heare not because God speaks not loud enough but because we stop our eares nor that neyther for wee doe hear but because we do not hearken then nor consider no nor that neyther but because we doe not answere nor cooperate nor assist God in doing that which he hath made us able to doe by his grace towards our own Salvation For not to judge De iis qui foris sunt of those whom God hath left fot any thing we know in the darke and without meanes of Salvation because without manifestation of Christ we are Christians incorporated in Christ in his Church and thereby by that Title we have a new Creation and are new creatures and as wee shall have a new Jerusalem hereafter so we have a new Paradise already which is the Christian Church In this Paradise saith St. Augustine Quatuor Evangelia ligna fructifera In the books of the Gospell as they grow and as they are suplicated in the Church growes every Tree pleasant for the sight and good for meat And there sayes that Father lignum vitae Christus Christ Jesus himself as he is taught hee that gives life to all our actions and even so our faith it self which faith qualifies and dignifies those actions And then sayes from the Scriptures in the Church is the Tree of Life for it is he As Christ alone in this Paradise that is the christian Church is this Tree of life so lignum scientiae boni mali The Tree of knowledg of Good and Evill is Proprium voluntatis arbitrium the good use of our own Will after God hath enlightned us in this Paradise in the Christian Church and so restor'd our dead will again by his Grace precedent and subsequent and concommitant for without such Grace and such succession of Grace our Will is so far unable to pre-dispose it selfe to any good as that nec scipso homo nisi perniciose uti potest sayes he still we have no interest in our selves no power to doe any thing of or with our selves but to our destruction Miserable man a Toad is a bag of Poyson and a Spider is a blister of Poyson and yet a Toad and a Spider cannot poyson themselves Man hath a dram of poyson originall-Sin in an invisible corner we know not where and he cannot choose but poyson himselfe and all his actions with that we are so far from being able to begin without Grace as then where we have the first Grace we cannot proceed to the use of that without more But yet sayes Saint Augustine The Will of a Christian so rectified and so assisted the lignum scientiae the Tree of knowledge and he shall be the worse for knowing if he live not according to that knowledg we were all wrapped up in the first Adam all Mankind and we are wrapped up in the second Adam in Christ all Mankinde too but not in both alike for we are so in the first Adam as that we inherit death from him and incurre death whether we will or no before any consent of ours be actually given to any Sin we are the children of wrath and of death but we are not so in the second Adam as that we are made possessors of eternall life without the concurrence of our own Will not that our will payes one penny towards this purchase but our own will may forfeit it it cannot adopt us but it may disinherit us Now by being planted in this Paradise and received into the Christian Church we are the adopted sons of God and therefore as it is in Christ who is the naturall Son of God Qui non nascitur desinit as Origen expresses it He was not born once and no more but hath a continual because an eternall generation and is as much begotten to day as he was 100. 1000. 1000 millions of generations passed so since we are the generation and of-spring of God since Grace is our Father that Parent that begets all goodness in us In similitudine ejus sayes Origen conformable to the Pattern Christ himself Qui non nascitur desinit who hath a continuall generation Generemur Domino per singulos intellectus singula opera in all the acts of our understanding and in a ready concurrence of our Will let us every day every minute feele this new generation of spirituall children for it is a miserable short life to have been borne when the glasse was turned and dyed before it was run out to have conceived some good Motions at the beginning and to have given over all purpose of practise at the end of a Sermon Let us present our own will as a mother to the father of light and the father of life and the father of love that we may be willing to conceive by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost and not resist his working upon our Soules but with the obedience of the blessed Virgin may say Ecce ancilla Behold the seruant of the Lord fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum Be it done unto me according to thy Word I will not stop mine eares to thy Word my heart shall not doubt of thy word my life shall expresse my having heard and harkened to thy word that word which is the Gospell that Gospell which is peace to my Conscience and reconciliation to my God and Salvation to my Soul for hearing is but the conception meditation is but the quickning purposing is but the byrth but practising is the growth of this blessed childe Fidelis The Gospell then that which is the Gospell to thee that is the assurance of the peace of Conscience is grounded in sermone upon the word not upon imaginations of thine owne not upon fancies of others nor pretended inspirations nor obtruded Miracles but upon the word and not upon a suspicious and questionable not upon an uncertain or variable word but upon this that is fidelis sermo This is a faithfull saying It is true that this Apostle seemes to use this phrase of speech as an earnest asseveration and a band for divers truths in other places He saies sometimes This is a true saying and This is a faithfull saying when he does not meane that it is the word of God but only intends to induce a morall certitude when he would have good credit to be given to that which followes he uses to say so fidelis sermo it is a true it is a faithfull saying But in all those other places where he uses this phrase he speaks only of some particular duties or of some particular point of Religion but here he speaks of the whole body of Divinity of the whol Gospell That Christ is come to save Sinners and therefore more may be intended by this phrase here then in other places When hee speaks of that particular point The Resurrection he uses this phrase It is a true saying If we be dead with him we shall also live with him 2 Tim. 2.11 when he would invite men to godlinesse
The Jewes shall be under a heavier condemnation then the natural man because they had more liberty that is more means of avoyding sin then the natural man had and upon the same reason the Christian under a heavier condemnation then either because he shall be judged by this law of Liberty What judgement then gives this law This Qui non crediderit Mark 16.16 damnabitur and so sayes this Law in the Law-makers mouth He that believes not shall be damned And as no lesse light then Faith it selfe can shew you what Faith is what it is to believe so no lesse time then Damnation shall last can shew you what Damnation is for the very form of Damnation is the everlastingness of it and Qui non crediderit He that believeth not shall be damned there 's no commutation of penance nor beheading after a sentence of a more ignominious death in that court Dost thou believe that thou dost believe yet this law takes not that answer This law of Liberty takes the liberty to look farther Through faith into works for so sayes the Law in the mouth of the Law-maker To whom much is given of him much shall be required Luke 12.48 Hast thou considered every new title of Honour and every new addition of Office every new step into higher places to have laid new Duties and new obligations upon thee Hast thou doubled the hours of thy Prayers when thy Preferments are doubled and encreased thine Almes according as thy Revenues are encreased Hast thou done something done much in this kinde this law will not be answer'd so this law of Liberty takes the liberty to call upon thee for all Here also the Law sayes in the mouth of the Law-maker If thou have agreed with many adversaries sayes Christ Mat 5.25 let that be If thou have satisfied many duties for duties are adversaries that is temptations upon us yet as long as thou hast one adversary agree with that adversary quickly in the way leave no duty undischarged or unrepented in this life Beloved we have well delivered our selves of the feare of Purgatory none of us feare that but another mistaking hath overtaken us and we flatter our selves with another danger that is Compensation that by doing well in one place our ill doing in another is recompenced an ill Officer looks to be sav'd because he is a good husband to his wife a good father to his children a good master to his servants and he thinks he hath three to one for his salvation But as nature requires the qualities of every element which thou art composed of so this law of Liberty calls upon thee for the exercises of all those vertues that appertain to every particular place thou hold'st This liberty this law of Liberty takes It binds thee to believe Christ All Christ Gods Christ as he was the eternal Son of the Father God of God our Christ as he was made man for our salvation and thy Christ as his blessed Spirit in this his Ordinance applies him to thee and offers him into thine armes this minute And then to know that he looks for a retribution from thee in that measure in which he hath dealt with thee much for much and for several kinds of good according to those several good things which he hath done for thee And if thou be first defective in these and then defective in laying hold upon him who is the propitiation and satisfaction for thy defects in these this law of Liberty returnes to her liberty to pronounce and he Judge to his liberty to execute that sentence Damnaberis thou wilt be cast into that prison where thou must pay the last farthing thou must for Christ dyes not there and therefore there they must lie till there come such another ransome as Christ nay a greater ransome then Christ was for Christ paid no debts in that prison This then is the Christians case and this is the Abridgement of his Religion Sic loquimini sic facite to speak aright and to doe aright to profess the truth and not be afraid nor ashamed of that and to live according to that profession for no man can make God the author of sin but that man comes as near it as he can that makes Gods Religion a cloke for his sin To this God proceeds not meerly and onely by commadment but by perswasion too And though he be not bound to do so yet he does give a reason The reason is because he must give account of both both of Actions and of Words of both we shall be judged but judged by a Law a Law which excludes on Gods part any secret ill purpose upon us if we keep his Law a Law which excludes on our part all pretence of Ignorance for no man can plead ignorance of a Law And then a law of Liberty of liberty to God for God was not bound to save a man because he made him but of his own goodness he vouchsafed him a Law by which he may be saved a law of Liberty to us so that there is no Epicurism to doe what we list no such liberty as makes us Libertines for then there were no Law nor Stoicism nor fatality that constraines us to doe that we would not do for then there were no Liberty But the Gospel is such a law of Liberty as delivers us upon whom it works Serm. 4. from the necessity of falling into the bondage of sin before and from the impossibility of recovering after if we be falne into that bondage And this is liberty enough and of this liberty our blessed God give us the right use for his Son Christ Jesus sake by the operation of that Holy Ghost that proceeds from both Amen A Lent-SERMON Preached before the KING At WHITE-HALL February 16. 1620. SERMON IV. 1 Tim. 3.16 And without controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into Glory THis is no Text for an Houre-glasse if God would afford me Ezekiah's signe Ut revertatur umbra 2 Reg. 20.9 Josh 10.11 that the shadow might go backward upon the Dial or Joshuah's signe Ut sistat Sol That the Sun might stand still all the day this were text enough to employ all the day and all the dayes of our life The Lent which we begin now is a full Tythe of the year but the houre which we begin now is not a full tythe of this day and therefore we should not grudge all that But payment of Tythes is growne matter of controversie and we by our Text are directed onely upon matter without controversie And without controversie c. Here is the compass that the essential Word of God the Son of God Christ Jesus went He was God humbled in the flesh he was Man received into glory Here is the compasse that the written Word of God went the Bible
better means of prevention before and of restitution after than the natural man or Jew had yet we consider that it is the law of liberty this law that hath afforded us these good helps by which we shall be judged And so though our case be better than theirs because we have this law of liberty which they wanted yet our case grows heavier than theirs if we use it not aright The Jews shall be under a heavier condemnation than the natural man because they had more liberty that is more means of avoyding sin than the naturall man had and upon the same reason the christian under a heavier condemnation than either because he shall be judged by the law of liberty What Judgement then gives this law This Mar. 16.16 Qui non crediderit damnabitur So sayes this law in the law-makers mouth He that believes not shall be damned And as no lesse light than faith it self can shew you what faith is what it is to believe so no lesse time than damnation shall last can shew you what damnation is For the very form of damnation is the everlastingness of it And qui non crediderit he that believeth not shall be damned there is no commutation of penance nor beheading after a sentence of a more ignominious death in that Court Doest thou believe that thou doest believe yet this law takes not that answer This law of liberty takes the liberty to look farther through faith into works for so sayes the law in the mouth of the law-maker To whom much is given Luc. 12.48 of him much shall be required Hast thou considered every new title of honor and every new addition of office every new step into higher places to have laid new duties and new obligations upon thee hast thou doubled the hours of thy prayers when thy preferments are doubled and encreased thine alms according as thy revenues are encreased hast thou done something done much in this kind this law will not be answered so this law of liberty takes the liberty to call upon thee for all Here also the law saies in the mouth of the law-maker If thou have agreed with many adversaries sayes Christ Mat. 5.25 let that be if thou have satisfied many duties for duties are adversaries that is tentations upon us yet as long as thou hast one adversary agree with that adversary quickly in the way leave no duty undischarged nor unrepented in this life Beloved we have well delivered our selves of the fear of Purgatory None of us fear that but another mistaking hath overtaken us and we flatter our selves with another danger that is compensation That by doing well in one place our ill doing in another is recompensed An ill officer looks to be saved because he is a good husband to his wife a good father to his children a good master to his servants and he thinks he hath three to one for his salvatien But as nature requires the qualities of every element which thou art composed of so this law of liberty calls upon thee for the exercises of all those vertues that appertain to every particular place thou holdst This liberty this law of liberty takes It binds thee to believe Christ all Christ Gods Christ as he was the eternal Son of the Father God of God our Christ as he was made man for our salvation and thy Christ as his blessed spirit in this his ordinance applies him to thee and offers him into thine armes this minute And then to know that he looks for a retribution from thee in that measure in which he dealt with thee much for much and for several kinds of good according to those several good things which he hath done for thee And if thou be first defective in these and then defective in laying hold upon him who is the propitiation and satisfaction for thy defects in these This law of liberty returns to her liberty to pronounce and the Judg to his liberty to execute that sentence Damnaberis thou wilt be cast into prison where thou must pay the last farthing thou must for Christ dyes not there and therefore there thou must lie till there come such another ransome as Christ nay a greater ransome than Christ was for Christ paid no debts in that prison This then is the christians case and this is the abridgment of his Religion Sic loquimini Sic facite To speak aright and to do aright to professe the truth and not be afraid nor ashamed of that and to live according to that profession For no man can make God the author of sin but that man comes as neer it as he can that makes Gods religion a cloak for his sin To this God proceeds not meerly and onely by commandment but by perswasion too and though he be not bound to do so yethe does give a reason The reason is because we must give account of both both of actions and of words of both we shall be judged But judged by a law a law which excludes on Gods part any secret ill purpose upon us if we keep his law A law which excludes on our part all pretence of ignorance for no man can plead ignorance of a law And then a law of liberty of liberty to God for God was not bound to save a man because he made him but of his own goodness he vouchsafed him a law by which he may be saved A law of liberty to us so that there is no Epicurism to do what we list no such liberty as makes us libertins for then there were no law nor Stoicism nor fatality that constrains us to do that we would not do for then there were no liberty But the Gospel is such a law of liberty as delivers us upon whom it works from the necessity of falling into the bondage of sin before and from the impossibility of recovering after if we be fallen into that bondage And this is liberty enough And of this liberty our blessed God give us the right use for his son Christ Jesus sake by the operation of that holy Ghost that proceeds from both Amen A SERMON Preached to Queen Anne at Denmarke-house Serm. 18. December 14. 1617. SERMON XVIII Proverbs 8.17 I love them that love me and they that seek me early shall find me AS the Prophets and the other Secretaries of the holy Ghost in penning the books of Scriptures do for the most part retain and express in their writings some impressions and some air of their former professions those that had been bred in Courts and Cities those that had been Shepheards and Heardsmen those that had been Fishers and so of the rest ever inserting into their writings some phrases some metaphors some allusions taken from that profession which they had exercised before so that soul that hath been transported upon any particular worldly pleasure when it is intirely turn'd upon God and the contemplation of his all-sufficiency and abundance doth find in God fit subject and
know any thing The soul say they of men so purified understands no longer per phantasmata rerum corporalium not by having any thing presented by the fantasie to the senses and so to the understanding but altogether by a familiar conversation with God and an immediate revelation from God whereas Christ himself contented himself with the ordinary way He was hungry Mat. 21.20 and a fig-tree presented it self to him upon the way and he went to it to eat This is that Pureness in the Romane Church by which the founder of the last Order amongst them Philip Nerius had not onely utterly emptied his heart of the world but had fill'd it too full of God for Congrega Orator so say they he was fain to cry sometimes Recede ame Domine O Lord go farther from me and let me have a less portion of thee But who would be loath to sink by being over-fraited with God or loath to over-set by having so much of that winde the breath of the Spirit of God Privation of the presence of God is Hell a diminution of it is a step toward it Fruition of his presence is Heaven and shall any Man be afraid of having too much Heaven too much God There are many among them that are over laden oppressed with Bishropricks and Abbeys and yet they can bear it and never cry Retrahe domine domine Resume O Lord withdraw from me Resume to thy self some of these superabundancies and shall we think any of them to be so over-fraited and surcharg'd with the presence and with the grace of God as to be put to his Recede domine O Lord withdraw thy self and lessen thy grace towards me This Pureness is not in their heart but in their fantasie We read in the Ecclesiastick story of such a kinde of affectation of singularity very early in the primitive Church Catharsitae We finde two sorts of false Puritans then The Catharists and The Cathari The Catharists thought no creatures of God pure and therefore they brought in strange ceremonial purifications of those Creatures In which error they of the Romane Church succeed them in a great part in their Exorcismes and Consecrations Particularly in the greatest matter of all in the Sacraments For the Catharists in the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour thought not the bread pure except it were purified by the aspersion of something issuing from the body of man not fit to be nam'd here And so in the Romane Church they induc'd a use of another Excrement in the other Sacrament They must have spittle in the Sacrament of Baptisme For in those words of Tertullian Tertul. In Baptismo Daemones respuimus In Baptism we Renounce the Devil they will admit no other interpretation of the Respuimus but that Respuere is sputo detestari Durantius de citib l. 1.19 n. 30. That we can drive the Devil away no way but by spitting at him Their predecessors in this the Catharists thought no Creatures pure and therefore purified them by abhominable and detestable ways The second sort of primitive Puritans the Cathari Cathari They thought no men pure but themselves and themselves they thought so pure as to have no sin and that therefore they might and so did leave out as an impertinent clause in the Lords prayer that petition Dimitte nobis debita nostra for they thought they ought God nothing In natural things Monsters have no propagation A Monster does not beget a Monster In spiritual excesses it is otherwise for for this second kinde of Puritans that attribute all purity to themselves and spend all their thoughts upon considering others that weed hath grown so far that whereas those Puritans of the Primitive Church did but refuse to say Dimitte nobis Forgive us our trespasses because they had no sin the Puritan Papist is come to say Recede a nobis O Lord stand farther off for I have too much of thee And whereas the Puritan of the primitive Church did but refuse one Petition of the Lords prayer the later puritan amongst our selves hath refused the whole Prayer Towards both these sorts of false puritans Catharists and Cathari derived down to our time we acknowledge those words of the Apostle to belong 2 Tim. 4.2 Reprove Rebuke Exhort that is leave no such means untryed as may work upon their Understandings and remove their just scruples Preach write confer But when that labor hath been bestow'd and they fear up their Understanding against it so that the fault lies not then in the darkness of their Understanding but meerly in the perversness of the will over which faculty other men have no power towards both these sorts we acknowledge those other words of the Apostle to belong too Gal. 5.12 Utinam abscindantur Would to God they were even cut off that disquiet you Cut off that is removed from means by which and from places in which they might disquiet you These two kinds of false Puritans we finde in the Primitive Church And Satan who lasts still makes them last still too But if we shall imagine a third sort of Puritans and make men afraid of the zeal of the glory of God make men hard and insensible of those wounds that are inflicted upon Christ Jesus in blasphemous oaths and execrations make men ashamed to put a difference between the Sabbath and an ordinary day and so at last make sin an indifferent matter If any man list to be contentious we have no such custome 1 Cor. 11.16 neither the Chuch of God The Church of God encourages them and assists them in that sanctity that purity with all those means wherewith Christ Jesus hath trusted her for the advancement of that purity and professes that she prefers in her recommendations to God in her prayers one Christian truly fervent and zealous before millions of Lukewarme Onely she says in the voice of Christ Jesus her head Wo be unto you Mat. 23 25. if you make clean the outside of cups and platters but leave them full of extortion and excess within Christ calls them to whom he says that blinde Pharisees if they have done so If they think to blinde others Christ calls them blinde But if their purity consist in studying practising the most available means to sanctification and in obedience to lawful authority established according to Gods Ordinance and in acquiescence in fundamental doctrines believed in the ancient Church to be necessary to salvation If they love the peace of conscience and the peace of Sion as Balaam said Let me dye the death of the righteous and let my last end he like his So I say let me live the life of a Puritan Num. 23.10 let the zeal of the house of God consume me let a holy life and an humble obedience to the Law testifie my reverence to God in his Church and in his Magistrate For this is Saint Pauls Puritan To have a pure heart