the pulse of the arme so iudgement is made of the spirituall soundnesse of the heart not so much by wordes and lookes as by the fruits of the hands He shall enter into the kingdome of heauen which doeth the will of my father which is in heauen saith our Sauiour Mat. 7.21 And if yee know these things happy are ye if you doe them Iohn 13.17 S. Aug. De civit Dei l. 6.6.2 reporteth that Varro the great Philosopher did read so much that it was admired how he could write any thing againe he wrote so much that another could hardly read now admit a man had as great knowledge in Diuinity as he in Philosophie that hee could speake with the tongue of men and Angele and had not loue whereby to doe good he were as an inane nihil sounding brasse a tinckling cymball 1. Cor. 13.1 Lastly the Apostle in the cited place telleth vs that faith must worke by loue else it is no faith So here our Prophet requireth the same First faith trust in the Lord. But let it worke by loue in doing good In which sentence both the Prophet and the Apostle set forth the perfection of a Christian in this life which consisteth in 2. parts Inwardly in sayth to God Outwardly in doing good to men 1. Inwardly to God by faith which needeth not our good workes Psal 16.2 O God my goodnesse extendeth not to thee 2. Outwardly to men by good workes which neede not our faith as it is written in the named place But to the Saints that dwell vpon the earth In which respect S. Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 10. c. 1. sayth that doing of good is pro sacrificijs accepted of God as a Sacrifice Heb. 13.10 Yea prae sacrificijs more then sacrifice Hosea 6.6 I will haue mercy and not sacrifice For to be mercifull is the sole work common to man with God as Synes nor indeed can we any way more neerely resemble God which is most good then in our doing of good Greg. To the necessary performance whereof in the next place we are inuited by many and those most forcible reasons first Reason 1 Because in doing of good wee shall so shew our loue to God So Christ testifieth in Iohn 14.16 If yee loue mee keepe my commandements Heerein our loue to God is made manifest in walking as it becommeth his children The comparison is mod proper if we marke it for as in nature when children are neither in outward feature of the body nor inward qualities of the minde like to their parents which begat and brought them foorth wee say that such children degenerate and grow out of kinde neither can they be outwardly iudged to belong to their parents by reason of that great dissimilitude and vn likelines of maners Euen so on the contrary when we see in the world men walking in by-paths of their own and no way like to their heauenly father in holinesse and righteousnesse no way resembling him which hath begot them in Christ in doing of good we may and iustly say of such that they degenerate and grow out of kinde they do not patrizare tread in their fathers steps going about alwayes doing of good after the example of Christ Iesus our elder brother Againe although we must walke yet it is as children and therefore weakly yet notwithstanding they shew their loue in that they walke and follow so well as they can desirous to goe on further if they could And this is kindly accepted of a louing father So is it with Almighty God whose mercies are far greater then our desires or endeuors are or can be who when hee seeth vs like louing children following in the same way which he leadeth vs accepteth our will for the deed crowning his owne worke in vs. For although wee as children cannot tread in the same steps as he speaketh of Ascanius in the Poet sequiturque patrem non passibus aequis Yet we tread and as we can goe along the very same way and in this true and childlike resemblance of him wee shall much delight our holy father This is the very argument which our Sauiour vseth to the Iewes Iohn 8.39 which stood much vpon their prerogatiues nil nisi Cecropides they boasted themselues to bee Abrahams seede but hee telleth them that their boasting was in vayne of their father since they were so much degenerated from him that they were no longer to bee accounted and called the children of Abraham For when they tolde him Abraham is our father Iesus answered them if yee were Abrahams children yee would doe the workes of Abraham For Abraham by his good workes glorified God and shewed his loue to him in walking as his childe so must all the true seed of Abraham be doing of good to shew their loue to God Whereby moreouer God is glorified For like as when a childe obserueth in most dutifull maner what his father commandeth this redoundeth to the prayse of the father Omnet enim omnia bona dicere laudare fortunas meas qui filium haberem tali ingenio praditum So the Lord is glorified in his children when they intend and seeke his honor and glory by their obseruing him in doing good The costly rayment wherwith others are clothed maketh to the praise of the worker so it is sayd of the good huswife giue her of the fruit of her hands and let her workes prayse her in the gates Prou. 31.31 So the doing of good redoundeth vnto God whose glory ought to be the end of our life and scope of all our actions as Paul teacheth Whether yee eate or drinke or whatsoeuer ye doe let all be done to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10.30 Reason 2 2. Because in doing good we shall so shew our loues to our selues and that in a two fold respect 1. in quieting our owne conscience 2. in making our election certayne As touching the first namely the peace of conscience S. Paul to Timothy 1.1.19 counselleth him to hold fast the fayth and keepe a good conscience now indeed what greater peace can be brought to the conscience then that which ariseth out of our doing of good through a liuelie fayth And As touching the second S. Peter carnestly exhorteth 2. Pet. 1.10 Giue diligence to make your calling and election sure which cannot bee more effectually performed then by our doing of good This alone was the reioycing of the holy Apostle What Not that he had preached not that hee had wrought miracles or done extraordinary workes but that in obedience to Gods commandements and in sincerity of heart hee had his conuersation in the world So likewise his comfortable farewell to the world is grounded vpon his fayth which was shewed by loue through both concluding the peace of his conscience and the assurance of his election I haue fought the good fight I haue kept the fayth I haue finished my course henceforth is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse 2. Tim. 4.7
conuersation honest and harmelesse that the name of God may not be blasphemed among the Gentiles and not only so but that they may winne those that are without by their holy cariage and conuersation according to that of the Prophet Isaiab 61.9 Their seed shal be known among the Gentiles and their of spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed And if this reason bee not sufficient let me lead you yet further Reason 4 Because this is the commandement of God to the performance whereof we are inuited à praemio from the reward à periculo from the danger That God commands it without further reason why is sufficient reason for vs to do it And that it is the command of the highest it appeareth in many places Eschew euill and doe good To doe good forget not Date eleemosynam Luke 11.41 Charge the rich that they bee fruitfull in good workes and heere be doing good And in many places which command implies obedience if we go no further then the command it selfe for he that commanded it to be done is that mighty one high aboue all men and angels by whose command all things were made for dixit factuns est but that the Lord might leaue vs inexcusable and that euery mouth might be stopped he hath enforced the same by a double reason For hoofac vines do this A praemiâ— and thou shalt liue There is a reward greater then our seruice Againe he that looketh in the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke the same shall bee happie in his deed which happinesse is no lesse then eternall life then which what reward can be greater Againe wee are exhorted by good workes on earth to lay vp for our selues treasures in heauen to bring somewhat into Gods exchequer as the Israelites to the Tabernacle whereof in singular confidence clayming an especiall interest in Gods fauour and expecting the promised recompence we may say with Nehemiah Remember me O God concerning this For albeit the glory of God bee the vltimus terminus of our cogitations actions well doing and principall motiue of our good workes and as it were the primum mobile of our obedience yet as Aquinas in the actions of our obedience whilest we seeke the aduancement of Gods glory in the first place we may as a secondary obiect or adiunct respect our owne commodity and haue an eie to our owne reward for shall Iob or any one serue God for nothing But as S. Augustine saith in Pal. 100. Nisi Deus per misericordiam parceret non inueniret quos per iustitiam corenaret Except God should spare in mercy he should finde none to crowne in iustice For as conscious to our selues of our many imperfections in our best actions of defects and faults in the end matter maner or measure of our obedience we must supplicate and say misericordia tua meritum meum thy mercie is my merie pardon me according to thy great mercy In hope and expectation of which infinite reward we must in our seuerall callings dailie be doing good exercising our selues in works of piety and pity that so our soules as fields of sincerity being daily more and more charged with the deeds of mercy we may at length be accomplisht with the erest and crowne of eternall glory as himselfe hath promised Matt. 5. Blessed be the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Luk. 6.35 Iohn 14.1 They shall be called the children of the highest and therefore haue a dwelling place in their fathers house For Quimiseretur proximo soeneratur domino he that casts his bread vpon the waters shall after many daies find for a crumme a crowne for one mite a million for a drop of cold water a full draught of that heauenly water wherof hauing tasted he shall neuer thirst any more and in a word for the gleanings and refuse of our vintage a ful measure pressed and running ouer saithfull is he that promised to performe it But if we cannot be wonne by reward let vs be wrested by danger for feare of punishment for feare and anguish shall be vpon euery soule that doeth euill and take and bind that vnprofitable seruant and cast him into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth this is their portion for euer ignorans ignorabitur Primosâ—â—â— Aquin. hee that will not know God by doing good shall not be known of God among those to whom he shall shew himselfe good These forenamed reasons first to shew our loue to God in walking as his children secondly to shew our loue to our selues In quieting our consciences In making our election sure Thirdly to shew our loue to our neighbours In witnessing our faith In winning them by our godly conuersation Fourthly in yeelding obedience to the commandement of God In respect of the reward In respect of the danger These reasons I say as a cord diuinely twisted are sufficiently able to moue vs to and to confirm vs in the doing of good Vse 1 First then let vs sling this stone into the brazen foreheads of our Aduersaries which in their shamesse chalenges of our Religion dare tell the world that we are all for faith nothing for good workes all for saying but nothing for doing And that we hold workes to saluation as a Parenthesis to a clause that it may bee perfect without them Heauen and earth shall witnesse the iniustice of this calumniation and the consciences of all which heare vs shall bee our compurgators which testifie that there is no lesse necessity of doing good workes then if you should bee saued by them and th t though you cannot be saued by them as the meritorious cause of your glory yet that you cannot be saued without them as the necessary effects of that grace which brings glory We say and maintaine that fides nuda is fides nulla a naked faith is no true fayth to the conuiction of that lewd slander of Solifidianisme For although we doe not wee dare not make inherent righteousnesse the cause of our iustification yet wee say it is the effect thereof though with the Papists we make it not the Vsher yea rather the Parent of iustification yet we require it as the companion at least the Page thereof But some man may say what matters it if both ascribe the whole worke to God For comes it not all to one if one pay a summe for me or giue it me to pay my selfe These things may seeme little dissonant to some mens cares yet the spirit of God hath made them vtterly incompatible For it is written To him that worketh the wages is not imputed of grace but of debt if by grace now not of works for else grace should be no more grace Rom. 4.4 Ephes 2.8 for neither is it grace any way if it bee not free euery way saith Aug.
the saying Lord Lord a bare externall profession of our faith and outward Communion with the Church is not sufficient vnto saluation except wee lead an vncorrupt life correspondent to the same doing that which is right and good and speaking truth from our heart It is not sufficient to rely vpon the Churches outside as the Papists doe vpon the succession of Roman Bishops vpon the multitude of Roman Catholicks vpon the power and pompe of the Roman Synagogue crying with the Iewes of old templum Domini the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. It is not enough with the carnall and carelesse Gospeller to place all Religion in the formall obseruation of all outward seruice and ceremonies for a verball Christian only is a reall Atheist according to that of S. Paul In word they professe to know God but in their workes they denie him we must take heed that wee bee not Christians in lip and not in life making as holy Martyr Bradsord sayd a maske of Religion or rather a very vizard with eyes and mouth and nose fairely painted and proportioned to all pretences and purposes but if we be indeed the children of God we must in true sincerity of heart be Doing of good The Kings daughter is all glorious within and also without within as hauing a cleere conscience and truth in the inward affections a cleane heart and a new spirit without as hauing on for a garment a vesture of gold wrought about with diuers colours shee is cloathed with righteousnes as with a garment and hath it wrought most gloriously with the deeds of mercy which as a checker worke of diuers colours embroidered with the pure silken twist of a helpfull and vpright conuersation garnish her holy profession The Doing of good is the certificate of a Christian the character of a mans faith making his calling and election sure And Although it may be obiected that a hypocrite may seem iust in Doing good and yet bee abominable before God not doing that which is good for righteousnesse sake facto pius sceleratus coâ—em as the Poet pithily spake Wee behold the man not the minde the worke not the will the fact not the faith the action not the end yet the iudgement of charity belongs properly to men but the iudgement of certainty to God From whence wee must labour in our wel doing not so much to approue our selues to men as to God who seeth our hearts And that we may not be negligent nor flouthfull heerin and thinke that because our workes iustifie vs not and God seeth wee loue him well although wee doe little good on earth to encourage vs to well doing on the one side and to preuent such conceits on the other the holy Ghost in Psa 24.3 4. in Esay 33 15. in Psa 15. and many places describes a sound member of the Church rather by workes then faith and of all the fruits of fayth almost innumerable make choice of those that concerne our neighbour in all which saith is yet presupposed according to the Apostolicall axiome whatsoeuer is not of saith is sinne fides est operum fomes as Paulinus spake and as our Church the nest of good workes for bee our birds neuer so fayre and our leaues neuer so fresh and greene all are but lost if they be not brought forth in a true beleefe for admit a man were as iust as Aristides in his gouernment as true of his word as Pomponius as louing and kinde to his countrey as Curtius at Rome Mecaenas at Thebes Codrus at Athens who exposed themselues to voluntary death for their neighbours and countries sake yet if these workes proceed not from a heart purged by faith no happinesse can follow this Doing of good no true peace to the conscience nor eternall rest to the soule for without faith it is impossible to please God Yet when these are conceiued and brought forth in faith the Lord as it is sayd of Abel and his offring hath respect to both the worke it selfe Gen. 4.4 and him that wrought it and as it is said of Noahs sacrifice the Lord smelleth a sweet sauor of rest and is well pleased with them Gen. 8.2 Heb. 13.16 A man may deceiue himselfe and others with a fained profession of faith an inward and hidden grace therefore the holy spirit will haue euery mans fayth to be tried and known by his fruits By their fruites yee shall know them Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles And howsoeuer eternall life be promised to sayth and eternall damnation be threatned to infidelity yet the sentence of saluation and of damnation shall be pronounced according to workes as the clearest euidence of both Matt. 25.34 but with the Apostle I will shew you yet a more excellent way This precept then of Doing good is of large extent in that it concerneth all duties and all degrees of men not only in common as we are men and so bound vnto that ius gentium to render euery man his due but in particular in our seuerall vocations and callings to expresse our fayth by Doing of good as wee are Magistrates or Ministers Masters or Seruants in what estate degree or condition of life it hath pleased God to place vs. For know ye all that not onely those generall duties of Christianity as the hearing of the word c. are required wherein if we fayle all the world can witnesse against vs and euery one quasi digito will point at vs and crie open shame of vs not onely these I say are carefully to be performed but moreouer the particular offices whereunto we are called for the propagation of Religion and piety or the preseruation of order iustice and equity in the Church or Common wealth and our priuate familie are seriously to be attended and executed Hoc agire in the sacrifice of the heathen gods was a precept much vsed and obserued how much more in the seruices of the God of heauen should the said precept Doe yee this that is intend and apply all the faculties of your minde to the doing of it be kept inviolable What other thing doth the Apostle insinuate when he saith He endeauored to haue alwaies a cleere conscience toward God and men but this point in hand That there ought to be a concurrence of our holy carriage towards God and vpright demeanor towards men Requisite it is saith Chry. ut rovereÌ„ter se quis habeat ad divina landabiliter coÌ„uersetur cum hominib that euery good Christian should serue God reuerently with hearty deuotion and man righteously with a ready minde and a liberall disposition Men are to be regarded in the way of right and equity propter famam God is to be reuerenced in the way of Religion and piety propter conscientiam Holinesse and righteousnesse are the meane parts of Gods image in man Ephes 4. Neither can wee be assurd that we are regenerated vnlesse we finde in our selues a marriage
Next vnto God what greater loue can be shewed then to our selues But wherein can greater loue to our selues bee shewed then in quieting of our consciences whereby our election may bee made sure This latter as touching our selues depending vpon the former viz. the peace of conscience this againe depending vpon our doing of good which by more then a multitude of examples might bee shewed what was that which quieted the conscience and sealed the election of good Hezekiah but onely this comfortable consideration of his well doing Remember O Lord how I haue walked before thee with an vpright heart Esay 38. And not onely Hezekiah but all the children of God in the middest of many fold temptations and spirituall conuulsions haue beene so mainly sustayned that with Paul Rom. 14. they haue beene comfortably resolued and constantly assured that whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therefore or die we are the Lords Except then wee endeauour our selues by doing of good we cannot haue a good conscience without a good conscience and peace with it selfe there is no peace to be had with God Hence in a common popular apprehension a good conscience is said to be a ioyfull remembrance of a well-led life ioyned with an hopefull expectation of a comfortable death and a glorious resurrection In respect whereof it hath beene termed the paradise of the soule the iubile of the heart laetitia cordis quasi latitia a surpassing inward solace so dilating and enlarging of the heart for some good in possession more in expectation that the ioy thereof can neither be suppressed nor expressed Bona conscientia saith Bernard is titulus religionis templum Solomonis ager benedictionis hortus deliciarum gaudium angelorum A good conscience is the title and crowne of religion the temple of Solomon the field of benediction the garden of delight the ioy of Angels and Sanctuary of the holy Ghost the tranquility of the minde that heauenly musick whereon the old Philosophers doubtfully harped but the good Christians heart only heareth it and antwereth it with iust measures of ioy which spirituall harmony as a song of three parts consisteth in a throefold peace supra with God aboue vs. extra with men without vs. intra and the soule within vs. O heauenly peace whereby we are at league with God with our neighbours with our selues O peace passing all vnderstanding which in respect of the minds tranquillity ioyned thereby is like to the hidden Manna and white stone wherein a name is written which no man knoweth but he that enioyeth it Reu. 2 17. O royall feast farre excelling that of Ahasuerosh which lasted but ninescore daies for this is for eternity whereat Angels are Cooks and Butlers and the blessed Trinity gladsome guests as Luther boldly speakes without intermission of solace or interruption of societie A feast in life refreshing the soule with daitnty cates of diuine comfort A feast in sicknesse when worldly hopes hang downe their head like a bulrush A feast in death when world and worldly comforts and comforters forsake vs. A feast in the resurrection and after that a feast for euermore If then this be not a sufficient motiue and reason to mooue vs to the doing of good let me shew you another Reason 3 Because in doing good we shall so shew our loue to our neighbours and that in a twofold respect 1 to witnesse our faith vnto them 2 to winne them to Christ That we shall thus make a reall manifestation of our faith Saint Iames sheweth when he saith Shew me thy faith by thy works Iames 2.18 Faith if it haue not works is dead being alone Yea a man may say thou hast faith and I haue works shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works And againe Without works faith is dead And as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also vers last Man can iudge no further then hee hath warrant from outward appearance although God doth iudge the heart it is necessary therefore that of a good tree there be also some good fruits So Christ either make the tree good and the fruit good or the tree euill and the fruit euill and that we should witnesse our faith to men our Sauiour most plainely sheweth where he saith Le before men that they may see your good works And that thereby they may bee wonne and so glorifie your Father which is in heauen To this purpose is that of the Apostle S. Paul 1. Cor. 7.14 The vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeleeuing wife by the husband else were your children vncleane but now they are holy And in the 16. verse For what knowest thou ô man whether thou shalt saue thy wife or what knowest thou ô wife whether thou shalt saue thy husband As if he had sayd Thou maiest by thy holy life and good conuersation be a meanes to winne him or her to Christ Euen as the barke of the tree is a beauty or ornament and secondly a couer to it so for men are likened to trees a good conuersation is an ornament to a Christian corpus tegens cor protegens decking the soule inwardly and protecting the body outwardly and moouing good respect to both A good outside though not alwaies argues a good inside a good conuersation a signe of sanctification Vertuous and holy maners are compared to precious treasures which are commodious to our selues and others To our selues ad iustificandum but not effectiuely for so we are iustified by Christ But not apprehensiuely for so wee are iustified by fayth But yet declaratiuely by iust and holy workes So our Sauior of himselfe The works that I haue done beare witnesse what I am 2. To others ad adificandum that they seeing our good workes may glorifie our father which is in heauen and so be wonne by our godlie life and conuersation For Vinitur exemplis man is led by practise more then instruction like pliable wax for any impression Nothing more forcible and perswasiue with the vulgar then examples which are as looking glasses to the eies of men Validiora sunt exempla quam verba as Bernard A good man saith a good Father carbo lampas est Grag in Ezech. bom 1. he is a coale burning and a lampe shining sibi ardet alijs lucet He doth warme his owne conscience and heats himselfe well and sheweth a good light vnto others also Euen as by the bush wee iudge that there is wine so men iudge of our hearts by the outward countenance and God of our workes by the inward conscience For Sermo interpres cordis apud virum cor interpres sermouis apud Deum saith Philo Iudaeus Men according to our outward parts but God according to our inward hearts Paul for this cause exhorteth those which professe Christ to haue their