfect obedience of all men to descend of Adam as he was to be worshipped and honoured by Adam And therefore to conclude my Answer to the first Question though the Scripture hath not set downe the precise time of Adams fall yet by Covenant Adams fall must have been the fall of his posterity till Eve had conceived man though Adams sinne had been his owne and not the sinne of his posterity if after Eve had conceived Adam should have falne But to affirme that Adam did fall the very day which he was created it is contrary to the truth of the sacred Word for so Adam as hath been said must have falne without any curse of the Law Neither is there so much as any colour of humane reason to imagine that man being created in such perfection and advanced to such a large extent of honour and felicity to be Lord over the Earth and over the creatures and yet that this very day man must fall under the fearefull eternall curse of the Law and be arraigned and censured by God for his transgressions before man could have any time or experience so much as to consider the exâ—ent of his advancement and felicity to which he was preferred by God CHAP. II. The immediate efficient cause of Adams fall was not internall but externall THe second question may be moved What could be the immediate efficient cause of Adams fall being created in such estate of naturall and spirituall perfection advanced to such high honour and felicity and in such high love and favour with God for as it will appeare by the subsequent declaration of all the creatures created by God man was his most deare belâ—ved creature The efficient cause of Adams fall by some moderne Theologues is affirmed to bee internall and externall That there was an externall efficient cause of Adams fall it is most certaine for the externall efficient cause of Adams fall is set downe by Moses but the question of the intrinsecall or internall efficient cause of Adams fall whereof there be divers opinions amongst the Theologues for some will have the internall cause of Adams fall to be a deficient cause some Adams abusing of the freedome of his will some will have the internall cause a true positive efficient cause which threefold internall cause doth trench upon the perfection of mans creation for if any of the three can be necessarily concluded Adam must not be created in the state of spirituall perfection it doth therefore stand us in hand to remove these three supposed internall causes of Adams fall from the perfection of mans creation before we come to the declaration of the fall of man First therefore to come to the first internall efficient cause which is thus inferred Adam by his fall produced a defective effect the internall cause therefore of this defective effect was defective internally proceeding
cursed Altar of the cross the only Son of his love Christ Jesus begot man of the seed of the woman in time as he is man the eternall Son of God before all time to redeem man from the eternall curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by his cursed death of the cross that as Satan in the Serpent did first so maliciously betray the woman to procure the fall of man So by the resurrection of the blessed seed from the dead the head of the old Serpent Satan and his cursed seed for his malicious betraying of the woman should be broke in the great day to his eternall confusion For which cause first God decreed from all eternity to enter his second covenant with man in the promise of the blessed seed that the blessed seed should rest from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the seventh day of the last Sabbath from end to end that by his fulfilling of the whole Law in the seventh day the whole Law might be fulfilled as he did bind and oblige himself to man by covenant by fulfilling whereof the first seventh dayes eternall rest lost by Adams transgression of the Law might be due to his merit by the Law that the eternall blessing of the next seventh dayes rest the redemeed state of man might be continued Secondly God by his eternall decree did decree to bind and oblige himself to man to fulfill the promise of the blessed seed by his resurrection from the grave and to enter his new covenant with all the nations of the world As God did decree from all eternity to bind and oblige himself to man in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant So God decreed from all eternity to bind and oblige man mutually by his second covenant to believe in his promise of the blessed seed both upon the eternall blessing of the word of the second seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith and likewise upon the eternall merciless curse of the law of faith The promised redemption of man therefore in the promise of the blessed seed by the second covenant was as effectuall and actuall to Adam and to all men naturally to descend of Adam the head untill the promise was fulfilled as it was effectuall and actuall in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant to all the nations of the world Adam therefore and all men naturally to descend of Adam by the redeemed word of the Law literally written in the the heart of man were necessarily inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness of faith to believe morally in the promise of the blessed seed as they were oblieged by covenant though by the eternall Decree of God Adam and all men redeemed in Adam the head from the curse of eternall death and darkness were shut up and concluded in temporall darkness called unbelief and sin till they be regenerate afterwards to be declared from this enabling of man with the life of righteousness of faith to believe the promise of the blessed seed the Law of righteousnes was first called the Law of righteousnes of faith for by the formall obliegement of the Law by the second covenant the formall simple obliegement of the Law of righteousness was actually determined by the command of the word of the seventh day of the Law of righteousness of faith in the promise of the blessed seed By this decreed work of the redemption of man by predestinating the Lamb of God to the cursed altar of the cross for the sin of man the sacred Decree of God doth principally take the name to be called The eternall decree of Predestination as from the more noble and excellent part so far surmounting the works of the creation as the sacred blood of the Son of God doth surmount the excellency of all the creatures created by God And so much for the eternall Decree of Predestination for the present Next the perfection of the redemption of man is to be declared CHAP. XIII Of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam by the cursed death of the Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man AS God by his decree from all eternity did decree by the cursed death of the promised blessed seed made flesh of the seed of the woman to redeem all men from the curse of eternall death and darkness to which all men were eternally condemned in Adam the head So God from all eternity did decree to shut up and conclude all men redeemed in Adam the head in temporall spirituall darkness till they be regenerate which is called unbelief and sin and therefore it is said Rom. 11.32 that God did conclude all men in unbelief which is spirituall unbelief proceeding from that spirituall darkness that he might have mercy upon all men to wit by enlightning of that spirituall darkness by the grace of spirituall faith in the act of regeneration In which two points the perfection of the redemption of man doth consist First therefore of the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of eternall death and darkness And secondly of the shutting up and concluding of all men redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness in temporall spirituall darkness called unbelief and sin according to the eternall Decree of God The perfection of the redemption of man condemned to eternall death and darknes is by the intervention of the cursed death of the Word made flesh of the seed of the woman between man condemned to the curse of the Law and the actuall inflicting of the curse by God upon the word of the Law and life of righteousness written in the heart of man whereby man was inabled with the power of naturall life and light and with the power of the life and light of righteousness before his fall By which intervention of our Saviour by his sustaining of the actuall curse of the Law due to man condemned by the Law the word of the naturall life of man and of the life of righteousness writen in the heart of man and consequently man is redeemed from the curse of eternall death and darkness and by the power of the redeemed word in the heart of the redeemed man The naturall man is naturally and morally inabled again to live the naturall life of man and the life of righteousness of faith to believe first in the gracious promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now to believe in the fulfilled promise by the new Covenant As Adam therefore and the Fathers by the literall light of the Word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord which was really one with the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in the heart
of man were morally enabled to believe the promised rest of the blessed seed from the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam upon the Sabbath and by the power of the word of righteousness of faith in their heart were inabled to bring forth the morall and ceremoniall works of faith according to the formall command of the Law of faith So now by the power of the redeemed word of the law of Faith written in the heart of man really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled to believe the fulfilled promise of the blessed seed and to bring forth the morall works of faith according to the command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Evangelicall Law of righteousness of faith And therefore though the redeemed naturall man from the curse of eternall death and darkness be shut up and concluded in temporall spirituall darknes till he be regenerate and dead as he is a spirituall man without any manner of spirituall understanding or action and necessitate to spirituall unbelief yet the redeemed naturall man is not shut up and concluded in naturall and morall darkness and dead as he is a naturall man necessitate to morall unbelief but by the power of the redeemed word written in the heart of man The naturall man is alive with freedome of naturall and morall grace by the act of his understanding will and senses to believe the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and the fulfilled promise by the new covenant for the word of the Law of righteousness of faith obliged both by the old and new covenant is first and immediately morally commanded though necessarily implying the spirituall command and that as well upon the merciless curse of the Law of Faith as upon the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith If the redeemed naturall man therefore were concluded and necessitate to morall unbelief as by his concluding in spirituall darkness he is necessitate to spirituall unbelief First it were impossible for the redeemed naturall man to give morall obedience to the command of the Law of faith obliged either by the old or new covenant But more impossible for God in this case to make his old or new covenant with man For it were high injustice in God to oblige man redeemed from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam to believe his promise upon the merciless curse of the Law of faith while the redeemed naturall man in the mean time was necessitate both to morall and spirituall unbelief Secondly in the free naturall and morall act of the understanding will and senses of the redeemed naturall man which naturall and morall act is really one though formally differing the perfection of the redemption of the naturall man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive doth consist which being necessitate man is no man Thirdly such morall necessitating of the redeemed will of man and consequently of his externall senses doth inferre a necessary contradiction in the act of the redemption of the naturall man for by the literall light of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith written in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of faith the naturall man is morally inabled to believe the word preached for the literall light of the word is in the sound of the word and therefore it is said Rom. 10.17 that Faith which is morall faith is by the hearing of the Word And by the necessitating of the morall act of the understanding will and consequently of the senses of the naturall man he is necessitate to morall unbelief which is a manifest contradiction Hence I inferre these seven Theologicall necessary conclusions First the redeemed naturall man by the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of Faith written in his heart which is of one reall light and command with the eternall light and command of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith the redeemed naturall man is morally inabled with the grace of morall faith to believe the word of promise which is really one with the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith First in the promise of the blessed seed by the old covenant and now by faith in the fulfilled promise by the new covenant made with all the nations of the world Secondly and consequently by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousnes of Faith written in the heart of the redeemed naturall man the naturall man is morally inabled to bring forth the works of morall faith according to the formall command of the Law of Faith without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall disobedience by the temptation of Satan or his instruments for if either Satan or any created power of God could necessitate the will of the redeemed man to morall disobedience God in his justice could never oblige man to the command of his Law upon the curse of eternall death either by the old or new covenant Though Satan therefore be necessitate to tempt man as shall be declared hereafter yet Satan with all his power must either induce the redeemed naturall man freely and willingly to disobedience or no way Thirdly the redeemed naturall man by the power of the light of the word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in his heart really one with the literall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is morally inabled to know when he doth transgresse the Law of faith by bringing forth the works of unbelief and unrighteousness by his actuall sins and to repent him of his actuall sins for fear of the curse of the Law For the grace of morall faith doth necessarily presuppose the grace of morall repentance And this is the reason that from the promise of the blessed seed throughout the old and new Testament all men are continually called upon to forsake their actuall sins and unrighteousness and by repentance to turn and reconcile themselves to God for all naturall men by the perfection of their redemption are inabled with the morall grace of repentance without any manner of necessitating of their impenitency by the power of Satan or his instruments For the grace of morall repentance being necessitate the grace of morall faith is likewise inevitably necessitate Fourthly the redeemed naturall man being morally inabled with the grace of morall faith and repentance without any manner of necessitating of his will to morall unbelief and impenitency The grace of spirituall faith is promised by the old and new covenant in God prefixed time to the continuation of his morall obedience by the morall works of faith
For Mark 13.13 Whosoever shall continue to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall redeemed man is the prefixed time of Gods spirituall calling by spirituall faith For by spirituall faith the naturall redeemed man is saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of righteousness of faith as by the cursed death of Christ Jesus the Son of God as he is man naturall man is saved from the first death which is the curse of the Law of righteousness for the first sin of Adam Fifthly though Satan and his wicked instruments cannot necessitate the will of the redeemed man morally to disobedience yet Satan by his false deceiving light can induce and betray man without Gods speciall concursive grace to transgresse the Law of righteousness of faith by his works of unbelief and unrighteousness and to draw down the evill reward of the Law by sore afflictions proceeding from the wrath of God upon the naturall man for his transgression of the Law The redeemed naturall man therefore by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith in his heart is inabled with the morall grace and gift of morall prayer to call upon the Lord in the day of affliction and trouble who hath promised to hear the prayer of the redeemed naturall man And therefore the Lord saith Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear thee for prayer is one of the principall works of worship and a chief work of faith Sixthly the naturall and morall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is morally due by the Law to the redeemed naturall mans morall faith by the immediate power of which blessing the naturall mans power to produce his morall good works of faith is continued Though the good morall action therefore of the redemed naturall man be necessary spirituall sin by reason of his concluding in spirituall darknesâ— which is spirituall unbelief for whatsoever is not of spirituall faith is necessarily spirituall sin yet the good morall action of the naturall man is not actuall spirituall sin for so God must be the first author of actuall spirituall sin since the fall which is blasphemy to affirm For this spirituall sin is not by the positive act of the will of man but from the will of God according to his eternall Decree by concluding man in spirituall unbelief which is called sin for the reasons set down in the Chapter following But this spirituall unbelief proceeding of the spirituall darkness wherein all redeemed men are concluded is not actuall sin For actuall sin is the transgression of the Law which is the only sin that condemnes man For as the Law of righteousness of Faith doth command the works of Faith So the Law doth condemn the works of unbelief whereby the Law is transgressed by man we must therefore distinguish between the good morall action of the naturall man as it is spirituall sin for want of spirituall faith and the morall evill action of the naturall man which is both actuall morall and actuall spirituall sin for there is but one Law of God as God is one literally and spiriritually commanding man and consequently the morall transgression is a necessary spirituall transgression of the Law The good morall action therefore of the naturall man according to the literall command of the Law cannot be actuall spirituall sin for the naturall man being shut up in spirituall darkness is dead as he is a spirituall man and therefore the naturall man as he is a spirituall man being dead is freed from the Law of actuall sin And his morall good action proceeding from his morall faith being without either morall or spirituall actuall sin The morall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousness of Faith is as due by the Law to his morall faith as the spirituall blessing is due by the Law to the spirituall faith of the regenerate man For as the Law is first and immediately literally commanded so the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest is first immediately due by the Law to morall faith which must necessarily precede spirituall Faith in the ordinary calling of God Seventhly though the naturall man do too often stumble and fall by the temptation of Satan and his instruments yet he hath all the dayes of this life to repent him of his actuall sins for the arms of Gods mercy are out-stretched all the dayes of his life to imbrace the repenting sinner And therefore is said Ezek. 18.21 22. At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sins from the bottome of his heart I will put away all his sins out of my remembrance As the naturall man therefore must not despair of Gods mercy in his Son Christ Jesus which is the greatest sin that can be committed by man proceeding from unbelief for by desparing in the mercy of God wretched man doth detract from the infiniteness of the Lords merit So it is one of the most fearfull sins for wretched man by continuing in actuall sins and wickeness to presume on the mercy of God while by his contemning of the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance God in his justice doth most justly give him over to a reprobate minde that though he hath all the dayes of this life to repent yet he cannot repent And this is the reason that it is said Matth. 12.13 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken from him that is the grace of morall repentance which he hath by the power of the redeemed word of the Law and life of righteousness of faith written in his heart And now to conclude the perfection of the redemption of the naturall man by the cursed death of the Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man Though the redeemed naturall man according to the eternall decree of God Rom. 11.31 be shut up and concluded in spirituall darkness till he be regenerate called unbelief and sin yet the redeemed naturall man by the immediate power of the word of the Law life and light of righteousness of Faith necessarily implying the power of naturall life and light written in the heart of the redeemed naturall man the naturall man is inabled to live the naturall life of man and the life of righteousness of faith morally without any manner of any necessitating of the act of his understanding will or senses either naturally or morally Whosoever therefore doth presume to deny the freedome of the will of the redeemed naturall man either naturally or morally doth necessarily deny the perfection of the redemption of man by the cursed death of the eternall Son of God Christ Jesus as he is man The eternall death and darkness to which all men in Adam the head were condemned was prefigurate by the darkness of the first Tabernacle called the Holy place which was made
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
Scripture But yet the earth is not restored to the measure of the former fruitfulnesse The reason is that the redeemed man by his continuall labour and care might be put in minde of his thankfull obedience to his gracious Redeemer by his exercise in the commanded works of faith that his faith may be watered with the dew of the morall and spirituall blessing of the Word This blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith then to the Fathers in the promise of the blessed seed and now to us in the fulfilled promise is twofold The first is the naturall blessing of the word to the naturall life of man as he is man The second is the morall and spirituall blessing of the word to the morall and spirituall life of man by the morall and spirituall grace of faith For without the blessing of the nature of the redeemed man his morall and spirituall life must perish in this life This naturall blessing of the word is freely extended to all redeemed men without all respect to the merit of their obedience or disobedience to the command of the Word And therefore it is said Mat. 5.45 That his Sun doth shine and his rain doth fall upon the just and unjust And this is to the end that as God doth freely confer the blessings of the earth without respect to some in great plenty which he hath denyed to many of his redeemed poor members So the plentiful redeemed man may out of his plenty relieve the wants of his redeemed poor brethren without all respect to their merit who are the Lords redeemed members whereby the plentifull man doth testifie his thankfulnesse to his gracious Redeemer by the works of mercy and charity which are the commanded works of faith For what is freely given to the Lords poor redeemed members who are disabled of all means to supply their necessities it is freely given to the Lord himself as may appear by his own words Mat. 25.40 When I was hungry ye fed me not when I was thirstie ye gave me no drinke when I was naked ye clothed me not For want of means for the preservation of the life is a sore temptation which many times is prevented by the charity of the plentifull For by such means the poor indigent wretched man is diverted from attempting unlawfull courses to supply his necessity Though I must confesse that plenty without the speciall dew of the blessing of the Word be the greater and more dangerous temptation of the two The second blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith is the morall and spirituall blessing of the word necessarily implying the naturall blessing of the word And this morall and spirituall blessing is due by the Law of faith to the morall and spirituall faithfull worship of the seventh day of the Law of faith For by the morall faithfull worship of the seventh day by the naturall man and by the spirituall faithfull worship of the regenerate man by faith in the Lords merit the whole Law of faith is morally and spiritually fulfilled in the seventh day of the Law And therefore the morall and spirituall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest doth rest upon the naturall and regenerate man whereby the naturall man is enabled to bring forth the morall works of faith and to continue in his morall obedience till the time of Gods spirituall calling and the regenerate man is enabled to persevere and continue in his spirituall works of faith by his spirituall obedience to the spirituall command of the Law of faith And this is the first and second rain which is the dew of the Lords influence by the blessing of his Word to the grace of the morall and spirituall faith of man Thus have we briefly set down the literall and mysticall sense of the censure pronounced upon our first parents for the transgression of the Law of Righteousnesse and the second covenant established upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh dayes promised rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith then implyed in the propheticall Sabbath whereby Adam the redeemed head of man and all men naturally to descend of Adam were formally prophetically and ceremonially obliged to the command of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith in the promised rest of the blessed seed which is the last part of this second Book yet before we proceed a question is to be resolved which is this How long did this formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith continue and how long were all redeemed men obliged by the propheticall ceremoniall Law of God CHAP. XXIX The continuation of the formall propheticall ceremoniall obligement of the Law of righteousnesse of faith in the promise of the blessed seed in the first age of the Church TO the question moved in the end of the former chapter I briefly answer The formall obligement of man by the propheticall ceremoniall Law of faith in the promise of the blessed seed did continue from the very period of the promise first made to Adam the redeemed head of man till the day of our Saviours resurrection from the grave whereby the promised rest of the blessed seed was totally and absolutely fulfilled The continuation whereof may be divided in these two points The first is the formall obligement of our Fathers by the promise before any part of the promise was fulfilled And this formall obligement did continue till our Saviours coming in the world by whom the promise was fulfilled by degrees which is to be declared in the third Book As for the continuation of the formall obligement of the Law obliging Adam and the Fathers in the promise it may be distinguished in the first three ages of the Church The first was from Adam to Noah the second from Noah to Abraham the third from Abraham to Moses which continued till our Saviours coming wherein my purpose is only to shew that the formall obligement of the propheticall ceremoniall Law by faith in the promise of the blessed seed and that the covenant was really one and the same in all the first three ages of the Church though the figures prefigurating the promise were more significant the more neer that the promise came to be fulfilled After the covenant in the promise of the blessed seed was entred with Adam the redeemed head of man and with all men naturally to descend of Adam Satan that old raging Lion fearing the breaking of his head by the promised blessed seed to be born of the woman did begin to roare afresh intending to devoure the line whereof the blessed seed was to descend as he had devoured all men formally by the betraying of our first parents to fall under the curse of the Law by eternall death For Satan knowing the severity of Gods justice whereof himself had such experience resolved to set the whole world in such a fire of
blessing of his cursed death did belong to Adam and to all men naturally descended and to descend of Adam to the end of the world according to the promise made to Adam And therefore upon the day of his resurrection from the grave both the Jews and Gentiles were graciously called to whose faith the blessing of the promise made to Abraham was freely offered by the new covenant by means whereof the promise made to Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed was graciously and faithfully fulfilled And this is the reason that the Apostle saith Heb. 9.8 that while the first Tabernacle was standing the second Tabernacle could not be opned for all the nations of the world could not be blessed in this promise till our Saviour did first suffer though his suffering was first and immediately for the Jews which was prefigurate by the Levitical high Priests brest-plate Exod. 39.8.14 wherein the names of the twelve Tribes of Israel were written while he was to offer up the sacrifice of the altar whereby it was signified that our Saviour was first and immediatly to be offered in sacrifice for the Jews and therefore it is said John 4.22 that Salvation is from the Jews Thus have we briefly declared that in the three first ages of the Church the formall propheticall ceremoniall Law was really one and the same obliging of the Fathers before any part of the promise of the blessed seed was fulfilled So by the Tabernacle and Temple which our Saviour calls his body whereby both the promise made to Abraham and the promise made to Adam were prefigurate it was signified that the same formall obligement of the Law did continue from Moses till our Saviours coming in the world and from his coming till the day of his resurrection from the grave which is to be declared in the third Book of our Theologicall key in the mean time for a conclusion to this second Book certain materiall objections are to be answered against the perfection of the redemption of man which doth concern both that which hath been delivered in this second Book and likewise that which is to be delivered in the third CHAP. XXXII Satans cunning by his tempting of man by the sensitive naturall object of his understanding FIrst it is objected Satan hath the power to unite the free love of man so inseparably to the sensitive object of his pleasure as man doth necessarily produce his action contrary to the Law of faith Satan therefore hath the power to necessitate the free will of man to disobedience contrary to the declaration of the perfection of redemption I answer The inference is fallacious For though Satan hath the power by his false envious deceiving light to unite to the love and desire of man to the object of his sensitive pleasure yet it is by the free act of the love of man that man is induced to that union and not by Satans necessitating of his will I cleer the point by Satans cunning in tempting of man Satan doth tempt man to disobedience both by the naturall and morall object of the understanding of man First of Satans cunning in tempting of man by the naturall object and next of his cunning in tempting man by the morall object of his understanding By the naturall externall sensitive object of mans understanding I understand all things in nature whereby the understanding and will of man is produced in act by the mediate senses all which things are the proper objects of the five externall senses of man These severall sensitive objects Satan by himself and his instruments doth so continually and actually enlighten with his false envious deceiving naturall light as the species of these sensitive objects thus Satanically enlightened being received in the understanding the love of man is so incensed to unite it self to the object of its pleasure as it doth hate all things that doth resist the union by which miserable union these fearfull effects are produced First by this foul incensed love and desire of man to apprehend the sensiâ—ive object of his pleasure slaming in the heart of man the light of the redeemed word of the Law written in the heart is so obscured and darkned as wretched man doth greedily grasp the sensitive object without all respect to the Law of faith and this is the first degree of actuall sin which is by the darkning and obscuring of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith whereby the works of faith are formally commâ—nded for the light of the word of the Law in the heart which is really one with the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse of faith being obscured the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned And therefore this false envious deceiving light of Satan is called the Devils darknesse and the works produced by this false deceiving light are called the works of darknesse Secondly the incensed naturall love and pleasure of man and the sensitive object of his pleasure being once actually united such continuall fewell is added to this incensed fire by Satan and his instruments as wretched man doth lie and continue in his filthy love and pleasure and hate all things which doth resist the enjoying of his foul desire And this is the reason that the Lord saith John 3.20 he that doth evill doth hate the light which is the light of the command of the Law of faith For by the command of the Law of faith all such continued filthy pleasure is condemned And this is the second degree of actuall sin which is by continuance in sin Thirdly by this false envious deceiving light of Satan whereby the love and desire of man and the object of his pleasure are so united the more that wretched man is pressed with the command of the Law the more strictly doth he unite himself to the object of his pleasure by resisting all command of the Law and the pressure of the command And this Medea could see while as she saith we presse against what is forbidden and still affect what is denied And this the third degree of actuall sin while by the continuance of man in actuall sin the long patience of God leading him so graciously to repentance is contemned with such a high hand as God doth justly give him over to such a reprobate minde as he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of his life to repent For by this means that morall power of repentance which wretched man hath by the redeemed word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse of faith written in his heart is taken away and this is the reason that it is said Luke 19.26 from him that hath not that which he hath shall be taken away that is to say because wretched man will not repent having morall grace to repent therefore he shall be deprived of the power of morall
Lord that doth justifie them by his merit And therefore though it be the Lords pleasure for their triall to keep them in some measure under the yoak of affliction in this life yet they are enabled with patience to bear his hand till in his good time he determine their afflictions by calling them to himself where they shall be exalted to an incorruptible crown of glory and in their mysticall head enabled to tread on the neck of the old roaring Serpent and upon the neck of his cursed brood to their eternall confusion for betraying them by the pride of sin to the shame and afflictions of this life And now to conclude this point of Satans cunning by this tempting of man by the naturall sensitive object Of all the temptations of Satan his accusing of man whom he hath betrayed to such long continuance in actuall sin is the most fearfull And from this fearfull accusing of man Satan is called the Devill and in this diabolicall faculty stands the master-piece of the Devils cunning For when the Devill doth once begin to accuse wretched man for his continuance in unrepented sin the fearfull severity of Gods justice for the high contempt of the Law of faith and the impossibility of his mercy to such high continued contempt is so continually suggested by Satan as he never leaves night and day racking and torturing of the guilty conscience of the wretched sinner till his spirit be so insupportably wounded as he is induced to believe that all repentance comes too late and to despair of all mercy and unlesse by the Lords unexpected concursive grace the fearfull blow be prevented such is the insupportable wounded spirit of the wretched sinner by the Devils continuall accusation as the Devill doth easily induce the tortured restlesse desperate man to lay violent hands on himself as a present remedy for his torture and pain O that the wretched sinner would in time but by morall repentance accuse and condemn himself for his obstinate continuance in actuall sin as he is morally inabled thereto by the perfection of his redemption and then he shall prevent the Devils cunning For by that happy means the Devils fearfull accusation should come too late for there is alwayes such mercy in store to the least repenting sinner as there is no place for the Devill to plead at the barre of the Lords mercy and to accuse man for actuall sin I next proceed to the declaration of Satans cunning in his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding CHAP. XXXIII Satans cunning by his betraying of man by the morall object of mans understanding BY the morall object of mans understanding I understand the word of the seventh dayes rest implying the command of the whole Law whereby man from the beginning by every severall covenant is formally obliged to produce his action according to the formall command of the Law as he is actually enabled to produce that formall action by the power of the Word of the Law and life of Righteousnesse written in his heart This light of the word of Law in the heart Satan from the beginning hath and doth obscure by a false deceiving morall light contradictory to the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest By the obscuring of which light of the word of the Law written in the heart the light of the word of the seventh dayes rest is necessarily obscured and darkned by means whereof man doth produce his action without all respect to the formall command of the Law By this false morall deceiving light as Satan from the beginning did obscure the light of the Law of God totally and in generall so by his false deceiving morall light Satan doth now obscure and darken the light of the Law of faith in particular by his obtruding and suggesting false fundamentall particular points of faith whereby the Church of God hath been so miserably distracted in all ages So Satan by his false deceiving morall light did betray our first parents to transgresse the Law of God For while God by his first covenant had obliged man to fulfill the command of his Law by his Word commanding man to abstain from eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge upon the curse of a dying death Satan by the Serpent did suggest a false morall deceiving light contradictory to the light of the command of God which was that by eating of the forbidden fruit our first parents should not only be freed from all fear of any dying death by covenant but that by eating of the fruit they should be equall to God himself by which false great suggested morall light the hearts of our first parents was so incensed to such a height of pride to be equall to God as they did greedily grasp the fruit without all respect to the command of God by his Word commanding man which was the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of Righteousnesse For by the foul incensed desire of our first parents to be equall to God flaming in their hearts the light of the Word in their hearts was obscured and darkned by obscuring whereof the light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest was so totally obscured and darkned as the whole Law was transgressed whereby Adam the created head of man and all men naturally to descend of the head were condemned to the curse of the Law of Righteousnesse by the first covenant So after the second covenant was made in the promise of the blessed seed by the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath and after the word the blessed seed was born man of the seed of the woman and after he did manifest himself to the Jews by his glorious works wonders and miracles that he was that promised blessed seed of the woman and the eternall Son of God by whom they were to enjoy the promised rest of their propheticall Sabbath extending his love and mercy so generally towards all by curing of all sensitive diseases incurable by nature and the diseases of the souls of many whereby he did so ingage the reverend love and fear of all leading the world so by that glorious light that happy was he that could but touch the Lord of Life In so much that the glory of his light was such as the Jews began to be possest with a jealousie that by this great glorious light the glory of their great propheticall Sabbath should be obscured whereby they were so famous above all nations and that the honour and dignity of the Leviticall Priesthood and the great preferment which they did hold by the Priesthood should be quite taken away from them At this jealousie of the Jews the Devill takes occasion to suggest a remedy for this fear and that was that they should kill the Word which did so gloriously shine amongst them though this suggestion of Satan was but a cloak to colour his own fear lest the head of the Serpent should
shew mercy and wil deny his mercy to whom he will deny his mercy for in this case Gods love and mercy in his Son Christ Jesus is free and not obliged to any redeemed man naturally descended or to descend of Adam I say to any redeemed man because this promise of spirituall faith in the blessed seed was made to Abraham and his seed in his redeemed state And because the grace of spirituall faith is the free gift of God God did decree from all eternity that Jacob and not Esau should be heir of the spirituall promise And therefore God decreed from all eternity that the blessed seed should not descend of Esaus line for God in his eternall prescience did foresee that Esau would sell his birthright without any manner of morall reason to necessitate his ungracious sale For though the spirituall promise was never intended to Esau yet it was more then Esau knew who by his ungracious sale did contemn and misregard the spirituall promise made to his father Isaac and therefore it was said of the children before they were born Rom. 9.12 The elder shall serve the younger which was afterwards accomplished For the Edomites were expelled the Land of Edome and overrun and subdued by the Israelites And this is the reason that David saith Psal 108.9 Over Edom will I cast my shooe whereby the trampling down and subjection of the Edomites is mystically signified Of this example of Jacob and Esau set down by the Apostle two speciall points are to be observed First Paul having to do in this ninth Chapter with the bragging Jews who did brag that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham because they were the naturall seed of Abraham and because the Oracles of the propheticall ceremoniall Law was committed to them the Jews therefore secured themselves that by the performing of the ceremoniall works of the Law that they were heirs of the spirituall promise Paul therefore brings in the example of Jacob and Esau to check the Jews of their arrogancie and tels them plainly that though they were the naturall seed of Abraham and had the Oracles of the Law yet they were never the neerer because the spirituall promise is according to election by him that calleth by faith and not by the works of the Law and that the Jews by their ceremoniall works of the Law did utterly overthrow all faith by which they were called The Apostle therefore to the end of the Epistle out of his true love to the Jews doth exhort the Jews now under the Evangelicall Law of faith to leave off the ceremoniall works of the Law if they intended to be heirs of the spirituall promise which is by faith of him that calleth and to bring forth the works of faith by repentance and amendment of life that by continuation in their morall obedience till Gods prefixed time of spirituall calling they might be spiritually called whereby they should be assured that they were heirs of the spirituall promise made to Abraham The second point to be observed of the words is this that in the order of cause the redeemed estate of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin is the immediate object of Gods election For though this estate of man doth necessarily presuppose both the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection in Adam the head and the state of man condemned to the curse of the Law by eternall death and darkness for the sin of Adam the head yet neither of both the states of man in the order of cause can be the immediate object of Gods election for it is impossible that the state of naturall and spirituall perfection wherein man was created can be the immediate object of Gods election in the order of cause For the Law by which man was obliged by the first covenant was the Law of Righteousnesse and not the Law of righteousnesse of faith Now by the Law of Righteousnesse the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediately to the works of mans obedience whereby man was enabled to live eternally upon earth in the state of perfection and felicity wherein he was created while man therefore did stand in the perfection of his obedience there was no place or need of Gods eternall purpose of election by him that calleth to wit by spirituall faith For the period of Gods election by his calling by spirituall faith is that man may be crowned with an incorruptible crown of glory after this life while man in the state of perfection was to live eternally upon earth in that state of felicity wherein he was created And as the eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest was due by the Law immediatly to the works of mans obedience so upon the last merit of mans disobedience man was inevitably condemned by the Law to the eternall curse of the Law to the actuall inflicting of which curse God according to his decree from all eternity did so bind and oblige himself by covenant as there was no mercy to be shewed to man For in this case man being condemned by the Law to the curse of eternall death by the first covenant it had been all one for God not to be God as not to inflict the actuall curse of the Law upon man For by this means Gods truth and justice had been overthrown His truth had been overthrown by the breach of his covenant and his justice by disabling the power of his Law There was no place therefore for God to shew mercy or not to shew mercy by his Decree of election in the condition of man created in the state of naturall and spirituall perfection either to the merit of mans obedience or to the merit of mans disobedience It was likewise equally impossible in the order of cause for the state of man actually condemned by the curse of the Law to eternall death and darknesse to be the immediate object of Gods election For first Gods eternall fiery wrath proceeding from the curse of the Law to which man was eternally condemned and Gods mercy by his election doth stand at an eternall distance and opposition without a mediator by whose mediation in satisfying the transgressed Law for man and in reconciling of man to the love and favour of God there may be place for the freedome of Gods mercy by his election Secondly if this state of man actually condemned under the eternall curse of the Law in the order of cause should be the immediate object of Gods election then the elect only and not all men fallen under the curse of the Law in Adam the head for the sin of Adam should be redeemed contradictory both to the old and new covenant and to the whole current of Scripture Thirdly the Potter of Righteousnesse is said to make and temper the lump and masse of man whereof he
new covenant he that doth believe and shall be baptized shall be saved It is neither by the preaching of the Word or by the exâ—ernall administration of the Sacraments but it is by the immediate faith of man in the Lords merit that man is saved from the second death Thus having declared the perfection of the redemption of man from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam shut up in spirituall darknesse called unbelief and originall sin according to the eternall Decree of God as the act of the redemption doth concern all men in generall male and female created in Adam naturally to descend of Adam to the end of the world And having answered and determined the most materiall objections against the declaration thereof we now proceed to the third Book THe Author of this small Tractate having fully ended it did intend to fit it for the Presse as soon as conveniently he could but being at London about his other occasions he did accidentally come into the company where some worthy Gentlemen were earnestly in discourse about some points of Religion After which conference he did resolve at his coming home to draw his Book into as short and plain a way as possibly he could for the Readers better understanding And thus far he went and then it pleased God to take him to himself before he could write one word of the third Book which he did intend to contract very much because he had spoke so much of the Lords day before But I not knowing how to get it done according to his mind and being loth to mangle so excellent a Work have rather thought good to set forth this third Book word for word as it was in his first method and to venture the censure of some rather then to keep it in any longer being exceedingly troubled in mind that it hath been kept almost this six yeeres from the publike view The third Book of the Theologicall Key containing the third Covenant made by God with man CHAP. I. Christ manifesting of himself at his coming in the world WE are now according to our Method to declare such acts of the blessed seed as they are set down in his sacred Word performed by him while he was personally upon earth Christ Jesus the eternall Son of God made flesh of the seed of the woman in time according to the Decree of God from all eternity as he is the first begotten Son of the most High by his birthright Prophet Priest and King so by the execution of his threefold office Christ Jesus did manifest himself Prophet Priest and King First therefore of the execution of his Propheticall office Secondly of his Priestly and Thirdly of his Kingly office The execution of Christs Propheticall office while he was personally upon earth was by the immediate power of his Word as he himself was the promised rest of the seventh day of the Propheticall Sabbath Christ Jesus the Word as the redeemed Word his Image is internally written in the heart of man his Word is the redeemed light and life of man And as his Word is externally objected to the externall senses he is the continuation of the redeemed life and light of man His Word under the propheticall obligement of the Law was the word of the seventh day of the propheticall Sabbath implying the whole propheticall Law and the whole old Testament As the life and light of the promised Sabbaticall rest did proceed from his love to man so Christ Jesus at his being personally in the world did manifest himself light love and life to man His light was in the sound of his Word and by the power of his Word his miracles were wrought and this was the light which did gloriously shine amongst the Jews while he was personally conversant with the Jews This glorious light by the sound of his Word did shine to the Jews first and immediatly by his own immediate Word And secondly by the commanded ministry of the Apostles By the light of his immediate Word first the understanding of the Jews was enlightned in the prophesies prophecying of the coming of the blessed seed from the foundation of the world Mat. 4.17 Mar. 1.21 Luke 4.21 Ioh. 3.13 whereby our Saviour did manifest himself to the Jews that he was the promised rest of their Sabbath and that he was the seed of the woman who must die for the sins of man and rest after his death upon the Sabbath for the recovering of the eternall rest of the first seventh day lost by Adam and that he it was that must rise again to break the head of the Serpent for the betraying of man All which was so many prophesies of himself whereby Christ did discharge his propheticall office Joh. 3.14 as he did likewise prophesie his death by the lifting up of the brazen Serpent and his resting in the grave Mat. 12.40 by Jonas rest in the Whales belly and both his death and resurrection in saying Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it again So did he prophesie of the destruction of Jerusalem Luke 21.6 So his second coming and the day of judgement and many such like Secondly by this glorious shining light by the sound of his Word our Saviour Mat. 5.20 did cleer the obscured light of the Law corrupted by the false glosse of the Scribes and Pharisees arising from the Devils darknesse Thirdly as Christ Jesus while he was personally in the world by the light of the sound of his Word the Jews understanding was inlightned to know that he was the promised blessed seed So by the light of the power of his Word by his wonders and miracles he did manifest himself to be the eternall Son of God With the glorious fame of whose wonders and miracles the whole world was filled and amazed insomuch that the Jews were constrained to acknowledge the Lord of life to be the Son of God though the Jews darknesse led by the Devils false deceiving light could not comprehend that glorious shining light Fourthly at this glorious light did proceed from the love of the Lord of life to man by his promised Sabbatical rest So he did manifest his love while he was personally upon earth to man in curing of all manner of incurable sensitive diseases of the body and the diseased souls of many by the pardoning of sin None were denied the blessing of his rest who came to him by the light of his love As this glorious light did shine to the Jews immediatly by Christ himself as he was the promised rest of the propheticall Sabbath day so this glorious light did shine immediatly by the ministry of the Apostles whom our Saviour did send abroad Mat. 10.7 to preach and teach this glorious shining light shining from the Son of God whom likewise before his death and resurrection he authorized to preach and to teach the Evangel and to administrate the Sacrament of Baptisme as John did first before Christs manifesting
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
therefore being commanded immediatly by the literall command of the law though necessarily implying the spirituall command in the command of faith the works of truth love and mercy are necessarily commanded which are the works of faith without which faith is but a dead faith and man but a dead man dead in actuall sin though he doth live all the days of this life To the knowledge of which actuall sin as the naturall man is led by the literall light of the law implyed in the command of the Lords day So by the knowledge of death by actuall sin the naturall man is moved to morall repentance And by repentance to amendment of life by the works of truth love and mercy to which he is morally enabled by the power of the redeemed Word of truth love and mercy in his heart which are the works of faith whereby the Lords merit is morally apprehended Eighthly the new covenant made between God and man being established upon the immediat command of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall law of faith as the Lord doth oblige himself to man to conferre the actuall blessing of the Lords dayes eternall rest to the faithfull believer so the Lord by his covenant doth oblige the finall contemner of his infinit merit to the actuall mercilesse eternall curse of his Law The Lords merit of mercy therefore being infinit there is mercy for man all the day of this life For the new covenant is made to all men whatsoever and at what time soever For Mar. 13.13 whosoever shall endure to the end shall be saved This end to the naturall man is his finall perseverance in his morall obedience till the Lords prefixed time of his spirituall calling by the spirituall grace of faith whereby the naturall man being regenerate is saved who hath nothing to necessitate his morall disobedience And though he doth stumble and fall yet by the power of the redeemed word written in his heart the naturall man hath freedome to repent morally without necessitating of his impenitency for morall repentance must necessarily precede morall faith As the naturall man therefore is no wayes to dispaire of the Lords infinite mercy while there is day in this life for the dispairer of the Lords infinite mercy doth belie the Lords mercy and doth detract from the infinitensse of the Lords merit so the naturall man is no wayes by his presumptuous continuance in sin and wickednesse to contemn the Lords long patience leading him so graciously to repentance lest the Lord in his justice give him over to a reprobate minde that he cannot repent though he hath all the dayes of this life to repent by covenant Ninthly the law of God being eternall eternally obliging man as he is man and the reward of the law due by the law to the merit of man being according to the law eternall there must be therefore resurrection from the dead that man as he is man intellectuall and sensitive may receive the eternall reward of the law in the full extent to wit eternall life and rest to the faithfull believer in the merit of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God and the curse of the law by eternall death to the merit of man the proud finall contemner of the Lords infinit merit offered so freely to him in this life The reward therefore of the law in the full extent as the reward is eternall cannot be received by man till the last day Tenthly the Lord being the head of all men redeemed from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam as the Lord hath his universall redeemed Church in all the nations of the world who by the power of the redeemed word of truth love and mercy written in their heart are all morally united by one faith in one body and by that faith morally united to their head the gracious Redeemer of all men So the Lord being the mysticall head of his mysticall members the Lord hath his mysticall universall Church all united in one mysticall body by spirituall faith and by spirituall faith all spiritually and indivisibly united to their mysticall head These are the first ten fundamentall points of faith arising from the literall light of the Evangelicall sound of the word of the Lords day by the Lords rest and resurrection from the grave leading the naturall mans understanding by faith to apprehend the Lords merit to save him from the curse of the law of faith Next therefore of the fundamentall points of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens to which his resurrection from his grave doth extend where the Lord sitteth at the right hand of the infinite power of the Father whence two fundamentall points of faith doth arise First the Lord according to his promise that the seed of the woman shall break the head of the old Serpent and the head of his cursed seed hath obliged himself by the new covenant that by his second coming from the heavens gloriously united to his mysticall members shall revenge the blood of man upon Satan and his cursed seed First the blood of man first betrayed by Satan to fall under the curse of the law Secondly the blood of man Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God by his redemption of man from the eternall curse of the law Thirdly the blood of the Lords mystical members persecute by Satan and his cursed seed for their valorous defending of his sacred truth in this life For the Lord as head united to his mysticall members is the mysticall man who must break the old Serpents head and the head of his cursed seed in the grat day afterwards more fully to be declared This breaking of the head of the old Serpent and of the head of his cursed seed is by the Lords judging condemning and by the actuall inflicting of the eternall curse and reward of the law in the full extent to the greâ—t glory of God the eternall comfort of the faithfull and to the finall eternall and utter confusion of Satan and his cursed seed in the great day The second fundamentall point of faith arising from the Lords resurrection from the earth by his ascention to the heavens is that the Lord hath graciously obliged himself by the covenant to send the Comforter John 16.7 the Spirit of truth by whose spirituall light enlightening the spirituall darknesse of the naturall man the Lords mysticall members are begot and by the spirituall power of whose spirituall life by that spirituall light the regenerate are enabled with the gift of patience to overcome all the afflictions and temptations of Satan and of his cursed seed in this life which is the Lords earnest of their incorruptible crown of glory in the life to come for their valor in their defence of his truth in this life In these twelve fundamentall points of faith as by the literall light of the sound of the word of the Lords day by his rest
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 that by the things in Heaven the Saints departed this life and the blessed Angels are to be understood for as the Saints in Heaven doe with all humility acknowledge their glory and heavenly felicity to the only merit of the Lord Jesus Christ So doe the Angels with all humility acknowledge the conserved grace of their created perfection to the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom his merit doth extend who are conserved as ministring spirits for man First for man Christ Jesus while he was personally upon earth that his fooâ—e should not dash against a stone Luke 4.10 and secondly they are ministring spirits for his mysticall members that the foot of their fayth shall not be dashed totally and finally against the stony temptation of Satan and his instruments in this life The third thing to be observed is that by things upon earth man and the sensitive and insensitive creatures created for man are to be understood and by things under or within the earth the waters mineralls and other things created for the use of man which as they were all cursed for man so they are all redeemed from the curse with man in whose behalfe man is to bend the knees of his heart with all thankefulnesse to the Lord Jesus Christ and to testifie his thankfulnesse by his thank-worship of the Lords day as the Lord hath revealed himselfe by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest Lord Jesus Christ God and man in the three coessentiall distinct persons of the glorious Trinity And so much for the declaration or the Evangelicall Word as it is the word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law Next according to our methode the Evangelicall Word is to be declared as it is the word of promise and new Covenant made by God with man CHAP. XIV The Evangelicall Covenant made by God with man in his Son Christ Jesus called the new Covenant The Evangelicall Word of the Lords day the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law of righteousnes of faith the Evangelicall Word of promise and new Covenant are really one but of a formall difference First of the reall unity of both and next of the formall difference The reall unity of both doth consist in this that the word of promise and new Covenant which is the Lords merit of eternall life by his resurrection and rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed is the blessing of the Lords day For by the Lords infinit merit by the Lords daies Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded for the seventh day of the Evangelicall Law implying the command of the whole Evangelicall Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and new Covenant and the word of the Lords day really one for the one is necessarily implied in the other as may appeare by the severall names of the new Covenant First the new Covenant is called the Covenant of grace because the Lords merit of eternall life by the Lords dayes Evangelicall rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed which is the blessing of the Lords day is freely offered to all beleevers by the new Covenant without all respect to the merit of any man naturally descended of Adam whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death which is the curse of the Law of faith And consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day are really one Secondly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of truth because the Lord by his Evangelicall resurrection and rest from the faithfull fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon his blessed day did manifest himselfe truth to man by the truth of whose infinite merit by his Evangelicall rest the Lords day is blessed sanctified and commanded Which blessing of eternall life is word of promise and new Covenant and consequently the word of promise and the word of the Lords day really one Thirdly the new Covenant is called the Covenant of mercy because as the Lord by his Evangelicall rest did manifest himselfe truth to man so in that truth the Lord by his infinite merit did manifest himselfe love and mercy to man for as by his cursed death of the Crosse our Saviour did merit the salvation of all men from the curse of the Law for the sin of Adam So by his bloudy rest in the grave by his fulfilling of the law in the seventh day of the last Sabbath the eternall life and rest lost by Adam from the first seventh day of the law was due to the Lords merit whereby all beleevers are saved from the second death extending his twofold love and mercy to all men by the new Covenant whose mercy according to the truth of his infinite merit being likewise infinite The Lords gracious armes of mercy are outstretched to the penitent sinner for all the daies of this life by the new Covenant And this is the reason that wretched men do so insult upon the Lords infinite mercy by their continuance in sin and wickednesse because they see the daily love and mercy of God extended to all men in this life whose Sun doth shine and his rain doth fall both upon the just and the unjust Mat. 5.45 And this is likewise the reason that many though most unjustly do grudge the temporall blessings of God to the wicked who though they do enjoy the temporall blessings of the Lords merit by his Evangelicall rest yet they are far from the spirituall blessing of the Lords merit whereby man is only saved But the Lord hath thus graciously obliged himself by the new covenant first that wretched man should not dispair of the Lords mercy while he hath all the dayes of this life to repent him of his actuall sins Secondly that the wicked may be excuselesse For though God willeth that all men should be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 by testifying of their thankfulnesse for their redemption by the works of truth love and mercy to which they are morally enabled by the redeemed word of the law written in their heart yet while the wicked man without any created power to necessitate his morall disobedience doth by his obstinate continuance in sin and wickednesse make himself the cursed seed of Satan The Lord doth justly give him over to a reprobate minde and doth most justly will his condemnation where by the way the difference between the first and second covenant is to be observed for the least transgression of the law by the first covenant was without all revealed hope of mercy or time of repentance but the second covenant both Prophetically and Evangelically is with all hope of mercy by repentance for all the days of this life Fourthly the new covenant is called the covenant of faith because the Lords merit of eternall life by his Evangelicall
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
assertion Adams will is not affirmed to be necessitate to fall under the fearfull curse of the law by any actor decree of God Seventhly contradictory to the opinion of the maintainers of the absolute decree the gracious promises of salvation are affirmed to be made to all the nations of the world Eighthly contradictory to the opinion of the maintainers of the absolute decree the redemption of all men from the curse of the law for the sin of Adam is necessarily implied in this assertion Ninthly this assertion ontradictory to the absolute decree is consonant to the literall light of the Lord dayes Evangelicall rest necessarily implying the literall light of his bloody sabbaticall seventh dayes rest and consequently the literall light of all the seventh dayes rest of the eternall word from the foundation of the world upon which severall seven dayes rests all the severall covenants made by God with man are imediatly established as hath been faithfully delivered throughout this whole Tractate whereby the whole exercite act of the sacred decree of predestination is execute by the eternall Word imediatly To the end therefore that the judicious Reader may conceive that this assertion by receiving of this safe construction is consonant with the exercit act of the sacred decree by the severall covenants made by God with man The covenants shall be resolved by demonstrative resolution from the last effect in the supreme cause for a full conclusion of this whole Tractate CHAP. IV. The demonstrative resolution of the sacred decree of eternall predestination from the last effect of the covenants of God made with man in the supreme indemonstrable cause THe first three covenants made by God with man are only the execution or to use the school phrase the exercit act of the eternall decree of predestination so far as is revealed thereof to man in this life by the truth of the sacred word Which three severall formall Covenants are established betweene God and man upon the immediate command of the word of the seventh day of the law of God implying the command of the whole law obliging the obedience of man to his law as God hath revealed himselfe to man by his severall formall seventh daies rest The first Covenant is established upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh day of the law whereby God by his first seventh daies rest from the works of the creation did manifest himselfe externally by his word to Adam Creator of heaven and earth of man and of the creatures created for man As by the lively word of the law written in Adams heart God did reveale himselfe internally to Adam God of the law of righteousnes By which lively word in Adams heart Adam was enabled to fulfill the command of the law implied in the first seventh day by fulfilling whereof Adam was to merit the continuation of the perfection of his created estate and felicity eternally upon earth But Adam and all men created in Adam naturally to discend of Adam by his disobedience deceived by the trechery of Satan was condemned by the first Covenant to the curse of the law by eternall death and darknesse Vpon Gods eternall prescience of which fearfull fall of man by Satans malicious trechery God out of his infinit love and mercy to man in his Son Christ Jesus did decree from eternity to revenge the blood of man upon Satan by man the only son of his love who according to his eternall decree made his second Covenant with man in the promise of the blessed seed which Covenant called the old Covenant is established upon the word of the second seventh daies promised rest then by the name of the Sabbath of the Lord obliging Adam and all men naturally to descend of Adam to beleeve the Lords promised rest of the blessed seed who did covenant to rest upon the Sabbath from the redemption of man from the curse of the law for the sinne of Adam By the third seventh daies rest which is the Lords daies rest the Lord by his resurrection from the dead did rest from the fulfilling of his promise of the blessed seed upon the immediate command of which seventh day to wit the Lord day The new Covenant is established betweene God and man obliging all men to beleeve the fulfilling of the Lords promise by his Evangelicall seventh daies rest to whose faith the â—lâ—ssing of the Lords infinit meâ—it by his Evangelicall seventh daies rest is due by the new Covenant The old and new Covenant therefore being really one the one containing the gracious promise of the blessed seed the other the fulfilling of the promise by the resolution of the new Covenant both are resolved in this demonstrative resolution therefore the first and new Covenant are resolved For the Readers better conceiving of this resolution First both the first and new Covenant are to be resolved first as both the Covenants are referred to God and next as they are referred to man Secondly it is to be observed that all the mediate effects arising from the Covenants as they are effects produced by the next immediate superior cause So the same effects are the immediate causes of the next immediate subordinate effect All except the supreame indemonstrable cause of all And except the immediate cause of Adams and Eves fal which have no positive influence from the decree of God though God did decree from all eternity to permit the fall of both for God did Covenant with man to leave Adam to the freedome of his own election to stand or fall at his pleasure and perill So that all the mediate causes and effects of the decree are like so many linkes of a chaine linkt one into another all depending from the supreme cause of all for as they doe all proceed from the supreme cause so they doe all returne to the same supreame indemonstrable cause So that if a man be disposed to set out the decree in a table the two linkes of the chain where Satan doth deceive Eve by the Serpent and Eve doth induce Adam to fall must not be linct one into another but must contiguously depend after such a form in a Table which the Author did intend if he had lived Thirdly it is to be observed that God by obliging both of himselfe and man upon the word of the seventh day of his Law God and man by his law are linkt and as it were chained and bound one to another God doth binde himselfe to man to the eternall continuation of the blessing of his seventh dayes rest and man to the eternall continuation of his obedience to the command of his law and to the eternall curse of the law upon his disobedience which mutuall bond is the maine ground from whence all the mediate cause effects of the Covenâ—â—ts do arise to the supream cause both as the Covenants are referred to God and as they are referred to man The fourth thing to be observed in this demonstrative â—â—solution