elected vs as the Apostle teacheth for the commendation of his glorious grace but if election bee not of â—race then grace deserues not all the praise but we ourselues haue something whereof wee may glory Fiftly let vs consider the iudgement of antiquitie Augustine saith Aâ— he that is Christ 〈◊〉 predestinated to be our head so are weâ— to bee his 〈◊〉 hers Humana hic merita 〈…〉 Leâ— mens meritâ— hâ—â—e 〈◊〉 silent which perished in Adam 〈◊〉 And let the grace of God beâ—â—e the â—way and raigne And againe In one and the same cause one 〈◊〉 forsaken another is taken 〈◊〉 assumitur gratia prâ—stante non merito in mercie and not of merit And againe He hath elected none worthy but by electing him he hath made him worthy It is the grace of God whereby he hath elected me not because I am worthie but because it vouchsafed to make me Videte charissimi See my beloued how that hee doth not elect men good but maketh those to be good whom he hath elected And elsewhere he saith that God loued no other thing in Iacob then his owne free mercy He loued Iacob by his free mercie and hated Esau by his iust iudgement Hierome also speaking of Iacob and Esau saith that the election of the one and the reiection of the other doth not demonstate their merits but the will of the Elector and reiector and further also confesseth that it is in the power and will of God to elect or reiect a man without good or euill workes Angelome also saith that Christ hath predestinated some to eternal libertie quickning them by his gracious mercie Finally this trueth will appeare if wee shall remooue the false causes which might seeme to perswade God to chuse vs for his people First therefore we are not elected for foreseene 〈◊〉 as these arguments ensuing will sufficiently prooue vnto vs. First God is the primarie and principall authour of all his actions Now the supreame and first ground or author depends of no externall ground or beginner But God should depend of an externall ground if hee could not elect whom he would vnlesse faith did mooue him Secondly euery cause is before the effect now Faith is alter Election as the Holy Ghost sheweth when hee sayth So many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued It was well sayd of one Christ first apprehends vs and this apprehension of his workes in vs the apprehension of faith whereby we lay hold vppon him Faith is a meane which tends to the end wherunto the elect are ordained Wherefore seeing that Election must needs be before the end it must also bee before Faith which is a meane leading to the end Thirdly faith is not the cause of vocation and iustification moouing God to call and iustifie therfore it is no impulsiue cause of election For â—he cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused If faith then were the cause of Election it should be also the cause of vocation which is an effect thereof But it is not so as the Apostle teacheth Tit. 5. â— Lastly the Scripture no where saith that we are elected for fore-seen faith What reason then haue wee to beleeue it Wee conclude therefore that wee are not elected for faith and with Iustine Martiâ— wee call those blest Qui sunt praesciti vt crederent Which are fore-knowne that they should beleeue And we say according to Augustine that those are elected Non qui eliguntur quia crediderunt sed quâ— eliguntur vt credant which are elected to beleeue not because they haue beleeued I haue obtained mercie saith Paul that I should bee faithfull Non quia fidelis â—ram not because I was faithfull as Augustine speaketh Secondly we are not elected for any fore-seene workes For first the Apostle excludes all workes from being the causes either of election or of reprobation Rom. 9.11 12. And teacheth that Election is not in him that runneth that is it is not to be attributed to his industrie or indeauours Secondly good workes can merite nothing of God because he is the author of them and they are due vnto him and are not equiualent and proportionable to his grace Thirdly we are elected that we should be holy and should doe good works therefore it were absurde to imagine that good workes did mooue God to elect vs. Hierome saith The Apostle saith not he hath elected vs Cum essemus sancti wheÌ„ we were holy sed vt essemus but that we should be holy And Augustine saith The election of grace doth not onely preuent or go before mens works but before faith whence all good works do flow Thirdly Election is not made for the wil of maÌ„ or for that maÌ„ would it For the Apostle painely professeth that it is not in him that willeth but in God which sheweth mercie By will is meant the cogitation desire or endeuour of our minde which the holy Ghost excludeth from Election Secondly the will of man is not eternall and therefore cannot be the cause of eternall election For the efficient cause must goe before the effect in time or at least in nature But the will of man is not in nature before Gods election much lesse then in time Lastly if we were elected for our owne will many grosse absurdities would ensue First the grace of God should bee subiect to mens wills as Prosper affirmeth that is the grace of Election should be inferiour to the will of man as the effect is to the cause the will of man should bee more excellent then the grace of God Secondly it were as Prosper saith to make the beginning of saluation to bee in him that is saued Thirdly it were in mans power to be either an elect or a reprobate if he would Fourthly all certaintie of Election would be taken away seeing the will of man is instable and vncertaine Fiftly election would be casuall as depending vppon the will of man which is mutable and so God should be made an Idol of Fortune that is he should chuse if man would and not chuse if man would not We conclude therefore that the will of man is not the efficient cause of Election Fourthly God doth not elect any man for his birth or beauty or for any prerogatiue or excellencie in his person For God is no accepter of persons and these things are not before Election but come after it Secondly that which Moses saith of the generall election of all the Isralites may bee as truely sayd of the speciall election of all true Isralites that God hath not chosen them for their multitude but of his own loue nor for any dignitie in them but of his owne meere mercie We see God respected not the eldership of Cain but choose Abell hee regarded not the riches of Nâ—bal the wisedome of Achitophel the beauty of Absolom the comlinesse of Saul the princely blood of Iezebel
of God for the righteousnes of an other For iustification and remission of sins are the same For to iustifie is for God not to impute sin vnto vs but to accept vs for righteous to absolue or pronounce vs iust for the righteousnesse of Christ imputed The end of Iustification in respect of God is the glory of God in an admirable composition of iustice and mercie of iustice because hee would haue his sonne to satisfie for our sins rather then that they should escape vnpunished and of mercie because it pleased him to impute and appropriate the satisfaction of his sonne vnto vs rather then we wretches should be destroyed But some will perhaps imagine that God shewed neither iustice nor mercie no iustice because he punished an innocent for the nocent set his teeth on edge whereas they had eaten the soure grapes and no mercie because hee forgaue none without a satisfaction It is true indeed that the innocent was punished but yet it was done willingly and not by constraint and he was of the same nature with the nocent and was also such a potent innocent as that he did satisfie the iustice of the Iudge to the vtmost and conquer all his punishments with facilitie Neither must we deeme the mercie of God to be withheld or not exhibited because he did not forgiue without a satisfaction For first it was of his sole benignitie and perfect mercie without the preuision of any merit that he came to satisfie who made the satisfaction for vs. Herein saith Iohn is that loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a reconciliation for our sins Secondly it is his grace that hee doth apply the satisfaction of his sonne vnto vs who were disposed thereunto by no gift or merit Thirdly we must consider that Gods iustice is so infinitely absolute as that we could not bee iustified without a Mediator God could not forgiue sinne without a satisfaction For otherwise what need was there that the soone of GOD should be brought as he was to such horrible miserie and to such an accursed death A kinde father would try any way rather then he would expose his owne and onely sonne to extreame terrors and miserie And lest any man should imagine that it is in Gods power to remit or to reteine sinnes like debts we must know that there are two kinds of debts For there is a debt which eclipseth and hurteth the honour of the Creditor and there is also a debt which doth not touch it If the debt do not hurt his honour it may vvith great encrease of honour be rmitted vvithout any recompence at all as vvhen a king forgiueth his seruant the debt of some thousands of câ—ovvnes This debt as it did not hurt the maiestie of the king so it might be forgiuen vvithout anie hurt to his maiestie But if debts doe hurt the honour and maiestie of the Creditour and doe directlie impugne his nature and glorie vvithout doubt they cannot at his pleasure be remitted vvithout satisfaction And such debts are sins at vvhich infringe the rule of Gods eternall vvill are enemies to it so as that they cannot be purged and forgiuen vvithout a penaltie but Gods iustice and vprightnes vvill bee diminished But yet though his mercie could not shoulder out his iustice or any whit eclipse it yet his iustice did not bereaue him of his mercie For of his ovvne meere mercie hee found out the way to redeeme and saue vs when we did not so much as thinke of any such thing and therefore as we ought to admire the seueritie of his iustice so we should also magnifie his endles grace and mercie The endes of Iustification in respect of our selues are that we may be pleasing vnto God that wee may haue peace of conscience and true tranquilitie of minde that being redeemed from miserie wee might bee saued and finally that wee should striue against the streame of our owne corruptions and keepe a constant course in pietie or to vse the words of Zacharie That wee being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies should serue him without feare all the daies of our life in holinesse and righteousnesse before him For Christ gaue himselfe for vs that wee should be zealous of good vvorkes and bare our sinnes on the crosse that vve being dead to sinne should liue is righteousnesse To this end saith Bucanus are wee iustified by faith for Christ that the old man being abolished by the efficacie of Christ crucified Christ may liue in vs and wee by the study of good workes may shew our selues thankefull vnto God for so great a benefite Therefore Paul almost in all his Epistles drawes his doctrine of sanctification and good workes out of the doctrine of Faith or Iustification as the effect out of the cause or as an necessarie consequent from the Antecedent Hâ—c ille In like maner Augustine saith Christ died for the vvicked but not that the wicked should remaine dead but that being iustified they should be conuerted from vvickednesse beleeuing in him vvhich iustifieth the vngodly For God hateth impietie And againe Grace doth iustifie or hee iustifies by grace that he which is iustified might like iustly So then one maine end of our iustificatioÌ„ is that abandoning all iniquitie we should lead our liues in sanctitie The effects and consequents of Iustification are diuers The immediate effect of Iustification is adoption by vvhich the Elect doe now actually please God as his sonnes and coheires of Christ For so soone as the Electare absolued from their sinnes they are foorthwith adopted into the right â—nd priuiledges of the children of God A second effect of Iustification is peace of conscience to wit when we perceiue our selues to be deliuered from our sins before Gods iudgemeÌ„t seat and the iudgement of our owne conscience For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and being iustified by faith wee haue peace vvith God euen that peace vvhich passeth all vnderstanding whereas there is no true peace to the wicked but they are like the raging sea that cannot rest vvhose waters cast vp mudde and mire or else they are structen with a spirituall Apoplexcy which hath reaued them of all true sense and are so benummed in their conscience that they can feele nothing till it be roused and awaked Thirdly our iustification makes vs haue accesse to God by prayer with confidence to be heard for Christ For sinne was the Make-bate and wall of partition betwixt God and vs now our sinnes are done away when wee are iustified and therefore with boldnesse wee may approach vnto the throne of Grace We haue now receiued the Spirit of adoption by vvhich vvee crâ—e Abba Father that is by vvhich vve conceiue very good hope in him to vvhom wee pray like suppliants that hee will in fatherly affection tovvard vs giue
neither were all the seed of Abraham elected as was Abraham It is God who makes vs meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saintes and not any prerogatiue or dignitie in vs. We call Christ our Sauiour because he by his dignitie and merit hath deserued our saluation of God for vs euen so wee might be called our owne Electors if we did mooue God to elect vs by our dignities or prerogatiues Finally God respects not these things in sauing vs therefore neither in electing vs. For if they did mooue God to elect vs they should also perswade him to redeeme and saue vs which is against the Scripture in many places Finally the merit of Christ is not the efficient or impulsiue cause of election though it be of saluation For the efficient cause of election which is without beginning must also bee without beginning but the merit of Christ is not froÌ„ eternitie therfore it is not the efficient cause of eternall election Secondly if Christ himselfe as Mediator was elected froÌ„ all eternity then his merit is not the cause of electing but the former is true out of Peter the latter therefore is also true Thirdly the effect of eternall election is not the cause thereof but the merit of Christ is the effect of election For God did not elect vs because Christ was to die for vs but on the contrarie Christ did therefore die for vs because God had elected vs in him Therefore the merit of Christ is not the efficient cause of Gods election Wherefore we do conclude and with Caluin we doe auerre according to the truth Hoc consilium quoad Electos in gratuita eius misericordia fundatum esse that the foundation of Gods Election is laied in his free mercie He will haue mercie on whom he will and chuseth whom he pleaseth And so much for the efficient and impulsiue cause of election The materiall cause or matter of Election is threefold first in which that is in Christ the Mediatour secondly about which that is about certaine men thirdly of which it doth consist of which last wee now entreat and that is the counsell of God For election is nothing but the counsell of GOD for the separation of some men to eternall life The formall cause is the ordination assumption and separation of certaine men from all others to the fruition of present grace and future glory The ends of Election are three The former concernes God that doth elect the 2. latter concerne those that are elected The first is the glory of God and the celebration and declaration of his mercy Rom. 9.23 That hee might declare the riches of his glorie vpon the vessels of mercie which he hath prepared vnto glorie Eph. 1.6 He hath chosen vs to the praise of his glorious grace The glory of God is the supreme end of all things therefore of election And if we be commanded to make it the scope of all our actions wee need not doubt but that God doth aime at it in all his The second end of Election is that we should bee holy and blamelesse before God Augustine saith well He chose vs not because we were then holy neither yet because wee would hereafter prooue holy but he rather chose vs to this end that in the time of grace we might be holy through good works The third end is the saluation and glory of the Elect. Therefore they are sayd to be Ordained to eternall life and prepared vnto glorie and chosen vnto saluation We may not thinke that Election is the absolute wil of God without any end It were impietie to attribute such a will to God as hath no scope or end proposed to it For if nature doe nothing in vaine or to no end and purpose much lesse doth God The effects of Election are the meditation of Christ adoption vocation sauing faith iustification and glorification which comprehendeth two things first regeneration or sanctification in which is conteined perpetuall repentance that is auersion from all euill and conuersion vnto God loue righteousnesse the hatred of sinne the study of good workes calling vpon God true humilitie a desire to see Christ constancie in professing the true faith to the last gaspe For Gods Election is the roote of all the gifts of God in vs and the foundation of all his sauing benefits Secondly glorification comprehendeth in it the complement and fruition of all glory in the life to come that is of all holines and happinesse with the Lord foreuer The Subiect of Election is double The first is the subiect in whom we are elected This subiect is Christ Hee hath chosen vs in him saith Paul Now we are not elected in Christ as hee is God or the Word simply so considered For in this respect he is our Elector as he saith himselfe I know whom I haue chosen Neither are wee elected in him as a meere man For a meere man was not fit for vs to bee elected in But we are elected in him as he is God-man our Head and eternall Mediator in whom God hath placed all spirituall blessings which hee would communicate to vs in his good time And wee are elected in Christ because we were not capable in ourselues of so great excellencie He only as Polanus truely teacheth is the fit meane in whom we were elected considering that by election there is made an vnion and coniunction of vs with God the electour Caluin alleaging that speech of Paul He hath chosen vs in Christ saith that it is all one as if he had said that God because he found nothing worâ—hie of his election in all the seed of Adam did therefore turne his eies vnto his Christ that hee might elect members as it were out of his bodie whom hee would take vnto the fellowship of life It were therefore very absurd to dream of any election out of him hee being the foundation of the execution of Election in respect of the beginning meanes and end The other subiect is the Obiect of Election or the persons that are elected And these are not all the sonnes of Adam without exception of any For first hee that taketh all and refuseth none cannot properly be said to chuse For election supposeth a reiection He which makes a choice refuseth some Secondly whom God electeth hee doth also glorifie But all are not glorified therefore all are not elected Thirdly sauing faith is peculiar to the Elect and not common to all and is a true effect of Gods election Now many being destitute of true faith for euer it must needs bee that they are also out of Gods election Fourthly the Scripture shewes that some are elected and some refused Rom 11.7 The Elect haue obtained it but the rest are blinded God hath made the wicked for the day of euill Gregory saith well Deus miro modâ— God being the creator of all alike hath admirablie
some of them were before their calling notorious sinners committing â—orrible and transcendent enormities â—et now since their calling they were rashed and sanctified and so become new men And as concerning the Thessalonians he saith that the Gospel was not to them in word onely but also in power and much assurance and that they became followers of him and of the Lord and receiued the word in much affliction with ioy of the holy Ghost and turned to God from Idoles to serue the liuing and true God and increased in faith and mutuall loue and were patient faithfull in al their persecutions afflictions So then if with the Romanes we performe heartie obedience to the word if with those Corinthes we be rich in spirituall graces and haue purged our heartes by true repentance from our former iniquities if we be mortified and renewed if like those good ThessaloniaÌ„s we receiue and beleeue the Gospell if we follow the Lord his faithfull embassadours if we entertâ—ine the word with ioyfulnesse notwithstanding all afflictions if we turne to God from all our owne Gods our owne delights and vanities to which wee had wedded our heartes if our faith increase and our loue abound and if we haue patience and faith as they had in all our crosses and afflictions then may we assure ourselues that wee are effectually called as they were Finally Peter exhorting vs to giue diligence to make calling sure addeth that if we doe these things wee shall neuer fall Now what these things are hee sheweth to wit that they would ioint vertue with their faith and with vertue knowledge with it temperance and with temperance patience with patience godlines with it brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnes loue If therfore these graces shine within vs and bee fast rooted in our hearts and vnited in our liues we may assure our soules of our effectuall calling if we do these things we shall neuer fall and if we shall neuer fall then may wee safely conclude that God hath effectually called vs to light and glorie And thus much concerning effectu-vocation which is the first meane whereby God executeth his eternall Election CHAP. 5. What Iustification is All the causes of it Fiue effects of it The subiects and time of it Fiue properties thereof Foure tokens of it THE second is Iustification For those whom hee calleth effectually in time hee also iustifieth actually in time To iustifie is to repute or account one iust Pro. 17.15 He which iustifieth the wicked that is he which reputeth and iudgeth him to be iust is an abomination to the Lord. Luke 16.15 You iustifie your selues before men that is You would be esteemed iust To be iustified is to be cleared or to bee reputed iudged and pronounced iust To be iustified then before God is to be reputed and esteemed righteous in his sight Iustification therefore in his proper significatioÌ„ is an Acceptance wherby God esteemeth vs as righteous being receiued into fauour Or Iustification is a iudiciall and gracious worke of God by which hee iudgeth the Elect being in themselues obnoxious to the accusation and curse of the Law to be iust by faith for Christ through the imputation of his iustice and that vnto the praise of his glorious grace and to their owne saluation The principall efficient of Iustification is God the Father in the Sonne by the holy Spirit For who can forgiue sinnes but God alone It is God that iustifies I saith the Lord euen I am hee that putteth away thine iniquities It 〈◊〉 meet that he should be our pardoner who was our Creator and that he should bee the giuer of grace who was to all the author of nature It is his office to absolue the guiltie by whose iustice hee was made guiltie It beloÌ„gs to him to pronounce a man to be iust whose will is the rule of iustice it is his prerogatiue to giue sentence of life and death because he is by nature right and office the highest Iudge The instrument whereby the benefit of Iustification is offered and proclaimed is the Gospel which therefore is called the word of life the word of saluation the word and ministerie of Reconciliation The outward instruments whereby our iustification is sealed and confirmed to vs are the two Sacramentes and thereupon Circumcision is called the Seale of the righteousnesse of faith The inward Sealer of our iustification is the Holy Ghost who testifieth and sealeth it to our consciences so as that we may perswade our hearts of it The Ministers and liuely instruments for the proclaiming testifying and pronouncing our iustification to vs are the Messengers and Prophets of the Lord according to that of Christ whose sinnes ye remit they shall be remitted to them and whose ye retaine they shall be retained The onely internall instrument whereby we apprehend and receiue the grace of iustification offered vnto vs by God is a true sauing faith Iustifying faith is a gift whereby wee apprehend Christ and his benefits Or it is a worke of Gods Spirit in the heart whereby we receiue and lay hold on Christs obedience for the pardon of our sinnes with God and his accepting of vs as righteous in his â—ight The authour of faith is God For vnto vs It is giuen to beleeue This is the worke of God saith Christ that yee beleeue in him whom hee hath sent Faith both begun and finished is the gift of God as Austen truly teacheth The proper forme and life of faith is not charitie which is a distinct gift of God and a fruite of vnfeigned Faith but the Apprehension and Application of Christ and his benefites vnto our selues particularly The proper obiect of a sauing faith is Iesus Christ God-man and Mediator betwixt God and man Remigius saith My whole faith is in Christ by him alone I beleeue that I am iustified and saued And Beda saith The scope of my faith is Christ the end or marke of my faith whereat it aymeth is the Sonne of God Now to be iustified by faith is to be iustified of God for the righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by faith or as Caluin speaketh he shall be iustified by faith who being excluded from the righteousnesse of works apprehendeth the righteousnesse of Christ by faith wherewith he being inuested doth appeare in the sight of God as righteous and â—ot a sinner So that faith doth iustifie in respect of her obiect onely and not as any meritorious or proper efficient of iustification Euen as the hand that receiueth the treasure which is giuen doth not make the receiuer rich but the treasure it selfe so neither the worke or action of faith doth iustifie vs but Christ himselfe whom we doe apprehend And this faith be it weake or strong is yet able to receiue the righteousnesse of Christ euen as a palsie or shaking hand may receiue a iewel of a king as
truely though not so firmely as the hand that is whole and sound And further this sauing faith is the onely hand whereby wee doe receiue Christ and his merites No man is iustified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Iesus Christ Basil saith This is to glorie in the Lord when a man doth not boast of his ovvne righteousnesse but doth acknowledge that hee is destitute of true righteousnes that he is iustified by faith alone in Christ Chrisostom saith Without faith no man hath obtained life but I am able to shew that a faithfull man both liued and obtained the kingdom of heauen without workes For the thiefe did onely beleeue and was iustified It was well said by Roffensis Fides faeta bonis operibus iustificat ante partum Faith being bigge with good works doth iustifie a man before it bring them forth For as S. Augustine saith Good works doe not goe before him that is to be iustified but follow him that iâ— already iustified And though good workes must neuer bee seuered from faith in the person iustified yet they must be sundred in the act of iustification Though the eie bee not alone yet it sees alone and though the head consult inuent alone yet it is not alone but ioyned to the body so though faith be not alone in the faithfull man yet it alone doth iustifie And thus wee see how to esteeme of faith the Sacraments and the Ministers of God alwaies remembring to ascribe our iustification vnto God Father Sonne and Holy Ghost as the proper and principall efficient thereof as the Scriptures teach vs and confessing with Primasius that God doth iustifie the wicked per solam fidem by faith alone and not by workes The internall impulsiue cause of Iustification which mooueth God to iustifie vs is his grace and meere beneuolence and not our works past present or to come how glorious so euer Paul saith we are iustified freely by his grace And Augustine saith that it is the ineffable grace â—f God that hee which is guilty should be iustified Because all men are shut vp vnder sinne the saluation of man as Anselme saith doth not now consist in the merits of men but in the mercie of God Yea Bellarmine himselfe ingeniously confesseth that by reason of the vncertenty of our owne righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glory Iutissimum est it is the safest course to repose our fiduciam Whole confidence in solu Deâ— misericordia in the Sole mercie and goodnesse of God Now then we must not imagine that this grace of God is procured by our workes but that it doth proceed freely from the Lord. No merit of man saith Anselme doth goe before the grace of God Thou hast done no good saith Augustine and yet remission of sinnes is giuen thee Let thy works be marked and they are found euill If God should reward those workes according to their due he should condemne them But God doth not giue thee the punishment that is due but giues thee grace which is not due And againe he saith The grace without which neither Infants nor men of yeares can be saued is not payed by deserts but giuen without desert and thereupon is called grace The externall impulsiue cause or meritorious efficient of our iustification is not our owne workes virtues or obedience First because they bee the Lords due by vertue of many bonds When we haue done all that is biddeÌ„ vs we haue done but our due no more then wee were bound to due Now shall wee thinke that the discharging of one duetie can satisfie Gods iustice for the omission of many dueties and the commission of many faults Secondly all our righteousnesse is as a stained cloth Gregorie saith All mâ—ns righteousnâ—s iâ— found to be vnrighteousnes â—f God strictly iudge it Our very iustice being brought to the rule of Gods iustice is iniustice that stinketh in the sâ—uerity of the Iudge which shineth in the estimation of the Worker And albeit our good works are perfit in respect of the Spirit from whom thee first flow yet are they polluted when they passe from vs because they ruÌ„ through our corrupted hearts and wils as faire water which runnes through a dirty channell Shall wee now say that our perfect righteousnesse can merit any thing of that righteous Iudge before whose iustice nothing polluted can stand vncondemned Wo vnto the laudable life of men sath Aâ—gustine if God should examine it and lay aside his mercie Thirdly our best actions are not answerable to the benefits of iustification But in reason hee which meanes to merit any thing must bring that which is equal to that which hee seekes to merit fourthly he that wil merit of another must not thinke to merit of him vnâ—esse he bring some thing of his owne to merit with and not that which is his of whom hee doth intend to merit But all our vertues our Faith and good workes are Gods so farre as they bee good and not ours For what haue we which wee haue not receiued Without me saith Christ Ye can dâ—e nothing Of our selues we are not able to thinke one good thought When we eâ—ther beleeue or worke though that faith be ours and albeit the workes â—e ours yet when we haue them we haue them not of our selues but they are giuâ—n of God Whatsoeuer saith Augustine Cornelius wrought well Totum Dâ—o dandam est it must all be ascribed vnto God lest any maÌ„ happily should exalt himself Therfore it is absurde to think we merit any thing by good deedes Fiftly good workes in nature follow Iuâ—tification Augustine saith Iustification goes before the doers of the law Mâ—â— being iustified by beleeuing begin afâ—erwards to liue righteously And Saint Paul saith that God doth iustifie the Vngodly By which then it is plainâ— that no man is iustified for his works Finally wee haue the sentence of the Scriptures with vs and the iudgement of the auncient Church Wee haue beleeued in Iesus Christ saith Paul that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the lame because that by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified God both saued vs not according to the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercie Ambrose saith Let no man glorie in works because no man is iustified by his works Augustine faith The vngodly is iustified by faith without the merits of good workes Primasius saith It is Gods purpose to iustifie the wicked by faith alone without the workes of the law or any other merits of ours whatsoeuer Hâ—miniâ— iustitia indulgentia Deâ— Gods pardon saith Bernard is mans righteousnesse My merit saith hee is Gods mercie Wee conclude therefore saying with Ambroâ—e Wee are not iustified by works but by faith because fleshly 〈◊〉 is an impedimeÌ„t to
perish and that therefore there can bee no certaintie made of the continuance of it For nothing can separate vs from the loue of God wherewith hee loueth vs in Iesus Christ our Lord. Who hath redemed vs with his blood Hee saith Aug. who hath bought vs for so great a price will not that they should perish whom hee hath bought Master Tyndall saith thus Christ is thine and all his deeds are thy deeds Christ is in thee and thou in him neither canst thou be daÌ„ned except Christ be damned with thee Wee conclude therefore according to the trueth that as Iustification is irreuocable so it is discerneable Let him doubt sath M. Philpot of his faith that listeth God giue we alwaies grace to beleeue that I am sure of true faith and fauour in Christ And so much concerning iustification the second meane ordeined for the execution and demonstration of â—â—ds eternall Election â—rga Dei bonitas veniam noÌ„ dimidiabiâ— Aut nihil aut totum to lachrymaÌ„te dabis CHAP. VI. What sanctification is All the causes of it are expressed Four effects of it The subiects termes and time of it Nine properties thereof Ten tokens of it THE third thing wherein the Apostle placeth the execution of the decre of Election is Glorification Whom he hath foreknowne predestinated effectually called and iustified them â—e hath also glorified Glorification is the communication or free donation of true holinesse and happinesse to them that are elected called and iustified For glorie comprehendeth in it both holines happinesse Holines is one degree of happinesse and happines is the highest degree of holinesse No man is holy but the same is happy and no maÌ„ can be happy but he must bee holie Grace is the inchoation of glorie and glorie is the consummation of grace He that sits in the throne of grace is truely intituled to the crowne of glorie and it is one point of glorie to be a man of grace A gracious man may be rightly stiled a glorious man Glorification then comprehendeth in it two things Sanctification in this world and the collation of eternall happinesse in the world to come Of both these we will intreat in order Sanctification or Regeneration is a benefit of God whereby our corrupt nature is renewed to the image of god by the Holy Ghost Polan Part. The lib. 1. Or sanctification is an inward change of a man iustified wherby the image of God is restored in him Hippocrates saith of Phisick that it is an adiection and a subraction Adiection of things wanting and a Subtraction of things redounding in the bodies of men Euen so sanctification is a remouing of the corrupt humors of our soules and an adiection or infusion of spirituall graces which are wanting It was excellently said by one The wise men saith he which were expert in nature could say that in euerie generation there is a corruption And we see that the seede sowen is much changed before it grow vp and beare fruit Then needfull it is that in regeneration there be a corruption of sin so that as the seed in the ground so sinne in our mortall bodies may decay that the new man may be raised vp the Spirit of God taking possession of our soules Now this transformation of a man is very requisit to saluation For without holines no man shall see God If wee will not liue to God by grace vpon the earth wee shall not liue in glorie with him in the heauens If wee will not die to sin in this world wee shall not escape death the wages of sin in the world to come If we doe not liue to God in holinesse in this life wee shall not liue in happines with God in the life to come It is not onely necessary in him that is to be saued that sinne be abolished by remission but that it bee likewise mortified by regeneration Neither is it onely requisit that a man stand righteous by the imputation of righteousnesse but that a man also be righteous by the infusion of righteousnes Sanctification is not deriued to vs from our parents For parents must be considered two waies First as they are Man the children of Adam Secondly as they are holy men sonnes of the second Adam and thus they doe not beget their children though their holinesse bee a meanes to make them to be reputed holy with men and accounted the children of the Church But they produce their children as they are men and corrupted in their father Adam and so conuey nature corrupted in Adam to them although they be regenerated Take wheat make it as clean as you can sowe it and it will come vp not as it was sowen but in stalk blade and eare and it brings vp as much chaffe as euer it did though none vvere sowen with it Euen so parents though sanctified by grace do bring forth childreÌ„ that are vnholie But the fountaine and proper Efficient of our sanctification and holines is almightie God whose workemanship we are created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes and who in mercie hath translated vs out of the kingdome of darknes into the kingdome of his beloued sonne in whom he hath quickned vs through his loue and hath lifted him vp with his right hand to giue repentance vnto Israel And albeit our Sanctification be the worke of the whole Trinitie yet it is immediately performed by the holy ghost therefore by a peculiar epithet hee is called Holy and we are said to be borne of the Spirit who is also compared vnto seede and vnto fire and vvater Vnto seede because of his vertue as it vvere of seede the faithfull are renevved and created nevv men that beeing dead to sin they might liue vnto God Vnto fire first because he doth eat out the drosse of sin and consume our lusts and so refine vs secondly because he doth enlighteÌ„ our mindes and shine like a lamp shew vs the way wherein wee ought to walke and lastly because he doth set vs on heat and inflame vs vvith a zeale of Gods glorie vvith a care of our duetie and vvith a loue of all mankinde And vnto Water because he doth refresh vs extinguish our spiritual thrist and because he doth vvater vs being destitute of all the iuice of life and make vs fertill and finally because he doth wash avvay the filth of our hearts and is povvred out like vvater vpon Beleeuers In like maner also he is compared to the Northerne and Southerne windes to the Northerne because he doth pinch dry the luxurious humours of our hearts and coole the vnnaturall heate and swelling pride of our soules and kil those wormes of wickednes which ly as it were at the very roote of our hearts And to the Southerne because hee doth comfort vs with his warme blasts and moisten vs with his sweete showers and dissolue our frost bitten