FIRST, I believe, That nothing is without beginning but God, no Nature, no Matter, no Spirit, no essence, but one onely, and the same God: That God, as he is E­ternall, Almightie, onely wise, onely good in his Nature, so he is Eternally Father, Sonne, and Holy Spirit, in three persons.

I believe, that God is so holy, pure, and zealous, that it is impossible for him to be pleased in any crea­ture, though the worke of his owne hands, so that neither Angell, Man, nor World could stand, or can stand one moment in his eyes, without beholding the same in the face of a Mediator: And therefore that before him with whom all things are present, the lamb of God was slaine before all worlds; without which [Page 2]eternall Counsell of God it was impossible for him to have descended to any worke of Creation, but should have enjoyed the blessed and individual societie of the three persons in the God-head onely for ever, but that out of his eternall and infinite goodnesse and love, purposing to become a Creator, and to com­municate with his Creatures, that so in the person of the Mediator, the true Ladder might bee fixed, whereby God might descend to his Creatures, and his Creatures might ascend to God; so that God by the reconcilement of a Mediator, turning his Coun­tenance towards his Creatures, though not in the same height, and degree, made way unto the dispo­sition of his most holy and sacred will, whereby some of his Creatures might stand, and keep their estates, others might fall, and be restored unto their estates, but yet remaine in being, though under wrath, and corruption, all in the vertue of a Mediator, which is the great mysterie, and perfect Center of all Gods wayes unto his Creatures, and unto which all his other Workes and Wonders doe but serve and re­ferre.

That hee chose according to his pleasure man to be that Creature to whose Nature the eternall Sonne of God should be united, and amongst the generations of men hee elected a small flock in whom by the participation of himselfe he purposed to expresse the Rayes of his Glorie, all the ministration of An­gels, damnation of Devills and Reprobates, uni­versall administration of all Creatures, and dispen­sation of all times, have no other ends but as the waies and Ambages of God to he further glorified [Page 3]in his saints who are one with the Mediatour, who is one with God.

That by the vertue of God his Eternall Counsell touching a Mediator, he descended at his owne good pleasure, and according to the times, and seasons to himselfe best knowne to become a Creatour, and by his eternall word created all things, and by his eter­nall spirit doth comfort, and preserve them.

That hee made all things in their first estate good, and removed from himselfe leaving the beginning of all evill, and vanitie unto the liberty of the creature, but reserving in himselfe the beginning of all restitu­tion, and the liberty of his Grace, using never the­lesse, and turning the falling, and defection of the Creature, which to his prescience was eternally known, to make a way to his eternall Counsell touching a Me­diatour, & the work he purposed to accomplish in him.

That God created Spirits, whereof some kept their standings, and others fell, he created heaven, and earth, and all their Armies and Generations, and gave unto them constant and everlasting laws, which we call nature which is nothing but the laws of the Crea­tion, which lawsneverthelesse have had three changes, or times, and are to have their fourth and last.

The first, when the matter of Heaven and Earth was created without forme.

The second by the Interim of every days worke.

The third, by the curse which notwithstanding was no new Creation, but a privation of part of the first Creation.

And the fourth and last, at the end of the world [Page 4]the manner whereof is not yet revealed. So as the Lawes of nature which now remaine, and governe inviolably till the end of the world began to be in force when God rested from his worke, and ceased to create, but receaved a revocation in part by the curse since which time they change not.

That notwithstanding God hath rested from crea­ting since the first Sabboth, yet neverthelesse he doth ac­complish, and fulfill his divine will in all things, great and small, generall, and particular, as fully, and exactly by providence as he could doe by miracle, and new Creation, though his working bee not immedi­ate, and direct, but by compasse, not violating nature which is his owne Lawe upon his Creatures.

That as at the first the soule of man was not produ­ced of heaven, or earth, but was breathed immedi­atly from God, so that the wayes, and proceedings of God with Spirits are not included in nature that is in the lawes of heaven or earth, but are reserved to the lawe of his secret will, and grace whereby God worketh still, and resteth not from the worke of Cre­ation, as he doth from the worke of Redemption, but continueth working to the end of the world, at what time also that work shalbe accomplished, and an eternall Sabboth shall ensue.

Likewise that whensoever God doth breake the laws of nature by miracles (which ever are new Crea­tions) he never commeth to that point, or passe, but he hath regard to the work of Redemption which is the greater, and whereunto all Gods Saints and Mar­tyrs doe refer.

That God created man in his own Image, or likenesse, in a reasonable soule in innocencie, and soveraignty, that he gave him a law and command which was in his power to keep, but he kept it not.

That man made a totall defection from God, presuming to imagine that the lawes, and pro­hibitions of God were not the rules of good, and evill, but that good and evill had their prin­ciples, and beginnings, and lusted after the knowledg of those imaginary beginnings to the end to depend no more upon Gods will re­vealed, but upon himselfe and his owne light as a God, then the which there could not be a sin more opposite to the law of God.

That yet neverthelesse this great sin was not originally moved by the malice of man, but was insinuated by the Instigation, and suggesti­on of the Devill, who was the first defected crea­ture, and fell of malice, and not by temptati­on.

That upon the fall of man, death, and vani­ty entered by the Justice of God, and the I­mage of God in man was defaced, and Hea­ven and Earth which were made for mans use, were subdued to corruption by his fall, but then that instantly, and without intermission of time after the word of gods law, because throgh the fall of man frustrate as to obedience there succeeded the greater word of the promise, that [Page 9]the righteousnesse of God might be made, and wrought by faith.

That aswell the word of God as the word of his promise endure the same for ever, but that they have beene revealed in severall manners ac­cording to the dispensation of times, for the Law was first imprinted in that remnant of light of nature which was left after the fall beeing suf­ficient to accuse, it was more manifestly expressed in the written Lawes, it was yet more opened by the Prophets; And lastly expressed in the true perfection of the Son of God, the great Pro­phet, and perfect Interpreter of the Law.

That likewise the word of the promise was manifested, and revealed first by immediate Revelation and Inspiration, after by figures which were of two natures, the one the rights and Ceremonies of the Lawe, the other the continuall histories of the old world, and Church of the Iewes, which though it bee literally true, yet it is pregnant of a perpetuall Allegorie, and a shadow of the worke of Redemption, which was to follow, the same promise, or Evan­gell was more clearely revealed, and expressed by the Prophets, than by the Sonne himselfe, and lastly by the Holy Ghost, which illumi­nateth the CHVRCH to the end of the world.

That in the fullnesse of time according to the promise, and oath of GOD, of a chosen line­age [Page 7]descended the blessed seed of the Wo­man (Jesus Christ, the onely begotten Son of GOD) and Saviour of the World, who was Conceived by the Power, and over­shadowing of the Holy Ghost, and tookflesh of the Virgin MARIE.

That the Word did not onely take flesh, or was joyned to flesh, though without con­confusion of Substance, or Nature, so as the Eternall Sonne of God, and ever blessed Sonne of Mary was one person, so one as the blessed Virgin may bee truely and Catho­likely called Dei para, the Mother of GOD, so one, as there is no unitie in universall Na­ture, not that of the soule and bodie of man so perfect, for the three Heavenly Unities, whereof that is the second, exceedeth all na­turall Vnities, that is the unitie of the three persons in the God-head, the Vnitie of God and Man in Christ, and the unitie of Christ in the Church; the Holy Ghost being the wor­ker of both these latter unities: for by the Holy Ghost was Christ regenerate in the flesh, and by the Holy Ghost is man regenerate and quickned in the Spirit.

That JESUS, the Lord, became in the Flesh a Sacrificer, and a Sacrifice for sinne, a satisfaction and price to the justice of God, a Meriter of Glorie, and of the Kingdome, a patterne of all Righteousnesse, a Preacher [Page 8]of the Word, which himselfe was a fini­sher of the Ceremonies, a Corner stone, to remove the separation betweene Jew and Gentile; an Intercession for the Church; a Lord of Nature in his Miracles: a Con­queror of death, and the power of Dark­nesse in his Resurrection, and that hee ful­filled the whole Counsell of GOD perfor­med his whole sacred Office, and anoynting upon Earth, and accomplished the whole worke of Redemption, and Restitution of man to a state superiour to the Angels, where the state of his Creation was inferiour, and reconciled, and established all things according to the will of the Father.

That in the fulnesse of time, JESUS the Lord was borne, in the dayes of Herod, and suffered under the Government of Pontius Pilate, being Deputie of the Romans, and under the High Priest-hood of Caiphas, and was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve Apostles, and was Crucified at Hierusalem, and dyed after a true and naturall death, and His Body layed in the Sepulcher, the third day Hee raised Himselfe from the Bonds of Death, and arose, and shewed Himselfe to many chosen Witnesses, by the space of divers dayes; and in the end of those dayes in the sight of many He ascended into Hea­ven, where Hee continueth his Interces­sion, [Page 9]and shall come in His appoynted time in greatest Glorie for to judge the World.

That the sufferings and Merits of Christ as they are sufficient to doe away the sinnes of the whole World, so they are effectuall to such as are Regenerate by the Holy Ghost, who breatheth where Hee listeth of free Grace; which Grace, as a Seed incorrup­tible, quickneth the spirit of Man, and conceiveth him a new the sonne of GOD, and a member of CHRIST, so that CHRIST having Mans flesh, and Man having CHRISTS Spirit, there is an open passage, and Imputation whereby sinne and wrath is conveyed from Man to Christ; and Merit and Life is conveyed from Christ to Man, which Seed of the Holy Ghost first figureth in us the Image of CHRIST slaine, or Crucified in us in a Holy Faith, and then reneweth in us the Image of God in Holinesse and Righteousnesse, though both imperfectly, and in degrees farre dif­fering even in GODS Elect, as well in regard of the office of the Spirit, as the Illumination, which is more or lesse in a large proportion, as namely in the Church before CHRIST, which neverthelesse was partaker of one and the same salvation with us.

That the worke of the Spirit, though it bee not tyed to any meanes in Heaven, or in Earth, yet it is ordinarily dispensed by the preaching of the Word, and administra­tion of the Sacraments, the Covenants of the Fathers upon the Children, Payers, Reading, the Censures of the Church, the society of the godly, the crosse and afflicti­ons, Gods benefits, his judgements upon o­thers, his great Miracles, the Contemplati­on of his Creatures, all which (though some bee more principall) God useth as the meanes of Vocation and Conversion of his Elect, not derogating from his power to call imme­diately by his grace, and at all houres, and mo­ments of the day, that is, of mans life, accor­ding to his good pleasure.

That the Word of God, by which his Will is revealed, continued in revelation and tradi­tion, untill Moses, and that the Scriptures were from Moses time untill the time of the Apostles, and Evangelists, in whose age, after the com­ming of the Holy Ghost, the searcher of all trtuh, the Booke of the Scriptures is shut up, and closed, and cannot receive any new addition, and that the Church hath no power after the Scriptures to teach or command any thing con­trarie to the written Word; but is as the Arke wherein the Tables of the first Testament were kept and preserved; That is to say, the Church hath onely the custody and deliverie over of the [Page 11]Scriptures committed unto the fame together with the Interpretation of them; that there is an Vniversall, or Catholique Church of GOD dispersed over the face of the Earth, which is Christs Spouse, and Christs body beeing gathe­red of the Fathers of the old world of the Church of the Iewes, of the spirits of the faith­full dissolved, of the spirits of the faithfull mi­litant, and of the Names yet to bee borne, which are already written [...]n the Booke of Life,

That there is also a visible Church distinguish­ed by the outward workes of GODS Covenant, and the renewing of the holy doctrine with the use of the mysteries of GOD, and the Invoca­tion, and Sanctification of his holy name: that there is also an holy succession in the Prophets of the new Testament, and the Fathers of the Church from the time of the Apostles, and Disciples, which saw our Saviour in the flesh, unto the Consummation of the worke of the Ministerie, which persons are called of GOD by gift or Inward anoynting, and the vocation of GOD followed by an outward calling, and or­dination of the Church: I beleeve that the soules of those that dye in the Lord are blessed and rest from their labours, & enjoy the sight of God yet so as they are in farther expectation of their glory in the last day, at which time all fleshof man shall arise, and be chaunged, and shall appeare and receave from Iesus Christ eternall judgment, [Page 12]and the glory of the Saints shall then bee tull, and the Kingdome shall be given to God the Fa­ther, from which time all things shall continue for ever in that beeing, and estate which then they shall receive, so there are three times, if times they may bee called, or parts of Eter­nitie.

The first, the time before Beginning, when the God-head was without the being of any Creature.

The second, the time of the Mysterie, which continueth from the Creation to the Dissolu­tion of the world.

And the third, the time of the Revelation of the Saints of God; which time is the last, and is everlasting without change.