A Christian Library, Section 1 – Section 11
Sect. I.
AS when God created the World, the first thing he made was Light, Gen. 1.3. so when he makes us new creatures, he first creates light in the understanding, whereby the▪ poor soul may see his spiritual misery and wretchedness; which before (by reason of that vail or curtain which is drawn ever every natural mans heart, 2 Cor, 3.14, 15, 16.) he is so far from discerning, that with Laodicea he thinks himself rich, and to want nothing; when yet he is wretched and miserable, and poor, and blinde, and … of all spiritual endowments, Rev. 3 17. 1 Tim, 6.4. As for instance, it is to be observed, (can never be enough bewailed) that generally throughout the Land people of all sorts (young and old, rich and poor) especially the poor, are so invincibly ignorant, that (remaining so) it is impossible (so far as I am able to judge by the Word of God;) that ever they should be saved.
As ask them these questions, How do you hope to be saved? They will answer, By my prayers and good endeavours. Have you never broke this or that Commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods but the Lord. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery? No, never they thank God▪ are you proud? No, not they; What should they be proud of? and many the like. As for Original sin, they know not what it means. Nor is there any convincing them, that they were born sinners into the world. Yea, let a Minister come to them upon their death-bed, and question with them about their estates, or ask them how their souls fare, and what peace they have? What will be their manner of answering? (especially if they have not been notorious offenders) Are they a whit troubled for Sin, either Original or actual? Or will they acknowledge themselves in a lost condition without Christ? No, their consciences are at quiet, and they are at peace with themselves and all the world; and they thank God, no sin troubles them nor ever did. They have been no Mu…therers, no Adulterers, no common Drunkards; neither have they been Oppressors. (For they are so blind and ignorant, that they think the Commandment is not broken, if the outward gross sin be forborn.) Yea, will they say, I do not know that I have wronged man, woman, or child. I have been a Protestant, and gone to Church all my daies.
Sect. II.
Sect. 2. Yea so far are they from being sensible of their wants, that you shall hear them brag of their faith, works, and good meaning; of their just and upright dealing: the goodness of their hearts, the strength of their faith, hope; and that they never doubted in all their lives. Yea, that it were pity they should live, if they did not beleeve in Christ, and hope to be saved by him. The usual expressions of formal Christians, and Protestants at large: who know not what faith, hope, or a good heart means, no more then Nicodemus knew what it was to be born again.
All which answers and brags of theirs do imply, that they are as righteous as Christ him self, or Adam in the State of innocency: for he that can clear himself from pride, or the breach of any one Commandment, or from Original sin; may clear himself from all sin whatsoever; and if so, what need of Christ? Yea, what possibility is there that ever such a soul should have any benefit by Christ? Who came not to call the righteous, (viz. such as think themselves so) but weary and heavy-laden sinn…rs to repentance, Matth. 10.6. & 15.24. & 18.11, 9.12, 13. 1 Tim. 1.1…, Luke 1.53.
Sect. III.
Again, this is an infallible truth, that without repentance there is no being saved; and what hope of their serious and unfained repentance? For sin must be seen, before it can be sorrowed for. A man must know himself sick, before he will seek to the Physician. Yea where is no discovery of the disease, the recovery of the health is in vain hoped for. Which makes Cyprian say, that it is as meer lost labour, to preach unto a man the things of God, before he is humbled with the sight of his wants: as to offer light to a blinde man, to speak to a deaf man, or to labour to make a brute beast wise.
Besides, if wee look to be saved by any thing that we can do; Christ can profit us nothing. For the Son of man is come …o seek, and to save only that which was lost: the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Matth. 18.11. Luke 19.10. 1 Tim. 115. even such as utterly despair in regard of all other helps. Nor is he any way fit for absolution, who findes not himself worthy of condemnation. We shall find no sweetness in Christs blood, till we feel the smart of our own sins. Yea, no men under Heaven are in so hopeless a condition as they, who think to be saved by their performances, or any other thing or means, then by the righteousness of Christ alone. It faring with them as it doth with unskillful swimmers: who when they begin to sink, if they catch hold of weeds in the bottom, the faster they hold, the surer they are to be drowned.
Sect. IV.
Fourthly and lastly, there needs no more to condemn these men, then their ignorance of such saving truths: especially, in such glorious times of light and grace as these are; wherein they may hear the Word preached every day in the week, if they did not sl…ght and disregard it, which aggravates their sin exceedingly: For though it be enough, that God hath set down his will in his Word most plainly, and we may read, or hear it read, (were it at any rate) and that the Epitomy of the whole Law is writ in every mans heart; whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them, Matth. 7.12. (As it serves not a Malefact…rs turn, to plead ignorantiam juris, he knew not the Law of his Prin… which he hath broken: for if the King have once proclaimed any thing, … the subject after sufficient time of notifying his will, be ignorant of … at his own peril be it.) Yet to be affectedly ignorant, and to shut … eyes against the light of the Gospel, is by far more damnable: this is a sin. with a witnesse. As what says our Saviour? Iohn 3.19. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather then light, because their deeds were evil. And so on the contrary, This is life eternal, to know thee the onelyonly true God, and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent, Joh. 17.3. Besides, without knowledge, the mind cannot be good, as wise Solomon affirms, Prov. 19. 2, A man may know, the will of God, and yet not do it; but he cannot do it, except he know it. Neither can he be born of God, that knoweth him not. 1 Ioh. 4.7. not …an he love God … out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not, Psal. 79.6. And that other more terrible, 2 Thes. 1.7, 8. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God. Whence the Prophet Isaiah is peremptory, It is a people of no understanding, therefore he that made them, will not have mercy upon them; and he that formed them, will shew them no favour, Isa. 27.11.
Observe these Scriptures you ignorant souls, that think your ignorance will excuse you: and let not Satan, nor your deceitfull hearts so delude you, as to think that God is in jest, where he saith, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; and because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee. Hosea 4.6. Or if you do, you shall one day find him in earnest. For as you know not Christ here, so when you shall look for entrance into his Kingdome hereafter, he shall say unto you, Depart from me, I know you not, Matth. 25.12, 41. which will be but a sad saying; And far better were it, that you were ignorant of all other things: which makes St Paul say, I desire to know nothing among you, save Iesus Christ, and him Crucified, 1 Cor. 2.2.
Sect. V.
Now this being the case of millions in this City, and so all the Land over: what can we other then conclude, That few (even amongst us) shall be saved, as our Saviour affirms, Matth 7.13, 14. & 20.16. And that the whole world lieth in wickedness, as St Iohn speaks, 1 Ioh. 5.19. And that the number of those whom Satan shall deceive, is as the sand of the Sea, Rev. 20.8. & 13.15, 16, 17. Isa. 10.22. Rom. 9.27.
VVhichWhich being so, I hold my self bound to acquaint them, what every one must of neccessity know, or they cannot be saved: the which I will do in a few lines, that all (who will) may have the benefit thereof VVherefore let all such (if they have ears) hear what I shall say unto them out of God's Word, in laying open those three Fundamental principles before mentioned.
Sect. VI.
Touching the bounty and goodness of GOD in Man's Creation, these things would be known.
1. That God in the beginning made man in Paradise, after all his other works; that he might come as to a sumptuous palace ready furnished.
2. That he was made a compendium, and abridgment of all the other creatures: as being a little world of himself; for whereas Planets have being, not life; Plants have life, not sense; beasts have sense, not reason; Angels have being, life, reason, not sence; Man hath all, and contains in him more generality then the Angels; viz. being, life, sense, reason.
3. That as he was made Lord of, and had dominion over all; so he did excell all other visible creatures.
1. In that he had a reasonable soul,
2. In that he hath a speaking tongue,
3. In that he was made upright, with his face lifted up to heaven-ward,
4. In that all things were made subject to him, …
More especially we are to know, that as God made all things else for mans use and service: so he created man (male and female) more immediately for his own honor, and service; and did accordingly adorn him with gifts, and abilities above all other visible creatures. For God made us (had not we unmade our selves) after his own Image, endowing us (as with reasonable, and immortal souls, so) with perfection of all true wisdome, holiness, and righteousness; writing his Law in our hearts and giving us ability to obey, and fulfil the same in every point; and withal a power to stand, and for ever to continue in a most blessed and happy condition, free from all misery, and to enjoy a sweet, and blessed Communion with his Creator. So that man was created very good, did clearly and perfectly know the whole will, and works of his Maker▪ was able out of the integrity of his soul, and fitness of all the powers fully, willingly and chearfully to love, observe, and obey his Maker, in every tittle and circumstance he required, and to love his neighbour as himself: so that neither the minde did conceive, not the heart desire, nor the body put in execution any thing, but that which was acceptable, and well pleasing unto God, as these insuing Scriptures do plainly prove. Gen. 1.26, 27, 30. Eccles. 7.29. Rom. 2.14, 15.
Sect. VII.
VVhichWhich being so, how should it humble us, and make us ashamed of our present condition; and withal set us on fire with a holy zeal, to out-strip and go before all the rest of the Creatures in obeying our Creator; as far as he did make us out-strip them all in spiritual and divine excellencies? whereas hitherto, they have out-stript and gone before us in a high degree: as for Instance. Though we are bound to praise and serve God above any creature whatsoever, in that all the creatures were ordained for our sakes; yet heaven, earth, and sea; all the elements, all the creatures, obey the Word of God, and serve him as they did at first; yea, call upon us to serve him; onelyonly men for whom they were all made, most ingratefully rebel against him. As if you consider it rightly, the obedience of insensible and bruit creatures unto the will of God, is a great check and reproof unto the disobedience of man. Man is the chiefest of creatures, and they the lowest; yet do they as far exceed him in obedience, as he doth them in natural eminency. The Stork and the Swallow know their appointed times; The Ox knoweth his owner, and the Asse his masters crib; the Sea moveth in a settled and unmoving course; the Stars fits their many changes, to a steddy rule answerable to the will of him that never changeth. The Lord by Moses but spake to the rock, and it gave water to the thirsty Israelites; he but commanded the clouds to rain down Manna, and the winde to bring them in Quails, for the satisfying of their hunger, and they did so. Yea, he but bade the Ravens bring bread and flesh to Elijah, and they did it. In like manner did the winde and sea▪ Matth. … 2 Kings 2.24. the Fire, Dan. 3.27. the Earth, Numb. 16.19, to 27. obey they voice of the Lord, and many the like spoken of in Scripture. But man is wholly gone astray from his rule; and not only runneth from it but against it: so that he is far worse, then things worse then himself.
Which were it rightly considered, would be enough to melt an heart of Adamant: For was this the principal end, for which men were created in such a glorious condition? That we might honor, love, and serve our Creator, and injoy, communion and happinesse with him for ever; and are we so far from excelling the rest of the creatures, that we are become more disobedient, and rebellious to God, then any one of them, except Satan himself? One would think it should make all, (that thirst not after their own damnation) not onelyonly to hate, and dislike themselves for it: but force us with all possible speed and industry, to seek out the cause, and how to recover our selves out of this wretched and damnable condition.
Sect. VIII.
But it will be demanded how this comes to be so? and what was the cause;
To which I answer; God at first, entred into Covenant with our first, Parents as publike persons; both in behalf of themselves, and all that should proceed out of their loines; and so that whatsoever gifts, priviledges and endowments they had bestowed upon them, should be continued to them and theirs; onelyonly upon condition of their loyaltie, and personal obedience (of which the tree of li…e was a pledge:) and they should have and injoy them, or lose and be deprived of them, aswel for their off-spring, as for themselves, as they should keep or transgress his royal Law.
But see how unworthily they demeaned themselves, towards this their bountifull Maker and Benefactor! For whereas God placed them in Paradise, and gave them free liberty to eat of the fruit of every tree in the Garden; save onelyonly of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; prohibiting them that alone, even upon pain of eternal death to them and theirs; they most perfidiously contemned, and brake this Law; which (as sundry circumstances that do aggravate it shew) was a most execrable and damnable sin. As observe the several circumstances set down by Moses, to amplifie the foulnesse of their Fall: as,
First, that they despised, and made light of the promise of God; whereby they were commanded to hope for everlasting life, so long as they continued their loyalty and obedience.
2. There was in it an unsufferable pride and ambition, in that he could not content himself with being Lord of the whole Universe: but he must be equal unto God; and every way like his Maker.
3. VVhat greater unbelief could there be? when he gave more credit to the Serpent, in saying he should not die; then to God, who immediately before tells them, that if he did sin in eating the forbidden fruit, he should dye.
4. In this sin was not onelyonly unkindnesse not to be parallel'd: but wilfull murther of himself, and all his posterity, whom he knew were to stand of fall with him.
5. Herein was foul apostasy from God to the devil: to whom (charging God with lying, envy, malice, &c,) he revolted, and adhered, rather then stick to his Maker.
And to the might be added many the like circumstances. which grievously aggravate the sin of our first Parents, and make it so deadly in effect. For hereby it is, we not onelyonly lost our blessed communion with God; that the Image of God after which they were created, was forthwith abolished, and blotted out: but that many grievous miseries and punishments, came in the room of it: so that in the place of wisdom, power, holiness, truth righteousness, and the like ornaments, wherewith we had been cloathed, there hath succeeded these and the like:
1. This their sin hath filled our whole man with corruption.
2. It hath made us become vassals unto sin and Satan.
3. It hath disabled us from understanding the will, and observing the Commandments of the Lord.
4. It caused us to lose our right unto, and soveraignty over the creatures.
5. It makes our persons and actions unacceptable to God.
6. It hath cast us out of Gods favour, and made us liable, and subject to all the plagues and miseries of this life; and to endless, easless, and remediless torments in the life to come.
Sect. IX.
And the reason is, Our First Parents being the root of all mankinde; and instead of all their posterity before they had issue: and the Covenant being made with them as publick persons, not for themselves onelyonly, but for their Posterity; who were to stand or fall with them: they being left to the freedom of their own wills, in transgressing the commandment of God by eating the forbidden fruit, through the temptation of Satan: have made us, and all mankind descending from them by ordinary generation, as guilty of their sin, as any heir is liable to his fathers debt. Their act being ours; as the act of a Knight, or Burgess in the Parliament House, is the act of the whole County. in whose name, and room they sit, and whom they represent: by which means our Nature is so corrupted, that we are utterly indisposed and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually; and have also lost our communion with God, incurred his displeasure and curse; so as we are justly liable to all punishments both in this life, and in the life to come.
Now for the fuller confirming and amplifying of what hath been said, touching Original sin; take only these ensuing Scriptures, and Auhorisms, without any needless connexion; that I may be so much the briefer.
Sect. X.
Amongst many others, the most pregnant Scriptures for the confirming of this point. I hold to be these.
The fath…rs have eaten sowre grapes, and the childrens teeth are set on edge, Jer. 31.29. was a true proverb, though by them abused, By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned, Rom. 5.12, to 21. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one, Job. 14.4. See Chap. 15.14, 15, 16. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, Isa. 64, 6. By the works of the Law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, Rom. 3.20. There is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, Rom. 3.21, 22, 23. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth; and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man, Gen. 6 5, 6. Both Iews and Gentiles are all under sin: As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God; They are all gone ont of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, the poyson of Asps is under their lips, there is no fear of God before their eyes, Rom. 3.9, to 20. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murthers, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, Mat. 15.19. See Gal. 5.19. 20, 21. Whence come wars, and sightings amongst you? come they not hence? even of your lusts that war in your members, James 4.1. Unto them that are unbelieving is nothing pure: but even their minde and conscience is defiled, Tit. 1.15. I see another Law in my members, warring against the Law of my minde; and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death, &c? Rom. 7.14, to 25. where the Apostle speaks all this, and a great deal more of himself; see Ephes. 2.2, 3. Gal. 3.10.
Yet how many that grieve for their other sins, which are never troubled for their Original corruption! which should above all be bewailed, even as the mother and nurse of all the rest; and thought worthy not of our sighs alone, but of our tears. For this is the great wheel of the Clock, that sets all the other wheels a moving, while it seems to move slowest. And never did any truly and orderly repent, that began not here: esteeming it the most foul and hatefull of all, as David, Psal. 51.5. And Paul, crying out of it as the most secret, deceitfull, and powerfull evil, Rom. 7.23, 24. And indeed, if we but clearly saw the foulness and deceitfulness of it; we would not suffer our eyes to sleep, nor our eye-lids to slumber, until a happy change had wrought these hearts of ours (which by nature are no better then so many styes of unclean Devils) to become habitations for the God of Iacob.
Sect. XI.
We are the cursed seed of rebellious parents; neither need we anymore to condemn us, then what we brought into the world with us. In Adam the root of all, we all so sinned; that if we had no inherent sin of our own, this imputed sin of his, were enough to damn us.
… Utter, the branches cannot be better. They were the fountain, we the springs: if the fountain be filthy, so must the springs. VVhence it is, that holy David cries out; Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me, Psal. 51.5.
Tantillus puer, tantus peccator, saith St Austin: when a little childe, I was a great sinner. As in the little and tender bud, is infolded the leaf, the blossom, and the fruit; so even in the heart of a young child, there is a bundle and pack of folly laid up, as Solomon affirms, Pro. 22.15. And as Moses Speaks, The thoughts of mans heart are evil, even from his childhood, Gen. 6.5. & 8.21.
VVe brought a world of sin into the world with us; and were condemned, so soon as conceived: we were adjudged to eternal death, before we lived a temporal life. As admit thou hadst never offended, in the least thought, word, or deed all thy life: yea, admit thou couldest now keep all the commandments, actually and spiritually; yet all this were nothing, it could not keep thee out of Hell: since that Original sin which we drew from the loins of our first Parents, is enough to damn us.
Sin and corruption are the riches that we bequeath to our children; rebellion the inheritance that we have purchased for them, death the wages that we have procured them. God made us after his own image; but by sin we have turned the image of God into the image of Satan: Yea, like Satan we can do nothing else but sin, and make others sin too, who would not so sin but for us.
As a furnace continually sparkles, as the raging Sea foams, and casts up mire and dirt, and as a filthy dunghil does continually reak forth, and evaporate odious odors: so do our hearts naturally stream forth unsavory eructations, unholy lusts and motions, even continually.
As, O the infinitely intricate windings and turnings of the dark labyrinths of mans heart! who findes not in himself, an indisposition of minde to all good, and an inclination to all evil? O the strange monsters, the ugly, odious, hideous fiends; the swarms, litters, legions of noisom lusts that are co…ched in the stinking styes of every one of our deceitfull hearts! insomuch, that if all our thoughts did but break forth into action we should not come far short of the Devils themselves.