we expect other then death and works of darknesse it selfe in Christ In Christ by faith we are restored to life again we must be raised again to the workes of light As by carnall generation we entred into the sinne of Adam so by faith through Christ we must attain unto righteousnesse As by the flesh of Adam pride covetousnesse lust and all kind of uncleannesse is begotten born and groweth old in us so by the holy Spirit our nature ought to be renewed sanctified and repurged from all pride covetousnesse lust and envie And it is needful that we from Christ should draw a new spirit a new heart sense and minde in the same manner as we drew from Adam our fleshly subject to sinne And as concerning regeneration Christ saith Isai 9. Our Al good works ought to proceed out of the new birth Father is eternall After this manner then are we renewed in Christ to life eternall regenerated by Christ and in Christ become a new creature by this regeneration by Christ and the holy Ghost and Faith it is necessary works must flow and proceed which we desire we should please God in so we live in the new birth and the new birth doth live in us so we in Christ and Christ in us so last of all we live in the The description of the new birth and the fruits thereof Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Christ in us This regeneration and the fruits thereof Paul Ephes 4. calleth and termeth thus To be renewed in the spirit of our minde to put off the old man to be transformed into the Image of God 2 Cor. 3. To be renewed and known according to his Image that made you to the Coloss 3. Regeneration and renovation of the holy Ghost to Titus 3. Last of all to take away the stony heart and to give us a New birth is from Christ fleshy heart Ezek. 11. And by this appeareth how by the incarnation and humanity of Christ regeneration is raised or proceedeth that is to wit because man out of his ambition pride and disobedience offended and turned himself from God this Apostasie could not be amended or put away but by extream humility lowlinesse of will and obedience of the Sonne of God And as Christ in his conversation upon earth among men was most humble it is necessary that he should be the same in thee to live in thee and to renue the Image of God in thee See now and behold the most amiable the most lowly curteous the most The life of Christ in us The example of Christ is the rule of our life obedient and most patient Christ and learn of him or even as he is live in him For what was the cause sayest thou why he so lived Truly that he might be thy example looking-glasse and rule of life He I say and no St. Bennets rule nor of any other man commended unto thee but the example of Christ I say of Christ which his Apostles with one consent and direct finger did alone point at And this is the reason of his passion death and resurrection that is to say that thou with The new life is the fruit of the death passion of our Lord. him mayst die from thy sinnes and again in him with him and by him mayst rise spiritually walk in a new life of which argument thou mayst see more hereafter in the 11. and 31. Chapters therefore our regeneration ariseth out of and disperseth it selfe from the healthfull fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ whereupon S. Peter 1 Epist 1. saith God hath regenerated us to a lively hope through Jesus Christ and thereupon it commeth to passe that the Apostles every where do lay the foundation of penitence and the new life to be the passion of Christ as Rom. 6. 1 Pet. 1. Spend your time in reverent fear knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver but with the pretious bloud even the Lamb the Lord Jesus Where thou seest the most pretious ransom of our redemption to be the cause of our holy conversation The same Peter Epist 1. Cap. 3. writeth Christ bought our sinnes in his body upon the Crosse that being dead unto sinne we might live unto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed And Christ himselfe Luke 24. saith So it behooved Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead the third day and preach repentance and remission of sinnes in his name By which words it is manifest that from the fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ doth flow both preaching and repentance Therefore the passion of Christ is both satisfaction for our sinnes and the renewing of man by faith both which together and at once are required to the redemption and reparation of mankind because this is the fruit and this is the efficacie of the passion of Christ working in us renovation and sanctification 1 Cor. 1. This lastly is the means whereby we are born again and renewed in Christ neither is the laver of regneration any other thing wherein we are dipt to the death of Christ to wit to die with Christ from our sinnes by the help and efficacy of his death and arise from sin by the grace of his glorious resurrection CHAP. IV. What is true Repentance what also is the Crosse and Yoak of Christ Galat. 5. Those which are of Christ have crucified their own flesh with the vices and concupiscence thereof REpentance and true conversion is the work of the holy Ghost through which the man acknowledging his faults by the Law and together therewith the most just wrath of God against sin doth earnestly grieve for the same and would not have committed those things he hath done and through the Gospel understanding the grace of God by faith in Christ obtaineth the remission of his sins and by this penitency the mortification and crucifying The property of true repentance of the flesh and all carnall pleasures and concupiscences of the heart is accomplished and together with the same quickning of the spirit whereby it followeth that Adam with all his corruptions dieth in us and Christ contrarily liveth in us by faith because these two neceslarily do grow together so as the resurrection or renewing of the spirit doth follow the mortification The old mans death is the life of the new of the flesh at the heeles and the quickning of the new spirit followeth the abolishing of the old man although the outward man decay yet the inward man is renewed daily 2 Cor. 4. Mortifie your earthly members Coloss 3. and so think your selves dead in sinne but alive in God through Christ The flesh is mortified by true repentance Jesus our Lord Rom. 6. But let us consider why the flesh is to be mortified by true repentance We said even now by the fall of Adam that the man became even devillish earthy carnall without God and without love
canst not live with him in this life It remaineth therefore whose life in this world is not in Christ he shall not have life in the other world Here I pray thee now examine thy life and see whether it be more like to Christs or the Vnion with Christ or the Devill Devils Certainly with one of them thou shalt be joyned eternally after death But who is dead to himselfe he is in love with no businesses yea is dead to the world what other thing is it to die unto the world then not to love the world and the things of this world according to that of John Epist 1. chap. 2. He who loveth the world is not of God For what should he doe in the world who inwardly and in his heart is dead to it Whom also whosover loveth he is no otherwise then Samson of Dalila overcome of it and condemned to all the torments and vexations which the He is overcom of the world that loveth it worldly life containeth or affordeth Moreover the love of the world belongeth to the old man not to the regeneration because the world hath nothing but honours The old man delighteth in the world the new man in Christ wealth concupiscence of the eyes and of tâ—e flesh with the pride of life in which the old Adam is conversant and delighteth it selfe And contrariwise to the new man he hath all things in Christ as joy honour wealth and pleasure for what can be more The Image of God the great est dignity of man honorable to a man or is more to be desired then the Image of God renewed by Christ Or if we seek pleasures what man in his wits can doubt that God doth give delight to his above all creatures and delight The man is made for greater things then this world them more as the words of Taulerus say Furthermore what think you of that which the Scripture teacheth Man was not made for the worlds sake but the world for mans sake nor to fill his belly with delicate meat pamper his own wit heap up riches spread his Empire abroad to get most ample possessions grounds and fruits of the earth to be gorgeously attired to abound in gold and silver to be Lord of the earth to put all his delight and joy therein as in his paradise to place it and know hope for nothing but what is before his eyes Or lastly for any terrene cause whatsoever or any thing that is fraile although of it selfe it be good pleasant and pretious No truly he must goe hence he is but a tenant and a life-renter of this great world into which we enter many at one instant as it were by heaps yet death calls for us also As it is not profitable for any of us to carry with us a grain of all the treasure we have heaped whereby it evidently appeareth that we were not created for this temporall life To what man was created neither this world to be the principall end of our creation seeing that we live therein as prilgrims and guests therefore another cause brought us into this world and for whom we were born which is God himselfe and the image of God which we bear in Christ and unto whom we are renewed In this we are convinced evidently to wit that we are especially created for the kingdome of God and life eternall which Christ hath recovered for us and to whom we are regenerate by the holy Ghost How preposterous then is it for one to fix his heart to the world and give his minde to earthly things when we know the other to be more noble then the whole word I say for a man to attend and spend his time on earthly things which is the most excellent of all creatures which carrieth about him the image of God in Christ and is renewed to this image Wherefore as I said before the man for the world was not created but the world was created for man and therefore carrleth about with him the image of God in Christ of which the excellency and nobility is so great that all men with all his workes and power could not repaire one soule or renew the Image of God But for this cause it was necessary that Christ should die that because the image of God was defaced and destroyed in man it should be renewed by the holy Ghost and he should become forthwith the habitation and house of God And this being known and called to mind if he be right minded he will never compare the riches of the world honours To preferre earthly things before heuvenly is great madnes and pleasures with the price of his soule which Christ hath redeemed at such a price for what is it to cast pearls in the mire and before swine if this should not be That which our Saviour saith Matth. 16. pertaineth to this place What profiteth it a man to get the whole world and lose his owne soule For seeing the world is mortall and the soul of man immortall the world with all his pomp cannot recover one soul CHAP. XIV A true Christian ought after the example of Christ to contemne the world and hate his life in this world John 12. He that loveth his soule loseth it and he that hateth his soule in this world doth preserve it to eternall life HE that will hate himselfe he must first not love himselfe so that he may daily die to sinne and therefore he must continually Selfe-love the chiefest enemy of the soul Idolatry wrastle with himselfe and his flesh for nothing is more hurtfull to a man that is desirous of his salvation and more hindereth him then selfe-love I say that carnall Philautia of which this following discourse in all this book is the subject I doe not say that care of preserving our selves but loving our selves is forbidden For seeing that God alone is to be loved it followeth that he who loveth himselfe is an Idolater and maketh himselfe God what every one loveth in that his heart is fixed neither can we be taken but with the love and servitude of something so as we become servants despoiling our selves of our proper liberties and consequently having so many Lords we are subject unto as we have objects to love but if thy love be sincerely and simply towards God then thou art subject to no object but it is manifest thou art at liberty wherefore thou must be very circumspect that thou follow nothing that may hinder the divine love in thee And if thou desirest to possesse God alone as much as thou art able so much in like The law of God brings forth tranquillity the world perturbation manner of thy all must thou consecrate to him But if thou love thy selfe and please thy selfe much pensivenesse sorrow feare and sadnesse will befall thee Contrariwise if thou love God and rejoycest in him onely and dost dedicate thy selfe onely to him then will he be thy
should shadow mine own honour under them and expect any thing besides the honour of God and the good of my neighbour therefore all are abomination accursed before Almighty God according to that of Matth. 7. Many Why God respecteth not the gifts shall say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and cast out Devils in thy Name and have done many miracles in thy Name And then I shall say unto them Because I know you not depart from me The alms of the ambitious is damnable you workers of iniquity and you have not respected me sincerely but your selves Of the like mind is Saint Paul If I should give all that I have unto the poore and have not charity it profiteth mee nothing Even that love which exerciseth or sheweth liberality for Gods cause alone and not for his own praise or profits sake Such as was the righteousnesse of the Pharisees who offered many sacrifices and drew on others that they might adorn their Temples with their gifts and offer costly offerings the slaverie of which ambition drew them to forget the offerings of the poore whose gifts ought rather to bee preferred out of pitie alone Which preposterous charity in them Christ upbraideth Matth. 23. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because under long prayers you devoure widowes houses In which perverse religion there be now followers which bequeath large legacies to Temples and Monasteries that their Clerks and Monkes may make long prayers for them which truly is false love seeking themselves and if you scan it well not respecting divine honour but themselves But we who know to live justly by faith let us rather be penitent aâ—d offer our selves to God by mortifying and crucifying our flesh then all our works of charity not out of selfe-love nor for the cause of praise or profit whatsoever but let us doe it for the love and sincere love of God being sure if we doe it otherwise they will not profit us a haire Therefore although thou give thy body to be burned and want love which is due to God alone and his praises and honour thou doest nothing saith Saint Paul Neither doe they profit any more which whip and burn their bodies by humbling and afflicting their souls as speaketh Isai 58. because indeed they are conceited in their singular sanctity and affect their own proper praises and their presumptuous religion in their private judgement doe not respect God but applause popular praise and estimation whereby many of them are so blinded God suffering them the work of error 2 Thess 2. that they make no doubt to suffer themselves to be burned for the defence of their False Martyrs conceived heresie and if God be pleased to become Martyrs of Christ when yet they doe not serve Christ but themselves neither doth the punishment but the cause make a Martyr Such Martyrs as these the Devill even amongst the Ethnickes hath many were so blinded in their understanding they were contented to die for their Altars and Idols And the same is done this day amongst Christians under the shew of the Christian faith seeing the Ethnicks themselves to gain an immortall name to perswade themselves they doe well in so doing To whom for self-love and glory or praise there were like unto them certain Monks devout persons in our age which are called Catholicks which for the cause of propagating Religion will perswade Princes and Monarchs that they are to doe the like unto them even die for the Catholicks cause Whose madnesse is so much the more manifest being they beleeve that they suffer for Christs cause and they become his Martrys when contrariwise they become the Martyrs of Roman Bishops and of their private renown and praise And thus much of coated or cloak charity powerfully seduced and carried on by a false light It remaineth therefore without the sincere love of God and our neighbour and a holy and Christian life all Arts Sciences Faculties profit nothing wisdome how great soever and if it be as great or greater then that which was in Solomon is nothing the knowledge of the whole Scripture and universall Theology is nothing lastly all works whatsoever and Martyrdome it selfe if you will so call it yea to know the will of God and his word and to live after the prescript rule thereof that onely augmenteth the guilt of eternall damnation according to that of Saint John 15. If I had not come and spoken unto them they had had no sin but now they have no excuse for their sin CHAP. XXXVI Of those that live not in Christ but have their heart fixed to the world although they possesse the outward letter of the Word and do not tast the inward force of it and the hidden Manna Apocalypse 1. To him that overcometh I will give the hidden Manna I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but he that receiveth it BY this Sentence it appeareth wee are taught that no man doth taste the inward sweetnesse of the heavenly joy and solace hidden in the word of God which doth not overcome his own flesh and the Who be apt to tast heavenly sweetnesse world with all the pomps and concupiscences thereof and lastly the Devil himselfe that is to say they who crucifie their own flesh daily by their serious contrition and repentance with all the desires and concupiscence thereof who die to themselves and the world daily lastly to whom this life is a meer crosse I say these are divinely fed with heavenly Manna and drink the Nectar of Paradise Contrariwise those that follow none but worldly pleasure it is unprofitable for those to taste the hidden Contraries ioy not together Manna For like things are delighted in their like and seeing that the word of God is spirituall it is no marvell if worldly minds be not delighted therewith For even as the soul receiveth no strength of the food which the stomack hath not concocted so the soule of the divine Word or Manna receiveth no strength unlesse it bee converted into it selfe that is into life Yea as a man sick of a Fever distasteth all things and are bitter unto him so those that are sick of the worldly Ague that is of the love of the world covetousnesse pride and lust these I say doe loath the word of God and distast it as bitter Contrariwise With whom the word of God hath no savour those that have the Spirit of God these doe find in it the hidden Manna never to be tasted by them that are carried away with the world which is the cause that many by the daily hearing of the Gospel doe feele little desire and spirituall joy because they are not carried by the Spirit of God nor have any heavenly but earthly minds But he that will fully and soundly understand the word of God and eate Manna it behoveth him to study to
whose hearts not onely by nature but by the word revealed the new covenant the word of God is written and yet do despise and cast behind them this grace and favour Of which new Covenant Jeremy saith Chap. 3. This shall be my compact I will put my Lawes into their inwards and I will write it in their hearts and a man shall not any more teach his neighbour and a man his brother saying Know the Lord for all men shall know me saith the Lord even from the least to the greatest because I will forgive their iniquity and I will not remember their sins any more Heare what is said Heb. 10. To those that voluntarily offend or sinne against God after the knowledge he hath received for such there is no sacrifice left for him but a certain terrible expectation of judgement and offering by fire which consumeth the adversary He that breaketh the Law of Moses without any mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall die the death how much more and worse doe you thinke doe they deserve death which have contemned against the Sonne of God and polluted the bloud of the Testament in whom he is sanctified and contumaciously despised the spirit of grace for we know who hath said Vengeance is mine and I will return it upon them And again because the Lord will judge his people It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God With which heavie sentence without doubt those are not strucken which fall through humane frailty but those that wittingly and willingly sin against the truâ— knowledge and persevere in impenitencie CHAP. VIII Without true repentance no man can challenge Christ and his merits to belong unto him Numb 9. The unclean may not celebrate the Passeover THe words of our Saviour Christ Mat. 9. are The healthy hath no need of the Physitian but the sick I did not come to call the just but the sinners to repentance whereby we are clearly taught that Christ indeed did call sinners but to repentance neither can any come unto him without repentance without conversion from sinne and What is true repentance faith for repentance is no other thing then by true contrition and sorrow to die unto sinne and by faith to obtain forgivenesse for sinne and to live unto righteousnesse in Christ so that in true repentance necessarily serious and divine contrition must go before a heart as I may say broken and câ—ucifying the flesh whereupon in Cap. 6. Epist ad Hebr. Repentance is said to be or is called the worke of dead men because by it we abstain from those works whose reward is death which if it be not done then the merit of Christ profiteth not us one haire For seeing Christ proffereth himselfe to be the Physitian of our souls his holy bloud to be the only and most true medicine of our sins and no medicine although it be most pretious can cure the sick man which will not refraine from hurtfull thinâ—s and things resisting the power of the medicine so it remaineth that the bloud of Christ and death can profit nothing those that purpose not to abstain from sinne Whereupon blessed Paul cap. 5. ad Galat. saith Whosoever doth such things the works of the flesh doe not obtaine the Kingdome of heaven nor shall have any part in Christ Moreover if Christ by his bloud is become our medicine who can doubt that first we must be sick for the whole have no need of a Physitian but the weake And none is spiritually sicke who is not penitent and who is not sorrowfull from his heart for his sinnes who hath not a contrite heart and humble who is secure as concerning the wrath of God who hath not resolved and firmly in his mind decreed to flye all worldly concupiscence who lastly seeking after honour wealth and pleasure takes no knowledge of his sinnes such as are so those are not sick and consequently need no Physitian and Christ profiteth them nothing it is manifest Therefore again and again let this be remembred that Christ called sinners but it was to repentance because a penitent heart contrite pensive and faithfull onely and alone is capable of the most pretious bloud death and merit of Christ I account him happy whosoever he be that heareth this holy calling inwardly and in his heart I call that a divine sorrow and anguish for sinnes which worketh repentance God worketh spirituall sorrow to stedfast salvation as the words be 2 Cor. 7. The holy Spirit doth produce this divine sorrow by the Law and serious meditation of the passion of the Lord because it not onely aboundeth with the documents of grace but also withall hath in it an earnest exhortation to repentance and a most terrible glasse of the divine wrath For if we seek into the cause of his The Passion of Christ efficieÌ„t to repentance most bitter death what else can we say was the cause but our sinnes If you joyn the divine love out of which he most willingly gave his Son for us as also you shall have his singular example both terrible and wonderfull of his divine justice and clemency which seeing they are so who then sincerely loving Christ can be affected and delighted with sinne which he knows Christ had with his bloud washed and purged Consider also with me O man which art subject to pride and art slave unto ambition with what contempt and how great humility Christ Jesus ought to repaire our pride and insolency think of his poverty that he might satisfie for thy covetousness The fruits of Christs passion surcease at last through God so studiously to seek after wealth and insatiably to thirst after riches most wretchedly He with incredible griefe of mind and anguish not to be uttered doth satisfie and abolish the pleasures and concupiscence of the flesh and thou contrariwise continually dost give thy selfe to pleasure and lust how evill is thy preposterousnesse pravity and wickednesse to take delight and pleasure in those things which to Christ were so wonderfully bitter he died to expiate thy wrath hatred enmity rancor bitternesse desire of revenge and implacability with extreame mildnesse and patience and wilt not thou even for the least cause be very angry and account revenge more pleasant then life even for which thy Redeemer did drink the most bitter cup of death wherefore so many as aspire to the name of Christians and doe not abstain froÌ„ sin those I say do even crucifie Christ and doe make a mock of him as it is said The impenitent do even crucifie Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. 6. Therefore it is unpossible that those should participate of the merits of Christ which indeed they doe tread under foot as it is in the same Epistle Chap. 10. And because they doe pollute the blood of the Testament neither beleeve truly that their sinnes are expiated by him or much esteem his death or think
what measure we measure to our neighbour with the same measure shall it be meted unto us For those three Cities should effectually represent Christ who is the sole merit as Bezer soundeth that by interpretation is a Tower of Defence according to the Proverb 18. The Name of the Lord is a most strong Tower Jesus Christ to that runneth the just and shall be exalted the same is true Ramoth which Christ our refuge voyce signifieth Exalted to whose Name every knee shall bow in heaven in earth or in hell Phil. 2. Neither is there for us another Golan besides him which according to the etymology of the name is nothing but a heap of thankesgiving or graces and gifts celestiall as a certain overflowing vessell Whereupon Psal 29. we read With the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundance of redemption And Rom. 10. The Lord is rich to all those that call upon him And thus much of the third part of the internall spirituall and true divine worship flowing from the knowledge of God which is likewise the fountain of repentance as this is of remission of sinnes which three indeed are one and set forth and declare the solid knowledge of God And God did shadow unto us this third part by the Priest which was to eat of the oblation of God which what other thing did it imply then the application of the merits of Christ by faith in the holy place wherein is signified repentance For the faith by the vertue and merit of Christ and his bloud doth make the man before the just God as if he had never been defiled with any sinne according to that of Ezekiel 18. If the wicked shall repent him of all his iniquities that he hath committed I will not remember them And after this manner the Law of Moses is changed into the spirit Moses Lawes holy things are chāged into spirit or life internall holy and another life and his sacrifices into repentance by which we offer our bodies and souls a living sacrifice and give thanks unto him because hee hath manifested unto us what is the true conversion acceptable unto him which is the justification and remission of sinnes that God alone be all things his grace as it is meet should be acknowledged and with gratefull minds and tongues be praised for ever and ever This then as we have often said heretofore is the true divine worship of which Mich. chap. 6. speaketh I will shew thee O man what the Lord requireth of thee that thou execute judgement and love mercy and walk carefully before the Lord thy God Because therefore O mortals doe we repent to get remission of sinnes seeing but by this alone we cannot come to remission of sinnes for neither can those sins bee remitted whose sense and griefe the mind never yet found by grace divine and consequently never to grieve for them nor hee which never had it in his mind to change The true worship of God consisteth in the heart is not external his life and mend his manners Which true and safe-making conversion that God for his Christs sake would bestow it upon us I humbly pray whose favour also it is that now it appeareth that his true worship consisteth in the soule and mind in the knowledge of God in true repentance by which the flesh is mortified and the man renewed after the image of God whereby he is made the Temple of God wherein by the holy Ghost the true and divine worship of the holy Trinity is exercised I say Faith Love and Hope Humility Patience Prayer giving of thankes and praises to God And although this worship respecteth God himselfe and is performed to him alone let us not think or beleeve Why called the worship of God that God for his own cause and because it joyneth with his profit that he inviteth us unto him but rather let us be so assured that he is willing through his boundlesse mercy to bestow and communicate all himselfe to us with all his benefits and to live work and dwell in us if so be we be ready through his true Knowledge Faith and Repentance to receive him For no work is gracious and acceptable to God of which hee was not the authour of in us What kind of works are pleasing to God therefore he commandeth us to repent to beleeve to pray to fast not as to him but that the fruit thereof might be ours No man can give or take any thing from God nor hurt nor profit him for we sow and we mow to our selves if we be good but we create evill to our selves if we be evill And what dammage hath God if thou wilt not doe well therefore he commandeth thee to serve him not for his owne cause but for thine who seeing he is Charity it selfe therefore amongst things acceptable and deare and so fit accounteth it that there be many be who participate of his charity yea of himselfe that is to wit as a mother loveth her Infant cannot but rejoyce that it sucketh her milk from her so God is to be thought of out of his most loving communicating of himself after his manner to receive singular delight CHAP. XXII As we know a tree by the fruit so a true Christian by no other token is known then by love and amendment of life daily Psalm 92. The just man flourisheth as a Palm Tree as a Cedar of Lebanon he shall multiply being planted in the House of the Lord They shall flourish in the entrance of the House of God they shall flourish Moreover they shall be multiplied in a fruitfull old age and they shall be very patient that they may shew it forth because just is our Lord God and there is no iniquity in him IT is not the name but the life of a Christian that maketh a true Christian whose daily and onely study ought to be that in him Christ might be manifested and be made conspicuous by love humility and humanity In whom therefore Christ liveth not it followeth that this man cannot be a Christian Furthermore it behoveth this life to be from the bottome of the heart and spirit even as the Apple is derived and commeth from the naturall branch of the Tree faculties and vegetable power yea it is necessary that our life be informed by the Spirit of Christ and fashioned after his life according to that of Paul Rom. 8. Those which are carried by the Spirit of God those are the sonnes of God But if any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his or belongeth not to him to wit every life cometh of the Spirit which even as the All life is from the Spirit inward man moveth driveth and is carried so in like manner the outward man fareth or is carried whereby it is manifested how much it availeth to a Christian life to have the grace of the Holy Ghost which therefore Christ did command us to seek
conform all his life to it and Christ Which being done hee feedeth the humble with grace comforteth the meek and maketh his yoak pleasant and his burden light unto them For the sweetnesse of the heavenly Manna cannot bee tasted but under the yoak of Christ according to that Hee will fill the hungry with good things and send the rich empty away The words that I have spoken are spirit and life saith Christ John 6. Whereupon it followeth a voluptuous heart and carnall that is a man that hath no spirituall understanding cannot possibly understand those things For in spirit in rest in silence with great humility holy and vehement desire is the word of God to bee received which if it be not converted into life then truly it is no better then the external letter and a sound of words Even as he that heareth the noyse of a Harp onely or a Song and understandeth it not receiveth no pleasure by it so no man is partaker of the virtue that is in the Word unlesse he endeavour to expresse it in his life And this is that which was said before out of John I will give thee a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but hee that hath Hee which cleareth to the Lord. it This is that I say even a testimony of the hidden spirit which hee giveth to the word of God Rom. 8. And in like manner the Spirit of the Word giveth testimony to our spirit whereby both doe conspire and consent together and so become one spirit which is that New Name unknown but to A new name the receiver For as no man knoweth the sweetnesse of hony but he that tasteth it so the name of the testimony divine in the hearts of men no man knoweth but hee that proveth it This man onely knoweth the consolations and divine visitations because he perceiveth them whose name is also called New because they are the works and fruits of the new birth Blessed is the man to whom God hath given himself to be so tasted in his heart Blessed are the Prophets whom from the beginning of the world he hath fed with his bread so heavenly and by the conference of his eternall word which because it was so done unto them therefore out of sense feeling and experience they have spoken of it and composed holy Scripture And in truth even all this day he speaketh unto all men and feedeth them inwardly with his word in the soule but almost all men have shut their eares against his voice and had rather The living word is meat of the soul heare the world then God and be driven by their own concupiscences then by the Spirit of God Whereupon it cometh to passe that they cannot tast the hidden Manna swallowing up in the mean time both apples of the tree of death and carnall concupiscences contemning the tree of life Which men are not a little mad whilst they can understand that God can give greater pleasures to his lovers then the world so that he that hath once tasted the goodnesse of God to him the whole world with all the pleasures they will seem The tree of death to him as meer gall and bitternesse Now seeing we know our first progenitors were beguiled with the world and by eating of the forbidden tree have acquired death yet we are so blind and mad as fed with eternall death of carnall pleasures so dearly bought wee may remember If any shall eat of me saith Christ the true tree of life and true bread of life he shall live for ever John 6. And what is it to eat of it but to beleeve in him in him to joy and take delight lastly to rest and take pleasure in him alone Great therefore O mortals is the carnall blindnesse to serve the world for trifles vain and fraile things with such affection and desires and not to doe the same to God who rewardeth his worship and service with eternall things and farre more noble goods For who performeth to God so much and so great faith obedience and diligence as the vulgar we see doe perform to Mammon and the World We see them many times for small matters or a little mony make journies and for heavens cause it grieveth us to move a foot Hereupon the holy Prophets reproach Tyre and Sidon with emphaticall upbraids for taking in hand most vast and sea journies for the advance of their earthly causes when in the mean time they would not deigne for the soveraigne good to change their place And in our time men of all sorts and conditions doe prefer the world before God it is a thing most manifest The sons of the world Thereupon we see many Doctors doe study day and night to attain to honour in the world who hardly or not at all wil take so much leasure as sufficeth to say the Lords prayer if they might attain eternal honours and dignities celestial with so little labour Therefore you see the same men to avoyd no labour in warfare to attaine to fame and honour and yet will not enter combat with their own vices although they may attain heavenly nobility thereby Therefore you shall likewise see that the Lords and Victors of many Nations and vast Kingdomes doe not care for overcoming themselves lastly that infinite many doe not regard the losse of their soule and eternall happinesse to attaine to fraile and momentany goods And all these have not The true victory tasted the Hidden Manna of the divine Word and therefore doe not overcome the world but are overcome of the world Which whosoever dare contemne in respect of God he truly finds the most sweet visits of the holy Ghost and is filled with the heavenly pleasure which no man The divine sweetnes is tasted when the world is despised knoweth but hee that receiveth it This therefore is to be done the tree of life is first to bee planted in us that wee may eat the fruit thereof and our heart that wisheth to be recreated with the celestiall consolations ought first to bee converted from the world to God but wee being made drunk with worldly pleasures and bewitched do not incline our hearts and minds to think that heavenly joyes and those of God are rather to be wished then those which the world offereth or affordeth Although truly that is more true that God offereth and doth and are more noble then that which the creatures doe bring to passe Wherfore the learning which cometh from above by the inspiration of the holy Ghost True consolation and wisdom is of God is much more excellent then that other which humane understanding with great labour doth obtain For even as an Apple or a Lilly produced by nature is far more noble and much better then that which a workman maketh of gold be the gold never so fine so one drop of consolation divine The venity of worldly ioy is more
noble and by many yea infinite parts better then a whole Ocean of wordly pleasures Which truly are to bee slighted by him that desireth divine consolations Which if any that wil heare me wil lend me his eares if any wil understand me let him attend what I say finally if any wil see me it behoveth him to fix How God should bee perceived and tasted his eyes upon me Who doubteth that all our hearts and senses ought to be converted to God if we desire to see heare understand tast and prove him how good he is according to that of Jeremy chap. 29. When you shall seek me with your whole heart I will be found of you Many men at this day they term admirable O! a learned man a rich magnifical wiseman but no man regardeth how courteous humble patient and how devout any man is Of which perverse False praise judgement there is no other cause then that now men doe attend and admire outward things and in the mean time with blind eyes passe by inward things which are onely worthy to be esteemed Therefore he that praiseth one because he hath beautified many Cities and far situated regions let him see if it were not farre better to have seen God He therefore that suspecteth another because he hath not served one Monarch I would have him think whether it were not more excellent to have served God lawfully with all his heart Those that are fatuated with the meer love of the world doe preferre this our Age as the only learned and wise before all antiquitie these I say doe not know the Art of Arts that is the divine love more noble then all knowledge to be extinct wholly together with the faith Ephes 3. Luke 18. and few to remain divinely learned Isai 5. and that have learned of Christ a humble and lowly life Matthew 11. yea to speake the truth the most learned for the most part are void of divine love and therefore doe not know at all that the true life is in Christ Ephes 4. These therefore doe circumscribe knowledge in the circle of words when it is more true that solid learning is a thing and not words and to consist in eternall and true wisdome of which we have spoken more at large in the Treatise of ancient Philosophy But if any shall say that this our Age is wicked he truly shal say that which is agreeable to the truth and to the word of God Likewise those are ridiculous which praise any because hee liveth gorgeously and deliciously being unmindfull that the true dainties is the word of God and the Hidden Manna thereof and that it containeth in it the incorruptible bread of heaven and that lastly hee doth live delicately in whose presence the Lord The solid and only ioy is of God hath prepared his Table Psalm 23. to wit who savoureth the Lord God and his Word his palat nothing can displease but hee that doth loath it and is displeased with it hee cannot soundly and truly rejoyce for he is the joy exceeding all created joyes and the eternall light surpassing all temporal light who I would to God now at the last would fill our hearts with his hidden pleasure and purge our spirits illuminate inlighten clarifie and quicken them Would to God I say that the time would now come wherein Almighty God by his presence would fill us with all those things which hee is essentially Of which desires although we be not competent or fit nor doe joy true joy having in the mean time sufficient if wee may but enjoy the crums that fall from thy table O Lord till we be translated to the joyes of eternal life They are the words of our Saviour Apocalypse chap. 3. Behold I stand at the dore and I knock if any man heare my voyce and Christ is our banquet open to me I will enter unto him and I will sup with him and he with me What preposterousnesse is it O mortals to neglect this and so great a banqueter which hath prepared us a supper who after the manner of a Prince coming to his poor friends house bringeth all his dainty dishes and the whole supper with him I say the heavenly Bread and hidden Manna is not this a great oversight to let him stand waiting at the dore and not to open readily unto him I say what incivility is this not to receive a friend but not to entertain God himself with all diligence alacrity Shal I tell you the reason why we doe not open the dore because as in a house full of noyse and clamour musick although never worldly things ought to be expelled that divine things may enter so excellent cannot bee heard so neither can the voyce of the banquetter enter the eares of a worldly heart and consequently the Celestiall Manna cannot bee tasted by him I think so indeed If therefore the worldly tumults and noyse in man doe not tease and rest who wil not doubt that the Lord beating and crying shal goe away away unheard that they with Samuel may Why quietnesse is required to Gods speech answer Speak Lord thy servant heareth Moreover this internall voyce speaketh in a spirituall and heavenly Supper Heb. chap. 6. Those which have been once lightned and tasted the heavenly gifts and have been made The true spirit of illumination partakers of the holy Ghost and also have tasted the good word of God the virtues of the world to come By which wee are taught in what man the holy Ghost is neither is his mind hindered from daily feeding of that Manna hidden in the sweet and mellifluent divine Word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God and by which we live That which the Kingly Prophet David by the holy Ghost found in his heart and mind saying Psalm 16. Thou wilt fill me with joy of thy countenance and delight of thy right hand even unto the end And Psalm 34. Tast and see because the Lord is sweet blessed is the man that putteth his trust in him Psalm 23. The goodnes of God is Nectar and Ambrosia Thou hast prepared a table for me in my view against those that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with oyle and my cup being brim-full how beautiful is it Psa 63. Thy mercy is excellent farre exceeding above our lives my lips shall praise thee Psa 36. Even as thou hast multiplied thy mercies O God the sons of men shall trust in the shadow of thy wings they shall be made drunk with the plenty of thy house and thou shalt make them intoxicated with the torrent of thy pleasures because with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light wee shall see light Psa 70. They shall rejoyce and be glad all which seek thee and they shall say alwayes Let the Lord be magnified which love thy salvation But I am needy and poore help me O God thou art my helper and redeemer Lord make
let us suppose some Usurer for many yeares hath been a servant to covetousnesse without amendment sins are not forgiven after the example of Zacheus or to lust as Mary Magdalen or lastly to wrath and revenge as Esau and this man so soon as he heard these offences were to be left or else the death and bloud of Christ would profit him nothing hee becommeth a suppliant to God and to him as old men did speak to give satisfaction in words and then to desist from his sinnes to crave pardon and grace of God and to beleeve in Christ then it is most certain that all his first offences are remitted him out of meere grace and no merit but for the death and bloud of Christ shed for them But these that have not determined as yet to detest covetousnesse wrath usury pride and lust they because they want faith purging their hearts may hope in vain for the remission of their sins but lament for them in eternall torments never to bee satisfied Whereupon blessed Paul doth earnestly admonish Galat. 5. Because they doe such things they shall not inherit or possesse the Kingdome of heaven Therefore either eternal damnation followeth or amendment of their lives to a better which where it is done by faith and true conversion unto God there is pardon and divine grace ready at hand yea Christ himselfe without whom there is no grace For Christ doth accompany his most pretious All thingâ— necessary to salvation do accompany faith taking hold of Christs merits merit and consequently satisfaction for our sinnes which being present there is righteousnesse with righteousnesse peace and a good conscience as Psalm 85. Righteousnesse and peace doe kisse each other with a cheerfull conscience the holy Ghost which because it is the spirit of joy thereupon also joy followeth and thereupon life eternal which is nothing but joy sempiternal And this is that light of eternal life w th which they are crowned so many as live in Christ and daily repentance whose beginning and foundation is the death of Christ On the contrary where there is no repentance there is grace wanting and grace wanting neither is Christ there present who being absent his merit is not participated and that which dependeth upon Impenitency hindereth the whole kingdom of God eternall salvatioÌ„ it the remission of sinnes Where that is not to be had or to be found there is no righteousnesse and consequently no peace or good conscience no consolation no holy Ghost no joy of heart and conscience lastly no life eternal but death but hell but condemnation and everlasting darknesse Whereby that is manifest wee affirmed in the beginning That those who by true repentance in Christ doe not intend to follow him in his life cannot bee freed from the blindnes of their hearts nor themselves freed from the eternall darknesse CHAP. XXXVIII That the Antichristian life is the cause of false doctrine hardnesse of heart and blindnesse where certain things are ingraffed in predestination John 12. Yet there is a little light in you walk while you have the light lest darknesse comprehend you SEing it is certain that Christ together with faith and a Christian life is denied renounced and wholly extirpated to what end serveth his doctrine to us which together with the Sacraments to that end is The end of the Word Sacraments given us onely that it may bee turned into juyce bloud and our life And as from noble seed doth arise or grow noble fruit so from the Word and Sacraments should arise a new man holy and spiritual and to speak in a word a Christian out of the Spirit Word and Sacrament no otherwise then a man regenerate out of Christ so beleeving in him and living in him For as an infant is born of his mother so a Christian is born of God and Christ by faith But when wee have not determined to change our life nay rather have so framed our manners as they are against him it is plain we are not begotten of God and therefore his doctrine and light doth profit us nothing when we are sure wee walke in darknesse Whereupon also the light being fled and taken away it must needs bee that darknesse and false doctrine of errors and seducing do incroach upon us Which to beware of our Saviour did admonish us saying Little children whilst yee have light walk in it lest darknesse doe comprehend you I say the darknesse of errors deceivers deluding of blindnesse and hardnesse of heart such darknesse as deceived Pharaoh the Jewes and Julian who in the end convicted by his own conscience in his own evill exclaimed openly and confessed that Christ did yet live and the true God saying Thou hast overcome O Galilean thou hast overcome when it had been better for him to have said Have mercy upon me but he could not so say because of his blindnes From whence hardnesse of heart and because hee refused and denied the mercy of Christ And this hardnesse of heart is that terrible darknesse which in the end overtaketh those that will not walk in the light and is the punishment of those that blaspheme the truth as Pharaoh did Exod. 5. Who is the Lord that I should heare Blindnes is a punishment his voyce and let Israel goe I know not the the Lord. Therefore it was convenient that God should manifest himselfe to him by his power making him an example before the whole world that it might bee manifest that man can do nothing against God In like manner when the Jews would not hearken unto God they were strucken with blindnesse and hardnesse of heart that which Moses had fore-told them would come to passe Deut. 28. 32. The Lord shall strike thee with madnesse and blindnesse and the fury of the mind and it came to passe witnesse Esay chap. 6. Whereby it is manifest that such â—lindnesse is the most just punishment of incredulity and contempt of God and heavenly truth according to that of Paul 2 Thess 2. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might bee saved therefore God shall send unto them or give them over to be deceived by the spirit of errour to beleeve lies that all may be judged that beleeved not the truth but consented to iniquity By which it is given us to understand why God is wont to permit such blindnesse and hardnesse of heart Moreover to whom he denieth and lastly taketh away his offered From whom God withdraweth his favour grace this man is wretched of himselfe neither can return into the way at any time after the example of Pharaoh and Julian and from whom the Lord taketh away his light hee liveth all his dayes in darknesse But Almighty God taketh it onely from those that will not walk in it neither taketh hee his favour away but from those that have refused it In which sense blessed Paul Rom. 9. recounteth that oracle of God out of
130. If thy imperfections be great again and again remember Christs merits are far greater and say with David Psalm 11. Have A repentanr soul is at peace with God mercy upon mee according to thy great mercies And when by the grace of God thou art penitent for thy sinnes and dost behold Christ in faith then in like manner God is grieved at thy punishment and pardon and remission followeth this thy divine and wholsome contrition by and by and so oft as thou becomest an offender and returnest again to him by sorrowfull sighes For even as the Leper was healed in a moment when he said to Christ Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me whole and he answered I will be thou clean So Almighty God inwardly and in the Spirit maketh thee clean saying Be confident my sonne thy sins are forgiven thee Which great mercy of God in cleansing and pardoning our sins prefigured in that Lepers example ought not to give us occasion to sin again but more and more to glorifie God whereupon thou mayst say My soule praise the Lord. IX Outward injuries reproaches and How iniuries are to be born upbraids beware they doe not provoke thee to wrath indignation or revenge but rather think them to be certain trials of thy heart by which God would prove thee what is in thee and in thy heart doth lie hid I say whether meeknesse and humility or pride and wrath For whatsoever lieth hid in a man or concealed provocated contumelies do make triall of him Therefore if thy heart bee indued with humility and lowlinesse thou wilt easily beare all contempts nay whatsoever shal happen to thee of that kind thou wilt accept it as a punishment of God for thy just desert and sinne after the example of David who being reproached to his face by Shimei said 2 Sam. 16. God commanded him to revile David Moreover thou shouldst think the contempt of us to be a great part of the contumely of Christ which a living and a true member of him ought to participate according to that saying Heb. 13. Let us goe to him bearing our infirmities Not being unmindfull with what heart with what lowlinesse hee did beare his reproach then conclude for him in like manner thou art to bear thy reproaches and private injuries with an equal mind Do not thou say Shall I suffer these things at his hands For by reason of the lowlinesse and most patient heart of Christ all things should bee moderately born by thee I conceale the benignity of Christ to be so great that for one contumely that an innocent doth suffer he is ready to reward it with many honours and gifts That David knew when hee received the reproach of Shimei as a pledge and token of honour to come saying Suffer him to revile as the Lord hath commanded him If the Lord shall respect my affliction and the Lord shall return me good for his cursing this very day Wherefore let not the fables of men perturb thee but rather rejoyce because the glory of Gods Spirit resteth in vile things 1 Pet. 4. Victory consists in patience X. Study to overcome and pacifie thy enemies and detractors with benefits and goodnesse not in wrath nor in revenge nor in returning answer for no man will be reconciled to thee by this means seeing that victory consisteth in virtue not in vice For as Devils doe not drive one another out or away so revenges and maledictions doe not pacifie but provoke thy calumniators For as no man goeth about to heale a frantick man or a wretched person or a wounded man afflicted with soares with beating or club-law so a man evil affected to you is to be handled with lenity and not with cruelty and by sweet and gentle means pacified That which God himself to overcome us doth think he must observe pacifying our malice with his goodnes and our wrath with his love and inviting us with this such and so great benignity to repentance And Paul hath commended the same Art unto us Rom. 12. Bee not overcome of evill but overcome evill with goodnesse For this is our victory XI If in thy neighbour thou observest Wee ought not to envie good in others a gift which God hath adorned him with before thee and others take heed thou dost not envie this in him rather rejoyce give God thanks for seeing all the chosen and faithfull are one body it followeth that the beauty of every member doe ennoble the whole body On the contrary if thou perceive The sin of our neighbour is to be condoled any misery in thy neighbour lament it as thine own thinking the condition of all men to be equall and the weaknesse of the flesh to bee alike and hee that cannot take compassion nor condole he is no member of Christ For hee thought ours his own by compassion hee delivered us from all our miseries To which belongeth that of Saint Paul to the Galatians chap. 6. Bear one anothers burdens and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ XII The vices and sins of our neighbour are to be hated even as the works of Hate the vice not the mâ—n the Devil and if he should be no otherwise lest thou become more wicked then the man himselfe but rather bewaile his lot because he is subdued with such sinnes and commend his cause to God as Christ prayed for his enemies upon the Crosse Father forgive them And contrariwise whosoever hateth man cannot please God seeing it is his property to desire to rectify all men according to that of Luke 9. The Son of Man came not to destroy but to save mens souls XIII Think all men frail but thy self A Christian thinks himselfâ— the greatest sinner most frail for before God all men are of equal condition and alike condemnable because we have all sinned neither have we any thing whereon wee may boast before God Then how great a sinner soever thy neighbour be take heed thou beleeve not therefore thou art the better before God Let him that standeth take heed that hee fall not Yea he that maketh himself the lowest of all men this man keepeth the grace and favour of God It is sure that thou no lesse standest need of the grace and mercy of God then the greatest sinner which is the greater to thee the more humble thou art Wherefore blessed Paul accounted himselfe the greatest sinner 1 Tim. 1. And therefore saith That he obtained mercy Christ shewing his patience in him To which alike is that which he saith 2 Cor. 12. As concerning my selfe I will boast of nothing but my infirmities XIV That true illumination doth follow The contempt of the world is from illumination contempt of worldly things For even as the sonnes of this world have their inheritance upon earth as temporall honours fraile wealth vain splendor and beauty which they love and keep as treasures so the treasures of the sons of God are poverty