Gospel Public Worship, Method 1
The firſt Method.
GOD created man perfect in nature, perfect in goodneſs, which enabled him to a perfect obedience to the Will of God; and with him (in him) alſo created The Inſtinctive Natural Morall Law; and did not impoſe any abſolute command upon him, but what in the Creation he had adopted him for, and given him ability to perform▪ Elſe had man been made an imperfect Creature, which God (being a perfect Entity, and infinite and abſolute in perfection) could not do: and indeed it had been againſt his Juſtice, Wiſdome, and Love, to create the whole Species of mankind to condemnation in and by the principles of Nature, and Moral unadequateneſs of his inſtinctive and impoſed Law, and innate vertue: For the Inſtinctive it needed but ſerious conſideration, it being ſo immediate to Gods original creative act, in his Rationals and Legals, in whom he had immediatly created the Moral Law; and the inſtitutive Laws were impoſable by a Natural Right, though more remote: yet they being proper adjuncts to Gods inſtinctive, are parts of the moral Law, i. e. of the ſecond Commandement, even in the particulars. Therefore God impoſed the whole Paradiſal worſhip on man by his creative right; [which ſee in the enſuing Table of Inſtitutions] This done, all Gods natural creation was compleat in the addition of Gods natural cultives to his inſtinctive Law; but immediatly therewith did God alſo add thereto an heavenly typicalneſs, as a divine Sign of Heaven, and all its particulars, attainable by mans fulfilling them as ſuch, by his innate vertue; which as the caſe then ſtood was impoſſible.
The Natural Law was created with man, which appears by Cains knowledge of his murther to be a ſinne (as is manifeſt by his denyal of his brother) before the Law publiſhed, Gen. 4. alſo Rom. 1.19, 20. chiefly Chap. 2.14, 15.
Yet was not this a prohibition with a penalty nor an impoſed Law or inſtitution, but only propoſed to man to accept or refuſe, and if accepted then to be as a thing conditional for life upon performance; or death in caſe of fayling; (as in Gen. 2.17. appeares) For in the day thou eateſt thereof thou ſhall ſurely dye. And in the 3. Chap. and the 3. ver. Ye ſhall not eat of the fruit of the Tree in the middeſt of the Garden, neither ſhall ye touch it leſt ye dye: As if God had ſaid, I do not impoſe this as a command, but onelyonly propoſe it with this condition, That if thou do'ſt undertake to keep it as a Law, and not perform it, thou ſhalt dye: but performing it, thou ſhalt live. Otherwiſe, had God been the Author of his Fall, in giving him a Law beyond his inſtinctive power of obedience: Yet it being accepted ſo, it became a Law of works unto man, for his more then created life in heaven, or death in hell: And more particularly,
The Tree of Life was planted by the Tree of Knowledge; implying, life was the reward to the performance of this Law; and death the penalty, as before expreſly denounced for the breach. Joſh. 24.19, 20, to 28. is a reſemblance of this Covenant.
Thus theſe were Signs and Seals Sacramental, as Livery and Seiſin of a Spiritual Eſtate; the one of Heaven, the other of Hell.
Proofs of the Paradiſe Law of Works, or firſt Covenant.
Firſt, from the relation between Heaven and Earth, Gen. 1.1.
Secondly, from its relation to the Goſpel, Gal. 3.21. &c.
Thirdly, from the inſtitution of Paradiſe, its Ruling and Sacramenting Miniſtry and Miniſtrations, typically relating unto Heaven by Gods Inſtitution, expreſſed in the Tree of Life, i. e. Heavenly and Eternal Life.
Fourthly, Rom. 5.14.
Fifthly, 1 Cor. 15.45. &c.
Sixthly, 2 Pet. 1.4. Divine Nature.
Seventhly, 2 Cor. 13.5. Know ye not your own ſelves, how that Jeſus Chriſt is in you, except ye be Reprobates.
Eighthly, Rom. 8.3. with Gal. 3.22, 23, 24.
Ninthly, Phil. 2.6, to 11. with Act. 4.12.
The firſt hereof viz. the tree of life (firſt in time, nature and dignity) entred man into a heavenly ſtate; But becauſe it was conditional, and gave not an anſwerable heavenly nature, which the Goſpel Sacraments do; Adam was miſtaken in his conceited power of obedience.
For Adam not being as yet acquainted with Faith and the Goſpel righteouſneſs, (that being not mentioned till the end of that day which was after the fall) but onelyonly looking upon his own facile native obedience of the Moral Law, (and not obſerving the dative and inſtinctive power cocreated to the performance thereof) and of that onelyonly, thought he could as well by his own ability do all that could be propoſed although in ſtative righteouſneſs, as he had done all that was impoſed: And therefore not doubting his power of obedience, nor fearing the penalty, nor any prejudice that could be due to the failing part or non-performance thereof, and looking upon the promiſed prize of a hevenly life, as clear gains, did accept of this propoſition, and out of his own abilities, (without deſire of aſſiſtance of heavenly power, though in a heavenly work) did undertake the keeping and obſervance of this Law; as indeed there was no reaſon in nature to the contrary. The firſt Covenant Gen. 2. in the Tree of Life is enlarged in Lev. 18.5.
But the Angels of mentity, of light, (thence JOB calls them Luciferians) and order, conceiving man coming into the ſon-like ſtate, and thereby in a condition of greater excellence, and of priority, and of precedency of them, did envy him, and that their conceited happineſs of his: which ambition, pride, and envy, ſpurr'd them to an immediate practice, for the ruine and downfall of man: for they being ſervants, and not ſons of heaven, and therefore in their created nature they not knowing the far higher eſtate of Chriſt, (and his body of Saints) Gods deſtinate heir of heaven, conceived Adam able to have performed the condition, and therefore alſo conceived that he had been poſitively eſtabliſhed by God to have been the heir of heaven, and ſo their immediate Lord and Maſter, which in their nature was intollerable and ſcornful; and in God conceived it to be injuſtice, want of love, and contempt of them, and therefore would neither ſerve him, nor his new adopted Son, and left their ſervice and their firſt eſtate, Jude 6. and wrought all miſchief they could againſt him: But having no power againſt his perſon, they practiſed againſt Adam and Eve; and being faln from their created eſtate, experimentally felt and diſcern'd both good and evil, which al…o Adam did after his Fall: though before, neither of them did, but good onelyonly. Now by this conſequence of the Law, they perceived the nature of the Law, and that man was thereby ruinable as well as they, and therefore ſet all their wits and powers on work, to contrive their breach of it, and ruine by it.
And accordingly, poor man, his legal, or rather Goſpel weakneſs was ſuch, that (his former ſupporter, his created power, onelyonly enabling him to the obſervance of the Moral-Law, and not reaching this, which was of a more heavenly nature) he was no ſooner attempted then overcome.
God then curſt the Serpent, Gen. 3.14, 15. and put enmity betwixt man and him; but before he denounced the Sentence of the curſe due to man for this breach of the firſt Covenant; for the ſupport of weak, frail, and dejected man, at the declaration thereof, God firſt ſhewed him a glimpſe of the Goſpel, in that he gave him a promiſe of mercy, Gen. 3.15. (and enlarged Gen. 17.6, 7.) and full aſſurance of a ſecond victory in Chriſt (which by Iſaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, is called the ſecond Covenant) and thus comforted (v. 15.) then let him know his puniſhment, ver. 16. to 19, 22, 23, 24.
This glimpſe of Juſtification by Faith in Chriſt, and its cultive ſeals of ſalvation, (the Sacrifices, Gen. 4.4. founded Gen. 3.15.) is the Center and Circle of the Goſpel; glancing upward to God for the good of his Saints, and downward to hell and its hell-hounds, and forwards to man two ways: The firſt is properly to ſhew God as before the Creation: The ſecond, in: The third, after it: And the fourth, in a mixt way of all three: Gods Goſpel ſtating man in perſonal Faith, and its Cultive Order enſighted and enrighted him in God as Unus, binunus, trinunus, and quadrinunus; the firſt before time: the ſecond at it, and the firſt week: the third as at, and after the end thereof: the fourth, as in an irregular way occaſioned by mans irregularity in his breach of the Law: In this fourth reſpect, we are put by effect, and à poſteriori to conſider of all four, and enabled thereto by the third; enrighted by the ſecond, and effected by the firſt: We muſt therefore aſcend from the fourth gradatium. We had no right thereto but by the Law, nor might but by the Goſpel in part; but not in height, but by heaven; nor every way but as fallen by the Law: and in a mixture of both, in the whole paſſage through the wilderneſs of regeneration; wherein we are to look to Abraham ſhewing, and ſhewn; by the firſt notion of God; to Egypt, taught by the ſecond; to the Tabernacle reſembling the third; and to the fourth, even to ſeek and ſearch for the three ſimples in the mixt portion of Inheritance, and potion of health, gropingly thence to Chriſt, and gripingly after, but we ſhall never graſp our fill but in Heaven compleat.
Man had not power to fall in his natural condition by the natural Law.
GOd is a pure and perfect entity, that cannot will, nor work any thing but like himſelf, for natural perfection: as the Beaſts were in ſenſibility perfect, till mans ſinne brought alſo on them a curſe, and depravation of that perfection: [becauſe intentionally made for him, and by donation given into his hands, Gen. 1.26, 28.]
The Text expreſly ſaith, Man was made after his Image.
Now God could not work, will, or incline to ill: Therefore nor man to any thing that God had impos'd, and poſitively forbidden him: for if man was made after the perfect Image of God in things natural, then he could not in natural things more offend then God; But God could not, therefore nor Man.
If Adam could in natural things offend more then God, then in natural things Adam was not made after the perfect Image of God.
Again, God's intention was to contrive man to heaven, (elſe his Decree for Election or Damnation was not eternal) and to that end propoſed to him a new Law, with the condition of Heaven, in caſe of obſervance, and Death and Damnation upon the breach: which was propoſed to him, to undertake it, or not to undertake it: But in hopes of the prize of Heaven, and preſuming of his natural power, not knowing it was a heavenly work, did undertake it; and the condition thereof was to do, or ſuffer: and then, and not before then, came the free will of man to do good or ill: That; the Churches of England and Rome maintain as their received opinion, (and at the Creation as pretended) but then (as before is proved) had man no power to ill.
Now this ſecond Law was propos'd, and not impos'd, for it had been injuſtice in God to have impos'd ſuch a Law upon man, as was impoſſible for man to keep, (which this was, being ſpititual, and man meerly natural) except he had likewiſe given him ability to have kept it, which he did not.
That it was ſpiritual, appears by the two Sacramental Trees of Life; of Knowledge; that were not real life and knowledge, but onelyonly ſignes thereof, & therefore Sacraments. And therefore by this it appears, that this Law was meerly propoſed by God, accepted by Man, and ſo became federal, and a binding Contract betwixt God and Man; and therefore is called the firſt Covenant.
To work any man to underſtand this, at the firſt preſs not upon him the propoſition, and liberty to undertake, or not to undertake the keeping of this Law; but firſt let him underſtand the condition, to do or to ſuffer. Which underſtood, he will reply, that doing or ſuffering was impos'd, (th'one being neceſſary to man) and then it may be beſt made to appear, that it was the acceptance and Covenant of man to do, or ſuffer, that made it a binding Law unto him.
The general opinion is, that man had power to keep this Law, and power to break it.
Anſw. No: Adam had no power to will, or do evil, becauſe malum is
privati…um,
non ens,
ineſſibile,
incognoſibile,
inagibile,
impoſſibile.
Therefore malum (being non ens) to do ill, is to do nothing, power to do nothing, is nothing in power, which rather implyes a want of power to do ſomething.
Obj. He had power to do well, and liberty to offend.
Anſw. That could not be; for doubtleſs God gave him not a poſitive command to do one thing, and liberty to do another; i. e. to do, or not to do the ſame thing; that's a contradiction, and therefore he had no liberty to offend: neither had free will, being bound to obedience.
Obj. Not a permiſſive liberty, i. e. an allowance to ill, but an inclination and aptitude to ill; yet was commanded the contrary, and had power to obey that command.
Anſw. No: Man had no aptitude, no inclination to ill; for then he had not been made after the perfect Image of God, that could not will, work, or incline to ill: but he (and man if made after his Image) was poſitively good, holy, and perfect: therefore man was made perfect, in reſpect of his power of obedience, for an impoſed Law, which is the buſineſs in hand; but for the Propoſition by him accepted, he had no power of obedience.
God is
Ens,
Sciens,
Potens,
Habens,
Man depraved in will to good, is
Non Ens,
Non Sciens,
Non Potens,
Non Habens.
For indeed we have no power to do that, that is not, but as we our ſelves are not, i. e. by our depravation we have no entity in good, being depraved, and in our ſelves ill; and therefore by our own power can do no good. And on the contrary, Adam being perfectly good, could not do ill, becauſe he could not do nothing, for all his actions tended to perfections.
The Order of Gods Supremacy, whereby he governeth all his Creatures and rational Subjects, is two-fold, Inſtinctive and Inſtitutive.
FOr the Inſtitutive; that we may not derogate from God, nor arrogate to Man, more then is meet: it is to be underſtood, that in acknowledgment of Gods Order and Power of Supremacy, or Monarchſhip (mentioned Iſaiah 45.22, 23.) there are four particular permanent Prerogatives, Inſtitutions, and Ordinances, peculiarly appropriated to God therein, over Nature and Grace: which manifeſt his immediate Divine Authority and abſolute Power, over, and above his Rationals, from the Creation: in procreation, preſervation, gubernation, and adoration; and therefore hath God inſtituted a four-fould divine obſervable order therein, (to wit) of Meats, Marriage,, Government, and Worſhip, as followeth.
The Table of Inſtitutions.
Inſtitutions are Prerogative Precepts of God above, and after the Creation; which are:
(a) Competent,
(b) Fultive, or for mans ſuſtenance in his
(c) Kind, that is, Marriage, Gen. 1.28.
(c) Particulars,
(d) Immediatly by meats, Gen. 1.29.
(d) Mediatly by his commanding uſe of all other Creatures, viz. his government of them, Gen. 1.28.
(b) Cultive of or for Gods worſhip:
(e) Moral,
(f) Solely, i. e. Paradiſe and its Paradiſals.
(f) Mixt, with the Worſhips enſuing;
(e) Super-moral,
(g) Legal,
(h) Paradiſal:
(h) Moſaical.
(g) Evangelical.
(i) Familick from Adam to Moſes.
(i) National from thence to Chriſt.
(a) Compleat, or Celeſtial;
viz.
The Goſpel and its Inſtitutions, (as called the Kingdome of Heaven) which are Corporational, that is, an encorporate Church, with its Miniſtry and Members, and their Functions; and all their Sabbath-meeting exerciſings and obſervations.