nor esteemeth any thing so sweet He that loveth God serveth him from his heart he that loveth not God he serveth not him although he heap mountains upon mountains So then nothing can befall a man better or more profitable then that the love of God should wax warm in his heart Whatsoever faith worketh in man and all things ought to be done in faith Faith in charity should doe all things in man ought to be done in charity no otherwise then the soule through the body seeeth heareth tasteth smelleth speaketh and doth all things I say after that manner should charity doe all things in thee that All things ought to be done in charity towards our neighbour whether thou eat or drink hear or speak praise or dispraise all things should be done in charity after the example of Christ in whom most pure love wrought all things Wherefore if thou dost look upon thy neighbour let sincere charity fix thine eyes upon him if thou hearest him let charity erect thine eares if thou speakest unto him let most loving commiseration governe thy tongue Lastly have a care and study this one thing that charity through faith may be the root and beginning and cleave unto thee alwayes which can beget in thee nothing but what is good and wherewith thou beginnest the law of God whose love also is the fulfilling of the law or the true abridgement thereof Which majesty of the divine love all the old Saints of God with admiration exclaime O Charity The praise of Charity of God in the holy Ghost the sweetnesse of the soul and the divine life of man he who hath not thee is dead though alive he that hath thee never dieth before God where thou art not there the life of men is continuall death where thou art there the life of man is a fore-tast of the eternall life And thus much of Charity so farre as it is the end of the Law Let us God is mans soveraigne good come now to the other attribute the purity of the heart which consisteth in this That the mind being void of worldly love doth rest upon God as his chiefest good according to Psalm 16. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup thou art he that dost restore my inheritance to me Psal 37. The Lord knoweth the dayes of the unspotted and their inheritance shall be for ever And therefore the mind of man ought to take his chiefest delight and pleasure in God alone because he is the chiefest good and consequently good it selfe and vertue it selfe verily meer favour grace love lowlinesse patience faith truth consolation peace joy life and happinesse all which he bestowed upon Christ also so that he Why vertue is to be loved which hath him hath all things Wherefore he that loveth God ought to love also his truth mercies goodnesse and all vertues For the true lover of God loveth all things that are acceptable to God and contrariwise abhorreth and hateth all things that be against God Therefore justice is to be beloved truth mercy because God is all these meeknesse humility by reason of the example of our most humble and meek Saviour Contrariwise a true lover of God hates every vice as the adversary and enemy of God and the work of Why vice is to be hated the Devill therefore he hateth a lie because the Devill is a lier and consequently other sinnes because they are part of the Devill And whosoever loveth sinne as a lie and injustice this is a sonne of the Devill as it is in John 8. Even as he that loveth Christ our Redeemer and Saviour he also loveth the example of his most innocent life I say his meeknesse humility and patience he is the sonne of God But thou must remember that thou pray to God for this purity of love who certainly willingly and freely through the love of Christ doth kindle it in thee if so thou incessantly with daily prayers cease not to importune him and offer up thy heart unto him every houre and moment But if thy charity be could and weak so that sometimes thou faile and fall goe to rise again and goe to work and renew thy Charity be sure the eternall light of the divine love is not extinguished God our most gentle Saviour will enlighten thee again which albeit it be so yet thou shouldest The charity of God and our neighbour cannot be severed pray unto God daily lest at any time hereafter he suffer the most bright fire of divine love to be extinguished And thus much of the Charity from the heart purged from the love of the world and the creatures Let us see now the charity of our neighbour out of a pure conscience The charity of God and our neigbour is one and they cannot be severed neither is the love of God more manifest in any thing then by and in the love of our neighbour If any man say that he loveth God and hateth his neighbour he is a lier For hee that loveth not his brother whom he seeth how can he love God whom he seeth not And this is the commandement we have received from God That he that loveth God should love his brother also 1 John 4. For the love of God cannot dwell in the heart of a man-hater or hostile revengefull man Whereupon if thou hast no pitie on thy brother and knowest that he hath need of thy help how canst thou love God that hath no need of thy help As by faith we are united to God so by charity wee are to our neighbour joyned 1 John 4. He that abideth in charity abideth in God and God in him As a man consisteth of body and soule so faith and charity of God and our neighbour doth make a true Christian And seeing that God is well affected towards all men who is so indeed it followeth that he is of one mind with God and so consents It is the property of Charity to bewaile a sinner to him he that doth contrary is adversary to God because he is an enemy to mankind Furthermore it is the property of this charity to bewaile humane errors because they represent as in a glasse our own proper defects and bring to our memory the most infirm condition of our humanity whereupon it followeth that we are to bear the infirmity of our neighbour with patience humility and meeknesse Truly such as sin through want of strength We are to bear with the weak more then of purpose and whereof they soon recollect themselves doe rebuke and punish themselves and doe of themselves acknowledge their sinne these truly are to be pitied and condoled and doe deserve pardon He that denieth this surely hath not the spirit of Christ For to punish the fallings and infirmities of our neighbour rashly and with severe judgement without mercy or commiseration onely is proper to him that is without the most mercifull law of God the Father Sonne
in the heart with earnest sorrow and most assured feeling of heavinesse we be made contrite and afflicted and again be made holy and joyfull purged and changed and amended by remission of sinnes by faith in Jesus Christ whereby it cannot but come to passe that the outward life and manners be renewed and changed What if now one should onely doe outward penance or repentance abstain from great and erroneous offences for the feare of punishment and the inward man doe keep his old spots still and take no care to enter into the inward and new life in Christ shall not such a one neverthelesse be damned neither shall it profit him a straw to cry Lord Lord but he shall be constrained to hear that terrible voice I know you not For certain and sure it is not all that say Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but onely those that doe the will of the heavenly Father Under which terrible sentence of the Divine Majesty it is manifest men of all orders are comprised for as many as doe not inwardly and from the heart truly repent and become new creatures in Christ those surely Christ will not acknowledge for his CHAP. V. What is true Faith 1 John 1. 5. Every one that beleeveth that Jesus is Christ is born of God FAith is a solid trust and a firm and cernain perswasion of the grace of God promised in Christ for the remission of sinnes and life eternal kindled through the word of God and the holy Ghost in our hearts by this faith is conferred unto us the remission of our sinnes and that gratis or freely for no merits of ours but Christs alone and that of meere grace that our faith may remain fixed or unmoveable upon a firme and solid foundation And this absolution or forgivenesse of our sinnes is our justice or justification and that true solid and eternall before God For neither is it of Angels but by the obedience of the Sonne of God his merits and ransome which by faith we appropriate unto us fixing and applying the same to our selves therefore neither is the imperfections Properties of a true faith of our life or any sinnes left remaining to withstand us but they be covered with the vaile of grace for Christs sake Psal 32. Furthermore by this solid and firm trust this followeth that the man doth dedicate his whole heart solely to God in him he resteth alone to this one is he glewed or fastened with this alone he entreth society and is joyned to God and participateth all things that are of God and Christ and is made one spirit with God taketh and collecteth from him power and strength a new life new joyes many recreations peace lightnesse of heart the soules Sabbath and rest Lastly justification and holinesse or sanctification in the holy Ghost What other thing then is it at the length but to be regenerated through faith for where true faith is there is Christ with all his justice holinesse redemption merit grace remission of sins adoption and inherttance of life eternall And this is the new life and regeneration New birth through faith in Christ whereupon the Apostle to the Hebrews Cap. 11. calleth faith a Substance that is the undoubted solid firm trust of things which were hoped for and a certain manifest and notable conviction and experience of things invisible And finely so great and powerfull is the consolation of a true living faith in our hearts as it cannot but convince by arguing most firmly from experience and tast of the soveraigne good in his soule that is from the quietnesse and peace in God Iustified faith where peace whereby that preservation remaineth most certain which a Christian doubteth not to seale with his death and this is that strength of spirit and inward man this is vigor and alacrity of faith or Parrhesia Eph. 3. Phil. 1. 1 Joh. 2. 3. this joy in God 1 Thess 2. Lastly this Plerophoria and immoveable The certainty of faith firm certainty 1 Thess 3. even for which I shall dare to dye that truly cannot but first be perswaded in my mind most firmly through the H. Ghost infixed and impressed in my inward understanding also it behoveth to be lively inward in most powerful consolation wherby that commeth to the mind which is supernaturall divine and a celestiall strength to overcome the feare of death and the love of he world to be uttetly extinguished in me I say so great so solid Prolepsis or perswasion To be born of God is no dead work and union with Christ is needfull that neither death nor life can dissolve it Rom. 8. whereupon B. John pronounceth That he that is born of God hath overcome the world But to be born of God cannot be any vain or shadowed thing it ought to be a lively thing and very powerfull For it were wickednesse to beleeve that the living God did beget a dead off-spring frivolous anâ— dead members or instrumentss but It is living overcometh so it be true faith rather it is for a certain rule that God cannot being a living God but beget a living man no other then new Now seeing our faith is the victory by which we overcome the world who can doubt that it should overcome being indued with powerfull strength and greatest force and that our faith which is commanded by God to overcome the world ought to be lively overcomming and affections working divine faith a certain force and influence yea Christ himselfe apprehended by faith and fixed in our minds and graffed in our understanding and by this vertue of God What we are with Christ without him what we return into God and become intimate and one with God And from Adam as from a cursed Vine we are transplanted into Christ that living and blessed Vine John 15. So in Christ we possesse all his goods and in him are justified Even as a Scien or a plant graffed in a good tree groweth flourisheth and beareth fruit without it it withereth so man without Christ is a cursed vine and all his works are sinfull the grapes of it are bitternesse gall Deut. 32. but in Christ blessed and justified wherefore St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 5. that hee â—hat knew no sinne for us became sinne that we might be justified before God in him By this it appeareth manifestly that works do not justifie because we must be graffed in Iustification is not by works Christ by faith before we can do any good work and so thy justification is the gift of God freely given before and preventing all our merits we may as well say a dead man may see stand and doe good of himselfe I think so indeed but he must first bee raised from death so thou likewise that art dead in sinne to God canst not performe any work to God unlesse thou be first raised by Christ to life which being granted it followeth thy
calleth Herod a Fox and the impure Dogges and Hogges Matth. 7. Furthermore whosoever amendeth not the corruptions of our generation and is not renewed in Christ but dieth such a beastly man as we have described this man shall everlastingly retain his Satanicall nature arrogant disdainfull proud and shall remain a cruell Lion an envious Dogge a ravenous Wolfe a venemous worm and a Basilisk never to be reformed he carrieth about with him alwayes the image of Satan in everlasting darknesse to beare witnesse he lived not in Christ nor was renewed according to the Image of God according to John Apoc. 21. Without be Dogges Idolaters and all Inchanters that love and tell lies CHAP. III. How the man is renewed in Christ to life eternall Galat 6. In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature REgeneration is the work of the holy Ghost by which the man the sonne of wrath and eternall condemnation is made the sonne of grace and salvation and of a sinner a just man through Faith the Word and the Sacraments by which our hearts both sense mind understanding will and affections are renewed illuluminated and sanctified in Christ and according to Christ unto a new creature Therefore regeneration is conceived chiefly in two benefits and graces I say in Justification and Sanctification or Renovation Cap. 3. ad Tit. Wherefore the originall of every Christian is two-fold his line or Twofold birth nativity and generation the one carnall defiled with sin damned and accursed descending from Adam by which the seed of the Serpent the image of the Devill and the earthly and beastly man is propagated The other spirituall holy heavenly happy and blessed new birth or regeneration through Christ doth plentifully grow forth by which the seed and image of God and the man of God so heavenly and like unto God is after a spirituall manner begotten produced for even as the stem of old Adam is in us so is it necessary also that the new stock progeny and kindred of Christ be truly in us And this is that old new man old and new birth old new Adam The word of God is the seed of the new birth the earthly and heavenly image the old and new Jerusalem the flesh and the spirit Adam and Christ in us lastly the outward and inward man Now goe to let us see how we are regenerated by Christ Even as the old birth is propagated carnally from Adam so regeneration is made spiritually from Christ through the word of God which is like unto a seed of a new creature born saith Peter Epist 1. cap. 1. not of a corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God living and remaining for evermore And blesed John Cap. 1. For he begot us voluntarily by the word of his faith tbat we might be a certain beginning of his creatures Therefore this Word produceth Faith which apprehendeth in like manner the Word and in that Jesus Christ together with the holy Ghost and by that vertue force and efficacie the man is regenerated Briefly regeneration is made first by the holy Ghost John 3. and this doth Christ call or term to be born of the Spirit Secondly by faith John 5. He that beleeveth Jesus to be Christ is born of God Thirdly by Baptisme John 3. Vnlesse one be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot Faith is the means of the new birth enter into the Kingdome of heaven Of which things let us see further By Adam the man came by the greatest and chiefest of evils sinne abomination wrath death devill hell and damnation for these are the fruits of the old descent and originall but in Christ the man recovereth and receiveth the chiefest good as justice grace blessing The fruits of both births life and eternall salvation From Adam the man hath a carnall spirit and the ruâ—e and dominion of wicked spirits contrariwise from Christ he hath the holy Ghost with his gifts and a most quiet reigne and Kingdom for such as the spirit of man is such is his originall nativity and propriety You know not of what spirit you are of saith Christ Luke 9. From Adam the man hath an arrogant spirit swelling and proud who if he have a desire to be regenerate and born again and to be renewed then it will be necessary for him to receive an humble spirit plain and simple from Christ by A new spirit from Christ faith From Adam we receive an unbeleeving spirit blasphemous and ungratefull therefore it behoveth us by faith in Christ to attain to a beleeving spirit faithfull acceptable and well pleasing unto God From Adam a disobedient fierce and rash spirit is given unto us from Christ we must take the spirit of obedience meeknesse and modesty through faith in Christ From Adam we possesse the spirit of wrath hostility revenge and homicide but from Christ by faith in the place thereof is to be gotten the spirit of long-suffering love of man and goodnesse it selfe which is charity From Adam by our nativity and carnal off-spring the man hath a covetous heart and spirit churlish seeking onely his owne commodities and profits snatching and catching that which is another mans but from Christ by faith is to be obtained the spirit of mercy piety and liberality From Adam by carnall propagation doth proceed the spirit of shamelesnesse uncleannesse and intemperance against which it is meet to seek to obtain a chaste spirit clean and temperate From Adam is communicated to him a lying spirit speaking nothing but falsenesse and calumniation from Christ we ought to participate the spirit of truth integrity and constancy Last of all from Adam doth From Adam all evill from Christ all goodnesse passe the spirit of beasts terrene or earthly and meere brutish and contrariwise there is to be conceived from Christ a spirit from heaven celestiall and divine and for that cause it was behoovefull for Christ to take humanity upon him to be conceived by the holy Ghost and to abound with the same spirit above measure yea for this cause it was convenient that the Spirit of the Lord the Spirit of wisdome and understanding the Spirit of counsell and fortitude the Spirit of knowledge and the feare of God should rest upon him as saith Isaias Chap. 11. that the humane nature in him The human nature is renewed by Christ and his Spirit and by him should be renewed and that we in him and by him and through him should become a new off-spring and a new creature receiving from him the spirit of wisdome and understanding for the spirit of foolishnesse the spirit of knowledge in room of our naturall and inbred blindnesse the spirit of the feare of the Lord in stead of the spirit of impiety in which permutation consisteth the new life the fruit of the new creature or regeneration For as in Adam we were all spiritually dead neither could
we expect other then death and works of darknesse it selfe in Christ In Christ by faith we are restored to life again we must be raised again to the workes of light As by carnall generation we entred into the sinne of Adam so by faith through Christ we must attain unto righteousnesse As by the flesh of Adam pride covetousnesse lust and all kind of uncleannesse is begotten born and groweth old in us so by the holy Spirit our nature ought to be renewed sanctified and repurged from all pride covetousnesse lust and envie And it is needful that we from Christ should draw a new spirit a new heart sense and minde in the same manner as we drew from Adam our fleshly subject to sinne And as concerning regeneration Christ saith Isai 9. Our Al good works ought to proceed out of the new birth Father is eternall After this manner then are we renewed in Christ to life eternall regenerated by Christ and in Christ become a new creature by this regeneration by Christ and the holy Ghost and Faith it is necessary works must flow and proceed which we desire we should please God in so we live in the new birth and the new birth doth live in us so we in Christ and Christ in us so last of all we live in the The description of the new birth and the fruits thereof Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Christ in us This regeneration and the fruits thereof Paul Ephes 4. calleth and termeth thus To be renewed in the spirit of our minde to put off the old man to be transformed into the Image of God 2 Cor. 3. To be renewed and known according to his Image that made you to the Coloss 3. Regeneration and renovation of the holy Ghost to Titus 3. Last of all to take away the stony heart and to give us a New birth is from Christ fleshy heart Ezek. 11. And by this appeareth how by the incarnation and humanity of Christ regeneration is raised or proceedeth that is to wit because man out of his ambition pride and disobedience offended and turned himself from God this Apostasie could not be amended or put away but by extream humility lowlinesse of will and obedience of the Sonne of God And as Christ in his conversation upon earth among men was most humble it is necessary that he should be the same in thee to live in thee and to renue the Image of God in thee See now and behold the most amiable the most lowly curteous the most The life of Christ in us The example of Christ is the rule of our life obedient and most patient Christ and learn of him or even as he is live in him For what was the cause sayest thou why he so lived Truly that he might be thy example looking-glasse and rule of life He I say and no St. Bennets rule nor of any other man commended unto thee but the example of Christ I say of Christ which his Apostles with one consent and direct finger did alone point at And this is the reason of his passion death and resurrection that is to say that thou with The new life is the fruit of the death passion of our Lord. him mayst die from thy sinnes and again in him with him and by him mayst rise spiritually walk in a new life of which argument thou mayst see more hereafter in the 11. and 31. Chapters therefore our regeneration ariseth out of and disperseth it selfe from the healthfull fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ whereupon S. Peter 1 Epist 1. saith God hath regenerated us to a lively hope through Jesus Christ and thereupon it commeth to passe that the Apostles every where do lay the foundation of penitence and the new life to be the passion of Christ as Rom. 6. 1 Pet. 1. Spend your time in reverent fear knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver but with the pretious bloud even the Lamb the Lord Jesus Where thou seest the most pretious ransom of our redemption to be the cause of our holy conversation The same Peter Epist 1. Cap. 3. writeth Christ bought our sinnes in his body upon the Crosse that being dead unto sinne we might live unto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed And Christ himselfe Luke 24. saith So it behooved Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead the third day and preach repentance and remission of sinnes in his name By which words it is manifest that from the fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ doth flow both preaching and repentance Therefore the passion of Christ is both satisfaction for our sinnes and the renewing of man by faith both which together and at once are required to the redemption and reparation of mankind because this is the fruit and this is the efficacie of the passion of Christ working in us renovation and sanctification 1 Cor. 1. This lastly is the means whereby we are born again and renewed in Christ neither is the laver of regneration any other thing wherein we are dipt to the death of Christ to wit to die with Christ from our sinnes by the help and efficacy of his death and arise from sin by the grace of his glorious resurrection CHAP. IV. What is true Repentance what also is the Crosse and Yoak of Christ Galat. 5. Those which are of Christ have crucified their own flesh with the vices and concupiscence thereof REpentance and true conversion is the work of the holy Ghost through which the man acknowledging his faults by the Law and together therewith the most just wrath of God against sin doth earnestly grieve for the same and would not have committed those things he hath done and through the Gospel understanding the grace of God by faith in Christ obtaineth the remission of his sins and by this penitency the mortification and crucifying The property of true repentance of the flesh and all carnall pleasures and concupiscences of the heart is accomplished and together with the same quickning of the spirit whereby it followeth that Adam with all his corruptions dieth in us and Christ contrarily liveth in us by faith because these two neceslarily do grow together so as the resurrection or renewing of the spirit doth follow the mortification The old mans death is the life of the new of the flesh at the heeles and the quickning of the new spirit followeth the abolishing of the old man although the outward man decay yet the inward man is renewed daily 2 Cor. 4. Mortifie your earthly members Coloss 3. and so think your selves dead in sinne but alive in God through Christ The flesh is mortified by true repentance Jesus our Lord Rom. 6. But let us consider why the flesh is to be mortified by true repentance We said even now by the fall of Adam that the man became even devillish earthy carnall without God and without love
strife of the flesh spirit is the mystical faith of Abraham Mystical Sodome rather then Christ Furthermore with Abraham as Abraham did thou must fight against five Kings which are within thee I say the Flesh the World Death Devill and Sinne. And with Lot tâ—ou must goe out of Sodom and Gomorrah that is thou must renounce thy wicked and worldly life neither must thou with Lots wife look back as Christ commandeth Luke 12. Briefly our great God hath composed all the holy Scriptures for faith and the Spirits sake And it all ought to be fulfilled in thee spiritually And to this belongeth all the warres and battels of Israel against the The type of the old Testament is to be fulfillled by faith Infidels and Heathen people And no other thing covered under the bark of the letter and the history then the continuall strife between the flesh and the spirit Of this place and to this purpose is whatsoever is extant of the Mosaicall Priesthood the Tabernacle the Ark of Covenant and Propitiatory all which doe pertain unto thee to whom it belongeth to pray in faith and spirit to burn incense and to kill the Sin-offering Christ Jesus will have all these to be done and performed in thee who hath contracted these in the new Man and Spirit as an epitome and words abbreviated to be fulfilled in thee by faith and sometimes in one sigh for the man is a breviary of all natures is the Center and little world so is it a compendium of the sacred All the new testament is to be fulfilled in man Scripiure and abridgement of the Word And to come to the new Testament what other thing is it according to the letter theÌ„ an externall testimony and pattern because all things in like maner are to be iterated fulfilled by faith in man I say all even all the new testament so much as it is ought to be in us this one thing it doth require look for at our hands because the kingdom of God is in us Therfore even as Christ by the holy Ghost in the faith of Mary was conceived and brought forth so ought the Sonne in me likewise be conceived after a spirituall manner and begotten increase and grow up Furthermore because I am become a new creature in Christ it remaineth The life of Christ in us and it followeth that I should live and walk in it in it and with it to flie into exile with it to exercise humility contempt of the world patience loving kindnesse and charity and to pardon or forgive our enemies their injuries to use mercy to love our enemies to doe the will of the Father being tempted of Satan to carry away the victory from him by reason of the truth that is in me derided despised and contemned and if necessity require to die for and with him after the example of all the Saints to beare witnesse before him and all the elect that he is in me and I in him was joyned by faith and so lived And this is that which is spoken saying To be conformed to the image of Christ for example to be born with and in Christ to The death and resurrection of Christ in us put on Christ to grow up and wax strong in him to live in exile to be dipped in his baptisme with him to be derided to die together and to be crucified together to arise together from the dead and reigne together and not that alone by the crosse and patience and suffering adversity together but by daily repentance and inward contrition and griefe for his sinnes committed I say after this manner to die daily with Christ and by crucifying our flesh if we be minded to be joined w th him as with our Christ ought to be in us head and to be united therewith if it be otherwise done then is it not in thee but without thee far from faith heart spirit otherwise it will profit thee nothing for he would have thee to be inwardly retained so to live to bee inwardly consolated All things ought to be fulfilled in faith and kept safe All which faith in Christ performed whilst the word of God doth live within us and it is as it were a living witnesse in us of those things which are spoken of in the holy Scripture And after this manner faith is called Hypostasis or a Substance Heb. 11. And out of this which we have said it doth appeare manifestly all the Sermons and Epistles of Christ the Prophets and the Apostles and the Scriptures so generall doe belong to one man The whole Scripture belongeth to man yea to us all with all the Parables and Miracles the history of Christ is replenished therefore neither was it necessary those things should be appointed to come to passe written to the knowledge of all people unlesse they were spiritually in us to be fulfilled Therfore when I read that Christ cured others I doe promise to my self the same because we live one with another when he cured the blind I am in good hope that he will give unto me being spiritually blinded by his grace and blessing a spirituall sight I mean other miracles seeing there is the same reason of all and then being blind lame palsie leprous and dead in sinne doe thou understand it by The letter of the Scriptures by faith is to be fulfilled thy selfe acknowledge it and confesse and he will make thee whole in him that thou maist have part in the first resurrection the summe is the Scripture doth bear witnes outwardly to those things which inwardly by faith the man should fulfill So it painteth out the image of God outwardly according to which inwardly within thee by faith thou oughtest to be so So is the Kingdome of God according to the letter Christ according to the spirit as speaketh the Apostle 2 Cor 5. So Adam his apostasie and redemption the new Jerusalem regeneration finally another creature he describeth outwardly all within thee by faith yea thou thy selfe ought to be so or the Scripture profiteth thee nothing And thus much of faith the work of it in us yea of God himselfe and the reigne of Christ in our heart CHAP. VII How the Law of God is written in the hearts of all men that they be inexcusable at the day of Judgement Rom. 2. When the Gentiles that have not the Law doe naturally the things of the Law shening the work of the Law written in their hearts VVHen God made man after his Image in perfect justice and holinesse he adorned him with divine vertues of all kinds as some pattern of Art and an unimitable work and most accurately set it forth three things he infixed in his conscience so firmly and imprinted them that Three things notable implanted in the soul they could never be put out or defaced The first is the naturall testimony of God the second is an inbred knowledge of the last
he died for his cause because they contemne the sptrit of grace that is they despise it and repell it even for that they by their wicked life they deride and contemne Christ his bloud calleth for revenge against the wicked the mighty grace of God offered so that the bloud of Christ shed for them crieth for revenge against them and that by the just judgement of God which is most terrible to heare all which they doe offer up draw upon themselves for truly it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God as it is written in the same Chapter for God even our God is a living God not a livelesse Idoll that will not or is not able to revenge this refusall and contempt of his grace which revenge and divine wrath even their own conscience doth threaten them and follow them at the heeles who hearing that the Sonne of God did die a most terrible death for sinne yet doe not take any care to abstain from sinne And this is the cause wherefore presently after the death of Christ repentance Why God requireth repentance of all men was preached over all the world both because he died the death for the sinnes of the whole world and in all places of the world men should repent as it is written Chap. 17. Acts and that they might receive that Panacea that soveraigne hearb that cureth all diseases with a contrite penitent and faithfull heart lest the grace of God should be frustrated and made voyd Without repentance sins are not forgiven for after this serious repentance remission of sinnes doth follow immediatly after neither is it possible he should have his sins remitted that repenteth not grieveth not that hath sinned and yet rejoyceth in sins as also nothing is more fooolish and preposterous that those sinnes should be pardoned the which thou never didst think to abstain from or challenge the merit of Christ to himselfe and in the mean time to wallow in his sinnes which was the cause of Christs death And yet there be many who although all their life they never repented seriously that they had sinned nor have abated a hair of their wrath covetousnes pride hatred envie hypocrisie and unrighteousnesse but rather have grown and augmented their sinnes more and more and yet dare require remission of their sins The false faith of false Christians and challenge the merit of Christ to belong unto them which indeed is their blind and deplorable impudencie These are such as flatter themselves to their exceeding evill perswading themselves through their own foolishnesse that they are good Christians because for sooth they know and beleeve that Christ died for their sinnes and by this meanes they doe beleeve sted fastly they shall be saved but thou art an unhappy and after a most miserable manner bewitched false Christian for neither doth the word of God teach that by this means life eternall is to be obtained neither any of the Prophets or Apostles did any time so preach but this is the unanimous consent Thou which requirest to have thy sinnes pardoned first repent abst in from thy sins and then grieving from thy heart earnestly that thou hast sinned beleeve in Christ But how should he bee sorry for his sinnes who never thinketh how to eschew sinne or how should he eschew his sinnes which is not sorrowfull for the committing of them Wherefore Christ with all his Apostles Prophets doth teach thee that thou must What it is to die to the world dye to the world and sinne as to pride covetousnesse lust wrath hatred and that thou must return with all thy heart to the Lord and ask pardon of him which being done now thou art absolved and free from thy sins and now the heavenly Physitian respecteth thee who onely healeth contrite hearts if thou insist upon any other way Christ profiteth thee nothing and in vain and of no value or belonging to salvation is the boasting of thy faith for true faith which reneweth the man it extinguisheth and mortifieth sinnes in man and quickneth him in Christ that is maketh him to live in Christ in faith and in his charity humility meeknesse and patience And after this manner Christ is to thee the way to life and thou in like manner art a new creature in him But if thou intend to sinne and hast not yet determined to leave thine iniquity but applaudest all thy old sinnes or actions of old Adam let it be how canst thou be another creature or how canst thou belong to Christ when thou dost not crucifie the flesh with all the desires thereof and concupiscences as the Apostle saith Galat. 5. Goe then and daily heare ten Sermons a day and every The vaine worship of God month confesse thy selfe and communicate for all these things are farre unworthy of remission of sinnes because a penitent heart contrite and faithfull which maketh thee capable of this wholsome medicine thou dost not bring with thee Truly and indeed the Sacraments and Word of God which are the most powerfull remedies helps yet but only to those that repent of their sins from the bottom of their hearts and that with daily faithfull mourning doe detest the way of their old and former life For what profiteth it to anoint a stone with pretious oyntment or a medicine Or what harvest shalt thou reap if thou sowest amongst thornes and briers Therefore thou must first pull up all these young thornes that choak the good seed and all things that hinder thee from reaping Whom Christ profiteth nothing a good harvest Last of all whosoever cleaveth to his sinnes it is sure that Christ profiteth him nothing the nativity of Christ helpeth him nothing who careth not to be born with him nothing the death of Christ him who hath not determined firmly in his mind to die unto sin nothing the resurrectioÌ„ of Christ him who refuseth in him to arise from sin lastly the ascension of Christ profiteth nothing to him that will not lead a heavenly life But if converted with the prodigall thou deplore hate and slye sinne and then prayest to obtain pardon of God and beholding by faith Christ crucified and his wouuds like unto the true Israelite thou mayst say Good God have mercy upon me a most grievous sinner then pardon is at hand what and how great soever thy sinnes be thou hast committed so great truly is the perfection in the redemption gotten by the bloud of Christ and so is the perfection of applying the grace and imputation of the whole merit of Christ by faith and it is most true that is in 12. Sap. God giveth place to repentance for sins that is to say pardoning â—reely perfectly and wholly the penitent for Christ yea it is the great good pleasure of God to exercise mercy and to pardon sinnes freely My bowels are troubled within me as towards them I am mercâ—fâ—ll and I will have mercy of
them saith the Lord Jer. 31. For then the death of Christ is effectuall and cometh to perfection or bringeth forth his fruits and therefore the Angels of God in heaven rejoyce because the bloud of Christ is become profitable to sinners for whom it was shed CHAP. IX The Antichristian life of men of this time doth deny Christ and the true faith 2 Timoth. 3. They have a certain form of godlinesse but doe deny the vertue thereof BEcause no man doth boast himself that he is no Christian although he doe no part of a Christian it followeth that by Christ is derided by a wicked life those manners he denieth Christ or Christ is denied contemned derided blasphemed whipt crucified slain and buried according to the Apostle who saith that certain men crucified the Sonne of God again and doe boast thereof and also according to Daniel who in the twelfth chapter foretelleth that Christ shall be pulled up by the roots which Prophesie is vulgarly expounded of Christ crucified at Jerusalem by the Jewes crying Away with him Away with him crucifie him which exposition I would to God it were true and that Christ were not yet daily by the Antichristian life taken from amongst us so that his life truly holy and excellent at this day is no where Where the life of Christ is not there is no Christ to be found for what darest thou speak of thy faith and doctrine where the life of Christ is banished there is no Christ that is more true then may be doubted or what is faith without a Christian life even a barren tree without fruit according to blessed Jude who calleth the false Apostles Summer trees without fruit twice dead of which sort the world is full That which Christ foretold would come to passe Luke 18. When the Sonne of Man commeth doe you True faith think he shall find faith upon the earth He speaketh of faith not this faith of which the world is full and which we professe in our mouthes and deny the same in our workes as if it consisted in this to love Christ in words and not in deeds and truth but the new man is another man regeneration a good tree with his fruits a man renewed by faith in whom Christ liveth and dwelleth by faith This is the faith that our Saviour meant which according to his prophesie is almost no where to be found at this day For where true faith is there Christ and his life must needs be even so contrariwise whosoever doth not imitate the life of Christ by faith in him is neither faith nor Christ The words of our Saviour are Luk. 12. He that shall deny me before men I will deny him before the Angels of God This deniall Deniall of Christ is not onely done in words or by the mouth as when we renounce our faith and Christ but much more and more powerfully when in deeds and life we resist Christ and the holy Ghost voluntarily that which St. Paul calleth deniall in workes and deeds For it is most certain that Christ is no lesse denied by a wicked and Diabolicall life then if he were denied openly by open words even so it is with hypocrisie with a specious and verball holinesse as if it were by doctrine to which purpose the Parable is extant Matth. 21. of two sons to one of which his father said My sonne goe worke to day in my vineyard but be answered and said I will not yet afterwards he repented him and did goe And coming to the other sonne he said in like manner to him who answered I goe Lord and went not which of these two did the will of his father They said The first who denied to goe yet afterwards did goe and labour But the other that said he would and lied or deceived did not he The greatest contempt of God is in or by a wicked life mock and deny his father And so there are many at this day of our false Christians crying So so Lord Lord the worst of all others not any of them doing the commandement of the Father And to this belongeth the saying of Saint Paul They have indeed a shew of godlinesse but denie the power thereof And what else is it to deny the power of godlinesse then to betray False Christians and violate their faith towards Christ and to play the Ethnick under the name of a Christian whom therefore St. Paul rightly calleth Infidels the children of infidelity having no faith Lastly those that usurp a Christians name and doe nothing and therefore Christ saith Depart from me yee accursed because I know you not And worthy it is that I should deny you who first durst and did deny me CHAP. X. The moderne life of worldly men is against Christ and is false Christianity Matth. 12. He that is not with me is against me IF any will examine the life and manners The life of the worldly of these times after the square of the life and doctrine delivered by Christ shall not he find the life of most men to be Antichristians because they have no other thing more then covetousnesse the study of getting usury concupiscence of the flesh and of the eyes pride of life ambition pomp hunting after fame and glory disobedience wrath strife warre disorder displeasure thirsting after revenge secret hatred envie implacability unrighteousnesse uncleannesse falsenesse frauds and backbitings In briefe we are all for the most part selfe-lovers seekers of the world greedy The life of Christ Christians affecters of honours and our own proper gain when contrariwise the life of Christ is nothing but the most pure and sincere love of God and man courtesie mildnesse humility patience obedience to death mercy righteousnesse truth chastity holinesse contempt of the world of honours wealth and pleasures deniall of our selves to beare the crosse continually trouble and affliction daily study and thirst after the Kingdome of God and lastly an unexpressible desire to fulfil the divine will seeing Christ saith He that is not with me is He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is Antichrist Antichrist But the modern life of worldly men hath no community with Christ but most men are at discord with Christ and dissent with their whole heart will mind and spirit from Christ Paul 1 Cor. 2. commanding another thing But we have the will of Christ and to the Phil. 2. Have yee the same manners with Christ it is agreeable that all worldly men should be adverse to Christ what every one doth this is Antichrist not in doctrine but in manner of life which being so in what place shall we find true Christians Seeing then this flock should be lowly in their own eyes Luke 12. to whom the Prophet Isaias agreeth who compareth the faithfull assembly and true Church to a little Cottage in a Vineyard The paucity of true Christians and a Watch-tower in a garden of Cucumbers and to a wasted
most noble is that man in whom Christ is all and doth all whose noble thoughts mind words are the will of Christ the thoughts of Christ and the mind of Christ according to that of Paul * 1 Cor. 2. We have the mind of Christ Lastly whose words are Christs And so it needs to be indeed because the life of Christ is that new and another life in man neither is the new man any other thing then he who liveth in Christ according to the Spirit whose life I say courtesie patience and humility is no other then that of Christ And this the new creature and the life of Christ in us according to that of Paul to the Galatians Gâ—l 2. I live but not I but Christ in me liveth this also is to follow Christ truly and truly to repent for by this method the old man is destroyed and the carnall life declineth the new spirituall and heavenly life ariseth and breaketh out of the clouds This who ever doth he truly is a Christian not in title only but in work and truth a true son of God begotten of God and Christ renewed in Christ and quickened by faith and so long as the inward man dwelleth in flesh and blood we may wish so much perfection rather then attain unto it but it is as meet and necessary to indeavour and to aspire thereunto and study the same and to wish it from our inward minde and to strive that the life and kingdom The strife daily fighting with corrupt nature of Christ may be in us and not the life of Satan let all our counsels respect this all our cares and inward groans be sent this way and let this be our only strife and warfare that we may mortifie the old man by daily repentance For how much every one dieth to himself so much doth Christ live in him how much corruption How the man is daily renewed departeth from our nature by the Holy Ghost so much divine grace cometh in how much the flesh is crucified so much is the spirit quickened so much of the work of darknesse as is destroyed so much is the man illuminated by how much the exterior man is lessened and wasted so much the inward is renewed 2 Cor. 4. so much as you lose of your vaine affections and carnall life and are wasted as self-love ambition wrâ—th covetousnesse and voluptuousnesse so much Christ liveth in you the further a mans heart is set from the world from concupiscence of the eyes flesh and pride of life so much more of God Christ and the Holy Spirit doth flow into him Last of all the more nature flesh darknesse and the world do bear rule in man so much lesse grace spirit of light God and Christ is found in him Moreover this new kind of living is to the flesh The new life is the crosse of the flesh an enemy and bitter crosse because it is that by which it is subjugated and brought under and crucified with all the desires and concupiscences thereof but yet is that wherein the whole power and fruit of penitency consisteth This is the inward desire of the flesh and blood that it had rather lead a free life dissolute according to its own will and among pleasures and all kind of voluptuousnesse for it only knows this to be sweet and pleasant as contrariwise the life of Christ to the flesh and the old man is a heavie crosse but to the new man and him that is spirituall it is an easie yoak a light burden and a most quiet Sabbath truly the true rest is sought for in vain else were they in the faiâ—h of Christ and in his sweetness humility patience and love of Christ whereupon it is said Mat. 11. You shall find rest for your souls Truly he that loveth Christ will not think it bitter to suffer death it self for him This therefore is that sweet yoak of Christ which we are commanded to take upon us that our soules might be refreshed and come into his rest which command if we determine to obey and mean to put on Christ his life and yoak then we must shake off the yoak of the Devill our way of carnall life wicked and dissolute nor must we suffer the flesh as a Lady to insult and disquiet the spirit but all things are to be brought under the Law obedience and yoak of Christ will I say reason understanding and all carnall What the yoak of Christ is appetites which the concupiscence of Adam and this flesh of ours is well pleased to be honoured worshipped and to be praised of men to abound in riches and pleasures to bring all which on the other side under the yoak of Christ and his discipline nothing regarding his ignominy contempt and poverty to think himself unworthy all things that the world gapeth What the life of Christ is after and for which other men do contend that truth is the crosse of Christ wherewith the flesh is delighted I say that extreme humility of Christ and his most noble life which to the spirit is a most easie yoak and a most easie burden for what other was the whole life of Christ then holy poverty extreme contempt and vile persecution who came not into the world to be attended on but to serve us himself and spend his life and shed his dearest blood to redeem our offences It is the property of The naturall man the spirituall the naturall man to seek after honours and hunt after great things The spirituall on the other side loved the humility of Christ and desireth to become nothing And whereas most men do desire to go before or excell others scarce one coveteth to be reputed as nothing of whom the one belongeth to the square or rule of life of the old Adam the other to the rule of Christ The carnall man and he who hath not yet learned what Christ is that is to say meer humility courtesie and love accounteth it folly to live as Christ liveth and thinketh those onely wise that live after their owne The false true light will delicately and easily not knowing that then he chiefly liveth in the Devill when most foolishly he applaudeth himselfe and esteemeth his own life as the best and most pleasing which most miserable men being fast bound in the lust of their own carnall wisdome doe inforce others to follow the like errours contrariwise those whom the true and eternall light hath inlightned those are touched at the heart when they doe see the pomp and disdaine pride pleasure wrath revenge and such kind of fruit of the carnall life which causeth them to sigh from the bottome of their hearts saying How farre is this from Christ and his knowledge from true repentance from genuine Christianity and lastly from the fruits of the new birth of the sonnes of God for he liveth yet in Adam in the old creature and in the Devill himselfe for to offend
boldly and willingly to sinne is nothing else then to live in the Devill In whom therefore the life of Christ is not this man is without repentance neither is a true Christian nor the sonne of God nay Christ knoweth him not He who will rightly know him as a Saviour and example of life it is meet he know him to be meere love meere courtesie patience and humility which vertues of Christ it behoveth thee to have and love them from the bottome of thy heart and fasten them to thy self As a plant by its favour and smel that it sendeth forth bewrayes its own nature so thou oughtest to know Christ and by experience be certain that he is a certain most fragrant The true knowledge of Christ stock from whence thy soule doth draw and obtain admirable strength and new vitall spirits as also singular joy and solace And after this manner is tasted how sweet the Lord is so is the truth known so is the chiefe and eternall good perceived and then doth he know certainly that nothing is better then the life of Christ nothing more pleasant sweet pretious or more full of tranquillity And lastly nothing can be more likened or be compared to life eternall And do we doubt that because it is better then all it should be more desireable for in whom the life of Christ is not this man cannot know what the peace and tranquillity of eternall life is nor what the chiefe good is nor everlasting truth nor what is true peace and joy the true light and true charity seeing Christ is all these himselfe whereupon John Ep. 1. chap. 4. saith Every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God because God is love Whereby the fruits of the new birth which is of God appeareth and also life and a new creature not to be words and an externall forme but a substance but the Queen of vertues and which is God himselfe that is to say Charity for of whomsoever any is born it is meet he should have the same properties and he that saith he is born of God let him shew that by charity because God is charity In like manner the knowledge of God resteth not in words and shadowed or vain knowledge but in lively amiable pleasant and most sincere pleasure which ought to flow into the bottome of our heart and mind and there to dwell when we taste by faith inwardly in our hearts the sweetnesse of God This I say this is the true lively and efficacious knowledge of God of which David in Psalm 84. speaketh saying My heart and my flesh rejoyceth in the living God and Psalm 63. How pleasant is thy mercies over our lives where it is presently manifested the joy and sweetnesse of the knowledge divine which is infused into the faithfull heart and so at length the man liveth in God and God in him so is truth known and so the same truth knoweth man CHAP. XII The being of a Christian man is to die to himselfe and the world and to live unto Christ 2 Corinth 5. Christ died for all men that those which live might not now live unto themselves but unto him who died for them and rose again OVer and above this that this sentence is full of consolation whilst it is manifested that Christ died for all men as also it containeth a most wholsome doctrine concerning the way of a Christian life how we ought to live that is to say not to our He that wil live in Christ must dy to the world selves onely but to him who died for our cause but this by no means can be done unlesse first we die to our selves and the world Therefore if thou hast purposed to live in Christ necessarily thou must die to worldly concupiscence but if thou mind to live to thy selfe and the world it will profit nothing to be with Christ But there be 3. kinds of death one spirituall when the Death is three fold man daily dieth to himselfe that is to the concupiscence of his flesh covetousnesse pride voluptuousnesse wrath such like the second naturall the third everlasting of the second speaketh Paul to the Philippians châ—p 1. To live to my selfe it is Christ and to die it is gain as if he should say To a Christian desiring to die Christ is his life and death gaine for when he changeth this short and miserable life for a better life and this earthly and fraile goods for stable and eternal goods this is a most gainful exchange and he who shall be well pleased with this saying and fit himselfe to the first sort of death in my judgement he shall not erre For that soule is thrice and foure The life of Christ times happy to whom to live is Christ that is wherein Christ liveth or that hath the life of Christ that is followeth his humility and lowlinesse But alas most men The life of the Devill at this day have taken upon them the life of the Devill and their life is the Divell As for example covetousnesse pride concupiscence wrath blasphemy for this is the life of the Devill But thou O man walk carefully and look about thee again and again and see who liveth in thee and thou What it is to die to themselves and the world shalt be most happy if thou canst truly say To me to live is Christ not in the other life only but also in this present life so truly it is needfull also in this present life now that for thee to live is Christ gain to die For is there any thing more profitable then to die in this condition to covetousnesse pride concupiscence wrath and hatred that Christ by that means may live in thee For how much every one dieth to the world so much Christ liveth in him Goe to them let Christ live in thee in time that thou in like manner maist live with him in From whence be the perturbations of the mind eternity But seeing that the mind distracted with divers worldly concupiscences is not capable of true tranquillity and peace it followeth that those that doe die before they begin to live in Christ that which our Sarah the type of the new birth great God hath taught us in divers figures in the old Testament for Sarah when by reason of her age she was unfit to bring children and dead to marriage bed did conceive in her womb and brought forth Isaac which word signifieth Laughter So then unlesse thou root out of thy mind worldly love thou shalt not be able to feel and receive the joy of the Spirit The promise was not made unto Abraham of Christ Abraham is a type of the abnegation of the world and the covenant of circumcision annexed before he left his proper habitation and his own inheritance it is no otherwise with man so long as he hath his mind fixed to the world it is
impossible for him to taste and receive Christ into his heart Herod being dead Christ returned into Judea Matth. 2. The document is plain so long as the mind doth play the Fox with the World Christ cannot enter into it and therefore thou must die to the Fox First die unto Adam that Christ may live in thee Herod that the child Christ may live in thee All which returnes to this that you must die unto Adam or the old man before Christ can live in thee Paul to the Galat 2. saith I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And to the Coloss 2. You are dead yet he writes to the living and your life is hid in Christ for then every one is truly dead when he ceaseth to be that he was before Those which are of the spirit doe understand the things of the spirit saith St. Paul Rom. 8. and to the Galat. 5. If we live in the spirit we walk also in the spirit Neither is it sufficient to boast of the faith and the spirit in words but words are to be approved by the fruits and works for it is spoken to all men by the Apostle If you live after the flesh you shall die but if you mortifie the works of the flesh by the spirit you shall live wherein very many are like unto Saul who did not slay Agag the King of the Amalekites Concupiscences are to be morâ—ified not hidden as God commanded him but put him into prison so these men doe nourish and hide closely their concupiscence when they should be eradicated utterly and not any part of the root left behind let us doe this unlesse with Saul we lose our Kingdome The scope of the whole Scripture requireth the new man that is lest we be deprived of our eternall life In briefe the whole Scriptures with the consent of all Histories Types and Figures doe point out Christ whose life we ought to imitate and doe set out the scope thereof neither doe I speak here of the great world and of his exceeding testimonies of God and divine love There is a sort of men that not unfitly may be compared to Winter trees for as they receive easily their leaves which were cast off the yeare changing and becomming favourable so many in adversity doe retaine their pleasures within and hide them which yet doe forthwith in prosperity having as it were gathered a troop breake out on a sudden A true Christian is most unlike to those hypocrites who in prosperity and adversity liveth according to piety equally just and faithfull to his Christ and taketh all things indifferently his lot doth cast upon him When our great God did grant to Achab victory over the King of Syria upon that condition that being taken he should hold him in prison that he should remain an example to shew that God was stronger then all his enemies and did require just punishment against those that did blaspheme his Name he despising the Name of God and his Commandements having taken his enemy in battell saluted him as his brother and let him goe for which disobedience and giving life to a man deserving to die the Prophet pronounceth the pain of death to Achab by Gods appointment To whom these are most like who nourish and feed their own concupiscences when they should pull them up by the roots therefore willingly without mortification of the flesh there is no good in man do draw eternall death upon themselves And therefore it is most true that without mortification of the flesh no prayer nor piety Lastly without mortification no work of spirituall devotion can abound in the soule which was the cause God Almighty Exod. 19. appointed all those beasts to die that should approach unto the mount Sinai and by how much more ought we to kill our beastly concupiscences if we ascend to the holy mount of God and offer our prayers to God and if we meditate on the word of God lest if we do otherwise we die the death Gen. 32. we Iacob thou must be before thou be Israel read that a new name was given unto Jacob to wit Israel which signifieth a Champion or a Prince of God because in wrastling with the Angell of God he beheld his face But before this Jacob which signifieth a Supplanter or Vnderminer for so he was not onely in name but in deed after whose example unlesse thou first through the holy Ghost doe tread down thy concupiscences to become Israel or the Prince or Captain of God thou shalt never attain Man must displease himselfe to please God the place of a Captaine or see the face of God The same Jacob that he might enjoy the beautifull maid Rachâ—l he was constrained to take Lea with bleared eyes doe thou such a thing and if thou art in love with Rachel that is if thou darest marry with Christ the true Jacob first doe not despise Lea that is despise thy self as a beast-like and sinfull man displease thy selfe and force it to death But there be very many who like unto Jacob are deceived of their owne life thinking verily he had met with Rachel that is that he had led a Christian life pleasing to God inwardly declared in truth afterward then see that they live with Lea that is they have not yet learned Christ and therefore not in the favour but in the hatred of God and that most deservedly Therefore let us doe this Before all let us displease our selves and as Lea in the house of her father be counted unworthy so let us contemne our selves taking to us humility lowlinesse and patience that at the last we may obtain faire Rachel for whom as Jacob served constantly the whole seven yeares her love The service of mystical Iacob mitigating the hardnesse of his labour and wearing out the time without tediousnesse so the most faithfull spouse of our soules Christ Jesus served full thirty three yeares in this world a most hard service or servitude for our cause according to that of Matth. 20. The Sonne of man came not to be ministred unto but to serve others and give his life a redemption for many And according to that of Jacob which he indured after a sharper manner for our love This twenty yeares saith he I served thee in thy house abiding both heat and cold and frost and I watched both day and night And shall we doubt yet to love Christ again and make warre all our life against his capitall enemy the world CHAP. XIII For Christ and eternall salvation to which we were created and redeemed every Christian ought willingly to die to themselves and the world 2 Corinth 8. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ because for you he was made poore being rich that by his poverty yee might be made rich FOr thy Christ thou must die to thy selfe thy sinnes and the world thou must doe good and live a holy and innocent life not that thou canst
canst not live with him in this life It remaineth therefore whose life in this world is not in Christ he shall not have life in the other world Here I pray thee now examine thy life and see whether it be more like to Christs or the Vnion with Christ or the Devill Devils Certainly with one of them thou shalt be joyned eternally after death But who is dead to himselfe he is in love with no businesses yea is dead to the world what other thing is it to die unto the world then not to love the world and the things of this world according to that of John Epist 1. chap. 2. He who loveth the world is not of God For what should he doe in the world who inwardly and in his heart is dead to it Whom also whosover loveth he is no otherwise then Samson of Dalila overcome of it and condemned to all the torments and vexations which the He is overcom of the world that loveth it worldly life containeth or affordeth Moreover the love of the world belongeth to the old man not to the regeneration because the world hath nothing but honours The old man delighteth in the world the new man in Christ wealth concupiscence of the eyes and of tâ—e flesh with the pride of life in which the old Adam is conversant and delighteth it selfe And contrariwise to the new man he hath all things in Christ as joy honour wealth and pleasure for what can be more The Image of God the great est dignity of man honorable to a man or is more to be desired then the Image of God renewed by Christ Or if we seek pleasures what man in his wits can doubt that God doth give delight to his above all creatures and delight The man is made for greater things then this world them more as the words of Taulerus say Furthermore what think you of that which the Scripture teacheth Man was not made for the worlds sake but the world for mans sake nor to fill his belly with delicate meat pamper his own wit heap up riches spread his Empire abroad to get most ample possessions grounds and fruits of the earth to be gorgeously attired to abound in gold and silver to be Lord of the earth to put all his delight and joy therein as in his paradise to place it and know hope for nothing but what is before his eyes Or lastly for any terrene cause whatsoever or any thing that is fraile although of it selfe it be good pleasant and pretious No truly he must goe hence he is but a tenant and a life-renter of this great world into which we enter many at one instant as it were by heaps yet death calls for us also As it is not profitable for any of us to carry with us a grain of all the treasure we have heaped whereby it evidently appeareth that we were not created for this temporall life To what man was created neither this world to be the principall end of our creation seeing that we live therein as prilgrims and guests therefore another cause brought us into this world and for whom we were born which is God himselfe and the image of God which we bear in Christ and unto whom we are renewed In this we are convinced evidently to wit that we are especially created for the kingdome of God and life eternall which Christ hath recovered for us and to whom we are regenerate by the holy Ghost How preposterous then is it for one to fix his heart to the world and give his minde to earthly things when we know the other to be more noble then the whole word I say for a man to attend and spend his time on earthly things which is the most excellent of all creatures which carrieth about him the image of God in Christ and is renewed to this image Wherefore as I said before the man for the world was not created but the world was created for man and therefore carrleth about with him the image of God in Christ of which the excellency and nobility is so great that all men with all his workes and power could not repaire one soule or renew the Image of God But for this cause it was necessary that Christ should die that because the image of God was defaced and destroyed in man it should be renewed by the holy Ghost and he should become forthwith the habitation and house of God And this being known and called to mind if he be right minded he will never compare the riches of the world honours To preferre earthly things before heuvenly is great madnes and pleasures with the price of his soule which Christ hath redeemed at such a price for what is it to cast pearls in the mire and before swine if this should not be That which our Saviour saith Matth. 16. pertaineth to this place What profiteth it a man to get the whole world and lose his owne soule For seeing the world is mortall and the soul of man immortall the world with all his pomp cannot recover one soul CHAP. XIV A true Christian ought after the example of Christ to contemne the world and hate his life in this world John 12. He that loveth his soule loseth it and he that hateth his soule in this world doth preserve it to eternall life HE that will hate himselfe he must first not love himselfe so that he may daily die to sinne and therefore he must continually Selfe-love the chiefest enemy of the soul Idolatry wrastle with himselfe and his flesh for nothing is more hurtfull to a man that is desirous of his salvation and more hindereth him then selfe-love I say that carnall Philautia of which this following discourse in all this book is the subject I doe not say that care of preserving our selves but loving our selves is forbidden For seeing that God alone is to be loved it followeth that he who loveth himselfe is an Idolater and maketh himselfe God what every one loveth in that his heart is fixed neither can we be taken but with the love and servitude of something so as we become servants despoiling our selves of our proper liberties and consequently having so many Lords we are subject unto as we have objects to love but if thy love be sincerely and simply towards God then thou art subject to no object but it is manifest thou art at liberty wherefore thou must be very circumspect that thou follow nothing that may hinder the divine love in thee And if thou desirest to possesse God alone as much as thou art able so much in like The law of God brings forth tranquillity the world perturbation manner of thy all must thou consecrate to him But if thou love thy selfe and please thy selfe much pensivenesse sorrow feare and sadnesse will befall thee Contrariwise if thou love God and rejoycest in him onely and dost dedicate thy selfe onely to him then will he be thy
comfort never shalt thou be overcome with sorrow feare and sadnesse he who seeketh himselfe every where and in all things and followeth after his own profit onely praise and honour he never attaineth to tranquillity for alwayes something meeteth him that bringeth perturbation Therefore beware you beleeve not that the increase of wealth fame and honour is good and profitable but rather set before thee the best things contemne such things and extirpate the root of concupiscence which hindereth thee in pursuance of the love of God Now seeing the commodities of this True constant rest in God life praise honour and likewise the world it selfe are fraile and floating away but the love of God remaineth for ever that delight cannot be durable which thou takest in the love of thy selfe and earthly things because it may vary by very light occasion where contrariwise the mind firmly set upon divine love cannot but continually rejoyce vain frail and brickle is that which is not grounded upon God but doe thou forsake all things and thou shalt finde all things by faith For the lover of himselfe and the world findeth not God The love Who findeth not God of our selves is earthly and not of God and is chiefe enemy to heavenly wisdome Humility is the companion of heavenly wisdome for it careth nothing lesse then to be eminent in the world and to be accounted great for which cause and for their own profit and simplicity it cometh to passe as almost with one blot it is put out of the mind and memory of Man Therefore although many in Sermons doe boast and make a noyse thereof yet remaineth and will remain this pretious Pearle unknown and hidden as long as in life and manners we are farre from it and know little And the onely way to find it is to unlearn and forget humane wisdome proper applause selfe-love And for humane and earthly wisdome which the whole world boasteth to be such but indeed is ridiculous and vile you must change for celestistiall and divine It is impossible to love Wherein the love of God consisteth God unlesse you hate your selfe that is unlesse thou be displeased with thy selfe for thy sinnes crucifie thine own flesh and mortifie thy proper will that is by how much any man is attentive to the love of God so much more doth he study to mortifie and keep under the concupiscence of the flesh and his owne proper appetites Also the further thou departest from thy selfe and thy proper love by the power of divine love by so much the nearer art thou hidden in God and his love through faith For even as inward peace dependeth on vacancy and leasure from outward things so it must needs be that when the inwards are at leasure and the heart free from all creatures it cleaveth to God alone giving back from other things the soule must enter Selfe-love the love of God are two cōtrary things into God by consequence Moreover he that goeth about to deny himself therein it must needs follow that he doth not his own work but Christs I am saith John 14. the Way the Truth and the Life without the way no man goeth on without Christ the way the truth the life the truth nothing is known and without life no man liveth Therefore look upon me who am the Way which you ought to walk in the Truth which you ought to beleeve and lastly the Life which you ought to live and hope in I am the Way that endureth for all ages the infallible Truth and the Life everlasting and eternall The Kings way to immortall life through my merit the truth it selfe in my word and life through the power and efficacie of my death Therefore if you continue in this Way the Truth doth carry you to eternall Life If you will not erre follow me if you will know the Truth beleeve me and if you will possesse Life eternall put your trust in my death And what is that Kings Way that infallible Truth and that Life the best and most noble of all others Truly other life cannot be then the most holy and pretious merit of Christ nor other truth then the word of God lastly no other life then sempiternall happinesse Now then if you desire to be exalted into heaven it behooveth thee to beleeve in Christ and after his example to follow humility in this world which is the onely Kings way If thou wilt not be deceived of the world take hold of his word by faith and follow the footsteps of his life because this is the chiefest and the infallible truth If thou desirest to live with Christ with him in time and through him thou must die to sinne and become a new creature because this is life In brief Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life no lesse by example then merit Be you followers of God as most deare children saith S. Paul to the Ephes 5. Let us therefore with all our Our life ought to be conformed after the life of Christ might power endeavour this one thing that our life may as neere as possible it may be be most like unto Christs life so that if other things be wanting to confound false Christians even this onely example of Christ might be sufficient for we may be ashamed to lead our lives in pleasures when Christ Jesus led his life amongst sorrow and tribulation even to his death And if a Souldier doe forget his own proper recreation when he seeth his Captain by fighting valiantly receive his death and thou gettest honour before thy Captaines eyes used most contemptuously shall I not say that thou dost not fight under his Banner But alas we will be accounted Christians Many Christians but few followers of Christ but how few be there that imitate the life of Christ Truly if it were the part of Christians to be seekers after wealth perishing fame and honours Christ would never have commanded the losse of them for eternall good Behold with me his life and doctrine and thou shalt not deny that nothing is more unlike then the world and He that manger that stable those swadling cloathes are not those a spectacle or looking-glasse of the contempts of these worldly things Or let us perhaps say that thou wilt by these examples draw thy selfe from the true and right way nay rather it is meanes to bring thee into the right way when we shall compare his doctrine and way together with his example whereupon he saith and proclaimeth that he is the Way and the Truth Therefore when they by contempt misery and reproaches doe attempt to make the way to attain to heaven it followeth that thou that seekest after jollity and wealth and thirstest after promotion art in a ready way to hell returne thou and come out of that broad high-way and come again into this way that cannot stray and embrace the truth that cannot deceive And lastly live in him
the same as other mens goods with feare and trembling not to his private pleasure or instruments of his private Comparison between a carnall and a spirituall man profits praise and estimation Goe to then let us compare together a Christian in deed and selfe-lover as also a genuine man and one answering to his name and one desirous of this deniall of which we speak If you offer the one a contumelious affront presently you shall see him wax hot to be grieved with anger to reprove him to brawle and play the mad-man in words deeds to be revenged and to bind his allegation with an oath all which are the old man to whom it is proper and easie to be angry to practise hatred and revenge On the contrary he that hath denied himselfe is courteous well-pleased patient thinking nothing of revenge confessing himselfe to be worthy of all these and much more because all these are contained under the name of self-deniall of which patience humility and lowlinesse Christ denied himself we have an absolute example Christ Jesus who sooner would deny himselfe when he said Matth. 20. The Sonue of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister unto others And Luke 22. I am in the midst of you as one that ministreth And Cap. 9. The Son of man hath not where to rest his head And Psalm 22. I am a worm and no man In like manner blessed David when Shimei reviled him denied himselfe saying The Lord hath commanded him for I am a worm in the sight of the Lord I am worthy farre worse All the Saints have denied themselves things Briefly all the Saints of God and the Prophets have denied themselves holding themselves unworthy of any good thing hereupon they did beare all things patiently they cursed no man giving thanks for their injuries they blessed their persecuters and prayed for them that slew What it is to deny our selves them and so by many tribulations have entred the Kingdome of heaven Thou hast now what it is to deny their selves That is to acknowledge themselves unworthy of any good thing and worthy of all evils that might befall And this is the Crosse of Christ which he commanded us to carry Luke 9. He that will be my Disciple let him deny himselfe and take up my Crosse and follow me For this life of Christ is a crosse to the old man and to the flesh and bloud a punishment The works of Christ yea death it self because he had rather lead an unbridled life after his own wil in this kind of pleasure then in humility lowlines patience and lastly to assume the life of Christ entirely Which nevertheless is to be done necessarily whatsoever is The decay of the old man is the beginning of the new the old man ought to die in a Christian for thou shalt never put on the humility of Christ unlesse thou put off the pride of the old man nor his poverty unlesse thou cut off avarice by the root nor the contempt of glory and reproaches unlesse thou pull up ambition by the root Lastly nor the lowlinesse and patience of Christ unlesse thou correct thy desire of revenge and thy wrath All which things the Scripture calleth the deniall of himselfe the bearing of the Crosse of Christ and the following of Christ and that for no hope of profit merit reward praise or glory but only for the love of Christ because he hath done this first because this is his life and lastly because he hath left this in cōmand Furthermore seeing this is the Image of God in Christ and us a greater honor then this none can happen to man it were a thing very unworthy to expect other reward The Image of God the greatest dignity of man of our work and daīly labour for those that define all things by the honour of this world and attend this onely by which onely part they are made better then others when by their own judgement Fortune hath bestowed all things upon them The beginning and end of all men is one No man better then others neither is one better then another nor one entreth this life or goeth forth with better conditions then others and yet what madnesse is this of ours we vex our selves willingly and to other crosses we adde a wheele of ambition to the vice of selfe-love Selfe-love forbidden from whence that mad giddy hunting after honour doth spring or flow forth Which whosever loveth and applaudeth and flattereth himselfe in and serveth both pomps honours and praises it is certain that he averteth his minde from God and Christ to the world and himselfe And to such as this appertaineth that of our Saviour If thou wilt keep thy self thy soul and thy life thou must hate all these things but if thou intend to love them truly thou art in the way of perishing Which paradoxicall sentence old Adam to whom it is alwayes pleasing to be accounted some body out of his own image or inward man refuseth and is adversary to it Thereupon it is that there be few which know this genius of Adam or being known dare meet and encounter it specially when we must needs extirpate both this and all other things that have their beginning with us and their continuance and die with Christ as is pride covetousness ambition pleasures wrath which we must kill and bury in the humility of Christ poverty contumely suffering and lowlinesse of Christ But whosoever is dead after this fashion to himselfe he easily thenceforth contemneth the world God maketh glad the heart of him that is dead to the world with all the pomps thereof wealth honours and pleasures comprizing all these in one Christ a true stranger to this world new born but a continual guest and table-friend of Christ who by and by will fill his heart with joy exceeding and in this life wil keep a daily jubilee with him and in the other and in the other an eternall jubilee with all the Saintss CHAP. XVI In a true Christian the strife of the Flesh and Spirit never ceaseth Rom. 7. I see another Law in my members resisting the Law of my mind IN a true Christian the man is two-fold Man is twofold in use Exterior and Interior which two although they be conjoyned yet they doe daily differ by turnes ruling and dying according to that of S. Paul 2 Cor. 4. If our outward man be corrupted yet the inward is daily renewed The same Paul calleth Rom. 7. The law of the mind and of the flesh to the Gal. 5. the Flesh and the Spirit The flesh he saith coveteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Therefore when the spirit overcommeth the man liveth in a new nativity and a new creature and in God and in Christ But the flesh reigning the same man liveth in the Devill and in the old nativity The carnall and spiritual man without the
kingdome of God and is called carnall and to be wise according to the flesh is death Therefore according to the rule of either of them the man obtaineth his name in Scripture according as the carnall man or the spirituall man speaketh But if the concupiscence with his strength be overcome it will be argument of the strength which the spirit hath in the inward man and if it faint it is a signe of the weaknesse of the faith and spirit because these two are one thing according to that of 2 Cor. 4. having the same spirit The spirit and faith are suteable of faith for which we speak Moreover when one hath himselfe and his proper lusts tamed and keepeth them in their duties he is stronger then he that overcometh a most strong Tower according to the holy Proverb Chap. 14. The patient man is better then a strong man and he that ruleth over The greatest victory to overcome himself his mind then he that gaineth a Citie If therefore thou hast a desire and settest thy heart upon the greatest victory and to obtain it then conquer thy selfe thy privat wrath pride covetousnesse and evill concupiscence What it is to overcom the kingdome of the Devlll and thou hast overturned the kingdome of the Devill which ruleth in the world by such things and means of which sort of victors and conquerers there be very few to be found and there be many The victory of the soul keepeth the whole man conquerers of Cities Here consult with me and advise if thou pamper the flesh overmuch thou slayest thy soul but it is better to overcome the soule that the body therewith may be preserved then that this overcomming it with the soule doth perish for our Saviour Christ once said John 12. He that loveth his own life loseth it and he that hateth his own life in this world keepeth it to eternall life But howsoever this strife may have in it sharp things to bee born yet it bringeth forth in the end a famous victory and most beautifull Crown Be thou faithfull unto death saith the Sonne of God Apoc. 2. and I will give thee a crown of life And 1 John 5. This is the victory which overcommeth the world even our What it is to overcom the world faith that is to say the world within us and in the inwards of our hearts which being overcome we become more stronger then our selves What if some should say unto me Shall I then be damned if sinne sometimes subject me unwilling to it therfore to be put out of the number of the sonnes of God according to that of 1 Joh. 3. He that sinneth is of the Devill God defend For if thou finde a conflict of the spirit and a strife with the flesh that thou dost those things that thou wouldst not which are the words of S. Paul it is a manifestation of a faithfull heart and that the faith or the spirit is averse to the flesh for St. Paul by his own example teacheth that this strife is to be found in good and faithfull The strife of faith souls when he professeth plainly that he perceived another law in his members resisting the law of his mind which is the new creature the new and inward man and taking him captive in the law of sinne causing him to do the things he would not and to will is present with him but to finish that which is good he could not for he could not do the good that he would but to do the evil he would not that was present Therefore most lamentably he exclaimeth Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Like unto which is that which Christ pronounceth Matth. 14. The spirit truly is ready but the flesh is Sinne reigning not dwelling doth damne weak Therfore sinne doth not rule in man so long as this strife is perceived in him neither is it to be said that sinne exerciseth his dominion over him against which he daily fighteth and that which doth not rule the spirit resisting it that consequently cannot damne a man It is the equall condition of all Saints to have sinnes according to that of Paul I know because it dwelleth not in me that is in my flesh good dwelleth not Also that of blessed John Epist 1. Chap. 1. If we say wee have no sinne wee deceive our selves which vulgarly we call Sinne dwelling in us to distinguish it from sinne reigning whose property it is onely to condemne for that sinne we contend with and doe not consent unto that is not imputed unto us Paul speaking to the Rom. 8. Now then there is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Jesus who live not after the flesh that is they doe not suffer it to beare rule But as many as are not exercised in this daily strife these are not born again having sinne reigning and therefore overcome and servants of Sinne and Satan and damned so long as they suffer sinne to rule over them This strife is shadowed unto us in the type of the Canaanites Josh 13. 15. whose remainder in the promised rest was suffered to dwell amongst the children of Israel but Mystical Canaanite not to rule over them even so the holy men of God every one of them feele and suffer their imperfections remaining who in the mean time suffer them not to rule over them as becommeth the new man I say a true Israelite and Champion of God as contrariwise it is fitting the old Adam should be subdued and brought under Therefore the daily strife against the old man sheweth the new man and argueth it plainly strength and victory sheweth a true Israelite and a new born man Lastly the warfare approveth him to be a Christian for the Land of Canaan is conversant The spirit ought to look lest the flesh do rule long and occupied in warfare but if it happen sometimes the flesh or the Canaanites doe invade the territories it is the part of Israel and the new man not to suffer a tyrant long but having gathered his new strength and aid by the grace of God in Christ and by serious repentance and remission of sinnes to arise from his fall and implore and intreat the true Iosua to give him victory even that true Prince of his people to lend him aid to overcome the Canaanites which being done first the sinne is covered blotted out of mind and pardoned and the man is again renewed to life and transplanted into Christ Wherefore they who feele many imperfections in their flesh and cannot doe and perform all things according to their mind let me perswade them again and again as true converts and true repentants to impute them upon the merits of Jesus The imputation of the merits of Christ is onely belonging to the penitent Christ effectually and intreat him to hide their spots under his most perfect obedience This I say is the meanes and this
is the way and lawfull appointment of the imputation of the merits of Jesus Christ when daily repentance goeth before and alwayes ariseth from his fall Which when the impenitent doe not cockering and pleasing the flesh in every thing and sitting at rest under sin reigning therefore such as these cannot challenge the merit of Christ to belong unto them for the bloud of Christ troden under foot can be no medicine CHAP. XVII The Inheritance and goods of Christians are not of this world therefore they must use them as strangers 1 Timoth. 6. We brought nothing into this world neither shall we carry any thing out of it having therefore meat and raiment let us be content therewith SEeing that God Almighty created temporall goods to that end did bestow All things are to be used for necessity onely with feare them on man as certain helps and necessary furtherances it is meet that they should not be otherwise converted but to be used and taken from our most loving God with thanksgiving and feare trembling and whatsoever is more then necessary Riches are trials and proofs of men abound and are superfluous as are gold and silver meat and drink and raiments these are left to man as a triall by God for to try man that by these things it may be seen how his mind standeth between these terrene things and God himselfe that is whether he cleave onely to him alone rest in him alone and seek onely after celestiall and invisible goods or contrariwise sucking in and feeding on the inticement of earthly things addict himselfe to this temporall life and preferre this earthly paradise before that of heaven Therefore God Almighty by reason Man is unexcusable of temporall things and in them only gave unto man his election and choice whom by riches honours graces and goodly gifts it might be manifested in some sort whether he did cleave unto God respect him live in him or being seduced with their splendor and false shewes turn his mind from God and live without him and contrary to him After which manner every one by his owne sentence and triall is declared and remaineth inexcuseable according to that of Moses Deut. 30. Consider what I have propounded this day before thee Life and Goodnesse and on the contrary Death and Evill Superfluous things are proofs of the feare of God that thou mightest chuse life and thou mightest blesse thy selfe All things therefore in this world are exposed to our eyes not for the cause of deliciousnesse and pleasure but as proofs and trials in which the fall is easie when we fall from God and this is that forbidden tree with the fruits thereof the eating whereof is so forbidden lest our mind resting in them doe take delight and play the adulterer after the manner of men now who know no other pleasure but what is taken and received from earthly things abusing thereby the creatures of God meat drink and apparell to the pleasures of the flesh and vain delights wherewith most men at this day are drawn from God But it is the part of a true Christian to think that they be strangers or Pilgrims A Christian is not delighted in worldly things whose necessity these earthly things should serve not for delicatenesse and that they should not set all their delight and pleasure in the world but should place it in God alone but if they doe otherwise they intangle themselves in sinne and being seduced with wicked concupiscence being womanly wanton and effeminate no true Israelites with Eva they eat of the forbidden fruit Therefore Christians do not desire curiously deliciously dainty meats so that they may gormondize them but they hunger after meat which corrupteth not they follow not the pomp of apparell that is earthly but otherwise they aspire to the cloathing of divine light glorified bodies In briefe to true Christians all Worldly things are a crosse to a Christian things whatsoever in this world doe please others are nothing but a crosse temptation allurements of sinne gall and venome and rightly indeed for whatsoever a man to obey his concupiscence and pamper the flesh usurpeth without the feare of God that cannot but be venome or poyson to the soule howsoever to the body it may seem healthfull But such is the indocibility of man no man layeth to heart to know the forbidden tree but every man most intemperatly A Chrstian doth use the creatures with feare is fed with the concupiscence of the flesh the fruit I say of the forhidden tree but a Christian which useth all things with the feare of God and as a stranger using diligence and having great care that he offend not his heavenly Father in meat drink cloathing houses or any fraile good thing by his intemperance or his table-friends taking heed of all abuses most diligently and with the eyes of faith he beholdeth future good things in like manner for what profiteth it the body by by to be eaten with worms if in this world it swell in all kind of pleasure Naked saith Job came I out of my mothers womb and naked shall I return againe that is to say naked infirme and brickle body we bring into the world as an unprofitable burden we bring it into the world which as the spoyle of death when we goe out of the world we carry it out again and in truth poorer then when we entred for being born we have body and life and things not yet ripe are at hand cloath cloathing The bread of Christistians is the bread of grief meat and drink all which being dead we leave behind and so now whatsoever we had even from our birth to the houre of death in this world the solace of miserable necessity yea the bread of mercy and griefe they were whose use and possession in a moment death hath interdicted and taken away therefore nothing is more wretched then a dead man and especially he who is not rich in God Goe to then O yee mortals because we are strangers and Pilgrims in this world and because we must leave all these things when we die will we nill we let us leave at least to be grievous to our souls in such things In death all are alike riches covetousnes is a kind of madnesse and let us acknowledge it to be a kind of madnesse to gather wealth with great labour for a brickle and fraile body which it cannot carry out of the world especially seeing there is another world and another body and another life Call these things I say O yee mortals to mind to you I speak who in truth are strangers and Pilgrims before the eyes of God as it is in the Psalmes although very few of you doe testifie that you think so by your deeds and if we be straugers in this world it followeth that our countrey is elswhere that which is manifest to man of it selfe if we conferre or compare time with
eternity the visible world with the invisible the earthly habitation with the heavenly mortall with immortall things frail with eternall things The meditation of eternall and temporall things doth introduce wisdom In which comparison or meditation of contrary things our soule is enlightned and by faith we behold many things to the knowledge whereof they are not admitted those which to this contemplation are not at leasure and therefore like a Sow in the mire so they wallow in earthly matters drowned in covetousnesse fixed to the cares and study of earthly things given to usury and as concerning the soule blind howsoever otherwise they have a quick sight and have Lynxes eyes Because such as these thereby have addicted themselves to this fraile and worldly life and thinke this alone most pleasant the best and most To Christians the world is a crosse and exile noble when true Christians esteeming all things with a sound judgement and right estimation accounteth it an exile a valley of teares a den of misery a prison of griefe and sorrow Therefore those which love the world do not exceed brute beasts in prudence and die like a beast as saith the Psalmist they think not on heavenly things they rejoyce not in God they are pleased onely in earthly things in these things they take sweet delight and rest and having obtained these things doe thinke they are exceeding well Men in deed and truth wretched all manner of wayes blind and meere animals sitting here in the darkness of ignorance and hence removing to that of death and eternall damnation Christians are strangers in the world But we must firmly imprint this in our mindes that we are strangers and Pilgrims in this world after the example of Christ whose doctrine and life wee we ought alike to love and to him as an Image and pattern for all true Christians to follow and set before them to conform our manners thoughts and the whole course of our lives conversations Who when he was the most noble of all men he chose voluntarily that life in which nothing is notable as for himselfe besides extream poverty and contempt of honour wealth and pleasure which three the world hath for their three Gods Therefore thereupon Matth. 8. he confesseth that the Sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head David before he was called to the Kingdome was poore vile and contemned and being made King esteemed all Kingly splendor as nothing in comparison of life eternall whereupon the Psalmist singeth Psal 84. How delightfull are thy Tabernacles O God of power my soul fainted and failed me in the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh were exalted in the living God Better is one day in thy house then a thousand elswhere I have indeed a Kingdome I have subjects and people subdued unto me I have Kingly Palaces and the Tower of Sion but these are nothing in respect of thy Tabernacle O Lord. Neither was blessed Job of another mind when he rejoyced in his Redeemer nor Peter nor Paul nor the other The Saints live in Christ Apostles which intended not the riches of this world but sought after the riches of another world took upon them the life of Christ walking in his charity lowlinesse and patience they contemned the world they prayed for them that cursed them they thanked them that reproached them in persecutions they praised The Saints were dead to themselves and the world God by many tribulations it behoveth us to enter into the Kingdome of heaven And last of all when they were slain they with Christ prayed Father forgive them And what is it to die to wrath revenge bitternesse of mind ambition pride the love of the world and himselfe also what is it to live in Christ and in his charity lowlinesse humility and patience Lastly what is it to be made alive in Christ by faith if this be not it Which most noble way of living to the lover of this world is altogether unknown Therefore because they live not in Christ being ignorant that the true life is in him Eph. 4. it commeth to passe that they are dead in their sinnes wrath hatred envie covetousnesse usury pride and covetousnesse of revenge in which so many as are drowned therein those for that cause are without true repentance neither live in Christ by faith whatsoever they perswade and boast of themselves Contrariwise true Christians doe understand that it is their duty to follow the steps of Christ to conform their lives to the life of Christ and to take from him as from a book and an authentick author the Rule of life and doctrine And these are found to be such that none but this is the onely true life which is in Christ Jesus according to that saying The life of Christ can teach us all things these say with the Apostles 2 Corinth 4. We doe not contemplate those things which are seen but those things which are not seen For those things which are seen are temporall but those things that are not seen are eternall And Hebrews 6. 13. We have no abiding Citie here but seek after one to come Which if it bee true that we be strangers and have not any abiding place in this world it followeth that we were not created for the cause of this world and it followeth then that there remaineth for us another world another countrey other dwellings for which we shall think it gain to lay down hundred worlds yea our life it selfe which a true Christian well knowing he rejoyceth in his inwards that he was ordained to eternall life and attending this one thing that he may grow rich in God he laugheth at the madnesse of those that are made blind with the love of the world who feareth not miserably to afflict their souls for these brickle and frail things and so unhappily to lose them CHAP. XVIII That God is grievously angry with those that prefer frail things before eternall also why and how farre we ought not to set our heart on creatures Behold burning among them in wrath the fire of the Lord hath devoured the extream part of the Tents Numb 11. THe people of Israel that murmured against Moses saying Who shall give us flesh to eat We doe remember the Fishes The type of the true false Christian and Cucumbers which wee did eat in Egypt is a type of men of this time who under the pretext of the Gospel and title thereof seek after nothing but earthly and carnall things as honours wealth and pleasures they use more diligence to be sumptuous then to become blessed and happy they study to please men more then God And lastly attribute more to the concupiscence of the flesh then to the poverty of the spirit Contrariwise the Character of a true Christian is to have more care of eternal honour and glory then this momentary to thirst after heavenly and let earthly goe to seek after invisible and neglect
truly humbled think themselves worthy of nothing Jacob Gen. 32. who pronounceth himself unworthy of all divine favour and temporall blessings Therefore to his example and pattern a heart truly humbled contrite acknowledging himselfe unworthy of the least heavenly visitation and consolation be it never so little crieth O Lord my soule thine handmaid is unworthy of thy great love and mercy which thou hast shewed it in Christ Jesus behold since thou gavest me thy Sonne I come with two troops with the blessings I say of grace and glory And indeed if a man would weep a sea of teares it were not sufficient price for the least heavenly favour or consolation Therefore the grace of God is meerly pure and free gift and the merit of man is nothing else but punishments and eternall damnation which every one knoweth What misera men God respects through faith and acknowledgeth freely man consequently is guilty of his own misery and is pardoned of God that which cannot befall man without this zealous acknowledgement and so to obtain the favour of God Wherupon S. Paul 2 Cor. 12. saith I would boast of the infirmities in me that the power of Christ might awell in me For such is the mercifulnes of God he will not see his workes suffer corruption but so much the weaker it is in it selfe so much more fortitude is divinely infused into it according to that the Lord said unto Paul My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect in infirmity Wherefore by how much a true Christian in his own judgment is more wretched by so much doth God pardon more freely to the manifestation of the riches of his glory in a vessell of mercy Rom. 9. not looking to any merit of his by heavenly consolations more sincere then all human joyes Furthermore we call not him a miserable man not he that is poore Why a man is wretched and destitute of human succour and comfort but he that from the bottome of his heart acknowledgeth and is grieved for his sinnes for if sinne were not there would be no misery in the world and so much could not befall man but that he is worthy of much more Far be it from us to grieve because many heavenly benefits are not bestowed Man is worthy of no divine grace seeing we are not worthy of the least no not the life we carry about with us Which saying although our flesh think it a very unworthy and hard saying yet if we will obtain the grace of God the truth is to be spoken and every true repentant sinner most be a most bitter Judge and upbraider of himselfe for his sinnes Wherein then and wherefore should a man open his mouth Truly thus I think what ever man thou be it is better for thee to say thou canst say nothing in these two words Lord I have sinned Have mercy upon me a sinner certainly God himselfe requireth nothing else of a man but that he should deplore his sins and crave pardon which two whoso The best work of man neglecteth may be said that he hath omitted the best part Take heed therefore O man to powre forth teares for thy body because it is naked because it is afflicted with hunger and cold and because it suffereth persecutions because it is restrained in bands or because it is weak and sick but bewaile and send forth tears for thy soule which is constrained to dwell in flesh and bloud obnoxious to sinne and death Vnhappy man that I am cryeth blessed Paul Rom. 7. who shall deliver me from this body of sinne And this Christian acknowledgement and conscience of his proper and inward misery this grace-thirsting repentance Faith is the door of grace this faith fastened on Christ alone opening the doore of grace in Christ by which God cometh into the soule therefore repent and amend saith John chap. 3. Behold I stand at the doore and I beat or knock if any shall heare my voyce and shall open it to me I will enter therein and I will sup with him and he with me Which supper is nothing verily but the remission of sinnes consolation life and happinesse at this doore of faith our most loving God at his own time doth meet the wretched soule here the truth ariseth from the earth and justice looketh from heaven here Mercy and Truth meet one another Justice and Peace doe kisse each other Psalm 85. Here the offender Magdalene I say the soule of Mystical Magdalen man all confused and powring forth tears anointeth the feet of our Lord washeth them with teares wipeth them with the hairs of her head of most profound humility Here the spirituall and mysticall Bishop in the holy ornaments of faith offereth the true sacrifice the contrite heart and lowly and the frankincense of true repentance and contrition I say the teares for sins committed that true cleansing water The misticall Bishop and sacrifice of a Christian wherewith the mysticall Israel are washed and made clean by faith and efficacy of the bloud of Christ And thus much Christians it appeareth how by the acknowledgement of your proper misery and faith in Christ you may attain the grace of God so that by how much every one in their own judgement is more wretched so much the more dearly beloved of God and by him is adorned with great favours CHAP. XX. By Christian contrition our life is daily amended and made more and more fit for the Kingdome of Heaven and life eternall 2 Corinth 7. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to eternall salvation but worldly sorrow worketh death TRue Christianity consisteth in pure Faith true Charity and holy life which have their beginning out of serious Holiness from whence contrition repentance and a strict and severe knowledge of himselfe perceiving daily more and more his defects and amending them daily and participating the righteousnesse and holinesse of Christ by faith 1 Cor. 1. and cannot be obtained The fear of God by any other means in which if we walk in the continuall feare of God after the example of good children and subjects we doe not nourish any thing belonging to the flesh All things are lawfull for me saith Paul 1 Cor. 6. but are not all expedient in me making me better For even as a sonne in his fathers house doth not all things which many times the lust of the flesh prompteth him unto but warily observeth his father and as it were by the eye doth counsel with him before hee cometh to say or doe any thing So a true Christian and the Child of God will chastice his senses with Christian modesty neither will doe or speak any thing without the fear of God But for The ioy of the world doth extinguish the fear of God the most part all men are without the feare of God do addict themselves to worldly pleasures not knowing it is better continually to feare God then to wallow in
is to be done to us and no other matter more heavie and more worthy of tears then the sinnes and impenitencie of men If it came to mind so often unto a man that he should die and that he was to plead his cause before God as often as he in a pensive manner Cause of mourning discusses the matter with himselfe of the helps of this life surely he would be more sad and more diligent in the amendment of his life and of repentance And if the same man should call to mind the eternall torments he could not but despise the world and in comparison of them think all the afflictions of this world pleasant From which opinion and fervency of devotion we are the more distant because we are so much inveagled with the inticements of the flesh In brief it behoveth The life of the flesh is the death of the spirit a Christian most firmly to perswade himselfe that if it goe well with his body and that he flow in pleasures of this world that his spirit is dead but that hee liveth if hee crucifie his flesh with his desires and concupiscences for the one is the death of the other if the spirit live it must needs be the body shall spiritually die and be offered a living sacrifice Rom. 12. Which way of life all the Saints from the beginning of the world did observe eating and drinking with thanksgiving the bread and cup of The bread of tears tears according to that of David Psalm 80. Thou shalt feed us with the bread of tears and thou shalt give us drink of teares by measure And Psalm 41. My teares were unto me my bread both day and night And this bread of teares faith by a wonderfull sweetnes doth mix and temper and the drink of teares is pressed from the tender grapes of devout hearts by true repentance and sorrow which worketh to stedfast salvation As The fruit of worldly sorrow contrariwise the sorrow of this world bringeth forth death witnesse St. Paul the losse of honour temporall and frail goods and it is often so sharp and bitter and impatient that men catch themselves in a net or bring themselves to their own death by divers wayes of which there be many examples in the histories of the Ethnicks for which it were better to be more moderate and shew themselves better Christians who know it to be far unworthy their profession for the loss of frail goods to lose their souls which the whole world will not recompence Far be it from us that for temporall goods we should not mourn or thirst after eternall seeing the use of them is most short ends with death When a man departeth saith the Psalm 49. he taketh not all neither doth his glory descend with him which law is equally spoken to all no lesse to the King then to the meanest Begger the dead body putrifieth and so a living Dogge is better then a dead Lion as saith Solomon Eccles 9. yet the Lord will set the death at all times and the face of them that are in bonds among all people and he wipeth the the teares from every face as it is written Isa 25. Therefore remember to carry moderatly the losse of earthly things and that the whole world is not worth one soul for The love of the world bringeth sorrow which Christ vouchsafed to die But if thou prosecutest not these frail things with so unruly a love thou shalt be lesse troubled with the losse of them seeing this that it is the condition of things beloved that things lost are more desired and so the labour of fools afflicteth them which are the From whence the pertur bations of the mind words of Eccles 10. The sons of this age doe gather goods with great labour with no lesse fear doe they possesse them and with greatest griefe forgoe them which is the sorrow of the world begetting death Apoc. 10. we read of those that followed adored the Beast had no rest to whom all these are like that adore the goodly Beast of earthly wealth and avaritious desires thereof a kind of men most wretched unquiet and full of sorrows whom perhaps we shall shall not evilly compare to Camels or Mules for as they by rockes and steep hils carrying Silken Garments Pearls Aromatick Spices and generous Wines on their backs doe draw many servants with them for security sake and so at evening coming to their stables their pretious ornaments and painted cloathes and garments are taken from them and now being weary and stripped nothing but the prints of stripes foul marks of blows are to be seen So those which in this world did shine in Gold and Silkes the day of their death being come have nothing but the prints and skars of sinnes through the abuse of riches committed unto them Learn then O learn to leave the world The world in the world iâ— to be left before it leave thee with most bitter pains which he who doth and first separateth his soul from the world to this man it is easie to be separate in body from it neither doth he grieve for the losse of it For as the Israelites even now being about to leave Egypt were daily pressed with greater burdens by Pharaoh going about utterly to overthrow their whole progeny or stock so We carry nothing out of the world the infernall Pharaoh envying our eternall salvation when we are neer to death so much greater care and rapacious desire of earthly things is hee wont to infest our soules withall which blindnesse is the more remarkable because we cannot carry the least dust with us of all those heaps of mony which we have gotten into the Kingdome of heaven because that way is so strait as all earthly things and of the body doe exceedingly hinder the passage of the soule The way is strait which leadeth to heaven and few there be that find it Matth. 7. As the Husband-man on the Barn-floore separateth the Wheat from the Chaffe so death setteth free the seed of the faithfull souls from the chaffe of the world neither are they any other thing else indeed but chaffe carried hither and thither with the wind Psalm 1. Therefore do that with all thy might and let not that depart out of thy mind which we brought before out of St. Paul The sorrow which is according to God worketh repentance to a firm salvation but the sorrow of the world bringeth death CHAP. XXI What is true divine Worship Levit. 10. The sonnes of Aaron did offer to the Lord strange fire and there went fire from the Lord and devoured them THis fire is said to be strange fire because it was other then that which burned perpetually on the Altar and which by the commaandement of God did burn the Offering and it is a type of the false divine The false worship of God worship The sonnes of Aaron did deserve to be burned with the
not with praiers onely but promised also the spirit of new birth I say by whom we live and are quickened in Christ to a new spirituall and heavenly way of living and out of whose eternall and quickning power all Christian vertues doe flourish and the just man doth increase as a Palm-tree and a Cedar of Lebanon which the Lords right hand hath planted Whereupon it followeth that a man must first be inwardly renewed in the spirit of his mind after the Image of God so as his desires and affections be conformed to Christ and his outward life proceed from the inward A Christian ought to bee within as he is without or seemeth to be feeling of the heart and be most like to them And seeing that God searcheth the heart and reins as it is Psalm 7. it is most right and equall that a man should have more in the inwards and in the bottome then outwardly and in the porch And because it cannot come to passe that our inwards can obtain the purity and cleannesse The cleannesse righteousnesse of Christians of Angels yet it is convenient to aspire to it seeing God accepteth of the votes of our spirits and sighes and approveth of them the holy Spirit helping our infirmitie and intreating for us with mourning unexpressible Rom. 8. yea Christs bloud purging us by faith so that we are without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5. Neither now shall our purity be Angelicall and our holinesse and righteousnesse so but of Ghrist yea Christ himselfe 1 Cor. 1. Jer. 33. Which free holiness and righteousness is to be preferred before the purity innocency of Angels it behoveth us to renew our soules and spirits and to lead a working holy life in us that as the Palm tree flourisheth continually groweth and increaseth so we through Christian Discipline in our selves may become more and more perfect in Christ and so much every one in Christ doth flourish and profit as he groweth in faith holy vertues and Christian life and so much as he amendeth daily in himself and lastly so much as Christ himselfe liveth in him And this is to flourish like the Palmtree and as that continually Christian like a palm tree groweth upward daily to be renewed alwayes repeating his purpose to his holy Name to be pleased no otherwise then as if it were the first day of thy entrance into Christianity or didst receive the Sacraments nor to have any other thing in thy desire then that thy life workes should br answerable to thy profession and discipline And as those that are chosen to some office are wont to prefer nothing before the study be it never so difficult that The calling of Christians belongeth to his vocation so must we doe that are called to Christ we are called to a holy calling to whom we shall never be like unlesse we hold this purpose and this opinion and it be a most firm Antidote or prevention to us for this holy purpose not stablished nor confirmed we be not carefull of amendment neither do we increase and profit in Christ nay rather we be altogether without Christ Because this purpose of living well is the work of the holy Ghost and that preventing grace which The wisdom of God calleth us allureth all men inviteth them and driveth them on Then happy is he who hath eares and a mind at leasure and entertaineth the Wisdome of God crying in the streets understanding all things we behold to be the monuments and remembrances by which he inviteth and in it selfe goeth about to allure us which touch and motion so soon as we perceive forthwith we must put our hands to the worke and assent and take hold of this point of time without impediment which being negligently lost perhaps many dayes shall succeed in which we cannot heare speak doe or think a good thought which the Procrastinâ—tioÌ„ iâ— to be esâ—â—ewed eternall wisdome knowing it calleth us in all places lest we neglect time and occasion and be like to the tree in the open aire and without cover which expecteth the benigne aspect of an immoveable Sunne and propitious heaven And we are daily nourished The grace of God is every where present by the grace of God heavenly influence and there remaineth no more but that all impediments of the world being shaken off we admit of them and draw them unto us with all our heart O mortall men let us call to minde the brevity of time how many opportunities of Christian The brevitie of our life vertues we have neglected that we have spent much of our lives in sleep and cares of the body and that we are to die by and by and that we have scarcely begun to lead a better life As every one wisheth to die the death of the righteous so it is needfull so to live And if thou abhorrest to die an evill death live godly if thou desirest to goe out of the world like a Christian How it behoves a Christian to live here in thy actions and life labour to be a Christian and he liveth like a Christian who liveth so as if he should every day die well knowing it is the part of a good servant to be ready at every call of his master and God calleth us by Death as his Apparitor or Sumner Happy is that servant whom his master shall find watchfull verily he will make him Steward over all his goods But who doth watch Onely he who suffereth not himselfe to be seduced of the world and the lovers thereof Therefore let us flie it and such lovers of the world such water-bearers are unprofitable with which the good tree growing wild it is hindered to flourish and becometh fruitlesse CHAP. XXIII He that will grow in Christ and profit in him must flie worldly friendship Psalm 84. How delightfull are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts my soule fainteth and faileth in the Court of the Lord my heart and my flesh were exalted in the living Lord. FRequent familiarity with worldly men is to be eschewed by thee because as we are no where so well fitted or well pleased as when we are at home so it is never better with the soul then when it is in its own house that is resting in God whose off-spring sith it is it must needs return to him again if it desireth to be quiet For this is the condition of all creatures that the same place is to them both of beginning and rest for Fishes the sea to Birds the aire to plants the earth and to the soul God according to the Psalm 84. The Sparrow hath found a house and the Turtle a nest wherein to put her young For even as he begetteth evill to himselfe that suffereth his sonnes and daughters to wander abroad so he begetteth evill to himselfe that suffereth his tongue and thoughts to be conversant amongst many men he shall decline many scandals if he keep them within the circle and
might doe good unto him which to perform if any contemn and refuse this man cannot bee the sonne of God because he loveth not his neighbour He that exerciseth not Christian Charity doth shew a man how to be a living member of Christ charity that man separateth himselfe from the spirituall body of Christ which is the Church and forfeiteth or loseth thereby all the merits of Christ according to that of the Ephesians chap. 4. One Lord one Faith one Baptisme For even as the members pulled from the body doe not participate of the life and bountifull influence of the head but dieth every member even so as many as live not in charity these because they separate themselves from their head Christ doe not participate nor receive his life lively motions and fulnesse Prayer without charity is unprofitable according to that of Saint John Epist 1. chap. 3. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death Last of all because by prayer all good gifts are to be obtained of God and without it all helps consolation and freedóme wee may look for but in vain being without blessing and safety And God Almighty giveth hearing to no prayers but to those that are grounded on Faith and Charity according to that saying of Matthew chap. 18. If two of you upon the earth consent together whatsoever they shall desire it shall be granted unto them by my Father which is in Heaven Goe to therefore O mortall men let us live in charity wherein is peace Peace in charity and union and where peace is there is the God of peace where he is in that place the Lord hath commanded his blessing and life for evermore CHAP. XXVII Wherefore our enemies are to be loved Matth. 5. Love your enemies doe good to those that hate you and pray for them that persecute you and revile you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven THe first cause for which our enemies ought to be beloved of us is the commandement of God to which he giveth no other reason but that you may be the sonnes of your father of him that is to wit that loved us when we were his enemies Rom. 5. As if he should say Unlesse you love your enemies you cannot be the children of the heavenly Father And he that is not his sonne what father shall he have To which commandement when exceeding few of us doe obey it is manifest how farre wee are from the fruits of the children of God wherein we ought to use charity towards our enemies He that loveth not his brother saith blessed John Epist 1. chap. 3. abideth in death for hee hath not in him the true life which is of Christ which is spirituall and heavenly which consisteth in faith towards God and charity towards our neighbour according to that of blessed John We know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren Whereupon it is manifest that the fruit testimony of our quickning in Christ is brotherly charity and contrariwise the hatred of him is death so that whosoever dieth in hatred hee shall die an everlasting death And all his good works that hateth his neighbour his divine worship and observation of the commandements of God are in vain according to that of Paul to the Without charity all works are dead Corinthians Epist 1. chap. 13. If I give and distribute all that I have to feed the poore and give my body to be burned have not charity it profiteth me nothing Moreover it is the property of a noble great and divine mind to pardon injuries For let us behold God both how long suffering he is and consider how suddenly hee is reconciled Behold Christ how amongst his most heavie torments and most inhumane pains on the Crosse like unto a Lamb did not so much as open his mouth Isa 53. Let us contemplate the holy Ghost who for no other cause rather appeared in the form of a Dove then to teach unto us the meeknesse and lenity and simplicity of manners Behold Moses with what patience hee did bear the reproaches of the people whereby Numb 12. he deserved this praise Moses was a most meek man above all men which remained on the earth David also with what Ienity of mind he did heare Shimei cursing of him 2 Sam. 16. And one saith True charity knoweth none to be angry with but himselfe and true peace consisteth not in a great fortune but in humble bearing of adversity and his adversaries Publius said excellent well The free estate of an honest man receiveth no reproach And Seneca If thou be magnanimous thou wilt never judge thy selfe any reproach to be done to thee Even as the Sun if any mad man should reproach it and call it meere darknesse for that cause it would not nor doth it change the nature of it so neither a valiant mind or generous whose great generosity is also to pardon The Ethniks examâ—le of long-suffering revenge And many Ethnicks in their examples did expresse thâ—se golden sayings and admonitions As Pericles that was the most pleasant Orator of Greece who having heard a man upbraiding and reproaching him the spâ—ce of a whole day with his own eares â—â—ght comming on did command him to bee brought into his house lest he should take any harm this speech bâ—ing added It is an easier thing to speak evill of vertue then to possesse it Phocion the Prince of the Athenians when he had deserved exceeding well of his Countrey through the envie of some was adjudged to death which being about to undergoe when he was asked by one if hee would command him any thing to his sonne Nothing else said he but that he never take in hand or goe about to revenge this injury which I suffer of my countrey Titus the Emperour when it was told him that two brethren did affect the Empire of Rome and that they had conspired his death made no scruple to bid them to supper and about three dayes after set himselfe betwixt them to behold a Stage-play with which admirable clemency he overcame their improbity When it was told to Julius Cesar that Cato had laid violent hands on himselfe He hath bereaved me saith he of the greatest victory that ever I had for I had decreed with my selfe freely to pardon him all the injuries he had done unto me But most of all whom would not the extream patience and meeknesse of the Sonne of God himselfe move to love his enemies The great long-suffering of God neither this nor any of those of the Ethnicks which I mentioned nor any of the Saints in their examples did equall him For what greater injustice and dishonesty can be thought on then that the Sonne of God should bee so miserably handled of men to be made a laughing-stock to bee scourged with stripes to be crowned with thorns to be spit upon and lastly to be nailed on the Crosse
can a man as the Apostle saith to the Ephesians chap. 2. which was dead in sin help himself Also even as we did not bring so much as a haire to our creation so neither to our redemption or regeneration and sanctification which are much greater and more noble then our creation it selfe Wherefore The cause of the incarnation of the Son of God it was necessary that the Sonne of God should take humane nature upon him to recover that which was lost in Adam to revive that which was dead in him which that it may be brought to effect accordingly we must imitate the Traveller which is cruelly handled and wounded and laid upon the ground and could not help himselfe him therefore the mercifull Samaritan taketh up and bindeth up his soares and then laieth him upon a horse leadeth him into the Stable and after that omitteth nothing which an industrious and faithfull Physitian can administer to a sick person And as the Traveller also sheweth himselfe observant to his Physitian and Christ iâ— our Physitian not we our selves observeth his beck and command so let us remember to doe the like if we desire to be healed Let us doe our full diligence and power to our Physitian Christ let us resigne our selves wholly unto him let us trust in his faith that he will bind up and cure our wounds also let him powre in Wine and Oyle into them neither will hee be wanting or faile to restore us to our former health that is so soon as a sinner repeÌ„teth converteth himselfe by heavenly grace to God is grieved from his heart for his sinnes and resisteth not that his wounds should be washed in the sharp wine of contrition and lastly to be anointed with the Oyle of Consolation then presently Christ by his grace doth work and bring forth faith in him and the fruits of faith as life peace joy consolation and happinesse renewing him after his own image and working in him to will and finish according to his good will Phil. 2. For seeing that the abundance of sinnes are greater then humane nature can beare as witnesseth the Scripture which John 8. pronounceth the naturall man the servant of sin and Rom. 7. sold under sinne and can doe nothing but sinne according to that of Jeremy 13. If the Aethiopian can change his hue or the The naturall man neither can nor will doe doe any good Leopard his spots and you can doe well and forget to doe evill therefore the singular grace of God appeared to all men by his Gospel teaching us by the words of Paul to Tit. 2. that denying all impiety and worldly desires wee may live a just and sober life in this present world As if hee should say by the The grace of God doth all things in us word of God grace is offered unto us and doth instruct inlighten allure and teach us heartily to move and provoke us to desist from sinne which teaching of the divine grace or joynt warning by the Word consenteth with the inward testimony of the conscience whereby the man both from without and within is convicted that he doth evill and of leading a life against the way of God and his conscience he ought to change it to better let him know this if he would bee saved Furthermore if hee will bend his eares and mind and being full of good hope denounce warre against vice then the grace of God Man is meere darknes Christ is meere light worketh all things in man as faith charity and all the fruits of faith For as darknesse cannot lighten it selfe and the Sunne not shining we doe in vain open our eyes so neither can man inlighten himselfe according to that in Psalm 13. O Lord thou givest light unto my Lanthorn and my darknesse But the divine Grace or Christ himselfe is the cleare light which is risen to all men sitting in darknesse and in the shadow of death How the true light lightâ—â—s all men which inlightneth all men or every man that cometh into this world that is by manifesting himselfe and offering his grace He I say is the light of the world shewing to all men the way of life and like a good Shepheard guiding his Flock into the right way he sought us as his lost sheep daily even now seeketh us and allureth us nay more followeth us embraceth us after the manner of a bride or spouse that he loveth whose grace I would to god most men did Christ as a Bridegroome imbraceth our souls not refuse give repulse to his love prefer the darknes of vice before his light And even as a Physitian saith to his sick Patient Beware of this if you will not dye for you hinder the efficacie and force of the medicine that you cannot bee made whole so Jesus Christ the true Physitian of our souls saith My sonne I pray thee incline thy mind to repentance and leave thy sinnes Impeninitence hindereth the efficacie of Christs merits that pride covetousnesse concupiscence of the flesh wrath revenge and forsake them or most certainly the honour of my merit shall profit thee nothing when thou art a hinderance that my grace cannot be sown in thee that it cannot increase in strength bring forth fruit Truly for this very cause I give my Apostles in charge before all things to preach repentance and I called Why repentance is to be preached before all things sinners to repentance because an impenitent heart cannot participate of my merits Which speech when a sick man heareth the Physitian of our soules as to abstaine from sinne or else he must utterly perish the word of God coming expresly to his mind let him know this that it is most certain that God hath promised remission of sinnes to all men gratis but under this law and condition if they will convert themselves to God according to that of Ezekiel 33. If the wicked shall repent him of his sinnes hee shall live the life and not die all the offences which hee hath done shall not bee True faith imputed unto him Wherein truly the repentance of sinnes is joyned to remission neither doth Christ the sonne of God in any other sense promise life eternall to those that beleeve in him For faith doth alwayes oppose it selfe to the Old Man tameth the flesh and subjecteth it to the spirit that is converteth the man rooteth up and amendeth sinnes and cleareth and purgeth the heart it being the fountain of all evill Truly this is true faith that I say that turneth it selfe from the world from sinnes and from the Devill to Christ and seeketh solace and rest for his soule against the grieving debt of his sinnes in the onely blood death and merit of Christ without the works of any man whatsoever What man is so foolish to beleeve that his sinnes are pardoned of God although hee doe not desist from his sinnes this man hath a false faith neither ever
conform all his life to it and Christ Which being done hee feedeth the humble with grace comforteth the meek and maketh his yoak pleasant and his burden light unto them For the sweetnesse of the heavenly Manna cannot bee tasted but under the yoak of Christ according to that Hee will fill the hungry with good things and send the rich empty away The words that I have spoken are spirit and life saith Christ John 6. Whereupon it followeth a voluptuous heart and carnall that is a man that hath no spirituall understanding cannot possibly understand those things For in spirit in rest in silence with great humility holy and vehement desire is the word of God to bee received which if it be not converted into life then truly it is no better then the external letter and a sound of words Even as he that heareth the noyse of a Harp onely or a Song and understandeth it not receiveth no pleasure by it so no man is partaker of the virtue that is in the Word unlesse he endeavour to expresse it in his life And this is that which was said before out of John I will give thee a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but hee that hath Hee which cleareth to the Lord. it This is that I say even a testimony of the hidden spirit which hee giveth to the word of God Rom. 8. And in like manner the Spirit of the Word giveth testimony to our spirit whereby both doe conspire and consent together and so become one spirit which is that New Name unknown but to A new name the receiver For as no man knoweth the sweetnesse of hony but he that tasteth it so the name of the testimony divine in the hearts of men no man knoweth but hee that proveth it This man onely knoweth the consolations and divine visitations because he perceiveth them whose name is also called New because they are the works and fruits of the new birth Blessed is the man to whom God hath given himself to be so tasted in his heart Blessed are the Prophets whom from the beginning of the world he hath fed with his bread so heavenly and by the conference of his eternall word which because it was so done unto them therefore out of sense feeling and experience they have spoken of it and composed holy Scripture And in truth even all this day he speaketh unto all men and feedeth them inwardly with his word in the soule but almost all men have shut their eares against his voice and had rather The living word is meat of the soul heare the world then God and be driven by their own concupiscences then by the Spirit of God Whereupon it cometh to passe that they cannot tast the hidden Manna swallowing up in the mean time both apples of the tree of death and carnall concupiscences contemning the tree of life Which men are not a little mad whilst they can understand that God can give greater pleasures to his lovers then the world so that he that hath once tasted the goodnesse of God to him the whole world with all the pleasures they will seem The tree of death to him as meer gall and bitternesse Now seeing we know our first progenitors were beguiled with the world and by eating of the forbidden tree have acquired death yet we are so blind and mad as fed with eternall death of carnall pleasures so dearly bought wee may remember If any shall eat of me saith Christ the true tree of life and true bread of life he shall live for ever John 6. And what is it to eat of it but to beleeve in him in him to joy and take delight lastly to rest and take pleasure in him alone Great therefore O mortals is the carnall blindnesse to serve the world for trifles vain and fraile things with such affection and desires and not to doe the same to God who rewardeth his worship and service with eternall things and farre more noble goods For who performeth to God so much and so great faith obedience and diligence as the vulgar we see doe perform to Mammon and the World We see them many times for small matters or a little mony make journies and for heavens cause it grieveth us to move a foot Hereupon the holy Prophets reproach Tyre and Sidon with emphaticall upbraids for taking in hand most vast and sea journies for the advance of their earthly causes when in the mean time they would not deigne for the soveraigne good to change their place And in our time men of all sorts and conditions doe prefer the world before God it is a thing most manifest The sons of the world Thereupon we see many Doctors doe study day and night to attain to honour in the world who hardly or not at all wil take so much leasure as sufficeth to say the Lords prayer if they might attain eternal honours and dignities celestial with so little labour Therefore you see the same men to avoyd no labour in warfare to attaine to fame and honour and yet will not enter combat with their own vices although they may attain heavenly nobility thereby Therefore you shall likewise see that the Lords and Victors of many Nations and vast Kingdomes doe not care for overcoming themselves lastly that infinite many doe not regard the losse of their soule and eternall happinesse to attaine to fraile and momentany goods And all these have not The true victory tasted the Hidden Manna of the divine Word and therefore doe not overcome the world but are overcome of the world Which whosoever dare contemne in respect of God he truly finds the most sweet visits of the holy Ghost and is filled with the heavenly pleasure which no man The divine sweetnes is tasted when the world is despised knoweth but hee that receiveth it This therefore is to be done the tree of life is first to bee planted in us that wee may eat the fruit thereof and our heart that wisheth to be recreated with the celestiall consolations ought first to bee converted from the world to God but wee being made drunk with worldly pleasures and bewitched do not incline our hearts and minds to think that heavenly joyes and those of God are rather to be wished then those which the world offereth or affordeth Although truly that is more true that God offereth and doth and are more noble then that which the creatures doe bring to passe Wherfore the learning which cometh from above by the inspiration of the holy Ghost True consolation and wisdom is of God is much more excellent then that other which humane understanding with great labour doth obtain For even as an Apple or a Lilly produced by nature is far more noble and much better then that which a workman maketh of gold be the gold never so fine so one drop of consolation divine The venity of worldly ioy is more
way of the Devil when true faith and the works thereof doe not leave us empty or void of knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. Now seeing that a man having the Light and Life of Christ dwelleth in him for all these things hee is himselfe therefore according to the saying of the Prophet Esay chap. 11. upon such and no otherwise then upon Christ himselfe do rest the gifts of the holy Ghost that is to say the Spirit of wisdome and understanding the Spirit of counsell and fortitude the Spirit of knowledge piety and the feare of the Lord. Wherefore Saint Peter in the second of the Acts speaketh thus to the Jewes Repent and you shall receive the gifts of the holy Ghost as if he should say The Spirit of God of which you have had experience and which is the Illuminator of the heart sendeth not it self into other minds then those that are faithful and repent Goe to then O mortals which desire to bee freed from the blindnesse of heart and everlasting darknesse and lastly from the Devil himselfe imitate Christ in faith and true conversation and amendment being sure that the neerer you are to Christ the neerer you are to Eternall Light and by how much morâ— unfaithful you are so much neerer you aâ—â— to Darknesse and the Devill For as Faith Christ and all vertues are knit together so in like manner incredulity the Devil and all vices doe cleave together Behold with me the Apostles imitating Christ in faith contemning the world denying themselves renouncing their possessions and living in eternity by which things they attained to this that they might be heavenly illuminated and might bee indued with the holy Ghost To whom was most unlike the young man that was so rich whilst hee studied himselfe and thought himselfe something Luke 18. Therefore hee remained in the darknesse of the world neither was he inlightned to eternall life For hee that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him And blessed John professeth plainly That he which loveth not remaineth in darknesse and knoweth not whither hee goeth because darknesse hath blinded his eyes To whom agreeth Taulerus who in all his Sermons every where sheweth and admonisheth without serious exercise of faith without mortification and selfe-denial without inward turning himselfe to his heart and lastly without the inward Sabbath of the soule no man can receive the divine Light or perceive it in himselfe In brief as much as in the condition after conversion the works of darknes by the spirit of God in man are destroied so much is he illuminated and by how much more more powerfully on the other side our corrupt nature as the flesh the world in man do beare rule so much lesse Grace Light Spirit of God and Christ is in him Therefore it remaineth without daily coÌ„tinual repentance no man can be illuminated when as he hath not resisted one â—ice nor The further froÌ„ the life of Christ the further from the true light rooted out one and exerciseth innumerable others bringeth forth out of himselfe continually with more increase then people are wont to doe And as darknesse is thicker in it selfe and more cloudy by how much the Sunne goeth back from us by so much we are unlike to the life of Christ so much more plentiful are wee in sinne and darknesse groweth the thicker in us till they become eternal night On the contrary hee which by the grace of God entereth the Chariot of virtue with a good courage and firm hope this man cannot but profit in them daily one following another as rings be linked one to another in a golden chain Which connexion blessed Peter expresseth The knowledge of Christ in love faith and the fruits thereof is to grow in Christ profit in him writing in the second Epistle cha 1. And you ought to have care and to use diligence ministring in your faith virtue and in your virtue knowledge in knowledge abstinence in abstinence patience in patience piety in piety brotherly love in brotherly love charity And if yee doe these things and abound therein you shall not be found empty nor without fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ As if he should say he that shall not addict himselfe wholly to the study and exercise of these virtues he knoweth not Christ but he that by faith profiteth in them he groweth in Christ all other as proud ones wrathfull ones covetous ones impatient ones profit not in Christ but in the Devil And it is left us Christians in precept that as a child by little and little and in time is made a man so we may grow in faith and in the study of virtue to perfect The fruit of the death of Christ in us men to the measure of full age in Christ Ephes 4. Coloss 1. But to whom these things are not ready or at hand saith Saint Peter 2. Epist 1. he is blind and hand-bound forgetfull of the purging of his old sinnes As if he should say It is for certain that Christ by his death and bloud took and did beare all our sinnes but in the mean time we must beware that we addict not our selves to sin hereafter but rather the death of Christ fructifying in us we die to the world and live in Christ which whosoever doth not care to doe to this man it is plain that the purging of his old sins profiteth nothing Whereupon it followeth if wee desire to have the sinnes of our former life remitted and pardoned we must forbeare â—â— sin we must repent and beleeve in Christ which if we doe not then we retain all those sinnes of our former life and they are to be lamented by us to all eternity without all hope of expiation or forgivenesse so that it is possible that even for wrath alone a man may be damned which if he had by Christian lowliness corrected then in truth he had obtained pardon for all his other sins which because he neglected to do therfore according to the words of Saint Peter He is blind being forgetfull of the purging of his old sinnes Whereby it is given to understand The necessity of repentance how necessary a thing repentance is and the changing to a betternesse For although Christ died for our sins blotting them out and abolishing them with the incomparable price of his bloud yet we doe not participate of that merit unlesse we repent it profiteth nothing And howsoever every man is promised pardon for his sins for the merit of Christ yet that promise pertaineth nothing to thee to the unbeleever nor the impenitent but to those alone which doe amend their lives when it is most meet that those sinnes be remitted which we goe not about to remember but those onely which we were heartily grieved for And to this pertaineth that which is spoken Matth. 11. The poore receive the Gospel that is obtain the remission of sinnes Now
let us suppose some Usurer for many yeares hath been a servant to covetousnesse without amendment sins are not forgiven after the example of Zacheus or to lust as Mary Magdalen or lastly to wrath and revenge as Esau and this man so soon as he heard these offences were to be left or else the death and bloud of Christ would profit him nothing hee becommeth a suppliant to God and to him as old men did speak to give satisfaction in words and then to desist from his sinnes to crave pardon and grace of God and to beleeve in Christ then it is most certain that all his first offences are remitted him out of meere grace and no merit but for the death and bloud of Christ shed for them But these that have not determined as yet to detest covetousnesse wrath usury pride and lust they because they want faith purging their hearts may hope in vain for the remission of their sins but lament for them in eternall torments never to bee satisfied Whereupon blessed Paul doth earnestly admonish Galat. 5. Because they doe such things they shall not inherit or possesse the Kingdome of heaven Therefore either eternal damnation followeth or amendment of their lives to a better which where it is done by faith and true conversion unto God there is pardon and divine grace ready at hand yea Christ himselfe without whom there is no grace For Christ doth accompany his most pretious All thingâ— necessary to salvation do accompany faith taking hold of Christs merits merit and consequently satisfaction for our sinnes which being present there is righteousnesse with righteousnesse peace and a good conscience as Psalm 85. Righteousnesse and peace doe kisse each other with a cheerfull conscience the holy Ghost which because it is the spirit of joy thereupon also joy followeth and thereupon life eternal which is nothing but joy sempiternal And this is that light of eternal life w th which they are crowned so many as live in Christ and daily repentance whose beginning and foundation is the death of Christ On the contrary where there is no repentance there is grace wanting and grace wanting neither is Christ there present who being absent his merit is not participated and that which dependeth upon Impenitency hindereth the whole kingdom of God eternall salvatioÌ„ it the remission of sinnes Where that is not to be had or to be found there is no righteousnesse and consequently no peace or good conscience no consolation no holy Ghost no joy of heart and conscience lastly no life eternal but death but hell but condemnation and everlasting darknesse Whereby that is manifest wee affirmed in the beginning That those who by true repentance in Christ doe not intend to follow him in his life cannot bee freed from the blindnes of their hearts nor themselves freed from the eternall darknesse CHAP. XXXVIII That the Antichristian life is the cause of false doctrine hardnesse of heart and blindnesse where certain things are ingraffed in predestination John 12. Yet there is a little light in you walk while you have the light lest darknesse comprehend you SEing it is certain that Christ together with faith and a Christian life is denied renounced and wholly extirpated to what end serveth his doctrine to us which together with the Sacraments to that end is The end of the Word Sacraments given us onely that it may bee turned into juyce bloud and our life And as from noble seed doth arise or grow noble fruit so from the Word and Sacraments should arise a new man holy and spiritual and to speak in a word a Christian out of the Spirit Word and Sacrament no otherwise then a man regenerate out of Christ so beleeving in him and living in him For as an infant is born of his mother so a Christian is born of God and Christ by faith But when wee have not determined to change our life nay rather have so framed our manners as they are against him it is plain we are not begotten of God and therefore his doctrine and light doth profit us nothing when we are sure wee walke in darknesse Whereupon also the light being fled and taken away it must needs bee that darknesse and false doctrine of errors and seducing do incroach upon us Which to beware of our Saviour did admonish us saying Little children whilst yee have light walk in it lest darknesse doe comprehend you I say the darknesse of errors deceivers deluding of blindnesse and hardnesse of heart such darknesse as deceived Pharaoh the Jewes and Julian who in the end convicted by his own conscience in his own evill exclaimed openly and confessed that Christ did yet live and the true God saying Thou hast overcome O Galilean thou hast overcome when it had been better for him to have said Have mercy upon me but he could not so say because of his blindnes From whence hardnesse of heart and because hee refused and denied the mercy of Christ And this hardnesse of heart is that terrible darknesse which in the end overtaketh those that will not walk in the light and is the punishment of those that blaspheme the truth as Pharaoh did Exod. 5. Who is the Lord that I should heare Blindnes is a punishment his voyce and let Israel goe I know not the the Lord. Therefore it was convenient that God should manifest himselfe to him by his power making him an example before the whole world that it might bee manifest that man can do nothing against God In like manner when the Jews would not hearken unto God they were strucken with blindnesse and hardnesse of heart that which Moses had fore-told them would come to passe Deut. 28. 32. The Lord shall strike thee with madnesse and blindnesse and the fury of the mind and it came to passe witnesse Esay chap. 6. Whereby it is manifest that such â—lindnesse is the most just punishment of incredulity and contempt of God and heavenly truth according to that of Paul 2 Thess 2. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might bee saved therefore God shall send unto them or give them over to be deceived by the spirit of errour to beleeve lies that all may be judged that beleeved not the truth but consented to iniquity By which it is given us to understand why God is wont to permit such blindnesse and hardnesse of heart Moreover to whom he denieth and lastly taketh away his offered From whom God withdraweth his favour grace this man is wretched of himselfe neither can return into the way at any time after the example of Pharaoh and Julian and from whom the Lord taketh away his light hee liveth all his dayes in darknesse But Almighty God taketh it onely from those that will not walk in it neither taketh hee his favour away but from those that have refused it In which sense blessed Paul Rom. 9. recounteth that oracle of God out of
state of innocencie to love God with all his heart with all his soule and all his strength and his neighbour as himselfe Hereupon it is that when Almighty God requireth the heart of man the whole man as concerning body soule and all his strength is to be understood In which sense the name of heart in Scripture is understood every where so that with it doe come all the strength of the soul and â—â— it were the nerves the understanding memory affections and desires Neither is it for other reasons when God requireth the soule understanding by that denomination the whole man so much as in him is which indeed is to bee conformed to Iustice righteousnesse and ioy cleave together him to bee renewed in Christ and that he ought to walk in spirit or in a new and spirituall life But the perfection of most sincere joy doth accompany the perfection of holinesse righteousnesse and love in the man wherewith he was most sincerely affected God so disposing it that where divine holinesse is there also should be divine joy which two as they cannot be separated so they make the Image of God But we who in this life doe attain to onely an unperfect and begun righteousnesse of God and his holinesse for these beginnings of the righteousnesse of Christ living in all the faithfull if we be devout if we be exercised in the Kingdome of God we shal do participate thereof in this world and have the fruits thereof even the first fruits of that heavenly joy Therefore how much every Christian profiteth in love so much divine pleasure and joy hee doth find in himselfe Which holy and divine love because in that day it shal receive the last hand and its perfection therefore also our joy shall be then perfect Christ bearing witnesse John 16. For charity or love is life and joy as contrariwise where love is not there is neither life nor joy but death it The greatest ioy for the love of God selfe wherein the Devil and wicked impenitent men shall remain to all eternity This love maketh the father of the son the bridegroome of the bride draw an incredible delight yet it is a far greater love that is perceived from the love of the Creator which most lovingly kisseth us with the kisses of his mouth that is in Christ and in him by the charity or love of the holy Ghost cometh upon us and taketh up his dwelling with us And of this image of God the Image of God differ God which consisteth in similitude with God when wee make mention of it we doe not mean that a man should be every way like God in justice righteousnesse and holinesse and become like God himselfe for God is incomprehensible and he is immense as concerning his essence virtue and properties but onely to carry about the image of God as is declared in divers places of this book Where what wee have commented of the Image of God those are no conjectures but things indeed neither can it be denied of the most perverse that Almighty God created man that he might be his most cleare looking-glasse so that if one were desirous to know the nature of God he might look back to himselfe and counsell with himselfe contemplate God in himselfe as in a glasse might see his Image within and in his heart as his life and happinesse But the Devil beholding this Image The acts of the Devil to abolish the Image of God of God in man with wicked envious eyes laid in wait with many deceits and machinations until at last through disobedience and an hostile mind conceived against God hee overthrew that Image and destroyed it which he hath attained unto with such craft as never any thing was attained unto or shall be Neither was it an obscure thing unto him if the man had remained in that state he had been his Pride the original of all sin Lord but so soon as he fell from him hee became a tyrant to him Therefore when all his forces of malice and craft displayed hee found nothing more fit to perfect his cogitations then that sinne by which hee was bewitched and pulled from God hee began to insinuate into our mother the affectation of the divine Majesty by sweet and flattering speeches with the help of the Serpent that old and deceitful Parasite and the atchiever of so great The fall of Adam a wickednesse which proud thought once entied into the heart and admitted there followed Apostasie disobedience and transgression of the precept concerning the Tree of knowledge not to bee touched Hereby came the image of God to be overthrown the holy Ghost to fly away and the image of the Devil to bee set up in the place of the divine Majesty and both of them to become the bondslaves of the Devil and he their Lord to handle their souls most cruelly and as a Giant handleth a child to blind the understanding to turn the will from God to accompany all the powers of the whole heart against God and intoxicate them with Satanicall malice to overthrow all the image of God in man to plant his own in the roome to infect them with the contagion of his own nature to beget after his own image children not now of God but his own to fulfill all kind of sinne and enmity against God and lastly to slay them with eternal death For even as in the image of God life eternall and the happinesse of man was contained so death and condemnation did follow its losse This death those doe best understand which fall and are cast into most grievous spirituall temptations being exposed to the tyranny of the Devill by infesting the miserable soule of them most cruelly with the custome of sinning Spiritual death and eternall by the fall of Adam under which crosse being depressed and troden down only unlesse the holy Ghost doe under-prop him and comfort him then the Devil doth fasten his death upon them and tormenteth their soules with pains grief infernal whereupon it must needs be that all the powers of the body doe faile the heart waxeth dry and the marrow to be consumed Psal 6. and the Spirituall temptation 38. and the word of God if any go about to be without life with juice and with all devotion and spirituall life Into which Spiritual death state when the businesse is to bee brought then the man is converted in the agonie of a true spirituall death esteeming nothing of the holinesse of all men righteousnesse dignity strength power glory honour arts and wisdome of all men without doubt this man shall perish unlesse the grace of God doe prevent him Therefore learn of me O man that Originall sin is the most terrible of terrible sinnes that is the losse of the hereditary righteousnesse of God and contrariwise the hereditary unrighteousnesse What our originall sin is of the Devil and man planted in the place for which the
created that being enlightned with spirituall light by the inward eyes of the soul he might contemplate the presence of God and his most sincere love towards him might live with Man was born to a spirituall life him and depend on his beck and call throughout all his life And of this spirituall light in the Kingdome of heaven the naturall man hath not the least spark and he must needs abide in this hereditary and in-bred blindnesse unlesse hee bee divinely Naturall blindnesse enlightned To which I would to God that naturall blindnesse did not adjoyn it selfe nor that the perversity of man were Man is nothing without Christ so great as to put out that small light of nature whereby morall vertues and externall honesty of life is governed There is great infirmity in the sons of God Which when it cometh to passe then truly all the soul is blind and cannot be set free from such great blindnesse unlesse it be enlightned by Christ regenerated by his spirit renewed after the Image of God and be made a new creature or to speak more truly in this fraile life it onely beginne to be For if every one of us that are in the new creature by the holy Ghost doe consider it will appeare in truth that the Image of God is lightly ingraven in us or rather shadowed onely faith hope charity and the feare of God these are onely in the beginning little humility but on the contrary diffidency pride and impatience much greater prayer weak and faint and cold and love to our neighbour as weak Moreover very small sparkes of spirirituall chastity on the contrary flames of carnall pleasures as also selfe-love the desire of private profit and honour and the heat of concupiscence will bee found in our hearts Whereupon it followeth that to Inward strife the last gasp of our life we are to fight and wrastle with old Adam and the image of the Devil by the spirit of God neither ought we to have a greater care and to lay it to heart then to pray mourn sigh to ask to seek and knock that the holy Ghost may be given us who as our Captain may daily abolish in us the image of the Devil and also renew us after the Image of God Whereby we are to understand that we are not to trust to our selves but to the divine grace and that is it which doth all things in us all things are to bee sought desired and intreated for of Christ by faith Divine knowledge and wisdome against our blindnesse the righteousnesse of Christ against all our sins Christ his sanctification against our impurity Christ his redemption virtue victory and fortitude against The use of this chapter Death Hell and the Devill pardon of all sins against the kingdom of sin Satan eternal blessednesse against all spirituall and corporall miseries and last of all in Christ alone to obtain life eternall Of which I shall say more in the second Book CHAP. XLII Wherein the reason of the order of the first Book is set down and therewith is taught that spiritual pride is to be eschewed and herewithal that no true and celestiall gifts can be obtained without prayer 1 Corinth 4. What hast thou that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it BEfore I put an end to this Book I thought good to understand and foresee that the Reader be admonished of two â—hings rather two Chapters The first is that through all this book is by penitence with all his fruits as by renovation in Christ by mortification of the flesh deniall of our selves contempt of the world and exercise of charity so copiously and diveâ—sly described that was not without cause nor rashly done by me For first of all repentance is the beginning and foundation Repentance is the beginning of Christianity of Christianity of a holy life and our blessednesse through faith secondly true and solid consolation in the mind of man cannot be felt to effect by him that doth not not exactly understand the nature of originall sinne never to bee sufficiently deplored fruits and what kind of horrible pestilent deadly and diabolicall poyson and seed it is when we have studied what we can which unlesse it be done and a man before all things doe well know his owne miseries and so the terrible corruption of our originall sin in vain and of no account are all the books of spirituall and Evangelicall consolation whereby it is given to understand how preposterous and choyce our nature is and how it rejoyceth in flatteries because most men about this foundation and the fore-cited things of our sins of our in-bred corruption and inborn wickednesse wee onely please our selves Which way of reasoning the holy Scripture is just contrary whose saying is that a medicine is to bee prepared for the sick and not for the sound and healthy seeing that Christ is the true Physitian altogether unseasonable consolation of our souls yet the crown of his merit with all vulgar consolations is of no worth nor use where the knowledgement of the disease went not before so the whole Christian life is nothing else but a continuall A Christian life and daily crucifying and mortifying of the flesh Neither can any man this to be said again and again belong to Christ who composeth himselfe and his life otherwise but those that are so those are never Orphans and without sincere joy nor lastly without celestial comfort and consolation Seeing this which wee speak of our proper misery the knowledge of our corruption and infirmity by the holy Ghost and meditation of the holy Scripture and Gospel doth bring forth most true consolation of it selfe and the own nature bringeth us to Christ which seeing it is so to bee advised by mee Let no man of corrupt judgement deceive thee and perswade thee that these bookes are of little regard Perswade thy self these are a blind Foolish iudgement of this book kind of men and that with the most ignorant of men they take knowledge of the misery of their nature both what Adam and Christ is how Adam is to die in us and how Christ ought to live in us let not this be held for a dream understand it not so And whosoever disdaineth this notice it is certaine that he hath his mind stuffed with the darknesse of ignorance neither doth he understand what repentance what faith what new birth what regeneration is and in what chapters the whole course of living Christianty is contained And this is the first I desire thee my Reader And the second that thou be mindfull of spirituall pride After that Almighty God Three sorts of spiritual pride shal begin by his grace to work in thee spirituall gifts new virtues and new knowledge in thee ascribe none of these to thine own strength but wholly to divine grace even the beginning of a
whose hearts not onely by nature but by the word revealed the new covenant the word of God is written and yet do despise and cast behind them this grace and favour Of which new Covenant Jeremy saith Chap. 3. This shall be my compact I will put my Lawes into their inwards and I will write it in their hearts and a man shall not any more teach his neighbour and a man his brother saying Know the Lord for all men shall know me saith the Lord even from the least to the greatest because I will forgive their iniquity and I will not remember their sins any more Heare what is said Heb. 10. To those that voluntarily offend or sinne against God after the knowledge he hath received for such there is no sacrifice left for him but a certain terrible expectation of judgement and offering by fire which consumeth the adversary He that breaketh the Law of Moses without any mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall die the death how much more and worse doe you thinke doe they deserve death which have contemned against the Sonne of God and polluted the bloud of the Testament in whom he is sanctified and contumaciously despised the spirit of grace for we know who hath said Vengeance is mine and I will return it upon them And again because the Lord will judge his people It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God With which heavie sentence without doubt those are not strucken which fall through humane frailty but those that wittingly and willingly sin against the truâ— knowledge and persevere in impenitencie CHAP. VIII Without true repentance no man can challenge Christ and his merits to belong unto him Numb 9. The unclean may not celebrate the Passeover THe words of our Saviour Christ Mat. 9. are The healthy hath no need of the Physitian but the sick I did not come to call the just but the sinners to repentance whereby we are clearly taught that Christ indeed did call sinners but to repentance neither can any come unto him without repentance without conversion from sinne and What is true repentance faith for repentance is no other thing then by true contrition and sorrow to die unto sinne and by faith to obtain forgivenesse for sinne and to live unto righteousnesse in Christ so that in true repentance necessarily serious and divine contrition must go before a heart as I may say broken and câ—ucifying the flesh whereupon in Cap. 6. Epist ad Hebr. Repentance is said to be or is called the worke of dead men because by it we abstain from those works whose reward is death which if it be not done then the merit of Christ profiteth not us one haire For seeing Christ proffereth himselfe to be the Physitian of our souls his holy bloud to be the only and most true medicine of our sins and no medicine although it be most pretious can cure the sick man which will not refraine from hurtfull thinâ—s and things resisting the power of the medicine so it remaineth that the bloud of Christ and death can profit nothing those that purpose not to abstain from sinne Whereupon blessed Paul cap. 5. ad Galat. saith Whosoever doth such things the works of the flesh doe not obtaine the Kingdome of heaven nor shall have any part in Christ Moreover if Christ by his bloud is become our medicine who can doubt that first we must be sick for the whole have no need of a Physitian but the weake And none is spiritually sicke who is not penitent and who is not sorrowfull from his heart for his sinnes who hath not a contrite heart and humble who is secure as concerning the wrath of God who hath not resolved and firmly in his mind decreed to flye all worldly concupiscence who lastly seeking after honour wealth and pleasure takes no knowledge of his sinnes such as are so those are not sick and consequently need no Physitian and Christ profiteth them nothing it is manifest Therefore again and again let this be remembred that Christ called sinners but it was to repentance because a penitent heart contrite pensive and faithfull onely and alone is capable of the most pretious bloud death and merit of Christ I account him happy whosoever he be that heareth this holy calling inwardly and in his heart I call that a divine sorrow and anguish for sinnes which worketh repentance God worketh spirituall sorrow to stedfast salvation as the words be 2 Cor. 7. The holy Spirit doth produce this divine sorrow by the Law and serious meditation of the passion of the Lord because it not onely aboundeth with the documents of grace but also withall hath in it an earnest exhortation to repentance and a most terrible glasse of the divine wrath For if we seek into the cause of his The Passion of Christ efficieÌ„t to repentance most bitter death what else can we say was the cause but our sinnes If you joyn the divine love out of which he most willingly gave his Son for us as also you shall have his singular example both terrible and wonderfull of his divine justice and clemency which seeing they are so who then sincerely loving Christ can be affected and delighted with sinne which he knows Christ had with his bloud washed and purged Consider also with me O man which art subject to pride and art slave unto ambition with what contempt and how great humility Christ Jesus ought to repaire our pride and insolency think of his poverty that he might satisfie for thy covetousness The fruits of Christs passion surcease at last through God so studiously to seek after wealth and insatiably to thirst after riches most wretchedly He with incredible griefe of mind and anguish not to be uttered doth satisfie and abolish the pleasures and concupiscence of the flesh and thou contrariwise continually dost give thy selfe to pleasure and lust how evill is thy preposterousnesse pravity and wickednesse to take delight and pleasure in those things which to Christ were so wonderfully bitter he died to expiate thy wrath hatred enmity rancor bitternesse desire of revenge and implacability with extreame mildnesse and patience and wilt not thou even for the least cause be very angry and account revenge more pleasant then life even for which thy Redeemer did drink the most bitter cup of death wherefore so many as aspire to the name of Christians and doe not abstain froÌ„ sin those I say do even crucifie Christ and doe make a mock of him as it is said The impenitent do even crucifie Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. 6. Therefore it is unpossible that those should participate of the merits of Christ which indeed they doe tread under foot as it is in the same Epistle Chap. 10. And because they doe pollute the blood of the Testament neither beleeve truly that their sinnes are expiated by him or much esteem his death or think
shall he obtain everlasting life unlesse he first repent The example of this doctrine is set forth by Zacheus the Publican Luke 9. who understood the doctrine of faith and conversion in a sound sense acknowledging that onely to bee true faith by which a man should be turned from his sinnes to God and which expected and hoped for the remission of sius from Christ and desired to participate of his merit it behoveth him to give over sinning and in firm trust of the divine grace to cleave to the bounty of Christ and so he construed or understood the Sermon of Christ Mark 1. Repent and beleeve the Gospel that is desist from sinning be yee filled with the good hope of my merit and expect the remission of sins from me onely Wherefore Zacheus saith to Christ Behold Lord I give halfe of my goods unto the poore and if I have defrauded any man of any thing I doe restore it fourefold By which words he doth not commend his works no but extolleth grace by which he was given to understand the way of true repentance therefore this sense hath his prayer O Lord I am so grieved that I have circumvented my neighbour that I Acknowledgement of sinne in faith doth the Son favour will restore unto him fourfold and I will bestow halfe my goods upon the poore Wherefore seeing that I confesse my sinnes and likewise doe fully purpose in my mind to leave my sins and doe firmly beleeve in thee I doe prâ—y and beseech thee to pardon me and vouchsafe to circumvent me with thy grace Which lawfull form of conversion the heavenly Physitian allowing and receiving he answereth This day is salvation come unto tby house For the Sonne of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost And this is the true repentance and conversion by faith which God worketh therefore is the beginning middle and ending so that no other thing is required of us then a will not to resist the will of God or voluntarily not resist the holy Ghost after the manner of the contumacious Jewes of which mention is made Acts 17. and 13. wee read of those whom Saint Paul reproacheth in this manner It behoveth us first to speak unto you the Word of God but because you reject it and judge your selves unworthy of eternall life behold we turn us unto the Gentiles It is our part therefore after the manner of sick folks to take the counsel of the Physitians and to obey their Precepts and as he in the beginning The processe of spirituall cure of the disease doth signifie the pains to the Patient so God laâ—eth open our sinnes as he doth to the sick and gently admonisheth us what things are to be avoided that his medicines may exercise their full strength so God doth shew us what is to bee declined or avoided lest the medicine of his most pretious bloud bee made void and work nothing at all Moreover so soon as a man by the grace of the holy Ghost doth forbeare to sinne here upon A man of himself can neither think nor doe any good truly the grace divine doth begin in him to work new gifts which before and without this would make no beginning nor was sufficient by himselfe to think any good thought much lesse to doe any good but from thence forth the good that is in us is not ours but cometh of divine grace according to that of Saint Paul Rom. 12. I speak by the grace that is given me And 1 Corinth 15. By the grace of God I am that I am and to us grace is freely imputed with the whole merit and the obedience of Imputation to whom it belongeth Christ no otherwise then if it were our own so we bee penitent Neither doth imputation lest we erre belong to the wicked and the contemners of the word of God neither doth Christ work but in the penitent And even as a Schoolmaster leading the hand of a child that he learnes to write and then praiseth his writing so God which in us doth work crowns and commends those things Without me saith Christ you can doe nothing that is good and we are apt by nature without him to doe the things that are evill and this onely is proper to us But that which is good is meer grace neither hath flesh any thing whereon to boast Therefore happy are you O mortals if you give your minds to forbear sinning and to consent unto God no otherwise then a young Virgin that giveth her promise and faith to her Spouse that embraceth her And Christ truly the Spouse of our soules goeth about or endeavoureth to manifest in us that he is willing Christ worketh the will in us or doth consent by calling us so courteously to him in his Word and our Conscience I say by seeking us alluring us and imbracing us thinking no such thing as to desist from sinne lest his pretious bloud be spilt in vaine for us CHAP. XXXV Without a holy and Christian life all Wisdome all Arts and Sciences yea the knowledge of the whole Scripture and Theology is in vain Matthew 7. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven BEcause in charity consist or are contained all the duties of a Christian man and so all the life of Christ was nothing but a sincere and most pure love hereupon blessed Paul 1 Cor. 13. under the name of Charity comprehends the whole life of a Christian man And it is the property of true charity to respect God alone in all things not to have the least respect to The property of sincere charity his own honour or profit but in all things gratis and for that cause onely because God is the chiefest good and to doe it for his honour and the good of his neighbour Which charity whosoever hath not he is a Who is an hypocrite true hypocrite and when in all his workes he respecteth onely his own works and not God alone it appeareth to bee false love which he boasteth of Therfore let us allow that this man understand the holy Bible without book and speak with the tongues of Angels yet all these things shall profit him nothing but he shall bee as a sounding Without charity all things profit nothing brasse or as a tinckling Cymball For as no food can nourish the body unlesse it be turned into juice and bloud so the word of God and the Sacraments are to no purpose if they be not expressed in our life and The true fruit of faith and the Sacraments works neither is the new man any other then a man converted holy and full of charity Therefore Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 13. If I could prophesie and know all mysteries and all knowledge and all faith so that I might remove mountaines and have no charity I am nothing That is if I