A CONFESSION OF FAIT . H. I BELIEVE that nothing is without beginning but God; no nature, no matter, no fpirit, but one only, and the fame God. That God, as he is eternally almighty, only wife, only good in his nature; fo he is eternally Father, Son, and Spirit in perfons. I believe that God is fo holy, pure, and jealous, as it is impoffible for him to be pleased in any creature, though the work of his own hands; fo that neither angel, man, nor world, could ftand, or can ftand, one moment in his eyes, without beholding the fame in the face of a mediator; and therefore, that before him, with whom all things are prefent, the Lamb of God was flain before all worlds; without which eternal counfel of his, it was impoffible for him to have defcended to any work of creation; but he should have enjoyed the blessed and individual fociety of three perfons in godhead for ever. But that, out of his eternal and infinite goodness and love, purpofing to become a creator, and to communicate to his creatures, he ordained in his eternal counfel, that one perfon of the godhead fhould be united to one nature, and to one particular of his creatures; that fo, in the perfon of the mediator, the true ladder might be fixed, whereby God might defcend to his creatures, and his creatures might afcend to God: fo that God, by the recon cilement of the Mediator, turning his countenance towards his creatures (though not in equal light and degree) made way unto the difpenfation of his moft holy and fecret will; whereby fome of his creatures might stand, and keep their ftate; others might poffibly fall and be restored; and others might fall and not be restored to their eftate, but yet remain in being, though under wrath and corruption; all with respect to the Mediator; which is the great mystery, and perfect center of all God's ways with his creatures; and unto which, all his other works and wonders do but ferve and refer. That he chofe (according to his good pleasure) man to be that creature, to whose nature, the perfon of the eternal Son of God fhould be united; and amongst the generations of men, elected a fmall flock, in whom (by the participation of himself) he purpofed to exprefs the riches of his glory, all the miniftration of angels, damnation of devils and reprobates, and univerfal administration of all creatures, and difpenfation of all times; having no other end but as the ways and ambages of God, to be further glorified in his faints, who are one with their head the Mediator, who is one with God. That by the virtue of this his eternal counfel, he condefcended of his own good pleasure, and according to the times and seasons to himself known, to become a Creator; and by his eternal word creaedall things; and by his eternal fpirit doth comfort and preferve nem. That he made all things in their firft eftare good, and removed from himself the beginning of all evil and vanity into the liberty of the creature; but referved in himfelf the beginning of all reftitution to the liberty of his grace; using nevertheless, and turning the falling and defection of the creature (which to his prefcience was eternally known) to make way to his eternal counfel, touching a Mediator, and the work he purposed to accomplish in him. That God created fpirits, whereof fome kept their ftanding, and others fell; he created heaven and earth, and all their armies and generations; and gave unto them conftant and everlasting laws, which we call nature; which is nothing but the laws of creation; which laws, nevertheless, have had three changes or times, and are to have a fourth or laft. The firft, when the matter of heaven and earth was created without form: the second, the interim of perfection of every day's work: the third, by the curfe, which, notwithstanding, was no new creation: and the laft, at the end of the world, the manner whereof is not yet fully revealed; fo as the laws of 'nature which now remain and govern inviolably till the end of the world, began to be in force when 7 God first refted from his works, and ceased to create; but received a revocation, in part, by the curfe, fince which time they change not. That notwithstanding God hath rested and ceased from creating fince the first fabbath, yet, nevertheless, he doth accomplish and fulfil his divine will in all things, great and fmall, fingular and general; as fully and exactly by providence, as he could by miracle and new creation, though his working be not immediate and direct, but by compass; not, violating nature, which is his own law upon the creature. That at the first, the foul of man was not produced by heaven or earth, but was breathed immediately from God; fo that the ways and proceedings of God with fpirits, are not included in nature; that is, in the laws of heaven and earth; but are reserved to the law of his fecret will and grace: wherein God worketh ftill, and refteth not from the work of redemption, as he refteth from the work of creation; but continueth working till the end of the world: what time that work alfo fhall be accomplished; and an eternal fabbath fhall enfue. Likewife, that whenfoever God doth tranfcend the law of nature by miracles, (which may ever seem as new creations) he never cometh to that point or pass, but in regard of the work of redemption, which is the greater, and whereto all God's figns and miracles do refer. That God created man in his own image, in a reasonable foul, in innocency, in free-will, and in fovereignty: that he gave him a law and a commandment, which was in his power to keep, but he kept it not that man made a total defection from God, prefuming to imagine, that the commandments and prohibitions of God, were not the rules of good and evil; but that good and evil had their own principles and beginnings, and lufted after the knowledge of those imagined beginnings; to the end, to depend no more upon God's will revealed, but upon himself and his own light, as a God; than the which there could not be a fin more oppofite to the whole law of God: that yet, nevertheless, this great fin was not originally moved by the malice of mạn, but was infinuated by the fuggeftion and inftigation of the devil, who was the first defected creature, and fell of malice, and not by temptation. That upon the fall of man, death and vanity entered by the juftice of God; and the image of God in man was defaced; and heaven and earth, which were made for man's use, were subdued |