are right hands of iniquity Beloved heare Peters exhortation l 2. Pet. 1.5 Ioine to faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge tēperance c Virtutes christianae are Copulativae and so linked in amity each to other that as Nami speaks to Ruth m Ruth 1.16 Qui vnam virtutem habet Aug. ep 29. where thou goest I go where thou dwellest I dwell nothing but death can sever So where one dwels al dwell where one is wanting no one is obtained Passe we vnto the third member the fountaine of the blessing I can do all things through Christ c. These are magnifica that Paule speakes of himselfe and such speeches as these of himselfe made Porphyrie charge him with the crime of boasting But yet this shall ever be noted as the nature of thankfulnesse It is willing to draw out received benefits to the vtmost extent but still with reference to the praise of the bestower I can do all things but the fountaine of this power is Christ So els where n 1. Cor. 15.10 I haue laboured more then all yet not I but grace which is with me And what if we say with Bernard we are not only o Bern. de grat lib. arbit operis ministri per effectum but operantis quodammodo socij per consensum If this be withal acknowledged that God Communicates the worke vnto vs and that will and worke proceed from him p Aug. de haeres cap. 88. Pelagius in Austins old age set this heresy on foot that man in nature as now borne of Adam hath power of himselfe to keepe all the Commandements From him it should seeme the Greekes tooke their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe abilitie and sufficiency which they dreamed to be in nature even to things supernaturall as beliefe and repentance My purpose is not to run out into the large discussing of that controversie this only it will not be amisse to shew how farre natures strength reacheth in moralities and to what it extends not This then I thinke may be granted to Pelagius without any preiudice of truth That naturall mē haue some kind of command over the locomotiue facultie and may doe the externall workes of piety towards God and iustice to men without any more then the generall influence of providence or the common worke of Gods spirit which is vouchsafed to hypocrits in the Church yea to some heathen out of it The q Rom. 2.14 Gētiles by nature .i. by instinct direction power of nature doe the things of the law I say not all things I say not any thing in the right manner Yet Seneca spake much if performance were answerable Si scirem Deos ignoscituros homines ignoraturos tamen propter peccati turpitudinem peccare dedignarer Were J sure of pardō fom God and concealement from men yet for the turpitude sin hath in it I would scorne to commit it Magna sunt haec in homine Philosopho and a saying as neere as any to christian sinceritie But yet if this be true that principium finis denominant actionem the motiue and ende denominate the action nature will never reach I say not to do al things but not to doe any thing morally good or acceptable to God The principles of moral actions that they may be acceptable according to the law are two Loue and Dutie Loue inclining the affections Duty pressing the conscience And how of loue to God we should do duties that haue not had Gods loue shed abroad in our hearts I know not seeing Iohn saith r 1. Ioh. 4.19 wee loue him because he loved vs first And who ever could finde a naturall man so rectifyed as that he performed his religious or civil offices for conscience of God The end is ſ Mat. 5.16 Gods glory And if ever heathen or vnsanctified men come thus farre to such intention Pelagius shall soone be acknowledged a teacher of truth Dulce decorum honestum and honorificum Virtutes istae tali fine turpes defermes Aug. cont Iulian. Pelag lib. 4 cap 3. Non ossiciis sed sinibus a vitiis discernendae virtutes Idem ibidem vaine glory and eternitie of fame these were motiues heathenish But for Gods glory who so findes in nature a desire to advance it findes more then the Lord himselfe coulde finde in his most strict surview of man in his naturals t Psal 14 2 3. There is none that vnderstandeth none that seeketh after God And what lacke Papists of Pelagianisme that allow to nature a power dispositiue and ability to prepare it selfe to regeneration The Apostle that u Philip. 3.6 in nature went as farre as any yet acknowledgeth all his power to proceed from Christ And our Saviour himselfe * Ioh. 15.5 Without me yee can doe nothing no saith the Apostle x 2. Cor. 3.5 not thinke a good thought And howsoever it bee true Gods children haue power to practise yet is the fountaine of all power Christ Iesus On him first rested y Isai 11.2 the spirit of strength and z Ioh. 1 16. of his fulnesse wee all receaue grace for grace grace be it what it will bee a Eph. 4.7 according to the measure of the donation of Christ Now brethren beloved longed for what remains for vs but b Ps 116.12 13 to take the cup of Salvation and giue thankes vnto the Lord It is all the recompence the Lord expects from vs for all the blessings he hath bestowed on vs. It may be we can say some of vs that the bloody fluxe of naturall corruption is stopped in vs we shall be vnthakfull if we acknowledge not c Mark 5.30 the vertue to haue come from Christ It may be wee can say our lips are purged that we can now speake to the praise of the Lord but Isai would acknowledge d Isa 6 6. that the coale came from this Altar It may be that we haue receaved e Isai 50 4. a tongue of the learned but can we forget that the Lord hath given it It may be a spirit and power in prayer but shall we not remember that it is the f Rom. 8.26 spirit that helpes our infirmities Yea go over all the good things thou inioyost thou shalt be forced to acknowledge Christ for the fountaine And why may I not againe inferre that seeing our rivers flowe all from this sea they should g Ec. 1.7 thether return as tributaries whence they first proceeded my meaning is the guifts we haue receaved frō Christ we should vse all h Rom. 11. vlt to the honour of him from whome we haue receaved them It is good in Christianity in some sense to circulate and if in the vse of our guifts receaved we could make our whole life a circle to close in the point whence it began the motion were heavenly This doe then Marshall vp your graces
children they are therefore vsually sinnes besides the purpose geneâ—all or particular Such those of David Peter infirmities no doubt in theÌ„ though enormities in themselues Davids adultery l 2. Sam. 11.2 not thought of before suggested Peters deniall m Mat. 26.35 purposed against Though I should die with thee I would not deny thee Now when men shall plot iniquitie and n Mic. 2.1 fashion it on their beds when as o Gen. 27.41 Esau they hunt after opportunities and purposely study how to compasse their notorious sins these should not I dare cal sins of infirmity In sinnes of infirmitie Premit vrget infirmos Aug. qua supra as the temptation is suddaine so the consent not without some reluctation wrested from them and ever there is more or lesse resistance before consent p 1. Ioh. 3 9. Hee that is borne of God sinneth not nor can sinne i. say some not make a trade of sinning say others not sin to death this I may adde not with fulnesse of consent not without some reluctation And these sinnes thus striven against are indeed infirmities in Gods children how ever enormious in themselus By the law of God q Deut 22.26 27. a Virgin found in the field suddainely and violently assaulted if according to strength shee make resistance crying out and none neere to help her in such case is reputed guiltlesse of the crime of fornication And if we by violent assaults be withdrawne striving to the vtmost of power receaved to withstand yet fal of such fals we may say as David they are our infirmities But if we shall wait for occasions and bid welcome to opportunities as the strumpet in Salomon to her adulterous copesmate r Prov 7.15 I came forth to meete theo I haue sought thy face and reioyce that I haue found thee such sinnes dare any call infirmities Sinnes of weaknesse I speake still of notorious and grosse sinnes haue commonly for their ground some strong passion in nature something that is with nature very prevalent as feare of death in Peter of shame in David That same which the Philosopher cals most terrible of all evils prevailed with Å¿ Mat. 26. Peter and overcame him t Iob. 2.4 skin for skin and all that a man hath will hee giue for his life and that shame which ingenuous natures feare more then death no marvaile so prevalent with David But what shall we say of sinnes abhorred of nature that same vnmeasurable and Dutchmanlike drinking Of this shall we say it is an infirmitie 4 Sinnes of infirmitie as in their temptation they are suddaine and resisted so in their loose they giue farewell in bitternesse they ende in mourning u Mat. 26.27 Peters bitter banning cost him bitter weeping and Davids sweet sin was * Psal 51. sowerly sauced x Arist Eth. 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But when men y Philip. 3 19. shall glory in their shame as the buyer in Salomon It is naught It is naught but when hee is gone he boasteth this I should never call a sinne of infirmitie 5 Sinnes of infirmitie are never sinnes of custome Noesuit aliquae do ebrius qudvis absit vt fuerit ebriosus Aug. de peccat merit remis l. 2. c. 10. yea seldome or never iterated I speake still of grosse sinnes notoriously knowne to be enormious but fortification is ever there planted where the breach hath once beene made Of Iudah his incest we read but withall z Gen. 38.26 that he never came more neere Thamar Now wheÌ„ men shall a Isai 5.11 follow drunkennesse b Prov. 23. vlt. seeke it yet still howe shall we call these infirmities And as for sinnes they haue strength to avoid them so for duties they haue power to practise The questions that Christ propounded to the sonnes of Zebedee if it be moved to any of Gods children will receaue the same answere with the same or more truth c Mat. 20.22 Can you drinke of the cup that I shall drinke of and bee baptised with the baptisme that I shall be baptised with They answer we can Canst thou moderate thy affections refraine thy lips subdue thy thoughes to the obedience of Christ Surely these and what not can a child of God do in some measure So that it is but hypocrisie that pretends absolute disability And of the blessing acknowledged thus farre See we now the extent of the blessing in the obiect All things Strangely is Paules voice changed In one place he thus complaines d Rom. 7.18 To will is present with me but I finde no power to performe yet here he triumphs I can doe all things We may thus reconcile them 1. It may bee that is a negatiue by comparison as such are obvious every where in Scripture And the meaning may bee not that hee had no power but none answerable to his will as else where c Ioh. 9.41 If yee were blind yee should haue no sin .i. as Augustine none in comparison not simply none And surely as in men aliens from the life of God there is an endlesse desire to sinne which makes their punishment endlesse though their power in execution be restrained So in Gods children though wee see some performances more endeavours yet endlesse desires never satisfied with their measure of obedience they will but finde no power answerable to their desire Or 2 thus To will is present but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to goe through with the worke Non ait facere sed perficere bonum dug Cont. Iulian pelag l. 3. cap. 26. they find not God having reserved perfection of power to the world to come All things Papists falling on this Scripture infer presently a possibilitie by grace to keepe the law to iustification for what should he want to righteousnesse that can all things inioined in the law of God Not to trouble you with that controversy at large take only what may serue for loosing their hold on this Scripture Some here acknowledge vniversale accommodum the vniversall particle restrained to the particulars mentioned All things .i. all these things And it is true there are in Scriptures plentifull examples of such restrictions But yet I see no great necessitie or warrant in this place to run to such limitation This once I am sure of the things here specified are of as difficult performance as any J knowe in the whole circle of Christian duties Aequabilitie in all states what hath Christianity harder Not to surfet of prosperitie what temperance Not to be deiected with abasures of how great fortitude And he that can these may without restraint professe his power in all the rest Some therefore in this question thus distinguish performance of the law It is of two sorts One after legall rigour another after Evangelicall mitigation That is f Rom. 8.3 impossible for when g Gal 3.10 one duty may not bee wanting and h
Iac. 3.2 in many things we sinne all who can by the law expect iustification After Evangelicall mitigation it 's possible to doe all things yet not so as to be iustified thereby As 1. it is possible to loue the law the duties therein contained i Ps 119.37 Lord saith David how doe I loue thy law 2 Possible to purpose obedience k Ps 119.106 I haue sworne and am stedfastly purposed to keepe thy righteous iudgements 3 Possible to desire obedience l Rom. 7.18 To will is present with me 4 Possible to endeavour obedience m Act 24 16. Phil. 3 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I striue and wrestle with my Corruptions that I may keepe a good cōscience 5 Possible in a measure to performe obedience for we haue n 2. Tim. 1.7 a spirit of power 6 Possible to o 2. Cor. 7.11 grieue for defects And this is acceptable performance at the barre of mercy though such as cannot but dread the censure of exact Iustice to which they are all liable that seek iustificatiō by the law p Aug. de peccat merit remiss lib. 3. ad Calcem Optandum est vt fiat conandum est vt fiat supplicandum est vt fiat non tamen quasi factum fuerit confidendum est Others thus Acceptably we may perfectly we cannot And it is true there may bee acceptation where is not perfection q 2. Cor. 8.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ready minde is accepted and that of the Lord by the Prophet r Mal 3.17 I will spare as a father doth his sonne that serveth him To which if I may adde one thing for explanation I thinke the answere wil be beyond exception Consider we therefore in every christian duty two things 1. Rem 2. Modum the substance of the duty the manner of doing The things are al possible in a measure and yet impossible in that perfect and full measure that the law requires For ſ Pro. 20.9 whose hart is clean Or who dares t Psal 143.2 present his best works to be iudged without mercy rather subscribes not feelingly to that vae of a father Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remotâ misericordiâ discutias cam But yet for the duties some measure there is of sincere and hearty performance Bernard blasphemed not when he saide Christ makes beleevers omnipotent u Ser. in Cant. 85. There is nothing saith he wherein the omnipotency of the word more shines then in this that he makes after a sort omnipotent all that trust in him All things are possible to a beleever An non omnipotens cui omnia possibilia Surely so is every beleeving new borne christian in his kinde omnipotent not as God with a trāscendent power beseeming the deity but with all sufficiency necessary to christianity They can do all things Now brethren if I had leaue a little largely to apply this vniversality me thinks it would not be hard by it to discover the hypocrisie of many pretending vnion and communion with Christ * Iud. 12.6 Shibboleth never descryed so many Ephraimites as this woulde hypocrites in the Church of God x Gell. Attic. noct lib. 12. c. 1. Phauorinus in Gellius seeing a nice mother willing to share her motherly offices betwixt her selfe and her nurse thus angerly cries out Quod nam inquit est hoc contra naturam imperfectum dimidiatum matrum genus What a halfe kinde of mothers against nature is this that brings forth and forthwith casts frō her the birth of her owne wombe Such a dimidiatum Christianorum genus a halfe kinde of Christians ye shal every where see cut of shorter in their practise then ever were the garmentes of Davids servantes by Hanun y Act. 26.28 Agrippa as now the rate of christians goes nere worthy a prime place in the Church of God and z Mar. 6.20 Herods many things might iustly require a preachers connivence at his incest with Herodias But yet by Paules rule neither better then hypocrits a 2. Reg 5.18 Naaman in one thing would be borne withall And howsoever the Prophet speake peace vnto him vpon hypothesis of his contrarie purpose yet S. Iames is resolute that the b Iac. 2.10 willing bearing with our selues in one thing argues a meere nullitie of sincere obedience And what availes it my brethren whether covetousnes or prodigality prophanenesse or hypocrisie raigne in vs whether on the right hand or on the left by overgoig or vndergoing we be deprived of salvatiō There are many by-pathes misleading a christian but they meere all in one terme the c Prov. 16.25 issues of them all are the issues of death What profits it to fly precisenes and incurre profanenes As if a man fled from a Lyon and a Beare met him as the Prophet speakes in another case Yea this let me more say could we go as farre in sincere practise as the young man in the gospell went in prowde profession d Mat. 19.20 All these things haue I done from my youth vp and yet one thing wāting those other things should no whit availe vs. Grace breeds no monsters as it is not redundant in superfluities so neither defectiue in necessarijs e 1. Cor. 1.7 You are behinde in no gift it is the generall description of every truely renued christian Wee haue many amongst vs in pretence new creatures and yet well weighed but monsters of new men The good heart goes farre when the whole outwarde man is vnreformed I know it is true of the heart even in this second generation it is primum vivens but yet I could never finde a cleere fountaine but the streames were also in some measure purged f Iac. 3.11 Can a foūtaine saith S. Iames and can g Mat. 12.35 a good mā out of the good treasure of his good hart but bring forth good things The waters of Bethel were naught vnholesome the groūd by them made barren What marvel whilst the springs were filthy h 2. Reg. 2.21 But when Elisha had cast his salt into the springs Thus saith the Lord I haue healed the waters Death shall no more come therof nor barrennes to the ground The heart vnsanctified is no better then a sinke of vncleanenes alwaies foaming out shame and filthines But when once the Lord hath seasoned the heart with grace the streames that thence flow are health and holines i Heb. 10.22 Whē the heart is sprinkled from an evill conscience the body is also washed with pure water And how many alas how many bare tonguy Christians Linguists only in religion k Iac. 2.16 Be warmed be filled is all their charity a little of the language of Canaan all their sanctity He is a monster in nature that is bigger tongued then handed And they are monsters in grace whose tongues swel with prowd boastings of holinesse and their right hands