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A01456
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The way to heauen In a sermon deliuered at Saint Maries Spittle on Wednesday in Easter weeke the 27. of March. 1611. By Samuel Gardiner, Doctor of Diuinitie.
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Gardiner, Samuel, b. 1563 or 4.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 11582; ESTC S115875
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39,861
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90
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us Felix singeth the same songe with the former Sâ—â—uâ— spe futurae resurrectioâ—is Wee are secure vnder hope of the Resurrection to come Cornelius Cornelius Bitontius in cap. 8. an Rom. Bishop of Bitonto one of their owne side speaketh loudly and liberally for vs in this wise Qui in Christo Iesu sunt nihil habent vnde timere debent They that are in Christ Iesu haue nothing whereof they should be afrayde Si quidem securi sunt de salute Inasmuch as they are secure of their saluation Antonius Maâ—â—â—â—â—us Anton. Mariâ— in the Chapter holden at Trent durst stand foorth and preach not onely of the doctrine of the certaintie of Saluation but also of our securitie therein speaking in this wise Ab operum nostroruÌ„ gloria auersi in illius patris elementia et voluntate et in perpetuum conquâ—escamus Item indubitationis labirintho non errant qui per Christum adepti sunt IustitiaÌ„ sed in sâ—curitate mentis in pace consâ—ientiae in laetitia cordis audent dicere Abha pater Wee wholly draw our mindes from any confidence in our owne workes and repose our trust in the louing kindnesse and goodwill of our heauenly Father for euer Also they erre not in the maze of mistrust who haue obteined righteousnesse through Christ but they date boldly say in the securitie of Minde peace of Conscience ioy of Heart Abâ—a Father The same Doctor in the same Councell Concil Trident Act 1. Anno. 1546. was thus peremptorie in this poynt protesting of his owne Fayth herein on this wise Si Caelum ruat si Terra euanesâ—at si Orbis dissoluatur praeceps ego in eum erectus ero si Angelus de caelo aliud mihi persuadâ—re contendat dicam illi mathema O faelicem Christiam pâ—ctâ—â—is fiduciaâ— Though Heauen should passe away the Earth consume to nothing and the whole World should be dissolued I shall erect my selfe towardes him And though an Angelicall Doctor from heauen should goe about to perswade me otherwise I should tell to his head that he is accursed O the happie assurance of a Christian soule â—e Oratione The very Tâ—â—â—â—entine Catechisme thus speaketh in our cause Fides est quae preces fundit preces facit vt omni dubitatione sublata stabilis aâ— sâ—rma sâ—t fides It is Fayth that powreth out Praiers conceiueth Praiers that all distrust remooued our Fayth might be firme and stable Some of the best of the bunch of Papiâ—tes doe preach and publish this true certaintie and holy securitie that wee speake of At Treâ—â— this cause hath been throughly canâ—ased not by vollie of wordes but by volumes of Bookes Catharâ—â—us is our Champion against Dâ—minicus Soto in which Booke of his he telleth vs how the Schoolemen are diuided in this Doctrine how they preferre their owne Reasons and their vaine Philosophie before the holy Scriptures and so turne aside out of the right way They distaste these wordes of Securitie and Certaintie but they should rellise them the better if they would beare in minde this text out of Jsaiah Isai 32.17 The worke of righteousnesâ—e shal be peace euen the worke of Iustice and quietnesse and assuraunce for euer They are tearmes the Fathers commonly take vp as in the precedent instances you haue heard Cyprian Cyp. de mortalit serm 4. admireth we should otherwise speake or thinke where he saith â—t tu dubitas eâ— flactuas Hoâ— est Deum omnino non noscere Hoc est Christum credentium magistrum peccato incredulitatis â—ffendere Hâ—c est in Eâ—clesia construtum fidem in domo fiâ—ey non â—aâ—erâ— Doest thou doubt and wauer This is altogeather not to know God This is to displease Christ the Maister of the Faythfull with the sinne of Incredulitie This is to be in the Church and to denie the Fayth in the very House of Fayth In respect of the indiuiduall societie that is betweene the Flesh and the Spirit doubts and quaimes must often arise and come vpon our heartes and trouble our Fayth Incredulitie betweene times will assault euery man when his Fayth is at the best the sensuall part of man euer coueting against the Spirit but Fayth will quiet all these brawles and broyles at the last be our Faith neuer so eclipsed with Cloudes tossed with Tempestes winnowed by Sathan driuen at by the Dartes and all the fierie Dartes of the Deuill though brought into an agonie bloodie sweate and extasie as Christ was in the Garden and on the Crosse yea though almost brought to vtter desperation the very brimme and introduction into the Hell of the damned then God seemeth to stand a farre off and to hide him selfe in the needfull time of trouble to stop his eares with Waxe and not to heare vs though we make many Prayers to hold his hand still in his boosome and not to plucke it out in our extremities Fayth being the victorie that ouercommeth the whole World and so wee conclude this first Question Whether one may be certaine or his particuler Election affirmatiuely as ye haue heard and put it out of question with this ioyfull acclamation of the Prophet Blessed be God that hath shewed 〈◊〉 so great kindnesse in a strong citie That hath seâ— vs in this inuincible fortresse of Fayth so that we may cast out our Gantlet and prouoke all our enemies to the field and to the foyle so that neither Life nor Death neither Principalities nor Powers thinges present nor things to come nor any things else in the nature of thinges can make a separation betweene God and vs. The second Question now vnder our decision is How our particular Election may be knowne There be two wayes of knowing it 1 First by going vp as it were to Heauen there to prie into the very priuities of God and then to come downe and to come into our selues But we disclaime this course as pernicious perilous God hauing drawne Curtaines of blacke Cloudes and Darknes ouer his Tabernacle round about him Bernar. serm 31. in Cantica Ad Deum accedendum non â—â—â—uenduâ— Wee may come to God but not Concitate câ—â—â—u praeter viam Wee must not rush violently into his presence Chamber 2. Secondly by the contrarie by descending into our heartes by going vp from our selues to Gods eternall Counsaile This is the way chalked out vnto vs which we may safely walke which teacheth vs by tokens in our selues to gather what was the eternall Counsaile of God touching our saluation These tokens are two not taken from the Primitiue causes of our Election but rather from the latter effectes thereof 1. The testimonie of Gods Spirit 2. The workes of our SanctificatioÌ„ This is proofe enough in Law For the Law hath spoken it In the mouthes of two or three Witnesses shall euery thing be confirmed The Spirit of God is a Witnesse for the nonce the best that is in Heauen sealing the certaintie of adoption in our heartes with the singer of his grace
Elect. For albeit he giueth vs no such plaine particuler proposition as this is Thou art Elected vnto euerlasting life yet no lesse is concluded in the heartes of the Elect in such Aphotismes as are generall euen as each particuler man is determined capable of reason by the vniuersalitie of this Axiome Euery man liuing is a creature reasonable though the Assumption be suppressed This therefore is the course that God taketh with vs He hath chosen all and euery one whom he decreed to be faythfull heyres of saluation And this maine Maxime in tearmes generall is proclaymed by the Apostles at the Standard to all that are Elect. The Proposition in generalitie standeth thus All the Faythfull are elected to euerlasting life Heere the word stayeth and medleth not with the Miner Now heere God effecteth by Fayth that hee bestoweth on vs that wee make the Minor in our mindes in this manner But I am of the fellowship of the faythfull as feeling that I truly beleeue in Christ How commeth therefore now thy cause to be concluded that thou art Predestinated to eternitie of glory Truely by God that giueth the proposition from the Gospell and by working thine heart with the worke of faith which hee worketh in thee to goe on with the assumption It is therefore manifest that God by the word of the Ghospell where he pronounceth all the faythfull to be elected that he doth reueale his particuler election to euery one that is of the fayth Onely it standeth euery Beleeuer in hand that as often as hee heareth the generall Proposition hee make the Assumption and inferre it in the nicke and vpon the necke of it And so doth the Lord reueale to euery man his speciall malediction by this generall Scriptures enuntiation Cursed be euery one that abideth not in all thinges which are written in this Bo ke Though hee doth not come to tell euery man in his eare that hee and hee is accursed For this may euery one gather of himselfe his conscience telling him that he hath started from the Statutes of God like a broken Bowe 3. The third kind of meanes by which God vnfouldeth and layeth open to vs our state of Saluation is the effectes in vs aswell inward at outward effectually assuring the same vnto vs in a double respect 1. First because these effectes are such as God giueth them to none but onely to the Elect. 2 Next for that they are not simply the effectes of Election but also such and such as they be the engrauen Seales and the perfect Stampe thereof For God is like to the Sunne to vs. The Sunne while it striketh vs with his radiant Beames and in a manner looketh vs on the face leaueth such an impression of his light in our eyes as wee reciprocally by the participation of the same light see the Sunne it selfe the very light thereof For the light of the Sunne the beames thereof sent downe vpon vs reflect againe vpon the Sunne it selfe So the Foreknowledge of God in which from all eternitie he did would acknowledge vs for his owne is so in God as in it selfe is not to be seene of vs but yet as God acknowledgeth vs to be his and engraueth the Forme and Image of this knowledge in vs that are elected he bringeth it to passe as wee acknowledge this God for our onely true God and bid all other farewell So that God fâ—st looketh downe from Heauen on vs and acknowledgeth vs and so by communicatioÌ„ of this knowledge light vnto vs we are thereby made to know him againe Hereto serueth that which Christ sayth J know my Sheepe Ioh. 10.14 and immediatly inferreth thereupon I am knowne of mine As if hee should haue sayd While I know them for my Sheepe and marke them out as Shepheardes doe their Sheepe with a red stroake euen of my redde blood I make them on the other side by the participation of my knowledge that they acknowledge me for their Shepheard The same learning the Apostle giues the Galathians where he faith Sâ—eing yee k ow God Gal. 4.9 yee rather are knowne of God c. Where hee would haue the Galathians know that all their knowledge holdeth in â—ayne from the foreknowledge that God had of them The like may be said of the Loue of God in which he loued vs in Christ before the ground-worke of the World was layde which loue of vs is more then Adamantine and hath been the onely Loadstone to draw our loue by retaliation vnto him For Gods loue to vs being eternall and to eternall life must beget in time in vs a loue somewhat like seruing to the eternitie of his glory whereto pertaineth these wordes of S. John Not that wee loued God 1. Ioh. 4.10 but that hee first loued vs making our loue the consequent of his loue So that by the sinceere loue we beare towardes him we consider of the latitude and qualitie of that loue wherewith God in Christ from all eternitie hath prosecuted vs. Now what is all this his Loue but our Election Now that none is elected vnto life euerlasting who beare not in due time these effectes and cognizances of their Election about them it is manifest by such Scripture places which deale in the poynt of Predestination The holy Apostle telleth vs that wee were elected that wee should be holy and without blame Ephes 1.4 And hee further informeth vs that such whom God Predestinateth are likewise Called and Iustified and so consequently qualified with Fayth and the knowledge of God wherewith they acknowledge God for their Father and with loue whereby they imbrace him as their Father And finally with good will and setled resolution Rom. 8.30 constantly and continually to seeke his glorie But we come to the effectes by which we come to the knowledge of the causes They are of two sortes 1. Such as necessarily appertaine to all without which they are not capable of eternall life 2. Such as are annexed as dependances and appurtenances thereunto Of the first sort are 1. Christ as Mediator and Priest and his obedience and righteousnesse for without Christ there is no saluation 2. Our effectuall Vocation to Christ by the holy Spirit and the coniunctaunces thereof our Iustification and so our Regeneration therevpon These foure Predestination Vocation Iustification Glorification are so coadunited and coanimated togeather as they cannot be diuided And so no man can be Glorified who is not Iustified and no man can be Iustified that is not first effectually Called as no man can be so called who is not Predestinated Without these meanes no not the very Infants can attaine to this end of their endlesse Glorie Wherefore inwardly all the Elect children by the Holy ghost in their kind are Called and Iustified that they may be likewise Glorified Of the Second sort which Infantes by reason of their age can not haue which notwithstanding follow the rest of the Elect though in some they