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A19551 A sermon of sanctification preached on the Act Sunday at Oxford, Iulie 12, 1607. By Richard Crakanthorp Doctor of Diuinity. Crakanthorpe, Richard, 1567-1624. 1608 (1608) STC 5982; ESTC S109018 32,903 41

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cause to cut them off for euer Thou shouldest not haue beholden the day of thy brother when he was made a stranger thou shouldest not haue reioiced in the day of their destruction nor haue spoken proudly in the day of affliction neither shouldst thou haue looked on their affliction in the day of their destruction but as thou hast done it shall be done to thee thy reward shall be vpon thine owne head I might adde heereto a further iudgement of God mentioned in the Apostle Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a manslayer yee know that no manslayer hath eternall life abiding in him But hauing spoken thus much concerning that brotherly charitie and peace which wee ought to haue one towards another I would gladly adde somewhat of that peace which we all iointly owe vnto the Church of God Of this peace the prophet Dauid saith O pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that loue thee Peace be within thy wals Of this the Apostle saith I beseech you marke them diligently which cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine which yee haue receiued and auoid them for they that are such serue not the Lord Iesus for God is not the authour of diuision but of peace in all churches Of this Dionysius that ancient Bishop excellently writ to Nonatus when hee began his schisme as you may see in his epistle set downe by Eusebius in his 6. booke and 44. chap. If you Nonatus haue gone vnwillingly as you pretend from the Church shew it by your voluntary and willing returning to the Church againe Oportebat quidem nihil non ferre ne ecclesia Dei sc●nderes you should haue borne with whatsoeuer rather then haue made a rent in the Church of God It is a more glorious martyrdome to suffer for auoiding a schisme then for auoiding the sinne of Idolatry In the one you suffer martyrdome but for one soule in the other you suffer for the whole Church of God Thus said Dionysius Of this Gregorie Nazianzen was so studious and zealous that when the Church at Constantinople began to be diuided as he supposed by occasion that he possessed that sea he openly said and his speech was much more commendable then his fact Si propter me ista tempestas If this stirre and tempest be for my sake take me cast me into the sea that the storme may cease and the Church may enioy her calme as Ruffinus reports in his 2. booke 9. chap. To this S. Cyprian at large perswaded in his booke de vnitate ecclesia Let no man thinke saith he that the good will depart from the Church Triticum non rapit ventus sed paleas It is not wheate but chaste which the winde blowes away Those can neuer abide in God that will not abide in the vnitie of the Church of God Though such giue their bodies to be burned or to be deuoured of wilde beasts Non est illa corona fides sed poena persidiae That is no crowne of their saith but a punishment for their perfidiousnesse Occidi talis potest coronari non potest A man may happily be killed but neuer crowned in a schisme Of this Martianus though no good bishop most passionately said when Sabbatius whom he had formerly ordained Presbyter began to make a tumult and diuision in the Church Multa satius ●●●sset It had beene much better and I wish rather I had laid my hands vpon thornes then imposed them vpon the head of this troublesome Sabbatius as Socrates relates in his 5. booke and 20 chap. For preseruing this peace Polycarp and other ancient bishops were so carefull that though they di●fered in iudgement about some rites and smaller matters yet neuer for that cause would they breake the vnitie of the Church or make a separation one from another as Eusebius declares in his 5. booke and 23. chap. Friuolum enim quidem meritò indicarunt consuetudinis gratia a se mutuò segregari eos qui in praecipius religionis capitibus cons●ntir●nt saith Zozomen in his 7. booke and 19. chap speaking of Polycarp and Victor They iudged it friuolous and childish and indeed not without cause to disagree and make a separation for customes ceremonies when they did agree in the substance chiefe points of Religion For this S. Austen so earnestly pleads besides many other places thorowout his whole 7. bookes De Baptismo contra Donatistas that I suppose the diligent perusall of those bookes would easily perswade a man that is not too much led with a partiall or s●lfe conceit to do much and to suffer much more for the vnitie and peace of the Church of which hee thus saith Omnia bono pacis vnitatis esse toleranda That all things must be borne with for peace vnities sake cause him euer to shun yea detest a rent or schisme in the church of which he againe saith and prooues it in his 2. booke and 8. chap. That the sinne of schisme is more hainous then is the sin of Idolatry and more peremptorily in his 1. booke contra epist. Parmen 4. chap. sacrilegium schismatis omnia sc●lera supergreditur there is no sin no sacriledge nor robbery so great as is this to rob Gods Chuch of her vnitie and peace But because I hasten to say somwhat of the other points which remaine I will not go forward in this so large and spatious a field but conclude this whole point of peace partly with those words of our Sauiour Haue salt in your selues and haue peace one towards another partly with the words of the Apostle Finally brethren fare yee well be of one mind liue in peace and the God of loue and peace shall be with you And this be spoken of the title that is here giuen to God that he is called The very God of peace Sanctifie you throughout that your whole spirit and soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse The maner of our sanctification which was the third generall point I proposed is heere set downe which is that it must be totall and intire that both our vnderstanding reason which is meant by the spirit and our will and affections which are meant by the soul● and our externall and outward actions which are meant by 〈…〉 may all be holy and so wee whollie sanctified in the sight of God By which integritie of sanctification the Apostle meanes not any such perfection of santitie as is voide of all sinne for the Scripture euerie where doth witnesse that no such sanctitie is to be expected or hoped for while we carry about th●se bodies of sinne The Apostles confesse plainly of themselues and such as are most righteous in this life In many things we sinne all And if we say we haue no sinne we make God a lyar and his word is not in vs. This was the prerogatiue of Christ alone that he knew no sinne and in all
suppose no man so blind as not to perceiue nor so maleuolous as with thanksgiuing not to acknowledge And for my owne part I suppose and dare confidently auerre that neuer was this Iland in any age so abundantly I say not furnished but euen blest and beautified not onely with the substance but with the ornaments also of all learning as in this our age and in the two most happy raignes of this and our late both most renowmed and incomparable Princes since those darke mistes of superstition and Idolatry haue beene dispelled and abandoned Now this I pray with the Apostle that yee may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement but my speciall prayer for you is the same which our Apostle heere vseth that both yee your selues and all your learning and studies may be sanctified vnto God That yee would ioyne as S. Peter exhorts with your knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godlinesse with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse with brotherly kindnesse loue for if yee doe these things yee shall neuer fall Esteeme all other k●●●ledge yea all things els whatsoeuer with the Apostle but as losse and dung for the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus our Lord euen this practicke knowledge of which Saint Iohn testifieth He that saith he knowes him and keepes not his commandements is a lyar and the trueth is not in him and of which our Sauiour saith This is eternall life to know thee to be the onely very God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And seeing sanctitie and holinesse is both the badge and cognizance of Gods children and seruants the end of their vocation and calling the onely meanes to make all other gifts of God to be true blessings vnto vs without which they are indeed blessings in themselues but to vs they shall be turned as the Prophet saith into cursings I conclude this my exhortation vnto you with those fewe but most effectuall words of the Apostle Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. And this be spoken of the first point namely the subiect of the Apostles praier which is sanctification and holinesse God sanctifie you The second point which I proposed was the author and worker of this sanctification and that is heere set downe to be God himselfe God sanctifie you for whence els can any sanctitie or holinesse proceed but onely from him who is first of himselfe and essentially holy yea as S. Austen shewes euen holinesse it selfe and therefore called the holy one of Israel of whom the Seraphins sing holie holie holie is the Lord of hosts and then is effectiuely holie as causing and working holinesse in others as himselfe doth often witnesse I the Lord doe sanctifie you whom the Apostle calles the Father of lights that is of all shining vertues and the spouse in the fourth of Canticles the fountaine of gardens because from him alone doth spring and issue all those odoriferous graces and gifts of pietie which are more pleasant vnto God then are all the beddes of of myrrhe and spices of whom S. Austen most truely saith Quantacunque bona quamuis magna quamuis minima esse non possunt nisi ab ●o a quo sunt omnia bona Euery good gift and euery perfect gift commeth from aboue euen from the father of light Now as God worketh in vs this sanctitie and holinesse so is he the onely worker and sole agent therein without any helpe furtherance or cooperation of our selues of our free will or of any power or facultie that is in man for the naturall man perceiues not the things that are of God neither can he for they are euen foolishnesse vnto him and the wisedome of the flesh is enmitie with God and of our selues we are not sufficient to thinke any thing that belongs to pietie and Gods seruice as S. Austen expounds it but all our sufficiencie is of God And most cleerely Philipp 2. It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the deed to which purpose S. Austen excellently saith in his Ench●●●●d L●urent 32. cap. Nolentem praeuenit vt velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra vel● God at the first by his preue●●ent grace doth worke this in vs to be willing and after with his subsequent grace he accompanies vs that being willing we should not will in vaine And againe in his booke De grat lib. arbitr and 17 chap. Vt velimus sine nobis operatur cum autem volumus sic volumus vt faciamus nobiscum cooperatur God without vs or any helpe or worke of ours doth make vs willing and he doth cooperate worke with vs when we are made willing It is most sure indeed as he saith that it is we that will when we are willing but it is he that makes vs to be willing of whō it is said The will is prepared of the Lord. Velle currere meum est sed ipsum meum sine dei semper a●xilio non orit meum saith S. Ierome ad C●esiph To will is mine to worke is mine but euen this that is mine without Gods speciall and continuall helpe cannot be mine All which S. Austen fully expresseth in the place before alledged Sine illo vel operante vt velimus vel cooperante cum volumus ad bona p●etati● opera nihil valemus Without Gods operation to make vs willing and cooperation when we are willing in the good actions of piety we are neither able nor willing to worke any thing This the Scripture further to declare teacheth vs that the vnregenerate man is dead in sinne and trespasses And most significantly is he said to be dead in sin for though it be most true that by the transgression and fall of Adam the naturall faculties of mans minde are not extinct nor abolished yet are they so exceedingly maimed and weakned thereby that they which were before naturales potentiae as the Logicians call them that is naturall powers and abilities are now by reason of that originall transgression of our nature become in man naturall impotencies and debilities And they which in the integritie of mans nature had strength and power both to will and to performe the works of pietie and grace are now in the infirmitie and corruption of the same nature disabled wholly to the works of grace and retaining onely an ability to the works of nature to all and euery action of piety and grace are as the Apostle after him S. Austen teacheth wholly dead and quite lost in this state no more able to will or mooue to any action of grace then is a dead man in nature able to will or mooue to any action of nature For which cause the Scripture calles our conuersion vnto God sometimes a resurrection from death sometimes a new creation in Christ but most vsually a new