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<DATE>2014-02-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>THE Fulne&s;s and Freene&s;s OF GODS GRACE IN CHRIST DECLARED. Namely, How God Orders and appoints Men to their final ends; &s;ome to Ho|nor, &s;ome to Di&s;honor to Eternity. <HI>The Second Part.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>Thomas Newcomb,</HI> for <HI>John Clark</HI> and <HI>Miles Mitchel,</HI> and are to be &s;old at their &s;hops in <HI>Mercers</HI> Chappel, and in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> Hall, 1655.</P>
<PB REF="2">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>The Epi&s;tle to the Reader.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentle Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THis Treati&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Fir&s;t Part was printed. 1642.</NOTE> being the Se|cond Part of Gods Free and Full Grace and favour to mi&s;erable man. In this Se|cond Part is handled this point, What is Gods final End for which he made both Men and Angels, together with all things in Heaven and in Earth &s;ub&s;ervient to them, their u&s;e and benefit; and al&s;o, that in pur&s;u|ance of his final End, he doth Order and appoint both men and Angels to their Final Ends, according to their Works, good or bad, &s;ome for Honor, &s;ome for Di&s;honor to Eternity; and it is granted on all &s;ides, that God doth order and appoint them thereunto. But
<PB REF="4">all the Que&s;tion and Controver&s;ie is, how he doth order and appoint them thereunto, Wherfore I have endeavored to help where mo&s;t need is, for then and there help is mo&s;t &s;ea&s;onable, and where|as my former Treati&s;e is &s;omething ob|&s;cure by rea&s;on of the depth and heigth of the point there handled; namely, Election and Reprobation, and that in both Treati&s;es; I deny per&s;onal Electi|on and per&s;onal Reprobation without re&s;pect to Faith or Works, good or bad: and this way goes Reverend <HI>Calvin</HI> and others. Al&s;o I deny any Election of any man or men per&s;onally to Eternal life, infallibly upon Gods fore&s;ight of their per&s;everance in Faith and Works to the End, as that Reverend man <HI>Ar|minius</HI> and others, for the Truth in &s;a|cred Scripture falls between both the&s;e two mi&s;takes, yet to the Learned and Intelligent Reader that has his minde and wits exerci&s;ed in Divine Mi&s;teries, it is not ob&s;cure; for before I printed that Fir&s;t Part, I pre&s;ented my Manu|&s;cript to three Grave, Reverend, and
<PB REF="4">godly Divines to have their judgements upon it; namely, Dr. <HI>Twi&s;t,</HI> Dr. <HI>Gouge,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Gataker,</HI> and they all under|&s;tood it cleerly with much ea&s;e, for one of them &s;aid unto me, that you in that Treati&s;e &s;ay all that we do, but &s;tay not there, but &s;ay a great deal more; my An&s;wer was, becau&s;e you &s;ay not e|nough to the depth of the fall of man in the fir&s;t Adam, nor to the rai&s;ing of the World, and all mankinde by the &s;econd Adam; therefore I mu&s;t &s;ay more then you, and the height and depth of this point in this manner handled, is it that makes it ob&s;cure to &s;ome that will not &s;tudiou&s;ly take pains to under&s;tand it, but in this &s;econd part I have brought it as low and plain as I can to the Under|&s;tanding of all men, as the nature of the point will admit; and Gentle Rea|der, I wi&s;h thee as much good in read|ing it, as I have had in &s;tudying and writing it, Farewel,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thine in Je&s;us Christ,</HI> FRANCIS DUKE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>The Contents of the &s;everal Chapters in the en&s;uing Treati&s;e.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>CHAP. I. <HI>IN this Chapter by way of Introduction, two things are premi&s;ed, fir&s;t in what &s;en&s;e known unto God are all his works; &s;econdly, what is Gods fi|nal end for which he made all things, that is both men and Angels, together with all his works &s;ub|&s;ervient to them, and their u&s;e.</HI> pag. 1</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. II. <HI>In this Chapter is proved that God made &s;even means to accompli&s;h his final end; &s;ix whereof are briefly handled in this Chapter,</HI> p 7</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. III. <HI>In this Chapter is briefly handled the fall of man by way of Introduction to that which followeth,</HI> p. 12</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. IV. <HI>In this Chapter is proved, That God gave being to the &s;eventh means to carry on and accompli&s;h his final end.</HI> p. 15</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. V. <HI>In this Chapter is proved the manifold Wi&s;dom of God in &s;ix particulars, in pur&s;uance of his fi|nal end,</HI> p. 20</ITEM>
<PB REF="5">
<ITEM>CHAP. VI. <HI>In which is opened the &s;econd Branch propounded, That as Adams unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in its guilt and puni&s;hment by God imputatively in the faine Ma&s;s was extended unto all mankind, e|ven &s;o in that falne Ma&s;s the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the &s;eed of the woman was by God imputatively ex|tended to all wankind to ju&s;tification of life, that is, to put them in a posture in which they may receive his &s;aid gift of life eternal, or to be either as is &s;aid.</HI> p. 31.</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. VII. <HI>In this Chapter is handled the fir&s;t ingredient to make up the &s;aid po&s;ture, namely, that immedi|ately upon the &s;aid univer&s;al imputation; God by the Spirit of Christ did put or infu&s;e an inter|nal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s naturally in all mankind toward him&s;elf hereditarily to de&s;cend through all Gene|rations,</HI> p. 36</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. VIII. <HI>In this Chapter is handled the &s;econd ingredient to make up the &s;aid po&s;ture, That is, the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all men in the world univer&s;ally to depre&s;s the &s;eed of Original Sin in them, and to pre&s;erve and encrea&s;e the &s;aid di&s;po&s;edne&s;s to God in them,</HI> p. 42</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. IX. <HI>In this Chapter is handled the third and la&s;t ingre|dients which makes up the &s;aid po&s;ture; namely, that God immediately upon the fall of man gave a rule &s;uitable to all men to work and operate by, in reference to his final end upon all men,</HI> p. 54</ITEM>
<PB REF="6">
<ITEM>CHAP. X. <HI>In which is proved that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;tri|ved with the &s;pirits of Noahs po&s;terity which were confounded and &s;cattered at Babel in their &s;ucceeding Generations, to pre&s;erve them in a narrow way to eternal life.</HI> p. 59</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. XI. <HI>In which is handled the third particular in the &s;aid Rule, namely, to let all men &s;ee how &s;uitable this Rule is to them.</HI> p. 70</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. XII. <HI>In which is handled the &s;ixth Branch of the mani|fold wi&s;dom of God formerly propounded in the fifth Chapter, namely, the Execution of Gods fi|nal End upon all men, &s;ome to honour, and &s;ome to di&s;honour, by the &s;aid Tenor of the Go&s;pel, ac|cording to their works, good or bad, to men with|out the Church, and to men within the Church vi&s;ible, yea and the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;t.</HI> p. 78</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. XIII. <HI>In which is proved, how God ordained and executed his final end upon all the Angels to their final ends for ever, according to their works, &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour.</HI> p. 37</ITEM>
<ITEM>CHAP. XIV. <HI>Containing &s;ome u&s;efull Ob&s;ervations and An&s;wers to Que&s;tions for further clearing the precedent Premi&s;&s;es.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="1" REF="6">
<HEAD>CHAP. I. <HI>In this Chapter by way of Introduction two things are premi&s;ed, Fir&s;t in what &s;en&s;e known to God are all his Works; Secondly what is Gods final End, for which he made all things, that is both Men and Angels, and all his Works &s;ub|ordinate to them and their u&s;e.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_IT is affirmed in the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15.18.</NOTE> That from the beginning of the World God know|eth all his Works; Now all Gods Works what&s;oe|ver as his, had a threefold beginning, and may be comprehended in three particulars;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t the Angels, and the Heaven of Heavens their own habitation.</P>
<P>Secondly, This inferior World, Mans Habi|tation, and his pre&s;ervation.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This Worlds re&s;toration by redemp|tion. And the&s;e three comprehend all the Works of God, and every one had a threefold beginning known to God: as concerning the fir&s;t, namely, Angels, it will be handled in the thirteenth Chapter.</P>
<P>Secondly this inferior World, and Man its
<PB N="2" REF="7">principal part, had a threefold beginning; Fir&s;t from its original Fountain, Gods own E&s;&s;ence its potential and virtual productive cau&s;e; and &s;o this World in all its parts, Man the chief, was in God;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7.9, 10.</NOTE> as <HI>Levy</HI> was when he was not, but in <HI>Abrahams</HI> loynes potentially: And as that vertue was in Chri&s;t which healed the woman of the bloudy I&s;&s;ue before it was extended to her health; and as a Ro&s;e is in its root in Winter, when it is not exi&s;tent; &s;o this World in all its parts, had its fir&s;t beginning in Gods E&s;&s;ence, its potentiall, virtual, and productive cau&s;e; and therefore this beginning mu&s;t needs be known to God, it being &s;o in him&s;elf.</P>
<P>The &s;econd beginning of the world, not in time, but in the order of Nature, was the &s;econd &s;tep of God to all his Works, namely the Coun|cel of his own Will; for the Text &s;aith, He worketh all things after the Councel of his own Will,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.11.</NOTE> and &s;o the world was framed in all its parts before it was created; and &s;o known to God in this beginning, it being al&s;o in him&s;elf.</P>
<P>The third beginning of the World was, when God reduced the &s;aid potency and councel as he purpo&s;ed in him&s;elf,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. i. to ver&s;e la&s;t.</NOTE> to the production of the Creation in all its parts, by his Creative word, as appears in <HI>Gene&s;is.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Gods work of Redemption and Re&s;tauration of the World by Chri&s;t, when the Creation in all its parts in <HI>Adams</HI> tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion de&s;ervedly fell into corruption, vanity, and bon|dage, but not to its depth, becau&s;e God imme|diately did interpo&s;e the imputation of <HI>Adams</HI>
<PB N="3" REF="7">unrighteou&s;ne&s;s upon the whole world in all its parts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 145.9. Rom. 5.18.</NOTE> with the imputative &s;atisfactory righteou&s;|ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> and &s;o extend|ed his tender mercies over all his works in this inferior world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. from 18 to 24.</NOTE> and &s;o put the whole creation in+to a po&s;ture of travelling from that bondage of corruption unto now, untill the glorious liberty of the Sons of God; for this travel ari&s;eth not from its own will or natural in&s;tinct, but by God who hath &s;ubdued it by Chri&s;t's afore&s;aid righteou&s;ne&s;s; and this work of God had a threefold beginning as well as the Creation; for it is manife&s;t by the Oracles of God, that Chri&s;t the &s;eed of the woman was from Gods potency and his councel, as is implyed in that he was fore. ordained to be the Redeemer in time before the world was; and it is al&s;o implyed that then God look'd upon man as in the fallen Ma&s;s in <HI>Adams</HI> loynes, as under blame, unholy,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.9.</NOTE> and an object not lovely: For &s;aith the Text, He cho&s;e us in him before the foundation of the world, that we &s;hould be holy and without blame before him in love, &s;o that he &s;aved us and called us with one holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpo&s;e and grace which was given to us through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t before the world was,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.10.</NOTE> which God that cannot lie hath pro|mi&s;ed before the world began;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 8.22, 23, 24.</NOTE> Therefore the great work of the worlds re&s;tauration, had the afore&s;aid threefold beginning, and is and was &s;o known from the beginning to God:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.9.</NOTE> and from the premi&s;es thus proved, it clearly follows, that not only the innumerable number of men and
<PB N="4" REF="8">Angels were known to God before they or the world did exi&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.2.</NOTE> but al&s;o all their arbitrary mo|tions, operations, and contingent workings, and all contingent events were known to God, as certain and not contingent to him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.2.</NOTE> as that the Angels would apo&s;tate from their own habitati|on and tempt man, and that man al&s;o would a|po&s;tate from his fir&s;t e&s;tate, and that from two particulars: Fir&s;t from mans remi&s;&s;ne&s;s to Gods word and rule: Secondly from the natural li|berty of his will, implanted in him by God, which con&s;i&s;ts in this, to chu&s;e and refu&s;e all ob|jects as it likes, or as it likes them not.</P>
<P>From this ground it is that man in his inno|cency might or might not &s;in, and &s;o the ground how God permitted &s;in to be both in men and Angels, and the ground of all contingency in their operations, events and contingencies: And therefore when God would make a means to car|ry on his final end unchangeably, he pa&s;t by that contingent faculties in men and Angels, and pitcht only upon the &s;eed of the woman per&s;onal|ly God Man, ordained thereunto before the world, as we &s;ee, and as will appear in its due place. Now the ground why God knows all his works, as is proved, is this al&s;o; not only be|cau&s;e he made all, but al&s;o the whole Creation, with the innumerable company of men and An|gels together, with their contingent events in all their works, with all circum&s;tances amounts but to a finite thing or things,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.17.</NOTE> and therefore to the infinite God are as nothing for him to know, who calleth things that are not, as if they were,
<PB N="5" REF="8">who di&s;cerneth the thoughts and intents of the heart, neither is there any creature that is not manife&s;t in his &s;ight;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4.12, 13.</NOTE> but all things are open and naked to his eyes; and &s;aith the Text, <HI>All the Nations are as a drop of the bucket, and count|ed as the &s;mall du&s;t of the ballance, he taketh up the I&s;les as a very &s;mall thing, all Nations are be|fore him as nothing, and they are counted unto him le&s;s then nothing and vanity.</HI> And therefore it was all one to God to know all things when they were not, as now when they are, and are as nothing to him &s;o much; for the fir&s;t thing pre|mi&s;ed, namely, In what &s;en&s;e known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing premi&s;ed is this, What Gods final end is for which he made all things, namely both men and Angels, and all his crea|tive works &s;ub&s;ervient to them and their u&s;e; In brief, it is no more then this, that which is and &s;hall be upon men and Angels executed la&s;t, that was in creating all things by God, in order of nature intended fir&s;t, and that was his final end, what&s;oever it was. But more particular this is his final end, namely that he will make both men and Angels by their u&s;e of all that he hath indued them with, ve&s;&s;els of honour, or ve&s;&s;els of di&s;ho|nour to eternity, according to their works, good or bad, by his rule made &s;uitable to them. But as concerning men, I mu&s;t premi&s;e one thing be|fore I come to the point, That is, all mankind departing this world in infancy, or the like, are con&s;idered by God under another capacity, for
<PB N="6" REF="9">which I refer the Reader to my former Trea|ti&s;e of Free Grace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. 36. to 39 and 44. John 6.39. Rev. 10.6.</NOTE> printed 1642. to the pages in the Margent.</P>
<P>But as concerning mankind, &s;o to be made to honour and di&s;honour, as is affirmed, the Scri|pture affirms its la&s;t execution and final con&s;um|mation &s;hall be at the la&s;t day,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 20.12, 13</NOTE> that is after that day when time &s;hall be no more, as now it is, in which day the Text affirms, all the dead &s;hall be rai&s;ed and judged every man according to his works,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.10.</NOTE> for &s;aith another Text, <HI>We mu&s;t all appear before the judgement &s;eat of Chri&s;t, that every man may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil;</HI> and that this &s;hall be executed la&s;t, it fur|ther appears by the words of our Saviour, who &s;aith of him&s;elf, <HI>When the Son of Man &s;hall come and all his holy Angels with him, then he &s;hall &s;it upon the Throne of his glory, and before him &s;hall be gathered all Nations,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.31, 32. to 46.</NOTE> <HI>and he &s;hall &s;ever them as a &s;hepherd divideth the &s;heep from the Goats.</HI> And he having in&s;tanced in one particular of works good and bad, as comprehending the nature and kinde of all their works, concludes all, namely, <HI>That the wicked &s;hall goe into everla&s;ting puni&s;h|ment, and the righteous into life everla&s;ting.</HI> So much for the &s;econd thing premis'd, namely what Gods final end is, for which he made or created all things, namely both men and Angels, and all his works &s;ub&s;ervient unto them and their u&s;e; the further inlargement of this point will fall in the following Chapters in its full proof, and what Gods &s;uitable rule to man is: Hence ob&s;erve,
<PB N="7" REF="9">that the moving cau&s;e why God created all his works, was this final end, it being the ultimate end of all his glories centuring in him&s;elf; for which he made all things; yea the wicked for the day of evil, becau&s;e they all attempt to a&s;&s;ume his glory, not to him, but to them&s;elves, which he will not give unto another, as will appear more in its due place.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. II. <HI>In which is made known a &s;evenfold means to Gods fore&s;aid final end, whereof &s;ix are handled in this Chapter.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe which End in order of Nature in Gods intention was fir&s;t, and in execution la&s;t, and the means in Gods intention in order of nature la&s;t, but in execution fir&s;t; Therefore the fir&s;t thing that God did, he gave being to means for his final end, and they primarily were &s;even, &s;ome more remote and general, and &s;ome more near and more particular.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t means more remote and general, was this inferior world, as included in its remo|te&s;t matter, which God did make out of no pre|exi&s;tent matter, as Heb. 11.3. and &s;aith another Text, <HI>The earth was without form, and void,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.3.</NOTE> <HI>and darkne&s;s was upon the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters;</HI> and yet the fir&s;t ver&s;e names it by the name of heaven and earth; and the ground of it is this, becau&s;e that confu&s;ed lump was the preexi&s;tent matter of heaven and earth, and all things el&s;e; and the ground of
<PB N="8" REF="10">that is this, becau&s;e the &s;pirit of God by its mo|ving fil'd it with an intrin&s;ical vigorous di&s;po&s;ed|ne&s;s to be what&s;oever God by his Creative Will and Word would command it to be:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 4.11.</NOTE> Where|fore when he commanded light out of that dark|ne&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 1, 2, 3.</NOTE> it pre&s;ently was; then &s;aith the Text, <HI>God &s;aid, Let there be light, and it was &s;o.</HI></P>
<P>Then God commanded a Firmament to be in the mid&s;t of the waters, and the waters to be &s;e|parated from the waters, that is, the water under the Firmament, from the waters that were above the Firmament, and God called the Firmament Heaven, ver&s;e 6, 7, 8. Then he commanded the waters to one place, and &s;o the earth to be for u&s;e as now it is, ver&s;e 9, 10.</P>
<P>Then he commanded the life and being of all vegitable creatures, and it was &s;o, ver&s;e 11, 12. Then he commanded to be the Sun, Moon, and Stars in their orderly cour&s;e and warbling influ|ence to fall on the earth, and for &s;ignes and &s;ea|&s;ons, and &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of daies and nights, and it was &s;o, ver&s;e 14. to 19.</P>
<P>Then he commanded the innumerable num|ber of all &s;en&s;ative creatures, to live and move and have their being, from ver&s;e 20. to 25.</P>
<P>Thus God gave being to the fir&s;t means more remote and general to his final end.</P>
<P>Then God gave being to a &s;econd means more near and more particular, the principal part of the Creation: Namely, man, who&s;e per|&s;onal exi&s;tency was in a twofold nature, the one &s;en&s;ible, the other an intellectual &s;pirit, or ratio|nal &s;oul: The fir&s;t was his elementary body of
<PB N="9" REF="10">earth for a time a lifele&s;s trunk, but God &s;taid not there, for &s;aith the Text, <HI>And breathed in his no&s;trils the breath of life,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.7.</NOTE> <HI>and man became a living &s;oul.</HI></P>
<P>And becau&s;e he was a principal part, the whole did terminate in his nutrimental &s;upport, &s;ome to feed, &s;ome to cloth, the aire to imbreath, and the earth to bear, and the &s;weet influence and a|&s;pects of the heavenly bodies to his delight.</P>
<P>Again, becau&s;e the chief part therein God put the whole to depend on his operations, not for his being, but for its wel or woe; and therefore the whole creation together with him&s;elf, fell into the afore&s;aid vanity, bondage and corrupti|on; and man thus made, was Gods &s;econd means, for man mu&s;t fir&s;t be, and &s;o &s;upported to be, before he could be to honour or di&s;ho|nour to Gods fore&s;aid final end.</P>
<P>Again, mans rea&s;onable &s;oul being of an im|mortal nature, and &s;o of an everla&s;ting duration, was therefore a third means &s;uitable to Gods fi|nal end, that is, to be to honour or di&s;honour to eternity, which could not be; if he were not of an everla&s;ting duration.</P>
<P>From this ground it is that mans dead body &s;hall be rai&s;ed and &s;pirituallized; therefore when &s;ome men denyed the immortality of their &s;ouls, and con&s;equently the everla&s;ting duration there|of, our Lord proved to them the truth thereof: Have you not read what was &s;poken unto you of God, &s;aying, <HI>I am the God of Abraham, and the God of I&s;aac, and the God of Jacob, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living:</HI> Affir|matively
<PB N="10" REF="11">inferring to them that tho&s;e three men then were, and now are living, though their bo|dies are dead and turned to du&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.31, 32.</NOTE> Again God having indued mans rea&s;onable &s;oul with two natural faculties, his under&s;tanding and will, the under&s;tanding its natural property to look to truth, as really &s;uch, or as it appears &s;o to be, and to judge, and accordingly &s;o to operate the whole man: and to the will, Two things are na|tural to it, the one is, that it doth follow a good, as the eye doth follow the light, that is the true good, or as it appears &s;o to be, the other is to nil and will, that is to chu&s;e and refu&s;e all objects as it likes, or as it likes them not; and &s;o from this under&s;tanding and will, man from his own councel and voluntary choice, terminates all his works; wherefore it is a righteous thing in God to judge man according to his own works, good or bad; and therefore God made the&s;e twofold faculties, a fourth means to his &s;aid final end: Again God implanted in mans internal knowa|ble power in his fir&s;t e&s;tate, the Law of Nature, that was naturally to love God above all, and his neighbour as him&s;elf, ari&s;ing in man al&s;o by Gods demon&s;trating his truth and goodne&s;s to man in the whole frame of nature; in all, through all and above all, and &s;o man was internally di|&s;po&s;ed to work aright to any rule that God &s;hould make &s;uitable to him, and therefore this Law of Nature was a fifth means to Gods &s;aid final end; for &s;aith the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.10. Gen. 1.27.</NOTE> <HI>Man was renewed in know|ledge after the Image of him that created him;</HI> but for a further enlargement of this Law of Nature,
<PB N="11" REF="11">I refer the Reader to the fir&s;t Chapter of my for|mer Treati&s;e. Again a &s;ixth means to the &s;aid final end, is, that before the fall God in&s;tituted a rule &s;uitable to man, I &s;ay in&s;tituted by Gods own word of truth, namely, not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and e|vil upon pain of death, and here mans will might nil the evil of &s;in, and the evil of puni&s;hment; and here mans under&s;tanding might adhere to truth, that is, the truth of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.9 17.</NOTE> and here his will might chu&s;e a good, that is, the good of obey|ing Gods command, and al&s;o the good of eter|nal life, implyed in that word, Knowledge of good, and al&s;o in the name of that Tree of life. So thus by this rule God ordained to make man in the e&s;tate of innocency, a ve&s;&s;el of honour or di&s;honour to eternity, according to his works, good or bad, and &s;o we are come to Gods final end, for which he made all things; I now &s;hould come to the &s;eventh means, but I mu&s;t fir&s;t in brief touch upon the fall of man, by way of Introduction, and &s;o come unto it in the fourth Chapter.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="12" REF="12">
<HEAD>CHAP. III. <HI>In this Chapter is brifly toucht Mans fall by way of Introduction to the &s;eventh means to Gods final End.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe fall of man was from God in his truth, the chiefe&s;t good to the Apo&s;tate Angels lies: and &s;o to the deepe&s;t evil, for by this he lo&s;t all relation to God, but to live, move and be, as have the Devils and damned, and became one with the Apo&s;tate Angels, not in their angelical nature, but their diabolical na|ture, and de&s;erv'd damnation to eternity; for men and Angels became Devils, not by lo&s;s or change of their e&s;&s;ence or natures, but by change of their intentions and operations from Gods rules of truth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 8.44.</NOTE> to their own lies.</P>
<P>But I mu&s;t in a word premi&s;e one thing before I goe any further; that is, God in Scripture names the innumerable company of Apo&s;tate Angels, as if they were all but one; as by the name of Devil, a Lyar, a de&s;troyer, that evil one, and &s;o forth; and the ground is no more but this, becau&s;e they are all one in intentions and operations, in their de&s;ignes again&s;t Gods glory in this final end.</P>
<P>Therefore when they &s;aw or under&s;tood by Gods in&s;tituted Rule to man, that he had thus laid the Platform of his Glory in his final end to eternity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 5.9. 1 John 3.8.</NOTE> then they laid their Platform how to confound and fru&s;trate Gods final end in refe|rence
<PB N="13" REF="12">to his glory, in one particular branch, and that from a twofold ground. Fir&s;t that branch was this,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev, 12.9.</NOTE> they envied man as being but a part of this inferior world, a &s;en&s;ative creature, that he &s;hould be put in a po&s;ture by his operations to Gods rule, and &s;o in a po&s;&s;ibility to ri&s;e to that glory which primitively was their own.</P>
<P>The &s;econd ground, becau&s;e God ju&s;tly for their &s;in rejected them from that glory, and &s;o &s;tood re&s;erved in Chains of darkne&s;s unto the Judgement of the great day; therefore they at|tempted to &s;poil God of his glory, and as their end led them to their means, &s;o their means leads us to &s;ee that this was their end; for becau&s;e they knew man in re&s;pect of his body was a &s;en|&s;itive creature, and therefore they were to man invi&s;ible, wherefore their fir&s;t means was a vi&s;i|ble creature and &s;ubtilly di&s;po&s;ed; &s;aith the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.4.</NOTE> <HI>Now the Serpent was more &s;ubtil then any beast of the field.</HI></P>
<P>Their &s;econd means was the Serpents tongue,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 22.28.30</NOTE> by actuating it as the good Angel did the A&s;&s;es tongue, &s;o to convey their minds in &s;peaking to the woman in that &s;peech and language which God had made natural and familiar to man; for the Text &s;aith, <HI>He &s;aid to the woman, yea hath God indeed &s;aid, ye &s;hall not eat,</HI> and &s;o forth.</P>
<P>Their third means was to wave the man in this bu&s;ine&s;s, becau&s;e mo&s;t &s;trong,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.14. 1 Tim. 2.14.</NOTE> and to pitch upon the woman, the weaker ve&s;&s;el, and &s;o to com|pa&s;s the man by her, the more unperceived by him.</P>
<P>Again, becau&s;e the woman replyed to the
<PB N="14" REF="13">Serpent, Gods word from his in&s;tituted rule; namely, that God hath &s;aid, Ye &s;hall not eat, and &s;o forth. And by this they did perceive that two things did interrupt and indanger their de|&s;igne: The fir&s;t was Gods word by his in&s;titu|ted rule; the &s;econd was the womans credit or belief, that &s;he did or might give to it, becau&s;e by the natural liberty of her will, &s;he might chu&s;e Gods word, and refu&s;e theirs.</P>
<P>Therefore they betook them&s;elves to a fourth means of their own; namely a Lie, or Lies to prevent that danger of their de&s;ired end, where|fore by the Serpent to the woman they &s;aid, Ye &s;hall not die at all, implying unto her, there was no truth in tho&s;e words concerning their dying if they did eat of the forbidden fruit, for God doth know, in the day that ye &s;hall eat thereof, that your eyes &s;hall be opened, and ye &s;hall be as Gods knowing good and evil, implying Gods rule obeyed was the only thing that kept her from a&s;piring to &s;o great a happine&s;s, therefore God is an impo&s;ter to you, and not to be belie|ved, but di&s;obeyed for your own good upon the&s;e Lies;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.6.</NOTE> the woman looked on the Tree the more wi&s;hly; for the Text &s;aith, <HI>When the woman &s;aw the Tree was good for food, and that it was plea|&s;ant for the eyes, and a Tree to be de&s;ired to make one wi&s;e,</HI> &s;he hereupon wil'd the Devils lies, and nil'd Gods truth, believing to operate to his in|&s;tituted rule; for the Text &s;aith, <HI>She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave al&s;o to her hu&s;|band with her, and he did eat:</HI> Thus the Apo|&s;tate Angels by their four means accompli&s;hed
<PB N="15" REF="13">their end, by fru&s;trating Gods final End, in one main branch, as they &s;uppo&s;ed, in the lo&s;s of his glory, and to his di&s;honour for ever, by nulling his truth, in that all mankind together with them|&s;elves, might fall into eternal mi&s;ery, and &s;o not one ever &s;hould a&s;pire to eternal happine&s;s that glory over theirs: For in <HI>Adam</HI> all die, that is, eternally ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour. But for the further enlargement of the fall of man, I refer the Rea|der to the third Chapter of my former Treati&s;e; but now in this particle of time when man fell, and the world with him, then God gave being to the &s;eventh means to cary on his final End, by the a&s;&s;ent of humane nature, to eternal glory, in his manifold wi&s;dom, to the rebounding of his glory to all eternity, notwith&s;tanding what was done by the Apo&s;tate Angels, as will appear in the next Chapter and Chapters following.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. IV. <HI>In this Chapter is proved that God gave being to the &s;eventh means to accompli&s;h his final end.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IN this ca&s;e, as is &s;aid, God pa&s;&s;ed by Men and Angels, becau&s;e this means is not man only, nor God only, but per&s;onally God Man, that is, the &s;econd in the one God a&s;&s;umed, not the per&s;on of any man, but the nature of every man, as it was &s;aid the &s;eed of the woman. And this per&s;on by this per&s;onal union, was made the
<PB N="16" REF="14">the &s;eventh means in the beginning of time, namely in that in&s;tant of time in which the whole frame of Nature fell, by its principal part, as is de&s;cribed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE> for then &s;aith God, <HI>I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy &s;eed and her &s;eed,</HI> affirmatively concluding he &s;hall break thy head;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1.70.</NOTE> &s;o that this &s;eventh means was then known by name, that is, the &s;eed of the wo|man. And thus God &s;pake by the mouth of his holy Prophets &s;ince the world began; and ac|cordingly when the fulne&s;s of time was come,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4.</NOTE> God &s;ent forth his &s;on made of a woman, and &s;o forth. And becau&s;e the Text &s;aith, God &s;ent forth his Son made of a woman, he tels us that him&s;elf was the &s;ole efficient of this means, for womans &s;eed was but the &s;ubject matter, and no formal cau&s;e, nor man any efficiency in it, but God only and alone according to his word to the Serpent; I will, and &s;o forth. Wherefore when an Angel &s;aid unto <HI>Mary,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1.31, 32, 33, 34, 35.</NOTE> <HI>Loe thou &s;halt conceive in thy womb, and bear a &s;on;</HI> Then &s;aid <HI>Mary</HI> unto the Angel, <HI>How can this be, &s;eeing I know not man?</HI> The Angel then tels her how, &s;aying, <HI>The holy Gho&s;t &s;hall come upon thee, and the power of the mo&s;t high &s;hall over&s;hadow thee; there|fore that holy thing which &s;hall be born of thee,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.4, 5, 6.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall be called the Son of God.</HI> From this ground the Text &s;aith, <HI>Who &s;hall declare his generation?</HI> implying none but God him&s;elf, he being &s;o much better then the Angels, as he hath by in|heritance obtained a more excellent name then they; <HI>For unto which of the Angels &s;aid he at any time, thou art my &s;on, this day have I begotten
<PB N="17" REF="14">thee.</HI> Again, when he bringeth in his fir&s;t be|gotten into the world, he &s;aith, <HI>And let all the Angels of God wor&s;hip him.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> In regard he was not born nor begotten until the fulne&s;s of time, how can he be Gods fir&s;t be|gotten?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;wer, He was begotten &s;o, as never none was, nor ever &s;hall be, by the power of the mo&s;t High, and &s;o the fir&s;t begotten in this &s;en&s;e that ever was.</P>
<P>Secondly, The fir&s;t begotten in priority of time, for he was the fir&s;t born of man from the dead fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> in that word of God when he threatned de&s;truction to the de&s;igne of apo|&s;tate Angels by womans &s;eed; and &s;o the fir&s;t begotten from the dead fall of the whole frame of Nature, this was intimated by God when he in&s;tituted the earths fir&s;t fruits to be his, and of the bea&s;ts which fir&s;t opened the womb, to be his, and the fir&s;t-born of man to be his, imply|ing that Chri&s;t was the only fir&s;t-born from the dead of every creature in an univer&s;al relation, and that he was the &s;eventh means to de&s;troy all the apo&s;tate Angels fore&s;aid means; and &s;o to carry on Gods final end is clear. <HI>For this purpo&s;e</HI> &s;aith the Text, <HI>was the Son of God manife&s;ted, that he might destroy the works of the Devil;</HI> and our Lord him&s;elf &s;aith, <HI>For this end was I born,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Epi&s;t. Ioh. 3.8</NOTE> <HI>and for this cau&s;e came I into the world, that I &s;hould bear witne&s;s to the truth.</HI> The which truth may be con&s;idered negatively or affirmatively.</P>
<P>Negatively thus, That God never did,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh, 18.37.</NOTE> nor now doth intend glory to him&s;elf by mans ope|rations,
<PB N="18" REF="15">good or bad everla&s;tingly, but accor|ding to his rules made &s;uitable to man.</P>
<P>Or affirmatively thus, That God really in|tended and &s;till doth, to return glory to him&s;elf for ever by mans operations, good or bad, ac|cording to his rule &s;uitable to man, that is &s;ome to honour, and &s;ome to di&s;honour, according to their works to all eternity; and not as the apo|&s;tate Angels lyingly affirmed, that God really in|tended neither; for we &s;ee they denyed man &s;hould die at all; and for life, God intended no &s;uch thing to us in our fir&s;t parents, as precedent|ly is proved: Con&s;equently it mu&s;t follow from their lies, as our Famili&s;tical Ranters affirm, that all &s;hall be alike, that is, none &s;aved nor damn|ed.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8.44.</NOTE> As the Scriptures affirm; <HI>But the&s;e filthy drea|mers are the children of their Father the Devil, who&s;e works they will doe.</HI> But for the further in|largement how our Lord did witne&s;s the truth, and what that righteou&s;ne&s;s of his is which is imputed to the world in general and to man be|lieving the truth more &s;pecial; I refer the Reader to the eighth Chapter of my former Treati&s;e, to the which the fourth Chapter in the &s;ame Book will give much light.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Text &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erv.</NOTE> <HI>God &s;ent his Son in the fulne&s;s of time:</HI> Hence ob&s;erve what is implyed in tho&s;e words; namely, That it was ful time then for God to &s;end him, and for him to com; becau&s;e by that time the apo&s;tate Angels had not only &s;e|duc d <HI>Noa's</HI> po&s;terity by apo&s;tacy from that po|&s;ture God put them in by Chri&s;t, to Heatheni&s;h I|dolatry univer&s;ally, as in due place wil appear, and
<PB N="19" REF="15">al&s;o what that po&s;ture was which they left,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10, 11, 12</NOTE> but al&s;o &s;educed <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed in the like apo&s;ta|cy, excepting &s;ome very few of both &s;orts, by which Gods final end became almo&s;t as it was in the fall of <HI>Adam:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2.3,</NOTE> Therefore when the Lord lookt down from heaven upon the children of men, as &s;aith the Text, to &s;ee if there were any that would under&s;tand and &s;eek God; he con|cludes all are gone out of the way, and &s;o forth; but when the time was come that by the ju&s;t judgement of God, he &s;hut up all men in unbe|lief, it was to this end, that he might have mercy upon all, to be put into the &s;aid po&s;ture and way of peace, in pur&s;uance of his &s;aid final end.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.32.33</NOTE> This was the in&s;earchable depth of Gods wi&s;dom, that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o much adored and ad|mired.</P>
<P>Again, although the Text &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erve.</NOTE> God &s;o lo|ved the world that he gave his only begotten &s;on: Ob&s;erve the moving cau&s;e why God &s;ent his Son, was not his love to the world primarily, but in love to him&s;elf in this &s;aid final end; where|fore when the Text &s;aid, God &s;o loved the world that he &s;ent his Son, it comes with this provi&s;o, That who&s;oever believeth in him &s;hould not pe|ri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life; otherwi&s;e not; for that's imply'd.</P>
<P>Again ob&s;erve, although mans efficiency was wholly excluded in producing Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.22, 23.</NOTE> yet never|thele&s;s he was verily the Son of Man, as he cals him&s;elf: Fir&s;t becau&s;e woman was produced out of man, and &s;o fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, and bone of his bone, and he of the womans &s;eed. Therefore the
<PB N="20" REF="16">Son of Man, al&s;o his Mother the Virgin was pro|duced by generation of man and woman in the cour&s;e of nature, and he of her, and &s;o the Sonne of <HI>Abraham</HI> and the Sonne of <HI>David,</HI> and &s;o forth.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 1.2.6.</NOTE></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. V. <HI>In which is laid down how in this &s;eventh means God doth carry on and accompli&s;h his final end.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IN this Point fals in the manfold wi&s;dom of God; but I will pitch only upon &s;ix principal Branches thereof, as fir&s;t, When man became with the apo&s;tate Angels one, in de&s;erved mi&s;ery to eternity, and al&s;o one in their diabolical na|ture, as is proved then in that point of time: In the &s;eed of the woman God elected the fallen ma&s;s of man-kind out of that &s;tate, into a po&s;ture in which all man-kind may receive the &s;aid gift of life attained by Chri&s;t the &s;econd Adam, which they lo&s;t in Adam, or be either Ve&s;&s;els of ho|nour or di&s;honour to eternity, according to their works, good or bad.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Branch,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.18.</NOTE> That as Adams unrigh|teou&s;ne&s;s in the fall by one offence in its guilt and puni&s;hment by God was imputed to all man|kind, even &s;o the one righteou&s;ne&s;s of the &s;eed of the woman the &s;econd Adam by Gods gift imputatively came upon all man kind and &s;o put al men by mercy in a po&s;ture in which they might
<PB N="21" REF="16">receive the &s;aid gift of life, or to be either, as is &s;aid.</P>
<P>The third Branch, That immediately upon the &s;aid Election and Imputation by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, God put an internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s into all man-kind to de&s;cend hereditarily in their natural generations, di&s;po&s;ing them to operations accor|ding to the &s;aid po&s;ture.</P>
<P>The fourth Branch, immediately upon the &s;aid Election and Imputation, the &s;ame Spirit of Chri&s;t began to &s;trive, and &s;till &s;o doth with the &s;pirits of all men to keep them in that po&s;ture, in all ages, and in all places of the world.</P>
<P>The fifth branch, immediately upon that Ele|ction and Imputation, God in mercy gave a rule &s;uitable to all man-kind in the &s;tate they are in by that Election, to direct their operations pro|ceeding from their internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s to re|ceive the &s;aid gift of life, and to avoid the con|trary death.</P>
<P>The &s;ixth Branch, That according to the o|perations of all men, good or bad, God by that &s;uitable rule maketh them ve&s;&s;els of honour or di&s;honour to eternity: So that thus by this &s;e|venth means Gods final end is carried on, and accompli&s;hed eternally to his glory in the &s;aid branch, notwith&s;tanding what was done by the apo&s;tate Angels: In mans fall, or ever fince, ac|cording to that God &s;aid unto the Serpent, <HI>He &s;hall break thy head.</HI> Of the&s;e &s;ix branches in their order; Fir&s;t in the Election of the falne ma&s;s of mankind out of that &s;tate into the &s;aid po&s;ture, which is the fir&s;t branch propo&s;ed, the
<PB N="22" REF="17">foundation of this univer&s;al election, was laid in the humane nature of Chri&s;t, the &s;eed of the wo|man; I will put enmity, &s;aith God, between thy &s;eed and her &s;eed, clearly implying that humane nature, as &s;uch, womans offspring was elected out of that falne Ma&s;s into the &s;aid po&s;ture in Chri&s;t, but not the nature of Angels, but left to &s;ink deeper in their falne e&s;tate and de&s;igne, by the power of Chri&s;t the womans &s;eed; for &s;aith God, He &s;hal break thy head; and the Apo|&s;tle affirms the &s;ame, He cho&s;e us in him, &s;aith he, before the foundation of the world; and it im|plies in the Text as before is noted, Mans Electi|on was out of the fallen ma&s;s, that is, as unholy and under blame, and not loved as in our &s;elves; and therefore he &s;aith, He cho&s;e us in him that we &s;hould be holy and without blame before him in love.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.1.4.</NOTE> And the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> points out, that our Election was to the &s;aid po&s;ture, when he &s;aith, Elect according to the fore-knowledg of God the Father, unto &s;anctification of the &s;pirit, through obedience and &s;prinkling of the bloud of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.2.</NOTE></P>
<P>This word Us in the Text, He cho&s;e us, in its full drift and &s;cope, is to be under&s;tood in a twofold &s;en&s;e, that is, re&s;trictively and univer&s;ally,</P>
<P>Re&s;trictively thus, He cho&s;e us, that is, us a|mong mankind, which believingly operate ac|cording to our rule and po&s;ture, as all were ele|cted unto to receive eternal life by Chri&s;ts own righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed, &s;o that he cho&s;e us into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that eternal life in belief; and &s;o this word Us, comprehends all Believers, only
<PB N="23" REF="17">as &s;uch to whom the Epi&s;tle was &s;ent.</P>
<P>Secondly, This word Us is to be under&s;tood, Us Men, that is, Humane Nature, as &s;uch; and &s;o it comprehends all man-kind univer&s;ally, as cho&s;en out of the falne ma&s;s into the &s;aid po&s;ture when the falne nature of Angels were left to &s;ink deeper into their diabolical nature and dam|nation, as is proved.</P>
<P>But if it be que&s;tioned what that po&s;ture is, to which all man-kind was elected unto out of the falne Ma&s;s.</P>
<P>An&s;wer, It is no more but this, namely, A di&s;|po&s;edne&s;s to operate to receive the &s;aid gift of life; and to make up this meet di&s;po&s;edne&s;s, there goes a threefold ingredient.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, as is &s;aid, immediately upon the &s;aid E|lection and Imputation by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, God put an internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s into all man|kind, hereditarily to de&s;cend in their natural ge|nerations, di&s;po&s;ing them in operation according to the &s;aid po&s;ture, which fals to be handled in the third Branch of the manifold wi&s;dom of God propounded.</P>
<P>Secondly, immediately upon the &s;aid election and imputation, the &s;ame Spirit of Chri&s;t began to &s;trive, and &s;till &s;o doth with the &s;pirits of all men, to keep them in that po&s;ture in all ages, and in all places of the world, which is to be handled in the fourth Branch propounded.</P>
<P>Thirdly, immediately up on that election and imputation God gave a rule &s;uitable to all man|kind in that &s;tate they are in by that election, to direct their operations to receive the &s;aid gift of
<PB N="24" REF="18">of life, and to avoid the contrary death which fals to be handled in the fift branch propounded; the which threeing redients make up the &s;aid po|&s;ture.</P>
<P>And from this po&s;ture it is that mo&s;t men in the world before they can come to receive Gods gifts of ju&s;tifying faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iona 2.8.</NOTE> do apo&s;tate to lying va|nities, &s;o for&s;aking their own mercies; Thus did <HI>Cain</HI> and the old world before the Flood, for which God brought in the Flood. Thus did <HI>Noah's</HI> po&s;terity after the Flood, apo&s;tate to ly|ing vanities, by building the City of <HI>Babel,</HI> and a Tower therein to reach the Heavens, for which God confounded and &s;cattered them. Thus did <HI>Terah</HI> in <HI>Shems</HI> Family, <HI>Abrahams</HI> Father, apo&s;tate to Idols, and &s;o became a Den of Devils.</P>
<P>But when all Families of the earth was thus &s;ink|ing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s; 24.2, 3, 4. Ezek. 16. from 3. to 15.</NOTE> as ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour eternally for ought them&s;elves can do, from which condition that afore&s;aid election out of Adams fall, relieved man into the &s;aid po&s;ture, yet neverthele&s;s then in that point of time, in pur&s;uance of his final end, God taketh hold of the univer&s;al nature of man, and pre&s;erves it from &s;inking; for he not only commanded <HI>Abraham</HI> to depart from his Country and kindred, and from his father <HI>Terah</HI>'s hou&s;e, but with reference to that very time, &s;aith the Text, Verily he taketh not hold on the nature of Angels, but of the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham</HI> he ta|keth hold. The&s;e words lead us to a fourfold Querie.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, why <HI>Abraham</HI> is named more in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e then any other man?</P>
<PB N="25" REF="18">
<P>Secondly, Why <HI>Abraham</HI> is named in refe|rence to the &s;eed of man, as in his loynes, he being <HI>Terah's</HI> &s;on?</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.16.</NOTE> Why was not <HI>Abraham</HI>'s per&s;on a&s;|&s;um'd in per&s;onal union with the &s;econd in the one God, he being thus named by way of emi|nency in the Text?</P>
<P N="4">4 Why this word he taketh hold as to the nature of Angels is &s;poken negatively, and to the com|mon nature of man affirmatively, both being in the fall, one in apo&s;tacy, as is proved; nay now all Nations of men were in a relap&s;t apo&s;tacy to them, we &s;ee, and as will more appear in due place?</P>
<P>For An&s;wer unto the fir&s;t Querie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 12.1.</NOTE> Why <HI>Abra|ham</HI> is named more in this bu&s;ine&s;s then any other man; It was becau&s;e when all the Families of the earth did apo&s;tate at <HI>Babel</HI> except <HI>Semes,</HI> wherefore in his Family the Oracle of Chri&s;t was only re&s;ident, and becau&s;e <HI>Abrahams</HI> father <HI>Te|rah</HI> was the fir&s;t in that Family that did apo&s;tate from this po&s;ture to Idols, and became a den of Devils, <HI>Abraham</HI> being his &s;on, was therefore named rather then any other man, implying mans mi&s;ery is Gods oportunity; for in the Mount will the Lord be &s;een, as to all mankind in the falne ma&s;s he was.</P>
<P>An&s;wer to the &s;econd Que&s;tion, Why <HI>Abraham</HI> is named in reference to the &s;eed of man in his loynes, he being <HI>Terah's</HI> &s;on; the meaning is, no more but this, the proper &s;ubject of election is not only man as corrupt, but as univer&s;ally corrupt: Therefore God names the common
<PB N="26" REF="19">&s;eed of man in the loynes of one of this idola|trous brood, the fitte&s;t Emblem of the continu|ed act of God in Election of man out of the falne ma&s;s, as in <HI>Adams</HI> loyns, and therefore the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham</HI> is named in the Text.</P>
<P>An&s;wer to the third Query, Why was not <HI>Abrahams</HI> per&s;on a&s;&s;um'd into per&s;onal union with the &s;econd in the one God, he being thus named by way of eminency in the Text? An|&s;wer, If <HI>Abrahams</HI> per&s;on, or any mans el&s;e, had been a&s;&s;umed to the &s;econd in the one God, it would have pointed out a per&s;onal election and rejection of mankind, and therefore to remove that, he a&s;&s;umed not the per&s;on of any man, but the nature of every man, and &s;o elected humane natures falne ma&s;s out of that e&s;tate into the &s;aid po&s;ture, either to honour or di&s;honour for ever, as is proved.</P>
<P>An&s;wer to the fourth Query, Why this word he taketh Hold, as to the nature of Angels, is &s;poke negatively, and to the common nature of man affirmatively, both being in the fall one in Apo&s;tacy; nay now all Nations of men were relap&s;t in Apo&s;tacy as we are? An&s;wer, The mea|ning is no more then this, When men univer&s;al|ly do apo&s;tate from the &s;aid po&s;ture &s;o &s;inking unto de&s;truction, then &s;ometimes in this ca&s;e in pur&s;uance of his final end, God as a continued act to the nature of Angels, letteth the nature of Angels &s;ink lower and lower into de&s;truction, and as a continued act, taketh hold of the nature of man to &s;tay it from &s;inking; and therefore the Text &s;peaketh negatively to them, and affirma|tively
<PB N="27" REF="19">to man; for fir&s;t he taketh hold of the nature of man by promi&s;e, into per&s;onal union with the &s;econd in the one God, when the &s;eed of the woman was fir&s;t named, and in the&s;e words to <HI>Abraham,</HI> In thy &s;eed &s;hall all Nations be ble&s;&s;ed; God &s;aith not of &s;eeds, as of many, but as of one, that is Chri&s;t, &s;aith the Text; and here he taketh not hold of the nature of Angels; but here we &s;ee he takes hold of the &s;eed of <HI>Abra|ham</HI> in Chri&s;t's per&s;on.</P>
<P>Again, the extent of this taking hold reacheth all Nations, for God did not only take hold of the humane nature into the per&s;on of Chri&s;t, as is &s;aid, but al&s;o taketh hold of a &s;eed of humane nature in a national extent at that time by pro|mi&s;e in <HI>Abrahams</HI> loynes, in the &s;eed to be when they were not, and to this end to be a means to return the ble&s;&s;ing of Chri&s;t upon humane nature over all Nations, that is, to return them to the afore&s;aid po&s;ture in which they might receive the &s;aid gift of eternal life, and all comprehend|ed in the&s;e words to <HI>Abraham;</HI> I will make of thee a great Nation, and thou &s;halt be a ble&s;&s;ing, in thee &s;hall all the Families of the earth be ble&s;|&s;ed: that is, that now lie under a cur&s;e in my wrath in Heatheni&s;m: And here again God ta|keth not hold of the nature of Angels, but in the election of this one Nation in <HI>Abrahams</HI> loyns, of the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham</HI> he taketh hold as a continued act of the univer&s;al election of <HI>A|dams</HI> falne ma&s;s.</P>
<P>But if you ask me what was that wrath they lie under, and how all Nations but one became
<PB N="28" REF="20">Heathens; I an&s;wer, It was when <HI>Jehovah</HI> look|ed down from heaven upon the children of men, to &s;ee if there were any that did under&s;tand and &s;eek God, and &s;aw that they were all gone out of the way, and all corrupt and abominable, which made God wrath with them, under which wrath they then lay.</P>
<P>If you ask me when this was, God came down to &s;ee.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, It was when Jehovah came down to &s;ee the City of <HI>Babel</HI> and the Tower, that the offspring of <HI>Noah</HI> was building in the Plain of <HI>Shinor,</HI> for then and there he confounded their Language, and &s;o &s;cattered them upon the face of all the earth to walk in their own waies, and &s;o they all became Heathens, excepting a very few, untill by vertue of the &s;aid continued Act of a twofold laying hold of the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> they were put into that po&s;ture in which they might receive the &s;aid gift of eternal life; where|fore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, The Scriptures fore-&s;eeing that God would ju&s;tifie the Heathen through faith, Preach the Go&s;pel before unto <HI>Abraham,</HI> &s;aying, In thee &s;hall all the Nations be ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Hence ob&s;erve,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erve.</NOTE> that in the &s;aid taking hold of this Nation in <HI>Abrahams</HI> loyns or &s;eed, God not only elected that Nation to be as a part of the whole nature of man; but as &s;uch to be Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church and Spou&s;e, I &s;ay the nature of man as &s;uch, but not Angels nature as &s;uch, nor elected he this Nation upon his fore-&s;ight of their faith or believing operations,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a 44.1. P&s;al. 147.20.</NOTE> but to be put in the &s;aid po&s;ture in which they might believe, and in
<PB N="29" REF="20">believing operations receive the &s;aid gift of eter|nal life;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.2. Ho&s;. 2.19.20.</NOTE> For unto them was committed the Oracles of God, when denyed to all Nations; wherefore &s;aith God to this Nation, I will mar|ry thee unto me for ever, and &s;o forth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.29.30.</NOTE> in pur&s;u|ance of my final end, for that's imply'd; and in this &s;en&s;e the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. From this ground God did call the Gentiles to the &s;aid po&s;ture, and &s;o will the Iews that now lay in their apo&s;tacy; and I &s;ay in this &s;en&s;e the gifts and callings of God are without repentance to mankind, with re&s;pect to his &s;aid final end.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob&s;erve."> Again ob&s;erve this Election conferred upon that Nation, the greate&s;t honour that ever any Nation had, Nationally con&s;idered: Fir&s;t, that of them concerning the fle&s;h, Chri&s;t came, who is God over all ble&s;&s;ed for ever: The &s;econd was the afore&s;aid Election of humane nature, as &s;uch in them to be Chri&s;ts Spou&s;e elect:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.5.</NOTE> The third was this, as &s;aith our Lord, Salvation is of the Iews,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 4.22.</NOTE> becau&s;e the Oracles that were committed to them, was from them derived, being the light of eternal peace to all Nations that then &s;ate in darkne&s;s or &s;hades of death.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob&s;erve."> Again, ob&s;erv that this election confer'd not their being, nor their being &s;o honor'd, for their own &s;akes no more then any other people who had none of the&s;e honorsbut only for Gods own name&s;ake in pur&s;uance of his &s;aid final end:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 43.25. E&s;a. 48 9.11. Ezek. 36.29, 30.31.</NOTE> Not for your &s;akes do I the&s;e things, &s;aith the Lord God, be it known unto you, O Hou&s;e of I&s;rael: So <HI>Sa|muel</HI> tels them, &s;aying, The Lord will not for|&s;ake
<PB N="30" REF="21">his people for his great names &s;ake,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 12. c. 22.</NOTE> becau&s;e it hath plea&s;ed him to make you his people.</P>
<P>Again,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ob&s;erve.</NOTE> Ob&s;erve that the vi&s;ibility of Chri&s;ts Church is in the fle&s;h or bodily part of man, or in bodily operations, which, as &s;aith our Lord, profiteth little; therefore let all men within the vi&s;ible Churches of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tim. 1.4.8.</NOTE> take heed they peri&s;h not in making the vi&s;ibility of their profe&s;&s;ion, their religion; but to be &s;ure to make eternal life as obtained by Chri&s;t, and &s;o Chri&s;t their Religion in their Intellectual &s;pirit, and in truth according to the Scriptures; for the quinte&s;cence of true Religion is invi&s;ible; becau&s;e as God and Chri&s;t the object is invi&s;ible, &s;o the intellectual acts of mans belief or credit, he gives to God, and acts of love are invi&s;ible,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.28.29.</NOTE> who&s;e prai&s;e is of God, and not of men, that cannot &s;ee invi&s;ibly, or invi&s;ible things.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="31" REF="21">
<HEAD>CHAP. VI. <HI>In which is opened the &s;econd Branch propounded, That as Adams unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in its guilt and puni&s;hment by God imputatively in the falne Ma&s;s was extended unto all mankind, e|ven &s;o in that falne Ma&s;s the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the &s;eed of the woman was by God imputatively ex|tended to all mankind to ju&s;tification of life, that is, to put them in a posture in which they may receive his &s;aid gift of life eternal, or to be either as is &s;aid.</HI></HEAD>
<P>FOr proof of this Point, the Scripture &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh, 1.29.</NOTE> Therefore, as by the offence of one, judge|ment came upon all men to condemnation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.18. Heb. 2.9. 1 Ion 2.2. 2 Cor. 5.14. 1 Cor. 15.22.</NOTE> even &s;o the free gift of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of one, came upon all men to ju&s;tification of life. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the &s;ins of the world.</P>
<P>Again, men from their believing operations in Scripture &s;peaks the &s;ame, for &s;ay they, We &s;ee Je&s;us who was made a little lower then the An|gels for &s;uffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God &s;hould ta&s;te of death for every man, and he is the pro|pitiation for our &s;ins, and not for our &s;ins only, but for the &s;ins of the whole world; and we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And as in <HI>Adam</HI> all died, even &s;o in Chri&s;t &s;hall all be made alive, that is, to the &s;aid po&s;ture in
<PB N="32" REF="22">which they might receive life as well as to re|ceive judgement according to their works, good or evil.</P>
<P>Again, the &s;ame men &s;ay al&s;o, that all things are of God who hath reconciled us to him&s;elf in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and hath given unto us, that is, Us Apo&s;tles, and tho&s;e that &s;ucceed us in the Mini|&s;try of Reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Chri&s;t, reconciling the world unto him&s;elf, and not imputing their tre&s;pa&s;&s;es unto them. And then the Apo&s;tle demon&s;trates a rea&s;on of this reconciliation of all mankind into the &s;aid po|&s;ture; namely, becau&s;e God hath made Chri&s;t to be &s;in for us who knew no &s;in, that we might be made the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in him.</P>
<P>But &s;in inherently was not in him, nor actually committed by him; for the Text &s;aith, He knew no &s;in; and him&s;elf &s;aith, Sathan has no|thing in me: therefore he was only imputative|ly made &s;in for us; and contrarily we were im|putatively only made the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in him to ju&s;tification and acceptation into the &s;aid po&s;ture to a right reception of the &s;aid gift of eternal life, in pur&s;uance of Gods &s;aid final end: Therefore as by one mans offence death reigned by one, much more they, namely, be|lievers which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteou&s;ne&s;s, &s;hall reigne in life by one Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. Thus all mankind were put into the &s;aid po&s;ture by the imputation of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Again, if the whole frame of nature was put into a po&s;ture by Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed,
<PB N="33" REF="22">in oppo&s;ition to the unrighteou&s;ne&s;s imputed of <HI>Adam,</HI> as is proved, and &s;o travelleth untill now from the bondage of corruption, to be partakers of the glorious liberty of the Sons of God, then much more did the force of the imputation of that righteou&s;ne&s;s put the principal part of the frame of Nature, namely, man into the &s;aid po|&s;ture of reception of eternal life.</P>
<P>Hence ob&s;erve that the imputed guilt and pu|ni&s;hment of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence, and the impu|ted gift of Chri&s;ts one righteou&s;ne&s;s were both of one univer&s;al extent to the whole Creation, and &s;o to all mankind, the principal part thereof; for even as one extended judgement to condem|nation upon all,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 12.1.</NOTE> even &s;o we &s;ee the other remo|ved the guilt and puni&s;hment thereof, that is, of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence; &s;o as never man peri&s;hed for it, that is, for Adams one offence once com|mitted; for it came, as &s;aith the Text, upon all men to ju&s;tification of life, as is proved.</P>
<P>Again, ob&s;erve, That in this univer&s;al ju&s;tifi|cation in the Point of remi&s;&s;ion of the &s;aid guilt and puni&s;hment, &s;o far as to put all men into a capacity to the &s;aid po&s;ture: I &s;ay, Hence ob|&s;erve, That mans faith or belief was of no u&s;e in this ju&s;tification, for we &s;ee it came upon all men when it was neither thought on, nor &s;ought by them, even when God &s;aid, <HI>Adam,</HI> Where art thou? Seeking to &s;ave that which was lo&s;t in the &s;eed of the woman, by breaking the Ser|pents head, as is proved.</P>
<P>Again, Though in point of remi&s;&s;ion of the guilt and puni&s;hment of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence, &s;o
<PB N="34" REF="23">farr as to put man into a capacity to the &s;aid po|&s;ture, his faith was of no u&s;e; but ob&s;erve, that as that righteou&s;ne&s;s is a gift which brought in it the &s;aid life, &s;o al&s;o in this point, mans belief of this truth is now of u&s;e; namely, as an in&s;tru|mental qualification in point of reception of that gift; for as it is a gift, &s;o it mu&s;t be received; for as the imputative gift gives man right unto eternal life, &s;o his reception of it gives him po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion of that gift from this ground; It is &s;aid, He that believeth hath eternal life; but he that receives it not, has it not, and therefore abideth in death, becau&s;e he hath not believed in the on|ly begotten Son of God.</P>
<P>Again, Ob&s;erve therefore when the Scripture affirms man is ju&s;tified by faith, it is becau&s;e by his belief he received this ju&s;tification, as is o|pened in this Point of Eternal life; for then he hath the end of what did precede his reception thereof; namely, of the remi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence, and the &s;aid capacity to the &s;aid po&s;ture, becau&s;e he hath &s;o received that gift of eternal life.</P>
<P>Again, If this gift of righteou&s;ne&s;s thus came upon all men to ju&s;tification, as is de&s;cribed, hence ob&s;erve; That to a&s;cribe ju&s;tification to a mans Faith or Belief, is to arrogate to man that which is not his, becau&s;e we &s;ee it is in the &s;aid gift of righteou&s;ne&s;s; and al&s;o this doth dero|gate from Gods glory in that gift of life, as al&s;o from the glory of Chri&s;t who obtained it by his righteou&s;ne&s;s, as well as the remi&s;&s;ion of the guilt and puni&s;hment of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence, &amp; the
<PB N="35" REF="23">&s;aid capacity to that po&s;ture in which by faith, he may receive the &s;aid gift of life, as precedent|ly is proved, and as will further appear in due place.</P>
<P>Again, If the &s;aid gift of life came upon all men, as is proved: Hence ob&s;erve, That when the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Abraham</HI> was ju&s;tified by faith, he means as faith is an in&s;trumental quali|fication &s;ubmitting to this righteou&s;ne&s;s of God by receiving it by belief of the Doctrine in Chri&s;t, as in oppo&s;ition to a &s;uppo&s;ed Doctrine of Works to attain eternal life, maintained by the children of <HI>Abraham</HI> in the fle&s;h, but not his children after the faith, in this Doctrine of Chri&s;t, as clearly appears in the drift and &s;cope of the third and fourth Chapter to the <HI>Romans.</HI></P>
<P>Again, If this gift of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;o came upon all men to ju&s;tification, and that before faith; it ju&s;tifies as in pardon of <HI>Adams</HI> one offence, and &s;o brought all mankind into the &s;aid capacity and po&s;ture, and this gift of life to them, then certainly God never ordained nor in&s;tituted mans faith or belief for his ju&s;tificati|on, that is, for acceptance to pardon of his &s;in, and life eternal, but it only comes upon man in his gift of this one righteou&s;ne&s;s, as is de&s;cribed; but for what this one righteou&s;ne&s;s is, I refer the Reader to my former Treati&s;e, in pag. 113.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="36" REF="24">
<HEAD>CHAP. VII. <HI>In which is handled the third Branch of the mani|fold Wi&s;dom of God propounded, and the fir&s;t Ingredient in the &s;aid po&s;ture; namely, that im|mediately upon the &s;aid Election and Imputati|on, God did by the Spirit of Chri&s;t put, or infu&s;e an internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s into all mankind, here|ditarily to de&s;cend in their natural generations, and &s;o in a capacity to the &s;aid po&s;ture in which man may receive Gods &s;aid gift of eternal life.</HI></HEAD>
<P>TO this end, immediately after the fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> God di&s;&s;olved the total amity of Will and operations, which was between man and the Apo&s;tate Angels, for God no &s;ooner will'd it, but immediately he did it by &s;aying to the Serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE> mans productive root, for that is implyed; but the foundation of it, and the deri|vation of an internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s in all mankind to the &s;aid po&s;ture, was laid in the &s;eed of the woman, namely, in Humane Nature in the per|&s;on of Chri&s;t, who only made way to it by breaking the Serpents head; for as <HI>Adam</HI> in his fall de&s;ervedly brought a total internal darkne&s;s as well as death upon all men, &s;o Chri&s;t the &s;e|cond Adam de&s;ervedly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1.4.9.</NOTE> is life and light in him|&s;elf; for as &s;aith the Text, In it was life, and that life was the light of men, this was the true light
<PB N="37" REF="24">which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth write his Law in the hearts of all mankind,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.14.</NOTE> as a conti|nued Act in their natural generation; from this only ground it is that all mankind do by nature the things contained in Chri&s;ts Law; which, as &s;aith the Text, &s;heweth the effect of the Law written in their hearts; if written, then it mu&s;t needs be, God writ it by Chri&s;ts Spirit, there being no middle &s;tate between perfection before his fall, and a total deva&s;tation of righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s in his fall.</P>
<P>Again, If the effect of Chri&s;ts Law be in the hearts of all mankind, and di&s;po&s;eth them natu|rally to do the &s;ame things, as &s;aith the Text; con&s;equently this is a di&s;po&s;edne&s;s to amity with God; and con&s;equently this is a di&s;po&s;edne&s;&s;e to enmity to the apo&s;tate Angels de&s;igne in all mankind, according as God &s;aid, I will put en|mity between thee and the woman: from this light of Chri&s;t in every man it is, that their con|&s;ciences doe accu&s;e and excu&s;e, as the Candle of the Lord in every mans brea&s;t, which he hath thus &s;et up.</P>
<P>Again, We find in men that are apo&s;tate from the &s;aid po&s;ture to Idols, by cu&s;tom or the acqui|red habits, dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es to that po|&s;ture to receive the &s;aid gift of life; yet we find in them the remainders of this light of Chri&s;t; I do not mean &s;o much remaining only among the be&s;t of the Heathens, who by a patient well-do|ing did &s;eek honour and glory, immortality, and eternal life, as in the afore&s;aid Text, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.
<PB N="38" REF="25">but as for in&s;tance, tho&s;e Idolaters mentioned in <HI>Jonah,</HI> as appears in two particulars; Fir&s;t they did believe that God is, although remote|ly: And &s;econdly that he is a rewarder of them that &s;eek him, although they do it with much confu&s;ion; and the like in the Ninivites; but fir&s;t in the Marriners, they referr their cau&s;e by lot to God to determine a point of difficulty; implying, they did believe, though remotely, yet truely, that God is; and conceiving the &s;e|cond, they prayed him not to lay innocent bloud to them; implying, they did believe he is a rewarder of tho&s;e that &s;eek him.</P>
<P>So likewi&s;e the King of <HI>Ninnive,</HI> he did be|lieve God, as &s;aith the Text, that is, That God is, as well as his threatnings, to be true by <HI>Jonah.</HI> And as for the &s;econd, That he is a rewarder of them that &s;eek him, is clear al&s;o, becau&s;e he did &s;eek him upon this rea&s;on, &s;aying, Who knows whether God will be intreated to turn away from his fir&s;t wrath. If thus much amity toward God be in &s;uch men as the&s;e, certainly &s;ome remain|ders of enmity to Satan, and amity to God, is in all mankind: Hence it follows without all contradiction, that the precedent premi&s;&s;es are true, That Chri&s;t is the true light which light|eth every man which cometh into the world: Hence it is that our Lord &s;aid unto &s;uch men, or that man which by cu&s;tom in &s;in, hath turned that light into darkne&s;s, as we &s;ee here the&s;e men had done, &s;aying, If the light which is in thee be darkne&s;s, how great is that darkne&s;s?</P>
<P>Again, The force of this internal light and
<PB N="39" REF="25">Law of Chri&s;t demon&s;trates it &s;elf to be his Law by this particular in all mankind, that is, as Chri&s;t him&s;elf is Gods only Seat of mercy, or mercies &s;eat to the world; &s;o all mankind in their di&s;tre&s;s invocate God to take off their mi|&s;ery under the notion of mercy; &s;o cannot the apo&s;tate Angels invocate God under the notion of mercy or pitty, and the ground of it is this, as they have no internal princple by Chri&s;t, as here we &s;ee all mankind hath, therefore they have no internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s to &s;eek relief from him under the notion of mercy: and from this ground it is, that their con&s;ciences cannot excu&s;e them, as mens can do.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Objection."> If the natural liberty of mans will con&s;i&s;ts in its chu&s;ing and refu&s;ing all objects as it likes or liks them not, then man by nature may without this internal Law of Chri&s;ts Spirit from the na|tural power of his will chu&s;e Gods gift of eter|nal life.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> It is one thing to have power to chu&s;e and re|fu&s;e all objects, as it likes, or as it likes them not, as have the Devils, and good and bad men; for this power cannot be lo&s;t but in the annihilation of the Creature; and another thing rightly to chu&s;e that which is good, and rightly to refu&s;e that which is evil: This power man lo&s;t in the fall; therefore no man can rightly chu&s;e, or rightly refu&s;e any object, good or evil, &s;ince the fall, according to Gods will in relation to Chri&s;t, but by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, which put the &s;aid enmity into all mankind, and &s;o from degree to degree, they being faithfull in that lit|tle,
<PB N="40" REF="26">would give them more, even to the gift of faith, rightly to receive the &s;aid gift of life; and thus, if the Son make them free, they are free indeed, rightly to chu&s;e good, and to refu&s;e evil; for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Li|berty.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Objection."> If the natural Liberty of Mans Will is to chu&s;e and refu&s;e all objects, as it likes, or as it likes them not, How can the Will be di&s;po&s;ed naturally to any one thing; as naturally to Gods Law, in a capacity to the &s;aid po&s;ture.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> The natural Liberty of the Will is one thing, and the natural Property of the Will is another; For, as the natural property of the Under&s;tan|ding is to adhere to Truth, as &s;uch, or as it ap|pears to be &s;uch; &s;o the natural property of the will of man is to adhere to God, as &s;uch, or as it appears to be &s;uch; and in the fall man lo&s;t not this natural property no more then its natu|ral liberty; but the rectitude thereof was total|ly lo&s;t, both in Will and under&s;tanding; for he lo&s;t all righteou&s;ne&s;s and holyne&s;s wholly, and &s;o became totally evil as are the Devils them|&s;elves; for there was no middle e&s;tate in the na|ture of <HI>Adams</HI> Covenant, but good and evil.</P>
<P>Therefore in the depth of that darkne&s;s, Chri&s;t enlightneth by his Spirit, the intellectual &s;pirits of all mankind, &s;o farr as attendency to adhere to truth, and to the true good, as &s;uch, which includes a vertual tendency to love God above all, and its neighbour as it &s;elf: There|fore the Will by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Chri&s;ts Spirit, may be terminated to one thing to which it has
<PB N="41" REF="26">thus a natural tendency; as in the Saints, when they in the third degree of belief are Fathers in the faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.10, 11, 12. Rom. 8. from 35 to 39. 1 Tim. 1.19, 20 2 Tim, 2.12, 13 Acts 10.34, 35 See my former Treati&s;e; p. 108 131, 132, 133. and from page 134 to 140.</NOTE> then God &s;o terminates their wils to him&s;elf, vertually at lea&s;t, that nothing &s;hall be able to &s;eparate them from him, nor he from them: and the grounds why God will &s;o termi|nate the Will to the Saints that improve their mea&s;ure under manifold tryals, is this, He loves to glorifie his Ju&s;tice in the di&s;tribution of his mercy by the Go&s;pels Tenor: &s;o on the con|trary, to the Saints which totally back&s;lide be|fore they come to the third degree of Faith, &s;o farr as to make &s;hipwrack of Faith and a good Con&s;cience; he by the ju&s;tice of the &s;ame rule of mercy, doth make that final, which they have made total; for God is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons.</P>
<P>The ground why this internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s is Chri&s;ts Law, is not only becau&s;e it is infu&s;ed by Chri&s;ts Spirit, as is proved; but al&s;o the whole government of all mankind in relation to eter|nal life and death,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.53. Gal. 3.19.</NOTE> is only and alone in his power &s;ince the fall, and therefore he gives all Laws external or internal, and he adjudges men for tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing tho&s;e Laws. This was that which was figured at Mount <HI>Sinai,</HI> when God gave all tho&s;e Laws to that one Nation, as a part of the whole of mankind, he then gave all tho&s;e Laws by an Angel into the hand of a Mediator, the which Mediator was Chri&s;t in the truth, but <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the Type, who admini&s;tred tho&s;e Laws to the people.</P>
<P>Hence ob&s;erve, That all mankind in their
<PB N="42" REF="27">native production and &s;ucceeding generations, are not conceived and born dead in &s;ins and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, nor children of wrath; for by rea&s;on of the &s;aid univer&s;al election, and univer&s;al im|putation of Chri&s;ts own righteou&s;ne&s;s, all man|kind are conceived and born in the favour and mercy of God by Chri&s;t, notwith&s;tanding the bitter &s;eed of original &s;in in their natural pro|duction; for we &s;ee it is reduced to be but a &s;eed by the &s;aid internal di&s;po&s;edne&s;s, and &s;o are in a capacity to receive the &s;aid gift of life; for the whole need not the Phy&s;itian, but the &s;ick, &s;ince Original corruption is an evil privitive and po&s;itive.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. VIII. <HI>In which is handled the fourth Branch of the ma|nifold wi&s;dom of God, precedently propounded, and being the &s;econd ingredient to make up the &s;aid po&s;ture; namely, that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;triveth with the &s;pirits of all men in the world, to pre&s;erve and encrea&s;e the &s;aid internal di&s;po|&s;edne&s;s, con&s;equently to depre&s;s the force of the &s;eed of original &s;in, &s;o to bring and to keep men in the &s;aid po&s;ture in which they might receive Gods gift of eternal life.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THis Spirit of Chri&s;t thus began to &s;trive im|mediately upon the fall, and upon the &s;aid univer&s;al election, and univer&s;al imputation in
<PB N="43" REF="27">the&s;e words, <HI>Adam,</HI> Where art thou? &s;o &s;eek|ing to &s;ave what was lo&s;t, and &s;o forth.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.4.5.</NOTE></P>
<P>Again, Thus Chri&s;t's Spirit &s;trived with the &s;pirits of <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel:</HI> To <HI>Abel</HI> in an appro|bation and confirmation of his operations in this po&s;ture, to continue to receive and hold fa&s;t the &s;aid gift of life; for &s;aith the Text, God had re&s;pect unto <HI>Abel,</HI> and to his offering; and the rea&s;on is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.4.</NOTE> becau&s;e it was by belief <HI>Abel</HI> offered a more acceptable offering then <HI>Cain.</HI></P>
<P>Again, the &s;ame with <HI>Cains</HI> &s;pirit; for when he began to go on in nouri&s;hing the &s;eed of ori|ginal &s;in to the acquired habits therein, &s;o to ex|tingui&s;h the light of Chri&s;t in him, then the &s;ame &s;pirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with his &s;pirit to &s;uppre&s;s the one, and to cheri&s;h and increa&s;e the other; for in re&s;pect to the one, God gave him no re|&s;pect but to his di&s;content and di&s;couragement; but in re&s;pect to the other, he encourages him to goe on in his po&s;ture, as <HI>Abel</HI> his brother, &s;aying, If thou do&s;t well, &s;halt thou not be accepted? implying mo&s;t certainly, Thou &s;halt as well as he.</P>
<P>Now the ground why this Spirit is the Spirit of Chri&s;t, that thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all mankind, as with the&s;e two men it did; is this, Becau&s;e ever &s;ince the falne Ma&s;s of mankind, Chri&s;t immediately entred, as the fir&s;t-born of every creature in an univer&s;al relation to the whole world, in pur&s;uance of Gods &s;aid final end, and thereupon according to his own &s;aying, All things that the Father hath are mine; and &s;o &s;aith he, The Spirit &s;hall take of mine; that is,
<PB N="44" REF="28">not only to comfort the faithfull in this world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 16.8, 9, 10, 11.</NOTE> but al&s;o to reprove the world of &s;in, that is, to the &s;ame end as to <HI>Cain;</HI> and &s;aith the Text, When he &s;hall come, he will reprove the world of &s;in, and of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and of judgement: Of &s;in, becau&s;e they believe not in me; Of righteou&s;|ne&s;s, becau&s;e I goe to my Father; Of judge|ment, becau&s;e the Prince of this world is judg|ed.</P>
<P>And according to this, the &s;aid Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all men, as to <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel,</HI> and &s;o to the worlds end, that is, to depre&s;s the one, and increa&s;e the other, as is &s;aid, to bring them into the &s;aid po&s;ture, and to pre&s;erve them therein; and it clearly appears, that it &s;o did &s;trive with man, during the fir&s;t world; for &s;aith God, When their Apo&s;tacy did abound, my Spirit &s;hall not alwaies &s;trive with man,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;is 6.3.</NOTE> for that he al&s;o is fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Whereupon God limited the time of the &s;tri|ving of Chri&s;ts Spirit with them from time to come,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 7.1.</NOTE> to one hundred and twenty years, and no longer;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3.18, 19 20.</NOTE> and as this Spirit &s;triveth with <HI>Abels</HI> &s;pirit to pre&s;erve him and e&s;tabli&s;h him in the &s;aid po&s;ture: con&s;equently &s;o did it with all the righ|teous in the generations precedent, and to the end of that world, even untill there was but one righteous man left, &s;aying unto them, Thee have I &s;een righteous before me in this generation, &s;o e&s;tabli&s;hing and confirming his mind in the &s;aid po&s;ture,; &s;o that thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;tri|ved with the &s;pirits of the men of that world, both good and bad, when once thelong patience
<PB N="45" REF="28">of God waited in the daies of <HI>Noah,</HI> for to return and keep them in the &s;aid po&s;ture to receive his gift of life in the &s;aid righteou&s;ne&s;s of the &s;eed of the woman.</P>
<P>Again, In the next world thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with the &s;pirits of all men, to pre|&s;erve the one, and to depre&s;s the other, as is &s;aid, and that by the Mini&s;try of Chri&s;t, by <HI>Noah</HI> to his own po&s;terity, who, &s;aith the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.5.8.</NOTE> was a Preacher of righteou&s;ne&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 9.28.</NOTE> the which righteou&s;|ne&s;s that he preached to their &s;pirits was two|fold; The fir&s;t was manife&s;ted to them by the Sacrifices he offered unto God, which figured unto them the &s;atisfactory righteou&s;ne&s;s of the &s;eed of the woman imputatively,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.21, 22</NOTE> bringing to them the &s;aid gift of eternal life, and al&s;o fur|ther manife&s;ted, in that God &s;melled a &s;avour of re&s;t, and from thence ratifying to them and their generations, the good of this world, and that to come, in reference to keep them in the &s;aid po&s;ture in their &s;ucceeding generations:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.2.</NOTE> and to this end <HI>Noah</HI> their Father lived thus with them three hundred and fifty years after the Flood.</P>
<P>The &s;econd righteou&s;ne&s;s which he preached, was the rectitude of his operations, which is &s;anctification; and this he preached to his po|&s;terity by his po&s;ture in the right reception of Gods gift of eternal life, by the manner of his &s;acrificing and building an Altar unto Jehovah, and by making choice of Bea&s;ts, in refu&s;ing un|clean, and taking clean,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.20.21.</NOTE> and al&s;o by his building the Ark according to the commandment of God, all being fruits of his operations, accor|ding
<PB N="46" REF="29">to faith in his &s;aid po&s;ture.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.4.7.8.</NOTE> So much for the &s;econd righteou&s;ne&s;s, namely, Sanctificati|on, which he preached, and al&s;o for the fir&s;t righ|teou&s;ne&s;s which came upon all men for ju&s;tifica|tion of life.</P>
<P>Again, Likewi&s;e the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with the &s;pirits of <HI>Shems</HI> Family-Church: for <HI>Noah's</HI> three hundred and fifty years, a Preach|er of righteou&s;ne&s;s after the Floud extended within two years of the birth of <HI>Abraham,</HI> as Learned <HI>Broughton</HI> ob&s;erves in his Con&s;ent of Scriptures.</P>
<P>Again, When this Family began to Apo&s;tate from the &s;aid po&s;ture to Idols, as appears in <HI>Terah</HI> the Father of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and were become corrupt and abominable, not knowing the way of peace, like to tho&s;e who were confounded and &s;cattered at <HI>Babel;</HI> then it is implyed, that God precedently had &s;trived with their &s;pirits; for now he began to put an end to the &s;triving of the Spirit of Chri&s;t with the &s;pirit of <HI>Shems</HI> Family, in that God commanded <HI>Abraham</HI> to depart from his Kindred, and from his Fathers hou&s;e, to this end, to rai&s;e a Nation out of his loynes, to carry on Gods &s;aid final end, and &s;o leave that Family to them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Again, When that one Nation was exi&s;tent, and did &s;pring out of <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed in number as the &s;ands on the Sea-&s;hore, or as the Stars in Heaven, then the &s;ame Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with their &s;pirits al&s;o, in the &s;ucceeding genera|tions to pre&s;erve and increa&s;e the one, and to de|pre&s;s the other, to bring them into the &s;aid po|&s;ture
<PB N="47" REF="29">in which they might receive the &s;aid gift of life, as &s;aith <HI>Nehemiah</HI> unto God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 9.20, 30.</NOTE> Thou gave&s;t them thy good Spirit to in&s;truct them;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hagg. 2.5.</NOTE> and &s;aith God to them, According to my Covenant with you when I came out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> &s;o my Spi|rit remaineth with you: And <HI>Nehemiah</HI> &s;aith al&s;o, Yea many years dide&s;t thou bear with them, and te&s;tified&s;t again&s;t them by thy Spirit in thy Prophets; but for their gain &s;aying this Spirit &s;o &s;triving with them all the day-long in their generations, God put a period to this &s;tri|ving of Chri&s;ts Spirit, &s;o denying them the gift of faith to believe, that they might not receive his &s;aid gift of eternal life; and therefore &s;aith the Text, excepting to &s;ome few of them, Be|hold ye de&s;pi&s;ers, and wonder, and peri&s;h, for I work a work in your daies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 49.6. Luke 19.41, 42 Hab. 1.5. Acts 13.41.</NOTE> which ye &s;hall in no wi&s;e believe, although a man declare it unto you. Hence it is our Saviour &s;aid, If thou had&s;t known, even thou in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hidden from thine eyes.</P>
<P>Again, under the Go&s;pel, now it is unvailed of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> vail, and that the vi&s;ible Churches of Chri&s;t &s;tand con&s;tituted, not as Family-Church|es only, as to the daies of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> nor con&s;tituted a vi&s;ible Church, as was that one Nation, a part of Humane Nature, as &s;uch, were they good or bad; but now under the Go&s;pel con&s;tituted of Believers, as &s;uch, according to the judgement of harity: And thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t al&s;o &s;trived with the &s;pirits of men in the vi&s;ible Churches, as well as unto the men of the world,
<PB N="48" REF="30">to cheri&s;h and increa&s;e one, and to depre&s;s the o|ther, to keep them in the &s;aid po&s;ture in a right reception of the gift of life: Hence &s;aith the Spirit of Chri&s;t to the Church of <HI>Smerna,</HI> Be thou faithfull unto the death, and I will give thee the Crown of Life. Thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with the &s;pirits of men in the Church of <HI>Sardis,</HI> Remember therefore how thou ha&s;t re|ceived and heard, and hold fa&s;t and repent; If thou therefore wilt not watch,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.10.</NOTE> I will come on thee as a thief, and thou &s;halt not know the hour when I will come upon thee.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.11.</NOTE> And &s;o likewi&s;e to the Church of <HI>Philadelphia,</HI> Chri&s;ts Spirit &s;tri|veth with their &s;pirits,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1.4.</NOTE> Behold I come &s;hortly, hold that which thou ha&s;t, let no man take away thy Crown: And this Point is apparent, for the &s;even Epi&s;tles were &s;ent to the &s;even Churches. So much for the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;triving with the &s;pirits of men in the vi&s;ible Churches under the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Again, Not only with the vi&s;ible, but the &s;ame Spirit &s;trives with the &s;pirits of the invi&s;i|ble Members of Chri&s;t's my&s;tical body, to pre&s;erve and increa&s;e their internal and &s;piritual graces, and to depre&s;s the power of original &s;in in them, as in others, to keep them in the &s;aid po&s;ture and right reception of the &s;aid gift of eternal life; for &s;aith the Text to the &s;aid vi|&s;ible Churches, Let him that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches; the&s;e words four times repeated, implies, That in the&s;e vi&s;ible Churches there were &s;ome who&s;e &s;pirits did hear and under&s;tand what the Spirit &s;pake.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="30">
<P>And thus the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with the &s;pirits of the eleven Apo&s;tles,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 16.14.</NOTE> which were invi&s;ible Members, <HI>Judas</HI> being dead; for the Text &s;aith, He appeared unto the eleven and upbraided them with their unbelief at another time: Thus &s;trives his Spirit with theirs, &s;ay|ing, As the Father hath loved me, &s;o have I loved you, continue in my love,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 15.9, 10.</NOTE> if ye keep my Commandments, ye &s;hall abide in my love.</P>
<P>Another time thus the Spirit &s;trived with theirs, Oh faithle&s;s and perver&s;e generation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 17.17.</NOTE> how long &s;hall I be with you, how long &s;hall I &s;uffer you: At another time thus the Spirit &s;trived with the &s;pirit of <HI>Nathaniel</HI> to e&s;tabli&s;h him, Be|cau&s;e I &s;aid I &s;aw thee under the Figg-Tree,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1.50.</NOTE> Believe&s;t thou? Thou &s;halt &s;ee greater things then the&s;e.</P>
<P>Is is &s;o, that Chri&s;ts Spirit thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all &s;orts of men in the world? Hence ob&s;erve, That all tho&s;e who have not yet received the gift of Faith, nor the gift of eter|nal Life, and &s;o do fall into eternal death, &s;hall be left without excu&s;e in their own con&s;ciences to eternity; becau&s;e it will witne&s;s to them that God would have given them both, but they re|fu&s;ed, and if they had received it, then their &s;al|vation was of God, becau&s;e attained by his Son, given by him&s;elf: As al&s;o, Chri&s;t's Spirit thus &s;triving with their &s;pirits, and therefore it will al&s;o witne&s;s that their de&s;truction is of them|&s;elves; and &s;o Gods mo&s;t &s;weet righteou&s;ne&s;s in this admini&s;tration will &s;hine to his glory in their ruine to eternity.</P>
<PB N="50" REF="31">
<P>Again, Is it &s;o, that Chri&s;t's Spirit thus &s;trives with all men to cheri&s;h and increa&s;e the &s;aid light of Chri&s;t in them, and to depre&s;s the &s;eed of the Serpent in them, and that they are thus inter|nally meetly di&s;po&s;ed towards the &s;aid po&s;ture: Hence ob&s;erve, it mu&s;t needs follow, that all men which become totally dead in &s;ins and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es to that po&s;ture, &s;o as that they cannot change or alter their operations thereunto, no more then the Black Moor can change his skin, or the Leopard his &s;pots; I &s;ay, Hence ob&s;erve, That all men that are thus dead in &s;ins and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es in the world, it ari&s;eth not from the &s;eed of original &s;in, but as an occa&s;ion, and only from their cu&s;tom in &s;in and wickedne&s;s, unto the acquired habits therein, as the cau&s;e, for it is cu&s;tom in any thing that brings another na|ture.</P>
<P>Again, Is it &s;o, that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all men to pre&s;erve and repre&s;s, as is proved; Hence ob&s;erve, That when God by Chri&s;ts Spirit is pleas'd to inliven the &s;pirits of &s;ome men to the &s;aid po&s;ture, which were dead in &s;in and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, and leaves other &s;ome in the &s;ame condition &s;o to peri&s;h: I &s;ay, hence ob|&s;erve, That God in this ca&s;e neither inlivens the one, nor leaves the other from love or hatred to either of them per&s;onally con&s;idered, but out of love to him&s;elf in pur&s;uance of his final end; for thus he took up the Jews when they lay pol|luted in their bloud, being <HI>Terah's</HI> Idolatrous brood, and &s;aid they &s;hould live, that is, in this po&s;ture that they might receive his gift of life;
<PB N="51" REF="31">and that not for their &s;akes, but for his own names &s;ake; and thus he had mercy upon &s;ome of the Gentiles in the fulne&s;s of time, that were dead in &s;ins and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, that they might live in this po&s;ture; and thus the Jews which have been dead in &s;ins and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es this &s;ix|teen hundred years, this Spirit of Chri&s;t will inliven their dead &s;pirits, that &s;o they &s;hall or may receive the &s;aid gift of life again; for in this &s;en&s;e the gifts and callings of God to man|kind are without repentance, that is, to call men, and thus to give them, as is &s;aid, in pur&s;uance of his &s;aid final end.</P>
<P>Again, Is it &s;o, that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all &s;orts of men in the world, to pre&s;erve and increa&s;e the one, and to &s;uppre&s;s the other, as is proved. Hence ob&s;erve, That all men which as yet have not the gift of faith, are to be carefull that they are faithfull in that little they have received, but e&s;pecially not to re&s;i&s;t this Spirit &s;triving with their &s;pirits, as we &s;ee did <HI>Cain,</HI> the old world. <HI>Noah</HI>'s po&s;terity at <HI>Babel,</HI> as did <HI>Shems</HI> in <HI>Terah</HI>'s, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> Gods Elect the offspring of <HI>Abraham,</HI> le&s;t God denying them the gift of faith, and &s;o his gift of life; For then in &s;eeing they &s;hall not &s;ee, and in under&s;tanding they &s;hall not under&s;tand, and &s;hall never truely nor rightly be able to &s;ee the things which do belong to their eternal peace.</P>
<P>Again, Is it &s;o, That this Spirit of Chri&s;ts thus &s;trives with all men of the world, and al&s;o with all men in the vi&s;ible Churches of Chri&s;t, and al&s;o with the invi&s;ible Members, as is pro|ved;
<PB N="52" REF="32">then let them which think they have the true Spirit of faith in God, and love to God and their neighbour, kindled in their brea&s;ts by this Spirit of Chri&s;ts, beware they quench not the Spirits flame of love and firm faith by inor|dinate cares and love of this worlds profits or plea&s;urable lu&s;ts, le&s;t they having begun in the Spirit, doe end in the fle&s;h, and reap corrup|tion.</P>
<P>Again, Is it &s;o that the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives and effects in the hearts of the invi&s;ible Members of Chri&s;ts true faith and love, and o|ther graces, Then hence ob&s;erve, That although in attaining eternal life they can do nothing, but in that Chri&s;t alone doth all; and al&s;o that in the gift of internal light of Chri&s;t, and in the gift of faith, and in the gift of other graces and in the increa&s;e and grouth of them, the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;t are meerly pa&s;&s;ive in all this; yet hence ob&s;erve, That by the &s;ame &s;pirit of faith and love, they are inabled to keep their hearts with care and diligence; &s;o that no man or power &s;hall take away their Crown of com|fort, and hope of glory; Fir&s;t, becau&s;e in the &s;aid gifts they have received the &s;pirit of love, of power, and of a &s;ound mind in &s;ome degree, therefore they are able &s;o to doe. A &s;econd Rea&s;on is this, The Spirit of Chri&s;t is at hand when they &s;o put forth that power they have, not only to a&s;&s;i&s;t them to keep their hearts in the&s;e endeavours, but al&s;o to add that wherein they are meerly pa&s;&s;ive, as I &s;aid before, name|ly, to add the increa&s;e of all the&s;e graces they
<PB N="53" REF="32">have, and &s;o they grow from &s;trength to &s;trength in Sion; and therefore they may, and are able to keep their hearts as is &s;aid. And therefore &s;aith our Lord, As I &s;ay unto all men, &s;o I &s;ay unto you, Watch le&s;t ye enter into temptation.</P>
<P>The Rea&s;on why I call the third in the one God, or the third Per&s;on in Trinity, the Spirit of Chri&s;t, is this, Becau&s;e that as all that the Father hath, is Chri&s;t's, in pur&s;uance of this &s;aid final end; &s;o Chri&s;t by the third in the one Ie|hovah, in Gods mercifull voice in the Creation, and mo&s;t eminently, and mo&s;t properly by the voice of the Go&s;pel in the tongue of man to man, by the Mini&s;try of this Spirit, doth &s;trive with the &s;pirits of all men to depre&s;s the mind of the Devil in them, and to implant the &s;imilitude of the mind of Chri&s;t in them, which is mans &s;an|ctification in order to the Fathers will, to a right receiving of his &s;aid righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed to their eternal life, or to be either, as is proved.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="9" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="54" REF="33">
<HEAD>CHAP. IX. <HI>In which is handled the fifth branch of the mani|fold wi&s;dom of God precedently propounded, and the la&s;t ingredients which makes up the &s;aid po&s;ture, namely, that God by the &s;eed of the woman immediately after the fall, gave a rule &s;uitable to all men to work or operate by, in re|ference to his &s;aid final end.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THis Point divides it &s;elf into three parts, two whereof are handled in this Chapter, the third in the next.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t declares unto all men who it is that Governs them by this Rule, for a Governor is imployed.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is to let all men &s;ee what this Rule is.</P>
<P>The third is, that all men may &s;ee how &s;ui|table this rule is unto them. Of the&s;e in their order.</P>
<P>As for the fir&s;t, Certainly he that re&s;toreth all mankind out of the falne ma&s;s of death, into the &s;aid po&s;ture, to receive the &s;aid gift of life, he it is that governs man by his own Rule; and therefore &s;aith man, believing truth, To us a Child is born, and to us a Son is given, and the Government &s;hall be laid upon his &s;houlders, and his name &s;hall be called Wonderfull, Coun|cellor, and the mighty God, and &s;o forth. And &s;aith the Lord him&s;elf,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 9.6.</NOTE> All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth; and then goes on
<PB N="55" REF="33">governing all men in this Government by his Apo&s;tles, by the &s;aid &s;uitable rule;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28.18, 19.</NOTE> For he com|manded them, &s;aying,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 16.16.</NOTE> Goe ye therefore into all the world, and Preach the Go&s;pel to every crea|ture; He that believeth, and is baptized, &s;hall be &s;aved; but he that will not believe &s;hall be damned. From this ground it is, that the Fa|ther judgeth no man, becau&s;e he committeth all judgement to the Son.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 5.22.</NOTE> So much for the fir&s;t Point.</P>
<P>Secondly, That all men may &s;ee what this Rule is; And in a word, it is no more but this, namely, The Tenor of the Go&s;pel; and that is a Rule of Ju&s;tice and Mercy; for the Go&s;pel it &s;elf is one thing, and its Tenor is another; and the Go&s;pel it &s;elf is no more but this, Gods highe&s;t mercy manife&s;ted by Chri&s;t to man, to relieve him out of his deepe&s;t mi&s;ery: Fir&s;t im|plyed immediately upon the fall,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15. Luke 2.10, 11.</NOTE> when God &s;aid unto the Serpent, The &s;eed of the woman &s;hall brui&s;e thy head. Secondly, In the fulne&s;s of time, when the Angel &s;aid, Behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy that &s;hall be unto all people; that is, That unto you is born this day in the City of <HI>David,</HI> a Saviour, which is Chri&s;t the Lord: and the Go&s;pels Tenor is no more but this as is &s;aid, A Rule of Ju&s;tice and Mercy for all men to work by, and not a Rule of Ju&s;tice on|ly, as was that to <HI>Adam</HI> in his innocency before the fall, in pur&s;uance of Gods &s;aid final end.</P>
<P>For proof of this Point, the Oracles of God manife&s;ted it, fir&s;t in <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel;</HI> to <HI>Cain,</HI> although his operations were not well according
<PB N="56" REF="34">to this rule, yet the mercy of it appeared to him after he had not done well, in this, That God interrogatively promi&s;ed him acceptance, &s;aying, If thou do&s;t well, &s;halt thou not be ac|cepted; implying mo&s;t certainly, Thou &s;halt, as is <HI>Abel</HI> thy brother. And in the next words appears the ju&s;tice of this rule, If thou do&s;t not well, &s;in lies at the dore.</P>
<P>And as concerning <HI>Abel,</HI> becau&s;e his opera|tions were according to his po&s;ture, the ju&s;tice of this rule appeared to him, in that God ap|proved thereof, and the mercy of this rule, be|cau&s;e it admitted acceptance of him, although unperfect in the perfect operations of another man, as appears by his &s;acrifices, which imply|ed the imputative righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t; for &s;aith the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.4.</NOTE> <HI>Abel</HI> offered unto God a more acceptable &s;acrifice then <HI>Cain;</HI> by which he ob|tained witne&s;s that he was righteous,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.4.</NOTE> God te&s;ti|fying of his gift, and &s;o the &s;ame tenor of mer|cy and ju&s;tice all along down the old world to the Flood, the mercy of it, when the wickedne&s;s of man is great on the earth by Apo&s;tacy from the &s;aid po&s;ture, and all ungodlyne&s;s; yet the mercy of this rule gave them time to repent and turn to the &s;aid po&s;ture to receive the &s;aid gift of life, namely, one hundred and twenty years, in which time the long-&s;ufferings of God waited in the daies of <HI>Noah,</HI> &s;o al&s;o the ju&s;tice of this rule of mercy brought in the flood upon the world of ungodly, and to <HI>Noah</HI> its ju&s;tice and mercy were al&s;o both extended, as unto <HI>Abel,</HI> becau&s;e he kept to the &s;aid po&s;ture in a con&s;tant
<PB N="57" REF="34">reception of the &s;aid gift of life, for by faith he being warned of God of things which were not yet &s;een, moved with reverence, prepared the Ark to the &s;aving of his hou&s;hold, through which Ark he condemned the world, and &s;o was made heir of the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is by faith; and the &s;ame tenor was al&s;o extended to <HI>Noahs</HI> po&s;terity after the flood, and none other: for as this ju&s;tice &s;cattered them from the Land of <HI>Shi|nor</HI> for their Apo&s;tacy from the &s;aid po&s;ture, up|on the face of all the earth, as is proved, &s;o the mercy of this rule followed them eighteen hun|dred years under that wrath of God, and none other, as in the tenth Chapter following will ap|pear, and as in the &s;eventh Chapter of my for|mer Treati&s;e is proved; and this &s;ame Tenor, and none other was extended to the &s;aid Nation elect in the loynes or &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> the mer|cy of it was figured in the Pot of Manna, and the Rod that budded, and the two Tables of the Moral Law, as joyntly inclo&s;ed in the Ark, and &s;o a figure of the perfection of the &s;atisfactory righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t imputed to the world, and therefore God named it his Mercies Seat, and &s;o he &s;pake from thence to that Nation as a part of all mankind, and the ju&s;tice of this Te|nor was figured to that Nation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In my former Treati&s;e p. 70.</NOTE> in the manner of the delivery of the Go&s;pel into the vail of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as in fire, in &s;moke, in earthquake, yet it was the ju&s;tice of this mercifull Tenor, becau&s;e it was delivered on that Mount from God by an Angel into the hand of a Mediator, namely, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the type, which was Chri&s;t in the
<PB N="48" REF="35">truth; and therefore it is &s;aid, the Law came by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> but grace and truth by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. That is, the grace and truth of all contained in tho&s;e Laws, came by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;o made up a Go&s;pel of glad tidings to that people, and all Nations: From this ground they had a daily &s;acrifice for &s;in in their generations, and this Te|nor more clearly appears to that Nation; for God having &s;tiled them the hou&s;e of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> he thus faith unto them, If the wicked will turn from his &s;ins that he hath committed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.20, 24.29.30.</NOTE> he &s;hall &s;urely live; there is the mercy of this Tenor, If the wicked turn not, the wickedne&s;s of the wicked &s;hall be upon him&s;elf: there is the ju|&s;tice of this Tenor.</P>
<P>Again, This &s;ame Tenor, and none other now, is when the Go&s;pel is unvailed, nor never &s;hall to the worlds end; for all men &s;tand bound to their believing operations in their &s;aid po&s;ture, to receive the &s;aid gift of life, or to peri&s;h, as witne&s;&s;eth our Lord in the fore-cited Text to the Apo&s;tles; Go ye into all the world and Preach the Go&s;pel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized &s;hall be &s;aved: There is the mer|cy of the Go&s;pels Tenor, He that will not be|lieve &s;hall be damned: There is the ju&s;tice of its Tenor.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="10" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="49" REF="35">
<HEAD>CHAP. X. <HI>In which is proved that the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;tri|ved with the &s;pirits of Noahs po&s;terity which were confounded and &s;cattered at Babel in their &s;ucceeding Generations, to pre&s;erve them in a narrow way to eternal life.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THis Point devides it &s;elf into three parts; Fir&s;t, that they had the truth of God to direct them to that way.</P>
<P>Secondly, That that truth was the truth of God to them in the &s;eed of the woman, Chri&s;t the Lord.</P>
<P>Thirdly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Rom. 18.25, 26, 28.</NOTE> That by this truth &s;ome of the be&s;t of them did attain eternal life, although the generality refu&s;ed it, and &s;o peri&s;hed: Of the&s;e in their order.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That the truth of God they had is clear in <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. and the 18. becau&s;e the Spirit of Chri&s;t by <HI>Paul</HI> chargeth them with, with holding the truth in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, and with turning that truth into a lie, and &s;o for&s;aking the Creator which is ble&s;&s;ed for ever, Amen, as ver&s;e the 25. And for this cau&s;e God delivered them up from Chri&s;ts Spirit, &s;triving with their &s;pirits to vile affections, ver&s;e 26. And the rea&s;on thereof is further amplified in the 28 ver&s;e, namely, as they regarded not to acknowledg God in that truth they had, even &s;o God delivered them up to a reprobate mind; therefore this truth of God
<PB N="60" REF="36">the Heathens or Gentiles had, although con|founded and &s;cattered at <HI>Babel</HI> from the re&s;i|dence of the Go&s;pel, and its Tenor with them.</P>
<P>Secondly, That this truth was the truth of God to them by the &s;eed of the woman, Chri&s;t the Lord is clear al&s;o; and it was twofold, the one external, and the other internal: The exter|nal truth was manife&s;ted and &s;hewed to them by Chri&s;t the Lord, by the whole creation, he be|ing the only fir&s;t-born of every creature, as the &s;econd Adam from the dead fall of Adam, for &s;o he opened the womb of the whole creation in its tendency and travel from the bondage of cor|ruption, it then fell in to be partakers of the glo|rious liberties of the Sons of God, and that this travel of the Creation is a continued act by the force of Chri&s;t, as afore&s;aid, is clear; for the Text &s;aith, It travelleth untill now; yet here note by the way, That the continuation of the good things in Nature in the Creation, is not &s;imply from Nature, by vertue of the Creation, as &s;uch, for that was lo&s;t in the fall, as is implyed in the Text; becau&s;e it &s;aith, The Creation is not &s;ub|ject unto vanity willingly, that is, by its own na|tural in&s;tinct, but by rea&s;on of God who cau&s;ed the Creation to depend, fir&s;t upon the operations of the fir&s;t Adam; and then upon the &s;econd Adams, as is implyed in the Text, namely, by rea&s;on of him who hath &s;ubdued the &s;ame in hope, from whence the earne&s;t expectation of the Creature or Creation waiteth for the mani|fe&s;tation of the Sons of God: Yet again, note this by the way, That although the Creation by
<PB N="61" REF="36">mans fall lo&s;t its ble&s;&s;edne&s;s to its &s;elf and to man, yet it lo&s;t not its being no more then the Apo&s;tate Angels or damned men, which detain their being to eternity, for the being of all things is grounded on Gods e&s;&s;ence only, and never depended on either Adams operations; and be|cau&s;e the Creation thus travels by the force of Gods favour in Chri&s;t; it was the ground why the P&s;almi&s;t &s;weetly &s;ings that Jehovah is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works; and if tender mercy be over all, then mi&s;ery was fir&s;t over all, for mi&s;ery is mercies mo&s;t proper object; to which mercy is extended from the premi&s;&s;es, thus proved,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 145.9.</NOTE> follows this conclu&s;ion.</P>
<P>That the Voice, Language, or Speech of the whole Creation of good from God to man in all its force and effects by all creatures ever &s;ince Chri&s;t, was the fir&s;t-born in the promi&s;e to break the Serpents head, is the general voice of glad|tidings of God to man, by Ie&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ati&s;|factory righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed; for we &s;ee its tendency and dependancy to ble&s;&s;edne&s;s hangeth only upon that; &s;o that in a word, the whole Creation in general is the voice of the Go&s;pel; and that is the rea&s;on why in the New Te&s;ta|ment and the Old, the voice of the Go&s;pel Preached by men is brought in, in a &s;en&s;e, &s;peak|ing one and the &s;ame thing to mankind; yet note that it is with this difference, The one a ge|neral and remote voice, and the other the more di&s;tinct and particular, as by Writings in the Oracles of God, and by the &s;peech and language
<PB N="52" REF="37">of man to man by the word Preached; and thus <HI>David</HI> brings them in joyntly, &s;aying, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the fir|mament &s;hew his handy works, day unto day uttereth &s;peech, and night unto night &s;heweth knowledg, there is no Speech nor Language where their voyce is not heard, their loyne is gone forth throughout all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world, in them he hath &s;et a Tabernacle for the Son, and &s;o forth: and then he joyneth the Go&s;pel thereunto in the&s;e words,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19. from ver&s;e 1 to 8. Note, The Cre|ation began thus, to preach Chri&s;t from its fir&s;t &s;tep into this tra|vel from the bondage of corruption, to be partakers of the glori|ous liberties of the Sons of God: and when that fir&s;t &s;tep began, you may &s;ee in my former Trea|ti&s;e, page the 35.</NOTE> The Law of God is perfect, con|verting the &s;oul, the Te&s;timony of the Lord is &s;ure, and giveth wi&s;dom unto the &s;imple, the Sta|tutes of the Lord are right, and rejoyce the heart, and &s;o forth. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of the Preaching of the Go&s;pel, concludes, Faith is by hearing, and hearing by the word of God; and then having &s;poken of Iews and Grecians in the 12 ver&s;e, concluding, That be that is Lord over all, is rich unto all that call upon him; and then puts the Que&s;tion in the 18 ver&s;e, &s;aying, But I demand, Have they not heard? meaning the Grecians or Heathens as well as the Iews: and then he an&s;wers the que&s;tion, namely, That the Go&s;pel was heard by them in the &s;aid words of the P&s;almes, No doubt their &s;ound went out throughout all the earth, and their words into the end of the world; implying, That both voices ought to be heard, and being rightly heard, they both breed vertually in the heart of man, faith in Chri&s;t;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.12, 17, 18.</NOTE> yet with this difference, the one im|plicite and more weak, becau&s;e its voyce is but
<PB N="53" REF="37" MS="y">general and remote, the other more clear and &s;trong, becau&s;e his voyce is more clear and near to the &s;pirit of a man. So much for the external truth of God in Chri&s;t, by which Chri&s;ts Spi|rit &s;trived with their &s;pirits to direct them in that narrow way to eternal life.</P>
<P>Secondly, The internal truth of God in Chri&s;t by which the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trived with the &s;pirits of the &s;aid confounded and &s;cattered off|&s;pring of <HI>Noah</HI> at <HI>Babel,</HI> in a word, is no more but this, namely, The remainder of the &s;aid in|ternal Law and light of Chri&s;t in their hearts for, as is proved, they were excluded the re&s;i|dence of the Go&s;pel with them, as is implyed in the Text, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2. it &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.14.15.</NOTE> The Gentiles which have not the Law, do by nature the things con|tained in the Law, and are a Law unto them&s;elvs, which &s;hew the work of the Law written in their hearts: And this Law in the hearts of them all, if they had &s;ubmitted to this inward &s;triving of of the Spirit of Chri&s;t with their &s;pirits, and not detained it in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, as they did, it would have produced the circumci&s;ion of the hearts of them all; which is the true rectitude of the mind, or &s;anctification, as it did to &s;ome of them which did in that little they had, &s;eek to do well, and &s;o it was effected in them, namely, Circumci&s;ion, which is by nature, &s;aith the Text, ver&s;e 27. and in the 29 ver&s;e, To be circumci&s;i|on of the heart and &s;pirit, who&s;e prai&s;e is not of men, but of God. So much for the internal truth of God in Chri&s;t to direct the Heathens in the narrow way to life.</P>
<PB N="64" REF="38">
<P>But the Que&s;tion may be, What life that was that the be&s;t of tho&s;e Heathens did attain unto?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, Neither more nor le&s;s, but the &s;ame eternal life which the believing Iews received by operations in Gods gift of Chri&s;ts imputative righteou&s;ne&s;s, as appears in the &s;ixth ver&s;e, God will render every man according to his works, that is, To them which through a patient well|doing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.6.7, 10.</NOTE> &s;eek for honour and glory, immortality, everla&s;ting life; and in the tenth ver&s;e, To every man that doth good, &s;hall be glory, and honour and prai&s;e, to the Iew fir&s;t, and to the Grecian; for there is no re&s;pect of per&s;ons with God, for to this hath our Lord Chri&s;t made his promi&s;e, They that &s;eek &s;hall find, and to him that knock|eth it &s;hall be opened: From this ground it was that the Apo&s;tles were not a&s;hamed to Preach the Go&s;pel in Heatheni&s;h Rome to believers; his fir&s;t rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e it is the power of God unto &s;alvation to every one that believeth, to the Iew fir&s;t, and al&s;o to the Grecian</P>
<P>His &s;econd Rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e by it the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of God is revealed from faith to faith, that is, from faith implicite, as mo&s;t weak to faith more &s;trong and expre&s;&s;ive, as formerly is proved.</P>
<P>His third Rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all unrighteou&s;ne&s;s of men which withhold the truth in unrighteou&s;|ne&s;s, for as much as that which may be known of God is manife&s;t in them; for &s;aith he, God hath &s;hewed it unto them, namely, by the Crea|tion and the Go&s;pel,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.19.</NOTE> as afore&s;aid; for that is here implyed.</P>
<PB N="65" REF="38">
<P>The fir&s;t Rea&s;on why the Spirit of God thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of the&s;e Heathens and all men el&s;e, may be this, although it be all alike unto God in re&s;pect of his final end, whether the mo&s;t or lea&s;t number of men be made ve&s;&s;els of honour or di&s;honour unto eternity, &s;o all be ei|ther one or the other, becau&s;e by his mercifull and ju&s;t proceedings in the &s;uitable rule, his glo|ry in a mo&s;t &s;weet righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hineth forth e|ternally in either to his prai&s;e; and yet neverthe|le&s;s in re&s;pect to man, it being his Creature,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. from 25. to 29.</NOTE> his offsprings and generation, which as, &s;aith the Text, he hath made of one blood, and under the afore&s;aid univer&s;al election; yet in this re|&s;pect God would rather man would as he &s;hould and might according to this rule, and Chri&s;ts Spirit &s;triving with his &s;pirit, return by his ope|ration into the &s;aid po&s;ture, to receive the &s;aid gift of life, and be ble&s;&s;ed for ever: As I live, &s;aith the Lord God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.27.</NOTE> I have no plea&s;ure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his waies and live; when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedne&s;s that he hath committed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.11.</NOTE> and doe that which is lawfull and right, he &s;hall &s;ave his &s;oul alive.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Rea&s;on why the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of the&s;e Heathens and all men, is, becau&s;e the Apo&s;tate Angels do uni|ver&s;ally indeavour by their temptations, lies, and delu&s;ions, to keep all mankind from receiving the &s;aid gift of life, and therefore do endeavour not only to extingui&s;h the Preaching of the Go|&s;pel, but al&s;o to extingui&s;h and turn the internal
<PB N="66" REF="39">light of Chri&s;t in all men into darkne&s;s, and if they could po&s;&s;ible draw all men into eternal darkne&s;s; and their main end in all this is, that God might not have any glory in mans felicity to eternity; and therefore to repel this their de|&s;igne in that particular branch, it is that the Spi|rit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives with all men, and for this end we &s;ee the &s;eed of the woman was ele|cted to be Chri&s;t the Lord, and &s;econd Adam; and for this end God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who&s;oever by believing operations will receive the &s;aid gift of life, &s;hall not peri&s;h but have everla&s;ting life; for therefore we &s;ee God elected the falne Ma&s;s of mankind out of that de&s;picable e&s;tate into the &s;aid po&s;ture, as is proved; and al&s;o therefore we &s;ee that God elected one Nation to be, and to be in the &s;aid po&s;ture to carry on his &s;aid final end, as it re&s;pected this particular branch, not for their &s;akes, but for his own names &s;ake: and likewi&s;e we &s;ee to carry on this &s;aid final end in this particular branch, He hath mercy upon whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardneth, when by their acquired habits in &s;in again&s;t the &s;aid po&s;ture, they are all alike dead in &s;in and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, I &s;ay not in love or hatred to any of the&s;e men per&s;onally con&s;idered, but on|ly in love to him&s;elf, in the pro&s;ecution of this branch of his &s;aid final end, as is proved, that he called the Gentiles to this po&s;ture, but denied it at that time to the Iews, and &s;o on this &s;ixteen hundred years, and that in pur&s;uance of the &s;aid branch, will call them to this po&s;ture again, by
<PB N="67" REF="39">which they may receive the &s;aid gift of life; and this is the ground why he precedently made &s;o many glorious promi&s;es of calling the Gentiles, and al&s;o of the Iews according to his Covenant with <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob;</HI> and from this cau&s;e only they are beloved for their Fathers &s;akes, as is proved; and therefore it is that the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trived with the &s;pirits of the&s;e Heathens and all men el&s;e, as is proved.</P>
<P>The third Rea&s;on may be this, Becau&s;e the more men are brought by the &s;triving of Chri&s;ts Spirit with their &s;pirits to believing operations in this po&s;ture by the reception of this gift of life in point of ju&s;tification, the more fruit of righ|teou&s;ne&s;s abounds al&s;o in their &s;anctification in a redundancy to Gods glory again&s;t the Apo|&s;tate Angels &s;aid de&s;igne; and therefore it is that the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives, as with the&s;e Heathens, &s;o with all men.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t U&s;e is for Information, That if the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all mankind to bring them to, and to keep them in this po&s;ture. Hence we learn two things; Fir&s;t, That the &s;triving of this Spirit to all man|kind, as is proved, is the univer&s;al favour of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to all men in the world. The &s;e|cond is this, That tho&s;e among&s;t men which by believing operations, rightly receive the &s;aid gift of righteou&s;ne&s;s, &s;hall muchmore receive a|bundance of grace, and of the gift of righteou&s;|ne&s;s, and &s;hall reigne in life by one, namely, Ie|&s;us Chri&s;t, that as &s;in had reigned unto death, even &s;o might grace reigne through righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.19.</NOTE>
<PB N="68" REF="40">unto eternal life by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The &s;econd u&s;e is this, That God will never revoke that pardon of the guilt and puni&s;hment, namely, eternal death due to all mankind for Adams one offence; Fir&s;t becau&s;e of his &s;aid gift of life which came upon all men unto ju&s;tificati|on in the imputative righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, as is proved; for, for this end he gave the Spirit of Chri&s;t thus to &s;trive with the &s;pirits of all men from the beginning of the world, to the end thereof, that they might receive the &s;aid gift of life; therefore the pardon of the &s;aid guilt and puni&s;hment due to all mankind for Adams one offence, &s;tands irrevocable to eternity,&mdash;for ever &s;ince the fall this is the condemnation, now this light of life is come into the world, becau&s;e men love darkne&s;s rather then light.</P>
<P>The third U&s;e God is irrevocable in this Point al&s;o, namely, To give to any man the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of eternal life in this world by belief, and the frui|tion in the next world, which is con&s;tant in his believing operations in the &s;aid po&s;ture, accor|ding to the &s;triving of Chri&s;ts Spirit with his &s;pirit; for &s;aith our Lord, He that endureth to the end, &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<P>In the fourth place this informs us al&s;o, That if any man be by God di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;t of his eternal life in this world, and &s;o in the next, it mu&s;t needs follow, he quencheth this Spirit of Chri&s;t, which thus by belief gave him po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it here, and &s;o would have done there, had he not per&s;i&s;ted in quenching, and al&s;o in re&s;i&s;ting the &s;aid Spirit, by following lying vanities, and &s;o for&s;aking his
<PB N="69" REF="40">own mercies, as did <HI>Demas,</HI> and the &s;even Churches of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> till God removed the Can|dle&s;tick from them, and left them in darkne&s;&s;e, and <HI>Demas</HI> to imbrace this pre&s;ent world.</P>
<P>Is it &s;o, That the Go&s;pel and the Univer&s;e of this Creation has a tendency, and bends joynt|ly as one in mans univer&s;al good, and vertually to breed in him the faith of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, as is proved.</P>
<P>Then hence ob&s;erve, That tho&s;e that &s;tand in an univer&s;al relation to men, at the Stern of Magi&s;tracy as Gods, &s;tand bound univer&s;ally to further the good of man, not of this life only, but of that which is to come; namely, to &s;et up in their Territories and Dominions, in all convenient places, the Preaching of the Go|&s;pel, to beget the belief of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in the minds of men.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="11" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="70" REF="41">
<HEAD>CHAP. XI. <HI>In which is handled the third particular in the &s;aid Rule, namely, to let all men &s;ee how &s;uitabble this Rule is to them.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe &s;uitablene&s;s whereof is opened in nine particulars; as fir&s;t, It has its In&s;titution in Gods word of truth, and the natural property of the under&s;tanding of all men, being, as is pro|ved, to follow truth as &s;uch, or as it appears to be &s;uch: wherefore we &s;ee the Apo&s;tate Angels came to our fir&s;t Parents in the appearance of truth, therefore it is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all mankind in this re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Secondly, This rule tenders to man, not only a good to be received by his operations accor|ding to it, but al&s;o his &s;weete&s;t and chiefe&s;t good; namely, to enjoy God in belief of the truth in this life, and according to truth, to eternity in the next; and &s;o this rule is &s;uitable to mans will, who&s;e natural property is to follow good, or as it appears &s;o to be, as the natural property of the eye is to follow the light; wherefore the Apo&s;tate Angels came to us in our fir&s;t parents, as is proved in appearance of a good; wherefore this rule is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all men in this re&s;pect.</P>
<P>Thirdly, ever &s;ince the fall of Adam, God in his word requires no man by his workings to attain eternal life for him&s;elf or others, but only
<PB N="71" REF="41">by his workings in the &s;aid po&s;ture to receive e|ternal life, attained only by the Lord Chri&s;t, and given imputatively by God him&s;elf; therefore this rule is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all men, none excepted but Chri&s;t him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Becau&s;e the natural liberty of mans will con&s;i&s;ts in this, namely, to chu&s;e and refu&s;e all objects, as it likes them, or as it likes them not, as is proved. And becau&s;e this rule ten|ders a twofold object to will or nill, that is, to chu&s;e or refu&s;e; namely, good or evil, that is, eternal life or death for it to chu&s;e or refu&s;e; there|fore it is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all in this re&s;pect, none excepted.</P>
<P>Fifthly, becau&s;e this ju&s;t and mercifull rule ad|mits mercy to man after he hath not done well, according to his &s;aid po&s;ture, man being ever &s;ince the fall imperfect; therefore this rule is &s;uitable univer&s;ally to all men, none excepted but Chri&s;t the Lord.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Becau&s;e it is propper to all men which propound to them&s;elves an end in their workings, to ground tho&s;e workings and operations upon their own belief or faith of a good to be attain|ed and attainable, as do Merchants which &s;end or go by Sea or Land for wealth, or the like, or upon their own belief of &s;ome evil or danger, as did the&s;e Marriners, which to avoid the danger of death by their operations, ca&s;t the wheat out of the Ship into the Sea; and therefore becau&s;e this rule requires mans own belief of Gods truth and the &s;aid good, and to avoid the contrary e|vil, to be the ground of all their operations in the
<PB N="72" REF="42">&s;aid po&s;ture, He that believes &s;hall be &s;aved, he that will not believe &s;hall be damned, as is pro|ved: Wherefore becau&s;e this Rule requires all men thus to make their own belief, as is &s;aid, the ground of their operations in this po&s;ture; therefore this rule is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all men, none excepted but men that are dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es by acquired habits herein, or &s;ots, idiots, mad men, or the like: From this ground it is that our Lord &s;aith, This is the work of God, That ye believe, and &s;o forth; and from this ground it is, that <HI>Abrahams</HI> believing operations in this po&s;ture,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.4.</NOTE> was &s;o much re&s;pe|cted, as oppo&s;ed to men that made their own works, as works in this po&s;ture, to be the ground only of their acceptance with God to eternal life; and from this ground, namely, That man makes his own belief of Gods truth, and the &s;aid good to be the ground of his operations in this &s;aid po&s;ture it is, that faith is &s;o highly extol'd in Scriptures by the Spirit of Chri&s;t; for in &s;o do|ing they render unto God the &s;ole glory of all his truth and goodne&s;s revealed in the &s;eed of the woman, Chri&s;t the Lord, and his imputed righteou&s;ne&s;s, and Gods gift of life therein.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Becau&s;e mans rea&s;onable &s;oul or &s;pirit is of an everla&s;ting duration, and never to be extinct, and mans body when rai&s;ed a &s;piritual body, &s;o to be al&s;o; and becau&s;e this rule tenders to man an e&s;tate of well and woe, of an everla&s;ting duration, and that all things el&s;e under the Sun, are only &s;uitable to his moldring body, and to a change, as al&s;o is it; therefore
<PB N="73" REF="42">this rule is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all men in this re&s;pect, none excepted.</P>
<P>Eightly, Becau&s;e this rule not only admits man to do well after he hath done evil, as is &s;aid; but when he &s;o returns, admits pardon of the guilt and puni&s;hment due to him for his &s;in or &s;ins, as is proved; therefore this rule is &s;uitable to all men capable to operate to this rule, Chri&s;t only excepted, in whom was no &s;in.</P>
<P>Ninthly, Becau&s;e God hath given an impre&s;|&s;ion and dictate of the effect of this rule, as it re&s;pects its execution in reference to his final end, in the minds of all men naturally; namely, that he will render unto all men according to their works; and from this ground it is, that the con|&s;ciences of all men do either excu&s;e or accu&s;e them, according to their own works, good or bad, the which is the dictate of this rule, and Gods &s;aid final end, as is &s;aid; therefore this rule is univer&s;ally &s;uitable to all men, none ex|cepted.</P>
<P>From the Premi&s;&s;es thus proved ari&s;eth the&s;e following Ob&s;ervations; Fir&s;t, That this Go|&s;pel, as carrying along in it this Tenor, a ju&s;t and a mercifull rule is it which all mankind are under to work by, in relation to their eternal &s;tate, and none other, as is proved: Hence &s;aith the Apo|&s;tle, The Go&s;pel was Preached unto us as to them, meaning to us in the la&s;t daies as to the Jews, and unto all in former ages before them; wherefore not any of mankind &s;ince the fall ever was, or now is, nor never &s;hall be under a Cove|nant of works, properly &s;o called, the Lord
<PB N="74" REF="43">Chri&s;t only excepted; therefore it is a mi&s;take to affirm that all men which are not true belie|vers, are under a Covenant of works, and wrath of God, and out of the grace and favour of God in Chri&s;t: For we &s;ee proved at large, that the favour of God in Chri&s;t pardoned to all man|kind eternal death due to them for Adams one offence, and that every man is born with the in|ternal light of Chri&s;t in him, and hath reduced the total nature of &s;in to a &s;eed, and al&s;o God hath given the Spirit of Chri&s;t to &s;trive with the &s;pi|rits of all men, to keep that &s;eed of original &s;in from the acquired habits, if men will be faithfull in their little, and to increa&s;e the internal light of Chri&s;t in them, and to bring them to, and to keep them into the &s;aid po&s;ture, that they may receive his gift of life in Chri&s;t: therefore it mu&s;t needs follow that the former Doctrine is a great mi&s;|take.</P>
<P>Secondly, Is it &s;o, That this Rule, the Go&s;pel Tenor, is the only and alone &s;uitable rule for all men to work in reference to their eternal happi|ne&s;s: Then hence ob&s;erve. If any man de&s;ires or expects union with God in point of ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s, it mu&s;t only be by his works in the &s;aid po&s;ture, becau&s;e only by the reception of the &s;aid gift of life wrapt up in Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s im|puted, man comes to God the fountain of life; for &s;o Chri&s;t is only the way, the truth and the life; therefore tho&s;e fanta&s;tick men which dream of an union with the Divine E&s;&s;ence, have an uni|on indeed, but not in their &s;en&s;e; for only this union they have, namely, That they live, and
<PB N="75" REF="43">move, and have their being in God, as have all creatures, as &s;uch, and &s;o have the Apo&s;tate An|gels, and the damned in hell, but not that union which they dream of; namely, an Union in the Divine E&s;&s;ence, e&s;&s;encially the &s;ame nature, and therefore as they reject all Ordinances, &s;o their operations in this po&s;ture, according to the &s;aid &s;uitable rule; and yet the Text which affirms we are partakers of the Divine Nature, &s;hews wherein it con&s;i&s;ts, namely, by operations and workings according to this rule, to &s;uppre&s;s the effects of the &s;eed of original &s;in; for &s;aith the Text, We are partakers of the Divine Nature, in that we fly the corruptions that are in the world through lu&s;ts, and this &s;in and lu&s;ts we came to know by the Law, that is, the Go&s;pel, which was once under a vail; for &s;aith the A|po&s;tle, I had not not known &s;in, except the Law had &s;aid, thou &s;halt not lu&s;t: Now the ground of this bla&s;phemous error is this, The&s;e men fancie to them&s;elves, that the Creation is eternal, that is, without beginning or end, and them&s;elves being a part thereof, are therefore eternal, yea God him&s;elf, all which is contrary to the te&s;timonies of the &s;acred Oracles of God; for it po&s;itively affirms the world had a begin|ning, it &s;hall have an end, and God will accor|ding to his &s;acred Oracles, as he &s;haketh the wicked out of the corners of the earth, as Iobe &s;peaks, &s;o will he &s;hake and make the&s;e men ve&s;|&s;els of di&s;honour in torments to eternity, accor|ding to the ju&s;tice of this rule of mercy which they now de&s;pi&s;e, and he will laugh when their
<PB N="76" REF="44">fear cometh, to their de&s;truction, if they return not in to the work of the &s;aid po&s;ture in time; there|fore let all men beware of the&s;e mens fancies, and what God &s;aies in his word, we mu&s;t believe it, or el&s;e do wor&s;e; for the Scripture &s;peaks in this tone to man from God, Thus &s;aith the Lord, as did the Prophets in old time, implying, what God &s;aies in his word, we mu&s;t believe it, and &s;o re&s;t; and if we believe the Lord and his Pro|phets, we &s;hall &s;urely pro&s;per.</P>
<P>Again, thirdly, Is it &s;o, That this is the only rule &s;uitable to all men, as is proved; hence ob|&s;erve, This Rule points us unto a twofold righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, The fir&s;t is the rectitude of mans in|ternal intentions, and external operations, by the force of which man rightly receives the &s;aid gift of life, and this righteou&s;ne&s;s is called in Scripeure, Sanctification. The &s;econd righte|ou&s;ne&s;s is this, When man by the &s;aid rectitude hath believingly received Gods gifts of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed; and becau&s;e in that righ|teou&s;ne&s;s is included life eternal,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.</NOTE> and acceptance with God, therefore this righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;o recei|ved, is called our ju&s;tification; Therefore let no man pre&s;ume to be acceptable with God for his own operations in the &s;aid po&s;ture that is for works, as works, as did the Jews before menti|oned; for if we do, it is true, we may rejoyce in our &s;elves, but not in God, no more then could <HI>Abraham</HI> if he had been of this opinion, as the Apo&s;tle affirms.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Is it &s;o, That God makes all men good or bad, according to their works, ve&s;&s;els
<PB N="77" REF="44">of honour or di&s;honour, as is proved, and as will more appear in the next Chapter: Then hence ob&s;erve, That the ab&s;olute power and &s;overaign plea&s;ure of the infinite God, in reducing the rea|&s;onable creature to its final end to eternity, as the Potter makes one ve&s;&s;el to honour, and ano|ther to di&s;honour of the &s;ame lump, he doth it only and alone by this rule, &s;o &s;uitable to all man kind, according to their works, and not by a de|cree of reprobation per&s;onally con&s;idered upon man, as is rendred by reverend <HI>Calvin</HI> in the&s;e words, Not mans unde&s;ervings is the cau&s;e of mans reprobations, but the will of God to repro|bate; the which Point the Scripture &s;peaks not, and we &s;ee it proved, that thus to &s;hape men as is thus de&s;cribed, is Gods final end, beyond which there is none, for,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Calvins in&s;ti|cations in the Margent p. 462.</NOTE> for this end he made all things for his glory, as we &s;ee proved; he made the whole world and all its parts for this, and he ordained and elected the Lord Chri&s;t the &s;eed of the woman, to carry on and accompli&s;h this his final end, as is proved.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="12" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="78" REF="45">
<HEAD>CHAP. XII. <HI>In which is handled the &s;ixth Branch of the mani|fold wi&s;dom of God formerly propounded in the fifth Chapter, namely, the Executiou of Gods fi|nal End upon all men, &s;ome to honour, and &s;ome to di&s;honour, by the &s;aid Tenor of the Go&s;pel, ac|cording to their works, good or bad, to men with|out the Church, and to men within the Church vi&s;ible, yea and the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;t.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ANd fir&s;t, Cain was the fir&s;t man without the Church, from the time he departed from Adams Family, the fir&s;t vi&s;ible Family-Church of Chri&s;t in the world; and in reference to this Point,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.14.16.</NOTE> the Text &s;aith, Cain went forth from the pre&s;ence of Jehovah; and &s;aith Cain to him, From thy face &s;hall I be hid; and &s;aith the Text, Cain was of that wicked one, and &s;lew his bro|ther: and wherefore &s;lew he him? The Text an&s;wers, Becau&s;e his own works were evil and his brothers righteous; wherefore the Spirit of Chri&s;t by Jude,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Epi&s;t. Joh. 3.12. Jude, ver. 7.</NOTE> concludes the execution of the ju&s;tice of the &s;aid Rule upon Cain, as upon Ba|laam and Corah, and &s;o a ve&s;&s;el of di&s;honour for ever; con&s;equently thus God executed his final end upon tho&s;e of the old world, who were with|out the Church,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.5.</NOTE> that is, which were not of the Family-Churches of the fir&s;t ten Fathers before the Flood; for the Text &s;aith, God &s;pared not the old world, and brought in the Flood upon
<PB N="79" REF="45">the world of ungodly; and the like execution after the Flood on men without the Church, namely, Noah's po&s;terity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.11, 12.</NOTE> when they became Heathens upon their confounding and &s;cattering at Babel; for of them the Text &s;aith, As many as have &s;inned without Law, &s;hall peri&s;h without Law, and God will render to every man accor|ding to his deeds: Con&s;equently thus this exe|cution doth and &s;hall proceed upon men with|out the Church to the worlds end. So much for tho&s;e without the Church.</P>
<P>Secondly, concerning the vi&s;ible Church, God declared this execution impartially unto Cain when he was a member of the vi&s;ible Church, when he &s;aid unto him, If thou do&s;t well, Shalt thou not be accepted: meaning, as is Abel thy brother; implying, Yea, mo&s;t cer|tainly thou &s;halt; But if thou do&s;t not well, &s;in lies at thy dore: And accordingly the ju&s;tice and mercy of this Rule was executed upon Abel; for becau&s;e his operations were Right in belief,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 11.4.</NOTE> therefore according to the ju&s;tice of this Rule, God rewarded his labour of love by mercy, re|ceiving him into glory in the imputed righteou&s;|ne&s;s of his Son; both which is implyed in the Text, which &s;aith, By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable &s;acrifice then Cain, and obtained witne&s;s that he was righteous, con&s;e|quently thus the Lord proceeded in execution in the Families of the ten Fathers before the Flood; and it is implyed <HI>Gene&s;is</HI> the fixth, in that he took &s;pecial notice of their degeneration from their operations to him in their po&s;ture to amity with
<PB N="80" REF="46">the world, in that the Text &s;aith, The Sons of God &s;aw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and took them wives of all which they cho&s;e; for thus did God when there was but one Fami|ly-Church of Chri&s;ts left, and that was Noahs; for &s;aith God to him, Come thou and thy hou&s;e into the Ark, for thee have I &s;een righteous be|fore me in this generation, that is, Thee only; for that is implyed. Again, this execution pro|ceeded thus upon the Family-Churches of Chri&s;t after the Flood, as is implyed in the eleventh of Gene&s;is: For there, all that did apo&s;tate at Ba|bel, and were &s;cattered from being a vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t, their names are wholly left out in the Genealogy of Noah in that Chapter, im|plying this execution had cut them off, and left them in the vanity of their minds to peri&s;h, ex|cepting &s;ome few of them, which did &s;eek ho|nour and glory in that narrow way to eternal life, as before is proved; but the contrary it implies, the mercy of this rule was executed upon Shems Family-Church of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 11.10. to ver&s;e la&s;t.</NOTE> which kept to this po&s;ture, and &s;o were pre&s;erved to be ve&s;&s;els of honour, as is implyed in this, that Shems Fami|ly their names are all upon Record, their births, their lives, their deaths, written as it were in the book of life.</P>
<P>Again, thus this impartial execution proceed|ed upon the next vi&s;ible Church which &s;prang out of Terah's idolatrous brood, namely elect in Abrahams &s;eed, then unborn, to be a vi&s;ible national Church of Chri&s;t, as before is proved; and of this Church the Text doth &s;ay, Although
<PB N="81" REF="46">the number of the children of I&s;rael be as the &s;and on the Seas &s;hore, a remnant &s;hall be &s;aved, for God will fini&s;h the work, and cut it &s;hort in righteou&s;ne&s;s, that is, according to this righteous rule of ju&s;tice and mercy; and therefore when the generality of that people did degenerate by undervaluing the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, which as to us, &s;o to them was the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God, in which was included life and glory for them by overvaluation of their own works and operations in that po&s;ture they were in, by this they brought on the execution of the ju&s;tice of the &s;aid rule of mercy, as is implyed in the Text, which &s;aith, They &s;ought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the Law, and they &s;tum|bled at that &s;tone, they being ignorant of Gods righteou&s;ne&s;s, and going about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, have not &s;ubmitted them|&s;elves unto the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God; and thus they fell by degrees under the execution of Gods &s;aid final end, this &s;ixteen hundred years, and now are to this day no vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Again, the next vi&s;ible Churches of Chri&s;t to this, were tho&s;e under the New Te&s;tament, and were cho&s;en and elected into tho&s;e Churches by a new way, as never none was before, that is, on|ly of believers, according to the judgement of charity, and not mixt of believers and undbelie|vers, as it was in the &s;aid Family-Churches from the beginning, now as in the Jewi&s;h Churches to the times of the Go&s;pel, and the &s;aid admittance into the Church as believers only under the Go|&s;pel unvailed, is implyed in the words of our
<PB N="82" REF="47">Lord in his great Commi&s;&s;ion:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.12. Rev. 2.7. And as more may appear at large in c. 2, 3.</NOTE> He that belie|veth and is baptized, that is, he that believeth and is received into the Church by Bapti&s;m, is in the Ark of &s;alvation: and God executes his final end by the &s;aid ju&s;t and mercifull rule as be|fore; &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour, ac|cording to their works to eternity, as appears in tho&s;e Epi&s;tles to the &s;even Churches of A&s;ia, in that the Lord Chri&s;t takes &s;pecial notice of their good works and their bad; to their good works in the &s;aid po&s;ture, he makes gracious promi&s;es and incouragements, as that he will give them a Crown of life, and &s;o forth; and for their &s;e|veral evil works, many grievous threatnings, among the re&s;t, to remove their Candle&s;tick of light and life in him, and &s;o to leave them in darkne&s;s, as ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour for ever, that is, to be no Churches of his.</P>
<P>Again, thus God executes his final end by the ju&s;tice and mercy of the Go&s;pels Tenor upon the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;ts my&s;tical body, ac|cording to their works, good or bad, &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour for ever; for Paul &s;peaking of the&s;e men as of him&s;elf, &s;aith, We walk by faith, and not by &s;ight; implying, they were the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;t, which walk not by &s;ight only, as do tho&s;e which are only vi&s;ible members: Wherefore we labour, &s;aith he, being pre&s;ent or ab&s;ent, we may be ac|cepted of him. And in the next words he gives a rea&s;on why they do &s;o,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.16, 17.</NOTE> namely, We mu&s;t all appear before the judgement Seat of Chri&s;t, that every one may receive the things done in his
<PB N="83" REF="47">body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad; and in reference to this point, &s;aith God him&s;elf, When a righteous man turn|eth away from his righteou&s;ne&s;s and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them, for his iniquity that he hath done &s;hall he die;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.9, 10.</NOTE> and therefore &s;aith God unto the Prophet, Thou Son of man, &s;ay unto the children of thy people, The righteou&s;|ne&s;s of the righteous &s;hall not deliver him in the day of his tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and for the wickedne&s;s of the wicked, he &s;hall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedne&s;s, neither &s;hall the righteous be able to live for his righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, in the day that he &s;inneth:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18.26.</NOTE> And in refe|rence to this point, to the&s;e invi&s;ible members,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.12.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, Know ye not that ye are the Temples of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you; if any man de&s;troy the Tem|ple of God, him &s;hall God de&s;troy, for the Tem|ple of God is holy, which Temple ye are, let no man deceive him&s;elf, and &s;o forth.</P>
<P>Again, in reference to this Point the Lord Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;peaks to his eleven Apo&s;tles which were invi&s;ible members; al&s;o for John 13.10, 11. when he had &s;aid, Ye are clean, but not all, for he knew who &s;hould betray him, there|fore he &s;aid, &s;aith the Text, Ye are not all clean; but when Iudas was gon forth from them, ver&s;e 30. then in the fifteenth Chapter and third ver&s;e; Now, &s;aith he unto them, ye are clean through the word which I have &s;poken unto you, that is, your hearts are purified by belief and love to me; thereupon &s;aith he, Abide in me, and I in you, as
<PB N="84" REF="48">the branch cannot bear fruit of it &s;elf, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 13.10, 11.30. Joh. 15.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.</NOTE> And &s;aith he, I am the Vine, he that a|bideth in me, and I in him, the &s;ame bringeth forth much fruit; and yet in the next words he tels them, Their evil works will bring them to be ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour for ever, &s;aying, If a man abide not in me; he is ca&s;t forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and ca&s;t them into the fire, and they are burnt; implying, And &s;o &s;hall you, if ye abide not in me: But on the contrary, If they rightly operate in the &s;aid po&s;ture, they &s;hall be ve&s;&s;els of honour for ever; &s;aying, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye &s;hall ask what ye will, and it &s;hall be done unto you, herein is my Father glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit, &s;o &s;hall ye be my Di&s;ciples; that is, ye &s;hall continue &s;o for ever; for they were his Di&s;ciples before: And &s;aith he, If ye keep my Commandments, ye &s;hall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Fathers Com|mandments and abide in his love, that as I abide for ever in his love, &s;o &s;hall you, if ye keep my Commandments, or otherwi&s;e not; for that is implyed. Thus we &s;ee that God executes his final end upon the invi&s;ible members of Chri&s;t, &s;ome to honour, and &s;ome to di&s;honour, as to all men el&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, That the full con&s;ummation and final execution of this final end &s;hall fall in at the great day,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 6. Joh. 11.24.</NOTE> as Iude cals it, and the day of the re&s;urrecti|on, as Marcha cals it; And then the Sea and the Grave &s;hall render up their dead, and then &s;hall
<PB N="85" REF="48">every man, &s;aith the Text,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 20.13. John 5.19.</NOTE> be judged according to his works, and &s;hall come forth, they that have done good, unto the re&s;urrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the re&s;urrecti|on of damnation, and before him &s;hall be gather|ed all Nations, and he &s;hall &s;eparate them one from another, as a &s;hepherd his &s;heep from the goats, and he &s;hal &s;et the &s;heep on his right hand, but the goats on his left; then &s;hall the King &s;ay unto them on his right hand, Come ye ble&s;|&s;ed of my Father,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.33, 34 41, 46.</NOTE> inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world; then &s;hall he &s;ay al&s;o unto them on his left hand, De|part ye cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, and the&s;e &s;hal go into everla&s;ting puni&s;hment, but the righterous into life everla&s;ting: So upon this la&s;t and final exe|cution of Gods final end, then cometh the end, when Chri&s;t &s;hal have delivered up the King|dom to God, even the Father, when he &s;hal have put down all Rule, and all Authority and Power, that is, all Authority, Rule and Power, rai&s;ed in a world of ungodly men by the Apo&s;tate Angels delu&s;ive lies and temptations again&s;t the truth of Gods &s;aid final end in the fore&s;aid particular branch; for till then Chri&s;t mu&s;t reigne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.24, 25, 28.</NOTE> as it is in the next words, untill he hath put down all ene|mies under his feet, implying, and no longer in this Government, by his Spirit &s;triving in the Go&s;pel and its Tenor, a ju&s;t and merciful Rule, as is implyed in the 28 ver&s;e, when all things &s;hal be &s;ubdued unto him, then &s;hal the Son him&s;elf be &s;ubject unto him that did put all things under
<PB N="86" REF="49">him: yet it is one thing that this Admini&s;trati|on,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.6. P&s;al. 45.6.</NOTE> as &s;uch, &s;hal cea&s;e for ever, as we &s;ee it &s;hal, and another thing that the per&s;onal union in Chri&s;t God-Man &s;hal cea&s;e, for that &s;hal never be, for &s;o he is and ever &s;hal be above the An|gels, and they &s;hal wor&s;hip him for ever, as it is written, Thy Throne is for ever O God, and &s;o forth, and let all the Angels of God wor&s;hip him, and &s;o &s;hal he be wor&s;hiped of all the glorified Saints for ever; for if by the Angels, much more by them, notwith&s;tanding he is their head, and they members of his triumphant body, yet he as head and members, &s;hal, as is &s;aid before, be &s;ubject to God the Father in this re&s;pect, for as there was a time when Chri&s;t &s;hould have the preheminence in all things for the pro&s;ecution of his Fathers final end; &s;o now that end be|ing attained, and time &s;hal be no more. Now God mu&s;t have the preheminency to all eter|uity.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="13" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="87" REF="49">
<HEAD>CHAP. XIII. <HI>In which is proved, how God ordained and executed his final end upon all the Angels to their final ends for ever, according to their works, &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IN the pro&s;ecution of this Point, I will briefly touch the&s;e &s;ix particulars, Fir&s;t, That &s;ome of them God elected; &s;econdly, That &s;ome of them he rejected; Thirdly lay down the ground of that rejection; Fourthly, That they tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed Gods Law; Fifthly, lay down what that Law was; Sixthly, I will lay down the ground why God elected the other Angels, and to what they were elected more then they had together with the re&s;t before any fel; of the&s;e in their order.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The Text affirms that &s;ome of them are elected,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 5.21.</NOTE> as appears by Pauls charging Timothy before the Elect Angels: therefore &s;ome of them are elected.</P>
<P>Secondly, The others were rejected from the good that the other were elected to, to an evil equivolent contrarily; for the Text affirms, That God ca&s;t them down to hel, that is, when the re&s;t remained in heaven, and delivered them, &s;aith the Text, into Chains of darkne&s;s to be re&s;erved un|to judgement; and Iude &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iud. v. 6.</NOTE> God hath re&s;erved them in an everla&s;ting Chain under darkne&s;s unto the judgement of the great day; and our Lord &s;aith, For them is prepared everla&s;ting fire, there|fore the&s;e Angels &s;tand rejected by God for ever from the &s;aid good, to the contrary evil.</P>
<PB N="88" REF="50">
<P>Thirdly, The ground of that rejection is nam|ed in the fore-cited Texts; namely, &s;in; for the Text &s;aith, God &s;pared not the Angels that &s;in|ned; al&s;o Iude &s;aith, tho&s;e Angels kept not their fir&s;t e&s;tate, but left their own habitation; and our Lord points out the &s;ame: For when he had &s;aid the Devil was a murtherer from the beginning, he al&s;o &s;aith, and abode not in the truth; there|fore the ground of their rejection was &s;in.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8.44.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fourthly, if they &s;inned, as we &s;ee it is proved, this mu&s;t needs follow,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ep. Joh. 3, 4. Rom. 5, 13.</NOTE> a law they had, which they tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed; For, as &s;aith the Text, &s;in is not imputed where there is no Law: and our Lord him&s;elf implyes, They &s;tood bound by a Law to wor&s;hip God their maker as they are his crreatures; therefore &s;aid he to the Devil, It is written, Thou &s;halt not tempt the Lord thy God, and him only &s;halt thou &s;erve; and therefore a Law they had, for it is propper to God only to be without Law,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 4.8.</NOTE> who is without limits in his e&s;|&s;ence, and therefore &s;o in his operations.</P>
<P>Fifthly, in a word, the Law they had and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, was no more but this, namely, The Law of Nature, that is, their nature and exi&s;ten|cy which they had received from their maker, bound them, and by an innate principle called upon them by their operations in flames of bur|ning love in all their &s;trength to wor&s;hip and &s;erve him, &s;o to return him the &s;ole glory of all that they had received from him; for from this ground our Lord alleadged the &s;ame Law that God gave to man again&s;t them, becau&s;e they were his creatures, a&s;well as man, &s;aying, It is
<PB N="89" REF="50">written, Thou &s;halt wor&s;hip the Lord thy God, and him only &s;halt thou &s;erve; and we all know Gods Law written in mans heart, and in Gods Law, is one and the &s;ame thing in kind, yet with this difference in man imperfect, otherwi&s;e man could not do the things by nature contained in the Law, having not the Law, as before is proved.</P>
<P>Sixthly, The ground why, and to what God elected them that &s;tood, to more then what they had together with the re&s;t, before they fell, was this:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 4.18.</NOTE> Before the fall they were all alike un&s;table in that e&s;tate, according to that in Iob, he found not &s;teadfa&s;tne&s;s in his Angels; the rea&s;on is be|cau&s;e of the contingent events that might ari&s;e to them all, being included in the natural liberty of their will, from whence they all alike might re|fu&s;e or chu&s;e to give their maker his glory due unto him, or might chu&s;e or refu&s;e to a&s;&s;ume his glory unto them&s;elves, becau&s;e the natural liber|ty of the will in Men and Angels, con&s;i&s;ts in this as is &s;aid, namely, to chu&s;e or refu&s;e all objects, as it likes, or as it likes them not: therefore their e&s;tate &s;tood all alike contingent for the future to &s;tand in it, or to fall from it: Therefore becau&s;e the&s;e Angels did voluntarily refu&s;e to a&s;&s;ume Gods glory to them&s;elves, and did chu&s;e to ren|der the &s;ole glory of all they had, to him in all their &s;trength; therefore this was the ground why God elected them, for as certainly as God rejected the others for rejecting his glory due unto him, as is proved, &s;o certainly he elected the&s;e Angels to an e&s;tabli&s;hment in their choice, namely, &s;o to render him glory to eternity, as a
<PB N="90" REF="51">reward of their labour of love; con&s;equently to be ble&s;&s;ed to eternity, becau&s;e they might re|fu&s;e &s;o to do, as did the others: Thus God did render to all the Angels according to their works, good or bad, &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour, and &s;o accompli&s;hed his final end on them all to eternity.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e this final execution hath thus pa&s;|&s;ed upon them all, it follows, That as the rejected Angels can never will to render glory to God, as once they might before they abu&s;ed it, becau&s;e by the ju&s;tice of that execution, God doth deny them any influence or efflux from him to them, to convey or continue any good in them more then to be, that they may eternally be, to be eternally mi&s;erable; &s;o on the contrary by the &s;ame exe|cution there flows a continual influence from God to the elect Angels, to keep and &s;upport them in the &s;aid choice, to render him his &s;ole glory to eternity, which indeed is their ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s for ever: for the &s;ervice of God is perfect freedom to men and Angels.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Objection."> If the workings of men and Angels be a mo|ving cau&s;e to God thus to reject or elect them, then the moving cau&s;e is not in or from God him&s;elf, but from cau&s;es extrin&s;ical, which cannot be.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, it is true, and &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, be|cau&s;e he was moved to work all things, not ac|cording to their works, but after the councel of his own will, as he purpo&s;ed in him&s;elf, that is, to propound this his final end, and all the means &s;uitable to accompli&s;h it, from whence i&s;&s;ued
<PB N="91" REF="51">forth the Creation of men and Angels in their natural liberty of their will; that &s;o the events of the operations of men and Angels might be con|tingent, that from thence might ari&s;e their works, good and bad, and accordingly to be elected or rejected, &s;ome to honour, &s;ome to di&s;honour; therefore the moving cau&s;e was and is in God him&s;elf, to carry on and accompli&s;h his final end by his own means, as is de&s;cribed. Hence we may inform our &s;elves aright of two things.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="U&s;e."> Fir&s;t, What it is that is Gods great decree upon which all things depend, in which he is ir|revocably unchangeable, that is, in that he de|creed this final end, and all the &s;aid means to ac|compli&s;h it; for we &s;ee for this end he created the Heavens and the Earth with all therein, and both in relation to men and Angels: and to carry on this end, we &s;ee he elected and ordain|ed the &s;eed of the woman, Chri&s;t the Lord, the &s;econd Adam; the &s;eventh means to carry on this final end.</P>
<P>Secondly; We may hence inform our &s;elves that God made not the heaven of heavens for Angels &s;akes, although it be their own habitati|on, nor this world for mans &s;ake, although it be with all therein related to mans u&s;e and good; I &s;ay he made it not for mans &s;ake, but all for his own names &s;ake, in reference to his final end; and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, for we &s;ee it prov'd, he re|&s;pects no mans per&s;on more then another in pur|&s;uance of this his final end, be they men without the Church, or be they men within the Church,
<PB N="92" REF="52">Saints by calling, or Saints indeed; and in truth &s;uch, if they abide not &s;o, are by God judged im|partially, &s;ome to honor, and &s;ome to di&s;honor, as are all &s;orts of men, for he made all for him|&s;elf, yea the wicked for the day of evil; where|fore God is mo&s;t righteous in all this, not only becau&s;e he wils it, but al&s;o becau&s;e he wils it thus to men and Angels, by the &s;aid &s;uitable rules, and not according to the forementioned mi&s;take of many reverend, learned, and godly men.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> How can that be a ju&s;t act in God to puni&s;h a finite creature for works that are but tempora|ry, done in a &s;mall time, with a revokable puni&s;h|ment to eternity.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;wer, Puni&s;hments with us men re&s;pect not time, but according to the nature and degree of the fact; for we by our Laws take away this life which now men have, for facts done in a &s;hort time, and that life &s;o taken away, is lo&s;t to them, as now it is to eternity, and yet we judge this fact a ju&s;t puni&s;hment, if for theft or murder, or the like, then much more is the righteous ad|mini&s;tration of God to proceed thus with men and Angels; but as for that fact of Angels, it was mo&s;t tran&s;cendent, Fir&s;t becau&s;e they volun|tarily left their fir&s;t e&s;tate, as not liking it; and the rea&s;on why they &s;o did, is in the Text, that is, They were puffed up, that was to be above what God had made them, althoughed the high|e&s;t created nature, and &s;o next to the uncreate and unmea&s;urable e&s;&s;ence of God, therefore they being puffed up, their &s;in was, they would have been he, becau&s;e between him and them there
<PB N="93" REF="52">was no middle thing; therefore becau&s;e they would have been eternity it &s;elf, eternity in pu|ni&s;hment is their ju&s;t reward.</P>
<P>Again I an&s;wer, If the ca&s;e of men and Angels in the Point of Eternal Reprobation had been this,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 18. from v. 1. to 10.</NOTE> that not mans unde&s;ervings had been the cau&s;e of reprobation, but only the will of God to reprobate without re&s;pect to their &s;ins,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. 65. to the la&s;t clau&s;e, and from p. 71. to p. 77.</NOTE> there had been &s;ome ground for this objection; but be|cau&s;e God thus proceeds, as is &s;aid, only accor|ding to their works to the &s;aid &s;uitable rules; therefore it is mo&s;t ju&s;t and righteous: But as for the afore&s;aid mi&s;take of Reverend Divines, being grounded principally upon the ninth to the Romans; therefore I refer the Reader to the Ex|po&s;ition of the ninth to the Romans in my fore|mentioned Treati&s;e, to the pages in the margent.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> God made men and Angels in the natural li|berty of their will, purpo&s;ly that they might be ve&s;&s;els of honour or di&s;honour for ever, and did know before they were, which of them, and how many &s;hould be in mi&s;ery to eternity, there|fore he then will'd it as now it is; and was not this a mo&s;t heavy de&s;tiny of God upon them; and who hath re&s;i&s;ted his will.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;wer, true it is, in his &s;aid final end, and all means to accompli&s;h it, as is proved, he is un|changeable, irrevocable, and unre&s;i&s;table by men and Angels, that is, in tho&s;e habilitles and in|dowments they received of him, if they work to him, according to the &s;uitable rules to them, they &s;hall infallibly be ve&s;&s;els of honour to eter|nity, and this he will never revoke; and al&s;o to
<PB N="94" REF="53">tho&s;e men and Angels which in tho&s;e endow|ments they have received from him, and work contrary to him in his Rule made &s;uitable to them, as is de&s;cribed, he will make them ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honour to eternity irrevocable, and &s;o none hath re&s;i&s;ted his will: Therefore let all men &s;ubmit to his will, if they will not peri&s;h by fol|lowing their own will.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> Again I an&s;wer, I an&s;wer, There was a time and means in which, and by which all men and Angels which are now under eternal mi&s;ery, might in that time, and by that means, have been ve&s;&s;els of honour for ever, in which time, and during which means, God would rather, had it been &s;o as it re&s;pected them, as is proved; but now as it re&s;pects God him&s;elf, he likes it well as now it is, becau&s;e they did as they did when they might have been o|therwi&s;e, as is proved; therefore although in one re&s;pect they could not re&s;i&s;t his will, yet in the other re&s;pect they might have been otherwi&s;e then now they are, and that with his will, as now they are in torments according to his will; and although it be true that God made men and An|gels in the natural liberty of their will, purpo&s;ly that they might be either; yet by him nece&s;&s;ita|ted to neither: therfore the de&s;truction of men and Angels that peri&s;h, is of them&s;elves, although he in his unmea&s;urable perfections did know the per|&s;ons, and number of them that would peri&s;h, all things being naked unto him, as is proved; there|fore a mo&s;t ju&s;t admini&s;tration in God to men and Angels.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> Again I an&s;wer, There is couched in this Ob|jection, the &s;eed of the old Serpent, that is, that
<PB N="95" REF="53">Gods will might be &s;ubordinate to our will and lu&s;ts, and whats that? but he mu&s;t for&s;ooth make men and Angels, not for his own &s;ake and glory, but for their &s;akes and glory; and what is that, but to be God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.13. Luk. 4.29. Mar. 4.39. Mar. 6.49. Job 38.12, 13. 2 King. 20.11. Mat. 15.13.</NOTE> which is the fancy of our Famili&s;ts, as well as their father the Devil, being puft up, his Will, will they do, by fancying a Deity in them&s;elves, calling them&s;elves Chri&s;t, and the like, which if they be, why do they not as he did; When the Jews led him to the edg of the Hill on which the City was built, to de&s;troy him, he pa&s;&s;ed away from them, and could not be detained of them; but &s;o did not one of tho&s;e Famili&s;ts, although he &s;trived with them that carried him to pri&s;on, for his fancy was of no force, for to pri&s;on he was carried: and if they be Chri&s;t, why do they not walk upon the wa|ters, and command the &s;eas and winds that they may obey them, as did Chri&s;t; or if they be God, why doe they not cau&s;e the light to take hold of the corners of the earth every morning, and cau&s;e the Sun to go back &s;o many degrees, as plea&s;eth them; and if they be God, why do they not &s;hake the wicked out of the corners of the earth; and then they &s;hal &s;hake out them&s;elvs, and &s;o the world &s;hal be well rid of them: But however, that which our Lord &s;aith, &s;hal &s;tand firm, Let them alone, every plant which my Fa|ther hath not planted, &s;hal be plucked up by the roots, which will be &s;oon enough to their eternal woe, if they return not by tho&s;e means which God hath put into their hands by the &s;aid a&s;&s;i|&s;tance of Chri&s;ts Spirit to receive his &s;aid gift of eternal life obtained by him&s;elf.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="14" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="96" REF="54">
<HEAD>CHAP. XIV. <HI>Containing &s;ome u&s;efull Ob&s;ervations and An&s;wers to Que&s;tions for further clearing the precedent Premi&s;&s;es.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ANd whereas it appears from proof, that God hath pa&s;&s;ed upon man a fivefold Ele|ction and Rejection in pro&s;ecution of his final end in re&s;pect to their eternal e&s;tate.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t being out of the faln Ma&s;s; from be|ing one with Devils into the &s;aid po&s;ture.</P>
<P>The &s;econd being a continued act of the for|mer by electing and rejecting two Nations, the one to be Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church, the other not, being but vertually in the loynes of two babes, their being but individually in their mothers womb unborn.</P>
<P>A third being when God electeth and rejecteth men which by their acquired habits in &s;in, are both alike dead in relation to Chri&s;t, for then we &s;ee he chu&s;eth to inliven the minds of &s;ome, and denies it to the others, as he did to us Gen|tiles, and denied it to the Jews at that time.</P>
<P>A fourth election and rejection being that exe|cution of Chri&s;t by the vi&s;ible Churches on earth, chu&s;ing or receiving into the Churches men which according to the judgement of charity are believers, and rejecting or refu&s;ing men which cannot be judged in charity to be believers, for in this ca&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.3.14.</NOTE> although many are called by the Go&s;pel, yet few are cho&s;en, becau&s;e few believe.</P>
<P>A fift being the con&s;ummation of the precedent elections and rejections in the final execution of
<PB N="97" REF="54">his &s;aid end at the day of judgement, by making all men ve&s;&s;els of honour or di&s;honour to eterni|ty, according to their works, good or bad; and as for any other elections or rejections upon man in relation to their final e&s;tate to eternity, the Scri|pture &s;peaks it not.</P>
<P>And from the Premi&s;&s;es thus proved, it appears there is no per&s;onal election of any man from Gods fore&s;ight of their faith or works, nor any per&s;onal election or rejection, meerly per&s;onal without re&s;pect to works, good or evil, but on|ly after the councel of his own will, as he purpo&s;|ed in him&s;elf, that is, to fini&s;h his &s;aid final end by tho&s;e &s;even means formerly proved, under which fals in the fivefold elections and rejections, and none other.</P>
<P>But if it be objected, If there be not an election per&s;onal in any of the twofold re&s;pects, then by rea&s;on of the natural liberty of mans will, Gods glory of his grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t to eternity, &s;tands contingent, may fail and fall, and come to nothing.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, and deny that the &s;tre&s;s and weight of the glory of Gods grace in Chri&s;t any way de|pends upon the natural liberty of mans will, but the &s;tre&s;s and weight thereof relies upon an infal|lible means, namely, the fore&s;aid &s;eventh means, It &s;hal brui&s;e thy head, that is, infallibly; and from this ground this &s;eventh means was by the depth of Gods wi&s;dom compo&s;ed, per&s;onally God-Man; and therefore the &s;tre&s;s of Gods glo|ry by Chri&s;t, depended not upon the natural li|berty of Chri&s;ts humane will, but upon his per&s;o|nal
<PB N="98" REF="55">operations; and accordingly in that per&s;on the falne humane nature of man, a&s;cended the hea|venly glory above the Angels; and &s;o the Apo|&s;tate Angels chief de&s;igne in the &s;aid branch was de&s;troyed, if no more of the falne nature of man had a&s;cended the Angels glory</P>
<P>Secondly, I an&s;wer, The &s;tre&s;s and weight there|of depends not upon the natural liberty of mans will, becau&s;e &s;o much of the falne nature of man which departs this life in infancy, or the like, a|&s;cends the heavenly glory al&s;o, notwith&s;tanding the &s;eed of original &s;in that is in them, becau&s;e the imputation of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s upon the world, did interpo&s;e the imputation of Adams unrighteou&s;ne&s;s upon the world, and &s;o is the Lamb of God which taketh away the &s;ins of the world, as is proved.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I an&s;wer, the &s;tre&s;s and weight of the glory of Gods grace in Chri&s;t in man, having the u&s;e of his under&s;tanding, dependeth not upon the natural liberty of his will; but the &s;tre&s;s there|of dependeth upon the Spirit of Chri&s;t, &s;triving with mans &s;pirit in the Go&s;pel; for if tho&s;e men peri&s;h by the abu&s;e of the natural liberty of their wils, quenching and re&s;i&s;ting this Spirit, &s;o &s;tri|ving that they put away this eternal life, yet ne|verthele&s;s God has the glory of his grace in Chri&s;t in their de&s;truction, becau&s;e no man &s;ince the fall is condemned by a Law of works pro|perly &s;uch, but by the ju&s;tice of the Law of grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, namely, the Go&s;pel Tenor, or Rule of mercy and ju&s;tice, as before is proved: From this ground the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel are the &s;weet &s;avour unto God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t in them that peri&s;h.</P>
<PB N="99" REF="55">
<P>Fourthly, I an&s;wer, The glory of Gods grace depends not upon the natural liberty of mans will, but upon the univer&s;al favour of God to man in Chri&s;t; for had tho&s;e that are peri&s;hed been faithfull in the &s;aid little which he in Chri&s;t hath given them, then he would have given them more and more, even to his gift of faith rightly to receive Chri&s;t; and in that faith have given them three degrees, that is, from babes to young men, and Fathers in Chri&s;t; and in the la&s;t de|gree, he would have confirmed them in that uni|on and communion with him&s;elf by Chri&s;t; that nothing &s;hould be able to &s;eparate them from him, nor him from them, in that ble&s;&s;ed union and communion: And becau&s;e God was thus real towards them, the glory of his grace re|dounds eternally to his prai&s;e; for it mu&s;t fol|low, that their de&s;truction is of them&s;elves, there|fore the glory of Gods grace &s;tands &s;table to e|ternity in Chri&s;t, notwith&s;tanding the liberty of mans will, and its contingent events.</P>
<P>And for conclu&s;ion, take the&s;e following Ob|&s;ervations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In regard God created the natural li|berty of mans will, purpo&s;ly to be one means to his &s;aid final end, that from the contingency of its events, mens works might be good or bad, &s;o to be rendred ve&s;&s;els of honour or di&s;honour to eternity; therefore that opinion of both tho&s;e per&s;onal elections, and that of per&s;onal rejection falling point-blank to cro&s;s this means, or to make it of no u&s;e, mu&s;t needs be a great mi&s;take.</P>
<P>Secondly, hence ob&s;erve, That although the
<PB N="100" REF="56">Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;trives, as is &s;aid, with the &s;pi|rits of all men in all places of the world, that it taketh up his dwelling place only in the heart or &s;pirit of man when he is a right believer, and not before.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> If it is demanded, What the Scripture means by the dwelling of Chri&s;ts Spirit in the hearts of believers, and in none el&s;e?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, Although the infinite E&s;&s;ence of God is not contained in the heaven of hea|vens, that he was plea&s;ed for a time to take up his dwelling place only in the Temple in Jeru&s;a+lem, and in no place el&s;e in all the world, even &s;o he was plea&s;ed to take up his dwelling place in the Humane Nature bodily, in the per&s;on of Chri&s;t, and &s;o in no humane nature be&s;ides; of this the &s;aid Temple was a figure; wherefore he &s;aid to the Iews, De&s;troy this Temple, and I will rai&s;e it, and &s;o forth.</P>
<P>Secondly, I an&s;wer, This Temple al&s;o was a figure that God would take up his dwelling place in the hearts of true believers only; and in a word, this dwelling in the Temple, and in Chri&s;t him&s;elf, and in the hearts of his members, is no more but this, his abiding re&s;idence in a mani|fe&s;tation of him&s;elf in a peculiar pre&s;ence of his love and favour, as in the Temple more then in any peculiar place in all the world, and mo&s;t e|minently in Chri&s;ts humane body, more then in any created nature, as is proved, and his dwelling in the hearts of believers, is a &s;ecret and &s;ilent manife&s;tation of him&s;elf to their minds, and is &s;o re&s;trained to them, as it
<PB N="101" REF="56">once was to the Temple at Jeru&s;alem, and there|fore the Text &s;ays to believers, if they de&s;troy this Temple in them&s;elves, God will de&s;troy them.</P>
<P>Again, Ob&s;erve that Gods dwelling place as per&s;onally con&s;idered, is only in the humane Na|ture of Chri&s;t; therefore Chri&s;t alone is per&s;on|ally Gods Elect for this end: &s;o to be the &s;aid &s;e|venth means, therefore to affirm that any part of humane Nature, be&s;ides that in his per&s;on, is per|&s;onally Gods Elect to eternal life, is a great mi|&s;take.</P>
<P>The Rea&s;on why God thus dwells in the hearts of no men el&s;e in al the world, is this; becau&s;e they are Regenerated only, and their belief or faith the principal part thereof, is that, by which Chri&s;t dwelleth in their hearts, as &s;aith the Text, Chri&s;t dwells in our hearts by faith, &s;o that the truly &s;anctifyed mind is Chri&s;ts only habitation of all mankinde.</P>
<P>A Second Rea&s;on why Chri&s;t thus dwells on|ly in the hearts of Believers by Faith, is this; becau&s;e where this Sanctification or Holine&s;s is not, there is no proper place for him to manife&s;t him&s;elf there, as is &s;aid; for all men el&s;e that are, by being faithful in their little, are but coming towards Chri&s;t or God, by the &s;aid &s;triving of his Spirit; that &s;o, he might give them Faith, but yet having it not, there is no dwelling place for him, and for all &s;orts of men in the world be|&s;ides, they are dead in &s;ins, and in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es, their Light being turned into Darkne&s;s; and there|fore the children of the Devil, and then what fel|low&s;hip hath Chri&s;t with Belial?</P>
<PB N="102" REF="57">
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;tion."> If Chri&s;t by his Spirit thus &s;trives with the &s;pirits of all men, not only as by his Prophets and Mini&s;ters, but al&s;o in the days of his fle&s;h per&s;onally by him&s;elf: Why do &s;o few men be|lieve rightly, as to receive Gods gift of Eternal Life, and be &s;aved?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> Becau&s;e men do &s;o follow this life of &s;en&s;e, &s;utable to the body, and in their Under&s;tanding, do wink to follow their Lu&s;ts, and will not &s;ee nor under&s;tand that which they do by the Do|ctrine of Chri&s;t, truth &s;hining to them either by the Creation, or the &s;acred Oracles in which Chri&s;ts Spirit &s;o &s;trives with their &s;pirits. And therefore becau&s;e they are not faithful in their lit|tle they precedently had received, whereby they might in &s;ome degree have been brought to|wards that Right Faith, and received Gods gift thereof, and al&s;o the &s;aid gift of life by it, is that &s;o few are &s;aved. For from this ground it was that Chri&s;t could not do no great works among&s;t them to whom he preached in his own per&s;on, and &s;o by a demon&s;trative force &s;trengthning the &s;triving of his &s;pirit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 6.5, 6.</NOTE> by his Doctrine upon their &s;pirits. For the Text implies, it was becau&s;e of their unbelief; that is, of what they might have believed from that light which formerly they had received, as we &s;ee proved by tho&s;e heathens which had not the Oracles of God, yet being faithful in their little, by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of Chri&s;ts Spirit &s;triving with their &s;pirits, were brought to Circumci&s;ion of the heart, which as &s;aith the Text, is by Nature, and were &s;aved, as is pro|ved.</P>
<PB N="103" REF="57">
<P>The ground why Chri&s;ts Spirit can do no great works to &s;uch men as is &s;aid is this, he will not cro&s;s the orderly means to his fathers final end, namely not to force the Will of man, for then the nature of the Will is de&s;troyed, con&s;e|quently the Rea&s;onable Soul annihilated, which mu&s;t not be in re&s;pect of Gods final end, for &s;o God &s;hould de&s;troy that means purpo&s;ely made by him&s;elf, that man might be made to ho|nor or di&s;honor, as is proved, and therefore No|ah by the &s;pirit of prophe&s;ie in his prayer to God concerning the Calling of the Gentiles into the &s;aid po&s;ture, doth rightly point at the manner of Chri&s;ts Spirit &s;triving with mans &s;pirit, &s;aying, God per&s;wade Iaphet to dwell in the Tents of Shem, that is not only by a moral per&s;wa&s;ion in the voice of the Go&s;pel, but al&s;o by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, the rectitude of the Under&s;tanding and the Will rightly to operate, to receive the &s;aid gift of Chri&s;ts Righteou&s;ne&s;s and life in it, and thus always God proceeds with the &s;pirits of men ordinarily in all the world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.20.</NOTE> except in ca&s;e of Re&s;tauration of the World from one univer&s;al A|po&s;tacy, then as is proved,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2.17.</NOTE> God is found of them that &s;ought him not, as in the Call of the Gen|tiles, and pouring out the imbreathing of his Spirit, as it were compelling the Gentiles into the &s;aid po&s;ture by a more cleerer manife&s;tation to their minds in the Go&s;pel being unvailed then ever the Iews had, but &s;till this mu&s;t be remem|bred, that this extraordinary Cau&s;e is in pro&s;ecu|tion of his final end, again&s;t the Apo&s;tate An|gels de&s;ign again&s;t the &s;aid particular Branch
<PB N="104" REF="58">and therefore not for mans &s;ake, but for his own Names &s;ake; for to this end, he gives to &s;ome a greater emminency of Gifts and Graces throughout all Ages and Generations of men as to Mo&s;es, Abraham, Daniel, and David, and the &s;eventy Di&s;ciples, and the Apo&s;tles, and &s;o forth; but in an ordinary cour&s;e God proceeds with men to give them more Faith, and &s;o of every Grace according as they are faithful in their lit|tle, and not otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob&s;er."> You put &s;o much &s;tre&s;s upon the u&s;e of mans Natural faculties in reference to his operations to that Rule which you call &s;uitable to all men, yet the Scriptures lead us another way: name|ly, that mans happine&s;s is from a more immedi|ate thing without all this ado.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> What thing is that? </P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> The Text affirms, when God had made the body of man of earth a livele&s;s Trunck, he then breathed into his face or no&s;trils the breath of life; that is, God breathed into that body his own E&s;&s;ence or Nature, and &s;o man became one &s;pirit with God, partaker of his divine Nature, as &s;aith the Text. Therefore here is no u&s;e of all tho&s;e natural faculties, nor mans operations to a Rule to receive Eternal Life, as given by God in Chri&s;ts imputed Righteou&s;ne&s;s: For God him&s;elf is Eternal Life, which is Chri&s;t in us, the hope of Glory, as &s;aith the Text, and this Life of God, or God in Chri&s;t in us, in its own Nature is above all Ordinances; wher|fore
<PB N="105" REF="58">to &s;peak truth, all Rules and Operations, and Ordinances to us are u&s;ele&s;s and void.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Reply."> We will examine all tho&s;e Texts you alleadge and fir&s;t that in Gene&s;is, the Metaphor being ta|ken from breathing &s;poken of by Mo&s;es, is ta|ken from Creatures, that live by breathing, as man, or bea&s;t, or the like; and although there be a neer relation between their breath and their Nature; yet they are two di&s;tinct things; that is, their breath, or breathing is one thing, and the E&s;&s;ence or &s;ub&s;tance of their bodies in ano|ther thing &s;till di&s;tinct, although never totally &s;e|parated but by death; &s;o in this cau&s;e the divine E&s;&s;ence or Nature of God is one thing, and that Virtue that he was plea&s;ed to put forth to give being to the Rea&s;onable Soul of a man, are e|ver di&s;tinct. As for Example, The Nature of God in the per&s;on of Chri&s;t breathed upon the Apo&s;tles, and indued them with an Apo&s;tolical &s;pirit; that is, in the Rectitude of their Under|&s;tandings in Divine light, and their Wills in pure affections in love to his Glory in the Con|ver&s;ion of the World by the Go&s;pel; yet &s;till that virtue in its Effects in them was one thing, and his Divine Nature or E&s;&s;ence in him&s;elf was another thing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.30.</NOTE> &s;o likewi&s;e from the &s;ame di|vine E&s;&s;ence there went virtue to the woman of a bloody I&s;&s;ue, for the Text &s;aith, He knew there was virtue gone from him, and it gave her health, and her Nature was not the Divine Na|ture of God; &s;o likewi&s;e in the &s;hadow of the
<PB N="106" REF="59">Apo&s;tles bodies God was plea&s;ed to put forth him&s;elf by vertue flowing from him&s;elf to the cure of many di&s;ea&s;ed people as they went in the &s;treets; yet the peoples bodies that were cured, and the &s;hadow of the Apo&s;tles bodies, and the virtue that flowed from God, and Gods own E&s;&s;ence were all di&s;tinct things in their &s;eve|ral Natures and Kindes; even &s;o, when God gave being to the Rea&s;onable Soul, by breath|ing into mans No&s;trils, the breath of lives his own Divine Nature,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2.7.</NOTE> and that Creative power, another thing by which he was plea&s;ed to put forth to the production of mans Rea&s;onable Soul, and as formerly is proved; the E&s;&s;ence of God is one thing; and that Radical virtue or po|tency is another thing in its Effects; &s;o when he was plea&s;ed to reduce that virtue and poten|cy to act creatively, that was another thing; from which thing it is, that the Creature is the Off-&s;pring of God, from whom it &s;prang, and in whom it continually is, and cannot be other|wi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17.18.</NOTE> he being Infinite: In him we live, move, and have our being; but for the manner how we live; move, and have our being; is known to God alone, and not perceived by us; but becau&s;e Gods Word hath &s;aid it, we mu&s;t be|lieve it.</P>
<P>Again,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.17.</NOTE> for the next Text, that Believers are one &s;pirit with the Lord: The Text refers it onely to Believers, and not to all man kinde; as the drift of your opinion point at: for the
<PB N="107" REF="59">words are the&s;e, But he that is joyned or clea|veth to the Lord is one &s;pirit with him, and is appo&s;ed to tho&s;e that did joyn or cleave in their minds, as well as with their bodies to Harlots, yet the&s;e men and women were not one &s;pirit E&s;&s;enti|ally, but Individually &s;till they were twain, &s;o on the contrary, true Blievers are of one &s;pirit in pure Affections, cleaving to God and Chri&s;t; yet neverthele&s;s the Divine E&s;&s;ence of God is one thing, and &s;till their bodies and &s;ouls are two di&s;tinct Natures, &s;o the &s;cope of this Text is directly again&s;t your opinion.</P>
<P>Again, for the next Text, in regard it refers Believers to Gods precious Promi&s;es, and Faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.4, 5.</NOTE> and Love, and Virtue, and Knowledge, to flee the Corruptions that are in the World through Lu&s;ts, and that by the&s;e they are partakers of the Divine Nature, they all imploy the u&s;e of their operations, as flowing from their Natu|ral Faculties to the &s;aid &s;utable Rule, by the a&s;&s;i|&s;tance of the Spirit of Chri&s;t; therefore the &s;cope of this Text al&s;o, is again&s;t your Opi|nion.</P>
<P>Again, the other Texts, Chri&s;t in you the hope of Glory, the drift of it is no more but this,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 1.23, 27.</NOTE> That Chri&s;t dwells in Believers hearts by Faith and Love, from whence they live in hope of a full fruition and glory with him for ever in the next Life. But as for your bla&s;peamous Error, If you be the Divine Nature E&s;&s;entially,
<PB N="108" REF="60">it fully injoys it &s;elf infinitely; therefore your Error is Contrary to the Nature of Hope, therefore the drift of this Text is al&s;o again&s;t you.</P>
<P>Again, Whereas you alleadge the Texts of Scripture, and the like, it is onely an Introducti|on to draw mens minds from believing the &s;a|cred Scriptures to be Gods Word, to believe that the onely true Scriptures is the Divine E&s;|&s;ence, e&s;&s;entially in them&s;elves, and &s;o to be|lieve a lye; for what man can believe that is in his right minde, that him&s;elf is God or Chri&s;t; and yet cannot walk upon the Sea as Chri&s;t did: nor deliver him&s;elf out of the hand of his enemies, and not render him&s;elf into their hands till he plea&s;ed, as did the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t when his hour was come, nor cau&s;e the Sun to go back &s;o many degrees as plea&s;eth them&s;elves as God did.</P>
<P>Again, for Conclu&s;ion take this one Ob&s;er|vation more from the precedent premi&s;es:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 17.10, 11, 12, 13.</NOTE> Namely, that there is a threefold ground why God made a Law that Infants as &s;uch, &s;hould be members of Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church, and &s;o under the u&s;e of Ordinances in the Church.</P>
<PB N="109" REF="60">
<P>The fir&s;t is this, becau&s;e the whole Humane Na|ture, as &s;uch God Elected in the per&s;on of Chri&s;t the &s;eed of the Woman in the faln Ma&s;s out of that fall into a capacity of the &s;aid po&s;ture in which they might if they lived to the u&s;e of Rea|&s;on by belief, receive in the gift of Righteou&s;|ne&s;s Eternal Life as is proved, and this Electi|on is the fir&s;t ground of their right to be Mem|bers of Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church, and &s;o the fir&s;t ground why God gave that Law, Hence it is that Chri&s;t &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 19.14.</NOTE> &s;uffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for of &s;uch is the Kingdom of heaven.</P>
<P>A Second Ground is this, If the whole cre|ation have a right of relation to Chri&s;t by Vir|tue of his Righteou&s;ne&s;s imputed, as interpo|&s;ing the unrighteou&s;ne&s;s of Adams imputed, and by it travels untill now, as is proved. Then much more hath Humane Nature as &s;uch a right of relation to be Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church, and this was the &s;econd ground of that Law why Infants &s;hould be members, the which Law was never repealed.</P>
<P>A third Ground was this, Becau&s;e as is pro|ved, all mankinde dying in Infancy or the like, a&s;cended to Heaven, and there are Mem|bers of the Church Triumphant, therefore much more have they a right to the Church Militant, and all Churches and Ordinances here upon Earth, the which right can never
<PB N="110" REF="61">be lo&s;t, except they live to be able to act unbelieving Operations, and &s;o put away their right, as did E&s;aw, judging them|&s;elves unworthy of Eternal Life, and this is a third Ground of that Law, whereby In|fants are in&s;tituted Members of the Vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t.</P>
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