A manuel of the Bibles doctrine for law and Gospell, letter and spirit, signe and thing signified reduced to the first chapter of Leuiticus: Wherewith (occasionally) be plainely considered, and briefelie concluded, the most mayne questions wherewith the christian churches be combied. By H.C.

Section. 5.

VNcleanenesses were of sundry * 1.1 •…•…orts. For there were beastes & birds by Ceremony vn∣cleane and so continued till the partition wall of ceremony was remoo∣ued;

and then it was law∣full to arise, kill, and eat, alimentally & phisically. S. Peter was taughte in Act. 10, that the Gentils were figured therby, and that therefore he should not now stand aloofe from them as of yore, for that the tyme was com, wherein God wold purifie their heartes by faith. Secondly, there was certain of mankind ceremonially pronoun∣ced vncleane: Once in respect of the liuing, ha∣uing issues menstrual or seminall flowing from them: hauing vnlawfull

copulations, and conta∣gious diseases vppon them: Againe, in respect of the dead, seeing the •…•…ouching of thē or their bones, was a ceremonial vncleannesse. All these importing such thoghts words & works as make vs vncleane and noysom to our selues and others, specially vnto God, be∣fore whom we are called to walke in holinesse all the daies of our life.

Mixtures ceremoni∣all were these, Garments of Linsy-woolsy, the s•…•…w * 1.2 ing of ground with mis∣cellain, the yoaking of Ox

and Asse togither. All these were forbidden ce∣remonially as actions ab hominable. And they denote to Christians, sin∣glenes of heart, singlenes of word, & singlenesse of work: for as the Lord cā not brook the persō that hath •…•…ebh velebh, a hart & a hart; so neither cā it be that communion can be betwixt christ and Belial, •…•…ghteousnes & vnrighte ousnes, light & darknes: therfore says theapostle. com out from amongst them and touche no vn∣clean * 1.3 thing. Touche the dead in sinne, and drawe with the vnsacrificeabl•…•…

Asse we doe, when by affection or action wee like and approoue theyr euill. From such tou∣ching and drawing wee are to withdrawe our selues, but not (as Fanta∣stiques would haue it) by forsaking the Churches communion and fellow∣ship in God. The apostle neuer taught the Corinths to seperate so, nor Moses before him. For as to ioyn with euery thing in the Churches members, requires no conning, so, to separate from all in the Church, any Asse can doe: but to trie all

things, and keepe that is good, and then to main∣taine the good (so far as one, hath calling) throgh good report and bad re∣port, plenty and pouerty, •…•…ife and death, hoc opus, hic labor est, this requires the spirite of discretion, faith, loue and much pa∣tience. And onely the children of wisedome haue such grace: for wise some is iustified. of her children.

There bee also cere∣moniall Festiuities, that bring with them glorius * 1.4 memorials of Gods sin∣gular Loue and care for

the good of his church: teaching all for such re∣spects to do as the Apo∣stle inioyneth when hee * 1.5 saith, Reioyce in the Lord alway againe I say reioyce: and to conclude with the Psalmist thus, This is * 1.6 the day the Lorde hath made, let vs reioyce and be glad in it. But of such feast daies I haue largely spoken in the third part of my labors vpon Salo∣mons songue, where I speak of Chronological and arithmeticall sha∣dowes.

For ceremoniall vowes, they be in respect of th•…•… * 1.7

matter, of two kinds; the one animate or brea∣thing, as men & beasts: or inanimate & breathles, as houses, fieldes, and the like: the māner of which vowes and their redem∣tion, is laid down in the * 1.8 last chapter of this book as the very conclusion of ceremonies. The mayne thing it intends, I doubt not is this: that whatso∣euer we vowe to the fur∣therance of Gods glory (it beeing in our power so to vowe, for else why should we suffer our lips to sinne?) it oughte to bee payde faithfullye

vnto the Lord. for so saith Salomon in Eccles. 5. 3. When thou hast vowed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vowe vnto God, deferre not •…•…o pay it, for he delighteth not in fools: pay therefore as thou hast vowed. 4. It is better thou sholdst not vow then tha•…•… thou sholdst von and not pay it, &c: and that can Ananias and Saphir. witnesse, who vowing largely with their lips, & paying niggardlye with their hands, did so bring vpon thē, the swift iudg∣ment and heauy hand of God. Many such Ananias∣ses I haue heard of, who sōtimes wroong by the

spirit of God to vowe a gu•…•…t to the needy, and that which is more, to vowe in future times (as Dauid did, Psal. 119. 106) the keping of Gods righ∣teous iudgements, haue afterwards withdrawne from so doing, returning in Gods iust iudgement to their aunciente hard∣nes of heart and propha∣nity, making so their lat∣ter end worse then their beginning.

Such things as were ceremonially deuoted to the Lord, they were pri∣zed of the Priest, & not of the vower to bee had

againe, without giuing the price and a fift parte ouer, that so the Lord & his church might be sure of their owne with the best. Many of yore haue vowed smaller & grea∣ter things to the furthe∣rance of Christs church & his worship (this was their Genus or generall scope, howsoeuer there might be failment in spe∣cie, in som specialty) now haue they taken the vote•…•… back againe not satisfy∣ing the church largelye therfore? If they did, they had the most right. But, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nefandūscelus, sacrilegium

immane, they haue robd the church of all they cā finger, who neuer gaue to the church so much as a barly corn. The fathers gaue, and the children steale away; whereupon cannot but follow, beg∣gerly ministers & a con∣temptuous religion, as hauing no promises of this world, wheras god∣linesse hath promise of both. Let this sinne, re∣maine the great sinne of England, fastned vppon many of the Gentrye fleecing, and vpon some of the Ministers, sel∣linge theyre fleece,

for a lock of wool. Eate on, and giut your selues with the spoile of the Lords Temple, qu•…•…ffe in the deuoted vessells as did Babilons Bel azar, but in the end it will be grauell in your mawes, and without repentance fling you and your hou∣ses out of the Lords bal∣lance. I speake not as hauing lost any thing of the Church, for I neuer yet possessed peny of her dowry; but espying plots for the Churches su•…•…∣uersion, I cānot but wit∣nesse against their abho∣mination. So much cur∣soriwise

of Leuies main∣tenance, ceremoniall vncleannesses, vnlawfull mixtures, holy festiuities and ceremoniall vowes. Now I com to my main purpose, the Sacrifices.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vncleannesses Nouation. presb. de Cibi. In a∣nimalib. mo∣res de pin∣guntur hu∣mani, & Act•…•…s & vo∣lunta•…•…es.
• * 1.2

  Mixtures.
• * 1.3

  2. Cor. 6.
• * 1.4

  Festiuities.
• * 1.5

  Philip. 4. 4.
• * 1.6

  Psa. 118. 24.
• * 1.7

  Vowes.
• * 1.8

  •…•…uit. 27.