patience and be content with Gods answer to Saint Paul 2. Cor. 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee and my strength and power shall be made manifest in thy weakenesse and know that it is not for thy merits but for the merits and worthinesse of Christ that God freely accepts us And this is the very promise of God to those who are once his on whom he hath once bestowed those graces of the knowledge of Christ of fayth of repentance of regeneration and newnesse of life which thou canst not deny I thinke but at sometime to have beene in some measure in thee though hee suffers thee to fall into divers great and grievous temptations yea temptations of a very high nature yet hee will lay no more upon thee or them then he will make thee and them able to beare 1. Cor. 10.23 And though he suffer to be overcome for a time yet will he make a way to escape and will give grace of fayth and repentance by which they may bee reconciled and re-assured of the love of our heavenly Father Doubt not then to apply the promises of God in particular unto thy selfe upon repentance and comming unto Christ because there is no kinde of sinne which thou canst commit but the mercies of God in Christ are farre greater For that sinne against the holy Ghost thou canst not commit which is not any transgression of the Morrall Law eyther in generall or in particular eyther of ignorance or of infirmity or a sin committed wilfully or presumptuously and against a mans owne conscience though these be grievous sinnes but it is an universall and finall Apostacie or falling away from Christ I say it is a voluntary renouncing of the knowledge or known truth of the Gospel and a rebellious proceeding from the hatred of it being joyned with a tyrannicall sophisticall and hypocriticall oppugnation of the same when a man that hath beene enlightned with a true knowledge of Christ and is convinced in his conscience of the truth of it by the blessed Spirit and hath tasted of the good word of God Heb. 6.5 and of the powers of the world to come but it is only a taste for they that doe feede of these graces spiritually and doe digest them and are nourished by them to newnesse of life I dare say God will never suffer them to fall into this sinne when such an one I say shall afterwards universally and with a full consent fall from the truth deny Christ persecute him and though it be but in his members with reproaches despisings and taunts and so disdaine the sacrifice of his death and passion and continuing thus without repentance unto the end this is the sinne against the Holy Ghost Thus did Julian and other Apostats sinne and of these are that of the Apostle to be understood in Heb. 6.6.7.8 c. But to thy comfort whosoever thou art that art troubled with doubtings and so feares that heaven and the joyes thereof belong not unto thee This sinne I say thou canst not fall into being first ingrafted into Christ by fayth and for all other sinnes be they never so grievous yet remission is promised upon fayth and repentance and that freely not for the merit of thy faith or repentance but for the love and merits of Christ Why then shouldst thou not apply the generall promises of grace unto thy selfe in particular Come unto me sayth our blessed Saviour Matt. 11.28 all that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you This promise is generall But this thy owne conscience will tell thee that thou art weary and laden heavily with the burthen of thy sinnes and therefore thou mayest well conclude that comming unto Christ the promise of mercy belongs to thee Whosoever shall believe and be baptized shall be saved Mar. 16.16 this is a generall promise also But thy owne conscience will tell thee that thou art Baptized and that without our new fangled re-baptizings and that thou beleevest though it may be that thy faith is but weak but like a graine of mustard seed that is very small Matth. 7.20 yet if thou canst but say with the man in the Gospel I beleeve Lord helpe my unbeleefe Mar. 9.24 If thou canst but touch the hemme of Christs garment with the finger of fayth if thy hand of fayth by which thou mayst lay fast hold of him be wanting yet by this touch of Christ even but with the finger of fayth the vertue of Christ may flow foorth sufficiently to stop the bloudy issue of thy sinnes and to cure the maladies of thy soule and with this thou mayst truely apply the promises of grace unto thy soule Well then as you have seen since thou art and must be a Soldier whilest thou livest in the Camp or Field of the Church faint not at the sight of thine enemies though they be many and terrible but comfort thy selfe with this that as Elisha sayd to his servant in the 2. Kin. 6.16 there are more with thee then with them yea and though thou bee weake yet the stronger part is on thy side for thou hast God thy friend to send thee more ayd of grace if at any time thou art decayd in thy strength thou hast Christ a Conqueror thy Captaine under whose Banner thou doest fight thy friend and thou hast the blessed Spirit to encourage thee and though he may leave off to shew his favourable presence for a time yet will he not bee long absent from thee Though for a moment he hide his face yet with everlasting kindnesse will he have compassion on thee Esay 54.7.8 In a word thou hast being in Christ Myriads of Angels to accompany thee and the prayers of the Saints of the whole Church yea I say and of Christ himselfe at the right hand of his and our Father like the shouting of the Israelites to make the walles of Jericho the strength of their enemies to fayle Jos 6.20 And therfore faile nor but there goe on I advise thee with fayth and constancy to endure the combat and faint nor though thou hast many losses of grace many wounds by sinnes and by thy spirituall enemies for Christ being thy Captaine thou shalt certainely prove a Conqueror in the end But notwithstanding all this thou findest that thou art unable to apply the promises of mercy and free grace unto thy self or to doe it so weakely that feare is not altogether removed out of the heart Then as in the sicknesse of thy body thou art ready to seeke and to send to the Physitian for health of thy body that so he may apply somewhat unto thee for thy health and cure so must thou doe I say in the sicknesse of thy soule then thou must flie and seeke to Gods Minister for the Priests lips ought to preserve knowledge and thou must seeke the Law at his mouth saith the Lord by his Prophet Mal. 2.7 To him then thou must open the wounds of thy soule and all the
tryall of our innocency wherfore seeng it is thus Oh! therefore never despaire of Gods mercy but with the Apostle James count it exceeding joy when ye fall into divers temptations knowing that the trying of your faith bringeth forth patience c. Comfort Oh comfort your selves in and with these words And know that through many tribulations ye must enter into the Kingdome of God Acts 14.22 Oh man thou art created thou art healed if by faith thou canst see it yea thou art saved if thou wilt perceive it but which of all these are from thy selfe I dare say not any of them for thou couldst not create thy selfe when thou wast not thou couldst not justifie thy selfe when thou wast a sinner and worse then thou hadst not beene thou couldst not raise thy selfe when thou wast dead because then thy strength was as if thou hadst never been When then is a mans free will in the state of nature seeing the Roman Church boasts much of their free-will where is our merit at the hand of God Those that are wise do consider a three-fold operation not offree-will to merit as the Roman Church teacheth but of divine grace and all these in man but from God The first is our Creation the second a Reformation the third our Confirmation and perfection to glory and God I say is the Authour of all these for all our being and well-being is from God the Father in and by Christ and by the Blessed Spirit and therefore to us humility but to God onely belongs the glory Object But here some may reply and say surely I have heretofore felt as I thought the beginnings of Grace and a new reformed life and conversation by which I was perswaded that I was formed wholy to Christ my Redeemer thus I was once perswaded yet now I find that I am subject to manifold temptations and sometimes overcome to fall into grievous sinnes which wound my conscience yea I see a decay of grace in my selfe I find a weaknesse of faith and a kind of deadnesse in my soul so that I delight not in the Law of God as I should nor do I feele that assurance of the favour of God and of my salvation as I desire and therefore I feare that the faith that I had was but faigned and my holinesse but in shew and therfore now I doubt that my estate and condition is fearefull wofull and miserable Respon This is a very large Objection and hath many parts but I will answere them all with what brevity I may and first for the Conclusion who told thee that thou wast in Gods favour It may be thou wilt reply it was and is thine owne conscience seeing thy decay in faith in holinesse and the burthen of thy sinnes too heavy for thee to beare and therefore this pronounceth the curse against thee because thou hast not continued in all things that are written in Gods Law to doe them Levit. 27.26 and because thou hast not that measure of grace which should be in a Christian in such an one as is in Gods favour but who is this that thus perswades thy conscience to these doubtings Shall I tell thee who it is Why then know it may be either God or Sathan First I say it may be it is God which if it be so then know certainely it is for thy good and that God for a time leaves thee to thy selfe and so suffers those doubtings to be in thee it may be it is for some secret sinne for which as yet thou art not fully and absolutely humbled nor hast not truely as yet repented thee thereof and in such a case then God doth it to worke humiliation in thee that so thou mayst be saved or it may be it is to keepe thee from security and to make thee so much the more to abhorre and feare sinne or to prevent spirâ—tuall pride in thee to trie thy faith patience constancy and true trust in his promises or else it is to move thee to esteeme better of Gods service and of all spirituall graces heereafter or it may be it is to teach thee to flie by earnest prayer unto Christ thy Saviour and to mplore mercy at his hands with the renewing of his spirituall grace in thee because in Christ God is well pleased and in him thou mayst have and finde mercy yea even in the depth of all thy misery but I say If it be God that brings all these doubtings into thy mind then I dare say that it is a sure argument to confirme thy faith and ascertaine thee that thou art Gods child and that so his mercy shall imbrace thee on every side and thus it is I say that God tempteth and it is then for thy good if God do thus tempt thee But not so with Sathan for if Sathan tempt and perswade thee to these doubtings then he doth it to worke despaire in thy soule and so to procure thy utter ruine and destruction and therefore believe him not but resist his temptations at the very first as the Apostle adviseth 1 Pet. 5.9 and so prevent all occasions for according to the Proverb Give the Devill an Inch and he will take an Ell and take heed of solitarinesse and of being too much alone but use company if thou beest naturally given to mellancholly then I say use merry company for thy recreation but take heed of being alone lest Sathan may deale with thee as he did with Eve when she was alone for then it was that he tempted her Gen. 3.2 3. Therefore I say be circumspect and give no credit to Sathan when he shall perswade thee to any evill motion or action for he is a Liar John 8.48 and he is thy enemy yea thy accusing enemy and one that seeketh to devoure thee 1 Pet. 5.8 and why shouldst thou believe a liar or any way credit thine adversary rather than the sweete promises of the Father of mercy how full the holy Scriptures are of the sweet promises of mercy let a man search and he shall finde as in Ezek. 18.27 he that doth righteousnesse not he that saith but he that doth shall save his soule alive and come unto me all ye that are weary c. Mat. 11.28 and for this read Job 13 14 15. with others And therefore hold this for a ground although thou mayst be subject to doubtings yet by and with Gods assistance with holy Job thou wilt never despaire but pray earnestly and without ceasing for the gift of persevering And thus shalt thou find comfort in the latter end and thus thou mayst perceive then how thou mayst obtaine the joyes of Heaven and not to despayre Againe peradventure thou wilt say I know there is much joy and happinesse in Heaven provided for the elect but what 's that to me For I shall have no share thereof I know it by reason I am so subject to so many temptations and entised often to grievous sinnes sometimes with the Atheist to thinke that
causes and occasions of thy feare whether they be thy sinnes if any trouble thy conscience or thy temptations to sinnes thy weakenesses of faith and holinesse or the like so that hee upon view and sight of thy estate and arguments of thy faith and repentance though they be but weake may apply the promises of mercy the comfortable refreshing Oyle of the Gospel unto thy soule But yet heerein also heede and warinesse must be taken to what Minister and to what spirituall Father we doe repose and put our trust and confidence in for this so great a businesse for we must not send to the Schismaticall Anabaptist Brownist c. who preacheth and applieth all judgements and little or no mercy for then he may make the wound worse then it is but in this case send to the godly reformed Minister not to some up-start Trades-man or body Minister of which at this day are too many but know this that our life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 For as Trees in the cold and stormy Winter so good men and women in tempests and anguishes of soule seem to be dead not onely to the world but even to themselves Whence note that Acts 20.9.10 Eutichus there is an Emblem of a Christian in temptation for he fell from an high loft and was taken up dead and so was reputed of all that ware present but saith the Text the Apostle Saint Paul laid himselfe upon him and imbraced him and so found life in him and set him on his legs so though a man fall high from heavenly grace even to the very pit of hell if it were possible yet he may be raised againe by some skilfull and painefull Paul by applying the comforts of the Gospel and so rightly shewing him that his life is not altogether extinguished and put out but hid onely in Christ and that the same is to be found againe in God But for those that thinke if there be any such that any man may as well absolve or baptize or use any other Ministeriall Function or Office in the Church but some if not too many could be contented that there were no Churches as well as the Ministers of God who onely are lawfully called thereunto I would have such to know that he that sent forth to baptize Mark 16.16 he sent also to remit sinnes saying as my Father sent me so send I you c. John 20.12.13 As therefore none can or ought to baptize though he use the same water and words 2. Cor. 5.7 and 10. vers but onely the lawfull Minister Heb. 5.4 I say he onely which Christ hath called and authorized to this Divine and Ministeriall Function So though others I confesse may comfort with good words yet none can absolve from sinne but onely Christ and those to whom Christ hath committed the holy Ministery and words of reconciliation 2. Cor. 5.18.19 and of their absolving Christ speakes in Luk. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me In a doubtfull title thou wilt aske the counsell and advice of some skilfull Lawyer in perrill of sicknesse thou wilt enquire of the learned Phisitian and is there no danger in the dread and feare of damnation for a sinner to be his owne Judge Judicious Calvin teacheth this point of Doctrine most plainely Et si omnes mutuo nos debeamus consolari c. Although saith he we ought to comfort and confirme one another in the confidence of Gods mercy yet we see that the Ministers are appointed as Witnesses and Sureties to ascertaine our consciences of the remission of sinnes Insomuch as they are said to remit sinnes and to loose soules c. Beza highly commendeth this practice and Luther saith that he had rather lose a thousand worlds then suffer private confessions to be c. And our Church hath ever most soundly admitted and maintained the truth of this Doctrine and heerein I might bring in the visitation of the sick in our Liturgy but that is now abolished and for my owne part I never was against the abolishing of it only this I say and say of it if those in Authority had punished some of those that rent it out of the Churches before that Authority had made the same of no validity and use that then it would have made some and that a great many too have leaned more freely to them and their Authority who now I feare stand but as neuters and the not punishing of such hath been a great cause of the augmentation and encreasing of this civill uncivill and unnaturall Warre There was once much wondering when the Pope fell heere in this Kingdome as now they wonder to see the Prelates cast downe and so the world did once wonder to see the Masse cast away and disliked and now many wonder to thinke that the Lithurgy should be so swept away And for my part I pray God grant that the people doe not at last take a surfeit of that most Divine Ordinance of preaching for no violent thing lasts long Well but we all complaine of our present misery by the unhappy and bloody distractions of the Kingdome by this inbred and unnaturall Warre But yet few consider seriously or the cause whence they come for information heerein take and observe this that sinne is the onely cause of every affliction and of all punishments whether to private men or whole Kingdomes Esay 26.9 We by our sinnes have provoked God to anger and God shewes his anger by these judgements upon the whole Nation Deut. 6.15 King and Subjects have sinned and now King and Subjects are punished Deut. 28.63 Nay God causeth us to punish one another and he doth it either to reforme us or else to destroy us But I dare say God is the efficient cause of all Yea the cause of all causes all other causes are but Gods instruments now the instrumentall cause of these our distractions are wicked men 2. Chron. 22.2.3 God useth one sinner to punish another as Israels sinnes were punished by wicked Shishake and by idolatrous Asher Esay 1â— 5 whom God calleth the rod of his anger and the staffe of his hand 2. Sam. 12.11.12.13 So God punished Davids sinne by wicked Absolon and King Rehobcams sinne by his rebellious people 2. King 14.16 and the sinne of the people by their King Jeroboam But yet though God do use wicked men for his instruments yet wicked men doe but wickedly even in the things wherein God useth them for naturally still they are but the Divels instruments to execute his will and their owne Divelish malice as ye may see Job 1.15 But to passe and goe where wee were for Absolution wee finde that Doctor Holland absolved Doctor Reynolds at his death who not being able to speake yet he kissed the hands wherewith he was absolved And so King James of blessed memory as I have credibly heard when hee lay on his death bed sent for a Reverend Bishop to come and give him his Absolution But yet I say