awake from so prophane a perswasion or else I must needes tell him that as much as in him lieth hee doth conculcate the bloud of the New Testament and doth esteeme the bloud of Christ as polluted for were it not a pollution euen in the bloud of Christ it selfe so to partake so to consent to communicate with sinne to iustifie a conscience actually deliberately polluting and contaminating it selfe with sinne be it spoken with reuerence it is a thing which the infinite goodnes of God cannot doe cannot effectuate How lamentable therefore is the state of certaine sinners who alwaies liue in the state of sinne and infallible occasion of sinne who therefore cannot vnlesse they bee most presumptuously made euer esteeme themselues to be iustified through faith in Christ and so consequently neuer feele the true comfort of the soule which ariseth from a Christian perswasion of iustification in Christ I meane not such persons who through infirmitie and ignorance may fall seuen yea seuentie seuen times in a day and rise againe Prou 24 but I meane such as still are falling and neuer arise because they are fast bound and chained in the occasion and state of sinne I meane such auaricious persons be they Church men or Laikes which doe detest Papisticall idolatrie and yet themselues daily and incessantly doe commit their spirituall idolatrie and whordome with their gold and siluer with their continuall beholding solicitous and couetous turning winding telling locking and vnlocking meditating caring contemplating adoring worshipping of their Idolls and yet presumptuous fooles most ignorant Doctors of the law they will thinke themselues to be iustified in Christ because they can talke of iustification in Christ without workes alas alas they should rather tremble with the Deuills and with remorse of conscience bewaile their damnable state in which they liue and bee most assured that whilst they serue such Mammons in their chests they cannot serue Christ in their soules nor be iustified in Christ in their hearts I meane such wanton ones who abuse and separate themselues from their nuptiall bed and doe glew their soules to their Concubines whome they keepe at home or adore abroade and yet good holy ones they thinke that Christ resteth daily in their soules for their iustification as their filthes lie by their sides to satisfie their abhominable pleasures I meane such as euer and at all moments carrie vpon their backes and about them obligations for the Deuill adding vanitie vpon vanitie iniustice vpon iniustice and neuer doe so much as once imagine of any recompence of any satisfaction or restitution to be made and yet as vaine as butter-flies they will thinke that at and in the same seasons and momenâ— Christ doth by iustification vouchsafe to adorne and trimm their soules Infinite is the number of such like peruerse beleeuers and fooles of whose presumption when I seriously consider I cannot but iudge of them that in their consciences they are to bee esteemed the most blasphemous Heretikes that euer were in hauing such crooked and doltish perswasions of Christ who as hee is a most comfortable and potent Aduocate for all humble and penitent sinners neuer refusing any who with contrite heart shall returne to him so likewise against impenitent sinners he hath in his mouth a double edged sword to chastise them with eternall malediction and as it were with the double edge of a double most sharp punishment of losse of the glorie of heauen and of the vndergoing of eternall punishment in the bottomlesse Lake of hell the damned pit of euerlasting affliction But to Christ iustifying to Christ sanctifying with a most humble confidence and with prostrate soules let vs all here assembled returne and in a full faith inuocate him that hee will vouchsafe by the energie of his Almightie bloud to cleanse our consciences from dead workes to serue him the liuing God that none of vs here present be found of that presumptuous ranke to thinke that although wee liue deliberately and continually in dead workes yet wee shall bee liuing to God through a dead faith for Christs sake And here to conclude Most Religious and Christian Auditours yee who haue learned according to the profession of all reformed Churches that the bloud of Christ doth sanctifie and cleanse from dead workes all such consciences as are iustified by faith in the same with what passage of sacred Scripture may I more fitly end and salute you then with that of this our Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes Habentes igitur c. Seeing therefore Brethren Heb. 10. v. 19. we may with a firme trust enter into the holies in the bloud of Christ by the new way and a liuing way which hee hath prepared for vs by the veile of his flesh And hauing a high Priest ouer Gods house let vs draw neare in a true heart in the fulnesse of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water let vs keepe the profession of our faith without wauering for hee is faithfull that promised and let vs consider one another to prouoke to loue and good workes not forsaking the fellowship or the assembly as the custome of some is but let vs exhort and comfort one another and that so much the more because yee see the day approcheth O heauenly perswasion O most diuine lesson with a firme and an assured faith wee may walke into the holies in a new and a liuing way which Christ dying in his bloud hath dedicated for vs vpon the Crosse yet with this condition most dearely beloued with this prouiso that our hearts be sincere our consciences sprinkled with this bloud and our bodies washed with this water and wee bee cleansed from dead workes to serue the liuing God From dead workes I say wherein we pleased Satan were obsequious to our lusts and followed our owne concupiscences to liuing workes of pietie loue compassion godlinesse feare of God to serue the liuing God The liuing God once dying but now liuing liuing from aboue to consider all our actions liuing within vs to giue vs life mouing and to search our very reines liuing in the heauens ready with reuengefull hand to punish the wicked and with a most plentifull arme to reward the vertuous liuing amongst vs vpon earth with his grace to quicken to sanctifie vs. What most deuout Christians shall our God be liuing and we his seruants dead and dead in sinnefull workes Whose stipend and hire is death and damnation What shall the euer-liuing God die an ignominious death rise to a most glorious life to quicken vs to reuiue vs and will we not bee quickned be reuiued The Pellican with bloud stroken out of her breast quickneth such of her yong ones as the Serpent may haue poisoned or killed and shall not the bloud of our Pellicane Christ Iesus powred Psal 102. vpon vs being stroken dead with mortiferous sinne quic ken vs reuiue vs the Pellicane giueth drops of bloud Our Pellicane prouideth a bath the Pellicane striketh her breast only Our Pellicane hath his whole body smitten on euery part on euery side streaming vpon vs bloud and water shall he not sanctifie vs shall he not wash vs reuiue vs in iustice pietie charitie and other liuing workes of sanctification If any here will still take sinnefull delight in dead workes it is more then to be doubted that the second death and euerlasting damnation will more then attend vpon him But my very soule is comforted for in your very countenances and aspects I see your resolutions I see your Christian determinations that you will be reuiued and reuiued in liuing workes of faith charitie iustice longanimitie patience obedience pietie to serue the liuing God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost to whom be all praise honour and dominion from hence-forth for euermore AMEN Laus Deo FINIS
inuited and conducted by a starre from heauen came and found this our Christ in his mothers lappe and hanging vpon her breasts what splendours of maiestie What beames of glorie did you behold in that Almightie infant What shall your gifts speake for you Aurum Thus Mirrha Gold Frankincense Mirrhe to a King to a God to a Man who taught you this wisdome the Starre or Balaams prophecie only no doubtlesse the diuine Maiestie of that babe which you there beheld in that garment of our humanitie sent forth such splendours to your great admiration that entring into the house and finding the child with the blessed virgine Marie as the Euangelist describeth it you could Math. 2. not but prostrate your selues open offer your gifts your treasures to him Gold Mirrhe Frankincense all which were mysticall gifts for by Gold the childs royall authoritie and supremacie by Mirrhe his sweet humanitie and mortalitie by Frankincense his Diuinitie and Godhead was signified honoured and adored O consummate wisedome of these Sages from the East honouring the maiestie of this Almightie Babe euen then when the beames of his birth reflecting vpon Hierusalem daunted and confounded Herod with his Court together with all the citizens of that earthly Hierusalem I will not stand to ampliare this my discourse by asking the Doctors and learned of Ierusalem what illustrations of wisedome and knowledge they saw in this child hearing the wise answeres and demaunds which he made being but twelue yeares of age it is ynough for me that the Scripture saith Stupebant autem omnes c But all who heard him were astonished and amazed at his wisedome and answeres Luk. 2. diuine wisedome doubtlesse appearing in him Neither will I stand to demaund of the Apostles the Disciples of this Christ nor of the deuout multitude what they saw when to him sitting vpon a sillie Asse they gaue such acclamations excelling the condition of a pure man Osanna in excelsis c. Health Prosperitie Safetie from on high God speed on high Blessed is he who commeth in the name in the power of the Lord Blessed is he who commeth the Lord and with the power of the Lord the Lord and God himselfe Six hundred passages of sacred Scripture I passe ouer recounting the diuine wisedome mercie power iustice goodnesse of a God shiningly appearing in Christ and his conuersation so that euery where his diuine praises were breathed forth either from the mouthes of infants from the testimonies of his aduersaries or the religious applauses of the deuout multitudes But giue me leaue most beloued and religious Christians yet to enter with this Christ into his passion and there to consider how magnificent and apparāt in it were the attributes perfectiōs of his Godhead I passe ouer his confounding his casting and throwing downe to the ground his aduersaries with traiterous Iudas comming to apprehend him with those few words onely Quem quaeritis ego sum Whom seeke you I am I am whom you seeke I am he I pretermit hundreths of arguments in the time of his passion for the proofe and honour of a suffering of a dying Maiestie I onely consider what diuine splendours of goodnesse mercie iustice wisedome power patience clemencie did with a collaterall reflection represent themselues out of Christ crucified and reflect vpon the right-handed rather the right-hearted theefe that hee was moued to make that most Christian and happie inuocation Luk. 23. and confession Memento mei Domine cum veneris c. Remember me O Lord when thou shalt come into thy kingdome O most happie confession of a most happie theefe flesh and blood reuealed not this vnto thee O thou theefe not now a wicked theefe but an innocent theefe robbing rather in a Paradise than vpon earth O theefe wonted with violence to violate men but now with the violence of a eontrite heart liuely faith and constant confession purchasing Paradise Christian and religious hearers what kingly what diuine ornaments saw this most Christian theefe to make such a confession to professe Christ to be the King of heauen for of any earthly kingdom he could not meane The Scepter of the vaine reede with the most scornefull Haile king of the Iewes he had not seene he had not perhaps heard the scepter he then beheld were the sharpe piercing nailes fastening his Kings hands to the shamefull crosse the kingly robes were Adams nakednesse and our confusion the chaire of State the hard and ignominious crosse the royall fare and kingly dainties gall and vineger the Prince-like acclamations were tauntes reproches exprobrations reuiles with scornefull casting of hands and mouing of the heads of those damned miscreants with those most contemptuous vahs vah vah He hath saued others let him now saue himselfe If he bee the sonne of God let him now come down from the crosse we will beleeue in him I dare pronounce that these most vnspeakable ignominies borne with that admirable patience inuincible charitie most charitable compassion and clemencie and the powerfull suffering of Christ did drawe this our holy theefe to that Christian confession Remember mee O Lord when thou shalt come into thy kingdome It was not the wonders onely which mooued him thereunto no no hee made this confession before diuers of them were made as you shall reade in Saint Luke the 42. and 43. verses of the 23. Chapter therefore by the secret working of the holy Ghost and by that confluence of the diuine attributes of patience mercie iustice power goodnesse charitie which appeared in Christ more then could be in a pure man hanging vpon the crosse the good and Christian theefe came to acknowledge him to be a Lord and to confesse his eternall and euerlasting kingdome Oh how could my tongue here expatiate it selfe to amplifie by similitudes and examples how the attributes of a God euery where appeared in Christ whether J behold him lying in the manger or resting in his mothers armes whether amongst the Doctors disputing in the Temple or betwixt the theeues praying and offering supplications vpon the crosse whether scourging sacrilegious buyers and sellers out of the Temple his fathers house or himselfe fast bound to a pillar tormented and scourged most cruelly by those sacrilegious executioners whether sitting wearie vpon Iacobs fountaine or hanging languishing vpon the crosse yeelding forth of the blood of saluation a most pretious fountaine whether raising the dead or himselfe adiudged to death whether in the desart feeding others with bread or himselfe fed by others with gall and vineger vpon the crosse wheresoeuer and howsoeuer I see and contemplate him J cannot but admire and confesse him speciosum forma prae filijs hominum beautifull in forme aboue the children of men beutiful in the forme of God aboue the children of men I cannot but with admiration say vnto him with Kingly Dauid Beautifull in forme aboue the children Psal 45. of men Grace is diffused in thy lippes therefore thee O God! thy God hath annointed
to discourse thereupon and by way of argument to proue it for can it sinke into the imagination of any that God should bee or could bee spotted with any sinne imperfection or blemish thereof Our Christ indeed tooke vpon him the semblance of a sinner but it was impossible to the absolute and almightie power of God to haue permitted him to haue beene taynted with any the least internall or true blemish of sinne Yea by the omnipotent power of God would not hinder or let it but that by vertue of the perssinall vnion and hypostolicall coniunction the soule of Christ was so sanctified and replenished with all graces that absolutely and most necessarily it was impeceable vnsinneable and not capable of any the lest spot of sinne And it was indeed most meet that our high Priest should be such a Person Heb. 7. impolluted innocent separated from sinnes and made higher then the very heauens themselues as being the Lord and God of themand all that is in them And so I proceede to the last branch of my diuision in which is thus Shall cleanse the conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Here is the scope of Christs bloud offered here is the end of Christs offering himselfe by the Eternall Spirit to God that our consciences might be cleansed from dead workes to serue the liuing God Good God what are men or the consciences of men that thou doest so visit them thou doest so esteeme them what are they that to cleanse them thou diddest so farre depresse and humble thy only begotten Sonne vnder thy Angels euen to an ignominious death to make man equall with Angells in euerlasting life it is thy vnspeakeable loue and charitie no deseruing of ours at all But how by what meanes by what instrument is this cleansing sacrifice applied to our consciences to cleanse them from dead workes to serue the liuing God God made heauen earth and all in them made man and all belonging to him without any concurrence or helpe from him by that word fiat fiat be it done bee it made Doth he so cleanse the conscience of man from dead works without any act of man as a meanes as an instrument to applie this soueraigne sacrifice to his conscience no no Heare the Apostle Rom. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Being iustâ—fied gratis frankly by the grace of him by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whom God hath proposed a propitiation by faith in his bloud by faith therefore by a liuing faith Christâ—s proposed a propitiation in his bloud not in mans works to euery beleeuing conscience Indefinite vniuersall is this proposing of this propitiation by faith in his bloud to all Nations all sexes all conditions in all times and in all ages no person whatsoeuer is excluded from faith confidence in it no not Iudas himselfe who betrayed it had he beene so happie not the crucifying Iewes had they beene so fortunate How powerfull a sound faith in this bloud is to cleanse consciences let Leo an Ancient Pope confront against these latter Pontificians all of them being meritists de condigno oâ— de congruo out of condignitie or congruitie to their first or second iustification for such a distinction their nouell Scholasticall heresie hath denied 〈◊〉 in 〈…〉 sept mâ—ns Effusio pro iniustis iusti sanguinis tam potens fuit ad praemium tam diues ad praetium vt sivniuersitas Captiuorum in Redemptorem suum crederent â—alium tyrannica vincula retinerent The effusion saith this Pope of the iust bloud for the vniust was so potent for a reward so rich for a price that if the whole vniuersitie of Captiues would beleeue in their Redeemer the bands of the Tyrant should hold or retaine none To him I adioyne Saint Austen Modo fratres vt a peccato sanemur Christum crucifixum intuâ—â—amur quomodo illi intuebantur illum serpentem a morsibus August tract super Ioh. sanabantur serpentium sic qui fide intuentur mortem Christi sanantur morsibus peccatornm sed illi sanabantur a morte a d vitam temporalem hi autem vt habeant vitam aeternam hoc enim interest inter figuratam imaginem rem ipsam figura praestabat vitam temporalem res ipsa cuius imago erat praestabat vitam aeternam Now brethren saith he that we may be healed from sinne let vs behold Christ crueified euen as they beheld that Serpent hee speaketh of the Iewes in the Desart and were healed of the biting of Serpents so they who in faith behold the death of Christ are healed from the biting of sinne but they were healed from death to a temporall life but these that they may haue life euerlasting for this is the difference betwixt the figuring image and the thing it selfe the figure gaue temporall life but the thing it selfe of which the Image was gaue euerlasting life Thus hee with infinite much like which might bee producted out of him and all Ancient Fathers agreeingly to the whole current of sacred Scriptures for iustification by faith against the doctrine of all Pontificians who require a positiue and immediate concurrence dispositiue and preparatiue at lest of mans workes to the first iustification too to derogatorie against the bloud of Christ and faith in it How pernicious is that position of many of them that the works which doe proceede and goe before iustification doe de congruo out of congruitie merit iustification shal I cal this tenent an incongruous position only not so it is hereticall it is damnable not onely in the teachers but in the consenters and approuers of the same For tell mee All yee Pontifician Meritists out of congruitie and de congrua as you speake can the power of God can the iustice of God can the wisedome of God doe any thing dispose any thing or proceede in any thing against congruitie right equitie decencie No surely you must answere vnles like madmen you wil affirme that his wisedome may doe some thing vncongruously his power may worke something indecently inconueniently vnseemely you are not yet so impudent as to denie the attributes of God his infinite Wisedome Iustice Goodnesse and consequently his God-head see then and obserue what your merit of congruitie produceth marry a merit of condignitie for such a conueniencie such a congruitie such a worthinesse of a worke to God is as a condignitie For I demand of you in good earnest Is not that a merit of condignitie which in respect of the disposition of the worker and worthinesse of the worke so bindeth vrgeth and constraineth the omnipotent hand of God that he cannot vnlesse hee will proceede against decencie and congruitie but respect regard and reward the same with subsequent and following iustification in the soule which hath it whereby then it is as cleare as the Sunne that from merits of congruitie preceding iustification you are come to merits of condignitie preceding the same by which your hereticall
condignitie you are condignely fallen from Christ you are condignely fallen from the iustification which is in Christ which is only by grace not by Rom. 11. workes otherwise grace should not be grace if the Apostles argument in his Epistle to the Romanes may stand and take place and that of the same Apostle also to Titus stand firme Nos iustificatos esse illius gratia vt haeredes efficeremur aeternavitae That we are iustified by his grace that we might bee made Heires of euerlasting life And that againe of the same Apostle in his Epistle to the Romanes Iustificati ergo ex fide c. We being iustified therefore by Cap. 5. faith let vs haue peace to God through Iesus Christ our Lord by whom we haue accesse by faith into this grace in which we stand and doe glorie in the hope of the glorie of the children of God How admirable therefore is the excellencie of Christian faith by which the faithfull beleeuer is iustified in Christ is inserted to Christ made the Sonne of God the Heire of heauen partaker of iustice possessor of life not by purchasing merits of his owne but by the same faith possessing all the merits and iustice of Christ which thereby are efficaciously for his iustification communicated vnto him But what doe wee by this extolling of faith and by this comfortable doctrine of iustification by faith subuert the necessitie of good workes God forbid doe we grant a license or impunitie of sinning God auert it doe wee grant a Christian securitie and hope of saluation without merits Yes without merits but not without good works not without the fruits of sanctification which God hath ordained prepared and commanded his elect to walke in Heare that learned man master Caluin cap. 10. of his learned institutions that his propugnacle and defence of Christian religion which no Pontifician durst euer yet attempt to confute Per fidei iustificationem c. By iustification by faith the Aduersaries cauill good works to bee destroied what if thereby they be more established for we dreame not saith he of a faith voide of good works or of a iustification which consisteth without them this is only the difference that whereas we confesse faith and good works necessarily to cohere together notwithstanding we place iustification in faith and not in works And the same by what meanes it is done it is easie to explicate if wee conuert our selues to Christ to whom our faith is directed and from whome it receiueth all vertue and force why therefore are we iustified by it because by faith we apprehend the iustice of Christ by which only we are reconciled to God But this thou maist not apprehend vnlesse thou doe withall apprehend his sanctification for he is giuen to vs for Iustice VVisedome Redemption Sanctification therefore Christ iustifieth no man whom hee doth not also sanctifie For these benefits are with an insolluble knot conioyned so that whom Christ illuminateth those hee redeemeth whome he redeemeth hee iustifieth whome bee iustifieth hee sanctifieth thus hee most excellently agreeingly to sacred scriptures and all antiquitie conformably to the faith of the Church of England and accordingly to the Christian doctrine and resolution of all reformed Churches as the harmonie of confessions testifieth And I dare auouch that the vniuersall and Catholike concordance of this fundamentall point of iustification without which no Church and no person can bee held for Christian in the strict proper and true acception of the name of Christian is more vniformely taught and held by all the reformed Churches then any point of Doctrine controuerted in these times is held by the Pontisicans How glad would they be had they but such a vnity and conformitie for the verie rule of their faith touching which they are not yet agreed as I haue shewed in my motiues But the conformitie and irreprehensible agreement of all reformed Churches for this fundamentall article of iustification by faith in the bloud of Christ Iesus as it is an euidentargument of Christs spirit amongst them and tendeth greatly to the glorie of our Redeemer so it produceth wonderfull and vnmoueable consolation in the soules of the faithfull and sanctified beleeuers The aduersarie forsooth frame vnto themselues an Historicall beleefe for iustification in Christ the which as 1. Ioh. 2. the Diuels haue and yet notwithstanding doe tremble so the Christian auncient Churches neuer knew it and the Reformed doe explode it and against iustification by this Historicall faith they muster argument vpon argumentt and produce text vpon text to shew that besides such a faith there is required necessitie of good works and the fruits of sanctification But alas oleum operam perdunt they wast their oyle and loose their labour For what Christian reformed Church euer taught such a blasphemous paradoxe of iustification by such an Historicall faith they vtterly detest abhominate and renounce such a iustifying faith And here giue me leaue most beloued and Catholike Auditours to feele the very pulses of your consciences and my owne also to see how you stand and whether wee are cleansed with the bloud of Christ or no by this iustifying by this sanctifying faith Doe you at any time persisting in the purpose of sinne desire of sinne perswade your selues that notwithstanding the same you are iustified in Christ apprehending him by a dead faith as your Sauiour Doe you at any time hauing a conscience to act sinne to commit approue consent to sinne thinke that Christ notwithstanding will iustifie and sanctifie you without humble acknowledgement and heartie detestation of the said sinnes if the Diuell hauing transformed himselfe haue lulled any of you into such a lethargie I must needs pronounce that such a confidence is but a mere presumption such a iustification is a most pernicious deprauation But arise arise and Christ will illuminate you and will tell you 1. Joh. 1 what you ought to doe Si confiteamur peccata c. If Iacob 2. we confesse and acknowledge our sinnes God is faithfull to remit 1. Joh. 3. them Againe he who saith he knoweth God by a iustifying faith and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Againe Omnis quinatus est ex Deo non peccat c. Euery one who is borne of God sinneth not because the seed of God remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God Millions of like passages of sacred Scripture might be produced to shew that no man can be iustified in Christ whiles with full consent and with a setled intention and purpose of sinne hee prosecuteth the same doubtlesse it were a most pernicious paradoxe to teach that Christ iustifieth any one while hee is proposing and prosecuting with full and free consent Rom. 6. sinne the hire and wages whereof are death and damnation Hâ—b 3. If any one here should bee so dangerously seduced by the fallacie of sinne and deceit of Sathan let him