more but also because fulnesse of all good that can be wished is to be found in God Therefore our happinesse is Compleat and Perfect when we enjoy God as an object wherein the powers of the soul are satisfied with everlasting delight This may suffice to have spoken concerning Gods Essence and Attributes by which it appears that God is far different both from all feigned gods and from all creatures The consideration of the Divine Persons followeth for in one most simple nature of God there are distinct Persons CHAP. XVI Of the Trinity or Distinction of Persons in the Divine Essence VVE say God may be known by light of nature Quod attinet ad unitatem Naturae but not Quod attinet ad Trinitatem Personarum We cannot by the light of nature know the mystery of the Trinity nor the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 2. 7 8. Aquinas par 1. Summae Theol. Quaest. 32. Art 1. Conclus saith Impossibile est per rationem naturalem ad Trinitatis divinarum personarum cognitionem pervenire It is impossible by natural reason to come to the knowledge of the Trinity of the Divine Persons He there shews that he which indeavours to prove this mystery by natural reason derogates from faith in respect of drawing others to believe Cum enim aliquis faith he excellently ad probandum fidem inducit rationes quae non sunt cogentes cedit in irrisionem infidelium Credunt enim quod hujusmodi rationibus innitamur propter eas credamus When a man to prove any Article of faith urgeth reasons that are not cogent he exposeth himself to the derision of Infidels For they suppose that we rely on such reasons and believe because of them We think saith Cloppenburg in his Answer to Bidel Argum 1. that the mystery of the holy Trinity as many mysteries of faith can neither be demonstrated nor refuted by reason 2 Cor. 10. 5. Adam in the state of innocency was not able by natural reason to finde out the Trinity But when by faith we receive this Doctrine we may illustrate it by reason The similâ—es which the Schoolmen and other Divines bring drawn from the creature are unequal and unsatisfactory since there can be no proportion between things Finite and Infinite Two resemblances are much used in Scripture the Light and the Word The Light which was three dayes before the Sunne Gen. 1. and then condensed into that glorious body and ever since diffused throughout the world is all one and the same Light So the Father of Lights which inhabiteth Light which none can approach Iam 1. 17. and Sunne of Righteousnesse Mal. 4. 2. In whom all the fulnesse of the God-head dwelleth bodily and the holy Ghost the Spirit of illumination are all one and the same God Again It is the same thing that the minde thinketh and the word signifieth and the voice uttereth so is the Father as the minde conceiving the Son as the Word conceived or begotten the holy Ghost as the voice or speech uttered and imparted to all hearers and all one and the same God A studious Father meditating on the mystery of the Trinity there appeared unto him a childe with a shell lading the Sea into a little hole he demanding what the childe did I intend said the childe to empty the Ocean into this pit It is impossible said the Father as possible said the childe as for thee to comprehend this profound mystery in thy shallow capacity The Mystery of the Trinity is necessary to be known and believed of all that shall be saved it was not so plainly revealed to the Jews of old as it is to us in the New Testament a perfect and full knowledge of this mystery is not attainable in this life Although Trinity in its native signification signifie the number of any three things yet by Ecclesiastical custome it is limited to signifie the three Persons in the Trinity This is not meant as if the Essence did consist of three Persons as so many parts and therefore there is a great difference between Trinity and Triplicity Trinity is when the same Essence hath divers wayes of subsisting and Triplicity is when one thing is compounded of three as parts they are three not in respect of Essence or Divine Attributes three Eternals but three in respect of personal properties as the Father is of none the Sonne of the Father and the holy Ghost of both three Persons but one God as to be to be true to be good are all one because Transcendents The acts of the Persons in the God-head say some are of three sorts 1. Essential in which all the Persons have equal hand Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa the outward works which concern the creature belong to one Person as well as the other as to create govern 2. Some ad intra opera propria The personal properties or internal works are distinguished as the Father begets the Son is begotten of the Father and the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son 3. Appropriata as the Schools speak acts of office more peculiarly attributed to one Person thâ—n another Eph. 4. 7. So the Father is said to give the Son the Son to redeem the world to be made flesh the holy Ghost is the bond of union See Dr Hampton on Gen. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 2. Gods plot in the work of Redemption was not only say some to exalt the Attributes of the Nature but to glorifie the Persons distinctly according to their appropriated acts There is in the Trinity alius alius another and another but not aliud aliud another thing and another thing as there is in Christ the Father is another Person from the Sonne but yet there is the same Nature and Essence of them all They differ not in their Natures as three men or three Angels differ for they differ so as one may be without the other but now the Father is not without the Sonne nor the Sonne without the Father so that there is the same numerical Essence The Father in some sense is said to be the onely God Iohn 17. 3. that is besides the Divine Nature which is common to the three Persons there is not another God to be found the word Onely is opposed to all feigned gods to every thing which is not of this Divine Nature So when it is said None knoweth the Father but the Sonne and the Sonne but the Father that excludes not the holy Ghost which searcheth the hidden things of God but all which are not of that Essence Though there be no inequality in the Persons yet there is an order not of dignity but of beginning The Father in the Sonne by the holy Ghost made the world not as if there were so many partial causes much lesse as if God the Father were the Principal and these Instrumental but only meer order A Person is Diversus modus
thus to conclude and determine Rom. 8. The Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit Those that finde this in themselves should feed upon this eternal comfort it is absolute eternal immutable nothing shall oppose it who shall lay any thing to the Elect It is full of love and grace We may make our election sure by our calling Rom. 8. 29 30. and our effectual calling by two things 1. By a new light 2. A new life 2 Cor. 4. 5. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Iohn 12. 36. Ephes. 5. 8. We have a new knowledge wrought in us of our selves we see our misery by sin and our inability to help our selves Rom. 2. 23. 2. Of God God in Jesus Christ is discovered to us 2 Pet. 1. 3. We see our need of Christ and know him to be a mediatour who must reconcile God and us 3. A new life is wrought in us Ephes. 2. 1. We now die to sin and live to God 1. By faith Rev. 17. 4. These three are put together faithful chosen and called 2. By new obedience 1. It is every mans duty to give diligence to make his election sure both for the glory of God and the comfort of his soul but in Gods way and according to his Ordinance first Calling then Election 2. When he hath used his utmost diligence if he cannot make it sure it is his misery not his sin 3. When the Spirit of God reveals to a man either the truth of his own graces or else Gods eternall love to him then a man is bound to beleeve it It is 1. A certain assurance 2. Secret Rev. 2. 17. 3. Exceeding sweet rejoyce in that your names are written in the Book of life 4. It is an imperfect assurance the assurance of faith not of sight it may be eclipsed CHAP. II. 2. The Execution of Gods Deeree GOD executes his Decree by Actions Creation and Providence Gods works are in time 1. Past Creation of all things 2. Present Government and preservation Creation is taken 1. Strictly when God makes any Creature of nothing meerly of nothing not as if nothing were the matter but the terme so the souls of men and Angels are created of nothing 2. Largely when of some prejacent matter but very unfit and indisposed a creature is made as Adam of the earth Creation is the action of God whereby out of nothing he brought forth nature it self and all things in nature both substances and accidents in and with the substances and finished them in the space of six daies both to his own glory and the salvation of the Elect. Or It is an action whereby God the Father by his word and holy Spirit made all things exceeding good for the glory of his Name Or thus Creation is a transient or external action of God whereby in the beginning He made the world by a meer command out of his own free will in six dayes space to the glory of his Name 1. An action not a motion or change motion argueth some succession but in the things created the fieri factum esse is all one nor is it a change because that supposeth some alteration in the Agent 2. Transient it passeth from the Agent to the thing created whereas in immanent actions as Gods will decrees and personal actions they abide in himself 3. Of God The efficient cause of all things is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Creation is the proper work of God alone so that he is God which created the world and he created the world who is God Ier. 10. 11. It is without controversie that the work of creation agrees to God the Father the same is expresly given to the Son Iohn 1. 3. Col. 1. 16. and to the Holy Ghost also Psal. 33. 6. He brooded on the waters Gen. 1. 1 2. Aquinas parte prima Qu. 44. Artic. 1. hath this question Utrum sit necessarium omne ens esse creatum a Deo The Schoolmen much dispute whether God may not give a creating power to a creature and answer no creature can be so elevated as to concur to the execution of an almighty act In Scripture it is alwaies made the work of God Gen. 1. 1. Prov. 16. 4. Psal. 33. 6. 8 9. Creation is an act of omnipotency The Apostles when they dealt with the Heathens urged the works of creation Acts 14. 10. 7. 26. Rom. 1. 19 20. 4. In the beginning by the Scripture it is a matter of faith to hold that the world was not from all eternity in the beginning notes not that there was time first and then God created the world for time is a creature and concreated but it denotes order that is at first 5. The world that is the Heaven and Earth and all things contained in them Act. 4. 4. and 17. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that well ordered decent beautiful and comely frame of heaven and earth 6. By his meer command as appears Gen. 1. Let there be light let there be heavens which argues his omnipotency 7. Out of his own free will for God did not need the world and therefore he created it no sooner He was happy enough in himself without men or Angels Psal. 115. 5. Prov. 8. 30. 8. The final cause to the glory of his Name Rom. 2. 30. Three Attributes especially manifest themselves in this work of Creation Gods power wisdome goodnesse his power in that he made all things by a word and of nothing Isa. 40. 16. his wisdome is seen in the order and variety of his works Psal. 136. 5. and their exceeding wonderful and particular uses his goodnesse in that he would communicate being to the creatures Plutarch writeth that the old Philosophers the ancientest Divines amongst the Pagans were wont to describe pourtrayed out in stone wood and other matters the Images of their Gods with musical Instruments in their hands not that they would teach others or did beleeve it themselves that the Gods were Fidlers or Pipers or used to solace themselves with Lute or Viol but because they held nothing more fit or answering to the nature of God then to do all things in sweet harmony and proportion which the Wiseman calleth in number in measure and in weight Mountague against Seld. c. 1. The work of Creation say some is set out generally in a general proposition In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth Which proposition He after explains by its parts That the world was not from eternity but was made by God these arguments may perswade First and principally Faith Heb. 11. 3. which is grounded upon divers places of Scripture as the first and second chapters of Genesis 38 39 chapters of Iob and some Psalms almost whole as 104 136. this also is the first Article of our Creed that the world was created in time by God The Apostle Paul Acts 14. 15. 17. 24. 28 doth point out God to the Heathen by this work
and praise him Gods great works call for great praise Commend him with our tongues and speak good of his Name Psal. 19. 2. The Heavens declare the glory of God i. e. give occasion to man of declaring it 5. This is a comfort to those who acknowledge God to be such a one as he is Is not he rich enough to maintain them Wise enough to direct them Strong enough to protect them If thou want goodness he can create in thee a new heart it may comfort the godly in regard of the Resurrection God can raise them up at the last day 6. It is a great terror to the wicked which do not fear but despise him God will hate despise and destroy them God can do it he made Heaven and Earth and he will do it because he is true he hath threatned it Oh the misery of that man which hath him for his enemy 7. We may learn from all the creatures in general 1. To bewail our Rebellion against God which all of them reprove for they all stand in their kinde and station in which God set them at first The Sunne rejoyceth to runne his course the Sea keepeth her bounds the Earth stands upon her foundation the Heavens keep their motion and declare Gods glory the very Windes and Seas obey him 2. All of them teach the invisible things of God Rom. 1. 20. as was before-shewed 8. We should make a right use of the creatures use them 1. Devoutly 1 Tim. 4. 5. in Faith Rom. 14. 14. ult with Prayer and Thanksgiving Mat. 15. 36. Act. 27 35. 2. Soberly 1 Cor. 10. 31. 3. Thankfully 1 Tim. 4. 4. Having handled the works of Creation in general I now proceed according to Moses his Method to a more particular enarration of each dayes work The whole first Chapter of Genesis may be thus divided 1. The Author of the worlds Creation God 2. The Work 3. The Approbation of it Verse 1. In the beginning of time or being therefore the World was not eternal Iohn begins so and took it hence But beginning there may mean from Eternity or as here Christ did not begin then but was then Prov. 8. 22. Bara Elohim Gods Created That difference between the Noun Plural and Verb Singular saith Rivet signifieth not the mystery of the Trinity but is an Idiotism of the Hebrew Tongue in which such Enallages are frequent as Numb 32. 25. Most of our men take the joyning of a Singular Verb with the Plural Elohim for a mystical expressing the holy Trinity But the Jewish Grammarians make it an Enallage of number chiefly to expresse excellency in the Persons to whom it is refer'd Mr Seldens Titles of Honour part 1. chap. 6. However there is no difference in the thing it self for the Name of Gods being taken here essentially not personally is common to the three Persons Gods created is as much as the Father the Sonne and holy Ghost created for elsewhere it is manifest from Scripture that not only the Father but the Sonne and holy Ghost also created the world Created signifieth an act of infinite power and is not communicable to any creature i. Ex nihilo fecit quidem potentissimè ac magnificentissimè Junius Heaven and Earth In the first day were created Heaven and Earth as it were the foundation and roof of the building Psal. 104. 5. Isa. 40. 21 22. The work of the first day was 1. Heaven under which name are comprehended partly the Empyraean first and immovable Heaven which is called in Scripture the third Heaven and Heaven of Heavens Ephes. 4. 10. 2 Chron. 6. 18. Acts 1. 11. and partly the celestial Spheres which it is probable were made the first day but without those lights of the Stars with which at length in the fourth day they were adorned the Hebrew word for Heaven being of the Dual number may imply both The heavenly Intelligences or Angels the Inhabitants of the invisible Heaven were then made as is probable saith Chemnitius Coelum id est extimum illum hujus universitatis ambitum cum super coelestibus incolis illius spiritualibus formis atque intelligentiis Gen. 2. 1. Job 38. 7. Iunius in loc 2. The four first simple things or elements as some think Earth Water Air Fire and the fitting of them for use by making day and night Though others hold that the Air and Fire are comprehended under Firmament the work of the second day For the Earth there is He emphatical this Earth which we dwell in though then unpolished The Earth is described in the second verse It was without form and void Informity and Vacuity in the original without inhabitants and without ornament the Earth and Waters were joyned together among themselves the waters at first did encompasse and cover the Earth round about as it were a cloathing and garment Psal. 104. 6. Darknesse was on the face of the deep that is the waters which inclosed the earth in themselves Vers. 3. There is an extraordinary Light mentioned the ordinary fountain of light is the Sunne which in what subject it did inhere is not certain Some say water in the thinner parts of the Superficies some the heavenly Spheres others say the Element of fire for that say they is either included under light or we know not whether to referre it and God created not accidents without subjects The works of the second day were twofold First That most vast firmament viz. that space between the Earth and Skie The Hebrew word signifieth the extending of any thing or the thing it self Secondly The division of the waters above from the Waters below that is of the clouds which are in the middle Region of the Air from the Fountains Rivers and Sea which remain under the lowest Region But by the name of Clouds and Waters above the Firmament we may understand all the Meteors both watery and fiery which were created then in their causes Ier. 10. 13. The approbation given of other dayes is here omitted in the Hebrew not because Hell was created on this day as the Hebrews say but because this work of distinguishing the waters was yet imperfect and finished on the third day The work of the third day was threefold First The conflux or gathering of the waters below into one place in regard of the greater part of them called Sea that so they might not overflow the Earth and by this command of Gods they still continue so Luther said well that all a mans life upon the Earth is as great a miracle as the Israelites passing thorow the red Sea Secondly The drying of the earth to make it habitable and fit for nourishing plants and living creatures Thirdly The producing of Herbs and Trees of all kindes The works of the fourth day were the Lights both greater as Sun and Moon and lesser as the other Stars placed in the Heavens as certain receptacles or vessels wherein the
Ordinances Iob 22. 21. in every duty and act of worship look to enjoy God Get some excitements to grace resolutions of obedience displeasure against sinne use a holy boldnesse in thy addresse to God Heb. 10. 9. Ephes. 3. 12. we come not to a tribunal of Justice as malefactors but as friends and favourites to a throne of grace Iob 22. 26. Use 1. Prayer Psal. 86. 11. 2. Attend on the Gospel reade it meditate on it daily 3. The Sacraments make use of thy Baptism we were baptized into Christ and frequently use the Lords-Supper We should praise God when he meets with us in duties and repent his with-drawing himself Lam. 3. 44. 4. We should be one with all believers because we are one with Christ. Christ seldom speaks of his peoples union with him but he speaks of their conjunction one with another and seldom presseth them to brotherly love but from this union with Christ 1 Cor. 12. per tot 1. 10. Ephes. 4. CHAP. II. Of Effectual Vocation OUr union with Christ by the Spirit is wrought in our Effectuall Calling This is the first work which God works upon the soul it is Temporalis Electio 1 John 5. 19. it is the act of God the Father Ioh. 6. 44 45. 2 Cor. 4. 6. Ephes. 1. 17 19. He hath called us with an holy Calling It is the act of Gods free grace and almighty power whereby souls are gathered out of the world into the kingdom of Christ to be made one with him and holy and happy by him It is an act 1. Of Gods free grace called according to Gods free purpose Rom. 8. 28. See 30 31. verses 2. Of his almighty power a moral perswasion will not do it Ephes. 1. 19. Ioh. 6. 44. This grace works powerfully therefore God is said to draw yet sweetly and secretly therefore man is said to come This power of God is put forth on the understanding by enlightening it Ier. 37. 33. Iohn 6. 45. it apprehends the guilt of sin the horror of Gods wrath sweetnesse of Communion with him 2. On the will effectually inclining it Ier. 31. 33. Psal. 110. 3. to embrace and follow those glorious objects the understanding represents 3. Whereby souls are gathered out of the world into the Kingdom of Christ. All mankinde are brought into two ranks either they are men of the world or called out of it Iohn 15. 19. The Elect themselves while they are in their natural condition are men of the world Ephes. 3. 5. Fiunt non nascuntur Christiani Col. 1. 13. The Scripture expresly witnesseth that God works in us both to will and to do Phil. 2. 13. That Faith and Repentance are the gift of God Ephes. 2. 8. 2 Tim. 2. ult 4. The end of Vocation is to be made one with Christ Iohn 16. 44. and holy and happy by him 2 Pet. 1. 3. 1 Thes. 4. Rom. 8. 30. Regeneration saith Dr Twisse is to be preferred before salvation the one a translation from the state of nature into the state of grace the other is only a translation from the state of grace into the state of glory By the one we are made the sons of God by the other we only obtain the inheritance of the sons of God First The Causes of Vocation 1. The principal efficient cause is the holy Ghost man is not the authour of his own conversion 2. Instrumental the Ministery of the Word Secondly The Subjects or Persons on whom it is wrought all the elect Ioh. 10 Other sheep have I that shall hear my voice Thirdly The manner how this Vocation is wrought The Spirit of God works after such a mighty manner that it is irresistible though the word be grounded on Acts 7. 51. yet some dislike it but the Lord brings them not in violently against their wils he takes away prevailing obstinacy He never made any creature too hard for himself He cals them once for all There is more in it then a moral swasion Iohn 6. 44. a real efficacy God circumciseth our hearts quickens us raiseth us from the dead gives a new heart Fourthly The parts of this work of Vocation wherein it stands In two things 1. The Lord makes a gracious offer of Christ to the soul. 2. The soul accepts of Christ when and as he is tendred Christ is offered in the Gospel First Externally Matth. 20. 16. This is a Declaration or Publication of the great goodnesse of God to a poor lost sinner willing to be reconciled to him in Christ. It stands in four particulars 1. God hath sent his Son Christ who by his own obedience hath paid a sufficient ransom for the most miserable wretches 2. God is willing to make this good to all poor sinners who will take him on the terms he is offered 3. The terms on which Christ is offered in the Gospel are most free and nothing required but only freely to receive him 4. Because the humble and broken sinner is most ready to be discouraged therefore he declares that those which are vilest in their own eyes are most welcome to him Secondly Internally Rom. 8. 30. which is the work only of the Spirit of God Act. 10. 44. Marks of an effectual Calling First God breaks the heart by some preparatory conviction to make the soul fit to receive the grace of God the proper Call is by the Gospel 1 Thess. 2. 14. but the previous work of the Law is conviction of sinne and the evil of it Hos. 2. 14. Gal. 3. 1. See Iohn 16. 8. This conviction hath not the like effects in all in some anxiousnesse in others horror all see themselves in a wretched condition The second note may be taken from the instrument or means of conversion 2 Thess. 2. 14. most usually it is by the Word preacht though it may not work always in the time of hearing Cant. 5. 3 6. Mat. 26. 8. Ioh. 10. 3. Thirdly When the heart is over-powred and prevailed with to obey the Call when we answer his Call Iohn 20. 16. Gods Call is the offer of grace our answer is the receiving of it Iohn 12. 3. Ier. 22. the direct answer to a Call is the consent and full purpose of heart to take Christ upon his own terms Fourthly The disposition of the soul in making this return and in answering this Call of God godly sorrow Ier. 31. 18. holy wonders 1 Pet. 2. 9. free resolution and confidence come what will come they will obey God Luke 5. 5. Fifthly The fruits and effects of a Call it infers a change from the former state in heart the whole heart it now finds comfort and satisfaction in God and hates sin Hos. 4. 8. Ephes. 4. 12. I know there is little difference between effectual Calling Conversion and Regeneration yet because some of our Divines handle the work of Grace under the notion of Conversion and effectual Calling too I shall speak of Conversion in the next place CHAP. III. Of
the repentance of Ahab 2. Of punishment by which he appointeth to the delinquent creature the punishment of eternal death for the least sinne Gen. 2. 17. Rom 6. 23. which death is begun in this life in divers kindes of miseties and punishments which for the most part are proportionable to their sins Gen. 3. 17. and 20. 18 but is perfected in the life to come when the full wrath of God is poured upon it Iohn 3. 36. 2 Thess. 1. 16. This justice is so essential to God immutable and as I may so speak inexorable that he cannot remit the creatures sins nor free them from punishment unlesse his justice be satisfied God cannot dispense against himself because sins do hurt the inward vertue of God and the rule of righteousnesse the integrity therefore and perfection of God cannot stand if he satisfie not that yet through his bounty and goodnesse he hath found out a way by which due satisfaction may be given thereunto viz. By Christ who hath born a punishnent equivalent to our sins for us The Scripture proves the justice of God 1. Affirmatively when it calls him Just A Revenger Holy Right and extols his Justice Exod. 9. 27. Psal. 11. 7 Ier. 12. 1. 2. Negatively when it removes from him injustice and iniquity respect of persons and receiving of gifts and also all the causes and effects of injustice Deut. 32. 4. 10. 17. Dan. 9. 14. Iob 8. 3. 3. Affectively when it Attributes to him zeal anger fury Exod. 20. 5. 32. 10. Numb 11. 10. which are not in God such passions as they be in us but an act of the immutable Justice 4. Symbolically when it calls him a consuming fire Deut. 4. 24. compares him to an angry Lyon an armed Souldier Isa. 38. 13. 5. Effectively when it affirms that he renders to every one according to his works 1 Sam. 26. 23. Gods Justice comprehends his righteousnesse and truth he is just in words and deeds Gods Justice is considered four ways 1. As he is free Lord of all and so his decrees are just Rom. 9. 13. 14. 2. As he is God of all and so the common works of preserving both the good and bad are just 1 Tim. 4. 14. Mat. 5. 45. 3. As a Father in Christ and so he is just in performing his promises and infusing his grace and in bestowing the justice of his Son 1 Iohn 1. 5. 4. As Judge of all the world and so his justice is not onely distributive but corrective His Justice is 1. Impartial he will not spare 1. Multitude all Sâ—dome and Gomorrha and the old World perished 2. Great ones the excellency or greatnesse of any creature will not exempt it from punishment the Angels and Adam fell he spared not the Angels but threw them into hell Adam was cast out of Paradise for one sinne 3. Neernesse the Jews Gods people formerly are now cast off Moses and David were punished 2. General it extends to a mans posterity God will visit the iniquity of fathers upon their children 3. Inexorable no sinners can escape unpunished the sins of the godly are punished in their surety Christ and they are afflicted in this life God is Justice it self justice is essential to him his will is the rule of justice a thing is just because he willeth it and not he willeth it because its just He will right the wrongs of his children 2 Thess. 1. 6 7 8. He cannot be corrupted nor bribed Gods Justice comprehendeth two things under it 1. Equity in that he directs men equally and requites them equally commanding all and onely good things such as they in reason ought to do promising and threatning fit and due recompences of their obedience and disobedience 2. Truth whereby he declareth nothing to them but as the thing is and fidelity whereby he fulfilleth all that he hath spoken The Arminians urge How can God in Justice command a man by his word the performance of that which cannot be done by him without the inward help of the Spirit and yet in the mean time God denies this inward grace unto him God may without blemish to his Justice command man to perform his duty although he have now no strength to do it because once he had strength and he hath now lost it Precepts and Exhortations ordinarily signifie the approving wâ—ll of the Commander and his duty to whom they are propounded although sometimes the duty rather of the hearer then the will of the speaker be declared by them Rescrip Ames ad responsum Grevinch c. 12. Deus jubet aliqua quae non possumus ut noverimus quid ab illo petere debeamus Aug. de grat lib. arbit c. 16. Gods Commandments and Exhortations shew what he approves and wills to be done as good but his promises or threatnings shew what he intendeth effectually to bring to passe Mr. Pemble of Grace and Faith Da Domine quod jubes jube â—uid vis said Austin God giveth thee although thou be unable a Law to square thy life by for three causes Ut scias quid acceperis ut videas quid amiseris ut intelligas unde repetendum sit quod amiseris It reproves such as live in sin Exod. 34. 17. Psal. 5. 5. Gal. 6. 6. if God be merciful that he may be feared much more is he just that he may be feared 2. We must take heed of justifying the wicked we should be just in our actions to man in buying and selling in rewarding and punishing Magistrates Ministers Masters Parents should be just We should not murmure at Gods disposing justice in making us poor and should yield to his directing justice obeying his Commandments seem they never so unreasonable Mauritius the Emperor when his wife and children were murthered before him and his own eyes after bored out uttered this speech Iustus es Domine recta judicia tua We should get Christs righteousnesse to satisfie Gods Justice for us and to justifie us The consideration of Gods Justice should afright us from hypocrisie sinning in secret keeping bosom sins It ministers comfort to the godly who are wronged by the wicked they shall have an upright and just Judge who will uphold them in a good cause Psal. 33. 24. It may serve to exhort us to glorifie Gods Justice both in fulfilling of his promises and punishing wicked men Psal. 7. 18. and 51. 15. 4. God is True Truth or veracity is by which God is true as in himself so in his sayings and deeds He revealeth himself to his creature such a one as indeed he is Real truth or the truth of things is a property of them by which they are the same indeed which they seem It is an agreement betwixt the being and appearance of things it is double 1. Essential or of the very substance of things 2. Accidental of the qualities and actions of things and this as it is referred to the reasonable creature for
man and beast and it is fitted to be enlightned by the Sun-beams and to receive that illumination and heat without which the Creatures here below could not subsist and the stars chiefly the Sun are placed at a convenient distance and it is sitted for the swift motion of the heavenly bodies in regard of its rarity and subtilnesse which if it were thick and grosse could not have so speedy a passage through or about the same especially the highest heavens are fitted for the in habitation of those immortal persons some of which do and others shall inhabit a being so spacious bright and every way glorious that the multitude of those happy persons may have space enough to see the beauty of God The Philosophers divide the Region of the world into two Regions the Celestial and Elementary Region The Celestial they divide into divers Orbs or Globes for the Heaven of heavens sedes Beatorum the seat of the blessed Saints and Angels they had little knowledge of if any at all The first moveable as they termed it the highest Orbe by the unspeakable swift circumrotation of which they thought all the other Orbes were carried from East to West in the space of 24 hours This is the tenth Globe or Orbe the next they call the Chrystalline or watery Orb because it is clear bright and apt to shine through as water The next is the Starry heaven which hath eight Spheares one for the fixed Stars and seven other for the Planets each Planet having as they say his distinct Orbe Saturne is the uppermost next Iupiter then Mars in the middest the Sun then Venus next Mercury the last and lowest of all is the Moon So is the division of the heavenly Region the Elementary they divide into the region of fire next to the Moon and of aire next to that and that they distinguish into three Regions the highest middle and lowest then that of the Water and Earth compounded together so they But now the Scriptures divide the World into two parts Heaven and Earth as you reade in the first words of the Bible In the beginning God made Heaven and Earth By Earth it meaneth this Globe of Earth and Water where Men Beasts and Fishes are By Heaven all the space from the Earth upward and of this Heaven it maketh three parts 1. The highest Heaven the Heaven of Heavens 1 Kings 8. 27. the habitation of God himself and all his Saints and Angels Iohn 14. where God reveals his glorious presence to them for ever This is called by Paul the third Heaven 2 Cor. 12. 4. for its scituation above the Aire and Skie both which have the name of Heaven and Paradise 2 Cor. 12. 4. because the earthly Paradise was a figure of it and because it is a place of endlesse joy and pleasure 2. The Starry Skie where the Stars are it is described ie Iob to be firm as a molten Looking-glasse 3. The lower Heavens all that place above our heads to the Starry Heaven Hence the clouds are called the clouds of Heaven and the Fowls of Heaven and Birds are said to flie in the face of the Heavens Every one is to fall out with himself and blame himself for slighting and neglecting the consideration of this work that offers it self so constantly to our eyes even this so curiously wrought Curtain which God hath spread forth especially let us blame our selves for not seeing God in the workmanship of heaven that we take not notice of him as the Author of it and raise our hearts higher then the heavens to him that measures them forth as with a Span we should beleeve that he is so Great Good and Wise as this Heaven proclaimeth him the Maker thereof to be Let us see and bewaile this blindnesse there is no place in the earth which hath not the Heavens spread over it Oh that we could put our selves in minde of him that did spread out the Heavens and remember that be sees us every where for where any work of his is to be seen surely there is himself to be seen and there he sees all things that are there especially let us learn to presle this knowledge upon our will and affections that it may be get in us obedience love fear joy considence and other holy vertues without which all talking yea and thinking of God is idle and fruitlesse Let us presse our selves to become subject to him who hath the heavens at command because he made them to love him that hath formed for our use so excellent an house so richly vaulted above see the invisible things of him that made all in these things which you behold thy conversation should be there where Christ is Col. 3. There is thy Fathers house thine own Country thy inheritance It is a great deale of comfort to Gods people that have such a Father who can so easily stretch out Heaven trust in him for house-room that can build a world with so much ease For the Angels because I intend to speak more largely of them afterwards I shall here only answer one question about them Why are they not spoken of in the Creation where man and beasts are mentioned and why is not the special day named wherein they were made Answ. Not so much for fear the Jews a people prone to Idolatry should have worshipped them for then by the same reason Moses should have forborn to have mentioned them in the whole story of Genesis which was publisht at the same time and to the same people that the first part of it but it may be to give us to understand that God did not use any of their help in the Creation and had no need of them at all but made the whole world without them or because he relates the making of sensible things only but that they were created appears Col. 1. 16. The Scripture hath not so clearly expressed the precise time and day of their Creation therefore Ambrose and Danaeus confesse that they know not when they were created But it is probable they were made with the highest Heaven the first day of the week As man was then first made after his habitation the earth was made and adorned so it is probable that the Angels were made together in a great multitude after the Heavens their habitation was finished Chemnit in loc commun Gen. 2. 1. The heavens and all the host of them It is plain from Iob 38. 7. that they were made before the Earth When God laid the foundations of the earth and laid the Corner stone thereof then the Sons of God that is the Angels Iob 17. shouted for joy An Element is that whereof any thing is compounded and it self uncompounded Each element is superiour to other not more in place then dignity The dry land is called earth which is a firm cold and dry Element round and heavie hanging unmoveably in the midst of the world fit for habitation
Gen. 7. 19. Paradise signifieth a Garden the word being translated out of Greek into Latine and so into French and English In Hebrew it is called Heden which signifieth Delights a Garden of all manner of Delights a place beset with all kinde of fruitful and beautiful Trees Paradise was a little model of Heaven and a sign of the great Heaven assuring Adam that if he continued in obedience to God he should be translated into Heaven to enjoy God supernaturally as there he did enjoy him naturally for the Law saying Do this and live means it of everlasting life So Mr Wheatley held but M Ball seems to differ from him in his Book of the Covenant Man was to die if he disobeyed Gen. 2. 17. which implies strongly that Gods Covenant was with him for life if he obeyed In several other Scriptures the promise is annexed This do and live Negatio fundatur in affirmatione the life promised must be answerable to the death threatned that was not only a miserable condition but a separation from God for ever in hell therefore the life promised was not only a happy condition but a translating of Adam to Heaven and his injoying of God for ever there How long Adam should have lived before he had been translated is not determined There is an innate desire in the soul after the full enjoyment of God here this instinct was not put in men in vain Rom. 3. 23. And come short of the glory of God The word signifies to fall short of the race that price and crown he ran for the full and perfect enjoyment of God See Heb. 4. and what man fell short of by sinne if he had not sinned he should have obtained This is the received opinion of Divines That if Adam had not sinned then as soon as the number of Saints had been accomplished men should have been translated from the earth to heaven from their natural life to spiritual life as we reade of Enoch and Elias Heb. 11. 6. 2 King 2. 11. Dr Hampton on Gen. 1. 26. Though Menasseh Ben Israel de fragil hum Sect. 12. saith That common opinion that Enoch was translated with his body and soul to heaven doth not take place with them and saith that R. Solomon Abrabanel Aben Ezra interpret Gen. 5. 24. of a short death See more there There were two special Trees in it one called the Tree of life the other of the knowledge of good and evil Some say it was called the Tree of Life from the effect because of the hidden power and force it had of sustaining and prolonging mans life Although it be a Dispute Whether it had this force as meat to prolong life or as a medicine to prevent death old-age and diseases as likewise whether this power in the Tree were natural or supernatural Vide Menass Ben Israel de fragil hum Sect. 4. Therefore others say it was called so not from the effect but signification because it was an outward sign that God would give them immortality if they did continue It is questioned Whether the Tree of Life was a Sacrament Paraeus answers That it was a Sacrament three wayes First As an admonition to them that the life which they had they had it from God for as often as they tasted of it they were to remember that God was the author of life Secondly As it was a symbol of a better life in heaven if he did continue in obedience Thirdly Sacramentally of Christ as in whom Adam and Angels did obtain life Revel 2. 7. He is called The Tree of Life in the midst of Paradise but that is only allegorical and allusive so that what the Tree of Life was to Adam in innocency the same is Christ to us in our corrupt estate 2. The Tree of Good and Evil. It was not so called from any internal form as if it self were knowing good and evil nor from the effect as if by eating thereof it would have procured wisdom in man and made him wiser nor yet was it called so from the lying promise of the Devil concerning omniscience for God called it so before they met together therefore it was named so from the Event for God by this name fore-told what would follow if man did not abstain from it that he should experimentally know what was good and what was evil he should practically feel what he had lost and what evil he had plunged himself into Some have thought that those words Gen. 3. 24. should not be understood historically but allegorically that is that God gave him no hopes of coming into this place again but the Text contradicts that some have understood by Cherubims some species and images of terrible creatures as we call Scare-crows but that is simple to think that Adam was so childish to be afraid of those others interpret it of the fire of Purgatory The more probable Interpretation is that by Cherubims are meant Angels who did after a visible manner shake up and down this fiery sword Moses doth therefore call them Cherubims because the Jews knew what he meant having such forms over the Ark. Therefore it is taken for Angels not simply but as they appeared in some shape It is a curiosity to enquire how long they staid there although it is certain they ceased when Paradise was destroyed which was by the Floud Therefore this serves 1. For Information to instruct us 1. That every man and woman hath a soul there is a body and a spirit which enlivens and acts the body for all performances of the Compositum we must glorifie God in both 1 Cor. 6. 20. 2. It is immortal by Gods appointing but in it self endable because it hath a beginning that it may be capable of everlasting weal or woe 3. It is so immortal that it admits of no cessation or intermission the Anabaptists say It is asleep when it parts from the body till the day of Resurrection as soon as it leaves the body it goes either to Abrahams bosome or a place of torment This opinion of the souls sleeping is repugnant to the holy Scriptures Luk. 16. 23. Phil. 1. 23 and an heresie long since condemned in the Church The soul lives after death and in a state of separation Psal. 90. 10. and we flee away that is the soul as a bird out of the shell Eccles. 12. 3. Revel 6. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 1 8 9. See Ioh. 17. 22 24. 1 Cor. 13. 12. and B. Halls Invis world l. 2. Sect. 3. 4. At the last day it shall be united with the body and the body raised up for it and both be happy or miserable for ever 2. Be thankful to God that hath given us our souls and redeemed them by the bloud of his Son Propter hanc Deus fecit mundum propter hanc Filius Dei venit in mundum Chrysost. Blesse him especially for soul-mercies Eph. 1. 3. Ioh. 3. 2 4. and let the soul praise him Psal.
say that men might know Gods being and bounty by his works Others urge Rom. 1. 19. Act. 14. 17. The Scripture is the only means of knowing God savingly therefore it is called salvation Heb. 2. 3. See 2 Tim. 1. 10. Quid erit mundus sublato verbo quam infernus merum Satanae imperium Luther loc commun 1. Clas cap. 23. If that were true Doctrine then men may be saved without Christ or they may be saved by Christ who either know him not or believe not in him for the works of God can never reveal Christ. Solus Christus medium speculum est per quod videmus Deum hoc est cognosâ—inus ejus voluntatem Luther loc commun Clas 1. c. 1. Non solum periculosum sed etiam horribile est de Deo extra Christum cogitare Id. ibid. No man comes to the Father but by me See Iohn 17. 3. Acts 4. 12. Col. 2. Ephes. 2. 12. saith That the Gentiles were without hope and without God in the world therefore they could not conceive hope of remission of sins from the creatures Rom. 1. 20. The invisible things of God viz. his Power and God-head may be known by the contemplation of the creatures but not his mercy in pardoning sins and the hope of salvation by redemption For that power and God-head strikes a fear into a man and requires perfect obedience but doth not promise remission of sins It is true that God instructed the Heathens by his works of Creation and Providence But never any yet could instance in one of them and say assuredly that by using well their naturals he came to eternal life Zuinglius said That God did extraordinarily work grace and faith in the Heathens which opinion of his is much exagitated by the Lutherans and he is justly forsaken by the Orthodox in this point The Papists and Arminians say That God gives an universal sufficient grace to all men even to Pagans Paul Rom. 1. speaking of them all saith They became vain in their imaginations That is an excellent speech of Augustines Qui dicit hominem servari posse sine Christo dubito an ipse per Christum servari possit See Mr Burgesse of Grace Sect. 12. Serm. 120. It were a worthy work for one to collect the several places in Scripture where the relations of Christ to his Church are mentioned his various denominations also and representations are expressed they being all great props of faith CHAP. II. Of CHRIST I. His Person IN Christ we must consider two things 1. His Person 2. His Offices In his Person also we must consider two things His Natures and the Union of them His Natures are two The God-head and the Manhood The Union of them is such as is called Personal which is a concurrence of two Natures to make one Person that is an individual subsistence as the soul and body in one man I shall therefore treat of these three things The God-head of Christ. The Manhood of Christ. The uniting of these two in one Person Concerning the God-head having shewed that Christ is God even the second Person in Trinity I now will shew how he is God and why he was to be God He is God the Son the Sonne of God he calleth himself the Son and is so called of his Church Not the Father nor the holy Ghost but the Son took our nature upon him for we are admitted into the Church with this faith being baptized Into the Name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost He became our Saviour that he might make us sons unto his Father But consider how he is God not by Office nor by Favour nor by Similitude nor in a Figure as sometimes Angels and Magistrates are gods but by Nature he is Equal and Co-essential with his Father there is one God-head common to all the three Persons the Father the Sonne and the Spirit and therefore it is said That he was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God Phil. 2. 6. Loe an equality to God the Father is ascribed to him he is not God in any secondary or inferiour manner but is in the very form of God equal to him the God-head of all the three Persons being one and the same In the next place I shall shew why he must be God There are four Reasons of it 1. That he might be able to suffer 2. To merit 3. To do those things which must be done after suffering and meriting And 4. For the further manifestation of Gods love to man First I say that he might be of power to suffer what was to be suffered by our Redeemer that is the punishment due to our sins For our Redeemer must no otherwise redeem us then by being our Surety standing in our very stead supplying our room and sustaining in his own person that punishment which all our sins had deserved at the hands of Gods Justice He must be a propitiatory Sacrifice for sinne he must be made sinne for us our iniquity must be laid upon him and he must bear our sins in his body upon the Tree Christ must suffer for sin Now the punishment due to our sins was the horrible wrath of God a burden so heavy as no shoulder of any meer creature could bear it for there is no proportion betwixt the weaknesse of man and the anger of God Wherefore he was to be God that the omnipotent power of the God-head might uphold the frailty of the manhood to the end that it might not be oppressed with the weight and sink down in despair discouragement impatiency dejectednesse or the like inconveniences which had he been driven unto he had sinned and so should have lost himself in stead of redeeming us This seems to be meant by the brazen Altar upon which the Sacrifice must be burnt and which was made with wood but covered with brasse so Christ was man but the weaknesse of the humane nature was covered with the power of the Deity that it might not be consumed Wood would have been burnt with fire brasse would not man would have been swallowed up with those sufferings had not the Divine Power upheld the same Secondly He must be God that the God-head might give worth value meritoriousnesse unto the sufferings and obedience both which the humane nature performed To the end that one man might stand in the stead of all men and that God might account himself as much satisfied in his Justice by his sole and short sufferings as if all men had suffered everlastingly and as much honoured by his obedience as if all men had obeyed it was requisite that that one man should be made more excellent then all men put together and so he was made by being God and man For the humane nature of Christ in that it is personally united unto God and hath the God-head dwelling in it bodily so that the body is the body of God and more worth then all the
the earth As we use to say commonly that the sunne is under a cloud because it is a vulgar form of speech and yet it is farre enough from our meaning for all that to imagine the cloud to be indeed higher then the sun Thirdly Some almost confound this Article with Christs burial and make one sense of both because those words Sheol Hades Infernus often in Scripture note the grave Both many Ancient and Modern Divines have taken Christs descent into hell in that sense This seems to some to be the reason wherefore the Nicene Creed mentions only Christs burial and no descent into hell and Athanasius his Creed his descending into hell without speaking a word of his burial Neither Irenaeus Augustine Tertullian nor Origen when they recite the rule of faith mention Christs descent into hell Vide Rivet Cathol Orthodox But this seems not so probable an interpretation 1. Because He was buried goes next before these words neither can these be added exegetically because they are obscurer then the former 2. It is not likely that in so succinct and short a Creed the same Article should be twice put or the same thing twice said by changing the words Vide Chamier contract â Spanh Tom. 2. lib. 5. c. 3. Calvin Institut l. 2. c. 16. Sect. 8 9 10. Bellarm. de Christo l. 4. c. 14. Fourthly Some interpret this article of Christs descending into hell by his going to the dead and for a time viz. even to the resurrection continuing in the state and under the dominion of death and this seems to be the most genuine exposition of all for it keeps both the propriety of the words and the distinction of the Articles and it is drawn from Peters words nor is this opinion urged with any great difficulty Hell signifieth the state of the dead the condition of those that are departed this life common to good and bad the being out of this land of the living when the soul and body are separated and do no more walk upon the earth to be seen of men and converse with them The Hebrew Greek and Latine words for hell both in the Scripture and other sit Authors are used for the state of the dead Psal. 89. 47 48. Psal. 30. 3. Isa. 38. 18 19. 1 Cor. 15. 55. Peters words Acts 2 24. sufficiently confirm this exposition The whole state of the dead is called a descent because although some of the dead ascend into Heaven yet all which are buried descend into the earth whence from the first condition of the descent of carkasses the whole other state of the dead is called a descent To descend often in the Acts of the Apostles noteth not a descent from a higher place into a lower but only a deporture from one place into another Sometimes it signifieth to passe from a lower place to a higher See Iud. 11. 37. 15. 11. So Iuvenal Praecordia pressit Ille senis tremulúmque caput descendere jussit In Coelum CHAP. VI. Of CHRISTS Exaltation HItherto of Christs humiliation The first of these kinde of actions he did to fulfill his great Offices in his Person consisting of two Nature◠God-head and manhood I proceed to the second kinde of actions needful to the same purpose For if Christ had not overcome his humiliation but had been overcome of it then had he not been a perfect Saviour then had he not been the Son of God nor the King of Israel for a King Lord and God must conquer Now this Glorification is the raising of himself to a most high and honourable estate for so it is said He was to suffer and to enter into his glory that is that glory which God had appointed for him and he by submitting himself to such meannesse for Gods honour sake fully deserved for himself and all his members with him Therefore the Apostle saith God hath greatly exalted him for this is the mighty one upon whom God had laid strength and he was to divide the spoil with the mighty according to Isaiahs Prophecy Now this Glorification of our Saviour say some hath three degrees Resurrection Ascension sitting at the right hand of the Father Four degrees say Estey and others of which two are past viz. his Resurrection and Ascention one is present viz. his sitting at Gods right hand the last is to come viz. his judging of all the world For his Resurrection that is the first degree of his Glory death had separated his soul from his body and carried his body for a time prisoner into the Sepulchre but it was impossible he should be held of it saith the Apostle and therefore God having loosed the sorrows of death did raise him up again no more to return to corruption Of this Resurrection we have large proof in the Scriptures First Each of the Evangelists insisteth upon the narration of it and the Apostles in their Epistles do frequently mention and affirm it and in their several Sermons declare and publish it unto all the people Matth. 28. 1. describes it thus In the end of the Sabbath that is the Jewish Sabbath which was Saturday as it began towards the first day of the week came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary to see the Sepulchre and behold there was a great earthquake and Mark thus Chap. 16. 2. Early in the morning the first day of the week they came unto the Sepulchre at the rising of the Sunne And Luke thus Chap. 24. 1. Now upon the first day of the week very early in the morning they came unto the Sepulchre bringing the spices which they had prepared Iohn thus Chap. 26. 1. And the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalen early when it was yet dark unto the Sepulchre and seeth the stone taken away from the Sepulchre The women when it was very early upon our Lords day in the morning came out of the City and by that time the Sunne was rising they came to the very Sepulchre and found Christ risen before For so soon as the morning did peep and the first day of the week began to shew it self he reduced his soul unto his body and raised it up the Angel at the same time rolling away the stone and astonishing the keepers and before the women could come into the Sepulchre he was departed thence So he was part of three nights and three dayes in the grave and rose the third day according to that he had foretold He died upon Friday about three of the clock and was buried that even and lay in the grave that part of Friday taking the day for the natural day All Saturday he lay in the grave the night and the day The first day of the week in the morning he lay but a very short space and in the very beginning of it rose that it might appear he lay there not out of necessity but because he thought it fit to stay so long there to make it appear that he
Yea let us long for his appearance and thirst after the great Day when he shall come to judge the quick and dead What good wife would not often long for the coming of her absent husband and for her going to partake with him in his state of glory This world is a dunghil and all the things in it are baser compared to that estate of Christ then dirt and dung compared to gold O let us shew that we know and beleeve these things by filling our souls with holy and heavenly desires and affections Contemplate our Lord Jesus Christ rising out of the grave contemplate his ascending up to his Father contemplate him sitting at the right hand of his Father contemplate him coming to Judgement till these things have banished all love of sinne in thee all earthlinesse of Spirit and made thee in some measure like unto him in these things If the Spirit of grace and glory rest upon us it will thus glorifie us and raise us up A Christian man is not glorious because he hath obtained more outward preferment or wealth but because he hath obtained a more effectual and working knowledge of Christ his Head and is made more and more suitable to the spiritual glory of such a Mediatour Hitherto should our chief desires and indeavours runne What do we musing tiring and tormenting our selves in studying earthly things nay evil and sinful things Do these studies and cogitations accord with the heavenly nature which our blessed Saviour maketh them partakers of that are ingraffed into him by Faith and enlivened by the mighty work of his Spirit In vain do we call our selves Christians and look to be brought to that glorious estate wherto he hath already assigned all true Christians if we do not shew our selves thus in our measure for the present glorified with Christ. But secondly let this thought make us to loath our sins and heartily to lament them when we consider of them because they offend so great and wonderful a person that is so highly advanced over all and withal so good and glorious and one that hath done so much for us and doth so particularly know and observe us and all our actions That Lord of Lords and King of Kings that only blessed Potentate who inhabiteth eternity who dwelleth in that light which is inaccessible whom no creature saw nor can see this eminent person he seeth us at all times in all places and companies he is a witnnesse of all our actions that shall be the Judge he taketh particular and precise notice of our whole carriage O shall we dare to offend his pure and glorious eyes with things so abominable to him as those must needs be for which himself was put to suffer such things as he did suffer before he entred into his glory Do we not think that Christ hateth sinne with a most perfect hatred and shall not we strive to conform our selves to him and to please him that is so incomparably much greater then all other creatures Do but think what an one our Lord is and how displeasing sinne is in his sight and then it is not possible for us to love it if we either love our selves or him And it is a sure truth that God will sanctifie these Meditations to such as will exercise themselves therein to beat down sinne in them and to work an hatred of it in their souls Oh rhat each of us could retire our selves often from the world and put himself in minde of Christs glory and say to himself if I follow voluptuousnesse and give my self to wantonnesse drunkennesse gaming idlenesse riot or unthriftinesse these are the things that glorious Saviour of mankinde abh orreth and shall I dare to provoke him against me We are careful to shunne those things which we know will offend great men in the world not alone Kings and Princes but men of inferiour rank that are of place in the Countreys where we dwell and shall we not avoid that which will displease him whose greatnesse is so great that all height set in balance with his is meer meannesse basenesse and contemptiblenesse Admonish thy self often of this point beseech him that knows how loathsom sinne is to himself to make it abominable to thee for his sake and this will cause thee to loath it The true knowledge of Christ to conceive him to be so exceeding excellent as he is will force any reasonable creature to study to please him and to cast away farre from him all that will provoke him and that is all sinne and wickednesse for that his soul hateth and then is our leaving of sinne and casting away evil deeds truly acceptable to him when it hath its original in this knowledge of him and love to him Thirdly This glory of Christ following his sufferings must become a pillar to our Faith and a sure Argument to make us trust perfectly upon him and him alone For is he not able to the utmost to save those which come unto God by him hath he not made it more then manifest that he hath fully satisfied his Fathers justice and answered for our sins He bare the sins of mankinde even of the world as the Scripture speaketh indefinitely that no man should through unbelief exclude himself I say he bare all the sins of men upon his body on the Tree there he undertook to offer up a perpetual Sacrifice and to make an atonement to his Father for us Now you see him no more in an Agony no more Crucified no longer lying in the Grave but entred into his Glory O rest upon him rest upon him rest upon him perfectly How many how great soever those sins be that you have committed for his entring into Glory maketh it manifest that he hath satisfied for them all to the full and if you renounce your selves and all other merits he can and will cause them all to be pardoned and blotted out of the Debt-book of his heavenly Father If we can go to Christ for pardon of sinne he is so glorified that his intercession applying his Redemption to us shall surely make us safe To him therefore runne on him cast thy self on him rely for the plenary and certain remission of all thy sins all aggravations of them notwithstanding yea go to him and rest upon him for power against them all and for strength to overcome them and to vanquish all Satans temptations and to make thee a perfect conquerour for this glory hath he received as the Head of the Church for the use and benefit of his Church and of all and each of those in his Church that shall seek to him and beleeve in him He will justifie he will sanctifie he will save He can do it perfecty he will do it certainly onely so that we rest upon him for it and seek to and call upon him for it All that call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved all that long and desire to be saved and do trust
resolved upon it 1. Motives to Conversion They may be taken from every place Heaven Earth and Hell From Heaven look to God his Angels and Saints From Earth look to your selves the godly and ungodly nay the beasts From Hell look to the Devils and damned ghosts From Heaven First Look to God the Father Son and holy Ghost Is it not a most desirable thing to turn to him seeing he is so rightful a Lord so great a Prince and so gracious a Father so willing to accept us and hath given us means time and commandments and encouraged us with promises of acceptance and threatned us if we do not and complains that they have not turned to him who smote them God hath sent his Son into the world that converts might be graciously received Secondly Christ himself is a weighty argument of conversion for if we refuse to turn then we do what in us lies to frustrate his death and to make him shed his bloud in vain seeing it is intended for the benefit only of such as turn In Christ you may see the hatefulnesse of sinne from which you are to turn and the graciousnesse of God to whom Thirdly The holy Ghost striveth to bring you to this turning in his Ordinances Gen. 6. 3. and will you suffer him to prevail Secondly The blessed Angels will rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner All the Saints in Heaven have given you examples of converting and are now glad of their pains bestowed that way Secondly Look to the Earth and there to your selves first consider 1. That you are out of the way Psal. 14. 53. 119. ult and know that you are so 2. That you have bound your selves by Covenant to convert when you were baptized and as often as you come to the Supper 3. You have and do daily make profession of converting 4. You can by no means save your selves out of the hands of Gods justice if you do not submit and convert to him Secondly The Duty it self is 1. Most reasonable and equal because the wayes are evil from which and good to which we are wished to turn 2. Most needful without it we cannot escape the greatest misery 3. Most profitable Turn and live by continuing in our evil wayes we may get a little perishing profit vanishing pleasure and bewitching credit by turning from them we shall gain pardon of sins past peace and joy of soul for the present and eternal life hereafter When the sinner turneth I will blot out all his sins out of my remembrance 4. Likely to succeed if we set to it in earnest Prov. 1. 24. Let us labour to grieve for our sins by a serious applying of the threats of God humbly confesse them and resolve by Gods help to leave them You will not come to me that you may have life Secondly Look to the godly in the world They pray for it they will further it rejoyce in our conversion they will love and esteem us when converted To the ungodly by this means we may perhaps win them or shall leave them without excuse Yea look to other creatures in the bad we hate incorrigiblenesse in evil we dislike the creatures which have gotten an evil quality and will not leave it We like and praise obedience in the good Thirdly Look upon Hell 1. On the Devil he seeks to hinder thy conversion will be vexed at it he is most loathsome because obstinate in evil The Devils worst property is that he is now so hardened in evil that there is no possibility of change in him Wilt thou be like the Devil in that which is the worst thing in him Besides thou abusest and neglectest grace offered and so doth not he 2. The damned Ghosts who because they did not convert are damned and blame themselves for not turning when they had time and now it is too late 2. Means of Conversion First Take notice of your own strayings and unconvertednesse and your peril thereby Secondly Acknowledge your utter inability to convert your selves and therefore cry earnestly to God to convert you as the Church doth Turn me and I shall be turned Turn presently and begin with that sin which hath most drawn thee away from God 3. Remove Hinderances 1. Outward 1. Ill company 2. The occasions of sin Salomon adviseth the young man not to come near the corner of the Harlots house and the drunkard not to look on the wine 2. Inward 1. Love of earthly things 2. Presumptuous and despairful fancies 3. Hardnesse of heart and wilfulnesse in sinning 4. Use all Helps and Furtherances 1. Outward good company attend on all Gods Ordinances hearing reading Psal. 19. conference 2. Inward Cherish and practise good motions ponder on the Law and Gospel think often and seriously on those quatuor novissima Death Judgement Heaven and Hell Of Free-will The word it self is Terminus Ecclesiasticus not Biblicus not a Scripture-term but such a one as godly men in the Church took up for more convenient expression as they have done the name Trinity and Sacrament To render Liberum arbitrium into English is not proper for arbitrari and arbitrium is an act of the understanding but use hath applied it to the will A mixed power of understanding and will saith Mr Perkins It can be onely in an intelligent nature as Bellarmine proves lib. 3. de Grat. Lib. Arb. c. 15. and the understanding though it be not formally free yet it is radically and the liberty of the will ariseth from the indifferency of the judgement The liberty of the will properly consists in choosing that which the understanding judgeth best Radix libertatis constituta est in libero rationis judicio Aquin. There is in the will a double freedom 1. Natural a power that a man hath to choose or refuse as it seemeth good to himself and this is so annexed to or dependant on his reasonablenesse that they cannot be separated and this he hath not nor could loose by corruption 2. Sanctified an inclination to use the former liberty well by choosing that he ought to choose and this he hath lost when now he will choose and refuse what he ought not Or thus Free-will may be considered either in the essence and being of it as it is an immediate faculty of the soul and the same with the will we have this free-will for Adam by his fall hath no more lost this then he hath lost his very nature it is therefore a great calumny of the Papists when they say That we deny free-will and make man no better then a beast for take free-will thus as it is a natural power in a man so it remaineth still The free-will of man after the fall is not so corrupted that it is not capable of the grace of Regeneration Tolle liberum arbitrium non erit quod salvetur tolle gratiam non erit unde salvetur Bern. There is a threefold power 1. Activa an ability to concur
in Christ understand nothing but an acknowledgement of the veracity of the sayings and the promises of Christ which ought to be given them not because Christ is true God with the Father but because God after his death raised him from the dead which he also foretold before and for this reason he was worthy to be believed in what he commanded or promised This is their Doctrine of justifying faith and justification as if Christ had come into the world and suffered such things for no other cause but that he might perswade us that an eternal reward is propounded to the obedient that being allured with the hope of reward we might obey him Bellarmine saith Justifying faith is not so much knowledge as assent and it is not a confidence of Gods mercy but an assent to all things which are contained in the Word of God Faith is more then a bare assent to the truth there is in it a fiducial acquiescence and a resting upon Jehovah as it is expressed in the Hebrew he rolled himself upon God as a man being weary of a burden casts himself and that upon something that sustains him Prov. 3. 5. Isa. 10. 20. 28. 16. 50. 10. The chief act of the soul in true faith wherein the essence of it mainly consists is a resting and relying upon Christ and him alone for the obtaining of favour and eternal life In respect of this property faith is oft called a believing in or on Christ and his name Iohn 3. 16 18 36. Iohn 6. 1. 5. 10. a trusting in Christ Ephes. 1. 12. a resting upon God 2 Chron. 14. 11. a resting upon his promise 2 Chron. 32. 8. a relying upon God 2 Chron. 16. 8. a cleaving and sticking close unto him Act. 11. 23. Mr Hilders on Psal. 51. 6. Lect. 83. There is in Faith First An act of acceptation one is willing to receive Christ on his own termes Secondly Of resignation it gives up the whole man unto Christ. The proper object of justifying faith saith Dr. Ames is not some axiome viz. God is favourable to me or my sins are pardoned but Ens incomplexum as they speak viz. Christ or the mercy of God in Christ and so the proper act of justifying faith is incumberâ— or acquiescere Christo. Not barely the promises but the person of Christ is the object of faith we are not to rest in the promises alone but to close with Christ in those promises Acts 6. 31. The Saints take comfort in Christ and prize his person above all his benefits First Because that is the greatest gift in which God shews most love Ioh. 4. 10. Secondly He is the person in whom all good things are deposited Cant. 4. 10. 1 Iohn 5. 10. Thirdly The great thing the soul fals in love with is the person of Christ Cant. 5. Phil. 1. 23. It is a great dispute among Divines What is the proper object of saving faith Some say the Evangelical promise which holds out Christ others Christ himself in a strict sense only Christ himself is the object of saving faith Iohn 7. 37. No proposition nor promise saves me only Christ. The common object of faith is every revealed truth but of justifying faith as it justifies that is in the act of Justification Reconciliation in Christ with a certain confidence There is Fides quae faith which saves the soul this closeth with every divine revelation promise threatning story sides qua as it saves me closeth onely with Christ. Faith which saves the soul hath for its object the whole word of God but as it saves the soul it closeth only with Christ. There is nothing in Scripture but it hath relation to Christ the types and old Sacrifices were shadows of him the moral Law is preparative for Christ yea there is something of him in every story and miracle Faith is an instinct after union with Christ Iohn 5. 12. He lives in me by faith Iohn 11. 26. Gal. 2. 20. This receives Christ Iohn 1. 11. it is the condition of the Covenant and so the qualification of them which shall have interest in Christ and his benefits Iohn 3. 16. Acts 8. 37. 16. 31. Faith carries the consent of the whole man a Chron. 30. 8. Quid est credere nisi consentire He that would receive Christ must 1. Know that Christ is designed by God and tendred as a Saviour to him in the Gospel 2. Must consider the reality and fulnesse of the promise and give consent to this prose this is the very act of faith 3. None can thus receive Christ but those whose hearts the Lord hath opened to close with Christ Iohn 6. 36 37. Acts 16. 1. Man sell by self-exalting and ariseth in a self-abasing which is by beleeving 2. Faith is the only way to dissolve the plots of the devil we fell by beleeving the devil rather then God and rise by renouncing him and by beleeving in the grace of God in Christ. What is the act the soul doth when it beleeves There are three acts of faith Notitia Assensus Fiducia Mr. Hildersam saith The effence and being of justifying faith consisteth in four acts of the soul whereof the former two are acts of the understanding the other two of the will First I must know Christ aright and that which the Gospel revealeth to us concerning him Secondly The assent of the minde to this 1 Tim. 1. 15. Heb. 11. 13. Thirdly The consent of the will Iohn 1. 12. Fourthly A resting and relying upon Christ and him alone for the favour of God and eternal life Knowledge comes three wayes 1. By sense 2. Reason as that the part is lesse then the whole 3. From testimony which is faith and relies wholly on witnesse faith is weak when it relates to humane testimony yet there is no such knowledge as that of faith when it relates to the testimony of God that is more sure then sense or reason God is so wise as he cannot be deceived himself and so good as he will not deceive others Knowledge and faith are ordinarily all one in Scripture and joyned together as things inseparable Isa. 53. 11. Iohn 10. 38. Iohn 6. 69. Iohn 17. 3. 1 Iohn 3. 2. 4. 5. 13 19. A beleever is set forth by the terms of an enlightened man and wise man Ephes. 1. 18 19. I know whom I have beleeved Bellarmine saith faith is better defined by ignorance then knowledge Fides melius per ignorantiam quam per notitiam desinitur It captivates reason unto the word of God that is carnall and rebellious reason but the true light of reason is increased and augmented by it This knowledge which faith works in the heart is distinct and certain 2. Assent they beleeved God and the Prophets that is they gave assent and credit to it because of the authority of God who is most true and cannot deceive not for humane motives This assent is 1.
our sins be pardoned 1. Did you ever repent for sin that is a necessary condition though not a cause of the forgivenesse of it Act. 3. 19. 2. Examine your faith in Christ Rom. 4. 3. Being justified by faith we have peace with God 3. Remission and Sanctification go together Heb. 9. 14. 4. There is a witnesse of bloud 1 Iohn 5. 8. the Spirit of God gives testimony of our Justification as well as Sanctification Whether peccata remissa redeant Whom God justifieth Rom. 8. 30. that is forgiveth their sins them he glorifieth The Remission of sins is perfect it makes as if the sin had never been it is called blotting out and throwing into the bottom of the Sea taking of them away there is much difference between taking away the guilt and power of sinne the later is taken away by degrees and in part but the guilt of sinne is quite discharged He will remember them no more the godly who have their sins fully remitted do feel the sting and terrour of it in their consciences as David Psal. 51. yet it is not because it is not forgiven but to make us humble and taste of the bitternesse of sin thou maist yet take as much comfort in the pardon of all thy offences as if they had never been acted by thee When God hath pardoned the fault all punishment is not necessarily taken away but only punishment which is satisfactory to Gods justice Remissa culpa remittitur poena Isa. 53. 5. How are we healed if notwithstanding Christs passion and satisfaction we are to be tormented for our sins with most bitter torments God is fully reconciled by Christs satisfaction with the truly penitent Rom. 5. 1 10. The chastisements of Gods people come from a loving Father and are medicinal not penal This overthrows 1. Popish Indulgences viz. relaxations from satisfactory pains in Purgatory flames after this life which Rivet fitly termes Emulgences 2. Prayers for the dead Where sins are forgiven whether only in this world That Parable Matth. 18. is brought by some to prove that they are not only forgiven here This man who was forgiven say they because he did not do as he should therefore had he all his former debts laid to his charge nothing is argumentative from a Parable but what is from the scope and intention of it This is the time only wherein a sin may be forgiven the foolish Virgins would have got oyl when it was too late but then they ran up and down to no purpose thus it is with all after death then comes judgement to day is the time of repentance reconciliation it is too late to cry out in hell thou wilt be drunk unclean no more CHAP. VIII II. Imputation of Christs Righteousness TO impute in the general is to acknowledge that to be anothers which is not indeed his and it is used either in a good or bad sense so that it is no more then to account or reckon It is the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and accepted for us by which we are judged righteous Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth right coâ—snesse without works and again that justifieth the ungodly There is no appearing before God without the righteousnesse of Christ Revel 19. 8. If we be sinners by the imputation of Adams sin then are we also righteous by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse Rom. 5. 12 19. because his disobedience is imputed to us Peccatum Adami it a posteris omnibus imputatur ac si omnes idem peccatum patravissent There is some difference between the imputation of our sins to Christ and his righteousnesse to us for though our sinne was by imputation his as his righteousnesse by imputation ours yet the manner of this imputation is not to be urged as Bellarmine would stretch it by our tenets as by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us we are righteous truly though not inherently yet Christ by our sins cannot be called a sinner truly he was reckoned among sinners and God laid our sins upon him yet he cannot be called a sinner because he took our sins upon him not to abide but vanquish them he so took them on him that he took them away but his righteousnesse is so made ours as that it is to abide in us Object The righteousnesse of Christ as it flows from him being God and man is infinite but we need no infinite righteousnesse for we are not bound to do any more then Adam was he was not bound to be infinitely righteous Answ. Christ must needs have infinite righteousnesse to be a Mediatour and to satisfie the justice of God but for that righteousnesse which is communicated to us it is so farre given as we need it therefore some partake of it more some lesse Three things will help us to judge whether we have Christs righteousnesse 1. If thou laist hold upon Christ by faith and choosest him to be thy Lord and adherest to him with all thy heart 2. If thou loathe thy self in thy approaches to God as the Publicane Luke 18. 3. Where ever Christ puts on the soul imputed righteousnesse he fails not to give inherent 1 Cor. 5. 11. Tit. 3. 5 6. Means to get the righteousnesse of Christ 1. Labour to be thorowly convinced of thy own miserable condition what a vile sinner thou art Rev. 3. lat end 2. Study much the holinesse and purity of Gods nature Iob 42. 3. Study much Christs righteousnesse See Mr Burr on Matth 5. 6. 1. How beautiful a garment is the righteousnesse of God 2. Christs willingnesse to have thee put it on by faith 4. Put it on by faith rely on Christ venture thy soul on him Whether God sees sin in justified persons God is not so affected with the sins of his people to whom he is reconciled as to be an enemy to them for them but he is angry with them for their sins Exod. 4. 14. Deut 9. 20. reproves them Numb 12. 8. and often punisheth them for them 2 Kings 12. 10 11 14. 1 Cor. 11. 30 32. they are said to be committed in his sight Psal. 51. 4. That Text Numb 23. 21. is sufficiently vindicated from the Antinomians by M. Gataker in his Treatise on the Text and elswhere That place Hab. 1. 3. 13. agrees with that in Numbers Videt visione contemplationis non visione comprobationis He sees it because he beholds it but not without displeasure and detestation although he bear for a time God could bestow such a measure of grace on his people and so guide them with his Spirit that they should not sin but he doth not dispense his grace and Spirit in such a measure as to keep his people free from sin for then they should have no use of the Lords Prayer to beg remission of sins The Priests in the Old Testament offered first for their own sins and then for the sins of others and Christ taught the
opinion of tying grace to the Sacraments overthroweth 1. The highest and most proper cause of our salvation which is Gods free election to which only grace is tied 2. The only meritorious cause of our Regeneration which is the bloud of Christ properly purging us from all sin 3. The most powerfull next and applying efficient which is the holy Ghost Titus 3. 5. The Papists thrust the souls of such babes as die without Baptism into a Limbus puerorum a place very near hell and their bodies out of Christian burial as they call it into an unhallowed place The Thief on the Crosse wanted the outward Baptism yet was saved Luke 23. 43. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved See M. Perk. Cas. of Consc. l. 2. p. 108. to 115. Baptism is necessary not only as a thing commanded but as an ordinary means of Salvation yet that necessity is not so absolute that the denial of Baptism even to Infants should be a certain argument of perdition The Persons who must baptize The Papists say Those that are not ordained and women in case of necessity may baptize No woman is a fit Minister of Baptism For 1. The Minister in his ministerial actions sustaineth the person of Christ which a woman cannot do 2. Those which are called to baptize are called also to preach for the Sacrament without the Word is a dumb Ceremony and as a Seal to a blank and Paul who would not permit a woman to teach ministerially would much lesse suffer her to baptize If any man should set the Kings broad Seal to any instrument but the Lord Keeper his fact were high treason And is there lesse danger in counterfeiting the great Seals of Gods Covenant Aquinas parte tertia Quest. 67. Artic. 3. saith Laiâ—us potest baptizare and Art 4. mulier potest baptizare That place Matth. 28. is as strong against womens baptizing as it is against their preaching For the Ministery of the Word and Sacrament cannot be pulled asunder which the Lord hath joyned together from time to time The Priests and Levites which were appointed to teach the people were also appointed to sacrifice and minister other Sacraments in the Church Cartwright denieth Women and Laicks power Whitgift and Hooker plead for it but K. Iames would have it appropriated to the Minister The ordinary Minister of Baptism is a person consecrated Baptism being the solemn Rite of initiating Disciples and making the first publick profession of the institution it is in reason and analogy of the Mystery to be ministred by those who were appointed to collect the Church and make Disciples D. Taylors Divine Instit of the offices Ministerial Sect. 4. Zippora circumcised her sonne before her husband Moses which was a Prophet of the Lord and to whom the office of Circumcision did appertain 2. She did it in choler If the essentials of Baptism be observed viz. washing In the Name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost it is Baptism The Baptism of Hereticks is Baptism and therefore it is imputed to Cyprian for an errour that he affirmed Baptizatos ab Haereticis esse rebaptizandos and the Donatists are esteemed Hereticks for that reason No man may baptize himself Smith was a Se-baptist he baptized himself which neither Iohn Baptist nor any did before him How Christs Baptism and Iohns differ There was the same Doctrine the same Rite the same Oblation of Grace in the Baptisme of Iohn and Christ Therefore it was the same Baptism for Substance and of the same efficacy Vide Scultet Exercit. Evangel lib. 1. cap. 35. The Persons who are to be baptized Infidels converted to the faith and the Infants of one or both Christian Parents Some deny Baptism they acknowledge not the baptizing of Infants or others but onely the inward Baptisme of the Spirit See Matthew 28. 19 20 Mark 16. 26. The Scriptures teach that this Sacrament is necessary for Infants Iohn 3. The Scriptures shew that Infants are in Covenant Ezek. 6. 20. that is at the birth his by vertue of the Covenant and were in times past sealed with the seal of the Covenant They witnesse that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to Infants Matth. 19. By Baptism Christians are admitted into the Society of this Kingdom Antipoedobaptists acknowledge from Matth. 9. 14. Rom. 9. 11. that Infants are saved See Psal. 103. 17. Christ commands all Nations to be baptized Infants are part of a Nation Mat. 28. 11. I think the Apostle doth plainly hold Col. 2. that Baptism hath succeeded in the room of Circumcision which is also the common and received opinion of Divines Gillesp. Miscel. c. 18. Infants of Christian Parents ought to be baptized because the children of the Jews in Covenant were circumcised for let the particular differences between Circumcision and Baptism be never so many yet in this they agree that they are both Sacraments of initiation and so belong to them that be in Covenant the faithful and their seed M. Ball. Vide Rivet in Gen. 17. That which confirms me in the belief that the Apostles did baptize Infants where they baptized housholds where fathers and children were together is because of the continued practice of it in the Church of God ever since of which we have as good evidence as of any controverted point in Ecclesiastical History Supposing Infant-baptism a nullity I cannot understand how any in the world should this day be lawfully baptized unlesse it can be made good that a person unbaptized himself may be a lawful Minister of Baptism to others for certainly untill the Anabaptists arose in Germany all the baptized world were baptized while they were Infants and consequently the first Anabaptist was baptized by an unbaptized person and so in conclusion we must all turn Seekers and be content without Baptism till Christ give some extraordinary commission from Heaven unto some men to be Apostles in this businesse M. Martials Def. of Infant-bap p. 245. A man by embracing one errour undertakes for all of the same cognation and line as for example He that is entangled with the errour of those who deny the lawfulnesse of Infant-baptism stands obliged through his engagement to this one errour to maintain many erroneous and Anti-Evangelical opinions Where ever God takes parents into Covenant he takes their children also See Deut. 27. 14 15. 2. Infants are as capable of the benefits of Baptism as men there is no benefit of Baptism but the party that receiveth it is passive we are said to be baptized into Christ to be made one with him the union begins on his part so to receive remission of sin 3. Infants while they are so may be truly members of a visible Church Luke 18. 16. One hath better ground to go by to administer Baptism to a childe of believing Parents then to men of years a mans profession may be unsound and hypocritical for the other I have Gods promise I will be
of their salvation with him so they minister half a Sacrament of salvation Cartw. against the Rhem. on Iohn 6. Our practice and profession is the receiving the Communion in both kindes for which I joyn issue with all Papists living that it is the prime original institution of our Saviour which giveth birth and being to a Sacrament that it is sacriledge to alter it therefrom that it was never otherwise used in the Church of God for above two thousand years after Christ. Let all the Papists living prove the contrary and I will subscribe to all Popery B. Mountag Answer to the Gagger of Protest Sect. 36. This was the custom in all the Fathers times as I could deduce almost out of every one This is every where the custom in all the world unto this day but in the Romane exorbitant Church as Cassander saith and was not quite abolished in that Church till about thirteen hundred years after Christ and by much art colluding and fine forgery was retained from being cast out of that Church in the late Conventicle of Trent only kept in for a faction but mightily opposed by learned honest and conscionable Catholicks Id. ibid. First If none may drink of the consecrate wine but the Priests then none should eat of the bread but Priests for to whom Christ said Take and eat to those he gave the Cup and said Drink ye The signs being both equal all Communicants must drink of the one as well as eat of the other there being the same warrant for the one that there is for the other Secondly The Cup is a part of Christs Will and Testament Galat. 3. 15. Hebr. 9. 16 17. the dead mans Will may not be changed The Lords Supper is a Sacrament proper to the New Testament Luke 22. 20. Thirdly The bloud of Christ shed upon the Crosse belongeth not onely to the Pastors and Teachers but to all the faithfull that come to the Table of the Lord Matth. 26. 28. Luke 22. 20. why then should the Cup of the Lord be barred from them Fourthly All the faithful that come to the Lords Table must shew forth his death untill be come and this is done by them as well by drinking of the Cup as by eating of the bread therefore all the Communicants must receive the Sacrament under both kinds To which these reasons may be added 1. From the institution for Christ commanded them to drink the wine as well as to eat the bread therefore this is a violation of Gods command 2. The Apostle bids every one to try themselves and so to eat of that bread and drink of that wine so they did not only eat and drink then but they were commanded so to do 3. To celebrate the Sacrament otherwise is to make void Christs two main ends in appointing the Sacrament 1. To represent his death and bloud shed out of the veins 2. To shew that Christ is full nourishment to the soul as bread and drink to the body The bread and wine being the matter of the Sacrament may not be changed in the Lords Supper Reasons 1. The institution of the Supper and the example of Christ himself whom the Church is to imitate and follow 1 Cor. 11. 25. 2. No other signs are so significant and effectual as these are for this purpose to strengthen and comfort them that are in trouble and almost in the present estate of death Psal. 104. 14 15. Prov. 31. 6. 3. The matter and form of every thing do constitute its essence So it is in the Sacraments where the signes are the matter and the words of institution the form 4. If the bread and wine might be changed in the Supper and yet the Sacrament in substance remain then in like manner water in Baptism might be changed and yet be true Baptism but the Minister cannot baptize with any other liquour or element then with water as the matter of that Sacrament 5. If we grant a change in the signs at the pleasure of men why may we not also change other parts of the Sacrament why may we not in stead of the Minister appointed oâ— God and called by the Church admit private persons and receive other alterations inforced upon the Church by the Papists Bucan institut loc 48. Beza Epist. 2. think that where there is no store of bread and plenty of wine sufficient for this purpose some other thing may be taken in stead of them Thus it may come to passe saith Attersol that we shall have nothing which Christ commanded and sanctified by his example and yet boast that we have his Supper and do that which he appointed For whereas we make four outward parts of this Sacrament the Minister the Word the Signs and the Receiver There are which hold there is no necessity of the Minister Others that there is no necessity of the words of Institution Others that there is no necessity of the Signs Others that there is no necessity of the Receiver So if we once admit any alteration in any of the parts we open a gap to all innovation and being in great uncertainty in the Sacraments Whether the breaking of the bread be an indifferent Ceremony Some make the breaking of the bread to be simply necessary and an essential part of the Supper so that without it there can be no Sacrament 1. Because the Sacrament is called the breaking of bread and this breaking of bread is said to be the Communion of the body of Christ â— Cor 10. 16. 2. Others make this breaking to be meerly indifferent and not necessary accidental and not of the substance 3. Others hold a middle way between both extreams that it is necessary yet not as an essential but an integral part The Ceremony of breaking bread was continually observed by Christs first institution by the practice of the Apostles by the ancient and universal custom of the whole Church of Christ as well Greek as Latine This act of breaking of bread is such a principal act that the whole celebration of this Sacrament hath had from thence this appellation given to it by the Apostles to be called breaking of bread it is also a Symbolicall Ceremony betokening the crucifying of Christs body upon the Crosse 1 Corinth 11. 24. But the Papists yet doe not break it but gâ—ve it whole and this they pretend to doe for reverence sake least some crums of bread should fall to the ground Three Evangelists mention the breaking of the bread It is not material whether the bread be broken or cut but it is more probable that Christ broke it from the custom of the Jews saith Vossius but Balduinus the Lutheran saith they receive a perfect Sacrament who intermit this fraction in the use of the Supper because Christ broke the bread that he might distribute it therefore say Gerhard and he Perinde est sive in ipsa actione coenae sive antea â—rangatur Balduin quotes Beza
we come to see that the Sacraments are the Lords Ordinances and that those things which he promiseth in the Covenant of Grace and sealeth in the Sacrament are farre better then all profits and pleasures in this world By it we come to be stirred up to desire and long after these benefits and so to covet them that nothing in this world will satisfie us without them We should exercise faith at the Lords Table view the arguments the Ordinance it self affords 1. Here is Christ crucified before thine eyes and he clearly offers it to thy soul in particular he applies it to thee This is my body which was broken for thee and my bloud which was shed for thee Run over the sad story of Christs agony and say This was done by my Lord for my poor soul. 2. The Lord cals thee hither on purpose because thou art weak He will cherish weak beginnings Mat. 12. 20. For our affections we must behave our selves with joy comfort and reverence See 2 Chron. 30. 21. Mat. 26. 30. Thy heart should be cheerful in God and thankful praise him Thankfulnesse and joy are the effects of faith the Ordinances are often compared to feasts and banquets because of the spiritual delight and rejoycing which the soul ought to take in them Hence the very Sacrament is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the giving thanks unto God for his mercies The outward duty is comfortable Circumcision was a bloudy rite yet this is nothing to the inward sweetnesse Iohn 4. 32. In one of the Evangelists it is said Christ blest the bread in another it is said Christ gave thanks Christ when he instituted this Sacrament gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor souls Fear is proper to the duty of the Supper because of those excellent mysteries Chrysostom cals this Table Horribilis mystica mensa Psal. 68. 35. mixt affections do best in a mixt state in the whole worship of God Psal. 2. 11. Hos. 3. 7. For our thoughts We must meditate 1. On the outward signs and what they signifie 2. On the dainties prepared 3. The love of him that prepared them 4. On our communion with Christ his Graces and faithful people The effect of these affections and thoughts will be stirring up the heart to thanksgiving When we taste the wine we should consider its properties Psal. 104. 15. Iudg. 9. 13. so there is satisfaction to God and comfort to the creature in the bloud of Christ wine ingenders new spirits warms and refines them the bloud of Christ infuseth a new vigour into the soul. Our Communion with Christ in the Supper is not only with his gifts and graces but with his Person whole Christ. There are two Elements to signifie this Bread his Body and Wine his Bloud Our Communion is with his whole Person with Christ invested with all kinde of Offices to do us good and furnished with rich graces and comforts 1 Iohn 5. 16. We partake of his wisdom as a Prophet righteousnesse as a Priest grace and glory as a King What must be done after the Sacrament We must endeavour to finde an increase of faith love and all saving graces in us abounding more and more in well-doing We should speak of the sweetnesse of Christ to others Psal. 34. 8. Some Disciples have gone from this Supper triumphing and trampling upon Satan as Lions breathing fire saith Chrysostome terrible to the Devils themselves If we finde not the fruit of this Ordinance presently either it may come from want of preparation or from trusting in our own preparation 2 Chron. 26. 15 16. or want of thankfulnesse for our preparation 1 Chron. 29. 14. or from want of stirring up the graces we have received in that duty Isa. 57. 8. 2 Tim. 1. 6. Or Because we were not humbled for former neglects Psal. 32. 4 5. God may deny us the present sense of our benefit 1. To train us up to live by faith 2 Cor. 5. 7. 2. To try our graces 3. That we may more diligently search into our own souls Psal. 77. 6. How oft ought the Sacrament to be received Amongst the Papists the people communicate only once a year viz. at Easter which superstitious custom many of our ignorant people follow Calvin 4. Institut 43. 46. roundly professeth that it behoveth that the Eucharist be celebrated at least once a week The Christians in some parts of the Primitive Church took the Sacrament every day because they did look to die every day Now in many places it is administred every moneth Object The Passeover unto which the Lords Supper succeedeth was celebrated once a year and therefore once only for this Sacrament is sufficient Answ. God ordained that the Passeover should be celebrated but once only in the year and on a certain moneth and day the Jews had many other visible signs to represent Christ and his benefits they had Sacrifices every day and legal washings but he hath appointed that this Feast of the Lords Supper should be often solemnized and that we should come often unto it 1 Cor. 11. 25 26. That the frequent celebration of the Sacrament is a duty is inferred from this Text by Peter Martyr Calvin Musculus Aretius Hyperius Tossâ—nus Pareus Piscator Dickson and Mr Pemble See Iohnsons Christian Plea Chap. 14. In the time of the Apostles the purest age of the Church they solemnized it every Lords day Acts 20. 7. yea it was their daily exercise as often almost as they had any publick meeting for the service of God Acts 2. 42. And this custom long continued in the Primitive Church after the Apostles times not only in the dayes of Iustin Martyr and Tertullian but also of Chrysostom and Augastine as appeareth by their writings untill by mans corruption and Satans malice the commonnesse of the action exposed it to contempt We should come often to the Sacrament there is no exception but want of occasion or some just impediment There was in old time a custom there should be a Communion every Lords day every one not receiving without lawful excuse being excommunicated which Charls the Great in some sort renewed and which Bucer advised K. Edward in this Land to restore again Whether if an Ordinance and namely the Sacrament of the Lords Supper though there seems to be the like reason in other Ordinances cannot be so administred but that by some which partake of it it will notoriously be prophaned that be a sufficient reason for the non-administration of it Or Whether for want of order and government to keep off such as are notoriously unworthy the administration of the Sacrament may and ought to be suspended Again Whether a Minister may lawfully and with a good conscience continue there in the exercise of his Ministery having a Pastoral charge where he hath not power to administer the Sacrament of
of all that good they had by him or of all that they might have hoped to have enjoyed by his means if he had lived Furthermore publick persons are injured both the Magistrate in that the Laws and orders by him justly made are like mounds by an unruly beast troden down and broken and the whole Common-weal in that both the peace and quietnesse thereof is disturbed and seeds of discord and enmity sown among the members thereof for most times the murder of one breeds a quarrel amongst many that survive and also a member thereof is cut away to the hindring it of that service which his sufficiencies either for the present did or for the future might have afforded it And lastly A stain and blot is cast upon the face thereof and that such a stain as cannot be washed away but by the bloud of him that did cast it on It is also mischievous to the committer exposing him either to a violent death by the hand of the Magistrate or to fearfull punishments by Gods hand For the bloud-thirsty man shall not live out half his dayes and to everlasting damnation at last for murderers must be without unlesse repentance come betwixt Murder hath often been strangely discovered by Dogs Cranes Crows See the Theatre of Gods Judgement Chap. 11. Psal. 9. 12. Habakkuk 2. 11. and Camera Histor. Meditat. l. 2. c. 6. Luther reciteth a story of a certain Almaigne who in travelling fell among thieves which being about to cut his throat the poor man espied a flight of Crows and said O Crows I take you for witnesses and revengers of my death About two or three dayes after these murdering thieves drinking in an â—nne a company of Crows came and lighted upon the top of the house whereupon the thieves began to laugh and say one to another Look yonder are they which must revenge his death whom we dispatched the other day The Tapster over-hearing them told it to the Magistrate who presently caused them to be apprehended and upon their disagreeing in speeches and contrary answers urged them so farre that they confessed the truth and received their deserved punishment See Goularts memorable Histories p. 415 416. to 429. Self-murder is a great sinne and a manifest breaking of this Commandment For as in all the other Commandments the Lord doth forbid men to wrong themselves as well as their Brethren so likewise in this no man may sinne against his own honour and dignity no more then against the honour and dignity of another No man may defile his own body nor waste his own goods nor blemish his own name more then his neighbours therefore neither may he kill himself The killing of ones self is the highest degree of violating this Commandment because it crosseth the nearest of all bonds and observes not the rule of charity there where most charity is due for love should alwayes begin at home 2. This fact crosseth the strongest inclination of nature and clearest principles of reason for nature makes a man desirous of his own being and studious of his own preservation This is then contrary to the two strongest laws and rules of life the Law of God and nature 3. The causes of doing it are very naught First It comes from extremity of pride and impatiency He will not be at Gods command nor at his direction nor be at all unlesse he may be as he will himself and so it ariseth from an untoward mixture of high-mindednesse and base-mindednesse Base-mindednesse because he hath not strength enough of resolution to bear some evil which he feels or foresees high-mindednesse because he will not stoop unto the ruler of all things to bear the burden which he layes upon him 2. Another cause of this sin is horrible despair infidelity A third cause of it is an enraged conscience as in Saul Iudas Achitophel 4. The vehement temptation of Satan taking advantage either of a melancholick constitution of body or of the affrightments of conscience Thirdly The effects of it are bad for by this means a man wrongs God himself and the world He wrongs God first by breaking his Commandment 2. By defacing his Image 3. By leaving his standing wherein he was placed by him without and against his will Secondly He wrongs himself for he extreamly hazards himself to damnation if not certainly casts himself into hell for he runs upon a most palpable and fearfull crime and leaves himself no leisure at all to repent of it It is a hard thing to hope that he should be pardoned who willingly thrusts himself out of the way of repentance and doth commit such a fault that we never read of any in Scripture that did commit it but damned reprobates Lastly He doth great wrong to others also his friends and well-willers to whom he gives occasion of the greatest grief that can possibly befall them about the death of their friend in that the manner of dying is so uncomfortably wretched Besides to all the world it leaves a miserable scandal seeing all think and speak hardly of him that hath so done and it leaves a bad example to others Sauls murdering of himself made his own armour-bearer do it Iudg. 16. 30. Samson by publick calling as a Judge and singular divine calling as a Type of Christ and deliverer of the Church did pull the house down on himself and the Philistims that by his death he might deliver unto death the publick enemies of the Church Heb. 11. 32. Besides It cannot be said that Samson killed himself indeed he died with them but the end he propounded was not that he might die but he sought revenge upon the enemies of God which was the work of his calling and that which was like to bring and procure it As a zealous and diligent Preacher who by his pains and study in his Ministery impaireth and spendeth his health and strength cannot be said to be the procurer of his own untimely death for he hath spent his strength in his calling to which end God gave it him See Elton on this Command and M. Baxters Saints everl Rest par 1. Sect. 6. The Heathen Philosophers have adorned this fact as Cato is extolled for it see therein the vanity of mans reason and wit that can fall in love and liking yea admiration with such a monstrous wickednesse Amongst the Donatists there were the Circumcelliones who gloried in casting themselves down from rocks into the fire or by yielding themselves to death other wayes because it is written that the flesh is to be mortified and he that hates his life shall finde it With us the self-murderers are accustomed to be cast out in high-wayes or else in places where none else are usually buried and to have a stake knocked into them for the great horrour of the fact and to warn others Helps against this sinne 1. Maintain the peaceable and pure estate of your consciences this will make life sweet to him that
Sun Revel 16. 1. 2. Is breaking the horn that pusht Ierusalem Zech. 1. 21. 3. Is taking away the Images of jealousie Ezek. 8. that is some abuse in the publick worship of God 4. He will build Ezekiels Temple a glorious Temple in the latter end of Ezekiel never yet seen in the world it is spiritually to be understood it shall be said The Tabernacle of the Lord is with men 5. God is reforming of Government all the world over Ezek. 46. 18. The Princes shall oppresse the people no more 6. The Lord is making way for that glorious promise Dan. 7. 18. The solemn preparation to this judgement stands in 1. The solemn comming of the Judge to the Assises immediately before his comming shall be the signe of the Sonne of man which what it is is uncertain whether some mighty brightnesse to irradiate all the world or what else is a great Controversie 2. Christ shall come cloathed with all the glory and majesty of Jehovah Matth. 16. 27. besides the glory of his Person he shall come accompanied with a most glorious train of millions of Angels which shall come visibly and all the Saints departed All the rest alive shall likewise be caught up to come along with him then he shall pitch his Throne in the clouds Daniel saith a fiery stream issued from it Dan. 7. 10. See Rev. 20. 11. The onely Judge at the great day is Jesus Christ the second Person in the sacred Trinity made man the head and spouse of the Church Daniel saith the Sonne of man the ancient of dayes Christ saith often â—he shall come to judge the quick and dead Matth. 25. Acts 17. 31. 10. 42. It is called the judgement seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 10. It is part of his Kingly Office as he is the Fathers Prorex and rules for him He that hath performed all the acts of Ministry will not be wanting in that of Majesty 2. It is an Honour fit for none else to be Judge of the whole world as he is the King and Law-giver so judgement belongs to him 3. The Lord hath great ends in it 1. That he may Honour the Sonne Ioh. 5. 23. He was abased and judged in the world God will justifie him before all his enemies 2. That Gods justice thereby may be made glorious Ioh. 5. 27. and the judiciall processe might appear in its visible form Rev. 1. 7. 3. That so destruction may be more terrible to the wicked who have abuâ—â—â— Christs patience and despised his mercies Luk. 19. 27. 4. For the greater comfort and honour of the Saints their Husband is their Judge Christ upon this ground presseth men to the greatest services Mat. 19. 28. 24. 22. 25. 31. 2 Cor. 5. 11. There are four things to be considered in Judgement 1. Judiciary power 2. The internall approbation of good and detestation of evil 3. The retribution of reward all these agree to all and every person in the Trinity 4. Externall sitting upon the tribunall and publishing of sentence and in this respect the Father judgeth no man but committeth all judgement to the Sonne Joh. 5. 23. Christ shall judge the world as God-man 1. As God else he could not know the decrees of God Rev. 20. 12. nor the secrets of men Rom. 2. 16. 2. He judgeth as man too Ioh. 5. 27. God Christ and the Saints are said to judge the world God judgeth in respect of the authority of jurisdiction Christ in respect of the promulgation of sentence Saints in respect of approbation The authority is Gods the execution Christs the approbation the Saints One may judge comparatively see Matth. 12. 41. after this manner even the wicked shall be able to judge viz. others worse then themselves ver 27. 2. Interpretativè or by approbation 3. Assessoriè see Matth. 19. 28. 4. Authoritatively So Christ alone shall judge The manner how this great judgement shall be carried on 1. The Saints are to be judged as they shall arise first so they shall be first judged the good and bad shall be all gathered and brought into one place but yet separated before the judgement begin the godly shall be set all together and the wicked all together The judgement of the godly shall be an acknowledgement and rewarding of all the good that ever God wrought by them every prayer endeavour shall be discovered acknowledged justified rewarded Matth. 25. 34 35 36 37. then being acquittéd they shall sit down with Christ and as assessours own and approve of his righteous judgement All the sinnes which the wicked are guilty of all the sinnes that ever they committed with their aggravations shall be brought to light Eccles. 11. 9. Iude vers 15. God will have all witnesses heard against any wicked man and they shall receive a just punishment according to the several degrees of their sins Mat. 25. 41 42 43. There are two books wherein all is recorded 1. Every mans conscience it records all the actions that ever they did 2. Gods omniscience These things thou hast done It is a great Question Whether the sins of Gods people shall be manifested at the day of Judgement Some think that all their secret sins shall then be opened and brought to light yet without the least reproach because the Scripture speaks of all giving an account and for every secret thing Eccl. 12. 14. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Thinâ—â— shall not be suddenly up as carnal thoughts imagine viz. at this day first Christ shall raise the dead and then the separation shall be made and then the sentence past and then suddenly the Judgement day is done No no it must take up some large quantity of time that all in the world may see the secret sins of wiâ—â—â—d men the Kingly Office of Christ in judging the world may probably last longer then his private administration now in governing the world Mr Steph. Sinc. Convert c. 3. When the Judgement is past the godly shall go with Christ to heaven and the wicked be thrust from him to hell never till then shall that Text Phil. 2. 9 10. be fulfill'd Corollaries from the last Judgement We should not only habitually yield to the truth of this opinion that there is such a dreadfull day of Judgement but believe it so as to carry the thought of it in our mindes and walk as those that do believe and expect a judgement to come Tertullian one of the ancientest of the Fathers observed of all those that profest Christianity in his time none lived loosly but those who either firmly believed not the day of Judgement or put the thought of it out of their mindes It is reported of a certain King of Hungary who had a brother that was a gallant the King being carefull about his soul and sad when he thought of the day of Judgement his brother told him These were but melancholy thoughts and bad him be merry The manner of that Countrey was when the King
Father 2. Civilly so men Act. 16. 30. 3. Possessively so a Master over his servant the husband over his wife When this Lord of lords Lord Paramount came into the world Augustas Caesar by a strict Edict commanded that no man should give or receive the title of Lord. Ps. 110. ult Lu. 24. 26 He is called Enosh calamitous man Ps. 8. 5. the Apostle expounds it of him Heb. 2. 5. See Psal. 22. 6. 69. 1. 2. Christ speaks that there of himself say some He did this as our Surety as our Sacrifice so he bare our sins Psal. 40. 12. 69. 5. compared with v. 9. was liable to our debt Gal. 4. 4. 3. 13 Dan. 9. 26. there was a commutation of the person not the debt Isa. 53. 6. He had a negative ignorance though not a privative in his understanding Isa. 7. 15. on this ground he is said to grow in knowledge Luke 2. 52. was troubled in Spirit John 11. 33. His Spirit was spent after labour his strength weakned Psal. 22. 14. all the creatures were against him the good Augels withdrew themselves from him in the three hours of darknesse and approv'd of the judgement the evil Angels set on him John â—4 30. He was whipt and buffeted as a slave The chief Magistrates in Church and State condemned him the souldiers mocked and pierced him God himself had a great hand in Christs sufferings Isa. 53. 16. The same Greek word translated Deliver and Betray is used of God Rom. 8. 32. Jude ver 26. Matth. 16. 21 23. The Priests Mat. 27. 2. and Pilate Matth. 27. 26. and of the people John 19. 11. Acts 3. 13. God ordained Christs death Acts 2. 23. 4. 27 28. 1 Pet. 2. 20. Some say God foreknows but doth not by a certain and immutable Decree predetermine The Apostle Acts 2. mentions his determinate counsel in the first place and in Acts 4. his hand to note his concurring power and his counsel to note his pre-ordaining will 2. A great part of Christs sufferings was immediately inflicted by God Mat. 27. 46. Gal. 3. 13. 3. Christ ascribes the cup to God John 18. 11. Gal. 4. 4 5. Rom. 5. 19. He was obedient in the humane Nature alone not in the divine Dr Hampton * Amariâ—â—iâ—aâ— mortem dulcem nitidam candidam acceptabilem reddit dum audis Iesum Christum Filium Dei suo sanctissimo contactu omnes passiones ipsam adeò mortem consecrasse ac sanctificasse malediâ—â—ionem benidixisse igâ—ominiam glâ—rificasse paupertatem ditasse ita ut mors vitae janua maledictio benedictionis origo ignominia gloriae parens esse cogaâ—tur Luther loc com primae Class c. 6. We should look unto Christ whom we have pierced and on all his sufferings as brought upon him by us nothing will make sin so hateful nor Christ so dear Vulnera Christi rutilantia sunt Biblia practica these lead us to all duties of holinesse The proper object of faith in justification is Christ crucified The Angels love Christ because of the excellency and glory of his person but not as made sinne for them Dignites Personâ— primò conducit ad acceptationem Unde enim fit quod Persona Iesu Christi in nostram omnium vicem admittitur nisi quod Persona jam multò dignior paenam luit atque si omnes in mundo homines plecterentur Secundò ad meritum Tertiò ad compensationem Sanford de Descensu Christi ad inferos l. 3. p. 108. Et in â—ascendi sâ—rte in vivendi instituto in mortis genere nihil nisi humile abjectum sordidum infimumque spectavit cogitavit Quid Deo immortali minus conveniens aut decorum quam è Caelo in terram descendere Hoc paruâ— Immò in ventrem Virginis mortalis se insinuare ibique naturam humanam mortalem omnibus hominis infirmitatibus obnoxiam assumere Hoc ille fecit Quid vero honesto homini magis probrâ—sum contumeliosum indignum quam servili supplicio que latrones tum puniri solebant animam quafi criminosam per vim exbalares Hanc ille etiam sustinere infimâ— abjectionis ignominiâ— extrema notam voluit Salmas Epist. 2. ad Bartholinum de cruce Sugit ubera qui regit fidera August Vagit infans sed in coelo est puer crescit sed plenitudinis Deus permanet Hilar. â— 10. de Trinit Mark 6. 3. * Baronius thinks he made yokes alluding thereto in that he professeth my yoke is easie Mat. 11. 30 Dr Prid. Introduct for reading all sorts of Histories c. 7. p. 51. 2 Cor. 8. 9. a Pope Nicolas the third and others maintain'd that our Saviour Christ was a very beggar and lived here in the lowest degree of beggary that can be which Pope Iohn the 22. condemneth for an heresie Mr Gatakers answer to Mr Walkers vindic p. 40 41. b Mat. 8. 20. Luke 4. 29. Mark 3. 6 7. John 8. 59. The Psalmist expresseth Christs trouble by roaring Psal. 22. 1. The Apostle Heb. 5. 7. by strong crying and tears Those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 26. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 14. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are emphaticall see them opened in my Greek Critica Tanta sudoris copia ut non corpus humectaret solum sed etiam in terram caderet Non sudor aqueus sed sanguineus nec guttae sed grumi cui exemplo quod unquam auditum simile nedum aequale Chamierus Tom. 2. l. 5 c. 13 Vide Sandfordum de Descensu Christi ad Inferos l. 3. p. 203. ad finem a An agony is the perplexed fear of one who is entring into a great and grievous conflict Timor quo corripitur is qui in certamen descendit Arist. Irenaeus saith the year of his age wherein he suffered was about the Fiftieth which he voucheth to be an Apostolical tradition The ground of his opinion was Iohn 8. 57. The common received opinion is That he suffered being thirty three compleat and in the beginning of his thirty four Scaliger addeth one year more and placeth his Passion in the beginning of his thirty five Non timeretur ille qui potest nocere nisi haberet quandam eminentiam potestatis cui de facili resisti non possit ea enim quae in promptu habemus repellere non timemus In Christo fuit timor Dei non quidem secundum quod respicit malum separationis à Deo per culpam neque etiam secundum quod respicit malum punitionis pro culpa sed secundum quod respicit ipsam Divinam eminentiam prout scilicet anima Christi quodam affectu reverentiae movebatur in Deum à Spiritu sancto acta Aquin. part 3. Q. 16. Art 6. b That is not â—ound that one drop of Christs bloud was enough to redeem the world Pope Clement the sixth first used that speech That one drop of Christs bloud was enough to save men and the rest was laid up in the
Apostolo Jacobo ipso die Pentecostes cantatam asserit Amama Antibarb Bibl. Patres Eucharistiam Sacrificii nomine appellarunt Primò Quia Eucharistia est gratiarum actio quae Sacrificium est Deo gratissimum Secundò Quoniam qui ad Eucharistiam rèctè accedunt se totâ—s Deo in Sacrificium offerunt Tertiò Quia memoriam illius summi divinissimi Sacrificii recolit quod Christus in cruce fecit Whitak ad Sanderi Demonst. resp In such sort as the ancient Fathers did call this action a Sacrifice by a Metonymy because it is a remembrance of the only Sacrifice of Christs death and by a Synecdoche because the Sacrifice of praise is offered to God for the redemption of the world in the celebration of this action in this sort we do not deny the term of Sacrifice Fulk on Mat. 26. 6. Si quis dixerit non offerri verum proprium sacrificium aut non esse propitiatorium Anathema fit Concil Trident. Sess. 33. Can. 1. 3. Neque enim Patres Eucharistiam cum sacrificium appellant reale ac verum proprieque sic dictum sacrificium propitiatorium intelligunt sed ob alias causas victimam sacrificium oblationem appellant Vedeâ— exercit in Ignat. Epist. ad Smyrnenfes c. 4. Ibi etiam septem causas assignat ob quas Eucharistiae sacrificium vocatur à Patribus Vide Cameron Myroth ad Heb. 9 16. D. Featley Si occisio sit de ratione sacrificii illud quod appellant incruenentum sacrificium nihil aliud erit quam repraesentatio veri realis sacrificii ac proinde haud reale sacrificium Nam si saepè offerat seipsum Christus oportet cum saepè pati cum â—blatio Christi à passione ejus fiâ—c morte distincta fit figmentum sibi ipsi contradictorium Episc. Daven Determ Quaest. 13. Hoc postrema sua â—voce inter ultimos Spiritus edita Christus significavit quum dixit Consummatum est Solâ—mus extremas morientium voces pro oraculo observare Christus moriens testatur uno suo sacrificio perfectum esse impletum quicquid in salutem nostram erâ—t Calvin Instit lib. 4. cap. 18. Lâ— Foy fondee sur lâ—s sainctes Escritures Pâ—r Daille 3 partie Vide plura ibid. Cum in Scriptura sacra preces elecmosyne aerumnae piorum quaelibet sanctae actiones sacrificia appellentur facilè patimur sacram coenam vocari sacrificium Nec imus inficias quin hoc sensu sit sacrificium Quo sensu veteres eam vocaverint sacrificium hinc liquet quod passim sacram coenam vocant Eucharistiam Sacrificium Eucharisticum id est actionis gratiarum seu sacrificium landis ut habetur in Câ—none Missae Molinaei Hyperaspist lib. 2. c. 5. M. T Goodwins Christ the universal Peace-maker pâ—r 2. Sect. 2. Tolle traditiones incertas Apocryphas actum erit de missis solitariis angularibus de sacris ignotis precibus exoticis ignoratis corporali praesentia manducatione orali in Eucharistia illa monstrorum hydra puncto nimirum cum omnibus dimensionibus Transubstantiatione Montac Antidiat Certissimum est sacram coenam non nisi in Communi aliquo fidelium communicantium coetu essâ— usurpandum quò spectant varia nomina quibus designatur tum in Scripturis tum in Patribus Appell tur euim Synaxis Coena Domini Communicatio Vide 1 Cor. 10. 17. 11. 18 20 22. Hinc jure merito improbatae nobis missae privatae absque Communicantibus quae sunt in usu apud Pontificios Quaest. aliquot Theol Decisio Authore Maresio q. 3. D. Featleys Stricturae in Lyndomastigem p. 43. See D. Willet on Exo. 29. 24 controvers See D Halls no peace with Rome p. 658. In Ecclesia Romana communi proverbio dicitur Campana bene pulsata dimidium missae esse peractum Domitius Calderinus ne missam quidem volebat audire quum ab amicis eò duceretur dixisse fertur camus ad communem errorem Lodov. Viv. de veritate fidei Christianae l. 2 c 7. Nobilissimus Cunradus à Rechenberg superstitionum osor missatici sacrificii non obscurus hostis qui aliquando visitatoribus ut missam celebraret hortantibus respondit Si vere Christus est in hostia indignus sum qui illum intuear indignior qui Patri offeram Si non est in hostia vae mihi si panem pro Deo populo adorandum propono Scultet Aâ—nal Decas 1. p. 76. Aderant sed non â—dorarunt Pet. Mart. D. Featleys Vertumnus Romanus p. 18. Vide Grot. in Luâ— 4. 27. See Down Sum of Div. on the 1. Com. M. Reynolds Meditat. on the Lords Supper Cartw. Rest of the 2d Reply against B. Whit. gift p. 116 119 He quotes there also P. Mart. on Rom. 6. Beza in his Questions of the Sac. 151. Augustinus de peccat merit remis l. â— c 24. 26. defendit infantes non posse vitam ac salutem aeternam consequi nisi Eucharistiam participent putans aequè obligari istis verbis Joh. 6. 35. ac istis nisi quis natus fuerit Augustini Innocentii primi sententia sexcentos circiter annos viguit in Eccleâ—â—â— Eucharistiam etiam infantibus esse necessariam Nunc apuâ— omnes qui Christianum nomen profitentur is mos obsolevit qâ—i obâ—inâ—erat tempore Cyprianâ— Augustini Innocentii primi Romani Episcopi ut Eucharâ—â—â—icum panem inâ—â—nctum â—â—â—berent infantibus ut ex eorum scriptis apparet Rivet Instruct. Praepar ad coenam Dom. c. 6. B. Morton of the Masse lib. 1. cap. 2. Sect. 11. Si quis dixerit parvulis antequam ad annâ—s discretionis pervenerint necessariam esse Eucharistiae Communionem Anathema fit Concil Trident Sess. 3. Canon 4. * It must be a remembrance 1. Of Faith 1. In reference to remission of sins Mat. 26. 22. 2. To sanctification there is bread to strengthen the heart and wine to make it chearful Isa. 25. 6. 2 Of Love Cant. 1. 4. His love appeared in all his doings sufferings 3 Of Desire Psal. 6. 8. 4. Of Mourning Ps. 42. 4. We should consider we had a hand in Christs death 5 Of Thankfulnes 1 Cor. 10. 16. it is called the Cup of blessing and by the Ancients the Eucharist 6. Of Resolution to abhor those sins that formerly provoked God Hos. 14. 3. Psâ—â— 26. 6. I will wash my hands in innocâ—â— y and so will I compasse thine Alâ—â—r 1 Cor. 11. 28 The bread must be eaten and the Cup drunk so Bonum ex causa integra malum ex quolibet defectu Exod. 12. 3 6. Joh. 19. 14. 31. 11. 55. * That which is good per se groweth evil per accidens if it be not duly circumstantionatum Cajet in Thom. 1. 2. Quaest. 9. An alms though good in it self yeâ— groweth to be evil if it be faulty in the circumstances of due time measure manner and of fit persons upon whom it is bestowed The second Covenant begins with
Psalm 92. being a Psalm of the Sabbath v. 2. David saith He will declare the loving kindness of the Lord in the morning and his truth in the night making the night a part of the Sabbath It begins at midnight on the Saturday and ends at midnight next following Matth. 28. 1. Mark 16. 1 2. John 20. 1. compared together it appears that the Jews Sabbath ended at the dawning of the first day of the week and then the Lords day or Sabbath day began Act. 20. 7. Elson on the 4th Command Act. 2. 42. The Jews were 1. Assembled 2. Had the Apostles doctrine that is the Old and New Testament read and expounded 3. They had fellowship that is they did communicate these earthly things as every one had need 4. They had breaking of bread that is the administration of the Lords Supper 5. They had prayers Ford on the 4th Commandment For publick prayer see Act. 16. 13. and receiving the Sacraments at the times appointed Act. 20. 7. Both the Family-duties and secret duties which we are bound to perform every day are by the equity of that Law Numb 28. 9 10. to be doubled upon the Sabbath-day Hilders on Psal. 51. â— Lect. 135. The Sabbath must last as long as other dayes that is the full space of 24 hours f Isa. 58. 13. Call it a delight to consecrate it to the Lord that is take you as much delight in doing the exercises of religion as many do in the works of their callings or recreations and also much more for they are far more easie comfortable and profitable M. Dod on the Com. 4. See M. Hilders on Psal. 51. 7. Lect. 135. Mal. 1. 14 15. What shall one do in heaven if the Sabbath be wearisome to him there we shall keep an eternal Sabbath Labour to get a spiritual and heavenly frame of heart so much of heaven as is in you so much you will count these duties a delight Some have found a beginning of the taste of heaven on the Sabbath Yet this is to be observed when the duty is performed to man the obedience is given to God who commandeth us to perform these duties to our neighbours Ford. This is the first Commandment of the second Table upon which all the rest do depend As in the first Table the keeping of all the Commandments following dependeth on the keeping of the first so here if this Commandment were well observed both of Superiours Inferiours and Equals there could be no disorder against any of the Commandments following M. Dod. Of all the Commandments of the second Table this first only is affirmative the other are all negatives This Commandment is the first of the second Table because there can be no order or state that can stand without this Commandment nor could the other Commandments be kept without this Richardson Philol. makes it one of the first Table so doth Hudson in his Divine Right of Government l. 2. c. 11. but our orthodox Divines generally do upon good grounds make it the first of the second Table Honoris interesse majus est omni interesse jam vel vita ipsius generosae indoli emâ—ri sic satius est per honorem quam per dedecus vivere Episc. Andr. Tortura Torti Vult Deus hoc Praecepto sancire ac stabilire tres illos praeclaros in genere humano ordines ac status Oâ—conomicum videlicet Ecclesiasticum Politicum omnesque in his ordinibus comprehensos sui officii admonere ad illud praestandum obstringere Fabric in Decalog Prov. 23. 22. 15. 20. Gratius nomen est pictatis quam potestatis etiam familiae magis patres quam Domini vocantur Pater in hoc mandato naturalis est spiritualis est politicus omnibus aequaliter sine discrimine dicitur Honorate Parentes omnes Parentes honorate Honora Patrem Matrem honore reverentiae fidelitatis tolerantiae Sub nominibus Patris Matris intelliguntur etiam avus avia aliique majores qui in lineâ quam vocant ascendentem numerantur quemadmodum sub filiorum nomine nepotes omnes qui ab aliquo originem ducunt significantur Maccov loc commun c. 9. Honor est agnitio dignitatis vel excellentiae illius quae est in alio cum ejusdem debita testificatione Agnitio fimul dicitur testificatio quia neque in externa observantia sola neque in interna consistit sed in utroque Ames Medul Theol. Honora Tum aliis reverontiae signis tum ad vitam necessaria illis exhibendo quod sub voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comprehenditur ut 1 Tim. 5. 3 17. Aiunt Hebraei vel in pistrino laborare filium debere ut subveniat parentibus Patrem tuum Matrem tuam Ut terrestres Deos à quibus originem trahitis Grotius in cap. Exod. xx Notat hic Aben Esdras solere Deum ubi quid vetat poenaÌ„ addere ut modò bis ubi quid imperat praemium ut hoc loco Quidam Hebraea verba exponunt Ut prolongent dies tuos Scilicet Parentes ipsi suo favore ad Deum precibus Sed vereor ne id nimis subtile sit rectius Graeci aliique interpretes vocem quanquam sormae activae sumant in sensu passivo aut reciproco nimirum ut prolongentur aut prolongent se dies tui Absolomo hoc praeceptum violanti curtati sunt dies Grot. explicat Decal Ut prolongent dies tuos Scilicet Parentes est enim prolongandi verbum hic activae significationis Sed quo modo parentibus triluitur quod solius Dei Propterea quod Parentes sunt quodammodo medium causa instrumentalis per quos Deus filiis aliquando vitam prolongat exaudit enim Deus saepè preces benedictiones quibus filiis suis obedientibus ac morigeris benedicunt ac bene precantur R. Aben Ezra haec verba ita explicat Ut prolongent dies tuos scilicet mandata Dei sed prior lectio simpliâ—â—or est Paul Fag Annotat. in Chald. Paraph. Vide Cartw. in loc * Calv. Instit. l. 2. c. 8. Sir Thomas Moore being Lord Chancellour in his time and having his own Father then living and at that time a Judge for he was one of the Judges of the Kings-bench never went to Westminster-Hall to sit in the Chancery there but first he would up to the Kings-bench where his Father then sate and there on his knees would ask him blessing before a world of lookers on How respective was Ioseph to his Father and Solomon to his Mother 1 King 2. 19 20. Luk. 2. 51. * Ephes. 6. 1. Right implieth three things 1. That it is agreeable to the Law the Law of God of Nature of Nations 2. That the place of Parents requireth as much for right requireth that every one have his own that which is his due 3. That Parents deserve as much for right presupposeth desert D. Gouges Domest Dut. Coloss. 3. 20. compared with Ephes. 6. 1. so