forth and nourished free men vnto Iacob but remayned themselues in the state of bond women from this vnhappie condition the Lord deliuer vs and make vs partakers of that mercie and grace whereof hee hath made vs Preachers and professors From the Law of sinne and death Heere the Apostle shewes from what it is that we are deliuered Dauid saith many deliuerances giueth the Lord to his annoynted he spake Psal 18. 51. it of himselfe and it is true of all the Children of God By a great deliuerance he saued Noah in the deluge Lot in the burning of Sodome Israel out of Egypt Ioseph in the prison Daniel in the denne the three Children in the sierie furnace but all these are small if they be compared with this deliuerance from sinne and death Where first we learne how the Apostle conioynes these Sinne death God hath conioyned who shall seperate them two sinne and death if we be deliuered from the first wee shall also be deliuered from the second but if wee abide in the first we shall be sure not to escape the second if therefore Sathan say vnto vs as he did to our first Parents though yâ—u eatâ—â—f this forbidden tree yee shall not dye let vs answere him he hath proued already a shamelesse lyar and we are not any more to credit him that same penaltie lyes vpon euery sinne which was layd vpon the first if ye doe it ye shall die God hath conioyned them and who shal seperate them though the Lord speake not instantly to euery sinner as he did to Abimelech behold thou art but dead because Gen. 20. 3. of this sinne yet is it true of euery sinne when it is finished it brings out death So soone as Ionas entred into the Sea saith Chris hom 5. ad popu Ant. Chrisostome the storme rose to teach vs that Vbi peccatum ibi procella where there is sinne specially committed with rebellion there will not faile to arise a storme of the wrath of God It is true indeed the sinner in committing of sinne doth What a deceiuer Sathan is in tempting to sinne not perceiue this being blinder than Balaam he walkes on in an euill course and sees not the sword of Gods vengeance which is before him but imagines alway to reape some good either of profit or pleasure by committing of sinne for these are Sathans two baites vnder which hee couers his deadly hookes It is therefore a point of singular wisedome to decerne betweene the deceit of sinne present and the fruit of sinne to come betweene that which Sathan promiseth and that which we finde in experience performed He promised to our Parents that they should be made like vnto God but in very deede hee made them miserable like himselfe And if thou wilt also obserue that which thou findest in thy owne experience what fruit hast thou of a Rom. 6. 11. sinne when thou hast committed it doth not darknesse arise in thy minde heauinesse in thy heart terrour feare and accusing cogitations in thy conscience Euery man may finde it who list to marke it by moe then a thousand experiences in himselfe that Sathan is a shamelesse deceiuer yea more deceitfull then Laban who promised to giue to Iacob Gen. 34. beautifull Rahel but in the darke he gaue him bleare-eyed Leah be assured he will change thy wages promise thee one thing and pay thee with another As Hamor spake to his Sichemites so doth Sathan to his blind-folded Citizens he perswaded his people that if they would be circumcised all Iacobs substance and cattell should be theirs but indeed the contrary ensued for the goods of the Sichemites befell to the house of Iacob and they themselues perished by the sword Let vs therefore beware of the inuenomed tongue of the Diuell mentitur vt fallat vitam pollicetur vt perimat Cypr. lib. 1. Epist. 8. he lyes that he may deceiue he promiseth life that he may inflict death say he what he will let vs beleeue the word of the Lord confirmed by dolefull daily experience the wages of sinne is death God hath knit them together and who shall seperate them So oft then as Sathan by the deceit of sinne would beguile Sinne seemes sweet but the fruit thereof is bitter thee remember that though sinne seeme to be sweet the fruit thereof is exceeding bitter if thou feare not sinne feare that end whereunto sinne leades thee dulce peccatum sed amara mors sinne is sweet but death is bitter remember that the wages which Sathan promiseth and man would haue hee shall not get but the wages which God threatneth and man would not haue shall assuredly be payed him for this is the miserie of those who walke in their sinnes illud propter quod peccant hic dimittunt ipsa peccata Aug. hom 42. sâ—cum portant that for which they sinne they leaue it behinde them and carrie their sinnes away out of the world with them So that in the end when they shall gather the profite of all their former sinnes into a summe they shall find no other but that fore-told by the Apostle What profit Rom. 6. 21. haue ye now of all those things whereof ye are ashamed surely there is no fruit but shame and death to be pluckt from the forbidden tree of sinne But heere it may be obiected by the weake conscience Comfort for the godly who are troubled with the tentations of sinne of the godly how can this comfort be ours that wee are freed from sinne who find our selues so continually assaulted yea oftentimes oppressed of sinne For answere let vs marke that the Apostle saith not wee are fully freed from sinne in this life but we are freed from the law of sinne that is both from the commanding and condemning power thereof Sinne doth not now raigne in our mortall bodies as before neither hath it power any more to detaine vs vnder death But as for the temptations of sinne there is no sort of men more troubled with them then they whom God hath begunne to deliuer from the Law of sinne for Sathan being impatient of his losse seekes daily to recouer his former dominion From the time that once the Gibeonites made peace for themselues with Ioshua all the rest of Ioshua 9. the Kings of Canaan made warre against them and so soone as we enter into a couenant with the Lord Iesus Sathan shal not faile the more hereely to assault vs seeking to recouer his old possession yet if as the Gibeonits did we send speedily messengers to our Iehosua to shew him how wee are troubled for his sake hee shall not with-draw his helping hand from vs. Our deliuerance from sinne is begunne now but not Our begun deliuerance from sinne the Lord shall perfect 1. Cor. 1 8. Phil. 1. 6. perfected but we know that our God is faithfull by whom we are called hee shall also confirme vs to the end Euen hee who
hath begunne this good worke in vs will performe it vntill the day of Christ As the Angell who deliuered Peter out of prison appeared to him with a shining light in the darke prison smote him vpon his side and wakened him out of his sleepe made his chaines to fall from him and caused him to arise and follow him went still before him to leade him in the way through all impediments and departed not from him till he had entred him within the Cittie of Ierusalem so the spirit of our Lord Iesus who hath once come downe vpon vs in this prison and hath lightned our darknesse wakened vs out of our dead securitie and loosed the chaines of our sinnes wherewith we were bond shall abide continually with vs gouerning vs with his light and truth till he haue entred vs within the portes of heauenly Ierusalem Blessed be the Lord where before we were the captiues of sinne now the course of the battell is changed sinne is become our captiue through Christ it remaineth in vs not as a commander but as a captiue of the Lord Iesus it is true the boltes of sinne are yet vpon our hands and feet to admonish vs of our former miserable thraldome we draw as yet the chaines of sinne after vs which makes vs indeede goe forward the more slowly but are not able to detaine vs in that bondage wherein we lay before And as concerning our deliuerance from death wee are How we are deliuered from death both first and second to know that death is two-fold the first and second the first is a separation of the soule from the body the second is a separation of them both from the Lord. Mors prima Aug. de ciuit dei li. 21. ca. 3 pellit animam nolentem de corpore mors secunda detinet animam nolentem in corpore The first death expels the soule against the will out of the body the second death compels the soule against the will to abide in the body for vnto the greater augmentation of their paine as they were companions of sinne so shall they be compelled to abide companions of punishment This second death hath three degrees the first is when Second death hath three degrees the soule by sinne is separated from the Lord the second is when the body by the power of that curse due to sinne is turned into dust and the soule is sent to hell the third is when both soule and body being ioyned together againe in the resurrection shall be banished from the presence of the Lord and cast into vtter darknesse And it is called the second death because it is executed vpon the wicked after their first death otherwise the first death that euer came into the world was the first degree of the second death Mors Aug. de verb. Apost ser 33. animae praecessit anima deserente Deum mors corporis sequâ—ta est anima deserente corpus deseruit Deum volens anima coacta est deserere corpus nolens the death of the soule went before the soule departing from God and the death of the body followed the soule departing from the body How Christians are exercised with terrors of conscience which in the owne nature are forerunners of the second death the soule departed from God willingly therefore is compelled vnwillingly to depart out of the body Now from both these deaths wee are deliuered by the Lord Iesus for our soules being freed from sinne are reconciled with God and so exempted from that wrath which is to come For albeit the deere children of God be sometime exercised with inward terrours of conscience which in their owne nature are fore-runners of these paynes prepared for the wicked and are as the smoake of that fire which afterward shall torment them yet vnto the godly their nature is changed they are sent vnto them not to seperate them from the Lord but to draw their hearts neerer vnto him and to worke in them a greater conformity with Christ And as for the first death wee are so deliuered from it The nature of the first death changed to the Christian that albeit in the owne nature it be the Centre of all miseries and a fearefull effect of Gods curse on man for sinne yet to the godly the nature thereof is also changed so that now it is not the death of the man but the death of sinne Amb. de bono mort cap. 4. in the man mors est scpultura vltiorum death saith Ambroâ— is the buriall of all vices As the worme which is bred in the tree saith Chrisostome doth at last consume it so death which is brought out by sin doth at the length consume and destroy sinne in the children of God Finally death is the progresse and accomplishment of the full mortification of all our earthly members wherein that filthie fluxe of sinne is dryed vp at an instant It is a voluntarie sacrificing of the whole man soule and body to the Lord the greatest and highest seruice wee can doe to him in the earth for where in the course of our life we are continually fighting against our inordinate lusts and affections to bring them in subiection to Christ by death as it were with one stroke they are all smitten and slaine and the soule is offered vp to God in a sacrifice of full and perfect obedience Verse 3. For that that was impossible to the Law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sending his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinfull â—â—â—sh and that for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh THE Apostle hauing set downe in the first 3 Explication of the confirmation Here followes an explication of the confirmation of his generall proposition Verse a Proposition of Comfort belonging to them who are in Christ and confirmed it in the second he proceedeth now to the explication of the Confirmation declaring how it is that Christ hath freed vs from the law of sinne and first he shewes how Christ hath freed vs from the condemning power of sinne in this verse namely that he taking vpon him our nature and therewithall the burden of our sinnes hath condemned sin 1 He shewes how we are freed from the condemning power of sinne The law could not saue vs. in his blessed body and so disanulled it that it hath no power to condemne vs. And this benefit he amplifies shewing that by no other meanes we could obtaine it for where without Christ there is but one way for men to come to life namely the obseruance of the law he lets vs see it was impossible for the law to saue vs and least it should seeme that he blamed the law he subioynes that this impotencie of the Law to saue vs proceedes from our selues because that wee through fleshly corruption which is in vs cannot fulfill that righteousnesse which the law requires This impotencie of the Law appeareth by these two Impotencie of the
hath said immediatly before that he was not perfect how doth he now rancke himselfe among those who are perfect how agrees these two that hee is perfect and not perfect Hee answeres the Apostle was perfect secundum intentionem non secundum peruentionem August in Psal 38. that is perfect in regard of his intention and purpose not in regard of preuention and obtayning of his purpose And hereunto agrees that of Bernard Magnum illud electionis Ber. in Cant. serm 49. vas perfectum abnuit perfectum fatetur that great chosen vessell of election graunts profection that is a going forward but denyes perfection for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not onely he who hath come to the end but hee also who is walkeing toward it we are so perfect in this life that wee are yet but walking to perfection therefore saith Ambrose Apostolus Ambros in Rom. cap. 8. ver 9. aliquando quasi perfectis loquitur aliquando quasi perfecturis hoc est aliquando laudat aliquando commonâ—t the Apostle speaketh vnto Christians sometime as vnto men that are perfect othertimes as vnto men who are to perfect that which is required of them that is sometimes he praises them for the good they haue done and otherwhiles he admonishes them of the good they haue to doe We conclude therefore with Augustine perfectio hominis est inuenisse se Aug. de temp scr 49. non esse perfectum this is the pefection of man to finde he is not perfect And as for that place of Saint Luke where it is said that How Zacharie and Elizabeth walked in all the commandements of God Luke 1. 6. Zacharie and Elizabeth walked without reproofe in all the Commandements of God because the Iesuits of Rhemes in their obseruations would wrest it to confirme their errour wee will shortly make it manifest That it makes not for them Augustine hath two reasons whereby he proues out of that same Scripture that Zacharie was not without sin first because he was a Priest and was bound to offer as well for his owne sins as the sins of the people Secondly in that the Euangelist saith he walked in the commandements of Heb. 5. 3. God it is an agreement that as yet hee had not attayned to the marke to the which we may adde the third out of that same place the dumbnesse inflicted vpon him for his misbeleeuing euidently proues he was not so perfect as to be without sinne Beside this he customably distinguishes betweene peccatum crimen sinne and a crime that is some grieuous offence that giues slaunder and is worthy of crimination Sanctorum hominum vitam inueniri posse dicimus Aug. Enchi sine crimine we affirme that the life of holy men may be found without a crime And againe nunc bene viuitur si sine crimine sine peccato autem qui se viuere existimat non id agit vt peccatum non habeat sed vt veniam non accipiat now men liue well if they liue without crime but he who thinks he can liue without sinne doth not thereby make himselfe free of sinne but debarres himselfe from the pardon of his sinne And so much for refutation of their errour Now for our instruction we marke againe here that seeing The end of Christs death is our sanctification therefore it should not be abused to giue libertie to sinne the end of Christs death is our sanctification it cannot be but a mocking of the sonne of God and a treading of his holy blood vnder the vncleane feete of men to make the death of Christ a nourishment of sin let such thoughts be farre from vs that wee should take liberty to sinne because we haue a Sauiour this is to make Christ a minister of sinne and as was said to build vp that which Christ came to destroy O thou who louest the Lord Iesus be it far from thee to take pleasure in that which made his blessed soule heauie vnto death let vs neuer nourish that life of sin which was the cause of the death of Christ but let vs daily cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and grow vp 2. Cor. 7. 1. vnto full holinesse in the feare of God For albeit by Christ wee be deliuered from the curse of Christ hath freed vs from the curse of the law not from the obedience thereof Rom. 6. 15. Rom. 7. 12. Rom. 5. 17. the Law yet are we not exempted from the obedience therof In respect of the one the Apostle said We are not vnder the Law but vnder Grace in respect of the other he hath said that the Law is good and our Sauiour protests he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it both in himselfe and his members not only by righteousnesse imputed but also inherent For the law stands to vs a rule of our life we loue the holinesse thereof striues to conforme our selues vnto it iustificati enim amics leges efficiuntur for men when Ambrose in Rom. cap. 8. Rom. 7. 22. they are iustified become louers of the law which before they hated So that hereby we are to try whether wee be in Christ if we delight in the law of God if wee be grieued when our sinfull nature trangresses the precepts thereof if we finde a begunne harmonie betweene our affections actions and her commaundements by these and the like effects may we know that in Christ we are iustified Lastly we haue this comfort that seeing our sanctification We are sure our begun sanctification shall be perfected is an end which the Lord Iesus hath proposed vnto himselfe we may be sure he shall attaine vnto it In the first creation what he commaunded was done he made light to shine out of darknesse no impediment could stay that work of the Lord so is it in the second creation neither Sathans malice nor the deceitfull allurements of the world nor the sinnefull corruption of our owne nature shall stay that work of our perfect sanctification which the Lord Iesus hath not onely begun but also taken vpon him to accomplish Verse 5. For they who are after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh but they who are after the spirit sauour the things of the spirit HItherto we haue heard the proposition of comfort 4 Application of his former doctrine contayning first a Commination of the wicked wherein is declared their miserable state who walke after the flesh the reason of confirmation and explication thereof Now because the Apostle restrayned that comfort to those who walke after the spirit not after the flesh now in this third member of the first part of the Chapter hee subioynes an exhortation Wherein by sundry reasons he disswades vs from walking after the flesh and exhorts vs to walke after the spirit wherein he keepes this order First he oppones these two to walke after the flesh and after the spirit as contraries which cannot consist
whose then shall Sinne causes the Lord to deny his owne creatures hee be certainely hee is the vassall of Sathan the Lord shall deny him the Lord shall disclaime him as not belonging to him depart from mee yee workers of iniquitie I know not whence you are O the bitter fruit of sinne which Luke 13. 27. causes the Lord to deny that creature to be his which once he made to his owne image Let vs therefore hate our sinne vnto death let vs in time make hast to depart from iniquitie which shall at the last draw on that sentence vpon the wicked depart from me The Lord deliuer vs from it through Iesus Christ Verse 10. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sinne but the Spirit is lifâ— for righteousnesse sake HItherto hath the Apostle comforted the Christian 2 Consolation against the fruit of sin specially against death whereunto we are subiect against the remanents of sinne now he comforts him against the fruites and effects of sinne which he findeth in himselfe The godly might haue obiected ye haue said before the fruit of carnall wisedome is death are wee not subiect vnto death and so of the fruites and effects of sinne what can we iudge but that we are carnall To this he answeres first by a confession it is true that the body is dead because of sinne but if Christ be in you the spirit through his righteousnesse is endued with life yee are not therfore so much to conclude that yee are carnall because death through sinne is entred into your bodies as to confirme your selues in this that life through the righteousnesse of Christ is communicated to your soule and so the summe of his comfort will be this the death whereunto you are subiect is neither totall The death whereunto we are subiect is neither totall nor perpetuall nor perpetuall that it is not totall he declares in this verse for it strikes not vpon the whole man but vpon the weakest part of man which is his body as for his most excellent part which is his soule it is partaker of a life that is not subiect vnto death That it is not perpetuall he declares in the next verse our bodies shall not bide for euer vnder the bands of death the spirit of Christ that now dwels in them shall at the last raise them vp from death and cloath them with immortality and incorruptibility If Christ be in you Before the Apostle bring in his comfort The Comforts of God are not common to all men indifferently Mat. 10. 12. 13. he permits a condition to teach vs that the comforts of God belong not indifferently vnto all men he who is a stranger from Christ hath nothing to doe with these comforts When our Sauiour commaunded his Disciples to proclaime peace vnto euery house they came to he foretold them it should abide onely with the sonnes of peace he forbad them in like manner to giue those things which were holy vnto dogs or to cast pearles before Swine This Math. 7. 6. stands a perpetuall Law to all Preachers that they presume not to proclaime peace to the impenitent and vnbeleeuing but as Iehu spake to Iehorams horseman What hast thou to doe with peace so are we to tell the wicked who walke still 2. Kin. 9. 18. on in their sinnes that they haue nothing to doe with that peace preached by the Gospell Secondly if we compare the former verse with this t we Christ dwelling in vs is by his spirit no carnall presence required to make our vnion with him shall see that the manner of Christs dwelling in his children is by his Spirit To make vp our vnion with Christ it is not needfull that his humane nature should be drawne down from heauen or that his body should be euery where as the Vbiquitaries affirme or that in the Sacrament the bread should be transubstantiate into his body as the Papists imagine his dwelling in vs is by his spirit and our vnion with him is spirituall neyther yet by so saying doe we diuide his two natures for they are inseparably vnited in one personall vnion which vnion doth not for all that import that his humane nature is extended ouer all as his diuine nature is The heauens must containe him till he come againe Noli dubitare ibi esse hominem Christum vnde venturus est Act. 3. 21. Aug. epist 57 ad Dardan Put it out of doubt that the man Christ Iesus is in that place from whence he shall come Keepe faithfully that Christian confession He is risen from the death ascended vnto Heauen and sits at the right hand of the Father and that he shall come from no other place but from Heauen to iudge the quicke and the dead and he addeth that which the Angell said to his Disciples this Iesus who is taken vp from you Act. 1. 11. into heauen shall so come as ye haue seene him goe into heauen that is saith Augustine in eadem carnis forma atque substantia cui profecto immortalitatem dedit naturam non abstulit that is in that same forme substance of flesh to the which he hath giuen immortalitie but hath not taken away the nature thereof Secundum hanc non est putandum quod vbique est diffusus vbique per id quod Deus in coelo autem per id quod homo according to his nature we are not to thinke that he is in euery place it is true that as God hee is euery where but as man he is in the heauens and this for the condition Now to the comfort we haue by Iesus Christ a threefold The comfort of Ethnikes ahainst death not comparable to ours and our courage inferior to theirs comfort against death whereof two onely here are touched The first that the death whereunto we are subiect is not totall The second that the nature and qualitie of our bodilie death is changed The third that it is not perpetuall the body shall not for euer lye vnder death The Ethnicks had also their owne silly comforts but nothing comparable to ours Nazianzen records that Cleopatra Queene of Aegypt demaunding of certaine learned men what kinde of death was without the bitter sense of paine receiued this answere there is no death without dolour but that death was most gentle which was brought on by the Serpent Aspis and namely that kinde thereof which is called Hypnale be cause they whose flesh is enuenomed with the poyson therof doe incontinently sleepe vnto death for which cause also shee made choyse of it And Seneca being by Nero to be executed to death got it left to his owne pleasure as great fauour shewed vnto him to make choyse of any death he pleased he chose to bleed to death in hote water Others among them that offered themselues to most fearefull deaths such as Curtius Regulus and others had no comfort to sustaine them but a
dies poenae nondum aduenit the day of punishment of iudgement of retribution is not yet come though in this life the Lord should not come neere thee yet thy iudgement is not farre off and thy damnation sleepes not Interim plectuntur quidam quo caeteri corrigantur tormenta paucorum exempla sunt omnium 2. Pet. 2. 3. Cyp. de lapsis serm 5. In the meane time some are punished that the rest may be corrected the torments of a few are the examples of all As the Lord Iesus set those eighteen men on vvhom the tower of Siloam fell for examples to all the rest of the people Luke 13. so euery one punished before vs stands vp to vs as a preacher of repentance and an example to warne vs that vnlesse vve repent we shall perish in like manner Si nunc omne peccatum Aug de ciuit Dei cap. 8. manifesta plecteretur poena nihil vltimo iudicio râ—â—eruari putaretur si nullum nunc peccatum puniret Deus nulla Why some wicked men are punished in this life and not others putaretur esse prouidentia If in this life euery sinne were punished vvith a seene iudgement nothing should be reserued to the last iudgement and if no sinne vvere punished in this life it might be thought there were not a prouidence to regard it The Lord therefore punisheth some sins in this life to tell there is a God vvho iudgeth righteously Psal 58. 11. in the earth other sins againe in his wise dispensasion he punished not in this life to assure all men that there is a iudgement to come And least yet the wicked man should flatter himselfe by his escaping of present iudgement let him remember It is a great iudgement not to be corrected by God Hos 4. 14. that a sinner vvalking in his sinnes is sore punished when he is spared for I pray thee is not this a iudgement threatned against the Apostate Israelites I will not visite your Daughters when they are Harlots nor your Spouses when they are Whores Certe tunc magis irascitur Deus cum non irascitur Ber. in Cant. hom 42. Certainely then is God most angry vvhen he seemes not to be angry at all Misericordiam hanc nolo for my own part saith Bernard I vvill not haue such a mercy Insignis poena est vindicta impictatis conniuere Deum ac indulgere peccâ—ntibus non solum impunitatem sed longam concedere prosperitatem Philo. lib. de consus linguarum It is a notable punishment and reuenge of vngodlines when God winkes and ouersees sinners not onely graunting vnto them impunitie but also long ptosperitie It was good for me saith Dauid that the Lord afflicted mee Psal 119. 71 Psal 73. â— Prou. 1. 32. The wicked because they haue no changes feare not God And the prosperitie of fooles destroy them He is happely conquered and ouercome faith Augustine from whom the libertie of sinning is taken away Nihil enim infoelicius foelicitate peccantium Aug. Marcellino Epist 5. qua poenalis nutritur impunitas mala voluntas velut interior hostis roberatur There is nothing more vnhappy then the happy estate of a sinner whereby penall impunitie is nourished and their vvicked will as an inward and domesticke enemie is strenthned thus are the wicked fearefully plagued when they are most spared when they are giuen vp to their owne hearts desire and their iniquitie hath dominion ouer them when the Lord hedges not in their way vvith thornes but giue them loose reynes to go where they vvill to their owne destruction this is terribilis lenitas parcens crudelitas from vvhich vnhappy condition the Lord deliuer vs. The other impediment that stayes the Atheists of our 2 Impediment Wicked men repent not because they see the godly subiect to the same outward euils which come vpon them time from profiting by the threatnings of God is because they see the same condition befalleth to the godly vvhich is threatned to the vvicked Daniel goes vvith the rest into captiuitie Iosias no lesse then the greatest sinners among the people is slaine vvith the sword Ezekias also stricken vvith pestilence and many godly ones among our selues fall vnder the same externall plagues vvhich are threatned against the vvicked therefore doe they dispise Religion and harden their hearts against the iudgements of God But herein also are they pittifully blinded for the godly and vvicked differs farre one from another euen vvhen they The actions passions of the godly and wicked different in one and the selfe same thing Cyprian ad Demet. are both doing the same externall actions Cain and Abel sacrificing together the Publicane and the Pharisee praying together yet are as farre vnlike one another as light and darknesse so when they suffer the same externall crosses yet there is a wonderfull difference betweene them non idcirco vobis aequales sumus quia in isto adhuc mundo constituti carnis incommoda vobiscum pariter incurrimus A very good answere for men of this world who thinke they are in no worse case then the Children of God thinke not that wee are in as euill case as ye are because that so long as we are in this world we are subiect to the same bodily incoueniences for since punishment consists in the sense of paine it is euident that he is not partaker of thy punishment who is not pertaker of thy sorrow manifestum est non esse participem poenae tuae quem non vides participem doloris tui In that same affliction wherein the one sees the wrath of God the other feeles the loue of God where the one impatient of the yoke murmuâ—es rages and blasphemes the Lord the other possessing his soule in patience reioycing in tribulation blesses the Lord. But the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake Hauing graunted The condition being permitted the comfort is subioyned that our bodies are dead through sinne hee now subioynes the comfort that our soules are indued with a life vvhich comes not vnder death through the righteousnesse of Christ Where first it comes to be considered seeing euery mans soule is immortall and alway liuing what singular life is this which here the Apostle makes the comfort of a Christian To this I answere it is true euery mans soule is immortall though the Atheist deny it experience proues Immortalitie of the Soule most certaine it the life of the soule dependeth not on the life of the body for if it were so as the body decayes the soule should decay also for we see that euen in debilitate bodies the soule retaines the owne vigour yea in the godly the life of the soule shewes the selfe strongest when the life of the body is weakest Besides this no carnall mortall nor corruptible thing can at any time content the soule to fill it the body is soone satisfied with these perishing things in such sort that
for the fourth it shall be the estate of the Saints of God in heauen Let not therefore the children of God be discouraged by Comfort our estate in this life is neither our last nor best estate looking either â—pon the remanents of sinne in their soule or the beginning of death in their body for why this estate wherein now we are is neither our last nor our best estate out of this we shall be transchanged into the blessed estate of glorious immortality our soules without all spot or wrinckle shall dwell in the body freed from mortality and corruption made like vnto Christs owne glorious body which the Lord our God who hath translated vs out of our second miserable estate into this third shall not faile to accomplish in his time Againe it comes to be considered here seeing by Iesus Christ life is restored to the soule presently why is it not also restored to the body vvhy is the body lâ—st vnder the Our soules being quickned yet our bodies are left vnder death for foure causes power of death to be turned into dust and ashes vvas it not as easie to the Lord to haue done the one as the other To this I answere that at any time life should be restored to our bodies is a mercy greater then wee are able to consider if wee will looke to our desâ—ruing that for a while hee will haue them subiected to the power of death the Lord in his wise dispensation hath thought it good for many causes First for performance of his truth 〈◊〉 but dust Gen. 3. 21. and to dust thou shalt returne If man had dyed no manner of way how should the truth of GOD appeare and if that death due to man had not beene inflicted vpon him how 1 Fâ—r reconciliation of Gods mercy truth Ber. in annuÌ„ Mar. ser 1. should his mercy beene manifested this controuersie God in his meruailous wisedome hath setled Fâ—at mors bona habet vtraque quâ—d petit let death become good and so both his mercy and his truth hath that which they craue for in the changing of the cursed nature of death and making that temporall which was eternall doth his mercy appeare and in the dissolution of mans body into dust for a time doth his truth appeare Secondly the Lord hath done it for manifestation of his 2 For the cleerer declaration of Gods power owne power accounting it a greater glory to destroy sinne by death then by any other meanes Death is the fruit of sinne and the weapon whereby Sathan intended to destroy mankinde and so deface the glory of the Creator but the Lord cutteth off the head of this Gâ—liah vvith his owne sword hee turneth his vveapon against himselfe by death he destroyes that same sinne in his children which brought Chrisost in Mat. hom 2. forth death A meruailous conquest that Sathan is not onely ouercome but ouercome by the same meanes by vvhich before hee tyrannized ouer men And thirdly the Lord 3 For our instruction that wee may know what great mercy God hath shewed vpon vs. suffers our bodies to taste of death that we may the better consider that excellent benefite vvhich vve haue by Iesus Christ for if the death of the body notwithstanding that the nature thereof is changed be so fearefull as vve see in experience how miserable should vvee haue beene if the Lord had inflicted deserued death both of soule and body 4 For our conformitie with Christ vpon vs And last that we might be conformed to him who is the first borne among many brethren it behoueth vs by death also to enter into his kingdome For righteousnesse sake This righteousnesse that bringeth The life our soule hath flowes from Christs righteousnesse Rom. 5. 21 Hos 13. 9 Reu. 7. 10. life is the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to vs by Grace as iâ— euident out of that As sinne had raigned vnto death so might grace also raygne by righteousnesse vnto eternall life Sinne which causeth death is our owne but that righteousnesse which bringeth life is of Grace Our perdition is of our selues but our saluation commeth from the Lord and from the L 〈…〉 be that sitteth vpon the Throne No preseruatiue then against death but this righteousnesse it presently giues life vnto our soule and afterward shall restore our dodyes from the power of the graue such therefore as are the children of wisedome will be carefull in time to be partakers This righteousnesse is known by sanctificatioÌ„ of this Iewell This righteousnesse hath inseperably annexed with it Sanctification by thy sanctification try thy selfe and see whether or no thou hast gotten life through the righteousnesse of Christ deceiue not thine owne hart in the matter of saluation assure thy selfe so far forth thou doest liue as thou art sanctified As health is to the body so is holines to the Soule a body without health fals out of one paine into another till it dye and a Soule without holines is polluted with one lust after another till it dye As the Moone hath lightlesse or more according as it is in aspect with the Sunne so the Soule of man enioyes life lesse or more according as it is turned or auerted to or from the Lord thus let euery man iudge by his sanctification whether if or not hee be partaker of that righteousnesse of Iesus which bringeth life vnto the soule Miserable are those wicked ones who want it they are twise dead saith Saint Iude that is Iude. ver 12. both in soule and body not so much as a heauenly breath or motion is in them but wee ought to giue thankes vnto God who hath giuen a beginning of eternall life vnto vs. Last of all there is here a notable comfort for all the Comfort wee haue a life which no death can extinguish children of God that there is begun in vs a life which no death shall euer be able to extinguish albeit death inuade the naturall vitall powers of our bodies and suppresse them one after one yea though at the length he breake in vpon this lodging of clay and demolish it to the ground yet the man of God who dwels in the body shall escape with his life the Tabernacle is cast downe that is the most our enimie can doe but he who dwelt in it remoues vnto a better as the Bird escapes out of the snare of the Fowler so the The prison of the body being broken the soule that was prisoner doth escape soule in death slighters out and flies away with ioy to her maker yea dissoluing of the bodie to the man of God it is but the vnfolding of the net and breaking open the prison wherein hee hath beene detayned that he himselfe may be deliuered The Apostle knew this well and therefore Phil. 1. 21. desired to be dissolued that he might be with Christ As in the battell betweene our Sauiour and Sathan Sathans head
spirit of God vseth threatnings is an argument of our rebellious nature taken from honestie and dutie vvere sufficient to moue vs but in that the spirit of God doth also threaten vs with death is an euident argument of the froward rebellion of our nature The word of GOD is compared not onely to milke but also to salt we haue neede of the one because of our infancy that being nourished therewith wee may grow and because of our corruption wee haue neede to be The vvord should be vsed as milk to some as salt to others seasoned with the other to both these ends should Preachers vse the vvord of GOD to some as milke for their nourishment to others as salt for their amendment But these are the times foretold by the Apostle wherein But now men cannot abide the rebuke of Gods word 2 Tim. 4. 3. Amos. 5. 10. 1 King 22. 8. the itching eares of men cannot abide wholesome doctrine they hate him that rebukes in the gaâ—e as Achab hated Micaiah to the death because hee prophecyed no good vnto him that is hee spake not according to his phantasie but warned him faithfully of the iudgement which afterward came vpon him so the hearers of our time can abide no teachers but such as are after their owne lusts but alas they are foolish for are not my words good to him that walkes vprightly Micah 2 7. Aug. ser 1. sayth the Lord. Aduersarius est nobis quamdiu sumus ipsi nobis quamdiu tu tibi inimicus es inimicum habebis sermonem Deâ— the word of God is an aduersary to none but such as are aduersaries to themselues neither doth it condemne any but such as assuredly shall be condemned of the Lord vnlesse they repent Stop thine eare as thou wilt Zach. 7. 11. from hearing of the threatnings of the word yet shalt thou not stop that iudgement which the word hath threatned against thee There is a cry that will come at midnight and will waken the dead but blessed are they who in time are wakened out of the sleepe of their sinnes by the cryes of the watch-men of God for vndoubtedly a fearefull and painfull consumption shall torment them for euer who now cannot suffer that the salt of the Word should bite their sores to cure them The opposition made here by the Apostle warnes vs Either we must slay sin or sin shall slay vs. that a necessitie lyeth vpon vs to mortifie our sinfull lusts it stands vpon our liues vnlesse wee slay sinne sinne shall not faile to slay vs. It is like a Serpent in our bosome which cannot liue but by sucking out that bloud whereby we liue here is a wholesome preseruatiue against sinne if at euery occasion wee would carry it in our minde wee would make no doubt to put sinne to the death that our selues might liue For alas what pittifull folly is this wee hate them that pursues our bodily life wee eschew them by all bodily Aug. detemp serm 29. meanes wee hate the oppressours that spoile vs of worldly goods onely wee cannot hate Sathan to the death who seekes by sinne to spoyle vs of eternall life That same Commandement which was giuen to Adam Euery sin is to vs the forbidden Tree and Euah if yee eate of the forbiâ—den Tree yee shall dye is in effect here giuen to vs all if ye liue after the flesh ye shall die let vs not make an exception where God hath made none euery sinne to vs is as that forbidden Tree to Adam if wee meddle with it we shall finde no better fruit then that which Men seeke on it that fruit which they shall not finde and finde on it that fruit which they would not haue Adam found on it before vs there is a fruit vvhich man seekes vpon the Tree of sinne and hee shall not finde it to wit profit or pleasure and there is another fruit which God hath threatned and Sathan saith it growes not on the Tree of sinne but man assuredly shal finde it Bitter death groweâ— vpon the pleasant Tree of sinne for the wages of sinne is death albeit there came no word from the Lord to teach this former experience may confirme it for what fruit haue we this day of all our former sinnes but a guilty conscience which breeds vs much terror accusing thoughts and anguish of Spirit It is therefore a point of great wisedome to discerne betweene Great wisdome to discerne betweene the deceit of sin and fruit of sinne the deceit of sinne and fruit of sin before the action Sinne is Inâ—micus blandienâ— a slattering and laughing enemie in the action it is dulcâ— venenum sweet poyson but after the action it is Scorpâ—opungens a pricking and biting Serpent Hee that would rightly discerne the face of sinne when it stands before him to tempt him let him looke backe to the taile of a sinne which hee hath committed alreadie and of the sting vvhich that sinne hath left behind it let him learne to beware of the smiling countenance of the other which will no lesse wound him the second time vnto death if so be he embrace it Most properly may the pleasures of sinne be Sinfull lusts compared to the streame of Iordan compared to the streames of the riuer Iordan which carryeth away the fish swimming and playing in it delighted with such pleasures as are agreeable to their kind euen till it deuolue them into the salt sea where incontinent they die euen so in the vvicked inordinate concupiscenâ—â— is as a forcible streame which carryeth away vvith it impenitent men playing and delighting themselues in their lusts till at length they fall into that lake vvhich burneth vvith fire and brimstone out of the which there is no redemption for them The perishing pleasures of sinne are payd home with And to the lâ—custs with womans haire Lions teeth Scorpions taile Basil in verb. Mos attende tibi euerlasting perdition it is done in a moment but when it is finished it bringeth out death and breedes the Worme that will neuer dye paruum ad horam peccatum longaeua autem est ex â—o aeterna verecundia it is the deuouring Locust of the bottomlesse pit which hath haire like a woman teeth like a Lyon and a tayle like a Scorpion miserable are they who are blinded with it they may sleepe in their sinne but their Cirill catech 2. damnation sleepes not though their heads be laid downe like the Kine of Bashan to drinke in iniquity like water yet 2 Pet. 2. 3. their iudgement is not farre off and they are but like vnto Oxen fed for the slaughter Wee perceiue here further that euery mans state and condition in this life is a prediction of that state and condition which abides him when this life is gone Hee that soweth Gal. 6. 8. to the flesh of the flesh shall reape corruption but hee that soweth to the Spirit shall reape immortality
and life As no This life is a thorow-way or middle passage eyther to heauen or hell man commeth eyther to a Pallace or a Prison but by the entry thereof so no man goeth eyther to heauen or hell but by the way thereof A wicked life is as a thorow-way to that prison and place of darknesse he who goes on in it without returning shall out of all doubt vvhen hee hath passed the path-way enter into the prison and a godly life is the very way to heauen hee that walkes in it persâ—uering to the end shall enter at last into that Pallace of Glory which is the Paradise of God Salomon saith that where the Eccles 11. 3. tree fals there it lyes and experience teacheth vs that it fals to that side on vvhich the branches thereof grow thickest if the greatest growth of our affections and actions spring out after the Spirit out of doubt wee shall fall to the right hand and shall be blessed but if otherwise thy affections grow downward and thou walke after the flesh then assuredly thou shalt fall to the left hand and die in sin vnder the curse of God But seeing they who walke after the flesh are dead already They who liue in sin are dead and yet a worse death abides them in hell how saith the Apostle they shall dye To this I answere both are true presently they are dead and yet a more fearefull death abides them That they who liue in their sinnes are dead already wee shewde before for sinne is that vnto the soule of man vvhich fire and vvater are to the body that is to say an vnkindely Element in the which it cannot liue but certainely a more fearefull death abides them which the spirit of God calleth the second death vvherein they shall not onely liue depriued of life wanting all sense yea and all hope of the mercy of God but shal also feele the full measure of his wrath due to their sinnes powred out vpon them Now albeit they be dead in sinne and depriued of the fauour of the Creator yet the vaine comforts of the creatures doth so betwitch and blinde them that they know not how wretched and miserable they are but when the last sentence of damnation shall be pronounced vpon them they shall not onely be banished from the presence of God into euerlasting perdition where the fire of the Lords indignation shall perpetually torment them but also the comfort of all Gods creatures which now they haue shall foâ—sake them The least degree of their punishment shall be a fearefull The least degree of their punishment shall be a fearefull famine of all worldly comforts Ioel. 1. 12. Reu. 18. 14. famine of worldly comforts The Pomegranat Tree the Palme Tree the Apple Tree shall wither The Apples after which now their soule lusteth shall depart from them they shall finde none of them yea if a cup full of colde vvater might comfort them it shall not be giuen vnto them thus you see how they are dead and yet a more fearefull death abideth them Therefore the spirit of God to expresse the fearefulnesse Why that second death is called a wrath and a wrath to come of that second death he calleth it a wrath and giues it these two titles first hee calleth it a vvrath prepared by God Salomon saith the wrath of a King is the messenger of death what then shall we say of the wrath of God Secondly he cals it a wrath to come to teach vs that it farre exceedes all that wrath that we haue heard or seene The drowning of the originall world the burning of Sodome a great wrath but nothing comparable to the wrath which is to come Beside this both the place the vniuersality and the eternity The place of the damned shewes the greatnesse of their iudgement Reu. 21. 8. Esa 30. 33. of their punishment serues to let vs see if wee looke to them how horrible this death is which here is threatned against them who liue after the flesh As for the place it is called the wineprâ—ssâ— of the wrath of God the lake that bâ—rnes with â—ire and brimstone Tophet prepared of old deepe and large the breath of the Lord like a riuer of brimstone â—oth kindle it It is that great deepe which the damned spirits themselues abhor they know it to be the place appointed for their torment all that they craue was onely that the Lord would not send them thether to be tormented before the time It is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place wherein is no light to see therefore Iude called it blacknesse of darknesse and our Sauiour called it vtter darknesse Iude verse 6. Mark 9. 48. 1 Pet. 3. 19. Math. 5. 22. there is in it a burning fire but without light a gnawing worme without rest Saint Peter cals it a prison and our Sauiour cals it Gehenna for the horrible scrieches of them who are burnt in it and the vile and stinking filthinesse wherwith it is replenished And as for the vâ—â—uersality of their paine It is certaine The vnâ—â—uersality of it Nothing in man shall be without paine all Gods plagues shall concor to punish him that as euery thing in them sinned so euery thing in them shall be punished No power of their soule no member of their body shall be free from that wrath Surely it should astonish man to consider this for if now any one of Gods ordinary plagues inflicted vpon any one member of the body be so insufferable how intollerable vvill that paine be he who now is payned with the tooth-ach takes some comfort when he sees another tormented with the collicke and he also if he see another burnt vp with Anthonies fire beares his owne crosse the more patiently because he sees a greater laid vpon another No man in this life suffereth all things one cryeth with the Shunamites sonne for excessiue dolour alas my head my head another with Antiochus my belly the third with Asa my feete my feete but what are all these comparable to that paine vvherein head and belly and feet yea the whole man shall be racked vpon the torments of Gods wrath and that not with one plague onely but with manifold for as all the waters of the earth runne into the great Ocean so all the plagues of God shall concurre and meete together in hell for the punishment of the damned But yet the eternity of that paine doth still increase the The eternitie of it horrour thereof there shall be no end of their punishment their fire shall neuer be quenched their worme shall neuer dye they shall seeke death as a benefite and shall not finde it The fire of Sodome was ended in a day the deluge of water that drowned the originall world lasted but a yeare the famine that plagued Aegypt lasted but seauen yeares the captiuity of Israell was ended in seauenty yeares but this wrath of GOD vpon the damned shall endure for
vexation of his soule to heare and â—â—e the vnrighteous deedes of the wicked which were wont to be vnto him the matter of his sport and laughter Therefore doth he wish and so should we that we might Death to sinne takes not life away but restores it alwayes die this kinde of death foelix mâ—rs quae alienum facit hominem ab hoc saeculâ— certainly it is a happy death which alienates and turnes away the heart of man from the loue of this world Bona mors quippe vitam non aufert sed transfert in melius for it is a good kinde of death which doth not take life away but changes it into a better But alas how farre are we from this spirituall disposition doth not the angry countenance of one in worldly authority terrifie vs the disdainfull words of men doe they not put vs out of the state of patience if the world flatter vs are we not puft vp if shee frowne vpon vs are wee not cast downe and this our great vveaknesse proceedes onely from the strength of sinne in vs this lets vs see vvhat cause we haue to be humbled considering that hauing liued long in this time of grace yet haue we profited little in the mortification of our sinfull lusts and affections Againe out of this same vvord of Mortification vvee learne that the vvorke of our Sanctification is a vvorke of difficultie not accomplished without labour paine and dolour Sanctification is a worke of difficulty for it is a birth a death a circumcision c. for it receiues these three names as to be called Mortification Regeneration and Circumcision As no birth no death no cutting off the flesh can be without dolour and sorrow so the conuersion of a sinner is not wrought without inward paine and sorrow The Infant that hath laid but nine Moneths in the wombe of the mother is not deliuered without great paine suppose she conceiued it with pleasure and shalt thou thinke to part with sinne which in thee was conceiued with thee and which since so often thou hast nourished with pleasure and not to proue the dolours of the New-birth No assuredly In the worke of mans conuersion there is the contrite spirit the humbled heart the mourning weede the melting eye the pale countenance the voyce of lamentation let not such as feele them if they finde therewith a sundring of their affections from their old sinnes be troubled for these are but the dolours of their new birth and for others who know not these inward humiliations and wrestlings of the Children of God they haue iust cause to suspect themselues that they haue not so much as the beginnings of Mortification Regeneration and spirituall Circumcision By the Spirit Nature will not destroy our sinfull lusts The knife by which beastly lusts are slaine to be sacrificed they are mortified by the Spirit of Christ and therefore wee are to nourish entertaine this Spirit by the meanes before prescribed As those Beasts which were sacrificed to God vnder the Law were first slaine by the knife of the Leuite and then offered to God vpon the Altar so the Lord Iesus must mortifie our affections by the power of his word and Spirit before they can be presented acceptable sacrifices to Mac. hom 1. the Lord our God Yee shall liue As I spake of death which is threatned so Temporall life is not the recompense of righteousnesse and why 1 Cor. 15. 19. speake I of life here promised this temporall life cannot be the recompense of righteousnesse for it is common both to the Godly and the wicked If in this life onely we had hope of all men wee were the most miserable but the life here promised is eternall life the beginning vvhereof presently we enioy by the Spirit of our Lord who hath quickned vs so that vvee may say now I liue yet not I but Christ Iesus Gal. 2. 20. liueth in mee the accomplishment thereof vve looke for hereafter Thus hath the Apostle set before vs both life and death he hath shewed vs the way how we may eschew the one and attaine to the other the Lord graunt that according to his counsell vvee may make choyse of the best Verse 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sonnes of God IN this Verse the Apostle subioynes a confirmation He proues the lâ—st part of his preceding argument of his preceding argument in the last part thereof hee hath said If yee mortifie the deedes of the body by the Spirit yee shall liue now hee proues it They who mortifie the deedes of the body by the Spirit or they who are led by the Spirit of God for these phrases are equiualent are the Sonnes of God therefore they must liue the necessitie of the consequence is euident of that which followeth the Sonnes of God are the Heyres of God heyres annexed with Iesus Christ and the heritage whereunto they are borne is eternall life therefore of necessitie they must liue Here first wee haue to consider what action and operation The operation of the Spirit is eyther vniuersall extending to all his creatures of the spirit this is which distinguisheth the Sonnes of God from other men The operations of the Spirit are diuers hee hath an vniuersall operation by which he workes in all his creatures conseruing leading and directing them to his owne determined ends for in him euery thing that is hath the being liuing and mouing as euery creature is made by God so is it ruled and led by the Spirit according to his appointment Hee hath againe a more speciall operation in man and this is also diuers for first all skilfull and cunning working Or speciall and this is manifold of Artificers is a certaine operation of the Spirit therefore is it that Bezaâ—eel is said to be filled with the Spirit of God Exod. 31. and these cunning men to vvhom the Lord directs Moses Cunning working of Artificers is of him Exod. 28. 2. Gifts of gouernment are of him for the making of Aarons holy garments glorious and beautifull are said there to be filled of the Lord by the Spirit of wisedome but this is not his operation vvhereby the sonnes of God are discerned Secondly all gifts of gouernement are of the operation of this Spirit in this sense it is said that the Spirit of the Lord came vpon Saul vvhen of a common man God made him a kingly man meete for gouernment and so also God tooke off the Spirit vvhich was vpon Moses and communicated it to the seauentie Elders Thirdly prophecying and preaching is an operation Prophecying and preaching are also of him Numb 24. 1. 1 Cor. 12. of the Spirit therefore saith Moses of Balaam when he prophecyed that the Spirit of God came vpon him and the Apostle teacheth vs that there are diuersities of gifts but one and the same Lord diuersitie of administrations but the same Spirit diuersitie of
Pet. 4. 14. Iesus for the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you which on their part is euill spoken of but on your part is glorified Thus we see quam magnos habeamus commilitones how great and Cir. catec 16 strong fellow-warriours wee haue to assist the Lord being so present with vs non vt seruos suos spectet tantum sed vt Cip. lib. 2. Epist. 6. ipse luctetur in nobis that he doth not onely behold his seruants in their conflicts but hee himselfe also doth wrestle in them Wherefor our further comfort if any man be desirous to Three things required to make our sufferings sufferings with Christ know whether if his sufferings be sufferings with Christ or not let him consider these three things first how Iesus receiued the Crosse as a cuppe giuen to him out of his Fathers hand neither looking to Iudas that betrayed him nor to the Iewes that pursued him Secondly hee receiued it not grudgingly nor impatiently but with an humble submission of his will to the will of his Father Thirdly hee suffered for this end that he might abolish sin and destroy him who had the power of death If these three concurre in thy sufferings thou mayest be sure they are suffrings with Christ first if passing by the instrument of thy trouble thou looke to the hand of God tempering and giuing it vnto thee secondly if thou receiue it with a humble submission of thy spirit to him who is the Father of Spirits and thirdly if it worke in thee a mortification of thy sinfull lusts and affections And of this wee haue to make our vse in all our afflictions Comfort against inward Afflictions inward or outward and first concerning inward afflictions if at any time it please the Lord to exercise vs with fearefull agonies of Conscience let vs looke vnto GOD who kils and makes aliue who casts downe and raises vp let vs for a while beare his indignation he abides but a moment in his anger if wee finde that by them wee are more humbled wakened out of securitie and stirred vp more feruently to pray and that the life of sinne is weakened in vs let vs be out of all doubt that these inward troubles are sufferings with Christ whose soule for our sinnes was heauie vnto the death and his body did sweat blood through the vehement anguish of his spirit And as for outward sufferings Comfort against outward Afflictions which wee suffer either in name Ambrose they are either such as concernes our Name our goods or our persons As for those which concerne our name it is a singular pollicy of Sathan to beare downe the children of God in the estimation of others vt qui conscientiae suae luce clarescunt alienis rumoribus sordidentur that they who are glorious in the light of their owne conscience may be made filthy by the false reports of others and so made vnprofitable to doe others the good that they would but let vs in such tentations learne from Dauid to looke vnto God and not to Shimei vsing the vndeserued contumelies of men as profitable meanes to worke in vs that inward humiliation which our manifold sinnes though not against man yet against God requireth of vs so shall we suffer with him who being the innocent Lambe of God sustayned neuerthelesse great contradiction of sinners reproched to be one possessed with a Dâ—â—ell notwithstanding that hâ—e was the very sonne of God filled in his manhood with the holy Ghost And as concerning the losse of worldly goods who euer Or in our goods be the instrument learne thou to take it as a cup out of the hand of thy heauenly Father after the example of Iâ—b who passing by the Sabeans the Caldeans looked to the hand â—â— God the Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken saith Iob. 1. 21. he blessed be the name of the Lord. It is not for lack of loue that the mother withdrawes from the Childe the vse of the pap but that she may acquaint him with stronger meat and if the Lord take from vs these transitorie things it is not because we are not beloued of him but that we may set our hearts vpon those things which are more waighty and permanent which if we doe then are our sufferings sufferings with him who being rich became poore that in all things we might be made rich in him And the same are we to doe in those troubles which wee Or in our persons Heb. 12. 9. sustaine in our bodies for if as the Apostle saith we haue had Fathers of our bodies who haue corrected vs and wee haue giuen them reuerence should we not much rather be in subiection to the father of Spirits that we might liue and if wee can yeeld our bodies to Phisitions to be cut or burnt at their pleasure how much more should we submit them to the Lord in all humble contentment to be chastised as hee will seeing he protests himselfe he doth it not but for our singular profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse We shal raigne with Christ. Worldlings wrestles for their In trouble it is expedient to looke vnto the end thereof corruptible crowne as vncertaine whether they shal obtaine it or no but it is not so with the Christian wee runne not as vncertaine we are sure that if we suffer with Christ we shall also raigne with him though for the present no trouble be sweet yet is the end thereof most comfortable and we are by the eyes of faith to looke vnto it least our present manifold tentations driue vs vnto impatience for as he that going through a strong running riuer is in danger to fall and drowne by reason of the dissinesse of his braine vnlesse hee sixe his eyes vpon the bancke so shall we be ready to saint in affliction vnlesse we looke to the comfortable end thereof If we shall looke to Lazarus vpon the dunghill and Ioseph in the prison what can we iudge them to be but miserable men but if we consider their end we shall see the one in Abrahams bosome and the other raigning in great glorie vnder Pharaoh in Egipt then shall we say verely there is fruit for the righteous and we shall finde it true which here the Apostle saith that if we suffer with Christ wee shall also raigne with him Verse 18. For I count that the afflictions of this present time are not worthie of the glory to be reuealed THe Apostle here subioynes an amplification of Amplification of the first principall argument his first argument wee shall not onely saith he raigne with Christ but raigne in such a glorie as doth so farre surmount all our present sufferings that if they be weighed together in a balance the one shall be found but light in regard of the other For I count The word the Apostle vseth here imports He that tasted both of present sufferings and of glory
Where for the comfort of the weake Christian vve are The wounded cōscience euen of the godly desires not death to consider whether the godly be alway in this estate that they dare lift vp their heads with ioy and pray for Christs second appearance or not To this I answere that their disposition herein is according to the estate of their conscience as the eye being hurt is content to be couered with a vaile and desireth not to behold the light vvherein otherwise it reioyceth so the conscience of the godly being any way wounded is afraid to stand before the light of the countenance of God till the time that it be cured againe And this made Dauid to craue that the Lord would spare him a Psal 51. 9. Psal 86. 3. little and giue him space to recouer his strength but after mourning and earnest calling for mercie the conscience being pacified then doe the godly say vvith Simeon Now Lord let thy Seruant depart for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation Luke 2. 29. For the Adoption He said before that we haue receiued Adoption is either begun as now or accomplished as we looke for it the spirit of Adoption and now he saith that vve waite for Adoption but vve must vnderstand that there is a begun Adoption vvhereby vve are made the sonnes of God and that vve haue receiued already there is in like manner a consummate Adoption vvhereby we are manifested to be the sonnes of God and entred into the full possession of our fathers inheritance and that we waite for The redemption of our bodies As there is a two-fold adoption There is also a two-fold redemption first of the soule frō sin secondly of the body from death Ephes 1. so also a two-fold redemption the first is defined by the Apostle to be the remission of our sinnes and that we haue receiued already the second is called in that same Chapter the redemption of the possession and here the redemption of our bodies and this wee looke for to come As the soule was first wounded by sinne and then the bodie vvith mortalitie and corruption so the Lord Iesus the restorer who came to repaire the wound which Sathan inflicted on man doth first of all restore life to the soule by the remission of sins which hee hath obtayned by his suffering in the flesh and therefore the Herald of his first comming Ioh. 1. 29. Reu. 20. 5. 6. cryed before him behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world This is the first Resurrection blessed are they who are partakers of it for vpon such the second death shall haue no power but in his second comming we shal also be partakers of the second redemption hee shall redeeme our bodyes from the power of the graue wherein now they lye captiued and deliuer them from the shame of mortalitie and corruption Let this comfort vs against the present base and contemptible Cōfort against the present base estate of our bodies state of our bodies now they are but filthy sinckes of corruption and vessels so full of vncleanenes that the Lord hath appointed in the body fiue conduits to purge the naturall filth thereof and after this they are to be laid downe in the bed of corruption the wormes spread vnder them and aboue them as it is said of the King of Ashur shall deuoure 2 King 19. and consume their flesh the earth shall eate vp their bones and turne them into dust the braine which was the seat of many proud and vaine imaginations becomes after death oftentimes the seat of the vgly toad the reynes that were the seat of concupiscence engendreth serpents and the bowels vvhich could neuer be gotten satisfied with meate and drinke shall be replenished vvith armies of crawling wormes but against all these vve haue this comfort that as presently we haue obtained remission of our sinnes so are we assured of a glorious redemption of our bodies qui enim Bernard resurgit in anima resurget in corpore ad vitam for he that riseth now in his soule shall hereafter rise in his body to eternall life And of this euery man is admonished that if he loue his He who hath the first redemption shall be sure of the second body he should in time take heed to the estate of his soule see that it be partaker of the first redemption which is the remission of sinnes and be sure thy body shall be partaker of the second redemption It is a pittifull thing to see what preposterous care is taken by men for conseruation of their bodily life there is nothing they leaue vndone vt differant mortem quam auferre non-possunt that they may at the least Bernard prolong and delay death which they cannot cut away but if men take so much paines and suffer so strait a dyet of body and bestow so great expenses that they may liue a short while longer vpon earth what should men doe that they may liue for euer in heauen Verse 24. For wee are saued by hope but hope that is seene is not hope for how can a man hope for that which he seeth IN this verse and the subsequent the Apostle An obiection answered answeres an obiection seeing hee said before that wee haue receiued the Spirit of adoption how hath hee said now that wee are still waiting for adoption He doth therefore teach vs that both these are true we are saued now and we look for a more full saluation hereafter we are adopted now and wee looke for the perfection of our adoption hereafter and that it is so hee proues here by this reason the saluation that now we haue is by hope therefore it is not yet come nor perfected The necessitie of this consequence depends vpon the nature of hope which is of things that are not seene nor as yet come to passe This place is abused by the aduersaries to impugne the This verse abused to impugne Iustification by Faith doctrine of iustification by Faith we are saued say they by hope and therefore not by Faith onely That wee may see the weakenesse of their reason wee will first compare Faith and Hope in that relation which they haue to Christ secondly in that relation which they haue mutually among themselues For we deny not that Faith Hope and Loue each one of them haue a place in the worke of our saluation but the question betweene vs and them is concerning the right placing of them First then it is certaine that both Faith Hope compared in their relation to Christ Faith and Hope looke vnto Christ Iesus Christ and that vvhich hee hath conquered vnto vs is the obiect of them both but diuersly for faith enters vs into a present possession of Christ and his benefits he that beleeueth in me saith Ioh. 3. 36. our Sauiour hath eternall life hee saith not onely hee shall haue it but also that presently hee
noysome weedes of vnruly affections if the Lord by sanctified trouble did not continually manure them It is good therefore said Ieremie for a man to beare the Lam. 3. 27. Psal 119. 71. Ioh. 15. 2. yoke in his youth and Dauid confesses it was good for him that he was afflicted yea our Sauiour saith euery branch that beares fruit my heauenly Father purges it that it may bring forth more fruit No worke can be made of gold and siluer without fire The wicked putrifie and rots in their prosperitie stones are not meet for pallace worke vnlesse they be pollished and squared by hammering no more is it possible that we can be vessels of honor in the house of our God except first we be fined and melted in the fire of affliction neyther can we be as liuing stones to be placed in the wall of heauenly Ierusalem except the hand of God first beat from vs our proud lumps by the hammer of affliction As standing waters putrifie and rot so the wicked feares not God because Psal 55. Iere. 48. 11. they haue no changes and Moab keepes his sent because hee was not powred from vessell to vessell but hath beene at rest euer since his youth And therefore O Lord rather than that we should keepe the sent of our olde naturall corruption and liue in a carelesse securitie without the feare of thine holy name and so become sit-fasts in our sinnes no rather O Lord change thou vs from estate to estate waken vs with the touch of thine hand purge vs with thy fire and chastise vs with thy rods alway Lord with this protestation that thou keepe towards vs that promise made to the sonnes of Dauid I will visit them with my rods if they sinne against mee 2 Sam. 7. 14. 15. but my mercy will I neuer take from them So be it O Lord euen So be it The same comfort haue we also against death that now Death workes also the good of Gods children in Iesus Christ it is not a punishment of our sinnes but a full accomplishment of the mortification of our sinne both in soule and body for by it both the fountaine and the fluxe of sinne are dryed vp all the conduits of sinne are stopped and the weapons of vnrighteousnesse broken And though our bodies seeme to be consumed and turned into nothing yet are they but sowen like graynes of Wheat in the field and husbandry of the Lord which must dye before they be quickned but in the day of Christ shal spring vp againe most glorious And as for our soules they are by death releeued out of this house of seruitude that they may returne vnto him who gaue them therefore haue I compared death to the red sea wherein Pharaoh and his Aegiptians were drowned Death compared to the red Sea Egiptians drowne in it and sancke like a stone to the bottome but the Israelites of God went through to their promised Câ—â—â—an so shall death be vnto you O miserable Infidels whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that no more then blinded Aegiptians can yee see the light of God shining in Goshen which is his Church though yee be in it to you I say your death shall be the very centre of all your miseries a sea of the vengeance of GOD vvherein yee shall be drowned and shall sincke with your sinnes heauier than a mislone about the neck of your soules to presse you downe to the lowest hell But as for you who are the Israelites of God ye shal walke But the Israelites of God shall goe through it through the valley of death and not neede to be afraid because the Lord is with you his staffe and his rod shal comfort you albeit the guiltinesse of sore-passed sinnes yet remayning in the memory the terrour of hell and horrour of the graue stand vp on euery side like mountaines threatning to ouerwhelme you yet shall yee goe safely through to the land of your inheritance where with Moses and Miriam and all the children of God euen the congregation of the first borne yee shall sing prayses ioyfully to the God of your How the enemies of Gods childreÌ„ against their will procures their good Gen 50. 20. saluation Now in the last roome concerning the imaginations of men against vs wee shall haue cause to say of them in the end as Ioseph said to his brethren yee did it vnto me for euill but the Lord turned it to good The whole history of Gods booke is a cloud of manifold witnesses concurring together to confirme his truth therefore among many wee will be content with one When Dauid was going forward in battaile against Israell with Acish King of Gath vnder whom 1 Sam 29. he soiourned a while in the time of his banishment the remanent Princes of the Philistims commanded him to goe backe and this they did for the worst to disgrace him because they distrusted him but the Lord turned it vnto him for the best for if he had come forward he had beene guiltie of the blood of Israell specially of Saul the Lords annointed who was slaine in that battell from this the prouident mercy of God doth in such sort deliuer him that no offence is done by Dauid to Saul or his people because Dauid came not against them neither yet could the Philistims blame him because he went back by their owne command So a notable benefit Dauid did receiue by that same deed wherein his enemies thought they had done him a notable shame And where otherwise it pleaseth the Lord to suffer wicked Death of the body to a Christian is but as the renting of Iosephs garment from him men to lay hand on the bodies of his children yet all they are able to doe is but like the renting of Iosephs garment from him As he doth sustaine small losse whose garment is cut if his body be preserued so the Christian when his bodie is wounded vnto the death yet hath hee lost nothing which he striues to keepe for he knowes it is but a corruptible garment which would decay in itselfe albeit there were no man to rent it Non sunt itaque timenda spiritui quae fiunt in Chrisostome carne quae extra nos est quasi vestamentum let not therefore our soule be afraid for those things which are done to our bodies for it is without vs as a garment that doth but couer vs. Thus haue we seene how that there is nothing so euill in it selfe which by the prouident working of God is not turned to the good of his children Whereof arises yet vnto vs this further comfort that seeing it is the priuiledge of euery one who loues the Lord it must much more be the priuiledge of the whole Church that promise made to the Father of the faithfull I will blesse Since to euery Christian all things worke for the best much more are we to thinke that this is the
Sathans buffets and against whom hee vvas permitted to vse all the stratagems of the spirituall warfare that possibly he could hee crossed him not onely in his goods in his children and in his owne bodie but also in his minde by his wife he tempted him to blasphemie by his friends to diffidence yet by none of these could he ouercom him In his outward troubles his resolution was the Lord hath Iob 1. 21. giuen the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord for euer in his inward terrours his resolution was Albeit Ioh 13. 15. the Lord would slay mee yet would I trust in him so impossible it is for Sathan by any tentation whatsoeuer to separate from the loue of God his Children chosen called and iustified The Lord is present with present with his children to keepe them sometime from trouble sometime introuble To cleare this let vs yet know that God is many manner of wayes present vvith his children in trouble first hee is with them by preuenting the danger so that hee will not suffer the intended euill of the enemie to come neere them so he brought Senacherib to see Ierusalem without but suffered him not to shoot so much as a dart against it within Somtime againe the Lord enters his children into the trouble as Daniel into the Den Ioseph into the prison the three children into the fire but deliuers them in such sort that both his glory and their comfort is greater than if they had not beene in trouble at all Sometime he suffers his children to ende their mortall liues in trouble and yet is with them strengthning them by his glorious might to all patience and long suffering filling them with such a sense of his loue that in death they rest vnder the assurance of life This also is declared by example The practise of this see in the examples of Eliah and Paul when Iezabel vowed to haue the life of Eliah yee shall see that the Lord is with him sometime to hide him that albeit Achab and Iezabel seeke him they cannot finde him sometime God lets Achabs captaines see where hee is but consumes with fire them that came proudly to take him Sometime he presents him to Achab and Iezabel but bridleth the tyrants that they haue no power to stirre him The Apostle Paul in like manner being sent prisoner to Rome the Lord assisted him in such sort that hee deliuered 2 Tlm. 4. 17. him out of the mouth of the Lyon Vero and yet the second time suffered him to fall by the sword of the same tyrant shall wee thinke that the Lord was not with the Apostle to assist him the second time as well as the first let it be farre from vs. The Lord was with him indeed to make his death a seale and confirmation of that Gospel which he had preached in his life The comfort then remaines that howeuer GOD worke with his children in trouble no aduersarie is able to take from vs that for which we striue to wit grace and glory they may be vnto vs as sharpe rasers of God to cut away our superfluities but shall neuer be able to bereaue vs of the end of our Faith which is the euerlasting saluation of our soules Verse 32. Who spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all vnto death how shall he not with him giue vnto vs all things also NOw followeth the second part of the Apostles generall triumph wherein hee gloryeth The second part of his generall triumph the Christian can want nothing that is needfull for him that the Christian can vvant nothing needfull for him for seeing the Lord hath giuen vnto him the greatest and most excellent gift to wit his owne Sonne is it possible that hee will deny him any secondarie or inferior gifts needfull for him Sathan who is a lyer from the beginning accused the Lord of two things first of an vntruth albeit the Lord hath said it yet yee shall nâ—t dye secondly of Enuy. In the first Sathan is proued false and the Lord is found true for are they not dead to whom the Lord said yee shall dye In the second Sathan is found a calumniator for what good tree will the Lord refuse to his owne who hath giuen vnto them this excellent tree of life which brings with it vnto them all things needfull for them To amplifie this great loue of God the Apostle saith The great loue which GOD hath shewed in giuing his Son for vs. not simply that hee gaue his Sonne for vs but that he spared not to giue him O vvonderfull loue â— the Naturall and onely Sonne of God is not spared that the adoptiue sonnes may be spared for our sinnes being imputed to him by the ordinance of God his Father and voluntarily accepted by himselfe so the punishment of our sinnes and chastisement Esa 53. 5. of our peace was laid vpon him that by his stripes wee might be healed The bitter cuppe due to vs was propined to him for the which albeit hee prayed to his Father that if it were his will this cuppe might passe by him yet the Father Mat. 26. 39. spared him not but held it to his head till hee dranke out the vttermost dregs thereof So straite is the Iustice of God that sinne being imputed to the Sonne of God vvho had no sinne of his owne is pursued to the vttermost The greatest example of Iustice that euer the Lord declared in the world the drowning of the originall world the burning of Sodome the plaguing of Egypt were terrible proofes of the straitnesse of diuine Iustice but nothing comparable to this Which I marke partly for a comfort to the Godly and Comfort for the Godly that the iustice of God shall not â—ay cannot strike vpon them partly for a warning to the wicked it is our great comfort that the saluation which Iesus hath purchased vnto vs hee hath obtayned it vvith a full satisfaction of his Fathers Iustice so that now vve that are in him are not any more to feare it The great Iudge of all the vvorld will not doe vnrighteously to require that againe from vs vvhich our Christ vvhom he himselfe hath giuen vnto vs hath payed for vs. Miserable are the wicked who in their owne persons beare the punishment of their sinnes And as for the vvicked vvho are not in Christ how miserable will their state and condition be for they must beare the punishment of their owne sinnes in their owne persons If the burden of that vvrath due to our sinnes caused Iesus to sweat bloud and to say that his soule was heauie vnto Mat. 26. 38. the very death O how shall the burden of this wrath presse downe the vvicked it is euen a horrour to thinke of it their faces shall be confused vvithout and spirits oppressed vvithin vvith tribulation and anguish hee that spared not in his owne Sonne sinne imputed vnto him vvill hee
which our immortall husband Iesus Christ hath prouided for vs to sustaine vs that we saint not through our manifold tentations that compasse vs in this barren wildernesse We come then to the first part of the Chapter wherein Subdiuision of the first part the Apostle keepes this order First he sets downe a generall proposition of comfort belonging to the iustified man Secondly he subioynes a confirmation thereof Thirdly he explanes his reason of confirmation and fourthly applies it first by commination of them who walke after the flesh secondly by consolation of the godly against the remanents of the flesh thirdly by exhortation of both not to walke after the flesh In the proposition againe set downe Verse 1. first he points at the comfort Now then there is no 1 Proposition condemnation secondly he sets downe a limitation restrayning this comfort to them who are in Christ thirdly hee subioynes a clearer declaration of those persons who are in Christ to wit they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Verse 1. Now then This is a relatiue to his former discourse Coherence of this Chapter with the former and is as I haue said a Conclusion inferred vpon that which goeth before Seeing we are iustified by Faith in Iesus Christ and are now no more vnder the Law but vnder Grace seeing we are buried with Christ by Baptisme into his death that like as he was raised from the dead by the glory of his Father so we also should walke in newnesse of life hauing receiued that spirit of Christ whereby wee fight against the Law of sinne in our members which rebelleth against the Law of our minde seeing it is so we may be sure that the remanent power of sinne in vs shall neuer be able to condemne vs. We see then that these words containe the Apostles glorying The Apostles former lamentation turned into a triumph against the remanents of sinne the sense whereof in the end of the last Chapter made him burst out into a pittifull lamentation and cry O miserable man who will deliuer me from the body of this death but now considering the certaintie of his deliuerance by Iesus Christ he reioyceth and triumpheth Wherein for our first lesson we marke the diuersitie of dispositions to which the Children of God are subiect in this life somtime so full of comfort that they can not containe themselues but must needs breake forth into glorious reioycings at other times so far deiected in mind that their ioy is turned into mourning and this ariseth in them from the variable change of their sight and feeling The Disciples on mount Tabor seeing the bright shining glorie of Christ were rauished with ioy but incontinent Math. 17. 2. when the cloud ouershadowes them they become afraid If the Lord let vs feele his mercies wee are aliue but if hee hide his face and set our sinnes in order before vs wee are Psal 50. 21. sore troubled As the troubles we haue in this life are not without comforts Blessed be God the Father of our Lord 2. Cor. 1. 3. Iesus the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts 1. Pet. 1. 3. vs in all our tribulation so our ioy saith Saint Peter is not without heauinesse the one arising of the knowledge of that vndeserued inheritance reserued for vs in heauen the other of our manifold tentations to which wee are subiect here vpon earth it is these vicissitudes and changes which wrought in Dauid such different dispositions as appeareth in him in the Booke of the Psalmes and which all the godly may by experience finde in themselues Pascimur Bernard hic patimur for here we are so nourished with the comforts of God that we are nurtred with his crosses It is the Lords dispensation and we are to reuerence it resting assured that the peace and ioy which once the Lord hath giuen vs may be interrupted but can neuer vtterly be taken from vs the Lord who will not suffer the rod of the wicked for euer Psal 125. 3. to lie vpon the back of the righteous least they put out their hand to wickednesse will farre lesse suffer his owne terrours continually to oppresse our consciences least we faint dispaire Hose 6. 2. though he wound vs he will binde vs vp againe after two daies he will reuiue vs and we shall liue in his sight Weeping may abide in the Euening but ioy shall come in the Morning The chosen vessell of God shall not alway lament and crie woe is me sometime the Lord will put a song of thanksgiuing into his mouth make him to reioyce thus de aduersis Chrisost in Mat. â—om prosperis admirabili virtute vitam Sanctorum contexuit Deus The life of a Christian may be compared to a webbe so meruailously mixed and wouen of comfort and trouble by The life of a Christian is a mixed webbe wrought of trouble and comfort the hand of God that the long thread thereof reaching from the day of our birth to the day of our death are all of trouble but the weft interiected with manifold comforts And this haue we marked vpon the coherence of the beginning of this Chapter with the end of the former Now in these words it is to be obserued the Apostle saies Papist wrongfully collect here that there is no sinne or damnable act in them who are in Christ not there is no sinne in them who are in Christ but he saith there is no condemnation to them hee hath confessed before that he did the euill which he would not and that hee saw a law in his members rebelling against the law of his minde but now he reioyceth in Christ that sinne in him is not able to condemne him It is then a false exposition of these words which is made by Caietane and Aquinas Nihil Aquinas Caietane on this place est damnabile in illis qui sunt in Christo nullus actus quo mereamur damnari that in them who are in Christ there is nothing worthy to be damned no act that merits damnation for the Apostle condemnes these motions of sinne which he found in himselfe as euill and repugnant to the Law of God and if the holy Apostle was not ashamed to confesse this of himselfe what blinde presumption is this in them to exempt themselues or others from such motions as are worthy to be damned we shall still confesse our guiltinesse there remaines in vs of our owne which the Lord might condemne if he would enter into iudgement with vs and shall so much the more praise his mercie who hath deliuered vs from condemnation and further comfort then this the Apostles words do not afford vnto vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is no iudgement no sentence to be giuen against them who are in Christ Surely our righteousnesse in this life consists rather in the remission of sinnes then in the perfection
of vertue Ne quis sibi quasi innocens placeat cum Cyprian orat dom innocens nemo sit se extâ—llâ—ndo plus percat instruitur docetur peccare se quotidie dum quotidie pro peccatis iubetur orare that no man saith Cyprian should flatter himselfe as though he wer innocent when as indeed no man is innocent and so by extolling himselfe should perish so much the more he is instructed and taught that he sinnes daylie while as euery day he is commaunded to pray for remission of sinnes but this errour we shall God willing further improue hereafter In the meane time for our comfort let vs consider that Reasons why the Lord suffers sin to remaine in the iustified man Aug. in Ioan. tract 41. albeit the Lord when he iustified vs might haue vtterlie destroyed the life of this sinning sinne in vs yet for waighty causes hath he suffered some life thereof to abide in vs for a time the first is for the exercise of our faith Peccata quorum reatum Soluit Deus ne post hanc vitam obsint manere tamen voluit ad certamen fidei these sinnes saith Augustine 1 For the exercise of our Faith 2. Tim. 2. 5. the guiltinesse whereof God hath loosed that they should not hurt vs in the life to come he will haue to remaine for the exercise of our faith No man is crowned except he striue as he ought and therefore the Lord who hath prepared for vs a Crowne and hath put vpon vs his compleat armour hath also suffered some enemies to remaine against whom we may fight for the tryall of our faith patience and perseuerance euen as the Cananites were left in the Land that the Lord by them might proue the Israelits whether or not they would keepe the way of the Lord to walke in it Secondly some life of sinne is left in vs for our instruction that we may know the better how farre we are oblieged 2 For our instruction that we may know what benefite we haue by Christ to Gods mercy how excellent is that deliuerance which we haue by Iesus Christ Nulla quidem est condemnatio his qui sunt in Christo tamen ad humiliandos nos peccatuÌ„ adhuc patitur viuere in nobis grauiter nos affligere vt Bernard sentiamus quid gratia nobis praestet semper ad illius auxilium recurramus It is true indeed saith Bernard that there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ yet for our humiliation the Lord suffers sinne to liue in vs and oftentimes afflict vs that we may know the benefit wee haue by Grace and make our recourse for helpe vnto it continually And indeed except by experience we felt how powerfull sinne is of it selfe to ouer-rule vs wee could neuer haue knowne that vile bondage and seruitude of sinne vnder which we lay by nature nor that excellent Grace of Christ by which we haue gotten deliuerance And therefore so oft as we are troubled with our inhabitant corruption we are to consider that if the remanents of the old man breed in vs such strong and restlesse tentations how would it tyrannize ouer vs if it were liuing in the full vigour and strength thereof that so wee may praise and magnifie that sauing Grace of the Lord Iesus which hath freed vs from so intollerable a tyrannie Thirdly the Lord hath done this for his owne greater 3 For the greater glory of God and Sathans greater confusion glory like vnto those Victors in battaile who albeit they may yet will not put all their enemies to the edge of the sword some of them they take Captiues and reserues for a while aliue against the day of triumph to be put then to death to their greater shame and the greater honor of their Iosh 10. 23. Conquerors When Ioshua had discomfited those fiue Kings who made warre against Gibeon hee would not slay them in the battaile but enclosed them in a Caue that the battell being ended he might put them to death in sight of all his people and then for their further confirmation he caused his Captaines and chiefe men of warre to tread vpon the necks of those Kings to assure them that after the same manner the Lord should subdue all the rest of their enemies vnder them And so our Captaine and mighty conqueror the Lord Iesus hath by himselfe obtained vnto vs victorie ouer all our enemies those Kings which besieged Gibeon are turned to slight those inordinate affections which held vs Captiues before are now by his power captiued of vs they are closed vp within vs as in a Caue where they remaine with some life but restrained of their former libertie and power and we rest assured that when the battaile shall be finished our Lord Iesus shall altogether spoyle them of their life The God of peace shall shortly tread Sathan vnder Rom. 16. 20. our feete Then Goliah being ouercome his Armie of the Philistines shall flie and no inordinate desire shall be left within vs. Thus we see how the Lord permits his enemie to liue and will not fully torment him before the time it is not because he wants power to subdue him sed vt â—o magis Ciril Catech. 8. confundatur but that so much the more he may confound him When as all the warriours of God as well those who are to come in the last age of the world as those who were in the fore-front of the battaile haue foughten against him and ouercome him then shall the Loâ—d Iesus put all his 1. Cor. 15. 25. enemies vnder his feet Yea euen now in the very time of the conflict is Sathan wonderfully confounded in this that How Sathan is daily confounded in the godly notwithstanding the Serpent keepe his sting yet there is no deadly power in it This vncircumcised Goliah hath that same sword in his hand by which he hath slaine many one the Lord permits him also to strike the Christian man therwith but he sees himselfe it is in vaine O how doth he returne ashamed and confounded when hauing gotten leaue to shoot out his sting and to strike with his accustomed sword of sinne those whom he hateth vnto death he perceiues that for all he can doe there remaines in them a seed of life which cannot be destroyed But that the greatnesse of this benefite which wee haue Christians are not exempted from the condemnatory sentence of men by Iesus Christ may the better appeare let vs see what a condemnation this is from which we are deliuered In the Scriptures there is ascribed to man a iudging by which he absolueth or condemneth there is also ascribed to God a iudging by which hee absolueth or condemneth As for mans condemnation we are not exempted from it Daniel condemned for a Rebell Ioseph condemned for an Adulterer Ioâ— condemned of his friends for an Hypocrit our Sauiour condemned for an Enemie to Câ—sar his
Disciples condemned and iudged worthy of stripes stand as so many examples to confirme vs that we faint not when we are condemned of men yea with the Apostle we must learne to passe little for mans iudgement and striue in a good conscience to be approued of God for sure the Lord will not peruert iudgement it is farre from the Iudge of all the world to doe vnrighteously he will at the last plead the cause of his Seruants and bring their righteousnesse to light This condemnation then from which wee are deliuered But from the condemnatory sentence of God is the sentence of God th righteous Iudge by which finding man guiltie of sinne for sinne he adiudgeth him vnto eternall damnation from this all they who are in Christ are deliuered He that beleeueth in him who sent Iohn 5. 24. mee hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life In this condemnation Three sundry times the Lord keepes against the wicked in the processe of their condemnation Psal 50. 5. the Lord proceeds at three sundry dyats against the wicked First he condemneth them in the Court of Conscience Next in the day of their particular iudgement Thirdly in the day of generall Iudgement First I say the Lord holdeth a Iustice Court against the wicked in his owne Conscience For the Lord iudgeth the righteous and him that contemnâ—th God euery day After 1 The first is kept against them in the Iustice Court of their owne Conscience sinne committed by him there ariseth in his Conscience accusing thoughts and there is a sentence within him giuen out against him The Apostle speakes it of Heretikes one sort of vvicked men and is it true in them all they sinne being damned of their owne selues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by themselues Iudgement is giuen out against themselues which sentence albeit euery wicked man doe not marke the voyce of their disordered affections sometime being so loud that they heare not the condemnatorie voyce of their Conscience so clearely as it is pronounced yet doe they heare as much as makes them inexcusable and breedes in them a certaine feare and terrour which is but a fore-runner of a more fearefull iudgement to come which howsoeuer in time of their securitie they labour to smoother and quench by externall delights yet at the length affection shall be silenced and Conscience shall pronounce sentence against them with so shrill a voyce that their deafest care shall heare it This I haue marked that we may learne not to esteeme lightly the Iudgement of our Conscience but that so oft as wee are condemned by it wee may make our refuge to the throne of Grace to seeke mercie For if Conscience condemne 1. Ioh. 3. 20. vs God is greater then the Conscience and will much more condemne vs. Ascendat itaque homo tribunal mentis suae Aug. hom 50 si timet illud meminerit quod oportet eum ante tribunal Christi exhiberi Let therefore a man saith Augustine goe vp to the tribunall of his owne mind in time if he feare it let him remember that he must be presented before a greater tribunall The second time of iudgement which the Lord keepes 2 The second is kept against them in the houre of death against the wicked is in the houre of death wherein the Lord doth not onely repeat their former sentence of condemnation and that in a more fearefull and iudiciall manner but proceeds also to execution adiudging their bodies vntill the day of last iudgement to the prison of the graue to vnderly that curse pronounced on man for his Apostasie and condemning their spirits to be banished from the presence of God and cast into vtter darknesse Let not therfore the wicked man nourish himselfe in sinne with a vaine conceit of the delay of iudgement wherefore wilt thou put farre from thee the euill day what suppose the day of generall iudgement were not to come for many yeares is not the day of thy particular iudgement at hand vnto which thou shalt be drawne sodainely and perforce in the midst of thy deceiuing imaginations thou shalt be taken away in an houre wherein thou thought not to dye more miserable than that rich glutton who hauing stored his head with false conclusions dreaming of many dayes to come when hee had not one was that same day taken away to iudgement And this shall moue vs the more if we doe remember that such as we are in the day of death such shall wee be found in the day of iudgement In quo enim quemque Aug. epist ad Hesych inuenerit suus nouissimus dies in hoc cum comprehendet mundinouissimus dies quia qualis in die isto quisque moritur talis in die illo iudicabitur and euery man in the last day shall be iudged to be such as he is when he dyeth It would waken vs all more carefully to thinke vpon our end that so we might prepare our selues for this second dyat of iudgement But the third dyat of iudgement shall be most fearefull 3 The third dyat shall be kept against them in the day of generall iudgement when all the wicked being gathered together in one shall be condemned in that high and supreame court of iustice which the Lord shall hold vpon all that euer took life then shall the full measure of the wrath of God be powred vpon all those who are not in Christ Iesus both in soule and body they shall be punished with euerlasting perdition This iudgement shall be most equitable for when that Ancient of dayes shal sit down vpon his white throne before whose face heauen and earth shall flee away and Dan. 12. 6. when the Sea and the Earth hath rendred vp their dead then the bookes shall be opened according to which he shall Reuel 10. 8. proceed vnto iudgement And the bookes are two the This iudgemeÌ„t shall proceede by the bookes of Law and Conscience booke of the law which shewed to a man what he should doe and the booke of Conscience which shewed him what hee hath done by those shall the wicked man be iudged and he shall not be able to make exception against any of them against the booke of the law hee shall be able to speake nothing for the Commandements of the Lord are Psal 19. 9. pure and righteous altogether And as for the booke of conscience thou canst not denye it the Lord shall not iudge thee by another mans conscience but by thine owne that booke thou hast had it alway in thine owne keeping who then could falsifie it neither is any thing written in it of things thou hast done but that which thine owne hand hath written how then canst thou make any exception against it Thus the bookes being opened the iudgement shall How the wicked shall be conuicted by the booke of the Law proceede in this manner The Law shall pleade
sinfull corruption which notwithstanding they allow not cherishes not followes not they walke not after it but rather endeauours all that they can to weaken and suppresse it Here then first is reproued that errour of the Papists This place erroneously expounded by Papists who writing on this place expound these words after this manner there is no damnation that is no damnable thing no act that deserueth to be condemned The Apostle saith not here there is no flesh that is no sinfull corruption in them who are in Christ but he saith they who are in Christ walke not after the flesh To maintaine this errour they vphold They maintain that concupiscence without consenting to it is no sinne Aquinas another for Thomas Aquinas writing on this place saith Primus motus concupiscentiae adulterij non est peccatum quia actus est imperfectus sed si accesserit consensus tunc est actus perfectus peccatum The first motion sayes he of the lust of adulterie is not sinne because it is an vnperfect act but if consent be giuen vnto it then it is a perfect act Coster Enchi and is sinne Coster in his little Enchiridion affirmes that concupiscence proceeds from sin and tendeth vnto sin but is not sin which he labors to expresse by this similitude he that hears saith he another man speaking filthie language and consents not vnto it but rather is angry at it and reproues it sinneth not but merits a greater reward euen so when our concupiscence sends out any sinfull motion if we consent not vnto it we sinne not And the Fathers of that counsell of Trent which haue as many curses as Canons haue decreed in this manner this concupiscence which sometime Con. trident the Apostle called sinne the holy Synode declares that the Catholike Church did neuer vnderstand it to be called sinne because it is truely and properly sinne in the regenerate but because it commeth from sinne and inclineth to sinne Now because this is a mother errour which brings forth Their errour disprooued and strenghthens many other errours we will shortly disproue it by Scripture reason and antiquitie In the end of 1 By Scripture the last Chapter the Apostle condemneth the motions of concupiscence for sinne euen when consent is not giuen vnto them for he protests of himselfe that he resisted these motions of sin but was oftentimes sore against his will captiued by them he condemnes them as euill albeit he gaue no consent vnto them for the Law as I haue said doth not onely condemne sinne in the branch but also in the roote there shall not be in thee an euill thought against the Lord thy God And this is also confirmed by reason Consent in it owne 2 By Reason nature is a thing indifferent if that whereunto I consent be good my consent is good but if it be euill my consent is euill if the first motion of sinne be not an euill thing in it selfe as they say then it is not an euill thing to consent vnto it for that which is not euill in it selfe by my consenting cannot become euill It is not then the consent following that makes the preceeding motion to be euill but it is the preceeding euill motion that makes the subsequent consent euill Now as for Coster his similitude it makes plainely against Costers similitude makes against himselfe himselfe for it is true indeed that hee who heareth euill spoken and reproues it is worthy of praise but it is also true that he who spake the euill hath sinned euen so albeit wee doe well when we consent not to the motions of concupiscence in vs yet concupiscence is not the lesse to be condemned because it hath sent out into the eare of our soule that voyce of a filthie desire which is not agreeable to Gods most holy Law And of this same iudgement with vs are also the ancient By ancient Fathers Fathers Cum concupisco quamuis concupiscentiae assensum non praebeam sit tamen in me quod nolo quod etiam non vult Aug. ser 5. Lex When I lust saith Augustine albeit I consent not to my lust yet that is done in me which I will not and which also the law will not And againe desiderium tuam tali debet Aug. ser de Temp. 45. esse ad Deum vt omnino non sit ipsa concupiscentia cui resisterâ— oporteat resistis enim non consentiendo vincis sed melius est hostem non habere quam vincere thy desire should in such sort be vpon God that there should not be in thee at all so much as concupiscence which hath need of resistance for thou resists and by not consenting thou ouercommest but it were better not to haue an enemie then to ouercome him With him agrees also Bernard Genus illud peccati quod toties Bernard nos conturbat reprimi quidem potest debet per gratiam Dei concupiscentias loquor praua desideria vt non regnet in nobis nec demus membra nostra arma iniquitatis peccato sic nulla est damnation his qui sunt in Christo sed non eijcitur nisi in morte That kinde of sinne saith he which so oft troubles vs Concupiscence and euill desires I meane may and should be repressed by the grace of God so that it raigne not in vs that we giue not our members weapons of vnrighteousnesse to sinne and that way there is no damnation to them who are in Christ yet it is not cast out but in death Thus doth Bernard cleerely agree with vs in the exposition of this place Of all which is euident that the motions of concupiscence are euill and sinfull euen when they are repressed and no consent giuen vnto them But now leauing further improbation of this errour wee come to obserue such instructions as are giuen vs in these A holy conuersation is an infallible token of our vnion with Christ Bernard words And first we see that a godly conuersation is recommended vnto vs as an infallible marke of our spirituall ingrafting into Christ Iesus Sicut enim corporis vitam â—x motu dignoscimâ—s ita siâ—â—i vitam â—x bonis operibus for as the life of the body is discerned by mouing so the life of Faith is knowne by good works We esteeme that body dead or at least neere vnto death which is not able to moue nor doe any action pertaining to a naturall life and so may we think that soule dead in sinne which walketh after the flesh hauing no delight nor power to execute any spirituall action It is not then a naked profession of Christianitie which will proue vs to be in Christ profession without the power of Godlinesse will helpe thee no mâ—re then change of garment Profession of Christ in prophane men is like Iosaphats garment on Achab. helped wicked Achab in the companie of good Iosaphat for through it the arrow
of Gods vengeance pearced him among the thousands of Israel all the pretences of men who work iniquity shall not in that last day saue them from that fearful sentence depart from me I know you not Let the carnall professors of this age hearken to their doom before hand which assuredly they shall heare at the last if they goe on still in their sins Let vs not be deceiued fearefull is that sentence No vncleane thing none that workes abhomination Reuel 21. 17. shall enter into that heauenly Citiâ—â— and such haue we ben all but blessed are they who are washed sanctified and iustified 1. Cor. 6. 11. in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God The bastard Christians of our time haue learned by the light of the word to put good workes out of the chaire of merit and iustly for Iesus Christ onely should sit in that chaire but haue not yet set them down in their owne place for though they be not meriters of eternall lifeâ— yet must they be thy witnesses to prooue that thou art in Christ by thy workes not by thy words shal thou be iudged in the last day Of this hath our Sauiour â—orewarned vs and therefore doth the Apostle counsell vs Make sure your calling and 2. Pet. 1. 10. Election by well doing If any man be in Iesus let him become a 1. Cor. 5. 17. new creature For if we say that we haue fellowship with God 1. Iohn 1. 6. and walke in darknesse we doe but lye Sathan hath two strong armes whereby he wrestles against Sathans two armes Desperation and Presumption man if with the one which is Desperation hee cannot thrust thee downe vnto hell then shall he prease with the other to mount thee on the chariot of presumption that so he may send thee away posting to damnation puft vp with a false conception of mercy when as in the meane time thou hast no warrant that the mercy of God in Christ doth appertaine to thee This presumption saith Bernard Commonly Sathan tempts with Presumption is infidelis fâ—ducia it seemes vnto them who are swelled therwith a strong Faith if you talke with them they will tell you they are most sure of saluation and that they neuer doubted thereof yet in very deed it is but a faithlesse confidence whereby Sathan doth miserably deceiue them for hee careth not suppose all thy dayes thou hould a generall conceit of mercy so that he finde by thy fruits that thou art not in Christ Let vs beware of this presumption let vs not proclaime peace to our selues when there is no peace neither blesse our selues in that state of life wherein God will curse vs but in feare and trembling worke out our owne saluation making our Faith manifest by good works for the best argument to prooue that we are in Christ is this that we walke not after the flesh And that we may yet more be mooued to flye the lusts They dishonour Christ highly who say they are in Christ and walke after the flesh of the flesh let vs consider how the Apostle oppones these two as contraries which cannot consist together to be in Christ and to walke after the flesh It cannot therefore but be a great dishonouring of Christ when they who professe by word that they are his doe by their wicked deeds deny him for the euill life of a professor in effect giues out this false testimonie against Christ that there is no power in his death no vertue in his resurrection no renuing grace to sanctifie those who are his Turkes and Pagans who plainely deny him do not derogate so much from the glory of Christ as doe profane professors of his name tolerabilius enim lingua quaÌ„ vita mentitur the lye saith Augustine Aug. contra Pelag. lib. 3. cap. 21. which is made by the tongue is more tollerable then that which is made by the life where the tongue professes Christ and the heart is giuen to impiety this is not professio sed abnegatio Christi a profession but a denying of Christ It is a great sinne to beare false witnesse against our neighbour but a greater sinne to beare false witnesse against the Lord. Euery creature in their kinde giues a true testimonie vnto God the heauens declare his glory the earth and all that therein is sets forth his goodnesse yea the little Emmet proclaimes his prouidence he must be a prouident father that hath put so great prouidence in so small Onely apostate Angels men beare false witnesse against God a creature onely apostate Angels and men are false witnesses against the Lord. Sathan lies sometime against his mercy as when he sayes to the penitent and beleeuing man God will not forgiue him sometime against his iustice when he beares the wicked in hand that God will not punish him sometime against his prouidence when hee would perswade the afflicted that God cannot deliuer them And as for the Apostate man he is also a false witnesse against God he calleth himselfe the childe of God and behold he carrieth the image of Sathan as if the Lord begat children to another image and not to his owne Certainely An euill life of a professor saiâ—â— in effect there is no vertue in Christ the sinfull life of one professing Christ is a publicke testimonie falsly proclayming to the world as I haue said that there is no vertue in Christ and that he is such a Sauiour as can neither sanctifie nor saue from sinne such as are his a fearefull blasphemie All Christians are not honoured with the second martirdome A godly life is the first martirdome without suffering for Christ which is the second martirdome is not acceptable to him that is to be Christs witnesses by suffering of death for his truths sake yet all are bound by a godly life to be witnesses of his sauing and renuing power shewing forth his meruailous vertue who hath translated vs from darknesse into his light Tota vita martyrium esse debet hoc est testimonium deo reddere c. the whole life of a Christian should be a martirdome that is a continuall witnessing of Cyp. de duplici martirio the truth of God and this is so necessarie that without it the second martirdome that is the testimonie which thou bearest to the truth of God by shedding of thy blood is worth nothing it auailes not to giue thy body to be burnt in the fire vnlesse that first thou mortifie thy earthly members and by reasonable seruice offer vp thy body a liuely and Col. 3 5. Rom. 12. 1. an acceptable sacrifice to God And hereunto also tendeth that which hee subioynes Efficacius est vitae quam linguae testimonium habent etiam opera suam linguam c. The testimonie of the life is more effectuall than the testimonie of the tongue workes haue also their owne language yea and their owne eloquence
though the tongue be silent therefore our blessed Sauiour in the Gospell sayeth the workes which the Father hath giuen me to doe the same workes Iohn 5. 36. that I doe beare witnesse of mee Like as Cyprian sayeth good workes professes that there is a God so euill workes say in their owne kinde that there is no God nor knowledge of the most high Thus it is a most fearefull sinne for them to walke after the flesh who professes that they are in Iesus Christ For no sinne can be committed of them without horrible Sinnes of men professing Christ are not committed without sacriledge sacriledge euery worke of the flesh though done by a Pagan is a transgression of Gods law which shall be punished vnto death but the same committed by Christians are not onely sinnes but sacrilegious sinnes and that of the highest degree then came the sinnes of Belshazar to the Dan. 51. hight when to all his former sinnes hee ioyned the abuse of those vessels which were holy to haue drunke intemperatly for the honour of his Idol in any vessell was a fearefull sinne but to doe it in the vessels dedicated to the honour of the true God was a double sinne Yet is this sacriledge More fearefull than Belshazars small if it shall be compared with thine who professing Christ liues profanely hee abused dead vessels of gold siluer but thou erects a temple for the liuing God in a temple for Idols thou defilest the sanctuary of God with all vncleannesse those vessels which by Baptisme the marke of God were seperate and sealed to his holy seruice thou abusest to the seruice of Sathan by profession thou art militant vnder the banner of Christ wearing his badge but by action art a seruant to his aduersarie like as Iudas thou doest kisse Christ with thy mouth and with thy hand thou betrayest him Let carnall professors looke to him and they may see that a more fearefull iudgement abides them than the open enemies of Christ Iesus himselfe became his owne executioner Neither Caiphas nor Pilate nor the false witnesses nor the people who cryed crucifie Iudas punished sooner than Caiphas were so sodainely iudged as Iudas let men therefore learne either to make their liues in some measure answerable to their Christian profession or else if they will walke after the flesh let them leaue off any more to vsurpe the Christian name We haue here further to learne that it is not an easie A Christian life cannot be led without a battell worke to lead a Christian life but most hard considering that it cannot be led without a continuall battell betweene two parties the Flesh and the Spirit of so contrarie a disposition that the flesh lusts alway against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh it is not possible we can walke after the one the Spirit vnlesse continually we resist the other the flesh And this battell is so proper to the Christian In naturall men there is also a battell but not betweene the Flesh and the Spirit that none in the world can fight it but hee onely It is true that in men vnregenerate there is a battell betweene Reason and Affection Reason oftentimes refusing that for some worldly respect which Affection commaunds and in like manner a battell betweene a naturall conscience and naturall affection an example whereof we haue in Pilate the light of his conscience forbidding him to condemne Christ naturall affection feare of Caesar compelling him to doe the contrary But these battels in the vnregenerate are not battels betweene the flesh and the spirit but betweene flesh and flesh for in an vnregenerate man there is nothing but flesh it being true in them all which is spoken of those in the originall world I will striue no more with man for hee is Gen. 6. 3. but flesh But in the Christian the contrary parties are the new man and the olde the flesh and the spirit nature regenerate fighting against nature vnregenerate with such restlesse oppositions that there shall be no perfect peace till the one haue extinguished the other the life of the one being the death of the other Onely happy are they who in this life are exercised in this battell these are the good souldiers of Iesus for whom is prepared the Crowne As for others who fight it not though they be at quietnesse within themselues yet their peace is wicked and peruerse their being in them an agreement of all their powers to rebell against God Vbi enim non est bellum ibi pax peruersa Aug. ser 12 where there is not this Christian battell there is a miserable peace the end whereof out of doubt shall be more miserable perturbation what hope can those vvretches haue that at length they shall ouercome and obtayne the Crowne who haue neuer done so much as beginne to fight But to returne the difficultie of this Christian battell The difficultie of the Christian battel wherin it appeares appeares the more if wee consider that it is without intermission that our aduersarie is not externall neither such as stands alway vpon circumstances of time and place and exteriour obiects to i 〈…〉 ugne vs but being internall and domestike inuades vs with restlesse assaults euen then when the outward occasion serueth not The flesh saith Bernard Bernard is an enemie hostis quem nec fugere possumus nec fugare circumferre illum necesse est which we can neither flye nor yet chase away from vs a necessitie lyes vpon vs to carrie it about with vs we cannot flye from it Non enim post nos sed Ambrose de paeniten lib. 1. cap. 14. in nobis nos sequitur for it followeth vs saith Ambrose not after vs but in vs. A besieged Citie is sooner betrayed by secret enemies within then suppressed by open enemies without it is not the plain battel ordered before vs which we haue so much to feare as the traines secret ambushments of our aduersarie if we ouercome his power which is within vs his forces shal be soone enfeebled which is without vs. O what neede haue wee therefore in all the actions of our Seeing there are in vs two parties let vs help that which we would haue to preuaile life to walke circumspectly wee haue neede of eyes within and without vs that we may discerne the inward desires of the Spirit from these of the Flesh and may looke rightly on those outward obiects which may cherish the one and suppresse the other In a battaile betweene two euery man assists that partie which he would saine haue to be victorious for the help of the one saith Basil is the ouerthrow Basil serm 2. de iciunio of the other so is it in this combat betweene the Flesh and the Spirit the Flesh being strengthened by outward allurements and carnall exercises quencheth the Spirit and bringeth it in subiection but the more the body be subdued by
heart toward God that the affection which this day is behinde coldest in the loue of God slowest to obey him should the next day be made formost In hac enim vita non progredi est regredi cum nihil Bern. ser de ordine c. adhuc in eodem statu permaneat for in this life nothing standeth in one state it is most certaine that hee that goes not forward goes backward yet I would not so be vnderstood as if the Christian had not his owne fainting and falling in the way of godlinesse yet blessed be God who keepes our soules in life we so â—aint that we reuiue we so fall that wee rise againe of our former follies wee learne to be wise of the experience of our weaknesse wee gather strength wee walke the more warily because so oft wee haue stumbled and fallen of our sinnes we make vantage verus poenitens semper est in dolore timore he who is truly penitent walkes alway in sorrow and feare in sorrow because be hath fallen so oft in feare least he should fall againe And thus much concerning the generall proposition Verse 2. For the law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law of sinne and of death HItherto we haue heard that generall proposition 2 Confirmation of his Proposition of comfort belonging to the Christian Now followes the Confirmation thereof hee hath said there is no condemnation to them whâ— The Apostle confirmes his generall proposition are in Christ Now he proues it There is in Christ Iesus a liuely working power which â—reeth all that are in him from the law of sinne and of death therefore to them who are in Christ there can be no condemnation for wee being freed from sinne what can condemne vs How Christ hath freed vs from the law of sinne he explaines in the next two verses there is in sinne a twofold law that is a twofold power first a commaunding power secondly a condemning power but in Christ there is a law that is a power of the liuely spirit or a liuely spirituall power deliuering vs from them both For first from the condemning power of Shewing how we are deliuered both from the commaunding and condemning power of sinne sinne hee shewes we are deliuered by the merit of Christs death and suffering in the flesh whereby he hath condemned sinne which merit imputed to vs that are in him doth so free vs that sinne hath no force nor power to condemne vs in iudgement and this he handleth in the third verse Secondly he shewes how we are deliuered from the commaunding power of sinne by the liuely vertue of Iesus Christ which being communicated vnto vs quickneth vs and maketh vs to begin to fulfill the righteousnesse of the law so that refusing to walke after the flesh we endeauour to walke after the spirit and this he handles in the fourth verse shewing that the end why Christ hath condemned sinne in his flesh is that he might sanctifie vs to the obedience of his holy law whereunto at the last he shall make vs fully conformable Thus you see how that former ground of comfort is confirmed vnto vs howsoeuer by nature wee were vnder the law of sinne and consequently vnder damnation yet now by Christ we are freed from all law of sin and so freed also from condemnation The phrases vsed here by the Apostle makes his purpose Phrases vsed by the Apostle expounded seeme to be the more obscure therefore will we first explane them This phrase the spirit of life in Christ is more significant than that well it can be expressed in so few effectuall termes The Apostle was sent a Doctor to the Gentiles yet doth he labour earnestly to conuert the Iewes for both their edifications hee so tempers his stile that speaking to the Gentiles in the Grecian language hee keepes the Hebrew phrase which as I said makes his speech appeare the harder The spirit of life in Christ then is no other thing but the life of Christ like that Reuel 11. 11. Againe the law of the spirit of life in Christ is no other thing but that forcible working liuely power which is in Christ for it is customable to the holy Apostle to vse the word law to expresse any thing wherein there is a commaunding or working power so he hath ascribeth a law to sinne a law to his members a law to death and now very properly hee oppones vnto them a law of the spirit of life in Christ which is more liuely and powerfull to saue to free and to quicken then any law that hath contrary power can be able to destroy captiue or slay them who are in Christ Thus the words being expounded the first lesson will arise Our aduersaries Sathan sin and death are strong but our Sauiour is stronger out of the Apostles manner of speech who ascribing to sinne and death a law which may condemne and destroy ascribes to Christ a more powerfull law to iustifie and preserue Most sure then is our estate who are in Iesus Christ for there is a power in our Lord which shall bring euery contrary power of man and Angell in subiection to him Comfort that tyrant sinne hath indeede oppressed and ouer-ruled many a one but our Lord Iesus the valiant conquerour hath a mighty power able to disanull the law of sinne and Sathan is that strong one who by nature possesses the heart of man as his owne house but Iesus is that stronger one who will dispossesse him and cast him out of the hearts of all such as are his The God of peace shall shortly tread Sathan vnder our feet and therefore suppose we be weake in Rom. 16. 20. our selues yet we will reioyce in the strength of the Lord Iesus Secondly we learne here that without Christ we liued In what a vile bondage wee liued by nature in a vile seruitude and bondage of all seruants those are in worst case who are sould and of those who are sould they are worst who must doe seruice in prison and of them who are in prison most lamentable is their estate who are chayned and bound in prison yet such seruants were we by nature before Christ made vs free we were not onely the seruants of sinne and sould vnder sinne as witnesseth the Apostle but more also we were as saith Esay captiued and bound with chaines in prison the Iaylour whereof is infidelitie for we were all shut vp vnder vnbeliefe a Iaylour so straite and tyrannous as permitted vs not so long as we were in his keeping so much as to lift vp our head or looke vp to heauen for deliuerance from him from whom onely comes our helpe Our oppressors in this bondage are Sathan and Sinne and sinnes of so many sorts as doe miserably distract the soule Pride one while vsurping dominion ouer vs Auarice another while vendicating a seat to her selfe with power to commaund
vs Concupiscence most commonly challenging vs to doe her seruice as our soueraigne Sic certant in me de me ipso cuius potissimum esse videar thus Ber. hom 4. doe they striue within me saith Bernard about me to which of their dominion I should appertaine That which hee confessed of himselfe all the Godly may feele in their owne experience innumerable are those tyrants that striue among themselues but all of them striue against vs to haue domination ouer vs but indeed these are vncouth Lords and such as can claime no title nor right ouer vs wee are the workemanship of God the redeemed of the Lord and are bound to doe seruice to none but to him alone O Lord therefore come downe and possesse thine owne kingdome erect a throne to thy selfe in our hearts that thou by thy Spirit may raigne in vs as our King and make vs free from these tyrants that would oppresse vs. But that we may the better perceiue how abhominable Three things to be considered in this bondage this seruitude is let vs out of the Apostles words marke these three things first how this dominion is tyrannicall secondly how the commaundements of these tyrants are all wicked and thirdly are all deadly these three he toucheth shortly when he saith that Christ hath freed vs from the law of sinne and death First then he ascribeth vnto sinne How a Law is ascribed vnto sinne a Law not as if sin proceeded by a Law properly so called or that there were any lawfulnesse in sinne but onely to poynt out the tyranny thereof for as Rulers ordayned by God haue their owne Lawes by which they gouerne their Subiects in iustice so hath also tyrannous vsurpers their owne commandements to the obedience whereof they enforce such as are vnder them And this tyrranny the Apostle here ascribe vnto sinne A tyrranny lawlesse and most intollerable for where 1 Sin is such an intollerable tyrant as neuer suffers his Subiects to rest as any other oppressor will sometime giue rest to such as are vnder his bondage Euen in Egypt vnder Pharaoh the Israelites had license to refresh themselues with meate and drink and sleep this spirituall oppressor giues no rest to his miserable captiues but whether they eate or drinke or sleep hee alwaies exacts the seruice of sinne from them so that he doth in such sort lye in wait to snare the children of God Vt faciat aliquando dormientibus quod non potest vigilantibus August ser de temp that sometime hee doth that vnto them when they are a sleepe which by no meanes hee is able to doe when they are waking And if so he doe to the Saints what meruaile if he turmoyle the minde of his Captiues vncessantly with vncleane cogitations When Sathan had once put it into the minde of Iudas to betray Iesus did hee suffer him to rest till he had performed it no indeed hee permitted him not so much as to eate his meate but hastned him from the Table to accomplish his sinne hee had intended and Ammon being once entised to defile his sister Thamar was so vexed that his flesh melted away and his minde had no rest O how intollerable oppressours are mans inordinate affections where they haue dominion ouer him â—lye therefore saith the Apostle the lusts of thy youth noysome lusts they 1. Pet. 2. 11. sight saith Saint Peter against thy soule they are enemies 2. Tim. 2. 22. to our peace and to calling vpon the name of the Lord with a pure heart Libido est furiosa domina si semel te comprehenderit Amb. de fuga seculi cap. 4. nec die nec nocte sinet te requiescere Lust said Ambrose is a furious mistresse who if once she comprehend thee shall not suffer thee to rest neyther night nor day Secondly in this seruitude all the Commandements are alway vnlawfull the most vnreasonable tyranny that 2 All the commaundements thereof are vnlawfull euer was sometime hath had a reasonable commaund but the Law of sinne commaundeth and enforceth alwayes the transgression of the Law of God Sore was Israell oppressed when they were compelled in Egypt to worke in brick and clay a seruice vnseemely in a holy people made free by the Lord but was it comparable to Sathans tyranny which he exercised ouer vs when we were strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that was in vs and not content with the euill he hath done vs still hee vsurpes ouer vs euen now when the Sonne hath made vs free The Lord put in our mindes to know how slauish and vnreasonable Sathans bondage is that our hearts may be confirmed to resist him 3 They are all deadly Lastly the commaundements of this tyranny are all deadly for the Law of sin subiecteth to the Law of death the commaunding power of sinne if we yeeld vnto it deliuers Iam. 1. 13. vs vnto the condemning power of sinne for sinne when it is finished bringeth out death And herein Sathan bewrayes himselfe to be a shamelesse and faithlesse traitour not onely he promiseth life when his purpose is to inflict death but where first hee entises man vnto sinne he doth next accuse man to God for those same sinnes which man hath done by his entisement Be assured of this thou who art led captiue of Sathan to doe his will that he who now without ceasing is a tempter of thee to sinne shall shortly after this be a tormenter of thee without intermission because thou hast sinned And if this cannot yet mooue vs to become weary of A threefold godly meditation profitable to make vs weary of the seruice of sin this bondage let this threefold meditation helpe vs. Consider first what we haue beene secondly what wee hope to be thirdly what euen now wee may be in regard of the present occasion and we shall see that it is most vnseemely 1 If we consider what we haue bin by creation for vs to liue any more seruants to so vnkindly vnreasonable and intollerable Maisters Remember first thy originall glory O thou man of God thou wert made to the image of God inuested in this dignitie to be Lord and ruler ouer the creatures Animales O homo principatu decoratum Basil hexam hom 10. vt quid seruis affectionibus quamobrem tuam ipsius dignitatem abijcis teque ipsum seruum peccatâ— constituis quare te ipsum facis captâ—â—uÌ„ diaboli Princeps creaturarum constiâ—â—tâ—s es dignitatem naturae tuae proijcis O man thou art a creature adorned with princely power by thy first creation why then seruest thou affections why dost thou cast away thine owne dignitie and makes thy selfe a captiue of Sathan thou wast placed Lord of the creatures thou wast appointed to rule ouer the fish of the Sea and euery beast of the field what shame is it then that thou shouldest be ouer-ruled with those beasts which are within thee Secondly
own son Sonne to distinguish him from all others who are his sonnes by adoption onely Christ is the Sonne of God by nature by that diuine inutterable generation whereof Esay saith Who can expresse it Thus is hee Gods owne sonne that is Esay coeternall and coessentiall begotten of the Father before all time by the full communication of his whole essence vnto him in a manner that cannot be expressed And in the fulnesse of time he became man God being manifested in the flesh and in regard of his humane nature which was conceiued of the holy Ghost and vnited in a personall vnion with his diuine he stands in the title of Gods owne sonne after so singular a manner that he admits no companion The last of these two the Apostle makes the first point Christs diuine generation a great mysterie 1. Tim. 3. 16. of the misterie of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh wherein he bridles our curiositie for if his manifestation in the flesh that is his incarnation be a mysterie that goes beyond our vnderstanding what shall we say of his diuine generation a mysterie to be indeed adored not to be enquired an article proposed to be belieued not to be disputed The Arrians seeking to search out this vnsearchable mysterie with naturall reason by infinite degrees more foolish then if they had presumed to number the starres of heauen or measure with their fist all the waters in the Sea they stumbled Mans curiosity restrained from searching it and fell being neuer able to comprehend how the son that was begotten should be coeternall and coessentiall to the Father who begot him therefore the worthy Fathers of the primitiue Church to represse the presumption of these arrogant spirits drew them down from the dangerous speculation of these high mysteries farre aboue their capacitie to consideration of things which are in nature Si in Creatura genitum inueniri potest coaeuum genitori an non aequum August est concedas posse ista in creatore coaeterna inueniri if in things created that which is begotten may be found equall in time to that which begat it why should it be denyed that in the Creator the begetter and begotten are equall in eternitie When a candle saith Augustine is first lighted at once there are two things the fire the splendor or light if it be enquired whether the fire come from the light or the light from the fire all men will agree that the splendor or light comes from the fire but if againe it be demanded which of them is first or last in time it cannot be determined But wherefore shall we vse these similitudes as the Creator is aboue the creature so is that mysterie aboue all the secrets of nature no similitude can be found in nature so much as shadow that most high and supernaturall mysterie yet is the endeuor of these godly fathers commendable who haue laboured to bring downe men to the exercising of their wits in things which are below like vnto themselues leauing curious inquisition of higher secrets which as I haue said are to be receiued with faith reuerenced with Rom 11. 20. silence not searched out by curiositie O man be not high minded but feare Christ came like a sinfull man but without sinne In the similitude of sinnefull flesh We must not so vnderstand these words as if Iesus had onely the similitude of a naturall bodie no he was very man made of the seed of Dauid he hath taken our flesh indeed yet was he not a sinfull man but separated from sinners A holy One from the first moment of his conception conceiued of the holy Ghost A stone cut out of the mountaine without hands The Dan. 2. 45. Cant. Flower of the field that groweth without mans labour or industry 1. Cor. 15. The second Adam very man as was the first but not begotten of man So then the word similitude is not to be ioyned with the word Flesh but with the word sinfull He tooke on mans nature without sin yet subiect to those infirmities mortalitie and death which sin brought vpon vs he appeared like a sinfull man being indeed without sinne in the shape of a Seruant content to be made inferiour not onely to Angels but to men of the vilest sort sold for thirtie pieces of siluer not so worthie to liue as Barrabas ranked with Theeues on the Crosse and reputed as a Worme of the earth thus being voyde of all sinne yet was hee handled as a sinner and most wicked malefactor Wherein we are to consider so farre as we may though How deerely the Lord loued vs perceiue by the price he hath giuen for our ransome we cannot comprehend it that wonderfull loue which the Lord hath shewed vs in this worke of our saluation how deere and precious our life hath beene in his eyes perceiue by the greatnesse of that price which he hath giuen for vs for who will giue much for that whereof hee esteemes but little it was not with gold nor siluer nor any corruptible thing that the Lord hath redeemed vs but with the precious blood of his owne Son Iesus as of a Lambe vnblemished and vnspotted If Dauid considering the goodnesse of God towards man in the work of creation fell out into this admiration O Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him Psalm 8. or the Son of man that thou doest visite him how much more haue we cause so to cry out considering the riches of God his wonderfull mercies shewed vs in the worke of redemption It was a great kindnesse which Abraham shewed to Lot when he hazarded his owne life and the liues of his familie to recouer Lot out of the hands of Chedarlaomer but not comparable to that kindnesse which our kinsman the Lord Iesus hath shewed vnto vs who hath giuen his life to deliuer vs out of the hand of our enemies The Lord shed abroad in our hearts more and more abundantly the sence of that loue that we may endeauour to be thankfull for it by this threefold dutie first of thanksgiuing secondly of seruice thirdly of loue toward those who are beloued of him As for the first our life should be a continuall thanksgiuing Our thankfulnes againe should be testified by this threefold dutie and worshipping before him who hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood When the children of Israell had passed the red sea suppose they had a vast wildernesse betweene them and Canaan yet they praised 1 Continuall thanksgiuing God with a song of thanksgiuing and the Lord appointed an yeerely remembrance of that benefit If smaller mercies are to be remembred with thanksgiuing what shall we thinke of the greater As for the second which is seruice Zacharie teacheth 2 Seruice vs that for this end God hath deliuered vs from all our enimies that all our dayes we should serue him in righteousnesse Luke 1. 74.
and holinesse the reason why the Israelites bound 2. Sam. 19. 9. themselues to giue subiection and obedience to Dauid was that he had deliuered them from the hand of the Philistins the same reason Ezra vsed to the Iewes returned from captiuitie to make them obedient to the Lord Seeing thou O Ezra 9. 13. Lord hath giuen vs such deliuerances shall we returne any more to breake thy Commaundements but much more should it binde vs to doe seruice to our Lord Iesus seeing hee hath made vs free by his blood shall we againe make our selues the seruants of sinne The Lord neuer shewed a greater Professors conuinced that serue him not mercie on man then this that he gaue his sonne Iesus Christ vnto the death for vs and there can be no higher contempt done to God by man then if after so great a loue shewed vs wee shall still refuse to be his seruants much will be required of him to whom much is giuen those Gentiles to whom the Lord reuealed himselfe in goodnesse onely as their Creator because they did not glorifie him the Apostle saith that the wrath of God was reuealed from heauen vpon them and what wrath then maist thou looke for to whom the Lord hath manifested himselfe in mercy also as thy Redeemer in Christ and yet thou will not glorifie him thou receiuest not him whom thy Father hath sent vnto thee neyther wilt thou liue vnto him that gaue himselfe to dye for thee but by thy wicked life thou crucifiest againe the Sonne of God and treadest vnder thy feet the blood of the new couenant certainely Sodome and Gomorrha shall be in an easier estate in the day of iudgement then the wicked of this generation For in this last age the Lord hath spoken to vs by his Son he hath none greater to send after him those labourers of the vineyard that slew the Seruants of the great King were not for that instantly punished but when the Sonne came and they had murthered him also then was their iudgement no longer delayed It was not written for the Iewes onely in whom it was first accomplished but for vs also to whom the Father in this last age hath sent his owne Sonne and by whom hee hath spoken vnto vs from himselfe if we despise him there remaines no more but a violent looking for of iudgement The third dutie is that for Christs sake we loue vnfainedly Loue to those whom he hath bidden loue for his sake those whom hee hath recommended vnto vs our goodnesse cannot extend vnto the Lord neither haue wee him walking with vs vpon earth that we may minister vnto him may wash his feete and annoint his blessed bodie with precious oyntments therefore should our delight be vpon those his excellent ones that are vpon earth When Ionathan was dead Dauid for Ionathans sake shewed kindnesse to Mephibosheth our Ionathan is not dead hee liues and raignes in heauen yet can we not declare our kindnesse to himselfe let vs seeke some Mephibosheth some of Christs little weake and impotent children of whom he hath said what ye doe to one of these little ones for my sake is done to me and let vs shew kindnesse vnto them for the great loue which the Lord Iesus hath shewed vnto vs. And that for sinne These words containe the end of Christ came to destroy sin cursed are they who nourish it Christs manifestation in the flesh which is that in our nature he might beare the punishment of our sinnes satisfie the iustice of God and so abolish sinne Sanit Iohn makes this cleare when he saith that he appeared to destroy the workes of the diuell that is sinne for sinne being remooued there is nothing in man but the workmanship of God By this it is euident how highly they offend God who abuse the death of Christ to nourish themselues in their sinne being the bolder to commit sinne because Christ dyed for them surely this is to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse The Lord came to abolish sinne not to nourish it 1. Pet. 3. 18. Christ once suffered the iust for the vniust not that we should still abide vniust but that he might bring vs to God Thou therefore who continuest vniust mayst say as thou hast heard that there is a Sauiour come into the world but can not say in truth that there is a Sauiour come to thee For where Christ comes he worketh that worke for which hee came namely he destroyes the worke of the diuell that is he enfeebles and abolishes at the last the power of sinne Condemned sinne Sin by a metaphor is said to be condemned How Christ hath condemned sinne for as thy who are condemned are depriued of all the liberty power and priuiledges they had before and haue no more any place to appeare in iudgement so hath the Lord Iesus disanulled sinne that it hath now no power to commaund and condemne vs hee hath spoyled principalities and powers and triumphed ouer them in the Crosse Colos 2. 24. and hath nayled vnto it the obligation of ordinances which was against vs and so sustulit illam quasi authoritatem peccati Ambrose in hunc locum qua homines detinebat in inferno hath taken away that power and authoritie of sinne whereby it detained men vnder damnation This hath he done most lawfully and in iudgement as we shall heare bearing our sinnes in his blessed bodie on the Crosse he hath suffered that punishment which the law required to be inflicted on man for sinne and that in the flesh that is in the same nature of man which had offended For this word of Condemnation imports a iust and lawful Two head or chiefe iustice Courts holden by God proceeding of a Iudge in iudgement which that we may the better vnderstand let vs consider that there are two generall and head iustice Courts which the Lord hath set vnto men the one is holden already the other is to be holden 1 In the first the sinnes of all Gods elect are condemned in the first the sinnes of all the elect are lawfully condemned that themselues may be absolued in the second the persons of all the reprobate shall be iustly condemned In the first by the ordinance of God the Father our sinnes were laid vpon the backe of Iesus Christ and a law imposed to him which was neuer giuen to any other neither Angell or man to wit the law of a Mediator that he should make vp peace betweene God and man loue God in such sort that he should by suffering preserue the glory of his Fathers iustice and yet make manifest the glory of his mercy that he should loue his brethren in such sort that hee should take the burden of their transgressions vpon him which as by the Father it was enioyned vnto him so did he willingly vndertake it And therefore hauing our sinnes imputed vnto him he presented himselfe for vs vpon the Crosse as vpon a
pannell before the Iudge to vnder-lye the law which craued that our sinnes should be punished to the death The decree according to the law is executed death yea an accursed death as the punishment of sinne is laide vpon Christ whereupon there followes of equitie an absolution of all those for whom the Lord Iesus suffered as Cautioner their sinne is condemned and made of no force to condemne them hereafter The other generall iustice court 2 In the second the persons of all the wicked shall be condemned will be holden in the last day wherein all flesh must appeare before the Lord as their superiour and in that supreame and last Court of iustice shall be condemned the persons of all those whose sinnes were not condemned before in Christ Iesus onely therefore blessed are they who are in Christ He that heares my words and belieues in him that sent me hath Ioh. 5. 24. euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life And lastly we may obserue here what a powerfull Sauiour Christ did greatest works when to mans iudgement he was weakest wee haue when to the iudgement of man hee was weakest then did hee the greatest worke that euer was done in the world hee was powerfull in working of miracles in his life but more powerfull in his death for then he darâ—ened the Sunne he shooke the earth hee made the rockes to cleaue he rent the vale of the temple a sunder and caused the dead to rise Mortuum Caesarem quis metuâ—t sed morte Cyp. de duplici mâ—rtirio Christi quid efficacius if Caesar be once dead who will feare Christ euen when he is dead is terrible to his enemies nothing can be more effectuall then his death By it he did a greater worke than was the creation of the world by it he brought in new heauens and a new earth by suffering death he destroyed him who had the power of death when hee was condemned of man he condemned sinne that it should not condemne man passus est vt infirmus operatus vt fortis August de temp ser 7. Macar hom 11. he suffered as a weake man but wrought as a strong one â—icut serpens mortum c. As that Serpent without life erected by Moses in the wildernesse ouercame the liuing Serpents that stung Israell so the Lord Iesus by suffering death hath slaine that serpent that liuing in vs had stung vs Chris hom 2. in Math. vnto death Hic vides mortem morte peremptam maledictum maledicto extinctum per quae Diabolus iam antea valebat per ea ipsa tyrannidem ipsius esse destructam here thou seest saith Chrisostome death slaine by death and the tyrannie of Sathan destroyed by those same meanes by which before most of all he preuailed O wonderfull worke surely the weakenesse of God is Christ a powerfull Sauiour stronger then Sampson yea stronger then that strong one stronger then man he is that strong One indeed stronger then Sampson When the Philistines thought they had him sure within the ports of Azzah he arose at midnight and tooke the doores of the gates of the Cittie and the two posts and carried them away with the bars thereof on his shoulders vp to the top of the mountaine which is before Iudg. 16. 1. Hebron but our mighty Conquerour and deliuerer the Lord Iesus hath in a more excellent manner magnified his power for being closed in the graue clasped in the bands of death and a stone rolled to the mouth of the graue the Sepulcher sealed and guarded with souldiers he rose againe the third day before the rising of the Sunne he carried like a victor the bars and posts of death away as vpon his shoulders and vpon the mount of Oliues he ascended on high leading captiuitie captiue Like as therefore wee receiued before great comfort Christs power yeelds vs great comfort through the consideration of Christs incomprehensible loue toward vs so is it now confirmed by the meditation of his power Let Sathan boast like Rabsache that the Lord 2. Reg. 18. 35. is not able to deliuer Ierusalem out of his hands hee is but a blasphemous Lyar the Lord will rebuke him and will shortly tread Sathan vnder our feete it is the curse of the wicked he shall be oppressed and there shall be none to deliuer Deut. 28. 29. him but blessed be the Lord who hath prouided a strong deliuerer for vs who certainly shall set vs free from our enemies and destroy all the oppressours of our soules Psal 143. 12. Glory therefore be vnto him for euer Verse 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in vs who walke not after the Flesh but after the Spirit THe Apostle hauing taught vs in the former 2 Here followes the second member of the explication wherein hee shewes how we are deliuered from the commanding power of sinne Ephes 5. 26. verse how the Lord Iesus hath freed vs from the condemning power of sin doth now let vs see how wee are freed also from the commanding power of sin for he sets downe this to be the first and neerest end of Christs death in respect of vs the renouation of our nature and conformity thereof with God his holy law which he expresses more cleerely in another place when he saith that Christ gaue himselfe to the death for his Church that he might sanctifie it and make it to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blame This is the end which Christ hath proposed vnto himselfe and whereof he cannot be frustrate as he hath begun it so he shall finish it he shall conforme vs to the law the righteousnesse thereof shall be fulfilled in vs there shall not be left in our nature so much as a sinfull motion or desire but hee shall at the last present vs pure and without blame to his Father This righteousnesse of the law I vnderstand to be that How the riâ—hteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in vs. perfect obedience to the Commandements thereof which the law requires flowing from the perfect loue of God and our neighbour and it is fulfilled in vs two manner of wayes first by application or imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs he is our head and we his members and are so vnited with him that now we are not to be taken as sundry but as one body with him By vertue of the which communion it comes to passe that that which is ours is his that which is his is ours so that in our head wee haue fulfilled the law satisfied Gods iustice for our sinnes Secondly it will be fulfilled in vs by our perfect sanctification though now we haue but begun obedience and in part the Lord Iesus at the last shall bring it in vs to perfection The Iesuites of Rhemes in their marginall
of dwelling imports a continuance of gods presence with his children presence but also a continuance thereof for hee soiournes not in vs as a stranger that lodges for some dayes or Moneths in a place but hath setled his residence to dwel in vs for euer how euer by temporal desertions he humble vs yet shall he neuer depart from that soule which once hee hath sanctified to be his owne habitation and this comfort Three arguments to proue that the regenerate are sure of perseuerance in Grace is confirmed to vs by most sure arguments The first is taken from the nature of God He is faithfull saith the Apostle by whom we are called to the fellowship of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord he will confirme vs to the end that wee may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus And againe saith 1 From the nature of God who begets vs. he I am perswaded that hee who hath begâ—n this good worke in you will performe it vntill the day of Christ. That word which the Lord spake to Iacob stands sure to all his posteritie I will not forsake thee till I haue performed that which I Phil. 1. 5. 6. promised thee The couenant of God is perfect and euerlasting and therefore with Dauid will wee giue this glory vnto God that he will performe his promise toward vs and bring forward his owne worke in vs to perfection The 2 From the nature of that life communicated to vs. Rom. 6. 9. second argument is taken from the nature of that life which Christ communicateth to his members it is no more subiect vnto death We know that Christ being raised from the dead dyes no more This life I say is communicated to vs for it is not we that liue but Christ that liues in vs. And the 3 From the nature of that seede whereof we are begotten 1. Pet. 1. 23. How the spirit of God is said to depart from Saul third is taken from the nature of that seede whereof we are begotten for as the seede is so is the life that comes by it now the seed saith the Apostle is immortall we are borne of new not of mortall seed but immortall our life therefore is immortall But against this is obiected that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and that which Dauid prayes take not thine holy Spirit from me To this I answere that the spirit is taken sometime for the common and externall gifts of the spirit such as are bestowed as well vpon the wicked as vpon 1. Sam. 16. 14. the godly as the gift of Prophecie gouernement working Psal 51. 11. miracles and such like and these once giuen may be taken againe in this sense it is said that God tooke the spirit that was vpon Moses and gaue it vnto the seauentie Elders and so also it is said that the spirit of God departed from Saul there it is put for the gift of gouernement sometime againe it is taken for the speciall and internall gift of sanctification this spirit once giuen is neuer taken away for this gift and calling of God is without repentance that is they neuer fall vnder reuocation To the second when Dauid saith take not thine holy spirit How Dauid prayeth that God would not take from him his holy Spirit from me and restore mee againe to the ioy of thy saluation this imports not a full departure of Gods spirit from him otherwise he could not haue prayed but that his sinne had diminished the sense and feeling of that operation of the spirit in him which hee was wont to feele before and so is it with others of Gods Children that either the neglect of the spirituall worship or the commission of some new sinnes doth so impaire the sense of mercy in them that to their iudgement the spirit of God hath iustly forsaken them This I confesse is a very heauie estate and more bitter to them that haue felt before the sweetnesse of Gods mercy than death it selfe yet euen in this same estate wherein no comfort is felt let patience sustaine men let them learne to put In spiritual desertions wee must distinguish betweene that which is and which we feele Esa 6. 13. a difference betweene that which they feele and that which is and remember that this is a false conclusion to say the spirit of grace is not in thee because thou canst not feele him for as there is a substance in the Oake or Elme euen when it hath cast the leaues so is there Grace in the heart many times when it doth not appeare and these desertions which endure for a while are but meanes to effectuate a neerer communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. he turneth Chri. in Mat. hom 14. away from thee saith Chrysostome for a short while that he may haue thee for euer with himselfe Now it remaines that we consider of those benefits wee What great benefits comes to the soule by the dwelling of Christs spirit in vs. haue by the dwelling of Christs Spirit in vs and of the duties which we owe againe vnto him The benefites are many and great Si enim tanta sit vis animâ— in massa terrae sustinenda mouenda impellenda quanta erit vis Dei in anima quae natura agilis est mouenda for if the soule be of such force to giue life and motion to this body which is but a masse of earth what shall the spirit of God doe vnto our soule which naturally is agill the wonderfull benefits that the body receiues by the dwelling of the soule in it may leade vs some way to consider of those great benefits which are brought vnto the soule by the dwelling of the spirit of GOD in vs. But of many we will shortly touch these two onely the 1 He repaires the whole lodging of soule and body first is that where this holy spirit comes to dwell he repaires the lodging man by nature being like vnto a ruinous pallace is restored by the grace of Christ This reparation of man is sometimes called a new creation sometimes regeneration and it extends both to soule and body as to the soule the Lord strikes vp new lights in the minde restores life to the heart communicates holinesse to the affections so that where before the soule was a habitation for vncleane spirits lying vnder the curse of Babel the â—im and Zijm Isai 13. 21. What vgly guests dwelt in vs before hee came to possesse vs. dwelling in it the Ostriches lodging the Satires dauncing the Dragons crying within her pallaces that is defiled with all sorts of vile and vncleane affections the Lord Iesus hath sanctified it to be a holy habitation vnto himselfe And as to the reparation of our bodies it consists partly in making all the members thereof weapons of righteousnesse in this life and partly in deliuerance of them from mortality and corruptibility which shall be done in the day of
silly hope of immortall fame of their affection to their country It was saith Augustine the silly comfort of the Gentiles against the want of buriall Coelo tegitur qui non habet vrnam and as comfortlesse is the comfort of many bastard Christians which stands onely in a fayre Sepulcher prouided before hand for themselues in an honourable buriall commanded expected of them before death and in abundance of worldly things which they leaue to theirs behinde them all which as saith the same Father viuorum sunt solatia non mortuorum are comforts to them that liue behinde but no help to them who are dead I note this that considering the magnanimitie of these Ethnicks in suffering of death notwithstanding the weake and small comforts which they had to sustaine them we may be ashamed of our pusillanimitie who hauing from Christ most excellent comforts against death are afraide at the smallest remembrance thereof An euident argument that albeit Tit. 1. 16. many proâ—â—sse him yet few are pertakers of his power life and grace that many hath him dwelling in their mouths in whose hearts he dwelleth not by his spirit The body is dead Hee sayes not the body is subiect to Our bodies are not onely mortall but deâ—d death but by a more significant manner of speech he saith the body is dead There is a difference betweene a mortall body and a dead body Adams body before the fall was mortall that is subiect to a possibility of dying but now after the fall our bodies are so mortall that they are subiect to a necessity of dying yea if wee will here with the Apostle esteeme of death by the beginning thereof our bodies are dead already The Officers and Sergeants of death which are dolours infirmities and heauie diseases hath câ—ased already The Officers of death hath bound vs already vpon our bodies marked them as lodgings which shortly must be the habitation of death so that there is no man who is not presently dead in some part or other of his body Not onely is the sentence giuen out against vs thou â—rt dust and to dust thou shalt returne but is begun to be Gen. 3. 19. executed our carkasses are bound with cords by the Officers of death and our life is but like that short time which is graunted to a condemned man betweene his doome and his execution all which the Apostle liuely expresses when he sayes the body is dâ—ad 1 Thereâ—ore should we liue in the body vnder feare 1. Pet. 1. 12. Phil. 2. 12. Whereof there arises vnto vs many profitable instructions and first what great neede wee haue as wee are commaunded to passe the time of our dwelling here in feare working out our owne saluation in feare and trembling seeing our sinnes haue cast vs into the hands of the first death shall we not cry without ceasing that we may be deliuered from the power of the second Alas it is pittifull that man should so farre forget himselfe as to reioyce in the time of his miserie to passe ouer the dayes of his mortall life in vanity and wantonnesse considering how the first death is already entred into his carkasse nor foreseeing how hee may be The pittifull securitie of carnall professâ—rs deliuered from the second but liues carelesse like to the Apostates of the old world who in the middest of their sinfull pleasures were sodainly washed away with the waters of the wrath of God and their spirits for disobedience sent vnto the prison where now they are and like those Philistims who banquetting in the platforme of their house of Dagon their God hauing minde of nothing but eating drinking and sporting not knowing that their enemie was within were sodainely ouerthrowne and their banquetting house made their buriall place so shall it be with all the wicked who liuing in a dead body cares for nothing but how to please themselues in their sinne the pillar of their Psal 58. 9. Psal 73. 19. house shall be pulled downe destruction shall come vpon him like a whirlewind and in a moment shall sodaine desolation ouertake them 2 Death entred into the body should represse our naturall pride And let this same meditation represse in vs that poyson of pride the first sinne that euer sprung forth of our nature next to infidelitie and last in rooting out Wilt thou consider O man that thou art but dead and that thy body be it neuer so strong or beautifull is but a lodging of death and what cause shalt thou haue to waxe proud for any thing Bernard that is in the flesh quid tu superbis terra cinis si superbientibus Angelis non pepercit deus quanto minus tibi putredo vermis what hast thou to doe to be proud O dust and ashes if God spared not the Angels when they waxed proud will he spare thee who art but a rotten creature yea Vermis crastino moriturus a worme that must dye to morrow Au. ser 21. If so was done to an Angell saith Bernard what shall become of me ille intumuit in coelo ego in sterquilinio he was pust vp in heauen and therefore was cast downe from the place of his abhomination if I waxe proud lying in a dung-hill shall I not be punished and cast downe into hell So oft therefore as corrupt nature stirreth vp the heart of man to pride because of the flowers of beautie and strength that grow out of it let this humble thee thy flowers O man cannot but wither for the roote from which they spring is dead already And lastly is the body dead then learne temperance and 3 Should learne vs temperance and sobrietie sobrietie what auaileth it to pamper that carkasse of thine with excessiue seeding which is possessed by death already if men tooke the tenth part of that care to present their spirits holy and without blame vnto the Lord which they take to make their bodies fat and beautifull in the eyes of men they might in short time make greater progresse in godlinesse then they haue done but herein is their folly Carnem preciosis rebus impinguant c. they make fat their Bernard flesh with delicate things which within few dayes the worms shall deuoure Animam vero non adornant bonis operibus but beautifies not the Soule with good works which shortly is to be presented vnto God Let vs refraine from the immoderate pampering of this flesh Meates are ordained for the belly and the belly for meates but God will destroy them 1 Cor. 6. 13. both We haue here moreouer discouered vnto vs the shamelesse Sathans shamelesse impudencie discouered impudencie of Sathan who daily tempting man to sin promiseth vnto him some good by committing of it as boldly as if he had neuer falsified his promise before He promised to our Parents in Paradise that if they did eate of the fruit of the forbidden tree they should become like vnto
God but what performed he in stead of making man like vnto God he made him like vnto himselfe yet as I said so shamelesse is that lying Spirit that he dare as boldly promise vantage by committing of sinne this day as he did the first day to Adam in Paradise notwithstanding that wee see through miserable experience that death because of sinne is entred into our bodies Is hee not a deceiuer indeed that did first steale from vs our birth-right and now would also take from vs the blessing all those benefites we got by our first creation he hath stollen them from vs with his lying words and now he goes about by lyes also to steale from vs that blessing of restitution by Christ offered and exhibited vnto vs. Iacob iustly complayned of Laban Gen. 31. 7. that he had deceiued him and had changed his wages seauen times but more iustly may we complaine of Sathan who innumerable times hath beguiled vs he hath changed out wages how oft hath he promised vs good things and behold what euill is come vpon vs Happy were we if in all our temptations we did remember A good answer to be giuen Sathan in all his temptations to sinne this and reply to Sathan in this manner The Lord rebuke thee thou shamelesse Lyar from the beginning with what face canst thou speake that vnto me wherein thou hast beene so oft conuinced by so manifold witnesses to be a manifest Lyar Of the fruites of sinnes which we haue seene we are to iudge of the fruits of sinne which are not seene if sinne hath made vs so miserable in this life how miserable shall it make vs in the life to come if we continue in it This is that wisedome which the Apostle recommends to vs in that worthie sentence happy were we if it were sounded continually in the eares of our minde as oft as wee Rom. 6. 21. are tempted vnto sinne What fruit haue yee then in those sins whereof now yee are ashamed He that will search within himselfe Seeing he hath deceiued vs so oft let vs beleeue him no more Iudg. 16. the fruit of his former transgressions shall easily perceiue there is no cause why he should commit sinne vpon hope of any better fruit in time to come It was Sampsons destruction that not withstanding he found himselfe thrise deceiued by Dalilah yet the fourth time he harkned vnto her deceitfull allurements and it shall in like manner be the destruction of many who notwithstanding they haue sound themselues abused by Sathan in time past yet will not learne to resist him but giues place vnto his lying entisements and are carryed headlong by him into the wayes of death hee was a lying Spirit in the mouth of Achabs Prophets to 1. King 22. draw him forward in a battell promising him victory in the which he knew assuredly that he should dye so is hee a lying spirit in the hearts of the wicked promising vnto them gaine glory or pleasure by doing those workes of sin whereof he knowes well inough they shall reape nothing but shame and euerlasting confusion Againe that wee may yet see how foolish they are who How they who liue in sin are murtherers of themselues Psal 34. 21. liue still in their sinnes wee may marke here that they are murtherers of themselues the malice of the wicked shall slay themselues his owne sin which he hath conceiued brought forth and nourished shall be his destruction Euery man iudges Saul miserable that dyed vpon his owne sword but what better are other wicked men are not their sinnes the weapons by which they slay themselues Thus are they twise miserable first because they are subiect to death secondly because they are guiltie of their owne death Oh the pittifull blindnesse of men albeit in their life they feare nothing more then death yet doe they entertaine nothing better than sinne which causes death In bodily diseases men are content to abstaine euen from ordinary food where they are informed by the Phisition that it will nourish their sicknesse and this they doe to eschew death onely herein they are so ignorant that notwithstanding they abhorre death yet they take pleasure in vnrighteousnesse which brings on death And lastly seeing we are taught here that sinne brings Strange death and diseases commeth vpon men through the groth of their sinnes against God death vpon the body what meruaile the Lord strikes the bodies of men by sundry sorts of diseases and sundry kindes of death seeing man by sundry sorts of sinnes prouokes the Lord vnto anger he frameth his iudgement proportionable vnto his sinnes If yee walke stubbornely against me and will not obey mee I will then bring seauen times more plagues Leuit. 26. 25. vpon you according to your sinnes He hath famine to punish intemperance and the abuse of his creatures hee hath the deuouring sword to bring low the pride of man he hath burnings feuers and vncleane consuming goutes to punish the fierie and vncleane lusts and concupiscence of man If now the Lord after that hee hath striken vs vvith famine and pestilence come among vs to visit vs also vvith vnaccustomed diseases what shall we say but the despising of his former fatherly corrections and our stubborne walking against the Lord our God hath procured this vnto our selues Qâ—â—â— miâ—um in poenas generis humani crescere iram dei cum Cypri ad Demet. crescat quotidie quod puniatur what meruaile the wrath of God increase euery day to punish men seeing that increases among men which deserues that God should punish it But there are two impediments which suffers not these Delay of iudgement confirms the wicked in euill and it is the first impediment which stayes them from repenting at Gods threatnings Deu. 29. 18. warnings of God to enter into the hearts of men The one is albeit they finde within themselues sinnes condemned by the word of God yet the plagues threatneth against those sinnes hath not light vpon them This is that roote of bitternesse whereof Moses warned Israel to beware that they should not blesse themselues in their hearts when God doth curse them thinking they shall escape iudgement notwithstanding they doe those things which God hath forbidden them Salomon marked this to be a great cause of iniquitie because iudgement is not executed speedily vpon the wicked Eccles 8. 11. therefore the heart of the children of men is set within them to doe wickedly But O man doest thou not know that the iudgement of God is according to truth against all that commit such things Why despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse Rom. 2. 4. and patience because the Lord holds his tongue and spares thee for a while thinkest thou that he will spare thee for euer Euery iudgement of God executed vpon another malefactor But they who are spared should learne wisdome by iudgements executed vpon others may tell thee that thou shalt not escape
it craues no more but as for the soule all the delicate and pleasant things of this world cannot satisfie or content it Non esurientes animas sed esuriem ipsam pascunt animarum they Bern. de persecuquutione sustinenda cap. 22. feed not the hungry soule but rather feedes and augments the hunger of the soule And lastly wee see in experience that the soule now when it is within the body hath his owne working and liuely operation euen then when the body is a sleepe and the senses thereof closed vp which also is also confirmed by that conference which Salâ—mon had with the Lord when his body was sleeping beside many other And hereof Tertullian concluded the immortality of the Tertul. de resur carnis Soule â—e in somnium quidem cadit anima cum corpore quomodâ— in veritatem mortis cadâ—t quae nec in imaginem eius ruit The soule doth not fall a sleepe with the body how then shal we thinke that it can verily die it selfe which cannot so much as fall vnder the shadow and similitude of death Thus the Atheist being put bâ— the doubt still remaines A twofold immortall life of the Soule whereof the one is proper to the godly the other pertaines to the wicked Seeing euery mans soule liues an immortall life what comfort is this giuen here to the Christian that though his body be dead his soule is liuing To this I answere there is a two-fold life of the Soule one of nature another of grace by the one it liuâ—s for euer by the other it lâ—ues for euer in happinesse the one is common to all men the other is proper to the children of God an immortall happy life they haue it not of nature but of grace as here the Apostle saith through the righteousnesse of Christ communicated vnto them As for that naturall life of the soule the spirit of God as we said accounts it but a death when they are liuing in the body he saith they are dead â—â— sinne and trespasseâ— and when Ephe. 2. 1. they are gone out of the body though they liue yet he cals their life but an euerlasting death thus are the wicked miserable while they are in the body more miserable when they remoue out of the body therefore Salomon comparing them among themselues accounts them happiest that neuer Eccles 4. 3. haue beene Secondly we see here that man is a creature consisting Man a compound creature of a soule and a body vvhere first it is to be admired how two creatures of such contrary kindes and qualities as is the soule and the body should concurre together to make vp one man and secondly how this fearefull diuorcement is come betweene them once so straitly vnited by God that where the one is partaker of life the other should be possest by death Most meruailous of all the creatures both in regard of his two substances As for the first the Lord hath created man in such sort that he hath made him a compend of all his creatures in respect of his body he hath some affinity with earthly creaturs because hee was made to rule ouer them and in respect of his soule hee is a companion to the Angels for this cause the Naturalists called man a little vvorld and Augustine counted man a greater miracle than any miracle that euer vvas vvrought among men vvhere other creatures vvere made by the simple commandement of God before the creation of man the Lord is said to vse consultation to declare saith Basile that the Lord esteemes more of man than Basil hexam hom 10. of all the rest of his creatures neither is it said that the Lord put his hand to the making of any creature saue onely to the making of man and this also saith Tertullian to declare Tertull. de resur carnis As also of their meruailous coniunction his excellencie Yet is not man so meruailous in regard of his two substances as in regard of their coniunction Among all the workes of God the like of this is not to be found againe a Masse of clay quickned by the spirit of life and these two vnited together to make vp one man Commonly sayth Bernard the honorable agrees not with the ignoble the strong ouergoes the weake the liuing and the dead dwels not together Non Bern. in die natal dom serm 2. This doctrine knowne but not considered sic in opere tuo dâ—mine non sic in commixtione tua it is not so in thy worke O Lord it is not so in thy commixtion This is a doctrine commonly talked of that man consists of a soule and a body but is not so duely considered as it should It is a fearefull punishment which by nature lyes vpon the soule seeing she turned her selfe willingly away from God she is so farre deserted of God that she regards not her selfe though it be a very common prouerbe in the mouthes of men I haue a soule to keepe yet hast thou such a soule as can teach thee to keepe any other thing better than it selfe a fearefull plague that because as I haue said the soule continued not in the loue of God it is now so farre deserted that it regards not the owne selfe This haue I touched onely to waken vs that wee may more deepely consider of that doctrine which men thinke they haue learned and know sufficiently already namely that man is a compound creature consisting of a soule and a body But to returne seeing at the first these two the soule and How that harmony which was betweene the soule and body by creation is now turned into disagreement Foure estates of mans soule body vnited body were conioyned together by the hand of the Creator and agreed together in one happy harmony among themselues whence comes this disagreement that the soule being pertaker of life the body should be possest by death I answere we are to consider these foure estates of mans soule and body vnited The first is their estate by creation wherein both of them concurred in a happy agreement to serue their Maker The second is the estate of Apostasie wherein both of them in one cursed band conioyned fell away from God the faculties of the soule rebelling against God and abusing all the members of the body as weapons of vnrighteousnesse to offend him The third is the estate of grace wherein the soule being reconciled with God by the mediation of Christ and quickned againe by his holy Spirit the body is left for a while vnder the bands of death The fourth is the estate of glory wherein both of them being ioyned together againe shall be restored to a more happy life than that which they enioyed by creation As for the first estate we haue lost it as for the second the reprobate stands in it and therefore miserable is their condition as for the third it is the estate of the Saints of God vpon earth as
therefore is it that in the summe of our faith the Article of our Resurrection is put betweene the Article of the remission Resurrection is a benefit when remission of sin goes before it and eternal life followes after it of sinnes and that other Article of eternall life to teach vs that then onely the Resurrection of the body is a benefit when remission of sinnes goes before it and eternall life followes after it whereof the Lord of his great mercy make vs partakers through Iesus Christ Verse 1â— Therefore Brethren â—ee are debters not to the Exhortation flesh to liue after the flesh AS it is true concerning vs that a necessitie lyeth What fruit wee should gather of the Apostles former doctrine vpon vs to preach and woe will be to vs if wee preach not so it is true concerning you that a necessitie lyeth vpon you to heare and woe wil be to you if you heare not It is commaunded to vs that when we speake wee should speake as the Oracles of God and it is also required of you that ye receiue this word not as the word of man but as it is indeede the word of God therefore take heede how yee heare for as Moses said to the Israelites so say wee vnto you It is no vaine word concerning you it is your life Ye haue heard that maine proposition of Comfort there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ yee haue heard it confirmed explaned and applyed the miserable estate of them who walke after thâ— flesh hath beene shewed vnto you as likewise the happy estate of them who walke after the Spirit and what comforts the godly haue both against the remanents as also against the fruits of sinnes hath beene declared vnto you Examine your selues see how far forth these comforts belong vnto you If yee be such as thinke with those scornefull men in Ierusalem that yee haue made a couenant with death and it shall not come neere you then goe on in your security and doe that which is good in your owne eyes but if yee finde by experience that death is already entred into your mortall body be vvise in time see that thou haue this onely soueraigne comfort against death the spirit of Christ dwelling in you otherwise flatter your selues in your security as you will miserable shall your end be Now the Consolation being ended the Apostle subioynes Consolation exhortation both necessary for vs. the Exhortation both these two consolation and exhortation are needfull for vs in the course of this life the one to keepe vs that we faint not through the remanents of sinne left in vs and beginnings of death which already haue seased vpon vs exhortation againe to stir vs vp when wee linger in the way of godlinesse For it fareth with vs as it did with Lot in Sodome the Angels warned him of the imminent iudgement and exhorted him to escape for his life yet hee delayed and lingred hee could not be gotten out of Sodome till they as it were violently thrust him out And albeit the Lord admonish vs early and late by his messengers of that wrath which is to come vpon the children of disobedience and warne vs in time to flye to the mountaine of his saluation yet alas so loath are we to forsake our olde sinnes that the Lord is forced to double his exhortation vnto vs all which yet shall not auaile vs if the Lord â—ay not the hands of his grace vpon vs and by his holy Spirit make vs obedient to the heauenly vocation Let vs therefore take heede to the exhortations made vs by the Lord and that so much the more because it is most certaine that the sweetnesse of Gods consolation shall not be felt of them who are not moued with his exhortation Contemplationis enim gustus non debetur nisi obedientiae mandatorum Ber. ser 46. in Cant. the tast of Gods mercy by contemplation is onely due to them who make conscience of the obedience of his commandements Therefore This particle is relatiue to the words preceding Euery benefit of God is a new obligation binding vs to serue him seeing it is so that by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in vs wee haue such excellent benefits we are debt-bound not to liue after the flesh but after the Spirit Of this wee haue first to learne that euery benefit wee receiued from God is an Obligation binding vs debters of seruice to God for much shall be required of him to whom much is giuen there is no reason vvhy the abundance of Gods gifts eyther Gods benefits shold not make vs proud for he who hath receiued most hath the more debt lying vpon him temporall or spirituall should encrease thy pride and carelesnesse but rather should make thee more humble and carefull how to please him considering that the more thou hast receiued the more thou owest VVhen Dauiâ— forgetting that hee was the Lords debter began to liue as his lust commaunded him the Lord brought out against him his former benefits as so many obligations to conuince him I aâ—â—oynted thee saith the Lord King ouer 2 Sam. 12. 7. 8. 9. Israell I deliuered thee out of the hand of Saul I gaue thee thy Lords house and â—iâ—es into thy bosome I gaue thee in like manner the house of Israell and Iudah anâ— would moreouer if that had beene too little haue giuen thee such and such things Wherefore thâ—n hast thou despâ—sed my commandement and done euill in my sight forgetting that thou was bound and obliged to me This processe of Dauids conuiction stands for an example This is cleared in the processe of Dauids conuiction to vs all to warne vs that vnlesse wee make the benefits of God obligations binding vs to serue him the Lord shall vse them as arguments to proue that iudgement is due vnto vs and the greater benefits the greater iudgements for vnto them that walke not worthy of the honor of good things they haue receiued from God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrisost in Mat. hom 4. the greatnesse of honour shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the augmentation of their punishment And as this is tâ—ue in temporall benefits so much more in spirituall graces as they are more excellent then the other so doe they more binde vs then the other both Israelites and Ethiopians are debters to God but the Israelite more debt bound than the Ethiopian for the Lord hath not dealt vvith euery Nation as with Israell Heare this word that the Lord prâ—nounceth Amos. 3 1. O ye Children of Israell you onely haue I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore I will visite you for all youâ— iniquities May yee not see heere that the Lord most straitly doth punish the sinnes of those to vvhom hee hath beene most beneficiall vvhen they become vnthankefull The Gentiles who receiued no more but the light of nature are conuinced because they glorified not
their desertion which is their spirituall disease are euill Iudges of themselues for they perceiue not that which they possesse there may be an muincible hope of mercie in that soule wherein for the present there is no sense of mercy and this all the Children of God may marke in their owne experience for whereof I pray thee hath it come that thou a weak man hast foughten so long against principalities powers hast endured so many yeares the fearefull assaults of Sathan thou hast beene troubled with doubting but hast not dispaired thou hast beene cast downe and hast not perished thou hast fallen and yet risen againe thy enemie hath thrust sore at thee yet hath hee not preuailed against thee No power no pollicie of Sathan hath euer beene able to quench in thee that spark of life which the Lord hath breathed into thee Out of all doubt thy standing hath beene from this spirit of Adoption who hath wrought in thine heart a deeper sense of mercy then that any contrary power is able to root out yea or thou thy selfe art able to perceiue hereof hath come thy standing both in tentations which are from thine aduersaries and in these desertions whereby the Lord hath exercised thee Thus haue we comfort not onely in the The standing of a Christian in his apparant desertions proues that hee was not deserted indeede glorious effects of Gods mercie wrought in vs when wee feele his presence but also by our standing and perseuerance in desertions wherein it seemes to vs that the Lord hath absented himselfe from vs two excellent comforts for the Christian for thy standing in desertions proues that thou wert not deserted apparent desertions are not desertions indeede surely the Lord will not faile his people nor forsake Psal 94. 14 his inheritance Againe thy standing against so many assaults of the Diuell proues that the least sparke of Christs liuely grace in a Christian is stronger than that the gates of hell are able to preuaile against it Be therefore comforted O thou man of God for if it had beene in Sathans power to haue quenched thy life hee would haue put it out long or now be assured thou shalt preuaile and obtaine the victorie in the strength and might of that mighty Lord the Lord Iesus Christ Verse 17. If wee be Children wee are also Heyres euen the Heyres of God and Heyres annexed with Christ. THe priuiledges of a Christian albeit they be commonly spoken of yet because they are not considered are commonly contemned men not deepely pondering with themselues what a high preferment this is that a vessell of clay should be made the Temple of the liuing God and the Heyre of vvrath should become the Heyre of grace and glory therefore the Apostle in this Chapter describing the excellent state How glorious the priuiledges of a Christian are of a man iustified by faith in Christ Iesus from the time that once he began to make mention of the benefits he hath by Christ can hardly make an end but from one proceeding to another hee ascends by a continuall gradation till at length he come to such an height that hee is compelled to breake off the course of his speech and to conclude with an examination what shall wee then say to those things Hitherto hee hath letten vs see how by Christ wee are deliuered from condemnation how we are made the free-men of God freed from sinne and death how wee are also made the Temples of God wherein hee dwelleth by his Spirit and that yet more also wee are made the Sonnes of GOD. And now hee goes vp a degree further to tell vs that wee are the Heyres of God and Heyres annexed with Christ Iesus What shall wee then say but as the Psalmist saith of the Citie of God Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou Citie Psal 87. 3. of God so will we speake of euery Citizen thereof Glorious Psal 144. 15. things are spoken of thee O thou man of God Blessed are those people whose God is the Lord and are called to this happie fellowship wherein they are made subiect vnto him who is King of Saints Let vs be glad and reioyce in the Lord let our hearts and our mouths be filled with his prayse except the Lord had reserued mercy for vs wee should be made like vnto Sodome oâ— Gomorrha but now the lots are fallen to Isai 1. 9. vs in pleasant places and wee haue a faire heritage Blessed be the GOD of our saluation from henceforth and for euer If wee be Children As for the Apostles order in these The Sonnes of God cannot but lâ—ue because they are the heires of God words wee are to remember that the Apostle here insists in the confirmation of that part of his reason that they who are the Sonnes of God shall liue Now he lets vs see the necessity thereof the S 〈…〉 s of God are the Heyres of God and the heritage whereunto they are borne is eternall life therefore of necessitie they must liue Wee haue here first to consider that high preserment Gods goodnes is shewed to all his creatures â—ut his inheritance is reserued to his Sonnes Gen. 25. whereunto wee are called in Christ not onely to be the Sonnes of God but declared also to be the Heyres of God The heyre in a family hath this prerogatiue that albeit the hand of his Father be not closed from giuing good things vnto others yet the inheritance is reserued for him As Abraham gaue gifts to the Sonnes of Kâ—turah but kept his best things for Isaac so the Lord our God shewes his great bountifulnesse in that hee makes his Sunne to shine and Math. 5. 45. his raine to fall downe vpon the vniust no lesse than the iust yet herein stands the comfort of his children that hee reserues his best and most excellent things for them Neyther is it his creatures that hee giues to them but hee giues himselfe vnto them in a portion as he promised to Abraham so he performes it to all the seed of Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward and therefore doe the godly so craue him that without him nothing can content them O Lord thou art my portion said Dauid My Soule saith to Psal 119. 57. Lam. 3. 24. the Lord thou art my portion said Ieremie But as for them who can content themselues with the gifts of God suppose they neuer enioy himselfe they declare they are but Seruants who are not to bide in the house for euer and not the Sonnes of God Againe wee haue to marke here that albeit the Lord All the Sonnes of God are his heyres and yet the inheritance is not diminished haue innumerable sonnes yet are they all his Heyres No Monarch in the world can beautifie his children with this priuiledge as to make them all his heyres and not diminish his Empire but the Lord herein declares the riches of hiâ— glorious inheritance that all
more expresse the vehemencie of their desire for as hee that goeth vnder an heauie burthen grones and longs to be eased thereof or as the vvoman vvhich trauailes with childe hath a most earnest desire to be deliuered thereof so the creature wearie of this seruitude longs to be eased This groning of the creature is not to be neglected seeing Somtime God complaines to the creature sometime the creature complaines to God vpon man miserable is man if he complaine not on himself Esay 1. in holy Scripture wee finde that sometime God complaines to his creatures vpon the sinne of man and somtime the creatures complaines to God miserable is man if hee doe not complaine vpon himselfe In the first of Esay there the Lord complaines to his creatures vpon man Heare O Heauens hearkâ—n O Earth I haue nourished and brought vp Children but they haue rebelled against me c. and here againe the creature is brought in groning and complaining to God vpon man The first bloud that euer the earth receiued into her bosome sent vp vnto God a crying voyce for vengeance and the Lord heard it and now the earth meruailes in her kinde that hauing receiued so much bloud of the Saints of God into her bosome the Lord should delay to require it shee wonders againe that the hand of the Lord stablisheth her and makes her beare vp such a number of wicked men as are a burthen to her considering that once he caused her to open and swallow vp Corah Dathan and Abiram and hath many a time since shaken her foundations and destroyed by earth-quake notable Cities making the houses of the inhabitants therof their buriall place the burden of sinne being now wonderfully encreased shee meruailes that the Lord causeth her to beare it and for this cause she cryes and grones vnto the Lord and this complaining of the creature we are not to neglect it as I said for seeing they sigh and grone for the vanitie vnder which our sinnes hath subdued them should not wee much more sigh and grone for our owne sinnes assuredly if we doe not we are conuinced to be more senslesse then the senslesse creatures themselues Concerning this metaphor of trauailing it is two manner Trauailing two manner of wayes ascribed to the wicked in the Scripture of wayes ascribed to the wicked in holy Scripture and one manner of way to the godly For first their concupiscence is compared to a mother that conceiues and trauailes continually without rest till it bring out sinne and sinne being finished is compared in like manner to a mother that bringeth out death And secondly the imagination of their heart is compared to a mother which conceiues cruell counsels and mischieuous deuices against the godly all their dayes they trauaile with this birth and would faine haue it brought out to perfection but at length they bring forth a lye for the malice of the wicked shall slay himselfe his mischiefe shall Psal 7. turne vpon his owne head and his crueltie shall fall vpon his owne pate But as for the children of God they trauaile One manner of way ascribed to the Godly in paine of the monstrous birth of sin that is within them not that they are desirous to perfect and finish it but to destroy and abolish it as being a monster within them which they abhorre an adulterous birth begotten by a most vnlawfull copulation betweene Sathan and their corrupted wil the father that begot this monster being Sathan and the mother that conceiued it their corrupt Nature for this they sigh and cry vnto God with the Apostle O miserable man Rom. 7. 24. who shal deliuer me from this body of death This was his voyce vnto God and should much more be our continuall lamentation seeing in sinnes we are more abundant and in grace farre inferiour to that holy Apostle The Lord therefore worke it in vs for his Sonne Christs sake Verse 23. And not onely the creature but wee also who haue receiued the first fruits of the Spirit euen wee doe sigh in our selues wayting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies NOw followeth the Apostles other argument The second argument prouing the greatnesse and certaintie of that glory is the feruent desire the godly haue to it by instinct of Grace wherby he proues the greatnesse and certaintie of that glory to be reuealed it is taken from that feruent expectation which the sonnes of God haue of it It can neither be a vaine nor a small thing but by the contrary both great and certaine whereupon God hath set the desire of his best creatures by instinct of the Spirit of Grace So that wee haue here first a description of Gods children they are such as haue receiued the first fruits of the spirit secondly a two-fold effect which this holy Spirit workes in Gods children first a wearinesse of their present bondage and seruitude of sinne secondly a wayting by a constant expectation for a better And this doth very much confirme the Apostles purpose there being none on earth who can better iudge the excellencie of that glory to come than they who haue receiued the first fruits thereof Out of all doubt the testimonie of any one who hath tasted of that ioy to come is more worth to commend it than is the contrary iudgement of a thousand others to disproue it And not onely the creature The Apostle proceedes from The sonnes of God and the creature grone together and shall be restored together the testimonie of the creature to the testimonie of the sonnes of God when he spake of the creature he said they sigh and grone with vs they trauaile together in paine with vs and when hee speakes of the godly he saith wee sigh in our selues As man was not made for himselfe but for the Lord and therefore should wait vpon him so the creatures vvere not made for themselues but for vs and therefore where they are at couenant with vs they in their kinde wait vpon vs they goe with vs they grone with vs are grieued with vs and shall neuer rest till wee be deliuered let licentious men liuing in their sinnes marke this they sigh not in themselues with the godly yea they scorne their sighings and therefore shall not be restored vvith the godly they grone not with the creature and shall not be deliuered with the creature O miserable man how vnhappy is that end The wicked mourne not with them and shall not be partakers so much as of the deliuerie of the creature whereunto thy vvanton and hard heart which cannot repent doth lead thee thou shalt not stand in iudgement with the godly where they goe there shalt not thou goe thou didst not mourne with the children of the marriage chamber and therefore shalt not enter vvith them into it to be comforted thou shalt goe to another place and mourne without them the burthen of thy sinnes which now thou feelest not shall
with tentations on the right hand and on the left vt quatuor angulis Gregor Moral pulsata domus aliqua ex parte ruinam saciat that the house being shaken at all the soure corners may fall downe in one part or other no rest nor quietnes for vs in this habitation terrours within fightings without Propter quod vno conâ—ilio Act. 20. 19. migrandum est Christianis for the which it is best for vs vvith one aduice to conclude that wee vvill remoue and in the meane time send vp our complaint to our Father in heauen as the Gibionites did to Ioshua shewing him how vve Ioshua 10. 6. are besieged and enuironed for his sake and praying him to come with hast and help vs. Waiting for the Adoption Now followeth the other effect The other effect the spirit works in vs iâ— a waiting for deliuerance of the Spirit for hee not onely causeth vs as we haue heard to sigh and mourne for our present miseries but also comforts vs with the hope and expectation of deliuerance though in this life vve haue trouble yet haue we no trouble vvithout comfort Blessed be God who comforts vs in all our 2 Cor. 1. 3. 4. tribulations and beside that vvhich vve presently haue it is yet much more vvhich vvee looke for The men of this vvorld haue no ioy vvithout sorrow euen in laughter their Proâ— 24. 13. heart is sorrowfull pretend what they will in their countenance there is a heauinesse in their conscience arising of the vveight of sinne but it is far otherwise vvith the godly for euen in mourning they doe reioyce and vnder greatest heauinesse they carry a liuely hope of ioyfull deliuerance Againe wee are to marke that the godly are described The day of death and day of resurrection earnestly waited for by the godly in holy Scripture to be such as doe not liue content with their present estate but waites and longs for a better and specially there are two dayes for which the Children of GOD are said to waite the first the day of death wherein they goe to the Lord the second the day of appearing wherein the Lord shall come vnto them they soiourne in the body more weary of it then Dauid was of his dwelling in the tents of Kedar they wait with patient Iob till the day of their change come and doe desire with the Apostle to be Iob. 14. 14. dissolued that they may be with Christ they pray for it so oft as they vse that petition Let thy kingdome come seeking Mat. 6. 10. Luke 11. 3. death so farre as it is a meanes to abolish sinne vtterly that Christ their King may alone raigne in them but as for the wicked the remembrance of death is terrible vnto them and in their thought they put it far from them and when it comes it comes vpon them vnlooked for As Iehu furiously Death comes on the wicked as Iehu came on Iehoram came vpon Iehoram and hee made vvith all his speed to his chariot thinking to flye away but in vaine for the arrow of Iehu ouertooke him so death comes vpon the wicked 2 King 9. 23. 24 in a day and place wherein they looked not for it and they being terrified with it runnes with all the speede they can to their chariots that is to their refuges of vanity but the dart of death surely ouer-takes them Miserable are they vvhose comfort standeth rather in an vncertaine delay of death than in any certaintie vvhich they haue of eternall life But let vs be prepared for it as the good Israelites of We should not soiourne in the body like Ionas in the sides of the sâ—â—p but like Abraham in the doore of the tabernacle Exod. 12. 11. Gen. 18. 1. 1 King 19. 9. God with our loynes girded vp and our staues in our hands ready to take our iourney from Egypt to Canaan vvhensoeuer the Lord our God shall command vs. As fowles desirous to flye stretch ouâ— their vvings so should man desirous to be with the Lord stretch out his affections toward the heauens Abraham sat in the doore of his Tabernacle when the Angell appeared vnto him Elias came out to the mouth of his Caue when the Lord appeared to him and we must also reioyce to come out of the caue and tabernacle of this vvretched body if vve would meet vvith the Lord yea euen while as wee dwell in the body if in our affection vve come not out and stand as it were in the doore of our tabernacle but like Ionas sleeping in the sides of the ship Ionas 1. 5. we lye downe in the hollow of our heart sleeping in carelesse securitie it is not possible that the Lord can be familiar with vs. The other day for which the godly are said to wait is the The day of Christs second comming longed for 1 Cor. 1. 7. Phil. 3. day of Christs second comming The Apostle giues this as a token of the rich grace of God bestowed on the Corinthians that they waited for the appearance of Christ and to the Philippians he saith our coÌ„uersation is in heauen from whence we looke for our Sauiour the Lord Iesus yea he giues it out as a marke of all those who are to be glorified when hee saith 2 Tim. 4. 8. there is laid vp for mee a crowne of righteousnes and not for me onely but for all them who loue Christs second appearing And Heb. 9. 28. againe Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many and vnto them that looke for him shall he appeare the second time without sinne vnto saluation These and many moe places proues that there is great As the Iewes waited for the yeere of Iubilie so should we for the day of Christ but alas few doe so Reu. 22. 20. scarcitie of Faith and spirituall grace in this generation there being so few that vnfainedly longs for the day of his appearance suppose euery man in word mumble vp that petition let thy kingdome come yet are they few who when Iesus testifieth surely I come quickly can in truth answer with the godly Amen euen so come Lord Iesus and all because we are neithe wearier of our present miserie nor certaine of that glorious deliuerance to come otherwise we would long for it and reioyce at the smallest appearance thereof The woman with child reckons her time as neere as shee can and albeit others haue no minde of it yet is it alway in her remembrance because that then she hopes for deliuerance Among the Iewes as the day of their Iubilie drawes neere Leuit. 25. 10. so the ioy of them that were in prison encreased being assured that then they were to be releeued and should not wee much more reioyce the neerer that the day of our eternall Iubilie draweth vnto vs wherein all teares shall be wiped away from our eyes and sorrow and mourning shall flye away for euer
him For albeit the Lord rested God hath rested from the worke of creation not of gubernation Ioh. 5. 17. the seauenth day from the workes of creation so that hee made no new kinde of creature after that day yet did hee not rest from the vvorkes of prouidence or gubernation whereof our Sauiour saith my Father workes hitherto and I worke When man hath finished a vvorke hee resignes it to another to be gouerned as the Wright vvhen he hath builded a ship giues it ouer to the Marriner to rule it neyther is man able to preserue the vvorke of his hands neyther yet knowes hee vvhat shall be the end thereof It is not so with the Lord as by the vvorke of creation hee brought them out so by his prouident administration he preserues them and rules euen the smallest creatures directing them vnto such ends as he hath ordained them for in the counsell of his will How euer some Ethnicks haue beene so blinde as to His prouidence extends to the smallest things thinke that God did neglect the smaller things vpon earth scilicet is superis labor est and Epicures also vvhose false conceptions of the diuine prouidence are rehearsed by Eâ—iphaz How should God know how should hee iuâ—ge through Iob. 22. 13. 14. the darke clâ—ude the cloudes hide him that hee cannot see and hee walkes in the circle of heauen yet it is certaine hee rules Psal 113. not a part onely but all hee is not as they thought of him a God onely aboue the Mâ—one No though he dwell on high yet he abases himselfe to behold the things that are on earth he is not onely a God in the mountaines as the Syrians deemed 1 King 20. but a God in the vallies also There is nothing so great nothing so small but it falles vnder his prouidence yea hee numbers our hayres and keepes them not one of them can fall to the ground without his prouidence Si sic custodumtur Augustine super flâ—a tua in quanta securitate est anima tua if hee so keepe thy superfluities how much more will he keepe thy soule Let it therefore content vs in the most confused estate In greatest confusion of things let vs keepe our comfort the end of them shal be our good of things we can see fall out in the world that the Lord hath said All things shall worke for the best vnto vs. Let vs not question with Marie how can this be nor doubt with Sarah how can I conceiue nor with Moses where shall flesh be gotten for all this multitude but let vs sayth Augustine consider the Author and such doubts shall cease As he hath manifested his power and vvisedome in the tempering of this world making Elements of so contrary qualities agree together in one most pleasant harmonie so doth it appeare much more in gouerning all the contrary courses of men to the good of his owne children One notable example wherof wee will set downe for all Iacob sends Ioseph to Dothan Gen. 37. c. to visit his brethren his brethren casts him into the pit Reuben releeues him the Midianites buyes him and sels him to Potiphar his Mistresse accuses him his Maister condemnes him the Butler after long forgetfulnesse recommends him Pharaoh exalts him O what instruments are here how many hands about this one pooreman of God neuer a one of them looking to that end which God had proposed vnto him yet the Lord contrary to their intention makes them all worke together for Iosephs aduancement in Aegipt But now to the particulars There is nothing in the world The end of all the wayes of God is our good which works not for our weale all the works of God all the stratagems of Sathan all the imaginations of men are for the good of Gods children yea out of the most poysonable things such as sinne and death doth the Lord draw wholesome and medicinable preseruatiues vnto them who loue him All the wayes of the Lord saith Dauid are mercy Psal 25. 10. and truth marke what he saith and make not thou an exception where God hath made none All none excepted therefore be thou strengthened in the Faith and giue glory vnto God resoluing with patient Iob albeit the Lord would Iob. 13. 15. slay me yet will I trust in him Sometime the Lord seemes to walke in the way of anger against his children which hath moued many of them to Yea euen when he seemes to be most angry with his children hee is working their good Iob. 6. 4. poure out the like of these pittifull complaints the arrowes of the almightie are vpon me said Iob the venome whereof doth drinke vp my spirit and the terrours of God fight against me thou settest me vp as a marke against thee and makes me a burthen to my selfe Thy indignation lyes vpon me said Dauid yea from my youth I haue suffered thy terrours doubting of my life For felicitie I haue had bitter griefe said Ezekiah for Isa 38. 17. 13. 14. the Lord like a Lyon brake all my bones so that I did chatter like a Swallow and mourne like a Doue I am troubled on euery side said the Apostle hauing sightings without and terrours 2 Cor. 7. 5. within Yet in all this dealing the Lord hath a secret way of mercy in the which he walkes for the comfort of his children it is but to draw vs vnto him that he shewes himselfe to be angry with vs aduersatur tibi Deus ad tempus vt te secum Chrisost in Mat. hom 14 habeat in perpetuum the Lord is an aduersarie to thee for a while that he may for euer reconcile thee to himselfe And this albeit for the present we cannot perceiue and can see no other but that the Lord hath taken vs for his enemies yet in the end wee shall be compelled to acknowledge and confesse with Dauid it was good for me O Lord that euer thou Rom. 11. 13. correctedst me for the Lord is meruailous in his Saints O the deepenesse of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his wayes past finding out His glory is great when he workes by meanes his glory appeares greater when he works without meanes but then his glory shines most brightly when he works by contraries It was a great vvorke that hee opened the eyes of the For the working of God with his children is by contraries blinde man but greater that hee did it by application of spettle and clay meanes meeter to put out the eyes of a seeing man than to restore sight to a blind man So he wrought in the first creation causing light to shine out of darknesse so also in the worke of redemption for by cursed death he brought happy life by the crosse he conquered the crowne and through shame he went to glory And this same order the Lord still keepeth in
pulchra terra sed pulchrior qui fecit illa the heauen and earth are beautifull but more beautifull is he who made them and therefore as oft as any good in the creature beginneth to steale our heart after it let vs in our affection goe vp to the Creator considering that the Lord hath not made these beautifull or profitable creatures that we should go a whooring after them but that by them as steps we should climbe vp to him that made them and rest in him The second cause that may breed the loue of God in vs if 2 Because hee hath first loued vs. we meditate vpon it is that the Lord hath first loued vs In 〈◊〉 eâ—m sâ—d non praeuentmus we haue found him but wee did not preuent him we know him now but were first known of him he sound vs first and that euen when wee were enemies vnto him dilexit non existentes into resistentes he loued Bernard vs when we were not yea when wee were rebels against him and shall we not now being reconciled by the death of his sonne endeauour to loue him againe Thirdly the Lord by his continuall gifts hath testified his 3 He hath declared his loue by innumerable gifts already giuen vs. loue to vs he hath not beene vnto vs as a wildernesse or as a land of darknesse if wee will remember and tell what the Lord hath done to our soule we shal finde we are ouercome with the multitude of his mercies there is none that hath deserued the loue of our hearts comparable to the Lord. If our loue be free let vs set it vpon him who is most worthy to be loued and if it be veniall let vs also giue it vnto him who hath giuen vs most for it And fourthly it shall waken in vs the loue of God if wee 4 Hee hath yet greater things which he hath prepared for vs to giue vs. consider in our hearts what great things the Lord hath promised to giue vnto vs euen such as the eye hath not seene and the eare hath neuer heard life without death youth without age light vvithout darknesse ioy without sadnesse a kingdome vvithout a change and in a vvord he shall then Aug. de ciuit dei l. 10. c. 18 Our loue to God must be tryed by the effects thereof giue vs a blessed life non de his quae condidit sed de seipso not of those things which he hath made but of himselfe But to returne to our former purpose that we may know whether this holy loue be created in our hearts by the spirit of grace or no wee must try it by the fruits and effects of loue whereof now it shall content vs to touch a few First 1 Property of Loue it longs to obtaine that which is beloued it is the nature of Loue that it earnestly desires and seekes to obtaine that which is beloued Hereby shalt thou know vvhether thy affection of loue be ordered by Christ or remaine as yet disordered by Sathan The affection which Christ hath sanctified vvill follow vpward seeking to be there where he is Euery thing naturally returnes to the owne original as the waters goe downe to the deepe from whence they came so carnall loue powred out like water returnes to Sathan who begat it and carries miserable man captiued with it downward to the bottomlesse pit but holy loue being as a sparke of heauenly fire kindled in our hearts by the holy Ghost ascends continually and rauishes vs vpward toward the Lord from whom it came not suffering vs to rest till we enioy him Let this then be the first tryall of our loue if we vse carefully Wee loue not God if wee vse not the exercises of the word and prayer seeing by them onely we haue familiaritie with God vpon earth Psal 110. 97. Psal 26. 8. Psal 27. 2. those holy meanes by which we keepe and entertaine familiaritie with our God it is an argument that wee loue him and what other meanes is there by which man vpon earth is familiar with God but the exercises of the word and prayer Godly Dauid who protests in some places that he loued the Lord prooues it in other by the like of these reasons O how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually and againe I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dâ—â—els One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I may dwell in the house of my God all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to visit his holy temple As this doth serue for the comfort of those who delight in the exercise of the word and prayer so doth it serue for the conuiction of those to whom any other place is more amiable than the tabernacles of God an euident proofe they haue not the loue of God because they neglect the meanes euen when they are offered by which familiar accesse is gotten vnto the Lord. And againe because the sight we haue of God in this life Wee loue not God if we long not to be with him in heauen wher he shews his most familiar presence is but through a vaile and the tast wee get of his goodnesse is but in part and that in the life to come the Lord will fully embrace vs in the armes of his mercy and kisse vs for euer with the kisses of his mouth therefore is it that the soule which vnfainedly loues the Lord cannot rest content with that familiaritie vvhich by the Word and Prayer it hath with GOD in this life but doth long most earnestly to be with the Lord vvhere shee knoweth that in a more excellent manner shee shall embrace him whereof proceedeth these and such like complaints As the Hart brayeth for the Psal 42. 1. riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God O when shall I come and appeare before the presence of my God My Psal 143. Phillip 1. Soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land For I would be dissolued and be with the Lord Therefore come euen so come Reuel 22. Lord Iesus But alas here are vvee taken in our sinnes thou sayest How by this tryal it is found that many are void of the loue of God thou louest the Lord but how is it then that thou longest not to see him neyther desirest thou to be with him yea a small appearance of the day of death or mention of the day of iudgement doth terrifie and afray thee where as otherwise if thou didst loue him they would be ioyfull dayes vnto thee seeing in the one wee goe to him and in the other he commeth to vs to gather vs and take vs thether where he is Surely those men who contenting themselues vvith the gifts of God in this life thinke not long to enioy himselfe are but like an adulterous woman who if so be she possesse the goods of her husband regards not albeit shee
beganne at the Churches of the East they had their owne day although but a short Winters day compared vvith that of the Iewes From them in the East the light is now come praised be GOD to vs in the West now is our day how long it is to continue vvith vs who can tell While therefore the light is with you walke in the light Ioh. 32. 35. Rom. 13. 11. least darknesse come vpon you Let vs consider the season for if once the day of grace goe by vs wee shall neuer finde it againe For suppose this day of saluation vvere to shine vpon No Grace will be offered to vs after this life this land still on to the vvorlds end yet vvhat is it to thee seeing the day of grace endeth to thee in the day of thy death after that the Lord shall neuer any more offer mercie vnto thee in that the Apostle wils vs to doe good while we haue time he tels vs that after this there is no time let vs not thinke quod apud inferos ad faciendos fideles atque liberandos Aug. Euodio Epist. 99. euangelium praedicatum sit vel adhuc etiam praedicetur quasi ibi sit Ecclesia constituta that the Gospell euer hath beene or yet is preached in hell to vvorke Faith in men therefor their deliuerance as if there also vvere a constitute Church in it Here by preaching grace is offered to thee that if thou wilt beleeue thou mayst be saued but if now thou dispise it there remaines nothing but a fearefull looking for of iudgement And no lesse deceitfull is that opinion that by suffering hereafter thou mayst redeeme that life which here thou hast not obtayned Vita hic aut amittitur aut tenetur cum istine excessum fuerit nullus paenitentiae locus nullus satisfactionis Cyprian effectus Now life is eyther kept or lost for when we goe out of the body there is no place of repentance no effect of satisfaction It is a principall pollicie of Sathan to steale away from Sathans principall pollicie is to steale away from men the time of grace man the time of Grace he will not simply say to any man yee neede not to repent at all hee knoweth the most prophane man will abhorre that he seekes onely a delay thou needest not saith hee to repent as yet and so stealeth away one day after another till the day of Grace be gone When Pharaoh was stricken with Frogges and Moses offered to him that when hee would bid him hee would pray to God that he might be deliuered from them it was but an vnwise answere he gaue him Pray for me to morrow it had been better Exod. 8. 10. for him to haue said Pray for me presently but more miserably blinded are they to whom the Lord presently offers saluation they delay not till to-morrow onely but till the next yeare yea for many yeares they are called vpon in their youth but they refuse to repent till they be olde seeking first leaue to kisse their Father that is to follow their owne pleasures before they will resolue to follow the Lord Iesus and so lets their dayes one after another be stollen away from them till at length they be taken away in their sinnes and the day of Grace be closed vpon them And whom hee Called them also hee Iustified Hauing Iustification posterior to Calling in order not in time spoken of our Calling wee come now to speake of our Iustification This is a new benefit different from the former benefit of our Calling posterior to it in order of working but not in time for in the same moment wherein the Lord by effectuall Calling giues vs faith to beleeue hee doth also iustifie vs. That wee may vnderstand what a benefit this is wee are The word of Iustifying three wayes taken to know that the word of Iustifying hath three principall significations First to iustifie is all one with this to sanctifie or to infuse by grace new qualities into the soule of man and so Iustification is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu motus ad Iustitiam as Dan. 12 They who iustifie many shall shine as Starres for euer in this sense the Papists take it in this question but wrongfully Secondly to iustifie is to acknowledge or declare one to be iust so it is said that the Publicans iustified God of Luke 7. 29. force we must expound it they acknowledged or confessed him to be iust so S. Iames saith that a man is iustified by workes that is declared to be iust by his workes or as S. Iames expounds it himselfe his Iustification is shewed by his works Thirdly the word to Iustifie is a iudiciall terme and it signifieth to absolue in iudgement and is opponed to condemning so Salomon vseth it Hee that iustifies the wicked Pro. and condemnes the iust are both alike abhomination to the Lord and in this sense the Apostle vseth it here for he oppones it to condemnation This right vnderstanding of the vvord vvill lead vs to Iustification is opponed to coÌ„demnation know what the benefit of Iustification is for what euer condemnation be Iustification must be the contrary they are both iudiciall termes vsed in iudgement holden on matters of life and death Condemnation no man will denie is the sentence of a righteous Iudge adiudging a malefactor to death for some capitall crime whereof he is found guilty in iudgement Iustification then is the sentence of God a righteous Iudge absoluing the man that is in Christ from sinne and death and accepting him to life for the righteousnesse of Christ which is his So that it is euident the state of the question in the controuersie How the state of the controuersie of Iustification stands betweene vs and the Papists of Iustification will be this how is a man iustified before God that is what is it that a man must bring before Gods tribunall for the which he shall be pronounced innocent absolued from death and adiudged to life whether is it ouâ— works of sanctification inherent in vs or is it the righteousnesse of Christ giuen vnto vs and made ours The question being this way taken vp shal giue great light to the c 〈…〉 ouersie that is betweene vs and the falsly named Catho 〈…〉 of our time for we denie not that there is in Gods children an inherent sanctification and that they are changed from vnrighteousnesse to righteousnesse but this inherent righteousnesse say we is not able to purchase to vs an absoluâ—torie sentence from death To make this yet more cleare let vs know that the righteousnesse Foure names giuen to that righteousnesse by which wee are iustified by which we are Iustified receiues foure names first it is called the righteousnesse of Christ secondly the righteousnesse of God thirdly the righteousnesse of Faith fourthly our righteousnesse The righteousnesse of Christ because it is conquered by him and inherent in him as in
agreement betweene Faith and good vvorkes but if this be the question for which of them it is that God doth iustifie vs there we must oppone them affirming with the Apostle that wee are iustified by Faith and not by works alway the opposition is not simple but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their second euasion is a distinction of the works of the Workes not of the Ceremoniall Law onely but of the Morall also excluded from Iustification Law Morall and Ceremoniall It is true say they that the vvorks of the law ceremoniall iustifies not but the vvorkes of the Law Morall iustifies But the Apostle in his conclusion excludes from iustification the works of the Law Morall for these reasons hee excludes those vvorkes of which he hath proued both Iewes and Gentiles to be guilty but so it is he hath proued them to be guilty of the transgression of the Law Morall as is euident out of the sinnes wherewith he charges them therefore c. Secondly hee excludes from iustification the vvorks of that Law by vvhich comes the knowledge of sinne but so it is the knowledge of sinne comes by the Law Morall therefore c. I had not knowne saith the Apostle that concupiscence is a sinne except the law had said thou shalt not couet Now it is euident that this is a precept of the Law Morall Their third euasion is by a distinction of the first and The distinction of the first and second Iustification improued second iustification the first vvhereof say they is by Faith but the second is by vvorkes But this twofold iustification is also forged for iustificatio est actus indiuidius simul totus there is no first and last in the act of iustification he that is once condemned iudicially stands so and he that is absolued stands so Againe this distinction confounds two benefits Iustification and Sanctification vvhich Iustification Sanctification distinct benefits to them is the second Iustification That they are distinct benefits the Apostle doth teach vs Christ is made to vs righteousnesse and sanctification but they inconsiderately confound them for if these new qualities infused by Grace into the soule of man and good vvorkes flowing therefrom be the matter they say of mans second Iustification then let them tell vs vvhat is the matter of his Sanctification To conclude this these are two inseperable benefits to Iustification Sanctification inseperably conioyned whomsoeuer the Lord imputes the righteousnesse of Christ and giues them Faith to accept it as their owne like as for it he absolues them from sinne and death and adiudges them vnto life so also incontinent works he in them by his holy spirit an inherent righteousnesse by vvhich they become new creatures so that our Iustification hath inseperably annexed with it Sanctification But this Sanctification of ours is so imperfect that howsoeuer it be accepted of the Father for the righteousnesse of Christ yet is it not so perfect nor sufficient that for the merit thereof wee dare seeke to be absolued from our sinnes and receiued into fauour Them be also glorified Glorification the last lincke of the Glorification our last and highest estate out of which we shall neuer be changed chaine is the last and highest benefit that we haue by Christ by vvhich both our soule and body shall be restored to a greater glory and more happy than euer vvee enioyed in Adam He had his owne most excellent priuiledges hee had this inward glory that he vvas created to the image of God hee had also for outward glory a dominion and Lordship ouer all the creatures of God the heauens were made beautifull for his sake the earth made fruitfull Paradise assigned to him as a speciall garden of pleasure and all the creatures ordained to serue him but by our second creation we are beautified with more excellent priuiledges that same image is restored to vs new heauens and new earth created for our sake and vvith all these vvee shall haue the Crowne of perseuerance vvhich Adam had not for glorification is our last and highest happy estate out of which we shall neuer be transchanged and therefore the Apostle goes not beyond it And herein appeares the Lords wonderfull power and How the glorification of our bodies shewes Gods wonderfull goodnesse and power goodnesse vvho of the fall of man takes occasion to make man better than he was before the fall Our bodies shall not be raised like to Adams body for euen in the state of innocencie he was mortall but they shall be raised vp like to the glorious body of Christ Salomon built a Temple the Chaldeans destroyed it and it was neuer againe restored to the former glory which moued the auncient men to mourne when they saw how the glory of the second Temple was not like the glory of the first but it shall be the great ioy of our auncient Father Adam who saw the glory of the first creation when hee shall see how farre the glory of the second creation shall exceed the glory of the first Of this Glorification the Apostle speakes in the time Three degrees of eternall life past partly to declare the certaintie thereof and partly because it is already begun for there are three degrees of that Glory The first in this life and that is our sanctification called by S. Iohn the first resurrection and by Saint Paul our transformation into the glorious image of God The second is in the houre of death and that is a neerer vnion of our soules with Iesus The third will be in the last day vvherein both soule and body shall be glorified this is the highest step of Salomons throne vnto the which wee must ascend by the former degrees As for the beginning The first degree is in this life hath in it these three 1. Righteousnesse 2. Peace 3. Ioy. of this glory which now we haue it consists in these three Righteousnesse Peace and Ioy there is a ioy which is no presumption flowing from a peace vvhich is not securitie bred of righteousnesse which is not hypocrisie in these three stands the beginning of eternall life here vpon earth and in the perfection of them shall consist the perfection of eternall life afterward in heauen perseuerance in righteousnesse in peace in ioy and glory being adioyned vnto them This ioy which is the highest degree of eternall life vve A three-fold ioy we haue in this life can attaine to here vpon earth hath also these three degrees first there is a Ioy which ariseth of beleeuing wee haue not as yet seene the Lord Iesus yet dâ—e wee beleeue in him 1 Pet. 1. and reioyce in him with Ioy vnspeakeable and glorious Secondly there is a Ioy which ariseâ—h of feeling and tasting taste and consider how gracious the Lord is and this feeling is much more than beleeuing Thirdly there is a ioy which ariseth of sight of spirituall embracing such was the ioy of
vvord of God her sentence is diuine and wee are to regard it if otherwise shee accuse vpon vvrong information it is the errour of conscience and we are to remedie it by sending conscience to seeke the warrant of her sentence out of the word of God It is very expedient that vvee put a difference betweene Conscience error of conscience to be distinguished conscience and the errour of conscience vvhere conscience discernes not according to the Law of the supreame Iudge it cannot but erre eyther in being ouer large and then shee pronounceth those things lawfull vvhich are vnlawfull or ouer strait and so she declares those things vnlawfull vvhich are lawfull for if this be not obserued vve shall be disquieted while wee hearken to the errours of conscience as if they vvere the iust and lawfull accusations of conscience Sometime againe conscience presents to men sins which Why the Lord leaues remembrance of a sin in the conscience after that it is pardoned they haue done many yeares agoe and vvhereof they haue repented for vvee are to know that albeit the Lord after repentance forgiue the guiltinesse of sinne yet he will haue the memorie thereof to remaine in that conseruing facultie of conscience called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may both serue to humble vs for the euill vve haue done as also to preserue vs from sinne for the time to come And sinne this manner of way retayned in the memory I compare it to thornes and bryers which in the middest of a garden are hurtfull and hinder the growth of good fruit but being put in the hedge are profitable to preserue them so sinne as long as it is in Sin euill in the affect on but good in the memory the affection is very pernitious for then it chokes the seed of the word of God in them but being taken out of the affection and set in the memory is as a hedge to the soule to preserue it from wilde and raging beasts that would come in and deuoure it thus for our humiliation the Lord keepes in vs a remembrance euen of those sinnes vvhich hee hath pardoned but so that vvith the remembrance of the euill which we haue done our conscience doth also excuse and comfort vs with the remembrance of our vnfained repentance toward God And if otherwise the conscience accuse vs for those euill deeds which we haue done and whereof we haue not repented it is of Gods great mercy toward vs vvho by inward 1 Cor. 11. 31. trouble wakens vs to iudge our selues now that wee should not be iudged of the Lord in the world to come As this is the comfort of Gods chosen so doth it point As no creature hath place to accuse the godly so by the contrary all shall stand vp and accuse the wicked Malach. 3. 5. Ioh. 5. 45. Luke 9. 5. Iosh 24. 27. Deut. 4. 26. Iam. 5. 3. Math. 23. 3. vnto vs the contrary miserable estate of the reprobate for there is nothing in heauen and earth which shall not stand vp against them to accuse them the Lord himselfe shall come neere them as a swift witnesse against them O miserable are they to whom the Lord is a Partie a Iudge and a Witnesse as our Sauiour said to the Iewes Moses and all the seruants of God shall be witnesses against them yea the dust of the feete of those who brought the glad tidings of peace shall witnesse against them the stones of the field said Ioshua the heauens and earth said Moses their moth-eaten garments said S. Iames yea they themselues said our Sauiour shall vvitnesse against themselues vvoe be vnto them they must be presented to iudgement but shall haue none eyther in heauen or earth to speake for them nothing vvithout them nothing within them which shall not be a witnesse against them when they are iudged they shall be condemned and their owne conscience shall say righteous is the Lord and iust are his iudgements It is God that iustifies Of this ye may see clearely that The arguments of our comfort are not brought from our innocencie but Gods mercy Iustification as the Apostle vseth it here is a iudicial terme for he oppones it to accusation and condemnation but leauing that because vvee marked it before in the poynt of Iustification we will adde this more that the Apostle brings not the reason of his comfort from his owne innocencie but from Gods mercy he saith not there is nothing in mee worthy to be accused or to be condemned but his comfort is that whateuer it be God hath pardoned it This is it that breedes vnquietnesse and perturbation in many weake consciences they seeke vvithin themselues that which should commend them to God as if they could not be saued vnlesse they were perfect this commeth of Sathans singular subtiltie who labours to creepe in betweene vs and our warrant as if our owne innocencie were the warrant of our saluation and not Gods mercy nor Christs merit It is true It becomes vs for our greater comfort to nourish within our selues the tokens of Grace but to conclude that because they are weake therefore wee cannot be saued it is Sathans sophistrie with which wee should not suffer our soules to be abused Verse 34. Who shall condemne it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. THe Apostle insists in his particular triumph The death resurrection ascention and glorification of Christ assures vs of immunity from condemnation against sinne and he demaunds now who shall condemne it may be as we heard there be some bold to accuse but is there any saith the Apostle that hath power to condemne none at all and that he proues from the death resurrection exaltation and intercession of Christ for as all these were done for vs so do euery one of them render vnto vs the sweet fruit of consolation Of the comfort arising from Christs death we haue spoken before The next is his resurrection we haue comfort saith the The great cōfort wee haue of Christs resurrection Apostle in his death but much more comfort in his resurrection therefore saith the Apostle It is Christ who is dead or rather who is risen againe for if wee looke to Iesus dying albeit in death hee shewed himselfe a powerfull Sauiour yet in his death his glory was greatly obscured vnder the couering of mortalitie which againe in his resurrection was more cleerely manifested for hee was declared mightily to be the Sonne of God by his resurrection and hath made Rom. 1. 4. vs sure of the remission of our sinnes for he had not come out of the prison of the graue if hee had not payed the vttermost 1 Cor. 15. 17. farthing of our debt If Christ saith the Apostle be not yet risen then are we yet in our sinnes thanks be to God we may turne it
them from sinne whereunto hee seeth of their vveaknesse they are ready to fall if they be not preuented and so hee sent an Angell of Sathan to buffet Paul not for any sinne hee had done but for a sinne that he might doe least he should haue beene exalted out of measure And sometime the Lord layeth on affliction neyther to But euery affliction is not laid on the godly for sinne correct sinnes past nor to preuent sinnes to come but that the workes of God may be made manifest vvhich our Sauiour plainely teacheth vs vvhen being demaunded concerning him that vvas more blinde vvhether it vvas for his owne sinnes or the sinnes of the Parents aunswered it was for neither of them but that the workes of God might be made Iohn 9. 3. manifest in him And these vvorkes of God manifested by affliction are of two sorts for not onely his meruailous power and constant truth in preseruing and deliuering his owne Church in all troubles against the power falshood and malice of the world are manifested that all men may see it is not by the arme of man but by the power of God that his Church is continued vpon earth but likewise these manifold graces of God vvrought secretly by his holy Spirit in the hearts of his children are made manifest to the world such as their constant faith their inuincible loue toward God their patience in the hardest sort of crosses And vnto these kindes of afflictions doe wee referre that which here is spoken These afflictions which are for Gods sake require these two things comprised by the Apostle in these words Faith and a good Conscience that is a good Religion and a good 1 Tim. 1. 19. Two things required in those afflictions which are suffered for Gods sake conuersation though thy life be so good that it be vnreproueable in the eyes of man yet if thou be not found in the faith thy suffering is not suffering for Gods cause and albeit the Religion thou professest be good if thy conuersation be euill though thou wouldest giue thy body to be burnt for Religion yet shall not thy suffering be suffering for Christs cause Let none of you suffer as euill doers but if 1 Pet. 4. 15. Cyprian de duplici mart any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed Non supplicium facit martyrem sed causa it is not the crosse makes the Martyr but the cause There hath beene no Heresie so grosse but some men That Gods Martirs may be knowne from Sathans Martyrs haue beene bold to dye for it which is not Christian fortitude but miserable hardnesse of heart As the Lord Iesus hath his Apostles and Martyres so Sathan hath his false Apostles and Martyrs Martires Satanicae virtutis and therefore wee will conclude with Augustine Non est ex passione Aug. l. 1. con Parmen Epi. cap. 8. 9. certa Iustitia it is not suffering that makes sure a cause to be righteous Sed ex Iustitia gloriosa passio but it is righteousnesse which makes suffering glorious For thy sake It is common to all the Godly to suffer with It is common to all Christians to suffer with Christ not so to suffer for him Christ as yee heard before but to suffer for Christ is not a honour communicated to them all the rarer that it is the more heartily should wee welcome it when God sends it The Apostle reioyced in the bonds wherewith hee vvas bound for Christs cause the golden chaines of earthly Ambassadours are nothing so honourable as chaines of yron which are worne for Christs cause The Emperour Constantine honoured all the Fathers of the Counsell of Nice but made most of those vvho had suffered for the cause of Christ as in particular hee kissed the hole of Paphnutius eye which had beene put out in time of trouble for Christs sake yet did hee reuerence it as the most honourable and precious part of his body no face so beautifull as that which is deformed no man so rich as hee who hath sustained spoliation of his goods if it be for Christs sake neyther is any Heb. 10. 34. death so glorious as that which is sustained for his cause Si enim beati qui mâ—riuntur in Domino multo magis qui pro Domino for if they be blessed which dye in the Lord much more blessed are they who dye for the Lord. But now because no Christian is persecuted without some How causes falsly pretended by the wicked takes not from the Christian this comfort that he suffers for Gods sake cause alleadged against him by his persecuters and that also in euery trouble his owne conscience saith that hee hath most iustly deserued it how can he haue this comfort that he suffers for Christs sake The first is easily answered if we put a difference betweene the pretended and the true cause for vvhich the vvicked doe persecute vs. If Haman beare malice to Mordecay for his sake hee will forge a crime against all the people of the Iewes if Amazia can couer his hatred against Amos by pretending that Amos hath conspired against the King If the Princes of Darius enuie Daniels preferment they can delate him as a rebell to the Kings proclamation If Ieremie exhort the Iewes to goe out to the King of Babell hee shall be accused as a confederate with the Chaldeans It is a common stratagem of Sathans to staine the glory of Gods Children in their sufferings with false pretended crimes Vt qui conscientiae suae luce clarescunt falsis rumoribus sordidentur that they who are cleared by the light of their owne conscience may be defiled with false reports Sed bene sibi conscius non debet falsis moueri nec putare plus esse ponderis in alieno conuitio quam in suo testimonio but he who hath a good conscience ought not to be moued with false things nor to think there is more waight in any other mans traducing than is in his owne testimonie Our comfort doth stand sure if we can say with Dauid They Psal 96. 4. Psal 59. 3. In suffering we must distinguish between that which men and that which our own coÌ„science laies to our charge hate me without a cause And againe They are gathered togethered against mee not for mine offence not for my sinne O Lord. As for the other the accusation of our conscience in trouble charging vs with sins which no man can lay to our charge if wee will distinguish betweene the quarrell which conscience hath against vs and that wherewith the wicked doe charge vs it shall be manifest that the cause of our persecution is our disagreement vvith them in an euill course and not any sinne committed by vs against God and so shall our comfort still remaine that wee are sufferers for Christs sake We are killed How farre forth this killing extends our Death cannot hurt the man of God Mat. 10. 28. Aug. de
GOD hath lent them and partly from the message vvherein hee imployes them for sometime they are sent out as messengers of his vvrath to punish the vvicked and so an euill spirit was sent from the 1 Sam. 16. 14. Lord to punish Saul and sometime to exercise the godly and so an Angell of Sathan vvas sent to buffet the Apostle Paul for his humiliation vvee are not exempted from 2 Cor. 12. 7. their tempting but praysed be God we are exempted from their tyrannie and dominion Their vvorking in regard Two sorts of Sathans operations of the vvicked is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the efficacie of errour for the Lord hath giuen them vp into the hands of Sathan but their vvorking in regard of the godly is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tentation Alwayes seeing so long as we liue we must vvrestle against so strong enemies let vs vvatch and be sober let vs stand with the compleat armour of God vpon Eph 6. 11. In Christ wee are restored to a better estate thaÌ„ that which Adam had in Paradise vs. Againe we mark here how that our estate in Christ is better than the estate of Adam by his first creation for then an apostate Angell drew Adam to an apostasie also from God but now no Angell is able to seperate vs from the loue of God the reason is the couenant vvhich God made vvith Adam was without a mediatour he had the keeping of his owne saluation in his owne hand but the couenant of grace with vs is bound vp in the mediator Christ Iesus to vvhom the Father hath committed vs that he might redeeme and Iohn 17. 12. saue vs he hath taken vs into his hand and none are able to take vs from him our saluation depends not vpon our selues it is not in our keeping but in his and therefore is it most certaine Principalities nor powers These names are not to terrisie How names of power are giuen to reprobate Angels Iude ver 6. or afray vs seeing as I said these reprobate Angels haue no power but that vvhich is lent and limited of GOD. Therefore Saint Iude saith that they are reserued in chaines vnder darknesse and here for our comfort we are to consider how that there are two chaines wherewith they are bound and other two vvherewith they are tormented the first chaine that bindes them is their owne nature the second is Gods prouidence the first restraines them that they cannot Sathan bound with three chaines doe the euill which they would the second restraineth them that they doe not the euill vvhich they can Sathan being a naturall creature is bounded within the compasse of nature his insatiable malice would doe much more euill than by nature he is able to performe for aboue or contrary to nature can he worke nothing and againe many euils is he able to doe by naturall meanes which the prouidence of GOD permits him not to doe The tormenting chaines which are vpon him are an euill conscience and the wrath of God for as hee growes in euill doing so groweth his conscience worse and worse and the wrath of God accordingly encreaseth vpon him with which two he is continually tormented Nor things present nor things to come This is a great amplification In our Christian warfare our greatest battell is the last of our suretie that neyther present euils inflicted vpon vs nor any euill to come can seperate vs from the loue of GOD. And hereof vvee are warned that all our baâ—tailes are neyther present nor past some of them are â—o come let vs not waxe secure because of our fore-past victories When Israel came out of Egypt one nation followed them to pursue them but when they passed Iordan seauen nations came against them sure it is the hindmost battaile will be the heauiest and our last tentation greatest the horrour of hell the rottennesse of the graue the conscience of sinnes past the dolours of their present death all standing vp at one time to impugne our faith but shall not be able to seperate vs from that loue of God wherin stands our life Againe wee are taught here that Christians are sure of Christians are sure of perseuerance perseuerance nothing to come can seperate vs from the loue of God this is proued first from the nature of GOD who is faithfull and will conforme vs vnto the end perfecting Phil. 1. 6. that which he hath begunne in vs secondly from the nature of the seede vvhereof we are begotten againe for it is immortall thirdly from the nature of that life which by that seed is communicated to vs it is the life of Christ which is not now any more subiect vnto death Neither height nor depth By these I vnderstand Sathan Sathan hath two armes whereby he wrestles the one is presumption hath two manner of wayes by which hee wrestles against men some he mounts on the charyot of presumption others he casts downe into the deepe of desperation by prosperitie hee puffes vp many to make their fall the more shameful those tentations which he vsed against our blessed Mat. 4. 5. Sauiour doe we thinke that he will spare them against other men he set him vp vpon the pinnacle of the temple of How Sathan tempts to presumption purpose if he could to haue throwne him downe againe tooke him vp to the top of an high mountaine vvhere making a shew to him of worldly kingdomes hee promised to giue them if he would fall downe and worship him and albeit with these tentations hee did not preuaile against our blessed Sauiour yet how many in this world are dayly bewitched with them that without any refusall they fall down and worship him But as Simon Magus while he assayed to flye from the toppe of the capitall vp into heauen vvas throwne downe to his destruction so shall the prosperitie of those men be their ruine and their high estate as a pinnacle whereupon they shall not continue Happy is the man whose heart is not exalted against God by any preserment that can come to him vpon the face of the earth for hee who rising in dignitie riseth also in pride against the Lord is raised vp as Pharaoh was that God may declare his power in casting him downe Nor depth The other sort of Sathans tentations tend 2 His other arme is desperation vnto desperation vvhom he seeth he cannot puffe vp hee doth what hee can to cast downe by feares perturbations wrong conceptions but our comfort is both by the Apostles testimonie and our experience we may be cast downe 2 Cor. 4. 9. but we cannot perish Nor any other creature Now in the ende the Apostle No man is sure to continue in his estate but the Christian doth draw his speach to the height his confidence is so great that not being content vvith the enumeration of aduersaries vvhich hee hath made hee defieth all other whatsoeuer if any other be
for hee speaketh this by way of supposition if there be yet any other creature than those vvhom I haue named I am sure be vvhat they will they cannot seperate vs from the loue of Christ Here in the last roome vvee doe obserue the suretie of a Christian aboue all other men in the world onely the Christian is sure his estate shall neuer be changed Worldlings may Esay 47. 7. Luke 12. 19. No worldling shall abide in the state wherin now hee stands Esay 22. 18. thinke with Babel in her prosperitie I shall neuer be moued and vvith the rich Glutton promise to themselues many yeeres to come but they shall be deceiued none of them shall continue in that state vvherein presently they stand the Lord shall driue them from their station as it vvere vvith vvheeles and shall roll them like a ball as hee threatned to Shâ—bna Pharaoh his pompe shall perish in the Red Sea Nabuchadnezzar shall be changed from a Monarch of men vnto a companion of Beasts Manasses from the Pallace shall goe to the Prison and all the men of the vvorld shall goe from the house to the graue their beautie and royall pompe shall consume as a Moth onely the Christian shall stand for euer in that happy vnion and fellowship with God this is the state of the Christian this is his life this is his glory and from it nothing present nor to come shall euer be able to transchange him Euerlasting praise therefore be to the Lord our God through Iesus Christ. Amen FINIS A TABLE DIRECTING THE Reader how to finde out the principall points of Doctrine contained in these Treatises A ABraham and the rest of the Fathers shall not be perfected without vs pag. 213 Accusations of all sorts vsed against Christians 416. 417. Accusations of Sathan made against vs for sinne past should be preseruatiues against sinne to come 329 Accusation of the carelesse Christian 166 Adam had Euah for a wife a sister and a daughter 23 Admonition with a comfort for weak Christians 208 Adoption naturall and spirituall 194. how the Spiritual excels the Naturall 194. 195. by adoption the sons of God know that God is their Father 195. Adoption two-fold 276. Affections of the Christian and carnall man how different 85. except wee slay inordinate affections wee cannot suffer affliction 218. if we slay not them they will slay vs. See sinne Affliction abhorred by nature 219. It is Gods wine-presse 230. 431. Inward outward and their comforts 225. Good to looke to the end of affliction 226 Afflictions for sinne past are medicinall restoratiues 440. For sinnes to come are wholesome preseruatiues 441. Causes of affliction would be marked 440. What is required in afflictions for Gods sake 442. Not euer inflicted for sinne 441. How profitable 330. Afflictions of the godly and wicked how different 431. See Crosse See suffering Allegorie vsed by Christ Luke 11. exponed 285 Angels and men Apostates only false witnesses against God 38. the fall of Angels of man and of the creature compared 259. Angels and men Apostates how miserable 260. how reprobate Angels hath names of power giuen them 454. how they are Gods messengers and to what end 453. Anger of God toward his Children how to be thought of 327 Apparell of worldlings how it hides not but shewes their nakednes 435. Aquila and Priscilla how they were Martyrs for Christ 444 Assurance of saluation 449. it is no presumption in the Christian to be assured 451. that the christian may be and is assured is proued 119 comfort against the want of feeling of this assurance in the godly 449. It is an euill religion that learnes doubting 450. Papistry can make no man sure of saluation 451. B Battell Christian what it is and how Naturalists haue a battell betweene flesh and flesh not betweene flesh and the Spirit 40. Battell must goe before triumph 415. Difficultie of the christian Battell 41. Our best estate is to fight 42. And how we should help that partie in vs which we would haue victorious 42. Why Sathan sights against vs. 48. And what comfort we haue therein 483. The last battell is the greatest 454 Banishment secludes not the children of God from his familiaritie 432 Benefits of God are obligations 157. they encrease our debt and therefore should humble vs 158. but they are abused by the wicked against God 163 Bondage of sinne how intolerable 50 three things to be considered in it 51. 52. 53. a three-fold meditation to make vs weary of it 53. 54. Bodies are to be humbled in publique exercise 114. how some abuse this 115 Bookes of law and conscience how they shall be opened in the day of iudgement 12 Brotherhood Christian how strait it is 378 C Calling is the first manifestation of our election 382. what inward calling is 382. how it makes a difference betweene man and man 383. it is a new creation 385. wrought without man 385. Calling and conuersion are from Gods purpose 356. it diuides betweene vs and our old sinnes 339. it makes a wonderfull distinction betweene man and man 386. miserable are they who are not seperate by it 387. time of our calling 384. it is short 388. no calling after this life 388. If he cease to call it is one token of his anger 360. the calling of God findes euery man euill exercised 367 Care should be moderate 410. care without Gods blessing is vaine 411 Two sorts of care 412 Carnall professors how miserable 91. 294. they professe friendship to Christ but keepe couenant with Sathan 404. See Professors Carnall presence improued 122 Certaintie of saluation See assurance Communion three-fold betweene Christ the Christian 27. 28. 29. Comforts against the remanents of sinne 102. 105. against the fruit of sinne 121. against death 138. no comfort gotten without the annexed condition 140 Condemnation of the wicked threefold 10 Conscience her terrours 61. a wounded Conscience desires not death 275. The book of Conscience 12. errour thereof 420 Concupiscence euen without consent proued to be a sinne 33. 34. 35. Confidence in God 336 Conformitie with Christ wherein it stands 372. reasons mouing vs to a conformitie with him 375. Some workes wherein wee should not proser to conforme our selues to Christ 372. 373. Contentment of our estate and reasons mouing vs vnto it 411 Chaine of Saluation what sure comfort it renders 362 Christian and carnall men how different euen vnder one Crosse and in doing one worke 131. as different as men and beasts 82. wherefrom comes this difference 84. they are compared in their affections and vnderstanding 85. in speaking and hearing 86. 87. eyther of them counts others fooles 89. but not vpon like warrants 90 Christian how farre hee exceeds the Worldling 108. his glorious priuiledges 211. his prerogatiues 380. Worldlings can not match him in glory 108. his end is better then his beginning the Worldling is the contrarie 221. hee is sure neuer to change his state not so the worldling
456. How worthy to be honoured 108 Christian hath accesse to the chamber of the great King when he will 318. none but he knowes the misteries of the Gospel 320. he is sure of victorie 322. what is his best 337. when comes hee to it 338. 339. his vnion with Christ maruellous 24. Christian exempted from the threefold condemnation of the wicked 15. yet condemned by wicked men 9. sinne is in him but hee goes not after it See Sinne. Hee wants neuer enemies but they cannot hurt him 404. he is compared to a rock in the sea 448. hee wants not Canaanites to curse him 290. hee is subiect to perils 437 Christian his ingrafting in Christ see Ingrafting See Vnion Christian freed from wickednes not from weakenesse 296. why weakenes is left in him 299. A soueraigne rule whereby to try him 110. In the Christian are two men 315. God estimates him by the new man 316. the new man liues in the bodie like Lot in Sodome 317 Christian is not a single man standing by himselfe but a man incorporate in Christ 448 Church how deare to God 335 Creature how it waites sighes and groanes 250. threefold vse thereof to man ward 251. how punished for mans sinne 258. subiect to a two-fold vanity 255. three wayes abused 257. wee should blame our selues when wee are crossed by the creature 259. they shall concurre to plague the wicked 257. what creatures shall be restored 261. to what vse shal the creature serue in the last day 262. how will the creature be deliuered seeing the Psalmist sayes they shall perish 263. the creature complaines to God God complaines to the creature vpon man woe to man if hee complaine not on himselfe 264 Crosse how comfortable Worldlings can not know 330. small crosses are of Gods indulgence 430 Crosses which are not Christs are accursed 224 Crosses should not be sought by vs. 436 Courts of iustice holden by God on man are two in the first the sinnes of the elect was condemned in the second the persons of the wicked shall be condemned 72. 73 Couenant of grace the godly had it euen vnder the Law 190 Curse encreases as sin encreases 256. Christ hath a two-fold right to his fathers kingdom 21. 214. this deliuerance pertaines not to all and how miserable they are who are not in him 18. the prayse of our deliuerance belongs to him onely 55. how hee is Gods owne sonne 66. 408. his diuine generation a great mysterie 67. hee came like a sinfull man but not sinfull 68. he did his greatest workes when he was weakest 73. he is a powerfull Sauiour and our comfort therein 74 Christ is the first borne in three respects 376. miserable they who acknowledge not his prerogatiue 377. Christ and his Spirit are not sundred 117. his kingdome encreases by trouble whereby others are weakned 223. how the wicked giue him stil a scepter of reedâ— 353. Christ is the life and the way to the life 371. hee is the chiefe gift of God all other gifts are but pendicles 422. his exaltation 423. his sitting at the right hand of his Father 424. his intercession 425. how hee restores vs to a better estate then we lost in Adam 453. his loue to vs 379. onely Mediatour of intercession 425. his mediation should suffice vs 427. his resurrection most comfortable 422 D Day of death how it should be expected and waited for 274 Day of iudgement should be waited for as the yeare of Iubilie 275 Death first and second 61. Nature of the first death chaunged 62. to the Christian it is neither totall nor perpetuall 121. Second death hath three degrees 61 Death not presently destroyed for foure causes 136. Ethnickes comfort in death not like ours but their courage better 123. We are not only mortall but dead 124. bound already by the officers of death 124. yet haue wee in vs a life which is not subiect to death 138 Death not to be feared 144. It doth but breake the prison and let out the prisoner 138 Dead body of the Christian honoured by God 141. they haue a balme which preserues them to immortalitie 142 Death second why called a wrath to come 147. the place of it vniuersalitie and eternitie of it 175. Death to sinne restores life which death in sinne tooke away 179 Death comes to the wicked as Iehu to Iehoram 274. how it works good to the godly 331. compared to the red sea 332. 333. can not hurt the man of God 444 remembrance of it profitable 452. how in it we are conquerors 448. comfort in death 453 Death in the body should abate pride 125. Necessarie obseruations concerning it 363 Death of the wicked how miserable 138 Debt double lying vpon vs the one wee must pay the other we must seeke forgiuen 163. What helpes wee haue to pay the debt of obedience 164 Deliuerance from sinne begunne shall be perfected 60 Desertions spirituall no comfort in them 209. 210. Distinction of mankinde three fold 19. 20. Diseases and vncouth deaths come by vncouth sinnes 128 Dwelling of Gods Spirit in the christian 106. What it imports 108. how maruellous it is 107. the christian should be honoured for it 108. What benefits wee get by Claists dwelling in vs. 110. 111. 141. how carnall professors lodge him in a wrong place 114. E Election so sure that no creature can disannull it 370 Epistle to the Romanes why first placed 2. Enemies of the godly how they doe them good 332 F Faith and workes not simply opposit but in the act of iustification 339. See iustification Faith and hope compared 279 Faith compared by Christ to the fish 286. the right place of faith hope and loue in the worke of saluation 281. the fortresse of faith 391 Famine one of God his ordinarie plagues 433. miserable caterpillers are they who make gaine of famine 433. of a cursed rodde changed into a blessed crosse 434. how in famine God prouides for his children 434 First fruits of the Spirit tels what the fulnesse will be 397. 320. 270. First borne his priuiledges 376 Feare of fiue sorts 191. from what feares are the godly exempted 192. feare in the godly prepares a way to loue then it ceases but in the wicked it â—oes on to despayre 193. how wee should feare so long as we are in the body 124 Flesh vsed to expresse sinfull corruption for three causes 32. 33. Mâ—â—rable end thereof 46. 100. what it is to be in the flesh 101. falsely expounded by Syricius of the marryed 101 Foode should so be giuen to the body that sinne be not nourished in the body 168 G God how he is the father of mercie 66. not of iudgement 357. God both by word and deed declares that he craues not our death 169. What comfort haue we in that hee is our Father 203 God his goodnesse is extended to all his inheritance reserued onely to his children 212. His workes are not to be iudged by their beginnings but their ends 324.
his wonderfull wisedome in the harmonie of contraries 324 God rests from workes of creation not of gubernation 325. he workes by contraries 327. his purpose toward vs how it may be knowne 341. See presence God painted in a mans image by Papists and how it is idolatrie 423. 424. Gods Martyrs and Sathans different 442 Godly described 267. oft-times straited in trouble See affliction 432 Glorie to come most certaine 229. prepared to be reuealed 237. by the glorie already reuealed wee may iudge of that which is not reuealed we shal see more there then we can heare in this life 238 Glorie to come both great and certaine 249. how we should be changed for that glory 263. Meditation of the glorie to come recommended 238. our estate in heauen expressed by soure words of great importance 239. excellencie of that glorie 239. Foure things concerning the life to come 239. how fortie dayes company with God changed the face of Moses 240. Since our bodies shall be glorious how glorious shall our soules be 240. See inheritance Glorie of one shall be the glorie of another 241. Persons glorified there are all excellent and singular 241. whether or not shal we know one another there 242. The place of it shewes the greatnes thereof 242. Three places of our residence compared 243. the glorie of the outward court of Gods palace being so glorious the inward must be much more glorious 245. Eternitie and prospecuitie of it 245. Soliditie of it 246. why wee seeke it not 248. glorie of Worldlings how silly 247. let vs seeke the best 247. our highest and best estate 395 Gospel where it is preached there God hath some toward whom he hath a purpose of loue 359. the gospell neither comes nor goes by mans procurement but by God his purpose 361. how this should work in vs a reuerence of the Gospell 359 Grace commâ—nded 96. communicate to few 370 H Harmonie of contraries wonderfull in the creation 324. Harmonie of man his soule and bodie by creation now turned into discord 135 Heart knowne to God only 307. why hidden from men 310. herein appeares God his soueraigntie ouer man that hee is vpon his secrets 311 Heart only puts a difference betweene a Christian and a counterfaâ—t 310 Hardnesse of heart great in this age 272 Hope depends on sure warrants 281. 282. 283. hope described 284. compared to the Egge 286 Humilitie commended 30. 267. I Image of God our eldest glorie .. 374 Impatience in trouble 289 Inheritance heauenly and the nature of it 213. 214. Inimitie with God how foolish are they who keepe it 95 Insidelitie repressed 28 Infirmities how manifold 297. comfort in them 295. how wee should strengthen our selues where we are weakest 297 Ingrafting of a Christian into Christ explaned 24. 25. 26. how he beares fruit as soone as he is planted 31 Ioy three-fold 397. how it is not found but in the depth of a contrite heart 397 Ioy to come how tasted by Worldlings 248. Ioy of things present how vaine 340 Iudgement generall how it will proceede according to the bookes 12. how terrible it will be 13. the remembrance thereof should keepe vs from sinne 14. No mercy will be offred after the last day 15. the christian knowes before hand what will be his sentence in the last day 16. Iudgement delayed confirmes the wicked 129. how foolish they are in so doing 129. Why iudgement is executed on some not on others in this life 130. it is a great iudgement not to be iudged in this life 130 Iudgement three-fold which man may haue of man 104 Iudas punished before Caiaphas and why 40 Iustification by Faith 278. takes not away from the Christian hope and loue 281. Calumnie of the aduersaries here-against confuted 281 Iustification posterior in order to time not in calling 389. three manner of waies taken 389. opened to condemnation 390. State of the controuersie betweene vs and the Papists concerning iustification 190. Destraction of first and second iustification improued 394 Iustification sanctification distinct benefits but inseparable 395 Iustice of God cannot strike vpon vs and why 407. miserable are the wicked who must beare it for euer K Knowledge neither of naturall nor morall Philosophy could profit to Saluation 88. can not preuent an euill end 89. brings out death 88 L Laments of the godly turned into triumph Law cannot saue vs and why 63. Naturally men seeke life in it but in vaine 64. impotencie of tho law is of vs not of the law 65. how is it and shall be fulfilled in vs 75. how not fulfilled in this life 76. we are freed from the curse of the law not from the obedience thereof 80. it discouers sin and causes feare 189. Life prophane is a great dishonour to Christ 37. a false witnessing against Christ 38. full of sacriledge 39 Life of a Christian is a mixed webbe 5. a holy life a sure marke of our vnion with Christ 38. it is the first martyrdome 38. three helpes of a godly life 47. our life should be a continuall progresse in godlinesse See walking our life tels whose seruants wee are 166. they who liue in sin are in death and shall die a worse death 174 Life present a thorow way to heauen or hell 173. it is not the right recompence of godlinesse 180. 181. how it is a momentanian life 232. by what similitudes the vanity therof is figured 232. the pleasures thereof are worme-eaten 233 Life present a point betweene two eternities so to speake 363. a stage play 246. it is neither the place of our rest nor our glorie 430. our estate here is neither the last noâ— the best 135. in this life he hath fewest yeares who hath liued longest 234 Life eternall hath three degrees 396. S. Paul a strong witnesse of the pleasures thereof and why 277. See glory Libertie purchased to vs by Christ bindes vs to himselfe 160 Loue of God toward vs may be seene in the price that hee gaue for vs. 68. 407. 409. Loue of the godly 70. compared to bread 286 Loue is the first affection that God sanctifies and the first that Sathan peruerts 344. it is not an easie nor common thing to loue God 343. none can loue him but his elect effectually called 342. the obiects of our loue 344. 345. he cannot loue his brother who loues not himselfe 345. man hath need to learne how to loue himselfe 346 Loue to our selfe and others should be in measure to God without measure 346. Three conditions required in the loue of God 347. Wee are farre from the loue of God we should haue 348. Meditations to encrease this loue of God in vs. 349 Loue tryed by the effects 349. he louâ—s not God who loues not the Word and Prayer 350. and longeth not to be where he is 350. Loue tryed by obedience 352. a proofe that many are without loue 351. Loue is bountifull 353. our loue to God cannot be fully and finally bequeathed 328 Lustes of the
how lamentable it is 125 Seruant of seruants is hee who is not Christs seruant 160. by what bands wee are bound to be Christs seruants 161. how wee are both swoâ—ne and hired and haue receiued wages in hand 162 Seruants should we be to Christ 169. how other Lords would haue vs seruants to them 168. it is a shame for man to seeke seruice from his inferior and refuse it to his superiour 161 Seeke God what comfort they haue who doe so 237 Sinne suffered to remaine in the godly and why 7. sinne is in the christian but he walkes not after it 43. any seruice he giues to sinne is by compulsion 43 Sin hath a two-fold power 1. to command 2. to condemne 49. A Law how ascribed to sinne 51. it seemes sweet but it is bitter 59. sinne and death are inseparable 57. how sinne is condemned by Christ 71. cursed are they who nourish it seeing Christ came to destroy it Sinne multiplyed how it should humble vs 98. 99. how it causes the Lord disauow his owne creature 120. a sinner impenitent murthers himselfe 128. if wee slay not sinne it will slâ—y vs. 171 Sinne is the forbidden tree 171. men seeke fruits on it which they shall not finde and findes on it that which they would not haue 172. how the fruit and the deceit of sin are to be distinguished 172. sinne vnder secrecie 308. is great folly 309 Sinnes multiplyed how they grow into a treasure 337. Sinne for giuen breeds great ioy 414. Sinne euil in the affection but good in the memory 420 Sions beauty and Sinaies terrour how they should moue vs. 408 Soule immortall 132. two-fold life of the soule 133. compared to Abrahams house 107. life of it flowes from Christ his righteousnesse 137. it is Gods Temple how it should be dayly swept and kept cleane 113. it should neuer want morning and euening sacrifices in it 13. the soule is first restored and then the bodie 143. See Temple Sonnes of God are not now reuealed 252. no man should iudge of them by their present estate 253 Sonnes of God how all of them are his heyres 213. and hath his Spirit 187 Sheepe how the godly are compared to sheepe both by God and by wicked men 446. 447. Spirit how hee is said to depart from the godly 109. his two-fold operations 117. his threefold notable operation in the godly 118. how he is Gods seale his witnesse and his earnest 119 Spirit his operations vniuersall 181. speciall of sundry sorts 182. how hee leades his children monendo monendo 182. 183. his threefold operation in the godly 188 Spirit is giuen and receiued by the word 190. how in his first operation hee is a Spirit of bondage to feare 189. wee haue in this life but the first fruits of the Spirit 268. why the Lord giues vs not the principall here 269. what comfort haue we through the earnest of the Spirit 270 Spirit why he appeared in the likenesse of a Doue and similitude of sire 294. how hee â—eares the burthen with vs 298. how hâ—e requests for vs. 301 Sufferings are no testimonies of Gods anger 223. all the godly are subiect to them 222. three things required to make our sufferings sufferings with Christ 224. the three persons of the blessed Trinitie suffer with the godly 224. all the sufferings of Christians are not for Christ 442 the causes of suffering 443. Euery suffering renders not glorie 231. time of our suffering is short 231. a necessarie obseruation in suffering 443. Simpathy in suffering with Christ See afflictions T Temperance 126 Temple of God should be more beautifull within then without 115. See soule Tentations to sinne are of the deceiuer 58. comfort in them 59. a good answere to Sathan in his tentations to sinne thou hast deceiued mee so oft why shall I beleeue thee any more 127. See Sathan Tentations by Sathan vnto sinne should chace vs to grace See Sathan Standing in tentations what comfort it renders 298 Thankefulnesse to God should be declared in a three-fold duety 69. 112. 267 Threatnings vsed by the Lord argues our rebellion 170 Tongue of the wicked is a sire furnace wherein the godly are tryed 416. tongues bended against the godly are accursed 305 W Walking from euill to good is the life of a Christian 44. What neede in this walking weâ— haue of a guide 184. how wee should follow our guide 185. how oâ—r way should be considered 45 Wicked men how they walke in a circular motion 44. How miserable they are 98. their rebellion exempts them not from subiection 97 Wicked men compared to open sepulchers 116. they dye miserably and why 138 139. With what Spirit are they led 186. 187. The wicked are left for tryall of the good 291. A wicked man is at his best when he is first borne 337. all workes for the worst vnto them 341. all creatures shall accuse them 421 Will accepted for a deede 444 Will contrarie to Gods will most miserable 100. all the strife betweene God and man is about this whose will should be done 99 Vbiquitaries improued 424 Vnion of a christian with Christ how strait it is 23. 24. Worldlings wrong estimation of a Christian 446. they loue immortalitie but seeke it the wrong way 142. No worldlings shall continue in the state wherin he stands now 456 Worldlings comfort is seene not so the Christians 285. his fectlesse obiection to the Christian 286. their rebuke 287. they are cursed with the Serpent 321. they speake of Gods word like Birds counter fetting mans voice 321. the paines they take on trifles should shame vs that take no paines vpon better things 340 World consists of two contrarie factions 401 Word should be applyed 103. by the word we receiue the Spirit 190. it is as milk to some as salt to others 170. rebukes thereof how not suffered 171 Workes wrought by God called our workes 177. our workes no supplyments of Christs merits 235. how workes of men regenerate doe not merit 393. workes both of the law morall and ceremoniall excluded from iustification 394 Worshippers of God in whatsoeuer part are all of one communion 438 Wrath to come will eate vp all present pleasure 235 FINIS
for transgression of her precepts requiring that the wicked may be put to death for their most vnreasonable disobedience her commandements for number being but ten and so not burdenable to the memorie for vnderstanding plaine written in the heart of euery man â—or equity not contradictable for the Law craueth nothing of man but that which by the holinesse of his nature receiued by Creation hee was able to performe neither doth the law command any thing profitable to God who gaue it but vnto man who receiued it And for holinesse euery precept of the law when God proclaimed it on mount Sinai was assisted with a thousand of his Saints as witnesses of the holinesse thereof all these circumstances doe aggrauate the waight of that iudgement which the law shall giue out against the transgressors thereof Then from the Law iudgement shall proceede How they shal be conuicted by the booke of conscience to Conscience and Conscience shall witnesse against them of their transgressions against euery precept of the law wherein they shall be so cleerely conuinced that their particular sinnes with the circumstances thereof time and place though now they haue cast them behind their backs shall then be set in order before them and so iustly euery manner of way shall iudgement goe out against them Eliphaz spoke it faslie to Iob thy owne mouth and not I Iob. 15. 6. condemnes thee but most iustly shall the ruler of the world lay it vpon the wicked out of thy owne mouth I iudge thee Luke 19. 22. O thou euill and vnfaithfull seruant the voyce of thine own conscience and no other shall condemne thee And as this condemnation will be most righteous so This iudgmeÌ„t shall also be most terrible shall it be also most fearefull not onely in regard of the manner of the Lords proceeding in that last iudgement but chiefly in regard of that irreuocable sentence of damnation Exod. 19. 16. which shall be executed without delay The Law Moses trembled for feare at the giuing of the law what will the wicked doe at the execution therof was giuen with Thunders and Lightnings and a thicke cloud vpon the mount with an exceeding loud sound of the Trumpet so that all the people were afraide yea so terrible was the sight that Moses said I feare and quake The lawes of mighty Monarches are executed with greater terror then they are proclaymed what then shall we looke for when the God of glory shall appeare to iudge the world according to his law the Heauens shall passe away with a Reuel 6. 14. noyse the Elements shall melt with heate the Earth with the workes which are therein shall be burnt vp the Archangell shall blow a Trumpet at the voyce whereof the dead shall rise If Moses the seruant of the Lord quaked to heare the first Trumpet how shall the wicked condemned in their owne conscience tremble and quake to heare the second Then shall the Kings of the Earth and the great men and the Reu. 6. 15. rich mâ—n and the chiefe Captaines and the mightie men hide themselues in the Dennes and among the rockes of the Mountaines for what strength is there in man who is but stubble to stand before a consuming fire and or euer their doome be giuen out they shall crie Mountaines and Rockes fall vpon vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne but when they shall heare that fearefull sentence Depart from me yee cursed into euerlasting fire prepared Mat. 25. 41. for the Diuell and his Angels O how shall the terror thereof confound their spirits and presse them downe to the bottome of hell O fearefull sentence depart from me what shall the creature doe when the Creator in his wrath commands it to depart and by his power banishes it from his presence O man wilt thou consider in time who shall receiue Remembrance of this last iudgment is a preseruatiue against sinne thee when God casts thee out from his face or who shall pittie and be able to comfort thee when God shall persecute thee with his wrath assure thy selfe euery creature shall refuse her comfort to thee if a drop of cold water might be a reliefe vnto thee thou shalt not get it Happie therefore are they who in time resolue themselues with Peter Lord whither away shall we goe from thee thou hast Math. 10. the words of eternall life For they who doe now goe a whoring from the Lord wandring after lying vanities shall in that day receiue this for a recompence of their errour Goe to the Gods whom ye haue serued Your whole life was but a Iud. 10. 14. Math. 25. 41. turning backe from me now therefore depart from me and whither into fire and what fire euerlasting fire and with whom with the Diuell and his Angels thou hast forsaken me thou hast followed them goe thy way with them a companion of their torment O fearefull sentence Quae Augustine cum ita sint bene nobisâ—um agâ—râ—tur si iâ—m nunc sic nos paeniteret super malis nostris qâ—omâ—do tunc sine vllo remedio paenitebit It were good therefore sayes Augustine if now all men could so repent of their sinnes as it is certaine in that day they shall repent without any remedie for then the wicked will shed teares aboundantly but they shall be fruitlesse And if all this cannot waken thee to goe to the Lord The day before the last iudgement Mercie shall be offered but none after it Iesus vpon the feete of faith and repentance that in him thou mayest be deliuered from this fearefull damnation yet remember that seeing this iudgement is supreame and the last from which will be no recalling most foolish art thou if in time thou doe not foresee and prouide how thou mayest stand in it Now if thy conscience condemne thee thou maist get if thou seeke absolution in Christ but in that day if the Lord condemne thee thou shalt neuer be absolued the day before the Trumpet sound mercy shall be preached to the penitent and beleeuers by the Gospell but from the time that once the sentence is giuen out there shall neuer be more offering of mercie the doore shall be closed though the wicked crie for mercie and with Esau seeke the blessing with many teares yet shall they neuer finde it Of all this now it is euident what an excellent benefit By Christ wee haue deliuerance from this threefold condemnation wee haue by Iesus Christ in that wee are deliuered from this three-fold condemnation For first being iustified by faith we haue peace with God in our consciences that holy spirit of adoption testifying vnto vs that our sinnes are forgiuen vs whereof arises in our heart an vnspeakable and glorious ioy which ioy notwithstanding cannot be full nor perfect vntill the former sentence of our absolution be also pronounced in the other two iudgements that in the
houre of death wee heare that ioyfull sentence Come to me thou Mat. 25. 21. faithfull seruant c. This night thou shalt be with mee in paradise Marke 23. 43. Math. 25. 34. Come and inherit the kingdome prepared for you Till then our peace is not alway without perturbation our ioy Yet our peace and ioy are not perfect in this life and why not without heauinesse nor our confidence without feare yea in our best estate we liue vnder expectation of a better For the iudgement of conscience suppose it be diuine yet it is not supreme nor absolutely perfect because the light we haue to informe conscience is but in part If thy conscience be euill and accuse thee it cannot accuse thee of all the euill which is in thee for if our conscience condemne vs 1. Iohn 3. 20. God is greater then our conscience and will much more condemne Deus scit in nobis quâ—d ipsi nes 〈…〉 s. God knoweth Aug. in Ioan. tract 42. that in vs which we know not our selues And if thy conscience be good and excuse thee yet can it not beare record of all the good which God by the Spirit of Grace hath wrought in thee And therefore for our comfort may wee turne that sentence if our conscience excuse vs God is greater then our conscience and will much more excuse vs. And hereof it commeth that our conscience can neither haue perfect nor perpetuall rest in this life because as is said it dependeth and looketh alwayes for that supreme and absolutory sentence of the highest Iudicator yet so much assurance haue wee and that vpon most certaine grounds whereof we will speake God willing hereafter as makes vs in our greatest tribulations to reioyce vnder the hope of the glorie of God And herein hath the Lord magnified his meruailous mercyes towards vs in that he hath not onely set vs free A great comfort that the Christian knowes before hand the sentence to be pronounced vpon him from condemnation but hath also forewarned vs before we come to iudgement that we shall not be condemned Yea so tender a regard hath the Lord of vs that in his last and supreame Court sentence of absolution shall first be pronounced vpon his children before that sentence of coÌ„demnation be giuen out against the reprobate that the Godly finding themselues in surety should not be discouraged to heare the fearfull reiection of the wicked Let vs not therefore be afraid when so it shall please the Lord to remoue vs out of this earthly Tabernacle seeing that before euer wee goe we know our sentence Pharaoh his Butler was not afraid Gen. 40 13. to goe before his Iudge because Ioseph foretold him that hee should be restored to his office and may not we with greater boldnesse goe before our King seeing we are fore-warned that he will restore vs vnto a more happy estate then that which we lost in Adam This we haue spoken of the glorious deliuerance which But how glorious this deliuerance â—s wee shall best know when we shall be set on mount Sion the iustified man hath in Iesus Christ our best knowledge is but in a part and we are not able to speake of these mercies of our God according to their excellencie The Lord is able to doe vnto vs aboue all that we can aske or thinke The Christian may looke for much more to be giuen him through Christ then any thing that euer he heard or hath conceiued in his owne minde When Lot was compelled to Gen. 14. goe out of Sodome by the Angels he considered not how mercifull the Lord was vnto him and therefore lingred and prolonged the time but being thrust out of Sodome by the Angell and set vpon the mountaine which the Lord had assigned to him for a place of refuge vnto him then no doubt considering the greatnesse of that iudgement which the Lord had executed vpon Sodome the smoke whereof we may well thinke he saw with Abraham the next morne mounting vp like the smoke of a Furnace then no doubt hee was moued in his heart to magnifie the Lords mercie toward him and if in Zoar where he was still in feare hee acknowledged that his life had beene precious in their eies who were sent to deliuer him much more may wee thinke hee was thankfull at the first on the mountaine when he saw their fearefull confusion and his meruailous preseruation It is euen so with vs wee are yet in Sodome which shortly will be burnt vp with fire the Lord doth daily send his Angels to vs warning vs to escape for our life but alas we prolong the time we delay to turne to the Lord loath we are to goe out of Sodome and all because wee know not with the Apostle the terrour of that day but surely when 2 Cor. 5. Reue. 11. the Lord shall set vs on mount Sion among those thousands which follow the Lambe and we shall see the smoake of the damned ascending continually when we shall stand at the right hand of the Lord Iesus and shall heare that fearefull sentence pronounced on the wicked and see the speedie and terrible execution thereof the earth opening incontinent to swallow them then shall we perfectly know how greatly the Lord hath magnified his mercies towards vs in deliuering vs from so fearefull a condemnation Last of all as this is the happy estate of them who are in How miserable are they who are not in Christ Christ that now there is no condemnation for them so is it the contrary miserable estate of the damned doe what they will euery action of their life makes out the processe of their most iust condemnation for to the vncleane all things are vncleane yea euen their consciences are defiled and Tit. 1. their prayer is abhominable and turned into sin but thanks be to God through Iesus Christ who hath deliuered vs from this most vnhappy condition To them who are in Christ. Albeit the former mentioned Deliuerance by Christ pertains not vnto all men onely to them who are of the houshold of Faith deliuerance from the wrath to come be most comfortable yet this which is subioyned should waken euery man to take heed vnto himselfe when we heare that this deliuerance is limited and restrained onely to them who are in Christ It is true that by the offence of one man the fault came on all to condemnation but by the obedience of one all are not made righteous only they who receiue the abundance Rom. 5. of grace and gift of righteousnesse shall raigne in life through one Iesus Christ As therefore we haue receiued within our selues by nature the sentence of death knowing that we are borne heires of the wrath of God by disobedience so wisedome craues that we neuer rest nor suffer our eyes to sleepe nor our eye-lids to slumber but that wee should recount our former sinnes in the bitternes of our heart and