from that which is vncleane So that the Virgin Mary is not exempted who neither was conceiued nor yet liued without corruption who was more blessed in beleeuing on God her Sauiour then in bearing his flesh within her belly Christ indeed was free For though he was in Adams loynes yet he was not of Adam but miraculously framed by the holy Ghost and so as he was exempted from the ordinary line of generation so likewise frō the corruption which was a consequent of it Secondly it is to be noted that we are not in part but wholly corrupted there is nothing in vs sincere and vndefiled So that looke as a man who hath a leprosie ouergrowing him from top to toe so are wee The imagination of mans heart is euill yea onely euill continually Gen. 6.5 8.21 Therefore the Scripture maketh vs voide of all strength to good Rom. 5.10 We cannot thinke a thought as of our selues Nay full of enmitie against all righteousnesse Rom. 8. The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie against God prone to all euill Rom. 3. We are in a word dead in sinne and trespasses Eph. 2. Which doth let vs see how the Papist is deceiued who dreameth of a power in the will vnto good if it be loosed awakened as in a man asleepe or fettered there is power to go and so forth if he be waked and set at libertie But the life of God in which all the power vnto good was grounded is gone from vs. Ephes 4. They were estranged from the life of God through ignorance now twixt them and vs by nature there is no difference Ob. Man hath by nature some knowledge of God and his dutie to God and man Answ None at all that is true and sauing but such as may shew the ruines of time in him make him more inexcusable Secondly we must labour to haue conscience of this our total defilement I know in me there dwelleth no good thing for it humbleth vs and maketh vs haue no confidence in the flesh but haue all our reioycing in Christ Iesus and know that what good thing we do it is in him and through him The third thing to be marked is that sinne wherewith our nature is defiled is as a loathsome corruption in it it is the death of the soule which maketh it rot in filthie qualities as odious before God as the stinke and filthie sauour of a dead corps is in the nostrils of man Yea it doth putrifie the body and make it mortall fretting it through often before it be discerned as a moth doth a garment which must the more affect vs. Were we with Iob from top to toe couered with biles it would grieue vs but our whole spirits being fraught with more filthie corruption thē which breaketh out at the eye mouth eare c. we are not touched The fourth thing through Adam teacheth vs whence our miserie is deriued euen from our first parent whose sinne we are guiltie of and whose corruption is propagated vnto all his posteritie For if parents rebelling against earthly Princes their children are tainted and disinherited much more is this iust with God And as we haue the guilt of his fault so we cannot be free from his infection Parentem proles sequitur Like egge like bird as often men hauing the falling sicknesse and be get children hauing the same diseases which must make vs further bewaile our condition Were we descended of one that had bene executed for treason and so were pointed at as a traiterous brood without inheritance in earth had we but with our nature the stone or falling sicknesse from our next parents we would bewaile our vnhappy natiuities The second part of our misery first teacheth vs that all of vs by nature are slaues of Sathan To be a slaue or vassall is hard but to be the diuels vassals most miserable Hence it is we are said to be in his power and in the kingdome of darknesse and he to be the god of this world For looke as a man is seruant to whom he yeeldeth himselfe voluntarily to obey so are we as who reuolting from God haue voluntarily enthralled our selues to Sathan For as the soule leauing the body the body dieth so God leauing the soule not in regard of the presence of power but of grace the soule forthwith dieth Againe as a iailour hath from the King chiefe Iusticer power ouer his prisoners so hath Sathan as being iaylour executioner to Gods iustice power ouer vs which must make vs still see our miserie Woe to the sheepe whom the wolfe gouerns were we slaues seruing vnder the Turke in his gallies how would it grieue vs but thus one might be more free then the Turke himselfe Were we as the Israelites in Egypt wee would lament but to be thralled to him that like a roaring Lion seeketh to deuoure vs is much more intollerable Lastly marke that we are subiect to eternall death death endlesse and easelesse both of soule and body the soule is dead while we liue we feele it not because wee are dead the body is mortall tending to death for as a moth is in a garment so lieth sin in vs corrupting our body by little and little without ceassing till it be dissolued In death the soule is gathered to those Apostate spirits who keepe it imprisoned in hell till iudgement then at the great day soule and body hauing sinned together shall suffer together euerlastingly If a man sinne against the maiesty of an earthly mortall Prince he is punished with temporary death or perpetuall imprisonment if he could be supposed to liue alwaies he should lie in for euer how much more deseruedly are we subiect to eternall death who haue sinned against an eternall God Which still moueth vs to take notice of our estates and lament them while there is hope If our bodies were in such case threatning death would we not be touched if we were condemned to die as malefactors would we not wring our hands to thinke on such miserie How much more shold it mooue vs to thinke that we are subiect to euerlasting death which hath already seized vppon vs in the spirituall death of our soules and mortalitie or dying states of our bodies The third Principle Q. VVHat meanes is there for thee to escape this damnable estate Answ Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God being made Man by his death vpon the Crosse by his righteousnesse hath perfectly alone by himselfe accomplished all things that are needfull for the saluation of man The answer setteth downe two things first the author of saluation secondly his perfect sauing of vs. In the first there are two things first who it is viz. Iesus Christ secondly what kind of person he is after a sort compounded viz. the eternall Sonne of God God with the Father and Spirit and man also that is God the Sonne hauing such a soule and body as we haue for the essentiall nature of them assumed to
fal the true righteousnesse as Aesops dog making to the shadow of meate he saw in the water let fall that which he had in his mouth Christ and these will not stand together so much as we lay hold on these so much we let go out hold on Christ Lastly note what benefit we haue being in Christ we haue righteousnesse and life eternall We by Adam first stand guiltie of sinne secondly of euerlasting death Now Christ hauing bene made a sacrifice for sinne that is for the taking away of sin and pacifying of God his Father doth not onely obtaine forgiuenesse of sinne for vs that are his but the grace of adoption and free donation of life euerlasting Hence it is that as by generation and coming of Adam we partake in sinne and death so by regeneration being set into Christ we are made partakers of righteousnesse and life from him And look as a griffe partaketh in the sap which the stocke containeth or as a member coupled vnto the head communicateth in the sense and motion which is thence deriued so we by faith set into Christ haue his righteousnesse cōueyed vnto vs God imputing it to vs as ours and life likewise conueyed from him the fountaine of it Ob. But then we are saued and made righteous with anothers righteousnesse as if any can be made wise with anothers wisedome Answ Christs is not anothers but after a sort ours when we by faith are made one with him Secondly how was Adams sinne made our sinne Thirdly if the Pope be pleased he may in his indulgences impute the sufferings righteousnesse of other men to such as neuer knew thē shall it then be vnlawfull for God to impute to vs the righteousnesse of his Sonne And it is to be noted that he saith we are iustified that is haue in Christ forgiuenesse of sinne and are sanctified that is haue the life of glorie begun in vs. For grace is the beginning of eternall life according to those sayings To such as are in Christ there is no condemnation Who so beleeueth hath euerlasting life whom he hath iustified those also he hath glorified by faith their hearts were purified For looke as not onely Adams fact in eating the forbidden fruite was imputed to vs but his corruption which was in his nature being the death of the soule was also propagated to his posterity so not only Christs obedience to the cursed death is reckoned as if we had borne it but the glorious life which resteth in him as a roote of it is conueyed to vs. We see then what wonderfull benefits we haue being in Christ If we had faulted against some great man we would count it no small benefit to haue it released freely forgiuen vs. Againe to be recouered vnto bodily life out of some great dangerous sicknesse is no smal mercie what blessednesse then is this to be set free from all our offences against God and of dead men in soule to be made aliue to God Secondly if any thirst after these things whither must they go euen to this fountaine Thirdly marke that the pardon of sin neuer goeth to a man but that clensing of his nature and sanctifying of him goeth with it also A counterpoyson coming to the heart poyson is expelled So Christ and Belial will not dwell together in one person The fift Principle Q. VVHat are the ordinarie or vsuall meanes for obtaining of faith Answ Faith cometh onely by the preaching of the word and increaseth daily by it as also by the administration of the Sacraments and prayer This answer layeth downe two things first the meane or instrument both of begetting and increasing faith viz. the word preached Secondly the meanes which serue only to the further increasing not to the first begetting of it viz. the Sacraments and prayer For the first we may note hence that true faith is bred in vs by the hearing of the word and nourished by the same Rom. 10. How can we beleeue without hearing so the Gospell is the powerfull instrument of God to saluation from faith to faith I commend you to the word which is able to build you vp For faith is the credit and assent which we giue to matters now how can we giue credit to any thing we neuer heard of Againe as we cānot heare what is done in France till some messenger do bring vs word of it so wee cannot heare what Gods pleasure in heauen is toward vs till he dispatcheth his messengers vnto vs. The same word doth after increase faith in vs for if we beleeue an honest mā so much the more because he often goeth ouer which affirmeth this or that to vs how much more must we be strengthened to heare God reiterating his testification of this or that which he formerly had spoken Euen as in the naturall birth the same bloud of the mother whereof as a seede it is framed the same I say is after her deliuery by benefit of the kernels in the breast turned into milke wherewith the babe is nourished so this word is both the seed which breedeth the sincere milke of the Gospell which feedeth faith in vs. Yet we must not thinke that this word we preach is the principall worker of faith for it is but an external instrument which God vseth which as it cānot worke faith without God so God will not worke faith without it It hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue his otherwise Eph. 1. The same power which raised vp Iesus from the dead is it which bringeth vs to beleeue If one were borne without an hand none could set a naturall hand on such a body but the power which createth and maketh a body so much lesse can any power but the Lords create this grace in the soule which is as an hand that reacheth into heauen The vse of this is first to examine our faith in this point by what meanes we found it wrought in our hearts by what meane it is preserued increased in vs. If it be a true faith the word preached did beget it it feeleth it selfe to grow in strength by meane of the same word When as many that say they beleeue they neuer found any vse of the word to begin their faith for they cannot remember they say that euer since yeares of reason they were without a good beleefe to God-ward neither do they feele any need of the word to grow by the lesse they haue of it it is the better with thē such mens faith is a diuellish delusion Contrariwise if we haue come to our faith by hearing find that the word is effectuall in vs to the augmenting of it in vs in all this it is with vs as it is with true beleeuers Secondly we see how needfull the word preached is for vs no word no faith no faith no saluation This maketh the diuell so malicious to perswade the contempt of it or at least to beare vs in hand that it
thy selfe alreadie the first resurrection of thy soule from death in sinne which is greater wilt thou not then beleeue that he whom thou hast found able to raise thy soule frō death in sinne is able to raise vp thy body likewise And it is terrible to the wicked it were well with them if death coming there were an end Nay the body must rise that as it was partaker with the soule in sinning so it may be partaker with it in iudgement The second thing is the end to which all are raised to iudgment Obserue then that euery one shall come before Iesus Christ the great God to iudgmēt Earthly Princes haue their Iusticers riding their circuits and in fit times iudging all causes and persons subiect to iudgment So God hath his Christ to whom he hath committed all iudgement who shall come gloriously from heauen in his time and iudge all flesh righteously And needs it must be for here in this life is not seene the punishment of wickednesse nor the reward of vertue Now if a King in his common wealth cannot iustly suffer sin vnpunished nor vertue without encouragemēt how much lesse shall the iust God let the wicked carry it away for euer the godly vnrewarded shall not the iust Iudge of all the world set all at right in his time But the Scripture saith that he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement Ioh. 5. and that he who beleeueth not is already condemned Ans The righteous shall not come into iudgment of condemnation but he shall appeare to be formally and publikely absolued The wicked is already iudged and condemned by the word in his cōscience Sententia Iudicis interloquutoria not definitiua The word iudgeth him his conscience condemneth him but the definitiue sentence is not solemnly pronounced This then is to be thought on that God will haue all brought to iudgement yea he shall reckon with malefactors to the least idle word As malefactors are brought out of darksome prisons so shall the bodies soules of wicked ones be drawne forth of the prisons of hell the graue to receiue their doome This not thought vpon men are bold to commit wickednesse as we say the theefe wots not the hemp groweth when he stealeth Many thinke let them haue but this day they will make shift good enough but the more thou presumest the more shalt thou be confounded the lighter thou settest by it thou shalt feele it the more vnsupportable We are afraid to fall into the lapse to do any thing amisse which we are sure to answer before our betters if we do it how is it then that we are not afraid to do any thing though we must answer it before God This is cōfortable to the godly that they haue yet an appeale lying to a higher iudgemēt then vpon the earth The last thing followeth the glory of the beleeuing the eternal damnation of the vnbeleeuers When sentence is once passed in earthly affaires forthwith there are inferiour officers which see execution accordingly so when this great God hath passed his sentence he hath good and euill Angels which shall be executioners vnto him First the godly shall enter their eternall lise and be made partakers with Christ in his glory for this is part of their dignity that they should as benchers sitting with Christ applaude his most righteous iudgement on wicked ones who haue not beleeued nor obeyed the Gospell and so after a sort iudge the world with Christ Know ye not that the Saints shall iudge the world Now their eternall life is a thing we beleeue I beleeue life euerlasting for if a man do out of his bounty giue often to some seruitor that hath done him the better seruice a free hold to him and his heires after him for euer and so if the world could be supposed to continue and his name not to grow extinct an euerlasting reward how much more doth it agree with Gods bountie to recompence the momentany seruices of his children with giuing thē this euerlasting inheritance which out of his fatherly loue he before worlds prepared for them Here then is matter of ioy the best dish is to come our life is yet hid we liue now as a tree in winter whose life is hid at the roote of it so is ours with God in Christ the roote of vs but when the Spring of our resurrectiō cometh it shall be manifested Finally marke what is the end of wicked ones eternall damnation with the diuell and his Angels I shewed in the end of the second question how it is meete that momentany wicked ones should haue euerlasting punishment for it is against an infinite and eternall maiestie kings may iustly punish with perpetuall imprisonmēt which a man should euer endure could he be supposed to liue alwaies What paine shall here be when the paine of one tooth may be so great as seemeth vnsupportable what shall it be when euery part shal be filled with such horrible griefe as neuer entred into the heart of man To see one diuell often is so fearefull that it exanimateth those that behold it what shal be this horror when the soule and body shall liue in one mansion with the diuell and all his Angels and be tormented by them for euer for euer euer while God is God no hope of redemption To be put by little things and misse our marke in this or that earthly hope how doth it grieue vs but to be put by the ioyes of heauen the blessed fellowship of God his Angels the righteous how shall this sting vs When after-thought of hauing ouershot our selues in little matters doth go so neare vs that we are in a hell for the time what shall it be when this thought shall vexe vs to thinke of our follies in reiecting and not regarding eternall blessednesse when it was offered vs The Lord therefore keepe vs from sin it is sweet but the sawce is sowre this last dish will marre the feast a wofull shot will come in for vs who learne not to know God our miserable estates and with sorrowfull hearts to flie to his mercies in Iesus Christ FINIS
to be heads of some Corporation it is held a great matter but suppose there were a great kindred of poore Iacke strawes which had rebelled against the King should the Prince match himselfe with some poore maide of the tribe that so he might pacifie the King toward them here were grace such as no report of storie could second The King of heauen hath when we were all poore rebels matched himselfe with our flesh and bloud by couenant of personall cohabitation with it neuer to be dissolued Secondly we must hence see what reason we haue to come to God with boldnesse God in himself is a light to which is no accesse a consuming fire but loe he hath made himselfe God-man that looking at thy owne nature thou mightest not be afraid of him The ancient sheepheards to make themselues lesse awfull and more louely to their sheepe were wont to go couered with their skinnes So this sheepheard of our soules that he might not be terrible vnto vs maketh himselfe like vnto vs in flesh and bloud Though we feared some great man yet were he married to our house very neare vs this circumstance would animate vs not a little thinke the same of thy God married as aforesaid to thy flesh Thirdly as this sheweth loue and encourageth so to consider that God is he that dwelleth in our nature will be a ground of hope against all euils whatsoeuer Naked man could not helpe vs thou must neuer stay in seeing man But as when thou seest a body thou knowest it is such a ones body so when thou imaginest that glorious body and spirit still thinke whose they are the eternall Sonnes of God On this person as God fixe all thy trust as man thou hast encouragement but as God thou hast matter of confidence as who cannot be withstood in his gracious pleasure toward thee our affiance is built vpon the person that is man but as he is God not as he is man For cursed is he that trusteth in flesh Lastly seeing Christ hath for our sake taken our base nature how equall is it that we at his request should labour to be partakers of the diuine nature that is of heauenly qualities and condition Should the Prince hauing done such a thing for the poore snakes aboue named intreate nothing at them but that they would liue at Court with him and partake in his glorie were it not an easie suite The next thing that followeth is that at Christ hath done and suffered all things for vs euen the cursed death We of our selues are bankrupts who stand indebted vnto all obedience to euery commandement which is that perfect righteousnesse the Law requireth who likewise are in debt to the iustice of God because we haue sinned in debt I say so farre as to beare the cursed death Cursed is he that continueth not in all to do it alwaies Now God hath put himselfe surety for vs he hath in our roome bene obedient to euery commandement if this be to be asked of vs and he hath put his body soule twixt this cursed death and vs that so we might be discharged If a man do this or that office for vs when absent ô how kindly we take it especially if he do it out of his meere good will vnspoken to of vs But how should we take this to heart that Christ hath when we could not through our gracelesnesse once aske him fulfilled all righteousnesse which we were to fulfill We take it as loue in men if spoken to they will do small matters often for vs. Againe he that will beare a blow in our behalfe be bound for vs in great summes of money especially he that will lie by it for our good but how much more are we to acknowledge this grace of Christ who hath bene our surety payed for our deliuerance not siluer or gold but his precious bloud Againe this is the sure anchor of our faith our surety hath discharged all that can be required at vs. Now a debt in iustice once payed cannot againe be demanded Who then shall lay anything to our charge it is Christ that is dead yea risen from the dead for the iustifying of vs. He hath once satisfied all in the behalfe of vs who beleeue who then shall be able to demand ought at vs The next thing is that Christ alone hath done and suffered all things for vs not Saints nor our selues are to be Sauiours but the glorie of this belongeth to that Name alone shall dust and ashes beset to helpe out the great God in that he goeth about Let the Sunne borrow light of candels when this may be prooued Whatsoeuer mooueth God to saue vs as without himselfe whatsoeuer effectually applieth it all is in Christ Christs passion the medicine Christs diuine power the vertue which worketh all in all True it is that faith repentance thankfull confession are required but first not as causes working our saluation but as meanes without which we come not to this saluation I am sicke there is a Physician which healeth such as I am onely he would haue his patients haue a good perswasion of him be thankfull to him be sorrie if they rudely prouoke him Now such he with his medicines by his art applying the same restoreth to health Who would say that a mans going to the Physician his sorrow for offending him his thankfulnesse toward him do properly cure him of his disease euery thing necessary to this or that end is not a cause of that to which it concurreth as needfull We haue need of meate and drinke that we may serue God yet meate drinke are no causes of godlinesse Secondly these things needfull are begun in vs continued perfected by Christ the author and finisher of faith and all other graces in vs. Now the Papists do in these two branches derogate from Christ his absolute sauing of vs. First that they make man in part to do and endure that which is the medicine healing of him Secondly that they make him out of the power of his wil not created in him when he is onely regenerate but remaining in his corrupted nature to bring forth those things which are necessary to concurre that saluation may be applied Let vs therefore know that in Christ we are compleat and hauing such an one who is able perfectly to saue vs let vs not looke any other way to any creature in heauen or earth It is Christ that is dead risen yea that maketh intercession If the Prince should vndertake a thing who would wish he might for his further securitie haue some poore subiect ioyned with him that which is perfect is marred by adding ought vnto i◠And who will say that Christs sufferings righteousnes effectuall application are any way defectiue Let vs then with the Apostle care to know nothing but Christ and him crucified A fift wheele helpeth nothing troubleth not a little so it fareth with all additaments of righteousnesse and sufferings that are ioyned with