The Immortality of the Soul, Part 2
The excellencie of CHRIST JESVS.
THe ſoule of man is a noble ſpirituall creature, created of God to obey him, as was Adam and Evah in Paradice, but the Devill by temptations, quickly ſpoyled his innocent righteous ſoul, defaced Gods Image, and then his ſhining body became miſerable and naked, his perfect ſoul became miſerable, ſinfull and ignorant; then were their ſouls and bodies to dye the death naturall and eternall for ever: but then the mercy and love of God appeared and promiſed, that the ſeed of the woman ſhould breake the Serpents head; this was our glorious Lord and Saviour Chriſt Jeſus which came in due time to reſtore Gods Image, and to deſtroy the works of the Devill, to ſuffer and ſatisfie Gods juſtice for the ſins of all the believing world, which lay hold on him by a lively faith, to in graft them into himſelfe to adopt and make them his beloved children and heires of the Kingdome of heaven: for Chriſt Jeſus our glorious Lord and Saviour is the only Son of God, in whom alone he is well pleaſed; he is the naturall ſon of God begotten begotten before the ſtars appeared, hee is the graven form of God, the brightneſſe of the glory, the Image of the inviſible God, the firſt begotten Son of God; begotten before all worlds, God of Gods very God of very God e…e…uall with the Father & with the holy Ghoſt, he is the head of the Church, and in him all fulneſſe dwelleth; thy ſent, a Chriſt! endureth for ever: the ſcepter of thy Kingdome doth may…t am righteouſneſſe. The Lord ſaid unto my Lord, ſit on my right hand, untill I make thy foes a ſtool whereon thy feet may ſtand: Chriſt Jeſus is the mighty Lion of the tribe of Judah, which overcame the roaring and devouring Lion the Devill; He is the Lambe of God which was ſlain for our ſins, and taketh away the ſins of the world, hee is the mighty God, the Prince of peace, which trod the winepreſſe of the wrath of God alone, and conquered death, hell, and the grave, and the infernall ſpirits, and hee aroſe and ſuſtained himſelf by his own power and ſtrength, and ſits at the right hand of the glory of God for ever. Chriſt Jeſus was promiſed to Adam and Evah, to Abraham and to David, he was propheſied by Enoch Jacob, Moſes, Eſay Jeremiah, Daniell Zachariah, by all the Prophets; and hee was typed out by Iſaak, Samſon, Salomon Jonah, and the brazen Serpent in the Wilderneſſe, Chriſt Jeſus out Lord and Saviour was wayted and looked for of all the faithfull from the beginning of the World: and when he was come all his Apoſtles beare witneſſe of him both in life, death and writing; the Angels from Heaven bring joyfull tydings, and beare witneſſe of him: Chriſts wondrous works beare witneſſe of him, God the Father from Heaven beare witneſſe of him, his workes beare witneſſe of him, and ſhall judge men at the laſt day; thouſands of Martyrs have ſhed their deereſt bloud in defence of this truth, Chriſts Preachers by the holy Ghoſt preach his Word, and him the innocent bloud of the children which Herod ſlue were Martyrs for him, Chriſt and his Apoſtles and Deacons, great works and miracles beare witnes of him; Five hundred Brethren at once ſaw him riſen again, the Angels beare witneſſe of his reſurrection. Chriſts Apoſtles beare witneſſe of him, and did eat and drink with him after he was riſen. Againe, before that Mary ſaw him, and cryeth out, Maſter, and Thomas felt his hands and his ſides, and cryeth out, My Lord, and God; and after hee had beene ſeene of them the ſpace of forty days, he gathered together his Apoſtles, and promiſed them to ſend the holy Ghoſt to comfort them, and then hee aſcends to Heaven before their faces, where he ſits at the right hand of God in glory untill he come again, to render vengeance to his enemies, which perſecute and wrong his Saints, and will not obey the Goſpell of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; and then will Chriſt Jeſus gather his Saints and faithfull people from the Eaſt to Weſt, and from all places, with thouſands of might, quick and ſtrong Angels, and bring to reſt in Heaven for ever: Chriſt Jeſus our Lord and Saviour was alſo ſhadowed out by thouſands of burnt offerings of Bullocks, Goats, Lambes and fruits for ſin-offerings and peace-offerings in all ages from the beginning of the World before Chriſts comming, whoſe bloud and the blould of the paſchall Lambe which were ſlain by hundred thouſands every yeere, was a ſhadow and a finger of the precious bloud of our glorious Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, which willingly offered up himſelf once for all, whoſe bloud is a ſufficient ſacrifice for the ſins of the whole World, if they had the grace to lay hold on him by a lively faith, but his death and merits ſhall ſave none of them but the faithfull, and condemne the wicked Rebels becauſe Chriſt was offered, and they would not regard him: Christ our High Prieſt is entred into Heaven, and maketh daily interceſſion for us: Now wee need not to offer the bloud of Buls, Goats and Lambs. Now ſince Chriſt is riſen, this is the Sacrifice God requireth at our hands to have his Laws written in our hearts, to obey him, to love him, to honour him with our ſouls and bodies, in our holy Aſſemblies, and to keep his Sabbaths, to give him prayſe for his love unto us, to truſt in him to pray unto him upon all occaſions, to love mercy and to doe right, and juſtly, and to ſpeak truth out of an honeſt heart: for the increaſe of Chriſts Kingdome of grace upon earth, and for the right of the innocent, poore and fatherleſſe children and widdows, and oppreſſed people, and to pray unto God for all good things, in the name of Jeſus Chriſt, and for his ſake alone to forgive us our ſins; theſe ſacrifices are more pleaſing unto God then thouſand rivers of Oile or the bloud of all the cattle on a thouſand hils. For now ſeeing Chriſt Jeſus our High Prieſt is entred into heaven there remayneth no more bloud to be ſhed for ſins, for Chriſt Jeſus the eternall Son of God hath once ſhed his precious bloud for the ſins of all that lay hold on him by a lively faith, and maketh dayly interceſſion for he is the only Mediatour between God and man, for peace and ſalvation; for he loves us, and will give eternall life to all that with faith labour to keep his commandements: Chriſt Jeſus our glorious Lord and Saviour is the way to Heaven, hee is the truth and the light, No man can come to the Father but by him, he hath God the Father ſealed, and in him ſtands the covenant and the right to the faithfull which love him, even the Kingdome of Heaven, and all good things which hee ſees needfull for them by ſure promiſes of the mighty God which cannot be broken: and if God caſt gold and ſilver, corne, wine and Oile, and government, and the uſe of all the creatures, upon Turkes, Infidels and unfaithfull Chriſtians, becauſe hee made them reaſonable men: Yet it is not bleſt unto them without the word of God, and prayer in the name of Chriſt Jeſus, whereſoever Chriſt hath been preached unto them, for they muſt give account for government, for their riches, for their honour, for all their wrong and blaſphemous words, for all their abuſed knowledge of conjuring, witchcraft and for their abuſe of their knowledge of ſea and land, the Sun, Moon and Stars, and all Gods works of order and merciemercy, and his providence unto them and the light of their conſcience, all theſe ſhall witneſſe againſt heathen people, which will not follow the light of conſcience, which they have written in their hearts, and give honour thanks, and worſhip to the great God of heaven and earth that gave them their being but they will worſhip vain Idols ſtocks ſtones, and dumb creatures kill and devoure one another, ſuch heathen people ſhall be turned into hell with all that forget God: Such Popiſh Chriſtians as confeſſe Chriſt Jeſus our Lord and Saviour, to be the onelyonly Sonne of God, and yet if they doe deny him to be the onelyonly mediator between God and man, and pray to Saints departed, and truſt to their own merits, and their own righteouſneſſe and good works, and conſider not the Law of God to be holy and pure, ſo right and ſtrait that no mortall man can wholy keep without the help of Chriſt Jeſus who was God and man, he keepeth Law perfectly, and did good all his life, and was obedient to God his Father, unto the very death: he hath aboundance of grace and good workes, he loveth righteouſneſſe and hateth iniquity, but mortall man is weak and ſinfull. The opening of the Law by our Saviour Chriſt Ieſus in the fifth, ſixth and ſeventh chapters of Saint Matthew's Goſpell, ſhewing mans weakneſſe plainly, when we have done all the good we can, we muſt ſay we are unprofitable ſervants we muſt repent of the ill workes we have done, and deſire with teares and ſorrow Chriſt Jeſus to waſh them away with his precious bloud, and with a lively fayth, deſire him to accept of our good works, and to cover them with his good works, and then they will pleaſe God, and he will have delight in us; but if Popiſh Chriſtians hide Gods Word, the bread of life from many millions of men and women, which for want of true knowledge periſh, and cannot come to drinke of the water of life freely the ſpirituall ſtock Chriſt Jeſus as they ſhould doe, this is an evill worke, and if they perſecute and murther harmleſſe people for their holy and ſpirituall worſhipping of God, which deny their own righteouſneſſe, and deſire with teares, faith and joy, to be cloathed with the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt Jeſus, then this is an evill wicked work alſo: For Chriſt Jeſus fulfilled the Law of God in everything wholy, for the faithfull men and women which love him, and obey him, for in Chriſt Jeſus the holy Trinity, and bleſſed unity of God immortall and onelyonly wiſe is well pleaſed, and his juſtice ſatisfied for the ſins of all the faithfull which love him with an upright heart, and God will not give the glory of his ſpirituall worſhip of mankinde to Saints or Angels not yet the adoration of her bodies to dumb Images, for God is a jealous God of his glory and true worſhip, and will viſit the ſins of all idolaters without repentance, with eternall death and puniſhment in hell fire.
But O England! and all Reformed Churches which have the Word of God to read in, which have faithfull Preachers to preach Chriſt and amendment of life unto us, which have wholſome and … Books to read in, which have the Lords day kept and mayntayned amongſt us, which have the Sacraments the Seals of Chriſt Jeſus love, giving unto us which have godly and needfull Prayers, Conf…ſſions, and Thankſgivings appointed and ſet out in the name of Chriſt Jeſus for to help the weak and confirme the ſtrong, which have had the example of many Martyrs in times of perſecutions under Biſhops and learned Doctours men and women of all conditions and eſtates; which have had godly Kings and Queenes, which have bin nurſing Fathers and nurſ…ng Mothers unto Chriſt Jeſus true Church mil…nt hereupon earth and have defended the true faith with the Word of God, with the ſword of God, and mayntayned true vertue, and puniſhed vice O England! how m…rcifull is God unto us? if we will embrace his mercy, and know them … times of his viſitation and love unto us: the name of the Lord God of Heaven and earth be prayſed, honoured, and ſanctified for evermore. Which hath ſent his mighty Word, the glad tydings of his Goſpell unto us, and cauſed it to be made more playnly read and preached in our own language; ſo that men and women need not ſit in darkneſſe, not walk in darkneſſe, except they ſuffer their underſtanding to be blinded with the Devill, and ſo become wilfull ſinners, worſe than Turkes, or Popiſh ignorant Chriſtians, and ſome wee have which are larger in their opinions then the Word of God, or the Church of God teacheth them, and ſo cauſe the Lord to chaſtize them with temporall puniſhment and ſin, are too curious and nice, not contented with the wholſome and pure doctrine of Chriſt Jeſus, which is preached in moſt places; but take offence at every trifle, and ſomtime at that which is very good through their ignorance, or elſe their pride and ſelf-conceitedneſſe, and ſo make more diviſions and rents then need: theſe our brethren cauſe the Lord God to chaſtize them with temporall puniſhment alſo: and ſome doe what they can to ſerve the Lord God with an upright heart, and to maintayn the true worſhip of God peaceably, and ſo of weak and ſtrong the Lord God be prayſed: we doubt not, but that wee have hundred thouſands of faithfull Chriſtians in theſe Northweſt parts of the World; yea, CHRIST JESUS lovingly calleth all men to his Marriage and Noble Banquet, for ever to be betrothed to him in faith and love, here in this world militant to obey him, and to truſt unto him, and to receive all things needfull from him, who knows our wants better then we, and after this ſhort life to be ſpiritually marryed to him in heaven for ever. But alas, unbelieving, ungodly men and women, have out of their fooliſhneſſe deſired excuſes, they love this world and the vain things thereof, of ſhort continuance, better then everlaſting Chriſt Jeſus full of all riches and glorious excellent dignity: One hath marryed a wife and cannot come, another hath bought a farme and cannot come, another hath bought oxen and cannot come, poor ſilly excuſes all theſe things they have received of God for Jeſus Chriſt his ſake and they ſhould be helps for them to truſt in Chriſt, who having received good things from him already, but blinde fooliſh worldlings content themſelves ſo they may have mammon and worldly vanities rather then they will obey Chriſt Ieſus and truſt to him for everlaſting glorious poſſeſſions and ſo ſuch fooliſh men and women ſhall never be married to Chriſt which will not believe his word and obey him here, but they ſhall be divorced from him for ever, and ſent to eternall miſery, but yet the name of the Lord God of heaven and earth be praiſed and glorified for his own gracious promiſe, who hath promiſed that many ſhall come from the Eaſt and from the Weſt, from the North and from the South, and ſhall ſit down in the Kingdome of heaven with Abraham, Iſaack and Iacob, yea, many thouſands of men and women are very joyfull, glad and willing to come and prepare themſelves with faith and amendment of life, for God hath choſen them, and thoſe whom CHRIST JESUS hath choſen, and giving a lively faith, which worketh by love in him, there ſhall neither men nor devils be ever able to pull them out of Chriſt hands for as many as believed in him to them hee gave power to be the Sonnes of God, and Chriſt Jeſus will not loſe one of them, but will glorifie them all in their tentations and infirmities, their ſlips and falls ſhall not pull them out of Chriſt Jeſus his hands, God the Father gave them to him, and he is ſtranger then all: and in this world he will make them willing to come to Chriſt Jeſus by faith and repentance.