to teach all ignorāt persons and impenitent sinners repentance and humiliation for their sinnes and to mooue them with all speede to seeke vnto Christ for the pardon of the same When Paul preached to the Athenians he willed them to repent vpon this ground and reason because the Lord hath appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world in righteousnes To speake plainly we can be content to heare the word and to honour him with our lipps yet for the most part all is done but for fashions sake for still we liue in our old sinnes our hearts are not turned but in the feare of God let vs bethinke our selues of the time when wee shall come before the iudge of heauen and earth and haue all our sinnes laide open and wee must answer for them all This is the point which the holy Ghost vseth as a reason to mooue men vnto repentance and assuredly if this will not mooue vs there is nothing in the world will Secondly to this purpose Paul saith If wee would iudge our selues wee should not be iudged Wouldest thou then escape the iudgement of Christ at the last day then in this life iudge thy selfe Nowe a man in iudging of himselfe must performe foure things I. he must examine himselfe of his owne sinnes II. he must confesse thē before the Lord. III. he must condemne himselfe as a iudge vpon the bench giue sentence against himselfe Lastly he must plead pardon and crie vnto God as for life and death for the remission of all his sinnes and he that doth this vnfainedly shal neuer be iudged of the Lord at the last day but if we slacke and neglect this dutie in this life then vndoubtedly there remaines nothing but eternall woe in the world to come Thirdly by this we may learne one not to iudge or condemne another as Paul sayeth Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who lighten all things that are in darknes make the counsels of the hearts manifest And Christ saith Iudgement is mine and iudge not and ye shall not be iudged And againe Paul saith to the Romans Why doest thou iudge thy brother for we must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ but some will aske howe doth one iudge another Ans. Thus I. when a man doth well to saie of him that he doth euill II. when a man doth euill then to make it worse III. when a thing is doubtfull to take it in the worst part And by any of these three waies we are not to iudge either of mens persons or of their actions Fourthly wee must endeauour our selues to keepe a good conscience before God and before all men This is the practise of S. Paul who in consideration and hope of a resurrection vnto iudgement as well of the iust as of the vniust endeauoured himselfe to haue alwaies a cleare conscience both towards God and towards men His example is worthie our marking and imitation for fewe there be that vpon this occasion make any conscience either of duty to God or to their brethren Fifthly the last iudgement must stirre vs vp to a reuerend feare of God cause vs to glorifie him as the Angel saith in the Reuelation Feare God and giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come And doubtlesse if any thing in the world will mooue a man to feare the Lord it is this to remember the fearefull and terrible daie of iudgement Nowe hauing spoken hitherto of the first person the father and also of the sonne it followeth in the next place to speake of the third person in these wordes I beleeue in the holy Ghost In which wee may consider two things the title of the person and the action of faith repeated from the beginning The title is Holy Ghost or spirit It may here be demanded howe this title can be fit to expresse the third person which seemes to bee common to the rest for the father is holy and the sonne is holy againe the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit Ans. Indeed the father and the sonne are as wel to be tearmed holy in respect of their natures the third person for all three subsisting in one and the same godhead are consequently holy by one and the fame holinesse but the third person is called holy because beside the holinesse of nature his office is to sanctifie the Church of God Nowe if it be said that sanctification is a work of the whole Trinitie the answer is that although it be so yet the worke of sanctification agrees to the Holy Ghost in speciall manner The father sanctifieth by the sonne and by the holy Ghost the sonne sanctifieth from the father and by the Holy Ghost the holy Ghost sanctifieth from the father and from the sonne by himselfe immediatly and in this respect is the third person tearmed holy Againe the third person is tearmed a Spirit not onely because his nature is spirituall for in that respect the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit but because hee is spired or breathed from the father and from the sonne in that he procedes from them both Thus wee see there is a speciall cause why the third person is called the Holy Ghost Nowe the action of faith which concernes the third person is to beleeue in him Which is I. to acknowledge the Holy Ghost as he hath reuealed himselfe in the word II. In special to beleeue that he is my sanctifier and comforter III. To put all the confidence of my heart in him for that cause In these wordes are comprised foure points of doctrine which are to be beleeued cōcerning the holy Ghost The first that he is very God For we are not to put our affiance or confidence in any but in God alone And no doubt the penners of the Creede in that they prefixed these wordes I beleeue in before the article of the third person meant thereby to signifie that he is true God equall with the father and the sonne according to the tenour of the Scriptures themselues Peter saith to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart that thou shouldest lie vnto the Holy Ghost and continuing the same speech he changeth the tearme onely and saith Thou hast not lied vnto men but vnto God Whereby hei nsinuateth that the Holy Ghost is very God In the vision of the Prophet Isai the wordes by him set downe are thus I heard the voice of Iehoua saying Whome shall I send c. and he said God and say to this people Ye shall heare indeed but ye shall not vnderstand But Paul quoting the same place spake on this manner Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esay the Prophet saying Goe vnto this people and say vnto them Now these places being compared togither make it plaine that the title of Iehova agreeth to the holy Ghost But yet the enemies of this truth which thinke that the Holy
waies first not as causes thereof either conuersant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseparable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are as necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2.21 That Abraham was iustified by workes Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by workes as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes and fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstood that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeed by his obedience and that euen before God Now that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3.28 We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Some answer that ceremoniall workes be excluded here some that morall works some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified freely by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting And v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kind of works are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2.8,9 By grace saith he you are saued tâ—rough faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For we are his workemanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that weâ— should walke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what bee the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnlesse they bee the most excellent workes of grace and let them marke howe Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5.3 If ye be circumcised ye are bound to the whole lawe and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would bee saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole lawe according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I nowe assume no man can fullfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery day to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctifiâ—atioÌ„ is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therefore his best workes are partly from the flesh and in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to bee bound to the rigour of the whole lawe is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without workes For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification therfore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IV. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his works can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till hee be iustified he cannot doe so much as one good worke And thus good workes cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustification is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7.8 Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified therby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kindes of righteousnesse one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The â—ighteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Nowe Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnesse of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsely charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166.31 that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glorie II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119.1 Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart walketh in the lawe of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that indeauoureth to keep Gods commandements Yet is he not blessed simply because hee doth so but because he is in Christ by whome he doeth so and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof III. Obiect When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by praier and fasting Gods wrath is pacified and staied therefore praier and fasting are causes of iustification before God Answ. Indeede men that truely humble themselues by praier and fasting doe appease the wrath of God yet not properly by these actions but by their faith expressed and testified in theÌ„ whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath euen the merits of Christ in whome the
counted as sheepe for the slaughter 37. Neuerthelesse in all these things we are more then conquerours thorough him that loued vs. Psal. 89.32 I will visit their transgressions with the rodde and their iniquitie with strokes 33. Yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him 2. Cor. 12.7 There was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me because I should not be exalted out of measure 2. Sam. 7. 14. I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a sonne and if he sinne I will chasten him with the rodde of men and with the plagues of the children of men IV. They haue dominion ouer all creatures yet so as that in this life they haue onely right to the thing but after this life also in the same Whence it is apparant that the faithfull alone haue the true vse of the Lords goods I. because their persons are in Christ acceptable vnto him in whom also they haue restitution made vnto them of those goods which they lost in Adam that they may with a good conscience vse them II. They vse them with thanksgiuing to their ends appointed by God 1. Cor. 3.22,23 Whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are yours Heb. 2.7 Thou madest him little inferiour to the Angels thou crownedst him with glorie and honour and hast set him aboue the workes of thine hands 8. Thou hast put all things in subiection vnder his feete Last of all they may haue the Angels as ministring spirits attending vpon them for their good Hebr. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heires of saluation Psal. 34.7 The Angel of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and deliuereth them CHAP. 38. Concerning the third degree of the declaration of Gods loue THe third degree is Sanctification whereby such as beleeue beeing deliuered from the tyrannie of sinne are by little and little renued in holines and righteousnes 1. Ioh. 3.9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seede remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Sanctification hath two parts Mortification and Viuification The mortification of â—inne is the first part of sanctification whereby the power of sinne is abated and crucified in the faithfull Rom. 6.2 How shall we that are dead to sinne liue yet therein 3. Know ye not that all we which haue beene baptized into Iesus Christ haue beene baptized into his death 4. We are buried then with him by baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glorie of the father so we also should walke in newnes of life Eccles. 5.6 7 11 12 13. Galat. 5.24 They which are Christs haâ—e crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof The meanes that worke mortification is the death buriall of Christ froÌ„ whence sinn being by it at the first nipped in the head proceedeth such a vertue as doth both keepe vnder the strength that it caÌ„not break out as it would and in man as it were in a graue doth cause it to die and eke putrifie Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with him that the bodie of sinne might be destroyed The power of Christ his death is a certaine power issuing into his humanitie suffering and dying from his deitie whereby he did in the â—ame his humanitie both concerning the guilt and also the punishment vanquish our sinne imputed vnto him beeing our suretie that in like sort he in vs his members might by the same power abolish the corruption of sinne Viuification is the second part of sanctification whereby inherent holines being begun is still augmented and enlarged First we receiue the fiâ—st fruits of the spirit then a continuall encrease of them Eph. 4.23 Be renued in the spirit of your minde 24. And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines Eph. 2. 1. And you hath he quickned that were dead in trespasses and sinnes Gal. 2. 20. Thus I liue yet not I now but Christ in me and in that I now liue by the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Rom. 8.23 We which haue the first fruits of the spirit euen we doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies 1. Cor. 15.45 The first man Adam was made a liuing soule â—nd the second man Adam was made a quickning spirit The efficient cause of them both is the holy Ghost who doth by his diuine power conuey himselfe into the beleeuers hearts and in them by applying the power of Christ his death and resurrection createth holinesse Iob 3â— 24 25. Rom. 8.9 Now ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit because the spirit of God dwelleth in you but if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his 11. But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you The preseruatiue of viuification is a vertue deriued from Christs resurrection to those that are quickned which maketh them to rise vp to newnesse of life Philip. 3.10 That I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection The power of Christs resurrection is that whereby he â—irst did in his owne â—lesh as conquerer ouer death and sinne beginne to liue with God and to be exalted aboue euery name and then by it he in his members sinne beeing dâ—ad and buried doth cause in them a studie and purpose to liue according to the will of God Furthermore this inherent holines is to be distinguished into parts according to the seuerall faculties of the bodie soule of man 1. Th. 5.23 The very God of peace sanctifie you throughout And I pray God that your whole spirit soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. I. The holines or renuing of the minde which is the illumination thereof to the knowledge of the will of God Coloss. 1.9 We cease not to pray for you and to desire that ye might be fully filled with knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spirituall vnderstanding 1. Cor. 12.8 To one is giuen by the spirit the speech of wisdome to an other the speech of knowledge by the same spirit Illumination is either spirituall vnderstanding or spirituall wisdome Spirituall vnderstanding is an illumination of the minde whereby it acknowledgeth the knowne truth of the word of God Spirituall wisdome is also an illumination of the minde whereby the same truth is applied to the
whereby the Reprobate I. doth acknowledge his sinne II. Is pricked with the feeling of Gods wrath for sinne III. Is grieued for the punishment of sinne IV. Doth confesse his sinne V. Acknowledgeth God to be iust in punishing sinne VI. Desireth to be saued VII Promiseth repentance in his miserie or affliction in these words I will sinne no more Math. 27.3 Then when Iudas which betraied him saw that he was condemned he repented himselfe and brought againe the thirtie pieces of siluer to the chiefe Priests and Elders Heb. 12.17 For yee know how that afterward also when hâ— would haue inherited the blessing he was reiected for he found no place to repentance though he sought the blessing with teares 1. King 21.27 Now when Ahab heard those wordes he rent his clothes and put sackcloath vpon him and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly Numb 23.10 Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last ende be like his Psal. 78.32 For all this they sinned still and beleeued not his wondrous workes 33. Therefore their daies did he consume in vanitie and their yeares hastily 34. And when he slue them they sought him and they returned and sought God earely 35. They remembred that God was their strength and the most high God their redeemer The third degree is a temporarie faith whereby the reprobate doth confusedly beleeue the promises of God made in Christ I say confusedly because he beleeueth that some shall be saued but he beleeueth not that he himselfe particularly shall be saued because he beeing content with a generall faith doth neuer applie the promises of God to himself neither doth he so much as conceiue any purpose desire or endeuour to applie the same or any wrastling or striuing against securitie or carelesnes and distrust Iam. 2. 19. Thou beleeuest that there is one God thou doest well the deuils also beleeue it and tremble Math. 13.20 And he that receiued seede in the stony ground is he which heareth the word and incontinently with ioy receiueth it 21. Yet hath he no roote in himselfe and dureth but a season Ioh. 2.23 Now when he was at Ierusalem at the Passeouer in the feast many beleeued in his Name when they saw his miracles which he did 24. But Iesus did not commit himselfe vnto them because he knew them all The fourth is a tasting of heauenly gifts as of Iustification and of Sanctification and of the vertues of the world to come This tasting is verely a sense in the hearts of the Reprobates whereby they doe perceiue and feele the excellencie of Gods benefits notwithstanding they doe not enioy the same For it is one thing to tast of dainties at a banquet and another thing to feede and to be nourished thereby Heb. 6.4 For it is impossible that they which were once lightened and haue tasted of the heauenly gifts and were made partakers of the holy Ghost The fifth degree is the outward holines of life for a time vnder which is comprehended a zeale in the profession of religion a reuerence and feare towards Gods ministers and amendment of life in many things Mark 6.20 For Herod feared Iohn knowing that he was a iust man and an holy and reuerenced him and when he heard himâ— he did many things and heard him gladly Act. 18.13 Then Simon himselfe beleeued also and was baptized and continued with Philip and wondred when he saw the signes and great miracles which were done Hos. 6.4 O Ephraim what shall I doe vnto thee O Iudah how shall I entreate thee for your goodnes is as a morning cloud and as the morning dewe it goeth away The second degree of the execution of Gods counsel of reprobation in meÌ„ of ripe age which are called is a falling away againe which for the most part is effected and wrought after this manner First the reprobate is deceiued by some sinne Secondly his heart is hardened by the same sin Thirdly his heart being hardened it becommeth wicked and peruerse Fourthly then followeth his incredulitie and vnbeleefe whereby he consenteth not to Gods word when he hath heard and known it Fiftly an Apostasie or falling away from faith in Christ doth immediately follow this vnbeleefe Hebr. 3.12,13 Take â—eed brethren least at any time there be in any of you an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart awaie from the liuing God 1. Tim. 1.19 This Apostasie is sometimes sinne against the holy Ghost In the sinne against the holy Ghost we haue haue these seuerall points to be considered I. The Name it is called a sinne against the holy ghost not because it is done against the person or deitie of the holy Ghost for in this respect he that sinneth against the holy Ghost sinneth in like sort against both the father the Sonne but it is so called because it is done contrarie to the immediate action namely the illumination of the holy Ghost For albeit this be an action common to the whole Trinitie yet the Father and the sonne doe effect the same by the holy Ghost II. The efficient cause of it which is a set obstinate malice against God and against his Christ. Therefore when a man doth in the time of persecution either for feare or rashly denie Christ he doth not commit this sinne against the holy Ghost as may appeare by the example of Peter who denied Christ. Mat. 26.73.74.75 Neither doth he which persecuteth Christ and his Church vpon ignorance fall into this sinne Paul persecuted the Church of Christ and yet God had mercie on him because he did it ignorantly 1. Tim. 1.13 Many of the Iewes crucified our Sauiour Christ who afterward because they committed that grieuous fact vpon ignorance repenting at Peters sermon they did obtaine remission of their sinnes Act. 3.17 37. III. The Obiect namely God himselfe and the Mediatour Christ Iesus For the malice of this sinne is directed against the very maiestie of God himselfe and against Christ. Hebr. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be worthie which treadeth vnderfoote the Sonne of God and counteth the blood of the Testament as an vnholy thing wherewith he was sanctified and doth despise the spirit of grace Therefore this sinne doth directly respect the first table of the morall law and is not some particular slipping aside from the obseruation of those commandements which are contained in this first table such as are some doubtings concerning God or of the truth of the scriptures or of Christ c. but it is a generall defection apoâ—tasie from God and that totally IV. The subiect in which it is This sin is found in none at al but such as haue been enlightened by the holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good gift of God Heb. 6.5,6 Neither is it in him a bare cogitation alone but an externall action or rather such a blasphemie against God as proceedeth from a malitious and obstinate heart Matth. 12. 31. V. The Elect cannot commit this sinne and
as when a thing is to make it at the same time to be and not to be as when the Sunne doth shine to make it at the same instant to shine and not to shine And therefore false is the doctrine of the church which in their transubstaÌ„tiation make the bodie of Christ whose essentiall propertie is to bee onely in one place at once to be circumscribed and not to be circumscribed to be in one place and not to be in one place And thus much for the meaning Nowe follow the duties whereunto wee are mooued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie First whereas God the father is said to be almightie we are taught true humiliation Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God saith Peter where he giueth an exhortation to humilitie and alleadgeth the cause because God is almightie To make this more plaine Euery one of vs was borne in sinne by nature we are most wretched in our selues now what an one is God Surely he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will yea and more then he will and is able to destroy such as rebell against him euery moment Therefore our dutie is to cast downe our selues for our sinnes in his presence This true humiliation was that which our Sauiour Christ would haue brought the younge man in the Gospell vnto when hee bade him goe sell all that he had and giue to the poore Therefore whosoeuer thou art take heed thou must for if thou runne on in thy wickednesse and still rebell against God it is a thousand to one at length he will destroy thee For he is an almightie God and able to doe whatsoeuer hee will his hand is mightie it boots not a man to striue with him for hee was neuer yet ouermastered and for this cause wee must needs â—ast down our selues vnder his hand It is a fearefull thing saith the holy Ghost to fall into the hands of the liuing God therefore if wee would eâ—cape his heauie and terrible displeasure the best way for vs is to abase our selues and be ashamed to followe our sinnes Christ biddeth vs not to feare him that is able to kill the body and can goe no further but wee must feare him that is able to cast both bodie and soule into hell fire Example of this we haue in Dauid who when he was persecuted by his owne sonne Absolon he said vnto the Lord If he thus say I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies But some will say I will liue a little longer in my sinnes in lying pride Sabbath breaking in swearing dicing gaming and wantonnesse for God is mercifull and in my old age I will repent Ans. Well soothe not thy selfe but marke vsually when God holds backe his hand for a season he doth as it were fetch a more mightie blowe for the greater confusion of a rebellious sinner therefore humble submit and cast downe thy selfe before God and doe not striue against him his hand is mightie and will ouerthrow thee Though thou hadst all learning wisdome might riches c. yet as Christ said to the younge man one thing is wanting that thou shouldest bee humbled and vntill thou bee humbled nothing is to bee looked for but Gods iudgement for sinne Secondly seeing God is almightie we must tremble and feare at all his iudgements we must stand in awe quake and quiuer at them as the poore childe doth when he seeth his father come with the rod. Example of this we haue often in Gods word as when the sonnes of Aaron offered straunge fire before the Lord he sent fire from heauen and burned them vp And though Aaron was very sorry for his sonnes yet when Moses told him that the Lord would be glorified in all that came neere him then the text saith Aaron helde his peace So also we read that the Apostles reprooued Peter for preaching vnto the Gentiles but when Peter had expounded the things in order which he had seene then they held their peace and glorified God As also Dauid saith I held my tongue O Lord because thou didst it Isaiah saieth In hope silence is true fortitude If a man be in trouble he must hope for deliuerance and be quiet and patient at Gods iudgements But the practise of the world is flat contrarie For men are so farre from trembling at them that they vse to pray to god that plagues curses and vengeance may light vpon them and vpon their seruants and childreÌ„ Nowe the Lord being a mighty God often doth answerably bring his iudgements vpon them Againe many caried with impatiencie wish themselues hanged or drowned which euils they thinke shal neuer befall them yet at the length God doth in his iustice bring such punishments vpon them according as they wished And which is more in all ages there haue bene some which haue scorned and mocked at Gods iudgements Hereof we had not far hence a most fearefull example One beeing with his companion in a house drinking on the Lords day when he was readie to depart thence there was great lightening and thunder whereupon his fellow requested him to stay but the man mocking and iesting at the thunder and lightning said as report was it was nothing but a knaue cooper knocking on his tubbes come what woulde hee would goe and so went on his iourney but before hee came halfe a mile from the house the same hand of the Lord which before he had mocked in a crack of thunder stroke him about the girdlestead that he fell downe starke deade Which example is worthy our remembrance to put vs in mind of Gods heauy wrath against those which scorne his iudgements for our dutie is to tremble and feare and it were greatly to be wished that wee coulde with open eye beholde the terriblenesse and fearefulnesse of Gods iudgements it would make a man to quake and to leaue off sinne If a man passe by some high and daungerous place in the night when hee cannot see hee is not affraide but if yee bring him backe againe in the day and let him see what a steepe and dangerous way hee came hee will not be perswaded to passe the same way againe for any thing so it is in sinning for men liuing in ignorance and blindenesse practise any wickednesse and doe not care for Gods iudgements but when God of his goodnesse bringeth them backe and openeth their eies to see the downfall to the pit of hell and the iudgements of God due to their sinnes then they say they will neuer sinne as they haue done but become new men and walke in the way to eternall life Thirdly we are taught by the Apostle Paul that if wee be to doe any duty to our brethren as to releeue them wee must doe it with chearfulnesse for he laboureth to perswade the Corinthians to cheerefull liberalitie and the reason of his perswasion is because God is able
Ghost createth and so we may say of the works of gouernment and of redemption and of all outward actions of the persons to the creatures But some againe may say howe then can the worke of creation beeing an outward action of God to the creature be peculiar to the first person the father I answere the work of creatiō is not so proper to the first person the father as that it cannot also be cōmon to the rest for all the three persons ioyntly created all things of nothing only they are distinguished in the maner of creating For the father is the cause that beginneth the worke the sonne puts it in execution the holy ghost is the finisher of it And againe the father createth by the sonne by the holy ghost the sonne createth by the holy ghost and from the father the holy ghost createth not by the father nor by the sonne but from the father the sonne And this is the reason why the worke of creation is ascribed here vnto the father because he alone createth after a peculiar manner namely by the sonne and by the holy Ghost but the Sonne and the holy Ghost create not by the father but from him Thus hauing answered the obiection we come to speake of the creation it selfe In handling whereof we must withall treat of the Counsell of God as beeing the cause therof and of the Gouernment of the creatures as being a work of God whereby he continunes the creation And the order which I will obserue is first to speake of the Counsell of God and secondly of the exequution of his Counsell which hath two speciall branches the first the creation the second the preseruation or gouernment of things created The Counsell of God is his eternall and vnchangeable decree whereby he hath ordained all things either past present or to come for his owne glorie First I call it a decree because God hath in it sette downe with himselfe and appointed as soueraigne Lord what shall be what shall not bee I adde further that all things whatsoeuer come vnder the compasse of this decree as Paul saith He worketh all things according to the counsell of his will And our Sauiour Christ saith that a sparrowe cannot fall on the ground without the heauenly father yea further he tels his disciples that the very haires of their heades are numbred meaning that they are knowne and set downe in the counsell of God And considering that God is King of heauen and earth and that most wise yea wisdome it selfe and most mightie yea might and power it selfe it must needes bee that he hath determined how all things shall come to passe in his kingdome with all their circumstances time place causes c. in such particular manner that the very least thing that may bee is not left vnappointed and vndisposed The counsell of God hath two properties eternitie and vnchaungeablenes It is eternall because it was set downe by God from euerlasting before all times as Paul saith God hath chosen the Ephesians to saluation before all worldes And he saith of himselfe that hee was called according to the purpose of God which was before all worldes Againe the same counsell once set downe is vnchangeable God saith I am Iehouah and I chaunge not With God saith S. Iames there is no variablenesse nor shadowe of chaunge Nowe such as God is such is his decree or counsell And beeing vnchangeable his counsels also are vnchangeable Gods counsell hath two parts his foreknoweledge and his wil or pleasure His foreknowledge whereby he did foresee all thinges which were to come His will whereby in a generall manner he wills and ordaines whatsoeuer is to come to passe and therefore such things as God altogither nilleth cannot come to passe Now these two-parts of the counsell of God must be ioyned together and not seuered Will without knowledge is impotent and foreknowledge without will is idle And therefore such as holde that God doeth barely foresee sundrie things to come no manner of way either willing or decreeing the issue and euent of them doe bring in little better then Atheisme For if we say that any thing comes to passe either against Gods will or God not knowing of it or not regarding it we shall make him either impotent or carelesse and rase the very foundation of Gods prouidence And this decree of God must be conceiued of vs as the most generall cause of all things subsisting being first in order hauing all other causes vnder it and most principall ouerruling all ouerruled by none Thus wee see what is to be held touching Gods counsell nowe for the better clearing of the trueth three obiections of some difficultie are to be answered First may some man say if God decree and ordaine all things whatsoeuer then he decreeth and ordaineth sinne but God decrees not sinne in as much as it is against his will and therefore he decrees not all things Ans. Wee vse not to say that God doth simply will or decree sinne but onely in part adding withall these caueats I. That God willeth and decreeth sinne not properly as it is sin but as it hath in it sundry regards and respects of goodnes so farforth as it is a punishment or chastisement or triall or action or hath any existence in nature II. God can so vse euil instruments that the work done by them beeing a sinne shall neuerthelesse in him bee a good worke because hee knowes howe to vse euill instruments well If it be further alleadged that God willeth no wickednesse Psal. 5.5 we must knowe that Gods will is two-folde generall and speciall Generall whereby God willeth and decreeth that a thing shall bee and by this kinde of will he may be saide to will sinne and that without sinne For though he decree it thus yet doth he not instill wickednesse into the heart of any sinner and his decree is onely for a most excellent ende For in regard of God which decreeth it is good that there should be euill To this purpose Augustine saith excellently By an vnspeakeable manner it comes to passe that that which is against Gods will is not without his will Nowe the speciall will of God is that whereby he willeth any thing in such manner that he approoueth it and delighteth in it And thus indeede we cannot say without blasphemie that god willeth sinne Thus then we see in what manner and how farforth God may be said to decree sinne that is to will and appoint the permission of it Againe it may be obiected thus If all things be determined by the vnchangeable decree of God then all things come to passe by an vnchangeable necessitie and men in their actions haue no freewill at all or libertie in doing any thing Answer This must be learned as a certaine rule that the necessarie decree of God doth not abolish the nature of the second causes and impose necessitie vpon the will of
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
betweene them for when the beast dieth his soule dieth also but the soule of man is immortall The consideration whereof must moooue euery man aboue all things in this world to be careful for his soule if it were to vanish away at the day of death as the soule of beasts doe the neglect thereof were no great matter but seeing it must liue for euer either in eternall ioy or else in endlesse paines and torments it stands vs vpon euery man for himselfe so to prouide for his soule in this life that at the day of death when it shall depart from his bodie it may liue in eternall ioy and happinesse The second that there is an especiall and particular prouidence of God because the particular soule of Christ is committed into the hands of his father and so answerably the soules of euery one of the faithfull are The third that euery one which beleeues himselfe to be a member of Christ must be willing to die when God shall call him thereunto For when we die in Christ the bodie is but laid asleepe and the soule is receiued into the hands of a most loâ—ing God and mercifull father as the soule of Christ was Lastly whereas Christ surrendring his soule into his fathers hands calls it a spirit we note that the soule of man is a spirit that is a spirituall inuisible simple essence without composition created as the angels of God are The question whether the soule of a childe come from the soule of the parents as the bodie doth come from their bodies may easily be resolued For the soule of man beeing a spirit can not beget another spirit as the angels beeing spirituall doe not beget angels for one spirit begetteth not an other Nay which is more one simple element begetteth not an other as the water begetteth not water nor aire begetteth aire and therefore much lesse can one soule beget an other Againe if the soule of the child come from the soule of the parents then there is a propagation of the whole soule of the parent or of some part thereof If it be saide that the whole soule of the parents is propagated then the parents should want their owne soules and could not liue If it be said that a part of the parents soule is propagated I answereâ— that the soule being a spirit or a simple substance cannot be parted and therefore it is the safest to conclude that the bodie indeede is of the bodie of the pâ—rents and that the soule of man while the bodie is in making is created of nothing and for this very cause God is called the father of spirits Thus much of the crucifying of Christ nowe followeth his death For hauing laid downe his soule into the hands of his father the holy Ghost saith he gaue vp the ghost to giue vs to vnderstand that his death was no fantasticall but a reall death in that his bodie and soule were â—euered as truely as when any of vs die In treating of Christs death we must consider many points The first that it was needfull that he should die and that for two causes First to satisfie Gods iustice for sinne is fo odious a thing in Gods sight that he will punish it with an extreame punishment therefore Christ standing in our roome must not onely suffer the miâ—eries of this life but also die on the crosse that the very extremitie of punishment which wee should haue borne might bee laid on him and so we in Christ might fully satisfie Gods iustice for the wages of sinne is death Secondly Christ died that he might fulfill the trueth of Gods word which had said that man for eating the forbidden fruit should die the death The properties of Christs death are two the first that it was a voluÌ„tarie and willing death the second that it was a cursed death For the first whereas I say Christs death was voluntarie I meane that Christ died willingly and of his owne free accord gaue vp himselfe to suffer vpon the crosse Howsoeuer the Iewes did arraigne and condemne and crucifie him yet if hee had not willed his own death and of his free accord giuen himselfe to die not the Iewes nor all the whole worlde could euer haue taken away his life from him He died not by constraint or compulsion but most willingly and therefore hee saith No man taketh my life from me but I saith he lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and haue power to take it againe And our Sauiour Christ gaue euident tokens hereof in his death for then Iesus cried with a loud voice and gaue vp the ghost Ordinarily men that die on the crosse laÌ„guish away by little little before they come to yeeld vp their liues they loose their speech and onely rattle or make a noise in the throate but Christ at that very instant when he was to giue vp the ghost cried with a loud voice which sheweth plainely that he in his death was more then a conquerour ouer death And therefore to giue all men a token of his power and to shewe that he died voluntarily it pleased him to crie with a loud voice And this made the Centurion to say that he was the Sonne of God Againe Christ died not as other men doe because they first giue vp the ghost and then lay their heads aside but he in token that his death was voluntarie first laies his head aside after the manner of a dead man and then afterward giues vp the ghost Lastly Christ died sooner then men are wont to doe vpon the crosse and this was the cause that made Pilate wonder that he was so soone dead Now this came to passe not because he was loath to suffer the extremitie of death but because he would make it manifest to all men that he had power to die or not to die And indeede this is our comfort that Christ died not for vs by constraint but willingly of his owne accord And as Christs death was voluntarie so was it also an accursed death and therefore it is called the death of the crosse And it containeth the first and the second death the first is the separation of the bodie from the soule the second is the separation of bodie and soule from God and both were in Christ for beside the bodily death hee did in soule apprehend the wrath of God due to man for sinne and that made him crie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And here wee must not omitte a necessarie point namely how farre foorth Christ suffered death Answere Some thinke that hee suffered onely a bodily death and such paines as followe the dissolution of nature but they no doubt come to short for why should Christ haue feared death so greatly if it had beene nothing but the dissolution of nature Some againe thinke that he died not onely the first but also the second death but it may
this temple and in three daies I will build it vp againe more plainly I haue saith he power to lay downe my life and I haue power to take it againe From whence we learne diuers instructions First whereas Christ raiseth himselfe from death to life it serueth to prooue that he was not onely man but also true God For the bodie beeing dead could not bring againe the soule and ioyne it selfe vnto the same and make it selfe aliue againe neither yet the soule that is departed from the bodie can returne againe and quicken the bodie and therefore there was some other nature in Christ namely his godhead which did revnite soule and bodie togither and thereâ—y quicken the manhood Secondly if Christ giue life to himselfe beeing dead in the graue then much more nowe beeing aliue and in heauen glorified is hee able to raise vp his members from death to life Wee are all by nature euen starke dead in sinne as the deade bodie rotten in the graue and therefore our duty is to come to Christ our Lord by humble prayer earnestly intreating him that he would raise vs vp euery day more and more from the graue of our sinnes to newnesse of life He can of men deade in their sinnes make vs aliue vnto himselfe to liue in righteousnes and true holines all the daies of our life The third thing is that Christ rose againe with an earthquake And this serueth to prooue that he lost nothing of his power by death but still remained the absolute Lord and King of heauen and earth to whome therefore the earth vnder his feete trembling doth him homage This also prooueth vnto vs that Christ which lay dead in the graue did raise himselfe againe by his owne almightie power Lastly it serueth to conuince the keepers of the graue the women which came to embalme him and the disciples which came to the sepulchre and would not yet beleeue that he was risen againe But how came this earthquake Ans. Saint Matthew saith there was a great earthquake For the Angel of the Lord descended from heauen c. This shewes that the power of angels is great in that they can mooue and stirre the earth Three angels destroied Sodom and Gomorrha An angel destroied the first borne of Egypt in one night In the hoast of Senacherib one angel slue in one night an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand men Of like power is the deuill himselfe to shake the earth and to destroy vs all but that God of his goodnesse limits and restraines him of his libertie Well if one angel be able to shake the earth what then will Christ himselfe doe when he shall come to iudgement the second time with many thousand thousands of angels oh how terrible and fearefull will his comming be Not without cause saith the holy Ghost that the wicked at that day shall crie out wishing the hills to fall vpon them and the mountaines to couer them for feare of that great and terrible day of the Lord. The fourth thing is that an Angel ministred to Christ beeing to rise againe in that he came to the graue and rolled away the stone and sate vpon it Where obserue first how the angels of God minister vnto Christ though dead and buried whereby they acknowledge that his power maiestie and authoritie is not included within the bonds of the earth but extends it selfe euen to the heauens themselues and the hosts thereof and that according to his humanitie Wicked men for their parts laboured to close him vp in the earth as the basest of all creatures but the angels of heauen most readily accept him as their soueraigne Lord and king as in like manner they did in his temptation in the wildernes and in his agonie in the garden Secondly that the opinion of the Papists and others which thinke that the bodie of Christ went through the graue-stone when he rose againe is without warrant For the end no doubt why the angel rolled away the stone was that Christ might come forth And indeed it is against the order of nature that one body should passe through another without corruption or alteration of either considering that euery bodie occupies a place and two bodies at the same instant can not be in one proper place Furthermore it is saide that when the angel sate on the stone his countenance was like lightening and his rayment as white as snow and this serued to shew what was the glorie of Christ himselfe For if the seruant and minister be so glorious then endles is the glorie of the lord and master himselfe Lastly it is saide that for feare of the angel the watchmen were astonied and became as dead men which teacheth vs that what God would haue come to passe all the world can neuer hinder For though the Iewes had closed vp the graue with a stone and set a band of souldiours to watch least Christ should by any meanes be taken away yet all this auaileth nothing by an angel from heauen the seale is broken the stone is remooued and the watchmen at their wittes endes And this came to passe by the prouidence of God that after the watchmen had testified these things to the Iewes they might at length be conuicted that Christ whome they crucified was the Messias The fifth and last point is that Christ rose not alone but accompanied with others as S. Matthew saith that the graues opened and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues and went into the holy citie and appeared vnto many after Christs resurrection And this came to passe that the church of God might know and consider that there is a reuiuing and quickning vertue in the resurrection of Christ wherby he is able not onely to raise our dead bodies vnto life but also when we are dead in sinne to raise vs vp to newnesse of life And in this very point stands a maine difference betweene the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of any other man For the resurrection of Peter nothing auailes to the raising of Dauid or Paul but Christs resurrection auailes for all that haue beleeued in him by the very same power whereby he raised himselfe he raiseth all his members and therfore he is called a quickning spirit And let vs marke the order obserued in rising First Christ riseth and theÌ„ the Saints after him And this came to passe to verefie the Scripture which saith that Christ is the first borne of the dead Now he is the first borne of the deadâ— in that he hath this dignitie and priuiledge to rise to eternall life the first of all men It is true indeed that Lazarus and sundrie others in time rose before Christ but yet they rose to liue a mortall life and to die againe Christ he is the first of all that rose to life euerlasting and to glorie neuer any rose before Christ in this manner And the persons that
ye did it to the least of those my brethren you did it to me A most notable sentence and it serueth to teach vs how we should behaue our selues in doing works of mercie which are duties to be performed in this life We are not to doe them of any sinister respect as for praise of men or commoditie but we must propound vnto our selues the partie to whome we doe any good and in him looke on Christ and so doe it as vnto Christ and for Christs sake onely and this is a good worke indeede Christ saith Whosoeuer shall giue a cuppe of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple shall not loose his reward It is but a small gift but yet the manner of doing it namely in the name of a disciple that is in respect that he is a member of Christ doth make it an excellent worke of mercie It is a speciall marke of a child of God to shew mercie on a christian because he is a Christian. If any would know whether he be a christian or no let him search himselfe whether he loue a man and can doe good vnto him because he is a child of God and a member of Christ. For this is a plaine argument that he also is the child of God Many can loue because they are loued againe but to loue for Christ his sake is a worke of Christ in vs and a speciall gift of God The sentence of condemnation followes in the second place and it containes foure points I. the reiection of the vngodly II. the reason of their reiection III. the defence which the wicked make for themselues lastly the answer of Christ to them againe The reiection of the wicked is vttered by a terrible sentence Away from me ye cursed into hell fire The vse hereof in generall is twofold First it serues to awake and excite all men and women in the world whosoeuer they be that shall heare it to looke vnto their owne estates It is wonderfull to see what great securitie reigneth euery where in these our daies Men goe on in sinne from day to day and from yeare to yeare without repentance nothing at all fearing the sentence of condemnation at the last day like vnto many which for the obtaining of other mens goods are neither by the feare of arraignment or imprisonment kept in good order The occasions of securitie are twofold I. the prosperitie of the wicked who of all men liue most at ease without trouble either in bodie or in minde II. Gods patience and long suffering as Salomon saith Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to doe euill But to awake all those which liue in this securitie they must remember that howsoeuer the Lord God doth now deferre his iudgement yet there is a day wherein he will no way shew mercie and long suffering when they shall heare this fearefull sentence of condemnation pronounced against them Away from me ye cursed The second vse is to the godly It serues to nurture them to keepe them in awe before God and no doubt this was a principall cause why this sentence was here penned by the holy Ghost A wise master of a family will check his seruant if the cause require correct him in his childs presence that the child it selfe may learne thereby to feare stand in awe of his father so Christ the most carefull and wise gouernour of his Church hath set downe this sentence of condemnation against the wicked that the children of God in this world whensoeuer they shall heare or read the same might be mooued thereby to stand in feare of God and more dutifully performe obedience vnto his commandâ—ments Away from me Here we may learne what a blessed thing it is for a man to haue true fellowshippe with Christ in this world For in the day of iudgement the punishment of the wicked is to be cut off from him and driuen away from his presence Now he that would haue fellowship with God after this life escape that punishmeÌ„t must seeke to haue it in this life and he that will not seeke to haue fellowship with him in this life shall neuer haue it after in the day of iudgement Againe let vs marke that it is nothing to draw neere vnto Christ with our lippes if the heart be not with him for such as come neere with the lippe and keepe aloofe in the heart shall heare the sentence pronounced Away from me ye cursed and shall be seuered as farre from Christ as hell from heauen Therefore let vs not content our selues with formall profession but open the doores of our hearts that the king of glorie may come in Ye cursed They are cursed who are borne in sinne and liue in their sinnes and all the daies of their liues so perseuere to the last gaspe without seeking recouerie Whosoeuer he be that is in this estate the curse of God hangeth ouer his head and will so doe till he get reconciliation with God in Christ. This beeing so aboue all things in this world we must labour to be at peace with God and neuer cease nor be quiet with our selues till we haue the same wrought and sealed in our hearts For before such time as we be in Gods fauour his fearefull curse hangs ouer our heads and if we so perseuere without repentance the day will come when we shall heare this fearefull sentence pronounced against vs Away from me yee cursed into hell fire What hell fire is we must not curiously search but rather giue our whole endeauour to learne how we may auoid it as when a mans house is on fire his care must be not to search how it came but rather how to quench it yet we are to know thus much that by hell fire is not meant any bodily flame but it signifies the seazing of the fearefull and terrible wrath of God both on bodie and soule for euer For howsoeuer the bodie be subiect to burning with bodily fire yet the soule beeing spirituall can not burne and therefore hell fire is not a materiall fire but a grieuous torment fitly resembled thereby Prepared for the deuill and his angels There is in euery mans heart by nature this corruption whereby when he sinneth he thinks that there is no danger but all is well hauing as Esai saith made a couenant with hell But here consider that although the deuill was once an angel of light yet when he had sinned he could not escape hell it was prepared euen for him How then shall vngodly men which are not halfe so wily thinke to escape Now followeth the reason of their reiection in these wordes For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meate c. Hence we learne these two points I. that all mans religion and seruing of God is in vaine if so be we shew no compassion toward the poore members
creatures some are proper to men The benefit of the Holy Ghost common to all creatures is the worke of creation and preseruation For all things were created and made and afterwarde perserued by the holy Ghost So Elihu saith The spirit of God hath made me And Moses saith In the beginning the spirit mooued vpon the waters The phrase is borrowed from a bird who in hatching of her young ones sits vpon the egges mooues her selfe vpon them and heats them And so likewise the holy Ghost in the beginning did by his own power cherish and preserue the masse or lumpe whereof all things were made and caused it to bring forth the creatures This beeing euident that the Holy Ghost hath a stroke in the worke of creation and preseruation wee must vnfainedly acknowledge that we were first created and since that time continually preserued by the benefit euen of the third person The benefits proper vnto men are of two sorts some are common to all men both good and bad and some proper to the elect and faithfull The benefits common to all men are diuers I. the gift of practising a particular calling As in the bodie seuerall members haue seuerall vses so in euery societie seuerall men haue seuerall offices and callings and the gifts whereby they are inabled to performe the duties thereof are from the holy Ghost When Gedeon became a valiant captaine to deliuer the Israelites it is said he was clothed with the spirit Bezaleel and Aholiab beeing set apart to build the tabernacle were filled with the spirit of God in wisdome and in vnderstanding and in all workemanship to finde out curious works to worke in gold and in siluer in brasse also in the art to set stones and to carue in timber c. By this it is manifest that the skill of any handicraft is not in the power of man but comes by the holy Ghost And by this we are taught to vse al those gifts wel wherby we are inabled to discharge our particular callings that they may serue for the glorie of God and the good of his Church and those that in their callings vse fraud and deceit or else liue inordinately doe most vnthankfully abuse the gifts of God and dishonour the spirit of God the author of their gifts for which thing they must giue an account one day The second gift common to all is Illumination whereby a man is inabled to vnderstand the will of God in his word The Iewes in the reading of the old testament had a vaile ouer their hearts and the like haue all men by nature to whome the word of God is foolishnes Paul at his conuersion was smitten blind skales were vpon his eyes the like also be ouer the eyes of our mindes and they must fall away before we can vnderstand the will of God Now it is the worke of the holy Ghost to remooue these skales and filmes from our eyes And for this very cause he is called the annointing and eye-salue for as it doth cleare the eyes and take away the dimmenes from them so doth the holy Ghost take away blindnes from our mindes that we may see into the truth of Gods word This beeing a common gift and receiued both of good and bad it standeth vs in hand not to content our selues with the bare knowledge of the word but therewithall we must ioyne obedience and make conscience thereof or else that will besall vs which Christ foretold that he which knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes The third gift of the holy Ghost is the gift of prophecie whereby a man is made able to interpret and expound the Scriptures Now albeit this gift be very excellent and not giuen to euery man yet is it common both to good and badde For in the day of iudgement when men shall come to Christ and say Master we haue prophecied in thy name he shall answer againe I neuer knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquitie Hereupon those that are in the calling of the ministerie and haue receiued the gift of prophecie must not herewithall be puffed vp For if they be not as well doers of Gods will as teachers their gifts will turne to their further condemnation As the carpenters that built Noahs arke when the flood came were drowned because they would not obey Noahs preaching so those that haue the gifts of prophecie and are builders in Gods house if they build not themselues as well as others for all their preaching at the day of iudgement they shall be condemned and therefore it standeth them in hand not to content themselues with this that they know and teach others Gods will but they themselues must be the first doers of the same The fourth common gift of the Holy Ghost is Abilitie to bridle and restraine some affections so as they shall not breake out into outragions behauiour Haman a wicked man and an enemie to Gods Church when he sawe Mordecai the Iewe sitting in the kings gate and that hee would not stand vp nor mooue vnto him he was full of indignatiō neuertheles the text saith that he refrained himselfe And when Abimelech an heathen king had taken Sara Abrahams wife God said vnto him I knowe that thou didst this with an vpright heart and the text addeth further I haue kept thee that thou shouldest not sinne against me And thus the Lord giueth to men as yet without the spirit of sanctification this gift to bridle themselues so as in outward action they shall not practise this or that sinne For why did not Abimelech commit adulterie surely because God kept him from it Againe in the histories of the heathen we may read of many that were iust liberall meeke continent c. and that by a generall operation of the holy Ghost that represseth the corruption of nature for the common good Here then if any man aske howe it commeth to passe that some men are more modest and ciuil then others seeing all men by nature are equally wicked the answer may be not as the common saying is because some are of better nature then others for all the sonnes of Adam are equall in regard of nature the child newe borne in that respect is as wicked as the eldest man that euer liued but the reason is because God giues this common gift of restraining the affections more to some then to others This must be considered of vs all For a man may haue the spirit of God to bridle many sinnes and yet neuer haue the spirit to mortifie the same and to make him a newe creature And this beeing so we must take heede that we deceiue not our selues For it is not sufficient for a man to liue in outward ciuility and to keepe in some of his affections vpon some occasion for that a wicked man may doe but we must further labour to feele in our selues the spirit
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
they that are the sonnes of God are led by his spirit a most notable benefit for looke where the h. Ghost dwelleth there he will be Lord gouerning both heart minde will and affections and that two waies I. by repressing all badde motions vnto sinne arising either from the corruption of mans nature from the world or from the deuil II. by stirring vp good affections and motions vpon euery occasion so it is said The flesh that is the corruption of mans nature lusteth against the spirit the spirit that is grace in the heart lusteth against the flesh that after a double sort first by labouring to ouermaster and keep down the motions thereof secondly by stirring vp good motions and inclinations to pietie and religion In Esay the holy Ghost hath most excellent titles The spirit of the Lord the spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsel of strength the spirit of knowledge of the feare of the Lord. Now he is so called because he stirres vp good motions in the godly of wisdome of knowledge of strength of vnderstanding of counsell and of the feare of the Lord. And S. Paul saith that the fruits of the spirit are ioy peace loue long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenes temperance c. all which are so tearmed because where the holy Ghost ruleth there he ingendreth these good gifts and motions of grace but among all the inward motions of the spirit the most principall are these I. an vtter disliking of sinne because it is sinne And that is when a man hath an eye not so much to another mans sinnes as to his own seeing them is truely sorrowfull for them and disliketh them and himselfe for them not so much because there is a place of torment or a day of iudgement to come wherein hee must answer to God for them all but as if there were no hell or iudgement because God is displeased by them who hath beene vnto him a most louing and mercifull father in redeeming him by Christ. The second is an hungring desire aboue all things in this worlde to be at vnitie with God in Christ for the same sinnes This is a motion of the holy Ghost which no man can haue but he in whome the holy Ghost doth dwell The third the gift of hearty praier For this cause the Holy Ghost is called the spirit of supplications because it stirreth vp the heart and makes it fit to pray and therefore Paul saith that the spirit of God helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed This is an ordinarie worke of the holy Ghost in all that beleeue he that would knowe whether he haue the spirit dwelling truely in his heart shall knowe it by this A mother carrieth her child in her armes if it crie for the dugge and sucke the same it is aliue being obserued many daies togither if it neither crie nor stirre it is dead In like manner it is an vnfallible note of a true child of God to crie to his father in heauen by praier but he that neuer crieth nor feeleth himselfe stirred vp to make his mone to God is in a miserable case and he may well be thought to be but a dead childe and therefore let vs learne in praier vnfainedly to poure out our soules before God considering it is a speciall gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed on the children of God The fourth worke of the holy Ghost in the heart of the elect is comfort in distresse and therefore our Sauiour Christ calleth him the comforter whome he will send and in the Psalme hee is called the oyle of gladnesse because he maketh glad the heart of man in trouble and distresse There be two things that fill the heart full of endlesse griefe the first outward calamities as when a man is in any danger of death when he looseth his goods his good name his friendes and such like The second is a troubled conscience whereof Salomon saith A troubled spirit who can beare it and of all other it is the most heauie and grieuous crosse that can bee When as the hand of God was heauie vpon Iob this was the sorest of all his affliction and therefore he crieth out that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in his soule Nowe what is the comfort in this case Ans. In the middest of all our distresses the holy Ghost is present with vs to make vs reioice and to fill vs with comforts that no tongue can expresse out of the word of god and specially the promises thereof And hereupon the vngodly man when afflictions befall him is readie to make away himselfe because he wants the comfort of the holy Ghost The last benefit wrought in the hearts of the elect is the strengthening of them to doe the weightiest duties of their callings and hence the holy Ghost is called the spirit of strength There be diuers things to bee done of a Christian man that are farre beyond the reach of his power as fiâ—st when he seeth his owne sinnes and is truely humbled for them then to lift vp the hand of faith to heauen and thereby to catch holde on the mercy of God in Christ is the hardest thing in the whole world and this doe all those knowe to be true in some part which knowe what it is to beleeue Secondly it is as hard a thing in the time of temptation to resist temptation as for drie wood to resist the fire when it begins to burn Thirdly when a maÌ„ is put to his choice either to loose his life goods friends and all that he hath or els to forsake religion euen then to forsake all and to sticke vnto Christ is a matter of as great diffâ—cultie as any of the former Fourthly when a man wanteth the ordinary meanes of Gods prouidence as meate drinke and cloathing then at the very same instant to acknowledge Gods prouidence to reioyce in it and to relie theron is as much as if a man should shake the whole earth It is against our wicked nature to trust God vnlesse he first lay downe some pawne of his loue mercie to vs. How then will some say shall any one be able to doe these things Ans. The holy Ghost is the spirit of strength and by him we do all things as Paul saith I am able to doe all things through the helpe of Christ which strengtheneth me Concerning these gifts of the holy Ghost two questions may be mooued First what is the measure of grace in this life Answ. Small in respect In this world we receiue as Paul saith not the tenths but the first fruits of Gods spirit the earnest of the spirit Now the first fruits properly are but as an handfull or twaine of corne to a whole corne field containing many acres furlongs of ground
loue In these daies it is hard to finde these duties performed in any place For both practise and prouerb is commonly this Euery man for himselfe and God for vs all but it is a graceles saying and the contrarie must be practised of all that desire to be guided by the spirit The seuenth fruit is faith Faith or fidelitie standeth in these two duties One to make conscience of a lie and to speake euery thing whereof we speake as we thinke it is and not to speake one thing and thinke an other A rare thing it is to finde this vertue in the world now adaies who is he that maketh conscience of a lie and is not truth banished out of our coasts considering that for gaines and outward commodities men make no bones of glosing and dissembling but alas the practise is damnable and the contrarie is the fruit of the holy Ghost namely to speake the truth from the heart he that can doe this by the testimonie of God himselfe shall rest in the mountaine of his holines euen in the kingdome of heauen The second point wherein fidelitie consisteth is when a man hath made a promise that is lawfull and good to keepe and performe the same Some thinke it is a small matter to breake promise but indeede it is a fruit of the flesh and contrariwise a fruit of the spirit to performe a lawfull promise and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation and in conscience a man is bound to keepe promise so farre forth as he will to whome the promise is made Indeede if a man be released of his promise he is then free otherwise if we promise and doe not performe we doe not onely cracke our credit before men but also sinne before God The eight fruit of the spirit is meekenesse which is a notable grace of God when a man prouoked by iniuries doth neither intend nor enterprise the requitall of the same And it stands in three duties The first is to interpret the sayings and doings of other men in better part as much as possibly may be The second when men mistake and misconsture our sayings and doings if the matter be of smaller moment to be silent patient as Christ was when he was accused before the high priests Pharises this being withal remembred that if the matter be of weight and moment we may defend our selues by soft and mild answers The third is not to contend in word or deed with any man but when we are to deale with others to speake our minde and so an ende The last fruit of the spirit is temperance whereby a man bridleth his appetite or lust in meate drinke and apparell In bridling the lust these rules must be obserued I. Eating and drinking must be ioyned with continuall fasting after this manner We must not glut our selues but rather abstaine from that which nature desireth and as some vse to speake leaue our stomackes crauing II. A man must so eate and drinke as afterward he may the better be inabled for Gods worship Creatures are abused when they make vs vnfit to serue God The common fault is on the Sabbath day men so pamper themselues as that they are made vnfit both to heare and learne Gods word and fitte for nothing but to slumber and sleepe but following this rule of temperance these faults shall be amended III. This must be a caueat in our apparell that we be attired according to our callings in holy comelinesse The Lord hath threatned to visit all those that are cloathed in strange apparrell And holy comelinesse is this when the apparell is both for fashion and matter so made and worne that it may expresse shew forth the graces of God in the heart as sobrietie temperance grauitie c. and the beholder may take occasion by the apparell to acknowledge and commend these vertues But lamentable is the time looke on men and women in these daies and you may see and read their sinnes written in great letters on their apparell as intemperance pride and wantonnesse Euery day new fashions please the world but indeede that holy comelines which the holy Ghost doth commend to vs is the right fashion when all is done And these are the nine fruits of the spirit which we must put in practise in our liues and conuersations Fourthly if we beleeue in the holy Ghost and thereupon doe perswade our selues that he will dwell in vs we must daily labour as we are commaunded to keepe our vessells in holinesse and honour vnto the Lord and the reason is good If a man be to entertaine but an earthly prince or some man of state he would be sure to haue his house in a readines and all matters in order against his comming so as euery thing might be pleasing vnto so worthy a guest well now behold we put our confidence and affiance in the holy Ghost and doe beleeue that he wil come vnto vs and â—anctifie vs and lodge in our hearts He is higher then all states in the world whatsoeuer and therefore we must looke that our bodies and soules be kept in an honourable and holy manner so as they may be fit temples for him to dwell in S. Paul biddeth vsâ— not to grieue the holy spirit where the holy Ghost is compared to a guest and ouâ— bodies and soules vnto Innes and as men vse their guests friendly and courteously shewing vnto them all seruice and dutie so must we doe to Gods spirit which is come to dwell and abide in vs doing nothing in any case which may disquiet or molest him Now there is nothing so grieuous vnto him as our sinnes and therefore we must make conscience of all manner of sinne least by abusing of our selues we doe cause the holy Ghost as it were with greefe to depart from vs. When the arke of the couenant which was a signe of the presence of God was in the house of Obed Edom the text saith that the Lord blessed him and all his house but when the holy Ghost dwels in a mans heart there is more then the arke of the Lord present euen God himselfe and therfore may we looke for a greater blessing Now then shall we grieue the holy Ghost by sinning seeing we reape such benefit by his aboad It is said that our Sauiour Christ was angrie when he came into the temple at Ierusalem and saw the abuses therein Now shall he be angrie for the abuses that are done in a temple of stone and seeing the temples of our bodies which are not made of stone but are spirituall figured by that earthly temple seeing them I say abused by sinne will he not be much more angrie Yea we may assure our selues he can not abide that And therefore if we beleeue in the holy Ghost we must hereupon be mooued to keepe our bodies and soules pure and cleane And further to perswade vs hereunto we must remember this that when
parts the Decree of Election the Decree of Reprobation or No-election This diuision is plaine by that which hath beene said out of the 9. chapter to the Romanes and it may be further confirmed by other testimonies Of some it is said that the Lord knowes who are his and of some others Christ shall say in the daie of iudgement I neuer knewe you In the Acts it is said that as many of the Gentiles as were ordained to life euerlasting beleeued And Iude saith of false prophets that they were ordained to condemnation In handling the decree of Election I will consider three things I. what Election is II. the execution thereof III. the knowledge of particular Election For the first Gods Election is a decree in which according to the good pleasure of his will he hath certenly chosen some men to life eternall in Christ for the praiâ—e of the glorie of his grace This is the same which Paul saith to the Ephesians God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Nowe that wee mâ—y the better conceiue this doctrine let vs come to a consideration of the seuerall points thereof First of all I saie Election is Gods decree For there is nothing in the worlde that comes to passe either vniuersally or particularly without the eternall and vnchangeable decree of God And therfore whereas men are actually chosen brought to life euerlasting it is because God did purpose with himselfe and decree the same before all worlds Now touching the decree it selfe sixe things are to be obserued The first what was the motiue or impulsiue cause that mooued God to decree the saluation of any man Ans. The good pleasure of God For Paul saith he will haue mercy on whome he will haue mercy and He hath predestinate vs according to the good pleasure of God As for the opinioÌ„ of them that say that foreseene faith and good works are the cause that mooued god to choose men to saluation it is friuolous For faith and good works are the fruits and effects of gods election Paul saith he hath chosen us not because he did foresee that we would becoÌ„e holy but thâ—t wee might be holy And he hath predestinate vs to adoption Which is all one as if hee had said he hath predestinate vs to beleeue because adoption comes by beleeuing Now if men are elected that they might beleeue then are they not elected because they would beleeue For it can not be that one thing should be both the cause and the effect of another The second point is that Gods election is vnchangeable so as they which are indeed chosen to saluation can not perish but shall without faile attaine to life euerlasting Paul takes it for a conclusionâ— that the purpose of God according to election must remaine firme and sure and againe that the gifts and calling of god are without repentance And Samuel saith The strength of Israel will not lie or repent For he is not a man that he should repent Such as Gods nature is such is his will and counsell but his nature is vnchangeable I am Iehouah saith he and I change not therefore his will likewife and his counsels bee vnchangeable And therefore whensoeuer the spirit of God shall testifie vnto our spirits that we are iustifâ—ed in Christ and chosen to saluation it must be a means to comfort vs and to stablish our hearts in the loue of God As for the opinion of them that say the elect may fall from grace and be damned it is ful of hellish discomfort and no doubt from the deuil And the reasons coÌ„monly alleadged for this purpose are of no moment as may appeare by the skanning of them First they obiect that the Churches of the Ephesians Thessalonians and the dispersed Iewes are all called Elect by the Apostles themselues yet sundrie of them afterward fell away Ans. I. There are two kindes of iudgement to be giuen of men the iudgement of certenty and the iudgement of charitie By the first indeede is giuen an infallible determination of any mans election but it belongs vnto God principally and properly and to men but in part namely so farre forth as God shall reueale the estate of one man vnto another Nowe the iudgement of charitie belongs vnto all men and by it leauing all secret iudgements vnto God wee are charitably to thinke that all those that liue in the Church of God professing themselues to be members of Christ are indeede elect to saluation till God make manifest otherwise And on this manner and not otherwise doe the Apostles call whole Churches elect II. they are called elect of the principall part and not because euery member thereof was indeede elect as it is called an heape of corne though the bigger part be chaffe Secondly it is alleadged that Dauid praies that his enemies may be blotted out of the booke of life which is the election of God and that Moses and Paul did the like against themselues Answer Dauids enemies had not their names written in the booke of life but onely in the iudgement of men Thus Iudas so long as hee was one of the disciples of Christ was accounted as one hauing his name written in heauen Now hence it followes that mens names are blotted out of Gods booke when it is made cleare and manifest vnto the worlde that they were neuer indeede written there And where Moses saith Forgiue them this sinne if not blotte me out of thy boâ—ke and Paul I could wish to be accursed c. there meaning was not to signifie that men elected to saluation might become reprobates onely they testifie their zealous affections that they could bee content to be depriued of their owne saluation rather then the whole bodie of the people should perish and God loose his glorie As for that which Christ saith Haue I not chosen you twelue and one of you is a deuill it is to be vnderstood not of election to saluation but of election to office of an Apostle which is temporarie and changeable The third point is that there is an actuall election made in time beeing indeede a fruite of Gods decree and answerable vnto it and therefore I added in the description these wordes whereby he hath chosen some men All men by nature are sinners and children of wrath shut vp vnder one the same estate of condemnation And actuall election is when it pleaseth God to seuer and single out some men aboue the rest out of this wretched estate of the wicked world and to bring them to the kingdome of his owne sonne Thus Christ saith of his owne disciples I haue chosen you out of the world The fourth point is the actuall or reall foundation of Gods election
mindfull of others For a man that hath wealth is made a steward to distribute his goods to the poore and the good of Gods Church True loue seekes not her owne things the branches of the vine are loden with clusters of grapes not for themselues but for others the candle spends it selfe to giue others light Giue If bread be ours wherefore are we to aske it it may seeme needlesse Answ. Not so for hereby we are taught to waite on God who is the fountaine and the giuer of all blessings Men vsually driuen to any distresse vse euill meanes as robbing deceiuing consulting with wizzards c. 2. Againe here we learne that though a man had all the wealth in the world all is nothing without Gods blessing Question The rich neede not say Giue vs c. for they haue abundance already and what neede they aske that which they haue Answer Let a man be neuer so rich and want nothing that can be desired yet if he want Gods blessing in effect he wants all Wherefore euen Kings and the greatest personages that be are as much bound to vse this petition as the poorest Gods blessing is riches saith Salomon Prou. 10.22 Thou maist eate and not haue enough be clothed and not warme earne wages and put it in a broken bagge Hag. 1. 6. if God doe not blesse thee This blessing of God is called the staffe of bread Esay 3. 1. In bread there bee two things the substance and the vertue thereof proceeding from gods blessing this second that is the power of nourishing is the staffe of bread For take away from an aged man his staffe and he falls and so take away Gods blessing from bread the strength thereof it becomes vnprofitable and ceaseth to nourish Lastly here we see that all labour and toile taken in any kind of calling is nothing and auailes not vnlesse God still giue his blessing Psal. 127.1 3. The wants which are to be bewailed SInnes which we are taught in this petition to bewaile are two especially I. Couetousnesse a vice which is naturally engrafted in euery mans heart it is when a man is not content with his present estate This desire is vnsatiable men that haue enough would still haue more Wherefore he which shall vse this petition must be grieued for this sinne and pray with Dauid Psal. 119. 36. Incline my heart to thy commandements and not to couetousnes And he must sorrowe not so much for the act of this sinne as for the corruption of nature in this behalfe Couetous people will plead that they are free from this vice but marke mens liues and we shall see it is a common disease as Dauid noted Psal. 4.6 where he brings in the people saying who shall shew vs any good This then is a common sinne that we are taught to mourne for 2. The second want is diffidence and distrustfulnes in Gods prouidence touching the things of this life Men also will shift this off and say they would be sorrie to distrust God But if we doe but a little looke into the corruption of our nature we shall see that we are deceiued For beeing in prosperitie wee are not troubled but if once we be pressed with aduersitie then we howle and weepe and as Paul saith 1. Tim. 6.10 Men peirce themselues through with many sorrowes If a man shall loose a part of his goods what then doth he straight hee goes out to the wise man is this to beleeue in God No it is to distrust God and beleeue the deuill 4. Graces to be desired THe grace to be desired is a readines in all estates of life to rest on Gods prouidence whatsoeuer fall out Psal. 37.5 Commit thy way to the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe Prou. 16. 3. Commit or role thy workes vpon the Lord and thy thoughts shall be directed Whereby we are admonished to take paines in our callings to get meate and drinke c. If the Lord blesse not our labour we must be content if he doe we must giue him thankes Now for this cause we are further to pray to God that hee would open our eies and by his spirit teach vs in all his good creatures to see his prouidence and when meanes faile and are contrarie then also to beleeue in the same and to followe Pauls example Phil. 4.12 5. Errours confuted PApists teach that men by workes of grace may merit life eternall and increase of iustification in this life But howe can this be for here we see that euery bit of bread which we eate is the free gift of God without any merit of ours Now if we can not merit a peece of bread what madnes is it to thinke that we can merit life euerlasting 2. They also are deceiued who thinke that any thing comes by meere chance or fortune without Gods prouidence Indeede in respect of men who know not the causes of things many chances there are but so as that they are ordered and come to passe by Gods prouidence Luk. 10.31 By chance there came downe a certaine priest that way Forgiue vs our debts 1. The Coherence THis is the fift petition and the second of those which concerne our selues in the former we craued temporall blessings in this and the next which followeth we craue spirituall blessings Where we may note that seeing there is two petitions which concerne spirituall things and but one for temporall that the care for our soules must be double to the care of our bodies In the world men care for their bodies their hearts are set for wealth and promotion they can be content to heare the word on the Sabbath yet neither then nor in the weeke day doe they lay it vp in their hearts and practise it which argues that they haue little or no care for their soules Question What is the cause that first we craue things for the bodie and in the second place those which concerne the soule Ans. The order of the holy Ghost in these petitions is wonderfull for the Lord considers the dulnes and backwardnes of mens natures and therefore he traines them vp and drawes them on by little euen as a schoolemaster doth his yong schollers propounding vnto them some small elements and principles and so carrying them to higher points For the former petition is a step or degree to these two following The ruler by the healing of the bodie of his child is brought to beleeue in Christ. Ioh. 4.53 He then that will rest on Gods mercie for the pardon of his sinnes must first of all rest on Gods prouidence for this life and he that can not put his affiance in God for the prouision of meate and drinke how shall he trust Gods mercie for the saluation of his soule Here we may see the faith of worldlings they say that God is mercifull and that they beleeue in Christ which can not be true seeing in lesser matters as meate and drinke they
owne children From Adoption proceede many other benefits First the elect child of God hereby is made a brother to Christ. Secondly he is a King and the kingdome of heauen is his inheritance Thirdly he is lord ouer all creatures saue Angels Fourthly the holy Angels minister vnto him for his good they guard him and watch about him Fifthly all things yea grieuous afflictions and sinne it selfe turne to his good though in his owne nature it be neuer so hurtfull and therefore death which is most terrible vnto him is no entrance into hell but a narrow gate to let him into euerlasting life Lastly beeing thus adopted he may looke for comfort at Gods hand answerable to the measure of his affliction as God hath promised XXX The inward assurance of Adoption is by two witnesses The first is our spirit that is an heart and conscience sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Now because it commeth to passe that the testimonie of our spirit is often feeble and weake God of his goodnes hath giuen his owne spirit to be a fellow witnesse with our spirit for the Elect haue in themselues the spirit of Iesus Christ testifying vnto them and perswading them that they are the adopted children of God For this cause the holy Ghost is called the spirit of adoption because it worketh in vs the assurance of our adoption and it is called a pawne or earnest For as in a bargaine when part of the price is payed in earnest then assurance is made that men will pay the whole so when the childe of God hath receiued thus much from the holy Ghost to be perswaded that he is adopted and chosen in Christ he may be in good hope and he is alreadie put in good assurance fully to enioy eternall life in the kingdome of heauen Indeede this testimonie is weake in most men and can scarce be perceiued because most Christians though they may be old in respect of yeares yet generally they are babes in Christ and not yet come to a perfect growth and may finde in themselues great strength of sinne and the graces of God to be in small measure in them And againe the children of God beeing most distressed as in time of triall and in the houre of death then the inward working of the holy Ghost is felt most euidently But a reprobate can not haue this testimonie at all though indeede a man flattereth himselfe and the deuill imitating the spirit of God doth vsually perswade carnall men and hypocrites that they shall be saued But that deuillish illusion and the testimonie of the Spirit may be discerned by 2. notes The I. is heartie feruent praier to God in the name of Christ. For the same spirit that testifieth to vs that we are the adopted children of God doth also make vs crie that is feruently with grones sighs filling heauen and earth pray to God Now this heartie feruent and loud crying in the eares of God can the deuill giue to no hypocrite for it is the speciall marke of the Spirit of God The other note is that they which haue the speciall testimonie from the spirit of God haue also in their hearts the same affections to God which children haue to their father namely loue feare reuerence obedience thankfulnes for they call not vpon God as vpon a terrible Iudge but they crie Abba that is father And these affections they haue not whome Satan illudeth with a phantasticall imagination of their saluation for it may be that through hypocrisie or through custome they may call God father but in truth they can not doe it XXXI The elect being thus assured of their adoption and iustification are indued with hope by which they looke patiently for the accomplishing of all good things which God hath begun in them And therefore they can vndergoe all crosses and afflictions with a quiet and contented minde because they know that the time will come when they shall haue full redemption from all euills This was the patience of Pauls hope when he saide that nothing in the world could seuer him from the loue of God in Christ. And like to this was the patience of Policarpe and of Ignatius who when he was condemned and iudged to be throwne to wild beasts and now heard the Lyons roring he boldly and yet patiently said I am the wheat of Christ I shall be ground with the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found good bread Also the same was the patience of the blessed Martyr S. Laurence who like a meeke lambe suffered himselfe to be tormented on a fierie gridyron and when he had bin pressed downe with fire pikes for a great space in the mightie spirit of God spake vnto the Emperour that caused him thus to be tormented on this wise This side is now rosted enough turne vp O tyrant great Assay whether rosted or rawe thou thinkest the better meate XXXII The third maine benefit is inward sanctification by which a Christian in his mind in his will and in his affections is freed from the bondage and tyrannie of sinne and satan and is by little and little inabled through the spirit of Christ to desire and approoue that which is good to walke in it And it hath two parts The first is mortification when the power of sinne is continually weakned consumed and diminished The second is viuification by which inherent righteousnes is really put into them and afterward is continually increased XXXIII This sanctification is wrought in all Christians after this manner After that they are ioyned to Christ and made mystically bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Christ worketh in them effectually by his holy spirit and his workes are principally three First he causeth his own death to worke effectually the death of all sinne to kil the power of the flesh For it is as a corrasiue which beeing applied to the part affected eateth out the venome and corruption and so the death of Christ by faith applied fretteth out and consumeth the concupiscence the corruption of the whole man Secondly his buriall causeth the buriall of sinne as it were in a graue Thirdly his Resurrection sendeth a quickning power into them and serueth to make them rise out of their sinne in which they were dead and buried to worke righteousnes and to liue in holines of life Lazarus bodie lay foure daies and stanke in the graue yet Christ raised it and gaue him life again and made him do the same works that liuing men doe so also Christ dealeth with the soules of the faithfull they rot and stinke in their sinns and would perish in them if they were left alone but Christ putteth a heauenly life into them maketh them actiue and liuâ—ly to doe the will of God in the workes of Christianitie and in their works of their callings
he expressed by bringing forth sweete fruites of righteousnes 7 Then hee feeleth that Christ hath withdrawne his spirit 8 He almost despaires for this 9 Yet by priuate praier seekes for Christ. 10 When that will not helpe he resorts to the ministers of the worde at whose handes he findes no comfort 11 Not recouering his first estate through impatience of the loue of Christ he makes his miserie knowne to strangers to see if they can comfort him he somwhat coÌ„forts himselfe in describing Christs excellencie to theÌ„ 12 They then are rauished with him to seeke Christ and require then to know where to find him 13 Answere is made in the assemblies of the Church 14 After this communication the Christians faith and feeling reuiueth Christ returning to him againe 15 TheÌ„ Christ assureth him in his heart of his loue liking towards him 16 Giuing further assurance to him that he shall growe vp and bee made fruitfull in euery good grace 17 After this the Christian comes in such a high measure to loue Christ that nothing shall be able to seuer him from Christ. LVII The fift temptation is a fall into some great sinne as Noah into drunkennes Dauid into Adulterie and murder Peter into the deniall of Christ. The exercise of a Christian in this temptation is this 1 At the first his heart is vsually dulled and made secure with sinne 2 Yet after a while there by some meanes ariseth in his heart a godly sorrowe which is when he is gâ—ieued for this onely cause that by his sinne hee hath displeased God who hath beene to him so louing and mercifull a father whose fauour he would be content to purchase so he might haue it and obtaine it euen with the damnation of his owne soule 3 Then he beginnes to repent himselfe of his sinnes renuing afresh his former repentance 4 This repentance he sheweth by seuen signes 1 A care to leaue that sinne into which he is fallen As they which crucified our Sauiour Christ wheÌ„ they were pricked in their hearts at Peters sermon they shewed this care in saying Men and brâ—thren what shall we doe to be saued 2. An Apologie which is when a man in the heauines of his heart shal not excuse or defend his sinne but confesse it to the Lord and vtterly condemne himselfe for it acknowledging withall that there is no way to escape the wrath of God but by hauing Gods free pardon in Christ. 3 Indignation which is an inward anger and fretting against his ownselfe because he was so carelesse in looking to his owne waies Peter when he had denied his master he wept and that bitterly which sheweth that with sorrow he had also an anger against himselfe 4 A feare rising not so much from the iudgements of God as from this least he should hereafter fall into the same sinne againe and by so doing more grieuously displease God 5 A desire euer after more carefully to please God 6 Zeale in the seruice of God 7 Reuenge vpon himselfe for his former offences for example if a man sinne in surfetting and drunkennes if he euer repent he will bring vnder his corrupt nature by sparing and moderating himselfe LVIII The sixt temptation is outward afflictions which the godly in this life must suffer If any will goe after Christ he must denie himselfe take vp his owne crosse and follow him And S. Peter saith that iudgement begins at Gods house And Paul that we must enter into the kingdom of heauen through manifold temptations The exercise of a Christian in affliction is this 1 At the first they are very heauie and bitter 2 He suffereth them with great lenitie and patience submitting himselfe vnder the hand of God Yet if they be in great measure they will driue him to impatience 3 If they continue he shall feele according to his owne iudgement the wrath and displeasure of God in his heart 4 His old sinnes will come a fresh into his remembrance and trouble him He is sleepie and in his sleepe he hath visions and dreames and anxietie of spirit 5 In this miserie God supports his faith that it faile not and he then forsake Christ. 6 He feeling thus Gods power to strengthen him hath experience of it in himselfe 7 From experience proceedes hope that the grace of God shall neuer be wanting vnto him in any afflictions to come and as he hopeth so it comes to passe 8 With this hope is ioyned a serious humiliation before the Lord with the fruit of peace and righteousnes If the afflictions be for Christs cause vnto death then he in more speciall maner is filled with the ioy of the holy Ghost and he is then stablished with the greatest measure of the strength of Christ that no torment is able to foile and to bring him from Christ though the Christian should die a thousand times for it According to that of Paul To you it is giuen for Christ not onely to beleeue in him but also to suffer for his sake And this is grounded vpon the promise of God When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee through the flouds that they doe not ouerflow thee when thou walkest through the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle vpon thee LIX Hence ariseth a notable difference betweene the godly and the wicked in the suffering of afflictions A Reprobate the more the Lord laieth his hand on him the more he murmureth rebelleth against God it is contrary with the true Christian none feeleth more the power and rebellion of sinne then he none is more assaulted by Satan then he and oftentimes it commeth to passe that God withdraweth the signes of his fauour from him lets him feele his wrath And this is the greatest temptation of all other when a man shal see the Lord to be his enemie and to his thinking to arme himselfe against him to his destruction As Ezechias did who saith that the Lord did crash his bones like a Lyon Or as Iob saith that the arrowes of the almightie were in him and the venime thereof drunke vp his spirit and the terrours of God did fight against him Yet the true Christian when the world the flesh and the deuill and God himselfe too are against him doth euen then most of all rest in the Lord and by faith cleaue to him Though God should destroy me yet would I trust in him saith Iob. And Dauid saith My God my God why hast thou forsaken me When he saith that God had forsaken him it may seeme to be the complaint of a desperate man not hauing so much as one sparke of faith yet then he saith My God my God which wordes containe a confession proceeding from true faith so that in Dauid it appeareth that the faithfull when they
faith which I haue in his blood God is not displeased if my body be sicke and subiect to diseases no more is he displeased at the disease and sicknes of the soule A naturall father will not slay the bodie of his child when he is sicke and abhorreth comfortable meates and my heauenly father will not condemne my soule although through the infirmitie of faith and the weaknes of the spirit I commit sinne and often loath his heauenly word the foode of my soule Nay which is a strange thing I know it by experience that God hath turned my filthie sinnes to my great profit and to the amendment of my life like as the good Phisitian of rancke poyson is able to make a soueraigne medecine to preserue life Sathan Well be it so that now thou art in the state of grace yet thou shalt not continue so but shalt before death depart from Christ. Christ. I know I am a member of Christs mysticall bodie I feele in my selfe the heauenly power vertue of my head Christs Iesus for this cause I can not perish but shal cōtinue for euer raigne in heauē after this life with him The conflicts of Sathan with the weake Christian. Sathan Thy minde is full of ignorance and blindnes thy heart is ful of obstinacie rebellion and frowardnes against God thou art wholly vnfit for any good worke wherefore thou hast no faith neither canst thou be iustified and accepted before God Christian. If I haue but one drop of the grace of God and if my faith be no more then a little graine of mustard seede it is sufficient for me God requireth not perfect faith but true faith Sathan Yea but thou hast no faith at all Christian. I haue had faith Sathan Thou neuer hadst true faith for in time past when according to thine opinion thou didst beleeue then thou hadst nothing but a shadow of faith and a foolish imagination which all hypocrites haue Christian. I will put my trust in God for euer and his former mercies shewmed me heretofore strengthen me now in this my weaknes 1 He created me when I was nothing 2 He created me a man when he might haue made me an vgly toad 3 He made me of comely body and of good discretion whereas he might haue made me vgly and deformed franticke and madde 4 I was borne in the daies of knowledge when I might haue bin borne in the time of ignorance and superstition 5 I was borne of Christian parents but God might haue giuen me either Turkes or Iewes or some other sauadge people for my parents 6 I might haue perished in my mothers wombe but he hath preserued me and prouided for me by his prouidence euen vnto this houre 7 Soone after my birth God might haue cast me into hell but contrariwise I was baptized and so receiued the seale of his blessed couenant 8 I haue had by Gods goodnes some sorrow for my sinnes past and haue called on him in hope and confidence that he would heare me 9 God might haue concealed his word from me but I haue heard the plētifull preaching of it I vnderstand it and haue receiued comfort by it 10 Lastly at this time God might powre his full wrath on me which he doth not but mercifully maketh me to feele mine owne wants that I might be humbled and giue all glorie vnto him for his blessings Wherefore there is no cause why I should be disquieted but I will trust still in the Lord and depend on him as I haue done Sathan Thou feelest no grace of the holy Ghost in thee nor any true tokens of faith but thou hast a liuely sense of the rebellion of thy heart and of thy lewd and wretched conuersation therefore thou canst not put any confidence in Christs death and sufferings Christian. Yet I will hope against all hope although according to mine owne sense and feeling I want faith yet I wil beleeue in Iesus Christ and trust to be saued by him Sathan Though the children of God haue bin in many perplexities yet neuer any of them haue beene in this case in which thou art at this present Christian. Herein thou prouest thy selfe to be a lying spirit for the prophet Dauid saith of himselfe that he was foolish and as a beast before God and yet he euen then trusted in God And Paul was so ledde captiue of sinne that he was not able to doe the good he would but did the euill which he hated and so in great pensiuenes of heart desired to be deliuered from this world that he might be disburdened of his corrupt flesh Sathan Thou miserable wretch doest thou feele thy selfe gracelesse and wilt thou beare the face of a Christian and by thy hypocrisie offend God as thou art so shew thy selfe to the world Christian. Auoide Sathan Christ hath vanquished and ouercome thee for my cause that I might also triumph ouer thee I am no hypocrite for whereas I haue had heretofore some testimonie of my faith at this time I am lesse moued though faith seeme to be absent like as a man may seeme to be dead both in his own sense and by the iudgement of the physitian and yet may haue life in him so faith may be though alwaies it doe not appeare Sathan But thou art a man starke dead in sinne God hath now quite forsaken thee he hath left thee vnto me to be ruled he hath giuen me power ouer thee to bring thee to damnation he wil not haue thee to trust in him any longer Christian. Strengthen me good Lord remember thy mercifull promises that thou wilt reuiue the humble and giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Sathan These promises concerne not thee which hast no humble and contrite but a froward a rebellious heart Christian. Good Lord forget not thy former mercies giue an issue to these temptations of mine enemie Sathan And you my brethren which know my estate pray for me that God would turne his fauourable countenance towards me for this I know that the praier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent HOW A MAN SHOULD APPLIE ARIGHT the word of God to his owne soule I. EVery Christian containeth in himselfe two natures flatte contrarie one to the other the flesh and the spirit and that he may become a perfect man in Christ Iesus his earnest indeauour must be to tame and subdue the flesh and to strengthen and confirme the spirit II Answerable to these two natures are the two parts of Gods word First the Law because it is the ministerie of death it fitly serueth for the taming and mastering of the rebellious flesh and the Gospell containing the bountifull promises of God in Christ is as oyle to power into our woundes and as the water of life to quench our thirstie soules and it fitly serueth for the strengthening of the spirit III Wel then art thou secure Art thou prone to
minde that if there were no conscience to accuse no diuell to terrifie no iudge to arraigne condemne no hel to torment yet he would be humbled brought on his knees for his sinnes because he hath offended a louing mercifull and long suffering God Further I say that repentance stands in turning againe to God Man at the first was made a goodly creature in the image of God hauing fellowship with him whereby he dwelt in God and God in him By sinne there is a partition made betweene God and man who is alienated and estranged from God and is become the childe of wrath a firebrand of hell the prodigall child going from his father into a farre countrey the straying nay the lost sheepe Now when men haue grace to repent then they begin to renew this fellowship and turne againe to God And the very essence or nature of repentance consists in this turning Which Paul doth seeme to intimate when he saith That he shewed both to Iew and Gentile that they should repent and turne to God and do works worthie amendment of life In which words he sets downe vnto vs a ful description of repentance Againe I say that repentance is a turning from sinne because it doth not abolish or change the substance of bodie or soule or any of the faculties therof either in whole or part but onely rectifie and amend them by remoouing the corruption It turnes the sadnesse of melancholy to godly sorrow choller to good zeale softnesse of nature to meekenes of spirit madnesse and lightnâ—sse to Christian mirth it reformes euery man according to his naturall constitution not abolishing it but redressing the fault of it Further I put downe that repentance is a turning from all sinne to God that I may exclude many false turnings The first when a man turnes from God to sinne as when one of a Protestant becomes a Papist an Arrian a â—â—milist The second when a man turnes from one sinne to an other As when the riotous person leaues his prodigalitie and giues himselfe to the practise of couetousnes this can be no repentaÌ„ce because it is a going from one extreame to an other whereas repentance is to leaue the extreames keepe the meane The third is not when a man turnes from sinne but sinne turnes from him and leaues him As when the drunkard leaues drunkennesse because his stomacke is decaied the fornicatour his vncleannes because the strength of nature failes him the quarreller his fighting because he is maymed on legge or arme The last is when men turne from many sinnes but will not turne from all As Herod did many things at the aduertisement of Iohn Baptist but could not be brought to leaue incest in hauing his brother Philips wife This repentance is nothing For as he which is truly regenerate is wholly in bodie soule and spirit regenerate so he which truly repents turnes from all sinne and turnes wholly to God Neither is this to trouble any that they can not know all their sinnes for sound repentance for one speciall sinne brings with it repentance of all sinne And as God requires particular repentance for knowne sinnes so he accepts a generall repentance for such as be vnknowne To proceede further the conuersion of a sinner in repentance hath three parts The first a purpose and resolution in the mind the second an inclination in the will and affections the third an indeauour in life and conuersation to abandon and leaue all his former sinnes and to imploy himselfe in obedience to Gods commandements Lastly this repentance must bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life because it cannot be knowne to be sincere vnlesse it bring forth fruit Repentant sinners are trees of righteousnes of Gods owne planting and they grow by the waters that flow out of the sanctuarie and therefore they must beare fruit that may serue for meate leafe for medicine otherwise the axe of Gods iudgment is laid to their rootes to stocke them vp CHAP. II. Of the causes of Repentance THe principall cause of Repentance is the Spirit of God as Paul saith Instructing them with meekenesse that are contrarie minded proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance And Ieremie Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted The instrument of the holy Ghost in working repentance is the ministery of the Gospell onely and not the law Reasons hereof are these I. Faith is engendred by the preaching not of the Law but of the Gospell as Paul saith The Gospel is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue from faith to faith therefore repentance which follows faith as a fruit thereof must needes come by the preaching of the Gospel onely II. The Law is the ministerie of death and damnation because it shewes a man his wretched estate but shewes him no remedie therefore it can not be an instrumentall cause of that repentance which is effectuall to saluation III. The doctrine of repentance is a part of the Gospel which appeares in this that the preaching of repentance and the preaching of the Gospel are put one for an other And our Sauiour Christ deuides the Gospel into two parts the preaching of repentance and remission of sinnes in his name IV. That part of the word which workes repentance must reueale the nature of it and set out the promise of life which belongs vnto it But the Law neither reueales faith nor repentance this is a proper worke of the Gospel If it be said that the Law is a schoolemaster to bring vs to Christ the answer is it brings men to Christ not by teaching the way or by alluring them but by forcing and vrging them Neither doe we abolish the law in ascribing the worke of repentance to the Gospel onely for though it be no cause yet is it an occasion of true repentance Because it represents vnto the eye of the soule our damnable estate smites the conscience with dolefull terrours and feares which though they be no tokens of grace for they are in their owne nature the very gates and the downefall to the pit of hell yet they are certaine occasions of receiuing grace The phisitian is otherwhiles constrained to recouer the health of his patient by casting him into some fits of an ague so man because he is deadly sicke of the disease of sinne must be cast into some fits of Legal terrors by the ministerie of the law that he may recouer his former estate come to life euerlasting Repentance also is furthered by calamities which in this case often come in the roome stead of the law Iosephs brethren when they were in distresse in Egypt said one to another Wee haue verely sinned against our brother in that we sawe the anguish of his soule when he besought vs and we would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon vs. And the Lord saith in Oseah I will goe
power but God workes to wil in vs. For looke at what time God giues grace at the same time he giueth a will to desire and will the same grace as for example when God workes faith at the same time he workes also vpon the will causing it to desire faith and willingly to receiue the gift of beleeuing God makes of the vnwilling will a willing will because no man can receiue grace vtterly against his will considering will constrained is no will But here we must remember that howsoeuer in respect of time the working of grace by Gods spirit and the willing of it in man goe togither yet in regard of order grace is first wrought and mans will must first of all be acted and mooued by grace and then it also acteth willeth and mooueth it selfe And this is the last point of consent betweene vs and the Romane Church touching freewill neither may we proceede further with them II. The dissent or difference The point of difference standeth in the cause of the freedome of mans will in spirituall matters which concerne the kingdome of God The Papists say mans will concurreth and worketh with Gods grace in the first conuersion of a sinner by it selfe and by it owne naturall power and is onely helped by the holy Ghost We say that mans will worketh with grace in the first conuersion yet not of it selfe but by grace Or thus They say will hath a naturall cooperation we denie it and say it hath cooperation onely by grace beeing in it selfe not actiue but passiue willing well onely as it is mooued by grace wherby it must first be acted and mooued before it can act or will And that we may the better conceiue the difference I will vse this comparison The church of Rome sets forth the estate of a sinner by the condition of a prisoner and so doe we marke then the difference It supposeth the said prisoner to lie bound hand and foote with chaines and fetters and withall to be sicke and weake yet not wholly dead but liuing in part it supposeth also that being in this case he stirreth not himselfe for any helpe and yet hath ability and power to stirre Hereupon if the keeper come and take away his bolts and fetters and hold him by the hand helpe him vp he can and will of himselfe stand walke and goe out of prison euen so say they is a sinner bound hand and foot with the chaine of his sinnes and yet he is not dead but sicke like to the wounded man in the way betweene Ierico and Ierusalem And therefore doth he not will and aâ—fect that which is good but if the holy Ghost come and doe but vntie his bands and reach him his hand of grace then can he stand of himself and will his owne saluation or any thing els that is good We in like manner graunt that a prisoner fitly resembleth a naturall man but yet such a prisoner must he be as is not onely sicke and weake but euen starke dead which can not stirre though the keeper vntie his bolts and chaines not heare though he sound a trumpet in his eare and if the said keeper would haue him to mooue and stirre he must giue him not onely his hand to helpe him but euen soule and life also and such a one is euery man by nature not onely chained fettered in his sinnes but stark dead therein as one that lieth rotting in the graue not hauing any abilitie or power to mooue or stirre and therefore he cannot so much as desire or do anything that is truly good of himself but God must first come and put a new soule into him euen the spirit of grace to quicken and reuiue him and then beeing thus reuiued the will beginneth to will good things at the very same time when God by his spirit first infuseth grace And this is the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this point of freewill III. Our reasons Now for the confirmation of the doctrine we holde namely that a man willeth not his owne conuersion of himselfe by nature either in whole or in part but by grace wholly and alone these reasons may be vsed The first is taken from the nature and measure of mans corruption which may be distinguished into two parts The first is the want of that originall righteousnesse which was in man by creation the second is a pronenes and inclination to that which is euill and to nothing that is truly good This appeareth Gen. 8.21 the frame of mans heart saith the Lord is euill froÌ„ his childhood that is the disposition of the vnderstanding wil affections with all that the heart of man deuiseth formeth or imagineth is wholly euill And Paul saith Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie against God Which wordes are very significant for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated wisdome signifieth that the best thoughts the best desires affections and indeauour that be in any naturall man euen those that come most neare to true holines are not onely contrarie to God but euen enmitie it selfe And hence I gather that the very heart it selfe that is the will and minde from whence these desires and thoughts doe come are also enmitie vnto God For such as the action is such is the facultie whence it proceedeth such as the fruit is such is the tree such as the branches are such are the rootes By both these places it is euident that in man there is not onely a want absence or depriuation of originall righteousnes but a pronenesse also by nature vnto that which is euill which pronenesse includes in it an inclination not to some fewe but to all and euery sinne the very sinne against the holy Ghost not excepted Hence therefore I reasons thus If euery man by nature doth both want originall iustice and be also prone vnto all euill then wanteth he naturall freewill to will that which is truly good But euery man by nature wants originall iustice and is also prone vnto all euill Ergo Euery man naturally wants freewill to will that which is good Reason II. 1. Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can know them because they are spiritually discerned In these wordes Saint Paul sets downe these points I. that a naturall man doth not so much as thinke of the things reuealed in the Gospell II. that a man hearing and in mind conceiuing them can not giue consent vnto them and by naturall iudgement approoue of them but contrariwise thinketh them to be foolishnes III. that no man can giue assent to the things of God vnlesse he be enlightened by the spirit of God And hence I reason thus If a man by nature doth not know and perceiue the things of God and when he shall know them can not by nature giue assent vnto them then hath he no power to will
Matth. 11.28 No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whoâ—â— the Sonne will reueale him Luke 8. To you it is giuen to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Philip. 2. It is God which worketh in you to will and to doe 1. Cor. 12. 13. No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Briefly he who according to God is to be created to righteousnes and holiness Eph. 4.24 cannot any waies dispose himselfe to iustification or new creation For it is impossible that a thing not yet created should dispose it selfe to his creation The IX errour That preparation to grace which is caused by the power of free-will may by the merit of congruitie deserue iustification The Confutation These things smell of more then Satanicall arrogancie For what man but such an one as were not in his right mind would beleeue that he vnto whom so many millions of condemnations are due could once merit the least dramme of grace The prodigall sonne he was not receiued into fauour by reason of his deserts but by fauour Luk. 15.21 His sonne said vnto him I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne The X. errour The faith of the godly or that which iustifieth is that whereby a man doth in generall beleeue the promised blessednes of God and by which also he giueth his assent to other mysteries reuealed of God concerning the same The Confutation Faith is not onely a generall knowledge and assent to the historie of the Gospel but further also a certaine power both apprehending and seuerally applying the promises of God in Christ whereby a man doth assuredly set downe that his sinnes are forgiuen him and that he is reconciled vnto God Reasons I. A particular assuraÌ„ce of the fauour of god is of the nature of faith Eph. 3.12 By whom we haue boldnes and entrance with confidence by faith in him Rom. 4.20 Neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in the faith and gaue glorie vnto God 21. Beeing fully assured that he which had promised was also able to do it Heb. 10.22 Let vs draw nere with a true heart in assurance of faith II. Particular doubtings is reprehended Mat. 14. â—â— O thou of litle faith why didst thou doubt Luk. 12.29 Hang ye not in suspence III. That which a maÌ„ praieth for to god that must he assuredly beleeue to receiue Math. 11.24 But the faithfull in their praiers make request for adoption iustification and life eternall And therefore they must certainely beleeue that they shall receiue these benefits IV. Rom. 5.1 We beeing thâ—refore iustified we haue peace with God But there can be no peace where there is not a paâ—ticuâ—ar assurance of Gods fauour V. That which the spirit of God doth testifie vnto vs particularly that must also be beleeued particularly But the spirit of God doth giue a particular testimonie of the adoption of the faithfull Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 This therefore is in like sort to be beleeued Whereas they say that no man hath a particular assurance but by especiall reuelation as was that which Abraham and Paul had it is false For the faith of these two is set downe in Scripture as an example which we should all follow For this cause Abraham is called the Father of the faithfull and Paul testifieth the very fame of himselfe 1. Tim. 1.16 For this cause saith he was I receiued to mercie that Iesus Christ should first shew on me all long suffering vnto the example of them which shall in time to come beleeue in him vnto eternall life Againe whereas they say that we haue a morall assurance but not the assurance of faith it is a popish deuise For Rom. 8.16 The spirit of adoption 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together beareth witnesse to our spirits Where we see two witnesses of our adoption our owne spirit and the spirit of God Our spirit doth testifie morally of our adoption by sanctification and the fruits thereof and therefore also the spirit of God witnesseth after another manner namely by the certaintie of faith declaring and applying the promises of God Obiect I. We are commanded to worke our saluation with feare trembling Ans. This feare is not in regard of Gods mercie forgiuing our sinnes but in respect of vs and our nature which is euer prone to slide away and starting from God Obiect II. In respect of Gods mercie we must hope for saluation but in respect of our vnworthines we must doubt Ans. I. We may not at all lawfully doubt of Gods mercie because doubtfulnes is not of the nature of faith but rather a naturall corruption II. If we consider our owne vnworthines it is out of all doubt that we must be out of all hope and despaire of our saluation Obiect III. There be many sinnes vnknowne vnto vs and so also vncertaine whether they be pardoned vnto vs. Answer He that certenly and truly knoweth that but one sinne is pardoned him he hath before God all his sinnes remitted whether they be knowne or vnknowne Obiect IV. No man dare sweare or die in the defence of this proposition I am the child of God or in Gods fauour and iustified Answ. They which haue an vnfained faith will if they be lawfully called not onely testifie their adoption by an oath but seale it also by their blood Obiect V. A man may haue this faith which the Protestants talke of and lie in a mortall sinne and haue also a purpose to perseuere in a mortall sinne Ans. It is farre otherwise for Act. 15.9 True faith purifieth the heart These Sophisters doe further affirme that this faith which to them is nothing but a knowledge and illumination of the mind concerning the truth of Gods word is the roote and foundation of iustification The which if it be true why should not the deuill be iust for he hath both a knowledge of Gods word and thereunto by beleeuing doth giue his assent who notwithstanding he haue such a faith yet can he not be called one of the faithfull Here they except and say The deuils faith is void of charitie which is the forme of faith But this is a doting surmise of their owne braine For charitie is the effect of faith 1. Tim. 1.5 But the effect cannot informe the cause The XI errour Mans loue of God doth in order and time goe before his iâ—stification and reconciliation with God The Confutation Nay contrarily vnlesse we be first perswaded of Gods loue towards vs we neuer loue him For we loue him because he loued vs first 1. Ioh. 4.19 Againe it is impossible that Gods enemie should loue him but he which is not as yet iustified or reconciled to God he is Gods enemie Rom. 5.9,10 Neither is any man before the act of iustification made of Gods enemie his friend The XII errour Iufused or inherent iustice is the formall cause of iâ—stification
them are morall works and workes of grace but these are excluded from iustification and working mans saluation Eph. 2.10 And Paul beeing regenerate saith thus of himselfe I am not guiltie vnto my selfe of any thing yet am I not thereby iustified VI. The cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused but grace without works is the cause of mans predestination the which is the cause of his iustification and therefore grace without workes shall much more be saide to be the cause of iustification Obiect I. Levit. 18.5 He that keepeth my statutes shall liue in them Ans. This saving is a legall sentence and therefore sheweth not what men can doe but what they should doe Obiect II. Psal. 119.1 Blessed are those that walke in the Law of the Lord. Ans. Man is not here said to be blessed because he walketh vprightly but because the person of such walker is by the merits of Christ iustified before God Obiect III. Iudge me according to my righteousnes Psal. 7. And the fact of Phinees was imputed to him for righteouses Ans. These places are not meant of that righteousnes of the person by which it is righteous before God but of the righteousnes of some particular cause or worke For where as Dauid was accused of this crime that he did affect Sauls kingdome he in this point doth in the words aboue mentioned testifie his innocencie before God Obiect IV. We are iudged according to our workes therefore also by them iustified Ans. The reason is not alike because the last iudgement is not the iustifying of a man but a declaration of that iustification which he had before obtained Therfore the last iudgement must be pronounced and taken not from the causes of iustification but from the effects and signes thereof Obiect V. Make you friends of vnrighteous Mammon c. that they may receiue you into eternall habitations Ans. This they doe not as authors of saluation but as witnesses of the same Obiect VI. Dan. 4.24 Redeeme thy sinnes by righteousnes and thine iniquitie by mercie towards the poore Ans. It is rather breake off thy sinnes then redeeme for so is the originall now men breake off their sinnes by ceasing from them not satisfying for them Obiect VII Euill workes condemne therefore good workes iustifie Answ. It followeth not because good works are not perfectly good as euill works are perfectly euill Obiect VIII We are saued by hope Rom. 8. Answer We must distinguish betwixt iustification and saluation saluation is the end iustification is one degree to come to the ende but there is more required to the ende then to a degree subordinate to the ende therefore we are saued by hope and faith but iustified by faith alone Obiect IX Affliction causeth eternall glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Ans. This is doth not as by it owne merit effecting the same but rather as a path and way manifesting and declaring the same Obiect X. Iam. 2.21 Abraham was iustified by workes Ans. Not as any cause of iustification but as a manifestation thereof Obiect XI He that is iust let him be more iust Ans. This place must be vnderstood of iustification before men namely of sanctification or an holy life not of iustification in the sight of God Obiect XII We are iustified by faith therefore by a worke Ans. We are iustified by faith not as it is a vertue and a worke but as it is an instrument apprehending the iustice of Christ whereby we are iustified And in this respect faith is said by the figure called Metonymia to be imputed to vs vnto righteousnesse Obiect XIII The workes of grace are dyed in the blood of Christ. Ans. They are indeed dyed therein but to the ende they might the better please God not iustifie man and whereas they are so stained as that they neede dying in the blood of Christ therefore can they not any waies iustifie sinnefull man And the person of the worker is as well died in Christs blood as is his work yet he can not say that his person doth therefore iustifie him And as I haue now prooued that this doctrine of the Papists is very erronious so I also auouch that it is most ridiculous Because for a man to say that inherent righteousnes is by good works namely the fruits of righteousnes augmented is as if a man should say that the vine is made more fruitfull by bearing grapes or that the internall light of the sunne is augmented by the externall emission of the beames Luthers saying is farre more true Good workes doe not make a good man but a good man doth make workes good The XIIII errour Grace is quite extinguished or rather vtterly lost by any mortall sinne The Confutation I. The word of God doth manifestly declare that it is farre otherwise Ioh. 6. All that the Father giueth me shall come vnto me and him that commeth vnto me I cast not away Math. 16.16 Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church so that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Rom. 5. 1. Beeing therefore iustified we haue peace with God Now how could this be true if he that was before iustified could any way quite fall from grace and so perish II. The elect after their very grieuous fallings from God forthwith repented them of their sinnes as we may see in the example of Dauid Peter c. the which argueth that they had not quite fallen from grace and lost the spirit of God III. If grace be once vtterly lost then the ingraffing of that partie into Christ is quite abolished therefore for such as repent there must needs succeed a second new ingraffing into Christ then it will also follow that they must of necessitie be baptized anew which is absurd to thinke But for all this we denie not but grace may in part and for a time be lost to the end that the faithfull may thereby acknowledge and know their weaknes and for it be humbled but that there is any totall or finall falling from grace we vtterly denie The XV. errour It is possible to fulfill the Law in this life The Confutation The Law is euangelically fulfilled by beleeuing in Christ but not legally by doing the works thereof Reason They which are carnall cannot possibly fulfill the law of God but the most regenerate so long as they liue in this life are carnall in part Rom. 7.14 I am saith Paul of himselfe carnall and sold vnder sinne Prou. 20. Who can say Mine heart is pure I am pure from sinne Eccles. 7. There is none so iust vpon earth which doth good and sinneth not Psal. 130. If thou Lord obserue what is done amisse Lord who shall abide it We are daily taught to pray vnto God Forgiue vs our sinnes Exception Indeede if the iustice of the faithfull be absolutely
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
wise doe Secondly by the manner of perswasion for the holy Ghost draweth not reasons â—rom the workes or worthinesse of man but from Gods fauour and loue and this kinde of perswasion is far different from that which Satan vseth Thirdly by the effects of that testimonie For if the perswasion arise from presumption it is a dead perswasion but contrarily it is most liuely and stirring if it come from the holy Ghost For such as are perswaded that they are elected and adopted children of GOD they will loue god they wil trust in him and they will call vpon him with their whole heart IV. If the testimonie of Gods spirit be not so powerfull in the elect then may they iudge of their election by that other effect of the holy ghost namely Sanctification like as we vse to iudge by heate that there is fire when wee cannot see the flame it selfe V. And of all the effects of sanctification these are most notable I. To feele our wants and in the bitternes of heart to bewaile the offence of GOD in euery sinne II. To striue against the flesh that is to resist and to hate the vngodly motions thereof and with griefe to think them burthenous troublesome III. To desire earnestly and vehemently the grace of God and merite of Christ to obtaine eternall life IV. When it is obtained to account it a most pretious iewel Phil. 3.8 V. To loue the minister of Gods word in that he is a minister and a Christian in that he is a Christian and for that cause if neede require to be readie to spende our blood with them Mat. 10.42 1. Ioh. 3.16 VI. To call vpon God earnestly and with teares VII To desire and loue Christs comming and the day of iudgement that an ende may bee made of the daies of sinne VIII To flie all occasions of sinne and seriously to endeauour to come to newnesse of life IX To perseuere in these things to the last gaspe of life Luther hath a good sentence for this purpose Hee that will serue God must saith he beleeue that which cannot bee seene hope for that which is deferred and loue God when he sheweth himselfe an enemie and thus remaine to the ende VI. Nowe if so be all the effects of the spirit are very feeble in the godly they must know this that God trieth them yet so as they must not therewith be dismaied because it is most sure that if they haue faith but as much as a graine of mustard seede and bee as weake as a young infant is it is sufficient to ingraffe theÌ„ into Christ therefore they must not doubt of their election because they see their faith feeble and the effects of the holy Ghost faint within them VII Neither must hee that as yet hath not felt in his heart any of these effects presently conclude that hee is a Reprobate but let him rather vse the word of God and the Sacraments that hee may haue an inward sense of the power of Christ drawing him vnto him and an assurance of his redemption by Christs death and passion VIII No man may peremptorily set downe that himselfe or any other is a reprobate For God doth oftentimes preferre those which did seeme to be most of all estranged from his fauour to be in his kingdome aboue those who in mans iudgement were the children of the kingdome Hence is it that Christ saith The Publicanes and harlots goe before you and many an one is called at the eleuenth houre as appeareth by that notable example of the thiefe vpon the crosse The vses which may be made of this doctrine of predestination are very many First for our instruction we are taught these things I. That there is neither any iustification by workes nor any works of ours that are meritorious For election is by the free grace of God and therefore in like sort is iustification For as I saide before the cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused And for this reason in the worke of saluation grace doth wholly challenge al to it selfe Rom. 11.5 At this time there is a remnant through the election of grace 2. Tim. 1.9 Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was Phil. 1. 29. Vnto you iâ— is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should beleeue in him but also suffer for his sake Rom. 3.24 Wee are iustified freely by grace Tit. 3.5 Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs. Ezech. 36. 27. I will cause you to walke in my statutes Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life II. That Astrologie teaching by the casting of Natiuities what men will be is ridiculous and impious because it determineth that such shall be very like in life and conuersation whom God in his predestination hath made vnlike Iacob and Esau borne of the same parents and almost in the same moment of time for Iacob held Esau by the heele as he was borne were of most vnlike dispositions and had diuers euents The like may we see in all twinnes and others which are borne at the same time III. That God is most wise omnipotent iust and mercifull O the wonderfull riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! howe vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding on t Eph. 1.5 Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Secondly beeing the seruants of Christ we are admonished I. To fight against all doubting and diffidence of our saluation because it neither depeÌ„deth vpon workes nor faith but vpon Gods decree which is immutable Math. 24.24 Luk. 10.20 Reioice that your names are written in the booke of life Rom. 8.33 Who shall any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne 2. Tim. 2.19 This teacheth that the anker of hope must be fixed in the trueth and stabilitie of the immutable good pleasure of God so that albeit our faith bee so tossed as that it is in danger of shipwracke neuerthelesse it must neuer sinke to the bottome but euen in the middest of danger take hold vpon repentance as on a board so recouer it selfe II. To humble our soules vnder the mightie hand of God for wee are as clay in the hand of the potter Rom. 9.21 They through infidelitie are broken off but thou standest through faith Be not high minded but feare III. To giue all glorie to God 2. Thess. 2.13 We ought to giue thankes alwaie to God for you brethren beloued of the Lord because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation IV. To beare crosses patiently Rom. 8.29 Those which he knewe before he hath also preâ—estinate to be made like to the image of his sonne This likenesse
who beeing tempted of the deuill and asked how he beleeued answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeued beeing againe asked how the Church beleeued he answered as I beleeue whereupon the deuill as they say was faine to depart Well this fond and ridiculous kind of faith we renounce as being a meanes to nuzle men in blindnes superstition and perpetuall ignorance yet withall we doe not denie but that there is an implicite or infolded faith which is when a man as yet hauing but some little portion of knowledge in the doctrine of the Gospel doth truly performe obedience according to the measure thereof and withall hath care to get more knowledge and shewes good affection to all good meanes whereby it may be increased In this respect a certaine ruler who by a miracle wrought vpon his child was mooued to acknowledge Christ for the Messias and further to submit himselfe to his doctrine is commended for a beleeuer and so are in the like case the Samaritanes And thus much of weake faith which must be vnderstood to be in a man not all the daies of his life but while he is a yong babe in Christ. For as it is in the state of the bodie first we are babes and grow to greater strength as we grow in yeres so it is with a christian man First he is a babe in Christ hauing weake faith but after growes from grace to grace till he come to haue a stroÌ„g faith example wherâ—of we haue in Abraham who was strong and perfect both in knowledge and apprehension This strong faith is when a man is indued with the knowledge of the Gospell and grace to apprehend and apply the righteousnes of Christ vnto himselfe for the remission of his owne sinnes so as he can say distinctly of himselfe and truely that he is fully resolued in his owne conscience that he is reconciled vnto God in Christ for all his sinnes and accepted in him to life euerlasting This degree of faith is proper to him that beginnes to be a tall man and of ripe yeares in Christ. And it commeth not at the first calling of a man vnto grace And if any shall thinke that he can haue it at the first he deceiueth himself For as it is in nature first we are babes then as we increase in yeares so we growe in strength so it is in the life of a Christian first ordinarily he hath a weake faith and after growes from grace to grace till he come to stronger faith and at the last he be able to say he is fully assured in his heart and conscience of the pardon of his sinnes of reconciliation to God in Christ. And this assurance ariseth from many experiences of Gods fauour and loue in the course of his life by manifold preseruations and other blessings which beeing deepely and duly considered bring a man to be fully perswaded that God is his God and God the father his father and Iesus Christ his redeemer and the holy Ghost his sanctifier Now howesoeuer this faith be strong yet is it alwaies imperfect as also our knoweledge is and shall so long as wee liue in this worlde be mingled with contrarie vnbeleefe and sundry doubtings more or lesse A great part of men amongest vs blinded with grosse ignorance say they haue faith and yet indeede haue not For aske them what faith they haue they will answere they beleeue that God is their father and the Sonne their redeemer c. aske them how long they haue had this faith they will answer euer since they could remember aske them whether they euer doubt of Gods fauour they will say they would not once doubt for all the world But the case of these men is to bee pitied for howesoeuer they may perswade themselues yet true it is that they haue no sound faith at all for euen strong faith is assaulted with temptations and doubtings and God will not haue men perfect in this life that they may alwaies goe out of themselues and depend wholly on the merite of Christ. And thus much of these two degrees of faith Nowe in whome soeuer it is whether it be a weake faith or a strong it bringeth forth some fruit as a tree doth in the time of sommer And a speciall fruite of faith is this confession of faith I beleeue in God c. so Paul saith With the heart a man may beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation Confession of faith is when a man in speech and outwarde profession doth make manifest his faith for these two causes I. That with his mouth outwardly he may glorifie God and doe him seruice both in body and soule II. That by the confession of his faith he may seuer himselfe from all false Christians from Atheists hypocrites and all false seducers whatsoeuer And as this is the dutie of a Christian man to make profession of his faith so here in this Creede of the Apostles wee haue the right order and forme of making confession set downe as we shall see in handling the parts thereof The Creede therefore setts downe two thinges concerning faith namely the action of faith and his obiect which also are the parts of the Creed The action in these wordes I beleeue the obiect in all the wordes following in God the Father Almightie maker c. And first let vs beginne with the action I beleeue in God Wee are taught to saie I beleeue not vvee beleeue for two causes First because as wee touched before in the Primitiue Church this Creede was made to bee an aunswere to a demaunde or question which was demaunded of euery particular man that was baptized for they asked him thus What doest thou beleeue then he aunswered I beleeue in God the Father c. And thus did euerie one of yeares make profession of his faith and it is likely that Peter alluded hereunto saying the stipulation or aunswere of a good conscience maketh request to God The second cause is howesoeuer we are to pray one for another by sayingâ— O our Father c. yet when we come to yeares we must haue a particular faith of our own no man can be saued by another mans faith but by his owne as it is said The iust shall liue by his faith But some will say this is not true because children must be saued by their parents faith the aunswere is this the faith of the parent doth bring the child to haue a title or interest to the Couenant of grace and to all the benefits of Christ yet doth it not applie the benefits of Christs death his obedience his merits and righteousnesse vnto the infant for this the beleeuer doth onely vnto himselfe and to no other Againe some may say if children doe not apprehend Christs benefits by their parents faith howe then is Christs righteousnesse made theirs and they saued Answer By the inwarde working of the holy Ghost who is the principal applier
Ghost yea and more then this we must hold and beleeue that God the father is our father the Sonne our redeemer the holy Ghost our sanctifier and comforter Well then if we must in this manner beleeue in God then we must also know him for we can haue no faith in the thing which is vtterly vnknowne Wherefore if we would beleeue in the father sonne or holy Ghost we must know them in part Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Ioh. 14. 17. The world can not receiue the spirit of truth because it hath neither seene him nor knowne him 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoeuer denieth the sonne hath not the father Thirdly this doctrine directs vs in worshipping God aright for vnitie in trinitie and trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped one God must be worshipped in the Father in the Sonne and in the holy Ghost and if wee worship God the father without the Sonne and the holy Ghost or if we worship the Sonne without the father and the holy Ghost and the holy Ghost without the father and the Sonne we worship nothing but an Idol Againe if we worship the three persons not as one God but as three Gods then likewise we make three Idols Note further that of all the three persons the first person the Father is set in the first place and described to vs by three things I. by his title that hee is a Father II. by his attribute that he is Almightie III. by his effect that he is maker of heauen and earth of these in order as they lie in the Creed And first of the title Father It may seeme that he hath some prerogatiue ouer the Sonne and the holy Ghost because he is set before them but wee must knowe that hee is set before them neither in regard of timeâ— nor of dignitie for therein all three are equall but in regard of order onely The Father is the first the Sonne the second and the holy Ghost the third as may appeare by this similitude If three Emperours equall in dignitie should meete all in one place beeing equall also in power and maiestie if all three should sit downe though one be no better then an other yet one of them must needes sit downe the first and an other in the second place and then the third but yet we cannot say that he which sate downe first is the chiefest And so it is in the Trinitie though none be greater or aboue another yet the Father is in the first place not because he is before the Sonne or the holy Ghost in dignitie or honour but because he is the fountaine of the Deitie the Sonne beeing from him and the holy Ghost from them both Now let vs come to the title of the first person The name Father in Scriptures is ascribed either to God taken indefinitely and so by consequent to all the three persons in Trinitie or particularly to the first person alone For the first God is a father properly and principally according to the saying of Christ Call no man father vpon earth for there is but one your father which is in heauen that is principally whereas earthly parents whome we are commaunded to worship and honour are but certaine images or resemblances of our heauenly Father hauing this blessing that they are fathers from him And hereupon this title agrees to men not simply but so farre forth as God honoureth them with fatherhoode in calling them to be fathers whereas God himselfe receiues this honour from none God is tearmed a Father in respect both of nature and grace He is a father in regarde of natureâ— because he created and gouerneth all things In this regard he is called the father of spirits and Adam is called the Sonne of God He is a father in respect of grace because we are regenerate by him and accepted to be his sonnâ—s by adoption thorough the merite of Christ. And in this respect the second person as well as the first is called a Father and saide to haue an offspring or seede and children But when the name of Father is giuen to the first person it is done vpon a speciall consideration because he is a father by nature to the fe 〈◊〉 â—erson begetting him of his owne substance before all worldes By thâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—peares that out of the title of the first person we may fetch a â—â—â—cription thereof on this manner The Father is the first person in Trinitie begetting the sonne Nowe to beget is the personall proprietie whereby he is distinguished from the other two If it be saide that creatures doe beget and that therefore to beget is not proper to the father the answer is that in this point there are many differences betweene God the father and all creatures First the father begets the sonne before all eternitie and therefore God the father begetting and the sonne begotten are equall in tâ—me whereas in earthly generation the father is before the sonne in time Secondly God the father begets his Sonne by communicating to him his whole essence or godhead which can not be in earthly parents vnlesse they should be abolished and come to nothing Whereas neuerthelesse God the Father giuing his whole nature to his sonne retaines the same still because it is infinite Thirdly the father begets the sonne in himselfe and not forth of himselfe but in earthly generation the father begetting is forth of the child and the child forth of the father And that must not trouble vs which heretiques alleadge against this doctrine namely that if the father who is of one nature with the sonne did beget the sonne then he did beget himselfe for the godhead of the father doth not beget either the godhead or the person of the sonne but the person of the father begets the person of the sonne both which in one godhead are really distinct Thus we see what the Father is Now to beleeue in the father is to be perswaded that the first person in Trinitie is the father of Christ and in him my father particularly that for this cause I intend and desire for euer to put my truâ—t in him The duties which we may learne hence are manifold And here we haue occasion offered first of all to consider who is our father by nature I shall say to corruption saith Iob thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother seeing God vouchsafeth this great prerogatiue to them that loue him that he will be their father therefore Iob in consideration hereof would haue euery man to haue recourse to his owne naturall condition to see who is his father by natureâ— Iob saith corruption is his father but if we marke well the condition of our nature we shall further see euery man to be the childe of wrath and that Sathan is his father for so long as a man walkes in his sinnes which euery
hereby confuted otherwise in respect of the diuers estate and condition of men sinnes are either veniall or mortall Veniall they are to the elect whose sinnes are pardonable in Christ but to the reprobate all sinnes are mortall Neuertheles we holde not all sinnes equall but that they are greater or lesse according to the diuersitie of obiects and other circumstances Thus much of sin in generall nowe we come to the parts of it The first sin of all that euer was in man is the sinne of Adam which was his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite In handling whereof sundrie points are to bee opened but let vs begin with the causes thereof The outward efficient cause was the deuill And though he bee not named by Moses in the historie of the fall yet that is not to trouble vs for wee must not conceiue otherwise of the serpent then of the instrument and mouth of the deuill For it is not likely that it beeing a bruite creature should be able to reason and determine of good and euill of trueth and falshood Nowe in this temptation the deuill shewes his malice and his fraud His malice in that whereas he cannot ouerturne God himselfe yet he labours to disturbe the order which he hath set downe in the creation and especially the image of God in the most excellent creatures on earth that they may be in the same miserable condition with himselfe His fraud first in that he begins his temptation with the woman being the weaker person not with the man which course he still continues as may appeare by this that more women are intangled with witchcraft and sorcerie then men Secondly he shewes his fraude in that he proceeds very slily and intangles Eve by certaine steppes and degrees For first by moouing a question he drawes her to listen vnto him and to reason with him of Gods commandement Secondly he bringes her to looke vpon the tree and wishly to viewe the beautie of the fruite Thirdly he makes her to doubt of the absolute truth of Gods word and promise and to beleeue his cōtrarie lies Fourthly hauing blinded her minde with his false perswasions shee desires and lustes after the forbidden fruit and therevpon takes it eates it and giues it to her husband The inward cause was the wil of our first parents euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences as Salomon saith This haue I found that God made man righteous but they haue found many inuentions But it may be obiected that if Adam were created good he could not be the cause of his owne fall because a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit Answer Freedome of wil is fourefold I. freedome to euil alone this is onely in wicked men and angels and is indeed a bondage the second is freedome to good alone and that is in God and the good Angels by Gods grace the third is freedome to good in part ioyned with some want of libertie by reason of sinne and this is in the regenerate in this life the fourth is freedom either to good or to euill indifferently And this was in Adam before his fall who though he had no inclination to sinne but onely to that which was acceptable to God yet was he not bound by any necessitie but had his libertie freely to choose or refuse either good or euil And this is euident by the very tenour of Gods commandement in which he forbids Adam to eate the forbidden fruit and thereby shewing that hee beeing created righteous and not prone to sinne had power to keepe or not to keepe the commandement though since the fall both hee and wee after him cannot but sinne Wherefore Adam beeing allured by Satan of his owne free accord changed himselfe and fell from God Nowe then as the good tree chaunged from good to euill brings forth euill fruite so Adam by his owne inward and free motion changing from good to euil brings forth euill As for God he is not to be reputed as an author or cause any way of this sinne For he created Adam and Eue righteous indued them with righteous wills and he told them what he would exact at their hands and what they could performe yea he added threatnings that with the feare of daunger he might terrifie them from sinne Some may say whereas God foresaw that Adam would abuse the libertie of his will why would he not preuent it Answ. There is a double grace the one to be able to will and doe that which is good the other to be able to perseuere in willing and doing the same Nowe God gaue the first to Adam and not the second And he is not to be blamed of vs though he confirmed him not with new grace for he is debter to no man to giue him so much as the least grace whereas he had alreadie giuen a plentifull measure thereof to him And God did hold backe to conferre any further grace vpon iust grace I. It was his pleasure that this fact should be an occasion or way to exercise his mercie in the sauing of the Elect and his iustice in the deserued condemnation of impenitent sinners And vnlesse Adam had fallen for himselfe and others there should haue beene found no miserie in men on whome God might take pitie in his Sonne nor wickednesse which he might condemne and therefore neither manifestation of iustice nor mercie II. Againe it was the will of God in part to forsake Adam to make manifest the weaknes that is in the most excellent creatures without the speciall and continuall assistance of God III. There is a double libertie of will one is to will good or euill this belongs to the creature in this world and therefore Adam receiued it The other is to will good alone This he wanted because it is reserued to the life to come And though he knew no cause of this dealing of God yet is it one steppe to the feare of God for vs to hold that good and righteous which he appointeth or willeth and not to square the workes and iudgements of God by our crooked reason And yet to come to reason it selfe Who can here complaine of God Can the deuill but God did not cause him to tempt or deceiue our first parents Can Adam and Eue but they fell freely without any motion or instigation from God and their owne consciences accused them for it Can the posteritie of Adam but the Elect receiue more in Christ then they lost in Adam and the reprobate ouerwhelmed with the burden of their owne sinnes and thereupon receiuing nothing but due and deserued damnation can not finde fault But some may further replie and say he that foreseeth an euill and doth not preuent it is a cause of it but God did foresee the fall of man and did not preuent it Answ. The rule is generally true in man that the foreseer of an euill not preuenting it is in some sort a doer of it for it is the
If any further alleadge that such as walke according to the commandements of God though their obedience be imperfect yet they haue the promises of this life and of the life to come The answer is that they haue so indeede yet not for their works but according to their works which are the fruites of their faith wherby they are ioyned to Christ for whose merits onely they stand righteous and are acceptable before God And whereas it is said by Peter that baptisme saueth vs his meaning is not to signifie that there is any vertue in the water to wash away our sinnes and to sanctifie vs but that it serues visibly to represent and confirme vnto vs the inward washing of our soules by the blood of Christ. It may further be said that others haue beene Sauiours beside Christ as Iosuah the sonne of Nun who for that cause is called by the same name with Christ. Ans. Iosua after the death of Moses was appointed by God to be a guide to the children of Israel which might defend them from their enemies and bring them to the land of Canaan but this deliuerance was onely temporal and that onely of one people Nowe the Sonne of God is called Iesus not because hee deliuereth the people of the Iewes onely or because he saueth the bodies of men onely but because he saueth both body and soule not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles from hell death and damnation And whereas Prophets and ministers of the word are called Sauiours it is because they are the instruments of God to publish the doctrine of saluation which is powerfull in mens hearts not by any vertue of theirs but onely by the operation of the spirit of Christ. Lastly it may bee obiected that the father and the holy Ghost are Sauiours and therefore not onely the sonne Ans. True it is that in the worke of saluation all the three persons must bee ioyned together and in no wise to bee seuered the Father saueth the Sonne saueth the holy Ghost saueth yet must we distinguish them in the manner of sauing the father saueth by the Sonne the Sonne saueth by paying the ransome and price of our saluation the holy Ghost saueth by a particular applying of the ransome vnto men Nowe therefore whereas the sonne paies the price of our redemption and not the Father or the Holy Ghost therefore in this speciall respect he is called in Scriptures and intituled by the name of Iesus and none but he By this which hath beene saide the Papists are faultie two waies First that they giue too much to the name of Iesus for they write in plaine tearmes that the bare name it selfe beeing vsed hath great power and doth driue away deuils though the parties that vse it be void of good affection whereas indeed it hath no more vertue then other titles of God or Christ. Secondly they are faultie that they giue too little to the thing signified For Christ must either be our alone and whole Sauiour or no Sauiour Now they make him but halfe a Sauiour and they ioyne others with him as partners in the worke of saluation when they teach that with Christs merits must be ioyned our workes of grace in the matter of iustification and with Christs satisfaction for the wrath of God our satisfaction for the temporall punishment and when they adde to Christs intercession the intercession and patronage of Saints especially of the Virgin Marie whome they call the Queene of heauen the mother of mercie withall requesting her that by the authoritie of a mother she would commaund her sonne If this doctrine of theirs may stand Christ can not be the onely Sauiour of mankinde but euery man in part shall be Iesus to himselfe But let vs goe on yet further to search the special reason of the name which is notably set downe by the Angel Thou shalt saith he call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes In which words we may consider three points I. Whome the Sonne of God shall saue II. By what III. From what For the first he shall saue his people that is the elect of the Iewes and Gentiles and therefore he is called the Sauiour of his bodie We must not here imagine that Christ is a Sauiour of all and euery man For if that were true then Christ should make satisfaction to Gods iustice for all and euery mans sinnes and Gods iustice beeing fully satisfied he could not in iustice condemne any man nay all men should be blessed because satisfaction for sinne and the pardon of sinne depende one vpon an other inseparably Againe if Christ be an effectuall Sauiour of all and euery particular man why is any man condemned It will be saide because they will not beleeue belike then mans will must ouerrule Gods will whereas the common rule of diuines is that the first cause ordereth the second The meanes of saluation by Christ are two his merit and his efficacie His merit in that by his obedience to the law and by his passion he made a satisfaction for our sinnes freed vs from death and reconciled vs vnto God Some may obiect that the obedience and the passion of Christ beeing long agoe ended can not be able to saue vs now because that which he did 1500. yeares agoe may seeme to be vanished and come to nothing at this day Ans. If Christs obedience be considered as an action and his passion as a bare suffering they are both ended long agoe yet the value and price of thē before God is euerlasting as in Adams fall the action of eating the forbidden fruit is ended but the guilt of his transgression goes ouer all mankind and continues still euen to this houre and shall doe to the end of the world in those which shall be borne hereafter The efficacie of Christ is in that he giues his spirit to mortifie the corruption of our natures that we may die vnto sinne and liue to righteousnesse and haue true comfort in terrours of conscience and in the pangs of death The euils from which we are saued are our owne sinnes in that Christ freeth vs from the guilt and the punishment and fault of them all when wee beleeue Thus much for the meaning of this title Iesus Nowe follow the vses which arise of it First of all whereas we are taught to make confession that the sonn◠of God is Iesus that is a Sauiour hence it must needes followe that wee are lost in our selues And indeed before we can truly acknowledge that Christ is our Sauiour this confession must needes goe before that we are in truth and therewithall doe feele our selues to bee miserable sinners vnder the wrath of God vtterly lost in regard of our selues for Christ came to saue that which was lost And when he talked with the woman of Cannan he checked her said he was not sent but to the lost
sheepe of the house of Israel Christ Iesus came to poure oile into our woundes Christ came to set them at libertie which are in prison and to place them in freedome that are in bondage Now a man cannot poure oile into a wound before there be a wound or before it be opened and we feele the smart of it And how can wee be set at libertie by Christ except we feele our selues to be in bondage vnder hell death and damnation When the Disciples of Christ were vpon the sea in a great tempest they cried Master saue vs we perish So no man can hartily say I beleeue Iesus Christ to be my Sauiour before he feele that in himselfe he is vtterly lost and cast away without his helpe But after that we perceiue our selues to be in danger and to be ouerwhelmed in the sea of the wrath of God then we crie out with the disciples Lord Iesus saue vs we perish Many protestants in these daies hold Christ to be their Sauiour but it is onely formably from the teeth outward and no further for they were neuer touched with the sense of their spirituall miserie that they might say with Daniel Shame and confusion belongeth vnto vs and with the Publicane I am a sinner Lord be mercifull to me And therefore the conclusion is this that if we will haue Christ to be our Sauiour we must first beleeue that in our selues we are vtterly lost and so must that place be vnderstood where Christ saith he is not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that is to those which in their owne sense and feeling are lost in themselues Secondly if Christ be a Sauiour then we must acknowledge him to bee so But howe shall we doe this I answer Thus A man is taken to be a skilful Phisition by this that many patients come vnto him and seeke for helpe at his hands And so should it be with Christ. But alas the case is otherwise Euery man can talke of Christ but fewe acknowledge him to be a Sauiour by seeking to him for their saluation because they iudge themselues righteous and feele not themselues to stand in need of the helpe of Christ. Nay which is more If a man be knowne that can cure straunge diseases men will seeke to him by sea and land and sell both goods and landes to get helpe at his hands Euen so if men were perswaded that Christ were a perfect Sauiour and that they were sicke and vtterly vnable to be saued without him they would neuer rest nor be in quiet but seeke vnto him for his help and crie with Dauid O Lord say vnto my soule that thou art my saluation The womaÌ„ that was diseased with an issue of blood came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if we shal seeke to come to Christ and doe but touch his pretious bodie and bloode by the hand of faith the issues the bleeding wounds of our soules shall be dried vp When a man that had beene sicke eight and thirtie yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda he was faine to lie there vncured because when the angel troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent vs or steppe before vs. And if we finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not drawe neere vnto him let vs then doe as the palsie man did he got foure men to carrie him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they could not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bed by cordes to Christ that hee might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put to their shoulders and by their praiers as with cordes bring vs to Christ that we may receiue eternall saluation beeing otherwise dead in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Marie gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue conuenient names vnto them which may put them in minde of duties either to God or men This is worthie of our obseruation for many care not howe they name their children yea it is at this day and euer hath beene that some giue such names to them as that at the very rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen vnto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then when they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy ghost therefore though we doe not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a wise godly choice in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in steade of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the olde Testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borrowed from the holy ancetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steps And thus much of the duties Now followe the consolations that Gods Church people râ—ape from this that the sonne of god is our Sauiour WheÌ„ as all mankind was included vnder sin and condemnation then the Lord had mercy vpon vs and gaue vnto man the couenant of grace in which he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and vnspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioiced herein wheÌ„ Christ was born Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the lord Now if they reioice thus exceedingly at Christs birth who was not their Sauiour because they stood not in need to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doth principally concerne and no maruel for if we had wanted this blessed Sauiour it had bin better to haue bin a bruit beast or any other creâ—ture then a man for the death of a beast is the ende of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endlesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his owne sonne to restore him to a better
estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as he did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature behold then a matter of vnspeakeable ioy let vs therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Sauiour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes and praise his name therefore Now we come to the second title of the sonne of God whereby he is tearmed Christ which title is as it were the surname of the second person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as when in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one with Messiah in Hebrewe wherewith the redeemer was named in the old Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all Kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the Kings of Iuda Secondly the priests that serued in the Tabernacle and Temple before the Lord when they were ordained and as it were installed into the priesthood were annointed with oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but afterward the high priests alone Thirdly Prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Nowe this legall annointing was a type and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirit and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For Dauid saith he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christs annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature â—e is a Mediatour in the same he is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly he is a Mediatour the godhead is no mediatour without the manhood nor the manhood without the godhead and therefore his annointing extends it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christs annointing hath two parts both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby he was set apart to do the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therfore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reueale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set apart to the work of mediation as he is mediatour or as he is man yet as he is God he doth designe and set himselfe apart to the same worke For to designe the mediatour is a common action of the three persons the father the sonneâ— and the holy ghost and yet considering the father is first in order and thâ—refore hath the beginning of the action for this cause he is said especially to designe as when S. Iohn saith Him hath God the father sealed The second part of Christs annointing is the powring out of the fulnesse of the spirit or grace into the manhood of Christ and it was particularly figured by the holy oile For first that oile had no man but God alone to bee the author of it so the most excellent and vnspeakeable graces of the manhood of Christ haue their beginning from the godhead of Christ. Againe though the same oile was most precious yet was it compounded of earthly substances as myrrhe calamus and Casia and such like to signifie that the spirituall oile of grace whereof the manhood of Christ was as it were a vessell or storehouse did not consist of the essentiall properties of the godhead as Eutiches and his followers in these daies imagine but in certaine created gifts and qualities placed in his humaine nature otherwise we should not haue any participation of them Thirdly the sweete sauour of the holy oile figured that the riches of all grace with the effect thereof in the obedience of Christ doth take away the noisome sent of our loathsome sinnes from the nosthrilles of God and withal doth make our persons and al our actioÌ„s acceptable vnto him as a sweete perfume as Paul saith we are vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ c. And Christs death is for this cause tearmed a sacrifice of sweete smelling sauour And we must further vnderstand that theâ—e gifts of Christs manhood are not conferred in a small scantling or measure for Iohn saith God giueth the spirit not by measure because the graces which are in Christ are farre more both in number and degree then all men or angels haue or shall haue though the good angels and the saints of God in heauen are very excellent creatures stored with manifold graces and gifts of God For this cause Christ is called the head of man because he is euery way the most principal and glorious man that euer was Yet for all this are not the gifts of Christs manhood infinite any way because it is a creature and finite in nature and therefore not capable of that which is infinite By Christs annointing the people of God reape great benefit comfort because they are to be partakers thereof For this cause the oile wherewith he was annointed is called the oyle of gladnes because the sweete sauour of it gladdeth the hearts of all his members and brings the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding The holy oyle poured vpon Aarons head came downe to his beard and to the very skirts of his garments and it signified that the spirituall oyle of grace was first of all poured vpon our head Christ Iesus from thence consequently deriued to al his members that by that meanes he might be not onely annointed himselfe but also our annointer Nowe the benefits which we receiue by his annointing are two The first is that all the elect when they are called to the profession of the Gospell of Christ are in and by him set apart and made spirituall kings priests and prophets as S. Iohn saith He hath made vs kings and priests vnto his father And S. Peter out of Ioel I will poure saith the Lord my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie The second benefit it that all the faithfull receiue the same oile that is the same spirit of God in some little conuenient measure which he receiued aboue measure as Saint Iohn saithâ— The annointing which ye haue receiued of him dwelleth in you and teacheth you all things where by annointing is meant the holy Ghost And hence it is that men are called Christians of the name of Christ that is annointed with the same oyle wherewith Christ was annointed And the holy oyle might not be giuen to a straunger to signifie that to haue the spirit of Christ and to be guided by it is peculiar
To him is giuen a name at which euery knee doth bow of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth As for the reasons which be alleadged to the contrarie they are of no moment I. Obiect The word of God can not be God the sonne is the word of the father therefore he is not God Answ. The word is taken two waies first for a sounding word standing of letters and syllables vttered either by God or by the creatures now on this manner Christ is not the word of God Secondly there is a substantiall word which is of the substance of him whose word it is And thus Christ is the word of God the father And he is so tearmed I. in respect of the father for as reason and speach hath his beginning from the mind without any passion in the minde so hath he beginning from the father And as the speach is in the minde and the minde in the speach so the father is in the sonne and the sonne in the father II. In respect of all creatures The father doth all things by the sonne by whose powerfull word the world was made is now preserued and shall be abolished III. In respect of the Church For the father by him speakes vnto vs both in the outward ministerie of the word and by the inward operation of the spirit and againe we by him speake to the father II. It may be obiected thus God hath no beginning from any other Christ hath beginning from the father therefore he is not God Answ. Christ must be considered both in regard of his godhead and in regard of his person in regard of his godhead he came not of any but is of himselfe as well as the father is yet in regard of his person he is from the father who is a beginning to the rest of the persons both in respect of order for the Scripture saith not the holy Ghost the Sonne the Father but the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost as also in respect of the communication of the Godhead And whereas it is said that God is of himselfe if the name of God be taken for the Godhead it selfe absolutely considered it is true but if it be taken for any particular person in the godhead it is false III. Ob. None is greater then God but the father is greater then Christ for so he saith the father is greater then I. Ans. Christ there speakes of himselfe as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant in which respect he is lesse then the father who neuer was incarnate and abased in our nature And though Christ in respect of his nature assumed be inferiour to the father yet doth it not hinder but that he may be equall to him as he is the second person in trinitie or as he is God by one and the same Godhead with the father IV. Obiect He that is made of God this or that is not God but Christ is made God as Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes c. Answ. Christ is said to be made not because there was any beginning of his godhead or any change or alteration in his person but because in the eternall counsell of the father he was set apart before all times to execute the office of a Mediatour and was withall in time called and as it were consecrated and ordained thereunto in his baptisme he is made therefore in respect of his office but not in respect of his person or nature V. Obiect God hath no head Christ hath an head as Paul saith God is Christs head Answ. God that is the father is head of Christ not as he is God simply but as he is God incarnate or made manifest in the flesh and in respect of the office to which he willingly abased himselfe VI. Obiect He which giues vp his kingdome is not God Christ giues vp his kingdome Then saith Paul shall be the ende when he hath deliuered vp the kingdome to God euen the father Answ. Christ is king two waies as he is God and as he is Mediatour as he is God he raignes eternally with the Father and the holy Ghost but as he is Mediatour in the ende of the world when all the companie of the Elect are gathered his kingdome shall cease not simply but in respect of the outward manner of administration for the execution of ciuill and ecclesiasticall functions shall cease And whereas in the same place it is saide that Christ shall be subiect vnto God eternally after the ende it must be vnderstoode partly in regard of the assumed manhoode partly in respect of his mysticall bodie the Church most neerely ioyned vnto him in heauen VII Obiect The first borne of euery creature and of many brethren is a creature and not God but Christ is the first borne of euery creature and of many brethren Answ. He is called the first borne by resemblance or allusion to the first borne in the old testament for as they were principall heires hauing double portions allowed them and the chiefe or gouernours of the familie so Christ is made heire of the world and the head of Gods familie which is his church elected and adopted in him And againe he is called the first borne of euery creature because he was begotten of the substance of his father before any creature was made and therefore it is not here saide that he was first created but first begotten By the reasons which haue bin alleadged as also by the insufficiencie of the contrarie arguments it is more then manifest against all heretikes that Christ is very God Yet to stoppe the mouths of all Atheists and to satisfie all wauering and doubting minds I will adde one reason further The Gospel of Saint Iohn was chiefly penned for this end to prooue the deitie of Christ among other arguments alleadged this is one that Christ gaue a resolute and a constant testimonie of himselfe that he was the sonne of God and very God Now if any man shall say that sundrie persons since the beginning of the world haue taken vpon them and that falsly to be gods I answer that neuer any creature tooke this title and honour vpon him to be called God but the fearefull iudgements of God were vpon him for it In the estate of mans innocencie the deuill told our first parents that by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill they should be as gods knowing good and euill now they beleeued him and affected diuine honour but what came of it surely Adam with all his posteritie is shut vp for this very cause vnder eternall damnation Herod likewise araied in royall apparell and sitting on the iudgement seat made an oration to the men of Tyre and Sidon who gaue a shout saying the voyce of God and not of man Now because he tooke the glorie of God to himselfe and did not returne it to
a thing is done God not regarding it we bring in an idol of our owne braines and stablish the idle-god of the Epicures But it is obiected to the contrarie that if God any way decreed and willed the fall of Adam then he was the author of sinne which once to say is blasphemie Ans. The argument followes not There be three actions in the will of God one whereby he doth absolutely will any thing and delight in it and of all such things God himselfe is the author The second is wholly or absolutely to Nill a thing and all things thus nilled can not possibly come to passe or haue the least beeing in nature There is also a third action which comes as a meane betweene the two former which is remissely or in part both to nill and will a thing wherby though God approoue not euill as it is euill and therefore doth it not yet he willeth the permitting of it to be done by others or the being of it because in respect of God that decreeth the permitting of euill it is good that there should be euill And on this manner and no otherwise God willed the fall of Adam and therefore in the reason of any indifferent man though he decreed the fall yet shall he be free from the blame thereof which lies wholly vpon the doer these two caueats alwaies remembred first that God by his will did not constraine or force the will of Adam to sinne or infuse into it any corruption and that therefore he sinned willingly and freely onely by the necessitie of immutabilitie and not by the necessitie of coaction secondly that God willed the fall for a most worthie ende which was to lay downe a way tending to the manifestation both of iustice and mercie Againe it is alleadged that if God willed Adams fall then his will is flat contrarie to it selfe because he wills that which he had by expresse commandement forbidden Answ. Indeede if God should both will and forbid one and the same thing in one and the same respect there should be a contradiction in Gods will but that God doth not He forbad Adams fall as it was sinne for so in euery commandement sinne as it is sinne is condemned and punished and yet because it was in a new respect a meanes of manifesting his glorie who is able to bring light out of darknesse therefore he willingly decreed the permission of it Incest as it is sinne it is condemned in the seuenth commandement and punished with death yet as incest was a punishment of Dauids adulterie God is said to take his wiues and to giue them to his sonne Absolom Some againe as it appeares by their writings feare to ascribe vnto God so much as a permission of Adams fall but no doubt they are deceiued For if these rules be true that God is omnipotent that he works all things that are by the counsell of his will and gouernes them that he hath care and regard ouer man that nothing is hid from him that he is vnchangeable there must needes be permission of euill If the deuill could not enter so much as into an heard of swine without Christs permission shall we thinke that he could compasse the fall and ouerthrow of man without a permission Indeede to permit is not to hinder euill when one may and with men it is a fault but not with God because he is not bound to hinder the euill which he permits The second fault is that they make the Prescience of mans faith and vnbeleefe to be the impulsiue cause of Gods decree For they say that God eternally decrees to saue or refuse men because he did foresee that they would beleeue or not beleeue But indeede it is a manifest vntruth Among the causes of all things that are there is an order set downe by God himselfe in which order some causes are highest some lowest some in the midst Now the highest cause of all is that which ouerrules all and is ouerruled of none and that is Gods will beyond which there can be no higher cause for God is placed aboue all and subiect to none And this very will of his is the cause of all things that haue beeing for we must not imagine that a thing first of all existeth and then afterward is willed of God but first of all God wills a thing and then afterward it comes to haue a beeing Now to say that foreseene faith or vnbeleefe are the moouing causes whereby God was induced to ordaine men either to saluation or to iust damnation is to vndoe this diuine order of causes and to displace the linkes in that Gods will is made a secondarie or middle cause subordinate to other causes placed aboue it yea this is to make the will of God to depend vpon the qualitie and condition of the creature whereas contrariwise all things depend vpon Gods will Againe Paul saith that God hath opened the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed to himselfe whereby he makes a distinction betweene the creature and the Creatour Men when they purpose the doing of any thing borrow reasons of their purposes and wills out of themselues from thâ— things to be done because mans bare will is no sufficient cause to warrant the doing of this or that in this or that manner vnlesse there be iust reason But Gods will is a simple and absolute rule of righteousnesse and a thing is good so farre forth as God wills it Therefore there is no cause why he should goe forth of himselfe for externall inducements and reasons of his eternall counsell his very will in himselfe is a sufficient reason of all his purposes and decrees And hereupon Paul saith that Gods purpose was in himselfe to shew that there is no dependance of his will vpon the creature and that in ordering and disposing of his decrees he had no reference or respectiue consideration of the qualities and workes of men Thirdly by this doctrine there is fastened vpon God want of wisdome who is wisdome it selfe and that is very absurd A simple man that hath in him but a sparke of the wisdome of God first of all intends with himselfe the ende and euent of the businesse to be done and then afterward the means whereby the ende is accomplished but in this platforme God is brought in in the first place to foresee and consider with himselfe the meanes which tende to the ende namely faith and vnbeleefe of men and then afterward to determine with himselfe what shall be the ende and finall condition of euery man either in life or death as if a man should purpose with himselfe to build an house without any consideration of the ende why and afterward conceiue with himselfe the particular vses to which he will applie it Fourthly hence it followeth that faith shall not onely be an instrument but also an efficient cause in the acte of
iustification of a sinner before God For the cause of a cause is also the cause of the thing caused but foreseene faith is an impulsiue cause whereby God was mooued to choose some men to saluation as it is saide and therefore it is not onely an instrument to apprehend Christs righteousnesse but also a cause or meanes to mooue God to iustifie a sinner because iustification proceedes of Election which comes of foreseene faith now this is erroneous by the doctrine of all Churches vnlesse they be Popish Fifthly this doctrine takes it for graunted that all both young and olde euen Infants that die in their infancie haue knowledge of the Gospell because both faith and vnbeleefe in Christ presuppose knowledge of our saluation by him considering that neither ordinarily nor extraordinarily men beleeue or contemne the thing vnknowne But how false this is euen common experience doth shew Lastly this platforme quite ouerthrowes it selfe For whereas all men equally corrupt in Adam are effectually both redeemed and called the difference betweene man and man standes not in beleeuing or not beleeuing for all haue power to beleeue but in this properly that some are confirmed in faith some are not Now when all without exception are indued with grace sufficient to saluation I demaund why some men are confirmed in grace and others not confirmed as also of Angels some were confirmed and stand and some not confirmed fell No other reason can be rendered but the will of God And to this must all come striue as long as they will that of men beeing in one and the same estate some are saued some iustly forsaken because God would Againe as the foreseeing of â—aith doth presuppose Gods giuiâ—g of faith vnlesse men will say it is naturall so the foreseeing of faith in some men alone doth presuppose the giuing of faith to some men alone But why doth not God conferre the grace of constant faith to all no other reason can be rendered but because he will not Thus then those men whose faith was foreseene are saued not because their faith was foreseene but because God would The third fault is that they ascribe vnto God a conditionall Purpose or counsell whereby he decrees that all men shall be saued so be it they will beleeue For it is euery way as much against common sense as if it had bin saide that God decreed nothing at all concerning man A conditionall sentence determines nothing simply but conditionally and therefore vncertenly and when we speake of God to determine vncertenly is as much as if he had determined nothing at all specially when the thing determined is in the power of mans wil and in respect of God the decree may come to passe or not come to passe Men if they might alwaies haue their choise desire to determine of all their affaires simply without condition and when they doe otherwise it is either because they know not the euent of things or because things to be don are not in their power No reason therefore that we should burden God with that whereof we would disburden our selues Againe the maiestie of God is disgraced in this kind of decree God for his part would haue all men to be saued why then are they not men will not keepe the condition and beleeue This is flat to hang Gods will vpon mans will to make euery man an Emperour and God his vnderling and to change the order of nature by subordinating Gods will which is the first cause to the will of man which is the second cause whereas by the very law of nature the first cause should order and dispose the second cause But for the iustifying of a conditionall decree it is alleadged that there is no eternall and hidden decree of God beside the Gospel which is Gods predestination reuealed Ans. It is an vntruth There be two wills in God one whereby he determineth what he will doe vnto vs or in vs the other whereby he determineth what we shall doe to him Now Predestination is the first whereupon it is commonly defined to be the preparation of the blessing of God whereby they are deliuered which are deliuered and the Gospel is the second Againe Predestination determines who they are and how many which are to be saued and hereupon Christ saith I know whom I haue chosen but the Gospel rather determines what kind of ones and how they must be qualified which are to be saued Lastly Predestination is Gods decree it selfe and the Gospel is an outward meanes of the execution of it and therefore though the Gospel be propounded with a conditionâ— yet the decree of God it selfe may be simple and absolute The fourth defect is the opinion of Vniuersall sauing grace aâ—pertaining to all and euery man which may be fitly tearmed the Schoole of vniuersall Atheisme For it pulls downe the pale of the Church and laies it wast as euery common field it breeds a carelesnes in the vse of the means of grace the word and Sacraments when as men shall be perswaded that grace shal be offered to euery one effectually whether he be of the Church or not at one time or other wheresoeuer or howsoeuer he liue as in the like case if meÌ„ should be told that whether they liue in the market towne or no there shall be sufficient prouision brought them if they will but receiue it and accept of it who would then come to the market Vniuersall grace hath three parts Vniuersall Election vniuersall Redemption vniuersall Vocation Vniuersall Election of all and euery man is a witlesse conceit for if men vniuersally be appointed to grace without exception then there is no electing or choosing of some out of mankind to grace and if some alone be appointed to grace as it must needes be in election then is not grace vniuersall And it is flat against the word of God For Christ auoucheth plainely that fewer be chosen then called and as afterward we shall see all are not called And he further saith that all which are giuen vnto him shall be one with him and haue life euerlasting but all men shall not be one with him and haue life euerlasting and therefore all men are not giuen to Christ of the father that is ordained to saluation And the Scripture saith that all mens names are not written in the booke of life and that the kingdome of heauen was not prepared for all And whereas men build this their vniuersall election vpon the largenesse of the promise of the Gospel vpon the like ground they might as well make an vniuersall decree of Reprobation whereby God decrees all men to be damned indefinitely vpon this condition if they doe not beleeue Now if vniuersall Reprobation be absurd as it is indeede then vniuersall Election of all and euery man must take part therewith As for the vniuersall Redemption of all and euery man it is no better then a forgerie of mans braine There shall be many
with all his heart and with full consent and so doth not the first Secondly though he fall into any sinne yet he doth not lie long in it but speedily recouers himselfe by reason of grace in his heart Hence it is manifest that sinnes of infirmitie are committed onely of such as are regenerate As for the man vnregenerate he can not sinne of infirmitie whatsoeuer some falsly thinke For he is not weake but starke dead in sinne And sinnes of infirmitie are such onely as rise of constraint feare hastinesse and such like sudden passions in the regenerate And though they sin of weaknes often by reason of this spirituall combat yet they doe not alwaies for they may sinne against knowledge and conscience of presumption To come to the second point the regenerate man can not doe the good which he would because he can not doe it perfitly and soundly according to Gods will as he would Paul saith To will is present with me but I finde no meanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfitly to doe that which I would In this point the godly man is like a prisoner that is gotten forth of the gayle and that he might escape the hand of the keeper desires and striues with all his heart to runne an hundred miles in a day but because he hath straight and waightie bolts on his legges cannot for his life creepe past a mile or twaine and that with chasing his flesh tormenting himselfe So the seruants of God doe heartily desire and endeauour to obey God in all his commaundements as it is saide of King Iosias That he turned to God with all his heart with all his soule with all his might according to all the lawes of Moses c. yet because they are clogged with the bolts of the flesh they performe obedience both slowly and weakely with diuers slippes and falls Thus much of the combat now let vs see what vse may be made of it First of all by it we learne what is the estate of a Christian man in this life A Christian is not one that is free from all euill cogitations from rebellious inclinations and motions of will and affections from all manner of slips in his life and conuersation for such an one is a meere deuise of mans brain and not to be found vpon earth But indeed he is the sound Christian that feeling himselfe laden with the corruptions of his vile and rebellious nature bewailes them from his heart and with might and maine fights against them by the grace of Gods spirit Againe here is ouerthrowne the Popish opinion of merit and iustification by workes of grace on this manner Such as the cause of workes is such are works themselues The cause of works in man is the mind will and affections sanctified in which the flesh and the spirit are mixt together as hath beene shewed before Therefore works of grace euen the best of them are mixt workes partly holy and partly sinnefull Whereby it is euident to a man that hath but common sense that they are not answerable to the righteousnes of the law and that therefore they can neither merit life or any way iustifie a man before God If any reply that good works are the works of Gods spirit and for that cause perfectly righteous I answer it is true indeede they come from the H. Ghost that can not sinne but not onely or immediatly For they come also frō the corrupt minde will of man and in that respect become sinnefull as sweete water issuing out of a pure fountaine is by a filthy channell made corrupt Thirdly we doe hence learne that concupiscence or originall sinne is properly and indeede sinne after baptisme though it please the Councill of Trent to decree otherwise For after baptisme it is flat contrarie to the spirit and rebells against it Papists obiect that it is taken away by baptisme Answ. Originall sinne or the flesh is taken away in the regenerate thus In it there be three things the guilt the punishment the corruption the first two are quite abolished by the merit of Christs death in baptisme the third that is the corruption remaines still but marke in what manner it remaines weakned it remains not imputed to the person of the beleeuer Lastly hereby we are taught to be watchfull in praier Watch and pray saith Christ c. for the spirit is readie but the flesh is weake Rebecca when two twins stroue in her wombe was troubled and saide Why am I so wherefore shee went to aske the Lord namely by some Prophet So when we feele this inward fight the best thing is to haue recourse to God by praier and to his word that the spirit may be strengthened against the flesh As the children of Israel by compassing the citie of Ierico seuen daies and by sounding rammes hornes ouerturned the walls thereof so by serious inuocation of Gods name the spirit is confirmed and the turrets and towres of the rebellious flesh battered The voice of a man 1. Carnall of Euill I doe that which is euill and I will doe it Good I do not that which is good and I will not do it 2. Regenerate of Euill I doe the euill which I would not Good I doe not doe the good which I would 3. Glorified of Euill I doe not that which is euill and I will not doe it Good I doe that which is good and I will doe it A salue for a sicke man OR A TREATISE CONTAINING THE NATVRE DIFFERENCES AND KINDES OF DEATH AS ALSO THE right manner of dying well And It may serue for spirituall instruction to 1. Marriners when they goe to sea 2. Souldiers when they goe to battell 3. Women when they trauell of child PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND VERTVOVS LAdie the Ladie Lucie Countesse of Bedford THe death of the righteous that is of euery beleeuing and repentant sinner is a most excellent blessing of God and brings with it many worthie benefits which thing I proue on this maner I. God both in the beginning and in the continuance of his grace doeth greater things vnto his seruants then they do commonly aske or thinke and because he hath promised aide and strength vnto them therefore in wonderfull wisdome hee casteth vpon them this heauie burden of death that they might make experience what is the exceeding might power of his grace in their weakenes II. Iudgement beginnes at gods house the righteous are laden with afflictions temptations in this life therefore in this worlde they haue their deaths and hells that in death they might not feele the torments of hell and death III. When Lazarus was dead Christ said He is not dead but sleepeth hence it followeth that the christian man can say My graue is my bedde my death is my sleepe in death I die not but onely sleepe It is thought that of all terrible things death is most
For the life of a Christian is nothing else but a meditation of death A notable practise hereof we haue in the example of Ioseph of Arimathea who made his tombe in his life time in the midst of his garden no doubt for this ende to put himselfe in minde of death and that in the midst of his delight and pleasures Heathen Philosophers that neuer knew Christ had many excellent meditations of death though not comfortable in regard of life euerlasting Now we that haue knowne and beleeued in Christ must goe beyond them in this point considering with our selues such things as they neuer thought of namely the cause of death our sinne the remedie thereof the cursed death of Christ cursed I say in regard of the kind of death and punishment laid vpon him but blessed in regard of vs. Thirdly we must often meditate on the presence of death which we do when by Gods grace we make an account of euery present day as if it were the present day of our death and recken with our selues when we goe to bedde as though we should neuer rise againe and when we rise as though we should neuer lie downe againe This meditation of death is of speciall vse and brings forth many fruits in the life of man And first of all it serues to humble vs vnder the hand of God Example we haue of Abraham who said Behold I haue begunne now to speake to my Lord and I am but dust and ashes Marke here how the consideration of his mortalitie made him to abase and cast downe himselfe in the sight of God and thus if we could recken of euery day as of the last day it would straightway pull downe our peacocks feathers and make vs with Iob to abhorre our selues in dust and ashes Secondly this meditation is a meanes to further repentance When Ionas came to Ninive and cried Yet fourtie daies and Ninive shall be destroyed the whole citie repented in sackâ—loath and ashes When Elias came to Ahab and told him that the dogges should eate Iesabel by the wall of Iesreel and him also of Ahabs stocke that died in the citie c. it made him to humble himselfe so as the Lord saith to Elias Seest thou how Ahab is humbled before me Now if the remembrance of death was of such force in him that was but an hypocrite how excellent a meanes of grace will it be in them that truly repent Thirdly this meditation seemes to stirre vp contentation in euery estate and condition of life that shall befall vs. Righteous Iob in the very midst of his afflictions comforts himselfe with this consideration Naked saith he came I forth of my mothers wombe and naked shal I returne againe c. blessed be the name of the Lord. And surely the often meditation of this that a man of all his abundance can carrie nothing with him but either a coffin or a winding sheete or both should be a forcible means to represse the vnsatiable desire of riches and the loue of this world Thus we see what an effectuall meanes this meditation is to encrease and further the grace of God in the hearts of men Now I commend this first dutie to your Christian considerations desiring the practise of it in your liues which practise that it may take place two things must be performed First labour to plucke out of your hearts a wicked and erronious imagination wherby euery man naturally blesseth himselfe and thinkes highly of himselfe and though he had one foote in the graue yet he perswades himselfe that hee shall not die yet There is no man almost so olde but by the corruption of his heart he thinks that he shall liue one yeare longer Cruell and vnmercifull death makes league with no man yet the Prophet Esay saith that the wicked maÌ„ makes a league with death How can this be there is no league made indeed but onely in the wicked imagination of man who falsly thinkes that death will not come neare him though al the world should be destroyed See an example in the parable of the rich man that hauing stored vp aboundance of wealth for many yeres said vnto his own soule Soule thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeres liue at ease eat drink take thy pastime wheras his soule was fetched away presently And seeing this naturall corruption is in euerie mans heart we must daily fight against it and labour by all might and maine that it take no place in vs for so long as it shall preuaile we shall bee vtterly vnfit to make any preparation to death Wee ought rather to endeauour to attaine to the minde and meditation of S. Hierome who testifieth of himselfe on this manner Whether I wake or sleepe or whatsoeuer I doe me thinks I heare the sound of the trumpet Rise ye dead and come to iudgement The second thing which we are to practise that we may come to a serious meditation of our owne endes is to make praier vnto God that we might bee inabled to resolue our selues of death continually Thus Dauid praied Lord make me to know mine ende and the measure of my daies let me knowe howe long I haue to liue And Moses Lord teach me to number my daies that I may apply mine heart vnto wisdome I may bee said What neede men pray to God that they might be able to number their daies cannot they of themselues recken a fewe yeares and daies that are able by art to measure the globe of the earth and the spheres of heauen and the quantities of the starres with their longitudes latitudes altitudes motions and distances from the earth No verely For howsoeuer by a generall speculation we thinke something of our endes yet vnles the spirit of God be our schoolemaster to teach vs our dutie we shall neuer be able soundly to resolue our selues of the presence and speedines of death And therefore let vs pray with Dauid and Moses that God would inlighten our minds with knowledge and fil our hearts with his grace that we might rightly consider of death and esteeme of it euerie daie and houre as if it were the day and houre of death The second dutie in this generall preparation is that euery man must daily indeauour to take away from his owne death the power and strength therof And I pray you marke this point The Philistims sawe by experience that Sampson was of great strength and therefore they vsed meanes to knowe in what part of his bodie it laie and when they found it to bee in the haire of his head they ceased not vntill it was cutte off In like manner the time will come when we must encounter hand to hand with tyranous and cruell death the best therefore is before hand nowe while wee haue time to search where the strength of death lies which beeing once knowne we must with speede cutte off his Sampsons lockes and bereaue him of his power
and put his houshold in order and went and hanged himselfe And the fiue foolish virgins contented themselues with the blasing lamps of a bare profession neuer seeking for the horne of lasting oyle of true and liuely faith that might furnish and trimme that lampe both in life death But let vs in the feare of God cast off this damnable folly first of all seeking the kingdome of God and his righteousnes and leading our liues in faith and obedience that we may die accordingly And thus much of the first point of doctrine namely that there is a certen way whereby a man may die well now I come to the second Whereas therefore Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the day of birth we are further taught that such as truly beleeue theÌ„selues to be the children of God are not to feare death ouermuch I say ouermuch because they must partly feare it partly not Feare it they must for two causes the first because death is the destruction of humane nature in a mans owne selfe and others in this respect Christ feared it without sinne and we must not feare it otherwise then we feare sicknes and pouertie and famine with other sorrowes of bodie and mind which god wil not haue vs to despise or lightly regard but to feele with some paine because they are corrections and punishments for sinne And he doth therefore lay vpon vs paines and torments that they may be feared and eschewed and that by eschewing them we might further learne to eschew the cause of them which is sinne and by experience in feeling of paine acknowledge that God is a iudge and enemie of sinne and is exceeding angrie with it The second cause of the feare of death is the losse of the Church or Commonwealth when we or others are depriued of them which were indeede or might haue bin an helpe stay and comfort to either of them and whose death hath procured some publike or priuate losse Againe we are not to feare death but to be glad of it and that for many causes First of all in it we haue occasion to shew our subiection and obedience which we owe vnto God when he calls vs out of this world as Christ saide Father not my will but thy will be done Secondly all sinne is abolished by death and we then cease to offend God any more as we haue done Thirdly the dead bodie is brought into a better condition then euer it was in this life for by death it is made insensible and by that meanes it is freed from all the miseries and calamities of this life and it ceaseth to be either an actiue or passiue instrument of sinne whereas in the life time it is both Fourthly it giues the soule passage to rest life and celestiall glorie in which we shall see God as he is perfectly know him and praise his name for euer keeping without intermission an eternall sabbath therefore Paul saith I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ for that is best of all Fifthly God exequutes his iudgements vpon the wicked and purgeth his Church by death Now in all these respects godly men haue cause not to feare and sorrow but to reioyce in their owne death and the death of others Thirdly if the day of death be so excellent yea a day of happines then it is lawfull to desire death and men doe not alwaies sinne in wishing for death Paul saith I desire to be dissolued and againe O miserable man who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death Yet this desire must not be simple but restrained with certaine respects which are these First death must be desired so far forth as it is a meanes to free vs from the corruption of our nature secondly as it is a meanes to bring vs to the immediate fellowship of Christ and God himselfe in heauen thirdly death may be lawfully desired in respect of the troubles and miseries of this life two caueats beeing obserued the first that this desire must not be immoderate the second it must be ioyned with submission and subiection to the good pleasure of God If either of these be wanting the desire is faultie and therefore Iob and Ieremie and Ionas failed herein because they desired death beeing carried away with impatience On the contrarie also a man may desire a continuance of life Ezechias praied and desired to liue when he heard the message of present death that he might doe seruice to God And Paul desired to liue in regard of the Philippians that he might further their faithâ— though in regard of himselfe to die was aduantage to him Lastly if death ioyned with reformation of life be so blessed then the death of the vnbeleeuing and vnrepentant sinner is euery way cursed most horrible Reasons are these First it is the destruction of nature and the wages of sinne Secondly in it there is no comfort of the spirit to be found no mitigation of paine and no good thing that may counterâ—aile the miseries thereof Thirdly that which is the most feâ—reful thing of all bodily death is the beginning os eternall death desperation and infernall torment without hope of deliuerance Therefore as I began so I end haue care to liue well and die well FINIS An addition of things that come to my minde afterward THe last combat with the deuill in the pang of death is oftentimes most dangerous of all For then he will not vrge men to desperation knowing that by this meanes he shall stirre them vp to resist him but he labours with them that they would not resist him when he assaults them and by this means he indeauours to extinguish hope And this is not done in any other temptation in which faith or hope alone are impugned whereas in this they are both impugned togither This must be thought vpon for when the deuills temptation is not to resist his temptation it is most deceitful of all and it is more easie to ouercome the enemie that compells vs to fight then him that disswades vs from it The temptation of M. Iohn Knox in the time of his death is worth the marking He lay on his death-bedde silent for the space of foure houres very often giuing great sighes sobbes and grones so as the standers by well perceiued that he was troubled with some grieuous temptation and when at length he was raised in his bedde they asked him how he did to whome he answered thus that in his life time he had indured many combats and conflicts with Sathan but that now most mightily the roaring lyon had assaulted him often said he before he set my sinnes before mine eyes often he vrged me to desperation often he laboured to intangle me with the delights of the world but beeing vanquished by the sword of the spirit which is the word of God he could not preuaile But now he assaults me another way for the wily serpent would perswade me that
in the Lord. When thou readest that in the garden he praied lying groueling on his face sweating water and blood beginne to thinke seriously what an vnspeakable measure of Gods wrath was vpon thy blessed Sauiour that did prostrate his bodie vpon the earth and cause the blood to follow and thinke that thy sinnes must needes be most heynous that brought such bloodie and grieuous paines vpon him Also thinke it a very shame for thee to carrie thy head to heauen with haughtie lookes to wallow in thy pleasures and to draw the innocent blood of thy poore brethren by oppression and deceit for whome Christ sweat water and blood and take an occasion from Christs agonie to lay aside the pride of thy heart to be ashamed of thy selfe to grieue in heart yea euen to bleede for thine owne offences casting downe and humbling thy selfe with Ezra saying O my God I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee my God for mine iniquities are increased and my trespasse is growne vp into heauen When thou readest that Christ was taken and bound thinke that thy very sinnes brought him into the power of his enemies and were the very bondes wherewith he was tyed thinke that thou shouldest haue beene bound in the very same manner vnlesse he had beene a suretie and pledge for thee thinke also that thou in the selfe â—ame manner art bound and tied with the chaynes of thine owne sinnes and that by nature thy will affections and whole spirit is tied and chained to the will of the deuill so as thou canst doe nothing but that which he willeth lastly thinke and beleeue that the bondes of Christ serue to purchase thy libertie from hell death and damnation When thou hearest that he was brought before Annas and Caiaphas thinke it was meete that thy suretie and pledge who was to suffer the condemnation due vnto thee should by the high Priest as by the mouth of God be condemned and woonder at this that the very coessentiall and eternall Sonne of God euen the very soueraigne Iudge of the world stands to be iudged and that by wicked men perswading thy selfe that this so great confusion comes of thy sinnes Whereupon beeing further amazed at thy fearefull estate humble thy selfe in dust and ashes and pray God so to soften thy stonie heart that thou maiest turne to him and by true faith lay hold on Christ who hath thus exceedingly abased himselfe that his ignominie may be thy glorie and his arraignment thy perfect absolution When thou readest that Barrabas the murderer was preferred before Christ though he exceeded both men and Angels in holinesse thinke it was to manifest his innocencie and that thy very sinnes pulled vpon him this shamefull reproch and in that for thy cause he was esteemed worse then Barrabas thinke of thy selfe as a most heynous and wretched sinner and as Paul saith the head of all sinners When thou readest that he was openly and iudicially condemned to the cursed death of the crosse consider what is the wrath and furie of God against sinne and what is his great and infinite mercie to sinners and in this spectacle looke vpon thy selfe and with grones of heart crie out and say O good God what settest thou heare before mine eyes I euen I haue sinned I am guiltie and worthie of damnation Whence comes this chaunge that thy blessed sonne is in my roome but of thy vnspeakable mercie Wretch that I am how haue I forgotten my selfe and thee also my God O sonne of God how long hast thou abased thy selfe for me Therefore giue me grace O God that beholding mine owne estate in the person of my Sauiour thus condemned I may detest and loath my sinnes that are the cause thereof and by a liuely faith imbrace that absolution which thou offerest me in him who was condemned in my stead and roome O Iesu Christ Sauiour of the world giue me thy holy and blessed Spirit that I may iudge my selfe and be as vile and base in mine owne eyes as thou wast vile before the Iewes also vnite me vnto thee by the same spirit that in thee I may be as worthie to be accepted before God as I am worthie in my selfe to be detested for my sinnes When thou readest that he was clad in purple and crowned with thornes mocked and spit vpon behold the euerlasting shame that is due vnto thee and be ashamed of thy selfe in this point conforme thy self to Christ be content as he was to be reproched abused and despised so it be for a good cause When thou readest that before his crucifying he was stript of al his cloathes thinke it was that he beeing naked might beare thy shame on the crosse and with his most pretious and rich nakednesse couer thy deformitie When thou readest the complaint of Christ that he was forsaken of his father consider how he suffered the pangs and torments of hell as thy pledge and surety Learne by his vnspeakable torments what a fearefull thing it is to sinne against God and begin to renounce thy selfe and detest thy sinnes and to walke as a child of light according to the measure of grace receiued When thou commest to die set before thine eyes Christ in the midst of all his torments on the crosse in beholding of which spectacle to thy endlesse comfort thou shalt see a paradise in the middest of hell God the father reconciled vnto thee thy Sauiour reaching out his hands vnto thee to receiue thy soule vnto him and his crosse as a ladder to aduance it to eternall glorie Wheras he cried aloud with a strong voice at the point of death it was to shew that he died willingly without violence or constraint from any creature and that if it had so pleased him he could haue freed himselfe from death and haue cast his very enemies to the very bottom of hell When thou readest that he commended his soule into the handes of his Father consider that thy soule also so be it thou wilt beleeue in him is deliuered vp into the hands of God and shall be preserued against the rage and malice of all thine enemies and hereupon thou maist be bolde to commend thy spirit into the hands of God the father When thou readest of his death consider that thy sinnes were the cause of it and that thou shouldest haue suffered the same eternally vnlesse the sonne of God had come in thy roome againe consider his death as a ransome and apprehend the same by faith as the meanes of thy life for by death Christ hath wounded both the first and second death and hath made his crosse to be a throne or tribunall seate of iudgement against all his and thine enemies When thou readest of the trembling of the earth at the death of Christ thinke with thy selfe it did in his kind as it were grone vnder the burden of the sinnes of men in the world and by his motion then it signified that euen
I answer that they to whome Christ came not neither hath spoken vnto them haue an excuse not of euery sinne but of this sinne that they haue not beleeued in Christ. Againe It remaines to inquire whether those who before Christ came in his Church to the Gentiles and before they heard his Gospell haue bin or are preuented by death may vse this excuse Doubtles they may but they shall not therefore escape damnation For whosoeuer haue sinned without the law shall perish without the law As for the reasons which some of the schoolemen haue alleadged to the contrarie they are answered all by men of the same order and I will briefly touch the principall First it is obiected that the holy Ghoâ—t shall iudge the world of sinne because they haue not beleeued in Christ Ioh. 16.9 I answer that by the world we must not vnderstand all and euery man since the creation but all nations and kingdomes in the last age of the world to whome the Gospel was reuealed Thus hath Paul expounded this word Rom. 11.12 The fall of them is the riches of the world and the diminishing of them is the riches of the Gentiles v. 15. The casting of them away is the reconciling of the world Secondly it is obiected that the law binds all men in conscience though the greatest part of it be vnknowne to them Answ. The law was once giuen to Adam and imprinted in his heart in his first creation and in him as beeing the roote of all mankind it was giuen to all men and as when he sinned all men sinned in him so when he was enlightened all were enlightned in him and consequently when his conscience was bound by the law all were bound in him And though this knowledge be lost by mans default yet the bond remaines still on Gods part Now the case is otherwise with the Gospel which was neuer written in mans nature but was giuen after the fall and is aboue nature Here a further replie is made that the couenant made with Adam The seede of the woman shal bruise the serpents head was also made with his seede which is all mankind and was afterward continued with Abraham to all nations I answer again that Adam was a root of mankind onely in respect of mans nature with the gifts and sinnes thereof he was no roote in respect of grace which is aboue nature but Christ the second Adam And therefore when God gaue the promise vnto him and faith to beleeue the promise he did not in him giue them both to all mankinde neither if Adam had afterward fallen from faith in the Messias should all mankind againe haue fallen in him Moreouer that the promise of grace was not made to Adams seede vniuersally but indefinitely it appeares because when God did afterward renew the couenant he restrained it to the familie of Noe and Abrahamâ— and in Abrahams familie it was restrained to Isaac In Isaac saith the Lord shall thy seede be called yea in the very tenour of the couenant there is a distinction made of the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent which seede of the serpent is a part of mankind and it is excluded from the couenant And whereas the Lord promised to Abraham that in his seede all the nations of the earth should be blessed the promise must not be vnderstood of all men in euery age but of all nations in the last age of the world And thus Paul hath cleared the text Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith which was done after Christs ascension he preached before the Gospel to Abraham In thee shall nations be blessed Lastly it may be obiected that if any man be ignorant of the doctrine of saluation by Christ it is through his owne fault it is true indeede that all ignorance of the doctrine of saluation comes through mans fault sinne but sinne must be distinguished it is either personall or the sinne of mans nature Now in them that neuer heard of Christ their ignorance in this point proceedes not of any personall sinne in them but onely from the sinne of mans nature that is the first sinne of Adam common to all mankinde which sinne is punished when God leaues men wholly to themselues Now many things there be in men proceeding from this sinne which neuerthelesse are no sinnes as the manifold miseries of this life and so I take the ignorance of things aboue mans nature altogether vnreuealed to be no sinne but a punishment of originall sinne Thus much of the persons which are bound by the Gospel now let vs see how farre forth they are bound by it God in the Gospell generally reueales two points vnto vs the first that there is perfect righteousnes and life euerlasting to be obtained by Christ the second that the instrument to obtaine righteousnes and life eternall is faith in Christ. Moreouer when this Gospel is dispensed and preached vnto vs God reueales vnto vs two points more the first that he will make vs particularly to be partakers of true righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ the secoâ—d that he will haue vs without doubting to beleeue thus much of our selues And for this cause euery man to whome the Gospel is reuealed is bound to beleeue his owne election iustification sanctification and glorification in and by Christ. The reasons and grounds of this point out of the word of God are these I. 1. Ioh. 3.23 This is his commandement that we beleeue in the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ and loue one another as he gaué vs commandement Now to beleeue in Christ is not confusedly to beleeue that he is a Redeemer of mankind but withall to beleeue that he is my Sauiour and that I am elected iustified sanctified and shall be glorified by him This is graunted of all men yea of the Papists themselues which otherwise are enemies of this doctrine For Lumberd saith To beleeue in God is by beleeuing to loue and as it were to goe into God by beleeuing to cleaue vnto him and as it were to be incorporate into his members II. Paul Gal. 2. 16. â—irst of all propounds a generall sentence That a man is not iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Christ. Afterward he addes a speciall application Euen we namely Iewes haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Iesus Christ and in v. 20. he descends more specially to applie the Gospel to himselfe I liue saith he by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me And in this kinde of application there is nothing peculiar to Paul for in this very action of his he auoucheth himselfe to be an example vnto vs 1. Tim. 1. 16. For this cause saith he was I receiued to mercie that Iesus Christ should shew first on me all long suffering vnto the ensample of them which
shall in time to come beleeue in him to eternall life Againe Philip. 3.8 he saith I thinke all things but losse that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes but that which is through the faith of Christ that I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection afterward he addeth v. 15. Let vs as many as be perfect be thus minded III. Whatsoeuer we pray for according to Gods will we are bound to beleeue that it shall be giuen vnto vs Mark 11. 24. Whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shall be done vnto you But we pray for the pardon of our sinnes and for life euerlasting by Christ and that according to the will of God Therefore we are bound in conscience to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting IV. If God should speake particularly to any man and say vnto him Cornelius or Peter beleeue thou in Christ and thou shalt be saued this commandement should bind him particularly Now when the Minister lawfully called in the name and stead of God publisheth the Gospel to the congregation that is as much as if God himselfe had spoken to them particularly calling each of them by their names and promising vnto them life euerlasting in Christ. 2. Cor. 5.20 We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through vs pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled to God It may be and is obiected that if euery man be bound in conscience to beleeue his owne Election and saluation by Christ then some men are bound to beleeue that which is false because some there be euen in the middest of the Church which in the counsell of God were neuer chosen to saluation I answer that this reason were good if men were bound absolutely to beleeue their saluation without further respect or condition but the bond is conditionall according to the tenour of the couenant of grace for we are bound to beleeue in Christ if we would come to life euerlasting or if we would be in the fauour of God or if we would be good disciples and members of Christ. I answer againe that whatsoeuer a man is bound to beleeue is true yet not alwaies in the euent but true in the intention of God that bindeth Now the commaundement of beleeuing and applying the Gospell is by God giuen to all within the Church but not in the same manner to all It is giuen to the Elect that by beleeuing they might indeede be saued God inabling them to doe that which he commands To the rest whome God in iustice will refuse the same commandement is giuen not for the same cause but to another end that they might see how they could not beleeue and by this meanes be bereft of all excuse in the day of iudgement God doth not alwaies giue commandements simply that they might be done but sometimes for other respects that they might be meanes of triall as the commaundement giuen to Abraham of killing Isaac againe that they might serue to keepe men at the least in outward obedience in this life and stop their mouthes before the tribunall seat of God In that we are bound in conscience on this manner to beleeue the promises of the Gospel with an application of the benefits thereof to our selues sundry necessarie and profitable points of instruction may be learned The first that the Popish Doctours abolish a great part of the Gospel when they teach that men are bound to beleeue the Gospel onely by a Catholike faith which they make to be nothing els but a gift of God or illumination of the mind whereby assent is giuen to the word of God that it is true and more specially that Iesus is Christ that is an all-sufficient Sauiour of mankind All which the damned spirits beleeue whereas the Gospel for the comfort and saluation of mens soules hath a further reach namely to enioyne men to beleeue that the promise of saluation is not onely true in it selfe but also true in the very person of the beleeuer as appeares euidently by the Sacraments which are as it were a visible Gospel in which Christ with all his benefits is offered and applied to the particular persons of men to this ende no doubt that they might beleeue the accomplishment of the promise in themselues Secondly we learne that it is not presumption for any man to beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes for to doe the wil of God to which we are boūd is not to presume now it is the will of God to which he hath bound vs in conscience to beleeue the remission of our owne sinnes and therefore rather not doe it is presumptuous disobedience Thirdly we are here to marke and to remember with care the foundation of the vnfallible certentie of mans saluation For if man be bound in conscience first to giue assent to the Gospel and secondly to applie it to himselfe by true faith then without doubt a man by faith may be certenly perswaded of his owne Election and saluation in this life without any extraordinarie reuelation Gods commandements beeing in this and the like cases possible For commandements are either Legal or Euangelical Legall shew vs our disease but giue vs no remedie and the perfect doing of them according to the intent of the Lawgiuer by reason of mans weaknes and through mans default is impossible in this world As for Euangelical commandements they haue this priuiledge that they may and can be performed according to the intent of the Lawgiuer in this life because with the commandement is ioyned the inward operation of the spirit in the elect to inable them to effect the dutie cōmaunded and the will of God is not to require absolute perfection at our hands in the Gospel as in the law but rather to qualifie the rigour of the law by the satisfaction of a Mediatour in our stead and of vs we being in Christ to accept the vpright will and indeauour for the deede as the will to repent and the will to beleeue for repentance and true faith indeede Now then if things required in the Gospell be both ordinarie and possible then for a man to haue an vnfallible certentie of his owne saluation is both ordinarie and possible But more of this point afterward Lastly all such persons as are troubled with doubtings distrustings vnbeleefe despaire of Gods mercie are to learne consider that God by his word bindes them in conscience to beleeue the pardon of their owne sinnes be they neuer so grieuous or many and to beleeue their owne election to saluation whereof they doubt Men that are but ciuill haue care to auoid robbing and killing because God giues commandements against stealing and killing why then should not we much more striue against our manifold doubtings and distrustings of Gods loue in Christ hauing a commaundement of God that calls vpon vs and binds vs to so Thus
said that this commandement is spoken as well of the vnwritten as of the written word I answer that Moses speaketh of the written word onely for these very words are a certaine preface which he set before a long commentarie made of the written lawe for this end to make the people more attentiue and obedient Testimonie II. Isai 8.20 To the lawe and to the testimonie If they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Here the Prophet teacheth what must be done in cases of difficultie Men must not rūne to the wizard or southsayer but to the lawe and testimonie and here he commends the written word as sufficient to resolue all doubts and scruples in conscience whatsoeuer Testimonie III. Ioh. 20.31 Those things were written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ and in beleeuing might haue euerlasting life Here is set downe the full ende of the gospell and of the whole written word which is to bring men to faith cōsequently to saluatiō therfore the whole scripture alone is sufficient to this end without traditiōs If it be said that this place must bee vnderstood of Christs miracles onely I answer that miracles without the doctrine of Christ knowledge of his sufferings can bring no man to life euerlasting and therefore the place must bee vnderstood of the doctrine of Christ and not of his miracles alone as Paul teacheth Gal. 1.8 If wee or an angell from heauen preach vnto you any thing beside that which we haue preached let him be accursed And to this effect he blames them that taught but a diuers doctrine to that which he had taught 1. Tim. 1.3 Testimonie IV. 2. Tim. 3.16,17 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto euery good work In these wordes be contained two arguments to prooue the sufficiencie of Scripture without vnwritten verities The first that which is profitable to these foure vses namely to teach all necessarie trueth to confute all errours to correct faults in manners and to instruct in righteousnes that is to informe al men in all good duties that is sufficient to saluation But Scripture serueth for all these vses and therefore it is sufficient and vnwritten traditions are superfluous The second that which can make the man of God that is Prophets and Apostles and the ministers of the word perfect in all the duties of their callings that same word is sufficient to make all other men perfect in all good workes But Gods word is able to make the man of God perfect Therefore it is sufficient to prescribe the true and perfect way to eternall life without the helpe of vnwritten traditions V. The iudgement of the Church Tertul. saith Take from heretickes the opinions which they maintaine with the heathen that they may defend their questions by Scripture alone and they cannot stand Againe We neede no curiositie after Christ Iesus nor inquisition after the gospel When we beleeue it wee desire to beleeue nothing beside for this we first beleeue that there is nothing more which wee may beleeue Hierome on Math. 23. writing of an opinion that Iohn Baptist was killed because he foretold the comming of Christ saith thus This because it hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued In which wordes there is a conclusion with a minor and the maior is to bee supplyed by the rules of logicke thus That which hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued but this opinion is for therefore Behold a notable argument against all vnwritten traditions Augustine booke 2. cap. 9. de doct Christ. In those things which are plainely set downe in Scripture are found all those points which containe faith and manners of liuing well Vincentius Lirinen saith the Canon of the Scripture is perfect and fully sufficient to it selfe for all things Beside these testimonies other reasons there bee that serue to prooue this point I. The practise of Christ and his Apostles who for the confirmamatiō of the doctrine which they taught vsed alwaies the testimony of Scripture neither can it be prooued that they euer confirmed any doctrine by tradition Act. 26.22 I continue vnto this day witnessing both to smal and great saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come And by this we are giuen to vnderstand that we must alwaies haue recourse to the written word as beeing sufficient to instruct vs in matters of saluation II. If the beleeuing of vnwritten traditions were necessarie to saluation then we must as well beleeue the writings of the auncient Fathers as well as the writings of the Apostles because Apostolicall traditions are not els where to be found but in their bookes And we may not beleeue their sayings as the word of God because they often erre beeing subiect to errour and for this cause their authoritie when they speake of traditions may be suspected and we may not alwaies beleeue them vpon their word Obiections for Traditions First they alleadge 2. Thess. 2.15 where the Apostle biddes that Church keepe the ordinances which he taught them either by word or letter Hence they gather that beside the written word there be vnwritten traditions that are indeede necessarie to be kept and obeyed Ans. It is very likely that this Epistle to the Thessalonians was the first that euer Paul writ to any Church though in order it haue not the first place and therfore at that time when this Epistle was penned it might well fall out that some things needfull to saluation were deliuered by word of mouth not being as yet written by any Apostle Yet the same things were afterward set downe in writing either in the second epistle or in the epistles of Paul Obiect II. That Scripture is Scripture is a point to be beleeued but that is a tradition vnwritten and therefore one tradition there is not written that we are to beleeue Ans. That the bookes of the old and new Testament are Scripture it is to be gathered and beleeued not vpon bare tradition but from the very bookes themselues on this manner Let a man that is indued with the spirit of discerning read the seuerall bookes withall let him consider the professed author thereof which is God himselfe and the matter therein contained which is a most diuine and absolute truth full of pietie the manner and forme of speach which is full of maiestie in the simplicitie of words the ende whereat they wholly aime which is the honour and glorie of God alone c. he shall be resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe Yea and by this meanes he may discerne any part of Scripture from the writings of mē whatsoeuer Thus thē scripture prooues it selfe to be scripture yet
said they speake contraries for quantitie by all learning is the essence of a bodie without which a bodie cannot be 4. In the Creede wee confesse that Christ is ascended into heauen and there after his ascension sits at the right hand of his father and that according to his manhood Hence I conclude that Christs bodie is not really and locally in the sacrament and in euery Host which the priest consecrateth This argument was good when Vigilius against Eutiches said When it the flesh was on earth it was not in heauen and because it is nowe in heauen it is not on earth and he addes afterward that this is the Catholike faith and confession And it was good when Fulgentius said According to his humane substance hee was absent from earth when he was in heauen and he left the earth when he ascended into heauen And The same inseparable Christ according to his whole manhood leauing the earth locally ascended into heauen and sits at the right hand and according to the same whole manhood he is to come to iudgement And it was good when Cyril said No man doubts but that when hee ascended into heauen though hee be alwaies present by the power of his spirit he was absent in respect of the presence of his flesh And it was good when Augustine said According to the flesh which the Word assumed he ascended into heauen he is not here there he sits at the right haÌ„d of the father and he is here according to the presence of his maiestie And Hee went as hee was man and he aboad as he was God he went by that whereby he was in one place he aboad by that whereby he was euery where 5. Againe in that we beleeue the Catholike church it followes that the Catholike church is inuisible because things seene are not beleeued And the answer commonly vsed that we beleeue the holinesse of the Church will not serue the turne For the wordes are plaine and in them we make confession that we beleeue not onely the holinesse of the Church but also the Church it selfe 6. Lastly the articles Remission of sinnes Resurrection of the bodie and Life euerlasting containe a confession of speciall faith For the meaning of them is thus much I beleeue the remission of mine own sins the resurrection of mine own body to life euerlasting that by the iudgement of learned antiquitie August saith If thou also beleeue that thou shalt rise again ascend into heauen because thou art sure of so great a patrone thou art certen of so great a gift And Make not Christ lesse who brings thee to the kingdoÌ„e of heauen for remission of sins Without this faith if any come to baptisme he shuts the gate of mercie against himselfe And Whosoeuer faithfully beleeueth holds this profession of his faith in which all his sins are forgiueÌ„ him let him prepare his wil to the will of god not feare his passage by death And The whole Sacrament of baptisme standes in this that we beleeue the resurrectioÌ„ of the body remission of sins to be giuen vs of God And He gaue these keies to the Church that whosoeuer in his church should not beleeue his sins to be forgiuen they should not be forgiuen vnto him and whosoeuer beleeued turned froÌ„ theÌ„ abiding in the lap of the said church at length shal be healed by faith amendment of life And That which thou hast heard to be fulfilled in the glorious resurrection of Christ beleeue that the very same shall bee fulfilled in thee in the last iudgement and the resurrection of thy flesh shall restore thee for all eternitie For vnlesse thou shalt beleeue that thou art to bee repaired by death thou canst not come to the reward of life eternall And in ancient time the article of the resurrection hath beene rehearsed on this manner The resurrection of this flesh and the last applyed vnto it To euerlasting life Hence then two maine opinions of the Church of Rome are quite ouerthrowen one that we cannot by speciall faith be certaine of the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules the other that a man truly iustified may fall away and be damned Nowe this cannot bee if the practise of the auncient Church bee good which hath taught vs to beleeue euerlasting life ioyntly without remission of sinnes To come vnto the Decalogue first of all it is a rule in expounding the seuerall commandements that where any vice is forbidden there the contrarie vertue is commanded and all vertues of the same kinde with all their causes occasions furtherances This rule is graunted of all and hence it followes that counsels of perfection if they haue in them any furtherance of vertue are inioyned in and by the law and therefore prescribe no state of perfection beyond the scope of the lawe Secondly the commandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. hath two seuerall parts The first forbids the making of carued or graued images the second forbids the adoratioÌ„ of them Now the first part is notably expounded by Moses Deut. 4.16 Take good heed vnto your selues that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure in the likenesse of male or female Marke the reason of this prohibition in the same place for saith he ye saw no image in the day the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb and v. 15. Yee heard the voice of the wordes but sawe no similitude saue a voice Nowe the reason beeing vnderstood of the image of God himselfe the prohibition must needes be so vnderstood Againe there is no question that God directs his commandement against a â—inne in speculation but against some common and wicked practise of the Iewes and that was to represent God himselfe in likenesses and bodily formes Esai 40. 1â— And that was also the practise of the Gentiles that were farre more grosse in this kinde then the Iewes Rom. 1.23 This then is plaine to any indifferent man that the first part of the commandement forbiddes the making of grauen images or likenesses of the true Iehoua and thus the Romane Catechisme vnderstands tâ—â— wordes As for the second part it must be vnderstood according to them eaning of the first and therefore it forbids vs to bow downe to any image of God Hence then it followes that to worship God or Saints in or at images and to worship images with religious worship is abominable idolatrie And common reason might teach vs thus much For they that adore and worship the true God in images doe binde the presence of God his operation grace and his hearing of vs to certen things places signes to which he hath not bound himselfe either by commandement or promise and that is otherwise to worship God and to seeke for his blessings then he hath commaunded himselfe to be worshipped or promised to heare vs. Vpon this ground
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
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