Knowledge and Practice, Summary of argument part one – Part 1
KNOWLEDGE & PRACTICE: OR, A Diſcourſe of things neceſſary to be Known, Believed and Practiſed in order to Salvation.
TWo things are mainly neceſſary to Salvation,
Right Knowledge.
Right Practice.
The chief things to be Known and Believed are, Concerning
God.
Man.
The Mediator between God and Man.
Concerning God we are to Know three things:
1. His Nature.
2. His Properties or Attributes.
3. His Workes.
Concerning Man three things:
1. The happy Condition in which he was made.
2. His Fall.
3. The way of his Recovery by Chriſt.
Concerning the Mediator between God and Man, ſeaven things:
1. What manner of Perſon he was.
2. How he came into the World.
3. How he lived here.
4. How he died.
5. What became of him after his Death.
6. What was the end and intent of his coming into the World.
7. What they are effectually Called unto, and through the aſsiſtance of the Spirit of God enabled to perform, who ſhall receive Remiſsion of ſins by Chriſt.
CHAP. I. Concerning God.
COncerning God we are to know three things:
1. His Nature.
2. His Properties or Attributes.
3. His Workes.
Firſt, His Nature.
That there is one OnelyOnly true God, who is a Spirit infinitely Glorious; and being One in Nature, is yet Three in Perſons or Subſiſtences; The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghoſt. Theſe are Three and One after a wonderfull and myſterious manner. The Father God, The Son God, And the Holy Ghoſt God, and yet not three Gods, but one God.
Secondly, His Properties or Attributes.
God is
Eternal, or without any Beginning or End.
Omnipotent, or Almighty.
Omnipreſent, or every where preſent.
Omniſcient, or All-knowing.
Infinitely
Wiſe.
Holy.
Juſt.
Mercifull.
Thirdly, His Works which are principally two.
1. Creation.
2. Providence.
I. Creation: Concerning which we muſt know,
1. That God made the world, and all the Creatures therein, (both viſible, and inviſible,) by his Almighty power, and Created them all very good.
2. The chief of his Creatures are
Angels,
Men.
3. All the Angels were at firſt made holy and happy Spirits: Some continued in their obedience to God, and are ſtill Angels of Light; Others fell from God through Pride, or ſome other ſin, and are become Devils of Darknes.
Concerning the Creation of Man, ſee farther in the next Chapter.
II. Providence.
As God Created the World, and all the Creatures therein by his Almighty Power, So he upholds, directs, diſpoſes, and governs them all by his Providence. Nothing ſo Caſual, but he diſpoſes of it; No Agent ſo free, as to be exempted from his Controule; No affliction or Evil of Puniſhment, but he hath a hand in it; But as for ſin, he neither is, nor poſſibly can be the Author, or Approver of it.
CHAP. II. Concerning Man.
COncerning Man we are to know and underſtand theſe three things.
1. The happy Condition in which he was made.
2. His Fall.
3. The way of his Recovery by Chriſt.
1. The Holy and happy eſtate in which God created man at firſt, Namely, after his own Image, in Knowledge, Holineſſe, and Righteouſneſſe, with Dominion over the Creatures here below, writing his Law on mans heart, requiring perfect obedience from him, and giving him power to perform it, promiſing the continuance of him in that happy eſtate if he obeyed, and threatning him with death if he diſobeyed; which is called the Covenant of works.
2. The miſerable Condition into which man threw himſelf by ſin: Our firſt Parents (by the temptation of Sathan) diſobeyed God, broke his righteous Law and Commandement; and thereby caſt themſelves out of the Favour of God, became the Slaves of Satan, and liable to the curſe of the Law, and brought a great depravation of ſoul and body upon themſelves; And ſuch as our firſt Parents were, ſuch muſt their poſterity needs be: For who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, ſays Job, Chap. 14.4.
They having loſt the Image of God themſelves, the holineſſe and happineſſe in which they were made, could not conveigh it to their poſterity. So that the nature of man is now become corrupt, prone to evil, backward to good. And this miſerable condition is derived to us from Adam by our immediate Parents; and as men come to be born in ſeveral Ages, and generations, ſo they actually participate of the ſap that comes from the firſt root; we being therefore all of us in ſo bad a Condition by nature, and by cuſtome and practice in ſin having made our ſelves much worſe, and more abominable in the ſight of God, more guilty and liable to his wrath; we are to know and conſider that this woful ſtate of ſin and miſery is by no means to be reſted in; But ſeeing we are fallen into ſo lamentable a condition, we muſt ſpeedily endeavour to get out of it. And therefore let us remember that without Converſion there is no hope of Salvation; Except a man be born again, and made a new Creature, he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God.
3. The bleſſed way found out and appointed by God for mans Recovery out of this miſerable ſtate, which is by the undertaking and mediation of his onelyonly Son.
CHAP. III. Concerning the Mediator between God and Man.
COncerning the Mediator between God and man, Chriſt Jeſus; We muſt know and underſtand theſe ſeaven things.
1. What manner of perſon he was; He was God and Man in the ſame perſon. The Eternal Son of God, The ſecond Perſon in the Trinity took to himſelf our humane Nature (a humane ſoul and body) and united it after a wonderfull manner to his Godhead; And ſo God and Man became one perſon.
2. How he became man; He was born (about ſixteen hundred and odd years ago) of the Virgin Mary, who was of the ſeed of Abraham, and of the Family of David, as was foretold in the Scriptures, being Conceived in her by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghoſt, without the help of man, and without ſin; and was Called Jeſus Chriſt.
3. How he Lived; He Lived about three and thirty years here upon Earth, a moſt holy, innocent, ſinleſs Life, performing perfect obedience to the Law of God. And as the great Prophet of God (who was promiſed, Deut. 18.15. Acts 3, 22.) he declared his Fathers will in his heavenly diſcourſes, and Sermons, and wrought many miracles to confirm his doctrine, and to prove himſelf the true Meſſias, and the Eternal Son of God.
4. How he Died; Being betrayed by Judas, forſaken by his Diſciples, ſcorned and rejected by the World, through the malicious proſecution of the Jews, and unjuſt ſentence of Pilat, he was Condemned to be Crucified; and being tormented by his perſecutors, and having conflicted with the Terrors of Death, and felt and born Gods wrath; He endured the painful, ſhameful, and curſed death of the Croſſe; there as a Prieſt offering up himſelf a Sacrifice to God, and a Ranſome and Propitiation for our ſins.
5. What became of him after his Death; He being buried, roſe again the third day, and after Fourty days continuance on the earth (in which time he frequently appeared to his Diſciples, and others, teaching the things appertaining to the Kingdome of God,) he aſcended into Heaven, and is now in Glory with the Father, where he intercedes for, and preſents the Merits of his Death and Sufferings, in the behalf of all them that unfeignedly repent of their ſins, and do truly beleeve on him. And being made King and Head of his Church, and Lord of Angels and Men, he ſhall come from Heaven again in great Glory, to judge the quick and the dead at the Laſt day.
6. What was the End and Intent of Chriſts Coming into the world. The chief End and Intent of his Coming into the world was to ſave Loſt and undone ſinners, to procure their pardon & reconciliation with God by his Merits; & to Sanctifie their Natures by his Holy Spirit; and to bring them to everlaſting Life. And to this end he appointed his Miniſters to preach the Goſpel unto the world, and inſtituted the two Sacraments, Baptiſm, and the Lords Supper, to ſignifie and keep in remembrance the great and ineſtimable benefits of his Death and Sufferings.
7. What they are effectually Called unto, and through the aſſiſtance of the Spirit of God enabled to perform, that ſhall receive Remiſſion of ſins by Chriſt: They that ſhall be made partakers of that great and ineſtimable benefit, the Remiſſion of all their ſins by Chriſt, are effectually called and enabled by the aſſiſtance of his Grace, unfeignedly to believe the Goſpel, heartily to repent of all their ſins, ſeriouſly to give up their ſouls unto him, reſting and relying on the Redemption and Ranſome of his Blood for their Pardon and Reconciliation with God. And taking him for their onelyonly Lord & Saviour, and yielding themſelves up in ſincere obedience to him, and to be guided and governed by his Grace and Holy Spirit; they do depend on him alone for Juſtification, Sanctification, ſtrength to perſevere in the ways of Holineſſe, and at laſt to be brought to eternall Life. And to as many as are thus drawn by the Holy Ghoſt ſavingly to repent of their ſins, and believe in Chriſt, being truly united to him, and made branches in him the true Vine, and members of his myſtical body the true Church, (whereof himſelf is the Head,) God hath promiſed pardon and Remiſſion of all their ſins, to write his Law in their Hearts, to ſubdue their Corruptions by his Grace, that ſin ſhall not have Dominion over them, to beſtow on them all ſuch outward bleſſings as he in his infinite wiſdome ſhall ſee good for them; And when they die, their ſouls ſhall be received into everlaſting bliſſe, and their bodies ſhall be raiſed again by the power of Chriſt at the laſt day, and made partakers of the ſame Glory. And this is Called the Covenant of Grace. But ſuch as go on in their ſins, refuſing to accept of Chriſt, for their Lord and Saviour, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and to give up themſelves in ſincere obedience to him; when they die, their Souls ſhall be adjudged to everlaſting puniſhment; and their bodies ſhall be raiſed again at the laſt day, and made partakers with their Souls of Everlaſting Torments.
RIGHT KNOVVLEDGE. Or the chief things to be Known and Believed in order to Salvation.
They are reducible to theſe three Heads, Concerning
God.
Man.
The Mediator between God and Man.