to the mainetenance of true Protestancye with their faith and quality therof Faith in holy Scripture is taken either for the quality and habit of Faith or for the doctrine of Faith The holy Scripture deciphereth the quality and habit of our Christian Faith by arguments taken out of all Theologicall places as followeth The principall efficient cause of the quality or habit of Faith is God Phil. 1. 29. The instrumentall cause is the word of God Rom 10. 17. The material cause is an assent vpon knowledge Ioh 6. 69. The formall cause is a sure and settled assent grounded vpon a sure setled kgowledge Iohn 17. 8. Col. 1. 6. The finall cause is the excluding of all glorying in our selues and the ascribing of all glory vnto God Eph. 2. 8. Rom. 3. 27. The effects of Faith are as all other divine graces and fruits of the spirit Acts 26. 18. so an holy considence and an assurance of God's loue and a comfortable boldnesse to come vnto God as vnto a gracious and loving Father Eph. 3. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 10. The subiect wherin it is seated is the mind For the mind is the eye of the soule and Faith is the true sight thereof Ioh. 8. 56. Act. 26. 18. the object thereof is all diuine truths Rom. 15. 4. especially the Covenant of grace founded vpon Christ Ioh. 20. 31. 1 Pet. 1. 21. the attributes are that it is â—ound orthodoxe and Catholicke that is one and the same in all the true servants of God which haue bin are or shall be to the end of the world Heb. 11. 2. Eph. 4. 5. Things divers are a sleight opinion Act 26. 28. and a temporary Faiâ—h Mat. 13. 20. Things contrary are presumption fleshly security either bred by confidence in teÌ„porall prosperity Isa 28. 15. or in the outward pledges of God's loue Iâ—rm 7. 4. or in the outward shew of good workes Rom. 9. 32. 10. 3. Things privately opposite are ignorance Eph 4. 18. a blind Faith Mat. 13. 19. sophisticall infidelity 1 Cor. 1. 23. That which is plain contradictory is flat Atheisme Sap. 2. 1. Act. 23. 8 things like are a bodily eye Ioh. 9. 39. a bodily hand 1 Tim. 6 12. a bodily mouth Ioh. 6. 53. a bodily foot 2 Cor. 5. 7. bodily wings Luke 17. 37. Things vnlike are vnstable childishnesse Eph. 4. 14 and wauering doubtfulnes Iac. 1. 6. The coniugates are to beleeue in God and in Christ Ioh. 14. 1 and to be one of the houshold of Faith Gal. 6. 10 the notation or interpretation of the name is a sure and Vides quia fiet quod dictum est certaine accomplishment of that which Faith beleeueth Math. 8. 8. The definition or description thereof is this Sauiâ—g Faith is diuine wisdome or a certain knowledge and a settled assent and adhaerence to all diuine verities necessary to saluatioÌ„ especially to the couenant of grace as to the meanes of the chiefest good and highest happines 2 Tim. 3. 15. the diuision thereof is into a weake and strong Faith Rom. 14. 2. The testimonies are the confessions of the Martyrs and Confessors that haue liued doe and shall liue to the end of the world Apocal. 7. 10. This is the delineation of the whole body of Faith as it is drawne out by the pensill of the Prophets and Apostles the parts members whereof which are most controuersed are further lightned and cleared in the first part of this Treatise As in the second part thereof the reasons and arguments produced to open and iustifie the seueral doctrines of Faith are referred to all the Topick places as being the rich mines out of which they are digged The doctrines of Faith set down in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles are Logicall reasonable wise and the very first principles and grounds thereof are 1 Pet. 2. 2 without any mixture of sophisticall deceit The high Priests pectorall wherein the Vrim and Thummim was put and by the which God gaue answer vnto his peoâ—le was called by the Hebrewes Hosen and by the Greekes See Alsted Praecog Theolog. fol. 230. Logeïon and by the Latines Rationale for that the Lord's doctrines had in them the most pure holines of most exact Logick or reason The Logick places which I follow in this Treatise are deliuered by Petrus Ramus who concerning the vse of Logick hath very much cleared the rules of Aristotle our grand Master The exempliâ—ying of Logick places by the Theologicall positions I haue taken from Amandus Polanus but with this difference in that he setteth downe his arguments declaratiue and demonstratiue in bare sentences and propositions without further discourse whereas in this Treatise they are further opened by other arguments and reasons For as learned and iudicious Doctour Feild anouncheth in his Dedicatory Epistle to his first Booke of the Church the doctrines wherein we differ from the Church of Rome are grounded not only vpon the greatest authority that is but also vpon the most preuailing reasons that euer perswaded men And verily if that most famous Oratours iudgment be â—ound there is no reason to giue credit to that reason whereof there cannot bee yeelded a sufficient reason Câ—… lib. 4. ad Herennium The great Antichrist of these last times as testifieth 2 Thess 2. 8. the Apostle which hath brought in a great Apostacy froÌ„ the Faith shal be consumed with the Spirit of the Lord's mouth and shal be abolished with the brightnesse of his comming and so shall his Armies also which as Chrysostome Chrys â—om 49. in Mat. saith are impious Heresies For whereas the time of miracles is now long since expired whereby the Apostles and their successours in the Primitiue Church got credit to the diuine doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and Heb. 2. 4. 2 Cor. 10. 4. made it most powerfull to the ouerthrowing of all Heathenish Idolatries and impious Heresies it remaineth now that the Professours of the Gospel by the glorious light of powerfull arguments taken out of God's booke and iustifiable by the exact rules of â—ound reason make Truth victorious against Antichrist and all his impious Heresies For where Truth is clearely demonstrated and rightly apprehended it cannot otherwise be but that it 1 Esd 3 12. will mightily preuaile Our most wise and learned Solomon hath already by his penne begun this regall and Princely worke and hath iustified by cleare and demonstratiue arguments that the supreme authority to command aswell in Ecclesiasticall as in ciuill causes resteth in the ciuill Magistrate in his own Dominions and Countries and hath sent his Booke to all Christian Princes the which no doubt shall preuail at that time when he that hath the hearts of all Kings in his own hand shall know it to be most â—it And why should it not then highly please especially the Ecclesiastick Peeres of his Kingdomes to follow so worthy supereminent an example in causing all Theologicall doctrines in this
such things most powerfull to enable them to produce such and such effects for the producing whereof they were ordained by God The which causes and effects powers and faculties qualities and properties when they are found out then there is a right knowledge of the things themselues Now what are causes and effects powers qualities and the like but reasons and arguments whereby all things are made open and manifest and so are rightly apprehended and knowne Looke we into the sacred Scriptures and we may see therein how the Lord doth lay open vnto his people the mysteries of godlinesse yea euen that great mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh being the principall subiect of those divine bookes by assigning his efficient cause God the Father Matth. 3. 17. and his Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary the daughter of David the King Luk. 1. 31. His materiall causes his Divine and humane Natures Matth. 1. 23. His formall cause the vniting of his humane nature by personall vnion vnto his divine Ioh. 1. 14. his finall cause the working out of mans redemption Gal. 4. 4. His effects our reconciliation to God Ephe. 2. 18. with our deliuerance out of the bondage of sinne and Satan and our translation into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Ioh. 8. 36. His attributes according to his Divine nature infinite wisedome holinesse righteousnesse and the like Col. 2. 3. and according to his humane nature such a measure of all divine and heauenly graces as â—re farre aboue the perfections of any other creatures Ioh 1. 19. The time when he was borne euen when the Scepter was taken away from Iudah and all regall authority was in the hands of strangers Luc. 2. 1. The place where he was borne Bethlehem Matth. 2. 5. The place whither he â—led into banishment Aegypt Matth. 2. 13. The place where he was brought vp Nazareth Matth. 2. 23. The places where he liued preached wrought his miracles and dyed Galile Samaria Iury and Ierusalem Luc. 13. 24. The place where his body was laid after his death a Sepulcher that was in a Garden wherein neuer any body was laid before Ioh. 14. 42. The place whither he ascended after his resurrection and where he sitteth at the right hand of God and from whence he shall come to iudge both quicke and dead the highest Heauens Act. 2. 32. Diuers things from him all creatures in their defects and imperfections Ioh. 1. 23. Things like vnto him all creatures in their good properties and gifts Gen. 1. 26. especially typicall persons as Melchisedecke Heb. 6. 2. Isaack Gen. 17. 16. Sampson Iud. 16. 30. Ionah Matth. 12. 40. and all the high Priests Heb. 9 9. Typicall things the brasen Serpent Ioh. 3. 14. The mercy seat Hebr. 4. 16. Especially the Sacraments both of the Old and New Testaments 1 Cor 10. 4. His description Heb. 1. 2. His distribution by his Propheticall Priestly and Kingly offices set down in the greatâ—r part of that Epistle the interpretation of hiâ— Name Iesus a Sauiour Matth. 1. 21. Of his Name Christ annointed Cant 1. 2. Of his Name Emmanuel God with vs Matth. 1. 23. His Conjugates a Sauiour bringing saluation to all that are saued Act. 4. 14. His testimonies of God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost 1 Ioh. 5. 7. Of the Angels Luk 2. 11. Of all the Prophets Act. 10. 4â— And of his greatest enemies euen the Diuels themselues Matth. 8. 23. The principall parts of the Word of God are the Law and 2 Cor. 4. 2. Gospel both of which are grounded vpon the evidence of reason and truth Law saith Ciâ—ero is the higest reason The Cic. l. 1. de leg which if it be true of the wise Lawes made by wise men much more is it true of the most wise and righteous Lawes made by Deut. 4. 8. the most wise and righteous God And verily it is the reason of the Law that is the life of the Law and bindeth the conscience to yeeld obedience For if the Law be contrary to reason it bindeth such as are subiect thereunto onely to endure the penalty thereof and â—ot to performe the thing therein commanded For as Tertullâ—an saith if a Law will not be tryed Tert. in Apol. Quod ad omnes attinet ab oinnibus debet approbaâ—i it is iustly suspected and if it being not tryed and approued yet is forced vpon any it is wicked seeing no Law doth owe to it selfe the iustifying of the equity thereof but to them of whom it doth require obedience And therefore wise and moderate Princes doe vse to call together a generall assembly of all the States and Commons of their Kingdomes that vpon iust causes and reasons duely weighed and examined both hurtfull Lawes may he taken away and holsome Statutes enacted for the generall good of their Kingdomes and Countries The which Statutes when they are published are many times set forth barely without their reasons least happily they might grow into too great a Volume But it is not so with the Lawes of God especially with those of the first Table for they haue sundry reasons adioyned to them as lights to make manifest the aequity of them and as Orators to perswade obedience thereunto And verily there was great reason why it should be so seeing by the fall of Adam the true knowledge of them is greatly defaced in all his posterity Whereas the Lawes of the second Table which concerne our duty towards our neighbour are for the most part barely deliuered because they are knowne by their owne light and that to the most barbarous people that liue on the face of the whole earth As it may appeare by the History of the West-Indinas who are reported presently to haue approued and embraced the aequity of those Lawes when they were at the first proposed vnto them And yet behold how behooueâ—… it is euen for the faithfull themselues to haue many reasons set downe before their eyes for the procuring of ready obedience to be yeelded euen vnto these commandements in that the Spirit of God hath caused the Prophets and Apostles being the expounders thereof to set downe in their Canonicall writings many most forcible and effectuall argument for the procuring of a more ready obedience to the same And verily experience it selfe doth shew Veritas docendo suadet that truth doth teach by perswasion that is by arguments and reasons as being such motiues and inducements as best befit the reasonable and generous nature of man Whereas brute Generosus animus poti us ducitur quam trahitur beasts that want reason are to be compelled by force and violence And therefore the Law of God in the originall is called Thorah that is a Doctrine or Teaching for that it doth teach and instruct the people of God by the Divine aequity and reason that is contained therein Now if the Law of God which is in part naturally knowne had need to be further
not indure to haue it applied vnto them All meanes are nothing be they neuer so good without the speciall blessing of God as on the contrary side when it 1 Cor. 3. 7. shall please God to blesse the meanes they shall preuaile be they neuer so meane And verily as in bodily wars it is as easie with God to saue with few as with many albeit ordinarily the strongest army the best furnished winneth the field and getteth the victory so in our spirituall warfare against infidelity superstâ—…on and idolatry men of meane gifts by the Lords special blessing may more preuaile then such as are indued with greater graces And yet as the better meanes are the better blessings of God so ordinarily by his disposition and prouidence they doe obtaine the better effect As it is manifest in the Apostles who for that they were indued with the greatest measure of all diuine and heauenly wisedome conuerted more to the faith of Christ then any other of their successours As did likewise those principall men which were in thâ—se last dayes raised vp by God to be the reuiuers of his gracious Gospell spread abroad in a short time the bright beames thereof in many countreys of this West and North parts of the world Daniel and his fellowes may be better nourished with course poulse then some other with a good portion of finer food brought vnto them from the Kings owne table and so some persons may be better edified with a plaine declaration of truth lightened with one or two testimonies out of the word of God then by a great cloud of the same witnesses and by many strong forcible demonstrations but the cause hereof is either in the weaknesse of the spirituall stomacke vnto the which milke doth better agree then strong meat and in the dimnesse of the spirituall eye which can see better with a little light then with a great or in the extraordinary worke of God For ordinarily the greater number and the bigger lights doe giue the greater and bigger light as the better and stronger food doth yeeld the better and stronger nourishment Wherefore the Preachers of the word of God being the Lords stewards and the disposers of the mysteries of God who are therefore set ouer the Lords house that they shouâ—d giue to euery one their portion of food in due season had need to prouide good store of spirituall graine to be laid vp before hand in the baines of their inlarged hearts that therewith they may feed the Lords people to the full As likewise for that they are the Lords Captaines to marshall his bands and companies against the Lords and their owne enemies they ought to be furnished with all manner of spirituall armour that so they may be able to furnish other And verily for any one to take vpon him to discourse and reason without sound and apt reasons and to argue without substantiall and sufficient arguments is to take vpon him to feed without food to fight without weapon to lighten a thing without light and to build without morter timber and stone Wherefore the most wise God hath most prudently prouided for the most plentifull instruction both of Priest and people not only by setting downe in his two bookes of nature and grace all doctrines necessary for their saluation with great variety of all manner of reasons and arguments for the better clearing and confirming of the same but also by often repeating and inculcating of them yea by vrging them againe and againe he hath giuen them a plaine admonition that they should be most diligent to learne those thing ouer againe and againe which he hath beene so carefull so often to teach Verily if we were such as we should be it should be sufficient for vs that the Lord did barely and onely in the booke of the Canonicall Scriptures deliuer the seuerall doctrines of all diuine vereties giuing testimony to each of them but once by the pen of one of his vnerring Secretaries seeing when God speaketh any thing albeit it be but once we ought Chrys aduersuâ— vituperatores monasticae vitae to receiue it with all assurance as if it had beene spoken often times For although when humane testimonies are required in the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word must be established and to him that bringeth not a sufficient number 1 Tim 6. 19. of deponents it is by strict law as if he had brought none yet for that God is true and cannot lie nor beare witnesse to any falshood or vntruth or command any thing that is vnrighteous or vniust therefore in his word which is the infallible foundation of truth if he giue testimony to any thing but once vnder the hand of one of his faithfull registers it is as sufficient as if he had testified the same by them all For if Pythagoras his he said it was enough to his scholers for that he was a most learned and wise Philosopher and the Ipse dixit Centurions come goe and doe this was sufficient to his souldiers Matth. 8. 9. and seruants for that he was a most conscionable Commander yea if the Kings witnesse my selfe be a full warrant Teste meipso to all his grants because of his supereminent power and authority then much more the he said it of the most high God ought to be sufficient to his disciples and all that be of his schoole and the come goe and doe this of the most righteous Commander and Iudge of the whole world ought to beenough to worke a most ready and speedy obedience in all his true and faithfull seruants and the witnesse my selfe of the King of kings and Lord of lords ought to be taken as a most full warrant to all his grants by all his loyall and faithfull subiects Wherefore herein we may behold the strange proceeding of our most great and glorious God remitting after a sort his owne â—ight and submitting himselfe in his great goodnesse to our weaknesse and in his high and endlesse wisdome prouiding a gracious remedy for our infirmity For because we are blinde to conceiue and flow to beleeue and hard to learne and ready to forget the holy mysteries of piety and godlines therefore the Lord hath caused not onely doctrines and reasons and arguments to be set downe at once in the booke of the diuine Scriptures but he hath made them to be reitterated againe and againe that thereby they may become lights to our vnderstanding stayes to our faith and helps to our fraile and weake memory So that albeit we are by nature neuer so dull and blockish yet the same lessons being often repeated and opened and cleered againe and againe we shall be thereby enabled by Gods blessing sufficiently to conceiue and faithfully keepe them in good remembrance Pharaohs dreames were Gen. 41. 32. doubled vnto him that the thing opened therein might get of him the better credit so the instructions of faith and an holy
dayes saith the Lord I will put my Lawes in their minde and in their heart will I write them and I will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall not teach euery man his neighbour and euery one his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of theÌ„ to the greatest of them By the which words it is not meant that there shall be no teachers vnder the Couenant of Grace for there shall be teachers and learners Doctors and Disciples vnto the end of the world and that not without great cause but that the Disciples and Learners vnder the time of Grace shall haue such a measure of Knowledge giuen vnto them that they shall not imbrace the doctrines of faith vpon the bare word of their Teachers but vpon their own sufficient knowledge and iudgement yea they shall all be indued with such a sound iudgement that if any would teach them any strange doctrine and seek to mislead them into errors they shall not hearken vnto Ioh. 10. 5. them nor giue care to such deceiuers QVEST. LXI It is not safe to trust to the Priests Masses nor to the Fryers Prayers nor to the Popes Pardons pretending to disburse the surplussage of the Saints workes and to neglect to seeke after such a faith of our owne as may make vs fruitfull in all good workes and giue vs interest in Christ and in all his gifts Drink thy water of thine own Cisterne and of the Riuer out of Pro. 5. 15. the midst of thine own well Let thy fountaines flow forth and the riuers of waters in the streets but let theÌ„ be thine euen thine only and not the straÌ„gers with thee Now if it behoueth euery one to endeauour to get some temporall liuing of his own not to trust to the beneficence of another seeing euen a poore mans Eccl. 29. 24. life in his owne Lodge is better then delicate fare in another mans then much more euery wise Christian ought not to trust to the Priests Masses nor to the Fryers Prayers nor to the Popes Pardons although they promise the disbursing therein of the surplussage of the Saints good workes but to prouide for himselfe a true Christian faith that may incorporate him into Christ and make him fruitfull in all good works For the iust shall liue by his owne faith and by the Lampe thereof Heb. 2. 4. be directed in the right way to the Kingdome of Godâ— whereas the oyle thereof will not be sufficient to serue himselfe for that purpose and others also euery one therefore ought to buy of Christ Gold tryed in the fire that thereby hee Matth. 25. 1. himselfe may be made rich and white rayment that hee may be clothed and that his fiâ—thy nakednesse doe not appeare and annoint also his owne eyes with eye-salue that he may see Yea let euery Apoc. 3. 1â— one proue his owne worke and so he shall haue reioycing in himselfe Gal. 6. 4. and not in another for euery one shall beare his owne burthen QVEST. LXII God did predestinate before all worlds some to euerlasting saluation in Christ and others to perish through their owne sinnes Hath not the Potter saith the Apostle power of the Clay Rom. 9. 21. to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour And shall not God himselfe haue liberty to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne by suffering with long Patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction and to declare the riches of his mercy vpon the vessels of mercy which hee hath prepared to glory In a great house are not onely vessels of Gold 2 Tim. 2. 20. and siluer but also of wood and of earth some to honour and some to dishonour So why may not the Lord haue in this his great house of the world some regenerate by his holy Spirit made to haue pure and golden soules meete to be partakers of heauenly glory and others marred by their owne malice and so made impure and vncleane spirits meet to be punished with the torments of hell Why in the very body of man himselfe is it not most wisely and orderly appointed that there are some members for base vses and some for more excellent And why then is it not agreeable to order and wisedome that there are in the body of this world some left to themselues to sâ—rue Satan and their owne vile and base lusts and affections and other made for more excellent employment in the most honourable and glorious seruice of God it is most certaine that at the day of the Dan. 12. 2. last iudgement some shall rise to euerlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And why may not wee as well say that euerlasting fire and perpetuall contempt was prepared for the one before any time was as that euerlasting life and eternall glory was prepared for the other before the Matth. 25. 34. foundation of the world was laide For verily God doth nothing vpon any new aduise occasioned by some new accident For nothing is new vnto him vnto whom were well knowne all his workes euen from the very beginning of the world But he acteth all things in their Act. 15. 18. times appointed by himselfe and bringeth all things to the same ends and by the same meanes as he himselfe hath decreed from euerlasting The Philosopher gaue this glory to God Nihil sit frustra frustra autem sit quod sine caret that nothing was created in vaine not hauing an end whereunto it was ordayned and meanes to bring to the same end For there is no wise workemaster here among men that will goe about any thing but that he will first determine with himselfe both concerning the end of his worke and also the meanes whereby it may be brought thereunto Which of you saith Luc. 14. 28. our Sauiour Christ minding to build a towre sitteth not downe before and counteth the cost whether he be sufficient to performe it Wherefore it cannot possibly otherwise be but that the most wise and prouident Creator of heauen and earth hauing purposed from all eternity to create man the chiefest and excellentest of all the rest of his workes should decree with himselfe from all eternity both concerning the end whereunto hee would create him and also the meanes whereby hee would bring him thereunto And therefore whereas all that are indued with a true faith shall attaine to the end thereof euen the saluation of their soules and all other shall perish in their infidelity and sinne it is manifest that God before all world 's ordayned the one to saluation by faith in Christ and the other to perish in their infidelity and in their other sinnes For to say that God ordained all to life but altered his Decree vpon their alteration is to rob God either of his vnchangeable goodnesse or of his vncontrouleable might and
hath her name á relegendo that is from often Religio à relegendo Cicer. de natura deorum lib. 1 reading because the doctrines which concerne religion should be read ouer againe and againe as Tully whose iudgement concerning the originall of Latine words is not to be contemned iudgeth then the Christian Magistrate must not only suffer but also command all his subiects if he desire to haue them to be truly religious daily to read the holy Scriptures for that they containe the summe and substance of all true religion yea the chiefe Magistrate himselfe albeit the care for the whole common wealth lyeth vpon him and therefore hath cause to busie his thoughts thereon continually yet must not let the booke of the Law of God depart out of his mouth but meditate therein day and night that he may doe according to all that is written therein if he will haue his waies made prosperous Iosh 1. 8. if he will haue good successe in his temporall affaires QVEST. LXXVIII The Faithfull themselues and also their Churches ought only to be dedâ—cated vnto God The congregation of the faithfull themselues and the places of their publike assemblies for the performing of diuine service are called the Church or Kirke from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth that which is the Lords Whereby wee are giuen to vnderstand that the one and the other should be onely dedicated to the Lord seeing they are the Lords So reasoneth the Apostle You are not your owne for yee are bought with a 1 Cor. 6. 20. price thâ—refore glorifie the Lord both in your bodies and in your spirits for they are Gods And verily for this end and purpose not onely the people of God are called The Lords peculiar but 1 Pet. 2. 19. their Churches also are called Basilica that is the Kings for that they should be dedicated and consecrated to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords QVEST. LXXIX The faithfull are witting to their faith and loue and to their saluation in Iesus Christ The conscience of all men is as a Register wherein all their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscientia I know what I know thoughts desires words and workes are truely recorded and safely kept And the testimony of this record is as sure as is the testimony of a thousand witnesses Hereby euery one may well know and bee assured that hee vnderstandeth that which he vnderstandeth that he willeth that which he willeth that he loueth that which he loueth and that hee hateth that which he hateth The faithfull then hauing by the light of the Gospell the eye of their vnderstanding opened so to behold and apprehend the infinite loue and goodnesse of God in Christ offered therein that they esteeme and desire it aboue all other things and are thereby vnfainedly stirred vp to loue God and to cleaue vnto him and to be sorrowfull for offending of him and to be wary and circumspect not to offend to be carefull to walke in all his commandements that so they may doe that which is acceptable in his sight the faithfull I say knowing in their owne consciences that they haue the eye of their vnderstanding thus opened and their hearts sanctified with these holy desires doe thereby know that they are not onely effectually called to the estate of grace in this life but alâ—o that they shall be made partakers of euerlasting glory in the life to come Of the which happy estate the faithfull haue such a comfortable assurance that as the Apostle speaking in the name of them all saith We euen glory vnder this hope of this glory of God Rom. 5. 2. Chrysost in Rom. hom 9. whereof we haue so good an assurance For so Chrysostome saith that by these words of the Apostle thou maist vnderstand of what a minde he ought to be that hath giuen his faith to God For he must not onely haue a full perswasion of those things which are already giuen him that is of his owne faith and loue and of all other diuine graces that proceed out of them but also of those things that are to come that is of his finall deliuerance from sinne and death and full participation of life and glory as if they were already giuen For euery one saith he doth glory of those things whereof hee is presently possessed And therefore because the hope of the things to come iâ— as sure and euident as of the things already giuen therefore we glory alike of them both Wherefore it was not without great cause that the Apostle commandeth euery faithfull man to proue his owne workes whether they proceed Gal. 6. 4. from 〈◊〉 and loue and all other diuine graces that issue out of them for that then he shall haue cause to reioyce in himselfe and for that he shall be well assured thereby that he is already called to the estate of Grace that he shall be brought in due time vnto the state of glory They that hate saith Isidore the world and follow it not enioying the rest of â—nternall Isido de summo bono l. 3. c. 16. tranquillity do here after a sort begin to possesse the comfort of that future peace that they expect elsewhere The which is giuen vnto them for these causes first that they may patientlic endure the pressures of this life and secondly that by this foreâ—ast of their future felicitie they may be 〈◊〉 vp more earnestly to finish the race of their godly life whereas this their constant and setled purpose viz. to continue to the end in the race of righteousnesse is to them a certaine earnest of that eternall life which is to come For an earnest is a part or parcell of an whole gift or reward that shall be giuen afterward and therefore this parcell of diuine blessednesse which is giuen to the faithfull before hard is an vndoubted euidence of their future felicitie So Saint Bernard A vile worme and Bern. Ep. 107. worthie to be hated euerlastingly yet assureth himselfe to be beloued because he â—eeleth himselfe to loue yea because he first fore-feeleth himselfe to be beloued therefore hee is ashamed not to loue againe In which words of Saint Bernard we may obserue that it is the feeling sense assurance of Gods loue in Christ that must first be apprehended by faith that must moue vs sincerely to loue God and that this apprehension of Gods loue in Christ wrought first by faith is so farâ—re off from occasioning the faithfull to leade a wicked and dissolute life as the Church of Rome most shameleslie saith that it doth that it maketh the faithfull ashamed that they loue God no better seeing he hath beene first so kind and louing to them as to giue them a sensible fore-feeling assurance of his loue QVEST. LXXX An implicite faith that is a blind and a folded vp faith is not the true Christian faith No man can giue a right assent or consent to that which he