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A02746
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A touch-stone of grace Discouering the differences betweene true and counterfeit grace: laying downe infallible euidences and markes of true grace: seruing for the triall of a mans spirituall estate. By A.H. Bachelor in Diuinitie, and Minister of Gods Word at Cranham in Essex.
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Harsnett, Adam, 1579 or 80-1639.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 12876; ESTC S114563
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72,897
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335
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not thou more strength vnto them by yeelding vnto them When thy knowledge telleth thee that these and these things must not be ioyne issue with thy knowledge and say as Ioseph did How can I doe this euill and sinne against God Gen. 39. 9. I tell thee it is a grieuous euill to sin against knowledge when a mans knowledge within cryes out to the contrary this will make bloudy wounds and strike deepe gashes one day into thy conscience In the mean time thou art in a fearefull condition if thou allowest thy selfe in the practice of any one sinne condemned by thy knowledge for thou lyest open vnto any kind of impiety yea to any error euen vnto Popery for that person which denyeth the power of godlinesse will easily be brought to forsake the profession thereof if one sinne loued and delighted in be enough to pull a man from God to the Deuill yea into hell may it not then pull a man into Popery A wicked gracelesse person is a fit piece of stuffe to make a Papist of He that will not bee perswaded nor brought to leaue his sinne for the truth sake will easily be perswaded to leaue the truth for his sinnes sake How much better had it been for such a one neuer to haue known the way of righteousnesse than to turne away from that holy commandement giuen vnto him 2 Pet. 2. 21. Thirdly be instant and earnest with the Lord in prayer that he would manifest his power in thy weaknesse that he by his holy Spirit would conuey some life and power into thy knowledge that by the practice therof thou maist manifest the life of thy knowledge in al obedience and good conscience To this purpose Dauid makes many petitions to the Lord Psal 119. 88. Quicken me according to thy louing kindnesse so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth The Scribes and Pharisees knew the letter of the Law and were perfect in the Scriptures but the Lord by his Spirit had not taught them and therfore there was no spirituall life nor power in their knowledge Howsoeuer they boasted of their knowledge and thought scorne to be taught of others yet their knowledge being but a dead knowledge did increase their iudgement as appeares by those words of Christ Ioh. 9. 41. If yee were blind ye should not haue sinne but now yee say We see therefore your sinne remaineth A second Euidence of Grace THe next Euidence of Grace is Faith which followeth Knowledge as the frame doth the foundation for vntil such time as the minde be inlightned with the truth no man can beleeue There must be knowledge or else there can be no faith Wee haue knowne and beleeued saith Iohn No man can beleeue in Christ without the knowledge of him For how shall they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard Rom. 10. 14. Faith must needs be an euidence of grace because it is a speciall and a principal part and member therof not the fountaine of all other graces as some doe hold nor the root out of which all fruits of sanctitie doe spring For the soule must first be endued with the life of grace before it can beleeue vnlesse we wil say that faith may be in a gracelesse heart which cannot bee because being regenerate and sanctified by the Spirit we come to beleeue and to rest vpon the promise for the remission of sinnes and saluation by Iesus Christ Saint Paul calls Faith a fruit of the Spirit by whom we are sanctified therefore it cannot be the efficient cause of our sanctification It is true that Paul hath a passage tending that way Act. 26. 18. That they may receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith but by the Word sanctified we are to vnderstand the fruit not the grace of sanctification we are dead in sinnes vntill such time as wee come to be quickned by the Spirit Ioh. 6. 3. It is the Spirit which infuseth all diuine qualities into the soule The Apostle calleth them the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22 23. Amongst which fruits Faith is one of the principall as that which puts a kinde of liuelihood into all other graces and therefore after a certaine manner may bee said to sanctifie vs For according to the strength of faith will be the power of other graces hope loue c. If faith be weak hope and loue cannot be strong little faith little hope little loue no faith no hope no loue at all So that faith must needs be a sound euidence of grace for vntill such time as the heart bee purified and washed in the lauer of regeneration it is either Atheisticall to depraue the Word of God by doubting of diuine truths if not denying thē or else it is Sophisticall to peruert and wrest the Word so as oft-times bloud commeth out of it to choak strangle Gods people in stead of milke to feed and nourish them But if the heart be once sanctified by the Spirit then is faith wrought in vs which doth further and more effectually cleanse and purifie vs through the Word Ioh. 15. 3. Now because as in the former euidence of grace so in this also many a man and woman is mistaken the heart being so infinitely deceitfull it will bee no lost labour to examine the truth of our faith For you must know that it is possible for a wicked and gracelesse person to beleeue that Christ died for him yea to die in a strong perswasiō of Gods loue and fauour and so of his owne saluation Hath not experience taught vs thus much Who so confident who so full of faith if you will beleeue them as many vile wretches and gracelesse persons They wonder what people mean to doubt of Gods loue for their part they neuer as yet called it into question They thanke God they haue euer had as strong a faith as the best so they hope to continue This is euident by examples in the Scripture The Lord by the Prophet Ieremie speaks to the wicked Iews which had polluted the Land with their whoredomes and malice which had a vvhores fore-head and would not bee ashamed saying Did'st thou not still crie vnto mee Thou art my Father and the guide of my youth So in Mica 3. 11. The Lord speaking of corrupt Iudges of mercenary Priests merchandizing Prophets which set the Word to sale and prophecie for money saith that yet will they leane vpon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among vs no euill can come vpon vs. By which it appeares that wicked and gracelesse people may bee confident of Gods fauour How then may wee distinguish the faith of Gods children from the presumption of vnbeleeuers There lyes a great difference betwixt them The first difference is in the ground out of which true faith springs or the meanes by vvhich it is wrought in beleeuers True faith is wrought in all Gods children by the ministery of
doctrine To put it out of all question that grace is the free gift of God Saint Faul telleth vs 2 Tim. 1. 9. that it was giuen vnto vs before the world was True say the Papists But how thorow Gods foreseeing our workes But this the Apostle confutes in the same verse telling vs that it is not according to our workes but according to his own purpose and grace Againe in Eph. 1. 5 6. He telleth vs that He predestinated vs to be adopted through IESVS CHRIST vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the prayse of the glorie of his grace Therefore to conclude this point knovv that vvhatsoeuer good thing hath befallen vs or is comming tovvards vs all fauours and mercies exhibited or promised all are of Gods free grace all according to the good pleasure of his vvill the ground of all is vvithin himselfe as Beza well rendreth the vvords Ephes 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Teaching vs that no cause present or future without God mooued God to bestowe his grace vpon vs. For if God had not loued vs before vve loued him vvee had neuer been beloued 1. Ioh. 4. 19. If God had not loued vs before we had been amiable fit to be beloued vve had neuer tasted of his loue for he found vs filthy in our bloud Eze. 16. 6. If God had not loued vs before vve had been able to procure or deserue his loue vve had neuer been beloued Rom. 5. 7 8. If vve be at any time able to doe God any seruice it is not we but the grace of God in vs 1. Cor. 15. 10. Or if at any time vve being any thing vnto God we must say as Dauid said 1 Chron. 29. 14. All things O Lord come of thee and of thine owne hands haue wee giuen the. If God respect or reward any seruice of ours what doth hee but crowne his owne gifts The consideration wherof cryes shame in our faces for making the Lord so vvretched a requitall for so free and vndeserued grace Our case was desperate our condition damnable nothing of our owne to bring vs into grace and fauour vvith God only his own goodnesse mooued him to take pittie vpon vs and freely of his grace to instifie vs Rom. 3. 24. How should this knit our hearts vnto the Lord A benefit the more freely it comes the stronger it tyes the receiuer vnto the giuer The Sun shines not more freely vpon vs nay not so freely for that can doe no other it shines by vertue of an higher and commanding power and that order which God hath set Psal 104. 19. then Gods grace is bestowed vpon vs. How should this fill our hearts and tongues with the praises of the Lord Had we the tongues of men and Angels we could not sufficiently expresse his praises for the freenesse of his grace How should this tye vs vnto the Lord and knit our hearts vnto him who hath so abounded in loue vnto vs and that so freely so vndeseruedly Againe here is matter of comfort vnto all deiected and drooping spirits cast downe in the sight and sense of their owne vilenesse and vnworthinesse these should consider that Gods grace is free hee lookes not at any thing in vs in the bestowing of his grace What doest thou thinke thou are vncapable of grace because thou art vnworthy of it This is a meere fallacie Doe not cast away thy confidence because thou seest not in thee that goodnesse thou desirest It is goodnesse enough for thee to bee bad enough in thine owne esteem Be but vile enough base enough bad enough and then thou art good enough to partake of grace Thine emptinesse wil make some way to fulnesse Luke 1. 53. He fils the hungry with good things Ho euery one that thirsteth come yee to the waters ye that haue no siluer come buy wine and milke without mony yea or monyes worth all conditions of our own worth and merit are here vtterly excluded Therefore comfort thy selfe and cheere vp thy heart thou poore vnworthy sinner in this that God is most free of his loue though thou hast nothing whereby to deserue any grace from God yet he hath enough in himselfe to moue him to giue to all poore deiected and humble sinners The deuil it may be wil teach thee to put a price vpon Gods wares he will make thee beleeue that thou must haue thus much holinesse or thus much obedience or thus much faith to purchase or procure the loue of God as if we had grace from God by way of exchange we being thus and thus qualified but I tell thee that thou must come to God with a bare naked hand with a poore emptie soule else thou art vncapable of his grace Me thinkes this should vphold poore soules that faint and are ready to sinke vnder the waight and burden of their sinnes mourning like Rahel and will not be comforted casting away their hope and confidence yea and forsaking their owne mercy by waiting vpon lying vanities Ion. 2. 8. Whereby they doe not only rob God of the glory of his grace but euen defraud their owne soules of comfort through slauish feare and vnbeleefe Hath not the Lord made a generall inuitation calling to the throne of grace all hungring thirsting and mourning soules that so they might partake of his wine and milke Yea that they may receiue mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. If God hath giuen thee but a heart to desire grace thou hast a warrant to beleeue that God will freely bestow it vpon thee For he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him He also will heare their cry and will saue them Psal 145. 19. I tarry the longer vpon this point for the comfort of those poore ignorant fearefull and vnbeleeuing soules whose consciences speaking bitter things against them passe the sentence of death vpon themselues as vncapable of any grace because they are guilty of these and these sinnes If they were thus thus qualified they say they should haue some hope that God would be good vnto them but know thou poore deluded soule that no mans goodnesse is the ground of Gods loue vnto him no no it is Gods loue is the cause of our goodnesse Ephes 1. 4. He hath chosen vs that we should be holy Holinesse is not the cause but the effect of Gods louing vs. Thou must be in Christ before euer thou canst bee good or haue any inclination vnto goodnesse for as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe vnlesse it abide in the Vine Iohn 15. 4. no more can we vnlesse we be in Christ It followes Whereby he accepteth of vs in Christ This truth is euidenced by diuers places of Scripture Ioh. 1. 17. The Law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ So Ephes 1. 5 6. Hee hath predestinated vs to bee adopted through him