despising of God appearing in all that Majesty and a contemning of that high authority of the law-giver so terribly appearing yea the sinner by his lust and concupiscence against the law doth as it were trample under the feet of his affections all that Majesty of God that was manifested in such fearefull thundering and lightening Is it any marvell then that God said unto David Why hast thou despised me in doing that which is evill in my sight 2 Sam. 12. 9 10. 2 Sam. 12. 9 10. Secondly hereby sinne is become rebellion against God as Daniel confessed saying We have sinned and broken thy Commandements and have rebelled against thee Dan. 9. 5 6. But how horrible Dan. 9. 5 6. Rebellion is Samuel declareth saying Rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednesse and idolatry 1 Sam. 15. 23. And thus the Law entring 1 Sam. 15. 23. upon sinne doth make the fault thereof so greatly to abound Rom. 5. 20. that sinne is made out of measure Rom. 5. 20. sinnefull by the Commandement so terribly forbidding it Rom. 7. 13. so that in sinne these six evills Rom. 7. 13. doe concurre first a despising and contempt of the 1 Contemptus majestatis Deiâ— 2 Superba contumacia adversus Legem majesty of God forbidding the least sinne in such terrible thundering and lightning Secondly a proud stubbornesse against the law and revealed will of God 3 Nefanda imaginis Dei conspurcatio destructio 4 Imitatio Satauâ—â— hostis Dei improba proditâ—â—ne defectione 5 Intolerabilis ingratituâ—o 6 Imago Satanae Thirdly an horrible defiling and destroying of the image of God wherein man was created Fourthly an imitation and doing like the Devill the enimy of God by a wicked treason and revolting from God Fifthly an untolerable ingratitude and unthankfulnesse of the creature against the Creator Sixthly that which in it selfe is a foule and abhominable thing that sinne is the very image of the Devill which for men to beare that were made to the image of God nothing can bee more detestable the least sinne for the horriblenesse of it though it be but in thought only defiling us and all our good works and holy walking and making them in the sight of God like a menstruous cloath Mark 7. 23. Esay 64. 6. now if Mark 7. 23. Esay 64. 6. our good works be by sinne so loathsome how horrible then are our evill works have we not just cause to cry out every one of us and say with David Bee mercifull to my sinnes O Lord for they are great Psal 25. 11 The second maine thing to work this true feeling The second maine thing concerning sinne of our lost estate is to look into the multitude of our sinnes which we daily commit in thought word and deed by breaking all Gods tenne Commandements which wee must know not only in a grosse confused generality but take notice of particulars in each Commandement wherein we have offended both in leaving undone that which we should have done and by doing that which we should not have done if not in the grosse act which the world and light of nature condemnes yet in the spirituall breach which as we have heard is horrible before God For the Law Rom. 7. 14. Ioh. 4. 24. is spirituall saith S. Paul And God is a spirit saith Christ and must be obeyed and worshipped in spirit and truth and herein we may see our sinnes to be many and innumerable concerning which although I referre thee to such Catechismes as lay open Gods tenne Commandements at large for the fuller sight hereof yet to sharpen thy stomack unto Free Justification and because the Paschall Lambe must bee eaten with sowre herbs give me leave to give thee a glimse of this pure glasse of the Law that thou maist see some few spots of thy foule leprosie in the spirituall breach of all Gods Commandements As in the first Commandement namely Thou shalt have no strange gods before me containing the inward A pithy opening of the 10 Commandements worship of God though herein differing somewhat from the Gentiles thou confesse but one God which also the Devils doe yet look how many profits and pleasures doe steale away thy love feare trust and obedience from God to the committing of sinne so many idols in this lost state hast thou in the sight of God yea look how many sinnes thou dost commit in thought word and deed in a day so much thou corruptest in thee the pure inward worship of God and so many idols art thou guilty of and so many strange Gods hast thou in the sight of God Secondly in the second Commandement contayning the outward worship of God although peradventure thou makest not grosly to thy selfe any graven Image of God the father nor any Picture of Christ as the Papists doe yet look how often and how many allurements have enticed thee to neglect either the preaching or the zealous hearing of the word being offered either in season or out of season look how often thou hast neglected to bow thy knees in solemne prayer to God three times a day with Daniel David and Peter for the holy Ghost to be given thee look how often thou hast neglected to conferre as the prudent Sergius Paulus did with the faithfull minister and with other faithfull children of God to be resolved of such doubts of the assurance of thy Justification and salvation as may arise in thy minde look how often thou hast neglected either the administring or receiving of the holy Sacraments so many Images art thou guilty of that have stolne away thy heart from the zealous performance of the pure outward worship of God Thirdly in the third Commandement although peradventure thou art not guilty of grosse blaspheming of God yet look what zeale thou wantest in life for the threefold works of God upon thee as namely of Creation Redemption and continuall preservation look how often in word thou hast sworne by thy faith and troth by the fire by the light by bread or any other creature of God so often art thou guilty Christ being witnesse Mat. 5. of taking Gods Mat. 5. 34 35 36. name in vaine look how often thou hast rashly taken up and used the titles of God as Lord and Iesus and Christ who is God blessed for ever c. look how often thou hast unreverently used the properties of God as his grace to practise vanity his mercy to sinne his Judgements to cursing and hast abused his providence in crying out upon luck and fortune and such like look how often in the creatures thou not marking the power of God in making the creatures his wisedome in fitting them to thy necessities his goodnesse in giving them unto thee but turning them from their right use as the drink to drunkenesse thy tongue to lying and such like so abusing them to sinne and vanity so often art thou souly guilty of
Then besides this renewing by the holy Ghost to this heavenly righteousnesse and life 2 to men-ward there ariseth in them also by this new birth to men-ward a new light and a new flame there arise in them new and holy affections as the fear of God true saith assured hope c. There beginneth in them also a new will And this is to put on Christ truly and according to the Gospel Now when wee have first by faith inwardly put on Christ as a Robe of righteousnesse and salvation then A threefold respect of a Christian doe wee put him on outwardly as the apparrell of example and imitation Thus must every true Christian bee considered in a threefold respect first what he is with God or before God secondly what hee is with himselfe or to his feeling and thirdly what hee is to his neighbour First with God or before God he is the Woman cloathed with the Sun that is shining perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God and every way full and compleat wanting nothing by reason of Iustification Secondly with himselfe and to his own sense and feeling hee is like one of those antient healed Leapers under the old Law healed indeed but having the remnants of the old scurfe to rub off by Sanctification Thirdly with his Neighbour hee is like one of those hot coales of the Altar burning with the holy fire of zeale and casting out the light and heat of Faith and love to the heating of others Again it is the joyfull knowledge of Justification Luth. in Gâ—â— 3. 10. which maketh a man of a coâ—rupt bad Tree to become a good â—ree first perfectly good to the eyes of God by Iustification and so bringing forth the good fruit In Gal. 2. 18. to the eyes of men of Sanctification For Christians are not made righteous in doing righteous things but being first freely made righteous by faith in Christ then they doe righteous things So that good works ought to bee done not as the cause but as the fruits of oâ—e freely made righteous and when we are made righteous then we cannot but doe them for after that a man is once justified and possesseth Christ by faith and knoweth that he is Righteousnesse and Life doubtlesse hee will not be idle But as a good tree he will bring forth good fruit for the believing man that is the justified man hath the holy Ghost given him as it is shewed before to dwell in him but where the holy Ghost dwelleth hee will not suffer a man to bee idle but stirreth him up to all exercise of pietie and godlinesse then I doe indeed good works I love God I pray and give thanks to him I exercise charity toward my neighbour Therefore weighty is that saying of Christ either make the Tree good and the fruit Matt. 12. â—3 The â—iâ—â— of the Mâ—nistâ—â—â— good or else make the Tree evill and the fruit evill That is let the Ministers chiefe aime be to fill the peoples hearts with joy that they are freely made perfectly good Trees in the sight of God by Iustification and the people bee sure that they are first such in the sight of God indeed or else they shall bee sure to have but little good fruit by Sanctification some Homil. oâ—â— Aâ—nes deâ—â— choack-peares peradventure that may look faire without but be all rotten within Again the joyfull knowledge of Iustification is the receiving of the most great and pretious promises by which we are made partakers of the Divine nature 2 Peter 1. 4. the very forgetfulnesse of which pretious 2 Pet. 1. 4. promise namely that wee are purged or made cleane from our old sinnes is as Peter saith the cause 8. 9. of all idle unfruitfull and blind professing of the Gospel of Christ 2 Pet. 1. 8 9. for this joyfull and Iustification is as the bâ—anâ—â—â— of â—â—e Sunnâ— glorious benefit of Iustification being the bright beames Solis justitiae of the Sun of righteousnesse Iustification iâ— aâ— the beams oâ— the Sun Christ Jesus and shining into our dark hearts doth sanctifie and regenerate us to the Image of God again even as the Sun beames shining upon silver or upon a clear looking-glasse doe cause the very silver or glasse it selfe to cast forth some glimmering beames and this Paul testifieth saying That the ministration of righteousnesse doth so exceed in glory that we beholding as in a mirror or looking-glasse This glory of God with open face are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord. Whereupon S. Iohn directly saith thus My little children let no man 1 Ioh. 3. 7. deceive you he that doth righteousnesse actively that is doth cast forth the beames of Sanctification is righteous passively that is justified with Christs righteousnesse as the Sunne of righteousnesse Christ Iesus who shineth upon him with his beames of Iustification is righteous 1 Ioh. 3. 7. But if the Sunne of righteousnesse be so clouded from us that the beames of Justification which exceed in glory bee by want of preaching or receiving it stopped that it shineth not into our dark hearts then our soules can return back again no beames of Sanctification Thus wee see how this joyfull knowledge of Iustification the worth and glory of the same being discerned seene and enjoyed with a true and right faith maketh both Pastors and people to shine forth with bright shining beames of great glorifying of God And thus also we put a difference between a counterfeit Difference between a true and conterfeit faith faith and a true faith the counterfeit faith is that which heareth of God of Christ and of all the mysteries of his incarnation and our redemption which also apprehendeth and beareth away those things which it heareth yea and can talk goodly thereof and yet there remaineth nothing else in them but ignorance of the worth and excellency of Christs benefits yea none are so blind as such as God testifieth by his Prophet saying Who so blind as my servant Esay 42. 19. 20. whereby there remaineth nothing else Esay 42. 19 20. in the heart but naked opinion and a bare sound of the Gospel for it neither reneweth or changeth the heart it maketh not a new man but leaveth him in Id. in Gal. 5. 13. the vanity of his former opinion and conversation And this is a very pernicious faith the morall Philosopher is much better than the hypocrite having such a faith these understand the Doctrine of faith carnally Grace turned into wantonnesse and draw the liberty of the spirit into the liberty of the flesh this may wee see in all kinds of life as well of the high as of the low all boast themselves to be Professors of the Gospel and all brag of Christian liberty and yet serving their own lusts they give themselves to covetousnesse pleasures pride envie and such other vices no man doth his duty
only are meer patients suffering another ab extra even God to work all in us as may be further cleered in the manner Two similitudes how by two fit similitudes lively representations as First take a drinking glasse that is blue or red and put water or drink into the same and in some glasses I my selfe have seen that the drink or water in the same looseth to the present view it s own colour and becomes as blue or red as the glasse it selfe and yet not inherently and actively for the bluenesse or rednesse is inherently agently operatively and actively only in the glasse but yet whilst it doth abide in the glasse it becomes communicatively and passively as blue or red as the glasse it selfe but what is the reason hereof because as I my selfe have observed the glasse doth conveigh by the force of the light certain beames of its own colour into the drink and so makes it to lose its own colour and to be of the same colour that the glasse is of Where it is pretty to observe that the liquor in the glasse hath lost its colour and hath not lost it First the liquor hath not lost it inherently and to it selfe because if it be put out of the glasse it is found only in its own colour But yet hath lost its own colour in two respects first in respect of the glasse which it is in that hath by conveighing her beams into it made it own colour and secondly to the view of the beholder it is truly abolished and gone and nothing remaines but the colour of the glasse Now although the truth represented by this similitude passeth the representation as farre as a substance passeth the shadow yet it is sufficient for a shadow and is a notable representation of the truth because that Gods powerfull imputation after a more reall mighty and effectuall manner doth the same in truth that is but resembled in this shadow and faith that went so far as to say wash thou me and I shall bee whiter than snow goes higher than any similitudes can reach unto and seeth the soule being cloathed with Christs righteousnesse to be although not inherently yet lesse imaginarily and colourably but truly and reipsa in very deed made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God so effectually that the very power thereof begins inherently to change the heart by sanctification also to the eyes of men more and more whereas wee see that the bluenesse or rednesse of the glasse worketh no inherent change upon or in the drink but because faith reasoneth and concludes from the power of God thus That if so poore and silly a creature as a piece of glasse be able by the force of the light to cast her beames into it and to make the liquor to lose to the view and sight of men her own colour and to look whilst it is in the glasse of the same colour that the glasse is of were it not impiety and flat blasphemie not to grant that Christ can much more being true and Almighty God translating me out of Adam to bee a member in himselfe by cloathing me both within and without with his own righteousnesse conveigh much more by the power and force of his spirit his own righteousnesse to bee thought not inherently and actively yet objectively and passively in us so by this means abolish all our sinnes from before God and make us only perfectly holy righteous in the sight of God freely herein consisting the Analogie of the truth with the similitude that Christ by reason of his Godhead and power of his spirit doth that in truth above our reason sense and feeling which the red glasse doth only in shew that is make us in truth perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely not imaginarily colourably as the Papists fondly cavill but really truly and reipsa in very deed like the working of an Almighty Creator this faith I say shall finde by the very fruits of sanctification flowing from the same that he is not made only colourably righteous but that he is verè reipsa truly and in very deed with Christs righteousnesse made perfectly holy righteous in the sight of God freely Hence for the lively representation of this truth do so many Divines both learned and judicious so much use this similitude saying thus As he that beholdeth any thing through a red glasse doth take it to bee red as is the colour of the glasse so God the Father beholding us in his Sonne doth take us to bee of the same nature and quality that he is that is perfectly righteous for which cause he saith to his Spouse in the Canticles though she felt and complained that shee was black and full of infirmities to her sense and feeling and own inherent active righteousnesse yet saith Christ that knowes better what in this respect he hath wrought upon her than shee her selfe Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art all faire and there is no spot in thee And for this cause it is that he loveth us and sets his heart upon us and will not bee removed from us c. Which is not for the shadow but for the true substance of his own righteousnesse though not inherently to our sense and feeling and actively yet by Gods imputation objectively and passively conveighed into us so utterly abolishing our sins from before God and making us not imaginaâ—ly but truly and reipsa in very deed perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of â—od freely A second similitude illustrating this truth yet The second similitude more fully is this Let an house or shop be made towards the East and let the Sun beat upon the same all day long yet whilst the windowes and doores are fast shut up the house still remaines dark and unprofitable because the walls being corpora opaca dark bodies can cast forth nothing but darknesse but let the windowes and doors be opened then doe the Sun-beames beat in and dispell all the darknesse that was there before and the house is made all light and profitable to the use of man But yet it is not inherently and actively light as the Papists conceit of their manner of Justification for if that light did come actively out of the walls then the house would not at the least immediately be beholding to the Sun without it in the Firmament but the house would be inherently and actively light immediately enlightning its own selfe but in that it is enlightned by the Sun-beames the house is all light in deed yet no Agent and Doer in making its selfe light but is altogether passively and objectively light so is it in the case of our Justification and being a similitude much used by the holy Ghost it passeth all other humane similitudes by running contrary to the old proverb quatuor pedibus for First mans soule and body is like this house or shop of Gods wonders