which can neuer proue good either to the conquerour or the conquered Well then seeing Teaching is Gods method of conuerting you see whereof you must take care the Word of God must dwell richly in you especially you must arme your selues with the sword of the Spirit Colos 4. Ephes 6. 2. Tim. 4. Tit. 2. which is the Word of God that you may bee able to instruct the ignorant and refute those that are contrary minded And this care doth St. Paul commend earnestly to Timothie and Titus And you know that it was a very bitter reproofe which Christ vsed vnto Nicodemus Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things Ier. 3. If you will be Pastors according to Gods owne hrart you must feede his people with knowledge and vnderstanding And let this suffice concerning the manner of bringing men to Christ In the next place wee are to see what must be done to them that entertained the Gospell First they must consecrate them vnto God Baptizate Baptize them This is not the first Institution of Baptisme for not onely Iohn the Baptist but the Apostles also baptized as it is in St. Iohn chap. 4. And howsoeuer there is a question Whether the Baptisme of Iohn the Baptist and of Christs Apostles be the same for Christ baptized none in his person and of the same efficacy yet there is no question but that the Baptisme is the same and of the same efficacy which the Apostles administred both before and after Christs Passion So that Christ in this place extended the Baptisme vnto the Gentiles but doth not of new institute it To baptise is properly to dip into the water in that fashion were they wont to baptise except in case of infirmitie wherein the Church allowed springling in stead of dipping But nicitie hath almost worne out the old forme at least in many places And yet the old forme doth most liuely represent that which St. Paul maketh the life of Baptisme that is our conformitie to Christ Know you not saith he Rom. 6. that so many of vs as were baptised into Iesus Christ were baptised into his death therefore we are buryed with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead to the glorie of the Father so wee should walke in newnesse of life And indeed to baptize is not only to dippe into the water The word dibaphum which signifieth Scarlet as it were twice dipt and dyed retaine◠the steps of that signification which is immergere but it is tingere also to dip as it were into a dye-fatte so that a person dipped in commeth out of another hue than hee went into the water though not physically yet morally Go to saith Gregorie Nyssen thou that art baptized thou art become another man it doth not appeare in the lineaments of thy body it must appeare in the lineaments of thy manners thou must be dead vnto the sinne whereunto thou diddest liue and liue vnto God vnto whom thou wert dead thou must haue put off the Old and put on the new Man Mortification and Viuification Remission of sinnes Adoption to be Gods sonnes Iustification and Sanctification are the Blessings that wee reape by being put into that Bath of Regeneration Which is also the very gate of saluation and maketh vs capable of all other sacred Rites of the Church which they call Sacramenta or Sacramentalia Sacraments or things that haue cognation therewith And indeed it is called Sacramentum initiationis the Sacrament of initiation or our Admission into the Church All Religions haue some ceremonious Forme whereby they admit Professors into their societie Austin cont Crescon Gramaticum l. 3. c. 25. the Iewes had Circumcision the Gentiles had seuerall kindes of Purifyings though herein the Gentiles were but the Apes of the Iewes the same God that annext Circumcision to the old Testament was pleased that Baptisme should bee annext to the new and by that toadmit all the world into one body of the Catholicke Church But let vs come to the Forme They were to baptize in the name of the Father Sonne and the holy Ghost And here we meet with the first and greatest fundamentall Principle in Religion which is Vnitie in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie In Nomine in the Name noteth the Vnitie of the Godhead against Arius for were there more Gods than one the holy Ghost would say in Nominibus and not in Nomine Secondly in the phrase in Nomine Note that where no one Name is specified all the Names of God are comprehended for all note but one and the selfe same nature the riches whereof we cannot comprehend but vnder diuers names which helpe our weake vnderstanding but doe not diuide it The mention of the Father Sonne and the Holy Ghost refutes Sabellius and shewes that though the Nature of God is but One yet in that One there are three Persons whereof no one is the other neyther is one euer called by the name of the other when they are considered in relation one to the other but in relation to vs they communicate in the Name Father and Spirit is their common attribute because God is a Spirit Saint Basil hath a short but a good note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must obserue the Forme of Baptisme which is deliuered in the Gospel and we must beleeue in them into whom we were baptised and we must glorifie as many as we beleeue in the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And indeed without the true knowledge and acknowledgement of the Trinitie we cannot reape the comfortable fruite of our Baptisme for wee owe it vnto all three persons though to none but to them three St. Ierome saith right Vna diuinitas vna largitio the Deitie in all three is One and therefore all three bestow the same gift vpon vs we haue the same Author of our Regeneration as we had of our Creation all three persons concurred to worke it and all three to put vs in possession of it Which that wee may the better perceiue Lib. 6. cent Donatist learne of St. Austine that this Forme of Baptisme doth containe the whole Creede for the Creede is is diuided into three parts euery part doth expresse one of the three persons and the benefit which the Church reapeth from that person for so in the Catechisme we teach children to summe vp the Creede when we aske them what they learne therein they answer vs they learne three things first to beleeue in God the Father that made them and all the world secondly to beleeue in God the Sonne that redeemed them and all mankind thirdly to beleeue in God the holy Ghost that sanctifieth them and all the Elect of God Marke then St. Austins conclusion Symbolum igitur profitetur quis eo ipso quod baptizatur the receiuing of Baptisme is a Profession of the Christian Faith And this is a principall reason why the Sacrament of Baptisme was as St.
done which haue denied Originall Sinne. Their Sobrietie is tolerable who supposing the vndeniable truth of that Radicall sinne seeke only the waies of clearing Gods Iustice in this propagation wherein as in such darke and doubtfull cases it often falls out Saluà fide holding the fundamentall point they differ about that which is not necessarie vnto Saluation That which is most vsefull for vs is to know rather how we may be rid of it De Moribus 〈◊〉 c. â— 1. c. 22. â—pis 29. then how we doe contract it which Saint Austin expresseth in a fit Parable of a man fallen into a ditch to whom hee that findeth him there should rather lende a hand to helpe him out then tire him with inquiries how he came in Wee see that our ground is ouergrowne with briars thornes yet we know that God made the earth to beare better fruits doe good husbands mispend their time in reasoning how they came there or doe they not rather with their plough and other instruments seeke to rid them thence surely they doe and we in the case of our soules should imitate them so doing That Originall Sinne is in vs no man can doubt that seeth how children die euen in their mothers wombe or so soone as they come out of it and the wages of sinne is death in them of Actuall it cannot be Rom. 6.23 it must bee then of Originall if they liue wee make hast to baptize them and what doth Baptisme implie but that they need a new Birth vnto life seeing their first was no better then a Birth vnto death Add hereunto that our Sauiour Christs Conception had not needed to be by the Holy Ghost if so bee naturall generation did not enforce necessarily the propagation of Originall Sinne which they should consider that magnifie ouer much the Conception of the blessed mother of Christ Let it suffice vs that the Church Catholique of old and the Reformed Churches haue resolued vniformly that we are sinners so soone as we begin to bee and this Leprosie is hereditarie to vs all that our worser part hath gotten the vpper hand of our better and we are by nature no better then a masse of Corruption and the Serpents brood the sense whereof should make vs all cry out with the Apostle O wretch that I am Rom. 7.24 who shall deliuer mee from this Body of Death King Dauid doth not onely confesse that there is such a Sinne but also that himselfe is tainted therewith I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne my mother conceiued me The words must not be wrested some haue mistaken them as if Sinne were the cause of Generation That opinion though it bee found in some Ancients yet it is so grosse that it is not worth the refuting for we reade Gen. 1. Multiplie and increase Vers 28. spoken to mankind before euer Adam and Eue committed sinne except happily this were their meaning that before the Fall the lust of generation was in the power of man to fulfill or restraine it as reason saw fit but after the Fall reason became subiect vnto lust and man fulfilled it not when reason would but when lust vrged him and this opinion is not improbable A second mistake is that Dauid should lay the blame of his Sinne vpon his Parents and taxe their sinfull lusts in the act of generation but besides that he could not conceiue so ill of his vertuous and chast Parents this were to make Dauid a Cham and so to deserue a Curse while hee seeketh a Pardon for his Sinne. The Father 's abhorred this sense and obserue that King Dauid here speaketh not of the personall sinne of his Parents but the naturall which deriued from them he had in-herent in himselfe and that he was in the state of sinne before he saw light But this is strange his Parents were members of the Church circumcised not onely outwardly which is most certaine but inwardly also which is very probable and if circumcised then discharged from Originall Sin and in the state of Grace how commeth it about then that they should engender Children in the state of Corruption Saint Austin answereth briefly Parentes non ex principijs nouitatis De. Peecata Merit Remis L. 2. C. 2. sed ex reliquijs vetustatis generant liberos they that are regenerated doe beget Children not according to the new Adam but according to the old not according to Grace but according to nature for Grace is personall the corruption is naturall and God will that they shall only communicate their nature and leaue the dispensation of Grace vnto himselfe Saint Austin illustrateth it by those who being circumcised begat Children vncircumcised and Corne which being winnowed from Chaffe brings forth eares full of Chaffe And yet notwithstanding a Prerogatiue the Children of the faithfull haue Verse 16. which Saint Paul toucheth at Rom. 11. If the Roote be holy so are the branches But this Holinesse is in possibilitie rather then in possession and there is a distance betweene naturall Generation and spirituall Regeneration though by their naturall birth-right the Children of the faithfull haue a right vnto the blessings of Gods Couenant yet doe they not partake them but by their new birth which ordinarily they receiue in Baptisme â—it 3.5 which is therefore called the Bath of Regeneration Where hence we may gather the truth of Saint Hieromes saying Christiani non nascuntur sed siunt wee may not vainely boast with the Iewes we haue Abraham to our Father Ioh. 8.39 as if hee could not beget children in iniquitie but it must be our comfort that God corrects Nature by Grace and thereby maketh vs liuing members of the Church whereas such the best of naturall Parents cannot make vs to bee Wee owe this blessing to our Father in Heauen who conueieth it vnto vs by our Mother the Church our naturall Parents can yeeld no such benefit they yeeld the contrarie rather as is cleare in this Text. Ruffinvs giueth another good note hereof Qui ad munditiae locum iam peruenit c. He that is in the state of Grace must not forget the state of Nature if we remember whence we come we shall the better esteeme the estate whereunto we are brought No man can be so proud as to arrogate vnto himselfe the praise of that which he is if hee mind well what without Gods grace he was But King Dauid was long before Regenerated how comes he now to make mention of Originall sinne How comes hee now to lay the blame of his Actuall vpon that Surely not without good cause Circumcision in the Iew as Baptisme in the Christian did absolue from all the guilt of Originall sinne by meanes of Iustification and by meanes of Sanctification did impaire much of the strength thereof Much I say but not all there are still in vs reliques of the Old man a Law in our members rebelling against the Law of our mind Rom. 7.23
Psal 145. Psal 25. of the hight of it it reacheth vnto Heauen sometimes of the depth of it it fetcheth men from Hell sometimes of the width of it it is ouer all his workes sometimes of the length of it it hath bin euer of old His tender Compassions faile not they are renewed euery Morning Lamen 3. But all this is to bee vnderstood in Christ his Incarnation his passion the whole Redemption that hee wrought is indeed Magna Misericordia a wonderfull Mercy Saint Paul mentioning the breadth the length the depth and the hight of it teacheth vs that it passeth all knowledge Ephe. 3. Neither is it Great onely but in this Greatnesse we must obserue Magnitudinem Multitudinem Saint Chrisostome doth excellently amplifie this poynt in regard of both branches Ores nouas inauditas Behold and wonder the first fruits of those that come to Christ are those which were most desperately enthrauled to Satan Magi Publicani Meretrices latro blasphemus the Conuersion of such persons is an vndoubted Argument of the Magnitude of his Mercy And touching the Multitude beleiue his answer to Saint Peter Mat. 18. â—â— who asking Christ Whether hee should forgiue his Brother seauen times replied Not only seauen times but seauentie times seauen Eze. 18.21 At what time soeuer a Sinner doth repent from the bottome of his heart I will put all his wickednesse out of my remembrance sayth the Lord. And verely were it not for this double Greatnesse that is in Gods Mercy few should bee saued for Psal 130. If thou Lord shouldest bee extreame to marke what is done amisse who were able to stand but with thee there is Mercy we would despaire of our cure if there were not such physicke of our great sores if there were not such a soueraigne medicine but this is our comfort Where sinne aboundeth Grace aboundeth much more Rom. 3.20 There is no sinne either so great or manifold which cannot be remedied by the Mercifull bowells of Christ It was Cains voice Gen. 4. my sinne is greater then can be forgiuen but a Father Saint Austin I thinke replieth to him Mentiris Cain this thy complaint is a blasphemous derogation from the vnmeasurable bowells of Christ and the Nouatians were long since condemned by the Church which straightned the power of the Remission of sinnes which Christ hath left vnto the Pastors Marke now the Correspondencie of the branches of this Text. Wee found Magnitude and Multitude in the Miserie of Dauid and they did need a Magnitude and Multitude in the gracious operations of Mercie and here we doe finde in the third place that Mercy is so well stored that it can doe as much as is required by Miserie Whereupon two thinges follow It is vnbeseeming diuine Mercy to bee scant in giuing and humane Miserie is foolishly modest that is spare in asking But this Diuinitie must not be abused it was neuer intended to encourage Presumption but God would haue it published to keepe men from Desperation It is wholesome Doctrine for them that are Miserabiles which labour and are heauie laden with the burden of their sin but it is dangerous to them that are onely Miseri such as are grieuous sinners but haue no sense of their wretched state The last point in the Text is Secundum Misericordiam Haue mercy vpon me according to that which is in Thee not that which is in Mee Nothing to moue God but onely the free goodnesse of God certainely to moue Mercy nothing else can be pleaded by Miserie Dauid had done many good things Omnes voluntates Dei as Saint Paul saith Acts 13. hee had restored Church and Common Weale and made many sweet Songs to the honor and prayse of God But he remembreth none of all these in his Prayer he doth not desire to speede for any of those And why Bona Opera Deo placere possunt Deum placare non possunt while wee doe them though imperfect yet are they well pleasing vnto God thorough Christ but if we doe contrary vnto them we may not pleade them for Satisfactions for our sinne No Gods Rule is Eze. 18. When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not bee mentioned therefore Dauid prayeth discreetly when he referreth God to his owne Goodnes and pleades nothing of his owne Worth and we must in the like Case lay before God only our beggery and commend that vnto Gods Mercy the lesse we haue the more wee shall find in him if wee are not ashamed to confesse our owne basenes and his Goodnesse But it is time to draw to an end Audi peccator orantem peccatorem whosoeuer thou art that art a sinner learne from King Dauid the argument of penitent Prayer It must represent a feeling Miserie and a tender Mercy and the feeling of Misery must make vs seeke vnto tender Mercy It was a strange errour in Saint Peter that when he had seene a glimpse of Christs Glorie Luke 5. â— brake out into these words Goe from me Lord for I am a sinfull Man hee should rather haue desired that Christ would approach him for with whom should a Patient desire rather to be then with his Physitian or a Sinner then with his Sauiour Surely Saint Peter at another time Iohn 13.2 though at first he made dainty that Christ should wash his feete yet when Christ told him except I wash thee thou canst haue no part in me replied Wash Lord and not my feete onely but my hands and my head also There is none of vs that doth not daily runne in arrerages to God that doth not staine that garment of Innocencie which he receiued in his Baptisme and what should we do then being in such a case but that our selues may be written in the booke of life desire that our sinnes may be blotted out of the Booke of death that we be not cast out of heauenly Hierusalem â—euel 7.14 as an vncleaÌ„e thing wash our garments white in the blood of the Lambe No doubt but as King Dauid so wee shall haue Paroxismes sharpe sits of despaire when our Conscience curiously suruaieth our Miserie But the eyes of our soule must not dwell there we must lift them vp vnto the Mercy-seate et abyssus abyssum inuocet let the depth of our Misery seeke a reliefe in the depth of Gods Mercy be our sins neuer so many bee they neuer so great we shall find more bowells of tender Mercy greater loue kindnesse there then our Sinnes can need Yea not onely finde them there in God but seele them also streaming from thence to the full reliefe of our distressed soules We shall feele them so acquitting so cleansing vs that we shall be assured that we are vessells of Mercy though we deserue for our sinnes to be Vessells of Wrath. I Shut vp all with this Prayer O Lord Righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee but
armed men that are his deadly foes for a sinner is lesse sure of his life then the other And yet how many such desperate ones are there in the world that sleepe securely vpon the brinke of Hell Yea how many that inuring not themselues daily to reconcile themselues to God make a comfortlesse end and are taken before euer they haue thought of making their peace My exhortation is that we presume not so farre vpon Gods patience as to neglect this kind of repentance But this is not an euery dayes repentance It hath his times appointed by the Church if it be publike or if it bee priuate the times are assigned by a mans owne conscience There is another Repentance which attendeth Sanctification inioyned by the precept of the Law vnto Sanctification wee make way by Mortification and this is an euery dayes Repentance which doth not looke to the Act of sinne as the former but to the Habit. Were it possible that there were no Act of sinne committed then we should not need the first kind of Repentance but yet this second we should need because the best beare about them a habit of sinne Cecidimus super aceruum lapidum in luto Bern. Serm. de Coena Domini Saint Bernard setteth it thus before our eyes When Adam fell and when euerie one of vs doth fall be may be compared vnto a man that falleth not only into the mire but also vpon a heape of stones hee may quickly be washed but not so quickly healed there is great time spent therein euen the whole time of our life we must begin our Repentance at Baptisme which we must continue vntill our death As there bee many other reasons why the Church is compared to the Moone and Christ to the Sunne so one may bee The oddes betweene Iustification and Sanctification Iustification maketh Christs righteousnesse ours and it is from the first moment at the full not capable of any increase but Sanctification is Righteousnesse in vs which if it haue not his waines certainly it hath its waxings and will not be at the full till the day of our death This fruit is nothing else but the putting off the old man 〈◊〉 4 â—2 Gâ—â— 5 24. Rom. 6 6. the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof the casting away of the sinne which cleaueth on so fast the abolishing of the whole bodie of sinne Hee that neglecteth this Rom 12.1 forgetteth that a Christian must offer vp his bodie a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God that the name of a Christian is the name of Iustice Goodnesse Sinceritie Chastitie Humilitie for what else are these but drops of that Oile wherewith hee is anointed I might amplifie this point Rom 8 22. but I hasten to that which followeth only obseruing that of Saint Paul Euery creature groaneth desiring the libertie of the Sonnes of God and therefore it is a shame for the sonnes of God not to beare a part in this mourning but to stand still as if they made no haste to Heauen and had no desire to be that whereunto they are called It was not so with Christians of old I report mee to the Character of the Church as Epiphanius calleth it and describeth it in the last Chapter of his third Booke but specially to Gregorie Nyssenes Oration of Baptisme where he bringeth in a baptized Christian thus resisting the temptations of the Deuill A vaunt thou wicked fiend I am dead and can a dead man be moued with those things which hee affected when he was aliue When I was aliue I could riot I couldlie c. can a dead man doe these things Certainly when wee looke vpon our selues and see how common sinnes are amongst vs the ranknesse the plentie of the fruit that we beare sheweth that the sinfull root is not dead in vs and the scarcitie of good fruit sheweth that the root of grace is not aliue So that our Abrenunciation was but in word that it was not indeed it appeareth by the raritie of our Mortification I conclude with the exhortation of Saint Paul Câ—â—os 3.5 Let vs therefore mortifie our mâ—mbers which are vpon the earth formication vncleanesse inordinate affection Rom 13.14 euill concupiscence and couetousnesse which is Idolatrie and let vs take no more care for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof You haue heard what is our worke There remaine two things yet The one is the Commandement to doe it the other is the degree in which wee must performe it Men doe not light a Candle to put it vnder a bushell neither doth God giue grace but for the vse But the phrase in English is scant it seemeth only to call for workeâ— in the sight of men but the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of a larger extent and may reach those things which can bee discerned only by the sight of God And indeed the Fruits are inward or outward for there is a worke-house in the inward Closet of our heart where wee must fructifie and lay the foundation of those workes which wee doe in the outward man all our outward deeds should be but deeds of deeds the deeds outward haue no more value then they receiue from the inward Quâ—saluâ— mente peecat â—a 〈◊〉 venâ—â— in Ghâ—noam deâ—â—â—detur Tertullian Oâ—â—t de Baptismo But wee must not bee contented only with the inward wee must bring forth the outward also Hee that hath an inside for God and an outside for the Deuill may with his pardon be cast into Hell wee must therfore shew some outward euidence of the efficacie of grace Gregorie Nyssen setteth it forth excellently Come on you saith he which glorie in your Baptisme how shall it appeare that the mysticall grace hath altered you In your countenance there appeareth no change nor in your outward lineaments how then shall your friends perceiue that you are not the same I suppose no other way but by your manners they must shew that you are not what you were when you are tempted with the same sinnes whereunto before you were subiect and yet forbeare them It is reported of one of the worthiest of the Ancients that before his conuersion had kept companie with a strumpet when after his conuersion she came towards him he sted she calleth after him Whither flyest thou 〈…〉 2.10 It is 〈◊〉 his answere was But I am not I And indeed euerie one should say with Saint Paul I line yet not I now but Iesus Christ liueth in mee and let euery one that is in Iesus Christ become a new creature And so I come from the Commandement to the degree There must bee an answerablenesse betweene Gods worke and ours It is not enough to bring forth fruits they must be worthy of Repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith a learned Interpreter hath his name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is a Metaphor taken from ballances when one seale doth counterpoize another the Syriacke word seemeth to
sound that way also But Etymologies doe not alwayes yeild good grounds of Diuinitie It is well if there bee a correspondencie an equalitie is more then may bee hoped for betweene Gods worke and ours Which I obserue the rather because the Rhemish note findeth Sacisfactorie workes in this word forgetting their owne Dininitie which maketh Satisfaction attend penance but not the Sacrament of Baptisme But to leaue them and deliuer the truth concerning Repentance We must obserue that in sin there are two things the Guilt and the Act of sin the Guilt infinite the Act finite Nothing can worthily satisfie for the Guilt but only the pretious death of Iesus Christ his Bloud only is the propitiation for our sins But the Act is finite wherwith we sin so is the Act wherwith we repent between these Acts we shuld endeuour to shew an emulation so that looke what pleasure we tooke in sinne against God so much sorow should we expresse when wee returne againe vnto God hee that sinneth a great sinne must not thinke it enough to sorrow as hee doth for a small one Peter wept but bee wept bitterly because he had sinned grieuously and King Dauid wore out his eyes and watered his Couch with his teares sorrowing for those sinnes wherewith he had prouoked God But let vs draw this through both parts of Repentance Mul ò firmior est Fides Charitas quam repoint I â—enitâ—ntia Lactantius Vitque Deo gratior amore ardens pest culpam vita quà m securitate torpens innocentia Gregorius and see how the degree must appeare in them In the first of solemne Repentance the rule is If a man slip in his faith or loue of God and recouer he will cleaue faster vnto God and loue him mere ardently and he pleaseth God the better when his loue after a recouerie groweth zelous then when in innocencie it groweth lukewarme As in the bodie of a man if an arme or legge bee broken and bee well set againe it groweth the stronger Take an example from Saint Paul who as he was a bloudie persecutor so did hee proue a most painfull Apostle and most patient Martyr Saint Austines Confessions shew how erroneous in iudgement how dissolute in life he had beene but since the Apostles dayes neuer had the Church a better Bishop then was Saint Austin But if we should looke for this degree in this age we might happily seeke long but scarce find any parallel not but that there are euery where those that exceed them in sinne but of those that imitate them in Repentance we find none no Adulterers that so change as to become markable spectacles of Continencie no Oppressors that turne Deacons and minister out of their goods to the necessitie of the poore no Drunkards that pinch their bodies with Fasting and Abstinence He that hath not commited vnlawfull things may be bold to vse the lawfull blessings of God and notwithstanding performe acceptable workes of Pietie but hee that hath beene a Fornicator an Adulterer c. must goe as farre in abstaining from the contentments of this life which are otherwise allowed him as hee hath exceeded in the vse of them 〈…〉 But this Rule is growne too much out of date and we thinke that so we repent it matters not in what degree we repent and so we make a reall Confession that howsoeuer we doe turne to God yet wee are afraid to bee too farre estranged from our sinne Wherein God doth not obtaine so much of man as the Deuill doth For when a good man degenerateth hee keepeth no meane but commonly striueth to be the worst plunging himselfe most deeply into sinne and persecuting goodnesse and good men most bitterly It were to be wisht that our zeale that turne vnto God were no worse in the loue of goodnesse and the hatred of sinne But it is rather to bee wisht then hoped for The Reason of it lieth in our neglect of that degree which should be in the second kind of Repentance for if we did affect that we would bee more apt vnto this The Degree of the second kind of Repentance is when a mans outward life striueth to bee answerable to his inward calling It is strange to see how in worldly state euerie man striueth to liue futably to his ranke and is accounted base if he doe not so if of a Yeoman hee become a Gentleman of a Gentleman a Knight as his person is improued so will he improue his port also yea the excesses of all sorts of men shew that herein euery man goeth beyond his ranke in his house in his fare in his clothes But in our spirituall state it is nothing so for our house we can be contented to dwell in seeled houses when the Arke of God is vnder Tents and who doth endeuour that himselfe may be a Temple fit for God As for our Clothes they should be royall our Garments should euer be white the wedding Garment should neuer be off but we are so farre from couering our nakednesse with conuenient robes that it appeares not in the eyes of God as that we take no care to hide our filthinesse from men Certainly we doe not endeuour to be clothed with the righteousnesse of Saints Finally for our diet we that are called to the Table of the Lord and should be sustained with Angels food content our selues with Swines meate for what else are filthy lusts Wherein wee are so much worse then the prodigall childe in that he did desire them and no man gaue them to him we haue our sils his was desired of necessitie but our food is voluntarie In a word we are called to be sonnes of God our eye is seldome vpon our Father to see what beseemeth his Sonnes wee are called to be members of Christ but little doe wee care what beseemeth that Mysticall Bodie wee rather are in name then in deed either Children of God or Members of Christ I conclude this point with Nazianzens Admonition we may not counterfeit our puritie but haue it remarkable and illustrious wee must haue our soules perfectly died with grace Let vs walke worthy of that vocation whereunto we are called This lesson belongeth to them that are of age betweene whom and infants there is this difference that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance which is Gods worke is enough for Infants but bring forth fruit belongeth to them that are of riper age If time be granted vnto vs after our Conuersion it is granted to the end that by our good Conuersation wee may set forth the vertues of him that hath called vs into his maruailous light And we should thinke it enough if not too much that we haue spent the time past in those lusts that are vnbeseeming Christians but wee may vse that saying of the Apostle Rom. 2.5 Know you not that the patience and long-suffering of God draweth you to Repentance but you after your hearts that cannot repent treasure vnto your selues wrath against the day
in both kindes and the people as it was glorified because the concomitancy maketh them receiue both in one kinde Adde hereunto that they must mocke the people with vnconsecrated wine or beare them in hand that it is arbitrary in the Church whether they shall or shall not haue it Their other reasons are ridiculous certainly they agree not with the precept Doe this No more doth whatsoeuer they doe besides as their Reseruation their Circumgestation their Application of the Host vnto many vses whereunto God neuer ordained it But the most notorious corruption of these words is that they are made a part of the Priests Ordination as if they did giue him power to sacrifice both for quicke and dead For from these words doe they deriue that part of the Priesthood yea vpon these words they build the Masse also as if Hoc facite were as much as sacrifice and immolate Christ vnbloudily But I will not stand to refute them As the Pastors worke is enioyned in Hoc facite so is the Peoples also they must doe as the Disciples did take that which was distributed amongst them eate that which was consecrated for them and they must feed thereon with their bodies and with their soules Not only with their bodies as carnall Christians doe nor with their soules as the Papists teach their people to communicate mentally with the Priest as if a man were euer fit to communicate mentally when he is not fit to communicate corporally but we must communicate with both otherwise wee are not compleat guests of this entire Feast And though of the two better the body bee wanting than the soule because the grace that possesseth the soule will redound to the body but the food of the body cannot benefit the soule yet seeing the body and bloud of Christ is the fountaine of life spirituall to our soules immortall to our bodies our best course is to eate and drinke with both that we may liue and liue in both blessedly for euer As the People must doe this so they must take heed that beside this they doe not eyther superstitiously adore the Elements or Atheistically prophane them in swearing either by the heauenly or the earthly part of the Sacrament The last Note that I will giue is the Commemoration that is enioyned by the precept Doe this in remembrance St. Paul expounds the word thus Shew forth the Lords death And indeede the Sacrament is a liuely representation of the crucifying of Christ and but a Commemoration For the Popish Masse is refuted in this very word and St. Pauls phrase which shew that Christ is not crucified againe but the manner of his crucifying Sacramentally represented to vs and so the Fathers tooke it But as the Pastor must commemorate the sacrificing in his worke so must the People the sacrifice in taking and feeding thereupon as vpon the viaticum peregrinantium militantum Finally that which remembreth vs must be often frequented by vs so must this Sacrament Wherein it differs from Baptisme which cannot be reiterated this may yea it must The first Christians thought so who at first receiued it euery day they may make vs blush whose deuotion is now so cold But I end That death which Christ endured for vs and doth offer to vs wee must remember in such signes and apply to our selues by such meanes as he hath appointed if we meane to be benefited thereby MOst mercifull Sauiour that by thy powerfull word hast consecrated these holy Mysteries of thy most precious Body and Bloud broken and shed to be the vndoubted pledges of thy Gospell and euer-running Conduits of thy Grace curing the deadly wounds of all our sinnes and satisfying as many as thirst and hunger after righteousnesse grant that we neuer neglect to receiue and when we receiue may euer be prepared prepared both in body and soule so here by faith worthily to feed on thee as thou representest thy selfe veyled in thy Church Militant that we may hereafter fully enioy thee as thou presentest thy selfe vnueiled in the Church Triumphant And in acknowledgement of this present grace and that future glory let euery one of vs become a sanctified Eucharist that with soule and body wee may now and euer sing Glory be to thee O Lord O Lord our strength and our Redeemer Amen IHS THREE SERMONS PREACHED IN THE CATHEDRALL Church of Wells at the Feast of WHITSVNTIDE EPHES. 4. verse 7 8. But vnto euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Wherefore he saith When he ascended vp c. to the 17. verse THe Apostle in former Chapters hath opened the mysteries of the Gospell but at this hee beginnes to deduce certaine rules of life which spring therefrom and hee doth specially recommend vnto the Ephesians three Christian Vertues Vnitie Pietie and Constancie he would haue them all agree in Gods truth and expresse that truth in their liues and not wauer in their liues for feare of the Crosse But more particularly touching Vnitie he tels them wherein it consists and wherefore it must be entertained Wherein it consists we learne in the verses that goe before but wherfore it must be entertained we are taught in these that now I haue read vnto you The Reasons are partly the meanes whereby and partly the end for which we receiue the gifts of God The meanes are two one Principall which is Christ the other Instrumentall which are his Ministers And the End is twofold first our Consummation in grace secondly our Preseruation from errour These bee the particulars which take vp so much of this Chapter as reacheth from the seuenth to the seuenteenth verse At this time sutably to the time I shall entreat only of the first of our meanes of Christ the principall meanes whereby we obtaine the blessings of God And here we are to see first What Christ doth then What right hee had to doe it What Christ doth is set downe three wayes but all yeelde but one sense first He giueth grace secondly He giueth gifts and thirdly He fils all things that is by him we haue Gods blessings But we may resolue them into two points the Gift and the Giuer the gift is grace and that grace hath power to fill and this is nothing but a description of the Holy Ghost which descended this day for he is the filling grace of God Of this gift the Giuer is Christ it is here called expresly his gift and he giues it discreetly because according to a measure and yet vniuersally not one of the Church which doth not partake it to euery one of vs is giuen grace This Christ doth and he doth no more than he may his right to doe it is gathered out of his Ascension which St. Paul describes to be a deserued Triumph The parts of a Triumph as they know which are read in stories were these two first the person of the Conquerour was carried in state and secondly the monuments of his