in their soules of all men in the earth they are most miserable For as long as thou maist keepe in thy mind a sparke of this knowledge and spirituall light in the which thou maist see the face of God in Christ wherein thou maist see a remedy in the death and passion of Christ and wherein thou maist see the bowels of mercy offred in the bloud of Christ if thou haue any sparke of this light albeit it were neuer so little to direct thee and albeit this knowledge were neuer so much wounded yet there is mercy enough for thee in Christ but if thou close vp all the windowes of thy soule and of thy heart and make them to become palpable darknesse that thou neither knowest from whence the terror cometh nor yet perceiuest any remedy that is the miserie of all miseries We haue many things in generall to lament concerning the estate of this our Countrey wherein we liue Also particularly There is not one of you but hath great cause to take heede to your consciences now while ye haue time that ye banish not altogether this light which is yet offered vnto you and whereof some sparks yet remaine For I see the most part of men run headlong to banish the sparke of light that is in them and will not rest so long as there is any sparke of it left vntill it be vtterly banished And when they haue so done alas what can follow but a blinde and terrible feare in their consciences which they can neuer get extinguished a feare without remedie a growing feare and not a decaying feare a feare that will deuoure them wholly at the last Therefore euery one of you be carefull of this light that is within you take heede that the foule affections of your hearts draw not your bodies after them see at the least that those affections banish not this light And so long as the Lord offers you this light in time craue that of his mercy he would giue you the grace to embrace it to take a new course and yet to amend your liues while time is giuen you The body shall leaue the soule and the soule shall leaue the bodie but the conscience shall neuer leaue the soule but whither soeuer the soule goeth to the same place shall the conscience repaire and looke in what estate thy conscience is when thou departest out of this life in the selfe same estate shall it meet thee in the gteat Day So that if thy conscience was a tormentor to thee at the time of thy death if thou get it not then pacified it shall be a tormentor to thee in that generall Iudgement Therefore this matter would be well weighed euery one of you should studie to haue a good conscience that when the soule is seuered from the body leauing your conscience at rest and peace with God it may be restored vnto you and meete you againe with as great peace and quietnesse Thus far concerning conscience what it is I beseech the liuing Lord so to sanctifie your memories that ye may keepe these things and that euery one of these things may be so imprinted in your hearts that ye may be mindfull of them all your liues The second thing that we are to speake of is this We are to consider wherefore we should trie our consciences for what causes we should examine our owne soules consciences I will declare the reasons briefly It behooueth euery one of you to trie your conscience Why Because the Lord will make his residence in no other part of the soule but in the conscience He hath appointed his dwelling to be in the heart of man and in the will and conscience of man and therefore it becometh you to make his dwelling place cleane and to take heed vnto your hearts Next though the Lord of heauen made not his residence there yet in respect the eye of God is an all-seeing eye and able to pierce through the very thicknesse of mans flesh how darke and grosse soeuer it be and to enter into the very secret corners of thy conscience for vnto the all-seeing eye of God the most secret corner of thy conscience is as cleare and manifest as any outward or bodily thing in the earth can be to the outward eye of the bodie In respect therefore that this eye is so piercing and that he casteth his eye onely vpon our hearts it behooueth vs to try our hearts Thirdly he is the Lord of the conscience There is no Monarch on earth that hath any soueraigntie or lordship ouer the conscience onely the God of heauen onely Christ Iesus King of heauen and earth is Lord of the conscience he hath power onely to saue and lose Therefore when thou comest to this Sacrament of the Lords Table thou oughtest carefully to looke vnto thy conscience to try and examine the state of it Last of all which is a chiefe reason It behooueth thee to proue thy conscience because the welfare and health of thy soule dependeth vpon thy conscience If thy conscience that is within thy soule be well if it be at peace and rest thy soule is well if thy conscience be in a good estate thy soule must needs be in a good estate if thy conscience be in good health of necessitie thy soule must be in good health for the good health and happinesse of the soule dependeth vpon a good conscience therefore it concerneth euery one of you to try well your consciences There was neuer any law made or deuised that forbad vs to haue a care of our healths it is lawfull for vs to seeke such things as may procure and preserue it but the health of thy soule standeth in the health of thy conscience and in preseruing thereof therefore by all lawes thou oughtest to attend thy conscience If thou keepe thy conscience well thy soule is in health and if thy soule be in health let troubles come what will vpon thy body thou wilt endure them all but if thy soule be diseased with an euill conscience thou shalt not be able to beare out the least trouble that shall come vpon thy body whereas if the conscience were at rest and in good health that trouble could not happen vnto thy body but the strength of a good conscience would beare it out Then haue ye not reason and more then reason to take heede to your consciences to try and examine your consciences in what estate and disposition they stand Now because it is a fruitlesse thing to tell you that health is necessary and not to shew the way how this health may be obtained and preserued therefore to keepe your consciences in quiet and good health I will giue you these few lessons First of all be sure that thou retaine a stedfast perswasion of the mercies of God in Christ Iesus examine when thou liest downe and examine when thou risest vp in what estate thou art with God whether thou maist looke for mercy
in respect that faith is the ground whereupon all the rest depends and in respect that this fayth is such a Iewell as without the which it is not possible for any of you to please God without which all your deedes are abhomination before him without the which you are in the greatest miserie which miserie is so much the more terrible in that you are ignorant of it is it not good reason that ye know and vnderstand how this faith is first wrought and then nourished in your soules by the holy Spirit that seeing how it is created and the maner how it is brought about ye may examine your consciences and see whether ye may be in the faith or not My purpose was to haue insisted longer on this matter then this time will suffer Now therefore as time will permit and God shall giue grace I wil let you vnderstand how the holy Spirit imployes his trauaile in the heart and minde of man and what paines the holy Ghost taketh in creating and forming this Iewell of faith in your soules Yet before I enter this worke to let you see the trauailes of the Spirit of God in working of this fayth in your hearts it is necessarie and more then necessarie that ye vnderstand first your owne miserie and infirmitie and that ye know how the Lord was induced to recouer you out of your old estate and to recreate you who were lost by the fall of your father Adam Then to consider of this matter more deepely I offer to your remembrances this ground That man vniuersally and euery one particularly being corrupted and lost and that by our first fathers fall for if there were no more but that same first fault and sinne of his we are all of vs iustly condemned to a double death both of bodie soule for euer Man thus vniuersallie and particularlie being vtterlie lost without any hope at all of recouery left in his soule without any sense of the recouery of that former estate or repairing of that Image which he had lost through sinne long before he being I say lost by this sinne and left in this desperate estate in himselfe what doth God The euerliuing God onely wise whose waies are vnserchable hath found out a way how that man this way lost yet he may be saued herein he sought counsell from whom Not from any â—reature but he counselled with himselfe The persons of the Trinitie tooke counsell of themselues one God was moued to seeke counsell from himselfe onely moued in himselfe for he had not an externall principall without himselfe to induce him So he seeking this counsell at himselfe and being moued in himselfe thereto as Ephes. 1.9 what doth he When all men should haue died for euer it pleased him of his infinite mercy to select out of all and to elect a certaine number out of the lost race of Adam that should haue perished for euer In this his counsell and decree moued I say of himselfe and seeking counsell from himselfe onely he selects a certaine number out of this rotten race which certaine number he will haue sanctified he will haue iustified he will haue glorified And therefore to bring to passe the worke of their saluation what doth he He appoints his owne naturall sonne for he had but one naturall son he appoints the second person of the Trinity his owne naturall sonne God in power glory and maiestie as high as himselfe equall with God the father in all things he appoints him to worke this worke to bring to passe this worke of our redemption and eternall saluation This is but the mystery of it in some measure disclosed And therefore in the fulnes of time for he dispenseth all things according to his wisedome at such time as he appointed he makes his sonne to come downe to seise himselfe in the wombe of the Virgin to take on our flesh to take on the likenesse of sinne he tooke not on sin but he tooke on the likenes of sin What call I that likenes Our flesh is the likenesse of sinne he tooke on our flesh and nature the likenes of sinne which was perfectly sanctified the very moment of his conception in the very wombe of the Virgin He tooke on this flesh that in this flesh and nature sinne might be banished and cast out of vs for euer And whereas we should all of vs haue gone one-way for there was no exception of persons by nature Christ Iesus our sauiour hath elected vs and according as his Father in his secret election before the beginning of the world had elected vs the same Christ Iesus in his owne time calleth vs and maketh vs partakers of that saluation which he hath purchased and he repaires not onely that image which was lost in our forefather Adam he placeth vs not in a terrestriall paradise where Adam was placed at the beginning and what more could haue bene sought by vs but he giues vs a farre more excellent image then we lost he placeth vs in a more high and in a more celestiall paradise then we lost For so much the more heauenly is the paradise which he giues vs as the second Adam is more excellent then the first and as the Sonne of God and God himselfe is farre aboue any creature that euer was man or Angell Therefore it comes to passe that by the benefite of the second Adam Christ Iesus our Sauiour the Sonne of God whereas had we remained in that Image wherein our forefather was created we should haue setled our selues in the earth for euer we could not haue craued a better paradise then an earthlie paradise for earthlie tabernacles By benefit of the Son of God I say it cometh to passe that we are plucked vp out of the earth to the heauen and to a heauenly paradise And what haue we to do with heauen Are we not made of the earth to returne to the earth Becomes not an earthly paradise an earthly body Yet the Lord in his mercy sendeth downe his Sonne to draw vs vp out of the earth to the heauen This is so high a thing that it cannot be easily considered For this drawing of vs to a heauenly paradise is a thing more then could haue bene thought on That we should liue the life of Angels in heauen how could the heart of man thinke on this Yet it pleased the liuing Lord in the great riches and bowels of his mercie and in the exceeding greatnes of the power of his mercie towards vs the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians cannot get words enough to expresse this he knowes not how to begin nor how to end when he speakes of the riches of that mercie and if ye looke well into that Epistle to the Ephesians ye shall finde more high and excelleÌ„t stiles giuen to the riches of that mercie in that Epistle then in any other part of the Scripture It pleased him I say of his owne mercie not to giue vs simply the
in his soule that in the 17. verse he calleth it bitter bitternesse he hath no words to expresse this bitternesse what euer it was Where the iudgements of God make such a print in the soule it is long ere sinne can blot it out and so long as the memory of the iudgement remaineth it is easie to be thankfull it is easie to go forward in doing some part of our duty it is easie to stand in aw that we fall not into the hands of God but when we blot out this memory we returne to that same puddle out of the which we were deliuered Therefore I commend to you to craue of God a sanctified memory that ye may kepe fresh the iudgements of God which either ye haue seene in others or felt in your owne bodies that the feeling of these iudgements may serue you to be thankfull to him and may make you to stand in aw and beware to fall into the hands of a consuming fire Now this King finding this benefite so sweete he is compelled to burst forth in the praise of the word of God which brought forth so good an effect And first he praiseth it generally from the good it doeth vnto all men Then he prayseth it in particular from his owne particular experience comfort which he receiued in his owne person This doctrine is necessary and notable for these times First then he praiseth the word from the good it worketh in all flesh By these things sayth he men liue that this by the force of these words it commeth to passe that we enioy the benefite of this naturall life wherby we liue in this body vpon earth For the Lords word calleth on things that are not as though they were and his word maketh them to be By his word he created heauen and earth by his word he gaue man life and breath and whatsoeuer is necessary to him By his word he assigned to him the earth the seasons and bounds of his habitation To this end that man being created according to the image of God he might seeke God and no doubt he is not farre from euery one of vs For as the Apostle sayth Act. 17. In him we liue moue and haue our being And as this is true in this naturall life so is it as true in the entertainment of this life for by the benefit of this word we are sustained For our life standeth not onely in meate and drinke but in euery word that proceedeth out of the Lords mouth Mat. 4. that is in euery thing wherunto the Lord giueth power to nourish For it is the Lords word that giueth power to nourish vs. And suppose meate and drinke were remoued the Lord is able to make stones to nourish vs. This good King acknowledged this good effect to come of the word and therefore he praiseth the word Now after he had praised it from the generall effect he goeth forward and praiseth it from his owne particular experience and he saith in the conclusion of these things The life of my soule standeth that is in thy saying and doing in thy truth and mercy in thy promising and keeping thereof standeth the life of my soule as if the King would say Not onelie haue I this naturall life which I liue in this miserable bodie by the benefite of the word but I haue a more precious life the life of my soule and spirit which discerneth me from the rest of mankind which putteth me in a better estate then the rest of the world which maketh mine heauen to begin here which neuer shall end For as there is a life and death of the body so there is a life and death of the soule The life of the body may be conioyned with the death of the soule and the death of the body may stand with the life of the soule The life of the body standeth in the presence of the soule the life of the soule standeth in the presence of the Spirit of life Except the soule be borne againe by the Spirit of life ye shall neuer see the face of God before the soule be quickned by the Spirit of life it remaineth a dead carion dead in sinne dead in the lusts of the flesh as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. Colos. 2. And consequently there remaineth but a carriō both in soule body the soule being as void of a spirituall and heauenly life as a carion is of a naturall life The words of the Apostle in that place in sundry places are Dead in sinne dead in trespasses and in the vncircumcised lusts of the flesh Where death hath place life must be wholly extinguished and where death hath place there can neither be halfe life quarter life nor a breath of life But so it is that death hath place in our soule by nature Therefore by nature there cannot be so much as a sparke of that heauenly life in it And if there be not so much as a sparke of life in it where is that halfe or quarter life whereof the Papists speake They will not haue it dead but lamed or crooked The Apostle saith in plaine tearmes that it is dead and therefore that spirituall life must be wholly put out and consequently all kind of will to good and all sight of God in Christ is banished away this death of the soule remaineth perpetually in vs vntill such time that the participation of the Spirit of life which is in the body of Christ Iesus free vs from the law of sinne and from the law of death which is in our owne nature Rom. 8. Now would ye know whether your soule liueth or not Would ye perceiue whether this Spirit of life be begun in you or not I will giue you certaine effects whereby ye may examine the life of the soule There are many effects giuen vs in the Scriptures as namely Gala. 6. But I leaue them choose three speciall effects whereby euery one may discerne of the life of the soule There is first that inward peace of conscience There is next that ioy and reioycing vnder trouble There is thirdly a loue of God a loue of vertue and an hatred of vice where euer any of these three hath place there the soule liueth where thou findest thy conscience refreshed and thy soule recreate from the great terrors manifold pangs of sinne no question the soule liueth for this is the effect of the right Spirit and this is the right peace whereof the world is ignorant that passeth all naturall vnderstanding The more thou makst this peace to grow the more thou liuest in thy soule The more this peace groweth the more sinne decayeth the more thou castest out all that baggage of sin that troubleth the quiet estate of the conscience In a word the onely thing that troubleth the soule that disquieteth the conscience and that we haue to cast out is sinne For sinne is the onely thing that seuereth vs from God in whom there
Image which we lost nor to leaue vs in this earth but it pleased him to giue vs a better Image and beside that to place vs in heauen there to remaine with him for euer Now resteth his mercie and grace here No But that this saluation which he hath alreadie purchased brought about by his Sonne our Sauiour Christ Iesus might be wholly accomplished hauing nothing wanting in it as he redeemed vs in his owne person perfectly so he makes this same redemption to come to our knowledge makes vs sure of it in our consciences and to this end what doth he As by his death he purchased our full redemption so he makes it knowne vnto vs he intimates it vnto vs by our inward calling letting vs both finde and feele in our heaâ—ts what he did in his body for vs. For our Lord when he makes his seruants to proclaime this redemption and to intimate it to our consciences he workes this Iewell of faith in our soules which assures vs that the Son of God hath died for vs. For what could it auaile vs to see our redemption to see our saluation and our life a farre off if a way were not found out and a hand and meanes giuen vnto vs whereby we may apprehend that saluation applie it to our selues What can it auaile a sicke man to see a drugge in an Apothecaries shop except he may haue it and apply it to his sicke bodie So to the end that this worke of our redemption and saluation may be fullie and freelie accomplished looke how freelie he hath giuen his onely Sonne to the death of the crosse for vs as freelie hath he found out this way and meanes and offered vs this hand whereby we may take hold on Christ apply him to our soules This meanes to conclude is faith There is not a way nor an instrument in the Scriptures of God whereby we can applie Christ to our soules but onelie the instrument of faith therefore faith cannot be enough commended Turne to faith and it will make thee turne to God and so conioyne thee with God and make all thine actions well pleasing vnto him There is no good action that we do though it seeme neuer so good before the world but it is abhomination before God if it be not done in faith and will further our condemnation hauing faith all the creatures of God are seruiceable vnto vs they must all conspire to the furtherance of the worke of our saluation As on the contrarie wanting faith there is none of the creatures of God but shall be enemies vnto vs and conspire to our damnation For faith conioynes vs with the God of heauen and makes vs heauenly This Iewell of faith seasons all the gifts and graces which God giueth vnto vs all the riches of the earth is of no value to my soule without faith And what auaileth it any man to haue all the knowledge and wisedome in the earth without faith For the diuell hath all this knowledge and is not the better What auaileth it me to conquer all the Monarches kingdomes and whole riches in the earth what can all these auaile my soule Nothing but accuse me if I want faith Therefore all the benefits and gifts of God without faith auaile nothing but to augment our miseâ—ie All the gifts and graces of God are abused without faith faith onely maketh thee to vse the benefits and graces of God rightly Faith only should be sought kept and entertained here in this life hauing faith all the rest of Gods graces are profitable vnto thee for this Iewell keepeth them all in order and maketh them all fruitfull whereas wanting this iewell there is nothing here on earth but it will testifie against thee Let vs then speake of this faith how it is wrought in you I take my ground out of the Euangelist Iohn 6.44 where our Sauiour saith No man can come to â—e except the Father which hath sent me draw him In the which words we see clearly that except we be drawne except we be compelled except we be thrust except of vnwilling we be made willing by God the father it is not possible for vs to come to his Sonne What is the reason of this that the Spirit of God must draw vs and make vs willing or euer we come to God Because by nature we are not onely wounded and lanced by sinne and iniquitie but as the Apostle sheweth Ephes. 2.1 We were wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes yea obseâ—ue how voide any dead bodie is of a naturall life so voide are our soules though they be liuing the naturall life so voide are they of the life of God of that heauenly and spirituall life whereunto we in this life do aspire vntill such time that the Spirit of God draw our hearts and minds that is quicken our hearts and minds No it is not a drawing as we commonly speake it is a very quickning of a dead thing It is a quickning of that thing which was void of the life of the Spirit Then except the Spirit of God draw vs that is quicken vs with that spirituall and heauenly life it is not possible for vs to come to heauen And except he nourish this life which he hath begun it is not possible that we can stand in this life So the Spirit of God is said to draw vs that is to begin this life in vs and by the same holy Spirit to continue and nourish this life in vs. Now by the drawing of the Spirit our soules are quickned and by the drawing of the Spirit I vnderstand no other thing but the framing and creating of faith in our soules which makes vs new creatures Now let vs see what order the Spirit of God keepeth in drawing vs and informing and creating this faith in our soules First of all I deuide the soule into no more parts then commonly it vseth to be deuided that is into the heart and the mind Our mind then being â— cloud of darknesse altogether blind naturally there being nothing in that mind of ours but vanitie error and ignorance whereby we vanish away can neuer long continue in any good resolution or purpose what doth the Spirit of God The first worke that euer the Spirit of God doth he taketh order with the mind and what doth he to the mind He banisheth darknesse he chaseth out vanitie and blindnesse that naturally lurketh in the mind and in stead of this darknesse he placeth in the mind a lâ—ght a celestial and heauenly light a light which is resident in Christ Iesus onely Then the Spirit chaseth out that cloud of mist and darknesse and placeth light in the mind And what worketh he by this light We getting sanctified vnderstanding incontinent he makes vs to see God not onely as he is God the Creator of the world but also as he is God the Redeemer and hath redeemed vs in his Sonne Christ Iesus Now before I obtaine this light
second thing that ye haue to learne here is this ye see Kings may haue the Plague There is no Prince in the earth exempted from the iudgement of God when he pleaseth to apply them Thus farre for the name of the disease The second thing that is noted here is the time when the King fell into this disease there is no certaine time set downe here but the time specified is relatiue to the last history It is relatiue to that time when the King of Ashur took armes against him which was the 13. yere of his reigne So it was the 14. yeare of his reigne that he fell into thâ—s disease for this godly King reigned 29. yeares 15. of them were giuen him after his disease In the 14. yeare of his reigne the warres beganne and this time is relatiue to that history so it must be in the 14. of his reigne that he fell into that disease whether the disease was after the siege or during the same the iudgement of the learned differs although in 2. Chron. 32. chap. it appeareth that he fell into this disease after the siege and time of his deliuery For we reade in that history that the King in the meane time of this siege was building vp the ruinous walles was stopping the conduites of the waters was sending messengers to Isaiah and was resorting to the Temple These were all arguments of a wholesome and well disposed King and there is no argument of infirmity here So it appeareth that it was after the siege that he fell into this disease Now take heede where my note riseth he is scarsly freed from the fearefull warres when he falleth into a terrible plague We see then that the estate of the godliest and best Princes is to be subiect to continuall tentation griefe and vexation so that the issue of one trouble is the beginning of another So it pleaseth the Lord to exercise them And to what end I pray you To the end that this life with the pleasures and glorie of it may become bitter to their taste and so they may be moued to seeke for a better And this lesson appertaineth to all Christians for if thou be a Christian thou must looke for trouble of necessity thou must take vp thy daily crosse and follow Christ. As for the fed carcasses of this world the Lord in his righteous iudgement hath appointed them for slaughter But if thou be one of them whom he hath not appointed for slaughter thou must be subiect to a continuall exercise either in soule or in body in familie or fame one way or other thou must be subiect to a continuall exercise For there is no way to pierce the clouds but by a continuall tribulation And seeing it is so it becommeth vs not to haue our hearts here gruntling vpon this earth but it becometh vs to haue our hearts hoissed and our minds lifted vp to the heauens where our Maister reigneth in glorie and to vse the things of this world as they may best further vs to the next world or otherwise terrible is the iudgement and incommoditie that the things of this world shall bring vpon vs. Thus farre concerning the time As to the greatnesse of the disease I find it noted in the verses which I haue read by sundrie things First the Prophet sheweth the greatnesse of the disease whereas he saith he was sicke euen to the death Secondly the greatnes of his disease is aggrauated while as the Prophet getteth command in the name of the Lord to assure him of death And thirdly the byle it selfe which broke out was deadly and sheweth also the weight of the disease Now in this extremitie the Prophet visiteth him and in the name of the Lord enioyneth him two things first to take order with his house next to prepare him for death and to pull his heart the more from all present things and all earthly comfort assureth him of death shortly and for his further assurance he doubleth the word saying Thou shalt die and not liue It is so hard a thing to haue the hearts of Kings pulled from their wealth and from their glorie The Prophet in visiting of the King learneth vs a point of dutie towards our diseased brethren a point wherunto we are bound by nature by charitie and by all sorts of lawes but chiefly we who haue the care of soules and represent Esay in our office at this time chiefly we are bound to visite our brethren for at such times the Diuell is most busie the bodies of men are abstracted from the hearing of the preached word and old sinnes begin to reuiue and returne to their memories and therefore at that time there is great need of comfort We are also informed here by the Prophet how to propound our comfort lest we spend our time in idle and vnprofitable talke as worldly men do To wit first of all that we bid the patient take order with his house that is make his testament and lay aside the worldly part that so his heart may be readie to go when the Lord calleth on his soule The most part of the world are so negligent in this point of dutie that there are very few that haue their heart free when the Lord knocketh but they are compelled to leaue their heart behind them where their treasure is or where they loue best and that because they set themselues here as in a permanent Citie And in their life time they will not so much as once thinke of death but dreame to themselues length of dayes and which I wonder most of there is not a man about them that will do so much as once to put them in mind of death yea not when the Lord beginneth to strike but some say it will trouble him and make him heauie others come in and say they would do it but they cannot for teares and sorrow The Doctor saith Nature is strong enough be of good comfort So that if the Pastor leaue this point of dutie there is not a friend almost that beginneth to admonish a man vntill his outward senses begin to leaue him Now as it becometh the Pastor to propound this so it becometh the Patient to obey it for this command is not giuen by man but by God For Esay giueth it in the Name of God and it is not onely giuen to Kings but it reacheth to all masters of families whosoeuer for the Lord hath willed them to haue a care of their families not onely in their life time but in their death also that by this meanes all occasion of quarrels and debates might be cut off after their death The Patriarches the godly Kings they haue left their example registred concerning this point so that I will not insist at this present further in it Now the worldly part being set aside and the conscience put at rest the soule is prepared to heare of death and so the Prophet cometh in the
second place with the denunciation of death Indeed Esay in his denunciation appeareth to be very strict but how strict soeuer he was he hath his warrant We haue not the like warrant therefore we ought not to vse the like strictnesse toward the Patient Alwaies generally we ought to exhort him to vnbuâ—den his conscience to disburden his soule and to make 〈…〉 whensoeuer it shall please the Lord to call 〈…〉 the chiefe points of our visitation standeâ—h 〈…〉 two first to bid the Patient lay aside the 〈…〉 and next to prepare for the heauenly part Yet ere I leaue the denunciation theâ—e â—ppeareth in the denunciation three faults to concuâ—â—â— First it seemeth that the Prophet in his denunciation 〈◊〉 ouer rigorous against so godly a King and handlâ—â—â—he King ouer extremely in this heauie disease for he cuâ—â— from him at the first all hope of this present life He doth farre otherwise then our Doctors of medicine for if they see any certaine signe of death they will not shew it to the Patient himselfe but to some of his friends he on the contrarie denounceth death to himselfe constantly affirming that he shall die Now this appeareth to be very hard But I answer if this denunciation had bene vsed against an Ethnick or a licentious liuer indeed it had bene an hard denunciation For as to an Ethnick who hath his hope onely in the earth it is not possible that he can make his hope to mount aboue the earth so that he thinketh when he is gone all is gone to him Secondly this denunciation would appeare hard and extreame to them that liue according to the flesh for ô how bitter is death saith Salomon to them that liue according to the flesh And I pray you what is the cause that death is so bitter vnto them Because in the agonie of death they feele another thing then this violent separation of the soule from the bodie for beside this they feele a conscience of iniquitie gnawing them they feele also the heauie wrath of God kindled against their sinne and iniquitie and the sense of this wrath striketh such a horrour in their soules that at the very memorie of death they tremble Therefore I say to such kind of persons as those this would haue bene a hard kind of threatning But vnto Christians and namely to such a godly King as this was it was no hard language For as to vs that we Christians we must not looke on death as she is in her owne nature But we must looke vpon her as she is made to vs by the benefite and mercie in Christ Iesus And looking on death this way is not death spoiled of her sting is she not sanctified to vs in the death of Christ and is she not made to vs an entrie to euerlasting felicitie is she not a returning from our banishment and passing to our euerlasting heauen So looking on death not in the owne nature but as she is made to vs in Christ at the voice of death we ought to lift vp our eyes and be glad that the redemption of our soule is so neare when the separation shal be made the Lord shall call on vs we ought to reioyce seeing he hath made death to vs a further step to ioy and a meanes of a stricter coniunction But it is not possible that words can make men prepare them for death The readiest way to eschue the horror of death is to thinke vpon death and yet notwithstanding of all the great spectacles that we see dayly we are neuer an haire moued Alwaies the readiest way as I haue said is to take vp such a life presently as may best agree with that life which we aspire vnto Thou must take vp a new course thou must conforme thy life here with the life to come that an harmonie being betwixt the two liues death may be to thee an entry to that euerlasting ioy Thou must bid all thy foule affections good night for thou and they cannot come both to heauen Thou must bid sinne whereunto thou art a slaue and an ordinarie seruant farewell for except thou be this way altered thou must not thinke that death shall be to thee a passage to heauen Then learne ye that would haue death pleasant so to rule and square this life that it may agree in some measure with the life to come The second omission that appeareth in this denunciation is this â—t seemeth to be superfluous for why the kind of plague assured him of his death the Physicions assured him the weakenesse of his owne nature assured him that he should die So the denunciation seemeth to be superfluous but it is not superfluous in deed if we shal examine our owne nature how loath all men are to die for we know by experience that there are some who wil scarcely take death to them euen at the last gaspe and what loue we haue to this life it is knowne to all men Therefore the Prophet so strictly denounced death that by this strict denunciation the King may be moued to lift his hope aboue nature and all naturall meanes and of God onely to seeke support where nature had denyed him And so the denunciation is not superfluous it is the ready way to make him runne vnto the right way Now the last omission that appeareth in this denunciation is this The Lord seemeth by his Prophet to dissemble for is not this an high dissimulation to say that he shall die and yet notwithstanding to meane the contrary So there appeareth a great dissimulation on Gods part denounced by his Prophet that he should die instantly and yet he was of minde that he should liue fifteene yeares after this To answer vnto this this generall must be layed downe for a ground that Vnto all the threatnings and promises of God there is a condition annexed which condition is either secretly inclosed in the promise or threatning or else it is openly expressed That this is true see Ezechiel the 18.1 and Dan 4.27 this condition hath place Then this being the nature of the threatnings of God this terrible denunciation how terrible soeuer it appeare yet it hath a condition in it to wit Except he repent except he seeke me and make his recourse to me by prayer For out of question the Lord was of minde to punish Niniâ—e except they had preuented him by repentance So I say all the promises and threatnings of God haue a condition annexed which is either openly expressed or couertly to be vnderstood And therefore the denunciation hath a secret condition and this condition made the King to liue for suppose it be simply propounded yet it is not to bring him to despaire but onely to make him the more instant to sâ—eke grace health at the hands of the liuing God Now haue I touched the greatnesse the time and the kind of the disease Let vs make our profite thereof for it is necessary that this doctrine
naturall light much more supernaturall who thinketh that the Lord hath taken away his hand suppose he striketh not Indeede he hath withdrawne his hand to let vs see the force of our prayers and to try vs how we would vse this benefite but seeing it is so highly abused if there were no other thing but the birth of iniquity wherewith the land is ouerburthened ere the Lord want any meanes to punish the committers and ouerseers of these iniquities he will rather punish the land from heauen immediatly or else make it to spue out the inhabitants For suppose the Lord spare yet he will not forgiue this contempt But this sparing is of the Lords benignity he letteth them hoord vp sinne against the day of wrath I insist no further in it Now followeth in order the Kings thankefulnesse vnto the Lord for the benefite which he hath receiued And forsooth this King is greatly thankefull and he hath set downe and left in register his song of thankefulnesse to testifie that he is not like to vs he hath set downe a notable song of lamentation and thanksegiuing that we reade of none better in any King except that which is in the 51. Psal. He hath set downe a song of lamentation to testifie his infirmitie and disease and he hath set downe a song of praise to testifie his thankefulnes toward God This song standeth of three parts In the first part he letteth vs see the great trouble and perplexity whereinto he was fallen what he said and what he did in his trouble In the second part he maketh a rehearsall of the greatnesse of â—he benefites that he hath receiued and promiseth to put his trust in him to make his dependance on God and on no other In the third part he letteth vs see that he is mindefull to be thankfull as long as he liueth and all his dayes to praise him and not to be forgetfull of him I thinke these be the three parts of the song Now ere we enter into the first part it is necessary that ye vnderstand the course of this Kings life and the manner of his behauiour in his whole life that marking the course of his life at least if ye will not follow the course of other common Christians ye may learne to follow a King Take heede then vnto the course of his life In the 14 yeare of his reigne he was threatned by the King of Ashur he was threatned by two sundrie Ambassadours and God his Master and he himselfe was in their face blasphemed After this in his great extremity what doth he He and the Prophet go to the Church and addresse them to prayer this is one part of his exercise And vpon his instant prayer what commeth to passe He purchaseth a wonderfull deliuerance and vpon this deliuerance what doth he He and the Prophet praiseth God So here ye see prayer and prayse are his chiefe exercises Now he is not so soone deliuered but he falleth in the hands of a terrible plague and death is so present sent to him that he seeth no outgate Now what doth he He and the Prophet both pray I doubt not What followeth vpon this He is deliuered What followeth of the deliuerance He and the Prophet thanke God So here also ye see prayer and prayse What further Vpon this deliuerance he falleth into pride ambition he braggeth of all his iewels and treasures as if he had conquered them by his owne industry What followeth vpon this The Prophet threatneth him Vpon this threatning he is humbled After humiliation the Prophet comforteth him and vpon his comfort he thanketh God and saith The word of the Lord is good but yet let there be peace and rest in my dayes Now take heede to the whole course of this Kings life and ye shall see his whole life to be nothing els but a falling and rising a praying and praysing of God continually For as long as we cary about with vs these decaying houses of clay as Iob saith are clogged with them yea as long as the dregs of iniquity remaine in our soules we shall be subiect to a continuall falling and rising by the grace of God and not of our selues Of the which this his continuall praying and praysing of God springeth He prayeth for strength in his battels and he prayseth God for his victory and deliuerance Now take vp the lesson and learne of a King what should be a Christians excercise that seeing this mortality wherein we dwell the corruption wherewith we are beset for our sanctification is but begun and very imperfect in this life maketh vs to slide and seeing we are subiect to daily trouble and our life is but a continuall fighting should not this be our exercise continuall praying and praysing of God praying God for strength in the time of our falles and troubles and praysing him for our victories He that shall follow the life of this King shall obtaine the like end And suppose his life be a continuall fighting yet the Lord shall euer raise him and comfort him with his Spirit He that omitteth this exercise of prayer is most vnhappy for if he craueth not strength he is vnworthy of rising There is none of vs but we are all subiect to this estate And therefore if we would rise we must pray yea pray instantly and continually So I recommend prayer praysing vnto you all Thus farre concerning the course of the Kings life Now to come to the first part of the song In the first part he letteth vs see the great trouble perplexity and perturbation of minde wherein he was he letteth vs see what he said in this trouble Ere he enter to the words in the beginning of the 9. verse he noteth the circumstance of time when he was cast into this trouble and perturbation of mind and forsooth the circumstance is worthy of noting In the circumstance of time it is said In the cutting off of my dayes when was that to wit at what time the Pâ—ophet told him that it behooued him to die Then this trouble and perturbatioÌ„ came on me From the time he had once said it behooued him to die he fell into this feare suppose a godly King and as well reported of as any other King in the Scriptures yet as soone as he heareth the sentence of death pronounced he trembleth and feareth exceedingly And surely it cannot be otherwise for death is a violent separation and tearing asunder of that which the Lord hath appoynted to be conioyned to wit the soule and the body If the body had remained in the first estate and continued vnder obedience these two had neuer bene separated but by reason of disobedience and breakeng of the law of God in came sinne in cometh the violent separation in cometh death which is the reward of sinne as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 6. It is true indeede for this is necessary to be knowne that there haue bene
led to their natiue countrie to the City that hath the sure foundations as they confessed themselues Then I say there is another lesson that we may reape of his similitude It teacheth vs that we haue no permanent being here and we ought not to settle our hearts nor cast our loue on any thing here but seeing we are subiect to flitting and remouing not knowing what houre we shall be warned to remoue there is nothing more sure then that we must remoue and nothing more vnknowne then the time Therefore it becometh vs now in time while we haue leasure to transport our goods and to send them before vs where we are to remaine to send our substance where we are to abide for euer For proofe hereof your owne experience teacheth you that there is none of you who haue warning and are certaine that ye are to remoue but ye wil transport your goods and send your substance where ye are to abide Therfore seeing that this is concluded principally in all your hearts that there is no remaining here but we must remoue and ye are vncertaine in what moment ye shal be warned to remoue it becometh vs to send our goods substance riches before vs. And if it be true that our Maister sayth that the heart followeth the treasure let both heart and treasure be sent thither surely this is a singular lesson if it were learned For he is a mad man more then mad that will place his felicity where he is not to remaine and where he knoweth not what houre he shall be warned to depart I am assured there is none here but they will say as I say Yet on the other side it is as true there is none here but he doth as pleaseth himselfe Therefore I will call onely one thing to your mindes I remember there is a parable set downe Luke 12.16 concerning a rich man who did cast downe his barns and inlarged them for his great abundance when all this was done he saith to his soule Take thy rest eate and drinke and take thy pleasure for I haue laid vp enough for thee This insatiable foole as our master calleth him there knew not that he was tenant at will and he knew not of the thing that was to come but as if he had had the times and seasons at his command he layeth this resolution with his soule But ye see in this parable how soone he is disappointed and his soule getteth not the vse of this conclusion for that same night it is taken from him Well I know there are none so grosse that in words will lay this conclusion with this rich man but I know againe there are none so wise but in effect they do it There are none but they say the same to their soule in deed Alwaies I say all these conclusions are false and proceed of a foolish braine and the wisdome that bringeth on this conclusion is plaine follie and their soules shall be disappointed There is no certaine conclusion but that which floweth from the truth This word is sure therefore thou must haue thy warrant out of the word of God this word saith thou hast no certainty no not an houre here Therefore this word admonisheth all to be readie And if ye would be rich seeing riches is the blessing of God be rich in good works and send your riches before you and be rich in God that ye and your riches may remaine together there for euer If I might obtaine of you this lesson and no more I would thinke this dayes exercise well employed Then let men take such a resolution with themselues that they may be so disposed that when the messenger of death cometh he cannot come amisse come when he will Thus far concerning the first similitude The other similitude is taken from a Weauer and his web And in the words he saith after this manner I haue saith he wrought my life or wouen the web of my life to the off-cutting As the Weauer weaueth his web so is my life wouen readie to be cut off as if he would say in effect I see I haue shortned my dayes there is no remaining for me I haue brought my life to the off-cutting I haue preuented the iust time by mine owne doing I haue procured my owne death In whiâ—h words he would teach vs that by his owne doings he hath procured hastened his owne death and by his euill life shortned his time It is true indeed that as by sinne death entred into the world so by the multiplying of sinne our death is hastened For that disease is not that striketh on bodie or soule but it floweth of sinne yea the death of soule and bodie floweth of sinne The thing that shorteneth our dayes is sinne the thing that maketh our daies euill and troublesome is sinne saith Iacob Sinne maketh our daies full of anguish and griefe full of trouble and sorrow Sinne wrappeth vs in a thousand cares and exceeding vanities whereby we are deceiued and sinne consumeth vs with vnprofitable labors and trauels which are not necessarie And what more Sinne weakneth this body of ours by deceiueable pleasures it vexeth our mind with such feare and terrors as I cannot expresse them Shortly all the euill that euer God inflicteth it floweth of sinne And if it be true that this good King had occasion to say that his sinne procured his death If so godly a King so good a youth had occasion to say this that sinne shortened his dayes what may the youth of this countrey say what may I pray you our yong Nobilitie say Surely if this King walked in such paths as made him to draw neare to his death it appeareth well that they haue taken post in this way euery one as appeareth contending who should runne the speediest course to an euill end except God preuent it The Psalmist saith that the bloudie man shall not liue halfe his dayes if this be true what shall become of the bloudie adulterer of the sacrilegious blasphemer much more the Papist and the Idolater In the which and infinite other vices they runne post If a man hauing this one vice shall not end the halfe of his dayes how much more shall his dayes be shortened in whom these vices concurre all in one this is sure it cannot faile I leaue the great men and come to the inferior sort Looke to the prophane multitude ye see in their behauiour how speedily they runne this post There are two sinnnes which are ioyned together in them to wit gluttonie and drunkennesse And there are none but they know that these two are the fountaines of all bodily diseases and of the chiefe diseases of the soule whereby they perish for euer Now what I pray you saith Salomon Prouer. 23. with whom saith he lodgeth feare sorow contention debate and strife with whom but with the drunken man and with him that loueth wine yet ye see how the greatest part in
warning and know not what houre the Lord wil call on vs. There is none that is sure that he must change habitation and is out of doubt in his conscience that he is to remoue that will settle his heart in that place which he is not able to keepe but being assured that he shall remoue he will send his houshold stuffe and substance before him If this be true in earthly things how much more ought we seeing the Lord giueth vs leasure to send our substance before vs And as it is true that the heart followeth the substance let both hart and substance be sent to heauen where they may both meete vs to our comfort Be rich in God be rich in good workes and that kind of substance shall be able to convoy thee and shall serue stand in stead to thee both in heauen and earth The second comparison was taken from the Weauer and his web and the effect of it is this as the Weauer bringeth his web to the off cutting so would the King say I see I haue brought this miserable life of mine to the off-cutting I haue procured my suddaine and vntimely death by mine euil life I haue hasted this messenger It is true that all the diseases of the body and the chiefe diseases of the soule flow from sinne And as death entred by sinne so by multiplication of sinne deaâ—h is hastened sinne shorteneth our life sinne maketh our dayes euill sinne maketh them full of griefe and sorrow sinne inuolueth vs in a thousand cares sinne wrappeth vs in infinite vnprofitable labours Sinne weakneth our body by deceiueable pleasures sinne vexeth our minde with such terrors as cannot be expressed Abeit if this good King had occasion to say that his euill spent life spurred him to his death what may our yong nobility say if it be true that one sinne blood cutteth the halfe of the dayes as the Psalmist sayth how much more shall an heape of sinnes concurring in one pâ—rson shorten the dayes The sacrilegious blasphemer and the bloudy adulterer and infinite more other sinnes concurring in one person shall not these shorten this miserable life The thing which they feare most would willingliest eschue that same thing such is their iudgement they runne headlong on As to the prophane multitude ye see these two vices gluttony and drunkennesse whereby they dâ—aw on themselues sudden death and there is neuer a man but he is subiect vnto one sinne or other which shorteneth the threed of his life and draweth on that which he would eschue Well I will not insist in these occasions of death take heede whether ye walke in mercy or in your owne sinnes If ye walke in your owne sinnes of all iudgements it is the most terrible to be left to your selfe now mercie is offered and therefore ye that would be translated from death to life vse this time diligently In the second part of that exercise I shewed you the rage and fury of his sicknesse we did let you see the weight of his feuer was so great that it made him thinke that God was a deuouring Lion readie to bruise all his bones to powder It made him to looke that both soule and bodie should be taken from him that day ere night We shewed that these voyces could not flow froÌ„ a temporall paine only but there behoued to be a fire in the soule a further paine then could come of any bodily disease in the earth Of all troubles that come vnto man the trouble of conscience is the greatest of all other troubles this is the chiefest when besides a sight of sinne there is a touch of â—he insupportable anger indignation of the liuing God It appeareth by these voyces that the King felt a touch of this wrath whereby God appeareth to be a consuming fire It is the custome of God to bring his children into these extremities that feeling the pangs of hell they may see how precious the death of Christ ought to be vnto them How farre they are bound vnto him what is the dutie they owe vnto him that went betwixt them and so bitter a punishment This kind of extremitie teacheth vs how easie it is for the Lord to represse the pride of the flesh and to beate downe this wantonnesse of our filthie nature This glorious King in the space of 12. houres is brought to the ports of the graue and of desperation in a manner So ye see how easie it is for the Lord to bring the proudest flesh low and to do this he needeth not fire nor sword nor any other instrument but such as we haue within our selues he is able to make our owne darlings to be our greatest tortures For we carrie within vs either one viper or other which shall destroy the soule except the Lord preuent in mercie Last of all we shew how this King in his greatest extremitie behaued himselfe notwithstanding God appeareth to be a fire to his soule yet he retireth to the same God and where he might not by words vtter the griefe and trouble of his heart when the benefite of his speech was taken from him yet he ceasseth not but he sigheth and maketh his moane counterfeiting the Doue the Swallow and the Crane he chattereth and lifteth vp his eyes vsing all such gestures so long as he had his tongue he prayeth and the words are few which he speaketh but they are sententious It hath oppressed refresh me or weaue me out As if he would say The force of this disease and furie of this feuer is so great that it ouercometh all force of nature Therefore seeing nature will auaile nothing I flie to the God of nature to whom it is easie to support nature and of this God I craue health and continuance of my daies I craue that as he hath begun so he would weaue out this web to the glorie of his name and comfort of his Church FroÌ„ this last part we shewed you two things we marked first these contrarie voyces into which the seruants of God burst foorth in their greatest troubles vttering sometimes words full of doubting and sometimes full of confidence In the 15. verse God appeareth to haue bene a consuming fire and a raging Lion to him In the 14. verse he maketh his recourse to the same God and suppose he threatned him yet he reposeth vpon him Vpon this we did let you see first that doubting and confidence may haue place both in one and the selfesame soule There was neuer a seruant of God but had experience of this yea it is proper to the children of God to be subiect to this doubting suppose in mercie they be kept from desperation For seeing this faith of ours as long as we are here is imperfect how is it possible that anie faithfull soule weighing their faith with that perfection which is in God to whom nothing is pleasant but that which is perfect how is it possible I say but that soule must doubt
is onely true peace and quietnesse to be found Therefore our exercise should chiefly stand in this to expell this enemy and monster sinne and to possesse that sauing iuice and wholsome peace that passeth all vnderstanding The second effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we know by experience that trouble of it owne nature cannot bring forth this ioy but bringeth forth the contrary effects as sadnesse heauinesse and sorrow Now where the Spirit is so disposed that we reioyce vnder trouble this is a sure argument of the blessed Spirit the Spirit of life which onely quickneth the soule and this ioy maketh vs not onely to reioyce in trouble but to glory also as sayth the Apostle For surely the crosse of Christ is our onely ioy the shame of Christ is our onely honour Hereby we perceiue the great glory that the Lord hath called vs to that not onely he maketh vs to beleeue his word but to suffer for him also onely ye haue to take heede to your troubles For this ioy accompanieth not all troubles but onely those troubles that are suffred for Christs cause for righteousnesse sake are vnderserued For those troubles that are deserued the like ioy is not to be found in them The third effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the loue of God and hatred of euill Where this loue is kindled in the soule where we beginne to know God to loue him and to taste of him for it is not possible that we can loue him except we haue a taste of his sweetnesse this loue make vs like to God for God is loue as Iohn saith If loue dwell in thine heart God dwelleth in thine heart and this loue is a sure pledge of the life of the soule where this loue is of necessity also there must be a hatred of euill Now trie and examine if the Spirit of life hath wrought these effects in thy soule in any measure if it were neuer so small it is a sure argument that this life is begunne and the life which God hath begunne he will perfect it If the loue of God were neuer so litle and the hatred of euill were neuer so little if any of these effects were but in a small measure ye may be sure that Christ dwelleth in your hearts by faith and that the soule liueth Ye that feele this as I would that ye all felt it prease to nourish and strengthen this life not weary in well doing but go forward in working the works of the Spirit Sow not in the flesh go not forward in the lusts and appetites thereof for ye may learne of the Apostle what aduantage this labour bringeth to wit shame and confusion death of the body and death of soule Rom. 6. But on the contrary go forward in nourishing of the Spirit and in well doing Sow in the Spirit and as the Apostle sayth ye shall reape an euerlasting and incomprehensible life This Spirit then is said to be nourished and corroborate in our hearts when we nourish the light and knowledge of God in Christ Iesus when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith and continue in the exercise of prayer As by the contrary we banish this light of the good Spirit and by our euill doing we banish the knowledge of God in Christ whē we put out this light diminish our perswasion and leaue off the exercise of prayer For by the same meanes whereby the soule liueth they being remoued the soule dieth Therfore those that would liue this way they ought to nourish the knowledge of God they ought to be exercised in well doing in hearing of Gods word in edifying them in their most holy faith and in continuall crauing of grace and mercy by prayer Now the King sayth he hath this life and he hath experience of the good word in this for I take this to be a different life from the other whereof he spake before to wit this is the life of the soule which proceedeth of the word of promise for this word is the power of God to saluation to all them that beleeue Rom. 1. Set your hearts saith Moses Deut. 32 vpon this word for it is not a vaine word it is your life and felicity The words which I speake sayth our Master Iohn 6. are Spirit life And from this Iohn calleth him the word of life the bread of life Peter saith whom shall we go to for in thee are the words of life It is he that hath life in himselfe Iohn 5. From this also it is said 1. Cor. 15. that as the first Adam was made a liuing soule so the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit and by reason we are made participant of this spirit by the ministery of his word therefore it is called the word of the Spirit by the same reason we that are his Ministers are counted the Ministers of the Spirit as the Apostle calleth vs 2. Cor. 3. They that would reade further of the praise of this word I remit them to the 19. Psalme where the properties of this word are exactly set downe I will end here Who so looketh vpon the precious effects of this word and on the other side looketh vpon our vnhappy behauior I am assured it would astonish any Christian heart to behold how the Lord can suffer our contempt so long as he doth For formerly whereas there was skarsly crummes of this bread of life to be had in this countrie men sought it out diligently and ran to haue it with such zeale that they compassed both sea and land they spared neither trauell nor cost but forcibly as it were thronged and thrusted in and made irruption in this kingdome But now when it hath pleased the Lord to offer vnto vs great plentie of this foode we so despise the bountie and liberality of this good God that we turne this great grace and mercie of his into iudgement and vengeance vpon our owne heads And as to the greatest part of the multitude they disdain it so spitefully that they had rather embrace the leauen of the Pharisies and draw them to that company where they can haue no other foode but songes maskes mummings and vnknowne Languages And so thinke to feed their soules by the mockery of God Now as to the Gentlemen Earles Lords and Barrons they are so drunken with sacrilegde that ere they will part with these goods they had rather part with the life of their soule yea when it cometh to this that the word cannot be entertained but by their expences they make no choyse but had rather lose their soules an hundred times ere they would bestow a halfepenny vpon the Church This is true in the greatest part so it is the Lord that wonderfully continueth the light amongst vs that keepeth a face of a ministery in Scotland There is no good entertainment but a very great pouerty in the most part
Sunne whereof ye heard and heauen and earth shall perish ere a iot of his promise faile Yet notwithstanding this is true that there is such a constancie and fidelitie in him all these promises will not auaile vs except the Lord prepare our hearts yea except he sanctifie our hearts by meanes of faith that in our soules we may see this truth we shall neuer regard it and except he giue vs a heart to apply this truth all the promises which he hath made and is to make serue for no vse to vs. Therefore it is the dutie of all Christians to be instant in crauing that the Lord would prepare their hearts by faith that seeing him in their minds and feeling him in their hearts they may find his mercie and truth and repose in them for euer After this we entred into the recommendation of the word of God and generally we praysed the word from this that we haue the benefit of this temporall life by it as this is true in generall so he goeth forward and praiseth the word from his owne experience in particular and he granteth that not onely he hath the benefit of this temporall life by the word but of the spirituall also And as he hath the life whereby he liueth in his body by it so he hath by it the life whereby he liueth in the soule For as there is a life and death of the bodie so there is a life and death of the soule The life of the bodie may be conioyned well with the death of the soule for we may liue in the bodie and be dead in the soule at one time Also the death of the bodie may stand with the life of the soule for we may depart from this life and go to a better The life of the bodie standeth in the presence of the soule but the life of the soule standeth in the presence of the Spirit of life except our soules be borne anew againe by the vertue of that Spirit of life it is not possible that we can see God and taste of his ioy For by nature we are not onely hurt lame maimed but altogeâ—her dead in sinne so that looke how voide a corps is of a naturall life as voide are we of a heauenly and spirituall life The reason is this where death hath place there life must be wholly put out But by nature death hath place in vs therefore the spiâ—ituall life must be wholly put out If the Spiâ—it of life be wholly put out there remaineth not so much as a breath out of the which any good cogitations or actions may proceede If so be there is not so much as one breath where is all that free-will of the Papists where is that integritie which remaineth in the filthie nature Then I say we naturally remaine in the death of bodie and soule still vntill that by the paâ—ticipation of the Spirit of life which dwelleth in the bodie of Christ vntill I say that this Spirit free vs from sin and death And so vntill this time we shall neuer mount aboue the clouds nor see the face of God And therefore as I exhorted you the last day so I insist in the same exhortation now that euery one of you marke and perceiue your selues whether you haue such a life begun in you or not I gaue you three effects which will neuer deceiue you The first is if ye find your selues refreshed and recreate in your spirits from the terrours of your conscience and the feare of sinne which recreation and refreshment of the spirit is called that peace that passeth all vnderstanding whereof the world is ignorant he that findeth any of this if it were neuer so little within him no question he hath this life begun in him and the more this peace is augmented the more the life groweth But this peace groweth by remoouing of sinne Therefore our whole studie should be to remooue sinne for the onely thing that troubleth the conscience is sinne Take away sinne the conscience shall be at rest Wherefore this was the chiefe effect I willed you to take heede vnto The second effect is ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we see trouble of the owne nature bringeth not foorth this effect but rather bringeth foorth sorrow heauinesse and lamentation Then when our spirit is so disposed that vnder trouble we reioyce and glorie in it this is the Spirit of life This ioy is not in all troubles it is not in the trouble which we procure but onely in the trouble which we sustaine for righteousnesse sake and which we sustaine for Christ his sake The third effect is if ye haue a loue of God and good men and a hatred of euill where these effects are in any measure no doubt but the Spirit of life is there As by the contrary where there is a loue of wicked and euill men no question let them speake of Christ as they will the spirit of the diuell hath full dominion This Spirit of life we shew was entertained by nourishing of the knowledge of God when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith when we nourish the exercise of prayer As by the contrary the Spirit is put out when by our euill doings we put out the knowledge of God when we diminish our perswasion of his mercie in Christ fall from the exercise of prayer Then ye that haue this life begunne nourish it by well doing for by well doing no question our faith is corroborate Delight therefore in well doing sow in the Spirit and not in the flesh run not with the thiefe nor consent not with the murtherer for so ye shall be participant of their punishment but sow in the Spirit and of this ye shall reape an euerlasting and comfortable life where otherwise of sinne ye shall reape nothing but shame and euerlasting condemnation I haue discoursed long on this head because it is very necessarie and I would wish you to consider of these things Thinke on the great benefits of God granted vnto this countrey Thinke againe vpon our ingratitude and vnnaturall behauiour There is no Christian that will weigh these two in one ballance but he shall conclude that it is wonderfull why the Lord suffereth iniquitie in this countrey so long to be vnpunished Formerly when there was but crums of the bread of life they ran to seeke it so that they compassed both sea and land and spared neither trauell nor cost to be ingrafted into the kingdome of Christ But now when there is plentie of it we haue taken such a lothsomnesse thereof that we abuse the liberalitie of God offered to vs and turne his grace and mercie into vengeance on our owne heads For as to the multitude ye see that they haue alreadie preferred the leauen of the Pharises and gone to mumchances mumries and vnknowne language wherein they pudled before As to the noble and gentlemen they are so drunken with sacriledge that rather then they will render these goods
cometh to passe that suppose the substance of our body and soule be not abolished yet both body and soule is so hurt changed and altered that they appeare not to be the thing they were at the first For as to the body by reason of this corruption it is subiect to death and from death it is resolued to powder and ashes As to the soule suppose the substance of it decay not yet ye see the qualities of it are so altered and changed that the light of the vnderstanding is turned in darkenesse the integrity of the will in wickednesse the vprightnes and intention to good is turned in a declining from good and in a bent purpose to do euill And shortly in a word by this corruption we haue lost the image of God which shined so brightly in vs in our creation Vnder the third sort of sin I vnderstand the lacke of the obedience and want of the accomplishment of the Law For by nature in our first creation we were not onely bound to abstaine from sinne but to accomplish all righteousnes and to conforme vs to the will of God perfectly in all things Now by this corruption we faile in this poynt as well also as in the rest and so we are guilty of all sortes of sinne and being guiltie of all sortes of sinne of necessity we must be subiect to death and condemnation for the reward of sinne as the Apostle saith is death Now the King sayth not that the Lord hath freed him from one or two sorts and not deliuered him from the third bur he saith he hath deliuered him from all his sinnes and consequently from death and condemnation For this is the custome of God in Christ if ye mark it wel from the time he beginneth to call his children to repentance and to worke with them inwardly he forgiueth them not a part of their sins but from the time he enters to this worke at an instant he forgiueth them all the sinnes of their whole life past present and to come as the Parable Mat. 18.23 testifieth where ye see the Lord forgiueth the whole debt The reason of this is Christ his Sonne who tooke our debt on him and was surety for vs he died not for a part of our sinnes onely nor satisfied not his Father for a part onely but for the whole businesse And therefore the debt being once payed the Father cannot require further and so when he beginneth to forgiue vs our sinnes he forgiueth vs all our sinnes simul semel The remission of sinnes is freely offered to all flesh in Christ by the publishing of the Gospell and is freelie applied by the working of the Spirit of God and is receiued onely by the hand of faith which is in the heart Except the Lord purifie the conscience cleanse the heart and open it as he did Lydias heart offer what remission ye will it is not possible we can apply it vnto our selues except the conscience and soule be recreated in the sweetnes and peace that floweth out of Christ. Offer remission neuer so oft the conscience dare not be so bold as to apply it to it selfe And therfore the whole study of a Christian should stand in this that he be not deceiued with presumption in steed of faith which presumption in the end tendeth to desperation And lâ—t vs not be flattered by euery sleight faith light opinion that flieth in the fantasie For iustifying faith must open the heart and be digested in the heart inwardly that the heart may be turned thereby For where the heart is onely touched with a light taste which is not stedfast incontinently as soon as the truth cometh this taste is spued forth but where this grace is digested in the heart in such sort that the stubbornnesse of our will is abated our vnderstanding changed our affections altered no question we haue accesse to God and seeing him in our minde and feeling him in our heart there is no storme that can make vs to runne from him but the greater the storme is the nearer we will draw to him Seeing we know there is a better life with him then is here all this is the duty of a Christian therfore euery one of you trie your hearts and mindes vrge God continually by importunate suiting and wring this grace out of him that it may please him to open our hearts For except the heart be opened that yee may feele the sweetnesse that your will and affections be altered it is not possible that ye can be inclined to good Desire of God therefore increase of faith that we may abide the storme blowe when soeuer it will Now ere we go from the words of this verse he sayth It is he that hath cast all my sinnes c. Which he is this God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost three persons one God hath done it no creature but God onely And ye see as ye may reade Luke 5. that the Pharisies were not ignorant of this that God onely might forgiue sinnes For in that same place Luke 5. in that conference which the Pharisies haue they say What a blasphemy is this Who hath power to forgiue sinnes but God onely Now looke to the behauiour of Christ after these words who paâ—tlie by his silence approueth them partly by a miracle he ratifieth their speach to be true that God in heauen hath onely power to forgiue sinnes there is a good reason euen in our naturall iudgement that ratifieth this to be true for who hath power to forgiue the debt but the creditor Now God onelie is our creditor therefore God onely hath power to forgiue for it is the law of God that is transgressed For all sin is the transgression of the Law therfore al sin offendeth him mediatly or immediatly and seeing he propeâ—ly is offended he onelie must forgiue As to Christ Iesus man he hanging on the crosse craueth mercie for his murtherers oâ— God his Father and saith Forgiue them Lord for they know not what they do And when he himselfe forgiueth sinnes in this he testifieth that he is true God as the Ancients gathered well by this effect that he forgaue sinnes that he was not a simple creature but true God also where the Church is said to forgiue sinnes they remit in the name authority of Christ Iesus or else when they forgiue they may be called pronouncers and publishers of Gods remission For in vttering his word they shew themselues to be his mouth not their owne mouth As to vs that are brethren we are said to forgiue others we forgiue others indeede but our remission relieueth not the man of his guiltinesse but the guiltinesse remaineth euer in the soule vntill God remoue it And in respect the guiltinesse remaineth vntill it be remoued by God none hath power to wash away the guiltinesse but God therefore it is God properly that is the forgiuer of sinnes and for this cause
must redound backe to him that gaue it Therefore the nearer the soule is conioyned with God it praiseth him so much the more Now after the death of the bodie the soules of the faithfull are more straightly coupled with God therefore after death they praise him the more Where Christ hath dwelt once in this life suppose the bodies die and be resolued in powder by reason of sinne yet the soule liueth by reason of righteousnesse Yea suppose the body be dissolued yet that Spirit of life that dwelt in the soule raiseth thy soule to heauen euen as the Spirit of life that dwelt in Christ Iesus raised his bodie from the graue And as the Spirit of life is the onely cause that made vs to praise him in our bodies so that same Spirit maketh vs to praise him out of these bodies by reason suppose we be absent in bodie yet are present in our soule with the Lord. For the words Rom. 8 are these If Christ dwell in you suppose the body be dead by reason of sinne yet the Spirit is aliue for righteousnesse sake The meaning of the words is suppose they that are departed leaue off to praise the Lord in their bodies and in the earth which he calleth the land of the liuing yet they leaue not off at all Now of this I shall marke one or two things Take vp the end wherefore the Lord deliuereth any person citie or country from any trouble within or without the chiefe end of his deliuerie is this That that person citie or countrey may serue as an instrument to preach his benefits to sound his praise and to render vnto him heartie thanks for it Are our sinnes forgiuen vs to this end is there any countrey or any citie set at libertie to this end that we should prouoke God to anger by heauier sinnes againe Is this the end wherefore he forgiueth sinnes Is this the end wherefore he bestoweth his benefits that we should vse them as weapons to fight against himselfe Is not this rather the high way to kindle him to greater seueritie and to sharpen his furie against our selues Yea and what exception I pray you can we vse in his greatest seueritie seeing we haue prouoked it our selues I speake it to this end there is not a person in particular nor any in generall but of naturall knowledge they will say There was neuer a greater benefit bestowed on a countrey then in releeuing vs of the feare of that barbarous Nation he must either confesse this or he is an asse This benefit if it were rightly measured and considered reade ouer the Scriptures conferre benefit with benefit miracle with miracle all circumstances being well considered ye shall finde that since the children of Israel came through the red Sea there hath not bene a greater To what end deliuered he vs is it that we should prouoke him with greater sinnes Looke since the feare of these strangers past what sinne is there but this countrey hath defiled her selfe with it See ye not slaughter in greater measure oppression murther without any mercie see ye not all law and equitie trampled vnder foote And briefly see ye not this confusion risen to such a height that euery Lord in his owne bounds is a King what sort of birth I pray you shall this confusion bring foorth At the last it must bring foorth one of these two of necessitie and take heeed ye may chance to see it except the Lord preuent it Either the supreme magistrate and inferiour magistrates must concurre in one voyce to put an end to this confusion or the confusion out of doubt shall put an end to him I am assured one of these two must follow for the weight of his wrath which hangeth ouer this land is insupportable the earth is not able to beare this birth of our iniquitie and if there were no other punishment as I haue often said the earth shall be compelled to spue foorth the inhabitants ere God want meanes to punish As this is true in the countrey in generall so it is as true in this Citie in particular for it neuer came yet for the most part in your hearts to thanke God aright for your deliuerie Therefore the Lord is beginning to let you see that he can raise strangers men who haue the hearts of strangers among our selues he hath meanes enough in the middest of our owne bowels to punish this countrey suppose he seeke not strangers But indeed in this late brag of our neighbour Lord he desireth you to go backe to the consideration of the greatnesse of the last benefit And if ye acknowledge it rightly and be thankfull for it there is no domesticke force ye neede to regard For as to the force that can proceede any way from that man ye know it And surely it would appeare to me that that man hath sold himselfe to iniquitie and the end will declare it except the Lord preuent him with his vndeserued grace which I desire most heartily Although in the meane time suppose there be peace promised yet stand ye on your guards and let it not come to passe by your misbehauiour and backwardnâ—sse that the glory of God and the libertie of this Citie be impaired in any wise but stand on your guardes that as this Citie hath bene a terrour to euill men before-time so it may terrifie him also For no question where God and a good quarrell concurre that side shall haue the vpper hand This onely by the way For it becometh me of my dutie to maintaine the good cause and to instruct you in this point of your dutie The second thing that I marke ye see the glorie of God is euer conioyned with the life of his owne so that we cannot aduance Gods gloâ—ie but we shall further our owne saluation and we cannot neglect the one but we shall neglect the other Seeing thâ—n that these two are necessarily conioyned for Gods sake let euery one remember to set forward the glorie of God in his life so farre as he may according to his estate and calling This life is so miserable in it selfe and there is none that seeth the confusion of this countrey to grow so fast that can looke for any redresse of these things in his own time So here beneath is no comfort all runneth on to such a desolation and miserable confusion that of all liues of the earth our liues were most miserable if we had not a sight of a better For all ioy to be looked for here beneath is taken away Well I leaue this second part and come to the last The third part of this song is in this 20. verse which is the conclusion of the whole song In this conclusion the King testifieth that he will not onely praise God for the present for the benefit which he hath receiued but he maketh a solemne promise that so long as he liueth he will neuer forget this benefit all the dayes of his life
God in me to that part of my soule which the Spirit of God hath reformed in me In such sort that sinne dwelleth in me and it hath his owne will his owne wit his owne counsell out of my minde which he followeth As on the other side the reformed part of me hath his owne will his owne counsell his owne wisedome and vnderstanding in me which he followeth So that all the rest of the dayes of my life there is a continuall battell betwixt these two willes the will of sinne and flesh dwelling in my soule and the will of the Spirit of God and of the reformed part of my soule sinne perswading me to do euill the Spirit of God perswading me to do heauenly things This part suggesting holy thoughts and motions the other part suggesting wicked thoughts and motions And this is the estate of euery man in this earth that hath entred into society with the Spirit of God To take vp this matter that the long discourse of it carrie vs not from our purpose There is no youth yea more then youth there is no age nor part of mans life but carrieth the owne affections the owne vices and imperfectionâ— with it vnto the which affections and vices euery one of vs are either slaues and seruants rather then enemies seruants without contradiction to sin rather then enemies vnto it without battell All the powers of the soule and members of the body in that man where Christ hath not begun to worke content and agree to the euill action runne in a rage to the performance of the will of the flesh For thou art either an ordinary slaue and seruant to sinne or else thou art a contradictor of sinne And this contradiction sheweth the battell that ye haue within your selues It is true that in the naturall man reason and the light that is left in nature maketh some opposition but not long For she is vnarmed destitute of power and therefore the power of darknesse that is in the affection blindeth the eye of reason incontinently To flie from thy selfe to flie from thy affecions it is not possible for thee except that grace come downe out of the heauen except the Spirit of Christ giue thee eyes to see and perceiue that these same lusts of thine these affections of thine which thou thoughtsts in the folly of thy youth to be no sinne except that he giue thee eyes to see that they are sinne thou will neuer condemne them For this is the custome of the naturall man if he burst not forth into the outward actions which are to plainely daÌ„ned in the Law of God his inward lusts appeare to him to be no sinnes and it is onely by the light of the Spirit of Christ by the knowledge wrought by the Spirit of Christ that he beginneth to see clearely that all his affections and his lusts are vtterly damned in the sight of God and are sinnes And this sight first maketh vs flee from them for we would neuer part with our lusts and affections if the Spirit of God did not let vs see the vglinesse of them And beside this vglinesse it maketh vs to feele in our hearts and to taste of the bitternesse of them where the diuel and our corruption made vs to thinke that they were sweete oft before When the Spirit beginneth to rip vp our hearts and to discouer the secrets of our hearts and blindnesse of our minds it maketh vs to feele the vglinesse and bitternes that is in them and this is the first thing that euer maketh man to repent and giueth him a conscience of sinne and maketh him to haue an earnest desire to flie from himselfe and the lusts of his youth If thou flie not in time and take not on this flight in due season when thou art called to flie as now thou art called to flie by the word of God which giueth thee a cleare light an eye to see from whence thou shouldest flie If thou learne not now to flie â—o question thou and thine affections shall both perish These same affections wherin thy soule through long custome so delighted shall putrifie thy soule shall corrupt thy soule more and more shall bring thy bodie the tabernacle wherein thy soule lodgeth to greater and greater decay waste thy conscience subuert thy faith and spoile thee of thy white garments whereby onely accesse is granted thee to the throne of grace and in the end shall bring euerlasting destruction on soule and bodie both Except therefore thou learne to flie there is no escaping from euerlasting death both in bodie and soule therfore this flight is necessary And now it is time that euery one of you beg the Spirit of God that ye may flie For if ye knew those terrors of conscience the fire of Gods wrath and the feare of hell damnation whereunto the heart of euery man is subiect for all the kingdomes of the earth ye would not take in hand to offend so mightie and so gracious a God But such is the deceit and false pleasure of sinne and such is the canker venime which the diuel hath spewed into our hearts that it shutteth our eyes letteth vs not see the vglinesse of sinne nor taste of the bitternesse thereof Therefore euery one of you in the feare of God examine your affections examine your minds and see whereunto ye are addicted suspect euer your affections what euer enticement they haue to cloke the same with suspect euer the motion of them for the diuell is in them for when they appeare to be most quiet yea wholly rooted out and extinguished the stumps of them sticke in the soule and a verie slight obiect or short idlenesse will kindle them againe So they would euer be handled like yong Toades for they are the worse by ouer great libertie And as this should be done in euery man especially it should be done in publike men men who are placed in publike offices and must discharge them in some measure to the glory of God to the contentment of his Church weale of his people As we ought to do this so chiefly they ought euer to suspect their affections lest giuing place to their affections they make them to peruert iustice for what is it that peruerteth iustice but affection So these affections in publike persons would be chiefly eschued Then ye see the exhortation riseth clearely to you my Lord who are now placed to beare a peece of charge and gouernment in the absence of our Prince that ye my Lord cast away your affections and burie them vnder your feete and let iustice strike indifferently where it should strike Let no communitie of name alliance proximitie of bloud or whatsoeuer it be mooue you to peruert iustice but let euery man be answered according to the merit of his cause Except these affections that accompanie great men be remooued no question ye must peruert that place Let not the theefe passe because he is your
to God in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from me Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from me but Restore it to me It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Râ—store me to the ioy of thy saluation Not that he wanted the Spirit wholly but that the Spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appeare Therefore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainly after his adulterie and murther Take not thy Spirit from me it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the Spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans heart cannot be idle but these sparkles during the time that the bodie is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault with thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule wherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am doing the euill which I would not do if I had power or strength to resist my affection if I might be master of my affections I would not for all the world do the euill which I do Againe if I had power to do the good which I would do I would not leaue it vndone for all the world So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presently as to resist the affection abstaine from doing euill deeds yet perpetually in the heart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I would not do the euill which I do Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule which the Lord hath begun to sanctifie and being once sanctified in despite of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction with a greedy appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercie preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkes to be wholly taken away but in his owne time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them he will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles and make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the God then if he had neuer fallen Thus farre concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance be interrupted yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire which is couered with ashes is extinguished but being stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man will think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruite and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowde of darkenesse and mist. There is great difference betweene a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleepe As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great oddes betwixt the faith that lieth hid for a while and vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outward deedes God forbid that we should thinke that these sparkles are whollie extinguished Indeede the soule which is visited after foule and haynous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this soule recouer the former beauty it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it carry thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration when the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee reÌ„der an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the bâ—inke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For wilt thou looke to God Thou wilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee Wilt thou looke to thy selfe Thou wilt see nothing but sin prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuell accusing thee thine owne conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou go Looke backe againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him and hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as he loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The heart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke what gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to
in the institution and it is contained in these words This is my bodie The Promise craueth faith as the Command craueth obedience so the Promise craueth beliefe Therefore come not vnto the Sacrament except ye bring both faith and obedience with you If thou come not with a heart minding to obâ—y Christ at the least more then thou wast wont to do thou comest vnto thy owne damnation And if thou bringest a heart void of faith thou comest vnto thine owne damnation So let euery one that cometh vnto the Sacrament bring with him a heart minding to do better that is to obey and belieue Christ better then he did in time past Except ye bring these two in some measure come not vnto the Sacrament for whatsoeuer thou doest except it flow from faith it can profite nothing Thus farre briefly concerning the word Now it will be demanded what neede is there that these Sacraments and seales should be annexed the word wherefore are they annexed seeing we get no more in the Sacrament then we get in the word and we get as much in the very simple word as we get in the Sacraments Seeing then we get no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we get in the simple word wherefore is the Sacrament appointed to be hung vnto the word It is true certainly that we get no new thing in the Sacrament nor we get no other thing in the Sacrament then we get in the word for what more wouldest thou craue then to get the Sonne of God if thou get him well Thy heart cannot wish nor imagine a gâ—eater gift then to haue the Sonne of God who is King of heauen and earth therefore I say what nâ—w thing wouldest thou haue for if thou get him thou gettest all things with him thy heart cannot imagine a new thing besides him Wherefore then is the Sacrament appointed Not to get thee any new thing I say it is appointed to get thee that same thing better then thou hadst it in the word The Sacrament is appointed that we may take better hold of Christ then we could in the simple word that we may possesse Christ in our hearts and minds more fully and largely then we did before in the simple word That Christ might haue a larger space to make residence in our narrow hearts then he could haue by the hearing of the simple word and to possesse Christ more fully it is a better thing For suppose Christ be one thing in himselfe yet the better hold thou hast of him thou art the surer of his promise The Sacraments are appointed that I might haue him more fully in my soule that I might haue the bounds of it enlarged that he may make the better residence in me This no doubt is the cause wherefore these Seales are annexed to the euidence of the simple word They serue to this end also to seale vp and confirme the truth that is in the word for as the office of the Seale hung to the Euidence is not to confirme any other truth then that which is in the Euidence and though ye belieued the Euidence before yet by the Seales ye belieue it better euen so the Sacrament assures me of no other truth then is contained within the word yet because it is a seale annexed vnto the word it perswades me the better of the same for the more the outward senses are wakned the more is the inward heart and minde perswaded to belieue Now the Sacrament wakneth all the outward senses as the eye the hand and all the rest and the outward senses being mooued no questâ—on the Spirit of God concurring therewith moues the heart the more The Sacraments are then annexed vnto the word to seale vp the truth contained in the word and to confirme it more and more in thy heart The word then is appointed to worke beliefe and the Sacrament is appointed to confirme you in this beliefe But except ye feele the truth of this inwardly in your hearts except ye haue your heart as ready as your mouth thinke not that any thing will auaile you All the seales in the world will not worke except the Spirit of God concurre and seale the same truth in your hearts which the Sacrament seales outwardly except he make cleere the sight of thy minde inwardly and worke a feeling in thy heart both word and Sacrament shall lose their fruite effect which they should haue All the Scriptures are full of this the whole Scriptures of God are but a slaying letter to you except the Spirit of God concurre to quicken inwardly Therefore your whole indeuour should be to prease to feele Christ inwardly in your hearts that finding him in your hearts and seeing him in your minds both word and Sacrament may be effectuall If not your soules remaine dead ye are not translated fâ—om that death wherein ye were conceiued Therefore all the study of Christians should be when they see the Sacraments and heare the word to labour to finde and feele in their hearts and minds that which they heare and see and this I call to finde Christ quick in your owne soules This cannot be except ye sanctifie his lodging for if all the corners of thy soule remaine a dunghill Christ cannot dwell there and therfore exept ye study for continuall growth in sanctification and seuer your selues from euery thing that seuers you from Christ it is not possible that he can liue or dwell in you This is a great lesson and it is not possible to do this except as I haue said a stronger come in and possesse vs and make vs to renounce our selues Then the seales had not bene annexed to the word except for our cause for there is no necessity on Gods part that God should either sweare or confirme by seales the thing tâ—at he hath spoken for his word is as good as any oath or seale But the necessity commeth of vs there is such a great weaknesse in vs that when he hath sworne and set his seales vnto his word we are as neere to belieue as if he had neuer spoken a word So to helpe our beliefe our weaknesse and inability that is in vs for we are so vnable by nature that we can belieue nothing but that which is of our selues and the more we leane vnto our selues the further we are from God I say to helpe this wonderfull weaknesse whereby we are ready to mistrust God in euery word he hath annexed his Sacraments and besides his Sacraments he sweares the things that concerne most our saluation As in the Priesthood of Christ Psal. 110.4 he will not speake onely but he sweares and that for our weaknesse and infirmities but yet if he abstract the ministery of his Spirit all these meanes will do no good Now the last thing is how the Sacrament is peruerted how we are defrauded of the fruit effect therof Two sorts of faults peruert the
signified in both the Sacraments yet in diuerse respects he is the thing signified in Baptisme and he is the thing signified in the Lords Supper This Christ Iesus in his bloud chiefly is the thing signified in the Sacrament of Baptisme and why Because that by his bloud he washeth away the filth of our soules because that by the vertue of his bloud he quickneth vs in our soules with a heauenly life because that by the power of his bloud he ingrafteth and incorporateth vs in his owne body For that Sacrament is a testimonie of the remission of our sinnes that is of the cleanenesse of our consciences that our consciences by that bloud are washed inwardly It testifieth also our new birth that we are begotten spiritually to a heauenly life It testifieth also the ioyning of vs in the body of Christ. As it is a testimonie so it is a seale it not onely testifieth but sealeth it vp in our hearts and maketh vs in our hearts to feele the taste of that heauenly life begun in vs that we are translated from death in the which we were conceiued and ingrafted in the body of Christ. Marke then Christ in his bloud as he is the washing of our regeneration is the thing signified in Baptisme In this Sacrament of the Lords Supper againe this same Christ is the thing signified in another respect to wit in this respect that his body and bloud serue to nourish my soule to life euerlasting for this Sacrament is no other thing but the image of our spirituall nourishment God testifying how our soules are fed and nourished to that heauenly life by the image of a corporall nourishment So in diuerse respects the same thing that is Christ Iesus is signified in Baptisme and is signified in the Lords Supper In this Sacrament the fruites of Christs death whereof I spake the vertue of his sacrifice the vertue of his passion I call not these fruites and vertues onely the thing signified in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but rather I call the thing signified that substance and that person out of the which substance this vertue and these fruites do flow and proceede I grant and it is most certaine that by the lawful vse participiation of the Sacrament thou art partaker of all these fruites yet these fruites are not the first and chiefe thing whereof thou art partaker in this Sacrament but of force thou must get another thing first It is true that no man can be partaker of the substance of Christ but the same soule must be also partaker of the fruites that flow from his substance yet notwithstanding thou must discerne betwixt the substance the fruits that flow from the substance and thou must be partaker of the substance in the first roome then in the next place thou must be partaker of the fruites that flow from his substance To make this cleere in Baptisme the fruites of Baptisme are remission of our sinnes mortification the killing of sinne and the sealing vp of our adoption to life euerlasting The substance out of the which these fruits do flow is the bloud of Christ. Ye must here of force discerne between the bloud which is the substance and betweene remission of sinnes washing and regeneration which are the fruites that flow from this bloud so in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the fruits of that Sacrament are the growth of faith and the increase in holinesse The thing signified is the substance that is the body and bloud of Christ is the substance out of which this growth in faith and holinesse doth proceede Now see ye not this That you must discerne betwene â—he substance and the fruites and must place the substance in the first place So that the substance of Christ that is Christ himselfe is the thing signified in this Sacrament For your owne experience will make this plaine vnto you Before your stomacke be filled with any foode ye must eate the substance of the food first before you be filled with bread ye must eate the substance of the bread first before your drowth be quenched with any drinke ye must of necessity drinke the substance of the drinke first Euen so after this manner before the hunger of your soules be satisfied the thirst thereof quenched ye must eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloud first and that by faith So consider the one by the other looke to what vse bread and wine serue to thy body to the same vse the body and bloud of Christ serue to thy soule and he that appointed the one to serue for thy body the same God appointed the other to serue for thy soule So looke how impossible it is for thee to be fed with that food that neuer cometh into thy mouth or to recouer health by those drugs which neuer were applyed it is as impossible for thee to be fed by the body of Christ and to get thy health by the bloud of Christ except thou first eate his body and drinke his bloud Then ye see that the thing signified in the Lords Supper is not the fruites so much as the body and bloud and Christ Iesus which is the fountaine and substance from which all these fruites do flow and proceed Then I say suppose Christ who is the thing signified remaine alwaies one and the same in both the Sacraments yet the signes whereby this one Christ is signified in the Sacraments are not one nor of an equall number For in Baptisme the thing that representeth Christ is Water In the Lords Supper the things that represent Christ are Bread Wine Water is appointed to represent Christ in Baptisme because it is meetest to represent our washing with the bloud of Christ for what is fitter to wash with then water So there is nothing meeter to wash the soule then the bloud of Christ. In this Sacrament he hath appointed Bread and Wine why Because there is nothing more meete to nourish the body then bread and wine so the Lord hath not chosen these signes without a reason As the signes in the Sacrament are not alwayes one so the same in both are not of one number For in Baptisme we haue but one element in this Sacrament we haue two elements Now what is the reason of this diuersity that the Lord in the one Sacrament hath appointed two signes and in the other but one signe I will shew you the reason He hath appointed onely one signe in Baptisme to wit Water because Water is sufficient enough for the whole If water had not beene sufficient to represent the thing signified he would haue appointed another signe but in respect that Water doth the turne and representeth fully the washing of our soules by the bloud of Christ what need then haue we of any signe Now in this Sacrament one signe will not suffice but there must be two And why Wine cannot be sufficient alone neither can Bread be sufficient alone for he
mouth of the soule that is by a true faith Then bring not to the Lords Table one mouth onely for if ye bring the mouth of your body onely it auaileth nothing but bring with you also the mouth of your soule a constant perswasion in the death of Christ for that is auaileable Now concerning the manner how the signes are receiued and the manner how the thing signified is receiued ye may easily know that these corporall and naturall signes must be receiued after a corporall and naturall manner they must be taken with the hand or mouth of the body Againe a supernaturall thing must be receiued after a supernaturall maner And a spirituall thing must be receiued after a spirituall manner So as the signes are corporall and receiued after a corporall manner with the hand or the mouth of the body in like mannner the thing signified is spirituall and receiued after a spirituall manner with the hand and mouth of the soule which is true faith Thus ye haue briefly deliuered vnto you the whole preparation that is necessary for the vnderstanding of the Sacrament Now what doctrine gather I from this Of this last point where I say that Christ is the thing signified caÌ„not be perceiued but by faith cannot be receiued nor digested but by a faithfull soule what kinde of receiuing confirme I in this Sacrament I establish no kinde of receiuing of Christ but a spirituall receiuing he can not be perceiued nor receiued but by faith and faith is spirituall Therefore in this Sacrament I establish onely a spirituall taking of Christ and not a carnall or fleshly receiuing This is the ground Now let vs see what inconuenience can follow vppon this ground The Papists say that vpon this ground this inconuenience shall follow If there be no receiuing of Christ but a spirituall receiuing then say they your Sacrament is in vaine this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to no end And what is their reason If there be no way to receiue Christ say the Papists but by faith what neede you then a Sacrament Ye receiue Christ by faith in the word by the naked and simple preaching of the word ye get faith So the simple word may serue the turne What neede haue ye of a Sacrament if ye get not some new thing in the Sacrament which ye could not get in the word This is their argument whereof ye see their conclusion to be this We get no other new thing in the Sacrament then we do in the word if there be no receiuing but spirituall Ergo The Sacrament is superfluous We admit the Antecedent to be true we get no other thing nor no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we got in the word I would haue thee deuise and imagine with thy selfe what new thing thou wouldst haue let the heart of man deuise imagine and wish he durst neuer haue thought to haue such a thing as the Sonne of God he durst neuer haue presumed to haue pierced the clowdes to haue ascended so high as to haue craued the Sonne of God in his flesh to be the food of his soule Hauing the Sonne of God thou hast him who is the heire of all things who is King of heauen and earth and in him thou hast all things What more then canst thou wish What better thing canst thou wish He is equall with the Father one in substance with the Father true God and true man what more canst thou wish Then I say we get no other thing in the Sacrament then we had in the word content thee with this But suppose it be so yet the Sacrament is not superfluous But wouldest thou vnderstand what new thing thou obtainest what other thing thou gettest I will tell thee Suppose thou get that same thing which thou hadst in the word yet thou gettest that same thing better What is that better Thou obtainest a greater and surer hold of that same thing in the Sacrament then thou hadst by the hearing of â—he word That same thing which thou possessedst by the hearing of the word thou doest possesse now more largely it hath larger bounds in thy soule by the receiuing of the Sacrament then otherwise it could haue by the hearing of the word onely Then wilt thou aske what new thing we get I say we get this new thing we get Christ better then â—â—fore we get the thing which we had more fully that is with a surer apprehension then we had it before we get â— greater hold of Christ now For by the Sacrament my faith is nourished the bounds of my soule are enlarged and so whereas I had but a little hold of Christ before as it were betweene my finger and my thumbe now I get him in my whole hand and still the more that my faith groweth the better hold I get of Christ Iesus So the Sacrament is very necessary and if it were no more but to get Christ better to get a faster apprehension of him by the Sacrament then we could haue before Now if it were true that the Sacrament is superfluous by the same reason it should follow also that the repetition of the Sacrament is superfluous For when ye come to the Sacrament the second time ye get no other thing then ye did the first time when ye come vnto the Sacrament the third time ye get no other thing then ye did the first time and yet no man will say that the third and the second comming is a superfluous thing And why Because by the second coming my faith is augmented I vnderstand better I grow in knowledge I grow in apprehension I grow in feeling and in getting the growth of all these as oft as I come there is no man will say that the oft coming to the Sacrament is superfluous and if it were euery day once So their first inconuenience auaileth not We get no new thing in the Sacrament Ergo the Sacrament is superfluous Thus far for the first Then there depends another thing on the same ground If Christ be not receiued but by faith then say we no wicked bodie can receiue him he that lacketh faith cannot receiue him He that lacketh faith may receiue that Sacrament of that Bread and Wine and may eate of that Bread and drinke of that Wine but he that wanteth faith may not eate and drinke of the body and bloud of Christ signified by that Bread and by that Wine So this is the ground No faithlesse people can receiue Christ nor eate the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament Against this ground they bring their Argument out of the same words of the Apostle which I haue read the worâ—â— are these He that eateth of this Bread vnworthily saith the Apostle and drinketh of this Cup vnworworthily is guiltie of the bodie and bloud of Christ. There is their ground So that their Argument will suffer this forme No man can be
mouth Marke this That if it were not of Gods speciall grace and mercy that he giueth me an eye to perceiue him a mouth to receiue him I would refuse him as wel as they So this Argument holdeth not Christ is offered to all Ergo he is receiued of all Happy were they if they could receiue him Thus far for the 3. Argumēt What resteth now for the full vnderstanding of the Sacrament These things remaine That we vnderstand the Sacramentall speeches that are vsed in the Sacrament for we vse to speake of them God vseth to speake of them and the Ancients vse to speake of them We vse to say that the soule eateth the body of Christ and drinketh the bloud of Christ. These speeches would be opened to you how the soule is said to eate the body and drinke the bloud of Christ these speeches are Sacramentall yet ye are not the wiser but I will make it plaine by Gods grace They are Sacramentall what is that Ye know it is proper to the body to eate and drinke they are the proper actions of the body onely Now they are ascribed to the soule by a translation by a figuratiue manner of speaking That which is proper to the body is ascribed to the soule and it is said that the soule eateth and drinketh The eating of the soule doth resemble the eating of the body then the eating of the soule is no other thing but the applying of Christ to the soule to beleeue that he hath shed his bloud for me that he hath purchased remission of sinnes for me Wherefore then call you this an eating Thy body eateth when thou appliest the meate to thy mouth If then the eating of the body be no other thing but the applying of the meat to the mouth the eating of the soule is no other thing but the applying of the nourishment to the soule Then ye see what is meant by the eating and drinking of the soule no other thing but the applying of Christ to my soule and the applying of his death and passion to my soule and this is onely done by faith therefore he that lacked faith cannot eate Christ. Thus farre for the eating and drinking of the soule which are Sacramentall speeches There remaineth now of all these great things of al this doctrine which hath bin taught but this one lessō That thou learne to apply Christ rightly to thy soule Thou art a great Diuine if thou hast learned this wel for in the right application of Christ to the sick soule to the wounded conscience and diseased heart here begins the fountaine of all our felicity and the wel-spring of all our ioy And I will tell you what this application worketh Obserue what the presence of thy soule within thee suppose thou want Christ in thy soule doth to this earthly body to this lumpe of clay as by the presence of the soule it liueth it moueth it feeleth as the soule giueth to the body life mouing and senses that same very thing doth Christ vnto thy soule Hast thou once laid hold of and applyed him to thee As the soule quickens thy body so he quickens thy soule not with an earthly or temporall life but with the life which he liueth in heauen he makes thee to liue that same life which the Angels liue in heauen he maketh thee to moue not with worldly motions but with heauenly spirituall and celestiall motions Againe he inspires in thee not outward senses but heauenly senses he worketh in thee a spirituall feeling that in thine owne heart and conscience thou mayst find the effect of this word So by the coniunction of Christ with my soule get a thousand times greater benefits then the body doth by the soule for the body by the presence of the soule getteth onely an earthly and temporall life subiect to continuall misery but by the presence of Christ in my soule I see a blessed life l feele a blessed life and that same life takes daily more and more increase in me Then the ground of all our perfection and blessednesse standeth in this coniunction suppose thou mightest liue Methushelaes yeers and wert euer seeking yet if in the last houre thou get this coniunction thou must thinke thy trauell well bestowed thou hast gotten enough for if we haue obtained Christ we haue gotten al with him Then the applying of Christ to my soule is the fountaine of all my ioy felicity Now let vs see how we get this coniunction This is a spirituall coniunction a coniunction hard and difficult to be purchased obtained gotten of vs. How then is this coniunction brought about which are the meanes of this coniunction on Gods part and which are the means on our part to get Christ to put Christ in our soules and to make Christ one with vs There is one meanes on Gods part that helpeth vs vnto Christ and there is another on our part On Gods part there is the holy Spirit which offereth the body and bloud of Christ to vs and on our part there must be a meanes or else though he offer we will not receiue Therefore of necessity there must be faith in our soules to receiue that which the holy Spirit offers to receiue that heauenly food of the body and bloud of Christ which the holy Spirit offers Then faith and the holy Spirit are the two meanes of this spirituall and heauenly coniunction By these two meanes by faith and by the holy Spirit I get the body of Christ the body of Christ is mine and he is giuen to my soule Now here comes in the question How canst thou say that the body of Christ is giuen or deliuered to thee seeing the body of Christ is sitting at the right hand of God the Father and looke how great distance is betwixt heauen and earth as great distance is there betwixt the body of Christ and thy body how then say ye that the body of Christ is giuen to you The Papists vnderstand not this and therefore they imagine a grosse and carnall coniunction Except the Spirit of God reueale these things they cannot be vnderstood The Spirit of God must illuminate our mindes and be planted in all our hearts before we can come to the vnderstanding of this Then wouldest thou vnderstanding of this Then wouldest thou vnderstand how Christ is giuen thee This ground is true that the body of Christ is a◠the right hand of the Father the bloud of Christ is at the right hand of the Father yet notwithstanding though there be as great distance betwixt my body and the body of Christ as is betwixt heauen and earth yet Christs body is giuen to me because I haue a title to his body giuen to me the right and title which is giuen to me of his body and bloud makes me to possesse his body and bloud The distance of the place hurteth not my title nor my right for if any of you haue a peece of Land
He changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts and minds be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change we are called new creatures and except you be found new creatures ye are not in Christ. Now to come to the point This secret coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy Spirit by faith we lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though we be as farre distant as heauen and earth are the Spirit serueth vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the Spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word What maketh you to haue any right or title to Christ Nothing but the Spirit nothing but faith What should be your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to get faith that as Peter Acts 15.9 saith your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your minds your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and bringeth a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy heart and consent of thy will to do that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith auaileth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and minds and doing so ye do the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that he would nourish your soules inwardly with the bodie and bloud of Christ That he would increase faith in your hearts and minds and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortalitie Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Ancients of the Latine and East Churches we heard the chiefe ends wherefore and whereunto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted we heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued we heard also some obiections that might be obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine we heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted we heard how the faithfull soule is said to eate Christs body and drinke Christs bloud We heard the manner how Christ is or can be receiued of vs. And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot be perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way and apprehension Neither the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can be perceiued but by the eye of faith can be receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of faith Now faith is a spirituall thing for faith is the gift of God powred downe into the hearts and minds of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mighty working and operation of the holy Spirit So the onely way to lay hold on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature being spirituall it followeth therefore that there is no way to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but a spirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures familiarly by all these termes describe the nature and efficacy of faith We are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drinke his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefly in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passion of Christ the bloud that he shed vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse the commandement which he gaue Do this in remembrance of me I say we eate his flesh and drinke his bloud spiritually First in this point in recording and remembring faithfully how he died for vs how his bloud was shed vpon the crosse This is the first point a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mighty power of the holy Spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euery one of you beleeue firmely that he died for me in particular That his bloud was shed on the crosse for a ful remission and redemption of me and my sins The chiefe and principall point of the eating of Christ his flesh drinking of his bloud standeth in beleeuing firmly that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that bloud of his was shed for the remission of my sinnes and except euery soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and be perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule can not eate the flesh nor drinke the bloud of Christ. Then the eating of the flesh and drinking of the bloud of Christ standeth in a faithfull memorie in a firme belief and in a true applying of the merits of the death and passion of Christ to my owne conscience in particular There were sundry things obiected against this kind of receiuing I will not insist to repeate them But beside all the obiections which ye heard obiected against this kinde of spirituall receiuing by faith they say If Christ his flesh nor his bloud be not perceiued nor receiued but by the Spirit by faith in the Spirit then say they ye receiue him but by an imagination if he be not receiued carnally nor corporally but onely by the Spirit and by faith then is he not receiued but by way of imagination conceite and fantasie So they account faith an imagination of the minde a fantasie and opinion fleeting in the hearts of men I cannot blame them to thinke so of faith For as none can iudge of the sweetenesse of hony but they that haue tasted of it so there is none can discerne nor iudge of the nature of faith but they that haue felt it
and tasted in their hearts what it is And if they had tasted and felt in their soules what faith brings with it alas they would not call that spirirituall Iewell and onely â—ewell of the soule an imagination They call it an imagination and the Apostle describing it Heb. 11.1 calleth it a substance and substantiall ground Marke how well these two agree An imagination and a substantiall ground They call it an vncertaine opinion fleeting in the braine and fantasie of man He calleth it an euidence and demonstration in the same definition See how directly contrary the Apostle and they are in the nature of faith Vpon this they infer that as it is true in generall he can not be deliuered nor giuen but that same way that he is receiued and looke what way any thing is receiued the same way it is giuen and deliuered So as they say he being receiued by way of imagination he is also in their fantasie giuen and deliuered by way of imagination For if he be not giuen say they to thy hand to thy mouth nor to thy stomack corporally he cannot be giuen but by an imagination and fantasticall opinion The reason that moueth them to thinke that Christ cannot be theirs nor giuen to them truly in effect and really except he be giuen carnally is this That thing which is so far absent and distant from vs as the heauen is from the earth cannot be said to be giuen vs nor to be ours But by our owne confession say they to vs Christ his body is as farre absent from vs as the heauen is from the earth Therefore Christ his body nor his flesh cannot be giuen vnto vs except by way of imagination and so not truly nor in effect This argument framed in this sort would at the first sight seeme to be of some force But let vs examine the proposition of it The proposition is this That thing which is so farre absent from vs as the heauen is from the earth cannot be said to be deliuered to vs to be giuen to vs or any wayes to be ours Now whether is this proposition true or false I say this proposition is vntrue and the contrarie most true A thing may be giuen to vs and may become ours though the thing in person it selfe be as farre distant from vs as the heauen is from the earth And how proue I this What maketh any thing to be ours What maketh any of you esteeme a thing to be giuen vnto you Is it not a title Is it not a iust right to that thing If ye haue a iust right giuen vnto you by him who hath power to giue it and a sure title confirmed to you by him who hath the power though the thing that he giueth vnto you be not deliuered into your hands yet by the right and title which he granteth to you is not the thing yours There is no doubt of it for it is not the neernes of the thing to my body to my hand that maketh the thing mine for it may be in mine hand and yet not belong to me Neyther is it the distance nor absence of the thing that makes it not to be mine but it may be farre absent from me and yet be mine becaue the title is mine and because I haue gotten a right to it from him who hath the power to giue it So then this ground is true It is a sure title and a iust right that maketh a thing though it be far distant from vs to be ours But so it is that a liuelie and true faith in the bloud and death of Christ maketh vs to haue a sure title and a good right to the flesh and bloud of Christ and to his merites looke what he merited by his death shedding of his bloud vpon the crosse all that together with himselfe also appertaineth to me and that by a title and a right which I haue gotten to him of God which is faith And the surer that my title is the more sure am I of the thing that is giuen me by the title Now this Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted to confirme our title to seale vp our right which we haue to the bodie and bloud to the death and passion of Christ and so the bodie of Christ is said to be giuen to vs the bloud of Christ is said to be deliuered to vs when our title which we haue of him of his death of his bodie and bloud is confirmed in our harts For this Sacrament is instituted for the growth and increase of our faith for the increase of our holinesse and sanctification which faith the greater that it is in our hearts the more sure are we that Christ his death appertaineth to vs. I grant as I haue said that the flesh of Christ is not deliuered into my hndes his flesh is not put into my mouth nor entreth into my stomacke Yet God forbid that thou shouldst say He is not truly giuen although Christs flesh be not put into thy hand nor mouth of thy body and wherfore should it Hath he not appointed bread wine for the nourishment of the bodie may not that content you Are they not sufficieÌ„t to nourish you to this earthly temporall life Hath he not appointed Christ to be deliuered to the inward mouth of thy soule to be giuen into the hand of thy soule that thy soule may seede on him and be quickned with that life wherewith the Angels liue wherewith the Sonne of God and God himselfe liue So the flesh of Christ is not appointed to nourish thy bodie but to nourish thy soule in the hope yea in the growth of that immortall life and therefore I say though the flesh of Christ be not deliuered into the hand of thy body yet it is deliuered to that part that it should nourish the soule is that part that it should nourish therefore to the soule it is deliuered Yea that Bread and that Wine are no more really deliuered to the bodie and to the hand of the bodie then the flesh of Christ is deliuered to the soule and to the hand and mouth of the soule which is faith therefore craue no more a carnall deliuerie nor thinke not vpon a carnall receiuing Thou must not thinke that either God giueth the flesh of Christ to the mouth of the bodie or that thou by the mouth of thy bodie receiuest the flesh of Christ For ye must vnderstand this principle in the Scriptures of God our soules cannot be ioyned with the flesh of Christ nor the flesh of Christ cannot be ioyned with our soules but by a spirituall band Not by a carnall band of bloud and alliance not by the touching of his flesh with our flesh but he is conioyned with vs by a spirituall band that is by the power and vertue of his holy Spirit And therefore the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 12.13 That by the meanes of his holy Spirit all we who are faithfull men
and women are baptized into one bodie of Christ. That is we are conioyned and fastened with one Christ by the meanes saith he of one Spirit not by a carnall band or any grosse coniunction but onely by the band of the holy Spirit That same holy Spirit that is in him is in euery one of vs in some measure and in respect one Spirit is in him and in vs therefore we are accounted all to be one bodie and to be members of one spirituall and mysticall bodie And in the same verse the Apostle saith We are all made to drinke into one and the selfe same Spirit that is we are made to drinke of the bloud of Christ. And this bloud is no other thing but the quickning vertue and power that floweth from Christ and from the merits of his death we are made all to drinke of that bloud when we drinke of the liuely power and vertue that floweth out of that bloud So there is not a band that can couple my soule with the flesh of Christ but onely a spirituall band and a spirituall vnion And therefore it is that the Apostle 1. Cor. 6.17 saith He that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit And Iohn saith That which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit So it is onely by the participation of the holy Spirit that we are conioyned with the flesh and bloud of Christ Iesus That carnall band whether it be the band of bloud which runneth through one race or the carnall touching of flesh with flesh that carnall band I say was neuer esteemed of by Christ. In the time that he was conuersant here vpon earth he respected nothing that band for as he witnessed himselfe by his owne words he neuer had that carnall band in any kind of reuerence or estimation in respect of the spirituall band But as for the spirituall band whereby we are coupled with him by one Spirit he euer esteemed of this band in the time that he was conuersant on earth in a word he hath left the praise and commendations of the same To let you see how lightly he esteemed of the carnall band of bloud and alliance which we esteeme so much ye may see in the eight of Luke 20.21 for there they coming to him say Master thy Mother and thy brethren stand without and would see thee ye shall heare his answer vnto them how little he esteemed of that carnall band in the 21. verse in a manner denying that band he saith My Mother and my brethren are those which heare the word of God and do it As if he would haue said It is not that carnall band that I esteeme it is not that carnall coniunction that I reuerence it is the spirituall coniunction by the participation of his holy Spirit whereby we are mooued to heare the word of God to giue reuerence to it and obey it This carnall band was neuer profiâ—able as that in the 8 of Luke doth plainly testifie for if the touching of Christs flâ—sh had bene profitable the multitude whereof mention is made in that Chapter that thrusted and preased him had bene the better by their carnall touching But so it is that there was neuer any of them the better by their carnall touching therefore the carnall touching profiteth nothing Saith not Christ himselfe Iohn 6.63 to draw them from that sinister confidence they had in the flesh onely My flesh profiteth nothing It is the Spirit that quickneth To touch him by the holie Spirit and by faith in thy soule this touching by faith hath euer bene profitable and we haue a plaine example of it in the same Chapter Euen so the poore woman that had long bene diseased with a bloudie issue the space of twelue yeares and had wasted and consumed the greatest part of her substance in seeking remedie she found no helpe by the naturall and bodily Physition at the last by vertue of the holie Spirit working faith in her heart she vnderstands and conceiues that she is able to recouer the health of her bodie and the health of her soule from Christ Iesus who came to saue both bodie and soule And vpon this perswasion which she had in her heart that Christ could cure both bodie and soule she came vnto him and as the Text saith she preased through the multitude to come to him and when she was come it is not said that she touched his flesh with her hand in case the Papists would ascribe the vertue which came out of him to her carnall touching but it is said that she touched onely the hemme of his garment with her hand and with faith which is the hand of the soule she touched her Sauiour God and man And to let you vnderstand that she touched him by faith he saith to her at the last Go thy way thy faith hath saued thee She touched him not so soone by faith but incontinent there came a power out of him which power and vertue she felt by the effect of it in her soule and our Sauiour felt it when it went from him The effect whereby she felt it was the health of her soule and the effect whereby he felt it was the going from him And so soone as he felt it go from him he saith Who is it that hath touched me Peter who was euer most suddaine answereth and saith Thou art thronged and thrusted by the multitude yet thou askest who hath touched thee Our Sauiour answers againe It is not that touching that I speake of it is another kind of touching There is one hath touched me who hath drawne a vertue and power out of me the multitude taketh no vertue from me The poore woman thinking she had done amisse and perceiuing she could not be hid came trembling and said I haue done it He answered her at the last and said Depart in peace thy faith hath saued thee Thy faith hath drawne out a vertue and power from me that hath made both thy soule and thy bodie whole So that this touching of Christ hath euer bene profitable is shall be profitable like as the touching of Christ with the corporall hand hath neuer bene is not nor euer shall be profitable And why Christ is not appointed to be a carnall head to be set vpon the necks of our bodies that he may do the office of a carnall head thereunto to furnish naturall motions and senses to our bodies No the Scriptures call not Christ a naturall head but the Scriptures call him a spirituall head to be set vpon the necke of our soules that is to be conioyned with our soules that out of him into our soules may distill holy motions heauenly senses and that there may flow out of him to vs a spirituall and heauenly life Then the Scriptures call him a spirituall head as they call vs a spirituall bodie and as the life which we get from him is spirituall so all our coniunction with him is spirituall And in respect he
many euill men that haue sought death and it is as true that there haue bene many good men that haue sought death yet neuer one of these sought death for it selfe for it is not naturall to seeke the dissolution of our selues But these euill men that sought death and put hand on themselues in their appearance they sought it for a better to wit to eschue the present torment and vexation of hell in their conscience wherein they were thinking that their miserable soule being out of the body should be at greater libertie then if it were detained in this prison But they are all deceiued For suppose hell be begun here yet it is not in a full measure vntill this life be done and so the miserable caitife deceiueth himselfe On the other side there haue bene good men that haue sought death but not for it selfe but for a better If they knew not felt not that there were a better life to follow after death they would not seeke it but by reason they see there is a greater ioy to follow after it therefore they regard not to taste in some measure for the present of the bitternesse of death It it true againe I grant that death vnto thee who art a Christian is sanctified in the death of our maister and Sauiour Christ Iesus for blessed is the death of them that die in the Lord. But suppose the death be sanctified yet thou art not wholly sanctified for if thou were as sanctified as the death thou wouldst not haue such a thing as terror paine or griefe in thy death But seeing in the best of vs all there is a remnant of corruption would to God it were but a remnant so thicke and foule that it is shame to speake of it this corruption vrgeth the conscience so that where the conscience is vrged there must be a feare and the more the conscience be vrged the greater is the paine and terror It is true that this feare is tempered by faith that dwelleth in the soule and the hope of ioy that dwelleth in the faithfull soule holdeth this feare in awe that hope of heauenly ioy so swalloweth vp and deuoureth the feare and maketh it to appeare to the looker on that the soule hath no feare but no doubt there is a feare and it is sure there is some griefe It is onely as I haue said the hope of that heauenly ioy that holdeth this feare in awe where this hope is not terrible is that feare wonderfull are these terrours great is that anguish of soule that is there so that I cannot find names to expresse it Terrible it is to see the countenance of God in his iustice there is no creature that can abide it Terrible it is to see their owne sinnes present themselues the ouglinesse and guiltinesse of sinne And beside all these to be left destitute of hope it is not the least part of their grief and yet this is not regarded For men will not rise to get faith if it should cost them but an houre they will not come to heare the word This is a wonderfull and miserable madnesse that is in the soule of man that he will neuer prouide for hell vntill hell catch him Now to come to our purpose the lesse the corruptions be the lesse must be the feare Wherein then should your exercise stand should ye not studie to diminish this corruption For he that would be voide of feare must trauell to diminish this corruption that the conscience may be cleane and ye may haue a good testimonie which maketh men to be without terrour For as long as the loue of this world and of worldly things occupieth our soule it is not possible that it can be without feare For why there is no heart that can willingly part with the thing that it loueth without exceeding sorrow and griefe Then we should trauell to take order with these affections and loue to worldly things but so farre as they may serue to the loue of God and in God to loue our selues and our neighbour that when he calleth no strange loue may draw vs from him There is a common law in all cities concerning the forbidden goods which are discharged plainly to be carried out of the country where we are presently and suppose they were carried they can serue to no vse in the countrey whither we go To let you see the exposition of the Parable I say the loue of this world the cares thereof the loue of the flesh and the lusts thereof are these forbidden goods which serue to no vse in the countrey whither we go yea they are plainly forbidden by the King of the countrey For the heart which is replenished with these shall haue no entrie there There is a plaine discharge sounded concerning these goods that we cleanse our hearts of them and prepare our selues to bring those commodities with vs that agree with the nature of that countrie Let vs make vs for the loue of God and of our neighbour and let vs cast off all contrarie loue onely let vs loue God and in God let vs loue our neighbour Now if I might obtaine this one lesson for all the rest I would thinke my trauell verie well bestowed and therefore I insist so much the more in it that it may sinke into your hearts Now then this good King feareth which telleth me that in all Christians there is some feare I come to the next what saith he in his trouble and perturbation The effect of the thing he saith is this First he saith He saw his owne death prepared for him Next because he was troubled with it and cast in a great perturbation he subioyneth the reasons why he was so grieued And as I may gather them they are three in number But ere I come to the reasons I will tell you his owne words which he said in time of his trouble he said I shall go downe to the gates of the graue I am drawing neare to the gates of death For so soone as I heard the Prophet say that I should die so soone I began to prepare me for it for if all threatnings come to passe as the Prophet hath said if I find no outgate in the mercie of God I must die For this I know that I am a mortall man and suppose I be a King and a glorious King yet I am not exempted from death and therefore I will prepare me for it He knew wel that suppose he made himselfe readie he was not one haire nearer to death Now surely if ye would follow this King ye would be a thousand times readier and more able to liue then ye are in your diseases But ye are cast vp in such a daintie and delicate fashion that no man will suffer to heare of death saying It is a thing that will further man to die But I say the contrarie and the Spirit of God saith the contrarie I say the readier ye be
they make no account of the death of Christ and thinke that he died for himselfe For it appeareth they haue no touch nor remorse of sinne which is the thing that will destroy them except it be preuented Their manifest contempt testifieth this ouer well for they go forward without remorse in all kind of sinnes the more they are forbidden I remember the Apostle is more sharpe in his threatning against these men then anie man can be For he saith Heb. 10. at the end If he that contemned Moses or any part of his lawes died without mercie how much more shall he be worthie of punishment that contemneth the person of the Sonne of God that treadeth the Sonne of God vnder foote and counteth his bloud an vnholy thing who will not apply the mercie of Christ to themselues and reiect the Spirit of Christ whereby they should be sanctified These threatnings suppose they take not effect suddainly as also the promises suppose they be not beleeued of you yet they must be vttered by vs that these walles may testifie and beare witnesse to your conscience that there was a Prophet here These things were told vs and we had time to haue done them if we had listed Ere I leaue this it is necessarie for you all that ye marke the examples of these heauie diseases There are few that are touched with them although they are very worthy of marking I say it is necessarie that the examples of these diseases be marked whether it be men or women that haue them we should marke them if it were but to learne this lesson We may see how easie it is for God to represse the pride of the flesh we may see how easie it is to the Lord to daunt the foolishnesse and wantonnesse of youth in an instant of time in the space of twelue houres a glorious King is brought to the gates of death Then ye should say with your selues It is time for vs to change our course we see how easie it is to the Lord to bring high conceits low The Lord doth this to this King and he seeketh no fire nor sword he vseth no externall armor nor he seeketh no forreine instrument to do it but he taketh of the stuffe that is within him he taketh the matter of sinne wherein he was conceiued borne vnhappie sinne which is the matter of all iudgments and plagues it is the matter of death both in bodie and soule This matter within our selues is as readie at the Lords hand as if it were in his owne store-house to plague thee best that intendedst to gainstand him Thē ye that haue your health and the benefit of it learne to vse it well for if ye abuse it and vse it to defile your bodies which he hath appointed to be the temples of his holy Spirit looke how easie it was to him to bring the King low as easie and farre easier shall it be to him to bring the best of you downe Then I say ye that haue the benefit of health employ it to the honour of him and comfort of his Church that gaue you it Thus farre concerning the second part of our diuision In the third part contained in the 14. verse he letteth vs see what he did in this great extremitie the raging furie of his sicknesse being so great he letteth vs see what was his exercise and he saith as ye may see in that verse that notwithstanding God handled him so yet he maketh his recourse to the same God who plagued him and he seeketh and presseth friendship at the same God who threatned him He seeketh him as ye may see in that verse two manner of waies so long as his tongue serued him that the extremitie of his disease tooke not away the vse of it from him And whereas the extremitie of the disease tooke his speech from him that he could not vtter his mind by words yet he leaueth not off but where he might not vtter his mind by distinct voyces and words he seeketh him by a dolorous mourning like to the Doue and by a heauie lamentation like to the chattering of the Swallow or Crane And last of all he in his gesture lifteth vp his eyes to heauen By this meanes he retireth himselfe to God when the benefit of the tongue was taken from him The words that he speaketh so long as libertie is granted to him are few but very sententious Where he saith it hath oppressed me refresh me or weaue me out persisting in the similitude As if he would say I see well the rage and furie of my sicknesse is so great that neither force of nature nor any naturall meanes is able to comfort me the force of the disease hath ouercome all force of nature and naturall meanes Therefore seeing there is no helpe in nature I make my recourse to the God of nature to whom it is very easie to giue helpe where nature hath refused it And therefore I desire of the omnipotent God that he would weaue out the rest of the web of my life to restore me to my health to his glory and to the comfort of his Church This I thinke be the summe and meaning of his prayer whether he mourned whether he moned whether he spake or chattered As to the words the petition would onely be considered It might appeare strange that the King should seeke the prorogation of his dayes as if there were not a life better then this or a day after this but if ye weigh the matter well and consider the race of the historie ye shall find that he had many particulars that mooued him to seeke the prorogation of his dayes and chiefly we know that Manasses his sonne was not yet begotten he lacketh as yet children in whom he might see the pledges of Gods fauour and accomplishment of the promises made to him and his fathers house and specially of that promise concerning the Messias Now lacking children in whom he should see the accomplishment of this promise had he not good reason to seeke the lengthening of his daies vntill he see the promise accomplished As to the generall I insisted in it before and therefore I shall be the shorter I say it is lawfull in some respect to craue prorogation of dayes for seeing it is the benefite of God seeing the seruants of God haue sought it before and seeing the Apostle counteth it a speciall mercy of God as we may see in the person of Epaphroditus Phil. 2. verse 29. we must also esteeme the same a speciall mercy Whosoeuer knoweth surely in their minde that the lengthening of their dayes will serue better to the glory of God and comfort of his Church then present death I say it is lawfull and they may in faith craue it Although there is a generall condition to be looked to in this as in all other petitions that ye submit your will and affections to be ruled by the good wil of God in such sort
light This spirituall light is so proper to the Church that it discerneth her from all false Churches vpon the face of the earth for as the Apostle saith Faith which is no other thing but this light appertaineth not vnto all but this gift of iustifying faith is nothing else but that very light which is giuen to those who before all eternitie were appointed for saluation This speciall reuelation is not obtayned or purchased by any naturall force for so it were common to all men It is not purchased by naturall wit or vnderstanding for the wisdome of this world cannot know those things that are of God Yea the wisedome of the world is the greatest enemie to the wisedome of God and the wit of the world esteemeth the wit of God to be plaine foolishnesse This light is not gotten by the sight of the works of God or by looking vpon this great Vniuerse we get a light indeed by looking on the works of God but this light conueigheth vs not a far off we lose it in the threshold in the very entrie it is choked by our affections and the vile appetites that are in vs do choke it Now we get not this supernaturall light onely by the outward ministerie of the word no seuer me the Spirit from the word the word is nothing else but a minister of death to my soule and a slaying letter it serueth for nothing but to be a further testimonie of my iust condemnation Therefore this heauenly light whereby we are made heires of heauen and the children of God is purchased by the word and Spirit of God ioynctly By the word striking and piercing the eare outwardly and the Spirit penetrating the heart inwardly So where these two are conioyned that heauenly light is wrought and it is an earnest-pennie of thy euerlasting saluation Of this light and reuelation it cometh to passe that God is well knowne in Iudah that is in his owne Church and of this knowledge it cometh to passe that his Name is great in Israel that is his praise is highly extolled and his name renowmed among all them that know him rightly By the Name of God is vnderstood God himselfe as he maketh himselfe knowne in the wonderful works which he worketh as when he hath mercie on his Church he is called a mercifull God when he keepeth his promises he is called a true God when he deliuereth her mightily he is called a potent God And so as many works as he worketh so many Names he hath Now of this reuelation cometh the knowledge of God For except the Spirit of God take away the ignorance of our hearts it is as impossible for me to know God rightly as the dumbe element Except this veile of ignorance which sticketh so fast vnto our hearts be taken off that in time the mighty power of God may be reuerenced there remaineth no further sight then serueth vnto our eternall condemnation Therefore the Spirit must concurre mightily to take off this veile of ignorance that our hearts and minds being renewed we may begin to be new creatures in Christ Iesus Of this knowledge it cometh to passe that God is reuerenced and his praises are sounded for it is impossible that these who know God aright but they must praise him and reuerence his Name God is not like the great men of this countrey for they where they are best knowne there are worst loued But God by the contrary where he is best knowne he is best loued And this loue of God can neuer be idle but it must burst foorth into his praises So these two are ioyned together the Spirit of God bringeth knowledge which knowledge is helpefull to faith and true faith euer praiseth God Then examine your knowledge from the effect the praise of God and see whether the knowledge of God be in this countrey or not This conclusion must hold fast where God is highly praised he is well knowne and the contrary must hold as fast where God is no waies praised he is not knowne there Assume now But so it is that he is no waies praised in this countrey Therefore he was neuer well knowne of vs his goodnesse and mercie was neuer well tasted of vs. And surely if multitude of benefits or multitude of miracles might haue made God knowne to vs we haue had our large part Yea to omit all the rest I thinke though there were no more but this deliuerie past it is a sufficient argument to mooue the hearts of all creatures to praise his name But such is our horrible ingratitude that for lacke of praise we bring not onely a curse vpon the benefit but a curse vpon our owne persons And therefore mine exhortation is now as then That with such hearts as the Lord hath giuen vs we be readie to sound his praise for this great deliuerie the thankfull memorie of this last benefit shall be the readie way to purchase the next therefore with thankfull hearts let vs praise him And where they are not so disposed as the worthinesse of the benefit requireth let vs beg mercie for our euill disposed hearts let vs desire pardon for our vnprepared hearts and wish that it would please the Lord to sanctifie them further and further to his owne praises that being couered with his mercifull protection we may at all times rest vnder his wings and sauegard so that we shall be sure to assaile the enemy when he pleaseth Thus farre for the first benefit The second benefit wherein the Lord shewed himselfe gracious toward his people is this he made his residence with this people which he did with no other nation of the earth he taketh his abiding at Shalem as the tokens and ensignes of his presence did testifie God maketh his residence with no sort of people in the earth but with his Church he hath espied out and select to himselfe a people among all the nations of the earth and with them he hath made his residence It is no strange language to say that God hath chosen a people to himselfe and doth make his residence with such a people For albeit the maiestie of God fill and replenish both heauen and earth and his power reach euery where yet is it as true our God dwelleth euery where he hath selected a sort of people a number of persons with whom he maketh his residence And among all nations he selected this nation of the Iewes vnto whom he gaue the visible ensignes of his presence and in whose hearts he dwelt Now it hath pleased him in mercie to translate his Tabernacle to make his residence with vs and he hath chosen a few of the hearts of this countrey where he hath begun his dwelling place for God dwelleth now in the hearts and consciences of his owne by his holy Spirit and surely so he hath dwelt with vs these 30. yeares and in such puritie that he hath not done the like with any nation in the earth He hath
sweetnesse whereby I find his wrath pacified I find his furie pacified And were not this taste of mercie I would neuer turne vnto him But from the time that mine heart getteth a taste of his mercy a taste of that peace that passeth all vnderstanding wherby I find his wrath to be pacified the terrors of my conscience to be quieted the fire of his wrath to be quenched then I begin to turne to him to beleeue in him and to apply the promise of mercie in particular to my selfe which I durst in no wise do so long as I felt nothing but the fire of his wrath vpon my conscience Vpon this feeling I say ariseth the application and vpon the application riseth the turning vnto him So this feeling of wrath in order although not in time goeth before the turning vnto God The turning bringeth forth a ioy and gladnesse for mercy that he hath gotten this ioy bringeth forth a loue toward him As the other part bringeth forth an hatred of sin so this part bringeth forth a loue toward God This loue againe bringeth forth a care and studie to please him and this care and studie bringeth forth an appetite of reuenge and indignation against thy corruption so that thou wouldest be reuenged vpon thy corruption which made thee to sinne and offend against him And this part of repentance in respect of the great and manifold effects of it is called Viuification As the other part is called mortification so is this called viuification in respect the Spirit of God maketh a new creation in vs maketh vs vp as new creatures of old endeweth our hearts with new affections our soules with new qualities bringeth forth in vs liuing motions actions and cogitations which are called liuing because as they proceed from a liuing Spirit so they carie vs to life euerlasting They are called also liuing in respect of those dead actions which we brought forth in former times which were called dead not onely in respect that they flowed from the flesh that is from corruption but because they caried vs vnto the death of body and soule In this respect I call this part viuification others call it confession and it getteth this name in respect the soule that is quickned cannot but burst forth into the praise of God and glorifie him with a confession he cannot conceale the kindnesse of God done vnto him but he will confesse it before the world and proclaime the riches of the mercy of God that they may glorifie a common God and Father with him And this confession is the chiefest thing in the earth which the diuell endeuoureth most diligently to stay For as there is nothing in the earth whereby God is glorified more then by a sincere confession so there is nothing in the earth that the diuell trauelleth more to stay then this confesson in respect he seeth God so farre glorified by it The Lord desireth not the death of a sinner he seeketh not the slaughter of his creature he seeketh but the repairing of his owne glory and this he counteth to be done by a sincere confession of thy sinne Therefore it is I say that the diuell laboureth to stay this confession And to hold them from this confession he casteth in the shame of the world the estimation before men this inconuenience that inconuenience For this ye may perceiue of his craft that where shame is and shame should be indeed when the action is in doing there he maketh vs bold and stout But where no shame is and no shame can follow of it where God should be glorified by a confession his Church edified and men moued through their example to do the like there he casteth in shame and maketh them beleeue it is the most shamefull thing that euer they did and all this that the soule should not be saued but holden drowned in his snare for euer and euer Therefore men would be aduertised of this that they be not ashamed to glorifie God with an open confession As they are not ashamed to sinne publikely so they should not be ashamed to confesse it as publikely that God may be glorified Remember this This is not spoken for this Noble mans cause onely It is spoken for euery one of you that are in inferiour ranks that euery one of you may confesse your owne sinnes And seeing this is the craft of the diuell by the holding you backe that ye may damne your soules be ye as careful to win your soules by confessing your sinnes to the world The confession of Dauid Psal. 51. serueth it to his shame or to his honour No of all the deedes that euer he did it is counted in all ages the most notable and honorable deede So let not the diuell deceiue men in this poynt As to the kinde of repentance which proceedeth of desperation it is nothing woâ—th it turneth not the heart nor the minde but this repenâ—ance which turneth the hearts of men proceedeth of the Spirit of Christ. So it is the Spirit of Christ that is the worker of this true dolor and conuersion As to the instruments which he vseth in working of it they are two First the Law next the Gospell He must first bring in the Law to bring vs to the acknowledging of our sinne For except the Law did threaten vs we would neuer come to the knowledge of our sinnes Then next he bringeth in the Gospell the promises of mercy and grace freely offered in Christ and through Christ to all them that beleeue So the Gospell cometh in the second roome By the Gospel he worketh faith after he hath wrought faith he draweth out exhortations out of the Law and out of the Gospell that according to the Law we may conforme our liues and obey the same in all time to come So the Law and the Gospell are the means whereby repentance is wrought in the soule of man exhortations out of the Law and Gospell are the meanes whereby a good life and conuersation is continued among men As to the Author he letteth vs see that this gift groweth not in our owne breasts nor it proceedeth not of our selues nor from any creature in heauen or earth but from God onely it is the gift of God giuen freely for Christ Iesus his sake For ye may consider with your selues and looke how impossible it was to make our selues the sonnes of men far more impossible it is for vs to make our selues the sons of God And by repentance we are made the children of God companions to the Angels and sonnes of light So that the second creation which is wrought in vs by the Spirit of repentance is a farre more great and excellent worke then our first creation in this world In this part of repentance whereby we are assured of the mercy of God as there is a caution in the other part to be obserued so there is a caution here to be taken heed of for our nature