world make a flourish to the contrarie expressely confesseth that the Spirits of the Patriarchs and Prophets before the comming of Christ were not so worshipped and called vpon as the Apostles and Martyrs now are because as yet they were detained in those infernall prisons where they had not the beatificall sight of God Now if the Patriarchs then saw the face of God as farre forth as the Saints doe now as indeede they did the argument is so much the stronger if yet all that while they were never called vpon In the new testament likewise we finde no warrant for it even by their owne confession And Salmeron the Iesuite rendreth reasons thereof For saith he the Iew that never had called vpon any of the Patriarchs or Prophets would hardly haue beene drawne to pray vnto those newer Saints the Gentiles would haue thought that insteed of those many Gods which they had forsaken a multitude of other Gods had beene put vpon them As for the times after Christ and his Apostles it was long before it crept into the Church and when it entred it was but the opinion of some private men and not the publike doctrine of the Church All the Fathers which proued the Deitie of the Sonne of the holy Ghost by this dutie of Invocation must needs if they will not contradict themselues be against it So must they also and they are not the least or meanest part of them who held that the Faithfull hence departed are not admitted into heauen but continue elsewhere in some secret receptacles without the vision of God vntill the day of iudgement For vpon that vision even in the iudgment of our aduersaries their particular knowledge of all things here done on earth dependeth vpon this againe their Invocation In a word whensoeuer or howsoeuer it began as it grew on so was it still opposed and neuer gate publike strength vntill the blinde times of superstition overswaied true devotion The cafe then standing thus that Invocation of Saints and Angels is neither necessary nor pious nor profitable but rather impious and extreamely dangerous as being derogatory to the glory of God the honour of Christs Mediation and that no ground or warrant at all can bee found for it either in the old or new Testament or in the writings and practise of those holy Fathers who flourished when the Church was in her primitiue puritie the case I say thus standing our safest course will be to follow the precedence and direction of our blessed Saviour and with him to addresse our selues vnto our heauenly Father and to none other It is he alone who at all times can both heare and helpe Neither is he more able then ready and willing to grant our requests if we come vnto him in his sonnes name Night and day he stretcheth out his armes towards vs he invites vs with all louingnesse to come vnto him hee chargeth and commandeth vs in all our needs and necessities to direct our prayers immediatly vnto him Let vs not therefore sollicite any other mediators or spokesmen for vs as if we doubted of his fatherly goodnesse and affection towards vs but let vs rather come directly with all boldnesse vnto the throne of grace to the end we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to be holpen in due season So to doe is not Presumption but Faith and Dutie And so much for the first part of our Saviours prayer Quem orat to whom he prayes The second is Pro quibus orat for whom he prayes Hee prayes for the Church mysticall as some tearme it or as it may more fitly be called for Christ mysticall that is the whole body consisting both of the Head which is Christ and all the rest of his members That it may more fitly bee called Christ mysticall we haue the warrant of S. Paul who expressely calleth it so As saith he the bodie is one and hath many members and all the members of one body though they be many yet are one body euen so is Christ Where by Christ nothing can be meant but the whole consisting both of Head and Members Had the Church as it s distinguished against the Head beene vnderstood hee would haue said as St Austin obserueth ita Christi so is Christs that is the body of Christ or the members of Christ but hee saith ita Christus even so is Christ vnum Christum appellans caput corpus calling both the head and the body one Christ. The same doth St Austin elsewhere also obserue vpon those words of the Apostle He saith not and to seeds as speaking of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ. Now saith he some perhaps will say if Christ be the seed of Abraham are we so also Remember that Christ is the seed of Abraham and if by this wee also are the seed of Abraham then are we also Christ. Vnto this warrant of Scripture adde we the reason thereof that Christ and his Church being twaine and yet constituting but one mysticall body it is fit the denomination of the whole should be taken from the better and more worthy part which is Christ and not the inferiour which is the Church But of this by the way For Christ mysticall then doth our Saviour pray but first for himselfe and then for his members For himselfe from hence vnto the ninth verse for his members from thence vnto the end of the Chapter If any demand a reason of this order I answere first Christ is the more worthy person For hee is Emanuel God-man appointed by his Father to be the Head of the Church and in all things to haue the preheminence And therefore as he hath in our Creed before the Church so in this Prayer also he deserues to haue precedencie Secondly hee knew it could not goe well with his Church vnlesse first it went well with himselfe For vnder his Father he was to be the fountaine of life and grace the vniversall cause of all good vnto his Church and to this end was hee to be annointed of the Spirit without stint or measure So that vnlesse the ointment be poured vpon Aarons head it cannot descend vnto the beard and from thence vnto the skirts of his garment And vnlesse Christ be first replenished himselfe we cannot of his fulnes receiue either grace for grace or glory for glory That therefore it might goe well with vs he prayes first for himselfe But then in the next place he maketh sute for his Church as if without her welfare it could not be well with him For as for her he was incarnate so without her hee counts himselfe imperfect For so it must needs be if as St Paul saith she be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all The reason because he is her Head And therefore though he fill all in all yet without her he wanteth of his owne fulnesse because he
and yet life continues As touching Power that is Gracious habits imprinted vpon the soule and enabling to operate I distinguish againe For some of them either in themselues or vs argue defect and imperfection and pertaine only to the condition of this present life such as are Faith Hope and Repentance and the like Others import perfection pertaine also to the next life among which excells Charity The former in the end of this life cease For we beleeue because we see not and hope because we possesse not and repent because we sinne But when wee see possesse and are free from sinne then Faith Hope and Repentance vanish away As for the latter they never cease but continue with vs evermore Yet here againe are we once more to distinguish For these habits may be considered either in regard of Substance or Degree In regard of degree we confesse they may suffer abatement For Faith may fall from its Plerophorie oâ— fulnesse to an Oligopistie or lower degree thereof and Charity also may remit much of its fervor So that in this respect a man may be said to bee moribundus declining as it were vnto death But in regard of Substance or Being we confidently affirme in such sort as is aboue said that they never perish and the spirituall man neuer dieth To winde vp all in a word actus intermitti potest gradus remitti sed habitus ipse nunquam potest amitti the act may suffer intermission for a time the degree abatement or remission but the habit or life it selfe never loosing or amission The question being thus clearely stated let vs now proceed to proofe That the life of Grace in all them that are giuen vnto Christ by the Father is eternall might be proued by many arguments All what I haue to say shall be reduced to one If the life of grace at any time fayle and the elect of God spiritually dye either it is through the deficiencie of the Procreant and Conservant causes of life or the efficiencie power of the contrary corrupting causes But it is neither through the one or the other Ergo neither doth the life of Grace at any time fayle nor the elect of God die The Major proposition needs no proofe For a third cause cannot be named and therefore of necessitie it must bee one of the two if there be any The Minor therefore I am by all meanes to fortifie and to maintaine that neither the Procreant and Conservant causes fayle nor the contrary corrupting causes prevaile The efficient and preseruing causes of spirituall life is as wee haue shewed the holy and blessed Trinitie the Father through his Sonne by the powerfull operation and working of the holy Ghost These if they fayle either it is because they cannot or because they will not continue this life To say they cannot is no lesse then blasphemie and contrary both to Scripture and reason For Omnipotence is an essentiall attribute of the Deitie so that he can no more cease to bee almightie then cease to be himselfe and loose his being In the Creed is this title ascribed vnto the Father how-be it not exclusiuely For the Sonne and the holy Ghost being coessentiall with him they are coequall also in might and power The sonne by the word of his power created all things together with his Father and by the same word vpholdeth all things And to the holy Ghost power also is attributed even the same power whereby things were created and wonders aboue the reach of nature are wrought If it bee said that the Sonne by taking our nature vpon him made himselfe inferiour to his Father I confesse it and withall that his mediatorie power is lesse then his Fathers Neverthelesse all power is giuen him both in heauen and earth such a power as no creature besides is capable of and which was giuen to this very ende that he might both giue life continue it vnto eternity Vnto which had it not beene sufficient without question greater had beene giuen for the Father may not fayle of his end Of the power of God therefore there can bee no doubt but that he is mighty to saue able to make vs stand able to keepe vs so that none vnlesse he will can take vs out of his hands What say we then to his will For as in him that is by vertue of the first life wee liue so if either hee withdraw himselfe from vs or suffer others to withdraw vs from him we cannot subsist Surely as he is able so if we may beleeue Scripture hee doth stablish vs in Christ we are kept by the power of God to saluation and our life is hid with God in Christ. But enquire we a little deeper into this mystery And first the will of the Father appeareth many waies By Election vnto life which being absolute not conditionall is immutable For the foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale the Lord knoweth who are his And the names of all the elect are written in the booke of life out of which they can neuer be blotted For they are ordained vnto life and appointed by God to obtaine salvation through Christ. By his loue also which is the cause of Election I haue loued thee saith he with an eternall loue a loue which as it is without beginning so shall it likewise be without ending Nay if the loue of a mother is more to her child when she beareth it in her armes then while it was in her womb we may not think but the loue of the Father continueth at least as great towards vs when we are new borne of him as it was when we were yet but conceaued as it were by election Thirdly by donation of Christ to the elect For what greater testimonie either of his loue or of his will to saue then this So God loued the world saith Christ that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Fourthly by donation of vs vnto Christ. For it is the will of the Father that of those he hath giuen him he should loose none And here it is said that he hath giuen vnto the Sonne power over all flesh that to as many as he hath giuen him hee should giue vnto them everlasting life And lastly by the couenant made with vs. It is a couenant oâ— salt an euerlasting couenant And I will betroth thee vnto me foreuer saith God And againe This is my couenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is vpon thee my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from hence forth and foreuer And thus you see the Father is willing what the Sonne His willingnesse also appeares many
saith Let him deny himselfe Himselfe What meanes he by that There are two sorts of men for as S. Paul distinguisheth there is a Spirituall and there is a Naturall man The Spirituall man is he who is borne a new of water and the holy Ghost by grace is become a new creature a new man transformed into the image of Christ. The naturall man is he that is as yet vnregenerate hath nothing in him but nature the corruption thereof bearing only the image of the old Adam Must the spirituall man deny himselfe No verily so farre forth as he is spirituall for so doing he should disclaime and disesteeme the very grace of God by which hee is whatsoeuer he is It is the Naturall man then that must be denied Now in the Naturall man there is first Nature and then the corruption of nature By Nature I vnderstand the powers faculties of the soule such as are the Vnderstanding and the light of reason whose office is to discerne truth from falsehood and the Will vnder which also I comprehend Passions and Affections whose dutie is to pursue that which is good and to shun that which is evill The corruption of nature is that which in Scripture is called flesh concupiscence and is commonly known in the Church by the name of Originall sinne because it is traduced vnto vs from our parents and wee are polluted therewith in every part both of soule and body from our very conception and birth Now which of these two must be denied I answer both yet not both alike but the corruption of Nature simply and absolutely and Nature it selfe only in some respect First then Nature it selfe must bee denied What simply and absolutely as the corruption of Nature No by no meanes â—oâ— it is the good creature of God without it neither are we capable of blessednesse nor can bee schollers in the schoole of Christ. Nature is not opposite but subordinate vnto Grace and Grace destroyeth not nor abolisheth but healeth and perfecteth Nature Neither is it without cause that God spoiling man of his supernaturals for sinne only wounded him in his naturals and left vnto him both a light in his Vnderstanding and a liberty in his Will By the light of reason the invisible things of God euen his eternall Power and Godhead are clearely scene there is no nation so barbarous but partly by inbred principles partly by the booke of the creatures knowe him By the same light of reason doe we in part also know the will of God for the law morall is written in our hearts by nature and how many excellent precepts of moralitie doe we finde in the writings of meere naturall men Finally even in the matter of the Gospell reason seeth thus farre that it is not vnpossible if God will and vpon this ground Iustin Martyr Tertullian Arnobius Lactantius Athenagoras Augustin anciently and Aquinas Vives Mornay of late haue attempted to proue by reason the truenesse of Christian religion As for the Will it is yeelded of all hands that in matters morally good it hath free liberty and may of it selfe either chuse it or refuse it at pleasure So that hitherto Nature the power thereof is no way to bee denied or disclaimed Wherein then Surely in things meerely supernaturall For that which is aboue reason cannot be comprehended by reason and that which passeth the reach of nature caÌ„not be attained only by the power of nature The naturall man saith S. Paul perceaueth not the things of God nor can knowe them because they are spiritually discerned In these things reason is starke blinde and seeth nothing Search the writings of the subtilest and sharpest Naturalist and ye shall finde in them of Christ and his Gospell nor palme nor footstep Here therefore reason must bee denied and as a woman may not speake in the Church so must reason also be silent in things supernaturall In things not revealed it must be contented not to know docta ignorantia est it is a learned ignorance In things revealed it must beleeue without and aboue reason reason must bee captived vnto the obedience of faith And as where the naturall Philosopher endeth there the Physitian begins so where naturall reason stoppeth divine Faith must come in place Otherwise if reason will needs be prying into Gods arke and search into those mysteries that are aboue the reach thereof it is the corruption of reason and no marvaile if it become vaine and foolish in her imaginations Yea when men in their curiosity thinke themselues most wise then are they most infatuated And as Ixion in the fable embraceing a cloud insteed of Iuno begat Centaures thereon so they entertaining their owne fancies insteed of divine veritie bring forth nothing but monsters of errors and strange opinions What I say of reason must be vnderstood of the will also in spirituall matters the one wanteth light to see and the other strength to doe It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy for as we haue already demonstrated neither can we will of our selues without preventing grace nor doe when wee haue willed without pursuing grace So that if a man will be no more then the scholler of Nature he cannot be the scholler of Christ. For as nature is vnable both to know the mysteries which Christ teacheth and to doe the duties which he requireth so doth Christ command vs to renounce our naturall abilities to come as infants vnto the kingdome of heauen But if Nature it selfe must be denied much more the Corruption of Nature For as the Scripture saith Corruption cannot inherit vncorruption and without holinesse it is impossible to see God Now the leprosie of Originall Corruption not only infects the inferiour part of the soule as Papists dreame but spreads it selfe to every part even the superiour also For as for the mind it is not only blind and ignorant but Corrupt also and full of vanity it savoureth not the things of God but they seeme vnto it meere folly As for the will it is not only vnable to performe spirituall duties but full of hardnesse also and perversnesse and vntowardensse vnto any thing that is good Finally the inferiour part is but a shop of all turpitude outragiousnesse full of nothing else but tempestuous tumultuous vnruly and sinfull lusts These all as the Scripture saith must be crucified must be mortified must be killed that is must vtterly be renounced and denied if wee will bee the followers of Christ. And reason For the flesh lusteth and fighteth against the spirit by reason whereof the good wee would doe we cannot doe and the evill wee would not doe wee doe They that walke after the flesh saith St Paul are not in Christ but they that walke after the spirit And they that liue after the flesh shall die neither can any man liue vnlesse by the spirit
yea St Steven generally vpbraids them yee stiffe-necked and vncircumcised in heart and eares yee doe alwaies resist the holy Ghost as your Fathers did so doe yee All these Scriptures evidently demonstrate that the cause of not coÌ„ming after Christ is not for that Christ forceth man from him but because man himselfe refuseth to come Let the blame thereforely where it ought on man and not on God let God be true but every man a lyar as it is written that thou maist be iustified in thy sayings and overcome when thou art iudged As Christ forceth no man from him so neither doth he force any to come after him If any will let him God offereth violence to no mans will for though he hate evill loue good yet neither doth he violently draw the will from the one nor constraine it vnto the other Good is not good if it be done of compulsion and not willingly Hee that doth good by constraint would not doe it and â—o doth ill and God shall shew great mercy vpon him if he doe not punish him For the sacrifices which God accepteth are free will offerings it is the cheerefull giuer whom he approueth Hence is it that God requireth our election and choice and election importeth liberty I call heauen earth to record this day against you saith Moses that I haue set before you life and death blessing and cursing therefore chuse life And Ioshua chuse you this day whom you will serue whether the Gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the Gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell In a word all the exhortations commandements promises and threatnings vsed in Scripture plainely argue that it is Gods will that what we doe wee should doe willingly Here happily some will say what are you fled into the enimies campe are you also become a Proctor for free will God forbid Our comming after Christ I ascribe not with Papists vnto the freedome of our owne will but vnto the free grace of God for I confesse that if he prevent vs not with grace we cannot will and being prevented if he pursue vs not with his grace wee shall will in vaine according to that of Saint Paul It is God which worketh in you to will and to doe of his good pleasure If it be so will you yet say why doth our Saviour Christ vse this forme of words if any will let him and doe you not overthrow all what hitherto you haue said affirming that we can neither will nor doe vnlesse by grace we be elevated aboue nature Herevnto to expresse my selfe more fully I answere foure things First if wee were such as we ought to be we might of our selues by the meanes offered vnto vs come vnto Christ. That now wee cannot is through our owne default who haue disabled our selues And yet the obligation still lieth vpon vs and wee are bound to bring with vs power abilility and fit dispositions If wee neither doe nor can yet may God iustly exact them of vs as the Creditor may his debt of the vnthrift that cannot pay him neither is he bound againe to enable him by grace no more then a Creditor is to supply the wants of his wastfull and prodigall debter Secondly although in things supernaturall and spirituall the act of Willing be not in our power yet are there many prerequisites going before which are in our power as to goe to Church to heare Gods word preached to meditate vpon it to seeke further information c. without which ordinarily God saueth none God blesseth not our idlenesse but our labour he that will not labour shall not eate he shall eat that seeketh his bread in the sweat of his browes He that will not plow nor sow shall not reap the crop and he that will not striue and endeauour himselfe shall not obtaine grace Thirdly if a man hauing the meanes of grace offered him shall therevnto adde his owne endeavour and doe whatsoeuer lieth in his owne power who knoweth but that God will bee gracious to that man Or rather to declare my mind freely I doubt not but that God will be gracious vnto him And although others wrench and stretch the place too farre for their owne advantage yet will I not bee afraid with as graue Divines as this land affordeth any to apply it vnto this purpose Habenti dabitur to him that hath shall be giuen God forsaketh not man vntill man forsaketh him neither fayles any vntill hee bee defectiue vnto himselfe Then indeed the talent which he would not imploy shal be taken from him but he that imploies it carefully shall receaue more yea shall haue abundance Being thus called and affected God will never cease to further our conversion vnlesse wee our selues stop his course either by carelesse neglect or wilfull rejection of grace Lastly when we haue done whatsoeuer we can doe yet is conversion out of our power it is the work of Gods free grace which grace of vnwilling maketh vs willing not by forcing and constraining the will but sweetly inclining and bending it For albeit God in converting vs bee said to draw vs yet may we not conceaue this Drawing to be constraint or violent coaction Hee drawes vs indeed what as stocks and stones No but as men I will draw them saith God with the cords of a man with the bands of loue Grace so prevaileth vpon the will as it preserueth the libertie thereof It cannot will before Grace grace maketh it willing When we are first converted by grace we convert willingly and whensoeuer we will wee will freely For will is not will vnlesse it be free Grace indeed setteth free the will yet except wee will our conversion freely we can neither be converted nor saued according that of Bernard Nisi sit liberum arbitrium non est quod saluetur nisi sit gratia non est vnde saluetur vnlesse there be free will there is nothing to be saued vnlesse there be grace there is no meanes whereby to bee saued And thus much haue I thought good to speake touching the forme of words or the liberty of them that are counselled partly to cleare God from being the cause why wee follow not this counsell and partly to set an edge vpon our endeauour to follow it The Counsell it selfe is threefold first abnegation of our selues secondly bearing of the crosse thirdly following of Christ. And of every of them there is a conditionall necessity if we will come after Christ. For howsoeuer simply we may chuse whether we will deny our selues or not deny our selues take vp the crosse or not take vp the crosse follow Christ or not follow him yet conditionally if wee will come after Christ we must of necessity deny our selues take vp our crosse daily and follow him So that in euery of these Counsels we are to consider first the Substance and then the Necessity
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proposition and Reddition In this similitude the Proposition is this As serpents are wise the Reddition so ought yee also to be wise So that first I am to speake of the one and then in the second place of the other That Serpents are naturally wise and subtill Moses witnesseth saying that the Serpent was the subtilest beast of the field and the act of the Divell also argues as much in that he made speciall choice of the Serpent as the fittest instrument to beguile the Woman Wherevpon in some languages they vse to say by way of proverbe He is wiser then a Serpent Now the wisedome of the Serpent is double either Offensiue or Defensiue Offensiue whereby he is cunning to hurt man For there being a naturall Antipathy betwixt the Serpent and Man and the Serpent knowing well that Man beares him a deadly hatred hee seeketh all opportunities and lyeth in ambush as it were to take his advantage to sting him by the heele This appeareth by the sentence of God passed vpon them both Hee shall breake thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele as also by that of old Iacob Dan shall be a serpent by the way an adder by the path biting the horse heeles so that the rider shall fall backward and finally that of Salomon If the serpent bite when he is not charmed no better is a babler His Defensiue wisdome is whereby he is cunning to defend preserue himselfe For first if hee sees a Man whom hee knoweth to be his enimy forthwith hee hastneth away into his hole to safegard himselfe Secondly if he cannot so escape he foldeth all his traine about his head to preserue it as wherein his life principally consisteth Lastly if enchanters goe about to charme him hee layeth one of his eares close to the ground and stoppeth the other with his taile to the end he may not heare their charmes and callings in regard whereof saith David they are like the deafe adder that stoppeth his eare which heareth not the voice of the inchanter though hee be most expert in charming These and other such things shew his Defensiue wisdome so that the Serpent both offensiuely and defensiuely is very wise which is the Protasis or Proposition The Reddition is Be yee also as wise What Offensiuely as wise I know many that are of vindictiue revengefull spirits would be glad to bee warranted in their humor by Christs counsell But such wisdome cannot bee here meant inasmuch as it cannot stand with that which our Saviour presently adds Be innocent as Doues What is it then Saint Augustine elegantly thus expresseth it Estoâ—e astuti non studio nocendi fed nocâ—nâ—â—s cavendâ— be yee wise not to doe hurt but to avoide those that would doe hurt So that the maine doctrine and rule is this That it is lawfull yea expedient and requisite in dangers and troubles prudently and warily to decline and avoide them Need I to spend time in prouing of this doth not the very instinct of nature command it vnto all creatures We see how the hound flies before the hound and vseth many naturall sleights and stratagems to escape the danger so doth the Partridge also to avoide the talons of the Falcon. Yea even in sencelesse creatures may wee obserue the same The fire fleeth from the aire vpward to preserue it selfe in its element and heavy things fall downeward as knowing they are not well till they are in their proper place But in man it is much more seene for even in suddaine perils when a man hath no leasure to thinke of avoiding them if a blow bee reached at him the hand naturally and of it selfe will put it selfe forth or lift it selfe vp to guard him And indeede to this end hath nature instilled into man a loue towards his owne selfe for as the Philosopher saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man naturally is a friend to himselfe Wherevpon the schoolemen say Charitas incipit a seipso charity ever begins at a mans owne selfe and where this selfe-loue is it must needs breed a naturall desire to preserue himselfe Besides this loue nature hath put into him feare also feare of whatsoeuer evill would either hurt or destroy him Now feare as the same Philosopher teacheth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a preseruer wherevpon the woman because she is ordained to keepe preserue things at home is made more fearfull then the man And for this cause also hath God put his feare into the heart of all his Saints to preserue them from that horrible and dangerous sin of Apostasie and falling away from him as the Prophet saith So that Feare is as it were the sentinell of the heart because danger maketh it vigilant and the nature thereof is contrary to security Lastly besides this loue and feare there is in man an vnderstanding also and a memory out of which is bred Experience and from experience proceeds the morall habit of Prudence by which man is enabled against dangers both to foresee them and to prevent them For Prudence as Cicero saith is ars vivendi vt medicina valetudinis the art of liuing as physick is of health And what doth all this argue but that it is mans duty to preserue himselfe For as men haue beene most provident and circumspect this way so haue they ever beene counted and esteemed most Prudent Vnto this instinct of nature may we adde the warrant of the Gospell For Grace takes not away nature but subordinates nature unto it selfe and according to the rule of Logicians subordinata non pugnant things subordinate one vnto another doe not destroy one the other Now that the Gospell of grace allowes it as well as the law of nature is manifest for doth not Christ himselfe allow it nere when he saith be wise as serpents Doth hee not say when they persecute you in one citty fly into another Doth not Saint Paul also giue vs this caveat beware of dogs beware of concision And advize vs elsewhere to walke wisely to walke warily to walke circumspectly and againe Alexander the Coppersmith hath done me much evill of whom also doe thou beware Many counsells to this effect haue were in the Proverbs of Salomon among the rest let this one serue for all A prudent man seeth the plague and hideth himselfe but the foolish man goeth on still and is punished Conformable vnto these rules hath the practise of the Saints of God ever beene Noah to avoide the danger of the flood builds an arke and puts himselfe into it Ioseph in Egypt laies vp store of corne against the deare yeares to avoide famishing Ioseph and Mary with their young babe retire into Egypt to avoid the fury of Herod David wisely provideth for himselfe to escape all the snares and plots of Saul Christ himselfe carefully seeketh to deliuer himselfe from the treacherous designes of his malitious enemies And memorable is
judgement vpon the Conscience and to be the executioner of his lawes or finally hee bindes the Conscience in vaine and to no purpose To say that man is in such sort Lord of the Conscience is vnreasonable because his knowledge and power reach no farther then the outward man To say that man may command God is sacrilegious aduancing man aboue God Lastly to say that he bindeth in vaine and to no purpose is withall to say that their opinion is vaine and that man hath no such power at all To shut vp all in a word vnlesse a man may with as much security obey man as God man who is subject to error and injustice as God who is free from both vnlesse we be all as deeply bound to study the laws of men and to knowe them as we are Gods and to subject our selues as absolutely vnto them it is altogether vnconceauable how humane lawes can bind the Conscience equally with diuine This point being thus cleared it is euident that by conscience in this place wee are with St Peter to vnderstand Conscientiam Dei conscience towards God and to interpret this of St Paul yee must bee subiect for conscience by that of the same St Peter Submit your selues vnto every ordinance of man for the Lords sake as if he should say because God hath bound you to be subiect For God hath laid this obligation vpon man appeares by the very institution of Magistracie For although St Peter call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a humane creature yet his meaning is not that it is not from man but for man and his benefit otherwise S. Paul expresly affirmeth that it is the ordinance of God and Solomon that by him kings raigne The reason mouing God to institute the same was partly his soueraigne Lordship ouer man by right of creation by which he may order and dispose of him at pleasure partly the great loue he beareth vnto humane society which his infinite wisdome saw could not so well be maintained if euery man should be left to himselfe and orderly gouernment were not setled among them Herevpon hee ordained some to be in authority some to liue in subiection commanding the one to rule according to justice and equitie the other to submit themselues with all lowlinesse and humility as I meane touching subiection hath in the first part which is the Dutie beene sufficiently declared Now man being thus by the commandement and ordinance of God bound Conscience cannot bee free but as man shall either subject or not subject himselfe so is Conscience bound to testifie for or against him and to excuse or to accuse him If then yee breake the commandement of God and refuse to be subject there is one who will surely accuse you and will not spare a witnesse whose testimony is omni exceptio ne majus better then a thousand witnesses that will testifie against you even your Conscience But to whom will it accuse Vnto that great and dreadfull Iudge of the whole world whose wisdome can not be deceaued whose justice cannot be corrupted and the execution of whose sentence cannot be avoided And what will the sentence be Perpetuall imprisonment in the bottomelesse dungeon of hell therein eternall torments both of body and soule which although it be not presently executed vpon you yet the worme of conscience instantly will begin to gnaw vpon your soules fill you so full of vnspeakable horror and anguish that your life shall be but a death and this world a hell vnto you But if on the contrary side yee shall for the Lords sake and in obedience to his ordinance yeeld subjectiō vnto the higher powers and vnder them liue dutifully in all godlinesse and honestie then shall your consciences testifie nothing but good of you and excuse you vnto God he shall justifie and acquit you your soule shall bee replenished with vnspeakable peace and comfort so as yee shal haue a heaven vpon earth and in heauen it selfe in due time such ioyes as nor eye hath seene nor eare heard nor ever entred into the thought of man To conclude and summe vp all if either we will keepe a good conscience that we may both here and ever be blessed or will avoid the sting of an euill conscience and the miseries that attend vpon it wee must of necessity be subject Yee must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience And thus haue I finished the second part also which is the Necesstie of the dutie It only remaineth now to adde a word or two by way of vse and application There is a generation of whom both St Peter and St Iude speake that despiseth all gouernment and speaketh evill of Dignities cleane contrary vnto the doctrine of my Text which commandeth all to be subject and to honour and obey the Magistrate But these are not all of the same kinde for some despise it out of an erronious judgment others out of an euill habit and custome They that despise it vpon errour are either Anabaptists or Papists The Anabaptists a fanatical fantastical sect vtterly mislike all gouernment and subjection among Christians It is not without cause that S. Iude calleth such kind of people Dreamers for so indeed they are and their dreame is this that Sin is the cause of Subjection and although it were ordained and allowed to the Iewes because they were but infants yet fits it not vs Christians that are in the state of perfection Shall I dispute against this dotage and shew that even among those blessed spirits that are free frō sinne still persist in the truth there are Thrones Dominations Powers Principalities Angels and Arch-angels That if man had continued in his integritie yet government should haue beene inasmuch as man naturally is sociable and disciplinable the morall law commands to honour father and mother the end of gouernment is Peace with Pietie and Honestie and one man euen then should haue stood in need of another That finally there is now as great a necessity thereof as was among the Iews and that the new Testament would neuer haue commanded Subjection or to pray for Magistrates if it were a sin for a Christian to be a Magistrate But I will not vouchsafe them the honour to dispute with them let it suffice in this honourable auditory barely to affirme first that a Christian safely may be a Magistrate secondly that none is fitter then he because no man better knowes the dutie of a Magistrate then he Lastly that no man can so compleatly and perfectly performe the office of a Magistrate but hee because no man vnderstands the true religion which he is to maintaine and by which he is to gouerne but he As for Papists although they doe not thus reject all government yet doe they many waies both in doctrine and practise avile and abase it For first they giue vnto the Pope a supremacie ouer Princes euen vnto Deposition and depresse
certainly iudge you as he sees you iudge others Remember farther that they are men whose causes yee iudge made of the same stuffe bearing the same image of God redeemed by the same pretious bloud of Christ quickned by the same spirit heires of the same Kingdome with you Oh then tender them as your owne bowels let their bloud and right be deare and pretious in your eyes Remember lastly that though yee be Gods yet yee are men also and shall dye as men In Nabucadnezars image the head was gold the breast and arme siluer the belly and thighs brasse the leggs iron but all â—â—od on feete of clay Oh then when you are in your â—â—â—â—unalls thinke sometime of these feete that when they â—â—all faile you conscience of doing justice may support you Iudge yee therefore now as your selues would be iudged in the last day weigh every cause in even ballance let nothing but right sway you Draw forth the sword of your authority and strike at wickednesse couragiously Never more need the sins of this land are crying and spreading among the rest the pestilence of Drunkennesse infecteth every where There was a street in Rome called Vicus sobrius the sober streete but is there a village in England that may be called Villa sobria the sober village Every house almost is now become an ale-house and they are the very schooles of all rogery and villany yet by our country Magistrates are too much winked at and favoured Against these and the like enormities my Lords there is neede of your greatest severity Qui non vetat peccare cum potest iubet hee bids men sinne who 〈◊〉 power forbids them not Let not your remissenesse eithâ—â— harden the wicked or dishearten the good but rise vp 〈◊〉 with David to destroy all the wicked of the land Iustice requireth it at your hands wisdome requireth it justice that offendors may be cut off wisdome that others may be preserued from contagion and the state from Gods vengeance which otherwise will light vpon it if yee purge it not from such pollutions But your honours are wise and vnto the wise one word had beene sufficient Yet before I conclude I cannot but intreat my brethren of the cleargy also seeing them here so frequent to haue care that Magistracy be not despised As wee are desirous to be assisted by theÌ„ so let vs in our places assist them Let the sword of God Gedeon the sword of the mouth the mouth of the sword goe together while they labour 〈◊〉 make men subiect for wrath let vs endeavour to make them subiect for Conscience Wrath belongs vnto the Magistrate but Conscience is the taske of the Minister Oh theÌ„ let vs apply our selues diligently vnto this taske and speake home vnto the conscience first by our holy life and conversation and then by our powerfull and effectuall preaching Let our end and aime bee in all our Sermons not so much to please as to profit nor to tickle the eare with quaint phrases as to establish the heart with grace that the mind being enlightned the spirit fortified and flesh repressed vice may bee loathed and detested and the way of vertue facilitated and sweetned So shall wee make good subiects indeede such as if there were no wrath to terrify them yet meerely for conscience would submit themselues Yea so shall wee prepare both them and our selues also to bee meete subiects for that glorious Kingdome whose King is Trinity whose law Charity whose reward perfect blessednesse whose measure Eternity FINIS A DEFENCE OF THE LAVVFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING AGAINST THE Arguments of N. N. OXFORD Printed by I.L. for E. F. 1633. A DEFENCE OF THE LAWFVLNESSE OF LOTS IN GAMING NOT that I hope to purchase any great reputation to my selfe by confuting so slight a Pamphlet nor yet that I desire to afford the least countenance to those irregular Gamesters who loue not to keepe due compasse in their play but for sundry other important and weighty reasons haue I vndertaken this Defence of Lot-games Among the rest first to cleare the truth rightly to informe the vnderstanding that what wee doe or leaue vndone in this case bee not sinne vnto vs. For practice without knowledge is little better then Presumption and abstinence vpon errour is little lesse then Superstition Secondly to arme and settle weake and tender Consciences least happily some honest and religiously affected hearts who haue at times without scruple vsed these Games receiue some wound from these Arguments and be brought into a needlesse labyrinth and perplexity vnlesse they be provided of some buckler against them or threed to disintangle them Thirdly lastly to reforme the affection and to worke those that are contrary minded to a little more Charity that seeing vpon how slender and sandy a ground they haue wronged the people of God in their Christian liberty tying them farre shorter and straiter then God himselfe doth they may be moued hereafter not to censure their brethren with so much superciliousnesse to hold a better correspondence with them These are the cheefest ends I aime at for which I haue chosen rather to adventure my selfe into these lists then out of I know not what imaginary feare of encouraging idle and immoderate Gamesters to forbeare True it is debausht and lewd companions are not to bee humoured in their vanities howbeit it is a very preposterous course because of the abuse to condemne the lawfull vse and to labour the redressing of a misdemeanure in life either by breeding or fomenting an errour in judgement An errour in judgement will you say That is not yet demonstrated neither will it bee accounted so vntill the contrary Arguments bee sufficiently answered Let vs therefore in Gods name trie examine the force and strength of them N. N. Meere Lots vnlawfull in light matters as at play with Cards and Dice and the like exercises DEFENCE A Lot is nothing else but a casualty or casuall event purposely applied to the determination of some doubtfull thing Of Lots some are Meere some are Mixt. Meere Lots are those wherein there is nothing else but a Lot or wherein there is nothing applied to determine the doubt but only meere casualty Mixt Lots are those wherein something else besides casualtie is applied to determine the doubt as namely wit skill industrie the like These termes being thus cleared I answer first that by the tenor of your words you seeme to allow Mixt Lots in Gaming and only disallow Meere Lots Whereas notwithstanding you dispute anon against the vse of all Lots in light matters So that you haue not exprest your selfe distinctly enough and thereby giue iust occasion to suspect that you apprehend of this matter but confusedly Secondly I deny this Proposition affirming the Lots both Mixt and Meer are lawfull even in the lightest matters and consequently that cards and dice and tables and all other Games of the like nature are lawfull and may
warrant it By Scripture You haue barred your selfe from all hope of succour thence For it is obscure equivocall ambiguous every way vncertaine By Naturall Reason The Articles of Faith are aboue Reason and the Naturall Man is not capable of them By the Spirit then That is the thing you so much jest at in others And if by your doctrine you cannot assure your selfe that you are in the present state of Grace neither can you know whether you haue the spirit of God or no. What then may be your last refuge The testimony of the Church touching her selfe Ridiculous for no mans testimony may be admitted in his owne cause And what a reasoning is this You beleeue the Articles of Faith Why Because the Church biddeth you doe so How followeth this Because shee cannot erre And how proue you that Because she saith shee cannot erre If this bee not to expose the Christian Faith vnto the laughter of Atheists and prophane men I know not what it is Will you nill you when you haue said all you can say either you must haue no certaine ground at all for your Faith or you must rest vpon the Scriptures as the finall resolution thereof Returne therefore I beseech in the feare of God returne vnto the sure anchor-hold of your salvation Abandon those frothie generalities of your seducing authors which at the best are but coniecturall and labour to stablish your Conscience vpon the testimony of him that will not that cannot deceiue you Pray vnto him fervently and proceed in a syncere loue of the truth and you shall surely finde that if you be not defectiue to your selfe God will never faile you For my part I haue done what belongs to mee I haue planted I haue watered it is God that must giue the increase And to his mercy in Christ Iesus I commend you An advertisement to the Reader Vnto the Section of Pag. 27. I there freely confessed I could not certainly answere for want of Doctor Mortons booke Since that time I haue met with it and thereby I perceaue that though I answered only by conâ—ecture yet I coniectured not amisse Yet now farther be pleased to vnderstand first that the Doctor citeth not Bibliander as my adversary vntruly chargeth him but only answereth a passage quoted by his adversary Breerly out of him And he answereth in effect as I doe saue that he bringeth in Bellarmine confessing that which to my good man seemeth so strange namely that all Protestants acknowledge in the Eucharist a Sacrifice Eucharisticall or of thanksgiuing Secondly touching those Rabbins R. Cahana R. Iudas and R. Simeon hee belyeth the Doctor it is Breerly that cites them not hee Neither doth he Positiuely say that their testimonies make directly for Transubstantiation But conditionally if they were such Now that they are not such hee proueth For consulting with D. Smith D. Layfield and M. Bedwell very learned Hebricians about this matter they after their painfull and industrious search into the cited places returned vnder their hands this answere R. Cahana in that booke on the 49 of Gen. is not cited nor hath hee there any thing to that purpose R. Iudas in that booke on the 25 of Exod. hath no such thing nor in the whole Parasha Terumah R. Simeon wrote no booke carrying the title of Revelatio Secretorum And thus you see while simple Papists will beleeue nothing but what their guides tell them what pretty tales of Robin Hood they devise for them O that God would be pleased to soften the seared consciences of the one and to open the blindfolded eyes of the other Farewell IOHN DOWNE FINIS A Testimony taken from M. Perkins on Heb. 11. v. 7. to be added to those annexed to the first Sermon But how doth God worke this faith By his word For as God is the author and worker of Faith so God hath appointed a meanes whereby he workes it and that is his word which word of God is the only ordinary outward meanes to worke faith And that word of God is two wayes to be considered either as revealed by God himselfe as to Noah here or else being written by God is either preached by his Ministers or read by a mans selfe in want of preaching and these are all one and are all meanes ordained of God to worke faith and that not only to beginne it where it is wanting but to augment it where it is begunne END So much doth the originall word beare and therefore our last translators haue set it in the Margent M. Smith Preacher at Barstaple Ezech. 14.14 and 28 3. Ver. 1. V. 2. Ioh. 5.28.29 1 Chron. 28.9 ver 13. V. 14. V. 15. V. 16. V. 17. V. 18. 1. Tim. 4 16. Phil. 2.15 psal 34.5 Prov. 4.18 Math. 13.43 43.20 148 36. 2. Cor. 4.17 1. Pet. 5.4 1. Cor. 9.25 Act. 15.5 vers â— vers 4.6 vers 7. c. vers 13.14.15 vers 19.20 Num. 25.1 c Lev. 17.10 In Preachers plea. In Baron â—1 16. n. 23. Duplic cont Stapl. l. 1. c. 6. Act. 13.27 Deut 33.10.11 2 King 23.2 Nâ—h 8.3 Elias Levita Ben. Maimon Apol. against T.C. Eccles. Polit. l. 5. Hom. 1. p. 1. Marâ— 16.15 2. Cor. 2.16 2. Tim. 4.1.2 Defens eccles author l. 3. c. 7. Trois verites l. 3. c. 4. par 3. Confront ibid Canon 4. Can 11. In ans to the Abstract Esa. 29.12 Id. 61.1.2 Paraen ad Gentes l. 17. Strom. l. 1. p. 1. Doct. Christ. Prol. Cont. Bellar. contro 1. Confront l. 3. c. 4. In Rhem. Test Ro. 1. 15. Cont. Bellar. con 1. q. 6. c. 9. De Idol Eccl. Ro. ep ded Advers Cost de Script De S. script Against peril of idol p. 1. Preface to the Reader Rom. 15.4 Preface to the Reader Deut. 13.11 17.1 6.6 Ioh. 5.39 Col. 4.16 1 Thes. 5.27 Act. â— 27.15.21 Mat. 24.15 Eph. 3.4 Confes. l. 8. c. 12. Cont. Lindâ—n In vita sua Acts Mon. Preach plea. Def. of AdmoÌ„ Preach plea. Act. 2.41 Iob. 33.23.24 Contra Char. l. 3. c. 4. Prov. 29.18 Esaiah 1.1 1. Cor. 1.21 Duplic cont Stapl l. 2. c. 10 De S. Script Rom. 10 13.14 Ps. 19.1.2.3 Rom. 1.20 Deut. 17.11 2. Thes. 2.8 Act. 13.27 Rom. 10.8 Ioh. 19.37 Rom. 3.19 Heb. 12.5 Rom. 9.27 Ioh. 5.39 Heb. 4.12 Luc. 16.29 Gal. 4.21.22 Confront l. 3. c. 4. Ibid. De verb. scrip In Rhem. Test. Rom. 1.15 Dupl contr Stapl. l. 2. c 10. De script q. 5. c. 8. arg 2. Cont. A.D. c. 9 1. King 17.6 Ioh. 19.6 Act. 2.4 Act 9.3 c. Gal. 1.12 Dupl cont Stap. l. 2. c. 6. In the way to the true Ch. In Ps. 26. Ep. 3. Dial. cum Try phon L. 7. in Iulian Hom. 1. in Ioh De Script q. 2. c. 14. arg 5. De verb. scrip â—ut 28. Cor. 2.4 Dupl contr Stapl. l. 1. c. 9. 2. Pet. 1.15 Deut. 31.11.12 Ier. 36.2 c. V. 19. V. 5. Ioh. 20.31 Cap. 18. Comment in Psal. initio Ser. 35. Iohn 6.63