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<DATE>2014-03-13</DATE>
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<NAME>Brian Matzge</NAME>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B23939">
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A Scriptural and Rational ACCOUNT OF THE Chri&s;tian RELIGION; PARTICULARLY, Concerning Ju&s;tification only by the Propitiation and Redemption of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>By Sir <HI>EDWARD HARLEY.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Rom. 5.1, 2.</HI></BIBL> Therefore being ju&s;tified by Faith, we have Peace with God through our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. By whom al&s;o we have Acce&s;s by Faith into this Grace wherein we &s;tand, and rejoice in hope of the Glory of God.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;al. 14.1, 2.</HI></BIBL> The Fool hath &s;aid in his Heart, There is no God: they are corrupt, they have done abominable Works, there is none that doth good. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the Children of Men; to &s;ee if there were any that did under&s;tand, and &s;eek God.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Deut. 32.6.</HI></BIBL> Do ye thus requite the Lord, O fooli&s;h and unwi&s;e? Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee? Hath he not made thee, and e&s;tabli&s;hed thee?</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>J. Luntley,</HI> at the Pe&s;tle and Mortar in <HI>Chancery-lane.</HI> 1695.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="iii" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE PREFACE.</HEAD>
<P>IT was the u&s;ual Saying of an excellent Per&s;on, <HI>That va|riety of Books [tho upon the &s;ame Subject] concerning the Principles of Religion was very advantagious, that every one might be furni&s;hed with a Weapon fitted to his Hand.</HI> For <HI>as in Water Face an&s;wer|eth to Face;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 27.19.</NOTE> &s;o the Heart of Man to Man:</HI> As in general, &s;o in particular re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Therefore it may be hoped that in the peru&s;ing of the following Di&s;cour&s;e; &s;ome al&s;o may be
<PB N="iv" REF="3">gratified with the Agreeablene&s;s of a plain Repre&s;entation of &s;o great a Truth. An Intere&s;t in Re|demption by the Satisfaction of the Death of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is that by which every Chri&s;tian mu&s;t &s;tand or <HI>fall</HI> before the dreadful Tribunal of the Ju&s;tice of God. Accordingly the Principle of Ju|&s;tification by the Sufferings, Death, Re&s;urrection, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is the Article of Faith by which every Church mu&s;t &s;tand or <HI>fall;</HI> It being the <HI>Pillar</HI> and Ground of <HI>Truth,</HI> the Rock upon which our Lord hath built his Church, again&s;t which the Gates of Hell cannot prevail. This is the Rock upon which the Reformed Churches were recovered from An|tichri&s;tian Apo&s;tacy.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4.11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>For other Foundation can no Man lay
<PB N="v" REF="3">than that is laid, which is Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.6.</NOTE> But in&s;tead of building upon this precious Corner-Stone with precious Stones,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 4.7,</NOTE> to bring up the head-Stone with Prai&s;e to Divine Grace; many unhappily have not taken heed how they build with Wood, Hay, Stubble, Ma|terials for fewel of Contention, to make <HI>Jeru&s;alem Babylon,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 87.3.</NOTE> and defeat the glorious Things &s;poken of the City of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 62.7. P&s;al. 48.2. I&s;a. 32.17. Jam. 3.18. Rom. 5.1.</NOTE> That <HI>Je|ru&s;alem</HI> might be a Prai&s;e, and the Joy of the whole Earth: For Peace is the Fruit of Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>But this mu&s;t be for a Lamen|tation and Progno&s;tick of De&s;o|lation, if not prevented by in|finite Grace and Mercy; that after &s;o many Years Go&s;pel-Light there &s;hould be regard to fal&s;e
<PB N="vi" REF="4">Teachers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.1.</NOTE> privily bringing in dam|nable Here&s;ies, <HI>even denying the Lord that bought them.</HI> Privily indeed, pretending an In|quiry after &s;en&s;ible Ideas of &s;pi|ritual and &s;upernatural Truths <HI>of Eternal Life:</HI> Whereas they are not able to give an Idea of the Breath of Natural Life. Suborning al&s;o a Spectre of Ra|tional Demon&s;tration to determine and judg Things invi&s;ible, which can only be the Objects of Faith <HI>in the Word of God:</HI> Where|as the u&s;e of right Rea&s;on is mi|&s;erably lo&s;t and overwhelmed in the Ruins of Apo&s;tacy from God.</P>
<Q>Vanity now po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing the Mind, the Under&s;tanding being dark|ned,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.17, 18.</NOTE> and alienated from the Life of God, through the Ig|norance that is in them, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="vii" REF="4">of the Blindne&s;s and Hardne&s;s of their Hearts: Thus being pa&s;t feeling, they give them&s;elves over to La&s;ci|viou&s;ne&s;s, and to work all Uncleanne&s;s with Greedine&s;s. For the Heart is deceitful above all things, and de&s;pe|rately wicked, even in the&s;e pretended Rationali&s;ts as well as others.</Q>
<P>That this is the true State and Temper of the univer&s;ality of Mankind, is undeniably evinced, by the continual Practice and Conver&s;ation of all the World in all Ages and Countries.</P>
<P>Therefore Natural right Rea|&s;on is no where to be found di|recting the Tenor and entire Com|pa&s;s of Human Affections and Actions.</P>
<PB N="viii" REF="5">
<P>But tho&s;e baptized Epicures (as they are termed by the mo&s;t Worthy and Honourable Mr. <HI>Boyle</HI>) that &s;trut under the Name of Dei&s;ts, but are indeed Athei&s;ts, without God in the World, renouncing the Provi|dence of God, rejecting the Ju&s;tice of God, denying the Immortali|ty of the Soul, and the Future State of Rewards and Puni&s;h|ments.</P>
<P>Thus Mankind is &s;ubjected to a Ba&s;ene&s;s and Wretchedne&s;s, in|ferior to the wor&s;t of Brutes: And thereby al&s;o re&s;cinding the Bond of Security and Peace among all Human Societies and Relations, which can only con&s;i&s;t in the Fear of God. Such happy In&s;ects who de&s;ire to live apace may receive their own Idea from Mr. <HI>Cowley.</HI></P>
<PB N="ix" REF="5">
<Q><L><HI>After Death I nothing crave,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Epicure.</NOTE></L>
<L><HI>Let me alive my Plea&s;ures have.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Happy In&s;ect, happy thou,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gra&s;hopper.</NOTE></L>
<L><HI>Do&s;t neither Age nor Win|ter know;</HI></L>
<L><HI>But when thou'&s;t drunk, and danc'd, and &s;ung</HI></L>
<L><HI>Thy fill, thy flow'ry Leaves among,</HI></L>
<L><HI>(Voluptuous and wi&s;e withal Epicurean Animal)</HI></L>
<L><HI>Satiated with thy Summer's Fea&s;t,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Thou retir'&s;t to endle&s;s Re&s;t.</HI></L></Q>
<P>But this is the certain Con|viction and inevitable Doom of
<PB N="x" REF="6"><HI>&s;uch Men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9.3.</NOTE> <HI>That</HI> the Heart of the Sons of Men is full of Evil, and Madne&s;s is in their Heart while they live, and after that they go to the Dead.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.27.</NOTE> But as it is appoin|ted unto Men once to die, &s;o after this the Judgment.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<DIV2 N="11-64" TYPE="pages">
<PB N="11" REF="6">
<HEAD>A Scriptural and Ratio|nal Account of the Chri&s;tian Religion.</HEAD>
<P>THE invi&s;ible Things of God from the Creation of the World are clearly &s;een,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.20.</NOTE> being under&s;tood by the Things that are made, even his Eternal Power, and Godhead, &s;o that all Men are without <HI>Ex|cu&s;e.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.15</NOTE> <HI>Con&s;equently</HI> there is im|planted in every intellectual Mind a Con&s;cience of Good and Evil, accu&s;ing or excu&s;ing, according to the Work of the Law written in their Hearts;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 24.25.</NOTE> &s;o that there cannot but be Trembling at the Appre|hen&s;ion of Judgment to come.</P>
<P>For the Elements of a Rational Creature are dependent upon the Creator for Life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 30.20.</NOTE> (God is our Life, and the Length of our Days)
<PB N="12" REF="7">and for a Rule of Action, which can be no other than the Will of God, the only Eternal Rea&s;on of Good and Evil: Not any thing being antecedently good to the Unchangable, Eternal, Holy Will of God.</P>
<P>Al&s;o for the End and Felicity of Being,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 16.4.</NOTE> which is the Glory of God, <HI>including the Salvation of the Immortal Creature.</HI></P>
<P>God made Man upright in his Image,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 7.29.</NOTE> engraved his Mind with a Law,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.15.</NOTE> holy, ju&s;t and good; a Rule of perpetual Righteou&s;ne&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 1.12.</NOTE> to di|rect and judg all Human Affecti|ons and Actions.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.4.</NOTE> But Sin, which is the Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law, alienated Man from the Life of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.18.</NOTE> who thereby becoming va|pid and unprofitable,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.23.</NOTE> fell mi&s;era|bly &s;hort of the Glory of God, &s;ubjected the Creature to Vanity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.20.</NOTE> Vexation and Death; renounced the all-&s;ufficient Goodne&s;s, Truth and Soveraignty of the Infinite Almighty Creator, God ble&s;&s;ed
<PB N="13" REF="7">for ever: Shall not then the Judg of all the World do right?</P>
<P>For according to his Fear due to his Infinite Perfections,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90.11</NOTE> and Ab&s;olute Dominions, &s;uch is his Wrath in the Execution of Vin|dictive Judgment upon all Sin|ners; &s;o that if there could be an Intermi&s;&s;ion of this providential Circulation, an immediate <HI>Deli|quium</HI> of the Univer&s;e mu&s;t en&s;ue. The con&s;cientious Awe of this be|ing the only real Security of Hu|man Relation and Society: There mu&s;t then upon every hainous Offence be either Satisfaction to Ju&s;tice, or the Execution of Ju&s;tice.</P>
<P>Both which intirely and ab&s;o|lutely depend upon and proceed from the Will of God, which can|not be liable to any finite Thought or A&s;&s;ignation.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40.13, 14.</NOTE> <HI>Who hath di|rected the Spirit of the Lord, or being his Coun&s;ellor, hath taught him? With whom took he Coun&s;el, and who hath in&s;tructed and taught
<PB N="14" REF="8">him in the Path of Judgment?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.33.</NOTE> <HI>O the Depth of the Riches both of the Wi&s;dom and Knowledg of God!</HI> the Riches of his Grace hath abounded towards us in all Wi&s;|dom and Prudence;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1.7, 8, 9.</NOTE> <HI>according to his Plea&s;ure, which he hath pur|po&s;ed in him&s;elf.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.26. &amp; 4.5.</NOTE> <HI>To declare his ju&s;t,</HI> and the Ju&s;tifier of the un|godly which believeth in Je&s;us.</P>
<P>The In&s;titution and Hope of this Redemption was revealed to our fir&s;t Parents, under the for|lorn Con&s;ternation of their Fall, when God gave the Promi&s;e of the Seed of the Woman to brui&s;e the Serpent's Head.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE> In the Scrip|tures relating the Hi&s;tory of the World, and of the Church before the Mini&s;try of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> it hath not plea&s;ed the Holy Gho&s;t to &s;peak particularly of the In&s;titu|tion of Ceremonial Wor&s;hip and Religion.</P>
<P>But as from <HI>Adam</HI> to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> Death, the Wages of Sin, reigned;
<PB N="15" REF="8">now Sin is not imputed when there is no Law; for Sin is the Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law: So likewi&s;e the Salvation of the fir&s;t Patriarchs, and of the whole Church of God, particularly of <HI>Abel</HI> and <HI>Enoch,</HI> could not be ob|tained but by Faith in the promi|&s;ed Mediator, without which it was impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God. Neither can Faith be &s;eparated from Obedience to a Word of Command and Promi&s;e.</P>
<P>The Object of Faith being from the beginning, even <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;ame ye&s;terday, and to day, and for ever.</HI></P>
<P>The Expre&s;&s;ion of the Prophet <HI>Jeremy,</HI> is to this mo&s;t appo&s;it,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 17.12.</NOTE> <HI>A glorious high Throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctu|ary:</HI> That is, from the beginning of God's reconciling the World to him&s;elf. <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> the Lamb of God, &s;lain from the Foundation of the World, was the only and <HI>nece&s;&s;ary Mediator</HI> of the Cove|nant
<PB N="16" REF="9">of Grace between God and Man for Redemption, and Re|mi&s;&s;ion, al&s;o for Interce&s;&s;ion and Acceptance,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5.9.</NOTE> who &s;o became the Author of Eternal Salvation to all that obey him. Obedience then to the revealed Will of God is the indi&s;pen&s;able Duty of all true Wor&s;hippers of God with Acceptance.</P>
<P>It plea&s;ed God in gracious Conde&s;cen&s;ion to Human Frailty, before the Fulne&s;s of Time came that Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould offer up him&s;elf, once in the End of the World, when he appeared to put away Sin <HI>by the Sacrifice of him|&s;elf,</HI> in that mean time to in&s;ti|tute Sacrifices which were not voluntary Devotions by the Will of Man, either gratulatory to God, or repre&s;entative to the Offerer, but exact Performances according to the expre&s;s Precept of God. For, as <HI>Lactantius</HI> &s;ays, God only can teach how he would be wor|&s;hipped.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="9">
<P>The Evidence of this al&s;o ap|pears from the words of holy Scriptures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.4.</NOTE> concerning <HI>Abel</HI> offer|ing a more excellent Sacrifice, by which he obtained Witne&s;s that he was Righteous, which could not be unle&s;s his Sacrifice were entirely and only &s;uch as God commanded; &s;o that being dead, he yet &s;peaketh, and in&s;tructeth us in this great Truth, That there can be no Righteou&s;ne&s;s in any Religion, but as it is the Ob&s;er|vance of the Word of God.</P>
<P>It evidently al&s;o appears, that Sacrifices were of Divine In&s;ti|tution, becau&s;e they were only to be &s;uch Offerings of Bea&s;ts and Fowl, as were not by natural Di&s;tinction, but by po&s;itive Com|mand, &s;elected to be clean and made capable to be &s;acrificed; all other Species being excluded as unclean.</P>
<P>In the next place, mu&s;t be un|der&s;tood the right End and In|tention of Sacrifice. The Scrip|ture
<PB N="18" REF="10">&s;peaks expre&s;ly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb, 9.22. &amp; 10.4.</NOTE> that with|out &s;hedding of Blood there is no Remi&s;&s;ion of Sin; yet the Blood of Bulls and Goats could not a|vail to make the Wor&s;hipper perfect: &s;o that the continual Sa|crifice daily offered, and all other extraordinary Burnt-offerings oc|ca&s;ionally appointed by the Law, were merciful Surrogations of Typical Propitiations with re|&s;pect to Chri&s;t, who&s;e Blood on|ly could take away the Sins of the World:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.20, 21.</NOTE> Who&s;e Blood, being the Blood of the everla&s;ting Co|venant, could only make the Comers unto God perfect.</P>
<P>Man being made in Honour, did not therein abide, but became like the Bea&s;ts that peri&s;h.</P>
<P>Al&s;o being rai&s;ed up to Hope in the Promi&s;e of Grace by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they apo&s;tatized quickly, becoming <HI>vain in their Imagina|tion;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.21, 25.</NOTE> <HI>and their fooli&s;h Heart be|ing darkened, changed the Truth of God into a Lie, and wor&s;hipped and
<PB N="19" REF="10">&s;erved the Creature more than the Creator, who is ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</HI></P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding there remain|ed in the Hearts of the Heathen Idolatrous Nations a Conviction, that there was a nece&s;&s;ity of Pro|pitiatory Sacrifices to appea&s;e the Wrath, and atone the offended Ju&s;tice of Divine Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>Profane Hi&s;tories are full of continual In&s;tances of the So|lemnities of Sacrifices Ila&s;tical to appea&s;e the Wrath of God: All which Offerings were feigned and impo&s;ed, as if divinely au|thorized and in&s;tituted: And the Ceremonies relating thereun|to, &s;tiled <HI>My&s;teries,</HI> as being the vi&s;ible Signatures of &s;piritual In|tention and Efficacy. For tho the Medium and Object of pro|pitiatory Wor&s;hip by the Hea|then, were vain and fal&s;e; yet mo&s;t rational was the indelible Conviction of the nece&s;&s;ity of Propitiation and Atonement to|wards God for the Remi&s;&s;ion of
<PB N="20" REF="11">Sins committed by the Rebellion and Apo&s;tacy of Human Crea|tures.</P>
<P>The My&s;tery of Godline&s;s, great without Controver&s;y,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.16.</NOTE> re|pre&s;ents God manife&s;ted in the Fle&s;h, believed on in the World. This is the My&s;tery of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.2.</NOTE> and of the Father, and of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. The Explanation of which is, <HI>That God was in Chri&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.19, 21.</NOTE> <HI>reconciling the World unto him&s;elf, not impu|ting their Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es unto them: For he hath made him who knew no Sin, to be Sin for us, that we might be made the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in him.</HI></P>
<P>This Reconciliation and Re|mi&s;&s;ion is always expre&s;&s;ed under the Notion of Ran&s;om, Atone|ment, Redemption, Propitiation and Expiation; all which is to be performed by the Death of a &s;lain Sacrifice:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.22.</NOTE> For the Scripture te&s;tifies, without &s;hedding of Blood there is no Remi&s;&s;ion of Sins.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.1.</NOTE> But it is not po&s;&s;ible that
<PB N="21" REF="11">the Blood of Bulls and Goats &s;hould take away Sins.</P>
<P>The Divine Ju&s;tice could not take Plea&s;ure in any Sacrifices which were offered (tho by the Typical Law) for Sin, &s;o as there|by to receive Satisfaction. There|fore when the Son of God came into the World, a Body was pre|pared for him, therein to do the Will of God; by the which Will we are &s;anctified through the offering of the Body of Je&s;us Chri&s;t once for all. For it is only the beloved Son of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.14.</NOTE> in whom God can be well-plea&s;ed with Sin|ners, even through the Blood of Chri&s;t, who through the eternal Spirit offered him&s;elf without Spot to God; who purgeth our Con&s;ciences from the dead Works of Sin, to &s;erve the Living God: <HI>For by one Offering he hath per|fected for ever them that are &s;ancti|fied.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Therefore to imagine any Po&s;&s;i|bility of the Pardon of Sin with|out
<PB N="22" REF="12">the atoning Propitiation and Satisfaction only obtained by the Blood of Chri&s;t, is an evil Fig|ment to palliate the de&s;perate Wickedne&s;s and Sinfulne&s;s of Sin, to make void the Law of perpe|tual Righteou&s;ne&s;s which is the indi&s;pen&s;ible Rule and Judg of all Affections and Actions, and doth indeed effectually contemn and bla&s;pheme the infinite Maje&s;ty, Holine&s;s and Ju&s;tice of God, the Creator and Pre&s;erver of all Be|ings; and, con&s;equently, mi&s;e|rably deprives a Sinner of that &s;trong Con&s;olation given by God to tho&s;e that fly for Refuge unto Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.18.</NOTE> to obtain by his Re&s;ur|rection (the Evidence of his compleat Satisfaction to Divine Ju&s;tice) the An&s;wer of a good Con&s;cience.</P>
<P>The Wor&s;hippers thus purged,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.2.</NOTE> as the Scripture &s;aith, having no more Con&s;cience of Sins,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53.6.</NOTE> <HI>the Lord having laid on him the Iniquities of us all,</HI> who do the Work of
<PB N="23" REF="12">God, to believe on him whom he hath &s;ent.</P>
<P>For this is the true <HI>Cabala,</HI> the faithful Saying,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1.15.</NOTE> and worthy of all Acceptation, That Chri&s;t Je|&s;us came into the World to &s;ave even chief Sinners.</P>
<P>In the Ca&s;es of Life and Death according to univer&s;al Ju&s;tice in the World, it is fatal not only to be an Outlaw, flying from Ju&s;tice, Mute in refu&s;ing to an&s;wer Ju|&s;tice; but it proves no le&s;s mor|tal to &s;ugge&s;t a Plea which the Law will not allow.</P>
<P>If a Criminal condemned to die be favoured with &s;ome Re|prieve, and then by the Sove|raign's Commi&s;&s;ion intru&s;ted with an important Imployment, the faithful Di&s;charge of that Tru&s;t is meer Duty, but not Me|rit; and he remains &s;till a con|demned Malefactor, liable to the former Sentence by the Law of Attaint and Death, from which not any thing can deliver but a Par|don
<PB N="24" REF="13">from the Soveraign, laid hold on, and legally pleaded by the Criminal. It is thus according to the Rule of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, be|tween the Judg of all the World and every Mortal Creature, that God might be ju&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.25, 26.</NOTE> and the Ju&s;ti|fier of him which believeth in Je&s;us. Therefore we mu&s;t not be ignorant of Satan's Devices; the Popi&s;h Doctrine of Merit, by Works &s;prinkled (as they &s;ay) by the Blood of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.1, 2.</NOTE> available to Ju&s;tification and Salvation, is an Antichri&s;tian Departure from the Faith, and the teaching of Lies in Hypocri&s;y: For there cannot be any Work po&s;&s;ible to be accepted by Divine Ju&s;tice, but what is an Act of Obedience to the Law; and the be&s;t Perfor|mances of &s;uch is but, as our Sa|viour &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 17.10.</NOTE> that of an unprofi|table Servant; When we &s;hall have done all tho&s;e things which are commanded us, we mu&s;t &s;ay, We have done that which
<PB N="25" REF="13">was our Duty to do. Therefore the Ob&s;ervance of a pre&s;ent Duty (the Neglect or Male-perfor|mance whereof would be crimi|nal Guilt) cannot in any ju&s;t Con&s;truction be a&s;&s;umed or im|puted to expiate a precedent Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion guilty of Felony and Trea&s;on.</P>
<P>Yet this Truth doth not in any degree exempt from the Obedi|ence of Faith, which is the in|&s;eparable and indi&s;pen&s;able Obli|gation and Duty annexed to the Covenant of Grace: So that there is not in the lea&s;t degree any Pre|tence for Antinomian Liberti|ni&s;m.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation, hath appeared to all Men; teaching us, that de|nying &V;ngodline&s;s and Worldly Lu&s;ts, we &s;hould live &s;oberly, righte|ou&s;ly, and godly in this pre&s;ent World:</HI> Becau&s;e Faith unites us to the Principle of Life, and works in us by Love, which is the Opera|tion or Activity of Life, in the
<PB N="26" REF="14">fulfilling of the Law.</P>
<P>There is al&s;o another Method of the Depths of Satan to cloud the Glory of God's free Grace, and the compleat Merit of Chri&s;t's Satisfaction and Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and al&s;o to &s;hake the Confidence of a Sinner's Hope to obtain Remi&s;&s;ion and Acceptance, by &s;uborning the Act of Faith to &s;hare in the Merits of Chri&s;t. Now how weak and unrea&s;ona|ble this Suppo&s;ition is, will ap|pear by the Con&s;ideration of pa|rallel Ca&s;es of Civil and Natural In&s;tances in Judicature: Tho the guilty Per&s;on cannot have Benefit unle&s;s he plead the Royal Pardon, yet there is no Virtue in the Plea and humble Claim, but only in the exten&s;ive Validity of the Pardon. Likewi&s;e in de&s;perate Sickne&s;s, or deadly Wound, the healing Virtue is not in the meer Application, or receiving the So|vereign Balm, or <HI>Elixir;</HI> notwith|&s;tanding the Patient cannot be
<PB N="27" REF="14">healed without the Reception or Application of the Remedy.</P>
<P>Thus it is with a Sinner before the Divine Tribunal: Faith be|lieves the Truth and Goodne&s;s of the Promi&s;e, and embraces and re|lies upon it; that is, upon the Re|demption purcha&s;ed by Je&s;us Chri&s;t for compleat Salvation from the Condemnation and Cor|ruption of &s;inful Death, for re|conciliation and Acceptance with God, and for Participation of E|ternal Life which is in Chri&s;t Je|&s;us, to be communicated to all tho&s;e who by Faith receive Chri&s;t, and &s;o have an Union of Life with Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Now as in the Body the Ar|tery and Nerve is the Ligament, the Ve&s;&s;el and Conveyance for vital Union and Motion unto all the Members by the Blood and Animal Spirits: So Faith to the Soul is a Means of vital Union with Chri&s;t, and of the Appli|cation and Merits of Chri&s;t. All
<PB N="28" REF="15">which is effected by the Spirit of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.17. James 2.26.</NOTE> without which we are none of Chri&s;t's, and Faith it &s;elf is dead.</P>
<P>The Look of one &s;tung with the deadly fiery Serpent to the Brazen Serpent, had no &s;hare in the heal|ing Virtue of that Divine Ordi|nance; yet without looking up to the Brazen Serpent, the Per&s;on &s;tung could receive no Benefit, but mu&s;t die. So Faith hath no ju&s;tify|ing Virtue inherent in it &s;elf: For what may prevail to ju&s;tify, mu&s;t make the Con&s;cience perfect. Con&s;equently the Efficient of Per|fection mu&s;t of it &s;elf be perfect; but Faith cannot be &s;uch, for it is not of our &s;elves,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.8.</NOTE> it is the Gift of God. Now what&s;oever is re|ceived, is received according to the Mea&s;ure and Capacity of the Recipient, which being the weak and frail un&s;table Heart of Man, it cannot be perfect; but as the Law was weak and faulty through the Fle&s;h, &s;o even the Gift of
<PB N="29" REF="15">Faith is not able through the re|mainder of Corruption to per|form any perfect Work. There|fore the Scripture repre&s;ents the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t under the No|tion of the mo&s;t tender Com|pa&s;&s;ion to the weak in Faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 42.3. Mat. 12.20</NOTE> that he will not break the brui&s;ed Reed, nor quench the &s;moaking Flax, but will bring forth Judg|ment unto Victory: which pro|ceeds not from any Virtue and Power inherent in the Work of Faith, but from the Righteou&s;|ne&s;s and Strength,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> which only is to be found in the Lord Je&s;us by peri&s;hing Sinners, who fly for Refuge unto the Hope that is &s;et before them, Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Son of God.</P>
<P>Even as the Man-&s;layer under the Law could not be &s;ecure from the Avenger of Blood, if he were found out of the City of Refuge; it was only the City of Refuge which conferr'd and e&s;tabli&s;hed his Pre&s;ervation and Safety: So
<PB N="30" REF="16">the Sinner cannot be &s;aved from Wrath to come, without Faith in Chri&s;t. But the Propitiation ac|cording to the Will of God, by the Blood of the Everla&s;ting Co|venant, can only make a Sinner perfect before the Tribunal of God's infinite Ju&s;tice. Therefore to a&s;&s;ign any degree of Ability to any Act of Faith as merito|rious of Ju&s;tification, is to u&s;urp upon Chri&s;t, and to incur the &s;e|vere Animadver&s;ion of the Al|mighty.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 40.14.</NOTE> <HI>Then will I confe&s;s unto thee, that thine own Right-hand can &s;ave thee.</HI></P>
<P>The everla&s;ting Covenant of Grace is ordered in all things and &s;ure:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 23.5.</NOTE> For <HI>the Foundation of God &s;tandeth &s;ure,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.19.</NOTE> <HI>having this Seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the Name of Chri&s;t depart from Iniquity.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.16.</NOTE> <HI>But unto the wicked God &s;aith, What ha&s;t thou to do to de|clare my Statutes, or that thou &s;hould&s;t take my Covenant into thy
<PB N="31" REF="16">Mouth?</HI> The&s;e Scriptures fully evidence, that altho the Cove|nant of Mercy to Sinners is e&s;ta|bli&s;hed only in the free Grace of God, and the meritorious Sati&s;|faction and Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; yet there re|mains an utter Incapacity in any Per&s;on to partake actually of the Benefit thereof,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.9.</NOTE> until by the Spi|rit of Chri&s;t (without which not any can be Chri&s;t's) he be born again, and made a new Creature.</P>
<P>For the State of every Man &s;ince the Fall is a Complication of Mi&s;ery under Condemnation, Dementation, and mortal Corrup|tion. Accordingly the nece&s;&s;ary Remedies are di&s;tinct; Ju&s;tifica|tion to take away Condemnation, and Sanctification to free from Corruption by a new Principle of Life; by a renewed Faculty of Life acted by a new Rule, the Word of God written in the Heart, directed to, and aiming at
<PB N="32" REF="17">a new End and Mark, the Glory of God, and the Prize of our high Calling in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, our Eternal Salvation.</P>
<P>Accordingly the Tenour of the New Covenant is both promi&s;ed and expre&s;&s;ed in the Old and New Te&s;tament:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 36.25.</NOTE> <HI>Then will I &s;prinkle clean Water upon you, and ye &s;hall be clean.</HI> This imports that wa&s;hing throughly, and clean&s;ing from Iniquity and Sin, &s;o as to be whiter than Snow;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.7.</NOTE> which is &s;upplicated by <HI>David,</HI> and pro|mi&s;ed by God to Sins of the deepe&s;t Stain,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.24. &amp; 13.20, 21.</NOTE> being effected by the Blood of Sprinkling, the Blood of the Everla&s;ting Covenant, which makes us perfect to do his Will.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 9.14.</NOTE> For the End why the Blood of Chri&s;t, who by the E|ternal Spirit offered him&s;elf with|out Spot to God, purges the Con|&s;cience from dead Works, is to &s;erve the Living God: But God is the God of the Living, not of the Dead. Therefore as the
<PB N="33" REF="17">Condemnation of Death is to be taken away in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.1.</NOTE> &s;o the Corruption of Death is to be aboli&s;hed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.10.</NOTE> which cannot be with|out a new Principle and Faculties of Life, and being made a new Creature. Accordingly the Co|venant of Grace proceeds to pro|mi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 36.26.</NOTE> <HI>A new Heart al&s;o will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you.</HI></P>
<P>This is that renewing of the Holy Gho&s;t vouch&s;afed unto the fooli&s;h and di&s;obedient,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 3.3.</NOTE> who are unper&s;wadable by any Moral Ar|gumentation, being deceived, &s;er|ving divers Lu&s;ts and Plea&s;ures;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 9.3.</NOTE> becau&s;e the Heart of Man is full of Evil, and Madne&s;s is in his Heart while he lives, and after that he goes to the Dead.</P>
<P>This is the native Mi&s;ery of every one; and the Recovery is as wonderful as to re&s;tore the Ha|bit and Exerci&s;e of Rea&s;on into a Per&s;on depraved with Idioti&s;m, or Madne&s;s. Now as they who
<PB N="34" REF="18">are &s;uch, tho they are &s;ometimes capable of uttering &s;ome words &s;en&s;ible and rational, yet they are utterly unable to perform or maintain the Tenour of rea&s;ona|ble Di&s;cour&s;e or Conver&s;ation: So neither can any meer animal Man dead in Sins and Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.14.</NOTE> before he be made a new Crea|ture by being born again,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3.3.</NOTE> live to the Glory of God, the End of Being, or in Communion with God, the highe&s;t Felicity of every Intelligent Being. This is the Gift of God, as our Lord &s;aith to the Jews,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6.65.</NOTE> <HI>No Man can come to me, except it were given him of my Father. Judas</HI> indeed came to our Lord, as many do, in Pro|fe&s;&s;ion, but not in Heart: He did believe with a Faith of general A&s;&s;ent, and of particular Fidu|cial Affiance in the Power of Chri&s;t for miraculous Operation, but not with a Faith of vital Union with Chri&s;t, &s;o as to dwell in Chri&s;t and Chri&s;t in him, &s;o
<PB N="35" REF="18">as to live by Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6.56, 57. Rom. 8.9.</NOTE> which cannot be without having the Spirit of Chri&s;t. Al&s;o our Lord &s;aith, I have cho&s;en you,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 15.5, 16.</NOTE> and ordained you to bring forth Fruit that &s;hould re|main and per&s;evere, even much Fruit, to the Glory of God. E|lection, Vocation, Ju&s;tification and Sanctification, are in&s;eparable.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1.4. Rom. 5.18.</NOTE> Eternal Election is unto Holine&s;s, and Ju&s;tification of Life is univer|&s;ally and nece&s;&s;arily conjoin'd with Renovation of Life: The End of which is Activity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 15.6.</NOTE> Opera|tion, Fruitfulne&s;s, without which there is Death, Burning,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.10.</NOTE> De&s;tructi|on; for good Works are ordained by God to be the Walk and Con|ver&s;ation of every Child of God:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 8.10, 11.</NOTE> For this is the Covenant God makes with every I&s;raelite, to put his Laws into their Minds, and write them in their Hearts, as both the Rule and Inclination of Life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2.20.</NOTE> which is indeed to be taught of God to know God, without which it is impo&s;&s;ible, that God
<PB N="36" REF="19">&s;hall be to any a God in Covenant-Relation, or that any can be a People to God. Now as the Prin|ciple of Life, and the Operation of Life, &s;o Ju&s;tification and Sancti|fication are not confoundable, yet always in&s;eparable. For of God are we in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who of God is made unto us Wi&s;dom, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, Sanctification and Redemption: That no Fle&s;h &s;hould glory in his &s;ight;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.29, 30, 31.</NOTE> but ac|cording as it is written, <HI>Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>From the beginning of Apo|&s;tacy the Devil was a Murderer and a Liar. When he &s;peaketh a Lie, he &s;peaketh of his own; for he is a Liar, and the Father of it. He envenomed the old World with the evil Imaginations of continual Contempt of God, and profane Irreligion, which broke out in all the Acts of Wickedne&s;s and Violence, ju&s;tly provoking the Vengeance of God to de&s;troy that World of Athei&s;tical Rebels.</P>
<PB N="37" REF="19">
<P>When through infinite Mercy a &s;mall Remnant of eight Per&s;ons were not only &s;pared to &s;urvive the Deluge, that had &s;wept away the World of the Ungodly; but much more, a Covenant of Grace and the Ble&s;&s;ing thereof was re|newed to them and to their Seed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.20, 21.</NOTE> confirmed unto <HI>Noah,</HI> by the Ac|ceptance of in&s;tituted Sacrifice; Then again, the great Adver&s;ary and Deceiver of Mankind temp|ted the new World to di&s;tru&s;t Safety in the Promi&s;e of the li|ving and true God, and to attempt Self pre&s;ervation in a Structure of <HI>Babel,</HI> or Confu&s;ion, in the Land of <HI>Shinar,</HI> the proper Ba&s;e upon which was to be built and e&s;tabli&s;hed the Hou&s;e of Wicked|ne&s;s; that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 5.8, 11.</NOTE> the My&s;tery of Iniquity, the Doctrine of Devils, to &s;uborn the Wor&s;hip of <HI>Baa|lim,</HI> of many Lords, or middle Gods,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.1.</NOTE> Mediators between God and Man. <HI>Now the Spirit &s;peak|eth expre&s;ly, that in the latter Times
<PB N="38" REF="20">&s;ome &s;hall depart from the Faith, giving heed to &s;educing Spirits, and Doctrines of Devils.</HI></P>
<P>This is the notorious Apo&s;tacy from the ab&s;olute Simplicity and Purity of Chri&s;tian Religion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chri&s;tia|nam Reli|gionem ab&s;olutam &amp; &s;impli|cem anili &s;uper&s;titi|one con|fundere. <HI>Am. Mar|cellin.</HI></NOTE> un|to the fabulous Super&s;tition and Will-wor&s;hip, which gangren'd both Ea&s;tern and We&s;tern Chur|ches.</P>
<P>The Mediation of Saints and Angels, being introduced as &s;uc|cedaneous to the Heathen Adora|tion of <HI>Baalim,</HI> Heroes and mid|dle Deities, called <HI>Dii Medioxi|mi.</HI></P>
<P>Tho&s;e Pagan Idols,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 2.19, 20, 21. Rev. 6.15, 16.</NOTE> having been ca&s;t to the Moles and Bats by the Divine Influence of Go&s;pel-Light, in the Manife&s;tation of Truth, even this faithful Saying, and worthy of all Acceptation, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t came into the World, the only Mediator between God and Men, to &s;ave Sinners.</P>
<P>Now al&s;o for the&s;e la&s;t hun|dred and fifty Years, the Go&s;pel-Reformation
<PB N="39" REF="20">(miraculou&s;ly both begun and pre&s;erved) hath again as it were brought Life and Im|mortality to light, exploded the fabulous Legends of Popery, evi|denced the pretence of Antiquity to be no other than as Defection from Primary In&s;titution, pre|cedes Re&s;titution and Reforma|tion, convinced the Idolatry of the Ma&s;s, and the Super&s;tition of their Will-wor&s;hip, and Ado|ration of Saints and Angels; all cheri&s;hed by an impo&s;ed Igno|rance,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 16.3.</NOTE> the Parent not of Devo|tion, but of cruel Per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>But as in the fir&s;t Manife&s;ta|tion of the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel un|to the World, that lay in Dark|ne&s;s and the Shadow of Death,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.</NOTE> the Serpent ca&s;t out of his Mouth a Flood of deceitful Errors, of de&s;perate Wickedne&s;s, to carry a|way with that Flood the Church from the Rock of Truth: So now the Reformed Churches have been and are infe&s;ted not only
<PB N="40" REF="21">with the Dragon's great per&s;e|cuting Wrath, but no le&s;s dan|gerou&s;ly with the Serpentine Sug|ge&s;tions of fal&s;e Teachers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.1.</NOTE> pri|vily introducing damnable He|re&s;ies, even denying the Lord that bought them.</P>
<P>This being the Ma&s;ter-&s;troke of Satan, by veri&s;imilar Errors to &s;uppre&s;s the Fundamental Truth of Salvation for Sinners, by the Expiatory Propitiation of the Death of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in Satisfaction of the Ju&s;tice of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.4, 9.</NOTE> according to his good Plea|&s;ure, which he had purpo&s;ed in him&s;elf before the Foundation of the World.</P>
<P>That this Truth may appear in a right Light, it mu&s;t be con|&s;idered, that all the Divine Attri|butes are equally of infinite Per|fection: Con&s;equently to detract from, or limit any, is to evacuate and effectually to deny the E&s;|&s;ential All-&s;ufficiency of God. Therefore to retrench the parti|cular
<PB N="41" REF="21">and univer&s;al efficacious Providence of God, and to im|peach the &s;upreme ab&s;olute Ju&s;tice of God, is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.23.</NOTE> under the Profe&s;&s;ion of owning God, not to glorify him as God, but to change the Glory of the incorruptible God, into an Image made like to cor|ruptible Man, a meer Idol,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8.4.</NOTE> which is nothing in the World, and as the Prophet expre&s;&s;es,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 41.23.</NOTE> neither able to do Good or Evil.</P>
<P>But from everla&s;ting to ever|la&s;ting the Lord is God:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90.1, 11.</NOTE> Who knoweth the Power of his Anger? According to his Fear, &s;o is his Wrath: according to the infinite Perfections, for which God is in|di&s;pen&s;ably to be feared; &s;o is his Wrath in the Vindictive Exe|cution of his Ju&s;tice upon every Violation of his holy, ju&s;t and good Laws, the natural Rules of perpetual Righteou&s;ne&s;s, to di|rect and judg all the Affections and Actions of all Mankind. Herein therefore the manifold Wi&s;dom
<PB N="42" REF="22">of God is glorified in the E&s;ta|bli&s;hment of the infinite Perfecti|ons of Ju&s;tice and Mercy in the Redemption and Salvation of Sin|ners.</P>
<P>It being impo&s;&s;ible to make way for immen&s;e Mercy to be manife&s;ted without Satisfaction to infinite Ju&s;tice, which other|wi&s;e mu&s;t be expo&s;ed to bla&s;phe|mous Contempt, and Annihila|tion: Accordingly the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> expre&s;&s;es, that we are ju&s;ti|fied freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.</NOTE> whom God hath &s;et forth for a Propitiation, through Faith in his Blood, to declare his Righteou&s;ne&s;s for the Re|mi&s;&s;ion of Sins; that he might be ju&s;t, and the Ju&s;tifier of him, even of the ungodly, which be|lieveth in Je&s;us. So that Faith cannot fly for Refuge unto Mercy, until plenary Satisfaction be made unto Ju&s;tice;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3.21</NOTE> thereby to obtain the An&s;wer of a good Con&s;cience
<PB N="43" REF="22">towards God, through the Re|&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The Scripture fully and always te&s;tifies, that Remi&s;&s;ion of Sins is an Act of ab&s;olute Sovereign Ju&s;tice, vouch&s;afed upon plenary Satisfaction,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.24, 25.</NOTE> repre&s;ented under the Notion and Terms of Re|demption, Propitiation, Ran&s;om; which word <GAP DESC="foreign"> u&s;ed by the Septuagint, <HI>Numb.</HI> 35.31, 32.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 10.45. 1 Tim. 2.6.</NOTE> is duly tran&s;lated Satisfaction. And the learned in the Hebrew ob&s;erve, that the word in the Original imports &s;ufficient Pre&s;ervation, which a Sinner can only find in the compleat Merits of the Death, Re&s;urrection, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, applied by Faith, and imputed by Grace. Accordingly the Scripture &s;tiles the Act of Divine Pardon to be Ju&s;tification, Reconciliation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.1, 9, 10, 11, 19.</NOTE> A|tonement, Righteou&s;ne&s;s; all which words are juridical Phra&s;es, evidencing &s;uch a Per&s;on to be <HI>Rectus in Curia,</HI> right in Court,
<PB N="44" REF="23">according to the judicial Autho|ritative Sentence of Law. This cannot po&s;&s;ibly be obtained, or performed, unle&s;s due Satisfaction were made to the infinite Ju&s;tice of the Divine Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>For Pardon upon any other le&s;s or diluted account, mu&s;t leave the Ju&s;tice of God violated and void of Satisfaction: Al&s;o the Sinner mu&s;t be without po&s;&s;ibili|ty of a Con&s;cience free from Guilt; con&s;equently never able to arrive at Peace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 13.39. &amp; 10.36, 43. Rom. 5.1. Eph. 2.14.</NOTE> which flows from being ju&s;tified by Faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is our Peace with God.</P>
<P>It is al&s;o ab&s;urd Contradiction to imagine any Benefit can po&s;&s;i|bly be <HI>obtained</HI> by the atoning Virtue of the Death of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, without the quick|ning, regenerating Power of the Spirit of Chri&s;t making the Sin|ner a new Creature.</P>
<P>There is the manifold multi|farious Wi&s;dom of God magnified
<PB N="45" REF="23">to a Sinner, that the Work of Grace may be compleatly perfect, in re&s;pect of the Ju&s;tice and Mer|cy of God, and of the damning Guilt and deadly Corruption in|herent in the de&s;perate Wicked|ne&s;s of every Sin.</P>
<P>Yet the manifold Wi&s;dom of God decreeing from Eternity, and effecting in the fulne&s;s of Time, the Redemption of Sinners by the Blood of the everla&s;ting Cove|nant, could not po&s;&s;ibly have any Cau&s;e or Motive antecedent to the <HI>Eternal</HI> Purpo&s;e of God, which he purpo&s;ed in Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord, and from the beginning of the World was hid in God.</P>
<P>For it was both impo&s;&s;ible for a finite narrow Intelligence, to conceive how God &s;hould be ma|nife&s;t in the Fle&s;h: And it would have been impious, bla&s;phemous Pre&s;umption, to imagine that the Son of God, who knew no Sin, &s;hould be made a Propitiatory Sacrifice for Sin, unle&s;s the Will
<PB N="46" REF="24">of God had &s;o promi&s;ed and de|clared.</P>
<P>Indeed the immen&s;e Goodne&s;s of God made this known imme|diately after Man's Apo&s;tacy, by the Promi&s;e of the Seed of the Wo|man to break the Serpent's Head;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE> that is, to de&s;troy the Works of the Devil, and more evidently by the In&s;titution of Sacrifices. For it is a mo&s;t ab&s;urd Deroga|tion from the Soveraignty of a Creator, and Contradiction to the Duty of a Creature, to impo&s;e upon God the nece&s;&s;ity of accep|ting the groundle&s;s Fancy of a guilty Malefactor in the highe&s;t degree of de&s;perate Wickedne&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 17.9.</NOTE> to be a Price of Redemption from everla&s;ting Wrath: Con&s;idering al&s;o that Man had no Title of In|tere&s;t or rightful Power over any of his Fellow-Creatures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.</NOTE> to &s;ub|&s;titute any of them a Sacrifice for his Sin.</P>
<P>Indeed it was an early and due Apprehen&s;ion that every Sin was
<PB N="47" REF="24">of capital Guilt, and Forfeiture of Life: But it could never have entered into the Heart of Man, to conceive how God could be ju&s;t, and the Ju&s;tifier of Sinners,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.26. &amp; 4.5.</NOTE> until God had revealed it by his Spirit and the Word of his Grace. The Apprehen&s;ion of Propitia|tion attainable by Sanguinary Sa|crifices, could not be a Primary Notion in any Human Mind, but con&s;equent and derivative from the In&s;titution of Sacrifices by the expre&s;s Command and Ap|pointment of God, without which it was impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God.</P>
<P>For Faith cannot be or &s;ub&s;i&s;t without a word of Command and Promi&s;e: But to fancy a Re|ligious Wor&s;hip to appea&s;e the ju&s;t Wrath, and to conciliate the Favour of the Maje&s;ty of the Great and Terrible God, the Creator of all Beings, by any per|formance of Offering not in&s;titu|ted expre&s;ly by God, is a Pre|&s;umption becoming a dumb Idol,
<PB N="48" REF="25">or &s;ome precarious Super&s;tition; and is an effectual practical De|nial of the infinite Perfections of God, obtruding and impo&s;ing the Blood and Carca&s;s of a wretched Calf or Sheep, to expiate the Guilt of mo&s;t nefandous Crimes, and &s;atisfy infinite Ju&s;tice. Nei|ther can there be any po&s;&s;ible ground of Rea&s;on to imagine that the Ceremonial Ordinances of Sacrifices,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.1.</NOTE> and other Rites of Divine Wor&s;hip and Service, were in&s;tituted by God, with re&s;pect to, or Motive from the &s;uper&s;ti|tious Practice or Expectation of profane Sinners, who offered their Devotion to Devils, as the Word of God expre&s;ly te&s;tifies,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.20.</NOTE> That <HI>the things which the Gentiles &s;a|crifice, they &s;acrifice to Devils, and not to God.</HI></P>
<P>But Sacrifices, and all other Typical Services and Ordinances, were by God appointed, until the time of Reformation, when Chri&s;t came an High Prie&s;t of
<PB N="49" REF="25">good things to come, (that is everla&s;ting) who by the eternal Spirit offer'd him&s;elf without Spot to God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.11, 14.</NOTE> by his own Blood to purge our Con&s;ciences from dead Works (that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.1.</NOTE> from Sins de|&s;erving Death) to &s;erve the living God.</P>
<P>The Ceremonial Law had a Shadow of good things to come,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.1, 4, <HI>to</HI> 10.</NOTE> but not Virtue to make the Comers thereunto perfect; <HI>For it is not po&s;&s;ible that the Blood of Bulls and of Goats &s;hould take away Sin.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore becau&s;e in Sacrifices and Offerings for Sin God could not take Plea&s;ure, as therein re|ceiving any Satisfaction to Ju&s;tice: When Je&s;us Chri&s;t came into the World, he &s;aith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb.</NOTE> <HI>A Body ha&s;t thou prepared me; Lo I come to do thy Will, O God;</HI> by the which Will we are &s;anctified through the offering of the Body of Je&s;us Chri&s;t once: But this Will of God was not induced by any
<PB N="50" REF="26">Temporary Con&s;ideration, it was from everla&s;ting.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1.4.</NOTE> <HI>God hath cho|&s;en us in Chri&s;t before the Founda|tion of the World.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1.9.</NOTE> <HI>God hath &s;aved us, and called us with an holy Calling, not according to our Works, but ac|cording to his own Purpo&s;e and Grace, which was given us in Chri&s;t Je&s;us before the World began.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.2.</NOTE> <HI>In hope of Eternal Life, which God that cannot lie, promi&s;ed before the World began. Who verily was fore-ordained before the Foundation of the World,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.20</NOTE> <HI>but was manife&s;ted in the&s;e la&s;t Times.</HI></P>
<P>It could not then be in Com|pliance with any Human Appre|hen&s;ion of Expiation of Sin by any Sacrifice of any Creature, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was con&s;tituted and given by God to be the Pro|pitiation and Redemption for Sinners.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1.</NOTE> But contrariwi&s;e, God having according to the Coun&s;el of his own <HI>free</HI> Will made known to our fir&s;t Parents in their di&s;|mal Fall the My&s;tery of his Will in the Promi&s;e of the Seed of the
<PB N="51" REF="26">Woman to break the Serpent's Head: And then for the Confir|mation of that Promi&s;e, and for the &s;upport of Faith, in&s;tituted Sacrifices, revealed fir&s;t to <HI>Adam,</HI> then to <HI>Noah,</HI> and con&s;equently in them to the whole World of Mankind:</P>
<P>Noah <HI>builded an Altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean Bea&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.20, 21.</NOTE> <HI>and of every clean Fowl, and offered Burnt-offerings upon the Altar. And the Lord &s;melled a &s;weet Sa|vour;</HI> or a Savour of Re&s;t and Satisfaction.</P>
<P>Now this could not be affirmed or believed, unle&s;s &s;uch Sacrifices had been according to the expre&s;s In&s;titution of God, who (as was before ob&s;erved) only could ap|point the Di&s;crimination of Bea&s;ts clean and unclean: All which al|&s;o was performed and accepted with re&s;pect to,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.2.</NOTE> and in virtue of the Offering and Sacrifice of Chri&s;t him&s;elf to God for a &s;weet &s;melling Savour.</P>
<PB N="52" REF="27">
<P>Immediately upon <HI>Noah</HI>'s Sa|crifice,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 9.9.</NOTE> God e&s;tabli&s;hed his Cove|nant with <HI>Noah,</HI> and his Seed after him.</P>
<P>Thus all Mankind was by Di|vine In&s;titution initiated in the Religion of Propitiatory Sacri|fices, all in reference to, and de|riving Virtue and Acceptance from the Merits of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>the Lamb of God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1.29.</NOTE> <HI>which taketh away the Sins of the World.</HI></P>
<P>But as it is charged upon <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> both by <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 106.13, 21. Deut. 32.</NOTE> &s;o all Nations &s;oon forgot God's Works, they forgot God their Saviour, which had done great things for their Pre&s;ervation; they corrup|ted them&s;elves;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.5, 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> their Spot was not the Spot of his People; they for&s;ook God which made them, and lightly e&s;teemed the Rock of their Salvation; they provoked him to Jealou&s;y with &s;trange Gods; they &s;acrificed to Devils, not to God: So that the offering of Propitiatory Sacrifices by the
<PB N="53" REF="27">Univer&s;ality of Mankind, was not a Human Invention, but a Derivation from Divine In&s;titu|tion, tho wretchedly corrupted by Satanical Sugge&s;tion. Nei|ther was there any Rite of Re|ligious Wor&s;hip among the Hea|then, but what was pretended to be a Direction and Command from Heaven, &s;o deeply engraven was the Impre&s;&s;ion in every Ra|tional Mind, that Divine Wor|&s;hip could not be acceptable unto God, unle&s;s commanded by God.</P>
<P>The whole Work of Redemp|tion and Salvation of Mankind by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, was in every part and re&s;pect proceeding originally from, and effectually to fulfil the Will of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1.4. 2 Tim. 1.9. Tit. 1.2. Mat. 27.35 Mark 15.28. John 19.28, 36, 37.</NOTE> Salvation by Chri&s;t was promi&s;ed before the World began: In the fulne&s;s of Time he was made of a Woman; his Sufferings in every particular Cir|cum&s;tance was to fulfil the Scrip|tures.</P>
<PB N="54" REF="28">
<P>Our Lord died according to the Scriptures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.3, 4.</NOTE> and ro&s;e again ac|cording to the Scriptures; that is, for the End appointed by the Word of God, to make full Sati&s;|faction to the infinite Ju&s;tice of God;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.9.</NOTE> &s;o as to make perfect the Comers unto God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t by Faith,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 10.1.</NOTE> in whom the Heart is &s;prinkled from an evil Con&s;ci|ence;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 10.22.</NOTE> that is, from the Con&s;ci|ence of the Guilt of Evil:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.17. 1 Pet. 3.21.</NOTE> To ob|tain the An&s;wer of a good Con|&s;cience towards God, by the Re|&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, with|out which our Faith is vain, and we are yet in our Sins; void of any &s;ufficient Plea to an&s;wer the Charge of the Law of Righteou&s;|ne&s;s at the dreadful Tribunal of the Divine Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>The manifold un&s;earchable Wi&s;dom of God in the Admini|&s;tration of the Riches of infinite Grace, exceeds what Creatures can ask or think. The mo&s;t large and advantagious Pardon
<PB N="55" REF="28">from an Earthly Soveraign to a Rebel, cannot reclaim a Felon's Mind, or alter a Traitor's Heart. But they who are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and free from Condemnation, they have the Spirit of Chri&s;t, by which they are made new Creatures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.</NOTE> and enabled to walk not after the Fle&s;h, but after the Spirit.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3.18.</NOTE> This is the Comprehen|&s;ion of the Love of God in Chri&s;t extended to all Saints. Yet the primary Rea&s;on of the Death of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, was to make Satisfaction to the Ju&s;tice of the holy Creator for the Sins of Rebel, Apo&s;tate Creatures. It then became a con&s;equent Co|rollary of our Lord's Death, to awe from Sin, and repre&s;ent the abominable Sinfulne&s;s of Sin. In all the righteous Admini&s;tration of Rewards and Puni&s;hments, &s;upreme Ju&s;tice obtains the fir&s;t and nece&s;&s;ary Con&s;ideration; &s;o that if there were no Per&s;ons to be deterred from future Crimes,
<PB N="56" REF="29">yet Ju&s;tice requires &s;evere Ani|madver&s;ion upon the pre&s;ent Ma|lefactor;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.5, 6</NOTE> otherwi&s;e, How &s;hall God judg the World? God can|not be unrighteous in taking Ven|geance upon the Damned in ever|la&s;ting Torments, where there is no place for Repentance, nor Capacity for the Benefit of a de|terring Example.</P>
<P>The happy Sum of the Do|ctrine of Man's eternal Redemp|tion and Salvation is, That God hath given us the &s;ure Mercies of <HI>David:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 13.34.</NOTE> He hath made with us an everla&s;ting Covenant,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 23.5.</NOTE> ordered in all things and &s;ure; and this is all our Salvation: where no proud Phari&s;ee can a&s;&s;ume or impute to him&s;elf, nor any humble repen|ting Sinner doubt or de&s;pair: Wherein God willing more abun|dantly to &s;hew unto the Heirs of Promi&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.17, 18.</NOTE> the Immutability of his Coun&s;el, confirmed it by an Oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impo&s;&s;ible for
<PB N="57" REF="29">God to lie, we might have a &s;trong Con&s;olation, who have fled for Refuge, to lay hold upon the Hope &s;et before us; which we have as an Anchor of the Soul, &s;ure and &s;tedfa&s;t, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;ame ye&s;terday, to day,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.8.</NOTE> <HI>and for ever:</HI> Amen. Now for a Corollary to the precedent Di&s;|cour&s;e, that it may be evidenced not to be a private Opinion, but the Doctrine of the Church of <HI>England</HI> according to the Scrip|tures, here are &s;ubjoined the Ex|pre&s;&s;ions of the Homily of the Salvation of Mankind only by Chri&s;t our Saviour from Sin and Death Everla&s;ting.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e all Men be Sinners and Offenders again&s;t God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Homily.</NOTE> <HI>and Breakers of his Law and Commandments; therefore can no Man by his own Acts, Works and Deeds (&s;eem they never &s;o good) be ju&s;tified and made righteous before God: But every Man of nece&s;&s;ity is con&s;trained to
<PB N="58" REF="30">&s;eek for another Righteou&s;ne&s;s or Ju&s;tification, to be received at God's own Hands, that is to &s;ay, the Forgivene&s;s of his Sins and Tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es in &s;uch things as he hath of|fended.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And this Ju&s;tification or Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s which we &s;o receive of God's Mercy, and Chri&s;t's Merits, embraced by Faith, is taken, ac|cepted and allowed of God for our perfect and full Ju&s;tification. For the more full under&s;tanding hereof, it is our Parts and Duties ever to remember the great Mercy of God, how that (all the World being wrap|ped in Sin by breaking of the Law) God &s;ent his only Son our Saviour Chri&s;t into this World, to fulfil the Law for us, by &s;hedding of his mo&s;t precious Blood to make a Sacrifice and Satisfaction, or (as it may be called) amends to his Father for our Sins, to a&s;&s;wage his Wrath and Indignation conceived again&s;t us for the &s;ame. But here may Man's Rea&s;on be a&s;tonied, rea&s;oning after
<PB N="59" REF="30">this fa&s;hion: If a Ran&s;om be paid for our Redemption, then is it not given us freely. For a Pri&s;oner that paid his Ran&s;om, is not let go freely; for if he goes freely, then he goeth without Ran&s;om. For what is it el&s;e to go freely, than to be &s;et at liberty without paying of Ran&s;om? This Rea&s;on is &s;atisfied by the great Wi&s;dom of God in this My&s;tery of our Redemption, who hath &s;o tempered his Ju&s;tice and Mercy together, that he would nei|ther by his Ju&s;tice condemn into the everla&s;ting Captivity of the Devil, and his Pri&s;on of Hell, remedile&s;s for ever without Mercy, nor by his Mercy deliver us clearly without Ju&s;tice or Payment of a ju&s;t Ran|&s;om: But with his endle&s;s Mercy he joined his mo&s;t upright and equal Ju&s;tice. His great Mercy he &s;hewed unto us in delivering us from our former Captivity, without requiring any Ran&s;om to be paid, or Amends to be made on our parts; which thing by us had been impo&s;&s;ible to be
<PB N="60" REF="31">done: And whereas it lay not in us that to do, he provided a Ran&s;om for us; that was the mo&s;t precious Body and Blood of his own mo&s;t dear and be&s;t beloved Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who be&s;ides this Ran&s;om, fulfilled the Law for us perfectly; and &s;o the Ju&s;tice of God and his Mercy did embrace together, and fulfil the My&s;tery of our Redemption.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And of this Ju&s;tice and Mercy of God knit together, &s;peaketh St.</HI> Paul <HI>in the third Chapter to the</HI> Romans;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.</NOTE> <HI>All have offended, and have need of the Glory of God; but are ju&s;tified freely by his Grace, by Redemption which is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whom God hath &s;ent forth for us, for a Reconciler and Peace|maker through Faith in his Blood, to &s;hew his Righteou&s;ne&s;s. And in the</HI> 10th <HI>Chapter, Chri&s;t is the End of the Law unto Righteou&s;ne&s;s to every Man that believeth. And in the</HI> 8th <HI>Chapter, That which was impo&s;&s;ible by the Law, in as much as it was weak by the Fle&s;h, God
<PB N="61" REF="31">&s;ending his own Son in the &s;imili|tude of &s;inful Fle&s;h, by Sin damned Sin in the Fle&s;h, that the Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of the Law might be ful|filled in us, which walk not after the Fle&s;h, but after the Spirit. In the&s;e afore&s;aid places the Apo&s;tle toucheth &s;pecially three things, which mu&s;t go together in our Ju&s;tification. &V;pon God's part, his great Mercy and Grace: &V;pon Chri&s;t's part, Ju&s;tice, that is, the Satisfaction of God's Ju&s;tice, or the Price of our Redemption by the offering of his Body and &s;hedding of his Blood, with the fulfilling of the Law per|fectly and throughly: And upon our part true and lively Faith in the Merits of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us. So that in our Ju&s;tification is not only God's Mercy and Grace, but al&s;o his Ju&s;tice, which the Apo|&s;tle calleth the Ju&s;tice of God; and it con&s;i&s;teth in paying our Ran&s;om, and fulfilling of the Law: And &s;o the Grace of God doth not &s;hut out
<PB N="62" REF="32">the Ju&s;tice of God in our Ju&s;tifica|tion, but only &s;hutteth out the Ju&s;tice of Man; that is to &s;ay, the Ju&s;tice of our Works as to be Merits of de&s;erving our Ju&s;tification. And therefore St.</HI> Paul <HI>declareth here nothing upon the behalf of Man concerning his Ju&s;tification, but on|ly a true and lively Faith, which neverthele&s;s is the Gift of God, and not Man's only Work without God. And yet that Faith does not &s;hut out Repentance, Hope, Love, Dread, and the Fear of God, to be joined with Faith in every Man that is ju&s;tified; but it &s;hutteth them out from the Office of ju&s;tifying. So that altho they be all pre&s;ent toge|ther in him that is ju&s;tified, yet they ju&s;tify not altogether. Nor the Faith al&s;o doth not &s;hut out the Ju&s;tice of our good Works, nece&s;&s;a|rily to be done afterwards of Duty towards God: (for we are mo&s;t bounden to &s;erve God in doing good Deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our
<PB N="63" REF="32">Life) but it excludeth them, &s;o that we may not do them to this intent, to be made good by doing of them. For all the good Works that we can do be unperfect, and therefore not able to de&s;erve for our Ju&s;tification: But our Ju&s;tifi|cation doth come freely by the meer Mercy of God, and of &s;o great and free Mercy, that whereas all the World was not able of them&s;elves to pay any part towards their Ran|&s;om, it plea&s;ed our Heavenly Father of his infinite Mercy, without any our de&s;ert or de&s;erving, to prepare for us the mo&s;t precious Jewels of Chri&s;t's Body and Blood, whereby our Ran&s;om might be fully paid, the Law fulfilled, and his Ju&s;tice fully &s;atisfied: So that now Chri&s;t is the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid their Ran&s;om by his Death, he for them fulfilled the Law in his Life: So that now in and by him, every true Chri&s;tian Man may be called a Fulfiller of the Law; fora&s;|much
<PB N="64" REF="33">as that which their Infirmity lacked, Chri&s;t's Ju&s;tice hath &s;upplied.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="64-118" TYPE="pages">
<P>Now that the mo&s;t important Truths which have been repre|&s;ented in this &s;mall Treati&s;e may appear in right Light, let the following Propo&s;itions be duly con&s;idered according to Rea&s;on, enlightned and directed by the Word of God.</P>
<P>God having given to Man an Intellectual Faculty, to judg and di&s;cern of the Nature, U&s;e and Excellency of Things, a Con&s;ci|ence of the Laws of things mo|rally good or evil; and the cer|tain in&s;eparable Appendixes of Rewards and Puni&s;hments are imprinted upon the Mind, with inward experimental A&s;&s;urances, as certain as that we know that we are, and have a Being. The Demon&s;trations of which Truths are clearly manife&s;ted in the Word of God, the Scriptures of
<PB N="65" REF="33">the Old and New Te&s;tament,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sacrae Scripturae non mo|vent, non per&s;ua|dent, &s;ed cogunt, a|gitant, vim inferunt. <HI>Jo. Pic. Mirand. Ep. Herm. Barber.</HI></NOTE> which do not only move and per|&s;wade, but effectually con&s;train and inforce an enlightened Soul to yield Obedience to the incom|parable and undeniable Divine Authority thereof, as to the Foun|tain of all &s;aving Knowledg, and the Standard and Rule of all ho|ly Practice, in order to everla&s;ting Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, the &s;upreme End and Felicity of Man. Now as Ma|thematical Theorems, tho equal|ly demon&s;trable, yet are not alike perceived and apprehended by every Human Mind, the Faculty not being rightly di&s;po&s;ed to the Object as in <HI>&s;pecies</HI> vi&s;ible, it is not &s;ufficient that the Object and Medium be duly di&s;po&s;ed, un|le&s;s the Organ be &s;ufficiently ena|bled and not di&s;turbed: For nei|ther a blind Eye nor a Jaundice Sight can judg of Colours.</P>
<P>Accordingly the holy Scrip|tures, which are the lively Ora|cles of God, full of Lights and
<PB N="66" REF="34">Perfections, do fully demon&s;trate the great My&s;teries of Godline&s;s, concerning the eternal, invi&s;ible, yet certain and nece&s;&s;ary Felici|ties, and Duties of Rational In|telligent Beings, who&s;e Immor|tality al&s;o is therein undeniably proved: Yet notwith&s;tanding, all the&s;e glorious and excellent Truths of the Spirit of God are not received by Animal Minds, to whom they are Fooli&s;hne&s;s, (as all &s;ort of Wi&s;dom is to Fools) becau&s;e of the Blindne&s;s and Ignorance of the Under&s;tand|ing; the Mind it &s;elf (the go|verning Power in Man) being vitiated with the &s;uffu&s;ion of Va|nity, and the deceitfulne&s;s of Sin, until the Power of the Spirit come into the Soul, with a quick|ning, renewing, re&s;toring De|mon&s;tration upon the Intellectual Faculty, to make it receive in Love the benign Influences of eternal Truth and Goodne&s;s.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="34">
<P>Accordingly con&s;ider duly,</P>
<P N="1">1. That from everla&s;ting to everla&s;ting, God is Infinite in his Perfection of all Divine Incom|prehen&s;ible Attributes, who&s;e E&s;|&s;ence is eternally in and of him|&s;elf, and gives and pre&s;erves all Beings, which were made for his Plea&s;ure and Glory, according to his own Will, not out of any nece&s;&s;ity of Nature, his Maje&s;ty being exalted above all Ble&s;&s;ings and Prai&s;e: &s;o that his infinite E&s;&s;ential Glory cannot be liable to any Addition or Detraction from any Creature.</P>
<P N="2">2. That in the beginning of Time God conde&s;cended to ma|nife&s;t his immen&s;e Wi&s;dom, Pow|er and Goodne&s;s in the Creation of the World, and all Beings therein, by the Word of his Power, by which all things are upheld and do con&s;i&s;t: All be|ing made and pre&s;erved for the
<PB N="68" REF="35">Glory of God, according to the Original Law of the Will of God re&s;pectively di&s;pen&s;ed to e|very Being.</P>
<P N="3">3. That all things were made for di&s;tinct final Cau&s;es, appoin|ted by the Law of God to be the Rule for the Operation of Life conferr'd upon every Being.</P>
<P N="4">4. That the Providence of God doth actually, effectually, conti|nually govern and over-rule all the Actions and Operations of all Beings to his Glory, according to his determinate Coun&s;els. For known unto God are all his Works from the beginning of the World; &s;o that all contingent Effects and Actions of all created Beings, are not only futurely turned and di&s;po&s;ed, but prima|rily decreed and ordered to be in|fallibly &s;ub&s;ervient to the Glory of God's eternal Truth, Ju&s;tice and Goodne&s;s.</P>
<P N="5">5. That as Activity and O|peration is the nece&s;&s;ary Ex|pre&s;&s;ion
<PB N="69" REF="35">of Life, it is al&s;o nece&s;&s;a|ry that there be an univer&s;al Law to direct, regulate and judg the Affections and Actions of all Intelligent Beings: Which Law can only be the holy and righ|teous Will of God, the Creator of all Beings, who only can righ|teou&s;ly reward and puni&s;h all Actions.</P>
<P N="6">6. God made Man upright in his Divine Image of Righteou&s;|ne&s;s, Knowledg and Holine&s;s, with Freedom of Will, but under a Covenant of Life upon Obedi|ence, and of Death upon Di&s;obe|dience, which is Sin: For Sin is the rebellious Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law.</P>
<P N="7">7. Man, tho made upright, being left to the Freedom of his Will, rebelled again&s;t and re|nounced God his Creator in his all-&s;ufficient Truth and Good|ne&s;s, and &s;ought out and embraced the Vanity and Iniquity of the Devil's Lie; by which Apo&s;tacy
<PB N="70" REF="36">and Rebellion, Mankind fell into a &s;tate of the Condemnation and Corruption of Death, which is endle&s;s Mi&s;ery, according to the righteous Judgment of God.</P>
<P N="8">8. The fir&s;t Parents of Man|kind were not only Per&s;ons indi|vidual, but common Repre&s;enta|tives of all their Po&s;terity.</P>
<P>The Evidence whereof nece&s;|&s;arily flows from the Con&s;idera|tion of the Covenant of Life, which God made with Man, when created and placed in Para|di&s;e: The eating of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil be|ing threatned with Death, which pa&s;&s;ed upon all Mankind both In|fants and Adult, according to the righteous Denunciation of God, and the Con&s;ent of Man nece&s;|&s;arily &s;uppo&s;ed; for otherwi&s;e the refu&s;al to con&s;ent would have been a Sin, preceding the Tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion in eating the forbidden Fruit.</P>
<PB N="71" REF="36">
<P>The Equity of this is owned by the univer&s;al Ju&s;tice of all Nations, according to which ca|pital Crimes of Parents corrupt the Blood, and deve&s;t the Po&s;te|rity of all Privilege conferred up|on &s;uch Families.</P>
<P>Thus all the World mu&s;t ju&s;ti|fy the Ways of God to be mo&s;t equal.</P>
<P N="9">9. The Apo&s;tacy of Mankind was not only one tran&s;ient Act of Offence again&s;t a po&s;itive Com|mand, but the Sinfulne&s;s of Sin extended to an utter Renuncia|tion of the Love and Fear of God, and introduced a Corrup|tion which the Scripture &s;tiles Death, in all the Powers and Fa|culties of a created Life.</P>
<P N="10">10. The Ju&s;tice of God being infinite, the rebellious Offence again&s;t that Ju&s;tice mu&s;t nece&s;&s;a|rily incur an everla&s;ting Puni&s;h|ment: Such as the Infinite Wi&s;|dom, Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holi|ne&s;s of God the Creator deter|mines
<PB N="72" REF="37">to inflict, to vindicate his Glory.</P>
<P N="11">11. the Salvation and Re|demption of Man liable to eter|nal Wrath, as it proceeds only from the free Grace of God, &s;o it is impo&s;&s;ible to be effected without Satisfaction to the infi|nite Ju&s;tice of God: For with|out &s;uch Satisfaction the God|head would be expo&s;ed to con|tinual Di&s;honour; and the Foun|tain of all Righteou&s;ne&s;s re&s;iding only in the infinite Ju&s;tice of God, (the violation thereof re|maining un&s;atisfied) con&s;equent|ly there mu&s;t be always a failure of common Ju&s;tice in the World.</P>
<P N="12">12. It was impo&s;&s;ible for any meer finite Creature to &s;atisfy the Offence done by Sin again&s;t the infinite Ju&s;tice and Maje&s;ty of the Creator.</P>
<P N="13">13. It was impo&s;&s;ible and al&s;o unlawful for any finite created Intelligence, to imagine, or con|trive, or effect a due Satisfaction
<PB N="73" REF="37">for the Rebellion of the Crea|ture.</P>
<P N="14">14. It is the undeniable Sove|reign Propriety and Right of God ble&s;&s;ed for ever, the Creator and Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of all Beings, to con|trive, appoint and accompli&s;h the Means of Satisfaction to his own infinite Ju&s;tice, and of Salvation for his mi&s;erable, condemned, corrupted Creature.</P>
<P N="15">15. Right Rea&s;on is the Fa|culty of di&s;cerning the difference between Good and Evil: The Lamp of God for intellectual Evidence <HI>for</HI> the practical Judg|ment concerning all Objects,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 20, 27.</NOTE> be|ing derived from and the Exer|ci&s;e of Knowledge, which is part of the Image of God in Man; but this being lo&s;t by Man's &s;in|ful Apo&s;tacy from God, there is nece&s;&s;ity of the recovery and re|newal of the Faculty of right Rea&s;on by &s;upernatural Light and Power.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 6.23. Heb. 8.10.</NOTE></P>
<PB N="74" REF="38">
<P N="16">16. Tho the invi&s;ible things of God, even his eternal Power and Godhead, are clearly &s;een from the Creation of the World, &s;o as to leave Man without Ex|cu&s;e: Yet the Manife&s;tation of the Grace of God for the Salva|tion of Sinners, through the Sa|tisfaction of his Ju&s;tice by a Re|deemer, is and can only be re|vealed by the Word of God con|tained in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Te&s;tament, and made effectual upon the Heart and Mind of Man by the holy Spirit.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor.</NOTE> For <HI>the things of God knoweth no Man, but the Spirit of God: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit &s;earcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.</HI></P>
<P N="17">17. God who at &s;undry times, and in divers manners &s;pake in time pa&s;t unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in the&s;e la&s;t days compleated the whole Canon and comprehen&s;ive Cycle of the Re|velation
<PB N="75" REF="38">of his Will, as the only Standard in Truth and Goodne&s;s for the Faith and Obedience of Mankind.</P>
<P N="18">18. The Word of God con|tained in the holy Scriptures fully makes known the Love of God in Chri&s;t which pa&s;&s;eth Know|ledg, even the Kindne&s;s and Love of God our Saviour towards Man, which fir&s;t appeared in the Pro|mi&s;e of a Redeemer, confirm'd according to the manifold Wi&s;|dom of God, by the In&s;titution of propitiatory Typical Sacrifices and Ceremonial Wor&s;hips, as Shadows, and Pledges, and Sym|bols; that in the fulne&s;s of Time God &s;hould be manife&s;ted in the Fle&s;h, even Je&s;us Chri&s;t the eter|nal Son of God, who is the true God and eternal Life.</P>
<P N="19">19. It is impo&s;&s;ible for an in|telligent Being to deve&s;t the knowledg and obligation of De|pendance upon God his Creator and Pre&s;erver: Con&s;equently the
<PB N="76" REF="39">Devotion of continual Wor&s;hip is indi&s;pen&s;able Duty and Felicity, in drawing near to God, the only infinite, eternal, all-&s;ufficient and nece&s;&s;ary Good.</P>
<P>It is al&s;o undeniably true, that the only Rule of acceptable ad|vantagious Wor&s;hip mu&s;t be the revealed Will of God: For only God can direct and teach how He will be &s;upplicated and wor|&s;hipped. The knowledg of this Rule in the Manife&s;tation of the Light and Perfection of Divine Truth and Goodne&s;s, is only to be found in the Scriptures of the Old and New Te&s;tament, where|in is revealed the ab&s;olute Sim|plicity and Perfection of the Chri&s;tian Religion, freed from the Confu&s;ion of vain and fa|bulous Super&s;tition and Will|wor&s;hip.</P>
<P N="20">20. The Covenant of Life and Happine&s;s vouch&s;afed by God to Man upon his fir&s;t Crea|tion, being by Man's Apo&s;tacy
<PB N="77" REF="39">forfeited, and the Ability to ful|fil it utterly lo&s;t:</P>
<P>A &s;econd Covenant (called the Covenant of Grace) ab&s;olutely free on God's part, but intirely nece&s;&s;ary on the part of Man, is by God in&s;tituted for the Sal|vation of Man: The Tenor of the Engagement to which Cove|nant is the In&s;titution of Bap|ti&s;m, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P>In which Ordinance is &s;um|marily repre&s;ented the Truth of the Doctrine of the Divine Tri|nity in the Unity of the God|head: for as the Father is revealed to be the God of Glory, &s;o is the Son to be the Lord of Glory, and the Holy Gho&s;t the Spirit of Glory.</P>
<P>The incommunicable Attri|butes of the Deity being a&s;cribed unto the Son, and to the Holy Gho&s;t, as unto the Father, in re|&s;pect of Creation, of Pre&s;erva|tion,
<PB N="78" REF="40">of Regeneration, of Omni|&s;cience; the Nece&s;&s;ity of Re|demption and Regeneration is evinced by the Mi&s;ery and Death common to all, and by the uni|ver&s;al depraved Vitio&s;ity of all Mankind. Now it is impo&s;&s;ible that either Redemption or Re|generation can be effected by le&s;s Power than Divine Omnipotence and Omni&s;cience.</P>
<P>The knowledg of the Heart in all the inmo&s;t Rece&s;&s;es of Thought and Imagination is a&s;cri|bed to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to the Holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P>The contrary cannot be fancied without the greate&s;t Ab&s;urdity: For if the Redeemer and Media|tor were not e&s;&s;entially able to know all the Thoughts and Di&s;|po&s;itions of the Heart of Man, then &s;ome profane Hypocrite might mock, or defeat with fal&s;e pretended Devotion the Inter|ce&s;&s;ion of our Redeemer, or wic|kedly and &s;ecurely lie to the Holy
<PB N="79" REF="40">Gho&s;t: Al&s;o &s;omething mo&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;ary for a Sinner, might e&s;cape the di&s;cern of our Mediator, &s;o that he could not be a Saviour to the uttermo&s;t; con&s;equently they who come to God by him mu&s;t remain mo&s;t mi&s;erable.</P>
<P>The e&s;&s;ential Being of God is of &s;uch terrible Maje&s;ty, covered with the Light, dwelling in the Light inacce&s;&s;ible; &s;o that no created Intelligence can po&s;&s;ibly arrive at any due Perception of the Godhead, but only according to the Revelation whereby God vouch&s;afed the Manife&s;tation of his infinite incomprehen&s;ible Be|ing; which Manife&s;tation of the Deity is given in his Word of Truth to be God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Gho&s;t, one and the &s;ame living and true God, ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</P>
<P N="21">21. The Efficacy of the Co|venant of Grace con&s;i&s;ts in Re|demption and Regeneration.</P>
<PB N="80" REF="41">
<P>Redemption by the Propitia|tion to Divine Ju&s;tice through the Satisfactory Merits of the Sufferings, Death and Righteou&s;|ne&s;s of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, according to the Will of God for the Ju&s;tification of a Sinner.</P>
<P>Regeneration by the Holy Gho&s;t in the Renovation of the Soul, quickened and &s;anctified in all the intellectual Faculties unto Newne&s;s of Life by a new &s;piri|tual Birth.</P>
<P>The Condition of the Cove|nant is Faith, fiducially re&s;ting on Chri&s;t, and vitally uniting unto Chri&s;t for Ju&s;tification and Sanctification by effectual Voca|tion.</P>
<P>The Obligation and indi&s;pen|&s;able Duty of the Covenant, is the Obedience of Faith working by Love in the fulfilling all the Commandments of God.</P>
<P N="22">22. The Covenant of Works being made with the fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> who was a meer Creature, and
<PB N="81" REF="41">therefore liable to fall when left to the freedom of his Will, the Per&s;everance in his created Up|rightne&s;s could not be &s;ecure: But the Covenant of Grace being made with the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> the Lord from Heaven, both the Per|formance of the Duty of Obe|dience to the Precepts of the Co|venant, and the final Per&s;eve|rance in the Conditions of the Covenant, are according to the Promi&s;e of God, by the Spirit of God, enabled to, pre&s;erved in, and perfected.</P>
<P>So that no believing Sinner may pre&s;ume in him&s;elf, or de&s;pair in the Grace of God, by who&s;e Power he is kept through Faith unto Salvation.</P>
<P>The everla&s;ting Covenant is ordered in all things and &s;ure; for this is our Salvation, that no|thing &s;hall be able to &s;eparate us from the Love of God, which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord.</P>
<PB N="82" REF="42">
<P N="23">23. That which is &s;tiled Na|tural Religion, is the Rational Conviction upon the Intelligent Mind of Man, of indi&s;pen&s;able Duty to fear, tru&s;t, obey, believe and love God with all his Heart, Mind and Strength, according to the Commandments of God.</P>
<P>Therefore there is a nece&s;&s;ity of the Revelation of the Will of God, by which is made known the compleat Perfection of in&s;ti|tuted Religion.</P>
<P>In&s;tituted Religion is the Rule of true Wi&s;dom to bring Man|kind to eternal Happine&s;s, by di|recting all his Affections and Actions in the Fear, Faith and Love of God, to their proper Objects, according to the Will of God, and the Glory of God.</P>
<P>That Religion only is true, which is the Practice of Obedi|ence to the Word of God, and accordingly brings us to God in Spiritual Wor&s;hip by Je&s;us Chri&s;t alone, who is the only Mediator
<PB N="83" REF="42">of Redemption and Interce&s;&s;ion. That Wi&s;dom which was the Enquiry of Philo&s;ophy, the De|mon&s;tration of Theology, is the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion and Practice of the pure undefiled Chri&s;tian Religion, which removed from all Profane|ne&s;s, Super&s;tition and Will-wor|&s;hip, is the commanded and ac|cepted way of Wor&s;hip to God in Spirit and in Truth, of Obe|dience to all the Commandments of God from Love to God, of Righteou&s;ne&s;s to the Neighbour, with Love, as to ones &s;elf, of Ho|line&s;s and Sobriety, in re&s;pect of his own Per&s;on made and renew|ed in the Image of God, all upon hope of everla&s;ting Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s to the Glory of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.2.</NOTE></P>
<P>This Religion is the Characte|ri&s;tick Excellency of Man, and is the only true Cement and Se|curity of Mankind in all Condi|tions and Relations.</P>
<P N="24">24. The Felicity to which the Chri&s;tian Religion gives Title
<PB N="84" REF="43">and Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, is both temporary and everla&s;ting. In this Life Conver&s;ion from Darkne&s;s unto Light, from the Power of Satan unto God, from the Folly and Madne&s;s of Vanity and Sin, unto the Fear and Love of God, which is the beginning of true Wi&s;dom; Ju&s;tification from the Guilt of Sin, and thereby Peace with God; Sanctification by the renewing of the Image of God in Righteou&s;|ne&s;s, Knowledg and true Holi|ne&s;s, by the Spirit of God dwelling in the Soul, to quicken, direct, pre&s;erve in the Paths of Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s from all Apo&s;tacy; A|doption to be a Child of God, an Heir of Heaven, and to have Right and Acceptance to cry <HI>Abba,</HI> Father; that is, to be emboldened to approach the Throne of Grace, and to offer continual Sacrifices of Supplica|tion and Thank&s;giving, upon our only great and glorious Altar,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.10, 15.</NOTE> the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in him
<PB N="85" REF="43">drawing near to God our exceed|ing Joy.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 43.4.</NOTE></P>
<P>This State gives Contentation in every Condition, under the a&s;&s;urance that all things &s;hall work together for our good, and that all our mo&s;t difficult Labour to re&s;i&s;t Temptation, to over|come the World, to mortify Cor|ruptions, to deny Self, &s;hall not be in vain in the Lord, but &s;hall receive a full Recompence of Re|ward in the Kingdom of Hea|ven.</P>
<P>Therefore what&s;oever is done or &s;uffered, is in hope of the Glo|ry of God, knowing that the State of this pre&s;ent World is not capable to receive the Ble&s;|&s;edne&s;s and Glory of Eternity in Heaven.</P>
<P>The Felicity of Eternity can|not po&s;&s;ibly be repre&s;ented, or de|clared by the Tongues of Men and Angels. Un&s;peakable Words,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13.4,</NOTE> uncapable to be heard or uttered in this Vale of Tears, are nece&s;&s;ary
<PB N="86" REF="44">to &s;et forth what Eye hath not &s;een,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31.19. I&s;a. 64.4. 1 Cor. 2.9.</NOTE> nor Ear heard, neither have entred into the Heart of Man, the things which God hath pre|pared for them that love him, and fear him, and wait for him, and tru&s;t in him, before the Sons of Men. This is that immen&s;e Felicity when we &s;hall know as we are known, and &s;hall be chan|ged into the &s;ame Image, from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, in the Beati|fick Vi&s;ion of God to all Eternity, when the Lord &s;hall bring all his Servants into the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions of the Joy and Glory of that King|dom, which God hath prepared for them before the Foundation of the World. But mo&s;t di&s;mal &s;hall be the woful Mi&s;ery of tho&s;e who refu&s;e to obey the Go&s;pel commanding to crucify the Fle&s;h, with the Affections and Lu&s;ts, to renounce a vain Conformity to the Pomps and Plea&s;ures of the World; to for|&s;ake
<PB N="87" REF="44">&s;ake a vain Conver&s;ation, received by Tradition from our Fore|fathers; to deny &s;elf, &s;o as to cut off Right-hand and Foot, and pluck out right-Eye and to ca&s;t them away. They that account &s;uch Le&s;&s;ons too difficult to be ob&s;erved, mu&s;t hear, and peri&s;h under the Sentence, Depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity into everla&s;ting Fire, where the Worm &s;hall never die, and the Fire &s;hall never be quenched.</P>
<P>The Conclu&s;ion and Sum of the whole is this.</P>
<P>In the beginning, <HI>i. e.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1.1, 3.</NOTE> from Eternity, was the E&s;&s;ential Word, and the Word was with God: <HI>All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.16.</NOTE> Who in the ful|ne&s;s of Time was God manife&s;ted in the Fle&s;h; for of the Seed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> as concerning the Fle&s;h, Chri&s;t came, <HI>who is over all,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.5.</NOTE> <HI>God ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</HI> Amen. <HI>In whom
<PB N="88" REF="45">we have Redemption through his Blood,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.</NOTE> <HI>even the forgivene&s;s of Sins: Who is the Image of the invi&s;ible God, the fir&s;t-born of every Crea|ture. For by him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, vi&s;ible and in|vi&s;ible; whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers: All things were created by him, and for him. And he is be|fore all things, and by him all things con&s;i&s;t. And he is the Head of the Body, the Church: who is the beginning, the fir&s;t-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the Preheminence. For it plea&s;ed the Father, that in him all Fulne&s;s &s;hould dwell: And having made Peace through the Blood of his Cro&s;s, by him to reconcile all things unto him&s;elf, whether things in Earth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.1, 2, 3, 8.</NOTE> <HI>or things in Heaven. God who at &s;undry times, and in divers manners &s;pake in time pa&s;t unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in the&s;e la&s;t days &s;poken unto us by his Son,
<PB N="89" REF="45">whom he hath appointed Heir of all things; by whom al&s;o he made the Worlds. Who being the Bright|ne&s;s of his Glory, and the expre&s;s Image of his Per&s;on, and uphold|ing all things by the Word of his Power, when he had by him&s;elf purged our Sins, &s;at down on the Right-hand of the Maje&s;ty on high. For unto the Son he &s;aith, Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a Scepter of Righteou&s;ne&s;s is the Scepter of thy Kingdom. Becau&s;e God hath appointed a Day in the which he will judg the World in Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17.31.</NOTE> <HI>by that Man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given A&s;&s;urance unto all Men, in that he hath rai&s;ed him from the dead.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Now it is ea&s;ier for Heaven and Earth to pa&s;s,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.17.</NOTE> <HI>than one tittle of the Law to fail.</HI> The Son of Man &s;hall come in his Glory, and all the holy Angels with him; then &s;hall he &s;it upon the Throne of his Glory, and before him &s;hall
<PB N="90" REF="46">all Nations be gathered.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.3, 12.</NOTE> Then the fooli&s;h Virgins, that neglected opportunity to provide Oil, &s;hall be excluded Heaven: They that in divers In&s;tances agreed in one Con&s;ent to prefer and over-value pre&s;ent Animal Enjoyments be|fore the Lord's Invitation to his Marriage-Supper,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 14.18.</NOTE> &s;hall never ta&s;te of Eternal Life.</P>
<P>They that thought it a hard Saying and not to be born, the Command of our Lord to cruci|fy the Fle&s;h with the Affections and Lu&s;ts, to renounce a vain Conver&s;ation and a Conformity to the Fa&s;hion of the World which pa&s;&s;eth away, that refu&s;e to deny &s;elf, to take up the Cro&s;s, to cut off right Hand and Foot, and pluck out right Eye, and ca&s;t them away.</P>
<P>All &s;uch mu&s;t hear, and peri&s;h for ever under that dreadful Word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.41</NOTE> <HI>Depart from me ye cur&s;ed, into everla&s;ting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.</HI> But
<PB N="91" REF="46">on the other &s;ide, to tho&s;e who believed the Truth as it is in Je&s;us, without contradicting or bla&s;pheming, received it in Love and the Obedience of Faith, not holding it in Unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, <HI>the King &s;hall &s;ay,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 34,</NOTE> <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Founda|tion of the World.</HI> But where &s;hall ungodly Sinners appear, that &s;end after the Lord Je&s;us into Heaven this Rebel Me&s;&s;age, <HI>We will not have this Man to reign over us?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke,</NOTE></P>
<P>That renounce the Satisfaction and Redemption of Chri&s;t, that bla&s;phemou&s;ly deny the Deity of Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Lord of Glory, they &s;hall &s;ay to the Mountains and Rocks, <HI>Fall on us,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 6.16, 17.</NOTE> <HI>and hide us from the Face of him that &s;it|teth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the Lamb: For the great Day of his Wrath is come, and who &s;hall be able to &s;tand?</HI></P>
<PB N="92" REF="47">
<P>Few Men have been found in any Age or Country, to have filled their Hearts with &s;uch profligate Madne&s;s to deny God. Indeed <HI>Cicero</HI> &s;aith, that <HI>Epicurus</HI> while in words he allowed a Deity, he did really and by pretended Notions utterly di&s;avow the Providence of God, without which the Name of God mu&s;t be an empty and contemptible Sound.</P>
<P>For, as <HI>Cicero</HI> ob&s;erves, if the Fear of God, and Reverential Regard to the actual Providence of God be denied, or weakened, thereby al&s;o the common Faith and Security of human Society, and the Ground and Foundation of univer&s;al commutative and di&s;tributive Ju&s;tice, is altogether &s;ubverted.</P>
<P>The P&s;almi&s;t affirms,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 14.1,</NOTE> that the Fool hath &s;aid in his Heart, there is no God. That is the Di&s;po&s;ition and working of his Heart in the de&s;perate Wickedne&s;s and unex|pre&s;&s;ible Deceitfulne&s;s of all its
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 17.9.</NOTE>
<PB N="93" REF="47">Purpo&s;es and vain Imagination, to avow the ca&s;ting off the regard of God.</P>
<P>Therefore the P&s;almi&s;t imme|diately adds, They have done abo|minable Works, there is none that doth good. Accordingly the P&s;almi&s;t again expre&s;&s;es,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 36.1, 2.</NOTE> <HI>The Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the wicked &s;aith within my Heart, that there is no Fear of God before his Eyes: For he flattereth him&s;elf in his own Eyes, until his Iniquity be found to be hateful.</HI></P>
<P>It is therefore mo&s;t irrational Dementation to detract from the infinite Perfections of the Eternal God; for thereby Man is left in a wretched Condition, more abject than that of the Bea&s;t which pe|ri&s;hes, liable to the Mi&s;eries of this Life without the help of the Awe and Encouragement of fu|ture Puni&s;hments and Rewards.</P>
<P>There needs not any Foreign Topick of Argumentation to prove the Exi&s;tence of God, and
<PB N="94" REF="48">his ab&s;olute Soveraignty over all Beings. For the Con&s;cience of Good and Evil radicated in every human Intelligence, is a con|tinual and unan&s;werable Evi|dence of the infinite Perfections of the Eternal God, ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</P>
<P>It is mo&s;t ab&s;urd Folly and Contradiction, to own a Nominal God, and to deny the E&s;&s;ential Attributes of the infinite Per|fection of the Deity. Eternal Being, Truth and Goodne&s;s are the infinite Perfections of one Almighty, All-&s;ufficient God.</P>
<P>Eternity of Being implies Ori|ginal E&s;&s;ential Exi&s;tence ab&s;olute|ly &s;imple, altogether independent, wholly immutable, univer&s;ally powerful, every-where pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>From whence flows Almighty Power, to create and uphold all things according to his Will; to be the only Cau&s;e of all other Be|ings, and of all Cau&s;es of their Life, with all di&s;tinct and proper
<PB N="95" REF="48">Abilities thereof; of their Ope|ration, with all the Powers of Ex|erci&s;e, Rules or Limits to direct and govern, and End of Perfor|mance.</P>
<P>Of their Sub&s;i&s;tence with all Circum&s;tances of Time and Place, for the Beginning, Continuance or Progre&s;s, and fini&s;hing their Cour&s;e with all diver&s;ity and alte|rations of Condition therein, Su&s;tentation and Regulation, as nece&s;&s;arily flowing from, and de|pending upon God as Origina|tion.</P>
<P>Truth is original, eternal, in|finite Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and Holine&s;s, and Knowledg; the Perfection of excellent Eminence, whereby the Divine Maje&s;ty and E&s;&s;ence is infinitely exalted above, and &s;e|parated from all po&s;&s;ibility of Communion with, or Re&s;pect un|to Vanity, Impurity, Unrighteou&s;|ne&s;s, or Wickedne&s;s, and doth &s;a|tisfyingly re&s;t in his own All-&s;ufficient Soveraignty: Thence
<PB N="96" REF="49">derives and di&s;pen&s;es to all Crea|tures the Law of Truth, to guide and direct inherently the Su&s;ten|tation, Operation and final De|termination of all Beings, accor|ding to their &s;everal re&s;pective Natures, for the mutual Support, Pre&s;ervation and Comfort of the Univer&s;e, all in &s;ubordinate ne|ce&s;&s;ary Subjection to the &s;upreme Obedience unto the Will of God, and ultimate Aim and Regard to the Glory of God.</P>
<P>The Effect of this eternal Truth is the Stream of Truth, the Law of univer&s;al Ju&s;tice, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, Equity, by God implanted in the Nature of all Rational Creatures, to direct and judg all their Affections and Actions.</P>
<P>This is Truth &s;coffed by the Profane, vainly di&s;cour&s;ed by Mo|ro&s;ophi&s;ts, found po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed and enjoyed as the Happine&s;s of all that fear and love God.</P>
<PB N="97" REF="49">
<P>This a&s;&s;igns the End to all Controver&s;y, is the Standard of Con&s;cience, and the Ba&s;is of all Rational Conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>The Manife&s;tation of this Truth is the revealed Will of God.</P>
<P>For Knowledg in God both &s;atisfyingly comprehends the All-&s;ufficient Perfection of the Di|vine E&s;&s;ence, and effectually de|termines and appoints the Na|ture, Operation, U&s;e and End of all Beings to his Glory.</P>
<P>According to the Conformity to, or Alienation from this Eter|nal Truth, is the Re&s;ult of Hap|pine&s;s or Mi&s;ery to every Ratio|nal Being: For Divine Truth and Goodne&s;s are convertible and in&s;eparable.</P>
<P>God only is good originally, e&s;&s;entially, infinitely, eternally, all-&s;ufficiently.</P>
<P>Goodne&s;s is the Root, the Branches are Love; God is Love,
<PB N="98" REF="50">Mercy; God is the Father of Mercies, Con&s;olation: God is the God of all Comfort, Patience and Long-&s;uffering; God is the God of Patience, and his Long-&s;uffering is Salvation; his Loving-kindne&s;s is better than Life.</P>
<P>Forgivene&s;s is with the Lord, that he may be feared:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 130.4, 7.</NOTE> <HI>Let</HI> I&s;rael <HI>hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is Mercy; and with him is plenteous Redemption.</HI></P>
<P>But this abundant Mercy is not in any re&s;pect Encouragement to Pre&s;umption,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.1, 2</NOTE> or continuance in Sin:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.4, 5</NOTE> for that is to de&s;pi&s;e the Riches of his Goodne&s;s, and For|bearance, and Long-&s;uffering; not knowing that the Goodne&s;s of God leadeth to Repentance; but after the Hardne&s;s and Im|penitency of Heart, trea&s;ureth unto it &s;elf Wrath again&s;t the day of Wrath, and Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God.</P>
<PB N="99" REF="50">
<P>God that dwells in Light inacce&s;&s;ible, cannot be perceived and apprehended in any other Manife&s;tation than as he is plea|&s;ed to reveal him&s;elf, which can only be in his Word, wherein tho there be &s;ufficient Evidence to &s;atisfy a created Intelligence what is the infinite Excellence of the Divine Object of Wor|&s;hip, yet it remains ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for the mo&s;t exalted created Mind fully to compre|hend the Perfection of the Divine E&s;&s;ence.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding what is re|vealed thereof as the Object of Faith, is repleni&s;hed with im|men&s;e Goodne&s;s and Beauty, to be the all-&s;ufficient and nece&s;&s;ary Felicity of an immortal Rational Creature: Thus the highe&s;t and deepe&s;t My&s;tery concerning the Deity, tho not po&s;&s;ible to be in|ve&s;tigated by human Capacity, yet being revealed by the Word
<PB N="100" REF="51">of Divine Truth, nece&s;&s;arily con|&s;trains the Under&s;tanding, Will and Affections to adore, believe, and receive in Love the Truth of this glorious My&s;tery.</P>
<P>The Manife&s;tation of the Di|vine E&s;&s;ence cannot po&s;&s;ibly be arrived at, but by &s;uch Revela|tion as God is plea&s;ed to make of him&s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>No Man knoweth the Son but the Father;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.27.</NOTE> <HI>neither knoweth any Man the Father, &s;ave the Son, and he to whom&s;oever the Son will reveal him.</HI></P>
<P>Neither can any Man &s;ay that Je&s;us is the Lord but by the Holy Gho&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.3.</NOTE> The Ladder of Divine Knowledg, by which the Mind a&s;cends to God, the Top where|of reacheth to Heaven, is yet &s;et upon the Earth.</P>
<P>For altho the very Light is a Covering to the Glory of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104.2.</NOTE> yet things material, vi&s;ible, and humanly intelligible, pre&s;ent the
<PB N="101" REF="51">Shadows of excellent Evidence, &s;ub&s;ervient unto the incompre|hen&s;ible Perfection of Light and Truth of the Trinity in Unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Gho&s;t, the only and true God, ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</P>
<P>There are Signatures in the Nature of created Beings, to a&s;&s;i&s;t the Mind in its A&s;cent of ap|proach to behold the Goodne&s;s of the glorious My&s;tery of the Tri|nity of Per&s;ons in the Unity of the Divine E&s;&s;ence.</P>
<P>The Doctrine of the ble&s;&s;ed Trinity is &s;hadowed in all Be|ings, <HI>viz.</HI> a Trinity of Sub&s;i|&s;tences in Unity of E&s;&s;ence.</P>
<P>In every individual material Sub&s;tance, there is Height, Length and Breadth.</P>
<P>In every the &s;ame Luminary Orb there is Light, Heat, fructi|fying Influence.</P>
<PB N="102" REF="52">
<P>In every Man, Under&s;tanding, Will, Affection, yet the &s;ame univocal Soul.</P>
<P>In the Godhead was always acknowledged Entity, Truth, Goodne&s;s, &s;ub&s;i&s;ting in Unity, al|ways from the Foundation of the World declared to be eternal Truth of God.</P>
<P>The holy Scripture declares in the Trinity of the Godhead di|&s;tinct Properties, yet one and the &s;ame Infinite E&s;&s;ence; and in e|very Per&s;on of the Godhead At|tributes incommunicable to any but God.</P>
<P>Creation of all things is a&s;&s;ign|ed to the Son of God, to the eternal Word of God.</P>
<P>John 1.1, 2, 3. <HI>In the begin|ning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The &s;ame was in the beginning with God.</HI></P>
<PB N="103" REF="52">
<P><HI>All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.</HI></P>
<P>Both the Creation and the Su&s;tentation of all things are a&s;&s;igned to the Son of God.</P>
<P>Heb. 1.1, 2, 3. <HI>God who at &s;undry times, and in divers man|ners &s;pake in times pa&s;t unto the Fathers by the Prophets,</HI></P>
<P><HI>Hath in the&s;e la&s;t days &s;poken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed Heir of all things; by whom al&s;o he made the Worlds.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Who being the Brightne&s;s of his Glory, and the expre&s;s Image of his Per&s;on, and upholding all things by the Word of his Power, when he had by him&s;elf purged our Sins, &s;at down on the Right-hand of the Ma|je&s;ty on high.</HI></P>
<P>The Knowledg of the Heart of every Man is a&s;&s;igned to the Son of God; <HI>Joh.</HI> 2.25. <HI>Who needed not that any &s;hould te&s;tify of Man, for he knew what was in Man.</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="53">Compared with 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 8.39. <HI>For thou, even thou only knowe&s;t the Hearts of all the Children of Men.</HI></P>
<P><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6.1, 5. the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>I &s;aw al&s;o the Lord &s;itting upon a Throne, high and lifted up.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Then &s;aid I, Wo is me, for mine Eyes have &s;een the King the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>This Vi&s;ion of <HI>Jehova</HI> is ex|pre&s;ly applied to our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>John 12.41. <HI>The&s;e things &s;aid</HI> E&s;aias, <HI>when he &s;aw his Glory, and &s;pake of him.</HI></P>
<P>Al&s;o <HI>Joh.</HI> 2.24, 25. <HI>But Je&s;us did not commit him&s;elf to them, becau&s;e he knew all Men: And needed not that any &s;hould te&s;tify of Man; for he knew what was in Man.</HI></P>
<P>1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.20. &s;peaking of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>This is the true God, and Eternal Life.</HI></P>
<PB N="105" REF="53">
<P>Al&s;o to the Holy Gho&s;t the Scripture a&s;&s;igns the Creation of the World: <HI>Gen.</HI> 1.2. <HI>And the Earth was without Form, and void, and Darkne&s;s was upon the Face of the Deep; and the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the Waters. And God &s;aid, Let there be Light, and there was Light.</HI></P>
<P>Likewi&s;e the Works of Divine Providence; <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63.10. <HI>But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit, &mdash;Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?</HI> The Spirit of the Lord cau&s;ed him to re&s;t; &s;o did&s;t thou lead thy People to make thy &s;elf a glorious Name.</P>
<P>The Work of Regeneration is a&s;cribed to the Holy Gho&s;t; John 3.5. <HI>Except a Man be born of the Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.</HI> Tit. 3.5. <HI>According to his Mercy he &s;aved us, by the wa&s;hing of Regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI></P>
<PB N="106" REF="54">
<P>The Knowledg of &s;ecret Sins is a&s;cribed to the Holy Gho&s;t; Acts 5.3, 4. <HI>Why hath Satan filled thy Heart to lie to the Holy Gho&s;t; thou ha&s;t not lied unto Men but un|to God.</HI></P>
<P>Likewi&s;e the Sin again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t is declared to be un|pardonable; Mark 3.29. <HI>He that &s;hall bla&s;pheme again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t, hath never Forgivene&s;s, but is in danger of Damnation.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e and many other Scrip|tures evidence the Truth of the Unity of E&s;&s;ence in the Trinity of the Divine Per&s;ons; <HI>Joh.</HI> 10.30. <HI>I and my Father are one.</HI> 1 John 5.7. <HI>For there are three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Gho&s;t; and the&s;e three are one.</HI> Compare al&s;o 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.16. <HI>All Scripture is given by In&s;piration of God.</HI> And 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.21. <HI>Holy Men of God &s;pake as they were moved by the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI></P>
<PB N="107" REF="54">
<P>Likewi&s;e in the la&s;t words of <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 23.2, 3. <HI>The Spi|rit of the Lord &s;pake by me, and his VVord was in my Tongue; the God of</HI> I&s;rael <HI>&s;aid,</HI> &amp;c. Thus the Doctrine of the ble&s;&s;ed Trinity is not meerly Notional, but Real; it is not fictitious, but eternally true; it is infinitely good, there|fore nece&s;&s;ary to be believed, and adoringly received in Love as the Principle of Felicity to Intel|lectual Creatures.</P>
<P>The Divine Trinity is Incom|prehen&s;ible, therefore to be ado|red, not doubted, nor &s;ubjected to Human Argumentation, which cannot illu&s;trate that which in all re&s;pects nece&s;&s;arily excels all Methods of finite Proof or Evi|dence, tho the Reality and Effi|cacy thereof be mo&s;t certainly and feelingly perceived and enjoyed.</P>
<P>The curious Inquiry is like ga|zing upon the Sun, which dazles our weak Eyes.</P>
<PB N="108" REF="55">
<P>For now we &s;ee through a Gla&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13.12.</NOTE> darkly; now we know in part: but when we &s;hall know even as al&s;o we are known, when we are brought into the third Heaven,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.4.</NOTE> then we &s;hall hear tho&s;e un&s;peakable words which in this State of Mortality are not po&s;&s;i|ble to be uttered, fully to reveal the Glory of the Divine Tri|nity. What the Lord &s;aid unto <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> is al&s;o &s;poken unto us; We cannot &s;ee the Glory of God and live; but the Lord maketh his Goodne&s;s pa&s;s before us,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 33.19, 20.</NOTE> and pro|claims his Name before us, that he will be gracious to whom he will be gracious, and will &s;hew Mercy on whom he will &s;hew Mercy; according to the eternal Election of God the Father, and the Redemption by God the Son, and Sanctification by God the Holy Gho&s;t, into which Truth all Believers who &s;hall be &s;aved, are baptized.</P>
<PB N="109" REF="55">
<P>The Duty of common Philan|thropy obliges deeply to grieve at the Folly and Madne&s;s of Epi|curean Sen&s;uali&s;ts, who renounce the Glory of the Image of God, and the hope of immortal Feli|city, and corrupt them&s;elves to be like natural Brute Bea&s;ts, made to be taken and de&s;troyed, vainly imagining to evade the impartial Ju&s;tice of the Almighty God, with whom is terrible Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>No le&s;s mi&s;erable are the Pro|fane, who take up a &s;coffing Name of Dei&s;t to act the Athei&s;t, renouncing the Fear of God which is the only Bond of Human So|ciety, and rejecting Hope in God, which is the only di&s;tingui&s;hing Excellency of Man above the Bea&s;ts that peri&s;h.</P>
<P>Unrea&s;onable al&s;o is the Pride of tho&s;e who deny the prede&s;ti|nating Pre&s;cience of God the Fa|ther,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.23.</NOTE> changing the Glory of the Incorruptible God into the Image
<PB N="110" REF="56">of corruptible Man; as if they thought God to be altogether &s;uch an one as them&s;elves,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.21.</NOTE> who upon any Di&s;appointment or unexpect|ed Accident, endeavour to patch up a Remedy for unfore&s;een In|convenience. But let the Pot|&s;herds of the Earth &s;trive with,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 45.9.</NOTE> and di&s;cour&s;e of the Pot&s;herds of the Earth.</P>
<P>But unto the eternal Wi&s;dom of God are known all his Works from the beginning of the World, according to that determinate Coun&s;el and Knowledg of his own Will,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 2.23.</NOTE> who hath appointed all things that ever &s;hall come to pa&s;s, and all for his own Glory; &s;o that not any the lea&s;t thing, even the falling of a Sparrow to the Ground,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.29, 30.</NOTE> befals by chance, but by Divine Appointment.</P>
<P>Al&s;o the mo&s;t flagitious Wic|kedne&s;s that ever was contrived and acted, even the crucifying the Prince of Life, was to fulfil
<PB N="111" REF="56">the determinate Coun&s;el of God, for this very end to accompli&s;h the highe&s;t Exaltation of Divine Glory and Goodne&s;s in the Salva|tion of Man.</P>
<P>Which Salvation likewi&s;e is made effectual only to &s;uch as are ordained to Eternal Life.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 13.48.</NOTE></P>
<P>They al&s;o deny the meritorious Satisfaction to the infinite Ju&s;tice of God by the Death and Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for the Redemption of Sinners from Wrath to come; by which mi&s;e|rable Error is effectually and re|ally denied and evacuated the E&s;&s;ential Ju&s;tice of God.</P>
<P>They al&s;o deny the nece&s;&s;ity of the Almighty efficacious Grace of the Spirit of God to &s;anctify, regenerate and quicken tho&s;e that are naturally dead in Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and Sins, under that Corruption and Impotence, wherein all are alienated from the Life of God.</P>
<PB N="112" REF="57">
<P>Now concerning the words u&s;ed by the Orthodox to expre&s;s the My&s;tery of the Divine Tri|nity:</P>
<P>It ought to be con&s;idered, that Words of Rational Speech being the Signatures of Things, there are many more things to be ex|pre&s;&s;ed than are words to repre|&s;ent them: For &s;uch is the Po|verty of every the mo&s;t copious Language, that there is nece&s;&s;ity to apply the &s;ame &s;yllabical Word to &s;ignify various and different things, which yet receive the Certainty of Interpretation from the Rational Contexture of the re&s;pective Di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus in the Controver&s;ies rai&s;ed by Heretical Bla&s;phemers again&s;t the Doctrine of the ble&s;&s;ed Tri|nity.</P>
<P>The Orthodox to vindicate the Truth of the Scriptures, which abundantly te&s;tify both the E&s;&s;en|tial Unity, and the di&s;tinct Pro|perties
<PB N="113" REF="57">of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Gho&s;t, have made u&s;e of &s;everal words, as <HI>Per&s;on</HI> and <HI>Co-e&s;&s;ential,</HI> to expre&s;s and &s;ignify the Scriptu|ral Truth of the Identical Sub|&s;tance and di&s;tinct Properties of the Divine Trinity in Unity.</P>
<P>Therefore the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion and u&s;e of the afore&s;aid Words or Phra&s;es are duly retained by the Church, according to the Mean|ing and Intention clearly made known in the holy Scriptures, which a&s;cribe, as before mentio|ned, unto the Father, unto the Son, and unto the Holy Gho&s;t, Attributes of E&s;&s;ential Divine Perfection, incommunicable to any but unto the only living and true God, who from everla&s;ting to ever|la&s;ting, is God ble&s;&s;ed for ever.</P>
<P>Religious Wor&s;hip being the ab&s;olute Soveraignty of the only living and true God, both in re|&s;pect of the Object of Wor&s;hip,
<PB N="114" REF="58">which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> only be God; and in re&s;pect of the Rule of Wor&s;hip, which can only be appointed by God: For all other Objects of Wor&s;hip are de&s;picable vain Idols, and all Rules, Mediums and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 chunk">s of Religion not in&s;tituted by God, are bla&s;phemous De|traction from the Truth and Ma|je&s;ty of God. It mu&s;t therefore be that the great Temptation to Athei&s;m is Super&s;tition; that is, a Human Compo&s;ition of Reli|gion, when the Fear (that is, the Wor&s;hip of God) is taught by the Precepts of Men.</P>
<P>The cour&s;e of Rational Argu|mentation carrying the Mind to infer, that if the Object of Ado|ration mu&s;t be obliged to depend upon the Will and Fancy of Hu|man Impo&s;ition, how, and when, and with what Mediums or Ce|remonies it &s;hall be adored: Then the Deity mu&s;t become a meer Fiction, and &s;uch Religion no|thing
<PB N="115" REF="58">but an Idol-Contrivance of the crafty, or the fooli&s;h: Such Super&s;tition being &s;acrilegious Inva&s;ion of the Divine Maje&s;ty, to in&s;titute or practi&s;e any Rite, Formulary, or Ceremony in Reli|gion not commanded by God, or otherwi&s;e than God hath com|manded:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33.22.</NOTE> becau&s;e God only can be the Law-giver of his own Wor&s;hip; for all other Wor&s;hip falls &s;hort of Acceptance with God, con&s;equently cannot make the Wor&s;hipper happy, but pre|pares for an Athei&s;tical Rejection of all Religion. The mo&s;t re|fined Human Intelligence could never find out to Perfection the Works of God, which are the Objects of our Sen&s;e; &s;o as fully to di&s;cover the Formation, Tex|ture, Con&s;i&s;tence and compleat U&s;e and End of created Beings. Who can fully under&s;tand the glo|rious Orbs of Light which dazle the Beholder?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 150.1.</NOTE> Who knows the
<PB N="116" REF="59">firmament of his Power? Who knows <HI>the Ballancings of the Clouds <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he wondrous Works of him which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s perfect in Knowledg? how the Garments are warm, when he quiet|eth the Earth by the South Wind?</HI></P>
<P>The very Augmentation of Stones and other Subterranean Materials, the Growth of Vege|tables, the Production, Genera|tion, U&s;e and Operation of Ani|mals, even of the mo&s;t de&s;picable In&s;ects, have e&s;caped, and &s;urpa&s;&s;ed the diligent Inquiry of the mo&s;t &s;agacious Pretenders: The Cer|tainty of all which having only Sub&s;tance and Evidence in Faith by which we under&s;tand that the World was made by the Word of God;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.1, 3</NOTE> &s;o that things which are &s;een are not made of things which do appear.</P>
<P>But who can by &s;earching find out God?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 11.7, 8.</NOTE> Or, who can find out the Almighty unto Perfection? <HI>It is as high as Heaven, what
<PB N="117" REF="59">can&s;t thou do? deeper th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hat can&s;t thou know?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">7.3.</NOTE> <HI>Yet this is Life Eternal, to know the only true God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom he hath &s;ent.</HI></P>
<P>The My&s;teries of the Divine Trinity, and of the Incarnatio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, God manife&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> in the Fle&s;h, mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily ran&s;cend the Comprehen&s;ion of any finite created Intelligence. But tho the Love of Chri&s;t pa&s;&s;eth Knowledg, it is impo&s;&s;ible for &s;inful Man to be delivered and &s;aved from Wrath to come, that is, from eternal Death, but by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nfeigned Faith in God the Fa|ther to be ju&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.26.</NOTE> and the Ju&s;tifier of an ungodly Sinner,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">&amp; 4.5.</NOTE> which be|lieveth in Je&s;us; in God the Son, who only is able to &s;ave to the utmo&s;t, having by him&s;elf purged us from our Sins, and &s;atisfied Divine Ju&s;tice, is only capable to be an everla&s;ting Mediator of Redemption and Interce&s;&s;ion:
<PB N="118" REF="60">Al&s;o in God the Holy Gho&s;t, who only can regenerate and &s;anctify a Sinner, to be received into Communion of Life with God for ever.</P>
<P>Now for a Golden Cla&s;p to the rehear&s;ed Truths, none of them being of private Fancy or Inven|tion, duly con&s;ider the two fir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> Articles of Religion, being the Doctrine of the Church of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> publi&s;hed in the beginning of the Reformation, confirmed by Act of Parliament, and con|tinually &s;ub&s;cribed by the Cler|gy.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="articles">
<PB REF="60">
<HEAD>Articles of Religion</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="article">
<HEAD>I. Of Faith in the Holy Trin</HEAD>
<P>THere is but one living in true God, everla&s;ting, with|out Body, Parts, or Pa&s;&s;ions, of Infinite Power, Wi&s;dom and Good|ne&s;s, the Maker and Pre&s;erver of all things, both vi&s;ible or invi&s;ible. And in &V;nity of this Godhead, there be Three Per&s;ons of one Sub|&s;tance, Power and Eternity, the Fa|ther, Son, and the Holy Gho&s;t.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="article">
<HEAD>II. Of the Ju&s;tification of Man.</HEAD>
<P><HI>WE are accounted righteous before God, only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, by Faith, and not for
<PB REF="61">our own Works, or De&s;ervings: Wherefore that we are ju&s;tified by Faith only, is a mo&s;t whol&s;om Doctrine, and very full of Com|fort, as more largely is expre&s;&s;ed in the Homily of Ju&s;tification.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="61">
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
