it so in contending for this spirituall garland Heaven it cannot but be an extraordinary degree of content and spirituall pleasure to be named in the ranke of best deservers And as malefactors that suffer publique punishment for their offence esteeme the shame more then the paine of their corrections so ought all men to feare the shame they must endure The booke of conscience cannot be defaced but onely by the precious blood of Christ when their conscience disgraceth them before so great a presence as will be at the generall day of judgement For let all men be perswaded that all their faults are so written in the booke of their conscience that there is no meanes to obscure their knowledge and to raze them out neither will the conscience though it bee our owne bee corrupted to connive and dissemble with God but even to our owne faces it will produce all our sinnes whose memory is not blotted out by the righteous blood of Jesus Christ the Sonne of God 1 Pet. 3.21 and seeing the witnesse of our conscience is the evidence whereby wee are all judged either to life or death wee all ought most carefully to avoyd the doing of ought that may offend our consciences Not to offend our conscience but rather to live in feare and awe of conscience because our eternall state dependeth upon the report and accusation of our owne conscience This ought to prevent all unconscionable actions in us and to move a dread in us to have a detestation of every sin because when we have committed sinnes wee have hired so many witnesses against our owne soules to urge our eternall condemnation The silent conscience will be most terrible and loud at the day of judgement Customary sinning duls the sence of conscience Lastly seeing that that conscience which in this life is most silent will notwithstanding at the day of judgement bee most terrible and clamorous it admonisheth all men not to rebell against their conscience and to runne on without checke in the committing of sinne but rather to yeeld themselves to the correction of their conscience left by their customary sinning they dull the sence of conscience and so runne on the race of all unlawfulnesse for though the reproofe of conscience bee very terrible to him that rightly understands it yet ought it to bee carefully apprehended and respected as a moving cause to reformation and repentance and let no man incourage himselfe with common example that because the common sway of mens actions respect greatnesse more then goodnesse and craft more then conscience that this can warrant any ones imitation but rather wheresoever we see unconscionable dealing if in our friends wee ought to admonish them and tell them of their fault if in our enemies we must hate the sin but pity the sinner and labour if it be possible The office of charity his conversion but not his imitation and this direction is both wisedome and charity for he that is wise shall be armed and not harmed by ill example and he that is charitable will doe all the good he can and wish the good he cannot doe Let us therefore constantly endeavour to reduce to memory the severall actions of our life past let us then compare them to the duty of our conscience Good conscience is in hatred with sin and thereby understand in what degree of sinne we are what our conscience shall approve let us continue what it condemneth let us hate be it our pleasure be it our profit be it our neerest or our dearest sin if our conscience call it sin let us despise it let there be nothing shall make us alter or suspend this resolution let us be constant in the love of conscience what we have done amisse let us reforme it by conscience what we have to doe let our conscience judge it lawfull before wee doe it if our conscience presents us profit let us despise it if it be not honest if pleasure and not lawfull let us loath it let us undertake no action nor entertaine no favour but by the direction of conscience in every judgement and in all our actions To consult with conscience let us consult and be led by the rule and voyce of conscience if the world commend a sin and our conscience condemne it let us condemne the world and commend our conscience let us credit our conscience more then common example because our conscience must judge us and not example if our conscience accuseth us secretly of sin wee shall certainly know there is cause let us not silence our conscience from all reproofe let us only avoid the cause of reproofe sin and that carefully when our conscience shall urge us the Law our sins and the condemnation of the Law we have deserved let us not despise our conscience nor despaire mercy but direct our hearts and our eyes of faith to Jesus Christ the strength of our salvation Rom. 5.1 by whose favour wee shall both satisfie the Law and our conscience the hope and comfort we have in his righteousnesse will quiet the trouble of our conscience and hee that hath reconciled God and us will also reconcile us to our conscience Conscience that did accuse will comfort and make it that was our accuser our comforter This direction I propose to my selfe and doe perswade all men as I propose and purpose that in all our actions and consultations we judge nothing convenient that is not lawfull and nothing may be thought lawfull but that which hath the warrant of a good conscience To avoid Security COnsider thou devout soule what a matter it is to be saved and thou shalt easily shake off all security at no time and in no place is there security neither in Heaven nor in Paradise much lesse in the world Genes 3.17 An Angell fell in the presence of the divinity and Adam fell in the place of pleasure Adam was created after the Image of God and notwithstanding hee was deceived by the trecheries of the divell Solomon was the wisest of men 1 King 3.12 and 11.3 and yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. Judas was in the Schoole of our Saviour and did every day heare the saving Word of that chiefe Doctor Luk. 22.3 and yet was hee not safe from the snares of Satan hee was plunged headlong into the pit of covetousnesse and desperation and so into the pit of perpetuall punishment David was a man according to Gods owne heart 1 Sam. 13.14 and was unto the Lord a most deare sonne and by murther and adultery 2 Sam. 12.6 7. hee became the sonne of death Where then and when is there security in this life Relie with an assured confidence of heart upon the promises of God and thou shalt be safe from the invasions of the divell There is no security in this life but in the life to come there is no securiâ—â— in this life but
and the direction of the holy Ghost should keepe the holy day upon that Lords day or Sunday Apoc 1.9.10.11 agreeable to the practise of the ancient Church and worthily solemnize it on the first day of the weeke in memoriall of the worlds redemption to the honour and praise of the Lord Jesus who rose from death to life upon that day This should stirre up all Christians to a thankfull remembrance of their redemption by Christ his resurrection from the dead Hebr. 2.5 2.11 5.9 And note that with the day the blessing of the day is likewise translated to the Lords day because all the sanctification belonging to this new world is in Christ and from and by him conveyed to Christians and because there cannot come a greater motive or cause then the new creation of the world therefore the worship of God is fitler solemnized on this day then on any other The holy Sunday is the Lords market day for the weeks provision Esa 55.1 2 3. wherein he will have us to come unto him and buy of him without gold or silver the bread of Angels and water of life the wine of the Sacraments and the milk of the Word to feed our soules tried gold to inrich our faith Apoc. 3.18 Gen. 2.2 3. Exo. 20.10 11. precious eye salve to heale our spirituall blindnesse and the white rayment of Christs righteousnesse to cover our filthy nakednesse Of Christs Ascension MEditate upon thy Saviours ascension by a holy contemplation Joh. 20.29 thou faithfull soule for Christ withdrew his visible presence from the faithfull to exercise their faith by holy contemplation and blessed are they that see not Mat. 6.21 Act. 8.21 Colos 3.2 and yet believe where our treasure is there let our heart be also Christ our treasure is in heaven let our hearts therefore be set upon those things that are heavenly and meditate upon those things that be above let us put our confidence in the pledge of the holy Spirit which the Lord left unto us at his departure let us put our confidence in the body and blood of Christ which wee receive in the mysterie of the holy Sacrament and let us believe that our bodies which are filled with this incorruptible food shall at length be raised up againe and that which we now believe in faith wee shall then see with our eyes and our hope wee have now in Christ shall then be reall fruition to our soules the Lord is present unto us here but in part Colos 3.4 but in the mansion of his heavenly kingdome Act. 1.9.10.11 12. we shall behold him in his glory and know him as hee is which is our life our Saviour ascended up from the Mount of Olives the Olive is the signe of peace and joy therefore not without great cause hee ascended up from Mount Olivet because by his passion and holy sufferings he hath purchased peace and tranquillity for amazed and terrified consciences not without cause did hee ascend up from the Mount Olivet for the court of heaven exceedingly rejoyce to receive him the Mount doth not onely put us in minde but doth also call and invite us to heavenly things and seeing we cannot follow him with the feete of our body let us follow him with the feete of our holy desires The disciples stood lifting up their eyes Vers 11. and looking towards Heaven so let all the true Disciples of Christ lift up the eyes of their heart to behold and desire heavenly things Sweet Jesus what a blessed and glorious alteration followed thy passion Oh happy and sodaine change how didst thou suffer on Mount Calvary for our sinnes and how doe I now behold thee in the Mount of Olives there thou wast alone here thou art accompanied with many thousands of Angels there thou didst ascend up to the Crosse in disgrace Luke 24.52 here thou didst ascend up into Heaven in a cloud and in glory there wast thou crucified betweene thieves here thou dost rejoyce amongst the company of Angels and Saints there thou wast nayled to the Crosse as a condemned man here thou art at liberty and dost deliver those that were condemned Eph. 5.23 30 there suffering and dying here rejoycing and triumphing Christ is our head and the Saviour of the body we are his members Rejoyce therefore and bee glad thou faithfull soule for though our sinnes doe hinder us yet the communion of nature doth not repell us where the head is there shall the members be also our head is in heaven therefore the members have just and great cause to hope for entrance there not onely so but they are assured already that they have possession there Christ descended from Heaven to redeeme us and againe hee ascended up into heaven to glorifie us unto us was he borne Note for us did he suffer and for us did he ascend our charity is confirmed by Christs passion our faith by Christs resurrection and our hope by Christ ascension Let us strive to follow Christ our Bride-groome not onely with our ardent desire but also with our good workes Acts 21.27 Acts 1.10 for nothing that is defiled shall enter into this heavenly City The Angels that came from heavenly Ierusalem appeared in white robes by purity and innocency is figured that no pride can ascend with the Doctour of humility nor no malice with the Authour of goodnesse with the lover of peace there ascends no discord and with the sonne of the Virgin there ascends no uncleannesse after the parent of vertue there ascend no vices and after the just person there ascends no sinnes Therefore he that desires to see God face to face let him so live here in this world as in his sight and hee that hope for celestiall things let him contemne terrestriall things Our Saviour Christ promised unto his Apostles that after his departure he will send unto them from his father a comforter John 14.26 15.26 Luke 24.47 Vers 47. John 24.17 the holy Ghost the Spirit of truth to testifie of him and to teach them all things and to endue them with power to preach repentance and remission of sinnes in his name among all Nations saying Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you Therefore let not our hearts be troubled neither let us feare but that our Saviour which redeemed us will also through his merits and mediation glorifie us in Heaven O sweet Jesus draw our hearts unto thee whether thou art gone before and that in the meane time wee may immitate thy goodnesse mercy truth and patience and follow thee in the same Amen Of the holy Ghost OUr Lord Jesus ascending up into the Heavens and entring into his glory Acts 2.4 Vers 1. Exod. 10.11 sent the holy Ghost upon the Apostles on the day of Penticost as in the old Testament when God proclaimed the Law in Mount Sinai he came downe unto Moses So when the Gospell was
be signifying that hee is an eternall unchangeable being and all other creatures are temporary and mutable This name in the New Testament is given to our Lord Christ Apoc. 1.8 when he is called Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending which is which was and which is to come the Almighty for all time past and to come is aye present before God And to this name Christ alludeth Before Abraham was I am Iohn 8.58 this Name should teach us likewise to have alwaies present in our mind our first creation our present corruption and our future glorification The third Name is Jah Psal 112 c. Psal 113.1 2.3 4 5. which as it comes of the same roote so it is the contract of Jehovah and signifieth Lord because hee is the beginning and being of beings This Name is ascribed unto God so when this Name is absolutely given to God it answereth to the name Jehovah and so translated by the seventy Interpreters for God is so a Lord that he is absolute of himselfe and Lord of all This Name should alwaies put us in remembrance to obey his Commandements to feare his Judgements Mala. 1.6 to submit our selves in all things to his blessed will and pleasure saying with Ely It is the Lord 1. Sam. 3.18 let him doe whatsoever seemeth him good The fourth is God 600. times used in the New Testament which signifieth To burne or kindle for God is light and the Authour both of heate light and life in all Creatures either immediately of himselfe or mediately by secondary causes but when it is properly and absolutely used Note it signifieth the eternall essence of God being above all things and through all things and seeth all things in all places giving life and light to all creatures and preserving and governing them in their wonderfull frame and order therefore let us take heed every where what wee doe in his sight thus farre of the names which signifie the Essence of God The Name chiefely which signifieth the persons in the Essence is Elohim Elohim signifieth the mighty Judges Genes 3.22 Deut. 7.6 it is a name of the plurall number to expresse the Trinity of persons in the unity of Essence the mighty God or all the three Persons in the God-head Math. 21.37 It is derived of Alah hee swore because in all weighty causes when necessity requireth an oath to decide the truth we are onely to sweare by the Name of God which is the great and righteous Judge of Heaven and earth as oft therefore as we read or heare this name Elohim it should put us in mind to consider that in one divine Essence there are three distinct persons and that God is Iehovah Elohim Now follow the names which signifie Gods essentiall workes which are these five especially Math. 27.46 Math. 25.31 2 Chro. 32.8 The first El which is as much as strong God and teacheth us that God is not onely most strong and fortitude it selfe in his owne Essence but also that it is hee that giveth strength and power to all creatures therefore Christ is called El Gibbor the strong most mighty God therefore let not Gods children feare the power of enemies for El our God is more strong then they Secondly Shaddai that is omnipotent by this name God usually stiled himselfe to the Patriarchs I am El Shaddai the strong God Almighty because hee is perfectly able to defend his servants from all evill to blesse them with all spirituall and temporall blessings and to performe all the promises which he hath made unto them for this life and in the life to come This Name belongeth onely to God himselfe and to no creature no not to the humanity of Christ This may teach us with the Patriarchs to put our whole confidence in God and not to doubt of the truth of his promises and the performance thereof Thirdly Adonai which is My Lord this name Analogically is given to creatures but properly it belongeth to God alone it notes unto us the mysterie of the holy Trinitie if I be Adonim Lord Malac. 1.6 where is my feare this name is given to Christ when he saith Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate Dan. 9.17 18. for Adonia the Lord Christ his sake The hearing of this holy name may teach every man to obey Gods Commandements and to feare him alone to suffer none besides him to raigne in his conscience to lay hold by a particular hand of faith upon his Word and Promises and to challenge God in Christ to be his God saying with Thomas Thou art my Lord and my God 4. Helion that is most high this name Gabriel giveth unto God telling the Virgin Mary Psal 9.2 Dan. 4.17.24.25 Act. 7.48 Luk. 1.32 that the childe that should be borne of her should be the Son of the most high This teacheth us that God in his Essence and Glory exceedeth infinitely all creatures of heaven and earth and that no man should be proud of any earthly honour or greatnesse but to desire true dignitie and to labour to have communion with God in grace and glory 5. Abba signifying Father Rom. 8.15 Esay 9.5 Jam. 1.17 2 Tim. 6.16 for God is Christs father by nature and Christians by adoption and grace Christ is called the everlasting Father the prince of Peace because he doth regenerate us under the new Testament God is also called father of Light because God dwelleth in inaccessible light and is the â—â—thour not onely of the sonnes light but also of all the light both of naturall reason and of supernaturall grace this name teacheth us that all the gifts which wee receive from God proceed from his meere fatherly love and that wee should love him againe as deare children and that wee may in all our troubles be bold to call upon him as a father for his helpe and succour thus should wee not heare of the sacred names of God but that wee should thereby be put in mind of his goodnesse unto us and of our duties unto him and then we should finde how comfortable a thing it is to doe every thing in the name of God a phrase usuall in every mans tongue but the true comfort thereof through ignorance knowne to few mens hearts it is a great wisedome and an unspeakable matter for the strengthening of a Christians faith to know how in the mediation of Christ to invocate God by such a name as whereby hee hath manifested himselfe to be most willing and best able to helpe and succour him in his present need and adversitie The ardent desire of knowing God is the surest testimony of our love to God and of Gods favour to us Psal 91.14 15 16. Because hee hath set his love upon mee therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because he hath knowne my name he shall call upon me and I will heare him yea I will be with
an Apple perhaps no better or not so good in taste as many other in the garden whereof Adam might have freely eaten without feare or forseit all this doth witnes Gods infinit love to his creature man who gave him so great a power and had purposed so inestimable a reward for so small a service This is the summe of this place But so great is the mischiefe strength and working of sinne that it hath bereft all mankind in the very beginning and first entry of our nature from the purity of good conscience trust in God streightnesse of justice liberty of will to doe good quietnesse of life the honour of being the Image of God of our governance and from the incorruptnesse also of nature and immortality and hath infected it with wicked hypocrisie and brought us into danger of all evill made us slaves of sinne subiect to the wrath of God unto corruption to innumerable calamities and unto death Apulaus not onely of body but everlâ—sting So that the scholler of Plato when he describeth man Man saith hee dwelt upon earth glad of reason able to talke having a soule immortall Jerem. 4.2 members subject unto death of light and carefull mindes bruitish and servile bodies not like in conditions but like in errours of peevish boldnesse stiffe in hope vaine in labour brickle of fortune every one mortall and yet together continuing ever their whole kind by mutuall succession of their brood changeable their time ever fleeing away long ere they be wise soone dead in their life never content this saith Apulcius which it seemeth he marked well the corruption of our nature though hee knew not the beginning thereof thus it is better to speake to mans understanding with profit then be vainely curious This as doth the former remembers all men how surpassing the love of God is to man-kind who notwithstanding man was made of a matter so base and unworthy as nothing like him yet doth God descend his Majesty to dignifie his basenesse and did heape such honour such favour upon man as made him the most excellent and most happy of all the creatures of God giving him felicity and power to continue it which of all the blessings of God was the greatest for that is thought to be the greatest misery To have beene happy is a misery to have beene happy and to fall from that happinesse and the greatest happinesse is to be able to continue happy which power God gave to the liberty of man to be or not to be happy for ever This extraordinary degree of favour to our first father Adam doth deserve a thankfull acknowledgement from all men because the favour did reach to all the generations of Adam even to us and to them that shall succeed us for ever All men being then in Adam and Adam the Compendium of all men the honour and the grace being conferred to every man in generall without exception of any Seeing God hath thus honoured our father Adam and enlarged his benevolence unto him above the rest of his creatures and seeing this was not given unto Adam onely but to his posterity for ever even to us being the sonnes of Adam and derived from his beginning Let us therefore acknowledge our selves in as great a debt of beholding to our God as Adam our father was to whom God gave these blessings by name and in speciall manner wee being interested in the benefit as well as Adam but as his sinne made himselfe and us his posterity both alike miserable so if hee had continued constant in his innocency he had made himselfe and us alike eternally happy without feare without hazard without forfeit without interruption let us therefore advise and remember our selves what honour what thankes what service is due from Adam and his posterity unto God Let us compare the infinite greatnesse and goodnesse of God to Adams nothing let us measure â—hem in the infinite distance of their worth let us study to know what desert what moving cause of ours could provoke God to these degrees of favour let us search this desert in the excellency of mans nature doubtlesse it is not there to be found though wee search with diligence Let us then resort to the mercy of God and there inquire there wee shall rightly understand this knowledge For thy selfe O God did move thy selfe to these effects Note thy Mercy did move thy Majesty thy favour did move thy Power thy goodnesse did perswade thy greatnesse thy greatnesse did effect what thy goodnesse caused thus was God tempted by himselfe to dignifie our Father Adam therefore Adam could be no cause of his owne honour because it was in Gods decree before Adam had being therefore Adam had greater cause of thankefulnesse that God did please without cause thus to advance him and to multiply his infinite and abundant favours upon him Adams honour was ours Adams duties are ours Resolution wee are as strictly bound in our dutifull obligation to God as our father Adam was let us therefore his posterity be constant in that duty wherein he failed and though Adam hath disinherited us his posterity of that power which hee had to performed his divine acknowledgements yet let us by our best endeavour strive with our nature to reforme our errours to imitate so neere as wee can Adams innocency thus let us ever be resolved to contend against the corruption of our nature and with a holy ambition to covet to equall or exceed the honour and happinesse of our father Adam in his innocency and seeing God did make us so wonderfull in our frame so excellent in our nature let us therefore with modesty and reverence to God esteeme our selves let us understand and remember our selves that God hath made us creatures of note and excellence ordained for holy ends and made us Masters of infinite other creatures let us remember that our soule is the divine breath of God our bodies the temple of the holy Spirit let us therefore bend all our endeavours to fashion the government of our lives in some proportion to â—his excellency of our nature let us hate the company of the wicked and imitation of evill because God hath created us good let us value the posterity of our soule before the possession of the whole world let us be jealous of our selves and carefull to feare to give entertainment to any evill cause that may move deprave or corrupt us let us love our owne salvation above all but God because God did honour us above all but himselfe in our creation Thus may wee lawfully with religious modesty endeavour and esteeme of our selves God did grace us in our creation but then God will double that grace in our salvation for this I doe earnestly intreat I pray I hope Of originall Sinne the Fall and Apostacy of man VVHen man was in the height of his prosperity having all things requisite to make him both happy and great and wanting
that which is infallibly promised in Scripture to those that believe and walke in the 〈◊〉 of the Lord but when we come unto the future happinesse promised unto us then shall wee have full security for in this life Religion and feare are coupled together neither can the one be without the other therefore thinke upon the grievous spots of thy sins and feare him that according to justice will judge thee for the same What are the afflictions of the godly but bitter arrowes sent from the sweet hand of God for their correction many that escape unpunished in this life God thinkes them unworthy of punishment whom notwithstanding he reprobateth for ever Outward felicity is often times a signe of eternall damnation nothing is more unhappy than the happinesse of sinners and nothing more miserable then hee that knowes no misery Augustin Whatsoever thou beholdest with thine eyes thou seest cause of griefe which duly considered are remedies against security Behold God above whom we have offended thinke upon hell beneath which we have deserved thinke upon the sin behinde the which wee have committed thinke upon the judgement before which wee dread and stand in feare of thinke upon the conscience within the which wee have defiled and thinke upon the world without which wee have too much loved consider whence thou camest and be ashamed consider what thou art and be sorrowfull consider whither thou goest and tremble Let a man therefore lament and grieve and shake off all security lest in the just and secret judgement of God hee be forsaken and left in the power of the divell to be destroyed if thou hast grace so delight thy selfe in it and acknowledge it to be the gift of God and that thou dost not possesse it by any hereditary righteousnesse of thine owne Security is a pernicious sin Happy shalt thou be if thou labourest with all care and diligence to avoid security the mother of all evill God will not forsake thee but take heed thou dost not forsake him God hath given thee his grace pray thou earnestly unto him that he would also give thee perseverance in that grace God bids thee be certaine of thy salvation but he bids thee not be secure therefore thou must fight valiantly 2 Tim. 4.7 8. that thou maist at length triumph gloriously thy flesh within thee fighteth against thee and the enemy the neerer he is the more to be feared the world about thee fighteth against thee and the greater the enemy is the more to be feared the divell about thee fighteth against thee and the more potent the enemy is the more to be feared through the power of God feare not to encounter with these enemies through the power divine thou shalt be enabled to obtaine the victory but thou canst not overcome these so great and potent enemies by security but by assiduity in fighting then doe the enemies most gather their forces together when they seeme to grant truce they are vigilant and watchfull and thou sleepy and sluggish they make themselves ready to assault and hurt thee make thou thy selfe ready therefore to resist Many faint by the way and never come home into their countrey Deut. 1.35 how many Israelites did there die in the wildernesse and never came to the promised Land of Canaan how many spirituall sonnes of Abraham doe perish in the wildernesse of this world and never come to enjoy the promised inheritance of the Celestiall Canaan Let it be therefore our onely desire to attaine to the glory which is in heaven wee live in security as we were past the snare of death and the day of Judgement Matth. 24.44 Christ saith he will come to judgement at such an houre that wee thinke not of this saith Truth it selfe And againe he repeats it heare and feare for the Lord will come at an houre wee thinke â—o of Wee have therefore great cause to feare that we come not to judgement unprovided for how shall we be able to endure the strict examination at the day of judgement Seeing we cannot recover for ever that which is lost in this one moment in the shortnesse of this one moment judgement shall passe either to mercy or condemnation what we shall be for all eternity in this one moment life and death damnation and salvation punishment and eternall glory shall be appointed to every one Lord thou that hast given us grace to that which is good give us also grace to persevere in that goodnesse least wee fall into the ensuing danger prepared for the reprobates and the ungodly which is hell and damnation and the torments thereof Of the knowledge of mans corruption and state of his misery in this world and the miserable state and condition in the life to come without we be renovated by Christ which Lord God grant us all grace so to be O Wretched man where shall I begin to describe thy endlesse miseries who art condemnable as soone as conceived lyable to eternall death before thou wast born to a temporall life A miserable change hapned to all posterities by the fall of Adam A beginning indeed I finde but no end of thy miseries for when Adam and Eve being created after Gods owne Image and placed in paradise that they and their posterity might live in happy and blessed estate of life immortall having dominion and rule of all earthly creatures and onely restrained from the fruit of one tree as a signe of their obedient subjection to their Almighty Creator though God forbad them this one small thing under the penalty of eternall death yet they believed the divels word before the Word of God making God as much as in them lay a lyar and so being unthankefull for all his benefits which God bestowed upon them they became male-content with their present state as if God had dealt enviously or niggardly with them and believed that the divell would make them partakers of farre more glorious things then ever God had bestowed upon them and in their pride they fell into rebellion and committed high treason against the most high Almighty and disdaining to be Gods subjects they affected most blasphemously to be gods themselves equall unto God their maker hence till they repented loosing Gods Image they became like unto the Divell and so all their posterity like a traiterous brood whilst they remained impenitent like them Math. 13.42 are subject in this life to all cursed miseries and in the life to come to everlasting fire and damnation prepared for the divell and his angels Consider therefore thou faithfull soule the miserable condition of man and thou shalt easily avoyd all temptations man is vile in his ingresse miserable in his progresse and lamentable in his egresse he is assaulted by divels provoked by tentations allured by delights cast down by tribulations entangled by accusations bestripped of vertues snared in all evill customes and drowned in all manner of vices Lay aside then for a while thy
doting vanities and take a view with mee of thy dolefull miseries which duly surveyed and truly considered I doubt not but that thou wilt conclude with mee that it is farre better never to have natures being then not to bee by grace a practitioner of religious piety consider therefore the miseries in thy life and first of thy infancie Of the wretchednesse of man being conceived in sinne brought forth in uncleannesse and his dayes miserable What wast thou being an infant but a bruit and a lumpe of sinfull flesh conceived in the shape of man and thy body conceived in the heate of lust the secret of shame and staine of originall sinne and thus wast thou cast naked upon the earth all imbrued in the blood of filthinesse filthy indeed so that thy mother was ashamed to let thee know the manner thereof What cause then hast thou to boast thy birth which was a cursed paine to thy mother and to thy selâ—e the entrance into a dangerous and troublesome life the greatnesse of which miseries because thou couldest not expresse in words thou didst shew forth as well as thou couldst in weeping teares Secondly of the miseries of thy youth What wast thou in thy youth but like a wild and untamed beast all whose actions are rash and rude not capable of any good counsell when it is given thee and Ape-like delighting in nothing but toyes and baubles foolish and vaine things therefore thou no sooner begannest to have a little strength and discretion but forthwith thou wast kept under the rod of correction by feare of parents and masters as if thou hadst beene borne to live alwaies in subjection and discipline of others rather than to be at the disposition of thine owne will no tyred horse was ever more willing to be rid of his burthen then thou wast to get out of the servile state of this bondage Thirdly the miseries of manhood What is mans state but a sea wherein as waves one trouble ariseth in the necke of another the latter worse than the former no sooner didst thou enter into the affaires of the world but thou wast enwrapped about with a cloud of miseries The miserable state condition of man in his midle-age thy flesh provokes thee to lust the world allures thee to pleasure and the divell tempts thee to all manner of sinnes feare of enemies affrights thee suits in law doe vexe thee wrongs of ill neighbours doe oppresse thee cares of wife and children doe consume thee and disquietnesse twixt open foes and false friends doe in a manner confound thee finne stings thee within Satan layes snares before thee within thy conscience accuseth thee thy sinnes past dogge behind thee now adversity on the left hand frets thee anon prosperity on thy right hand flatters thee over thy head Gods vengeance due to thy sinne is ready to fall upon thee 2 Cor. 11 25 c. and under thy feet hell mouth is ready to swallow thee up and in this miserable estate whither wilt thou goe for rest and comfort the house is full of cares the field full of toyles the Countrey of rudenesse the City of factions the Court full of envie the Church full of sects the Sea of Pirats the Land of robbers that thou canst be no where safe or free from danger or in what state wilt thou live in seeing wealth is envied and poverty contemned wit is distrusted and simplicity is derided superstition is mocked and religion is suspected vice is advanced and vertue is disgraced Oh! with what a body of sinne and misery art thou compassed about in a world of wickednesse what are thine eyes but windowes to behold vanities what are thine cares but flood-gates to let in streames of iniquity what are thy senses but matches to give fire to thy lusts what is thy heart but the anvill whereon Satan hath forged the ugly shape of all leud affections Art thou Nobly descended thou must put thy selfe in perill of forraigne warres to get the reputation of earthly honour oft times hazzard thy selfe in a desperate combate to avoyd the aspersion of a coward Art thou borne in meane estate Lord what paine and drudgery must thou endure both at home and abroad to get thee maintenance and all perhaps scarce sufficient to relieve thy necessity and to supply thy want and when after much travell service and labour a man hath got something how little certainety is there in that which is gotten seeing thou seest by daily experience that hee who was yesterday rich to day is a begger How sudden is change of state hee that yesterday was in health is to day sicke hee that a yesterday was merry and laughed hath cause to day to mourne and weepe hee that yesterday was in great favour is to day in as great disgrace hee that yesterday was alive and in health is to day dead and thou knowest not how soone and in what manner thou shalt dye thy selfe and who then can innumerate the losses crosses griefes disgraces and calamities which are incident to sinfull man and to let passe the death of wife children and friends which seemes oft-times to be farre more bitter unto us then present death it selfe Fourthly the miseries of old age What is old age but the receptacle of all maladies The condition of old age for if it be thy lot to draw thy daies to a long date in comes bald-headâ—d old age stooping under dotage with his wrinckled face rotten teeth stinking breath testy with choler withered with drinesse dimmed with blindnesse obsurded with deafenes overwhelmed with sickenesse diseased and pained with bone-ach decrepid with age and almost bowed together with weaknesse having scarse use of any sense but the sense of paine which so racketh every member of his body that it never easeth him of griefe till it hath throwne him downe into his grave for the earth is the wombe that hath bred us and the earth is the tombe that must receive us Thus endeth the miseries of the body in this life Of the Meditation of the misery of the body and soule in this life SInfulnesse in man is an universall corruption Ephes 2.3 Genes 6.5 Rom. 12.2 1 Cor. 2.14 Phil. 2.3 Rom. 3.12 Rom. 7.19 both of nature and actions for by nature wee are infected with a pronenesse to every sin continually the mind is stuffed with vanity the understanding is darkened with ignorance the will affecteth nothing but vile and vaine things all her actions are evill yea this deformity is so violent that oftentimes in the regenerate soule the appetite will not obey the government of reason and the will wandreth after and yeelds content to sinfull motions How great then is the violence of the appetite and will in the Reprobate soule which still remaines in her naturall corruption Hence it is that thy wretched soule is so deformed with sinne defiled with lust polluted with filthinesse outraged with passions over-carried with affections pining
to him will I give power over Nations Not hee that endevoureth the beginning the middle or a part of his life but hee that endureth to the end he shall be saved This salvation by Christ Jesus is the crowne of glory for which all men strive which none can gaine but he that runneth the race of his life faithfully and constantly 1 Cor. 9.24 therefore Saint Paul saith So runne that ye may obtaine that is endeavour your strength with your time to the utmost for though ye begin well it is nothing unlesse ye also end well for as the tree falleth so it lyeth Note and as men die so shall they rise to judgement for the grave can give no holinesse no perfection but doth onely continue us in the state it found us earth and corruption The manner of regeneration is how the children of God bee borne a new and how it is caused by the secret working of Gods holy Spirit in the children of grace John 3.8 he giveth an instance by the moving of the ayre that is when wee heare a whistling of the wind we know it bloweth yet doe we not know from whence it commeth so in the act of regeneration when we feele in our hearts the motion of Gods holy Spirit breathing salvation into our soules and when our workes and consciences give us an undoubted testimony that we are regenerated and borne of God it is then as vaine a care to search into the secret working of the Spirit of God was to enquire of the mind from whence it commeth or whether it goeth this thing is not necessary though regeneration is most necessary and not to be neglected upon paine of condemnation Seeing regeneration is of such absolute necessity to salvation Iohn 3.5 that Except a man be regenerate and borne anew of water and of the Spirit hee cannot enter into the Kingdome of God neither bee sonnes nay the servants of God though we never so much endeavour in the service of other Christian duties This doth admonish all men to have principall care to labour all meanes possible to have faithfull and sufficient witnesses both from their consciences and by testimony of their workes that they are the adopted children of God established in the assured hope of their salvation being knowne and sealed of God with the marke of regeneration for it must needs bee sufficient to resolve a conscience of Gods favour when we know we are his children it is a grounded cause to make us hopefull and confident in the trust of Gods mercy And seeing regeneration is an act of the holy Ghost every man ought so to rectifie and reforme the errors of his life as that the Spirit of God may not take loathing to enter our soules but rather that by mortification and holy excercise wee may be prepared to entertaine that sacred guest into our hearts least when hee commeth hee finde us as God will finde the reprobate in the day of judgement unprovided carelesse and secure and so not seale us for his sonnes but marke us the children of death and the friends of Antichrist Againe seeing the regenerate are made the children of God it ought therefore to be a principall care of every man to be regenerate because regeneration is the undoubted witnesse of the child of God 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore Saint Peter admonisheth all men to give diligence to make our calling and election sure which can be no way better assured us then by assuring our regeneration which is the certificat and testimony of our election and seeing the workes of regeneration must be both constant and faithfull by constancy is meant perseverance by faithfulnesse a choyce of lawfull particulars therefore every man ought to exercise his devotion and zeale in lawfull argument and that hee run in the spirituall race which God hath proposed him and not in the by waies of error of false and selfe opinion and that in this course he faint not in his spirituall courage but that hee hold out the race of his life with alacrity and hopefull confidence to win the garland of salvation which all shall both win and weare that constantly and faithfully endeavour themselves in godly actions The ordinary outward meanes to bring us to holy and godly action 2 Thes 2.14 is the preaching of the Gospel Saint Paul saith whereunto you are called by the Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Iesus Christ. The Law serves to prepare our hearts for grace but it is the oyly drops to the Gospel by the power of the Spirit that doe soften and mollifie the heart and makes it supple and pliable and like Balme it doth revive and comfort the heart and senses and makes them pliable to that which is good and godly Rom. 1.16 the Gospel is the power of God that is the instrument of Gods power unto salvation to all them that believe also good examples afflictions losses crosses want sicknesse and the like are by the blessing of God 1 Pet. 1.23 good preparatives to grace but the preaching of the Gospel is the proper instrument of the Spirit for the effecting of grace for by the word of the Gospel God speakes to the eares of the soule and by it as by a pipe hee conveyes his graces into the cisternes of our hearts Regeneration then being of such infinite excellent worth and of absolute necessity let us take off our cares and endeavours from worldly occasions and apply them to this holy purpose for being regenerate wee shall avoyd the danger both of sin and death and live in the favour of God and be graced with the honorable title of his Son then let us remember them that proudly vaunt and boast their pedigree and their descent from honorable parents let us pity their errour and despise their vaine glory let us compare such honour with the honour of Gods regenerate children wee shall find an infinit distance of their worth their 's to be transitory passable and of short continuance vaine and full of bitter mixture this without comparison to be eternall and infinite infinite in worth infinite in time let us therefore despise that to gaine this let us desire no other honorable title then to be called the children of God To be the child of grace is the greatest honour in the world that will give us the most sufficient and greatest reputation that can be for that in the least degree will exceed and out-glory all earthly honour in the highest degree let us not care how base the world repute and esteeme us nay though the world persecute us let us not faint nor feare for wee know that our Saviours kingdome is not of this world neither is the glory of his children of this world but in him that hath begotten us by the grace of his holy Spirit is our glory and by him wee are made honourable let us therefore despise the world and the vanities
THE SOVLES PROGRESSE To the Celestiall CANAAN or Heavenly JERVSALEM By way of godly Meditation and holy contemplation accompanied with divers learned exhortations and pithy perswasions tending to Christianity and humanity Divided into two Parts The first Part treateth of the divine Essence Quality and Nature of God and his holy Attributs and of the creation fall state death and misery of an unregenerated man both in this life and in the world to come Put for the whole scope of the Old Testament The second Part is put for the summe and compendium of the Gospell and treateth of the Incarnation Nativity Words Works and sufferings of Christ and of the happinesse and blessednesse of a godly man in his state of Renovation being reconciled to God in Christ Collected out of the Scriptures and out of the writings of the ancient Fathers of the Primitive Church and other Orthodoxall Divines by John Welles of Beccles in the County of Suffolk LONDON Printed by E. G. and are to be sold by Henry Shephard in Chancery-lane at the signe of the Bible between Serjeants-Inne and Fleetstreet neere the Kings-head-Taverne 1639. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sr. JOHN HOBART Of Blickling in the County of Norfolke Knight Baronet one of his Majesties Deputies Lieutenant Justice of Peace and Quorum Captaine and Colonell of part of his Majesties Forces there Prime Heire of the Right Honourable and reverend Judge Sr. Henry Hobart Knight and Baronet Lord chiefe Justice of his M ties honble Court of Common Pleas. John Welles Wisheth much increase of Honour and all true comfort in this life a blessed end and eternall happinesse in the life to come I Have presumed to dedicate these my labours unto you Right noble sir the off-spring and undoubted Heire of my noble friend your father deceased and inheritour of his Lands and Livings and the chiefe of that great and renowned family And as you doe inherit his Lands and Livings so my prayer is that you may inherit him in his integrity zeale wisdome I speak not this out of doubtfull feare but in officious love and herein take notice I beseech you of this happinesse and blessing of God cast upon you not only to be the chiefe of this great and worthy family but also take notice of the true cause of the worth and greatnesse of your Ancestours and imitate them therein and then inheriting their worth together with their wealth you shall also most undoubtedly enrich your selfe with the obsequious attendance and hearty affection of your native Countrymen and so grow in grace and favour with God and man For which cause I have presumed to present you with this Tractate and to publish the same under the protection of your name hoping of your courteous acceptance and beseeching you to grant it your favourable protection and Patronage which though it be but indifferently contrived yet strongly warranted for it hath the undoubted truth of God for its authority There may be many Tractates found tending to these ends but all that I have seene of others though they may bee more pithy yet certaine I am this is more plaine I trust not unpleasant nor unprofitable God give all grace to make right use of it And so commending my labours with all the desired good that may be unto your good Worship and both you and it to the speciall grace and protection of the Almighty who is aboundantly able to fill your heart with grace to crowne your daies with blessing and to finish them with eternall comfort life and glory Amen I rest a true desirer of your best good And your Worships in all Christian duty to be commanded JOHN WELLES October 22. 1638. The Authors Preface to the READER GEntle Christian friendly Reader and loving country-man about ten yeeres since past at spare houres as my daily employments would give me leave I first began to collect and gather out of Scripture and other godly and learned Authors many principall and speciall notes worthy observation and remembrance When I first began I had not thought to bring it forth to the worlds view but onely for my owne private commodity to the comfort of my minde the more I gathered the more I was ravished and being thus in holy contemplation the matter being holy excellent and heavenly I was incited and stirred up by godly motion to undertake a worke so excellent which through want of learning I knew my selfe altogether unable to performe what my heart desired yet yeelding obedience to the holy motion and humbly craving and earnestly praying the power divine to assist mee with his holy Spirit to accomplish that which I had a desire to finish Phil. 4.13 and had already begun knowing as Saint Paul saith that I am able to doe all things Phil. 1.12 through the helpe of him that strengtheneth mee And praying for his blessing to blesse my endeavours and then in the name of God Prov. 16.3 with cheerfulnesse of heart I persevered in my purpose committing the successe unto him Eccles 8. in whose power it is to blesse with his grace whatsoever businesse is intended to his glory For fithence Salomon himselfe saith that mans wisdome is unperfect and his knowledge in each Science uncertaine therefore I being utterly destitute of that wisdome and but of slender knowledge neither may 2 Cor. 3.5 2 Cor. 4.5 doe nor will I presume to thinke that by any meanes I am able of my selfe to perform my desired enterprize as of my selfe or bring to perfection so waighty a matter and so intricate 1 Cor. 4.4 For though I may say with Saint Paul I know not what I have mistaken or wherein I have erred yet will I not dare to report or be encouraged to affirme that my worke is perfect or that I have fully performed my long-wished attempt and for that cause standing in doubt whether I have concealed many truthes or adventured to report some errors which by my weakenesse of judgement or slacknesse of consideration have happened in this Treatise but through his divine assistance have here accomplished what my soule desired to bring to passe I meane this poore Tractate named the Soules Progresse to the celestiall Canaan divided into two parts the first part treateth of the divine Essence of God and his holy attributes and of the creation state death and misery of man put for the whole passage of the old Testament the second part is put for the summe and compendium of the Gospel and treateth of the words workes and sufferings of Christ and of the happinesse and blessednesse of a godly man in his state of renovation being reconciled to God in Christ which poore mite I doe cast into the worlds treasury knowing that the great learned orthodoxall Writers out of their superfluous abundance have cast in much but like the poore widow in the Gospel Luke 21.4 I out of my want doe cast in even all that I have beseeching the Lord to give it
that their glory multitude and wealth with such as rejoyce in her shall descend into it Thus hath a man a fall and is brought low and the high lookes of the proud shall be cast downe Vers 15. Psal 36.12 there are they fallen all that worke wickednesse they are cast downe and shall not be able to stand To the Reader IF thou wouldst understand the Deity Behold the mystery of the holy Trinity An Essence divine eternall infinite is hee Spirituall and of wonderfull magnanimity Of power of might and majesty Of goodnesse greatnesse and excellency Of glory continuance and quality And is perfectly good unchangeably From everlasting and perpetually And is every where present repletively Essentially potentially and vertually Which is seene by his admirable works apparantly With our eyes and minde continually From age to age universally This Almighty God incomprehensible Omnipotent invisible and incomparable Immortall incorruptible and unspeakeable Dwelleth in light inaccessible And is coequall coessentiall and coeternall Of one substance immutable and unsearchable This high blessed Heavens Creatour Is the earths creatures Conserver Increaser nourisher repairer and governour By his omnipresent power Although he dwels in Heaven principally Yet hee is and dwels on earth effectually In the faithfull his elect especially In his wisedome grace and mercy Therefore be praised evermore the Trinity Father Sonne and holy Ghost in unity This to believe is godly charity Saving faith and holy piety For speaking of Gods simple verity Nought more beseemes then true simplicity If further thou wouldst understand his Majesty Goe in behold and see his excellency For what I know of his all-knowing worth With single heart I have simply here set forth Thus wishing that my labours may To heavens rest thy soule convey No attributes can sufficiently expresse the essence of God but the attributes which be given unto God be taken out of the usage of mens speech and so applyed unto the nature of God to the end that those things which cannot be properly expressed by any toung nor language may yet at the least wise be by the figures of mens speeches in some sort shadowed whatsoever therefore is spoken of God is so in God as it serveth to helpe our weake understanding to conceive in our reason and to utter in our speech the majesty of his divine nature quality and essence for of himselfe he is infinite and ineffable in his essence might power and working THE SOVLES PROGRESSE TO THE Celestiall CANAAN Of the Essence of God and how he is to be understood in his holy Attributes so farre as hee hath revealed himselfe in holy Scriptures for otherwise no man is able to define what God is ALL men are by a certaine instinct of nature desirous of knowledge and account ignorance evill and unseemely like a defective body or lightlesse house for knowledge is the eye of the mind the light of the soule the ornament of grace and nature and is a collection of understanding gathered in the grounds of learning by the instruction of wisedome Eccles 1. shee is the exercise of memory in the actions of the mind and the imployer of the senses in the will of the Spirit and such Riches as will swimme with the master when he suffers shipwracke and sees his whole estate sinke before his eyes Now the more excellent a thing is the more worthy it is of our knowledge for it is discommendable and uncomely for anyman to bee ignorant of himselfe especially of the causes the meanes and manner of his eternall Salvation and Redemption from horrible and intolerable Misery To further this knowledge my purpose is out of the Scriptures and by the helpe of sundry learned and orthodoxall Writers briefly to shew and set forth how God is to be understood and so we shall as in a glasse behold what course the Lord hath in his wisedome taken to manifest his grace unto us and to make us partakers of his glory 3 Meanes to know that there is a God Touching this matter there are three waies whereby God doth manifest and open himselfe to the knowledge of man the first way and most generall consisteth in his working where the Majesty of God setteth himselfe to be seene in all his workes throughout the compasse of all the world in Heaven as well as in the earth Rom. 1.20 this way is most generall because it is so set forth to all people of all Nations that no man can excuse himselfe for not knowing God Vers 19. It cannot be denied but that there is in us a certaine quicknesse of understanding and strength of reason Wisd 13. as might be the eye of our minde whereby we may know in Gods Workes God himselfe the worker thereof but unlesse the brightnesse for the workes of God were so great that they did set forth the Majesty of the worker to bee seene throughout all the earth our reason should have had no cause or meanes to have knowne that there had beene a God Therefore the first cause of our knowledge of God is attributed to the light and brightnesse of the Workes of God whereby the Philosophers did acknowledge the Majesty of the invisible God Rom. 1 c. How the Philosophers knew God by his Workes as the Apostle witnesseth For first they did observe in the Workes of God an exceeding great Majesty an infinite multitude a wonderfull variety a most constant order a seemely agreement an endlesse continuance a pleasant vicissitude or entercourse of things comming and going briefly Wisd 13. such wisedome in creating governing and bestowing of things and in conserving of them such power and might that they could ascribe the whole workemanship of all things Heavenly and earthly to no other nature but to the Nature of God Besides this they tasted indeed of the wonderfull goodnesse of God by the infinite number of commodities growing unto them both from Heaven and earth which the Apostle rehearseth saying Acts 14.17 Verely hee left not himselfe without witnesse doing good and helping them from Heaven giving raine and fruitfull seasons filling their hearts with food and gladnesse Thirdly they felt a marvellous terrour of lightning earthquakes Math. 24. pestilences gapings of the ground strange sights and apparitions from Heaven in the Sunne Moone Starres and Comets the fore-shewers of great mischiefes and slaughters and withall that the prophesies of things to come such as were Sibyls Iob. 37. Iob 38. and of the Prophets were so certaine and true that they plainly passe the limits of mans fore-knowledge and proved the power of the God-head to governe all things in the world They that bee so unfaithfull and grosse Some believe nothing but what they see with their eyes as the Stoicks and Epicures that they cannot apply their understanding and credite to things invisible be so affected for the most part that they believe nothing neither of the life felicity and glory of Heaven neither of the
him in trouble and deliver him and bring him to honour and shew him my salvation Thus farre of the nominall Attributes The reall Attributes are of two sorts either absolute or relative the absolute Attributes cannot in any sort agree to any creature but to God alone these are two Simplenesse and Infinitenesse Simplenesse is that whereby God is voide of all composition division multiplication accidents or parts compounding either sensible or intelligible so that whatsoever hee is he is the same essentially it hinders not Gods simplenesse that hee is three because God is three not by composition of parts but by co-existence of persons Job 11.8 Infinitenesse is that whereby all things in God are void of all measure limitation and bounds above and beneath before and after From these two doe necessarily flow three other absolute Attributes Act. 7.48 49. 1 King 8.27 1. Unmeasurablenesse or Ubiquity whereby he is of infinite extension filling heaven and earth containing all places and not contained of any space place or bounds and being no where absent is every where present hee is universally present repletively every where inclusively no where Psal 19.1 by which God is said to be in heaven because that there his power wisedome Hos 2.21 Esa 40.22 c. and goodnesse is in a more excellent manner seene and enjoyed as also because that usually he doth from thence powre both his Blessings and Judgements upon us 2. Unchangeablenesse whereby God is void of all change both in respect of his Essence and Will 3. Eternitie whereby God is without beginning of daies or end of time and without all bounds of precession Thus farre of the absolute Attributes now of the Relative or such as have reference to the Creatures Those are five 1. Life 2. Understanding 3. Will. 4. Power 5. Majestie 1. The life of God is that by which as by a most pure and perpetuall act Psal 36.9 hee not onely liveth of himselfe but is also that ever and over-flowing Fountaine of life from which all creatures derive their lives so as that in him they live move breath and have their being and because his Life onely differs not from his Essence therefore God is said onely to have Immortality the second Tim. 6.16 is Understanding or Knowledge of God and is that whereby by one pure act he most perfectly knoweth in himselfe all things that ever were are or shall be yea the thoughts and imaginations of mens hearts 2. This knowledge of God is either generall by which God knoweth simply all things eternally the good by himselfe 1 King 8.39 Psal 139.2 c. the evill by the good opposite unto it imposing first things contingent the lot of contingence and to things necessary the law of necessity and thus knowing all things in and of himselfe Luk. 16.15 Hebr. 4.22 he is the cause of all the knowledge that is in all both men and Angells secondly the speciall knowledge called the knowledge of approbation Rom 11.33 by which hee particularly knoweth and graciously acknowledgeth onely his Elect for his owne 2 Tim. 2.19 Understanding also containes the wisedome of God by which hee most wisely ruleth them to serve his owne most holy purpose and glory 3. The Will of God is that whereby of necessitie he willeth himselfe as the soveraigne good and by willing himselfe willeth most freely all other good things which are out of himselfe though in it selfe the will of God be but one 1 Tim. 2.5 Rom. 9.15 16 as in his Essence yet in respect of the divers objects and effects it is called in the Scriptures by divers names 17 18. 1 Joh. 3.1 The first Love whereby is meant Gods eternall good will whereby hee ordaineth his Elect to be freely saved through Christ Psalm 45.8 Ephes 1.11 and bestoweth on them all necessarie graces for this life and in the life to come taking pleasure in their persons and service 2 Thes 1.6 The second Justice is Gods constant will whereby hee recompenseth men and Angells 2 Tim. 4.8 according to their works ' punishing the impenitent according to their deserts called the justice of his wrath Deut. 7.9 10. and rewarding the faithfull according to his promise called the justice of his grace The third mercy Psal 145.7 c. which is Gods mere good wil and ready affection to forgive a penitent sinner notwithstanding all his sinnes and ill deserts Mat. 16.18 19. The fourth goodnesse whereby God willingly communicateth his good with his creatures Psal 146.6 c. and because hee communicateth it freely Numb 23.19 20. it is termed grace The fifth truth whereby God willeth constantly those things which he willeth 2 Pet. 3.9 10. effecting and performing all things which hee hath spoken in his appointed time Rom. 2 4. The sixt is patience whereby God willingly forbeares to punish the wicked so long as it may stand with his justice 1 Thes 4.3 and till their sinnes be ripened The seventh holinesse Heb. 12.14 whereby Gods nature is separated from all prophanenesse and abhorreth all filthinesse 1 Pet. 1.5 and so being wholy pure in himselfe delighteth in the inward and outward purity and chastity of his servants Esay 6.2.3 which hee infuseth into them The eight Anger whereby is meant Gods most certaine and just will Psal 106.23.29 40 41. in chastning the Elect and in revenging and punishing the reprobate for the injuries they offer to him and his chosen Reve. 19.1 2. and when God will punish with rigor and severity Thes 1.1.10 then it is tearmed wrath temporall to the Elect and eternall to the reprobate Fourthly Gen. 17.1 Psal 115.3 Math. 11.26 Math. 8.2 Eph. 1.11 Math. 3.9 20.34 Rom. 9.17 18. the power of God is that whereby hee can simply and freely doe whatsoever hee will that is agreeable to his nature and whereby as he hath made so hee still ruleth Heaven and earth and all things therein This almighty power of God is either absolute by which he can will and doe more than he willeth or doth or actuall by which God doth indeed whatsoever he will and hindereth whatsoever he will not have done Psal 115.3 Fifthly Majesty is that by which God by his absolute and free authority raigneth and ruleth Chro 29.11.12 2 Sam. 7.22 Apoc. 5.12.13 Rom. 9.15 Luke 19.27 Psal 2.9 110.1 as Lord and King over all creatures visible and invisible having both right and propriety in all things as from whom and for whom are all things as also such a plenitude of power that he can pardon the offences of all whom he will have spared and subdue all his enemies whom hee will have plagued and destroyed without being bound to render to any creature a reason or account of his doings but making his owne most holy and just will his onely most perfect and eternall Law from all these Attributes ariseth
is guilty of injustice and must answer the fault at the barre of death for God hee maketh his Sunne to shine upon all indifferently and hee hath given the world and the Creatures therein to mankinde generally and not to one man one family or one kingdome this may both teach and judge the mercilesse who can see and not relieve the extremities of men distressed men their brethren The meditation of this power of this love of God in creating a world of Creatures for the service of man and seeing it hath pleased him to make a reasonable soule and a sharer of these infinite blessings I have resolved with my selfe to declare my selfe in all dutifull demonstrations to my God and to use the Creatures hee hath given mee with moderation as hee hath commanded I have made a covenant with my soule that I will not appropriate that to my private which God hath made common If God give mee abundance I will open my liberality Luk. 16.2 How to employ Gods Talents I will give as God doth to all but carefully to the wants of faithfull men distressed I will remember that what I have I must use what I use not I must bestow lest Gods talents be without imployments and so God discharge mee of trust if God give me wisdome and knowledge more then some others I will not be silenced How to occasion an holy meditation I will not obscure the grace and gift of God I will not deny my God I will not deny the world my service but in whatsoever God shall enable me in that I will be industrious if I can doe nothing of desert or common profit yet will I spend my houres in holy meditation I have resolved I will still travell in holy exercise when I cannot profit generally I will pray generally wee are all the Creatures of one God the Word of God gave forme to every Creature therefore every thing that presents my eye shall move my holy meditations When I shall behold the wonderfull frame of heaven I shall revise on the creation and admire God his Mercy his Majesty I shall remember the happinesse of heaven and refresh my selfe in adversity with hopefull confidence Where to repose our confidence When I consider the earth I shall remember the basenesse of my beginning what I was in sinne what I am in grace this shall teach me to deny my selfe and wholly to depend on the favour of my God When I see unreasonable noysome and evill Creatures I shall have cause of acknowledgement for God might have made me so or worse Lastly when I shall see wicked men pride themselves in their vanities Pitty can respect our enemies I shal both pity and glory pity the misery of their soules and glory in the fortune of my owne and thus with these and such meditations my soule shall breath content Of the Angels their Nature their Office their Fall Moses of purpose did leave to speake any thing of the creation of Angels because of the disposition of the people bent to Idolatry It is supposed they were Created the first day of the Creation as appeareth Job 38. THat the Angels were created is most certaine the time of their creation is not certaine but doubtfully and diversely believed many men have spent their judgements in conjectures all such are more curious than wise because the truth thereof cannot certainly be determined neither if it could the knowledge thereof were not necessary or materiall to salvation for whatsoever knowledge is necessary for the happinesse of our soules is by God himselfe taught in the testimony of holy Scriptures This knowledge of the time of the creation of Angels being not taught by God doth make the search thereof unprofitable unlawfull for God doth nothing at peradventure but all things in judgement and with the advice of his divine wisdome God having denied this knowledge doth forbid the search of this unknowne unprofitable knowledge that which I desire to know which I desire to make knowne is contained in the testimony of holy Scriptures the which denying me this knowledge of the creation of Angells I forbeare to search the knowledge of Gods secrets and rather to be thought ignorant than audaciously bold with forbidden knowledge That which is needfull to be knowne of Angells is their nature their office in their nature must be considered what they are in substance what in quality they be heavenly invisible Creatures pure and spirituall of the substance and nature of our soules eternall in respect of ending without corruption in their quality is considered their power being at all times and upon all occasions able and ready to performe the excution of Gods service their office is that they are Gods messengers their imployment is either in Judgements or Mercies this Compendium is the knowledge of them all in generall The good and evill Angells were all created in one nature before the fall and apostacy of Angels The Angells and those that now are divells being at the first creation of one quality of one power and one excellence of nature after the fall of Angells who for their unsupportable pride were cast from the presence of God into eternall darknesse 2 Pet. 2.4 and damnation the Angels divided themselves the better part keeping their first estate kept their entertainment with God Math. 18.10 and continued his favour and service Iude 6. the worst dividing themselves left the service of God and the fellowship of good Angels and bend their whole endeavour against God and against his blessed Angels and against the Saints that love and serve him this apostacie and division of Angels have divided them in their nature and in their offices The full opposition of the good and evill Angels the good Angels ever labouring the good of men the evill angels to hinder and prevent the goodnesse of God and his good Angels labouring by all meanes to bring mankind to their owne condemnation In their offices likewise they disagree for God doth commonly imploy his good Angels in his workes of mercy and favourable protection the divels hee imployeth in the execution of his judgements and corrections not that hee needeth their service but that hee forceth them against their will to his obedience God can enforce the divels in workes of his own glory These severall imployments of the good and evill angels are not alwaies of necessity though very common for God when hee pleaseth maketh good Angels destroy and inflict vengeance and the divels hee can and doth use in his workes of greatest mercy and this the divels doe not with consent but are either forced by the unresistable power of God or else deceive themselves in the end of their owne working God making that which they intend for evill to tend to a good end farre beyond and contrary to their purpose and expectation Iude 6. The good Angels have both liberty and pleasure in the service of
might have had if it had continued in the favour and presence of Almighty God it will also enviously remember the prosperity of others what glory what happinesse they enjoy for their constancy in their godly conversation and holy travell The nature of envie and that it selfe and the damned should have had the same degrees of happinesse if like them they had continued constant and faithfull in their duty and service to God and this is a greater torment to the damned then that which they shall endure in their personall afflictions the remembrance whereof doth so distract the very powers of their soules as that desperately they inflict their owne vengeance and execute upon themselves Note the punishment of their owne condemnation for in our nature we have lesse patience and more affliction when by our owne defaults wee loose prosperity then when for our deserts wee endure any personall punishment this is the reward of Adams disobedience that did by sinne disinherit himselfe and his posterity of the infinite treasure of Gods favour and did thereby purchase a life whose daies are consumed in vexations and miserable change and whose end doth not end his misery Death is the life of torment to the damned but renew and enlarge it with an addition and perpetuity of torment This is the plaine and necessary knowledge of the fall of man from the state of innocency In which argument the overcurious wits of men have travelled in the search of many intricate questions I will therefore forbeare to relate the number of mens opinions The fall of man from the first state of his innocency doth remember all men what the miserable condition of our nature is what glory wee have lost and into what degree of adversity we are falne wee that were the most excellent of Gods creatures are now the most miserable provoking not onely God to be our enemy Gen. 3.14 but the creatures of God also to hate and dread us Because for our disobedience God did curse them and that for our annoyance God did suffer the goodnesse of their nature to be altered in so much as that they which before sinne entred our nature were our servants are now become our enemies and wee that then were their Lords and had power to command them are now in bondage of feare and dread their power A miserable alteration for that supremacy power and government which Adam had over all the world was conferred to us that are his posterity He had it and lost it by sin we should have had it but are prevented by sin sin being the cause both in him us why we are degraded from our dignity Ierem. 14.2 and cast into this contempt and disgrace of fortune Whensoever therefore God shall please to punish any mans prosperity and to tempt his patience with the burthen of adversity his care must be to search the cause of his affliction and when he hath found the cause to labour by all meanes to remove it For diseases are not cured before their causes be both knowne and removed And as diseases of the body are not ingendred without their corrupt cause no more our spirituall afflictions are not inflicted without their evill cause which is sinne the originall and continuall cause of all our evill Thus ought Christians to judge of themselves and to understand the miseries of their life to inquire at their own hearts and to search their own actions and their owne transgressions for there and but there Note shall they finde the true cause of all their misery and not as doth the foolish and wicked who when they have extraordinary discontents or mis-fortunes blame their nativities Psal 34. and search the motions and conjunctions falls and exaltations of the stars and celestiall bodies as if by their influence and constellation their grievous alterations were occasioned such fondnesse is ridiculous and to little purpose and they are much deceived who seeke for that farre off which is to be found onely at home even in their hearts in their sinfull natures and in their sinfull actions Againe the fall of Adam from his innocency because of sinne doth instruct every man in the knowledge of Gods divine nature for God is so respectively holy that hee will not entertaine familiarity and neerenesse with any creature that hath the least touch or spot of sinne The nature of holinesse therefore did hee banish the Angels out of his presence though they offended as some thinke but in thought Adam also though it was his first sinne and not of his owne election but doubly tempted by his wife and the divell Genes 3. yet could not the holy presence of God indure him but cast him out of Paradise into misery and tribulation therefore ought all men to make conscience of all sinne and to feare the committing of the least because there is no sinne be it never so little that God will dispense withall but as himselfe All sinne is in Gods hatred so is his affection Hee is holy without staine without imputation and his favour is towards them onely that with all their power endeavour themselves in all the workes of his Commandements Now if the over-spreading of sinne whereby this mischiefe passed through infected corrupted and made subject unto death all man-kind we must harken unto the Apostle who appointed this over-spreading neither to the divell Rom. 5. neither to the woman but unto Adam For the divell did not convey over sinne unto Eve Ephes 2. nor Eve unto Adam by propagation or increase of kinde but onely by entisement For the Serpent corrupted the woman and the woman the man by intisement 2 Cor. 11.3 But the man being corrupted with sinne did by increase of nature shed out his poyson into all the posterities of the world descending from him therefore though the beginning came of the divell and Eve seduced by him finned before Adam yet the nature of man-kinde had not beene so infected with sinne that the evill thereof should have corrupted all his posterity with the increase of all flesh and made it subject unto sinne and death if Adam had not sinned for the increase and succession pertaineth not to the woman but unto the man Note yet because he did harken to the voyce of the woman and did eate hee became a transgressor of Gods Commandements the accomplishment of the sinne beganne in the divell and the woman the spreaders abroad of the whole mischiefe Gen 4.10 11.12 13. whereof there was a most manifest argument declared in Caine his first begotten sonne also the misery corruption and decay which followed the fall of our first parents and invaded all man-kinde doth set forth the power and vertue of Gods providence to be much greater unto us for that we are repaired and renovated by Christ after our fall to a farre more blessed estate then we were created in before wee fell 1 Cor. 15.53
limits and building upon the foundation of the rocke Christ they have erected such a frame as shall remaine to all posterity these holy Ministers were the conducts whereby God did conferre his spirituall waters of life into all the parts of the world who spreading themselves in their painfull travels over all the knowne world spred the Gospell as they went and left in every place where they came a memory of their Lord and Master Jesus Christ After them succeeded others in their example who both taught the Gospel and confirmed it with the testimony of their death these are the holy officers in the administration of the Gospel and all that live in the Church and are truly of the Church of God in their office and in their example shall with them receive the wages of faithfulnesse Lastly is considered to whom the benefits of the Gospel appertaine and that is to the Elect namely such as are most industrious in the faithfull execution of the Law For as it is said God hath not given the Gospel to destroy the Law but to preserve it and revive it that men may be allured by the sweet promises of the Gospell to endeavour with alacrity and hope in the exercise of the Law Joh. 14.15 and therefore Christ himselfe saith If you love me keepe my Commandements that is endeavour to keepe them with all diligence for he that is carelesse in the service of God is not to hope that God will be carefull of his salvation this is proved in the Parable of the labourers in the Vineyard the Master of the Vineyard is God the Vineyard is the world the labourers are the faithfull and painfull Christians Mat. 20.1 c. their wages is the benefit of the Gospel so that not the lookers on but the labourers in Gods Vineyard shall receive the wages of everlasting life These considerations are most weighty in the generall understanding of the Gospel to which is added this admonition that it behoves every man carefully to esteeme worthily and reverently of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because God doth judge the contemners thereof to be guilty of the deserved and eternall damnation 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. and that if God present them the meanes to communicate with the benefit of the Gospel that they then neglect rather all the profits in the world then the rich treasure of the Gospel for it is that one thing that is onely necessary and availeable to salvation and that pearle of price for which wee are advised to sell all that wee have to purchase it for he that hath that precious Jewell Mat. 45.46 hath sufficient wealth and hee that hath all things but that hath nothing if hee hath not that for if one man had that all men have he nothing had unlesse he also had a soule alas what will it advantage a man to win the whole world and lose his owne soule and what enlargement can he desire that hath the hidden treasure of the Gospel in his heart whereby hee hath continuall comfort and thereby is led in the path to his Salvation This doth generally remember all men the admirable degree of Gods favour to man-kind that notwithstanding our apostacy from the favour and service of God and our continuall trade of sinning which might incense the justice of God to destroy us at once and for ever yet doth he continue himselfe in his owne kind a loving God and a father compassionate 2 Pet. 3.9 Pitty in God is most naturall who inclineth rather to pitty then to punish our infirmities therefore did the Almighty God take from man the burthensome condition of the Law and promise him everlasting life upon much more easie conditions the which grace and love of God doth challenge from all men a dutifull thankes to God who hath taken from their neckes the unsupportable burthen of the Law giving a greater liberty and ease in the worke of their salvation Secondly it doth admonish all men carefully to apprehend the grace of the Gospell and not to neglect the present and the pretious opportunity that God hath given them because he that shall breake this Covenant of grace shall doubtlesse forfeit the estate both of body and soule unto eternall damnation for this Covenant of the Gospel as it is the greatest of all the favours of God so it is the last and that being neglected there is no other to be hoped for Thirdly seeing the Gospell doth not destroy the substance of the Law but onely mitigateth and sweetens the severity thereof by a gracious dispensation from the extremity of justice it behoveth all men to be equally as carefull in the performance of the duties of the Law as if there were no other Covenant but the Law to judge them The Law makes us fit for the Gospell Gal. 3.24 for there is no man fit for the grace of the Gospell but hee that is first disciplined and schooled in the Law of Gods Commandements therefore is the Law said to be a Schoolemaster to bring us to Christ by faith because it doth humble us in the knowledge of our infirmities Fourthly seeing the purpose of the Gospell is the salvation of man it behoveth all men to respect the Gospel as they would their salvation and labour by all meanes not onely to advance the prosperity thereof but also to resist the cause that may occasion the slander or disgrace of that sacred Word and Profession Fifthly seeing the matter of the Gospel is the story of the words and workes of Jesus Christ our Saviour while hee was upon earth it doâ—h bind every mans conscience to have a reverent and confident opinion of the truth thereof and that all men labour by all convenient meanes to maintaine the memory and reputation of those sacred writings the which are onely able to guide us without errour in the right way of our salvation And seeing that God of his owne favour without any deserâ— of ours which were falne from him enters this Covenant of grace binding himselfe in the surety of his most sacred Word to give salvation upon the easie conditions of the Gospel to all those that walk in the sincerity thereof through the merits of Jesus Christ who did please to appoint himselfe to take our sins upon him and to descend his Majesty in great humility to establish our salvation in the merits of his holy workes this should move all men to give thanks for so great benefits and to live in godly conversation Sixthly seeing the officers appointed and chosen by Jesus Christ himselfe for the ministration of the Gospel were the holy Apostles and after them the godly and reverend Martyrs in the primitive Church by whose diligence the Gospel spred it selfe over all the knowne world this doth admonish all them that either are Ministers of the Gospell or that have power to make them what choice and care is to be had of their uprightnesse and godly conversation and what
have deliverance from eternall captivity and torment Thirdly seeing Christ Jesus is the matter of the Covenant of grace betweene God and man it doth also most neerely concerne all men to endeavour all meanes possible A most needfull care is to be had of all men and by their eyes of faith to apprehend Christ who is onely to be apprehended by faith and so to receive the forme and impression of his sacred Image whereby they shall be truely interested in the possession of heaven when those that want this shall be rejected of God with this answer Away from me yee wicked for I know you not because yee have not the Image of my Sonne Fourthly seeing the whole matter of the Covenant of grace is fully contained in the words and workes of Jesus Christ and that all things necessary both to a civill and Christian life are contained in the Story of the holy Gospell it behoveth all men to give that sacred Word preheminence and that no man All directions must be conformed to Scripture neither any state or fellowship of men whatsoever presume to decree or ordaine Canons or Statutes Ecclesiasticall or civill which is any way repugnant or may prejudice the directions of Jesus Christ delivered and set forth in the most holy Gospell but as Christ our Prince our Priest and our Prophet hath given us either by doctrine or example Eccle. 18. Reve. 22.18 19 which needfull directions are necessary and of lawfull use either in a Christian Church or State so no Christian Church or State should presume to innovate or alter those directions which Christ our high Priest and great Prince hath left established unto us but in all directions both in Church and State there must be needfull care that every particular have relation to the truth of holy Scripture and be conformed to the example of Christ for whatsoever direction whether it concerne the soule or society if it bee not either necessarily grounded or agreeth with the Word of God is altogether unlawfull in a Christian Church and State How to square every particular action neither can dispensation make it lawfull or tollerable Therefore by the square of the Scriptures all men ought to measure the Lawfulnesse of every action and direction and that whatsoever shall disagree from God and the holy Scriptures may be judged error and intrusion of disorder and therefore of necessity to be spewed out of every Church and State of Christian men The meditation of this doctrine and these duties should make us serious in our Christian care let us not now content our selves to have onely a generall knowledge of Christ Jesus our Redeemer To consider God in his Majesty onely is terrible but let us labour to understand him in his double nature for if we consider him in his divinity as he is God onely it is a terrour to our remembrance but if we consider him in his double nature it gives us hope and alacrity for the Majesty of God is terrible to sinfull man but his mercy is comfortable and supporteth the falling spirits of our soules which would faint and die in despaire if the grace of God did not succour and give supply to such extremities therefore as God doth most delight himselfe in the use of his mercy so let us delight our soules most in the holy contemplation of his mercy and as Christ Jesus is the most lively character of his mercy Christ Iesus is the character of Gods mercy so let our cares bee most busie in the meditations of Christ his Gospell is the booke of Gods mercies wee have eyes of faith and can both see and read the stories of mercy let us therefore direct our labours and endeavour our studies in the most happy knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ Note and in him wee shall finde all goodnesse and infinite variety of matter in him wee shall finde the cause of our redemption Where to finde the cause of mans redemption wee shall finde it in his will wee shall finde it in his working he did cause our good he did effect it also in his will was the cause in his workes was the effect This godly meditation may kindle a zeale in them that were dead in sinne and provoke holinesse where it is not to see the infinite greatnesse Ier. 4.2 Psal 34.20 the infinite goodnesse of God omniscious of God omnipotent to yield himselfe to such a wonderfull difference of fortune he that had all happinesse in the highest degree breathing unutterable pleasure in the bosome of his Father and he that made the heavens and the earth should descend from heaven to earth and there assume the forme of wretched man and in that forme worke such righteousnesse as might satisfie God satisfie the Law for the sinne of man and in that forme to bee borne in poverty to live in contempt and die in disgrace and all this to be done by the onely begotten Sonne of God for the good of man a creature that was become apostate a traytor to God a rebell to his lawes and the very cause and actor of his disgrace death and Tragedy O that I had but words to expresse the imaginations of my soule what formes of mercy we may see in our Saviour Jesus what slackenesse what scantinesse We must meditate what we cannot expresse in words nay what foulenesse of desert we finde in our selves his good and our evill are infinite therefore what we cannot expresse in words or workes let us devise it in our thoughts let us learne to believe and know our Saviour to bee infinite good though we cannot expresse his infinite goodnesse what we can doe to his glory let us by all meanes endeavour it what wee cannot doe our selves let us perswade others let us endeavour any thing that may adde any thing to the honour of our Saviour for in gaining his favour we shall have the fulnesse of all favour and in losing his favour we have naught but tribulation and misery he is the seale of the covenant of grace betweene God and as if wee want our seale wee shall want our assurance and so lose the favour of God A dangerous forfeit and forfeit our eternall estate in Heaven Therefore let us esteeme the favour of our Saviour before all things let us esteeme all things nothing in respect of him if he subscribe not to our pardon wee are but dead the Law hath cast us without him there is no grace no hope of favour no hope of pardon let us direct our eyes of faith unto him upon the bended knees of our heart and when we have found him whom our soule loveth let us resort to him in daily prayer winne his favour by endeavour in faithfull and carefull serving him and make him the sole end of our desires who hath wrought who hath effected our salvation Thus by the assistance of his grace I purpose to doe in my owne particular
offence for our offences he hath smitten his Sonne how then can he smite his servants for them how can he punish our sinnes in us for which his Sonne hath already given satisfaction Psal 117.2 The truth of the Lord endureth for ever as I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner Ezech. 33.11 but much rather that he may turne from his wickednesse and live Come saith our Saviour Mat. 11.28 unto me all you that are heavy laden and I will refresh you shall wee then make God a liar and labour with the weight of our sins to beare downe his mercy to make God a liar and deny his mercy is a greater sinne then all the sins of the whole world Mat. 27.5 Rom. 5.20 therefore Iudas sinned more in despairing of Gods mercy then the Jewes in crucifying Christ but rather where sin hath abounded there grace hath also much more abounded and over-weigheth our sins by infinite degrees Jude 21 c. for sins are but the sins of men but grace is the grace of God sins are but temporall but the grace of God is from eternity to eternity 2 Cor. 5.18 c satisfaction by Christ hath beene made for our sins and the grace of God is repaired in us by the death of Christ and is established in us through him for ever Of Repentance or sorrow of the Soule for sin VVHen Christian men have understanding by the Law of God of their miserable estate in respect of sin Joh. 15.22.24 Repentance what they were in innocency what they are in sin and what they shall be in judgement it bringeth a generall sadnesse on the soules of men dulleth the spirit and delight they have had in their prosperous fortunes for when God giveth grace to any one to examine his life God gives the first grace to repentance and to view his owne deformities consider his neglect in his dutifull and obedient service which hee oweth unto God the first knowledge thereof and apprehension of his miserie is most terrible because his conscience doth forcibly checke the former proceedings of his life and violently hale him against the currant of his owne affections for as rivers are not forced against their ordinary streame but by the tide which is more forcible than the streame it selfe so our sinfull actions The difficulty of repentance being in all men common and naturall motions is not reformed in us but by the spirit of God a power above our nature yet it is done with such contention and strife in our flesh and nature which for the time doth wonderfully distract the soule of the party repenting and needs it must for he that hath wasted and spent his time in the delicacie of fortune The reason glutting himselfe with variety of pleasures and in the hight of his vaine prosperity is admonished that he hath fed on poison and therby run himself into a desperate hazard wil doubtlesse hardly endure the extremity of griefe which sudden feare and amazednesse can lay upon him for so it is with sinfull man who not regarding the danger of their soule before they are warned and admonished by God and their conscience are taken unprovided with sudden griefe which doth alway inflict an unexpressible measure of sorrow The sorrow of a repentant soule and often times death and desperation when being taught by the Law to know our sinnes our miserable condition and the diseases of our soules so the Gospell teacheth us the cure both what and how to administer physicke to our sicke and diseased soules for else the knowledge of our sinnes were extreame misery without profit The sudden griefe is violent if wee should not also know the meanes of our recovery and to know also how to administer and apply them to our soules comfort for vertue hath no vertue but in use and that physicke which the sicke patient receiveth not cannot profit him bee it never so excellent or standeth never so neere him and as in corporall so in spirituall sicknesse the disease must first be knowne the physicke then administred for hee that ministreth before hee knoweth the cause or knoweth onely the cause and administreth not or administreth and taketh not away the cause of the disease can never recover his patient be he never so skilfull or industrious so in repentance and sorrow for sinne which is a sickenesse of the soule What must cure diseased soules must necessarily bee considered these two particulars the cause the cure The cause is either the materiall cause or the moving cause the materiall cause is sinne The cause of repentance that being the matter of our offence for which wee so sorrow and grieve at the time of our repentance This is proved in the examples of all men that have had the grace of true and unfeyned repentance every penitent child of grace having sorrow and affliction in his soule because of his sinne by which hee hath provoked his God and his Creator against him Thus did Iob and thus did David repent them and so doe and will doe all that would profit by their repentance Iob 42.6 2 Sam. 12 13. And here is necessarily to bee considered and observed that though our repentance have respect to the benefits of our owne estate as being a most necessary service in our salvation yet the maine respect we ought to have to God whose glory we must preferre God must be respected before our soules even before the salvation of our soules making him the principall and our selves but secondary respects of our repentance And herein appeareth the difference betweene true and false repentance for the false and Godlesse repentance sorroweth for their sinne onely because God doth punish and afflict them for their sinne Exod. 9.27 1 Sam. 15.24 25 King 21.27 Math. 27.3 4. and therefore their sorrow is chiefly for the punishment and but respectively for their sinne Thus did Pharaoh Saul Ahab and Iudas repent them and so doe all false and feyned repenters that feare God for their owne respects and not themselves for God Note A true and godly repentance sorroweth for sinne because it is sinne and not because it deserveth punishment and here the maine respect is to be had to God and to our selves onely for Gods sake for though the feare and dread of punishment be sufficient to move any mans repentance yet wee must not make that the cause of our spirituall sorrow but much rather because we have offended so gracious a God who hath declared himselfe to us in so many and great demonstrations of his love to mankind this ought to be more sensible to our wounded soules then the horror wee have of our condemnation thus are holy men moved in their griefe and passion of their repentance the maine difference then betweene true and false repentance is this Note true repentance is caused by reverence wee have of the love of
God false repentance by the feare we have of Gods justice and the punishment due to our sinnes the one is the office of a sonne the other is the office of a slave both of them repenting one matter but for divers respects Sinne then is the materiall cause of repentance the moving cause is God who moving by his holy Spirit in the hearts of his Elect presents them the ugly formes of their sinnes God is the moving cause in every office of grace awakes their consciences and stirres them to a serious cogitation of their sinnes and wretchednesse giving them still such proportion of grace as the degrees of their repentance and spirituall sorrow shall require and that God is the first moving cause to godly repentance is evident by many places of Scripture namely the second of Timothy where Saint Paul advising Timothy to instruct them that are contrary minded he giveth this reason 2 Tim. 2. Vers 25. Because ye shall thereby prove if God at any time will give them repentance that they may know the truth Here repentance is called the gift of God which doth utterly barre man from all cause of boasting his owne ability in this necessary duty for saith the Apostle Eph. 2.8.9 You are saved by grace through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast himselfe Also in the Acts of the Apostles proving Jesus to bee Christ and God coequall to his Father Acts 5.31 useth this argument before the counsell of the Jewes that God made him a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins where the power of forgiving of sins and giving repentance is made a proofe of his divinity interposed betweene his office of Saviour and his power of forgiving of sins These places out of many sufficiently prove that God is the first and principall moving cause of fruitfull repentance Note now God moveth not repentance in all them that repent for sin but onely in them that truly repent his chosen Elect. Now of the cure or meanes of deliverance from spirituall griefe In the curing is considered first the preparing and dressing of the wounded soule whereby it is made fit for curing Secondly the matter to be applied to the soule Thirdly the manner of applyment In the preparing of the wounded soule there be foure things necessary First a spirituall sorrow for sinne that is ascent of sorrow in the soule caused by a cogitation of sin and guiltinesse and this is a necessary preparative in a repentant soule for that soule cannot desire a spirituall refreshment that hath not first a sense of sorrow and feeling of present calamity This preparative to repentance was in the Jewes that were hearers of holy Peter when he declared before them their sinne in crucifying the Lord Jesus Acts 2.37 for the text saith When they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and said what shall we doe as if the present sorrow and anguish did so astonish them as they knew not what to doe nor how to advise themselves Humble acknowledgement The next preparative is an humble acknowledgement of the soule of the misery it is in and an exposing of such particular griefes as we finde in the register of our conscience this is also necessary in the preparing of our soules For though God the Physition of our sicke soules understand our sinnes better then our selves and can remember them better then conscience yet it is great reason that hee which desireth the health of his soule should declare so much of his griefe as hee can remember not to instruct or helpe the knowledge of God but to confesse and acknowledge our selues and our dutifull desires This acknowledgement of sinne was common in the custome of holy David The example of holy David Psal 32.5 6. how often hath hee confessed his sinne and exposed his griefe before God for God is so desirous of our good as that then he readily helpeth us when we doe but carefully desire it Therefore saith the Prophet David I said I would confesse my sinne unto the Lord Vers 6. and so thou forgavest the wickednesse thereof David did but say he would confesse his sinne God taketh his word and forgave him his sinnes and certainely humble and unfeyned acknowledgement in our repentance is an undoubted testimony that God doth give us grace and that he will without question give us his favour The third preparative consisteth in holy action that is No man can satisfie Gods justice for sin when we endeavour a reformation and declare our repentance in a conscionable discharge of our duty for though no man can satisfie the justice of God for sinne yet ought all men so much as they have by the power of grace given them to satisfie men For example he that stealeth or defraudeth be it by force or of fraud is of necessitie bound to make restitution if he be able And this the reformed Publican Zacheus well understood who professing before Christ his reformation and repentance to witnesse it to be true and unfeigned hee gave this infallible token Behold Lord Luk. 19.8 9. saith he the halfe of my goods I give to the poore and if I have taken from any man by force or forged cavillation I restore him foure-fold and the Text saith in the next Verse that then salvation was come into his house and so Zacheus endevouring that hee could not did at one time entertaine both his Saviour and his salvation therefore though no man can satisfie the Law yet every man must endeavovr it otherwise his repentance is idle and but vaine neither can hee have part in the righteousnesse and redemption of Jesus Christ Psa 25.1 2 c. The last preparative is prayer that is a lifting up of the heart to God with faith unfeigned and hopefull confidence in the exercise of prayer there is a double office First wee must expose our griefe next we must implore his favour for as in ordinary cures in surgery Note the patient must first suffer his wounds to be ript launst and search'd before the remedy can be applyed to the sore so must wee rip and search the wounds of our soule avoid and empty the infectious matter and when we have it out 2 King 19.14 1â— 16. we must use it as Hezekiah did the blasphemous letter of Rabshakeh spread it all before the Lord and then with earnest humblenesse implore his favour lay open our sins unto him and confesse that these are they that have wounded our soules troubled our conscience for which we grieve for which we pray when our soule is thus prepared there is joy in our repentant teares pleasure in our griefe and hope in our spirituall sorrow and then and not before are wee made fit to apprehend and apply Christ Jesus the salvation of our soule The matter of the cure of
greater and more excellent thaâ— either faith or hope because it is more necessary to the life of man and also inâ—iuturnity because it never dieth nor hath any end and so extendeth further Walker and keepeth a man from doing hurt unto his neighbour Charity seeketh not those things which are her owne because that shee loveth her neighbour and preferreth his good before her owne Charity is not provoked to anger Charity imagines no mischiefe Charity rejoyceth not in anothers iniquity but Charity condoles anothers griefe and maketh anothers misery to be her owne Charity suffers all things believes all things endures all things and hopes of good issue in all things Charity refuseth not to doe unto others as she desires that others should doe unto her for Charity is not partiall in her owne cause tongues shall cease prophesies shall cease Sciences shall be destroyed but Charity shall never cease but remaine for ever the perfection and fruition thereof shall be compleate in the life to come Thinke upon these things O devout soule Note to study and endevor godly charity the maine ground of Christian amity Whatsoever thy neighbour be Eph. 4.31 32. yet he is one for whom Christ dyed why dost thou then deny to shew thy charity unto thy neighbour whom God hath commanded thee to love Christ laid downe his life for him why shouldest thou then deny thy love unto him If thou truly lovest God thou must also love his Image Wee are all one spirituall body let us therefore have all one spirituall minde Why should those soules live at variance here upon earth which one day must live together in heaven Whilest our minds agree in Christ Eph. 4.5 6 7. let our wills also be conjoyned in one wee are all members of one body let us not live at variance but cherish one another that member of the body is dead which hath not a feeling sense of anothers griefe neither let him judge himselfe a member of Christs mysticall body who doth not grieve at the misery of another which suffereth we have all one Father that is God whom Christ hath taught us to call upon daily Matth. 6.9 saying Our Father and how shall hee acknowledge thee to be his Sonne Hatred stirreth up strifes but loue covereth a multitude of sinnes Matth. 6.14.15 Eccl. 28.1 c. unlesse thou againe owne his sonnes to be thy brethren love thy brethren which God hath commanded thee to love if he be worthy doe it because he is worthy if he be not worthy yet for his sake who hath commanded thee and whom thou oughtest to obey if thou lovest him that is thine enemy thou shewest thy selfe to be a friend to God and in his favour doe not marke what man doth against thee but what thou hast done against God whom by thy sinnes thou hast offended in a farre more grievous manner observe not the injuries offered thee by thine enemies but observe the infinite benefits God hath conferred upon thee in Christ Ephes 5.2 who commandeth thee to love thine enemies by the condition of our earthly nativity we are neighours and by the hope our celestiall inheritance wee are brethren Marke what Christ saith Matth. 5.44 Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt and persecute you therefore let us love one another in a brotherly love Psal 133.1 kindle in us O God the fire of true love and charity by the operation of thy holy Spirit Of Gods eternall Election and Predestination OF the eternall decree of God concerning Predestination surely no man of Christian beliefe doth make doubt thereof The consideration whereof doth commend unto us Ephes 1.3 the wonderfull power and purpose of God wherein hee determined with himselfe upon our salvation before the world was made Esa 43.11.13 For what else is it to choose and elect men that be not but to fore-see and appoint unto them their salvation before they were borne and it is an incredible matter how great an assurance of salvation there riseth in the hearts of the faithfull to understand and believe Rom. 4.16 c. that God had a care of them before the world was made and that they were chosen by him unto salvation before they had being hereupon the faithfull Christian may gather confidently and most assuredly that God cannot forsake them after they be made and are existant whom he choose and appointed unto salvation before they were existant and before the world was made God elects the faithfull unto salvation before they had being No man will deny that God hath not liberty to doe with his owne what he listeth for seeing that hee is the Maker Creator preserver and conserver of all things and Lord of heaven and earth it followeâ—h Rom 9.18 Esay 45.8 9. that he hath power upon all things for he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth when he made the world hee made it after his owne will when hee dissevered those things that he had made he disserved them as hee would the heavens from earth fire from water darknesse from light beasts from beasts plants from plants times from times seasons from seasons and man from man therefore we may assure our selves and stand in this that God hath power to determine at his owne will of the salvation of man either else wee must utterly deny him to be God and say that hee hath not power over all his creature O man Esay 43.13 Rom. 20.21 Reade the whole Chapter what art thou that thus disputest with God shall the worke say to the worke-man why hast thou made me on this fashion Hath not the Potter power over his clay even of one lumpe to make one vessell to honour and another to dishonour who is able to resist his will Joh. 36.23 albeit hee did know before what we should be yet for all that hee found nothing in us whereby hee should be moved to choose us wee are all by nature borne the children of wrath hee knew before wee should be such wherfore he had cause to refuse us rather then to choose us The free election of God is the efficient cause of our salvation the materiall cause is Christs obedience the formall cause is our effectuall calling and the finall cause is our sanctification neither can wee boast that hee chose us in respect of our godlinesse and justice that was to come for if there be any godlinesse and justice in us it is in us not as a cause but as the fruit of election and grace of God for as is said hee chose whom hee would of his free mercy not because they would be faithfull but because they should be faithfull and he gave them grace not because they were faithfull but to the intent and end they might be made faithfull wherefore it appeareth that the choyce or election of us
is made by no manner of respect of any quality of ours neither doth God elect any man for his birth or beauty or for any prerogative or excellency in his person Rom. 2.11 for God is no accepter of persons and these things are not before election but come after it for that which Moses saith of the generall election of all the Israelites Deut. 7.7 may be as truly said of the speciall election of all faithfull Israelites that God hath not chosen them for their multitude but of his owne love nor for any dignity Gen. 4.3 but of his owne mercy wee see God respected not the older-ship of Cain but chose Abel hee regarded not the riches of Nabal the wisedome of Achiâ—ophel 2 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 18. 1 Sam. 28. 2 King 9.10.33 the beauty of Absalom the comlinesse of Saul the princely blood of Jezabel neither were all the seed of Abraham elected as was Abraham it is God that hath chosen us and doth make us meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints and not any prerogative or dignity in us Wee call Christ our Saviour because hee by his dignity and merit hath deserved our salvation of God for us Therefore in no wise must wee attribute our election unto any respect of our quality and worthinesse but unto the onely respect will and purpose of God and that wee can give no reason for it The respect of our election is to be sought in God himselfe Psal 8.4 c. but onely his 〈◊〉 and infinite goodnesse was the cause of it for the perceiving of our owne unworthinesse and depravation doth drive us not this for saith David Lord whâ—â—â— is man that thou art so mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou so visitest him Psal 444. Eph. â—â— â— The Apostle doth so expound this cause that hee doth wholy attribute it uâ—â—â— God and nothing at all unto us he doth turne the respect of our election unto the good pleasure will purpose and grace of God according unto the good pleasure of his will according to the riches of his grace and according to his good pleasure which hee purposed in himselfe therefore he predestinates according to his purpose So that we must believe that these be the causes of our election and choice for all men should know that there is a supernaturall cause which is the cause of all things and that the cause of the cause Esay 43.13 God hath chosen us because it hath so pleased him is the cause of the thing caused Therefore God hath determined it who can alter it he hath chosen us because it so pleased him he would doe so because he purposed in himselfe so to doe wee must rest here and seeke 〈◊〉 other cause of these causes therefore we must not rashly and ungodly search and travell why it hath so pleased him and why he would and purposed so to doe but wee must impute it wholy and onely unto the infinite goodnesse and riches of his grace our Saviour Christ when he said I thanke thee O Father Math. 1â— 25 â—â— Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the prudent and wise and hast revealed them unto â—abes Hee did referre the cause hereof to nothing else but to the good pleasure and will of God his Father add 〈◊〉 and saying Even so O father for so was it thy gâ—od pleasure Rom. 9.15 And the Apostle when hee disputed of election and refusing he doth openly and stedfastly referre the causes of both refusing and electing unto the will of God saying He hath mercy on whom he will and haâ—dâ—eth whom be wiâ—â— hâ—â—e hardned Therefore we must consider and certainely ground our election and salvation upon his good pleasure will and purpose whose will is most free interest and right most highest over all things truth â—â—â—â—â—â—ble his pleasure stedfast for ever his purpose most effectuall and power not to be withstood Job 36.5 and without let or hindrance all which doe agree with the nature of Gods goodnesse whose property is ever to have mercy and to doe good there it is noâ— possible that the election of us made according to his pleasure Esay 43.1 3. will and purpose should be altered or made voyd but stand firme and stable for ever For like as reprobation doth exclude all manner of conjunction of them that hee refused with the refuser God so doth election joyne the chosen with the chuser which knitting together of two most sundry natures of God and man could not be made without the closing up of some mediatour Hot and cold cannot be united but in some meane which may receive bâ—â— their is much lesse possible that man which is colder then Ice Heb. 12.29 should bee united with God who is a consuming fire This cause is most cleare to all of reasonable understanding saving onely to them which neither considering the highnesse of Gods wrath 1 Pet. 1.20 The mediator betwixt God and us nor the basenesse of mans weakenesse and corruption doe thinke they may be joyned unto God without a mediatour now who that mediatour is in whom God hath chosen us before the feding of the world and hath joyned us unto him in a perpetuall conjunction the Apostle doth diligently expresse to the Ephesians saying Eph. 1.1 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us in all manner of spirituall blessing in heavenly things by Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Therfore we are chosen by God the Father in Christ his Sonne in an everlasting election before times and seasons when the world was made Wherein wee do see that it was so determined for ever that we should bee saved by Christ the Sonne of God our mediatour and it was so predestinated that the same eternall Word should be borne at his time in our flesh so that by the same through which wee should be created by in him wee should be chosen also to bee redeemed and saved and this our faith in our Mediatour and Saviour Christ hath a most ancient foundation that is to say eternall before all times The foundation of our faith is most ancient and layd before the world began In this wise also wee were in Christ before the world was made by the strength of this eternall election as his chosen but hee did choose us to the intent that wee should be in him and be saved by him For Christ was made the Mediatour head and Saviour of the Elect before the nativity of his flesh but he was appointed so by the Father for evermore Rom. 9. and wee were chosen in him before we were borne at the same time when God determined upon the head and Mediatour of them that should bee saved and did also determine upon them that should bee saved by him as his members which determination the
Justification to be in the workes of the Law and doth absolutely ascribe it to the power of faith in Christ and he giveth a reason of this doctrine for saith hee If righteousnesse be by the Law Gal. 2.21 then Christ dyed without cause So then the very cause why Christ died was that righteousnesse might be imputed and apprehended by faith to all them that believe seeing that by workes it is impossible and therefore saith the Prophet David Psal 32.1 Blessed is he whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven Verse 2. and whose sinnes are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne so hee thinketh them most righteous that have their unrighteousnesse forgiven them and them most holy that have not their sins imputed unto them Rom. 4. The fourth to the Romanes the whole Chapter is an earnest and sufficient proofe of this argument and doctrine where the Apostle laboureth by direct evidence to satisfie all doubt as if hee had fore-knowne the stiffe and unreconcileable oppositions of these times against this doctrine of Justification in which Chapter he maketh Abraham his instance in whom there was as much cause of boasting and as much righteousnesse as in any other particular save Christ Jesus onely yet he there proveth that Abraham upon whom God had founded his peculiar people was not justified by the righteousnesse of his workes but that this faith was imputed unto him for righteousnesse and for proofe alleadgeth Scripture Gen. 15.6 And Abraham believed the Lord and hee accounted that to him for righteousnesse so that the matter of our justification is the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely and the meanes of apprehending it is onely by faith This doctrine howsoever it is made strong and unresistable by many testimonies of holy Scripture and though it be zealously maintained by men of great learning and religious judgement yet it hath endured violence and suffered disgrace both by ignorance and envie this age maintaining such oppositions of error as the ignorance of former times first occasioned thereforâ— at this day this argument of justification is one of the maine controversies of the world the one maintaine justification by faith onely the other by workes that defending truth this opposing it and though a faithfull man would be willing to quarrell in defence of faith Note Psal 91.4 faith being our shield of defence against all gaine-sayers sin and the dwell yet know not how to give addition of strength to them that have already exceedingly travelled in this manifest truth and whose faithfull paines have maintained this quarrell with valour and victory against all opposition neither is it in the purpose of this businesse to dispute questions of truth but to deliver truth as it is by admonitions and plaine teachings to men of simple easie understanding for whose Christian good these paines are principally taken whose simplicity might most easily be confounded in the intricate search of cunning arguments for these respects And because all contention and strife of words is in the hatred of my nature I will as I finde it written downe sparingly deliver my selfe in a large argument and strike onely one blow at the enemy of faith that I may bee knowne to be an enemy of that enemy and that by a familiar proofe I may instruct the knowledge of them that are lesse learned For they that deny justification by fayth and approve it by works would frame this argument from the testimony of Saint James Jam. 2.17 c. who speaking of a generall faith doth utterly disable it from the office of justification and therefore he saith that Faith without workes is dead in it selfe for as the body without the spirit is dead even so faith without workes is dead also Therefore say they that the Apostle concludeth that of workes a man is justified and not of faith onely To this is answered it is most true that fruitlesse faith is dead neyther can justifie and that good workes are the spirit and soule of a living faith for as the body without the soule is not a living man but a dead carcase so faith without workes is not living is not saving nay is not true faith but onely beares a generall name and with Saint Iames wee may conclude against all such faith But if there be a faith that hath a necessity depending of good workes as necessarily as the soule to the body and the fruit to the tree and that this faith declare it selfe to bee plentifull in good actions the fruits of a living faith we may then with Saint James conclude against them for hee doth not as they doe disinable all faith in the worke of justification but onely that faith which is dead Note and without workes So both opinions imply a necessity of workes the one as the cause of justification and the other as an effect in them justified It were easie to be large in numbring authorities and in reporting such distinctions and shifts as the deceived use in supporting their erroneous opinions they are but inventions therefore without respect wee will passe them over Note but advise the Christian Reader to beware of both extreames and modestly and moderately to understand the meanes of his justification that his zeale carry him to no extremity but to the vertuous meane onely and not to ascribe all to fayth and nought to workes but to give them both their necessary respects for as wee are not justified but by fayth so our fayth is not justified but by our workes for if our works be not faythfull our fayth working we are not justified neyther can be saved For when it is said that fayth onely justifieth it is meant and not denyed that charity is joyned with that fayth which justifieth being inseparably united unto it but that onely fayth and not charity is the meanes by which we embrace Jesus Christ our justification righteousnesse As for example the fire hath heate and light which qualities cannot bee severed in that subject Note yet the fire burneth by heate only and not by light now if they will reason say if the heate of the fire only burn Similitude then it burneth without the light of the fire but that it cannot do such is their reason against justification only because it cannot be separated from charity Likewise though the parts of mans body bee joyned together and one is not without another in a perfect body yet the eye onely sees and the eare onely heares and every part hath his distinct office and so hath faith and charity Thus may the seeming difference betweene Saint Paul and Saint Iames bee reconciled Heb. 11. but such fayth and workes as Saint Paul meaneth justifie us before God but such fayth and workes as Saint Iames meaneth justifie us before men but God doth justifie effectually fayth doth justifie apprehendingly and good workes doe justifie declaringly that is we doe declare our selves by our workes
unto men to bee justified therefore good workes doe not precede a man to bee justified but follow him being justified as the effect and fruit of faith that is our workes shall bee our witnesses what wee are in heart and what wee are in fayth Rom. 4 22.23 Eph. 2.10 but by faith wee are justified and made righteous in the sight of God Saint Paul saith not that wee are the creatures of God in Christ through good workes but that wee are created of God in Christ to doe good workes Againe you are saved by grace through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Vers 8 9. not of workes least any man should boast himselfe Math. 9.22 29. Marke 5.34 10.52 Luke 7.50 8.48 Acts 26.18 John 1.12 Our Saviour Christ as it is in sundry places of the Evangelists recorded saith often thy faith hath saved thee onely believe believe onely and thou shalt receive remission of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in mee as many as believe in me to them hath God given power to become the sonnes of God whosoever believeth in me shall not be condemned shall not perish but have everlasting life these be the words of our Saviour Christ now Saint Paul saith Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 16 31. and thou shalt be saved Gal. 3.8 Rom. 4 3 c. God doth justifie through faith we are blessed by faith we are the children of Abraham yea we are the children of God by faith the righteousnesse of God commeth by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe If therefore thou confesse with the mouth of the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt bee saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse Rom. 3.24 c. and with the mouth man confesseth unto salvation Wee are freely justified by his grace through faith but justification is onely proper to Gods children so that all prophane and ungodly people are out of possibility to bee justified and made righteous in the sight of God this is proved by Saint Paul to the Romans Rom. 8.3 Whom he predestinated them also he called and whom he called them also be justified And againe justification is a righteousnesse in the sight of God that is such as have a true a living and a saving faith and by faith wee doe apprehend the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ God is content to accept of such in the righteousnesse of his Sonne and to obscure their sins and to make them to appeare and stand before him as actually and verily just by his imputative righteousnesse as if they had wrought it personally in the practise of their owne lives If any make demand how can these things be I answer with the Apostle Vers 33 34. Rom. 5.1 It is God that justifieth who shall condemne Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ Thus farre Saint Paul whereby we may see that if justification and salvation should bee attributed to the merits of mans good workes it would occasion boasting and glorying in the flesh and challenging of our justification and salvation as due to the merit of our good workes and so much abâ—te and abase the glory of Gods grace that grace should then no more deserve the name of grace The Scripture is full of proofes in this argument looke Gal. 2.16 Rom. 3.21.22.28 30. Act. 13.38 Rom. 1.29.30 31. but if Justification and Salvation be as it ought to be wholly given and ascribed unto Gods grace and mercy promised unto us in Christ Jesus which we doe apprehend and lay hold of onely by faith as the onely instrumentall cause under Gods grace then is all the glory and honour of our justification given onely unto God without any merit of man and so as it is said before is concluded that we meane not by faith onely to exclude the doing but the meriting of good workes Seeing that none can be saved but those that are first justified and seeing none can be justified but they that have a true living and a working faith It behoveth all men to have a principall care to have the assurance of this faith that so they may be sure to be justified that they may be sure to be saved And because all men are naturally prone to deceive themselves with flattery and favourable opinion of themselves and their owne actions because Saint James and so the Scripture James 2. in many places doth utterly dis-inable an idle dead and a fruitlesse faith from the office of Justification it therefore neerely concerneth all men seriously and without private respect to examine their faith and compare their faith and their workes together that their workes being good those workes may justifie their faith to be a living and a saving faith and that they content not themselves with a bare and common historicall faith the which the Divell and the damned soules may have but that their faith may be approved good by the sufficient testimony of their good works without which their faith cannot be good For as the tree is knowne by his fruit and as it is impossible to gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles even so is our faith judged by our workes and so it is impossible that good workes should proceed from an evill faith or that a good faith should not produce good works good works being a necessary dependance upon a good faith This ought to provoke all men to an emulation of godly exercise to contend to exceed in holy actions and to square and fashion all their workes by their faith Note and to make every act of theirs a testimony that they are truly faithfull For he that is not with us is against us and those workes of ours that witnesse not for us will be witnesses against us and will condemne us in the sight of all men that our faith is not good or not at all and that therefore wee are not justified neither can be saved This may judge all those actions of men that disproportion a good faith and a good conscience For though men flatter themselves and promise peace to their soules and thinke to be justified and saved by a bare acknowledgment of God and their common historicall faith yet in a time when they thinke not on 't Note their ungodly workes will make warre upon their soules and bring upon them a sure and a sudden destruction Againe seeing justification is a meanes ordained by God to bring us to salvation this ought to move all men to a faithfull acknowledgement of Gods love who onely is the principall and first moving cause in every circumstance of our salvation and that we doe acknowledge our selves in great humility to be altogether defective and unable in the worke of our owne salvation and that every grace in us is
salvation be our continuall exercise let us exercise our pleasure in reading and meditating the excellent variety of matter and Majesty of the phrase in the Gospel being the rhetorique and eloquence of the holy Ghost let us also exercise in studying rightly to understand the covenant of our salvation to keepe which covenant wee shall therein often be admonished by promises threats intreaty and by examples in all which the knowledge and meditations of the Gospel will instruct us This doctrine is very usefull and solatious and may be applyed to many notable purposes for it shewes us the true causes of all our happinesse it also confuteth the Pelagians who ascribe salvation to mens owne strength and merits and it serves to correct the course of those that hinder their owne happinesse by their owne presumption diffidence incredulity prophanenesse sensuality and other irregular and irreligious courses Lastly it proves the deity of Christ for in that he hath elected his faithfull unto eternall life we conclude that he is very God for these respects and reasons let us enter covenant with our soules to be carefull in keeping our covenant with God Of the Incarnation of the Word Christ IT is necessary and meet to shew something of the Incarnation of Christ for because that the same doth chiefly belong to the worke of our Redemption we will note those things onely which shall seeme to helpe towards the stay of the purity and certainnesse of our faith and to cut off all curious and unprofitable questions it is needfull for them that will consider the mystery of the word Incarnate Not of mans word but of Gods Word For as much as this Incarnation is reported not of every word but of the Word of God it is first needfull for the confirmation of our faith that wee doe heare the testimony of holy Scripture that the word is in God it is declared even in the beginning of Genesis wherein the History of the Creation of all things is so oftentimes reiterated Gen. 1 c. and God said let it be and it was done he said and they were made he commanded and they were created and in another place By the Word of the Lord the heavens were fastened in the beginning was the Word John 1.1 and the Word was God and God was the Word Paul saith By the vertue of his Word and the brightnesse of his Glory Hebr. 1 c. upholding all things by the word of his Power Againe By faith wee understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God Hebr. 11. so that our faith is confirmed in this by the testimony of holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament that we doe believe the word to be in God of which thing there be found sufficient testimonies also in the writings of the Ethnickes which did attribute unto God-head the Mind the Word and the Spirit wherefore wee Christians may so much the more stedfastly stand unto our faith because that those things which wee doe believe of God the Father and his Word are so certaine and manifestly true that they be approved not onely by the infallible testimonies of holy Scriptures but of Ethnickes also Act. 7.51 c. and doth openly reprove the blindnesse of the unhappy Jewes but how the word is in God no Christian man must be too curious to search those things which be spoken of God which be so attemperate unto our capacity that they be spoken upon some likenesse rather then according to any exact property of Gods Nature and Essence And because we should not thinke of God to be onely but an Essence but as a most high and excellent Essence dissevered and separated from all others as well spirits as bodies he is called Jehova Ebrew word as existent every where in all places and making Greeke preserving and governing all things and is called God which is piercing and passing thorow and to signifie that he is the same to the end of the world as the minde is in man they called him the Mind the Word and the Spirit to give us to understand that the same infinite Essence in Godhead doth not altogether rest in it selfe and keepe his vertue goodnesse and wisdome to himselfe alone but rather set it forth and reveale it even as the mind of man cannot be idle but doth expresse in word whatsoever it doth conceive in it selfe by the meane of the spirit which is as it were the Conduit whereby the word is brought forth from the deepe secret parts of the mind Similitude As for example Imagine that God the Father were like as a lively and endlesse Fountaine and his Sonne the Word to be as a River continually flowing out of this Fountaine and that the holy Spirit might be the very moving and flowing out whereby the water floweth out of the compasse of the Fountaine which moving cannot be without the moving of the aire The Word is the Sonne of God Now whereas this Word is called the Sonne of God it is like as if a man should call the River the sonne of the Fountaine and our word that wee doe speake the sonne of the Mind but all this is but by way of accommodation to our weakenesse for no Angel were able to utter nor no man able to understand him if he did only speake of the Nature and Essence of God as it is in it selfe What wee ought to judge of this Word of God no man is able better to set it forth then the holy Scripture did expresse by the Evangelist Saint John where he saith In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word John 1.2 3 4 5. the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by it and without it was made nothing that was made In it was life and the life was the light of men and the light shined in the darkenesse and the darkenesse received it not and a little after Verse 14. and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among uâ— and we saw his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten Sonne of the Father full of Grace and Truth Now touching the Incarnation it is said 1 Joh. 4.3 that the Word was made flesh which is nothing else but the Word was made man now whereas hee saith that the Word was made man of which he said now before that it was God he doth without contradiction say that God was made man or flesh and though the Apostle saith God the Word is made flesh it is not said of the Father neither of the holy Spirit but the Word to be Incarnate not onely for that that he is the Sonne in Godhead and that by him the world was made but for this cause also chiefly because the Word is that Counsell coeternall with God the Father purposed to save man-kinde in whom our Redemption is predestinated even from everlasting in whom also wee
be chosen into the adoption of the children of God as we may see in the first to the Ephesians Ephes 1.4 wherefore the worke of our Redemption was not ordained to be brought to passe but by this Word this way being agreeable with the eternall predestination of the Will of God The Word is made flesh for Christ is the Incarnate Word God and man to admonish us whereof Christ is that is of the Word and flesh so that wee must consider that in his nativity there is not onely the nature of man but the nature also of God joyned together personally with the nature of man wherefore we must use and hold most firme and stedfast this circumlocution of Christ Christ taketh the man-hood into his Godhood as is expressed by the holy Spirit for though it is said the Word is made flesh hee doth not meane simply flesh but the soule and spirit with the flesh also that is the whole man for by the word of flesh there is not meant that man onely whom the Virgin did beare was received of the word into this conjunction but the very nature of man-kind for the redeeming and restoring of which this Incarnation of the Word was predestinated from everlasting so that wee must judge that the Word was made not onely the Sonne of the Virgin Mary Luke 3. but surely also the sonne of Adam and of Eve which is diligently expressed by Luke in the genealogie of Christ The weaknesse of man taken upon the word the word flesh also signifieth mans weaknesse that we may also know that the Word of God is not so made man that it tooke those things only upon it which pertaine to mans spirit and foule but it tooke the infirmity of our flesh also saving sinne onely Mat. 21.18 Mar. 14.33.34 which is sufficiently expressed in the very race of his dispensation when he hungred and thirsted ate and dranke was made merry slept wept was made sorry and after suffered death all which things were not fained by him by counterfeiting but truely declared according to the truth of mans nature What can be more conjunct and more united then that everlasting Trinity in the God-head of the Persons yet it cannot be said that the Father is made the Sonne or the holy Spirit or the Sonne the Father or the holy Spirit An excellent note to be observed or the holy Spirit the Father or the Sonne as it is here spoken of the Word that it is made flesh Why because the unity of the holy Trinity is of godly nature and not of person that is to say consisteth not Ephes 5.31 The communicating of nature doth consist in getting and bearing and not in creating and making of one and the selfe same person but of one selfesame nature Againe the man and the woman be so joyned and united by wedlocke that they doe become into one flesh for saith the Apostle They be not two but one flesh and yet no man can truely say that the man is made the woman why because the man and the woman be not coupled into one selfesame person but in wedlocke they bee two persons joyned together into one flesh and nature but it may bee sayd that the word was made flesh though it did not simply take our flesh but ioyned it selfe unto it in unity of person Personall unity and the condition of personall unity that albeit it doe comprehend divers natures yet it is reported of the one that it is the other as in this cause it is reported of the word that it is made flesh he doth not say that the word was changed into flesh but the word was made flesh for then this change must have had an alteâ—ation of nature which cannot bee or take place in Christ for the word is not changed but still retaineth his nature neither it receiving flesh It is not possible God can leave to be God left his nature it is not possible that God can leave to be God the nature of God suffereth neither change nor end for it is immutable and infinite neither could the dispensation taken in hand beare it that the nature of man joyned unto the nature of God should loose those things which be proper unto it for so it might be inferred that Christ were not true man nor truly conceived nor borne of the Virgin Mary did not suffer dyed not nor rose againe from the dead which notwithstanding the holy Scriptures doe manifestly ascribe all these things unto him Wherefore the whole universall Church doe hold firmely and rightly that God was made man he tooke upon him that which he was not and lost not that which hee was neither doth the unity of person require the change of natures but doth reteine them both perfect and sound A similitude The soule and spirit is heavenly immortall and incorruptible but the flesh is earthly mortal corruptible The testimony of the Godhead and manhood of Christ cannot be vain Coloss 1. The person of man being one doth consist of a soule and body personally joyned together the soule is of a heavenly nature and beginning the body of an earthly the soule is immortall and not suffering corruption the body is mortall and corruptible and yet they be joyned together without confusion that in both remaineth still his owne nature The testimonies of the Godhead which bee given unto Christ in holy Scriptures should bee altogether vaine if the word were changed into flesh And againe if the flesh had beene changed into the word then all those testimonies and writings which the Evangelists doe set forth of the true manhood of Christ were not worthy to be believed The Apostle saith that all things are by Christ and that there dwelleth in him bodily all fulnesse of the Godhead take from him the nature of the word and this testimony of the Apostle is of no weight The Euangelists and Apostles doe witnesse of him Math. 1.1 Rom. 1.3 4. that hee is of the seed of Abraham and of David according to the flesh the fruit of the wombe of Mary conceived in her body and according unto the fulnesse of time appointed to women with child borne and such other things as they doe make mention of the course of his dispensation to manifest unto us that he was true man Eph. 5.30 passing over that which the Apostle witnesseth of him that wee are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh therefore all these things shall be false if the flesh of him lost that her nature by the conjunction of the word and turned it into godly nature Wherefore wee must diligently looke to our selves in this matter for because of false Doctors which doe bereave Christ of the true nature of our flesh because hee saith The word was made flesh Thus briefly to note of the beginning of the flesh of Christ whereby it is manifest enough how wicked an opinion they had which denyed the