of men But that wherto the Prophet Hoseas exhorteth is that Righteousnes of God and the true perfect Iustice of the LORDS Elect Hos 10. after the which as from a cause there followe for effects good Actions good endeuors good works and an holie and sounde life in and by the which a man is iustified and commended before men as hee is iustified and commended in the sight of God by the former The former is called Iustice the latter is called Mercy And as the former is taken for the cause Calu. in Hes 10. the latter for the effect or the one for the tree the other for the fruite so is this latter made the definition of the former being indeede the very Symbole or signe as whereby the Righteousnes of God in Christ by the which we are approued with him is plainely expressed and set forth as elsewhere it is said that the obseruation of the second table of the law plainly testifieth the true performance of the first Table Therfore Faith expressed by decâ—es Matt. â—5 aswel to teach perswade this vnto the Saints as to comfort encourage them in their dutie therin Christ remembreth and commendeth in them rather the obseruation of those workes of the second Table then those of the first that is their workes before their faith as that wherby indeed their true faith appeared therefore he saith not I was hungry thirsty naked harborles sick and in prison and ye beleeued in mee but he said I was thirsty ye gaue me drinke naked ye cloathed me harbourles and ye lodged me sick and ye visited mee in prison and ye came vnto me Thus he commended the work which expressed the faith for as a learned father wryteth after the saying of Saint Iames Pistis choris ergon necra hos erga dicha pisteos Gre. Naz. Eisto haâ—ion baptisma Iam. â— 18 Matt 5. Faith is dead without works euen as the woâ—ks are dead without faith Therfore it was the counsaile of the same Apostle that we should declare our faith by our workes alluding to that Commandement of the Lord So let your light shine before men that they may see your good workes c. In this coÌ„sideration let vs remeÌ„ber that as I said the Prophet Hosey commendeth to vs a double Iustice whereof the one is before God the other is towardes and before men Ro. 3 2.24.8 1. Cor 1 30. Iaâ— 2. â—â— 2â— Of the former spake Paul saying wee are iustified by faith and Christ is our righteousnes Of the latter spake Iames wee be iustified by works and Abraham was iustified by works And as eyther of them as the cause the time the persons and the occasions required haue duely attributed aswell to faith as to works Faith and works the due prerogatiue and honor of both so haue they taught and esteemed not onely the one but both of theÌ„ necessarie in a godly man The first which is the tree or cause of the latter is defined in the Newe Testament Our Righteousnes before God of two parts to be our Reconciliation with God by the means of Christ Iesus our Mediator Or our Approbation with the Father through the merite of the Sonne Or the free Remission of sinnes obtayned by them which beleeue in God and by the which we who who are guilty God pronouÌ„ceth iust for the sake of his Sonne And this defintiion hath two generall partes the one is remission of sinnes the other is the imputation of Iustice A remission of our owne sinnes An imputation of the Iustice of another wherin there is a fit allusion to the order and vsage of a gratious Prince towards his guiltie Subiect whom notwithstanding his faulte hee doth not onely pardon for his offence but also doth adorne with benefites The sinne is pardoned through him by whose Iustice and merite we are approued and pronounced Righteous that is not by any Angell or man or any other creature whatsoeuer which were not onely ashamed but also blemished by mans sinne but only in by the holy Messias the Lord Iesus who indeed for that purpose came down from his Father and died and with his pretious blood payed the debt of our transgression and set vs at libertie yea he beautified vs with the glorious beautie of himselfe Of the former member of this our Iustice wee haue a notable testimony of the Lord in Isaiah Isa 53. â—1 where he saith My righteous Seruant meaning Christ shall iustifie the multitude with his wisedome and how he tells for he shall beare their sinnes And that approoueth the Apostle where hee saith of Christ that he bare our sinnes in his body 1. Pet â— 21.14 hanging on the tree when there was no guile found in his mouth To this belongeth that example of the Publican Luke 18. whom the Lord approued before the proud pharisie for he prayed for pardon for his sinne which he confessed and that being granted hee was said to be iustified for his sinnes were not imputed therefore both after the Testimony of Dauid and of Paul he was blessed Ro. 4. â— 8 Gal. 3.8 as blessed is that maÌ„ to whoÌ„ the Lord imputeth not sin Of the latter member of this Iustice the same Apostle speaking saith that God imputed Righteousnes to theÌ„ that beleeued that is 1. Cor. 1.30 the Righteousnes of Christ to the faithful that he is made vnto vs of God not onely wisedome sanctification and redemption but also Righteousnes and in one other sentence he comprehendeth either member thus Christ dyed for our sinnes Ro 4 1â— hee rose againe for our iustification that is he dyed to abolish sinne and rose againe to worke our perfect Righteousnes This is our Righteousnes with the Lord The order of our Iustification to the which the former Iustice must be referred the order therof in the merite of the Sonne of God is as followeth viz. First we consider the eternall loue of God to mankind in Iesus Christ before all worlds according to that saying I loued thee with an euerlasting loue Secondly his diuine grace and fauour wherby he powreth forth on vs of his diuine blessings as of whose fulnes we all receiue grace vpon grace Thirdly his Mercie in drawing vs vnto him as hee saith by the Prophet By my mercie haue I drawen thee vnto me Fourthlie the merite of Iesus Christ working deseruing it in the Iustice of his Father Fiftlie his perfect Righteousnes the which of that his loue grace mercie and merite extended vnto vs Christ is made ours and his graces and vertues esteemed ours in by the which Mans merite excluded we are accepted as is the Sonne or Mediator Righteous and glorious before God Thus farre forth we finde man to be vtterlie excluded not onely from all merite but also from all action or meanes in himselfe of this Iustice and therfore hath hee no cause to boaste of that
which is not found in or of himselfe towardes his acceptation and Iustice before God Moreouer this Treasure is not laid vp in the fraile nature of man Where Iustice dwelleth but in the strong habitacle of the person of Christ as both in his proper place there wher it findeth the greatest preseruation and safetie for our better benefit For when Adam had that in his possession Pro. 3. after his free will the subtle Serpent preuented him he was iustly depriued thereof in his sin As if the Lorde should thus haue said I will from henceforth take on my selfe the protection of this high Treasure as where it shal be full safe and surely defended from all danger of losse And therfore inâ—eed when he came in the flesh although he were mightily tempted and assaulted by the Enemie of mans soule he was not vanquished or ouercome â—ut being most strong he vanquished and subduâ—d Satan and all his Angells to his power as wherâ—f he said The Prince of the world commeth Ioh 22 3â— 14.30 16.14 and findeth nought in mee Againe Now is the iudgement of â—his world the Prince of this world is cast out Howbeit the faithfull neuer want nor are they denyed â—he benefit of this treasure whensoeuer they look vp vnto him and draw towards his Diuine Grace with their Faith as the Eagles hasten vnto their praye in and by the which they finde peace and rest vnto their soules howesoeuer they be tempted persecuted and afflicted in this miserable world Loe this is that former Iustice or Righteousnes to the which the Prophet directeth vs when hee saith Sow yee to yourselues for Righteousnes Whereof wee haue spoken more largely in our * A bookâ— so intituled Acolastos Dialogu 7. vv and not vnworthy the reading of all true Christians with godly deliberation and like consideration CHAP. VII The second kinde of Iustice which is that of the second Table is comprehended in the worde Mercie and necessarilie followeth the former in due order THe other kind of Righteousnes required of men What is this kinde of Iustice and defined and set forth in the word Mercie is the very fruit or effect of the former and conteineth the summe of those vertues duties works of Charitie conteyned in the second table of the Law as it is before said and often times expressed in the works of Charitie Agape Luk. 1.74 This the holy man Zacharie calleth Holinesse when he saith that wee are deliuered from our enemies hand that wee should serue God in holines and righteousnes And St. Paul consenting thereto 1. Thess 1.3.4 saith This is the will of God euen your holines The same meant the Lord when he said Be ye holy for I am holie And Christ in one word called it perfection saying Mat. 3.48 Ye shal be perfect euen as your Father which is in heauen is perfect We may not either speak or think otherwise of this vertue Iustice Mercie then wee haue before in effect saide and considered therof sauing that wheras before we placed and accepted the same apart by it selfe here we place it together with the former vertue that is Iustice and accept it as the definition or effectuall fruit therof neither may we imagine that eyther this can be without that or that perfected without this When the Lord God had made Adam and set him in Paradise yet for that he had not this help the Lord pronounced him as vnperfect saying It is not good that the man should be alone Gen. 2. I will therefore make him an helpe like vnto him So doubtlesse although the Lord had iustified the beleeuer Acts. 13. and by the bloud of his Sonne wee be deliuered from all things from which by the lawe of Moses wee could not be iustified nor deliuered yet is it not the Lords will that we should be ydle in the fielde or market place but his will is that we should endeuour that which hee of vs requireth in his law though not to that perfection which is needefull the which wee cannot performe yet according to that measure of abilitie which he hath to that ende giuen vs. To this did Isaiah Isa 1.17 the Prophet invite the people when hee saide Learne to doe well seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherles defend the widowes And Micheas Mich. 6. the Prophet saying Doe iustlie loue mercie This remembred Daniel Dan. 4. in his good counsaile to the king Nebucadnezar Cut off thy sins with righteousnes he addeth thine iniquities by mercy to the poore that is Change thy crueltie into mercie and where as thou art a man prophane be thou henceforth holy righteous To this would S. Iohn the Baptist perswade the Iewes Yee say ye are Abrahams children beleeuers but I would ye should doe the workes of the faithfull and bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life And S. Paul after that he had strongly confirmed the foundation of our Iustification by the diuine grace accepted by faith without any the deeds of the law that men might not imagine he condemned those works which proceeded from the iustified man hee omitted not to builde on that foundation the excellencie of such actions and works as necessarilie followe the iustified man as the effects vsually follow the causes therefore he saith I beseech you brethren by the mercifulnes of God Ro. 12.1 that ye offer vp your bodies a liuing Sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God And this Saint Iames Iam. 2. laboureth to perswade with many mighty argumeÌ„ts to theÌ„ who thought that a bare faith had bin ynough for a maÌ„ to come to heaueÌ„ although hee neuer trauailed in the way of life by any work because Paul had preached that a man was iustified before God by faith not by works Loe thus ought the perfect Thumim Thumim perfection integritie to be made answereable to the bright Vrim Vrim light or knowledge that righteousnes which is by Faith in Christ manifested in Mercie and that holinesse which proceedeth from the influence of the holy Spirit wherwith they be baptized which beleeue declared before men that men may see our good works and glorifie our Father which is in heauen And so haue we seen what the Lord God requireth of vs in these two words Righteousnes Mercy Note But heere I would not that any man should gather that because wee say that GOD requireth good workes therefore wee are able to doe those workes without Faith or can beleeue without his grace or can merit life with those our works seeing wee be all sinners and vnprofitable but so as those workes are as the effectes of good causes fruits of a good tree and notes of our faithfull obedience to the Diuine will which we must aime vnto and therein feeling our great imperfection depend on the merit of our heaueÌ„ly Sauiour Iesus
and commended vnto man as that he should eat and liue of the labours of his hands so haue not onlie the godly in their times but also the very heathen bin exercised in the honest labours of their vocations wherof Paul hath gathered and laid downe this peremptory law that hee which laboureth not 2. Thessa 3.10 should not eate as if he were vnworthie to enioy the vse of anie the creatures wherin he disdained to bestow his labours Therfore Idelnes and slouth haue not onely bene reproued and blamed but also deemed vnprofitable and worthy shame and wretchednes Thereof said Salomon Pro. 24 30 I passed by the vineyard of the idle husbandman it was couered ouer with bryers Againe How long wilt thou sleepe ô thou sluggard but pouertie shall invade thee as an armed man Therefore hee saith again Pr. 24.27 Prepare thy works without make ready thy things in the fielde afterward build thine house By this doctrine is remooued from vs that vaine imagination of the Iewes Corban Mar. 7.11 Spirituall ydlenes nought else but a kinde of spirituall Idlenes which Christ found reproued in them by the which as a Sacrifice offered or dedicated to the holie vses of the Temple they thought they fully performed the commandement and request of the lawe without any further action or work of piety though the whiles they neglected duty to their own naturall pareÌ„ts whom they permitted to lie languish die wretchedly in the streetes for want of foode things necessary As who should say It is enough for vs that we giue of our goods and store to the Temples vse for by that as well our parents and the poore as our selues are relieued and benefited Thus they dishonored their parents infringed the lawe and blasphemed the Lord who in that and some other like respects contemned their sacrifices as abhominable saying that he required mercie and not such sacrifices And with this is likewise abandoned that faith A dead faith Deuotion Profession which beeing deuoid of good workes is called a dead faith that glorious deuotion which hath no deeds that holy profession which wanteth an honest godly life for as the seruice of God is not an idle seruice so is not he estemed for a good hearer or a sound beleeuer or a deuout Christian or a perfect professor who hath not good works good deedes and a Christian life accompanying the same as the bright shining of a cleare candle the timely fruit of a sound tree To this end are words orations preachings the vse of tongues for works are the finall cause or end of all words whereof I gladlie remember the saying of Miso reported by Diogenes Laertius Ougar eneca toon logoon ta pragmata sunteleisthai alla eneca â—oon pragmatoon tous logous Works are not done for the words sake but the words are spoken for the worke And therefore saith the Lorde by the Prophet Thou art taught what is good what the Lord requireth of thee namelie to doe iustice or righteousnes And Christ saith Mich. 6. Blessed is he that heareth the word of God and doeth the same for hee is likened to the wise man that buildeth his house on the Rock yea he is the mother Matth. 7 brother and sister of Christ as himselfe acknowâ—edgeth and with him in the ende shall be made partakers of his glorie This the Apostles well considered and therefore did not only assaye to imitate the Lord in holie life and good conuersation but also generallie taught that men should declare their faith by their workes according to that doctrine of their Maister Matth. 5. So let your light shine before men that they may see your good works And as the Lord hath bene willing by diuers similitudes of naturall things 2. The labour is of husbandry to teach instruct and perswade men to the right vnderstaÌ„ding of things supernaturall and diuine in all the course of the holy scriptures so here by the labour of an husbaÌ„dman toyling manuring the rude vncultured earth on the which he hath set him as in the place of his trauaile Gen. 3. hee teacheth vs what wee should obserue performe work in matters of Pietie as whereby to be directed towards the holy land the sooner for that there is not anie other particular labour work or action in any vocation or calling vnder the Sunne whereby this thing can be better displayed and set forth as that which of all others is most ancient most lawfull most profitable and most commendable in mans life Plin. h. 18. 4. 5. 6. ca. 1. 2. 3. This Plinie in his Naturall historie excellentlie proueth but wee better finde in the holie Scriptures that this was the same which the Lord God of all manuall labours 1. Husbandrie the most ancient labour of man first ordained for man immediatlie after his Creation that wherin next to the diuine seruices hee should be exercised in and for his life and maintenance and as the end of his placing in the garden of Eden as witnesseth Moses in these words Gen 2.15 The Lord God tooke the man whom he had made put him in the garden of Eden that he might dresse it and keepe it Neither was this omitted but confirmed to him after his fall Gen. 3. when he said that in the sweat of his face man should eate his breade the which therefore not onely Adam but also his children after him obserued for Abel was a keeper of the sheepe and Cayn was a tiller of the fieldes After this it is in Scripture reported Gen. 9.20 that Noah the righteous soone vpon the floud became an husbandman and planted a vineyard King Salomon planted gardens and orchyards Eccl. 2.6 much commended the exercise and profit thereof yea he protested that the king himselfe is maintained by husbandrie neither is hee able to helpe his poore people 2. K. Deut. 28.3 The kinde of husbandry except it please the Lord that way to blesse his vineyards and fieldes Moreouer the Lord God by his seruant Moses promised to them that feared him a blessing from the tillage of the earth and to them that disobeied hee threatned to withdraw the same for a cursing But here it may be demanded that as there be diuers pointes in the labour of husbandrie as the care of sheepe and cattell noted in Abel and Iacob the planting of vineyardes obserued in Noah and Salomon and such like commended vsed from the beginning by holie men lawfull for Christians so also whether the tilling of the ground which Cain vsed and which for mans sin was cursed be no lesse lawfull and commendable To this I answere that absolutely we may not doubt therof Indeede there be some Arts which in themselues are lawfull yet by reason of the end therof are become vnlawfull As it is lawfull for a maÌ„ to make a sword for the defence
the same wherein is performed our duty both to God and man And speaking of the nature dignitie and office thereof hee thought hee could not sufficiently exalt the honour of the same 1. Cor. 13. but thus hee saith Though I speake with the tongues of men and Angells and haue not Loue I am as a soundiing brasse or tinckling Cimball Though I had the gift of prophecying and knew all secrets and all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I could remoue mountaines and had not Loue I were nothing And though I feede the poore with all my goods and though I giue my body to bee burned and haue not Loue it profiteth mee nothing Loue suffereth long is bountifull enuieth not boasteth not is not puffed vppe disdaineth not seeketh not her owne is not prouoked to anger thinketh not euill reioyceth not in iniquitie but reioyceth in the truth suffereth all things beleeueth all things hopeth all things and endureth all things Loue neuer falleth away though that prophecyings bee abolished or the tongues cease or knowledge vanish away Againe Verse 13. Now abideth Faith Hope and Loue these three but the chiefest of these is Loue. Therefore Saint Augustine perusing Pauls praise of this most honourable vertue seemeth to recapitulate his manifolde members in his description thereof Thus is saith hee a right Will turned vtterly away from all earthly and present thinges ioyned in seperable to GOD and vnited with a certeine fire of the holye Spirite from whence it proceedeth and is saide to be enkindled estraunged from all filthy pollution ignorant of corruption empaired with no kinde of immutabilitie superiour to all thinges which are carnally minded the strongest of all affections desirous of holy contemplations not at any time conquered of any other in any thing the summe of all good actions the health of manners the end of the heauenly lawes the death of all crimes the life of vertues the strength of the fighters the palme of the victors the armour of sacred mindes the cause of good deserts the reward of the perfect that without the which no man pleaseth God fruitfull in the repentance gladsome in them that profite glorious in those which perseuere victorious in the Martyrs profitable in all beleeuers the same in the which euery good worke whatsoeuer hath and holdeth life Finally because Saint Paul hath conioyned together faith hope and loue wee finde them so placed in this Soole and conioyned that albeit we may distinguish them yet diuide them wee may not for it is necessary the one holde fast by the other nor worketh the one without the other The Taw is staied with the Key or Pinne and reacheth from thence to the Tractory or Lambe where by the Key is signified Faith by the Tractory Hope and by the Taw Loue as before it is declared Which three hauing their seuerall offices may well expresse the same in three words Faith saith I assure it Hope saith I expect it Loue saith I tend towards it For Faith is assured of the good thinges which God hath promised nor doubteth shee of the performance of his word knowing him to be righteous Hope with a longing desire euer expecteth and looketh to obtain those good things which God hath promised and faith hath assured and therefore is not wearie Loue in the daily exercise of the diuine vertues and fruits of faith standeth not still gaping for the same without her dutifull endeuour but worketh righteously and tendeth towards the attainement of that which is promised assured and hoped for Loe such a precious Iewell is Loue Such a powerfull Taw hath Pieties Plough And thus haue we the Soole throughly performed CHAP. XXVIII The Oxen which draw forth the Soole of Pieties Plough AS wee haue throughly perused the Soole of Spiritual Plough so now is it meete that we also peruse the Oxen which drawe the same wherein wee may consider three principall points viz. First those Oxen. Next their Labour Lastly their Reward First 1 The Oxen we might after the minde of some men vnderstand by those Oxen the Commaundements of God partly in regard of the number partly for the office 10. Oxen. There bee ten particular Commaundements in both the Tables of the Lawe which stand as for fiue yoke or couples whose strength is the force of true Contrition and the powerful draught of godly repentance by the which mans hard vncircumcised heart is fallowed and prepared for the seede whereof the Apostle called it a Schoolemaister vnto Christ for they drawe or force men to Christ in whome there is founde mercie and perfection Howbeit there bee other liuely Oxen the which the Maister husbandman hath both prepared yoked together and perswaded to draw strongly forth this Spirituall Soole 1. Cor. 9.9 1. Tim. 5.18 Saint Paul as well in his Epistle to Timothy as in that to the Corinthians likeneth the true labourers of the Lord in his spirituall worke Deu. 25.4 to Oxen. Thou shalt not muste the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne This hee taketh out of the Law and that wee might the better vnderstand his meaning hee addeth Doth God take care for Oxen As if hee saide God dooth not so much respect the Oxen themselues as hee doth men for whose sake this was written for the labourer in the Lordes worke is worthie of his hire as the labouring Oxe requireth to haue his fodder 2. King 19 19. Wee finde in the second Booke of the Kings that when Eliah went forth to annoint Elishah for a Prophet in his place hee found him in the Lande ploughing with twelue yoke of Oxen and himselfe with the twelue 12. Yoke of Oxen. After the which number wee may take for this labour certaine orders of holy and wise persons remembred and commended in the sacred Scriptures As first the twelue Patriarkes tied vppe vnder the yoke of the olde Testament and the twelue Apostles bearing the gentle yoke of the Gospell And these both yoked or numbred together make the iust twelue yoke and the number of those foure and twentie Elders mentioned by Saint Iohn in his Apocalyps In the like sense Apoc. 4. and 5. wee haue the number of the twelue foundations and twelue gates of the heauenly Ierusalem Saint Paul neuerthelesse 10. Orders of Oxen. alluding to the former number of the ten Commaundements maketh ten orders of those spirituall Oxen of the which in his Epistle to the Ephesians chapter 4. hee nameth fiue and in his former Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 12. hee nameth other fiue As first Apostles next Prophets thirdly Euangelists fourthly Pastours fiftly Doctours sixtly Powers seuenthly Healers eightly Helpers ninthly Gouernours tenthly Linguists And these are first those Doctours of the newe Testament immediately chosen called 1 Apostles and sent forth of Christ to teach the Gospel with a speciall power of the holy Ministerie 2 Prophets The second sort are those Preachers of the diuine mysteries