that God made are in that refpect the offspring "of God, they are in him, as Effects in their high

"eft Caufe; he likewife actually is in them, the af- A&ts. 17. ! fiftance and influence of his Deity is their Life. Let 28. 29. hereunto faving Grace be added, and it bringeth

ce

"forth a fpecial offspring amongst Men, containing them, to whom God himself hath given the gracious We are nature the "Sons of Adam; when God created Adam, he creat"ed us; and as many as are defcended from Adam "have in themselves the root out of which they spring: "the Sons of God we neither are all, ΚΟΥ

" and amiable Name of Sons.

any

one

of us otherwife than only by Grace and Favour. The "Sons of God have God's own natural Son as a fecond Adam from Heaven, whofe Race and "Progeny they are by Spiritual and Heavenly "Birth. God therefore loving Eternally his Son, " he must needs Eternally in him, have loved and

.

preferred before all others, them which are Spiri- Eph. 1. 3"tually thence defcended, and Sprung out of him. "These were in God as in their Saviour, and not "as in their Creator only: It was the purpose of " his faving Goodness, his faving Wisdom, and his fa«ving Power, which inclineth it self towards them.

They which thus were in God Eternally by their in"tended admiffion to Life, have by vocation or adop"tion God actually now in them, as the Artificer is in "the Work which his Hands doth prefently frame. -We are therefore in God through Chrift Eternally, according to that intent and purpose whereby "we were chosen to be made his in this prefent World, before the World it felf was made; we are in God through the Knowledge which is had of us, and "the Love which is born towards us from everlasting. But in God we are actually no longer than only from the time of our actual Adoption into the Body of his true Church, into the Fellowship of his Child. For his Church he knoweth and loveth,

fo

So that they which are in the Church are thereby "known to be in him: our being in Chrift by Eternal "Foreknowledge, faveth us not without our actual and "real Adoption into the Fellowship of his Saints in this "prefent World; for in him we actually are, by our "actual incorporation into that Society which hath him " for their Head? &c.

HE Creation of the World was the first a&t

ΤΗ
Tof God's Power, beginning to execute in time
his Counfel and Decree which was from Everlafting.

The World is that whole frame of God's building, fet up, perfected, and furnished according to the plot, or model in the mind and purpose of Heb. 3.4. God, who hath built all things. In it God made Rom. 1. manifeft the invisible things of his Wifdom and Goodnefs to his own Glory. Therein he hath made Creatures of fundry Natures, Motions, and Perfections, to fundry Ends.

20

Above others he Created Man in a more excellent Perfection, to a more excellent End: for he Created him an Image of God, as far as was meet for a Creature to partake of the Divine Nature, which was, to be Good, but mutable. This Image or Likeness to God was to be feen in three things; the first and fecond as Man's Perfections; the third as his End.

1. In Understanding and Will

2. In Holiness and Righteousness.
3. In Immortality and Bleffedness.

These three were fubalternate one to the other:
Understanding and Will, to Righteoufnefs; Right-

coufnefs

eoufnefs to Bleffedness: Bleffedness to be the reward of Righteoufnefs, and Righteousness to be the work of Willingnèfs: for Vertue arifeth not from Neceffity, but Choice.

CHA P. II.

Of God's Government of Man, under the Covenant of Works.

TH

HE fecond A&t of Execution in time of God's eternal Counsel, was the Government of Man created: fo as he might ufe his perfections, and attain his end.

In this Government, God as the fupreme Lord was to command, and Man as his Creature and Vaffal was to obey; but God being a free, and gracious Lord, and Man not a brute, but a reasonable, and free Servant, it pleafed his Lord to defcend, and come into Covenant with him, as is ufed between party and party.

The fum of this Covenant was, do this, and thon fhalt Live; called therefore the Covenant of Works.

The Law Natural or Moral, written in the Heart of Man, comprehended all the Works which was to be done by him.

The Law Pofitive, namely, that one of abstaining from the fruit of the Tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden, was a Tryal, and Experiment of his Obedience; and the Exercife of the Duties of the Law Moral, in a particular.

To Man appertained the obferving of thefe Laws: To God appertained the performance of the promife of Life, to Man obferving them, as being faithful in the Covenant.

A

CHA P. III.

Of the Fall of Man.

DAM was honoured with being the immediate Workmanship of God, the Poffeffor of Paradifes and Partaker of the first Covenant; but, with all Reverence to our first Parent be it spoken, he kept not the Orat. 20. Commandment, Quoth Nazianzen. Being tempted by Satan, he tranfgrefs'd that one eafy commandment, and fo became guilty of all, and lofing his Righteoufnefs, he forfeited his Happiness by Sin, the breach of God's commandment and covenant.

The Sin of Man was voluntary, not neceffary, though he finned, being tempted by another; for he had ftrength enough given him of God, and more was ready to have been fupplyed unto him, if he had craved it, whereby he might have vanquifhed the Tempter, and have ftood firm in his Obedience, but he willingly confented, and yielded to the deceiver. Neither was this Fall caufed by God, though Foreknown, but only permitted, when God, if he would, could have hindered it. And God permitted it;

1. Because he would not impeach the freedom of Will that he had given unto Man; He laid a in Marci- kind of Reftraint, faith Tertullian, upon his Foreknowon. Lib. 2. ledge, and over ruling Power, by which he might have fo interpofed, that Man fhould not, by abusing his Freedom, have fallen into Sin: for if he had fo interpofed, he had taken away that freedom of Will, which in Wif dom and Goodness he had conferred upon him. Where we may obferve, that that is called Freedom of Will which is to Evil, and was in Adam before he Sinned.

2. Because, he faw, it would offer him a fair occafion to manifeft his Wifdom and Goodness ftill more graciously than he had done in the Creation: which he had forethought on, and foreknew how to restore Man fallen, before he Decreed to permit the Fall, namely, by the moft admirable and glorious Works of the Incarnation, Sufferings, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of his Son, intending by the Obedience of one Man to make many Righteous, by the Difobedience of one many were made Sin

ners.

3. Because, God knew, that if Man fhould Fall, and he in Mercy vouchsafe him a fecond Covenant, it would offer him a juft occafion both to be more thankful, and more wary and careful. On which account many more might be faved, by a fecond Covenant, made with Man fallen, than would have been by the first, if Adam had stood, and the Covenant of Works had been held on with all his pofterity for natural Perfections easily beget Pride and confidence in our felves, which is the firft degree of averfion from God, and the beginning of ruin: but wants and weakneffes do humble us, and make us fly to God, and cleave more clofe unto him.

That the Fall of Man was known before the Decree of Creation, the Creation it felf feemeth to fhew, where there are infinite things prepared for Man's ufe only as fallen, as all Medicinal Herbs prepared for Phyfick; Phyfick prefumeth Sickness, and Sickness prefumeth Sin.