us unto an holy calling Not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was given us through Christ Iesus before the World was It is true of all men that Christ said of his disciples non vos me elegistis yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you yea God so preventeth us with his grace that hee findeth nothing past or to come whereby God chose us and bee reconciled unto us For who hath given unto him first that is provoked him by his good workes A lively example wee have in these two brethren Esau and Iacob both twinnes both inclosed in one wombe yet hee rejected the one and chose the other Non ex operibus not by workes but by him that calleth Deus coronat opera Rom. 9. 11. sua non merita nostra God crowneth his gifts not our merits Cui daret justus judex coronâ—â—â— nisi cui dedisset pater misericors indebitam gratiam To whom should the just Iudge give the crowne but unto whom the Father of Mercy giveth undeserved Grace And he addeth Ne dicas ideo electus sum quia credebam Aug. tract 86. in Iob. si enim credebas jam cum elegeras non ipse te sic judicium esset penos lutum non penes figulum Doe not say I am elected because I did beleeve for if thou diddest beleeve thou haddest now chosen him and not hee thee and so the Iudgement had beene in the power of the clay and not of the potter But heare what Christ saith Yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you I say therefore with Saint Ambrose Iustitia nostra magis constat remissione peccatorum quam perfectione virtutum our righteousnesse consisteth more in the remission of our sinnes than in the perfection of our vertues Even as David declareth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose Psal 32. 1 2. sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne One Father saith thus when wee were not God made us when wee were sinners hee Iustified us when we were in prison hee freed us when wee were mortall hee glorified us Another Rom. 5. 1. Luke 4. 18. Rom. 8. 30. Father saith God by his Wisedome hath foreknowne us by his Gospell hee calleth us by his Faith hee justifieth us by his Iustice hee damneth us by his Grace he saveth us So that all is of his meere goodnesse and no cause to expostulate with God His Iudgements are just but yet secret Secret things saith Deut. 29. 29. Moses belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong unto Five signes of Election two internall us But if the Heavens declare the glory of God let us speake to his glory Secreta Dei sunt adoranda non scrutanda Secret things are to bee adored not searched It is not good to eate too Prov. 25. 27. much Hony so to search their owne glory is not glory It is reported of Augustine that being about to write his bookes of the Trinity hee was taught by a childe who laded the Sea into a little spoone to whom Augustine said that hee laboured in vaine for his little spoone could not containe the Sea To whom the child replied that his little Wisedome his shallow braine could not containe the depth of the Trinity But you will say how shall wee know our election that wee may bee comforted against all the assaults of Satan that wee may say with the sweet singer of Israel Though I should walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill for thou art Psal 23. with mee thy rod and thy staffe shall comfort mee And with Paul I 2 Tim. 4. 6 7. 8 have fought a good fight I have kept the Faith I have finished my course from hence forward there is laid up for mee a crowne of glory which the Lord will give mee at that day and not to mee onely but unto all them also that love his appearing I answere that no man can bee deceived in the state of his election but hee that deceiveth himselfe for wee may know whether wee stand in the state of Grace or no. Danaeus maketh Danaeus in Isagog five signes of election As the comming of the Swallow is a signe of the Spring as the putting forth of the figge-tree is a signe of Summer as the whitenesse of the region is a signe of Harvest So there bee many undoubted signes of our election 1 The first is the inward testimony of Gods Spirit the seale and earnest-penny of our Salvation For it is God that hath Sealed us and hath given us the Earnest of his Spirit in our 2 Cor. 1. 22. hearts The Apostle compareth the Word to a writing the Spirit to a seale that ratifieth all Clamat in nobis Abba the same Rom. 8. 16. Gal. 4. 6. Luke 11. 11. Spirit beareth witnesse to our Spirit that wee are the children of God And because wee are Sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father And if God be our Father how can wee doubt of our inheritance If wee aske Fish he will not give us a Serpent If Heaven he will not give us Hell 2 The second signe is our faith which is knowne by the effects as the Eagle by her feathers as the tree of Life by the fruits of it Thus Paul bade the Corinths try their faith Prove your selves whether yee are in the Faith examine your selves c. Qui 2 Cor. 13. 5. credit salvabitur he that beleeveth shall bee saved and this faith may be knowne to us if wee will search our selves Christ asked Mar. 16. 16. Iohn 8. the woman taken in Adultery where her accusers were So aske thy heart where thy sinnes are and if thou doest beleeve it will say with the woman that they are all gone Qui enim credit transit Three externall signes of Election a morte ad vitam Hee that beleeveth in him is passed from death to life for all that are borne of God overcommeth the World And this is the victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith Iohn 3. 1 Iohn 5. 4. Hereupon Paul triumpheth over Death Hell Hunger Cold Nakednesse Perill Sword and concludeth That neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Power nor Things present nor Things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature Rom. 8. 38 39. shall bee able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. 3 The third signe is the conformity of our will to Gods will to love that which God loveth and to hate that which God hateth therefore wee pray that Gods will may bee done on Earth as it is in Heaven He that doth the will of God shall abide Mat. 6. for ever
did undoe in the night so wee learne and unlearne whatsoever wee learne on the Sunday wee forget in the weeke day we may say of our comming to Church as Peter said of his fishing Master wee have Luke 5. 5. travelled all night and have taken nothing So wee have come to the Church twenty thirty forty fifty sixty yeeres some more and have gotten nothing have learned nothing got no Faith no Zeale no Knowledge But to proceed As they must edifie themselves increase and goe forward so the thing that they must increase and goe forward in is Faith for that is the foundation of all Christian Vertues it is Alpha and O mega absque ea nemo potest placere Deo Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 14. 23. Without it no man can please God for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Omnia ergo splendida opera Paganorum Infidelium sant splendida peccata all the glistering workes of Pagans and Infidels bee glistering sinnes their prayers almes fastings the patience of Socrates the justice of Aristides the piety of Epaminondas Faith the originall of all good workes the constancie of Phocion they were but bastard-workes not right workes they are begotten of Hagar not of Sara the free-woman they spring from the waters of Marah not of Siloh from the bitter poole Exanthe not the sweet flood of Hispanis they proceed from feare or vaineglory not from faith For as unto the Tit. 1. 15. pure all things are pure so unto them that are defiled and unbeleeving is nothing pure but their mindes and consciences are defiled It is true in all workes that Paul said of prayer How shall they call on him in whom Rom. 10. 14. they have not beleeved Even so how can they glorifie God or love God or serve God in whom they never beleeved Paul making a Catalogue of good men beginneth with Faith and saith By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain Heb. 11. 4 5 7. 8 20 21 33-34 By faith Enoch was taken away that hee should not see death c. By Faith Noah being warned of God of the things which were not yet seene moved with reverence prepared the Arke c. By Faith Abraham when hee was called obeyed God offered Isaac c. By Faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau By Faith Iacob when hee was a dying blessed the sonnes of Ioseph and thus hee goeth on and at the last concludeth that by faith they subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousnesse obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword of weake were made strong waxed valiant in battell turned to flight the armies of the Aliants c. In every good worke three things are to be considered Origo Finis Vsus The beginning The end and Vse The originall or beginning of every good worke is faith faith is as the Mother and the holy Ghost the Father of all good workes Faith begetteth Love and Love blossometh forth in Vertue and Vertue buddeth foorth in good Workes whereupon Saint Peter inferreth this exhortation Ioyne moreover Vertue with your Faith and with Vertue Knowledge and with Knowledge 2 Pet. 1. 5 7 8. Temperance and with Temperance Patience and with Patience Godlinesse and with Godlinesse Brotherly-kindnesse and with Brotherly-kindnesse Love Secondly the end is the glory of God Hereupon saith the Apostle Whether yee eate or drinke or whatsoever yee doe doe all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 1 3â— Thirdly the use is manifold First they are unto us signes of our election and therefore Saint Peter would have us to make our election calling sure by them Indeed our election is sure in it selfe 2 Pet. 1. 10. for God cannot change yet we must confirme it in our selves by the fruits of the Spirit Secondly they edifie others Hereupon saith our Saviour Let your light so shine before men that they may see No life of grace without Faith your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Thirdly that they may stop the mouth of the Adversary For which cause we are willed to have honest conversation among the Gentiles that wheras they doe backbite us as evill doers they may see our good works and glorify Mat. 5. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 12. our Father which is in Heaven Here is the triall of a Christian that proveth us either sonnes or bastards this proveth us dead or alive by Faith wee live this is the spirit and soule of the inner man wee have a name to live yet are wee dead if wee want Iohn 1. 12. Faith There is a double life of grace and of nature Infidels Vnbeleevers are strangers from the life of grace As a tree liveth not without Ephes 4. 18. moysture nor a bird without aire nor the fish without water nor a body without a soule so neither the soule without faith For in that wee live now in the flesh wee live by the Faith of the Sonne of God who hath loved us and gave himselfe for us Yee see Infidels eating Gal. 2. 20. drinking sporting playing yet are they dead they are alive to the world but dead unto God but the faithfull they are dead with Christ unto the world but their life is hid with Christ with God and when Christ which is their life shall appeare then shall they Col. 2 3 4. also appeare with him in glory Pandora carried deadly poyson in a painted boxe and Lusimachus the cutter a leaden sword in a golden sheath and many men a dead soule in a living body the body is alive but the soule is dead as Paul said of the voluptuous widow But shee that liveth in pleasure is dead while shee liveth To conclude faith joyneth us to Christ For Christ dwelleth in 1 Tim. 5. 6. our hearts by Faith Christ uniteth us to God 1 Iohn 5. God assureth Ephes 3. 17. us of life For in him wee live and move and have our being So that no faith no Christ no Christ no God no God no life God Act. 17. 28. so loved the world that hee gave his only be gotten Sonne that whosoever Iohn 3. 16 18. beleeveth in him should not perish but have life everlasting hee that beleeveth in him shall not bee condemned but hee that beleeveth not is condemned already because hee beleeveth not in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God Knowledge is the fountaine of all vertue and Faith is the sea in which they all runne and where they jointly end their course But it is to bee observed that hee calleth it not simply Faith but holy Faith yea most holy Faith he riseth to the superlative degree as David extolled Bashan above all mountaines saying The mountaine of God is like the mountaine of Bashan it is a high mountaine Psal 68. 15. as the mount Bashan As Salomon extolled his huswife above all women saying Many daughters
have done vertuously but thou Pro. 31. 29. surmountest them all As Christ commended Iohn Baptist above all Nazarites saying There is no greater Prophet than Iohn among them Luk. 7. 28. that are begotten of women And the Lord Moses above all Prophets So Iude commendeth Faith above al vertues All precious stones Deut. 34. are good yet none like the Topaze all flowres are faire yet none Iob 28. like the Lily most trees bring fruit but none like the Apple-tree Faith purifies our hearts and makes our actions and persons holy of Persia or the Tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and gave fruit every moneth Many vertues are excellent and further our salvation yet none like faith Iustice giveth every man his owne temperancy restraineth lusts fortitude beareth Apoc. 22. 2. 1 Iohn 5. 4. all labour and toile prudence guideth our actions but faith overcommeth the world so doe not other vertues faith is like the three 2 Sam. 23. worthies of David who brake thorow the whole host and drew water of the Well of Bethlem Ionathan and his armour-bearer 1 Sam. 19. slew twenty men Shamgar with an Oxe goade slew six hundred Iudg. 3. 31. Iudg. 15. Philistines Samson with the jaw-bone of an Asse slew a thousand men thus these men brake thorow an whole host and faith overcommeth the whole world In this faith Paul insulted over heaven and earth men and Angels I am perswaded saith Paul that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor Rom. 8. 38. things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And againe he saith I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keep that which I have committed unto him meaning himselfe against that day It is called Holy yea most Holy for all our works are polluted and receive their holinesse from faith and faith from Christ who is the object of it As the Sunne giveth light to all Planets as salt seasoneth all meates so Faith seasoneth all works for in themselves they are polluted For who can say I have made my heart cleane I am cleane from sinne For as the holy man of god saith Hee found no stedfastnesse Pro. 20. 9. Iob 4. 18 19. in his servants and laid folly upon his Angels how much more in them that dwell in houses of Clay whose foundation is the dust which shall bee destroyed before the moth And againe he maketh this demand and saith What is man that he should be cleane And hee that is borne of a Woman that hee should be just Wee are all as a menstruous cloth Cap. 15. 14. as an uncleane thing we all doe fade like a leafe and our iniquities like the wind haue taken us away only Faith purifieth our hearts To come neerer fidem sanctissimam vocat ratione objecti hee Act. 15. 9. calleth it most holy Faith by reason of the object Deum enim trinum unum respicit it respecteth three and one three in Persons one in Essence Morall vertues they are occupied about humane objects and things created as liberality about giving of good things temperance about meate drinke fleshly lusts leachery c. Fortitude in suffring adversity therefore they cannot be called most holy vertues Againe it is called most holy Faith in respect of the efficient cause thereof that is to say the Holy Ghost For the Holy Ghost bestoweth upon us all good things love joy peace long 1 Cor. 12 Gal. 5. 22. suffering gentlenesse goodnesse Faith meeknesse temperance all these and all the rest are the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost Now because the Authour is holy his Works his gifts and graces bee holy Nil nisi sanctum à sancto spiritu prodire potest If no holines no Faith Nothing can come from the holy Spirit but that which is holy Aug. Learne here to judge of the works of the elder World their almes their prayer their love what love could there be without faith and what faith could there bee among them without the doctrine of God Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Word of God But did they fast often Wee seldome or never Did they Rom. 10. 14. give almes and doe we live unto our selves are our right hands dryed up with Ieroboams Did they pray in the night wee scarce in the day Did they love one another agree together and doe wee sue and sting one another like the Serpents of Sinai O brethren they shall rise in judgement against us as Christ said of the Ninivites Except our righteousnesse our prayers our love exceed theirs wee shall not enter into Heaven our faith is Mat. 11. not most holy no nor holy nay no faith at all And by the way note that hee calleth faith holy not unholy unjust unchaste drunken faith such as the world braggeth of in these dayes the dead faith that Saint Iames inveigheth against so earnestly All lewd men boast of faith but I will say to them as Iames said O stende mihi fidem per opera Shew me thy faith by thy workes shew mee it by thy zeale thy piety thy truth thy chastity thy mercy with our faith let us joyne vertue The Israelites cryed Templum Domini templum Domini the Temple of 2 Pet. 1. 5. the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Pharisees cryed The Baptisme of Iohn the Baptisme of Iohn the Iewes cried We have Abraham to our Father the Scribes cried We have Moses to our Doctor the Ephesians cryed Great is Diana of the Ephesians but Ieremy bade the Israelites amend their wayes and their works Ier. 7. 4. Iohn bade the Pharisees bring forth fruits of Repentance Christ bade the Iewes doe the Workes of Abraham He told the Scribes Luk. 3. 8. Iohn 8. Iohn 5. Ephes 4. 20. that Moses would condemne them and Paul told the Ephesians that they had not so learned Christ and so say we to these men that boast of faith I will reason with them as Ieremy did with the people Will yee steale murder and commit adultery and sweare falsly Ier. 7. 9 10. and burne incense unto Baal and walke after other gods whom yee know not and come and stand before mee in this house whereupon my Name is called even so will we sweare lye raile slander and say that we beleeve Was Gods house a denne for theeves is faith become a cloake for theeves whoremongers lyers swearers usurers Idolaters blasphemers drunkards pot-companions c I say of this faith as Saint Iames said of Wisedome This wisedome descendeth not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish so Iam. 3. 5. this faith is not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish For faith sheweth it selfe in good workes and can no more be separated from it
than light can bee from the Sunne or heat from the fire or moisture from water Lastly note that hee saith that this faith is edified and increased If wee had never such measure of faith yet wee must heare dayly by hearing there understood not expressed of Saint Iude for the Word is the foundation Paul in naming the Christian armour coupleth Faith and the Word together Above all take the shield of faith whereby yee may quench the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of Salvation and the swrd of the Ephes 2. 20. Ephes 6. 17 18. Rom. 10. 14. Spirit which is the Word of God Fides ex auditu Faith commeth by hearing As possible for a man to see without eyes or a tree to grow without moysture or a bird to live without meate or a house to stand without a foundation as Faith to bee without the Word Esay cryeth out Heare and your soules shall live Ita Esay 55. 3. Ephes 4. 20. 1 Cor. 1. 21. didicistis Christum Have yee so learned Christ saith the Apostle It pleaseth God through the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve Wee thinke that wee are wise enough that the Preacher can tell us nothing that wee know not and this is the cause of all contempt but if thy knowledge were as great as Salomons to 1 Reg. 4. 29 30 32 33. whom God gave Wisedome and Vnderstanding exceeding much and a large heart even as the sand which is by the sea shoare and Salomons Wisedome excelled the Wisedome of all the children of the East and all the Wisedome of Aegypt and Salomon spake three thousand Proverbs and his Songs were one thousand and five and he spake of trees from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hyssope that groweth out of the wall hee spake also of Beasts and of Fowles and of creeping things and of Fishes I say were thy wisedome as much as Salomons yet must it be holpen with doctrine wee must still be remembred of that which wee know and still know more Yea the Preacher though he be learned teacheth himselfe as well as thee and his owne faith as well thine and speaketh to his owne heart as well as to others such a secret power hath God put into his Word and such is his Ordinance Hee hath given some to be Apostles and some Ephes 4. 11. Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers By these are the Saints gathered thus is Christs body edified thus are the godly repaired thus wee meet in unity of faith Paul bidding the Gaoler beleeve preached unto him the Word Never Act. 16. 31. thinke to goe to Heaven without faith or to have faith without preaching I speake of ordinary faith For God can worke miraculously as in children and deafe men as in Medaelde mentioned by Danaeus and in captives A man may live without meate but all the world cannot assure thee of it thou maist have faith by miracle but neither men nor Angels can assure thee of it where meanes are wee must use meanes Wilt thou fast forty dayes because Moses and Elias did so or goe thorow the red Sea because the Israelites did so Or goe into an hot Exod. 32. Exod. 14. oven because the three children did so Thou mayst perhaps starve then or bee drowned or burned Where God giveth meanes hee giveth no miracles So long as Israel was in the desart God gave Manna but when they came into Canaan where God works not by miracle when hee affords means they might plowe and sow Manna ceased the Starre appeared to the Wisemen in the way but in Ierusalem it vanished for there they might inquire Let us therefore use the meanes and seeing the means of the edifying and increasing of our most holy Exod. 16. Iosh 5. faith is doctrine let us attend unto it even so long as God shall give us a body as an house hands as keepers legs as strong men Eccles 12. eyes as windowes eares as doores and an heart as a Treasure-house THE TWO AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XX. Praying in the Holy Ghost Faith and Prayer inseparable FRom faith hee commeth to prayer for increase of faith and all graces must bee had by prayer where by the way note that the originall of faith is immediatly from God it is his worke so saith our Saviour This Iohn 6. 25. is the worke of God that yee beleeve in him whom he hath sent And for this cause the Apostle calleth Christ Iesus The Author and finisher of our Luk. 17. 5. faith But the increase of faith is by prayer prayer mediate from God by faith is the gift of God and prayer is ever a companion nay the daughter of faith faith the mother and it the daughter for how can wee pray without faith How shall they call upon him in Rom. 10. 14. whom they have not beleeved A question grew betweene Musculus Bullinger and other Churches of Mensbelgarde Num fides sit à Deo petenda Whether faith is to bee begged of God Calvin being to decide the question said that Musculus and Bullinger spake duriusculè somewhat hard Nam nulla oratio nisi fide fundata probatur God alloweth of no prayer except it bee founded on faith For whatsoever is not of Rom. 14. 29. faith is sinne Faith is the mother of prayer and the mother goes before the daughter Augustine proveth that Cornelius beleeved because his Prayer the conduit whereby all good things are conveyed to us prayers were heard Infideli dat Deus fidem at non per orationem sed immediatè God giveth the Infidell faith not by prayer but immediatly A strong faith begetteth many prayers a weake faith weake and few prayers No faith no prayer Paul coupleth them together Act. 10. Aug. Ephes 6. 16 18. as an armour of proofe Above all take the shield of Faith and by and by in the next subsequent verse save one and pray alway with all manner of supplication in the Spirit c. Faith begetteth prayer and prayer increaseth faith For as fire kindleth the wood and the same wood increaseth the flame so faith begetteth prayer Rejoice evermore saith the Apostle and pray continually 1 Thess 5. 16 17. Faith worketh joy for being justified by faith we have peace with God and yet the same joy is augmented by prayer Rom. 5. 1. But now more generally to handle this doctrine because increase of faith and all graces must bee had by prayer for by that hand God reacheth them and in that conduit hee conveigheth them unto us therefore Saint Iude saith Orate per Spiritum Aske seeke knocke and promiseth us that wee shall have find and Mat. 7. 7. that it shall be opened unto us Wee have not because wee aske not Iam. 4. Salomon nameth prayer as the Indian stone that remedieth all diseases For marke his prayer which he powred forth to God in the
fault betweene him and thee if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother If parents were as carefull to winne the soules of their children as they are to save their bodies and masters to do the same to their servants by instructing their family God should have more glory and they more comfort but to complaine of this Vbi incipiam aut ubi desinaem Where should I beginne and where should I make an end All the foundations of the earth are out of course most men have no conscience of them that be under them and an heauy judgement remaineth for them their judgement is just and their damnation sleepeth not Paul would not 2 Pet. 2. have the husband to leave the wife nor the wife the husband for that the one may save the soule of the other for marke his words For what knowest thou ô wife whether thou shalt save thy husband 1 Cor. 7. 16. or what knowest thou ô man whether thou shalt save thy wife Even so what knowest thou ô Father whether thou shalt save thy child And what knowest thou ô master whether thou shalt save thy servant doe thou thy duty leave the successe to God For neither is hee that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God 1 Cor. 3. 7. that giveth the increase So the Minister is said to save men Take heed saith Paul to Timothy to thy selfe and to thy doctrine and continue 1 Tim. 4. 16. therein for in so doing thou shalt save thy selfe and them that heare thee And yet to speake strictly and properly there is no Saviour but God for there is salvation in no other neither is there any Act. 4. 12. other name given unto men whereby they shall bee saved that is no other cause or meane Yet it is said that grace saveth The grace Tit. 2. 11. of God bringeth salvation to all men And that the Word saveth For it pleaseth God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them Many coÌ„curre in the worke of Salvation that beleeve And that faith saveth By grace are yee saved through faith And that the Sacraments save us so saith Saint Pâ—ter The figure that now saveth us even Baptisme c. 1 Cor. 1. 21. Ephes 2. 8. 1 Pet. 3. 21. And that Ministers save us so said Paul afore Agrippa that God had appeared unto him for this purpose To open the eyes of the Gentiles that they may returne from darkenesse to light from the power Act. 26. 18. of Satan unto God meaning that they might bee saved and that God saveth us Ego sum ego sum praeter me non est Salvator I am Esa 42. I am and besides mee there is no Saviour that Christ saveth us for the Apostle saith That hee is the Saviour of all men but especially 1 Tim. 4. 10. of them that beleeve That the Holy Ghost saveth us and all this is true in a godly sense grace saveth as the origen the roote of all 1 Iohn 5. the Word as a meanes under God faith as the instrument Sacraments as helpes and leaders to Heaven Ministers as Legates from God God as the efficient cause Christ as the materiall Iohn 3. 16. 1 Iohn 3. 2. 1 Cor. 6. 11. the Holy Ghost as the applying cause And by the way note that if the Minister under God saveth men how then dare some say that they doe no good Doe they no good that save mens soules Yes their lips feed many The Prov. 10 11 20 21. mouth of a righteous man is a well of life the tongue of a just man is as fined silver the lippes of the righteous doe feed many But many thinke that the Preacher doth no good they thinke that they can goe to heaven without a guide they thinke themselves wise and to see into all duties as farre as the Minister Well it may be that they are wise in some respect yet as the little eye of the Eagle can see from the height of Heaven and the great eye of an Owle cannot see the Sunne so great men and old men may oversee that which base men and poore men may see being learned in the Word Hereupon said Elihu Surely there is a spirit in man but Iob 32. 8 9. the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding Great men are not alway wise neither do the Ancient alway understand judgement David said I have had more understanding than all my teachers Psal 119. 99 100. for thy testimonies are my meditation I understand more than the ancient because I keepe thy precepts As Polypheme had but one eye so these Cyclopeans see but with one eye they see but the world they see not Heaven Oh how long shall wee charme these Psal 55. Mat. 7. deafe Adders How long shall wee give holy things to dogges and cast pearles to swine How long shall wee play on Orpheus harpe to these Asses How long shall wee sow seed in this barraine ground We pray to bee delivered from these unreasonable 2 Thess 3. 2. and evill men Shall Titius Sabinus his dogge bring meate to the mouth of his dead Master and hold up his head in Tyber from sinking because sometime hee gave him a crust of bread And shall not the people love the Pastour that giveth theÌ„ the Bread of Heaven and saves their soules Shall dogges be kinder than men Or is there no good to bee done to a Parish but bodily The saving use should bee made of the Word good Christ fedde foure or five thousand with five barly loaves and two fishes but we reade not that hee did it above twice and that in necessity But hee bestowed three whole yeeres in preaching to them the greatest good that hee did in his life was in Iohn 6. Mat. 14. Mat. 5. Mat. 13. Luke 24. Luke 10. Mat. 12. Act. 10. 38. teaching them In the Mount In the Ship In the Temple In their Houses In the Fields Yea in all places for he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Divell These men therefore that say that wee doe no good have lost their senses and their soules also For the living soule as touching the naturall life hath foure powers and foure touching the spirituall life that is Appetitive Retentive Digestive Expulsive It must desire the Word Hereupon saith S. Peter As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word so did David I will saith 1 Pet. 2. 2. he go to the Altar of God even unto the God of my joy and gladnes c. 2. It must keepe for Blessed are they that heare the Word and Luk. 11. 28. keepe it So did the Corinths for which cause Paul did much praise them saying Now I commend you brethren that yee remember all my 1 Cor. 11. 2. things and keepe the ordinances as I delivered them to you 3. It must digest it into good manners and to this purpose
Gods Word the chiefe meanes to restraine lust 339 Lust tempteth to all sinne 340 The best assaulted by lusts but not led by them ibid. All the works of the flesh are from the lusts of the flesh 341 Lusts bring damnation ibid. Lust insatiable 342 Lust defiles body and soule and gives Satan interest in the whole man 343 Lust defaces Gods Image ibid. Lust is in the godly but gaines not in them 344 Sermon 27. THe corruption of the heart is shewed by corrupt speaking 345 The wicked have beene alwayes great boasters with their tongues but performe little with their hands 346 Pride is naturall to us we have it from our first parents 347 Pride the ruine of angels and men ibid. The godly humble in regard of their sinnes not proud of their vertues ibid. Scoffers and slanderers like dogges 348 Good men despise the applause of flatterers and debase themselves ibid. Though we must not endure vaine applause yet wee must free our selves from slanders 349 The most vile usually the most proud and greatest boasters 350 Pride endeth with vanity ibid. Flatterers applaud others for their owne gaine 351 The Popes great boasters 352 Flattery described with the properties and punishment thereof 353 VVe must not listen to flatterers but give God the glory 354 Flattery servile and base 355 Flattering preachers most pernicious ibid. Ministers must reprove the greatest 356 Such as desire to be flattered are occasion of flattery ibid. He that reprooveth doth profit more than he that applauds 357 Flattery to be rejected and despised ibid. Flattery flatterers compared to divers things 358 Flattery gives to vices the names of vertues 359 Sermon 28. CHristians must not live like Heathen infidels 360 The godly and wicked opposite in divers respects 361 Wee must not bee led by the multitude for the greater part are the worser 362 The more glorified the greater joy the more damned the greater torment ibid. Not sufficient to have the VVord unlesse we remember it 363 How wee may heare the VVord profitably that we may find it the savour of life unto life 365 The memory the soules treasury ibid. VVhatsoever doctrine is not remembred is lost 366 Our forgetfulnes and negligence in divine doctrine most grosse ibid. The VVord of God the most sure foundation to build upon 367 The Saints modest in their owne prayse but zealous for Gods glory 369 Circumstances to bee observed in reproving 370 Three sorts of malicious reprehenders condemned 371 Sermon 29. THere have beene scoffers and mockers in all ages 372 Mocking what in Latin whence derived 373 Divers sorts of mockers 374 Mockers of God and religion most odious ibid. Mocking scoffing and jesting the basest fruit of wit 375 Some sinners like Dogges some Hogges ibid. Scoffers punished 376 Mocking a kinde of persecution 378 The tongues of scoffers instruments of persecution 379 Many scoffing Atheists at Christ and Religion 380 Scoffers as the Divels band-dogges so bond-slaves ibid. He is strongest that overcomes his lusts 381 Mortification a signe of justification 383 If no sanctification no glorification 384 Sermon 30. SEctaries cause division in the Church 385 The Church and members thereof love Vnity 386 Dissention the cause of all mischiefe in the Church ibid. Three causes of division in the Church Heresy Schisme Apostacy 387 The difference of these ibid. Pride the cause of Schisme 388 No salvation out of the Church ibid. Heresies though hurtfull in themselves yet God maks them profitable to the Church 389 Heretikes pervert Scriptures to maintaine their errours ibid. The Papists charging us with Sects have more among themselves 390 Satans chiefest engine to hurt the Church is dissention 391 Schisme a grievous sinne ibid. Naturall men perceive not the things of God nor any good 392 By regeneration we are adopted the Sonnes of God 393 Many naturall men exceed Christians in bridling their affections and in some mortall actions 394 Naturall men inventers of Arts and trades 395 Beasts exceed many naturall men ibid. Love makes all things easy 396 A sinner hardly drawne from sinne ibid. Gods grace is to our hearts as the Sunne-beames to the earth ibid. None boast more of the spirit then they that are led by the spirit of error 397 The Popes pride reproved that call onely their Clergy spirituall all other temporall ibid. Naturall men though they have not the spirit of sanctification yet illuminated 398 All grace and true goodnes flowes from Gods Spirit 400 Sermon 31. THe godly and the wicked every way opposite 403 Edification being a building the Saints be the houses 404 VVe must build in our selves temples for the Holy Ghost ibid. Gods VVord the rule and square whereby we must build 405 VVe must endeavour to edify others especially our children 406 VVee must dayly encrease in knowledge grace and goodnes 407 Good men grow dayly in grace and goodnes ibid. The wicked grow dayly worse and worse 408 VVee are none proficients in plenty of meanes ibid. Pride and negligence cause of none proficiciency ibid. VVe bee diligent in seaking knowledge wee shall attaine to it 409 VVe should not build our hope on earth but in Heaven 410 Faith is the originall of all good works 411 No life of grace here or glory hereafter without faith 412 Faith the most excellent of all vertues ibid. Faith is called holy in respect of the effect in the subject secondly of the object thirdly the efficient cause thereof 413 All good works without faith vaine 414 If no holines in life no true faith in heart ibid. Faith is begotten by hearing and encreased also 415 God works not by miracles when hee affords meanes 416 Sermon 32. FAith and prayer may not bee disjoyned 417 Faith the mother of prayer and prayer the meanes to confirme faith ibid. Prayer the meanes whereby wee receive all good things 418 Prayer prevalent over all creatures 419 Prayer pleasant to God and man 420 The Saints have delighted to spend much time in prayer ibid. Divers divisions of prayer into divers kinds in divers respects 421 All prayer must be offered in the mediation of Christ 422 Prayer necessary for all estates for all times 423 Gods wrath powred out upon them that doe not pray ibid. Gods house a house of prayer 424 Prayer comforteth in all estates ibid. ☞ Prayer the food and nourishmert of the soule 405 Prayer sanctifyeth all our actions ibid. Prayer admirable in the effects if in due manner 406 We must pray continually ibid. VVee must pray in the spirit and how 407 The Holy Ghost the Author of prayer yet so as the whole Trinity hath a hand ibid. Prayers must bee spirituall and fervent 409 God regards both the manner and end in all holy duties 410 Our prayers must bee neither tepidae timidae nec temerariae ibid. God heareth not the prayers of sinners except for vengeance 411 God hath promised all good things to prayer ibid. Sermon 33. FAith Prayer and Love have mutuall relation 412 Love the most
Naboth wold not deliver up the vineyard of his fathers he must not deliver up the vineyard of the Lord. 1 Reg. 21. Here note three things 1 That Faith is a gift 2 That it is once given 3 That it is given unto the Saints And first that faith is a gift it is evident by the Apostles owne words where he calleth Christ The author and finisher of our faith as the Athenians were called Inventrices perfectrices omnium doctrinarum the inventers and perfecters of all good learning The Hebr. 12. 2. Romanes had their learning from the Grecians the Grecians from the Aegyptians and the Aegyptians from the Chaldees and they from Adam Seth Noah the old Patriarchs but the Church 1 Cor. 2. 22. Act. 7. 222. hath all her learning religion faith from God he gave it at the first and he confirmed it at the least He gave some to be Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists some Pastours and teachers for gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edification Faith diversly taken of the body of Christ till wee meete together in the unitie of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God c. Luke having spoken of Stephens faith noteth the cause of it that is that Stephen was full of the Spirit Ephes 4. 11. Act. 7. 55. Gal. 5. 22. 1 Cor. 12. 9. Rom. 3. 3. For God worketh it by his Spirit All good workes are the fruits of the Spirit therefore faith The fruits of the spirit are love ioy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith c. and it is reckoned up among the gifts of the spirit To another is given faith saith the Apostle by the same spirit But faith is in the Scriptures diversly taken sometimes it is given to God and it signifieth his faithfulnesse in his promises In this sense the Apostle useth the word saying Shall their unbeleefe make the faith of God of none effect when it is given to man it is taken seven manner of wayes First it is taken for Fidelity as it is a vertue in the second Mat. 23. 23. table So Christ useth the word where speaking to the Pharisees he saith Yee tythe Mint Anise and Commin and leave the weightie matters of the Law as iudgement and mercie and faith Secondly It is taken for the doctrine of faith and Christian Religion so it is said Many were added unto the faith that is to Act. 6. 7. Christian Religion And againe God opened the doore of faith unto the Gentiles that is of Religion Act. 14. 27. Thirdly It is taken for profession of religion thus Elimas is Act. 13. 8. charged To turne the Deputie from the Faith that is to make no more profession of Religion Fourthly It is taken for Christ himselfe by a Metonymie who is both the object and cause of faith So the Apostle useth the word saying But after that faith is come wee are no longer under a Gal. 325. schoole-master Fifthly It is taken for knowledge only and thus the Divels are said to beleeve Sixthly It is taken for the gift of working miracles If I had 1 Cor. 13. 2. all faith so that I could move mountaines c. Lastly It is taken for that grace by which felicity and the chiefe good is applied and thus it is taken in my Text. And this the Apostle Paul cals the faith of Gods elect For none but the elect have it al the elect have it at one time or another and once had it can never be finally and totally lost but it continueth with them till they come to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living then they shall have no more need of it It is therfore called Saving faith because it brings us to salvation Ephes 2. 8. And Iustifying faith because it is that meanes or instrument which Gods spirit worketh in us whereby wee apply unto our selves Christ Iesus in and by whom wee are iustified And Sanctifying faith because by it God purifieth our hearts This saving iustifying sanctifying faith is Gods gift for hee is the Authour of this faith From whom every good gift and every perfect gift commeth And that which is said of Lydia is true The meanes to beget faith of all the faithfull That the Lord opened the heart of Lydia so that shee beleeved And Christ saith This is the worke of God that yee beleeve not the worke of the Father alone or of the Sonne alone Iam. 1. 17. Iohn 6. 29. or of the Holy Ghost alone but of the whole Trinity For this is one of the workes of God which are said to bee Ad extra and therefore attributed to all the three persons To the first where Christ saith No man can come unto me that is beleeve except the Iohn 6. 44. Father draw him to the second where the Apostle calleth Iesus The author and finisher of our faith to the third where the Apostle reckoneth faith amongst the fruits of the spirit And the onely Hebr. 12. 2. thing that moved God to worke this precious gift in us is his meere good will So saith our Saviour It is so Father because thy good pleasure was such And the end at which he aymed in working Mat. 11. 26. this grace is first the setting forth of his owne glory secondly the salvation of mankinde and therefore S. Peter calleth salvation The end of our Faith 1 Pet. 1. 9. This doctrine serveth to humble us to let us see that it is not in our power that faith is not hereditary God beginneth it and increaseth it and finisheth it The Apostles prayed Lord increase Luk. 17. our faith The meanes to get this â—aith is double Outward Inward The outward meane is the word hereupon saith the Apostle How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10. 14. Rom. 10. 8. and thereupon thus concludeth faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and hereupon it is called The Word of faith And Paul saith of the Ephesians that they beleeved After they Ephes 1. 13. heard the Gospell And finely saith Chrysostome Accenditur fidei lampas igne divini verbi the lampe of our faith is lighted by the fire of the divine word And this faith is wrought in us both by reading and preaching of the word and both are commended and ordeined of God and first for reading God himselfe commandeth it and by reading S. Augustine was converted for he confesseth Deut. 3. 1. 9. of himselfe that being inclined to the heresie of the Manichees he heard a voyce saying Tolle lege take up and read meaning the booke of God which he presently did and so by reading was converted for surely the reading of the word is a meanes appointed of God to the begetting of faith and raising up the Kingdome of God in the hearts of men And to
God imputeth righteousnesse but yet in the righteousnesse of Christ not in an inherent righteousnesse of our owne as hee is said to have paid the money to his creditour who paid it by another though himselfe was not able And unto this end the Apostle saith that wee are justified freely by his grace through the redemption Rom. 4 5 6 7 8. that is in Christ Iesus To the place in the Romanes where Paul saith But to him that worketh not but beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse even as David declared the blessednesse of that man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works saying Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not the sin Bellarmine answereth that Paul setteth not downe a full definition of justification For sinne is not remitted saith he except righteousnesse bee infused but yet inchoated onely not perfected and yet the comparison holdeth not betwixt the infusion of light into the ayre and the infusion of righteousnesse into a man similia illustrant non probant similies doe illustrate a thing but prove not Bellarmine argueth from the comparison betwixt Adam and Christ Per Adae peccatum inhaerens peccatores sumus By Rom. 5. the inhaerent sinne of Adam we are sinners therefore per infusionem inhaerentis justitiae justi sumus by infusion of inhaerent righteousnesse wee are righteous I answere that the argument followeth not the comparison holdeth not in the inherence of sinne or righteousnesse but in the adoption or getting From Adam wee have gotten sinne naturally but from Christ supernaturally by faith by which the righteousnesse of Christ is imputed unto us Bellarmine reckoneth up many things which be necessary to salvation out of the second Epistle of S. Peter the first Chapter as how we must joyne Vertue 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. with Faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse Good works the way not the cause of the Kingdome of Heaven love But hee doth detorquere writhe and bow the question another way and to another end For wee doe not exclude good works simply from the obtaining of salvation sunt enim via regni non causa regnandi they are the way to Gods Kingdome not the cause of our ruling and reigning in Gods Bern. Kingdome but from the obtaining of righteousnes For it is onely Christs righteousnesse that maketh us righteous before God for hee is our wisdome and righteousnesse and holinesse and redemption wisdome to instruct us righteousnes to justify us holines to sanctify us and redemption to free us Hee reasoneth thus Faith without Love doth not justify Therefore faith alone doth not justify for faith worketh by love Gal. 5. I deny the Confequence For though faith bee not alone without other vertues yet it justifieth alone as the hand of the writer is not alone but hath other members adjoyned unto it yet it writeth alone as the eye is not alone and yet it seeth alone and the eare is not alone and yet it heareth alone and yet to speake properly faith doth not justify it is a Metonymicall speech for to speake properly the righteousnes of Christ apprehended by faith justifieth us faith as the principall cause doth not justify us sed ut causa instrumentalis but as the instrumentall cause non per modum dispositionis sed per modum apprehensionis not by the manner of disposition but by the manner of apprehension For although it doth dispose unto good workes yet it doth not justify in respect of that but in respect of the object which is Christ For the blood of Iesus 1 Iohn 1. 7. Christ Gods Sonne clenseth us from all sinne But Iustification saith hee is motus à peccato ad justitiam a moving from sinne to righteousnesse as illumination is a moving from darkenes to light I grant sed non adjustitiam inhaerentem not unto inherent or infused righteousnesse but imputative Hee argueth that things are denominated from the internall not the externall forme as we call an Aethiopian blacke though he have a white garment on him quia nigredo est illi insita because blacknes is naturally graffed in him Ergo nos justos dici à justitia intra nos non extra nos Therefore wee are said to bee righteous of the righteousnesse that is within us not without us I answere This is true in Philosophy but false in Divinity Here we may say with Paul Beware lest there bee any man that spoile you through Col. 2. ◠philosophy Philosophy may bee used so as shee be content to be a servant not a mistris but when men measure all doctrine by humane reason and philosophicall positions as Bellarmine here doth then Philosophy is to be taken heed of Howlet in the fifth part of his resolution confesseth that works are not the causes of salvation but the path that leadeth Papists at death fly to Gods mercy in Christ and not to merit to salvation the fruits and effects of faith as Christ saith Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorify your Father which is in Heaven That Paul speaking of the cause of Iustification saying wee conclude that Mat. 5. 16. Rom. 3. 18. a man is justified by faith without the workes of the Law is not contrary to Iames speaking of the notes and signes of Iustification saying Yee see then how that of workes a man is justified and not of faith onely This truth God extorted from him as also Iam. 2. 24. from Stephen Gardiner who confessed this at his death but would not have it preached to the people Open that doore quoth hee and then farewell all Hee would bee wiser than God Mounser also granted it and cried Solus Christus solus Christus Christ alone Christ alone And so Sherwin a seminary Priest executed for treason with Campian and others at Tiborne when hee was in the cart ready to dye though he held himselfe a martyr for the Catholike faith acknowledged nowithstanding ingenuously the miseries imperfections and corruptions of his owne vile nature relying wholly upon Christ cried out at his death O Iesus Iesus Iesus bee to mee a Iesus And Bellarmine cites often in his workes out of Augustine Domus Dei credendo fundatur sperando exigitur diligendo perficitur the foundation of Gods house in our soules is faith the walles hope the roofe charity If faith bee the foundation of all other vertues as himselfe affirmes and if it bee our safest Lib. 1. de Rom. Pont. cap. 10. De Iustificatione lib. 5. Cap. 7. course to repose our whole trust in the onely mercy of God Propter incertitudinem propriae justitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimū est fiduciam totam in
but they that have beene mockers of God and Religion most odious most severely punished yet all condemned as being persecutors carnall lose Libertines though they thinke themselves 〈◊〉 yet they 〈◊〉 the bondslaves of sinne and Satan they are onely free that are the servants of God and subdue their lusts and they have thereby assurance of their election and salvation The Contents of the thirtieth Sermon HEre he condemneth Sectaries that make a division in the Church which is one and the true members thereof preserve unity among themselves these Sectaries are dangerous as Idolaters Three sorts of them viz. Heretikes Schismatikes and Apostates who are described and condemned Pride the root of Heresie and Schisme though the Scriptures the meanes to confute them yet they pervert them to maintaine their errors That we may avoid these wee must keepe our hearts from infidelity our minds from false opinions and our conversation from scandall they are the chiefe Engines Satans vse to overthrow the Church making Sects and divisions either for matters Ecclesiasticall or Temporall These Sectaries are by Iude called naturall men that is unregenerate having no more then they drew from Adam without grace and knowledge of heavenly things yet practised many civill vertues invented Arts and in many things exceeded many that beare the names of Christians though they had but naturall illumination not the Spirit of Sanctification and so Saint Iude addeth having not the Spirit that is the Spirit of God and being without it had no spirituall grace but were led by the spirit of pride errour c. The Contents of the one and thirtieth Sermon HAving noted the opposition betweene the wicked and the godly from the conjunction discretive But that though Sectaries pull downe yet the godly must build up themselves in their holy Faith he justifieth first in the metaphor Edifie hee inferres two things first that we must be builders using the Word of God for our rule or square and confute the Papists that tooke it away secondly that we must encrease daily in knowledge grace and goodnesse and reproove our non-proficiency and shew that it is a propertie of the wicked to decrease and taxe both such as thinke they know enough and such as will not indevour to know exhorting all to use all diligence to learne and to build so as when their earthly tabernacle bee dissolved they may have assurance of a house in the Heavens he proceedeth with the Apostle to the thing wherein hee must be built and that is in their Faith and this not barely named but with a note of excellency above all vertues being called Most holy Faith He sets out the necessity of Faith in all our actions that they may bee pleasing to God and having shewed that Faith is the originall of all good workes he sheweth the end and manifold uses of them Finally that Faith is the life of the soule by it God lives in us and wee shall live eternally with him Hee proceeds to the note of excellency that is called most holy and first shewes the excellency of it above all other vertues and that holy first in regard of the subject purifying the heart and making our persons and 〈…〉 Secondly in respect of the object the holy Trinitie Thirdly in respect of the officient cause the holy Ghost and hence concluded that the Papists workes are not holy being not done in Faith and that the wicked have no Faith because no holinesse And lastly he sheweth that this holy Faith must be begotten by hearing the holy Word of God The Contents of the two and thirtieth Sermon HAving set out the relation betweene Faith and Prayer and the manifold and marveilous effects of Prayer and that it is not onely powerfull but pleasant to God and the Saints themselves he descends to divide Prayer into divers kinds in divers respects and sheweth how all must be uttered Hee proceedeth further to set out the excellency of Prayer by many resemblances and manifold effects and uses having spoken of Prayer in generall he comes to shew that it must bee in Spirit and sheweth what it is to pray in the Spirit and that hee deâ—ineth so as either the holy Ghost must be the Author of Prayer being the Author of all Graces yet so as the holy Trinity have a hand in it or secondly that our Prayers must be spirituall and zealous not carnall and with the lips hee reprove the Papists that require but an actuall intent and sheweth it is the manner not matter that God respects That wee must take heed that neither businesse nor multitude of cogitations steale away the times of prayer but that wee pray alwayes with pure zealous and faithfull hearts and then we may relye upon his promises for all good things The Contents of the three and thirtieth Sermon HAving breifly shewed the relation betwixt Faith Prayer and Love he instanceth in Love setteth out the excellency of it above all vertues bewailes the want of it and exhorts unto it yet distinguisheth and sheweth it must be the Love of God which we must keepe our selves in this he describes by foure properties that it must bee 1 Holy 2 Iust 3 True 4 Constant And condemnes the love of Atheists carnall wordly men and Papists distinguisheth the love of God into 1 His love to us 2 Our love to him His love to us though infinite yet described in divers respects 1 By comparison 2 By distinction First into his love 1 Immanent 2 Transient Secondly 1 Generall 2 Speciall Thirdly 1 Temporary 2 Sempiternall Our love to god he sheweth to be an effect of his love to us and uses foure reasons to excite us to the love of God First à mandato from the Commandement of God Secondly 〈…〉 from the Law of equity Thirdly à commodo from the manifold good that redounds to us by it Fourthly 〈…〉 from our duty he being our Father Lastly he sheweth the manner how we should performe it and taxeth our fayling in the manner The Contents of the foure and thirtieth Sermon FIrst observing how Saint Iude having give divers Precepts to the godly commforts them with the hope of eternall life he shewes this to bee the duly meanes to support the soules of the faithfull and entreth into a large learned and elegant discourse concerning eternall life and the joyes of Heaven and sets them out firtst to bee in themselves both unspeakeable and incomprehensible yet that may be guessed at by comparison with the most excellent earthly things and setteth out the glorious estate of the Saints both in body and soule and reprooves such as are so delighted with this life as they thinke not on eternall life and confutes divers erronious conceits concerning this life and againe describes it 1 By the eternity 2 Infinite extent of the place 3 The infinite kindes of pleasures Lastly having set out the glorious estate hee sheweth the meanes how wee should attaine to it and that not by our merits but Gods mercies
to bee seeing it hath the holy Ghost for the Author 2 The penman or writer was Iude or Iudas and of this name our Saviour had two disciples The one called Iudas Iscariot Who for thirty peeces of silver betraied basely sold his Lord and Master Servus Dominum discipulus magistrum homo Deum creatura Mat. 26. creatorem vendidit The servant betraid sold most basely sold his Lord. The disciple his Master man God the creature the Creator Infoelix mercator Iudas O unhappy Merchant Iudas The other called Iudas the son of Alphaeas called also Thaddeus Labbeus who was brother to Iames cosin to the Lord Iesus in the flesh The occasion of which name with the reason therof is set down in the 29. of Gen. the 35 V. For when Leah had borne Iudg. 15. Act. 18. 28. cap. 6. 10. three sons to Iacob she conceived and bare a fourth Sonne saying Now will I praise and confesse the Lord and shee called his name Iudah This Iude was as rare and notable an Apostle to beat downe the Heretickes of that time as Sampson did the Philistines as Apollo did the Iewes as Stephen did the Libertines Cirenians as Paphuntius did the Councell of Nice in Ministers marriage Concerning the Argument of this Epistle it is a stirring The Argument and occasion or this Epistle them up to a Christian life to shew foorth the fruits of faith to ioyne with Words Workes with communication conversation with hearing keeping with profession practice For after planting must come growing after light walking Col. 1. Ephes 5. 9. 2 Pet. 1. Esa 2. 3. Iam. 1. 22. after faith workes after teaching obedience after a good profession some good practice Beside here in this Epistle hee inveigheth sharpely against carnall profession and grosse abusing of Christian Religion And also he admonisheth them to beware of imposters seducers false teachers cunning deceivers which were craftily crept in amongst them drawing men from purity in Religion to impurity of the flesh Whom the Apostle lively painteth out in their severall colours and against whom hee denounceth many Iudgements of God The occasion of writing this Epistle was this It is affirmed by the most learned of all times and agreed upon by the best writers that this Apostle Iude outlived many yea most of the Apostles continuing and preaching in Mesopotomia Pontus Persis and other parts of the world till the Reigne of Domitian the Emperour in whose reigne Iniquity reigned Impiety abounded corruption of manners and dissolution in life raged in every place for many there were that were Wantons in manners and heretikes in opinion against whom hee did lift up his voyce like a trumpet So that this Epistle is notable and written for our learning howsoever some deny this Epistle to bee Cannonicall as Cardinall Cajetane who Esa 58. 1. Rom. 15. 4. calleth it Aprocriphall Which I note the rather to meete with Campian and Reighnolds who say that wee Protestants reject the Scriptures that wee leave no ground for a Christian to rest his Faith on because Luther doubted of Iames his Epistle and wee of the Apocripha But did not Dionisius Alexandrinus say that most of his predecessors reiected the Apocalips Did not the Councell of Laodicia leave it out of the Canon Did not Eumilâ—us Africanus deny the bookes of Esra Iob Paralipomenon Did not Ierome call the history of Davids Marriage a Poeticall fiction an unseemely iest Did not Cardinall Caietane a Piller of the Church a Peere of the Court of Rome accuse the Epistle to the Hebrewes to containe too weake grounds to prove Christs divinitie and yet left they ground for our faith to rest on So that there was no cause for Campian and Reighnolds to pearch on their rowses to clap their wings to crow so lowd to whet their dogges eloquence against us Some Scriptures have beene doubted of of some Churches as the second Epistle of Saint Peter the second and third of Saint John and some have beene reiected of all Churches As the Epistle of Barnabas The Acts of Peter The booke of the Pastor The Gospel of Nicodemus and Thaddaeus c. God hath kept the Scriptures Of the parts the Epistle The person writing it God hath kept the Scriptures in all ages so much as is necessary for our salvation At the giving of the Law it was reserved in tables of stone After the giving of the Law the writings of the Prophets were nailed to the doore of the Temple and reserved in the Lords treasury Before the captivity the Septuagint turned them into Greeke and Ptolomaeus Exod. 34. Heb. 2. the King kept them After the captivitie Ezra gathered all into one volume in the dayes of Artaxerxes and the Church have kept them as Aarons Rod and the pot of Manna and as the two Tables were kept in the Arke c. In the primative Church the Gospell of Mathew was kept in Iewry the Gospell of Marke at Alexandria that of Luke at Antioch that of Iohn and the Apocalips at Ephesus Nam triplex est munus Ecclesiae the Churches office is threefold Sacros libros servare instar testis eos promulgare instar proeconis eos ab aliis discernere to keepe these sacred bookes as a witnesse to promulgate them as a Preacher and to discerne them from other bookes whatsoever And thus the Church hath kept this Epistle of Iude unto this day Fremat licet Câ—jetanus All Tyrants have raged against the Scripture Antiochus for his hatred of the Scriptures is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he beheaded them that had the Bible Dioclesian commanded the bookes of the Scripture to be burnt yet by the wonderfull providence of God they are preserved And thus much being spoken concerning the Author the Penman the Occasion and Argument of this Epistle I will now come unto the Epistle it selfe the which may be divided into five parts First The title or superscription Secondly The Exordium Thirdly A proposition Fourthly Exhortations and dehortations Fiftly The conclusion or the shutting up of the Epistle with a prayer to God But first to begin with the title or superscription and therein observe with me three things First The person writing Secondly The persons written unto Thirdly The Salutation Now the person writing is described three wayes First by his name Iude. Secondly By his calling a servant of Christ Thirdly By his kindred The brother of Iames. But first the person writing is described by his name and that was Iude or Iudas not Iudas Iscariot the traytor but Iudas the brother of Iames and Cousin to the Lord Iesus Christ in the flesh yet both were the Apostles of Christ but this man good and godly that wicked and ungodly For it is nor the name or The Writer by his name and calling described office that makes a good man but the Grace and Mercie of God If outward titles could make good men Iudas Iscariot had beene as good as
with the milke of wilde beasts If Iacob sorrowed so for Ioseph if David would have dyed for Absalom if Rachel wept for her children and would not be comforted because they were not Let the death of Christ Gen. 37. 35. 2 Sam. 17. Mat. 2. Luke 1. 75. Luke 7. Mat. 26. Psal 51. pierce our hearts and move us to holinesse and let us serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life The Lord sustaine our hearts that with Mary we may wash his feet with our teares and with Peter wee may weepe bitterly Create in us Lord a cleane heart and renue in us a right spirit Another reason is taken from our Salvation for without holinesse we cannot be saved For though wee be not saved for it yet we are not saved without it Hereupon saith the Apostle Follow peace with holinesse without the which yee cannot bee saved A Heb. 12. 14. sore a fearefull speech like the thunder in Mount Horeb which I adde the rather because men mocke at holinesse Oh say they you are holy men you are men of the Spirit you are Saints you are Sermon-men The Bastard Ismael flowted at Isaac Gal. 5. 29. 2 Sam. 6. Ier. 18. Michol skorneth at Davids dancing before the Arke the men of Anathoth did smite Ieremy with their tongue the Adversaries of Iuda jested at the people But if thou beest not holy if thou beest not a Saint thou art a divell and know that if ye Esra 4. Rom. 8. 13. Gal. 6. 8. live after the flesh ye shall dye for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption As Naomi said Call me not Naomi but Mara So call not these men Christians Gospellers but call them swine dogges that tread pearles under their feet call them Adders that will not be charmed call them Wolves that heare Mat. 7. Psal 58. Iohn 10. Hebr. 12. Iohn 6. not their shepheard call them Bastards and not sonnes yea call them divels as Christ called Iudas and say unto them as Christ said to Peter Come behind me Satan thou understandest not the things that bee of God but of man I marvell that the Sunne that is witnesse of these villanies standeth in the heavens that the heavens raine not downe fire and Brimstone as Gen. 19. 23. that the earth swallow them not up as Numb 16. that the creatures put not on their harnesse as Ioel 1. Lastly wee are sanctified wee must therefore be holy that our names and our natures our calling and conversation may be correspondent if then we will have part with Christ we must live after the example of Christ if wee will have Communion Causes of Sanctification The whole Trinity sanctifie with the Saints on Earth wee must bee Saints on Earth if wee will have the company of Saints in Heaven our conversation on Earth must bee heavenly Partly Wee are chosen in Christ that wee should bee holy and without blame before him and partly because the heavenly Court receiveth none but such as are pure Ephes 7. 4. Apoc. 21. 27. holy innocent David saith holinesse becommeth thy house for ever If holinesse become Gods house much more us which are the servants of his house Wel the God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your Spirits Soules and Bodies may bee holy and harmelesse untill the comming of the Lord Iesus For all our sanctification and holinesse is from the Lord as it appeareth plainely by the words of my Text Sanctified of God the Father Causa efficiens sanctitatis the efficient cause of holinesse is God the Father Instrumentalis causa fides the instrumentall cause is Faith for Fides cor purificat Faith purifieth the heart Materialis causa the materiall cause est energia sanctitatis quae est in Act. 15. 9. Iohn 1. 16. Christo for of his fulnes we have all received even grace for grace Formalis causa the formall cause est nostra renovatio ab impuris qualitatibus ad puras integras is our renewing from impure qualities to pure and sound Finalis Dei cultus the final Gods worship to the honour of God and the edifying of our neighbour But yet observe with mee that though sanctification bee attributed to the Father yet the Sonne and the holy Ghost are not excluded for wee hold the principle of the Schoolemen Opera Trinitatis quoad extra sunt indivisa the outward workes of God are common to the whole Trinity and so are we sanctified by Father Sonne and holy Ghost yet sanctification is here ascribed to the Father as being the ground and first author thereof For the Son ne sanctifieth by meriting sanctification the holy Ghost sanctifieth by working it but the Father sanctifieth both by sending his Sonne to merit it and also by giving the holy Spirit to worke Thus Opera Trinitatis the outward workes of God are common to the whole Trinitie Sed opera Trinitatis quoad intus esse singularia the inward workes of God are singular and proper to some persons of the Trinitie Vt patri potentia filio redemptio spiritu sanctificatio tribuitur as power is ascribed to the Father redemption to the Sonne sanctification to the holy Ghost and yet these three now and then bee attributed to all the three persons Quod Vrsinus servato ordine agendi for as the Father and the holy Ghost doe redeeme and yet mediately by the Sonne so the Father and the Sonne doe sanctifie yet mediately by the Holy Ghost The proper or incommunicable workes of the Trinity are the inward eternall and hypostaticall properties as thus Pater generat the Father begetteth the Sonne is begotten and the holy Ghost proceedeth Distinction of persons in the Trinitie and yet the Father is not the Sonne nor the Sonne the Father nor the holy Ghost either Father or Sonne The other workes of the Trinity are indivisible how soever sometimes distinct as Creation to the Father Redemption to the Sonne Sanctification to the holy Ghost Peter Martyr sayth thus Pater ut fons filius ut flumen spiritus ut rivus ab utroque procedens The Father as the Fountaine the Sonne as the flood the Spirit as the River proceeding from them both The fountaine is not the flood nor the flood the fountaine nor the river either fountaine or flood and yet all these bee one water So the Father is not the Sonne nor the Sonne the Father nor the Spirit either Father or Sonne and yet but one God Et hi tres sanctificant and all these three sanctifie quoth Lactantius Ab uno omnia per unum omnia in uno omnia a quo per quem in quo omnia unus a se unus ab uno unus ab ambobus una tamen eadem operatio All things from one all things by one all things in one from whom by whom and in whom are all things one of himselfe one from one one from both and yet one
it otherwise it will not be sure and stedfast It is a sheild but God must frame it and strengthen it So that the slaunder of the Papists redoundeth to God not to us But I may say to Act. 13. 48. Hebr. 6. 19. Ephes 6. 17. 2 Thess 2. 11 12. you as Paul said to the Thessalonians God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve lyes that all they might be damned which beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse God hath fed them with lyes because they received not the truth they beleeve not But to leave this and to returne againe to these Israelites These Israelites wanted faith and so all the parts of a Christian as the root giveth sappe to all the branches the Sunne light to all the Planets the earth nourishment to all plants the water life to all fishes So faith giveth life and allowance to all our actions For without it splendida opera sunt splendida peccata our glistering works are but glistering sinnes therefore is it said that by faith Abel offered unto God a greater sacrifice than Caine c. by faith Hebr. 11. 4 5. 7 8. Enoch was taken away that he should not see death By faith Noah being warned of God and moved with reverence prepared the Arke By faith Abraham when he was called obeyed God c. Faith is the eye wherewith we see God it is the mouth wherby we speake to God the hand whereby wee touch him the foote whereby wee goe unto him saith Ambrose Thus Stephen the ring leader of Martyrs saw Ambros Act. 6. Luk. 18. Luk 2. Iohn 1. him with the eyes of faith The Publicane spake to him with the mouth of faith Simeon embraced him with the armes of faith Thus Andrew walked to Christ with the foote of a lively faith Thus all must come to Christ not with the legges of their body but of faith We must draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith Hebr. 10. 22. being sprinkled in our hearts from an evill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water But the Infidells like Polypheme the Giant want eyes like the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at the river Ganges they want mouthes like the Cripple in the third of the Acts they want legges For by faith Christ dwelleth in us by faith we eate him by faith we put him on by Ephes 3. Iohn 6. Gal. 3. Gal. 2. 20. faith we live in him therefore wanting faith we want all Many therefore want all the parts of Christianity for few beleeve but are Cyphers in the Church of God and shall be Cyphers in the Kingdome of God But to cut up the veines and arteries of this vice and make an Anatomie of it we can all say I beleeve in God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost yet few beleeve and are perswaded of the love and power of God but rest in the creature not in the Creator if they see not meanes If God give us friends wee make Idols of them and trust in them as the Iewes did in Esay 31. Psal 52. 7. Ier. 5. 2 Chro. 16. the Aegyptians if money we thinke never to want as it is said of Doeg hee trusted in the multitude of his riches and strengthened himselfe in his malice if armour we trust in them as the Iewes did if Physitians wee trust in them as Asa did if wisdome wee thinke to smooth all causes and to wade thorough all bad matters Want of faith the cause of al sinne and misery as the false Prophets These are our treasures and our hearts are upon them as Mat. 6. We make flesh our arme Thus what for friends money munition physicke cunning God is not regarded the helpelesse trust in friends the poore in money the souldier Ier. 18. Jer. 17. in armour the sicke in Physitians the cunning in their wisdome like Achitophel But of all others our infidelity appeareth in our running to witches wherein I say with Elisha Is it not because there is no King in England as 2 Reg. 1. Here I could wish my voice as a trumpet or as the voice of Stentor who had the voice of fifty men Satan is a deceiver and shall we trust in him A lyer and shall we beleeve him an enemy and shall wee crave ayde of him Absit God forbid Most men beleeve not For our faith hath a triple foundation First that Christ is true God and therefore can help 1 Tim. 2. Secondly true Man and therefore will helpe Hebr. 4. Thirdly that he is one Person not by confusion of substance but by the union of natures for God and man make but one Christ and Mat. 11. 11. Psal 30. will help us for if a Father will helpe his Sonne in his wants how much more will hee helpe us Let us therefore put off our sackecloath and girde us with gladnesse let us rejoice for ever For now is salvation in Heaven and strength and the Kingdome of our Apoc. 12. 10. God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is throwne downe c. Hence commeth all mischiefe that wee beleeve not God which appeareth in our life If a sicke man should have two Physitians the one prescribing a present remedy the other a present poison if he should follow the latter would wee not conclude that either he would not be healed or else that hee beleeved not the other so standeth the case betwixt God and us either wee would not bee saved or else wee doe not beleeve God This is manifest in two men Adam and Abraham the one the father of all men the other of the faithfull Now Adam eate of Gen. 3. the tree which God forbad and why because he beleeved not Act. 7. God but Satan and so doe most men But Abraham when God commanded him to leave his Countrey and kindred he did so Gen. 22. when God commanded him to offer his Sonne he did it For he Esa 1. beleeved God and so doe few men But let us not listen to Satan and our owne flesh but to God promising happinesse if we obey him Thou hast here two counsellors the flesh and the spirit The flesh bids thee follow thy lustes but the spirit saith if thou doest so thou shalt perish For he that soweth in the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but hee that soweth in the spirit shall of the spirit Gal. 6. 8. reape life everlasting now whether of these wilt thou beleeve Yet in all this I doe not speake of the justifying faith but that the wicked have not no not so much as the Historicall faith to beleeve the Scriptures Nam Faith a chiefe instrumentall cause of salvation Fidestriplex Iustificans Miraculosa Historica For faith is threefold There is a lively justifying Faith a miraculous and an historicall faith but the former is most rare like a blacke swanne or Phoenix in Arabia In all
the old world there were but eight beleevers but two Iosua and Caleb and in Christs time we read but of an hundred and twenty beleevers As Aegypt was full of lice Nilus full of Crocodyles Golgotha full of dead mens skulls so is the world full of Infidells He destroyed them that beleeved not And hence commeth it to passe that so many are damned even because they want faith Perditio tua ex te ô Israel thy destruction commeth of thy selfe ô Israel Ex nobis quod damnamur It is of our selves that wee bee damned blame not God but thine owne infidelity For all things Hos 13. Man 5. are possible to them that doe beleeve And therefore Hemingius in his Enchiridion distinguisheth of the word that There is Duplex verbum Damnans Salvans That there is a double word a Damning and a Saving word The damning word is the Law the saving word is the Gospell The Law offereth grace to them that doe it Yee shall keepe therefore Deut. 2. 27. Gen. 3. 5. Levit. 18. 5. Rom. 10. 4. 9. my statutes and my iudgements which if a man doe he shall live in them But the Gospell offereth grace to the beleevers For Christ is the end of the Law unto every one that beleeve For if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeve in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Faith is ever a chiefe doer in matters of salvation and therefore said Hemingius in his Enchiridion that Causa imperans salutis est pater the Iohn 3. 16. commanding cause of our salvation is God For God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Sonne to save the world Causa obsequens est filius the obedient pliant cause is the Psal 40. 7. Sonne In the volume of thy booke it is written of me that I should doe thy will I am content to doe it thy Law is written in my heart Causa consummans est Spiritus Sanctus the consummating cause is the holy Ghost so saith the Apostle But yee are washed but yee are sanctified 1 Cor. 6. 11. but yee are iustified by the grace of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of God The instrumentall cause is double Exhibens Recipiens Rom. 1. 18. The exhibiting Cause is the word the receiving cause Faith as therefore a Smith worketh not in cold iron so a preacher worketh not on an Infidell There is no life of God in us till we beleeve Ephes 4. 18. till then our cogitation is darkened and we are strangers from the life of God He that beleeveth in him shall not be condemned but hee that Iohn 3. 18. beleeveth not is condemned already because he beleeveth not in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God A tree liveth not without moisture Without faith no accesse to God nor a bird without aire nor a fish without water nor a Salamander without fire So the soule liveth not without faith The just doth live by his faith this is the spirit and soule of the inward man we Hab. 2. have a name to live yet are we dead if we want faith I live by faith in the Sonne of God saith Paul who loved me and gave himselfe for Gal. 2. 20. me Infidels therefore are dead men What is the cause that wee profit no more by the word wee beleeve not the preacher that may bee verified of our people which God said to Ezechiel concerning the Iewes They come unto Ezech. 33. 31 32. thee saith God as people useth to come and my people sit before thee and he are thy words but they will not doe them For with their mouthes they make jests and their heart goeth after their covetousnesse and loe thou art unto them as a jesting song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can sing well for they heare thy words but doe them not So we come to the Sermon heare the preacher but we doe not heare him with such zeale and affection as we should wee beleeve not but abuse the word to our owne condemnation why care wee no more for heaven but are so worldly truely we beleeve not God what is the cause that wee live in sinne seeing it is damnable For the wayes of it is death wee beleeve not the Scriptures what is the Rom. 6. 23. 2 Cor. 4. 4. cause of all disorder even infidelity The God of this world hath blinded their eyes our eares are open to heare but not our hearts to beleeve Satan stealeth away the word lest we should beleeve and so be saved But let us make much of the word that wee may Mat. 13. 19. have faith to beleeve For faith nay one dramme of faith is of more worth than all the treasure in the world This that good merchant well knew that sold all to buy it For hee that beleeveth shall not be condemned for every beleevers cause is removed Mat. 13. 24. from the Court of Gods justice into the Court of Gods mercy where hee that beleeveth is not condemned Therefore our care must be with S. Paul that we may be found having the righteousnesse of Christ by faith For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Phil. 3. 9. Rom. 1. Iesus as all beleevers are and untill thou beest a beleever thou belongest not to God For as the Eagle refuseth her birds till they can mount and soare to the Sunne and as the Raven acknowledgeth not her young ones till they be blacke So God rejecteth the infidels and receiveth none till they beleeve None are the Sonnes of God but the faithfull the rest are bastards I confesse there be degrees in faith The first is a rudiment or entrance Gal. 3. Mat. 12. 20. Rom. 14. 1. Hebr. 10. 22. Rom. 4. 18. which Christ calleth Smoking flaxe The second is a weake faith Him that is weake in faith saith Paul receive unto you The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assurance of Faith Such a faith was in Abraham who above hope beleeved under hope But no faith is abominable and may easily be discerned from a weake faith As a sicke man is knowne from a dead man So a weake faith from no faith Even a desire of Faith is a token of faith For Gods spirit worketh God giues grace according to the measure of Faith that but no faith is accursed For he that beleeveth not is còndemned already There be degrees in faith three examples we have The first of the Ruler of the Synagogue who beleeved that his daughter should revive if Christ would but touch her But the Iohn 3. 18. Iohn 4. woman with the bloody issue beleeved that she should be whole if she touched but the hemme of his vesture But the Centurion beleeved that his servant should doe well if Christ spake but the Luk. 8. Mat. 8. word here is Gradus positivus the positive degree the
by breathing some by poyson some by worrowing So is it among the wicked some hurt as beasts one way some another If hee be not an usurer yet is he an oppressor if not a Papist yet a prophane man if not covetous yet prodigall if not voluptuous yet superstitious if not a Lion yet an Aspe But let us put off our beastly affections Nam pejus est bestialiter vivere quà m bestiam esse hoc fuit à natura illud à Diabolo It is worser Seneca to live beastly than to be a beast the one is of nature the other of the Divell Let us then no longer live beastly lest we perish with the beast but live Christianly that so we may see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living THE TWENTIETH SERMON VERS XI Woe be unto them they have followed the way of Caine. Execrable sinners may be execrated FRom the description and confuration of the wicked hee commeth to execration hee riseth by degrees as the Eagle mounteth in her flight like fire that first smoaketh and then flameth he casteth them out of the savour of God and state of salvation Woe be unto them saith he Psal 69. 22 23. c. let their table be made a snare before them and their prosperity their ruine let their eyes be blinded that they see not and make their loynes alway to tremble Powre out thine anger upon them and let thy wrathfull displeasure take them let their habitation be void and let none dwell in their Tents Lay iniquity upon their iniquity and let them not come into thy righteousnesse let them be put out of the Booke of life and let them not be written with the righteous Thus with Esay he lifteth up his voyce like Esa 58. 1. Mich. 3. 2 Cor. 4. Ier. 5. 24. a trumpet with Micah he is full of power and judgement hee commeth to them as Paul to the Corinthians with a rod with Ieremy his words are as fire and the people as wood and straw to be devoured of this fire Saint Iude had hitherto tempred his stile but now comming to their arch-metropolitan sinnes hee cannot forbeare but breaketh out into these words Woe bee unto them with Iames and Iohn he is become Boanarges the Sonne of thunder he telleth them of nothing but destruction that God Ministers must not in their owne cause be rigorous but in Gods hath bent his bow and made his arrowes ready that God will arise and his enemies shall bee scattered that God will meet them as a shee Beare robbed of her whelps There is no doubt but the Apostle would have spoken mildly unto them would have blessed them as Aaron did the tribes if there had beene any Psal 7. Psal 68. 8. Hos 13. 8. Numb 6. goodnesse in them but seeing their sinnes execrable he commeth to execration and saith Woe be unto them Hee dealeth here with them as Christ did with Corazin and Bethsaida Woe to thee Corazin Woe to thee Bethsaida And as Christ did with the Mat. 23. Pharisees Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees and Hypocrites and as Paul did with the Corinthians when he said Maranatha Anathema be unto them that love not the Lord Iesus Men are unwilling to 1 Cor. 16. heare execrations and woes they would have pillowes sowne under their elbowes with the men of Anathoth they love to be soothed in their sinnes with Achab they cannot abide that Micah should prophesie otherwise unto them than they would have him they would not have the Lords sword drawne against them nor no woe denounced upon them but woe woe and woe againe to them that cause us to sharpen our stile and to cry Woe be unto them And note here that no private revenge no sinister affection carried him to this execration but being moved by the Spirit of God he was inforced to lay the Axe of Gods vengeance to the rootes of their trees and to cry Woe be unto them The Prophets and Apostles in their owne causes are like doves Sine felle without gall or bitternesse but in Gods cause they rowse themselves like Giants Moses prayed for Aaron and Myriam the cause was his Stephen prayed for his persecutors the cause was his but when he commeth to handle the cause of God he calleth them Acts 7. hard-hearted and stiffe necked Iewes So Christ in his owne cause was meeke as a Lambe but in his Fathers cause he rowsed himself like a Lion for he that prayed for his enemies thundred many woes against his Fathers adversaries as the Scribes Mat. 23. Pharisees and Hypocrites Well the Apostle having thus denounced Gods judgement against them saying Woe be unto them he commeth to set downe the cause of this execration the first whereof was envy malice First he calleth them malicious envious like Caine whose sinne the Apostle noteth and dehorteth men not to be As Caine which was of the wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him because his owne workes were evill and his brothers good A miserable 1 Iohn 3. 12. thing not to hate the man but the vertue of the man the goodnesse of the man this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fight against God like the old Giants we should love good men Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle saith David who shall rest upon thy holy hill God Psal 15. answereth him In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that feare the Lord All Davids delight was upon Envy ever ascendeth maligne vertue and glory them for so he protesteth in the Psalme All my delight is upon the Saints that are on the earth and upon such as excell in vertue We should doe so even Hate the evill and love the good and establish Psal 16. 3. Aâ—os 5. 15. judgment in the gate but we have inverted that order and good men are in most detestation with us As there is no Sunne beame without motes no Tree without barke no garment without mothes no fruit without Catterpillers so no vertue no honour without envy There 's no Iacob whom Esau will not perfecute no David whom Saul will not maligne no Isaak whom Ismael Gen. 27. will not revile and no good man upon the earth whom the envious will not bite teare and devoure For this cause one resembleth envy to certaine Flies called Cantharides for as they light specially upon the fairest wheat and most blowne Roses so envy commonly opposeth herselfe against the best men Invidia virtutis Comes envy is the companion of vertue One resembleth envy unto fire for as fire coveteth the highest places so envy aimeth at the worthiest men As for example Themistocles when he had conquered the navy of Xerxes which in number was most infinite through envy was forced to leave his Country and to live in miserable banishment Aristides which for his vertues was called the just yet through envy as an unprofitable member was
our pride is infinite But it is not so much in the rich as in the poore the poorest the basest are many times the proudest prettie is the parable of Iotham the best trees refused to be the King but the bramble affected it did sperare aspirare hope aspire as did the bastard Abimelech Iudg. 9. 15. Such a fine parable is also in the book of the Kings of the Thistle the parable runneth thus The thistle that is in Lebanon sent to the Cedar that is in Lebanō saying Give thy daughter to my sonne to wife The thistle 2 Reg. 14. 9. the begger is proud none worse The Cumane Asse jetteth up and downe with his long eares in a Lions skin Aesops Crow craketh in the feathers of other birds Among fowles the Peacocke for pride challength the soveraignty Hagar the kitchen maide will be proud Gen. 23. Mat. 20. insult over her mistrisse Sara The poore Sonnes of Zebede would sit at Christs right hand and at his left and they that Iob would not set over the dogges of his sheep yet were so proud as they contemned him None prouder then the basest and the meanest If they haue but a little mucke or a few cloddes to commend them a little land they looke aloft and a King must not be their Cousin It is said of them that liue under the North Pole that no plant groweth in Summer for the great heate there nor none in Winter for the extreme cold So no vertue can grow in our Climate not in rich for they are proud nor in the poore for they are prouder We all cōplaine of the envy the quarrelling the strife the suites the troubles of this age but where is the roote of all these but pride Only by pride doth man make contention For where every man contendeth to have preeminence none wil give place to other there can Pro. 13. 10. be no peace We haue the heart of Caesar the stomake of Pompey the one could not indure an equal nor the other a superiour Quisque gerit regnum in pectore every man carryes a King within him When we follow a dead corps to be buried or walke among the graves we can condemne our vanity and insolency every man can be a preacher against pride and cry out Why should men be proud who are but earth and ashes a bubble a vapour a shadow whose breath is in his nostrilles to day a man to morow none to day a Prince to morow a dead carion Quid superbis cinis pulvis Why art thou Psal 39. 5 6. Eccles 10. 9. Mat. 23. 5. proud dust and ashes but wee forget all and like the Pharises love the chiefe places but it is certaine where pride is in the saddle God hateth pride and resisteth it shame is in the crooper for he that exalteth himselfe shal be brought low for glory is like a shadow if a man follow it it goeth from him if he goeth from it it followeth him Before destruction the heart of man is hautie proud these proud men please none not God for Prov. 18. 12. he resisteth them nor their betters for they envy them nor themselves 1 Pet. 5. 5. for they are not so proud as they would be Whom do they please then Certenly the Divell who of a beautifull Angell is made an uncleane ougly spirit humilitas autem hominem Angelo similem Aug. facit superbia Angelum daemonem reddit humility maketh a man like an Angell and pride maketh an Angell a Divell and therefore Paul would not have a Bishop to bee a young man lest he 1 Tim. 3. 6. being puft up fall into the condemnation of the Divell The which words may be taken either actively or passively actively lest the Divell condemne us or passively lest we by our pride be condemned of the Divell or with the Divell Many swell in pride but let them take heed they swell not as Aesops toade did who seeing the Oxe feeding by her envied him and swelled her selfe so big that she swelled her selfe out of her skinne she burst withall yea indeed the proud man is as he that transgresseth by wine he is as a drunkard without reason and sense Hab. 2. 5. whom God will punish and make a laughing stock to all the world for God opposeth himselfe against the proud and who then can stand for them Pride is one of the sinnes that God hateth he hateth 1 Pet. 5. 5. all sinnes but this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so saith Salomon These six things doth the Lord hate yea his soule abhorreth seven the hauty eyes a lying Pro. 6. 16. tongue c. See how he placeth pride in the fore-front in the vauntgarde like Vrias The sinne of this age is pride and the pride of this age is monstrous Christ set a little Child among his Apostles Mat. 18. but it had need be a sucking child 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an infant not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a child a boy for even children are proud like the saucie boyes of Bethel 2 Reg. 2. 23. Esa 3. 5. Children presume against the ancient and the vile against the honorable servants ride and masters go on foot Paul prophecied of this age Eccles 10 6. Know saith he that in the last dayes shall come perillous times men shal be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud c. 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 There is a pride in the Church and Commonwealth hic ubique here every where In the Church all would be Apostles and Prophets and teachers and every man as good as his fellow as Paul 1 Cor. 12. said of the Corinthians docent antequam discunt they teach before they have learned quoth a father of that age so is it now and all Hier. the troubles of the Church come from pride the people thinke they have as much knowledge as the Pastor Arrius the hereticke who sprang up An. Dom. 358. to maintaine his heresy that no sinne were it never so great should be reputed to him that had faith said that God revealed that to him which he concealed from the Apostles Montanus called himselfe Paracletum the Holy Ghost and his two trulles Prisca and Maximilla he named Prophetesses Arrius fell into his heresy for that he could not be Pride the cause of heresy in the Church and disorder in the commonwealth a Bishop The Anomaei said that they knew God as he knew himselfe most heresies have come from pride Si ergo vana gloria te titillaverit dic ei ut Christus Magdalenae Noli me tangere nondum ascendi ad Patrem if therefore pride or vaine glory shall tickle thee say unto it as Christ did unto Magdalen Touch me not I have not yet ascended to my Father Chrysost Bern. In the Commonwealth there is pride for the foot striveth to equall the head the servant would be as the Master the
out and the young Eagles eateit what shall the tongue doe that mocketh God his heavenly Father the 2 Cor. 5. 20. Church his Mother the Saints his fellow brethren members of Christs Body the holy Ghost his Schoole-master the Preachers the messengers of God the Gospell the Word of life the two Sacraments the two dugges of life the Food of our soules Into their secrets let not my soule come saith old father Iacob Many Scoffers and railers smite with the tongue condemne us of singularity precisenesse puritanisme they would not have us so odde but to be good fellowes boone companions sport and play drinke and swill like other men and to Gen. 49. 6. walke as the world doth But let us answere these men as Alexander answered Parmenio counselling him to a thing undecent and unseemely Facerem si Parmenio essem at Alexandro neutiquam licet I would doe this if I were Parmenio but it is no way beseeming Alexander to doe it So will wee answere Atheists Papists Worldlings We would doe such and such things we would drinke with the drunkard sweare with the swaggerer and runne into all excesse of riot if wee were Atheists Papists prophane worldlings At Protestantibus Christianis non licet But it is not lawfull for Christians and Protestants so to doe God bee thanked wee are free now from open persecution the Moone is not turned into bloud the Dragon pursueth not the woman the daughters of Sion are not Apoc. 6. Cap. 12. Lament 2. 1. 2 Reg. 21. darkened the Church is not blacke as Cant. 1. our bloud is not powred out like water as in Ierusalem the Preachers are not scattred abroad as Moses in Madian Daniel in Chaldaea Hosea in Israel Ieremy in Iuda Iohn in Asia Peter in Samaria Philip in Alexandria Thomas in Aethiopia Bartholomew in India Andrew in Scythia SimoÌ„ in Persia Iudas in Mesopotamia Marcus in Colonia Nathanael in France Ioseph of Aramathia in Scotland and Paul in England yet are we not free from all persecution for wee are persecuted with the toung the woolf cannot bite yet can he barke the wicked cannot smite with the fist yet can he smite with the toung these serpents cannot sting yet can they hisse as they said of Ieremy Come let Ier. 18. 18. us smite him with the tongue and let â—â— not give heed to any of his Words so good men shall be sure to bee smitten with the tongue These voices are oftentimes heard Oh these holy men oh these Bible-men oh these precisians Puritans mortified men men of the spiritlare not others holy and honest and good as well as they Oh take heed Dathan Corah and Abiram went to hell for as liâ—lle as Numb 6. 16. that and thither shall these go if they repent not The first Christians wanted not these derisions mockings and scoffings Tertullian in Apologetico saith that they in the Primitive Church were called Asinarij Semissij homines Crucifixi discipuli Galilaei Nazareni heards of Asses vile Fellowes the disciples of a man crucified Galilaeans Nazarites eaters of mans flesh drinkers of mans bloud for that they received the Sacraments Libanus scholler to Iulian the Apostata scoffed at Christ asking what the Sonne of the Carpenter did then in heaven To whom the Schoole-master of Antioch answered Concinnat loculos Iuliano he was making coffins for Iulian. So he died within 3. daies saith the Tripartite History The same Tripartite History telleth of one Lucius Lib. 7. cap. 12. Samasatensis who mocking at Christianity said that he got nothing by it but the increase of his name in one syllable For The godly usually mocked for well doing before he was christened hee was called Lucius but after that he was called Lucianuâ— but he mocked and barked so long at Christ that in fine he was torne in pieces of dogs one dog are another A wicked witnesse mocketh Iudgement saith Salomon but judgements Prov. 19. 28 29. 2 Sam. 6. 21 21. are prepared for the scornefull that is mockers Finely did David answere Michol It was before the Lord which chose me rather then thy Fathers house c. And I will yet bee more vile then thus and will bee low in my owne sight c. So let us answere these huswifes dames scoffers mockers God hath not chosen them nor their Fathers house and we wil be yet more vile seeing it is before our God But yet howsoever Iulian flowt at Christ Diagoras jest at religion Dionysius scoffe at the last Iudgement Ismael the bastard 2 Reg. 2. 19. mocke Isaac Senacherib laugh at the virgin Sion and nod his head at Ierusalem yet how le they weep they and lament this sinne in hell Oh brethren hee that heard our men how in their secret meetings they deride the Preacher the Word the Auditors the Church the assemblies how they canvice every professour his life how they censure all men how they open their mouth against heaven and their tongues walke thorow the earth how they talke on their Ale-bench sparing neither Magistrate not Minister nor private man would wonder that such iniquitie should be in the world yet are they no sooner in danger but they tremble But the vilenesse of this sinne of mocking shall yet more plainely appeare if yee marke the cause of it it is ever lightly for doing well and refraining evill For this cavse Cain disdained and hated his brother Abell because his owne works were evil 1 Iohn 3. 12. his brothers good a vile spirit that cannot abide vertue but so greedily thirsteth after sinne which is of the Divell drinke not with the drunkard and they mocke thee sweare not with the swearers and they mocke thee be not vaine in words in apparell in behaviour and they mocke thee Heare the Word read of it talke of it and by and by a yong Saint and an old Divell you will to Heaven ere your bones bee cold with a number of such mockes and divellish taunts but Iudgements are prepared for these Prov. 19. 29. sinne seene and sorrowed for hath pardon promised but sinne jested at and played withall hath vengeacne threatened It is the 2 Sam. 24. voice of a Christian to say I have sinned but it is the voice of a reprobate to say Tush let them preach I will sinne still and Prov. 14. 9. so verifieth the saying of Salomon The foole maketh a mocke of sinne he doth not know the grievousnesse thereof nor Gods judgements against the same It is strange that one reporteth that in Collecke a towne in Germany Anno. 1505. certaine vaine persons hopping and dancing in the Church-yard being admonished by the minister to cease and contemning it ranne round about till at last they fell all downe dead And note that these vile men shall be in the It is damnable to scoffe at the Saints last times they have beene at all times For sinne is as ancient as Satan who was a murtherer from
read the ancient Fathers to prove and trie every thing and Sectaries seek novelties and admire them to hold that which is good and not to depart from the faith of the Catholicke Church For there is but one dove one spouse one body of Christ Of this sinne the Apostle giveth the Church warning saying Let us consider one another and provoke unto love Hebr. 10. 24 25. and unto good Workes not forsaking the fellowship that we have among our selves as is the manner of some It is the manner of some to turne with the spiders breath the sweet iuyce of flowers into poison to seeke knots in bulrushes to stumble at every straw that stoppeth the course of their eager spirit to breake the bonds of peace to forsake this fellowship that wee should have among ourselves and to single and sever themselves by themselves they busie their braines about Pythagoras numbers Plato's Idea and Aristotles commonwealth they see not at Damascus a strange 2 Reg. 16. 10 11 Altar with Ahaz but they strait-way get the patterne and Vrias the Priest must make them the like at home But what saith Paul concerning these Sectaries I beseech you brethren saith he marke them diligently which cause division and offences contrary to the Rom. 16 17 18. doctrine which yee have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies and with faire speeches and flattering deceive the heart of the simple The Prophet David saith Ierusalem a figure of the Church is built as a City that is at unity in it selfe and when the Holy Ghost Psal 122. 3. Act. 2. 1. Act. 4. 32. Iudg. 20. 1. came downe in visible signes upon the Apōstles They were all with one accord in one place and it is said that the whole multitude of them that beleeved in the first times had but one heart and one Soule It is said of Israel that they came together as it had beene one man with the same mind and intent not with as many opinions as persons The Iewes had but one kind of worship prescribed and 2 Chro. 30. 12. that in one only Temple And it is said of Iuda that the hand of the Lord was in Iuda so that he gave them one heart to do the commandement of the King and of the rulers according to the Word of the Lord So if we will become a spirituall building unto God if wee will receive the promise of the Holy Ghost if we will worship God in Spirit and truth if we will have the hand of the Lord upon us we must be at unity and concord with our selves we must abide with one accord and one mind in an house wee must have one heart to doe the commandement of the King and of the rulers we must not leave the Temple to follow every opinion but we must be no makers of Sects but must keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace S. Peter prophesied and foretold of these Sectaries Ephes 4. 3. which privily should bring in damnable heresies even denying the 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. Lord that hath bought them and bring upon thmselves swift damnation and that many should follow their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth saith he shall be evill spoken of and through covetousnesse shall they with fained words make marchandize of you c. There is in a naturall body a quicking soule a radicall humour and a naturall heate and there is in the spirituall body Division sometime more dangerous than Idolatry of the Church the Holy Ghost to give life to it Faith is the radicall humour to continue it and charity as the naturall heate or vitall Spirit carried throughout the Arteries or parts of the Church For All things must be done in love Division and discord 1 Cor. 10. 14. Sects and Schismes are the cause of all evill of all mischiefe this is that Pandoras boxe that Trojane horse from whom all evill and mischiefe doe proceed Example among many other may be the Church of Corinth who beginning about matters of ceremonies and policie proceeded first to division and separation some holding of Paul some of Apollo some of Cephas and some of Christ and so to false doctrine denying the Resurrection 1 Cor. 1. 12. and therefore by the Canon of the Apostle to be avoided and Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria told Novatus that it was Euseb de vit Const 2. more grievous to breake the unity of the Church then to commit Idolatry For this saith hee was punished but with the sword but the other with the opening gulfe of the earth swallowing up the Authors and confederates thereof Et non dubitabitur sceleratius esse commissum quod gravius erat vindicatum And there is no doubt but that was more haynously committed which was more sharply and severely punished If yee have bitter Iam. 3. 14 16. envying and strife in your hearts saith the Holy Ghost reioyce not for where envying and strife is there is sedition and all manner of evill wayes There be three Furies in Hell Heresy Schisme Apostacy Saith a learned man Haeresis errorem fundamentalem in side tuetur Heresy defendeth some fundamentall error in the faith Schisma unitatem Ecclesiae ob minuta discindit Schisme cutteth in sunder the unity of the Church for small and trifling things Apostasia rectam fidem religionem penitùs abdicat Apostasie utterly rejecteth and forsaketh the right Faith Religion of God and turneth from the holy Commandements given of God For heresy is occupied about dogmaticall conclusions concerning Faith and beliefe Schisme about rites and ceremonies and other things of no moment For whosoever shall obstinately defend any perverse corrupt opinion is an Hereticke whosoever shall divide himselfe from the Church for manners and rites is a Schismaticke Againe one and the selfe-same errour in divers men hath divers names For a false opinion of God is in a Iew Infidelity in an Ethnike Paganisme in a Christian heresy in a Turke Ignorancy Heresy is only in such as are baptized even as Schisme is Finely said Bibliander that one sinne according to divers effects hath divers names For to doe any thing against the Scriptures saith hee it is sinne or rebellion rather to thinke any thing contrary to the Scriptures it is foolishnesse to contradict them is error to forsake them Apostacy Pride the cause of heresy schisme All these are pardonable if they be not wilfull we must therefore be very watchfull that Satan possesseth not our mind heart or life our mind with perverse doctrine our heart with wicked affections our life with evill manners Study therefore day and night to keep the mind in purity and in the knowledge Hemming of the trueth the heart with pious and holy cogitations and thy life with chast manners and good examples Cyprian saith Vnum tentat diabolus tentat ut
lupus ovem à grege The Divell tempteth Cypri and assaieth one thing as a Woolfe he tempteth the sheep from the flocke as an hawke hee tempteth to sever the flying Dove from her company as a sword-player hee proveth to divide and cut the member from the body And so the Divell tempteth to sever and divide a Christian from the Church than which nothing is more dangerous Hilary saith Periculosum est atque etiam maximè miserabile tot nunc fides existere quot volunt ates Hil. lib. ad Constan tot nobis doctrinas esse quot mores tot causas blasphemiarum pullulare quot vitia sunt dum aut fides scribuntur ut volumus aut ita ut volumus intelliguntur It is most dangerous and very miserable that there are so many faiths as wills and so many doctrines as manners of men and thereby so many causes of blasphemy should spring up as there are private faults and vices in men whilest either we set downe and penne our faith as we will or els expound and understand it as wee lust and like of And indeed for Sects and Schismes we abound Omnes volunt esse Apostolos Cypr. lib. 1. ep 1. All would be Apostles all Prophets all Doctors Pastoris officium oves vendicant The sheep doe vendicate and challenge the office of the shepheard the foote contendeth to bee the head the souldier striveth to be the Captaine every member would usurpe anothers office and be in others place hinc Schismata hence spring Schismes and Sects et radix eorum superbia and the Nazianz. roote of them is pride The Sects in Christs time among the Mat. 22. 1 Cor. 1. 10. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Pharises Sadduces Essenes the Sects that sprung up in Corinth those in Rome where of yee may read Rom. 16. and the Sects Schismes that are this day in our Church rose either of pride or of covetousnes As a member cut from the body dieth as a branch cut from the vine whithereth as a river cut and divided into many parts drieth up so if we be cut and divided from the Church wee perish utterly For what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath the beleever with the Infidell or what agreement hath the Temple of 2 Cor. 6. 15. God with Idols Yet this I note withall that these Sects hinder not the Church forever God by them revealeth his truth Si hostes Ecclesiam gladio persequuntur exercent ejus patientiam If enemies August de civit Dei lib. 18. cap. 51. persecute the Church with the sword they doe exercise her patience sin malè sentiunt exercent ejus sapientiam but if they imagine evill against the Church they do exercise her wisdome There must needs be offences aswell in doctrine as in manners God turnes the malice of hereticks to the good of his Church oportet esse haereses there must be heresies That they which are approved among you might be knowne For Gods Church is not only subject to dissention as touching orders and manners but also to heresies as touching doctrine Per haec otium torporem Ecclesiae discutit Deus By these things God shaketh off the idlenesse Mat. 18. 1 Cor. 11. 19. or slothfull heavinesse or dulnesse of his Church and wipeth away the rust thereof and maketh the Church people of God carefull and diligent to search the Scriptures whereby all heresy and schismes might be destroied and so avoided But you will say that these hereticks and Sectaries quote Scriptures and what shall the simple doe I answere that wee must deale with them as Christ did with Satan returne Scripture upon them For the Divell having taken Christ into the holy City and set him on the pinacle of the Temple said unto him If thou be the Sonne of God cast thy selfe downe For it is written He will give his Angels charge over thee and with their hands they shall Mat. 4 5 6 7. lift thee up lest at any time thou shouldest dash thy foote against a stone But Christ our Saviour retorted Scripture upon him againe and said It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God The Pelagians to prove Gods grace is not sufficient without our will alledge these words of the Almighty If yee consent and obey yee shall eate the good things of the land The Anabaptists to overthrow Esay 1. 19. Magistracie quote the words of Paul Standfast in the libertie wherwith Christ hath made us free and be not intangled againe with the yoke Gal. 5. 1. of bondage The Donatists to prove a perfection quote the saying of the Apostle Now the God of peace sanctifio you throughout and I Gal. 5. pray God that your whole Spirit soule and body may bee kept blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. The Anthropomorphites to prove God like a man quote the saying of the Psalmist The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open to their prayers Psal 34. 15. The Familists to prove that wee are co-deified with God and God co-hominified with us alledge the saying of the Apostle Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not the seed of God abideth in him neither 1 Iohn 3. 9. can he sinne for he is borne of God The Papists to prove the primacy of the Pope alledge God made two lights the greater Light to Gen. 1. 16. rule the Day and the lesser the Night meaning say they the Pope and the Emperour the Pope to rule the Clergy and the Emperour the Laity To prove Purgatory they quote the 8. Psalme Thou hast put all things under his feete all sheep and oxen yea Psal 8. 8. and the beasts of the field the fowles of the ayre and the fishes of the sea per pisces animas in Purgatorio intelligunt by fishes they understand the soules in Purgatory as by the birds the Angels and by beasts men The Brownists to prove that no good can be done by a Parliament quote these words of the Holy Ghost Neither by an army Zacha 4. 6. or strength but by my Spirit saith the Lord. To prove that Kings have no authority in the Church they alledge this text To bind their Kings in chaines and their Nobles with linkes of iron To prove that we have in our Church no Word preached no Sacraments The Papists charging us with Sects have more themselves rightly ministred no Minister lawfully called of God they alledge this Scripture How shall they preach except they bee sent To all which we must be able to say Rursus scriptum est as Christ did we must have judgement We must abound in knowledge Psal 149. Rom. 10. 15. Mat. 4. 7. Phil. 1. 9. Hebr. 13. 9. 1 Cor. 14. 20. and in judgement The heart must be established with grace we must not be children in understanding as concerning maliciousnesse wee must bee children but in understanding we must
gods may not understand that you like roguish robbing rascals are here sayling Alas wee tumble out our prayers as a Beares whelpe they are like arrowes without heads that cannot pierce like swords without edge that cannot cut they be too blunt to obtaine any thing of God they have no wings to mount up to heaven We aske and receive not because wee aske amisse We do either postulare non postulanda we aske things that Iam. 4. 3. Bern. are not to bee asked or else when wee aske them wee pray not in the holy Ghost Oh that all men knew this that all England had learned that not all prayers but spirituall prayers are accepted of God! but wee are ignorant and will be ignorant still filthy and will bee Apoc. 22. 11. filthy still But let us amend this fault learne at last to pray for prayer is good so that it be a true reflexion of the soule from the feeling of Gods mercies and our owne wants God hath promised us all good things under his hand and seale but yet with a condition so that wee pray truly and aske them as we should The Lord is neere to all them that call upon him yea unto all such as call upon Psal 145. 18. him faithfully For many carry prayer in their mouthes as meÌ„ carry fire in a flint and perfume in a pomander the one without heate the other without smell so they carry prayer without all devotion verball vocall prayers can obtaine nothing of God When yee stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you saith God and though yee make many prayers I will not heare THE THREE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XXI And keep your selves in the Love of God c. Faith prayer and love have mutuall relation FRom faith he came unto prayer froÌ„ prayer he commeth now to love bie est enim aurea catena for this is a goldeÌ„ chaine every linke is one within another these three goe together like the three Angels that came to Lot like the three graces that are Gen. 19. inseparable or like the three Worthies who brake thorow the host of the Philistins Faith begetteth 2 Sam. 23. prayer and prayer strengtheneth the faith and neither of these can stand without love prayer and love be as the two mighty rivers named in Genesis Pishon and Gihon and faith as the garden of Eden out of which they flow or the sea into which they runne and where all of them jointly doe end their course Love is a chiefe a principall vertue Faith and Love the one with God the other with men bee as the roote and the branch as the mother and the daughter as the foundation and pillars of all Christian buildings the end of all is Love the end of the first table the Love of God the end of the second the love of man so saith the Holy Ghost The end of the Commandement is Love out of a pure heart out 1 Tim. 1. 15. of a good conscience and out of a faith not fained Whatsoever precept or commandement is in the Scripture it hath relation to Love For be that loveth another fulfilleth the Law Christianity is where the Rom. 13. Spirit is and where the Spirit is there is Love For God is Love Love the most excellent of all vertues and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him Austen saith that a man may have baptisme and yet bee wicked prophecy and yet be wicked take the Sacrament of the body and Aug. Hom. 15. bloud of the Lord and yet be wicked be named a Christian and yet bee wicked Habere Sacramenta ista omnia malus esse potest habere autem charitatem malus esse non potest He may have all these Sacraments and yet be wicked but if he have Love hee cannot be wicked Paul reckoning up the fruits of the Spirit he nameth Love first as the Gentleman-Vsher to goe before them all The fruites of the Spirit saith hee is Love joy peace c. For as Manna Gal. 5. 22. Exod. 16. Exod. 3. Iudg. excelled all bread as Aarons rod did eate up the rods of the sorcerers as Gedeons sword passed all the swords of the Madianites so Love passeth all other vertues All our bebts should stand in Love so saith the Apostle Owe nothing to any man but this Rom. 13. 8. that yee love one another Our debts were soone paid and our Executors should bee soone discharged if this were of this debt we can never be discharged so long as we live The journey of Israel was ended in forty yeeres Herods temple was built finished in six forty yeeres Noahs Arke was perfited in an 120. yeeres but this debt is never ended Beloved saith S. Iohn let us love one another for Love commeth of God every one that loveth is borne of God knowith God but hee that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love S. Peter naming many vertues maketh up the measure and ends in love Ioyne saith he vertue with your faith with vertâ—e knowledge 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse Love This vertue above all others is as the hoope or fagot-band that keepeth all close therefore saith the Apostle Above all things put on Love which is the bond of perfection Col. 3. 14. As the Sunne giveth light to all Planets as salt seasoneth all meates as the Moone ruleth over the Sea and all moist bodies as the rod of the Tribe of Levi passed in honour all other tribes so Love passeth all qualities among men Though I spake 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3. with the tongues of men and Angels and have no love I am as sounding brasse or a tinckling Cymball and though I bad the gift of Prophecy and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I could remove mountaines and had no love it profiteth me nothing and though I feed the poore with all my goods and though I give my body that I be burned and have not Love it profiteth me nothing For this cause hee willeth the Ephesians to follow the truth in Love Moses did wish that Ephes 4. 13. Numb 11. 29. all the Lords people could prophesie and That the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Saint Paul did wish that all men were like himselfe in purity and that all did speake strange languages but rather that 1 Cor. 7. 7. 1 Cor. 14. 5. Aug. they prophesied Saint Augustine wished that all would remember Love and brings this reason Sola est enim quae vincit omnia sine qua nil valent omnia and ubique fuerit trahit ad se omnia For onely Love overcommeth all things and without Love all things Love is every where very cold are nothing
praemij aeterni vel temporalis aliquis actus hominis ex quantacunque charitate elicitus est de condigno meritorius apud Deum quia quilibet talis est donum Dei From this I inferre that neither life everlasting nor any other either of another eternall reward or temporall act of man proceeding from never so great charity is meritorious of condignity with God because every such action is the gift of God And Lodovicus Granatensis Lodo. Gran. said Salva me ô Iesu ô vita sine qua morior ô veritas sine qua fallor ô via sine qua err◠ô lumen sine quo in tenebris ambulo Save mee ô Iesus ô life without which I dye ô trueth without which I am deceived ô way without which I wander ô light without which I walke in darknesse in te aliquid sum sine te nihil sum in thee I am something without thee nothing There is not a wise Papist but will say this at a dead lift so said Luther when hee was a Minorite Triplex est benedictio praeveniens adjuvans consummans There is a threefold blessing a preventing blessing an helping Luther blessing and a consummating prima est misericordiae the first is of mercy the second of grace the third of glory Mercy preventeth our conversion grace helpeth our conversation glory perfecteth our consummation Wee can neither thinke any Election Vocation Iustification are of Gods free grace good thing till we be prevented of mercy neither can we doe any good thing till we be holpen of grace nor discharged till we be filled with glory Wherin now differ we from him in the doctrine of Mercy The cause of our salvation is Gods mercy alone his good will and pleasure not our works Concerning election If the question be asked why Abraham was chosen and not Nachor why Iacob Gen. 11. Mal. 1. Rom. 9. 1 Sam. 16. was loved and Esau hated why Moses was elected and Pharaoh hardned why David was accepted and Saul refused why few be chosen and the most forsaken It cannot otherwise be answered but thus it was the good will of God to have it so Non est volentis Mat. 22. Rom. 9. neque currentis sed miserentis Dei It is not of the willer nor of the runner but of God shewing mercy Secondly concerning vocation If the question be why Cornelius the Gentile was called not Act. 10. Mat. 11. Tertullus the Iew Why the babes and little ones of the world not the great men Why the poore the base the vile not the rich the noble the honorable Why the sinners and not the just 1 Cor. 1. 26. Mat. 9. Luk. 14. Mat. 11. 26. Why the beggers by the high way were called and the bidden guests excluded we can rēder no other reason but this It was the good pleasure of God Thirdly concerning Iustification If the question be asked why the Publican went home more justified Luk. 18. then the Pharise Why Mary the sinner and not Simon the Leper Luk. 11. Why harlots and Publicans goe before Scribes and Pharises Mat. 21. Gen. 21. into heaven Why the sonne of the free-Woman was received and the Sonne of the bond-woman rejected being the elder Why Israel which so long sought for righteousnesse found it Rom. 9. not and the Gentiles which sought it not found it We can render no cause but this they sought for it by the works of the Rom. 10. Law not by faith our Iustification is perfect because wee are counted just Iustitia Christi through the righteousnesse of 2 Cor. 5. 21. Christ but our sanctification is unperfect Vt mera gratia servati in Domino non in nobis gloriemur That being saved by meere 1 Cor. 1. 3. grace we may glory not in our selves but in the Lord. Finely truly saith one Proprijs meritis non obtineo regnum coelorum I cannot Bern. come to heaven by mine own merits but Christ in a double right obtaining First by the inheritance of his Father And secondly by the merit of his Passion Altero ipse contentus alterum mihi resignavit he being contented with the one hath resigned the other to me it is our worthinesse to know our unworthinesse Say thou art an unprofitable servant say with Viualdus Non abscondo Luk. 17. peccata sed ostēdo I hide not my sins but I shew them non abspergo sed aspergo I wipe them not away but I sprinkle them non excuso sed accuso I doe not excuse them but accuse them peccata enim non nocent si non placent my sinnes hurt me not if they like mee not Initium salutis cognitio peccati the beginning of salvation is the knowledge of my transgression in this flesh dwelleth no goodnes M. Knoxe said at his death Satan tempted him to Confession the way to salvation desperation but he alledged 1 Tim. 1. 15. that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners after he tempted him to presumption and his merits and he alledged 1 Cor. 4. 7. What hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received it why rejoycest thou as though thou haddest not received it And so drave Satan away Let us renounce our owne merits and fly to Christs so shall wee be partakers of eternall life THE FIVE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VIRS XXII And have compassion of some putting difference c. We must use discretion putting difference betwixt sinners THis is the last exhortation the pith and marrow whereof is to teach us to use discretion to put difference of sinners to pitty some to reprove others lastly so to walke betwixt both as that they may hate all sin even the garment of a sinner for the sinners sake the theeves coate the Adulterers coate for the hatred they beare to theft and adultery for wee must hate the evill love the Amos 5. 15. good that wee may bee like our elder Brother Christ Iesus who loved righteousnesse and hated Hebr. 1. 9. iniquitie First generally wee must use discretion and make difference of men we must be like Surgeons and expert Physicians who doe not lay one plaister to all sores nor minister one potion to all patients this is that serpentine Wisedome that Christ requireth of his Apostles Be wise as Serpents bee innocent as Doves Mat. 10. 16. Wisedome mixed with Innocencie and Innocency with it Wisedome without Innocencie is but craft and subtilty and Innocency without Wisedome is dotage and folly the one maketh us Foxes the other Asses joyne them together and wee are perfect Christians wee must have the Word of Knowledge to know what to speake and the Word of Wisedome to Ministers must be discreete know when and where and how and to whom to speake to some mildely to others roughly as occasion requireth this is the precept given to Thessalonica Wee desire you Brethren admonish 1 Cor. 12. 1
substance remaine ever 81 The Scriptures immutable tradition uncertaine 82 Divers acceptions of Saints ibid. The Saints onely the subjects of true Faith 83 The wicked usurpers of Gods gifts ibid. Whatsoever they have is for the Saints sake 84 Sermon 8. THe Church and Religion hath many adversaries 85 Every thing hath its contrary ibid. Religion cause of division 86 Religion must bee maintained to death ibid. Secret enemies most dangerous especially such as in a shew of Religion seeke to undermine Religion ibid. The Divell opposeth the Church sometime as a Lion by cruelty sometime as a Serpent by subtilty but he hurts most by subtilty 87 Poperie prevailes most by policy and fraud 88 All Atheists without God before regeneration and conversion 89 There is a two-fold life the one of Nature the other of Grace 90 Most men live as Naturalists ibid. Atheists worse than Divels ibid. Nature teacheth that there is a divine Power 91 Gods power ruleth in all things and doth often change the course of Nature ibid. Reasons to prove the divine Power 92 Religion is more in profession than practice 94 Many by their lives seeme Atheists ibid. Vngodlinesse hath two branches iniquity in life and manners and impurity in Religion ibid. Many turne the grace of God into wantonnesse ibid. Gods grace and bounty ought to leade to Repentance not to make men presumptuous 95 Afflictions make us seeke God 96 Prosperitie makes us forget him and grow rebellious 97 Wee may not despise or renounce the creatures or blessings of God as the Stoicks Anachorites Hermites c. have done ibid. Epicures their practice described and their end 98 vnde 99 Popish Doctrine tends to licenciousnesse ibid. Sermon 9. GOd is denied many wayes 101 They that professe God and live ungodly denie him ibid. Six degrees in sinne ibid. Gods creatures declare him foure wayes 103 God is present foure wayes ibid. The wicked that deny God here shall hereafter feele and acknowledge him ibid. God is one in substance three in person ibid. The Heathen worshipped many gods and the Papists invocate many as Gods yet there is but one onely true God ibid. The unity and trinity in the God-head illustrated by divers resemblances 104 Christ is denied many wayes 105 Faith is most eminent and confident in persecution ibid. Christ is denied when either the sufficiency or efficacy of his death is denyed 106 Knowledge and profession of Christ without practice nothing worth ibid. The Papists deny the offices of Christ consequently 107 Christ onely paid the full ransome for our Redemption 108 Christ our Lord jure Creationis Redemptionis ibid. Divers effusions of Christs bloud especially five 109 Christs passions for us require that wee should consecrate our whole selves and all the service of our soules and bodies him 110 Sermon 10. DEstruction the end of the ungodly 112 Looke not on the present estate but the end of the wicked 113 God is said to write in a booke for the certenty of his decree 114 Gods decree hath two parts Election Reprobation ibid. The causes of either not to bee inquired after 115 Gods judgements often secret alwayes just ibid. Wee must not pry into Gods secrets ibid. Gods will the cause of our election not faith or works 116 Five signes of election 117 Our election perfected by many degrees 118 Reprobation a second part of Gods decree 119 And as he electeth some so hee reprobates others ibid. As all things els have their contraries so the elect theirs namely the reprobate 120 God ordereth sinne but urgeth not to it ibid. Mans sinne and destruction come from himselfe 121 Three opinions concerning Gods dealing in sinne 122 How God is said to cause evill ibid. How God dealeth in reprobation 122 More then Gods bare permission in sinne ibid. How God is said to harden and to blind 124 God worketh by evill men not in them ibid. God Satan and Men concurre in the same action yet have different ends 125 Sermon 11. THough we know much yet we had neede be put in remembrance 527 Continuall instruction like the continuall dropping of raine ibid. Itching eares listen after novelties rather then wholesome doctrine 129 Preaching alwayes necessary otherwise the soule decayes in grace 130 If instruction faile Satan prevailes ibid. Meditation recordation chiefe meanes to enrich the soule 131 God first offereth mercy before hee inflict judgement 132 Gods abundant mercies and miraculous deliverances of the Israelites 133 Gods wrath upon the Aegyptians ibid. Gods abundant mercies to England 135 God allures by mercyes before hee punisheth 136 Contemners of Gods mercies severely punished ibid. Sinne pleasant in the committing in the end damnable 137 God suffereth the wicked till their sinne be at the full 139 God punishes some sooner some later ibid. Looke not on their present estate but their end 140 Sermon 12. INfidelity the cause of Israels destruction 140 And of their sinne the roote 141 Faith the gift of God 143 And the originall of all vertues ibid. True faith is in few 144 Most men led by the flesh rather than by the Spirit ibid. Faith hath a triple foundation ibid. Faith threefold justifying of miracles hystoricall 145 The causes of Salvation ibid. The just live by Faith if no Faith no accesse to God no interest in him 146 Degrees of Faith ibid. God giveth grace according to the measure of Faith 147 Faith all in all in applying and assuring Salvation ibid. The Angels that fell committed many sinnes in one ibid. Wee must bee wise according to sobriety 148 Angels though Spirits in essence yet appeared in divers formes ibid. The sinne of Angels in generall was Apostacy 149 Some Apostacy is unpardonable ibid. Why the Angels that fell were not restored 150 Three reasons of Dorbell why the wicked shall bee punished in Hell more than the Divels recited rejected ibid. All apostacy dangerous though some not damnable ibid. It is the end that crownes all our actions 151 The Christian must be alwayes increasing ibid. The wicked grow worse and worse 152 There is a decay in most ibid. The estate of Angels considered in regard of three severall times namely of Creation Confirmation last Iudgement 153 Divers names of Angels 154 Whence the Angels fell ibid. God the head but not the Redeemer of the good Angels 155 The time of the fall of Angels uncertaine as also the places whither ibid. The Divels though many in number yet there is one chiefe 156 How the Divell is said to worke and to be in the wicked ibid. The Divels though malicious Spirits yet agree in mischiefe 157 Division the cause of confusion 158 Sermon 13. THe case of the Angels most fearefull to be cast out of Heaven 159 Their abode is not certaine but some in the Ayre some in the Earth some in the Sea 160 The Divels malice infinite but his power by God limited ibid. Satan is said to be loosed Apoc. 20. 7. not simply but comparatively 161 The Divels and wicked
Cap. 21. 27. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Col. 1. 9. Iob. 14. Iob. 38. 36. Men and Angels Hee calleth all the starres by their names he hath put Wisedome in the reines and hath given to the heart understanding his Wisedome is infinite But let us see the certainty of his Iudgements for as the voice vanisheth but litera scripta manet So the damnation of the wicked is certaine his heart cannot endure nor his hands be strong that is hee shall never bee able to defend himselfe he shall be as drosse as brasse Ezech. 22. 14. 18 as tinne and iron and lead in the middest of the fornace as God shall melt them that is destroy them But to proceede orderly the decree of God hath two parts Election and Reprobation That some are elected appeareth by many testimonies of the Scripture Paul saith Whom hee hath predestinate them hath hee also called c. Moses willeth Israel to Remember the dayes of old when Deut. 32. 8. the most high God divided their inheritance when he separated the sonnes of Adam c. And Paul saith That God hath chosen us in him that is Christ before the foundation of the World Wherefore some are Ephes 1. 4. Rom. 9. 17. elected some not For he hath Mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth God hath made all things for his glory yea even the wicked for the day evill If any will goe further and say why will God be thus glorified The Apostle answereth him that hee will have mercy on him to whom hee will shew Mercy and he will have Rom. 9. 15. 18. compassion on him on whom he will have compassion And againe he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will hee hardeneth hee doth as pleaseth him even as the Psalmist saith Our God is in Heaven he doth whatsoever hee will Christ giveth no other reason It is so O Psal 115. 3. Mat. 11. 26. Psal 39. 9. Father because thy good pleasure was such Obmutui quoth David quia tu Domine fecisti I became dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou diddest it But if any proud man go yet further and say Why will God have it so It is a proud question for either man or Angell and the Apostle answereth him O man who art thou that pleadest with God Shall the thing formed say Rom. 9. 20 21. to him that formed it why hast thou made mee thus hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour Inscrutabilia sunt Dei judicia and therefore the Apostle breaketh out saying O the deepenesse of the riches both of the Wisedome and Knowledge of God how unsearchable are his Iudgements Rom. 11. 33. 34. and his wayes past finding out for who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who was his Counsellor I say with Augustine Cave praecipitium Take heed of a breake-neck With Iob lay thy hand Gods will most perfect his proceedings most iust oâ—â—y mouth With David meddle not with matters above thy reach Quae supra nos nihil ad nos What are above us pertaine not to us With Paul Sape adsobrietatem Presume not to understand above that which is meete to understand but that yee understand according to sobrietie Iob 39. 37. Psal 131. 1. Rom. 12. 3. Gods glory is above the Heavens wee may barke at it as Dogges doe against the Moone but we cannot pull it downe To speake more fully Gods will is a reason of all reasons it is the rule of all equitie Ideo vult quia vult Hee will because he will Eâ— ideo justum est quia vult and it is therefore just because hee will Tangere vis coelestes ignes liquesces wilt thou touch these Lipsius Heavenly fires thou shalt melt Scandere vis in providentiae montem wilt thou climbe up into the high mount of Gods Providence Cades thou shalt fall Natabis in abysso Dei wilt thou swimme in Gods bottomelesse waters Mergeris thou shalt be drowned Thou seest a little living creature the Flye buzzing about the Candle till shee bee burned So our minde waxeth wanton about Gods secrets till wee be overwhelmed The will of God is Causa causarum the cause of causes Cui licet quod libet nil libet nisi quid licet The Iudgements of God are August oftentimes secret hid but never unjust Let us learne Heavenly things by Earthly A man hath in his house vessels of Gold and of Clay for his use and pleasure That a Prince pardoneth one malefactor and punisheth another and yet justly That a Creditor exacteth tenne pounds of one Debtor and remitteth twenty pounds to another and yet in the one is but just in the other is mercifull So God damning some is just and saving other is mercifull and in neither cruell or unjust David compareth the judgements of God to a great Deepe saying Thy Iudgements are like a great Deepe wee cannot Psal 36. 6. wade in them Finely saith Augustine Tu homo expectas a me responsum ego sum homo itaque ambo dicentem audiamus O homo tu quis August ser 10. de verbis Apost es melior est fidelis ignorantia quam temeraria sententia Petrus negat Latro credit O altitudo quaeris turationem ego expavescam tu rationare ego mirabor tu disputas ego credam altitudinem video profundum non pervenio O altitudo Thou O man expectest an answere from me and I am a man as well as thou let us therefore both heare another speaking O man who art thou Faithfull Ignorance is better than a rash unadvised Sentence Peter denyeth the Theefe beleeveth O height thou demandest a reason of this I will feare and tremble thou reasonest I will wonder thou disputest I will beleeve I see a depth but I cannot come to the bottome O depth But we as though God had made us his fellowes as though wee were of privie Councell will rush into his Chaire and determine rashly of his Iudgements Some grant election but then they adde that it standeth upon our workes that godly are elected because they will bee holy but wee are elected that we God elects us of his free Grace may be holy not because we will be holy Holines is the 〈◊〉 or effect not the cause of election So saith Paul He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the World that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in love who hath predestinate us to bee adopted Ephes 1. 4 5. through Iesus Christ unto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his Will As if Paul had said that he considered nothing without himselfe but therefore chose us because hee loved us no cause can bee rendred of our election but the Will of God Vocavit 2 Tim. 1. 9. nos Deus non secundum opera c. he hath called