An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Yet there is a great abuse of this principle. Look back to antiquity and consult with your fathers (say many) and see what they did, how they believed. But what is the antiquity they call us to consult with? It is not (as Moses spake in that place of Deuteronomy) antiquity, since God created man upon earth, or since Jesus Christ was upon the earth, and gave out his Gospel-laws: but it is the antiquity of some later ages and editions, an antiquity far short of what is indeed the ancient time. The Apostle (1 Joh. 2.7.) gives us the definition of an old commandment, This is the old commandment which was from the beginning. Our sinful nature is called the old man, and yet it is a corrupt man. It is called the old-man not that it is older then the new man; the new man is not of a younger house, or later date then the old man. Holiness was before corruption. And the image of God upon man, elder then sin, the image of the devil. There are many corruptions in doctrine, in opinion, in worship, in practice, which go for very old: And there are many doctrines which we call new truths; Is it because those corruptions are older then these new truths? No, new truths are elder then the oldest corruptions. That which we call the new world, was created in the beginning, though discovered but yesterday. So new truths were given from the beginning, only they were unknown till of late; and we may well conceive that some goodly regions of truth are still (terra incognita) undiscovered; God having reserved them for the honour, and industry of some divine Columbus, who may give us an exacter sea-card of divine mysteries, then the world hath yet seen, though enough hath been seen from the beginning for the safe steering of our course to heaven. He that would enquire and make a diligent search for truth, must go to the first institutions, That's the old commandment which was from the beginning. The Prophet Ezekiel (Chap. 23.43.) speaks of some who were grown old in adulteries; that is, old in adulterating and corrupting the truth, and worship of God, That which is old may be old in evil, and fuller of errors then it is of days.

Yet there is a great abuse of this principle. Look back to antiquity and consult with your fathers (say many) and see what they did, how they believed. But what is the antiquity they call us to consult with? It is not (as Moses spake in that place of Deuteronomy) antiquity, since God created man upon earth, or since Jesus Christ was upon the earth, and gave out his Gospel-laws: but it is the antiquity of some later ages and editions, an antiquity far short of what is indeed the ancient time. The Apostle (