cause Pauls doing is a better president But such wisedome courage constancy are not euery where found and not alwaies there perfourmed where they are much expected and greatly required Of all things a busie waspe and a quarelling or stubborne curst nature is woorst But if the cause be Gods if thy calling and giftes be according there is no * Eccl. 4.28 relenting at al no starting backe no shutting neck out of the coller in such cases in cases whereunto a man is expresly duly enabled warranted commanded Zeale without discretion is naught discretiō without zeal is nothing worth Wherefore 1. zeal without wisedome is neuer good 2. And yet what is wisedome without zeal 3. But zeal and discretion seemely vnited in one as it was in our Apostle is as the throne of wise Solomon and as the strong * 1 King 10.20 Lions at the staies and ascending vp vnto his throne 6 By them which seemed to be somwhat I was not taught whatsoeuer they were in time past it maketh no matter to mee God accepteth no mans person the chiefe added nothing to me 7 But contrariwise when they sawe that the Gospel ouer the vncircumcision was committed vnto me as the Gospell ouer the Circumcision was vnto Peter 8 For he that was mightie by Peter in the Apostleship ouer the circumcision was also mightie by me toward the Gentiles 9 And when Iames and Cephas Iohn knewe of the grace that was giuen vnto mee which are counted to bee pillars they gaue to mee and to Barnabas the right handes of fellowship that we should preach vnto the Gentiles and they vnto circumcision 10 Warning only that we should remember the poore which also I was diligent to do Paul in his conference gaue no place to the chiefe and the chiefe brethren gaue nothing to Paul by waie of authorizing his person or adding to his doctrine 1. and hee sheweth why it should be so 2. and withall declareth the chiefe Apostles due consenting vnto him 3. and onely requesting him to haue a careful eye to the poore which Paul respected and did ful diligently The motiue of Antiquity Among the argumentes the false Apostles vsed against Paul a maine matter was made and drawen from Antiquity that the other Apostles were ancienter than Paul and therefore questionles to be preferred Truly personal preferment was not the mark Paul shot at For he could be euer and was often wel content in all things to giue and yeeld so far foorth as might stand with the glory of Christ But in this ceremonious quarel opposed against the trueth of Christ and Christian libertie as before hee defied an Angell if to that end he should come from heauen so now he declareth that the name of Antiquitie in the Apostles might not cary him away nor driue him aside They were his auncients What mattereth that to me saith he And indeede it skilleth litle There is no prescription against the Prince and why should there be any against the trueth be it later or sooner in whomesoeuer This or that time past or present or future and to come is not in the nature of trueth neither are matters of faith measured by yeares nor is any point of religion liable to be decided by continuance pretended Iob. 32. Elihu said well There is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almightie giueth vnderstanding As if he had said man is made not onlie of a body but of a bodie and a soule and that soule is a reasonable spirit and that spirite in processe of yeares and tract of time gathereth politique experience as it were a stone that hath been long pitcht in one place gathereth much mosse But all that experience is but mossy terrene and earthly true wisdome is from aboue from the Father of lights and God of knowledge reueiled in his Son which illuminateth euery man not onely comming into the worlde but either entering into or els continuing priuatly or publiquely in the house of his church And therfore Elihu reformeth his thoughts voucheth that he was mis-conceited when he thought that it was the length of daies should speake and that the multitude of yeares should teach wisedome But yet of old and stil many men embrace rather Elihu his first opinion concerning age and antiquity than his later iudgement afterwarde wel rectified and truly reformed So an old prophet soone deceaued the young Prophet whom neither the threats nor entreaty of * 1. King 12. a king could moue at al. So * Iosh 9. old shewes olde battles findes bread torne sackes tottered rags like rotten relickes with profered seruice seruus seruorum and pretence of comming from far deceaued Iosue because hee rather respected such trinkets and consulted not with the Lord. Our aduersaries knowe how humane affections leane this way and therefore they beare the poore people in hand that theirs is the old religion and ours is an yesterdaies bird but with the like trueth and with the same spirite the Iewes said our sauiours doctrine was new the Apostles preaching new wine and the false Apostles here obiect that Saint Paul was an vpstart and deuoid of Apostolick warrant Sooner or later called it skilleth not old or new if true it forceth little If the name of new were alwaies naught why would Christ cal his louely commandement * Iohan. 13.34 a new commanded If the name of old were alwaies good why did S. Paul cōmand aduise the Corinthians that the * 1 Cor. 5.7 old leuen the incestuous person be purged out If you wil recourse to the first heade of all in this question it were another matter For God is for euer and before Sathan and Sathans fal the Lawe was first giuen and then ensued the transgression first the husbandman sowed his ground and afterward the enimie came sowed tares And which is to be obserued there was no long time betweene For Sathan took the next oportunitie of ignorance and securitie euen the next night as it were when the ground was yet new turned and trimmed for seede the enemie sparst some of his tares in the fielde and Church of God And then while truth and error were yet but greene in the blade the difference was not so easily discerned * Mat. 13.25 til the growth was greater And as it is this in the cause of truth compared with error so is it in the professors and Doctors of trueth compared among themselues the first teacher is not alwaies best for then the vsher must needes bee better than the schoolemaister and the country schoolemaister than the vniuersitie Reader Peter and Andrewe Iames and Iohn and others were called before Paul Hee asketh what was that to him There was no difference or prestancy therin He had antiquity enough that had Christ for his author So that in all materiall respects if they were Apostles so was Paul Nay * 1 Cor. 15.10 2 Cor. 11.23 hee laboured more
better than the naturall branches but that their church may be cut off if they grow wild if they could not grow wild which is if they could not er what neede Paul warne them or they care for his warning If it bee replied that there may bee error in some members but not in the head which is the Pope this will not serue Rom. 1.7 for the Apostle writeth to all at Rome without exception and where the text giueth no cause of distinguishing why should the gloze distinguish at all And the errors which Rome is willed to take heede of are worse than some once defining of an error for they may finally cut her off And in the meane time let no man fear that God wil lacke a Church though Rome become apostata that he wil want wine if she become vineger that hee will not haue a Ierusalem though Rome bee made a den of Theeues a nest of vncleane birds worse than Babylon it selfe And how holdeth that argument the Church shal not bee diuorsed ergo not Rome It will not follow For Rome is not the whole Church But she perhaps is the firt place and the Hierusalem of the Church Brist replie to D. Fulke Cap. 8. Par. 2. as Maister Bristow beareth D. Fulke in hand and for proofe thereof hee referreth him to the Actes of the Apostles if hee haue anie insight therein Yes his insight in the whole libraries of God and of men is well knowen at home and abroade and that to your shame and griefe And therefore yee neede not like Babish and * 2 King 2 23. Bethlemite skorning and mocking Boyes to fellowe Fulke him and flout him as you doe but rather stand in aw of him D. Fulkes books vnanswered whom ye dare not certainly haue not aunswered to his aunswers to most of your books Wel may you mock moe at him whose hast pen of a ready writer yet euer with great iudgement you can not imitate But now at and without your request Master Bristow D. Fulke hath intentiuely reuiewed often euery leafe and line in the Acts of the Apostles findeth you a lying reporter And how could it be otherwise For neither is Rome there termed the Churches Ierusalem neither doth the church nowe require a locall Ierusalem in earth at all Galath 4. Whereof more hereafter vpon fitter occasion The olde starting-hole from Christs praying for Peter was personall and vpon imminent future danger to Peter and nothing els Wherefore euen as hee that gathered Manna more than would suffice him it * Exod. 16.20 putrified and did him no pleasure so he that wil gather too much of a text it can serue him to small purpose And generally our Sauiour prayed for the rest of the Apostles by the like reason why should not their successors claime the like immunity of not erring Nay our Sauiour prayed for euery beleeuer Iohn 17.20 and then by the same reason euery priuate faithfull man is in as good case as is the Pope As for the Popes DEFINITIONS in faith I shewed before and say againe but that he taketh vpon him to define and because that now is made the question that his Definitions are nothing and nothing worth We haue but one Defining-Master and * Iam. 4.12 Law-giuer which can teach and controll the hart Yea euery sere Christian is to try other mens spirits to try * 1 Thes 5.21 all and therefore also to trie and examine the Popes pretended Definitions And what need they be tried if they could not erre If I were sure this golde were pure and perfect and nothing but golde what need the touchstone But because the iudgements of men are vncertain the spiritual man and child of God iudgeth all thinges because hee can and trieth them because he must therein is iudged of * 1 Cor. 2.15 none nor preiudiced of any and therefore not ouer-borne by the Pope and therefore also not necessarilie subiect to his papall decisions Which warrant of Pauls cleane cam against the haire the Pope applieth and appropriateth to himselfe and his Popely iudgement making it a new necessary article of saluation to be subiect to him because he if we beleeue him is only that spirituall man Extrâ—… de maio obdient that iudgeth al and is iudged of none specially being once in his consistory in his court and in Councell house at Rome though yet in trueth S. Paul wrate not that sentence to the Romanes but to the Saints of Achaia Church of Corynth Whereupon it may bee notwithstanding a litle suspected least hee may misse the quishien in his definitions that thus mistaketh Scripture to proue his authority and pierelesse Soueraignty in his defining I know what wil be and what hath beene answered lately in this behalfe that the Pope may by your leaue euen in his consistories and in his decrees faile in the allegation of Scriptures but neuer in his purpose be alleageth them for For no fig leafe is broad enough to couer the greatnesse or grossenes of his intolerable allegations and yet albeit they faile in their proofes concluding and in the * Stapl. de doctr prin li. 4. ca. 15. meanes of prouing yet for the matter they would conclude their conclusion is cock-sure A very strange case Can a man erre in the meanes to the end and not erre in the end it selfe Can a man fail in his foundation and wil not his building totter Erre in his proofes and obtaine his purpose If the Pope can doe al this I know not what he cannot do No doubt he can set-forth at midnight and not wander in darkenesse Nay hee can wander in darkenes and gad and magge quite out of his way and strait with a trice when the matter commeth to bee shut vp with a definitiue sentence to a decretall or a rescript iudicial the man is at home notwithstanding all his former vagaries in the night before Is not this good stuffe If I mistake not whether you rescribe or subscribe there is small difference a Popelike rescript or subscript is alike auaileable and autentique Liberius But Pope Lyberius subscribed to Arrianisme the greatest heresie that euer was and hee subscribed as Pope for otherwise Constantius would no more haue regarded his priuate subscription than a drop of water among a Sea of subscriptions Now how distinguish you what help nowe Euen thus As when we shew that Pope Honorius was a monothelite that is to say one that denied the two willes of both natures in our Sauiour you answere he was so in hart but outwardly in his * Hard. detect pag. 254. decisions he was not so so contrariwise you tell vs that Liberius ratified Arrianisme by his * Idem pa. 250. Subscription and hand-writing but this was not from his heart but outwardly for feare Say you for feare What then But I pray you in the meane time were not these
the intent afterward immediatly we might ride him our selues out of the way with fuller course One day teacheth another I knew in what meaning the psalmist so speaketh I vse the words to this sense let one day teach an other the holy-day teach the working daye the sunday the week-daies the lecture-day those days wherein there is no lecture Luk. 1.75 that all the daies of our life with Zacharie and Elizabeth we may serue God in holines and righteousnes which is the right vse of the true saboth To speake to the obstinate recusant I recken it lost labor he is obstinate and wil not recusant and absent and cannot heare me yet I see no reason in their recusancy from our Churches from our saboth assemblies I feare some secret Padde in the strawe I see no reason in the woorlde nor find any reasonable answere in them with whom I haue reasoned in this behalfe and therefore I feare the more andyet I feare them not but feare their dangerous recusancy most dangerous and damnable vnto themselues There is vtterlie no cause in our Church-seruice of recusancy from Church What I pray you what should thus withheld thē keepe thē off The whole body of our seruice whereof consisteth it What one part offendeth them The Psalmes we sing are the songs of the prophet Dauid of iust Zachary of the blessed virgin of godly Simeon and of other holy men The lessons are taken out of the olde and newe Testament the collects were framed in ancient time and many of them vsed afterward euen by themselues The rest of our prayers are requestes to God for lawful and necessary vses Ioh. 8. So that as our Sauiour spake to the Pharisies concerning himselfe so may we say of his diuine seruice vnto thē Who amongst you can reproue our seruice Church Liturgie of sinne that you should thus shun it But to let them passe who are rather to be compelled with discipliue than induced by perswasion I come backe againe to our selues I speak euen now against pretences of priuate and home-praying there are others which are content to come but they come by leysure they continue at pleasure Comming short 〈◊〉 diuine seruice Nehem. 1.7 Our prayers beginne as you know with an humble true lowly and necessary confession of our sinnes the like you read of in the first booke of Nehemias And who that meaneth indeede an amendment of life to reuert from his oloe ways dailie to go for ward in newnes of life willingly would slacke his presence from such a woorke And how can your minister request you as many as be present to say with him when most be absent There is a neere coniunction in dutie betweene the sacrament of the supper and the sacrifice of prayer wherefore let Saint Pauls exhortation preuaile in the latter as in the former 1 Cor. 11.33 When you come togither tarry one for another that that may verifie in trueth that we sing at the entrance of seruice Come and let vs sing vnto the Lord come come altogither Tarying out the whole seruice Now for the continuance to the end verily god wil not be serued by halfs a peece of seruice is not sufficient as it were the Dogge at the waters of Nilus touch and goe lappe and away No. The continuing is as godly as the beginning Nomb. 6.24 and the blessing in the ende is as the blessing of Aaron and his sonnes which God commanded and al the people euer ioyntly taried for And this I noted once vnto you many yeares since vpon occasion that Saint Luke doth set it expressy downe that albeit Zacharie taried ouer-long in the Temple yet they Luk. 1.21 taried expected his comming forth In the daies of Popery ignoraunce and superstition when the Priest stoode a longer time before an heap of stones you taried and stoode before the Priest attired like the Priests of Aegypt and you vnderstoode him no more than you vnderstand an humble-bee a sounding brasse or a tinckling cimbal or any other vncertain noise Our seruice is of a conuenient length our Sermons are not long we know your capacities Small viols must be filled by litle litle we teach you precept after precept line vpon line The Iews came euery day to the Temple and taried long you come but seldom and the time of your stay is very short By brethren giue me leaue to speak the truth negligence at first groweth into a contempt in the end but wilfull transgressions cannot escape an heauy doome You know and reade what became of him that gathered but a few stickes on the Saboth in a high hand 1 Sam. 21.6 Mat. 12.1 Ineuitable busines or vrgent necessity hath no Law as appeareth in the extremity of Dauids taking the shewbread in our Sauiors disciples that gathered vsed the ears of corne but wilfull profanesse cannot escape we are neither Iews nor papists that iangle of the Saboth superstitiously they knowe not what We are Christians to vse our saboths ciuilly in charity ecclesiastically with al piety and holines vnto the Lord. 12 Bee yee as I for I am euen as you Brethren I beseech you yee haue not hurt me at al. 13 And you knowe how through infirmitie of the flesh I preached the Gospel at the first 14 And the trial of me which was in the flesh ye despised not neither abhord but ye receiued me as the angel of God yea euē as Christ Iesus 15 What was then your felicity for I beare you recorde that if it had beene possible you woulde haue plucked out your owne eies and haue giuen them vnto me 16 Am I become your enemy because I tel you the truth Paul leauing a little and yet not leauing the matter falleth into an Emphatical and vehement personal discourse 1. Of himselfe 2. Of the Galathians 3. Of the false Apostles In these verses of himselfe altogether and of the Galathians and afterwardes incontinently of their seducers Of himselfe he sheweth 1. What he was and 2. What he yet is to them-ward At the first hee was their preacher the argument of his preaching was Christ naked vpon his crosse not inuested with the Lawe For hee preached vnto them the Gospel The maner of his teaching seemed infirme Pauls preching after the plainest manner For Saint Paul as hath heene shewed alwaies altogether respecteth his matter and he that laboreth words and plausible vtterance most most commonly least conceaueth and worst contriueth what hee would desire to vtter And the man is very vnwise that more esteemeth the value of a fine mil-sixpence than of sixe pence halfe-penny of common coine Paul regarded the substance of his doctrine Hereof more before 1. Hee preached Christ 2. In infirmity and 3. Most constantly amids many trials The troubles of Christians are but trials Where by the way note that the troubles of the Saints are but trials And therfore they were the better
personal pains setting the wounded man on his owne beast and bringing him to the Inne and taking farther order for farther charges requisite knowing that there was a mutuall neighbourhoode not euer by neerenes of place but for necessity and extremity of pure neede And he that loueth cannot lacke the vnderstanding to discerne who is a neighbour Loue is wise and Loue is euer willing to doe any good to any man to the vttermost The inconuenience of diuision 3 If the excellency of louing bee so great the inconuenience of not louing cannot bee little And in not louing is not ment a meere want of charity but which euer ensueth where charitie wanteth a present enducement of the contrarie quality And where the cōtrary affections raign there is snarling and biting and deuouring and a plain consuming one of the other For the diuided house cannot endure And it is an euil land that deuoureth their own inhabitants and the spirit of the lord doth not lightly rest in these whirlewind-spirits such as troubled the Galathians and turmoile impertinently euery place where euer they come without lawefull and necessary cause as if they were made of wild-fier to enflame and burn vp the world O Lord if it be thy wil take away al iust occasion of mislike quench all their furies which seeke occasions there where none are offered The dew and grace of thy holy spirit can doe al this may it please thy goodnes to grant vs this fauour in Christ Iesu So be it Amen 19 Moreouer the works of the flesh are manifest which are adultery fornication vncleannesse wantonnesse Albeit the roote of sinne be deepe and the corruption of fleshly hidde and lurke in the inwarde parts yet the woorks thereof are not obscure but euident to the ey big grosse open and manifest so that a man may soon know that the tree is naught by the vitious fruits it beareth And if a man may iudge of the workman by his workes some of the woorkes of the flesh are adultery fornication vncleannes wantonnes Fornication Adultery Wantonnes breedeth vncleannes vncleannes breaketh forth into sinful fornication where the partes are single and into abominable adultery where either party offending is a married person By the Law of God the adulterer and the adulteresse shal dy moriendo morientur Leuit. 20. there should bee no remedy There were Lawes among the Gentils to the same effect But Iuuenal complaineth Lex Iulia dormis May not wee rather Lex Iehouae dormis Whether Adulterie should be death There is a great deale of questioning about this matter whether the penalty of adultery must necessarily bee death or no for it may be and that it deserueth there is no question Giue me leaue to say thus much that if it were death adulteries woulde bee fewer quarrels of marrying againe after adultery the adultresse liuing would not be so rife and loue to the certaine vndoubtedly known and only children would be much increased betweene the Parents If a man steale xij d hee shall bee hanged if a man abuse twelue mens wiues yet he may liue The peace is broken in my Ox or Horse is the peace kept when my wiue is defiled my daughters deflored Other vices swarme but this is a Noes flud Young men are no niggards Olde men are no wasters countrimen are no ruffins nor townsmē quarrelers But old and yong towne and country had neede to looke better to this vice There is no good giuing place to a flattering sinne Nature is frail and the flesh lusteth against the spirite and there is no sirding at all for a man that standeth vppon a Pinnacle Wherefore all causes yea al occasions of this way sinning must be deuoyded Praeparatiues to vncleannes Shal I be plain or why should I not painting of faces frisling of hair mōsterous starcht supported rufs pride vpon pride in apparel exces of diet minsing dances wanton gestures ribaldry talke amorous ditties vaine discourses Venus court and the Pallace of pleasures and the like wherein there is no Pallas no wit verily no true wisdome all these for the most part are nothing but the ministers many times of much vncleannes and the Apostle who cannot abide any wantonnes would he tolerate these enormities Go to the commandement and study wel the precept Thou shalt not commit adultery and these follies these preparatiues to adultery will soone be forsaken As our Sauiour Iohn 8.4 when talke was about the woman that was taken * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the act hee stooped downe and wrote on the ground so I could desire to speak as if it were vnder a vaut in most secret termes for the amendment of this sinne but the works of darknes are become bould and men are not ashamed of their turpitude and shame and they can looke thorough a white sheete and neuer blush The Israelites made of the house of God the house of iniquity the Iewes of the temple of God a denne of Theeues but these offenders make the Temples of the holy Ghost and the members of Christ that should bee the members of an harlot and the Temples of the holy Ghost they make to be the cage of vncleane birds a very sty for hogs and a stable for horse that neieth after that which is none of his owne O Lord were it not better or is it not the nature of mariage thine holy ordinance that for the * 1 Cor. 7.2 auoiding of fornication euery man should haue his wife and euery woman her husband and beeing in that honorable state should keepe themselues from strange flesh shrouding themselues from all inconueniences vnder the broad vine leafe of thine owne planting If any man or woman among vs haue offended herein let neither him nor her henceforth ad drunckennes to thirst let him not walowe in this mire any more let him rise vp by repentance let him vomit out by confession this surfeiting and let him deepely consider that he is made after the image of God which he should not deface that he is the member of Christ which he may not prostitute and that our bodies are as an holy place if we know so much euen the Temples of the holy spirite which howe it is greeued with these transgressions it hath beene told you at sundry times 20 Idolatry witch-craft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies 21 Enuy murders drunckennes gluttony and such like whereof I tel you before as I also haue told you before that they which doe such things shal not inherit the kingdome of God Paul entendeth not to make a iust beadrol and ful computation of all sinnes that eyther were in the Galathians or might arise out of the flesh or els to marshal euery vice and disorder in a precise order Certaine manifest enormities are onely touched and in the end he addeth and such like and of them al he denounceth that they wil weigh a man to hell and exclude
vs from heauen if they bee not seene vnto and therefore hee forewarneth and redoubleth his warning Careful forewarnings import an euident foresight of imminent danger Wherein in is exemplified 1. The diligence of the minister to foretell and foretell againe euer to crie and neuer cease and 2. The imminent daunger of sinning appeareth by the earnest warning For what shooter would cry aware aware when the arrow commeth nothing neere the standers by What workman vndersetteth the house that standeth sure What Physicion carefully cureth him that needeth no cure and is not sick Pauls double care doth euidently argue their manifold peril It were ouer-long vppon the onely naming of many seuerall faultes to enter long discourse in particular because there are sundry proper textes in Scripture more fit for such purposes Idolatrie Notwithstanding in a word to goe ouer euery thing the next work of the flesh is Idolatry wherof before Pag. 156. And therefore thereof I say no more but blessed be the Almighty God who hath remoued al hil Altars idoll Priestes and such late Idolatry as was not heard of neither in Babylon nor in Aegypt it selfe Babylon thought that her Gods did eate but Popery thought and taught that God was eaten chewed with teeth swallowed with throte and I abhorre to vtter it conueied into the bellies of worse than men Of old Aegypt Israel learned to worshippe a calfe and when Moyses was but a smal while absent and though he left be hind him a sufficient curat yet the people would needs haue it so and they contributed their very eare-rings to make and they made an idoll But that Idol-calfe was not comparable to the Popish Idol-cake which they fall downe before and adore the woorkmanship of mans hands and say my Lord and my God to a peece of bread nay to round and white and they know not to what Witchcraft The next woorke of the flesh heere specified is witchcraft Which is a bad sory craft and a sinful occupation Yet whether any such thing be or no some haue conceaued some doubt But they who say that there be no witches consequently say also that there is no witching But if there be anie witchcraft there must needs be witches And if there could be no witching why doth our Apostle cal witchcraft a work and a thing of importance debarring vs from the inheritaunce of heauen As wel may they say that enuy enmity hatred adultery and murther c. are not at al as well as witchcraft For al these offences are iointly written in like letters and Paul saith that these are things manifest and as it were Printed in Capitall letters A wise Dscouerie of witchcraft To make it a little more manifest to weake eies that cannot discerne much in this case were not amisse but vnlearned prophane silly-folly fables shoote farre wide of such a mark Not to go beyond my text wichcraft is naught ergo it is witchcraft is forbidden ergo it is for if it were not at al why is it forbidden as being and being naught Sainct Paul Gal. 3.1 borrowing a similitude from a thing without controuersie knowen to be and that could naturally lend the speech which he ment to borow questioneth with these Galathians and asketh who had spiritually bewitched them and dealt with them so in spiritual matters to distort trouble * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infect them as there was no question but witches deal by Gods secret sufferance in cases external of witching effections yet no farther than God permitteth and most times nothing so far as euery body vpon priuate fancy many times vainly imagineth Most of the vices which follow are hatred and debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuy murthers c. Where a man hateth it is an easie matter to fall at variaunce both in common weale matters and Church causes And where sinne entereth it forceth to goe on and neuer resteth in any meane degree The sanctified flesh doth not sanctifie but the polluted polluteth Hagg. 2.13 A litle wormwood maketh honny bitter twise so much honny cannot sweetē some litle iuyce of wormwood Sinnes growe apace and goe by heapes and thraues together the broad way hatred debate emulations wrath altogether c. Sinne groweth quicklie and goeth on forciblie In the booke of Iosue Iosh 7. Acam confessed that hee saw coueted tooke and buried in his tentes the Babylonish weede and the sickles of siluer From seeing the cursed thing he proceeded incontinently to coueting from coueting to conueying it to himselfe and hiding it in his tentes exprestie against the Lords commandement in so much that sin may say as Caesar said Veni vidi vici I come I see I conquere as you may see in euery particular sin In the turning of an hand I conquer where I come and I consume where I conquere and neuer rest but as the fier till I haue wasted all I hate and where I hate I striue and strife hatred emulation wrath contention sedition enuy proceede to open murdering of soules by heresies and of bodies by cruell handes euen like as they report of some kinde of horseleach that turneth into a serpent and that serpent becommeth a fiery Dragon But my brethren wil you hate must you be angry Beholde I shewe you matter to occupie these affections vpon Enter into thine own soul summon thine owne conscience controule thine owne doings and be angry with thine anger hate all hatred and if thou wilt murther murther thy sinnes and sit in iudgement against thy selfe abhor all impiety idolatry heresies schismes and sectes c. God hath spoken it Paul hath written it that flesh and blood the works of the flesh shall not inherit the kingdome of God It is an inheritaunce and therefore free and a kingdom not prepared by mans meriting but yet wilfull sinners shall not enter much lesse inherit this kingdome The vncleane body the polluted the vncharitable restles man the irefull sinner and contentious humor cannot inherit the rest of God his kingdome is but for fit subiects This inheritance is only prepared for dutiful heires for the generation of the chast for Godly mindes for peaceable children for haters of hatred and louers of peace Drunkennes Gluttonie The two last faults are drunkennes and gluttony the one maketh in the body a sinck the other a dung hill For deuoiding of them both hee sayd well who faide Nature is contented with litle and Grace with lesse The waterish marish and plashy groundes breedeth nothing but frogs and toades and such like vermine and the full bellie bringeth foorth onely a fumy smoky foggy sense The kingdome of God which is aboue sense and reason consisteth not either in the superstitious refusing or seruile abusing of meates or drinkes and lightly hee who farceth the body starueth the soule And this is a singular infirmity of sinful flesh that is either caught vp in a whirle-poole Touch not tast not or sunk in
Then to reuiue vs in al goodnes that we may be newe creatures in him The redemption is perfect and was paid by Christ in his owne person on the crosse and resteth vppon his proper discharge in whome wee haue redemption through his blood that is the remission of our sins Phil. 1.14 The life wee liue in Christ through the vertu of his passion and operation of his spirit whereby we are mortified to the world hath not these degrees of perfection because of the imperfection of the flesh wherein wee yet are detained the Law of our mindes beeing hindered by the frowardnesse of our members and fettering vs somewhat in the waies of our full deliuery but yet of our ful deliuery we neede not doubt For as the prisoner being acquit at the bar feeleth the comfort of his release and yet he must go backe to the prison and then in expedient order of time his bolts shall bee knockt off and hee perfectly released so wee albeit wee are pronounced quit by Christ and the enditement bee cancelled and the world and al be crucified and we in hart find the ioy thereof yet in processe of time the perfection of our ioy is finished and not by and by perfected And as they which are ransomed from the Turke though the price be all paide and they are sure it is so and in part their bandes are taken from them yet while they are in their iourney homeward in remembraunce of this old captiuity for a submission al along as they go through the territories of the Turk they are not without some kind of bonds or fetters euen so while wee yet remaine in the vale of sinne in the tabernacle of the body and till wee can quite get out of the Turkes dominions till this corruption shall put on incorruption in another woorlde this present woorld is an hinderance and an hampering and a fettering vnto vs but the nearer wee come to our owne countrey the more wee take our leaue of the world and in the end we relinquish all and enter the perfect perfection of all perfections in Iesu Christ Verse 16. As manie without distinction as walke and are directed according to this rule which is the Canon of the Gospell and the scepter of Christ Paul wisheth them mercy and peace or signifieth vnto them that they haue the promises of peace mercy because they they are the Israel of God for God is not the God of Israel according to the flesh as the false Apostles bear them in hand but according to the faith For circumcision auaileth nothing neither yet is vncircumcision any thing there is no difference in eyther But the new creature in Christ is the Israel that preuaileth with God Circumcision Circumcision was a couenant of righteousnes and a seale of faith and a bond to doe al that God should command his people to do so he that was circumcis◅ was expresly afterwarde bound to the Law which God commanded But as it was a couenant of righteousnesse and of faith so was their faith of a righteousnes in christ to come and therefore because Christ is come that fashion of the seale is dashed out and the forme of righteousnesse commeth by Christ that is to come and to that ende is come that hee might deliuer vs from the Law and be the accomplishment of al in himselfe euen to all that beleeue in him thorough out al the woorld But of this matter hath beene debated very often To draw to an end 17 From henceforth let no man put mee to busines for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Iesus There is no ende of wrangling if a man will follow them who make no conscience what they say or doe For the whole matter as of the pretences of Moses Law of Abrahams name of the people of Israel c. enough hath beene debated if any thing can bee enough and namely diuerse times of circumcision a marke which they laboured vnfruitfully now vnder the Gospell to set in the flesh wherein Paul opposeth the marks which were imprinted in himselfe which hee calleth significantly the marks of the Lord Iesus Whereof a word or two Neither prosperity nor aduersitie are the proper and necessarie markes to discerne the trueth by Since the first beginning when I consider generally the Church of God floting in the waters turmoiled in Aegypt wandering in the wildernes wasted with wars destroied with corporal plagues and led into sundry captiuities I began as Ruth after the haruest of Booz so I after the labors of many others wiser than my selfe to make these euentes as certaine markes to know the Church by In special when I looked vpon the murdering of Abel the sale of Ioseph the lake of Ieremy the den of Daniel the desert of Elias and the like Vnder the new testament when I beholde the pouerty of Bethlehem where our Sauiour was borne and therein the stable and manger wherein hee was laide and so his exile ensuing and likewise the race he ran hauing not any where to rest his head And since til our time for the first 300 yeares when I see the Church most afflicted with tyranny the next 300. most infested with heresies for 800. yeares following beseeged with apostacie and the last 100 and od yeares abounding with swarmes of inconueniences I began as afore so againe to make no reckoning of a florishing successe in the cause of truth and I reade it the better marke of the two to measure doctrine by the hard lotte of the true professor than by the faire prosperity of the world affourded Notwithstanding I would be loth to repute that as a speciall marke of the sheepe of Christ which may bee common to a company of Gotes and may be not incident to the Church of Christ at some better seasons Agar troubled Sara but yet Sara tombled Agar out of doores Ismael persecuted Isaack but the bond brat had no part in the inheritance And albeit there bee a farther learning in these ensamples of spiritual cōfort yet they were also literally true and for the time trouble was vpon the vngodly and the godly for a season was not to be discerned by the marke of aduersity The aduersitie may be the same but the cause being diuerse doth distinguish the aduersity and maketh it sometimes a tast of farder pumshment sometimes a monument of desert and a recalling from sinne sometime a triall of faith an exercise of patience an experience of hope a duety of all men to endure al in expectation of better thinges purchased by Christs suffering and laid vp in heauen whereinto a man must enter by many tribulations On the crosse there were three who suffered a damned theefe a saued soule and the Sauiour of vs al. The penalty of the crosse was one to them al. But yet there was an incomparable difference in their persons The vnquiet man maie purchase a great deale of trouble to no purpose but