estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as he did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature behold then a matter of vnspeakeable ioy let vs therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Sauiour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes and praise his name therefore Now we come to the second title of the sonne of God whereby he is tearmed Christ which title is as it were the surname of the second person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as when in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one with Messiah in Hebrewe wherewith the redeemer was named in the old Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all Kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the Kings of Iuda Secondly the priests that serued in the Tabernacle and Temple before the Lord when they were ordained and as it were installed into the priesthood were annointed with oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but afterward the high priests alone Thirdly Prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Nowe this legall annointing was a type and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirit and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For Dauid saith he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christs annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature â—e is a Mediatour in the same he is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly he is a Mediatour the godhead is no mediatour without the manhood nor the manhood without the godhead and therefore his annointing extends it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christs annointing hath two parts both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby he was set apart to do the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therfore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reueale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set apart to the work of mediation as he is mediatour or as he is man yet as he is God he doth designe and set himselfe apart to the same worke For to designe the mediatour is a common action of the three persons the father the sonneâ— and the holy ghost and yet considering the father is first in order and thâ—refore hath the beginning of the action for this cause he is said especially to designe as when S. Iohn saith Him hath God the father sealed The second part of Christs annointing is the powring out of the fulnesse of the spirit or grace into the manhood of Christ and it was particularly figured by the holy oile For first that oile had no man but God alone to bee the author of it so the most excellent and vnspeakeable graces of the manhood of Christ haue their beginning from the godhead of Christ. Againe though the same oile was most precious yet was it compounded of earthly substances as myrrhe calamus and Casia and such like to signifie that the spirituall oile of grace whereof the manhood of Christ was as it were a vessell or storehouse did not consist of the essentiall properties of the godhead as Eutiches and his followers in these daies imagine but in certaine created gifts and qualities placed in his humaine nature otherwise we should not haue any participation of them Thirdly the sweete sauour of the holy oile figured that the riches of all grace with the effect thereof in the obedience of Christ doth take away the noisome sent of our loathsome sinnes from the nosthrilles of God and withal doth make our persons and al our actioÌ„s acceptable vnto him as a sweete perfume as Paul saith we are vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ c. And Christs death is for this cause tearmed a sacrifice of sweete smelling sauour And we must further vnderstand that theâ—e gifts of Christs manhood are not conferred in a small scantling or measure for Iohn saith God giueth the spirit not by measure because the graces which are in Christ are farre more both in number and degree then all men or angels haue or shall haue though the good angels and the saints of God in heauen are very excellent creatures stored with manifold graces and gifts of God For this cause Christ is called the head of man because he is euery way the most principal and glorious man that euer was Yet for all this are not the gifts of Christs manhood infinite any way because it is a creature and finite in nature and therefore not capable of that which is infinite By Christs annointing the people of God reape great benefit comfort because they are to be partakers thereof For this cause the oile wherewith he was annointed is called the oyle of gladnes because the sweete sauour of it gladdeth the hearts of all his members and brings the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding The holy oyle poured vpon Aarons head came downe to his beard and to the very skirts of his garments and it signified that the spirituall oyle of grace was first of all poured vpon our head Christ Iesus from thence consequently deriued to al his members that by that meanes he might be not onely annointed himselfe but also our annointer Nowe the benefits which we receiue by his annointing are two The first is that all the elect when they are called to the profession of the Gospell of Christ are in and by him set apart and made spirituall kings priests and prophets as S. Iohn saith He hath made vs kings and priests vnto his father And S. Peter out of Ioel I will poure saith the Lord my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie The second benefit it that all the faithfull receiue the same oile that is the same spirit of God in some little conuenient measure which he receiued aboue measure as Saint Iohn saithâ— The annointing which ye haue receiued of him dwelleth in you and teacheth you all things where by annointing is meant the holy Ghost And hence it is that men are called Christians of the name of Christ that is annointed with the same oyle wherewith Christ was annointed And the holy oyle might not be giuen to a straunger to signifie that to haue the spirit of Christ and to be guided by it is peculiar
wise doe Secondly by the manner of perswasion for the holy Ghost draweth not reasons â—rom the workes or worthinesse of man but from Gods fauour and loue and this kinde of perswasion is far different from that which Satan vseth Thirdly by the effects of that testimonie For if the perswasion arise from presumption it is a dead perswasion but contrarily it is most liuely and stirring if it come from the holy Ghost For such as are perswaded that they are elected and adopted children of GOD they will loue god they wil trust in him and they will call vpon him with their whole heart IV. If the testimonie of Gods spirit be not so powerfull in the elect then may they iudge of their election by that other effect of the holy ghost namely Sanctification like as we vse to iudge by heate that there is fire when wee cannot see the flame it selfe V. And of all the effects of sanctification these are most notable I. To feele our wants and in the bitternes of heart to bewaile the offence of GOD in euery sinne II. To striue against the flesh that is to resist and to hate the vngodly motions thereof and with griefe to think them burthenous troublesome III. To desire earnestly and vehemently the grace of God and merite of Christ to obtaine eternall life IV. When it is obtained to account it a most pretious iewel Phil. 3.8 V. To loue the minister of Gods word in that he is a minister and a Christian in that he is a Christian and for that cause if neede require to be readie to spende our blood with them Mat. 10.42 1. Ioh. 3.16 VI. To call vpon God earnestly and with teares VII To desire and loue Christs comming and the day of iudgement that an ende may bee made of the daies of sinne VIII To flie all occasions of sinne and seriously to endeauour to come to newnesse of life IX To perseuere in these things to the last gaspe of life Luther hath a good sentence for this purpose Hee that will serue God must saith he beleeue that which cannot bee seene hope for that which is deferred and loue God when he sheweth himselfe an enemie and thus remaine to the ende VI. Nowe if so be all the effects of the spirit are very feeble in the godly they must know this that God trieth them yet so as they must not therewith be dismaied because it is most sure that if they haue faith but as much as a graine of mustard seede and bee as weake as a young infant is it is sufficient to ingraffe theÌ„ into Christ therefore they must not doubt of their election because they see their faith feeble and the effects of the holy Ghost faint within them VII Neither must hee that as yet hath not felt in his heart any of these effects presently conclude that hee is a Reprobate but let him rather vse the word of God and the Sacraments that hee may haue an inward sense of the power of Christ drawing him vnto him and an assurance of his redemption by Christs death and passion VIII No man may peremptorily set downe that himselfe or any other is a reprobate For God doth oftentimes preferre those which did seeme to be most of all estranged from his fauour to be in his kingdome aboue those who in mans iudgement were the children of the kingdome Hence is it that Christ saith The Publicanes and harlots goe before you and many an one is called at the eleuenth houre as appeareth by that notable example of the thiefe vpon the crosse The vses which may be made of this doctrine of predestination are very many First for our instruction we are taught these things I. That there is neither any iustification by workes nor any works of ours that are meritorious For election is by the free grace of God and therefore in like sort is iustification For as I saide before the cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused And for this reason in the worke of saluation grace doth wholly challenge al to it selfe Rom. 11.5 At this time there is a remnant through the election of grace 2. Tim. 1.9 Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was Phil. 1. 29. Vnto you iâ— is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should beleeue in him but also suffer for his sake Rom. 3.24 Wee are iustified freely by grace Tit. 3.5 Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs. Ezech. 36. 27. I will cause you to walke in my statutes Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life II. That Astrologie teaching by the casting of Natiuities what men will be is ridiculous and impious because it determineth that such shall be very like in life and conuersation whom God in his predestination hath made vnlike Iacob and Esau borne of the same parents and almost in the same moment of time for Iacob held Esau by the heele as he was borne were of most vnlike dispositions and had diuers euents The like may we see in all twinnes and others which are borne at the same time III. That God is most wise omnipotent iust and mercifull O the wonderfull riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! howe vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding on t Eph. 1.5 Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Secondly beeing the seruants of Christ we are admonished I. To fight against all doubting and diffidence of our saluation because it neither depeÌ„deth vpon workes nor faith but vpon Gods decree which is immutable Math. 24.24 Luk. 10.20 Reioice that your names are written in the booke of life Rom. 8.33 Who shall any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne 2. Tim. 2.19 This teacheth that the anker of hope must be fixed in the trueth and stabilitie of the immutable good pleasure of God so that albeit our faith bee so tossed as that it is in danger of shipwracke neuerthelesse it must neuer sinke to the bottome but euen in the middest of danger take hold vpon repentance as on a board so recouer it selfe II. To humble our soules vnder the mightie hand of God for wee are as clay in the hand of the potter Rom. 9.21 They through infidelitie are broken off but thou standest through faith Be not high minded but feare III. To giue all glorie to God 2. Thess. 2.13 We ought to giue thankes alwaie to God for you brethren beloued of the Lord because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation IV. To beare crosses patiently Rom. 8.29 Those which he knewe before he hath also preâ—estinate to be made like to the image of his sonne This likenesse
betweene them for when the beast dieth his soule dieth also but the soule of man is immortall The consideration whereof must moooue euery man aboue all things in this world to be careful for his soule if it were to vanish away at the day of death as the soule of beasts doe the neglect thereof were no great matter but seeing it must liue for euer either in eternall ioy or else in endlesse paines and torments it stands vs vpon euery man for himselfe so to prouide for his soule in this life that at the day of death when it shall depart from his bodie it may liue in eternall ioy and happinesse The second that there is an especiall and particular prouidence of God because the particular soule of Christ is committed into the hands of his father and so answerably the soules of euery one of the faithfull are The third that euery one which beleeues himselfe to be a member of Christ must be willing to die when God shall call him thereunto For when we die in Christ the bodie is but laid asleepe and the soule is receiued into the hands of a most loâ—ing God and mercifull father as the soule of Christ was Lastly whereas Christ surrendring his soule into his fathers hands calls it a spirit we note that the soule of man is a spirit that is a spirituall inuisible simple essence without composition created as the angels of God are The question whether the soule of a childe come from the soule of the parents as the bodie doth come from their bodies may easily be resolued For the soule of man beeing a spirit can not beget another spirit as the angels beeing spirituall doe not beget angels for one spirit begetteth not an other Nay which is more one simple element begetteth not an other as the water begetteth not water nor aire begetteth aire and therefore much lesse can one soule beget an other Againe if the soule of the child come from the soule of the parents then there is a propagation of the whole soule of the parent or of some part thereof If it be saide that the whole soule of the parents is propagated then the parents should want their owne soules and could not liue If it be said that a part of the parents soule is propagated I answereâ— that the soule being a spirit or a simple substance cannot be parted and therefore it is the safest to conclude that the bodie indeede is of the bodie of the pâ—rents and that the soule of man while the bodie is in making is created of nothing and for this very cause God is called the father of spirits Thus much of the crucifying of Christ nowe followeth his death For hauing laid downe his soule into the hands of his father the holy Ghost saith he gaue vp the ghost to giue vs to vnderstand that his death was no fantasticall but a reall death in that his bodie and soule were â—euered as truely as when any of vs die In treating of Christs death we must consider many points The first that it was needfull that he should die and that for two causes First to satisfie Gods iustice for sinne is fo odious a thing in Gods sight that he will punish it with an extreame punishment therefore Christ standing in our roome must not onely suffer the miâ—eries of this life but also die on the crosse that the very extremitie of punishment which wee should haue borne might bee laid on him and so we in Christ might fully satisfie Gods iustice for the wages of sinne is death Secondly Christ died that he might fulfill the trueth of Gods word which had said that man for eating the forbidden fruit should die the death The properties of Christs death are two the first that it was a voluÌ„tarie and willing death the second that it was a cursed death For the first whereas I say Christs death was voluntarie I meane that Christ died willingly and of his owne free accord gaue vp himselfe to suffer vpon the crosse Howsoeuer the Iewes did arraigne and condemne and crucifie him yet if hee had not willed his own death and of his free accord giuen himselfe to die not the Iewes nor all the whole worlde could euer haue taken away his life from him He died not by constraint or compulsion but most willingly and therefore hee saith No man taketh my life from me but I saith he lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and haue power to take it againe And our Sauiour Christ gaue euident tokens hereof in his death for then Iesus cried with a loud voice and gaue vp the ghost Ordinarily men that die on the crosse laÌ„guish away by little little before they come to yeeld vp their liues they loose their speech and onely rattle or make a noise in the throate but Christ at that very instant when he was to giue vp the ghost cried with a loud voice which sheweth plainely that he in his death was more then a conquerour ouer death And therefore to giue all men a token of his power and to shewe that he died voluntarily it pleased him to crie with a loud voice And this made the Centurion to say that he was the Sonne of God Againe Christ died not as other men doe because they first giue vp the ghost and then lay their heads aside but he in token that his death was voluntarie first laies his head aside after the manner of a dead man and then afterward giues vp the ghost Lastly Christ died sooner then men are wont to doe vpon the crosse and this was the cause that made Pilate wonder that he was so soone dead Now this came to passe not because he was loath to suffer the extremitie of death but because he would make it manifest to all men that he had power to die or not to die And indeede this is our comfort that Christ died not for vs by constraint but willingly of his owne accord And as Christs death was voluntarie so was it also an accursed death and therefore it is called the death of the crosse And it containeth the first and the second death the first is the separation of the bodie from the soule the second is the separation of bodie and soule from God and both were in Christ for beside the bodily death hee did in soule apprehend the wrath of God due to man for sinne and that made him crie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And here wee must not omitte a necessarie point namely how farre foorth Christ suffered death Answere Some thinke that hee suffered onely a bodily death and such paines as followe the dissolution of nature but they no doubt come to short for why should Christ haue feared death so greatly if it had beene nothing but the dissolution of nature Some againe thinke that he died not onely the first but also the second death but it may
to teach all ignorāt persons and impenitent sinners repentance and humiliation for their sinnes and to mooue them with all speede to seeke vnto Christ for the pardon of the same When Paul preached to the Athenians he willed them to repent vpon this ground and reason because the Lord hath appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world in righteousnes To speake plainly we can be content to heare the word and to honour him with our lipps yet for the most part all is done but for fashions sake for still we liue in our old sinnes our hearts are not turned but in the feare of God let vs bethinke our selues of the time when wee shall come before the iudge of heauen and earth and haue all our sinnes laide open and wee must answer for them all This is the point which the holy Ghost vseth as a reason to mooue men vnto repentance and assuredly if this will not mooue vs there is nothing in the world will Secondly to this purpose Paul saith If wee would iudge our selues wee should not be iudged Wouldest thou then escape the iudgement of Christ at the last day then in this life iudge thy selfe Nowe a man in iudging of himselfe must performe foure things I. he must examine himselfe of his owne sinnes II. he must confesse thē before the Lord. III. he must condemne himselfe as a iudge vpon the bench giue sentence against himselfe Lastly he must plead pardon and crie vnto God as for life and death for the remission of all his sinnes and he that doth this vnfainedly shal neuer be iudged of the Lord at the last day but if we slacke and neglect this dutie in this life then vndoubtedly there remaines nothing but eternall woe in the world to come Thirdly by this we may learne one not to iudge or condemne another as Paul sayeth Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who lighten all things that are in darknes make the counsels of the hearts manifest And Christ saith Iudgement is mine and iudge not and ye shall not be iudged And againe Paul saith to the Romans Why doest thou iudge thy brother for we must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ but some will aske howe doth one iudge another Ans. Thus I. when a man doth well to saie of him that he doth euill II. when a man doth euill then to make it worse III. when a thing is doubtfull to take it in the worst part And by any of these three waies we are not to iudge either of mens persons or of their actions Fourthly wee must endeauour our selues to keepe a good conscience before God and before all men This is the practise of S. Paul who in consideration and hope of a resurrection vnto iudgement as well of the iust as of the vniust endeauoured himselfe to haue alwaies a cleare conscience both towards God and towards men His example is worthie our marking and imitation for fewe there be that vpon this occasion make any conscience either of duty to God or to their brethren Fifthly the last iudgement must stirre vs vp to a reuerend feare of God cause vs to glorifie him as the Angel saith in the Reuelation Feare God and giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come And doubtlesse if any thing in the world will mooue a man to feare the Lord it is this to remember the fearefull and terrible daie of iudgement Nowe hauing spoken hitherto of the first person the father and also of the sonne it followeth in the next place to speake of the third person in these wordes I beleeue in the holy Ghost In which wee may consider two things the title of the person and the action of faith repeated from the beginning The title is Holy Ghost or spirit It may here be demanded howe this title can be fit to expresse the third person which seemes to bee common to the rest for the father is holy and the sonne is holy againe the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit Ans. Indeed the father and the sonne are as wel to be tearmed holy in respect of their natures the third person for all three subsisting in one and the same godhead are consequently holy by one and the fame holinesse but the third person is called holy because beside the holinesse of nature his office is to sanctifie the Church of God Nowe if it be said that sanctification is a work of the whole Trinitie the answer is that although it be so yet the worke of sanctification agrees to the Holy Ghost in speciall manner The father sanctifieth by the sonne and by the holy Ghost the sonne sanctifieth from the father and by the Holy Ghost the holy Ghost sanctifieth from the father and from the sonne by himselfe immediatly and in this respect is the third person tearmed holy Againe the third person is tearmed a Spirit not onely because his nature is spirituall for in that respect the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit but because hee is spired or breathed from the father and from the sonne in that he procedes from them both Thus wee see there is a speciall cause why the third person is called the Holy Ghost Nowe the action of faith which concernes the third person is to beleeue in him Which is I. to acknowledge the Holy Ghost as he hath reuealed himselfe in the word II. In special to beleeue that he is my sanctifier and comforter III. To put all the confidence of my heart in him for that cause In these wordes are comprised foure points of doctrine which are to be beleeued cōcerning the holy Ghost The first that he is very God For we are not to put our affiance or confidence in any but in God alone And no doubt the penners of the Creede in that they prefixed these wordes I beleeue in before the article of the third person meant thereby to signifie that he is true God equall with the father and the sonne according to the tenour of the Scriptures themselues Peter saith to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart that thou shouldest lie vnto the Holy Ghost and continuing the same speech he changeth the tearme onely and saith Thou hast not lied vnto men but vnto God Whereby hei nsinuateth that the Holy Ghost is very God In the vision of the Prophet Isai the wordes by him set downe are thus I heard the voice of Iehoua saying Whome shall I send c. and he said God and say to this people Ye shall heare indeed but ye shall not vnderstand But Paul quoting the same place spake on this manner Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esay the Prophet saying Goe vnto this people and say vnto them Now these places being compared togither make it plaine that the title of Iehova agreeth to the holy Ghost But yet the enemies of this truth which thinke that the Holy
creatures some are proper to men The benefit of the Holy Ghost common to all creatures is the worke of creation and preseruation For all things were created and made and afterwarde perserued by the holy Ghost So Elihu saith The spirit of God hath made me And Moses saith In the beginning the spirit mooued vpon the waters The phrase is borrowed from a bird who in hatching of her young ones sits vpon the egges mooues her selfe vpon them and heats them And so likewise the holy Ghost in the beginning did by his own power cherish and preserue the masse or lumpe whereof all things were made and caused it to bring forth the creatures This beeing euident that the Holy Ghost hath a stroke in the worke of creation and preseruation wee must vnfainedly acknowledge that we were first created and since that time continually preserued by the benefit euen of the third person The benefits proper vnto men are of two sorts some are common to all men both good and bad and some proper to the elect and faithfull The benefits common to all men are diuers I. the gift of practising a particular calling As in the bodie seuerall members haue seuerall vses so in euery societie seuerall men haue seuerall offices and callings and the gifts whereby they are inabled to performe the duties thereof are from the holy Ghost When Gedeon became a valiant captaine to deliuer the Israelites it is said he was clothed with the spirit Bezaleel and Aholiab beeing set apart to build the tabernacle were filled with the spirit of God in wisdome and in vnderstanding and in all workemanship to finde out curious works to worke in gold and in siluer in brasse also in the art to set stones and to carue in timber c. By this it is manifest that the skill of any handicraft is not in the power of man but comes by the holy Ghost And by this we are taught to vse al those gifts wel wherby we are inabled to discharge our particular callings that they may serue for the glorie of God and the good of his Church and those that in their callings vse fraud and deceit or else liue inordinately doe most vnthankfully abuse the gifts of God and dishonour the spirit of God the author of their gifts for which thing they must giue an account one day The second gift common to all is Illumination whereby a man is inabled to vnderstand the will of God in his word The Iewes in the reading of the old testament had a vaile ouer their hearts and the like haue all men by nature to whome the word of God is foolishnes Paul at his conuersion was smitten blind skales were vpon his eyes the like also be ouer the eyes of our mindes and they must fall away before we can vnderstand the will of God Now it is the worke of the holy Ghost to remooue these skales and filmes from our eyes And for this very cause he is called the annointing and eye-salue for as it doth cleare the eyes and take away the dimmenes from them so doth the holy Ghost take away blindnes from our mindes that we may see into the truth of Gods word This beeing a common gift and receiued both of good and bad it standeth vs in hand not to content our selues with the bare knowledge of the word but therewithall we must ioyne obedience and make conscience thereof or else that will besall vs which Christ foretold that he which knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes The third gift of the holy Ghost is the gift of prophecie whereby a man is made able to interpret and expound the Scriptures Now albeit this gift be very excellent and not giuen to euery man yet is it common both to good and badde For in the day of iudgement when men shall come to Christ and say Master we haue prophecied in thy name he shall answer againe I neuer knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquitie Hereupon those that are in the calling of the ministerie and haue receiued the gift of prophecie must not herewithall be puffed vp For if they be not as well doers of Gods will as teachers their gifts will turne to their further condemnation As the carpenters that built Noahs arke when the flood came were drowned because they would not obey Noahs preaching so those that haue the gifts of prophecie and are builders in Gods house if they build not themselues as well as others for all their preaching at the day of iudgement they shall be condemned and therefore it standeth them in hand not to content themselues with this that they know and teach others Gods will but they themselues must be the first doers of the same The fourth common gift of the Holy Ghost is Abilitie to bridle and restraine some affections so as they shall not breake out into outragions behauiour Haman a wicked man and an enemie to Gods Church when he sawe Mordecai the Iewe sitting in the kings gate and that hee would not stand vp nor mooue vnto him he was full of indignatiō neuertheles the text saith that he refrained himselfe And when Abimelech an heathen king had taken Sara Abrahams wife God said vnto him I knowe that thou didst this with an vpright heart and the text addeth further I haue kept thee that thou shouldest not sinne against me And thus the Lord giueth to men as yet without the spirit of sanctification this gift to bridle themselues so as in outward action they shall not practise this or that sinne For why did not Abimelech commit adulterie surely because God kept him from it Againe in the histories of the heathen we may read of many that were iust liberall meeke continent c. and that by a generall operation of the holy Ghost that represseth the corruption of nature for the common good Here then if any man aske howe it commeth to passe that some men are more modest and ciuil then others seeing all men by nature are equally wicked the answer may be not as the common saying is because some are of better nature then others for all the sonnes of Adam are equall in regard of nature the child newe borne in that respect is as wicked as the eldest man that euer liued but the reason is because God giues this common gift of restraining the affections more to some then to others This must be considered of vs all For a man may haue the spirit of God to bridle many sinnes and yet neuer haue the spirit to mortifie the same and to make him a newe creature And this beeing so we must take heede that we deceiue not our selues For it is not sufficient for a man to liue in outward ciuility and to keepe in some of his affections vpon some occasion for that a wicked man may doe but we must further labour to feele in our selues the spirit
they that are the sonnes of God are led by his spirit a most notable benefit for looke where the h. Ghost dwelleth there he will be Lord gouerning both heart minde will and affections and that two waies I. by repressing all badde motions vnto sinne arising either from the corruption of mans nature from the world or from the deuil II. by stirring vp good affections and motions vpon euery occasion so it is said The flesh that is the corruption of mans nature lusteth against the spirit the spirit that is grace in the heart lusteth against the flesh that after a double sort first by labouring to ouermaster and keep down the motions thereof secondly by stirring vp good motions and inclinations to pietie and religion In Esay the holy Ghost hath most excellent titles The spirit of the Lord the spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsel of strength the spirit of knowledge of the feare of the Lord. Now he is so called because he stirres vp good motions in the godly of wisdome of knowledge of strength of vnderstanding of counsell and of the feare of the Lord. And S. Paul saith that the fruits of the spirit are ioy peace loue long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenes temperance c. all which are so tearmed because where the holy Ghost ruleth there he ingendreth these good gifts and motions of grace but among all the inward motions of the spirit the most principall are these I. an vtter disliking of sinne because it is sinne And that is when a man hath an eye not so much to another mans sinnes as to his own seeing them is truely sorrowfull for them and disliketh them and himselfe for them not so much because there is a place of torment or a day of iudgement to come wherein hee must answer to God for them all but as if there were no hell or iudgement because God is displeased by them who hath beene vnto him a most louing and mercifull father in redeeming him by Christ. The second is an hungring desire aboue all things in this worlde to be at vnitie with God in Christ for the same sinnes This is a motion of the holy Ghost which no man can haue but he in whome the holy Ghost doth dwell The third the gift of hearty praier For this cause the Holy Ghost is called the spirit of supplications because it stirreth vp the heart and makes it fit to pray and therefore Paul saith that the spirit of God helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed This is an ordinarie worke of the holy Ghost in all that beleeue he that would knowe whether he haue the spirit dwelling truely in his heart shall knowe it by this A mother carrieth her child in her armes if it crie for the dugge and sucke the same it is aliue being obserued many daies togither if it neither crie nor stirre it is dead In like manner it is an vnfallible note of a true child of God to crie to his father in heauen by praier but he that neuer crieth nor feeleth himselfe stirred vp to make his mone to God is in a miserable case and he may well be thought to be but a dead childe and therefore let vs learne in praier vnfainedly to poure out our soules before God considering it is a speciall gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed on the children of God The fourth worke of the holy Ghost in the heart of the elect is comfort in distresse and therefore our Sauiour Christ calleth him the comforter whome he will send and in the Psalme hee is called the oyle of gladnesse because he maketh glad the heart of man in trouble and distresse There be two things that fill the heart full of endlesse griefe the first outward calamities as when a man is in any danger of death when he looseth his goods his good name his friendes and such like The second is a troubled conscience whereof Salomon saith A troubled spirit who can beare it and of all other it is the most heauie and grieuous crosse that can bee When as the hand of God was heauie vpon Iob this was the sorest of all his affliction and therefore he crieth out that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in his soule Nowe what is the comfort in this case Ans. In the middest of all our distresses the holy Ghost is present with vs to make vs reioice and to fill vs with comforts that no tongue can expresse out of the word of god and specially the promises thereof And hereupon the vngodly man when afflictions befall him is readie to make away himselfe because he wants the comfort of the holy Ghost The last benefit wrought in the hearts of the elect is the strengthening of them to doe the weightiest duties of their callings and hence the holy Ghost is called the spirit of strength There be diuers things to bee done of a Christian man that are farre beyond the reach of his power as fiâ—st when he seeth his owne sinnes and is truely humbled for them then to lift vp the hand of faith to heauen and thereby to catch holde on the mercy of God in Christ is the hardest thing in the whole world and this doe all those knowe to be true in some part which knowe what it is to beleeue Secondly it is as hard a thing in the time of temptation to resist temptation as for drie wood to resist the fire when it begins to burn Thirdly when a maÌ„ is put to his choice either to loose his life goods friends and all that he hath or els to forsake religion euen then to forsake all and to sticke vnto Christ is a matter of as great diffâ—cultie as any of the former Fourthly when a man wanteth the ordinary meanes of Gods prouidence as meate drinke and cloathing then at the very same instant to acknowledge Gods prouidence to reioyce in it and to relie theron is as much as if a man should shake the whole earth It is against our wicked nature to trust God vnlesse he first lay downe some pawne of his loue mercie to vs. How then will some say shall any one be able to doe these things Ans. The holy Ghost is the spirit of strength and by him we do all things as Paul saith I am able to doe all things through the helpe of Christ which strengtheneth me Concerning these gifts of the holy Ghost two questions may be mooued First what is the measure of grace in this life Answ. Small in respect In this world we receiue as Paul saith not the tenths but the first fruits of Gods spirit the earnest of the spirit Now the first fruits properly are but as an handfull or twaine of corne to a whole corne field containing many acres furlongs of ground
owne children From Adoption proceede many other benefits First the elect child of God hereby is made a brother to Christ. Secondly he is a King and the kingdome of heauen is his inheritance Thirdly he is lord ouer all creatures saue Angels Fourthly the holy Angels minister vnto him for his good they guard him and watch about him Fifthly all things yea grieuous afflictions and sinne it selfe turne to his good though in his owne nature it be neuer so hurtfull and therefore death which is most terrible vnto him is no entrance into hell but a narrow gate to let him into euerlasting life Lastly beeing thus adopted he may looke for comfort at Gods hand answerable to the measure of his affliction as God hath promised XXX The inward assurance of Adoption is by two witnesses The first is our spirit that is an heart and conscience sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Now because it commeth to passe that the testimonie of our spirit is often feeble and weake God of his goodnes hath giuen his owne spirit to be a fellow witnesse with our spirit for the Elect haue in themselues the spirit of Iesus Christ testifying vnto them and perswading them that they are the adopted children of God For this cause the holy Ghost is called the spirit of adoption because it worketh in vs the assurance of our adoption and it is called a pawne or earnest For as in a bargaine when part of the price is payed in earnest then assurance is made that men will pay the whole so when the childe of God hath receiued thus much from the holy Ghost to be perswaded that he is adopted and chosen in Christ he may be in good hope and he is alreadie put in good assurance fully to enioy eternall life in the kingdome of heauen Indeede this testimonie is weake in most men and can scarce be perceiued because most Christians though they may be old in respect of yeares yet generally they are babes in Christ and not yet come to a perfect growth and may finde in themselues great strength of sinne and the graces of God to be in small measure in them And againe the children of God beeing most distressed as in time of triall and in the houre of death then the inward working of the holy Ghost is felt most euidently But a reprobate can not haue this testimonie at all though indeede a man flattereth himselfe and the deuill imitating the spirit of God doth vsually perswade carnall men and hypocrites that they shall be saued But that deuillish illusion and the testimonie of the Spirit may be discerned by 2. notes The I. is heartie feruent praier to God in the name of Christ. For the same spirit that testifieth to vs that we are the adopted children of God doth also make vs crie that is feruently with grones sighs filling heauen and earth pray to God Now this heartie feruent and loud crying in the eares of God can the deuill giue to no hypocrite for it is the speciall marke of the Spirit of God The other note is that they which haue the speciall testimonie from the spirit of God haue also in their hearts the same affections to God which children haue to their father namely loue feare reuerence obedience thankfulnes for they call not vpon God as vpon a terrible Iudge but they crie Abba that is father And these affections they haue not whome Satan illudeth with a phantasticall imagination of their saluation for it may be that through hypocrisie or through custome they may call God father but in truth they can not doe it XXXI The elect being thus assured of their adoption and iustification are indued with hope by which they looke patiently for the accomplishing of all good things which God hath begun in them And therefore they can vndergoe all crosses and afflictions with a quiet and contented minde because they know that the time will come when they shall haue full redemption from all euills This was the patience of Pauls hope when he saide that nothing in the world could seuer him from the loue of God in Christ. And like to this was the patience of Policarpe and of Ignatius who when he was condemned and iudged to be throwne to wild beasts and now heard the Lyons roring he boldly and yet patiently said I am the wheat of Christ I shall be ground with the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found good bread Also the same was the patience of the blessed Martyr S. Laurence who like a meeke lambe suffered himselfe to be tormented on a fierie gridyron and when he had bin pressed downe with fire pikes for a great space in the mightie spirit of God spake vnto the Emperour that caused him thus to be tormented on this wise This side is now rosted enough turne vp O tyrant great Assay whether rosted or rawe thou thinkest the better meate XXXII The third maine benefit is inward sanctification by which a Christian in his mind in his will and in his affections is freed from the bondage and tyrannie of sinne and satan and is by little and little inabled through the spirit of Christ to desire and approoue that which is good to walke in it And it hath two parts The first is mortification when the power of sinne is continually weakned consumed and diminished The second is viuification by which inherent righteousnes is really put into them and afterward is continually increased XXXIII This sanctification is wrought in all Christians after this manner After that they are ioyned to Christ and made mystically bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Christ worketh in them effectually by his holy spirit and his workes are principally three First he causeth his own death to worke effectually the death of all sinne to kil the power of the flesh For it is as a corrasiue which beeing applied to the part affected eateth out the venome and corruption and so the death of Christ by faith applied fretteth out and consumeth the concupiscence the corruption of the whole man Secondly his buriall causeth the buriall of sinne as it were in a graue Thirdly his Resurrection sendeth a quickning power into them and serueth to make them rise out of their sinne in which they were dead and buried to worke righteousnes and to liue in holines of life Lazarus bodie lay foure daies and stanke in the graue yet Christ raised it and gaue him life again and made him do the same works that liuing men doe so also Christ dealeth with the soules of the faithfull they rot and stinke in their sinns and would perish in them if they were left alone but Christ putteth a heauenly life into them maketh them actiue and liuâ—ly to doe the will of God in the workes of Christianitie and in their works of their callings
counted as sheepe for the slaughter 37. Neuerthelesse in all these things we are more then conquerours thorough him that loued vs. Psal. 89.32 I will visit their transgressions with the rodde and their iniquitie with strokes 33. Yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him 2. Cor. 12.7 There was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me because I should not be exalted out of measure 2. Sam. 7. 14. I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a sonne and if he sinne I will chasten him with the rodde of men and with the plagues of the children of men IV. They haue dominion ouer all creatures yet so as that in this life they haue onely right to the thing but after this life also in the same Whence it is apparant that the faithfull alone haue the true vse of the Lords goods I. because their persons are in Christ acceptable vnto him in whom also they haue restitution made vnto them of those goods which they lost in Adam that they may with a good conscience vse them II. They vse them with thanksgiuing to their ends appointed by God 1. Cor. 3.22,23 Whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are yours Heb. 2.7 Thou madest him little inferiour to the Angels thou crownedst him with glorie and honour and hast set him aboue the workes of thine hands 8. Thou hast put all things in subiection vnder his feete Last of all they may haue the Angels as ministring spirits attending vpon them for their good Hebr. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heires of saluation Psal. 34.7 The Angel of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and deliuereth them CHAP. 38. Concerning the third degree of the declaration of Gods loue THe third degree is Sanctification whereby such as beleeue beeing deliuered from the tyrannie of sinne are by little and little renued in holines and righteousnes 1. Ioh. 3.9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seede remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Sanctification hath two parts Mortification and Viuification The mortification of â—inne is the first part of sanctification whereby the power of sinne is abated and crucified in the faithfull Rom. 6.2 How shall we that are dead to sinne liue yet therein 3. Know ye not that all we which haue beene baptized into Iesus Christ haue beene baptized into his death 4. We are buried then with him by baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glorie of the father so we also should walke in newnes of life Eccles. 5.6 7 11 12 13. Galat. 5.24 They which are Christs haâ—e crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof The meanes that worke mortification is the death buriall of Christ froÌ„ whence sinn being by it at the first nipped in the head proceedeth such a vertue as doth both keepe vnder the strength that it caÌ„not break out as it would and in man as it were in a graue doth cause it to die and eke putrifie Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with him that the bodie of sinne might be destroyed The power of Christ his death is a certaine power issuing into his humanitie suffering and dying from his deitie whereby he did in the â—ame his humanitie both concerning the guilt and also the punishment vanquish our sinne imputed vnto him beeing our suretie that in like sort he in vs his members might by the same power abolish the corruption of sinne Viuification is the second part of sanctification whereby inherent holines being begun is still augmented and enlarged First we receiue the fiâ—st fruits of the spirit then a continuall encrease of them Eph. 4.23 Be renued in the spirit of your minde 24. And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines Eph. 2. 1. And you hath he quickned that were dead in trespasses and sinnes Gal. 2. 20. Thus I liue yet not I now but Christ in me and in that I now liue by the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Rom. 8.23 We which haue the first fruits of the spirit euen we doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies 1. Cor. 15.45 The first man Adam was made a liuing soule â—nd the second man Adam was made a quickning spirit The efficient cause of them both is the holy Ghost who doth by his diuine power conuey himselfe into the beleeuers hearts and in them by applying the power of Christ his death and resurrection createth holinesse Iob 3â— 24 25. Rom. 8.9 Now ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit because the spirit of God dwelleth in you but if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his 11. But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you The preseruatiue of viuification is a vertue deriued from Christs resurrection to those that are quickned which maketh them to rise vp to newnesse of life Philip. 3.10 That I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection The power of Christs resurrection is that whereby he â—irst did in his owne â—lesh as conquerer ouer death and sinne beginne to liue with God and to be exalted aboue euery name and then by it he in his members sinne beeing dâ—ad and buried doth cause in them a studie and purpose to liue according to the will of God Furthermore this inherent holines is to be distinguished into parts according to the seuerall faculties of the bodie soule of man 1. Th. 5.23 The very God of peace sanctifie you throughout And I pray God that your whole spirit soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. I. The holines or renuing of the minde which is the illumination thereof to the knowledge of the will of God Coloss. 1.9 We cease not to pray for you and to desire that ye might be fully filled with knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spirituall vnderstanding 1. Cor. 12.8 To one is giuen by the spirit the speech of wisdome to an other the speech of knowledge by the same spirit Illumination is either spirituall vnderstanding or spirituall wisdome Spirituall vnderstanding is an illumination of the minde whereby it acknowledgeth the knowne truth of the word of God Spirituall wisdome is also an illumination of the minde whereby the same truth is applied to the
them are morall works and workes of grace but these are excluded from iustification and working mans saluation Eph. 2.10 And Paul beeing regenerate saith thus of himselfe I am not guiltie vnto my selfe of any thing yet am I not thereby iustified VI. The cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused but grace without works is the cause of mans predestination the which is the cause of his iustification and therefore grace without workes shall much more be saide to be the cause of iustification Obiect I. Levit. 18.5 He that keepeth my statutes shall liue in them Ans. This saving is a legall sentence and therefore sheweth not what men can doe but what they should doe Obiect II. Psal. 119.1 Blessed are those that walke in the Law of the Lord. Ans. Man is not here said to be blessed because he walketh vprightly but because the person of such walker is by the merits of Christ iustified before God Obiect III. Iudge me according to my righteousnes Psal. 7. And the fact of Phinees was imputed to him for righteouses Ans. These places are not meant of that righteousnes of the person by which it is righteous before God but of the righteousnes of some particular cause or worke For where as Dauid was accused of this crime that he did affect Sauls kingdome he in this point doth in the words aboue mentioned testifie his innocencie before God Obiect IV. We are iudged according to our workes therefore also by them iustified Ans. The reason is not alike because the last iudgement is not the iustifying of a man but a declaration of that iustification which he had before obtained Therfore the last iudgement must be pronounced and taken not from the causes of iustification but from the effects and signes thereof Obiect V. Make you friends of vnrighteous Mammon c. that they may receiue you into eternall habitations Ans. This they doe not as authors of saluation but as witnesses of the same Obiect VI. Dan. 4.24 Redeeme thy sinnes by righteousnes and thine iniquitie by mercie towards the poore Ans. It is rather breake off thy sinnes then redeeme for so is the originall now men breake off their sinnes by ceasing from them not satisfying for them Obiect VII Euill workes condemne therefore good workes iustifie Answ. It followeth not because good works are not perfectly good as euill works are perfectly euill Obiect VIII We are saued by hope Rom. 8. Answer We must distinguish betwixt iustification and saluation saluation is the end iustification is one degree to come to the ende but there is more required to the ende then to a degree subordinate to the ende therefore we are saued by hope and faith but iustified by faith alone Obiect IX Affliction causeth eternall glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Ans. This is doth not as by it owne merit effecting the same but rather as a path and way manifesting and declaring the same Obiect X. Iam. 2.21 Abraham was iustified by workes Ans. Not as any cause of iustification but as a manifestation thereof Obiect XI He that is iust let him be more iust Ans. This place must be vnderstood of iustification before men namely of sanctification or an holy life not of iustification in the sight of God Obiect XII We are iustified by faith therefore by a worke Ans. We are iustified by faith not as it is a vertue and a worke but as it is an instrument apprehending the iustice of Christ whereby we are iustified And in this respect faith is said by the figure called Metonymia to be imputed to vs vnto righteousnesse Obiect XIII The workes of grace are dyed in the blood of Christ. Ans. They are indeed dyed therein but to the ende they might the better please God not iustifie man and whereas they are so stained as that they neede dying in the blood of Christ therefore can they not any waies iustifie sinnefull man And the person of the worker is as well died in Christs blood as is his work yet he can not say that his person doth therefore iustifie him And as I haue now prooued that this doctrine of the Papists is very erronious so I also auouch that it is most ridiculous Because for a man to say that inherent righteousnes is by good works namely the fruits of righteousnes augmented is as if a man should say that the vine is made more fruitfull by bearing grapes or that the internall light of the sunne is augmented by the externall emission of the beames Luthers saying is farre more true Good workes doe not make a good man but a good man doth make workes good The XIIII errour Grace is quite extinguished or rather vtterly lost by any mortall sinne The Confutation I. The word of God doth manifestly declare that it is farre otherwise Ioh. 6. All that the Father giueth me shall come vnto me and him that commeth vnto me I cast not away Math. 16.16 Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church so that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Rom. 5. 1. Beeing therefore iustified we haue peace with God Now how could this be true if he that was before iustified could any way quite fall from grace and so perish II. The elect after their very grieuous fallings from God forthwith repented them of their sinnes as we may see in the example of Dauid Peter c. the which argueth that they had not quite fallen from grace and lost the spirit of God III. If grace be once vtterly lost then the ingraffing of that partie into Christ is quite abolished therefore for such as repent there must needs succeed a second new ingraffing into Christ then it will also follow that they must of necessitie be baptized anew which is absurd to thinke But for all this we denie not but grace may in part and for a time be lost to the end that the faithfull may thereby acknowledge and know their weaknes and for it be humbled but that there is any totall or finall falling from grace we vtterly denie The XV. errour It is possible to fulfill the Law in this life The Confutation The Law is euangelically fulfilled by beleeuing in Christ but not legally by doing the works thereof Reason They which are carnall cannot possibly fulfill the law of God but the most regenerate so long as they liue in this life are carnall in part Rom. 7.14 I am saith Paul of himselfe carnall and sold vnder sinne Prou. 20. Who can say Mine heart is pure I am pure from sinne Eccles. 7. There is none so iust vpon earth which doth good and sinneth not Psal. 130. If thou Lord obserue what is done amisse Lord who shall abide it We are daily taught to pray vnto God Forgiue vs our sinnes Exception Indeede if the iustice of the faithfull be absolutely
whereby the Reprobate I. doth acknowledge his sinne II. Is pricked with the feeling of Gods wrath for sinne III. Is grieued for the punishment of sinne IV. Doth confesse his sinne V. Acknowledgeth God to be iust in punishing sinne VI. Desireth to be saued VII Promiseth repentance in his miserie or affliction in these words I will sinne no more Math. 27.3 Then when Iudas which betraied him saw that he was condemned he repented himselfe and brought againe the thirtie pieces of siluer to the chiefe Priests and Elders Heb. 12.17 For yee know how that afterward also when hâ— would haue inherited the blessing he was reiected for he found no place to repentance though he sought the blessing with teares 1. King 21.27 Now when Ahab heard those wordes he rent his clothes and put sackcloath vpon him and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly Numb 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last ende be like his Psal. 78.32 For all this they sinned still and beleeued not his wondrous workes 33. Therefore their daies did he consume in vanitie and their yeares hastily 34. And when he slue them they sought him and they returned and sought God earely 35. They remembred that God was their strength and the most high God their redeemer The third degree is a temporarie faith whereby the reprobate doth confusedly beleeue the promises of God made in Christ I say confusedly because he beleeueth that some shall be saued but he beleeueth not that he himselfe particularly shall be saued because he beeing content with a generall faith doth neuer applie the promises of God to himself neither doth he so much as conceiue any purpose desire or endeuour to applie the same or any wrastling or striuing against securitie or carelesnes and distrust Iam. 2. 19. Thou beleeuest that there is one God thou doest well the deuils also beleeue it and tremble Math. 13.20 And he that receiued seede in the stony ground is he which heareth the word and incontinently with ioy receiueth it 21. Yet hath he no roote in himselfe and dureth but a season Ioh. 2.23 Now when he was at Ierusalem at the Passeouer in the feast many beleeued in his Name when they saw his miracles which he did 24. But Iesus did not commit himselfe vnto them because he knew them all The fourth is a tasting of heauenly gifts as of Iustification and of Sanctification and of the vertues of the world to come This tasting is verely a sense in the hearts of the Reprobates whereby they doe perceiue and feele the excellencie of Gods benefits notwithstanding they doe not enioy the same For it is one thing to tast of dainties at a banquet and another thing to feede and to be nourished thereby Heb. 6.4 For it is impossible that they which were once lightened and haue tasted of the heauenly gifts and were made partakers of the holy Ghost The fifth degree is the outward holines of life for a time vnder which is comprehended a zeale in the profession of religion a reuerence and feare towards Gods ministers and amendment of life in many things Mark 6.20 For Herod feared Iohn knowing that he was a iust man and an holy and reuerenced him and when he heard himâ— he did many things and heard him gladly Act. 18.13 Then Simon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized and continued with Philip and wondred when he saw the signes and great miracles which were done Hos. 6.4 O Ephraim what shall I doe vnto thee O Iudah how shall I entreate thee for your goodnes is as a morning cloud and as the morning dewe it goeth away The second degree of the execution of Gods counsel of reprobation in meÌ„ of ripe age which are called is a falling away againe which for the most part is effected and wrought after this manner First the reprobate is deceiued by some sinne Secondly his heart is hardened by the same sin Thirdly his heart being hardened it becommeth wicked and peruerse Fourthly then followeth his incredulitie and vnbeleefe whereby he consenteth not to Gods word when he hath heard and known it Fiftly an Apostasie or falling away from faith in Christ doth immediately follow this vnbeleefe Hebr. 3.12,13 Take â—eed brethren least at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart awaie from the liuing God 1. Tim. 1.19 This Apostasie is sometimes sinne against the holy Ghost In the sinne against the holy Ghost we haue haue these seuerall points to be considered I. The Name it is called a sinne against the holy ghost not because it is done against the person or deitie of the holy Ghost for in this respect he that sinneth against the holy Ghost sinneth in like sort against both the father the Sonne but it is so called because it is done contrarie to the immediate action namely the illumination of the holy Ghost For albeit this be an action common to the whole Trinitie yet the Father and the sonne doe effect the same by the holy Ghost II. The efficient cause of it which is a set obstinate malice against God and against his Christ. Therefore when a man doth in the time of persecution either for feare or rashly denie Christ he doth not commit this sinne against the holy Ghost as may appeare by the example of Peter who denied Christ. Mat. 26.73.74.75 Neither doth he which persecuteth Christ and his Church vpon ignorance fall into this sinne Paul persecuted the Church of Christ and yet God had mercie on him because he did it ignorantly 1. Tim. 1.13 Many of the Iewes crucified our Sauiour Christ who afterward because they committed that grieuous fact vpon ignorance repenting at Peters sermon they did obtaine remission of their sinnes Act. 3.17 37. III. The Obiect namely God himselfe and the Mediatour Christ Iesus For the malice of this sinne is directed against the very maiestie of God himselfe and against Christ. Hebr. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be worthie which treadeth vnderfoote the Sonne of God and counteth the blood of the Testament as an vnholy thing wherewith he was sanctified and doth despise the spirit of grace Therefore this sinne doth directly respect the first table of the morall law and is not some particular slipping aside from the obseruation of those commandements which are contained in this first table such as are some doubtings concerning God or of the truth of the scriptures or of Christ c. but it is a generall defection apoâ—tasie from God and that totally IV. The subiect in which it is This sin is found in none at al but such as haue been enlightened by the holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good gift of God Heb. 6.5,6 Neither is it in him a bare cogitation alone but an externall action or rather such a blasphemie against God as proceedeth from a malitious and obstinate heart Matth. 12. 31. V. The Elect cannot commit this sinne and
as when a thing is to make it at the same time to be and not to be as when the Sunne doth shine to make it at the same instant to shine and not to shine And therefore false is the doctrine of the church which in their transubstaÌ„tiation make the bodie of Christ whose essentiall propertie is to bee onely in one place at once to be circumscribed and not to be circumscribed to be in one place and not to be in one place And thus much for the meaning Nowe follow the duties whereunto wee are mooued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie First whereas God the father is said to be almightie we are taught true humiliation Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God saith Peter where he giueth an exhortation to humilitie and alleadgeth the cause because God is almightie To make this more plaine Euery one of vs was borne in sinne by nature we are most wretched in our selues now what an one is God Surely he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will yea and more then he will and is able to destroy such as rebell against him euery moment Therefore our dutie is to cast downe our selues for our sinnes in his presence This true humiliation was that which our Sauiour Christ would haue brought the younge man in the Gospell vnto when hee bade him goe sell all that he had and giue to the poore Therefore whosoeuer thou art take heed thou must for if thou runne on in thy wickednesse and still rebell against God it is a thousand to one at length he will destroy thee For he is an almightie God and able to doe whatsoeuer hee will his hand is mightie it boots not a man to striue with him for hee was neuer yet ouermastered and for this cause wee must needs â—ast down our selues vnder his hand It is a fearefull thing saith the holy Ghost to fall into the hands of the liuing God therefore if wee would eâ—cape his heauie and terrible displeasure the best way for vs is to abase our selues and be ashamed to followe our sinnes Christ biddeth vs not to feare him that is able to kill the body and can goe no further but wee must feare him that is able to cast both bodie and soule into hell fire Example of this we haue in Dauid who when he was persecuted by his owne sonne Absolon he said vnto the Lord If he thus say I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies But some will say I will liue a little longer in my sinnes in lying pride Sabbath breaking in swearing dicing gaming and wantonnesse for God is mercifull and in my old age I will repent Ans. Well soothe not thy selfe but marke vsually when God holds backe his hand for a season he doth as it were fetch a more mightie blowe for the greater confusion of a rebellious sinner therefore humble submit and cast downe thy selfe before God and doe not striue against him his hand is mightie and will ouerthrow thee Though thou hadst all learning wisdome might riches c. yet as Christ said to the younge man one thing is wanting that thou shouldest bee humbled and vntill thou bee humbled nothing is to bee looked for but Gods iudgement for sinne Secondly seeing God is almightie we must tremble and feare at all his iudgements we must stand in awe quake and quiuer at them as the poore childe doth when he seeth his father come with the rod. Example of this we haue often in Gods word as when the sonnes of Aaron offered straunge fire before the Lord he sent fire from heauen and burned them vp And though Aaron was very sorry for his sonnes yet when Moses told him that the Lord would be glorified in all that came neere him then the text saith Aaron helde his peace So also we read that the Apostles reprooued Peter for preaching vnto the Gentiles but when Peter had expounded the things in order which he had seene then they held their peace and glorified God As also Dauid saith I held my tongue O Lord because thou didst it Isaiah saieth In hope silence is true fortitude If a man be in trouble he must hope for deliuerance and be quiet and patient at Gods iudgements But the practise of the world is flat contrarie For men are so farre from trembling at them that they vse to pray to god that plagues curses and vengeance may light vpon them and vpon their seruants and childreÌ„ Nowe the Lord being a mighty God often doth answerably bring his iudgements vpon them Againe many caried with impatiencie wish themselues hanged or drowned which euils they thinke shal neuer befall them yet at the length God doth in his iustice bring such punishments vpon them according as they wished And which is more in all ages there haue bene some which haue scorned and mocked at Gods iudgements Hereof we had not far hence a most fearefull example One beeing with his companion in a house drinking on the Lords day when he was readie to depart thence there was great lightening and thunder whereupon his fellow requested him to stay but the man mocking and iesting at the thunder and lightning said as report was it was nothing but a knaue cooper knocking on his tubbes come what woulde hee would goe and so went on his iourney but before hee came halfe a mile from the house the same hand of the Lord which before he had mocked in a crack of thunder stroke him about the girdlestead that he fell downe starke deade Which example is worthy our remembrance to put vs in mind of Gods heauy wrath against those which scorne his iudgements for our dutie is to tremble and feare and it were greatly to be wished that wee coulde with open eye beholde the terriblenesse and fearefulnesse of Gods iudgements it would make a man to quake and to leaue off sinne If a man passe by some high and daungerous place in the night when hee cannot see hee is not affraide but if yee bring him backe againe in the day and let him see what a steepe and dangerous way hee came hee will not be perswaded to passe the same way againe for any thing so it is in sinning for men liuing in ignorance and blindenesse practise any wickednesse and doe not care for Gods iudgements but when God of his goodnesse bringeth them backe and openeth their eies to see the downfall to the pit of hell and the iudgements of God due to their sinnes then they say they will neuer sinne as they haue done but become new men and walke in the way to eternall life Thirdly we are taught by the Apostle Paul that if wee be to doe any duty to our brethren as to releeue them wee must doe it with chearfulnesse for he laboureth to perswade the Corinthians to cheerefull liberalitie and the reason of his perswasion is because God is able
Ghost createth and so we may say of the works of gouernment and of redemption and of all outward actions of the persons to the creatures But some againe may say howe then can the worke of creation beeing an outward action of God to the creature be peculiar to the first person the father I answere the work of creatiō is not so proper to the first person the father as that it cannot also be cōmon to the rest for all the three persons ioyntly created all things of nothing only they are distinguished in the maner of creating For the father is the cause that beginneth the worke the sonne puts it in execution the holy ghost is the finisher of it And againe the father createth by the sonne by the holy ghost the sonne createth by the holy ghost and from the father the holy ghost createth not by the father nor by the sonne but from the father the sonne And this is the reason why the worke of creation is ascribed here vnto the father because he alone createth after a peculiar manner namely by the sonne and by the holy Ghost but the Sonne and the holy Ghost create not by the father but from him Thus hauing answered the obiection we come to speake of the creation it selfe In handling whereof we must withall treat of the Counsell of God as beeing the cause therof and of the Gouernment of the creatures as being a work of God whereby he continunes the creation And the order which I will obserue is first to speake of the Counsell of God and secondly of the exequution of his Counsell which hath two speciall branches the first the creation the second the preseruation or gouernment of things created The Counsell of God is his eternall and vnchangeable decree whereby he hath ordained all things either past present or to come for his owne glorie First I call it a decree because God hath in it sette downe with himselfe and appointed as soueraigne Lord what shall be what shall not bee I adde further that all things whatsoeuer come vnder the compasse of this decree as Paul saith He worketh all things according to the counsell of his will And our Sauiour Christ saith that a sparrowe cannot fall on the ground without the heauenly father yea further he tels his disciples that the very haires of their heades are numbred meaning that they are knowne and set downe in the counsell of God And considering that God is King of heauen and earth and that most wise yea wisdome it selfe and most mightie yea might and power it selfe it must needes bee that he hath determined how all things shall come to passe in his kingdome with all their circumstances time place causes c. in such particular manner that the very least thing that may bee is not left vnappointed and vndisposed The counsell of God hath two properties eternitie and vnchaungeablenes It is eternall because it was set downe by God from euerlasting before all times as Paul saith God hath chosen the Ephesians to saluation before all worldes And he saith of himselfe that hee was called according to the purpose of God which was before all worldes Againe the same counsell once set downe is vnchangeable God saith I am Iehouah and I chaunge not With God saith S. Iames there is no variablenesse nor shadowe of chaunge Nowe such as God is such is his decree or counsell And beeing vnchangeable his counsels also are vnchangeable Gods counsell hath two parts his foreknoweledge and his wil or pleasure His foreknowledge whereby he did foresee all thinges which were to come His will whereby in a generall manner he wills and ordaines whatsoeuer is to come to passe and therefore such things as God altogither nilleth cannot come to passe Now these two-parts of the counsell of God must be ioyned together and not seuered Will without knowledge is impotent and foreknowledge without will is idle And therefore such as holde that God doeth barely foresee sundrie things to come no manner of way either willing or decreeing the issue and euent of them doe bring in little better then Atheisme For if we say that any thing comes to passe either against Gods will or God not knowing of it or not regarding it we shall make him either impotent or carelesse and rase the very foundation of Gods prouidence And this decree of God must be conceiued of vs as the most generall cause of all things subsisting being first in order hauing all other causes vnder it and most principall ouerruling all ouerruled by none Thus wee see what is to be held touching Gods counsell nowe for the better clearing of the trueth three obiections of some difficultie are to be answered First may some man say if God decree and ordaine all things whatsoeuer then he decreeth and ordaineth sinne but God decrees not sinne in as much as it is against his will and therefore he decrees not all things Ans. Wee vse not to say that God doth simply will or decree sinne but onely in part adding withall these caueats I. That God willeth and decreeth sinne not properly as it is sin but as it hath in it sundry regards and respects of goodnes so farforth as it is a punishment or chastisement or triall or action or hath any existence in nature II. God can so vse euil instruments that the work done by them beeing a sinne shall neuerthelesse in him bee a good worke because hee knowes howe to vse euill instruments well If it be further alleadged that God willeth no wickednesse Psal. 5.5 we must knowe that Gods will is two-folde generall and speciall Generall whereby God willeth and decreeth that a thing shall bee and by this kinde of will he may be saide to will sinne and that without sinne For though he decree it thus yet doth he not instill wickednesse into the heart of any sinner and his decree is onely for a most excellent ende For in regard of God which decreeth it is good that there should be euill To this purpose Augustine saith excellently By an vnspeakeable manner it comes to passe that that which is against Gods will is not without his will Nowe the speciall will of God is that whereby he willeth any thing in such manner that he approoueth it and delighteth in it And thus indeede we cannot say without blasphemie that god willeth sinne Thus then we see in what manner and how farforth God may be said to decree sinne that is to will and appoint the permission of it Againe it may be obiected thus If all things be determined by the vnchangeable decree of God then all things come to passe by an vnchangeable necessitie and men in their actions haue no freewill at all or libertie in doing any thing Answer This must be learned as a certaine rule that the necessarie decree of God doth not abolish the nature of the second causes and impose necessitie vpon the will of
sheepe of the house of Israel Christ Iesus came to poure oile into our woundes Christ came to set them at libertie which are in prison and to place them in freedome that are in bondage Now a man cannot poure oile into a wound before there be a wound or before it be opened and we feele the smart of it And how can wee be set at libertie by Christ except we feele our selues to be in bondage vnder hell death and damnation When the Disciples of Christ were vpon the sea in a great tempest they cried Master saue vs we perish So no man can hartily say I beleeue Iesus Christ to be my Sauiour before he feele that in himselfe he is vtterly lost and cast away without his helpe But after that we perceiue our selues to be in danger and to be ouerwhelmed in the sea of the wrath of God then we crie out with the disciples Lord Iesus saue vs we perish Many protestants in these daies hold Christ to be their Sauiour but it is onely formably from the teeth outward and no further for they were neuer touched with the sense of their spirituall miserie that they might say with Daniel Shame and confusion belongeth vnto vs and with the Publicane I am a sinner Lord be mercifull to me And therefore the conclusion is this that if we will haue Christ to be our Sauiour we must first beleeue that in our selues we are vtterly lost and so must that place be vnderstood where Christ saith he is not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that is to those which in their owne sense and feeling are lost in themselues Secondly if Christ be a Sauiour then we must acknowledge him to bee so But howe shall we doe this I answer Thus A man is taken to be a skilful Phisition by this that many patients come vnto him and seeke for helpe at his hands And so should it be with Christ. But alas the case is otherwise Euery man can talke of Christ but fewe acknowledge him to be a Sauiour by seeking to him for their saluation because they iudge themselues righteous and feele not themselues to stand in need of the helpe of Christ. Nay which is more If a man be knowne that can cure straunge diseases men will seeke to him by sea and land and sell both goods and landes to get helpe at his hands Euen so if men were perswaded that Christ were a perfect Sauiour and that they were sicke and vtterly vnable to be saued without him they would neuer rest nor be in quiet but seeke vnto him for his help and crie with Dauid O Lord say vnto my soule that thou art my saluation The womaÌ„ that was diseased with an issue of blood came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if we shal seeke to come to Christ and doe but touch his pretious bodie and bloode by the hand of faith the issues the bleeding wounds of our soules shall be dried vp When a man that had beene sicke eight and thirtie yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda he was faine to lie there vncured because when the angel troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent vs or steppe before vs. And if we finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not drawe neere vnto him let vs then doe as the palsie man did he got foure men to carrie him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they could not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bed by cordes to Christ that hee might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put to their shoulders and by their praiers as with cordes bring vs to Christ that we may receiue eternall saluation beeing otherwise dead in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Marie gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue conuenient names vnto them which may put them in minde of duties either to God or men This is worthie of our obseruation for many care not howe they name their children yea it is at this day and euer hath beene that some giue such names to them as that at the very rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen vnto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then when they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy ghost therefore though we doe not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a wise godly choice in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in steade of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the olde Testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borrowed from the holy ancetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steps And thus much of the duties Now followe the consolations that Gods Church people râ—ape from this that the sonne of god is our Sauiour WheÌ„ as all mankind was included vnder sin and condemnation then the Lord had mercy vpon vs and gaue vnto man the couenant of grace in which he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and vnspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioiced herein wheÌ„ Christ was born Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the lord Now if they reioice thus exceedingly at Christs birth who was not their Sauiour because they stood not in need to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doth principally concerne and no maruel for if we had wanted this blessed Sauiour it had bin better to haue bin a bruit beast or any other creâ—ture then a man for the death of a beast is the ende of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endlesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his owne sonne to restore him to a better
our nature tooke our infirmities also it is a wonderfull comfort vnto Gods Church for it shewes that he is not only a Sauiour but also a very compassionate and pitiful Sauiour As the holy Ghost saith In all thinges it became Christ to be like vnto his brethren that hee might be mercifull and a faithfull high priest in things concerning God Let a man be sicke of a grieuous disease and let a friend come that hath beene troubled with the very same disease he will presently shewe more compassion then twentie others and so Christ hauing felt in his owne soule and bodie the anguish and the manifold perplexities that we feele in our temptations and afflictiōs hath his bowels as it were yearning towards vs euermore being prest and readie to releeue vs in all our miseries In the daies of his flesh he wept ouer Ierusalem when he sawe it a farre off because shee continued in her olde sinnes and did not knowe the time of her visitation and no doubt though now he be exalted in glorie in heauen yet his compassion to his poore members vpon earth is no whit diminished Now we come to speake of the Incarnation more particularly the creed yet further expresseth it by two parts the first is the conception of Christ in these words Conceiued by the holy ghost the second is his birth in the words following Borne of the virgine Marie The conception of Christ is set downe with his efficient cause the Holy Ghost as the angel said to Ioseph Feare not to take Marie for thy wife for that which is conceiued in her is of the holy ghost Here it may be demanded why the conception of Christ should be ascribed to the Holy Ghost alone which is common to all the persons in Trinitie as all other such actions are Ans. It is not done to exclude the Father or the Sonne himselfe from this worke but to signifie that it comes of the free gift and grace of God which commonly is tearmed by the holy ghost that the manhood of Christ beeing but a creature should be aduanced to this dignitie that it should become a part of the Sonne of God And againe the Holy Ghost is the author of this conception in a speciall manner for the father and the sonne did cause it by the holy Ghost from them both immediately In the conception of Christ we must obserue and consider three thinges The framing of the manhood the sanctifying of it and the personall vnion of the manhood with the Godhead And howsoeuer I distinguish these three for orders sake yet must we know and remember that they are all wrought at one and the same instant of time For when the holy Ghost frames and sanctifies the manhood in the wombe of the Virgin at the very same moment it is receiued into the vnitie of the second person In the framing of Christs manhood two things must be considered the matter and the maner The matter of his bodie was the very flesh and blood of the virgin Marie otherwise he could not haue beene the sonne of Dauid of Abraham and Adam according to the flesh As for his soule it was not deriued from the soule of the virgin Marie as a part thereof but it was made as the soules of all other men be that is of nothing by the very power of God and placed in the bodie both of them from the first moment of their beeing hauing their subsistance in the person of the sonne And here we must take heed of two opinions the first is of the Anabaptists which holde that the flesh of Christ came downe from heauen and passed through the virgin Marie as through a pipe without taking any substance from her the places which they alleadge for the purpose are manifestly abused For whereas Christ saith of himselfe that he descended from heauen his speech must be vnderstoode in respect of his Godhead which may be said in some sort to descend in that it was made manifest in the manhood here vpon earth And whereas Paul calleth him heauenly and the Lord from heauen it is not in respect of the substance of his bodie but in respect of the glorious qualities which he receiued after this resurrection The other opinion is of the Papists that hold the bread in the sacrament to be turned substantially into the bodie of Christ which thing if it be true then the bodie of Christ is made of bread kneaded and tempered by the hand of the baker and not of the substance of the virgin Marie As for the manner of the making and framing of the humane nature of Christ it was miraculous not by generation according to the ordinarie course of nature but by an extraordinary operation of the holy Ghost aboue nature and for this cause it is not within the compasse of mans reason either to conceiue or to expresse the manner and order of this conception The Angel ascribes two actions to the holy Ghost in this great worke the one to come vpon the virgin Marie the other to ouershadow her by the first is signified the extraordinarie worke of the holy Ghost in fashioning the humane nature of Christ for so much the phrase elsewhere importeth The second signifieth that the holy Ghost did as it were cast a cloud ouer her to teach vs that we should not search ouer much into the mysterie of the Incarnation It may be obiected against this which hath bin said that if Christ be in this manner conceiued by the holy Ghost then the holy Ghost shall be father to Christ and Christ his sonne Answ. The reason is not good For he that is a father is not a bare efficient cause but one which in the effecting of any thing conferres the matter vnto it from himselfe whereof it shall be made Now the holy Ghost did not minister any matter vnto Christ from his own substance but did onely as it were take the masse and lumpe of mans nature from the bodie of the virgin Marie and without ordinarie generation made it the bodie of Christ as Basil saith Christ was conceiued not of the substance but of the power not by any generation but by the appointment and benediction of the holy Ghost The second point in the conception is the sanctifying of that masse or lumpe which was to be the manhood of Christ. And that was done vpon speciall cause first that it might be ioyned to the person of the Sonne which could not haue beene if it had beene defiled with sinne Secondly Christ was a Sauiour as he is both God and man now then beeing man if he had beene sinnefull himselfe he could not haue saued others but should haue stoode in neede of a Sauiour for himselfe This sanctification hath two parts the first is the stay and stoppage of the propagation of originall sinne and of the guilt of Adams sinne which was on this manner God in the beginning set downe
this temple and in three daies I will build it vp againe more plainly I haue saith he power to lay downe my life and I haue power to take it againe From whence we learne diuers instructions First whereas Christ raiseth himselfe from death to life it serueth to prooue that he was not onely man but also true God For the bodie beeing dead could not bring againe the soule and ioyne it selfe vnto the same and make it selfe aliue againe neither yet the soule that is departed from the bodie can returne againe and quicken the bodie and therefore there was some other nature in Christ namely his godhead which did revnite soule and bodie togither and thereâ—y quicken the manhood Secondly if Christ giue life to himselfe beeing dead in the graue then much more nowe beeing aliue and in heauen glorified is hee able to raise vp his members from death to life Wee are all by nature euen starke dead in sinne as the deade bodie rotten in the graue and therefore our duty is to come to Christ our Lord by humble prayer earnestly intreating him that he would raise vs vp euery day more and more from the graue of our sinnes to newnesse of life He can of men deade in their sinnes make vs aliue vnto himselfe to liue in righteousnes and true holines all the daies of our life The third thing is that Christ rose againe with an earthquake And this serueth to prooue that he lost nothing of his power by death but still remained the absolute Lord and King of heauen and earth to whome therefore the earth vnder his feete trembling doth him homage This also prooueth vnto vs that Christ which lay dead in the graue did raise himselfe againe by his owne almightie power Lastly it serueth to conuince the keepers of the graue the women which came to embalme him and the disciples which came to the sepulchre and would not yet beleeue that he was risen againe But how came this earthquake Ans. Saint Matthew saith there was a great earthquake For the Angel of the Lord descended from heauen c. This shewes that the power of angels is great in that they can mooue and stirre the earth Three angels destroied Sodom and Gomorrha An angel destroied the first borne of Egypt in one night In the hoast of Senacherib one angel slue in one night an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand men Of like power is the deuill himselfe to shake the earth and to destroy vs all but that God of his goodnesse limits and restraines him of his libertie Well if one angel be able to shake the earth what then will Christ himselfe doe when he shall come to iudgement the second time with many thousand thousands of angels oh how terrible and fearefull will his comming be Not without cause saith the holy Ghost that the wicked at that day shall crie out wishing the hills to fall vpon them and the mountaines to couer them for feare of that great and terrible day of the Lord. The fourth thing is that an Angel ministred to Christ beeing to rise againe in that he came to the graue and rolled away the stone and sate vpon it Where obserue first how the angels of God minister vnto Christ though dead and buried whereby they acknowledge that his power maiestie and authoritie is not included within the bonds of the earth but extends it selfe euen to the heauens themselues and the hosts thereof and that according to his humanitie Wicked men for their parts laboured to close him vp in the earth as the basest of all creatures but the angels of heauen most readily accept him as their soueraigne Lord and king as in like manner they did in his temptation in the wildernes and in his agonie in the garden Secondly that the opinion of the Papists and others which thinke that the bodie of Christ went through the graue-stone when he rose againe is without warrant For the end no doubt why the angel rolled away the stone was that Christ might come forth And indeed it is against the order of nature that one body should passe through another without corruption or alteration of either considering that euery bodie occupies a place and two bodies at the same instant can not be in one proper place Furthermore it is saide that when the angel sate on the stone his countenance was like lightening and his rayment as white as snow and this serued to shew what was the glorie of Christ himselfe For if the seruant and minister be so glorious then endles is the glorie of the lord and master himselfe Lastly it is saide that for feare of the angel the watchmen were astonied and became as dead men which teacheth vs that what God would haue come to passe all the world can neuer hinder For though the Iewes had closed vp the graue with a stone and set a band of souldiours to watch least Christ should by any meanes be taken away yet all this auaileth nothing by an angel from heauen the seale is broken the stone is remooued and the watchmen at their wittes endes And this came to passe by the prouidence of God that after the watchmen had testified these things to the Iewes they might at length be conuicted that Christ whome they crucified was the Messias The fifth and last point is that Christ rose not alone but accompanied with others as S. Matthew saith that the graues opened and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues and went into the holy citie and appeared vnto many after Christs resurrection And this came to passe that the church of God might know and consider that there is a reuiuing and quickning vertue in the resurrection of Christ wherby he is able not onely to raise our dead bodies vnto life but also when we are dead in sinne to raise vs vp to newnesse of life And in this very point stands a maine difference betweene the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of any other man For the resurrection of Peter nothing auailes to the raising of Dauid or Paul but Christs resurrection auailes for all that haue beleeued in him by the very same power whereby he raised himselfe he raiseth all his members and therfore he is called a quickning spirit And let vs marke the order obserued in rising First Christ riseth and theÌ„ the Saints after him And this came to passe to verefie the Scripture which saith that Christ is the first borne of the dead Now he is the first borne of the deadâ— in that he hath this dignitie and priuiledge to rise to eternall life the first of all men It is true indeed that Lazarus and sundrie others in time rose before Christ but yet they rose to liue a mortall life and to die againe Christ he is the first of all that rose to life euerlasting and to glorie neuer any rose before Christ in this manner And the persons that
ye did it to the least of those my brethren you did it to me A most notable sentence and it serueth to teach vs how we should behaue our selues in doing works of mercie which are duties to be performed in this life We are not to doe them of any sinister respect as for praise of men or commoditie but we must propound vnto our selues the partie to whome we doe any good and in him looke on Christ and so doe it as vnto Christ and for Christs sake onely and this is a good worke indeede Christ saith Whosoeuer shall giue a cuppe of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple shall not loose his reward It is but a small gift but yet the manner of doing it namely in the name of a disciple that is in respect that he is a member of Christ doth make it an excellent worke of mercie It is a speciall marke of a child of God to shew mercie on a christian because he is a Christian. If any would know whether he be a christian or no let him search himselfe whether he loue a man and can doe good vnto him because he is a child of God and a member of Christ. For this is a plaine argument that he also is the child of God Many can loue because they are loued againe but to loue for Christ his sake is a worke of Christ in vs and a speciall gift of God The sentence of condemnation followes in the second place and it containes foure points I. the reiection of the vngodly II. the reason of their reiection III. the defence which the wicked make for themselues lastly the answer of Christ to them againe The reiection of the wicked is vttered by a terrible sentence Away from me ye cursed into hell fire The vse hereof in generall is twofold First it serues to awake and excite all men and women in the world whosoeuer they be that shall heare it to looke vnto their owne estates It is wonderfull to see what great securitie reigneth euery where in these our daies Men goe on in sinne from day to day and from yeare to yeare without repentance nothing at all fearing the sentence of condemnation at the last day like vnto many which for the obtaining of other mens goods are neither by the feare of arraignment or imprisonment kept in good order The occasions of securitie are twofold I. the prosperitie of the wicked who of all men liue most at ease without trouble either in bodie or in minde II. Gods patience and long suffering as Salomon saith Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to doe euill But to awake all those which liue in this securitie they must remember that howsoeuer the Lord God doth now deferre his iudgement yet there is a day wherein he will no way shew mercie and long suffering when they shall heare this fearefull sentence of condemnation pronounced against them Away from me ye cursed The second vse is to the godly It serues to nurture them to keepe them in awe before God and no doubt this was a principall cause why this sentence was here penned by the holy Ghost A wise master of a family will check his seruant if the cause require correct him in his childs presence that the child it selfe may learne thereby to feare stand in awe of his father so Christ the most carefull and wise gouernour of his Church hath set downe this sentence of condemnation against the wicked that the children of God in this world whensoeuer they shall heare or read the same might be mooued thereby to stand in feare of God and more dutifully performe obedience vnto his commandâ—ments Away from me Here we may learne what a blessed thing it is for a man to haue true fellowshippe with Christ in this world For in the day of iudgement the punishment of the wicked is to be cut off from him and driuen away from his presence Now he that would haue fellowship with God after this life escape that punishmeÌ„t must seeke to haue it in this life and he that will not seeke to haue fellowship with him in this life shall neuer haue it after in the day of iudgement Againe let vs marke that it is nothing to draw neere vnto Christ with our lippes if the heart be not with him for such as come neere with the lippe and keepe aloofe in the heart shall heare the sentence pronounced Away from me ye cursed and shall be seuered as farre from Christ as hell from heauen Therefore let vs not content our selues with formall profession but open the doores of our hearts that the king of glorie may come in Ye cursed They are cursed who are borne in sinne and liue in their sinnes and all the daies of their liues so perseuere to the last gaspe without seeking recouerie Whosoeuer he be that is in this estate the curse of God hangeth ouer his head and will so doe till he get reconciliation with God in Christ. This beeing so aboue all things in this world we must labour to be at peace with God and neuer cease nor be quiet with our selues till we haue the same wrought and sealed in our hearts For before such time as we be in Gods fauour his fearefull curse hangs ouer our heads and if we so perseuere without repentance the day will come when we shall heare this fearefull sentence pronounced against vs Away from me yee cursed into hell fire What hell fire is we must not curiously search but rather giue our whole endeauour to learne how we may auoid it as when a mans house is on fire his care must be not to search how it came but rather how to quench it yet we are to know thus much that by hell fire is not meant any bodily flame but it signifies the seazing of the fearefull and terrible wrath of God both on bodie and soule for euer For howsoeuer the bodie be subiect to burning with bodily fire yet the soule beeing spirituall can not burne and therefore hell fire is not a materiall fire but a grieuous torment fitly resembled thereby Prepared for the deuill and his angels There is in euery mans heart by nature this corruption whereby when he sinneth he thinks that there is no danger but all is well hauing as Esai saith made a couenant with hell But here consider that although the deuill was once an angel of light yet when he had sinned he could not escape hell it was prepared euen for him How then shall vngodly men which are not halfe so wily thinke to escape Now followeth the reason of their reiection in these wordes For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meate c. Hence we learne these two points I. that all mans religion and seruing of God is in vaine if so be we shew no compassion toward the poore members
of God not only bridling sinne in vs but also mortifying and killing the same Indeed both of them are the good gifts of Gods spirit but yet the mortification of sinne is the chiefest being an effectuall signe of grace and proper to the elect The fifth grace and gift of the holy Ghost is to heare and receiue the word of God with ioy In the parable of the sower one kind of badde ground are they which when they haue heard receiue the worde with ioy And this is that which the authour of the Hebrues calls the the tasting of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come We knowe that there is great difference betweene tasting of meate and eating of it They that sit down at the table do both tast and eate but they that dresse the meate do onely see and taste thereof so it is at the Lords table Many there be that haue this gift truely both to tast and eate of the bodie and blood of Christ offered in the word and Sacraments and some againe doe onely taste and feele the sweetnesse of them and reioice therein but yet are not indeede partakers thereof Nowe if this be so then all those which heare the word of God must take heede how they heare and labour to finde these two things in themselues by hearing I. that in heart and conscience they be throughly touched and humbled for their sinnes II. that they be certenly assured of the fauour and loue of God in Christ and that the sweete promises of the Gospel doe belong to them and in consideration hereof they must make conscience of all sinne both in thought worde and deed through the whole course of their liues And this kind of hearing bringeth that ioy which vanisheth not away Thus much of the benefits of the holy Ghost common to all men both good and badde nowe followe such as are proper to the elect all which may be reduced vnto one namely the inhabitation of the spirit whereby the elect are the temples of the holy Ghost who is said to dwell in men not in respect of substance for the whole nature of the holy Ghost cannot be comprised in the bodie or soule of man but in respect of a particular operation and this dwelling standes in two things The first that the holy Ghost doth abide in them not for a time onely but for euer for the word dwelling noteth perpetuitie Secondly that the holy Ghost hath the full disposition of the heart as whē a man commeth to dwell in an house whereof he is lord he hath libertie to gouerne it after his owne will Nowe this disposition of the hearts of the faithfull by the holy Ghost stands in fiue special and notable gifts euery one worthie our obseruation The first is a certen knowledge of a mans owne reconciliation to God in Christ. As it is said in Esai By his knowledge my righteous seruant shall iustifie many And Christ saith This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely verie God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. This knowledge is not generall for then the deuils might be saued but it is particular whereby a man knoweth God the father to be his father and Christ the redeemer to bee his redeemer and the holy Ghost to bee his sanctifier and comforter And it is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost as Paul saith The spirit of God beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the children of God And we haue receiued the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are giuen vnto vs of God The second gift is regeneration whereby a man of a limme of the deuill is made a member of Christ and of a child of Satan whome euery one of vs by nature doe as liuely resemble as any man doeth his owne parent is made the child of God Except a man saith our Sauiour Christ be borne againe by water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Iohn Baptist in saying that Christ baptized with the holy Ghost and fire compares the spirit of god to fire and water To fire for two causes I. as it is the nature of fire to warme the body that is benummed and frozen with colde so when a man is benummed and frozen in sinne yea when he is euen starke dead in sinne it is the property of the Holy Ghost to warme and quicken his heart and to reuiue him II. Fire doth purge and eate out the drosse from the good mettall now there is no drosse nor canker that hath so deepely eaten into any mettall as sinne into the nature of man and therefore the Holy Ghost is as fire to purge and eate out the hidden corruptions of sinne out of the rebellious heart of man Againe the holy Ghost is compared to cleare water for two causes I. man by nature is as drie wood without sappe and the property of the holy Ghost is as water to supple and to put sap of grace into the dead and rotten heart of man II. the propertie of water is to clense and purifie the filth of the bodie euen so the holy Ghost doth spiritually wash away our sinnes which are the filth of our nature and this is the second benefit of the Holy Ghost By this we are taught that he which would enter into the kingdome of God and haue the Holy Ghost to dwell in him must labour to feele the worke of regeneration by the same spirit and if a man would knowe whether hee haue this worke wrought in him or no let him marke what Saint Paul saith They that are of the spirit sauour the things that are of the spirit but they that liue after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh If therefore a man haue his heart continually affected with that which is truely good either more or lesse it is a certaine token that his wicked nature is changed and he regenerate but contrariwise if his heart be alwaies set on the pleasures of sinne and the things of this world hee may iustly suspect himselfe that he is not regenerated As for example if a man haue all his minde set vpon drinking and gulling in of wine and strong drink hauing little delight nor pleasure in any thing els it argues a carnall minde vnregenerate because it affects the things of the flesh and so of the rest And on the contrarie he that hath his minde affected with a desire to doe the will of God in practising the workes of charitie and religion he I say hath a spirituall and a renued heart and is regenerate by the holy Ghost The third worke of the holy Ghost is to gouerne the hearts of the elect this may be called spirituall regiment A man that dwelleth in a house of his owne orders and gouerns it according to his own will euen so the holy ghost gouerns all them in whome he dwelleth as Paul saith
loue In these daies it is hard to finde these duties performed in any place For both practise and prouerb is commonly this Euery man for himselfe and God for vs all but it is a graceles saying and the contrarie must be practised of all that desire to be guided by the spirit The seuenth fruit is faith Faith or fidelitie standeth in these two duties One to make conscience of a lie and to speake euery thing whereof we speake as we thinke it is and not to speake one thing and thinke an other A rare thing it is to finde this vertue in the world now adaies who is he that maketh conscience of a lie and is not truth banished out of our coasts considering that for gaines and outward commodities men make no bones of glosing and dissembling but alas the practise is damnable and the contrarie is the fruit of the holy Ghost namely to speake the truth from the heart he that can doe this by the testimonie of God himselfe shall rest in the mountaine of his holines euen in the kingdome of heauen The second point wherein fidelitie consisteth is when a man hath made a promise that is lawfull and good to keepe and performe the same Some thinke it is a small matter to breake promise but indeede it is a fruit of the flesh and contrariwise a fruit of the spirit to performe a lawfull promise and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation and in conscience a man is bound to keepe promise so farre forth as he will to whome the promise is made Indeede if a man be released of his promise he is then free otherwise if we promise and doe not performe we doe not onely cracke our credit before men but also sinne before God The eight fruit of the spirit is meekenesse which is a notable grace of God when a man prouoked by iniuries doth neither intend nor enterprise the requitall of the same And it stands in three duties The first is to interpret the sayings and doings of other men in better part as much as possibly may be The second when men mistake and misconsture our sayings and doings if the matter be of smaller moment to be silent patient as Christ was when he was accused before the high priests Pharises this being withal remembred that if the matter be of weight and moment we may defend our selues by soft and mild answers The third is not to contend in word or deed with any man but when we are to deale with others to speake our minde and so an ende The last fruit of the spirit is temperance whereby a man bridleth his appetite or lust in meate drinke and apparell In bridling the lust these rules must be obserued I. Eating and drinking must be ioyned with continuall fasting after this manner We must not glut our selues but rather abstaine from that which nature desireth and as some vse to speake leaue our stomackes crauing II. A man must so eate and drinke as afterward he may the better be inabled for Gods worship Creatures are abused when they make vs vnfit to serue God The common fault is on the Sabbath day men so pamper themselues as that they are made vnfit both to heare and learne Gods word and fitte for nothing but to slumber and sleepe but following this rule of temperance these faults shall be amended III. This must be a caueat in our apparell that we be attired according to our callings in holy comelinesse The Lord hath threatned to visit all those that are cloathed in strange apparrell And holy comelinesse is this when the apparell is both for fashion and matter so made and worne that it may expresse shew forth the graces of God in the heart as sobrietie temperance grauitie c. and the beholder may take occasion by the apparell to acknowledge and commend these vertues But lamentable is the time looke on men and women in these daies and you may see and read their sinnes written in great letters on their apparell as intemperance pride and wantonnesse Euery day new fashions please the world but indeede that holy comelines which the holy Ghost doth commend to vs is the right fashion when all is done And these are the nine fruits of the spirit which we must put in practise in our liues and conuersations Fourthly if we beleeue in the holy Ghost and thereupon doe perswade our selues that he will dwell in vs we must daily labour as we are commaunded to keepe our vessells in holinesse and honour vnto the Lord and the reason is good If a man be to entertaine but an earthly prince or some man of state he would be sure to haue his house in a readines and all matters in order against his comming so as euery thing might be pleasing vnto so worthy a guest well now behold we put our confidence and affiance in the holy Ghost and doe beleeue that he wil come vnto vs and â—anctifie vs and lodge in our hearts He is higher then all states in the world whatsoeuer and therefore we must looke that our bodies and soules be kept in an honourable and holy manner so as they may be fit temples for him to dwell in S. Paul biddeth vsâ— not to grieue the holy spirit where the holy Ghost is compared to a guest and ouâ— bodies and soules vnto Innes and as men vse their guests friendly and courteously shewing vnto them all seruice and dutie so must we doe to Gods spirit which is come to dwell and abide in vs doing nothing in any case which may disquiet or molest him Now there is nothing so grieuous vnto him as our sinnes and therefore we must make conscience of all manner of sinne least by abusing of our selues we doe cause the holy Ghost as it were with greefe to depart from vs. When the arke of the couenant which was a signe of the presence of God was in the house of Obed Edom the text saith that the Lord blessed him and all his house but when the holy Ghost dwels in a mans heart there is more then the arke of the Lord present euen God himselfe and therfore may we looke for a greater blessing Now then shall we grieue the holy Ghost by sinning seeing we reape such benefit by his aboad It is said that our Sauiour Christ was angrie when he came into the temple at Ierusalem and saw the abuses therein Now shall he be angrie for the abuses that are done in a temple of stone and seeing the temples of our bodies which are not made of stone but are spirituall figured by that earthly temple seeing them I say abused by sinne will he not be much more angrie Yea we may assure our selues he can not abide that And therefore if we beleeue in the holy Ghost we must hereupon be mooued to keepe our bodies and soules pure and cleane And further to perswade vs hereunto we must remember this that when
parts the Decree of Election the Decree of Reprobation or No-election This diuision is plaine by that which hath beene said out of the 9. chapter to the Romanes and it may be further confirmed by other testimonies Of some it is said that the Lord knowes who are his and of some others Christ shall say in the daie of iudgement I neuer knewe you In the Acts it is said that as many of the Gentiles as were ordained to life euerlasting beleeued And Iude saith of false prophets that they were ordained to condemnation In handling the decree of Election I will consider three things I. what Election is II. the execution thereof III. the knowledge of particular Election For the first Gods Election is a decree in which according to the good pleasure of his will he hath certenly chosen some men to life eternall in Christ for the praiâ—e of the glorie of his grace This is the same which Paul saith to the Ephesians God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Nowe that wee mâ—y the better conceiue this doctrine let vs come to a consideration of the seuerall points thereof First of all I saie Election is Gods decree For there is nothing in the worlde that comes to passe either vniuersally or particularly without the eternall and vnchangeable decree of God And therfore whereas men are actually chosen brought to life euerlasting it is because God did purpose with himselfe and decree the same before all worlds Now touching the decree it selfe sixe things are to be obserued The first what was the motiue or impulsiue cause that mooued God to decree the saluation of any man Ans. The good pleasure of God For Paul saith he will haue mercy on whome he will haue mercy and He hath predestinate vs according to the good pleasure of God As for the opinioÌ„ of them that say that foreseene faith and good works are the cause that mooued god to choose men to saluation it is friuolous For faith and good works are the fruits and effects of gods election Paul saith he hath chosen us not because he did foresee that we would becoÌ„e holy but thâ—t wee might be holy And he hath predestinate vs to adoption Which is all one as if hee had said he hath predestinate vs to beleeue because adoption comes by beleeuing Now if men are elected that they might beleeue then are they not elected because they would beleeue For it can not be that one thing should be both the cause and the effect of another The second point is that Gods election is vnchangeable so as they which are indeed chosen to saluation can not perish but shall without faile attaine to life euerlasting Paul takes it for a conclusionâ— that the purpose of God according to election must remaine firme and sure and againe that the gifts and calling of god are without repentance And Samuel saith The strength of Israel will not lie or repent For he is not a man that he should repent Such as Gods nature is such is his will and counsell but his nature is vnchangeable I am Iehouah saith he and I change not therefore his will likewife and his counsels bee vnchangeable And therefore whensoeuer the spirit of God shall testifie vnto our spirits that we are iustifâ—ed in Christ and chosen to saluation it must be a means to comfort vs and to stablish our hearts in the loue of God As for the opinion of them that say the elect may fall from grace and be damned it is ful of hellish discomfort and no doubt from the deuil And the reasons coÌ„monly alleadged for this purpose are of no moment as may appeare by the skanning of them First they obiect that the Churches of the Ephesians Thessalonians and the dispersed Iewes are all called Elect by the Apostles themselues yet sundrie of them afterward fell away Ans. I. There are two kindes of iudgement to be giuen of men the iudgement of certenty and the iudgement of charitie By the first indeede is giuen an infallible determination of any mans election but it belongs vnto God principally and properly and to men but in part namely so farre forth as God shall reueale the estate of one man vnto another Nowe the iudgement of charitie belongs vnto all men and by it leauing all secret iudgements vnto God wee are charitably to thinke that all those that liue in the Church of God professing themselues to be members of Christ are indeede elect to saluation till God make manifest otherwise And on this manner and not otherwise doe the Apostles call whole Churches elect II. they are called elect of the principall part and not because euery member thereof was indeede elect as it is called an heape of corne though the bigger part be chaffe Secondly it is alleadged that Dauid praies that his enemies may be blotted out of the booke of life which is the election of God and that Moses and Paul did the like against themselues Answer Dauids enemies had not their names written in the booke of life but onely in the iudgement of men Thus Iudas so long as hee was one of the disciples of Christ was accounted as one hauing his name written in heauen Now hence it followes that mens names are blotted out of Gods booke when it is made cleare and manifest vnto the worlde that they were neuer indeede written there And where Moses saith Forgiue them this sinne if not blotte me out of thy boâ—ke and Paul I could wish to be accursed c. there meaning was not to signifie that men elected to saluation might become reprobates onely they testifie their zealous affections that they could bee content to be depriued of their owne saluation rather then the whole bodie of the people should perish and God loose his glorie As for that which Christ saith Haue I not chosen you twelue and one of you is a deuill it is to be vnderstood not of election to saluation but of election to office of an Apostle which is temporarie and changeable The third point is that there is an actuall election made in time beeing indeede a fruite of Gods decree and answerable vnto it and therefore I added in the description these wordes whereby he hath chosen some men All men by nature are sinners and children of wrath shut vp vnder one the same estate of condemnation And actuall election is when it pleaseth God to seuer and single out some men aboue the rest out of this wretched estate of the wicked world and to bring them to the kingdome of his owne sonne Thus Christ saith of his owne disciples I haue chosen you out of the world The fourth point is the actuall or reall foundation of Gods election
mindfull of others For a man that hath wealth is made a steward to distribute his goods to the poore and the good of Gods Church True loue seekes not her owne things the branches of the vine are loden with clusters of grapes not for themselues but for others the candle spends it selfe to giue others light Giue If bread be ours wherefore are we to aske it it may seeme needlesse Answ. Not so for hereby we are taught to waite on God who is the fountaine and the giuer of all blessings Men vsually driuen to any distresse vse euill meanes as robbing deceiuing consulting with wizzards c. 2. Againe here we learne that though a man had all the wealth in the world all is nothing without Gods blessing Question The rich neede not say Giue vs c. for they haue abundance already and what neede they aske that which they haue Answer Let a man be neuer so rich and want nothing that can be desired yet if he want Gods blessing in effect he wants all Wherefore euen Kings and the greatest personages that be are as much bound to vse this petition as the poorest Gods blessing is riches saith Salomon Prou. 10.22 Thou maist eate and not haue enough be clothed and not warme earne wages and put it in a broken bagge Hag. 1. 6. if God doe not blesse thee This blessing of God is called the staffe of bread Esay 3. 1. In bread there bee two things the substance and the vertue thereof proceeding from gods blessing this second that is the power of nourishing is the staffe of bread For take away from an aged man his staffe and he falls and so take away Gods blessing from bread the strength thereof it becomes vnprofitable and ceaseth to nourish Lastly here we see that all labour and toile taken in any kind of calling is nothing and auailes not vnlesse God still giue his blessing Psal. 127.1 3. The wants which are to be bewailed SInnes which we are taught in this petition to bewaile are two especially I. Couetousnesse a vice which is naturally engrafted in euery mans heart it is when a man is not content with his present estate This desire is vnsatiable men that haue enough would still haue more Wherefore he which shall vse this petition must be grieued for this sinne and pray with Dauid Psal. 119. 36. Incline my heart to thy commandements and not to couetousnes And he must sorrowe not so much for the act of this sinne as for the corruption of nature in this behalfe Couetous people will plead that they are free from this vice but marke mens liues and we shall see it is a common disease as Dauid noted Psal. 4.6 where he brings in the people saying who shall shew vs any good This then is a common sinne that we are taught to mourne for 2. The second want is diffidence and distrustfulnes in Gods prouidence touching the things of this life Men also will shift this off and say they would be sorrie to distrust God But if we doe but a little looke into the corruption of our nature we shall see that we are deceiued For beeing in prosperitie wee are not troubled but if once we be pressed with aduersitie then we howle and weepe and as Paul saith 1. Tim. 6.10 Men peirce themselues through with many sorrowes If a man shall loose a part of his goods what then doth he straight hee goes out to the wise man is this to beleeue in God No it is to distrust God and beleeue the deuill 4. Graces to be desired THe grace to be desired is a readines in all estates of life to rest on Gods prouidence whatsoeuer fall out Psal. 37.5 Commit thy way to the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vpon the Lord and thy thoughts shall be directed Whereby we are admonished to take paines in our callings to get meate and drinke c. If the Lord blesse not our labour we must be content if he doe we must giue him thankes Now for this cause we are further to pray to God that hee would open our eies and by his spirit teach vs in all his good creatures to see his prouidence and when meanes faile and are contrarie then also to beleeue in the same and to followe Pauls example Phil. 4.12 5. Errours confuted PApists teach that men by workes of grace may merit life eternall and increase of iustification in this life But howe can this be for here we see that euery bit of bread which we eate is the free gift of God without any merit of ours Now if we can not merit a peece of bread what madnes is it to thinke that we can merit life euerlasting 2. They also are deceiued who thinke that any thing comes by meere chance or fortune without Gods prouidence Indeede in respect of men who know not the causes of things many chances there are but so as that they are ordered and come to passe by Gods prouidence Luk. 10.31 By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way Forgiue vs our debts 1. The Coherence THis is the fift petition and the second of those which concerne our selues in the former we craued temporall blessings in this and the next which followeth we craue spirituall blessings Where we may note that seeing there is two petitions which concerne spirituall things and but one for temporall that the care for our soules must be double to the care of our bodies In the world men care for their bodies their hearts are set for wealth and promotion they can be content to heare the word on the Sabbath yet neither then nor in the weeke day doe they lay it vp in their hearts and practise it which argues that they haue little or no care for their soules Question What is the cause that first we craue things for the bodie and in the second place those which concerne the soule Ans. The order of the holy Ghost in these petitions is wonderfull for the Lord considers the dulnes and backwardnes of mens natures and therefore he traines them vp and drawes them on by little euen as a schoolemaster doth his yong schollers propounding vnto them some small elements and principles and so carrying them to higher points For the former petition is a step or degree to these two following The ruler by the healing of the bodie of his child is brought to beleeue in Christ. Ioh. 4.53 He then that will rest on Gods mercie for the pardon of his sinnes must first of all rest on Gods prouidence for this life and he that can not put his affiance in God for the prouision of meate and drinke how shall he trust Gods mercie for the saluation of his soule Here we may see the faith of worldlings they say that God is mercifull and that they beleeue in Christ which can not be true seeing in lesser matters as meate and drinke they
he expressed by bringing forth sweete fruites of righteousnes 7 Then hee feeleth that Christ hath withdrawne his spirit 8 He almost despaires for this 9 Yet by priuate praier seekes for Christ. 10 When that will not helpe he resorts to the ministers of the worde at whose handes he findes no comfort 11 Not recouering his first estate through impatience of the loue of Christ he makes his miserie knowne to strangers to see if they can comfort him he somwhat coÌ„forts himselfe in describing Christs excellencie to theÌ„ 12 They then are rauished with him to seeke Christ and require then to know where to find him 13 Answere is made in the assemblies of the Church 14 After this communication the Christians faith and feeling reuiueth Christ returning to him againe 15 TheÌ„ Christ assureth him in his heart of his loue liking towards him 16 Giuing further assurance to him that he shall growe vp and bee made fruitfull in euery good grace 17 After this the Christian comes in such a high measure to loue Christ that nothing shall be able to seuer him from Christ. LVII The fift temptation is a fall into some great sinne as Noah into drunkennes Dauid into Adulterie and murder Peter into the deniall of Christ. The exercise of a Christian in this temptation is this 1 At the first his heart is vsually dulled and made secure with sinne 2 Yet after a while there by some meanes ariseth in his heart a godly sorrowe which is when he is gâ—ieued for this onely cause that by his sinne hee hath displeased God who hath beene to him so louing and mercifull a father whose fauour he would be content to purchase so he might haue it and obtaine it euen with the damnation of his owne soule 3 Then he beginnes to repent himselfe of his sinnes renuing afresh his former repentance 4 This repentance he sheweth by seuen signes 1 A care to leaue that sinne into which he is fallen As they which crucified our Sauiour Christ wheÌ„ they were pricked in their hearts at Peters sermon they shewed this care in saying Men and brâ—thren what shall we doe to be saued 2. An Apologie which is when a man in the heauines of his heart shal not excuse or defend his sinne but confesse it to the Lord and vtterly condemne himselfe for it acknowledging withall that there is no way to escape the wrath of God but by hauing Gods free pardon in Christ. 3 Indignation which is an inward anger and fretting against his ownselfe because he was so carelesse in looking to his owne waies Peter when he had denied his master he wept and that bitterly which sheweth that with sorrow he had also an anger against himselfe 4 A feare rising not so much from the iudgements of God as from this least he should hereafter fall into the same sinne againe and by so doing more grieuously displease God 5 A desire euer after more carefully to please God 6 Zeale in the seruice of God 7 Reuenge vpon himselfe for his former offences for example if a man sinne in surfetting and drunkennes if he euer repent he will bring vnder his corrupt nature by sparing and moderating himselfe LVIII The sixt temptation is outward afflictions which the godly in this life must suffer If any will goe after Christ he must denie himselfe take vp his owne crosse and follow him And S. Peter saith that iudgement begins at Gods house And Paul that we must enter into the kingdom of heauen through manifold temptations The exercise of a Christian in affliction is this 1 At the first they are very heauie and bitter 2 He suffereth them with great lenitie and patience submitting himselfe vnder the hand of God Yet if they be in great measure they will driue him to impatience 3 If they continue he shall feele according to his owne iudgement the wrath and displeasure of God in his heart 4 His old sinnes will come a fresh into his remembrance and trouble him He is sleepie and in his sleepe he hath visions and dreames and anxietie of spirit 5 In this miserie God supports his faith that it faile not and he then forsake Christ. 6 He feeling thus Gods power to strengthen him hath experience of it in himselfe 7 From experience proceedes hope that the grace of God shall neuer be wanting vnto him in any afflictions to come and as he hopeth so it comes to passe 8 With this hope is ioyned a serious humiliation before the Lord with the fruit of peace and righteousnes If the afflictions be for Christs cause vnto death then he in more speciall maner is filled with the ioy of the holy Ghost and he is then stablished with the greatest measure of the strength of Christ that no torment is able to foile and to bring him from Christ though the Christian should die a thousand times for it According to that of Paul To you it is giuen for Christ not onely to beleeue in him but also to suffer for his sake And this is grounded vpon the promise of God When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee through the flouds that they doe not ouerflow thee when thou walkest through the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle vpon thee LIX Hence ariseth a notable difference betweene the godly and the wicked in the suffering of afflictions A Reprobate the more the Lord laieth his hand on him the more he murmureth rebelleth against God it is contrary with the true Christian none feeleth more the power and rebellion of sinne then he none is more assaulted by Satan then he and oftentimes it commeth to passe that God withdraweth the signes of his fauour from him lets him feele his wrath And this is the greatest temptation of all other when a man shal see the Lord to be his enemie and to his thinking to arme himselfe against him to his destruction As Ezechias did who saith that the Lord did crash his bones like a Lyon Or as Iob saith that the arrowes of the almightie were in him and the venime thereof drunke vp his spirit and the terrours of God did fight against him Yet the true Christian when the world the flesh and the deuill and God himselfe too are against him doth euen then most of all rest in the Lord and by faith cleaue to him Though God should destroy me yet would I trust in him saith Iob. And Dauid saith My God my God why hast thou forsaken me When he saith that God had forsaken him it may seeme to be the complaint of a desperate man not hauing so much as one sparke of faith yet then he saith My God my God which wordes containe a confession proceeding from true faith so that in Dauid it appeareth that the faithfull when they
faith which I haue in his blood God is not displeased if my body be sicke and subiect to diseases no more is he displeased at the disease and sicknes of the soule A naturall father will not slay the bodie of his child when he is sicke and abhorreth comfortable meates and my heauenly father will not condemne my soule although through the infirmitie of faith and the weaknes of the spirit I commit sinne and often loath his heauenly word the foode of my soule Nay which is a strange thing I know it by experience that God hath turned my filthie sinnes to my great profit and to the amendment of my life like as the good Phisitian of rancke poyson is able to make a soueraigne medecine to preserue life Sathan Well be it so that now thou art in the state of grace yet thou shalt not continue so but shalt before death depart from Christ. Christ. I know I am a member of Christs mysticall bodie I feele in my selfe the heauenly power vertue of my head Christs Iesus for this cause I can not perish but shal cōtinue for euer raigne in heauē after this life with him The conflicts of Sathan with the weake Christian. Sathan Thy minde is full of ignorance and blindnes thy heart is ful of obstinacie rebellion and frowardnes against God thou art wholly vnfit for any good worke wherefore thou hast no faith neither canst thou be iustified and accepted before God Christian. If I haue but one drop of the grace of God and if my faith be no more then a little graine of mustard seede it is sufficient for me God requireth not perfect faith but true faith Sathan Yea but thou hast no faith at all Christian. I haue had faith Sathan Thou neuer hadst true faith for in time past when according to thine opinion thou didst beleeue then thou hadst nothing but a shadow of faith and a foolish imagination which all hypocrites haue Christian. I will put my trust in God for euer and his former mercies shewmed me heretofore strengthen me now in this my weaknes 1 He created me when I was nothing 2 He created me a man when he might haue made me an vgly toad 3 He made me of comely body and of good discretion whereas he might haue made me vgly and deformed franticke and madde 4 I was borne in the daies of knowledge when I might haue bin borne in the time of ignorance and superstition 5 I was borne of Christian parents but God might haue giuen me either Turkes or Iewes or some other sauadge people for my parents 6 I might haue perished in my mothers wombe but he hath preserued me and prouided for me by his prouidence euen vnto this houre 7 Soone after my birth God might haue cast me into hell but contrariwise I was baptized and so receiued the seale of his blessed couenant 8 I haue had by Gods goodnes some sorrow for my sinnes past and haue called on him in hope and confidence that he would heare me 9 God might haue concealed his word from me but I haue heard the plētifull preaching of it I vnderstand it and haue receiued comfort by it 10 Lastly at this time God might powre his full wrath on me which he doth not but mercifully maketh me to feele mine owne wants that I might be humbled and giue all glorie vnto him for his blessings Wherefore there is no cause why I should be disquieted but I will trust still in the Lord and depend on him as I haue done Sathan Thou feelest no grace of the holy Ghost in thee nor any true tokens of faith but thou hast a liuely sense of the rebellion of thy heart and of thy lewd and wretched conuersation therefore thou canst not put any confidence in Christs death and sufferings Christian. Yet I will hope against all hope although according to mine owne sense and feeling I want faith yet I wil beleeue in Iesus Christ and trust to be saued by him Sathan Though the children of God haue bin in many perplexities yet neuer any of them haue beene in this case in which thou art at this present Christian. Herein thou prouest thy selfe to be a lying spirit for the prophet Dauid saith of himselfe that he was foolish and as a beast before God and yet he euen then trusted in God And Paul was so ledde captiue of sinne that he was not able to doe the good he would but did the euill which he hated and so in great pensiuenes of heart desired to be deliuered from this world that he might be disburdened of his corrupt flesh Sathan Thou miserable wretch doest thou feele thy selfe gracelesse and wilt thou beare the face of a Christian and by thy hypocrisie offend God as thou art so shew thy selfe to the world Christian. Auoide Sathan Christ hath vanquished and ouercome thee for my cause that I might also triumph ouer thee I am no hypocrite for whereas I haue had heretofore some testimonie of my faith at this time I am lesse moued though faith seeme to be absent like as a man may seeme to be dead both in his own sense and by the iudgement of the physitian and yet may haue life in him so faith may be though alwaies it doe not appeare Sathan But thou art a man starke dead in sinne God hath now quite forsaken thee he hath left thee vnto me to be ruled he hath giuen me power ouer thee to bring thee to damnation he wil not haue thee to trust in him any longer Christian. Strengthen me good Lord remember thy mercifull promises that thou wilt reuiue the humble and giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Sathan These promises concerne not thee which hast no humble and contrite but a froward a rebellious heart Christian. Good Lord forget not thy former mercies giue an issue to these temptations of mine enemie Sathan And you my brethren which know my estate pray for me that God would turne his fauourable countenance towards me for this I know that the praier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent HOW A MAN SHOULD APPLIE ARIGHT the word of God to his owne soule I. EVery Christian containeth in himselfe two natures flatte contrarie one to the other the flesh and the spirit and that he may become a perfect man in Christ Iesus his earnest indeauour must be to tame and subdue the flesh and to strengthen and confirme the spirit II Answerable to these two natures are the two parts of Gods word First the Law because it is the ministerie of death it fitly serueth for the taming and mastering of the rebellious flesh and the Gospell containing the bountifull promises of God in Christ is as oyle to power into our woundes and as the water of life to quench our thirstie soules and it fitly serueth for the strengthening of the spirit III Wel then art thou secure Art thou prone to
minde that if there were no conscience to accuse no diuell to terrifie no iudge to arraigne condemne no hel to torment yet he would be humbled brought on his knees for his sinnes because he hath offended a louing mercifull and long suffering God Further I say that repentance stands in turning againe to God Man at the first was made a goodly creature in the image of God hauing fellowship with him whereby he dwelt in God and God in him By sinne there is a partition made betweene God and man who is alienated and estranged from God and is become the childe of wrath a firebrand of hell the prodigall child going from his father into a farre countrey the straying nay the lost sheepe Now when men haue grace to repent then they begin to renew this fellowship and turne againe to God And the very essence or nature of repentance consists in this turning Which Paul doth seeme to intimate when he saith That he shewed both to Iew and Gentile that they should repent and turne to God and do works worthie amendment of life In which words he sets downe vnto vs a ful description of repentance Againe I say that repentance is a turning from sinne because it doth not abolish or change the substance of bodie or soule or any of the faculties therof either in whole or part but onely rectifie and amend them by remoouing the corruption It turnes the sadnesse of melancholy to godly sorrow choller to good zeale softnesse of nature to meekenes of spirit madnesse and lightnâ—sse to Christian mirth it reformes euery man according to his naturall constitution not abolishing it but redressing the fault of it Further I put downe that repentance is a turning from all sinne to God that I may exclude many false turnings The first when a man turnes from God to sinne as when one of a Protestant becomes a Papist an Arrian a â—â—milist The second when a man turnes from one sinne to an other As when the riotous person leaues his prodigalitie and giues himselfe to the practise of couetousnes this can be no repentaÌ„ce because it is a going from one extreame to an other whereas repentance is to leaue the extreames keepe the meane The third is not when a man turnes from sinne but sinne turnes from him and leaues him As when the drunkard leaues drunkennesse because his stomacke is decaied the fornicatour his vncleannes because the strength of nature failes him the quarreller his fighting because he is maymed on legge or arme The last is when men turne from many sinnes but will not turne from all As Herod did many things at the aduertisement of Iohn Baptist but could not be brought to leaue incest in hauing his brother Philips wife This repentance is nothing For as he which is truly regenerate is wholly in bodie soule and spirit regenerate so he which truly repents turnes from all sinne and turnes wholly to God Neither is this to trouble any that they can not know all their sinnes for sound repentance for one speciall sinne brings with it repentance of all sinne And as God requires particular repentance for knowne sinnes so he accepts a generall repentance for such as be vnknowne To proceede further the conuersion of a sinner in repentance hath three parts The first a purpose and resolution in the mind the second an inclination in the will and affections the third an indeauour in life and conuersation to abandon and leaue all his former sinnes and to imploy himselfe in obedience to Gods commandements Lastly this repentance must bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life because it cannot be knowne to be sincere vnlesse it bring forth fruit Repentant sinners are trees of righteousnes of Gods owne planting and they grow by the waters that flow out of the sanctuarie and therefore they must beare fruit that may serue for meate leafe for medicine otherwise the axe of Gods iudgment is laid to their rootes to stocke them vp CHAP. II. Of the causes of Repentance THe principall cause of Repentance is the Spirit of God as Paul saith Instructing them with meekenesse that are contrarie minded proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance And Ieremie Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted The instrument of the holy Ghost in working repentance is the ministery of the Gospell onely and not the law Reasons hereof are these I. Faith is engendred by the preaching not of the Law but of the Gospell as Paul saith The Gospel is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue from faith to faith therefore repentance which follows faith as a fruit thereof must needes come by the preaching of the Gospel onely II. The Law is the ministerie of death and damnation because it shewes a man his wretched estate but shewes him no remedie therefore it can not be an instrumentall cause of that repentance which is effectuall to saluation III. The doctrine of repentance is a part of the Gospel which appeares in this that the preaching of repentance and the preaching of the Gospel are put one for an other And our Sauiour Christ deuides the Gospel into two parts the preaching of repentance and remission of sinnes in his name IV. That part of the word which workes repentance must reueale the nature of it and set out the promise of life which belongs vnto it But the Law neither reueales faith nor repentance this is a proper worke of the Gospel If it be said that the Law is a schoolemaster to bring vs to Christ the answer is it brings men to Christ not by teaching the way or by alluring them but by forcing and vrging them Neither doe we abolish the law in ascribing the worke of repentance to the Gospel onely for though it be no cause yet is it an occasion of true repentance Because it represents vnto the eye of the soule our damnable estate smites the conscience with dolefull terrours and feares which though they be no tokens of grace for they are in their owne nature the very gates and the downefall to the pit of hell yet they are certaine occasions of receiuing grace The phisitian is otherwhiles constrained to recouer the health of his patient by casting him into some fits of an ague so man because he is deadly sicke of the disease of sinne must be cast into some fits of Legal terrors by the ministerie of the law that he may recouer his former estate come to life euerlasting Repentance also is furthered by calamities which in this case often come in the roome stead of the law Iosephs brethren when they were in distresse in Egypt said one to another Wee haue verely sinned against our brother in that we sawe the anguish of his soule when he besought vs and we would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon vs. And the Lord saith in Oseah I will goe
with all his heart and with full consent and so doth not the first Secondly though he fall into any sinne yet he doth not lie long in it but speedily recouers himselfe by reason of grace in his heart Hence it is manifest that sinnes of infirmitie are committed onely of such as are regenerate As for the man vnregenerate he can not sinne of infirmitie whatsoeuer some falsly thinke For he is not weake but starke dead in sinne And sinnes of infirmitie are such onely as rise of constraint feare hastinesse and such like sudden passions in the regenerate And though they sin of weaknes often by reason of this spirituall combat yet they doe not alwaies for they may sinne against knowledge and conscience of presumption To come to the second point the regenerate man can not doe the good which he would because he can not doe it perfitly and soundly according to Gods will as he would Paul saith To will is present with me but I finde no meanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfitly to doe that which I would In this point the godly man is like a prisoner that is gotten forth of the gayle and that he might escape the hand of the keeper desires and striues with all his heart to runne an hundred miles in a day but because he hath straight and waightie bolts on his legges cannot for his life creepe past a mile or twaine and that with chasing his flesh tormenting himselfe So the seruants of God doe heartily desire and endeauour to obey God in all his commaundements as it is saide of King Iosias That he turned to God with all his heart with all his soule with all his might according to all the lawes of Moses c. yet because they are clogged with the bolts of the flesh they performe obedience both slowly and weakely with diuers slippes and falls Thus much of the combat now let vs see what vse may be made of it First of all by it we learne what is the estate of a Christian man in this life A Christian is not one that is free from all euill cogitations from rebellious inclinations and motions of will and affections from all manner of slips in his life and conuersation for such an one is a meere deuise of mans brain and not to be found vpon earth But indeed he is the sound Christian that feeling himselfe laden with the corruptions of his vile and rebellious nature bewailes them from his heart and with might and maine fights against them by the grace of Gods spirit Againe here is ouerthrowne the Popish opinion of merit and iustification by workes of grace on this manner Such as the cause of workes is such are works themselues The cause of works in man is the mind will and affections sanctified in which the flesh and the spirit are mixt together as hath beene shewed before Therefore works of grace euen the best of them are mixt workes partly holy and partly sinnefull Whereby it is euident to a man that hath but common sense that they are not answerable to the righteousnes of the law and that therefore they can neither merit life or any way iustifie a man before God If any reply that good works are the works of Gods spirit and for that cause perfectly righteous I answer it is true indeede they come from the H. Ghost that can not sinne but not onely or immediatly For they come also frō the corrupt minde will of man and in that respect become sinnefull as sweete water issuing out of a pure fountaine is by a filthy channell made corrupt Thirdly we doe hence learne that concupiscence or originall sinne is properly and indeede sinne after baptisme though it please the Councill of Trent to decree otherwise For after baptisme it is flat contrarie to the spirit and rebells against it Papists obiect that it is taken away by baptisme Answ. Originall sinne or the flesh is taken away in the regenerate thus In it there be three things the guilt the punishment the corruption the first two are quite abolished by the merit of Christs death in baptisme the third that is the corruption remaines still but marke in what manner it remaines weakned it remains not imputed to the person of the beleeuer Lastly hereby we are taught to be watchfull in praier Watch and pray saith Christ c. for the spirit is readie but the flesh is weake Rebecca when two twins stroue in her wombe was troubled and saide Why am I so wherefore shee went to aske the Lord namely by some Prophet So when we feele this inward fight the best thing is to haue recourse to God by praier and to his word that the spirit may be strengthened against the flesh As the children of Israel by compassing the citie of Ierico seuen daies and by sounding rammes hornes ouerturned the walls thereof so by serious inuocation of Gods name the spirit is confirmed and the turrets and towres of the rebellious flesh battered The voice of a man 1. Carnall of Euill I doe that which is euill and I will doe it Good I do not that which is good and I will not do it 2. Regenerate of Euill I doe the euill which I would not Good I doe not doe the good which I would 3. Glorified of Euill I doe not that which is euill and I will not doe it Good I doe that which is good and I will doe it A salue for a sicke man OR A TREATISE CONTAINING THE NATVRE DIFFERENCES AND KINDES OF DEATH AS ALSO THE right manner of dying well And It may serue for spirituall instruction to 1. Marriners when they goe to sea 2. Souldiers when they goe to battell 3. Women when they trauell of child PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND VERTVOVS LAdie the Ladie Lucie Countesse of Bedford THe death of the righteous that is of euery beleeuing and repentant sinner is a most excellent blessing of God and brings with it many worthie benefits which thing I proue on this maner I. God both in the beginning and in the continuance of his grace doeth greater things vnto his seruants then they do commonly aske or thinke and because he hath promised aide and strength vnto them therefore in wonderfull wisdome hee casteth vpon them this heauie burden of death that they might make experience what is the exceeding might power of his grace in their weakenes II. Iudgement beginnes at gods house the righteous are laden with afflictions temptations in this life therefore in this worlde they haue their deaths and hells that in death they might not feele the torments of hell and death III. When Lazarus was dead Christ said He is not dead but sleepeth hence it followeth that the christian man can say My graue is my bedde my death is my sleepe in death I die not but onely sleepe It is thought that of all terrible things death is most
in the Lord. When thou readest that in the garden he praied lying groueling on his face sweating water and blood beginne to thinke seriously what an vnspeakable measure of Gods wrath was vpon thy blessed Sauiour that did prostrate his bodie vpon the earth and cause the blood to follow and thinke that thy sinnes must needes be most heynous that brought such bloodie and grieuous paines vpon him Also thinke it a very shame for thee to carrie thy head to heauen with haughtie lookes to wallow in thy pleasures and to draw the innocent blood of thy poore brethren by oppression and deceit for whome Christ sweat water and blood and take an occasion from Christs agonie to lay aside the pride of thy heart to be ashamed of thy selfe to grieue in heart yea euen to bleede for thine owne offences casting downe and humbling thy selfe with Ezra saying O my God I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee my God for mine iniquities are increased and my trespasse is growne vp into heauen When thou readest that Christ was taken and bound thinke that thy very sinnes brought him into the power of his enemies and were the very bondes wherewith he was tyed thinke that thou shouldest haue beene bound in the very same manner vnlesse he had beene a suretie and pledge for thee thinke also that thou in the selfe â—ame manner art bound and tied with the chaynes of thine owne sinnes and that by nature thy will affections and whole spirit is tied and chained to the will of the deuill so as thou canst doe nothing but that which he willeth lastly thinke and beleeue that the bondes of Christ serue to purchase thy libertie from hell death and damnation When thou hearest that he was brought before Annas and Caiaphas thinke it was meete that thy suretie and pledge who was to suffer the condemnation due vnto thee should by the high Priest as by the mouth of God be condemned and woonder at this that the very coessentiall and eternall Sonne of God euen the very soueraigne Iudge of the world stands to be iudged and that by wicked men perswading thy selfe that this so great confusion comes of thy sinnes Whereupon beeing further amazed at thy fearefull estate humble thy selfe in dust and ashes and pray God so to soften thy stonie heart that thou maiest turne to him and by true faith lay hold on Christ who hath thus exceedingly abased himselfe that his ignominie may be thy glorie and his arraignment thy perfect absolution When thou readest that Barrabas the murderer was preferred before Christ though he exceeded both men and Angels in holinesse thinke it was to manifest his innocencie and that thy very sinnes pulled vpon him this shamefull reproch and in that for thy cause he was esteemed worse then Barrabas thinke of thy selfe as a most heynous and wretched sinner and as Paul saith the head of all sinners When thou readest that he was openly and iudicially condemned to the cursed death of the crosse consider what is the wrath and furie of God against sinne and what is his great and infinite mercie to sinners and in this spectacle looke vpon thy selfe and with grones of heart crie out and say O good God what settest thou heare before mine eyes I euen I haue sinned I am guiltie and worthie of damnation Whence comes this chaunge that thy blessed sonne is in my roome but of thy vnspeakable mercie Wretch that I am how haue I forgotten my selfe and thee also my God O sonne of God how long hast thou abased thy selfe for me Therefore giue me grace O God that beholding mine owne estate in the person of my Sauiour thus condemned I may detest and loath my sinnes that are the cause thereof and by a liuely faith imbrace that absolution which thou offerest me in him who was condemned in my stead and roome O Iesu Christ Sauiour of the world giue me thy holy and blessed Spirit that I may iudge my selfe and be as vile and base in mine owne eyes as thou wast vile before the Iewes also vnite me vnto thee by the same spirit that in thee I may be as worthie to be accepted before God as I am worthie in my selfe to be detested for my sinnes When thou readest that he was clad in purple and crowned with thornes mocked and spit vpon behold the euerlasting shame that is due vnto thee and be ashamed of thy selfe in this point conforme thy self to Christ be content as he was to be reproched abused and despised so it be for a good cause When thou readest that before his crucifying he was stript of al his cloathes thinke it was that he beeing naked might beare thy shame on the crosse and with his most pretious and rich nakednesse couer thy deformitie When thou readest the complaint of Christ that he was forsaken of his father consider how he suffered the pangs and torments of hell as thy pledge and surety Learne by his vnspeakable torments what a fearefull thing it is to sinne against God and begin to renounce thy selfe and detest thy sinnes and to walke as a child of light according to the measure of grace receiued When thou commest to die set before thine eyes Christ in the midst of all his torments on the crosse in beholding of which spectacle to thy endlesse comfort thou shalt see a paradise in the middest of hell God the father reconciled vnto thee thy Sauiour reaching out his hands vnto thee to receiue thy soule vnto him and his crosse as a ladder to aduance it to eternall glorie Wheras he cried aloud with a strong voice at the point of death it was to shew that he died willingly without violence or constraint from any creature and that if it had so pleased him he could haue freed himselfe from death and haue cast his very enemies to the very bottom of hell When thou readest that he commended his soule into the handes of his Father consider that thy soule also so be it thou wilt beleeue in him is deliuered vp into the hands of God and shall be preserued against the rage and malice of all thine enemies and hereupon thou maist be bolde to commend thy spirit into the hands of God the father When thou readest of his death consider that thy sinnes were the cause of it and that thou shouldest haue suffered the same eternally vnlesse the sonne of God had come in thy roome againe consider his death as a ransome and apprehend the same by faith as the meanes of thy life for by death Christ hath wounded both the first and second death and hath made his crosse to be a throne or tribunall seate of iudgement against all his and thine enemies When thou readest of the trembling of the earth at the death of Christ thinke with thy selfe it did in his kind as it were grone vnder the burden of the sinnes of men in the world and by his motion then it signified that euen
power but God workes to wil in vs. For looke at what time God giues grace at the same time he giueth a will to desire and will the same grace as for example when God workes faith at the same time he workes also vpon the will causing it to desire faith and willingly to receiue the gift of beleeuing God makes of the vnwilling will a willing will because no man can receiue grace vtterly against his will considering will constrained is no will But here we must remember that howsoeuer in respect of time the working of grace by Gods spirit and the willing of it in man goe togither yet in regard of order grace is first wrought and mans will must first of all be acted and mooued by grace and then it also acteth willeth and mooueth it selfe And this is the last point of consent betweene vs and the Romane Church touching freewill neither may we proceede further with them II. The dissent or difference The point of difference standeth in the cause of the freedome of mans will in spirituall matters which concerne the kingdome of God The Papists say mans will concurreth and worketh with Gods grace in the first conuersion of a sinner by it selfe and by it owne naturall power and is onely helped by the holy Ghost We say that mans will worketh with grace in the first conuersion yet not of it selfe but by grace Or thus They say will hath a naturall cooperation we denie it and say it hath cooperation onely by grace beeing in it selfe not actiue but passiue willing well onely as it is mooued by grace wherby it must first be acted and mooued before it can act or will And that we may the better conceiue the difference I will vse this comparison The church of Rome sets forth the estate of a sinner by the condition of a prisoner and so doe we marke then the difference It supposeth the said prisoner to lie bound hand and foote with chaines and fetters and withall to be sicke and weake yet not wholly dead but liuing in part it supposeth also that being in this case he stirreth not himselfe for any helpe and yet hath ability and power to stirre Hereupon if the keeper come and take away his bolts and fetters and hold him by the hand helpe him vp he can and will of himselfe stand walke and goe out of prison euen so say they is a sinner bound hand and foot with the chaine of his sinnes and yet he is not dead but sicke like to the wounded man in the way betweene Ierico and Ierusalem And therefore doth he not will and aâ—fect that which is good but if the holy Ghost come and doe but vntie his bands and reach him his hand of grace then can he stand of himself and will his owne saluation or any thing els that is good We in like manner graunt that a prisoner fitly resembleth a naturall man but yet such a prisoner must he be as is not onely sicke and weake but euen starke dead which can not stirre though the keeper vntie his bolts and chaines not heare though he sound a trumpet in his eare and if the said keeper would haue him to mooue and stirre he must giue him not onely his hand to helpe him but euen soule and life also and such a one is euery man by nature not onely chained fettered in his sinnes but stark dead therein as one that lieth rotting in the graue not hauing any abilitie or power to mooue or stirre and therefore he cannot so much as desire or do anything that is truly good of himself but God must first come and put a new soule into him euen the spirit of grace to quicken and reuiue him and then beeing thus reuiued the will beginneth to will good things at the very same time when God by his spirit first infuseth grace And this is the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this point of freewill III. Our reasons Now for the confirmation of the doctrine we holde namely that a man willeth not his owne conuersion of himselfe by nature either in whole or in part but by grace wholly and alone these reasons may be vsed The first is taken from the nature and measure of mans corruption which may be distinguished into two parts The first is the want of that originall righteousnesse which was in man by creation the second is a pronenes and inclination to that which is euill and to nothing that is truly good This appeareth Gen. 8.21 the frame of mans heart saith the Lord is euill froÌ„ his childhood that is the disposition of the vnderstanding wil affections with all that the heart of man deuiseth formeth or imagineth is wholly euill And Paul saith Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie against God Which wordes are very significant for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated wisdome signifieth that the best thoughts the best desires affections and indeauour that be in any naturall man euen those that come most neare to true holines are not onely contrarie to God but euen enmitie it selfe And hence I gather that the very heart it selfe that is the will and minde from whence these desires and thoughts doe come are also enmitie vnto God For such as the action is such is the facultie whence it proceedeth such as the fruit is such is the tree such as the branches are such are the rootes By both these places it is euident that in man there is not onely a want absence or depriuation of originall righteousnes but a pronenesse also by nature vnto that which is euill which pronenesse includes in it an inclination not to some fewe but to all and euery sinne the very sinne against the holy Ghost not excepted Hence therefore I reasons thus If euery man by nature doth both want originall iustice and be also prone vnto all euill then wanteth he naturall freewill to will that which is truly good But euery man by nature wants originall iustice and is also prone vnto all euill Ergo Euery man naturally wants freewill to will that which is good Reason II. 1. Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can know them because they are spiritually discerned In these wordes Saint Paul sets downe these points I. that a naturall man doth not so much as thinke of the things reuealed in the Gospell II. that a man hearing and in mind conceiuing them can not giue consent vnto them and by naturall iudgement approoue of them but contrariwise thinketh them to be foolishnes III. that no man can giue assent to the things of God vnlesse he be enlightened by the spirit of God And hence I reason thus If a man by nature doth not know and perceiue the things of God and when he shall know them can not by nature giue assent vnto them then hath he no power to will