to corruption by his fall; but then that inftantly, and without intermiffion of time, after the word of God's law, became through the fall of man, fruftrate as to obedience, there fucceeded the greater word of the promise, that the righteousness of God might be wrought by faith. That as well the law of God, as the word of his promife, endure the fame for ever: but that they have been revealed in several manners, according to the difpenfation of times. For the law was first imprinted in that remnant of light of nature, which was left after the fall, being fufficient to accufe: then it was more manifeftly expreffed in the written law; and was yet more opened by the prophets and laftly, expounded in the true perfection by the Son of God, the great prophet and perfect interpreter; as alfo fulfiller of the law. That likewife, the word of the promife was manifested and revealed: firft, by immediate revelation and infpiration; after, by figures; which were of two natures; the one, the rites and ceremonies of the law; the other, the continual hiftory of the old world, and church of the Jews; which, though it be literally true, yet it is pregnant of a perpetual allegory and fhadow, of the work of the redemption to follow. The fame promifeor evangile was more clearly revealed and declared by the prophes, and then by the Son himself; and laftly by the Holy Ghost, which illuminateth the church to the end of the world. That in the fulness of time, according to the promise and oath, of a chofen lineage, defcended the bleffed Seed of the woman, Jefus Chrift, the only begotten Son of God, and Saviour of the world; who was conceived by the power and overfhadowing of the Holy Ghost, and took flesh of the Virgin Mary: that the Word did not only take flesh, or was joined to fleth, but was made flesh, though without confufion of fubftance or nature: fo as the eternal Son of God, and the ever bleffed Son of Mary, was one person; so one, as the bleffed Virgin may be truly and catholically called, Deipara, the mother of God: fo one, as there is no unity in univerfal nature, not that of the foul and body of man, fo perfect; for the three heavenly unities (whereof that is the second) exceed all natural unities: that is to fay, the unity of the three perfons in godhead; the unity of God and man in Christ, and the unity of Chrift and the church, the Holy Ghost being the worker of both thefe latter unities; for by the Holy Ghost was Christ incarnate and quickened in flesh; and by the Holy Ghost is man regenerate and quickened in spirit. That Jefus, the Lord, became in the flesh a facrificer, and facrifice for fin; a fatisfaction and price to the juftice of God; a meriter of glory and the kingdom; a pattern of all righteoufnefs; a preacher of the word which himself was; a finisher of the ceremony; a corner ftone to remove the feparation between Jew and Gentile; an interceffor for the church; a Lord of nature in his miracles; a conqueror of death and the power of darkness in his refurrection; and that he fulfilled the whole counfel of God; performing all his facred offices, and anointing on earth; accomplished the whole work of the redemption and reftitution of man, to a state superiour to the angels; (whereas the ftate of man by creation was inferior) and reconciled and established all things according to the eternal will of the Father. That in time, Jefus the Lord was born in the days of Herod, and fuffered under the government of Pontius Pilate, being deputy of the Romans, and under the high-priesthood of Caiaphas, and was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve apoftles, and was crucified at Jerufalem; and after a true and natural death, and his body laid in the fepulchre, the third day he raised himself from the bonds of death, and arofe and fhewed himfelf to many chofen witneffes, by the fpace of divers days; and at the end of thofe days, in the fight of many, afcended into heaven; where he continueth his interceffion, and fhall from thence, at the day appointed, come in the greatest glory to judge the world. That the fufferings and merits of Chrift, as they are fufficient to do away the fins of the whole world, fo they are only effectual to those which are regenerate by the Holy Ghoft, who breatheth, where he will of free grace; which grace, as a feed incorruptible, quickeneth the spirit of man, and conceiveth him anew, a son of God, and member of Chrift; fo that Christ having man's fleth, and man having Chrift's fpirit, there is an open paffage, and mutual imputation; whereby fin and wrath was conveyed to Chrift from man, and merit and life is conveyed to man from Chrift: which feed of the Holy Ghost first figureth in us the image of Chrift, flain or crucified, through a lively faith; and then reneweth in us the image of God in holiness and charity; though both imperfectly, and in degrees far differing, even in God's elect; as well in regard of the fire of the Spirit, as of the illumination thereof; which is more or lefs in a large proportion as namely, in the church before Chrift; which yet, nevertheless, was par taker of one and the fame falvation with us, and of one and the fame means of falvation with us. That the work of the Spirit, though it be not tied to any means in heaven or earth, yet it is ordinarily difpenfed by the preaching of the word, and administration of the facraments; the covenants of the fathers upon the children; prayer, reading; the cenfures of the church; the fociety of the godly; the crofs and afflictions; God's benefits; his judgments upon others; miracles; the contemplation of his creatures; all which (though fome be more principal) God ufeth, as the means of vocation and conversion of his elect; not derogating from his power, to call immediately by his grace; and at all hours and moments of the day (that is, of man's life) according to his good pleasure. That the word of God, whereby his will is revealed, continued in revelation and tradition until Mofes, and that the fcriptures were from Mofes's time to the times of the apoftles and evangelifts; in whofe age, after the coming of the Holy Ghoft, the teacher of all truth, the book of the scriptures was fhut and closed, so as not to receive any new addition; and that the church hath no power over the fcriptures to teach or command any thing contrary to the written word; but it is as the ark, wherein the tables of the ft teftament were kept and preferved: that is to fay, the church hath only the cuftody and delivery over of the fcriptures committed unto the fame; together with the interpretations of them, but fuch only as is conceived from themfelves. That there is an univerfal or catholic church of God, difperfed over the face of the earth, which is Chrift's fpoufe, and Christ's body; being gathered of the fathers of the old world, of the church of the Jews, of the fpirits of the faithful diffolved, and the fpirits of the faithful militant, and of the names yet to be born, which are already written in the book of life. That there is alfo a vifible church, diftinguished by the outward works of God's covenant, and the receiving of the holy doctrine, with the use of the mysteries of God, and the invocation and fanctification of his holy name. That there is also an holy fucceffion in the prophets of the new teftament and fathers of the church, from the time of the apoftles and difciples, which faw our Saviour in the flesh unto the confummation of the work of the miniftry; which perfons are called from God by gift, or inward anointing; and the vocation of God followed by an outward calling, and ordination of the church. I believe, that the fouls of fuch as die in the Lord, are bleffed, and reft from their labours, and enjoy the fight of God; yet fo as they are in expectation of a farther revelation of their glory in the last day. At which time all flesh of man shall arise and be changed, and fhall appear and receive from Jefus Chrift his eternal judgment; and the glory of the faints fhall then be full; and the kingdom fhall be given up to God the Father; from which time all things fhall continue for ever in that being and state which then they shall receive: fo there are three times (if times they may be called) or parts of eternity. The firft, the time before beginnings, when the Godhead was only, without the being of any creature: the second, the time of the mystery, which continueth from the creation to the diffolution of the world: and the third, the time of the revelation of the fons of God; which time is the laft, and is everlasting without change. |