being of it is a true saving faith may be proved by these three undeniable reasons First The promises of salvation or life everlasting is made to the desire of reconciliation a desire that is not faint but constant and Serious proceeding also from an heart that is touched with shame and sorrow for it's sin This hath been proved already in the first Corellarie out of many Texts in Scripture as Ps 10.17 Secondly The hungring and panting desire after Grace is a sanctified affection and when one affection is sanctified all in some degree or measure are sanctified and when all are sanctified the whole man is sanctified and he that is sanctified is Justified and he that is justified if he perseveres in the performance of all holy duties shall be saved Thirdly God who more respecteth the Truth and sincerity of our faith then the strength and perfection of it accepts the will to repent and beleeve for the deed as hath been already illustrated out of that noted place 2 Cor. 8.12 Therefore this desire of reconciliation which is an Ingredient of a weak faith and no fleeting motion of the heart but proceeding from a bruised spirit ever bringing reformation with it such a desire is true faith indeed in Gods acceptation and this touch only of the Hemme of Christ's Garment will fetch as much vertue from him to cure our bloody Issues as if we embraced him in our Armes with those good men Joseph and Simeon Mat 27.59 Luk. 2.28 or could say with that Christian Champion St. Paul who out of a strong faith did outbrave Death and Hell I am perswaded c. Rom. 8 v. ult To conclude all Let me exhort every one who with the Spouse in the Canticles beholds his beloved Leaping upon the Mountains and skipping upon the Hills 2 Cant. 8. which apprehends him a farr off at a greater distance by reason of the weak-sightedness of his trembling Faith Let such a one suffer the word of exhortation Let him labour for a closer and neerer communion with Christ never resting till he beholds Him with the spouse there standing behind the wall V. 9. To this end and purpose he must often meet Him in the Ministry of the word and the Administration of the Sacrament of his bodie and blood A Sacrament whose neglect I am perswaded is the Cause of the great want of Faith and Charity amongst many in these daies who are in name but not indeed and Truth Christians A good Christian is of a fruitfull spreading and growing condition He is ever climbing upon the degrees and steps of Grace never resting till he attaines to that perfection in the knowledge of Christ till he can say with love and Cherefullness My beloved is mine and I am his Cant. 2.16 Blessed is the man that hath attaind to this assurance yea blessed is the man that hath the Lord for his God who is a God not only of the Mountaines but also of the Valleys A man that is sunk low in an humble conceit of his unworthiness and findeth a weakness in his faith by reason either of a want of knowledge in the Mysteries of salvation or by reason of the Temper of his body a melancholy sadness darkning his thoughts and stifling his spirits all which encrease feares and multiply doubting Jealousies such a dejected soule winged with strong desires of getting that assurance of Gods love and favour which is in well-grown Christians need not doubt but that God in mercy and tenderness of affection looks upon this smoaking flax as if it were a flame and will in his good time either blow up that spark encrease that faith and bring it to perfection to a Joy in beleeving Rom. 15 13. or else perfect it in Heaven with that beatificall Vision when he shall see God face to face in his Caelestiall Palace which sight is the essentiall happinesse of Gods Saints To this happinesse God of his infinite mercy bring Vs for the merits of his beloved Son Christ Jesus Amen Initium bonae vitae cui vita etiam aeterna debetur recta fides est Est autem fides credere quod nondum vides cujus fidei merces est videre quod credis Augustinus de Verb. Apost Ser. 27. FINIS
whether or no we do not derogate from Gods honour when we arrogate to our selves the power of revenging and defending our selves God is the Arbitrator or Proctour of patience and if you commit the managing and care of your abuse to him he will be in thy behalfe Revenger commend your losse to his providence and you will fine him a Restorer trust him with thâ— cure of thy Grief and he will be thy Physitian or healer At the houre of death commend thy spirit into his hands and at the last great day he will be thy Rayser and reuniting thy body to thy soule he will glorifie both of them together in his heavenly Kingdome But an impatient and froward man may object and say with him in the Poet What shall I alwayes be a silent Auditor being so oft provok'd shall I never repay the wrong that is done unto mee so it is my Christian Brother never think thou of requiting an Injury although thou beest an hundred nay a thousand times abused if thou desirest to be reckon'd amongst Gods Sons commit thy self and thy cause to thy heavenly Fathers hands and with a patient silence suffer and beare with thy Adversaries malice My Children suffer patiently the wrath that is to come upon you from God Barue 4.15 for thine enemy hath persecuted thee but shortly thou shalt see his destruction and shalt tread upon his neck Thus did God once comfort his people by his servant Barue And by St. Paul he sayes He that has done wrong Col. 3.25 shall receive for the wrong which he hath done But perhaps thou wilt farther say well Sir I will forgive but never forget the injury Is it so indeed do ye think that God will be mocked do you think this kind of liberality is pleasing to God if it be so that you are resolved to do no otherwise then expect the same measure of bounty at the hands of the Lord. Should a man sayes Ecclesiasticus beare hatâ—ed against a man Eeclus 28.3 4. and desire forgiveness of God he will shew no mercy to a man that is like himself and will he aske forgiveness of his owne sins if he that is but flesh nâ—â—â—ish hatred and askâ— pardon of God who will entreat for that man I suppose none It is a vaine pretence of clemency and pitty to say I will not revenge such an Injury and yet never forget it Whatsoever thou givest and forgivest give and forgive it entirely or else for ever dispaire of mercy from God you know what Christ threatens in the Gospell So shall my heavenly Father do unto you Mat. 81. â— if ye forgive not every one his Brother from your hearts To this some great one may object All this I beleeve to be true and I vvould readily vvithout much adoe forgive and pardon my enemy but I am a man of publicke Authority No man shall think to abuse me and go unpunished I must and vvill defend my honour vvhich is Ecclips'd and my reputation vvhich is stained Such ansvvers have fallen from some mens lips but I beseech you Christian Brethren let us not play the Sophisters and dispute the case in so serious a point that concerns our salvation saye aside all painted phrases and all expressions gilded vvith a pretence of colourable excuses Saint Stephen was one that bare a publick office yet he threw not back a stone against those that ston'd him neither would he defend his honour so as to forfeit his Religion but cried out with a loud voyce Lord lay not this sin to their charge In like manner our crucified Lord and Saviour Christ Iesus did not as the Son of man only but also as the Son of God utter these words with devout teares to his Heavenly Father Father forgive them There is no mortall man of so great Majesty and worth but that he may without any the least blot to his reputation forgive an injury offered to his person Thou shalt not seek revenge Levit. 19. nor be mindfull of an injury from any of the Children of thy people So God by his servant Moses exhorts all Magistrates But thou wilt say I never gave that knave any cause of offence It may be so and I must tell thee if a cause had bin ministred that which thou sustainest could not be termed an Injury but it would be said that thou hadst hurt him and he wounded thee But what do you meane by talking of a Cause wherein did Ioseph trespass against his Brethren when he told them his Dreame And yet even Ioseph the Viceroy of Aegypt though so abus'd in a generous and brave silence buried all his injuries and rewarded them with great benefits which his Brethren who had sold him received at his hands But you will object and say But Sir the Injury is no small nor light one But now why do you exaggerate the greatness of your Ingury if the offences which thou forgivest be small thy praise will not be great And unless thou be exercisd with great crosses and Jujuries never expect to be famous for thy great vertues ' Heare what St. Hier. c. 5. in Mat. 9. Hierome sayes God is be it spoken with reverence a Smith his enemies are his Files and Hammers by which he purges and takes off our dross from us and being thus purg'd polish'd he stampes upon our soules the Image of holliness But let me ask thee whosoever thou beest that complainest of thy sufferings hast thou been ston'd with Paul hast thou ever been scourged and crucified with Christ No let this then teach thee humility and patience In that thou art not in so bad a case as thy betters But I am of a Noble he of a base parentage why should he not then feel the smart of my revenge poore mistaken man you are both of the earth earthy yours may be of the better meld yet dust thou art and to dust shalt thou returne as well as thy poorer Adversary If a desire of revenge overcome thee thou art not of the Son of the nobles but a servant of sin and wickedness Ecclus. 28. Remember therefore thy latter end and cease to live in enmity in debate and strife Thou maist say after all this Although I Revenge not my selfe upon mine enemy although I forbeare to do this yet I cannot so Command my passion as not to have a will and great desire to it Thou maist if thou wilt command thy affections But so long as thou doest minister to thy mind matter for thy hatred to feed on thy thoughts before God are as bitter as Wormewood thou bearest in thy brest nettles Thornes Thistles with which thy conscience is miserably wrack'd and tortur'd Againe Thou wilt say I burne with the flame of revengfull thoughts Let me tell thee unless thou put out and extinguish this fire betimes thou wilt cause God to shut thee out of Heaven to lock the gate of it upon thee and to doome thee to that
pray you does this trembling last How soone are our sighs spent and our teares dryed up when a day or two is passed we betake our selves to our old follies we hunt after flies and now having forgotten our sighs and tears we begin againe to quaffe and sing we practise a fresh our bribery and extortion we burne anew with our old lusts we move againe in the circle of our former vices running a round from sin to sin we fly once more to our ancient custome of viti ous living thus lulling our selves asleep upon the bed of security till at length we be forced to shed our last teares when death shall fix his ugly talons in our bodyes and our soules are posting to eternall torments then it is to late to will or do Then our only comfort will be this if we have done any good in our lives and what we suffer'd with tormenting paine we shall then remember with a delightfull pleasure and content to our great consolation Although this be a most certain truth yet few there be that will beleive it we detest our vices to day and repeat our sins to morrow whereof we repented before or worse Thus do we play with God and dally with our salvation we have no sooner bewailed our sinfullness but presently Act those foule enormities which we had bewail'd with bitter cryes and lamentations Thus we draw sin as it were with a Chaine of which Esay complaineth in these words Woe unto them that draw Iniquity with coards of vanity and sin as with Cart-ropes This is our custome this our daily practise to heap sin upon sin and still to grow worse and worse As it was said of Antiochus Epiphanes that he was good in his childhood naught in his youth but in his man-hood and old age vvorst of all By these degrees and steps do vve sink into the bottomless pit of Hells everlasting torments For vvhen vve have vviped out the staines of our most grievous sins vvith the spung of Repentance and cast this poyson out of our soules and consciences by an humble confession to God vvhich is called by one the soules vomit for one vveek vve are vvarme perhaps in our devotion but flag the second and are quite cold the third So at length Gods holy spirit deserting us vve fall againe into the grave of our sins and vices And in so doing vve resemble the Moone each month each vveeke nay every day vve are decreasing or increasing vve are either at the full or in the vvane never at a stand but alvvays changing Euripus that ebbs and flovves so oft in 24. houres is not fo floating and uncertaine as vve are in our lives Hovv oft and hovv many of us do change into the vvild from good Olives O the volubillity and inconstancy of mortall men uncertaine as fortune the feigned deity of the heathen which when it once ceased to be good grew by degrees to be as they observ'd stark naught The wicked workes a deceitfull work sayes Salomon the vulgar translation reads opus instabile Pro. 11.18 Pro. 4.18 an unstable and unsettled work intimating the wickeds inconstancy in their doings But the way of the righteous shineth as the light that en creaseth and shineth more and more unto a perfect day And Gods elect Children who are predestinate to salvation do so turne from their sins by hatred and disdaine that they never returne to them againe They think it not safe so to sport with the great God as to lament their sins past to day and commit the same which they bewail'd to morrow They never forget the frownes of an offended God and never but with sighes remember the great offence which he pardon'd And for this cause they are in Gods speciall favour and grace who in mercie forgets that he was offended by us if with griefe of heart we remember that we have offended him and so shun and avoid all sin for the time to come SYMBOLVM X. Detestatio praeteritorum peccatorum Veniam tibi cito et mouebo candelabrum tuum de loco suo nisi poenitentiam egeris Apoc. 2. Embleme XI Propension of our Will to good I haue inclined my hart to performe thy statutes alway euen vnto the end psal 119. v. 112 The 11 Signe IS A propensity of the will to Good set out by an Anchor with these words of the Psalmist PSAL. 119. I have enclin'd my heart to keepe thy testimonyes even to the end THis propensity of the will to good then exerts and shewes â—t selfe when a man is fully resolved and firmely purposes in his soule not to offend God by committing any greivous sin although for his resolution he be forced to lose all his goods and his life before which he preferrs obedience to Gods Commandements Psal 119. I have sworne and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous Iudgements This vvas holy Davids and this is a good mans purpose Ludovic us Granatensis determinatly sayes thus It is a certaine signe of reprobation vvhen a man sinnes vvith facillity vvithout any sense of his danger vvithout any remorse of conscience or grief that he has displeas'd his gracious God That man is vvicked in an high degree vvho does not seriously desire to vvill that is good To vvill to be good is a great part of goodness He that has this vvill has made a good entrance into Religion Those that are predestinate to Heaven and happiness as they never will any thing that is evill So they vvill only that vvhich God almighty vvilleth Every houre nay every moment they cry out with Saint Paul Lord what wilt thou have me to do There is not any thing that I will refuse to suffer for thee I will not esteeme any thing too bitter too sharp or hard nothing too difficult and unsufferable so long as I may advance thy Glory I will overcome and master all by enduring and suffering whilst I have God for my defender and guid and what I cannot obtaine by force and might that I shall accomplish and get by my earnest desires and prayers Whither my feet cannot carry mee thither shall my thoughts flee And as the Marigold to the Sun so to thee O my God will I turne Psal 39. by subjecting alwayes my will to thine In the volume of the book it is written of mee that I should do thy will O my God Thy law I have placed within my heart it is settled in my memory fixed in my understanding and planted in my will St. Bernard being ever most ready and prompt to obey Gods vvill Ser. 3. de qua deb sayes in a certaine place I a poore and miserable man have but one mite that is my will and shall not I devote it to his will give that to him Who by giving himselfe for me restored me to my selfe who was lost It is just and meete that the divine wil should be the rule Anchor by which our wils ought 〈◊〉 be regulated
affection as of Anger Love Hatred or the like will not easily repress its unruliness nor hinder its force but shall be hurried by the precipitate humor of that affection even to commit the foulest sins to which his nature is prone It is the safest way therefore to prevent the beginning of any passion to kill it in the bud and to stifle it in the Cradle before it gets strength and grovvth .. As an enemy is to be driven out of the borders of the City for vvhen he has gotten vvith in the gates or come vvithin the Walls he vvil shevv little mercy to the captive Citizens Pro. 16. He that is slow to Anger is beter then the a strongman he that ruleth his mind is beter then he that winneth a City Blessed are the peace-makers L. deser doc c. 2. sayes St. Aug. Those that make peace in themselves those that compose the tumults and stirrs that arise in their ovvn brests and subject them to the command of Reason Blessed are they who tame the lusts of the flesh by prayer and abstinence so that they become the kingdom of God or his house wherein all things are in order no confusion to be found vvherein Reason guided and enlightn'd by Gods spirit has the sole command the senses of the body obeying vvithout any the least reluctancy or contention This invvard peace vvas proclaim'd by a Quire of Angells when Christ was born but it is not to be obtain'd easily but by much strife and paine This was presignified by Gods giving his law to Moses with the loud voice of a Trumpet Ex. 19. an instrument of War A man would suppose that gentle and soft musick had bin fitter for this religious work The Trumpet fits better with the Camp then a Church But to leave off these nice expostulations and disputes we must know that God did this to teach us that as our life is a warfare so we are cal'd by God not to sit still at ease but to fight our battells against our sinfull lusts we are call'd by him who gave the Law to Moses which Law we cannot observe and keep unless we oppose and fight against the Law 's Enemies which are our lusts None ever subdued his flesh by flattering it none ever conquered an enticing Devill or the soothing world but by resisting both with those weapons which God prescribes in his holy Scriptures strive then we must and fight with every corrupt affection which is adverse to Gods Law and so to be esteem'd an enemy He that is only angry with his sins and favours his affections he cuts off the boughs of a bad tree but spares the Root so long as this remaines the boughs will againe shoot out Thus Chrys commenting upon those words of our Saviour He that looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart sayes that Christ in this precept forbids not only the disease it selfe but strikes also at the root of it The root of Adulstery is unchast lust And therefore he does not only condemne Adultery but concupiseence likewise which is its Mother or Nurse So he forbids not murder alone but Anger also which is oftentimes the spawne or cause of it or contumelious and reproachfull speeches which occasion many quarrells and the spilling of much blood Anger and love are two violent affections that admit of no lawes but those that are severe and serious they are not easily tam'd by gentle and smooth precepts Anger does not like other vices which sollicite by flatteries it suatcheth away our minds and drives them furiously into dangers And although scarce any man be found so cruell who having wounded his enemy with a sword desires to bury his hand in the vvound and never draw it out yet Anger is such a weapon that can hardly be dravvne out when it is driven in Anger is dareing and feares not to act any sin and having design'd a man for destruction is never pacified till it draws his hearts blood An angry man is like the fire-stone which if it be strook against the flint spits fire immediatly is hardly quench'd An angry man stirreth up strise Pro. 29. and a surious man aboundeth in transgression So sayes Salemon Anger and wrath are abominable things and the sinfull man is subject to them both No plague or murraine has destroy'd so many men as these two Anger and Wrath. Anger slayes the foolish man and envy the man of low degree Therefore my beloved Brethren L. 4. de civ c. 6. let us not sayes St. Aug. bring so great an evill upon our selves as to harbour that which is the disease of the soule puts out the eye of reason alienates us from God makes us forget our familâ—ar friends the beginning of Wars the Author of our calam ities and the worst of Divells who is so much the more to be abhorred as he is most misceivous letting almost none escape his hands Ep. 18. This affection sayes Seneca sets most mens hearts on fire it is engendred as well by hatred as love and no less conversant is it with our serious discourses then with our merry sports and Iests equally it mingles it selfe with all these And it is not so much to be regarded from what cause it proceeds as into what mind it enters As it matters not how great the fire is but where it lights for dry stubble or any the like combustible thing will take fire at a spark and break forth into a great flame Notwithstanding all this there is nothing so hard and difficult which the mind or spirit of man cannot overcome and there are no affections so feirce and untam'd which may not be master'd and kept under by the Rod of discipline The mind can effect any thing which it commands it selfe to do Although the work be not very easie to keep Anger within its bounds and with it to avoyd madness ravening cruelty rage and the like passions which are its Attendants and Companions yet that Work has been and it must be done What Seneca sayes of Anger may be applyed to those two famous and well knovvn furies Envy and Pride the same too may be verified of those two most impious Sisters Luxury and Gluttony and of all the whole brood and band of other vices All which may be subdued by bringing the mind to that settled and happy tranquillity that there may be in it a sweet concord and harmony of all our desires not swerving from the rubrick of Gods commandements Blessed is the man who indulges or grants a little liberty to his affections that he may serve sin the less and God the more And happy he that nailes as it were his passions to the Cross that he may place Reason in her Throne to act the Queen or Mrs. over any rebellious passion Those slaves who are confin'd to the Oares in Gallies have some remission though it be but short from their