SYSTEM 
 
 OF 
 
 .RELIGION. I 
 
 c /^ 
 
 llREATING OF THE FOLLOWING HEADS: ft 
 
 Of the Nature of GOD, and 
 that Jesus Christ is the Only 
 One and True GOD. 
 
 II. Of the Trinity, in a manner 
 wholly differing from either 
 the Athanasians or Arians, 
 nearer to the plain literal 
 Text of the Scripture, and 
 less liable to philosophical 
 objections. 
 
 III. Of the Devil ; that he is 
 no where to be found, but in- 
 carnate in man. 
 
 IV- Of the Soul's dying with 
 the Body until the Resur- 
 rection, shewing that the 
 
 notion of an immaterial Soul 
 distinct from the body, is an 
 inconceivable philosophical 
 absurdity, and against the 
 whole tenor of the Scripture. 
 
 V. That there are in man two 
 principles natural to his con- 
 stitution, a good and a bad, 
 which necessarily determine 
 his actions, and are at enmity 
 with each other ; and how to 
 know which is predominant. 
 
 VI. Of Predestination. 
 
 VII. A philosophiaal manner of 
 accounting for the Resur- 
 rection. 
 
 FAITHFULLY COLLECTED FROM A CURIOUS MANU- 
 SCRIPT FOUND AMONG THE PAPERS OF 
 
 THOMAS TOMKINSON, GENT. 
 
 LONDON : 
 RE-PRINTED BY T. GOODE, 30 AYLESBURY STREET, 
 
 CLERKENWELL. 
 
 1857.


 

 
 StacK 
 Annex 
 
 SRLf- 
 URL 
 
 5132391 
 
 SYSTEM 
 
 OF 
 
 RELIGION, 
 
 TREATING OF THE FOLLOWING HEADS: 
 
 I. Of the Nature of GOD, and 
 that Jesus Christ is the Only 
 One aad True GOD. 
 
 II. Of the Trinity, in a manner 
 wholly differing from either 
 the Athunasians or Arians, 
 nearer to the plain literal 
 Text of the Scripture, and 
 less liable to philosophical 
 objections. 
 
 III. Of the Devil ; that he is 
 no where to be found, but in- 
 carnate in man. 
 
 IV. Of the Soul's dying with 
 the Body until the Resur- 
 rection, shewing that the 
 
 notion of an immaterial Soul 
 distinct from the body, is an 
 inconceivable philosophical 
 absurdity, and against the 
 whole tenor of the Scripture. 
 
 V. That there are in man two 
 principles natural to his con- 
 stitution, a good and a bad, 
 which necessarily determine 
 his actions, and are at enmity 
 with each other ; and how to 
 know which is predominant. 
 
 VI. Of Predestination. 
 
 VII. A philosophical manner of 
 accounting for the Resur- 
 rection. 
 
 FAITHFULLY COLLECTED FROM A CURIOUS MANU- 
 SCRIPT FOUND AMONG THE PAPERS OF 
 
 LONDON : 
 RE-PRINTED BY T. GOODE, 30 AYLESBURY STREET, 
 
 CIEHKENWELL. 
 
 1857. 
 
 X2477462
 
 PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1729. 
 
 REVISED AND CORRECTED BY ISAAC FROST, SEN., 
 
 AND BE-PBINTED TOR 
 
 ISAAC FROST, WILLIAM GATES AND JOSEPH GANDAR 
 
 1857,
 
 It is the great blessing and privilege 
 of Protestant liberty, that the right 
 of interpreting and reasoning upon 
 the Holy Scriptures, is not only pre- 
 served in its natural channel of private 
 judgment, but freed from the slavery 
 of implicit faith, and usurped claims 
 of infallible authority ; which will 
 plead for any seeming particularity in 
 the following treatise. And, as its 
 designs being to reconcile some diffi- 
 cult points of religion, in a manner 
 that appeared the most rational, in 
 order to vindicate religion itself, from 
 the bold and shocking treatment of 
 some modern pretenders to free think- 
 ing, so this will be a sufficient defence 
 of the undertaking. 
 
 The ensuing treatise, as by the title 
 we are already informed, presents us
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 with a system of religion, having Uni- 
 formity in its parts, perfectly consis- 
 tent with itself, and consonant to the 
 literal tenour of the Scriptures, especi- 
 ally as they are translated into the 
 vulgar tongues. Yet is here no notion 
 of any immaterial being at all ; but the 
 author proves the mind, or soul of man, 
 to be material and mortal till the 
 resurrection ; that there is no spirit 
 devil distinct from man ; and that there 
 are two Seeds a good and bad, which 
 are originally and by generation, in 
 a man's constitution. 
 
 So that, I think, every one who 
 professes himself a Christian, (let his 
 manner of worship be what it will) 
 ought to hold himself highly indebted 
 to him, for this honest attempt to 
 rescue the text of the Scriptures (by 
 giving it a direct, plain, and simple 
 construction) from the darkness in 
 which abundance of atheistical enthu- 
 siasts have always, to some degree or 
 other, artfully and assiduously endea- 
 voured to cloud and involve it ; and
 
 PREFACE. V 
 
 for his asserting, by the virtue of mere 
 faith, the literal meaning of the sacred 
 writings, in opposition to the proud 
 and perplexing spirit of factious Rea- 
 son, whose assistance he would scorn, 
 though it would make for his purpose. 
 
 However this is evident, that he 
 hath accounted for Scripture -predesti- 
 nation, by his principle of the two 
 Seeds: And that by showing, that it 
 is only a part of the wicked Angel 
 himself, produced in the generation 
 of mankind, which is punished, he 
 has, in some measure, made it more 
 reconcileable to justice, than the com- 
 mon predestination : and I do not see, 
 but that he has done this with great 
 force. And if you admit, with him, 
 that reason must not interpose with 
 Holy Writ, but that the Scripture is 
 in its own plain sense, an indisputable 
 authority ; and allow him only to take 
 the fall of man in an allegorical sense, 
 (which I think he has strongly justified 
 from Ezekielxxxvii.3to the end) I say, 
 I cannot see it will be easy to refute 
 him.
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 The other principle of the Soul's 
 sleeping, might have been supported 
 by the same arguments; as also a 
 philosophical turn might have been 
 given to his excluding all immaterial 
 beings out of his system of religion : 
 For some Philosophers teach, by 
 many strong arguments, that man can 
 have no notion of an immaterial sub- 
 stance : And some go so far as to 
 say, it is nonsense, since all our ideas 
 are of what our external senses see, or 
 compounded of what they have seen, 
 which can be nothing but matter. 
 
 Now, who could have expected 
 that these principles could be con- 
 sistent with Christianity, or with any 
 religion at all ? Yet, you see here, he 
 hath a complete system of Christianity, 
 agreeable to the Soul's sleeping, and 
 that there is no Immaterial Being ; 
 and has proved, that the Soul of man 
 lives not, but during the life of the 
 body till the resurrection. 
 
 The aforesaid principles are so 
 strongly supported by the plain literal
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 words of several texts of Scripture, 
 that admitting him what no Christian 
 can deny him, with the absolute 
 authority of the Scripture, without 
 the interposition of Human Reason, 
 and there can be no answering him. 
 
 There is something in his account- 
 ing for the scriptural appearances of 
 the Devil, which seems liable to some 
 small objection; but when we con- 
 sider the surprising turn he has given 
 to the temptation of Christ, by de- 
 claring the tempter to be a subtle 
 ruler of the Jews, one cannot help 
 being amazed to see so unexpected a 
 system made so perfect, and so strong- 
 ly defended. 
 
 The resurrection answers all the 
 purposes of the Christian religion, 
 and therefore makes this scheme 
 perfectly orthodox. And his expect- 
 ing, that a new body will be struck 
 out of some particle of the old ; con- 
 taining the spark of life or fire, as a 
 grain of wheat doos the vegetative life 
 of its kind, which brings forth a ne\v
 
 Ylll PREFACE. 
 
 plant, yet visibly dies itself; this, I 
 say, hath again given a very agreeable 
 and strong turn to the whole. And 
 if he had thought proper to have had 
 recourse to the philosophy of the 
 infinite Divisibility of matter, it would 
 greatly have helped him. 
 
 But I have nothing to do to assist 
 him ; neither would he give me any 
 thanks for it, was he capable of know- 
 ing it : for he had, what he strongly 
 believed, a much greater dictator, and 
 therefore declined all Helps from 
 Reason and Philosophy. 
 
 The treatises which have of late been 
 published against all revealed religion ; 
 and the scurrilous and profane ridi- 
 cule, which it has particularly suffered 
 from the madness and buffoorny of a 
 late author, ought to make the publi- 
 cation of this work esteemed the more 
 by every impartial and considerate 
 Reader.
 
 SYSTEM 
 
 OF 
 
 RELIGION, 
 
 SINGULAR AND SURPRISING- 
 
 , xiii. * 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43. 
 
 He answered, and said unto them, 
 He that soweth the good Seed, is 
 the Son of Man. 
 
 The Field is the World : The good 
 seed are the Children of the King- 
 dom ; but the Tares are the Children 
 of the wicked One. 
 
 The Enemy that sowed them is the 
 Devil : The Harvest is the End of 
 the World ; and the Reapers are the 
 Angels. 
 
 * The above general text commences Matthew xiii. 3.
 
 Z OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 As therefore the Tares are gathered, 
 and burnt in the Fire : So shall it be 
 in the End of this World. 
 
 The Son of Man shall send forth his 
 Angels, and they shall gather out of 
 his Kingdom all Things that offend, 
 and them that do iniquity : 
 
 And shall cast them into a furnace of 
 fire; there shall be wailing and 
 gnashing of teeth. 
 
 Then shall the Righteous shine forth 
 as the Sun in the Kingdom of their 
 Father : Who hath ears to hear let 
 him hear. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 The first Doctrine which is taught in 
 this Text, is, That this Son of Man 
 is the Lord Jesus Christ ; who is the 
 only true God : and though he is call- 
 ed by several titles, as Father, Son 
 and Spirit, yet he is not, nor can he 
 be proved to be, any other, than 
 ONE personal Glory in the Form 
 of a Man ; nor was he any other
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 3 
 
 before time, in time, and to all eter- 
 nity will remain so. 
 
 THAT the Son of Man should be 
 the Eternal God is a great mystery 
 to know, and to declare ; yet the know- 
 ledge thereof is revealed to us so far, 
 that to our understanding it appears, 
 that he who made Man, became MAN, 
 and dwelt among us. 
 
 He that was the Seedsman became 
 seed himself; therefore called (Gen.iii) 
 the seed of the woman, because he took 
 Seed of the Virgin Mary, which was 
 that of Abraham, which was that of 
 Adam, which was the seed of God : So 
 that he took upon him his own nature, 
 but changed into the condition of 
 mortality, by dying unto his own 
 nature which was made mortal, and 
 so quickening in that mortal nature, 
 he became the Son of Man as to the 
 human nature ; but as to the divine 
 nature he was the very God as well 
 as very Man. 
 
 John xvii. 3, it is written, It is Life
 
 4 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 eternal to know the true God, and 
 Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. 
 
 These two distinctions, (viz.) The 
 
 true God and he hath sent; doth 
 
 not divide the titles into two persons 
 any more than those other sayings of 
 Paul : Phil. iv. 20. 1 Thes. i. 3 and 
 iii. 11. [Now unto God] and [our 
 Father be Glory] but it is so expressed, 
 referring to the twofold appearance 
 of God. 
 
 Hence the meaning of these words 
 is no more than if it were read thus, 
 " It is eternal life to know that Jesus 
 Christ is the true God." Thus that 
 Scripture is unfolded, and joins and 
 twists itself with this other Scripture, 
 He that hath the Son hath life, 1 John 
 v. 12. Now these two sayings joined 
 together with a third become impreg- 
 nable. He that hath the Son hath 
 the Father also, 1 John ii. 23. 
 
 God was from eternity: That is, 
 He was without all beginning, and 
 before all time; therefore let none
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. O 
 
 ask these questions, What was before 
 God ? Or how God came to be God ? 
 For nothing can be before or after 
 Eternity; nor is there any knowledge 
 of the beginning of what had no begin- 
 ning. Therefore a Being that is from 
 eternity cannot know its own begin- 
 ning. God was himself alone, before 
 any sensible living creature appeared 
 in his sight, and yet did he not want 
 company to associate himself with, 
 because he was a kingdom in himself. 
 For this we are to mind, that our God 
 is a kingdom himself, and a kingdom 
 in himself; therefore in his mortal 
 state He called himself the kingdom. 
 Luke x. 11. And John calls him after 
 his glorification, the new Jerusalem, 
 and the City of God. Rev. xxi. 2. 
 
 And our Lord may most fitly be 
 called a kingdom and city, if we seri- 
 ously ponder in our minds, the variety 
 of those divine qualifications that are 
 inherent in his blessed person : For 
 these glorious and heavenly properties, 
 operating in the person of God, do
 
 6 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 make him become a city in himself; 
 for what necessity of much company 
 without, when there is such society 
 within, and in such harmony ; and it 
 must needs be, in that it all proceeds 
 from one divine voice. 
 
 A taste of this is most livelily felt by 
 many of these children of the kingdom; 
 for as their Lord is, so are they in their 
 measure ; for the divine nature in them 
 came from the same fountain. Now 
 those that have these companions 
 within, have many times more variety 
 of pleasures, than if they had an 
 hundred companions without, unless 
 they be such that in wisdom and nature 
 answer to the spiritual companions 
 within; then, if they do, there is a 
 blessed union. Even thus it was with 
 God, he having these divine properties 
 infinitely dwelling in him, must needs 
 possess full satisfaction in himself; 
 and not only so, but, from his heaven- 
 ly and blessed nature of unutterable 
 infinity, he must, of necessity, abound 
 with continual new joys and new ra- 
 vishing glories.
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 7 
 
 Wherefore from his divine revelation 
 of himself to himself, and increase of 
 new wisdom, power and glory, he did 
 see that his unsearchable wisdom lay 
 hid in the infinite power of his word 
 speaking; the knowledge of his 
 mighty power, together with his royal 
 will and pleasure, was the glorious 
 wheel, that moved him to form living 
 creatures to appear in his sight. 
 
 Which, upon the counsel of His will, 
 he did most abundantly. Angels and 
 men were the chief, being made pur- 
 posely for his spiritual society ; and 
 then did the Creator take pleasure in 
 the works of his hands : The word 
 hand is used, because the hand is an 
 emblem of power. But the Creator's 
 work in the creation of everything, 
 was without bodily labour ; it lay in 
 the virtue of his word, speaking only. 
 
 And now, had the most high God 
 enlarged his kingdom, and got spiritu- 
 al companions without him, men and 
 angels ; but man is the chief, he having 
 the nearest fellowship. 1st John i. 3.
 
 8 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 I. That there is no Nature without 
 a Form. 
 
 II. That the Creator is God of a 
 glorious Form from all Eternity. 
 
 III. That God is in the form of a 
 Man. 
 
 rpHERE is an absolute necessity 
 JL for God to continue and remain 
 in his own divine centre, and so for 
 ever be a distinct glorious Being ; that 
 as in time he gave being to every 
 creature, so there should still be, and 
 remain an everlasting distinction be- 
 tween the changeable creature and the 
 unchangeable Creator. For if it were, 
 as some have imagined, that the Cre- 
 ator was an infinite Spirit, that is, of 
 Infinite Immensity, without any body 
 or form ; and that this formless Spirit 
 infused itself into the whole Creation, 
 then could there be no God at all,
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 9 
 
 unless the creature were God, it all 
 participating of his spirit, in that its 
 life were God's life and spirit, and 
 then there would be as many gods as 
 living creatures, and the ox and ass 
 were more noble than an angel. 
 
 We are, nevertheless, not to imagine, 
 that the uncreated majesty, before he 
 became flesh, did consist of elemen- 
 tary matter, but was a bright shining 
 glory of uncompounded purity, of so 
 unutterable a nature, as that it was 
 swifter than thought, clearer than 
 crystal, more pure than the purest 
 gold, and infinitely more glorious than 
 the sun. 
 
 Moreover, although the body of the 
 uncreated Majesty was of so pure, 
 thin, soft, light and sweet a nature ; 
 yet was it absolutely, from the crown 
 of his glorious head to the sole of his 
 divine feet, like unto the first m^m 
 Adam ; it was not the Visibility of 
 their persons that differed, but the 
 Glory of them only. Behold, an4
 
 10 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 wonder, that this infinite spiritual 
 body should change itself into flesh ! 
 Yea, be wrapt up in flesh, and remain 
 now in a body of flesh and bone ! 
 But this body being now glorified is 
 as glorious, yea, this his body of flesh 
 and bone is more glorious than it was 
 before, when it was a spiritual body ; 
 for a very glimpse of this his now 
 body of flesh and bone glorified, 
 struck Paul blind ; and so it would 
 have dazzled John's eyes too, if his 
 eyes had not been strengthened above 
 nature, or the person of Jesus pre- 
 sented unto him with a part of his 
 glory vailed. And though the Creator 
 did in time change his god-head glory 
 into flesh ; yet the purity of his nature 
 neither was, nor could be changed, 
 but only his infinity laid down into 
 flesh for a season, that he might, for 
 an everlasting astonishment unto men 
 and angels, clothe his god-head spirit 
 with pure human flesh. 
 
 And although the uncreated Majesty 
 was of so pure, thin, light, soft and
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 11 
 
 sweet a nature when a spiritual body, 
 and in this glorified body of flesh and 
 bone more glorious, yet was it before 
 time, in time, and to all eternity no 
 other than ONE personal glory in the 
 form of a man ; for (as is said before) 
 
 it is absolutely from the crown of his 
 
 / 
 
 glorious head to the sole of his divine 
 feet, like unto the first man Adam ; 
 not the visibility of their persons that 
 differed, but the glory of them only. 
 
 For do you not find it written, Phil, 
 ii. 6 and 7, that Christ is not only 
 EQUAL with the Father, but in the VERY 
 FORM of God ? then must God be in 
 the very form of man, if Christ was in 
 the form of a man. 
 
 Again doth not the Scripture abun- 
 dantly prove this? What is the 
 meaning of Moses, when he said, that 
 God created Man in his own image, 
 and in his own likeness? Had not 
 these words relation to Adam's body 
 as well as his spirit? It is indeed 
 written, Ephes iv. 24, that, we are
 
 12 OF THE NATURE OF GOD; 
 
 created after the image of God in righte- 
 ousness and holiness. 
 
 Can righteousness and holiness act 
 forth themselves without a body ? Or 
 do you ever read, that righteousness 
 and holiness were ever acted forth, in, 
 or by any other form but the form of 
 a man? When God said, Be ye holy 
 as I am holy ; what ! must the Souls 
 run out of the bodies to be like him? 
 If they did they would be nothing. 
 Where would mercy and justice, 
 meekness and humility be found? 
 There could be no such virtues known, 
 or have being, were they not found to 
 centre in a body. It is said, We are 
 created into Christ Jesus unto good works ; 
 can good works be done by the soul 
 without the body ? 
 
 The reason of this doctrine's being 
 so resisted by the learned philoso- 
 phers, is through the narrowness of 
 their understandings, in not being 
 able to conceive, that because they 
 themselves have vile and vicious lusts,
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 13 
 
 that therefore whatsoever is in the 
 form of a man must have all the evils 
 and frailties of themselves. 
 
 And though it may be true, that 
 several of the great heathen philoso- 
 phers, and also the Jews, have opposed 
 this doctrine ; and that also many of 
 those who pretend to Christianity, 
 have mixed their own carnal reason 
 with the Scriptures, and thereby cor- 
 rupted the meanings of the ^texts, and 
 resisted the truth ; yet this doth 
 nothing avail, for antiquity and tra- 
 dition cannot make error and false- 
 hood TRUTH, notwithstanding custom 
 and practice may have for a time 
 established them ; for there have been 
 wrong principles ever since Cain, 
 therefore in matters of religion there 
 is no pleading of antiquity, custom and 
 tradition ; for Antichrist was in Cain 
 before Christ was in Abel. 
 
 This is the doctrine and language of 
 Moses, and all the true prophets; 
 that God hath a glorious body, and 
 that body in the form of a man.
 
 14 
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 Moses's testimony is, that God 
 
 v 
 
 created man in his own image, simili- 
 tude and likeness : He also saith, 
 that God talked with Adam, and 
 walked with Enoch; and Abraham, 
 Isaac and Jacob talked with God; 
 and it was God that wrestled with 
 Jacob ; not that God's spiritual body 
 was changed from its nature, but only 
 vailed with a solid substance. Much 
 as the angels, when they appeared to 
 our forefathers ; they then, as it were, 
 divested themselves of their glory, and 
 appeared as mortalized for a season, 
 and so did eat and drink with men as 
 if they had been mortal ; when as it is 
 certain, that they remained spiritual, 
 and the meat they eat did not pass 
 through them as it doth with man, 
 but was dissolved or swallowed up in 
 their own nature ; for their internal 
 fiery glory did convert it into its own 
 substance, as we find the nature of 
 fire is to diminish a substance and 
 take it into itself. 
 
 Thus when the great Jehovah hath 
 appeared unto man, he hath either
 
 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 15 
 
 vailed himself, or vailed the eyes of 
 his servants, that his glory might ap- 
 pear, but as their spirits might be 
 capable to behold it; for no mortal 
 eye is able to behold God in the glory 
 of his es&ence and person. 
 
 Therefore when the glorious God, 
 upon the request of Moses, would 
 manifest unto him his personal presence 
 in his form and glory ; yet nevertheless 
 was he constrained to cover the eyes 
 of Moses, whilst his face and fiery 
 flaming eyes were towards him ; to 
 the end that Moses might have power 
 in the organ of his external eye, to 
 behold the glory of his backparts. 
 Wherefore the Lord put Moses in 
 the clift of a rock, and laid his hand 
 on Moses's face, until he had passed 
 by, because his face was too glorious 
 for mortal eyes to behold. 
 
 Moses saith, that God looked down 
 from Heaven ; that God came down 
 from Heaven ; that God went up to 
 Heaven; that God heard ; that God 
 saw ; that God had eyes, ears, hands
 
 16 OF THE NATURE OF GOD. 
 
 and mouth, whereby he spake the ten 
 words of the law ; and not only so, but 
 lie wrote them with his fingers. 
 
 Moreover, doth not David attribute 
 hands, ears, mouth and tongue unto 
 God. And in the 94th Psalm he 
 proveth undeniably, that God hath all 
 these parts of a body. In that Psalm 
 David was troubled to see wickedness 
 so much abound, and he shows the 
 cause wherefore it was; that the 
 hearts of wicked men were fully set 
 in them to do evil ; and it was because 
 they thought God was some infinite 
 formless spirit, that could neither hear 
 nor understand. But for this their 
 wicked imagination David calls them 
 fools and brutish people ; and con- 
 vinces them of their ignorance, telling 
 them ; that he that made the eye, 
 shall he not see; that he that planted 
 the ear, shall he not hear; and he 
 that teacheth man knowledge, shall 
 he riot have a heart of his own tp ; 
 understand ?
 
 OF THE TRINITY. 17 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The Father, Son and Spirit are one 
 Essence. 
 
 The first doctrine which we have 
 before observed to be taught in 
 this text, is, that the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 who is there called the Son of Man, 
 is the true God : And though he is 
 called by several titles, as Father, Son 
 and Spirit, yet is God but ONE per- 
 sonal glory in the form of a man. 
 
 As the soul, body and spirit of man 
 are united and knit together, making 
 one essence, or individual substance, 
 distinct in itself; so &ve. father, son 
 and spirit as truly joined together; 
 and this the Scripture, and all true 
 prophets do positively affirm. 
 
 For may it not as well be said, that 
 man doth consist of three persons, 
 
 D
 
 18 OF THE TRINITY. 
 
 because Paul prayed the soul, body 
 and spirit might be kept blameless ? 
 How can God, who is one in himself, 
 be divided into three persons? 
 
 If the Creator was one eternal being, 
 distinct from all other beings, is it not 
 necessary that he should so continue 
 in his own divine centre? Infinity 
 hath power to change its glory into 
 flesh, but not to create other deities 
 out of himself; because that would be 
 against his glory. 
 
 And the most wise creator can 
 make nothing against his glory, but 
 for his glory only. 
 
 For if he should make out of him- 
 self other two gods, as Son and Holy 
 Ghost, and they both being distinct 
 from him, they would on necessity 
 require sovereignty ; for God can be 
 no God without sovereignty. 
 
 Where would his Prerogative be ? 
 There can be but one prerogative, for
 
 OF THE TRINITY. 19 
 
 if there be three, the kingdom is di- 
 vided and cannot stand, Mark iii. 24. 
 
 But this kingdom of one God will 
 stand : because there is but ONE SOLE 
 KING, and he hath said, He will not 
 give his glory to another ; yet all 
 glory was given unto Christ, because 
 he was the sole God : Men and 
 angels, principalities and powers, yea 
 all things in Heaven and Earth did, 
 and for ever shall bow to him, and to 
 no other. 
 
 If by the titles Father, Son and 
 Holy Ghost, were not meant one 
 individual, substantial, personal God ; 
 but that instead thereof we were to 
 understand a Son and Holv Ghost 
 
 / 
 
 distinct from the Father; then what 
 kind of God would the Father be? 
 For if he hath invested the Son with 
 all power in Heaven above, and in the 
 Earth beneath, and hath made the 
 Holy Ghost co-operator with the Son, 
 in order to the sanctification and 
 government of the church, the Son
 
 20 OF THE TRINITY. 
 
 being made head of it, and of all things 
 else ; I say, what kind of God do you 
 make of the Father? 
 
 Do you make any God of him at 
 all? Do you not make him useless, 
 seeing he hath nothing to do, nothing 
 to govern. Surely you think, that 
 one of your Gods grew weary with 
 governing, as Pharaoh king of Egypt 
 did, who made Joseph sole governor 
 of his kingdom, and he himself did 
 nothing : Or else you think, that he 
 is old, and willing to be at rest ; and 
 therefore having made a son out of 
 himself, and an Holy Ghost, that he 
 hath begot out of his son and himself, 
 doth therefore dispose of the govern- 
 ment to them wholly and absolutely. 
 
 If there be a Son and Holy Ghost 
 distinct from a Father, they can be no 
 more than creatures, because they 
 receive their being and perfection from 
 the Creator and not from themselves. 
 
 How can there be any affinity, or
 
 OF THE TRINITY. 21 
 
 essential Oneness, betwixt a spirit with- 
 out a body, and a spirit with a body? 
 Can the Son, that is a corporeal 
 person, and hath a body, be said to be 
 in the Father, if the Father hath no 
 body, shape, or form ? 
 
 If the Holy Ghost is a person pro- 
 ceeding from the Father and the Son, 
 how can he be co-equal and co-eternal 
 with the Father and the Son ? Can 
 that which receives its being from 
 another, be equal with that which hath 
 
 its being of itself? 
 
 
 
 Can time be equal with eternity? 
 If the Holy Ghost proceeded from a 
 Father and a Son, then is he but a God 
 of Time, and not a God of Eternity ; 
 and such a God may end in time. 
 
 Again, if the Son was from eternity, 
 how could he be begotten ? and if the 
 Holy Ghost was from eternity, how 
 could he proceed, arid take his original 
 from Father and Son, if the three 
 persons were each of them eternal.
 
 22 OF THE TRINITY. 
 
 that is, without all beginning ; then 
 they could not give being one to 
 another. 
 
 If the Son was begotten by the 
 Father from all Eternity, and begotten 
 again, when he was incarnate of the 
 Virgin Mary, in a body of flesh, then 
 it seems he was a double Son, and 
 Twice begotton, or Twice made by the 
 Father, and yet this Son must be said 
 to be Equal with the Father, though 
 it is nevertheless confessed he was 
 made Lower then the Angels. 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 From hence it is, that those who 
 hold this Doctrine, worship a DIVIDED 
 GOD, or THREE DISTINCT GODS : and 
 therefore do they make their Prayers 
 in Distinct Forms, and pray to one of 
 their Gods after one Manner, and ano- 
 ther after another Manner: making in 
 
 ^j 
 
 reality three Gods, as distinct from 
 one another as three men, John, James 
 and Peter ; but this divided God, or 
 God with three heads is a monstrous 
 god, no where to be found but in
 
 OF THE TRINITY. 23 
 
 their own idle dreams, and is not the 
 true God ; for there is no such double 
 begetting, nor proceeding as they im- 
 agine, for though God is in a sense 
 said to be one in three, and three in 
 one, yet is he not in three persons, he 
 is only one God with three titles ; We 
 worship a God in one person with three 
 titles, Father, Son and Spirit ; but it is 
 a self-begotten God, and not a God 
 begotten by another. 
 
 Oh, the darkness that lies upon 
 some of the learned ! Did they heed 
 the Scriptures, they would see that 
 the Son was but once begotten or 
 made ; and that was God's begetting 
 himself into a Son, according as it is 
 written, God became flesh, it is not 
 said, that God sent a Son to become 
 flesh, that was begot by him before. 
 
 But the meaning of those words are 
 no other, than that God sent forth 
 Himself to be made of a woman, to re- 
 deem us from the curse of the law,
 
 24 OF THE TRINITY. 
 
 according as it is written, I lay down 
 my life of myself. 
 
 Now where Christ saith, that of him- 
 self he can do nothing ; and that lie 
 bears not witness of himself; and that 
 he came not of himself, and the like ; 
 that self he speaks of is but his human 
 nature, and that makes him but man ; 
 that is as much: as to say, not of my- 
 self in my mortal, weak nature. 
 
 It is said, that he gave himself for 
 us, is it not wrong then to say, that 
 Godisent forth any Son but himself? 
 Again it is said, I have sworn by my- 
 self, that unto me every knee shall 
 * ./ 
 
 bow. Now who was this that sware 
 so by himself? Paul saith it was 
 Christ, and he sware by himself, be- 
 cause there was none greater than 
 himself. Heb. vi. 13. 
 
 For Christ's nature, which is divine, 
 is that self which can do all things ; 
 and which is equal with himself now
 
 OF THE TRINITY. 25 
 
 since his Incarnation with what he was 
 before ; and is the very Father, and 
 hath power to do all things, having 
 glorified himself in his new body of 
 flesh, which was conceived of the 
 Virgin by his almighty power, that 
 could live and die, and live again, and 
 now he lives for evermore ; being one 
 personal majesty, distinct from Hea- 
 vens, Earth, Angels, Men, and all 
 things for everlasting. 
 
 Now where was there a Father but 
 in that Son? Where was there a 
 Son but in that Father ? One God 
 and Father in one person alone, the 
 glorious body, wherewith the divine 
 Godhead (which is the everlasting 
 Father) is cloathed, in his dearly 
 beloved Son, in whom his spirit eter- 
 nally delighted. 
 
 And this is the faith of the holy 
 seed, and which was long since taught, 
 and believed ; viz. : 
 
 That God was in the form of a 
 
 E
 
 26 OF THE TRINITY. 
 
 Man, that Christ Jesus was that God, 
 his GODHEAD is the Everlasting 
 FATHER, his now glorified BODY the 
 SON, and his powerful SPIRIT the 
 HOLY GHOST. 
 
 Thus then you have what is to be 
 understood by One in Three, or Three 
 in One ; which is no more than that 
 these denominations, Father, Son 
 and Spirit are three Titles, according 
 to the different appearances of the 
 One God.
 
 JESUS CHRIST IS GOD. 27 
 
 CHAP IV. 
 
 That the Man, Jesus Christ is this only 
 
 * 
 
 One and True God, we shall further 
 prove by the following strong and 
 unanswerable arguments. 
 
 Argument the first. 
 
 Prop, i.nnhere is but one God, which 
 JL was a substantial, sensible 
 life and light in form from all 
 eternity. 
 
 Prop. n. Christ Jesus was a substan- 
 tial, sensible light and life in form 
 from all eternity. 
 
 Concl. Therefore Christ Jesus is the 
 only true God. 
 
 The first proposition, viz. That there 
 is but one God, and he was in form
 
 28 JESUS CHRIST IS THE. 
 
 from all eternity, is already proved. 
 The Second is clear from Scripture, as 
 in Isaiah Ixiii. 16. Lord! Thou 
 art our Father, and Redeemer, thy name 
 is everlasting. See also Psalm xciii. 2. 
 Here the Prophet expressly makes 
 God the Father and the Redeemer to 
 be the same, 
 
 David in the 45th Psalm 6, alluding 
 to Christ, says, His throne was for 
 ever and ever. And to this the 
 Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews 
 refers in Heb. i. 8, with this compare 
 Rev. iii. 21. 
 
 Moreover in Tim. i, 17. and vi. 15. 
 Paul salutes Jesus Christ by the 
 titles of King eternal, immortal, and 
 only wise God, 
 
 Christ himself, in John 8. 58. saith, 
 before Abraham was, I am. And in 
 John xvii. 5. In his prayer to his Divin- 
 ity, he tells us of a Glory, which he had 
 before all worlds.
 
 ONLY ONE AND TRUE GOD. 29 
 
 So that we see Christ was God from 
 Eternity ; and there can be but one 
 God from Eternity. 
 
 The second Argument. 
 
 Prop. i. He that is Creator' of the 
 World, and all things therein, must 
 be God. 
 
 Prop. ii. Christ is the Creator of the 
 World, and all things therein. 
 
 Concl. Therefore Christ is God, 
 
 The First needs no proof, nobody 
 denying it. The second is thus prov- 
 ed : In the 43rd. of Isaiah you will 
 find these words, Thus saith the Lord 
 who created thee, Jacob, and re- 
 deemed thee, Israel ; fear not, for 
 I have redeemed thee. So also, chap, 
 xliv. 24. Thus saith the Lord thy Re- 
 deemer, and he that formed thee from 
 the womb, I am the Lord that maketh 
 all things by myself.
 
 30 JESUS CHRIST IS THE 
 
 But a most invincible and clear 
 proof, taking off all possibility of ob- 
 jection, is in the begining of St. John's 
 Gospel, where he expressly says, that 
 Christ was the WORD, and by this word 
 all Things were made that were made; 
 and this word was made/esA, and came 
 down, and dwelt among us, &c. John i. 
 
 The third argument. 
 
 Prop. 1. He that hath all power in 
 Heaven and Earth is God. 
 
 Prop. 2. Christ hath all power in 
 Heaven and Earth. 
 
 Concl. Therefore Christ is God. 
 
 The first Proposition is universal, 
 and objected against by nobody. The 
 second hath been abundantly proved 
 already ; and it would be an unneces- 
 sary repetition to do it here. The con- 
 sequence is natural.
 
 ONLY ONE AND TRUE GOD. 31 
 
 The fourth argument. 
 
 Prop. i. He that was the Lord God of 
 the holy Prophets and Apostles, 
 was the true God. 
 
 Prop. n. Christ Jesus was the Lord 
 God of the holy Prophets and 
 Apostles. 
 
 Concl. Therefore Christ Jesus is the 
 true God. 
 
 Both these, fii*st and second propo- 
 sitions, are universal, and will admit of 
 no objections; nor is there any objec- 
 tion possible to be made, without de- 
 stroying the authority of the whole 
 Scripture, and the whole Christian 
 system : Therefore no stronger proof 
 can be required. 
 
 The fifth Argument. 
 
 Prop. i. Divine Worship is due to 
 none but the true God.
 
 32 JESUS CHRIST IS THE 
 
 Prop. ii. Divine Worship is due to 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Concl. Therefore Jesus Christ is the 
 true God. 
 
 The first proposition is clear from 
 the whole tenour of the Old Testament, 
 but more expressly in the Ten Words 
 of the law. Thou shalt have NONE 
 other Gods but me. Thou shalt not 
 bow down to them, nor worship them, 
 See Exodus xx, Mat. iv. 10. and Luke 
 iv. 8. Thou shalt worship the Lord,thy 
 God and him ONLY shalt thou serve. In 
 Isaiah xlii. 8, God saith, He will not 
 give his glory to another. So also in 
 Deut. xi. 13. and 1 Sam. vii. 3. that 
 God ONLY was to be worshiped with 
 all the soul and all the heart. 
 
 The second proposition is clear from 
 the whole tenour of the New Testa- 
 ment, viz. That all glory by men and 
 Angels was given to Jesus Christ. See 
 Paul's words, Phil. ii. 10. At the name
 
 ONLY ONE AND TRUE GOD. 33 
 
 of Jesus every knee shall bow. See 
 the same doctrine also in Rom. xiv. 9. 
 
 10. Paul also in Acts xxiv. 14. tells the 
 Jews, that in the way which they called 
 Heresy so WORSHIPED he the God of his 
 Fathers; which was the God of Abra- 
 ham, Isaac and Jacob ; for these were 
 Paul's fathers, and Jesus was the God 
 whom he worshiped, and which every 
 thing in heaven and earth did like- 
 wise. See Heb. i. 6. See more in Eph. 
 v. 14. Phil. ii. 10. Rev. iv. 10. and 7. 
 
 11. and 14. 3. 4. 
 
 The sixth argument. 
 
 Prop. 1, He that can pardon, and take 
 away Sin by his own power, is the 
 true God. 
 
 Prop. IT. Christ Jesus hath the Power 
 in himself to pardon, and take away 
 Sin. 
 
 NOTE, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 
 2 Cor. v. 19.
 
 34 JESUS CHRIST IS THE 
 
 Concl. Therefore Christ Jesus is the 
 true God. 
 
 The first proposition is universally 
 acknowledged, and needs no proof, 
 And the second is disputed by none 
 who call themselves Christians ; for it 
 was for this reason Christ came into 
 the world, to seek and to save those 
 ivhich were lost; and indeed, the whole 
 Christian doctrine of man's Salvation 
 depends on it. 
 
 In Mat. i. 21. it is written, And she 
 shall bring forth a Son, and they shall 
 call his name Jesus ; and he shall save 
 his people from their sins. And in 
 Mat.ix, 2. to the man sick of the Palsy 
 he said, Go thy way, thy sins are for- 
 given. And when the Jews murmur- 
 ed, saying, who is this that forgiveth 
 sins? Christ expressly said it was done 
 on purpose to let them see, that He, 
 the Son of Man had power on Earth 
 to forgive sins. 
 
 And it was Jesus Christ, who was
 
 ONLY ONE AND TRUE GOD. 35 
 
 the Lamb of God, who took away the 
 sins of the world, 
 
 \ 
 
 Now, how God gave himself for us, 
 and how he begat himself into Flesh, 
 is already proved at large, and to pre- 
 vent needless repetition see pages 18, 
 19, 20, aforegoing. 
 
 We might here bring many more 
 arguments to prove Christ to be the Only 
 true God; such as these which follow. 
 
 That He is the Only giver of all 
 true saving Faith and Grace. 
 
 That He is the Only giver of Eter- 
 nal Life. 
 
 That He knows men's hearts, and 
 did know their secret thoughts while 
 he was on earth. 
 
 That all the Miracles which he per- 
 formed, of healing the diseased, rais- 
 ing the dead, and the like, he did them 
 all by his own power, and in his own
 
 36 JESUS CHRIST IS GOD. 
 
 name. And that the Apostles did the 
 same in his name only ; but these are 
 such well known and indisputable 
 things, and have already been said un- 
 der other heads in this treatise, that 
 there is no occasion for more argu- 
 ments, to prove that Jems Christ is the 
 Only One and True God, 
 
 NOTB. Acts ii. 36, Therefore let all the house of Israel kno\r 
 assuredly, that God hath made that same Jsus whom ye hare 
 crucified, both Lord and Christ,
 
 THE 
 
 ORIGINAL 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DEVIL 
 
 AND 
 
 That He is no where to be found but 
 in Man. 
 
 The Wicked one, in our text, who 
 sowed the tares, was the serpent 
 who was cast out of Heaven, as it is 
 written in Rev. xii. 12. Woe unto 
 the inhabitants of the earth ; for the 
 devil is come down amongst you; 
 and this was that serpent which 
 tempted Eve.
 
 38 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 This serpent angel overpowering 
 Eve by his subtilty, caused her to 
 consent unto him (she being left to 
 her own strength) upon whose conde- 
 scension he entered her womb ; for 
 that he was a body, though a spiritual 
 one, and therefore capable so to do, 
 though he was not a gross substance. 
 
 Wherefore as soon as he had entered 
 her womb, he became united to her 
 soul and body ; his serpentine nature 
 dissolved itself in her, and defiled her 
 throughout,corrupting her pure nature 
 whereby when she conceived natu- 
 rally, it was a Serpent-Dragon-Devil 
 in a Man-child : this was her first be- 
 gotten Son, and was called Cain, 
 
 From hence it is, that Cain became 
 the Father of all Reprobates ; and that 
 the scripture fathereth all wickedness 
 upon him, as Christ himself said to the 
 Scribes who resisted him, Ye are of 
 your Father the Devil, who was a liar 
 and a murderer from the begining. It 
 is also written, Not as Cain, who was
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 39 
 
 of the wicked one, and slew his brother, 
 &c. For he was of that wicked one, 
 or rather, he was the wicked one himself, 
 the Serpent-Angel by transmutation 
 became seed, and thus transferred, and 
 transmuted himself into Flesh, 
 
 Thus was the race of Mankind cor- 
 rupted, and this corruption was brought 
 more into conjunction, when the Sons 
 of God (that is to say, the sons of Seth) 
 took wives of the daughters of men 
 (that is to say of the daughters of Cain.) 
 
 Thus then the seed of the Devil is 
 in man, growing up in his wicked na- 
 ture and where then shall we look for 
 the true Devil, but in man? 
 
 And now, you seed of the wicked 
 one, be not angry with me for showing 
 you the Devil ; for the sight of him 
 will not make you afraid. 
 
 The Devil is not a spirit in the air, 
 but a lying, lustful spirit in the heart, 
 he comes not flying into a man's mouth
 
 40 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 as a bird into a nest ; it is the concep- 
 tion of Sin is the entrance of Satan. 
 See, and compare Pslam xviii. Acts, 
 v. 4. James i. 12. 14. 15. 
 
 The Devil springs out of his own 
 seed, which is in Man's heart, as the 
 thorn and thistle, out of their corrupt- 
 ed mother, the earth. 
 
 This is taught by Christ, Mark iv* 
 19. The word of Faith is seemingly 
 scattered into corrupted Man's nature, 
 which is called thorny ground; but in 
 come several Devils, and repulse it. 
 (Remark now.) What are these De- 
 vils? and from whence do they come ? 
 These Devils are cares of the world, 
 Riches, Deceit and Lusts, which produce 
 Ambition, Adultery, Murder, &c. 
 
 These are the Devils which enter 
 into a man, and defile him? they do 
 not come from without : It is that 
 which is within man, being of his na- 
 tural constitution, as the Scriptures 
 do abundantly declare.
 
 41 
 
 Which was by the Serpent- Angel ge- 
 nerating himself into FLESH, and it is 
 THIS Flesh, which is the Poison and 
 Venom, and Dragon-devil, which 
 streamed through the loins of Cain, 
 and his offspring, and by conjunction 
 (as beforesaid) This became Poison 
 in the bodies of men and women, in 
 all the sons and daughters of Adam* 
 
 It is this fallen Angel's nature in 
 man, which is the Original of all sin 
 and evil. 
 
 Pride, Envy, and Lust are the fallen 
 Angel's nature in man, when this fal- 
 len Angel's nature moves, (that is, 
 when Lust moves) and the motion is 
 nursed by the heart, and puts forth to 
 act, then is sin produced, and the fallen 
 Angel's nature is predominant. There- 
 fore is man said to be tempted by the 
 Devil, when he is enticed and drawn 
 aside by his OWN Lust, which is the 
 Devil's nature within him. 
 
 For whosoever serves Lust serves 
 the Devil ; and when a man is given 
 
 G
 
 42 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 up to his own lusts, he is given up to 
 the Devil ; for God gives no one up to 
 any other Devil. 
 
 Wherefore Peter speaking of the 
 most wicked people that should be in 
 the latter ages, he gives them the Epi- 
 thet of walking after their own Lusts. 2 
 Pet. ii. 18, & 3. 3. 
 
 It is said, God gave the murmuring 
 Israelites up to their (own) Hearts 
 Lusts ; it is not said, that God gave 
 them up to Lust, but their (own) 
 Hearts Lust, to show that sin or evil 
 is from man's own nature, and so Paul 
 preaches. 
 
 The original of false worship springs 
 from man's own Lusts. 2 Tim. iv. 3. 
 Compare Mark iv. 19. John viii. 44. 
 
 This Lust is a grand Devil, or the 
 Father of all evil ; for Peter saith, the 
 corruption of the world came in by it : 
 Therefore when it is said, that man is 
 tempted to evil, you may know it is
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 43 
 
 meant of his being delivered to himself, 
 
 for everv man of himself is a Devil. 
 
 ./ 
 
 Therefore watch for the devil within, 
 and look not for him without ; examine 
 your hearts, and see if Pride, Lust, 
 and other such like spirits be not in 
 you ; if they be, down with them with 
 all speed, or they will down with you, 
 and then would you be tormented with 
 them for ever. 
 
 For know, that every reigning sin is 
 a raging spirit ; therefore so many sorts 
 or kinds of sin, so many sorts of foul 
 spirits are there ; every evil motion and 
 action makes a wicked spirit. 
 
 There is the spirit of jealousy; the 
 spirit of treachery, the spirit of whore- 
 dom, the spirit of giddiness, the spirit 
 of sorcery, the spirit of fear, the spirit 
 of the world. Acts xvi. 16. Rom. viii, 
 15. 2 Tim. i. 7. 1 Cor. ii. 12. 
 
 Now all these spirits are but man's 
 own spirit, Ezek. xiii. 3. and this spirit
 
 44 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 is the spirit of the Devil ; and when 
 several of these are together in man, 
 then is that man called a cage of unclean 
 birds, an hold of foul spirits, and an ha- 
 hitation of devils. 
 
 For this is clear, that if man con- 
 ceives sin from his own nature, and is 
 enticed from his own lusts which are 
 natural to his constitution, then is his 
 own lust the DEVIL who tempts him 
 to evil. 
 
 Thus you see that lust is an evil 
 spirit, and a devil which is to be re- 
 sisted, and all other actions of corrupt 
 nature are evil spirits, and must be 
 fought withal, and mortified^by spirits 
 of a contrary nature ; which are as 
 follows. 
 
 The *spirit of Wisdom, Judgment, 
 and Knowledge. 
 
 * Ueut, xixiv. 9. Eph. i, 17. Isa. xxviii. 5. 1 Peter iv. 14 
 Psalm ix, 4.
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 45 
 
 The *spirit of praise, the spirit of 
 comfort, the spirit of joy, the spirit of 
 humility. 
 
 The spirit of love, charity, and Ho- 
 liness, the spirit of truth, or true faith. 
 
 This truth, or true faith is the glory 
 of all, because it compriseth all virtue, 
 and so it hath the single name of the 
 good spirit of God ; as lust compri- 
 seth all vice, and from its original 
 seed and operating nature, bears the 
 name of wicked one, devil, or evil 
 spirit. 
 
 Thus you see how the spirit of truth, 
 and the spirit of lust do branch forth 
 themselves, and what their weapons 
 are on each side. Also you may see 
 what soldiers are raised out of these 
 two men or two natures, who are in 
 arms against each other till one is 
 subdued ; therefore, if you will live 
 in peace, gain to yourselves these 
 
 * Is Ixi, 1, 2, 3, & 66 2. Mat. v. 3. 1 Cor. iv. 21, Gal. vi. 1. 
 1 Pet. 3, 4,
 
 46 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 good spirits, and you will easily over- 
 come all your domestic enemies. 
 
 For hope not to have pardon by 
 lessening of sin and saying, " I am 
 sorry for what I have done, and that it 
 was not myself, but the temptation of 
 the devil, who crept into my will and 
 understanding and seduced me." 
 
 For it is evident, there is no other 
 Satan, but man's own lust and pride ; 
 nor any invisible Devil or formless 
 spirit that can suggest an evil notion, 
 but man's own spirit. 
 
 It was not an invisible devil or 
 Satan distinct from David, Peter and 
 Judas, which caused them to sin ; nor 
 was it God that either did, or could 
 tempt them to sin. 
 
 It was Peter himself, in his proper 
 person, that was called Satan, when 
 his pride had got to that head, to 
 persuade Christ from suffering death.
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 47 
 
 And David might as well have 
 been called Satan, for numbering the 
 people ; for it was his own seed of the 
 angel's fallen nature, which was the 
 satan that stood up in his heart, and 
 tempted him. It was this spirit of 
 pride which looked on its own 
 strength, thinking that victory was to 
 be got by numbers, not remembering 
 that God had promised that he would 
 fight for them, and one man should 
 chase a thousand. 
 
 But after this was done David's 
 heart smote him. Observe well it was 
 his heart smote him ; by that which 
 he sinned by that was he punished ; 
 he doth not charge any Satan or evil 
 spirit with the sin that he had done ; 
 no spirit without him, or distinct from 
 him, but he ehargeth his own soul 
 with the evil. 
 
 And notwithstanding the Scripture 
 saith, that on Judas's taking the sop, 
 the devil entered into him. It is plain, 
 it was not an evil spirit distinct from
 
 48 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION* 
 
 Ins own spitit which entered into him, 
 for three reasons : First, Christ called 
 him [the man Judas] a devil. 
 Secondly, Judas himself charged his 
 own sin wholly on himself, and did 
 not excuse himself by saying, An 
 invisible devil without him, seduced 
 him to it. Thirdly, He had no partner 
 to share his punishment, or bear part 
 of his sorrow. 
 
 The Devil that entered into him at 
 the receiving the sop, was a motion of 
 covetousness, treachery, and a reso- 
 lution to betray his Lord and Master. 
 
 This was the Satan that entered 
 into Judas, for the conception of sin 
 is the entrance of Satan. 
 
 And why may not the Devil which 
 tempted Christ be a man ? A Scribe, 
 or Lawyer of great subtilty, and the 
 end of his temptation was, that he and 
 the rest of the rulers of the Jews, might 
 be Lords of the earth.
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 49 
 
 For if Christ would have submitted 
 to become a temporal king, the Rulers 
 would have gloried in it ; for they saw 
 his power was so great, that if they 
 could have prevailed with him to have 
 submitted (which they called worship- 
 ing) they knew they should have been 
 able to conquer the whole world. 
 
 And who need to doubt this after 
 they see that Christ told this devil 
 tempter; It is written, thou shall 
 WORSHIP the Lord thy God and Mm 
 only shalt thou serve.* 
 
 Now where is it written, that invi- 
 sible bodiless Devils should WORSHIP 
 God ? but in Deut. iv, you will find 
 that to the PEOPLE of Israel it was said, 
 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 
 and him only shalt thou serve. 
 
 Certain it is, that there ever was a 
 diabolical Power reigning in the world 
 from the days of Cain ; but this dia- 
 bolical Power was never acted forth 
 
 See Mat. iv. 10. & Luke. iv. 8. 
 H
 
 50 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 against God, or his saints, by any in- 
 visible spirit, or devil, but by MAN- 
 devil only. 
 
 All the evil in the world proceeds 
 from this diabolical power, derived to 
 man from Cain, by the SEED of the fal- 
 len angel. What devils were those 
 that afflicted the Israelites in Moses's 
 time, and persecuted the Christians in 
 the primitive time, were they not men 
 devils ? Was not Pharaoh a man? 
 Senacherib a man? Herod a man, 
 though John calls him a red dragon ? 
 And were not the Scribes and Phari- 
 sees men; though Christ calls them 
 Serpents? Judas a man, though called 
 a devil ? And was not Nero a man, 
 though Paul calls him a Lion ? These 
 were not invisible spirit-devils. 
 
 What was it that put Pharaoh in 
 action? Was it not his own spirit? 
 As is clear from these words, I have 
 stirred thee up, saith God, (thee up) 
 not another to tempt thee, but thee 
 only, thy own Spirit; and to that end, 
 have I hardened thy heart.
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 51 
 
 Which is as much as to say, " I have 
 with-held good motions from it, and 
 have left him to take counsel of his 
 own wicked heart where the seed of re- 
 bellion is present ; and from hence it 
 was, that Pharaoh resisted God, say- 
 ing, What is the Lord, that I should 
 obey his voice? 
 
 This was a proud devil in Pharaohs 
 heart, which made him resist all the 
 miracles which Moses wrought; 
 whereas Darius was converted by one 
 miracle, and acknowledged Daniel's 
 God. 
 
 Observe, it is no where said, a devil 
 was commanded to enter into him, 
 but his own heart was hardened : The 
 evil is not produced from without 
 them, but from within, being engen- 
 dered from the seed of whence they 
 come, and the Evil is hid in them, as 
 fire is in a flint, and brought to life by 
 striking upon it. 
 
 But God hath power over man's 
 heart, and when man hath displeased
 
 52 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 him, and he would give him plagues 
 in thisjife, he can stir him up enemies, 
 as he did to Solomon, not invisible, 
 formless spirits, but men adversaries. 
 
 Neither can there be worse devils 
 than wicked men. Are not the haters 
 of God and his workmanship men- 
 devils ? Are not murderers of man- 
 kind great devils ? The cruel barba- 
 rous tormentors and murderers of the 
 Saints are greater devils, but the 
 greatest dragon-devils of all were the 
 murderers of Christ the Eternal God, 
 yet these devils were men devils. 
 
 The Saints in all ages prayed 
 against no other devils but wicked 
 men without them, and their own 
 corrupt hearts within them. 
 
 Therefore let not a wicked man 
 flatter himself; for of himself he is a 
 devil, and without Grace a damned 
 devil too. 
 
 A wicked man's own soul runs mad
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 53 
 
 to Sin ; there needs no other devil to 
 compel him to evil. 
 
 The worst of men are forced to 
 acknowledge that their sin is of them- 
 selves ; I have sinned, says Judas, in 
 betraying innocent blood, Mat. xxvii. 
 4. I have sinned, says Pharaoh. There 
 was no laying their sins at the doors 
 of any other devils. 
 
 This made David cry out against 
 himself, and water his couch with his 
 tears, so did Peter likewise. 
 
 Paul also, exclaimed against him- 
 self for his evil actions in persecuting 
 the saints, saying, O ! wretched man 
 that I am, &c. 1 am the chief of sin- 
 ners. I was mad against the saints. 
 
 Thus we see that saints and repro- 
 bates do both of them acknowledge, 
 that sin issues from themselves. 
 
 God doth not (as appears by Scrip- 
 ture) charge man's sin upon any other 
 creature or devil. Every man must 
 suffer for his own sin.
 
 54 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 
 
 For, O ! man, I tell thee thy sins 
 are begot by thine own invention, 
 hatched in thine own heart, and acted 
 by thine own will ; so that thou 
 weavest the web of thine own woe, 
 and spinnest the thread of thine own 
 thraldom. 
 
 Therefore shun naughtiness, and 
 kill the devil by good works ; learn 
 to know the Angels and Spirits of 
 the Lord, which we have before 
 showed you, from the Angels and 
 Spirits of Satan ; for if you cleave to 
 wicked spirits, you shall be tormented 
 of the spirits whom you serve ; but 
 if you acquaint yourselves with the 
 angels and spirits of love, peace, hu- 
 mility, and truth, you shall have 
 comfort. 
 
 As the Apostle James saith, God 
 giveth grace unto the humble ; submit 
 yourselves therefore unto God ! Re- 
 sist the Devil and he will fly from 
 you ; that is to say, there is grace and 
 favour held forth unto you, if you can 
 but condemn yourselves for your sin.
 
 OF THE DEVIL'S INCARNATION. 55 
 
 If you can but humble yourselves 
 for your iniquities, and receive the 
 grace of faith and love which is 
 preached unto you, whereby you may 
 gain power to resist the Devil, which 
 is lust, pride, and envy, and then God 
 will not reject you ; for he resisteth 
 the proud and envious Devil ; but He 
 giveth grace to the humble and peni- 
 tent soul, that warreth against lust, 
 pride and envy, by beating down 
 those motions when they ^arise in the 
 heart. 
 
 So that when any evil motion is 
 conceived in your heart, then mind 
 the grace which is given you, which 
 will be stirred up by meditations on 
 it, and the good motions arising from 
 this Grace will be a power sufficient 
 to expel the evil before it become a 
 stinging serpent ; and then have you 
 not only resisted the devil, but he will 
 fly from you, as a mist doth from the 
 sun, as not being able to bear its heat 
 and light.
 
 OF THE 
 
 . SOUL 
 
 When God made Adam, he formed 
 his body of dust, then breathed 
 upon it, and immediately it became 
 a living soul. 
 
 Adam's soul was never sensible of 
 its existence, nor was it complete but 
 in a body : it was the breath of the 
 immortal God, and the dust of the 
 earth which became one essence, that 
 is, a living soul, which was the man 
 Adam. 
 
 We are nowhere told in Scripture, 
 that the Creator made souls without 
 bodies neither in Heaven or earth, 
 the soul and body was always an
 
 OF THE SOUL. 57 
 
 individualessence, One distinct living 
 creature. 
 
 The soul is the author and cause of 
 every action ; it is that which acts 
 and lives, thinks and perceives : All 
 our motions of walking, talking, eating 
 drinking, sleeping and waking, are 
 from the soul as the first mover; 
 for it is in every part of the body of a 
 sound person : So that a man cannot 
 be pricked by a pin, but the soul 
 feels it. 
 
 No action is done by the body with- 
 out the soul, except by some external, 
 superior force ; as a virgin may be ra- 
 vished by violence, and her body de- 
 filed, but this is none of her actions, 
 because her soul consented not ; there- 
 fore it is not her sin. 
 
 What the soul wills the body per- 
 forms, and what the body acts the 
 soul wills. 
 
 Therefore it is the soul which sins, 
 
 i
 
 58 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 because the body cannot sin without 
 the soul, neither can the soul sin with- 
 out the body; 
 
 For a man can say no ill thing, nor 
 do any ill action without a tongue to 
 speak, and the members of the body 
 to act. Hence arises these two conclu- 
 sions. 
 
 1st. The soul cannot sin without 
 the body. 
 
 2nd. The body cannot sin, nor live 
 without the soul. 
 
 Neither can a good man show his 
 goodness without a body. How can 
 it be said such an one is a wise, a just 
 or an holy man, if there were not some 
 action seen of his Wisdom, Justice, 
 arid Holiness ? And can such an act 
 be done without a body? Or can the 
 body be wise, just, and good without 
 the soul ? 
 
 If the soul and body were not always
 
 OF THE SOUL. 59 
 
 one individual essence, but that the 
 soul was infused in the mother's womb, 
 then how could the soul be capable of 
 sin, seeing it came immediately from 
 Heaven ? if you say evil comes by 
 imitation, try it, lock up a child from 
 evil company, and see if the corrupt 
 seed of its own evil lust and appetites 
 will not bud forth and produce evil. 
 
 A learned Rabbi of the Jews being 
 asked when sin entered into man? 
 answered, at the time of formation ; 
 therein agreeing with David, who said, 
 in sin had his Mother conceived him. 
 
 If men did but understand the scrip- 
 tures, and had faith to believe them, 
 they would find that the body and 
 soul of man is but one essence, both liv- 
 ing and dying, and proceeds accor- 
 ding to the course of nature by gen- 
 eration, and by virtue of the word of 
 the Lord to Adam and Eve ; be fruit- 
 ful, and multiply, and replenish the 
 earth. Now if they had generated 
 only bodies, and not souls, how could
 
 60 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 the earth have been replenished with 
 men and women? 
 
 If they generated, and brought forth 
 nothing that had life and breath in it, 
 it could not be mankind, but stupid, 
 senseless matter in the images only of 
 men and women, unless it had a power 
 and virtue to quicken into life. 
 
 If as some learned men say, God 
 infuses the soul, then it will be neces- 
 sary to ask them some questions ; as, 
 whether it is by breathing into this 
 babe (if a mass of flesh may be called 
 so) as he did into Adam's body of 
 dust ? Or is one made on purpose for 
 this body at that time? Or is it one 
 that hath been formerly made, and 
 pre-existed, which God now sends 
 down to enliven and animate this body? 
 
 Further, it might be requisite for 
 them to tell us, whether it is a good 
 soul or a bad ? If it come from Hea- 
 ven, and be goody or breathed in as 
 Adam's was, how comes it to sin ? If
 
 OF THE SOUL. 61 
 
 they say by Adam's fall, that cannot 
 be. 
 
 If Adam did not generate the soul 
 as well as the body, then is there not 
 one soul related to Adam ; for they 
 came from Heaven as well as Adam ; 
 and if they had not of Adam's spirit, 
 then they could not fall in Adam. 
 
 But whether these souls are made 
 already, or whether they be then made 
 on purpose, the notions are equally 
 absurtj ; for this makes God's work not 
 to be finished the sixth day, and that 
 he now enjoys his rest, as the scrip- 
 tures say ; but God at this rate must 
 attend at the begetting every child ; 
 nay, he must assist every lascivious 
 person in his unlawful lusts ; and after 
 the manner these wretches talk, a bas- 
 tard cannot be begotten without he 
 joins issue. Is not this to make the 
 Holy God, who is of purer eyes than 
 to behold iniquity, co-partner with 
 every wicked man in his worst actions.
 
 62 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 This is the consequence of not 
 attending to what the scriptures teach 
 us ; there we shall find it written, that 
 Abraham took Sarah his wife, and 
 Lot, his brother's son, and the SOULS 
 that he had got in Haran, and went 
 for to go into the land of Canaan. 
 
 Again, it is written, that all the 
 SOULS which came into Egypt, which 
 came out of his LOINS, were in the 
 whole sixty six. Here we see, that 
 SOULS came out of their LOINS as well 
 as bodies. 
 
 But to this some very learnedly 
 reply, that souls here signify no more 
 than persons. Blind reasoning ! 
 Would they have a senseless lump of 
 matter without a soul be a person ? 
 what is a person, but a substance of 
 body and soul together? 
 
 For the body and soul being but 
 one, it must necessarily follow, what 
 is attributed to the one belongs to the 
 other also; therefore where the body
 
 OF THE SOUL. 63 
 
 is mentioned in scripture, except it be 
 expressed a dead body, both body and 
 soul is to be understood as in Judges, 
 viii. 30. it is said, Gideon had seventy 
 sons of his body begotten ; the whole 
 man of body and soul is here meant; 
 for a dead body cannot get a living 
 body or soul : As John saith. 
 
 And this is clear from Mat. xxvii. 
 52. where it is said, that many dead 
 bodies arose out of their Graves. Did 
 therefore their bodies arise without 
 their souls ? 
 
 Thus have we seen, that the soul of 
 man is by traduction, and not by infu- 
 sion ; that both soul and body are be- 
 gotten together, and never did exist 
 asunder, nor can they be separated 
 one from another : No, riot in death; 
 for the soul must die with the body 
 the first death. 
 
 The Apostle prays, that the soul, 
 body and spirit may be kept blameless unto
 
 64 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 the coming of the Lord. Observe here 
 two things. 
 
 That the soul, body, and spirit 
 are in one essence, and one man ; as 
 father, son, and spirit are but one 
 God. 
 
 Secondly, That this one essence of 
 soul, body, and spirit is to remain 
 here on earth until the coming of the 
 Lord : for if the soul could have gone 
 to Heaven without its body, the Apos- 
 tle had no need to have prayed that it 
 might be kept blameless until the 
 Lord's coming. 
 
 Can a soul be faulty after it is im- 
 mortalized in heaven? There was no 
 need of praying for it after the death 
 of the body. 
 
 The Lord, in comforting his Disci- 
 ples at his departure, tells them, After 
 he had prepared thrones for them in 
 heaven, and made all things ready, he
 
 OF THE SOUL. 65 
 
 would come again, and fetch them 
 to him. 
 
 OBSERVE, Christ doth not tell them 
 that their souls should follow him pre- 
 sently, but ordered them to wait for 
 his coming; as if he should have said, 
 " Lie down, and rest till all things 
 " are completed in their proper time." 
 As in the parable which is our text, 
 it is said the tares and wheat must both 
 grow together until they are ripe for the 
 harvest. 
 
 It is said of David, that he SLEPT 
 with his fathers, and was buried in his 
 city ; it is not said he went to heaven; 
 but on the contrary, the Apostle said, 
 that David was not ascended into hea- 
 ven. Christ was ascended, but David 
 remained in the grave. Acts ii. 34. 
 
 David also was himself well ac- 
 quainted with this doctrine, therefore 
 he saith, Psalm civ. 33. He would 
 praise God whilst he had a being ; for 
 
 K
 
 66 OF THE SOUL 
 
 when I go down to the pit shall the 
 dust praise thee? xxx. 9. 
 
 In Psalm Ixxxix. 48. he saith,What 
 man is he that liveth, and shall not 
 see death ? Shall he deliver his soul 
 from the grave ? * 
 
 So king Hezekiah on his recovery 
 saith, I said in the cutting off of my 
 days, I shall go to the gates of the 
 grave ; but the Lord hath spoken to 
 me, and done it ! O Lord, by these 
 things do men live, and in all these 
 things is the life of my SPIRIT, For 
 thou hast in love to my soul delivered 
 it from death ; the grave cannot praise 
 thee; death cannot celebrate thee : 
 They that go down into the pit cannot 
 pray, or hope for thy truth. The 
 living praise thee, as I do this day. 
 All the scriptures are full of the proof 
 of this. 
 
 Every soul that sins shall die. Sin is 
 
 See further Psalm, xlii. 2. & xvii. 15. & vi, 5.
 
 OF THE SOUL. 67 
 
 the author of death. It is this which 
 gives it strength and predominancy. 
 It is obedience to sin which brings 
 obstruction to life ; therefore he, and 
 none but he, who can clear himself 
 from all sin, may free himself from all 
 death. But, who can do this? 
 
 It is said, that Adam was made a 
 living soul] but Christ was made a quick- 
 ning spirit of that soul. Now this 
 quickning, or quickning of the elect, 
 is used in the scripture in a twofold 
 sense ; one more mystical, as when it 
 is meant of the quickning from the 
 death of sin : The other is meant a 
 quickning into life, from the death of 
 nature, as at the resurrection. 
 
 So also by the second death is meant 
 in scripture, the death of sin ; and the 
 future punish ment which sin brings on 
 
 the wicked, is called the second death. 
 
 
 
 These two quicknings are also the 
 two resurrections mentioned in scrip- 
 ture. It is said, blessed is he who hath
 
 68 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 part in the first, of such the second death 
 shall have no power. 
 
 So where the scripture saith, that 
 every sin is not unto death, it is meant of 
 this second death. 
 
 After this manner is to be under- 
 stood that scripture, which saith, he 
 that believeth in me shall never die ; that 
 is, he shall never die the second, or 
 eternal death. It is plain, it hath this 
 mystical meaning from that other 
 place, which saith, he that eateth of the 
 bread of life shall never die. 
 
 Where the word of God hath given 
 assurance of eternal life, that assur- 
 ance is looked on as eternal life itself, 
 because they who believe the word 
 know nothing can prevent it : There- 
 fore compare the texts aforegoing 
 with John, xi, where it is said of 
 Lazarus, that though he were dead, yet 
 should he live ; also that other scripture 
 which speaks of eternal life abiding in 
 them.
 
 OF THE SOUL. 69 
 
 And the scriptures do for two great 
 reasons, in some places, intimate an 
 immediate glory after death. 
 
 The first is, The faithful at their 
 death do by their faith see, and live in 
 eternity ; and thus link time and eter- 
 nity together. 
 
 The second is, There is no time to 
 the dead ; the next thing after death 
 is judgment. 
 
 Therefore, though a soul should lie 
 in the grave five thousand years, yet 
 at the resurrection it would not be 
 conscious of any time it had lain there. 
 
 The scripture-language is not of 
 souls going to Heaven, but when it 
 speaks of men departing this life, it 
 saith, they die, or fall asleep. It is said, 
 that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are 
 dead, and fallen asleep ; that Stephen 
 fell asleep, that others slept with their 
 fathers ; but there is not one word of 
 souls going to Heaven.
 
 70 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 When Lazarus died, it is said he fell 
 asleep ; and that he was dead *. There- 
 fore when Christ came to raise him to 
 life, he looked down into the GRAVE, 
 and with a loud voice said, Lazarus 
 come forth. 
 
 Observe, the Lord called him not 
 from Heaven, but from the GRAVE. 
 
 So likewise, when Christ was risen 
 from the dead, some of the Saints 
 which slept in the grave, arose also, 
 and appeared unto many. 
 
 It is not said, that souls came from 
 Heaven, but that they arose from the 
 GRAVE; which was done by virtue of 
 Christ's resurrection, it having an in- 
 fluence upon them, did cause them to 
 rise as a specimen of his mighty power. 
 
 Paul, reproving the Thessalonians 
 for their immoderate bewailing the 
 death of their friends, tells them, 
 that they must not mourn a$ men
 
 OF THE SOUL. 71 
 
 without hope ; for, saith he, these your 
 friends that sleep in Jesus will God bring 
 with him when he cometh. 
 
 Now the Apostle doth not comfort 
 them by saying, Your friends souls are 
 in Heaven, but he comforts them with 
 the doctrine of the resurrection. 
 
 In 1 Cor. xv. Paul preacheth the 
 Resurrection of Saints to life at the last 
 day, and proves it by the resurrection 
 of Christ from the dead by undeniable 
 evidences; as, by Peter, then of the 
 twelve, by himself with five hundred 
 brethren besides; of whom, saith he, 
 the greater part remain to this present 
 time, but some are fallen asleep. He 
 doth not say they were gone to Hea- 
 ven, or their Souls were in Heaven, 
 but they were fallen asleep. 
 
 And it is certain, that Paul knew 
 very well that they were not in Hea- 
 ven ; for observe diligently his words, 
 verse 12. He there reproveth them 
 which deny the resurrection of the
 
 72 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 dead, saying, And if there be no re- 
 surrection of the dead, then Christ is 
 not risen ; and if Christ be nut risen, 
 then is our preaching vain, and you 
 are yet in your sins ; and those which 
 are fallen asleep in Jesus are perished. 
 
 Is it not^plain, that Paul taught if 
 there was no resurrection their souls 
 were perished as well as their bodies; 
 for if the souls of these saints had been 
 in Heaven, then could not their faith 
 and the Apostles preaching have been 
 in vain ; for what great matter were it, 
 if there bodies did lie and rot in the 
 grave, so that their souls were happy ? 
 
 Therefore doth he go on in the next 
 verse, saying, If in this life only we 
 have hope, we are of all men most 
 miserable. For the saints through 
 their faith in the resurrection of soul 
 and body do deny themselves tempo- 
 ral pleasures, and willingly suffer the 
 reproach of the world ; so that if there 
 should not be a resurrection they are 
 of all men most miserable; and the
 
 OF THE SOUL. 73 
 
 Atheists have the advantage of the 
 saints ; they speak and act boldly as 
 they think, saying, Let us eat, drink, 
 and be merry ; for to morrow we shall 
 die, and there's an end. 
 
 Therefore if the Apostle had spo- 
 ken only of the resurrection of the 
 body, and not of the soul, he needed 
 not to have said, that their Faith, holi- 
 ness, Worship, Baptism and Suffering 
 had been all in vain, and of no effect; 
 but Paul knew well there could be no 
 happiness without a resurrection. 
 
 And this was Daniel's knowledge 
 and faith likewise ; therefore says he 
 chap. xii. Many of them who sleep in 
 the dust of the earth shall awake. 
 Their souls were neither in happiness 
 nor misery, but with their bodies in 
 the dust; and at the resurrection the 
 just shall awake and shine as the stars ; 
 and therefore it was, that he was bid 
 to go his way also into the dust until 
 the end, for till then he should not ap- 
 pear; but at the fulness of time, he 
 L
 
 74 
 
 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 with the rest should arise, and stand 
 in his lot with the just, to receive the 
 reward of Eternal Life. 
 
 Job is a witness of this, though the 
 authority of the book is questioned 
 by some, yet all admit it to be a true 
 history, that there was such a person, 
 and that he was an holy man, and one 
 that feared God, he hath most strong- 
 ly taught this doctrine. 
 
 In Chap, xxi, it is said, The wicked 
 do spend their days in wealth, but 
 they go suddenly down to the grave ; 
 one dies in his full strength, another 
 dies in the bitterness of his soul, and 
 never eats in pleasure as the other 
 did ; but, saith he, they shall both 
 sleep in the dust, and the worms shall 
 cover them. Mind here, he doth not 
 say, their souls shall go into eternal 
 torment, and their bodies to the grave; 
 but they must sleep in the dust. v. 30. 
 The wicked, (saith he) must be kept 
 till the day of destruction ; and they 
 are to be brought forth in the day of
 
 OF THE SOUL. 75 
 
 wrath ; but until then they are to be 
 brought to the grave, and remain in 
 the heap. 
 
 Chap. xiv. he saith, Are not man's 
 days determined? Also there is hope 
 of a tree if it be cut down, and the 
 stock thereof remain in the ground, 
 yet by the ascent of water it may bud 
 and bring forth bows again ; but man 
 is sick, dieth, and perisheth; arid 
 where is he ? Man sleepeth and wak- 
 eth not from his sleep, till the heavens 
 be no more. 
 
 Job prayeth, that God would take 
 away his life, and hide him in the 
 grave until his wrath was passed over/ 
 and then to bring him out again. 
 Here is it not plain, that Job knew 
 nothing of the body's going into the 
 grave by itself, and the soul's going 
 out of it ? This would not have evaded 
 God's wrath. 
 
 Ver. 14. talking interrogatively, If 
 a man die shall he live again ! He an-
 
 76 
 
 swereth affirmatively, that he shall, and 
 that he will wait till his change cometh. 
 The Lord shall call me, and I shall 
 answer him, though now he numbers 
 my steps, and scourges me for my 
 sins. 
 
 His faith was strong in the resurrec- 
 tion, his hope was there, and his love 
 was great to his Redeemer. I know 
 (says he) that my Redeemer liveth, 
 and though I die, and worms destroy 
 my body, yet I shall see him at the 
 LAST DAY. Chap. xix. 
 
 Job doth not expect eternal hap- 
 piness till the last day, nor to see his 
 Redeemer till the end of the world ; 
 but after death the grave must retain 
 him until then. And his trouble 
 makes him wish for death as for hid 
 treasure, because death is insensible 
 of pain, and is to the just as a sweet 
 sleep. 
 
 But the notion of the soul's going 
 immediately to heaven, puts men on
 
 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 other means of flying from the mise- 
 ries of life ; they have no need to 
 wait for God's time, and the manner 
 of dying which he hath appointed ; 
 for they are taught to believe that 
 death doth not kill, it doth only fetch 
 the soul out of the body, as the stroke 
 of a steel upon a flint fetcheth out 
 the fire ; so death at one stroke snat- 
 ches the soul out of the body, and 
 carries it straight to the Elisian Fields 
 to heaven into Abraham's bosom. 
 
 This makes many desperate, and 
 lay violent hands on themselves ; and 
 others, through fiery zeal in wrong 
 principles, run headlong to dungeons, 
 to fire and faggot, and bid defiance 
 to death ; for death doth not kill, say 
 they. 
 
 Ambitious men, who aim at su- 
 preme power, and to be sole lord's of 
 the world, have been the principal 
 promoters of this doctrine ; they 
 preach it themselves to their armies 
 in fine orations, and with rhetorical
 
 78 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 flourishes to make themselves admired 
 as Gods, and life despised, when it is 
 lost in such an hero's cause. They 
 procure, also, men, who excel "in phi- 
 losophy, and are skilled in logical 
 subtilties, to inculcate a notion so use- 
 ful to their ambition, and by this 
 means it is propagated in the world ; 
 for who will not fight, and kill, or be 
 killed to obtain glory ? What signifies 
 a little pain in a plausible cause, where 
 there is no death, nor life cannot be 
 lost ; nay, where the soul only ES- 
 CAPES, by this means, out of a prison. 
 
 For the heathen philosophers, as 
 Tholes, Democritus, Plato, and others 
 taught, that the body was a prison to 
 the Soul; and that at death the soul 
 slips out of it into another world, either 
 of pleasure or misery ; that of pleasure 
 they called the Elisian Fields. 
 
 Origen also, as well as Plato and 
 the Chaldean philosophers taught, 
 " That souls were made all together at 
 " some one time beforehand, and af-
 
 OF THE SOUL; 79 
 
 " terwards sent into bodies as into so 
 "many darklanthorns; and according 
 "to the behaviour of these naked spi- 
 rits before they were embodied, 
 "there were suitable mansions prepar- 
 " ed for them. 
 
 " That a soul who had walked ac- 
 " ceptably with God, was put into a 
 " finer prison, and was cloathed with a 
 more elegant and amiable body; 
 and the soul which had displeased 
 God, and provoked his Creator, was 
 put into a darker dungeon, a more 
 obscure and uncomely body. 
 
 " The soul only is the man, say they, 
 the body is only the case or cover of 
 it; and that God, as they hold, is a 
 SPIRIT without a body, so souls must 
 
 ** leave their bodies entirely before they 
 
 " can be joined with God. 
 
 But Job was of another opinion, 
 though it may be, he was no more than 
 a Philosopher too ; he did not expect 
 eternal happiness, nor to be with God
 
 80 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 till the end of the world, any more 
 than Paul did. 
 
 It is also further evident, . that the 
 soul doth not partake of eternal hap- 
 piness until the last coming of Christ, 
 for the saints are bid to be in a waiting 
 and watching posture, until the very 
 time of Christ's SECOND COMING, as is 
 set forth in the parable of the Five wise 
 virgins. 
 
 There are two things which the 
 saints in all ages of the world have 
 waited for : The first is Their God's 
 becoming flesh', and the second is,For his 
 coming in glory. We that live now near 
 the end of the world, and have known 
 of his corning in flesh, and of the vir- 
 tue thereof, are waiting for his second 
 coming; because our happiness in eter- 
 nal glory comes not until our Lord 
 comes to fetch us, according to his 
 promise and our faith. 
 
 We, who are of the true CHURCH, do 
 wait with the CHURCH, for the PERSONAL
 
 OF THE SOUL. 81 
 
 appearing of the most high and mighty 
 God the Lord Jesus, in Heaven, in 
 order to our felicity, joy, arid glory. 
 
 Those who expect a God here upon 
 this earth, after any other manner than 
 a personal Jesus, seated on a throne 
 of eternal glory in the Heaven above, 
 will never find him ; and whoever 
 looks for a God to come before the end 
 of the world, or a God without a per- 
 sonal form, will find their hopes vain. 
 
 Because it is as much out of the 
 way of truth, as the mosaical Jew, who 
 is yet gazing for his first coming. 
 
 Therefore did the apostle say, that 
 the Saints waited for the Lord from 
 Heaven. 1 Thes. i. 10. Phil. iii. 20. 
 And in Heb. x. 36. The Apostle ex- 
 horts them to patience, and tells them, 
 that they shall enjoy the promise after 
 they have done the will of God ; for, 
 saith he, a little while, and the promise 
 comes ; wait a little while, and he 
 that shall come, will come, and will 
 not tarry. 
 M
 
 82 OF THE SOUL, 
 
 As if he should have said, " Have 
 you not faith? If you have, live by 
 it ; and let it cause you to wait, for 
 his promise of coming is sure. Ap- 
 ply it to yourselves then, and by 
 virtue thereof possess your souls with 
 patience, waiting for your Lord ; who 
 " will come in a little time, and then 
 "he will deliver you from all your 
 " troubles, and give you felicity, joy, 
 and glory with himself for ever. 
 
 .. 
 
 Thus we see, that the scriptures are 
 full of exhortations hereunto; and 
 hence it is, that the very last words in 
 the bible of the second record hath this 
 petition of the Saints put up unto their 
 God, saying, Come Lord Jesus, come 
 quickly ; because the afflicted Saints 
 knew they could never be avenged on 
 their persecutors, nor attain to a per- 
 sonal happiness until the coming of 
 their God, the Lord Jesus Christ bless- 
 ed for ever, Amen. 
 
 Further evidence of the soul's rest- 
 ing with the body is, that the scripture
 
 OF THE SOUL. 83 
 
 hath no where attributed to the Saints 
 Eternal Joy, Felicity, and Glory ; but 
 at [the RESURRECTION day, when the 
 Saints BODIES are changed from cor- 
 ruption to incorruption ; from mortality 
 to immortality ; then comes the rejoic- 
 ing day. 
 
 For though the divine part of the 
 man was breathed, by the immortal 
 God, yet it was made one essence with 
 a body taken out of the dust; there- 
 fore it must either change to mortality, 
 or change mortality to it ; for mortali- 
 ty and immortality cannot dwell to- 
 gether. 
 
 The soul cannot rejoice while the 
 body is in the grave ; for the scrip- 
 tures do no where say, that the soul 
 can go to Heaven, and rejoice there, 
 and leave the body behind it to rot, 
 and stink in the grave. 
 
 It is not possible to conceive, that 
 the soul can be conscious of its exis- 
 tence, it cannot be sensible of itself if
 
 84 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 it center not in a body ; there is no 
 such thing; but life to one, life to both; 
 death to one, death to both. 
 
 Did ever any man read in either 
 Prophet or Apostle, that the soul 
 should have any particular joy at the 
 end of this life under the death of its 
 body, and then a further joy at its re- 
 surrection, at the end of the world ? 
 
 That saying of Christ to the believ- 
 ing thief on the cross, contains nothing 
 against our doctrine ; for the PARADISE 
 in which both Christ and the convert- 
 ed thief was in, was in the peace of 
 their own minds, in the assurance and 
 knowledge of life everlasting by faith. 
 
 Nothing is more evident than this, 
 for Christ himself did not ascend from 
 the grave till the third day after, nor 
 into Heaven till forty days after. 
 
 The day of CONVERSION is a joyful 
 resurrection day, because it is the seal 
 of the other; but there is no entering
 
 OF THE SOUL. 85 
 
 into our Lord's immortal joy, till the 
 resurrection at the end of the world. 
 
 Therefore saith Paul, We are your 
 rejoicing, even as you are ours in the 
 day of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 In Phil. ii. 16. he encourageth the 
 saints to stand fast to their faith, and 
 that for two causes. First, For that 
 his own labour might not be in vain. 
 And secondly, That he might rejoice 
 in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul 
 doth not speak here of any joy he 
 should have at the coming of DEATH, 
 but at the coming of Jesus. So also in 
 1 Thes. ii. 19 & 20., he saith, the Be- 
 lievers will be their (the Apostles) 
 hope, joy, and crown ; yet it is but in 
 the Day of the Lord Jesus, and not 
 before. 
 
 The saints joy of salutation with 
 one another doth not come in at the 
 coming of death, but at the coming 
 of Jesus : Therefore, saith Peter, re- 
 joice, in as much as you are partakers
 
 86 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 of Christ's suffering, that when his 
 glory shall be revealed, you may be 
 glad also with exceeding joy. 
 
 Thus we see that joy and Jesus come 
 together. When the saints die, they 
 are said to rest in their graves for a 
 while, there to remain till the harvest 
 be ripe. Rev. vi. 11. 
 
 So that some saints joys must not 
 be made perfect until all be made 
 perfect . One must not go to heaven 
 this year, and another the next : but 
 all will be made happy together. 
 
 The day of glory is at the glorious 
 appearance of the great God ; and 
 this is the day of goal delivery, the 
 All Saints day ; This is the Holy day 
 which the Lord hath made, or will make 
 in order to all saints glory. 
 
 Paul waited for a crown, and said, 
 there was one laid up for him ; yet did 
 ho not expect to wear this crown until 
 the day of the Lord's appearance.
 
 OF THE SOUL. 87 
 
 1 Thes. ii. 19. So Peter also says, 
 that when the chief Shepherd should 
 appear, then the believers in him 
 should receive a Crown of Life, but 
 not before. 
 
 For what reward soever the saints 
 were promised after death, the scrip- 
 ture does not say that any is given 
 till the end of the wo^ld. 
 
 Therefore it is written Rev. xxii. 12. 
 Behold I come quickly, and my REWARD 
 is with me. Here we see every man 
 will have his reward given him when 
 Christ comes. And this is agreeable 
 to that saying concerning the Talents 
 given to the Servants, that after a long 
 time the Lord cometh, and reckoneth 
 with them. This long time was until 
 the end of the world, and the reckon- 
 ing day is the resurrection day ; then 
 will he reckon with him that had the 
 cne talent of the law, and with the other 
 that had the y?ve talents of Grace, and 
 will crown his own gifts with a Come
 
 88 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you. 
 
 Paul also tells us, that we shall reign 
 in life; for by Jesus, DEATH shall be 
 swallowed up through life, Rom. v. 
 17. 2 Cor. v. 4. 1 Cor. 15. 
 
 He also further says, that Our life is 
 hid with Christ; and When Christ shall 
 appear we shall appear with him. 
 
 Our life is HID, saith the Apostle; 
 and this is a comfort to the Saints, 
 that though they are dead in them- 
 selves, yet are they aliv 7 e in Christ's 
 breast, and hid there. 
 
 This is the Book of Life, wherein the 
 Saints names are written ; therefore 
 though they are dead in nature, yet 
 they may be said to be alive ; because 
 they are in the memory of Christ, which 
 is the Book of Life in which their NEW 
 NAMES are written with tJie white stone ;
 
 OF THE SOUL. 89 
 
 and this they know in their life-time, 
 and see and live through faith. 
 
 Another evidence of this doctrine 
 is, that When Christ comes to Judg- 
 ment, all that are in the grave shall 
 hear his voice and come forth; those 
 that have done good to the resurrection 
 of life, and those who have done Evil 
 to the resurrection of condemnation. 
 John v. 28 & 29. 
 
 Observe, That the souls of men go 
 not to either sensible joy or sorrow at 
 their death, but into the grave, and in 
 the grave Christ finds them, and from 
 the Earth and Sea he raiseth them up. 
 
 Rev. xx. The SEAS gave up the 
 dead which were in it ; and Death and 
 Hell, and the Grave delivered the 
 dead which were in them ; and they 
 were judged every man according to 
 his works ; and Death and Hell were 
 cast into the Lake of Fire : And this 
 is the second death. 
 
 N
 
 90 OF THE SOUL. 
 
 See also 1 Cor. xy. 52. and 1 Thes. 
 iv. 16. saith Paul, The trumpet shall 
 sound, the Lord shall descend with a 
 shout, with the voice of the Arch-An- 
 gel, and with the trump of God. 
 
 This trumpet will be the great VOICE 
 of God, therefore it is said, The Seas 
 shall cast forth their dead at the com- 
 mand of Jesus. 
 
 Where then, or from whence do 
 their souls come, but with their bodies? 
 For, observe, AFTER their resurrection 
 they have their everlasting doom. 
 
 The reward of works is then given, 
 and not before. See 2 Cor. v. 10. So 
 that it is clear, the body and soul are 
 raised together, and have their sen- 
 tence given them together. 
 
 It is contrary to sound reason as 
 well as to scripture, to believe that the 
 wicked should stand twice before God 
 to be judged ; once at death, and again 
 at the resurrection.
 
 OF THE SOUL. 91 
 
 From henceforth let no sober man 
 oppose this doctrine of the Soul's sleep- 
 ing with the body ; seeing the scriptures 
 do so abundantly demonstrate the 
 same ; but let them give glory to the 
 Lord God Almighty, who can, and 
 will give every dead soul his life again.
 
 OF THE 
 
 TWO NATURES 
 
 WHICH ARE IN 
 
 MAN. 
 
 That they proceed from a Good and 
 Bad seed : Of their Enmity, and 
 their Original. 
 
 T71XPERIENCE shows us, that 
 JJJ there are in the present constitution 
 of mankind two natures or dispositions, 
 directly opposite to each other ; which 
 are discovered by inclinations to good, 
 and inclinations to evil.
 
 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 93 
 
 And as the scripture saith, James 
 iii. 11. One fountain cannot bring 
 forth a sweet water, and a bitter ; so 
 one nature cannot bring forth sin and 
 sanctity ; but they must proceed from 
 two several roots or causes. 
 
 Know then, that the tree of know- 
 ledge of good and evil, which stood in 
 the midst of the garden of Eden, is 
 to be understood in an allegorical and 
 spiritual sense, as is also, the fruit of 
 that tree, which the serpent is said to 
 have tempted Eve to eat of. 
 
 For the eating of an apple could 
 not have contracted an hereditary 
 evil, as is generally said by those who 
 take this in the vulgar manner. 
 
 But we are here taught by this al- 
 legory to understand, that by the 
 eating of this forbidden fruit is meant 
 Eve's receiving the Serpent, who was 
 the fallen Angel, into her womb ; 
 where he transferred himself, and be-
 
 94 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 
 
 came transmuted into flesh, for she 
 conceived on this, and bare Cain. 
 
 And when she had eaten of this for- 
 bidden fruit, that is^ when she had ta- 
 ken his evil nature into her, she gain- 
 ed the knowledge of the good she 
 had lost, and of the evil she had 
 procured for herself, and all her pos- 
 terity ; but after her firstborn son 
 Cain was born, she was willing to 
 conceit he was* of her husband's be- 
 getting, until she saw his actions as 
 he grew up, and then she perceived 
 he was of the seed of that evil tree. 
 
 It is expressly said in 1 John iii.12. 
 that Cain was of the WICKED ONE. 
 Now the scripture calls Adam, the 
 Son of God ; therefore Adam was 
 not the WICKED ONE, and Cain [conse- 
 quently was not of his begetting. 
 
 The scripture in many places seems 
 to delight in describing men under 
 the similitude of trees ; such as the 
 good and wild Olive Tree, of the Vine,
 
 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 95 
 
 and many other such like. But in 
 Ezek. xxxi. we have the very a same 
 allusion unto trees, and of trees also 
 in the GARDEN of GOD, and the GAR- 
 DEN of EDEN, in the following man- 
 ner. 
 
 Ezek. xxxi. 2. Son of man speak 
 unto Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and to 
 his multitude, whom art thou like in 
 thy greatness ? 
 
 Ver. 3. Behold the Assyrian was a 
 Cedar in Lebanon with his branches, 
 arid with a shadowing shroud, and of 
 an high stature; and his top was 
 among the thick boughs. 
 
 Ver, 4. The waters made him great, 
 the deep set him on high, with her 
 rivers round about her plants, and 
 sent out her little rivers unto all the 
 trees of the field. 
 
 Ver. 5. Therefore his height was 
 exalted above all the trees of the field, 
 and his boughs were multiplied, and
 
 96 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 
 
 his branches became long, because of 
 the multitude of waters when he shot 
 forth. 
 
 Ver. 6. "All the fowls of heaven 
 made their nests in his bough, and 
 under his branches did all the beasts 
 of the field bring forth their young ; 
 and under his shadow dwell all great 
 nations. Thus was he fair in his 
 greatness, in the length of his branch- 
 es, for his root was by the great wa- 
 ters. 
 
 Ver. 8. The Cedars in the Garden 
 of God could not hide him : The Fir 
 Trees were not like his boughs, and 
 the Chesnut Trees were not like his 
 branches, not any tree in the Garden 
 of God was like unto him in his 
 beauty. 
 
 Ver. 9. I have made him fair by 
 the multitude of his branches'; so that 
 all the Trees of Eden, that were in 
 the Garden of God, envied him.
 
 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 97 
 
 Ver. 16. And all the Trees of 
 Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, 
 all that drink water shall be comforted 
 in the nether parts of the earth. 
 
 Ver. 18. To whom art thou thus 
 like in glory, and in greatness among 
 the trees of Eden ? yet shalt thou be 
 brought down with 'the trees of Eden 
 unto the nether parts of the earth ; 
 thou shalt lie in the midst of the un- 
 circumcised, with them that be slain 
 with the sword : This is Pharaoh and 
 all his multitude, saith the Lord. 
 
 Is not this just such an allegory as 
 that of Eve's fall, and the Tree of 
 Knowledge of good and evil in the 
 garden of Eden? 
 
 But this doctrine is most clearly 
 proved in Gen. iii. 15, where God 
 says, that there shall be enmity be- 
 tween the seed of the woman, and the 
 seed of the serpent. Now where was 
 the seed of the serpent at that time, 
 but in the womb of Eve in Cain? and 
 o
 
 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAtf. 
 
 this was the cause of the enmity that 
 is between these two natures : For if 
 Adam had begot Cain, and all man- 
 kind had proceeded from him, then 
 evil could not have been hereditarily 
 in the world. For Adam came im- 
 mediately from God, and was pure 
 and perfect before he was corrupted 
 by conjunction with Eve after her 
 fall ; but when the impure deceiver 
 had defiled her, then was there a cor- 
 rupt, baneful and envious seed war- 
 ring against Adam's pure seed ; for 
 Adam could not have conveyed a na- 
 ture to his posterity, which was not 
 his own nature : Now his own nature 
 tended to nothing but sanctity, love, 
 purity, and peace. 
 
 The original then of this bad dis- 
 position, which experience shows us 
 to be in man, is this wicked nature, 
 this evil seed of the fallen Angel, 
 which is transferred more or less into 
 the whole race from Cain. 
 
 The original of the good is from
 
 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN. 99 
 
 Adam, who was made 'perfect ; and 
 his good seed is transferred into all 
 his race, as Cain's into his. 
 
 Now the conjunction of these two 
 seeds in the whole human race, hath 
 been ever since the Sons of God (that 
 is to say) the sons of Seth, the son of 
 Adam, took them wives of the daughters 
 of wicked men, which were the sons 
 of Cain, Gen. vi. 2. Thus these two 
 seeds came to be mixed in one 
 person. 
 
 And these two natures are often 
 mentioned in scripture by the words, 
 flesh and spirit, arid by many names 
 and distinctions ; and men are distin- 
 guished into good or bad, according 
 as the seed of Adam, or the seed of 
 Cain is predominant in them. 
 
 Christ calls the wicked a generation 
 of vipers, and a wicked generation 
 proceeding from Cain; in our text 
 they are called the Children of the wick- 
 ed one ; in another place, the Lord,
 
 100 OF THE TWO NATURES IN MAN: 
 
 and his beloved Apostle calls them 
 children of the Devil; also children of 
 this world: Paul calls them children of 
 disobedience, and Peter, covetous and 
 cursed children. Moses calls them cor- 
 rupters of themselves, saying, their spot 
 and mark is not the mark of the chil- 
 dren of God. They are also called 
 evil seed, children of the devil, and sons of 
 Belial. 
 
 The others are distinguished by 
 contrary names, as in my text, they 
 are called the seed of the son of man. 
 Isaiah calls them the holy seed. Peter 
 and Paul the seed of the blessed of the 
 Lord. They are also called the children 
 of the highest, children of light, children 
 of the resurrection, sons of God, tons of 
 the living God, dear children of God. 
 And the whole scriptures are full of 
 proofs of the reality of their being 
 two seeds; and of the names and dis- 
 tinctions by which they are called.
 
 OF 
 
 I IN my text mention is made of two 
 seeds : Of which one is said to be 
 the Children of the Kingdom; the other 
 are Tares, which the Evil one sowed, and 
 they are to be flung into the fire. 
 
 The original of these two seeds we 
 have already seen and proved to be 
 from Adam, who was the son of God ; 
 and from Cain, who was the serpent, 
 which is the fallen Angel or true devil. 
 
 Now these two had a law of gen- 
 eration; the one originally in a natural 
 and procreative way ; the other was 
 capable of dissolving himself into seed, 
 as he did in the woman ; and then also 
 in a procreative way into posterity.
 
 102 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 And of these two came the whole 
 race of mankind ; so that it is no won- 
 der to find the scriptures set forth so 
 often, and so strongly intimate that 
 there are some pre-ordained to Eternal 
 life, and others to Eternal death. 
 
 Adam, and all his true posterity, 
 that is, every one in whom Adam's 
 pure seed is predominant, are pre-or- 
 dained by God's decrees to Eternal life. 
 
 But for the Devil and his Angels 
 eternal torments are prepared, as in 
 Jude vi. This Devil and his Angels 
 are Cain and his offspring ; for when 
 the Serpent was cursed, all his seed 
 was cursed with him. 
 
 And therefore is that saying of Paul, 
 that God loved Jacob, and hated Esau, 
 before they had done either Good or Evil. 
 Rom. ix. 
 
 For the Creator, upon the concepti- 
 on of Esau and Jacob, did discern the 
 roots they both sprang from, as Esau 
 from the predominancy of Cain's seed,
 
 OF PREDESTINATION 103 
 
 and Jacob from that of Adam, which 
 was of God ; and from hence it was 
 they became the objects of love and 
 hatred ; and here are the grounds 
 of mercy and anger, blessing and curs- 
 ing, life and death, salvation and 
 damnation. 
 
 And none who own the scripture 
 can deny this to be the true meaning 
 of it ; for the words are full, clear, and 
 invincible, that the Apostle says, They 
 were loved and hated before they had 
 done Good or Evil. 
 
 So also saith Malachy, and in Chap, 
 i. 3 & 4. he calls the children of Esau, 
 The borders of wickedness, and the People 
 in whom he hath indignation for ever. 
 And when the scriptures are so ex- 
 press, there is no denying it without 
 denying the authority of the scripture ; 
 nor of explaining it after the humour 
 of some men, who say it was Jacob's 
 and Esau's good and evil works, which oc- 
 casioned this love and hatred; for the 
 Apostle hath so clearly expressed him-
 
 104 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 self, that no such explanation can be 
 justified. 
 
 But it is plain, that it was not Esau's 
 works which was the cause of the ha- 
 tred ; for we see that his father Isaac 
 thought that Esau, his eldest son, had 
 been the chosen of God, therefore he 
 intended to have given him the spiritu- 
 al blessing, had not Rebecca prevent- 
 ed it. 
 
 And if it had been to be obtained 
 by man's diligence, or that man had a 
 freedom of will to choose, or refuse this 
 eternal blessing, then Esau had re- 
 ceived it ; for he had a belief that his 
 father was a prophet,and his carriage 
 was so obliging, that his father was 
 deceived by it, and thought that he 
 had been elected of God ; How dili- 
 gent was he to serve, and obey his fa- 
 ther's commands, He went out forthwith. 
 How careful also of his father's blessing 
 and how greatly he valued it, is to be 
 seen in the sincere grief of heart which 
 he expressed, when his father had told
 
 OF PREDESTINATION 105 
 
 him he had blessed Jacob, and he should 
 be blessed. 
 
 Esau cryed out with a great and bit- 
 ter cry, saying, Bless me, even me al- 
 so, O my Father ! And again, Hast 
 thou not reserved a blessing for me? 
 Even a third time he requested it, say- 
 ing, Hast thou but one blessing, O my 
 Father ! Bless me, even me also; arid 
 Esau lift up his voice and wept. 
 
 See here now what virtue there was 
 in Esau's good works : Where is the 
 power of free-will ? HereisuttTZ, here 
 is desire ; but where is the power ? The 
 heavenly blessing and birth-right are 
 both lost, and will not be gained not- 
 withstanding all this struggle. 
 
 And we see by this, that the gift 
 of eternal life depends not on man's 
 will or power, work or wisdom. 
 
 There is another turn or explana- 
 tion, which some please their fancies 
 in giving to these texts of scripture,
 
 106 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 which is, that it is in relation to God's 
 Foreknowledge of Jacob and Esau, 
 and his Fore-Seeing them in men's 
 estate, and perceiving their good or 
 evil actions. 
 
 Notwithstanding there are no evil 
 actions of Esau recorded in scripture ; 
 and it is plain his father knew of none 
 that might cause his rejection. And 
 these pleadings for works, and forced 
 explanations are only the humours 
 and fancies of carnal reasonings, which 
 will not attend to the express tenour 
 of the scripture ; for the Apostle hath 
 most clearly foreseen and prevented 
 these objections, and closed the ar- 
 gument, by giving the true reason, in 
 Rom. ix. which is, That the purpose of 
 GOD might stand according to ELECTION. 
 
 Now it is not often known who are 
 elected, and who are rejected ; for 
 though it lies in the seed, and we see 
 the outward fruit of that seed, yet 
 we cannot give a final judgment of an
 
 OF PREDESTINATION. 107 
 
 eternal state, from some few operati- 
 ons of the seed ; for when we see a 
 man wallowing in sin and unclean- 
 ness, like the swine in the mire, we 
 may say, that he acts from the seed 
 of the serpent, and so is in the way 
 of the rejected. 
 
 But whether he will be damned or 
 no, is not known, he may be a vessel of 
 honour, and called in time, and the 
 good seed may be stirred up to act in 
 him, and get the preeminence ; but 
 if his sin grow so high as to despise 
 the truth, or judge things he knows 
 not of, or to forsake the truth as 
 Demas did, then he manifests himself 
 to be of the seed of the serpent, and 
 appointed for wrath. So also an hy- 
 pocrite may go far in a seeming puri- 
 ty, and outward profession, yet he 
 hath not the holy seed in his heart. 
 
 For we have this mark given us to 
 judge by, as appears by John, 1 Epi. 
 v. 6. who saith, If any man see his bro- 
 ther sin a sin not unto death, he
 
 108 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 shall ask, and shall have life by that 
 means given unto him. But then it is 
 presupposed that this brother hath 
 the seed of FAITH ; and so the FAITH 
 of one, and the PRAYER of the other 
 may produce the effect. 
 
 The Apostle tells us what this sin 
 unto death is, that we may discover a 
 reprobate by, and that is, the despising 
 truth ; and for such an one he forbids 
 praying, saying, there remains no more 
 sacrifice ; but on the contrary to lay 
 the curse. 
 
 Good motions are the blossoms of 
 election, and good actions the Fruit ; 
 so are also faith, and a belief of the 
 truth. So on the contrary, wicked- 
 ness proceeds from the wicked and 
 reprobate, the works of darkness and 
 unbelief are inseparable; for infidelity 
 and disobedience are the marks of 
 reprobation. 
 
 There are two daughters of election, 
 which are FAITH and HOLINESS, these
 
 OF PREDESTINATION. 109 
 
 are fruits of election, and belong to it 
 after vocation. 
 
 Vocation is the confirmation of 
 election, according to the Apostle 
 Peter's words, 1 Pet. i. 2. Elect ac- 
 cording to the foreknowledge of God 
 through sanctification of holiness and 
 belief of the truth. So 2 Thes. ii. 13. 
 Paul saith, God hath from the begin- 
 ning chosen you to salvation through 
 sanctification of the spirit and belief 
 of the truth. Not that sanctification, 
 &c. is the cause of election but the 
 fruit 9 and so becomes the evidence of 
 eternal life. 
 
 For though our election is sure as 
 to God's eternal purpose and fore- 
 knowledge, yet do we not know the 
 benefit of it to ourselves, until" it be 
 sealed, and made sure to us evidently 
 in our vocation and obedience of faith : 
 For what comfort can any man have, 
 to believe that God is sure in his pur- 
 poses, and that there are a certain 
 number of elect ; unless he have an
 
 110 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 assurance in himself, that he is one of 
 those who are elected, and shall as- 
 suredly be saved ? 
 
 Therefore though election is before 
 vocation,yet can there not be the know- 
 ledge of it without vocation. Although 
 Peter, in 2 Ep. i. 10. exhorts the saints 
 to make their calling and Election sure ; 
 let them but make their Calling sure, 
 and they need not fear their Election ; 
 for Election is God's gift, and Vocation 
 is the Seal which makes the inheri- 
 tance certain. 
 
 It is a good sign of election being 
 sure, when a person is entirely resign- 
 ed to God's dispensation, and with a 
 true humility of heart submits to the 
 eternal purpose of God, before he 
 knows whether he is elected or reject- 
 ed, is contented to be disposed of as 
 God hath appointed, and resolved 
 never to speak ill of his name, but sin- 
 erely to pray, that His will may be 
 done upon Earth as it is in Heaven ; 
 who is satisfied, and will not dispute
 
 OF PBEDESTINATION, 111 
 
 God's sovereignty and power, nor his 
 prerogative will and pleasure, though 
 it be against himself. 
 
 And why will man be so proud to 
 contend with God ; Hath not the Pot- 
 ter power over the clay, to make one 
 vessel to honour, and another to dis- 
 honour? Rom, ix. 21. It is abun- 
 dantly declared in the scripture, espe- 
 cially by the Apostle Paul, Rom. ix. 
 18. He will have mercy, on whom he 
 will have mercy, and whom he will he 
 hardeneth. 
 
 Is it not as plain as words can ex- 
 press it, that God made all things for 
 his own glory, and the wicked for the 
 day of wrath ? Prov. xvi. 4. 
 
 And Moses also said to Pharaoh in 
 the name of God, Exod. ix. 16. For 
 this same purpose have I stirred thee 
 up, that I might show my power on 
 thee ; and that my name may be de- 
 clared throughout all the earth.
 
 112 OF PREDESTINAION. 
 
 And is it not also written, Rom. ix.22 
 & 23. What if God willing to show 
 his wrath, and to make his power 
 known, endured with much long-suf- 
 fering the vessels of wrath fitted to 
 destruction ? And that he might make 
 known the riches of his glory on the 
 vessels of mercy, which he had afore 
 prepared unto glory. 
 
 And who shall call God to account 
 for his doings ! If he hath revealed 
 unto us his pleasure,who shall gainsay 
 it ? though it were as in Mat. xiii. 15. 
 referring to the prophet Isaiah, Chap, 
 vi. 10. Make the heart of this people 
 fat, their ears heavy, and their eyes 
 blind, lest they should hear with their 
 ears, and see with their eyes, and un- 
 derstand with their hearts, and be con- 
 verted, and I should heal them. 
 
 And this is for the manifestation of 
 God's justice on the evil seed of the* 
 Serpent, and his mercy to Adam's 
 which is his own.
 
 OF PREDESTINATION, 113 
 
 And so full and clear is the scrip- 
 ture in this, that it were endless to 
 turn to all the places ; besides all do 
 acknowledge this, who acknowledge 
 the absolute authority of the scripture, 
 and who take it for God's revealed 
 will ; but there are some, who by nar- 
 row, blind philosophical views, mix 
 their own carnal reasoning with it, or 
 set reason up wholly above it, and 
 expound and stretch the scripture, 
 and distinguish upon it to what they 
 would have it, to make it speak their 
 own minds and not God's. Thus 
 some, who are afraid positively to 
 deny the doctrine of election, because 
 the scripture is so full of it, yet they 
 explain it away by talking of a secret 
 will and a revealed will of God ; and 
 by his secret will he rejects some, 
 and by his revealed will he would 
 have all to be saved. 
 
 Now what presumption and absur- 
 dity is this ? What have they to do 
 with God's secret will? for what is 
 not revealed is unknown ; but God's 
 
 Q
 
 114 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 will in this case is revealed particu- 
 larly and clearly by the Apostle Paul. 
 
 And they might bring it clearer to 
 their own philosophical curiosity too, 
 if they would but regard it; for the 
 scripture is perfect and consistent 
 with itself one place with another, and 
 not contradictory as they imagine, 
 but easy to be understood ; and it is 
 their mixing their own reason with 
 scripture which blinds them. 
 
 For if they did but know that there 
 are two opposite seeds in mankind, 
 and that the wicked seed is the fallen 
 Angel himself transmuted into flesh, 
 they might see that God's hatred is 
 just and good. For it is only punish- 
 ing the Angel for his rebellion in hea- 
 ven, and for his inveterate malice, in 
 endeavouring to corrupt the good 
 seed of Adam, by transferring himself 
 into the woman, and mixing his evil 
 nature in the whole race ; these must 
 continue together, as in our text, Mat. 
 xiii. 40. till the end of the ivorld; when
 
 OF PREDESTINATION. 115 
 
 they shall be separated, and those 
 which the wicked one hath sowed will 
 be thrown into the fire ; and the others 
 are the children of God. 
 
 Now an Elect Vessel may be fil- 
 thily polluted, and look like repro- 
 bate silver until conversion ; therefore 
 it is said in Eph. ii. 3. that the Elect 
 are the Children of wrath as well as 
 others. This is not to be understood 
 that the Elect are under the same 
 wrath with the seed of the serpent ; 
 but God's wrath is upon the corrupted 
 part of their nature, that is, upon 
 their sin; but if there is the pure seed 
 in the heart, God stretcheth forth his 
 mercy to them, and quickens it, till 
 it grow up to faith ; then doth it get 
 predominant, and by an union and 
 sympathy in nature it flies to, and 
 embraceth Christ as its own life ; and 
 this is the ground on which Election 
 is founded, viz. in Adam ; for Adam was 
 the first object of mercy. 
 
 Therefore \ve are to look no higher
 
 116 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 than Adam for it; for though Peter 
 says, 1 Ep. i. 20. Elect before the foun- 
 dation of the world. This is to be un- 
 derstood of God's purpose to make 
 Adam, and his race, whom he decreed 
 should inherit Eternal Life ; and 
 Adam being created the decree was 
 perfected. 
 
 Therefore in whatsoever person the 
 true and pure seed of Adam is, the 
 Spirit of God will find it, and quicken 
 it into faith, and bring it into eternal 
 life. 
 
 But until God works in us to 
 righteousness, -we can do nothing of 
 ourselves; for that which should act 
 forth unto holiness is asleep, as if it 
 were dead in us, until divine grace 
 awakens it. 
 
 There is nothing of man's work, but 
 God's gracious will, which works out 
 our salvation. Proud man would be 
 his own Saviour if his will had but 
 power ; but man is, in his corrupted
 
 OF PREDESTINATION. 117 
 
 state, averse to goodness, and his re- 
 pentance from his own natural motion 
 is of no efficacy ; for God is not to be 
 flattered like a Courtier, or to be 
 wrought upon like weak men, who can 
 be diverted from their purposes by 
 pitiful tales and well made speeches. 
 
 It is written, Rom. xi. 29. The gift 
 and calling of God is without repen- 
 tance. Also Isa. Ixv. 1. I was found 
 of him that sought me not. Rom. ix. 
 16. It is not in him that willeth, nor 
 in him that runneth. 
 
 For until the Lord hath presented 
 the crown of glory, there can be no 
 walking in God's way, as David says, 
 Psalm cxix. 32. When thou hast en- 
 larged my heart, then will I run the 
 ways of thy commandments. For the 
 Lord cannot truly be known, till his 
 name and nature be found written in 
 the heart ; when this is done, then the 
 soul, that was backward to all good- 
 ness, is now by virtue of that divine
 
 118 OF PREDESTINATION. 
 
 light, made willing to choose the bet- 
 ter part, and not before. 
 
 Therefore let sin, or seeming sanc- 
 tity be what they will, it is the Prero- 
 gative, Power, Witt and Pleasure of God 
 the Creator, is ALL, who has fixed the 
 state of all things that are already cre- 
 ated, and directed their conditions. 
 And Condemnation and Salvation so de- 
 termined are consistent with the mani- 
 festation of his infinite power and 
 glory.
 
 OF THE 
 
 RESURRECTION, 
 
 T1HE learned in human philosophy 
 do make a jest of the Resurrecti- 
 on ; because say they, How can the 
 particles which compose these bodies 
 meet again, and join together, after 
 they have many times changed pla- 
 ces, and some of them been in other 
 bodies ? 
 
 But see how their boasted know- 
 ledge deceives them ! They frame 
 absurdities themselves,and father them 
 on the scriptures, and then answer 
 them. 
 
 We are not told in the scripture, 
 that the very same particles of our bo-
 
 120 OF THE RESURRECTION. 
 
 dies which we have here will be gather- 
 ed together, united, and raised at the 
 last day, but that the seed of the body 
 and soul can never be lost or destroy- 
 ed ; and if we attend to the Apostle 
 Paul, we find that he hath explained it 
 under the similitude of a corn of 
 wheat, which being sowed in the earth, 
 dies of itself; but springs forth in a 
 new one. 
 
 The substance of the old grain rots 
 in the earth, but there is an impercep- 
 tible life in it, which perishes not, but 
 in its due time is quickened, and 
 springs up into new wheat. 
 
 So although the particles, which 
 composed the bulk of this body, are 
 perished and separated ; yet is there 
 an invisible principle or seed still re- 
 maining, which will spring forth, and 
 have its proper existence in a new bo- 
 dy, when it is quickened by the voice 
 of God.
 
 OF THE RESURRECTION. 121 
 
 For the spirit of every seed exists 
 always, and at the resurrection the 
 children of God, and of the fallen An- 
 gel will each have their own proper 
 bodies without mixture. 
 
 And for this cause will the saints bo- 
 dies be changed, because these old 
 bodies have something of the evil na- 
 ture in them; but when they are raised 
 again, those vile corrupted parts will 
 be left behind, and they will have bo- 
 dies, new, pure, and glorious ; as the 
 Apostle says, Phil. iii. 21. When our 
 Lord comes, he will change our vile 
 bodies, and make them like unto his 
 glorious body. 
 
 And although the spark of fire be 
 hid as in a flint, until it is struck, yet 
 LIGHT shall come forth from where 
 there was once LIGHT ; though it hath 
 been extinct in death, the breath of an 
 Almighty God can re-kindle it ; this 
 will be done by a word's speaking, for 
 God's all-powerful spirit will make the
 
 122 OF THE RESURRECTION. 
 
 spirits of the dead take fire, and live 
 again. 
 
 The seed of the serpent will also 
 spring up that day in bodies suitable to 
 their evil nature and wicked lives, they 
 will have the mortification of seeing 
 the saints whom they cruelly used, and 
 despised in this life, mount up to hea- 
 ven in triumph, while themselves will 
 be left behind on this earth to receive 
 their punishment on the spot where 
 they committed their actions, and with 
 their own malignant spirits and a- 
 wakened consciences,to torment them- 
 selves m a place, which will then be 
 deprived of all light and comfort. 
 
 But when the Lord Jesus, who is the 
 most high God, hath spoke forth the 
 powerful word of Come, ye blessed, the 
 seed of Adam in glorious bodies, such 
 as his own, will enter with him and 
 his Angels into his everlasting king- 
 dom ; where everyone of their tongues 
 will be as an harp, to sound forth 
 the praise of the Lord God Almighty.
 
 A 000100694 
 OF THE RESURRECTION. 123 
 
 Even as Christ himself teaches us 
 in the parable which we chose for our 
 text, Mat. xiii. 3. Then shall the 
 righteous shine forth as the Sun in the 
 Kingdom of their Father. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
 T. GOODE, PAI.VTKa, 30, \YLHSSUIU STKEET, CLEKKBNWBLL..