cause whereby the will of God is inwardly moved to appoint that other thing, so God would that the sun and stars should exist for the generation, conservation, and corruption of things below; yet the sun and stars are not a cause why God would that those things should be generated, conservated, and corrupted, and so it is in all things out of God, which indeed among themselves are causes and effects even as they depend upon the Divine will, but there is no cause of God's will out of it's self, also the willing of one thing in God, is not properly a cause, effecting that he will another in himself, because the efficiency of a cause upon an effect, and dependence of the effect upon a cause cannot be in the will of God; which is God himself, truly and simply willing all things together and at once, will only act; yet it is true that the schoolmen say, that a passive attingency of the Divine will in respect of one thing, is a cause of a passive attingency in respect of another; and so in this sense it is truly and piously said, that God willeth some one thing, because he willeth another.

Therefore, although God willeth many things which will not follow but upon some antecedent act of the creature, yet the very act of willing in God doth not properly depend as a consequent thing upon the act of the creature; neither is it lawful under the appellation of an antecedent will to give unto God that imperfect will which is called a woulding in the schools, for it doth not agree to an omniscient, omnipotent, and infinitely blessed nature, wherefore that opinion which determines that God doth will something antecedently to the act of the creature, which same thing afterwards he willeth not towards them, but wills another thing, is not to be admitted; because it makes the will of God mutable and depending upon the act of the creature; so that as often as the act of the creature is changed, so often also it is changed; by that opinion also that form of speech prescribed in the word of God wherein we commit ourselves and ours to God, as I will do this, or that, if God will, should not be used in all things, but turned contrarily, God will do this or that, if man will. This will determines of all things, greatest, least, contingent, necessary, free, without exception.This the scripture shows of all kind of things; as of Christ Jesus to be glorified, and the church to be saved by him, Psa. ii. and cx. iv. and xl. 7—9. Heb. xvi. 21. Eph. v. 23. 2 Tim. i. 9. Of Pharoah, Exod. i. 3. where God did so dispose of all things, that he might move Pharoah to persecute and overthrow the people of Israel; nay, he hardened him, that he might persecute them: yet Pharoah and Israel did work freely; in like manner of 'the selling of Joseph, wherein all things happened freely and contingently, God determining of it according to his will, of the very heart of man, Psalm xxxiii. 15. 1 Samuel x. 9, 26. Proverbs xxi. 1. Of a man killing another by chance, Exod. 21. 13. Of the lot cast into the lap, Prov. xvi. 33. Of the little sparrows falling to the ground. Of all the hairs of a man's head, Matt. xxix. 30. Of

the lilies, flowers, and grass of the earth, Matt. vi. 28, 30. Finally, and all created things, Job xxxviii. Psa. civ. Isai. xlv. 7. Jer. xiv.

22.

If God should not determine of all things, his will should not be simply and universally the first cause; and therefore they that think the contrary, must of necessity either make two first beginnings, or more than two, which is very far from all truth. But there is not the same reason of will as there is of Divine knowledge and power; for knowledge knows all things that may be known, and power can do all possible things, and they are stretched forth together beyond those things which actually have been, are, and shall be; but by his will he willeth not all things he can will, but all things he judgeth to be willed, and therefore actually to be hereafter whence it is that although God may be called omniscient, and omnipotent, yet he cannot be called omnivolent: whatever God willeth in all these things, he is universally effectually; so as he can in no wise be hindered, or frustrated, whereby he cannot obtain what he wills, for if he should properly will anything, and could not obtain it, he should not be most perfect and blessed. Yet the will of God doth not infer a necessity upon all future things, but a certainty as only touching the event, that the bones of Christ should be broken, because God would that they should not be broken; yet there was no necessity imposed upon the soldiers' spears and other second causes which were present; nay, it is so far off, that the will of God which doth most certainly attain to whatsoever it willeth, doth urge all things with hard necessity, that it is the prime root and efficient cause of all that contingency, and freedom, which is in all things; because it doth effectually foreordain such effects to follow such causes.

In those things which God willeth there is a certain order conceived, namely, that the first he willeth the end before the means to the end, because he worketh by most perfect reason; and among the means he first willeth those things which come nearest to the end, for that which is first in order of execution that is last in order of intention, and so contrarily, this will of God is partly hidden, and partly revealed, Deut. xxix. 29. Those means by which the will is revealed are rightly called the will of the sign, not only metaphorically, because they declare among men what they would have, but all metaphorically, because they are in either effects or adjuncts partly declaring the proper will of God. There are five signs put in the old verse, "He commandeth, and forbiddeth, permitteth, promiseth, fulfilleth." Thus far in general of God's efficiency, which together with this sufficiency, doth make a fit, and adequate object of faith. Your obedient servant,

MARK.

·000·

THE LAW OF WORKS.

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man.”

THE same day that sin entered into our world, the serpent (the murderer) was cursed. The second curse pronounced by the Lord was for man's sake, as it is written, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." Gen. iii. 14, 17. The third curse upon record was pronounced upon Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother, because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Gen. iv. 11, 12 1 John iii. 12.

After the flood, and after Noah had offered a burnt-offering unto the Lord, it is written, "God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them," amongst other things, "Surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed for in the image of God made he man." (Gen. ix. 5, 6.)— The reader will observe the cause assigned for this law against murder, is not that man was then the image of God, or in the image of God; but that he was MADE or created in the image of God, namely, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness: which image constituted Adam's pre-eminence above the pre-existent fish, birds, and beasts. But which pre-eminence Adam lost when he transgressed the commandment of God: for the Scripture saith of sinful men, that, "Man that is in honor, and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish." Psa. xlix. 20. Again, "I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of (Adam) men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of Adam befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath: so that a man bath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes iii.

18,

19.

And the reader will further observe, that these sayings are recorded for the express purpose, that the sons of Adam might see that they themselves are beasts. For such indeed is comparatively their state who are dead in sin. "Give not (saith the Lord of Glory) that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearl before swine," "Go ye, and tell that fox," &c. (Matt. vii. 6. Philip. iii. 2. Luke xiii. 32.) And as the dogs, the swine, and the for are not in the image of God; so neither are unregenerated men either in the image of God, or have the image of God. Therefore, unless a man be renewed in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness after the image of God, he hath no pre-eminence above a dog, or the swine, or the fox: for king Herod was called a for by ONE who could not err. And therefore, unless a man be born of

the Spirit, he hath no spirit that goeth upwards, ¿Eccles. iii. 21.) or, that returns to God; (Eccles. xii. 7.) for his soul goeth into hell. (Luke xvi. 23.) Let the reader ponder these things; and then let him say, what must be the state of those heady and high-minded professors, (2 Tim. iii. iv.) who are so regardless of thus saith the Lord, as to declare in opposition to the testimony of God, that sinful men, dead in sin, as standing higher in the scale of beings than a beast; and who represent men, (whom Christ calls dogs, swine, &c.) to be in the image of God!

THE OLD COVENANT.

Brethren, saith an apostle, I speak after the manner of men; though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this is I say that the covenant which (which is elsewhere called the everlasting covenant),' that was confirmed before of God in Christ; the law (which is called the covenant which waxeth old), which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul that it should make the promise of none effect. (Gal. iii. 15, 17.) "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." (Gal. iii. 19.) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound, (Ron. v. 20.) for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom. iii. 20.)

Having premised these things to the intent, that the reader should observe the distinction between the law of works, or the covenant which waxeth old and the law of faith or the new covenant; I shall now set forth the law which was given by Moses: and afterwards the grace and truth, of which the law was a shadow, which came by Jesus Christ! (John i. 17.) For the law respecting the passover and the observance thereof, was given by Moses; which law is a shadow of Christ our passover, who was sacrificed for us, and therefore we keep the feast. (Cor. v. 7.) In the third month after the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt, they came into the desert of Sinai, and there they received the law ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator. This law is called a covenant, (Exod. xix. 5. xxiv. 7, 8.) and is commonly divided into two parts, moral and ceremonial! But there is no authority in the Holy Scriptures for such a division! Every part of the law of works, whether moral, civil, ceremonial, or national, is called the law without any distinction and it is written, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them, whether the things be civil, ceremonial, national, or moral; yea, cursed were they, if they did not put the transgressors thereof to death. The Jews very justly observe, if the penal part

of the law be separated from the observance of the other part thereof, the law cannot be enforced! And if the ceremonial part of the law be separated from the moral, then the curse would be inflicted, for want of the sacrifice for sin.

But, if the law be divided into parts, merely for the purpose of reference; it surely ought to be divided as follows:

(1) The criminal law, which includes the ministration of death engraven in stones, called the ten commandments, and several other commandments, for which the transgressors were to be put to

death.

(2.) The common law, which includes part of one of the ten commandments, and also sundry others relating to marriage, divorce, bond-servants, &c. Abraham's marriage with his half-sister, and Jacob's marriage with two sisters at once, were illegal according to the law which was given by Moses.

(3.) The ecclesiastical law, which includes the ceremonial, the building or making of the tabernacle and its furniture, the priesthood, and the law of jealousy, &c.

(4.) The national law which includes the administration of the whole of the law, the election and duty of a king, all matters relating to war, the capture of the cities, the division of the spoil, and which forbids all communion with other nations.

The Hebrew writers say, their law contains six hundred and thirteen precepts to be observed by the children of Israel. It is very truly called a law of works! And it is also called a covenant, for it contains many promises, between the children of Israel and the Lord their God; and being a covenant was confirmed by sacrifice, and by oath. (Exod. xxiv. 3-8. Deut. xxix. 1-10, 15.)

Before we proceed further, the reader will do well to observe, that the covenant at Horeb was entered into between the children of Israel and what is called the ceremonial law, or the commandment of the Lord respecting the priests, their services, &c. The whole of the covenant entered into at Horeb is included in Exodus xx. to xxiii.: and in the following chapter, we read, " And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled upon the altar. And he took the book of the covenant and read it in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words." (Exod. xxiv. iii. 8.)