Naaman the Syrian desiring to be cured 2. King 5. 10. of his Leprosie when he was willd by the Prophet Elisha to goe wash seuen times in Iordan went away in an anger as if some hard matter had bin inioyned him But his seruants wiser in that point then their maister came and spake vnto him and said Father if the Prophet had Verse 11. commanded thee a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it How much rather then when hee saith to thee Verse 13. wash and bee cleane The Noble man considering that his seruants spake reason followed the Prophets direction and was healed Healed of what Of a Leprosie By what meanes By washing seuen times in Iordan What is it that wee desire To bee made the Sonnes of God A farre greater matter then to bee cured of a Leprosie How may wee attaine to this honour Beleeue and thou shalt become the Sonne of God Shall I need to compare these things together Beleeue Wash Which is sooner done Wash seuen times If thou beleeue once it sufficeth Not as if wee might bee the Sonnes of God though wee cease to beleeue but because he that once truely rests on CHRIST can neuer wholly depart from him I see not how wee could deuise to haue so great honour with so little paines vnless perhaps we would attaine to it by dreaming of it Can wee imagine a readier course of preferment or an easier labour in getting it then to be made the sonnes of God by trusting in Christ Doe but cast thy care vpon him thou shalt be sure of that he promiseth thou desirest But it will not be amisse perhaps considering the importance of the matter to examine these things more particularly especially in these two points That beleeving is necessarily required to adoption so that without the one the other is not to be had that the meanes of enioying heauen which all men naturally propound to themselues are of greater paines and lesse yea no certainty what if I say of meere impossibility Suspend your iudgement till you haue heard and vnderstood the case then giue sentence freely and spare not Now for the better conceiuing of the matter I will make bold to shewe the mystery of our redemption so much as is needfull for the knowledge of that wee haue in hande but as shortly as I can with plainness It is not vnknown to any man vnles he be vtterly ignorant of christian Religion that all mankind and euery particular man woman child lost the fauour of God and with it all hope and possibility of happinesse by the transgression of our first parents in whome wee all sinned If any man bee desirous to informe himselfe better of this point the Scripture is open for him I will content my selfe with that one testimony of the Apostle By one man sinne Rom. 5. 12. came into the world and death by sinne and so death went ouer all men by him in whome all men haue sinned For the recouery of this losse it pleased God to appoint a meanes of reconciliation that his anger iustly conceiued against vs might bee appeased and wee receiu'd againe into his former fauour This meanes was his owne Sonne in our nature offered vp by himselfe in sacrifice to God his Father God was in Christ saith the 2. Cor 5 19. Rom 5. 10. Apostle reconciling the world to himselfe And in an other place when wee were enimies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne But the manner of our reconciliation on Christs part doth not so much concerne the matter we are now to handle Let vs see what is required of vs. There are two things necessary to a sound and full reconciliation that the offence which caused the breach bee pardoned that the party offending bee admitted againe into as greate fauour as hee was in before he committed that fault If either of these be wanting the Reconciliation is vnperfect Our Sauiour Christ hath fully performed whatsoeuer was needfull on his part to procure absolute Reconciliation The Lord God is willing and ready to bee reconciled vnto vs. Only the stay is in vs. For the pardon of sinne iustification is offered not imputing of sinne And wheras 2. Cor. 5. 19. wee were before the breach no otherwise in the fauour of God then seruants are that please their master now the Lorde is determined to receiue vs not as seruants but as Sonnes by his free Adoption God sent his Sonne c that we might receiue the Adoption of Gal 4. 4. 5. Sonnes Heere is full and perfite reconciliation prouided Iustification and Adoption But how shall wee bee made partakers of it I will leaue the former point till I haue some fitter opportunity Of the later our Euangelist speakes in this place teaching vs that if wee beleeue in Christ wee haue the prerogatiue to be Sonnes This the Apostle Paul confirmes yee are al Chap. 3 26. the Sons of God by faith in Christ Iesus There is no exception against 2 such witnesses No saith one if they agreed in their depositions No saith one if they agreed in their depositions But there is no small difference betwixt them The one saith wee haue that honor by beleeuing the other affirms that fayth makes vs the Sons of God The Euangelist requires the act the Apostle contents himself with the vertue grace or qualitie S. Paul seemes to looke for no more but that wee haue faith S. Iohn calls precisely for the vse of it Receiuing Beleeuing Is this all the difference that can bee found in their testimonies Then all is nothing First it is apparant to begin withour Euangelist whom we presently expoūd that S. Iohn by enioyning vs To beleeue necessarily requires faith by which we must beleeue so his deposition includes implyes that which S. Paul affirmeth Secondly the Apostle vnder the name of faith cōprehends the act of beleeuing which is neuer any more seuered from it then burning is from fire A greater fire burnes more then a little one doth but the least that can be doth burne as wel as the greatest So the strongest faith trusteth more firmely in Christ but the weakest more or lesse relies truely vpon him But that wee may see the ful agreement of these two witnesses let vs consider how the Apostle declares his owne meaning oftentimes in the like matter The righteousnesse of God vnto Rom. 3. 22. Chap. 4. 3. all and vpon all that beleeue Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse That Chapter is full of the like speeches So are his other Epistles where he hath any occasion to speake of Iustification And if that which is former in nature cannot bee had but by beleeuing surely this later is not to be attain'd to by the only hauing of faith Therefore as often as we find in Scripture that Iustification Adoption Sanctification Saluation or any other such fauour blessing is ascribed to
faith we must remember that the act of faith not the gift or quality it selfe is signified Wee Iewes saith the Apostle who Gal. 2. 16. knowe that a man is iustified by the faith of Iesus Christ haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that wee might bee iustified by the faith of Christ It is certaine that Iustification is by saith the Apostle shewes vs how Namely by beleeuing in Christ So must wee vnderstand that which the same Apostle hath in an other place To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse Shall we say that the habit of faith was counted for righteousness S. Paul had opened his meaning touching that point a verse or 2 before Abraham Verse 3. beleeued God it was counted to him for righteousnes What was counted His beleeuing not his faith as it was a grace or vertue in his soule We may the rather be perswaded hereof if wee call to minde obserue both that our Euangelist Saint Iohn alwaies vrgeth beleeuing and not once mentions faith in so many places where this matter is spokē of euen diuers times in some one Chapter and also that our Lorde himselfe doth most commonly in all the other Evangelists follow the same course and wheresoeuer hee giues any commendation to faith it is manifest hee doth it in respect of the act thereof I haue not found saith hee of the Centurion Mat. 8. 10. so great faith in Israell How greate faith As to rest vpon the very worde of Christ for the curing of a sick man that was absent Speake the worde only saith the Captaine and my seruant shall bee healed It woulde bee Verse 8. too long to stand vpon particulars That one example may serue for all It may bee some man hearing that fayth and beleeuing breed such wonderfull effects will be desirous to knowe how this may bee What excelllency is there in faith more then in other Christian vertues Why should beleeuing in God bee preferred before louing of God First I must put you in minde that it is the act of faith as I haue often said by which these sauours are obtained and not the vertue it selfe And therefore our Papists who will haue their first iustification as they mince matters to consist of faith loue charity as they are vertues habits graces qualities beautifying and sanctifying the soule cannot reasonably imagin as they all commonly doe that the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans entreates of their iustification because he so often requireth the very act of beleeuing which in that iustification of theirs hath no place This being markt and remembred I say that the act of fayth or beleeuing doth not bring iustification and adoption or either of them by any speciall excellency that it hath in it selfe but meerly only by the place office which the Lord of his own will mercy hath assign'd it to be the condition on our parts required for the atchieuing of these fauours and honours The couenant of the law stood in these tearmes Hee that doth these things shall liue thereby So that the Leuit. 18. 5. condition was righteousnesse according to the exact rule of the lawe By the Gospell the Lord enters into a new couenant with man the condition whereof Act. 16. 31. is Beleeue and thou shalt be saued This is that which the Apostle teacheth vs concerning the Lords accounting of faith for righteousnesse Wheras by the lawe righteousnesse was necessarily required that a man might haue an interest to heauen now by the Gospell faith is accepted insteed of righteousnes Do this saith the law Beleeue in Christ saith the Gospell So that when the question is of reconciliation and the parts thereof or either of them whether it be by faith or no the meaning is this whether beleeuing bee the condition which we are to performe that wee may bee reconcil'd to God or no. To this doubt the Apostle answereth that Abraham beleeued God it that is His beleeuing Rom. 4 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was counted to him for righteousnes Pardon me I pray you if I doe but touch these things or rather but point at them as I passe along At some other times if it please God now one then an other of them shall bee cleered and proued Yet for all my hast I may not forget to deliuer the ground of that which I haue said touching the Lords accounting of faith for righteousnes I shew that the Apostle is so to be expounded by 2 places of this same Epistle where the very same maner of speech is vsed If the vncircumcision saith Saint Paul keepe the ordinances of the law shall not his vncircumcision bee counted Rom. 2. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for circumcision VVhat is this For circumcision Insteed of circumcision as if he were circumcised The other place affords vs the like wordes and meaning Rom. 9. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The children of the promise are counted for the seed There is no other place in all the newe Testament out of which wee maye learne the sense of this phrase these two are plaine being alike in themselues and agreeing with the Apostles wordes and purpose in that other Text. What should hinder vs then from expounding the Apostle as we do Or rather with what reason can wee refuse such an interpretation as the Apostle himselfe points vs to The waightinesse of the matter hath carried mee farder then I meant to haue gone I will bee the shorter in that which remaines It is faith then or rather beleeuing which the Lorde requires of vs that we may become his children not as if there were any excellency in the thing or merit in the vse of our freewill for the worthinesse whereof such a fauour and honour should be vouchsaf't vs but onely and meerely because this is the course by which the glory riches of the mercy of God may bee declared Therefore the Apostle concludes touching iustification the former part of Reconciliation that it is by faith without the workes of the law because thereby all boasting is excluded Rom. 3. 27. 28 The Papists that make their first iustification to be inherent righteousnesse consisting of faith hope charity their second actuall obedience to God by the performance of the workes of the lawe draw away the glory and thanks from God to themselues For the former I haue shewed that they will haue the difference whereby it comes to passe that one man receiues iustifying grace and an other does not To proceed from euery mans freewill and not from any speciall grace of God inclining the soule to beleeue Neither rest they there but hauing thus begun to magnify themselues by the getting of this grace they go forward to rob God of his honour thanks for our saluation to that ende they set out the dignity of that righteousnesse whereof they make account they
In this signification when the matter is of beleeuing God to iustification saluation sometimes the word is vsed by it selfe sometimes it hath an other word which we call a preposition ioined with it Of the former sort these may be examples Ioh. 5. 24. Hee that heareth my word and beleeueth him that sent me hath euerlasting life What is this beleeuing but that which we heard of euen now out of the Apostle Hee that beleeueth in him that iustifieth the wicked and that Rom. 45. which we are to heare of if it please God in the course of this Gospell yee beleeue in God The like is to bee said Ioh. 14. 1. of that in the Acts of the Iaylor He reioiced that he with all his housholde beleeued God Would you knowe what Act. 15. 34. beleefe this was We may learne that out of the Apostles former instruction and exhortation Beleeue in the Verse 31. Lord Iesus Christ There is yet a plainer testimony then this if any thing can be plainer in the same book where S. Luke writing the history of Crispus and his conuersion to the faith speaketh thus And Crispus the cheefe ruer Chap. 18. 8. of the Synagogue beleeued the Lord. The Lord that is our Sauiour Christ had not spoken to him but the Apostle Paul had taught him the doctrine of the Gospel that he was to beleeue in Iesus Christ for saluation To this he obayed and therefore is said to beleeue the Lord that is to beleeue in him When the prepositions are added the signification of the word is more fully exprest The most common and vsuall whereof wee haue very many examples in this Gospell is In. His Disciples beleeued in him Trusted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 2. 11. Chap. 3. 16. to him as to the Messiah That whosoeuer beleeues in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting VVhosoeuer resteth vpon him for saluation Almost euery Chapter affords vs the like examples so do the other bookes of the newe Testament especially the Epistle to the Romans that I may spare time and labour and hasten to the other preposition which though it bee vsed more seldome yet is most significant It is as much in english as vpon or on It was known throughout all Ioppa and many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 9. 42. beleeued vpon or on him That is many rested vpon him for Saluation VVhat must I doe to bee saued saith Chap. 16. 30. Verse 31. the Iaylour Paul and Silas answered him Beleeue on or vpon the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued But no one place doth so plainely and fully expresse the nature of this phrase as that to the Romans Behold Rom 9. 33. I lay in Syon a stumbling stone and a rock of offence and euery one that beleeueth on it shall not bee ashamed Heere our Sauiour is compared to a Rocke at which many doe stumble not acknowledging him to bee the Messiah but seeking other meanes to saue themselues by This Simeon foretold of our Sauiour that hee should be an occasion of falling to many in Israell But Luk. 2. 34. they that shall settle themselues vpon that rocke and renounce all other causes and meanes of attaining to euerlasting life shall neuer be asham'd of that their trust in him but shall come to the ende of their hope euen the eternall saluation of their soules by him So that if any man be desirous or willing to vnderstand what it is to beleeue in Christ this one place may giue him ful satisfaction out of which as it hath beene shewed hee may learne that it is nothing else but to cast himselfe vpon Christ to bee iustified and saued by him Thevse of the worde being as hath beene said so diuerse in what sense shall we take it in this text That we shall knowe by vnderstanding what it was that Iohn laboured to perswade men to by his preaching For wee haue learned that his witnesse beareing was Teaching and wee see heere that the ende of his teaching was Beleefe that all men might beleeue What was this beleeuing Onely an aslenting to the truth of that which they heard Iohn deliuer If that had beene all surely hee would neuer haue taken so much paines and spent so much time in exhorting all men to consider their owne estate and in convincing them of sinne that they might finde in what neede they stood of deliuerance by the Messiah But that I may make as short as I can wee may fetch the aunswere to this doubt from the Apostle Paul who thus describes the office and doctrine of Iohn the Baptist Iohn verely baptized Act. 19. 4. with the baptisme of repentance saith the Apostle saying vnto the people that they should beleeue in him which should come after him that is in Christ Iesus So then whereas our Euangelist tells vs that the ende of Iohns comming was that all men shoulde beleeue hee giues vs to vnderstand that hee taught men the mystery of redemption by Christ though not so distinctly as it was afterwarde deliuered with a purpose and desire that they shoulde take our Sauiour CHRIST for the Messiah and rest vpon him that their sinnes might bee taken away Beholde saith hee the lambe of God that taketh away the sin of the world It is true that beleeuing properly signifieth no more but giuing credit or assenting to the truth but seeing wee finde the ende of Iohns preaching to reach farder then so wee must needs hold that the other degrees of beleeuing are implied in this one and first step to faith by which we are iustified The like we are to conceiue of the word wheresoeuer in the new Testament wee finde that ascribed to beleeuing which cannot be attain'd to but by faith in Christ I wil indeavor to make this plaine by an example or two He Mark 16. 16. that beleeueth is baptized shall be saued What is meant here by beleeuing Nothing but assenting to that which the Apostles taught in regard of the truth thereof But that cannot bring saluation to any man which is not to be obtain'd without resting vpon Christ for iustification Therefore to beleeue in that text of Mark is as much as to beleeue in Christ or to rely vpō Christ for saluation Dost thou beleeue in the Sonne of God saith Ioh. 9. 35. our Sauiour to the man whome hee had before restored to his sight He answered and said Who is hee Lord that I may beleeue in him And Iesus said Both thou hast seene him he it is that talketh with thee Then he said Lord I beleeue What did he beleeue That Christ was the Son of God Was that all Our Sauiour asked him if hee did beleeue in the Sonne of God Had it beene sufficient for him to professe that he beleeued him to be the Sonne of God No sure But it behoued him for the answering of the question to affirme that he beleeued in him