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
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
that is without God and charity changed from divine love to worldly love so that every where in all things he studies himselfe favours counsels applauds himselfe and setteth forth and provideth for his own honour and glory And this as I say is the effect of the fall of Adam whiles hee studieth to make himselfe God he involved all mankind in one and the selfe-same calamity And this corruption and depravation of human nature must be changed and amended by serious repentance that is to say by true and divine contrition by faith apprehending the remission of sins and by the mortification True penitence changeth the heart of carnall pleasures self-love and pride Neither doth true repentance consist that you put away the great and outward sins but that you descend into your selfe and look inward into the inward of thy heart and mind turn over the secrets and closets therof change and renew them and convert thy selfe from selfe-love to divine love from the world and all worldly cōcupiscences to a spiritual heavenly life and participating the merits of Christ by faith whereupon it followeth that a man must deny himself as it is Luk. 9. that is to The property of true repentance is to die to the world himself tame his will suffer himself to be carried wholly by the divine will not to love himselfe to account himselfe the unworthiest of all mortall creatures to renounce all things he hath Luke 14. that is to contemne the world with all the pomps and honours thereof to passe by his own wisdome and all endowments or gifts of nature To hate ones own life with closed eyes to trust in no creature but God alone even to hate his own life that is carnall will and pleasures concupiscence pride covetousnesse lust wrath envie to mortifie these to displease himself to set nought by all that is his own to boast To die to the world in nothing to attribute nothing to himself or his proper strength to die to the world that is to the concupiscence of the eyes and the flesh to the pride of life and to be crucified to the world Gal. 6. This this I say is true repentance and mortifying of the flesh without which no man can be the disciple of Christ this is the true conversion from the world from himselfe and the Devill to God without which no sinner can have remission of sins nor attain salvation Acts 26. This penitence and conversion is the deniall of himselfe and the true crosse and yoak of Christ of whom himself speaketh Matth. 11. Take up my yoak upon The yoak of Christ is easie to the spirit to the flesh a crosse you and learn of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart As if he should say by earnest and inward humility is thy selfe-love and ambition to be tamed and by curtesie wrath desire of revenge is to be kept under that which indeed to the new man is an easie yoak and light burthen howsoever to the flesh it seem a most heavie and bitter crosse And this is indeed to crucifie ones flesh The true crosse of Christ what it is with the vice and concupiscence thereof Gal. 5. Therefore they erre and doe greatly erre which know no other crosse then tribulations and worldly afflictions being ignorant of inward repentance and mortifying of the flesh to be that true crosse which we ought to carry after Christ daily in bearing our enemies with great patience and in overcomming the disdain and arrogancy of our slanderers and adversaries with mildnesse and humility after the pattern and example of Christ who was willing to die to the world and all worldlinesse most perfectly I say this What it is to die to the world yoak of Christ is our true crosse which we are bound to beare which when we doe then we die to the true world and not if we hide our selves in Monasteries and if wee make singular orders and rules of living being in the mean time inorderly in the heart full of the love of the world spirituall pride pharisaical contempt of others lust envy and secret hatred I say this is not to die to the world no it is not but to mortifie the flesh with all things which are pleasant to it and daily within and secretly to be sory and to turn himselfe from the world inwardly to God whereby it cannot but come to passe that the outward life and manners be renewed and changed what if now one should only doe outward repentance or penance abstaining from great and enormous offences for the feare of punishment and the inward man doe keep his old spots still and daily inwardly in heart to die to the world and to live to Christ by faith in sincere humility and lowlinesse and lastly to confide in the grace of God in Christ Jesus alwayes doing such and so great things To this repentance are we called by Christ I say that true and inward conversion from the Without true repentance Christ profits nothing world to God to whom also alone the imputation of his justice and righteousnesse and obedience through the efficacie of faith together with the remission of our sinnes is promised so that without this inward repentance Christ profiteth man nothing that is he shall not participate of his grace and favour and merit The reason The fruits of the death passion of Christ is because they are to be comprehended by a contrite heart faithfull humble penitent Truly this fruit of the passion of Christ is in us that we may die to sinne by true repentance and of his resurrection in that Christ in us and we in Christ might live And hereby commeth the new creature True repentāce inward in Christ and regeneration which onely is available with God Gal. 6. Vide infra Chapt. 33. Therefore let us learn the nature constitution of true repentance and let us not erre in the common errour but let all of us esteem and beleeve to bid adieu to externall idolatry blasphemy homicide adultery whore-hunting thefts with all such enormities and vices externall to be the true and onely repentance neither yet doe I deny that this externall repentance is forbidden by the Prophet as Esay 55. and Ezek. Chap. 18. and 33. who likewise with the Apostles most certainly doe command and give charge to levell at the inwards and heart it self even another repentance inward more noble then the outward even that whereby the man dieth to pride covetousnesse and lust denieth and hateth himselfe renounceth the world despoyleth himselfe of all his own committeth himselfe to God crucifieth the flesh offereth a daily contrite heart humbling and trembling as the best and well-pleasing sacrifice unto God And last of all doth live with a heart full of tears and groanes which Character of inward repentance the Psalmes of David doe every where set forth So it remaineth that this is the true repentance when inwardly
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
justification onely proceedeth from faith in Christ And faith is like But in Christ a new-born babe newly come into the world weake and naked set before the eyes of his Saviour from whom as from his parent hee receiveth justice honesty holinesse grace and the holy Ghost And after this manner is the naked child by the mercy of God cloathed and both his bracelets being taken away he receiveth of God grace health and holinesse This alone therefore this only receiving maketh him godly holy and happy and our true justification onely through faith and not What our justification is through works I say by faith which apprehending Christ be it what it may be with all his goodnesse he challengeth and maketh it his own properly then of necessity sinne death Devill and hell must Sin and death hell are subiect to faith give back and vanish away and so powerfully lively and effectually doth the merit of Christ through faith work and abound that even the sinnes of the whole world cannot hurt them Now seeing that Christ by faith liveth and dwelleth in thee let us never think or beleeve that this his habitation is a dead work but rather a certain living thing not idle powerfull working or as I may say in one word a renewing for faith performeth two things first it transplanteth thee into Christ and giveth him freely unto thee with all that he hath secondly it reneweth thee in Christ that thou mayst grow green and flourish and live in him neither is the graffe brought into the stock for other purpose but that it should flourish and bring forth fruit in it And even as by the Apostasie of Adam and by the deceit and seducing of the Devill the seed of the Serpent and the Diabolicall corruption of his nature is sown in man growing up into a tree bearing the fruits of death so by the word of God and the holy Ghost the faith is sown in our hearts as the seed of Faith is the seed of God God in which after a wonderfull manner are shut up all divine vertues and properties from whence in a like manner doth flow forth a most glorious and new Image of God and bringeth forth a new tree whose fruits are obedience and patience humility courtesie peace charity justice a new and another man and so the whole Kingdome of God for true and saving faith reneweth the whole man maketh clean the heart joyneth and uniteth it to God purged anew and set free from earthly things it hungreth and thirsteth after righteousnesse it worketh love it bringeth peace joy patience strength moderation in adversity it overcommeth the world it maketh us the sonnes of God and heirs of all celestiall goodnesse and co-heirs with Christ If it happen any to be without or to be ignorant of this joy which is by faith acknowledging himselfe to be of little faith let him beware he distrust not therefore but rather let him trust in grace Consolation of those that have little Faith promised by Christ which promise remaineth certain immoveable and everlasting And although we through humane infirmities doe often fall and goe backwards let us in the mean while alwayes account it sure and certain that the grace of God remaineth solid and firm whensoever by true and serious repentance we arise from our fall for Christ is and will be Christ and Saviour although you take hold of him by a firm or weak faith for he imbraceth both alike and Christ is alike to all Moreover the promise of grace is universall and perpetuall upon which it is necessary our faith be founded without difference firme or weak and in the mean time erect and fill thy heart with hope God will in his good time in his own season bring that sincere and sensible joy unto thee although he hide himselfe a while in the inwards of thy heart Psal 37. 77. Of which Argument I shall say more Lib. 2. CHAP. VI. How the word of God by faith in man ought to spread forth live Luke 17. For behold the kingdom of God is within you BEcause in Regeneration and Renovation of the man all things are in us therefore our great Gods will was that those things which by faith in man ought All the new man is set forth in the Scripture to be done spiritually fulfilled should be outwardly set forth in writing and the whole new man painted and fully set forth in his word for seeing that his word is the seed of God in us certainly it is necessary that it should bring forth fruit and out of that seed to grow by faith which the Scripture outwardly doth teach and beare witnesse of or certain it is that the seed and embryon is dead I say in faith and spirit I ought to tast prove and joyfully in the inward sense perceive heare see and touch even those things the Scripture doth dictate The word of God is to quicken in us and declare most truly neither did God the Father in his counsell manifest the Scripture that as a dead letter it should lie hid in paper ink but that it should receive life in faith and Spirit or as we vulgarly say be turned into our juyce and bloud spring up and grow young in us to another new and inward man because I say all things ought and it is meet so to be to be fulfilled and performed in faith and spirit through Christ whatsoever the Scripture doth outwardly teach Let us shew it in the example of Cain and Abel whose natures manners and actions if you call to mind you cannot but understand that History If you suppose in the place of Cain and Abel the names of the old and new Man to be in the like manner to be done and iterated for what is the displeasure of both what is that lying in wait that Cain laid against Abel What others are all those then the daily strife of the flesh and the spirit what other enmity then the seed of the new man and the seed of the Serpent Neither is there other reason in common sense for by the food from heaven the corruption of the flesh is to be drowned and washed but just and faithfull Noe is to be preserved in the Ark and a new Covenant is to be made between thee and thy great God Moreover the Tower of Babel or Confusion ought not to be built in thee Thou must with Abraham goe forth of thine own Countrey or knowledge and all things are to be left even thy life it selfe that thou mayst walk perfectly before God carry out the victory and goe into the land of promise and Kingdome of God And Christ meaneth no other thing Matth. 10. Luk. 14. If any come unto me and hateth not his father and mother his wife and children his brothers and sisters yea and further his own life he cannot be my Disciple that is to wit he must bid all these adieu 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 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
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
it sufficient to be the Sonne of God that he was the fairest of all creatures in body and mind without fault and lastly that he was in the favour and love of God unlesse he should be God himselfe hereupon he conceived hostile hatred against God being ready as farre as in him lay utterly to deface and extirpate God A more detestable sinne then this can no man think Then afterwards it followed Adam and the Devill Lucifer committed one fault that the man concerning his heart and minde became like unto the Devil because they both committed one fault and now was no more the sonne of God nor the Image of God but of the Devil and the instrument of the Devill capable of all Devillish malice to this adde that he became of a divine celestiall and spiritual Image altogether earthly and carnall and a beastly creature for the Devill that he might erect his own Image in man durst first by inticing deceitfull and crafty speeches sow his seed in man that is to say selfe-love ambition selfe-will and affectation of the Divinity whereupon the Scripture calleth all selfe-lovers a Generation of vipers Matth. 3. and those that be of a Devillish nature The seed of the Serpent I will put enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman Gen. 3. And from this seed of the Serpent or seed of Vipers nothing or no off-spring can come but terrible fruit as the Image of Satan the off-spring of Belial the children of the Devil for as even as in any other seed be it never so small yet after a wonderfull and hidden manner all the qualities and properties stature thicknesse length bredth with boughes leaves flowers and fruits and so the whole tree with innumerable fruits of the whole stock and plants is contained so in this pestilent and The pestilent seed of Adam fatall seed of the Serpent I say in the self-love of Adam and his disobediences so oft as we delivered it by carnall generation there lieth the death deadly bearing tree the innumerable fruits of malice and lastly the image of Satan with all his markes and properties For shew me any child and behold even from his mothers womb first swadling cloaths this native Scandal called an action originally sinne corruption and especially disobedience and selfe-love doe grafie or sow it selfe and so soon as it groweth up regard and you shall see a violent naturall self-love ambition a desire of glory covetous of revenge lying and by and by as an Army marching commeth on disdain arrogancy pride blasphemy oathes fearfull dire imprecations deceits contempts of God and his Word contempts of his parents Magistrates to these adde wrath brawlings hatreds envie dissimulations revenge homicide and all kind of cruelty especially when scandals and occasions doe happen therewith which as Midwives doe help to bring forth the off-spring of Adams and the Devils corruption for you shall see break forth impudencie shamelesnesse lust venereall cogitations whoredoms obscene and filthy speeches shamelesse behaviour both in words and deeds drunkennesses gluttony intemperance in food and apparell levity effeminacie Besides all these covetousnesse usury deceits frauds fallacies craftinesse impostures and juglings and to speak all at once all kind of wickednesse and naughtinesse and so various and abounding that cannot be declared Scandals of doctrine according to that of Jeremy 17. The heart of man is wicked and inscrutable who shall find it out But if you adde thereunto the seducing and hereticall spirit then you shall heare renouncing of God forsaking of him idolatry hatred of the truth and persecution the sinnes against the holy Ghost faith-breakings corruptions of the faith depraving of Scriptures and terrible seducings All which are no other then the fruits of the Serpent and the image of Satan in the man And who could even suspect in the beginning in so weake and feeble an Malice is hidden in man infant such a heap of wicked deeds or a heart so pestililent and that such a Basilisk did therein lurk and hide it selfe thereunder but he that is in life and conversation worst of all and in the cogitation of his heart intentive to evill at all times even from his tender infancy as it is Gen. 6. written who could have produced these things to light and expressed them if triall had not manifested it therfore wicked and extream evill is that root from whence so deadly and pestiferous a tree doth grow O terrible seed of the Serpent and of vipers from whom so deformed and stinking an image doth arise and increase for within all evils are fomented and from thence doe arise and grow provoked nourished set forward by externall provocations for what cause it is to Why offences were for bidden by Christ be thâ—ught Christ Jesus did so seriously prohibit that children should be provoked by evil example for in whom this seed of the serpent lurketh and the beginning of all wickednesse and flagitious acts their beginning and entrances are closely hidden and are deceiveable no otherwise then cruell poyson in a pestilent worm Learn therefore O man of me that the sins of Adam and originall corruption of Originall sin unexpressible our kind is not lightly to be regarded or slighted because this infection and depravation is greater then any words can expresse or human intellect can search into know thy selfe and what thou becamest to be after the fall of Adam consider how thou from the Image of God became the Image of the Devill a compendium I say and an epitome or an abridgement to receive all Devillish nature malice and wickednesse into a little roome for even as in the Image of God all vertues and divine The Image heavenly and earthly properties were contained and as before the fall man did carry the celestial Image that is to say he was all heavenly spirituall Angelical and divine so now after his apostasie he carrieth about with him the image of The man is a beast the earthly and is become altogether and fundamentally earthly carnall and beastly And why so This thy fierce wrath is it thine Is it proper to a Lion or to a Man Thy envie and covetousnesse insatiable do not Dogges and Wolves the same Thy intemperance and shamelesnesse is hoggish yea if thou look rightly into thy selfe thou shalt find within even in thy heart a certain world of beasts yea even in thy tongue alone in that least of thy members as St. James saith Chapt. 3. a lake and a sea of venemous worms a harbour of unclean spirits a biding place or cage of unclean birds as witnesse Isa 3. Apoc. 18. but we often increase so much in malice that in wrath we exceed all kind of beasts the Dogges in envie the Wolves in covetous ravening the Foxes in craftinesse the Basilisk in poyson of the eye and last of all the very Hogges in filthinesse And from this beastly nature Christ Mat. 3.
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
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
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
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
the pleasures of the world for the fear of God is the foundation and beginning of wisdome and devotion all which the concupiscence and delight of the world doth extinguish For even as by daily contrition or sorrow for sinne and mortification The renewing of the man with his soule of the flesh the man is daily renewed according to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. Although our outward man be daily broken yet our inward man is daily renewed in bearing heavenly fruits and celestiall of unexplicable sweetnesse So contrariwise the pleasure of the world bringeth heavinesse vexation and wound of conscience yea so great The losse of the soul by worldly pleasure is the calamity of the mind and so heavie is the losse of heavenly gifts which flow from the pleasure of the flesh and worldly delights as he that calleth them to mind or would call them to mind he cannot overcome or detest any of the worldly joyes Two things there be which whosoever disputeth and seriously pondereth The fruit of the meditation of eternal ioy and misery with himselfe hee must be neither affected with worldly pleasures nor moved with calamities The one is the pain of the damned which whosoever shall bee willing to consider of deeply truly the more for that cause because it is eternal he is never heartily merry or joyous The other is life eternal which he cānot for that cause neither take out of his mind nor The impedimēt of spirituall ioy and sorrow mitigate do what he can neither whereof because we sometimes doe revolve them in our mind seriously can we revolve hereupon it is no wonder that wee are both without wholsome contrition and sorrow as also ignorant altogether and unexperienced of celestiall joyes and it is the property The true cause of ioy and sorrow of a true Christian to be equally minded who rejoyceth very sparingly in earthly things being full of divine pleasures and life eternall neither is he carried away immoderatly with calamities or dejected in adversity but against the losse of the soule only he beareth it so as for that cause all his life time he doth not refuse to account it a thing worthy of lamentation for a Christian loseth nothing that is never so little of these fragill things which perish but he shall receive a thousand fold in another world but if the soule once perish it cannot be repaired or recovered Blessed then is the man that findeth this divine sorrow and besides that celestiall and spiritual pleasure But oft times we perversly and crookedly doe laugh when we ought rather to weep seeing there is no true liberty or delight but in the feare of God and a right conscience which without faith and holy life can neither be had nor kept For faith accompanied with divine sorrow by the holy Ghost doth correct The hinderāces of the king dome of God the defects of man daily which daily means every man neglecteth and he loseth the best cause and part of living thereby he is adversary to the new life hindereth the kingdom of God in himselfe neither can Who is truly wise he be set free of the blindnesse of his heart Whereupon it followeth that he onely deserveth the name of a prudent and wise man who declines w th all study what he understandeth shall be an obstacle to amendment of life and proficience of heavenly gifts neither doth he determine to flie those things only whereby any calamities might arise to the body and the faculties thereof but much more those things which he understands to be grievous to the mind or any wayes burdensome Be of good cheare then and learn to warre like an enemy and so continue a valiant man can best resist a wicked custome according to that of Saint Paul Rom. 12. Be not overcome of evill but overcome the evill with goodnesse For there is no cause why thou shouldst think thy selfe sick of incurable evils if thou reflect thy thoughts upon thine own mind cogitations first view thine own proper defects and do not curiously first cast a rash censure of judging thy neighbour in admonishing him before thou hast controlled thy selfe first Wherefore if this daily sorrow and spirituall contrition beget reproach and reports and for that cause the good will of men grow cold towards thee take heed therefore that you grieve not at it but rather complain of thy selfe as becometh a Christian and live Christian-like as thy mind desireth and that thou mightest in good works equall the dignity of the name of a Christian For it is meet for thee to be afflicted by the world grieved at it that therefore in like maner God might delight in thee according to that of Isai 57. I doe The ioy of the world and of heaven are quite contrary dwell on high in the holy place and with a contrite and humble spirit that I might quicken the humble spirit contrite heart It is impossible that divine worldly joy at one time reside in the heart of man so contrary they are and so different in their off-spring when the pleasure of the world begetteth one in prosperity the other of heaven is begotten in adversity I acknowledge it indeed to be beside yea against nature to rejoyce in adversity according to that of Paul 2. Cor. 6. As heavy yet rejoycing as poor yet being rich as having nothing yet possessing all things But the grace of God doth mend and purifie change nature whereupon the Apostles rejoyced because they were accoūted worthy to suffer some things for Jesus Christ Act. 4. Neither do all true Christians otherwise who are made the new creature and become other men for they rejoyce and are glad in adversity and indeed those things that disturb the old man cānot disturb the new man who with S. Paul Rom. 8. glorieth in tribulation The joy that is from above is more noble then earthly pleasures which he perceiveth very well by the contumely and contempt of Christ who belongeth to him of whom if we be ignorant let us perswade our selves again and again that this happeneth by reason of the love of the True humility world A man truly humbled thinketh himselfe worthy of afflictions and tribulation and unworthy of divine consolations But by how much he thinketh himselfe unworthy so much more largely is he visited of God And by the more and the oftner he deploreth his sinne so much the lesse is he affected to the world yea it becometh more grievous and bitter to him thereby He who considereth himself as is meet findeth More causes of mourning then ioy more things wherein to mourn then wherein to rejoyce And he who examineth another mans life shall gather more things worthy pitie and compassion then arguments of envie thereby When Christ wept over Jerusalem which persecuted him and followed him to death even because he deplored the sinnes and blindnesse of it let us think the same
Himselfe From divine patience and long-suffering ariseth a wonderfull patience towards his neighbour and that so great that if it were possible for a Christian to die seven times yet he would forgive his enemy that cruelty being mindfull of the great mercies of God first shewed unto him From divine righteousnesse floweth the acknowledgement of his sinnes whereupon he prayeth with the Prophet To thee O Lord belongeth justice but to us confusion of our faces Dan. 9. Enter not into judgement with thy servant because no flesh is justified in thy sight Psal 130. Lord if thou regardest our iniquities who can stand before thee Psal 143. Out of the knowledgement of the divine truth doth flow faith and integrity towards our neighbour whereby frauds do cease falshood and lying and a true Christian with such thoughts fortifieth his heart doth not circumvent his neighbour for by this means thou shalt offend the verity of God which is God himselfe who when he dealeth so faithfully truly with me it were very unworthy for me to carry my self otherwise towards my neighbour Out of the knowledge of the eternall wisdome of God floweth forth the feare of God whom it is manifest to be the searcher of the hearts to see into the inward of man whereby deservedly we reverence the eyes of the divine Majesty He that planted the eare shall he not hear or he which made the eye shall he not see Psalm 94. Woe unto you that are of a deep heart that you might hide your counsell from the Lord whose works are in the dark and say Who seeth us and who doth know us Perverse is this your thought as if the clay should rise against the Potter and the work should say to the maker Thou didst not make me and the workmanship should say to his maker Thou understandest not And thus farre of the true knowledge of God wherein consisteth repentance and repentance in the renovation of the mind and these things concerning the amendment of life that which concerneth the other part of divine worship and is that holy fire appointed by God for offering the sacrifice lest he wax hot in his wrath and send revenge A type of this repentance was the forbidding-drinking The type of repentance of wine by divine commandement to the Priest when he entred the Tabernacle of the Testimony which spiritually belongeth to all Christians for if we will enter into the Tabernacle of eternall life it is necessary that we abstain from concupiscence of the world and of the flesh also from all things by which the flesh may subjugate the spirit for the love of the Pleasure is like unto wine world pride and other vices as sweet and strong wine doe cloud the soule and the spirit whereby they are brought under the power and servitude of the flesh For even as Noah and Lot being overtaken with wine left themselves uncloathed so honour pleasures and riches after the manner of strong wine doe invade try and disturb the soule and the spirit whereby a man may be prohibited entrance into the Tabernacle of the Lord that is from his knowledge and driven from his sanctification losing the difference of holy things and prophane clean and uncleane so that he understandeth nothing in divine things and therefore neither can instruct the people left in his charge with wholsome doctrine which is a just judgment of all those that mad themselves with the wine of concupiscence so that their own thoughts and intellect are not conversant in the true light and at the last doe rush into everlasting darknesse Moreover this repentance or sorrow and griefe for sinnes and also effectuall faith in Christ Jesus before remission of sinnes which as it doth consist onely in the sole merit of Christ so no man can challenge to himselfe this merit of Christ without repentance whereupon remember the Thiefe upon the Crosse who repented before his forgivenesse and Christ admitted him to Paradise and that was not a slight or superficiall repentance but a hearty and true as appeared by the chiding of his fellow Thiefe And dost not thou feare God For us we receive punishment due for our deeds but this man hath done none evill And moreover he praied unto Christ Lord have me in remembrance when thou comest into thy Kingdome which certainly were most sure arguments of a faithfull and contrite heart And that free pardon of his sinnes which a repentant heart in true faith apprehendeth and requesteth is Christ supplieth all things for us of such force as God excuseth all things which was impossible for us to expiate and that for the death and bloud of Christ wherewith he purgeth all things blotting out all our offences as if they never had been done and his abundance of satisfaction not now equalling but exceeding the heavinesse of our offences and sinnes Whereupon blessed David crieth out Psalm 51. I shall be made clean from my offences and I shall be whiter then the snow Now seeing the condition of our pardon is such and our payment so good as the Creditor can make no more demands nor the debter hath not any thing to pay Hereupon it is said that God forgetteth them and never Why God forgets sinnes more will call our sinnes to mind so that the sinner turns to him as witnesses Esa 18. chap. 1. This conversion or condition not without which he commending specially to the people under the person of God saith Wash you be you clean â—ease to doe perversly and after that come and argue with me If your sinnes were as red as Skâ—rlet they shall be made as white as snow As if he should say You which require your sinnes to be pardoned by compact and promise go to if you will and call me to account Truly I deny not that I promised you to pardon your sinnes but it was no otherwise but you must first repent which if you prove together with a true and lively faith you overcome and then there shall be no delay in mee but your sinnes how many and how great soever they shall be put out of my memory with one blot Repentance therefore repentance I say is true confession that contrition I say of the spirit in faith which whosoever findeth in his heart this man our Bishop Christ Jesus by his death and bloud doth absolve from all his sinnes I say with that bloud True absolution which crieth to God in heaven for us Deut. 4. we read that Moses set apart Cities Bezer Ramoth and Golon to which one might flie if hee had killed his neighbour Spirituall homicide by chance by which most beautifull type we are taught so often as we kill our neighbour by our tongue thoughts hatred envie anger revenge and unmercifulnesse we are to run by flight of faith and repentance to the throne of Grace and Mercie which is the Merit and Crosse of Christ which being taken hold on we are in safe keeping nor with
and holy Ghost and without God himselfe Contrariwise a true Christian and he which is anointed with the spirit of Christ doth beare with all men in condoling commiserating and loving him after the example of Christ And this is the Touch-stone whereby every one is to be tried whether Where charity is not there God is not he be of God or not But if he find he hath no love of his neighbour in him let him assuredly perswade himselfe he hath not the charity of God in him rather let him feare God himselfe hath forsaken him wherewith he ought to be afraid and be sory from his heart and seek to return into his neighbours favour Which being done God through his love will marry himselfe unto him and whatsoever thereafter he shall doe in faith and charity is and will be accounted for good holy and divine Moreover by reason of the inherent love of God of his free will he embraceth all with his mercy and love neither is any thing more acceptable then to doe good or as Jeremy speaketh He rejoyceth in them he will doe good unto them Without charity in man all things are altogether evil and Devillish neither is there Why all things that the devill doth are evill other cause why the Devil can do no good but because he is destitute of the love of God and his neighbour and thereupon what he doth is altogether evill neither doth his workes and counsels whatsoever tend to other end then the reproach of God and damage of mankind and that he may satisfie his malicious mind and rancor against God and man For which cause he useth such cruell and vengeable mindes to execute and bring to passe the counsels and contrivement of his wrath envy And this is the mark of the sonnes of Satan whereby they are discerned from the sonnes of God Charity proceedeth from faith not fained which cleaveth and adhereth to God equally in prosperity and adversity Whosoever loveth a man heartily he cannot be ungratefull because what God He that loveth God all his works he loveth all his punishments hath appointed against him he doth after the example of Christ who with a cheerfull mind tooke up his Crosse which he knew to be put upon him by his Fathers will whereupon Luke saith chap. 12. I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how grieved am I untill it be finished which all the Martyrs of the Church did imitate bearing his Crosse with joy And for a truth whosoever loveth God heartily he cannot but beare his Crosse easily which he knoweth to be the yoak of Christ And if a Load-stone can lift up a weight of Iron and draw it unto it selfe what cannot that celestiall Load-stone of love divine do Shal not it take up the worst weight of our Crosse and mitigate the feeling of it Also why doth Sugar rather correct the bitternesse of the hearb and medicine then the sweetnesse of love take away the ungratefull and inhumane savour of our crosse whose force is such as the holy Martyrs had no other where that strength of their incredible and cheerfull constancy but they did draw it out of this fountain of Love wherewith being most sweetly intoxicated they did not feele the paines of their torments CHAP. XXV Of love to our Neighbour in speciall 2 Peter 2. Of whom any man is overcome he is that mans servant AMongst all kinds of servitude none is The servitude of the affections is most heavie more hard and sharp then to be under the subjection of affections neither of these is any more cruell then hostility or inhumanity because that wearieth and bindeth all the powers and strength of the body and soul and so leaveth to a man not the least thought free but he that exerciseth or remaineth in charity he is free in his minde neither is he the servant or captive to wrath envie covetousnesse usury pride lying and slander from all which being free by charity he suffereth not himselfe to be brought into slavery by his evill concupiscences but remaineth a freeman of Christ through the spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. For where the spirit is there is liberty whosoever therefore walketh in the charity of Christ he ceaseth to be the slave of sinne and servant to affections and carnall lusts For by the spirit of divine charity we are purged and set free And The universality of divine Charity charity divine is equally reached and extended to all men so that not onely out of the word of God but by nature universall also it is made known for we are all equally and alike covered with the heavens and we have the use of the Sunne Aire Earth Water both high and low degree alike Moreover with what mind God Almighty is towards all mankind so ought our mind to be affected towards our neighbour seeing what things even now we shewed thou dost not say it happened for that cause God would have it so but that by his example he might teach us and make it manifest that he loveth all with like equall affection and that it is without reâ—pect of persons and prerogative of dignity or merit in Christ to love every one alike so that as hee sheweth himselfe towards us such ught we to be and to carry our selves toowards our neighbour whom after the same manner as wee shall deal with God will deale with us Which Law God writ in our hearts that evidently he might convince and teach us with what mind he was affected to us lest we should be mistaken and overtaken unawares we ought to carry the same mind towards our neighbour every one of us Wherefore he that would know what respect hee is in with God it is sufficient to ask his conscience for that thing will tell him presently as his mind is towards his neighbour whereby he The triall of divine love may gather how God is affected towards him For like as we have done to our neighbour so it is meet God should doe to us And in this sense the great God is good to the good and averse to the averse neither doth hee deserve to have God his friend that is an enemy to his neighbour Now seeing that God hath no need of our works as our neighbour hath it appeareth by this counsell that the charity towards our neighbour gives us in charge that it should be as a Load-stone a most certain argument of our charity towards God For if these things were otherwise he would not have directed these things to our neighbor so exactly as to a certain sope nor bound us to this as a law but that we might know his affection to us thereby and we should approve the same mind every houre and moment to our neighbour Wherefore though Christ Jesus by his death once sufficiently made satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world and all men therein for which all men are to give thanks no man can warrant him who
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
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
all things having promise both of this life and the life to come IN this admonition is contained a briefe description of a Christian life by which wee are taught that a Christian ought to spend all his time in the study of piety which is the compendium of all Christian virtues first because it is profitable for all things in all our words and deeds blessing them if so be we use it in them Secondly because God doth reward it both in this life and the life to come where wee shall receive the everlasting harvest of our labours Rule I. First although thou canst not live so perfectly as the word of God commandeth and as thy spirit would yet thou God alloweth the good will for the deed must never but wish ardently the same For after this manner the holy desires of the Saints were acceptable unto God who also alloweth them because he is the beholder of the hearts not the works In the mean time having a special care of one thing to crucifie thy flesh and not to suffer it to rule II. In all things that thou thinkest or The concupiscence of the flesh is the dore of the Devil doest study to preserve thy heart lest thou be defiled with proud thoughts words and works or lastly by wrath and such like Devillish actions For by this meanes thy heart is open to the Divel and shut up from God III. Strive for it lest it happen that thou lose the liberty of thy mind through evil concupiscences of earthly things making thy selfe a servant and slave of the creatures For seeing thy soule is more noble then all the world it were a very unworthy thing to put it under and sell it to the world and addict thy heart to frail and frivolous things of the world IV. Avoid studiously the sorrow of this world that bringeth and worketh death and by covetousnesse envie and too Dâ—vine and worldly sorrow much care of a family and also by incredulity and impatience is begotten But on the contrary embrace divine heavinesse which proceedeth from the meditation of his sinnes and infernal punishment and thereby worketh a stable salvation and also peace and joy in God 2 Corinth 7. Indeed man ought to beare the losse of no worldly goods so heavily as his owne sinnes V. If thou canst not bear thy crosse with such joy as is meet yet at least take it with The crosse how to be boâ—n patience and humility resting upon the divine wil and pleasure of God For this is alway good neither doth it respect or intend other things then our profit and salvation Therefore whatsoever God shal appoint or determine for thee in making thee merry or sad poore or rich in spirit exalted high or low and humble and lastly vile or excellent think alway this It seemed good to him and expedient for thee therefore that which pleaseth him let it not displease thee but rather rejoyce if hee carry all things according to his wil and thy salvation All the workes of God are good saith Sirac chap. 39. And Psalm 144. The Lord is just in all his wayes and holy in all his works Wherefore it is more excellent The wil of God alwayes good never evill that God in thee doe his wil that never swarveth from good or his own end which thou oughtest to suffer willingly who art by nature alwayes inclineable to evil VI. Consolations and heavenly visits are to bee received with humble thankes Contrariwise if they doe not move thee then know that the mortification of the flesh is more profit for thee then the joyes of the Spirit For unto us that bee subject to sinne and dwelling in flesh and blood griefe is farre better then joy and delight For many by reason of plenty of spiritual Sorrow and drinesse of the spirit how it is to be born consolation fall into spiritual pride But the Lord knoweth who are fit to bee led by a pleasant and lightsome way to eternal life and who are fit to be led by a crooked sharp sorrowful fearful and stony way Alway think it fit for thee that thou mayst come to life by that way the divine wisdome hath chosen although it differ from thy opinion and desire Better is sorrow then laughter saith Solomon Eccles 7. Because by sorrow the mind of the offender is corrected The heart of a wise man is where sorrow is and the heart of a foole where joyfulnesse and mirth is VII If thou canst not bring great offerings of devotion prayer and thanksgiving to God offer to him that thou hast and canst commending and adorning thy smal sacrifices with good wil and holy desires that thy religion and devotion may become acceptable before God because to have even that pious desire or be willing to have is no smal grace and most acceptable sacrifice to God because so much as we wish to perform before him of devotion prayer praises and desire of heavenly things even so much it is before God For he requireth nothing of thee but that his grace and favour may worke in thee neither canst thou return him any more then he hath first bestowed on thee In the mean time desire this of Jesus Christ with humble prayer Our perfection is in Christ that he would supply thy sacrifices with his most perfect sacrifice because he is our perfection ours on the contrary all of them are lame and unperfect Wherefore say my God and Father let my devotion be acceptable unto thee my faith my prayers my thanksgivings in thy most beloved Sonne and those not for their own worth but esteem them for the merit of Christ and it cannot be but that his most perfect works be and shall be pleasing unto thee For he he shall copiously supply what is wanting in me And by this means our piety prayer and thanksgiving how unperfect soever obscure and small it be the greatest weight of glory and dignity is given in exchange In faith Christ all our things are perfect for the merit of Christ As an infant if it be naked and defiled is not seemly nor amiable but if it be honestly clothed and adorned is pleasing to all so all thy works are of themselves and their own nature nothing which yet if they bee adorned with the perfection of Christ they are most acceptable to God the Father Even as Apples otherwise of no great value or price if they bee placed in golden Scutcheons or Sockets are more excellent and beautifull then themselves so our prayers our piety and thanksgiving in Christ is more worthy more pretious and more noble made according to that of the Ephesians chap. 1. He hath gratified us in his beloved Son VIII When sins and manifold imperfections doe make thee sad let them not A Christian may sorrow but not despair make thee to despaire Although they bee many think this There is mercy with the Lord and plenteous redemption with him Psa
sinner is cast from God and judged to eternall death incurring the same without doubt unlesse he obtain remission of sinnes by faith in Christ Which naturall corruption of soule mind and body that thou O man mayst understand more exactly it shall not grieve me to expresse it more plainly or more at large exhorting and praying thee for Gods sake and thine own happinesse that thon wouldest diligently read and daily meditate this Article whereby thou mayst know thy naturall misery and thy in-born wickednes no otherwise then in a glasse and that which followeth it continually lament and deplore the same For the sum of Christianity is no other thing What Christianity is then a continuall spirituall wrastling with originall sinne and continuall purging of it by the holy Ghost and a serious no superficial repentance For how much every one mortifieth this naturall iniquity so much from day to day hee is renewed towards the Image of God On the contrary so many as inwardly and from the heart doe not mortifie it by the holy Ghost these are hypocrites whatsoever shew of holinesse Hypocrites they outwardly shew unto the world And whatsoever is not dead in it selfe and The necessity of regeneration is not renewed by the holy Ghost to the image of God all that is unfit for the kingdome of heaven Whereby there is to be noted the necessity of the new birth and renovation if we will put out the Image of the Devill opposite to the divine law For as the Devill doth hate God with all his heart so hath hee taught the humane soule against God in hostile manner to behave it selfe not to love him not to honour him not to call upon him to be against and to flye from him As the Devill liveth thus day by day in blindnesse little caring what is the Divine will so all things bewitched by him spend the time unmindfull of God and his commandements which mist and night of humane mind is a horrible and terrible destruction of the light and of the image of God and also abominable sin whereby the man is so farre slided back that hee doth say There is no God Psalm 14. And for this blindnesse all humane kind is abomination and accursed before Almighty God And although there bee and remain in man a certain spark of naturall light by the force thereof he understandeth some God to be and that he is just as the Ethnick Philosophers doe teach yet the spirituall life according to God and his righteousnesse is A spark of natural light remaining in mâ—n altogether extinguished in him For the conscience which is the Law of God written in the heart of man in the creation teacheth what is good whereby there is no man so brutish in his pleasures but by that conscience he thinketh there is a God and that he is moved with no motion but is chast and therefore it cannot but that hee abhorreth all filthinesse neither should hee doe otherwise But this good and right thought and spark our light is put out by the filthy pleasures of the body and the concupiscences thereof no other wayes then if water were cast upon it After the same manner a slanderer or an homicide sometime reasoneth with himselfe Certainly there is a God that wil not that men should be killed but would have them preserved but this spark lasteth not long but The spirituell life in man is altogether dead by and by Devillish wrath and the sweetnesse of revenge extinguisheth it From which it is understood that a spirituall life consisting in love and truth in a carnall man is altogether dead neither doth hee think otherwise howsoever sometimes by the light of nature they understand that there is a God and that he doth governe humane affaires yet by and by being blinded with the darknesse of heart they call in The mortall blindnesse of man question his providence as their books doe witnesse And from this naturall blindnesse and in-born mists ariseth incredulility unstedfastnesse and wavering-mindednesse which all men naturally are incident unto and for which before Almighty God they are abomination because they live not in faith and they doe not trust from their heart For seeing that a naturall man of the spirituall life and works of the same is altogether ignorant and profane hereon it is that hee calleth not on God but trusteth in his wisdome power and strength then which nothing can bee thought more foolish Of the same blindnesse the fruit is contempt of God and spirituall security For as the Devill secure of God careth not to humble himselfe before him but persevereth in his pride so hee The seed of the Devill in man doth infect the soule of man by the contempt of God with security and insolencie so that he doth not humble himself before God but secure of the divine fear doth all things after his own will and mind proudly insolently As the Devill carried along with his own strength and wisdome governeth himselfe so the soule of man infected with the contagion of the Devill is wise unto it selfe doth counsell and govern it selfe As the Devill seekes his own honour onely so the man hath no care of the divine honour but onely his own As the Devil hath contended with God so hath hee armed the soule of man against God by impenitence As the Devill doth blaspheme the name of God and is extreamly ungratefull towards his Creator as he is unmerciful wrathfull and bloudy so he hath infected man with these vices as with a pestilent poyson As the Devil rejoyceth to exercise tyranny against man and stirreth up one against another so man by his discipline depraved insolently carrieth himselfe over his neighbour and despiseth him as a man of no account derideth him as a foole and abhorreth him as a man covered with greatest sinnes and outrages As the Devill is an homicide so he stirreth up the soule to the same cruelty and thirst of humane bloud Lastly perswade thy selfe assuredly that God doth not accuse the outward members but the God accuseth the soul alwayes heart and soule alwayes for the heart and soule is an homicide and a lier noâ— his hand not his mouth Therefore when God commanded man to call upon him in necessity he gave that charge to the soul not to the mouth Hee that understandeth not this he truly remaineth as a Mole-warp in the Scripture neither understandeth the nature of originall sinne of repentance of the new birth lastly not any Article of Religion We see daily before our eyes the extream malice of men their horrible pride cruelty hatred and beastly envie so that they are accustomed to lie in wait for another mans life with the hazard of their own and desire to have their neighbour utterly overthrown Which inhumane and detestable envie wrath and rancor of minds what other thing is it then that seed The holy matrimony in the state of innocency and image of
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