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<DATE>2014-07-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Renee Mayes</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Full and Clear Account THE Scripture gives of the DEITY.</P>
<P>And all the MISTAKES removed relating thereunto.</P>
<P>Proved that the Heaven of Heavens and the Fall of Angels was before the Six Days Creation.</P>
<P><HI>With an Account where the Being of Hell is.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Deut. 6.4.</HI></BIBL> Here <HI>O I&s;rael,</HI> the Lord our God is one Lord, <HI>Exod. 23.21.</HI> For my name is in him, <HI>ver&s;. 22.</HI> If thou &s;halt indeed obey his Voice, and do all that I &s;peak, then will I be an Enemy unto thine Enemies, and an Adver&s;ary to thine Adver&s;aries,</Q>
<Q><HI>John 17, 3.</HI> And this is Life Eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom thou ha&s;t &s;ent.</Q>
<P>By <HI>M. MARSIN.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed and &s;old by <HI>John Gouge</HI> in <HI>We&s;tminster-Hall</HI> at the Sign of the <HI>Castle,</HI> at Mrs. <HI>Fabian</HI> in <HI>Mercers-Chappel</HI> in <HI>Cheap&s;ide,</HI> at <HI>John Clarks</HI> at the Bible in the <HI>Old-Change,</HI> And at <HI>John Gwillam</HI>'s over again&s;t the <HI>Great James</HI> in <HI>Bi&s;hop&s;gate-street.</HI> 1700.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A TABLE of the Contents.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>A True and Full and Clear Account the Scripture gives of the Deity: As Father, Son, and Spirit. <HI>page 11</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Angel whom God &s;aid his name was in him. <HI>p. 14</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How Chri&s;t is the Fir&s;t and the La&s;t. <HI>p. 16</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;t the beginning of the Creation of God. <HI>p 18</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How the Father and the Son are one. <HI>p. 20</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning the Holy Gho&s;t. <HI>p. 22</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Proving the Holy Spirit dwells not every where. <HI>p. 30</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of God the Father. <HI>p. 32</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing how it is that God is invi&s;ible. <HI>p. 33</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing by whom <HI>I&s;rael</HI> receiv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d the Law. <HI>p. 36</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing where God is vi&s;ible. <HI>p. 42</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d hath &s;everal right Hands. <HI>p. 44</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God's right and left Hand. <HI>p. 45</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God not of a corporeal Substance. <HI>p. 46</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing how God &s;its upon the circle of the Earth. <HI>p. 48</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God a glorious &s;piritual Per&s;on. <HI>p. 50</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing how God filleth all. <HI>p. 52</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God a glorious &s;piritual Per&s;on. <HI>p. 55</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Of the Two Per&s;ons, the Father and the Son. <HI>p. 58</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God a glorious &s;piritual Per&s;on. <HI>p. 59</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Shewing there is &s;everal beginnings. <HI>p. 64</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Heaven of Heavens and Angels. <HI>p. 65</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Proved to be before the &s;ix days Creation. <HI>p. 66</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God created all things very good. <HI>p. 67</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Devil the Father of Lies. <HI>p. 68</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Law and the Go&s;pel with lory confirmed. <HI>p. 69</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Concerning a foreknowledge in God. <HI>p. 70</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>God by his Spirit prepared a body for Chri&s;t. <HI>p. 90</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;t the Angel in whom Gods Name was in <HI>p. 82</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>How Chri&s;t is better than Angels. <HI>p. 83</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Chri&s;t going d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">wn into Hell. <HI>p. 84</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Three that bear record in Heaven. <HI>p. 87</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Mi&s;takes concerning God. <HI>p. 89</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>Friendly Reader, to all you that are Lovers of Truth, I &s;hall here through God's a&s;&s;i&s;tance give the whole, clear and full account the Scripture gives of the <HI>DEITY.</HI></HEAD>
<P>BUT fir&s;t, that I may give the Reader &s;ome light in the reading holy Writ, that thereby what is contain'd therein may be the more clearly under&s;tood.</P>
<P>Therefore, for Information we are to take notice, that we are to take the Scriptures in the plain letter of the word in every place where it is po&s;&s;ible for us &s;o to under&s;tand them. That is, unle&s;s we find other places of Scripture which are agreeable to rea&s;on to contradict the other Scripture, which if taken in the plain Letter of the Text, will not agree with Rea&s;on. The which when we &s;o find it, we mu&s;t admit it to be allegorically or parabolically &s;poken.</P>
<P>As for in&s;tance, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is <HI>&s;aid</HI> to be <HI>a Door, a Vine, an Olive-tree,</HI> for in that Chri&s;t &s;aith he is a Door, is becau&s;e, there is an entrance made by him into the <HI>Sheepfold:</HI> And by whom the returning Sinner is brought into the Favour of God. <HI>For by his &s;tripes they will be healed, I&s;a.</HI> 53.5. And &s;o by way of &s;imilitude it is <HI>that Chri&s;t, is a Vine, an Olive Tree, a Tryed Stone, a precious Corner Stone.</HI> But &s;hould we take the&s;e Ex|pre&s;&s;ions in the plain letter of the Word, we &s;hould de|ny both Scripture and Rea&s;on. For the Scriptures de|clare Chri&s;t to be the <HI>Son of God,</HI> P&s;al. 45.6, 7. Heb. 1.8. Who <HI>took our Nature upon him,</HI> I&s;a. 7.14. Zech. 13.7. Luke 1.31. Therefore the forementioned
<PB N="2" REF="3"> Expre&s;&s;ions are allegorically &s;poken, that is, by way of &s;imilitude. For our Faith or Belief is never to be contrary to rea&s;on. For as far as we have left on us an impre&s;&s;ion of right rea&s;on, &s;o much of the Image of God, is &s;till remaining in us. And right Rea&s;on and Faith are the two Eyes of the Soul.</P>
<P>And whereas the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Now Faith is the &s;ub&s;tance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not &s;een, Heb.</HI> 11.1. That is, their Faith was to them the Sub&s;tance of the things hoped for. For they be|lieved and expected really to find that all the Promi&s;es &s;hould be made good &s;ub&s;tantially, that is, in Sub&s;tance according as is declared in the Word. But then their Faith was to them the Evidence of things not &s;een. But they expected <HI>to &s;ee Face to Face, and to know as they were known,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.12. when they came to the Enjoyment of all what they hoped for. For what was then the Sub&s;tance of their Faith, was afterwards really and &s;ub&s;tantially to be known and enjoyed.</P>
<P>Now al&s;o if we find any &s;ingle place in Scripture, and nothing in Scripture to contradict that Place, then it is to be taken in the plain letter of the word, and not according to Man's invented Rea&s;oning, Tra|dition, or Philo&s;ophy. For the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Beware le&s;t any Man &s;poil you through Philo&s;ophy and Vain deceit, after the Tradition of Men, Col.</HI> 2.8. For thereby ma|ny will find them&s;elves deceived. For as we mu&s;t not take up with a Faith contrary to Rea&s;on, yet in &s;eve|veral things our Faith is required to be above our Rea&s;on. As for example. <HI>Chri&s;t &s;aith, it is ea&s;ier fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> a Camel to go through the eye of a needie, than for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d, Matt.</HI> 19.24. This is above our rea&s;on to conceive how a Camel &s;hould go through the Eye of a Needle: <HI>But Chri&s;t &s;aith, with Men this is impo&s;&s;ible: But with God all things are po&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ble, ver&s;.</HI> 26. And this is agreeable to rea&s;on, to
<PB N="3" REF="3"> believe that with God all things are po&s;&s;ible, becau&s;e God at fir&s;t created all things; and his power is be|yond our comprehen&s;ion. So as nothing is impo&s;&s;i|ible with God, but to lie, and do, wickedly. <HI>Heb.</HI> 6, 18. <HI>Num.</HI> 23.19. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50.21. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15.29.</P>
<P>And Chri&s;t after his Re&s;urrection, <HI>his Di&s;ciples being met together and the door being &s;hut, he came and &s;tood in the mid&s;t, John</HI> 20.19, 20, 26. This was beyond Man's under&s;tanding: For Chri&s;t having a corporeal Sub&s;tance, and coming in when the Doors were &s;hut, the which they could not apprehend he could, there|fore they were afraid, and thought they had &s;een a Spirit, but Chri&s;t made it plainly appear to their un|der&s;tanding that it was him&s;elf, by <HI>&s;hewing them his Hands and his Side.</HI> And likewi&s;e to convince them that he was no Spirit, <HI>Luke</HI> 24.37, 38, 39. <HI>He &s;aid, Handle me and &s;ee, for a Spirit hath not Fle&s;h and Bones, as ye &s;ee me have.</HI> For tho a Spirit has a likene&s;s or re|&s;emblance of a corporeal Per&s;on, yet of no corporeal Sub&s;tance, having neither Fle&s;h nor Bones; but the Lord Chri&s;t would &s;atisfie them, that he had both, that thereby their under&s;tanding might be convinced that it was him&s;elf. For the Lord requires not Man to believe contrary to what he gives them Ground and Evidence for their belief. Therefore no Man ought to impo&s;e upon another to believe that which they can give no good Evidence for their Belief from Scrip|ture and Rea&s;on. As the Papi&s;t would have us be|lieve that the <HI>Sacrament</HI> is the real Body and Blood of Chri&s;t, though we evidently &s;ee, feel, and ta&s;t that it is &s;till but Bread and Wine. But an implicit Faith contrary to Sen&s;e and Rea&s;on, is of the Devils coin|ing. And we are to apprehend no other of the Deity, than what was before written in the Word of God. For we were to hold fa&s;t that which was fir&s;t delivered,
<PB N="4" REF="4"> and who&s;oever brings that again to light, to be &s;ure they mu&s;t be right.</P>
<P>And Chri&s;t after he aro&s;e, when he explained the Scriptures to his Di&s;ciples which concerned him&s;elf; He made them plain to their under&s;tanding. Saying, <HI>ought not Chri&s;t to have &s;uffered the&s;e things, and to enter into his Glory? And beginning at</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning him&s;elf, Luke</HI> 24.26, 27. The Lord here begins with <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> becau&s;e in his time was the Order given for the Pa&s;chal Lamb to be Slain; which was a lively Emblem of his Sufferings: The which he then did expound to them from all the Scriptures con|cerning his Sufferings, and his Glory. For the Pro|phets from <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> all along prophe&s;ied of both, as his Sufferings, and the Glory of his Kingdom in time to come.</P>
<P>And St. <HI>Peter &s;peaking of all the Prophets that pro|phe&s;ied of Chri&s;t &s;ince the World began,</HI> He likewi&s;e <HI>begins at Mo&s;es, Acts</HI> 3.21, 22. For in <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s time the Twelve Tribes were laid for the Foundation of the World to come; and from that Foundation it was, that Chri&s;t was figuratively Slain in the Pa&s;chal Lamb. And according|ly &s;aid, <HI>Rev.</HI> 13 8. <HI>The Lamb Slain from the Foundation of the World.</HI> From which Foundation <HI>the Works of tho&s;e unbelieving I&s;raelites were fini&s;hed, Heb.</HI> 4.3. <HI>When they thro' their &V;nbelief mi&s;carried in the Wilderne&s;s, Heb.</HI> 3.15, 16, 17. <HI>All that were numbred from Twenty Years old and upwards, &s;ave</HI> Caleb <HI>and</HI> Jo&s;hua, but <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was and is the Beginning or Foundation of the World to come, for all that come in Heirs to that World, mu&s;t come in as the <HI>Seed of Abraham,</HI> Gal. 3.28, 29. And by the Lion of the Tribe of <HI>Judah.</HI> And this World to come is that of which the Apo&s;tle &s;aith he &s;peaks, and is that which is to be put into Subjection unto Chri&s;t, Heb. 2.5. For though there is Mention made
<PB N="5" REF="4"> of &s;everal Worlds, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.2. And &s;everal Foundations, yet the Scripture relates that there has been but one Creation. But by the Apo&s;tacy, the Chri&s;tians have lo&s;t the right Sentiments of the Word in &s;everal things. And of the World to come. So as much of the Scrip|ture is made thereby to contradict it &s;elf. So as now the Chri&s;tians have taken the New Te&s;tament in contra|diction to the old. For tho' in the New Te&s;tament here is &s;ome little Addition, yet nothing in contradi|ction to the Old, when rightly under&s;tood. For God cannot deny him&s;elf.</P>
<P>And God often in Scripture, calls two things by one name; and when the Scriptures declare one is to be de&s;troyed, and the other remain, then it is from holy Writ to be made plain, which is to be de&s;troyed, and which is to remain. But let none &s;eem to be wi&s;e above what is written, le&s;t they fall into the Snare of the Devil. But let all things be tried by the Standard of God's Word. For now the Scriptures are laid together, we may ea&s;ily under&s;tand Truth from Error. For as the Lord Chri&s;t &s;aid of &s;ome of old, <HI>they erred not knowing the Scriptures, Matt.</HI> 22.29. So &s;ince the Bea&s;t has <HI>changed Times and Laws, Dan.</HI> 7.25. It is generally &s;o with all the Chri&s;tians. <HI>For now the Sheep of Chri&s;t eat that which others have trodden, and drink that which others have fouled with their Feet, Eze.</HI> 34.19. But Judgment is pronounced to them that have done this, ver&s;. 27. Matt. 25.17. I&s;a. 56.9, 10. Acts 20.27. And all that will hold the People in Darkne&s;s when God brings the Knowledge of his Truth to Light, mu&s;t expect to fall under the Con|demnation threatned, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 24.16. <HI>Chap.</HI> 33, 7. For it will not &s;erve turn to teach no more of the Truth than what Man thinks fit to be taught. But they are to declare the whole Truth, the which is that which God thinks fit to be taught, when according
<PB N="6" REF="5"> to his Promi&s;e <HI>at the time of the end, Knowledge &s;hould be increa&s;ed,</HI> Dan. 12.4, 7. And tho&s;e that <HI>will not believe</HI> the Scriptures, <HI>As</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>and the Prophets;</HI> Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles when they are made to agree, <HI>will not believe though one ro&s;e from the Dead,</HI> Luke 16.31. But let all remember that none <HI>are to add to Gods Word, nor dimini&s;h ought from it,</HI> Deut. 4.2. Pro. 30.6. Rev. 22.18, 19.</P>
<P>But here, no more of this Subject, for we are to &s;peak of the Deity. The which we are to under&s;tand from the plain words of the Scriptures as to the genuine Scope of the word contain'd in holy Writ. But where|as &s;ome &s;ay that God in his Word &s;peaks after the manner of Men, and according to Mans under&s;tand|ing; and if &s;o, how dur&s;t any Man to find out another way for Man to under&s;tand of God, than what God thought fit for Man's under&s;tanding? For to be &s;ure God will never be angry with his Creatures for them to under&s;tand of him according to that which he thought fit for their under&s;tanding. But this mi&s;take has been through the mi&s;applying the words of St. <HI>Paul,</HI> Where he &s;aith <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.19. <HI>I &s;peak after the manner of Men, becau&s;e of the Infirmity of your Fle&s;h, for as ye have yielded your Members, Servants to &V;ncleane&s;s and to Ini|quity; even &s;o now yield your members Servants to Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s and unto Holine&s;s.</HI> This the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, that he might give them a clear under&s;tanding. For the&s;e words of St. <HI>Paul</HI> every rational Man knows he mu&s;t take in the plain Letter of the Word. And accor|dingly when God &s;peaks in a plain way, he &s;peaks as Man doth, <HI>Gen.</HI> 11.4. They &s;aid, <HI>go to, let us build us a City.</HI> And in ver&s;. 7. God &s;aid, <HI>Go to, let us go down and there confound their Language.</HI> And the Event ac|cordingly followed: And whereas it is &s;aid of God, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 44.23. <HI>Awake, why &s;leepe&s;t thou, O Lord, Ari&s;e, ca&s;t us not off for ever.</HI> Here the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks as to
<PB N="7" REF="5"> God's delaying his Puni&s;hments on the Wicked, for from the Words going before and after, it doth de|clare it to be &s;o. As al&s;o <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 7.6. and 35.23. For otherwi&s;e God &s;leepeth not. For it is &s;aid, <HI>He that keepeth</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>neither &s;lumbers nor &s;leeps,</HI> P&s;al. 121.4. Now we may find the Scriptures explain them&s;elves, when we again recover the right Method in reading, and the true Sentiments of the Word. But &s;ome have made &s;uch ill u&s;e of the words of the Apo&s;tle, &s;o as to overturn great part of holy Writ thereby. But one would wonder that any &s;hould think when God &s;peaks in a plain method, that it &s;hould not be agreeable to Man's under&s;tanding, becau&s;e God made Man a ra|tional Soul; and God him&s;elf is the Fountain of all right Rea&s;on. Therefore what God &s;peaks in a plain way, mu&s;t be according to Man's under&s;tanding. And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of the fir&s;t Churches, <HI>Col.</HI> 3.10. <HI>That they had put on the new Man which is renewed in Knowledge, after the image of him that created him.</HI> Again he &s;aith, <HI>Eph.</HI> 4 23, 24. <HI>And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new Man, which after God is created in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and true Holine&s;s.</HI> Now when God &s;peaks in a plain way, were it not according to Man's under&s;tanding, there would not then be either Promi&s;e or Threatning in all the Book of God of any Force, as to the Ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s or Mi&s;ery that is therein promi&s;ed, or threatned. And do we all hold that God made Man in his Image in the Intrin&s;ick part of Man, and at the &s;ame time hold, that God found out another way for Man to under&s;tand the things of God, than what is agreeable to the Nature of God, This being &s;o contrary to Truth, and the Rea&s;on that God has &s;tampt upon us, the which is part of his Image. It is therefore time to come out of the&s;e gro&s;s mi&s;takes, and to believe what is made plain from the word.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P>Now whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>Job</HI> 11.7. <HI>Can&s;t thou by &s;earching find out God, can&s;t thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection?</HI> No, no man can perfectly find out God, &s;o as to know every way his infinite Power and Perfection: For that, as <HI>the love of Chri&s;t pa&s;&s;eth Know|ledge,</HI> Eph. 3.18, 19. Therefore St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.33. <HI>O the depth of the Riches both of the Wi&s;dom and Knowledge of God, how un&s;earchable are his Judgments, and his Ways pa&s;t finding out.</HI> But as far as the Scriptures give an Account of God, we have a Liberty to &s;earch into, and to give the cleare&s;t Account that they will admit of. But until God brought again to Light how to under&s;tand his Word aright, it was not to be done, for all the Schola&s;tick Learning in the World could not do it. And no Vi&s;ions nor Revelations are to be believed, farther than they can be made appear to be agreeable with the Scriptures. For it is &s;aid, <HI>to the Law and to the Te&s;timony, if they &s;peak not according to this word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them,</HI> I&s;aiah 8.20. And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith to <HI>Timothy, that from a Child he knew the holy Scriptures, which were able to make him wi&s;e unto Salvation, through Faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> 2 Tim. 3.15. Which Scriptures were tho&s;e of the Old Te&s;tament, becau&s;e he knew them from a Child. Therefore that which his Grandmother, and Mother taught him, for the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of <HI>the unfeigned Faith that was in him, which dwelt fir&s;t in his Grand|mother</HI> Lois, <HI>and in his Mother</HI> Eunice, <HI>and</HI> he was <HI>per&s;waded that it was in him al&s;o,</HI> Chap. 1.5. It be|ing that Faith that dwelt fir&s;t in his Grandmother, and Mother, therefore the Apo&s;tle addeth, <HI>the Faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> And Chri&s;t &s;aid to <HI>his Di&s;ciples ye believe in God, believe al&s;o in me,</HI> John 14.1. For Chri&s;t came not to take any off from believing what God by the Prophets had &s;aid, but to fulfil and confirm the Truth of the &s;ame, as to what did then remain unfulfilled.
<PB N="9" REF="6"> Therefore the Apo&s;tles <HI>compared Spiritual things with Spiritual,</HI> 1 Cor. 2.13. 2 Pet. 1.16, 19, 20, 21. That thereby they might keep out any Delu&s;ion from creep|ing in, for they were to be mindful of the words of the Prophets, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.2. The which if the Chri&s;tians had continued &s;o to do, they would never have been in the Darkne&s;s that they are now in. And the An|gel, or Chri&s;t, &s;aid to <HI>Daniel, I will &s;hew thee that which is noted in the Scriptures of Truth,</HI> Dan. 10.21. And <HI>David,</HI> the <HI>Man after God's own Heart,</HI> with whom God's <HI>Spirit</HI> did re&s;ide, made God's word his Medita|tion, by which he became wi&s;er than all his Teachers. For in God's word is not only what we are to do, but what we are to look and hope for too. Therefore let no Men <HI>lean to their own under&s;tanding,</HI> Prov. 3.5. Nor Philo&s;ophical Interpretation of Scripture, for thereby the Truth of God's Word hath been perverted. For now God having again brought the true meaning of his word to light, the Scriptures are found to be the true Interpreters of them&s;elves. For we are to believe nothing but what can be made plain from them: And not that which proceeds from Mans Schola&s;tick Learn|ing, which has been &s;o much &s;et up in contradiction to the Scriptures. <HI>For God will turn Wi&s;e Men back|ward, and make their Knowledge fooli&s;h,</HI> I&s;aiah 44.25. For <HI>&s;uch Wi&s;dom is but Fooli&s;hne&s;s with God,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.19, 20, 21. For Man by &s;etting up his own Wi&s;dom in oppo&s;ition to God's Word, thereby has been lo&s;t the right Knowledge of God. And &s;ome by tru&s;ting to Dreams and Vi&s;ions, which have not been agreeable to God's Word, have been deluded thereby. But let all that have &s;et up any thing above God's Word, look to it, le&s;t they &s;hould <HI>be &s;nared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion, Selah.</HI> P&s;al. 9.6. The Engli&s;h of Higgaion, Selah, is a &s;aying to be remembred for ever. For at the end will appear the dreadful Event. There|fore
<PB N="10" REF="7"> let every &s;incere hearted Chri&s;tian <HI>believe in the Lord God, &s;o &s;hall they be e&s;tabli&s;hed, believe his pro|phets, &s;o &s;hall ye pro&s;per,</HI> 2 Chron. 20.20. The like charge and admonition was given by the Apo&s;tles, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.2. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.13. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.19. But &s;ince the apo&s;tacy as the Chri&s;tians have taken the New Te&s;tament in contradiction to the Old: We cannot make &s;en&s;e of a great part of what is there &s;aid, therefore the Chri|&s;tians go to their Authors, thinking to receive Light from them: But by them, the Eyes of their under&s;tan|ding is put out of their Heads. For it has been the Au|thors of all Parties that have helpt to turn things up&s;ide down. But &s;ome willingly and &s;ome unwillingly occa|&s;ioned through the Darkne&s;s they were fallen under. Reader I recommend to you that noble Berean like Ar|ticle of the Church of <HI>England,</HI> which is as followeth, The holy Scripture containeth all things nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation, &s;o that what&s;oever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any Man, that it &s;hould be believed as an Article of the Faith, or be thought requi&s;ite or nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation. This 6 Article being made according to God's holy Word we ought to keep clo&s;e to it, and like the noble Bereans &s;ee whether all things that we receive as to matters of Faith be according to Scripture.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>This being the whol&s;ome Adv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ce of your Friend and Servant in Chri&s;t, and for Chri&s;t.</HI> M. Mercin.</SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>Some Men will have all the Scripture to be Allegori|cally &s;poken, and &s;ome would have nothing therein to be allegorically &s;poken: But the&s;e are both out of the way. But there is nothing in the Scripture al|legorically &s;poken, but what may be proved from the Scripture to be &s;o.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="11" REF="7">
<HEAD>A True and Full and Clear Account the Scripture gives of the Deity: As Father, Son, and Spirit.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P>A Lively &s;imilitude of the Deity, repre&s;ented by the Humanity. For God by &s;imilitude re|pre&s;ents things according to our Capacity. When &s;imply con&s;idered from the plain words of the Scrip|tures. <HI>For God &s;aid, let us make Man in our Image after our likene&s;s,</HI> Gen. 1.26.27. We are here to take Notice, that God did not only make Man in his Image, but al&s;o in the likene&s;s of him&s;elf. Thereby &s;hewing that tho&s;e words have &s;everal Significations, according to what St. <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, <HI>That no prophe&s;ie of the Scripture is of any private Interpretation,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.20. That is, they have more than a &s;ingle &s;ignifica|tion. And when God &s;aid, let us make Man, it &s;hews that there was then more than one Per&s;on in the Deity. And accordingly St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>that all things were made by Christ; and without him was not any thing made that was made,</HI> Chap. 1.3. Thereby &s;hewing that Chri&s;t was with the Father in the making of all things. And al&s;o St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;aith, <HI>that by him all things were created, that are in Heaven, and that are in the Earth, vi&s;ible and invi&s;ible,</HI> Col. 1.16. And when God did create Man, he then <HI>created them Male and Female,</HI> Gen. 1.27. So that at the fir&s;t, the Woman was created in the Man. And God took her out of him, and then they became twain, tho' &s;till one Fle&s;h, by rea&s;on of the continued union of their per&s;ons, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.24.</P>
<P>So in Eternity Chri&s;t was in God, as being in that one Per&s;on <HI>until he became the fir&s;t born of every Crea|ture,</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="8"> Col. 1 15. Which was before all Worlds. For it is &s;aid, <HI>God by him made the Worlds,</HI> Heb. 1.2. And <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> who calleth him&s;elf the <HI>Amen</HI> &s;aith, Rev. 3.14. <HI>The&s;e things &s;aith the Amen the faithful and true Witne&s;s, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e beginning of the Creation of God.</HI> Here Chri&s;t declares him&s;elf to be the beginning of the Creation of God, therefore he was before the elder World of Angels, as well as Men: And was in Glory with his Father before all Worlds. For this is he who&s;e goings forth have been from of old from everla&s;ting, <HI>Micah</HI> 5.2. And Chri&s;t &s;aith, that <HI>he proceeded forth, and came from God.</HI> John 8.42. And likewi&s;e he &s;aith, the <HI>holy Ghost proceed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th from the Father,</HI> John 15.26. Whereby we &s;ee Chri&s;t did not only come forth from Heaven, where God is, but that he al&s;o did proceed and came forth from God, when he became the fir&s;t born of eve|ry Creature. And therefore he &s;aith, <HI>What if ye &s;hall &s;ee the &s;on of Man a&s;cend up where he was before,</HI> John 6.62. The which was to the Throne of God, from whence he came, and thither he was again to return. <HI>For unto the Son he &s;aid, &s;it thou on my right hand until I make thine Enemies thy Foot&s;tool,</HI> Heb. 1.13. And this is the Son which <HI>David</HI> &s;ays is his Lord, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110. And <HI>Jacob</HI> on both the Sons of <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> pronounced the Ble&s;&s;ing thus, <HI>Gen.</HI> 48.15. <HI>The God that fed me all my life long unto this day, ver&s;.</HI> 16. <HI>The Angel which re|deemed me from all evil, ble&s;s the Lads.</HI> Here we &s;ee that <HI>Jacob</HI> had an Eye to the Redeemer, and that in his Name he ble&s;&s;ed the Lads: For in the Ble&s;&s;ing, both the Father and the Son are included.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And this forementioned Angel, was the Angel which <HI>Jacob</HI> wre&s;tled with for a Ble&s;&s;ing, <HI>Gen.</HI> 32.24, 26. Unto whom the Angel &s;aid, <HI>As a Prince ha&s;t thou power with God, and with Men and ha&s;t prevailed, ver&s;.</HI> 28. <HI>And Jacob &s;aid I have &s;een God Face to Face, and my Life is pre|&s;erved, ver&s;.</HI> 30. But the glorious Face of this Angel,
<PB N="13" REF="8"> who was the Son of God and likewi&s;e God was there vailed with the appearance of Fle&s;h. For it is &s;aid, ver&s;. 24. Jacob <HI>was left alone: and there we&s;tled a Man with him, until the breaking of the day.</HI> And the Angels that appeared, as Men to <HI>Abraham,</HI> of whom, one of them was God, <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.1.2. Who &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ayed <HI>and talked with</HI> Abraham, when the other <HI>two went to Sodom,</HI> ver&s;. 22. But here al&s;o his Glory was vailed with the appearance of Fle&s;h, whereby it doth &s;ignifie it was Chri&s;t, who was to take our Nature upon him, and the other two Angels &s;aid, <HI>they were &s;ent of the Lord to de&s;troy Sodom,</HI> Gen. 19.13. And neither in the Prophets, nor by the Apo&s;tles is God the Father &s;aid to be an Angel. But the Son is often &s;o called. Now it is &s;aid of God the Father, Gen. 17.1. <HI>The Lord appeared to Abraham, and &s;aid unto him, I am the Al|mighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect.</HI> From the&s;e words it doth plainly &s;hew, that it was God the Father that here &s;pake unto him. For we do not find in Scripture, that Almighty God is attributed to Chri&s;t. But as we have put in mo&s;t Mighty, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45.3. Which word mo&s;t is not in the Hebrew. But <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in <HI>Scripture</HI> is &s;aid to be Mighty and often &s;aid to be God, as well as he is therein &s;aid to be an Angel, and Man. And of this Angel it is of whom God &s;aid, Exod. 23.20. <HI>Behold I &s;end an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his Voice, pro|voke him not, for he will not pardon your Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions: For my name is in him.</HI> This Angel God &s;aid to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> he would &s;end with <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the which was before they had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed in making the Calf. The which An|gel they were to obey, for he would not pardon their Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions no more than God. For in that God &s;aith, his name is in him, is becau&s;e he is God as well
<PB N="14" REF="9"> as an Angel. And God &s;aid, ver&s;. 22. <HI>If thou &s;halt in|deed obey his voice, and do all that I &s;peak, then I will be an Enemy unto thine Enemies, and an Adver&s;ary to thine Adver&s;aries, for mine Angel &s;hall go before thee,</HI> &amp;c. And this Angel in a more particular manner God calls his Angel, becau&s;e his name is in him. And he is &s;aid to be the Angel of <HI>God's pre&s;ence,</HI> I&s;a. 63.9. For he is God's repre&s;entative, in that his name is in him, whom <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was thus to obey. But after <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had &s;inned in making the Calf, God would have de&s;troyed them all. <HI>Exod.</HI> 32.10, 11. Had not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> prevailed with God at that time. But for that Sin, God refu&s;ed to go up in the mid&s;t of them: But <HI>&s;aid he would &s;end an Angel with them. For thou art a &s;tiff-necked People; le&s;t I con|&s;ume thee in the way,</HI> Exod, 33.2, 3. And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was troubled becau&s;e he knew not the Angel whom God would &s;end with them. As in ver&s;. 12. <HI>Mo&s;es &s;aid unto the Lord, &s;ee, thou &s;aye&s;t unto me, bring up this people; and thou ha&s;t not let me know whom thou wilt &s;end with me.</HI> From which words it is evident that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did not think that it was that Angel that was to go with them, &s;poken of before, <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.20, 21. Becau&s;e it is &s;aid, God's name was in him, and that he would not pardon their Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, no more than God the Father would; and therefore <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> had no rea&s;on to think it was the forementioned Angel: The which cau&s;ed <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> trouble. For this Angel is the Angel that was &s;poken of Exod. 3.2. <HI>And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>in a flame of fire out of the mid&s;t of the Bu&s;h. And ver&s;.</HI> 4. <HI>When the Lord &s;aw that he turned a&s;ide to &s;ee, God called to him out of the mid&s;t of the Bu&s;h. And v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r&s;.</HI> 6. <HI>Said, I am the God of thy Fa|thers, the God of Abraham, the God of I&s;aac, the God of Jacob: And Mo&s;es hid his Face, for he was afraid to look upon God.</HI> And <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;es</HI> de&s;ired to know God's Name. ver&s;. 14 <HI>And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">od &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d to Mo&s;es, I am that I am.</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="9"> And this Angel does clearly appear to be the &s;ame that came as Captain of the Lord's ho&s;t, Jo&s;. 5.14. Who commanded <HI>Jo&s;hua to loo&s;e his Shoe from off his Foot, for the Place where he &s;tood was holy ground.</HI></P>
<P>Now the&s;e are the &s;ame words which the Angel in the Bu&s;h &s;pake to <HI>Mo&s;es, Exod.</HI> 3.5. Now that Lord that could be inclo&s;ed in a Bu&s;h when he came to give notice of <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s deliverance, could al&s;o be in|circled in the Womb of a Woman when he came for the Redemption of the World. For one was a lively Emblem of the other. For God by &s;imilitude repre|&s;ents one thing by another, that we might the more readily conceive thereof. And this Angel in the Bu&s;h is he, of whom God &s;aid, Zech. 13.7. <HI>Awake O Sword again&s;t my Shepherd, and again&s;t the Man that is my fellow, &s;aith the Lord of Hosts.</HI> And this is he that &s;aith, Rev. 1.19. <HI>I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the Keys of Hell and of Death,</HI> and he al&s;o &s;aith, <HI>I am Alpha and Omega, the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, ver&s;.</HI> 11. This Chri&s;t &s;aith, for as I before &s;hewed, Chri&s;t was in God, till he proceeded <HI>forth from God.</HI> But the&s;e words admit of a twofold Signification. For when the Son proceed|ed forth from the Father, then he became <HI>the fir&s;t born of every Creature,</HI> Col. 1.15. and <HI>the beginning of the Creation of God,</HI> Rev. 3.14. And &s;o Chri&s;t was the be|ginning. And in that Chri&s;t likewi&s;e &s;aith, <HI>He is the end.</HI> The which is, of all created Powers. For when the Lord Chri&s;t takes to him&s;elf the vi&s;ible ruling Power, he is then to reign on his Throne, <HI>Till he hath put down all Rule, and all Authority and Power,</HI> 1 Cor. 15.24 And at the beginning of this ver&s;e it is like|wi&s;e term'd <HI>the end.</HI> And thus it is, that Chri&s;t is the beginning, and the end. For in a &s;trict &s;en&s;e, as Chri&s;t is of the divine E&s;&s;ence of the Father; the&s;e
<PB N="16" REF="10"> words have not their proper reference to. For God hath neither beginning nor end.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now whereas St. <HI>John</HI> &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;aith, Chap. 1.1, 2. <HI>In the beginning was the word. That is, Chri&s;t was the beginning of the Creation of God.</HI> Rev. 3.14. The which was, before all the heavenly ho&s;t, for he was before all created <HI>Principalities and Powers in Heaven and in Earth,</HI> for he was the Fir&s;t-born of every Creature, <HI>Col.</HI> 1.15.16. And in that St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The Word was with God,</HI> was becau&s;e Chri&s;t was in Glory with his Father, before all Worlds. <HI>For God by him made the Worlds,</HI> Heb, 1.2. Unto which Glory Chri&s;t de&s;ired to return, when he &s;aid, <HI>O Fa|ther, glorifie thou me with thine own &s;elf, with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was,</HI> John. 17.5. And whereas St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>That the word was God;</HI> was becau&s;e Chri&s;t was of the divine E&s;&s;ence with the Father. For God <HI>gave to him the Spirit without mea|&s;ure,</HI> John. 3.34. By which <HI>he was anointed with the oyl of gladne&s;s above his fellows,</HI> P&s;al. 45.7. As well Angels as Men. For he being the Angel of God's pre|&s;ence, in whom God &s;aid his name was in him; he was thereby God's Repre&s;entative. And &s;o though an Angel, yet he was above the Nature of Angels. And God calls him <HI>his fellow,</HI> Zech. 13.7. For God gave to him to have Life in him&s;elf, John 5.26. <HI>For as the Father hath Life in him&s;elf, &s;o hath he given to the Son to have Life in him&s;elf.</HI> But the Giver is greater than the Receiver. And &s;o Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 14.28. <HI>My Father is greater than I.</HI> And St. <HI>John</HI> &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;aith, Chap. 1.29. <HI>Behold the Lamb of God. And ver&s;.</HI> 34. <HI>He bare record, that this is the Son of God.</HI></P>
<P>And him whom St. <HI>John</HI> calls the Word, St. <HI>Paul</HI> calls <HI>the Wi&s;dom of God,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.24. According as King <HI>Solomon</HI> doth. For the Word, and Wi&s;dom,
<PB N="17" REF="10"> have both a twofold Signification. But the Word and Wi&s;dom here &s;poken of have their reference unto Chri&s;t, <HI>Prov.</HI> 8.1, 2. <HI>Doth not Wi&s;dom cry, and under&s;tanding put forth her voice; &s;he &s;tandeth in the Top of the high Places, by the way, in the Place of the paths. She cryeth at the Gates, at the entry of the City, at the coming in at the Doors. &V;nto you, O men, do I call.</HI> And in ver&s;e 5, 6, 7. <HI>&s;he &s;aith, O ye &s;imple, under&s;tand Wi&s;dom, and ye fools be of an under&s;tanding Heart.</HI> Hear, for <HI>I will &s;peak of ex|cellent things, and the opening of my lips &s;hall be of right things. For my mouth &s;hall &s;peak truth, and wickedne&s;s is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteou&s;ne&s;s, there is nothing froward or perver&s;e in them. They are all plain to him that under&s;tandeth, and right to them that find Knowledge.</HI> This was a Prophe|&s;ie in relation to Chri&s;t's fir&s;t coming, at which time he did teach and in&s;truct the People, in the high places and in the way of the Paths, according as it is here foretold. But whereas Wi&s;dom is here termed a She: Some may &s;ay, this therefore cannot be &s;poken of Chri&s;t. But if &s;o, that is through their mi&s;take, for a &s;in|gle Per&s;on when &s;tanding alone, is as well reckoned a She, as a He, in the Hebrew. As for further proof, it is &s;aid, &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, <HI>Jer.</HI> 33.16. <HI>And this is the name wherewith &s;he &s;hall be called the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> And in Chap. 23.6. It is &s;aid, <HI>He &s;hall be called the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> Whereby we &s;ee, that Chri&s;t is &s;ometimes &s;poken of as a he, and &s;ome|times as a &s;he. For by what <HI>Solomon</HI> here &s;aith, he mu&s;t have a reference to a per&s;on, becau&s;e &s;he had Mouth, and Lips, and Tongue by which &s;he &s;pake. But the Spirit of God is no where &s;aid to &s;peak with any of the&s;e. And &s;he &s;aith in ver&s;e 22.23. <HI>The Lord po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was &s;et up from everla&s;ting, from the be|ginning,
<PB N="18" REF="11"> or ever the Earth was.</HI> From which words it is plain that the Son was in Glory with his Father, before ever the Earth was. And in that the Son &s;aith the Lord po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed her in the beginning of his way. Was becau&s;e Chri&s;t &s;aith, he was the beginning of the Creation of God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.14. Which was, when he proceeded forth from God. For he was the Fir&s;t-born of every Creature. <HI>Col.</HI> 1.15. And therefore &s;aid to be the beginning of his way, the which was before the el|der World of Angels. 2 <HI>E&s;dr.</HI> 7.13. Who were created before this Earth was laid. For when God laid the Earth and fa&s;tened it, all the Sons of God &s;houted for Joy. <HI>Job.</HI> 38.5, 6, 7. And &s;he that is here called Wi&s;|dom, &s;aith, <HI>Prov.</HI> 8.30. <HI>I was by him, as one brought up with him: And I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. Rejoicing in the habitable parts of the Earth, and my delights were with the Sons of Men. Therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: For ble&s;&s;ed are they that keep my ways,</HI> ver&s;e 31.32. Now the He and the She here &s;poken of in this Chap|ter, it is plain that it mu&s;t be the Father and the Son. For he that was delighted, and &s;he that was the de|light, cannot be one per&s;on, tho' the two Per&s;ons are of one mind, being united by one Spirit. And accor|dingly God &s;pake from Heaven, &s;aying, <HI>This is my be|loved &s;on in whom I am well plea&s;ed.</HI> Mat. 3.17. As in <HI>Pro.</HI> 8.35. <HI>Who&s;o findeth me findeth Life, and &s;hall ob|tain favour of the Lord.</HI> For it is Chri&s;t who is <HI>the re|conciler between God and Man.</HI> 1 Tim. 2.5. <HI>And it is &s;aid.</HI> Pro. 9.1. <HI>Wi&s;dom hath builded her hou&s;e, &s;he hath hewn out her &s;even pillars.</HI> And this Wi&s;dom with the &s;even Pillars, is the Lamb with the Seven Horns. <HI>Rev</HI> 5.6. And this Lamb with the &s;even Horns is &s;aid to <HI>be the Lion of the Tribe of Jud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">h, and the root of David</HI> Rev. 5.5. And this Lamb is the Me&s;&s;iah that was cut off, but not for him&s;elf. <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.26. And this is
<PB N="19" REF="11"> he by who&s;e Stripes the returning Sinner will be healed. <HI>I&s;a</HI> 53 4.5. And this is he who was to <HI>come forth of Beth|lehem Ephratah, who is to be ruler in I&s;rael: Who&s;e goings forth have been from of old, from everla&s;ting.</HI> Mich. 5.2. Now everla&s;ting in Scripture hath a twofold Significa|tion. And here it doth &s;eem to have its reference to the Son when he became the Fir&s;t-born of every Crea|ture, the beginning of the Creation of God; becau&s;e it is here &s;poken of his going forth. And this is he, whom we call Chri&s;t Je&s;us. For Chri&s;t, that is to &s;ay the Anointed; and Je&s;us that is a Saviour, <HI>He is &s;aid to be the brightne&s;s of his Fathers Glory.</HI> Heb. 1.3. Which words may be taken two ways, but here I &s;hall &s;peak but of one, which is, the Glory of the Son, is like to that of the Father. And accordingly God calls him his Fellow. <HI>Zech.</HI> 13.7. And the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> al&s;o &s;aith, that <HI>Chri&s;t is the expre&s;s Image of his Father's Per&s;on or Sub|&s;tance.</HI> Hebr. 1.3. which is all one. For when they became two Per&s;ons, yet &s;till they were but one Power, being united by one Spirit, as before Chri&s;t became the Fir&s;t-born of every Creature. So afterward the two Per&s;ons, the Father and the Son being united by one Spirit, and &s;o of one will, and of one mind. And the Son partaking of the Spirit, Breath, or Holy Gho&s;t from the Father. And it being <HI>given to the Son without mea&s;ure.</HI> John 3.34. Whereby the Holy Gho&s;t proceeds from the Son as well as from the Father. And &s;o the Son and Holy Spirit, were both coeternal in and with the Father.</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>Philip</HI> &s;aid, <HI>John</HI> 14.8, 9, 10, 11. <HI>Lord, &s;hew us the Father, and it &s;ufficeth us. Je&s;us &s;aith unto him, have I been &s;o long with you, and yet ha&s;t thou not known me, Philip? He that hath &s;een me hath &s;een the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me. The words that I &s;peak unto you, I &s;peak not of my &s;elf, but the Father that dwelleth in me,
<PB N="20" REF="12"> he doth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me.</HI> Now how is it that God is in Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t in God, but by the reciprocal Union of the Spirit, by which they are but one. And &s;o the Son in the Father, and the Father in the Son. For by the Father thus dwelling in Chri&s;t, Chri&s;t &s;aid it was his Father did the works. And that being united by one Spirit, makes them one, it is evident, as I have already made appear.</P>
<P>And according hereunto Chri&s;t expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf, and explains his words when he prayed that prayer, in which he prayed not for the World, <HI>John</HI> 17.9. <HI>But for his Di&s;ciples, and tho&s;e that &s;hould believe in him through their word.</HI> John 17.20. <HI>That they all may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee; that they all may be one in us, that the World may believe that thou ha&s;t &s;ent me.</HI> John. 17.21.23. Chap. 1.7. Now Chri&s;t had before told his Di&s;ciples, that the Spirit that dwelt with them, &s;hould be given to be in <HI>them, Chap.</HI> 14.17. And Chri&s;t here accordingly prayed for his Di&s;ciples: and tho&s;e that &s;hould believe in him thro' their word: Which was, tho&s;e that fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t. <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.12. Through the word of the Di&s;ciples. The which were tho&s;e, that at <HI>God's first vi&s;iting the Gentiles, he did then take out from among them a people for his name. Acts</HI> 15.14. And the&s;e were tho&s;e that believed through th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> word of the Di&s;ciples, and afterwards the&s;e did receive the Holy Gho&s;t for the further Con|firmation of the Go&s;pel, that thereby the <HI>World might believe that God had &s;ent Christ,</HI> and &s;o take hold of the offered Mercy&punc; Which accordingly they did. <HI>Col.</HI> 1.6.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>I have here made &s;o long a Digre&s;&s;ion, becau&s;e I was to make plain who they all were for whom Chri&s;t in this particular manner prayed for. <HI>That they all may be one as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that
<PB N="21" REF="12"> they al&s;o may be one in us.</HI> The which was by receiving the holy Spirit to be in them, which before was but with them. And though there is many per&s;ons here &s;poken of, yet by their receiving one Spirit, they may be made one; according to which King <HI>Solomon,</HI> Prophetically &s;peaking in relation to Chri&s;t, and the Church, &s;aith, <HI>Cant.</HI> 6.9. <HI>My dove, my undefiled is but one.</HI> And Chri&s;t &s;aid, <HI>The Glory which thou gavest me, I have given them.</HI> John 17.22. And the&s;e were tho&s;e of whom St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith. <HI>They were foreknown, called, ju&s;ti|fied, and glorified,</HI> Rom. 8.29, 30. Which Glory was by their receiving the Holy Gho&s;t to be in them. And St. <HI>Peter,</HI> &s;peaking of the Prophets in relation to the&s;e things <HI>which were then mini&s;tred unto them: with the Holy Ghost &s;ent down from Heaven.</HI> 1 Pet. 1.12. Which they then did receive in them. By which they then did Signs and Wonders, with divers Miracles, and gifts of the holy Gho&s;t. And by the Holy Spirit, St. <HI>Peter</HI> knew that <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> his Wife had kept back part of the price. Therefore St. <HI>Peter &s;aid, why hath Satan filled thine heart to ly to the Holy Ghost. Thou hast not lied unto Men, but unto God.</HI> Acts 5.3, 4. Whereby it is &s;hewed that the Holy Gho&s;t is of the divine E&s;&s;ence; And therefore God. <HI>And God by his &s;pirit moved upon the Face of the Waters.</HI> Gen. 1.2. Thereby &s;hewing that the Holy Gho&s;t was in&s;trumental in the making of all things. God &s;peaking the word and it was done by his outflowing Breath of Power. And I need not go to prove the Holy Gho&s;t to be from all Eternity: In as much as it is impo&s;&s;ible for the living God to have been without Spirit and Breath. For if &s;o, he could not then have been a living God.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Matt.</HI> 12.31, 32. <HI>All Sin and Bla&s;phemy &s;hall be forgiven unto Men: But the Bla&s;phemy again&s;t the Holy Ghost &s;hall not be forgiven unto
<PB N="22" REF="13"> Men. And who&s;oever &s;peaketh against the Son of Man, it &s;hall be forgiven him: But who&s;oever &s;peaketh again&s;t the Holy Ghost, it &s;hall not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come.</HI> From the&s;e words we mu&s;t not apprehend the Holy Gho&s;t, is greater than the Father or the Son, but that &s;ome through ignorant Prophane&s;s may bla&s;pheme the Father and the Son: But &s;uch may by being brought into a right Knowledg of God and Chri&s;t come to Repentance, and &s;o find Mercy. And the decea&s;ed <HI>Jews</HI> that have ignorantly bla&s;phemed the Name of Chri&s;t, &s;hall in the World to come find Mercy. For Chri&s;t prayed for tho&s;e <HI>Jews</HI> by whom he &s;uffered. <HI>Saying, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,</HI> Luke 23.34. and Rom. 11.26, 32. But who&s;oever &s;ins again&s;t the evident Wit|ne&s;s of the Holy Gho&s;t, being convinced by the Spi|rit of God, that Chri&s;t is the Son of God: And yet bla&s;phemeth the name of Chri&s;t, it is &s;uch Sin the &s;in again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t. And the Lord &s;peaking to them that knew him, &s;aith, <HI>Matt.</HI> 10.33. <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall deny me before men, him will I al&s;o deny before my fa|ther which is in heaven.</HI> And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith. <HI>If any man love not the Lord Je&s;us Christ, let him be accur&s;ed,</HI> 1 Cor. 16.22. St. <HI>Paul</HI> had his reference to them that knew Chri&s;t, and not to them that knew him not. For he would not have laid a Cur&s;e upon his ignorant Coun|try Men. <HI>For whom he could even have wi&s;ht him&s;elf ac|cur&s;ed from Chri&s;t for their &s;akes,</HI> Rom. 9.3. And by the Command of God, <HI>Num.</HI> 15.30, 31. <HI>The &s;oul that do|eth ought pre&s;umptuou&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">y that &s;oul &s;hall be cut off from among his people. Becau&s;e he hath de&s;pi&s;ed the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commands; that &s;oul &s;hall be cut off: His iniquity &s;hall be upon him.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Heb</HI> 4.4, 5, 6. <HI>For it is impo&s;&s;ible for tho&s;e that were once enlightened, and have ta&s;ted the heavenly Gift, and were made partakers
<PB N="23" REF="13"> of the Holy Ghost, and have ta&s;ted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; if they &s;hall fall away, to renew them again unto Repentance: Seeing they crucifie to them&s;elves the &s;on of God afre&s;h, and put him to an open &s;hame.</HI> But the Apo&s;tle in the 9 <HI>ver&s;. &s;aith, They were per&s;waded better things of them, and things that accompa|ny &s;alvation.</HI> For from the <HI>Hebrews</HI> was the remnant, of which Chri&s;t &s;aid, <HI>They were his Fathers before, and given to him; unto whom he promi&s;ed none &s;hould pluck them out of his hand,</HI> John 10.28, 29. And there were al&s;o more of the <HI>Jews</HI> called in by the preaching of the Go&s;pel of the Kingdom, <HI>Luke</HI> 16.16. Than were included in the remnant. <HI>As al&s;o the people taken from among the Gentiles for his name,</HI> Acts 15.14. Who were al&s;o elect, and received the Holy Gho&s;t to be in them. So as thereby they might become one. But the&s;e had not a promi&s;e from Chri&s;t, that none &s;hould pluck them out of his hand. And St. <HI>Peter wrote to the &s;cattered</HI> Jews, <HI>To make their calling and election &s;ure; For if they did the&s;e things they &s;hould never fall,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.10. But they that then &s;inned under the greater Light, fell under the greater Condemnation.</P>
<P>And <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commanded his <HI>Di&s;ciples to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> Matt. 28.20. By the&s;e words it is evident that the elect that was cho&s;en from among the Gentiles for the Glory of his name, could not be all Nations, the which they were &s;ent out to teach and baptize. But as there was Eight Talents given to his three Servants; thereby it was to &s;hew, the Lord carries on his work in Man's redemp|tion, in a threefold way: So that all may find Mercy that improve what is given them. For all had given according to their Ability, <HI>Matt.</HI> 25.15. Now whereas the Di&s;ciples were &s;ikewi&s;e &s;ent to baptize in
<PB N="24" REF="14"> the name of the Holy Gho&s;t, it was thereby to &s;hew, the whole Deity was concerned in Man's Salva|tion.</P>
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>Zech.</HI> 4 11, 12. That the two Olive Trees gave out of them&s;elves the Golden Oyl in|to the Candle&s;tick all of Gold: The which no meer Creature can do. But the Lord Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>That the Father hath given to the Son to have Life in him&s;elf,</HI> John 5.26. So as he can give the golden Oyl out of him&s;elf into the Church or Candle&s;tick, when all of Gold; and likewi&s;e the Holy Gho&s;t, who is the Spirit of Life and Power; and the anointing Oyl: And there|fore can give out of it &s;elf the Golden Oyl into the Gol|den Candle&s;tick. And the&s;e two, which in the 11 <HI>ver&s;e</HI> are called <HI>Two Olive Trees,</HI> are in the 12 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> &s;aid to be <HI>Two Olive Branches:</HI> To &s;hew that they both proceed|ed forth, and came from God.</P>
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>The Holy Ghost de&s;cended in a bodily Shape like a Dove,</HI> Luke 3.22. Matt. 3.16. Mark 1.10. From the&s;e words we are to take notice, that it is not &s;aid, that the Holy Gho&s;t de&s;cended with a Body, or in a Body; but in a bodily Shape like a Dove. And therefore not a real Body. But that the Breath of God, which then immediately came from him, before the Voice came, did then de&s;cend in a bodily Shape like a Dove, that it might be &s;een by St. <HI>John,</HI> who was <HI>to bear record,</HI> John 1.32, 33, 34. And that the Breath of God, as it comes from him, is term'd the Holy Gho&s;t, is evident from the Words of Chri&s;t, when he breathed upon his Di&s;ciples, and &s;aid, receive ye the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 20.22.</P>
<P><HI>And God when he made Man breathed into his No&s;trils the Breath of Life, and man became a living &s;oul,</HI> Gen. 2.7. Joh. 27.3. For <HI>Adam</HI> by partaking of the Breath. of God, which was the Spirit or Holy Gho&s;t. Our fir&s;t Parents was thereby made in the Likene&s;s of God.
<PB N="25" REF="14"> in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holine&s;s. The which likene&s;s of God in our Fir&s;t Parents was partly defaced when they became di&s;obedient to God's heavenly Will. But they being thereunto beguiled through the Ser|pent's Subtilty, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.3, 4. Therefore were not wholly corrupted, as afterwards the Sons of Men were, <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.5, 11. Who were de&s;troyed, <HI>For wholly corrup|ting their Way;</HI> excepting <HI>Noah</HI> and his Family, which had not &s;o done. And the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of the Holy Gho&s;t, which was given to be in the fir&s;t Churches, <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.12, 13, 14. Saith, that <HI>They had the renewing of the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> Titus 3.5. Whereby it is further evident, that the Breath that God did at fir&s;t breath into Man, was that which in the New Te&s;ta|ment is &s;ometimes called the Holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P>And <HI>Chri&s;t in the great and la&s;t day of the fea&s;t</HI> of Tabernacles. <HI>Stood and cried, &s;aying, if any man thir&s;t, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the &s;cripture hath &s;aid, out of his belly &s;hall flow rivers of living Water,</HI> John 7.1, 37, 38. and ver&s;e 39. It is &s;aid, <HI>This Chri&s;t &s;pake of the Spirit, that they which believed on him &s;hould receive: For the Holy Gho&s;t was not yet given, becau&s;e that Je&s;us was not yet glorified.</HI> And this Chri&s;t &s;pake unto them, before he breathed on his Di&s;ciples. <HI>And &s;aid unto them receive ye the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> John 20.22. The which was not till af|ter he aro&s;e. But after his a&s;cen&s;ion, the Spirit was more wonderfully given for the Confirmation of the Go&s;pel, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.4. And <HI>as an earne&s;t of their Inheritance in time to come,</HI> Eph. 1.11. For in that Chri&s;t &s;aith in the forementioned Text. As the Scripture hath &s;aid. He therefore had his reference to them that was to receive the Holy Gho&s;t, to be in them for the Confir|mation of the Go&s;pel, <HI>Joel</HI> 2.29. <HI>Acts</HI> 2.17. And to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> at the re&s;titution of all things, <HI>Acts</HI> 3.22. <HI>Jer.</HI>
<PB N="26" REF="15"> 31.33, 34. When they &s;hall drink abundantly of the River of his Plea&s;ure, <HI>P&s;al</HI> 36.8.</P>
<P>For when the Saints, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> partake <HI>Of tho&s;e ex|ceeding great and precious promi&s;es, whereby they are made partakers of the divine Nature,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.4. Then the Fle&s;h will <HI>not lu&s;t against the Spirit, nor the Spirit again&s;t the Fle&s;h,</HI> as now it doth, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.17 The which will be when they <HI>Rec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ive the Crown of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> 2 Tim. 4.8. And this will be when the rai&s;ed Saints, <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and the true Believer is become a <HI>Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal Diadem in the hand of God,</HI> I&s;a. 62.3. The&s;e are the exceeding great and precious Promi&s;es the Apo&s;tle had his reference to. The which will be made good in tho&s;e Daies. <HI>And in that time, when the Lord &s;hall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Joel 3.1. <HI>For the Lord will then clean&s;e their Blood,</HI> ver&s;e 21. <HI>For then they will be Plants of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> I&s;a. 60.21. When they <HI>Drink of the Ri|ver of his Plea&s;ure,</HI> P&s;al. 36.8. And that <HI>abundantly,</HI> Cant. 5.1. And then according as the Lord &s;aith. As <HI>the Scripture hath &s;aid, out of his belly &s;hall flow rivers of living water,</HI> John 7.38. Which was partly made good to them <HI>that fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t,</HI> Eph. 1.12, 13. For then they had <HI>an earne&s;t of their Inheritance,</HI> ver&s;e 14. Thus we &s;ee the Holy Spirit is compared to Waters and Rivers both in the Old and New Te&s;ta|ment.</P>
<P>And whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 16.7. <HI>If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: But if I depart, I will &s;end him unto you.</HI> Now after Chri&s;t a&s;cended and was glorified according to his Prayer, which was. <HI>O Father glorifie thou me with thine own &s;elf, with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was,</HI> John 17.5. Which words ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> be taken two ways, but Chri&s;t being before all Worlds, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.2. Therefore to be &s;ure Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> in Glory with his Fa|ther
<PB N="27" REF="15"> not only before the People of this World, was but before the Globe of this World was made. And after Chri&s;t was again in Glory with his Father, he then &s;ent the Holy Gho&s;t with greater Power and Efficacy. The which was not &s;o given until the Lord had &s;uffe|red, and then the Spirit was &s;o given to confirm the Truth, <HI>That the World might believe that God had &s;ent Chri&s;t,</HI> John 17.21. And to bring all things to their re|membrance which Chri&s;t had told them, <HI>John</HI> 14.26. And Chri&s;t further &s;aith, <HI>When the Spirit of Truth &s;hould come, he would guide them into all Truth; For he &s;hall not &s;peak of him&s;elf, but what&s;oever he &s;hall hear, that &s;hall he &s;peak, and he &s;hall &s;hew you things to come,</HI> John 16.13.</P>
<P>And whereas Chri&s;t &s;peaking of the Spirit of Truth, often terms him he: Is becau&s;e the Holy Gho&s;t is the Spirit of Life and Power. And likewi&s;e becau&s;e he proceedeth from the Father and from the Son, who are both termed he. And whereas the Holy Spirit is &s;aid to &s;peak, is becau&s;e God and Chri&s;t <HI>&s;pake by his Spirit in the Prophets and Apo&s;tles,</HI> Heb. 1.1. And the Spirit doth al&s;o hear, or el&s;e the Apo&s;tle would not have &s;aid unto them, <HI>Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby they were &s;ealed unto the day of Redemption,</HI> Eph. 4.30. For the Holy Gho&s;t was given to be in the fir&s;t Gentile Churches, as an earne&s;t of their Inheritance, if they did not by di&s;obedience forfeit their Inheritance; <HI>For Chri&s;t was in them the Hope of Glory,</HI> Col. 1.27. The which was by their partaking of his Spirit to be in them, as did the Prophets of Old. By whom it is &s;aid, <HI>Chri&s;t by his &s;pirit &s;pake,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.11. But al&s;o Chri&s;t is the Hope of Glory in all that love and fear him. Be|cau&s;e <HI>He is the Author of eternal &s;alvation to all them that obey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9. That is, no to have the Spirit or mind of Chri&s;t in them, as to have their
<PB N="28" REF="16"> Wills brought into Subjection unto Chri&s;t, <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.4, 5. Without which it is &s;aid, none can be his. <HI>For all are his Servants to whom they obey, whether of &s;in unto death, or of obedience unto Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> Rom. 6.16. There|fore St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith to them that embraced the Faith, <HI>Examine your &s;elves whether ye be in the Faith, prove your &s;elves, know ye not your own &s;elves, how that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is in you except ye be reprobates,</HI> 2 Cor. 13.5. The which was, except they had relinqui&s;ht their obe|dience, and &s;o become Reprobates. For he wrote to them that had received the Holy Gho&s;t to be in them: The which was <HI>them that fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t,</HI> Eph. 1.12, 13. But Chri&s;t by his Spirit will be with all whil&s;t they keep the way. And Chri&s;t mu&s;t have the ruling power in the Heart of all that are his.</P>
<P>Now whereas Chri&s;t &s;aid to his Di&s;ciples, that the Spirit &s;hould &s;hew them things to come, <HI>John</HI> 16.13. The which was the Glory of his Kingdom in time to come. The which the Apo&s;tles in their Epi&s;tles do treat of, <HI>Acts</HI> 3.21. <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.7. <HI>Jude ver&s;e</HI> 14.15. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.6. And the Spirit then was &s;o wonderfully given to them that fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t, for the Confirmation of the Go&s;pel, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.3.4. <HI>Of the common &s;alvation,</HI> Jude ver&s;e 3. Which Go&s;pel is the Go&s;pel of the Chri&s;tian Warfare, <HI>Eph.</HI> 6.12, 13, 14. And <HI>a preparation for the Go&s;pel of Peace,</HI> ver&s;e 15. The <HI>which is the everla|&s;ting Go&s;pel,</HI> Rev. 14.6, 7. The which will take place after the Lord's &s;econd coming, and at <HI>Babylon</HI>'s Fall, <HI>Chap.</HI> 14.1, 8. Which Go&s;pel will be publi&s;hed by an <HI>Angel flying in the mid&s;t of Heaven,</HI> ver&s;e 6. For this go&s;pel mini&s;tration is to cea&s;e, when the Glory promi&s;ed takes place, by which the Saints and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> will be made eternally ble&s;&s;ed, by <HI>drinking abundantly of the River of his Plea&s;ure,</HI> P&s;a. 36.8. Which the Scripture declares to be the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 7.38, 39. And then it is, that the promi&s;ed New everla|&s;ting
<PB N="29" REF="16"> Covenant will be e&s;tabli&s;ht. <HI>Eze.</HI> 34.25. <HI>Chap.</HI> 36.25, 26, 27, 28. <HI>Jer.</HI> 31, 32, 33, 34 35, 36. <HI>Chap.</HI> 32, 39, 40, 41. The which the remnant of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and the fir&s;t Churches in this time were in a more particu|lar manner cho&s;en Heirs to, and a Door of Mercy &s;et open to others, that by being rich in good works they might lay hold of Eternal Life, 1 <HI>Timothy</HI> 18, 19.</P>
<P>I could not give a clear account of the Holy Gho&s;t, without bringing in the Prophets, Apo&s;tles, and Churches; in whom he was in, and with, and doth accompany. And therefore &s;aid to be a <HI>River,</HI> which di&s;per&s;eth it &s;elf into <HI>Streams, P&s;al.</HI> 46, 4. And likewi&s;e the Holy Gho&s;t hath been divided into many Figures at once, and &s;o appeared <HI>in the likene&s;s</HI> of many <HI>Cloven Tongues,</HI> Acts 2.3. But God the Father is &s;aid to &s;it upon a Throne, and the Lord Chri&s;t is &s;aid to &s;it upon a Throne, but the Holy Gho&s;t is no where &s;aid to &s;it upon a Throne. But only that <HI>There was a pure River of Water of Life, proceeding out of the Throne of God, and of the Lamb,</HI> Rev. 22.1. Thereby to &s;hew the Breath of God and the Lamb, did flow from the Throne like a River; the which River giveth Life, and is the River of Life. But we are never commanded to pray to the Holy Gho&s;t, or Breath of God, neither is it exemplary throughout the Word. But we are to pray to God, that he would guide us by his Spirit in|to the way of all Truth. And it is required that we &s;hould ask of God to give us his Spirit to be with us, <HI>Luke</HI> 11.13.</P>
<P>But both by Command and example we are to pray to Chri&s;t. For the Lord Chri&s;t &s;aid to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>John</HI> 14, 13. <HI>What&s;oever ye &s;hall ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;</HI> and in ver&s;e 14. <HI>If ye &s;hall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.</HI> And St. <HI>Stephen</HI> when he was giving up the
<PB N="30" REF="17"> Gho&s;t, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.59. <HI>Said, Lord Je&s;us receive my &s;pirit; And al&s;o Jacob prayed the Angel that redeemed him, to ble&s;s the Lads,</HI> Gen. 48.16. Neither would he let the Angel go until he had ble&s;t him, <HI>Gen.</HI> 32.26. Which Angel was Chri&s;t. And the Thief on the Cro&s;s prayed the Lord Chri&s;t to <HI>remember him when he came into his Kingdom,</HI> Luke 23.42.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>The Breath or Spirit of God which is called the Holy Gho&s;t, is divided partly in Heaven, and partly on the Earth at one and the &s;ame time. But the glorious Per&s;on of God cannot be divided. For though God is every where by his Power, his Wi&s;dom and his Knowledg, in Heaven, in Earth, in Hell, for God ru|leth over all. But by the indwelling of his Spirit, he is not every where. But b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> his Spirit he is in Hea|ven and in Earth at once. Yet his holy Spirit cannot enter into an unclean thing. And in the <HI>Inner Tem|ple</HI> where the Cloud of Glory was, there was none &s;uffered to enter therein, but the High Prie&s;t once a Year, and that not without atonement, Offerings for Purifications. <HI>Exod.</HI> 30.10. Neither will the Holy Gho&s;t enter into an unclean thing. And therefore the fir&s;t Churches were brought home by Repentance and Shame of their former evil Practices, and &s;o brought into a &s;elf Re&s;ignation of them&s;elves to Chri&s;t, and then they were baptized. For all that had lived wickedly were to be thus prepared, before they could receive the Holy Gho&s;t to be in them. <HI>Acts</HI> 19.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. For who&s;oever retained the Spirit of the World, could not receive the Holy Gho&s;t to be in them <HI>Becau&s;e they know him not,</HI> John 14.17. And tho&s;e that received him, could not retain him, when they wilfully &s;inned again&s;t him. Like <HI>Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, though a Prophet,</HI> 2 Pet. 2.15, 20, 21, 22 And the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, Chri&s;t &s;pake by his Spirit in the Prophets of Old, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.11. And when
<PB N="31" REF="17"> any by wicked ways turned from the holy Command|ment delivered unto them, the remnant knew they were not of that number of the Jews unto whom the Lord promi&s;ed, <HI>That none &s;hould pluck them out of his hand,</HI> John 10.28. Therefore St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, when any went out from them into the practice of the Wicked: <HI>They were not</HI> of them, <HI>for if they had been</HI> of them, <HI>they would no doubt have continued</HI> with them, <HI>John</HI> 2.15, 16, 17, 18, 19. That is, they would have per&s;evered. For a Believer is no longer a Believer, than he believes Salvation is to be had according to the Word of Chri&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 8.31. <HI>Chap.</HI> 14.21, 23. Which is in the way of their obedience, no more than a Righteous Man is a Righteous Man in the Day that he committeth Iniquity, <HI>Eze.</HI> 18.24.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>What the Scripture &s;aith concerning God the Father.</HEAD>
<P>Now having proved that the Holy Gho&s;t cannot dwell every where. I am now to prove that the glo|rious per&s;onal pre&s;ence of God, dwells no where but in the Heaven of Heavens, the which has no relation to the beginning of the &s;ix days Creation. (As I &s;hall in this Treati&s;e by Scripture clearly make appear.) Unto which Place we are required to make our addre&s;&s;es un|to him, according as the Lord Chri&s;t taught his Di&s;ci|ples when he was upon Earth. And &s;aid, <HI>When ye pray, &s;ay, Our Father which art in Heaven,</HI> &amp;c. Now where|as St. <HI>Paul &s;aith, Christ is the Image of the invi&s;ible God,</HI> Col. 1.15. And again he &s;aith, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.17. <HI>The in|vi&s;ible God,</HI> But he explains him&s;elf in <HI>Chap.</HI> 6.16. In that he &s;aith <HI>No man hath &s;een or can &s;ee God. The which words.</HI> God had before &s;aid to Mo&s;es, Exodus 33.20, 21, 22, 23. <HI>Thou can&s;t not &s;ee my face: for there &s;hall no man &s;ee me and live.</HI> God thereby &s;hewing that his glorious pre&s;ence was &s;o great, that no mortal
<PB N="32" REF="18"> Creature &s;hould &s;ee his Face and live. And the Face is counted the principal part, and therefore ac|cordingly St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>No man hath &s;een God at any time,</HI> John 1.8. And al&s;o the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>No man hath &s;een God at any time,</HI> John 4.12. Here the Apo&s;tle did but recite what was before written. For they &s;pake according to the Law and the Prophets, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 8.20. <HI>And who&s;oever &s;peaks not according to that word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>But whereas St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.16. <HI>No man hath &s;een or can &s;ee God.</HI> He hath herein his reference to Man in this time, in his fallen E&s;tate. So that ac|cording to the word of the Lord, no Man &s;hall &s;ee his Face and live. And that the words of the Apo&s;tle had but herein their tendency to this time, the which is the time of this world, as his foregoing words make appear, as in ver&s;e 14.15, 16. where he &s;aith to <HI>Ti|mothy, Keep the Commandment without &s;pot, unrebuka|ble, until the appearing of our Lord Je&s;us Christ, which in his times he &s;hall &s;hew who is the ble&s;&s;ed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who only hath im|mortality, dwelling in that light, which no man can ap|proach unto, whom no man hath &s;een, or can &s;ee: To whom be honour and power everla&s;ting, Amen.</HI> Now whereas St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who only hath Immortality, here in the&s;e words he in|cludes the Son as well as the Father; he being al&s;o <HI>King of Kings, and Lord of Lords,</HI> Rev. 19.16. Chap. 17.14. And the Father and the Son being both of one Mind and one Will, and both being united by one Spi|rit whereby they are one; and now the Son as well as the Father is alike immortal. And as in this time, the Father's glorious Face is invi&s;ible to Man, &s;o that no Man can &s;ee his Face and live. So the Son's glorious Face no Man hath given a clear account of in all the Vi&s;ions they have had. <HI>But in his times he will &s;hew
<PB N="33" REF="18"> who is the only Potentate.</HI> In which words to be &s;ure the Father is included as well as the Son, whom the Saints <HI>in Heaven &s;hall &s;ee face to face, when they come to know as they are known,</HI> 1 Cor. 13.12</P>
<P>And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.24, 25, 26, 27. <HI>By Faith Mo&s;es when he came to years re|fu&s;ed to be called the &s;on of Pharoahs daughter; choo&s;ing rather to &s;uffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the plea&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on; e&s;teeming the reproach for Chri&s;t greater riches than the trea&s;ures in Egypt: For he had re&s;pect unto the recompence of reward. By faith he for&s;ook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King: For he endured as &s;eeing him who is invi&s;ible.</HI> Now how was it that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> then &s;aw him who is invi&s;ible? It was by the Eye of Faith, and who was it that he &s;aw by Faith? It was the Son as well as the Father. For it is &s;aid, he e&s;teemed the Reproach for Chri&s;t greater Riches than the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Egypt.</HI> And why was it? Becau&s;e it is &s;aid, he had re&s;pect to the recompence of Reward. For God had all along promi&s;ed a Reward to them that denied them&s;elves the evil Enjoyments of this World, in obedience to him. And the Son as well as the Father was then both alike invi&s;ible to him. And it is the Son the Lord Chri&s;t who is &s;pecified in the Text. Of whom <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was then the Type of, by being re|fu&s;ed by <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to be <HI>a ruler and a judge. The &s;ame did God &s;end to be a ruler and a deliverer,</HI> Acts 7.35. And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> had re&s;pect to the recompence of Reward. <HI>For all that come to God mu&s;t believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently &s;eek him. But without this faith, it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e him,</HI> He<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. 11.6. And this Faith carried the Worthies of Old through all Difficulties. And likewi&s;e it is &s;aid of Chri&s;t, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.2. <HI>Who for the Joy that was &s;et before him, endured the Cro&s;s, de&s;pi&s;ing the &s;hame, and is &s;et down at the right hand of the throne of God,</HI> ver&s;e 3. <HI>For con&s;ider him that
<PB N="34" REF="19"> endured &s;uch contradiction of Sinners against him&s;elf, le&s;t ye be weary and faint in your minds. And Chri&s;t is be|eome the author of eternal &s;alvation unto all them that obey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9. And he is not only the Author of Faith and Hope, by being made a reconciler between God and Man, without which there had been no ground to hope: But as he thereby is become the Au|thor of eternal Salvation: So he will be the Fini&s;her of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him, <HI>in keeping the Commands of God, and the Faith of Je&s;us,</HI> Rev. 14.12. And Chri&s;t is that it, or one Seed that was to brui&s;e the Serpent's Head, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.15. And unto whom all the Prophets and Holy Men of Old, had an Eye of Faith unto. And it was he, whom <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> by Faith did &s;ee, who with the Father was then invi&s;i|ble to him.</P>
<P>And for further proof that the Apo&s;tle had no further reference then to the time of this World. He therefore &s;aith, &s;peaking of the time to come, <HI>Titus</HI> 2.13. Looking for the ble&s;&s;ed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t. This being according to what was declared to <HI>Daniel, Chap.</HI> 7.9, 13. And as in <HI>Rev.</HI> 5.1, 5, 6.13. <HI>Chap.</HI> 20.11.</P>
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>The Lord &s;pake to Mo&s;es face to face,</HI> Exod. 33.9, 11. But the Cloud was Between, &s;o as he beheld not the Glory of his Face. Now God hath &s;everal Glories, for the Fire and the Cloud upon the Mount out of which God &s;pake, it is &s;aid to be <HI>the Glory of the Lord,</HI> Exod. 24.16. But that was not that Glory which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> de&s;ired the Lord to &s;hew him, the which Glory was his Face the which God would not permit <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to &s;ee, for that was hid from Man by the Fire and the Cloud out of which God &s;pake, God making <HI>The dark clouds his pavillion,</HI> P&s;al. 18.11. To vail his glory from the People, <HI>Exod.</HI> 20.21. <HI>And Mo&s;es drew are unto the thick darkne&s;s where God was.</HI> And God
<PB N="35" REF="19"> did then al&s;o make great difference in his di&s;covery of him&s;elf to his People. For the body of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> heard but the voice of God, with the thundrings and the lightnings, and the trumpet &s;ounding long, and &s;aw but the Fire and Smoke of the Mountain, but <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aaron, Nadab,</HI> and <HI>Abihu,</HI> and &s;eventy of the Elders of <HI>I&s;rael, They &s;aw the God of I&s;rael, and there was under his feet, as it were a paved work of a Saphire &s;tone, and as it were the body of Heaven in its clearne&s;s. They &s;aw God, and did eat and drink</HI> Exod. 24.10, 11. By which words it is plain, they did di&s;cern a glorious Per&s;on, tho his face was vailed from them, neither did they clearly &s;ee his Per&s;on, for afterward when <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> de&s;ired of God to &s;hew him his glory, which glory was his Face. God &s;aid to him, <HI>Thou can&s;t not &s;ee my Face, for there &s;hall no man &s;ee me and live,</HI> Exod. 33. ver&s;. 20. The which does clearly &s;hew, the face of God is to be &s;een, tho not by us mortals that are to live in this time. But God &s;aid to <HI>Mo&s;es, Behold there is a place by me, and thou &s;halt &s;tand upon a rock. And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, while my Glory pa&s;&s;eth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand while I pa&s;s by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou &s;halt &s;ee my back parts, but my Face &s;hall not be &s;een,</HI> Exod. 33.21, 22, 23. But <HI>I&s;rael</HI> whom the Lord fore&s;aw would incline to Idolatry, he would not permit them <HI>to &s;ee any &s;imilitude,</HI> Deut. 4.15. But <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s God covered with his hand, &s;o that he could not &s;ee his Face, but he &s;hewed him his back parts. But St. <HI>Stephen</HI> when he was giving up the Gho&s;t, <HI>And he being full of the Holy Gho&s;t &s;aw the Heavens opened, and &s;aw the Glory of God, and Je&s;us &s;tanding at the right hand of God,</HI> Acts 7.55.56. The which Glory of God. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee, which God declares to be his Face. The which God would not permit <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to &s;ee, and live. But Chri&s;t declares <HI>That in Heaven the Angels does alw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ys b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hold the Face of his Father which is in Heaven,</HI> Matt. 18, 10.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<PB N="36" REF="20">
<P>NOW &s;ome by their not rightly apprehending the words of St. <HI>Paul,</HI> have thought God did not give the Law to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> on mount Sinai, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.2, 3. <HI>For if the word &s;poken by Angels was &s;tedfa&s;t, and every tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and di&s;obedience received a ju&s;t recompence of reward. How &s;hall we e&s;cape if we neglect &s;o great Sal|vation which at fir&s;t begun to be &s;poken by the Lord, and was confirm'd unto us by them that heard him.</HI> From the&s;e words &s;ome would have, that neither the Fa|ther nor the Son did &s;peak to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> from <HI>Mount Sinai:</HI> But that God did only &s;peak to them by Angels there; tho' there is not one word of <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> here men|tioned by the Apo&s;tle; but by tho&s;e that take up with this and other &s;uch like Notions, the Truth of the Scriptures is overturned, and that for want of a due Con&s;ideration how far the word Angel in Scrip|ture extendeth. For in the New Te&s;tament where this is &s;poken by the Apo&s;tle. The Lord likewi&s;e, <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.20. Calls Men Angels; <HI>The &s;even &s;tars are the angels of the &s;even churches.</HI> And the&s;e Angels of the Churches were Mini&s;ters whom Chri&s;t ordered St. <HI>John</HI> to write to, <HI>Chap.</HI> 2.1. To incourage them that did well, and to reform them that did ami&s;s. And as Chri&s;t calls the Mini&s;ters Angels, &s;o accordingly the Apo&s;tle here in this place &s;peaking of Angels, mu&s;t have his Allu&s;ion to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prie&s;ts, by whom <HI>I&s;rael</HI> received the Law. And the Lord Chri&s;t termed it <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s Law, <HI>John</HI> 7.23. For God &s;pake no more to all <HI>I&s;rael</HI> from <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> than the Ten Command|ments, <HI>Exod.</HI> 20.1. <HI>God &s;pake all the&s;e words, &s;aying, I am the Lord thy God,</HI> &amp;c. And the&s;e words the Peo|ple heard God &s;peak, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 18.19. And the &s;ame, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> rehear&s;eth, <HI>Deut.</HI> 5. And after he had ended the Commandments, he &s;aith, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 22. <HI>The&s;e words the Lord &s;pake unto all your a&s;&s;embly in the mount out of the mid&s;t of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkne&s;s,
<PB N="37" REF="20"> with a great voice, and he added no more, and wrote them in two tables of &s;tone, and delivered them unto me,</HI> ver&s;. 23. <HI>And it came to pa&s;s when ye heard the voice,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 24. <HI>And ye &s;aid, the Lord our God hath &s;hewed us his glory <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nd his greatne&s;s, and we have heard his voice out of the mid&s;t of the fire; we have &s;een this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth,</HI> ver&s;. 26. <HI>For who is there of all fle&s;h that hath heard the voice of the li|ving God, &s;peaking out of the mid&s;t of the fire as we have and lived,</HI> ver&s; 27. <HI>Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God &s;hall &s;peak unto thee, and we will hear it and do it.</HI> Which &s;aying plea&s;ed the Lord, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 28. And <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 31. <HI>God &s;aith to</HI> Mofes; <HI>But as for thee, &s;tand thou here by me, and I will &s;peak unto thee all the commandments, and the &s;tatutes, and the judgments which thou &s;hall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to po&s;&s;e&s;s it.</HI> Here we &s;ee that <HI>I&s;rael</HI> received all the Law from <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and likewi&s;e the Commandments written on two Tables of Stone with the Finger of God; which two Tables of Stone God delivered to <HI>Mo&s;es, Exod</HI> 31.12, 18. <HI>Deut.</HI> 9.10. And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> declared the Law to the People, and left the written Law in the Hands of the Prie&s;ts, who were to teach it to the People. And then the Prie&s;ts were as much Angels, as the Mini&s;ters of the &s;even Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> afterwards were, of whom there was &s;ome of them received Prai&s;e of the Lord: And others of them &s;harp Reproof. So as if they did not repent and amend, God would remove them, <HI>Rev. Chap.</HI> 2. and 3, as God before had done to <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s Prie&s;ts and People.</P>
<P>But in that the Prie&s;ts and Mini&s;ters were term'd Angels, and not the People; was not becau&s;e the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> were always better than the People; but becau&s;e their peculiar Employment for which they were &s;et apart,
<PB N="38" REF="21"> was for the Service of God, in the Teaching of Men: As the Angels, <HI>Who are &s;aid to be mini&s;tring &s;pirits, &s;ent forth to mini&s;ter,</HI> Heb. 1.14.</P>
<P>But the Angels that St. <HI>Paul</HI> in this Chapter &s;aith are Mini&s;tring Spirits; he therein has no Reference to the Angels that he &s;peaks of in the following Chap|ter; by whom he &s;aith <HI>I&s;rael</HI> received the Word. For in Scripture one Ver&s;e often &s;peaks of one Subject, and the next of another Subject. And &s;o it is as to the&s;e An|gels here &s;poken of. And not that St. <HI>Paul,</HI> or any of the Apo&s;tles would contradict what was before writ|ten; for the Apo&s;tles <HI>compared &s;piritual things with &s;piritual,</HI> 1 Cor. 2.13. That no Delu&s;ion might creep in. For it is &s;aid, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 8.28. <HI>To the Law and to the Te&s;timony, if they &s;peak not according to this word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them, For they are the Scri|ptures of Truth,</HI> Dan. 10.21. For God's Word is Truth; and it is declared that <HI>God &s;pake from mount Sinai, and &s;aid to all I&s;rael, I am the Lord thy God,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Exod.</HI> 20. And that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> received all the Law from God on <HI>Mount Sinai.</HI> And this being noted in the Scriptures of Truth, every true Chri&s;tian is bound to believe it. But by the Apo&s;tacy from the Truth, things have been turn'd up&s;ide down. But God never &s;ent his Son, and the Servants of his Son to contradict what he before had declared. <HI>For the &s;trength of I&s;rael will not lye,</HI> 1 Sam. 15.29. Heb. 6.18. <HI>And he will not give his Glory to another,</HI> I&s;a. 48.11. And where St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of the word &s;poken by An|gels, or the ordaining of the Law by Angels. He ne|ver mentions one word of Mount Sinai. For the An|gels he &s;peaks of could not &s;peak from thence to the People.</P>
<P>And whereas St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of the Law &s;aith, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3.19. <HI>It was ordained by Angels.</HI> Which words can have no other reference, than that the Prie&s;ts which had the Law, and likewi&s;e then the Power in their
<PB N="39" REF="21"> hands to ordain and e&s;tabli&s;h it to be a Law to all the Tribes of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> For had God made an outward Law, and empowred no Man to ordain and e&s;tabli&s;h it as a Law among&s;t Men: It would not then have been of Force according to God's determination. Therefore when God gave the Law, he employed them to whom he gave Power to ordain it to be &s;uch. For the fir&s;t ruling Power among the People of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was given to the head of the Tribe of <HI>Levy,</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron</HI> was chief, and by the Prie&s;thood was the remem|brance of the Law kept up. For they were God's Mouth to the People, and the People were to &s;eek the Law at their Mouth. <HI>By which they turned many away from iniquity, for they were the me&s;&s;engers of the Lord of Ho&s;ts. But the Prie&s;ts departed out of the way, and cau&s;ed many to &s;tumble;</HI> The which cau&s;ed God's anger again&s;t them. <HI>For which God made them contem|ptible before all the people,</HI> Mal. 2.5, 6, 7, 8, 9. But at the fir&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hing of the Prie&s;thood, they did offer the atonement Offerings for the People, and taught the People the Law; and the ruling Power was in their hands. And the&s;e mu&s;t be the Angels that St. <HI>Paul</HI> in the foregoing Texts had his reference to. For otherwi&s;e to under&s;tand him, it would be to the over|turning both of the Old and New Te&s;tament. And we mu&s;t not &s;o under&s;tand the Sayings of one to con|tradict many, much le&s;s to contradict God him&s;elf. And St. <HI>Stephen</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.37. <HI>A Prophet &s;hall the Lord your God rai&s;e up unto you of your Brethren like unto me, him &s;hall you hear.</HI> Thereby giving notice they are two di&s;tinct, Per&s;ons. And St. <HI>Stephen</HI> further &s;aith of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> ver&s;. 38. <HI>This is he that was in the Church in the Wilderne&s;s with the Angel which &s;pake to him in Mount Sinai.</HI> And the Angel which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aw in <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> in the Bu&s;h: St. <HI>Stephen</HI> ac|cording to the word, hath declared him to be God:
<PB N="40" REF="22"> The which doth plainly appear to be the Son of God: Becau&s;e he is likewi&s;e &s;aid to be the Angel of God. The which was the Angel of whom God &s;aid his name was in him. For he &s;pake to Mo&s;es as God. And St. <HI>Stephen</HI> further &s;aith of <HI>Mo&s;es, That he was with the Fathers, who received the lively Oracles to give unto us.</HI> St. <HI>Stephen</HI> makes no mention who fir&s;t gave the lively Oracles: For that was well known to all <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that it was God: As it is written, <HI>Exod.</HI> 20.1, 2, 3. &amp;c. But <HI>Stephen</HI> de|clares that it was their Fathers received the lively Oracles to give unto them. Which Fathers, he terms Angels, as in the 53 ver&s;e. <HI>Who have received the law by the di&s;po&s;ition of Angels, and have not kept it.</HI></P>
<P>And in that he &s;aith. By the di&s;po&s;ition of Angels. Is becau&s;e Angels are God's Me&s;&s;engers, and &s;o were the Fathers the Prie&s;ts &s;aid to be, <HI>Mal.</HI> 2.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. <HI>I have &s;ent this Commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levy, &s;aith the Lord of ho&s;ts. My covenant was with him of life and peace, and I gave them to him, for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips, he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity For the Priest lips &s;hould keep knowledge, and they &s;hould &s;eek the law at his mouth: For he is the me&s;&s;enger of the Lord of ho&s;ts,</HI> But afterwards <HI>they departed out of the way and cau&s;ed many to &s;tumble.</HI> But at fir&s;t the Hou&s;e of <HI>Levy</HI> did cleave to the Lord, as it is written, <HI>Exod.</HI> 32.7, 26, 27, 28. Now the&s;e Me&s;&s;engers here &s;poken of, mu&s;t be the Angels which St. <HI>Paul</HI> had his reference to: And not that <HI>Paul</HI> or <HI>Stephen</HI> would go to contradict what was before written, in denying God's giving the Law to <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> in <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> but it has been for our want of a right Under&s;tanding of the Scriptures Method in &s;peaking, which has made the Bible &s;eemingly &s;o full of contra|dictions.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="22">
<P>Now that God was on <HI>Mount Sinai,</HI> and in the Cloud, it is farther evident from the expre&s;s word of God to <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> For after <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed in the Wilderne&s;s, by making them a Calf, God would have there de&s;troyed them all; <HI>And have rai&s;ed up of Mo&s;es a great nation,</HI> Exod. 33.9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Had not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> there prevailed with God to &s;pare them, &s;o as not to cut them off. Yet notwith&s;tanding, for that Offence God refu&s;ed to go up in the mid&s;t of them: And &s;aid, <HI>He would &s;end an Angel before them. For I will not go up in the mid&s;t of thee, for thou art a &s;tiff-necked People, le&s;t I con&s;ume thee in the way,</HI> Exod. 33.2, 3. From the&s;e words it is plain that the Angel that God &s;aid he would &s;end with them, was another and not him&s;elf. And that God the Father was on <HI>Mount Sinai</HI> is further evident. <HI>Becau&s;e God &s;pake all the&s;e words, and &s;aid. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Thou &s;halt have no other Gods before me,</HI> Exod. 20.2, 3. Now had it not been God the Father that gave the Law, he here would have been excluded from being <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s God, or at lea&s;twi&s;e from being the fir&s;t Per&s;on in the Deity. Becau&s;e none was to be wor&s;hipt before him that gave the Law on <HI>Mount Sinai.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now St. <HI>Stephen</HI> being to an&s;wer before the High Prie&s;t, and the <HI>Jews.</HI> Gave a &s;hort account of &s;ome few of the Heads of the hi&s;torical parts of the Bible from <HI>Abraham</HI> to the then time, and &s;aith, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.2. <HI>Men and Brethren and Fathers hearken. The God of Glory appeared unto our father Abraham.</HI> Here St. <HI>Stephen</HI> &s;aith, the God of Glory appeared to <HI>Abraham,</HI> he doth not &s;ay an Angel, but according as God hath decla|red of him&s;elf, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.1. <HI>I am the Almighty God.</HI> So St <HI>Stephen</HI> goes on relating &s;everal Pa&s;&s;ages till he comes to <HI>that ju&s;t one, whom</HI> he &s;aid, <HI>They had been the betrayers and murderers,</HI> ver&s;e 52. <HI>And the Jews when
<PB N="42" REF="23"> they heard the&s;e things were cut to the Heart, and they gna&s;hed on him with their Teeth,</HI> ver&s;e 55. <HI>But he being full of the Holy Gho&s;t, looked up &s;tedfa&s;tly into Heaven, and &s;aw the glory of God, and Je&s;us &s;tanding on the right hand of God,</HI> ver&s;e 56. And &s;aid, <HI>behold, I &s;ee the hea|vens opened, and the &s;on of man &s;tanding on the right hand of God.</HI> Now though St. <HI>Stephen</HI>'s former words have been mi&s;con&s;trued by &s;ome, yet here he gives a clear te&s;timony of the two glorious Per&s;ons of the Father and the Son, when he &s;aw the Heavens opened, and Chri&s;t &s;tanding at the right Hand of God. For which &s;aying, the Jews <HI>&s;topped their ears, and ran upon him and &s;toned him to death.</HI> So that according to the Word of God, <HI>No man &s;hall &s;ee his face and live,</HI> Exod. 33.10, 11, 20. And. St. <HI>Peter &s;peaking in relation to the Prophets, &s;aith,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.19. <HI>We have a more &s;ure word of Prophe&s;ie,</HI> and he terms it a more &s;ure Word of Prophe&s;ie, for two rea&s;ons. Fir&s;t, becau&s;e the Pro|phe&s;ies were at large recorded in the Old Te&s;tament, of which they gave but hints of things that were therein contained: And therefore a more &s;ure word of Pro|phe&s;ie where it is at large &s;et down. 2dly. The Law and the Prophets was &s;ecured by their being in the hands of the <HI>Jews,</HI> whom God made a &s;cattered Peo|ple upon the Face of the Earth. By which means the Old Te&s;tament was pre&s;erved uncorrupted. Therefore what&s;oever we had found in the New Te&s;tament that did &s;eem to us to contradict the Old Te&s;tament, we &s;hould rather have attributed it to Man's fal&s;ene&s;s, who was intru&s;ted with the Word, than that God &s;hould &s;peak one thing by the Prophets, and afterward &s;end his Son, and the Servants of his Son to contradict what he him&s;elf had &s;poken and &s;worn to, and declared by the Mouth of his Prophets. The which as we have under&s;tood the New Te&s;tament &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy. The Old Te&s;ta|ment has thereby been overturned. But the Lord
<PB N="43" REF="23"> Chri&s;t ju&s;tified the Writings of <HI>Mo&s;es, John</HI> 5.45, 46.</P>
<P>For <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was the Type of Chri&s;t, and Favourite of Heaven, unto whom God &s;aid <HI>with him will I &s;peak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark &s;peeches and the &s;imilitude of the Lord &s;hall he behold,</HI> Numb. 12.8. Now tho&s;e that deny God to have a &s;imilitude believe not God, for God declares this of him&s;elf.</P>
<P>And St. <HI>Paul</HI> declares Chri&s;t to be the expre&s;s Image of his Father's Per&s;on, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.3. And here we &s;ee God &s;pake to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> Mouth to Mouth, though the Cloud of Glory was between, but God &s;hewed him his back part, <HI>Exod.</HI> 33.10, 11, 22, 23.</P>
<P>Now the Scripture &s;hews that God hath two Faces, The glorious Face of his Per&s;on in Heaven, &s;een by Angels; and his well plea&s;ed Face &s;een upon Earth by the be&s;t of Mankind, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 67.1. <HI>Which is al&s;o termed the light of his Countenance,</HI> P&s;al. 4.6. Num. 6.25, 26. And this Face of God, God requires of us that we &s;hould &s;eek, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 27.8, 9.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>So likewi&s;e God hath &s;everal right Hands. As the right Hand of his Per&s;on, at which right hand of God, St. <HI>Stephen</HI> &s;aw Chri&s;t at, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.56, according as in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110.1. And from which right hand of God, the Lamb went and took the Book from God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 5.1.7. And there is al&s;o the right Hand of God's Righteou&s;|ne&s;s, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 48.10. <HI>According to thy name, O God &s;o is thy prai&s;e unto the ends of the earth; thy right hand is full of righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> And when <HI>I&s;rael</HI> is delivered, it will be by the right hand of God's Righteou&s;ne&s;s, becau&s;e he hath promi&s;ed it, and therefore God <HI>&s;aith to</HI> them, I <HI>will &s;trengthen thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> I&s;a. 41.10. P&s;al. 19.7, 8. There is al&s;o the right Hand of God's Power, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 44.3. <HI>For I&s;rael got not the land in po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion by their own &s;word, neither did their own arm &s;ave
<PB N="44" REF="24"> them: But thy right and thine arm. And again,</HI> P&s;al. 89.13. <HI>Thou ha&s;t a mighty arm, &s;trong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. And by the hand of his Power God hath mea&s;ured the Waters in the hollow of his hand, and meeted out the heavens with a &s;pan, and comprehended the du&s;t of the Earth in a mea&s;ure, and weighed the mountains in &s;cales, and the hills in a ballance,</HI> I&s;a. 40.12. And this hand of God's Power in the following ver&s;. is declared to be the Power of his Spirit. For it is there &s;aid. <HI>Who hath directed the &s;pirit of the Lord, or being his Coun&s;ellor hath taught him?</HI> For by the out|flowing Breath of his Power God created all things. For God &s;aid, <HI>Let there be light and there was light,</HI> and &s;o for all other things which he created in the &s;ix days, <HI>Gen.</HI> 1. For by his <HI>hand he hath laid the foundation of the earth, and his right hand hath &s;panned the Heavens,</HI> I&s;a. 48.13. Exod. 15.6. P&s;al. 118, 15, 16. There is al&s;o &s;aid to be the right hand of God's Mercy, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 44.3. <HI>But thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, becau&s;e thou had&s;t a favour unto them.</HI> And again, P&s;al. 60.5. <HI>That thy beloved may be delive|red, &s;ave with thy right hand and hear me,</HI> P&s;al, 108, 6. P&s;al. 138, 7. P&s;al. 139, 10. I&s;a. 51.16. And there is al&s;o the right hand of God's Ju&s;tice, P&s;al. 21, 8. <HI>Thine hand &s;hall find out all thine enemies, thy right hand &s;hall find out tho&s;e that hate thee,</HI> and again, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74.10, 11. <HI>Why withdrawe&s;t thou thine hand, even thy right hand,</HI> and P&s;al. 39.10. P&s;al. 75.8. And by this hand of God's Ju|&s;tice he will find out the wicked wherever they be.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Here we &s;ee that be&s;ides the right hand of the Per|&s;on of God, where Chri&s;t is &s;aid to &s;tand or &s;it at. There is the right hand of his Righteou&s;ne&s;s, the right hand of his Power, the right hand of his Mercy, and the right hand of his Ju&s;tice. But God is no where &s;aid to have more than one left hand. But the at|tributes of God, are compared to right hands, but
<PB N="45" REF="24"> to God's Per&s;on there is but one right hand, and one left hand, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 22, 19. Where the Prophet &s;aw <HI>All the ho&s;t of heaven &s;tanding by him, on his right hand and on his left,</HI> at which right hand of God it is that Chri&s;t is &s;aid to &s;it at, <HI>Eph.</HI> 1, 20.</P>
<P>And the Lord Chri&s;t is &s;aid to have &s;everal right hands, the right hand of his Per&s;on, <HI>Rev.</HI> 1, 16, 20. <HI>Chap.</HI> 5 7. <HI>And he had in his right hand &s;even &s;tars,</HI> &amp;c. ver&s;e 20. <HI>The my&s;tery of the &s;even &s;tars which thou &s;awe&s;t in my right hand.</HI> And al&s;o the right hand of his Power, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45 4. <HI>Thy right hand &s;hall teach thee terrible things,</HI> and again, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 89, 25. <HI>I will &s;et his hand al&s;o in the &s;ea, and his right hand al&s;o in the rivers.</HI> There is like|wi&s;e the hand of his Mercy, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40.11.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And whereas the Prophet &s;peaking of God, &s;aith, I&s;a. 40, 17. <HI>All Nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him le&s;s than nothing and vanity. For vanity is reckoned with God, le&s;s than nothing.</HI> For they are as &s;o many Briers and Thorns, when they go to contend with God. And tho&s;e that &s;o do, he will burn up together, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 27.4. And tho&s;e that go to oppo&s;e what God hath made plain from his word, will be found Oppo&s;ers of God. But the People when otherwi&s;e con&s;idered, <HI>Are Multitudes, Nations, Kin|dreds, and Tongues,</HI> Dan. 7 14.</P>
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, I&s;a. 40.18. <HI>To whom then will ye liken God, or what likene&s;s will ye compare to him.</HI> For God in Power is beyond all compari&s;on, as the fore|going words declare. And whereas it is &s;aid, ver&s;e 19: <HI>The Workman m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">lteth a graven Image,</HI> &amp;c. But that can neither &s;ee, hear, &s;peak, nor walk, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;al. 115, 4, 5, 6, 7. <HI>Their idols are &s;ilver and gold the work of mens hands. They have mouths but they &s;peak not, eyes have they, but they &s;ee not, they have ears, but they hear not, no&s;es have they but they &s;mell not, they have hands, but they handle
<PB N="46" REF="25"> not, feet have they, but they walk not, All which God is declared to do,</HI> Gene&s;is 1.</P>
<P>Neither can an Image do good, or re&s;i&s;t evil; but as a Po&s;t &s;tandeth in the place where it is fixed, &s;o an Image of it&s;elf cannot move. Therefore St. <HI>Paul</HI> to undeceive the blind Heathen, &s;aith, <HI>We are the off-&s;pring of God. And that they were not to think that the God|head is like unto gold, or Silver, graven by art or mans de|vice, Acts</HI> 17.29. Who cannot do ought as afore&s;aid. But we having Life, Breath, and Being; and can &s;ee, hear, talk, and walk; and know good from evil. For which we are termed the Of-&s;pring of God, being <HI>Cre|ated in his Image and likene&s;s,</HI> Gen. 1.26.27. Chap. 3.8.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now whereas St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Rom. 1.21. <HI>Becau&s;e when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their Imaginations, and their fooli&s;h heart was darkned. Profe&s;&s;ing them&s;elves to be wi&s;e, they became fools: And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made like to cor|ruptible man, and to birds and four-footed Bea&s;ts,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But the glorious Per&s;on of God according as decla|red in his word, is incomprehen&s;ible to us, &s;o as we cannot conceive thereof, nor make an Image like the De&s;cription that is there given of God. Therefore when they went to change the Glory of the incorruptible God into the Image of a corruptible Man, and they making God to be of a corporeal Sub&s;tance, like that of a corporal Man, whereby they changed the Glory of the uncorruptible God, when they made him like to a corruptible Man. And like the Papi&s;t, becau&s;e God is &s;aid to be the ancient of Daies, therefore they make the glorious Sub&s;tance of the Per&s;on of God as an old Man in his declining Age. When as the glorious per|&s;on of God is of a Spiritual Sub&s;tance of a bright clear glorious Lu&s;tre, &s;uch as we cannot conceive of. But
<PB N="47" REF="25"> he is in the Figure or Similitude as he hath declared him&s;elf to be in, though of no corporeal Sub&s;tance. For he is a Spirit, his glorious per&s;on being of a Spi|ritual Sub&s;tance, which no Time or Age can decay or corrupt. But as he was from all Eternity, &s;o will he be to all Eternity, the mo&s;t perfect being in him&s;elf.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And whereas the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;aith that in him dwelt all the fulne&s;s of the Godhead bodi|ly, <HI>Col.</HI> 2.9. <HI>For God prepared a body for Chri&s;t,</HI> Heb. 10.5, 6. To which the Deity was united to the Hu|manity: And in which humane Nature he received the fulne&s;s of the Godhead bodily. In that God gave to <HI>Him the &s;pirit without mea&s;ure,</HI> John 3.34. But God the Father who is a Spirit, and his Per&s;on of a Spiritual Sub&s;tance, therefore he is not &s;aid to have a Body. And the Angels who are of a Spiritual Sub&s;tance, are not &s;aid to have Bodies. But they are &s;aid to be mi|ni&s;tring Spirits, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.7.14. And they appear like Bodies. But a &s;piritual Sub&s;tance, and a bodily Sub|&s;tance, are two di&s;tinct things.</P>
<P>But St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaking of the Re&s;urrection, &s;aith, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15, 40. <HI>There are al&s;o cele&s;tial bodies, and bodies terre&s;trial: But the glory of the cele&s;tial is one, and the glory of the ter|re&s;trial is another.</HI> That is, at the re&s;urrection rhe dead bo|dies of the Saints, will ari&s;e, and be made cele&s;tial Bodies. For <HI>then their vile Bodies will be fa&s;hioned like unto Chri&s;t glorious Body,</HI> Phil. 3, 21. And when the Saints ari&s;e, <HI>I&s;rael</HI> will then be made perfect, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.40. <HI>Joel</HI> 3.20, 21. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 60.12, 13, 14, 15. and glorified, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 60, 12, 14, 15. But the Cele&s;tial Bodies will be as the Angels that neither <HI>Marry, nor are given in marriage,</HI> Matt. 22.30. But with the Terre&s;trial Bodies there will then be marrying and giving in Marriage, for they are to increa&s;e and multiply, I&s;a. 60.20. I&s;a. 27.6.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<PB N="48" REF="26">
<P>AND whereas the Prophet &s;peaking of God, &s;aith, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40.22. <HI>It is he that &s;itteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as gra&s;hoppers that &s;tretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and &s;preadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.</HI> Now in that it is &s;aid, God &s;itteth upon the Circle of the Earth, this may be under&s;tood two ways, fir&s;t, by his power, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 104.4, 5. <HI>Who laid the foundations of the earth that it &s;hould not be removed for ever. And he hath founded it upon the &s;eas, and e&s;tabli&s;hed it upon the Flouds.</HI> P&s;al. 24.2. P&s;al. 90, 2. Prov. 3, 19. Jer. 51.15. I&s;a. 42.5. I&s;a. 45.18. Jer. 27.5. Where God by his incomprehen&s;ible power is &s;ea|ted to be beheld by his Creatures, who may there &s;ee his handy work. Now when God made the&s;e heavens which God calls the Firmament, with the Sun, Moon, and Stars, which God calls the ho&s;t of them, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.1. Within which Heavens or Firmament he hath encir|cled the Earth, and made Man upon it, that he might behold the excellency of his Creator, by the things that are vi&s;ible in the Creation. For God is the great Architect of wonder, and the curious Arti&s;t to be enquired after by his Creatures unto whom be hath given rational Souls. And therefore St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Romans</HI> 1, 19, 20. <HI>Becau&s;e that which may be known of God, is made manife&s;t unto them, for he hath &s;hewed it unto them, For the invi&s;ible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly &s;een, being understood by the things that are made, they &s;hewing his eternal Power and Godhead, &s;o that they are without excu&s;e.</HI> That is, tho&s;e that deny there is a God, For all whom God hath endued with rea&s;on may &s;ee that this curious Frame could not be reared by a rude jumbling of things together. No more than a curious Lanskip that is exactly well drawn, repre&s;enting all things in the Creation: Could be exactly done by the
<PB N="49" REF="26"> rude &s;haking of &s;everal paints together in a cloth: But all that &s;ees it knows it was &s;o done by the skill of &s;ome Arti&s;t. And the more curious the work is, the more enquiry after the Workman. And the &s;ame God expects his Creatures &s;hould do after him. And God in Nature hath &s;et every Wheel a going. For as an Arti&s;t that makes a curious Clock or a Watch with &s;e|veral motions; and one Wheel cau&s;es the other Wheels to move: So God in nature hath placed things &s;o, that the moving of one Wheel &s;ets the other Wheels on work. <HI>For the &s;un rejoiceth as a &s;trong man to run a race, who&s;e going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the ends of it,</HI> P&s;al. 19.5, 6. Whereby God cau&s;eth Day and Night, Summer and Winter; and the Earth to bring forth every thing in its Sea&s;on. And &s;o for all other things according as God in Nature hath pla|ced them. But the glorious Per&s;on of God, is no more in the Earth or upon the Earth, or in the Firmament, than the Per&s;on of the Clockmaker is in the Clock or Watch. But the Clockmakers Skill, Power, and con|tinued Care, is &s;een therein. So the great Creator, his Power is not only &s;een in the Creation, but by keeping all the Wheels a going therein.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now I come to the latter part of the 22 ver&s;e of the 40 of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> Where it is &s;aid, <HI>The inhabitants of the earth are as gra&s;hoppers.</HI> It was a Phra&s;e that was u&s;ed by the Men of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> that went to &s;py out the Land. For when they returned they &s;aid. <HI>And there we &s;aw Giants the &s;ons of Anak. And we were in our own &s;ight as Gra&s;|hoppers, and &s;o we were in their &s;ight,</HI> Num. 13.33. Thereby &s;ignifying the Di&s;proportion between the one and the other. So God doth thereby &s;hew the great di&s;proportion between him&s;elf and his Creatures. But as the Gra&s;hopper bears a &s;imilitude like it &s;elf. So God bears a &s;imilitude like him&s;elf, and the &s;ame Image that the Sub&s;tance or Per&s;on of the Father bears: The
<PB N="50" REF="27"> &s;ame Image doth the Sub&s;tance or Per&s;on of the Son bear. For he <HI>is &s;aid to be the expre&s;s image of his father. Per&s;on or Sub&s;tance,</HI> Heb. 1.3. And accordingly decla|red in Vi&s;ion to <HI>Daniel,</HI> where &s;peaking of God the Fa|ther, <HI>He &s;aith, Who&s;e garments where white as &s;now, and the hair of his head like the pure wooll,</HI> &amp;c. Dan. 7.9. And the &s;ame De&s;cription in Vi&s;ion, is given of the Son, Rev. 1.13.14, 15. <HI>That he was cloathed with a Gar|ment down to the foot, his head and his hairs where white like wooll as white as &s;now, and his eyes were as a flame of Fire, and his feet like unto fine Bra&s;s, as if they burned in a Furnace.</HI> And when <HI>Ezekiel</HI> &s;aw God in Vi&s;ion, it was according to the &s;imilitude which St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aw, <HI>Eze.</HI> 1.26, 27, 28. <HI>And above the firmament that was over their heads, was the likene&s;s of a throne, as the ap|pearance of a &s;apphire &s;tone, and upon the likene&s;s of the throne was the likene&s;s as the appearance of a man above upon it.</HI> Here we are to take notice, that the Throne of God is placed above the Firmament. Which Hea|vens or Firmament was that which God created in the &s;ix days, and that was the beginning of this Creation: And why it is here &s;aid, that above upon the Throne was the appearance of a Man. Was becau&s;e God is a Spiritual Per&s;on, and Man is a corporal per&s;on bearing the &s;imilitude of God, as in ver&s;e 27. <HI>And I &s;aw as the colour of amber as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loyns even upwards, and from the appearance of his loyns even downwards, I &s;aw as it were the appearance of fire and brightne&s;s round a|bout.</HI> Whereby is &s;hewed, that God in Per&s;on bear|eth the likene&s;s of Man. And therefore &s;aid, that upon the Throne there was the appearance of a Man upon it. But the glorious Per&s;on of God, as he is re|pre&s;ented, we are notable to comprehend as to con|ceive of it. Nor any Man capable to make any &s;imi|litude like unto God as is here repre&s;ented, and the
<PB N="51" REF="27" MS="y"> &s;ame is &s;aid of God, <HI>Chap.</HI> 8.2, 3, 4. And when <HI>Da|niel</HI> &s;aw in Vi&s;ion the ancient of days, he likewi&s;e &s;aw the Son brought before him, unto whom he gave the Kingdom, <HI>Dan.</HI> 7.10. Thereby &s;hewing the Father and the Son is two di&s;tinct per&s;ons, and the&s;e things <HI>are noted in the &s;criptures of truth,</HI> Da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. 10.21. There|fore every true Chri&s;tian is bound to believe it.</P>
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, I&s;a. 40.22. <HI>God &s;tretcheth out the heavens as a Curtain, and &s;preadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.</HI> The which words likewi&s;e may ad|mit of a twofold Signification. In that God &s;tretcht them out for a Tent to dwell in for his Creatures. For as we &s;pread forth a Tent over &s;ome part of the Earth, that we may dwell therein: So the Lord &s;tretcht forth the Heavens, and adorned and furni|&s;hed them with Lights for his Creatures to live and breath in; as Man and Bea&s;ts and Birds that fly in the open Firmament of Heaven, <HI>Gen.</HI> 1.20. For we are to take notice that God doth not &s;ay, that he &s;tretcht out the Heavens for him&s;elf to dwell in: For his Habi|tation is in the Heaven of Heavens; which is far above the Heavens which were created in the &s;ix days, the which was but the beginning of the&s;e Heavens. In which Heavens we behold his handy work, they being vi&s;ible to our &s;ight; But the heights above the&s;e Hea|vens or Firmament we cannot conceive of, for God hath given us no account of the beginning of the Hea|ven of Heavens, nor of making his glorious attendants that are there. As Angels, Archangels, Cherubims, and Seraphims, The which the Prophet terms the el|der World. The which he &s;ays, <HI>Was wide, and large, and brought immortal Fruit,</HI> 2 E&s;d. 7.13. <HI>And the An|gels rejoiced when the Earth was aid,</HI> Job 38.7.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And <HI>Solomon</HI> prayed, that God would hear <HI>in Heaven the prayer of his &s;ervants,</HI> 1 Kings 8.30, 32. And whereas <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aid, 1 Kings 8.27. <HI>But will God in|deed
<PB N="52" REF="28"> dwell on earth; behold the heaven and heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee. Much le&s;s the hou&s;e which I have built. Solomon</HI> had here his reference to the Power, Wi&s;dom, and Knowledge of God: The which is not only contained in the Heaven of Heavens: But God doth herein manife&s;t him&s;elf to the Children of Men, and therefore <HI>Solomon</HI>'s petition was; ver&s;. 28. <HI>Yet have thou re&s;pect to the Prayer of thy Servant, and to his &s;upplications, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy &s;ervant prayeth before thee to day,</HI> ver&s;e 29. <HI>That thine eyes may be open towards this hou&s;e night and day, even towards the place of which thou ha&s;t &s;aid, my name &s;hall be there,</HI> ver&s;. 30. <HI>And hearken thou to the &s;upplications of thy &s;ervant, and of thy people I&s;rael when they &s;hall pray towards this place: And hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and when thou heare&s;t forgive.</HI> Here we &s;ee, nothing can be more plain than that <HI>Solomon</HI>'s meaning was as afore&s;aid: That the Power of God was not only contained in the Heaven of Heavens: For that could not contain his Power. But that his hearing Ear, his all-&s;eeing Eye, and his Mercy is extended to the Children of Men, from Heaven his dwelling place, the Place of the glo|rious re&s;idence of his Per&s;on. And therefore &s;aid, Deut. 26.15. <HI>Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and again,</HI> I&s;a. 63.15. 2 Chron. 30.27. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 33.13.14. The <HI>Lord looketh from heaven he beholdeth all the &s;ons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.</HI> And accordingly <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 14.2. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 11.4. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 13.19. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 102.19. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 144.5. <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.20, 21.</P>
<P>And accordingly St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Heb. 9.24. <HI>Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven it&s;elf, now to ap|pear in the pre&s;ence of God.</HI> By the&s;e words of the Apo|&s;tle
<PB N="53" REF="28"> we al&s;o &s;ee. The Father and the Son are two di|&s;tinct per&s;ons, and that the place of the re&s;idence of their per&s;ons is in heaven. And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Eph. 3.14, 15. <HI>I bow my knees unto the father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named</HI> The Family in Heaven is God's Angels, as Seraphims and Cherubims, and the Saints who are now &s;aid to be under the Altar, and God's Family upon Earth, are tho&s;e that are devoted to his fear. Now whereas the Lord &s;aith, Jer. 23.24. <HI>Can any hide him&s;elf in &s;ecret places that I &s;hall not &s;ee him &s;aith the Lord, do not I fill heaven and earth &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Here God &s;peaks as to his Power his Knowledge and his all-&s;eeing Eye. <HI>For God &s;aith,</HI> ver. 23. <HI>am I a God at hand &s;aith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide him&s;elf in &s;ecret,</HI> &amp;c. No, none can hide them&s;elves from the all &s;eeing Eye of God for it is &s;aid, <HI>The eyes of the Lord run to and fro through, out the whole earth,</HI> 2 Chron. 16.9. And again, Amos 9.8. <HI>Behold the Eyes of the Lord God are upon the &s;inful kingdom.</HI> And al&s;o it is &s;aid of God, Jer. 32.19 <HI>Great in coun&s;el and mighty in work, f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r thine eyes are open up|on all the &s;ons of men to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.</HI> And it is &s;aid. Job 34.21. <HI>God s eyes are upon the ways of man, and be &s;eeth all his goings,</HI> 1 Pet. 3, 12. P&s;al. 34.15. <HI>And St. Paul &s;peaking in the &s;ame method</HI> concerning God, &s;aith, Rom. 11.33. <HI>O the depth of the riches both of the wi&s;dom and knowledge of God, how un&s;earchable are h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s jud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ments, and his ways pa&s;t finding out.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle &s;peaking of Chri&s;t &s;aith, Eph. 1.22, 23. <HI>That God gave Chri&s;t to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fulne&s;s of him that filleth all in all.</HI> Now as God &s;aith he filleth Heaven and Earth, &s;o Chri&s;t is &s;aid to fill all. But we are not to under&s;tand from the&s;e words, that it is by their per&s;onal pre&s;ence that God filleth Heaven, and Earth, or that Chri&s;t filleth all. Neither
<PB N="54" REF="29"> by the indwelling of his Spirit, that the Father or the Son filleth all things. But by the Power of his Spirit he filleth all&punc; For thereby it is that in him, <HI>All live and move, and have their being,</HI> Acts 17.28. <HI>And God upholdoth all things by the word of his power,</HI> P&s;al. 33.6. I&s;a. 42.5. Chap. 40.13.14. <HI>And the eyes of all wait upon God, and h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> giveth them their meat in due &s;ea&s;on, and &s;atisfieth he d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ire of every living thing,</HI> P&s;al. 145.15, 16. Thus God filleth all, but if he take away their Breath they die, or withhold his fruitful Sea&s;ons, they langui&s;h <HI>The gra&s;s withereth the flower fadeth away,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I&s;ae.</HI> 40.7. Thus having &s;hewed how God filleth all, but not with his divine Nature, E&s;&s;ence, or Spirit, as &s;ome will have it, that pretend that God is in all places alike in Sub&s;tance every where, but vi&s;ibly no where. The which notion is wholly repugnant to Scripture. For it is &s;aid.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>When <HI>Elijah</HI> fled from <HI>Jezebel,</HI> and went unto Ho|reb the Mount of God, 1 Kings 19.8, 9. <HI>And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came unto him; and he &s;aid unto him, what doe&s;t thou here, Elijah?</HI> Now whereas it is &s;aid, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he &s;aid unto him what doe&s;t thou here <HI>Elijah.</HI> Here we are to take notice, we are called to behold the word that &s;pake. He being that word which St. <HI>John</HI> &s;aid, was in the beginning with God, and the word was God, <HI>John</HI> 1.1. That is, <HI>ver.</HI> 34. The Son of God, <HI>And the word took our fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h,</HI> ver&s;. 14. And he that comes to judge and reign, <HI>his name is called the word of God, Rev.</HI> 19.13. And this word here &s;poken of being the Son of God, which &s;pake to <HI>Elijah:</HI> Therefore <HI>Elijah</HI> an&s;wered him as God, as in <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 10. <HI>And he &s;aid I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Ho&s;ts, For the children of I&s;rael have for&s;aken thy Covenant,</HI> &amp;c. And he that was the word, ver&s;. 11. <HI>He &s;aid, go forth, and &s;tand upon the mount be|fore
<PB N="55" REF="29"> the Lord, and behold the Lord pa&s;&s;ed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, ver&s;.</HI> 11, 12. Here it is po|&s;itively declared, the Lord was in none of the&s;e, and therefore his Per&s;on not every where: <HI>But after the fire, there was a &s;till &s;mall voice,</HI> ver&s;. 13. <HI>And it was &s;o when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his man|tle, and went out and &s;tood in the entring in of the cave.</HI> Now the Prophet wrapped his face in his Mantle for the&s;e rea&s;ons. For he that is the word bad him go forth, and &s;tand upon the mount before the Lord, for the Lord was to pa&s;s by. And <HI>Elijah</HI> knew he was not able to look upon the Glory of the Lord: Therefore he covered his Face. For <HI>Elijah</HI> followed the example of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in that he hid his Face, being a|fraid to look upon God, <HI>Exod.</HI> 3.6. The which was the Angel of whom God &s;aid his name was in him. <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.21. And he al&s;o knew by what God had de|clared by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that none &s;hould &s;ee the Face of God and live, and though in the 4 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> it is &s;aid he de&s;ired to die, yet would not be taken off in a pre&s;umptuous action. So wrapping his Face in his Mantle, he went out and &s;tood in the entring in of the Cave: And behold there came a Voice unto him, and &s;aid, <HI>What doest thou here Elijah,</HI> and <HI>Elijah</HI> an&s;wered the Lord, as before he had an&s;wered the word. And he &s;aid, <HI>I have been very jealous for the Lord God of ho&s;ts, becau&s;e the children of I&s;rael have for&s;aken thy covenant,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 14. Now though <HI>Elijah</HI> then &s;aw not the Lord God, for the Lord was there to pa&s;s by in Per&s;on and therefore he hid his Face. But in Vi&s;ion the Prophets did often &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e the Per&s;on of God, as <HI>Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">kiel, Daniel,</HI> St. <HI>John,</HI> Reve. 5. And here <HI>Micaiah,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings.</HI> 22.19. <HI>He &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">h, I &s;aw
<PB N="56" REF="30"> the Lord &s;itting on his Throne, and all the ho&s;t of heaven &s;tanding by him on his right hand and on his left.</HI> And that it is God the Father that <HI>Micaiah</HI> &s;aw &s;it on the Throne is evident, for he &s;aith, he &s;aw the Lord &s;iting on his Throne. And the Throne of the Father is no where &s;aid to be the Throne of the Son. But before his Incarnation, and after his A&s;cen&s;ion, he is &s;aid to &s;it on his Father's Throne, and at his right hand, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110.1. <HI>Acts</HI> 7.56. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.21. And here the Prophet &s;aw the glorious Per&s;on of God &s;itting upon his Throne, and all the Ho&s;t of Heaven attending on him, on his right Hand, and on his left. But notwith&s;tanding all that has been &s;aid in the Scriptures of Truth, <HI>Dan.</HI> 10.21. concern|ing the glorious per&s;on of God: Yet the &s;ubtil Serpent has &s;o in&s;inuated his fal&s;e notions into the minds of multitudes of Men, that they think there is no glo|rious per&s;on of the Father in Heaven: by which the &s;ubtil Adver&s;ary of Mankind would take from us the great object of our Love: Thereby to take off the De&s;ire of the Creature from that heavenly Habitation. When he which &s;hould be the great Object of out Love, is not in per&s;on there. For as God hath made Man|kind rational Creatures: So he hath placed in them a Delight in a lovely and glorious Object. But by de|nying God the Father to be a glorious per&s;on, and by a pretended Election, and Reprobation before all time without a why or a wherefore, it has even cut the Nerves of Chri&s;tian Religion: So as love to God, love to our fellow Creature, and moral Hone&s;ty is &s;carce to be found. But as the foremention'd received fal&s;e notions are Lies, &s;o they have produced the evil effect of Lies.</P>
<P>And <HI>Zophar</HI> the Naamathite &s;peaking of God &s;aith, <HI>Job</HI> 11.7, 8, 9, 10, 11. <HI>Can&s;t thou by &s;earching find out God? Can&s;t thou find out the almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven, what can&s;t thou do? Deeper than hell what can&s;t thou know? The mea&s;ure thereof is
<PB N="57" REF="30"> longer than the Earth, and broader than the Sea. If he cut off, and &s;hut up, or gather together, then, who can hinder him? For he knoweth vain men: He &s;eeth wickedne&s;s al&s;o, will he not con&s;ider it.</HI> Here we &s;ee he only &s;peaks of the un&s;earchablene&s;s and unlimited Power of God: For his words explain them&s;elves. For &s;hould he have had any other meaning, his words would not have been agreeable to Scripture. And he was one of the Three whom God declared. <HI>Had not &s;po|ken the thing that was right concerning him, as his &s;ervant Job had done, Job.</HI> 42.7. Therefore had <HI>Zophar</HI> any other meaning than what I have here &s;et down, his word herein would be of no value. Now it is &s;aid <HI>God an&s;wered Job,</HI> Chap. 38.1. and in Chap. 42.1, 2. Job <HI>an&s;wered the Lord and &s;aid, I know that thou can&s;t do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee,</HI> ver&s;. 5. <HI>I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye &s;eeth thee.</HI> Now whereas <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith. With his Eye he &s;aw God, therefore it mu&s;t be like un|to that of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> who talked with God <HI>face to face,</HI> though the Cloud was between.</P>
<P>Now by &s;imilitude the Scriptures explain them|&s;elves. For as <HI>the stone which was cut out of the Moun|tain without hands, who is &s;aid to &s;mite the Image, and be|came a great mountain, and filled the whole earth, Dan.</HI> 2, 34, 35. The which Stone is Chri&s;t. The which when the Father gives the Son the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kingdom: Which now he hath but the Promi&s;e of, then by his vi&s;ible Power he will rule over all. And thus it is, that Chri&s;t will then fill the Earth, and &s;o it is, that God fills Heaven and Earth, for by his Power he ruleth over all. And not that his E&s;&s;ence or Sub&s;tance is every where. For the Heaven of Heavens is the Habitation of his Holine&s;s and Glory, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63.15. And he is there upon the Throne of his Glory, and <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> the great Monarch of
<PB N="58" REF="31"> the Earth, was repre&s;ented as a <HI>Tree, who&s;e height reached unto Heaven, and the &s;ight thereof to the end of all the Earth,</HI> Dan. 4.11. Now <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> in Per&s;on was but a Man, and a little place would have contained his Bulk: But his power being great, he is therefore &s;aid to reach to Heaven, and the &s;ight of him to the end of the Earth, for he had the ruling Power over the Nations. Thus we &s;ee that one Scripture opens another, when we compare one Scripture with another. By which method it is made plain to ordi|nary Capacities.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>AND in the Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Daniel,</HI> there is two Per|&s;ons di&s;tinctly &s;et down: Seen by <HI>Daniel</HI> in Vi|&s;ion both at one and the &s;ame time: As the <HI>ancient of days, who&s;e garments were white as &s;now.</HI> And the Son <HI>came to the ancient of days, and he gave him dominion, Dan.</HI> 7.9, 13, 14. And it is the ancient of days, that &s;at on the Throne. And in the 10 ver&s;. <HI>That thou+&s;and thou&s;ands mini&s;tred unto him, and that ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and &s;tood before him. The judgment was &s;et,</HI> &amp;c. So, <HI>Rev.</HI> 4.8, 9, 10, 11. <HI>All the heavenly ho&s;t give glory to the Father that &s;its upon the throne, and fall down and wor&s;hip him casting down their Crowns before him And in the</HI> 5 <HI>Chap. the</HI> 9th. <HI>and</HI> 10th. <HI>ver&s;es.</HI> They &s;ing Songs of Prai&s;e unto the Lamb, Saying. For thou wa&s;t &s;lain, and ha&s;t redeemed us to God by thy Blood, and &s;o forth. And in the 13 <HI>ver&s;.</HI> it is &s;aid, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power, be unto him that &s;itteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And in the beginning of this book,</HI> and at the end of this Book, a Ble&s;&s;ing is pronounced <HI>to them that read and hear the words of this prophe&s;ie,</HI> Rev. 1.3. Chap. 22.7. And in this book of the Revelations in &s;everal Places, is the two di&s;tinct Per&s;ons of the Father and the Son &s;et down without the lea&s;t appearance or &s;hadow of contradiction. And to God the Father that fits
<PB N="59" REF="31"> upon the Throne, is the great Adoration paid. And in all the&s;e following Quotations, the Father and the Son are &s;poken of to be two di&s;tinct Per|&s;ons, <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.1, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16. <HI>Chap.</HI> 3.12. <HI>Chap.</HI> 4.10, 11. <HI>Chap.</HI> 5.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. <HI>Chap.</HI> 11.15, 16, 17. <HI>Chap.</HI> 14.7, 12, 14, 15. <HI>Chap.</HI> 19.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21. <HI>Chap.</HI> 20.6, 12. <HI>Chap.</HI> 21.10, 11, 22. <HI>Chap.</HI> 22.1.5, 7, 18. And at the end of this Book, Judgment is pronounced again&s;t them that &s;hall <HI>add or dimini&s;h from the words of the book of this prophe&s;ie, Chap.</HI> 22.18, 19. This Book is called <HI>the Revelation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Chap.</HI> 1.1. Thereby to &s;ignifie there is great things revealed therein, although &s;ome things in it were left &s;ealed. But &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy by which the Bible has been overturned, tho&s;e things that were revealed in this Book, thereby has become &s;ealed. But God of his Mercy having promi&s;ed that <HI>at the time of the end Knowledge &s;hould be increa&s;ed Dan.</HI> 12, 4.9. And God by his word &s;peaks both to the natural and the adopted Seed, hath according to his promi&s;e brought again the true meaning of his word to light: That who&s;oever will may come to a right under&s;tanding of the &s;ame. For Man is left to his own Free-will, whether he will chu&s;e or refu&s;e the &s;ame, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.17. <HI>Pro.</HI> 1.24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 30. And them that have no love to the Truth will fall, un|der the &s;evere la&s;h, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.12. And them that will not have God to be a glorious Per&s;on &s;itting upon a Throne according as the Scripture declares: They wor&s;hip, they know not what: And every one that loveth as well as he that maketh a Lie, will be excluded the holy City: And be made partaker of the Plagues that are written in this Book, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.15.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>AND it is &s;aid, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.7. <HI>God formed Man of the du&s;t of the ground, and breathed into him the breath of life,
<PB N="60" REF="32"> and man became a living &s;oul.</HI> Here we &s;ee the Body of Man is termed a Man, &s;o as thereby it is evident, the Per|&s;on of Man was made in the Image of God, as well as the Soul. But God is a glorious &s;piritual Per&s;on, and only of a &s;piritual Sub&s;tance: Therefore that which we cannot comprehend, as rightly to conceive of, becau&s;e Man was made of a corporeal Sub&s;tance. And for further Evidence that God made Man in his own Image and Likene&s;s. God &s;aid. <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hed|deth mans blood, by man &s;hall his blood be &s;hed: For in the Image of God made he man, Gen.</HI> 9.6. And this God &s;aid after Man was fallen. Now by the &s;hedding of Mans B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ood, the Per&s;on of Man is killed, not the Spirit. And it is the Per&s;on as well as the Spirit of Man, that was made in the Image of God. And in the &s;ame words that God expre&s;t him&s;elf in when he made Man, which was, <HI>Let us make man in our image after our likene&s;s, Gen.</HI> 1.26.27. The &s;ame words is &s;aid of <HI>Adam.</HI> When he begat <HI>Seth,</HI> that he begat a Son <HI>in his own likene&s;s after his image, Gen.</HI> 5.3. Which was, that he bare the Image and likene&s;s of his Father, both in Per&s;on, and Mind. And God having left upon record, that he made Man in his own Image and after his own Likene&s;s. This God would not have done, if he had not made Man in his Image and Likene&s;s. And al&s;o St. <HI>James</HI> &s;aith Man was made after the &s;imilitude of God, <HI>James</HI> 3.9. And though the outward and inward Man con&s;i&s;t of Spi|rit and Per&s;on, yet when the Spirit is &s;eparated from the Body, it is not termed a Man, but the Spirit or Soul of a Man. But the Body is &s;aid to be Man, before it received a living Soul, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.7. And the Spirit or Soul of a Man, when &s;eparated from the Bo|dy, is not termed a Man; but a Spirit or Soul. For it is &s;aid, the Breath or Soul of the Child went from him. And the Prophet prayed to God that the Childs
<PB N="61" REF="32"> Soul might come into him again, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 17.17, 21.22. And likewi&s;e it is &s;aid, The <HI>Souls of the Martyrs are under the Altar, Rev.</HI> 6.9. But the Men that were martyr'd are not &s;aid to be there. And St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Prayer for the Saints was, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.23. <HI>I pray God your whole Spirit, Soul, and Body, be pre&s;erved blamele&s;s.</HI> In that the Apo&s;tle here &s;aith, the whole Spirit and Soul is the Soul with all its Inclinations and Affections, the which he prayed might be pre&s;erved blamele&s;s; For the Soul and Spirit of a man the Signification is much one and the &s;ame, as is made plain from the foregoing words of the Prophet. And when God breathed into Man the Breath of Life, he became a living Soul.</P>
<P>And though God hath not a material Body, yet he hath a &s;piritual glorious per&s;onage as I have already both from the Old and New Te&s;tament, proved and al&s;o removed all Objections.</P>
<P>And when God of the Du&s;t of the ground made Man in his Image, he breathed into him the Breath of Life, <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.7. But God gave not his Spirit but to that which did bear his Image. And when God had breathed Life into Man, thereby he became like unto God in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holine&s;s, until he had corrupted his way. But Chri&s;t who is the An|gel of God's pre&s;ence and was a &s;piritual glorious Per&s;on before his Incarnation and after his A&s;cen&s;ion his Body was made a glorious Body, and therefore Chri&s;t is &s;aid <HI>To be the expre&s;s Image of his father's per|&s;on, Heb.</HI> 1.3. For Chri&s;t's Per&s;on in Glory, is al&s;o like unto his Father, and therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, the expre&s;s Image of his Father's Per&s;on.</P>
<P>But the Holy Gho&s;t, which is the Breath or Spi|rit of God, is no where &s;aid to be the Image of God, but the Seven Angels which came out of the Tem|ple of God, are repre&s;ented to have the Similitude of
<PB N="62" REF="33"> the Father and the Son, <HI>Dan.</HI> 7.9. <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.13. For they are &s;aid to be cloathed in white, <HI>and to have their brea&s;t girded with golden girdles, Rev.</HI> 15.6. And the&s;e Seven Angels came out of the Temple of God where the Glory of God was, from which <HI>Glory of the Lord, the Temple was filled with &s;moke, Rev.</HI> 15.8. The which is the Spirit or Breath of the Lord which flowed from him, and the Holy Gho&s;t is &s;ometimes termed a Cloud of Glory, &s;ometimes a flaming Breath, &s;ome|times <HI>the anointing Oyl,</HI> &s;ometimes <HI>the Oyl of Gladne&s;s,</HI> &s;ometimes <HI>the River or Water of Life,</HI> &s;ometimes <HI>to Streams of Water.</HI> P&s;al. 45.7. Dan. 7.10. P&s;al. 18.8. Rev. 22.1. John 7.38. P&s;al. 46.4. Exod. 40.34. 1 Kings 8, 10. I&s;a. 6.4. And it is by the Breath of the Lord the Wicked will be &s;lain, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 11.4. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 6.5. 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.8. And it is by the indwelling of the Spirit or Breath of the Lord, that the Saints will be made glad. The which is the River of his Plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Now the&s;e Seven Angels coming out of the Temple where God was, from whenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> it doth appear to be the Seven Spirits of God. For Angels are &s;aid to be Spirits, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.13, 14. And the Seven Spirits of God are &s;aid to be the <HI>Seven eyes of the Lamb, who &s;tood in the midst of the Throne,</HI> where God was, <HI>Rev.</HI> 5.6, 7. Which Seven Spirits or Angels are the Eyes of the Lord <HI>Sent forth into all the earth, Zech.</HI> 4.10. To ful|fill the will of the Lord, in inflicting Puni&s;hments on the Wicked, in admini&s;tring Comfort and Con&s;olation to the Godly. Now the&s;e Seven mu&s;t needs be privy to all what we do or &s;ay, and therefore St. <HI>Paul calls God and Chri&s;t and the elect Angels to witne&s;s.</HI> 1 Tim. 5.21, He knowing that there were &s;ome four cho&s;en or ele|cted for the purpo&s;e afore&s;aid, and the&s;e <HI>are the &s;even eyes</HI> that God &s;aid he would <HI>lay on one Stone, Zech.</HI> 3.9. The which Stone is the Lamb before &s;poken of, and the&s;e Seven Spirits being the Seven Eyes of the Lord, &s;ent
<PB N="63" REF="33"> forth into all the Earth, therefore without doubt the&s;e are the Watchers of whom <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> makes mention of in his Vi&s;ion, <HI>Dan</HI> 4.13. <HI>I &s;aw a watcher and an holy one come down from Heaven.</HI> For God is a great King who has his Vice-gerents under him to fulfil his will, For Heaven is a Kingdom of principali|ties and Powers, and Earth is a Kingdom of Princi|palities and Powers, and Hell is as it were now a Kingdom of Principalities and Powers. For among the Devils &s;ome bear greater Rule than other &s;ome, and now they are God's Goal-keepers.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And that the glorious per&s;onal Pre&s;ence of God is in the Heaven of Heavens. Which glorious heavenly Habita|tion had no dependance on the &s;ix days Creation, the which all that was then made, God by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> gives an account of, <HI>Gen.</HI> 1. As the Firmament which God calls Heaven with their Ho&s;t, as Sun, Moon, and Stars, and the Earth and all things that are therein, which Earth before was without Form and Void. So that there was nothing living in it or upon it, and dark|ne&s;s was upon the Face of the deep. So as neither the glorious Maje&s;ty of the Father, or the Son, could be there, who are all Light, <HI>and in whom is no darkne&s;s at all,</HI> 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.5. For when God makes the dark Clouds his Pavillion it is to vail from Man the Glory of his Face, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 18.11, 12. The bright|ne&s;s of who&s;e glorious Pre&s;ence, abundantly exceeds the Sun &s;hining in his Strength. And where the glo|rious pre&s;ence of the Father and the Son is, there is <HI>no need of the light of the Sun,</HI> I&s;a. 60.19. <HI>And in his pre&s;ence is fulne&s;s of joy, at who&s;e right hand there are plea&s;ures for evermore, P&s;al.</HI> 16.11. For God was and is eternally ble&s;&s;ed in him&s;elf. And where God's glo|rious per&s;onal Pre&s;ence is, there is fulne&s;s of Joy. And where fulne&s;s of Joy is, there is Light, Life and
<PB N="64" REF="34"> Perfection. So as where God's glorious per&s;onal pre|&s;ence from all Eternity took up his re&s;idence, there was the Heaven of Heavens: God's Face &s;hining more bright than the Son in his &s;trength. For God was from all Eternity ble&s;&s;ed in him&s;elf, and &s;o will he be to all Eternity. But that which hath neither beginning nor end, we mortals cannot well con|ceive of.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>But whereas <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aith, in the beginning God cre|ated the Heavens. (Which Heavens, God al&s;o calls the Firmament) and the Earth, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> here calls it the beginning, becau&s;e the Heavens or Firmament here &s;poken of did then receive a beginning, becau&s;e they were then made: And by the parting of the Wa|ters God made the dry Land appear. And then was the beginning of this lower Creation. But <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the&s;e words could have no reference to the beginning of God, who was from all Eternity, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 90.2. Nor to his Son, who was begotten before all Worlds, <HI>Col.</HI> 1.15. And that this glorious place the Heaven of Hea|vens, which Chri&s;t calls his Fathers Hou&s;e, in which he &s;aith are many Man&s;ions, <HI>John</HI> 14.2. Was compa&s;t in before the&s;e Heavens and Earth were made, which are to us vi&s;ible, is evident, becau&s;e, when God made the&s;e Heavens and Earth, Darkne&s;s was upon the Face of the Deep: Which could not have been, had there been no dark Clouds, nor no other thing to have ob|&s;tructed the glorious Raies of the Father and the Son from de&s;cending upon it. For the Heaven of Heavens which Chri&s;t calls his Father's Hou&s;e, the Scriptures gives no account that it had a beginning. But that there is Thrones, Man&s;ions, and Principalities made therein, the which the Apo&s;tle calls the invi&s;ible things, <HI>Col.</HI> 1.15, 16. They being invi&s;ible to us, as the Father in this time is invi&s;ible to us. And this Hou&s;e, or Heaven here &s;po|ken of, hath no reference to the Firmament or Heaven
<PB N="65" REF="34"> which God made in the &s;ix Days. For God is not then &s;aid to make any thing above the Firmament, only by the <HI>Firmament to divide the waters from the waters, Gen.</HI> 1.6. And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of <HI>a third Hea|ven, into which he was caught, and Paradi&s;e,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.2, 4. And as there was a heavenly Paradi&s;e, &s;o likewi&s;e God made an earthly Paradi&s;e. Now &s;ome by their not rightly apprehending the&s;e words of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as to the beginning here &s;poken of, have therefore thought, that before God made the&s;e Heavens and Earth, that are to us vi&s;ible, that God had no glorious Place of Re&s;idence for him&s;elf as a <HI>Habitation for his ho|line&s;s and glory, I&s;a.</HI> 63.15. Until he created the&s;e Heavens and Earth. And then if &s;o, God mu&s;t have been without Glory and Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s from all Eterni|ty until the&s;e were created. The which Notion makes God the mo&s;t changeable being of all, in that he changed him&s;elf from no Glory to that of infinite Glory. But had there been a time that God had been without Light, Glory and Perfection, there had been a time when God had not been God. But God is an unchangeable being in him&s;elf; and where the glo|rious per&s;onal Pre&s;ence of God from all Eternity took up his re&s;idence, there was the Heaven of Heavens: For by his glorious Pre&s;ence he makes it &s;uch. Now Chri&s;t &s;aith he was the beginning of the Creation of God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.14. Thereby &s;hewing that all the hea|venly Inhabitants were created after him, and al&s;o by him, as well as by the Father. And the&s;e Angels are the elder World that brought immortal Fruit, 2 <HI>E&s;d.</HI> 7.13. Whom God calls the Morning Stars and Sons of God, who &s;ang together and &s;houted for Joy, <HI>Job.</HI> 38.7. at Gods <HI>Laying the Foundation of the Earth, and &s;tretch|ing out the line upon it, ver.</HI> 6. And the Lord Chri&s;t being the Fir&s;t born of every Creature, therefore God made him Lord of all. And accordingly God
<PB N="66" REF="35"> made the Fir&s;t-born of Man, Lord of his Brethren, <HI>Gen.</HI> 4.7. <HI>Chap.</HI> 33.8. And as there are Principalities and Powers in Heaven, &s;o God ordered Principalities and Powers upon Earth. And the Tabernacle, and Temple and Altar of Incen&s;e, which God ordered to be upon Earth, the &s;ame is &s;aid to be in Heaven, <HI>Rev.</HI> 15.5. <HI>Chap.</HI> 8.3. For they were the Pattern of the heavenly things, <HI>Hebr.</HI> 9.24. And to the elder Brother belongs the In|heritance, <HI>Luke</HI> 15.31. And that part of the Angels were fallen before the&s;e Heavens and Earth was made or laid, is evident. Becau&s;e when God made the Earth he prepared a place for the Devil and his An|gels: But Man had not then offended, therefore Hell is not &s;aid to be prepared for them. But after Man had tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, the Lord &s;aid. Matt. 25.41. <HI>Go ye cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels.</HI> Which place in the Old Te&s;tament is cal|led Tophet, I&s;a. 30.33. <HI>Tophet is ordained of old, yea for the King it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large,</HI> &amp;c. This King for whom it was prepared, is the Prince of Darkne&s;s; Whom the Lord Chri&s;t calls the Devil: But Man by his tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing is condemned to it. But the kindling of the Fire of Hell does not appear to be till after <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s time, <HI>Deut.</HI> 32.22. And the enlarge|ment of the Fire of Hell is foretold by <HI>I&s;aiah. For the multitude of the wicked that &s;hall de&s;cend into it,</HI> I&s;a. 5.14, 15, 16.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, John 8.44. <HI>The Devil was a Murderer and a Liar from the beginning.</HI> The&s;e words of Chri&s;t had no further reference than to the beginning of his Fall: For before his Fall the Devil was a glorious Angel of Light. But when he fell, he became a Devil, and called &s;o by St. <HI>Jude ver.</HI> 9. <HI>And the Angels that kept not their fir&s;t e&s;tate, but left their own ha|bitations, ver&s;e</HI> 6. And then they became Devils, and Lucifer the Prince of them: He being &s;et over a great
<PB N="67" REF="35"> body of Angels, whom he drew off in the Rebellion with him, therefore &s;aid by Chri&s;t, the Devil and his Angels, <HI>Matt.</HI> 25.41. And in that Chri&s;t fir&s;t terms him a Murderer, and then a Liar, <HI>John</HI> 8.44. Was becau&s;e by his Fall, he murdered him&s;elf, and the Angels that did adhere to him, by an everla&s;ting &s;eparation from God. And al&s;o the Devil was a Liar from the be|ginning of the World. <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.4.17.</P>
<P>For from the beginning of the Old World, he de|ceived <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> by lying, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.5. Now of all that God created in the &s;ix Days, it is &s;aid, <HI>Chap.</HI> 1.31. <HI>God &s;aw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the &s;ixth day.</HI> Therefore the Stars when God fir&s;t made them were all very good: Therefore then they could have no evil influence in them, whereby to influence Man to Iniquity: But they were made by God, for Lights in the <HI>Firmament, and for &s;igns and for &s;ea&s;ons, and for days, and years, ver&s;e</HI> 14. <HI>And to rule over the day, and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkne&s;s; and God &s;aw that it was good, ver.</HI> 18. But as the Devil drew part of the Angels after him, and afterwards Man; &s;o likewi&s;e he hath drawn part of the Stars after him, whereby he doth influence Man to Iniquity. And it is <HI>The wandring Stars to whom is re&s;erved the blackne&s;s of darkne&s;s for ever, Jude ver.</HI> 13. Which Stars in St. <HI>Jude</HI> have a twofold Signification. But if Man is not want|ing to him&s;elf, he may go to the Lord for his a&s;&s;i&s;ting Grace; and by him he may be enabled to with&s;tand their evil influence.</P>
<P>Now in the Garden of <HI>Eden,</HI> the Tree of Life was the Repre&s;entative of Chri&s;t, which had <HI>Adam,</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> fir&s;t taken, and eaten thereof, they might have lived for ever. So the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, was the Repre&s;entation of the Devil. And they adhering to the Serpent, and taking thereof, the
<PB N="68" REF="36"> Nature of Man became corrupted. But in time to come. <HI>The evil root will be &s;ealed up,</HI> 2 E&s;d. 8.53. <HI>Bound and ca&s;t into the Pit, Rev.</HI> 20.3. I have been more large in another Treati&s;e concerning the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. And therefore do but touch upon it here.</P>
<P>And whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, John 8.48. <HI>The Devil abode not in the Truth, became there is no Truth in him, when he &s;peaketh a lie, he &s;peakeeh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.</HI> That is, after he became a Devil, the Truth was not in him, for when he became a Devil, Truth could not abide in him. For the word Satan &s;ignifies a deceiver. For if at any time he &s;peaks the Truth, it is not from any inward Principle of love to it, but in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity; when upon &s;ome occa&s;ion, he hopes to reap advantage thereby. As when he temp|ted the Lord Chri&s;t, <HI>He &s;aid unto him, ca&s;t thy &s;elf down, for it is written he &s;hall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they &s;hall bear thee up, Matt.</HI> 4.6. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 91.11. Here we &s;ee the Devil &s;pake Truth ac|cording to Scripture, hoping to en&s;nare the Lord thereby. So when any gives them&s;elves to be Wiz|zards or Witches, according to the time he contracts, he keeps his word with them; but not out of love to the Truth of his Word, but for fear of lo&s;ing his bar|gain. Therefore his abode is not in the Truth, becau&s;e for Nece&s;&s;ity he &s;peaks it. <HI>But when he &s;peaks a lie, he &s;peaketh of his own, for he was the</HI> fir&s;t conceiver thereof, or Father. For had God been the fir&s;t origi|nal cau&s;e of the Devil and Mans mi&s;carriage, as &s;ome will have it by a pretence that God made none but the elect capable of Salvation, and &s;o left the re&s;t under a Nece&s;&s;ity of Damnation: So that neither the Devil, nor Man, according to this Tenet, are blame worthy. And others thinking it would be of dangerous Con&s;e|quence to lay the mi&s;carriage of the Devil and Man
<PB N="69" REF="36"> upon the holy God. Therefore they have thought that by a fore&s;ight in God from all Eternity, he fore|&s;aw that the Devil and mo&s;t of Mankind would do wickedly; and that &s;ome would live righteou&s;ly: For which cau&s;e they &s;ay God elected them, and reproba|ted the other. But by either of the&s;e notions the Truth of the Scriptures is overturned: For rhe Scrip|tures declare the elect were not forecho&s;en for any works of Righteou&s;ne&s;s which they had done, <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.5. For before the elect Gentiles were called in, the Apo&s;tle declares what &s;ome of them were, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.10, 11. <HI>But whom he did prede&s;tinate, them he al&s;o called: And whom he called them he al&s;o ju&s;tified, and whom he ju&s;tified, them he al&s;o glorified,</HI> Rom. 8.30. And the ju&s;tifying of them was <HI>By giving remi&s;&s;ion for their &s;ins that were pa&s;t,</HI> Rom. 3.25. And their glorifying was by their then receiving the Holy Gho&s;t, to be in them: By which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hey did &s;igns and wonders to confirm the Go&s;pel, <HI>Acts</HI> 15.14. For they were to be <HI>to the prai&s;e of his glory, who fir&s;t tru&s;ted in Chri&s;t,</HI> Eph. 1.12, 13, 14. <HI>That the world through them might believe that God had &s;ent Chri&s;t,</HI> John 17.21. And &s;o take hold of the offered Mercy. For as the law was e&s;tabli&s;ht by the Glory, and Voice of God on Mount Sinai: So the Go&s;pel was e&s;tabli&s;ht by God's then giving the Holy Gho&s;t in that wonderful manner. So that on whom the Apo&s;tles laid their hands, they received the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>Acts</HI> 8.18. By which the World was convinced that God had &s;ent Chri&s;t, and &s;o took hold of the offered Mercy.</P>
<P>And as the true Believer by the Faith of <HI>Abraham,</HI> becomes the Seed of <HI>Abraham:</HI> So the Unbeliever, by their unbelief and di&s;obedience becomes the Seed of <HI>E&s;au.</HI> For God made <HI>E&s;au</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> the Repre&s;en|tatives of two Worlds, or two &s;everal &s;orts of People. The wicked of this World that own them&s;elves the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God are the E&s;au that he hateth; and the
<PB N="70" REF="37"> elect, with all that take hold of the offered Mercy, and live in obedience to his word, are the <HI>Jacob</HI> that he loveth. The which will be heirs of the World to come, as I have fully proved in my Book of the two &s;orts of latter Days.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now St. <HI>James &s;aith, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, Acts</HI> 15.18. Here we are to take notice, that the Apo&s;tle doth not &s;ay, that all the Devils works, nor all Mans works were known unto God from the beginning of the World: But that Gods works were then known to him. And here the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks but according to what was before writ|ten. For God &s;aid of <HI>I&s;rael, Deut,</HI> 31.21. <HI>For I know their Imaginations which they go about, even now before I have brought them into the land,</HI> And the Twelve Tribes were the beginning or foundation of the world to come as I have already proved in the 4th. and 5th. Pages. And God proved and tryed <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in the Wilderne&s;s. And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aid to the People, <HI>Fear not, for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your fac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, that ye &s;in not, Exod.</HI> 20.20. But for their mi&s;carriage in making the Calf, God would have de&s;troyed them all, and rai&s;ed up another Generation from <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI> Had not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> prevailed with God not to cut them off. But God &s;aid, <HI>Neverthele&s;s in the day when I vi&s;it, I will vi&s;it their &s;ins upon them, Exod.</HI> 32.34. And for this their Mi&s;carriage, God then determined what afterward hapned, as to this their long exile: And that the Gen|tiles &s;hould be taken in, and become the Vine. By <HI>whom they &s;hould be moved to jealou&s;ie, and provoked to anger by a fooli&s;h nation.</HI> Fooli&s;h, becau&s;e they let go the Knowledge of the Truth, for the enjoyment of this pre&s;ent evil world. And God fore&s;eeing <HI>that their grapes would be gall and their clu&s;ters bitter;</HI> for which their Foot &s;hould &s;lide in due time from the Greatne&s;s and Grandeur they are in, and when this fooli&s;h Na|tions
<PB N="71" REF="37"> Calamity comes, <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s Deliverance will be. And <HI>then will the nations rejoice with his People, Deut.</HI> 32, 21, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 42, 43. And as for Sin God left <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to blindne&s;s of mind: So the Nations when they came to have no love to the Truth, God gave them up to delu&s;ion, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.10, 11, 12. For this time is the trying time, and ble&s;&s;ed are they that &s;tand in the day of Tryal. <HI>And if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him,</HI> 1 John 2.15. Matt. 6.24. And it is the love of this pre&s;ent Evil World that proves the De&s;truction of &s;o many. For God in this World, &s;ets Life and Death before us, and if we will take to the way, he hath promi&s;ed his a&s;&s;i&s;tance. For <HI>to all that order their conver&s;ation aright, God will &s;hew his &s;alvation,</HI> P&s;al. 50.23. <HI>For in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;s, is accepted with him, Acts</HI> 10.35. <HI>And if we re&s;i&s;t the Devil he will flee from us. And if we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us, James</HI> 4.7, 8. And by the fall of <HI>Adam</HI> the way of Man was not wholly corrupted, as by &s;ome has been affirmed: For afterward God &s;aid, they had wholly corrupted their way, <HI>Gen.</HI> 6.5, 12. For which God cut them all off by the Flood, that had &s;o done. And it is declared that the entrances into Life were made narrow after the Fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> 2 <HI>E&s;d.</HI> 7.11.12. So that if they that live labour not to enter, they cannot receive tho&s;e things that are laid up for them, <HI>ver.</HI> 14. And in this time we are to follow the Example of our Lord and Ma&s;ter in a &s;elf-denying way; who came not only to lay down his Life for the World, but to be a perfect pattern to the World in all holy Conver&s;ation, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.11. And we &s;hould ask the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of his Holy Spirit to enable us to do tho&s;e things which he requires of us, <HI>Luke</HI> 11.13. For a Believer is no lon|ger a Believer, than he believes Eternal Salvation is to be had according to the words of Chri&s;t; no more
<PB N="72" REF="38"> than a <HI>Righteous man, is a righteous man, in the day that he commits iniquity, Eze.</HI> 18.26, 27, 28, 29. And it is not all &s;orts of Believers that will be &s;aved, but &s;uch as believe aright.</P>
<P>And the Son of God knew he could not want a Son of Perdition to betray him, if he gave the Bag to one who the God of this World had blinded the mind; nor the Devil a Man, to &s;et up as Vicar of Chri&s;t, when he lays his Bait before a proud, covetous, and voluptuous Per&s;on. And the Devil has &s;uitable Baits to every ones Inclinations. Therefore we are com|manded to watch: For the <HI>Devil goes about as a roar|ing Lion &s;eeking whom he may devour,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.8. By drawing them into Evil, both as to Faith and Practice. So as &s;ome have declared &s;uch a fore&s;ight in God, as to know all the wickedne&s;s that the Devil and Man would act, before ever the Devil or Man had a being; by which Tenets were they true, God mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be the fir&s;t conceiver of all the Wickedne&s;s that ever has been committed; and who&s;oever is the fir&s;t con|ceiver is the Parent thereof; and if &s;o, they make God the original cau&s;e of all the Mi&s;carriage of the Devil and Man, in that he made none but the elect ca|pable of Salvation, and le&s;t the re&s;t under a nece&s;&s;ity of Damnation: The which notions are bla&s;phemous, and contrary to Scripture. For though the Scriptures declare a foreknowledge in God, yet the whole Scope of the Scripture denies &s;uch a foreknowledge in God, as they pretend too. But by the Apo&s;tacy, by which the right Sentiments of the word have been lo&s;t, we have taken the Foundation of the World to come, for the Creation of the World. But in Scripture there are &s;e|veral Worlds, <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">b.</HI> 1.2. And &s;o &s;everal Foundations, as the <HI>Elder World of Angels, Job</HI> 38.5, 6, 7. 2 <HI>E&s;d.</HI> 7.13. And the Old World, the Foundation of which, was <HI>Adam</HI> and his Sons, and this World the Foundation of
<PB N="73" REF="38"> which was the Three Sons of <HI>Noah;</HI> and the Foundation of the World to come, were the Twelve Tribes of <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI> when they were brought out of the Land of <HI>Aegypt</HI> to be placed in the Land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> for the Foundation of the World to come: From which Foundation God &s;ecured a Remnant according to the Election of Grace, and the re&s;t were in a Capacity of Obedience. <HI>But they went backward, and became filthy.</HI> P&s;al. 53.3. <HI>And God then &s;aid, they did eat up his people as they eat bread and did not call upon him, ver&s;.</HI> 4. And they like the Old World corrupted their way. And <HI>then they were as an unclean thing, and all their righteou&s;ne&s;&s;es were as filthy rags, and their Iniquities like the wind, carried them all away, I&s;a</HI> 64.6. This being a Prophe&s;ie of this their Exile. And becau&s;e of <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s Rebellion God rather cho&s;e at <HI>the fir&s;t vi&s;iting of the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name, Acts</HI> 15.14. Who had ig|norantly offended, then them of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> who had wil|fully offended. And therefore &s;aid to be cho&s;en before the Foundation, which Foundation is <HI>I&s;rael. But who|&s;oever among them feared God, to them was the word of this Salvation &s;ent, Acts</HI> 13.26. And as Chri&s;t in time became the Author of Eternal Salvation; &s;o God in time had a purpo&s;e to &s;ecure &s;ome to eternal Life, as I have fully proved in my Book called Truth vindicated, and therefore do but touch upon it here. Yet &s;ome notwith&s;tanding the mi&s;takes are removed, &s;till they go on, though they talk without Book. For they &s;ay, God cannot be God except he foreknew all the Wicked|ne&s;s of the Devil and Man from all Eternity. Though by &s;uch a foreknowledge if rightly con&s;idered they re|pre&s;ent the God of Truth, more black than the Prince of Darkne&s;s.</P>
<P>But &s;ome will &s;ay if you deny &s;uch a foreknowledge in God, you take from God one of his attributes. But they not con&s;idering that whil&s;t they maintain &s;uch a
<PB N="74" REF="39"> &s;cripturele&s;s Attribute in God, they take away mo&s;t of the Attributes which the Scripture declares belong to God. For if this Attribute be maintained, God can|not be the God of Truth, nor the God of Ju&s;tice, nor the God of Mercy, nor the Holy God. For God by his word denies &s;uch a foreknowledge as this Attribute puts upon him. For the Scriptures declare that after <HI>Man had wholly corrupted his way, it repented the Lord that he had made man, and it grieved him, Gen.</HI> 6.6, 11, 12. And if the Spirit of God can be grieved, as in <HI>Eph.</HI> 4.30. God can be grieved. Now had God from all Eternity foreknown and determined the De&s;truction of the Old World, he would not then have repented at what he had before determined. And God upon &s;eve|ral occa&s;ions has often repented of a threatned Puni&s;h|ment which he has pronounced, when Man turns from tho&s;e Evils for which the Judgment is threatned <HI>Jer.</HI> 18.7, 8, 9, 10. <HI>Jer.</HI> 15.6, 7. <HI>Jon.</HI> 3.10. <HI>Jer.</HI> 26.3, 19. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 11.8. 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 20.29.</P>
<P>And when God ab&s;olutely promi&s;eth a Ble&s;&s;ing, he will perform it; and that for his Promi&s;e &s;ake. <HI>For God is not a man that he &s;hould lye, neither the &s;on of man that he &s;hould repent, Num.</HI> 23.19, 20. For Man when he promi&s;eth a Benefit to another, often repents of it, but it is not &s;o with God. For God having promi&s;ed to give the Land of <HI>Canaan</HI> to <HI>Abraham</HI> and his Seed: God according to the appointed time, fulfilled his Pro|mi&s;e. So in time to come according to Promi&s;e, they will be ble&s;&s;ed. And therefore God &s;aith, <HI>I am the Lord I change not, therefore the &s;ons of Jacob are not con&s;umed, Mal.</HI> 3.6. God is an unchangable being in him&s;elf, and the Fountain of all Love. But when God's Wrath and Anger is at any time kindled again&s;t Man: It is becau&s;e Man provokes God by his Di&s;obedience: For other|wi&s;e God changeth not. <HI>But with the merciful, God will &s;hew him&s;elf merciful, and with the upright man, he
<PB N="75" REF="39"> will &s;hew him&s;elf upright, and with the pure he will &s;hew him&s;elf pure. And with the froward he will &s;hew him&s;elf froward,</HI> P&s;al. 18.25, 26.</P>
<P><HI>And God &s;o loved the World that he gave his only begot|ten &s;on, John</HI> 3.16. And in that God fir&s;t loved us, it was, that it might beget in us Love to God. <HI>And the Lord tryeth the righteous, but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his &s;oul hateth, P&s;al.</HI> 11.5. And when <HI>I&s;rael</HI> did wickedly. God &s;aid, <HI>Shall I not vi&s;it for the&s;e things &s;aith the Lord, &s;hall not my &s;oul be avenged on &s;uch a nation as this, Jer.</HI> 5.29. And the De&s;truction of the Temple and City by the <HI>Babilonians,</HI> was over and above what was prophe&s;ied of by <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> And the Lord &s;ent <HI>Jeremiah</HI> to <HI>Ze|dekiah. Thus &s;aith the Lord God, if thou wilt a&s;&s;uredly go forth unto the King of Babilons Princes, then thy &s;oul &s;hall live, and this city &s;hall not be burnt, Jer.</HI> 38.17. But when that came upon them which God had determined for their Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion in the Wilderne&s;s: Which was their De&s;truction by the Roman Monarchy, God then &s;ent no &s;uch Me&s;&s;age to them, and when Man often re|&s;i&s;teth the good Motions of the Spirit of God, it cau&s;es God to withdraw. And when <HI>the Old World had wholly corrupted their way: God &s;aid, his &s;pirit &s;hall not always &s;trive with man, Gen.</HI> 6.3. And then God determined their De&s;truction, which was a Hundred Years before it came.</P>
<P>And when <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had &s;o &s;orely provoked God in their offering of their Children to Molech, Jer. 32.35. <HI>Cap.</HI> 19.5. <HI>God &s;aid, I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they &s;hould do this abomination, to cau&s;e I&s;rael to &s;in.</HI> Here God declareth that it never came into his Mind, this their Wickedne&s;s. For as the Lord of Life could not be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities till he took our Nature, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.16, 17, 18. (For he could not know what hunger, and thir&s;t, and tempta|tion was till then) Much le&s;s could the Holy God,
<PB N="76" REF="40"> be the fir&s;t Conceiver of all the Wickedne&s;s of the De|vil and Man. Therefore God is &s;aid to try and prove Man, thereby to know what is in Man. And when the Spirit of God &s;trives with Man, he is able to re&s;i&s;t or yield obedience thereunto: For Man is left to a free choice; either to obey or not to obey.</P>
<P>And God hath &s;et &s;ome in one Station, and &s;ome in ano|ther; the Poor to be &s;erviceable to the Rich, and the Rich to be helpful and a&s;&s;i&s;ting to the Poor: For all will be rewarded according to Knowledge, and accor|ding to the deeds done in the Body, whether they be good or evil: and God hath &s;worn, <HI>That he delights not in the death of a &s;inner, but rather that he &s;hould return and live,</HI> Eze. 33.11. Chap. 18.27, 28, 29, 32. And God having &s;worn it every true Chri&s;tian is bound to believe it, in as much as it is impo&s;&s;ible for God to lye, much le&s;s to be for&s;worn. <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.17.18. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.6. <HI>Matt.</HI> 16.27. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.12. <HI>Col.</HI> 3.25. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.17. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 62.12. <HI>Prov.</HI> 24.12. <HI>Jer.</HI> 32.19. <HI>Eze.</HI> 7.27.</P>
<P>Now &s;ome of the Chri&s;tians, &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy from the Truth, have declared God to be without Parts. And that his per&s;onal Sub&s;tance is as much in Hell, in Earth, and upon the Earth, as it is in Heaven: And if &s;o, no wonder People take &s;o little care whe|ther they go. And &s;ome al&s;o have declared him to be without Pa&s;&s;ions. The which nothing can be more re|pugnant to the Scriptures. But I have not time here to put down what is &s;aid in Scripture concerning the wonderful Love of God to them that love him; nor the Wrath, Anger, Jealou&s;ie and hot Di&s;plea&s;ure to the Wicked that depart from his waies. But the forementio|ned mi&s;taken notions have rendered God unde&s;irable to his Creatures, and mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity turn many rational men Athei&s;ts and more Hypocrites, for if there is no re|ward for good Works, we may expect few will do any.</P>
<P><HI>Whereas God &s;aith, I form light and create darkne&s;s.</HI> That
<PB N="77" REF="40"> is, God made Heaven and Hell, and Day and Night. And he al&s;o &s;aith, <HI>I make peace and create evil, I&s;a.</HI> 45.7 For when <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s waies plea&s;ed the Lord, he made their Enemies to be at peace with them. And when their ways did not plea&s;e the Lord he &s;tirred up their Ene|mies again&s;t them. And &s;ometimes God doth create or permit Evil to try and prove his People, as he did <HI>Job.</HI> And he al&s;o made Hell for the Devil and his Angels, and the willfully wicked are turned in thither, <HI>Matt.</HI> 25.41. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 9.17.</P>
<P>Now the Devil clears God of the fal&s;e Accu&s;ation that &s;ome Men through their Mi&s;takes have ca&s;t up|on God: For when the Devil according to contract, le&s;t otherwi&s;e he &s;hould have lo&s;t <HI>Faustus</HI> his Servant, therefore he was forc'd by him to &s;peak the Truth in this matter. For his agreement was, that he &s;hould give him Knowledge, and tell him Truth in all things that he &s;hould ask him. But the Devil was much concerned when <HI>Fau&s;tus</HI> de&s;ired to know the occa&s;ion of his Fall, but upon the account of his Bargain, Lu|cifer &s;uffered the evil Angel that attended <HI>Faustus</HI> to declare it. Who &s;aid to <HI>Fau&s;tus,</HI> that his Lord Luci|fer was a fair Angel, created of God as immortal, and being placed in the Seraphims, which is far above the Cherubims, he would have pre&s;umed upon the Throne of God, with an intent to thru&s;t God out of his Seat (but mo&s;t probably it was the Son of God) Upon this pre&s;umption the Lord ca&s;t him down head|long, <HI>Chap.</HI> 10. And he further &s;aith, that before the Fall of Lucifer there was no Hell ordained, but even then was Hell ordained, <HI>Chap.</HI> 11. This be|ing according to what is declared in the Holy Scri|ptures of the Old and New Te&s;tament. That Hell was prepared for the Devil, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30.33. <HI>Matt.</HI> 25 41. Therefore we are to believe it. And the evil Angel al&s;o told <HI>Fau&s;tus,</HI> that Lucifer was bound in Chains of
<PB N="78" REF="41"> Darkne&s;s until the day of Judgment. The which is accor|dingly declared by St. Jude ver&s;. 6. <HI>And the Angels which kept not their fir&s;t e&s;tate, but left their own habitation, God hath re&s;erved in everla&s;ting Chains under Darkne&s;s, unto the Judgment of the great day.</HI> But tho' the Devil is now &s;aid to be held in Chains, yet he is not to be bound up until the great day, <HI>Rev.</HI> 20.2. 2 <HI>E&s;d.</HI> 8.53. And the evil Spirit told <HI>Faustus</HI> that Hell was under the Earth. And that in Hell there is nought but Sulphurous Fire, and &s;tinking Mi&s;t and Fog. And that it is with|out bottom, within the circumference of the Globe. And therefore compa&s;t in between the Earth and the Seas. Here likewi&s;e he has declared according to Scripture, that Hell is under the Earth. For God &s;aith, <HI>A fire is kindled in mine anger, and &s;hall burn to the lowe&s;t Hell, and &s;hall con&s;ume the earth with her increa&s;e, and &s;et on fire the foundations of the Mountains, Deut.</HI> 32.22. And al&s;o the Scriptures declare that Hell <HI>is a bottomle&s;s Pit, Rev.</HI> 20.3. <HI>And that it is deep and large, I&s;a.</HI> 30.33. And as far as the Devil or Pope &s;peaks according to Scripture, we ought to believe them. And not to deny the Truth, becau&s;e the Devil or Pope owns it: But if Angels or Men &s;peaks contrary to the Scriptures, we mu&s;t not believe them.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now whereas the Romi&s;h Church &s;aith, that God the Father is a glorious Per&s;on in Heaven, &s;itting up|on a Throne. The which we are bound to believe, becau&s;e the Old and New Te&s;tament declares it. But whereas they repre&s;ent him as an Old Man in his de|clining age, and of a corporeal Sub&s;tance, we are bound by God's word not to believe it, becau&s;e the Scriptures wholly denies it. And whereas they &s;ay the H. Gho&s;t is a Per&s;on that came upon the Virgin <HI>Mary</HI> to cau&s;e her to conceive with Child: That we are not to believe, be|cau&s;e the Scripture &s;aith to the contrary, as I have already proved; for therein is declared that the Ho|ly
<PB N="79" REF="41"> Gho&s;t is the Breath and Spirit of God, which is the Power of the highe&s;t. The which did over&s;hadow the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> and cau&s;e her to conceive. For by the Spirit of God, God did <HI>prepare a body as it is written, Heb.</HI> 10.5. Which at the time of Life, the Son of God did therein take our Nature in that Body, which was by the Spirit of God prepared in the Womb of the Virgin <HI>Mary, Luke</HI> 1.35. For which Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be the only begotten Son of God.</P>
<P>Now this Son of God being the Angel of whom God &s;aid, his name was in him, <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.21, 22. <HI>Who came as Captain of the Lord's Ho&s;t, Jo&s;h.</HI> 5.14. And when the Children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> are again delivered, then the Angel who is called <HI>Michael</HI> is <HI>the great Prince that &s;tandeth up for them, Dan.</HI> 12.1. And therefore mu&s;t be the fore|mentioned Angel &s;poken of. And for further evidence it is &s;aid, <HI>Rev.</HI> 12.7, 8. <HI>Michael and his Angels fought again&s;t the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his Angels and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in Heaven.</HI> This was after Chri&s;t's A&s;cen&s;ion, that Sa|tan was wholly ca&s;t out from Heaven. For before that Battel, he did &s;ometimes appear in Heaven, <HI>Job</HI> 1.6, 7. 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 22.21. And therefore this conquering Angel mu&s;t be the Angel of whom God &s;aid his Name was in him. The which will be <HI>I&s;rael</HI>'s Redeemer, and De|liverer, and &s;o he will be to all that wait for him in an obedient Frame.</P>
<P>Now the Prince of Darkne&s;s was a glorious Angel of Light, and though his Glory is taken from him, and he al&s;o kept in Darkne&s;s from the mind of God in the &s;uffering of Chri&s;t for the Redemption, of the World. <HI>In that he &s;aid to the Lord Chri&s;t, why art thou come to torment us before the time, Matt.</HI> 8.29. Yet the grea|te&s;t part of the Power which he received of God, when an Angel of Light, is not taken from him, by which it is they do &s;o many wonders. And as the fal|len
<PB N="80" REF="42"> Angels can enter into Men and Women, as often they do, as both in Scripture, and in our times have been manife&s;ted. We may therefore readily appre|hend that the Angel in whom God's name was, and who is of greater Power, could enter into that Body which was by the Holy Gho&s;t prepared for him in the Womb of the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> and of her Sub&s;tance. By which the divine Nature was united to the humane Nature. And in that he did &s;eem as another Child. In his being wrapt in &s;wadling Clothes, and &s;ucking at the Brea&s;t, and his wi&s;dom concealed in his Infancy, was, that that might be accompli&s;ht for which he was &s;ent of the Father. The which was to &s;uffer as Man for the redemption of Man. What is here &s;aid is plain and ea&s;ie to every rational Man's under&s;tanding, as well as made clear from the word.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P><HI>I having already removed all mi&s;takes, I &s;hall there|fore here give a &s;hort Account of the </HI>Deity.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>NOW the Lord Chri&s;t &s;aith, John 17.3. <HI>This is Life eternal that they know thee the only true God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom thou ha&s;t &s;ent,</HI> In the&s;e few words there is much included. <HI>Now &s;ome profe&s;s they know God but in works they deny him, Tit.</HI> 5.16. By pra|cti&s;ing that which is evil. According al&s;o it is &s;aid, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50 20, 21. <HI>Thou &s;itte&s;t and &s;peake&s;t again&s;t thy brother, and &s;landere&s;t thine own Mothers Son, she&s;e things ha&s;t thou done, and I kept &s;ilenee thou thoughte&s;t that I was al|together &s;uch a one as thy &s;elf,</HI> &amp;c. Now &s;uch as thus think they know God, it will prove to their own con|fu&s;ion. For God is of <HI>purer eyes than to behold Iniquity, Hab</HI> 1.13. With approbation. I do but here hint upon the&s;e things. But that which I &s;hall here chiefly take no|tice of, is this that Chri&s;t mentions not the Holy Gho&s;t, when he &s;aith, <HI>This is life eternal to know thee the only true God, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom thou ha&s;t &s;ent,</HI>
<PB N="81" REF="42"> is, becau&s;e the Holy Gho&s;t is not a Per&s;on. But that the Holy Gho&s;t is included, is evident, for none can rightly know God, that is, under&s;tandingly as well as practically, but mu&s;t know the Holy Gho&s;t proceeds from God: Becau&s;e it is the Spirit or Breath of God which is called the Holy Gho&s;t. Which is a River of Life and Power, which floweth from him. And is the Oyl of Gladne&s;s of which Chri&s;t is &s;aid to <HI>be an inted with above his fellows,</HI> P&s;al 45.7. As well Angels as Men. By which it is he <HI>is filled w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th the Godhead bodi|ly,</HI> Col. 2.9. <HI>And in that Chri&s;t &s;aith, his father is the only true God.</HI> And St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>There is one God, and one Mediatour between God and Man, the Man Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> 1 Tim. 2.5. And again he &s;aith, <HI>Looking for that ble&s;&s;ed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God, and our Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> Tit. 2.13. Now in that Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tle here &s;aith, that God the Father is the only true God. One God, and the great God, is becau&s;e the Son and Holy Spirit proceeds from him: God the Father being the original Cau&s;e of both. The Holy Gho&s;t being the Breath of God, and River of his Plea&s;ure. And Chri&s;t who was the Angel of God's Pre&s;ence, <HI>and the beginning of the Creation of God,</HI> Rev. 3.14. <HI>And the Fir&s;t-born of every Creature,</HI> Col. 1.15. He is the Conduit from whence the Waters of Life do &s;low from the Fountain: God by his Spirit, &s;peaking and acting by Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t And therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>The words that I &s;peak unto you, I &s;peak not of my &s;elf, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doth the works, John</HI> 14.10. For the Father and the Son are united by one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">pirit; And as a Conduit is filled with Water, &s;o Chri&s;t with the Water or Spirit of Life. But as all the Water in the Founatain doth not flow into the Conduit: So accord|ingly God the Father who is the Fountain hath re&s;er|ved both the Knowledge and the Power of &s;ome things to him&s;elf. For Chri&s;t concerning the Day of Judg|ment,
<PB N="82" REF="43"> &s;aith, Matt. 24.36. <HI>Of that day and hour knoweth no Man, no not the Angels of Heaven, but my Father only.</HI> And Chri&s;t al&s;o &s;aith, <HI>To &s;it on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it &s;hall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father,</HI> Matt. 20.23. And when <HI>Chri&s;t cried out, My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me,</HI> Matt. 27.46. By the&s;e words it doth ap|pear, that God did withhold the flowing in of his Spi|rit of Comfort on him, whil&s;t the weight of the Sins of the World was upon him, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53.4 5. <HI>It is &s;aid he was wounded for our Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, he was brui&s;ed for our Iniquities, the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our Peace was upon him.</HI> And accordingly &s;aid, <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.26. <HI>The Me&s;&s;iah was cut off but not for him&s;elf:</HI> And whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again,</HI> John 10.17, 18. The which was be|cau&s;e <HI>God gave not the &s;pirit by mea&s;ure unto him,</HI> John 3.34. <HI>By which he had Life in him&s;elf,</HI> John 5.26. <HI>As the father hath li&s;e in him&s;elf, &s;o hath he given to the &s;on to have life in him&s;elf.</HI> And whereas Chri&s;t &s;aith, he had <HI>Power in him&s;elf to lay down his life, and take it up again;</HI> The which was by the Power of the Spirit which his Father had given him. And therefore it is al&s;o &s;aid, that <HI>God rai&s;ed him from the dead, and &s;et him at his own right hand,</HI> Eph. 1.20.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P><HI>But when the Son or Angel of God's pre&s;ence,</HI> I&s;a. 63.9. In whom God's name was in, <HI>Whom I&s;rael was to obey as God,</HI> Exod. 23.21. Took our Nature upon him in the Womb of the Virgin <HI>Mary:</HI> God there, and in his Childhood gave his Spirit into him, as he &s;aw convenient. For he was to appear as another Child: That the My|&s;tery for which he came into the World might be con|cealed: Which was, that as Man he might &s;uffer for Man. For which cau&s;e, he <HI>was laid as a &s;tone of &s;tum|bling, and a rock of offence to both the hou&s;es of I&s;rael,</HI> I&s;a. 8.14. And therefore accordingly it is &s;aid, <HI>That Je&s;us
<PB N="83" REF="43"> increa&s;ed in Wi&s;dom and Stature,</HI> Luke 2.52. For had the Lord Chri&s;t when he came forth of his Mothers Womb, had that excellent Wi&s;dom with the Power of working Miracles, which afterwards, he had: Then <HI>I&s;|rael</HI> could not have been left to Blindne&s;s, as to the Me&s;&s;iahs fir&s;t coming. And had they knowingly taken him off, there had been no hope for them: But as they ignorantly did it, Chri&s;t prayed <HI>for them &s;aying, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,</HI> Luke 23.34.</P>
<P>And Chri&s;t by his &s;uffering had an eye to the recom|pence of Reward. For it is &s;aid, Heb. 12.2. <HI>Who for the joy that was &s;et before him endured the Cro&s;s, de&s;pi&s;ing the &s;hame.</HI> And again it is &s;aid, <HI>He ta&s;ted death for e|very Man.</HI> And by his Death <HI>brought many &s;ons to glory,</HI> Heb. 2.9, 10. For <HI>he became the Author of eternal &s;al|vation to all them that obey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And whereas it is &s;aid, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.4. <HI>Chri&s;t being made &s;o much better than the Angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.</HI> The which is to be under&s;tood two ways; Fir&s;t, Chri&s;t being the <HI>Beginning of the Creation of God,</HI> Rev. 3.14. <HI>And the Fir&s;t born of every creature.</HI> So that all <HI>things that were created, were created by him and for him,</HI> Col. 1.15, 16. <HI>As well as the Father,</HI> Rev. 4.11. And Chri&s;t being the Angel <HI>in whom God &s;aid his name was in,</HI> Exod. 23.21. Whom <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was to obey as God, and who is &s;aid <HI>to be the Angel of God's pre&s;ence,</HI> I&s;a. 63.9. And this is he who was <HI>anointed with the Oyl of gladne&s;s above his fellows</HI> P&s;al. 45.7. As well Angel as Men. And therefore &s;aid, he hath by Inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For he being the Fir&s;t-born of every Creature is Heir of all. 2dly. Chri&s;t as to his humane Nature, he was the only begotten Son of God, 1 <HI>John</HI> 4.9. <HI>John</HI> 3.16. God by his Spirit prepared a Body for him in the Womb of the Virgin <HI>Mary.</HI> In which,
<PB N="84" REF="44"> he took upon him the Seed of <HI>Abraham Heb.</HI> 2.16. <HI>For he took not upon him the nature of Angels, but he took upon him the &s;eed of Abraham.</HI> For as he was the beginning of the Creation of God, and the Angel of his Pre&s;ence in whom his name was in, and he was thereby above the Nature of Angels: For he as a Son &s;ate upon the Throne of his Father.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>But Chri&s;t who <HI>was made a little lower than the Angels, for the &s;uffering of Death, crowned w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">th glory and honour, that he by the grace of God &s;hould ta&s;te Death for every Man,</HI> Heb. 2.9. So as thereby all will be &s;et free from the Sin of <HI>Adam</HI>'s Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion in the Day of Redemption: And all will be judged according to the <HI>Deeds done in the body, whether they be good or evil,</HI> Rom. 2.6, 11, 12, 13. And multitudes of tho&s;e Sinners that are now puni&s;hed in the Pit, will in the World to come find Mercy. But the greater Obligation any one &s;ins again&s;t, the greater Condemnation they fall under, <HI>Heb</HI> 2 3 And in that it is &s;aid of Chri&s;t, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53.12. <HI>He p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ured out his &s;oul unto death.</HI> Which words are to be taken two ways; Fir&s;t, that the pouring out of his Soul, was to the Dea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">h of his Body. For St. <HI>Pe|ter</HI> &s;aith, <HI>When Christ was put to Death in the Fle&s;h, he was quickened in the Spirit,</HI> 1 Pet. 3.18. And the Soul and the Spirit are one and the &s;ame. As is plain from the words of the Prophet, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 17.17, 21, 22. And the Soul or Spirit when &s;eparated from a corporeal Body, becomes more quick thereby. And therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>When Christ was put to death in the fle&s;h, he was quickened in the &s;pirit,</HI> ver&s;. 19. <HI>By which al&s;o he went and preached unto the Spirits in Pri&s;on,</HI> ver&s;. 20. Which &s;ometime were di&s;obedient, when once the long &s;uffering of God waited in the Days of <HI>Noah.</HI> Here St. <HI>Peter</HI> hath his reference to Chri&s;t going down into Hell. At which time he did admini&s;ter Comfort to Souls that were in Pri&s;on. For
<PB N="85" REF="44"> God &s;aith of the Nations and People that are turned into Hell, as Pharaoh, or the A&s;&s;irian. <HI>Eze.</HI> 31.16 17. <HI>I made the nations to &s;hake at the &s;ound of his fall, when I ca&s;t him down to hell with them that de&s;cend into the pit: and all the trees of Ed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n, the choice and the be&s;t of Labanon, all that drink water, &s;hall be comforted in the neither parts of the earth.</HI> In that it is al&s;o &s;aid the choice and the be&s;t of Lebanon: it is meant of tho&s;e that were in the highe&s;t dignity, as the cho&s;en among the People: as the Princes, and Prie&s;ts who were ap|pointed of God to be rulers and teachers of the Peo|ple, but they had corrupted their way as well as the People, and cau&s;ed I&s;rael to &s;in, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 14 16. <HI>Mal.</HI> 2.8. Therefore St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith concerning <HI>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rael,</HI> whom God for their Sins had left to blindne&s;s, <HI>Rom</HI> 11.32. <HI>God hath included them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy on them all.</HI> And according <HI>to this it is &s;aid,</HI> Zech. 9.11, 12. <HI>By the blood of thy covenant, I &s;end forth thy Pri&s;oners out of the pit, wherein is no water:</HI> That is, there is no comfort in the p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t, as proceed|ing from that Place: but by Chri&s;t going down into the pit, he did preach comfort to the Pri&s;oners that were there. Of which <HI>David</HI> Prophetically &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;aith, <HI>Thou wilt not leave my Soul in hell, nei|ther wilt thou &s;uffer thine h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ly one to &s;ee corruption,</HI> P&s;al. 16.10. <HI>Acts</HI> 2.31.</P>
<P>And Chri&s;t when he was giving up the Gho&s;t, <HI>&s;aid, Father into thy hands I commend my &s;pirit, Luke.</HI> 23.46. Here we are not to think that it was into the hands of Gods Per&s;on, that Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t did recommend his Spirit but into the hands of his Power, and protection: So as his Soul might not he left in Hell. And Chri&s;t, af|ter he aro&s;e &s;aid, Touch me not, <HI>For I m not yet a&s;cended to my Father,</HI> John 20 17. And whereas Chri&s;t &s;aid to the penitent Thief. <HI>This day &s;halt th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">u be with me in Parad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e.</HI> The&s;e words admit of &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eral
<PB N="86" REF="45"> &s;ignifications in that the Scriptures mentions &s;everal &s;orts of Days. As the natural day, the day of a Year, and the day of a Thou&s;and Years, and the cloudy and dark day. So as the Thief might go to Paradi&s;e the natu|ral Day he died for ought we know, and Chri&s;t in the Day of a Year: For Chri&s;t forty days after his Re|&s;urrection, he a&s;cended, <HI>Acts</HI> 1, 3. and St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Ephe. 4.9. <HI>Now that he a&s;cended, what is it but that he al&s;o de&s;cended fir&s;t, into the lower parts of the earth.</HI> Which <HI>David,</HI> and St. <HI>Peter</HI> call Hell, and the Pri&s;on, where the decea&s;ed Nations are, who &s;peak one to another. <HI>Who&s;e graves are &s;et in the &s;ides of the Pit,</HI> Eze. 32.20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26. And the &s;ides of the Pit are the graves where their Bodies are laid.</P>
<P>Now in that Chri&s;t as Man, did &s;uffer for Man, that thereby he might become a Redeemer: <HI>God hav|ing laid help upon one that is mighty, P&s;al.</HI> 89.19. And as one Man accepts a ran&s;om for another Man, or Men: So Chri&s;t laid down his Life, that he might be a ran|&s;om for many. For when God &s;peaks or acts in a plain method; it is agreeable to that rational under|der&s;tanding that God has given Man to &s;teer by: But when God &s;peaks my&s;teriou&s;ly, as in calling &s;eve|ral things by one name, and in that he mentions things that are to come, as though they were pa&s;t or pre&s;ent, and &s;ometimes he repre&s;ents things by Tropes and Fi|gures and Similitudes. The&s;e things, through our Infirmity and Weakne&s;s we do not under&s;tand with|out the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of God's Spirit; or receive In&s;tru|ctions by them that have been a&s;&s;i&s;ted thereby. And any that pretend to be a&s;&s;i&s;ted by God in the open|ing of his word, they mu&s;t make plain what they af|firm from the plain letter of the word; and by the word explain tho&s;e places, which &s;eemingly before well con&s;idered appear contradictory. For we are not to take up with the fal&s;e Notions which have been
<PB N="87" REF="45"> put upon the Scriptures: For by them all the Here&s;ies have been brought in.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>Now in that it is &s;aid, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 9.6. <HI>For unto us a Child is born, unto us a &s;on is given, and the government &s;hall be upon his &s;houlder; and his name &s;hall be called wonderful Counceller, the mighty God, the everla&s;ting Father, the Prince of Peace.</HI> Now the Son that is here given: In that he is &s;aid to be the Mighty God, is becau&s;e he partakes of the divine E&s;&s;ence of the Father, by his re|ceiving of the <HI>Spirit without mea&s;ure,</HI> John 3.34. By which <HI>the Father gave to the &s;on to have life in him&s;elf,</HI> John 5.26. And it is &s;aid, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45.2. <HI>Thou art fairer than the Children of Men, therefore God hath ble&s;&s;ed thee for ever.</HI> And in that he is &s;aid to be the everla&s;ting Fa|ther, was not only becau&s;e he was at the creating of all things, but al&s;o, he is an everla&s;ting Father to all that put their tru&s;t in him according to his word. For <HI>he is become the author of eternal &s;alvation to all them that o|bey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9. But though he is &s;aid to be a Father to his Creatures, yet not a Father to his Father, as &s;ome will have it. Who hold, there is but one Per&s;on in the Deity: Though Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 16.27. <HI>I came out from God,</HI> ver&s;. 28. <HI>I came forth from the father and am come into the world, again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.</HI> What can be more plain than that the Father and the Son are two Per&s;ons. (And that one was in Heaven, when the other was upon the Earth.) And upon this &s;aying of the Lord <HI>his Di&s;ciples &s;aid unto him, lo now &s;peake&s;t thou plainly and &s;peake&s;t no pro|verb,</HI> ver&s;. 29. For the Lord did often &s;peak in Parables to them. But the Father and the Son being united by one Spirit: Therefore they are &s;aid to be one. For the&s;e are the <HI>Three that bare record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Gho&s;t; and the&s;e three are one,</HI> 1 Joh 5.7. Being united as afore&s;aid. And though Chri&s;t is &s;aid to be the mighty God, yet no where &s;aid
<PB N="88" REF="46"> to be the Almighty God. And accordingly Chri&s;t &s;aith <HI>John</HI> 14.28. <HI>My Father is greater than I,</HI> and again he &s;aith, <HI>My Father is greater than all,</HI> John 10.29. And the giver is greater than the receiver, <HI>Dan</HI> 7.10.14.</P>
<P>And whereas in &s;ome places of Scripture, it is &s;aid God made all things, <HI>Gen.</HI> 1 <HI>Rev.</HI> 4.11. And in other places it is &s;aid, <HI>that by Chri&s;t all things were created,</HI> Col. 1.16. Is becau&s;e the Father and the Son are united by one Spirit. And therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>The Father that dwelleth in me he doeth the works,</HI> John 14.10. The which works were done by the Power of the Spirit of God which dwelt in him. For as in <HI>Eze.</HI> 10.17. The Spirit of the Cherubims was in the Wheels: So as the Cheru|bims or living Creatures moved, &s;o the Wheels moved becau&s;e one Spirit guided both. Yet the Cherubims were not the Wheels, nor the Wheels the Cherubims: Accordingly the Son is not the Father, nor the Father the Son, yet being united by one Spirit they are one. Yet the Head is not the Hand, nor the Hand the Head. For Chri&s;t is as the Hand of God, by which God's Mer|cy is extended to his Creatures, and as the Head and Hand is united by one Body, &s;o the Father and the Son are united by one Sprit. But as the Head is above the Hand, &s;o the Father is above the Son. And there|fore accordingly Chri&s;t &s;aith, I came down from Hea|ven not to do mine own Will, but the Will of him that &s;ent me, <HI>John</HI> 6.38. But perhaps &s;ome may &s;ay, What, hath the Father one Will, and the Son another Will? No, but the Father was the fir&s;t moving cau&s;e; and he having promi&s;ed that the Seed of the Woman &s;hould brui&s;e the Serpent's Head. God had no &s;ooner promi&s;ed it, but there was a Will in Chri&s;t to fulfil his Fathers Will. And therefore <HI>it is written of him, I de|light to do thy will O God, yea thy Law is within my heart,</HI> P&s;al. 40.6, 7, 8. Heb. 10.5.7.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<PB N="89" REF="46">
<P>Now whereas &s;ome &s;ay the Holy Gho&s;t is a Per&s;on is becau&s;e they do not rightly con&s;ider what they &s;ay, nor what they affirm. For though they &s;cripture&s;ly affirm the Holy Gho&s;t to be a Per&s;on, yet notwith|&s;tanding they will not permit God the Father to be a Per&s;on, no otherwi&s;e than by Name or Cu&s;tom &s;o called, for in reality they do not permit him to be a Per&s;on, in that they &s;ay the Sub&s;tance of God is alike every where as much in Hell and in the Earth as in Heaven, from which &s;trange Notions they affirm the glorious God to have no &s;imilitude, but a Per&s;on mu&s;t have a &s;imilitude, or otherwi&s;e it is no Per&s;on. But God to put this out of all doubt has left upon record that he has a &s;imilitude, <HI>Num.</HI> 12.8. And it is over and over noted in the Scriptures of Truth that God is a glorious Per&s;on, &s;itting upon his Throne in Hea|ven, and that the Angels do there behold his Face which things in this Book I have abundantly proved, and therefore do but hint upon it here.</P>
<P>And the Per&s;on of God cannot be divided, but the Holy Gho&s;t which is the Spirit or Breath of God can be divided. For the Holy Gho&s;t which appeared in the likene&s;s of &s;everal Cloven Tongues at once, <HI>Act-</HI> 2.2, 3, 4. So that if the Holy Gho&s;t were a Per&s;on, then there were many Per&s;ons of the Holy Gho&s;t. For the Per&s;on of God cannot be divided, and therefore God and Chri&s;t is &s;aid to &s;peak by the Spirit in the Prophets of Old, <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.11. But Man by his invented rea&s;onings, and by leaning to what his &s;cripturele&s;s Authors &s;ay, lo&s;t the right knowledge of God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.19.20, 21, 27, 28. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 42.19. <HI>Who is blind as my &s;ervant, or deaf as the me&s;&s;enger I &s;end,</HI> ver. 20. <HI>Seeing many things, but thou ob&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ve&s;t not, opening the ear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> but thou heare&s;t not.</HI> The which is much for want of due con&s;ideration, and ob&s;ervation, that &s;ome good Men are &s;o much in the dark as they are.</P>
<PB N="90" REF="47">
<P>God of his Mercy having enabled a weak worm to make the Old and New Te&s;tament to agree; and al|&s;o to remove all the mi&s;takes which has occa&s;ioned our differences in Opinions. As in my Books is plain|ly made appear. And now tho&s;e that will not believe <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets, and Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, now they are made to agree, will not believe though one ro&s;e from the dead. But when the Prote&s;tant Chri&s;tians came out from Popery, they neither made the Old and New Te&s;tament to agree, neither did they work Miracles to confirm what they &s;aid. But the Chri&s;tians being very ignorant in the Scrip|tures, were ea&s;ily carried with every wind of Do|ctrine, and the Teachers by the Apo&s;tacy having lo&s;t the right Sentiments of the word and world &s;o come by which they were much in the dark.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<P>And the Romi&s;h Church making the great God like an old Man with a corporeal Sub&s;tance, therefore the Pro|te&s;tants that came out of Popery would not permit God to be a &s;piritual glorious Per&s;on, as the Scriptures declare him to be, who like the Chri&s;tians, when the <HI>Major</HI> part did apo&s;tatize from the Truth: Then they would not keep the right day upon which the Lord &s;uffered, becau&s;e it was the time of the <HI>Jews</HI> Pa&s;&s;over. Neither the right time when the Holy Gho&s;t came down in Cloven Tongues, becau&s;e it was the <HI>Jews</HI> Penteco&s;t. But was for fighting and killing tho&s;e Chri&s;tians that was for &s;tanding up for the right days, on which the forementioned things were performed. And as we keep the wrong Day for Chri&s;ts &s;ufferings; &s;o like|wi&s;e for his Re&s;urrection and A&s;cen&s;ion, as it is to be plainly known by the <HI>Jews</HI> living among&s;t us, who keep the right time for the Pa&s;&s;over, and Penteco&s;t. This Di&s;cord among the Chri&s;tians is recorded in Hi|&s;tory: And the Chri&s;tians denying the Glory that God hath promi&s;ed to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in time to come, which will be
<PB N="91" REF="47"> <HI>Joel</HI> 3.1, 2.16. In tho&s;e days and in that time when I &s;hall bring again the Captivity of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> and when he judgeth the Nations in the Vally of <HI>Jeho&s;ha|phat,</HI> ver&s;. 2.12.13. Which Nations are the wicked Vine, <HI>Rev.</HI> 19.15. The&s;e things the Chri&s;tians denying, they could not then make &s;en&s;e of a great part of what they did &s;ay, as to their Interpretations they put up|on the Scriptures. The which cau&s;ed an implicite Faith to be cryed up on all hands. And had the gentile Chri&s;tians &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy from the Truth, been to have been judged according to the &s;oundne&s;s of their Faith, and not according to the integrity of their Heart, they could not have been &s;aved. But God who is the judge of all the world will do right: Therefore all will be judged according to their deeds done in the body whether they have been good or evil. So that of e|very Nation, every one that feareth God, and worketh Righteou&s;ne&s;s, is accepted of him, <HI>Acts</HI> 10.35. For he will &s;hew Mercy <HI>To all that order their Conver&s;ation aright, P&s;al.</HI> 50.23. <HI>Matt.</HI> 5.3. &amp;c. So that all the time of the cloudy and dark Day there is &s;ome of all Parties will find Mercy, that have ordered their con|ver&s;ation according as required. For the Damnation threatned, is to them that have no love to the Truth, and take plea&s;ure in Unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.12. And with|out doubt, &s;ome of all Parties have had a love to the Truth, could they have known where to have found it. But by the Apo&s;tacy things have been turned up|&s;ide down, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 29.16. As it was not then to be at|tained until the time of the end: At which time God hath promi&s;ed <HI>Knowledge &s;hould be increa&s;ed, Dan.</HI> 12.4. For it will be &s;ad for tho&s;e Chri&s;tians that are found in Darkne&s;s when the day of the Lord comes. For to come into the Wedding Supper when the Lord comes, it is required of &s;uch that they &s;hould be found in the Faith. The which con&s;i&s;teth in the Knowledge
<PB N="92" REF="48"> of the true meaning of the Word, and con&s;cionably practi&s;ing the &s;ame: And there is no bringing of the People to a right under&s;tanding of the word, without unravelling to them their mi&s;takes to the bottom, which now may be done, the word being made plain; but before it could not. And tho&s;e that will now op|po&s;e, and &s;mother the Truth, neither do ju&s;tly nor love Mercy, nor walk humbly with God. For the Truth ought to be welcome to all. Let God bring it forth by whom he plea&s;es. And it is required of every rational Man and Woman, to be like the Noble <HI>Be|reans</HI> in &s;earching the Scriptures, to &s;ee whether the Truths which are now di&s;covered, are not therein: And God has often imployed Women in declaring his truth. And Chri&s;t fir&s;t coming, was fir&s;t made known to the Women, <HI>Luke.</HI> 1.41. And Woman was the fir&s;t Publi&s;her of it, to all that lookt for Redemption in Jeru&s;alem, Chap. 2.38. And after Chri&s;t Re&s;urre|ction, the Women were &s;ent both by the Angel, and Chri&s;t, to tell the Di&s;ciples, that he was ri&s;en, <HI>Matt.</HI> 28.7.10. Now tho&s;e that are unwilling to receive the truth, becau&s;e God brings the knowledge of it to light by a Woman may as well like the Jews, re|fu&s;e to be &s;aved by Chri&s;t, becau&s;e he came of a Wo|man. But he that is wi&s;e, let h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">m be wi&s;e for him|&s;elf; but he that &s;corneth, he alone &s;hall bear it, <HI>Pro.</HI> 9.12. O that the Chri&s;tians would make a due improvement of this great Mercy of God: So as th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">re|by to come to know him aright.</P>
</DIV3>
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<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<P>This Book with three ot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">er Books bound up tog<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ther price 2 <HI>s.</HI> 6 <HI>d.</HI> Three other Bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ks bound up together price 2 <HI>s.</HI> All by the &s;ame Author by which Books the Scriptures are made plain, and the Mi&s;takes removed, as the word of the Lord may be fulfilled <HI>Dan.</HI> 12.4.7.</P>
<PB REF="48">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
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</ETS>
