The Gospell is the ministery of righteousnesse and life reuealing the light of God's countenance shining in Hos 11. 4. Christ and opening his Fatherly affection and loue whereby he draweth his Elect vnto him The most that the Law of God can effect either by the aequity of the holy precepts thereof or by the seuerity of the threatnings denounced therein is happily for a time to stay sin vndoubtedly it hath not power enough to â—lay it it may stop for a while the current of sin cut down some of the boughs thereof but it cannot empty the fountaine of sin nor pluck it vp by the very rootes Much lesse can humane wisdome worke the reformation of sinfull men it may mâ—ke them perhaps couer their sinnes but Humana sapientia ut plurimum efficiat non abscindit vitia sed abscondit Lact. Inst l. 3. c. 26. cannot enable them to cast out their inbred corruptions The vttermost it can work as Lactantius testifieth is to driue corruption inward and to make it hide it selfe for a while but by making men outward conformitans it maketh them in truth no better then dissembling hypocrites For the reason and the wisedome of the naturall man could not finde out many particular transgressions committed against the Law of God nor sound the depth of his â—udgments much lesse could it reach to the height of his mercies and the most strange and incredible expiation that the Lord appointed for sinne This Mystery required a supernaturall reuelation and could not be reuealed but by the doctrin of the Gospel Wherâ—fore when the world by her wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that belieue For the Gospell is the powerfull voice of our great Shepheard whereby he calleth and recalleth 1 Cor. 1. 21 Ioh. 10. 3. all his wandring sheepe and bringeth them home to his owne fold The Gospell is the banner of Christ whereby hee bringeth back his fugitiue souldiers and draweth them to his Can. 2. 4. Mar. 1. 17. owne colours The Gospell is the net which plucketh vs vp out of the Sea of our sinnes and pulleth vs into Christ's ship and waffeth vs along to the safe hauen of our euerlasting happines in the Kingdome of Heauen The Gospell is that voyce of Christ that raiseth vs vp out of the death of sinne to the life of Ioh. 6. 25. righteousnesse yea it is that aqua vitae that water of life that worketh in vs an holy life and quickneth vs to euerlasting Ioh. 4. 14 life The Gospell is that Zephyrus that life-breathing winde Cant. 4. 16. that blowing vpon Christ's Garden causeth the spices thereof to flow out The Gospell hath in it those sweet deawes and showers which dropping down vpon the dry grounds of our hearts causeth them to yeeld a plentifull haruest The doctrines Deut. 32. 2. of the Gospel are those good sciences that being grafted in ouâ— hearts make vs to become fruitfull trees meeâ—e to be planted in the Paradise of God Lastly the Gospell is that Iac. 1. 21. spirituall and heauenly enchantment that doth metamorphise and transforme vs being as beasts in qualities and conditions into the qualities conditioÌ„s of men yea of holy sanctified men For in it is drawn forth such a liuely picture of our own Isai â—… 6. vilenes and of the excellencie of the Lord and of the strangenes of the remedy making manifest the greatnes of the maâ—ady that therein we all beholding as in a mirrour the glory of God with open face are changed into the same Image from 2 Cor. 3. 18 glory to glory as by the spirit of God Being thereby auerted from our selues conuerted to God wâ—aned from our selues and won to God forced to leaue our selues and to cleaâ—e to God yea to loath our selues and to loue God Wherefore let 2 Cor. 5. 14. Iew and Gentile and whatsoeuer Heretickes preach only or at least principally the Law of Moses or the Law of nature and Nations because they acknowledge not the imputed righteoousnes of Christ Iesus which is published in the Gospell but looke to be saued by their own workes But let the ministers of Christ which are the Ministers of the Gospell preach the Mar. 16. 15. Gospell to euery creature following herein not only the commandement but also the example of their heauenly Lord and Master who testifieth of himselfe on this manner saying Tâ—e Spirit of the Lord is vpon me because he hath anointed mee Luc. 4 18. that I should preach the Gospell to the poore he hath sent me And verily not only blessed are the â—eet of them that bring Rom. 10. 15 glad tidings of those good things that God giueth to his by the preaching of the â—ospell but also blessed are the cares of Mat. 13. 16. all such as reuerently and religiously hearken thereunto seeing thereby they attaine this high priuiledge to be made the Elect Rom 3 2 Eph. 2 3. and chosen people of God For by nature all being borne in siâ—ne the children of wrath and inheritours of destruction by preaching and hearing of the powerfull doctrine of the Gospell such as are of the number of the Elect and chosen people of God are borne againe as by an immortall seed are made the children of God and inheritours of the Kingdome of 1 Pet. 1. 23. Heauen CHAP. II QVAEST 2. The Word and the Sacraments doe not profite vnlesse the sense and vse of either be rightly apprehended and vnderstood THe power and efficacy of things consisteth not in the letters and wordes wherein they are expressed but in the things themselues being rightly applied to those vses where unto they are ordained by God To ascribe an operatiue and working power to bare letters or words hath bin condemned by all wise and religious persons not only in such as haue bin bâ—witched with diuelish forceâ—ies but also in such as haue bin blinded with grosse and palpable superstition The seuen sons of one Scava a Priest are branded with the note of aeternall infamy for that they tooke vpon them to name ouâ—r them that Acts 19. 13. had euill spirits the name of the Lord IESVS saying We adiure you by IESVS whom Paul preacheth As the Scribes and Pharisees are condemned of grosse and palpable superstition for that they did ascribe a sanctifying Mat. 23. 5. power vnto the Law of God written vpon their garments They did not vnderstand saith S. Ierome that these things are Ierom in Mat. c. â—3 to be carried in their hearts and not on their bodies seeing Libraries and chests haue the bookes but not the knowledge of God The like saith he doe euen now superstitious women amongst vs who haue a zeale of God but not according to knowledge in litle Gospels and in the wood of the Crosse and in other things of the like nature Neither was this
giue in sincerity entertainment in the best roomes of thy soule to the Word of God and thou dost Ioh. 14. 23 Eph. 3. 17. withall giue entertainment to Christ For Christ doth dwell in our hearts by Faith He is not receiued and eaten with our bodily mouthes because he is not our bodily food but with the mouthes of our soules when sweetly and profitably we lay vp in our memories that his flesh was wounded and pierced for Aug. de doct Christian l. 3. c. 10. vs. So Tertullian Tertul. de resur carniâ— Christ is deuoured by hearing chewed by vnderstanding and digested by beleeuing For reall things are not in our mindes by any corporall contiguity of their reall substances but by a spirituall participation of them by their Res non sunt in animis sed rerum notiones reall notions Neither doe our Sacraments auouch a mingling of persons or an vniting of substances but after a spirituall and a mysticall manner And therefore Christ's Body being not a bodily but a ghostly food is not receiued but by the powers of our soules being indued with a â—rue Faith For the Lord doth bestow his seuerall gifts and blessings Cyp. de coâ—a â—om Quicquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur vpon his seuerall creatures according vnto their seuerall natures and powers whereby he hath made them capable thereof causing them all to moue and to worke according to those powers and faculties where withall he hath indued them Hee nourisheth nourishable things by their nourishing powers doth minister many comforts to his creatures that haue sense and motion by causing them to apprehend the same by their sensitiue and motiue faculties So likewise doth he bestow his gifts proper to men which are reasonable creatures by making them knowne vnto them by the discourse of reason by causing them to apprehend and embrace the same by their vnderstandings and wâ—ls which are the proper faculties of reasonable creatures As for example the Lord worketh a care in many naturall men to lead a ciuill and a righteous life by causing them to apprehend and embrace those arguments and reasons which are of force to perswade to a ciuill and a righteous life As in like manner hee opâ—neth the hearts of such as he calleth to the estate of grace by causing them carefully to attend to the diuine Acts 16. 14. doctrines of the Word of grace For the Spirit of God leadeth them not as blind men which are led by their guides in the way that they see not themselues but he openeth their eyes that they may turne from darknes to light from the power of Satan to God that they may receiue remission of sinnes inheritance among them that are sanctified by Faith in Christ Insomuch that the minds of the Faithfull are first sanctified Acts 26. 18. by a true and right apprehension of the loue of God in Christ made manifest vnto them by the light of the Gospell and their wills are inflamed with a seruent desire to be partakers thereof before they be made the sincere Seruants of Christ For as Austin Aug. de peccat meriâ— remiss l. 2. cap. 3. Aug. hom 15. de verb. Apost saith God worketh our saluation in vs not as in stones that haue no sense or as in those creatures to whom he hath not given reason wiâ—l For as the same Father also teachetâ— elsewhere He that made thee without thee doth not make thee Iust without thee He made thee not knowing what was done vnto thee but he maketh thee iust being willing and witting to that worke which is wrought in thee There are two parts of our saluation or deliuerance from sinne whereof the one is a deliuerance from the very being and Heb. 1. 3. 1. Pet. 2. 24 Isa 63. 3 1 Cor. 1. 13. Act. 20. 28 1 Pet. 1. 19 bondage of sinne and the other from the guilt and punishment thereof Now albeit concerning our deliuerance from the guilt punishment of sinne our most mighty Sauiour hath performed that alone by himselfe euen by the shedding of his owne most precious blood yet concerning that other part which consisteth in the dâ—liuerance from the being and bondage of sinne he doth effect it by diuers moâ—iues set downe in his holy Word whereby through the effectuall operation of his holy Spirit he doth make his Elect desirous and willing to cast off the grieuous yoake of Satan to haue all their very thoughts brought vnto obedience to the commandements of God Wherefore it was not without cause that the Prophet Daniel Dan. 4. 24. exhorted Nebuchadnezzar to redeeme his sins with righteousnes and his iniquities with mercy towards the poore that so there might be an healing of his errour For as hee that is ouercome of sinne is in bondage to sinne so he that breaketh 2 Pet. 2. 19. the bonds of sinne and casteth off the yoke thereof may rightly be said to redeeme and to saue himselfe from the same Take Redime to captum quam queâ—…s minimo 1 Tim. 4. 16. heed saith the Apostle to Timothy to thy selfe and to thy doctrine and continue therein for in so doing thou shalt saue thy selfe and them that heare thee Verily as sinne is the sicknes death of the soule so righteousnesse is the health and life thereof And therefore whereas contraries are cured by contraries Contraria curaÌ„tur contrarijs by righteousnes our soules are cured of their sinnes As it is apparent by the words of Daniel before-mentioned Redeeme thy sinnes with righteousnes and thine iniquities with mercy towards the poore loe let there be an healing of thine errour by which words we are taught that by righteousnes our souls are healed of their sinnes Wherefore all such as hearken attentiuely to the doctrine of the Gospell and are thereby brought to saith and righteousnes Luc. 1. 17. whereby they are purged from their sinnes may rightly be said to worke out their owne saluation to redeeme and saue Phil. 2. 12. their owne soules for that they are iâ—struments vnder the grace of Christ for the effecting of this so worthy a worke And verily as the ignorance of the powerfull truths of the Gospell breedeth folly and folly leadeth into all iniquity and Eccl. 7. 27. is the porter that openeth the doore to all impleâ—y â—o the true knowledge of the mysteries of godlines breedeth wisedome 2 Tim. 3. 15. wisedome deliuereth from the euill way and from the man that speaketh froward things and from them that leaue the Prov. 2. 10. wayes of righteousnes to walke in the wayes of darknes and so is an entrance and portall to piety and to all other diuine Prov. 4. 7. vertues So then in the worke of regeneration deliuerance from the being and bondage of sinne both the â—aithfull teacher of 1 Cor. 3. 9. 2 Cor. 6. â— Phil. 2. 12. the Gospell and
Lord of Plessis in his bookes of the truth of Christian Religion Zegedine in his Common places and to Reckerman in his Systema Theologicum But if any one on the contrary side iudge that these few are too many I would request him to pardon me herein seeing if I had produced no reasons for the 〈◊〉 of this truth I had failed in the chiefe point of this 〈◊〉 wherein is auouched that all quaestions 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 may be cleared iustified with arguments and 〈◊〉 And that the truth of this assertion may ye◠〈◊〉 appearâ—… let vs proceed to the quaestion concerning the resurrection of the dead which is also supernaturall and take a view how by great variety of arguments and reasons the Spirit of God doth open the same in the Diuine Scriptures The Doctrine of the Resurrection is strange absurde and almost yea altogether incredible in the iudgement of the naturall man but most wise and reasonable vnto the Christian Act. 17. 18. The Apostle Saint Paul in the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians proueth the same by many arguments Fides Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum and reasons As first Christ is rison from the dead therefore there is a Resurrection Now that Christ is risen he prooueth it first for that his Psal 16. 10. Rom. 9. 6. resurrection was fore-tolde in the word of God the which that it should not take effect it was impossible Secondly he proveth it by the testimony of those that saw and handled his wounds that were made in his body both before and after his death Thirdly he proueth it by the effect of Christs sufferings and death which was a full satisfaction for sinne and an abolishing of death and therefore an introduction of a Resurrection For where there is no sinne there is no death at least as it is a paine and punishment for sin but onely as it is an entrance vnto life euerlasting which cannot be enioyed by our whole maÌ„ vnlesse theâ—e be a Resurrection Now the Apostle hauing thus proued the Resurrection of the dead by our Sauiours owne Resurrection hee proceedeth to proue the same by diuers other arguments and reasons If saith hee there be no resurrection to a better estate asâ— this life then this world doth afford then are the godly of all men most miserable for that in this life they are subiect to so many outward and inward crosses Yea then let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall die and let vs labour to enioy the pleasures of this life if there be no resurrection nor hope to inioy better things in the world to come But it is absurd to imagine that the godly are in the worst case and that godlesse Epicures and Atheists are in the best therefore it cannot be but there shall be a Resurrection Moreouer whereas God doth raise vp his faithfull seruants here in this life in their soules from the death of sinne to the life of righteousnesse whereof Baptisme is not onely aâ—liuely representation but also an assured pledge why should they doubt but that he can and will deliuer their bodies out of the bonds of bodilie death seeing the one is a farre greater and harder worke then the other and specially seeing he hath giuen his word also that all such that haue their part in the first Resurrection shall not be hurt by the second death much Apoc. 20. 6. lesse be kept for euer vnder the power of the same Furthermore if these intelligible motiues will not prevaile with vs the Apostle sendeth vs to sensible things that we may be convinced by the censure of our sense For saith he if hearbes and graine after a sort die in the Winter and receiue life againe in the Spring why may not the bodies of men doe so likewise Surely Saint Austin auoucheth that he that quickneth putrified and dead graine by the which mans life is maintained in this world wil much more quicken man himself that he may liue with him for euer The which truth is most solemnly auouched by the Prophet Esay Thy dead shall arise with Isa 26. 19. my bodie shall they arise awake and sing yee that dwell in the â—ust for thy dew is as the dew of the hearbes and the earth shall cast out the dead The earth saith the Prophet doth bring out her hearbes in the Spring which were dead in the Winter and why may she not doe so with our bodies at the generall iudgement Wherefore as our blessed Sauiour Mar. 22. 29. testifieth all such as are contrarie minded erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God nor yet his constant and vnchangeable goodnesse For first the Scriptures doe plainelie testifie that there shall be a Resurrection of some of them that sleepe in the dust to Dan. 12. 2. glorie and of some to perpetuall shame and contempt Secondlie the power of God doth teach that as he made all things out of a confused Chaos at the first and gaue to each thing their distinct and seuerall beings so he can doe the like againe if al lthings should returne to their former confusion Thirdlie the constant and vnchangeable goodnesse of God doth likewise assure vs of the truth hereof For God is the God of Abraham and of all the spirituall children of Abraham Exod. 3. 15. Prou. 17. 17. Isa 49. 15. 2 Tim. 2. 13. for euer For a true friend loueth alwaies much more God the faithfullest friend of all friends For if we be vnfaithfull yet he will not be vnfaithfull he cannot denie himselfe 1 Thess 4. 17 And therefore albeit that sin may suffer a full death hee causeth the faithfull to sustaine the anguish of a bodily death yet he will raise them vp again to life that they may euer liue with him and inioy the fruit of his most constant and immutable goodnesse and loue For the bodies of the faithfull as they haue beene co-workers with their soules in the Lords seruice so they shall be ioynt possessors with them in that happinesse and blisse wherewith he will reward all his faithfull seruants Yea whereas our blessed Sauiour Christ tooke vnto him an humane body as well as a humane soule and suffered in the one as well as in the other vndoubtedly the faithfull shall be partakers of their saluation and redemption as well in the one as in the other Now by these things that haue beene deliuered it is euident that holy Scripture giuen by diuine inspiration is able by such sufficient arguments and reasons in all the mysteries of piety and godlinesse to teach truth and to convince errour 2 Tim. 3. 15. that the man of God may be made thereby wise to saluation by faith in Christ that is that the sincere and sound Christian the true seruant of God may obtaine a wise faith and so may be saued Yea that a professor of any Religion should voluntarily confesse that the points of his profession cannot
himselfe and therefore he onely is able to reueale them Wherefore seeing the works of the creation redemption and Sanctification which are the most gracious and glorious workes of God are plainely reuealed in the bookes of the Holy Scriptures therefore the doctrines of the holy bookes are faithfully to be embraced as vndoubtedly proceeding from diuine reuelation And verily who could so distinctly and particularly set downe the manner of the creation of man and of all the rest of the creatures but he that hauing the fulnesse of being in himselfe could giue such a manner and measure of being to them all as should manifest his great power wisedome and goodnesse towards man for whose sake principally the world was made And who could lay open the fall of man from his estate of holinesse and happinesse wherein he was created and the manner thereof but he onely from whose obedience albeit man could depart yet he could not depart from his presence nor so much as dazle his sharpe and cleare eyes albeit he could cleane put out his owne but who could open a meanes of mans recouery from this his miserable and wretched estate whereinto he is fallen by his owne folly but he that was onely able to worke his recouery It is euident that sinne being an offence committed against the infinite Maiesty of the most glorious Deity requireth a satisfaction no lesse then infinite Now who could so much as imagine that God being so grieuously prouoked and so highly offended with man should send his owne Sonne to become man that in mans nature he might suffer death for mans deliuery from death and condemnation For doubtlesse one will scarce die for a righteous man for a good Rom. 5. 7. man it may be that one dare dye that then such a person who when he was in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God should die for such persons as were not onely neither righteous nor good but aboue measure vnrighteous and euill and that he should die such a death as proceeded from the intollerable wrath of so highly incensed a God against most execrable and cursed sinnes Isay 53. 1. Who hath beleeued our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed Surely the Gospell wherein this worke is reuealed is Diuine and supernaturall exceeding all humane and naturall apprehension and could not be reuealed but by him that could worke beyond the power of nature The which thing doth more euidently appeare hereby in that wheresoeuer it is plainely reuealed and sincerely imbraced it doth deliuer all such from the most grieuous bondage of sinne and Satan and doth most effectually bring them backe againe vnto God For as Lactantius saith Let humane wisedome stretch it selfe to the vttermost yet it can but cause men to couer their sinnes it cannot enable them to cast them out whereas the Gospell which is the Law of the Spirit of Life not onely freed Saint Paul from the Law of sinne and death but also conuerted Rom. 8. 2. the world and that in short time from infidelity to faith from sinne to righteousnesse from Satan to God albeit it was most mightily resisted not onely with all the wisedome and learning but also with all the power and authority of all the wisest and greatest men of the world and therefore it cannot be denyed but that it is the most mighty and powerfull word of the most mighty and powerfull God The heauens declare themselues to be the workes of God in that they cause the earth which is so bare and barren at Winter to be cloathed in Summer with all manner of hearbes flowers and graine and to abound with all variety of fruit and doth not the doctrine of the holy Scriptures much more euidently declare it selfe to be the most powerfull word of the most powerfull God in that it beautifieth the bare and barren soile of our soules with true wisedome righteousnesse and holinesse and with all manner of spirituall graces It was an euident effect of the diuine power of the mighty word of the omnipotent God that thereby in the Creation all things receiued their essence and being but of an euill man to make a good man yea to make one that is bruitish and diabolicall to become reasonable and Angelicall is a farre greater worke then the Creation of the whole heauen and earth as Saint Austin teacheth And therefore seeing this so strange a Aug. in Iob. tract 72. Isay 11. 9. worke is wrought as Isayas saith by the doctrine of the Canonicall Scriptures hereby it is sufficiently proued that the booke of the Scriptures is the booke of God Wherefore no maruell that the Apostle Saint Paul when 2 Cor. 3. 1. the truth of his Apostleship and Apostolicall doctrine was questioned by some among the Corinthians so confidently auoucheth that he standeth not in need of any testimoniall from men for his approbation and iustification seeing their owne conuersion wrought by that word which was written in their hearts by his Ministery was a most sufficient demonstration that his Apostleship and doctrine was from God The great works wrought here by our blessed Sauiour in the time of his being on earth did sufficiently declare him to be the true Matth. 11. 5. Ioh. 5. 36. Messiah and shall not the greater workes wrought by his word since his departure out of this life plainely demonstrate it to be the very word of the Sonne of God himselfe Wherefore if the blind Papists the most sightfull and spitefull enemies of the sincere Professors of the Gospell of Christ shal still auouch that they cannot know that the doctrine of the Scriptures is the doctrine of God but by the testimony of the Church we answer them as the man cured of his blindnesse by our most blessed Sauiour answered the blind Pharisies when they made protestatiō that they knew not whence our Sauiour was Doubtlesse saith he this is a maruellous thing that yee Ioh 9. 30. know not whence he is and yet he hath opened mine eyes So doe we also answere Doubtlesse this is a maruellous thing that ye know not whence the Scriptures are but by the testimony of the Church and yet they haue doe and shall open the eyes of the mindes and sanctifie the affections of the hearts of all Ioh. 17. 17. Ioh. 7. 17. such as haue beene are or shall be the people of God and shall thereby make them know that they are of God Wherefore hereby these blind Papists plainly manifest themselues to be none of the Lords people seeing they openly professe that they neither know nor can know the graces of sanctification wrought in their hearts by the Spirit and word of God giuing thereby testimony to it's selfe and to the conscience sanctified therewith that it it of God but that they receiue the same so to be onely vpon the testimony of the Church QVEST. XX. That the soule of our blessed Sauiour after his death
descended locally into Hell It is no impeachment vnto our blessed Sauiours victory and triumph that he humbled himselfe to descend in soule into hell the dreadfull prison appointed for all impenitent sinners For as he triumphed ouer al his enemies on his crosse Col. 2. 15. So he was not daunted with the hellish horrors of that dreadfull dungeon when he descended into hell but victoriously triumphed ouer them all Yea the more in his humane nature he was humbled the more great and glorious was his victory and triumph It was Sampsons greater glory that when he was inclosed in Assah a strong City of his enemies he lifted aside the posts and barres of the gates of the City and so set himselfe free and being bound with cords and ropes brake thē asunder Iud. 16. So it was the greater glory of our spirituall Sampson that being in body in the prison of the graue and in soule in the deepe dungeon of hell yet he deliuered himselfe from both at his glorious resurrection And as this was most glorious for Christ so it was most profitable for vs that place our whole hope and confidence in him It is a confessed truth that whatsoeuer our blessed Sauiour performed in our humane nature he performed it for vs. He fulfilled for vs all righteousnesse vnto the which heauen was due and ascended into heauen to take possession thereof for vs and to assure vs of our assumption into that place of aeternall happinesse So likewise he endured for vs whatsoeuer was agreeable to the most seuere Iustice of God to lay vpon him in respect of all our sins and descended into hell and deliuered himselfe from thence to assure vs that he had made satisfaction to the vttermost mite for all our debts had procured for vs deliuerance from hell So teacheth the Apostle Rom. 10. By setting downe the different way that the Law and the Gospell shew whereby we may attaine to righteousnesse and heauenly happinesse the reward thereof and may also be deliuered from sinne and from hellish misery due to the same Moses saith he thus describeth the righteousnesse of the Law that the man that doth that which is commanded therein shall liue thereby Doe this saith the Law and thou shalt liue But doe it totally and continually For cursed is he that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law to doe them Gal. 3. 10. But the righteousnesse saith he that is of faith that is that righteousnes which our Sauiour Christ hath performed for vs and is reuealed not in the Law but in the Gospell is apprehended obtained by faith speaketh in this wise Say not in thy hart who shal ascend vp into heauen For that is to bring Christ frō thence Or who shal descēd into the depth of hel for that is to bring Christ frō the dead That is to say the righteousnes that Christ hath fulfilled for all that beleeue in him the which the Apostle calleth the righteousnesse of faith assureth the faithfull that they need no more doubt of their ascending into heauen then of Christs ascension seeing he ascended into heauen to take possession thereof in their nature and for their behoofe nor of their deliuerance from hell then of Christs deliuerance seeing he deliuered himselfe from thence to assure them of their deliuerance For the question here handled by the Apostle is not how we may be deliuered from the graue or from a temporall death and may be made partakers of a temporall life but how we may be deliuered from that death that is indured in hell and how we may be made pertakers of aeternall life and happinesse in the Kingdome of heauen For obserue the discourse of the Apostle The Law saith he saith sinne not at all and thou needest not at all feare not the graue but hell the prison appointed for the punishment of sinne and fulfill all righteousnesse and thou needest not to doubt of thy comming to heauen where righteousnesse dwelleth and raigneth for euer But the righteousnes performed for vs by Christ obtained by faith saith No more doubt of thine ascension into heauen then of Christs ascension nor of thy deliuerance from hell then of Christs deliuerance seeing whatsoeuer Christ hath done he hath done it for them that are vnited vnto him by a true faith and thereby haue full interest both in his sufferings and in his righteousnesse which he hath endured and performed for them Now then let me demand of any faithfull man what greater assurance he can haue of his ascension into heauen then the ascension of Christ who ascended thither there to prepare a place for all his as he himselfe plainely testifieth Ioh 14. 2. So vpon the like consequence may it also be demaunded what greater assurance can a faithfull man haue for his deliuerance from hell then this that Christ being in hell before the grand executioner of the Lords vengeance for sinne in the prison that was ordayned for those debtors that were no way able to make satisfaction that Christ I say that was made sinne for vs and our surety and a debter in our roome was deliuered from thence what stronger assurance I say can there possibly be to all the faithfull fo◠the cleare discharge of all their debts and the full satisfaction for all their sinnes and their most certaine deliuerance both from the place and also from all the torments of hell Verily that reuerend man Mr. Perkins is of this iudgement as he hath deliuered in the exposition of the Creed that there cannot be any stronger euidence giuen vnto the faithfull to assure them of their deliuerance from hell then this that Iesus the Sonne of the Virgin Mary that went downe into the place of the damned returned after this death from thence to liue in all heauenly happinesse for euer Obiect 1. But saith he I cannot be of that opinion that Christ locally in soule descended into hell seeing the Euangelists who set downe the whole history of his sufferings and actions make no mention of any such thing Solut. I might answere that whereas an history is a relation of things visible and seene therefore as Moses in the history of the creation made no mention of the creation of Angels being a thing not to be seene so the Euangelists in the history of the redemption might make no mention of the locall descending of the soule of Christ into hell and yet both these are most certaine truths But we may rather resolue that both our Sauiour Christ being well witting to the weaknesse of the faith of his dearest seruants would not omit the performance of that action that he knew to be most auaileable to the confirmation thereof nor the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists the relation of the same in their Canonicall writings For doth not the Prophet Dauid making mention of Christs resurrection auouch that his soule was not left in hell the receptacle of soules as well as
doctrine of the Romish Church is a provocation to sinne and not the doctrine of the Churches that professe the Gospell Popish pennance and Purgatory are contrary to the Article of the Creed I beleeue the remission of sinnes FroÌ„ such things as be coniugates Iury is not to be esteemed an holy land The will of man is not by nature free in things concerning God All the faithfull are Saints The Bishop of Rome is not the vniuersall pastour of the whole Church The Lawes of God only bind the conscience From the etymology or interpretation of the name True Religion bindeth only to the obseruation of such things as are commanded by God Whereas superstition bindeth to the obseruation of such things as are beside and aboue the former The Laity ought to haue liberty daily to read the holy Scriptures The faithfull themselues and also their Churches ought to be dedicated only to God The faithfull know their own Faith repentance and loue and their saluation in Christ Iesus An implicite that is a blinded and a folded vp Faith is not the true Christian Faith The breaking of a Popish vow is no sinne The Monkes as they now demeane themselues are not true Monkes All the faithfull are saued by the meere mercy of God in Christ. From the definition or description of a thing The faithfull haue assurance both of the Lord 's good will and loue towards themselues and also of their own sincere faith and true loue towards God The bare testimony of the Church cannot make sufficiently knowne any doctrine of Faith A Bishop may be a ciuill Magistrate From the diuision of a thing The signe of the Crosse is not a thing absolutely euill but may lawfully bee vsed at the administration of Baptisme From the whole to the parts or froÌ„ the generll to the speciall Matrimony is lawfull for the Clergy euen after the vow of single life All Ecclesiasticall persons aswell as secular ought to be subiect to the ciuill Magistrate It doth belong to the ciuill Magistrate in his owne dominions to command all such things to be obserued of all his subiects as concerne the diuine worship and seruice of God and therein he hath the highest authority The naturall man hath no free will to that which is religiously good From the parts to the whole or from the speciall to the general The Church of Rome giueth diuine honour to Angels and Saints There are no persons appointed by God for Popish Purgatory FroÌ„ diuine humane testimonies The miracles and doctrine of the Church of Rome are fabulous and false euen by the testimonies of her own vulgar people Learned Writers the ancient Fathers Canonicall Scriptures THEOLOGICALL LOGICKE CHAP. I. QVAEST 1. 1 The Gospell is the only proper and immediate instrumentall cause of our conversion to God and of our faith and loue and of all other spirituall graces and not miracles nor the holy liues and comfortable deathes of the dearest seruants of God nor temporall blessings or corrections nor the authority of the Magistrate nor the wisdome of the Law of God and therefore much lesse the reason of the naturall man THe Gospell is the propeâ— and immediate Acts 26. 18. Ioh. 8. 32. 1 Pet. 2. 23. 2 Cor. 3. 18. Rom. 10. 17. 1 Ioh. 4. 19. instrument whereby God doth open our eyes and turne vs from darknes to light and from the power of Satan to God and doth free vs from the bondage of sinne and doth beget vs againe and renew vs into his owne Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of God Faith commeth by the Gospell For what can giue vs a faithfull assurance of Gods loue but such a pledge thereof as is giuen vs in the Gospell Loue is wrought by the Gospell displaying Gods loue For if we loue them that loue Matth. 5. 47 vs what singular thing doe we Doe not the Publicanes euen the same So repentance is wrought by the Gospell and a godly sorrow Mar 1. 15. for our diuelish sinnes For what can make vs truely sorrowfull for offending so good so gracious a God and carefull from the very heart to cease from sinne and to follow righteousnes if the grieuous agony and dreadfull death of our blessed Sauiour endured for our sinnes being reuealed in the 1. Pet. 4. 1. Ioh. 12. 32. Gospell cannot effect the samâ— Verâ—ly Iohâ— tâ—e Baptist gâ—uing the knowledge of saluation vnto the people for the remission of their sinnes through the tender mercy of God whereby the day spring from an high Luc. 1. 16. hath visited vs did turne many of the children of Israel vnto the Lord their God So the Apostles going out into the whole world and preaching the Gospell to euery creature did cast down holdes and imagâ—nations and euery â—igh thing that was exalted against the knowledge of God and brought into captiuity â— Cor. 10. 4. 〈◊〉 2. 2. euery thought to the obedience of Christ and so converted the whole world vnto God But as for miracles the holy liues and comfortable deathes of the dearest seruants of God the Lord 's temporall blessings and corrections the wisdome of the Law of God and the best reason of the naturall man all and euery of these may bee as good preparatiues to cause vs more readily to receiue the Physicke of our soules but the instructions of the wholesome doctrines of the Gospell of Christ are the only right Physicke and the most soueraigne conâ—ections that are able to recouer our spiâ—ituall health and life For if we liue an holy and an heauenly â—er 46. 1. Gal. 2. 20. life we liue so by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued vs and hath giuen himselfe for vs the whâ—ch faith is wrought by the Gospell The former may be some impellent occasions to induce such as are not yet effectually called to giue an attentiue â—are to the most wholesome doctrines of the Gospell of Christ and to moue such as are effectually called already to hearken more readily and reuerently then before they haue done But they are no helpes to the Gospell it selfe for the working out of the conversion of any Because this word of Christ is not rightly receiued nor doth worke in any one effectually but where it 1 Thess 2. 13 is receiued for it's own sake And verily concerning the power of miracles and of the Church which is a multitude of such as professe the truth they are not able to convert an Infidell but to prepare him make him ready to embrace the Gospell which is the power of God Rom. 1. 16 Aug. de utilitâ—te credendi c. 16 to saluation to all that belieue Men saith S. Austin that are not yet able to discerne the heauenly truth that they may bee lifted vp to it and suffer themselues to be purged from their impurity hindâ—ing them from it haue the benefit of direction of authority which standeth vpon two things whereof the one is
lightning the vnderstanding with a true faith doth sanctifie the will with all other vertues and establish it also with constancy and perseuerance Wherefore a well-grounded knowledge of the mysteries of godlinesse diuine wisdome and sauing faith doe neuer goe alone but take their traine with them and are alwaies accompanied with all other diuine and heauenly vertues And thus much concerning the necessary combination of sauing faith with all other diuine vertues Now it remaineth that we make manifest what comfortable assurance of Gods fauour and loue faith also giueth to all that truly beleeue CHAP. IIII. The diuine doctrine of the Christian faith doth giue to the sincere imbracers thereof a sauing faith and an assurance thereby of Gods fauour and loue and of eternall happinesse and blessednesse THat which all erronious professions doe promise that the Gospell of Christ doth performe euen a sure faith and a faithfull assurance of the fauour and loue of God and of eternall happinesse and blessednesse For herein is reuealed the Couenant of grace grounded vpon a strong foundation euen vpon him that is Immanuell God with vs a most powerfull Reconciler of men vnto God and a most gracious procurer of Gods fauour and loue For mans sinne being committed against the infinite maiesty of the most glorious Deity could not be done away but by an infinite satisfaction and Gods loue and euerlasting happinesse consisting therein being blessings of an inualuable worth could not haue beene purchased but by an inualuable price Now this infinite satisfaction and inualuable price could not haue beene tendred but by such an one that was true man ioyned in one person to the true God that so he might be a meet Mediatour betweene God and man And so he himselfe testifieth saying I am the way the truth Iohn 14. 6. and the life no man commeth vnto the Father but by me It is then by Christs meanes that wee beleeue in God and haue an assurance of his fauour and loue For to him God gaue after his shamefull death which he suffered for our sins a glorious resurrection as an ample testification of his full satisfaction made for them all and of his victorious conquest ouer death that so we might haue faith and hope in God Wherefore if 1 Pet. 1. 21. God hath plainly opened vnto vs the worke of our redemption and reconciliation wrought by Christ which is the foundation of the Couenant of grace wherein God offereth himselfe to be a gracious God and a louing Father to all such as imbrace it with a true faith it cannot be but if that with a true faith we apprehend this gracious Couenant we should rest thereby throughly perswaded of the Lords inestimable fauour and loue towards vs. Now that the vndoubted truth therof may euidently appeare let vs obserue these three circumstances First the time when this assurance is giuen Secondly the meanes whereby it is wrought Thirdly the witnesses that giue euidence to the certainty and infallibility thereof Now concerning the first when God by the light of the Gospel doth open our eies make vs to behold the light of his couÌ„tenance shining vnto vs in Christ Iesus and thereby doth not only informe our vnderstanding but also reforme our will and affections euen then in some measure he giueth vnto vs this comfortable assurance that he hath admitted vs among the number of his children and hath matriculated vs into the Vniuersity of his Saints and hath entred our names into his booke of life For that which our blessed Sauiour auouched of Zacheus when he willingly receiued by loue Christs person into his house and his doctrine by faith into his heart This day is saluation come to this house for as much as this man is become Luke 19. 9. the sonne of Abraham that is to be auerred of all persons whatsoeuer that readily imbrace the faith that was in Abraham seeing all such as haue their hearts purged by faith are Rom. 4 12. Gal. 3. 26. 2 Tim. 2. 21. vndoubtedly thereby made the sonnes of God and vessels of honour sanctified and meet for the Lord. Now saith Saint Iohn we are the sonnes of God euen as many as by an 1 Iohn 3. 2. effectuall calling are brought to a wise and vnderstanding faith and to an holy and vpright life So Saint Bernard At Bern. ep 107. the rising of the Sunne of righteousnesse at our iustification that is when we are made inberently iust and righteous for so he taketh the word in this place the secret that was hidden from the beginning concerning those that are predestinate and shall be blessed beginneth to appeare out of the depth of eternity whilest a man called by the feare of God and framed to righteousnesse by loue presumeth that he is of the number of the blessed knowing that whom he hath iustified them also he hath glorified In the which very place that we may come to our second circumstance Saint Bernard aduiseth the person that is made an holy and iust man to take for the opener of this mystery of his saluation the Spirit making him righteous and iust and thereby testifying to his spirit that he is the child of God For saith he who is a iust man but he that being beloued of God loueth him againe Which commeth not to passe but by the Spirit of God reuealing by saith the eternall promise of God for his saluation to come the which reuelation that is the ground or meanes of the which reuelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace by the which the deedes of the flesh are mortified and the man that hath it is prepared to the kingdome of heauen together receiuing by one spirit that whereby he may presume that he is beloued and loueth againe So then when the Apostle auoucheth that the Spirit of God beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the children Rom. 8. 16. of God that he doth saith Saint Bernard by nothing else but by the infusion of spirituall grace whereby the deedes of the flâ—sh are mortified and the man of God is quickened vnto an holy and heauenly life So Origen The testimony of the spirit Oâ—ig in 8. Cap. ad â—…om is an hability giuen by the Spirit not to doe all things for feare but for loue towards God So Ambrose also vpon the same words of the Apostle calleth it an hability giuen by the Spirit of God to leade a life fitting the name of the sonnes of God whereby our heauenly Fathers marke is seene in vs. And this these holy men learned of the holy Apostle Saint Peter Giue saith he all diligence to ioyne to your 2 Pet. 1. 10. faith vertue to your vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance to temperance patience to patience brotherly kindnesse to brotherly kindnesse loue c. and hereby make your calling and election sure for if you doe such things ye shall neuer fall For whereas God hath promised to be a
seeke and ayme at After the same manner saith he the Lord drawing neare his death had care to set vs in the possession of his grace to the end that his inuisible grace might be giuen by some visible signe and for that end are all Sacraments ordayned QVEST. XII The outward Elements in the Eucharist are not Bread and Wine in shew but in substance The Sacrament of the Lords Supper was odrayned to this end that by the feeding and nourishing of our bodies by the outward Elements our soules might be assured of our spirituall feeding vpon Christ and of aeternall life obtayned thereby Now if we were willed to feed vpon the empty shewes of Bread and Wine and to cherish our selues therewith might we not iustly conceiue that we were bidden as it were to a Iuglers feast to haue our senses deluded rather then to haue our bodies nourished And what assurance could our soules haue thereby of their spirituall nourishing by the Body and Bloud of Christ Sacraments saith Saint Austin if they haue no Aug. Ep. 23. ad Bonifacium likenesse with the things whereof they are Sacraments can be no Sacraments at all Wherefore seeing the bare and empty shewes of Bread and Wine haue no true similitude with the substantiall Body and Bloud of Christ they can in no wise be the externall signes and Sacraments thereof QVEST. XIII There is no miraculous turning of Bread and Wine in the holy Eucharist into the very Body and Bloud of Christ nor any other miracle at all That which the Apostle auoucheth of the miraculous gift of tongues is true also of all miracles that is That they are for 1 Cor. 14. 22. a signe not for them that beleeue but to them that beleeue not And therefore miracles must be open and manifest euen to all such as haue but the sound vse of their outward senses that they may perceiue in them the power and might of the omnipotent God giuing testimony thereby of the diuine truth of Mar. 16. 20. that heauenly doctrine which is confirmed by such diuine witnesses Heb. 2. 4. But in the Lords Supper there is no turning manifest to sense of Bread and Wine into the Body and Bloud of Christ seeing the formes and also the qualities of Bread and Wine remaine there still and therefore in it there is no such miracle And verily Sacraments were not ordayned for Infidels to Act. 8. 37. conuert them but for the faithfull to confirme them in the faith And therefore as Saint Austin saith they may haue reuerence as things religious but they are not to be wondred at as things miraculous And whereas neither the booke entituled the Miracles of holy Scripture ascribed to Saint Austin nor Nazianzen intreating of the Miracles of our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ doe mention any miracle done by him in his last Supper it is manifest what was the iudgement of the true and Orthodoxe Church in their times concerning the same QVEST. XIIII Iustification is giuen by the free mercy of God in Christ and not mericed by our workes As all other the good gifts of God so Iustification especially is freely giuen to the faithfull in Christ to this end that they should not glory in themselues nor trust in the worthinesse of their owne workes but in the most free and vndeserued goodnesse of God in Christ who is made vnto vs of God 1 Cor. 1. 30. wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption that he that glorieth should glory in the Lord. And that we should in no wise doubt of the truth thereof the Apostle vrgeth and inculcateth the same againe and againe By grace yee are saued Ephes 2. 9. through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes lâ—st any man should boast And againe All haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God and are iustified freely by his Rom. 3. 24. grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus that our glorying in our owne workes should be vtterly excluded and that we should glory onely in Christ QVEST. XV. The faithfull after the end of this life are not punished in the fire of Purgatory The end that moueth a kind and a tender-hearted Father to chastise his deare child is his amendment insomuch that if hee Pro magno peccato pâ—… supplicij satis est Patri terrestri quanto magis Caelesti Esay 40. 2. Luke 15. 31. once perceiue that he is amended indeed then doth hee immediately cease from punishment but the deare children of God immediately vpon their deathes cease wholy from sinne and are throughly reformed therefore their heauenly Father which doth greatly reioyce euen at the first beginning of the amendment of his prodigall children here in this life doth not cause them when they are fully reformed after death to bee further grieued with the long induring of extreame torments in the fire of Purgatory For as Saint Bernard saith if all sinne be perfectly taken Bern. in Ps qui habitat Ser. 10. away which is the cause of all euill the effect that is the punishment thereof must needes cease In the Primitiue Church wheÌ„ grieuous pennances were imposed vpoÌ„ enormous sins by the Church Gouernours they were imposed to this end that therby the parties offending might be brought to true serious repentance Insomuch that when the offendor was found to be truely humbled for his sinne were it neuer so hainous none or very little pennance was imposed vpon him or if it were imposed it was soone released As it may appeare not onely by the Apostles readinesse to forgiue the incestuous Corinthian 2 Cor. 2. 4. vpon his serious repentance albeit his sinne was very haynous but also by the history of an incestuous woman who had bin brought with child by her owne sonne of whom it is recorded that she was so deepely displeased with her selfe for this her enormous and monstrous crime that taking in her armes the very child which was both the fruit and witnesse of her wickednesse she went openly to the Bishop as he passed along to the Church with a great traine and kneeling downe before him confessed her fact and craued for it at his hands condigne punishment The Bishop perceiuing by the outward demeanour of this paenitent person the great anguish of her heart for her great sinne inioyned her some abstinence for some forty dayes and so departed but the poore paenitent person thinking this paenance to be too too light for her so haynous and capitall a crime repaireth to the Bishop at another place and with bitter teares putteth him in minde againe of her most odious and enormous sinne and requireth at his hands a more heauy punishment but the Bishop well perceiuing her great sorrow and vnfained repentance lightneth the sentence of her former paenance and inioyneth her some abstinence for some three dayes How much more when we iudge our selues euen in this 1 Cor. 11.
our renowned Church to be confirmed by cleare and demonstratiue arguments iustificable by all the rules of sound reason and the sophismes opposed against them reduced to the elenches as in part they haue bin already by that famous late publike Professor in Cambridge Doctor Whitaker And if worthy ensamples of famous men of their own ranke be not to be neglected herein haue they not to be their Precedents the singular Patrons of the Christian Faith that liued in the Primitiue Church that penned their learned Apologies and deliuered them vp into the hands euen of the Heathenish persecuting Emperours And albeit that reprobate Iulian did say of these Apologies I haue read them vnderstood them and despised them yet the learned Bishops were not dismaâ—de therewith but gaue him this answere thou hast read theÌ„ Zozom l. 5. c. 18. perhaps but thou hast not vnderstood them for if thou hast vnderstood them thou wouldst not haue despised them And verily whereas the vpholders of the Kingdome of Antichrist come with strong delusion and with all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnesse why should not all such as are set in the defence of the Gospell of Christ striue earnestly as the Apostle St Iude exhorteth for the maintenance Iude 4. of the Faith which was once giuen to the Saints yea why should they not striue for truth euen vnto death and defend Iustice for liâ—e seeing if they doe so they shall Eccl 4. 28. haue God to fight for them against their enemies Meroz hath a double curse for omitting this duty and Iael hath a double blessing for performing the same pronounced by an Angell of God from Heauen Curse yee Meroz Iud. â— 22. said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not out to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mighty Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shal be blessed aboue other women dwelling in tents for she put her hand to the naile her right hand to the workemans hammer with the hammer smote she Sisera yea she smote off his head after that she had wouÌ„ded and pierced his temples So let the words of the wise which are like goads and Eccl. 12. 11. like nailes â—astned by the masters of the assemblies which are giuen by one Pastour bee as it were driuen into the heads of all spirituall Siseraes that all Heresie and Idolatry may be pierced and wounded and in the end vtterly destroyed And so now also let all thine enemies perish O Lord and let all that loue thee and thy Truth be as the 〈◊〉 he riseth in his might And let all true Christian hearted Englishmen continually pray that the Sunne of righteousnesse would neuer goe down vnder the Horizon of this our Church of great Brittaine but that he would alwayes shine ouer it by the bright beames of his glorious Gospell and blesse it with the heauenly influence of his holy Spirit holding still the starres thereof in his right hand and preseruing the Candle of his Word in the Candlesticke thereof vnto the world's end Thine in the Lord IOHN TERRY THE QVAESTIONS THAT are handled in the first part of this Treatise 1 The Gospell is the onely proper and immediate cause of true saith and loue and of all other spirituall graces and not miracles nor temporall blessings or corrections nor the holy liues and comfortable deaths of the dearest seruants of God nor the authority of the Magistrate nor the wisdome of the Law of God therefore much lesse the reason of the naturall man 2 The Word and Sacraments doe not profit vnlesse the sense and vse of either be rightly conceiued and vnderstood 3 The meanes whereby wee are to come to the right vnderstanding of the word of God is the light of true reason For the opening of the truth whereof these positions following are explained 1 All quaestions humane and diuine are to be determined by the rules of right reason 2 The testimony of no author humane or diuine is further to bee approued then as it agreeth with the grounds of true reason 3 The holy Scriptures doe teach and demonstrate the greatest mysteries of godlinesse by arguments and reasons 4 The Law and the Gospell are founded vpon most forcible reasons yea the permission of the fall of Adam by transgressing the Law of God being the occasion of mans recouery which is openened in the Gospell is grounded vpon most forcible reasons 5 The Professors of euery Religion alleage reasons for the iustifying of their seuerall devotions 6 The soundnes and substance and as it were the very quintessence of all diuine reason is most plentifully to be found in the canonicall Scriptures 7 No truth iâ— Philosophy is contrary to any truth in Diuinity 8 Testimonies may be taken out of Philosoyhy to giue witnesse vnto truths in Diuinity and reasons may be produced out of the booke of Nature to open and cleare the doctrines of the booke of Grace 9 Where there is no reason apprehended that may perswade to Faith there ordinarily is no Faith 10 Where there is a clearer apprehension of the reasons that perswade to Faith there is the more setled assent and the stronger Faith 11 The doctrines of Faith and Godlines are often repeated and the reasons and motions that perswade thereunto are inculâ—ated and vrged again again in the Bookes of the Old and New Testament that we may thereby vnderstand that the clearer fuller apprehension of them doe beget a clearer and fuller Faith 12 Wee may by supernaturall reason ascend aboue the reach of naturall reason 13 That Faith is not the best and strongest that hath the lesse number of reasons and the lesse perspicuous arguments to stay it vp but rather that which hath the greater number and the mâ—re perspicuous 4 Sauing Faith is diuine wisdome or a certaine knowledge and a setled assent â—dherence to all diuine verities necessary to saluation especially to the Couenant of grace as to the meanes of the highest happines and the chiefest good 5 A sauing Faith is alwaies accompanied with all other sanctifying graces as being the fruitfull mother tender nurse of them all 6 The Christian Faith only doth giue vndâ—…eiuable assurance of the loue of God of aeternall happines obtained thereby to all the sincere embracers thereof 7 The dignity and vtility of Faith and the difficulty of obtaining and encreasing the same THE QVAESTIONS THAT ARE handled in the second part which are declared by arguments taken from all the Topick places Quaestions handled by argumente drawâ— from the efficient Cause The Church is not alwayes glorious notorious as a Citty set vpon a high hâ—ll All the workes of the most holy in this life are stained with siâ—ne The ignorance and not the knâ—…ledge of holy Scripture is the cause oâ— all errours and sinnes From the materiall Cause Not the sufferings and righteousnes of any meere man but onely of our most blessed Sauiour both God
the greatnes of miracles and wondrous workes done the other is the multitude of such as beleeue Verily God would haue all men saued and come thereto by the knowledge of the truth But this knowledge of the truth is learned out of the 1 Tim. 2. 4 Ioh. 8. 32 Col. 1. â— Gospel the word of truth And therefore did the Lord cause so many strange signes and wonders to be done by the first publishers and preachers thereof that the doctrine of the same Marc. 16. 20. Hab. 2. 4. might bee embraced as diuine and heauenly whereunto the Lord himselfe did giue such testimony For the which purpose also the Lord caused so many diuine graces to shine in the liues and such admirable courage and comfort in the deathes of such as were the first Martyrs and Confessors in the Primitiue Church that that doctrine might be receiued as diuine heauenly which wrought such diuine and heauenly effects The which were so euident and apparent that the very enemy was forced to giue testimony thereto with these or the like words These be they which speake as they liue and liue as they speake this is assuredly an holy profession which bringeth forth such aâ— holy conversation this is a ioyfull comfortable faith which breedeth such ioy aâ—d comfort amidst the very terrours of death O vndâ—ubtedly great is the God of the Christians Their light did so shine before men that they seeing their Mat. 5. 16. good workes did glorifie God the Author thereof So likewise why doth the Lord sometimes cause the sweet dewes of his temporall blessings to distill downe vpon his beloued Vineyard and sometimes againe smite it with the sharpe stormes of his cotrections but that thereby he might prepare it to yeeld a fruitfull and a plentifull Vintage And why doth he suffer the Field of his Church sometimes to lye ley and vnbrâ—ken vp and to be at rest and againe at another time doth breake it vp and fallow it but that he might make it sitter to receiue and nourish the Lord's seed and in the end yeeld a better haruest Yea as a wise and prudent Schoolemaster dealeth with his young and tender Scholler sometimes speaking him faire and giuing him an apple or a fig that so he may winne him vnto his will and sometimes not only threatneth him but vseth also the rod that so he may force and compell him thereunto so dealâ—th Christ our heauenly Master and Teacher with vs his dull disciples and Schollers sometimes seeking to allure vs with a liberall largesse of his temporall blessings carefully to hearken to the holy instructions of his Word and sometimes seeking to compell vs thereto by his sharpe corrections the which yet Psal 106. 45 Luc. 14. 23 are neither our Schoole nor our Schoolemaster but the rod rather in our Schoolemasters hand The Church is our Schoole-house and Christ himselfe is our Schoolmaster and the Bible is the Booke whereby we be taught corrections are the rod in Christs hands whereby we are forced to giue an attentiue eare to the instructions of his word by the which we are made wise and learned Christians Prosperity ordinarily breedeth security and choaketh the Mat. 13. 22. Exod. 6 9. Eccle. 7. 9 Iob. 3. 3. â—…r 15. 10. good seed and maketh it vnfruitfull So aduersity maketh many to murmure against God and to stop their eares against all good admonitions yea it maketh a wise man mad as it may appeare by holy Iob and Ieremie who were thereby occasioned euen to cuâ—se the day of their nativity And therefore it is a speciall blessing of God when by prosperity we are stirred vp to thankfulnes and by aduersity to repentance and to take better heed to the wholesome instructions of God's most holy word Blessed is the man said Dauid whom thou chastnest O Lord and teachest in thy Law that thou maist giue him patience in Psal 94. 12. time of adversity vntill the pit be digged for the vngodly And verily when in our aduersity the Lord doth teach vs out of his Word the vse and end of afflictions and maketh vs seriously to lay it to our hearts then is our adversity made profitable vnto vs by the blessing of God I heard Ephraim saith the Prophet lamenting thus Thou hast corrected me and I was chastised as an vntamed Calfe convert thou me and I shal be converted for thou art the Lord my God Surely after I converted I repented and after I was instructed I smote vpon Ier. 31. 18. my thigh In which words we may perceiue that corrections of themselues cause the professed seruants of God to kicke with the heele and that vntill God by his word instruct them they are not effectually moued by their corrections vnto repentance and amendment of life Wherefore when the Lord openeth the eares of any of his Seruants by their corrections it is by sending vnto them a Messenger one of a thousand to declare vnto them the Lord 's most exact righteousnes and seuerity euen against the sinne of his Elect which cannot be satisfied for the same but by the precious Bloud of their Sauior Christ that thereby they might be brought to Faith and Repentance For then will the Lord haue mercy vpon them and say Deliuer them that they goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation Iob 33. 24. So then it is still the power of the Gospell of Christ sounding in the mouthes of his faithfull Ministers that is able to worke the conversion of a sinner afflictions may cause vs more carefully to giue attendance to the Word as in like manner may paiâ—es penalties inflicted by the Magistrates which are the Lord's Lieutenants ordained to this purpose that they should by their penall statutes euen force their subiects to harken diligently to the commandements of God Not that any can be forced to faith and repentance by any manner of penalty or paine whatsoeuer but by inforcements they may be driuen to come to the Assemblies of the Saints where the Fishers of men cast out the net of the Gospell that at one time or other they may be brought within the compasse thereof and so may be taken vp into Noah's Arke So then still it is the net of the Gospell and the hooke of the Word whereby men are taken and brought vnto God afflictions sent of God and penalties inflicted by the Magistrates are but the baites to make some bite at this hooke and poles to make them come within the compasse of this net Nay this worke of a mans vnfained conuersion to God cannot be wrought by the terrours of the Law of God For the Gal. 3. â— 2. Cor. 3. 6. spirit whereby we are begotten againe and made the children of God is not receiued by the preaching of the Law but by the hearing of faith The Law is the letter that condemneth and killeth causing a sinner to flâ—e from God as from an angry and offended Iudge
opened by arguments and reasons how much more had the doctrine of the Gospell which is aboue the reach of naturall reason St. Austin hath deliuered certaine reasons why it was iust and right that God should willingly suffer the fall of the first man whereof the principall one is the manifestation of his infinite and endlesse mercy and goodnesse in providing that strange and admirable meanes of mans recovery which is reuealed in the Gospell We saith St. Austin Aug. de corr grat ca. 10. most soundly confesse and most firmely belâ—eue that God who created all things exceeding good and did fore-see that euill things would arise out of good and did iudge that it did beseeme his omnipotent goodnesse euen out of the euill to draw that which is good rather then not to permit â—uill dâ—d so ordaine the estate of Men and Angels that in the same he might make manifest First after what sort their free-will would worke and then what the benefit of his owne grace could effect and also how farre the seuerity of his Iustice would extend it selfe In which words three things are deliuered why God permitted the fall of man First that it might be knowne that the most excellent among the creatures being but in a measure capable of goodnesse may fall away from the same Whereas the Creator onely being infinitely good cannot but continue so for euer Secondly that it might be made manifest that there is no euill so great but that the Lord can prouide in his endlesse goodnesse a remedy for the same Thirdly also that it â—ight be knowne that there is no sinne committed by any one whatsoeuer but that God in his Iustice will punish the same with all severity So then God appointed this strange meanes of mans recouery that is reuealed in the Gospell both that he might make manifest the seuerity of his Iustice in that rather then the sinnes of his Elect and chosen children should escape vnpunished he punished them with that severity vpon their kind suerty that it made him sweat water and blood as likewise that he might make known the vnsearchable riches of his endlesse goodnesse in that to spare vs most wicked Traitors and Apostataes he spared not his owne most dearely beloued Sonne That herein we might behold the omnipotent power wisedome and goodnesse of God in that out of sinne the euill of all euils procured by the most wicked suggestion of Satan to this end that God might be dishonoured in the highest degree and man vtterly ouerthrowne and destroyed thâ— Lord hath not onely drawne vnto himselfe the highest measure of most admirable glory in his strange Iustice and vnspeakeable mercy but also the greatest happinesse to man by binding him most nearely vnto himselfe by the strongest bonds of the greatest loue that could be and in giuing him the greatest assurance of his euerlasting saluation So that in respect thereof we may rightly breake out with that ancient Father into this strange exclamation O happy fall of Adam which was the cause of ordayning so strange and admirable a meanes for mans recouery And how can wee thinke that the truthes of the Law and the Gospell want sound and sufficient arguments and reasons to iustifie their holy and heauenly Doctrines seeing no Idolaters Haereticks or Schismaticks will seeme so absurd and void of iudgement but that they will pretend some shew of reason for the better colouring of their erronious vntruthes As it is apparant by the common practise of all the professors of euery blind devotion and wicked superstition The Idolatrous Iewes Ier. 44. 17. alleadged in the deâ—ence of their Idolatries So haue done both we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes in the Cities of Iudah and in the streets of Ierusalem and then had we plenty of victualâ— and felt none euill but since wee left off to burne incense to the Queene of heauen and to poure out drinke offerings vnto her we haue had searcâ—…nesse of all things and haue beene consumed by sword and by â—amine And at another time the Temple of the Lord the Temple of Ier. 7. 4. â—er 18. 18. the Lord. And againe the Law shall not perish from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word froÌ„ the Prophets So Ioh. 4. 20. the Schismaticall Samaritans alleadged for themselues our Fathers worshipped in this mount Like as the Idolatrous HeatheÌ„ Aug. de Ciuit. Dei l. 10. c. 32. Orig. contra â—…um vsed most commonly thus to reason That which is more ancient and long before our dayes cannot be false And againe hath God at the last after so many ages bethought himselfe And doe not the Idolatrous Papists in these times stand vpon the like shewes As the Church the Church Christs Vicar Peters Successor our Fathers our Ancienters O they were good men and did many good workes and who seeth not what manner of men these new Gospellers are So the meere Mal. 3 14. Worldling Epicure and Atheist It is in vaine to serue God for what profit is it that we haue kept his Commandements and haue walked humbly before the Lord of hostes Therefore we count the proud blessed for they that worke wickednesse Wisd 2. 1. are set vp and they that tempt God are deliuered And againe our life is short and tedious and in the death of a man there is no recouery neither was any knowne to haue returned from the graue For we are borne at all peraduenture and we shall be hereafter as if we had neuer beene for the breath is as a smoake in the Nostrils and the words are as a sparke raised out of the heart which being extinguished the body is turned into ashes and the spirit vanisheth as the soft ayre Come therefore let vs enioy the pleasures that are present c. Yea the very Omnifidian who followeth faith not for conscience but for company who will take no manner of paine to seeke out the true faith by searching after the grounds thereof is not thus madâ—e without some shew or shadow of reason For saith he I am an vnlearned man and am to follow my Calling and to leaue the discussing of quaestions of learning to the learned I am ready to come to Church and to doe my duty to God and to liue iustly and peaceably with my neighbours Why the learned themselues cannot agree about the points of Faith and how then shall such an one as I am be able to discerne it and to finde it out The truth is that God wrote his Law in the heart of Adam and thereby set in his minde such a light of reason that he had a right iudgement in all things But Adam was not contented with this treasure of wisdome and this measure of knowledge extending it selfe to all that was good but he would needes know euill also that he might by experience try what would be the event thereof And thereupon he forsooke God the Father of light and betooke
life are doubled and trebled in holy Scripture that they might procure of vs a fuller faith So and so good is our gracious God vnto vs which are so and so vnworthy of the least of his mercies that as he hath stored the earth with great variety of bodily food and physicke for the preseruing and recouering of the life health of our bodies so he hath prouided in the Scriptures great abundance of spirituall food and physicke for the maintenance and restitution of the life and health of our soules One kinde of bodily food and one kinde of dressing doth not sauour alike to euery stomacke and therefore God hath prouided variety of both so one motiue to faith and repentance nor the deliuery thereof after one manner doth fit euery ones spirituall taste and stomacke therefore hath the Lord ordained great abundance of both Yea as the Lord gaue sundry signes and wonders to be done by the hands of his seruant Moses before the eies of the children of Israel that therby they Exod. 4. 8. might vnderstand that he was called sent of God to be their deliuerer out of the bondage of Aegypt that to this very end and purpose that if they would not beleeue nor obey the voice of the first signe yet they might be induced thereto either by the second or the third So doth the Lord furnish the Preachers of the Gospell whom he hath appointed to bee ministers of his mercy for the deliuerance of his people out of the spirituall captiuity of sinne and Satan with great variety of forcible and powerfull motiues and perswasions to repentance and faith that if some of the same will not worke and preuaile with them yet other may For the which purpose also he hath caused the mysteries of godlinesse to be set downe not onely in common and vsuall phrases but also in Metaphores and Allegories and hath lightned them with similitudes and resemblances apparent and manifest to the most simple So the Apostle teacheth that the 1 Cor 15 36. dead shall rise to life and glory by the resemblance of seed that after a sort rotteth and death in the ground before it springeth vp and groweth to maturity and ripenesse So elsewhere he prooueth the vnprofitablenesse of speaking in an vnknowne 1 Câ—… 14. â— tongue by the trumpet which if it giue an vncertaine sound none shall be prepared to the warre and by some oâ—her the like things So he likewise proueth that the faithfull ought not to seeke for life and saluation by the works of the Law seeing Gal. 3. 15. God hath couenanted to giue it to them in Christ Iesus seeing to a mans couenant or testament when it is once made nothing ought to be added or detracted from the same much lesse to the Couenant of God So our Sauiour teacheth that they are Matth. 13. 23. the holy doctrines of his good and gratious Word that causeth our hearts to be good and gracious euen as it is pure and good feed that maketh the ground bring forth pure and good fruit And verily our blessed Sauiour did illustrate with parables all Matth. 13. 34 his diuine instructions which he gaue vnto the people as being the best meanes to bring them to the knowledge of the truth and to their euerlasting saluation which is procured thereby For as our Sauiour himselfe speaking thereof saith if I teach Iohn 3. you earthly things that is heauenly doctrines by earthly similitudes and ye beleeue not how should ye beleeue if I tell you of heauenly things that is after an high and heauenly manner It is impossible saith Saint Denis that the diuine beame Dion de coeles hierar l. 1. cap. 1. should shine vnto vs but vnder the variety of sacred couerings for parables are couerings vntill they be vnfolded and expounded but being expounded and laid open they make manifest and lay open vnto vs spirituall things Christ saith Chrsostome did set out his doctrine by parables that he might Chrys in Mat. hom 45. in Ioh. hom 33. speake more significantly and set it plainer before our eyes for by the resemblance of familiar things the minde is more stirred vp and doth apprehend the thing the better being set foorth as it were in a picture This kinde of opening things is most pleasing and sticketh faster for a similitude or relemblance if it be apt oâ— sit doth shew forth much wisedome Yea no man doubteth as saith Saint Austine but by parables Aug. de doct Christiana lib. 2. cap. 6. things are more readily learned and being sought out with some difficulty are the more acceptable when they are found Wherefore our blessed Sauiour and his Apostles vsed often parables and resemblances taken from earthly things for the better manifesting of their heauenly doctrines and other like arguments also taken out of the booke of nature well knowne to euery intelligent man that is found and entire in his outward senses As whâ—n our blessed Sauiour appeared to his Disciples after his resurrection and they supposed that they had seene a spirit our Sauiour appealeth to the outward senses saying handle me and see me for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to haue And when Thomas would Luke 24. 39. not yet beleeue the testimony of his fellow Apostles concerning the resurrection of Christ when he appeared vnto them againe he spake vnto Thomas saying put thy finger here and see my hands and stretch foorth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but beleeue The which thing when Iohn 20. 28. Thomas had done he was so conuinced euen by the censure of his outward senses that immediatly he crieth out saying my Lord and my God So the Apostle Saint Paul to conuince the idolatrous Athenians of error for the worshipping of their gods with materiall images alleageth this naturall reason taken out of one of their Act. 17. 29. owne heathenish Poâ—ts saying Seeing we are the generation of God resembling God by our immoâ—tall spirits which cannot be resembled by any materiall image much lesse can the immortall and incorruptible God be reâ—embled by any such meanes So among the Corinthians when there was an abuse 1 Cor. 11. 14. in some of them in wearing long â—aire the Apostle to redresse the same appealeth to the iudgment of nature it selfe saying What doth not nature it selfe teach you that it is a shame for a man to haue long haire So our blessed Sauiour to perswade his Disciples to doe good to their very enemies saith that nature doth teach the Gentiles themselues to be good to their friends and that Christians being aduanced aboue them by Matth. 5. 45. grace should learne thereby to doe good to their enemies especially seeing that sense and experience did plainly teach them that God maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and on the good and his raine to fall on the iust and vniust Wherefore errours
gracious God and louing Father to all such as trust in him loue him and feare him and are carefull to obserue his Lawes and are truly sorrowfull for their daily transgressions and sinnes How can it otherwise be but that the faithfull hauing by their dutifull conuersing with God in the holy exercises of hearing his holy Word and of prayer obtained these graces in some sufficient measure How can it I say otherwise be but that thereby they should be certainly perswaded that God is their louing and gracious God and that they are his beloued people For it is impossible that the promises of God made to his people concerning this matter should be void and without effect Walke saith the Lord in my Statutes and keepe Ex. 20. 19. my iudgements and do them and sanctifie my Sabbaoths and they shall be a signe betweene me and you that ye may know that I am your God Of the certainty and euidency of the truth thereof the Apostle Saint Paul was so confident that he appealeth to euery faithfull mans experience among the Romans concerning the same saying Know ye not that to Rom. 6. 16. whomsoeuer ye giue your selues as seruants to obey his seruants ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnesse The faithfull then being well witting to their own hearts that they haue giuen themselues to God and are carefull to performe the works of faith loue holinesse and righteousnesse according vnto the rule of Gods word in obedience vnto God doe so throughly know hereby that they do an acceptable seruice vnto God and that they are his obedient seruants that they doe greatly reioyce therein with the Apostle This is our reioycing euen the 2 Cor. 1. 12. testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly purenesse c. Now if it be obiected that the faithfull know not their owne hearts nor the true nature of these diuine graces nor the right notes and markes of the holy workes that proceed from them and therefore albeit they are indued with these graces and performe these works yet they cannot know that they are the seruants of God We answer first that that obiection is in direct tearmes â—lat contrary to the testimony of the Prophet before alleaged where the faithfull being commanded to do their works according to the rule of Gods Commandements being from their hearts made carefull thereof are thereby assured that they are the obedient seruants of the Lord. Secondly we answere that all men doe in part know their owne hearts and their thoughts words and workes and that the faithfull doe in some measure know the true nature of all heauenly graces and the right notes of their true fruits All men doe know themselues in part because God hath giuen to all a conscience to be a witnesse together with themselues not onely of their words and workes but also of the 1 Cor. 2. 11. very thoughts and purposes of their hearts as the names of conscience doe sufficiently declare For no man knoweth our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscientia hearts but God and our selues and therefore conscience is a knowledge that we haue of our owne wayes together with God Euery one then by the light of his conscience knoweth Mens non potest non intelligere quod intelligit Nemo nescit se velle quod vult Prou. 14. 10. what he himselfe knoweth and vnderstandeth what he himselfe vnderstandeth and perceiueth what he himselfe thinketh desireth willeth speaketh or doeth Euery one knoweth saith Salomon for what his owne heart is sorrowfull and in what it reioyceth and none else but God onely Euen the very wicked by the meanes of their consciences are made witting to their owne wayes How much more are the faithfull by the light of the word For by the clearenesse of the heauenly doctrines their hearts are opened and they are enabled Act. 16. 14. in some good measure to know themselues and to know God Heb. 18. 11. Iohn 6. 45. Act. 2. 17. and to vnderstand what belongeth to a sound faith and to an holy and godly life For the faithfull know that such an apprehension and knowledge of Christ as causeth all things to be as dung to them in respect thereof is a sure signe of a sanctified minde lightened with the cleare sight of a true faith They know that to desire to inioy the loue of God aboue all other things whatsoeuer and to be willing and ready to conuerse with God and with Christ in the daily and religious exercises of the word of God and prayer and to loue the brethren because they loue God and are beloued of God are true tokens of true Christian loue They know also that to be truly sorrowfull for offending so louing and gracious a God as he hath declared himselfe to be in Christ and in that respect to feare to offend him and to be carefull to walke in all his righteous Lawes are sure signes of true repentance and of the right feare â—…are of God and of sincere holinesse and righteousnesse And they knowing in their owne consciences that they haue by the gracious worke of the Spirit of God such a faith loue repentance feare and righteousnesse know that they are in Gods fauour and loue and that they are his faithfull seruants We know saith St. Iohn speaking in the name of all the faithfull that we are of God 1 Iohn 5. 29. and that the whole world lieth in wickednesse We know that the Sonne of God is come and hath giuen vs a minde to know him which is true and we are in him that is true that is in his Sonne Iesus Christ this same is very God and eternall life And againe we know that we are translated from death â— Iohn 3. 14. to life because we loue the brethren And that he speaketh thus in the name of all the faithfull we may vnderstand in that in the like asseueration he changeth the person saying If ye know that God is righteous know ye that he that doth righteousnesse is â—orne of God by the which testimonies of the 1 Iohn 2. 29. Apostle it is manifest that the faithfull knowing that they are indued with the true knowledge of Christ and with true loue and with true righteousnesse know thereby that they are of God and that they are his elect and chosen children For as a true friend among men doth bestow such fauours and gifts vpon him whom he intirely and tenderly loueth as the receiuer vnderstandeth what they are and their worth also that so by manifesting his great kindnesse he may winne mutuall and reciprocall loue so God the friend of friends giueth his spirituall graces vnto all those whom he hath loued in Christ and chosen in him before the foundation of the world and maketh them to vnderstand what these his principall blessings are and the end why he giueth them euen to assure them of his
and vpon the perfection and merit of his obedience For all the promises of God are in him yea and in him Amen And all the faithfull are accepted in him as all their diuine graces and fruitfull workes are spirituall sacrifices well pleasing to God by the sweet odour of the sacrifice 1 Pet. 2. 5. Apocal. 8. 3. of Christ The small measure then of faith and of all other graces of sanctification ought not to discourage the faithfull nor yet their sins of ignorance and infirmitie seeing the sacrifices Leuit. 4 2. Numb 15. 24. vnder the Law appointed by God himselfe being shaddowes of the sacrifice of Christ do assure them that they shall be fully pardoned by the perfection merit of the sacrifice of Christ Yea if any one truly repent and be heartily sorry for his sinnes that haue beene willingly and wittingly committed yet there is a sacrifice of expiation and reconciliation appointed Leuit. 6. 1. Ezech. 18. 22. euen for all such sinnes and a promise of pardon to all such sinners For as no sinne is veniall if it continually please so no sinne is mortall if it heartily displease And albeit sinne remaine in the faithfull as long as they liue yet if godly sorrow woundeth it a godly death shall vtterly destroy it And if in any one sinne be deadly wounded and at the last vtterly destroyed how can it worke such a persons destruction Now albeit the faithfull many times fall yet they neuer vtterly fall away seeing the Lord ordereth a good mans going and Psal 37. 24. maketh his way acceptable to himselfe so that though he fall yet he shall not be cast away seeing the Lord vpholdeth him with his hand For God hath bound himselfe vnder the Couenant of grace that he will not leaue his faithfull seruants to stand or fall at their owne choice but that hee will stablish their wils by his grace that they shall neuer will and resolue to continue perpetually in sinne and vtterly to fall away from God as it is deliuered by the Prophet Ieremy Ier. 32. 40. Now whether this assurance be the forme or the effect of a true faith we need not to be too peremptory herein vndoubtedly the Apostle seemeth to set it downe as an effect of faith By Christ saith he we haue boldnesse and entrance with confidence Ephes 3. 12. by faith in him By faith then we haue boldnesse to come vnto God as to a louing and a gracious Father and haue confidence in him that he will assist and aide vs in all our necessities saith then breedeth boldnesse and confidence but it is nomore the one then the other seeing it is the mother of them both Verily there is a trust or a confidence whereby a faithfull man doth vndoubtedly beleeue and is confident that GOD is a gracious God to all that beleeue and embrace the Couenant of Grace repent loue and feare God and walke in his Lawes and Commandements be they Iew or Gentile Male or Female Bond or Free and this confidence iâ— the very forme of faith if it be not altogether one with it But that trust and confidence whereby a faithfull man is perswaded that God is to him in particular a gracious God and a louing Faâ—her in Christ arising vpon the action of the soule reflected vpon it selfe and vpon it's owne spirituall estate and taking notice of all the Diuine graces of the Spirit wherewithall it is endued is not faith but an effect thereof euen an habit or rather an act of a sanctified conscience lightned with a true faith as our most Reuerend Dioâ—esan now a Citizen with the Saints in Heauen hath auouched in the second part of his Defence against Dr Bishop fol. â—69 and Reuerend Mr. Perkins in his Treatise of Conscience The summe of whose doctrine is comprehended in this Syllogisme If whosoeuer beleeueth repenteth loueth and feareth God and hath a sincere care to walke in all his commandements is most assuredly in Gods loue and shall vndoubtedly be saued then whosoeuer knoweth assuredly that he beleeueth repenteth loueth and feareth God and hath a sincere care to walke in all his Commandements knoweth assuredly thereby that he is in Gods loue and that vndoubtedly he shall be saued But I know saith euery sincere and faithfull Christian by the act of mine owne conscience reflected vpon my selfe that I beleeue repent loue and feare God and haue a sincere care to walke in all his Commandements Therefore I know assuredly that I am in Gods loue and shall vndoubtedly be saued Now to giue a sure and a certaine assent to the maior proposition grounded vpon the vndoubted truth of Gods promises made to all the faithfull in Christ Iesus and to be confident of the infallibilitie thereof is of the very essence substance of faith but to assume the minor proposition and thereupon to inferre the conclusion is an act of a sanctified conscience lightned with a true faith The Church of Rome commendeth doubtfulnesse of saluation as a propertie beseeming Christian humilitie and feare and condemneth the infallible assurance thereof of haereticall security and presumption And yet this Church assiâ—eth her followers that will submit themselues to be guided by her Canons that thereby they shall be brought into fauour with God and so vndoubtedly be made happy and blessed That so we may know that she is Babel the Mother of confusion for that she doth by the contrariety of her actions and positions ouer-throw her owne principall grounds A Romish Catholicke must liue in feare and suspence of the full pardon of his sinnes by faith in Christs bloud and yet if he receiue absolution from a Romish Priest or a Pardon from the Pope he must rest assured thereof A Romish Catholicke must not rest assured of his iustification and saluation by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto him by the free and vndeserued grace and mercy of God but if he be carefull to fulfill the Law of God and the rules of their religious orders hee shall rest assured that he hath not onely merited his owne iustification saluation but also that he hath supererogated thereby for the good of other Nay by murthering of Princes ouerthrowing of states euen against their oathes alleagiance they may not onely merit heauen but deserue happily if it so please the Pope the dignity thereof a Canonized Saint But to erect so great a building as is the assurance of our iustification and saluation vpon so weake and rotten foundations is in truth presumptuous and intollerable folly and madnesse For if we would respect I say not the workes of righteousnesse wrought wholly or in part by our owne free-will but the principall fruits of the Spirit of God and the best duties that the faithfull are enabled to performe thereby are not these Gods speciall gifts making vs indebted vnto God and therefore deseruing nothing much lesse iustification and saluation at Gods hands but if we would consider them as
beleeueth to righteousnesse and with the mouth he confesseth to saluation For the Scripture saith Whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not be confounded In which words is set downe the diuersity that is betweene the Law and the Gospel in prescribing the meanes wherâ—by we are deliuered from death and made partakers of euerlasting life â—oe saith the Law that which is prescribed in me and thou shalt liue and doe it in that manner that thou neuer transgresse and then thou shalt be free from all feare of death Whereas the Gospell saith Beleeue that Christ dyed and descended into Hell for thee to assure thee of thy deliuerance and that he hauing performed all righteousnesse for thee ascended into Heauen the place where righteousnesse is rewarded and crowned to take possion thereof for thee and thou shalt be deliuered from the horrours of Heil and be made pertaker of â—he â—oyes of heauen So when the Iaylor demanded of Paul and Silas what he should doe that he might be saued they answered Beleeue in the Act. 16. 30. Lord Iesus that he fulfilled all righteousnesse both in suffering and obaying for the saluation of all that rightly beleeue and thou shalt be saued And verily whereas there is but one manner and forme of obtayning Iustification and Saluation for all that are iustified and saued seeing children dying in their Infancy and all such as are not effectually called vntill the end of their liues cannot be iustified and saued by the workes of righteousnesse wrought by themselues but by the righteousnâ—sse of Christ performed for them and imputed vnto them by a true faith therefore all the residue of the faithfull seruants of God are iustified and saued after the same manner And so our blessed Sauiour teacheth in the parable of the Husbandman that went Matth. 20. 9. out and sent labourers into his Vineyard whereof sâ—me were sent at the first houre some at the third some at the sixt and some at the last houre and yet they all receiued the same wages The which parable Saint Ambrose expounding saith Ambros de vocat Gent lib. 1. cap 5. that such as were hyred at the last houre represent such as are called to the Lords seruice at the end of their liues whom hee hath chosen without workes and vpon whom he doth rather powre forth the riches of his Grace then yeeld a reward vnto their labours that they also who haue laboured and sweat the whole day and continued their whole life in the seruice of God and yet receiue but their Penny with the other may thereby understand that they also rather receiue a gift of grace then a wages of hire due to their workes Now if it be replyed that Infants and such as are called at the end of their liues are iustified and saued for the workes they would haue done if that they had liued a longer time the answere is made by S. Austin that rewards and punishments Aug. de bono perseuerant cap. 9 ep 15. And de Praedestin Sanctorum cap. 12. are not rendred to workes that men would or could doe but to such as are actually done For otherwise Tire and Sidon yea all the damned should be saued seeing at the day of iudgement they would all repent if they might and if their repentance would then serue the turne Wherefore if we seeke for righteousnesse by the workes of the Law performed by our selues as the Iewes did and as the Romanists still doe we shall assuredly faile therein as they did but if with the Gentiles we imbrace righteousnesse and life by faith in Christ then vndoubtedly we shall attaine to both QVEST. VIII The forme and manner to attaine to Sanctification is not to receiue the holy Word of God and the Sacraments with our bodily senses but with the powers of our soules nor to trauaile farre and neare on pilgrimage to see or kisse holy reliques but to see and touch holy things with the inward faculties of our mindes which are the proper subiects of Sanctification Nothing can be in any respect profitable vnlesse it be applyed in that manner and to those vses whereunto it is profitable but the word of God is giuen vnto vs for this vse that it should open vnto vs the minde and will of God and as Aug. in quaest veteris noui Testamenti Saint Austin saith the visible Sacraments were ordayned for such as were enuironed with flesh that by the steps thereof they might ascend froÌ„ such things as are seene to such things as are vnderstood Wherefore the word of God hanged about our neckes or deliuered in wordes not vnderstood cannot 1 Cor. 14. 6. profit but is deliuered in vaine And so teacheth the Apostle And now my Brethren if I come vnto you speaking with tongues not vnderstood what shall I profite you Verely the word not vnderstood is an Oister whose shell is not opened and as a candle which is noâ— lighted and as a Matth. 13. 19. lampe without oile and as seed sowne by the high way side In like manner the outward elements in the holy Sacraments being not applied to those vses whereunto they were ordaâ—ned by the institution of Christ are but bare signes and emptie figures they are not instruments of spirituall grace but let the word come to the element and lay open the right vse of it then it becommeth a Sacrament and a feale of the righteousnesse Rom. 4. 11. that commeth by faith For as he is not a Iew that is one ouâ—ward so neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Rom. 2. 28. flesh but he is a Iew that is one within and the Circumcision of the heart in the spirit not in the letter is the true Circumcision whose praise is not of men but of God Sanctified meanes ordained by God to sanctifie the soule must bee apprehended Hag. 2. 13. by the powers of the soule Seeing holy things as saith the Prophet touched onely with our bodily senses doe nothing at all further the sanctitie of our spirits And heereof it was that our Sauiour himselfe forbade Mary to touch him with her bodily hands for that she esteemed Iohn 20. 17. too highly thereof But saith he goe to my brethren and say vnto them I ascend vnto my Father and your Father to my God and your God That is apprehend ye with the hands of your faith that by my meanes God is become your louing Father and gracious God and then ye haue apprehended me with a right hand So not by going a long iourney on pilgrimage we draw nigh vnto God but by praier proceeding Act. 10. 4. Precibus non gressibus itur ad â—…um Bern. Ep. 319. from an humble and faithfull minde For we clime vp to God by praiers and not by staires And therefore all that will shew themselues truly religious must as Bernard teacheth trauell on pilgrimage not towards the earthly but the heauenly Ierusalem and that not with their
31. life we shall not be iudged of the Lord but when wee cease from sinning the Lord will cease from punishing Wherefore if in this life when other may take encouragement to sinne by the impunity of others and besides the most paenitent sinner that is doth not wholly and fully cease from all sinne yet God and his Ecclesiasticall Ministers doe remit both sinne and punishment vpon the sight of the sinners vnfained repentance and amendment of liâ—e without all doubt the Lord of all mercy will much more doe the same in the life to come and not extreamely torment his owne seruants in Purgatory fire QVEST. XVI The carnall eating of Christs Body is nothing auaileable to eternall life but the spirituall Arguments drawne from the effects When our blessed Sauiour had taught his Auditors that vnlesse they did eate his flesh and drinke his bloud they could haue no life in them and the carnall Capernaits were greatly offended therewith because they thought that he had commended vnto them a bodily and a carnall eating of his flesh he answered It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Ioh. 6. 63. not intending hereby to recall his former words My Flesh is meate indeed and my Bloud is drinke indeed but to giue them to vnderstand that it is a spirituall eating of his flesh that is auaileable to euerlasting life and not a carnall seeing that profiteth nothing And verily it is not the bodily seeing touching or eating of Christ that can doe vs any good but the spirituall seeing touching or eating of him by faith which is the eye the hand and the mouth of the soule For when a woman hauing an issue of bloud came behinde Christ and touched the hemme of his Luke 8. 49. garment and was immediately healed of her issue at that very time the people thronged him and trod vpon him and receiued no benefit thereby And why the woman touched him with the hand of her faith and was healed thereby as our Sauiour testified saying Oh womaÌ„ great is thy faith be it vnto thee euen as thou wilt but the people were maimed and lacked that hand And so Saint Ambrose vnderstood our Sauiours words Christ saith he healed them that touched him by faith Amb. in Luc. l. 6. cap. 8. whereas to them that wanted faith the touching of Christ or his garments was no benefit at all Yea the blessed Virgine her selfe was more happy in conceauing the faith of Christ in her heart then in conceauing his flesh in her wombe as Austin saith And so he had learned of our blessed Sauiour himselfe Aug. de sancta Virgine cap. 3. Luke 11. 27. for when it was said vnto Christ Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the Pappes that thou hast sucked Nay rather said he Blessed is he that heareth the word of God and keepeth it For by the Word reuerently receiued we obtaine faith and by faith Christ is receiued into our hearts and taketh Apoc. 3. 20. vp his habitation there Now if by our bodily mouthes to receiue Christ into our bodies be a thing altogether vnprofitable then our most wise Sauiour commanded it not to be done at the celebration of the holy Eucharist for he commandeth nothing to be done in the Lords seruice that is vnprofitable Why then doth the Church of Rome so eagerly contend for their transubstantiating of Bread into the Body of Christ and receiuing of it into their bodies by their bodily mouthes but for that albeit this thing be vnprofitable to Gods seruants yet it is not vnprofitable to them not onely by magnifying of their power for that they are able to create their Creator but also by enlarging their reuennewes seeing they haue turned the Bread into the Body of Christ and are able to offer him vp in their Masse as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of quicke and dead the which thing cannot be but much auaileable to themselues which are sure to be well payed for their paynes QVEST. XVII Concupiscence is sinne euen in the Regenerate themselues Why is the liuing man sorrowfull Man suffereth for his sinne So the Apostle By sinne death entred into the world and Lam. 3. 37. Rom. 5. 12. therefore all sickenesse and other miseries that lead thereunto Vnto the which seeing euen sanctified Infants which haue receiued the Sacrament of regeneration and are free from all actuall sinne are subiect therefore concupiscence in sanctified infants is sinne vnlesse we will lay to the charge of the most righteous Iudge of the whole world that he punisheth such persons that are without all fault Yea whereas infants giue no consent to their naturall corruptions and yet are punished for them therefore concupiscence is sinne albeit consent is not giuen to it See S. Aug. Serm. de Temp. 45. QVEST. XVIII Faith repentance and loue with all holy workes proceeding from them doe not deserue any thing at all at Gods hands but make the faithfull endebted to God for the same If Abraham saith the Apostle were iustified by workes hee Rom. 4. 2. hath wherein to reioyce but not before God For gifts and benefits doe not make the doner any whit endebted to the receiuer but they deserue at the hands of the receiuer and make him endebted vnto the doner But faith repentance and loue Phil. 1. 29. and all holy workes proceeding from them are the free gifts and blessings of God wrought in them by the operation of 1 Cor. 12. 11. the holy Ghost and therefore are called the fruits of the Gal. 5. 22. Spirit Wherefore hereby the faithfull deserue nothing at Gods hand but are made the more indebted to God So reasoneth Saint Bernard None by good workes can deserue eternall life Bern. Ser. 1. de annunciat at Gods hands seeing all the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be reuealed albeit one person could indure them all The merits of men are not such as vnto the which eternall life is by iustice due and that God should doe wrong to them if he did not reward them there with For that I may not let passe that all merits are Gods gifts and that man is thereby rather made a debter to God then God to man what are all merits being compared to so great glory And therefore Dauid cryed out Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for in thy sight shall no man liuing be iustified QVEST. XIX The workes of God reuealed in the Scriptures doe manifestly declare them to be the word of God especially the worke of regeneration wrought by the Diuine and powerfull doctrines thereof in the hearts of all such as faithfully and sincerely embrace the same and therefore they are not to be receiued as such onely vpon the testimony of the Church Knowne vnto God are all his workes from the beginning Act. 15. 18. 1 Cor. 2. 11. of the world and to none other besides
such as should beleeue in him through their word Where he further Ioh. 17. 20. testifieth that his will was that they all should be with him euen where he himselfe is and that they might see his glory which cannot be meant but of the place of glory QVEST. XXIII Our blessed Sauiour is not corporally present in the Eucharist but in Heauen When some of our Sauiours owne Disciples were offended at those words of his Except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud yee haue no life in you thinking that he had spoken of a grosse and carnall eating of his flesh with their bodily mouthes Iesus said vnto them Doth this offend you what then if yee should see the Sonne of man ascend vp where Ioh. 6. 62. he was before By which words he gaue them to vnderstand that his carrying of his body at his Ascension into Heauen would teach them if they were Eagles with the mouthes of faith to mount vp thither and there to feed vpon him with the Luke 17. 37. mouthes of their mindes and not to dreame of a grosse and carnall feeding vpon his flesh with their bodily mouthes So reasoneth Saint Austin when ye shall see the Sonne of man Aug. in Ioh. tract 27. ascending were he was before then verily ye shall perceiue that he giueth not his body to be eaten after that manner as yee conceiue Then verily ye shall vnderstand that the grace of Christ is not consumed by chewing it in the mouth So likewise Athan. in illud quicuâ—quâ—… dixerit vâ—rbum c. Athanasius saith that Christ for this end warned them of his ascension into Heauen that he might draw them from thinking vpon his Body and that they might thereby learne that the flesh which he spake of was a coelestiall meat from aboue and a spirituall nourishment to be giuen by him The words which I speake vnto you are spirit and life the which saith he is as much as if he had said This Body which is in your sight and is to be deliuered to death for the world shall be giuen you for meat that it may be spiritually distributed to euery one of you and be an assurance and a preseruatiue to raise you vp to eternall life QVEST. XXIIII The Citie of Rome is the mysticall Babylon and the pretended titulary Romane Church is the most certaine seate of the great Antichrist of these last times The Apostle Saint Iohn describing in her colours that Babylon Apoc. 17. 18. which was to be the certaine seat of the great Antichrist of these last times auoucheth in plaine words that it is the very Citie that in his time raigned ouer the Kings of the earth the which was the Citie of Rome The truth whereof is so euident that our Rhemists themselues in their notes vpon that Chapter doe subscribe thereunto but they thinke to helpe the matter by excepting that Rome was Babylon vnder the gouernment of the persecuting Emperours but that exception will not serue their turne for by the plaine censure of Saint Iohn Rome must be the Royall Seat of the great Antichrist of these last times Wherefore they except in the second place that albeit the great Antichrist of these last times shall sit at Rome yet he may sit there in the Princes throne and not in the Priests chaire But Chrysostome precisely affirmeth that Antichrist shall Chrysost in 2. Ep ad Thess cap. 2. take vpon him the Empire both of God and men and therefore shall sit in the Priests chaire as well as in the Princes throne And so it was signified by his two bornes like to the Lambes Apoc. 13. 11. and so it is claimed by themselues by their double keyes and swords giuen in their Armes and carried before them and so it was really acted by Boniface the eight who one day shewed himselfe vnto the people in his Papall attire and the next day in the robes of an Emperour And it hath a long time bâ—en practised by them all and is still defended by most of their followers as a soueraignty that iustly belongeth vnto them And was not this most plainly fore-told by the Apostle that Antichrist should sit in the Temple of God not in the Temple of God at Ierusalem seeing that was vtterly to be destroyed and neuer to be built againe but in the Temple of God seated in the greatest City of his Antichristian Dominion that is in Babylonish Rome and that he should exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God and worshipped that is aboue all ciuill and Ecclesiasticall Gouernours of whom it is written I haue said yee are Gods Yea and that he should sit in the Temple Ioh. 8. 34. of God as God that is as Gods Lieutenant Generall and Christ Vicar vniuersall not onely in earth but also in Purgatory and in heauen also as it is signified by his triple Crowne And doth he not by his Indulgences take vpon him to open the doores of Purgatory at his pleasure And by Canonizing of Saints doth hee not take vpon him to giue greater or lesser dignities in the Kingdome of Heauen No maruell then that he taketh vpon him to dispose of temporall Kingdomes and earthly crownes and to possesse and dispossesse Kings of their Regalities at his owne will For this great Antichrist in his transcendent pride will not content himselfe with the honour and dignity of a great starre as all the ancient Bishops of Rome were wâ—nt to doe but he will aduance himselfe into the throne of Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse that all the greatest starres both in the ciuill and also in the Ecclesiasticall Gouernment may take their light and authority from him For if wee will beleeue his Parasires his supremacy is so much greater then the Emperours as the Sunne is greater then the Moone QVEST. XXV The word of God rightly vnderstood doth giue credite to it selfe and doth cause it selfe to be beleeued and imbraced as the word of God for the excellency of the diuine doctrines contained therein and not onely for the bare testimony of the Church Arguments drawne from the attributes or adiuncts Behold saith Moses Deut. 4. 5. I haue taught you ordinances and lawes as the Lord my God commanded mee that yee should doe euen so in the land whether ye goe to possesse it Keepe them therfore and doe them for it is your wisedome and vnderstanding in the sight of the people that shall heare all these ordinances and say onely this people is wise and vnderstanding and a great Nation For what Nation is so great that hath Ordinances and Lawes so righteous as all this Law is that I haue set before thee this day In which words Moses prooueth that his doctrine which hee deliuered vnto the children of Israell was of GOD because it was a wise and a righteous doctrine able to iustifie it selfe to be so euen in the iudgement of the Heathen themselues which
presence Aug. cont Faustum l. 20. c. 11. Cyrill in Ioh. l. 11 c. 3. Vigil cont Eutychem at one time in the Sunne and in the Moone and on the Crosse So Cyrill Christ could not be conuersant with his Apostles after that he had once ascended So Vigilius writing against Eutyches The flesh of Christ when it was on earth was not in heauen and now because it is in heauen certainely it is not on earth Yea so farre it is from being on earth that we looke for Christ after the flesh to come from heauen whom as he is God the Word we beleeue to be with vs on earth but by your opinion saith he to Eutyches either the word is comprehended in a place as well as the flesh or the flesh is euery where together with the word seeing that one nature doth not receiue any contrary or different estate Now to be contained in a place and to be present in euery place be things diuers and very dislike And therefore for so much as the word is euery where the flesh of Christ is not euery where it is cleare that one and the selfe-same Christ is of both natures that is euery where according to the nature of his Diuinity and contayned in a place according to the nature of his humanity This is the Catholike faith and confession which the Apostles deliuered the Martyres confirmed and the faithfull persist in to this day Wherefore the Church of Rome hath made an Apostacy from the Catholicke faith in that shee teacheth that the flesh of Christ is both together in heauen and on earth and not contayned in one certaine place but is in all places wheresoeuer the Eucharist is administred albeit it be administred in innumerable places at one time QVEST. XXIX Christs Body and Bloud ought not and in truth cannot be often offered vp to God by the Masse-Priests as a propitiatory sacrifice for the quicke and the dead The often offering of the same sacrifice doth argue the imperfection thereof as the Apostle saith As the doing againe again of one the selfesame worke doth shew that it was vnsufficiently done at the beginning For no wise man will goe about to do the same work the second time which was sufficiently yea perfectly done at the first lest it be said vnto him Act not that which is acted already No wise stage-player will attēpt Noli actum agere to come vpō the stage where Roscius is to act the same Enterlude that he acteth As no Historiographer of any iudgement will take vpon him to write that selfe-same History that Livy Caesar or Salust haue already written And shall then euery Masse-Priest be so presumptuous as to take vpon him to offer vp Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sinnes of quicke and dead where as that one oblation of Christ made once by himselfe was so sufficient and perfect that thereby he brought in eternall redemption and made perfect for euer them Heb. 7. 25. 10. 14. that are sanctified What will they put our deare Sauiour to death againe and shed his bloud surely this they must doe if in their Masse they will offer him vp a propitiatory sacrifice for sinne seeing that cannot be performed without a bloudy death For iustice cannot be satisfied for sinne vnlesse that which is due be rendred thereto But the wages and hire due to sinne is death The Rom. 6. 19. which is so euident and vndoubted a truth that the Apostle is bold to auouch that if our Sauiour himselfe should haue often offered himselfe to God as an expiatory sacrifice for sinne hee Heb. 9. 26. should haue often suffered and dyed But our blessed Sauiour dyed but once neither needeth he nay neither can he dye any Rom. 6. 9. more therefore he cannot be offered any more as an expiatory sacrifice for sinne Wherefore in that the Masse-Priests doe still presumptuously vndertake to offer vp Christ as an expiatory sacrifice for sinne what doe they therein but as much as in them lyeth murder and slay Christ againe and shed his pretious bloud and greatly derogate from the dignity of that sacrifice that he himselfe did offer at his death QVEST. XXX Christs flesh is not eaten with our bodily mouthes The pretended eating of Christs flesh with our bodily mouthes by the members of the Romish Synagogue is impious and wicked against Piety Religion and nature it selfe causing our Christian faith to be scorned and abhorred of the Heathen and therefore it was neuer intended much lesse commanded and commended by our Lord himselfe Our Sacrament saith Cyrill doth not command the eating of a man Cyr. ad obiect Theodor. drawing the minds of the faithfull to grosse conceits after an irreligious manner for as concerning these words of our Sauiour Christ Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud yee haue no life in you Saint Austin affirmeth Aug de doct Christ l. 3. c. 16. that seeing there seemeth therein an impiety to be commanded therefore they are not to be vnderstood literally but mystically and spiritually And verily the grosse mistaking of these words by the Church of Rome hath caused some of the heathen to condemne Christians of more barbarous impiety and inhumanity then was vsed in the impious and inhumane Anthropophagi for that they did eate but the flesh of ordinary men whereas the other pretend that they eat the very flesh of their God QVEST. XXXI Enoch and Elias cannot come in their owne persons to resist Antichrist and to be slaine of him Enoch and Elias cannot be slaine of Antichrist seeing their bodies be glorified and therefore immortall and not subiect vnto death And if they should assume other bodies then were they not the same persons because they had not the same essentiall parts Moreouer if a soule may assume diuers bodies with which of them shall she be vnited at the day of the generall resurrection QVEST. XXXII It is a property onely belonging to God to forgiue sinne When Iesus said to the sicke of the palsie Sonne thy sinnes Mar. 2. 5. are forgiuen thee and some of the Scribes sitting there did thus reason in their hearts Why doth this man speake blasphemies who can forgiue sinne but God alone He perceiuing that they thus reasoned in themselues said vnto them Whether is it easier to say to the sicke of the Palsey Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee or to say Arise take vp thy bed and walke Whereby he gaue them to vnderstand that by a word to cure both the sicknesses of the soule and the body was a property belonging to one and the selfe-same power euen to God And therefore that seeing he did make it appeare euen to their outward senses that by his word he did cure the diseases of the body they should haue acknowledged his diuine power whereby he was also able to cure the sinnes of the soule For as Chrysostome and Hillary teach our
of Christ whereby the pardon of their sinnes is sealed vp to the faithfull therefore it ought by no meanes to be taken away from the Lay people Yea whereas the faithfull are as well partakers of the Bloud of Christ as of the Body why should they not also be as well partakers of the visible signe of the one as of the other Act. 10. 47. Can anyman saith S. Peter forbid water that these should not be baptized which haue receiued the Holy Ghost as well as we So vpon the like reason it may be said Can any man forbid the Lords people to be pertakers of the Holy signe of his bloud with the Priests seeing they are partakers of the Bloud it selfe as well as they Especially seeing all the people of God ought to be most ready and willing to shed their owne bloud in the defence of the Faith of Christ why should they then be depriued of the Sacred signe of his Bloud whereby they are to be strengthened and confirmed for the couragious performance of that so great and weighty a worke How do we saith Saint Cyprian Cypr. ad Cornel. lib. 1. cap. 2. teach and perswade the people to shed their Bloud for the confession of the name of Christ if we deny them the Bloud of Christ that is the Sacrament of his Bloud For none can take from them the participation of the Bloud it selfe QVEST. XLII Matrimony is lawfull for the Ministers of the Gospell It is as lawfull in the time of the Gospell for the Ministers thereof to vse the same remedy against sinne and to enioy the same helpes and comforts of this life as it was for the high Priest and the residue of his brethren vnder the time of the Law But Matrimony was ordained for the auoiding of fornication Gen. 2. 18. and for to be an helpe in things concerning this life vnto the Priests vnder the Law and why should it not be so vnder the Gospell The Gospell requireth in the Ministers thereof as great if not greater labour about their spirituall worke then was required of the Priests vnder the Law why should they then not haue the same helpers as they had to supply their roomes for the better dispatch of their temporall affaires that so they may haue the more leasure to be imployed about their spirituall businesses And are not the Ministers of the Gospell especially in these last and worst dayes subiect to the like temptations of sinne as others were in former ages why should these then be more debâ—…red from the remedy then they were especially whereas 〈◊〉 Commandement of the Apostle is giuen generally to all For the auoiding of fornication 2 Cor. 7. 2. let euery man haue his owne wife and let euery woman haue her owne husband but where the remedy against this sinne is the authorised permission thereof by man with a Si non casse tamen cauâ—e there I must needs confesse is farre lesse need of the remedy appointed by God QVEST. XLIII The Nailes Speare and Crosse wherewith Christs pretious Body was tormented are not to be worshipped The Souldiers that vsed the Nailes Speare and Crosse to torment the most precious body of our most blessed Sauiour are not to be worshipped why then should the Nailes Speare and Crosse be worshipped which were the instruments of theâ—r outragious cruelty The Nailes and shooe of an horse that striketh therewith and killeth any meane person but casually are by the Law found guilty of the death of him that is slaine therewith how can we then otherwise iudge of the Nailes Speare and Crosse which were of a malitious purpose vsed to shed our blessed Sauiours most pretious Bloud and to take away his life from him for can that which is applied to a most wicked and vngodly vse be thereby sanctified and not grieously prophaned QVEST. XLIV The sinnes of the faithfull shall not after death be punished in the fire of Purgatory Arguments drawne from the greater proportion of reason to the lesse A true friend that howsoeuer he endanger himselfe will stead his deare friend that relieth vpon him in his great extremity will not faile him in a case of lesse danger Neither will our Sauiour Christ the fastest friend to his faithfull ones that possiby can be hauing by his owne death deliuered theÌ„ froÌ„ the euerlasting torments of hell fire suffer them to be tormented in the fire of Purgatory if there were any such fire Neither will God that for Christs sake doth freely pardon his faithfull the summe of 10000. talents cast them into a most horrible dungeon for the small debt of an 100. pence Vndoubtedly he that freely pardoneth them their sinnes which are the greater euils will not retaine the punishment which is the lesse And what manner of pardoning were this to forgiue the fault but not to remit the punishment Yea what manner of iustice were this to punish where there is no fault but a fault pardoned is no fault Wherefore seeing our most mercifull God in Rom. 3. 25. 1 Ioh. 1. 9. Christ doth presently in this life giue to all faithfull and penitent sinners the free remission of all their sinnes for Christs sake vndoubtedly after their deaths he will not punish them in the fire of Purgatory QVEST. XLV The Sacraments doe not conferre grace by the workâ— wrought vnlesse their vses be vnderstood The word of GOD is a more principall instrument of grace then the Sacraments are For otherwise our most wise and holy Sauiour while he conuersed in this world would not haue wholly omitted the administration of Baptisme and Ioh. 4. â— Luke 4. 16. 43. 1 Cor. 1. 17. haue giuen himselfe continually to the preaching of the word and testified also that he was sent for the dispatch of that businesse Neither would he haue sent forth his Apostles not so much to Baptise as to preach the Gospell vnlesse the preaching of the word had been the principall worke best befitting his principall Ministers Neither would the Apostle Saint Peter after that he himselfe had so effectually preached to Cornelius Act. 10. 42. and his company that the Holy Ghost fell on all that heard the word haue commanded them to be baptized and that in all likelihood by some inferiour Minister in the name of the Lord but would haue baptized them himselfe And verily the Sacraments were added to the word for the further strengthening of the weake faith of the Beleeuers and not for the confirming of the authority of the word seeing from it they receiue their power and efficacy when their right vse is made knowen thereby For how commeth it to passe that the water in Baptisme toucheth the body and cleanseth the soule but by the working of the word Neither are the Sacraments so forcible instruments to bring Christ to vs as the word is The Gospell saith Saint Hierome is the Body of Christ and Hieron in Psal 147. these words of our Sauiour Except yee
haue not the gift of Continencie being against this Law and Commandement of God For the auoiding of fornication let euery man haue his wiâ—e and let euery woman haue 1 Cor. 7. 2. her husband is of no validity or force to binde any person bee he votary or no votary to the obseruation thereof And as for the Law that is made by any man whosoeuer he be to binde them that haue not the gift of Continency to keepe their vow it is no Law at all seeing it is vniust and vnrighteous and contrary to the holy and righteous Law of God QVIST LXXXIX All Ecclesiasticall persons are subiect to the Ciuill Magistrate Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power for there is no Rom. 13. 1. power but of God and this Commandement is giuen by the Apostle in generall vnto all Now if all in generall ought to be subiect to the higher power then euery one in particular be he Laâ—ke or Clerke So reasoneth Saint Bernard writing Bernâ—ad Epis Senens Ep. 42. to a Bishop If all then yours Who hath excepted or exempted you out of the number of all If any doe so endeauour hee is no better then a deceiuer Doe not build vpon their counsels who being Christians either wilâ— not follow the doings of Christ or esteeme it a reproach to be subiect to his sayings These are they that are wont to say preserue the honor of your Sea are yoâ— of lesse power then was your Predecessor Such thinâ—s they but Christ otherwise commanded and did also Giue said he to 〈◊〉 that which is Caesars and to God that which is Gods So reasoneth also Saint Chrysostâ—me vpon the Chrysost in Ep. ad Rom. Hom. 23. same words of the Apostle Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers Albeit saith he thou be an Apostle albeit thou be an Euangelist albeit thou be a Prophet yea whosoeuer thou be For this subiection doth not ouerthrow godlinesse QVEST. XC It doth belong to the Ciuill Magistrate in his owne dominions to command all such things to be obserued of his subiects that concerne Gods diuine seruice and his subiects happinesse and herein he hath highest authority The Ciuill Magistrate is the Lords Liefetenant to see all his Lawes obserued and kept and therefore in speciall those which concerne Gods seruice and the happinesse of his owne Deut. 17. 18. subiects At the Coronation of the King the booke of the Law of God by Gods speciall commandement was to be deliuered into his hands the which booke he was to haue before as he was a good seruant of God that he might meditate therein Psal 1. 2. day and night and so be made fruitfull in all good workes But at his Coronation he was to haue it as a King that hee might cause all his subiects to obserue the same that wholy and not by halfes And thus much euen naturall reason taught the Philosopher to auouch The Ciuill Magistrate saith Aristotle Arist Moral lib. 1. cap. 2. is the supreme gouernour in his owne Countrey and he ought to prouide as in generall for the good of all his subiects so in particular that they might enioy the meanes whereby they might be made happy and blessed Now no people can be happie and blessed vnlesse they haue communion and fellowship with God and sincerely performe vnto him all such things as doe concerne his diuine worship and seruice Wherefore the Ciuill Magistrate is to prouide that those Lawes be taught and made knowne to his subiects in the which the meanes are laid open how they may haue Communion and fellowship with God and performe vnto him that religious seruice that is acceptable in his sight if that he desire to haue them happie and blessed The which euery good King ought to desire vnfainedlie euen as he tendreth his owne good seeing the happinesse of the subiect is the happinesse of the King QVEST. XCI The naturall man hath no free will in diuine and heauenly things If all the imaginations of mans heart be onelie euill and that continuallie and that in the eie and iudgement of him that Gen. 6. 5. searcheth the heart and cannot be deceiued then the naturall man hath no will to thinke much lesse to will any thing that is good For man is become saith Chrysostome totallie sinne Chrysost in Gen. Hom. 1. Esay 1. 6. and therefore in his whole vnderstanding and will And this he learned of the Prophet Esay The whole head is sicke and the heart is heauy from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head there is nothing whole therein What good habilitie or freedome then is in the will to that which is truelie good QVEST. XCII The Church of Rome giueth to the Saints diuine honour Arguments drawen from the parts to the whole or from the speciall to the generall Religious faith prayer and deuotion are principall parts of that diuine seruice and honour which is due vnto God and is giuen vnto him by all his true and faithfull seruants Ioh 6. Psal 50. 15. But these religious duties are by the Church of Rome communicated to the Saints vnto whom they make their prayers in their wants and necessities and trust to be releeued by their meanes and for that purpose deuote themselues to their seruice and therefore they giue vnto them diuine honour QVEST. XCIII There are no persons appointed by God for Popish Purgatory All persons are either beleeuers or Insidels and vnbeleeuers Now neither of these when they receiue from GOD their discharge to depart out of this world haue by his appointment any passe for Purgatory Concerning the beleeuer be he weake or strong in faith so hee be sound and sincere our blessed Sauiour testifieth and that by a solemne and a doubled asseueration that he hath euerlasting life and shall not come into Ioh. 5. 24. condemnation but is passed from death not to the paines of Popish Purgatory but to life that is to the vnspeakeable ioyes of heauen And as for all vnbeleeuers they are condemned already viz. Ioh. 3. 18. in Gods decree and in his holy word the vndoubted record thereof and hell is their place being the prison appointed for all condemned persons and there they are to be reserued against the iudgement of the great day And therefore none at all are appointed by God for Popish Purgatory And verily there is no way detected in the holy Scripture that leadeth thither For there wee finde but two wayes whereof the one is Matth. 7. 13. narrow and leadeth to life that is to heauen and the other broad and leadeth â—o destruction that is to hell And therefore if our Popish paeâ—…tents would needes passe along to Purgatory there to make full satisfaction to God for their sinnes which they haue not throughly satisfied for by their workes of paenance they shall be able to finde no way that leadeth thither QVEST. XCIIII The miracles and
revelation of the spirit of God allow them that dignitie oâ—ely in the language of the vulgar Interpreter who was a man subiect to errour And why doe they charge them being thus translated to be obscure ambiguous and doubtfull and therevpon refuse the Text it selfe to bee the supreame Iudge vnlesse it be taken in that sense as it is expounded by the Churches glosse so making the glosse better then the text and seating it in the place thereof Yea why doe they yet charge the Text it selfe being thus expouÌ„ded by their Churches glosse to be an vnsufficient Iudge vnlesse there be ioyned vnto it as fellow Benchers and Peeres equall with it in authority the bookes Apochrypha vnwritten verities and traditions Vndoubtedly as it is a very strong presumption that hee which disgraceth the Lawes of his Prince is guilty of trespasse commitâ—ed against them and so liable by them to condigne punishment so is it an euident argument that many of the doctrines of the Church of Rome are condemned by the Canonicall Scriptures because they are so disgraced by her deare children with diuerse reproachfull imputations For it is the fashion of Hereticks as Irenâ—us saith when they are reproued by the Scriptures to reproach and disgrace Jren. l. 3. cap. 2. them as if they were not right and as if they were vttered ambiguously and as if the truth could not be learned out of them by such as knowe not traditions And therefore Tertullian calleth them â—ugitiues from the light of the Scriptures and further Lucifugae scripturarum Tertull de carnis resurr testifieth that if that were taken from them which they haue common with the Ethnickes and if they were brought to determine all their controuersies by the Scriptures only they could not prevaile And so I beseech God that our Romanists the defenders of all Antichristian heresies may no longer prevaile but that their madnesse may be made manifest to all men Amen FINIS The Questions that are handled in the first part of this Treatise QVEST. 1. THe Gospell is the only proper and immediate instrumentall cause of our conversion to God of our faith and loue and of all other spirituall graces and not miracles nor the holy liues and comfortable deaths of the dearest servants of God nor temporall blessings or corrections nor the authority of the Magistrate nor the wisdome of the Law of God and therefore much lesse the reason of the naturall man Chap. 1. pag. 25. 26. 2 The Word and the Sacraments doe not profit vnlesse the sense and vse of either be rightly apprehended and vnderstood Chap. 2. pag. 32. 33. 3 The meanes whereby we are to come to the right vnderstanding of the Word of God is the light of true reason Chap. 3. p. 43. 44. 45. c. For the opening of the truth whereof 13 propositions are explained ibid. 4 Saving Faith is Divine wisdome or a certaine knowledge and setled assent and adherence to all divine verities necessary to Salvation and especially to the covenant of grace as to the means of our highest happinesse our chiefest good Ch. 4. p. 86. 87. c 5 A sauing faith is alwaies accompanied with all other sanctifying graces and namely with Constancy and Perseverance as being the fruitfull mother and continuall nurse of them all Ch. 5. p. 93. 94. c. 6 The Divine doctrine of the Christian Faith doth giue to the sincere imbracers therof a sauing faith an assuranre thereby of Gods favour and loue and of â—ternall happinesse and blessednesse Chap. 6. p. 102. 103. c. 7 The vtility and dignity of faith and the great difficulty to attaine there vnto Chap. 7. p. 122. 1â—3 c. The Questions handled in the second part QVEST. 1. THe Church is not alwaies glorious and notorious as a Citty seated vpon an high hill Quaest 1. pag. 129. 130 2 All the workes of the faithfull are stained with sinne and therefore no man in this life doth perfectly fulfill the Law of God Q. 2. p. 131. 3 The ignorance and not the knowledge of the Scriptures is the cause of all errours and sinnos Q. 3 p. 131. 132. 4 Not the sufferings or righteousnesse of any meere man but only of uâ—blessed Saviour both God and Man are of sufficient worthinesse to satisfie for sinne and to merit the inheritance of the kingdome of heauen Q. 4. p. 132. 5 The Bread and Wine in the Eucharist are not transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ Q. 5. p. 134. 6 The righteousnesse of the Law deliuered by Moses is that true righteousnesse whereby we are iustified before God and not the righteousnesse which is said to bee obtainâ—d by popish vowes Q. 6. p. 136. 7 We are not iustified by those workes of righteousnesse commanded in the Law of God which are wrought by our selues but by those which were wrought for vs by our Sauiour Christ in his owne person and are imputed to vs and made ours through faith Q. 7. 39. p. 137. 175. 8 The forme and manner to attaine to sanctification is not to receaue the holy word of God and the Sacraments with our bodily sensâ—s but with the powers of our soules nor to travell farre and neere on pilgrimage to see or kisse holy reliques but to see and touch holy things with the inward faculties of our mindes which are the proper subiects of sanctification Q. 8 p 139. 9 The manner of receauing Christ in the Eucharist is not carnall but spirituall Q. 9. p. 141. 10 Iustification and salvation is wrought only by Châ—ist and not by any other whâ—soeuer Q. 10. 66 〈◊〉 p. 142. 204. 1â— 11 The faithfull ought to be certainely assured of their owne salvation q. 11. p. â—43 12 The outward elements in the Eucharist are not bread wine in shew but in substance q. 12. p. 144. 13 There is no miraculous turning of â—read and Wine in the holy Eucharist into the very Body and â—loud of Christ nor any other miracle â—t all q. â—3 p. 144. 14 Iustification is giuen by the free mercy of God in Christ and not meritedly our works q. 14. 36. 52. p. 145. 172. 188. 15 The faithfull after the end of this life are not punished in the fire of Purgatory q. 15. 22. â—4 70. 93. P. 146. 159. 181. 208 224 16 The carnall eating of Christs Body is nothing availeable to eternall life but the spirituall q. 16. p. 147. 17 Concupiscence is sinne euen in the regenerate themselues q. 17. p 149. 18 Faith Repentance and Loue with all holy workes proceeding from them doe not deserue any thing at all at Gods hands but make the faithfull indebted to God for the same q. 18. p. 149. 19 The workes of God revealed in the Scriptures doe manifestly declare them to be the word of God especially the worke of Regeneration wrought by the Divine and powerfull doctrines thereof in the hearts of all such as faithfully and sincerely imbrace the same and therefore they