vnder our feete thinke we that God wil suffer his grace too be so lightly esteemed and hild skorne of No. For wee cannot despise the doctrine of the Gospel but we must vnhalow the bloud of Gods sonne which he did shead for our redemption for the one cannot bee separated from the other VVhensoeuer and how often soeuer God speaketh to vs and offereth vs forgiuenesse of oure sinnes shewing himselfe readie to receiue vs to mercie so often is the bloud of our Lord Iesus Christe sprinkled vpon vs. All the teaching in the world cannot do vs any good except our Lord Iesus Christ be with it to apply the sheading of his bloud vnto vs. And if we despise the doctrine of the Gospel it is all one as if wee did spit at the holy bloud of Goddes sonne which thing is an intolerable trayterousnesse Therfore let vs looke narowlier to our selues and wey wel this text to the intent we stand stedfast and for asmuch as God hath called vs to so great a good turne and we do now know that is not by haphazard that the Gospel hath bin preached but bycause it was Gods will to vtter the infinite riches of his goodnesse towardes vs let vs stand in it and so sticke too it as nothing may thrust vs from it nor by any meanes euer shake vs down Lo in effect what we haue to beare away in this text Moreouer we be warned also which are the true pictures or peintings to leade vs too God The Papists say we must haue rememberances to teache vs and that images are the bookes of the vnlearned which are not apt to conceiue higher doctrine but hath Sainct Paule spoken heere but to three or four folke No It is generally and to all Christians without exception as well to great as small that he sayth that wheÌ„ the Gospell is preached then Iesus Christ is peinted out liuely and we must looke vpon him not with the fleshly eyes of our bodyes but with the spirituall eyes of our faith Then seeing it is so let vs learne that we haue no neede of Images and puppets to teach vs what is necessarie for our saluation nother neede wee a peece of wood stone or other suche pelting stuffe too put vs in rememberance of God for in all those things there is nothing but vanitie and leasing but we haue neede to haue Gods word preached and to indeuer and trauell to make the same familiar too vs that wee may there beholde God in his liuely image that is to saye in the person of our Lord Iesus Christ his only sonne according also as Sainct Paule sayeth in the second too the Corinthians where he protesteth that the doctrine which he brought vntoo them was not hidden from anie but the vnbeleeuers suche as perish whome the Diuell possesseth and which haue their eyes sealed vp And no wonder though they see not awhit in the open light But yet in the meane while the doctrine is so manifest vntoo vs as we may easly perceyue Gods will For he sheweth vs it familiarly ynough as oft as the Gospell is preached in somuch that wee neede not to make much running vp and downe not too fetch farre wyndlasses wee neede no more to say who shall stie vp aboue the Cloudes who shall go beyond sea who shall go downe intoo the deepe Haue we Gods word at leastwise haue wee it preached purely Then is Iesus Christ as it it were in the middes of vs and sheweth himself as it were hanging vppon the Crosse witnessing what hee dyd for vs when he suffered death to reconcyle vs to God his father There hee setteth vs downe a sure and vndeceyuable pledge or warrant and let vs content our selues with it For when we haue pleaded neuer so muche it will not excuse vs oure cace wyll alwayes go againste vs if wee bee not well assured in oure consciences that wee haue whollye leaned vntoo Goddes word which as I sayd bringeth vs so neere vnto God that it is the very vnion itselfe whiche we haue with him in the person of our Lord Iesus Christ And in good sooth we see how God dothe as it were stoup to our rudenesse and infirmitie For doth he speak in so loftie and darke a stile as we can vnderstand nothing No but contrariwise he abaceth hymselfe and therto thinkes it not ynough to haue spoken but also addeth Sacramentes to his worde whyche are the true pictures that we ought to haue Like as when we see the water of baptim it is a picture which sheweth vs that we be â—ull of filth and vncleannesse till we be washed and by whome VVe must seeke our washing from aboue Besides this it sheweth vs that we must be renued by the holy Ghost of God That then is a good picture And why Bycause it beareth Gods marke and is matched wyth hys worde As much is to bee sayde of the Lordes supper VVhen we see the morsells of bread and the droppes of wyne Very well they bee the Creatures whereof wee haue bin wont too take nurrishmeute and sustenaunce for our bodies but the same do leade vs to the lyfe of our soules and gyue vs to vnderstand that we haue no lyfe but in our Lorde Iesus Chryste And the cause why the wyne is added is to shew that he hath such vertue in him as we neede not to seeke any part of the thynges that we want any otherwhere but that he serueth vs for meate and drinke and all These I say are the good images that God hath set afore vs and now if we bee still soring in the aire and gadding after our owne lusts to say I would fayne haue more it is a disdeyning of the grace that is offered vs. So much the more therefore doth it stande vs on hand to marke well this streine where Sainct Paule by the poewr and in the name of God condemneth yea and with the power of the holy Ghost thundereth against all suche as haue bin taught the Gospell faithfully and afterward do turne aside and slip away from it And therevpon he addeth that he woulde fayne haue it knowen by what meane the holy Ghost is receyued For if they had receiued the holy Ghost by the works of the law Sainct Paule would haue graunted that there was some righteousnesse to be had by it But forasmuch as they had receiued him by the Gospell it must needes be concluded that they ought to haue rested vppon the record that God gaue them so apparantly And for the better vnderstanding of the thing that he meant too saye heere let vs marke that Gods spirit is giuen in common to all the faithfull for somuch as they be regenerated and made new creatures Besides this â–ª there are spiritual gifts which God destributeth according to such measure and portion as hee thinketh good but yet they redound all to the common welfare of the Church If we bee Christians we must needes haue Gods spirit as wee shall see
downe into the worlde nor what grace he imparteth vnto vs by his Gospell they knowe not neyther what fayth nor what prayer is and yet for all that they will needes haue leaue to doo what they liste and that folke should lay the bridle looce in their necke Of these wylde Christians there are tootoo many nowe a dayes In the meane while the doctrine of God is blamed by their meanes For the enimies of the truthe vpbrayde vs with all suche as are loose liuers now a dayes and say that the same springeth of our preaching For this cause S. Paule hath answered his aduersaries and also armed and fenced vs to answere them to the ende to stoppe the mouthes of all raylers and of all suche as doo falsly slander the doctrine of the Gospell First of all therfore when the wicked sort say that we giue an inordinate libertie to all suche as seeke nothing but to doo lewdly Let vs looke backe to S. Paule who telleth them that the libertie which we speake of serueth for none but such as are a law to them selues namely through the working of the death and passion of our Lorde Iesus Christ But yet notwithstanding this ought to serue for a warning to all suche as imagine a libertie after their owne liking Therefore let them vnderstande that first of all it behoueth them to become members of our Lorde Iesus Christ VVil we then eate quietly without making any 〈…〉 VVill wee bee exempted from all 〈…〉 whiche doo nowe a dayes vexe the simple and ignorant sorte in the Papacie Let vs vnderstande what Iesus Christ is and let vs bee throughly his Let him gouerne vs and let his death and passion shewe their power and effectualnesse in our whole life Thus yee see what we haue to beare in binde in this text And heere S. Paule sheweth agayne that the true perfection of Gods children consisteth in abacing themselues so as they followe not the rule of their owne brayne and affections for wee bee vtterly corrupted Then can wee not bee but rebels agaynst God all the time of our life till wee haue kylled all the sinfulnesse of oure owne nature Marke this for one poynt that our lyfe shall neuer bee framed to the will of God excepte wee bee vtterly chaunged bothe in our thoughts and in our affections Secondly S. Paule sheweth that that can not be done but by communicating with our Lorde Iesus Christ for it is not without cause that he vseth this worde Crucified For thereby he declareth that so long as wee bee separated from our Lorde Iesus Christ and cast off from him and not knit vnto him by fayth our nature will alwayes bring foorth hir owne frutes that is to say nothing but all maner of naughtinesse and vice Thus ye see that first of all Freewill is beaten downe Secondly it is shewed vs that wee can not be partakers of any of Gods giftes nor of his holy spirite but by the meanes of our Lorde Iesus Christ according as I haue tolde you alreadie that wee must all drawe of his fulnesse for he is the onely fountayne that is able too suffice vs. And if wee seeke neuer so farre aboute elsewhere wee shall finde nothing but drythe and wee shall continue a thirst styll and if wee thinke too fill our selues it will bee but wyndinesse and misweening wherewith wee shall burste and yet not gather any good nourishment or substance Nowe heerevppon Sainct Paule concludeth that if wee liue after the spirite wee shoulde also walke after the spirite And it is a more easie declaration of the thing that I haue touched alreadie It had beene inough too haue auouched that wee can not bee set free but by crucifying all oure wicked lustes howe bee it for as 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Hypocrisie is so great that they doo alwayes finde â—â—aâ—ting holes and 〈…〉 man would bee esteemed as an Angell though his life bee out of order therefore Sainct Paule intended for a confirmation too adde this saying â–ª that if wee liue after the spirite wee must therewithall walke after the spirite As if hee should say that it is not inough for men too protest them selues to haue Gods spirite dwelling in their heart but they muste shewe that he is there for he is not idle Therfore if a man will discerne whether Gods spirit dwell in vs or no he must come to our works and to our life and according as our conuersation is so may he see what we be and what is within vs and giue iudgement by our outwarde workes that are apparant As for example if one would beare mee in hande that a blocke were a liuing a man too see too It stirreth neyther head nor foote thrust at it and shoue at it and yet there appeareth no lyfe in it and shall he then make mee beleeue that a peece of stone remoueth from place too place or hath any power in it or is a creature that hath a soule Euen so is it with those that boast them selues to be spirituall For although the vnbeleeuers and enimies of God be aliue as in respect of the body yet are they dead in respect of the heauenly life bicause their soule is vtterly corrupted but wee liue to Godwarde through the grace of his holy spirite And if this grace be in vs it can not bee idle as I sayde afore And that is the cause why S. Paul sayth that our conuersation will shewe whether we liue in the spirite or no. The worde walke is very rife in the holy scripture when the whole ordering of our life is mentioned neuerthelesse heere is not onely walking The worde that S. Paul vseth importeth more that is to wit too walke orderly as if he should say that we must frame our selues to the thing that is conformable too the will of God and of his holy spirite and that our life must bee so well ruled as it maye bee knowen that God gouerneth vs in deede and that our Lorde Iesus Christ holdeth vs too him selfe as the members of his body and that he hath truly witnessed that he dwelleth in vs by his holy spirite Therefore at a worde this thing muste needes bee knowen Nowe to bee shorte S. Paule ment heere to bewray the hypocrisie of all suche as make fayre protestation with their mouthe and woulde haue men to beleeue wonderous well of their zeale and yet in all their whole lyfe doo shew 〈…〉 at all too come neere God nor any 〈◊〉 of hys worde All such folke then are heere condemned of lying and vnfaythfulnesse And therefore that wee may discerne which are Gods children let vs come to the examining of our liues True it is as I haue touched heeretofore that sometimes the ignorant wretches and suche as neuer had any instruction in the Lawe shall haue some apparance of vertue But if a man sounde them throughly he shall finde it is but a shadowe and that they bee not well bent eyther too loue their neibours or to walke
too our saluation in the meere grace of our Lorde Iesus Christe Thus yee see that this saying where Sainct Paule auoweth that no fleshe shall bee iustified ought too bee vnderstoode as though hee had sayde ▪ If men looke vppon themselues in their owne nature they shall finde nothing but euill notwithstanding all the fayre shewes that they can haue They may well bee highly praysed and esteemed in the worlde and they may well beguyle themselues by vayne selfe soothings but vntill suche time as God haue wrought in them too chaunge them it is certaine that there shall bee nothing in them but filthinesse al the vertues that men make account of shal be starke vice too leade them too destruction and too plundge them in Hell For although that they which are renewed by Gods grace and haue already profited in his obediēce haue some vertues which he loueth and esteemeth yet are they not able to bring aught that may passe account before him for they shall alwayes finde themselues in arrerages And that goodnesse whiche is in them they haue it of him and yet is that goodnesse also corrupted with their sinnes and infirmities by reason whereof they are vtterly bereft of all trust in their owne rightuousnesse and so if wee now seeke our rightuousnesse in the law we be beguyled wee shall not find it there we be al of vs condemned from the greatest too the least But heere wee see much better that which I touched afore namely that when we perceyue and find by experience that we want all that euer pertayneth to the life of our soules we must resort to Iesus Christ as to our refuge so that the true preparatiue to make vs beleue in Iesus Christ is to be touched with a liuely cōceyt and feeling of our own sinnes And for the same cause also he sayeth Come vnto me all ye that labour and are heauie loden I will refresh you and you shal find rest to your soules Again it is sayd expresly that he is sent to preach the message of gladnesse to the poore to set free such as are in prison to cōfort such as are vtterly oppressed and as it were ouerwhelmed Those then which take pleasure in their sinnes will neuer come at our Lord Iesus Christ True it is that they wil boast ynough of faith according as many skorners of God do vnhallow that worde as holie as it is Euery man will be counted a Christian and they that bee furthest out of square in all wickednesse will say they beleeue as much as any other man But when a man speaketh after that maner it is a token that he hath not one droppe of fayth For the faithfull will surely say I beleeue howbeit with so greate weakenesse that I see well if my God should not pitie mee that little whiche I haue would soone vanish away vtterly Therfore they that vaūt with full mouth that they haue a perfect fayth are but dogges and swine which neuer tasted what the feare of God or what religion is But how soeuer the world go the name of fayth shall be shamefully defiled by those dogges which doo nothing else but mocke God For they haue no skill too discerne betweene good and euill They bee so blockish that they doo as it were welter in their filthinesse insomuch that a grosse drunkarde that is past all shame and therewithall hath ouerglutted himselfe also woulde faine continue still in his disordinatenesse Besydes this the whoremongers the periurers the blasphemers and such other like will protest welynough that they haue fayth but yet for all that it is certaine that they were neuer in any towardnesse to come to our Lorde Iesus Christ And why so For they haue not considered that they cannot be iustified but by grace Howbeit let vs marke that to be throughly peswaded that we cannot be iustified by the lawe we must set God before vs in his iudgement seate and euery of vs summon our selues before him and morning and euening bethinke vs that we must yeelde vp an account of our whole life Therevpon let vs vnderstande that we shoulde be ouerwhelmed a hundred thousand tymes if God should not pitie vs and beare with vs of his infinite mercie That is the way for vs to knowe that wee cannot bee iustified by the lawe for we bee as good as damned so oft as we appeare before God It is meete for vs to be put in such feare as wee may haue neyther releace nor rest till our Lorde Iesus Christ haue succoured vs. Ye see then howe it behoueth vs to be loden and fortrauelled that is too say to mislyke of our sinnes and to bee greeued with such anguish as we may be pinched with the sorrowes of death to the ende wee may seeke all our ease in God assuring our selues that wee cannot otherwise obtaine saluation neyther whole nor in part but must be faine to haue it giuen vs. For S. Paule doth not set down any meane way heere as though he sayde that we shoulde finde that which we want in Iesus Christ and be able to haue the rest of our selues But he sayth that forasmuch as we knowe once that we cannot bee taken as righteous for our owne desertes nor for our owne workes onely fayth must content and suffize vs. VVherefore let vs vnderstande that there is not one whitte of our saluation out of Iesus Christ but that we haue there both the beginning and the end of it that is to say euery whit of it and let vs abyde continually in that lowlinesse knowing that we bring nothing with vs but damnation and that all that euer perteyneth to our saluation must be receyued of Gods onely free mercie so as we may say that it is by fayth that we be saued that is too say bycause God the father hath appoynted his sonne our Lorde Iesus Christ for vs to rest vpon that he might both begin and finishe our saluation in such wise as the whole must be fathered vpon him and we learne to renounce our selues and to giue our selues fully and wholy vnto him And now let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes praying him too make vs so to feele them as we may mislike more more of them and grow and go forwarde in the amendment wherein wee ought too spende our whole life and learne too magnifie his goodnesse in such wise as it hath bin shewed to vs in our Lorde Iesus Christ so as wee may be wholy rauished with it and that the same may be not a glorying of it with our mouth onely but a putting of our whole trust in him so as we may be settled in it more and more till we be gathered vp intoo the euerlasting life where we shall haue the rewarde of our fayth That it may please him to graunt this grace not onely to vs but also to all people c. The. 13. Sermon which is the
fashion Let vs go forward with the whole processe VVe see that without faith there should be no bond to knit any Church togither nor any assurance whereby to know which is the seede of Abraham or to discerne it from the rest of the world but by resorting to the head that is too wit to our Lord Iesus Christ Ye see then that the vnion of the body dependeth vpon the head that is to wit vppon the Redeemer Seeing it doth so not without cause doth Sainct Paule say that it was not spoken of many seedes but that wee must come too one man if we will haue the spirituall people that is to say if wee will haue the Churche of God our Lorde Iesus Christ must bee the marke that we must begin to looke at and wee must bee gathered vnto him and those that are of his body and cleaue vntoo him by fayth are the folke that are reckened for Gods children and houshold and are verily the seede of Abraham as he discourseth more at large in the Epistle to the Romanes where he sayth that all they which come of the seede of Israell after the flesh are not therefore Israelites And why For there was but one promised chylde which was Isaac So then wee must come to our Lorde Iesus Christe in whome all Gods promises are Yea and Amen and in whome they haue theyr substance For without him there is nothing else but soattering And therefore it is said in the first Chapter to the Colossians that our Lorde Iesus Christs office is to gather togither all things that were scattered as well in heauen as in earthe and that without him al should go to wrecke But now we see more cleerely how Sainct Paules meening is that before the law was published to the world wherevpâ—â— was put and added this condition that it behoued vs to fulfill all that is conteined therein God had yeelded a record of his will before hand whiche was that bycause hee saw mankind damned and forlorne he inteÌ„ded to draw out a chosen sort to hymselfe and to be mercifull to them And that was not for one linage alone but for all nations as the scripture expresseth And there of the foundation was layd in our Lord Iesus Christ For asmuch then as our Lord Iesus Christe was already in the tyme of Abraham ordeyned to be a mediator to make attonemeÌ„t betweene God and vs so that if we go in his name to seeke fauour it is ready for vs and we cannot be disappointed of our hope seeing it is so stablished there is no chaunge but wee must assure ourselues that God accepteth vs at this day so we rest wholly vpoÌ„ our Lord Iesus Christ knowing that it was no vncerteine couenant whiche was so ratifyed in his name but that it shall endure for euer and be always of force Ye see then that we may come freely before God and call vpon him as our father bycause he hath adopted vs for his chidreÌ„ whiche thing he hath not done in respect of any worthinesse that was in vs but of his owne meere mercie and bycause we bee made one with our Lord Iesus Christ by faith And by the way like as we must reiect all opinion and imagination of obteyning fauour at Gods hand by our owne deseruings and of assuring our owne saluation so must we looke wel to that which is told vs heere namely that we cannot be partakers of such a benefite but by faith Now as I haue sayd afore faith importeth an imbracing of Gods mercy whiche thing cannot bee done except wee bee touched earnestly with our own wretchednesse for it is not for naught that our Lord Iesus Christ setteth our cursednesse before vs as it were in a glasse by taking vpon him to be accursed for vs. Faith therefore cannot be without repentance for it is vnpossible that we shoulde seeke our welfare in God or desire mercie at his hand till miserie touch vs to the quicke and make vs to mislike of it And so these skoffers whiche mocke God weltring still in their vyces and beeing as it were sotted in them must not looke that euer Iesus Christ shoulde recken them in the number of hys for they cannot by any meanes come at him nother doth he call any other than suche as are so ouerloden and forweeryed as they can no longer hold out and lye groning vnder the burthen of their sinnes Thus ye see how it behoueth vs to resort to our Lord Iesus Christe and that although we cannot bring any desert vnto him and that all the Ceremonies of the law and all the profers that we can make vnto him do nothing at all further our saluation yet we must be prepared to suche lowlinesse as we may perceiue our state to be right miserable till God haue taken vs to his mercy and we must be so beaten downe in ourselues as wee may feele the curse that should light vpon vs if we were not raunsomed with so high and excellent a price as I haue declared heeretofore Yee see then that by faythe wee receiue the promis of the spirite and thereby are linked to oure Lord Iesus Christ and too the spirituall seede of Abraham For although we be not borne of his linage yet is it ynough that wee be made atone with him by faith For then are wee begotten againe of that incorruptible seed wherof S. Peter speaketh that is to wit of Gods word such as it is conteyned in the Gospell And beeing so begotten agayne we know that God auoweth vs too be of the body of his only sonne And although wee come of the Gentiles yet fayle we not for all that to be ioyned to the Church whervntoo there needeth no more but only fayth and as for all merites and vertues of men they must vtterly ceasse in that behalfe and men must acknowledge that they cannot bring any thing but confusion so as they must be faine to seeke all at Gods hande and that by the meanes whiche hee hymselfe hath appointed Now sith it is so let vs learne to leaue our wandering heere and there as we see lightheaded men do whiche are neuer contented with that which God telleth them but are euer adding somewhat of theyr owne deuice Let vs beware of such mingling as shall be treated of more at large after dinner by Gods will And let Iesus Chryste alone suffise vs seeyng that our welfare dependeth wholly vppon hym alone and wee shall want nothing if wee bee partakers of hym as we see how Sainct Paule bringeth vs backe too that poynte Furthermore let vs learne also too holde vs too Gods truth assuring ourselues that hee cannot abyde too haue any adding vntoo it bycause that were a marring reuersing and falsifying of his couenant wherein oure welfare consisteth But when we haue once imbraced our Lorde Iesus Christ let vs abyde fast in him and let hym suffise vs for all and then maye wee call vppon GOD with full mouth
promise of it as wee haue seene Heere yee see also why wee bee called Abrahams ofspring For wee belong no whit at all to him in respecte of the fleshe But fayth is a sufficient bonde too knit vs vnto him Furthermore wee see that our Lorde Iesus Christ who is the pledge of mens welfare is nowe reuealed vnto vs too the ende that wee shoulde haue the better assurance that wee bee ▪ hys and that hee wyll holde vs for the members of hys body And that is the cause why Christ sayde that Abraham sawe his daye and was glad of it The Iewes alledged the worthinesse of the Patriarke yea saith Christ as though your father Abraham had not rested vpon the things that were spoken too him concerning mee Therefore he sawe my day and it was the thing wherein he tooke all his comforte in so muche that he had not any other hope of saluation than by the beleefe which he had in the doctrine which is preached vnto you at this day by the Gospell That also is the very same thing that is spoken of Iohn Baptist by the Prophet Malachie namely that he was sent to knit the hearts and mindes of the fathers to the children And this is not spoken only of the person of Iohn Baptist but it belongeth also to the doctrine of the Gospell Yee see then that the thing wherevnto our Lorde calleth vs is that although Abrahā be rotten in the earth so long tyme ago yet wee may assure our selues that there is none other promise than that for vs too trust vnto so wee be knit vnto him by fayth and doo so agree togither as wee can call vpon God with the same minde wherewith he was gouerned according as in very deede he had his minde fixed vpon our Lorde Iesus Christ Nowe then for so muche as wee bee vnited vnto Abraham let vs tende to our Lorde Iesus Christ and let him be our aming marke and our shoote anker till wee be all assembled togither and gathered vp into the heauenly kingdome Lo what wee haue to consider when mention is made of the promise that was made before the lawe Yea and wee ought to bee greatly prouoked to constancie when wee perceyue that our father Abraham did alwayes wayte for our Lorde Iesus Christ althoughe it were so long ere he should be discouered to the world and it was tolde hym that hys seede shoulde bee hilde prisoners in a straunge lande After that God had tolde him that all the worlde should bee blissed in his seede he addeth and yet for all that thinke not that this shall bee performed within these twoo or three dayes or a hundred yeeres hence for thou thy selfe muste first die thou thy selfe muste firste bee conueyed hence intoo a straunge countrie where thyne ofspring shall bee oppressed with all tyrannie and crueltie Assure thy selfe I will be reuendged of it but yet must thy seede smart in the meane while Abraham herde all this Againe after that the lawe was giuen there passed other twoo thousand yeeres more ere our Lorde Iesus Christe came Nowe coulde Abraham neuer haue trusted too that which was spoken too him if he had not bin armed with heauenly power for he himselfe could not inioy the benefite that was offered him nother should his children inioy it that were too come Yee see then that two thousand and foure hundred yeeres were then to passe and yet notwithstanding Abraham repented him not that he had forsaken his fathers house as the Apostle declareth in the eleuenth too the Hebrewes but hilde on his race still albeit that God intended too trie his patience too the vttermoste Of much more reason ought wee now adayes too go on stedfastly whither soeuer God calleth vs and too hold vp our heades till we come too the crowne of glorie not withstandyng that as now it bee hidden from vs and that wee must bee fayne too beleeue and hope for things that surmount all our capacitie and which wee cannot perceyue Thus yee see how wee ought too put this text in vre Nowe herevpon S. Paule concludeth that if the inheritance come by the lawe it shall not come by fayth But God gaue Abraham all things in respect of fayth and therefore it is too bee concluded that the Lawe must needes ceasse when men go about to get fauour at Gods hand and the prayse of our saluation muste bee yeelded all wholly vntoo him S. Paule in speaking here of inheritance meeneth two things The one is that what soeuer God hath at any time promised vs is of his owne meere free goodnesse for an inheritance is not a wages or hyre True it is that a father in giuing his children their heritage may well say See how I take paynes for you Marke what shall come of it Yee shall haue my goodes among you But yet howe soeuer the father deale with them he hath none other respect than too his owne kinship He laboreth and taketh great paynes too prouide for such as are so alied vnto him Seing then that heritages are things of free gifte among men wee must not take eternall lyfe as a deserued wages or hyre at Gods hand For why it is an heritage Marke it for a sure grounde that heere all woorthinesse of men is excluded For when a man makes his children his heires he passeth not whither they haue done any greate woorke or no or whither they bee fayre or foule or whither they bee one thing or other but it is ynough for him that they bee his children and that his minde is too prouide for them Another poynt is that Sainct Paule in so saying giueth vs an incling that wee bee all of vs vtterly reiected of God so as wee cannot no not euen in this transitorie lyfe inioy any thing at all but by the onely meere grace of God True it is that the Sunne shyneth as well vppon the faythlesse as vppon the faithfull and all men are nurrished alike with the things that God giueth and graunteth vnto them but yet howsoeuer they fare the vnbeleeuers possesse not any thing by iust tytle They are but theeues and muste yeelde account of the benefites and goodes whiche they haue receyued of God euen too the last droppe of water bycause they were not sanctified but defiled them asmuche as in them lay bycause they had no fayth whiche as sayeth Sainct Paule is the thing whereby the benefites that God giueth vntoo vs are made cleane That is the way for vs too vse them lawfully but lette fayth bee away and there shall be nothing else but vnclennesse For why if my handes be foule and I handle the preciousest things in the worlde with them they shall bee rayed with the filthinesse of my handes Euen so is it when wee abuse Gods benefites The vnbeliefe that is in vs defileth all and in the ende all creatures muste crie out for vengeance vppon vs bycause wee abused them if we possessed them not with faith
a mutual agreement melodie betwene God and vs then hath baptisme the effect whereof S. Paule treateth and discourseth in this text And so the thing that maketh vs Gods children and clothed vs with Iesus Christ is that God draweth vs out of the corruption wherin we were by nature and will haue Iesus Christ to be our head and vs ingraffed into him to be parttakers of his goods Therfore looke when we receiue that then is all accōplished that is figured by baptisme If hypocrites brag of their baptisme S. Paule sheweth them that it is but vanitie and illusion saying that the circumcision of the letter is nothing that is to say if we loke no further but to the outward and visible Sacrament it is all of no value Euen so is it with baptisme it shall stand them in no sted which with their mouthes vaunt themselues to be Christians and great pillers of the Church forasmuch as they defile the thing which God had dedicated to so excellent an vse as I haue told you before Then let vs marke well that S. Paule speaketh this sentence not to all without exception which beare the signe and mark of baptisme outwardly but to such as fare the better by their baptisme Againe S. Paule meeneth not that baptisme that is to say the water hath the power to chaunge vs in such wise that we should be clothed with our Lord Iesus Christ for by that meanes God should be robbed of the prayse that is due to himself alone But he sheweth here the meane whereby we be certified that we be the members of our Lord Iesus Christs bodie I haue tolde you alredie that we must not seeke any other cause of it than Gods mere goodnesse for if we fetch windlasses one wher or other it is like as if a mā were a thirst and would turne his back to the fountaine to seeke water Therfore let vs learne that it is only God which knitteth vs to our Lord Iesus Christ of his own mere goodnesse that he doth it by the secrete power of his holy spirit and yet notwithstanding ceasseth not too woorke by baptisme as by an inferiour instrument according as wee see how all light cōmeth of him in somuch that there was light in the world euen before there was eyther Sunne or Moone And yet neuerthelesse God hath stablished the Sunne whereby we haue light heere bylowe euen vnto this day But yet doth not the Sunne serue too diminish the power that is in God alone Againe it is sayd that man liueth not by bread onely but by euery woord that procedeth out of Gods mouth And in good sooth the bread it selfe is a dead thing VVho giueth it vs It is God that inspireth life into vs for wee liue in him as S. Paule sayeth in the .xvij. of the Actes And yet notwithstanding it is his will too doo it by bread and he applieth it dayly too our vse too the intent we should bee fed with it So then there is none inconuenience that wee should bee clothed with our Lord Iesus Christ by baptisme and yet notwithstanding that the same should proceede of Gods meere grace and that it shoulde bee done by the secrete working of the holy Ghost surmounting the whole order of nature whereof baptisme dothe certifie vs bycause we bee rude and earthly God therefore is fayne too drawe by little and little by reason of our infirmitie too make vs too conceyue the things that otherwise are too high for vs. For where are our wings too stie with aboue the heauens VVee haue much a doo to creepe heere beneath vpon the earth and therefore God is fayne too come downe to vs which thing he doth by his Sacramentes Thus are we clothed with our Lord Iesus Christe by baptisme according also as S. Paule she weth by another similitude in the sixth to the Romanes For he sayeth that we bee greffed into the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ too the end also to bee made partakers of his resurrection and life This similitude of greffyng is as fit as the other of clothing For take mee the syen of a tree and cut mee of the head or some bough of another tree and greffe mee that little syen into it that was taken from another and yee see they growe bothe into one so as they become bothe one substance and the roote yeeldeth his sap too the little sprig that was taken from another tree Euen after the same maner are wee greffed intoo our Lord Iesus Christe sayeth S. Paule and that is too the end that our old man should be crucified in him and we be raysed vp againe in newnesse of life But heere wee haue first too marke howe gratious and bountifull God hath and still doth shew himselfe towardes vs in that it pleaseth him too vnite vs too his owne sonne for that passeth all the benefites whiche wee can conceyue in our imaginacion And therefore also doth S. Paule proue that all things which God hath do belong vnto vs and that we haue the inioying of them whē we once possesse his Sonne Seing sayeth hee that God hath not spared his owne Sonne how should he not giue vs all things with him Too be short God coulde not haue vttered the infinite treasures better than by ioyning vs after that maner to his only Sonne It is more than if he had giuen vs heauen and earth For surely if wee compare Iesus Christ with all the goodes of the worlde yea and all the goodes that are aboue the earthly world he farre surmounteth them all Marke that for one poynt Furthermore let vs vnderstand that God hath so vnited vs to our Lord Iesus Christ as wee must be fayne to haue all our lyfe in him And it serueth to humble vs the better and to make vs perceyue how horrible a thing it is to bee wrapped in the cursednesse of Adam For if the holy Scripture told vs not that wee muste be vnited to our Lord Iesus Christ before wee can bee in Gods fauour wee should not feele sufficiently the wretchednesse wherein we be hild by nature nother should wee hate our sinnes so much as we ought to do But now that it is tolde vs how it is impossible yea though all the Angels should come to our ayde that all the world shoulde helpe forward the matter and too bee short that although nothing wanted yet it were impossible for vs to come neere vntoo God or that he should looke vpō vs with a fatherly coūtenance yea or that he should acknowledge vs for his creatures til we be clothed with our Lord Iesus Christ This were ynough to make vs abhorre our selues And needes must it be that we be worse than lothely seing there is none other meanes to appease Gods wrath towards vs and to set vs againe in his fauour than by his couering of our sinnes by his clenzing of vs frō al our filthinesse infection by
prayeth to him as now in his own language and he heareth vs all For God needeth not to go to schole to learne this mans or that mans language And we knowe that in praying speech serueth too no other purpose than too styrre vs vp the more vnto it Also it serueth vs too witnesse before men with our mouthes that we repose all our trust in God Moreouer it serueth to helpe our infirmitie and bycause we bee lazie and colde our tongue had neede to driue forth our heart and to helpe our weaknesse and slouth which are ouergreat in vs. But God hath no neede of none of all this we neede not to crie out alowde when we would be heard at his hande for he knoweth the secrete thoughtes of our heartes Thus ye see in effect what we haue to marke And herein we see howe great sway the Diuell beareth in Poperie so that there is neyther prayer nor fayth To their seeming there is neyther deuotion nor holinesse except men babble in an vnknowne language and mumble it vp without knowing what they say And although the Preestes Monkes and Hypocrites say they vnderstande latine men knowe well inough what their vnderstanding is Besides this they make euen a rule of their iangling without knowing what they say and it is ynough with them to haue a finall intent for so do they terme it so they haue that finall intent before they babble their Domine labia to say we go to pray and to serue God although their minde be vpon their kitchin or vpon things much worse and much more shamefull they beare themselues in hande that all theyr prayers and supplications are acceptable to God The poore people haue their eyes bleared at it for they be made to beleeue that it is not lawfull for them to pray in a common language and therefore they shunne that as a bugge VVe see then that the Diuell hath besotted these wretches yea and vtterly bewitched them seeing they be so loth to receyue the foode of life that in stead of good bread and wholsome meate they receyue poyson and burst with it But for our owne part wee see the rule that is giuen vs heere and which wee ought to kepe which is that when wee pray vnto God wee must not step to it vnaduysedly without bethinking of vs what wee should demaunde or without knowing how wee shoulde behaue our selues towardes him And when wee call him our father let vs consider well that it is not for any woâ—thinesse of our own persons nor for any desert or worke of our own but bicause he hath vnited vs to our Lord Iesus Christ and gathereth vs altogither in him and bycause we be his bodie and God accepteth vs to fauour in his person And for that cause also doth Saint Paule adde that if wee bee children we be beyres also As if he should say that we inioy our inheritance euen now not that we bee entered into the possession of it to be partakers of the glorie that is promised vs but as in respect of the fathers of olde tyme which were shet out into the bodie of the Temple and had a veyle or Curteyne drawne before them with other figures and shadowes Nowe wee bee not lyke them in that cace but we repayre vnto God in such wise as wee bee franke and free And so is the adoption otherwise in our heartes nowadayes than it was in theirs in the time of the Lawe For we bee heyres after such a sort that yet notwithstanding wee bee also as pilgrims in this worlde and as sayth Saint Paule in the seconde to the Corinthians must be fayne to be absent from God till he haue ridde vs of this mortall bodie and haue taken vs out of this earthly pilgrimage and transitorie life Howsoeuer the cace stande wee muste magnifie Gods grace and seeing hee hath adopted vs to be his children let vs vnderstande that therein lyeth all oure happinesse and ioy Therefore let vs glorie in that yea euen so farre forth as to reioyce in the middes of the troubles and aduersities which wee haue too suffer Let vs not ceasse to haue an inwarde ioy continually in vs in as muche as God calleth vs and hath tolde vs that all the aduersities which wee indure shall bee turned to our welfare and saluation so wee holde on to the marke that is set before vs that is too wit so we go on still forwarde to our Lorde Iesus Christ and forsake all other things Nowe let vs fall downe before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgment of our sinnes praying him to make vs so too feele them as it may humble vs before him and yet we not bee discouraged but that seing he vouchsafeth to accept well of vs hath also bounde himselfe to vs of his owne good will to heare our requestes when wee come too him with assured trust in him it may please him to graunt vs the grace to ouercome al distresses and lets â–ª and all debates and controuâ—â—â—es that Satan can put in our heartes so as we by experience feele the auaylablenesse of this promise that whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lorde shall be safe And so let vs all say Almightie God heauenly father c. The. 26. Sermon which is the third vpon the fourth Chapter 8 At such time as yee knevve not God you serued them that by nature are no Gods 9 But novv that you knovv God or rather are knowne of God hovv is it that you turne back againe to the vveake and beggerly Ceremonies vvherevnto ye vvoulde faine be in bondage againe as before 10 Ye obserue dayes monethes and times yeares 11 I am afrayde of you least I haue laboured in vaine about you WEe haue seene heretofore howe that after the GalathiaÌ„s had bin faithfully taught by S. Paul who had taken much paine among them they shrunke back againe not that they vtterly renounced Iesus Christ and the Gospel but that they had bin to easy in suffering themselues to be deceyued in folowing diuerse opinions as we see it is come to passe through the whole worlde For the name of our Lord Iesus Christ and baptisme as a marke of faith do in deed continue still but yet for all that wee see that all things are marred with superstition and Idolatrie So the Galathians pretended still to be of Gods Church and yet in the meane while they were bewrapped in many follies as specially in this that they should partly purchace grace and soule health at Gods hande by keeping the Ceremonies of the Law But that was to great a defacing of our Lorde Iesus Christ For it is impossible for him too bee our Sauiour vnlesse wee lay away all selfe weening and put oure whole trust in him VVee see then that the fault of the Galathians was that they were not so well grounded in the Gospell as to be firme stedfast and to shake off all errours but rather were
euery thing neuer beeing resolued of any one poynt Of which sort also are the Papists who haue an infinite number of doubts among them And no maruell at all for they knowe not too what master they must yeeld their account Euery of them talkes according to the disposition of his owne brayne one sayes to my seeming such a thing would be good another sayes Lo this my deuotion telleth me and the third says it were good yet that this or that were doone more Now when they be once entred into suche a maze at length they fall to doubting whether they may kembe their heades or no and make a scrupulousnesse with whiche finger they shoulde feede themselues and of euery thing else To bee short there is neyther ende nor measure of their fondnesse VVhen S. Paule intendeth to shew what it is to be wrapped in mens traditions he saith that wheÌ„ they haue once forbidden too eate flesh anone after they forbid to tast it and when they haue forbiddeÌ„ to tast it soone after they forbid to touch it Yee see then that the way for vs to maynteyne the libertie that is purchased for vs by the death passion of our lord Iesus Christ is first too knowe in what wise God will bee serued and honored to the ende wee be not tossed with so many scruples of conscience for want of discerning what is good or euill but determine fully and certenly with our selues to follow Gods word assuring our selues also that in so dooing wee can not doo amisse And secondly to serue one anothers turne that none of vs bee so addicted to his owne selfe as to ouermate his fellowes but bee so gentle kindharted as euery of vs haue an eye wherin he may aduauntage or succor his neybour absteyning froÌ„ all offence giuing so as it be not sayd I care not for suche a one or for suche a one I passe not whether he sinke or swim but that for as much as our Lorde Iesus Christ hath linked vs â—â—gither too bee members of his Churche wee holde fast the sayde doctrine that is too witte first that God be honored and serued among vs as he commaundeth and secondly that wee agree in suche wise togither as wee labour through meeknesse to matche our selues one with another and to serue one anothers turne notwithstanding that wee be free still to Godwarde as in respect of our consciences And now let vs fall down before the maiestie of our good God with acknowledgement of our sinnes praying him to make vs so too feele them as it may humble vs before hym and drawe vs too true repentance and wee go forwarde therin more and more groning continually vnder the burthen of our sinne till wee be quite clensed and vtterly ridded of it And that it may please the same good God to beare with vs and not to handle vs so rigorously as he could doo but to guide vs in suche wise by his holy spirite as he may both forgiue and forget our sinnes till we be fully clensed froÌ„ them That it may please him to graunt this grace not only to vs but also to all people and Nations of the earth c. The. 35. Sermon which is the fifth vpon the fifth Chapter 14 For all the Lavve is fulfilled in one vvorde vvhich is this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy self 15 If yee bite and deuour one another bevvare that yee be not consumed one of another 16 But I say vnto you vvalke after the spirite and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh 17 Surely the flesh lusteth contrarie too the spirite and the spirite contrarie to the flesh For these things are one agaynst another so as yee can not do all things as yee vvould 18 But and if yee be led by the spirite then are yee not vnder the Lavve WE see that Moyses intending to bring the lawe into a summe to the ende wee might knowe what was taught vs and tolde vs sayth that God will be loued of vs as good reason it is that we should first sticke vnto him be knit vnto him and afterward that there should be such a bonde of friendship among our selues as we might bee knit togither as members of one bodie And our Lord Iesus Christ also sayth that that is the thing wherby his disciples may be knowen shewing therin that he brought not vp any doctrine contrarie to that which god had always giuen to the people of olde time And for that cause S. Paule sayth now that the fulfilling of the lawe consisteth in this worde that we loue our neibours Not that God ought in the meane while to be forgotten as I haue tolde you heeretofore for it is good reason that hee should be set formost and bee preferred before all his creatures in so muche that for his sake wee ought to forget euen our father and mother our wife and children and all that euer is in this world Neuerthelesse to loue God and to loue our neibours in their degree are not things contrarie For when euery man walketh in charitie thereby he sheweth the loue that he beareth to his God according also as I haue declared And that is the cause why I stande no longer vpon these poynts To be short if wee be giuen to our selues it is a token that wee know not what it is to cary Gods yoke for that is the thing whervnto our own nature driueth vs. Now as we shal see anone men are wholly inclined to all euil therwithal they giue the bridle to all their lusts they make war agaynst God al their whole life is nothing else but a rebellion which sheweth that the diuell doth so possesse al our affectioÌ„s that God can not way with vs til we haue beateÌ„ down al that is of our own nature Now then we know that he which loueth his neibours seeketh not his owne nor is giueÌ„ to himself That therfore is a true certeÌ„ profe that we be desirous to obey God to rule our life according to his word Also our Lord Iesus Christ beginneth at the same poynt wheÌ„ he intendeth to shew briefly what his doctrine is It is saith he a learning to renounce or forsake ourselues For so long as we followe our own trace we must needes go ful coÌ„trary to Gods wil. So then it is not without cause that S. Paule saith in this text that the whole law coÌ„sisteth in this poynt that we loue our neibours But it behoueth vs to mark that by this word neibour God meeneth not our kinsfolk friends at whose haÌ„ds we hope for some profite or aduantage or which haue deserued some recoÌ„pence at our hands but he wil haue vs to haue an eye to the coÌ„mon aliance which he hath set amoÌ„g vs. Therfore we be al formed after his image we beare his mark Besides this we be al of one nature that ought to hold vs in true vnitie brotherhod But many