for ever; but that they have been revealed in feveral manners, according to the difpenfation of times. For the law

was first imprinted in that remnant of light of Nature which was left after the fall, being fufficient to accufe; then it was more manifeftly expreffed in the written law; and was yet more opened by the prophets; and, laftly, expounded in the true perfection by the Son of God, the great prophet and perfect interpreter of the Law. That likewise the word of the promise was manifested and revealed, firft by immediate revelation and infpiration; after by figures, which were of two natures: the one, the rites and ceremonies of the Law; the other, the continual hiftory of the old world, and Church of the Jews; which, though it be literally true, yet is it pregnant of a perpetual allegory and fhadow of the work of the Redemption to follow. The fame promife or evangel was more clearly revealed and declared by the prophets, and then by the Son Himself, and laftly by the Holy Ghoft, which illuminateth the Church to the end of the world.

That in the fulness of time, according

F

to the promise and oath of God, of a chofen lineage descended the blessed seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and Saviour of the world; Who was conceived by the power and overshadowing of the Holy Ghoft, and took flesh of the Virgin Mary that the Word did not only take flesh, or was joined to flesh, but was made flesh, though without any conforming of fubftance or nature so as the eternal Son of God and the everbleffed Son of Mary was one person ; fo one, as the blessed Virgin, may be truly and catholicly called Deipara, the mother of God; fo one, as there is no unity in universal nature, not that of the foul and body of man, fo perfect; for the three heavenly unities (whereof that is the second) exceed all natural unities that is to say, the unity of the three perfons in Godhead, the unity of God and man in Chrift, and the unity of Chrift and the Church: the Holy Ghost being the worker of both these latter unities, for by the Holy Ghost was Chrift incarnate and quickened in flesh, and by the Holy Ghoft is man regenerate and quickened in spirit.

That Jefus the Lord became in the flesh a sacrifice, and a sacrifice for fin; a fatisfaction and price to the juftice of God; a meriter of glory and the kingdom; a pattern of all righteousness; a preacher of the Word which Himself was; a finisher of the ceremonies; a corner-ftone to remove the separation between Jew and Gentile; an interceffor for the Church; a lord of Nature in His miracles; a conqueror of death and the power of darkness in His refurrection; and that He fulfilled the whole counsel of God, performing all His facred offices and anointing on earth, accomplished the whole work of the redemption and reftitution of man to a ftate fuperior to the angels, whereas the ftate of man by creation was inferior; and reconciled or established all things according to the eternal will of the Father.

That in time Jefus the Lord was born in the days of Herod, and fuffered under the government of Pontius Pilate, being deputy of the Romans, and under the high-priesthood of Caiaphas, and was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve Apostles, and was crucified at Jerufalem; and after a true and natural

death, and His body laid in the fepulchre, the third day He raised Himself from the bonds of Death, and arose and shewed Himself to many chosen witneffes, by the space of divers days; and at the end of those days, in the fight of many, ascended into heaven, where He continueth His interceffion, and shall from thence at the day appointed come in greatest glory to judge the world.

That the fufferings and merits of Christ, as they are fufficient to do away the fins of the whole world, so they are only effectual to thofe that are regenerate by the Holy Ghoft; Who breatheth where He will of free grace, which, given as a seed incorruptible, quickeneth the spirit of man, and conceiveth him anew a fon of God and member of Christ: fo that Chrift having man's flesh, and man having Chrift's spirit, there is an open paffage and mutual imputation, whereby fin and wrath is conveyed to Chrift from man, and merit and life is conveyed to man from Chrift; which feed of the Holy Ghost first figureth in us as the image of Chrift flain or crucified through a lively faith, and then reneweth in us the image of God in holiness

and charity; though both imperfectly and in degrees far differing even in God's elect, as well in regard of the fire of the Spirit as of the illumination, which is more or less in a large proportion : as, namely, in the Church before Christ, which yet nevertheless was partaker of one and the fame falvation with us, and of one and the fame means of falvation with us.

That the work of the Spirit, though it be not tied to any means in heaven or earth, yet it is ordinarily dispensed by the preaching of the Word; the administration of the facraments; the covenants of the fathers upon the children, prayer, reading; the cenfures. [=judgments or decifions] of the Church; the fociety of the godly; the cross and afflictions; God's benefits; His judgments upon others; miracles; the contemplation of His creatures; all which (though fome be more principal) God useth as the means of vocation and converfion of His elect; not derogating from His power to call immediately by His grace, and at all hours and moments of the day (that is, of man's life), according to His good pleasure.