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cause_n	body_n	life_n	soul_n	5,160	5	5.5664	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09376	A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1607 (1607)	STC 19677.5; ESTC S2273	415,205	614

hee will take heede what he doth and that God heareth him hee will temper his tongue and that God beholdeth all his dealings in the world hee will take heede how hee borroweth lendeth buieth or selleth and what hee doth in all his actions and the very cause of all carelesnesse in these and all other duties in the world is because men are perswaded God seeth them not To vrge vs therefore to this excellent dutie we haue First Gods Commaundement Walke before mee and be vpright saith God to Abraham and in him to all the children of his faith Againe wee haue the examples of Gods children who are renowned for the obedience of this Commaundement Henoch here after him Abraham and after him Dauid who testifieth of himselfe I will walke before God in the land of the liuing Thirdly as it is both commaunded by precept and practiced by exsample so the proofe of it is most comfortable to all that practice it for it will make them prosper in all they goe about For as hee that is alwaies in the Kings presence and companie cannot but bee in his fauour and therefore cannot but succeede well in all his affaires so hee that walkes with God cannot but prosper in whatsoeuer hee sets his heart and hand vnto Blessed Abraham found this most true when he assured his seruant whom he sent to prouide Isaac a wife in a long and doubtfull and dangerous iourney The Lord before whom I walke will send his Angell with thee and prosper thy iourney and euen so may euery child of God say with confidence The Lord before whom I walke will send his Angell with mee and prosper mee in my proceedings Fourthly this walking with God is a good meanes to make a man beare the crosse with patience For if hee be perswaded that God seeth how wrongfully he is persecuted or oppressed and that Gods prouidence is alwayes present so as no affliction can com vnto him but by his appointment and againe that his prouidence disposeth of all things to his good how can he but receiue with patience that portion of afflictions which God shall lay vpon him For as hee that walkes with the King who dare offer him wrong so he that walkes with God what euill can touch him This is Iosephs argument to his brethren when they were discomforted and feared he would punish them after their Fathers death Feare not saith he for am not I vnder God as though he had said Doe not I walke in Gods presence and acknowledge my selfe vnder his power and that God when you thought euill against me disposed it to good where the ground of Iosephs reason is that he walking with God his affliction turned to his good Lastly this is a meanes to bring a man to make conscience of all sinne in thought word and deede and in all his dealings when he perswades himselfe to walke in the presence of God When Ioseph was allured to sinne by his Mistresse his answere was How shall I commit this great wickednesse and so sin against God The bridle that restrained him was the feare of that God in whose presence he walked And because hee walked with God he would not walke with her in her wicked way and because he kept a holy company with God therefore he would not keepe her company nor be allured by her temptations So then seeing this way of walking with God is euery way so excellent and so profitable let vs learne it not in iudgement and knowledge onely to be able to talke of it which is soone learned but in conscience and practice as dutifull children doe before their parents so let vs in a heauenly awe a child-like reuerence walke before God labouring for a true perswasion of his presence and prouidence to be alwayes ouer vs and our whole liues The want hereof is the cause of all sinne And if we doe thus walke with God and so please him as Henoch here did then shall wee be sure though not after the same manner that Henoch was yet in soule first and afterwards in soule body both to be translated into eternall life But if we will not walke this way with Henoch in this life let vs neuer looke to liue in heauen with him but assure our selues that as the way of holinesse is the way to glory so the way of wickednesse is the way to eternall perdition And thus much of the second degree But without faith it is impossible to please God These words containe the third degree or the third part of the reason And this degree consists of a generall Maxime or Canon of Diuinitie and the holy Ghost first layeth it downe and then because it is one of the waightiest principles in religion he proueth it substantially in the words following In the Canon it selfe let vs first examine the meaning and then vnfold the manifold vse of it Without faith By faith is meant here the same faith as afore namely true sauing faith in the Messias And without this sauing faith It is impossible to please God Impossible how not in regard of the absolute infinite and indeterminable power of God which hath no limits but his owne will but in regard of that order of the causes and meanes of saluation set downe by God in his word which is this 1. Man by sinne hath displeased God 2. God must be pleased againe else a man cannot be saued 3. He that will please God must please him in Christ the Mediator else he cannot therefore he that wil please God and be saued must needes beleeue in Christ. And thus by this order it is impossible We denie not but in regard of Gods absolute power hee could saue a man without faith as hee can lighten the world without the sunne But as if he keepe that order of nature which his owne wisedome hath appointed it is impossible to giue light to the world without the sunne so if he keepe that order for saluation which his own Iustice hath appointed it is impossible to please God without faith in Christ. So then the meaning is laide downe and now appeares the strength and force of the holy Ghosts argument Hee that will be saued and come to heauen must first please God But without faith it is impossible to please God Therefore without faith no man can be saued nor come in heauen and by consequent therefore Henoch being taken into heauen must needes be taken away by faith Now the vse of this Canon rightly vnderstood is manifold and of great profit First here wee learne that faith is simply and absolutely necessarie to saluation and most necessary of all other giftes and graces of God whatsoeuer And though many be required yet amongst all holy graces this is the principall and more necessarie in some respects then any other For howsoeuer hope and loue and zeale and many other graces of God are required to make the state of a Christian complete and

it may be asked who they were that heere passed through by faith The answere is the Israelites But some will say wee reade in the Historie that when the people came to the red sea they were wonderfully afraide and murmured against Moses saying That it had beene better for them to haue liued in the bondage of Egypt then to come into the Desart and there die Now how can they murmure impatiently and fearefully and yet passe through by faith Answere At the first indeede they murmured when they saw the danger they were in hauing the huge Armie of Pharaoh following them and the red sea before them and hills and mountaines on each side But howsoeuer they murmured at the first yet when Moses spake words of comfort vnto them in the name of the Lord bidding them not to be afraid c and when he held vp his rod and entred into the red sea before them then they followed him by faith and heereupon the holy Ghost giues vnto them the title of true beleeuers Heere we may learne that true faith in Gods children is mingled with vnbeliefe The Israelites faith was true faith but yet it was very imperfect and weake for if it had beene perfect sound faith they would neuer haue murmured nor haue beene impatient and fearefull But looke as it is in nature so it is in grace In nature we cannot passe from one contrary to another but by the mixture of the contraries As in light and darknesse the one doth not followe the other immediatly but first there is a mixture of them both in the dawning of the day and closing of the night and so it is in other contraries euen in those which concerne the soule Vnbeliefe is a sinne faith is a vertue and grace contrary to it Now vnbeliefe cannot be expelled by faith before there be a mixture of them both and so when faith preuaileth vnbeliefe decayeth neither can faith be euer perfect because it is euer mingled more or lesse with vnbeliefe This plainely ouerthrowes the opinion of the Church of Rome who say that after a man is regenerate and beleeues there is nothing in him that God can hate For they imagine that he is so throughly sanctified that there is nothing in him which may properly be called a sinne but here we see their doctrine is false seeing faith vnbeliefe are alwaies mingled together Secondly as it falls out with faith so it is with the rest of Gods graces looke as faith is not perfect but mixed with vnbeliefe so are all other graces of God whatsoeuer The feare of GOD is not perfect in a man nor the loue of God for the feare of GOD is mingled with the feare of men and the feare of GOD for his mercy is mingled with the feare of GOD for his iudgements And heereby many are deceiued for when they feare GOD for his punishments they thinke themselues to be most miserable and voyde of grace but they deceiue themselues For there is no man vpon the earth that feareth GOD onely for his mercies and doth not feare GOD also for his punishments in part for Gods graces in this life are euer mingled with their contraries And therfore to imagine that a man may feare GOD for his mercies onely and not for iudgements also is to conceiue of such a man as none is nor can be in this life for the best feare that is in any man liuing is a mixt feare Further when Moses had spoken words of comfort vnto them the vnbelieuing and fearefull Israelites do stir vp their hearts to belieue So wee accordingly must labour and striue against that in-bred vnbeliefe which is in vs for euery man hath innumerable sinnes in him that resist faith and if they bee not checked and suppressed they will master his faith but hee that would haue faith to continue and last must striue against natural vnbeleefe as the Israelites do in this place and as the man in the Gospel Mark 9.24 when hee said to Christ Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe knowing that his vnbeleefe did suppresse his faith And so did the Disciples of our Sauiour Christ when they prayed Lord increase our faith Luk. 17.5 And Dauid beeing oppressed with deadnesse of heart stirres vp his faith saying Why art thou cast down my soule c. waite on God Psalm 42. v. 11. For he that hath faith is troubled with vnbeleefe and the more it troubles him the lesse he beleeueth vnlesse hee striue against it manfully 2. Quest. But how many of the Israelites beleeued and went ouer by faith Ans. Not all for Paul saith With many of them God was not well pleased for they were ouerthrowen in the wildernesse 1. Cor. 10.5 Which shewes that all that passed ouer had not true faith for some beleeued and by the force of their faith all went ouer safely Hence wee note this which hath beene often taught vs that an vngodly man receiueth many temporal benefits by the societie of Gods people which beleeue as here the vnbeleeuing Israelites had this benefit to goe through the redde sea safely by reason of those that beleeued And in the former example the brute beasts were freed frō killing by the Angel because they belonged to the host of the Lords people Now shall a brute beast haue benefit by beeing with GODs people and shall not a man much more Yes vndoubtedly for so wee may reade that for Pauls sake all the Mariners and Souldiers that were in the Shippe were saued from drowning Act. 27.24 This point must perswade euery one of vs to make choyce of the godly for our societie and company with whom we liue and conuerse for by them we reape many benefits and freedome also from many heauy iudgements The third point is this When did the Israelites beleeue This circumstance is worth the marking They beleeued when they passed through the redde sea for they beleeued not onely in generall that GOD was their GOD as hee had promised to their fathers but they beleeued that GOD would bee with them and giue them life in the middle of the redde sea A notable point They beleeued as it were in the middle of their graues for so might the redde sea be well called that GOD would giue them life euerlasting and preserue them safely through the sea and from their enemies In their example wee are taught the same dutie to doe as they here did The childe of GOD in this life hath innumerable causes of desperation and sometimes his owne conscience wil take part with Satan in charging the soule to bee in state of damnation In this heauie case what must bee done Surely at this time when a man is a cast-away in himselfe he must euen then beleeue beeing in hell as it were hee must beleeue that God will bring him to heauen It is nothing for a man to beleeue in prosperitie and peace but in time of desperation to beleeue that is a most worthy faith and indeede then

these our bodies be they neuer so miserably tormented here shall one day rise to life and glory by Iesus Christ. All the true Martyrs of Christ knewe and were resolued of this and this it was that made them so confident in their sufferings And if wee can attaine vnto it we shall finde great vse hereof both in life and death For our lyues this will moue vs to embrace true religion from our hearts and in all things to indeauour to keep a good conscience This Paul testifieth Act. 24.15 16 for hauing made profession of his hope in the resurrection both of iust and vniust he saith And herein I endeauour my selfe to haue alwaies a cleere conscience both towards God and towards men And for death this perswasion also is of great vse for it will notably stay the heart against the naturall feare of death It is a wonder to see how terrible the thoughts of death are to many a one Now this feare ariseth hence that they are not in heart resolued of their resurrection to life and glory at the last day for if they were they would endeuour themselues with patience and with comfort to vndergoe the pangs thereof though neuer so terrible Secondly hence we must learne so to leade this temporall life that when we are dead our bodies may rise againe to life eternall These Martyrs are a notable precedent herein vnto vs for they are so resolute to holde that course of life which hath the hope of glory that they will rather lose temporall life then leaue that course And indeede this duty is so necessary that vnlesse we order wel this temporall life we can neuer haue hope to rise to glory Quest. How should we leade this temporall life that we may rise to glory after death Answer This S. Iohn teacheth vs Reuel 20 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power Wee must therefore labour earnestly to haue our part heerein This first resurrection is spirituall wrought in the soule by the holy Ghost causing him that is by nature dead in sinne to rise to newnesse of life whereof whosoeuer is truly partaker shall vndoubtedly rise to glory For they that are quickned in Christ frō the death of sin are made to sit together in heauenly places in Christ Iesus Eph. 2.5.6 Naturall death may seuer soule body for a time but it can neuer hinder the fruition of eternall life Wherefore as we desire this life which is eternall when we are dead so let vs frame our naturall liues to die vnto sinne while we are aliue Verse 36. And others haue beene tried by mockings and scourgings yea moreouer by bonds and prisonment The second kinde of suffering wherewith the seruants of God were then tried is mocking Touching the which we may obserue diuers points First whence it came No doubt it came from vngodly persons that were enemies to Gods Church true religion for here it is made a part of the triall of Gods Church by the enemies thereof Heere then beholde the state of mockers and scoffers at the seruants of God they are heere accounted wicked wretches and enemies to God and to his truth So Saint Iude speaking of certaine false Prophets which were crept into the Church calls them vngodly men Iude 4 which hee prooues afterward by their black mouth in euill speaking verse 8.10 And Ismaell is accounted a persecuter by the holy Ghost for mocking Isaac Galatians chapter 4. verse 29. And Dauid reckoning vp the degrees of sinners makes the chaire of the scornfull the third and highest Psalme 1.1 All these places shew the haynousnesse of this sinne and therefore if any of vs young or olde high or lowe haue beene ouertaken with it heeretofore let vs now repent and leaue it for it is odious in Gods sight Thou that art a scoffer mayst flatter thy selfe and thinke all is well let the matter prooue how it can words are but winde But knowe thy case is fearefull for as yet thou wantest the feare of God and art an enemie to Christ and his religion and one day thou shalt be iudged not onely for thy wicked deedes but for all thy cruell speakings Iude verse 15. Secondly whereas these seruants of God were tried by mockings it shewes that Gods Church in this world is subiect to this affliction It is not a thing newly begunne in this age of ours but hath beene alwayes in Gods Church from the beginning Genesis chapter 21. verse 9 Ismaell mocked Isaac and Isay brings in Christ complaining thus Isay chapter 8. verse 18 Beholde I and my children whom the Lord hath giuen me are as signes and wonders in Israell And Ieremie saith I am in derision daily euery one mocketh me Ieremie chapter 20. verse 7 Yea our Sauiour Christ vpon the Crosse when hee was working the blessed worke of mans redemption was euen then mocked by the spitefull Iewes Mat. 27.41 And Paul was mocked of the Athenians for preaching Christ and the resurrection Acts 17.18 Now if this haue been the estate of Christ our head of his most worthy Prophets and Apostles to be mocked scorned then must no child of God at this day think to escape for if they haue done this to the green tree what wil they doe to the dry Wherefore if we belong to Christ we must prepare for it and arme our selues with patience to vndergoe this triall The Disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruant aboue his Lord. If they haue called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more them of the house Mat. 10.24 25 Thirdly whereas these seruants of God were tried by mockings and did endure the same by faith here we learn how to behaue our selues when we are subiect to mocking and derision especially for religions sake We must not returne mock for mock and taunt for taunt but with meeknesse of heart learne to beare the same When Christ was vpon the Crosse the Iewes most shamefully mocked him yet euen then did Christ pray for them And the same was Dauids behauiour as we may reade notably Psal. 38. verse 12 13 14 When his enemies spake euill of him what did hee Did hee raile on them againe No Hee was as a deafe man and heard not and as a dumbe man which openeth not his mouth euen as a man that heareth not and in whose mouth are no reproofes This was a rare thing in Dauid that he could thus bridle his affections in the case of reproach but read the 15. verse and wee shall see the cause Hee trusted in the Lord his God also hee considered the hand of God in their reproaches as 2. Samuel chapter 16. ver 10 and these things made him silent This example we must looke vpon and learne hereby with patience to possesse our soules vnder reproach The third kinde of suffering is Scourging They were not onely mocked for religion but also whipped and

Christ and thereupon rest our soules Thus did these beleeuers in this place And this faith did Iob notably testifie when GOD had taken from him children goods health yea and all that he had yet then he said Iob 13.15 Though he kill me yet will I trust in him And so must wee endeuour to doe if that case befall vs for when all worldly helpes and comforts faile vs this promise of life in Christ will be a sweet and safe refuge for our soule Being destitute afflicted and tormented Here the Apostle amplifieth their misery in their wādring estate by three degrees of crosses which did accompany the same First they were destitute of all temporall blessings secondly they were afflicted both in body and minde Thirdly tormented that is euill entreated These are added for a speciall cause to shew that these seruants of God were laden with afflictions They were banished driuen to extreme pouerty they were depriued of all their goods and of all society of men they were afflicted in body and in minde and euill entreated of all men no man would doe them good but all men did them wrong whereby we see that euen waues of miseries ouerwhelmed them on euerie side Hence wee learne that Gods seruants may be ouerwhelmed with manifolde calamities at the same instant being pressed down with crosses in goods in body minde friends and euery way This was Iobs case a most worthy seruant of God he was afflicted in body in friends goods childrē which was greatest of all he wrestled in cōscience with the wrath of God Iob 13.16 Thou writest bitter things against me and makest mee to possesse the iniquities of my youth And the like hath beene the state of many of Gods children Psal. 88.3.7 My soule is filled with euils thou hast vexed me with all thy waues c. Question How can this stand with the truth of Gods word wherein are promises of all manner of blessings both temporall and spirituall to those that feare him Deut. 28. 1 2 c. If thou obey the voyce of the Lord thy GOD all these blessings shall come vpon thee and ouertake thee blessed in the Citie and in the field in the fruite of thy body and of thy ground and cattell Psal. 34.10 They that seeke the Lord shall lacke nothing that is good For Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of the life to come 1. Tim. 4.8 And therefore Dauid compareth the godly man to the tree that is planted by the water side which bringeth forth much fruite and is greene and well liking Psalme 1.3 How then comes this to passe that Gods owne seruants should be thus oppressed and laden not with one calamity or two but with sundry and grieuous afflictions at the same time Answer True it is the Scripture is full of gracious promises of temporal blessings vnto Gods children but they are conditionall and must be vnderstoode with an exception to this effect Gods children shall haue such and such blessings vnlesse it please God by afflictions to make triall of his graces in them or to chastise them for some sinne so that the exception of the crosse for the triall of grace or chastisement for sinne must be applied to all promises of temporall blessings And hence it comes to passe that the most worthy renowned seruants of God for their faith are said to be afflicted and in miserie For his promises of temporall blessings are not absolute but conditionall All things are theirs as Paul saith 1. Cor. 3.21 and they shall haue honour wealth fauour c. vnlesse it please God to proue their faith or to chastice their sinnes by crosses and afflictions Question How can Gods seruants be able to beare so many and grieuous crosses at once seeing it is hard for a man to beare one crosse patiently The answere is heere laid downe to wit by faith for many and grieuous were the miseries that lay on these seruants of God and yet by beleeuing the promise of life in the Messias they were enabled to beare them all This is a soueraine remedy against immoderate griefe in the greatest distresse and vndoubtedly the flouds of affliction shall neuer ouerwhelme him that hath his heart assured by faith of the mercy of God towards him by Iesus Christ. This made Dauid say He would not feare euill though he should walke through the valley of the shadow of death Psal. 23.4 and Paul speaking of tribulation anguish famine persecution yea and death it selfe saith In all these we are more then conquerers through him that hath loued Rom. 8.37 And from this faith it was that hee was able to endure all estates to be hungry to want c. Phil. 4.12 13. If this be true that Gods children may be afflicted with manifolde calamities at once then the opinion of naturall and vngodly men is false who iudge him to be wicked and vngodly whom God ladeth with manifolde calamities This was the iudgement of Iobs three friends and the ground of all their disputation against him that because God had laid so great and so many crosses vpon him therfore he was but an hypocrite And this is the rash iudgement of naturall men in our dayes especially vpon those that make profession of religion when Gods hand of triall or correction lies vpon them they presently censure them for hypocrites but this is a wretched opinion for Gods dearest children may be pressed downe with manifold calamities Secondly seeing faith in Christ will support the soule vnder manifolde crosses be they neuer so grieuous wee must labour in the feare of God to haue our hearts rooted and grounded in this faith and when afflictions come we must striue to shew forth the fruite and power of it by bearing them patiently And thus much of the seuerall branches of affliction in this last example of beleeuers VERSE 38. Whom the world was not worthy of they wandred in the wildernesse and mountaines and dens and Caues of the earth IN these words the holy Ghost doth answere to a secret obiection or surmise which a naturall mā might cōceiue against the beleeuers spoken of before For it being said that they wandred vp and downe Some man might thinke thus no meruaile though they wandred vp and down for it may be they were not worthy to liue in the worlde This the holy Ghost doth flatly denie and auoucheth the cleane contrary of them to wit that they wandred vp and downe by faith and the Lord caused them so to doe because the world was not worthy of them they were too good to liue in the world In this answere to this surmise wee may obserue what is the opinion of naturall men concerning the children of God to wit that they are not worthy to liue in the world but the earth whereon they tread is too good for them This hath beene is and will be the worldes estimation of Gods children Matthew chapter 24. verse 9 Ye shall be hated of all