ouer the seruants of Saul and said I saw the sonne of Ishai when he came to Nob to Abimelech the sonne of Ahitub 10. Who asked counsell of the Lord for him and gaue him victualls and he gaue him also the sword of Goliah the Philistim Of this deede Dauid thus speaketh Psal. 52.1 Why boastest thou thy selfe in thy wickednesse O man of power the louing kindnesse of the Lord endureth for euer 2. Thy tongue imagineth mischeife and is like a sharpe rasor that cutteth deceitfully 3. Thou doest loue euill more then good and lies more then to speake the trueth 4. Thou louest all wordes that may destroy O deceitfull tongue VIII To open or declare our neighbours secret to any man especially if he did it of infirmitie Mat. 18.15 Moreouer if thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother Pro. 11.13 He that goeth about as a slanderer discouereth a secret but he that is of a faithfull heart concealeth a matter IX All babling talke and bitter wordes Eph. 5.3 But fornication and all vncleannesse let it not be once named among you 4. Neither filthinesse neither foolish talking neither iesting which are not comely but rather giuing of thankes Ioh. 9.34 They answered and said vnto him Thou art altogither borne in sinnes and doest thou teach vs so they cast him out This iesting or as it is nowe tearmed wit which Aristotle the Philosopher maketh a vertue is by Paul the Apostle accounted a vice and that not without cause I. Such quipps as sting others though they be a great pleasure for some to heare yet are they very offensiue to such as are so girded II. It is very hard to make Christian both godlinesse and grauity to agree with such behauiour Obiect But salt and tart speeches are vsull in the scriptures 1. King 18. 27. Eliah mocked the Priests of Baal Esa. 14.9 Answer Such speeches are not spoken to please others but are sharply deuounced against Gods enemies to his glorie X. Flatterie whereby we praise our neighbour aboue that we knowe in him Prou. 27.6 The woundes of a louer are faithfull but the kisses of an enemie are to be shunned 14. He that praiseth his friende with a loud voice rising early in the morning it shall be counted to him as a curse Act. 12.22 And the people gaue a shout saying The voice of God and not of man This is a grieuous sinne in the ministers of the word 1. Thess. 2.5 Neither did we euer vse flattering wordes as ye knowe nor coloured couetousnesse God is record Ier. 6.13 For from the least of thē euen vnto the greatest of them euery one is giuen vnto couetousnesse and from the Prophet euen vnto the priest they all deale falsely 14. They haue healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people with sweete wordes saying Peace peace when there is no peace Rom. 16.18 For they that are such serue not the Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies and with faire speech and flattering deceiue the hearts of the simple XI Foolish and ouer confident boasting Prou. 27.1 Boast not thy selfe of to morrow for thou knowest not what a daie may bring forth 2. Let another praise thee and not thine owne mouth a stranger and not thine owne lips XII To accuse or witnesse against one falsely 1. King 21.13 Naboth blasphemed God and the king The affirmatiue part Preserue the good name of thy neighbour Eccles. 7.3 A good name is better then a good ointment Here is commanded I. A reioicing for the credit and good estimation of thy neighbour Gal. 5.22 But the fruit of the spirit is loue ioy peace gentlenesse Rom. 1.8 First I thank my God through Iesus Christ for you all because your faith is published throughout the whole world II. Willingly to acknowledge that goodnes we see in any man whatsoeuer and onely to speake of the same Tit. 3.2 That they speake euill of no man that they be no fighters but soft shewing all meekenes to all men Moreouer wee must with all desire receiue and beleeue reports of our neighbours good Act. 16.1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra and behold a certaine Disciple was there named Timotheus a womans sonne which was a Iewesse beleeued but his father was a Grecian 2. Of whome the brethren which were at Lystra Iconium reported wel 3. Therefore Paul would that he should goe forth with him and tooke and circumcised him Notwithstanding this must so be performed of vs that in no wise wee approoue and allowe of the vices and faults of men 2. Chron. 25.2 And hee did vprightly in the eies of the Lord but not with a perfect heart And chap. 27.2 And he did vprightly in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Vzziah did saue that he entred not into the temple of the Lord the people did yet corrupt their waies III. To interpret a doutfull euill to the better part Cor. 13.5 Loue thinketh not euill 7. It beleeueth all things it hopeth all things Gen. 37.31 And they tooke Iosephs coate and killed a kidde of the goats and dipped the coat in the bloode 32. So they sent that parti-coloured coate and they brought it to their father and said This haue we found see now whether it be thy sonnes coate or no. 33. Then hee knew it and said It is my sonnes coate a wicked beast hath deuoured him Ioseph is surely torne in peeces And here obserue the religiō of that Ioseph which was betrothed to Mary who when he sawe that Mary was with child was readier to conclude that before her betroathing she was with child by committing fornication then after by cōmitting adulterie Mat. 1.19 But for all this men must not be too too credulous or light of beleefe Ioh. 2.24 But Iesus did not commit himselfe vnto them◠because he knewe them all IV. Not to beleeue an euill report running abroad amongst the common people by the whisperings of talebearers as it were by conduit pipes Psal. 15.3 Hee that slaundereth not with his tongue nor doth euill to his neighbour nor receiueth a false report against his neighbour Ierem. 40.14 And they saide vnto him Knowest thou not that Baalis the king of the Ammonites had sent Ishmac◠the sonne of Nethaniah to slay thee but Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam beleeued him not 16. But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam said vnto Ionathan the sonne of Kareah thou shalt not doe this thing for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael But we ought also to be angrie at such whisperings Pro. 25.23 As the North wind driueth away the raine so doth an angrie countenance the slaundering tongue V. To keepe secret the offence of our neighbour except it must of necessitie be reuealed Prou. 10.12 Hatred stirreth vp contention but loue couereth all trespasses Mat. 1.19 Then Ioseph her husband beeing a iust man and not willing to make her a publike example
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
Adam lastly as it is a farre greater matter by death to ouercome death and to turne it into eternal life then to commaunde that to exist and be which was not before so is the worke of redemption begunne in the birth of Christ more vnspeakable and admirable then the first creation of man Hereupon not 6. cherubims as in the vision of Isaiah not 24. elders as in the Apocalyps but a great multitude of Angels like armies were heard to praise God at the birth of Christ and no doubt the like sight was not seene since the beginning of the worlde And the Angels by their example put vs in minde to consider aright of this benefit and to praise God for it But alas this practise is very rare in this fruitlesse and barren age of the worlde where sinne and iniquitie abounds as may be seene by experience for by an old custome we retaine still in the Church the feast of the natiuitie of Christ so commonly called which neuerthelesse is not spent in praising the name of God who hath sent his sonne from his owne bosome to be our redeemer but contrariwise in rifling dicing carding masking mumming and in all licentious libertie for the most part as though it were some heathen feast of Ceres or Bacchus Secondly Christ was conceiued and borne in bodily manner that there might be a spirituall conception and birth of him in our hearts as Paul saith My little children of whome I trauell till Christ he formed in you and that is when we are made newe creatures by Christ and performe obedience to our creatour When the people said to Christ that his mother and his brethren sought him he answered He that doth the will of God is my brother my sister and mother Therefore let vs goe with the sheapheards to Bethlehem and finding our blessed Sauiour swadled and lying in the cratch let vs bring him thence and make our owne hearts to be his cradle that we may be able to say that we liue not but Christ liues in vs and let vs present vnto him our selues our bodies soules as the best gold mirrhe and frankincense that may be and thus conceiuing him by faith he remaining without chaunge wee shall be chaunged into him and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The world I know neuer so much as dreameth of this kinde of conception and birth for as Dauid saieth Men trauell with wickednesse conceiue mischiefe and bring forth a lie And S. Iames saith Men are drawne away by their owne concupiscence which when it hath conceiued bringeth forth sinne And these are the ougly and monstrons birthes of these daies But let vs I pray you contrariwise waile and mourne for the barrennes of our hearts that doe so little conceiue the grace of Christ in heart and bring it forth in action The mother of Christ vndoubtedly was a blessed woman but if shee had not as well conceiued Christ in her heart as shee did in her wombe shee had not bin saued and no more can wee vnlesse doe the same The birth of Christ to them that haue touched hearts is the comfort of coÌ„forts and the sweetest balme or confection that euer was Behold say the Angel to the sheâ—pheards we bring tidings of great ioy that shall be to all people but wherein standes the ioy they adde further vnto you this daie is borne in the citiâ— of Dauid a Sâ—uiour which is Christ the Lord. And no maruel for in that birth is manifested the good will of God to man and by it we haue peace first with God secondly with our selues in conscience thirdly with the good Angels of God fourthly with our enemies lastly with al the creatures For this cause the Angels sang Peace on earth good will towards men In the last place the Creede notes vnto vs the parent or mother of Christ the Virgine Mary And here at the verie first it may be demanded howe hee could haue either father or mother because he was figured by Melchisedech who had neither father nor mother Ans. Melchisedech is said to be without father and mother not because he had none at all For according to the ancient and receiued opinion it is very likely that he was Sem the sonne of Noe but because where hee is mentioned vnder this name of Melchisedech in the 14. chapter of Genes there is no mention made of Father or Mother and so Christ in some sort is without father or mother as he is man he hath no father as he is God he hath no mother And whereas Christ is called the sonne of Ioseph it was not because hee was begotten of him but because Ioseph was his reputed father or which is more because he was a legall father namely according to the Iewes lawes in that as sundrie diuines think he was the next of his kin and therefore to succeede him as his lawfull heire Mary became the mother of Christ by a kind of calling thereto which was by an extraordinarie message of an angel concerning the conception birth of Christ in and by her to which calling and message shee condescended saying Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it vnto me according to thy worde And hereupon she conceiued by the holy ghost This being so it is more then sensles folly to turne the salutatioÌ„ of the angel Haile freely beloued c. into a praier For it is as much as if we should stil call her to become a mother of Christ. And shee must be held to be the mother of whole Christ God and man therfore the ancient Church hath called the mother of God yet not the mother of the godhead Furthermore the mother of Christ is described by her qualitie a virgin and by her name Mary Shee was a virgine first that Christ might be conceiued without sinne and be a perfect Sauiour secondly that the saying of the prophet Esay might be fulfilled Behold a virgine shall conceiue beare a sonne according as it was foretold by God in the first giuing of the promise the seede of the woman not the seede of the man shall bruise the serpents heade Nowe the Iewes to elude the most pregnant testimonie of the prophet saie that Alma signifies not a virgin but a young woman which hath knowne a man But this is indeede a forgerie For Esay there speakes of an extraordinary worke of God aboue nature whereas for a woman hauing knowne man to conceiue is no wonder And the word Alma through the whole bible is taken for a virgin as by a particular search will appeare As Maâ—ie conceiued a virgin so it may be well thought that shee continued a virgine to the ende though wee make it no article of our faith When Christ was vpon the crosse hâ—e commended his mother to the custodie of Iohn which probably argueth that she had no child to whose care and keeping shee might be coÌ„meÌ„ded
righteous from the wicked and the elect from the reprobate He which knoweth the hearts of all men knoweth also howe to doe this and he will doe it This full and finall separation is reserued to Christ and shall not be accomplished till the last day For so it is in the parable that the tares must grow with the wheate til haruest and the reapers must separate them and gather the wheate into the barne but the tares must be burned with vnquenchable fire By the consideration of this one point we learne diuers things I. that in the Church of God in this world good and badde are mingled togither elect and reprobate and wee are not to imagine any perfection of the church of God vpon earth as many haue dreamed which when they could not finde they haue therefore forsaken al assemblies I confesse indeede that the preaching of the word is the Lords fanne whereby he clenseth his Church in part but yet the finishing of this worke shall not be before the last iudgement For when the ministers of God haue done all that they can yet shall the wicked be mingled with the godly Therefore the Church is compared to a barne flore where is both wheate chaffe and a corne fielde where is both tares and good corne and a draw net wherin is both good fish and badde Secondly whereas this separation must not be before the ende of the world hence wee learne the state of Gods Church in this life It is like a flocke of sheepe mingled with goates and therefore the condition of Gods people in this world is to bee troubled many waies by those with whome they liue For goates vse to strike the sheepe to annoy their pasture and to make their water muddie that they can not drinke of it and therefore we must prepare our selues to beare all annoyances crosses and calamities that shall befall vs in this world by the wicked ones among whome we liue Thirdly we are taught that howesoeuer the goates and the sheepe be very like and feede in one pasture and lie in one folde all their life time yet Christ can and will seuer them asunder at the last day Therefore considering as wee are borne of Adam wee haue the nature of the goate yea of the wilde beast and not of the sheepe it standes vs in hand to lay aside our goatish conditions and to take vnto vs the properties of the sheepe of Christ which hee expresseth in these words My sheepe saith he heare my voice I know them and they follow me And the properties are three to know him to be knowne of him and to follow him namely in obedience and he that findes them all in himselfe weareth the brand and marke of the true sheepe of Christ but contrariwise they that make profession of Christ and yet therewithall ioyne not obedience howsoeuer the world may account of them they are but goates and no sheepe Let vs therefore with the knowledge of Christ ioyne obedience to his word that when the day shall come that the goates must be separated from the sheepe we may be found to be in the number of the true sheep of Christ. We may deceiue men both in life and death and beare them in hand that we are sheepe but when the iudgement shall come we cannot deceiue Christ he it is that formed vs he knowes our hearts and therefore can easily discerne what we are The fifth thing is the triall of euery mans particular cause a point especially to be considered For as at the barre of an earthly iudge the malefactour is brought out of prison and set before the iudge and there examined euen so in that great day shall euery man without exception be brought before the Lord to be tried But how shall this triall be made Ans. By workes as the Apostle saith We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his bodie according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill And the reason is because works are the outward signes of inward grace and godlinesse And though we be iustified by faith alone without workes yet may we be iudged both by faith and workes For the last iudgement doth not serue to make men iust that are vniust but only to manifest them to be iust indeed which were iust before in this life truly iustified The consideration of this very point should mooue vs al to repent vs of our sinnes past and to reforme our selues throughout and to be plentifull in all good works And vndoubtedly if we seriously thinke vpon it it will hold vs more straightly to all good duties then if with the Papists we held iustification by workes Furthermore in this triall two things must be skanned I. how all mens workes shall be made manifest II. by what meanes they shall be examined Of the manifestation of euery mans worke S. Iohn speaketh And I saw saith he the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of these things which were written in the bookes according to their workes God is said to haue bookes not properly but because all things are as certen and manifest to him as if he had his Registers in heauen to keepe rolles and records of thē His bookes are three the booke of Prouidence the booke of Iudgement the booke of Life The booke of his prouidence is the knowledge of all particular things past present to come Of this the Psalmist speaketh Thine eyes did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were all things written which in continuance were fashioned when there was none of them before The booke of iudgement is that whereby he giues iudgement and it is twofold The first is Gods knowledge or prescience in which all the affaires of mē their thoughts words and deedes are as certenly knowne and set downe as if they were put in bookes of record We may forget our sinnes but God keepes them in a register he knowes them euery one The second booke is euery mans particular conscience which also brings to remembrance and testifies what men haue done and what they haue not done The booke of life is nothing else but the decree of Gods election in which God hath set downe who be ordained to life eternall Now the opening of these bookes is a thing wherein the endles power of God shall most notably shew it self For when we shall stand before the iudgement seat of Christ he then knowing all things in his eternall counsell shall reueale vnto euery man his owne particular sinnes whether they were in thought word or deede and then also by his mightie power he shall so touch mens consciences that they shall afresh remember what they haue done Now indeede the wicked mans conscience is shut vp
he saith Christ is the head to his bodie which is his Church and when he ascribes the name of Christ not onely to the person of the Sonne but to the Church it selfe as in the Epistle to the Galatians To Abraham and his seede were the promises made he saith not and to his seedes as speaking of many but and vnto his seede as speaking of one which is Christ that is not the redeemer alone but also the Church redeemed For Christ as he is man is not the onely seede of Abraham And this definition of the Church is almost in so many wordes set downe in the Scriptures in that it is called the Familie of God partly in heauen and partly in earth named of Christ and it is also called the heauenly Ierusalem the mother of vs all and the celestiall Ierusalem and the congregation of the first borne Nowe for the better vnderstanding of the nature estate and parts of the Church two points among the rest must bee considered the efficient cause therof Câ—â—s predestination and the forme the mysticall Vnion In handling the doctrine of Predestination my meaning is onely to stand on such points as are reuealed in the worde and necessarie tending to edification And first I will shewe what is the trueth and secondly the contrary falshoode In the trueth I consider foure things I. what Predestination is II. what is the order of it III. what be the parts of it IV. what is the vse Predestination may thus be deâ—ined It is a part of the counsell of God whereby he hath before all times purposed in himselfe to shewe mercy on some men to passe by others shewing his iustice on them for the manifestation of the glorie of his owne name First I say it is a part of his counsell because the counsell or decree of God vniuersally extends it selfe to all things that are and Predestination is Gods decree so farre forth as it concernes the reasonable creatures especially man Nowe in euery purpose or decree of God three things must be considered the beginning the matter the ende The beginning is the will of God whereby he willeth and appointeth the estate of his creatures it is the most absolute supreame and soueraigne cause of all things that are so farre forth as they haue beeing hauing nothing either aboue it selfe or out of it selfe to bee an impulsiue cause to mooue or incline it and to say otherwise is to make the will of God to be no will Indeede mens wils are mooued and disposed by externall causes out of themselues borrowed from the things whereof deliberation is made because they are to be ruled by equitie and reason and a mans bare will without reason is nothing Nowe Gods will is not ruled by another rule of reason or iustice but it selfe is an absolute rule both of iustice and reason A thing is not first of all reasonable and iust and then afterward willed by God but it is first of all willed by God and thereupon becomes reasonable and iust The matter of his purpose is a decreed manifestation of two of the most ptincipall attributes of the godhead mercy and iustice and that with a limitation or restraint of mercy to some of the creatures and iustice to some others because it was his good will and pleasure And we are not to imagine that this is a point of crueltie in God for his very essence or nature is not iustice alone or mercy alone but iustice and mercy both togither and therefore to purpose the declaration of them both vpon his creatures ouer whome hee is a soueraigne Lord and that without other respects vpon his very will and pleasure is no point of iniustice The supreame end of the counsell of God is the manifestation of his owne glorie partly in his mercy and partly in his iustice For in common equitie the end which he propoundes vnto himselfe of all his doings must be answerable to his nature which is maiestie and glorie and as I haue said iustice and mercy it selfe And because Pauls disputation in the 9. to the Romanes giues light and sufficient confirmation to this which I nowe teach I will stand a little to open and resolue the same From the 1. verse to the 6. he sets downe his griefe conceiued for his brethren the Iewes and therewithall that it might not bee thought that he spake of malice he doth onely in close and obscure manner insinuate the Râ—iection of that nation This done in the 6. v. he answers a secret obiection which might be made on this manner If the Iewes be reiected theÌ„ the word of God is of none effect that is then the couenant made with the forefathers is void but the couenant can not be voide therefore the Iewes are not reiected The assumption he takes for graunted and denies the consequence of the proposition And the ground of his deniall is because there is a distinction betweene man and man euen among the Iewes whereby some are indeede in the couenant some not And this distinction is prooued by three examples the first in this verse that of the children of Iacob the common parent of all the Iewes some are Israel that is truely in the couenant as Iacob was and some are not Israel Now it might be further obiected that the Iewes are not onely the posteritie of Iacob but the seede of Abraham in whome all nations of the earth are blessed and therefore not to be reiected And to this Paul answers vers 7. alleadging a second example of the distinction betweene man and man out of the familie of Abraham in which some were indeede sonnes some were not For the proofe of this first he sets downe the words of the text in Moses In Isaac shall thy seede be called and secondly makes an exposition of them with a collection on this manner Al they which are the sonnes of the promise are the seede of Abraham or the sonnes of God but Isaac is a sonne of promise and not Ismael therefore Isaac is the seed of Abraham and heire of the blessing and not Ismael The proposition is in the 8. verse the assumption in the 9. vers the conclusion in the 7. verse Here marke I. howe he makes a double seede one according to the flesh the other spirituall and two kinde of sonnes one of the flesh the other sonne of the promise or the sonne of God for he puts the one for the other II. that the distinction betweene Isaac and Ismael whereby one is in the couenant of grace the other not standes not in their foreseene saith and vnbeleefe and the fruites of them but in the purpose and will of God it selfe For Isaac is called the childe of promise because by the vertue of it he was borne and beleeued and was adopted the child of God and made heire of the couenant giuen to Abraham and therefore consequently the right of apoption befell him by the meere good pleasure of
Lord to reach vnto thee his mercifull and a helping hand Againe in the Scriptures we finde examples of men conuerted vnto the Lord without any vehement sorrow of their sinns What anguish of conscience had the theefe vpon the crosse for his former life in his present conuersion at the houre of death How was Lydia dismaied and cast downe in respect of her wickednesse like as Dauid was or Iob whose heart God onely is said to haue opened to giue attendance to the preaching of Paul and Silas who also euen presently after was readie to entertaine them and to make them a feast in her house which shee could not haue done if she had beene in the perplexities of Ezechias or Dauid The same may be spoken of the Iayler and of them which heard Peters sermon at Ierusalem who for all that they had murdred our Sauiour Christ yet in their conuersion their hearts were onely for the time pricked So then God in preparing vs which in truth are nothing but fleshly and stinking dunghills of sinne nay very vncleannesse and pollution it selfe I say in preparing vs to be the Temples of his holy Spirit to dwell in and the storehouses to hoord vp his heauenly graces in doth otherwhiles vse a milde and gentle remedie and maketh the Law to looke vpon vs though with no louing and gentle yet with no fearefull countenance and otherwhiles in some he setteth a sharp edge vpon the Law and maketh it to wound the heart very deepe and as a strong corrasiue to torment them and to frette and gnawe vpon their consciences And we see by experience◠that a botch or a byle in a mans bodie is as well eased of the corruption that is in it by the pricking of the point of a small needle as by the launcing of a great raser Wherefore if God by his spirit haue wrought in you sorrow for sinne in any small measure though not in as great measure as you desire you haue no cause to complaine and in that you are grieued with a godly sorrow for your sinnes it is a good token of the grace of God in you Timoth. Surely this is a great comfort you giue me God make me thankefull for it And I pray you more plainly shew me the state of your life till this houre that I and all other may take warning by it Euseb. That which may doe good vnto other men I will neuer conceale though it be to my perpetuall shame As I was conceiued and borne in sinne so my parents brought me vp in ignorance and neuer shewed me my shame and miserie by Gods law liued a long time euen as a man in a dead sleepe or trance and in trueth I liued as though there were neither heauen nor hell neither God nor deuil And the deuill himselfe as I nowe perceiue did often perswade my secure conscience that I was the child of god should be saued as well as the best man in the world and I yeelded to his perswasion and did verily thinke it so that when the preacher for wickednes securitie denoūced Gods iudgements and hel fire I haue said vnto my neighbours that I hoped I should be saued and he should goe to hell and when I was asked whether I could keep all the commandements of the law I said that I could and beeing asked whether I neuer sinned I said I thought that otherwhiles I did but for them which were but fewe I hoped God would haue mercie and haue mee excused and all my neighbours were glad of my company they spoke wel of me and I was taken for an honest man when as indeede before God I was a vile beast the child of wrath inspired with the spirit of the deuil continually Wel after I heard the Law preached I saw and remembred many fearfull iudgements of God vpon men whome I in reason thought were as good men as I then I began to consider mine owne estate and to perceiue my sins and my cursednes and vpon a time aboue all other the curse of the lawe made me inwardly afraide and my flesh then began to tremble and quake then I could not sleepe in the night season I was afraid of euery thing If I were in my house I thought the house would fall on my head if abroad I thought euery crannie of the earth would open it selfe wider and swallowe me I started at euery straw and at the moouing of a flie my meat was loathsome vnto me and I thought I was not worthie of so good a creature of God and that God might iustly turne it to my bane the griefe of my heart for my life past made me shed abundance of teares and vpon that I remembred in Dauids Psalms that his teares were his drinke and that he did wet his bed with teares And nowe the deuill changed both his coate and his note and in fearefull manner cryed in my eares that I was a reprobate his childe that none of Gods children were as I am that this griefe of my soule was the beginning of hell And the greater was my paine because I durst not open my minde vnto any for feare they should haue mocked me and haue made a iest of it Wherefore I was faine to goe to a godly learned preacher I shewed mine estate vnto him after I had cōtinued with him the space of two or three daies I receiued comfort both by the promises of mercie which hee shewed me in the booke of God and by his feruent godly and effectuall praiers and I thanke God euer since I haue had some assurance in spite of the deuil that I doe appertaine to the kingdome of heauen and am nowe a member of Iesus Christ and shall so continue for euer Timoth. How know you that God hath forgiuen your sinne Euseb. Because I am a sinner and he is both able and willing to forgiue me Timoth. I grant that he is able to forgiue you but how knowe you that he◠will◠you know your sinnes are very great Euseb. I graunt but Christs passion is far greater and although my sinnes were as red as scarlet and as purple yet they shall be as white as snowe and as soft as wooll Timoth. Oh but you haue sinned very often Euseb. Tell me not I pray you what I haue done but what I will doe Timoth. What will you doe Euseb. By Gods grace it is my full purpose and my earnest prayer to God is hereafter to take better heed and to amend my former life Timoth. Is that enough thinke you Euseb. What lacketh Timoth. The fauour and mercie of God that may cleane forsake you Euseb. Nay that I will neuer grant for I am certainly perswaded of the fauour and mercie of God euen to the saluation of my soule Timoth. Oh shewe me that that is the thing I earnestly desire to be assured of Gods speciall goodnes euen by your experience Euseb. According as God hath giuen me to feele the same so
liuing in the yeare â—46 acknowledged Lotharius the Emperour for his prince 4 No Bishop may be called vniuersall 5 The Church of Rome hath no more authoritie ouer other Churches then other Churches ouer it 6 A Priest and a Bishop were in times past all one 7 The Pope hath no power to giue or sell pardons 8 There can be no merit by fasting or abstinence from flesh 9 The masse is nothing but the forme of diuine sacrificâ— By this which hath beene said it doth in part appeare that the religion of the Church of Rome is repugnant to it selfe and it could not so be if it were from the word of God A Corollarie gathered out of the former assertion 1. A man being indued with no more grace then that which hee may obtaine by the religion of the Church of Rome is still in the state of damnation A DIALOGVE CONTAINING THE CONFLICTS betweene Satan and the Christian. Sathan OVile helbound thou art my slaue and my vassall why then shakest thou off my yoke Christian. By nature I was thy vassal but Christ hath redeemed me Sathan Christ redeemeth no reprobates such as thou art Christian. I am no reprobate Sathan Thou art a reprobate for thou shalt be condemned Christian. Lucifer to pronounce damnation belongeth to God alone thou art no iudge it is sufficient for thee to be an accuser Sathan Though I cannot condemne thee yet I knowe God will condemne thee Christian. Yea but God will not condemne me Sathan Goe too let vs trie the matter Is not God a Lord and a King ouer thee and may he not therefore giue thee a lawe to keep and punish thee with hell fire if thou breake it Christian. Yes Sathan And hast thou kept the lawe of this thy Lord and King Christian. No. Sathan Let vs proceed further Is not the same Lord also a most righteous iudge And therefore a most sharp reuenger of sinne Christian. Yes truely Sathan Why then wilt thou flatter thy selfe thou hypocrite God cannot winke at thy sinnes except he should be vniust Wherefore there is no remedie thou art sure to be damned hel was prouided for thee and now it gapeth to deuoure thee Christian. There is remedie enough to deliuer me from condemnation For God is not onely as thou affirmest a Lord and a iudge but also a sauing and a most mercifull father Sathan But thou firebrand of hel fire and child of perdition looke for no mercie at Gods hands because thou art a most grieuous sinner for 1 Original sin runneth wholly ouer thee as a loathsome botch or leprosie 2 Thy mind knoweth not the things that be of God 3 In the law of God thou art stark blind sauing that thou hast a few principles of it to make thee inexcusable 4 The Gospel is foolishnes and madnes vnto thee thou makest no better account of it then of thine owne dreame 5 Thy conscience is corrupt because it flattereth thee and excuseth thy sinne 6 Thy memorie keepeth and remembreth nothing but that which is against Gods word but things abominable and wicked it keepeth long 7 Thy will hath no inclination to that which is good but onely to sinne and wickednes 8 Thy affections are set onely on wickednes they are as mightie gyants and princes in thee they haue thee at coÌ„mandement RemeÌ„ber that for very anger thou hast bin sicke that the lust of thy flesh hath driuen thee to madnes forget not thy Atheisme thy contempt of Gods word thy inward pride thy enuie hatred malice thy couetousnesse and infinit other wicked desires which haue led thee captiue and made thee outragious in all kind of naughtines 9 Thy actuall sinnes committed partly in secret partly in publike are most filthie and most infinite Remember how in such a place at such a time thou diddest commit fornication in another place thou diddest steale c. God saw this I warrant thee yea all thy sinnes are written in his booke wherefore thou cursed wretch all hope of mercie is cut off from thee Christian. But Gods mercie farre exceedeth all these my sinnes and I can not be so infinite in sinning as God is infinite in mercie and pardoning Sathan Darest thou presume to thinke of Gods mercie why the least of thy sinnes deserueth damnation Christian. None of my sinnes can feare me or dismay me Christ hath borne the full wrath and vengeance of his Father vpon the crosse euen for me that I might be deliuered from condemnation which was due vnto me Sathan If Gods purpose were not to condemne thee perswade thy selfe he would neuer lay so many afflictions and crosses on thee as he doth What is this want of good name this weaknesse and sicknesse of thy bodie these terrours of the minde this dulnesse and frowardnes of thy heart what are all these I say and many other euills but the beginnings and certaine flashings of the fire of hell Christian. Nay rather my afflictions are liuely testimonies of my saluation For God as a louing father partly by them as with scourges chasteneth my disobedience and bringeth me into order partly conformeth me vnto my Sauiour Christ and so by little and little laieth open to me mine owne sinnes that I may dislike my selfe and hate them and maketh me to renounce the world thy eldest sonne and stirreth me vp to call vpon him and to pray earnestly with grones sighes which I am not able to expresse with any words as I feele them Sathan Thy afflictions are heauie and comfortlesse therefore they can not be arguments of Gods fauour Christian. Indeede their nature is to bring griefe and heauines to the soule but I haue had ioy in the midst of my afflictions strength sufficient to beare them and after them haue bin many waies bettered which befalleth to none of the wicked and for that cause it is a great perswasion to me that I shall not be damned with the wicked world but in spite of all thy power passe from death to euerlasting life Sathan After these thy manifold afflictions thou must suffer death which is most terrible and a very entrance into hell Christian. Death hath lost his sting by Christs death and vnto me it shal be nothing els but a passage vnto euerlasting life Sathan Admit thou shalt be deliuered from hell by Christ what will this auaile thee considering that thou shalt neuer come to the kingdom of heauen for Christs death onely deliuereth thee from death eternall it cannot aduance thee to euerlasting life Christian. I am now at this time a member of Christs kingdome and after this life shall raigne with him for euer in his euerlasting kingdome Sathan Thou neuer didst fulfill the law therefore thou canst not come into the kingdome of heauen Christian. Christ hath perfectly fulfilled euery part of the law for me and by this his obedience imputed vnto me I my selfe doe keepe the
terrible but it is false to them that bee in Christ to whome many things happen farre more heauie and bitter then death IV. Death at the first brought foorth sinne but death in the righteous by meanes of Christs death abolisheth sinne because it is the accomplishment of mortification And death is so far from destroying such as are in Christ that there can bee no better refuge for them against death for presently after the death of the bodie followes the perfect freedome of the spirit and the resurrection of the bodie V. Lastly death is a meanes of a Christian mans perfection as Christ in his owne example sheweth saying Beholde I will cast out deuills and will heale still to daie and to morrowe and the third I will bee perfected Nowe this perfection in the members of Christ is nothing els but the blessing of God the author of peace sanctifying them throughout that their whole spirits and soules and bodies may be preserued without blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe hauing often thus considered with my selfe of the excellencie of death I thought good to drawe the summe and cheife heads thereof into this small Treatise the protection and consideration whereof I commend to your Ladiship desiring you to accept of it and read it at your leisure If I be blamed for writing vnto you of death whereas by the course of nature you are not yet neere death Salomon will excuse me who saith that wee must remember our Creator in the daies of our youth Thus hoping of your H. good acceptance I pray God to blesse this my little labour to your comfort and saluation Septemb. 7. 1595. Your H. in the Lord W. Perkins ECCLESIASTES 7. 3. The day of death is better then the daie that one is borne THese words are a rule or precept laid downe by Salomon for weightie causes For in the chapters going before he sets forth the vanitie of all creatures vnder heauen and that at large in the very particulars Now men hereupon might take occasion of discontentment in respect of their estate in this life therefore Salomon in great wisdom here takes a new course in this chapter begins to lay downe certaine rules of direction and comfort that men might haue somewhat wherewith to arme themselues against the troubles and the miseries of this life The first rule is in this third verse that a good name is better then a pretious oyntment that is a name gotten maintained by godly conuersation is a speciall blessing of God which in the midst of the vanities of this life ministreth greater matter of reioycing and comfort to the heart of man then the most pretious oyntment can doe to the outward senses Now some man hauing heard this first rule concerning good name might obiect and say that renowme good report in this life affoards slender comfort considering that after it followes death which is the miserable end of all men But this obiection the wise man remooueth by a second rule in these words which I haue in hand saying that the daie of death is better then the daie that one is borne That we may come to the true proper sense of this precept or rule three points are to be considered First what is death here meÌ„tioned secondly how it can be truely said that the daie of death is better then the daie of birth thirdly in what respect it is better For the first death is a depriuation of life as a punishment ordained of God and imposed on man for his sinne First I say it is a depriuation of life because the verie nature of death is he absence or defect of that life which God vouchsafed man by his creation I adde further that death is a punishment more especially to intimate the nature and qualitie of death and to shewe that it was ordained as a meanes of execution of Gods iustice and iudgement And that death is a punishment Paul plainely auoucheth when hee saith that by one man sinne entred into the worlde and death by sinne And againe that death is the stipend wages or allowance of sinne Furthermore in euerie punishment there be three workers the ordainer of it the procurer and the executioner The ordainer of this punishment is God in the estate of mans innocency by a solemne lawe then made in these verie wordes In the daie that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Genesis 2. â—7 But it may be alleadged to the contrarie that the Lord saith by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will not the death of a sinner and therefore that hee is no ordainer of death The answere may easily bee made and that sundrie waies First the Lord speakes not this to all men or of all men but to his owne people the church of the Iewes as appeares by the clause perfixed Sonne of man say vnto the â—ouse of Israel c. Again the words are not spoken absolutely but only in waie of comparison in that of the twaine hee rather wills the conuersion and repentance of a sinner then his death and destruction Thirdly the verie proper meaning of the wordes importe thus much that God doeth take no delight or pleasure in the death of a sinner as it is the ruine and destruction of the creature And yet all this hinders not but that God in a newe regard and consideration may both will and ordaine death namely as it is a due and deserued punishment tending to the execution of iustice in which iustice God is as good as in his mercie Againe it may bee obiected that if death indeede had beene ordained of God then Adam should haue beene destroyed and that presently vpon his fall For the verie wordes are thus Whensoeuer thou shalt eate of the forbidden fruite thou shalt certainly die Ausvvere Sentences of Scripture are either Legall or Euangelicall the lawe and the Gospel beeing two seuerall and distinct parts of Gods worde Nowe this former sentence is Legall and must be vnderstood with an exception borrowed from the Gospell or the couenant of grace made with Adam and reuealed to him after his fall The exception is this Thou shalt certenly die whensoeuer thou eatest the forbidden fruite except I doe further giue thee a meanes of deliuerance from death namely the seed of the woman to bruise the serpents head SecoÌ„dly it may be answered that Adam and all his posteritie died and that presently after his fall in that his bodie was made mortall and his soule became subiect to the curse of the Lawe And whereas God would not vtterly destroy Adam at the very first but onely impose on him the beginnings of the first and second death he did the same in great wisdome that in the midst of his iustice he might make a way to mercie which thing could not haue beene if Adam had perished The executioner of this punishment is hee that doeth impose and inflict the same on man and that also is God
And this I take to be the meaning of this text which speaketh not of iustification by faith but onely of the practice of common duties which faith putteth in execution by the helpe of loue III. Reason Faith is neuer alone therefore it doth not iustifie alone Ans. The reason is naught and they might as well dispute thus The eie is neuer alone from the head and therefore it seeth not alone which is absurd And though in regard of substance the eie be neuer alone yet in regard of seeing it is alone and so though faith subsist not without loue and hope and other graces of god yet in regard of the act of iustification it is alone without thē al. IV. Reason If faith alone doe iustifie then we are saued by faith alone but we are not saued by faith alone and therefore not iustified by faith alone Ans. The proposition is false for more things are requisite to the maine ende then to the subordinate meanes And the assumption is false for wee are saued by faith alone if we speake of faith as it is an instrument apprehending Christ for our saluation V. Reason We are saued by hope therefore not by faith alone Ans. Wee are saued by hope not because it is any cause of our saluation Pauls meaning is onely this that we haue not saluation as yet in possession but waite patiently for it in time to come to be possessed of vs expecting the time of our full deliuerance that is all that can iustly be gathered hence Nowe the doctrine which we teach on the contrarie is That a sinner is iustified before God by faith yea by faith alone The meaning is that nothing within man and nothing that man can do either by nature or by grace concurreth to the act of iustification before God as any cause thereof either efficient material formal or final but faith alone all other gifts graces as hope loue the feare of God are necessarie to saluation as signes thereof cōsequents of faith Nothing in mā cōcurs as any cause to this work but by faith alone And faith it selfe is no principall but onely an instrumentall cause whereby we receiue apprehend and apply Christ and his righteousnesse for our iustificatiō Reason I. Ioh. 3.14,15 As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life In these words Christ makes a comparison on this maner when any one of the Israelites were stung to death by fierie serpents his cure was not by any phisicke surgerie but onely by the casting of his eies vp to the brasen serpent which Moses had erected by Gods commandement euen so in the cure of our soules when we are stung to death by sinne there is nothing required within vs for our recouery but onely that we cast vp and fixe the eye of our faith on Christ and his righteousnes Reason II. The exclusiue formes of speech vsed in scripture prooue thus much We are iustified freely not of the lawe not by the lawe without the lawe without workes not of workes not according to workes not of vs not by the workes of the lawe but by faith Gal. 2.16 All boasting excluded onely beleeue Luk. 8.50 These distinctions whereby workes and the lawe are excluded in the work◠of iustification doe include thus much that faith alone doth iustifie Reason III. Very reason may teach thus much for no gift in man is apt fit as a spirituall hand to receiue apply Christ and his righteousnes vnto a sinner but faith Indeede loue hope the feare of God and repentance haue their seuerall vses in men but none serue for this ende to apprehend Christ and his merits none of them all haue this receiuing propertie and therefore there is nothing in man that iustifieth as a cause but faith alone Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church Ambr. on Rom. 4. They are blessed to whome without any labour or worke done iniquities are remitted and sinne couered no workes or repentance required of them but onely that they beleeue And cap. 3. Neither working any thing nor requiting the like are they iustified by faith alone through the gift of God And 1. Cor. 1. this is appointed of God that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall be saued without any worke by faith alone freely receiuing remission of sinnes Augustine There is one propitiation for all sinnes to beleeue in Christ. Hesyc on Leuit. lib. 1. c. 2. Grace which is of mercy is apprehended by faith alone and not of workes Bernard Whosoeuer is pricked for his sinnes and thirsteth after righteousnes let him beleeue in thee who iustifieth the sinner and beeing iustified by Faith alone he shall haue peace with God Chrysost. on Gal. 3. They said he which resteth on faith alone◠is accursed but Paul sheweth that he is blessed which resteth on faith alone Basil. de Humil. Let man acknowledge himselfe to want true iustice and that he is iustified onely by faith in Christ. Origen on c. 3. Rom. Wee thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe and he saith iustification by faith alone sufficeth so as a man onely beleeuing may be iustified And therefore it lieth vpon vs to search who was iustified by faith without works And for an exāple I thinke vpon the theife who beeing crucified with Christ cried vnto him Lord remember me when thou cōmest into thy kingdome and there is no other good worke of his mentioned in the Gospell but for this alone faith Iesus saith vnto him This night thou shalt be with me in paradise III. Difference The third difference about iustification is concerning this point namely how farreforth good workes are required thereto The doctrine of the Church of Rome is that there be two kinds of iustification the first and the second as I haue said The first is when one of an euill man is made a good man and in this workes are wholly excluded it beeing wholly of grace The second is when a man of a iust man is made more iust And this they will haue to proceede from workes of grace for say they as a man when he is once borne can by eating and drinking make himselfe a bigger man though he could not at the first make himselfe a man euen so a sinner hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himselfe more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. that good works are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actual II. that good works are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they cal habitual Now let vs see how farforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two
Father is well pleased and for whose sake alone he is well pleased with vs. IV. Obiect Sundrie persons in Scripture are commended for perfectionâ— as Noe and Abraham Zacharie and Elizabeth and Christ biddeth vs all bee perfect and where there is any perfection of workes there also workes may iustifie Ans. There be two kinds of perfection perfection in parts and perfection in degrees Perfection in part is when being regenerate and hauing the seedes of all necessarie vertues wee indeauour accordingly to obey God not in some few but in all and euery part of the law as Iosias turned vnto God according to all the law of Moses Perfection in degrees is when a man keepeth euery commandement of God and that according to the rigour thereof in the very highest degree Nowe then whereas we are commanded to be perfected and haue examples of the same perfection in scripture both commandements and examples must be vnderstood of perfection in parts and not of perfection in degrees which caÌ„â—ot be attained vnto in this life though we for our parts must daily striue to come as neere vnto it as possibly we can V. Obiect 2. Cor. 4. 17. Our momentany afflictions worke vnto vs a greater measâ—re of glorie nowe if afflictions worke our saluation then workes also doe the same Ans. Afflictions worke saluation not as causes procuring it but as means directing vs thereto And thus alwaies must we esteeme of works in the matter of our saluation as of a certen way or a marke therein directing vs to glorie not causing and procuring it as Bernard saith they are via Regni non causa regnandi The waie to the kingdome not the cause of raigning there VI. Obiect We are iustified by the same thing whereby we are iudged but we are iudged by our good works therfore iustified also Ans. The proposition is false for iudgement is an act of God declaring a man to bee iust that is alreadie iust and iustification is another distinct act of God whereby he maketh him to be iust that is by nature vniust And therefore in equitie the last iudgement is to proceede by workes because they are the fittest meanes to make triall of euery mans cause and serue fitly to declare whome God hath iustified in this life VII Obiect Wicked men are condemned for euill workes and therefore righteous men are iustified by good workes Ans. The reason holdeth not for there is great difference betweene euill and good workes An euill worke is perfectly euill and so deserueth damnation but there is no good worke of any man that is perfectly good and therefore cannot iustifie VIII Obiect To beleeue in Christ is a worke and by it we are iustified if one worke doe iustifie why may we not be iustified by all the workes of the law Ans. Faith must be considered two waies first as a worke qualitie or vertue secondly as an Instrument or an hand reaching out it selfe to receiue Christs merit And we are iustified by faith not as it is a work vertue or qualitie but as it is an instrument to receiue and apply that thing whereby we are iustified And therefore it is a figuratiue speech to say We are iustified by faith Faith considered by it selfe maketh no man righteous neither doth the actioÌ„ of faith which is to apprehend iustifie but the obiect of faith which is Christs obedience apprehended These are the principall reasons commonly vsed which as we see are of no moment To conclude therefore we holde that workes concurre to iustification and that we are iustified thereby as by signes and effects not as causes for both the beginning middle and accomplishment of our iustification is onely in Christ and hereupon Iohn saith If any man beeing already iustified sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sinnes And to make our good workes meanes or causes of our iustification is to make euery man a Sauiour to himselfe The V. point Of merits By merit we vnderstand any thing or any work whereby Gods fauour life euerlasting is procured and that for the dignitie and excellencie of the worke or thing done or a good worke done binding him that receiueth it to repay the like Our Consent Touching merits we consent in two conclusions with them The first coÌ„clusion that merits are so farre forth necessarie that without them there can be no saluation The second that Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer is the roote and fountaine of all merit The dissent or difference The popish Church placeth merits within man making two sorts thereof the merit of the person and the merit of the worke The merit of the person is a dignitie in the person whereby it is worthie of life euerlasting And this as they say is to be found in Infants dying after baptisme who though they want good workes yet are they not void of this kind of merit for which they â—eceiue the kingdome of heauen The merit of the worke is a dignitie or excellencie in the worke whereby it is made fitte and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer And works as they teach are meritorious two waies first by couenant because God hath made a promise of reward vnto them secondly by their own dignitie for Christ hath merited that our works might merit And this is the substance of their doctrine From it we dissent in these points I. We renounce all personall merits that is all merits within the person of any meere man II. And we renounce all merit of workes that is all merit of any worke done by any meere man whatsoeuer And the true merit whereby we looke to attaine the fauour of God and life euerlasting is to bee found in the person of Christ alone who is the storehouse of all our merits whose prerogatiue it is to be the person alone in whome God is well pleased Gods fauour is of infinit dignitie and no creature is able to doe a worke that may counteruaile the fauour of God saue Christ alone who by reason of the dignitie of his person beeing not a meere man but God-man or Man-god hee can doe such workes as are of endles dignitie euery way answerable to the fauour of God and therefore sufficient to merit the same for vs. And though a merit or meritorious work agree only to the person of Christ yet is it made ours by imputation For as his righteousnes is made ours so are his merits depending thereon but his righteousnes is made ours by imputation as I haue shewed Hence ariseth another point namely that as Christs righteousnes is made ours really by imputation to make vs righteous so wee by the merit of his righteousnesse imputed to vs doe merit and deserue life euerlasting And this is our doctrine In a word the Papist maintaineth the merits of his owne workes but we renouuce them all and rest only on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is trueth and theirs
you God is able of these stones to raise vp children to Abraham Philip. 3. 21. According to the working whereby he is able to subdue euen all things vnto himselfe Gods actuall power is that by which he causeth all things to be which he freely will Psal. 135. 6. All things which God will those he doth in heauen and in earth and in all depths CHAP. 5. Of Gods glorie and blessednesse OVt of the former attributes by which the true Iehouah is distinguished from a fained god and from idols arise the glorie of God and his blessednesse Gods glorie or maiestie is the infinite excellencie of his most simple and most holy diuine Nature Hebr. 1.3 Who beeing the brightnesse of his glorie and the ingraued forme of his person c. Dan. 3. Thou art onely God and glorious vpon the earth By this we see that God onely can know himselfe perfectly Ioh. 6.46 Not that any maÌ„ hath seene the Father saue he which is of God he hath seen the Father 1. Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the light that none can attaine vnto whom neuer man saw neither can see Exod. 33.18 Thou canst not see my face Notwithstanding there is a certaine manifestation of gods glorie partly more obscure partly more apparant The more obscure manifestation is the vision of Gods maiestie in this life by the eies of the mind through the help of things perceiued by the outward senses Esa. 6.1 I saw the Lord sitting vppon an high throne and lifted vp and the lower parts thereof filled the temple Exod. â—3 22 And while my glorie passeth by I will put thee in a cleft of the rocke and will couer thee with my hand whiles I passe by after I will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my backe parts but my face shall not be seene 1. Cor. 13. 12. Nowe we se as through a glasse darkely The more apparant manifestation of God is the contemplation of him in heauen face to face 1. Corinth 13. 12. But then shall we see face to face Dan. 7. 9 10. I beheld till the thrones were set vp and the ancient of daies did fit whose garment was white as snow c. Matth. 19.16 Gods blessednes is that by which God is in himselfe and of himselfe all sufficient Gen. 17.1 I am God all sufficient walke before me and be thou vpright Col. 2.2.9 For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the godhead bodily 1. Tim. 6.5 Which in due time he shall shew that is blessed and Prince onely c. CHAP. 5. Concerning the persons of the Godhead THe persons are they which subsisting in one Godhead are distinguished by incommunicable properties 1. Ioh. 5.7 There are three that beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one Gen. 19.24 Then Iehouah raigned vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Iehouah in heauen Ioh. 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God They therefore are coequall and are distinguished not by degree but by order The Constitution of a person is when as a personall proprietie or the proper manner of subsisting is adioyned to the Dietie or one diuine nature Distinction of persons is that which albeit euery person is one and the same perfect God yet the Father is not the Sonne or the holy Ghost but the Father alone and the holy Ghost is not the Father or the Sonne but the holy Ghost alone neither can they be deuided by reason of the infinitnesse of their most simple essence which is all one in number and the same in the Father the same in the Sonne and the same in the holy Ghost so that in these there is diuersitie of persons but vnitie in essence The communion of the persons or rather vnion is that by which each one is in the rest and with the rest by reason of the vnitie of the Godhead therfore euerie each one doth possesse loue and glorifie another and worke the same thing Ioh. 4.10 Beleeuest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father is in me the wordes that I spake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me he doth the workes Prov. 8.22 The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before the works of old And vers 20. Them was I with him as a nourisher and I was daily his delight reioicing alwaie before him Ioh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God and chap. 5.19 The Sonne can doe nothing of himselfe saue that he seeth the Father do for whatsoeuer things he doth the same doth the Sonne also There be three persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Matth. 3.16.17 And Iesus when hee was baptized came straight out of the water and lo the heauens were opened vnto him and Iohn saw the Spirit of God descending like a doue and lighting vpon him and loe a voyce came from heauen saying This is my belooued sonne in whome I am well pleased The father is a person without beginning who from all eternitie begate the Sonne Heb. 1.3 Who being the brightnes of the glorie and the ingraued forme of his person Psal. 2.7 Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee In the generation of the Sonne these properties must be noted I. Hee that begetteth and he that is begotten are togither and not one before another in time II. He that begetteth doth communicate with him that is begotten not some one part but his whole essence III. The Father begot the Sonne not out of himselfe but within in himselfe The incommunicable propertie of the Father is to be vnbegotten to be a Father and to beget He is the beginning of actions because he beginneth euery action of himselfe effecting it by the Sonne and the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 8.6 Yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whome are all things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and wee by him Rom. 11. â—6 For of him and through him and for him are all things The other two persons haue the Godhead or the whole diuine essence of the Father by communication namely the Sonne and the holy Ghost The Sonne is the second person begotten of the Father from all eternitie Heb. 1.5 For vnto which of the Angels said be at any time Thou art my Sonne this day begat I thee Col. 1.15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creaturâ— Ioh. 1.14 And we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the only begotten sonne of the father Rom. 8.32 He who spared not his owne sonne For this cause he is said to be sent from the father Ioh. 8.42 I proceeded forth and came from God neither came I of my selfe but he sent me This sending taketh not
not with eie seruice as men pleasers but in singlenes of heart fearing God Eph. 6.6 Not with seruice to the eie as men pleasers Answering againe when they are reprehended Tit. 2.9 Let seruants be subiect to their masters and please them in all thinges not answering againe Deceitfulnesse and wasting their Masters goods Titus 2. 10. Neither pikers but that they shewe all good faithfulnesse To flee from the power of their superiour Gen. 16.6 Then Sarah dealt roughly with her wherfore shee fled froÌ„ her To resist the lawful authoritie of their Superiours 1. Pet. 2.20 To obey them in things vnlawfullâ— Act. 4. 19. To extoll themselues aboue their betters this is the sinne of Antichrist 2. Thess. 2.3 4. Which man of sinne exalteth himselfe against all that is called God Lastly the freedome of the Papists whereby they free children from the gouernment of their parents and subiects from the authoritie of their Princes so that they make it lawefull for them to pretende and procure their death 1. Sam. 26.8,9 Then said Abishai to Dauid God hath closed thine enemie into thine hand this day now therefore I pray thee let me smite him once with a speare to the earth and I will not smite him againe And Dauid said to Abishai Destroy him not for who can lay his hand on the Lords Annointed and bee guiltlesse III. Ingratitude and want of a louing affection towards Parentes Matth. 15.5,6 But ye say whosoeuer shall say to father or mother By the gift that is offered by me thou maiest haue profit though he honour not his father or mother shall be free 1. Tim. 5.4 Secondly we offend against our equalls in preferring our selues before them in talking or in sitting downe Matth. 20.20 Then came vnto him the mother of Zebedeus children with her sonnes worshipping him and desiring a certaine thing of him 21. And he said What wouldest thou And shee said to him Graunt that these my two sonnes may sit the one at thy right hand and the other at thy left hand in thy kingdome 24. And when the other ten heard this they disdained at the two brethren Thirdly toward our inferiours I. Through negligeÌ„ce in gouerning them and prouiding for their good estate Hagg. 1.4 Is it time for your selues to dwel in your fieled houses and this house to lie wast Dan. 3.28 This condemneth those mothers which put forth their children to be nursed hauing both sufficient strength and store of milke themselues to nurse them 1. Tim. 5.10 If shee haue nourished her children II. By too much gentlenes and lenitie in correcting theÌ„ 1. King 1.5 Then Adonijah the sonne of Haggith exalted himselfe saying I will be king 6. And his father would not displease him from his childhood to say Why hast thou done so 1. Sam. 2. 22. So Eli was very old heard all that his sonnes did vnto all Israel and howe they lay with the women that assembled at the doore of the Tabernacle of the congregation 23. And he said vnto them Why doe ye such things for of all this people I heare euill reports of you 24. Do no more my sonnes for it is no good report that I heare namely that ye make the Lords people to trespasse 25. Notwithstanding they obeyed not the voice of their father because the Lord would slay them III. By ouermuch crueltie and threatnings Eph. 6.4 And ye fathers prouoke not your children to wrath 9. And ye masters doe the same things vnto them putting away threatnings Fourthly and lastly a man offendeth against himselfe when through his naughtie behauiour he doth obscure and almost extinguish those gifts which God hath giuen him Math. 25.2 16. Or contrarilie when he is too wise in his owne conceit Rom. 12.3 For I say through the grace that is giuen vnto me to eâ—ery one that is among you that no man presume to vnderstand aboue that which is meete to vnderstand CHAP. 25. Concerning the sixt commandement THou shalt not kill The Resolution Kill The part is here set for the whole by a Synecdoche for killing signifieth any kind of endamaging the person of our neighbour The equitie of this commandement appeareth by this that man was created after the likenesse of God Gen. 9.6 He that sheddeth mans blood by man shal his blood be shed for in the image of God hath he made man Againe all men are the same flesh Esay 58.7 When thou seest the naked couer him and hide not thy face from thine owne flesh Neither ought we to be ignorant of this also that it is vnlawful for any priuate person not called to that dutie to kill another but a publike officer may that is if he be warranted by a calling So did Moses Exod. 2. 12. And he looked round about and when he saw no man he slue the Egyptian and hid him in the sand Act. 7.25 For he supposed his brethreÌ„ would haue vnderstood that God by his hand should giue them deliuerance And Phinehas Nomb. 25. 8. And he followed the man of Israel into the tent and thrust them both through to wit the man of Israel and the woman through her bellie so the plague ceased from the children of Israel 31. Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them therefore I haue not consumed the childreÌ„ in my iealousie And Elijah 1. King 18.40 And Eliiah said vnto them Take the Prophets of Baal let not a man of them escape and they tooke them and Elijah brought them to the brooke of Kishon slue them there And souldiers in battels waged vpon iust causes 2. Chro. 20.15 Feare ye not neither be afraid of this great multitude for the battell is not yours but Gods The negatiue part Thou shalt neither hurt nor hinder either thine owne or thy neighbours life The sinnes then that are referred to this part are such as are committed against our neighbour or our selues Against our neighbour are these following I. In heart as â— Hatred against him 1. Ioh. 3.15 Who so hateth his brother is a manslayer 2. Vnaduised anger Matth. 5.22 I say vnto you whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly is in danger of iudgement 3. Enuie Rom. 1.29 Full of anger murther contention 4. Grudges Iam. 3.14 If ye haue bitter enuying and strife in your hearts reioice not 5. Want of compassion and sorrowe at our neighbours calamities Amos 6.5,6 They sing to the sound of the Viole c. but no man is sâ—rry for the affliction of Ioseph 6. Frowardnes when we will not be reconciled to our neighbour Rom. 1.30 Such as can neuer be appeased vnmercifull 7. Desire of reuenge Psal. 5.6 The Lord will abhorre the bloody man and deceitfull II. In wordes 1. Bitternes in speaking Prou. 12. 18. There is that speaketh wordes like the prickinges of a sword but the tongue of wise men is health 2. Reproches and railing which is a casting of a mans
sinnes in his teeth which hee hath committed or an obiecting vnto him some inherent infirmities Matth. 5.22 Whosoeuer saith vnto his brother Raca shall be worthy to be punished by the councell â— And whosoeuer shall say Foole shall be worthy to be punished with hel fire 2. Sam. 6.16 As the Arke of the Lord came into the citie of Dauid Michal Sauls daughter looked through a window and saw king Dauid leape and dance before the Lord and shee despised him in her heart 20. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meete Dauid and saide O how glorious was the King of Israel this day which was vncouered to day in the eyes of the maidens of his seruants as a foole vncouereth himselfe 3. Contentions when two or more striue in speech one with another for any kind of Superioritie 4. Brawlings in any conference 5. Crying which is an vnseemely eleuation of the voice against ones aduâ—rsarie Gal. 5.19 The workes of the flesh are manifest which are 20. emulations wrath contentions seditions Eph. 4. 31. Let all bitternesse and anger and wrath crying and euill speaking be put away from you with all malitiousnes 32. Be courteous one to another Gen. 16. 11. He vz. Ismael shal be a wild man his hand shal be against euery man and euery mans hand against him 6. Complaints to euery one of such as offer vs iniuries Iam. 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren least ye be condemned III. In countenance and gesture all such signes as euidently decipher the malitious affections lurking in the heart Gen. 4.5,6 His countenance fell down and the Lord said vnto Cain Why art thou so wrath Math. 27.39 They that passed by rayled on him nodding their heades Hence is it that derision is tearmed persecution Gen. 21. 9. Sarai saw the sonne of Hagar the Egyptian mocking c. Gal. 4.29 He that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit IV. In deedes 1. To fight with or to beat our neighbour and to maime his bodie Leuit. 24. 19 20. If any man cause any blemish in his neighbour as he hath done so shall it be done to him breach for breach eie for eie tooth for tooth 2. To procure any way the death of our neighbour whether it be by the sword famine or poison Gen. 4.8 Cain rose vp against his brother and slue him 3. To exercise tyrannous crueltie in inflicting punishments Deut. 25.3 Fourtie stripes shall he cause him to haue and not past least if he should exceede and beate him aboue that with many stripes thy brother should appeare despised in thy sight 2. Cor. 11. 24. Of the Iewes I receiued fiue times fourtie stripes saue one 4. To vse any of Gods creatures hardly Prouerb 12.10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast but the mercies of the wicked are cruell Deut. 22.6 If thou finde a birds nest in the way in any tree or on the ground whether they be young or egges and the damme sitting vpon the young or vpon the egges thou shalt not take the damme with the young but shalt in any wise let the damme goe and take the yong to thee that thou maist prosper and prolong thy daies 5. To take occasion by our neighbours infirmities to vse him discourteously and to make him our laughing stocke or tanting recreation Leuit. 19 .14 Thou shalt not curse the deafe nor put a stumbling blocke before the blinde 2. King 2. 23. Little children came out of the citie and mocked him and saide vnto him Come vp thou baldhead come vp thou baldhead 6. To iniurie the impotent feeble poore strangers fatherlesse or widowes Exod. 22.21,22 Thou shalt not doe iniurie to a straunger neither oppresse him for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt Yee shall not trouble any widow or fatherles childe 25. Thou shalt not be an vsurer vnto the poore We then iniurie these 1. If we pay not the labourer his hire Deut. 24.14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hired seruant that is needie and poore neither of thy brethren nor of the straunger that is within thy gates 15. Thou shalt giue him his hire for his day neither shall the sunne goe downe vpon it for he is poore and therewith sustaineth his life least he crie against thee to the Lord and it be sinne vnto thee 2. If thou restore not the pledge of the poore Exod. 22.26,27 If thou take thy neighbors rayment to pledge thou shalt restore it vnto him before the sunne goe downe for that is his garment onely and his couering for his skin 3. If we withdraw corne from the poore Prou. 11.26 He that withdraweth the corne the people will curse him but blessing shall be vpon the head of him that selleth corne Againe this law is as well transgressed by not killing when the law chargeth to kill and by pardoning the punishment due vnto murther as by killing when we should not Nomb. 35.16 If one smite another with an instrument of yron that he die he is a murtherer and the murtherer shall die the death 33. The land can not be clensed of the bloode that is shedde therein but by the bloode of him that shedde it By this place also are combates of two men hand to hand for deciding of controuersies vtterly vnlawfull 1. Because they are not equall meanes ordained of God to determine controuersies 2. In that it falleth out in such combates that he is conquerour before man who indeed is guiltie before God This also condemneth Popish Sanctuaries and places of priuiledge as Churches and the like wherein murtherers shelter and shroud themselues from the danger of the law For God expressely commandeth Exod. 21.14 that such an one shal be taken from his altar that he may die And Ioab 1. King 2.24 touching the hornes of the altar was slaine in the Temple Hitherto in like sort belong such things as concerne the soule of our neighbour 1. To be a scandale or offence to the soule of our neighbor either in life or doctrine Math. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences it is necessarie that offences should come but woe be to them by whome they doe come 2. To minister occasions of strife and discord The which we then doe 1. When we cannot be brought to remit somewhat of our owne right 2. When we returne snappish and crooked answers 3. When we interpret euery thing amisse and take them in the worst part 1. Sam. 25. 25. Nabal is his name and follie is with him 2. Sam. 10.3 And the Princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their Lord Thinkest thou that Dauid doth honour thy father that he hath sent comforters to thee hath not Dauid rather sent his seruants vnto thee to search the citie to spie it out and to ouerthrow it wherefore Hanun tooke Dauids seruants and shaued off the halfe of their beards and cut off their garments in the middle euen to their buttockes and sent them away 3. The
shalt preserue the life of thy neighbour Hitherto may we referre these duties I. Such as appertaine to the person of our neighbour and concerne first his welfare both of bodie and minde as to reioyce with them that reioyce Rom. 12.15 Mark 10.20 Then he answered and said vnto him All these things I haue obserued from my youth And Iesus beheld him and loued him Secondly his miseries to be grieued with him for them Rom. 12.15 Mourne with those that mourne Esa. 24.16 And I said My leannesse my leannesse woe is me the transgressours haue offended yea the transgressours haue grieuously offended Psal. 119. vers 136. Mine eies gus◠out with water because men obserue not thy law Againe we must helpe him as much as in vs lieth Iob 29.15 I was as an eye to the blind and a foote to the lame 2. Cor. 8. 2. To their power yea beyond their power they were willing And that we doe we must doe speedily Prov. 3.28 Say not to thy neighbour Goe and come againe to morrow and I will giue thee if thou now haue it Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer him to sinne Thirdly concerning such iniuries as he offereth vnto thee I. Thou shalt not be angrie against him vpon a small occasion Nomb. 12. 3. Moses was a meeke man aboue all that liued vpon the earth Prov. 9.11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger and his glorie is to passe by an offence II. Thou must be slow to wrath and neuer angrie but for a most iust cause Mark 3.5 Then he looked round about on them angerly mourning also for the hardnesse of their hearts Prov. 14.29 He that is slow to wrath is of great wisdome but he that is of an hastie minde exalteth follie III. Thine anger must be but for a while Eph. 4. 26. Be angrie and sinne not let not the sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath IV. Forgiue freely an iniurie and reuenge it not Eph. 4. 32. Be ye courteous one to another and tender hearted forgiuing one another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue you Fourthly his wants and infirmities 1. Auoid occasions whereby they may be stirred and laid open Gen. 13.8 Then said Abraham to Lot Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene thee and me neither betweene thy heardsmen and mine for we are brethren 9. Is not the whole land before thee depart I pray thee from me If thou wilt take the left hand I will take the rights or if thou goe to the right hand I will take the left Gen. 27.44 And tarie with him a while vntill thy brothers fiercenesse be asswaged 45. And till thy brothers wrath turne away from thee and he forget the things which thou hast done to him 2. Depart somtimes from thine owne right Mat. 17.25,26 What thinkest thou Simon of whō doe the kings of the earth take tribute or poll money of their children or of strangers Peter said vnto him Of strangers Then said Iesus vnto him Then are the children free 27. Neuertheles lest we should offend thē go to the sea and cast in an angle take the first fish that commeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of twentie pence that take and giue it vnto them for me and thee 3. To appease anger kindled which is done I. by ouercomming euill with goodnes Rom. 12.21 Be not ouercome of euill but ouercome euill with goodnes II. By following after peace 1. Pet. 3.11 Decline from euill and doe good seeke peace and follow after it III. By courteous answers Prou. 15. 1. A soft answer putteth away wrath but grieuous words stir vp anger 1. Sam. 1.14 Eli said vnto her How long wilt thou be drunken put away thy drunkennes from thee 15. Then Hannah answered and saide Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke but haue poured out my soule before the Lord. Philem. v. 15. It may be that he therefore departed for a season that thou shouldest receiue him for euer IV. By ouerpassing some wants and infirmities in mens words and deedes Prou. 19.11 It is a mans honour to passe by infirmities V. By couering thē with silence 1. Pet. 4.8 Aboue all things haue feruent loue amongst you for loue couereth a multitude of sinnes Prou. 17.9 He that couereth transgression seeketh loue but he that repeateth a matter separateth the Prince VI. By taking euery thing if it be possible in the best part 1. Cor. 13. 5. Loue thinketh none euill This sheweth the lawfulnes of truces couenants other agreements concerning peace being made to auoid iniuries maintaine ancient bounds procure securitie in traffique possessions and iournies set pensions commons for cattell liberties of hunting fishing or fouling and getting fewell or other necessaries for publike commodities if there be no vnlawfull conditions annexed vnto the same And we may make this couenant not onely with Christians but for the maintenance of peace with infidels also For that which is godly to be performed is no lesse godly to be promised But it is a note of true godlines to be as much as may be at peace with all men Therfore to promise peace by couenant is very godly We may see the experience of this in the liues of holy men Gen. 21.22 At that same time Abimelech and Pichol his chiefe captaine spake vnto Abraham saying God is with thee in all that thou doest 23. Now therefore sweare vnto me here by God that thou wilt not hurt me nor my children nor my childrens children c. 24. Then Abraham said I will sweare 27. Then Abraham tooke sheepe and beeues and gaue them vnto Abimelech and they two made a couenant Gen. 31.44 Now therefore come and let vs make a couenant I and thou which may be a witnes betweene me and thee 45. Then Laban said to Iaakob Behold this heape and behold the pillar which I haue set vp betweene me and thee 53. The God of Abraham and the gods of Nahor and the god of 〈◊〉 father be iudge betweene vs But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak II. Concerning his bodie we are to regard it aliue and dead Being aliue we ought if neede be I. To minister vnto it foode and raiment Math. 25.41 42. Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his angels For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meate I thirsted and ye gaue me no drink c. 45. In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me II. To lend our helping hand when our neighbours bodie is in any daunger 1. Ioh. 3.16 Hereby we perceiued loue that he laide downe his life for vs therefore also ought we to lay downe our liues for the brethren When a man is dead we ought to commit the dead corpes to the graue as may appeare by these arguments
as it is absolutely considered but so farre forth as it is restrained and limited to the person of the sonne and to speake properly the godhead it selfe is not incarnate but the very person of the sonne subsisting in the Godhead And though all the persons be one and the same essence yet doe they really differ each from other in regard of the peculiar manner of subsisting and therefore mans nature may be assumed of the second person and be not assumed either of the father or of the holy Ghost as in the like case the soule of man is wholly in the head and wholly in the feete yea wholly in euery part and yet the soule can not be said to vse reason in the feete or in any other part but onely in the head Againe it may be alleadged that the incarnation beeing an outward action of God to the creature is not proper to the sonne For the rule is that all outward actions of God are common to all the persons in Trinitie equally Ans. The incarnation stands of two actions the first is the framing and creating of that manhood which was to be assumed by the Sonne or Word of the father and this action is common to all the three persons equally the second is the limiting or the receiuing of it into the vnitie of any person in respect of this action the worke of incarnation is peculiar to the Sonne To this purpose Augustine speaketh That creature saith he which the Virgin conceiued and brought forth though it appertaine to the person of the sonne alone yet was it made by the whole Trinitie as when three men weaue one and the same garment and the second onely weares it The second question is what manner of man the sonne of God was made Answ. He was made a proper or particular man and a perfect or a very man I say that he was a particular man to shew that he tooke not vnto him the generall forme or idea of mans nature conceiued onely in minde nor the common nature of man as it is existing in euery man but the whole nature of mā that is both a bodie and a resonable soule existing in one particular subiect I say further that he was and is a true and perfect man beeing in euerie thing that concernes mans nature like to Adam Abraham Dauid and all other men sauing onely in sinne For first of all he had the substance of a true body and of a reasonable soule secondly the properties of body and soule in the bodi◠length breadth thicknesse circumscription c. in the soule the faculties of vnderstanding both simply and compounde will affections as loue hatred desire ioy feare c. the powers also of hearing feeling seeing smelling tasting moouing growing eating digesting sleeping c. Thirdly hee tooke vnto him the infirmities of mans nature which are certaine naturall defects or passions in bodie or minde as to be hungrie thirstie wearie sadde and sorrowfull ignorant of some things angrie to increase in stature and wisdōe and knowledge c. yet this which I say must be vnderstood with two caueats The first is that infirmities be either certaine vnblameable passions or else such defects as are sinnes in themselues nowe Christ takes the first onely and not the second Secondly infirmities be either generall or personall generall◠which appertaine to the whole nature of man and are to be founde in euery man that comes of Adam as to be borne vnlearned and subiect to naturall affections as sorrow anger c Personall are such as appertaine to some particular men and not to all and arise of some priuate causes particular iudgements of God as to be borne a foole to bee sicke of an ague consumption dropsie plurisie and such like diseases Nowe the first sort bee in Christ and not the second for as he tooke not the person of any man◠but onely mans nature so was it sufficient for him to take vnto him the infirmities of mans nature though he tooke not the priuate infirmities of any mans person And the reason why Christ would put on not onely the substance and faculties of a true man but also his infirmities was that he might shewe himselfe to be very man indeede also that he might suffer for vs both in bodie and soule and that he might giue vs an example of patience in bearing all manner of euill for Gds glory and the good of our neighbour Nowe the things which may bee alleadged to the contrarie for the infringing of the trueth of Christs manhoode are of no moment As first because Christ appeared in the forme of a man in the olde testament beeing no man therfore he did so at his comming in the newe testament but the reason is not like For Christ in the olde testament as the angel of his father in some speciall affaires tooke vnto him the bodie of a man for some space of time but he did not receiue it into the vnitie of his person but laid it downe when the busines which he enterprised with men was ended Nowe in the fulnesse of time he came from heauen as the angel of the couenant and for that cause he was to vnite into his owne person the nature of man which thing was neuer done before And when as Paul saith that Christ came in the similitude of sinnefull flesh his meaning is not to signifie that he was a man onely in resemblance and shewe but to testifie that beeing a true man which was indeede void of sinne he was content to abase himselfe to that condition in which he became like to a miserable sinner in bearng the punishment for our sinne For Paul doth not say that hee tooke vpon him the similitude of flesh simply as it is flesh but of the flesh of sinne or sinnefull flesh The third question is why the sonne of God must become man Ans. There be sundrie reasons of this point and the most principall are these First of all it is a thing that greatly standes with the iustice of God that in that nature in which God was offended in the same should a satisfaction be made to God for sinne nowe sinne was committed in mans nature Adam sinned first and in him all his posteritie therefore it is very necessarie that in mans nature there should bee a satisfaction made to Gods iustice and for this cause the sonne of God must needes abase himselfe and become man for our sakes Secondly by the right of creation euery man is bound in conscience to fulfill euen the very rigour and extremitie of the morall lawe But considering man is nowe fallen from his first estate and condition therfore it was requisite that the Sonne of God should become man that in mans nature he might fulfill all righteousnesse which the lawe doth exact at our handes Thirdly hee that is our redeemer must die for our sinnes for there is no remission of sinnes without shedding
the Iewes and all nations vnder his dominions to signifie that Christ was borne at the very time foretold by Iaacob when the crowne and scepter was taken from Iuda and withall to shew that his kingdome was not of this world And it was the good pleasure of God that Christ should not be borne either later or sooner but so many ages from the beginning of the world And this consideration of the very time it selfe serues greatly for the confirmation of our faith For thus may we reason with our selues If God who in the beginning made a promise to our first parents concerning the seede of the woman deferred it almost 4000 yeares and yet at length accomplished the same to the very full then no doubt God hauing promised the resurrection of the dead and life euerlasting will in his good time bring them to passe though as yet we see them not And thus by the accomplishment of all things past should we confirme our hope concerning things to come The place was not at Ierusalem nor Nazareth nor any other citie but onely a village of Iuda called Bethleem that the prophesie of Micheas might be fulfilled Thou Bethleem Ephrata art little to be among the thousands of Iuda yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be the ruler in Israel And here we may obserue a memorable example of Gods prouidence which ouerruleth the proceedings of cruell tyrants to the accomplishing of his owne will they themselues for their parts intending nothing lesse Augustus not so much as dreaming of the birth of the Messias gaue commandement that euery man should goe to his owne citie to be taxed and hereupon Ioseph and Marie take their iourney from Nazareth to Bethleem which iourney God himselfe appointed and disposed to this ende that the Messias might be borne in the place which he preordained and foretold by his Prophet The manner of Christs birth was very base and poore for the place where he was borne was a stable and the cradle where he lay was a cratch And he willingly tooke vpon him this pouertie for sundrie causes I. That the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith that he should be the shame and contempt of the people and that he shall grow vp as a roote out of a drie ground and haue neither forme nor beautie II. That he might afterward from this base condition be exalted euen in his manhoode to that rich and glorious estate in which he should manifest himselfe to be Lord of heauen and earth III. He was borne in exceeding pouertie that he might shame the wise men of this world who exceedingly esteeme of their riches power and glorie perswading themselues that without such meanes no good thing can be done And yet for all this they can not so much as reconcile one man to God by all their might wealth wheras Christ himselfe hath done the same both in pouertie and weaknesse and can enlarge and preserue his kingdome without earthly helps When he hung vpon the crosse the souldiers stript him of his garments and beeing naked he brought that to passe which all the Monarchs of the earth in all their royalties could neuer haue performed And whether Christ lie in the manger betweene the Oxe and the Asse or in the pallace of the King it matters not in regard of our saluation IV. He came in this maner that there might be a difference betweene his first comming in the flesh and his last oomming to iudgement In the first he came onely for this ende not to make any outward alterations in the world but to chaunge the conscience and to put in execution the worke of our spirituall redemption and therefore he hath reserued the ouerturning of all earthly estates with the manifestation of his owne glorie to the latter V. Lastly he was borne in a poore estate that he might procure true riches for vs in heauen and withall sanctifie vnto vs our pouertie vpon earth As Paul saith Ye know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that he beeing rich for your sakes became poore that ye thorough his pouertie might be made rich He was content to lie in the manger that we might rest in heauen This serues to teach vs to be content to beare any meane condition that the Lord shall send vpon vs for this is the very estate of the sonne of God himselfe And if for our cause he did not refuse the basest condition that euer was why should we murmure at the same for what is the best of vs but miserable sinners and therfore vtterly vnworthie either to go or lie vpon the bare earth and though we fare and lie better then our Lord himselfe yet such is our daintinesse we are not pleased therewith whereas he for his part disdained not the manger of the Oxe And if the Lord of heauen and earth comming into the world finde so little entertainment or fauour we for our parts beeing his members should willingly prepare our selues to take as hard measure at the hands of men The last point is the manifestation of Christs birth that it might be known to the world Where consider two circumstances the first to whome namely to poore shepheards tending their flockes by night and not to great or mightie men louers of this world nor to the priests at Ierusalem contemners of Gods grace and that for two causes one because the shepheards were the fittest persons to publish the same at Bethlehem the other it was Gods pleasure to manifest that in the birth of Christ which Paul saith Not many wise men after the flesh not many mightie not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise The second is by whome by the angels of the Lord appearing in great glorie vnto the shepheards For the priests of Ierusalem and the rulers of the Synagogues to whome this oâ—fice did belong held their peace beeing blinded in their manifold errours wicked waies The duties to be learned of the birth of Christ are these First we are admonished hereby to magnifie and praise the name of God saying with Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour And with Zacharie Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people And with the Angels of heauen Glorie to God in the highest heauens For in this birth is made manifest the wisdome the truth the iustice and mercy and goodnesse of God towards vs more then euer it was before yea as Christ God and man is more excellent then the first Adam created according to Gods owne image and as the spirituall life is better then the naturall life and as the eternall and most holy marriage of Christ the husband and his spouse the Church arising as it were out of the bloode that trickled out of his side is more wonderfull then the creation of Eve of the rib of
of death that theÌ„ we may be found readie of the Lord. What shall the Sonne of God himselfe make preparation to his owne death and shall not we most miserable sinners doe the same who stand in need of a thousand preparations more then he wherefore let vs continually thinke with our selues that euery present day is the last day of our life that so we may addresse our selues to death againe the next day The first thing which Christ doth in this preparation is to make â—hoice of the place in which he was to be apprehended as will appeare by conferring the Euangelists together S. Matthew saith he went to the place called Gethsemane S. Luke saith he went to the mount of Oliues as he was accustomed And that we might not imagine that Christ did this that he might escape and hide himselfe from the Iewes S. Iohn saith that Iudas which betraied him knew the place because oftentimes he resorted thither with his Disciples whereas if he had feared apprehension he would haue rather gone aside to some other secret and vnwonted place This then is the first point to be considered that Christ knowing the time of his owne death to be at hand doth willingly of his owne accord resort to such a place in which his enemies in all likelihood might easily finde him and haue fit opportunitie to attach him For if he should haue still remained in Ierusalem the Scribes and Pharises durst not haue enterprised his apprehension because of the people whome they feared but out of the citie in the garden all occasion of feare is cut off By this it is manifest that Christ yeelded himselfe to death willingly and not of constraint and vnlesse his sufferings had bin voluntarie on his part they could neuer haue bin a satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sinnes Here a question offereth it selfe to be considered whether a man may lawfully flie in danger and persequution seeing Christ himselfe doth not Answ. When good meanes of flying and iust occasion is offered it is lawfull to flie When the Iewes sought to kill Paul at Damascus the Disciples tooke him by night and put him through the wall and let him downe in a basket to escape their hands When Moses was called by God to deliuer the Israelites after he had slaine the Egyptian and the fact was knowne and Pharao sought to kill him for it he fledde to the land of Madian And our Sauiour Christ sundrie times when he was to be stoned and otherwaies hurt by the Iewes withdrew himselfe from among them It is lawfull then to flie in persecution these caueats obserued First if a man finde not himselfe sufficiently strengthened to beare the crosse Secondly his departure must be agreeable to the generall calling of a Christian seruing to the glorie of God and the good of his brethren and the hurt of none Thirdly there must be freedome at the least for a time from the bond of a mans particular calling If he be a Magistrate he must be freed from ruling if a Minister from preaching and teaching otherwaies he may not flie And in this respect Christ who did withdraw himselfe at other times would not flie at this time because the houre of his suffering was come wherein he intended most willingly to submit himselfe to the good pleasure and will of his father The second part of the preparation is the praier which Christ made vnto his father in the garden And herein his example doth teach vs earnestly to pray vnto God against the danger of imminent death and the temptations which are to come And if Christ who was without sinne and had the spirit aboue measure had need to pray then much more haue we need to be watchfull in all kinde of praiers who are laden with the burden of sinne and compassed about with manifold impediments and dangerous enemies In this prayer sundrie points worthie our marking are to be considered The first who praied Answ. Christ the Sonne of God but still we must remember the distinction of natures of their operations in one and the same Christ he praieth not in his Godhead but according to his manhood The second is for whome he praieth Ans. Some haue thought that this and all other his prayers were made for his mysticall bodie the Church but the truth is he now praies for himselfe yet not as he was God for the Godhead feeles no want but as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant and that for two causes First in that he was a man he was a creature and in that respect was to performe homage to God the creator Secondly as he was man he put on the infirmities of our nature and thereupon praied that he might haue strength and power in his manhoode to support him in bearing the whole brunt of the passion to come The third point is to whome he praied Answ. To the father neither must this trouble vs as though Christ in praying to the father should pray to himselfe because he is one and the same God with him For though in essence they admit no distinction yet in person or in the proper manner of subsisting they doe The Father is one person the Sonne an other therefore as the father saying from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne spake not to himselfe but to the Sonne so againe the Sonne when he praieth he praies not to himselfe but to the Father The fourth point what was the particular cause of his prayer Ans. His agonie in which his soule was heauie vnto death not because he feared bodily death but because the malediction of the law euen the very heate of the furie and indignation of God was poured forth vpon him wherewith he was affected and troubled as if it had beene defiled with the sinnes of the whol world And this appeares first by the words whereby the Euangelists expresse the agonie of Christ which signifie exceeding great sorrow and griefe secondly by his dolefull complaint to his Disciples in the garden My soule is heauie vnto the death thirdly by his feruent praier thrise repeated full of dolefull passions fourthly by the comming of an Angel to comfort him fifthly by his bloodie sweat the like whereof was neuer heard And herein lies the difference betweene Christs agonie and the death of Martyrs he put on the guilt of all our sinnes they in death are freed from the same he was left to himselfe void of comfort they in the middest of their afflictions feele the vnspeakable comfort of the holy Ghost and therefore we neede not meruaile why Christ should pray against death which neuerthelesse his members haue receiued and borne most ioyfully Againe this most bitter agonie of Christ is the ground of all our reioycing and the cause why Paul biddes all the faithfull in the person of the Philippians to reioyce alwaies in the Lord and againe to reioyce And here we are further taught that when we are
his word and receiuing his sacraments and as the Prophet saith they honour God with their lipps but their hearts are farre froÌ„ him We may see daily experieÌ„ce of this euery man will say Lord Lord but in their liues and conuersations fewe there bee that denie him not both in the duties which they owe vnto God as also in duties towards their brethren Many come to heare Gods worde because they are compelled by the magistrates lawes but when they are come they worship not God in their hearts which is plainely seene by the breach of Gods holy sabboth in euery place and that they make more account of a messe of pottage with Esau then of their birth-right and of thirtie peeces of siluer then of Christ himselfe The third point to bee handled in Christs apprehension is that they lay hold on him wherein we must consider two things I. the resistance made by Christs disciples II. their flight For the first Christs disciples resisted and specially Peter drawing his sword stroke one of the high priests seruants and cut off his eare This fact our Sauiour Christ reprooues and that for these causes I. because his disciples were priuate men and they that came to apprehend him were magistrates Secondly he was to worke the worke of mans redemption nowe Peter by this fact did what he could to hinder him And from this practise of Peter we may learne that nothing in the world is so hard to a man as to take vp his crosse and followe Christ. One would thinke it should bee a hard matter for him to encounter with enemies especially they being stronger then he but Peter stoutly resisting makes nothing of it whereas a little before when Christ tolde him and the rest concerning his passion they were so heauie with griefe that they could not hold vp their heads so hard a thing it is to beare the crosse and for this very cause afterward when Christ reprooued him for striking both he and all the rest of the disciples fled away Secondly Peter in all mans reason was to be commended because he strake in the defence of his master but Christ reprooues him for it Whence we learne that if a man be zealous for Christ hee must be zealous within the compasse of his calling and not be zealous first and then looke for a calling but first looke for a calling and then be zealous Which thing if Peter had marked hee had not dealt so rashly for being without the compasse of his calling he could not but doe amisse Here it may be demaunded whether Christ and his religion may not be maintained by the sword I answer that the magistrate which is the vicegerent of the Lord is the keeper of both tables and therefore is to maintaine religion with the sword and so may put to death Atheists which holde there is no God of which sort there are many in these daies and heretiques which malitiously maintaine and holde any thing that ouerthrowes the foundation of religion in the Churches wherof they were members But some obiect that in the parable of the fielde the seruants are commanded not to pluck vp the tares from the wheat but to suffer both to growe till haruest and that therefore there must bee no separation of heretickes and true Christians before the last day of iudgement Ans. The scope of that place is not to forbidde the execution of heretiques but it speakes only of the finall separation which must be in the ende of the world For there the master of the familie doth signifie God himselfe aud the fielde the Church militant spread ouer the face of the whole earth and by tares is meant not onely heretiques but also all those that are forth of the church the seruants are Gods holy angels and the haruest is the last iudgement Here further it may bee demaunded who may vse the sword Ans. All mâ—n may vse the sword to strike and to kil into whose hands God putteth the sword Nowe God putteth it into the hand first and principally of the publike magistrate who when iust occasion serues may drawe it out And againe it is put into a priuate mans hand sometime A priuate man when he is assailed of his enemie may take the sworde in way of his owne defence and may kill his enemie therewith if there be no other helpe not doing it vpon malice but because he can no otherwise escape and saue his own life and so for want of a magistrate he is a magistrate vnto himselfe In the â—light of the disciples we may consider two things the time and the qualitie of the persons The time was at the apprehension of our Lord Sauiour And this came to passe not without the speciall prouidence of God that it might be known that Christ had no helper or fellow in the accoÌ„plishment of the work of our redeÌ„ption that wheras we for our sinnes deserued to be forsaken of all creatures he being our pledge and surety might be forsaken for vs. As for the qualitie of the persons that flie they were the chosen disciples of Christ such as had beleeued in him confessed him and preached in his name And this serueth to teach vs that God will otherwhiles forsake his owne children and seruants and leaue them to themselues in some part that they may feele their wants and miseries their weakenesse in themselues and by that meanes be humbled throughly and be touched with an hungring desire after Christ. As a mother sets down her child and hides her selfe suffering it to crie fall and breake the face not becanse shee hates it but that shee may teach it to depend vpon her and loue her so god giueth grace to his children yet againe sometime he doth in part withdrawe it from them then they faile in their duties sundrie waies and this he doth to make them ashamed of themselues and to cause them to put all their confidence out of themselues in the merits of Christ. The fourth thing to be considered in Christs apprehension is their binding of him In which action of theirs we are to obserue first of al the circumstance of time when this binding was When our Sauiour Christ had said vnto them I am he they being astonished fell to the ground and with all when Peter had smitten off Malchus eare with his sworde Christ healed the same miraculously Yet after all this though they had seene his wonderfull power both in word and deede they proceede in malice against him and lay handes on him and bind him as a malefactour In this wee note what a fearefull sinne hardnesse of heart is the danger whereof appeareth in this that if a man be ouertaken with it there is nothing that can stay or daunt him in his wicked proceedings no not the powerfull words and deedes of Christ himselfe And indeede among Gods iudgements there is none more feareful then this and yet how feareful soeuer it be it is a
people receiued the wretched and abhominable doctrine of the church of Rome And not many yeares after when it pleased God to bring againe the light of his glorious Gospel by our gracious Prince the same people turned from poperie and embraced the true religion againe And thus with the Iewes one while they crie Hosanna to Christ and receiue his Gospel and shortly after they crie Crucifie him crucifie him by embracing idolatrous poperie Let vs therefore learne in the feare of God by the ficklenes of the Iewesâ— that sing two contrarie songs in so short a space to acknowledge our inconstancie and weaknes in the matter of religion whereby if God leaue vs 〈…〉 â—itle to our selues we shall straightway forsake Christ his Gospel and all Tâ—â—â—â—â—ch of the accusation Now followeth Christs examination before â—oâ—â—â—us Pilate for when the Iewes had thus falsly accused him then Pontius Pilate tooke him and brought him into the common hall and asked him this question Art thou the King of the Iewes Now Christ beeing thus examined made as Paul also testifieth a good confession The summe thereof stands in foure heads The first is that he confesseth himselfe to be a King not such an one as they accused him to be yet a true King Whence we may learne diuers instructions first that euery Christian man in the midst of his miserie and affliction hath one that is most sufficient euery way to defend him against all his enemies the world the flesh and the deuill For this King can doe whatsoeuer he will and therefore when the legion of deuills would enter into a herd of swine they could not without his leaue And when the Centurions daughter was dead he but spake the word and shee arose And when Lazarus was dead and had lien in the graue foure daies he but saide Lazarus come forth and he came forth bound hand and foote Yea euen hell and death giue place to his word and nothing can resist his power And therefore he that is a true member of Christ needes not to feare any enemies be they neuer so great or so many And againe as Christ is able so is he readie and willing to saue and defend all that beleeue in him For he it is that gaue his life for his subiects which no King would doe and shedde his blood for their redemption which he would neuer haue done if he had not desired their saluation Secondly whereas Christ is a mightie King which can doe whatsoeuer he will let all such among vs that haue hitherto liued in ignorance and by reason of ignorance liue in their sinnes at length begin to come vnto him and doe him homage and with penitent hearts fall downe before him otherwise if they continue in their old rebellions let them know whatsoeuer they be high or low that he hath a rod of iron in his hand to bruise them in pieces their soules shall smart for it as both Pilate Caiphas and the rest of the Iewes were with a full cup rewarded for crucifying the Lord of life And if Christ cannot draw thee in this life from thy crooked waies be sure at the houre of death he will breake thee in pieces like a potters vessell This must we learne in regard of the first point that he said plainely He was a King Now follows the second part of his confession namely that his kingdome was not of this world Where he sets downe what kinde of King he is he is no earthly king his kingdome stands not in the power of men nor in earthly and outward gouernment but his kingdome is spirituall and his gouernment is in the very hearts and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inward in the heart and â—oule and therefore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the world to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the Elect. Now then if this be so howsoeuer Satan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our hearts as it were his pallaces yet now let vs prepare a roome for Christ that he may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spirituall kingdome may be in vs. This kingdome in the heart and conscience is the pearle and hidde treasure which when a man findeth he sells all that he hath and buieth it Let vs therefore in the feare of God esteeme it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this world as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word and spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly and the full manifestation of it is reserued till the life to come we must therefore vse this world and all things in it as honour wealth ease and libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must we vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ we must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouerneth his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnesse of the truth that is to preach the Gospell and doctrine of saluation and hereby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the ende thereof And for this cause he hath in all ages set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And hence it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestowes on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced maintained all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountaines and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets down the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Ans. There be
two kind of hearers one which heareth onely the outward sound of the word with his bodily eares and he hauing eares to heare doth not heare the secoÌ„d is he that doth not only receiue the doctrine that is taught with his eares but also hath his heart opened to feele the power of it and to obey the same in the course of his life This distinction is notably set forth by Dauid saying Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue but my eares hast thou pierced whereby he insinuates as it were two kinds of eares one that is deafe and cannot heare and thus are the eares of all men by nature in hearing the doctrine of saluation the other is a newe eare pierced and bored by the hand of God which causeth a mans heart to heare the sound and operation of the word and the life to expresse the truth of it Now the subiects of Christs kingdom are such as with the outward hearing of the word haue an inward hearing of the soule grace also to obey therefore all those that make no conscience of obedience to the word of god preached vnto them are no lesse then rebels to Christ. We may perswade our selues that we are good subiects because we heare the word receiue the Sacraments but if our liues abound with sinne and if our hearts be not pierced through by the sword of Gods spirit whether we be high or low rich or poore let vs be what we will be we are no right subiects indeed but rebells traytours vnto the euerliuing God It may be hereafter God will giue further grace but as yet all impenitent persons though liuing in the midst of Gods church are no obedient and faithfull subiects therfore while we haue time let vs labour to performe in deede that which we doe in word professe Thus much of the examination and confession of Christ. Now followeth the third point concerning the pollicies which Pilate vsed to saue Christ and they are three First when he heard that Christ was of Galilee he tooke occasion to send him to Herod thinking thereby to shift his hands of him and not to shed his blood In which pollicie though he seeme vnwilling to put Christ to death yet herein he is a most vniust iudge for hauing giuen testimonie of Christ that he is innocent he ought to haue acquitted him and not haue sent him to Herod for further iudgemeÌ„t In Herods dealing with Christ we may obserue these points The first that he is wonderfully glad of his coÌ„ming Why so the text saith because he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and trusted to haue seene some signe done by him Here marke how he reioyced not in Christ because he was Christ that is his Messias and redeemer but because he wrought myracles signes wonders And so it is among vs at this day it is a rare thing to finde a man that loueth Christ because he is Christ some loue Christ for honour some for wealth others for praise that is because they get honour wealth and praise by confessing his name Againe many professe Christ onely because it is the law and custome of their nation But we must learne to be of this minde to loue Christ because he is Christ euen for himselfe and not for any other sinister respect we must reioyce in Christ for himselfe though we neuer haue profit nor pleasure neither honour or wealth by him And if we loue him for wealth or pleasure or for any other ende but for himselfe alone when these things are taken away then we shall vtterly forsake Christ in like manner The second point is that Herod desires Christ to worke a miracle He can be content to see the works of Christ but he cannot abide to heare his word and to beare his yoke Like to him are many in these daies which gladly desire to heare the Gospel of Christ preached onely because they would here speach of some strange things laying aside all care and conscience to obey that which they heare Yea many in England delight to read the straunge histories of the Bible therefore can rehearse the most part of it and it were to be wished that all could doe the like yet come to the practise of it the same persons are commonly found as bad in life conuersation yea rather worse then others Let vs therfore labour that with our knowledge we may ioyne obedience practise with our learning as well to be affected with the word of Christ as with his works The third point is that Herod derides Christ sends him away cloathed in a white garment This is that Herod whom Christ called a foxe who also when he heard Iohn Baptist preach did many things and heard him gladly How then comes Herod to this outrage of wickednes thus to abuse Christ Ans. We must know that although Herod at the first heaâ—d Iohn preach yet withall he followed his owne affections and sought how to fulfill the lusts of his flesh For when Iohn told him that it was not lawfull â—or him to haue his brother Philips wife he cast him in prison and afterward â—ut off his head for it after which offence he is growne to this height of impietie that he now despiseth Christ can not abide to heare him Where we learne that as we are willing to heare Gods word preached so withall we must take heede that we practise no manner of sinne but make conscience of euery thing that may displease God Thou maist I graunt be one that feareth and fauoureth Iohn Baptist for a time wallowing in thy olde sinnes but after a while yeilding to the swinge of thy corrupt heart thou wilt neuer heare Iohn nor Christ himselfe but hate and despise them both This is the cause why some which haue beene professours of religion heretofore and haue had great measure of knowledge are now become very loose persons and can not abide to heare the word preached vnto them the reason is because they could not abide to leaue their sinnes Therefore that we may begin in the spirit and not ende in the flesh let euery one that calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie Now follows the second pollicie of Pilate For when he saw the first would not preuaile then he tooke a new course for he tooke Iesus into the common hall and sâ—ourged him and the souldiers platted a crowne of thornes and puâ— it on his head and they put on him a purple garment and said Haile King of the Iewes and smote him with their roddes And thus he brought him forth before the Iewes perswading himselfe that when they saw him so abased and so ignominiously abused they would be content therewith and exact no greater punishment at his hands thinking thus to haue pacified the rage of the Iewes and so to haue deliuered Christ from death
will teach you the feare of the Lord shewing his desire that the same benefits which it had pleased God to bestow on him might also in like manner be conueied to others Therfore it is a great shame to see men professing religion carried away with euery company and with the vanities and fashions of the world whereas they should rather drawe euen the worst men that be to the fellowship of those graces of God which they haue receiued That which the Lord spake to the prophet Ieremie must be applied to all men Let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them In instruments of musicke the string out of tune must be set vp to the rest that be in tune and not the rest to it Againe in that he checkes hi fellowe it shewes that those which be touched for their owne sinnes are also grieued when they see other men sinne and offend God But to goe further in this point let vs diligently and carefully marke the manner of his reproofe Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation In which words he rips vp his lewdnes euen to the quicke and giues him a worthie item telling him that the cause of all their former wickednesse had beene the want of the feare of God And this point must euery one of vs marke with great diligence For if we enter into our hearts and make a through search wee shall finde that this is the roote and fountaine of all our offences Wee miserable men for the most part haue not grace to consider that we are alwaies before God and to quake and tremble at the consideration of his presence and this makes vs so often to offend God in our liues as we doe Abraham comming before Abimelech shifting for himselfe saide that Sara was his sister and being demanded why he did so answered because he thought the feare of God was not in that place insinuating that he which wants the feare of God wil not make conscience of any sinne whatsoeuer Would we then euen from the bottome of our hearts turne to God and become new creatures then let vs learne to feare God which is nothing els but this when a man is perswaded in his owne heart and conscience that wheresoeuer he be he is in the presence and sight of God and by reason therof is afraid to sinne This we must haue fully settled in our hearts if we desire to learne but the first lesson of true wisdome But what reason vseth the theefe to draw his fellow to the feare of God Thou art saith he in the same condemnation that is by thy sinnes manifold transgressions thou hast deserued death and it is now most iustly inflicted vpon thee wilt thou not yet feare God Where we are taught that temporall punishments and crosses ought to be meanes to worke in vs the feare of God for that is one end why they are sent of God It is good for me saith Dauid that I haue been chastised that I may learne thy statutes And Paul saith When we are chastised we are nurtured of the Lord. And the Iewes are taught by the prophet Micah to say I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him The second fruit of his conuersion is that he condemneth himselfe and his fellow for their sinnes saying Indeede we are righteously here for we receiue things worthie for that we haue done that is we haue wonderfully sinned against Gods maiestie and against our brethren and therefore this grieuous punishment which we beare is most iust and due vnto vs. This fruit of repentance springs and growes very thinne among vs for fewe there be which doe seriously condemne themselues for their owne sinnes the manner of men is to condemne others and to crie out that the world was neuer so bad but bring them home to themselues and you shall find that they haue many excuses and defences as plaister-worke to cast ouer their foule and filthie sinnes and if they be vrged to speake against themselues the worst will be thus God helpe vs we are all sinners euen the best of vs. But certen it is that he which is thoroughly touched in conscience for his sinnes both can and will speake more against himselfe for his manifold offences then all the world besides Thus Paul when he was conuerted calls himselfe the chiefe of all sinners And the prodigall childe confessed that he had sinned against heauen and against his father and was not worthie to be called his child The third fruit of his conuersion is that he excuseth our Sauiour Christ and giueth testimonie of his innocencie saying But this man hath done nothing amisse Marke here Pilate condemned Christ Herod mocked him all the learned Scribes and Pharises condemned him and the people crie away with him let him be crucified and among his owne disciples Peter denied him and the rest ranne away there remaines onely this poore silly wretch vpon the crosse to giue testimonie of Christs innocencie whereby we learne that God chooseth the simple ones of this world to ouerthrow the wisdom of the wise and therefore we must take heede that wee be not offended at the Gospell of Christ by reason that for the most part simple and meane men in the world embrace it Nay marke further this one theife beeing conuerted had a better iudgement in matters concerning Gods kingdome then the whole bodie of the Iewes And by this all students may learne that if they desire to haue in themselues vpright iudgement in matters of religion first of all they must become repentant sinners and though a manâ—haue neuer so much learning yet if he be carried away with his owne blind affections and lusts they will corrupt and darken his iudgement Men which worke in mines and coale-pits vnder the earth are troubled with nothing so much as with damps which make their candle burne darke and sometimes put it quite out Nowe euery mans sinnes are the damps of his heart which when they take place doe dim the light of his iudgement and cast a mist ouer the mind and darken the vnderstanding and reason and therefore a needefull thing it is that men in the first place should prouide for their own conuersion The fourth fruit of his repentance is that he praieth for mercy at Christs hands Lord saith he remember me when thou commest into thy kingdom in which praier we may see what is the propertie of faith This theife at this instant heard nothing of Christ but the scornings and mockings of the people and he saw nothing but a base â—state full of ignominie and shame and the cursed death of the crosse yet neuerthelesse hee nowe beleeues in Christ and therefore intreats for saluation at his hand Hence we learne that it is one thing to beleeue in Christ and another to haue feeling and experience and that euen then when we haue no sense or experience we must beleeue
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
yet afterward for a time hee doth as it were hide the same in some corner of their hearts so as they haue no feeling thereof but thinke themselues to be void of all grace and this he doth for no other ende but to humble them and yet againe after all this the first grace is further renued and reuiued Thus dealt the Lord with Dauid and Salomon for whereas he was a pen-man of Scripture and therefore an holy man of God we may not thinke that he was wholly forsaken with Peter and in this place with Thomas And the experience of this shall euery seruant of God finde in himselfe The second appearance of Christ was to seuen of the disciples as they went on fishing in which hee giues three testimonies of his godhead and that by death his power was nothing diminished The first that when the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing afterward by his direction they catch fish in aboundance and that presently This teacheth vs that Christ is a soueraigne Lord ouer all creatures and hath the disposing of them in his owne handes and that if good successe followe not when men are painefull in their callings it is because God will prepare and make them fit for a further blessing Christ comes in the morning and giues his disciples a great draught of fish yet before this can be they must labour all night in vaine Ioseph must be made ruler ouer all Egypt but first he must be cast into a dungeon where he can see no sunn nor light to prepare him to that honour And Dauid must be King ouer Israel but the Lord will first prepare him hereunto by raising vp Saul to persecute him Therefore when God sâ—ndeth any hinderances vnto vs in our callings wee must not despaire nor bee discouraged for they are the meanes whereby God maketh vs fit to receiue greater blessings at his handes either in this life or in the life to come The second is that the net was vnbroke though it had in it great fishes to the number of an hundred fifty three The third that when the disciples came to land they sawe hotte coales and fish laid thereon and bread Nowe some may aske whence was this foode Answ. The same Lord that was able to prouide a Whale to swallowe vp Ionas and so to saue him and he that was able to prouide a fish for Peters angle with a peece of twentie pence in the mouth and to make a little bread and a fewe fishes to feede so many thousands in the wildernesse the same also doeth of himselfe prouide bread and fishes for his disciples This teacheth vs that not not onely the blessing but also the very hauing of meate drinke apparell is from Christ and hereupon all states of men euen the kings of the earth are taught to pray that God would giue them their daily bread Againe when we sit downe to eate and drinke this must put vs in minde that wee are the guests of Christ himselfe our foode which we haue comes of his meere gift and hee it is that entertaines vs if wee could see it And for this cause wee must soberly and with great reuerence in feare and trembling vse all gods creatures as in his presence And when we eate and drinke wee must alwaies looke that all our speech be such as may beseeme the guests of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Vsually the practise of men is farre otherwise for in feasting many take libertie to surfet to be drunke to sweare to blasâ—heme but if we serue the Lord let vs remember whose guests we are and who is our entertainer and so behaue our selues as being in his presence that all our actions and words may tend to his glorie The third appearance was to Iames as S. Paul recordeth although the same be not mentioned in any of the Euangelists The fourth was to all his disciples in a mountaine whither he had appointed them to come The fift last appearance was in the mount of Oliues when he ascended into heauen Of these three last appearances because the holy Ghost hath only mentioned them I omitte to speake and with the repeating of them I let them passe Thus much of the appearances of Christ after his resurrection the witnesses thereof are of three sorts I. angels II. women that came to the graue to embaulme him III. Christs owne disciples who did publish and preach the same according as they had seene and heard of our Sauiour Christ and of these likewise I omit to speake because there is not any speciall thing mentioned of them by the Euangelists Nowe follow the vses which are twofold some respect Christ and some respect our selues Vses which concerne Christ are three I. whereas Christ Iesus beeing starke dead rose againe to life by his owne power it serueth to prooue vnto vs that he was the sonne of God Thus Paul speaking of Christ saith that hee was deâ—lared mightily to bee the sonne of God touching the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead And by the mouth of Dauid God said Thou art my sonne this day I haue begot thee Which place must bee vnderstood not so much of the eternal generation of Christ before al worlds as of the manifestation thereof in time after this manner This day that is at the time of thine incarnâ—tion but especially at the daie of thy resurrection haue I begotten thee that is I haue made manifest that thou art my sonne so is this place expouÌ„ded by S. Paul in the Acts. SecoÌ„dly Christs rising froÌ„ death by his own poâ—er prooues vnto vs euidently that he is Lord ouer al things that are this vse S. Paul makes hereof for saith he Christ therefore died that he might be Lord both of the dead of the quick And indeed whereas he rose againe on this mâ—ner he did herebâ— shew himselfe most plainly to be a mighty prince ouer the graueâ— death hel condemnation one that had alâ— sufficient power to ouercome them Thirdly it prooues vnto vs that he was a perfit priest and that his death passion was a perfect satisfaction to the iustice of god for the â—innes of mankind For whereas Christ died he died for our sinnes now if he had not fully satisfied for them all though there had remained but one sinne for which he had made no satisfaction he had not risen againe but death which came into the world by sinne and is strengthened by it would haue held him in bondage and therefore whereas he rose againe it is more then manifest that he hath made so full a satisfaction that the merit therof doth and shall counteruaile the iustice of God for all our offences To this purpose Paul saith If Christ be not risen againe your faith is vaine and you are yet in your sinnes that is Christ had not satisfied for your sinnes or at least you could not
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
miserie to the vngodly as S. Iohn saith they that haue done euill shall come forth to the resurrection of condemnation If they might cease to liue after this life and die as the beast doth O theÌ„ it would be well with them for then they might haue an ende of their miserie but the wicked must after this life rise againe to condemnation which is the accomplishment of their eternall woe and wretchednes a rufull and dolefull case to consider and yet is it the state of all vnbeleeuing and vnrepentant sinners If a man were bidden to goe to bed that after hee had slept and was risen again he might go to execution it would make his heart to ake within him yet this yea a thousand fold worse is the state of all impenitent sinners they must sleep in the graue for a while theÌ„ rise againe that a secoÌ„d death may be inflicted vpon theÌ„ in bodie soule which is the suffering of the full wrath of God both in bodie soule eternally This being so let vs imbrace the good counsel of S. Peter who saith AmeÌ„d your liues turne that your sinnes may be done away when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. If a man die repeÌ„tant for his sinnes it is a day of refreshing but if he die in his sinnes impetent and hard hearted it is a day of eternal horrour desperation confusion Againe if we beleeue that our bodies shall rise againe after this life stand before God at the last daie of iudgement wee must daily enter into a serious consideration of this time and haue in minde that one daiâ— we must meet the Lord face to face A traueller comes into an Inne hauing but a penny in his purse he sits downe and cals for all store of prouision and dainties now what is to be thought of him surely in the iudgement of all men his behauiour betokens folly or rather madnes But why because he spendes freely and hath no regard to the reckening which must follow howe foolish then mad is the practise of euery man that liueth in his sinns bathing himselfe in his pleasures in this world neuer bethinking how he shal meet god at the last day of iudgement and thâ—re make reckening for all his doings An ancient diuine wâ—ites of himselfe that this saying ran in his minde and sounded alwaies in his eares Arise ye dead and come vnto iudgement And this ought alwaies to be sounding in our eares that while we haue time wee should prepare our selues to meete God at the last day Thirdly if we beleeue the resurrection of the bodie we are not to weepe mourne immoderatly for our friends deceased Our Sauiour Christ did weep for Lazarus and when Steuen was stoned to death certaine men that feared God buried him and made great lamentation for him and therefore mourning is not condemned and wee must not be as stockes that are bereft of all compassion yet remember we must what Saint Paul saith to thâ— Thessalonians I would not brethren haue you ignorant concerning those which are asleepe that ye sorrowe not as others which haue no hope For the godlie man properly dieth not but laies himselfe downe to take a sleepe after his manifolde labours in this life which beeing ended hee must rise againe to ioyes euerlasting and therefore we must needes moderate and mingle our mourning for the deceased with this and such like comforts Fourthly we are taught hence to labour and striue against the natural feare of death for if there be a resurrection of our bodies after this life then death is but a passage or middle way from this life to eternall life If a begger should be commanded to put off his old rags that he might be cloathed with rich costly garments would he be sorrie because he should stand naked a while til he were wholly bestripped of his rags No surely well thus doeth God when he calls a man to death he bids him put off his old rags of sinne and corruption and be cloathed with the glorious robe of Christs righteousnes and our abode in the graue is but for a space while corruption be put off This is Pauls argument saying Wee knowe that when our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolued we haue a building giuen of God which is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens Fifthly whereas the godly are subiect to manifold afflictions and miseries both in bodie and minde in this life here they shall finde a sufficient staie to quiet and calme their mindes if they consider that after this short life is ended there will ensue a ioyfull resurrection Iob in the extremitie of all his temptations made this the comfort to his soule that one daie he should rise again in which he should enioy the glorious presence of his Creatour And the Holy Ghost saith that the seruants of God in the daies of Antiochus were racked and tormented and would not bee deliuered why so because they looked for a better resurrection Lastly the consideration of this point serueth to be a bridle to restraine a man from sinne and a spurre to make him goe forward in all godlines of life and conuersation Saint Paul had hope toward God that the resurrection of the dead should be both of the iust and vniust Nowe what did this mooue him vnto Marke Herein saith he that is in this respect I endeauour my selfe alwaies to haue a cleare conscience towards God and towards man And let vs for our partes likewise remember the last iudgement that it may bee a meanes to mooue vs so to behaue our selues in all our actions that wee may keepe a good conscience before God and before men and let it also be a bridle vnto vs to keepe vs backe from all manner of sinne For what is the cause why men daily defile their bodies soules with so many damnable practises without any remorse of conscience Surely they neuer seriously remember the daie of the resurrection after this life wherein they must stand before Christ to giue an account of that which they haue done in this life whether it be good or bad Thus much of the duties nowe marke it is further said The resurrection of the bodie If the bodie rise it must first fall Here then this point is wrapped vp as a confessed trueth that all men must die the first death And yet considering that the members of the Church haue the pardon of their sinns which are the cause of death it may bee demaunded why they must die Ans. Wee are to know that when they die death doth not seaze vpon them as it is in his own nature a curse for in that respect it was borne of Christ vpon the crosse and that for vs but for two other causes which we must thinke vpon as being speciall meanes to make a man willing to die I. They must
in the Pharisie whose thoughts were these when he praied thus within himselfe O God I thanke thee that I am not as other men extortioners vniust adulterers or euen as this Publican c. And as this was in him so it is in vs till God giue grace for so that men may haue praise glory in the world they care not for Gods glory though it be defaced We must therefore learne to discerne this hidden corruption and to mourne for it for it doth poison and hinder al good desires of glorifying god so long as it doth or shall preuaile in the heart 2. Secondly wee are taught here to bewaile the hardnesse of our hearts whereby we are hindred from knowing God aright and from discerning the glory and maiestie of God in his creatures Mark 6.52 The disciples through the hardnes of their hearts could not see Gods power in the miracle of feeding many thousands with a few loaues though themselues were instruments of it and the foode did increase in their hands Our redemption what a wonderful worke is it but how few consider of it or regard it If we see a man haue more wit wealth or honour then we haue wee straight wonder at him but beholding Gods creatures we see nothing in them because we doe not goe higher to acknowledge the loue power wisdome and iustice of the Creator And this is the cause why Gods name is so slenderly honoured among men 3. The third corruption is our great ingratitude for the Lord hath made heauen and earth and all other creatures to serue man yet he is the most vnthankfull of all creatures Bestow many iewels or a kings raunsome on a dead man he wil neuer returne any kindnes so men being dead in sinne deale with God Commonly men are like the swine that run with their groines and eate vp the mast but neuer looke vp to the tree from whence it falleth But the godly are with Dauid to feele this want in themselues and to beseech God to open and as it were to vnlocke their lips that they may indeauour to be thanfull to God Psal. 51.15 4. The fourth is the vngodlines the innumerable wāts that be in our liues and the sinnes committed in the world Psal. 119.136 Mine eies saith Dauid gush out with riuers of water because men keepe not thy lawes The reason is because he which liues in sinne reproches Gods name euen as an euill childe dishonours his father Now some will say that this cannot be because our sinnes cānot hurt God True indeed yet are they a cause of slādering Gods name among men for as we honour him by our good workes so we dishonour him by our offences Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen 4. Graces to be desired 1. THe graces to be desired and to bee praied for at Gods hand are three The first is the knowledge of God that is that we might knowe him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his word works and creatures For how shall any glorifie God before he know him Our knowledge in this life is imperfect Exod. 23. Moses may not see Gods face but his hinder parts 1. Corin. 13.12 We may see God as men doe through spectacles in his word sacraments and creatures And therefore as Paul praied for the Colossians Col. 1.10 That they might increase in the knowledge of God so are wee taught to pray for our selues in this petition 2. We desire that a zeale of Gods glorie may be kindled in our hearts and that we may be kept from prophaning and abusing of his name Psal. 69.9 The zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp Psal. 45.1 My heart shall vtter or cast vp a good matter I will speake in my workes of the king Here the spirit of God borrowes a comparison from men thus As hee which hath somewhat lying heauie in his stomacke is neuer quiet till he haue cast it vp euen so the care desire to glorifie Gods name must lie vpon a mans heart as an heauie burden and he is not to be at ease and quiet with himselfe till he bee disburdened in sounding forth Gods praise Luther saith well that this is Sancta crapula that is an holy surfet and it is no hurt continually to haue our hearts ouercharged thus 3. A desire to lead a godly and vpright life before God and men We see men that in some great calling vnder honourable personages will so order behaue themselues as they may please and honour their masters euen so must our liues be well ordered and we are to labour to walke worthie of the Lord as Paul speaketh that we may honour our heauenly father Thy kingdome come 1. The Coherence THis petition dependes on the former most excellently For in it is laide downe the meanes to procure the first Gods name must bee hallowed among men but howe is it done by the erecting of Gods kingdome in the hearts of men We cannot glorifie God vntil he rule in our hearts by his word and spirit 2. The meaning Thy This word doth put vs in minde that there is two kingdomes one Gods and that is the kingdome of heauen the other the deuils called the kingdome of darknesse Coloss. 1.13 For when all had sinned in Adam God laide this punishment on all that seeing they could not be content to obey their Creator they should be in bondage vnder satan so that by nature we are all the children of wrath and the deuill holds vp the scepter of his kingdome in the hearts of men This kingdome is spirituall and the pillars of it are ignorance errour impietie and all disobedience to God in which the deuill wholly delights which also are as it were the lawes of his kingdome Blind ignorant people can not abide this doctrine that the deuill should rule in their hearts they spit at the naming of him and say that they defie him with all their hearts but whereas they liue in sinne and practise it as occasion is offered though they cannot discerne of themselues yet they make plaine proofe that they liue in the kingdome of sinne and darknesse and are flatte vassels of Satan and shall so continue till Christ the strong man come and binde him and cast him out And this is the estate of all the children of Adam in themselues Wherefore our Sauiour in this petition teacheth vs to consider our naturall estate and to pray that he would giue vs his spirit to set vs at libertie in the kingdome of his owne sonne Kingdome Gods kingdome in Scripture is taken two waies First generally and so it signifieth that administration by which the Lord gouerneth all things yea euen the deuils themselues Of which kingdome mention is made in the ende of this prayer And in the Psalme 97. vers 1. The Lord raigneth let the earth reioyce Againe it is taken more specially and then it signifieth
occasions 1. The entrance to our callings in the morning 2. The receiuing of Gods creatures at noone-tyde 3. The going to rest at night Againe beside set solemne praiers there be certaine kinds of short praiers which the fathers call Eiaculationes that is the liftings vp of the heart into heauen secretly and suddainly and this kind of praying may be vsed as occasion is offered enery houre in the daie Quest. 5. Whether may we pray for all men or no Ans. We may and wee may not We may if all men or mankind be taken distributiuely or seuerally For there is no particular countrie kingdome towne person but wee may make praiers for it And though men be Atheists Infidels Heretikes yea deuils incarnate yet for any thing we knowe they may belong to the election of God except they sinne against the holy ghost which sinne is very seldome hardly discerned of men And in this sence must the commandement of Paul be vnderstood I exhort therfore that first of all supplications praiers c. be made for all men 1. Tim. 2.1 We may not pray for all men if all men or mankind be taken collectiuely that is if all men be considered wholly togither as they make one bodie or company and be taken as we say in grosse For in this bodie or masse of mankind there be some though they be vnknowne to vs yet I say there be some whome God in his iust iudgement hath refused whose saluation by praier shall neuer be obtained Quest. 6. Whether is it possible for a man to pray in reading of a praier Answer It pleaseth some to mooue this question but there is no doubt of it For praier is a part of Gods worship and therefore a spirituall action of the heart of man standing specially in a desire of that which we want and faith whereby we beleeue that our desire shall be granted Nowe the voice or vtterance whether it be in reading or otherwise is no part of the praier but an outwarde meanes whereby praier is vttered and expressed Therefore there is no reason why a forme of praier being read should cease to be a praier because it is read so be it the spirit of grace and praier be not wanting in the partie reading and the hearers Obiect To reade a sermon is not to preach and therefore to read a praier is not to pray Ans. The reason is not like in both For the gift of preaching or prophecie can not bee shewed or practised in the reading of a sermon and for this cause the reading of a sermon is not preaching or prophesie but the grace and gift of praier may bee shewed in reading of a praier otherwise it would goe very hard with them that want conuenient vtterance by reason of some defect in the tongue or by reason of bashfulnesse in the presence of others Of Gods hearing our praiers HItherto we haue spoken of the making of praier to god a word or twain of Gods hearing our praiers Quest. How many waies doth God heare mens praiers Ans. Two waies The first in his mercie when he graunts the requests of such as call vpon him in the feare of his name Secondly hee heares mens praiers in his wrath Thus he gaue the Israelites Quailes according to their desire Psal. 78.29.30.31 Thus often men curse themselues and wish that they were hanged or dead and accordingly they haue their wish Quest. 2. Why doth God deferre to heare the praiers of his seruants Ans. First to prooue them by delay Secondly to exercise their faith Thirdly to make them acknowledge that the things which they receiue are Gods gifts not frō thēselues Fourthly that graces quickly giuen might not be lightly esteemed Fiftly that an hungring after grace might be sharpned increased Question 3. After what manner doth God heare his seruants prayers Answer Two waies First by graunting the thing which was asked according to his will Secondly by denying the thing desired and by giuing something proportionall to it Thus God denies temporarie blessings and in the roome therof giues eternal in heauen Thus he refuseth to remooue the crosse from his seruants and giues in stead therof strength and patience Christ praied that the cuppe might be remooued It was not remooued yet he in his māhood was inabled to beare the wrath of God When Paul praied three times that the pricke in the flesh might be remooued it was answered My strength is sufficient for thee Quest. 4. Why doth not God alwaies heare mens praiers Ans. There be many causes of this The first because oftentimes we know not to aske as we ought Math. 20.22 The second because we aske amisse Iam. 4.3 The third because otherwhiles the things which we aske though they be good in themselues yet they are not good vnto vs and for that cause are withheld 2. Cor. 12.7 The last because God will for some long time deferre the granting of that which we aske that he may stirre vp our faith and hope and our diligence in praier and that we might the better esteeme of the gifts of God when we haue them and shew our selues more thankfull To the Reader PAul in his Epistles hath set downe the summe of many of his prayers they are very gratious and heauenly and I haue here set them downe that thou mightest know them and in thy prayers follow them 16. I cease not to giue thanks for you making mention of you in my praiers 17. That the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the father of glorie might giue vnto you the spirit of wisdome and of reuelation in the acknowledgement of him 18. The eyes of your minde beeing enlightned that ye may know what the hope is of his calling and what the riches are of his glorious inheritance in the Saints 19. And what is the exceeding greatnes of his power in vs that beleeue according to the working of his mightie power 20. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his right hand in heauenly places The Exposition IN this excellent prayer we are to marke two things the first to whome it is made the second is the matter For the first it is made to God the Father who is described by two titles The first The God of our Lord Iesus Christ namely as Christ is man for as Christ is God he is equall with the father The second The father of glorie that is a glorious father and he is so called to distinguish him from earthly fathers The matter of the prayer stands on two principall points First he asketh of God the spirit of wisdome whereby the seruants of God are inabled to discerne out of the word in euery busines which they take in hand whether it be in word or deede what ought to be done and what ought to be left vndone as also the circumstances the time place manner of doing any thing Secondly he praieth for the spirit of reuelation whereby
the faithfull haue their whole estate before God reuealed vnto them according to the word the thing it selfe being otherwise secret and hidden 1. Cor. 2,9,10,12 Further the work of this spirit in the godly is twofold the one concernes God himselfe the other the things of God The worke of the spirit of reuelation which respects God himselfe is an acknowledgement of the Father or of Christ. Now to acknowledge God the Father is not onely to know and confesse that he is a father of the faithfull but also to be resolued in conscience that he is a father to me in particular Secondly that Christ is not onely in generall a Sauiour of the elect but that he is in speciall my Sauiour and redeemer The second worke of this spirit is an illumination of the eyes of the minde to see and know the things of God which he hath prepared for them that doe beleeue and they are two The first is life eternall which is described by fiue arguments 1. It is the Ephesian hope that is the thing hoped for in this life 2. It is the hope of the calling of God because in preaching of the Gospell it is offered and men are called to waite for the same 3. An inheritance properly to Christ because he is the naturall sonne of God and by him to all that shall beleeue 4. The excellencie because it is a rich and glorious inheritance 5. Lastly it is made proper to the Saints The second thing is the greatnes of the power of God whereby sinne is mortified the corrupt nature renued and mightily strengthened in temptations This power is set forth by two arguments The first is the subiect or persons in whome this power is made manifest In them that beleeue Because none can feele this but they which apprehend Christ by faith The second is the manner of manifesting this power in them which is according to the working of his mightie power which he shewed in Christ. And that was in three things First in putting all his enemies vnder his feete v. 2. Secondly in raising him from death Thirdly in placing him at his right hand Now therefore Paul praies that this wonderfull power of God which did shew forth it selfe in the head Christ might likewise shew it selfe in the members of Christ. First in treading Satan and sinne vnder their feete Rom. 16.10 Secondly in raising them from sinne as out of a graue to holines of life Thirdly in aduancing them in the time appointed to the kingdome of glorie in heauen Ephes. 3. 14. FOr this cause I bowe my knees vnto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. 15. Of whome is named the whole familie in heauen and earth 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glorie that yeâ— may be strengthened by his spirit in the inner man 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith 18. That ye being rooted and grounded in loue may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height 19. And know the loue of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye may be filled with all fulnesse of God 20. Vnto him therefore that is able to doâ— exceeding abundantly aboue all that we aske or thinke according to the power that worketh in vs 21. Be praise in the Church by Christ Iesus throughout all generations for euer Amen The Exposition THese wordes containe two parts a prayer and a thankesgiuing In the prayer these points are to be marked First the gesture I bow my knees wherby Paul signifies his humble submission to God in prayer Secondly to whome he praies To the Father who is described by two titles the first the father of our Lord Iesus Christ and that by nature as he is God and as he is man by personall vnion The other title Of whome the whole familie which is in heauen and earth is named In which words is set downe a description of the Church first it is a Familie because it is the companie of Gods elect children vnder the gouernment of one father 1. Tim. 3.15 It is called the house of God Eph. 2.19 They that beleeue are saide to be of the houshold of God secondly the parts of the Catholike Church are noted namely the Saints in heauen departed and Saints liuing on earth thirdly it is said to be named of the father of Christ because as the father of Christ is the father of this familie so also this familie is called by him Gen. 6.2 Dan. 9.80 Thirdly the matter of the prayer stands of foure most worthie points The first is strength to beare the crosse and to resist spirituall temptations v. 16. where the strength is set out by diuers arguments First that it is the meere gift of God that he would graunt you Secondly the cause of strength by his Spirit Thirdly the subiect or place where this strength must be in the inner man that is in the whole man so farre forth as he is renued by grace Eph. 6.14 The second is the dwelling of Christ in their hearts by faith Faith is when a man beeing seriously humbled for his sinnes is further in conscience perswaded and resolued of the pardon of them and of reconciliation to God Now where this perswasion is in deed there followes necessarily Christs dwelling in the heart which stands in two things the first is the ruling and ordering of the thoughts affections and desires of the heart according to his will as a master rules in his house the second is the continuance of his rule For he cannot be said to dwell in a place who rules in it but for a day The third is the knowledge and the acknowledgement of the infinit greatnes of Gods loue in Christ an effect of the former v. 18 19. the words are thus explaned Rooted and grounded Here the loue of God wherewith he loues the elect is as a roote and foundation of all Gods benefits election vocation iustification and glorification Men are rooted and grounded in loue when Gods spirit assures their hearts of Gods loue and doth giue them some inward sense and feeling of it For then they are as it were sensibly put into the roote and laid on the foundation With all Saints Paul desires this benefit not onely to the Ephesians but also to all the faithfull with them What is the length the bredth Here is a speech borrowed from the Geometricians and it signifies the absolute greatnes or infinitnes of Gods loue and that it is like a world which for length breadth height and depth is endlesse Here note the order or receiuing grace First Christ dwells in the heart by faith Secondly then comes a sense and feeling of Gods loue as it were by certaine drops thereof Thirdly after this ariseth a plentifull knowledge and apprehension of Gods loue and as it were the powring out of a sea into a mans heart that for greatnes hath neither bottome nor banke And know the loue of
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
redemption you must waite for it till after this life you would bee kissed with the kisses of Christs mouth but here in this worlde you must bee content if you may with Marie Magdelen kisse his feete For the perfection of a Christian mans life standes in the feeling and confession of his imperfections And as Ambrose saith obedience due to God standes more in the affection then in the worke Christian. But why will God haue those whome hee hath sanctified labour still vnder their infirmities Minister The causes are diuers First hereby he teacheth his seruants to see in what great neede they stand of the righteousnes of Christ that they may more carefully seeke after it Secondly he subdueth the pride of mens heartes and humbleth them by counteruailing the graces which they haue receiued with the like measure of infirmities Thirdly by this meanes the godly are exercised in a continuall fight against sinne and are daily occupied in purifying themselues Christian. But to goe on forward in this matter there is another cause that makes me feare least I haue no true repentance Minister What is that Christian. I oftentimes find my selfe like a very timberlog voide of all grace and goodnes froward and rebellious to any good worke so that Iâ— feare least Christ haue quite forsaken me Minist As it is in the strait seas the water ebs and flowes so is it in the godly in them as long as they liue in this worlde according to their owne feeling there is an accesse recesse of the spirit Otherwhiles they be troubled with deadnes and dulnes of heart as Dauid was who praied to the Lord to quickeâ— him according to his louing kindnes that he may keepe the testimonies of his mouth And in another place he saith that Gods promises quickened him Which could not be vnles he had beene troubled with great dulnes of heart Againe sometimes the spirit of God quite withdraweth is selfe to their feeling as it was in Dauid In the day of my trouble saith he I sought the Lord and my soule refused comfort I did think vpon god and was troubled I praied and my spirit was ful of anguish Againe Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he shewe no more fauour hath God forgotten to be mercifull c. The Church in the Canticles complaineth of this In my bed I sought him by night whome my soule loued I sought him but I found him not And againe My wellbeloued put in his hand by the hole of the doore and my heart was affectioned towards him I rose vp to open to my welbeloued and my hands did drop down mirrhe my fingers pure mirrhe vpon the handles of the barre I opened to my welbeloued but my welbeloued was gone and past mine heart was gone when he did speake I â—ought him but I could not finde him I called but he answered me not Contrariwise God at some other times sheds abroad his loue most aboundantly in the hearts of the faithfull and Christ lieth betweene the breasts of his Church as a posie of myrrhe giuing a strong smell Christian. But how can he bee a Christian that feeles no grace nor goodnes in himselfe Minister The child which as yet can vse no reason is for all that a reasonable creature and the man in a swowne feeles no power of life and yet hee is not dead The Christian man hath many quames come ouer his heart and he fals into many a swown that none almost would looke for any more of the life of Christ in him yet for all that he may bee a true Christian. This was the state of Peter when he denied our Sauiour Christ with cursing and banning his faith onely fainted for a time it failed not Christian. I haue now opened vnto you the chiefe things that troubled me and your comfortable answers haue much refreshed my troubled minde The God of all mercie and consolation requite you accordingly Minister I haue spoken that which God out of his holy word hath opened vnto me if you find any helpe thereby giue God the praise therfore carrie this with you for euer that by many afflictions both in the bodie and the minde you must enter into the kingdome of heauen Raw flesh is noysome to the stomack is no good nourishment before it be â—odden and vnmortified men and womeÌ„ be no creatures fit for God and therefore they are to be soaked and boyled in afflictions that the fulsomnes and rankenes of their corruption may be delayed and that they may haue in them some relish acceptable vnto God And to conclude for the auoiding of all these temptations vse this sweete praier following which that godly Saint Master Bradford made Oh Lord God and deere father what shall I say that feele all things to bee in manner with me as in the wicked Blind is my minde crooked is my will peruerse concupisceÌ„ce is in me as a spring of stinking puddle O how faint is faith in me how little is my loue to thee or thy people how great is my selfe loue how hard is my heart by reason whereof I am mooued to doubt of thy goodnesse towards me whether thou art my mercifull father and whether I be thy child or no indeed worthily might I doubt if that the hauing of these were the cause not the fruit rather of thy children The cause why thou art my father is thy merciful goodnesâ— grace trueth in Christ Iesus which cannot but remaine for euer In respect whereof thou hast borne me this good wil to bring me into thy Church by baptisme and to accept me into the number of thy children that I might be holy faithfull obedient and innocent and to call me diuers times by the ministerie of thy word into thy kingdome besides the innumerable other benefits alwaies hitherto powred vpon me All which thou hast done of this thy good will which thou of thine owne mercie barest to me in Christ before the world was made The which thing as thou requirest straightly that I should beleeue without doubting so wouldest thou that I in all my needs should come vnto thee as to a father make my mone without mistrust of beeing heard in thy good time as most shall make to my comfort Loe therefore to thee deare father I come through thy sonne our Lord our Mediatour and Aduocate Iesus Christ who sitteth on thy right hand making intercession for me I pray thee of thy great goodnes and mercie in Christ to be mercifull to me a sinner that I may indeed feele thy sweet mercie as thy child the time oh deare father I appoint not but I pray thee that I may with hope still expect and looke for thy helpe I hope that as for a little while thou hast left me so thou wilt come and visit me and that in thy great mercie whereof I haue great neede by reason of my great miserie Thou
the foole whereof the scripture often speaketh is the vngodly person that maketh no conscience of any sinne And indeede such an one is the most sensles foole of all He that shall euer and anon be casting himselfe into the fire and water and run vpon dangerous places to breake his legges armes necke and further shal take pleasure in doing all this is either a foole or a mad man Now the vngodly man as oft as he sinneth he endeuoureth as much as in him lieth to pitch his soule into hell and whereas he taketh pleasure in sinne he sports himselfe with his owne destruction Furthermore the man fearing god must haue two things in his heart a perswasion of Gods presence and Awe The perswasion of Gods presence is whereby a man is continually resolued that whersoeuer he is he standeth before God who doth see eueÌ„ into the secrets of his heart This was in Cornelius Now therfore saith he we are in gods presence to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Awe in regard of God is that whereby a man behaueth himselfe reuerently because he is in Gods presence Awe is either in regard of sinne or of chastisements Awe in respect of sinne is when one is afraid to sinne fearing not so much the punishment as sinne it selfe because it is sinne For he feareth God indeed which is of this minde that if there were no Iudge to condemne him no hel to torment him no deuil nor conscience to accuse him yet hee would not sinne because Gods blessed Maiestie is by it offended and displeased and if hee had it in his choice whether he would sinne or loose his life he had rather die theÌ„ willingly and wittingly sinne against God This awe being in Ioseph was the cause that moooued him not to commit folly with Putiphars wife How then saith he can I doe this great wickednes and sinne against God Awe in chastisements is when one humbleth himselfe vnder the mightie hand of God with all meekenes and patience when God laieth his hand on him more or lesse When Shemi came foorth and cursed Dauid and flung stones at him what did he truely he stood in awe of God and therefore said What haue I to doe with you ye sonnes of Zeruiah for hee curseth euen because the Lord hath bidden him curse Dauid who dare then say Wherefore hast thou done so When a man is thus made wise that is righteous and fearing God he is so guided by the spirit of feare that he can not but speake wisely Salomon saith The lippes of the righteous know what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked speaketh froward things And againe The heart of the wise guideth the mouth wisely Contrarie to this is fonde and foolish talke an example hereof we haue in Luke where Pilate wanting the feare of God saith I finde no fault in Christ let vs therefore chastise him and send him away Whereas he ought to haue reasoned thus I finde no fault in him therefore let vs send him away without chastisement CHAP. V. Of Truth and of Reuerence in speech TRuth of speech is a vertue whereby a man speaketh as he thinketh and so consequently he speaketh as euery thing is so farre forth as possibly he can It is made a note of a righteous man to speake the truth from the heart and they that deale truly are Gods delight This is alwaies required in all our doctrines accusations defences testimonies promises bargainings counsels but especially in Iudges and Magistrates sitting on iudgement seat because then they stand in Gods stead who is truth it selfe To this place belongeth Apologie which is when a Christian called before a Magistrate and straightly examined of his religion confesseth Christ boldly and denieth not the truth Contrarie to this is lying cogging glosing smoothing dissembling as for example Gehazi after he had receiued money and garments of Naaman the Syrian against Elishas will he went and stood before his master who said vnto him Whence commest thou Gehazi who making it nothing to lie for a vantage smoothed it ouer finely and said Thy seruant went no whither To the like effect and purpose report is made of a rich man that had two chests the one whereof he calleth all the world the other his friend In the first he putteth nothing in the second he putteth all his substance When his neighbour came to borrow money he vseth to answer truly I haue neuer a pennie in all the world meaning his emptie chest but I will see saith he what my friend can doe looking thereby for interest by the money out of his other chest This vice is very common and it is a rare thing to finde a man that maketh a conscience of a lie Lying is when a man speaketh otherwise then the truth is with a purpose to deceiue Here note that there is great difference betweene these two speeches It is an vntruth and It is a lie The first may be vsed when a man speaketh falshoods But in vsing the second we must be heedie and sparing for when a man is chalenged for a lie three things are laid to his charge I. That he speaketh falsly II. That he is willing to doe so III. That he hath a desire and purpose to deceiue Quest. Whether may not a man lie if it be for the procuring of some great good to our neighbour or to the whole countrey where we are Ans. No Reasons are these I. Lying is forbidden as an abomination to the Lord. II. We are not to doe any euill that good may come thereof III. He which lieth in so doing conformeth himselfe to the deuil who is a lier and the father thereof Obiect I. Such lying is for our neighbours good and not against charitie Ans. No for charitie reioyceth in the truth Obiect II. The holy Scriptures haue mentioned the lies of the Patriarkes Ans. We must not liue by examples against rules of Gods word Obiect III. Rahab and the midwiues of Egypt in sauing the spies and in preseruing the Israelites infants vsed lying and are commended for their facts Ans. They are commended for their faith not for their lying The workes which they did were excellent works of mercie and theâ—efore to be allowed and the doers failed onely in the manner of performing them As truth is required in speech so also reuerence to God and man Reuerence to God is when we so speake of God and vse his titles that we shew reuerence our selues and more reuerence in others If thou wilt not keepe saith the Lord and doe all the wordes of this law that are written in this booke and feare the glorious and fearefull name THE LORD THY GOD then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull Here take heede of all maner of blaspheming which is when men vse such speeches of God as doe either detract any thing from his Maiestie or ascribe any thing to him
brimstone from heauen by the foolish virgines who were sleeping when they should haue beene furnishing their lampes and were shut from the marriage of the lambe And to direct thee somewhat in the practise of repentance I haue penned this small treatise vse it for thy benefit and see thou be a doer of it vnlesse thou wilt be a wilfull murderer and shed the blood of thine owne soule And whereas there haue beene published heretofore in English two sermons of Repentance one by M. Bradford Martyr the other by M. Arthur Dent sermons indeed which haue doone much good my meaning is not to adde therunto or to teach any other doctrine but onely to renew and reuiue the memorie of that which they haue taught Neither let it trouble thee that the principall Diuines of this age whome in this treatise I follow may seeme to be at diffeeence in treating of repentance For some make it a fruit of faith containing two parts Mortification and Viuification some make faith a part of it by deuiding it into contrition faith newe obedience some make it all one with regeneration The difference is not in the substance of doctrine but in the logical manner of handling it And the difference of handling ariseth of the diuers acception of repentance It is taken two waies generally and particularly Generally for the whole conuersion of a sinner and so it may containe contrition faith new obedience vnder it and be confounded with regeneration It is taken particularly for the renouation of the life and behauiour and so it is a fruit of faith And this onâ—ly sense doe I follow in this treatise I haue added hereto a few lines of the combat betweene the flesh and the spirit because repentance and this combat are ioyned togither and the one is not practised without the other as appeares by resoluing Psalme 51. Spirit Haue mercie on me O God according to thy louing kindnes Flesh. Yea but this thine adulterie comprehends infinite sinnes therefore looke for no pardon Spirit According to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities Flesh. This sinne hath taken such deepe place in thee that it will be hardly pardoned Spirit Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and clense me from my sinne Flesh. Thy speciall trespasse is against man Spirit Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned Flesh. Except this one sinne thy life is vnblameable Spirit Behold I was borne in iniquitie c. Yea the best man that is in the practise of godlines often appeares to be vnlike himselfe and the cause is this spirituall combat The flesh otherwhiles makes him wayle and mourne and goe drooping presently after the spirit puts into him as we say the heart of gresse and makes him triumph against the flesh the deuill the world Moses was couragious at the red sea but he failed at the waters of strife Iob first praiseth God and afterward blasphemeth Dauid is often fainting in miserie yet by and by reuiued Wherefore there is good cause why the consideration of repentance and the combat should goe togither that no man after he hath begun to repent might dreame of ease to his flesh as though we should goe to heauen in beds of doune but rather that we might be resolued that when we begin to doe any thing pleasing vnto God then we must looke for nothing but continuall molestation from our vile and wicked natures Written Anno 1593. the 17. of Nouember which is the Coronation day of 〈◊〉 dread Soueraigne Queene ELIZABETH whose raigne God long 〈◊〉 William Perkins CHAP. I. What Repentance is REpentance is a worke of grace arising of a godly sorrow whereby a man turnes from all his sinnes vnto God and brings forth fruits worthie amendment of life I call Repentance a worke because it seemes not to be a qualitie or vertue or habit but an action of a repentant sinner Which appeares by the sermons of the Prophets and Apostles which runne in this tenour Repent turne to God amend your liues c. Whereby they intimate that Repentance is a worke to be done Againe Repentance is not euery kind of worke but a worke of grace because it can not be practised of any but of such as be in the estate of grace Reasons are these I. No man can repent vnlesse he first hate sinne and loue righteousnes and none can hate sinne vnlesse he be sanctified and he that is sanctified is iustified and he that is iustified must needes haue that faith which vnites him to Christ and makes him bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Wherefore he that repents is iustified and sanctified and made a member of Christ by faith II. He that turnes to God must first of all be turned of God and after that we are turned then we repent Surely after I was conuerted I repented and after that I was instructed I smote vpon my thigh I was ashamed yea euen confounded because I did beare the reproch of my youth Some may obiect that repentance goes before all grace because it is first preached The first sermon that euer was made was of repentance preached by God himselfe in Paradise to our first parents And euer since the sermons of all the Prophets and Apostles and of all faithfull ministers haue had repentance for their beginning and scope The answer hereto may be this If we respect the order of nature there be other graces of God which goe before repentance because a mans conscience must in some sort be setled touching his reconciliation with God in Christ before he can begin to repent Wherefore iustification and sanctification in order of nature goe before repentance But if we respect time grace and repentance are both together So soone as there is fire so soone it is hote and so soone as a man is regenerate so soone he repents If we respect the outward manifestation of these twaine repentance goes before all other graces because it first of all appeares outwardly Regeneration is like the sappe of the tree that lies hid within the barke repentance is like the budde that speedily shewes it selfe before either blossome leafe or fruit appeare yea all other graces of the heart which are needfull to saluation are made manifest by repentance And for this cause Repentance as I take it is first preached I adde further that repentance riseth of a godly sorrow in the heart as Paul teacheth Godly sorrow causeth repentance vnto saluation neuer to be repented of It is called a godly sorrow or a sorrow according to God that it may be distinguished from worldly sorrow which is a griefe arising of the apprehension of the wrath of God and other miseries as feare of men losse of good name calamities in goods and other things which in this life follow as punishments of sinne whereas the godly sorrow causeth griefe for sinne because it is sinne And it makes any man in whome it is to be of this disposition
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
himselfe as hee testifieth of himselfe in the prophet Esai I make peace and create euill Nowe euill is of three sortes naturall morall materiall Naturall euill is the destruction of that order which God set in euery creature by the creation Morall euill is the want of that righteousnesse and vertue which the lawe requires at mans hand and that is called sinne Materiall euill is any matter or thing which in it selfe is a good creature of God yet so as by reason of mans fall it is hurtfull to the health and life of man as henbane wolfebane hemlocke and all other poisons areâ— Nowe this saying of Esai must not be vnderstood of morall euills but of such as are either materiall or natural to the latter of which death is to be referred which is the destruction or abolishment of mans nature created The procurer of death is man not God in that man by his sinne and disobedience did pull vpon himselfe this punishment Therefore the Lord in Oseah O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thine helpe Against this it may bee obiected that man was mortall in the estate of innocency before the fall Answere The frame and composition of mans bodie considered in it selfe was mortall because it was made of water and earth and other elements which are of themselues alterable and changeable yet if wee respect that grace and blessing which God did vouchsafe mans bodie in his creation it was vnchangeable and immortall and so by the same blessing should haue continued if man had not fallen and man by his fall depriuing himselfe of this gift and blessing became euery way mortall Thus it appeares in part what death is yet for the better clearing of this point we are to consider the difference of the death of a man and of a beast The death of a beast is the totall and finall abolishment of the whole creature for the bodie is resolued to his first matter and the soule arising of the temperature of the bodie vanisheth to nothing But in the death of man it is otherwise For though the bodie for a time be resolued to dust yet must it rise againe in the last iudgement and become immortall and as for the soule it subsisteth by it selfe out of the bodie and is immortall And this beeing so it may be demaunded how the soule can die the second death Answ. The soule dies not because it is vtterly abolished but because it is as though it were not and it ceaseth to be in respect of righteousnesse and fellowship with God And indeede this is the death of all deaths when the creature hath subsisting and beeing and yet for all that is depriued of all comfortable fellowship with God The reason of this difference is because the soule of a man is a spirit or spirituall substance whereas the soule of a beast is no substance but a naturall vigour or qualitie and hath no beeing in it selfe without the bodie on which it wholly dependeth The soule of man contrariwise beeing created of nothing and breathed into the bodie and as well subsisting forth of it as in it The kindes of death are two as the kindes of life are bodily and spirituall Bodily death is nothing else but the separation of the soule from the bodie as bodily life is the coniunction of bodie and soule and this death is called the first because in respect of time it goes before the second Spirituall death is the separation of the whole man both in bodie and soule from the gracious fellowship of God Of these twaine the first is but an entrance to death and the second is the accomplishment of it For as the soule is the life of the bodie so God is the life of the soule and his spirit is the soule of our soules and the want of fellowship with him brings nothing but the endlesse and vnspeakable horrours and pangs of death Againe spirituall death hath three distinct and seuerall degrees The first is when a man that is aliue in respect of temporall life lies dead in sinne Of this degree Paul speakes when he saith But shee that liueth in pleasure is dead while shee liueth And this is the case of all men by nature who are children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses The second degree is the very ende of this life when the bodie is laid in the earth and the soule descends to the place of torment The third degree is in the day of iudgement when the bodie and soule meete againe and goe both to the place of the damned there to be tormented for euer and euer Hauing thus found the nature and differences and kinds of death it is more then manifest that the text in hand is to be vnderstood not of the spirituall but of the bodily death because it is opposed to the birth or natiuitie of man The words then must carrie this sense The time of bodily death in which the bodie and soule of man are seuered asunder it is better then the time in which one is brought into the world Thus much of the first point nowe followeth the second and that is howe this can be true which Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the daie of birth I make not this question to call the Scriptures into controuersie which are the trueth it selfe but I doe it for this ende that wee might without wauering bee resolued of this which Salomon auoucheth For there may be sundrie reasons brought to the contrarie Therefore let vs handle the question the reasons or obiections which may be alleadged to the contrarie may all bee reduced to sixe heades The first is taken from the opinion of wise men who thinke it the best thing of all neuer to be borne and the next best to die quickely Nowe if it bee the best thing in the worlde not to bee borne at all then it is the worst thing that can bee to die after a man is borne Answere There bee two sortes of men one that liue and die in their sinnes without repentance the other which vnfamedly repent and beleeue in Christ. Nowe this sentence may bee truely auouched of the first of whome wee may say as Christ said of Iudas It had beene good for him that hee had neuer beene borne But the saying applied to the second sort of men is false For to them that in this life turne to God by repentance the best thing of all is to be borne because their birth is a degree of preparation to happinesse and the next best is to die quickly because by death they enter into possession of the same their happinesse For this cause Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous Salomon in this place preferres the daie of death before the day of birth vnderstanding that death which is ioined with godly life or the death of the righteouâ— The second obiection is taken from the testimonies of Scripture Death is
man it preuailes with him and turnes him to God Furthermore when God will send his owne seruants to heauen hee sends thē a contrarie waie euen by the gates of hell and when it is his pleasure to make men depend on his fauour and prouidence hee makes them feele his anger and to be nothing in themselues that they may wholly depend vpon him and be whatsoeuer they are in him This point beeing well considered it is manifest that the child of God may passe to heauen by the very gulfes of hell The loue of God is like a sea into which when a man is cast hee neither feeles bottome nor sees banke I conclude therefore that despaire whether it arise of weaknes of nature or of conscience of sinne though it fall out about the time of death can not preiudice the saluation of them that are effectually called As for other strange euents which fall out in death they are the effects of diseases Rauings and blasphemings arise of the disease of melancholie and of frensies which often happen at the ende of burning feauers the choller shooting vp to the braine The writhing of the lips the turning of the necke the buckling of the ioyntes and the whole bodie proceede of crampes and convulsions which follow after much euacuation And whereas some in sicknesse are of that strength that three or foure men cannot holde them without bondes it comes not of witchcrafts and possessions as people commonly thinke but of choller in the vaines And whereas some when they are dead become as blacke as pitch as Bonner was it may arise by a bruise or an impostume or by the blacke iaundise or by the putrefaction of the liuer and it doeth not alwaies argue some extraordinarie iudgement of God Nowe these and the like diseases with their Symptomes and straunge effects though they shal depriue man of his health and of the right vse of the parts of his bodie and of the vse of reason too yet they cannot depriue his soule of eternall life And all sinnes procured by violent diseases and proceeding from repentant sinners are sins of infirmitie for which if they know them come againe to the vse of reason they will further repent if not they are pardoned and buried in the death of Christ. And we ought not so much to stand vpon the strangenes of any mans ende when we know the goodnesse of his life for we must iudge a man not by his death but by his life And if this be true that strange diseases and thereupon strange behauiours in death may befall the best man that is wee must learne to reforme our iudgements of such as lie at the point of death The common opinion is that if a man lie quietly and goe away like a lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any man may doe then he goes straight to heauen but if the violence of the disease stirre vp impatience and cause in the partie franticke behauiours then men vse to say there is a iudgement of God seruing either to discouer an hypocrit or to plague a wicked man But the trueth is otherwise For indeede a man may die like a lambe and yet go to hell and one dying in exceeding torments and straunge behauiours of the bodie may goe to heauen And by the outward condition of any man either in life or death wee are not to iudge of his estate before God The fifth obiection is this When a man is most neare death then the deuill is most busie in temptation and the more men are assaulted by Satan the more dangerous troublesome is their case And therefore it may seeme that the day of death is the worst daie of all Ans. The condition of Gods childrē in death is twofold Some are not tempted and some are Some I say are not tempted as Simeon who when he had seene Christ brake forth said Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace c. foresignifying no doubt that he should ende his daies in all manner of peace As for them which are tempted though their case be verie troublesome and perplexed yet their saluation is not further off by reason of the violence and extremitie of temptation For God is then present by the vnspeakeable comfort of his spirit and when wee are most weake he is most strong in vs because his manner is to shew his power in weaknesse And for this cause euen in the time of death the deuill receiues the greatest foile when he lookes for the greatest victorie The sixth obiection is this Violent and sudden death is a grieuous curse of all euils which befall man in this life none is so terrible therefore it may seeme that the day of suddaine death is most miserable Ans. It is true indeed that suddaine death is a curse and a grieuous iudgement of God and therefore not without cause feared of men in the world yet all things considered we ought more to be afraide of an impenitent and euill life then of suddaine death For though it be euil as death it selfe in his owne nature is yet we must not thinke it to be simplie euill because it is not euill to all men nor in all respects euill I say it is not euill to all men considering that no kinde of death is euill or a curse vnto them that are in Christ who are freed from the whole curse of the Law And therefore the holy Ghost saith Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their Labour whereby is signified that they which depart this life beeing members of Christ enter into euerlasting happinesse of what death soeuer they die yea though it be suddaine death Againe I say that suddaine death is not euill in all respects For it is not euill because it is suddaine but because it commonly takes men vnprepared and by that means makes the day of death a blacke day and as it were a very speedie downfall to the gulfe of hell Otherwise if a man be readie and prepared to die suddaine death is in effect no death but a quicke and speedie entrance to eternall life These obiections beeing thus answered it appeares to be a manifest truth which Salomon saith that the day of death is better indeede then the day of birth Now I come to the third point in which the reasons and respects are to be considered that make the day of death to surpasse the day of a mans birth and they may all be reduced to this one namely that the birth day is an entrance into all woe and miserie whereas the day of death ioyned with godly and reformed life is an entrance or degree to eternall life Which I make manifest thus Eternall life hath three degrees one in this life when a man can truly say that he liues not but that Christ liues in him and this all men can say that repent and beleeue and are iustified and sanctified and haue peace of
conscience with other gifts of Gods spirit which are the earnest of their saluation The second degree is in this life when the bodie goes to the earth and the soule is carried by the Angels into heauen The third is in the ende of the world at the last iudgement when bodie and soule reunited doe ioyntly enter into eternall happines in heauen Now of these three degrees death it selfe being ioyned with the feare of God is the second which also containeth in it two worthie steppes to life The first is a freedome from all miseries which haue their ende in death For though men in this life are subiect to manifold daungers by sea and land as also to sundrie aches paines and diseases as feauers and consumptions c. yet when death comes there is an ende of all Againe so long as men liue in this world whatsoeuer they be they doe in some part lie in bondage vnder originall corruption and the reâ—nants thereof which are doubtings of Gods prouidence vnbeleefe pride of heart ignorance couetousnesse ambition enuie hatred lust and such like sinnes which bring forth fruits vnto death And to be in subiection to sinne on this manner is a miserie of all miseries Therefore Paul when he was tempted vnto sinne by his corruption calls the very temptation the buffets of Sathan and as it were a pricke or thorne wounding his flesh and paining him at the very heart Againe in another place wearied with his owne corruptions he complaines that he is sold vnder sinne and he cries out O miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death Dauid saith that his eyes gushed out with riuers of teares when other men sinned against God how much more then was he grieued for the sinnes wherewith he himselfe was ouertaken in this life And indeede it is a very hell for a man that hath but a sparke of grace to be exercised turmoiled and tempted with the inborne corruptions and rebellions of his owne heart and if a man would deuise a torment for such as feare God and desire to walke in newnesse of life he can not deuise a greater then this For this cause blessed is the day of death which brings with it a freedome from all sinne whatsoeuer For when we die the corruption of nature is quite abolished and sanctification is accomplished Lastly it is a great miserie that the people of God are constrained in this world to liue and conuerse in the companie of the wicked as sheepe are mingled with goates which strike them annoy their pasture and muddie their water Hereupon Dauid cried out Woe is me that I râ—maine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Keâ—ar When Elias saw that Ahab and Iesabel had planted idolatrie in Israel and that they sought his life also he went apart into the wildernes and desired to die But this miserie also is ended in the day of death in as much as death is as it were the hand of God to sort and single out those that be the seruants of God from all vngodly men in this most wretched world Furthermore this exceeding benefit comes by death that it doth not onely abolish the miseries which presently are vpon vs but also pâ—euent those which are to come The righteous saith the Prophet Esay perisheth and no man considereth it in his heart and mercifull men are taken away and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away for the euill to come Example of this we haue in Iosias Because saith the Lord thine heart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place c. behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill whiâ—h I will bring vpon this place And Paul saith that among the Corinthians some were asleepe that is dead that they might not be condemned with the world Thus much of freedome from miserie which is the first benefit that comes by death and the first steppe to life now followes the second which is that death giues an entrance to the soule that it may come into the presence of the euerliuing God of Christ and of all the Angels and Saints in heauen The worthines of this benefit makes the death of the righteous to be no death but rather a blessing to be wished of all men The consideration of this made Paul to say I desire to be dissolued but what is the cause of this desire that followes in the next wordes namely that by this dissolution he might come to be with Christ. When the Queene of Sheba saw all Salomons wisdome and the house that he had built and the meate of his table and the sitting of his seruants and the order of his ministers and their apparrell c. shee saide Happie are thy men happie are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisdome much more then may we say that they are ten thousand folde happie which stand not in the presence of an earthly King but before the King of kings the Lord of heauen and earth and at his right hand inioy pleasures for euermore Moses hath beene renowmed in all ages for this that God vouchsafed him but so much fauour as to see his hinder parts at his request O then what happinesse is this to see the glorie and maiestie of God face to face and to haue eternall fellowship with God our father Christ our Redeemer and the holy Ghost our comforter and to liue with the blessed Saints and Angels in heauen for euer Thus now the third point is manifest namely in what respects death is more excellent then life It may be here the mind of man vnsatisfied will yet further replie and say that howsoeuer in death the soules of men enter into heauen yet their bodies though they haue bin tenderly kept for meate drink and apparrell and haue slept many a night in beddes of doune must lie in darke and loathsome graues and there be wasted and consumed by wormes Answ. All this is true indeede but all is nothing if so be it we will but consider aright of our graues as we ought We must not iudge of our graues as they appeare to the bodily eye but we must looke vpon them by the eie of faith and consider them as they are altered and changed by the death and buriall of Christ who hauing vanquished death vpon the crosse pursued him afterward to his own den and foyled him there and depriued him of his power And by this means Christ in his owne death hath buried our death and by the vertue of his buriall as sweete incense hath sweetned and perfumed our graues and made them of stinking and loathsome cabbines to become princely pallaces and beddes of most sweete and happie rest farre more excellent then beddes of doune And
comfort but spend the time in silence gazing and looking on or in vttering wordes to little or no purpose saying to the sicke partie that they are verie sorrie to see him in that case that they would haue him to be of good comfort but wherein by what meanes they cannot tell that they doubt not but that he shall recouer his health and liue with them still and be merrie as in former time that they will pray for him whereas all their praiers are nothing els but the Apostles creed or the ten commandements and the Lords praier vttered without vnderstanding And this is the common comfort that sicke men get at the hands of their neighbours when they come vnto them and all his comes either because meÌ„ liue in ignorance of Gods word or because they falsly thinke that the whole burthen of this dutie lies vpon the shoulders of the minister The second circumstance is when the sicke partie must send for the elders to iâ—struct him and pray for him And that is in the verie first place of all before any other helpe be sought for Where the Diuine endes there the phisition must begin and it is a verie preposterous course that the Diuine should there begin where the physitian makes an ende For till helpe be had for the soule and sinne which is the roote of sicknesse be cured physicke for the bodie is nothing Therefore it is a thing much to be disliked that in all places almost the physitian is first sent for and comes in the beginning of the sicknes and the Minister comes when a man is halfe dead and is then sent for oftententimes when the sicke partie lies drawing on and gasping for breath as though Ministers of the Gospel in these daies were able to worke miracles The second dutie of the sick party is to confesse his sinnes as Iames saith Confesse your sinnes one to another and pray one for another It will be said that this is to bring in againe Popish shrift Ans. Confession of our sinnes and that vnto men was neuer denied of any the question onely is of the manner and order of making confession And for this cause we must put a great difference betweene Popish shrift and the confession of which S. Iames speaketh For he requires onely a confession of that or those sinnes which lie vpon a mans conscience when he is sicke but the Popish doctrine requireth a particular enumeration of all mans sinnes Againe S. Iames enioynes confession onely as a thing necessarie meete and conuenient but the Papists as a thing necessarie to the remission of sinnes Thirdly S. Iames permits that confession be made to any man and by one man to an other mutually whereas Popish shrift is made onely to the priest The second dutie then is that the sicke partie troubled in mind with the memorie and consideration of any of his sinnes past or any manner of way tempted by the deuill shall freely of his owne accord open his case to such as are both able and willing to helpe him that he may receiue comfort and die in peace of conscience Thus much of the sicke mans dutie now follow the duties of helpers The first is to pray ouer him that is in his presence to pray with him and for him and by praier to present his very person and his whole estate vnto God The Prophet Elizeus the Apostle Paul and our Sauiour Christ vsed this manner of praying when they would miraculously restore temporal life and therfore it is very meete that the same should be vsed also of vs that we might the better stirre vp our affections in prayer and our compassion to the sicke when we are about to intreat the Lord for the remission of their sinnes and for the saluation of their soules The second dutie of him that comes as an helper is to annoint the sicke partie with oyle Now this annointing was an outward ceremonie which was vsed with the gift of healing which is now ceased and therefore I omit to speake further of it Thus much of the dutie which the sick man owes to God now follow the duties which he is to performe vnto himselfe and they are twofold one concernes his soule the other his bodie The dutie concerning his soule is that he must arme furnish himselfe against the immoderate feare of present death And the reason hereof is plaine because howsoeuer naturally men feare thorough the course of their liues more or lesse yet in the time of sicknes when death approcheth this naturall feare bred in the bone will most of all shew it selfe euen in such sort as it will astonish the senses of the sicke partie sometime cause desperation Therefore it is necessary that we vse meanes to strengthen our selues against the feare of death The meanes are of two sorts practises and meditations Practises are two especially The first is that the sick man must not so much regard death it selfe as the benefits of God which are obtained after death He must fixe his mind vpon the consideration of the pangs torments of death but all his thoughts and affections must be set vpon that blessed estate that is enioyed after death He that is to passe ouer some great deepe riuer must not looke downward to the streame of the water but if he would preuent feare he must set his foote sure and cast his eie to the banke on the further side and so must he that drawes neare death as it were looke ouer the waues of death and directly fixe the eye of his faith vpon eternall life The second practise is to looke vpon death in the glasse of the Gospel and not in the glasse of the law that is we must consider death not as it is propounded in the law and looke vpon that terrible face which the law giueth vnto it but as it is set forth in the Gospel Death in the law is a curse and the downfall to the pit of destruction in the Gospel it is the entrance to heauen the law sets forth death as death the Gospel sets death as no death but as a sleepe onely because it speaketh of death as it is altered and changed by the death of Christ by the vertue whereof death is properly no death to the seruants of God When men shall haue care on this manner to consider of death it will be a notable means to strengthen and stablish them against all immoderate feares and terrours that vsually rise in sicknes The meditations which serue for this purpose are innumerable but I will touch onely those which are the most principal the grounds of the rest and they are foure in number The first is borrowed from the speciall prouidence of God namely that the death of euery maÌ„ much more of euery child of god is not onely foreseene but also foreappointed of God yea the death of euery man deserued and procured by his sinnes is laide vpon him by God who
lesse importance and not vttered precisely in commanding tearmes doth onely declare and shew what is to be done or conditionally require this or that with respect to the punishment on this manner If any person doe this or that then he shall forfeit thus or thus This kind of law bindes especially to the punishment and that in the very intent of the lawgiuer and he that is readie in omitting the law to pay the fine or punishment is not to be charged with sinne before God the penaltie beeing answerable to the losse that comes by the neglect of the law Here a question may be demanded whether a man that hath taken his oath to keepe all the laws or orders of any towne or corporation and yet afterward omits the doing of some of them be periured or no. The answer may be this that the lawes of euery societie and corporation must be distinguished Some are very weightie as I haue said beeing of the very foundation and state of a bodie so as it can not well stand without them and whosoeuer wittingly and willingly breakes any of these they beeing good and lawfull can not be freed from periurie Againe there be lawes of lesser importance that tend onely to maintaine decent order and comelines in the societies of men and they are of that nature that the estate of the corporation or towne may stand without them and whosoeuer vpon occasion omits the doing of any of these is not therefore periured so be it he carrie a loyall mind and be content to pay the fine or penaltie For such kind of orders and constitutions require first of all obedience and if that be omitted they require a mulct or fine which if it be willingly paied the law is satisfied Thus we see how farre forth mens lawes bind conscience The vse of this point is this I. Hence we learne that the immunitie of the Popish cleargie whereby they take themselues exempted from ciuill courts and from ciuill authoritie in criminall causes hath no warrant because Gods cōmandements binds euery man whatsoeuer to be subiect to the magistrate Rom. 13.1 Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers II. Hence we see also what notorious rebells those are that beeing borne subiects of this land yet choose rather to die then to acknowledge as they are bound in conscience the Queenes Maiestie to be supreame gouernour vnder God in all causes ouer all persons III. Lastly we are taught hereby to be willing to giue subiection obedience reuerence and all other duties to Magistrates whether they be superiour or inferiour yea with chearefulnes to pay taxes and subsidies and all such lawfull charges as are appointed by them Giue to Cesar that which is Cesars to God that which is Gods Giue to all men their duties tribute to whom tribute custome to whome custome Rom. 13.7 Now follows the Oath which is either assertorie or promissorie Assertorie by which a man auoucheth that a thing was done or not done Promissorie by which a man promiseth to doe a thing or not to doe it Of both these I meane to speake but specially of the second And here two points must be considered the first by whāt meanes an oath bindeth the second when it bindeth An oath bindeth by vertue of such particular commandements as require the keeping of othes lawfully taken Num. 30.3 Whosoeuer sweareth an oath to binde his soule by a bond he shall not breake his word but shall doe according to all that proceede out of his mouth This beeing so a question may be made whether the oathes of Infidels bind conscience and by what vertue cōsidering they neither know the Scriptures nor the true God Ans. They doe bind in conscience For example Iacob and Laban make a couenant confirmed by oath Iacob sweares by the true God Laban by the gods of Nachor that is by his idols Now Iacob though he approoue not the forme of this oath yet he accepts it for a ciuill bond of the couenant and no doubt though Laban beleeued not Gods word reuealed to the Patriarkes yet he was bound in conscience to keepe this oath euen by the law of nature and though he knew not the true God yet he reputed the false god of Nachor to be the true God Gen. 31.53 Againe if a lawfull oath by vertue of Gods commandements bind conscience then it must needes be that the Romane Church hath long erred in that shee teacheth and maintaineth that gouernours as namely the Pope and other inferiour Bishops haue power to giue relaxations and dispensations not onely for oathes vnlawfull from which the word of God doth sufficiently free vs though they should neuer giue absolution but from a true and lawfull oath made wittingly and willingly without error or deceit of a thing honest and possible as when the Pope frees the subiects of this land as occasion is offered from their sworne allegiance and loyaltie to which they are bound not onely by the law of nature but also by a solemne and particular oath to the Supremacie which none euer deemed vnlawfull but such as carrie traytours hearts Now this erronious diuinitie would easily be reuoked if men did but consider the nature of an oath one part whereof is Inuocation in which we pray vnto God first that he would become a witnes vnto vs that we speake the truth and purpose not to deceiue secondly if we faile and breake our promise that he would take reuenge vpon vs and in both these petitions we bind our selues immediatly to God himselfe and God againe who is the ordainer of the oath accepts this bond and knits it by his commandement till it be accomplished Hence it follows that no creature can haue power to vntie the bond of an oath that is truly and lawfully an oath vnlesse we will exalt the creatures aboue God himselfe And the Iewish teachers gaue better counsell when they commanded the people to performe their oathes to the Lord for the preuenting of periurie and our Sauiour Christ in that gainesaies them not Math. 5.33 Next let vs consider the time when an oath bindeth or bindeth not An oath bindeth then when it is made of things certen and possible in truth iustice iudgement for the glorie of God the good of our neighbour Quest. I. Whether doth an oath bind conscience if by the keeping of it there follow losses and hindrances Ans. If it be of a thing that is lawfull and the damages be priuate to him that sweareth then doth it bind conscience For example A man makes a purchase of land at the sea side his bargaine is confirmed onely by oath and it falls out that before he doe enter possession the sea breakes in and drownes a part of that purchase Now he is in conscience to stand to his bargaine because the thing is lawfull and the damage is priuate and great reuerence must be had of the name of God which hath bin vsed in the bargaine making Dauid
thus Though Christ hath freed thee from death by his death yet thou art quite barred from heauen because thou neuer didst fulfil the law The conscience answereth I know that Christ is my righteousnes and hath fulfilled the law for me Thirdly the deuill replies and saith Christs benefits belong not to thee thou art but an hypocrite and wantest faith Now when a man is driuen to this straight it is neither wit nor learning nor fauour nor honour that can repulse this temptation but onely the poore conscience directed and sanctified by the Spirit of God which boldly and constantly answereth I know that I beleeue And though it be the office of the conscience after it is renued principally to excuse yet doth it also in part accuse When Dauid had numbred the people his heart smote him 2. Sam. 24.10 Iob saith in his affâ—iction that God did write bitter things against him and made him possesse the sinnes of his youth Iob 13. 26. The reason hereof is because the whole man and the very conscience is onely in part regenerate and therefore in some part remaines still corrupt Neither must it seeme straunge that one and the same conscience should both accuse and excuse because it doth it not in one and the same respect It excuseth in that it assureth a man that his person stands righteous before God and that he hath an indeauour in the generall course of his life to please God it accuseth him for his particular slippes and for the wants that be in his good actions If any shall demaund why God doth not perfectly regenerate the conscience and cause it onely to excuse the answer is this God doth it for the preuenting of great misâ—hiefes When the Israelites came into the land of Canaan the Cananites were not at the first wholly displacedâ— Why Moses rendreth the reason least wild beasts come and inhabit some parts of the land that were dispeopled and more annoy them then the Cananites In like manner God renues the conscience but so as it shall still accuse when occasion serueth for the preuenting of many dangerous sinnes which like wild beasts would make hauocke of the soule Thus much of good conscience now follows euill conscience and that is so called partly because it is defiled and corrupted by originall sinne partly because it is euill that is troublesome and painefull in our sense and feeling as all sorrowes calamities and miseries are which for this very cause also are called euills And though conscience be thus tearmed euill yet hath it some respects of generall goodnes in as much as it is an instrument of the execution of diuine iustice because it serues to accuse them before God which are iustly to be accused It hath spread it selfe ouer mankind as generally as originall sinne therefore it is to be found in all men that come of Adam by ordinarie generation The propertie of it is with all the power it hath to accuse and condemne and thereby to make a man afraid of the presence of God and to cause him to flie from God as from an enemie This the Lord signified when he said to Adam Adam where art thou When Peter saw some little glimbring of the power and maiestie of God in the great draught of fish he fell on his knees and saide to Christ Lord goe from me for I am a sinnefullman Euill conscience is either dead or stirring Dead conscience is that which though it can doe nothing but accuse yet commonly it lies quiet accusing little or nothing at all The causes why conscience lieth dead in all men either more or lesse are many I. Defect of reason or vnderstanding in crased braines II. Violence and strength of affections which as a cloud doe ouercast the minde and as a gulfe of water swallow vp the iudgement and reason and thereby hinder the conscience from accusing for when reason can not doe his part then conscience doth nothing For example some one in his rage behaues himselfe like a madde man and willingly commits any mischiefe without controlment of conscience but when choller is downe he beginnes to be ashamed and troubled in himselfe not alwaies by grace but euen by the force of his naturall conscience which when affection is calmed beginnes to stirre as appeareth in the example of Cain III. Ignorance of Gods will and errours in iudgement cause the conscience to be quiet when it ought to accuse This we find by experience in the deaths of obstinate heretikes which suffer for their damnable opinions without checke of conscience Dead conscience hath two degrees The first is the slumbring or the benummed conscience the second is the seared conscience The benummed conscience is that which doth not accuse a man for any sinne vnlesse it be grieuous or capitall and not alwaies for that but onely in the time of some grieuous sicknes or calamitie Iosephs brethren were not much troubled in conscience for their villanie in selling their brother till afterward when they were afflicted with famine and distressed in Egypt Gen. 42. 2. This is the conscience that commonly raignes in the hearts of drousie Protestants of all carnall and lukewarme gospellers and of such as are commonly tearmed ciuill honest men whose apparant integritie will not free them from guiltie consciences Such a conscience is to be taken heede of vs as beeing most daâ—gerous It is like a wild beast which so long as he lies asleepe seemes very tame and gentle and hurts no man but when he is roused he then awakes and flies in a mans face and offers to pull out his throate And so it is the manner of dead conscience to lie still and quiet euen through the course of a mans life and hereupon a man would thinke as most doe that it were a good conscience indeede but when sicknes or death approcheth it beeing awaked by the hand of God beginnes to stand vp on his legges and shewes his fierce eyes and offers to rend out euen the very throat of the soule And heathen Poets knowing this right well haue compared euill conscience to Furies pursuing men with firebrands The seared conscience is that which doth not accuse for any sinne no not for great sinnes It is compared by Paul 1. Tim. 4.2 to the part of a mans bodie which is not onely bereft of sense life and motion by the gangrene but also is burnt with a searing yron and therefore must needes be vtterly past all feeling This kind of conscience is not in all men but in such persons as are become obstinate heretikes and notorious malefactours And it is not in them by nature but by an increase of the corruption of nature and that by certaine steppes and degrees For naturally euery man hath in him blindnes of minde and obstinacie or frowardnes of heart yet so as with the blindnes and ignorance of minde are ioyned some remnants of the light of nature shewing vs what is
said religion is against the Catholike principles and groundes of the Catechisme PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPfull Sir William Bowes Knight c. Grace and peace RIght Worshipful it is a notable pollicie of the deuil which he hath put into the heades of sundrie men in this age to thinke that our religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be reunited as in their opinion they were before Writings to this effect are spread abroad in the French tongue and respected of English protestants more then is meete or ought to be For let men in shew of moderation pretend the peace and good estate of the Catholike Church as long as long as they will this Vnion of the two religions can neuer be made more then the vnion of light darknes And this shall appeare if we doe but a little consider howe they of the Romane Church haue rased the foundation For though in wordes they honour Christ yet in deed they turne him to a Pseudo-Christ and an Idol of their owne braine They call him our Lord but with this condition that the Seruant of Seruants of this Lord may chaunge and adde to his commandements hauing so great a power that he may open and shut heauen to whome he will and bind the verie conscience with his owne lawes and consequently be partaker of the spiritual kingdome of Christ. Againe they call him a Sauiour but yet in Vs in that hee giues this grace vnto vs that by our merits wee may be our owne Sauiours and in the want of our own merits wee may pertake in the merits of the Saints And they acknowledge that he died and suffered for vs but with this caueat that the Fault beeing pardoned wee must satisfie for the temporall punishment either in this world or in Purgatorie In a word they make him our mediatour of Intercession vnto God but withal his Mother must be the Queene of Heauen and by the right of a Mother commaund him there Thus in worde they crie Osunna but in deede they crucifie Christ. Therefore wee haue good cause to blesse the name of God that hath freed vs from the yoke of this Romane bondage and hath brought vs to the true light libertie of the gospel And it should be a great height of vnthankfulnesse in vs not to stand out against the present Church of Rome but to yeeld our selues to plottes of reconciliation To this effect and purpose I haue penned this little Treatise which I present to your Worship desiring it might be some token of a thankfull mind for vndeserued loue And I craue withall not onely your Worshipfull which is more common but also your learned protection beeing well assured that by skill and arte you are able to iustifie whatsoeuer I haue truely taught Thus wishing to you and yours the continuance and the increase of faith and good conscience I take my leaue Cambridge Iun. 28. 1597. Your Worships in the Lord William Perkins THE AVTHOR TO THE Christian Reader BY a Reformed Catholike I vnderstand any one that holdes the same necessarie beads of religion with the Romane Church yet so as he pares off and reiects all errours in doctrine whereby the said religion is corrupted Howe this may be done I haue begun to make some little declaration in this small Treatise the intent whereof is to shewe how neere wee may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion and wherein we must for euer dissent My purpose in penning this small discourse is threefolde The first is to confute all such Politikes as hold and maintaine that our religion and that of the Romane Church differ not in substance and consequently that they may be reconciled yet my meaning is not here to condemne any Pacification that tends to perswade the Romane Church to our religion The second is that the Papists which thinke so basely of our religion may be wonne to a better liking of it when they shall see howe neere we come vnto them in sundrie points The third that the common protestant might in some part see and conceiue the point of difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome and know in what manner and how farre forth we condemne the opinions of the said Church I craue pardon for the order which I vse in handling the seuerall points For I haue set them downe one by one as they came to mind not respecting the lawes of method If any Papist shall say that I haue not alleadged their opinions aright I answer that their bookes be at hand and I can iustifie what I haue saide Thus crauing thine acceptation of this my paines and wishing vnto thee the increase of knowledge and loue of pure and sound religion I take my leaue and make an ende The places of doctrine handled are 1 Of Free-will 2 Of Originall sinne 3 Assurance of saluation 4 Iustification of a sinner 5 Of merits 6 Satisfactions for sinne 7 Of Traditions 8 Of Vowes 9 Of Images 10 Of Reall presence 11 The sacrifice of the Masse 12 Of Fasting 13 The state of perfection 14 Worshipping of Saints departed 15 Intercession of Saints 16 Implicite faith 17 Of Purgatorie 18 Of the supremacie 19 Of the efficacie of the Sacraments 20 Of faith 21 Of Repentance 22 The sinnes of the Romane Church REVELAT 18. 4. And I heard another voice from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and receiue not of her plagues IN the former chapter S. Iohn sets downe a description of the whore of Babylon that at large as he saw her in a vision described vnto him In the sixteenth verse of the same chapter he foretels her destruction and in the three first verses of this 18. chapter hee goeth on to propound the said destruction yet more directly and plainely withall alleadging arguments to prooue the same in all the verses following Nowe in this fourth verse is set downe a caueat seruing to forewarne all the people of God that they may escape the iudgement which shal befall the whore and the words containe two parts a commandement and a reason The commandement Come out of her my people that is from Babylon The reason taken from the euent least ye be partakers c. Touching the cōmandement first I will search the right meaning of it and then set downe the vse thereof and doctrine flowing thence In historie therefore are three Babylons mentioned one is Babylon of Assyria standing on the riuer Euphrates where was the confusion of Languages and where the Iewes were in captiuitie which Babylon is in Scripture reproched for Idolatrie and other iniquities The second Babylon is in Egypt standing on the riuer Nylus and it is now called Cayr of that mention is made 1. Pet. 5.13 as some thinke though indeede it is as likely and more commonly thought
by which the sillie and ignorant people are notably deluded As for that other part of Astrology concerning natiuities reuolutions progressions directions of natiuities as also that which concerneth election of times the finding againe of thinges lost it is very wicked and it is probable that it is of the same brood with implicite and close Magique My reasons are these I. The word of God reckoning Astrologers amongst Magitians adiudgeth them both to one and the same punishment II. But the Astrologer saith he foretelleth many things which as he said come so to passe be it so But howe I demaund and by what meanes He saith by arte but that I denie For the precepts of his arte will appeare to such as read them not with a preiudicate affection very ridiculous VVhence then I pray you doth this curious diuiner foreshew the trueth but by an inward secret instinct from the diuell This is Augustines opinion in his 5. booke and 7. chapt of the Citie of God If we weigh all those things saith he we will not without cause beleeue that Astrologers when they doe wonderfully declare many truths worke by some secret instinct of euill spirits which desire to fill mens braines with erronious and daungerous opinions of starrie destinies and not by any arte deriued from the inspection and consideration of the Horoscope which indeed is none XII Popish consecration of water and salt to restore the minde vnto health and to chase away diuels The reformed Missal pag. 96. XIII To make iests of the Scripture phrase Esai 66.2 I will looke euen to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and which trembleth at my wordes We haue an example of such scoffing in the Tripart hist. chapter 36. booke 6. The heathen did grieuously oppresse the Christians and inflicted sometimes vpon their bodies corporall punishments The which when the Christians signified vnto the Emperour he disdained to assist them and sent them away with this scoffe You are to suffer iniuries patiently for so are ye commanded of your God XIIII Lightly to passe ouer Gods iudgements which are seene in the world Matth. 26.34 Verily verily I say vnto thee this night before the cocke crow thou shalt denie me thrise vers 35. Peter said vnto him Though I should die with thee I will not denie thee Luk. 13.1,2,3 There were certaine men present at the same season that shewed him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their owne sacrifices And Iesus answered and said vnto them Suppose ye that these Galileans were greater sinners then all the other Galileans because they haue suffered such things I tell you nay but except ye amende your liues ye shall likewise perish XV. A dissolute conuersation Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before mē that they seeing your good workes may glorifie your Father which is in heauen 2. Sam. 12.14 Because that by this deede thou hast made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child that is borne vnto thee shall surely die The affirmatiue part In all things giue God his due glorie 1. Cor. 10.13 To this appertaine I. Zeale of Gods glorie aboue all things in the world besides Numb 25.8 When Phineas the sonne of Eleazer saw it he followed the man of Israel into his tent and thrust them both through to wit both the man of Israel and the woman through hir bellie Psal. 69.22 The zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp and the reproches of the scornefull haue fallen vpon me II. To vse Gods titles onely in serious affaires and that with all reuerence Deut. 28.58 If thou wilt not keepe and doe all the words of this law that are written in this booke and feare this glorious and fearefull name THE LORD THY GOD. Rom. 9.5 Of whome are the fathers and of whome concerning the flesh Christ came who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen III. An holy commemoration of the creature whereby we in the contemplation and admiration of the dignitie and excellencie thereof yeeld an approbation when we name it and celebrate the praise of God brightly shining in the same Psal. 64.9,10 And all men shall see it and declare the worke of God and they shall vnderstand what he hath wrought but the righteous shall be glad in the Lord and trust in him and all that are vpright of heart shall reioyce Luke 2. 18,19 And all they that heard it wondered at the things that were told them of the shepheards but Marie kept all these things and pondered them in her heart Ierem. 5.12 Feare ye not me saith the Lord or will ye not be afraid at my presence which haue placed the sands for the bounds of the seas by the perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it and though the waues thereof rage yet can they not preuaile though they rore yet can they not passe ouer IV. An oth in which we must regard 1. How an oth is to be taken 2. How it is to be performed In taking an oth foure circumstances must be obserued I. The matter or parts of an oth the parts are in number foure 1. Confirmation of a truth 2. Inuocation of God alone as a witnesse of the truth and a reuenger of a lie 3. Confession that God punisheth periurie when he is brought in as a false witnesse 4. An obligation that we will vndergoe the punishment at Gods hand if we performe not the condition II. The forme We must sweare 1. truly least we forsweare 2. Iustly least we commit impietie 3. In iudgement for feare of rashnes Ierem. 4.2 Thou shalt sweare the Lord liueth in truth in iudgement and righteousnes Esa. 48. 1. Which sweare by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel but not in truth nor in righteousnes c. Therefore the oth of drunken furious and franticke men also othes of children they doe not impose an obseruation of them but by law are no othes III. The ende namely to confirme some necessarie truth in question Hebr. 6. 16. Men sweare by him that is greater then themselues and an oth for confirmation is among them an end of all strife I call that a necessarie truth when some doubt which must necessarily be decided can none other way be determined then by an oth as when Gods glorie our neighbours bodie or goods or the credit of the partie for whom the oth is ministred are necessarily called into question Rom. 1.9 God is my witnes whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you 2. Cor. 1. 23. I call God for a record into my soule that to spare you I came not as yet vnto Corinth IV. The diuers kinds or sorts of othes An oth is publike or priuate Publike when the Magistrate without any peril to him that sweareth doth vpon iust cause exact a testimonie together with an oth A priuate oth is which two or more take priuately This so
that it be sparingly and warily vsed is lawfull For if in serious affaires and matters of great importance it be lawfull in priuate to admit God as a Iudge why should he not as well be called to witnesse Againe the examples of holy men shew the practise of priuate othes as not vnlawfull Iacob and Laban confirmed their couenant one with an other by priuate oth the like did Booz in his contract with Ruth To this place may be added an asseueration the which albeit it be like an oth yet indeede is none and is nothing else but a constant assertion of our mind intersetting sometimes the name of a creature Such was Christs assertion Verely verely I say vnto you And Pauls I call God to record in my spirit Where is both an oth an asseueration 1. Cor. 15.31 By your reioycing which I haue in Iesus Christ I die daily 1. Sam. 20.3 Indeede as the Lord liueth and as my soule liueth there is but a step betweene me and death And surely in such a kind of asseueration there is great equitie for albeit it be vnlawfull to sweare by creatures least Gods honour and power should be attributed vnto them yet thus farre may we vse them in an oath as to make pledges and as it were cognisances of Gods glorie The performance of an oth is on this manner If the oth made be of a lawfull thing it must be performed be it of much difficultie great dammage and extorted by force of him that made it Psal. 15.4 He that sweareth to his owne hinderance and changeth not he shall dwell in Gods tabernacle Yet may the Magistrate as it shall seeme right and conuenient either annihilate or moderate such othes Contrarily if a man sweare to performe things vnlawfull and that by ignoraÌ„ce error or infirmitie or any other way his oth is to be recalled For we may not adde sinne vnto sinne 1. Sam. 25.21 And Dauid said Indeede I haue kept all in vaine that this fellow had in the wildernes c. vers 22. So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid for surely I will not leaue of all that he hath by the dawning of the day any that pisseth against the wall vers 33. Dauid said Blessed be thy counsell and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from comming to shedde blood and that mine hand hath not saued me 2. Sam. 19.23 Dauid promiseth that Shimei should not die but 1. King 2.8,9 Dauid saith to Salomon Though I sware so yet thou shalt not count him innocent but cause his hoare head to goe downe to the graue with blood V. Sanctification of Gods creatures and ordinances the which is a separation of them to an holy vse Thus ought we to sanctifie our meates and drinks the works of our calling and marriage The meanes of this sanctification are two Gods word and prayer 1. Tim. 4.4 All which God hath created is good and nothing must be reiected if it be receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word and prayer By the word we are instructed first whether God alloweth the vse of such things or not secondly we learne after what holy manner in what place at what time with what affection and to what end we must vse them Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God Psal. 119.24 Thy testimonies are my delight they are my counsellers Iosh. 22.19,29 1. Sam. 15.23 Prayer which sanctifieth is petition and thanksgiuing By petition we obtaine of Gods meiestie assistance by his grace to make an holy vse of his creatures and ordinances Col. 3. 17. Whatsoeuer ye shall doe in word or deede doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus giuing thanks to God euen the Father by him 1. Sam. 17.45 Then said Dauid to the Philistim Thou commest to me with a sword and with a speare and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts the God of the host of Israel whome thou hast railed vpon Mich. 4. 5. We must walke in the name of the Lord our God for euer and euer Here may we obserue prayer made vpon particular occasion 1. For a prosperous iourney Act. 21.5 When the daies were ended we departed and went our way and they all accompanied vs with their wiues and children euen out of the citie and we kneeling downe on the shore prayed c. 2. For a blessing vpon meats at the table Ioh. 6.11 Then Iesus tooke the bread and when he had giuen thankes he gaue it to his Disciples and the Disciples to them that were set downe and likewise of the fishes as much as they would Act. 27.35 He tooke bread and gaue thanks to God in presence of them all and brake it and began to eate 3. For issue in childbirth This did Anna 1. Sam. 1.14 And Zacharie Luk. 1.13 4. For good successe in busines Gen. 24. 12. Abrahams seruant praied Thanksgiuing is the magnifying of Gods name euen the Father through Christ for his grace ayde and blessing in the lawfull vse of the creatures Phil. 4.6 In all things let your requests be shewed vnto God in prayer and supplication and giuing of thanks 1â— Thess. 5. 18. In all things giue thanks for this is the will of God in Christ towards you This we may read vsed 1. after meate Deut. 8.10 When thou hast eaten and filled thy selfe thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath giuen thee 2. After the losse of outward wealth Iob 1.21 And Iob saide Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne againe the Lord hath giuen and the lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord for euermore 3. For deliuerance out of seruitude Exod. 18. 10. Iethro said Blessed be the Lord who hath deliuered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh who also hath deliuered the people from vnder the hand of the Egyptians 4. For children Gen. 29.35 Shee conceiued againe and bare of sonne saying Now will I praise the Lord therefore shee called his name Iudah 5. For victorie 2. Sam. 22.1 And Dauid spake the words of this song vnto the Lord what time the Lord had deliuered him out of the hands of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul and said The Lord is my rocke and my fortresse c. 6. For good successe in domesticall affaires Abrahams seruant Gen. 24.12 blessed the Lord of his master Abraham CHAP. 23. Of the fourth Commandement THe fourth Commandement concerneth the Sabboth namely that holy time consecrated to the worship and glorifying of God The words are these Remember the Sabboth to keepe it sixe daies shalt thou labour and doe â—ll thy worke but the seuenth day is the Sabboth of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt doe no manner of worke thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man seruant nor thy maid nor thy beast nor thy
by some circumstances inherent in the person is mooued to doe this or that Now as for God he did vpon his meere pleasure elect some and reiect others eternally not mooued or vrged thereunto by any thing whatsoeuer out of himselfe II. He is debter to none but may by good right doe with his creatures what seemeth good vnto him in his owne eyes III. It is one thing with God to accept of persons and another to make choice of men This if we should not graunt it would follow that God must be deemed blame-worthie because he made not all his creatures most glorious Angels Obiect VIII If God decreed to reiect certaine men then did he hate his creature Answ. God decreed to reiect his creature and workmanship not because he hated it but because he appointed it to hatred And it is one thing to hate and another to appoint to hatred And indeede God doth not actually hate any thing but for sinne That saying of Augustine to Simplicius is fitte for this purpose When God maketh the wicked whome he doth not iustifie vessells of wrath he doth it not to hate that which he made for in that he made them vessels they haue their vse namely that by their paines to which they were ordained the vessels of honour might reape profit God therefore doth not hate them in that they are men or vessels neither any thing that he made in them by creation or ordination For God hateth nothing which he hath made But in as much as he made them vessels of destruction he did it to instruct others As for their impietie which he neuer made that he hateth vtterly As therfore a iudge hateth theft in a mā but he doth not hate his punishment that he is sent to worke in the mines For the theefe doth the first the iudge the latter so God whereas of the companie of them which perish he maketh vessels of perdition he doth not therefore hate that which he doth that is the cōdemnation of those which perish in their due punishment for sinne Obiect IX The reprobates are said in many places of Scripture to be redeemed by Christ as 2. Pet. 2.1 Ans. First we must not vnderstand such places meant of all reprobates but of such as are for a time in the Church II. They are saide to be redeemed iustified and sanctified both in their owne iudgements and the Churches also in as much as they make an externall profession of the faith But this is a iudgement of charitie not of certentie Obiect X. God might be thought cruell if that he had ordained the greatest part of the world to destruction Answer God could well enough haue decreed that euen all men should vtterly haue beene reiected and yet he should haue beene neuer a whit either cruell or vniust Reasons I. He adiudged all and euery one of those soule and wicked spirits which fell from him to eternall torments II. He decreed also as is apparant by the euent that men should liue by the slaughter of beasts and yet God is not therefore cruell against them and surely God is no more bounden vnto man then vnto the very bruit beasts Exception God appointed all to be saued with this caueat and condition If they beleeue Answer This is absurd to affirme for I. by this meanes the decree of God should depende vpon the will of man◠when as contrarily Gods decree doth limit and order all inferiour causes II. It quite taketh away the certaintie of Gods decree because a conditionall proposition doth set downe nothing as beeing or it doth not certainly affirme any thing Obiect If the merit of Christ did not extend it selfe as farre as the fall of Adam then is not the head of the Serpent broken nor Satans kingdome abolished by Christ. Ans. This brusing of the Serpents head is seene in them onely which are at enimitie with the Serpent namely in such as truly beleeue Gen. 3.15 compared with Rom. 16.20 To conclude that is not true which they say namely that this opinion of an vniuersall and effectuall redemption of euery singular man is a notable remedie to comfort afflicted consciences For I appeale to the iudgement of all men whether there is in this manner of consolation any great comfort to the conscience afflicted Christ died for all men Thou art a man Therefore Christ died for thee The II. errour God did foreknow the fall of Adam but he did not by his eternall decree foreordaine the same and therefore that his fall was without the agent permission of God The Confutation It is false For I. there is not the least thing in nature but it commeth to passe by the decree and will of God Math. 10.30 Wherefore such as affirme that God did onely foreknow this or that they doe either quite ouerturne the prouidence of GOD or at the least imagine that it is a very idle prouidence II. The fact of Herod and Pilate in deliuering Christ against their own consciences to be crucified may seeme to be as heinous as was Adams fall and yet they are said to haue done that which the hand of the Lord had fore-ordained to be done Act. 4. 28. Againe the fall of Adam was two manner of waies by Gods actiue or rather operatiue permission I. In as much as the fall was an action for in God alone we liue we mooue and haue our beeing II. In as much as that his fall was but a bare triall of his loyaltie to God whereby God would trie both the power and will of his creature The III. errour God by reason that he did foresee the disobedience of some or that they would contemne the Gospel did decree their destruction and condemnation The Confutation We vtterly denie that the foreseeing of the contempt of grace in any was the first and principall cause of the decree of reprobation Reasons I. Paul Rom. 1. doth deriue the common condemnation of the Gentiles from hence namely that they withheld the truth in vnrighteousnes that is because they did wittingly extinguish that light of nature by their wicked doings which they had of the knowledge of God and would not obey their consciences inwardly checking them for the same II. If that faith foreseene be not the cause of the decree of Election it can not be that the want of faith foreseene should be the cause of the decree of reprobation but rather as faith doth in order of causes follow after election so must incredulitie reprobation For there is the like reason or proportion of contraries III. Many infants depart this life both beeing out of the true Church and before they haue any vse of reason and againe many there are which albeit they liue long yet being either idiots and fooles or borne deafe they cannot come to the true vse of reason in all which it is not credible that their should be suspected any contempt of the Gospel which they could not learne IV. Esau was hated of God for none other
cause but for that it so pleased him Rom. 9.18 V. If this opinion should be true then would it follow that men should be condemned for nothing else but incredulitie the which is not so Ioh. 3.36 Christ speaking of vnbeleefe saith not that for it the wrath of God came vpon man but remaineth vpon him And why should we daily aske pardon for our sinnes if nothing but incredulitie or vnbeleefe condemned vs nay although that there were neuer any contempt of the Gospell yet that corruption of originall sinne were sufficient enough to condemne men VI. Also that admiration which Paul hath Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou which disputest with Godâ— doth plainly shew that the cause of the decree of God in reiecting some is vnsearchable and that it doth not at all depend vpon any foreseene contumacie towards the grace of God offered in the Gospel For if it were otherwise we might easily giue a reason of Gods decree August epist. 105. saith very well Who saith he created the reprobates but God and why but because it pleased him but why pleased it him O man who art thou that disputest with God! Some Diuines perceiuing that this is an hard sentence they goe about to mitigate it in this sort The matter say they or obiect of predestination is a reasonable creature and that not simply or absolutely considered but partly as it fell partly as of it selfe it was subiect to fall and thereupon God preordaining men from euerlasting considered them not simply as he was to make them men but as they were such men as might fall into sinne and againe be redeemed by Christ and after called to the light of the Gospel The efficient or first motiue cause was not any foreknowne cause either this or that but the meere will of God For he disposeth all things not of and by his foreknowledge but rather according to the same But these things albeit they may seeme to be subtile deuises yet are they not altogether true Reasons I. The potter when he purposeth to make some vessell doth not consider the clay and regard in it some inherent qualitie to make such a vessell but he maketh it of such and such a forme to this or that vse euen of his alone free-will and pleasure II. Rom. 9.21 Hath not the potter power to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour In which place we may not vnderstand by the name lumpe all mankinde corrupted and fallen and so to be redeemed in Christ for then Paul would not haue said that God made vessels of wrath but rather that he did forsake them after they were made III. This seemeth preposterous that God did first foreknow mankind created fallen and redeemed in Christ and that afterward he ordained them so foreknown to life or to death For the ende is the first thing in the intention of the agent neither will a most skilfull workman first prepare meanes by which he may be helped to doe a thing before he hath set downe in his minde all the endes both such as are most neere and them that are very farre off Now we know this that mans creation and his fall in Adam are but meanes to execute Gods predestination and therefore are subordinate vnto it but the ende of Gods decree is the manifestation of his glorie in sauing some and condemning others Therefore we may not once imagine that God did first consult of the meanes whereby he determined to execute his decree before he deliberated of the election and reprobation of man The IIII. errour Gods calling to the knowledge of the Gospell is vniuersall yea of all men and euery singular person without exception The Confutation This is a very vnreasonable position Reasons I. God would not haue all men called Math. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen He saith not that all but many are called Christ in his Disciples first ambassage chargeth them that they should not preach to the Gentiles of his comming and to the Cananitish woman he saith It is not lawfull to giue that which is holy vnto dogges Mat. 13.11 It is not giuen to euery one to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Rom. 16. 25. The mysterie of the Gospel whether it be meant of Christ or the calling of the Gentiles was kept secret from the beginning of the world II. There be many millions of men which haue not so much as heard of Christ. Act. 14.16 God in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies III. The greatest part of the world hath euer beene out of the Couenant Eph. 2. 12. Ye were I say at that time without Christ and were aliants from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were without God in the world but now ye are no more strangers and forrenners but citizens with the Saints Obiect They are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not simply alienated but abalienated from God now how could they be abalienated except either they or their predecessors had beene in the couenant Ans. The Gentiles are not said to be abalienated from the couenant but from the common-wealth of Israel because that God had then by certaine lawes rites and ceremonies vtterly seuered and distinguished the people of the Iewes from all other nations Obiect This generall calling is not to be vnderstood simply of the ministerie of the word but of the will of God deliuered presently after the fall in his vnwritten word but afterward in his written word and this all men ought to know although many through their owne default know it not Ans. But the Scriptures were committed to the custodie of the Church of God and euery one was not credited with them Rom. 3.2 Vnto the Iewes were of credit committed the Oracles of God 1. Tim. 3. 15. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth Psal. 147. 19. He shewed his words vnto Iacob and his statutes and lawes to the house of Israel 20. He hath not dealt so with euery nation therefore they haue not knowne his lawâ—s Psal. 76. 1. The Lord is famous in Iudea and in Israel is his name great Obiect The couenant of Grace was made with Adam and Eue and in them all mankind was receiued both into the Church and couenant and also called to the knowledge of God Ans. I. This reason wanteth euen common reason and sense to say that God giuing his promise in the daies of Adam and Noah did in them call all mankind that should come after II. Adam before his fall did indeede receiue the grace both for himselfe and for others also and in the fall he lost it both for himselfe and for all others but after the fall he receiued the promise for himselfe alone and not for the whole world otherwise the first Adam should not onely haue beene a liuing creature but a quickning spirit the which is proper to the second
God which is the first cause of our saluation without respect of any thing in the person of Isaac For what God by his promise brings to passe in time that he most freely decreed before all times Nowe considering the Iewes might say that Ismael was reiected because he was borne of the hand-maid Hagar whereas they for their parts descend of Abraham and Sarai by Isaac the lawefull sonne Paul addes a third example of the distinction betweene man and man out of the familie of Isaac in which Iacob was a true sonne and heire of the promise and Esau was not Nowe the distinction of these two persons is propounded in the 10. vers and confirmed verse 11 12 13. in which are set downe three things I. the time of this distinction yer the children were borne and therefore when they had neither done good nor euill And this circumstance is noted to shewe that God was not mooued by any preuision or preconsideration of Iacobs godlinesse and Esaus prophanenesse to preferre the one before the other II. the ende why the distinction was made at this time and not afterward when they were borne is that the purpose of God which is according to his election might remaine sure not of workes but by him that calleth that is that by this meanes it might appeare that when God receiues any man into the couenant of eternall life it proceedes not of any dignitie in the man whome God calleth but from his mercie and alone good pleasure that his decree of sauing the elect might remaine firme and sure for euer Hence it is manifest that there is an vnchangeable decree of election of some men for he that takes all and accepts none can not be said to choose to saluation depending vpon the alone will of God and therefore necessarily by the lawe of contraries there is an opposite decree of reprobation for in that God ordaineth some to eternall saluation hee testifies thereby that his purpose is to passe by some without shewing of mercy III. The author of this distinction God himselfe by his purpose before al times which purpose he made manifest by testimony giuen to Rebecca saying the greater shall serue the younger that is the first borne and more excellent according to the flesh shall loose his birthright and the blessing of his father and in respect of title to the couenant be subiect to the younger And because this testimony concerning the freedome and seruitude of Iacob and Esau might seeme sufficient to prooue the election of the first and the reiection of the second therefore Paul addes a secōd testimony out of Malachi I haue loued Iacob hated Esau that is I haue purposed to loue Iacob to hate Esau. And these words no doubt are alleadged to expound the former place out of Moses and shew that the bondage of Esau was ioyned with the hatred of God and the feedom of Iacob with the loue of God as tokens thereof Against this receiued exposition of the former words which I haue nowe propounded sundrie exceptions are made First that the prerogatiue of Isaac aboue Ismael and Iacob aboue Esau was only in temporarie blessings in that God vouchsafed vnto them the right of the land of Canaan Ans. If these places are to bee vnderstood of temporall blessings and not spirituall then the Apostle hath not fitly alleadged the former examples to prooue the reiection of the Iewes from the Couenant For though it be graunted there be a difference betweene man and man in respect of earthly blessings yet doeth it not followe that there shall be the same difference in things concerning the kingdome of heauen If a father for some cause disinherit one or two of his children it were absurd thereupon to conclude that he might therefore kil any of the rest Againe the land of Canaan was not onely an earthly inheritance but also a pledge and figure vnto our forefathers of a better inheritance in heauē and therefore the excluding of Ismael and Esau from the land of Canaan was a signe that they were excluded from the couenant of grace and the right of eternall life Some others say that by Iacob and Esau are not meant two persons but the two nations of the Idumeans and the Israelites Ans. It is a manifest vntrueth For it was not possible for two nations to striue in the wombe of Rebecca vnlesse wee considered them as they were comprehended vnder the two heads to wit the verie persons of Iacob and Esau. And whereas they say that Esau in person neuer serued Iacob but onely in his posteritie the answer is that Iacobs freedome and prerogatiues were spirituall and not temporall which by faith he saw a farre off but inioyed not and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in respect of his outward estate and condition as in regard of the couenant made with his auncestours from which hee was barred And though it bee graunted that by Iacob and Esau two nations and not two persons are to be vnderstood yet all comes to one head for the receiuing of the nation of the Israelites into the couenant and the excluding of the nation of the Edomites both descending of Iacob and Esau serue as wel to prooue Gods eternal election reprobation as the receiuing and reiecting of one man Others say that these words I haue hated Esau are thus to be vnderstood I haue lesse loued Esau then Iacob But how then shall we say that Paul hath fitly alleadged this text to prooue the reiection of the Iewe from the fauour of God and the Couenant of grace considering that of men wherof one is loued more of God the other lesse both may still remain in the Couenant Lastly it is alleadged that the former exposition makes Ismael Esau damned persons Ans. We must leaue vnto God all secret iudgement of particular persons and yet neuerthelesse Paul doth very fitly in there two persons both descending of Abraham and both circumcised set forth examples of such as for their outward prerogatiues are indeede barred from the couenāt of life euerlasting before god And again the opposition made by Paul requires that the contrarie to that which is spoken of Isaac and Iacob should be said of Ismael and Esau. And there is nothing spoken of either of them in the Scriptures which argues the disposition of men ordained to eternall life Ismael is noted with the brand of a mocker and Esau of a prophane man To proceede in the text because the doctrine of Paul deliuered in the former verses might seeme strange vnto the Romanes therefore in the 14. verse he laies downe an obiection and answers the same The obiection is this If God put distinction betweene man and man without respect had to their persons vpon his owne will and pleasure then is he vniust but he is not vniust therfore he makes no such distinction The answer is God forbid