end which is damnation ordaines to the meanes which is sinne but hee ordaines to the end Ergo. and so by this doctrine God shall bee made the author of sinne Answ The supreme end which God propoundeth vnto himselfe in this decree is not the destruction of man but the declaration of his iustice the appointed meanes to this end is not sinne on Gods part which is euill in it selfe but the iust and voluntarie permission of sinne which is good sinne therefore in it selfe is no effect of the decree of God but an Antecedent thereunto yea euen a procuring and meritorious cause of actuall reprobation that is damnation Lastly it is replied that if God vpon his wil hath decreed to condemne any he shall be contrarie to himselfe for in his word he hath reuealed that hee willeth not the death of a sinner Ezech. 33.11 but that all men should be saued c. 1. Tim. 2.4 Answ A sinner must be considered either as he is man or as he is a sinner as * Ad Simplic lib. 1. qu. 2. Augustine answereth God is not delighted with the death of a sinner as he is a man but as hee is a sinner neither that simply as it is the ruine and ouerthrow of the creature Aug. de Corrup grat cap. 14. or the putting of him foorth vnto punishment but as it is an illustration of the glorie of God and execution of his iustice Touching the latter place it maketh nothing for the purpose being rightly interpreted For where it is said God would haue all men saued the word * Particula omnis non semper collectiuè sed saepe distributiue vt hic sumitur Vid. Arist Polit. lib. 2. cap. 1. All must not bee taken vniuersally but indefinitly according to the ancient exposition of Augustine not all and euery one but of all some not singula generum but genera singâ—â—â—orum And this meaning agreeth very fitly vnto the text for the Apostle hauing in the first verse exhorted that prayers and supplications should be made for all men lest he should be mistaken as though his meaning were that all men euen reprobates detected and sinners against the holy Chost should be prayed for he expounds himselfe in the next verse for Kings and for all that are in authoritie that is for all states degrees callings and conditions of men Now in the fourth verse he vrgeth his exhortation by a reason wherein the vniuersall note must bee equally extended as before the reason standeth thus Those whom God would haue saued ought to be prayed for but of all sorts and conditions of men God would haue some to be saued Ergo. The proposition is concealed the assumption is laid downe in the fourth verse the conclusion is the exhortation in the first verse and that it cannot bee taken generally the context doth plainly declare in that all come not to the knowledge of the truth that is of the Gospell neither possibly can doe seeing to many it hath pleased God in all ages to denie all means of reuelation Againe all men that are saued God would haue them saued as if a man should speake of the gates of a citie all men enter in by these gates that is all that doe enter for it were absurd to say that all men liuing enter into that citie Epist 107. ad ritalem Ench. 103. cap. 8. de oredest sanct so Augustine also expoundeth Againe both the word of God and Augustine in his book * Lib. 15. cap. 1. de ciuit Dei distinguisheth mankinde into two companies or societies of both which vniuersall propositions are giuen out as for example of the elect that they shall be all taught of God of the reprobate that euery man seeketh his owne so it is said here God would haue all men to bee saued that is the elect for so the proposition is to bee restrained vnto the matter subiect there being also an vniuersalitie of the elect Lastly the place may bee vnderstood fitly not of all men descending from Adam but of al men in the last age of the world that is of Iewes and Gentiles for in the three formes ages there was alwaies a difference betweene man and man people and people in the first age some were the sonnes of God some the sonnes of men in the second age some the children of the promise some of the flesh in the third age some were Iewes some Gentiles but in the fourth age at the ascension of Christ this difference hath been taken away and the promise of grace and mercie at least in regard of the propounding of it made common to all people And that this is the meaning of the place Paul who is the best interpreter of himselfe plainly sheweth Act. 17.30 the times of ignorance c. but now he admonisheth all men euery where to repent Rom. 16.25.26 The mysterie was kept hid from the beginning of the world but now is opened and published among all nations So Coloss 1.26.27 Secondly the will of God in scriptures is vsed two waies first it signifieth the decree and is called by Schoolemen voluntas beneplaciti Secondly the reuealed wil and so is called voluntas signi by the latter hee willeth that all men should be saued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the offereth grace the means of saluation to all not by the former according to the distinction vsed by some Diuines he willeth the saluation of all quoad preceptionem approbationem sed non quoad gratiam efficaciam But here it will be replied that then there shall be two willes in God one contrarie to another Answ To will and to nill the same thing doth not bring in a contrarietie vnlesse one and the same respect be obserued in both Now God in some respects willeth the saluation of men that is offereth the meanes principally that they might bee the more inexcusable and in other respects and for other iust necessary causes knowne to himself nilleth their saluation that is willeth not to make the meanes effectuall vnto them What is more vsuall with men then to will and nill the same thing but yet without contrarietie For example A man willeth the death of his father so farre foorth as it may put an end to his miserie and be a meanes to bring him to rest and happinesse and hee nilleth it in another respect so farre foorth as he is thereby depriued of necessarie help and comfort The vse of this doctrine followeth Vse First it serueth to ouerthrow the opinion of those men that ascribe the cause of reprobation vnto the foreseene infidelitie of men and contempt of grace for hereof it should follow that not the will of God as we haue sufficiently proued before but foreseene infidelitie shall bee the impulsiue cause of reprobation which is a manifest vntruth For how many reprobate infants die in the Church and how many are borne deaffe which neuer heard the sound of the Gospell much lesse vnderstood
augmented diminished or altered whereupon our Sauiour Christ Iohn 13.18 I know saith hee whom I haue chosen In the Gospell he describeth them by their qualities wherewith they are to be endued to wit faith and repentance Thirdly predestination is the decree it selfe the Gospell an outward meanes of execution whereupon the Gospell may be conceiued with condition though the decree bee most simple and absolute and therefore hath the Gospell a condition annexed both in respect of the godly that they might bee assured of their election obseruing the condition as also of the wicked that they neglecting it might be the more inexcusable specially they being not ignorant that the Lord required it at their hands Againe many inconueniences doe follow of this conditionall decree for first if God hath decreed the saluation of men with condition then this condition must depend either vpon the will of the Creator or the will of the creature if vpon his own will the tenour of the decree shall be this God hath decreed or willed to saue all men if he will which is absurd to common reason if vpon mans will then the condition is either possible or impossible if possible either vnto nature or vnto grace not vnto nature for that is Pelagianisme not vnto grace for thereof followes three notable absurdities First that grace is communicated to all and to euery particular man Secondly that by vertue of this grace euery man hath a flexible will like vnto Adam so as hee may will his saluation or nill it Thirdly which followeth of the former that he may resist and reiect the sauing grace of God which in no wise is to be admitted as in part wee haue proued before Secondly this conditionall decree implieth in it a contradiction for the condition must needes be either euill or good no man will affirme that God decreeth any thing vpon an euill condition and if it bee good it is an effect of predestination a means of saluation vnto which a man is as well predestinate as vnto the end for example wee are predestinate not if we doe beleeue but that we may beleeue and consequently bee saued now for a man to bee predestinate if he doe beleeue is to bee predestinate to the end and not to the meanes that is to be predestinate and not to be predestinate for that word signifieth to be predestinate vnto an end which wee come vnto by set and appointed meanes Thirdly it fastneth vpon God sundrie indignities as first that it subuerteth the order of nature suspending most impiously and indignely the will of the Creator which is the first and supreme cause of al vpon the will of the creature against a common rule receiued in Schooles Actus primae causae ordinat actum secundae which is nothing else but to make man the Lord and Emperour God to bee his vnderling Secondly it ascribes vnto God either impendence or want of knowledge as that hee is ignorant of the euents of things or else impotencie and want of power that he is not able to effect what hee hath willed and decreed no other reason can bee deuised of the conditionall decree for we see among men that they are constrained to annexe conditions to their decrees either because they know not how things will befall out and so might be deceiued or else doe want power to effect that which they would but if they might haue their choice they would decree al things absolutely far be it therfore frō vs to charge God with that wherof we would disburthen our selues Fourthly it makes the decree of predestination to be vncertaine for to decree a thing conditionally is to decree vncertainly considering that the conditionall proposition doth affirme or determine nothing certainly nay it is as though God had decreed nothing at all concerning man especially when as the thing determined is in the power of mans will and in respect of God the decree may come to passe or not come to passe Lastly if God haue decreed to saue all if they doe beleeue by like proportion of reason he may bee said to haue decreed to refuse and condemne all so bee it they doe not beleeue for by as good reason and vpon as good ground wee may hold an vniuersall reprobation vpon the condition of incredulitie as an vniuersall election vpon condition of faith Secondly it serueth to refute another error of the same persons who holde that the difference betweene man man is not made in the counsell of God but wholly consisteth in the will of man for by their doctrine Gods mercie is extended vnto all not onely in the decree but euen in the execution of it so that as God from all eternitie hath appointed to saue all if they doe beleeue so in time hee giueth them grace and power to beleeue if they will for so they define their vniuersall grace an habitude or power to beleeue if they will But of these men I demaund then whence comes the acting and confirming of this generall power that some doe indeed beleeue and some doe not some perseuere in faith some do not If it shall be answered that it proceedeth from another speciall grace of God which were the safest then I aske why doth God giue this speciall grace to act and confirme faith in some and not in others no reason can be rendred but his will so then by this reason the will of God shall put the difference betweene man and man and not mans will If it shall be said that it comes of the will of man it smelleth strongly of Pelagianisme for howsoeuer they would cloake all vnder the name of grace and seeme to attribute nothing vnto nature but all vnto grace yet they cannot scape so for all men descending of Adam hauing equall grace how commeth it to passe that his generall power is acted in some and not in othersome Answere is made because some will beleeue some will not some will perseuere some will not what is this else but to attribute the whole saluation of man to his owne will and to the power of nature considering that saluation followeth not necessarily of grace which is common to all but of the acting and confirmation of it which is wholly ascribed to the will of man without any speciall grace The vse of instruction is this that seeing God hath thus sorted and distinguished men in his decree and no cause thereof is knowne vnto vs wee ought with feare and astonishment to submit our selues vnto the good will and pleasure of God and to reuerence that mysterie which our reason cannot comprehend following the modestie of Dauid Psal 36. where cōsidering of the vnsearchable iudgements of God crieth out that his iudgements are a great deepe which cannot bee sounded by the slender and shallow reason of man and of Paul Rom. 11.33 where hauing discoursed at large of the reiection of the Iew and the election of the Gentile breaketh out into the admiration of the
vnsearchable and vnconceiueable iudgements of God Augustine also had well taken out this lesson who considering of this great and high mysterie and the strangenes of it why God draweth some and not othersome why hee giueth perseuerance to some and not to others why hee chuseth some and refuseth others hee doth not reason the matter but admireth and saith O Altitudo And this sobrietie of iudgment haue all Gods children practised in all ages neither may we carpe and cauill at that which for the depth and profoundnes of it wee are neuer able to conceiue Thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of the generall doctrine and of the vse thereof now let vs descend to a more particular handling and examining of the text And to speake of the words as they lie in the text whereas the Apostle saith God hath not appointed vs c. it is manifest that there is a number of men in the decree of God appointed to wrath or there is a decree of Reprobation the which that wee may the better vnderstand may bee thus described Reprobation is the decree of God by which vpon his owne will he hath purposed to refuse certaine men for the manifestation of his iustice For the cleering of this description these foure points offer themselues to bee considered First the obiect or matter of this decree Secondly the order of it Thirdly the impulsiue cause Fourthly the end Touching the first The thing decreed is the reiection of certaine men neither may this seeme strange or hard to any for God is a most absolute and soueraigne Lord and may doe with his owne what he will and therefore may open the gates of heauen and admit into his kingdome whom hee will and therefore may barre the gates and shut out whom he will and who can controle him or iustly reprehend him Is any mans eye euill because he is good or doth God vse partialitie or acceptation of any mans person Nothing lesse for vnto the one as Augustine saith * Tom. 2. epist 105. he giueth indebitam gratiam and to the other debitam poenam The Scripture also is pregnant in this point Prouerbs 16.4 God hath made all things for himselfe yea the wicked man to the day of euill Rom. 9.22 There are vessels of wrath fitted or framed to destruction in this place some are appointed vnto wrath Iude verse 4. there is mention of certaine false teachers that were of old ordained vnto condemnation neither are they ordained to the end alone but to the meanes also 1. Pet. 2.8 Christ is a stone to stumble at and a rock of offence to certaine men which stumbled at the word being disobedient vnto the which thing they were euer ordained Why should we then be squemish or afraid to speake with the Scripture that God hath reiected some men and purposed to glorifie his name in their deserued condemnation The order of this decree followeth wherein we are to consider first of all that God for his part as he doth conceiue all things at once and not successiuely one thing after another but past present to come at once with one eternall and immutable act of vnderstanding so hee doth decree all things at once and not successiuely the reason is plaine because all things are present vnto him wherefore we are not greatly to contend about the order there being no difference of it in God in whom there is neither prius nor posterius Yet for the helping of our weakenes in this high mysterie we may distinguish the counsell of God in this point into two acts or degrees the which that we doe not in any wise misconceiue this ground must be laid That whatsoeuer God hath decreed hee hath done it most wisely now wisedome requireth that a man should thinke first of the end then of the meanes and therefore determine first touching the end and then after touching the meanes now the end which God propoundeth vnto himselfe in the decree of Reprobation is partly the manifestation of his wrath expressed in this text and partly of his power and iustice Rom. 9.22 The first act therefore of this decree may not as I take it be vnfitly thus conceiued It is the decree of God wherein hee hath purposed to passe by some men that in them hee might manifest his wrath and iustice This act is called by schoolemen the priuatiue or negatiue reprobation because God in it denieth to giue grace and by some later Diuines the decree of preterition And it hath not any cause out of God in the creature The second act is the ordaining of the creature vnto iust punishment which is termed in Schooles the positiue or affirmatiue reprobation Againe this act in regard of the obiect hath a double consideration the one is simple as it respecteth this or that particular man as Pharaoh Saul Iudas comparatiue as it respecteth this man and not that as Pharach and not Moses Saul and not Dauid Iudas and not Peter The impulsiue cause of the priuatiue or negatiue reprobation is no other then the will of God as it may appeare Romans 9.22 What if God would c. and in the same chapter verse 18. no other reason is rendred why God hardneth the hearts of men that is hauing offered thē means of mollifying their hearts and hauing put into their mindes good motions doth suffer them notwithstanding to abuse them to their greater hardening and hereupon in his iust iudgement doth deliuer them vp to Satan and their owne concupiscences as vnto tormētors that they become more obdurate and obstinate in sinne and so worke their owne woe and in fine make vp the measure of their owne damnation saue onely the will of God whom hee will hee hardeneth neither is there any other reason rendred of the hatred of Esau then of the loue of Iacob Likewise our Sauiour Christ Matth. 11.25.26 yeeldeth no reason of the reuelation of the Gospell to some and the hyding from others saue the good pleasure of God Euen so O Father because it pleased thee But this seemeth hard vnto many to ascribe vnto God whom the scriptures euery where describe to bee full of bountie and mercie and slow to wrath such a decree and that vpon his owne will let vs therefore consider their reasons First they hold it to be a matter of crueltie and rigour for God thus to purpose the reprobation of man Answere Shall it bee no crueltie in man who is but a pettie Lord or rather a Tenant at will hauing all his interest and title vnto the creatures by grant and concession from God to kill an oxe or a sheepe for his vse to hunt or to kill the Hare or the Partridge for his pleasure and shall God who is a most absolute and soueraigne Lord ouer all creatures be accused and arraigned of crueltie and seuere dealing if vpon his will he do refuse and forsake his creature for his glorie Further it is obiected That he that ordaineth to the
reiect it Answ It is not possible that any man should resist the powerfull operation of the spirit of God in the conscience As for that of Stephen Act. 7.51 where hee vpbraides the Iewes that they had alwaies resiâ—â—ed the holy Ghost it is to be vnderstood of the spirit speaking in the outward ministerie of the word not inwardly and effectuallie working in the conscience Thirdly iustification standing in the remission of sinnes and acceptation of a man vnto life for the only obedience of Christ imputed cannot bee made voide or frustrate for the Lord doth most perfectly pardon sin Esay 44.22 Micha 7.19 Iere. 31.34 Psal 103.12 Fourthly and lastly Regeneration cannot be lost for why the Author of it that is the spirit of God abideth euer 1. Ioh. 2.27 who is called the anointing and the oyle of gladnesse Psalme 45.7 and the graces of it as hope for else how could it bee the anchor and hold of the soule Heb. 6.19 Loue abideth euer 1. Cor. 13.8 a seede whereof remained in Peter in his deniall and the feare of God neuer vtterly quaileth Iere. 32.40 This also is manifest in experience for when the childe of God yeeldeth to any grieuous temptation hee sinneth not as one desperate and voyde of all hope to bee recouered nor of hatred against God not in a secure contempt of God as the Epicure but still retaines in his heart some remainders of these graces which being afterward reuiued and quickned hee raiseth vp himselfe and returnes vnto God Grace in time of some grieuous temptation is driuen into some narrow corner of the heart euen as they that are in a Sconce or Castle besieged flie into some streight corner or some inward and secret place yet after they come foorth As then this point is cleere by Scriptures so likewise reason will auouch and demonstrate the same The first reason is taken from the intercession of Christ who prayed not onely for Peter Luke 22.32 but for all the elect that should either then presently or hereafter beleeue Ioh. 17.20 who was alwaies heard of his Father Ioh. 11.42 Vnlesse therefore we will say that Christ his prayer is vneffectuall wee must needes conclude that the beleeuer cannot wholly be ouercarried of sinne And vnto this prayers of the faithfull who asking in faith to bee strengthened in temptation that they might not wholly bee foiled haue a promise to be heard Vnlesse therefore wee will say that God doth falsifie his promise we must necessarily affirme that the faithfull neuer fall totally from grace The second is taken from the mysticall vnion which is so firme and indissoluble that nothing can breake the same Hos 2.19 nay euen death it selfe doth not dissolue this bond for when the body is rotten in the graue and turned into dust and ashes then notwithstanding it remaines a part of that person which is really and truly though spiritually united vnto Christ which is a matter of no small comfort to the children of God and if it could bee broken it could neuer bee restored because faith is but once giuen Iude 3. And if it could bee restored and a new insition into Christ made then Baptisme which is the signe and seale hereof must bee iterated and repeated for the confirmation thereof The third reason is this If grace may be wholly lost then no man can bee assured of his saluation neither can haue peace with God nor pray in faith without doubting but the faithfull man is certaine of his saluation otherwise hee hath not faith because certaintie is of the nature of faith Certitude est de natura fidei and hath peace with God Rom. 5.1 and prayeth in faith without wauering Iam. 1.6 Ergo. The fourth reason is this The sonne abides in the house for euer that is in the Catholike Church Ioh. 8.35 but all the faithfull are sons by adoption Ioh. 1.12 and not onely sonnes but heires and fellow-heires with Christ Rom. 8.17 and therfore are neuer wholly cast out of the fauour of God though they fall dangerously Now that we see this point to be so cleere and euident let vs answer vnto some of those obiections that are vsually alleaged to the contrarie that wee may bee more confirmed in the present truth That election may be lost Obiection it is proued out of Moses prayer Exod. 32.32 where Moses prayeth to be blotted out of the booke of life To omit all other answers first Solution that prayer is not absolute but conditionall and therefore affirmeth nothing certainly Secondly it is not simple but comparatiue rather then the whole bodie of the people should perish and the glorie of God bee impeached he prayeth in an earnest affection to his brethren and in a feruent zeale to Gods glorie that hee might if it were possible bee raced out of the booke of life As for the place in Psalme 69.28 where Dauid prayeth that his enemies might be dashed out of the booke of life hee meaneth reprobate hypocrites who though in their iudgement and in the iudgement of the Church were falsely reputed to bee in the number of the Elect yet their names were neuer written in heauen and therefore Dauid prayeth that the Lord would detect and make manifest their hypocrisie But it will be replied that the Churches of Ephesus Ephes 1.4 1 Thess 1.4 1. Pet. 1.1 Thessalonica and the lewes are called Elect by the Apostles who afterward notwithstanding made totall defection and apostacie from God Answ There be two kindes of iudgements to be giuen of men the iudgement of certaintie whereby an infallible determination is giuen of any mans particular estate and this belongs to God properly and principally and to man so farre foorth only as the Lord shall reueale the estate of one man to another there is also the iudgement of charitie wherby those that liue in the Church haue giuen vp their names vnto God in Baptisme and professe the religion of Christ are commonly reputed to bee in the number of the Elect and according to this latter iudgement did the Apostles speake of the Churches Againe whole Churches are called Elect by a Synechdoche by reason of the better and more excellent part which are in theÌ„ Elect as the heape of corne wherein there is a greater quantitie of chaffe is so called by reason of the more principall part As for the conditionall decree it is a meere forgerie of mans braine hauing no footing in the word of God for to decree a thing conditionally is to decree nothing at all Conditionalis propositio nihil ponit in esse because the conditionall proposition affirmes nothing and besides that it doth most indignely suspend the will of God the supreme and soueraigne cause of all things ordering and ruling all secondary oauses and ouer-ruled by none vpon the will of the creature it doth most impiously ascribe vnto God either imprudence or impotencie for therefore doe men purpose and decree things conditionally either because they know not
haue vs to feare the sword of the Magistrate why not his owne considering that the sword of the Magistrate is his owne sword And why doth God threaten so many plagues euen to his children but to this end that they might feare them And if it displease God that we are senselesse and not grieued and moued when hee doth afflict vs Ierem. 5.3 doth it not also displease him that wee doe not feare when he threatneth Yea what father or person in authoritie aboue other is there among men that doth not loue to haue his threats feared of his children and inferiours Fifthly this feare is very many waies profitable and necessarie for first it expelleth the contempt of God and the securitie of the flesh euen in the regenerate and makes them tractable and pliable and prompt to doe the will of God and hence it is that the Lord doth often exercise his children with legall terrors and feares that they might bee the more humbled and so made the more willing to obey An example of this we haue in Paul who by reason of those feares in his first conuersioÌ„ wherwith he was strangely smitten and astonied was greatly cast downe and became farre more prompt to obey God And this is confirmed by the contrarie for what is the cause why Atheists Epicures and prophane wretches doe sinne without all shame and regard of common honestie but that they haue cast out of their hearts all feare of God and al consideration of his iudgements that they might more freely without all checke wallow in the mire of their carnall pleasures and bathe and refresh themselues in their vile and beastly sinnes The second effect is an endeucur to please him To this the Lord exhorteth Abraham Genes 17.1 and examples hereof we haue in Enoch Genes 3. and Noah Genes 6. who both of them receiued this testimonie that they walked with God that is as in his presence For when a man considereth that God seeth his heart and knoweth all his thoughts then hee laboureth to auoide dissembling and to be vpright The vse of this serueth to condemne the practise of most men for who almost is perswaded of Gods presence God seeth vs but we doe not espie him who standeth in awe of him but vpon euery occasion yeeldeth vnto sinne who is patient who studieth to please glorifie God howsoeuer many professe the same outwardly Now that we may not deceiue our selues in this matter there be certaine markes whereby this true feare of God may bee discerned which bee these First when a man setteth himselfe in Gods presence wheresoeuer hee become or whatsoeuer hee is about after the example of Danid Psal 16.8 whereof follow many notable effects First if a man bee in companie hee will obserue and vse the opportunities of doing and receiuing good if he speake he will speake wisely and guide his words with discretion or else be silent yea he will obserue the occasions and seasons of speaking and keeping silence and his outward carriage will be graue moderate decent sober not only inoffensiue but profitable to edification If hee be to doe any part of Gods worship either priuate or publike hee will doe it with reuerence with care to glorifie God to profit others and himselfe if he be about any worke of his calling hee wil doe it faithfully sincerely and diligently if about any morall duty of loue vnto men hee will performe it willingly and cheerefully and in an holy manner To make conscience of all sinne Prou. 14.16 and of moral obedience Now to make conscience of sinne is when a man in consideration of Gods presence and commandement abstaineth from sinne euen then when he is strongly tempted thereunto as Ioseph did for otherwise not euery abstaining from sin is by and by a signe of the true feare of God But to this three things be required first a godly iealousie and suspition ouer a mans selfe lest by sinne he should fall from God and good reason because of that domesticall and inbred enemie of deceit which is deepely fixed in euery mans heart by nature Iere. 17.9 Secondly a continuall care and watchfulnes ouer the heart and life and ouer all the members of the bodie and the senses that they be no instruments either to occasion or begin or to execute sinne commended vnto vs Prou. 4.23 Thirdly a 〈…〉 only to foresee the occasions 〈◊〉 and deceits of the spiâ—â—â—â—all enemie and carefully to preuent them but to furnish a man with spirituall armour out of the word of God against all assayes Againe a man must make conscience not onely of outward publick sinnes whereof the world crieth shame but of secret sins which he might commit without the knowledge of any yea of the inward and secret conceits of the heart as Ioseph who might haue done the euill to which he was sollicited secretly so that no man should haue knowne it but euen then the feare of God withheld him So also Prou. 8.13 Iob 31.23 Againe there is this conscience of morall obedience for these two be alwaies coupled together Eccles 12.13 Pro. 14.2 Psal 112.1 Acts 10.35 To feare at the hearing of Gods iudgements threatned in his word or executed in the world Esay 66.5 Heare the word of God yee that tremble at his word And the Prophet Habakkuk 3.16 said that when he heard Gods threatnings hee feared and his belly trembled and rottennesse entered into his bones and hee was wonderfully dismaied and terrified And to bee silent and wonder at the remembrance of the iudgements of God as did Aaron who held his peace when his two sons were destroyed by fire from the Lord Leu. 10.3 and to be prouoked by them to repentance which is the right vse of al his iudgments they being reall sermons which vse our Sauiour teacheth vs Luk. 13.3 To feare God more then men that is to be more afraid of the displeasure of God then of men and therefore to preferre obedieÌ„ce vnto his commandements before mans as did the Ebrew Midwiues Exod. 1.17 and the Apostles Acts 5.29 and to dread more the shame which God caÌ„ bring vpon vs then the shame of men for the shame of men is but losse of credit and good name whereas the other is euerlasting confusion Let no man therfore be afraid in the cause of God and of religion to vndergoe ignominie for such a one the Lord honoureth Contrariwise if he be ashamed to professe Christ heere then let him know hee is destitute of the feare of God and Christ will bee ashamed of him Humilitie for these two are ioyned together and haue one reward assigned vnto them Prou. 22.4 the reward of humilitie and of the feare of God is riches glory and life Desire of knowledge these two 6. are also combined Esay 11.2 and euen as the naturall child is desirous to know his fathers will that he migh obey it and please him lest happily hee might through ignoraÌ„ce transgresse euen so the true feare of God