his best aduantage if not in the whole course of their liues yet at the houre of death when as they shall be able to make no resistance Promises made to those that fight Apoc. 2. 3. Secondly if wee fight against these enemies and valiantly ouercome the Lord hath promised to giue vs to eate of the tree of life which is in Paradice and the Manna that is hid and that he will write our names in the booke of life Apoc. 2 and 3. that is he will in this life bestow on vs all his spirituall graces and in the life to come replenish vs with such ioyes as neither eye hath seene 1. Cor. 2.9 nor eare heard nor heart of man conceiued 1. Cor. 2.9 Let vs therefore striue that wee may ouercome Nam breuis est labor praemium verò aeternum Our labour is but short but our reward shall be eternall On the other side if wee consider Sathans pay which he giueth vnto his souldiers we shall finde that it is nothing but the pleasures of sin for a season and in the end euerlasting death and destruction of bodie and soule For the wages of sinne is death as it is Rom. 6.23 Who therefore is so slothfull and cowardly that would not be encouraged Rom. 6.23 to fight the Lords battailes against our spirituall enemies with such promises made by him who is truth it selfe and cannot deceiue vs Who is so desperate and foole-hardie as to fight vnder Sathans banner seeing the pay which he giueth is euerlasting death and vtter confusion § Sect. 3 The third reason to moue vs to this fight The honor that will accompany our victorie is the honour which will accompanie this victorie for if earthly souldiers will purchase honour with the losse of life which is nothing els but the commendation of the Prince or applause of the vaine people what hazard should we not vndergo in fighting the spirituall combat seeing our grand Captaine the Lord of hoasts infinite multitudes of blessed Angels look vpon vs and behold our combat whose praise and approbation is our chiefe felicitie What peril should we feare to obtaine a crowne of glorie which is promised to all that ouercome and to become heires apparant of Gods kingdome On the other side the shame and confusion of face which shall ouertake them who cowardly forsake the Lords standerd and yeeld vnto Sathan when as they shall not dare to looke the Lord in the face whose cause they haue betrayed should serue as a strong motiue to encourage vs to the fight § Sect. 4 The fourth reason to perswade vs The necessitie of vndertaking this warfare is the necessitie of vndertaking this combat There is no man so cowardly that wil not fight when there is no hope in flight no mercie to be expected in the enemie no outrage and crueltie which will not be committed But such is our enemie that we cannot possiblie flee from him his malice is vnreconcilable his crueltie outragious for hee fighteth not against vs to the end that hee may obtaine soueraigntie alone abridge vs of our libertie spoyle vs of our goods but he aimeth at our death and destruction of bodie and soule if therefore wee so carefully arme our selues against carthly enemies who when they haue done their vttermost rage can but shorten a miserable life how much more carefully should we resist this enemie who seeketh to depriue vs of euerlasting life and to plunge vs into an euerdying death Secondly this fight is necessarie because in our Baptisme we haue taken a militarie sacrament and promised faithfullie vnto the Lord that wee will continue his faithfull souldiers vnto the end fighting his battailes against the flesh the world and the diuell There wee haue giuen our names vnto Christ to whom wee owe our selues and liues by a double right both because he hath giuen them vnto vs and also restored them the second time when wee had lost them There wee are put in minde of his bloudshed for our redemption which should encourage vs to fight couragiously that wee may be preserued from falling againe into the cruell slauerie of sinne and Sathan Thirdly vnlesse wee fight this spirituall combat and in fighting ouercome wee shall neuer be crowned with the crown of glory for it is not giuen vnto any to triumph who haue not fought valiantly and subdued their enemies The euerlasting peace of Gods kingdome is not promised to such cowards as neuer entred the field or being entred haue presently yeelded themselues to be the captiues of Sathan but vnto those that fight couragiously and gloriously ouercome If any man saith the Apostle striue for a maisterie he is not crowned except he striue as he ought to doe 2. Tim. 2.5 So the Apostle Iames chap. 1. vers 12. pronounceth the man blessed that endureth tentation for when he is tried or rather as the words are when by triall he shall be found approued he shall receiue a crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him Whereby it appeareth that none are crowned vnlesse they striue as they ought and therefore much lesse they which striue not at all that none are blessed but those who are tempted and being tempted endure the temptation that first we must be tried and by triall approoued before were we can receiue the crowne of life § Sect. 5 Lastly Those that will fight against our spirituall enemies are sure of victorie wee may be encouraged to this fight by certaine hope of victorie for we fight vnder the standerd oof Christ Iesus who alone is mightier then all our enemies that assault vs. If wee did indeede regard our enemies strength and our owne weaknes onely wee might well be discouraged from vndertaking this combat but if wee looke vpon our grand Captaine Christ whose loue towards vs is no lesse then his power and both infinite there is no cause of doubting for he that exhorteth vs to the fight will so helpe vs that we may ouercome August Deficientes subleuat vincentes coronat When wee faint he sustaineth vs and crowneth vs when wee ouercome He hath alreadie ouercome our enemies to our hand and hath cooled their courage and abated their force He hath brused the serpents head so that he shall not be able to ouercome the least of his followers well may he hisse against them but he cannot hurt them for his sting is taken away Sathan was the strong man who possessed all in peace but our Sauiour Christ who was a stronger then he comming vpon him hath ouercome him and taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted and diuided his spoiles Luk. 11.21 22. We fought against mightie enemies and great potentates Eph. 66.12 but our Sauiour hath spoiled principalities and powers and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them vpon the crosse Col. 2.15 and so through death hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is
and foysted in by some cunning fellow after the things were come to passe The like obiections also he maketh against the rest of the Scriptures as that either there was not any such Moses or if he were that he was but some cunning fellow who writ of miracles and wonders neuer done to gaine credit to his law which he had published or if he wrote nothing but truth in his time yet we know not whether these books which goe vnder his name are perfect as he left them or depraued and corrupted hauing many things altred added detracted according to the pleasure of those who haue had the keeping of them And so also hee obiecteth against the other parts of holy Scriptures To this I answere that as it were great absurditie to call in question the writings of Cicero Seneca Plutarch and other Heathen men whether they were penned by any such men or no because the next age receiued them from the authors themselues and deliuered them to the next insuing and so by tradition from hand to hand they are come vnto vs so it is no lesse absurditie to call into question whether the scriptures were written by the Prophets and Apostles who liued in their seuerall times seeing the Church hath receiued them from time to time and deliuered them to their successors to this day Moreouer the law published by Moses was not in secret or in a corner before some few witnesses but in the presence of sixe hundred thousand men besides women and children and the strange miracles and workes of God full of wonder which hee wrought for the better confirmation of his law giuen were done and perfourmed in the presence of many thousands who made relation of them to their posteritie and they to theirs to this day Neither was it easie to be corrupted altred or changed seeing the lawgiuer did straightly charge all men that they should not adde detract or alter any thing vpon paine of present death in this world and euerlasting death in the life to come who therefore would incurre the danger of such fearfull punishment for the satisfying of his fruitlesse phantasie Moreouer this book of the law was safely kept in the Tabernacle and after in the Temple in the Arke which was placed in the holy of holiest and diuers authenticall copies written out of it for euery one of the twelue tribes which were euery Sabbaoth day read and expounded in their Sinagogues yea so familiar were these writings with the Iewes that they were written in their houses and vpon their garments so as it was not possible for any man to falsifie them but it would presently bee espied Yea will the tempter say but though they could not be depraued or corrupted yet they might at first bee inuented by some more subtill than the rest and so thrust vpon men vnder the authority of God himselfe as being the writings of his Prophets and Apostles To which I answere that there is no probabilitie of truth in this obiection for I would faine know in what age this man should write In the time of Moses how then could he write the historie of the Iudges who succeeded him In the time of the Iudges how then could he write the historie of the Kings What then could he write these things in the time of the Kings and so faine a relation of such things as went before why then it is necessarie that hee should haue liued in the time of the last Kings or els he could not haue penned their historie also but before this time there were many copies abroad of the Scriptures in diuers nations by reason that the Iewes were scattered abroad through their captiuitie where they as constantly professed their religion as in their owne countrey Besides if these writings had been fained in what age could they come to light but men diligently inquiring into them as being matters importing no lesse than their eternall saluation or condemnation would haue found them counterfeit For if they had been penned in the same age wherein the things were done who would haue beleeued them if they did not assuredly know that they contained nothing but certaine truth If in an after age who would haue straight subscribed vnto them vnlesse they had by tradition from their ancestors bin assured that such things were done in former times Furthermore it is not probable but that the Iewes would haue made mentiō of such an author if they had known him or if they had by some accident found them written in this forme it is not likely that they would haue been so simple as to haue built their faith so firmely vpon them that they would rather chuse to suffer all torments than be brought to denie any one part of them § Sect. 7 Lastly it is obiected that in the time of Antiochus That the books of holy Scripture perished not in the time of Antiochus the books of the Scriptures were by his tyrannie and extreame crueltie wholy abolished and these which we haue afterwards inuented by the Iewes to grace their religion To which I answere that this obiection is so sotrishly foolish that it sauoureth not of common sense much lesse of any force of reason for seeing now there were extant almost innumerable copies of the Scriptures what meanes could be inuented by with and rage vtterly to suppresse them especially seeing the Iewes made farre more precious account of them than of their liues so that for the profession of this truth they were content to suffer euen in this tyrants time cruell deaths Besides if they had been all destroyed and abolished in his time how came it to passe that presently after his death they were againe as it were pulled out of the ashes and reuiued Or how could others be put in their place seeing innumerable men liued before and after his persecution who had the sight and perusing of the same bookes before they were suppressed and afterwards againe when they came to light Lastly though it should be granted that all the bookes of holy Scriptures had bin vtterly defaced in al the dominions of Antiochus yet this were nothing for the tempters purpose for the Iewes were now scattered far and wide and had their Sinagogues and schooles in sundrie nations where he had no authoritie therfore though he had destroyed all the copies of the Scriptures in all places of his kingdome yet there were many in other places where hee bare no sway Neither were they now in the Hebrew tongue alone but also translated into the Greeke by the 70 Interpreters at the request of Ptolomey Philadelphus and the translation carefully kept in his Librarie long before the time of this Antiochus By al which it is more then manifest that the Scriptures are the same which were penned by the Prophets and holy men of God inspired with his diuine spirit confirmed with so many and wonderfull miracles and sealed with the bloud of innumerable Martyrs To this which hath
and raising vp of a most faithfull seruant of God and my most deare friend who hath bound me with many benefits to the performance of all christian duties But afterwards finding it to grow to such a volume that it was too great to passe in a written coppie and hoping that that which was profitable for one might bee beneficiall vnto many at length I resolued to make my labours publike by committing them to the presse The principall things that I propounded to my selfe in this treatise are these first and especially I indeauour to comfort those who are afflicted in conscience in the sight and sence of their sinnes by offering vnto them certaine assurance that their sinnes are remitted and that themselues are elected to eternall life in the state of grace reconciled vnto God in Christ and receiued in his loue and fauour Secondly I labour to leade the christian in an euen course vnto the hauen of eternall happinesse that he may not runne aside neither on the right hand and so falling vpon the rockes of presumption make shipwracke of his soule nor yet on the left hand and so plunge himselfe into the gulfe of desperation Wherein I haue purposely and aduisedly auoyded their practise who scatter their consolations they know not where to bee applyed they care not by whom whereof it commeth to passe that those that are most secure and presumptuous arrogate them to whom they doe not appertaine and those that are afflicted and humbled dare not appropriate them to themselues because they are deliuered indefinitly to all without all caution or any condition whereby they might bee restraiâ—ed rather to them than any other in whom sinne yet liueth and raigneth Wherein they resemble negligent physitions who hauing made a good medicine for a sicke man doe not giue it vnto him but cast it carelesly into some corner whether the sicke patient in respect of his faintnesse and weakenesse is likely neuer to come which being found and greedily drunken vp by those who haue no neede of it in stead of doing them good doth turne to their baine and vtter destruction Lastly I haue desired to giue solid and substantiall consolations which are firmely grounded vpon Gods vndoubted truth and such infallible reasons as cannot bee gainsaid and haue withall deliuered the conditions vpon which they are to be receiued and the vndoubted signes and markes of those to whom of right they appertaine to the end that those who finde these things in themselues may not doubt to apply them to their wounded consciences whereby they may bee soundly cured and throughly comforted and that those who finde no such condition obserued by them nor any such signe or marke in them may be debarred from participating of these consolations which would nourish in them securitie and presumption and contrariwise examining themselues according to these rules and finding no correspondencie betweene themselues and them may hereby be awakened out of their lethargie of securitie and attaining vnto a sight and sense of their miserable estate may neuer be at rest till by vsing all good meanes for this purpose they may finde these markes and signes of their election vocation iustification and sanctification in them that so they may boldly and fitly apply vnto themselues these comforts and consolations as rightly and truly appertaining vnto them All which my labours I thought good to dedicate vnto your worships partly because I desired to giue this testimonie of my true thankefulnesse for those manifold benefits which from some of you I haue receiued and of mine vnfained loue which I beare to you all for your vertues and approued godlinesse and partly because I thought none fitter to whom I might commend this discourse of the Christian Warfare than your selues who are olde experienced souldiars in fighting these spirituall battailes and therefore haue iudiciall feeling and sensible apprehension of those things which I haue written and commended to your patronage Now the Lord our God who is the fountaine of all goodnesse and the sole giuer of all true consolation increase in you more and more the gifts and graces of his sanctifying spirit and so fill your hearts with all sound spirituall comfort and the ioy in the holy Ghost that you may through the course of your whole liues chearefully goe forward in the profession and sincere practise of his religion and true godlinesse and after this life may receiue that crowne of righteounsnesse which is prepared and laid vp for you in his kingdome of eternall glorie Amen Your Worships in the Lord most assured IOHN DOVVNAME THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOKE THE CHIEFE POINTS HANDLED in the first Booke CHAP. I. THat all Gods seruants are assaulted with the spirituall enemies of their saluation pag. 1 That the strong faith whereof worldlings boast is nothing els but securitie and vaine presumption pag. 3.4 That Gods seruants may rather be comforted than dismaied by the assaults of their spirituall enemies pag. 6 CHAP. II. Why God suffreth his seruants to be exercised in the spirituall conflict of temptations namely for his owne glorie and their euerlasting good pag. 7 CHAP. III. Arguments to encourage the weake Christian to enter into this spirituall conflict pag. 10 CHAP. IIII. Of the malice of our spirituall enemie Sathan ioyned with violence and falshood and how we may withstand it pag. 16 CHAP. V. Of his strength courage and audaciousnesse and how wee may withstand them pag. 23 CHAP. VI. Of Sathans aides and first of the world pag. 31 How the world tempteth by prosperitie and how wee may resist these temptations pag. 32 How it tempteth by aduersitie and of the meanes whereby wee may resist these temptations 34 CHAP. VII Of the flesh what it is and how we may subdue it 39 CHAP. VIII Of Sathans policie and how we may defeate it 40 CHAP. IX Of the spirituall armour described Eph. 6.44 CHAP. X. Of the particular parts of the Christian armour and first of the girdle of veritie 48 CHAP. XI Of the breastplate of righteousnesse 51 CHAP. XII Of the preparation of the Gospell of peace 54 CHAP. XIII Of the shield of faith and what is meant by quenching Sathans darts 55 CHAP. XIIII Of the helmet of saluation 57 CHAP. XV. Of the sword of the spirit and how we must vse it in the conflict of temptations 59 CHAP. XVI Of prayer and the necessitie thereof in the spirituall conflict 64 Of the properties required in prayer 65 Of watchfulnes in prayer 67 Of perseuerance in prayer Where is also shewed why the Lord delaieth to grant the petitions of his children 69 CHAP. XVII Of Sathans stratagems First how he fitteth his temptations according to our affections and naturall inclinations and how we may defeate this policie 72 CHAP. XVIII How Sathan fitteth his temptations according to our state and condition And how we may withstand these temptations 78 How Sathan tempteth professors of religion whose profession is only in shew 82 How he tempteth the sincere
from the loue of Christ vers 35. from the loue of God in him Whosoeuer therefore with Paul beleeueth that Christ died for him that God freely iustifieth him through Christs merits and that our Sauiour fitteth at the right hand of his Father to make intercession for him he may be assured of Gods loue and consequently of his election Secondly Paul speaketh this not of himselfe alone but also of all the faithfull and therefore he vseth the plurall number I am perswaded that nothing shall be able to separate vs. So Eph. 3.12 the Apostle saith that wee haue through Christ boldnesse and entrance with confidence by faith in him Eph. 3.12 Heb. 4.16 and 10.22 And Heb. 4.16 he exhorteth vs to goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercie c. And chap. 10.22 Let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith c. But I would faine know what entrance with confidence what boldnesse and assurance of faith when we draw neere vnto God and present our selues before his throne of maiestie if we remaine doubtfull of his loue and our election So Heb. 6.19 he saith that our hope is a sure and stedfast anchor of the soule Heb. 6.19 but what certaintie or stedfastnes is there in it if it wauer and stagger through doubtfulnes so often as wee looke vpon our sinnes and vnworthinesse The Apostle Peter also doth tell vs that the trust which we haue through Iesus Christ must be perfect 1. Pet. 1.13 that is entire and perpetuall till we enioy the thing which we hope for 1. Pet. 1.13 And 2. Pet. 1.10 he exhorteth vs to vse all diligence that we may make our calling and election sure which if we could not doe he should perswade vs to the vndertaking of a needelesse labour Nay he plainely assureth vs that if we doe these things to wit if we ioyne vertue with our faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse loue we shall neuer fall because these are effects and vndoubted signes of our election And the Apostle Iohn would not haue it a matter doubtfull whether we are elected and shall be saued or no but certainely knowne and vndoubtedly beleeued and therefore he aimeth principally at this marke and propoundeth this as the chiefe end of his epistle namely to shew how we might know ordinarily and be fully assured that we are beloued of God 1. Ioh. 3.14 elected and shall be saued So 1. Ioh. 3.14 We know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren And therefore in the latter end of his epistle he saith that he had written it to this end that we might know that we haue eternall life chap. 5.13 and 5.13 Seeing then the Scriptures doe commend vnto vs a stedfast and assured faith whereby we particularly are assured and perswaded of our election and saluation notwithstanding our sinnes and vnworthinesse therefore let not the tempter perswade vs to cast away this certaine perswasion and to wauer in doubting but let vs say with the Apostle Paul 2. Tim. 1.12 2. Tim. 1.12 Though I am vnworthie yet I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed to him § Sect. 5 But against that which hath been said the tempter obiecteth An obiection grounded vpon the indefinitnesse of Gods promises answered that the promises of the Gospell are generall and indefinit and therefore no man can gather out of them any certaine assurance of his particular election I answere that this consequence is false for out of a generall and indefinit proposition we may truely and by the lawes of reason gather and inferre a particular conclusion though not contrariwise For example if I thus conclude all men are reasonable creatures but I am a man therefore I am a reasonable creature it is rightly and truely inferred Though therefore the promises of the Gospell be contained in generall propositions yet may euery faithfull man as certainely conclude that they belong vnto him as if they were particularly applied vnto him by name Ioh. 3.16 For when the Lord by his ambassadors maketh this generall proposition in the preaching of the word whosoeuer truely beleeue in Christ they are all elected vnto euerlasting life the faithfull hearer maketh this assumption in his minde but I by the grace of God and by the preaching of his word made effectuall by his spirit haue a true faith begotten in me whereby I beleeue in Christ my Sauiour and therefore Gods promise of life and saluation belongeth vnto me And thus also doth the conscience of man out of the generall curses of the law conclude that he is accursed for when the law deliuereth this proposition in generall Cursed is euery one who abideth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them Deut. 27.26 Gal. 3.10 euery particular man maketh this assumption in his owne conscience but I haue not continued in all to doe it nay in stead of doing all I haue neglected all in sted of continuing in obedience I haue been continually disobedient in sted of doing the duties commaunded I haue committed the sinnes forbidden and therefore by the sentence of the law I am accursed So that though both the threatnings of the law and the promises of the Gospell be generall and indefinit yet doth euery mans conscience truely informed by Gods word gather out of them most certaine particular conclusions § Sect. 6 But here the tempter will obiect further That we may be assured that we are the faithfull vnto whom the promises of the Gospell are made it is true indeede that euery faithfull man may apply the generall promises of the Gospell vnto himselfe but all the question is whether thou canst know that thou hast faith or no seeing many who continue in their infidelitie bragge most of their faith I answere that it cannot be denied but that many are deceiued by contenting themselues with their carnall securitie in stead of a liuely faith but hence it followeth not that because many are deceiued with an opinion of faith therefore those that beleeue indeede cannot be assured that they haue faith no more then this followeth some men dreame that they are rich and are not so indeede when they awake therefore no man knoweth whether he be rich or no for what is their secure opinion but an idle dreame of their owne braines which hath no warrant out of Gods word where as faith certainely and euidently perswadeth and like a candle doth not only manifest other things but also it selfe appeareth by his owne light So that as a man who seeth and feeleth the fier and the heate thereof doth certainly know that hee seeth and feeleth it so he that beleeueth in Christ doth know that he
I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death and that we confesse our miserable estate vnto our captaine and leader Iesus Christ desiring him to assist vs with the power of his holy spirit that thereby we may be freed out of the hands of these our spirituall enemies whose bondage and captiuitie is so irksome and grieuous vnto vs. Neither doth the Lord now require that we performe absolute and perfect obedience to his commaundements but that to will be present in vs that we consent and approue his law to be good and delighting in it concerning the inner man that we desire and indeauour to performe that good we cannot and forgetting that which is behinde indeauour our selues to that which is before and follow hard towards the marke Phil. 3.13.14 though we cannot attaine vnto the end of our race till wee come to the end of our liues Finally the Lord doth not require of vs a whole haruest of goodnes and righteousnes but the first fruites thereof he doth not stand so much vpon our actions as vpon our affections vpon the perfection of our workes as vpon the alacritie of our willes and integritie of our hearts the righteousnes which he requireth is an humble confession of our vnrighteousnesse a sincere hatred of our sinnes a holy indeauour in the vse of the meanes to mortifie our corruptions and to rise from the death of sinne to holinesse and newnes of life which whosoeuer can offer vnto God they may assure themselues that they shall be accepted through Christ as righteous in Gods sight notwithstanding their manifold imperfections and corruptions The end of the second Booke THE THIRD BOOKE INTREATING OF SANCTIFICATION AND PERSEVERANCE as also of Sathans temptations which he suggesteth against them both and of such answeres wherewith the Christian may refute and repell them CHAP. I. Of Sanctification and the causes thereof § Sect. 1 ANd so much for the answering of such temptations of Sathan as concerne our iustification That God is the principall efficient of our sanctification Now wee are to speake of our sanctification which is the next effect of Gods election and inseparably ioyned with our iustification wherein I will obserue my former order first setting downe the doctrine of sanctification and then answering those temptations of Sathan which doe most impugne it Sanctification what is it For the first Sanctification is an action of the whole Trinitie whereby the beleeuer already iustified is by little and little renued according to Gods image in holinesse and righteousnesse by the mortification of the flesh with the corruptions thereof and the quickening of the spirit And this is our sanctification which is expressed in the Scriptures by diuers names and phrases for it is called regeneration the new birth renouation the putting off or mortifying of the old man and the putting on or quickening of the new man and such like The efficient cause of our sanctification is God himselfe who as he alone iustifieth vs and freeth vs from the guilt and punishment of sinne so he onely sanctifieth vs and deliuereth vs from the tyrannie of sinne so that it shall no longer raigne in our mortall bodies freeing vs in such measure as pleaseth him from our naturall corruptions Leuit. 20.8 which heretofore wholy ouerswayed vs. And this appeareth by plaine testimonies of holy Scriptures Iohn 1.13 Iohn 1.13 It is said that the faithfull are borne not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Ephes 2.10 So Ephes 2.10 we are said to be Gods workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which phrase the Apostle vseth to note vnto vs that as God onely did create vs so he onely doth renue and regenerate vs. The Lord likewise doth appropriate this worke vnto himselfe as belonging to another Ezech. 36.26 Ezech. 36.26 and 34.28 A new heart will I giue you and a new spirit will I put into you and I will take away the stony heart out of your body and I will giue you an heart of flesh And hence it is that the Apostle desiring the sanctification of the Thessalonians beggeth it at Gods hand 1. Thes 5.23 The very God of peace sanctifie you throughout 1. Thes 5.23 Psalm 51.13 And Dauid finding the want hereof in himselfe hath his recourse vnto God Psalm 51.10 Create in me a cleane heart O God and renue a right spirit within me So that as God doth begin in vs this worke of sanctification so likewise he doth accomplish and finish it And therefore as we are wholy to ascribe vnto God our election vocation and iustification so also our sanctification that he may be all in all in the worke of our saluation For as he onely formed vs so he onely can reforme vs as he is the author of our naturall generation Gen. 1.28 for by his blessing we haue our being so also of our spirituall regeneration for by his spirit onely wee are renued Neither must we imagine that it is in mans power to renew himselfe no more than to beget himselfe for as well may the Blackmoore change his skinne or the Leopard his spots as wee doe good who are accustomed to doe euill Ierem. 13.23 Ierem. 13.23 yea as easily may the dead man raise himselfe as wee may raise our selues from the death of sinne to newnesse of life Eph. 2.1 Eph. 2.1 It is onely the water of Gods spirit that can wash away our Ethiopian blacknesse and turne our spotted vncleannesse into snowie whitenesse it is onely the God of life that can make vs rise from the death of sinne to newnesse of life But here it may be demaunded that if sanctification bee wholie the worke of God and not in our owne power why doe the Scriptures exhort vs to sanctifie our selues to mortifie our sinnes and to walke in newnesse of life I answere that though sanctification bee wholy from God yet these exhortations are necessarie for hee worketh this worke in vs not as in stocks and stones but as in reasonable creatures of whom he requireth consent of will desire and endeuour in the vse of the meanes ordained of God for the beginning and perfecting of this worke of sanctification in vs. And although this will desire and endeuour be his work likewise yet these exhortations to godlinesse are to good purpose for with the exhortation God ioyneth the operation of his spirit and whilest he commandeth vs he giueth power also to performe that which he commandeth whilest he exhorteth vs to sanctification hee himselfe sanctifieth vs with his spirit § Sect. 2 Now further wee are to know That the work of sanctification is common to the three persons in Trinitie T it 3.5 Eph. 2.4.5 Heb. 9.14 that as all other workes of God which he exerciseth towards his creatures so this work of sanctification likewise is common vnto the three persons in the Trinitie for first God