CHAP. I. Concerning the Holy SCRIPTURES.

SEeing Grace doth not destroy, but ex­alt Nature; therefore, as the Naturall inclination of the Will becomes subser­vient unto Charity, so doth the Natu­rall Reason of the Understanding become subservient unto Faith. Hence it is, Reason, argu­guing from Scripture for the Scriptures. that the holy Scriptures doe not only establish our Faith, but also instruct our 1 Pet. 3 15. Isa. 1 18. Eze. 18.25, 29. Reason; even furnishing us with arguments rationally to prove their Truth to be sacred, their Authoritie divine. The manner and method of arguing is this; Among all the Princi­ples of Naturall Divinity, there is none more firm, more evident, more universall then this, That 1 Ki. 18.21. Act. 17.23. Rom. 1 23, 25. God is to be worshipped.

§. 2. The true Knowledge of which God, The knowledge of God and his worship by Re­velation. and right form of whose Worship cannot be had, but by some John 1.18. Deut. 29.29. Revelation, (whereby he doth manifest him­selfe and declare his will) as the 2 Cor. 3.18. 2 Cor. 4.6. Glasse of his Divi­nity, [Page 2] and the Mat. 7.21. Isa 1 10, 12. Col 2.23. Mat. 5.9. Rule of his Worship. This Revelati­on either with the Jews or with the Christians. Now such a Reve­lation (upon Reason's strictest enquiry) is no where to be found, but either in the Jewish, or the Christian Church. The former tells us, they have committed to them the Rom 3.2. & chap 9.4. Oracles of God; the latter the Mar. 16.15. 1 Cor. 1.17. Gospel of Christ, and this Gospel as a 2 Cor 3 9. Mat. 5.17. Rom. 10 4. 2 Cor. 3 14. Heb 9 10. & chap. 10.1. cleerer light, in the full complement of those Oracles.

The Church of the Jewes en­quired into by Reason.§. 3. And here whilst we view the Jewish Sanctua­ry, Sacrifices, and Prophecies by the light of Reason, we see them plainly Joh. 5.39, 46 Lu. 10.23, 24. 1 Cor. 15 3, 4. look and lead unto Christ. For their Sanctuary and Sacrifices being Heb 9.1.10. Earthly and Car­nal, must needs (in the pure worship of that God, who is a John 4.24. Heb. 12.9. Isa 1 10, 12. &c. Heb. 1.5, 6, 7. spirit, and the Father of spirits) be the H [...]b. 8.4.5. ch. 9 9, 23, 24. Types and shadows of things Heavenly and Spiritual; so that as their Prophecies having their appointed time, either they are fulfilled, or they have expired; so their Sanctuary and Sacrifices being Types and sha­dowes, either they were vain, or they have vanished, and this in Christ the Col. 2.17. John 1.17. Substance of those shadows, and the John 1.45. Luke 24.27. Mat 1.22, 23. chap. 26.56. ch. 27.35. Luke 22 37. Joh. 19.36, 37. Subject of these Prophecies.

Reason leads from the Church of the Jews to the Church of the Christians.§. 4. For let the Jews search the several places and Ages of the World, they cannot finde a fulfilling of Gen. 49.10. Hag. 2.7.9. Gen. 3.15. Deut. 18 15. Isa 2.2. & 7.14. & 9.6, 7. Dan. 2.44, 45. Special Prophecies; nor can they give us an An­titype and substance for their Sanctuary and Sacrifices, but in the Person and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the promised Messiah. So that for the true and more full Knowledge of God, with the right and more pure form of his Worship, we are directed by the Dictate of Reason to the Church of Christ; With the Church of Christ is found the Word of God as the Rev [...]l [...]ti­on of his Will. 1 Tim. 3.15. which as the Pil­lar of Truth doth hold forth to us the Holy Scriptures, as the Rom. 3.2. Luke 1.70. 2. Cor. 2.17. chap. 4.2. 1 Thes. 2.13. word of God, delivered by the 2 Tim. 3.16 2 Pet. 1.21. 1 Cor. 2.13. Inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

§. 5. These Holy Scriptures are the writings of the Eph. 2.20. 2 Pet. 3.2. Prophets and Apostles in the books of the Old 2 Cor. 3.14. Testament and the New. The Word of God, the Holy Scriptures in the Books of the Old Testament and the New. The Original and Au­thentick edition of the former, according to the writings of Moses and the Prophets, is the Hebrew; [Page 3] and of the latter according to the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists, is the Greek. What Editions are Authentick That the Mo­ther language of the Jews; this the most common language of the Gentiles, who in a contradistinct no­tion to the Jews are therefore called 1 Cor. 23.24. Rom. 2.9, 10. Gal. 3.28. Greeks; and as the first edition of the Holy Scriptures were, Translations in the Vulgar tongue allowed. so the after translations ought to be in the Vulgar tongue, that they may be John 5.39. Col. 3.16. Acts 8.28. 1 Thes. 5.27. Rev. 1 3. read of all.

§. 6. The Apocrypha (signifying secret or hid, The Aprocry­pha why so cal­led. either, in respect of their Authors, being not certain­ly known; or their Authority not being publick­ly received) seeing we finde them not in the Hebrew, we acknowledge not as Canonical, to prove do­ctrines of faith, Why not Cano­nical. though profitable for instruction in moral duties. We receive those books onely to be of the Old Testament, The Old Te­stament recei­ved from the Jews. which were kept Luke 24.44. Sacred by the Jews, by an especial Providence and Rom 32. chap 9.4. Divine appointment made faithful Registers and Bibliothists to the Christian Church.

§. 7. And seeing the Church hath its Eph. 2.20. foundati­on fixt upon the Scriptures, The Authority of the Scrip­tures is not from the Church. the Scriptures cannot have their Authority derived from the Church; so that as not Joh. 5.33, 34. Christs Ministry, so nor doth Christ's Word receive its Weight or Worth, its Excellency or Authority, from the Testimony of Man. That the Lord Jesus Christ was Rom. 4 25. deliver'd for our offences, and raised again for our justification, we beleeve; what? because the Church doth so teach us? No, but be­cause the Rom. 10.17. Scriptures do so teach the Church.

§. 8. The Holy Scriptures being those 2 Cor. 5.18, 19, 20. Creden­tial letters, The Authority of the Church is from Christ by the Scrip­tu [...]es. which Christ the King of glory hath given to his Church, must necessarily have their Au­thority from their Author, which is Christ; and what Authority the Church hath from Christ, is convey'd and confirmed by the 1 Tim. 3.15. Scriptures; so that the Authority of the Scriptures, is far a­bove the Authority of the Church And though the [Page 4] Tradition of the Church doth declare the Authority of the Sciptures, yet doth it not give Authority to them; as the John 1.7.29 34. Testimony of John Baptist doth de­clare Christ to be the Messiah, yet doth not make him to be the Messiah by so declaring him.

The Tradition of the Church leadeth to the Scriptures.§. 9. Yea, in our believing the Scriptures to be the word of God; though true it is, the Church leadeth us unto the Scriptures, as the John 4.39. woman did the Samaritans unto Christ, by a Traditional re­port of their Divine excellency; yet having read them diligently, and faithfully Joh. 7.17, 18 observed the deep Mysteries, The excellency of the writings affect the mind. the sure Prophesies, the glorious Miracles, the purity of the Precepts, the harmony of the Parts, the efficacy of the Doctrines, the sincerity of the Writers, the plainnesse of the Style, with the Maje­sty of the Word; having observed these, it is through the convincing power of the John 14.17. spirit of Truth, The Spirit con­vinceth of the Truth. that we say to the Clurch, as the John 4.42. & 5 39. Samaritans did to the woman; Now we believe no more because of thy saying (of thy Tradition) for we our selves have read and know, that these Scriptures are indeed the word of God, and in them we have eternal life. A morall per­swasion from the Church, and the letter a di­vine belief from the Spirit.

§. 10. That the Scriptures then are the Word of God, we believe in a 1 John 5.9. John 16.13. 1 Cor. 2.10 12. 1 Joh. 2.20.27. moral perswasion from the outward Tradition of the Church, and the incom­parable excellency of the matter; but in a Divine Faith from the ^b inward Testimony of the Spirit.

§. 11. Indeed, though the Scriptures are a light, Psal. 119.105. 2 Pet. 1.19. yea the 2 Cor. 3.18. clear light of the Sun of Righteous­nesse; yet it is only to those who have their eyes o­pened. The brightest day appears not in it's glo­rious beauty to the blind, Why the Scrip­tures are not discernable by their own ligh [...] without the Spirit. nor the plainest Scripture in its Divine Truth to the 1 Cor. 2.14. unbelieving; and Faith being the Ephes. 2.8. Gift of God, none can believe, but to whom it is Luk. 8.10. given. Yea, were the Scrip­tures like the Sun, discernable by their own [Page 5] light, all should acknowledge them Divine, who read them written, or hear them preach'd; but the contrary practice confirms the contrary opinion, that seeing all do not receive them, it is by a 1 Cor. 2.15. pecu­liar Gift of the Spirit, that any do believe them, that they are the word of God.

§. 12. What, and from whence the Au­thority of the Scriptures. And believing these books of Holy Scrip­tures to be (as [...]) the word of God, we acknow­ledge them to be ( [...]) of soveraign and sacred Authority, for the proving, deciding, and determi­ning all Deut. 17.9, 10, 11. Isai. 8.20. Acts 17.2.11. 1 Cor. 15.3, 4. Gal. 1.8. controversies in Doctrines of Faith, contai­ning in them 2 Tim. 3.16, 17. Acts 20 27. all Truths necessary to Salvation, Their suffici­ency. Their perfe­ction. and as not being subject to Mark 12.24. error in themselves, nor to receive Joh. 10 35. 2 Pet. 1.19. Deut. 12.32. Prov. 30 5, 6. Rev. 22.18. Addition, or Diminution, or Change, by the Gal. 3.15. & 2.8. Authority of Men, or revelation of Angels.

§. 13. How the Rule of our faith. We say the Holy Scriptures are the 1 Thes. 5.21. 1 Joh. 4.1, 6. 2 John 9. Rom. 16.17. Ca­non and Rule of our Faith; and as a Rule hath its just measure inherent in it selfe, not depending upon the hand of the Artificer; so the Scriptures have their infallible truth inherent in themselves, not de­pending upon the judgement of the Church. And as when we speak of a Rule, we mean not the materiall wood, but the formall measure; so when we speak of the Scriptures, being the Rule of our Faith, we mean not the materiall Book, but the formall Truth, even the will of God revealed. And we expect not any more, nor any other Revelation as a Rule of faith or life, Such to the end of the world. but this to Heb. 1.1, 2 Mat, 28.20. 1 Cor. 11.26. 2 Thes. 2.8. continue to the end of the world.

§. 14. Prophesies and particular Revelations, Particular Re­velations not now to be expe­cted. they were to the Church as the light of the Moon and of the Stars to the world; of much use and benefit in the night, even in the darknesse of igno­rance, and dim light of Types and Figures; where­as the glory of the Gospel, like that of the Sun, it gives us a Noon-light of divine Truth; so that, now to expect particular Revelations in matters of faith, [Page 6] were to light a candle in the Sun; or to look for a Star at Noon. Doubtless this is the high way to 2 Thes. 2.10, 11, 12. 1 Tim. 4.1. 2 Thes. 2.1. Heresie, and gives advantage to Satan, 2 Cor. 11.13, 14. trans­formed into an Angel of light, the more easily to deceive, and the more dangerously to seduce.

What received as the Truth by the Church.§. 15. Whatsover is preach'd or taught, ex­press'd in the letter, or agreeable to the Analogy of the Holy Scriptures, we receive as Mal. 2.6. John 17.17. Acts 18.28. 2 Tim. 2.15. Truth; But what is opposite to, or dissenting from them, we reject as Acts 17.11. Mark 12.24. error. And what things are indifferent in their own nature, as being neither directly ex­press'd in the word, nor necessarily deduc'd from it, nor any way opposite to the word, or incon­sistent with it, those things we acknowledge left to the Prudence of Governours, What left to the Prudence of Governors, and to what end. for the preservation of 1 Cor. 11.16. chap. 14.26, 33, 40. Heb. 13.17. Philip. 2.14. Order and Unity in the Church; which things, indifferent in their nature, by the com­mand of lawful Authority, do become necessary in their use.

In what the Scriptures are plain, and in what hard to be understood.§. 16. And seeing the Holy Scriptures though in most texts they are Deut. 30.11, 14. Psal. 19.7, 8. 2 Tim. 3.15. 1 Cor. 3.1, 2. Psal. 119.105. 2 Cor. 4.3, 4. clear, yet in many they are 1 Cor. 2.6, 7. 2 Pet. 3.16. obscure; Though in Truths absolutely necessa­ry to salvation, they are easie, yet in mysteries ex­cellently profitable for edification, they are dif­ficult to be understood; Therefore for the true Interpretation of Scripture, How to be In­terpreted. we admit the judge­ment of the Church, as a trusty Guide, and the o­pinion of the Learned as a rational Argument; but we approve the Scripture it self as an 2 Pet. 1.20. infalli­ble Rule; clearing those texts which are dark and doubtful, What the Ana­logy of Faith. by those places which are more plain and evident, being careful to keep close to the Rom. 12.6. Phil. 3.16. A­nalogy of Faith, which doth consist in those Prin­ciples of Christianity, which are clearly set forth in Scripture, and generally received of the Church. A Sum whereof we have in those short Confessi­ons of Faith, call'd the Apostles Creed, Athanasius [Page 7] Creed, and the Nicene Creed, together with the Deca­logue, the Lords Prayer, and the Doctrine of the Sa­craments.

§. 17. The duty of Christians in the use of the Scriptures. And that every true Christian may be throughly furnished with Knowledge unto works of Holiness and Righteousness, it is his duty diligent­ly to Joh. 5 39. 2 Pet. 1.19. Luke 16.29. search the Scriptures, and to Deu. 5 32, 33 John 13.17. Jam. 1.22, 25. conform his judgment and conversation according to their rule and direction: Their fulness of heavenly Do­ctrine. They being the Heavenly Store-house from whence the Church of Christ is furnish'd with all spiritual Luke 4.4. Heb. 5 12, 13, 14 1 Pet. 2.2. Provision of sound Doctrine, whether it be in matters of Faith or Manners; 2 Tim. 3.16. Profitable they are ( [...]) for Doctrine and Instructi­on in what concerns God and Christ, Creation and Redemption, Sin and Grace, Death and Life, Mi­sery and Blessedness: ( [...]) for Argument and Conviction, in discovering and refuting Error, in discerning and confirming Truth: ( [...]) for Correction and Reformation, How a perfect form of Insti­tution. in what concerns Minde and Manners, the inward and the outward Man, in thoughts, in words, and in works; and of these Three doth consist the Apostles perfect ( [...]) form of institution in Righte­ousness.

CHAP. II. Concerning God in the Unity of Essence.

§. 1. AS the Sun is in it self most visible, Why the Nature of God is not to be comprehended by the understan­ding of Man. so is God in himself most intelligible; and there­fore that the Sun dazeleth the eye, and God the understanding, it is from the abundance of glory in both, in respect of our weakness to see, and insuffi­ciency to apprehend; so that our defect of Knowledge [Page 8] in the nature of God, is not so properly from the excellency of the object, as from the deficiency of the faculty; our John. 1.18. understanding being too narrow to comprehend the incomprehensible Essence of the God-head; as whatsoever is finite must needs be too short either to reach, How the incom­prehensible God is apprehended by faith. or to fathom that which is in­finite. Wherefore God dwelling in that 1 Tim. 1.1. & 6.16. light of glorious Excellency, and inaccessible glory, which no eye of humane Reason can approach, or enter; we not being able to Psal. 136.6. & 145.3. Exod. 33.20.23. 1 Cor. 13.12. comprehend him in a full know­ledge, have some apprehensions of him by a divine faith, as he hath Deut. 29.29. John. 1.18. revealed himself to us in his word.

§. 2. By which Eph. 1.13. Word of Truth, we beleeve God to be a john. 4 24. Spirit of Psa. 148.13. incomprehensible glory; who is in Scripture describ'd unto us, How God is de­scribed in Scrip­ture. by his Names, and by his Attributes; (describ'd, not defin'd; for there is no Name nor Attribute which can give us an ade­quate signification of God in his Essence. The Names of God.) His Names, especially Jehovah, and Shaddai; His name Exod. 6.3. Isa. 42.8. Jeho­vah declares him to be Exod. 3.14.15. a God absolute in his Es­sence; and his name Shaddai, Gen. 17.1. a God al-sufficient in his fulness.

§. 3. So that from the Names of God wee beleeve him to be an absolute and an infinite Spirit, having his being in himselfe, who as Adonai, Deut. 4.39 Col. 1.16. Nehem. 9 6. sole Lord of heaven and earth, The descripti­on of God ac­cording to his names. Further descri­bed by his At­tributes. The first and principall. giveth and preserveth being to all his creatures; whatsoever is (extra deum) without Acts 17.24.25.28. Phil. 2.13. 1 Cor. 8.6. God depending upon God, in essence and subsistence; in faculty and operation; in habite and in act.

§. 4. But God is further describ'd unto us by his Attributes, of which the first and principall are these, that he is most 1 Joh. 1.5. simple (without any the least composition) Exod. 3.14. absolute, and Psal. 145. infinite, having all fulnesse Psal 36.9. Heb 10 31. of life, Dan 4.34. Job 22 2.3. Psal. 16.2. Rom. 11.35. perfection, and 1 Tim. 1.11. & 6.15. blessednes in him­selfe. And God being simple in his essence, he is also Mal 3.6. Jam. 1.17. immutable in his nature; being absolute, he is also Exod. 6.3 4 all sufficient; and being infinite, he is also 1 Kin. 8.27. in­comprehensible, [Page 9] Jer. 23.2.4. omnipresent, and Psal. 90.2. eternal.

§. 5. Why incom­municable to the creatures. All which Attributes are so proper unto God, that they are Isa. 4.28. incommunicable to the crea­tures, their contrary being found in al the creatures, as depending upon him who is absolute, subject to change by him who is immutable, comprehended by him who is incomprehensible, receiving their mea­sure from him who is infinite; their place from him who is omnipresent, and their beginning from him who is eternal.

§. 6. The Attributes communicable to the creatures. But the knowledge of God whereby he is Heb. 4 13. omniscient; the power of God whereby he is Psal. 91.1. om­nipotent; the Exod. 34.6. Isa. 6.3. Goodness and Truth, Mercy and Justice, &c. in all which he is infinite, How communi­cable. are Attributes communicable to the creatures; not in Essence, but by Analogy, according to that impress of Divinity which God hath stamp'd uppon Angels, and Men, either by Acts 17 28. Nature, or by 1 Pet. 1.4. Grace, or by 1 Cor. 15.42, 43, 44. Glory.

§. 7. God's essential attributes his one intire Es­sence. All the essential Attributes of the God­head are not so many several qualities or accidents in God, But the Eph. 4 6. 1 John 1.5. and 4.5. one very entire Essence of God; His omniscience, omnipotence, How distingui­shed. and other his Sacred Attributes, not being distinguished one from ano­ther really in Gods nature; but onely formally in our conceptions; for though as they are conceived by us they seem diverse and different Attributes; yet 1 Cor. 15.28. 1 John 1.5. in God they are but one most single and pure Act; Which single Act in God is diversly exprest to us in different Names, because of our weakness, who cannot in any measure conceive of it, Why diversly express'd in dif­ferent names. but in diffe­rent notions: And thus though the Act be one in God as the Agent, and the Attributes one with God in his Nature, yet are they said to be diverse accor­ding to the diversity of the Objects and Effects which are without God in his Essence.

§. 8. Thus there is but one God; and impossi­ble [Page 10] it is there should be many gods; for seeing it is absolutely necessary, Why there can be but one God. that he who is God have all perfection of being in himself; to make many gods, were to make them all imperfect, and so they can be no gods. To allow of Polutheism (then) is to ad­mit of Atheism; he cannot worship any God, who acknowledgeth many gods; seeing there can be but One most perfect, as but One first Mover, one first efficient. How One sin­gle, pure, and perfect. And this One God, is Deut. 6.4. Isa. 45.5. 1 Cor. 8.4. Jam. 2.19. one, single, pure, and perfect Being; 2 Cor. 3.17. 1 Tim. 6.16. single without parts, 1 Sam. 15.29 Hos. 11.9. pure without passions, Mat. 5.48. 1 John 1.5. perfect without infirmi­ties.

§. 9. So that when in sacred Scripture God is said to have Psal. 34.15. eyes, and Heb 10.31. hands; to be Psal. 7.11. angry, and Eph. 4 36. grieved; to Psal. 44.22. sleep, and Psal. 44.22. awake, or the like; These we so understand as spoken ( [...]) after the manner of men, Why said to have eyes and hands, to be an­gry and grieved, &c. according to our capacity of conceiving, that we might in some measure truly apprehend that in a divine analogy to be done of God, which we see and know to be done of men, who indeed have eyes and have hands, are angry and are grieved, He admits no bo­dily likeness. do sleep and do awake. The in­corporeal Isa. 40.18. & 46.5. Rom. 1.23. Deut. 4.15, 16. Col. 1.15. God is not to be imagined like any thing that is visible and bodily.

CHAP. III. Concerning God in the Trinity of Persons.

What the know­ledg of God from a natural sight.§. 1. THE Knowledg of God which is from the Rom. 1 19, 20 light of Nature, doth take it's rise from sense, and can ascend no higher then it is supported, nor go any further then it is led by sensible objects; which give us no clearer Knowledg of God, then the effects do of their cause; [Page 11] namely, that He is, and that He is not such as they are; but far excelling them in Essence and in At­tributes; as not being compounded, not depending, not finite, not mutable, and the like; But the Know­ledg of God which is from a Supernatural light, What from a light Superna­tural. that is meerly by divine Joh. 1.18. Exod. 33.23. Revelation; as that God is the Eph. 1.2, 3. Mat. 6.9. Father of Christ, and of his Church, the Gen. 15.1. Heb. 11.6. Reward of the Faithful, the Psal. 68.20. Isa, 12.2. Jer. 3.23. Salvation of Israel, and the like. Yea, such is our Knowledg of God (through the apprehension of Faith) in the Glori­ous Mystery of the Blessed Trinity; whereby we be­leeve the same God which is Deut. 6.4. Isa. 45.5. 1 Cor. 8.4.6. One in nature or be­ing, Who are the three Persons, and what a Per­son is. is also Gen. 1.26. and 11.7, 8. Isa. 6.3. & 63. ver. 7, 9, 10. Mat. 3.16, 17. and 28.19. 2 Cor. 13 14. 1 John 5.7. Three in Persons or manner of subsist­ing, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: which Three Per­sons do not divide the Unity into parts, but distin­guish the Trinity by their properties.

§. 2. A finite Ʋnder­standing not pos­siby able to com­prehend this infi­nite mystery. And here we acknowledg it impossible that a finite understanding should comprehend that mystery which is infinite in its Glory; and therefore when the minde soars high to conceive the truth of the Unity, it is dazled with the glory of the Trinity; and when it would conceive the mystery of the Tri­nity, it is overcome with the glory of the Unity. And to illustrate this mystery with instances is to shadow out the light with colours; Not to be illu­strated by any Instances. though the in­stances are that of the same Sun in its body, beams and light; the same water in its fountain, spring, and river; yea the same soul in its understanding, memory, and will.

§. 3. This is as high as Reason will reach, The highest pitch of Reason's apprehension. God is an infinite being, having in himself a power to be, which begets a Knowledg that he is, and from both proceeds a love of that knowledg and power of be­ing; This infinite Being is equal and one in all these Relations, yet the Relations distinguish'd in them­selves, as distinct manners of the Beings subsistence. Thus the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three distinct [Page 12] subsistences of one infinite Essence; three distinct Per­sons of one eternal Godhead; the Father as the power of the Godhead, begets the Son; the Son, as the wis­dom of that Godhead, is begotten of the Father; and the Holy Ghost, as the Love of both, proceeds from the Father and the Son. And as that power never was without that knowledge, nor that power and knowledg without that love; so nor ever was the Fa­ther without the Son, nor the Father and the Son without the Holy Ghost. And as that Knowledge is equal to the Power, and the Love equal to both; so the Son is equal to the Father, and the Holy Ghost equal to the Father and the Son.

§. 4. Now though Reason cannot instruct us to know what is hid, Reason direct­ing to Faith. yet it doth direct us to beleeve what is revealed concerning this mystery. For what more reasonable then this, that what we can­not attain by a Natural Knowledge, we should re­ceive by a Divine Faith, when revealed unto us by God in his Word? Which Word teacheth us, What and how a Trinity of Per­sons in the Ʋnity of the Godhead. that the three Persons in the Godhead are not three parts of God, but John 10.30. 1 Tim. 1.17. One onely God. The Eph. 1.3. 1 Pet. 1.3. Father God, the John 1.1. Heb. 1.2, 3. 1 John 5 10. Son God, and the Acts 5.3, 4. Holy Ghost God; and yet not Isa. 6.3. Rev. 4.8. three Gods, but one God; all the three Per­sons being Gen. 1.26. John 5.18. Phil. 2.6. Coessential and Coequal.

§. 5. That the Son is God, The Son God, and the Holy Ghost God, firmly proved. and the Holy Ghost is God, is made evident to the eye of Faith, from these testimonies of sacred Scriptures, which give them the Jer. 23.6. 1 John 5.6. Rom. 9 5. Acts 28.25. Tit. 2.13. 1 Cor. 3.16. Proper Names, the Isa. 9.6. Heb. 9.14. Phil. 3.21. Psal. 13.9 7. John 21.17. 1 Cor. 2.10, 11 Essential Attri­butes, 2 Cor. 13 14. the Heb. 1 23. Job 26.13. and 33.4. Eph. 4.8.11. 1 Cor. 12.11. Mat. 12.28. John 6.54. Rom 8.11. Divine operations, and the H b 1.6. 1 Cor 6.19. Psal. 2.12. Eph. 4.30. Mat 28.19. Holy wor­ship of God.

§. 6. In this Trinity the Godhead is not divided, How the Persons are distinguished but the Persons are distinguished; the Godhead is not divided in it's essence, but the Isa. 61.1. John 8.16, 17, 18. John 14.26. and 15.26. Persons distinguished by their properties; The Psal. 2.7. Heb. 1.5. Father begetting, the John 1.14. Heb. 1.6. Son begotten, and the John 15.26. Gal. 4.6. Holy Ghost proceeding; which properties do not make them different Beeings, [Page 13] but one and the same Being in a diverse manner of subsisting. God begetting is the Father; God be­gotten is the Son, and God proceeding is the Holy Ghost. Again, the Father is God begetting the Son; the Son is God begotten of the Father; and the Holy Ghost is God proceeding from both the Father and the Son.

§. 7. Though the Word Trinity and Person are not found literally exprest, How Trinity and Person are found in Scrip­ture. yet are they found plain­ly implyed in Text of Mat. 28.19. John 14.16. Ephes. 2.18. sacred Scripture. Yea, see­ing St. John doth tell us of God, that he 1 John. 5.7. is Three, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; who shall question the word Trinity (numerus numeratus) in the abstract, who reads the word Three (numerus numerans) in the concrete? Which Three bearing record, most firm it is by a Trinity of testimonies, which doth plainly intimate a Trinity of subsistences; What a Subsi­stence is. and what a subsistence is, St. Paul resolves us, when he saith of the Son, that he is Heb. 1.3. ( [...]) the express Image of his Fathers Subsistence; where the word Subsistence doth truly, and fully, and clearly signifie the Divine Essence with it's per­sonal property.

§. 8. Mat. 28.19. John 5.26. The Father is the first Person, How the Father is the first Person not in pri­ority of Dignity or of time, but of Order as being the fountain of the Trinity, Joh. 10, 30, 38. Mat. 11.27. Joh. 16.14, 15. Communicating (not alienating from himself) the whole Nature and Essential Attributes of the Godhead to the Son, and with the Son to the Holy Ghost. So that the Father hath the whole Essence and Attributes of the God­head in himself, nd from none other; the John 5.26. and 6.63. Rom. 8.12. Son hath the whole Essence and Attributes of the Godhead in himself, but from the Father; and the Holy Ghost hath the whole Essence and Attributes of the God­head in himself, but from the Father and the Son. Thus the Person of the Son is (in the Unity of Es­sence) begotten of the Heb. 1.3. Person of the Father; and [Page 14] the Person of the Holy Ghost is (in the unity of the same essence) proceeding from the Person of the Father, and of the Son; This divine Essence and Godhead is [...], neither begetteth, nor is begot­ten; How each Per­son is [...]. neither proceedeth, nor is proceeding; so that each Person of the Godhead is ( [...]) God sub­sisting in himself; which subsisting doth imply, with the unity of the Essence, ( [...]) the man­ner of existence.

How the Essence and Attributes. of the Godhead are communica­ted.§. 9. As the Father is God Deut. 33.27. eternal, so the Son is God Isa. 9.6. eternal, and the Holy Ghost is God Heb. 9.14. eternal; And as the Father is God Psal. 91.1. Almighty, so the Son is God Rev. 1.8. Almighty, and the Holy Ghost is God Rom. 8.11. Luke 1 35. Al­mighty; and thus also in the other Attributes of the Deity, they are all equally and fully John 16.15. Isa. 53.8. communi­cated in an eternal Generation, from the Father to the Son; and in an Psal. 33.6. Luke 1.35. eternal Spiration, from the Fa­ther, and the Son to the Holy Ghost.

The properties of the Persons in­communicable.§. 10. But though the essential Attributes of the Godhead are communicable to all the Persons, yet the several properties of the Persons are incommuni­cable to each other of themselves; so that the Son cannot be said to beget, nor the Father to be begot­ten, nor the Holy Ghost to be begotten, or begetting, but proceeding.

CHAP. IV. Concerning God's Knowledg.

How God know­eth all things.§. 1. GOD being a simple and absolute Es­sence, (simple without any compositi­on, absolute without any dependance) Psa. 33.13.14. knoweth all things, not by any faculty or habit, but by Psal. 147.5. One eternal, indivisible, and unchangeable act [Page 15] in himself, without any succession of priority or po­steriority, past, or to come; to whose eye all things are Heb 4 13. naked and 2 Pet. 3.8. present, according to the Acts 15 18. omni­science of his nature, and the Acts 15 18. eternity of his being Here we must not expect to give or receive any Rom. 11.33. 1 Cor. 8.2. ful or clear knowledg of God; but such as is incumbred with many imperfect notions, whilst we endeavour to Isa. 40.18.28 apprehend or represent so lofty a Majesty in our low conceptions.

§. 2. God's fore-knowledg how and what it is. The Scriptures speaking according to our capacity of conceiving, do tell us of God's fore-knowledg, whereby it is, that he Psa. 139 2, 14. Acts 2.23. Isa. 45.21. beholdeth afar off (already determined in the councel of his will) what is future in the existence of its being. And things are not therefore future, because God fore-knows them, but he therfore fore-knows them; be­cause they are future. For if God's fore-knowledg had an effective power, all things must needs have been from eternity in their existence; being Pro 8.22, 23. Acts. 15.18. eter­nally fore-known of God in his decree: yea, Not the cause of things, and why. if God's fore-knowledg were the cause of things, then were he the cause of all he fore-knows; and if the cause of all he fore-knows, then were he the cause of sin; which is as opposite to God, as Psal. 5.4. 2 Cor. 6.14. hell to heaven, or darkness to light.

§. 3 God's knowledg and will being equally absolute and eternal; How all things depend upon God's Will pre-ordaining not his Knowledg fo e-seeing. he must needs know in himself from before all time, what he Ephes. 1.11. wills in himself to be in time; and hereby the creatures depend upon his will, pre-ordaining them to be; not upon his knowledg, fore-seeing them in their being; Yet God's fore-knowledg de­pends not upon the creatures fu­ture existence. yet as the creatures future existence doth not de­pend upon God's fore-knowledg, so, nor doth God's fore-knowledg depend upon the creatures future ex­istence; Before and after, past & to come relate not to God. he fore-knowing them as they are Ephes. 1.9. in him their proper cause, not as they are Rom. 11.36. from him in their own nature.

[Page 16]§. 4. It is by one and the same Act that God doth know all things before and after they have their beeing; which before and after doth not relate unto God, But in the creature. but unto the Creatures; and the change of Exod. 3.14. Psal. 102.24. &c. Acts 1.7. past and to come, is not at all in him, but alto­gether in them; which is thus very aptly, though not enough fully illustrated. This aptly illu­strated. A man standing upon an high mountain, doth behold in the valley beneath several persons passing and repassing, some before, and some after another; all which are present to the single view of his eye. Thus God seated on the high mountain of his Isa. 57.15. eternity, looking Psa. 33.13.14. & 113.6. down upon the low valley of time; he doth behold his several creatures, one before and after another, but all Isa. 44.6. present to the intuition of his knowledge; so that there is no future in respect of eternity, but Eccles. 3.1. Jer. 6.16. Psal. 77.5. 1 John 2.18. Eccles. 1.4. past, and to come, are the parts and properties of time, in the relation of one creature to another, in the suc­cession of their beings.

God knowing things to come, and past, doth it in one and the same act of Knowledge.§. 5. That God did know the world should be created, and since doth know that the world hath been created, is by one and the same knowledge in God, though it be not one and the same truth in the propositions; that being altered according to the change in the creatures existing, without any Jam 1.17. change or alteration in the Creator's knowing their exi­stence; This act eter­nal. who knows them by an eternal act, which admits no succession of time: There may be, and is a Eccles. 9.11. Heb. 1.10, 11, 12 change in the creatures; So no change in God. but neither is, nor Mal. 3.6. Heb. 1.12. & 13, 8. Rev. 1.8. can be in God, who doth not receive either addi­tion or diminution of Nature, or of Attributes, by the creation or annihilation, the salvation or de­struction of any; And that God now doth what before he did not, is nothing else, but that begin­ning to be which before was not; and so the change is in the effect, not in the efficient: yea, seeing a mutability of Knowledge is inconsistent with an [Page 17] eternity of Being; it must needs be, that God knows the several changes in the creatures, without any change in his Knowledg.

§. 6. No contingen­cy in respect of of God's fore-knowledg. Though God's fore-knowledg doth not cause a necessity of being, yet all things must Acts 2, 23. & 15.18. ne­cessarily be as he fore-knows them; so that there is no Numb. 35.22, 23. Prov. 16.33. contingency in respect of God the primary cause; contingency being a part of his creation, and founded in secondary causes; whereby it is, Yet in the secon­dary causes. that both these propositions are true; All things are infallibly necessary in God's fore-knowledg; and some things are meerly contingent in their causes.

§. 7. Sure we are, All future events are fore-known of God. nothing can be but what God wills, and his will doth not decree without his knowledg, nor effect without his power; so that impossible it is, that any thing can be besides his knowledg foreseeing, any more then without his power producing, or his will determining. All fu­ture Psal. 135.6. Prov. 21.1. Acts 18 21. 1 Cor. 4.19. Jam. 4.15. Rev. 17.17. effects then, and events whatsoever, being within the compass of God's will, they must needs be within the circumference of his fore-knowledg; His fore-know­ledg infallible. which being certain and infallible, nothing can be to him (though never so much in it self) uncertain and contingent. And sure, needs must God's fore-knowledg be infallible, seeing his will is inde­pendent.

§. 8. The fore-knowledg of God, How applied un­to the Elect in Scripture. besides the Acts 2.23. determination of his will, doth also signifie (in the language and notion of the sacred Scriptures) an Rom. 8.29. 1 Pet 1.2. approbation of his love, and so is more pecu­liarly applied unto his Rom. 8.29. 1 Pet 1.2. elect, as Exod. 33 17. Mat 7.23. 2 Tim. 2.19. knowledg is unto his Saints; denoting his gratious love to them, and tender care over them, for their safety and salva­tion.

CHAP. V. Concerning God's Will.

God's Will one, and absolutely free.§. 1. THE Will of God, whereby he is most properly ( [...]) absolutely free in himself, it is but one, as being his very Essence, which admits neither 1 John 1.5. composition, not Isa. 45.6. division; yet (because we speak of the things of God, after the manner of men, wanting thoughts to conceive, Distinguish'd in­to his will secret and revealed; of sign, and of good pleasure. and words to express otherwise of him) we distinguish the will of God into his Deut. 29.29. Rom. 11.34. Col. 1.9. se­cret will, and his revealed will; his will of signe, and his will of good pleasure; which are one and the same will under diverse and distinct no­tions.

What this secret will.§. 2. His secret will (which is alwaies his will of good pleasure, though his will of good pleasure is not alwaies secret) that being hid from our eye, we are in humility to attend, not in curiosity to enquire. What his re­vealed will. His revealed will (which is alwaies his will of signe, as his will of signe is alwaies his will revea­led) that being the Rom. 12.2. Ephes. 1.9. Col. 4.12. object of faith, and the Mat. 6.10. and 7.21. 1 Thes. 4.3. Heb. 13.21. rule of life. We are with diligence to John 5.39. search, and with faithfulness to Rom. 6.17. obey.

The Will of God's good pleasure, hath it's reason, not it's cause.§. 3. the will of God's good pleasure, whether secret or revealed, hath it's divine Isa. 1.18. Ezek. 18.25, 29 reason, but not it's proper Isa. 40.13. cause, being perfect and absolute in its self; indeed, impossible it is, that the Prime Cause of all, should it self be caused of any; seeing nothing can be Isa. 43.10. before it, as being eternal; nothing Exod. 18.11. John 10.29. greater then it, as being infinite. As God's wil then cannot be said to be without reason; for it is the determination of his understanding; so of God's will, there can­not be said to be any cause, for then it should it self be determined by some other, and so [Page 19] God not absolute and independent in himself.

§. 4. God's glory the final cause of what he wil's but not of his will. The manifestation of God's Psal. 8.1. Isa. 6.3. Ephes. 1.12. and 3.16. glory is the final cause of the creatures being, but not of his divine volition; the end of what he wills, but not of his will; He wills one thing for another, yet is not any thing the cause (though the reason) of his so willing them. For that, he doth determine the end and the means in one act of his will, as he doth know the cause and the effect in one act of his un­derstanding. He wills the end and the means, and the means for the end; yet seeing all are external to him in his essence, he cannot be internally mov'd by them in his will. How the im­pulsive cause of God's will to be understood in Theology. So that when the Orthodox speak of any impulsive or moving cause of God's will, it is an accommodating the mystery to our ca­pacity, and a fitting their expressions to our weak Heb. 5.11.12. apprehensions.

§. 5. The Execution of God's will a [...] ­mits several cau­ses; the volition not any. What the voliti­on, and what the execution is. There may be many causes of the Executi­on of God's will, which doth consist in the tempo­ral effects; but none of the volition of God's will, which is an eternal act. The Eph. 1.9.11. volition of God's will is an immanent act, eternally residing in him­self; the Luke 2.14. 1 Thes. 4 3. Jam. 1.18. execution of his will a transient act, tem­porally terminated in the creature; of that there can be no cause; of this there are several causes, instrumental and final.

§. 6. Thus the preaching of the word, is instru­mental to Rom. 10 17. and 16.26. faith and obedience; faith and obedi­ence instrumental to this subordinate end, the Ephes. 2.8. Heb. 5.9. sal­vation of the elect; and the salvation of the elect instrumental to this the utmost end, the manifesta­tion of God's Ephes. 1.12. glory; which end is communicated of God unto his elect, not Psal. 16.2. acquired by his elect un­to himself; for that, as he is a God Exod. 3.14. Indepen­dent, so he is a God Gen. 17.1. Alsufficient. Thus there are several causes of Salvation decreed by God's will, final and instrumental; but no cause of God's will [Page 20] decreeing Salvation, neither instrumental, nor final, both being within the compass of his decree, and therefore not beyond the circumference of his will, to be the cause of his volition.

God wills not sin, and why.§. 7. God wills all things, but sin, which hath no efficient, but deficient cause, and therefore the cause thereof cannot be God; True it is, all evil is founded in that which is good, and so sin cannot be but in some faculty, or habit, or action, which thereby is denominated sinful. No doubt then, God Act 4.27, 28. wills the action which is sinful, but not the Psal. 5.4. Habak. 1.13. pravity of the action which is the sin; He wills the action as a natural good, and ordered by him to a greater good, but the ataxy or anomy of the action, that he doth not will, but permit; or at most, he doth but will the permission; For he can­not be said effectually to will, what he doth actually forbid and punish.

The purpose of God's will doth not abolish, but establish the li­berty of man's will.§. 8. Besides, the purpose of God's will doth not take away the Levit. 1 3. Dan. 11 3. Phil. 2.13. Psal. 40.8. liberty of man's will, no more then the certainty of his fore-knowledg doth take away the contingency of events: rather indeed, that purpose doth confirm this Liberty, and that certainty this contingency; for that thereby he ma­keth good the liberty which he hath given, and the contingency which he hath made; accommodating the concurrence of his power and will, according to the nature of the Agents which himself hath created, and that constitution of the causes which himself hath established; wherefore though the purpose of God's will doth exclude every act and event, which is contrary to it, yet can it not be said to destroy the liberty of man's will (even to that contrary act) which is altogether consistent with it, What the Ne­cessity of Being, from the immu­tability of God's will. yea, establish'd by it. And thus, what ne­cessity of Being is caus'd by the immutability of God's Will, is only a conditional necessity, upon this [Page 21] supposition that God wills it: And because what God wills in his ordinary Providence, is according to that order which he hath established in the se­condary causes; therefore the Necessity of Being, which flows from the immutability of God's will, doth not destroy the contingency of Events, or the liberty of Agents.

§. 9. How God's se­cret wil becomes revealed by his word, and by his works. The secret will of God's good pleasure is the first and Psal. 135.6. Eph 1.11. Rev. 4.11. chief cause of all things, Num. 23.19. Psal. 102.27. unchange­able and Rom. 9.19. irresistable; which when God is pleased to reveale unto man, he doth it by the signification either of his word, or of his works. His works de­clare his will in their events; and his word, that signifies his good pleasure, by Prophesies, by Pre­cepts, by Promises, and by Threatnings. How God's word is called his will. God's word is called his will ( [...]) figuratively; as the sign is put for the thing signified; his word being the sig­nification, or 1 Thes. 2 13. Rom. 1.16.17. 1 Cor. 2.10. revelation of his will, in what he hath thereby determined, and decreed.

§. 10. Such is the sweet Psal. 119.160 John 5.32. 2 Cor. 4.2. 1 Tim 3 15. Rev. 19 9. harmony; How they agree in a sweet har­mony. and firm consent of the sign with the thing signified; the revelation of God's word with the determination of God's will; that they admit not the least jar of discord, without a manifest violation of the sinceri­ty and truth of God himself; wherefore to pre­serve that harmony, and prevent this discord, S [...] to be inter­preted, as that the harmony be perserv'd. it must be our care so to Mat. 9.13. 2 Pet 1.20. interpret the right meaning of his word, that it agree with the true intent of his minde, and purpose of his will; least otherwise we make God seem to contradict himself or deceive his people.

§. 11. If God should will any thing by his will of sign, which he doth not will by his will of good pleasure, he should plainly contradict himself, and destroy the the truth of his word; wherefore seeing God doth certainly Tit. 1.2. Heb. 6.18. intend in his will, what he reveals in his word; we must observe rightly to in­terpret, [Page 22] that his Revelation to a declaring what he truly intends, How God's re­vealed will a­grees with that of his good pleasure, when he wills all men to be holy. not what we 2 Cor. 2.17. 2 Pet. 3.16. falsly conceive. As when God, by the precept of his revealed will, and will of signe, doth require all men to be Lev. 21.2. and 20, 7. holy; we must not conclude it the purpose of his secret will, or will of good pleasure, that all men be holy; For that, experience, and other parts of Psal 14 3. 2 Tim. 3.13. Scripture, too sufficiently testifie, that all are not holy; which yet necessarily they should be, or a contradiction must be in his revealed will, if that were the in­tent of his good pleasure, which is ever Psal. 135.6. Rom. 9.19. effective in what he wills. Wherefore, when God by the Precept of his revealed will, requires all men to be holy; it is the purpose of his good pleasure that men be thereby Deut. 30.11, 14.15. admonished of their duty, and ob­liged to his Law.

Where also he commands A­braham to sa­crifice his Son Isaac.§. 12. Again, we read that God gave Abra­ham a command, saying, Gen 22.2. Take thy Son, thine onely Son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a burnt-offering. If we say, God here purposed Isaac's sacrificing (as the words seem to signifie) we shall make a change in Gods secret will, to avoid a con­tradiction in his will revealed; whereas if the true meaning of Gods word be applyed to the right purpose of his will, the harmony is sweet; and it is thus: when God gave Abraham the Command, Take thy Son, and offer him for a burnt-offering; the purpose of his good pleasure revealed in that precept of his word, was to put Abraham upon the service, by obliging him to the duty; which he intended for the testimony, and Heb. 11.17. trial of Abra­ham's faith, not for the death or sacrifice of his Son; which not till afterward he revealed unto Abraham by the voice of the Angel, calling to him, and saying, Gen. 22.11. Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not [Page 23] withheld thy Son, thine onely Son from me.

§. 13. How the promi­ses and threat­nings in God's revealed will, which are con­ditional, d [...] a­gree with God, secret will, which is absolute. Whereas God's revealed will in his pro­mises and threatnings runs Isa. 1.19, 20. Mark 16.16. conditionally, yet is his will of good pleasure, signified in the true meaning of those conditions, absolute; which is, to declare unto men the effectual means, whereby his promi­ses are obtained, and his threatnings avoided in them that are saved; even a performing those con­ditions prescribed; And the demeritorious cause for which his promises are null'd, and his threat­nings executed in them that perish, even a contempt of those conditions required.

§. 14. What the true meaning of the conditions de­clared. So that it is not the meaning of the con­ditions in God's word, to signifie any conditions in God's will, but that God wills them to be condi­tions; intended, and so revealed, as Gal. 2.8. Ephes. 3.7. means effectu­al to that end he hath appointed them for; even the obtaining the blessings promised, and the avoi­ding the judgments threatned. And thus his re­vealed will doth not at all oppose that which is se­cret, not his will of signe, that of his good pleasure; but the Analogy stands good in both, without con­tradiction in Gods will, or deception in God's word, and thereby a violation of both.

CHAP. VI. Concerning God's Decrees, Power, and Manner of working.

§. 1. GOD, who is the primary Cause, God the primary Cause, and su­preme Agent in his Ʋnderstan­ding, Will, and Power. and supreme Agent, as he hath in himself a principle of 1 Sam. 2.3. Job. 37.16. Psal. 94.10. knowledg, and Gen. 1.26. Isa 40.13, 14. direction, his Psal. 147 5. understanding a princi­ple of 2 Cro. 25.16 Acts. 2.23. determination and Lev. 25.21. Psal. 44 4. command, his Ephes. 1.5. Jam. 1.18. will; [Page 24] so likewise a principle of Psal. 28.5. and 135.6. Isa 28 29. operation and executi­on, and that's his Job 37.23. Psal. 62.11. power. His understanding di­rects his will, his will actuates his power: Again, his Isa. 46.10. will determines his understanding, What his De­cree. and his power executes his will. God willing what he knows, that by an immanent act is his Rom. 8.28. and 9.11. Eph 1, 9. decree, residing in himself; and when by his power he effects what he wills, What his work. that by a transient act is Psal. 103. Isai. 64.8. his work, termina­ted in the creature.

§. 2. As in the Theory of God's Mat. 11.21.23 absolute under­standing, he doth know more, so in the might of his Mat. 3.9. absolute power, What his abso­lute power. he can do more, then what by the purpose of his will he doth determine to have done. So that his Prov. 19.21. Ephes. 1.11. will is at once the determinati­on of his understanding, How limited by his will. and the limitation of his power, for the Ephes. 1 5, 9. and 3.10. decr [...]ing of all things in himself from eternity, and the Ephes. 1.11. Rev. 4 11. effecting all things with­out himself in their time. Thus God is the effi­cient cause of all things in his understanding, will, and power; not singly, and in several acts, but joyntly, and in one causation; by his power effe­cting, what in his understanding and will he doth know and determine to be done.

Why, and how said to be om­nipotent.§. 3. The Power of God is said to be omnipo­tent, not because he can do all he wills to do; for thus far the Angels, and the blessed may be said to be omnipotent, who certainly have a power to do, what they will to do, who will to do nothing but what God wills by them to be done. But in this is God omnipotent, that he Phil. 3.21. can do whatsoever he wills (not onely to do, but also) to be done; and is fully ably to do, what is any way possible to be done; and nothing is impossible to God, but what either implies a contradiction in it's self, or argues 1 Tim. 6.16. Heb. 6.18. infirmity in him; the former is from an incapaci­ty in the creature, the later from the excellency of the Creator; neither from any deficiency in God; [Page 25] to say God can do what argues infirmity, (as to lie, to go, to sleep, and the like) would testifie a weak­ness, not justifie his power; to deny these in God, is indeed to affirm his omnipotence, and to affirm these of God, is indeed to deny him omnipotent.

§. 4. There is no overcoming God's power, no resisting his will. Seeing the onely limits of God's power is his will, therefore he Psal. 135.6. Psal. 115.3. doth effectually do, whatsoever he actually willeth to be done. And as there is no Luke 1.52. 2 Cor. 6.18. might to overcome his power, so nor is there any power to Rom. 9.19. Isa. 46.10. resist his will; his secretly ordaining, and powerfully effecting will; to which Psa. 135.6. & 103.20, 21, 22. Luke 8.24, 25.29, 30, 31. Rev. 20.1, 2. & 4 10, 11. Heaven and Earth, and Hell; Angels, and Men, and Di­vels, do, and must stoop, and submit. What he acts in time, he hath de­creed from eter­nity. And what­soever God Acts 15.18. & 2.23. 1 Cor. 2.7. actually willeth in time, he intentio­nally decreed from all eternity; all whose decrees are most Pro. 19.21. Isa. 46.10. faithful and firm, he ordaining and dis­posing all things according to the Acts 4.28. Ephes. 1.11. Counsel of his own will, to this their ultimate end, the Ephes. 1.7. Isa. 63.14. glory of his own Name.

§. 5. From which Counsel of God's will, How the crea­tures are in God, before they are in them­selves. and purpose of his decree, it is, that the creatures have their eternal Psal. 139 16. Idaea in God's minde, before their actual being in their own existence; every thing formed being (in it's own proportion) the Rom. 1.20. pattern and figure, declaring the minde of God who framed it. And thus God having a Rom. 8.29. 1 Pet. 1.2. Acts 15.18. knowledg of vision in the Counsel of his will, his Counsel is not of disqui­sition, but of approbation; What the Coun­sel of God in his decrees. in that he knoweth and willeth, fore-seeth and fore-ordaineth Psal. 33.15. all things, and every thing together at once.

§. 6. And as in the Trinity of Persons there is but one God, so but one will; How the whole Trinity in one entire cause. and as but one will, so but Exod. 20.11. one working in all actions which relate unto the creatures; and therefore the works of Crea­tion, and of Providence, are Heb. 11 3. Psal. 33.6. Job. 26.13. Psa. 104.29, 30. sometimes attributed to the Father, sometimes to the Son, and sometimes to the Holy Ghost. All three Persons being one sin­gle [Page 26] and entire Cause, 1 Cor 12 6. Psal 33.6. Ephes. 2.22. working all in all; yet in this Trinity there is a diverse manner of working, What their di­verse manner of working. according to the distinct manner of subsisting; The John 1.3. 1 Cor 8 6. Rom. 8.11. Father he works from himself, by the Son, and the Holy Ghost; The H b. 9.14. Son he worketh from the Father, by the Spirit; The Luke 1.35. John 15.26. Holy Ghost he Works from the Father, and the Son, by Him­self.

How some one action is ap­propriate to some one person.§. 7. And thus when any one action is more pe­culiarly appropriated to any one Person of the Tri­nity, it is from some more immediate relation unto that Person; as, when the Heb. 1 2. Ephes. 3.9. Creation with the Ephes. 1.3. 1 Pet. 1.3. Ori­ginal of all Beings is more peculiarly appropriated to the Father; Rev. 2 9. Heb. 1.8. Redemption with the John 3.35. & 5.22. dispensati­on of all Government more peculiarly appropriated to the Son; Rom. 15 16. Sanctification with the 1 Cor 12.8, 9 & 4.5. communica­tion of all gifts and graces more peculiarly appro­priated to the Holy Ghost.

The firm relation between God's decrees, and his works.§. 8. And such is the near relation betwixt God's will, and his Works; his Decrees, and their effects; that whatsoever he Isa 44 7. Heb. 6.17. Psal. 135.6. willeth is done, and whatsoever is done he willeth; whatsoever he doth effect, he hath decreed; and whatsoever he hath Psal. 133.11. Isa. 14.24, 27. de­creed, he doth effect; so that this is certain; God hath not decreed sin, God hath not de­creed sin though he hath decreed to permit sin. because he doth 2 Chro. 19.7. Psal. 5.5. not effect sin. And though God be said to have Acts 2.23. & 4.28. decreed the permission of sin, yet is not that decree any way effectual to produce or cause sin; What the effe­ctual decree ac­companying the permissive. for the cause of any thing Rō. 9.20.21. permitted cannot be from the permis­sion, where there is no Law natural, or positive, to oblige the pevention. Again, sure we are, sin could not be committed by man, if it were not per­mitted by God. And God would not permit sin in time, if he had not determined to permit it from eternity; which permissive part of God's decree is accompanied with that which is effectual; effectu­al for the Gen. 50.2 [...]. Acts 2.23, 36. ordering to good, what is permitted [Page 27] to be evil. And thus God he would not permit sin, were it not for good; yet is not sin there­fore from God, for then were he not himself good.

§. 9. As the good pleasure of God's will Rō. 11.34, 35. re­ceiveth not from the creatures any moving causa­lity; The purpose of God's decree im­poseth no forcible necessity; so nor doth the purpose of his decree impose upon the creatures any enforcing necessity. All fu­ture events whatsoever, they have indeed an Mat. 2.28. John 19.36. in­fallible certainty, but no forcible necessity from the determinate Counsel of God's will; But bringeth an infallable cer­tainty to all A­gents and Events which infalli­ble certainty extendeth, not onely to all Agents, and events, Psal. 104. Job. 3.8. natural or necessary, but also Prov. 16.1. & 21.1. free and Exod. 21.13. Prov. 16.33. contingent, whether it be in the Exod. 14.4, 5. Act 4.27, 28. greatest ef­fects, or in the Mat. 10.29.30 smallest matters.

CHAP. VII. Concerning the Works of Creation.

§. 1. GOD, God the Crea­tor of all things as an absolute and free Agent. as a most free Agent without any Job 22.2. necessity compelling, or Isa. 40.13. external cause moving him (to Prov. 16.4. Psal. 19.1. & 8.1. manifest his Glory, or communicate his Psal. 104, 24 Goodness) of his Rev. 4.11. own good pleasure, and by his own most powerful will, he made the World; Gen. 1.1. & 2.4. Col 1.16. in the beginning creating, and in Gen. 1.5, 31. Exod. 20 11. six dayes forming all things in their natures Gen. 1 31. 1 Tim. 4 4. very good.

§. 2. Creation, the Work of the whole Trinity, as one entire cause. The Creation was the Psal. 146.5, 6. Jer. 10.11. proper work of God alone, not from any one Person, but from Gen. 1.1. Psal. 33.6. all the whole Trinity; as being a work of infinite power, wisdom, and love; as a work of infinite power, so more especially from the Father; as a work of in­finite wisdom, so from the Son; as a work of infi­nite love, so from the Holy Gost; and yet from all [Page 28] the three Persons, as it is from Mal. 2.10. 1 Cor. 8.6. one entire cause, one single essence, God's; who creates the world as a Ephes. 1.11. Rev. 4.11. free Agent, Why of God, as a free and all-sufficient cause. and as Gen. 17.1. Acts 17.25. all-sufficient in himself; for if the World were made of God, by a necessity of his nature, and not according to the liberty of his will; or if the World made did add any thing to the fulness and perfection of the Maker, it must needs have been, as himself is, from eternity, and should not cease to be in the end of time; which Gen. 1 5. time was created with the World, and did then Gen. 1.1. John. 1.1. begin, when the Creation had it's begin­ning.

Observ'd in the Work of Crea­tion.§. 3. In the work of Creation, we observe the command of God's Power, the approbation of his Goodness, the ordination of his Wisdom, and the declaration of his Authority. 1. The Com­mand of God's Power. By Gen. 1.2, 6, &c. Psal. 33 9. Psal. 148.5. the com­mand of his Power, he executes his will, to the producing all things in their natural being; 2. The Appro­bation of his Goodness. Gen. 1.4, 10, 31 by the approbation of his Goodness, he confirms (what is produc'd) in those endowments of nature which he had given them Gen. 1.7.16. the ordination of his Wis­dom, 3. The Ordinati­on of his Wis­dom. he ordereth and disposeth (what is so pro­duc'd and confirm'd) to their proper ends, for which he appointed them; 4. The Declara­tion of his Au­thority. and Gen. 14.15. Psal. 148.6. in the declaration of his Authority, he enacteth a Law, establishing the creatures (so produc'd, confirm'd, and or­dered) in their being, and working, Gen. 1.22.28 Jer. 31.35, 36. & 33 20. Job 38.33. to all gene­rations.

The immediate Creation what, and of whom.§. 4. Of the Works of Creation, some by an immediate creation were made out of Heb. 11.3. nothing, to be of a perfect and compleat existence, immor­tal and incorruptible; by the Will of God made subject to no essential change, or utter disso­lution; such the Angels, and the highest Heaven, Gen. 1.1. & 2.1. John 38.7. Mat 24.36. created together on the first day of the Creation. The mediate Creation what and of whom. Others of the Gen. 1.6.9.11.14 20.24. creatures upon the whole visible part of the World were form'd by a mediate crea­tion [Page 29] of matter pre-existent, and so by nature Psal. 102 25, 26. 2 Pet. 3.11. cor­ruptible, subject to an essential change, and utter dissolution of their being; The Isa. 34.4. Luke 21 33 2. Pet. 3.10, 12. Rev. 6.13.14. Heavens them­selves (which are visible) being liable to that final dissolution of the last day.

§. 5. Man ( [...], Man's partaking of both. the little world) as the compendium of the whole Creation, partakes of both those kindes, as consisting of body and soul; he pertakes of a mediate creation, with the cor­ruptible creatures in his body, Gen. 2.7. 1 Cor. 15.44. Gen. 18 27. form'd of the dust; also he pertakes of an immediate creation, with the creatures incorruptible in his soul, Gen. 2.7. Zech. 12.1. Heb. 12 9. breathed of God: and therefore in his body, he is by nature Isa 2.22. 1 Cor. 15.53. corrup­tible, and in his Mat. 10 28. Eccles. 3.21. & 12.7. soul immortal.

§. 6. Man is aptly called the lesser world, How and why call'd the lesser world. ha­ving in him something of affinity with, and parti­cipation of the several parts of the greater world; He hath an affinity with the Angels in his soul, as being spiritual, invisible, intelligent, and immor­tal; and affinity with the heavenly bodies, in the excellency of his constitution, and harmony of his parts; and affinity with the four Elements, in the sub­stance of his body, and material part of his com­position, the superiour Elements being predominant in their vertue, the inferiour more abounding in their matter; whereby, man is said to be Gen. 2.7. formed of the dust of the earth.

§. 7. The invisible and highest Heaven, What the first Heaven. is that Saint Paul calls the 2 Cor. 12.2. third Heaven; the first Gen. 1.1, 7, 8, 9, 20. & 7.11. Psal. 148.4. Hea­ven being that space of the Elementary Region from the surface of the Earth, to the concave of the Moon: The second Heaven, Gen 1 14.15, 16, 17, 18. What the se­cond Heaven. that expansion of the Aetherial Region, from the lowest Orbe, that of the Moon, What the third Heaven. to the highest of the invisible Heavens, the Firmanent; The third Heaven, that is, 1 King. 8.27. the Heaven of Heavens, Ephes. 4.10. far above all the visible heavens, whither Mark 16.19. Eph. 1 20.21. Acts 1.11. Eph. 4.10. Christ ascended, and where [Page 30] God hath Psal. 103.19. set his Throne, and made his Isa. 5 7. & 66.1. John. 14.1. Habita­tion with the Blessed; Mat. 18.10. 1 Cor. 13.12. where he manifests himself in his glorious presence to the Psal. 16.11. perfect joy and feli­city of Heb. 12.22. Dan. 7.10. Angels, and Saints.

What the influ­ences.§. 8. In the visible parts of the world, the Job 38.31, 32 Ephes 6.12. hea­venly bodies have their influences upon the earth­ly, Judg. 5.20. powerfully to encline, not Job 38.33. forcibly to ne­cessitate them in their constitutions and operati­ons; They are also appointed certainly Gen. 1.14. Jer. 33.20, 25. to distin­guish the Seasons, And what the predictions of the heavenly bo­dies. not Isa. 47.11 12. infallibly to fore-tell events; so that from their powerful disposing, there may be made some conjectural predictions; but seeing they cannot necessitate, there can be Deut. 18.10. Isa. 47.13. Jer 10.2. Acts 1.7. Prov. 27.1. Jam. 4 14. made no infallible Prognostications.

The creation of man, and the forming of wo­man.§. 9. Man, the last part of the Creation, and chief of the visible creatures, consisting of Gen. 2.7. body and soul, was made Gen. 1.26. & 9 6. in the Image, and after the likeness of God; And out of man thus created 1 Cor. 11.7. the image and glory of God, God Gen. 1.27. & 2.12. 1 Cor. 11.8. formed wo­man, the glory of the man, to be Gen. 2.18. 1 Cor. 11.9. an help meet for him; by which two hath been Gen. 1.28. & 49.25. Psal. 113 9. propagated through his blessing, the Acts 17.26. off-spring of mankinde, to a replenishing the whole earth. Thus God having Gen. 2 2. John 5.17. finished his work of Creation in six daies, he re­steth the seventh day, How God rest­ed the seventh day. (where Rest hath not any proper respect unto God as the Creator in his working, but unto the works of the Creation in their producing) as ceasing to create any new Spe­cies, or kindes of creatures; but not to preserve what was created, or to produce and preserve new individuals, according to the several Species of the Creation: And what strange kindes have since been produc'd, different from those several Species, had their first Eccl. 1.9, 10. principle of being in the active powers of the first ceatures, and so were casually in the works of the six daies creation.

§. 10. The glory of God's Wisdom is excellent [Page 31] in the Order of his Creation. God's wisdom in the Order of his Creation. He first Gen 1.11, 12 forms the grass, herbs, and trees, before he Gen. 1.14, 15, &c. makes the Stars, lest any should think they had their first production from whence they have their after Gen 1 14. Job 38 31, 32. growth, and generation. And in the inferiour part of the visible world, God first creates those things which have Gen. 19, 10. onely being, next those things which besides being have Gen. 1.12. life, (and life vegeta­tive) after these, those things which have Gen. 1.20, 21, 24, 25. being, life, and sense: and lastly, Gen. 1.26. and 2.7. man, who hath being, life, sense, and reason. Thus God first makes ready the habitation, and then Gen. 1.28, &c. and 2 8. brings in the in­habitant; he first provides food, and then forms the feeder; he first prepares what is useful for man, and then creates man to use them to his Makers glory.

§. 11. Every thing cre­ated perfect in it's kinde. God creates every thing Gen. 1.4, 31. perfect in it's kinde, and it implies a contradiction to say, that God might have created the several kindes more perfect; for then they should have chang'd their kinde with their perfection: and the reason is plain, because the super-addition of natural perfection doth vary the Species, even as the addition of unity doth vary the Number; so that; though God could have made more perfect kindes of crea­tures, yet could he not make these creatures more perfect in their kinde; he could have given them ac­cidental excellencies, but not any natural perfections, without altering their natures; Thus, through in­capacity in the creature, God could not do what implies contradiction in the thing.

§. 12. In the works of Creation, In his works God manifests his glory. 1. The glory of his Power. 2. Of his Good­ness. is manifest the Rom. 1.20. Rev. 4 11. glory of the Creator, in his Power, Goodness, Wisdom, and Eternity; his Power is gloriously manifested in his creating all things out of nothing, and preserving them, in their being; his Psal 104.24. Jer. 51.15. Acts 17.25. Good­ness, is gloriously manifested in his communica­ting [Page 32] a proportion of life and blessedness unto his creatures; 3. Of his Wis­dom. his Psa. 104.24. Jer. 51.15. Acts 17.25. Wisdom is gloriously manifested in that admirable harmony of order, and of use; that excellent beauty of proportion, and of parts, which is in the Creation; 4. Of his Eter­nity. and his Eternity, that is gloriously manifested, in his being the Joh. 1.1, 2, 3. Author, and Efficient of all things, who therefore must needs have his being before they could have their beginning; and Rev. 1.8. having his being before time, he must be eternal.

The light of na­ture directs to the worship of God as the Creator.§. 13. God Jer. 10.11. Acts 17.24. manifesting himself in his crea­tures to be a Creator, in Power, Goodness, and Wisdom, infinite and eternal; the light Acts 17.24, 25, 27. Rom. 1.20, 21. of na­ture doth direct man to love him, to worship him, to invocate, and to praise him. And to this end, God Gen. 2.3. Exod. 20.11. resting the seventh day, The seventh day the Sabbath. doth bless and sanctifie it; thereby setting it apart as Exod. 20.10. Isa. 58.13. Exod. 31.15. an holy Sabbath for the solemnity of his worship, to be ob­served in all after Generations; How long to continue. till Christ the Mat. 12.8. Lord of the Sabbath, by his work of Redemption, far grea­ter then this of Creation, doth give Col. 2.16. Rev. 1.10. change to the day in an higher advancement of the worship, by a more excellent glory of the Solemnity.

How the Crea­tion is an object of our faith.§. 14. That God is the Primary and sole Effi­cient Cause of the World's existence, may be evi­dently and infallibly demonstrated by Rom. 1.19, 20 light of Nature, and argument of Reason; yet the actual Creation of the World (especially for manner and time) is not to be proved by any demonstrative Ar­gument, but by Gen. 1.1, &c. divine Authority; and so is become an Article of our Creed, not a part of our Science; we Heb. 11.3. beleeve it as delivered by divine Revelation, we know it not, as discovered by humane Rea­son.

CHAP. VIII. Concerning the Providence of God.

§. 1. All things subor­dinate to God's will. SEeing God's Will doth determine his knowledg, and limit his power; all things must needs be subordinate to the Psal. 115.3. & 148.5. & 103.20, 21. Counsel and Command of his will, whose essen­tial properties being Psal. 25 8. goodness and holiness; Psal. 145.9. goodness the fountain of his grace and mercy; Rev. 15.3, 4. holiness the fountain of his truth and justice; this subordination of all things unto his will, must cer­tainly be in order to the glory either of his mercy, In order either to his Mercy, or his Justice. or of his justice; of his goodness, or of his holi­ness; the two Psal 89.14. & 100.5. pillars of God's Throne of Maje­sty, The wisdom and power of his Providence. whereon he sits as Psal 95.3. & 146 10. King in the supremacy of his will, to govern by the wisdom and power of. his providence Psal. 135. Isa. 66.1. all things in heaven and in earth; and God's will being immutable in its determinati­ons, Infallible in it's administrations. his Providence must needs be infallible in its ad­ministrations.

§. 2. The Infellibili­ty of God's Pro­vidence doth not take away the use of mean, Yet neither are the deliberations of Coun­sels, the industry of endeavours, nor the importuni­ty of prayers; neither are the admonitions of pre­cepts, the incouragement of promises, nor the de­terrement of threatnings, taken away or made void, but rather 2 S [...]. 5.19, 24. Psal. 128.2. Da. 9.2.3, &c. Mat. 4.45. Acts 27.21.30.31. &c. confirmed and made good by the infallibility of God's Providence in the deter­minations of his will. For that, but confirm [...] it. God determining the end, doth also Ephes. 2.10. 2 Thes. 2.13. order the means, means pro­portionable and agreeable to that end; which ma­keth much for the 2 Thes. 2.15. strengthning of our faith, 2 Pet. 1 10.11 quickning of our obedience, and Rom. 5 2. confirming our hope: hope of obtaining the end as determin'd by God's will, when we observe the means as appoin­ted in God's word.

[Page 34] To deny God's Providence is Atheism.§. 3. So that to establish the means, and deny the Providence of God determining the end, is a part of Atheism; to establish the Providence of God determining the end, To despise the use of means is profaneness. and despise the means, is great profaneness; but to use the means so, Psal. 17.7. Pro. 30.5. as withal to trust and Heb. 6.15. Isa. 25.9. attend God's Providence for the obtaining of the end, To establish both, is truth and righteousness is a way of truth, and a work of righteousness: knowing this, that Pray­ers, and Counsels, and Endeavours, they are ap­pointed of God, To what end is the use of means. not whereby we should alter his will, but Mat. 6.10. perform it; not whereby we should change his decree, but fulfil it; and in what we obtain not our desires, we testifie our obe­dience.

The course of nature declares the Providence of God.§. 4. The Order of Natures course, doth plain­ly declare the hand of God's Providence; for, seeing the irrational and inanimate creatures do all act to some determinate end, it is thereby evi­dent, that they are directed by some powerful A­gent determining that end; and so, though them­selves are void of life and reason, yet by their na­tural course, do they discover a super-natural cause, who both Heb. 20.21. lives and Psal. 94.10. knows, and accor­dingly both rules and orders, according to the end himself wils and effects. This [...]ptly illu­strated. The flying (then) of the arrow, and hitting it's mark, doth not more certainly and plainly declare the hand of man who shoots it, then the operations of the creatures, and the at­tainment of their end, do certainly and plainly declare the Providence of God which governs them.

God's Provi­dence is [...] na­ked view, but an actual ad­ministation. What God's Providence is in its general [...]oncourse.§. 5. God's Providence being an Act of infi­nite power and wisdom, whereby he Neh. 9.6. Psal. 104 30. Psal. 145.15, 16 Acts 17.28. preserves and Psal. 29.10. & 103.19. governs all things in order to his glorious mercy and justice, it cannot be any Psa 33.13.14 bare and na­ked view, but an Psal. 33.15, 18, 19. Psal 115.3. Ephes. 1.11. actual and efficatious admini­stration: Even in the general concourse of his Pro­vidence, [Page 35] he is Psal. 139.7.8, 9, 10. Jer. 23.24. Col. 1.17. powerfully present by an immediate and intimate operation at all times; and in all pla­ces, with all things; All the creatures depending upon God, not in their being onely by creation, How absolutely necessary for the creatures preser­vation. but also in the Psal. 4.29, 30. Col. 1.17. Psal. 36, 7. continuance of their being by Psal. 104.21. & 147.9. pre­servation; for that, if the World and all the crea­tures in the world were not sustained by the same Heb. 1.3. Psa. 104.29, 30 Job 34.13, 14. Psa. 36.6. word of power by the which they were created, they would presently dissolve, and return to their first nothing.

§. 6. This aptly il­lustrated. Every thing depends upon God for it's be­ing, as the Air upon the Sun for it's light. The Sun hath it's light in it self, but the Air hath it's light by participation from the Sun: thus God hath his being from himself, but every creature hath it's being by participation from God; and as the Air partakes of the Sun's light without any partaking of the Sun's nature, so the creatures have their being from God without any being of the Es­sence of God; yea, as the Air, when the Sun with­holds his enlightning beams, ceaseth to have any light; thus the creatures, when God withholds his sustaining power, cease to have any being.

§. 7. The extent of God's Provi­dence. This wonderful Providence of God is extended to all Psa. 107. Job 12.17, &c. Jer. 18.6 Psa. 75.6, 7. Psa. 145.15.16 Prov. 19.21. Dan. 2.21. & 4.32, 35. persons, and actions, and Jer. 10.13. things, Isa. 28.29. & 45.9. & 43.13. Rom. 11.38. determining all causes, but determined of none; his power neither 1 Sam. 14.6. Psa. 33.16. Dan. 3.17. Amos 5.9. Luke 1.37. Job 9.12. bound to, nor limited by means, God doth work oftentimes Exod. 34.28. Mat. 4 2. without, and often­times Josh. 3.16. 2 King. 2.8. & 20.21. against means, to teach us to trust his Pro­vidence, even Psa. 23 4. Rom 4.18. when we see no means. And when God maketh use of means, Why it makes use of means. it is not from the defi­ciency of his power, but from the riches of his goodness, communicating that vertue, and confer­ring that honour unto the creatures, The seeming disorder in the World, doth ad­vance the glory of God's Provi­dence. Psa. 77.20. 2 Cor. 6.11. Jer. 12.17. instrumentally to co-operate with himself.

§. 8. That things happen Ps. 73.3, 4, 12. well unto the evil, and Psa. 73.10, 14 ill unto the good, is no ( [...]) confus'd dis­order, [Page 36] but a wise and Psa. 73.16, 17. Jer. 12.1. just disposal of God's Pro­vidence, whereby the wicked become the more Rom. 2.4. inexcusable in their sin, and so God's Rom. 9.22. justce the more illustrious in their destruction; the godly be­come more Mal. 3.3. eminent in grace, and so God's Rom. 9.23. 2 Thes. 1.10. mercy the more glorious in their salvation. By both which God assures to us the 2 Thes. 1.5. general judgment of the last day, and assure the gene­ral judgment of the last day. when he shall Rom. 2.6, 7, 8 2 Thes. 1.6, 7. render to the wicked according to their obstinacy and impenitency; and unto the godly according to their humility and patience. Wherefore that seeming ( [...]) disorderly dispo­sition of particular Events, doth exalt the glory of God in the ( [...]) wise and orderly dispensation of his general Providence.

God's Provi­dence doth order sinful actions without any the least share in the sin.§. 9. Though God by his Providence hath an Acts 17.28. influence upon all mens actions, yet hath he no Hab. 1.13. share at all in any mans sin; his providence over wicked men, is no more the cause of their sinful wickedness, then the Sun beams upon a rotten carcass are the cause of it's noysom stench: That there is a scent is from the operation of the Sun's beams, This illustrated but that the scent is noyso, proceeds from the corruption of the carcass: Thus, that there is any action is from the concourse of God's Providence, but that the action is sinfull, proceeds from the wickedness of the sinner. Or as he who rides and rules a lame horse, is not the cause of his halting, so when God 1 Kin. 12.15. Isa. 10.5.15. Isa. 13.3. Acts 4.28. moves and governs the wils of the wicked, he is not the cause of their sin. God doth not move them to evill, but moves and orders them being evil, sometimes Judg. 9 23. 2 Sam. 12.11. 2 Sam. 16.10. 1 Kin. 22.22. letting loose the reins by permission, That God's Pro­vidence extends to what is sin­ful, is not by a meer permissi­on, but by a pow­erful and wise ordination. and sometimes Gen. 31.29. Job 1 12. & 2.6 hol­ding them in by restraint, as 1 Kin. 11.11. his justice, or his mercy doth require. Gen. 31.24.

§. 10. Yea, God's Providence is extended to the evil wils and sinful actions of the wicked, not by a meer permission, but by a power and wise [Page 37] ordination; 2 Sam. 16.10. 1 King. 22.22. 2 Chro. 11.4. 2 Thes. 2.11. secretly moving and inclining their wils to some certain objects, and 2 Chro. 10.15 Isa 54 16. Rom. 9 17. wisely ordering and directing their actions to some righteous ends. And when God doth this work upon the evil wills of the wicked, he doth not make Job 34 12. their wills e­vil, or Jam. 1.13. move them unto wickedness: for that, when God doth make use of the wicked as his in­struments, they are not meerly passive, Wicked instru­ments are pro­per Agents, and how. but really active, as endued with a rational faculty of under­standing, and an elective principle of will, whereby they become proper Agents, and propose other ends to themselves then what God hath purposed in himself; they Isa. 10.6, 7. act their own wicked designes, whil'st God orders them to the effecting his sacred decrees.

§. 11. Indeed, How the Execu­tioners of Gods Justice. the wicked are so the instru­ments of God's Power, as that they are withal the Psa. 17.13, 14. executioners of his Justice; and we know, that when the Judge gives up a Malefector into the hands of the executioner for the punishment of death; and in that Execu­tion how guilty of sin. if then the executioner have no respect to the justice of the Judge, but pursue the rage of his own malice, satisfying his furious revenge in executing the Malefactor punishment; the death of the Malefactor, though justice in the Judge, will be found murder in the executionor before the Judg­ment Seat of Christ. And what! Shall this stand good with those that are said to be Gods, and not with him, Psal. 82.6. who hath said they are Gods? The wonder of God's Provi­dence in respect of wicked mindes. This is then the wonder of Gods working in his Provi­dence, that he doth make an Isa. 13.3, 5. holy use of wicked mindes, Acts 2.23. & 4.28. effecting his just and holy will even by their wills, which are unjust and unholy; and yet is this no Acts 3.15. extenuation of their sin, nor shall be any Jer. 51.25, 26. mitigation of their punishment.

§. 12. Futher, as not the decree of God's will, Gods Providence imposeth no com­pelling force. so nor doth the concourse of God's Providence, [Page 38] impose any compelling force upon the creatures; so that, though there is not any event Numb. 35.22, 23. contingent, in respect of God, yet are there Exod. 21.13. many contin­gents in respect of secondary causes: but establisheth the nature of all causes, contin­gent, free, and necessary. And indeed; God the primary cause doth work in all things ac­cording to the nature of the secondary causes; Prov. 16.33. with contingents according to the nature of their contin­gency, with free Mat. 17.12. Agents according to the nature of their liberty; and with Psa. 104.14. necessary causes accor­ding to the nature of their necessity; so far is God from compelling and enforcing by his Providence in causes contingent and free, No compelling force of Provi­dence in neces­sary causes. that he doth not do it in causes Job 38.35. natural and necessary: for in them both he implanted by nature such an obediential power, that they Psa. 105.28. Psa. 147.15. & 148.8. Joel 2.25. fulfil his word by a natural propension, not a violent compulsion; they perform his command by a ready observance, not a forc'd obedience.

Contingency in se­condary causes illustrated.§. 13. That in the Dispensations of God's Providence, some things are fortuitously contingent in respect of their secondary causes, which yet are infallibly necessary in respect of God the Primary and Supreme Cause, we illustrate by this Allusion. When a Master sends two servants to one and the same place, by different and divers waies, each being ignorant of the other's mission; Their mee­ting, as it relates to the servants who intended it not, is casual and contingent; but as it relates to the Master, who pre-ordain'd their meeting, it is intended and necessary: Thus are there many things contingent in respect of the created Agents, who are Psa. 119.91. all as servants; which yet are necessary in respect of their first cause God, as Pro. 22.2. Lord and Ma­ster of all.

How God's Pro­vidence is e­qual, and how unequal.§. 14. Though the several dispensations of God's Providence are all equal as to the act of his will, yet are they very much unequal, as to the [Page 39] effects in the creatures; for that, by how much any thing hath its nearer access to God, in the de­grees of its excellency; The Providence of God, general, special and pe­culiar. by so much it hath an higher place with God in the order of his Provi­dence. Hence it is, that as the Providence of God is general Psal. 103 19. Job 34.13 over all the world, so is it special Psal. 103.19. Heb. 12.9. over Angels and Psal. 22 28. Job. 7.20. men, and peculiar Psal. 45.6. Isa. 50. 2, 7. Rev. 15 3. 1 Tim. 4 10. Mat. 16.18. over the Church of his Elect. The law of na­tu e, and how [...]x [...]cuted in God's general Provi­dence. For the order and government of the world by his general Providence, God hath establish'd in the creatures a Psal. 148.6. Isa. 55 10. Jer. 33.20. law of nature, to the execution whereof he hath given them Psal. 19.5 Hos. 2 22. natural in­clinations, Prov. 6.6. & 30. [...]4. Jer. 8.7. secret instincts, and an Job 37.12, 13 Psal. 44.4. Psal. 105.16, 19 31, 34. Psal. 103.21. Psal. 148.8. Isa. 7.18, 19. obediential power, whereby they are still ready at his Summons and command.

§. 15. What a miracle is. What is done in the world according to the Jer. 31.35.36 & 33.20. H [...]s. 2.22. law of nature, is by God's ordinary Providence; but what is done above the law of nature, is by his Providence extraordinary, and it is called a Psal. 136.4. Psal. 77 14. Mira­cle; so that Dan. 4.3. miraculous effects do declare an om­nipotent cause John 10.25. Acts 2.22. Exod. 8.19. manifesting the efficient to be Al­mighty. and How one grea­ter then another. And that one John 14.12. miracle is greater then ano­ther, is not in respect of God's power, which being infinite, admits no degrees, but is Isa. 40.15, 17 equal and the same in all; but in comparing one miracle with ano­ther, they will appear one greater then another, in respect of those different degrees, they exceed the strength of nature in their production.

§. 16. Wherein mira­culous effects exceed the strength of nature. Miraculous effects exceed the strength of nature, either in relation to the substance of the thing done; or to the subject in which it is done, or the manner how it is done. 1. In relation to the substance of the thing done; as when the 2 Kin. 20.1 [...]. Sun went backward at he Prayer of Hezekiah; or, a [...] when the 1 Cor. 15.53 Pail 3 21, body shall be glorified in the resurrecti­on of the just [...]; which (for the substance of the thing) Nature at no time, and by no means can effect. 2. In relation to the subject in which it is [Page 40] done; as to Joh. 11.33.34. to give life to a dead Lazarus, and Mark 10.46. sight to a blind Bartimaeus; nature indeed can give life, but not to a dead body; it can give sight, but not to a blinde man. 3. In relation to the manner how it is done; as the Mark 1.31. present and perfect curing of a Fever with a touch; the 1 Kin. 18.38. speedy fetching down fire with a word; both may be done by nature, but not in that order and manner which is properly the miraculous operation of a divine power. These se­veral kinds of miraculous effects are one greater then another; the first greater then the second, and the second greater then the third; all according to the several degrees they exceed the strength of Nature in her most powerful operations.

God's special Providence over Angels and men.§. 17. Besides that general Providence of God common to all the creatures, there is his especial Providence over Angels and men, correspondent to their so excellent condition, How over Angels. as being endued with un­derstanding and will; God's special Providence over the Angels, in his Psal. 103.19. Heb. 1.6. subjecting them to his govern­ment, Psal. 104 4. Heb. 1.14. appointing them their ministrations, and Psal 91.11. Mat. 6 10. ordering them in their services according to his will. How ever men. His especial Providence over men, appears in his Job 10 8. Psal. 139.13, 14, 15. forming them in the womb, and giving them birth; in his Job 7.1. & 14.5. numbring their daies, and appointing their deaths; in Prov. 16.1. ordering their thoughts Prov. 16 1. ruling their tongues, and Jer. 10.23. directing their paths.

God's peculiar Providence over the Church of his Elect.§. 18. Besides this special Providence of God over Angels and men in general, there is a pecu­liar Providence of God over the Church of his Elect in particula; The dispensation whereof is committed of the Father unto Psal. 2.6. Isa 9 6, 7. 1 Cor. 15.24, 25 Christ the Isa. 9.6. Prince of Peace, The dispensati­on hereof com­mitted to Christ, and how per­form'd. and Psal. 24.10. King of Glory; and this as he is the Ephes. 1.20, 21, 22. Col. 1.18. Head of the Church, which is his body; the members of which body he governs by his Spi­rit, Ezek 36 27. putting his Law into their hearts, and Phil 2.13. wor­king in them both to will and to do, still leading [Page 41] them with his Counsels, till he receives them unto glory.

§. 19. God's Provi­dence particu­larly applyed. The Providence of God whether Psal. 113.5, 6 gene­rally extended, or especially Psal. 139 16. eminent; or 2 Chro. 16 9. Psal. 34.16. peculi­arly gracious, it is Job 39.1, &c. Psa. 113 7, 8, 9. Psa. 146.7, 8, 9. Mat. 6.26, 28. particuliarly applyed. Though generally extended to all creatures, yet particularly applyed to every creature. Every Mat. 10.30. head, and how. yea every hair of the head; Mat. 10.29. every sparrow, yea every feather of the sparrow; every Psal. 147 8. pile of grass or Mat. 6.30. bit of straw, doth declare not onely the immediate presence, but also the Almighty Providence of God; and not onely in a general notion, but even in a particular relation of providencial notice and regard.

§. 20. This aptly illu­strated. God doth not do with the world as the workman with a watch; when by the divine art of his al-powerful hand, he hath finished each wheel, and fitted each part, then to wind it up by a law of nature, and set it by him, to observe how the time spends, how the ages pass; no, but rather God doth with the world, as David with his harp; when artifi­cially made, and accurately strung, he tunes the creatures, as so many strings, unto an uni-sone con­sent of divine harmony, by an obediential power, un­to his holy will; and then by his hand of Provi­dence he strikes each string in its due place, whereby it hath a particular note in the Psal. 103.22. Psal. 148. universal melody of the World's Hallelujah.

§. 21. Why God's Pro­vidence doth not admit Annihi­lation of the creatures. Such is the Providence of God in his Government of the world, and for the preserva­tion of his creatures, that there is no annihilation of them, either by course of nature, or miraculous power: not by course of nature, for in all the vicissitudes of generation and corruption, the first matter, as the subject of both, remains incor­ruptible, and not by miraculous power; for the end of miracle, as an act of divine power, is to manifest the divine goodness; and miraculously [Page 42] to annihilate, is not correspodent to this end of Miracles, which is attain'd by preserving rather then by annihilating.

CHAP. IX. Concerning the Angels Elect and Apostate.

What the nature of the Angels is§. 1. THE Angels (in Dan. 7.10. Heb. 12.22. number innumerable) were created in Job 38 7. chief excellency over all the creatures, being Heb. 1 7, 14 Luke 20.36. spiritual and Heb. 1 7, 14 Luke 20.36. immortal substances, beautified with a more 2 Sam. 14 20. 2 Cor. 2.11. Ephes. 6.10. excellent knowledg, Job 38.7. John 8.44. uprightness, Isa 6.2. Ezek. 1 7. Rev. 14 6. agility, and 2 Pet. 2.11. Mat. 12. [...]0. strength.

How and when created.§. 2. Created they were all together, and at once, ( Mat. 22.29.30. propagation being inconsistent with the Angeli­cal Nature, and proper onely to corporeal sub­stances) made the Psal. 103 21. Host of the invisible Heavens, as the Jer 33.22. Stars are the host of the visible, and so a Gen. 1.1. & 2.1. part of the (Haxameron) six daies creation. Indeed, the Angels, being a part of the Universe, were cer­tainly created with the whole Universe, of which they are part, the whole consisting of creatures spiritual and corporeal.

Why and how immortal.§. 3. The Angels are therefore immortal, because immaterial; immortal intrinsecally in the constitution of their natures, not extrinsecal­ly in relation to Gods power; which, as it did produce them out of nothing by creation, so can it reduce them into nothing by annihilation. It is Gods property alone to be Mal. 3 6. Jam. 1.17. absolutely unchan­geable in himself, and in relation to all outward Agents.

The trial of Angels.§. 4. For the Government of the Angels by his Providence; God imprinted in them a John 8.44. know­ledg [Page 43] of his Truth at their creation, and enacted them a Law for their trial, to which law having annexed a promise of free reward upon obedience, and a threatning of due punishment upon transgression, The obedience and confirmati­on of the good Angels. some of the Angels being firm in their obedience commanded, became partakers of the reward pro­mised; being 1 Tim. 5.21. Luke 9 26. confirm'd in grace Eph. 1.10, 22. Col. 2.15, 20. through Christ, and established in Mat. 18.10. & 22.30. 2 Cor. 11.14. glory with God; according to their Ephes. 1.21. & 3.10. Col. 1.16. 1 Thes. 4.16. several offices and degrees enjoying his presence, and doing him Plas. 103.20. Isa. 6.3. Luke 2.14. Rev. 5.11, 12. service for ever in Hea­ven.

§. 5. In what the confirmation of the good Angels. The Angels confirmation (then) is in the Mat. 18.10. 1 John 3.2. 1 Cor. 13.12. beatifical vision; and indeed, this and this alone doth establish in a gratious impossibility of falling, to behold God in his essence; which is the full enjoy­ment of the chiefest good, from which the Blessed cannot Apostate; it being more possible for them to quit their being, then to desert their God, and forsake their Bliss. Which Bliss of the beatifical vision being supernatural, could not be given to the Angels in their Creation from God, but in thir con­firmation by Christ.

§. 6. How and why f om grace, and not from na­ [...]ure. The Angels and man where (indeed) crea­ted happy, in that natural blessedness of spiritual contemplation, but not that super-natural bliss of the Beatifical vision, which being the last end of the rational and intellectual Creature, could not be attain'd by any ordinary work of nature, but by some extraordinary 1 Tim. 5.21. act of Grace. For, To be, and to be Blessed, is one and the same in none but God; and therefore to be is from Nature, but to be blessed is from Grace, as the last end of being in a perfect communion with God through Christ by love.

§. 7. This we know, This grace in the understan­ding. thrt neither can the un­derstanding attain in its knowledg, nor can the will pursue in its desires, what is above its nature to de­sire [Page 44] or know. Wherefore the Divine Essence being an Object infinitely transcending every created un­derstanding, it was impossible the Angels should know God in his essence by any natural light, but by a Psal. 36 9. supernatural grace; which supernatural grace doth fortifie the understanding of the Angels (as an habit doth strengthen the faculty of the soul) to apprehend God in the glory of his Divine Nature.

and in the will made perfect by Christ.§. 8. With which supernatural light in the un­derstanding to know, the Angels have communica­ted to them a supernatural strength in their will to love God in his Essence, as the last end of their be­ing, and the full object of their happiness. Thus, The Angels in their beatifical vision of God, be­come united to him by love, and are confir­med in their supernatural blessedness through Christ, The Ephes. 1.22. Col. 2, 10. Head of all Power, and Ephes. 1.10. Col. 1.20. the Center of all Unity.

The fall and pu­nishment of the evil Angels.§. 9. Others of the Angels under the conduct of their Mat. 12.24. Ephes. 2.2. Prince, called 1 Chro. 21.1. Mat. 4.1. Luke 10.18. Rev. 12 9. Satan and the 1 Chro. 21.1. Mat. 4.1. Luke 10.18. Rev. 12 9. Divel, by their sin committed, brought upon themselves the punishment threatned. And so falling from the John 8.44. Jude 6. Truth, they fell from their John 8.44. Jude 6. estate, thrown down Luke 10.18. 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude 6. from Heaven to Hell, there to be reserved in Luke 10.18. 2 Pet. 2.4. chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day; that day, when Christ shall fill up their measure of wrath, in a Mat 25 41. 1 Cor. 6.3. full and final condemnation of them to Eternal torments.

The service of the good Angels in behalf of Christs Church.§. 10. And now, as God in mercy and love hath set and appointed the Luke 9 26. 1 Tim. 5 21. good, holy and elect An­gels under Eph. 1.20, 21, 22. Christ, to be Heb. 1.14. Psal 91.11. ministring Spirits for the benefit of his Children in their Psal 34.7. Luke 2.10. & 16.22. Gal. 3.19. direction, prote­ction and comfort, so hath he in judgment and wrath permitted and ordered the Luke 8.2. & 9.42. Evil, The use and ma­lice of the evil Angels in respect of the wicked. Rebellious, and Apostate Angels, under Satan to be 1 Sam. 16.14. John 8.44. 1 Kin. 22.21.22 2 Cor. 2.11. & 4.4. Ephes. 2.2. Rev. 12.9. seducing Spirits, for the deceiving of the wicked by [Page 45] their temptations, suggestions, and subtilties.

§. 11. God's glory manifested in both. Thus doth God make good the end he aimed at in all his works of Creation and of Provi­dence, even to manifest the Isa. 6.3. & 43.7. glory of his Name; making some of the Angels to be 1 Tim. 5.21. Mirrors of his free mercy, others 2 Pet. 2 4. spectacles of his severe Justice, both the subjects and examples of his wisdom, No fear to the good, no hope to the evil Angels. ho­liness, and power. And now, as the Mat. 18.10. Luke 20 36. 1 Tim. 5.21. good Angels, which stand, are confirmed in Bliss above all fear of falling; so the 2 Pet. 2 4. Jude v. 6. Rev. 20.10. evil Angels, which are fallen, are plung'd in misery below all hope of re­covering.

§. 12. Among the Angels in Heaven, [...]hat the orders and names of the good: how gi­ven and constitu­ted. there are different Ephes. 1.21. Col. 1.16. orders and degrees, all according to their different offices and ministeries; and the Isa 6.2. Dan 8.16. & 9.21. & 10 13. Gen. 3.24. names or appellations given them in Scripture are not proper to them in their natural constitutions, as Spi­rits; but in their virtual operations, as Cheru­bims, Seraphims, &c. and in their Dan. 10.13. temporary Ministrations, as Angels. Which name of An­gels doth signifie them to be Heb. 1.7, 14. Messengers, being especially imployed of God in the behalf of man.

§. 13. How they assu­me bodies in their minist ati­ons wi h men. And when the Angels sent from God ap­peared in Gen. 18.2, 8. & 19, 1, 2, 3. humane shape, they did but assume those bodies in which they performed their Ministries; putting them on, suddenly formed of some preexi­stent matter, and putting them off (as a man doth his cloths) as suddainly resolv'd into the same matter preexistent. What the actions they perform'd in those bodies. And those bodily actions which they perform'd, as eating, speaking, going, &c. though they were actions truely real, yet were they not operations properly vital; they did indeed proceed from a living principle, but were not acted in a living subject; those bodies being onely tem­porarily assumed by the Angels, not hypostatically united to them.

[Page 46] What their knowledg, how increas'd and perfected.§. 14. That excellent knowledg, which the good Angels had by John 8.44. nature, is much improved by what they have by Luke 15.10. 1 Cor. 11.10. Ezek 10 3. experience, and is farther increased by what they have from Dan. 8.16. & 9.21. Revelation, but made incomparably excellent by what they have from the Mat. 18.10. Beatifical vision of God. Such (then) is the fulness of intellectual light in the Angels, that what they know, is not apprehended in parts, by a discursive reasoning, but comprehended at once in a 1 Cor. 13.12. present intuition of their understanding; and this so perfect and clear as is without any the least mixture of falsehood, or mist of Er­rours.

Yet know not all things, not the secrets of the heart.§. 15. But though the Angels are so excellent in knowledg, yet do they not know all things; no, not the 1 Cor. 2.11. secret thoughts of man's heart, but as they are either revealed by Gods Spirit, or discovered by mans self; he manifesting his affections by their effects, his thoughts by their signes, whether in­ternal in the soul, This Gods pre­rogative. or external in the body. To Jer. 17.10. Rev. 8.27. be ( [...]) the searcher of hearts, is the Prerogative of God alone; How they know the mysteries of Grace. And if the Angels know not the 1 Cor. 2.11. secrets of man's heart, much less can they know the secrets of Gods counsel, but when re­vealed: so that the Misteries of Grace, are not known to the Angels, but by Revelation from God.

How they ad­monish§. 16. The blessed Angels, as Mat. 2.20. & 3 19. Acts 27.23. our Spiritual Counsellors, they may by presenting truth to the minde internally admonish; as our Heavenly friends, Heb. 1.14. they may by secret instigations privately perswade; and perswade. yet cannot savingly enlighten or convert. this also Gods preroga­tive. but they cannot by any saving enlightnings illumi­nate the minde, or by any effectual operation move the will; for he who is ( [...]) the sear­cher of the heart, he and he alone Prov. 21.1. Jer. 31.18. is ( [...]) the Converter of the heart.

§. 17. When the holy Angels are busily em­ploy'd [Page 47] in their Ministery, How the Angels enjoy Gods pre­sence in their ministrations to the Church. for the service of Gods children, they still behold the face of God, by vertue of his omnipresence; and though their Mini­stry be on Earth, yet are they said to be in Heaven; though not in respect of place, yet in respect of the beatifical vision, for that, as wheresoever the Royal person of the King is, there is the Court; so where­soever the glorious presence of God is, Aptly illustrated there is Hea­ven. Wherefore, as the Labourer hewing wood in the Sun-shine so plies his work, as that withal he en­joyes the light, cheered with the warmth of the re­freshing beams; so the Angels performing their Mi­nistry in Gods presence, so discharge their office, as that withal they enjoy their blessedness, encompas­sed with the glory of the beatifical vision.

§. 18. What honour we give the good Angels as their due. We allow the holy Angels a due propor­tion of our love, our 1 Cor. 11.10. reverence, and our Mat. 6.10. imita­tion, but may not robb 1 Tim. 2.5. Christ of the glory of his mediation by making Col. 2.18. them our Mediators; And seeing that Invocation of Prayer is a main Psal. 50.15. & 72.15. Part of Divine worship, What we may not give, as not being due. Not make them our M [...]diators, not invocate them: and why. it must be Isa. 42.8. appropriate unto God, and therefore it cannot Judg. 13.16. Rev. 19.10. without Ido­latry be applied unto Angels, who are our fellow creatures, though far above us in the glory of their creation. We may not invocate any, but him, who is the Mal. 3.1. Angel of the Covenant, Christ Jesus, from whom Gen. 48.16. Jacob (having received de­liverance himself) beggs a blessing upon Joseph's sons.

§. 19. Their manner of working and of utterance not [...]nown. What is the manner of working where­by the Angels exercise and actuate their power, and what their manner of Utterance, whereby they signifie and communicate their thoughts, we can­not determine, because it is not revealed; only this, the former we beleeve to be 2 Kin. 19.35. Psal. 103.20. wonderfully effective, What we beleeve of both. the later to be 1 Cor. 13 1. cleerly significant, and both ex­ceeding quick and speedy in the performance. So [Page 48] that when the Scriptures tell us of the Tongues of Angels, What meant by the tongues of angels. they are Metaphorically to be under­stood, of that Angelical Utterance whereby they outwardly manifest, what they inwarldly con­ceive.

What reason dictates concer­ning the speech of Angels.§. 20. Thus much Reason dictates to us, That the Will being Empress of all the faculties, doth move the Understanding in it's intellectual operati­on, by whose actual knowledg, if the Will confines within the limits of the minde, a man (by that in­ward word of the mental conception) Mat. 9.3, 4. speaks un­to himself; But if the Will requires it to be mani­fested without, and expos'd to open view; by the outward word of voice, or Luke 1.22. hand, or eye, or other external sign, a man speaks unto another. But in that language, or rather, Manifestation of the inward thoughts which is Angelical, one Angel speakes unto another (having no Obstacle of bodily substance, and so, no need of external sign) by the onely act of the Will, as willing, what he knows or desires himself, to be made known and manifest unto another.

How different, and how agree­ing with that of Men.§. 21. With men, the secrets of their heart are kept hid by a double obstacle, that of the Will, and that of the Body; so that the thoughts of the heart which a man wils not to be reveal'd at all, are kept hid from the Angels, as lockt up by the will; and when a man wils his thoughts to be known, if he declare them not, they are kept hid from Men as vail'd with the Body; for though the minde be neer so open as un­lockt by the will, yet not being express'd by some sensible sign, such is the thick wall of flesh, that we see it not. But with the Angels, being spiritual sub­stances, the onely door to shut in, or let out the se­crets of the Mind, is the Will; so that, no sooner doth one Angel will that another know, but the other pre­sently knows what that Angel wils.

[Page 49]§. 22. It is consonant then to Reason, How the same with that of the souls separate. that the speech of Angels, is the same with that of Souls when separate from their Bodies; even an act of the Will ordering the conceptions of the Minde to be manifested to another. For that, remove the wall of flesh, and the soul then needs no door of the mouth for the minde to come forth at, by voice to shew its self; the Will ordering the conceptions to be manifested, is language enough to speak the inten­tions of the minde, for others (whether Angels or Souls separate) to apprehend. This then is the voice and language of an 1 Cor. 13.1. Jude 9. Angel, even, a wil­ling another to know, what he wills by him to be known.

§. 23. The Sin of the Apostate Angels, What the sin of the Apostate Angels. which was the cause of their fall, we cannot particularly discern, because the Scriptures do not plainly dis­cover. We suppose it to have been a sin immedi­ately against the Son of God, accompanied, or ra­ther compleated with the Mat. 12.24. & 31.32. Sin against the Holy Ghost, in an irreconcileable hatred, and enmity a­gainst that truth, of which they were in conscience so fully convinc'd; Upon Isa. 14.12, 13, 14, 15. Satans pride and en­vy at Christs person did follow his malice and John 8 44. hatred of Christs Truth, even the John 14.6. Rev. 14 6. eternal Go­spel of his Incarnation, as ordained of God in hu­mane nature Eph. 1.22.23. to be the head of the Angels, Eph. 1.10. uni­ted to the body of his Church. Satans malice against Christ, [...]nd how especi­ [...]lly prosecuted. Which malice and hatred of Christ and his truth, Satan hath ever since prosecuted by bloody persecutions rais'd a­gainst his Church by horrid blasphemies and Heresies vented against his person in his Divini­ty; his Humanity, and the offices of his Me­diation.

§. 24. What the know­ledg of the Apo­ [...]tate Angels. Though the evil Angels are Mat. 13.19. & 16.25. Eph. 6.12. spoil'd of grace by their sin, and 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude 6. involv'd in darkness by Luke 10.18. their fall; yet are they eminent in 2 Cor. 2.11. & 11.3. Eph. 6.11. Jam. 2.19. knowledg [Page 50] by their Nature, How increas'd. and this much Eph. 6.11, 12. heightned by long experience in the world, and from divine Mat. 4.6. & 8 29. J [...]m 2 19. re­velations in the Scriptures; yea by Jude 9. frequent con­tests with the good Angels, yet can they not Isa. 4.23. fore­tel future events, How not fore­tel events. by any light of foreknowledg in and from themselves; but what they do foretel are either such things as they finde foretold by the ho­ly Prophets, How foretel them. or prepared in natural Causes, or such things as they know already design'd, being privy to the good, and ⁱ assistants to the wicked designs of men; or such things as by some evident signs they conjecture, or by some seeming probabilities they presume; The end of all diabolical pre­dictions. but whatsoever it the prediction or re­velation from the evil Angels, is is intended to Mark 1.36. Acts 16 17.18. de­ceive and seduce; to mischief and destroy; and therefore 1 Kin. 22 21, 22. Deut. 13 1, 2, 3. Eph 6.11. neither is to be sought for, Why not to be allowed of. nor to be al­lowed of; all complyance with Devils being a 2 Cor. 6 14, 15. Ephes. 5 11. renouncing of God, and thereby a ruin to the soul.

What the power of [...] evil [...].§. 25. As the Evil spirits are eminent in know­ledg, so are they also Mat. 12.29. Ephes 6.12. migty in power, yet a power Job 1.12. & 2 6. 1 Pet. 5.8. limited and restrained, God holding them fast in the Chain of his Providence; so that, when made executionors of his wrath, they are kept Mat. 8.32. Rev 7.2, 3. subject to the command of his will. How exercised. By Divine Permission and Providential ordination it is, that the Evil spirits exercise their Job 1.12.16.19 Ephes. 2 2. Rev 7. [...], 3. power in the fire, in the air, in the waters, and on the earth; upon trees, upon beasts, and upon men. Some Luke 8.30. Mat. 8.16. men they actually possess, some they Luke 22.3. Acts 5.3. Ephes. 2.2. wickedly pervert, some they Zech. 3.1. 1 Thes. 2.18. eagerly oppose, but all they 1 Pet. 5.8. 2 Tim. 2.26. daily tempt, and with the 1 Chro. 21.1. Luk 22.31.57. best they often prevail, though not so as Gen 3.15. Psal. 5.1. Luk 22.61, 62. Rom. 16.20. fully to over­come and finally to destroy.

What their names, and how proper and com­mon.§. 26. The Prince of the Apostate Angels is cal­led by those Mat. 25.41. Luk. 10.17. names in an eminency of Evil, which will fit all the rest in their proportion of Evil. He is called sometimes the John 8.44. 1 John 3.8. Devil (the Rev. 12.10. Accuser) with [Page 51] lies, reproches and calumnies accusing God unto man, and man unto God. Somtimes the Mat. 4.3. 1 Thes. 3.5. Tempter by evil suggestions still soliciting unto sin. Sometimes the Mat. 13.19. Ephes. 6.16 wicked one, being full of iniquity himself, and ever prompting others unto wickedness. Sometimes Luke 10.18. Acts 26.18. Sa­tan (the Adversary) setting himself against God and Christ, the good Angels and holy men, raising and promoting enmity and contentions. Somtimes the Mat. 13.25. Luke 10.19. Enemy and the 2 Thes. 2.10, 11, 12. Destroyer, raising Rev. 20.8. seditions and wars to destroy nations, 1 Sam. 16.14. dissentions and divisi­ons to ruin families, Gods glory ma­nif [...]sted in all. Mat. 13.25. Rev. 12.12, 13, 17 persecutions and Heresies to infest the Church. In all which God doth manifest the riches of his wisdom, and greatness of his power; to the glory of his mercy, and the advancement of his Justice, in Mat. 24.24. Luke 21.18. the gratious salvation of his chosen, and the Rev. 9.11. just condemnation of the wicked.

§. 27. The wonderful working of Sa­tan. By his subtilty and power Satan doth work his 2 Thes. 2.9. lying wonders, deceitful in themselves, and intended by him for the deceiving of others; yea, sometimes he doth work Deut. 13.1, 2. Mat. 24.24. true signes, yet thereby aims he at the destruction of truth; which true signes, though they seem wonderful, Why not true miracles. yet are they not such wonders as are truly Acts 8.13. called Miracles. For they cannot be any supernatural Effects, being onely the events of some Natural Causes, Exod. 7.12. & 8.7. which Satan by a secret subtilty doth compact, not by any pro­per power doth produce. Every supernatural Effect must needs be the issue of a supernatural Cause, [...]ll miracles are from God. which is God; and Ps [...]l. 72. [...]8 & 136.4. he alone who did wonderfully create the world without matter pre-existent, can powerfully create wonders without means coopera­ting; Such the mira­ [...]les of Christ. and such were the Joh. 10.25. Act. 2.22. glorious Miracles of Christ, whereby he did testifie the Divine power of his God-head.

§. 28. [...]hy not such the workings of [...]a [...]an. Wherefore if the Devil could work true Miracles to perswade false Doctrines, then were Mi­racles a weak and insufficient Mat. 16.17.20 argument to confirm [Page 52] the true faith. Besides, that is a true Miracle which is above the order of created Nature, and so above the reach of any created power, whether it be in the good Angels or in the Evil. As for those 1 Sam. 28.12, 13. Acts 8.9, 11. Diabolical impostures (then) wherewith Satan doth delude the sight, and deceive the fancy, how­ever they may seem 1 Sam 28.13. Acts 8.9, 10. prodigious operations, yet are they indeed but airy apparitions.

The punish­ment of the evil Angels. 1. Of loss. 2. Of sense.§. 29. The Evil Angels by their Apostacy incur a double punishment of loss, and of sense. Their punishment of loss, in being Luke 10.18. 2 Pet. 2.4. cast out of Heaven, their punishment of sense, in being Mat. 25.4. tormented in Hell; which torment is not only that of inward an­guish, made more accurately griping by horrid de­spair, but also that of outward flames, made more horridly dreadful 2 Pet. 2.4. Jude 6. by utter darkness. Luke 10.18. And the Apostate Angels (though Spirits) become tormented with scorchings from the infernal flames, How tormented with the infernal sire. as the souls of men (though Spirits) become affected with pain from their distempered bodies. The manner is won­derful, the measure inconceiveable, the Truth real. And seeing that among contraries, as the reason, so the faith of the one doth cleer and confirm the rea­son and faith of the other; therefore we may conclude, How the Do­ctrine concer­ning Devils helps to confirm the faith of God. That if there be a Devil, there certainly is a God; and if Evil Angels to serve the De­vil, then, sure good Angels to attend that God; And if there be an Hell of torment for the wic­ked, then sure there is an Heaven of joy for the godly.

CHAP. X. Concerning the estate of Man before his Fall.

§. 1. By the common works of crea­tion is manife­sted the will and power of the God-head. THAT Jer. 51.15. efficient vertue whereby the world was made, and which in the Psal. 19.1. world as in its effect is manifested and declared, doth not relate to the subsistence and Per­sons, but to the essence and Rev. 4.11. will of the Deity; there­fore though by the common work of creation is made Rom. 1.20. known Gods eternal power and Godhead, yet Mat 16.16, 17 not the mystery of the Trinity. Not the mystery of the Trinity. But when God doth form man, to denote the excellency of his creature, That clearly manifested, this darkly presented in mans creati­on. and to declare somwhat of the Mystery of the Trinity in the plurality of the persons) he cals a councel (as it were) for mans creation, and propo­seth himself as the pattern of his Being: Let us (saith God, Gen 1.26, 27. even Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; Created in Gods image. thereby imprinting in man a conformity to the Divine na­ture; yea some resemblance of the Personal subsi­stences.

§. 2. Wherein the I­mage of God in man did consist. This conformity unto the Divine Nature wherein man was created as the image of God, did appear most of all in the Soul, much in the body, in the person, and in the state of man before his fall. Mans Soul in its nature did (in some proportion or analogy) represent God in his essence; 1. In respect of his soul. as being a substance Gen. 2.7. Luke 23.46. Acts 7.59. spiritual and Psal. 49.15. Mat. 10.28. & 22.32. Phil. 1.23. 1 Pet. 3.19. immortal, as God is; endued and adorned in his understanding with Col. 3.10. per­fect knowledg, in his will with Eccles. 7.29. liberty, in his affe­ctions with purity, and in all his faculties with Eph. 4.24. Luke 3.38. ho­liness and righteousness.

§. 3. 2. In respect of his body. That conformity in man to Divine Nature in respect of his body, did consist in a Rom. 5.13. secret harmo­ny (not visible shape) of the parts, and in an Gen. 2.25. excel­lent [Page 54] beauty (not external figure) of the whole; such was the beauty of the body from the vertuous lu­stre of the soul, as is the light of the lantern from the bright shining of the candle. Yea, the members of mans body represent unto us the attributes of Gods nature; and therefore as the parts of the Jews Tabernacle did Heb 8.5. & 9.23, 24. bear the image of heavenly myste­ries, so do the parts of mans body bear the image of the divine attributes; so that we say the 2 Chro. 16.9. Psal. 11.4. Jer. 32.19. Eye of God, to denote his wisdom and knowledg; the Deu. 33.27. Exod. 6 6. arm of God, to intimate his power and strength; the Psal. 139.10. & 145 16. hand of God, to signifie his protection and providence.

3. In res [...]ct of his person.§. 4. That part of Gods image in man which relates unto his person, doth consist in that Sove­naignty and dominion given Gen. 1.26. 1 Cor. 11.7. him of God over the creatures, being G [...]n. 2.8. placed in Paradice as his royal seat, the Gen. 2.19. beasts of the Earth there made subject to him. And such is the excellency of this re­presentation of God in Soveraignty and Dominion, that Psal. 82.6. Kings and Judges of the earth are therefore called Gods. This pecular to man above the woman. And this part of Gods image is peculiar to man 2 Cor. 11.8, 9 above the woman, who in all particulars else is equal to the man, having her Original being correspondent to her Conjugal con­dition, Woman othe wise equal to the man. being Gen 2 22. 1 Cor. 11.8. taken out of man, not from the head, or feet, but the side; and so to be, not his Mistris, or his Hand-maid, but his Gen. 2.18. Eph 5 22, 23. Asso­ciate, Gen. 2.23, 24 Eph 5.28.33. neer in relation, and dear in affection each to other.

4. In respect of his estate.§. 5. Thus man who was spiritual and immor­tal in his soul, who had knowledg and wisdom in his understanding, liberty and uprightness in his will, integrity and moderation in his affections, an harmony and soundness in his members, Soveraign­ty and dominion in his person, must needs have a felicity and blessedness of estate, and so be (in his [Page 55] proportion and measure) a compleat Gen. 9.6. image of God, In all man a compleat image of God. who could not know misery Gen 2.17. Rom 6.23. till he knew sin, and so not cease to be happy, till he did cease to be holy.

§. 6. Besides this Image of God in a conformity to his divine nature, What the resem­blance of the Trinity in man there is in man some likeness of the Trinity in a resemblance of the personal sub­sistences; Which may be found, either in those three faculties of the Soul, the Understanding, Memory and Will, which three faculties have but one soul, and the soul is one and the same in all the three faculties: or else, in the frame and order of mans intellectual nature and operation, for that in one and the same spiritual Being, the understan­ding doth beget the Word of the minde, the image of it self, in which it knows; and from both issues a Dilection in the Will, whereby it loves: which is some likeness, though no perfect Image of the Trinity.

§. 7. Wherefore, when God saith, What most pro­perly meant by those words of God is the creation of man, After our likeness. Gen. 2.26. Let us make man in our own image after our likeness; those words, After our likeness, we understand aright ( [...]) by way of exposition to those words, In our Image; and so, they intimate unto us what this image is; not of identity, but of analogy; not of essence, but of quality; that being 2 Cor. 4.4. Col. 1.15. H b 1.3. John 14.9. 1 Tim. 3.16. proper unto Christ, this common unto Job 1.6. Mat. 22.30. Angels and Gen. 9.6. 1. Cor. 11.7. Man. Man (then) being made in Gods image, and after his likeness, doth denote a distance of diversity, as well as declare a nearness of similitude. Indeed Christ, and Christ alone, is the perfect and equal image of God, being coessential, and coeternal with the Fa­ther; so that, Gods image is in Christ, as that of the King in his connatural Son, by generation; but in man, as that of the King in his publick Coyne, by impression.

§. 8. It is an inseparable property of Mans soul, [Page 56] in its analogical conformity to Gods nature, The souls im­mortality not lost by the fall. to be immortal; which could not be lost by the fall; for that, in man degenerated by Sin, as in man regenerated by Grace, What the change in man by his fal. the change is real, but not essential; it is in Col. 3 10. Eph. 4 24. qualities, but not in substance; it is in the gifts and habits of the minde, and thereby in the excellency, not in the essence of the soul; And as not in the souls essence, so nor in its essential powers and properties; man by his fall doth become indeed Jer. 10.14. brutish, but not a brute. Psa. 49 12, 20 Like the beasts in sensuality, but not a beast in real truth.

Why the soul is immortal.§. 9. The soul then in all men continuing to be immaterial, it must needs be immortal, which otherwise could not be capable of an 2 Cor. 5.1. Rom. 2, 7. 1 Pet. 1.4. eternal reward in the godly, or an Mat. 25.4. Mark 9.43, 44. eternal punishment in the wicked: and needs must the soul be immor­tal, which is spiritually begotten of 1 Pet. 1.4. immortal seed, and nourished by John 6.51. incorruptible food; which, together with our whole Christian faith, would become 1 Cor. 15.13, 14 vain, yea perish in the souls mortali­ty: So that we cannot profess the Religion of Christ, if we deny the immortality of the soul.

When the soul is created and in­fused into the body.§. 10. The soul is not Rom. 9.11. pre-existent in its self before it is united unto the body by inspiration from God; but as in the Gen. 2.7. primitive being of the soul in Adam, so in the successive beings of souls in all men; The Num. 16.22. Zech. 12.1. Col. 1.17. Job. 5.17. soul is then infused by Creation, and created by infusion when the body is prepared by a fit Exod. 21.22. organization of the parts, What its princi­pal seat, and how it informs the body. made capable to receive it. Whose Royal seat is in Deu. 5.29. & 65. & 30.14. Prov. 23.26. Heb. 8.10. the heart, and by its (analogically) omnipresent power and infinite essence in its little world, it actuates 1 Cor. 12.14, &c. the whole body, and each member according to the several dispositions of the Organs. And the soul thus in­spired or infused, it is not (de Deo) of God in his [Page 57] essence; but Rom. 11.36. (a Deo) from God in his power, How the soul is the off-spring of God. and so it is Acts 17.28. Heb. 12.9. his off-spring by way of efficiency, in a con­formity of divine habits in its qualification, not by an identity of divine substance in its Consti­tution.

§. 11. In mans primitive integrity, How possest of all vertues in its integrity. Reason being subordinate unto God, and the inferior faculties sub­ordinate unto Reason, Man was in a proportion possest of all vertues; some in habit, though not in act, some both in act and in habit. Those vertues which did imply an imperfection in mans estate, were in him onely according to their habits, and not their acts, as mercy and repentance, which implies misery and sin. Those vertues which did imply no­thing repugnant to mans created perfection, were in him both according to their habits and their acts as Faith, Hope, and Charity; Justice, Temperance and Chastity; and the like.

§. 12. The souls of men not propa­gated. Seeing the soul doth receive its being by Eccles. 12.7. Isa. 57.16. 1 Pet. 4.9. creation, it cannot be (extraduced) propagated by generation; as if the soul were from the soul as light is from light, or the body from the body; for then sure, Adam would have said Gen. 2 23. of Eve, that she was spirit of his spirit, as well as flesh of his flesh; And why. neither can that be by natural generation, which is incor­ruptible in its nature; yea, simple and indivisible in its substance; now such is the Luke 23.46. H [...]b. 12 9. soul of man.

§. 13. Yea, Especially pro­ved from their immortality. the soul being an immaterial and immortal substance, subsisting in its self, and so, Heb. 12.23. Rev. 6.10. having the operations of life without the body, it cannot be by Generation, but must have its being by Creation; otherwise, as it begins its being with the Body generated, it should cease to be with the Body corrupted, and thereby could not be immor­tal. Wherefore to say the soul is propagated by carnal Generation, were to deny its immortality, and therewith overthow the Faith, and destroy our Christianity.

[Page 58] What the im­mortality of hu­mane nature.§. 14. Besides the immortality of the soul in its spiritual substance, man in his primitive estate had an immortality of humane nature, not where­by he had no power to dye, and from whence. but whereby he had a power not to dye, from his Original righteous­ness he had a power not to sin, and from thence did flow that his primitive immortality in a power not to dye, and how lost. Gen. 1.17. Rom 6.23. death being a punishment, and so a conse­quent of sin.

§. 15. Yea some Bodies we acknowledg in­corruptible, either in respect of their Matter, or of their Form, or of their Efficient; amongst which were the bodies of our first Parents. How some bo­dies said to be incorruptible. The Heaven of Heavens was created incorruptible, in respect of its Matter, as having no capacity of, nor propension to any other Form then what it al­ready hath. The Bodies of the blessed shall be rai­sed 1 Cor. 15.42, 53. incorruptible in respect of their form, as ha­ving thereby conveyed to them such an endowment of immortality, as shall preserve from all corrup­tion. and how the bodies of our first Pa­rents. And the Bodies of our first Parents were kept incorruptible in respect of the efficient, God com­municating to them a preservative power by effe­ctual means, the Tree of life appointed for the pre­venting of corruption, whilst they continued in their innocency.

What and how great things God did that Man should not sin.§. 16. That man should not sin, God gave him a Col. 3.10. cleer knowledg, and an Eccles. 7.29. upright Will; he gave him a Gen. 2.17. firm law, fenc'd with a gracious promise upon obedience, and a dreadful threatning upon transgression; and he gave him a visible Gen. 2.9. sacra­ment to signifie and seal what was promised, and what was threatned. All this God did, that man should not sin; and what he would have done that Man should not dye. and had not man sinned, more would God have done, that he should not dy: he would have preserved him from outward violence, by Psa. 91.1. & 121. 34, &c. divine protection and the Psal. 34.7. & 91.11, 12. Ministry of An­gels; [Page 59] he would have supply'd him with continual food from the wholsom Gen. 1.29. & 2.16. fruit of a pleasant Para­dise; he would have prevented all distemper, decay and dissolution, from sickness, age, and death, by the vertue of temperance and the Gen 3 22. tree of life; yea after his temporal estate of an earthly hap­piness, God would have Gen. 5.24. Heb 11.5. 1 Cor. 15.51. translated him to an Heavenly habitation of eternal blessed­ness.

§. 17. Original righteousness was not such, What original righteousness was, as that thereby man had no power to sin, for the Gen. 3.6, 11.12, 17. event shews the contrary; but such, as that there­by man Gen 1.27. & 2.17. had a power not to sin; which Original righteousness was a Gen. 1.26. Eccles. 7.29. con-natural endowment, no supernatural gift, and therefore had it been trans­mitted from Adam in his standing, as the privation thereof is propagated in his fall, unto his whole po­sterity; For that, being the righteousness of mans nature, not Adams person, and how to h [...]ve bin transmitted to Adams poste­rity. it did belong to an equal right unto his Posterity as to himself; and so should have been transmitted (not by vertue of any semi­nal power, but of Exod. 20 6. divine ordination) to all after generations.

§. 18. Why said to be a con-natural endowment. Wherefore seeing Original righteousness was to have been propagated with the human nature if man had not fallen, it could not be any supernatu­ral gift; and seeing Original righteousness is wholly lost, and yet mans specifical nature retain'd in his fal, it could not be from any natural principle; therefore we say it is betwixt both, a con natural en­dowment. It did not flow from any principles of mans nature, but was given to man with his nature to be a natural principle of Actual righteousness; And (seeing opposita sunt unius generis) Original sin being opposite to Original righteousness; as Original sin is become a natural deformity, so was Original righteousness a natural integrity, and [Page 60] with mans nature, to have been transmitted by pro­pagation to Adams posterity.

The will the chief seat of ori­ginal righteous­ness.§. 19. The inseparable property of the will (the chief seat of Original righteousness) is this, that it act freely without constraint, either in choosing or in refusing what is presented unto it by the under­standing. What its essenti­al liberty is. And this is the liberty, which is so es­sential to the will, as that without it it were no will. And therefore it is to be found in God and in Christ, in the Angels and in Devils; yea in man whether it be in his estate of innocency, of sin, of grace, or of glory. What the liber­ty of contrari­ety is, and why not essential to the will. The liberty then which is essential to the will, doth not consist in a liberty of contrariety, which implies an indifferency to objects specifical­ly different, as Deut. 30.19. good and evil, for then should not the will of God, nor of Christ, no, nor the will of Angels, or of the blessed, have its liberty, seeing they cannot will what is evil, being Heb. 12.23. Rev. 14.13. perfectly con­firmed in good.

What that of contradiction is, and why not es­sential to the will.§. 20. Yea, it is not absolutely necessary to the freedom of the will, that it have a liberty of contra­diction, being indifferent in the exercise of the act, to will or not to will; for that the blessed Angels and Saints in heaven do freely love and praise God, yet can they not 1 Cor. 13 8, 12. Rev. 4 8. & 7.15. forbear or suspend the acts of lo­ving and of praising him; sure, the will, as in the desire, so much more in the enjoyment of its last end, it necessarily wils; and yet freely too. It cannot but will, yet without any external force, or internal coaction, being Psal. 16.27. & 11.15. & 36.8. wholly possest with a delightful complacency in its object. In what it is ne­cessary that the will have a li­berty of contra­diction. That the will then be free in a liberty of contradiction, is necessary onely in the use of means, which admit of deliberations; not in the desire or enjoyment of the last end and chief good, to which the will is carried by a natural pro­pension, not a voluntary election, and so excludes all preceding deliberation.

[Page 61]§. 21. What's the liber­ty of wil in God, in Christ, in the Angels, and in the blessed. What in the Devils, and in the wicked. What in man in the state of innocence, and of grace. Such a liberty of will then as is free onely to good, is in 2 Cor. 3.17. God, and in Christ, in the Angels, and in the Blessed; such a liberty of will, as is free onely to evil, is in the Devils, and Gen 6.5. Job 15.16. in the wic­ked; and such a liberty of will as is free both to good and evil, was in man in his state of innocency, and is in him in Gal. 5 17. Phil. 2.13. his state of grace. In Adam then before his fall, there was not any thing of coaction from within, or of enforcement from without, to compel him to will or do what was good, or what was evil, whether it were in things Natural, Civil, Moral, or Divine.

CHAP. XI. Concerning the Covenant of Works, and the Fall of man.

§. 1. MAN being made in Gen. 1.27. Gods Image, Adam had a knowledg of Gods will per­f [...]ct in its kinde. had a perfect Col. 3.10. knowledg of Gods will; not that Isa 40.13. Rom 11.33, 34. absolute and secret will of God, which is the Cause of all Being; but that Deut. 29.29. conditional and revealed will of God, What the Law to Adam. which is the Psal. 143.10. Mat. 6.10. rule of mans working, Which will of God, was to be a law to man; How the same with the Deca­logue. and Adam in his creation, had this Psal. 40.8. Jer. 31.33. Rom. 2.15. law written in the table of his heart, the same in substance with the Deca­logue, Exod. 34.28. that law of the ten Commandments, which afterwards Israel had written in tables of stone.

§. 2. God having given man a law, What the Co­venant of Works he further entreth with him a Exod. 34.28. Deut. 9.10. Jer. 31.31, 32. Heb. 8.9, 13. Covenant. This call'd the Co­venant of Works. In which the Lev. 18.5. Ezek 20.11. Rom. 7.10. & 10.5. Gal. 3.12. promise on Gods part, is the confirming man in his created estate of life, holiness, and happiness: The Lev. 18.5. Ezek. 20.11. Rom. 7.10. & 10.5. Gal. 3.12. condition on [Page 62] mans part, is perfect obedience unto the Deut. 27.26. Luke 10.25, 26, 27. Gal. 3.10. Jam. 2.10. whole law of his Creator, according to the full extent of his revealed will. What the seal of the Covenant. This Covenant God seals in a so­lemn ratification with that Sacramental Tree, the Gen 2 9. & 3.22. Prov. 3.18. Tree of life.

§. 3. Thus God having made firm his Cove­nant, The trial of mans obedience. he doth put man upon the trial of his obedi­ence, Gen. 2.16.17 forbidding him to eat of the tree of know­ledg; setting on the prohibition with this com­mination, Gen. 2.17. that in the day he eateth thereof, he shall surely dye. So that as upon mans performing the condition, God freely promised by covenant a Blessing of life; so upon his breach of the Co­venant, God severely threatned in justice the curse of death.

Man left to the use of his free­wil.§ 4. Now God having entred a Covenant, and seal'd it, enacted a probatory law, and publish'd it; he leaveth man ( E [...]cles. 7.28. furnish'd with sufficient po­wer) to the use of his free will, for the trial of his obedience. Tempted by Satan. And here the John 8.44. Devil in malice to God, and envy to man, making use of the Gen. 3.1, 2, 3, &c. 2 Co. 11.3. Serpent, by the subtilty of his suggestions, deceiveth Eve; and by the plausible importunity of her Gen. 3, 6. 1 Tim. 2.14. perswasions, Transgresseth in eating the for­bidden fruit. seduceth Adam to a breaking the Covenant of his God, by eating the forbidden fruit.

Satans bait to catch men.§. 5. That which Satan (in his temptation) doth labour by subtil Sophistry to perswade, is this, That man should not dye though he did eat, but should be like God, The subtilty of Satans temtation when he had eaten, This poyson the De­vil first presents unto Eve, in a cover'd cup, words of a dark, dubious, and perplex'd sense, by Gen. 3.1. way of interrogation, (yea, hath God said?) the better to catch at her answer, His order and progress in it. and pursue his design: And when by his questioning, he hath Gen. 3.3. brought Gods Command into question; he presently Gen. 3.4. takes away the commination (which God hath set as a bar to his law, lest man should break in, and transgress [Page 63] his command) and to Gods severe threatning he Gen. 3.5. opposeth an enticing promise; which he sets on with a false crimination cast upon God; and as a gloss to his lye, he gives a rare commendation of the fruit, The Tree of knowledg of good and evil, why so called. seemingly made good by the very de­nomination of the Tree, the Gen. 2.17. Tree of knowledg of good and evil; which name it had of God, not from the constitution of its nature, but of his ordinance, with respect to the event of mans sin foreseen.

§. 6. wherein the hai­nousness of A­dams transgres­sion doth consist The enormity and hainousness of Adams sin, is not to be sought for in the tast, or in the fruit, or in the tree, which present but a low esti­mation of the sin, to a seeming meanness of the fact; but it is to be sought for in the Gen. 2.17. & 3.11. Exod. 20.1.2. high con­tempt of the Divine Majesty, and Law, in the Gen. 3.5.6.22. proud affectation of the Divine Dignity and Likeness; yea, in the horrid Apostacy of preferring Satans word before Gods, and thereby turning from God in his truth, to a siding with Satan in his John 8.44. lie. The sin then of our first Parents, it was no light, trivi­al, or single sin, but indeed a mass or heap of hai­nous, horrid, and manifold impieties, even to a violation of the whole Decalogue, how a violation of the whole Law. in a total breach of that Jam 2 8 Royal Law of love, which doth Mat. 22 36, 37, 38, 40. Rom. 13.10. fill up both tables in what concerns God, our neighbour, and our selves.

§. 7. In this transgression of Adams, What was mans fist sin, is doubt­ful, and so difficult to determine the con­course and complication of many sins, it is doubt­ful and difficult to determine which was the first sin; the erroneous Jer. 4.22. Psal. 14.2. judgment of the understan­ding, that must necessarily go before the evil ele­ction of the will in order of nature: yet we con­ceive the understanding and will, What the first internal prin­ciple of evil in man. by error and e­vil choise, did in one and the same instant com­pleat the sin, and thereby became the first inter­nal principle of evil in man, whether that evil were [Page 64] a sin either of vain confidence, or infidelity, or of pride, or of covetousness; one of which most pro­bably was (which is not necessary to be determined) the first sin committed by Adam in his Apostacy. Adams sin was from himself freely without force. And thus, that Adam sinned, was not by any Jam. 1.13. en­forcement either of positive decree in God, or of Jam 4.7. irresistible temptation in Satan; or of Eccles. 7.29. evil dispo­sition in himself; But at the suggestion of the Devil Adam misusing the liberty of his will, of his own accord did Rom. 5.14.15 transgress the command of his God, and thereby became guilty of sin and lyable to the curse.

Adams sin in­curs Gods cu se of death§. 8. Thus the Act of disobedience committed by Adam of his Eccl. 7.29. own free-wil, bringeth upon him the curse of death, inflicted of God in his just judgment, and not onely upon himself in his person, upon himself and his posterity. but also in his Rom. 5.18, 19 posterity; for that God entered not his Co­venant with Adam as he was one man, Why upon his posterity. but as he Acts 17.26. 1 Cor. 15.21, 22 re­presented all mankinde, of which he was the Root and the Head; And therefore as by Adams obedience, all his Posterity should have received the reward of life promised; so equal it is, that upon Adams diso­bedience, Rom. 5.14 15 all his posterity should undergo the curse of death threatned.

Adam propa­gates the curse and the sin too;§. 9. And thus, as the blessing of the Covenant had not rested in Adams person, so nor doth the Rom. 5 12. curse and as not the curse, so nor doth the Rom. 5 12. sin; But both sin and curse being seated in Eph. 2.3. humane na­ture, and this in pro­pagating his na­ture. as well as Adams person, Adam propagating his nature, doth propagate also his sin, and with his sin the curse of Death. So that, as many, as by na­tural generation descend from Adam, are Psal. 51 5. shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin, Eph. 2 2, 3. children of disobe­dience, and children of wrath, subject to Mat. 10.28. Rom. 6.23. temporal and eternal death.

§. 10. Now that no man may question the goodness and Justice of God, in giving Adam a [Page 65] free-will, God's goodness justified in gi­ving man a free-will, though he knew the Devil would thereby enter and destroy man. How it was ne­cessary that man should have a will; and that will a liberty to good and evil. whereat he knew Sin and Satan would enter and destroy him; we acknowledge free-will to be a Gen. 1.26. necessary part of the pure naturall being of man, and so likewise of Angels; therefore, that God might make the Angels intelligent Spirits, and Man a rationall creature, necessary it was that they should have a will, which will in its pure naturall constitution must have its freedome, in a Deut. 30.19. liberty to good and evill; for that the will doth become free onely to good, is from confirming Grace; free onely to evill, that is from degenerating sinne; free both to good and evill, that is from pure Na­ture.

§. 11. Seeing then, it was absolutely necessary that Angels and Man, being Intelligent and Ratio­nall Creatures, should have a will; and having a wil, it was absolutely necessary that will should be free; and being free, it was absolutely necessary that freedome should be in a liberty to good and evill; either God must not have made them such creatures, or he must make them such wills. To have made a rationall crea­ture without a will, or a will without its li­berty, doth imply a contradiction. For God cannot doe what implies a contradiction in the thing, not from any deficiency in God, but from an incapaci­ty in the creature; indeed to be free onely to good by Nature, is the perfection of Gods will, whose wi [...] thereby becomes the very Rule of goodness.

§. 12. Besides, The mutability of estate in An­gels and Man, did depend upon the liberty of the will. the Job. 4.18. & 15.15. John 4 44. Jude 6. Gen. 2.17. Mutability of estate in An­gels and Man, to the manifestation of Gods justice and mercy, doth depend upon the liberty of their will to good and evill; so that to have created An­gels and Men in this perfection of will, as free onely to good, had been to have created them immutable in their estate, whereas to be such by nature, To be immuta­ble by nature is peculiar unto God. is Mal. 3.6. Jam. 1.17. 2 Cor. 5.1. Luke 20.36. 1 Pet. 1.4. proper unto God, and incommunicable to the creature, which is not made such but by Grace, and that grace made ^c perfect in glory.

§. 13. So that, to take away liberty from the [Page 66] will, is to take away the will from man; and to take away the will from man, is to take away man from the Creation; and to take away man from the creation, is to take away much of the manifestation of Gods glory in the exercise of his mercy and ju­stice, as well as his wisdome and power. Wherefore though God gave man a free will, whereby Satan entred upon the soul to destroy Adam, Mans fall not to be laid to Gods charge. and sin entred upon Adam to destroy his posterity, yet can we not in common equity, lay mans fall to Gods charge.

§. 14. To stop the mouth of all irrationall rea­soning; we make this reasonable instance by way of apt illustration. Illustrated by a fit similitude. In the building of an house it is necessary, that for use, conveniency and being, it have a door, which is made of sufficient strength to keep out the thief, so the inhabitant have sufficient care to keep it shut. Now if the thief by fair words, not violent force, get entrance and spoyl the goods, whose is the fault? the workmans that built the house, or the inhabitants that set open the doores? With the application we curb and stop mens curio­sity, that it do not run or rush them into blasphe­my; and where they cannot satisfie their reason, they are taught to exercise their faith, Where man can­not satisfie his reason, it is rea­sonable that he exercise his faith. and with de­vout praise, to take a part in that heavenly Anthem, Rev. 15.3. Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Al­mighty! just and true are thy wayes, O thou King of Saints.

§. 15. This then we affirm as certain truth, that, In mans fall, Gods will was permitting and disposing in mans fall. Psal. 5.4. Hos. 13.9. God was neither compelling, nor com­manding nor perswading; but permitting & dispo­sing. And thus, though God did not will mans fall, yet was not (indeed could not be) mans fall without Gods will; So that as God did not will mans fall, so nor was mans fall without Gods will. for if the Matth. 10.30 hair of mans head cannot, sure, the head of all mankind could not; if one poor Matth. 10:29 Sparrow cannot, sure, our first Parents, and in them whole humane Stock, could not fall to the ground, [Page 67] universally sink into the gulph Rom. 5.18. of sin, How ordered to his glory and mans good. and guilt of death, without the will of God; whose will did certainly determin to permit and order man's fall, to the greater manifestation of his own glory, and the higher advancement of mans happiness in a graci­ous redemption by Christ.

§. 16. Thus, as God did not positively wil, Why God did neither posi­tively will, nor properly nill mans fall. so nor did he properly nill mans fall; for if God had wil'd that man should fall, man falling must have derogated from his goodness and holinesse; and if God had will'd that man should not fall, man fal­ling must have derogated from his Wisdom and Power; but God neither willing nor nilling, but permitting and disposing mans fall, doth manifest the glory of all his Attributes, in the advancement of his mercy and justice; his mercy, in that Eph. 1.8, 9, 10. grace he vouchsafeth by Christ to his Church; and his justice, by Psal. 9.16. Rom. 9.22, 23. those judgments he executeth upon sin in the world.

§. 17. Why God orde­red man to be tempted, left him, and per­mitted him to be overcome. God ordered man to be tempted for his triall; left him (in that temptation) to himselfe, for his conviction; and permitted him to be over­come for his punishment. In the triall he proves mans obedience, in the conviction he discovers mans weaknesse, and in the punishment he doth correct his Jer. 17.5. vain confidence; his vain confidence, in trusting to his own strength, Adam lost the assistance of God, by not seeking it in prayer. and not seeking by prayer the assistance of God; who, as he gave Adam a power in his Nature, whereby he might have obeyed, if he had willed; would also have given him a further power in his triall, whereby he had wil'd that he might have obeyed, What strength Adam had by creation. and What he might have had by prayer. 1 Chron. 28.9. Psal. 9.10. if he had sought it of God. And thus, having obtained so much grace by creation, as to have a power where­by, if had wil'd, he might not have sinned; he had certainly obtained more grace by prayer, so as to have had a power, whereby he neither might [Page 68] have sinned nor have will'd it; being approved in his triall, and confirmed in his conquest; and so established in grace, and made perfect in hap­piness.

Why God can­not be said to be the cause of mans fall.§. 18. God cannot properly be the cause, of what he doth not positively will. Seeing then he did not positively will mans sin, he cannot properly be the cause of mans fall. His determining to permit, and decreeing to order mans sin and mans fall, doth declare his wisdom and power, without the least im­pairing of his holiness and justice; it doth speak him in his providence an all wise Disposer, Why he permits sin. not an unjust Author of sin; for that his [...] Psal, 145.9. 1 John 1.5. infinite goodness is such, as would not permit evill in the world, were not his infinite power such, as out of that Rom. 6.20. 2 Cor. 4.6. evill to bring a world of good.

CHAP. XII. Concerning the Author, Cause, Nature, and Adjuncts of Sin.

Why God cannot be the Author and cause of sin. Its first Origi­nall in the De­vill.§. 1. THe Psal. 99.97. & 145.1. Isa. 26.7. Jer. 12.1. Rev. 15, 3. Just and Holy God, who doth Psal. 97.10. Heb. 1.9. Rev. 2.6. hate, Exod. 20, 3, &c. Levit. 11.44. forbid, and Exod. 34.7 Jer. 9.8, 9. Amos 3.2. John 5.14. punnish Sin, cannot possibly be the 1 John 1.5. &. 2.16. Jam. 1.13.18. cause and Author of Sin, which indeed had its first John 8.48. 1 Iohn 3.8. birth and being from the Divell, and unto which Adam Eccles. 7.29. vo­luntarily betrayed himself in the exercise and abuse of his free-will, How by him in Adam. by Gen. 3.6. Matth. 4.3. consenting to the Divels sug­gestions, which had in themselves no power to force, though permission from God to per­swade.

How the foun­tain and cause of sinne is in our selves fallen in Adam.§. 2. And thus by Adam sin Rom. 5.12. entred into the world, upon whose fall, we find the Originall foun­tain and efficsent (or more properly deficient) [Page 69] cause of sinne to be in our selves; for, having lost that harmony, and broken that subordination of the appetite to the will, of sense to reason, of the body to the soul, and of all to God, man is become even in his best and highest faculties Jer. 10.14. Rom. 1.21. & 7.14. sensuall, and carnall; so that, sense overcoming reason, and the appetite overswaying the will, the will doth over­rule all, to a leading the whole man Rom. 7.14.23 captive into sin. And thus the true cause of mans sinne is in mans self; for that, How actuall sin is brought forth. Jam. 1.14.15 Lust conceiving in the Matth. 5, 28. will's confenting, actuall sin is brought forth.

§. 3. It is not then any coaction or constraint of necessity in Fate, any force or fore-sight of Pro­vidence in God, or any compulsion or power of Temptation in Satan, but the perversnesse and con­sent of Psa. 32.5. & 51.3. Acts 5.3. Ephes. 2.3. will in man, which is the proper cause of his sin. What those Scriptures in­timate in their truth, which wicked men wrest, to make God the Au­thor of sin in their blasphemy. Wherefore all those places of sacred Scrip­tures, which wicked men do wrest against truth, and blasphemous mouthes retort upon God to the ma­king him the Author of sin, doe all declare and chiefly intimate that wonderfull wisdom and infi­nite goodnesse of the Almighty, who, as a power­full Disposer, not a bare Spectator, doth order the evill actions of the wicked to his glory, yet not any way partaking of the evill, Jer. 51.20. John 19.11. though powerfully assisting in the action.

§. 4. God restrains from sin, doth not prompt to sin. God it is who Gen. 31.29. Num. 22.22. 2 Tim. 3.8.9. 1 Pet. 5.8. restrains the wicked from sin; so farre is he from prompting them for ward unto wickednesse: but as the Lion let loose from his chain, of his own cruell nature doth de­vour and spoile; The wicked rush into sin when not re­strained. How the same actions are holy in respect of God, yet sinfull in respect of the wicked. so the 1 Sam. 16.14 1 King. 22.23. Ezek. 14.9. 2 Thes. 2.11, 12 wicked let loose by Divine Providence for the execution of Gods wrath, Rev. 20.7, 8. of their own corrupt dispositions they rush into mis­chief and sin: Gen 50.20. Isa. 47.6, 7. Acts 2.23. & 3.14, 15. yea, the same Actions are good and holy in respect of God, as ordered to a good end, even the advancing his Justice and Mercy which yet are sinfull and abominable in respect of [Page 70] man, as contrived to an evill end, even the satiating their malice and fury. And thus, when 2 Sam. 12.11. Isai. 47.6, 7. Acts 2.23. & 3.14, 15. wicked men are raised up to be a scourge for the punish­ment of others, it is from Gods most just and ho­ly will; but the malice, covetousness, cruelty, and other evils which they commit in their executing this punishment, are all from their own corrupt and vile affections.

It is no excuse to the wicked, that they fulfill Gods secret will, when they disobey his will revealed: and why.§. 5. And though true it is, the wicked do per­form Rom. 9.19. Gods secrets will, his will of purpose, even when they disobey Acts 2.23. his revealed will, his will of precept; yet because Gods revealed will is the Rule of our obedience, to disobey that, though we per­form the other, it 1 Iohn 3.4. is sin. So that, it can be no excuse of sin in man, or imputation of unrighteous­nesse in God, that the wicked whil'st they sin (yet not in their sin) actually do what he by his secret counsel & eternal decree hath appointed to be done: Acts 4.27. Isai. 10.5, &c. because they do it, not in obedience to Gods just will, but in pursuance of their own unjust wilfulnes.

God wills the permission, not the commission of sin: and why.§. 6. Besides, Gods purpose and foreknowledge, is not the cause of what he hath decreed to permit, but of what he hath decreed to effect; seeing God then doth not wil the commission but the permission of sin, he cannot be the cause of it. And that God should wil the permission of sin, is most just; for that otherwise he should lose the glory of his Justice; yea and of his mercy too: of this we may be confident, God is so infinitely good, that he would not permit evill, were he not withall so infinitely powerfull, as to Rom. 8.28. & 5.20. order that evill unto good.

How God is said to harden in sin.§. 7. Further yet, when God is said to Exod. 9.12. Deut. 2.30. Isai 6.10. & 29.10. & 63.17. Rom 9.18. harden malicious sinners, he doth it not by adding more sin, or infusing more malice, but by further with­holding, or quite withdrawing his Grace: and so in just judgement 1 Sam. 16.14 Psal. 109.6. 1 Tim. 1.20. giving them up unto Satan, and their own Rom. 1.24.26.28. vile affections, they truly and really [Page 71] Exod. 9.34. Mat. 13.14, 15. Heb. 3.13.15. Acts 28.26, 27 harden themselves. Sin then is not prompted or caused by God, but suggested by Satan, or raised by lust, and through consent of the will committed by man.

§. 8. And as sin hath no efficient, What sin is in its privative Being. but Rom. 3.23. 1 Cor. 6, 7. defici­ent cause, so hath it no positive, but a privative Being; and so cannot properly be an action, which is a naturall good, but the obliquity and error of the action; which is a morall evill; it is not the work, but the evill of the work, What in its proper nature. in a deviation from the rule of righteousnesse, the Rom. 4 5. Law of God, which is the sin. And sin being in its proper nature the Rom 5.15.17.18 Job. 34.31. Jam. 3. [...]. offence of Gods Justice in the Isa. 48.8. Job. 31 33. Isa. 35 5. 1 John 3.4. transgression of his Law, doth bring upon man a guilt, a pollution, and a punishment.

§. 9. In The severall adjuncts of sin, that 1. It is Guilt. The guilt of sin is that whereby Mat. 6.12. & 23 16. Rom. 1 32. & 3.19. & 4.15. man be­comes debtor unto God, bound over unto the pe­nalty of that law which he hath transgress'd. From this guilt doth proceed an Gen 3 10. Heb. 10.31. horror; From whence proceeds horror attended with despair. The Rom. 1.32. & 2.15. Consci­ence terrifying the Soul with a selfe-accusing and condemning sentence, Gen. 4.13. Heb. 2.15. Heb. 10 31. made more dreadfull by despair. 2. Its Pollution,

§. 10. Besides this guilt of sin, which relateth unto the punishment, there is a Mat 15.11. Rev. 22.11. pollution, Whereby God abhors man, which cleaveth unto the soul. Which pollution doth make God to Prov. 3.32. & 6.16. Isai. 1.15. Jer. 16.18. Isa. 59.2. Hab. 1.13. abominate and abhorre man, and Man himselfe with a confu­on of face. ^c hiding his face from him; and doth make man Ier. 3 25 Dan. 9.7, 8. with confusion of face to loath and Ezek. 6.9 Iob. 42.6. abhorre himself, and to Gen 3.8. Ier. 32.33. flie the divine presence. 3. Its Punish­ment. Gods vindica­tive Justice di­versly exprest.

§. 11. The punishment of sin; that is, an Prov. 13.21. Ier. 18.8. Amos 3.2, 6. evill of misery inflicted by God in the execution of his vindictive Justice. Which Justice, as it is provoked by sin, is call'd Ier. 7.19. Mich. 7.18. anger and wrath; as it is more hotly incens'd to severity, it is call'd Deut. 29.20. Ierem. 7.20. fury, and jealousie; as it denounceth sentence, and executeth punishment upon sin, it is call'd Deut. 32.35 Ierem. 51.6. Rom. 2.5. judgement and vengeance.

[Page 72] Why the guilt & punishment of sin is infinite.§. 12. The weight of the offence committed, is to be measured according to the greatnesse of the person offended; The Gal. 3.10. Matth. 5.22. & 12.36. least violation then, of an infinite Majesty, must incurre the guilt of an infinite punishment, How all punish­ment is equall, and how un­equall. which is Rom. 6.23. Eternall Death, And thus all punishment becomes equall exten­sively, in duration of time, though not Matth. 5.22. & 11.22, 24. inten­sively in degrees of torment; yea, as is our ob­ligation to the duty, such is our transgression of the command; and as is our transgression of the com­mand, such is the punishment of our sin, all of equall extent; the transgression infinite, because the breach of an infinite obligation, and so the pu­nishment infinite, because the penalty of an infinite transgression

The duration of punishment is correspondent to the duration of sin; and how.§. 13. Thus the duration of punishment doth become correspondent to the duration of sin; of the sin, not in respect of its Act, which is transi­ent, but of its pollution, and of its guilt, which are permanent; and so John 8.24. permanent, as that they are eternall: Wherefore seeing the least sin (with­out the grace of the Spirit to sanctifie, and the mercy of God to pardon) is eternall in its pollu­tion and guilt; it must needs be so too in its John 3.36. punishment: Rev. 21.27. certainly excluding the sinner from life and glory, and Ezek. 18.20 eternally subjecting him to death and misery.

How Gods Ju­stice doth pu­nish, and his mercy pardon sin.§. 14. When Gods justice executeth the punish­ment of wrath, Lam. 3.39. Jerem. 9.9. it is with respect to the guilt of sin. And therefore when Gods mercy doth par­don the sin, he Heb. 8.12. remits the punishment, by ac­quitting from the guilt. So that if God should require penall satisfaction when he hath forgiven the sin, Penall satisfa­ction is incon­sistent with sins remission. it were as if a man should demand the debt, when he hath Col. 2.41. cancelled the bond; an act this of absolute power, if not of direct injustice; and cannot be supposed in the most holy God, who doth forgive [Page 73] sin, God doth not punish man for the sin he for­gives him. but with respect to the Rom. 3.23. & 5.11. all-sufficient satisfa­ction of Christ, who hath Heb. 9.28. 1 Pet. 2.24. born away our sin, by bearing of our punishment. So that, the punish­ment of sin and its forgiveness are inconsistent, both in the nature of the thing, and by vertue of the sa­tisfaction of Christ.

§. 15. The afflictions then of the godly, What is formal punishment; and why the af­flictions of the godly are not such punishments. they are not formal punishments, because inflicted of God, not as an avenging Judg, but as a Heb. 12.9, 10 provident Father, and so are not intended for the satisfaction of his justice (which is the nature of punishment) but either for the abolishing and preventing of sin, by way Heb. 12.7. Rev. 3.19. of correction; or for the proof and approbati­on of grace, by way Job 1.8, 9, 12. Zech. 13.9. of trial; or for the testimony and propagation of the truth, by way of Phil. 1.29. & 2 17. & 3.10 martyrdom. And thus the afflictions of the godly have in them the nature of Heb. 12.11. healing medicines, not destructive pu­nishments; Heb. 12.6. they are the issue of a fatherly love, not the effects of an avenging wrath.

§. 16. To say that God punisheth sin with sin, is a saying so improper, To say, God pu­nisheth sin with sin, is very im­proper: and why. that unless candidly in­terpreted (cum grano salis) with a due proportion of Prudence and of charity, it is very sinful, even unto blasphemy; for that, God, and God alone is the Isa. 45.7. Amos 3.6. prime Author of punishment, but no ways and in no sense the 2 Chro. 19.7. Author of sin. Besides, punishment and sin are as inconsistent in their formal being, as light and darkness; for (seeing privatives are best known by their opposite positives) as the good to which the evil of punishment is opposite, and that to which the evil of sin is opposed, cannot be one and the same good; so no more can punishment and sin be one and the same evil; yea, sin is an evil as being from the will, whereas punishment is an evil altogether against the will.

§. 17. True it is, that the same Psal. 79.27. thing, How that which is sinful may be the punishment of sin. which is sinful, may be the punishment of sin, yet not a [Page 74] sin as a punishment, nor yet a punishment as a sin. That any thing is a punishment inflicted, is from the just ordination of Gods Providence, but that the same thing is a sin committed, is from the evil deordination of mans perversness. Thus the 2 Chron. 36.14, 15, &c. slaughter and spoil of the Caldeans was a punish­ment inflicted by Gods justice upon Judahs sin, yet the Isa. 47.5, 6. & 50 7, 11, 17, 18. & 51.24, 34, 35. cruelty and covetousness of the Caldeans was a sin committed by their own malice in Judahs pu­nishment. Yet not sin the punishment. God then doth often punish sin with that which is sinful, but not so, as to make sin the punishment.

How sin and punishment are formally incon­sistent.§. 18. Indeed, punishment being the Deut. 32.4. executi­on of Gods Justice, and sin John 3.4. the transgression of Gods law, these two cannot possibly so consist to­gether, as to make one to be the other, and thereby God to be the Author of both, or the Author of neither, which is equally absurd and impious. Be­sides, sin being the Gen. 6.5, 6, 7 11, 12, 13. disorder of the Universe, is re­duc'd into order by punishment, God repairing the breach of his law, by the execution of his justice, the transgression by the penalty. And seeing God doth order sin by punishment, sure he doth not pu­nish sin with sin, Gods wisdom and power in ordering sin and punishment. for that were more disorderly. No, here is the wisdom and power of God, in his provi­dence so to order the same thing which is 1 King. 12.19 sinful in respect of mans wickedness, to be 1 King. 12.24 righteous in respect of his justice, 1 King. 11.31 33, 35, 37. even in the just judgment of sin; and this, without any such absurdity and impie­ty of making sin to be formally a punishment.

Punishment the concomitant or consequent of sin, but not the same with it.§. 19. Wherefore true it is, that sin, which is the Job. 4 8. Lam. 3.39. meritorious cause of punishment, may sometimes be its Rom. 5.10. concomitant or Rom. 1.24, 28 consequent, but not the same with it, nor yet any proper effect of it; for as darkness is the consequent, not the effect of the Suns with-drawing or with-holding his light; so is sin the consequent, not the [Page 75] effect of Gods with-drawing or with-holding his grace.

CHAP. XIII. Concerning Original Sin.

§. 1. What Original sin is. Original Sin is that guilt and pollution which seizeth us in Psal. 51.5. Isa. 28.8. our mothers wombs, in the first Original of our humane being, and is either imputed or inherent, ac­cording to our legal or natural capacity in the first Adam. How imputed and inherent. As we were Rom. 5.12. legally in Adam (he represen­ting all mankinde) we have Original Sin in Rom. 5.18. his a­ctual disobedience imputed to our person; And as we were Acts 17.26. Heb. 7.9, 10. naturally in Adam (he the root of all man­kinde) we have Original sin, The unhappy consequent and effects of both. in his Job 14 5. John 3.6. propagated corruption inherent in our natures; by that impu­ted disobedience, we are wholly deprived of Rom. 5.19. 1 Cor. 15.22. all Original righteousness, and by this inherent cor­ruption, we are habitually Gen. 6.5. Mat. 15.19. enclined unto all actu­al wickedness.

§. 2. We affirm, Original sin doth formally consist in the privation of original righ­teousness. that Original Sin in Adams Posterity, doth formally consist in the privation of Original righteousness, as it is an evil defect Gen. 2.17. & 3.6. through Adams default, we not having through the demerit of his Sin, what we ought to have Gen. 1.16. Eccles. 7.29. Rom. 7 10.14. by the law of creation, and the Deut. 6.4, 5. bond of Covenant with our God; by the breach of which law and Co­venant in Adam, it is, that whosoever descends from him by John 3.6. Ephes. 2.2 3. natural generation (even the Luke 1.47. blessed vir­gin, the mother of Christ not excepted) is there­fore a child of [...]h, because a child of Adam, communicating in his sin, by Mat. 7.16, 17. Jam. 3 11. partaking of his nature.

[Page 76] How we become deprived of O­riginal righteous­ness.§. 3. That Adam then and his posterity become deprived of Original righteousness is not because God doth forcibly withdraw it by his power, but deservedly withhold it in his justice; 2 Chr. 15.2. God doth not desert, but being first deserted; And therefore it was not God that spoyled man, but it was man, Eccles. 7.29. Hos. 13.9. who made voide to himself the integrity of his na­ture by the guilt and pollution of his actual disobe­dience, which disobedience was indeed a compli­cation of the most hainous transgressions; of pride, ingratitude, Why this depri­vation is a sin. rebellion, &c. So that, the first loss of Original righteousness being by Adams transgres­sion, yea in Adam a sin, the after privation there­of in himself and his posterity must needs be sin­ful.

Why the punish­ment of Gods withholding righteousness, is no excuse for mans sinful waste and want of it.§. 4. Though true it is, that man having first cast away that rich treasure of Original righteousness by his sin, God after Isa. 59.2. withholds it in his justice by way of punishment; yet doth not this just punish­ment from God excuse the sinful privation in man; his Original sin, in the privation of Original righ­teousness, being, though a necessary consequent, yet not a proper effect of that punishment, much less the formal punishment it self. Sin, in the privation of righteousness doth follow Gods withholding his grace, as darkness, being the privation of light, doth follow the Suns withholding his beams; not as a proper effect, but as a necessary consequent. And though, to be deficient in necessaries is equiva­lent to an efficiency, be true, where there is an obli­gation of law natural or positive to require the as­sistance; yet it is not so, where the obligation is broken by his default, in whose behalf the as­sistance is required; as it is [...]e in the Case of mans Original sin in the pr [...]ion of Original righteousness.

§. 5. Original Sin (then) is not from God; he [Page 77] is no waies the Author of it, How we become by nature chil­dren of disobedi­ence, and children of wrath. nor it formally a pu­nishment from him; it is properly the effect of A­dams disobedience, and the consequent of Gods wrath, whereby we are become by nature children Eph [...]s. 2 23. of disobedience, and children of wrath; otherwise, neither should children conceived and quickned, Rom. 5.14. dye in the womb; nor ought they, How proved that we are such. being newly born, be baptized Rom. 6.3, 6. into the remission of sins. As sin Rom 6.23. doth inseparably bring forth death, so doth death infallibly presuppose sin; which, in the quickned Embryo, and new born Infant, can be none other then this of Original Sin.

§. 6. How Original sin is a repugnancy to the whole law. Which Original sin (not onely as the de­pravation of corrupt nature, but also as the depri­vation of primitive righteousness) it is not barely 1 John 3.4. ( [...]) a transgression of the law in some one, or some few particulars; but is more fully Rom. 7.23. & 8.7. Gal: 5.17. ( [...]) an enmity or opposition against the whole Law in ge­neral. For the Law is not onely the rule of our life, and of our works, but also Psal. 19.7. Mar. 12.33. Rom. 7.14. of our nature, and of our faculties, requiring integrity and holiness in these, as well as purity and righteousness in them. The same precept which commands love, requires strength; otherwise the Law hath said in vain, Luke 10.27. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy strength, see­ing Rom. 5.6. we have no strength to love him: so that, not onely to want righteousness in our lives, but even to want integrity in our natures, is opposite to the Law, yea, the whole Law of God, and therefore must be sin.

§. 7. Seeing that in original sin, The contagion of original Sin ex­tends to the per­sons of all man­kinde, and the parts of the whole man. the evil depriva­tion of primitive righteousnes, is accompanied with a total deprivation of humane nature; therefore as the whole man and all mankinde is become guilty, so is Rom 5.12.13, &c. Gen 6.5. Isa. 1.6. all mankinde and the whole man become pol­luted. And as this Original corruption of mans nature doth extend to all mens persons; so doth [Page 78] this corruption of the whole man extend to all the parts; and how. spreading its contagion into 1 Cor. 2.14. 2 Cor. 3.14. the understan­ding by ignorance; into Deut. 32.18. Psal. 106.21. the memory by forgetful­ness; into Mat. 23.37. John 8.44. the will by perverseness; into Tit. 1.15, 16. Heb. 10.22. the conscience by confusion; into Rom. 1.24, 26 Jam. 4.6. the affections by disorder; and into the Rō. 3.13, &c. & 6.13, 19. very members of the body as the instruments of sin.

What Original corruption is call'd in Scrip­ture.§. 8. This Original corruption is called in sa­cred Scripture, sometimes Rom. 7.7. Jam 1.14. lust and concupiscence, sometimes Rom. 7.8, 13 the sin, the Rom. 7.17.20 inhabiting sin, the Heb. 12.1. en­compassing sin, and sometimes the Rom. 7.23. & 8.2. law of sin: It is sometimes called the Rom. 6 6. Ephes. 4 22. Col. 3 9. old man, John 3.6. Rom. 7.5. & 9.8. Gal. 5.19. and the flesh, even as flesh is put for the whole man. And there­fore we read of the Col. 2 18. Rom 8 6, 7. 2 Cor. 1.12. understanding, mind, and wisdom of the flesh; the Ephes. 2.3. Gal 5.24. will, affections, and lusts of the flesh; yea, that this man of sin (inhabiting in sinful man) might be the more fully described; this flesh is said to have its Col. 2.11. body, and that body its Col. 3.5. members.

The analogy be­tween Christ and Adam in respect of the righte­ousness and dis­obedience im­puted.§. 9. Thus as there is an antithesis, so is there an Rom. 5.14. 1 Cor. 15.45. analogy between the disobedience of Adam, and the righteousness of Christ, in that as Rom. 5.18, 19 1 Cor. 15.22. the righ­teousness of Christ (the Head of his Church) is im­puted to his members for their justification; so e­qual it is, that the disobedience of Adam (the head of his posterity) be imputed to his members to their condemnation; and as by the obedience of Christ, many (even his whole spiritual Generation) are made righteous, so equal it is, that by the disobe­dience of Adam, many (even his whole carnal race) be made sinners; What meant by that saying, The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. whereas then it is said, that Ezek. 18.20. the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father; it is meant, of those sins (whether in Adam or others) as are meerly personal, not of that disobedience, which Adam committing as our representative, doth therefore become ours by imputation; nor of that corruption, which being seated in humane na­ture, [Page 79] doth therefore become common to Adam, with his posterity, as his natural branches.

§. 10. It is not then, by Rom. 5.14. actual imitation, How orignal sin is propagated. but by Gen. 5.3. Ephes. 2.3. natural generation, that we become par­takers of Adams sin, and therefore liable to Gods wrath; yea; in the regenerate themselves, How it remains even in the rege­nerate. How they pro­pagated; it to their children. though Original Sin be Rom. 8.1. remitted in its guilt, yet it Rom. 7 23. Gal. 5.17. re­mains in its pollution, and so becomes propagated in generation: So that the children which descend of pious parents, do partake of Original sin, be­cause they are children by John 1.13. & 3.6. carnal, not spiritual generation, begotten not according to the ope­ration of grace, but propagation of nature. For, that the regenerate beget children in their likeness, is according to the flesh, as men, and the sons of Adam, not according to the Spirit, as Saints, Illustrated by apt similitudes. and the Sons of God. Sanctified parents Mat. 8.9, 10. be­get children sinful by nature, even as the circum­cised Jewes beget children uncircumcised in the flesh; or as the wheat cleansed from the chaff, when sown doth bring forth wheat with its chaff again.

§. 11. How the chil­dren of Belee­vers are said to be holy. Wherefore when the children of Belee­vers are said to Rom. 11.16. 1 Cor. 7.14. be holy, it is to be understood as spoken of a political, or civil, or of a sanctify­ing and saving holiness; even such a federal holi­ness as consists in a capacity of right, and a privi­ledge of claim, Gen. 17.7. Acts 2.29. unto the promises of life and glo­ry, made of God in Christ unto his Church; And thus it is in the Christian Church, Illustrated by a fit allusion. much like as it was in the Roman State: As in the Roman State a Consul did beget a son in a political right to the Cities priviledges, which son was not born a Con­sul, though politically free; thus in the Christian Church, a Saint doth beget a child in a federal right to the Churches promises, which child is not born a Saint, though federally holy.

[Page 80] What is the sub­ject of Original Sin.§. 12. The Subject of Original sin cannot be the body or the soul alone, but both together in the whole and perfect nature of man: And though true it is, that in the knowledg of Original sin, it is more profitable, to seek how we may evade it in its punishment, then to examine how it doth invade us in its guilt; yet somewhat to inform mens judgments, though not fully to satisfie their curio­sity, we teach, That, to conceive, when and how man doth become the subject of original sin, it must be observed, When the human nature is perfect that the humane nature is not perfect, till the Gen. 2.7. union of the soul with the body. Now the soul, that is Zech. 12.1. infused by creation, and created by infusion; and in the same instant that the soul is infused into the body by creation, the body is also united to the soul in that infusion, to the making up of both into one entire Composition of humane nature; and When the sub­ject of Original Sin. which humane nature in the first instant of its being, is the subject of origi­nal sin.

How the human nature in man becomes infe­cted with Ori­ginal Sin.§. 13. Now, that humane Nature in the first instant of its being doth become the subject of original Sin, is not from the body infecting the soul, as the musty vessel doth the sweet liquor; nor yet from the souls infecting the body, as the musty liquor doth the sweet vessel; but by a secret and ineffable resultancy from the inherence in them both; The depraved inclination unto evil inseparably accompanying, and indeed necessarily flowing from the evil deprivation of righteousness; which deprivation of righteousness, is the proper effect of Adams sin, though the necessary consequent of Gods wrath; who doth make this a just punish­ment of Adams disobedience, even to withhold from his posterity that treasure which he had pro­digally wasted, that grace which he had wilfully lost, that image which he had wickedly defac'd. [Page 81] And seeing by a just imputation we are partakers of his Sin, it is by a just dispensation that we become partakers also of his punishment; And thus, no soo­ner do we partake of Adams Nature, but we par­take also of Adams curse, and so by an immediate and inseparable consequence we become defil'd with Original Sin.

§. 14. That Original sin is propagated by carnal gene­ration, appears by its antithesis of spiritual re­generation. That Original Sin in the image of God defac'd is propagated by carnal generation, ap­pears by that, which in an apt antithesis, is oppo­site unto it, even the image of God renewed by spi­ritual regeneration; which the Apostle tells us, is through the Jam. 2.18. 1 Pet. 1.23. incorruptible seed of Gods word; yet, that Original sin is propagated by carnal genera­tion, is not by vertue of any seminal power, How propagated by vertue of divine ordina­tion. but by vertue of divine ordination, it being the just ordina­tion of God, that Adams Posterity, who were legal­ly guilty of disobedience in him 1 Cor. 15.22. as their Head, should be legally deprived of righteousness Rom. 5.15. from him, as his members; which deprivation of Original righteousness being inseparably accompanied with a pollution of natural uncleanness, it was further the just ordination of God, that Adam (having corrup­ted his nature) in propagating his nature, should propagate his corruption; and so, we (being Rom. 5.12. Heb. 7.9, 10. natu­rally in him as our root) do become as men, so Rom. 5.19. sin­n [...]s too from him as his branches.

§. 15. The sum of what concerns original sin. Thus Original Sin is not seated in the substance of the body, or of the soul single, but in the humane nature upon the union of both; and doth consist in the imputed guilt of Adams diso­bedience, and the propagated corruption of A­dams nature, conveyed in carnal generation, by vertue of the Divine ordination of Gods justice; which propagated corruption in the regenerate is destroy'd according to the Rom. 6.6. & 8.1. condemning and Rom. 6.12. Gal 5.16. raigning power thereof; but doth remain in its Rom. 7.18, 24 in­hering [Page 82] and Rom. 7.23. Gal 5.17. infecting nature, which becomes more Rom. 7.25. Ephes. 4.23. weakned by grace, shall be perfectly 1 Cor. 15.53. Rev. 7.14. abolish'd in glory.

What concupi­scence is, as spo­ken of in sacred Scripture.§. 16. This propagated corruption inherent in our natures is called (sometimes in Scripture) Rom. 7.7. Jam. 1.14, 15. con­cupiscence, which concupiscence is nothing else, but that depraved disposition, or habitual propension of our corrupt nature, 1 Thes 4 5. Jam. 1.14. inordinately and actually incli­ning unto evil; and this, not onely in the unbridled desires of the sensitive appetite, Why seated in the superior, as well as in the inferi­or faculties. but even in the inor­dinate lustings of the will, and so is seated not Gal. 5.19, 20, 21. only in the inferior, but also in the superior faculties of the soul, as appears in those sins of envy, hatred, he­resie, idolatry, and the like.

From whence concupiscence in its inordinacy is.§. 17. Concupiscence (then) in its inordinacy, as sin, is not from the natural condition of our primit [...]ve being, but from the corrupt condition of our lapsed estate. For though it is true, that upon the union of the soul with the body, a spiritual sub­stance with a sensible matter, there did necessarily follow in man (whilst stated in integrity) an 1 Cor. 15.47, 48. incli­nation and propensity to what was sensible and mate­rial; yet that this inclination doth now become inordinate and rebellious, this propension precipi­tate and vitious, is from the Eccles. 7.29. Rom 7.17, 20. corruption of mans nature lapsed into sin. Why the sensi­tive appetite cannot be this concupiscenc [...] Wherefore the sensitive ap­petite and natural affection, they may be the Rom. 7.18, 23 s [...]t or subject of concupiscence, but not formally 1 Iohn 2.16. con­cupiscence it self, which doth consist in an inordina­cy and enormity Deut. 10.16 Rom. 8.7. repugnant to Gods Law, which law saith, Rom. 7.7. Thou shalt not covet.

What the sensitive appetite in m n is.§. 18. Further, we must know, that the sensitive appetite in man, it is the faculty not of a brutish but of a rational soul; and therefore (in pure na­ture) though the Spiritual part did desire carnal things; And in pure na­ture how subor­dinate unto rea­son. yet did not those carnal things return up­on the spiritual part an inordinacy of its desires; [Page 83] the sensitive appetite being an inferiour faculty of the rational soul; and so, subject to the dictate and command of the superiour faculties, the Understan­ding and Will. And thus (in the state of integrity) the rational Soul in its natural desires, acting by its sensitive appetite, Thereby specifically di­stinguish'd from that in the beasts it was not in a sensuality the same with the beasts, but specifically distinguish'd from them, as being seated in such a soul as was en­dued with the light and rule of reason, and as being constituted in such an harmonious subjection as was without the least breach or jar of inordinacy and immoderation.

§. 19. Concupiscence in its inordinacy is the issue of mas fall: and why. Concupiscence (then) as an inordinate in­clination transgressing the bounds of reason, is alto­gether repugnant to the natural constitution of man in his primitive purity, and therefore must necessa­rily be the issue of mans fall, as the sin of corrupt nature. Indeed, we cannot, but with Saint Paul, call Rom. 7.7, 8, 9, 11, 13, &c. concupiscence sin, which exposeth to Rom. 7.24. Ephes. 2.13. death, Wherefore call'd Sin. and makes subject unto wrath; yea, certainly it must be sin in its self, if made Rom. 7.8, 13. exceeding sinful by the law. And how shall concupiscence Jam. 1.15. conceive and bring forth sin if it be not it self sinful? The Mat. 7.17, 20. fruit being evil doth sufficiently declare the tree to be corrupt.

CHAP. XIV. Concerning Actual Sin.

§. 1. AS the body which hath lost its health, The privation of original righ­teousness is inse­parably accom­panied with the corruption of original unclean­ness. must needs be sick; the member which hath lost its strength, must needs be lame; so man having Eccles. 7.29. lost his integrity, must needs be wicked; having lost Eph. 4.23, 24 his purity, must [Page 84] needs be corrupt. Which Original corruption doth break forth into Rom. 7.5, 23. Gal. 5.17, 19, &c. inordinate desires, and actual lustings, contrary to the rule of life, the law of God: so that Original corruption is to Actual Sin as Gen. 6.5. fu­el to the fire, What original corruption is to actual sins. or as the Mat. 15.19. fountain to the stream, or as the Gal. 5 19. Mat. 13.17. tree to the fruit, or as the Jam. 1.15. womb to the child, or as the Col. 3.5. body to the members, or as the Rom. 7.5. habit to the act.

What actual sin is.§. 2. Actual Sin, as it is formally a de-ordination 1 John 3 4. in the transgression of Gods law, cannot proper­ly have any efficient cause, but is rather the 1 Cor. 6.7. defi­ciency of those causes, which are the efficients of those acts wherein the sin is seated. What the imme­ [...]iate internal causes of it; and how. The immedi­ate internal causes of actual sin are the Isa. 27.11. Ephes 4.18. understan­ding and Prov. 12.8. Isa 1.19. will, as defective in their proper offices, the former to give, the later to observe the rule and direction of Right Reason. The remote inter­nal causes are the Psal. 94.8. Prov. 30.2. Jer. 10.21. Jam. 1.26. imagination and sensitive appe­tite, moving and inclining the understanding and wil to what is evil, Rom. 7.5. Ephes. 2.3. prompted on by the inordinate propension of Original Concupisence.

No inducement whatsoever can cause sin with­out a conspira­cy in the inward man.§. 3. Evil Spirits, wicked men, and sensible objects may outwardly perswade, but they cannot sufficiently induce to any sin, Psal. 51.4. Jam. 4 7. Psal. 1.1. Jude 16. without a conspiracy in the inward man, Jer. 4.22. Ephes. 4.17. even of the judgement and will. The external object by means of the imagination may provoke the sensitive appetite, and the sensi­tive appetite by the judgment may tempt the will; but neither truly necessitate, nor effectually induce a man to sin, without some Gen 6.12. Prov. 1.16. 2 Pet. 2 15 22. previous disposition in the inordinacy of the will, No actual sin prevailing with­out the will con­senting. The Will not necessitated in its volition, by any power but that of Gods. whereby it consenteth unto evil. So that the fort is not gained, Deut. 5.29. Prov. 4.23. & 23.26. Mat. 15 8. till the will by consent be surrendred; the soul by temp­tation is not overcome, till the will in its consent be surprised; and God alone it is, who in his wisdom and power can so Jer. 24.7. Phil. 2.13. encline the will, as to necessitate ( Psal. 110.3. not enforce) its volition; the [Page 85] policy and strength of 2 Tim. 3.6, 13 1 Pet. 5 8. men and devils is all too weak in this attempt.

§. 4. One sin is often the cause of another; How one sin is the cause of an­other. as when man by Sin makes forfeiture Jude 4. 1 Thes. 5.19. of grace, and so laid Psal. 109.6. Rom. 1.26, 28. open to Satans temptations and his own vile affections, he Psal. 69.27. Isa. 5.18. falls from sin to sin, in a precipice of backsliding from his God. Again, when by his sin man doth ( Psal. 12.8. ambulare in circuitu) run the round or maze of sin; his sinful acts begetting evil dis­positions, those evil dispositions begetting customary habits, and those customary habits bringing forth sinful acts; yea, when Ephes. 5 18. Rom 13.14. one sin prepares the way and brings fuel to another; as when 1 Tim. 6.10. Jam. 4.1. covetousness and ambition make work for strife and murther in wars, arising about wealth and honour, who shall possess and command most of this mole-hil, the earth. Yea, when by way of finality one sin is com­mitted in order to another, as the means directed to the end; Thus Mat. 26.14, 15, 16. Judas betrays Christ to satisfie his covetousness, and 1 King. 16 9, 10, 16. Zimri slays his master to satisfie his ambition.

§. 5. What the least actual sin is. Every the least actual Sin is a 1 John 3.4. transgression of Gods law; and Gal. 3.10. every the least actual transgres­sion of Gods law is a sin. Sin is manifold in its kinde. And though sin be a tree which spreads it self into many branches, a fountain which divides it self into many streames; whether it be in respect of the Subject or the Object, All sin is either of omission, or of commission. in respect of the efficient or the effect: yet is all sin whatsoever, either a sin of Mat. 25.42, 43. Jam. 4.17. omission, a [...] that either in thought, in word, or in work. in not doing what Gods law doth command, or of Exek. 5.6. & 33 18. Jer. 2 13. commission, in doing what Gods law doth forbid; and this either in Mat. 12.34 35.36. & 15.19 Acts 8.22. Tit. 1.16. Jam. 3.2. thought, in Mat. 12.34 35.36. & 15.19 Acts 8.22. Tit. 1.16. Jam. 3.2. word, or in Mat. 12.34 35.36. & 15.19 Acts 8.22. Tit. 1.16. Jam. 3.2. work.

§. 6. What is the for­mative power in original sin, in respect of a­ctual. Original Sin being as the Jam. 1.15. womb to actu­al, hath its formative faculty, to assimilate and make like in the privation of righteousness, and cor­ruption of nature. Whereby sins of omission have with them something of commission, and Sins of [Page 86] commission have with them something of omission, every aversion from God being accompanied with a conversion to evil; Sins of omissi­on alwaies ac­companied with sins of commis­sion. and Jer. 2.13. every conversion to evil with an aversion from God. Though the sin of omis­sion (then) be a meer negative in its self, yet con­sidered in the Causes and concomitants of it, it ne­ver goes without a Isa. 65.12. Jer. 25.7. sin of commission joyned with it, never without some internal or external act inor­dinately evil, either ushering it in, or leading it by the hand.

This illustrated by instance.§. 7. Thus, when a man wills the not attending Gods worship at the time he is required by God, besides the omission of his duty, he commits a sin in his will, because he wills that omission; and if he busie himself in some temporal affairs, (which, though they necessarily detain him, yet he might without any forcing of necessity have avoided,) besides the breach of an affirmative precept by the omission of his duty, he breaks a negative precept by the commission of a further evil. For he that wils the occasion of any sin, He that wils the occasion of sin, by consequence wils the sin. doth by consequence will the sin it self; yea, if through some preceding in­temperance or carelesness, he becomes indisposed or disenabled for the performance of Gods wor­ship, How sin is willed antecendently in its cause, though not directly in its self. and thereby neglects it, though he wils not the omission directly in its self, yet he will'd it ante­cedently in its cause, and so becomes guilty of a double sin, that of omission ushered in by that of commission.

Sins of commis­sion and of omis­sion, having the same motive and end, are not spe­cifically distinct§. 8. When the sin of commission is accompanied with that of omission, they having the same motive and end, cannot be specifically distinct. Where­fore that the unjust Usurer Neh. 5.2, 3. &c. Isa. 3.14. gathers by griping ex­tortion, and scatters not in a relieving charity, are streams from one and the same spring head of Jer. 8.10. & 22.17. co­vetousness, Proved by in­stances. and run into the same Ezek. 22 12. Hab. 2.5, 6. Isa. 56.11. gulf, a satisfy­ing his inordinate desire of riches; or that the Eph. 3.15. Isa. 22.12, 13. & 58.3. glut­tonous [Page 87] Epicure neglects the Church in her lawful feasts, and fills himself with his riotous feasts, issue from the same corrupt fountain of Phil 3.19. 2 Pet. 2.13. intemperance, and tend to this one and the same end, the satisfying his inordinate appetite.

§. 9. The division of sin into that of thought, What the divi­sion of sin into that of thought, word and work, is. of word, and of work, is not a distinguishing it accor­ding to its compleat ( species or) kinds, but accor­ding to its incompleat parts and degrees. For that the same sin, which doth take its Mat. 15.18.19. Iam. 1.15. conception in the heart, may have its birth in the mouth, and its full growth in the outward work. Thus, when the Mat. 5.22. Ephes. 4 31. wrathful person hatcheth revenge in his heart, and his troubled thoughts break forth into contumeli­ous words, and injurious actions, it is one and the same sin specifically consummated by several de­grees, and in its distinct parts.

§. 10. Yea, The first inordi­nate motions of lust contain'd un­der the evil thoughts of the hear [...]. under the evil thoughts of the heart are contained the first Gen. 6.5. D [...]ut. 10.16. & 30.6. Ier. 4.14. Mat. 15.19. motions of lust when inordi­nate. So that concupisence not onely in the habitu­al inclination, but also in the Rom. 7.7, 8. actual motions, e­ven in the first inordinate lustings, is sin; and this, though Rom. 7.21. those motions or lusts be never fully con­sented unto by the wil, Though not con­sented to by the will, yet are sin: and why. nor perfected by the outward act. For though grace (in the regenerate) be powerful enough to Gal. 5 16 24 suppress these inordinate motions, yet that doth not excuse reasons being defective in its duty to prevent them. They ought to be kept down by Reasons watchfulness, and therefore can­not arise but in sins guilt. What makes any act to be sin. And whereas it may be pleaded, that they are involuntary and so cannot be Sins, we say, How the moti­ons of concupi­scence are volun­tary, through the wils defect be­fore they rise, though not con­sented to when r [...]ised. it is 1 Iohn. 3 4. repugnancy to Gods law which makes the sin; and that, though it be against the wil that these inordinate lustings should be fulfilled, yet it is from the will that these lustings (in their in­ordinacy) are not prevented, the will neglecting or failing in her primitive powerful command, to [Page 88] keep under what is rebellious. How concupi­scence it self is voluntary. Besides, concu­piscence is voluntary, as flowing from Adams wil­ful disobedience. For in mortality (quod ex volun­tario causatur, pro voluntario reputatur) what is caused by a voluntary act, is reputed voluntary in the acting.

The motions of concupiscence prov'd to be sinful by an infallable argu­ment, drawn from the indif­ferent nature of the wills consent.§. 11. Further yet, That those motions of con­cupisence are sins when fully consented to by the will, doth infallibly prove them to be sinful be­fore the will doth give (yea though the will doth not give) its full consent. For the consent of the will is a thing indifferent in it self, neither good nor evil, but according to its object. If any thing be good, it is not the consent of the will that makes it evil; and if any thing be evil, it is not the consent of the will can make it good; but according to the na­ture of the object, such is the act of the will, whether it be in good, or whether it be in evil: wherefore if the first motions of concupiscence were not sinful in themselves, they could not be made sins by the consenting of the will; But seeing (by the confessi­on of all parties) they are sin when the will doth give its consent, therefore they must be sinful be­fore the consent of the will be given.

What the Speci­fical distinction of sin into spiri­tual and carnal is.§. 12. Whereas Sin in respect of the Subject is specifically distinguished into spiritual and carnal Sins, the distinction is taken from the end; 2 Cor. 7.1. Spiri­tual Sins being perfected in spiritual delight, as pride, vain-glory and the like; Rom. 8.1. Gal. 5.19. but carnal Sins in car­nal delight, How all sin is carnal, as gluttony, luxury, and the like. True it is, all sin is carnal as arising from the flesh, as flesh in Scripture is taken for Original Sin in mans corrupt nature; and how Spiritual. and all sin is spiritual as affecting the Soul in the commission, and defiling the spirit of man with guilt. What the true difference betwixt both. But when spiritual and carnal Sins are contradistinguished as several and specifi­cal sorts of sin, by Spiritual Sins are meant those [Page 89] which affect and defile the soul immediatly in the body; by carnall sins are meant those which affect and defile the soul immediatly by the body.

§. 13. Sin in respect of the object, What the speci­fical distinction of sin, into that against God, against our neighbours, and against our selves. How all sin is against God. How said to be against our neighbours, and our selves. is specifically distinguished into sins 1 Sam. 2.25 Luke 15.28. & 18.2. Acts 24.16. Tit. 2.12. against God, against our Neighbour, and against our selves. For though it is common to all sin, that it is against God, as being formally a violation Rom. 4.13. 1 John 3.4. Jam. 2.9. of his eternal law, and so pro­perly the offence of his sacred Majesty; yet, sin ma­terially considered in respect of the injury and dam­mage which accompanies it, it may be against mans self, or his neighbour. Indeed, all sins, as they are inordinate actions, do imply an acting something to the breach of Order. The three-fold order which God hath esta­blished amongst men. And seeing God hath esta­blish'd among men a threefold order, there are three kinds of sin, according to their three-fold inordi­nacy. The three-fold Order is, 1. That of the infe­rior faculties unto reason, in mans naturall constitu­tion. 2. That of one man in a politicall constitu­tion unto another. 3. That of all men in a reli­gious constitution unto God. Now the inordinacy, which makes a breach of any of these orders, is a sin against God, as the Exod. 20.2. Jam. 2, 13. supreme Law-giver: but in comparing one with another, that sin sin which im­mediatly breaks the order of Religion, as Blasphe­my, Heresie, Infidelity, and the like, is said, The threefold inordinacy in breach of this order, making three kinds of sin. to be a sin against God. Again, that sin which immedi­atly breaks the order of policy, as theft, oppression, murder, and the like, is said to be a sin against our neighbour. Lastly, that sin which immediatly breaks the order of Nature (in man) as drunkenness, gluttony, and the like, is said to be a sin against our selves: yea, some sins there are at once against our selves, and our neighbours, as 1 Cor. 6.18. fornication, adultery, &c. and some against God our neighbours and our selves, as the Rom. 12.19, prosecuting unjust revenge, the per­secuting Gods Church, &c.

[Page 90] What the di­stinction of sin, into that of in­firmity, of ig­norance, and of malice. From whence this distinction is taken. What is the in­ordinacy of the sensitive appe­tite. What the inor­dinacy of the understand­ing. What the ino­dinacy of the will.§. 14. That sin in respect of the efficient, is di­stinguish'd into sins of infirmity, of ignorance, and of malice, is taken from the three principles of all actions, and so consequently of all actuall sins in man, the sensitive appetite, understanding, and will; which as they are the principles of all actions in their natural Beings, so are they the principles of all actuall sins in their preternatural inordinacies. The inordinacie of the sensitive appetite, is in being ir­regular and immoderate in its affections; the in­ordinacy of the understanding, is in not knowing what it ought, or in not actually dictating what it habitually knows: the inordinacy of the will is in subjecting it self to the sensitive appetite, or in fol­lowing the understanding in its erroneous dictates, or in opposing it in its right judgement. Now when the will becomes inordinate, through the sudden Gen. 9.21. 2 Sam. 11.2, 3, 4. Matth. 26.70.72, 74. surprize and eager importunity of the sensitive appetite, When a sin of infirmity is. the sin is the sin of infirmity; again, when the will becomes inordinate, through the defect of Gen. 19.33.35. Lev. 5.17. Lev. 4.2. Psal. 19.12. judgement in the understanding, the sin is the sin of ignorance; When a sin of ignorance. and when the will becomes in­ordinate through its own perversness, Mat. 13.15. John 15.22.23, 24. Matth. 3.56. Acts 7.5.7. opposing and repulsing the right judgement of the under­standing, When a sin of malice. the sin is the sin of malice, and against conscience.

§. 15. When the sensitive appetite doth beget an inordinacy in the will; How the sensi­t [...]ve appetite do h beg [...]t an inordinacy in the will. it is by way of distrac­tion, with-drawing it from its proper function, in the exercise of its free choice, and chief command; for seeing all the faculties are radicated in the es­sence of the Soul, by how much the operations of the inferior faculties are the more intended, by so much the functions of the superior (whether un­derstanding or will) are the more remitted. The sensitive appetite then being vehemently intent up­on its object, the rationall faculty becomes but [Page 91] weakly imploy'd, if not altogether hindred in its duty. Besides, the 2 Sam. 11.2, 3, 4. Matth. 26.70, &c. imagination being disturbed by the affections, the understanding becomes darkened by the imagination; and the understanding being darkened, misguides the will, Which are the sins of infirmi­ty. whereby it becomes inordinate to a sin of infirmity, by sudden passion. And as sudden passion, so Mat. 6.12. Prov. 24.16. 1 John 1.8. Jam. 3.2. Rom. 7.19, 20. likewise all inordinate motions, vain thoughts, sins of fly surreption, and of daily incursion, and are all sins of in­firmity.

§. 16. What sins of suddun and in­ordinate passi­on are said to be sins of infir­mity. Inordinate Matth. 8.17 Isai. 1.5. passions are the sicknesses of the soul; and therefore as the members of the bo­dy disabled by distemper, so the powers of the soul disturbed by passion, not performing their proper functions, are said to be Rom. 15.1. Heb. 12.12, 13. 1 Cor. 8.11, 12. infirm and weak. And thus, when the sensitive appetite by its vehement and sudden passions doth invade the rational facul­ties, to the disturbing the understanding, and dis­abling the will in their operations, we truly, though figuratively say, The soul is sick, and the sins which issue from this impotency of reason, through distem­per of passion, are properly call'd sins of weaknesse, and infirmity.

§. 17. What passions do excuse wholly from sin, and what do not. Those passions which totally abolish the use of reason, totally excuse from the guilt of sin, com­mitted in those passions; as in the cases of frenzie and madness; unless those passions were 1 Sam. 19.9, 10. volunta­ry in their beginnings, or in their causes, for then they become imputed as sins themselves, and so the evils committed in those passions, must needs be sins too; but those Prov. 14.16 & 29.22. passions which doe not wholly intercept the use of reason, cannot wholly excuse from the guilt of sin: because reason remaining, How Reason ought to mode­rate passion. ought to moderate and order passion, either by di­verting it self to other thoughts, or by hindering the effectuating of those obtruded upon it. The more of passion there is in the sin, the lesse there [Page 92] is in the sin, the less there is of reason, and so the less is the sin; and the more of reason there is in the sin, the more there is of will, and the more voluntary, the more sinful.

What is the of­fice of the un­derstanding.§. 18. The office of the understanding, in respect of its own proper object, being this, to enquire and find out truth, and in respect of the inferior pow­ers to direct and conduct them aright according to truth; if the understanding doe not know all the truth, When guilty of that Ignorance which is sin. it is both able and ought to know, it becomes defective in its duty, and thereby guilty of Acts 17.30. Rom. 1.21, 22. that ignorance which is sin; and if the understanding dictate amisse to the wil, and when guil­ty of those sins which are of Ignorance. bringing inordinate com­mands upon the subordinate powers, or after deli­beration had, doth not check their exorbitancies, it becomes thus also defective in its duty, and thereby guilty of those Num. 15.28. Lev. 4.13, 27. Acts 3.17. sinnes which are of igno­rance. What igno­rance doth not, and what igno­rance doth make the sin.

§. 19. In the sins of ignorance then, it is not eve­ry ignorance that makes the sinne. It is not the ignorance of a pure negation, but that of a Eph 4.18.19 1 Pet. 1.4. de­praved disposition. It is not the negative igno­rance, being a meer nescience, a not knowing what is needless or not possible to be known; but the privative ignorance, a not knowing what we are able and ought to know. There are many things which a man is capable of knowing, What things a man is capable of knowing, but not bound to know. What things a man is neither bound to know, nor capable of knowing. In all these, ignorance (ra­ther a nesci­e [...]e) is not sinfull. which yet by no divine law he is bound to know, as many Ma­thematicall theorems in Philosophy, many particu­lar contingencies in Nature; yea there are many things, which as a man is not bound to know, so he is not capable of knowing, as Mat. 24.36 John 16.12. many Mysteries not yet revealed, many secret truths not yet com­municated by Christ unto his Church. Ignorance of these is not sinfull, and so whatsoever consequent effect proceeds from this ignorance cannot be a sin; but an ignorance of those truths which we are ca­pable [Page 93] of, and concern'd in, which is vincible by the use of means; this ignorance is it selfe sin, and the consequent evils thereof are said to be sins of igno­rance.

§. 20. In any inordinate act, What ignorance doth excuse from sin. it is not that igno­rance which is concomitant with it, or consequent of it, but antecedent to it, which doth excuse from sin. Which ignorance being antecedent to it, becomes accidentally Lev. 5.15. 1 Cor. 2.8. 1 Tim. 1.13. the cause of it as excluding that know­ledge, which would have restrained from the sinne. And though this ignorance doth always somwhat excuse, Gen. 38, 15, 16, &c. yet not always wholly acquit. Somewhat ex­cuse, not wholly acquit. Illustrated by Instance. For should a man going forth with an intent to kill a man, un­wittingly kill his Father; though such an ignorance may excuse from patricide, yet not from homicide. For had he known the man to be his Father, though haply he might have been restrained by that knowledge from killing him, yet not altoge­ther from killing; from that kind, not from all kinds of sin or of murder.

§. 21. Yea, When sin can­not be excused by any igno­rance. that sin cannot be excused by any ig­norance, where there is an inclination or resolution in the will to commit it, notwithstanding all know­ledge: as for instance, should a man have a dispo­sition or purpose to kill another, though he knew it were his Father; if killing the man, he knows him not to be his Father, which yet after proves to be his Father, it is not the ignorance that shall excuse, but the depraved disposition, and wicked purpose which shall make guilty of patricide. For though ignorance had its Concomitancy with it, yet it hath not any efficiency in it; and so the male­factor cannot be said to offend out of ignorance, but being ignorant. For there, What an affe­cted ignorance is, and how it aggravates the sin. when a man will be Ezek. 12.2. Zech. 7.11, 12. 1 Cor. 14.38. ignorant on purpose, that he may not suffer con­troll in his sin, but have the greater scope to offend, this ignorance is affected, and becomes directly Iob 22.14. 2 Pet. 3.5. vo­luntary, [Page 94] because it is wil'd upon design and for ends, and therefore doth rather inhance, then any way abate the guilt of the sin.

What ignorance is indirectly voluntary.§. 22. But that Hos. 4.1.6 1 Cor. 15.34. ignorance which comes by negligence, in a sloathfull carelesnesse, or through unnecessary imploiments, not indevouring to attain that knowledge which a man ought and is able to attain; and that ignorance which comes by Gen. 19.32, 33. in­temperance, in a sottish drunkenness, a man being rob'd of his discretion, or the use of it; such an ig­norance is truly, though indirectly wilfull; seeing he that wils the cause, doth indirectly and by consequence will the effect, and this ignorance thus wil­full 2 Thess. 1.8. Rom. 8.2, 3. becomes it self a sin; How it self sin. yet the sins which issue from this ignorance Luke 23.24 Acts 3.17. & 13.27. are lessened in their guilt, ha­ving the less of reason and will in their act: for seeing the understanding cannot pass a right judge­ment; yet the sins issuing from it lesse­ned in their guilt: and why. the will cannot be said to give a direct consent, so that though the ignorance may be aggravated by circumstances, yet is the conse­quent sin in it self lessened by the ignorance.

How the sin of malice is right­ly discerned.§. 23. To discern aright what the sin of malice is, we must know, that though the will be determi­ned by Psal. 142. Prov. 2.11. the understanding in the specification of its object, yet hath the will this liberty intire in it self, in the exercise of the act, freely to chuse what is presented as good, and freely to reject what is presented as evill. So that, though the will doth alwayes follow the last practical judgement of the understanding, How men are said to sin wil­fully, and a­gainst consci­ence. yet this last judgement being often after the right judgement, and the right judgement (first given by the understanding, and repuls'd by the will) Exod. 8.10.15, 19, 28, 32. & 9.13, 14.27, 28, 34, 35, &c. 1 Sam. 15.1, 2.3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 19, 22, &c. virtually remaining in the act of sin, and even then actually renew'd by the checkes of Con­science; men are hereby said to sin winfully, on set purpose, and against conscience, which is the true na­ture of that we call the sin of malice.

[Page 95]§. 24. That the will doth not neces­sarily follow the right judgment of the under­standing, clearly proved. That the will doth not necessarily follow the right judgement, though it doth the last judge­ment of the understanding, is apparent in the Di­vels & reprobate, in the sin against the holy Ghost, and in sins against conscience. And indeed, if the will did necessarily follow the right judgment of the understanding, Especially from the work of Re­generation. the whole work of Regeneration were perfected in the act of illumination, and God nee­ded not 2 Cor. 5.17. 1 Thes. 5.23. throughly sanctifie; fully to enlighten were sufficient for the new birth and the new man. But this is altogether dissonant from the truth of Christ, which tells us, the Eph. 4.23, 24. Phil. 2.13. will is renewed, In which the will is re­newed, as well as the under­standing en­lightned. as well as the Eph. 1.17, 18 Col. 3.10. understanding enlightned in the work of regeneration; The Phil. 1.9.10, 11. understanding is enlightned to give a right judgement to the will, and the will re­newed to follow that right judgment of the under­standing, to the bringing forth the works of holi­ness and of righteousness.

§. 25. How we may distinguish sins of infirmity from sins of malice. By this we may distinguish sins of infirmity from sins of malice. In sins of infirmity this Psal. 40.8. Acts 11.23. Gal. 6.1. Matth. 26.33. Luke 22.33. pur­pose and intention of the heart to please God in all things, remains sincere; so that, though for a time, the wil suffer a violation of her integrity, an inter­ruption of her resolutions through some 2 Sam. 11.2.4. inordinate affections, Luke 22.56, &c. violent passion, or 1 Chro, 21.1 Luke 22.31, 32 prevailing tempta­tion; yet after a while she returneth to her former good purposes by Psal. 51. Luke 22, 61, 62 1 Chron. 21.8.17. Prov. 24.16. repentance. But in sins of malice the heart is Jer. 13.23. Psal. 10.4. Rom. 3 18. 1 John 3.8. habitually inclined unto wickedness, the will is evill disposed in respect of the end. There are not any sincere purposes of holiness, no true aims at Gods glory, and therefore the infection of the sin is the more permanent and destructive to the soul, in a Luke 7.30. Acts 7.51. stronger opposition of the good Spirit of grace in the work of repentance and faith.

§. 26. What the di­stinction of sin into that of mortal and ve­nial is. The last distinction of sin is in respect of the effect, into sins 1 John 5.16, 17. mortall and veniall, we say in respect of the effect, no sin being veniall in its na­ture; [Page 96] For, No sin veniall in its nature, and why. that any sin is pardoned, doth denote an Exod 18.20 Gal. 3.10. act of divine mercy, which in Exod. 34.67 severity & rigor of Justice God might have not done. But for any sin to be in its nature veniall, as expiated by tempo­rall punishment, were to destroy this pardoning mercy of God, and after temporall punishment to oblige him to an ( improperly called) forgiveness, lest he be tax'd with cruelty and injustice. All sin is di­rectly against, no any meerly besides the law. Which incur­ring the guilt of eternall death, cannot be expi­ated by tempo­rall punishment. Yea, Rom. 4.15. 1 John 3.4. whereas all sin is directly against, not any meerly besides the law; and that the violation of Gods eternall law doth incurre a guilt of Ezek. 18.20 Rom 6.23. 1 Cor. 15.56. eternall death. There is no sin that can be expiated by temporall punishment; but either it must be by John 1.29. Acts 4.12. & 13.38. Christs all­sufficient satisfaction, or the Mat. 5.25 26 & 25.46 Sinners everlasting condemnation. Wherfore seeing the poysonous guilt of the least sin is not expelled but by the Soveraign Antidote of Christs blood ( Mark 1.15. Acts 20.21. Luke 24.47. Rom. 3.25. through repentance and faith) it cannot be that any sin is veniall in its nature, but in a respect to Gods mercy and Christs merits in the effect.

In what all sins are mortal, yet not all equal.§. 27. In this all sins are mortall, that by their guilt they meke liable to Matth. 5.22 eternall death; and though all are mortall, yet are they not therfore Ezek. 8.6.13.15. John 19.11. all equall; some by their more Mat. 5.22. & 11.22, 24. Luke 12.47.48 hainous guilt making subject to a more grievous punishment, in that death which is eternall. How some sins mortall and some veniall. That some sins then are said to be mortall and some veniall, it is not in the nature, but in the effect (or rather the event) of the sin, in relation to the subject (which is the sinner) to John 5.24. Rom. 8.1. Acts 13.39. whom, through faith and repentance, not one­ly the lesser, but the greater sins become venial; and John 3.36. Gal. 5.10. without faith & repentance, not only the greater, but also the lesser sins are mortall; so that if we take the weight of sin, From whence we are to take the just weight of sins guilt. not from the deceitful scales of our own opinions, but from the just ballance of the Sanctuary, the truth of Gods word, we find the least sin to have the greatest guilt; so that Mat 12.36. 1 Cor. 4.5. every [Page 97] vain thought, What the guilt of the least sin without Ghrist. and idle word shal be brought to judg­ment; and whatsoever sin Christ brings to the last judgement, shall (without Christ) bring upon the sinner everlasting punishment.

§. 28. Though all sin be in its nature mortall, Though all sins be mortall, yet most especially the sin against the Holy Ghost. and so to be mortall is common to all sin, yet ( [...]) it is appropriate to the 1 John 5.16 sin against the Holy Ghost, for its most deadly naure, call'd in Scripture the sin unto death; which excluding re­pentance, depriveth Math. 12.32 of forgivenesse, even so, as ne­ver to be forgiven. What the sin a­gainst the Holy Ghost is not. Which sin against the Holy Ghost, doth not consist in any 2 Kings 21.6, &c, & 24.4 2 Chron. 33.12, 13. 1 John 5.16.17, 18. particular transgres­sion of Gods Law, nor yet in that blasphemy, and persecution of Christ and his Gospel which ari­seth from ignorance; no nor in that Apostasie from the truth, 1 Tim. 1.13. and deniall of Christ, which ariseth from Mat. 26.70, 72, 74, 75. infirmity, though all of them sins of a deep die, and horrid guilt.

§. 29. But the sin against the Holy Ghost, What it is. is such a denying and rejecting of Christ, as ariseth from malice, in an hatred of Him, and his Truth; contrary to knowledge and conscience, opposing and persecuting the Gospel of Christ, as an imposture of Satan; the power and grace of the Spirit, as a work and designment of the Divell; thus it was in the Matth 12.24, &c. Luke 19.14. & 20.13, &c. Mark 3.30. John 7.28. Pharisees. As in the Pharisees. Also to sin against the Holy Ghost, is to Heb. 6.4, 5, 6 & 10.26. fall away from the faith of Christ, by an universall Apostacy, in wilfully denying, and ma­liciously opposing Christ and his Truth; yea, in a contempt of his Sacrifice, and an hatred of his Gos­pel, persecuting his Church with an irreconcilable enmity. Thus it was in Julian; As in Julian. thus in many in the Apostles times, and thus in many in these our dayes, of whom we cannot, Why not now to be discove­red by us. we may not pass sen­tence of judgement, wanting that so eminent a gift Acts 5.3.9. & 8.32. & 13.10. 1 Cor. 12.10. among the primitive Saints; namely, the discer­ning of the Spirits.

[Page 98] Why cal [...]d the sin against the Holy Ghost.§ 30. This sin is said to be against the Holy Ghost, in respect of his Isa. 12.2. Ephes 1.17. more immediate Office of illumination; not as being any wayes the more e­minent person in the Trinity, all being Isai. 6.3. Matth. 28.19. coequall in their Unity of Essence, and of Glory. Seeing then, it is the more immediate 1 Cor. 12.11 Office of the Holy Ghost to illuminate in the truth of Christ; a Acts 7.51. wilfull ha­tred of Christ and his truth, accompanied with a malicious opposition of his illuminating power, is properly called a sin against the Holy Ghost; and that this sin shall not be forgiven, is not because it Rom. 5.20, exceeds Gods grace, Why this sin shall not be forgiven. or out-vies Christs me­rits; Heb. 7.25. but because it excludes Heb. 6.5, 6. the work of Repen­tance, in despightfully opposing the Spirit; and re­jects the Heb. 10.26. Sacrifice of Christ, in wilfully denying his truth.

Sins against Conscience lead the way to this sin against the Holy Ghost.§. 31. Sins against Conscience, they Psal. 19.13 lead the way to this sin against the Holy Ghost. Wherefore that this may be prevented, those must be avoided; avoid we not onely sins against conscience, 1 Tim. 1 19. when enlightned with the truth, but also, though Rom. 14.23 sedu­ced with error. For that an Erroneous Conscience doth Tit. 1.15. entangle and fetter in sin, How an errone­ous conscience entangles in sin, but binds not to what is sinful. though it doth not oblige or bind to what is sinfull. So that he alwayes sins, who Rom. 14.5, 23. acts any thing against the dictate of his conscience, because the Rom. 1.14, 15. 1 Sam. 24.5, 6 dictate of the con­science is by interpretation, the precept of God. And thereby it is, that though the act be materially good, yet it cannot be formally so; the good is not done well, because accompanied with so great an evill, a contempt of God in the doing. Wherefore whatsoever is good in it selfe, if done against con­science, though errour judging it to be evill, it thereby becomes sin, and a sin against Conscience, deep in its guilt.

An erroneous conscience may somewat ex­cuse, but cannot wholly acquit;§. 32. Again, the erroneous Conscience may Acts 26.9, 10. Phil 3.6. 1 Tim. 1.13. mi­tigate, but cannot make void, it may somewhat [Page 99] excuse, but cannot wholly acquit, from what is sin­full, whether it be in omitting what is good, suppo­sing it to be evill, or in committing what is evill, and why. misdeeming it to be good. Indeed, impossible it is, that any thing evill in its selfe, should be made good by what is evill in another; that sin in the act, should be justified by error in the conscience. It is not the Conscience then, Rom. 3.8. no nor any thing else whatsoever, What is the en­tanglement of an erroneous conscience. that can oblige to what is unlaw­full in it self; and as it cannot oblige, so nor Rom. 3.7. can it acquit. Here then is the entanglement of an er­roneous conscience, that, if we do what it dictates, we sin; and if we doe not what it dictates, we sin too; so that there is no avoiding the sin, but by reforming the error.

CHAP. XV. Concerning the State of Man fallen.

§. 8. SEeing Originall Sin in its guilt, The original of all mans mise­ry is in origi­nall sin: and how. pollu­tion, and punishment, is Psal. 51 5. Job. 14.5. Isa. 48.8. John 3.6. effectually connveyed, and really communicated by naturall propagation, and carnal generation, in a lineal descent, and hereditary right from Adam the Acts 17.26. Rom. 5.12. 1 Cor. 15.21, 22. Ephes. 2.3. root of humane Stock, to all the posterity of mankind, his natural branches: Therefore by A­dams Rom. 5.18,19. Rom. 3.9. Gal. 3.22. disobedience is judgement come upon all men to condemnation, Jew and Gentile being ^d shut up under sin, and thereby become Rom. 3.19. Ephes. 2.3. subject to the just wrath and vengeance of God.

§. 2. Adams disobe­dience impu­ted, makes liable to the punish­ment inflicted Though that single act (then) of Adams disobedience did passe away, yet it continued to be his, and remaineth ours by Rom. 5.12, 13. just imputation. And the sin imputed must needs make us liable to the [Page 100] Rom. 5, 17.18. punishment inflicted; Which punish­ment is death. which punishment of Adams sin is Gen. 2.17. Rom 5.12. death.

In what this death doth for­mally consist§. 3. Which death doth formally consist in a be­ing Deut. 30.20. Psal. 30.5. & 36.9. Isai. 59.2. separated from the blessed communion, and banish'd from the gracious presence of God. A Figure and Type whereof, God gave Adam, in Gen. 3.24. dri­ving him out of Paradise, that visible Testimony of Gods favour and presence. In what it doth materially con­sist. And again, this death doth materially consist in a miserable privation of that life and happinesse (accompanied with a sin­full privation of that Holiness and Righteousness) which man did either actually possess by Creation, or might assuredly have obtained in a more emi­nent manner, and a more abundant measure upon Condition, even upon the Gen. 2.16, 17 Ezek. 20.11. Gal. 3.12. condition of obedience to Gods law.

This death is spirituall, cor­porall, and eternall. What the spiri­tuall death is.§. 4. This death is either spirituall or corporall, both which are consummated, and swallowed up in that death which is Eternall. Ephes. 2.1. & 5.14. Spirituall death that especially seizeth the soul, Rom. 3.23. Ephes. 4 18. whereby sin defa­ceth the lively Image of God, in the Eph. 4.23, 24, Col. 3.10. totall depri­vation of primitive integrity, and originall righ­teousnesse; despoyling man of all those sanctifying and saving graces, wherewith he was endued in his creation; even to the Luk. 10.30 wounding and weakning the very faculties and powers of his naturall Be­ing.

What are the Reliques of mans primitive estate in the estate of man fallen, In respect of his understanding§. 5. So that, though there be in man fallen, some Jam. 3.9. Reliques of his primitive estate, yet such on­ly as are found with a corrupt being of nature, not a spirituall well-being of grace. The understanding both in the Rom. 1.20, 21. theoretick and Rom. 1.32. & 2.15. practick part, hath some glimpses of morall righteousness, but not 1 Cor. 2.13, 14. the least light of Evangelical truth. The will that as a free faculty retaineth its liberty, In respect of his will. which it exerciseth in Gen, 13.9. 1 Cor. 7.37. John 21.18. naturall and morall actions; but through the servitude of sin, is wholly disabled (as [Page 101] of its self) for Rom. 8.7. Ephes. 2.1. 2 Cor. 3.5. supernaturall and divine. So that though the will is of its selfe Eph. 4.19. Rom 3.15. freely carried unto the willing what is evil; yet being Rom. 6.16, 17 enslav'd unto sin, In respect of his conscience. doth not of John 15.5. Phil. 2.13. its selfe move to the willing what is good, good Rom. 8.8. Heb. 11.6. in order to eternall life. Yea, the conscience, though sometimes Rom. 2.15. awakened, yet is it Tit. 1.15. polluted; and the affections, and In respect of his affections. though 1 Cor. 5.1. 2 Tim. 3.5. restrained from some evils, yet are they inordinatly Rom. 1.28, 29, 30. carried into other impieties.