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Sandlification (or Perfection) producing Nature, Grace and Glory, or our Perfons, Medicine, and. Health.

9. And God who created the world, is thereupon to be known in his Relations to it; as our Creator in Unity, and as our Owner, Ruler, and Chief Good (efficient, dirigent and final) in a Trinity of Relations. You must know how the Infinite Vital Power of the Father, created all things by the Infinite Wisdom of the Word, or Son, and by the Infinite Goodnefs and Live of the holy Spirit (As the Son redeemed us as the eternal Wisdom, and Word Incarnate, fent by the eternal VitalPower of the Father, to reveal and communicate the eternal Love in the Holy Ghoft: And as the Holy Ghoft doth sandifie and perfect us, as proceeding and fent from the Power of the Father, and the Wisdom of the Son, to shed abroad the Lɔve of God upon our hearts, &c.)

10. Next to the knowledge of God as Creator, is to be confi dered the World which he created, and especially the InteЯelual Creatures; Angels, or heavenly Spirits, and Men. Man is to be known in his perfon or conftitution first, and afterward in his appointed courfe, and in his end and perfection.

11. In his conflitution is to be confidered, 1. His Being or effential parts: 2. His Rectitude or Qualities: 3. His Relations, 1. To his Creatour; And 2. To his fellow crea

tures.

12. His effential parts are his foul and body: His foul is to be known in the Unity ofits Effence, and Trinity of effential facul ties (which is its natural Image of God.) Its effence is a Living Spirit: Its effential faculties are 1. A VitalMaivity, or Power : 2. An Understanding: 3. A Will.

13. His Reditude, which is Gods Moral Image on him, confifteth 1. In the promptitude and fortitude of his Adive Power: 2. In the Wisdom of his Understanding: 3. In the Moral Goodneß of his Will, which is its Inclination to its End, and Readiness for its Duty.

14. Being created fuch a creature, by a meer refultancy from his Nature, and his Creator, he is related to him as his Creature, and in that Unity is the fubfequent Trinity of Relations: 1. As we are Gods Propriety, or his Own: a. Hig Subjects: 3. His Beneficiaries and Lovers: all comprized in Bbb

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the one title of his children. And at once with thefe Relations of man to God, it is that God is as before related to man, as his Creator, and as his Owner, Ruler, and Chief Good.

15. Man is also related to his fellow creatures, below bim, 1. As their Owner, 2. Their Ruler, 3. Their End, under God: which is Gods Dominative or Honorary Image upon man, and is called commonly our Dominion over the creatures: So that by meer Creation, and the Nature of the creatures there is conftituted a state of communion between God and Man, which is 1. A Dominion, 2. A Kingdom, 3. A Family or Paternity. And the whole is fometime called by one of these names, and fometime by the other, fill implying the reft.

16. Gods Kingdom being thus conftitated, his Attributes appropriate to thefe his Relations follow: 1. His Abfolutene as our Owner: 2. His Holiness, Truth and Juftice as our Ruler: 3. And his Kindness, Benignity and Mercy as our Father or Benefactor.

17. And then the Works of God as in thefe three Relations follow; which are 1. To Difpofe of us at his pleafure as our Owner: 2. Fogovern us as our King: 3. To love us, and do us good, and make us perfectly happy as our Benefactor and

our end.

18. And here more particularly is to be confidered, 1. How God difpofed of Adam when he had new made him: 2. How he began his Government of him: And 3. What Benefits he gave him, and what he further offered or promised him.

19. And as to the fecond, we muft 1. Confider the Antesedent part of Gods Government, which is Legislation and then (hereafter) the confequent part; which is 1. Judgment, 2. Execution. And Gods Legiflation is 1. By making our Matures fuch as compared with objects, Duty fhall refult from this Nature fo related: a. Or elle by Precept or Revelation from himself, befides our Natures. 1. The Law of Nature is fundamental and radical in our forefaid Relations to God themfelves, in which it is made our natural duty, 1. To subwit our felves wholly to God, and his difpofal, as his own: 1. To obey his commands: 3. And to receive his mercies, and thankfully to return them, and to love him. But though

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(as Gods effential principles, and his forefaid Relations, are admirably conjunct in their operations ad extra; fo) our Relative obligations are conjun&, yet are they fo far diftinguishable, that we may fay, that these which conjun&ly make our Moral duty, yet are not all the refults of our Relation to a Governour, as fuch; but the fecond only; and therefɔre that only is to be called the Kadical Law in the ftrict fenfe, the other two being the Moral results of our Rectitude. The duty of fubjection and obedience in general, arifing from our Natures related to our Creator, is the radical governing Law of God in us. But yet the fame fubmiffion, and gratitude, and love, which are primarily our duty from their proper foundations, are fecondarily made alfo the matter of our fubjective duty, because they are alfo commanded of God. 2. The particular Laws of Nature are 1. Of our particular duties to God; or of Piety: 2. Or of our duties to our felves and others: 1. Acts of Juftice, 2. And of Charity. Thefe Laws of Nature are 1. Unalterable; and that is, where the nature of our perfons, and of the objects, which are the foundations of them are unalterable, or fill the fame: 2. Or mutable, when the Nature of the things which are its foundation, is mutable. As it is the immutable Law of immutable nature, that we love God as God, and that we do all the good we can,&c. becaufe the foundation of it is immutable: But e. g. the Law again Inceft was mutable in nature: For nature bound Adams children to marry each other; and nature bindeth us fince (ordinarily) to the contrary: 2. The revealed Law to Adam was fuperinduced. The parts of Gods Law muft alfo here be confidered. 1. The introductive Teaching part (for Gods teaching us, is part of his ruling us) and that is, Doctrines, Hiftory and Prophecy. 2. The Imperative part, commands to do, and not to do. 3. And the fanctions or motive parts in Law and execution, which are 1. Promiles of Beneficial Rewards: 2. Threatnings of hurtful penalties.

20. Gods Laws being thus defcribed in general, and those made to Adam thus in particular, the next thing to be confidered, is mans behaviour in breaking thofe Laws; which must be confidered in the Causes, and the Nature of it, and the immediate effects and confequents.

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21. And next must be confidered Gods confequent part of Government as to Adam, viz. his judging him according to his

Law.

22. And here cometh in the Promife, or the first edition of the New Covenant, or Law of Grace; which must be opencd in its parts, original and end.

23. And then must be confidered Gods execution of his fentence on Adam, 10 far as he was unpardoned; and fo upon the world, till the end.

24. And next must be confidered Gods enlargements and explications of his Covenant of Grace, till Chrifts Incar-nation.

25. And next, mens behaviour under that explained Co

venant.

26. And Gods fentence an d execution upon them thereupon.

27. Then we come to the fulness of time, and to explain the work of Redemption diftinctly. And 1. Its Original, the God of Nature giving the world a Phyfician or a Saviour: 2. The Ends: 3. The conflitutive Caufes: Where 1. Of the Perfon of the Redeemer, in his Effence, as God and Man, and in his perfections, both effential, and modal, and accidental.

28. And 2. Of the fundamental works of our Redemption (fuch as Creation was to the firft Administration)viz. (his firtt Undertaking, Interpofition, and Incarnation, being all prefuppofed.) 1. His perfect Refignation of himself to his Father, and fubmiffion to his difpofing Will: 2. His perfect fubjection and obedience to his Governing Will 3. His perfect Leve to him: 4. And the fuffering by which he expreft all thefe. The three first meriting of themselves; and the last meriting as a fatisfactory Sacrifice, not for it felf, but for its usefulness to its proper ends.

29. From this Offering once made to God, Chrift acquired the perfecter title of a Saviour, or Redeemer, or Mediatour, which one contained this Trinity alfo of Relations towards Man: 1. Their Owner: 2. Their Ruler: 3. Their Benetor: The Father alfo as the first principle of Redemption, acquiring a fecond title (befides the firft by Creation) to all' thefe: and towards God, Chrift continueth the Relation of s heavenly Prieft.

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30. In order to the works of thefe Relations for the future, we muft confider of Chrifts exaltation; 1 Of his Juftification and Refurre&tion: 2. Of his Afcenfion and Glorification: And 3. Of the delivering of All Power, and All Things into his hands.

31. The work of Redemption thus fundamentally wrought, doth not of it felf renew mans nature; and therefore putteth no Law of Nature into us of it felf, as the Creation did: And therefore we muft next proceed to Chrifts Administration of this office, according to thefe Relations; which is 1. By Le giflation or Donations enacting the New Covenant (where this laft and perfect edition of it is to be explained; the Preseptive, the Promifory and the Penal parts, with its effects, and its differences from the former Edition, and from the Law of Nature and of Works.

32. And 2. By the promulgation or publication of this Covenant or Gospel to the world, by calling fpecial Officers for that work, and giving them their commiffion, and promifing them his Spirit, his Protection, and their Reward.

33. And here we come to the fpecial work of the Holy Gboft; who is 1. To be known in his Effence and Perfon, as the third in Trinity, and the eternal Løve of God: 2. And as he is the grand Advocate or Agent of Chriff in the world, where his works are to be confidered 1. Preparatory, on and by Chrift himself: 2. Adminiftratory: 1. Extraordinary, on the Apostles and their helpers: 1. Being in them a fpirit of extraordinary Power, by gifts and miracles: 2. Of extraordinary Wisdom and Infallibility, as far as their commiffionwork required: 3. And of extraordinary Love and Ho. linefs. 2. By the Apofiles, 1. Extraordinarily convincing and, bringing in the world: 2. Settling all Church-Doctrines, Officers and Orders which Chrift had left unfettled (bringing alb things to their remembrance which Chrift had taught and commanded them; and guiding them in the reft.) 3. Recording all this for pofterity in the holy Scriptures. 2. His Ordinary Agency 1. On Minifters, 2. By fan&ification on all true Believers is after to be opened.

34. And here is to be confidered the Nature of Christianity in fieri: Faith and Repentance in our three great Relations

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