The Communion of Saints, Chapter 1
The Communion of Saincts.
CHAPTER 1.
Of the Communion and peace that was at the first; and how soon it was broken.
FOr asmuch as we finde in the Scriptures so great a difference made between the sonnes of Adam, that some ar named the children †1 Ioh. 3. …. Hos. 1. 10.of God, of ‡1 Thes. 5. 5.the Light and Day, the *Dan. 7. 22.Saincts of the Most-high, the Lords ‖Psal. 135. 4.chief treasure, the †1 Pet. 3. 10.heyres of blessing; othersom, the ‡Gen. 6. 2.children of men, of *Luk. 16. 8.this world, of the ‖Ioh. 8. 44.Divel, & †2 Pet. 2. 14.of curse; & the one of these sorts commanded to ‡2 Cor. 6. 17separate from the other, but to entertayn and continue a holy †Act. 2. 42 Heb. 10. 24. 25communion among themselves endevouring to keep the ‖Ephes. 4. 3.vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace: it is good and needfull that we know, both who ar the persons, and what be the causes & conditions of this communion; how farr the bounds and limits of it doe extend. For the better perceiving hereof; let vsus take a summarie view, of the first state of vsus all.
2. God which hath made of ‖Act. 17. 26one bloodal mankind, to dwel on al the face of the earth; made in the beginning, *Gen. 1. 31.al things good: but chiefly imprinted the image of his Maiestie, on Angels & on men, & comunicated his graces with them. The Angels he created holy ‖Psal. 104. 4.Spirits, †Psal. 103. 20excelling in strength, and in ‡Dan. 10. 5. 6glorie; & in al abilitie & readines to do his wil; and set them to serve himself in ‖Mark. 12. 25 Luk. 2. 15heaven, there to behold the ioyful light of his face; wher the *Dan. 7. 10many thousāds of them minisster vntounto him, & are as ‡Psal. 68. 17 & 18. 10.charrets wheron his Majestie rideth. VntoUnto them he vouchsafed this love & honour, that they should be named the †Iob. 1. 6.Sōnes of God; yea his own glorious title he imparteth vntounto them, when in the scripture he calleththem Psal …7. 7. with Heb. 1. 6▪ & Psal 8. 6. with Heb. 2. 7Gods. And for this their excellent creation, he requireth of them *Psal. 148. 10 2. 5.prayse & glorie; which those heavenly souldiers cheerfully ‡Luk. 2. 13. Isa. 6▪ 3.perform to the Lord of hosts of whose glory the whol earth is full.
3. Gods favour vntounto man above a… earthly creatures, appeareth in the goodly frame and fashion, first of his body made of †Gen. 2. 7.earthly mould in admirable comelines, bewty & proportion; and with alsufficient furniture of several members, for his own vse and service of his Maker. He is so clad ‖Iob. 10. 11.with skin and flesh and ioyned togither with bones & synewes; the veins & arteries ar so disspred over al, and every part so cunningly framed, in such cvrious weise, that the Prophet compareth his fashioning, to an *foreignembroderie beneath in the earth;Psal. 139. 15 and minding this excellent workmanship, sayth vntounto God, ‡Psa. 139. 14.I wil praise thee, for I am fearfully & wonderfully made. Into the body (the howse †Iob. 4. 19.of clay) God did inspire the Gen. 2. 7.breath of lives, & the man became a living sowl; for the breath of the Almightie gave him *Iob. 33. 4.life, and this breath or mind of man, is ‡Pro. 20. 27.the light or candle of the Lord, which searcheth al the bowels of the belly. This spiritual and immortal substance so infused had very singular and gracious endouments of †Iob. 38. 36.wisdome, vnderstanding, will, and many affections, al ‖Gen. 1. 31.good for the holy *Gen. 1. 26.Trinitie had consulted… Iohn. 5, 7. togither to make him an excellent creature; and so the man did carie the image of God, ‡Gen. 1. 27.for in it he was created. He had †Col. 3. 10. Eccles. 7. 31.knowledge, righteousnes & holines for performāce of al duties to his maker, & his fellow creatures; & this in †Eph. 4. 24trueth simplenes and sinceritie. He had ‖Gen. 1. 28.rule and soveraignty over the earth and seas, & al the plenty of them; he knew the hiddē nature of the creatures, & gave them *Gen. 2. 19.names accordingly; this world was made for his sake, even the glorious ‡Deut. 4. 19Sun and Moon and Starres for his vse & service. He had the †Gen. 1. 28.blessing of the Lord vponupon himself & the creatures vnderunder him; a ‖Gē. 2. 18. 22.help like vntounto himself made and given vntounto him for comfort & procreation of his kind; a *Gen. 2. 8. 9garden of delite, ful of al pleasant fruits planted by Gods own hand for to yield him food & solace; he was al honorable inwardly & outwardly ther was nothing in sowl or body wherof he might be ‡Gen. 3. 25.ashamed; for he was the †Act. 17. 28.genera. tiō and 1. Cor. 11. 7.glorie of his God, he had given him *Iob. 10. 12.life & grace, and his visitation preserved his spirit.
4. And God which made al things ‡Prov. 16. 4.for his own sake, made this earthly king to be his subject & to serve him: Wherfore he communicated with him his word, informing him how to walk both in body and mind obedient to his will. For outward exercise he had the garden to †Gen. 2. 15.dresse & to keep; for inward contemplation, the seventh day vers. 3.sanctified as a holy rest: and two trees before him of divers end & vse, the one *vers. 9.of life, by the eating wherof he might hav hope to live in God ‡Gen. 3. 22.for ever; the other of knowledg of good & evil, the tasting wherof would bring him vntounto assured †Gen. 2. 17.death, with al his posteritie. Thus God gav a law to man in his innocencie, and required obedience which was easy to be performed; which he graciously would accept; for which, his blessing should hav abidden, his favour & light of his face hav shined stil vponupon him continually. Then did the Lord ‖Psal. 104. 3…rejoyce in his works, & his Wisdome *Prov. 8. 31.took solace in the compasse of his earth; peace was between him & his creatures, al his works ‡Psal. 145. 10.did praise him, and his Saincts did blesse him; the †Iob. 38. 7.starres of the morning sang prayses togither, and al the sonnes of God (the Angels) rejoyced.
5. And then some beams of the incomprehensible light and joy & sweet societie, which the Father Son & Holy Ghost had frō al eternitie ‖Prov. 8. 30. Ioh. 17. 5.among themselves in the vnitie of the Godhead; wer communicated with those principal creatures the Angels & men; whiles the one sort did *Mat. 18. 10.alwayes behold his face in heaven, the other enjoyed his favours in paradise: then also was sweet harmonie & most comfortable felowship, peace and amitie, ‡Iob. 5. 23.between the creatures, for their mutual delight & consolation; with out division discord or enmitie. Ther wer no hateful spirits made to rebel against God, to tempt & torment man, or misvse any other creature. No death diseases or calamities to molest them; no terrours to drive them from theyr Maker; no guiltie fears to afflict the sowl, no noysom lusts to reign or rebell in their bodies; nor any other means to hinder or disturb the peace and communion, or cause jarr and debate among al or any Gods handy works.
6. But some of those sonnes of God the Angels, soon ‡2. Pet. 2. 4. Iohn. 8. 44.sinned; & abode not in the truth, neytherIude. vers. 6. kept their first estate; but forsook their owne habitation wher they dwelt in blisse with God: and so became the causes of their own endlesse and vnspeakable miseries. For they having fallen of their own accord; wer not holpen nor ‖2. Pet. 2. 4.spared, but forsaken of God, separated from the other holy and elect Angels, thrust out of Heaven, and bound in bonds of eternall night and darknes, to be reserved for judgement at the appointed time.
7. These Spirits, being of Saincts become vnclean Divils, hatefull to the Lord, impenitent and malicious in themselves; fel also to be *Iohn. 8. 44.mankillers even from the beginning; and liars against the truth of Gods word; ‡Gen. 3. 1. 2 &c.assaulted our first Parents, the woman by the Serpent, the man by the woman; & by subtilty drew them into transgression of Gods playn▪ Law, and so into the snares of sin and death: and this soon after their seating in paradise, as by Moses narration doth appeare. For which willing transgressiō, wherby those our progenitours wrapped †Rom. 5.▪ 12. 15. 18.themselves & al their offpring in everlasting woe and wretchednes: the communion and peace between God and man, was soon disanulled also; & with al earthly creatures for mans sake. Then was Gods ‖Gen. 3. 14—17 &ccurse poured out on the head of that old Serpent, & his wrath into the world; wher the creature became †Rom. 8. 20. &csubject to vanitie. Man which had hid himself from the face of his Maker, was found out, arraighned and judged for his disobedience; was thrust out of the garden of pleasure, and the holy ‡Cherubims Gen. 3. 24.Angels kept him from the tree of life. Thus was his happines sodainly changed into miserie; in labour & sorow to spend his dayes til the spirit goe out of him vntounto God for judgment; & the body return to dust.
Man (that is) in honour, and vnderstandeth not; he is like to the beasts, that perish.
Psalme 49. 20.