principall medicine to theym that by faithe cleane to Goddes promyse made in Christ sayenge Benedictus deus et pater domini nostri Iesu Christi qui benedixit nos iÌ„ omni benedictioÌ„e spirituali Eph. 1. in coelestibus iÌ„ Christo sicut elegit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutionem ut essemus sancti immaculati in conspectu eius in charitate Qui praedestinauit nos in adoptionem filioruÌ„ perâ—â—sum Christum c. If there had ben no predestination then wold not S. Paul haue giuen thanks to God for it But out of doubt ther is a predestynation the whych is certayn in God although it be vncertayne in vs and none otherwyse knowen but in that we fele the spirite of grace workyng fayth and obedience in our hartes vnto the word of god and that is the true token wherby the spirite of god certifieth our spirites that we at the electe sonnes of God Let no man therfore rashely iudge of gods holy predestination but let euery man submyt his iudgement to the word of God without curiositie sekyng that ende in predestination whiche sayncte Paul wylled the Ephesians to lerne namely Elegit nos in ipso ut sancti essemus immaculati in conspectu eius in charitate That felyng this mynde and desyre in theim selues they may reioyce in theyr election and geue thaiskes with saint Paul Who so euer than ther be that is faythfull and coueteth rightly to vnderstande predestination let hym attende vpon Christ that he may fynde hym selfe in hym without whom there can be found no worthy tokeÌ„ of PredestinatioÌ„ beware that no man be so blynde that he shulde deny the predestination of God for so shoulde he declare hym selfe to be infected with this stynkyng floure of the dyuell Nowe as it is a wycked errour to deny the Predestination of God and our election in Christ and a floure not to be found among christen men so it is a moste damnable heresy and an execrable flowre of hell wherein may be smelled the poyson blasphemy of the dyuell agaynste the sonne of God Iesus Christe to affirme and holde that by predestination God is the author of syn where as we may learne in scripture that the holy Predestination of God neuer passeth but alwayes continueth within the boundes of Godlynes and ryghteousnes where by all myghty God at no tyme moueth any man to sinne Vniuersae enim viae domini misericordia veritas Saynt Iames therfore to declare Iacob that God is not the author of synne sayth that God tempteth no man to euyll Satan is the cause of synne and synne the cause of our punyshemente what bryngeth the wrathe of God vpon vs and maketh his anger so fierse ouer vs Syn. What is the cause that Gods truthe taketh no place in vs and that we receyue the grace of god in vayne Synne Therefore it is written In cor maleuoluÌ„ non introibit sapientia nec habitabit â—ap 1. in corpore subdito peccatis c. Esai coÌ„firmeth the same saying Your sinnes haue separate you frome god Sainct Paule also teachiÌ„g the Romains wherwith God was and is displeased sayd Reuelatur ira Dei de Rom. 1. coelo super omnem iniustitiam impietatem hominum c. If God bee than displeased at synne as his word doth declare hym to be than is he not the authour of syn onlesse we shuld grant as God forbyd that he is both a mutable god or a dissembling God which coueteth or alloweth that which he saith by his word he doth hate For he is the author of nothyng but of that whiche he aloweth As he therfore is good only and goodnes it selfe contrarye to all iniquitie so is he author of all godlynes and vertue and no syn For this cause hath he coÌ„manded vs to flee from all syn as from a serpent declaryng in his blessed testament that they be blynd as concernyng the knowlege of god yea strangers from al truth that say thei haue felowship with the light yet walke in darkenes 1. Ioan. 1. Therfore he willeth al men to absteyn from syn wherof he is not the author but the hater not the cause but aueÌ„ger with a liuely faith to withstand the diuel the author only Ioan. 8. cause of syn as it is writen Diabolus mendax est pater eius Awai therfor with this pestilent floure creping pestileÌ„ce in the dark wherby the diuell busily sekiÌ„g our destruction laboureth to persuade vs litell to regard the lawe of God to neglecte our conscience to eschue no euyll to folowe all mischiefe lyke vnbrideled horses and that bicause God is displeased at no synne whiche is the author of all as the dyuell teacheth But lette vs buylde our fayth vpon the word of god sanctified and sealed with the bloud of Christe wherby we are taught that God is holy iust and good and the cause of no synne as it is wryten Quoniam non Deus uolens iniquitateÌ„ Psal 5. tu es Neque habitabit iuxta te malignus neque permane bunt iniusti ante oculos tuos Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem c. Therefore by predestination god doth not prouoke or allure any man to synne bycause he is god and playeth not the part of the dyuel but he hath predestinate his iudgement wherwith he wyll reward euery man as he hath done either lyfe or death vnto whose predestination nothyng appertayneth but iust condemnation to the vnbeleuers and vndeserued mercy to the faythfull Christe came to take away our synne and there was no synne in hym As there was no synne in hym so was there no synne of hym that that was not of hym was not his woorke that whiche was not in his work was not in his predestination a damnable floure of the diuels orchard But if this flowre serue not he hath an other ready in store the smell whereof no lesse infecteth than thother That is Christ died for his owne synnes as well as for the sinnes of the people How the diuel hath wrought by this flour ye haue an exaÌ„ple before youre eies that ye may learn to eschew the sauor of so perillous a flour For the poisonyng of this ought to be to you a perpetuall warnyng to beware the engins of the diuel that he at no time bewitch you to fall into such an errour so farre against the truthe By this blynd suggestioÌ„ the dyuel goth to appeach Christs innocency righteousnes death and to make hym an insufficient Sauiour whereby he myghte make vs opynion that the law were not satisfied for vs neither yet God contented towardes vs. For God coulde not bee pleased towardes vs vntyll his lawe were satisfied And the lawe coulde not bee satisfied vntyll one that had not transgressyd the law shuld be propitiation for their synnes that were condemned by the law Seyng therfore that none could be found of the synfull generation of Adam that hadde not in
in a fylthy conuersation than to ouercome one man that exerciseth himself in vertue and godlynesse First therfore he byddeth battail to the vertuous man as to his most aduersary whose castell he knoweth to bee so stronge and vnsaultable that without diligent beatynge of his diuelish wittes he can by no meanes win it Stronge is that munition whose walles are brasse but stronger is that soule whose walle is the word of God inuincible is that forte whose rampyres are strongly couched to the walles and of great quantitye but more inuincible is that soule whose faith is suerly lynked to the woorde of God and in great quantity expresseth the frutes thereof thorowe vndefyled charitie yet is there no bastylion so stronge but by some meanes it may be ouercome For that that force often mysseth that doothe prodition brynge to passe and that that canne not bee doone by other is often thorowe pollicy doune by oure selues Of this the subtyle Satanas is not ignoraunte whose practise it hathe beene frome the beginnynge agaynst mans soule and wyll bee I feare mee vnto the ende We haue exaumple in Scripture that somme tyme by force of other hee caused menne to synne and sometyme he prouoked theymselues to be cause of their owne myschief Whylest Moyses was in the Mounte wyth God the dyuell knewe that the gouernmente of the people hanged vppon Aarons shoulders wherefore thoroughe the ignoraunce of God hee styrred vppe the heartes of the Israelytes to cause Aaron to make theym a molten Calfe after Exo. 32 the manner of Egypte Thus by force hee caused Aaron to bee their ymage maker contrarye to Goddes wyll But where thys feate serueth not hee occupieth the other namelye to make men betraye theim selues What needeth me to rehearse the good Kynge Ezechias whome the dyuell so myghtilye assaulted 4 Reg. 30. thorowe his cruell instrumentes the capitayn of Sennacherib kyng of Assyria tempting him with outragious blasphemy agaīst god to giue ouer his heart with the people thorowe incredulitye into the handes of the king of Assyria Yet could not the dyuell by these his ministers ouercome good Ezechias but the more thei proudly bragged the more 4 Reg. 20 Ezechias humbled himselfe The more they callyd to the people fearyng them with the name of the kyng of Assyria with his gestes and marciall feates to tourne their heartes from their kyng that kyng and people may fall into his hande so muche the more good kynge Ezechias called vnto God in feruent prayer to be defended from Gods enemye the enemye of his people the kyng of Assyria And god of his free mercy heard his prayer strengthened the peoples hearts and delyuered Ierusalem from the spoyle O victory of Faith Sathan therfore perceiuing that by this waies he could not preuayle agaynst Ezechias whose munition was so strong thorow Iesu Christe he wente an other way to woorke namely by prodicion to cause him to betray himself that hee myght by som mean cause him to offend After that god had giuen him peace and destroyed the hoste of Assyria the kynge of Babylon sente 2 Par. 22 guiftes to Ezechias The dyuell therwithall made him to forget his humilitie and thrust into his heart opinion of himself whereby he dydde not onely reioyse that so famous a kyng shuld seeke friendship at his handes by guiftes but also to ostentate his ryches and power hee shewed the messangers hys treasure house for the which the Prophete was sent to rebuke him he repented This hath been his fetche of olde as we here se this doth he practise nowe at this daye againste those that couette to leade a vertuous life whose fall is his only ioy because he is a deuourer Therfore where he perceyueth anye that haue pleasure in godlynes and to walk in the orcharde of Gods eternal woorde by whose pleasaunt sauours their soules might be consolated to infect those is his whole industrye which he can by no meanes doo but by makynge theim receiue the grace of God in vaine Seyng then that hee can not corrupt them with grosse synnes which thorow custome and exercise of vertu do continually watche that they may escape them he desyreth to corrupt them therin wherin they lest suspect to fall namely in doctrine and that bycause he seeth them greedy of knowledge and of the sweete sauour of the truth Therefore he gathereth togither a great heape of noysome floures which are beautifull to the eye and seme for their glosse and coulour to haue growen in the orcharde of the Lorde yet is their styncke deathly and pestiferous to theym that obstinately delyte in theyr sauoure and declareth theym not to be of the orchyarde of God but of the contagious palude of hell Those hee straweth before the godly lyuer that by their yll sauour he may be an euell speaker and so receiue the grace of God in vayne For as good sauour is comfortable to the body and a preseruer of his health so is sounde doctrine the preseruatiue of the soule As it is written Verba quae ego loquor spiritus vita sunt Ioh. 6 But as nothynge soeuer corrupteth the body than stynkyng sauour and impure ayre so nothynge soeuer kylleth the soule than impure doctrine As it is wrytten Erratis quia nescitis scripturas Seing that the Math. 22 dyuell straweth such flowers before good lyners prouokyng them by their couloure to poyson them self with their sauour charitye willeth that ye declare them least happelye anye man thorow ignoraunce shoulde smell there vnto and so receiue the grace of God in vaine Geue eare therefore and yee shall perceiue these flattering floures of the dyuell wherwith he laboureth to deceyne and beeware of them Fyrste That all menne bee so saued that none at length shal be dampned This floure seemeth to haue a goodlye colour the dyuell by the deceitfull beautye thereof entiseth some to put it to their nose that with smellyng therto their souls might be fylled with blyndnes and errour For it seemeth to be buylt vpon the mercy of God but so that vtterly it destroyeth his iustyce breedeth in manne a false securitie cleane rooteth oute of hys hearte the feare of God and obedience to hys woorde wherefore it is as Cycute and mortifyeth the soule For althoughe God bee mercifull as hee is in deede by the which he wylleth Eze. 18. not the death of a synner Sed magis vt viuat conuertatur yet is hee also iuste by the whiche hee condemneth the vnbeleuers and impenitente Therefore it is wrytten Eccl. 5. Eccl. 19 Ge. 6 19 Nume 14 ▪ Ne dica◠Miseratio Domini magna est multitudis peccatorum meorum miserabitur Misericordia ira abillo cito proximant in peccatores respicit ira illius Non tardes conuerti ad Dominū ne differas de die in diem Subito enī venitira illius in die vindictae disperdet c. The worde of God therfore dooth
people of Israell to rente their hartes and not their cloths yf he had thought as the dyuell wolde haue men thynke that the inwarde man synned not c. But he beleued that the inward manne synneth wyth the outwarde and needeth to repent Therfore he cried Scindite corda vestra non vestimenta Ioel. 2. vestra Our Sauiour Christ to beface and destroye this perillous flour declarynge that the inwarde man synneth as wel as the outwarde sayed Ex corde exeunt cogitationes malae homicidia adulteria fornicationes surta falsa testimonia blasphemiae c. Beware therefore of thys floure Another flour the diuel hath in store if this serueth not to infect mans soul withal wherby he woold haue him presume of hym selfe to do that which is not in him selfe Thys flour is a pestilent floure wherewith the dyuell hath in tyme paste deceiued many This flour is that by free wyll sprong of our own nature we may beleue the gospel and doo all thynges pleasyng to God Or else hee bryngeth an other flour not vnlyke to the same wherby he wold haue man to take Christes office in hande to be Christ to hym selfe namely 〈…〉 That by our fre wil we may saue our souls These venemous flours of presuÌ„ptioÌ„ to be stinkiÌ„g wreds Gods word doth prooue willynge all men to beware of them for asmuch as by theym synfull man is sette in the place of our righteous God and maye come to heauen if this were not an erroure whether God wyll or no. Than the which what blasphemy canne be greater To prooue the fyrste to bee a verye lye Saynt Iames taketh Iacob 1 in hand whiche saith That euery good guyfte and perfecte guyfte commeth frome God the father of light But faith is a good and perfect guifte ergo it commeth of God than man canne not gyue hym selfe faythe Also our Sauiour Chryste sayth Sine me nihil â—oan potestis facere that is wtout me you can do nothing ergo we can not please God of our selues S. Paul confuteth the latter errour proueth it to be flat against the truth sayiÌ„g Gratia estis saluati per fidem idque non ex uobis â—ph 2 Deidonum est noÌ„ ex operibus ne quis glorietur Therfore we be not saued bi our own fre wil. Christe hath taken vs frome the vengeauÌ„ce to come ergo not our owne free wyll Christ Tess 1 is our iustification redemption ergo not our own free wil. No maÌ„ caÌ„ come to the father but by Christe therfore we can not be saued by our freewyll Sainct Paule after he felte the comfort of his election in Iesus Christ by faith he dyd not say Of myne owne frewyll I am that I am but he sayde By the grace of God I am that I am Sure it is therfore that wee can not thynke good nor doo good neither wil good nor work good without the grace of God For as S. Paul sayth God worketh bothe the wyll and the deede Awaye than with this filthy freewyll floure which is able to do vs no good with out the grace of God but coÌ„demne vs. and let vs faithfully embrace our sauior Christ which is our only sauior and none other by whoÌ„ we receiue all good giftes by none other and by whoÌ„ we do al thyngs pleasing to God and by none other in whom god is pleased towardes vs and by none other But if he can not preuaile by this meane he wyll seke an other wherby he may make man offende agaynst God And bicause nothyng can sooner deceyue manne than that mischief that hath some colour of goodnes therefore he tempteth man to make new inuentions to hymselfe and mislyke all publik and common order Saying that to inuent orders in religion and to mislyke al thyng the we inuent not our self is not euyl or the it is lauful to euery man to make peculiar orders to him selfe in contempt of the coÌ„mon order But the worde of God doth not allow any man to coÌ„temne or mislike any publike order set forth by his superiors authorised thervnto which order is consonant to the worde of god whether it be in ceremonies or any thyng apertainyng to godly religion to vse thynges inuented by him self publikely For this floure hath in it the making sauour of selfe opinion the whiche S. Paul wylleth to be absent from christen men saiynge Bee not wyse therfore in your own conceits Away therfore with this flowre and receiue the wholsome doctrine of S. Paul Omnis anima potestatibus sublimioribus Rom. 13. subdita sit c. Who soeuer therfore eyther in ceremonies or godly religion dooth not conforme hym selfe to the coÌ„mon order but mislykyng the coÌ„mon order choose ceremonies and doctrines of theyr owne inuentions are authours of sectes I doo not here counte it vnlaufull neyther cause of diuision for any man to vse in his house any priuate order for the tradynge vp of his youthe in vertue and godlynesse so that it be consonant to the woord of God and in no contempt of the common order But if the diuell can not cause men by his crafty illusyons to condemne thynges done by the superyour powers conuenable to the truthe and make innouations contrarye to the lawes than hee laboureth to poyson men with the stinkyng floure of separation or segregation from other as from wycked and damned men not worthy to communicate the sacramentes or to eate and drynke with them This flowre howe farre it dissenteth from the exaumple of Christe it easyly may be perceyued to them whiche with humble hartes reade the woord of god For Christ although he were the sonne of God rightuous holy and voyde of al synne whiche of his iustyce coulde not but hate synne and wyckednes yet of his mercy he soughte theim that were all togyther vnrightuous and dyd not separate hym selfe from theim As wel he entred into the house of the Pharisey Math. 9. Luc. 14 â–ª as into the house of the Publican and eate as well with the one as he dyd with the other Whiche thyng if it had been vnlauful for a true christian to do we shuld haue had in hym no suche example But when he eate or dranke with them or came into their company he endeuored to bryng them by charitable persuasion to the obedience of faythe to the vnitie of the spirit from their impietie and vngodlynes Bicause he came to saue not to lose as it is written The son of man cam not into the world to condemn the world but that the worlde shulde haue lyfe by hym It is therefore laufull for any true christian to come into the company of the vngodly so longe as he foloweth the example of Iesus Christ Yea we ought to haue yâ— same mynd in vs that was in Christe Iesu namely to seke to draw the vngodly from synne to vertue from corrupt maners to a godly conuersation and not vtterly to condemne them