other whereas God conceiues all things at once with one acte of vnderstanding and all things both past and to come are present with him and therefore in his eternall counsell he decrees not one thing after an other but all things at once Neuerthelesse for our vnderstandings sake we may distinguish the counsell of God concerning man into two acts or degrees the first is the purpose of God in him selfe in which he determines what he will doe and the end of all his doings and that is to create all things specially man for his owne glorie partly by shewing on some men his mercie and vpon others his iustice The second is an other purpose whereby he decrees the exequution of the former and laies downe meanes of accomplishing the ende thereof These two acts of the counsell of God are not to be seuered in any wise nor confounded but distinctly considered with some difference For in the first God decrees some men to honour and some to dishonour and this man more then that vpon his will and pleasure and there is no other cause hereof knowne to vs. In the second knowne and manifest causes are set downe of the exequution of the former decree For no man is actually condemned but for their sinnes and no man is actually saued but for the merit of Christ. Furthermore this latter acte of the counsell of God must be conceiued of vs in the second place and not in the first For euermore the first thing to be intended is the ende it selfe and then afterward the subordinate meanes and causes whereby the end is accomplished Againe the second acte of Gods counsell containes two other one which sets downe the preparation of the means whereby Gods Predestination begins to come in exequution and they are two the creation of man righteous after the image of God the voluntarie fall of Adam and withall the shutting vp of all men vnder damnation the other appoints the applying of the seuerall meanes to the persons of men that Gods decree which was set downe before all times may in time be fully accomplished as shall afterward in particular appeare Predestination hath two parts the Decree of Election the Decree of Reprobation or No-election This diuision is plaine by that which hath bene said out of the 9. cap. to the Rom. and it may be further confirmed by other testimonies Of some it is said that the Lord knowes who are his and of some others Christ shall say in the day of iudgement J neuer knew you In the Acts it is said that as many of the Gentiles as were ordâ—ined to life euerlasting beleeued And Iude saith of false prophets that they were ordained to condemnation In handling the decree of Election I will consider three things I. what Election is II. the exequution thereof III. the knowledge of particular Election For the first Gods Election is a decree in which according to the good pleasure of his will he hath certenly chosen some meÌ„ to life eternal in Christ for the praise of the glorie of his grace This is the same which Paul saith to the Ephesians God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Jesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Nowe that we may the better conceiue this doctrine let vs come to a consideration of the seuerall points thereof First of all I say Election is Gods decree For there is nothing in the world that comes to pasâ—e either vniuersally or particularly without the eternall vnchangeable decree of God And therefore whereas men are actually chosen brought to life euerlasting it is because God did purpose with himselfe and decree the same before all worlds Now touching the decree it selfe sixe things are to be obserued The first what was the motiue or impulsiue cause that mooued God to decree the saluation of any maÌ„ Answer The good pleasure of God For Paul saith he will haue mercie on whome he will haue mercie and he hath predestinate vs according to the good pleasure of God As for the opinion of them that say that foreseene faith and good workes are the cause that mooued God to choose men to saluatioÌ„ it is friuolous For faith and good works are the fruits and effects of Gods election Paul saith he hath chosen vs not because he did foresee that we would become holy but that we might be holy And he hath predestinate vs to adoption Which is all one as if he had said he hath predestinate vs to beleeue because adoption comes by beleeuing Now if men are elected that they might beleeue then are they not elected because they would beleeue For it can not be that one thing should be both the cause the effect of another The second point is that Gods ElectioÌ„ is vnchangeable so as they which are indeed chosen to saluation can not perish but shall without faile attaine to life euerlasting Paul takes it for a conclusion that the purpose of God according to Election must remaine firme and sure and againe that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance And Samuel saith The strength of Israel will not lie or repent For he is not a man that he should repent Such as Gods nature is such is his will and counsell but his nature is vnchangeable I am Iehovah saith he and I chaunge not therefore his will likewise and his counsells be vnchangeable And therefore whensoeuer the spirit of God shall testifie vnto our spirits that we are iustified in Christ and chosen to saluation it must be a meanes to comfort vs and to stablish our hearts in the loue of God As for the opinion of them that say the Elect may fall from grace and be damned it is full of hellish discomfort and no doubt from the deuill And the reasons commonly alleadged for this purpose are of no moment as may appeare by the skanning of them First they obiect that the Churches of the Ephesians Thessalonians and the dispersed Iewes are all called Elect by the Apostles themselues yet sundrie of them afterward fell away Answ. I. There are two kinds of iudgemeÌ„t to be giuen of men the iudgement of certentie the iudgement of charitie By the first indeed is giuen an infallible determination of any mans Election but it belongs vnto God principally properly to men but in part namely so farforth as God shal reueale the estate of one man vnto an other Now the iudgement of charitie belongs vnto all men by it leauing all secret iudgemeÌ„ts vnto God we are charitably to think that al those that liue in the Church of God professing themselues to be members of Christ are indeede elect to saluation till God make manifest otherwise And on this manner not otherwise do the Apostles cal whole
first parentes euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences as Salomon saieth This haue I found that God made man righteous but they haue found many inventions But it may be obiected that if Adam were created good he could not be the cause of his owne fall because a good tree can not bring forth euill fruite Answer Freedome of will is foure fold 1. freedome to euill alone this is onely in wicked men and angels and is indeed a bondage the seconde is freedome to good alone and that is in God and the good angels the third is freedome to good in part ioyned with some want of libertie by reason of sinne and this is in the regenerate in this life the fourth is freedome either to good or to euill indifferently And this vvas in Adam before his fall vvho though he had no inclination to sinne but onely to that vvhich was acceptable to God yet was hee not bound by any necessitie but had his libertie freely to chuse or refuse either good or euill And this is euident by the verie fourme of Gods commaundement in which hee forbids Adam to eate the forbidden fruite and thereby shewes that he being created righteous and not prone to sinne had power to keep or not to keep the commandement though since the fall both hee and vvee after him can not but sinne Wherefore Adam being allured by Satan of his owne free accord changed himselfe and fell from God Now then as the good tree changed from good to euill brings foorth euill fruite so Adam by his owne inward and free motion changing from good to evill brings forth euill As for God hee is not to be reputed as an authour or cause any way of this sinne For hee created Adam and Eue righteous indewed them vvith righteous vvilles and hee tolde them vvhat hee woulde exact at their handes and vvhat they coulde perfourme yea hee added threatnings that with the feare of daunger hee might terrifie them from sinne Some may say vvhereas God foresavv that Adam woulde abuse the libertie of his vvill vvhy vvoulde hee not preuent it Ansvvere There is a double grace the one to be able to vvill and do that which is good the other to be able to persevere in vvvilling and doing the same Now God gaue the first to Adam and not the second And he is not to be blamed of vs though hee confirmed him not with new grace for he is debter to no man to giue him so much as the least grace whereas he had alreadie giuen a plentifull measure thereof to him And God did hold backe to conferre any further grace vpon iust cause I. It was his pleasure that this fact should be an occasion or way to exercise his mercie in the sauing of the elect and his iustice in the deserued condemnation of impenitent sinners And vnlesse Adam had fallen for himselfe others there should haue bin found no miserie in men on whome God might take pitie in his sonne nor wickednes which he might condemne and therefore neither manifestation of iustice nor mercie II. Againe it was the will of God in part to forsake Adam to make manifest the weaknesse of the most excellent creatures without the speciall and continuall assistance of God III. There is a double libertie of will one is to will good or euill this belongs to the creature in this world and therefore Adam receiued it The other is to will good alone This he wanted because it is reserued to the life to come And though hee knewe no cause of this dealing of God yet is it one steppe to the feare of God for vs to hold that good and righteous which hee appointeth or willeth and not to square the workes and iudgements of God by our crooked reason And yet to come to reason it selfe Who can here complaine of God Can the deuill but God did not cause him to tempt or deceiue our first parents Can Adam and Eue but they fell freely without any motion or instigation from God and their owne consciences accused them for it Can the posteritie of Adam but the elect receiue more in Christ then they lost in Adam and the reprobate ouerwhelmed with the burden of their owne sinnes and thereupon receiuing nothing but due and deserued damnation can not finde fault But some may further reply and say he that foreseeth an euill and doth not preuent it is a cause of it but God did foresee the fall of man and did not preuent it Answer The rule is generally true in man that the foreseer of an euill not preuenting it is in some sort a doer of it for it is the sentence of the law of God to which man was bound from the first creation But God is aboue all his lawes and not bound to them he is an absolute lord and law-giuer and therefore his actions are not within the compasse of lawes as mens are Whereupon it follows that though he did foresee mans defection yet is hee free from all blame in not preuenting of it For with him there be good causes of permitting euill And though God be no cause of mans fall yet must wee not imagine that it came to passe by chance or fortune whereas the least things that are come to passe with Gods prouidence neither was it by any bare permission without his decree and will for that is to make an idle prouidence neither did it happen against the will of God he vtterly nilling it for then it could not haue bin vnlesse we denie God to be omnipotent It remaines therefore that this fall did so proceede of the voluntarie creation of Adam as that God did in part ordaine and will it not as it was a sinne against his commandement but as it was further in the counsell of God a way to exequute his iustice and mercie Against this which I say diuers things are obiected First that if Adam did that which God in any respect willed then he did not sinne at all Answ. He that willeth and doth that which God willeth for all that sinnes vnlesse he will it in the same manner with God and for the same end Nowe in the permitting of this fact God intended the manifesting of his glorie but our first parents intending no such thing sought not only to be like but also to be equal with god Secōdly it is alledged that Adam could not but fall necessarily if God did decree it Answ. Adams fall that came not to passe without Gods decree and therefore in that respect was necessarie was neuerthelesse in respect of Adams freewil contingent and not necessarie Gods decree not taking away the will but onely ordering it Lastly it is alledged that Gods will is the cause of Adams will and Adams will the cause of his fall and that therefore Gods will shall be the cause of the fall Answer It must be graunted that Gods will is a moouing cause of the wills of euill men yet marke how not as
the Gospell besides they giue an assent to it to be true and they do more yet in that they tremble and feare And many a man hath not so much For amongst vs there is many a one which hath no knowledge of God at all more then he hath learned by the common talke of the world as namely that there is a God and that he is mercifull c. and yet this man will say that he beleeueth with all his heart but without knowledge it can not be that any should truly beleeue therfore he deceiveth himselfe Quest. But whence haue the devils historicall faith were they illuminated by the light of the spirit Answ. No but when the Gospell was preached they did acknowledge it and beleeued it to be true that by vertue of the reliques of Gods image which remained in them since their fall And therefore this their faith doeth not arise from any speciall illumination by his spirit but they attaine to it by the light of nature which was left in them from the beginning The second kind of faith is Temporary faith so called because it lasteth but for a time and season and commonly not to the end of a mans life This kind of faith is noted unto us in the parable of the seede that fell in the stony ground And there be two differences or kinds of this faith The first kinde of temporary faith hath in it three degrees The first is to know the word of God and particularly the Gospell The second to giue an assent unto it The third to professe it but to goe no further and all this may be done without any loue to the word This faith hath one degree more then historicall faith Examples of it we haue in Simon Magus Acts. 8.13 who is said to beleeue because he held the doctrine of the Apostle to be true and withall he professed it and in the devils also who in some sort professed that Christ was the sonne of the most highest yet looked for no saluation by him Mark 5.7 Act. 19.14 And this is the common faith that abounds in this land Men say they beleeue as the prince beleeueth and if religion chāge they will change For by reason of the authoritie of princes lawes they are made to learne some litle knowledge of the word they beleeue it to be good they professe it thus for the space of thirtie or fourtie yeres they will heare the word preached and receiue the sacraments and yet be as void of grace as euer they were at the first day the reason is because men doe barely professe it without either liking or loue of the same The second kinde of temporarie faith hath in it fiue degrees For by it first a man knows the word Secondly he assenteth unto it III. he professeth it IIII. he reioyceth inwardly in it V. he bringeth forth some kind of fruit and yet for all this hath no more in him but a faith that will faile in the end because he wanteth the effectuall applicatiō of the promise of the gospel is without all maner of sound conversiō This faith is like corne in the house top which groweth for a while but when heate of sommer cōmeth it withereth And this is also set forth vnto vs in the parable of the seede which fell in a stony ground which is hastie in springing up but because of the stones which will not suffer it to take deepe roote it withereth And this is a very common faith in the Church of God by which many reioyce in the preaching of the worde and for a time bring forth some fruits accordingly with shewe of great forwardnesse yet afterward shake of religion and all But some will say howe can this be a temporary faith seeing it hath such fruits Answ. Such a kind of faith is temporary because it is grounded on temporarie causes vvhich are three I. A desire to get knovvledge of some straunge pointes of religion For many a man doth labour for the fiue former degrees of temporarie faith onely because he desires to get more knovvledge in scripture then other men haue The second cause is a desire of praise among men which is of that force that it will make a man put on a shevve of all the graces vvhich God bestoweth on all his children though otherwise he want them and to go very farre in religion vvhich appeareth thus Some can very bitterly weepe for the sinnes of other men and yet haue neither sorrowe nor griefe for their owne and the cause hereof is nothing else but pride For he that sheddes teares for another mans sinnes should much more vveepe for his owne if he had grace Yet thus are many men disposed euen of pride and nothing else Againe a man for his owne sinnes vvill pray very slackly and dully when he prayeth priuately and yet when he is in the company of others will pray very fervently and earnestly From vvhence is this difference surely often it springeth from the pride of heart and from a desire of praise among men The third cause of temporarie faith is profit commodity the getting of wealth and riches These make man to receive religion and if other religion come they vvill receiue it asvvell as this But such studies not the gospell because it is the gospell but because it brings wealth peace and riches with it And these are the three causes of temporarie faith The third kind of faith is the faith of Miracles vvhen a man grounding himselfe on some speciall promise or revelation from God doeth beleeve that some straunge extraordinarie thing vvhich he hath desired or foretold shall come to passe by the vvork of God This must be distinguished from historicall temporarie faith For Simon Magus had both these kindes of faith but yet wanted this faith of miracles therfore would haue bought the same of the Apostles for mony Yet this faith of miracles may be in hypocrites as it vvas in Iudas at the last iudgement it shall be found to haue bin in the wicked reprobate which shal say to Christ Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and cast out deuils and done many great miracles And thus much for the three sorts of common faith Now we must come to the true faith which is the faith of the elect It is thus defined Faith is a supernaturall gift of God in the mind apprehending the sauing promise with al the promises that depend on it First I say it is a gift of God Phil. 1.29 to confute the blind opiniō of our people that think that the faith wherby they are to be saued is bred borne with thē I adde that it is a gift supernaturall not onely because it is aboue that corrupt nature in which we are borne but also because it is aboue that pure nature in which our first parents were created For in the state of innocencie they wanted this faith neither
heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and powers c. euen by the power of his father well as this power was made manifest in the head so must it be in the members thereof Euery child of God shall hereafter see and feele in himselfe the same power to translate him from this vale of miserie in this life to the kingdome of heauen Wherefore to conclude we haue great cause to be thankefull and to praise God for this priuiledge that he sheweth his power in his children in regenerating them in making them die vnto sinne and to stand against the gates of hell to suffer afflictions patiently as also that he translates thē from death to life And euery one should shew his thankfulnes in labouring to haue experience of this power in himselfe as Paul exhorteth vs in his epistles to the Colossians Ephesians yea read all his epistles we shal finde he mentioneth no point so often as this namely the mightie power of God manifested first in Christ secondly in his mēbers and he accounteth all things losse that he might know Christ the vertue of his resurrection This point is the rather to be marked because his power in the matter of grace is not to be seene with eye fewe there be in respect that haue felt the vertue thereof in themselues for the deuill doth mightitily shew his cōtrary power in the greatest part of the world in carrying them to sinne and wickednes Secondly hence we learne that which Paul teacheth namely to know that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God God is almightie therfore able to do whatsoeuer he wil he is also a father therfore is willing to doe that which is for our good But some will say we are subiect to many crosses yea to sinne what can our sinnes turne to our good Ans. If God almightie be thy father he wil turne thine afflictions yea thy sinnes which by nature are euill beyond all exspectation vnto thy saluation And this God will doe to all such as be obedient vnto him yet no man must hereupon presume to sinne Thirdly whereas we beleeue that God is a mightie father it serues to confirme Gods children in the promises of mercie reuealed in his word The chiefest whereof is that if men will turne from their sinnes and beleeue in Christ they shall not perish but haue life euerlasting I know some men wil make it an easie thing to beleeue especially those which neuer knewe what faith meant But such persons neede no meanes of confirmation of faith therfore let all those which haue tasted of the hardnes of attaining vnto it learne how to stablish their wauering hearts in the promises of God by the consideration of these two points God is a father and therefore he is willing he is also almightie and therefore he is able to performe his promises He that will be truly resolued of Gods promises must haue both these setled in his heart and build on them as on two foundations It followeth Creatour of heauen and earth We haue spoken of the title of the first person of his attributs now we come to speake of his effect namely the creation but before we come to it we are to answer a certaine obiection which may be made At the first it may seeme strāge to some that the worke of creation is ascribed to the first person in Trinitie the father whereas in the Scripture it is common to them all three equally And first that the father is Creatour it was neuer doubted as for the second person the Sonne that he is Creatour it is euident all things are made by it that is by the Sonne who is the substantiall word of the father without it was made nothing that was made And againe it is said that God by his Sonne made the worlde As for the holy Ghost the worke of creation is also ascribed vnto him and therefore Moses saith the spirit mooued vpon the waters and Iob saith his spirit hath garnished the heauens How thē is this peculiar to the father being cōmon to al the three persons in trinitie I answer the actions of God are two-fold either inward or outward The inward actions are those which one person doth exercise towards another as the father doth beget the sonne this is an inward action peculiar to the father for all inward actions are proper to the persons from whome they are So the Sonne doth receiue the godhead frō the father the holy Ghost frō thē both these are inward actions peculiar to these persons So likewise for the father to send his sonne it is an inward action proper to the father cannot be cōmunicated to the holy Ghost the sonne to be sent by the father onely is a thing proper to the sonne not cōmon to the father or to the holy Ghost Now outward actions are the actions of the persons in the Trinitie to the creatures as the worke of creation the work of preseruatiō of redemption These all such actions are cōmon to all the three persons the father createth the sonne createth the H. Ghost createth so we may say of the works of gouernment of redemption of all outward actions of the persons to the creatures But some again may say how then can the work of creation being an outward action of God to the creature be peculiar to the first person the father I answer the work of creation is not so proper to the first person the father as that it cannot also be common to the rest for al the three persons ioyntly created all things of nothing onely they are distinguished in the manner of creating For the father is the cause that beginneth the worke the sonne puts it in execution the holy Ghost is the finisher of it And againe the father createth by the sonne by the H. Ghost the sonne createth by the holy Ghost frō the father the H. Ghost createth not by the father nor by the sonne but frō the father the sonne And this is the reason why the work of creation is ascribed here vnto the father because he alone createth after a peculiar manner namely by the sonne and by the holy Ghost but the sonne and the holy Ghost create not by the father but from him Thus hauing answered the obiection we come to speake of the creation it selfe In handling whereof we must withal treat of the Counsell of God as being the cause thereof of the Gouernment of the creatures as beeing a worke of God whereby he continues the creation And the order which I wil obserue is first to speake of the Counsell of God and secondly of the exequution of his Counsell which hath two speciall branches the first the creation the second the preseruation or gouernment of things created The Counsell of God is his eternal vnchangeable decree
humiliatiō in our selves Fourthly God in framing his creatures in the beginning made them good yea very good Now the goodnesse of the creature is nothing else but the perfect estate of the creature whereby it was conformable to the will and minde of the Creator allowing and approouing of it when he had made it for a creature is not first good and then approoved of God but because it is approoved of God therefore it is good But wherein will some say standes this goodnesse of the creature I answer in three things I. in the comelinesse beautie and glorie of euery worke in his kinde both in forme and constitution of the matter II. in the excellencie of the vertue which God hath giuen to it for as he hath appointed euery creature for some especiall end so he hath fitted and furnished it with sufficient power and vertue for the accomplishing of the same end III. in the exceeding benefite and profitablenesse that came by them to man But since the fall of man this goodnesse of the creature is partly corrupted and partly diminished Therefore when wee see any want defect or deformitie in any of them we must haue recourse backe againe to the apostasie of our first parents and remember our fall in them and say with a sorowfull heart this comes to passe by reason of mans most wretched sinne which hath defiled heauen and earth and drawen a curse not onely upon himselfe but upon the rest of the creatures for his sake whereby their goodnesse is much defaced Fiftly the end of creation is the glory of God as Salomon saith God made all things for his owne sake yea even the wicked for the day of evill And God propounds this principall end to himselfe not as though he wanted glorie and would purchase it unto himselfe by the creation for hee is most glorious in himselfe and his honour and praise being infinite can neither be increased nor decreased but rather that he might communicate and make manifest his glorie to his creatures and giue them occasion to magnifie the same For the reasonable creatures of God beholding his glory in the creation are mooved to testifie and declare the same among men The sixt shall be touching the time of the beginning of the world which is betweene fiue thousand and sixe thousand yeres agoe For Moses set downe exactly the computation of time from the making of the worlde to his owne daies and the Prophets after him haue with like diligence set downe the continuance of the same to the verie birth of Christ. But for the exact account of yeeres Chronologers are not all of one minde Some say there be 3929. from the creation to Christes birth as Beroaldus some 3952. as Hierome and Bede some 3960. as Luther and Io. Lucidus some 3963. as Melancthon in his Chronicle Functius some 3970. as Bullinger and Tremellius some towards 4000. as Buntingus Now from the birth of Christ to this day are 1592. yeeres and adding these together the whole time amounteth And God would haue the verie time of the beginning of the world to be revealed 1. that it might be knowen to the Church when the couenant of grace was first giuen by God to man and when it was afterward renewed and how Christ came in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. 2. that we might know that the world was not made for the eternall and euerliuing God but for man 3. that we might learne not to set our hearts on the world and on the things therein which haue beginning and end but seeke for things eternall in heauen And before the time which I haue named began there was nothing beside God the world it selfe and all things else were vncreated Some men use to obiect and say What did God doe all that while before the world was how did he imploy himselfe what was he idle Ansvver The Iewes to this bad question make as badde an answere For they say he was continually occupied in making many litle worlds which he continually destroyed as he made them because none pleased him till hee made this But we must rather say that some things are reuealed which God did then as that he decreed what should come to passe when the world was that thē the blessed persons in Trinitie did take eternall delight ech in other If any man will needs know more let him heare what Moses saith Secret things belong to the Lord our God but things revealed to vs and to our children for ever and let him marke what one eluding the question answered namely that God was making hell fire to burne all such curious persons as will needs know more of God then hee hath revealed to them for where God hath not a mouth to speake there we must not haue an eare to heare therefore wee must let such curious questions passe Seventhly some may aske in what space did God make the vvorld I ansvver God coulde haue made the world and all things in it in one moment but he began and finished the whole worke in sixe distinct daies In the first day he made the matter of all things and the light in the second the heauens in the third day he brought the sea into his compasse and made the drie land appeare and caused it to bring forth hearbs plants and trees in the fourth hee made the Sunne the Moone the Starres in the heauen in the fifth day hee made the fishes of the sea the foules of the heauen and euery creeping thing in the sixth day hee made the beastes of the field and all cattell and in the end of the sixt day he made man Thus in sixe distinct spaces of time the Lorde did make all things and that especially for three causes I. to teach men that they ought to haue a distinct and serious consideration of every creature for if God had made the world in a moment some might haue said this work is so mistical that no man can speak of it But for the preventing of this cavill it was his pleasure to make the world and all things therein in sixe dayes and the seventh day he commaunded it to be sanctified by men that they might distinctly and seriously meditate upon euerie worke of the creation II. God made the world and euery thing therein in sixe distinct daies to teach vs what wonderfull power and libertie he had ouer all his creatures for hee made the light when there was neither Sunne nor Moone nor starres to shevve that in giuing light to the world he is not bound to the Sunne to any creature or to any meanes for the light was made the first day but the Sonne the Moone and the Starres were not created before the fourth day Againe trees and plantes were created the third day but yet the Sunne Moone and the Starres and raine which nourish and make hearbs trees and plantes to growe were not created till after the third day vvhich shevves plainely
of the pardon of their sins and yet himselfe not to apprehend the same by faith A lumpe of vvax if you keepe it from heate or from the fire it keepes his ovvne forme still but if it be helde to the fire it melts and runnes abroad so ministers who by reason of their callings come neare God if they be lumps of iniquity liue in their sins they shall find that the corruptions of their hearts wil melt abroad as wax at the fire And therfore every one that is designed to this calling must first purge him selfe of his ovvne sinnes or else Gods iudgements vvill fall on him as they did on Iudas that betraied Christ. Secondly let vs consider vvhat mooued Iudas to betray his master namely the desire of vvealth and gaine this couetousnesse vvhich is an insatiable desire of mony is the roote of all sinne not that all sinnes came of it but because vvhere it is there all other sinnes are preserved and doe get strength The desire of thirtie peeces of siluer caused Iudas to make an agreement with the Iewes and to betray his master But some will say this practise of Iudas is strange and no man that liueth now would do the like for any money Ansvver Iudas is dead indeede but his practise is yet aliue for in the high and waightie calling of the ministery he that hath charge of soules and either cannot teach and feed his flock or else will not though he betray not Christ yet he betrayes the members of Christ unto the deuill If a nource should take a mans child to bring up and yet neuer giue it milke insomuch that the childe dieth for hunger is not shee the murtherer of it yes verely And so it is with him that taketh upon him the charge of Gods people and neuer feedes them with the milke of Gods vvorde or els so seldome that their soules doe famish he is the murtherer of them and hath betraied them into the handes of their enemie and shall be condemned for them as a traitour unto God unlesse he repent Besides those that liue by traffique in buying and selling make gaine by lying swearing and breaking the Lordes Sabaoth they are also Iudasses for they choppe avvay their soules with the deuill for a litle gaine And more lamentable is their case because it is harde to finde one of an hundred in the worlde that makes conscience of a lye or of any bad dealing if any gaine at all may come thereby Men use to crie out on Iudas for betraying Christ and well yet they themselues for a litle worldely pelfe betray their owne soules And if such would not be counted Iudasses they must leaue off to sinne keepe a good conscience in Gods worship the works of their callings Thirdly let us note what course Iudas tooke in betraying Christ hee was verie submisse saying Haile Master and kissed him VVhy did he so Herein hee played the most palpable hypocrite for hauing gotten a peece of money he thought that neither Christ nor any of his fellowe disciples should haue knowne of it though Christ knew it well enough therefore he comes in this manner to him thinking that he would haue conveighed him-selfe from amongst them at the verie pinch as he had done often times before And this practise also of Iudas is common in the world Iudas an enymie vnto Christ speakes him faire and salutes him and so do most of our secure and drowsie protestāts in England they will salute Christ both by hearing his worde and receauing his sacramentes and as the prophet saith they honour god with their lips but their heartes are farre from him Wee may see daylie experience of this everie man will say Lord Lord but in there lives conversations few there be that deny him not both in the dutyes which they owe unto god and also towardes there brethren Many wil come to heare gods word because they are compelled by the magistrates laws but when they are come they worship not god in therehearts which is plainly seene by the breach of gods holie saboth in euerie place and that they make more account of a messe of pottage with Esau then of their birth right and of 30 peices of siluer than of Christ The 3 pointe to be handled in Christes apprehension is that they lay hand on him wherein we must consider 2 things I. the resistance made by Christs disciples II. their flight For the first Christs disciples resisted and principally Peter drawing his sword stroke one of the hye priests seruāts cut off his eare This fact our sauiour Christ reproues that for these causes I. because his disciples were priuat men they that came to apprehend him were magistrates Secondly he was to worke the worke of mans redemption now Peter by this did what he could to hinder him And frō this practise of Peter we may learn that nothing in the worlde is so hard unto a man as to take vp his crosse follow Christ. One would thinke it should be a harde matter for him to encounter with enemies especially they being strōger then hee but Peter stoutly resisting makes nothinge of yt whereas a litle before when Christ tould him the rest concerning his passion they were so heavie with griefe that they could not hold vp there heads so hard a thing it is to beare the crosse and for this cause afterward when Christ reprooued him for striking both he all the rest of the disciples fledde away Secondly Peter in all mens reason was to be cōmended because he strake in the defēce of his master but Christ reproves him for it Whence we learne that if a mā be zealous for Christ he must be zealous within the cōpasse of his calling and not be zealous first then look for a calling but first looke for a calling then be zealous which thinge if Peter had marked he had not delt so rashlie for being without the compasse of his calling hee could not but doe amisse Heere it may be demaūded whether Christ and his religion may not be maintained by the sworde I Answere that the magistrate which is the vicegerent of the lord is the keeper of both tables therfore is to maintaine religion with the sworde and so may put to death both Atheistes which hold there is no god of which sorte there is many in these daies and hertiques which maliciously maintaine hold any thing that ouerthrowes religiō in the Churches whereof they were members But some obiect that in the parable of the field the seruants are commanded not to pluck up the tares from the wheat but to suffer both to grow till haruest and that therefore there must be no separation of heritiques and true christians before the last daye of iudgement Answer The scope of that place is not to forbid the execution of heritiques but it speaks only of the finall separation which must be in
marke that both the thieues in euery respect were equal both wicked and leud liuers and for their notorious faults both attached condemned executed both on the crosse at the same time with Christ yet for all this the one repenting was saued the other was not And in their two exāples we see the state of the whol world wherof one part is chosen to life eternall and thereupon attaines to faith and repentance in this life the rest are reiected in the eternall counsell of God for iust causes knowne to himselfe and such being left to thēselues neuer repent at all Secondly we are taught hereby that the whole worke of our conuersion and saluation must be ascribed wholly to the meere mercie of God of these two thieues the one was as deepely plunged in wickednes as the other and yet the one is saued the other condemned The like was in Iacob and Esau both borne at one time and of the same parents neither of them had done good nor euill when they were borne yet one was then loued the other was hated yea if we regard outward prerogatiues Esau was the first borne and yet was refused Furthermore the thiefe on the crosse declareth his conversion by manifest signes and fruites of repentance as appeares by the words which he spake to his fellowe Fearest not thou God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Though hands and feete were fast nailed to the crosse yet heart and tongue is at libertie to giue some tokens of his true repentance The people of this our land heare the word but for the most part are without either profit in knowledge or amendment of life yet for all this they perswade themselues that they haue good hearts good meanings though they cannot beare it a way and vtter it so wel as others But alas poore soules they are deluded by satan for a man that is conuerted can not but expresse his conuersion and bring foorth the fruits thereof And therefore our Sauiour Christ saith If a man beleeue in me out of his bellie shal flow riuers of water of life The grace as Elihu saith of God is like newe wine in a vessell which must haue a vent and therefore he that sheweth no tokens of Gods grace in this life is not as yet conuerted let him thinke say of himselfe what he will Can a man haue life and neuer mooue nor take breath and can he that bringeth forth no fruit of his conuersion liue vnto God Well let vs nowe see what were the fruites of the thiefes repentance They may be reduced to foure heads First he rebukes his fellow for mocking Christ indeauouring thereby to bring him to the same condition with himselfe if it were possible whereby he discouers vnto vs the propertie of a true repentant sinner which is to labour and striue so much as in him lieth to bring all men to the same state that he is in Thus Dauid hauing tried the great loue and fauour of God toward himselfe breaketh foorth and saith Come children hearken vnto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lorde shewing his desire that the same benefits which it pleased God to bestow on him might also in like manner be conveighed to others Therefore it is a great shame to see men professing religion carried away with euery companie and with the vanities and fashions of the world whereas they should rather draw euen the worst men that be to the fellowship of those graces of God which they haue receiued That which the Lord spake to the Prophet Ieremie must be applied to all men Let them returne vnto thee but returne not thou vnto them In instruments of musicke the string out of tune must be set vp to the rest that be in tune and not the rest to it Againe in that he checkes his fellowe it shewes that those which be touched for their owne sinnes are also grieued when they see other men sinne and offende God But to goe further in this point let vs diligently and carefully marke the manner of his reproofe Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation In which words he rippes vp his lewdnesse euen to the quicke and giues him a worthie item telling him that the cause of all their former wickednesse had beene the want of the feare of God And this point must euery one of vs marke with great diligence For if we enter into our hearts and make a thorough search wee shall finde that this is the roote and fountaine of all our offences We miserable men for the most part haue not grace to consider that we are alwaies before God and to quake and tremble at the consideration of his presence and this makes vs so often to offend God in our liues as we doe Abraham comming before Abimelech shifting for himselfe said that Sara was his sister and beeing demaunded why he did so answeared because he thought the feare of God was not in that place insinuating that he which wants the feare of God will not make conscience of any sinne whatsoeuer VVould wee then euen from the bottome of our hearts turne to God and become newe creatures then let vs learne to feare God vvhich is nothing else but this vvhen a man is persvvaded in his ovvne heart and conscience that wheresoeuer he be he is in the presence and sight of God and by reason thereof is afraide to sinne This wee must haue fully settled in our hearts if wee desire to learne but the first lesson of true wisedome But what reason vseth the thiefe to drawe his fellowe to the feare of God Thou art saith he in the same condemnation that is by thy sinnes and manifolde transgressions thou hast deserued death and it is nowe most iustly inflicted vpon thee wilt thou not yet feare God Where we are taught that temporall punishments and crosses ought to be meanes to worke in vs the feare of God for that is one ende why they are sent of God It is good for me saith Dauid that I haue beene chastised that I may learne thy statutes And Paul saith when we are chastised we are nurtured of the Lord. And the Iewes are taught by the Prophet Micah to say I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him The second fruit of his conuersion is that he condemneth himselfe and his fellow for their sinnes saying Indeede we are righteously here for we receiue things worthie for that we haue done that is we haue wonderfully sinned against Gods maiestie and against our brethren and therefore this grieuous punishment which we beare is most iust and due vnto vs. This fruit of repentance springs and growes very thinne among vs for fewe there be which doe seriously condemne themselues for their owne sinnes the manner of men is to condemne others and to cry out that the world was neuer so badde but bring them home to
cunning men cunning women is that is of charmers inchanters figure casters a bad practise Christ at his ascensiō sēt his holy spirit vnto his Church people to be their guide comforter in their calamities and miseries and therefore when any man is in distresse he should haue recourse to the right meanes of comfort namely the word sacraments there he shall finde the assistance of the holy ghost Thus the prophet Isai informeth the Iewes when they shall say unto you inquire at them which haue a spirit of divination at the soothsayers which whisper and murmure Should not a people inquire at their God from the living to the dead to the law and to the testimony Rebecca when the two twinnes stroue in her womb what did she the text saith she sent to aske the Lorde Yet commonly the men of these daies leaue God seeke to the instruments of the deuill To goe yet further God useth for sundrie causes most of all to afflict his deerest children Iudgement saieth Peter beginnes at Gods house S. Luke saieth that a certaine woman was bound of satan eighteene yeeres but what was shee a daughter of Abraham that is a child of God When the like condition shall befall any of vs let us remember the end why Christ ascended up to heauen and pray unto God that hee will giue us his spirit that therby we may be eased deliuered or els inabled to perseuere and continue in patience and this is the true way and meanes to lighten and ease the burden of all afflictions And for this cause Paul prayeth that the Colossians might be strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse For to whomsoeuer God giueth grace to beleeue to them also he giues power to suffer affliction by the inward worke of his spirite Secondly if Christ haue sent unto his church the holy spirite to be our comforter our duty is to prepare our bodies and soules to be fitte temples and houses for so worthy a guest If a man were certified that a prince would come to his house he would dresse it up haue all things in as good order as might be and shall not we much more endeauour to purifie and clense our soules and bodies from all sinne that they may be fitte temples for the entertainment of the holy ghost whom Christ Iesus hath sent to be our comforter The Shunamite was carefull to entertaine the man of God Elisha for shee saide to her husbande Let vs make him a litle chamber I pray thee with vvalles and let vs set him there a bed and a stoole a table and a candlesticke Now how much more carefull ought we be to entertaine God himselfe who is content to come and dwell with us and therefore we must adorne our bodies and soules with grace that he may lodge and suppe and dine with us as he hath promised but on the contrarie if we defile our bodies with sinne wee banish the holy ghost out of our hearts and suffer the diuell to dwell in us For the more a man defileth his bodie the fitter and cleaner it is for him And to conclude this point let us remember that saying which is used of some that Christ when hee went hence gaue us his pawne namely his spirit to assure us that hee woulde come to us againe and also hee tooke with him our pawne namely his flesh to assure us further that wee should ascend up to him Thus much for the benefites of Christes ascension Now follow the duties whereunto we are mooued and they are two First we must be here admonished to renounce the ubiquitie and the errour of the reall and essentiall presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lordes supper as flatly oppugning this article of Christs ascension into heauen For it is flat against the nature of a true body to subsist in many places at once Secondly as the Apostles then did whē they saw Christ ascending up into heauen so must we do also while he was present with them they gaue him honour but when they saw him ascending they adored him with farre greater reuerence and so must we now for the same cause bow the knees of our hearts unto him Thus much of the second degree of the exaltation of Christ Now follow the third in these wordes And sitteth at the right hand of God the father almightie In the handling whereof we are first to shewe the meaning of the wordes secondly the comforts and benefits that redound to Gods Church thirdly the duties that we are mooued unto For the meaning of the wordes if we speake properly God hath neither right hand nor left neither can he be saide to sit or stand for God is not a bodie but a spirite the words therefore containe a borrowed speech from earthly kings potentates whose manner and custome hath beene to place such persons at their right hands whome they purposed to advance to any speciall office or dignitie So king Salomon when his mother came to speake with him rose up from his throne and mette her and caused a seate to be set at his owne right hand and set her upon it in token no doubt of honour which he gaue unto her To the same purpose Dauid saith Vpon thy right hand did stand the Queene in a vesture of golde And the sonnes of Zebedeus made sute to Christ that one of them might sit at his right hand and the other at his left in his kingdome Now their request was to haue the two speciall and principall dignities of his kingdome Thus we see it is manifest that the sitting at the right hand of an earthly prince signifieth aduancement into authority and honour and therefore the same phrase of speech applied to Christ signifieth two things First his full and manifest exaltation in dignitie honour and glorie and in this sense it is saide that to him is given a name that is above all names that at the name of Iesus every knee should bovve Secondly it signifieth his full and manifest exaltation into the authoritie and gouernment of his kingdome which spreadeth it selfe ouer heauen and earth So Dauid saieth The Lorde saide vnto my Lorde Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enimies thy footstoole Which place beeing alledged by Saint Paul repeating the wordes but changing the phrase is thus set downe He shall raigne till he have put all his enemies under his feete And to speake in breefe the scope of the wordes is to shewe that Christ God and man after his ascension is advanced to such an estate in which hee hath fulnesse of glorie power maiestie and authoritie in the presence of his father and all the saintes and holy angels Furthermore in the words three circumstances must be obserued The first is the place where Christ is thus aduāced noted in
and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in respect of his outward estate and condition as in regard of the couenant made with his auncetours from which he was barred And though it be graunted that by Iacob and Esau two nations and not two persons are to be vnderstood yet all comes to one head for the receiâ—ing of the nation of the Israelites into the couenant and the excluding of the nation of the Edomites both descending of Iacob and â—sau serue as well to prooue Gods eternall election and reprobation as the receiuing and reiecting of one man Others say that these words I haâ—e hated Esau are thus to be vnderstood I haue lesse loued Esau then Iacob But how then shall we say that Paul hath fitly alleadged this text to prooue the reiection of the Iewe from the fauour of God and the Couenant of grace considering that of men whereof one is loued more of God the other lesse both may still remaine in the Couenant Lastly it is alleadged that the former exposition makes Ismael and Esau damned persons Answer Wee must leaue vnto God all secret iudgement of particular persons and yet neuerthelesse Paul doeth very fitly in there two persons both descending of Abraham and both circumcised set foorth examples of such as for all their outwarde prerogatiues are indeede barred from the couenant of life euerlasting before God And againe the opposition made by Paul requires that the contrarie to that which is spoken of Isaac and Iacob should be saide of Ismael and Esau. And there is nothing spoken of either of them in the Scriptures which argues the disposition of men ordained to eternall life Ismael is noted with the brande of a mocker and Esau of a prophane man To proceede in the text because the doctrine of Paul deliuered in the former verses might seeme straunge vnto the Romanes therefore in the 14. verse hee laies downe an obiection and answeares the same The obiection is this If God put distinction betweene man and man without respect had to their persons vpon his owne will and pleasure then hee is vniust but hee is not vniust therefore hee makes no such distinction The answeare is God forbid Whereby he denies the consequence of the proposition on this manner Though God should elect some to saluation and reiect some others and that vpon his will yet were there no iniustice with God The reason of this answeare followes in the 18. vers God hath absolute povver of will whereby without beeing bound to any creature he may and can first of all haue mercie on whome he will and secondly harden whome he wil. For the proofe of the first that God hath mercie on whome he will he laies downe the testimonie of Moses vers 15. I will haue mercie on him on whome J will shew mercie and I will haue compassion on him on whome I will haue compassion And in vers 16. makes his collection thence that it namly the purpose of God according to election v. 11. is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God that shevveth mercie Whereby hee teacheth that the free election of God in order goes before all things that may in time befall man and that therefore neither the intentions and indeauours of the minde nor the workes of our life which are the effects of election can be the impulsive causes to mooue God to choose vs to saluation The second that God hardens whome he will is confirmed and made plaine by the testimonie of Scripture concerning Pharao vers 17. In the 19. vers there followes an other obiection arising out of the answeare to the former on this manner If God will haue some to be hardened and reiected and his will can not be resisted then with no iustice can he punish them that are necessarily subiect to his decree but God will haue some to be hardened and reiected and his will can not be resisted therefore saith the aduersarie with no iustice can he punish man that is necessarily subiect to his decree Here marke that if there had beene an vniuersall election of all men and if men had beene elected or reiected according as God did foresee that they would beleeue or not beleeue the occasion of this obiection had beene cut off But let vs come to Pauls answeare In the 20. verse he takes the assumption for graunted that some are reiected because God will and that the will that is the decree of God can not be resisted and onely denies the coherence of the preposition checking the malipert pride of the aduersarie and shewing that the making of this wicked and blasphemous collection against the will of God is as if a man should sue God at the lawe and bring him as it were to the barre and pleade against him as his equall whereas indeede the creature is nothing to the creator and is absolutely to submit it selfe to his will in all things In vers 21. he proceeds to a second answeare shewing that Gods will is not to be blamed because by his absolute soueraignitie and the right of creation he hath power to chose men or to reiect and harden them And where there is right and power to doe a thing the wil of the doer is not to be blamed Now that God hath this right and power ouer his creature it is prooued by a comparison from the lesse to the greater on this manner The potter hath power ouer the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and an other to dishonour therefore may God much more make some vessells of mercie and some vessells of wrath prepared to destruction The first part of the comparison is vers 21. the second part vers 22 23. And least any man should thinke that God makes vessells of honour and dishonour without sufficient and iust cause in himselfe as the potter may doe therfore he sets downe ends of the will of God he makes vessels of dishonour to shew his wrath and to make manifest his power and againe he condemnes no man till he haue suffered him with long patience And he makes vessels of honour that he might declare the riches of his glorie vpon them Hence it is manifest first that the ende of predestination is the glorie of God which is to be made manifest partly in his iustice and partly in his mercie secondly that men are not elected or refused of God for their foreseene corruptions or vertues for then Paul would not haue said that God made vessells of dishonour but that beeing so alreadie he left them in their dishonour Thus from the 6. verse of this chapter to the 24. Paul hath described vnto vs the doctrine of Gods eternall predestination and that by the iudgement of Diuines in all ages The order of Gods predestination is this It is the propertie of the reasonable creature to conceiue one thing after an
it is an untruth We must distinguish betweene Gods purpose to hate and actuall hating Now indeede God before all worldes did purpose to hate some creatures and that iustly so farre forth as his hating of them will serue for the manifestation of his iustice but he neither hates them indeed nor loues thē before they are and therefore actuall hatred comes not in till after the creation Whō God hath decreed to loue thē whē they are once created he begins to loue in Christ with actual loue whom he hath decreed to hate them being once created he hates in Adā with actuall hatred Thirdly it is obiected that by this doctrine god shalbe the authour of sinne for he which ordaines to the end ordaines to the means of the end but God ordaines men to the end that is the dānation therfore he ordaines them to the means therof that is sin Ans. The propositiō being thus understood he which ordains a man to an end in the same order maner ordaines him to the meanes is false For one may be ordained to the ende simply the end being simply good and yet not be simply ordained to the meanes because they may be evill in them selues and onely good in part namely so farre forth as they haue respect of goodnesse in the minde of the ordainer Secondly the assumption is false for the supreme ende of Gods counsell is not damnation but the declaration of his iustice in the iust destruction of the creature neither doth God decree mans damnation as it is damnation that is the ruine of man and the putting of him forth to perishment but as it is a reall execution of iustice Thirdly wee must make distinction betwene sin it selfe the permissiō thereof and betweene the Decree of reiection and Actuall damnation now the permission of sinne and not sinne it selfe properly is the subordinate meanes of the decree of Reiection For when God had decreed to refuse some men hee withall decreed the permission of sinne to which permission men were ordained and sinne it selfe is no effect but onely the consequent of the decree yet so as it is not onely the antecedent but also the efficient and meritorious cause of actuall damnation The third point is the reall foundation of the execution of this decree which is condemnation and that is the voluntarie fall of Adam and of all his posteritie in him with the fruite thereof the generall corruption of mans nature For howsoeuer God hath purposed to refuse men because it so pleased him yet when his purpose comes to executiō he condemnes no man but for his sinnes and sinne though it were not in the counsell of God an impulsiue cause that mooued him to purpose a refusall yet was it a subordinate meanes of damnation God in wonderfull wisedome ordering and disposing the execution of this decree so as the whole blame and fault of mans destruction should be in him selfe And therefore the Lorde in the Prophet Ose saith One hath destroyed thee but I will helpe thee that is saluation is of God the condemnation of men is frō them selues Now whereas many deprauing our doctrine say that we ascribe unto God an absolute decree in which hee doth absolutely ordaine men to damnation they may here be answered If by absolute they understand that which is opposed to conditionall then we hold and auouch that all the eternall decrees of God are simple or absolute and not limited or restrained to this or that condition or respect If by absolute they understand a bare and naked decre without reason or cause then wee denie Gods decrees to be absolute For though the causes thereof be not knowen to us yet causes there be knowen to him and iust they are yea the verie will of God it selfe is cause sufficient it being the absolute rule of iustice And though men in reason can not discerne the equitie and iustice of Gods will in this point yet may we not thereupon conclude that therefore it is uniust The Sunne may shine clearely though the blind man see it not And it is a flat mistaking to imagine that a thing must first of all be iust in it selfe and then afterward be willed of God Whereas contrariwise God must first will a thing before it can be iust The will of God doeth not depend upon the qualitie and nature of the thing but the qualities of things in order of causes follow the will of God For euerie thing is as God willes it Lastly if it be called an absolute decree because it is done without all respect to mans sinne then we still denie it to be absolute For as God condemnes man for sinne so hee decreed to condemne him for and by his sinne yet so as if the question be made what is the cause why hee decrees rather in his iustice to condemne this man then that man no other reason can be rendred but his will The last point is the ende of Gods decree namely the manifestation of his iustice as Salomon saieth The Lord hath made all thinges for his ovvne sake and the vvicked for the day of evill And Paul saieth that God made vessels of wrath to shevve his vvrath and to make his povver knowen Thus we haue seene what Reprobation is Nowe followes the execution thereof for that which God decrees before time in time he executes And here a speciall rule to be remēbred is this Those which are ordained to iust dānation are likewise ordained to be left to them selues in this worlde in blindnesse of minde and hardnesse of heart so as they neither shall nor will repent of their sinnes The truth of this wee may see in Gods worde For S. Peter speaking of the Priests and doctours and chiefe of the people among the Iewes saieth plainely They stumbled at the word and are disobedient Why so The reason is there set downe because they were ordained unto it of olde And so Paul saith to the Corinthians that hee handled not the worde of God deceitfully but in the declaration of the trueth hee approoved himselfe to euerie mans conscience in the sight of God Now hereupon it might be saide how then comes it to passe that all receiue not the gospell in Corinth and to this hee answeres with a terrible sentence If saieth hee our gospell be hid it is hid to them that perish giuing us to understand that god leaues them to themselues in this worlde whome hee purposeth to refuse And the Lord by the prophet Esai saieth of the Iewes By hearing they shall heare and not understand and by seeing they shall see and not perceive least they should heare with their eares and see vvith their eyes and vnderstande with their hearts and so turne and be saved The use of this rule is manifolde first it serueth to ouerthrow the opinion of carnall men which reason thus If I be ordained to damnation let me liue neuer so godly and well I am sure
execration Mara-natha that is pronounced accursed to euerlasting destruction Whence it appeares that the Church hath power to pronounce men reiected to euerlasting damnation upon some special occasions though I dare not say ordinarily and usually The primitiue Church with one consent praied against Iulian the Apostata the praiers made were not in vaine as appeared by his fearefull end As for priuate and ordinary men for the tempering and rectifying of their iudgements in this case they must follow two rules The one is that euerie member of the Church is bound to beleeue his owne election It is the commandement of God binding the very conscience that we should beleeue in Christ Now to beleeue in Christ is not onely to put our affiance in him and to be resolued that we are iustified and sanctified and shalbe glorified by him but also that we were elect to saluatioa in him before the beginning of the world which is the foundation of the rest Againe if of things that haue necessarie dependance one upon another we are to beleeue the one then we are to beleeue the other Now electiō adoptiō are things conioyned the one necessarily dependes upon the other For all the elect as Paul saith are predestinate to adoption wee are to beleeue our owne adoption therefore also our election The second rule is that concerning the persons of those that be of the Church wee must put in practise the iudgement of charitie that is to esteeme of them as of the elect of God till God make manifest otherwise By vertue of this rule the ministers of Gods word are to publish and preach the Gospell to all without exceptiō It is true indeed there is both wheat darnell in Gods field chaffe corne in Gods barne fish drosse in Gods net sheep goates in Christs fold but secret iudgements belong unto God and the rule of loue which is to thinke and wish the best of others is to be followed of us that professe faith working by loue It may be demanded what we are to iudge of them that as yet are enemies of Christ. Ans. Our duty is to suspēd our iudgements concerning their finall estate for we know not whether God will call them or no and therefore we must rather pray for their conversion then for their confusion Againe it may be demanded what is to be thought of all our ancetours forefathers that liued died in the times whē Popery took place Ans. We may well hope the best thinke that they were saued for though the Papacie be not the Church of God and though the doctrine of popery race the foundation yet neuerthelesse in the very midst of the Romane papacie God hath alwaies had a remnant which haue in some measure truly serued him In the olde Testament when open idolatrie took place in all Israel God saith to Eliah I have reserved 7. thousand to my self that never bowed knee to Baal the like is hath bin in the generall apostasie under Antichrist S. Iohn saith that when the woman fled into the vvildernes for a time euen then there was a remnant of her seed which kept the cōmandements of God have testimony of Iesus Christ. And againe when ordinary meanes of saluation faile then God can doth make a supply by means extraordinary therfore there is no cause why we should say that they were condemned Thirdly it may be demāded whether the cōmō iudgemēt giuen of F. Spira that hee is a reprobate be good or no Ans. we may with better warrāt say no then any mā say yea For what gifts of discerning had they which came to visit him in his extremitie what reasons induced them to giue this peremptorie iudgement He said himselfe that he was a reprobate that is nothing a sick mans iudgement of himselfe is not to be regarded Yea but he despaired a senslesse reasō for so doth many a man yeere by yeere that very often as deeply as euer Spira did yet by the good help of the ministery of the worde both are may be recouered And they which wil auouch Spira to be a reprobate must go further prooue 2. things that he despaired both wholly and finally which if they can not proue we for our parts must suspende our iudgementes and they were much to blame that first published the booke Lastly it may be demādend what is to be thought of thē that make very fearful ends in rauing blaspheming Ans. Such strāge behauiours are oftētimes the fruites of violent diseases which torment the body bereaue the minde of sense reason therfore if the persons liued wel we must thinke the best for we are not by outward things to iudge of the estate of any man Salomon saith that all things come alike to all the same condition to the iust to the wicked Thus much of the parts of predestination Now followes the use thereof it concernes partly our iudgemēts partly our affectiōs partly our liues The uses which concerne iudgement are 3. And first by the doctrine of predestinatiō we learne that there cā not be any iustification of a sinner before God by his workes For Gods election is the cause of iustification because whome God electeth to saluation after this life them he electeth to be iustified in this life Now election it selfe is of grace and of grace alone as Paul saieth Election is by grace and if it be of grace it is no more of workes or else were grace no grace therefore iustification is of grace and of grace alone And I reason thus The cause of a cause is the cause of all things caused but grace alone is the cause of predestination which is the cause of our vocation iustification sanctification c. Grace therefore is also the alone cause of all these Therefore the scriptures ascribe not onely the beginning but also the continuāce accomplishment of all our happinesse to grace For first as election so vocation is of grace Paul saieth God hath called vs not according to our vvorkes but according to his purpose and grace Againe faith in Christ is of grace So it is saide To you it is given to beleeve in Christ. Also the iustification of a sinner is of grace So Paul saieth plainely to the Romanes you are iustified freely by his grace Againe sanctification and the doing of good workes is of grace So it is saide Wee are his vvorkemanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good vvorkes vvhich God hath ordained that vvee shoulde vvalke in them Also perseverance in good workes and godlinesse is of grace So the Lorde saieth I vvill make an everlasting covenant vvith them that I will neuer turne avvay from them to doe them good but I will put my feare in their heartes that they shall not depart from mee Lastly life euerlasting is of grace So Paul saieth Life everlasting
childe layeth wormewoode or some other bitter thing vpon her brest to make the childe loathe the milke so likewise God makes vs often feele the miseries and crosses of this life that our loue and liking might be turned from this worlde and fixed in heauen As raw flesh is loathsome to the stomacke so is euerie sinner and unmortified man loathsome unto God till the Lorde by afflictions mortifie in him the corruptions of his nature and specially the loue of this worlde But when a man is afflicted how shall hee be able to endure the crosse Surely by resoluing himselfe that the Lorde hath prepared life euerlasting for him Thus wee reade that Moses by faith when he was come to age refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs ' daughter and choosed rather to suffer adversitie vvith the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt But I pray you what mooued Moses to be of this minde The reason is added Because he had respect to the recompence of reward that is he had alwaies a speciall regard to life euerlasting that was it that made him content and willing to suffer affliction with Gods people in the land of Goshen Here then behold a notable president for us to follow In which wee are taught that the best way to indure afflictions with patience is to haue an eye to the recompence of reward this is it that makes the yoke of Christ easie and lightsome When it shall please God to bring unto us a cup of affliction and bid us drinke a draught thereof to the verie bottom the meditation of life eternall must be as sugar in our pockets to sweeten the cup withall Lastly if this be true that God of his goodnesse endlesse mercie towardes mankind hath prepared life euerlasting yet not for all men but for the elect whose names are written in the booke of life we must aboue all thinges in this world seeke to be partakers of the same Let us receiue this as from the Lorde and lay it to our hearts whatsoeuer we doe euening or morning day or night whether we be young or old rich or poore first we must seeke for the kingdome of heauen and his righteousnesse If this benefit were common to all and not proper to the Church lesse care might be had but seeing it is proper to some alone for this verie cause let all our studies be to obtaine the beginnings of life euerlasting euen in this life For if we haue it not whosoeuer wee be it had bene better for us that we had neuer bene borne or that we had bene borne dogges and toades then men for when they die there is an end of their miserie but man if hee loose everlasting happinesse hath ten thousand millions of yeeres to liue in miserie and in the torments of hell and when that time is ended hee is as farre from the ende of his miserie as hee was at the beginning Wherefore I pray you let not the deuill steale this meditation out of your hearts but be carefull to repent of all your sinnes and to beleeue in Christ for the pardon of them all that by this meanes yee may come to haue the pawne and earnest of the spirite concerning life euerlasting euen in this world What a miserable thing is it that men should liue long in this world and not so much as dreame of another life till the last gaspe But we must not suffer satan thus to abuse and bewitch vs for if we haue not eternall life in this world we shall neuer haue it Hitherto by Gods goodnesse I haue shewed the meaning of the Creede now to drawe to a conclusion the generall vses which are to be made of it follow And first of all we learne by it that the Church of Rome hath no cause to condemne us for heretikes for we doe truly hold and beleeue the whole Apostolicall Symbole or Creed which is an epitome of the scriptures and the verie keie of faith It will be said that we denie the Popes supremacie iustification by workes purgatorie the sacrifice of the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead the invocation and intercession of saintes c. which are the greatest pointes of religion It is true indeed we denie and renounce them as doctrines of deuils perswading our selues that if they indeed had beene Apostolicall and the verie grounds and pillars of religion as they are now auouched to be they should in no wise haue bin left forth of the Creed For it is an ouersight in making a confession of faith to omit the principall points and rules of faith It will be further saide that in the Creed we beleeue the Church so consequētly are to beleeue all these former points which are taught and avouched by the Church but this defence is foolish For it takes this for graunted that the Church of Rome is the Church here ment which we denie unlesse they can proue a particular Church to be vniversall or Catholicke Nay I adde further that the principall grounds of popish faith for which they contend with us as for life and death are not mentioned in any other Creedes which were made by the Churches councels for many hundred yeres after Christ. Secondly the Creed serues as a storehouse of remedies against all troubles temptations whatsoeuer I. If a man be grieued for the losse of earthly riches let him consider that he beleeues God to be his Creatour who will therfore guide and preserue his owne workemanship by his prouidēce minister all things needfull unto it And that he hath not lost the principall blessing of all in that he hath God to be his father Christ to be his redeemer the H. ghost to be his comforter and that considering he lookes for life eternall he is not to be ouermuch carefull for this life that Christ being our Lord will not forsake us being the seruāts in his own house but will prouide things needfull for us II. If any man be grieued in respect of outward disgrace and contempt let him remember that he beleeues in Christ crucified and that therefore hee is to reioyce in contempt for righteousnesse sake III. They which are troubled for the decease of friends are to comfort themselues in the cōmunion of saints and that they haue God the father Christ and the holy ghost for their friends IIII. Against bodily captivitie let men consider that they beleeue in Christ their Lord whose seruice is perfect libertie V. Against the feare of bodily diseases we must remember the resurrection of the bodie in which all diseases and infirmities shalbe abolished VI. If a man feare the death of the body let him consider that hee beleeues in Christ which died vpon the crosse who by death hath vanquished death VII The feare of persecution is restrained if we call to remembrance