had he lost that his saluation but he speakes otherwise he saith onely restore comfort vnto me for a true belieuer when that he falleth into sinnes the holy spirit for all that remaineth in him yet it doth not cherish his conscience but it groweth sad and heauy and so ceaseth to bee glad and merry before times he vsed to be he doth therfore desire of God that hee would take away this sadnesse and heauinesse of heart from him and that hee would restore vnto him a ioyfull and gladsome spirit I haue heard as touching the fruit of Iustification what is that you told me was necessarily conioyned and annexed thereunto Because the iust man falls seuen timeseuen in a day therefore to Iustification there must alwaies bee adioyned Repentance True repentance of what parts doth it consist Of two parts one of them as it were contrary vnto the the other to wit griefe or sorrow for sinnes committed and the offending or displeasing of God and then comfort and confidence of the forgiuenesse of sinnes which is to be had by and for the merits of Christ. See the 467. page of my Syst. of Diuinity and in the comment vpon Vrsins Catechisme page 640. Here note a double error of the Papists whereof the first is That vnto true repentance there is required Confession to a Priest To which error we oppose our iudgements First because such a Confession is no where commanded of God Secondly because there is no one example for it of any Saint throughout the whole booke of God no example I say but which teacheth vs to make confession of our sinnes only to God So doth Dauid Psalm 51. Against thee onely haue I sinned O Lord. And the Publicane Luke 18. Standing in thâ— Temple confessed his sinnes onely to God and thence went away iustified Whereupon saith Chryst. Confesse thy sinnes to God for to doe this to man it is not safe for thee for that men may either discouer them or vpbrayd thee with them The other Popish error is that Repentance which they call Pennance is satisfactory as if wee by our repentance did satisfie for our sinnes vnto which detestable errour those places of the holy Bible are to be opposed by which we haue before made cleare that the passion of Christ doth sufficiently satisfie for all our sinnes You haue already sufficiently instructed me about Redemption now take the paines I pray you to instruct me about sanctification Sanctification Regenaration and new Obedience or conuersion vnto God are all one in signification And it is nothing els saue the changing of our depraued or corrupt nature into better and then a setled resolution to auoyd sinne hereafter and to frame our liues to some newe course which may bee pleasing vnto God and beseeming our profession of Faith and Religion which regeneration in this life certainely cannot bee perfect but onely inchoate and alwaies conioyned with a combating and a reluctance against sinne or of the flesh and the spirit As the Apostle very largely setts it downe Rom. 7. Galat. 5. The good saith he that I would I doe not But in that other life we shal perfectly be regenerated sanctified and reformed vnto the Image of God yet for all this Gods will it is our regeneration should bee begun in this life and that good workes bee done by vs as our Sauiour commandeth Math. 5. Let your light so shine before men c. 2. Peter 1.16 Labour to make your vocation and election sure by good workes that is Labour to giue vnto your selues a sure and to others an euident testimonie that you haue true Faith from whence doe spring and arise good workes for Faith without workes is dead and indeed is no Faith 1. Thess. 4. This is the will of God euen your Sanctification Rom. 6.12 Make your members hencefoorth weapons of righteousnesse And most dreadfull is that speach Heb. 13. Without holinesse none shall see God Wherefore if it be demanded whether good workes are necessary vnto Saluation I answer That if wee take Saluation for our first entry thereunto namely Remission of sinnes and iustification then good workes are not necessary because it is most necessarily required that first our sinnes be forgiuen vs before wee can doe any good works pleasing vnto God good workes therefore are of no force to procure remission of sinnes which we doe obtaine onely by Faith contrary to the Papists tenent but if the word be not taken for the remission of sins but for life eternall which hereafter we shal be possessed of there is neede then of good works as a meane and way but not as any meritorious cause of saluation for then indeede shall we bee cloathed vpon if we be not found naked that is in that other life we shall be fully renewed conformed if that we begin that reformation and sanctification in this life And this is that which the Apostle speaketh Heb. 7.14 Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which none shall see the Lord. How many parts are there of our Sanctification Two Good workes and Prayer For in these two standeth our whole Regeneration and conuersion namely to doe good workes and dayly to call vpon God by Prayer What are good Workes or what things are required vnto Works which are good or pleasing vnto God Three things be requisit to good workes First that they spring from a true Faith For Whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6 Without Fath it is impossible to please God c. Secondly that they bee commanded by God for what works soeuer are enioyned by men and not by God those are not good works Ezech. 9.19 You must walke in my Commandements and not in the Commandements of your Fathers Matth. 18.9 They worship me in vaine teaching for doctrines mens precepts Thirdly that our good works bee alwaies referred to the glory of God and not vnto vaine glory hypocrisie 1. Cor. 11.31 Doe all vnto the glory of God Mat. 5.16 That men seeing your good workes may glorifie your Father which is in heauen Hereby may easily be discerned what is to bee thought of the most of the Papists workes wherewith they thinke that they worshippe GOD such as are their Watchings and Pilgrimages to holy places and adoring of Churches with Shrines and Images for such workes are no good workes First because they are not done out of Faith but out of a most pestilent opinion of meriting and satisfying for sinnes Secondly because they are not commanded by God but inuented and appointed by Popes and Bishops against the expresse commandement of God as that of Fasting and abstaining from Flesh on Friday which manner of Fasting and difference of meate is expressely against the Word of God Matt. 15. That which entreth into the mouth doth not defile the man but that which commeth out of the mouth that defileth the man 1. Tim. 4. The Apostle expressly and plainely nameth the Forbidding of certaine meates
consisteth First that we are sinners And secondly that we for sinners are lyable to temporall and eternall punishments What is sinne It is a stepping aside from that rule of perfection and righteousnesse which God requireth at our hands Or it is whatsoeuer is repugnant to the Law of God What sorts of sinne be there Two Originall and Actuall What is Originall sinne It is that staine and corruption of humane nature of the vnderstanding and will of man whereby a man euen from his very birth is carryed and haled along to sinfull actions of this sinne speaketh the Scripture Gen. 6.5 The imaginations and thoughts of mans heart are onely euill continually Psal. 51.7 In iniquitie was I formed and conceiued and in sinne hath my mother brought me forth that is My sinne was conceiued and borne with me Rom. 5.12 By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne Also By the disobedience of one man many were made sinners What is actuall sinne It is that obliquitie or prauity by which the actions and doings of a man are carried in a course contrarie to the Law of God or else when a man offends against the will of God not onely in inclination and pronenesse but in deed it selfe I haue heard of the former part of mans miserie namely of sinne what is the other part of humane misery The punishment of sinne How many kinds of punishments for sinne be there Two Temporary and Eternall Temporary punishment what is it It is that misery which a man endures in this life as pouerty disgrace diseases and at the last death it selfe which is called the wages of sinne Rom. 6. What is eternall punishment It is that vnspeakable sorrow torment and disgrace which the damned shall suffer in hell with the diuell and his Angles I conceiue now the parts of mans miserie shew mee also the exemplarie cause whereby as in a glasse I may come to the knowledge of my miserie The glasse wherein we may perfectly see our misery is that high and strict rigour of the law of God both in exacting that righteousnes which wee are neuer able to performe and also in threatning most grieuous punishments which they must abide which doe not satisfie the Law of God either by themselues or by another Whence may wee know that rigour of Gods Law First euen by euery Commandement of the Decalogue of which wee cannot in this life performe so much as one perfectly the summe of which Commandements are contained in those words which Saint Matthew hath Chap. 22. Luke 10 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God c. Secondly by those grieuous comminations which are added to these Commandements Cursed is euery one that abideth not c Deut. 27.26 Gal 3.10 This then is our greatest misery that wee cannot satisfie the Law of God sithence wee are not able nor apt of our selues to thinke any good 2. Cor. 3.5 and consequently that according to Gods word wee must be cursed both in this life and in the life to come vnlesse wee can obtaine from the great mercy of God redemption and remission of our sinnes which is another thing euen an excellent remedy agaist our misery that this heauenly discipline setteth out vnto vs and which we meane now to handle The second part of this celestiall Science which is touching the freeing of Man from his misery that is from sinne and the punishment of sinne I Know well my misery I would gladly know how I may be freed from this misery or what remedy there is for these diseases of my soule The remedy is two fold either primâ— and independant or secondarie and depending of the former Which is the prime or independant remedie It is our free predestination and election wheâ— by God hath decreed from all eternity to redeeme and saue euerlastingly some certaine men by his Son of which these sayings of the scripture beare witnesse Ephes. 2.4 5. Hee hath elected vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were layd Hee hath predestinated vs whom he might adopt for sonnes in Christ Iesus euen out of the good pleasure of his owne will Rom 8 vers 30. Whom he hath predestinated them also he called Rom. 9. I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy therefore election is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God which sheweth mercie Psalm 15.16 Acts 13. vers 4 5. And so many of them as were predestinated vnto life eternall belieued Mat. 20. vers 16. Many are called but few elected I haue heard as touching the prime remedy of our misery to wit election vnto life eternall now instruct me in the other kind of remedy That is diuided into three heads 1. Redemption 2. Iustification 3. Sanctification What is Redemption It is the setting of vs free from sinne and the punishment of sinne wrought by Christ Iesus the Son of God our Redeemer How many things offer themselues to be considered about our Redemption Two the efficient cause or Author of Redemption Secondly the obiect of it whereunto redemption appertaineth Who is our Redeemer Iesus Christ for he is made vnto vs of God Wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.36 1. Tim. 3 16. There is one Mediatour betwixt God and man euen the man Christ Iesus How many things are we to consider in Christ our Redeemer Two his person and his office How many things are there to bee considered in the Person of Christ Two to wit the parts of it and there Vnion Of how many parts doth the person of Christ consist Of two the diuine nature and the humane And this I proue that Christ consisteth on these two Natures because hee is true God and true man That he is true God wee haue spoken before when wee proued the Son to bee God And truly that there is another Nature in the Son of God besides the humane nature may bee proued by two manifest arguments the former whereof is this In what person soeuer there is made a distinction limitation so that one thing is attributed to it by reason of one part and another thing agreeth vnto it by reason of another part in that person of necessity there must be two natures but in the Person of Christ there is such a limitation Ergo. The Minor is proued out of Rom. 1.3 where the Apostle saith that the Son of God was made the seed of Dauid according to his flesh Whereupon it necessarily followeth that there is another thing in Christ besides his flesh for when as I say that man is immortall according to his soule it must needs follow that there is som other thing in man beside his soule for euery limitation argueth a diuersity in that which is limited The other argument is to whom many things are attributed which can in no wise agree to humane nature in him there must needes be another nature or essence distinct from the
humane nature But vnto Christ many things are so attributed Ergo. The minor is proued by that Iohn 8. v. 19. Verely Verely I say vnto you Before Abraham was I am This can by no meanes be vnderstood of the humane nature because Christs Natiuity was two thousand yeares after Abraham That trifling exposition which the Samosateuian Heretikes giue of this place before Abraham was to wit the father of the faithfull I am is altogether vnsound and not sounding with the text neither with the scope and intention of Christ in this place For he was to answer to the obiection of the Iewes who had said in the verse going before Thou art not yet fiftie yeares old and hast thou seene Abraham Now what an answer should this haue beene if he had said Before Abraham was the father of the faithfull I am for that should haue beene as ridiculous an answer as if when one should say to me thou art not yet forty yeares old and hast thou seene Sigismund king of Polonia and I should answer Before my sonne shall get a sonne and be a father I am would not all laugh at such an answer giuen to that question and that Christ is Man it needes no prouing because all grant it Why is not the sole humane nature of Christ called a Person as well as euery one of vs be called persons Although the humane nature of Christ consisteth of a soule and a body euen as we doe notwithstanding it can not subsist a part by it selfe without adioyning it to the diuine nature whereas we can subsist euery one by himselfe seuerally otherwise he is like vnto vs in other things sinne only excepted as the Scripture witnesseth Heb. 2. v. 14. Because therefore the children are partakers of flesh and blood euen Christ also was made partakers of them And v. 16. He tooke not the Angels but the seede of Abraham whereupon hee ought to bee made like vnto all his brethren in substance namely according to his soule and body Which may be obserued against the Vbiquitaries who conceit there was another kind of humane substance in Christ then such as we haue namely such a one as can be in one and the selfe-same instant of time euery where in all places both in heauen and earth and so they confound the diuine and humane nature one with the other I haue heard what be the parts of Christs Person now shew me what is the vnion of those two parts in Christs Person It is that indissoluble knot wherby the humane nature is so surely tied vnto the diuine and the diuine nature so linked to the humane that of them two is made but one Person and that those natures for euer cannot be dis-ioyned the one from the other What are we to consider in this vnion Two things to wit The cause of the vnion of the two natures in Christ and then the proprieties of this vnion What is the cause of the vnion of these two natures in Christ The conception of the humane nature in the Virgin Maries wombe wrought by the Holy Ghost and then the Natiuitie and Incarnation whereby after that most straite coniunction of the humane nature with the diuine in the Virgin Maries wombe the man Christ was borne and brought forth into this light See Syst. Theolog pag. 323. How many proprieties hath this vnion Three First that it is exceeding fast and sure Secondly that it can not possible be dissolued Thirdly that by reason thereof those things that agree only to the one nature are notwithstanding attributed to the whole Person because of either of those two natures See Syst. Theolog pag. 320. I haue heard as touching the Person of Christ now it remaines that I be instructed in the office of Christ and first of all that you tell mee how the office of Christ is called generally It is in generall termed the office of a Mediatour What is a Mediatour Generally a Mediatour importeth such an one as doth reconcile the party offending to the party offended which reconciliation consisteth in these three things 1 The Mediatour must take intercession for him that hath grieued the partie offended 2. He must satisfie the partie offended for the iniurie and wrong done 3. He must promise and likewise prouide that the offender shall not offend any more And therefore when we say Christ is a Mediatour it is as if we say that Christ is that Person that hath appeased God whom Mankinde by their sinnes had most grieuously offended and who hath giuen satisfaction to the iustice of God by his Passion and Death who prayeth for sinners and applyeth his merit vnto them by faith who regenerateth them by his holy Spirit that they may begin in this life to hate sinne and to be warie that they offend God no more Of how many sorts is the office of Christ our Mediatour Of three sorts Propheticall Sacerdotall and Regall in regard wherof our Sauiour is called Christ i. e. anointed and appointed vnto this triple office because in the Old Testament by Gods own command there were anointed Prophets Priests and Kings Which is the Propheticall office of Christ and in what doth it consist It consists in two things 1. In the Office of teaching And 2. in the Efficacie of his teaching for Christ is called a Prophet 1. Because hee hath reuealed God and Gods will vnto Angels and vnto men For God could no otherwise be knowne then by the Sonne according vnto that The Sonne who is in the bosome of the Father he hath reuealed him vnto vs. 2. Because hee hath appointed and preserued in his Church the Ministery of the Gospel and bestoweth on his Church able Teachers and Ministers fitting and furnishing them with gifts necessarie for teaching Ephes. 4. v. 3. Christ hath giuen some to be Prophets other to be Apostles and Teachers 3. Because he is powerfull by the Ministerie of the Word and inclineth the hearts of such men as are elect to beleeue and obey the Gospell Luk. 24. v. 25. Then he opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures Act. 16. v 14. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend vnto those things which were spoken by Paul Which is the Priestly Office of Christ and wherein doth it consist It consists in three things 1. In the purging of our sinnes 2 In the vertue and applying of that purgation 3. In his Intercession for vs for as the Priest in the Old Testament had two Officers the one to make attonement for sinne and the other to pray for the people So likewise the Priestly Office of Christ heerein consisteth 1. That he should offer himselfe as a Sacrifice to his eternall Father for our sinnes 2. That he should make intercession for vs vnto his eternall Father What are there to be considered in the first part of Christs Priestly Office to wit in the satisfaction for our sinnes There be two namely the causes
as Eagles soaring vp to heauen by hauing carefull meditations on heauenly and inuisible things arising from the due consideration of the things themselues offered vnto vs that is the outward elements of bread and wine as also from a regardfull contemplation of euery action in that holy ministration First therefore when wee see the bread and wine set before vs on the Lords Table we know that they are appointed for the nourishing strengthening of our bodies but here wee must not stay Our hearts heereby are to be led to meditate on the body and bloud of Christ which is appointed to be our soules nourishment to feed vs to eternall life for so he professeth of himselfe Ioh. 6.55 My flesh is meat indeed my blood is drink indeed Secondly when wee see the breaking of the bread and powring out of the wine our hearts are to bee led to the meditation on the cruell death of the Crosse which Christ suffered for the remission of our sinnes when his most blessed body was broken and his most precious blood shed for the redemption of mankind Againe when wee see that the bread which is broken and giuen vnto vs by the Minister is all of the same loafe or at the least of the same graine and the wine whereof wee drinke that it commeth from the same grapes and receiued by vs in the same cup wee are hereby to bee led to the meditation on that communion which we haue with al Gods Saints which are partakers of those holy mysteries and to the consideration of that vnion which wee haue or should haue among our selues as members of one mysticall body whereof C. Iesus is the head Lastly when we eate that holied bread and drinke that consecrated wine wee know that they turne to nutriment for our bodies and so consequently that they grow into one substance hereby are wee led to a further meditation on our incorporation into Christ Iesus to be made one with him and hee with vs so that hereby we may assure our hearts of our reconciliation with God and of all the benefits of Christs death and passion for seeing Christ is become ours how shal not God with Christ giue vs all things And these are those holy Meditations whereupon we must bestow the best of our thoughts in that so sacred a businesse now as touching the triall of our soules after the receiuing of those holy mysteries note but this After that the Lord hath fed our soules so graciously at his owne table we must take heed we proue not vnthankfull to the louing kindnesse of the Lord. And therefore it is required of vs and that not for a day or a weeke or some small time but euen for euer continually to retaine a thankfull remembrance of those blessings whereof we are made partakers in Christ Iesus as also neuer to let slip out of our mind that interchangeable promise which hath past betwixt God and vs. The Lord promising to be our God and wee promising henceforth to become Gods faithfull obedient seruants to serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the remainder of our life Whence the ordinarie custome in these dayes may worthily bee reprehended for howsoeuer men for a day or a short space seeme to haue a Christian sense of that holy duty whereto they haue bound themselues by their promise yet notwithstanding within a while they returne with the dogge to the vomit and with the Sow to wallowing in the mire Wherefore to good purpose it is that we propose to our hearts a triall of our selues euen after our receiuing for though a man by the sight of the soyle may gather by some gesse what fruit wil come vp yet when he sees the fruit the matter is farre more sure And therefore because those Accidents Antecedent as repentance from dead workes faith in Christ and louâ— toward men may sometime deceiue vs it is good to put the matter out of all doubt to trie our selues afterward if we can heare the Word more ioyfully if wee trauell for the righteousnesse of faith more soundly make the score of our sins lesse then they were before And these indeed are comfortable fruits of the truth of our holinesse FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Recapitulation of the chiefe Points handled in this Treatise CHristian Religion is the seruing of God in Christ. The actions thereof are 3 most eminently 1. Meditation of Gods VVord which testifies of Christ. 2. Pâ—ayer vnto God through Christ. 3. The vse of the Sacraments instituted by Christ. Of the two first elsewhere here onely of the third Page 1. seqq That wee may vse the Sacraments aright wee haue need of Preparation which in this Booke is both largely deciphered and concisely proposed Preparation largely deciphered consists in 2. things Knovvledge and Devotion Our knowledge is either generall in points of Religion or particular about a Sacrament Our generall knowledge is either primarie and independant or secondarie and deriued The primary and independant consists of a double doctrine â— Of God according to the Essence which is one persons which are there Pag. 4. II. Of Gods VVord or the Scripture of which see the definition pa. II. The diuision which is threefold p. II. The properties which are 3 I. It deriues its authoritie from God alone pa. 16.2 It is perfect and sufficient to saluation p. 20. 3. In the Articles of Faith and matters necessary to saluation it is easie and perspicuous pa. 23 The secondarie and deriued knowledge consists of two parts I. Of the End it selfe Saluation considered in respect of the life to come perfect or this present life inchoate p. 29. II. Of the Meanes to come by that End and that 's a double knowledge I. Of thy Miserie II. Of the Remedie for thy miserie Thy misery is throughly knowne by the consideration of 4. things I. That which went before miserie the Image of God II. The Efficient cause of thy misery Adamâ— fall III. The parts thereof to wit Sinne Originall and Actuall and the punishment for sin Temporall and Eternall IV. The Exemplary cause or glasse representing thy miserie which is the rigour of the Lavv. pag. 32. seqq The remedie for thy miserie is twofold Prime and Independant which is Predestination to lise pag. 40. Or secondary and dependant diuided into 3. heads Redemption Iustification Sanctification Redemption here is I. defined II. it is further opened both by the Efficient cause thereof and by the obiect thereof The efficient cause of our Redemption is Christ in him consider I. his Person and so 1. the Parts thereof the humane and diuine natures 2. the Vnion of those two natures II. his Office of which 1. in generall as it is called a Mediatourship 2. in speciall and so it is Propheticall Sacerdotall and Regall p. 41. seqq The obiect of Redemption is the Church which is largely taken pag. 71. strictly and properly Of it are considered the head the members the