of many moneths from morning to night euery day in the weeke to instruct in the first oracles of the word of God euery one vnder his charge sometimes one by one seuerally and other times many ioyntly together which he did with such successe as there were but few that were not able to giue a reason of their hope to bee saued and so were admitted to the Lords Table From which time euer after so long as hee continued there he had weekly meetings in his Church for all sorts distinctly on seuerall daies to catechise them in the Principles of Religion whereby I am perswaded he did more good then by preaching which yet was very powerfull and not in vaine For as his owne and his hearers labours in teaching and learning abounded so God gaue answerable fruits in obedience to the word For as the Lords day was very religiously obserued so the foule sins whereunto people vntaught are vsually giuen were there abandoned all contentions among neighbours so laid aside as most louingly they came to one anothers house And though there were many poore and none greatly rich yet did none of the poore begge abroad for food but were releeued at home Among other euidences of the power of Gods word among them I will record one a very remarkeable one and worthy to bee had in more frequent vse It was this In time of great dearth of corn and other food there was order taken by publike authority that euery family should forbeare one meale in the weeke and vpon the Lords day bring the value of it to the collectours for the poore This being faithfully performed by them all therewith they did prouide good corne which cost 8. or 9. shillings the bushell and solde it to the poore at 12. pence the pecke and yet reserueda good stock to set the poore on worke These and many other good works were done vnder his ministery who was ready on all occasions to presse the doctrine of faith so as the preaching of faith hindereth not the performance of good works This Treatise will giue euident proofe thereof Well vse his paines and thou shait not lose thy paines WILLIAM GOVGE A TREATISE of Faith WHEREIN IS declared how a man may liue by faith and finde reliefe in all his necessities IT is a matter much to bee lamented Few attaine the end of the Gospel that in this cleere light of the Gospell so fewe attaine to the right end of the Gospell which is to liue by faith as wee shall see by and by further laide open to such as will consider For to say nothing of all vnregenerate men who neuer felt any worke of Faith for their true conuersion and therefore could neuer finde any sound comfort of their saluation The matter that I complaine of is this that many of Gods children who haue some true faith and hope to bee saued by Christ as they professe and others in charitie are so to conceiue of them doe not inioy that sweet life and blessed estate in this world which God their Father hath prouided for them and they full well might attaine were not the fault in themselues The truth hereof may appeare in these two things especially First that so few doe hold fast that ioy in the holy Ghost which might comfort them ouer all the discouragements of this life either in forgoing the sweet delights of this world or in patient bearing the manifold troubles of this life which vsually are their portion Secondly that so few doe cast out such a sweet sauour of holy conuersation Hose 14 8. as might make those that dwell vnder their shadowe as the Prophet speaketh to giue a sent like the wine of Lebanon Or to speake more plainely they be not many euen of those who take vpon them the Christians profession who haue gotten that certainty of their saluation constancy in holy conuersatiō which might abundantly comfort themselues and moue others to desire labour to be lik them To proue these to be so is not hard the life and practise of the most of our professors daily witnessing the truth hereof The consideration of these hath oft and long moued mee to seeke how this great euill might be redressed and to make known by Gods word how all Gods children may enioy this large allowance of their Father to liue comfortably to die happily so farre as in this vale of miserie may be attained whatsoeuer shall be said or done to the contrary by any aduersarie notwithstanding This seemeth vnto me Remedie to bee notably set out vnto vs in that one sentence Hab. 2. 3. The iust shall liue by Faith Rom. 1. 17. which for the excellencie thereof is often repeated Gal. 3. 11. both in the old and new Testament Heb. 10. 38 and confirmed by the examples of Gods worthy seruants in all ages as is plentifully to be seene Hebrews 11. The true meaning whereof is this that the man who is now accounted iust and righteous before God being iustified and sanctified by Christ as he first was made aliue by the holy Ghost through Faith receiuing Christ so likewise by the same faith he is to receiue in and from Christ the continuance of this life both in all comfort that he shall receiue all needfull blessings and in all good conscience to yeeld vnto God all required obedience Wherein are laid downe two maine pillers of our holy profession One Two main pillers of our profession that all grace which wee want is alone in Christ and from him to be receiued by vs that it may be ours The other that all this grace which is in Christ for vs is made ours onely by faith whereupon followes this our principall conclusion in this Treatise intended that the onely way to attaine to all comfort in Gods fauour and conscience to liue a godly life by which alone our life and death be happie is to get keepe and increase this precious gift of Faith whereby alone we receiue Christ 2 Pet. 1. 3. and in him all things pertaining to life and godlinesse Now to come to a more full opening and so to a more plentifull vse of these so heauenly matters specially for such as most need helpe herein this must bee laid as the foundation of all this building That man beeing created of God perfectly holy and happy and hauing by his disobedience vtterly lost both and cast himselfe and all his posteritie into the contrary miserie of sinne and damnation so that neither hee himselfe nor any other creature was able to deliuer him out of this miserie and restore him to his former happinesse It pleased the diuine Maiesty to ordaine that the second person in Trinitie the onely begotten Sonne of the Father should assume and take to his diuine nature the nature of Man that so hee might become a meet Mediatour betweene God and Man to which end the diuine Nature sanctified the humane nature which he
euery man out of himselfe for happinesse seeing God iustifieth the vngodly verse 5 and to draw all that shall bee saued to looke for saluation onely in Gods free mercy forgiueing their iniquitie and couering their sinne and not imputing to them their sinne Vnder which speeches is contained the way and meanes how the righteous God who will not let one sinne and breach of his Law to escape vnpunished without deserued condemnation doth yet set free poore sinners from their sinne and punishment which is onely by the satisfaction which Christ hath made for them in bearing their punishment wherwith God being satisfied doth fully and freely forgiue all those who by Faith accept this mercie offered vnto them To this end throughout the Scripture is this great benefite of forgiuenes of sinne by Christ so plentifully proclamed vnto vs miserable sinners I wil cite a few for many When Iohn the Baptist was sent to prepare way for Christ first seeing Christ coÌ„ming vnto him Ioh. 1. 29. hee cried out Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Our Sauiour himselfe after his resurrection appearing to two of his Disciples going to Emaus Luk 24. 45. hauing opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures 46. said vnto them Thus it is written 47. and thus it behoued Christ to suffer and to rise againe from the dead the third day and that Repentance and Remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name among all nations beginning at Ierusalem Likewise the Apostle Paul preaching at Antioch to the Iewes in their Synagogues said vnto them Be it knowne vnto you therefore men and brethren that through this man meaning Christ is preached vuto you forgiuenesse of sinnes Act. 3. 38 39. And from all things from which yee could not be iustified by the Law of Moses Rom. 4. 25. by him euery one that beleeues is Iustified Gal. 1. 4. And so all the rest of the Scriptures Tit. 2. 14. in which it is said Heb. 1. 3. that Christ was Deliuered to death for our sinnes 1. Pet. 2. 24. And gaue himselfe to redeeme vs from all iniquitie And hath by himselfe purged our sinne Reu. 1. 5. That he bare our sinnes on the tree That hee loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes And to shut vp all with that worthie saying of Saint John If any man sinne 1 Ioh. 2. 1 2. wee haue an Aduocate with the Father Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but for the sinnes of the whole world In all of which what can any man thinke to be Gods meaning Vse but to prouide a meanes to saue vs sinners And therefore whosoeuer feeles his sinne and feares Gods wrath may boldly come to Christ and stedfastly beleeue that God for Christs sake will forgiue him and remember his sinnes no more And so much the more may and ought euery one to whom this good newes of pardon is brought by the preaching of the Gospell lay claime to this pardon and so shall hee please God and saue his owne soule otherwise as his sin shall bee exceeding great so shall his damnation bee more grieuous I doe therefore againe exhort euery poore soule who faine would beleeue not to make his sinne greater then Gods mercy but seeing Christ hath borne the punishment of his sinne and fully appeased Gods wrath for him and doth expresly call him and proclaime this pardon vnto him therefore that hee commit himselfe to Christ and so giue glorie to God in beleeuing that through Christ his debt is discharged and he freed from condemnation so that neither God will nor the deuill nor his owne conscience shall be able to lay any thing to his charge then which what can bee more comfortable to a distressed sinner I know not This might content vs if wee were not so full of vnbeleefe but the Lord both knowing and pittying our distrustfull hearts hath said much more to perswade vs of our saluation in and by our Lord Christ Iesus And whereas wee haue learned that to the iustifying of a sinner there is required not onely that his sinne and punishment bee quite taken away but that hee haue perfect righteousnesse 2. part of Iustification without which there can be no life for although these two bee neuer parted no more then soule and body in a liuing man yet they be not both one Imputation of righteousnesse but necessarily distinguished and both required in him that is iustified in Gods sight The Lord therefore hath graciously prouided a meanes whereby we who since the fall of our first parents haue vtterly lost our originall righteousnesse and bee no way able to attaine such righteousnesse as God in iustice requires at our hands may recouer our losse be made perfectly righteous such as God will allow and for which hee will in his iustice grant eternall life As Paul in his glorious triumph before his departure did boldly professe 2 Tim. 4. 6. For I am now readie to be offered 7. and the time of my departure is at hand 8. I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the Faith Henceforth is laid vp for mee the crowne of righteousnâ—sse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day and not to me onely but to all that loue his appearing Which one Scripture might suffise to perswade vs to looke for this righteousnesse and eternall life which by due debt through Gods mercie and the merit of Christ is made ours But because this is not so easily seene much lesse beleeued that such as we shall euer attaine to this high dignitie the Lord hath reuealed his good will towards vs sinners in this behalfe that he hath prepared such a perfect righteousnesse for vs and made a faithfull free grant therof vnto vs that so wee may make it our owne by Faith This is most manifest in that heauenly comparison betweene the first Adam and the second Adam Christ Iesus set forth at large and in many degrees Rom. 5. 12 to the end The summe of all is this that the benefite we haue in Christ doth euery way exceede all the hurt we had in Adam as the Apostle himselfe saith verse 20. Where sinne abounded grace did much more abound v. 21. That as sinne had reigned vnto death so might grace also reigne by righteousnesse vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. Where wee see that as sinne through Gods iustice brought death so by Gods mercy the righteousnesse of Christ brought to vs eternall life As is expresly said verse 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Wherin it is cleere that as Christ by his obedience was perfectly righteous so by it many that is all that by Faith receiue Christ are made
of the old man and weapons of vnrighteousnesse but rather yeelding themselues vnto God as those that are aliue from the dead and their members as instruments of righteousnesse vnto God And wheras this might iustly bee obiected Alasse how shall wee who by nature are so vnable to resist so mighty a Tyrant as sin is who hath ouercome all mankinde Christ onely excepted euer be able so to withstand sin For answer whereto the Apostle brings a most comfortable promise vnto all that be not vnder the Law Verse 14. but vnder grace that is who be not still vnder the condemnation and tyranny of the Lawe whereby it reignes ouer all vnregenerat but by true receiuing of Christ by faith are now deliuered from that bondage so brought into the liberty of Gods children which he saith is to be vnder grace whereof the Apostle speaks more fully Rom. 6. 1. Of these he saith That sinne shall not haue dominion ouer them meaning that although these doe still carry sinne that is corruption of nature which continually fights against the grace of God in thē yet the corruption and sinnefull nature shall neuer any more reigne as in times past it did and so haue the full victory ouer them But they by the grace of Gods Spirit reigning in them shall daily more and more ouercome this their sinnefull nature and in the end get a glorious conquest ouer it and all other their spirituall enemies This one Scripture if there were no more is sufficient if it be truelie weighed and beleeued to comfort euery childe of God ouer all his sinnes that though they bee neuer so many or neuer so great and of long continuance yet being here assured the roote of sinne shall be killed ver 18. 22. hee may then quietly rest his soule in peace that all the fruits and branches shall in time quite wither for certainety whereof this is twise repeated But the Lord knowing how hardly we be brought to be perswaded hereof especially when we be vnder captiuity of any sin as of vnbeliefe pride anger worldlinesse and the like hath much laboured in his word to comfort vs herein that though the battell be sore and our strength small yet his grace shall bee sufficient for vs and his power shall bee made perfect in weakenesse 2. Cor. 12. 7 8 9. as was said to Paul in his wrestling against some priuie corruption which he felt a pricke in his flesh to be sent as a messenger of Sathan to buffet him least he should be exalted aboue measure by the aboundance of reuelations which though spoken to him yet indeede belongs to all in his case and therefore euery poore soule who feeles his sinne too hard for him that when he would doe well euill is present with him hee is to lay holde on this promise that Gods grace shall bee sufficient for him and Gods strength shall bee made perfect in his weakenesse That so complaining with the Apostle O wretched man that I am Rom. 7. 24. who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death hee may comfortably cheere vp his heart with him saying verse 25. I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord that through the power of the Spirit of Christ he shall subdue that body of sin which otherwise would carry him headlong to death and destruction both of body and soule for euer This the Prophet Micah notably expresseth Mich. 7. 18 hauing highly magnified the mercy of God in pardoning iniquity and passing by the transgression of his people hee addeth this He wil turne again he will haue compassion vpon vs he wil subdue our iniquities c. The Apostle also layeth out this matter at large how the Christian souldiour being armed with the whole armour of God Eph. 6. may bee able to stand in the euill day and hauing done all to stand that is being furnished with those excellent graces of the Spirit which he afterwards names he may manfully fight the Lords battell against sinne and Sathan and so hold out to the end of the battell that he shall stand vp as conquerour when sinne and Sathan shall fall as vanquished Beholde what encouragements the Lord giues against all our fearefulnesse in our spiritual battell which if wee could remember would put more spirit into vs to fight against our sinnes like men and not to faint or flye like cowards And yet these bee not the tenth of these gracious promises which the Lord hath made to this end that wee faint not when we see the force of the enemy Of this sort be all those Scriptures which setting out the rich benefites wee receiue in Christ among the rest mention our sanctification by him whereby is meant that Christ hauing taken our humane nature and sanctified it by his holy Spirit we being made one with him doe receiue the selfe same spirit though in measure to sanctifie vs Ioh. 17. 29. that is to make vs holy Whereunto these two be necessary first the killing of all sinne in vs and secondly the quickning of vs to newnesse of life 1. Cor. 1. 30 Of the latter more in the next point of the former heere concerning which this is oft repeated that Christ shall saue his people from their sin Mat. 1. 21. which as it is true in the matter of our iustification for the forgiuenesse of our sinne so it is also true in this point of our sanctification for deliuering vs from the power of sinne And so are all those generall speeches to be vnderstood that Christ is the lambe of God Ioh. 1. 29. 39. which taketh away the sinne of the world That hee hath loued vs Reu. 1. 5. and washed vs from our sinnes in his owne blood 1 Ioh. 1. 7. That the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all our sinne Act. 3. 26. That God hath sent his Sonne Iesus to blesse vs in turning euery one of vs from our iniquities And the like many in all which this must needes bee contained that one great benefite wee enioy by Christ is that we who bee members of him are cleansed as from the guiltinesse of sinne that it shall not bee imputed so from the filthinesse of sinne that it shall not preuaile ouer vs. For more manifest proofe whereof this grace of mortification is expresly promised in sundry places Gal. 5. 16. as Walke in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh Likewise the Apostle Iohn ioyning together both our iustification and sanctification 1 Ioh. 1. 9 sayeth If wee confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse so doth the Apostle Paul to Titus Tit. 2. 11. hauing shewed that the grace of God which bringeth saluation doth also teach men to deny vngodlines and worldly lusts he addeth this that Christ gaue himselfe for vs 14. that hee might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purifie