The theologicall key of the three first covenants made by God with man, in the severall state of man, obliging man to his law, after a severall formall manner, from the beginning according to his sacred decree of predestination, fundamentally declared, according to his sacred word and truth / by David Dunbar, Esq.

CHAP. IV.

Of the created spirituall perfection of man.

THe intellectuall and sensitive nature of man, being thus essentially united in the heart (by the immediate power of the word) inabling man with the power of naturall life, and with the life of righteousnesse; God (in and with the immediate act of the creation of man) did inlighten the word of the Law of righteousnesse (spiritually written in the soule of man) with the spi∣rituall light of his holy Spirit: sanctifying the heart of man (to which the soul is essentially united) with the spirituall life of holinesse.

By the immediate power of this spirituall life and light (really one with the spirituall light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse) Adam was enabled with the perfection of the spirituall un∣derstanding, of the command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law; and to frame his spirituall life of righteousnesse and holinesse, according to the perfection of the command of the Law, which is the spirituall com∣mand.

By this perfection of spirituall life and light, Adam was the perfect image of righteousnesse and holinesse, and a perfect spirituall man. And this is the image of righteousnesse and holinesse, which the Apostle exhorts to bee re∣newed in the Ephesians and Collossians, which was lost by Adams fall.

Adam therefore being created in this state of naturall and spirituall perfe∣ction; the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse (implying the command of the whole Law) was objected to Adams exter∣nall senses (by the power of the word of the first seventh dayes rest) com∣manding Adam according to the spirituall light of the word of the first se∣venth dayes rest of the Law (really one with the spirituall light and com∣mand of the word of the Law of righteousnesse in his heart) to worship God upon the seventh day of the Law of righteousnesse. As God did manifest him∣selfe by the word of his first seventh dayes rest from the workes of the crea∣tion. And in that commanded spirituall worship, commanding Adams spi∣rituall obedience (by his spirituall works of holinesse) to fulfill the command of the Law of righteousnesse, according to the spirituall light and command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest, to whose perfect worship and o∣bedience, the eternall blessing of the word of the first seventh dayes rest, was due by the Law of God.

By this light of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of God, from the workes of the creation: Adam (by the perfect act of his spirituall under∣standing)

did perfectly apprehend God, to bee the Creator of Heaven, of earth, of man, of the creatures, and that by the immediate eternall blessing of the first seventh dayes rest of God; the world, man, and the creatures, were continued and preserved in the perfection of their created estate: And upon the immediate command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest (imply∣ing the command of the whole law of righteousnesse) the first Covenant was made with man, afterward to be declared.

As Adam by the spirituall light of his understanding (really one with the spirituall light of the word of the seventh dayes rest) did perfectly understand God; as God revealed himselfe to Adam by the word of his first seventh dayes rest, (wherein the perfection of Adams understanding of God did con∣sist,) so Adam by the created perfection of his spirituall action of holinesse, did adequate the perfection of the command of the Law, as Adam was first obliged to the Law of God; for if Adams spitituall action of holinesse, had not been of equall power with the perfection of the command of the Law, (which is in the spirituall command) and the first Covenant, being establi∣shed upon the immediate command of the word of the first seven dayes rest of the Law, both upon the eternall blessing of the first seven dayes rest, and upon the curse of eternall death, Adam could never have fulfilled the perfe∣ction of the command of the Law, but must have necessarily fallen under the curse of eternall death, which had been most high injustice in God, in bind∣ing and obliging (his intellectuall creature) man, to a law (upon the curse of eternall death) above the power of his obedience, by his spirituall action of holinesse, for it was only by Adams spirituall action of holinesse, that the law was to be fulfilled; for though Adam was created with the power of morall action, yet while Adam stood in his state of perfection, Adams morall action was not actuall; neither could his spirituall action of holinesse be called for∣mally and properly morall; which denomination is extended both to the obedience and transgression of the Law, as hath been formerly declared: Adams morall action therefore was not actuall, till the Law of righteousnesse was transgressed by Adam; and then Adams morall action was actuall, and formally morall, and morally evill, and the greatest evill that ever was or can be committed by man.

Now as Adam (by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the Law of righteousnesse) did perfect∣ly understand God, as God revealed himselfe to be honoured and worshipped by his rest from the works of the Creation: So Adam by the perfection of his naturall understanding must needs apprehend the being, power, perfection, goodnesse, life, light, knowledge, understanding, wisdome in himselfe and

the creatures, to flow from the infinite perfection of the Creator, whereby Adam was led in the understanding of the essentiall Attributes of God, which essentiall understanding of God in Adam must be imperfect, God as he is essen∣tiall being infinite and incomprehensible; Adams perfect understanding of God therefore was perfected by the perfection of his spirituall understanding of the word of the first seventh dayes rest, as God did manifest himselfe to man, to be understood and worshipped by man, for God can no otherwise be comprehended by the act of the understanding of man or Angel, but after that formall manner that God doth minifest himselfe, to be understood and worshipped by either.

And so much briefly of the created, naturall and spirituall perfection of man, with whom the first Covenant was made by God, which is the con∣tents of the first part of the first Book.

Before we come to the second part, an objection must be removed.