THE PREFACE.

To The Christian and Considerate Reader:
Grace, Mercy, &c.
AS to the Great Richness and Goodly Number
of This Author's Writings, I shall not
here say much; having spoken most of what
I had to say anent Those two Points, in
The Account or Preface set before the First
Volume of His Workes, Printed in Folio
the last year. And yet Thus much I shall
say, That I am dayly more and more confirmed in my Judgement
There passed upon them: being likewise perswaded of This, That,
though it be but the Addition of one Single Unitie to the former
Number of his Bookes; yet will it prove a Multiplyed Accession
of Degrees to the weight and excellency of them.
I shall perhaps better gratifie The Reader, if I can present
unto his View any Observables worthy his Notice, Concerning
the Method and References both of This present, and Those
his other writings published in His Life-Time. And such as I
think may be usefull do here follow.

a

1. Of this Great Author's Bookes of Commentaries
upon the Creed with their Respective Appendices;
The Five First, viz. The 1, 2, & 3. Of the Eternal
Truth of Scripture, &c. The 4. Of Justifying
Faith; The 5. Of the Original of Unbeleif, Misbeleif,
&c. Relate unto, or Explicate the first Words
of the First Article of the Creed.
I Beleive in God.
2. His Sixt Book being A Treatise of the Divine
Essence and Attributes; to which append his Sermons
upon 2. Chron. 6. 39. upon Jeremie 26. 29. His
Treatise of the Signes of The Times: and his Sermon
upon Luke 21. 1. Referres to the next words
of The Creed.
God, The Father
Almighty maker of
Heaven and Earth.
Now, if any shall Object, That nigh the One Half of these
Treatises, and Sermons too are about Divine Providence;
of which there is no explicit mention in the Creed. The Answer
is readie and easie; So they ought to be; it was meet and right they
should be so. The Good God that made the world with all the
comely Ornaments and rich Furniture thereof did neither leave
it to it self, so soon as it was made, nor transmit the Tuition of it to
a Guardian or Locum-Tenens; but ever did, and still doth keep
the Government in That Hand which with so great wisdom made
the same. And His verie Title NoValue; His Son our Saviour's
Words [Pater meus adhuc operatur] teach us to depend upon,
and trust unto his Constant Providence and support for Conservation;
And This as a Clew leads, or, as a Terminus Communis,
Couples, our Faith, to his Creative power.
3. His Two Sermons, the Former of them Call'd
Bethlehem and Nazareth, upon Jeremie 31. 22. The
later upon Galat. 4. 4. enstyled Mankinds Comfort
from the weaker sex. His Treatise, entituled Christ's
Answer to Iohn's Question; or, An Introduction to
the Knowledge of Christ. His 7. Book of Commentaries
upon the Creed, Call'd, The Knowledge of
Christ Jesus; Containing The Principles of Christian
Theologie, qua Talis, Christ's Eternal Sonship; his
Conception, Birth and Circumcision in the Fulness of
Time, being, if not the intire Subject, yet the Main
Scope of these last mentioned parcels respectively referre
to that Portion of The Creed wherein we avouch
our Faith in The Son of God, our Lord
Jesus Christ incarnate.
And in Jesus Christ,
his onely Son, our
Lord; which was
Conceived by the
Holy Ghost, Born
of the Virgin Mary.
4. The Subject of this Great Author's Eighth
Book of Commentaries upon the Apostles Creed,
enstyled, The Humiliation of the Son of God, is the
same God and our Lord, who was conceived by The
Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Marie. And
The Scope of it is to shew, That HEE, according
to the Scripture before Extant,
Suffered under Pontius
Pilatem was Crucified,
Dead and Buried.
5. His ninth Book, Of the Consecration of the
Son of God to his Everlasting Priesthood; whereof
His Agonie and Bloody Death, His Rest in the Grave,
and in this Authors private opinion, see Book 8. pag.
385, His descension into Hell, His Resurrection and
Ascension, were Respectively the several Giests or
Moments, some as preparations, others as Continuations;
some as Accomplishments others as Consequents,
Lookes back somewhat towards the former,
and forward somewhat toward these Later particulars
of the Creed.
He descended into
Hell, the third day
he rose again from
the Dead, he ascended into Heaven.
6. All the Tracts or Books mentioned in the three last Paragraphs
for those be They, which Directly, Destinately, and Immediately
treat of Christian Theologie, qua Talis, make but up
The First and more Easie Part of the Knowledge of Christ.

a 2

And This to use the Author's own words Consists in the display
of that most admirable Harmonie, which ariseth from the
Concent of Prophetical with Evangelical Writings; or, from the
Correspondencie of Parallels between Matters of Fact recorded
in the Old Testament, and the Events answering in proportion
to them, in the New.
7 This Tenth Book not published till now is addressed to
The Second part of The Knowledge of Christ, which Consists
in the True Experimental Valuation of His Vndertakings
for mans Redemption: viz. Of His taking upon Himself the
Form of a Servant, of His Death, Resurrection and Ascension.
Of all which several steps or progresses of His O Economie as also
of the whole Volume of His other whether Actings or Sufferings
for us The most precious Beneficial Effects and saving Influences
are Actually and only Derived unto us by the Continued Acts and
Constant Exercise of His Everlasting Priesthood, executed dayly
in the Heavenly Sanctuarie, by Him there Sitting on
the Right Hand of Majestie on High. 'Tis plain
then, that, That Part of this Tenth Book which explicitly
treates of Christs Priesthood, as it supposes
Christ Risen and ascended, so it relates specially to
that portion of the Creed,
And there he sitteth
on the Right Hand of
God the Father Almighty.
8 This Glorious High-Priesthood of the Son of God, then,
is The Office of Perfection; The completing, finishing, or Crowning
office. That Office amongst us which hath it's name from Finalis
Concordia, is in no proportion so usefull for agreements or Atonements
civil betwixt man and man, as This Transcendent Priesthood
of Christ is Effectual, to all that sue to Him with such Fervence
and Reverence as he in the dayes of His Flesh did unto His
Father for Reconciling us mortal wretches unto God.
9 And here now, besides what is said above of the great Excellencie
of Christs Priesthood; The Intertainment of three or four meditations
Homogeneal to this Subject, and which so Voluntarily offer
themselves as that I cannot reject them: As 1. That Melchizedek
King of Salem probably Shem the Great, certainly Some person of
Eminent Pietie as well as Dignitie, An Ideal patern of all perfections
required in both the sons of Oyle, King, and Priest; A Pater sui
seculi, A Resemblance of the First Adam, but A most lively Type of
Christ Had the Priesthood conveighd unto him in some Signal
Manner; so that Text seemes to imply, [And he was THE
PRIEST of the Most High God.] 2. That Aaron, who
was also a Type of Christ, did not take his Honour upon himself,
but was most solemnly and satisfactorily called of God thereto, and
stated himself and his successors therein. 3. That our Lord
Jesus Christ, The Son, The Only Son of God, and so by natural
Inheritance intituled to the Kingdom and Priesthood of the world
did not glorifie himself to be made an High priest; but had,
besides the immeasurable Vnction of the Spirit, the Office founded
upon him by A most Ample Patent: [In the Volume of the Book
it is written -.] and invested in Him, and only in Him, by The
word of the Oath of God. Hebr. 7. 20. &c. Doth render
me wonder-strook at four sorts of men most Active in this Busie
Age. 1. At such as think it a Piece of their Christianitie to loath and
despight the Name of Priest, as of some pernicious vermin bred
out of a Putrid Jewish Carkass; whereas it Signifies neither less
nor more then a Person intrusted and who is sufficient for that
Thing! with some part or Branch of Christs Priesthood which
is here on earth to be managed and Executed for the Benefit of
mankinde, even of Him that so Hates the name. 2. That the
Bishop of that Antient Sea Apostolick should by vertue of such
a dimme Commission as cannot be read without Spectacles of
Phansie made at Rome, Grasp at All in gross, as if all Power, which
Christ Himself doth not personally exercise in the Heavenly Sacntuarie,
was to pass and be derived by imposition or under the Signature
of His Hand, and to be shared and dispensed at his discretion.
3. That those our Brethren in Christ if yet they will allow us
to call them Brethren which have welnigh given over to say Pater
Noster who so zealously hate Innovations, should, contrarie to the
Church-Practice of 15. Ages together, not only 1. take upon them to
Ordain or commissionate men to execute part of Christs Preisthood,
and 2. to Censure offenders, without consent of that Order which
hath so fair a Patent to shew, and so long Prescription, somewhile
for the sole Power, alwayes for the Main Stroke in Both; But
even 3. to censure and excommunicate some Persons of that Order,
and 4. the very Order it self in submission to which when time
was they seemed to us, to live with a good conscience, and in a comfortable
Communion with their conforming Brethren which hath
in effect proved, the cutting off that Goodly Bough whereof themselves
were Branches: not considering, either how ill themselves
take it, when any thing by others is affirmed that contains in it but
a Consequence which will condemn the Practise of the Reformed
Churches of these two last Centuries; or How ill a Physiognomie the
very outward Face of the Act caries, as of a Strife managed even
unto Blood for Cheif Roomes in Synagogues, who should be
the greatest, or have the Greatest share in Exercising such parts of
Christs Priesthood as be concredited to men; A thing flat contrarie
to the Precepts of Christ, and to the humilitie of a Christian,
whose only strife is, to preferre others in Honour before Himself,
& whose onely Ambition is, to become like one of those little ones that
are weaned from the Breast. 4. That the volunteeres of the People,
who have improved the former Transgression of removing the Ancient
Church-Marks which our fathers had set, rather the Fathers
themselves set for Land-marks and Guides to a total Demolition;
casting off the sons who had cast out their Fathers, and the
Branches which had pluckt up their own Roots, and so succeeding
both as Augmenters and Revengers of the sin: especially that any which
among them pretend to the Fear of God and Love our Great High-Priest,
should not scruple at all, to execrate all consecration of Persons
to serve in Christ's stead, and yet Dubb themselves officers;
when as, God knowes, they be as far from Abilities to discharge as
they are from Authoritie to undertake the duty. The Catechizing
of their own children and servants in their own private Families, and
whetting upon them the Confessed Duties of Christianitie, Humblness
of mind, Meekness of Spirit, Puritie of Heart &c. Being a task
large enough for Better Qualifications then the common sort of men,
generally Have. He that searches the hearts knows, This is not
spoken out of envie at the people of God. I could wish, all of them
were Prophets, and my self the most ignorant man in the world; not
that I would know less then I do, but have all others know more then
my self. The sence of my deep unworthiness, to be numbred among
those that have obtained a lesse & lower part in the Ministery, works
a remorse for entring though by the right Door, yet, so præpropere
into it: and expresses from me this profession, That if it were now
to do, I should, haply, as Thales did in another case, either find my
self too young a novice, or too old a Doater, to put my shoulders under so
formidable though honourable a weight of trust and care.
10. When I have besought three of those sorts concerned in these
particulars, with all the Humilitie and meekness their charitie can imagin
in a Dissenting Brother, and by the Bowels of mercy in our most
Compassionate High-priest, Redire ad Cor, to take these things into
serious thoughts, without prejudging their Conscience by any sinister
considerations: and when I have made supplication to the Almighty,
who Commanded light to shine out Darkness, That A Christian Reunion
of hearts and minds may be the only Revenge and speedy Conclusion
of all our Differings; I shall proceed to another observation,
and 'tis This.
That the eternal God should fix such a Notable Seal upon Christs
Priesthood as His Oath is; That Saint Paul should be so Copious
and Demonstrative in the Argument as he is, And yet that there
should be so little notice take of it by our Divines. I must profess both
mine own ignorance in the Point, and mine unacquaintedness with our
English writers to be such, that were I, at the writing hereof, Confined
within a Circle till I had given in mine Answer to this Question,

b

[What English Divine had first writt about Christ's Priesthood?]
I must, to my knowledge, say, This Authour.
From his former Book I had the first, and from This a
more full discovery of the Excellent Mysteries and Comforts
conteined in it.
11. And though the wonder be the greater, that, there should be
such a Vacuitie or silence about this High Business among those
whose every third word, in their popular Discourses, is, The Lord
Iesus Christ; who so profess the Knowledge of Christ, as if the
Monopolie was ingrossed in their Brests it was to dye with them
unless learned from them: Yet will it be much the less wonderfull,
when it shall be considered; That some of the Doctrines of later times,
Viz. That the Issues of life and death Everlasting are so
past, decreed, and sealed from Eternitie, that no man ever
had any possibilitie to attain the Point opposite to that whereat
he actually doth arrive. That some mens sinnes be remitted,
not only before they be repented of, but before they be
Committed. &c. Do by certain, though perhaps unwitting
Consequences, Render Christ's Priesthood useless and superfluous.
For what need or use can there be imagined of an Office or Agencie
to procure that which cannot but be? on to mediate for that, which
is certainly, already dispatched? In such supposed predetermination,
Instrumentalitie may have place, Officiation can have none.
12. But supposing what I wish Every Reader as well, or
better affected to, and more intelligent of the benefits of Christs priesthood,
then the prefacer is, or the Authour himself was; Yet is this
no securitie, but Fault wilbe found with the Authour, for leading the
Reader through a wearie Wilderness, rather then per viam Compendij
by the nearest avenue of Approach to the Throne of Our
Most Gratious High-priest; by the long and Thornie wayes of
Questions about Adam's First Estate, His Actual, our Original,
Actual, and Habitual Sin, and Servitude thereto; about the
poor pittance or Scantling of Freewill left us: of Mortification
&c. Let me pray such an One to Consider, That it was as impossible
for the Authour fruitfully to display the Benefits of Christs Priesthood,
before he had treated of Those Particulars, as it is for the reader
to obtaine those Benefits, which either Does not, or Cares not to
understand his own need of them. They that be whole will sooner
seek to the Physician, then he that hath no sense of the venemous
Taint, or Pestilential ulcer of sin Original which more or less is upon
the Body, or in the flesh of every mothers son, the purest Saint on Earth
not excepted will sue to Christ for Cleansing there-from. And yet is
the daily washing of his feet. Feet in the fowlest
sense as needfull to him that walks the cleanest & most
Circumspectly upon the face of the Earth, as is his daily
Bread. And it is our daily want of This Our most
Gratious High-priests Office that till we see him as He is doth
best Commend the precious benefits, Blessing and washing &c. to be
received at His hands.
13. Well worth the labour, then, of this Great Authour it was, to
spend the Five First Sections in handling those particulars, with purpose
to make them a Fair Introduction to the Main Point, The
Priesthood of Christ. And not to Dissemble with the Reader, perhaps
He intended no more then Those Five for the Ingredients or
Consistencie of the Tenth Book. Purposing to subjoyn, all, or most of those
pieces which make up the Sixt Section which be a companie of Elaborate
and Choice Tracts as an Appendix to, not as members of the
Book. And I had once thought to have Complyed with mine own apprehension
of this intended Method, and put them in some place of
neutralitie betwixt the Books; But when, upon Consideration, I found
that this Disposal would prove confusive & inconvenient to the reader,
at least, to him that had not a more Methodical Head then my self,
I resolved to place them as they now stand. And truely they fall in
so orderly, and so Decently indent with the precedent and following
Sections, that I repent me of nothing so much, in this work, as of some
marginal notes which by these presents I revoke inspersed here and
there by me, Timorous, because I had the Copie dropping and by
Piece-meal that the parts would not Symmetrize so well as I hope
they will be found to Do.

b 2

14. And this I think was agreeable in the General to the Authours
mind; who, if he had made only the five first Sections, the Constitutives
of the 10. Book, and put what concernes The Priesthood in
the 11. or elswhere, would probably have put them forth together; he
having expressed himself to think it A Decorum that the Plaster
should go along with the sore. And the rather so, because he intended
and he hath been adæquate to his promise to lance that festered
wound or Complication of wounds of Human Nature,
deeper then most others had done, which had treated, before him,
of Sin Original, and Mans Servitude to Sin.
15. This Preface wilbe grown aboue the just stature of a Preface,
when I shall have told the Reader these 4. Particulars. 1. That of the
Tracts now published, divers were written 15; others, 30. & more years
ago. This will both give a reason why in some of them The old Translation
is used; & secure some passages at which otherwise offence might be
taken; which he that shall now do after he is told thus much will Commend
the Author by Falting him, & enhance his words into the notion
of prophesie. 2. That the reason why the Authors 4. 5. 6. &c. Books
were not printed in Sequence, is, because the owner of the Copies may
not as yet, without great damage, either consent that another man should,
or afford to do it Himself. So that we were inforced to fall upon this
Tenth; which may be more acceptable to the Reader, by being new,
and no less beneficial, seeing He may serve himself of the Quarto ones,
which, in the Interim, are parable. 3. And when God shall give opportunitie
to print the Quarto's in this Volume, we must tell the Reader
before hand, that the sixt Book, of Divine Essence Attributes &
Providence, will not administer to him either the delight or the profit
we intended, unless God move the hearts of them that have the MS. Copie
of the Treatise of Prodigies, or, Divine Forewarnings betokening
Blood: which certainly was perfected by the Authour, & lent or
lost in his life time to produce it, that it may be annexed to the sixt
Book, to which of due it appertaines. The 4. Particular will give the
Reader notice what Subject Matters he is to expect handled in the 11.
Book. But before we name them, he must be reminded, that the Authour
had in the 9. Book, come as farre as the Article of Christ Ascension
reckoning Inclusive: & in the 39. Chapter of that Book,
had tackt That Article to the next of His Session at the Right-Hand
of God. Now the respective Ends or Effects of Christs Ascension
into heaven, and of His Session at the Right-Hand of Majestie,
were some of them of Immediate and if I may so say, of a Transient
dispatch: And such, I take it, were, His prepareing a place for his
Elect Ones; His Consecrating the heavenly Sanctuarie, and setting open
the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers, His sending the Holy Ghost
in the Grace of comfort, & Gifts of tongues, &c. Some are of constant
Vse, and continue in Esse unto this day, & so shall unto the worlds end;
as the Providential Government of His Church, and the rest of the
world in order to the affaires of his Church, which He administers as
Lord; & the Exercise of His Sacerdotal Office which he executes
as Christ: & some shall be manifested at the end of time & of this
sinfull world, when He shall come in great power and Glory to Judge
both quick & dead. What this Authour hath said upon any of these
Heads, in his Books already printed, the Reader, if he will take the
paines to search, may find. Of the following Generals with their incident
& subordinate particulars doth the Eleventh Book treat. Of
Christs Session at the Right-Hand of God; the Grammatical Sense
of the words, & the Real Dignitie answering to them, viz. The Exaltation
of Christ. And whether He was exalted as the Son of God, or,
as the Son of David. An excellent state of the question about Ubiquitie.
Of Christs Lordship or Dominion. Of His
Coming to Judgement. Of the Final Sentence to be
awarded by Him to All. Of the Resurrection of the
Dead. Of Life Everlasting not the merit of man,
but the Gift of God; and Death the wages of sin. So
that it is plain the Eleventh Book reflects upon, or resumes,
the Article of Christs Sitting at the Right-Hand of
God, and withall proceeds to the Next, and to the
Two last.
16. I Expect, the Intelligent Reader will Ask, where He may find
handld, the Articles concerning God the Holie Spirit; the holy Catholick
Church, the Communion of Saints; & the Forgiveness of
Sins? I must referr the proposer of this rational question which deserves
a better answer then I can give it to the Authors owne words,
[Which he may find in the first page of His Treatise Of The Holy Catholick Faith and
Church, which in the Catalogues of his Works, for orders sake, is reckon'd the 12. Book of his
Commentaries, and whereof the first part of three intended, was published. 1627. In my Comments on the
Creed Saith hee I did Sequester Four points from the Body of the Work: The First was the Doctrin Of
the most Holie and most Blessed Trinitie, to be set down by way of Prayer & Soliloquie
not of Schoole-Dispute. The Second, The Holie Catholick Church. The Third, The Communion
of Saints. The Fourth, the Remission of Sins. Points which I cannot Handle
in that order they be propounded in the Creed, without Interruption of my Method intended;-.
So that I have out of Choice, reserved these for peculiar Treatises-.] THE AUTHORS
Book then, of the Holie Catholick Faith & Church,
'tis more then plain, referres to the Articles of -.
The Holie Catholick
Church
And for the rest of his Books, or Tracts hereafter to be
published, when they come abroad, they must bear some Tessera, or Recognizance
to signifie their Retainance, or, to which of the 12.
Christian Predicaments they are to be reduced.
17. I have yet Two things to recommend unto the Reader. The
One I humbly present to the Consideration of the Nobilitie & Gentrie
of the Land, who have the Honour & Blessing -- Longo Sanguine
Censeri--. This Author as his manner all-a-long is, to open
the Earth, & shew the Out-Burst of the spring, & leave the Well to
be digged by him that meanes to dwell upon the Plat hath, page 19.
& 31. moved a Querie well worth their most exquisite indagation
and pursuit. "'Tis This: whether Parents of both sexes may not,
by frequent voluntarie Commission of some sinnes, improve the Corruption
of nature in their Children, to an Height above the ordinarie
Taint descending from Adam, or coming from Sin meerely Original,
& not intended by unnecessary affected actual or habitual
Transgressing?" Would any of Them, now in this their privacie or
vacation, please, Philosophari, to think upon it, and Commend their
meditations to the world; they would be more acceptable and more imperative
of practise, Coming from themselves, & consequently be more
Contributive to the Revival of virtue unto an Heroical Degree.
18. The other is to those of the Clergie who teach the people Knowledge,
& for that end do seek acceptable words out of writings upright
and True; as for the pretended Favorites of the Spirit, it is in vain
to speak to them. He that has Compassion on the poor ignorant multitude
even destroyed for lack of Knowledge of Principles contained
in their Creed, Catechism &c. And a mind to tread in the Good
Old way for the Ædification of the poor of the Flock, may find in this
Authors Works, matter, proper for every Dominical & Festival
through the year, especially for the special ones, that is, those that Commemorate
the Great Benefits received by Christ. As also for occasions
of Administring Both Sacraments, marriages, Funerals,
Fasts &c. But let me tell him, The Gold he is to find & beat out
doth sometimes lie in so smal a Compass, that unless he observe well, he
may over-run it. For an Experiment, he may see 1 grain taken by me &
beaten out into divers Leaves. And for expounding Texts of Scripture,
this Author seems to have a felicitie not ordinary. Oft-times, when
he pretends but to take One verse, he illuminates the Reader in the Epicycle
of the Context, nay in the next Orbe, I mean the Parallel,
be it in the old or new Testament. But the Magisterium of his excellencie
is in Christologie, in the display of the Mysteries of Christ,
which he never thinks done, till he have layd the Type and shadow upon
the substance, and the Prophesie as the Prophet did his Body upon
the Event, Face to Face, Hand to Hand, Part to Part, &c. And
his powerfulness in This hath gotten him so deserved esteem amongst
divers Learned men though of different Judgment in some points
that in their works they have quoted him as An Author.
19. What unworthy paines my self have taken about the work, in
the space of 6. or 7. Months, may be summ'd up in two lines. The
falts of the Presse be few & smal, yet I am not only to be blamed for
them, not undertaking more then to assist. Any Error in the notes,
marginal or final, is to be imputed to my weakness. For the Authors
Text, I have not in the least degree alter'd, intended, or remitted his
sense, in any one Assertion, or point of Doctrine. But, which is the
Dutie of an Editour, have been Scrupulously Carefull to deliver his
Work as he left it & meant it, not attending to gratify either mine
own or the Readers opinions.
20. What Fate abides either my self, or this Orphan-Book, is
only known to God. It is, of this Authors Works, for number, the Tenth,
for bulk, larger then the most, for learning, Equal, & for Excellencie
of subject matter, superior to any of the other Nine: for it is, Of the
Knowledge of our selves Servants to sin: And of the Son of God, by
the exercise of His Everlasting Priesthood, making us Free from sin.
And so in just Decorum, as it affords Royal Dainties, so it deserves
the Choicest Patronage that any of his fellows had, even of such as
have Right to Receive Tithes: yet seeing it so fals out, by the ever to
be Adored & admired providence of God, that such it may not have
now; It comes forth under the more Immediate Patronage of the
Almightie, God the Father, the Word, & the Holie Spirit. Especially
I pray under the most Auspicious shelter of Him whose Office
it describeth & defendeth, . The Apostle and High-Priest of our
Profession, the Great Shepheard, King, & Bishop of our soules, Jesus
Christ our Lord. He give it favour in the Eyes of the Reader,
and prosper it to those Ends for which the Author writ it, and as
the Prefacer wisheth it:
Who is the most unworthy of
all those that share in
His Office.
B. O.