I Believe, That nothing is without beginning, but GOD, nor Nature no Matter, no Spirit, but one only, and the same GOD,
That GOD as he is Eternall, Almighty, only wise, only God in his Nature: so he is eternally Father, Sonne, and holy Spirit in Persons.
I believe, That God is so holy, pure, realous, that it is impossible for him to be pleased in any Creature (though the work of his own hand) so that neither Angel, Man nor World, could stand, or can stand one moment in his eyes, without beholding the same in the face of a Mediator.
And therefore, that before him, with whom all things are present, The Lambe of God was slain before all Worlds, without which Eternal Councel of his, it was impossible for him to have descended to any work of Creation, but should have enjoyed the blessed and individuall Society of three Persons in God, head only for ever; but that out of his eternall and infinite goodnesse and love (purposing to become a Creator, and to communicate with his Creatures he ordained in his Eternall Councell, That one Person of the God head should in time be united to one Nature, and to one particular of his Creatures, That so in the person of the Mediator; the true sadder might be fixed, whereby God might descend to his Creatures; and the Creatures might ascend to God: So that by the reconciliation of the Mediatour, turning his Countenance towards his Creatures (though not in the same degree) made way unto the disposition of his most holy, and sacred will whereby some of his Creatures might stand and keep their State, others might fall, and be restored into their state, but yet remaine in Being, though under wrath and corruption, all in the vertue of the Mediator, which is the great Mystery and perfect Centry of all Gods ways with his Creatures, & unto which all his other works and wonders, do but serve and refer. That he chose (according to his good pleasure) Man to be that Creature, to whose Nature the Eternal Son of God should be united, and among the Generations of men elected a small flock, to whom the participation of himself, he purposed to expresse the riches of his glory. All the ministration of Angels, damnation of Divels and Reprobats, and universall administration of all Creatures, and dispensation of all times have no other end; but as the wayes and Ambages of God, to be furthet glorified of his Saints, who are one with the Mediator, who is one with God.
That by vertue of his Eternall Councel (touching a Mediator) he descendeth at his own good pleasure, and according to times & seasons to himself known, to become a Creator) and by his Eternall Word created all things, and by his Eternall Spirit doth comfort and preserve them.
That he made all things in their first estate good, and removed from himself the begining of all evill and vanity, unto the liberty of the Creature; but reserved in himself the begining of all restistitution, and the liberty of his grace using (neverthelesse) and turning the falling and desention of the Creature, which to his Presciens was eternally known to make way to his Eternall Councell, touching a Mediator and the Work, he purposed to accomplish in him.
That God created Spirits, whereof some kept their standing, and others fell. He created Heaven and Earth, and all their Armies and Generations, and gave unto them constant and everlasting Laws, which we call Nature, which is nothing else but the Laws of Creation; which Laws (neverthelesse) have had three changes or times, and are to have a fourth and last.
- The first, When the matter of Heaven and Earth was created without formes.
- The second, The interim of every dayes work.
- The third, By the Curse, which notwithstanding was no new Creation, but a Privation of part of the first Creature.
And the last end of the world, the manner where of is not yet revealed. So as the lawes of Nature which now remaine and govern Inviolably till the end of the world begin to be in force when God first rested from his works, and ceased to create. But received a revocation (in part) by the curse, since which timey the changed not.
That, notwithstanding God hath rested, and ceased from creating since the first Sabboth, yet neverthelesse he doth accomplish and fullfill his divine will in all things great, and small, singular, and generall, as fully and exactly by providence, as he would by miracle, & new creation, though his worke be not immediate, & direct, but by compasse, not violating Nature which is his owne law upon his Creatures.
That as at the first the Soule of Man was not produced by Heaven or earth but was breathed immediatly from God: So that the wayes and proceedings from God with Spirits are not concluded in Nature, that is in the lawes of Heaven and Earth, but are reserved to the law of his secret will, and grace wherein God worketh still, and resteth not from the work of Creation, but continnueth working till the end of the world, what time that worke also shall be accomplished, and an eternall Sabboth shall ensue.
Likewise that whensoever God doth break the law of Nature by miracles (which are ever new Creatures) he never cometh to that point or passe, but in regard of the worke of Redemption which is the greater, and whereunto all Gods Saints and Martirs do referre.
That God created man in his owne likenesse or Image in a reasonable Soule, in innocency, in free-will, in Soveraignty That he gave him a law and commandement which was in his power to keep, but he kept it not.
That Man made a totall defection from God, presuming to imagine, that the commandement and prohibition of God were not the rules of good and evill, but that good and evill had their Principles and Beginnings, to the end, to depend no more upon Gods will revealed, but upon him and his own light as a God, then the which, there would not be a Sinne more opposite to the whole law of God.
That (neverthelesse) this great sinne was not originally moved by the malice of man, but was intimated by the suggestion and instigation of the Divell who was the first defected Creature, who did fall of malice and not by temptation
That upon the fall of man death and vanity upon the Justice of God, and the Image of God was defaced, and Heaven, and Earth which was made for mans use were subdued and corrupted by his fall. But then that instant and without intermission of time after the words of Gods law became through the fall of man frustrate, as to obedience there succeeded the greater word of the promise, the righteousnesse of God might be wrought by faith.
That aswell the law of God as the word of his promise enduce the same for ever, but that they have been revealed in severall manners according to the dispensation of times for the law was first imprinted in that remnant of light of nature which was left after the fall being sufficient to accuse, then it was more manifestly expressed in the written law, & was yet more opened to the Prophets, & lastly expounded in the true perfection of the Sonne of God the great Prophet, and interpreter of the law.
That likewise the word of the promise was manifested & revealed. First by the immediate revelation & inspiration after the figures which were of two Natures.
The one, of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Law; the other continuall History of the old World, & Church of the Jews, which though it be literall, is true; yet it is pregnant of a perpetuall allegory and shadow of the work of redemption, to follow the same Promise or Evangell, was more cleerly revealed and declared by the Prophets, and then by the Son himself. And lastly, by the holy Ghost which illuminateth the Church to the end of the World.
That in the fulnesse of Time, according to the promise and oath of God, of a chosen Image descended the blessed Seed of the Woman, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, and Savior of the Word, who was conceived by the holy Ghost, and took flesh of the Virgin Mary.
That the Word did not only take flesh, or was joyned to flesh, but was flesh, though without confusion of substance or nature: so as the Eternal Son of God, and the ever blessed Son of Man was one Person: So one, as the blessed Virgin may be truly and Catholikely called Dei Para the Mother of God. So one as there is unity in universal Nature. Not that the soul and body of Man so perfect, for the three heavenly Unities (whereof that as the second) exceed all natural Unities; that is to say, the unity of God and Man in Christ and the Church, the holy Ghost being the worker of both these latter unities. For by the Holy Ghoct was Christ incarnate & quickned in the flesh, and by the Holy Ghost is Man regenerate and quickned in the Spirit.
That Jesus the Lord became in the flesh a Sacrifice for sin, a satisfaction and price to the justice of God, a meritour of glory and the Kingdom, a Pattern of all Righteousnesse, a Preacher of the Word which himself was, a finisher of the Ceremonies, a corner stone to remove the separation between Jew and Gentile, an intercessour for the Church, a Lord of Nature, a conqueror of death, and the power of darknesse in his Resurrection.
And that he fulfilled the whole councell of God, performed his whole sacred office, and annointing in Earth, accomplished the whole work of Redemption, and restitution of man, to a state superiour to the Angels, whereas the state of his Creation was inferiour, and reconciled and established all things, according to the eternall will of the Father.
That in time Jesus the Lord was born in the days of Herod, and suffered under the government of Pontius Pilat, being Deputy of the Romans, and under the high Priesthood of Caiphas and was betrayed by Judas, one of the 12. Apostles, and was crucified at Jerusalem, and after a true and natural death, and his body laid in the Sepulchre, the third day he raised himself from the bonds of death, and arose, and shewed himself to many chosen witnesses by the space of many days. And at the end of those days, in the sight of many ascended into Heaven, where he continueth his intercession, and shal from thence at a day appointed, come in great glory to judge the World.
That the sufferings and merit of Christ, as they are sufficient to do away the sins of the whole World, so they are only effectuall to such as are regenerate by the Holy Ghost, who breaketh where he will of free grace (which grace as a seed incorruptible) quickneth the Spirit of Man, and conceiveth him a new the Son of God, and a Member of Christ.
So that Christ having Mans flesh, and Man having Christs spirit there is an open passage and mutual imputation whereby sinne & wrath is conveyed to Christ from man, and merit and life is conveyed to Man from Christ, which Seed of the Holy Ghost, first figureth in us the Image of Christ, slain or crucified in a lively faith, and then reigneth in us the Image of God, in holinesse and charity, though both imperfectly and in degrees far differing, even in Gods elect, aswel in regard of the fire of the spirit, as of the illumination, which is more or lesse in a large proportion; as namely in the Church before Christ, which yet neverthelesse was partakers of one and the same salvation, and one and the same means of salvation with us.
That the work of the Spirit, though it be not tyed to any means in Heaven or Earth, yet it is ordinarily dispensed by the preaching of the Word, the administration of the Sacraments, the covenants of the Fathers upon the children, prayer, reading, the censures of the Church, the society of the godly, the crosses and afflictions, Gods benefits, his judgments upon others, Miracles, the contemplation of his Creatures. All which things, some be more principall. God usethas the meanes of Vocation or conversion of his elect not derogating power to call immediately by his grace, & at all hours & moments of the day (that is) of mans life according to his good pleasure.
That the word of God whereby this will is revealed continued in revelation & tradition untill Moses & that the Scriptures were from Moses time, to the times of the Apostles & Evangelicts in whose ages after the comming of the Holy Ghost the Teacher of all truth the booke of the Scriptures is shut and closed up, to receive any new addition, and that the Church hath no power over the Scriptures to teach or command any thing contrary to the written word, But is as the Ark, wherein the tables of the first Testament were kept and preferred (that is to say) the Church hath onely the Custody, and delivery of the Scriptures committed unto the same together with the interpretation of them.
That there is an Vniversall or Catholique Church of God dispersed over the face of the Earth, which Christs Spouse and Christs Body being gathered of the Fathers of the old world of the Church of the Jewes, of the Spirits, of the faithfull, dissolved of the Spirits of the faithfull militant, and of the names yet to be born, which are already written in the Book of life.
That there is a visible Church distinguished by the outward works of God Servant, and the receiving of the holy doctrine, with the use of the misteries of God, and the invocation and sanctification of his Holy Name.
That there is also a Holy succession of the ‘Prophets of the new. Testamen, and Fathers of the Church from the time of the Apostles and Disciples which saw our Saviour in the flesh unto the consumation of the work of the Ministery, which persons are called of God, by guift or inward annointing and the vocation of God followed by an outward calling or ordination of the Church.
I Believe that the Soules of those that dy in the Lord are blessed and rest from their labour and enjoy the sight of God, yet so as they are in expectation of the further revelation of their glory in the last day. At which time, all flesh of man shall arise and be changed and shall appeare and receive from Iesus Christ his eternall Judgement, and the glory of the Saints shall then be full and the Kingdome shall be give, to God the Father from which time all things shall continue for ever in that being and estate which then they shall receive: So as there are three times (if times they may be called) or parts of Eternity.
The first, The time before beginning, when the God-head was only without the being of any Creature.
The second, The time of Mystery, which continueth from the Cretion to the dissolution of the World.
The third, The time of the Revelation of the Sons of God, which time is the last, and is without change.
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