principall that the Messias his Redeemer should descend of his loines And this was the thing which his faith in the promise of God specially aimed at I answer againe that Abraham beleeued not onely the power of God Rom. 4. 21. but also his will which he had reuealed in the promise In thy seede all the nations of the earth shall be blessed Secondly it is alleadged that Christ in the curing of certaine blind men required no more but that they should beleeue his power Math. 9. 28. I answer that the ende of the miracles of Christ was to confirme the certentie of doctrine specially touching his natures and offices And therefore a generall faith touching the diuine power or Godhead of Christ was sufficient for the obtaining of a miraculous cure Thirdly they obiect that saluation is promised to generall faith Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeue that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued That Peters faith was generall Math. 16. 10. Thou art Iesus Christ the sonne of the liuing God That the Eunuchs faith was of the same kind Act. 8. 37. I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God Ans. It is a common rule in scripture that words signifying knowledge signifie also the motions and good affections of the heart Psal. 1. The Lord knowes the way of the righteous that is knowes and approoues it 2. Tim. 2. 19. The Lord knowes who are his that is he knoweth and chooseth them Ioh. 17. 2. This is eternall life to know thee the onely God that is to know and acknowledge thee for our God If this be true in wordes of knowledge then much more wordes of beleeuing signifie the good motions and the affiance of the heart Thus to beleeue Christ to be the sonne of God in the places before named is to beleeue that he is God and withall to fixe our affiance on him otherwise the deuills beleeue thus much When Thomas had put his finger in the side of Christ he saide My Lord and my God Ioh. 20. 28. And to this speech of his Christ faith Thou hast seene and beleeued This then is true faith not onely to beleeue that Christ is God but also that he is our God Iustifying faith in true manner is defined thus It is a gift whereby we apprehend Christ and his benefits Ioh. 1. 12. to beleeue in Christ and to receiue Christ are put both for one Ioh. 6. faith is the mouth of the soule whereby we eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood Ioh. 17. 8. To receiue the word of Christ to acknowledge it and to beleeue it are put all for one Paul saith that the Gentiles did apprehend the iustice which is by faith Rom. 9. 30. Againe that we receiue the promise of the spirit by faith Gel. 3. 14. This apprehension stands in two things The first is to know Christ as he propounds himselfe in the word and sacraments The second is To applie him and his benefits vnto our selues This application is made by a supernaturall act of the vnderstanding when we beleeue that Christ with his benefits is really ours It may be obiected that faith is a certen confidence whereby we beleeue in Christ and so it is described euen in this text Ans. I. Faith and confidence properly are distinct gifts of God and confidence is the effect or fruit of faith For Paul saith that we haue entrance to God with confidence by faith Eph. 3. 12. And reason declares as much for a man can not put his confidence in Christ till he be assured that Christ with his benefits are his We doe not rest on his goodnes of whose loue we doubt Secondly I answer that confidence beeing a most notable effect of faith is often in scripture put for faith and faith is described by it as it is in this place and yet for nature they are not one but must be distinguished Furthermore the grounds of apprehension must be considered For speciall faith must haue a speciall and infallible ground The grounds are three The first is this In the Gospel God hath propounded generall promises of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by Christ and withall he hath giuen a commandement to apply the said promises to our selues 1. Ioh. 3. 23. This is the commandement of God that ye beleeue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christ and we cannot beleeue in Christ till we beleeue Christ to be our Christ. Now then a generall promise with a commandement to applie the same to our selues is in effect as much as a speciall promise The second ground is this Rom. 8. 16. The spirit of God testifieth together with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God In this testimonie foure things must be obserued The first that it is sufficient to certifie and assure vs of our saluation For if the testimonie of two or three witnesses establish a truth among men then much more the testimonie of God The second is that this testimonie may be certenly knowne els it is no testimonie vnto vs. The third is that this testimonie is found and perceiued in the vse of the word praier sacraments The last 〈◊〉 that it is especially giuen and felt in the time of great danger and affliction For when by reason of miserie and trouble we know not to pray as we ought then the spirit makes request for vs with groanes that cannot be vttered Rom. 8. 26. And in afflictions Paul saith the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts Now then if God giue to them that turne vnto him a testimonie that they are the children of God they for their parts are by speciall faith to beleeue it The third ground is this A speciall faith may be gathered partly vpon things generally reuealed in the word of God and partly vpon sense obseruation and experience the same things beeing reuealed generally in the word and particularly by experience Vpon this ground may we truly conclude the forgiuenes of our sinnes the saluation of our soules on this manner He which beleeueth hath the forgiuenes of his sinnes but I beleeue in Christ saith he which beleeueth therefore my sinnes are forgiuen me The maior or first part is expressed in the Word the minor or second part is found true by experience and by the testimonie of the conscience which is a certen Testimonie For Paul saith This is my reioycing the testimonie of my conscience 2. Cor. 1. 12. And the conclusion is the conclusion of speciall faith If this be not a good and sufficient ground there is almost no speciall faith in the world Lastly we are to consider the degrees of Apprehension and they are two there is a weake apprehension and there is a strong apprehension is there is a weake and a strong faith The weake faith and apprehension is when we endeauour to apprehend This endeauour is when we bewaile our vnbeleefe striue against our manifold doubtings
will to beleeue with an honest heart desire to be reconciled to God and constantly vse the good meanes to beleeue For God accepts the will to beleeue for faith it selfe and the will to repent for repentance The reason hereof is plaine Euery supernaturall act presupposeth a supernaturall power or gift and therefore the will to beleeue and repent presupposeth the power and gift of faith and repentance in the heart It may be obiected that in the mindes of them that beleeue in this manner doubtings of Gods mercie abound Ans. Though doubtings abound neuer so yet are they not of the nature of faith but are contrarie to it Secondly we must put difference between true apprehension strong apprehension and strong apprehension If we truly apprehend though not strongly it sufficeth The palsie-hand is able to receiue a gift though not so strongly as an other The man in the Gospel said Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe Mar. 9. 24. that is helpe my faith which by reason of the smalnes thereof may rather be called vnbeleefe then faith This is the common faith of true beleeuers For in this world we rather liue by hungring and thirsting then by full apprehending of Christ and our comfort stands rather in this that we are knowne of God then that we know God The highest degree of faith is a full perswasion of Gods mercie Thus saith the holy Ghost that Abraham was not weake through vnbeleefe but strong in faith Rom. 4. 20. But wherein was this strength In that he was fully perswaded that God which had promised would also performe it This measure of faith is not incident to all beleeuers but to the Prophets Apostles martyrs and such as haue beene long exercised in the schoole of Christ. And this appeares by the order whereby we attaine to this degree of faith First there must be a knowledge of Christ then followes a generall perswasion of the possibilitie of pardon and mercie whereby we beleeue that our sinnes are pardonable An example whereof we haue in the prodigall child Luk. 14. 18. After this the H. Ghost worketh a will and desire to beleeue and stirres vp the heart to make humble and serious inuocation for pardon After praier instantly made followes a setling and quieting of the conscience according to the promise Math. 7. 7. Knocke it shall be opened seeke ye shall finde aske ye shall receiue After all this followes an experience in manifold obseruations of the mercies of God and loue in Christ and after experience followes a full perswasion Abraham had not this full perswasion till God had sundrie times spoken to him Dauid vpon much triall of the mercie fauour of God growes to resolution and saith Psal. 23. 6. Doubilesse kindnes and mercie shall follow me all the daies of my life This distinction of the degrees of faith must the rather be obserued because the Papists suppose that we teach that euery faith is a full perswasion and that euery one among vs hath this perswasion Which is otherwise For certentie we ascribe to all faith but not fulnes of certentie Neither doe we teach that all men must haue a full perswasion at the first The vse If that be the right faith which apprehends and applies Christ vnto vs then is it a poore and miserable faith of the Papist to be baptized and withall to beleeue as the church doth when it is not knowne what the Church beleeues Of the same kind is the faith of the multitude amōg vs whose faith is their good meaning that is their fidelitie and truth in their dealings Lastly if that be faith which truly apprehends Christ there is little true faith in these last daies For though the merit of Christ be apprehended by faith yet is not the efficacie of his death and that appeares by the bad and vnreformed liues of them that professe the Gospel Indeede many say they haue and euer had a strong perswasion of Gods mercie but in the most of them it is but a strong imagination for their faith was conceiued without the word praier sacraments and it is seuered from Good life We are then all of vs carefully to seeke for this true and liuely faith And the rather because faith and repentance are possible to all that by grace doe will it Nay they which will to beleeue and repent haue begunne to beleeue and repent God accepting the will for the deede Luk. 11. 13. And hauing attained to a measure of true faith we must goe on and seeke to iustifie our selues but yet as S. Iames teacheth c. 2. iustifie our faith by good workes and then shall our faith be a meanes to iustifie vs in life and death The second point to be considered concerning faith is the manner how it iustifieth The Papists teach that it iustifieth because it stirreth vp good motions and good affections in the heart whereby it prepareth and disposeth man that he may be fit to receiue his iustification againe because it beeing an excellent vertue meriteth that God should iustifie But this is false which they say For if faith iustifieth by disposing the heart then there must be a space of time betweene iustification and iustifying faith but there is no space of time betweene them For so soone as a man beleeues he is presently iustified For euery beleeuer hath the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting Againe in the case of iustification Paul opposeth beleeuing and doing faith and workes of the law faith therefore doth not iustifie as a worke or as an excellent vertue bringing forth many diuine and gratious operations in vs. Nay the proper action of faith which is Apprehension doth not iustifie of it selfe for it is imperfect and is to be increased to the ende of our daies Faith therefore iustifieth because it is an instrument to apprehend and applie that which iustifieth namely Christ and his obedience As the Israelites stung of fierie serpents were cured so are we saued Ioh. 3. 16. the Israelites did nothing at all but onely looke vpon the brasen serpent so are we to doe nothing for our iustification and saluation but to fixe the eye of our faith on Christ. The bankrupt paies his debt by accepting the paiment made by his suretie It is the propertie of true religion to depresse nature and to exalt grace and this is done when we make God the onely worker of our saluation and make our selues to be no more but receiuers of the mercie and grace of God by faith receiuers not by nature but by grace reaching out the beggers hand namely our faith in Christ to receiue the gift or almes of mercie The last point is that faith alone iustifieth For here Paul saith that we are iustified by faith without the workes of the law and that is as much as if he had said by faith alone Some Papists to helpe themselues translate the words of Paul thus Knowing that a man is not iustified by the workes of
gift of illumination faith regeneration life sense and motion are the gifts of the spirit and so are ciuill vertues but the sending of the spirit is onely in respect of such gifts as are bestowed in the Church in the receiuing of which the spirit is acknowledged The place or mansion of the spirit is the heart that is the minde will and affection The heart is the very sinke of sinne yet that doth the spirit choose for his abode Hence we learne 1. That the beginning of our newe birth is in the heart when a newe light is put into the minde a newe and heauenly disposition into the will and affection 2. The most principall part of our change or renouation is in the heart where the spirit abides The end of all teaching is loue out of a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained 1. Tim. 1. 5. 3. The beginning and principall part of Gods worship is in the heart He that serues God in the righteonsnesse of his heart in peace and ioy in the Holy Ghost is accepted Rom. 14. 17. 4. In our hearts no wicked or carnall thought will desire or lust must raigne but onely Gods word and spirit For thy heart is the house where the spirit dwels and he must be Lord of his owne house 5. Aboue all things keepe watch and warde about thy heart and fill it with all good cogitations desires that it may be a fit place of intertainment for the spirit who is as it were an Embassadour sent from the great God vnto thee The last thing is the office of the spirit which is to make beleeuers Crie Abba Here I consider 4. things 1. The meanes whereby this Crie is caused 2. The nature of it 3. To whome it is directed 4. The manner of direction For the first in the effecting or causing of this Crie there are 4. workes of the spirit The first is Conuiction when a man in his iudgement and conscience is conuicted that the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles are indeed the word of God To this purpose there are many arguments which nowe I omit This conuiction is a common worke of the spirit yet necessarie because much Atheisme lies lurking in our hearts which makes vs call into question euery part of the word of God The second worke is Subiection whereby a man conuicted that the scripture and euery part of it is the word of God subiects himselfe in his heart to the commandement of God which bids him turne to God and beleeue in Christ. And this second is a worke of the spirit of grace proper to the elect The third is the Certificate or testimonie of the spirit which is a diuine manner of reasoning framed in the mindes of them that beleeue and repent on this manner He that beleeues and repents is Gods child Thus saith the Gospel But I beleeue in Christ and repent at the least I subiect my will to the commandement which biddes me repent and beleeue I detest mine vnbeleefe and all my sinnes and desire the Lord to increase my faith Therefore I am the child of God This is the practicall syllogisme of the H. Ghost It is the testimonie of the spirit that we are the sonnes of God it is the earnest of the spirit and the seale whereby we are sealed to the day of our redemption and it containes the certentie ofspeciall faith The fourth thing that followes vpon this Testimonie is Peace of conscience Ioy and affiance in God And from this affiance comes the crying here mentioned whereby euery true beleeuer with open throat as it were cries vnto god the father This doctrine is of great worth it is the hinge vpon which the gate of heauen turnes and therefore to be remembred The vse By this we see a manifest errour in the Popish religion which teacheth that we can haue no other certenty of our saluation in this life but that which is probable or coniecturall that is a certentie ioyned with feare suspicion and some doubting Certentie in respect of God that promiseth feare doubting in respect of our owne indisposition But this doctrine is false For they which are Gods children receiue the spirit crying Abba and this crying argues affiance or confidence in God By faith we haue confidence in God and entrance with boldnesse Eph. 3. 11. and boldnesse is opposite to feare and excludes doubting in respect of our selues Againe by this doctrine we see it is ordinarie and possible for all that beleeue and repent to be certainly assured that they are the children of God For if they haue the spirit of God crying in them as all Gods childrē haue they cannot but perceiue this crie and withall they haue the testimonie of the spirit in them which is the ground of this crie Rom. 8. 16. And seeing this is so we must be admonished to vse all meanes that we may be assured that we are the children of God 2. Pet. 1. Giue all diligence to make your Election sure Paul bids rich men lay vp a good foundation against the time to come 1. Tim. 6. 18. And this foundation must be laide not in heauen but in the conscience God of his mercie hath made a couenant or bargaine with vs that beleeue and repent in this bargaine he hath promised to vs pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting let vs then neuer be at rest till we haue receiued earnest from the hand of God and haue his promise sealed vnto vs by the spirit in our hearts You will say what shall I doe to be assured that I am Gods child Ans. Thou must examine thy selfe of two things The first is whether thou art conuicted in thy iudgement that the Scripture is indeede the word of God if thou art not yet conuicted then inquire and vse meanes that thou maist indeed be conuicted otherwise all is in vaine Secondly inquire whether thou dost indeed and in good earnest submit and subiect thy will to the cōmandement of God which bids thee beleeue in Christ and turne vnto God For if thou canst say that thou dost will to beleeue and will to repent if thou shew this will indeede in the vse of good meanes if thou condemne and detest thy vnbeleefe and all other thy sinnes thou hast receiued the earnest of the spirit and thou art indeede the child of God And this assurance shall be vnto thee of great vse For it will make thee reioyce in afflictions and it will worke patience experience hope Rom. 5. 5. It will make thee despise this world it will take away the feare of death and kindle in thy heart a desire to be with Christ. Touching the nature of this crie it stands in the desires and groanes of the heart directed vnto God And these desires may be distinguished from all carnall desires by three properties First of all they are in the hearts of them that are turned to God or at the least beginne to turne vnto him For God heareth
the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if not by faith that is except faith goe withall then if faith be ioyned with workes say they workes iustifie I answer that this manner of translation corrupteth the text For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must here be translated but as appeares by the wordes following We haue beleeued in Christ that we might be iustified by faith in Christ without the workes of the law We cannot doe more in the curing of our spirituall diseases then in the curing of the diseases of our bodie of which Christ saith Onely beleeue Mark 5. 36. When Abraham abounded both in faith and works Rom. 4. it is said that he was iustified by faith without workes This doctrine is of great vse First we learne hence that a man is iustified by the meere mercie of God and that there is excluded from iustification all Merit of congruitie all meritorious workes of preparation wrought by vs all Cooperation of mans will with Gods grace in the effecting of our iustification Secondly we learne that a man is iustified by the meere merit of Christ that is by the meritorious obedience which he wrought in himselfe and not by any thing wrought by him in vs. Here then our merits and satisfactions and all inward iustice is excluded from the iustification of a sinner To this end Paul saith that we are iustified freely by the redemption that is in Christ Rom. 3. 24. that we are made the iustice of God in him and not in vs. 2. Cor. 5. 21. that he gaue himselfe to deliuer vs Gal. 1. 4. that he hath purged our sinnes by himselfe Heb. 1. 3. and not by any thing in vs. Hence it appeares that the Papists erre and are deceiued when they teach that Christ did merit that we might merit and satisfie for our selues for then we should not be iustified by our faith alone Thirdly hence we learne that a sinner is iustified by meere faith that is that nothing within vs concurres as a cause of our iustification but faith and that nothing apprehends Christs obedience for our iustification but faith This will more easily appeare if we compare faith hope and loue Faith is like an hand that opens it selfe to receiue a gift and so is neither loue nor hope Loue is also an hand but yet an hand that giues out communicates and distributes For as faith receiues Christ into our hearts so loue opens the heart and powers out praise and thanks to God and all manner of goodnes to men Hope is no hand but an eye that wishly looketh and waiteth for the good things which faith beleeueth Therefore it is the onely propertie of faith to claspe and lay hold of Christ and his benefits It is obiected that true faith is neuer alone I answer thus Faith is neuer alone in the person iustified nor in godly conuersation but is ioyned with all other vertues Yet in the act and office of iustification it is alone The eye in the bodie is not alone beeing ioyned with all other parts hand foote c. neuerthelesse the eye in seeing is alone For no part of the bodie seeth but the eye Secondly it may be obiected that beeing iustified by faith alone we are saued by faith alone and so may liue as we list I answer faith must be considered as an Instrument or as a way If it be considered as an instrument to apprehend Christ to our saluation we are onely saued by faith on this manner Yet if faith be considered as a way we are not onely saued by faith For all other vertues and workes are the way to life as well as faith though they be not causes of saluation Thirdly it is obiected that not onely faith but also the sacraments serue to applie Christ I answer they are saide to applie in that they serue to confirme faith whole office is to applie And here let vs take notice of the errour of the Papists who teach that our satisfactions serue to applie the satisfaction of Christ and the sacrifice of the Masse to applie the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse whereas nothing indeede applies but faith In the sixt place we are to consider the kindes of iustification The Papists make two one when a man of an euill man is made a good man the second when a good man is made better and this they say is by workes But it is false which they teach For the Iewes which were borne an holy and peculiar people to God by meanes of the couenant were iustified as Paul here saith by faith without workes Againe he saith that the very ende of our beleeuing is that we may be iustified by faith without workes Therefore there is one onely iustification and no more and that by faith without workes The seuenth point is the ground of this doctrine of iustification by faith without workes And it is laid downe in the end of the 16. verse No flesh shall be iustified by the workes of the law And this ground is taken as I suppose from Psalme 143. v. 2. It may be alleadged that Dauid saith thus No flesh shall be iustified in thy sight and that the other words by the workes of the law are not expressed I answer that the Apostles and Christ in citing places of the old Testament applie them and expound them and hereupon sometime adde words without adding to the sense Moses saith Him shalt thou serue Deut. 6. 16. Christ alleadging the same wordes saith Him onely shalt thou serue Math. 4. 10. Dauid saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not but mine eares hast thou pearced Psal. 40. 7. the author to the Hebrewes citing this text saith Sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldest not but a bodie hast thou fitted me Heb. 10. 5. And thus the pearcing of the eare is explaned For indeede it signifies to be made obedient and to this ende was a bodie giuen to Christ that he might obey his fathers will The eight and last point is the practise of them that are iustified and that is to beleeue or put their trust in Christ. Trust in the Lord saith the Prophet and ye shal be assured 2. Chron. 20. 20. And Salomon saith Roll your care on the Lord Prou. 16. 2. By meanes of this faith the heart of the righteous is fixed and stablished Psal. 117. 7 8. For the better practise of this dutie two rules must be remembred The one is that faith and the practise thereof must raigne in the heart and haue all at command We must not goe by sense feeling reason but we must shut our eyes and let faith keepe our hearts close to the promise of God Nay faith must ouerrule nature and command nature and the strongest affections thereof Thus Abraham beleeued against hope and by faith was content to offer his naturall and onely begotten sonne Hebr. 11. If faith ouerrule nature then much more must it haue all the lusts and corruptions of nature at command The second rule is
the world be worse then the life of a beast Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me the nature and propertie of iustifying faith is set down which is to Applie the loue of God and the merit of the passion of Christ vnto our selues And therefore the Papists are deceiued who say that hope applieth and not faith It may be alleadged that Paul speakes these words priuately of himselfe Ans. He speakes them in the name of all beleeuers Iewes and Gentiles For as we may see in the former verses that which concerned Peter and the rest of Christian Iewes he applies to himselfe least his speech should seeme odious Againe it may be obiected that all beleeuers cannot say thus Christ hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Ans. If the minde be fixed on Christ and there be also a will and indeauour to beleeue and apprehend Christ there is faith indeede For God accepts the true and earnest will to beleeue for faith We are not saued for the perfection of our faith but for the perfection of the obedience of Christ which faith apprehendeth The Israelites which looked vpon the brasen serpent with one eye or with a squint-eye with halfe an eye or dimme sight were healed not for the goodnes of their sight but for the promise of God The poore in spirit are blessed Now they are poore in spirit who finde themselues emptie of all goodnes emptie of true faith full of vnbeleefe and vnfainedly desire to beleeue So then if we greeue because we cannot beleeue as we should and earnestly desire to beleeue God accepts vs for beleeuers Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me S. Paul sets downe the reason or argument which faith vseth in the minde regenerate to mooue men to liue to God And the reason is framed thus Christ loueth thee and hath giuen himselfe for thee therefore see thou liue to God Read the like Rom. 12. 1. and 2. 4. and Psal. 116. 12. By this we are to take occasion to consider and to bewaile the hardnes of our hearts who doe not relent from our euill waies and turne vnto God vpon the consideration of his loue in Christ. The waters of the Sanctuarie haue long flowed vnto vs but they haue not sweetned vs and made vs sauerie therefore it is to be feared least our habitations be at length turned to places of nettles and saltpits Eze. 7. 11. 21 I doe not abrogate the grace of God for if righteousnes be by the law then Christ died without cause The meaning Grace in Scriptures signifieth two things the free fauour of God and the gifts of God in vs. And where the holy Ghost intreates of iustification grace in the first sense signifies the good will and fauour of God pardoning sinnes and accepting vs to life euerlasting for the merit of Christ. 2. Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 2. 8. And in this sense is the word vsed in this place And when Paul saith I doe not abrogate the grace of God his meaning is I doe not make void or frustrate the grace of God in respect of my selfe or in respect of other beleeuers by teaching the iustification of a sinner by saith alone He addes If righteousnes be by the law that is if a sinner be iustified by his owne obedience in performing the law then Christ died without cause The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely translated without cause hath a double signification One is when it signifies as much as without price or merit Math. 10. 8. Ye haue receiued freely giue freely The second is when it signifies rashly without iust or sufficient cause as Psal. 69. 4. Mine enemies hate me freely as the Seuentie translate that is wrongfully or without iust cause Thus here is Christ said to die freely that is in vaine or without cause because if we be iustified by obedience to the law then Christ died in vaine to make any satisfaction to the law for vs. These words are an answer to an obiection The obiection is this If thou teach that a sinner is iustified onely by his faith in Christ then thou abolishest the grace of God The answer is negatiue I doe not by this doctrine abrogate the grace of God And there is a reason also of this answer If we be iustified by our owne fulfilling of the law then Christ died in vaine to fulfill the law for vs. The vse First let vs marke that Paul saith he doth not abrogate the grace of God and why because he will suffer nothing in the cause of our iustification to be ioyned with the obedience of the death of Christ. And hence we learne what is the nature of grace It must stand wholly and intirely in it selfe Gods grace cannot stand with mans merit Grace is no grace vnlesse it be freely giuen euery way Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the wages is giuen not of grace but of desert Rom. 11. 6. If election be of grace then not of workes els is grace no grace Grace and works of grace in the causing of iustification can no more stand together then fire and water By this we are admonished to be nothing in our selues and to ascribe all that we are or can doe to the grace of God Againe here we see our dutie and that is to be carefull not to abrogate the grace of God vnto our selues But how is that done Ans. We must strippe and emptie our selues of all righteousnesse and goodnesse of our owne euen to the death and withall hunger and thirst after Christ and his righteousnes Math. 5. 6. Luk. 1. 35. Thirdly Paul here sets downe a notable ground of true religion That the death of Christ is made voide if any thing be ioyned with it in the worke of our iustification as a meanes to satisfie Gods iustice and to merit the fauour of God Therefore the doctrine of iustification by workes is a manifest errour For if we be iustified by the workes of the law then the iudgement of the holy Ghost is that Christ died without cause Againe the doctrine of humane satisfactions is a deuice of mans braine For if we satisfie for our selues then did Christ by death satisfie in vaine Thirdly it is a false and wicked though a colourable inuention to say that Christ by his death merited that we should merit by our workes For if we merit by workes Christ died in vaine to merit by his owne death This is the sentence of God who cannot erre Lastly here we see the Church of Rome erreth in the foundation of true religion because it ioyneth the merit of mans workes and the merit of the death of Christ in the iustification of a sinner And therefore we may not so much as dreame of any reconciliation to be made with that religion for light and darknes cannot be reconciled nor fire and water Here the Papists answer that Paul in this text speakes against them that looked to be iustified by
euerlasting life To proceede further the delusion or bewitching of the Galatians is set forth by two arguments The first is the ende in these words that ye should not obey the truth Before I come to the consideration of these words a doubt must be resolued For some man may say that this Epistle is corrupted because these words are wanting in sundrie translations and editions of the Bible and Ierome saith that they were not found in the copies of the bible in his daies Ans. In the Editions and translations of the bible there are sundrie differences and diuersities of readings and these differences are not the fault of the Scripture but of the men which vsed to write out the bible for the bible heretofore was spread abroad not by printing but by writing Againe though in the bookes of the bible there be sundrie varieties of reading yet the prouidence of God hath so watched ouer the Bible that the sense thereof remaineth intire sound and incorrupt specially in the grounds of religion And not the words principally but the sense is the Scripture And that which I say appeareth in this text for whether these words be left in or put out the sense of the verse is one and the same These words that ye should not obey the truth are meant of the obedience of faith Rom. 1. 5 and 16. 28. And the obedience of faith is propounded vnto vs without adding detracting or changing And this the Galatians did not for they added iustification by workes to the doctrine of Paul touching iustification by faith alone by which addition they depraued the truth and shewed that indeede they beleeued not the truth Here let vs obserue the scope of all the malice of the deuill and that is to hinder or ouerthrow our faith The first thing the deuill aimed at in our first parents was to ouerthrow their faith and to cause them to doubt of the truth of Gods word The first temptation wherewith our Sauiour Christ was assaulted was against his faith as he was man If thou be the sonne of God thou canst cause these stones in thy hunger to be made bread but thou canst not cause these stones to be made bread therefore thou art not the child of God The deuill desired to sift out all the faith of the Apostles and to leaue in them nothing but the chaffe of vnbeleefe Luk. 22. The deuill blindes the eyes of men that the light of the Gospel of Iesus Christ may not shine vnto them 2. Cor. 4. 4. This must teach vs that we must not onely hold and know the true religion for the time but also build our selues vpon our faith Iud. v. 20. and be rooted and stablished vpon our faith and religion Col. 1. 23. and the rather because it hath bin the manner of this nation wickedly to change religion with the times And that we may indeede be rooted vpon our religion we must not boast of the greatnes and strength of our faith but rather labour to see in our selues a sea of vnbeleefe heartily to bewaile it and to striue to beleeue and so to goe on from faith to faith The truth here mentioned is the heauenly doctrine of the Gospel so called for two causes First because it is an absolute truth without errour It is a principle not to be called in question that the Apostles and Prophets in writing and preaching could not erre It may be said they were men as we are and therefore subiect to erre and be deceiued in iudgement Ans. Iudgement is twofold One conceiued by the discourse of naturall reason the other conceiued by the apprehension of things reuealed by God In the first the Apostles and Prophets might erre and be deceiued as Nathan and Peter were In the second they could not because it was framed in them by the inspiration and instinct of the holy Ghost And therefore they neuer erred either in preaching or writing The second cause why the Gospel is called the truth is because it is a most worthie truth namely the truth which is according to godlines Tit. 1. It may be said what is the truth and how shall we know it considering there be so many dissentions Ans. First make thy selfe fit to know and then shalt thou know the truth And thou shalt be fitted to know the truth if thou first of all giue thy selfe to obey it Read the golden text Ioh. 7. v. 17. Obey and ye shall know The second thing whereby the delusion of the Galatians is expressed is the signe thereof in these words to whome Iesus Christ was described c. that is to whome I haue preached the doctrine of saluation by Christ in liuely and euident manner euen as if Christ had bin painted before your eyes and had bin crucified in or among you And this is a manifest token that the Galatians were deluded because they could not acknowledge the truth whē it was set forth vnto them as it were in orient colours And where Paul saith that Christ was before described I referre it to the time before their reuolt Here first we are to obserue the properties of the Ministerie of the word The first that it must be plaine perspicuous and euident as if the doctrine were pictured and painted out before the eyes of men Therefore the Church of Rome deales wickedly in keeping the Scriptures in an vnknowne tongue For this is to couer that from the people which is to be painted before the eyes of their minds Againe that kind of preaching is to be blamed in which there is vsed a mixed kind of varietie of languages before the vnlearned For this is a signe to vnbeleeuers 1. Cor. 14. 22. And in this kind of preaching we doe not paint Christ but we paint out our owne selues It is a by-word among vs It was a very plaine sermon And I say againe the plainer the better The second propertie of the Ministerie of the word is that it must be powerfull and liuely in operation and as it were crucifying Christ within vs and causing vs to feele the vertue of his passion The word preached must pearce into the heart like a two edged sword Hebr. 4. 12. true prophecie iudgeth men discouereth the things of the heart and causeth men to to say The Lord is within you 1. Cor. 14. 25. The scepter of Christ whereby he smiteth the nations is in his mouth Isa. 11. 4. that is in the Ministerie of the word Ier. 15. 19. And it is the same Ministerie which shaketh heauen and earth Agg. 2. 5. By this it appeaeeth that to take a text and to make a discourse vpon something in the said text shewing much inuention of wit and much reading and humane learning is not to preach Christ in a liuely manner It will be said what then I answer with Paul who is sufficient either for the speaking or doing of these things yet something may be shewed Know therefore that the effectuall and powerful preaching of
if he fall into any offence of frailtie yet doth he not make a practise of sinne as the wicked and vngodly doe It may be saide the Galatians and all the Galatians are the children of God but what is that to vs Ans. They among vs that professe true saith in Christ with care to keepe good conscience are likewise to hold themselues to be children of God He beleeues not the Gospel that doth not beleeue his owne adoption For in the Gospel there is a promise of all the blessings of God to them that beleeue and there is also a commandement to applie the said promise to our selues and consequently to applie the gift of adoption to our selues When we are bidden to say Our father we are bidden to beleeue our selues to be children of God and so to come vnto him Therefore with Paul I say that all we that truly beleeue in Christ and haue care to lead a good life all I say are indeede the children of God The vse Comforts arising by this benefit are many First if thou be Gods child surely he will prouide all things necessarie for thy soule and bodie Math. 6. 26. Our care must be to doe the office and dutie that belongs vnto vs when this is done our care is ended As for the good successe of our labours we must cast our care on God who will prouide that no good thing be wanting vnto vs. Psal. 34. 10. They that drowne themselues in worldly cares liue like fatherlesse children Secondly in that we are children we haue libertie to come into the presence of God and to pray vnto him Eph. 3. 12. Thirdly nothing shall hurt them that are the children of God The plague shall not come neere their tabernacle they shall walke vpon the lyon and the aspe and tread them vnder foote Psal. 91. 13. All things shall turne to their good Rom. 8. 28. And the rather because the Angels of God pitch their tents about them Lastly God will beare with the infirmities and frailties of them that are his children if there be in them a care to please him with a Purpose of not sinning Malach. 3. 7. If a child be sicke the father or mother doe not cast it out of dores much lesse will God The duties First if ye be Gods children then walke worthie your profession and calling Be not vassalls of sinne and Satan carrie your selues as kings sonnes bearing sway ouer the lusts of your owne hearts the temptations of the deuill and the leud customes and fashions of this world When Dauid kept his fathers sheepe he behaued himselfe like a shepheard but when he was called from the sheepefold and chosen to be king he carried himselfe accordingly So must we doe that of children of the deuill are made the children of God And if we liue according to the lusts of our flesh as the men of this world doe whatsoeuer we professe we are in truth the children of the deuill Ioh. 8. 44. 1. Ioh. 3. Secondly we must vse euery day to bring our selues into the presence of God and we must doe all things as in his sight and presence presenting our selues vnto him as instruments of his glorie in doing of his will This is the honour that the child of God owes vnto him Mal. 1. 6. Thirdly our care must be according to the measure of grace to resemble Christ in all good vertues and holy conuersation For he is our eldest brother the first borne of many brethren and therefore we should be like vnto him 1. Ioh. 3. 2 3. Fourthly we must haue a desire and loue to the word of God that we may grow by it in knowledge grace and good life For this is the milke and foode whereby God feedes his childrē 1. Pet. 2. 2. Such persōs thē amōg vs that haue no loue or liking of the word but spend their daies in ignorāce securitie shew themselues to be no children of God The child in the armes of the mother or nurce that neuer desires the brest is certenly a dead child Lastly we must put this in our accounts that we must haue many afflictions if we be Gods children for he corrects all his children And when we are vnder the rodde of correction we must refigne our selues to the will and good pleasure of God This is childlike obedience and this must be done in silence and with all quietnes then God is best pleased The internall meanes of Adoption is Faith in Christ. And for the better conceiuing of it three questions are to be propounded The first what a kind of faith is this Ans. A particular or speciall faith and it hath three acts or effects The first is to beleeue Christ to be Jesus that is a Sauiour the second is to beleeue that Christ is my or thy Sauiour the third is to put the confidence of heart in him When Thomas felt the wounds of Christ he said My Lord and my God and thereupon Christ said Because thou hast seene thou beleeuest Ioh. 20. 29. Here marke that to beleeue Christ to be my Christ is faith Against this speciall faith the Papists obiect three arguments The first is this Euery speciall faith must haue a speciall word of God for his ground but there is no speciall word that thy sinnes or my sinnes are forgiuen by Christ therefore there is no speciall faith Ans. We haue that which in force and value is equiualent to a speciall word namely a generall promise with a commandement to applie the said promise to our selues Secondly I answer that the word and promise of God generally propounded in Scripture is made particular in the publike Ministerie in which when the word is preached to any people God reueales two things vnto them one that his will is to saue them by Christ the other that his will is that men should beleeue in Christ. And the word thus applied in the publike Ministerie in the name of God is as much as if an Angel should particularly speake vnto vs from heauen The second Argument Speciall faith say they is absurd because by it a sinner must beleeue the pardon of his sinnes before he hath it in as much as faith is the meanes to obtaine pardon Ans. The giuing and the receiuing of pardon and faith are both at one moment of time for when God giues the pardon of sinne at the same instant he causeth men to receiue the same pardon by faith For order of nature faith goes before the receiuing of the pardon because faith is giuen to them that are to be ingrafted into Christ and pardon to them that are in Christ for time it doth not and therfore this second argument is absurd The third Argument The full certentie and perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ followes good conscience and good workes and therefore faith followes after Iustification Ans. There be two degrees of faith A weake faith and a strong faith A weake faith is that against which doubting much preuailes in
which there is a sorrow for vnbeleefe a will and defire to beleeue in Christ with care to vse good meanes and to increase in faith Strong faith is that which preuailes against doubting and it is a full perswasion or resolution of the loue and mercie of God in Christ. This second degree of faith follows iustification vpon the obseruation and experience of the prouidence and goodnes of God but the first degree of speciall faith before named for order goes before iustification and for time is together with it The second question is when faith beginnes first to breede in the heart Ans. When a man beginnes to be touched in his conscience for his sinnes and vpon feeling of his owne spirituall pouertie earnestly hungers and thirsts after Christ and his righteousnes aboue all things in the world Christ saith I will giue to him that thirsteth of the well of the water of life freely Reuel 21. 6. This promise declares that in thirsting there is a measure of faith To eate and drinke Christ the bread and water of life is to beleeue in him and to hunger and thirst hauing as it were a spirituall appetite to Christ is the next steppe to this eating and drinking Therefore this must be remembred that professours of the Gospel yea teachers of the same that want this sense of their vnworthines and this thirsting are farre wide what gifts soeuer they haue For they are not yet come to the first steppe of true faith The third question is how faith in Christ is reuealed in the heart Ans. It is not faith to conceiue in minde a bare perswasion that Christ is my Sauiour and thereupon to thinke to be saued But faith in Christ is conceiued in the spirituall exercises of inuocation and repentance When I see mine owne sinnes and Gods anger against me for them by the law when I see mine owne guiltines I draw my selfe into the presence of God making confession of mine offences and praier for the pardon of them and in this praier I striue against mine vnbeleefe I will desire and endeauour to assent to the promise of God touching forgiuenes and withall I purpose with my selfe to sinne no more This is my daily practise and thus is faith truly conceiued and confirmed Againe faith is conceiued in the vse of holy meanes namely the Preaching of the word and Sacraments For in hearing receiuing the Lords Supper to meditate vpon the promise of mercie and in meditation to applie the said promise to my selfe is the right way to conceiue true faith Therefore it must be remembred that faith conceiued without the exercises of inuocation and repentance or conceiued without the vse of the word and Sacraments as commonly it is is not true faith but an Imagination or fiction of the braine which will faile in the ende The third point to be considered is the signe or the outward meanes of Adoption and that is Baptisme It may be demanded how Baptisme can be a marke or signe of the child of God considering all sorts of men are partakers of it Ans. Baptisme alone is no marke of Gods child but baptisme ioyned with faith for so must the text be conceiued All ye Galatians that beleeue are baptised into Christ. For Paul had said immediatly before Ye are the sounes of God by faith Againe the Scripture speaking of baptisme comprehends both the outward and the inward baptisme which is the inward baptisme of the spirit Math. 3. 11. and 1. Pet. 3. 21. And thus is baptisme alwaies an infallible marke of the child of God It may further be demanded what are the markes of the inward baptisme Ans. The new birth whereby a man is washed and cleansed by the spirit of God hath three speciall markes The first is the spirit of grace and supplications Zach. 12. 10. that is the spirit of regeneration causing men to turne to God and withall to make instant praier and supplication for mercie and forgiuenes of sins past The second is to heare obay the voice of god in all things Ioh. 8. 47. 10. 27. The third is not to sin that is not to liue in in the practise of any sinne after this new birth is begunne 1. Ioh. 3. He that is borne of God doth not commit sinne He may faile in this or that speach and doe amisse in this or that action but after his calling and conuersion the tenour and course of his life shall be according to the commandements of God And this is a speciall marke to discerne the inward baptisme Some alleadged that hauing long agoe beene baptised with water yet they feele not the inward baptisme and therefore they feare that they are not the children of God Ans. If there be in thee a sorrow for thy corruptions and sinnes past if thou hast a purpose to sinne no more if thou auoidest the occasions of sinne and fearest to offend if hauing sinned thou liest not in thy sinne but recouerest thy selfe by new repentance thou art verily borne of God and baptised with the baptisme of the holy Ghost Others alleadge that although they haue bin baptised yet they feare they haue no faith and therefore they thinke they are not the children of God Ans. If there be in thee a sorrow for thine vnbeleefe a will and desire to beleeue and a care to increase in faith by the vse of good meanes there is a measure of true faith in thee and by it thou maist assure thy selfe that thou art the child of God Others againe alleadge that they haue long made praier vnto God and that according to his will and yet their praiers haue not bin heard and therefore they often doubt they are not Gods children Ans. If thou canst pray though thy praier be not heard according to thy desire content thy selfe For the praier of the heart is the marke of the spirit of adoption Rom. 8. 16. 26. And by it thou maist know that thou art the child of God Thus then we see what is the infallible marke of the child of God namely baptisme ioyned with true faith in Christ or the outward baptisme ioyned with the inward baptisme of the spirit The vse Many auouch the present Church of Rome to be the true Church of God and that because they say in it there is true baptisme which is a marke of the church of God But they are deceiued for baptisme in the church of Rome is seuered from true faith or from the Apostolike doctrine and the outward baptisme is seuered from the inward baptisme For they of that Church ouerturne iustification by the meere mercie of God which is the principall part of the inward baptisme Againe the ten Tribes retained circumcision after their Apostasie yet for all that condemned to be no people of God Ose. 1. 9. The light in the lanthorne pertaines not to the lanthorne but to the passengers in the streete euen so the Confession of faith in the Symboll of the Apostles and
are we so to doe Answ. We are members all of one bodie and we are members one of another Eph. 4. 25. And it is Gods pleasure that men shall be instruments of good mutually one to another Goodnesse respects either the bodie or the minde Goodnesse concerning the bodie hath many actions as to feed the hungrie to giue drinke to the thirstie to harbour the harbourlesse to cloath the naked to visit the sicke and them that are in prison Math. 25. 35 36. to burie the dead 2. Sam. 2. 5. Lastly to lend freely and liberally to such as be decaied and impouerished Deut. 15. 7. Goodnesse concerning the soule is to indeauour partly by counsell partly by example to gaine the soule of our neighbour to God and it stands in foure actions to admonish the vnâ—uly to comfort the distressed to beare with them that are weake and to be patient towards all 1. Thess. 5. 14. Goodnes is hard to be found in these daies among men The common practise is according to the common prouerb Euery man for himselfe and God for vs all The studie of men is howe to gather goods honours riches for themselues and for their children and the common good is not aimed at Good orders hardly take place as namely the order for the poore and the reason is the want of goodnesse in vs. If any professe any shew of goodnesse more then the rest they are sure to be despised and reproched at euery hand and this shews that there is little goodnesse among men Faith First we are here to vnderstand faith towards God which is to beleeue the remission of our sinnes and our reconciliation with God in Christ. This faith is common to all among vs yet is it but a false dead ceremoniall faith in many men Reason I Faith comes by the hearing of the word of God preached Rom. 10. 14. but this faith in many is conceiued without preaching for they say they beleeue their saluation by Christ and withall they liue in the perpetuall neglect or contempt of the publike Ministerie II. True faith is ioyned alwaies with the exercises of invocation and repentance yet in many among vs this faith is without any conuersion or change of heart and life and therefore it is but a dead faith III. True faith is mixed with contrarie vnbeleefe so as they that beleeue feele in themselues a want of faith and much vnbeleefe But there are many among vs that say they perfectly beleeue and that they neuer so much as doubted in all their liues Now such a faith is a vaine perswasion IV. Many that boast of their faith in Christ want faith in the prouidence of God touching food and raiment And that is manifest because they vse any vnlawfull meanes to helpe themselues now if their faith faile them in a smaller point it cannot be sound in the greatest of all Secondly by faith is meant faith towards men that stands in two things One is to speake the trueth from the heart the other is to be faithfull and iust in the keeping of our honest promise and word This faith is a rare vertue in these daies For the common fashion of them that liue by bargaining is to vse glosing facing soothing lying dissembling and all manner of shifts And with many it is a confessed principle that there is no liuing in the world vnlesse we lie and dissemble They that deale with chapmen shall heardly know what is trueth they haue so many wordes and so many shifts In this respect Christians come short of the Turkes who are said to be equall open and plaine dealing meÌ„ without fraud or deceipt Our care therfore must be to cherrish maintain amoÌ„g vs the vertue of faith and truth Reasons I. Gods commandement Put away lying and let euery man speake the truth to his neighbour Eph. 4 15. II. By truth we are like to God whose waies are all truth who hates a lying tongue Prou. 6. 17. whose spirit is the spirit of trueth III. Lyars beare the image of the deuill He is the father of lies Ioh. 8. 44. so oft then as thou liest thou makest thy tongue the instrument of the deuill IV. Eternall punishment in the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Reu. 22. 15. Here marke that liars are entertained at the same table with murderers and theeues and the liar neuer goes vnpunished Prou. 19. 5. V. To speake the trueth from the heart is a marke of Gods child Psal. 15. 2. And he whose faith failes towards men shall much more faile towards God Meekenes The same in effect with long suffering The difference is that meekenes is more generall and long-suffering is the highest degree of meekenesse Temperance It is the moderation of lust and appetite in the vse of the gifts and creatures of God For the better practising of this vertue remember these foure rules I. We must vse moderation in meats drinks This moderatioÌ„ is to eat and drinke with perpetuall abstinence And abstinence is to take lesse then that which nature desires and not more And that measure of meate and drinke which serues to refresh nature and to make vs fitte for the seruice of God and man is allowed vs of God and no more II. We must vse moderation in our apparell And that is to apparell ourselues according to our sexe according to the receiued fashion of our countrie according to our place and degree and according to our abilitie Here the common fault in to be out of all order for none almost know any measure Euery meane person now adaies will be a gentleman or gentlewoman III. We must vse moderation in getting of goods and that is to rest content if we haue food and raiment for our selues them that belong vnto vs. 1. Tim. 6 8. Here is our stint we may not desire to be rich v. 9. The king himselfe must not multiply his gold and siluer Deut. 17. 17. and yet hath he more neede of gold and siluer then any priuate man IV. There must be a moderation in the spending of our goods contrarie to the fashion of many that spend their substance in â—â—â—sting and company and keepe their wiues and children bare at home Against such there is no law Here Paul sets downe the benefit that comes by the former vertues The words carrie this sense Against such vertues and against persons indued with such vertues there is no law And that for two causes One there is no law to condemne such Secondly there is no lawe to compell them to obey because they freely obey God as if there were no law Marke then the condition of spirituall men They are a voluntarie free people seruing God freely without constraint So as if Christ would not giue vnto them life euerlasting yet would they loue him and desire the aduancement of his kingdome On the contrarie if there were no hell and God would not punish adulterie drunkennes blasphemie c. with eternall
of the Apostles 2. Tim. 3. 14. Hence it appeares to be a fault in sundrie priuate persons when they read the Scriptures to gather priuate opinions to broch them to the world This practise hath beene the foundation of heresies and schismes in the Church Secondly Paul writes with consent that he might the better mooue and perswade the Galatians to receiue his doctrine which he is nowe to deliuer Hence it appeares that the Consent of Pastors and people is of great excellencie For the better conceiuing of it and the meaning of the text I will handle three points The first is what is the force of consent wherein stands it and where it is nowe to be found For the first Consent is of force to prepare the heart and to mooue it to beleeue as Augustine saith I had not beleeued the Gospell except the authoritie of the Church had mooued me And this is all it can doe For it is the word that is the obiect and the cause of our faith the word it selfe workes in vs that faith whereby it is beleeued And Paul in this place vseth consent not to worke a faith in the Galatians but onely to stirre vp a liking of his doctrine Two errors of the Church of Rome must here be auoided One that Consent is a certaine marke of the Church It is false for Consent may be among the wicked in the kingdome of Antichrist Reuel 13. 16. In the kingdome of darkenesse all is in peace Againe dissention may be among the godly as betweene Paul and Barnabas Paul and Peter in the church of Corinth there were schismes 1. Cor. 11. Consent therefore simply vnles it be ioyned with true faith and true doctrine is not of force to declare vnto vs the true Church The second errour is that the catholike consent of beleeuers in pointes of religion is the true and liuely scripture and that â—he written word is but a dead letter to it and to be iudged by it for his sense and meaning But all is contrary For the written word is the first perfect pattern of the mind and will of God and the inward consent in the hartes of men is but a rude and imperfect extract and draught of it The second point is wherein standes this consent it must haue his foundation in Christ thence flow to the members as the oile from Aarons head to his garments Psal. 133. and it standes in three things consent in one faith and doctrine consent in affection whereby men be of one hart Act. 2. 47. consent in speach 1. Cor. 1. 10. The third point is where it is now to be found The Papists say that they haue true and perfect consent among themselues and that fathers and Councells be on their side and that we haue no consent among our selues I answer first that they haue not the coÌ„sent which they pretend for the proper points of Popery were not known to the apostles nor to the Apostolicall churches but were taken vp in the ages following by little and litle Secondly such doctrines as the papists make articles of faith are but opinions and coniectures in the fathers and Councles Thirdly the things which the Papists hold are the same peraduenture in name but they are not the same indeede with that which the fathers hold neither are they holden in the same manner as for example the purgatory which the fathers hold is a thing far different from the purgatory of the papists and so all the rest Of consent they may bragge but they cannot shew it As for our selues we all consent in the foundation of religion There is difference about the descent of Christ into hell The thing we all hold namely a descent the difference is in the manner whether it be vertually or locally There is difference about the paines of Christ in his agony and passion yet all acknowledge the infinite merit and efficacy of the death of Christ. There is difference about the gouernement of the visible church on earth For the substance of gouernemant all agree but for the manner of execution and administration they doe not That Christ is present in the Eucharist that his body and blood is there to be eaten and drunken all our churches agree and the difference is only touching the manner of his presence namely whether it be spirituall or locall And this is the mercy of God that in all our differences the foundation of religon is not rased Let vs pray for the continuance and increase of this consent Thus much of the persons that write now follow the churches to which the Epistle is sent to the churches of Galatia At this time the Galatians had made a reuolte and were fallen from iustification by the obedience of Christ so as Paul was affraid of them Chap. 4. and yet he called them churches still vsing great meekenes moderatioÌ„ His example must we follow in giuing iudgement of churches of our time And that we may the better doe this and the better releeue our consciences marke three rules The first is that we must rightly consider of the faultes of churches Some are faultes in manners some in doctrine If the faults of the Church be in manners and these faults appeare both in the liues of ministers and people so long as true religion is taught it is a church so to be esteemed and the ministers must be heard Math. 23. 1. Yet may we seperate from the priuat company of bad men in the church 1. Cor. 5. 11. and if it be in our liberty and choise ioyne to churches better ordered If the errour be in doctrine we must first consider whether the whole church erre or some few therein If the errour be in some and not in all it remaines a church still as Corinth did where some denied the resurrection because a church is named of the better part Secondly we must consider whether the church erre in the foundation or no. If the errour or errours be beside the foundation of religion Paul hath giuen the sentence that they which build vpon the foundation haie and stubble of erronious opinion may be saued 1. Cor. 3. 15. Thirdly inquiry must be made whether the church erre of humane frailty or of obstinacie If it erre of frailty though the error be in the foundation yet it is stil a church as appears by the example of the GalatiaÌ„s Yet if a church shall erre in the foundation openly and obstinately it seperates from Christ and ceaseth to be a church and we may seperate froÌ„ it may giue iudgement that it is no church When the Iewes resisted the preaching of Paul and had nothing to say but to raile Paul then seperated the Church of Ephesus and Rome from them Act. 19. 8. 28. 28. It may here be demaunded why Paul writes to the Galatians as brethren and calls them Churches seeing they haue erred in the foundation and are as he saith vers 6. remooued to another
that of Paul because there is but one but it is an inuention of the brame of man But there be some that is but I plainely perceiue the cause of your reuolt that some trouble you and seeke to ouerthrowe the Gospell of Christ. In these words two points are to be considered The first is the manner which Paul vseth in reproouing the Galatians He tenders their good and saluation and seeks by all meanes their recouerie And therefore in his reproofe he doth two things First he reprooues them with meekenesse and tendernesse of heart following his owne rule Gal. 6. 1. for he might iustly haue said ye may be ashamed that ye are remooued to another Gospell but he saith onely I maruell that is I was well perswaded of you and I hoped for better things but I am deceiued I wonder at it Secondly he frames his reproofe with great warinesse circumspection for he saith not ye of your selues doe remooue to another Gospell but ye are remooued and thus he blames them but in part and laies the principall blame on others Againe he saith not ye were remooued but in the time present ye are remooued that is ye are in the acte of Reuolting and haue not as yet altogither reuolted And hereby he puts them in minde that although they be in a fault yet there is nothing done which may not easily be vndone According to his example we are in all Reproofes to shewe loue and to keepe loue to shewe loue to the partie reprooued and to frame our reproofe so as we may keepe his loue The second point is the fault reprooued and that is the Reuolt of the Galatians which was a departure from the calling whereby they were called to the grace of Christ. If it be demaÌ„ded what kind of Reuolt this was I answer there be two kinds of reuolt particular and generall Particular when men professe the name of Christ and yet depart from the faith in some principall points thereof Of this kinde was the Apostacie of the tenne tribes and such is the Apostacie of the Romane Church A generall reuolt is when men wholly forsake the faith name of Christ. Thus doe the Iewes and Turkes at this day Againe a reuolte is sometime of weakenesse and humane frailtie and sometime of obstinacie Nowe the reuolt of the Galatians was onely particular in the point of iustification and of weakenesse and not of obstinacie and this Paul signifies when he saith they were carried by others Of this Reuoâ—t 4. things are to be considered The time so soone from whome or what from the doctrine of Paul consequently the grace of Christ. To what to another Gospell By meanes of whome but some trouble you c. Touching the time it was short They were soone carried away This shewes the lightnesse and inconstancie of mans nature specially in matter of religion While Moses tarried in the mount Aaron and the people set vp a golden calfe and departed from God Osea saith The righteousnesse of the Israelites was like the morning dewe which the rising of the sunne consumeth chap. 6. 4. Iohn was a burning light the Iewes reioyced in this light that is well but marke what is added for an houre or moment Iohn 5. 35. They which cried Osanna to the sonne of Dauid shortly after cried Crucifie him crucifie him The crosse and persecution will make men call the Gospell in question if not forsake it Luk. 8. 13. The multitude of people among vs are like waxe and are fit to take the stampe and impression of any religion and it is the law of the land that makes the most imbrace the Gospell not conscience That we may constantly perseuere in the profession of the true faith both in life and death first we must receiue the Gospell simply for it selfe because it is the Gospell of Christ and not for any other by-respect Secondly we must be mortified and renewed in the spirit of our mindes and suffer no by-corners in our hearts where secret vnbeleefe secret hypocrisie and spirituall pride may lurke and lie hid from the eies of men Heb. 3. 12. Thirdly we must not onely be hearers of the word but also doers of it in the principall duties to be practised of faith conuersion and newe obedience To come to the second point when Paul saith the Galatians were remooued from him that called them that is himselfe he shewes Christian modestie because speaking things praise-worthie of himselfe he speaks in the third person from him that hath called c. The like he doeth 2. Cor. 12. I knowe a man taken vp into the third heauen that is himselfe And Iohn saith the disciple that leaned on the breast of Christ whome Christ loued asked whome he meant Ioh. 13. 23. After this practise we are to giue praise to God and to his instruments but neither to praise nor dispraise our selues This is Christian ciuilitie to be ioyned with our faith Secondly when he saith who hath called you in the grace of Christ we learne that the scope of the Gospel is to bring men to the grace of Christ. To this very ende God hath vouchsafed vs in England the Gospel more then fourtie yeares And therefore our words and deedes and liues should be seasoned with grace and sauour of it and shew forth the grace of God Secondly we owe vnto God great thankfulnes and we can neuer be sufficiently thankefull for this benefit that God calls vs to his grace But it is otherwise the sunne is a goodly creature yet because we see it daily it is not regarded and so it is with the grace of God Thirdly the Galatians are remooued not onely from the doctrine of Paul but also from the grace of God And the reason is because they ioyned the workes of the law with Christ and his grace in the cause of their iustification and saluation Here it must be obserued that they which make an vnion of grace and workes in the cause of iustification are separated from the grace of God Grace admits no partner or fellow Grace must be freely giuen euery way or it is no way grace Hence it followes that the present Church of Rome is departed from the grace of God because it makes a concurrence of grace and workes in the iustification of a sinner before God and we may not make any reconciliation with that Church in religion because it is become an enemie of the grace of God The third point is To what thing the Galatians reuolt to another Gospel that is to a better gospel then that which Paul taught compounded of Christ and the workes of the law And this forged gospel the false apostles taught and the Galatians quickly receiued Here we see the curious nicenes and daintines of mans nature that cannot be content with the good things of God vnlesse they be framed to our minds and if they please vs for a while they doe not please vs long but we must haue new
kingdome of the Messias was an earthly kingdome and with this opinion the Disciples of Christ were tain â—ed IV. They held that the keeping of the morall lawe stood in externall obedience as appeares by the speeches of Christ reforming their errours Math. 5. 6. 7. chap. V. They maintained a naturall freedome of the will in the obseruing of the law Luk. 18. Lord I thanke thee saith the Pharisie I doe thus thus VI. They held a iustification by the workes of the lawe without the obedience of the Messias Rom. 9. 3. VII Beside the written word and law of Moses they had many vnwritten traditions which they obserued precisely and the obseruation of them was accounted the worship of God Math. 15. 3. 9. Other points they held but these are the principall It may further be demaunded how the Iewes could hold such hereticall damnable opinions and yet be the people of God Answer They had for their parts forsaken God but God had not forsaken them because the Temple was yet standing and the sacrifices with the outward worship yet remained among them In this regard they were still a reputed people of God Againe they are called a people of God not of the bigger but of the better part and the better part was a small remnant of them that truely feared God and beleeued in the Messias Of which sort were Ioseph Marie Zacharie Elizabeth Simeon Anna Ioseph of Arimathia Nicodemus Againe it may be demanded howe the Iewes beeing such a people of God should fall away to so daÌ„nable a religion Answer They neither loued nor obeyed the doctrine of Moses and the Prophets and therefore God in iudgment left them to the blindenesse of their owne mindes and the hardnesse of their own hearts Isai. 6. The like may be our case If we loue and obey not the Gospel more then we haue done our religion may ende in ignorance superstition and prophanenesse as theirs hath done The second thing in Pauls example is his conuersation whereby he liued and conuersed according to his religion The like should be in vs. For the profession of the faith and godly conuersation are to goe together Phil. 1. 27. Faith in the hart is a light and workes are the shining of this light Math. 5. 16. Christ hath redeemed them that beleeue from their vaine conuersation 1. Pet. 1. 18. Heere many of vs doe amisse disioyning faith and good life And this fault is the greater because it is an occasion to our aduersaries to mislike and reiect our religion Pauls conuersation hath two partes his persequution of the church and his profiting in his religion Persequution properly is the afflicting of the people of god for their faith and religion In this we are not to follow Paul but to doe the contrary that is by all meanes to seeke the good of the church After Gods glory immediatly we are to seeke the comming and aduancement of the kingdome of God Now this kingdome is a certen estate and condition of men whereby they stand subiect to the word and spirit of God And this subiection to God and Christ is the propertie of them that be members of the church of God All both rich and poore conferred something according to their abilitie to the building of the Temple which figured the church of God The fault of our times is that we build our selues and our worldly estates and little respect the common good of the church In the persequution of the church by Paul two pointes are to be considered the manner and measure or accomplishment The manner is that he persequuted the church extreamely or aboue measure That which Paul did in his religioÌ„ we must doe in ours The good things that we are to doe we must doe them with all our might Eccles. 9. 10. our dutie is to keepe our hartes in the feare of God and we must doe it with all diligence Prou. 4. 24. It is our duty to seeke gods kingdome and we must take it with violence To enter into life is our duty and we must striue to enter To pray is our duty and we must wrastle in praier Rom. 15. 30. Iosias turnes to God with all his harte The law requires that we should loue God with all the powers of body and soule and with all the strengh of all the powers In earthly things we must moderate our thoughtes cares but spirituall duties must be performed with all our might The accomplishment of persequution is that Paul wasted the church and made hauocke of it Here I consider 2. points what is wasted who is the waster For the first it is the church Here 2. questioÌ„s may be demaÌ„ded the firist is how the church can be wasted Answer In respect of the inward estate thereof which standes in election faith iustification glorification it cannot be wasted In respect of his outward estate it may be wasted that is in respect of mens bodies and in regard of the publike assemblies and the exercises of religion The second question is why God suffers his enemies to wast his owne church Answer Iudgement beginnes in Gods house and his iudgements sometime are very sharpe whether they be inflicted for triall or correction of sinnes past or for the preuenting of sinnes to come As in the bodie sometime there is no hope of life except armes and legges be cut off euen so is it in the church Hence it appeares that there shall be a last iudgement and that there is a life euerlasting in heauen because the wicked man florisheth in this world and the godly are often oppressed The waster of the church is Paul By whome we learne that sinne where it takes place giues a man no rest till it hath brought him to a height of wickednes Hatred hauing entred into Caines heart leaues him not till it haue caused him to imbrue his hands in his brothers bloud Coueteousnes makes Iudas at length to betray his master and hange himselfe Blind zeale makes Paul not only to persequute but also to wast the church Therefore it is good to auoide the first beginnings yea the very occasion of sinne The second part and point in Pauls conuersion is that he profittes in his religion Thus should we profit in the gospell of Christ. It is gods commandement be ye perfect as your heauenly father is perfect that is indeuour to come to perfection All the faith we haue or can obtaine is little enough in the time of temptation Iob that said in his affliction though the Lord kill mee I will still trust in him saith also that God wrot bitter things against him and made him to possesse the sinnes of his youth It is a token that a man is dead in his sinnes when he doth not growe or increase in good things 1. Pet. 2. 2. In this regard great is the fault of our daies for many are wearie of the gospell many stand at a staie without profiting many goe backward The cause
Gospel which is to repent and beleeue in Christ. Secondly by offering to him the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting when he beleeued The second part of instruction is a reall and liuely teaching when God made Paul in his heart to answer the calling according to that Psalme 27. v. 5. When thou saidst seeke ye my face mine heart answered I will seeke thy face O Lord. And in Zacharie 13. 9. He shall say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is our God This is a spirituall Eccho that is made in the heart The sound of Gods word goes through the world and the hearts of men which be as Rocks and stones make answer And this worke of God that makes man yeild to the calling of God is in scripture a kind of diuine teaching thus the father is said to teach the sonne by drawing Ioh. 6. 44. And God is said to teach vs his waies when he guids vs by his spirit in the land of righteousnesse Psal. 143. That this reall and heauenly kind of teaching may take place God by his grace puts a kind of softnesse into the heart whereby it is made subiect and obedient to the word And it hath two parts One is an acknowledgement by faith that the sonne is our redeemer The second is regeneration which is the putting off the old man and the putting on of the newe which to doe by the vertue of Christ is to learne Christ. Eph. 4. 20. 23. Thus then God reueales the sonne to Paul by preparing him and making him teachable by propoūding the doctrine of saluation to him and by causing him inwardly to beleeue it and to obey it And thus we see the manner of the calling and conuersion of Paul For the better cleering of this doctrine fiue questions are to be answered The first is what was the preuenting grace in the conuersion of Paul Answer Schoolemen and Papists generally teach that it was the inspiration of good motions and desires into the heart of Paul But it is false which they teach for the heart is vncapable of any good desire or purpose till it be regenerate The trueth is this that the preuenting grace in the first conuersion is the grace of regeneration and secondly the inspiration of good desires and motions When Christ preuents Lazarus that he may reuiue againe he first puts a soule into him and then he calls vnto him and saith Come forth Lazarus because he was dead in like manner we are dead in sinne and therefore regeneration which is the soule of our soules must be put into vs before any inspiration of heauenly motions can take place Yet after we are once borne anew good motions and desires put into our hearts may be the preuenting grace for the doing of sundrie good workers The second question is whether the will of Paul were an agent or cause in the effecting of his first conuersion Answer No scripture makes two sorts of conuersion one Passiue when man is conuerted by god In this man is but a subiect to receiue the impression of grace and no agent at all For in the creating setting or imprinting of righteousnesse and holinesse in the heart Will can doe nothing The second conuersion is Actiue whereby man beeing conuerted by God doth further turne conuert himselfe to God in all his thoughts wordes and deeds This conuersion is not onely of grace nor onely of will but partly of grace and partly of will yet so as grace is the principall agent and will but the instrument of grace For beeing first turned by grace we then can mooue and turne our selues And thus there is a cooperation of mans will with Gods grace And Austen said truely He that made thee without thee doeth not saue thee without thee The third question is whether God did offer any violence to Pauls minde and will in his conuersion Ansvver There is a double violence or Coaction One which doth abolish all consent of will and this he vsed not The other draws out a consent from the will by causing it of an vnwilling will to become willing This coaction or violence God offered to Paul and in this sense they which come to Christ are said to be drawne Ioh. 6. 45. The fourth question is wherein standes the efficacie of the preuenting grace whereby Paul was effectually conuerted Answ. The Councell of Trent and sundrie Papists incline to this opinion to thinke that it stands in the euent in that the will of man applies it selfe to the grace which God offereth But then the efficacie of grace must be from mans will and then man hath something whereof to boast and he is to thanke himselfe for the grace of God Other Papists place the efficacie of grace in the congruitie or aptnesse of motions or heauenly perswasiōs presented to the mind of the mā that is to be cōuerted But this opinion also is deuoid of trueth For there is no efficacie in any motions or perswasions till there be a change and newe creation of the will The true answer is this Outward meanes are effectuall because they are ioyned with the inward operation of the spirit Inward grace is effectuall because God addes to the first grace the second grace For hauing giuen the power to beleeue and repent he giues also the will and the deede and then faith and repentance must needs followe And herein stands the efficacie of the first grace that God addes vnto it and workes the will and the deede Phil. 2. 13. The last question is whether it was in the power of Pauls will to resist the calling or the grace of God Answ. The will for his condition is apt to resist grace neuer the lesse if we consider the efficacie of Gods grace and the will of God he could not resist the calling of God Euery one that hath heard and learned of the father comes to Christ Ioh. 6. 45. Gods will determines and limits the will of man and mans will is an instrument to effect the will of god It may be here demanded howe the efficacie of grace may stand with the libertie of mans will if it haue not libertie to accept or refuse the grace of God Ans. Libertie and freedome of will in God is perfect libertie nowe God cannot will either good or euill but onely that which is good And mans will the neerer it comes to this will of God the greater libertie hath it Therefore to wil that onely which is good so it be freely without compulsion is true libertie to be able to will that which is euill and to resist the calling of God is not libertie but impotencie And he that can onely will that which is good doth more freely will good and hath more libertie then he that can will either good or euill The vse Ministers of the Gospell must learne Christ as Paul learned him They may not content themselues with that teaching which they find in schooles but they must
that Pauls often and daungerous iourneies must teach vs to attend on our callings with care and diligence and not to be dismaied with the troubles that shall befall vs. The second answer that Paul was knowne to the Christian Iewes not by face but by hearsay this may seeme strange considering Paul was at Ierusalem and trauailed through Iurie into Syria and Cilicia but it is the truth and the reason of it is plaine The office of an Apostle is not to build vpon the fouÌ„dation of an other or to succeede any man in his labours but to plant and found the Church of the new Testament where Christ had not bin preached or named Rom. 15. 20. In this the Apostles differ from all the Ministers of the new Testament whatsoeuer And this is the cause why Paul was not knowne to the Churches of Iudea And here we see that Succession which the Papists magnifie is not alwaies a note of the true Church and the true Ministerie For the ministerie of the Apostles and the Apostolicall Churches wanted it And this is for the greater commendation of them Againe it is said that Paul was not knowne to the Churches of Iudea which were in Christ. Where let it be obserued that 4. yeares after the ascension of Christ the Apostles had gathered and planted sundrie Christian Churches in Iudea This greatly commends the efficacie and power of the Gospel For hardnes of heart had ouerspread the nation of the Iewes and they had reiected and crucified the Lord of life And thus that is verified which Christ saith that his Disciples beleeuing in him should doe greater things then he had done Ioh. 14. 12. for he by preaching did not conuert multitudes of the Iewes and range them into Churches as the Apostles did Here againe we see that the Gospel by means of the corruption of man is an occasion of diuisions For after the gospel was preached by the Apostles there arose a diuision of Churches among the Iewes Some were Churches in Christ and some out of Christ namely the Synagogues which refused Christ. We may not therfore nowe a daies take offence if schismes and dissentions followe where the Gospel is preached it is not the fault of the Gospel it is the fault of men That Paul might the better shewe that he was known to the Churches of the Iewes onely by heare-say he expresses the report that went of him Hence I gather it is not vnlawfull to tell and heare reports or newes so be it they be not to the preiudice of the trueth of the glory of God and the good name of men Nay it is commendable to report and heare newes that concernes the increase of Gods kingdome and the conuersion of wicked men In the report two things areÌ„ set downe what Paul did He once persecuted vs and destroyed the faith what he now doth He preacheth the Gospel By this we see that verified which Isai foretold that the lyon the wolfe the lambe c. should peaceably liue togither Againe here we see that all things vpon earth are subiect to change and alteration so as it may be said heretefore it was thus and thus but nowe it is otherwise Therefore in miseries we may not be ouer-much grieued for they are changeable and in earthly things we may not reioyce ouer much because they are mutable and subiect to daily alterations Our speciall care must be to auoide eternall and vnchangeable euils as death and the cause of death namely sinne and to purchase to our selues the good things which are euerlasting namely the fauour of God and euerlasting life Furthermore the thing which Paul aimed at in persequuting the Church is to be considered and that was that he might destroy the faith By faith we are to vnderstand the doctrine of the Gospel and with all the vertue or gift of faith whereby it is beleeued for the deuill his instruments seeke the ouerthrow of both Christ saith Satan desired to sift his Disciples that is to sift all their faith out of their hearts and to leaue nothing in theÌ„ but chaffe Luk. 22. 32. Here then it may be demanded whether faith may be lost specially in the children of God in the time of temptation and persecution I answer thus There be three degrees of faith The first consists in two things knowledge of the Gospel and Assent to the trueth of it This faith the deuils haue and it may be lost and beleeuers by this faith may quite fall away The second kind of faith containes knowledge assent a taste or ioy in the goodnesse of God a zeale to the word of God and apparent fruits of holinesse This faith also beeing better then the former may be lost in the daies of persecution and beleeuers by this faith may fall quite away Luk 8. 13. The third faith called the faith of the Elect containes three parts knowledge of the Gospel assent to the trueth of it and apprehension whereby we doe receiue and apply Christ with his benefits to our selues or the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting This faith may be greatly wasted for things appertaining to it may be lost as boldnesse to come vnto God the sense or feeling of spiritual ioy and such like Againe it may be buried for a time in the heart and not shew it selfe either by fruits or any profession and in respect of the measure of it it may be lessened and maimed and if we respect the nature of it it is as apt to be lost as any other grace of God for there is nothing by nature vnchangeable but God Neuerthelesse where this faith is in trueth it is neuer by affliction and temptation put out or exstingnished because God in mercie confirms it by newe grace Christ saith to Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Luk. 22. 32. And this priuiledge haue all the godly for God promiseth that they shall not be tempted aboue their strength 1. Cor. 10. 13. Indeede persecutors are said to destroy the faith because this is their intent and they indeauour to doe what they can but God preuents their desires by establishing true faith that it may not vtterly faile It may be obiected to the contrarie on this manner The child of God may faâ—l into persecution and denie Christ by this fall he is guiltie of a grieuous offence beeing guiltie he hath not pardon of his offence and beeing without pardon he is without faith Touching guiltinesse I answer thus The child of God when he falls is indeed guiltie but howe Guiltie in respect of himselfe or as much as in him lies because he hath done that which is worthy of death and he hath done all he can to make himselfe guiltie But he is not guiltie to condemnation because God on his part doeth not breake off the purpose of adoption and adiudge him to wrath Secondly touching the pardon of his offence I answer thus In pardon there be foure degrees the degree
therefore thou maist not compell the Gentiles to liue as Iewes Here first let vs obserue the force of euill example it compells men to be euill Therefore let all superiours Magistrates Ministers and all gouernours of families looke to their examples For if they be euill they constraine others also to be euill Here againe we see what wonderfull subiection the ancient beleeuers yeelded to the ministerie of the word For if the actions of the Apostles compelled men to do this or that what then did their doctrines and heauenly exhortations do When Iohn the Baptist preached the kingdome of heauen suffered violence and the violent tooke it to themselues When the disciples preached in Iewrie they saw Satan falling downe from heauen like lightning The weapons of Paul were spirituall to cast downe holds and to bring euery thought in subiection to God Here the fault of our time is to be considered We haue the forme of godlines in hearing and in outward profession but we want the power of it For we doe not in heart yeeld subiection by suffering our selues to be vrged and compelled to obedience by the authoritie of the ministerie Thirdly here we see wherein stood Peters sinne namely in that he constrained men to a necessarie obseruation of the Ceremoniall law by his example binding the Gentiles to the doing of that which the Gospel hath made free Therefore great is the wickednes of the Romane religion in that it placeth a necessitie in many things in the vse whereof Christ hath procured vs an holy and Christian libertie In this respect the vowes of perpetuall continencie of pouertie and regular obedience are falsly tearned states of perfection and are indeede estates of abomination 15 We which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles 16 Know that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ which I say haue beleeued in Iesus Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Iesus Christ and not by the works of the law because by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified Here Paul laies downe the second reason of his reproofe it is framed thus That which we defend both in iudgement and practise that must we vrge and not the contrarie but iustification by faith without workes we defend both in iudgement and practise therefore we must vrge it and not the contrarie namely the necessarie obseruation of the law The maior is wanting the minor is expressed in the 16. v. and it is amplified by an argument of things diuers thus Though we be Iewes to whome the law was giuen yet we forsake the law and looke to be iustified by the faith of Christ. Secondly the minor is confirmed by a testimony of the psalme v. 16. by the workes of the law no flesh shall be iustified Here two points are to be handled One of the distinction of the Iewes and Gentiles the other of iustification Touching the distinction of Iewes and Gentiles sundrie points are to be handled The first what is the cause of this distinction Ans. The good will and pleasure of God Moses saith God chose the Israelites â—boue all nations Deut. 7. 6. he loued them Deut. 10. 15. when he deâ—â—ded the nations lacob was his portion Deut. 32. 8. He knew them aboue all nations saith Amos 3. 1. And he chose them because he loued their fathers Deut. 4. 37. Hence we gather the free Election of God and that they are deceiued who thinke that there was no difference of Iewes and Genâ—â—les in respect of God but in respect of themselues because the one imbraced Christ the other refused Christ. But there cannot be a refusall where the Messias was not knowne and among the Gentiles he was not so much as named Rom. 15. 20. The second point is wherein stands the difference of Iewes and Gentiles Ans. Here the Iewes are opposed to sinners of the Gentiles and therefore by the Iewes are meant an holy and peculiar people The distinction therefore lies in this that the one was holy the other prophane the one in the couenant the other out of the couenant Rom. 9. 4 5. Psal. 147. 20. Here two errours must be auoided One that the difference lay in earthly things which is not true For the law was giuen to the Israelites and it was a schoolemaster to Christ Gal. 3. and an introduction to a better hope Hebr. 7. 19. The second errour is that they differed onely in this that Christ was more plentifully and fully reuealed to the Iewes more darkly and sparingly to the Gentiles But it was otherwise For the Gentiles were without God and Christ Eph. 2. 12. and they were left to themselues to walke in their owne â—aies Act. 14. 16. The third point is how long this difference indured Ans. Till the death of Christ. For the disciples were forbidden to goe into the way of the Gentiles Math. 10. 5. And Christ saith that he was not sent but to the lâ—st sheepe of the house of Israel Mat. 15. 22. It may be obiected that here we see the difference of Iewes and Gentiles is stâ—nding long after the ascension of Christ. Ans. Christ in his death did fully merit the abolishment of this difference Eph. 2. neuerthelesse the execution of this abolishment was by degrees and it was at this time begunne by the ministerie of the Apostles yet not accomplished The last point is that the Iewes are an holy people by nature not because holines is conuaied to them by generation but because euen from their beginning and birth by vertue of the couenant they are holy If the roote be holy the branches are holy Rom. 11. 16. If either of their parents beleeue their children are holy 1. Cor. 7. 14. In a ciuill contract the father and his heire make but one person and the father couenants for himselfe and his posteritie euen so in the couenant of grace he beleeues for himselfe and withall makes his posteritie partaker of the said couenant and thus the posteritie becomes holy It may be obiected that whatsoeuer is borne of flesh is flesh Ans. The parent sustaines a double person First he is to be considered as a child of Adam and thus he brings forth a child hauing with Adams nature Adams corruption Againe he is to be considered as a beleeuer and thus albeit he doth not propagate his faith and holines to his child yet by meanes of his saith his child is in the couenant and consequently is to be accounted holy in the iudgement of charitie till God manifest the contrarie Againe it may be obiected that if the children of beleeuing parents be borne holy they want originall finne Ans. The children also sustaine two persons First they are to be considered as children of the first Adam and thus they are conceiued and borne in sinne and are children of wrath Againe they are to be considered as children of beleeuing parents and thus by meanes of the
couenant they are children of God and originall sinne which is in them is couered from their first beginning and not imputed to them The vse There was no absolute necessitie of circumcision For they which died before the eight day were borne holy and consequently in the couenant and therefore might be saued And thus Baptisme was not of absolute necessitie for the children of beleeuers are borne holy and Christian and therefore dying in the want of baptisme may for all that be saued The seale of the couenant is not of like necessitie with the couenant it selfe Secondly here we learne that it is not the act of baptisme to conferre the first grace but onely to confirme and seale it vnto vs. Adoption and life beginnes not in baptisme but before If the roote be holy the branches springing thenee are holy We are borne Christians if our parents beleeue and not made so in baptisme Lastly if we be borne holy it is our shame that we haue made no more proceeding in holines then we haue done the most remaine ignorant and vnreformed and they of the better sort either stand at a stay or goe backward The second point is concerning Iustification in the 16. v. of which sundrie things are there propounded And first I will beginne with the name The word Iustifie is borrowed from courts of iudgement and signifies a indiciall act Otherwhiles it is put for the action of the iudge and then it signifies to absolue or to pronounce innocent Thus Paul saith Act. 13. 39. That we are instified from all things from which we could not be iustified by the law of Moses that is absolued or cleered Againe he opposeth iustification to accusation and condemnation Rom. 8. 33. Now the contrarie to condemnation is absolution Sometimes againe the word iustifie signifies the act of the partie iudged or of the witnesses and then it imports as much as to giue testimonie or to declare and approoue Thus Iames saith Abraham was iustified by workes chap. 2. v. 22. that is declared and approoued to be a iust man by workes In the former signification is the word vsed where the holy Ghost deliuereth the doctrine of iustification as in this place The vse Here we see how to distinguish betweene Iustification regeneration and renouation Regeneration is vsually in scripture the change of the inward man whereby we are borne anew Renouation is the change both of the inward and outward man that is both of heart and life Iustification is neither but a certaine action in God applied vnto vs or a certaine respect or relation whereby we are acquit of our sinnes and accepted to life euerlasting Secondly we must here note that the Teachers of the Church of Rome mistake the word Iustification For by it they vnderstand nothing els but a physicall transmutation of the qualitie and disposition of our hearts from euill to good And by this mistaking they haue made a mixture or rather confusion of law and Gospel Thirdly here we see what is to be the disposition of the partie iustified for by the consequent we may learne the antecedent A man therfore that would be iustified must come before the iudgement seat of God and there must he plead guiltie and be his owne aduersaâ—ie condemning himselfe and beeing pressed with the terrours of the law he must flie and make his appeale to the throne of grace for pardon in Christ and then he shall be acquit or iustified from all sinner Thus much doth the word 〈…〉 stifie import Thus came the Publican before God Luk. 18 when he said Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and departed iustified Thus in the sift petition we are taught to come euery day into the presence of God and to acknowledge our debts and to vse the plea of mercie saying Forgiue vs our debts The second thing to be considered is the subiect of iustification or the person to be iustified and that is man generally signifying that a Man is iustified The holy Ghost speaketh thus generally for two causes The first is because all men without exception haue need of iustification euen they which are regenerate Rom. 3. 23. And in this place Paul saith that he and Peter and the rest haue beleeued in Christ that they might be iustified by faith Here we are to take notice of the miserable condition of prophane and secure Epicures who neuer so much as dreame of any iustification The second reason is because God communicates the benefit of iustification generally to all sorts of men and this he doth in the Ministerie of the word in which he beseecheth men to be reconciled to God 2. Corinth 5. v. 21. This must be an inducement vnto vs to come vnto Christ humbling and iudging our selues that we may be iustified God himselfe from heauen vseth reasons vnto vs daily to mooue vs to the practise of this dutie What meane these gratious and continuall preseruations of Prince and people Church and land By them we see it is the good pleasure of God to giue vs a time to seeke his kingdome and righteousnes wherefore let vs not neglect the day of visitation but take the time while it serues that we may turne vnto God and be accepted of him and escape the woe pronounced vpon Corazin and Bethsaida The third thing to be considered concernes things excluded from iustification as false causes namely the works of the Law Here it may be demanded what works are meant I answer first not onely workes of the Ceremoniall but also of the morall law For all men know that ceremoniall actions are of no vse vnlesse they be ioyned with morall duties of loue and mercie And if Paul meant onely Ceremoniall workes he needed not to haue made so long a discourse against iustification by workes for he might haue ended the whole matter in a word or twaine by shewing that the ceremoniall law was abrogated by Christ. Secondly I answer that not onely workes done before faith are excluded but also workes that follow faith and are done in the estate of grace For Paul here reasons thus If no flesh be iustified by workes then not we beleeuers but no flesh at all is iustified therefore not we beleeuers Dauid Psal. 143. reasoneth on the same manner No flesh shall be iustified in thy fight therefore I cannot though otherwise I be thy seruant in keeping thy commandements When Abraham was the father of all the faithfull and was come to the highest degree of faith and abounded in good workes yet was he not then iustified by workes Rom. 4. 1 2. Paul kept a good conscience before God and men Act. 23. and yet was he not iustified therby 1. Cor. 4. 4. And he saith that we are not saued by the workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in Eph. 2. 9 10. And the workes that God hath ordained for vs to walke in are the best workes of all euen workes of grace Againe he saith that we are not saued
one is of some Protestants lesse dangerous yet an vntruth namely that we are iustified onely by the Passion of Christ. But if this were so we should be iustified without fulfilling the law for as I haue said we owe to God a double debt one by creation namely the fulfilling of the law in all things from our first beginning the second since the Fall of Adam namely a satisfaction for the breach of the law Now the Passion of Christ is a paiment of the second debt but not of the first whereas both must be answered For Cursed is he that doth not continue in all things written in the law to doe them The passion of Christ procureth deliuerance from hell but alone by it selfe considered it doth not purchase a right to eternall life Obiect I. Christ fulfilled the law for himselfe therefore his passion alone serues for our iustification Ans. Christ as man fulfilled the law for himselfe that he might be in both natures an holy high Priest and so continue Neuertheles as Mediatour God and man he became subiect to the law in this regard he did not fulfill the law for himselfe neither was he boūd so to doe Obiect II. That which Christ did we are not bound to doe but Christ say some fulfilled the law for vs therefore we are not bound to fulfill the law Ans. That which Christ did we are not bound to doe for the same ende and in the same manner Now he fulfilled the law in way of redemption and satisfaction for vs and so doe not we fulfill the law but onely in way of thankfulnes for our redemption Obiect III. The law doth exact both obedience and the penaltie also Ans. In the estate of innocencie the law threatned the penaltie and it onely exacted obedience Since the fall it exacteth both obedience and the punishment The threatning of the law exacts the punishment the precepts exact obediēce Obiect IU Hebr. 10. 19. By the blood of Christ we haue entrance into the Holy place Ans. By the blood of Christ we are to vnderstand the Passion and the passion may not be seuered from actiue and voluntarie obedience For Christ in suffering obaied and in obeying suffered And as Chrysostome saith the Passion is a kind of action Christ in the oblation of himselfe did not onely offer to God his passion but also praiers which are no passions Heb. 5. 7. The second errour is of the Papists who teach that the thing by which and for which a sinner is formally iustified is remission of sinnes with inherent justice infused by the holy Ghost But this cannot be For inherent iustice and iustification are made distinct gifts of God Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs of God wisdome iustice sanctification 1. Cor. 1. 3. Againe But ye are washed ye are iustified and sanctified 1. Cor. 6. 11. Secondly the iustice whereby a sinner is iustified is reuealed without the law Rom. 3. 21. Now inherent iustice or the habit of charitie is reuealed by the law and the obedience of Christ is the onely iustice reuealed without the law For it is a iustice imputed that the law neuer knew and in this obedience Christ performed the law and more too For he died for his enemies and so loued his neighbour more then himselfe Thirdly God is not onely a iustifier but also iust in iustifying Rom. 3. 26. because he iustifieth none but such as bring vnto a him a true and perfect iustice either in themselues or in their Mediatour Prou 17. 15. Now this inward and inherent iustice is not such For it is imperfect because it is increased as they teach by a second iustification and it is in this life mixed with the corruption of the flesh Fourthly the righteousnes of a good conscience is an excellent grace and gift of God but by it we are not iustified 1. Cor. 4. 4. Lastly a close errour is to be noted in this Popish doctrine of iustification For in Popish learning Remission of sinnes is not onely an abolishing of the guilt and the punishment but also of the corruption of sinne so as the partie pardoned and iustified hath nothing in him that as they say God may iustly hate And yet Paul iustified and regenerate saith otherwise of himselfe that sinne dwelleth in him and that the law of sinne rebells in him against the law of his minde and leads him captiue to sinne Rom. 7. The vse of the doctrine First in that we are iustified by an obedience out of our selues we are taught vtterly to denie our selues and to goe out of our selues as hauing nothing in vs whereby we may be saued Here is the foundation of the abnegation of our selues Secondly the obedience of Christ must be vnto vs the foundation of our obedience for he performed all righteousnes for vs that we might be seruants not of sinne but seruants of righteousnes in all duties of obedience And in his obedience we must not onely respect the merit thereof but also his holy example in loue mercie meekenes patience c. and after it are we to fashion our liues Thirdly the obedience of Christ must be the foundation of our comfort In all daungers and temptations we that beleeue are to oppose the obedience of Christ against the fierce wrath of God against hell death and condemnation Certen beasts when they are pursued flie the next way to their dennes where they hold themselues euen to death Christ in respect of his obedience is our hiding place Rom. 3. 26. he is set forth unto the world as a Propitiatorie For as the Propitiatorie couered the Arke and the decasogue so he couereth our sinnes and he hides our bodies soules from the furious indignation and vengeance of God Let vs therefore by our faith flie to this our hiding place in the storme and tempest of Gods wrath and let vs there liue and die Fourthly this Obedience is the foundation of our happines For true happines is to be eased of our sinnes Psal. 32. 1. and this ease we haue from Christ Math. 11. 28. Lastly the consideration of this obedience is the foundation of our thankfulnes to God For if we beleeue that Christ suffered and fulfilled the law for vs we are worse then beasts if we doe not euery way shew our selues thankfull for this mercie The fifth point to be considered is the meanes of iustification namely the Faith of Christ. Of which I consider 3. things The first what faith is The Papists define iustifying faith to be a gift of God whereby we beleeue the articles of faith to be true and the whole word of God But thit faith the deuills hanc Here they alleadge that Abraham was the father of all the faithfull and that his faith was nothing els but a perswasion that he was able to giue him a child in his old age Ans. First the obiect of Abrahams faith was double one lesse-principall that he should haue ishew in his old age the second more
flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Whereas Paul said before I am dead to the law here he declares the reason of it when he saith I am crucified with Christ. Againe here Paul sets downe the true preparation to spirituall life For God first kills and then he makes aliue And the measure of spirituall life is according to the decay of originall sinne This preparation stands in two things the first is fellowship with Christ in his crosse and Passion in these words I am crucified with Christ. The second is Abâ—egation or Annihilation as some call it in these words Not I any more I am crucified with Christ. For the better vnderstanding of these words we must obserue first that Paul speakes not this of himselfe particularly but he speakes in the person of the Christian Iewes before whome he now reasoneth with Peter nay in the person of all beleeuers For all that beleeue are buried into his death Rom. 6. 4. Secondly it must be obserued that Paul speakes this of himselfe not as he is a man consisting of bodie and soule but as he is a sinner carrying about him the bodie of sinne Rom. 6. v. 6. Further it may be demanded vpon what ground he should say I am crucified with Christ Ans. There be two reasons of this speach One is that Christ vpon the crosse stood not as a priuate person but as a publicke person in the roome place and stead of all the Elect and therefore when he was crucified all beleeuers were crucified in him as in the Parlament when the Burgesse giues his voice the whole corporation is said to consent by him and in him The second reason is this In the conuersion of a sinner there is a reall donation of Christ and all his benefits vnto vs and there is a reall vnion whereby euery beleeuer is made one with Christ. And by vertue of this vnion the crosse and passion of Christ is as verily made ours as if if we had beene crucified in our owne persons Hereupon Paul saith in the time present I am crucified with Christ There are like phrases in Paul We are dead with Christ we are risen with him we sit with him in heauenly places Eph. 2. 6. Col. 3. 1. and they are in the same manner to be expounded Moreouer the benefits that arise of this communion with Christ in his passion are two One is Iustification from all our sinnes Rom. 6. 7. The second is Mortification of sinne by the vertue of the death of Christ after we are ingrafted into him Thus much of the meaning The vse Superstitious persons take occasion by the passion of Christ to stirre vp themselues to sorrow compassion and teares by considering the pitifull handling of Christ the sorrow that pearced the heart of the virgin Marie and the crueltie of the Iewes But this is a humane vse that may be made of euery historie The right vse is this we are in minde and meditation to consider Christ crucified and first we are to beleeue that he was crucified for vs. This beeing done we must goe yet further and as it were spread our selues on the crosse of Christ beleeuing and withall beholding our selues crucified with him Thou wilt say this is a hard matter I cannot doe it I say againe this is the right practise of faith striue therefore to be setled in this that the bodie of thy sinne is crucified with Christ. Pray instantly by asking seeking knocking that thou maist thus beleeue This faith and perswasion is of endles vse First it is the foundation of thy comfort If thou beleeue thy selfe to be crucified with Christ thou shalt see thy selfe freed from the dominion of the law and sinne from hell death and condemnation and to thy great comfort shall see thy selfe to triumph ouer all thy spirituall enemies For this Christ doth Col. 2. 14. and thou dost the same if thou be setled in this that thou art crucified with him Secondly vpon this perswasion thou shalt feele the vertue of the death of Christ to kill sinne in thee and to raise thy dead soule to spirituall life When the Sunamites child was dead Elisha went and lay vpon him applying face to face hand to hand and foote to foote and then his flesh waxed warme and reuiued 1. King 4. 34. euen so applie thy selfe to Christ crucified hand to hand foote to foote heart to heart and thou shalt feele in thy selfe a death of sinne and the heat of spirituall life to warme and inflame thy dead heart Thirdly if thou beleeue thy selfe to be crucified with Christ thou shalt see the leÌ„gth the breadth the height the depth of the loue of god in Christ. For thy sinnes are the swords and the speares that crucified Christ and yet thou hast all the benefit of his passion Lastly if thou canst beleeue that thou art crucified with Christ thou shalt further be assured that he is partner with thee in all thy miseries and afflictions to ease thee and to make thee to beare them 1. Pet. 4. 13. Col. 1. 24. The duties hence to be learned are these First if thou be crucified with Christ then must thou applie thy heart to crucifie the bodie of corruption in thee by praier fasting by auoiding the occasions by abstaining froÌ„ the practise of sinne and by all good meanes Behold a man hanged vpon a gybbet Thou seest he hath satisfied the law and there is no further iudiciall proceeding against him and withall thou seest how he ceaseth from his thefts murders blasphemies euen so if thou canst behold thy selfe spred vpon the crosse of Christ and crucified with him there will be in thee a new minde and disposition and thou wilt cease from thine old offences Againe beeing crucified with Christ thou must be conformable to Christ in thy sufferings He suffered in loue and the more his passion increased the more he shewed his loue euen so in thine afflictions and sufferings thy loue to God man must be increased though man be the cause of thine afflictions Secondly Christ suffered in obedience Not my will but thy will be done euen so in all thy sufferings thou must resigne thy selfe to God and quiet thy selfe in his will Thirdly Christ suffered in all humilitie humbling himselfe to the death of the crosse euen so we in and vpon our afflictions are to humble our selues vnder the mightie hand of God confessing our sinnes and intreating for pardon Fourthly he suffered in faith as man depending on his fathers goodnes euen in the middest of his passion euen so are we to doe Fifthly he went on constantly in his sufferings to the very death euen so are we to suffer in the resisting of sinne euen vnto the shedding of our blood Lastly the principall care of Christ was to see the fruit of his sufferings so when we are distressed our care must rather be to see the fruit of our distresse then to
seeke deliuerance This conformitie with Christ in his passion is an infallible worke and token of the child of God and a signe that we are crucified with Christ. Againe here we are to take notice of the false faith of many men They can be content to beleeue that Christ was crucified for them but there they make a pause for they doe not beleeue that they are crucified with Christ. Their faith therefore is but halfe a faith and their profession is according For they haue the forme of godlines without the power thereof They thinke that they beleeue the Articles of faith aright but they are deceiued For to beleeue in Christ crucified is not onely to beleeue that he was crucified but also to beleeue that I am crucified with him And this is to know Christ crucified Lastly here we are to consider the abomination of the Church of Rome For it most abuseth that which is the greatest treasure in the world namely Christ crucified For they make a very Idol of him in that they worship him in at and before painted and carued Crucifixes For there is no such Christ in heauen or in earth that wil be present when we pray and heare vs at Crucifixes Againe they giue Latria diuine honour to deuised and framed crucifixes and thus they robbe Christ of his honour Thus much of our Communion with Christ in his passion now followes the second part of preparation namely Abnegation J liue yet not I any more that is I liue a spirituall life yet not as I as a naturall man For in that regard I carrie my selfe as a man crucified or after the manner of a dead man suffering nothing that is in me by nature to raigne in me that Christ alone may liue and raigne in me Here is a notable dutie to be learned we beeing crucified with Christ must carrie our selues as men crucified and that in three respects First in respect of corruption of sinnefull nature For in regard of our sinnes we are to esteeme our selues vnworthie of meat drinke sleepe breathing yea we are to esteeme ourselues to be as vile as any of the creatures vpon earth and we are to denie vngodlines and worldly lusts not suffering any of them to raigne ouer vs. Secondly we must carrie our selues as dead men in respect of the good things that belong to nature as honours riches pleasures friends all which in respect of preparation of minde we must daily forsake for Christs sake not suffering any of them to take place in our hearts Lastly we must be as dead men in respect of our owne reason and will and we must tread them vnder foote making Gods will our wisdome and will and giuing it lordship and dominion ouer vs our owne wills in the meane season lying dead in vs. Thus are we to carrie our selues as dead men and we are to be carefull of it that God may haue pleasure in vs we must forget our owne people and our fathers house Psal. 45. 10. That we may buy the pearle we must sell all we haue our wills our affections and the dearest things in the world He that would liue when he is dead must die while he is aliue and we must now lay out our selues as dead persons Corruption of nature reason and will must be dead in vs that Christ alone may liue and raigne in vs. The third point concerning spirituall life is touching the Originall and well-spring thereof in these words That Christ may raigne in me For the better conceiuing whereof three points are to be obserued The first that Christ is not onely the Author with the father the H. Ghost but also the Roote of life hauing life in himselfe that he may conuaie it to all that beleeue in him He is the true vine and we are the branches Ioh. 15. 1. he is an appointed head to his Church Eph. 1. 22. he is the prince of life Act. 3. 15. he is a quickning spirit 1. Cor. 15. 45. And in this regard is he said to liue in vs namely as a roote in the branch or as the head in the members The second point is that there must be an Vnion with Christ before we can receiue life from him and he liue in vs. If ye abide in me and I in you ye shall bring forth much fruit Ioh. 15. 4. We must be grafted with him before we can be conformable to his death and resurrection Rom. 6. 5. And againe we must be taken out of the wild oliue and set in the true oliue Rom. 11. 24. Thus much Paul signifieth when he saith Christ liues in me Of this coniunction two things must be noted The first that it is a substantiall vnion in that the person of him that beleeueth is vnited to the person of Christ. For we must eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood before we can haue life abiding in vs Ioh. 6. 53. and our bodies are members of Christ. 1. Cor. 6. 15. Againe this Vnion is spirituall because it is made by the bond of one spirit 1. Cor. 12. 13. By one spirit we are baptised into one bodie And no man is to maruaile that we on earth should be ioyned to Christ in heauen By ciuill contract man and wife are one flesh though distant many miles asunder why then may not we be ioyned to Christ by vertue of the couenant of grace considering no distance of place can hinder the beeing of the spirit of Christ in vs. The third point is that after this vnion with Christ he must further communicate himselfe vnto vs before we can liue by him and he in vs. To this purpose S. Iohn saith that God hath giuen vs life that this life is in the sonne that he which hath the sonne hath life 1. Ioh. 5. 12. For the conceiuing of this truth two questions may be demanded One in what order Christ giues himselfe vnto vs Ans. Christ first of all giues his flesh and blood that is himselfe and then secondly his gifts namely the efficacie and merit of his death The institution of the Lords Supper sheweth plainly that we are not partakers of the benefits of Christ vnlesse first of all Christ himselfe be giuen vnto vs. The second question is how Christ can be said to liue in vs Ans. He is not in vs in respect of locall presence but by the supernaturall and speciall operation of his spirit 1. Cor. 6. 17. The operation of the spirit is threefold The first is when God imputes the righteousnes of Christ to them that beleeue and withall giues the Right of eternall life and the Earnest of this right namely the first fruits of the spirit Hereupon iustification is called the Iustification of life Rom. 5. The second is Viuification by the vertue of the resurrection of Christ. Phil. 3. 10. And this vertue is the power of the Godhead of Christ or the power of the spirit raising vs to newnes of life as it raised Christ from the death
therefore to liue in the flesh is to liue a naturall life by eating drinking sleeping Further Paul saith that liuing in the flesh he liued by faith and for the better conceiuing of this two questions may be demanded The first is Why a beleeuer is said to liue by faith Ans. There be two causes First faith is an Instrument to vnite vs to Christ and by meanes of this vnion we receiue life from Christ for Christ dwells in our hearts by faith Eph. 3. 17. Secondly faith is a Guide to order and gouerne temporall life in all good manner according to the will of God And this faith doth by a diuine kind of reasoning framed in the mind whereby it vrgeth and perswadeth to good duties Rom. 6. 11. The second question is How men liue by faith Ans. The child of God liues a double life in this world a spirituall and a temporall The spirituall stands specially in three things Reconciliation with God renouation of life and good workes Now in our Reconciliation with God we liue in this world onely by faith For we haue and enioy pardon of sinnes imputation of iustice and acception to life eternall onely by meanes of our faith Rom. 4. 4. 5. 1. Againe in the renouation and change of our liues we liue by faith For our faith in Christ purifieth our hearts Act. 15. 9. partly by deriuing holines and puritie from Christ vnto vs who is our sanctification and partly by moouing and perswading of vs to holines and newnes of life 1. Ioh. 3. 3. Lastly in the doing of euery good worke we must liue by our faith For first there must be a generall faith that the worke in his kind pleaseth God Rom. 14. 25. Secondly iustifying faith must giue a beginning to the worke I beleeued therefore I spake Psal. 116. 12. Thirdly after the worke is done faith must couer the defects thereof that it may be acceptable to God Heb. 11. 5. Temporall life stands in cares or miseries and miseries are outward afflictions or inward temptations And in all our worldly cares we are to liue by faith For our care must be to doe our office and the labour of our calling with all diligence This beeing done we must there make a pause and for the successe of all our praiers and labours we must cast our care on God 1. Pet. 5. 7. Likewise in our afflictions we are to liue by faith For our faith is to assure vs that God according to his promise will giue a good issue 1. Cor. 10. 12. And though all temporall things faile vs it makes vs retaine the hope of mercie and of eternall life Thirdly it makes vs waite Gods leisure for our deliuerance Isa. 16. 28. Lastly in our Temptations we are not to liue by feeling but by faith yea against feeling to rest on the bare promise of God when we feele and apprehend nothing but the wrath of God And thus we see how the beleeuer liues by his faith in this world It may be said What is the faith we liue by Answer is here made It is the faith of the sonne of God And sauing faith is so called because Christ is not onely the Author of it and the obiect or matter of it but also the Reuealer of it For there was a certaine faith in God which was put into the heart of man in the creation which also the morall law requireth but this faith in the Messias was not knowne till after the fall and then it was reuealed to the world by the sonne of God Againe it may be saide What is this faith of the Sonne of God Answer is here made A faith whereby I beleeue that Christ hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me These words then thus explaned are an answer to an obiection which may be framed thus Why shouldest thou say that thou liuest not but that Christ liueth in thee considering thou liuest in the flesh as other men doe Answer is made Though I liue in the flesh yet I liue by the faith of the sonne of God The vse Here first of all they are to be blamed that liue by sense like beasts beleeuing no more then they see and trusting God no further then they see him For if a man whome we see and know make a promise to vs we are comforted yet if God who is inuisible make in his word farre better promises as he doth we are not in like sort comforted Againe we put too much confidence in meanes If we haue good callings house land liuing we can then trust in God but when meanes of comfort faile we are confounded in our selues as if there were no God We are like the vsurer who will not trust the man but his pawne euen so we trust not God vpon his bare word without a pawne If he come to vs with a full hand and with the pawne of his good gifts and blessings we trust him els not Againe they are to be blamed that liue onely by the guidance of reason For many dispute thus I deale truly and iustly with all men and liue peaceably with my neighbours therefore God will haue me excused But there must be a better guide to euerlasting life namely faith in Christ els shall we misse of our marke Thirdly they deceiue themselues that thinke they may liue as they list and call vpon God when they are dying and so die by faith It is well if they can die by faith but that they may so die they must liue by faith Lastly they are to be blamed that spend their daies in worldly cares so as no good thing can take place This is the life of infidels And where true faith raignes it cuts off the multitude of cares and makes vs cast them on God Moreouer here we see what we are to doe in perilous times as in the time of plague famine sword when present death is before our eyes we must then liue by faith When Noeh heard of the flood he prepared such meanes as faith would affoard for the sauing of himselfe and his familie Abraham Isaac Iacob by faith liued as pilgrimes in a strange land and were content Moses left Pharaos court and feared not the wrath of the king because by faith he saw him that was inuisible Hebr. 11. 27. Dauid in the feare of present death comforted himselfe in the Lord his God 1. Sam. 30. 6. When Iehosaphat knew not what in the world to doe he lift vp the eyes of his faith to the Lord. 2. Chron. 20. 12. Christ in his agonie and passion of the crosse by faith commended his soule into the hands of his father Of the Saints of the New Testament some were racked some were stoned to death and that by faith Heb. 11. 36. We must therefore all of vs learne to liue by faith and for this cause we must acquaint our selues with the word and promises of God and mingle them with our faith els shall the life of a man in
the word stands in three things The first is true and proper interpretation of the Scripture and that by it selfe for Scripture is both the glosse and the text The second is sauorie and wholesome do ctrine gathered out of the Scriptures truly expounded The third is the Application of the said doctrine either to the information of the iudgement or to the reformation of the life This is the preaching that is of power Let all the sonnes of the Prophets thinke vpon these things and studie to be doers of them Furthermore two questions are here resolued The first is whether Images be necessarie in the congregations of the people of God Ans. There are Christian Images and Pictures and they are very necessarie And these Images are Sermons of Christ and the Right administration of the sacraments For in them Christ is described and painted out vnto vs. As for the painted and carued images of the Papists we vtterly detest them as Idols They alleadge that they are lay-mens bookes but Habakuk saith they are doctours of lies Hab. 2. 18. And where the liuely preaching of the word is there is no neede of them And therefore Images were not established in Churches in these West parts till after 700. yeares As long as the church had golden teachers there were no wooden images but when golden teachers did degenerate and become wooden teachers then came both golden and wooden Images It is further said why may not we paint Christ in our churches with colours as with wordes in sermons Ans. The one the Lord alloweth namely the description of Christ in speach But the caruing or painting of images in churches and that for religious vse he condemneth Exod. 20. 6. The second question is Whether there be now in the church of God any sacrifice or oblation of Christ Ans. There is after a sort For there is a liuely representation of the passion of Christ in the Preaching of the word and in the administration of the Lords supper as if Christ were yet in crucifying and as though his blood were now distilling from his hands sides As for the sacrifice of the Masse it is an abomination and a meere mockerie For there the Priest when he saith Accept these gifts c. is become a Mediatour betweene Christ and God and the bodie and blood of Christ is offered in an vnbloodie manner that is blood is offered without blood and the Priest when he hath offered Christ eates vp all that he hath offered Yet for this damnable oblation many stand and the reason is because they are bewitched and inchanted with pretended shewes of Fathers Councells Antiquitie Succession c. Lastly here we learne what is the dutie of all beleeuers namely to behold Christ crucified Cant. 3. 11. O daughters of Sion behold your king But where must we behold him Not in Roodes and Crucifixes after the Popish manner but we must looke on him as he propounds himselfe vnto vs in the word and sacraments For thus is he the true obiect of our faith And how must we behold him by the eye of faith which makes vs both see him feele him as it were crucified in vs. Here note that implicit faith which is to beleeue as the Church beleeues is a blind faith for by it we cannot contemplate and behold Christ. And the common fault is here to be noted whereby men neglect and passe by this contemplation of Christ. There is among vs the euill eye that deuoureth all it seeth there is the adulterous eye but where is the eye of faith to behold Christ where is the force of this eye to be seēe which maketh the thing which it beholdeth to be ours and vs like vnto it We loue to tricke and paint our bodies and some to set fine complexions on their faces and therefore complexions at this day are made a kind of marchandise but away with such vanities If ye loue to be painted I will tell you what ye shall doe The office of the Ministers is to describe and paint out Christ vnto vs let them paint Christ crucified in the heart and set vp his image there and then shalt thou haue a fauourable complexion in the eye both of God and man That this contemplation of Christ by faith may take more place and be the better practised consider the vse of it First by beholding Christ crucified we see our miserie and wickednes For our sinnes are the swords and speares which haue crucified him Zach. 12. 10. Secondly this sight brings vs true and liuely comfort for beholding Christ crucified we see Paradise as it were in the midst of hell we see the handwriting against vs cancelled Coloss. 2. 14. we see the remission of our sinnes written with the heart blood of Christ and sealed with the same Thirdly this sight of Christ makes a vniuersall chaunge of vs. The Camelion takes to it the colours of the things which it seeth and are neere vnto it and the beleeuing heart takes to it the disposition and minde that was in Christ crucified by viewing and beholding of Christ. This sight makes vs mourne and bleede in our hearts for our offences when we consider that Christ was crucified for them and it makes vs loue Christ when we consider the loue of God in Christ crucified Lastly this thing must be a terrour to all the vngodly For they haue no care to behold Christ but by their leud liues they crucifie him and for this cause in the day of iudgement they shall see with heauie hearts Christ to be their iudge whome they haue pearced Reuel 1. 7. Better therefore it is now in the day of grace to behold him with the eye of faith to our comfort then now to despise him and then to behold him to our euerlasting shame with the eye of confusion 2 This onely would I learne of you Receiued ye the Spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith 3 Are ye so foolish that after ye haue begunne in the spirit ye would now be made perfect by the flesh The sense of the words When Paul saith this would I learne of you he meets with the conceit of the Galatians who thought themselues wise and the effect of his speech is this I haue called you fooles but it may be that you thinke your selues wise and me foolish well let it be so then with all your wisdome teach me and let me learne but one thing and that is by what meanes ye receiued the Spirit Touching the phrase Receiued ye the Spirit three things must be obserued The first that the Spirit sometimes signifies the essentiall spirit of the Father and the Sonne as 1. Cor. 12. 4. There is a diuersitie of gifts but one spirit Sometimes againe it signifies the effects operations or gifts of the spirit as namely when flesh and spirit are opposed as in this text And further when it signifies gifts yet then the presence of the spirit is not excluded
are now constant but if triall shall come our frailtie shall appeare That our frailtie and weaknes may not be hurtfull to vs we must remember two rules One is not to haue a conceit of any thing in vs but to hold our faith and religion in feare as in the presence of God Rom. 11. 20. the second to take heede that there be not in vs an euill corrupt and dissembling heart For if our heart be naught our faith cannot be good Heb. 4. 12. 6 As Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes 7 Knowye therefore that they which are of faith are the children of Abraham The words Euen as Abraham c. haue reference to that which went before on this manner Ye Galatians receiued the spirit by my doctrine and my doctrine was the preaching of iustification of faith without workes which doctrine is like and sutable to the example of Abraham who beleeued God and it was imputed for iustice Here Paul sets downe the second argument whereby he prooues the truth of his doctrine And it is framed thus As Abraham was iustified so are the children of Abraham Abraham was iustified by iustice imputed and apprehended by faith vers 6. Therefore the children of Abraham are thus iustified This conclusion is the principall question it is not here expressed but in the roome thereof a declaration is made who are the true children of God namely they that are of Abraham in respect of faith That which is saide here of Abraham is a maine ground concerning the iustification of a sinner in the bookes of the old and new Testament therefore I will more carefully search the true interpretation of it Some expound the words thus Abraham beleeued God and the world reputed him for a good and vertuous man But if this be the right sense then Paul is deceiued who brings this text to prooue the iustification of Abraham not onely before men but also before God Now vertue and goodnes which is in estimation among men is not sufficient to acquit and iustifie vs before God The second exposition is of the Papists who by faith here vnderstand a generall faith whereby the articles of faith are beleeued And by imputation they vnderstand reputation wher by a thing is esteemed as it is indeede And they teach that faith is reputed for righteousnes because say they faith formed with charitie is indeede the iustice whereby a sinner is iustified before God But this Exposition hath his defects and errours For first of all Charitie is not the forme or life of faith but the fruit and effect of it 1. Tim. 1. 5. The ende of teaching is loue out of a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained It is obiected that as the bodie is dead without the soule so is faith without workes Iam. 2. 26. and therefore that workes are the life of faith Ans. S. Iames by faith vnderstands a pretended faith or the Profession of faith as appeares by the words v. 14. though a man say he hath faith and v. 18. shew me thy faith Now of this profession of faith workes are the life Secondly this exposition makes faith or the act of beleeuing to be our whole and intire iustice before God whereas indeede if it be iustice it is but one part thereof And in the act of beleeuing loue cannot be included Thirdly faith ioyned with charitie is not the iustice whereby a sinner is iustified For our faith and loue are both imperfect and faith is imputed for righteousnes without workes Rom. 4. 6. and therefore without charitie For this is charitie to keepe the commandements of God Ioh. 15. 10. Paul saith that the righteousnesse whereby we are iustified is by or through faith Phil. 3. 9. and therefore our iustice and our faith are two distinct things The third exposition is also from the Papists that faith is reputed for righteousnes because it is reputed to be a sufficient meanes to prepare men to their iustification but this cannot be the sense of this place For this was spoken of Abraham after he was iustified and therefore needed no preparation to iustification Let vs now come to the true sense of the wordes In them I consider two things Abrahams faith in these words Abraham beleeued God and the fruit of his faith in these words and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Touching his faith I consider three things The first is the occasion which was on this manner After the conquest of the heathen kings Abraham was still in some feare in this regard the Lord comforts him Gen. 15. 1. I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward But to this Abraham replies I want issue and the Lord answers I will make thy seede as the starres of heauen Gen. 15. 5. Now then looke as God renewes and inlarges his promise to Abraham so Abraham renewes his faith and hereupon Moses and Paul say Abraham beleeued God God doth not now inlarge his promises to vs as to Abraham neuerthelesse the promises recorded in the bible are renewed to vs partly by preaching and partly by the vse of the sacraments and we accordingly are to renew our faith specially in the time of feare and danger The second thing is the obiect or matter of his faith and that is the multiplication of his posteritie It may be said how could Abraham be iustified by such a faith Ans. The promise of the multiplication of his seede was a dependant of a more principall promise I am thy God all-sufficient Gen. 17. 1. and I am thy exceeding great reward Gen. 15. 11. In this carnall seede Abraham specially respected by the eye of faith the blessed seede of the woman He therefore beleeued the promise of a seede as it was a pledge vnto him of a thing more principall namely the fauour of God and as it was a meanes to effect the incarnation of the sonne of God In his example we are taught how we are to respect and vse earthly things we are to respect them as pledges of Gods fauour and to vse them as meanes to further vs to Christ and to the attainment of our saluation The third point is the propertie of Abrahams faith which was a faith against hope For he beleeued the promise of a seede when his bodie was halfe dead and Sarai was barren In like sort we keeping true religion and good conscience must in all our temptations crosses miseries infirmities against reason sense and feeling beleeue the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting In the effect and fruit of Abrahams faith three things must be considered The first is what is meant by Imputation To impute properly is a speach borrowed from marchants and it signifies to recken or to keepe a reckening of expenses and receipts Thus Paul saith Philem. 18. If he haue done thee any wrong impute it to me that is set it on my reckening And this word is here applied to the Iudgement of God Because he
is our soueraigne Lord and we are his debters and he doth adiudge vnto men for their sinnes either pardon or punishment Imputation in God is twofold one Legall the other Euangelicall Legall is when God willeth and adiudgeth the reward to him that fulfilleth the law Thus Paul saith Rom. 4. 5. that the wages is imputed to him that worketh and that of debt Euangelicall imputation is when God accepts the satisfaction of Christ our suretie as a paiment for our sinnes In this sense is the word Impute taken ten times in the 4. chap. to the Rom. and in the fame is it vsed in this place The second point is what is imputed And it was imputed that is faith Faith here must be considered two waies first as a qualitie in it selfe and thus it is imperfect and consequently cannot be imputed to vs for our instification Againe faith must be considered as an instrument or hand holding and receiuing Christ and in this regard beleeuing is put for the thing beleeued And thus must this text be vnderstood It was imputed to him that is the thing which his faith beleeued was imputed to him by God for the act of beleeuing is not our iustice as I haue shewed The third point is what is meant by righteousnes Ans. That which is called in Scripture the Iustice of God which is sufficient to acquit a sinner at the barre of Gods iudgement Thus then the sense is manifest Abraham beleeued the promise of God specially touching the blessed seede and that which he beleeued namely the obedience of the Mediatour the blessed seede was accepted of God as his obedience for his iustification It is obiected that the obedience of Christ is to be imputed to none but to Christ who was the doer of it Ans. It is to be imputed that is ascribed to him as to the author thereof and withall because he did performe it in our roome and stead and that for vs it is to be imputed to vs. Secondly it is obiected that works are also imputed as well as faith Psal. 106. 31. Phinees exequuted iudgement and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Ans. There is iustice of the person and iustice of the act Iustice of the person is that which makes the person of man iust Iustice of the act is that which makes the act of the person iust and not the person it selfe Now the Psalme speakes onely of the iustice of Phinees action and the meaning of the words is this that God reputed his action as a iust action whereas men might happily condemne it This place therefore prooues not that workes are imputed for the iustification of any man Thirdly it is obiected that imputed iustice was neuer known in the Church till 1500 yeares after Christ. Ans. It is false Bernard saith expressely Death is put to flight by the death of Christ and the iustice of Christ is imputed to vs and againe the satisfaction of Christ is imputed to vs. Againe sundrie of the Fathers as Augustine Hierome Chrysostome Theodoret Anselme entreating vpon the text of Paul 2. Cor. 5. 21. auouch that the iustice whereby we are iustified is not in vs but in Christ. And it is a receiued doctrine with them that a sinner is iustified by faith alone now faith alone presupposeth an imputation of iustice The vse Hence it followes that there is no merit of mans works either in the beginning or in the accomplishment of our iustification For faith is imputed for iustice to him that beleeueth and worketh not Rom. 4. 5. Againe by this we see there is but one iustification and that the second by workes whereby a man of a good man is made better is a meere fiction For iust Abraham is not iustified by his good workes wherewith he abounded but after his first iustification faith still is imputed to him for righteousnes Thirdly here we see what is that very thing whereby we are to appeare iust before God and to be saued and that is the Obedience of Christ imputed to vs of God and apprehended by our faith Lastly here we see our dutie God sits as a Iudge ouer vs he takes a reckening of vs for all our doings the law is an hand-writing against vs to some he imputes their sinnes to some he remits them We therefore must come into the presence of God plead guiltie and acknowledge our selues to be as bankrupts and intreat him to graunt pardon to vs and to accept the satisfaction of Christ for vs then will God not impute our sinnes but the obedience of Christ for our iustification and accept him as our suretie in life and death The declaration of the conclusion followes in the 9. verse and it shewes who are the true children of Abraham The meaning of the words must first be considered To be of faith is to be of Abrahams faith Rom. 4. 16. And to be of Abrahams faith is to beleeue and applie the promise of righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ as Abraham did and to rest in it for our iustification and saluation v. 10. they are said to be of works who doe the works of the law and looke to be iustified thereby therefore they are of faith who beleeue in Christ looke to be saued and iustified thereby And they which thus beleeue with Abraham are said to be his children It may be demanded how Ans. Children of Abraham are of two sorts some by nature some by grace By nature are they which are of Abraham by the flesh or naturall generation as Ismael was By grace all beleeuers are children of Abraham and that three waies First by Imitation in that Abraham is set forth vnto vs as a patterne in the steppes of whose faith all true beleeuers walke Rom. 4. 12. Secondly beleeuers are children of Abraham by succession in that they succeede him in the inheritance of the same blessing Thirdly they are children to him by a kind of spirituall generation For Abraham by beleeuing the promise of a seede did after a sort beget them Indeede properly the promise and Election of God makes them children and Abraham by his faith beleeuing the foresaid promise receiues them of God as his children In this regard beleeuers are called children of the promise Rom. 9. 8. and the seede that is of the faith of Abraham Rom. 4. 16. Now then the meaning of the text is that beleeuers though vncircumcised are the children of Abraham It may be said what priuiledge is this Ans. Great for the children of Abraham are children of the couenant Act. 3. 25. and children of God Rom. 9. 8. The vse In this verse Paul sets downe one thing namely the true marke of the child of Abraham and that is to be of the faith of Abrahā Here then marke first of all the Iewes though descending of Isaac are no children of Abraham because they follow not the faith of Abraham Secondly the Turks are no children though they plead descent from Agar sometimes and
sometime from Sara tearming themselues Agarens and Saracens For they tread vnder foote the faith of Abraham Thirdly the Papist will nothing helpe himselfe by the plea of Antiquitie Succession and vniuersall consent except he can shew some good euidence that he is of the faith of Abraham which he cannot For this faith he hath corrupted as I haue shewed Lastly our profession of Abrahams faith partly in teaching and partly in hearing and in the vse of the sacraments is not sufficient to prooue vs the children of Abraham For not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen Math. 7. 22. Therefore we must labour to be indeede and in truth of the faith of Abraham and to walke in the steppes of his faith And to this end we must do three things First we must haue knowledge of the maine and principall promise touching the blessing of God in Christ and of all other promises depending on the principall and we must know the scope and tenour of them that we be not deceiued Secondly we must with Abraham beleeue the power and truth of God in the accomplishing of the said promises or in the working of our vocation iustification sanctification glorification Rom. 4. 21. Thirdly we must by faith obey God in all things shutting our eyes and suffering our selues as it were to be led blindfold by the word of God Thus did Abraham in all things euen in actions against nature Hebr. 11. 8. But this practise is rare among vs. For there are three things which preuaile much among vs the loue of worldly honour the loue of pleasures and the loue of riches and where these beare a sway there faith takes no place It will be said that faith is much professed Ans. Faith was neuer more professed yet there was neuer lesse true faith For the common faith of men is a false faith For in some it is conceiued without the meanes of the word praier sacraments and in others it is seuered from the Purpose of not sinning Now faith conceiued without the true meanes and faith ioyned with the purpose to liue as we list is nothing but presumption And surely this is the faith though not of all yet of the most Moreouer that which Paul hath said of the children of Abraham he prooues by the testimonie of the Galatians in these words Know ye therefore or ye know that is vpon the saying of Moses in the former verse ye your selues know this to be a truth which I said Marke here Paul requires such a measure of knowledge in beleeuers that they must be able to iudge of the gathering of this or that doctrine out of this or that place of Scripture This shewes the contempt of knowledge in these our daies to be great for most men reiect the preaching of the Gospel and content themselues with the teaching and schooling of nature 8 For the Scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith preached before the Gospel vnto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed 9 So then they which are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham Against the argument in the two former verses a doubt or exception might be mooued on this manner We graunt that they which are of the faith of Abraham are iustified as he was so they be Iewes and not Gentiles Now this doubt exception or obiection Paul remooues in these verses thus Whē God said to Abraham In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed he signified the iustification euen of the Gentiles by faith therefore all that are of faith euen the Gentiles are blessed of God as Abraham was In the 8. verse I consider three things the occasion of the speach of God to Abraham namely Gods foreknowledge the manner of his speach the preaching of the Gospel to Abraham and the testimonie it selfe In thee c. Touching the occasion first it may be demanded whether this foreknowledge in God be a bare foreknowledge seuered from the will of God or no Ans. No Gods foreknowledge is in all things ioyned with his decree or will If God should foresee things to come and in no sort will or nill them there should be an idle prouidence Christ was deliuered by the will and foreknowledge of God Act. 2. 23. and the Iewes for their parts did nothing in the crucifying of Christ but that which the hand and counsell of God had determined to be done Act. 4. 28. Neither is God by this doctrine made the author of sinne For sinne comes to passe not from the will of God but according to his will in that he foresees euill and withall wills not to hinder the beeing of it and euill not hindred comes to passe Againe it may be demanded In what order the foreknowledge of God stands to his will Ans. The foreknowledge of things that may possibly come to passe goes before his will the foreknowledge of things that shall certenly come to passe followes the will and decree of God For things come not to passe because they are foreseene but because they are to come to passe according to the will of God therefore they are foreseene Now then because foreknowledge in God is ioyned with his will and is alwaies a consequent of it it is often put for the counsell will and decree of God as in this place In this text two things are to be considered of Gods foreknowledge The first is who or what foresees Answer is here made The Scripture foresees that is God foresees and the Scripture records things foreseene by him Hence it appeares that the writings of Moses are the word of God For they foretell things to come 2000 yeares after as the calling and benediction of the Gentiles in the seede of Abraham In the same regard the writings of Paul are the word of God For there he reueales and sets down in writing more then 2000 years after what was the intention of God when he said to Abraham In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed The second point is what is foreseene Answer is made that God iustifieth the Gentiles that is God will as certēly iustifie them in time to come as if he had then done it when he spake the words Some teach that the Predestination of God is his decree in which he purposeth to redeeme and iustifie all men of all ages and times so be it they will beleeue But I finde no such decree in the word Here we see Gods decree is onely to iustifie all the Gentiles in the last age of the world And thus the text of Paul must be vnderstood God would haue all men to be saued 1. Tim. 2. namely all men or all the Gentiles in the last age of the world and not all the Gentiles of all ages and times In the next place the manner of the speech and testimonie of God must be considered in that he is said to preach the Gospel to Abraham Here marke the Antiquitie of the Gospel
and the markes of true religion which for his substance was known not onely to the Apostles but also to the Prophets and Patriarks So ancient is the true way of life and the doctrine of iustification by faith without workes Papists plead antiquitie for their religion but in vaine for the proper points and heads of their religion were taken vp since the daies of Christ some 200 yeares after some 400. some 600. some 800. some a thousand and some 1400 yeares after The third point is the speach or testimonie it selfe In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed In thee that is in thy seede Christ Gen. 22. 18. who is in thy loynes into whome the Gentiles are ingrafted by faith and consequently into thee For they are the seede of Christ Isa. 53. 10. who is the seede of Abraham Againe here it is said All the Gentilis but Gen. 17. 4. Abraham is called the father not of all but of many nations Ans He is the father of many in respect of his fleshs and he is a father of all the Gentiles in regard of his faith Againe it is vsuall in scripture to put the word All for many Rom. 5. 15. 18. And the benediction here mentioned comprehends all the spirituall graces of God as vocation iustification glorification Eph. 1. v. 3. The vse In that the Lord saith All the nations shall be blessed in Abraham hence I gather that the nation of the Iewes shal be called and conuerted to the participation of this blessing when and how God knowes but that it shall be done before the ende of the world we know For if all nations shall be called then the Iewes Againe that which was foretold to Abraham is verefied in our eyes For this our English nation and many other nations are at this day blessed in this seede of Abraham Vpon the consideration of this we are admonished of many things First we are to giue to God great thankes and praise that we are borne in these daies For many Prophets and great Kings desired to see that which we see and could not obtaine it Secondly we must euery one of vs in our hearts amend and turne to God and vnfainedly beleeue in Christ that we may now in the acceptable day be partakers of the promised blessing The Lord saith Gen. 22. 18. In thy seede all the nations of the earth shall be blessed or blesse themselues because they shall vse all good meanes that they may be filled with the blessings of God Thirdly we must blesse all doe good to all and hurt none for we are heyres of blessings 1. Pet. 3. 8. Lastly we must here marke our comfort if we truly turne to God and beleeue in the holy seede of Abraham all things shall goe well with vs God shall blesse them that blesse vs and curse them that curse vs. Gen. 12. 3. The ninth verse is the conclusion of Pauls answer and it is in effect and substance one and the same with v. 7. and it signifieth that all men that be of Abrahams faith though otherwise forrainers and Gentiles to Abraham shall be partakers of the same blessing of God with him It may be said How shall we haue the same blessing when we haue not the like faith Ans. god respects not the greatnes of our faith so much as the truth of it And if faith erre not in his obiect that is if we make Christ crucified our Redeemer and ioyne nothing to him if there be further a will to beleeue and to apprehend Christ with care and constancie to increase in faith and a purpose not to sinne God will accept this true and honest will for the deede 10 For as many as be of the works of the law are vnder the curse For it is written Cursed is euery one that continues not in all things written in the Law to doe them In these wordes Paul sets downe a second reason whereby he prooues that not onely the Iewes but also the Gentiles are blessed as Abraham was by faith And the reason is drawne from the contraries thus They that are of workes that is that looke to be iustified by workes are vnder the curse Therefore they that are of faith are blessed or iustified with Abraham Moreouer Paul addes the proofe of this second reason in the next words and it is framed thus They which fulfill not the law are cursed they which are of works fulfill not the law therefore they are accursed Whereas Paul saith that they are vnder the curse that will be of workes we see the whole world almost walkes in the way of perdition it is a conclusion of nature that we must be saued and iustified by our works The young Prince in the Gospel said Good master what must I doe to be saued The Iewes would not be subiect to the iustice of God but they estâ—blished their owne righteousnes of the law Rom. 10. 3. Our common people and they that should be wise say they looke to be saued by faith but indeede they turne their faith to workes For what is their faith surely nothing els as they say but their good meaning or their good dealing or their good seruing of God Hence againe it followes that the Papacie or Popish reli gion is the way to perdition in that it prescribeth and teacheth iustification by workes On the contrarie our religion is the safest and surest from daunger because it teacheth the free iustificatioÌ„ of a sinner by the blood of Christ. And this makes the Papists in the day of death to renounce iustification by their workes Steuen Gardiner a bloodie persecutor beeing on his death bed told of free iustification by the blood of Christ said You may tell this to me but doe not open this gappe to the people One of late in a publike execution of iustice said he would die a Catholike and withall he added that he looked to be saued onely by the passion of Christ. In the proofe of the reason three things are to be considered What the curse is who are cursed and when The curse is eternall woe and miserie and it is either in this life in the end of this life or in the life to come The curse in this life is either within man or without him The curse within man is manifold In the minde there is ignorance of God of our selues of true happines and of the means to attaine to it Againe there is a great difficultie with much paine to learne and retaine things to be learned and retained And this is a curse of God vpon our minds In the conscience there are manifold accusations terrours and feares arising vpon euery occasion and they are flashings as it were of the fire of hell vnlesse they be quenched in this life by the blood of Christ. In the will there in an inclination to all manner of sinnes without exception Againe there is hardnes of heart whereby the will of man is vnpliable to that which is good vnlesse
in the law but because we haue faith in vs and by that faith we apprehend the obedience of Christ in fulfilling of the law Obiect VII Rom. 13. 8. Loue is the fulfilling of the law and the regenerate loue their neighbours Ans. If we could loue our neighbour as our selues perfectly we should then fulfill the whole law But our loue is imperfect Obiect UIII He that is borne of God sinnes not 1. Ioh. 3. he that sinnes not fulfills the law Ans. He that is borne of God sinnes not that is he doth not commit sinne or make a practise of sinne He may fall of frailtie yet then he recouers himselfe and doth not keepe a course in sinning This is the meaning of S. Iohn Obiect IX The commandements of God are not grieuous 1. Ioh. 5. Ans. They are not grieuous three waies first in respect of remission because they that beleeue in Christ haue the transgression of the law pardoned Secondly in respect of imputation because Christs obedience in fulfilling the law is imputed to euery beleeuer Thirdly in respect of inchoation For they that beleeue receiue the spirit of God wherby they are inabled to indeauour themselues to obey God in all his commandements Otherwise in respect of our owne personall obedience they are a yoke that no man can beare Obiect X. The workes of God are perfect Deut. 32. 4. Good workes are workes of God therefore they are perfect Ans. Workes that are meerely workes of God which he worketh by himselfe and not by man they are all perfect and thus must the text in Moses be vnderstood Now good works are works of God in vs and withall they are our workes hauing their beginning in the minde and will of man and hence they are defiled For when the first and second cause concurre in a worke the said worke takes vnto it the condition of the second cause Water pure in the fountaine is defiled when it passes by the filthie channell Obiect XI If God haue giuen vs an impossible law he is more cruell then any tyrant Ans. When God first gaue the law he also gaue power to fulfill the law If the law be impossible it is not Gods fault but mans who by his owne fault hath lost this power of keeping the law The ground before named of the double fulfilling of the law one for this life the other for the life to come is false For there is onely one generall and vnchangeable sentence of the law Cursed is euery one that continues not in all things written in the law to doe them I now come to other vses of the former conclusion If the law be impossible then must we seeke for the fulfilling of it forth of our selues in Christ who is the ende of the law for righteousnes to them that beleeue Hence it followes necessarily that our iustification must be by the imputation or application of Christs iustice vnto vs. Because we cannot fulfill the law we must make it a glasse to see our impotencie and what we cannot doe and it must be our schoolemaster to driue vs to Christ. And by our impotencie we must take occasion to make praier to God for his spirit to inable vs to obey the lawes of God Thus come we to be doers of the law and no otherwise Againe it may be demanded considering we cannot fulfill the law how our works can please God Ans. In euery good worke there is something that is Gods and something that is ours alone The defect of the worke is ours alone and that is pardoned to the beleeuer That which is good in the worke is from God and that he approoueth as beeing his owne And thus euery good worke is said to please God Lastly after that we haue begunne to please God in obedience to his lawes considering we fulfill them not all boasting of our goodnes must be laid aside and we must humble our selues vnder the hand of God euen to the death Read the practise of Dauid Psal. 143. 2. and Psal. 130. 3. Iob. 9. 1. 11 And that no man is iustified by the law in the sight of God it is manifest For the iust liueth by faith 12 And the law is not of faith but he that shall doe these things shall liue in them The meaning By the law that is the law not onely ceremoniall but also iudiciall and morall Indeede the occasion of Pauls disputation in this place is taken from Circumcision pertaining to the ceremoniall law but he inlarges his disputation from one part to the whole law For they which thought Ceremonies necessarie to iustification would much more thinke morall duties necessarie And that Paul speakes here of the morall it appeares by the 10. verse where he alleadgeth a sentence that specially appertaines to the morall law Cursedis euery one c. Againe the law may be considered two waies in the iustification of a sinner first as it iustifieth without Christ. Secondly as it iustifieth with Christ and both waies it is excluded from iustification and here specially in the second regard For the intent of the Galatians was to ioyne Christ and the law in the worke of our iustification Before God that is in the iudgement of God before whose iudgement seat we must all appeare and be iudged The iust shall liue by faith The scope of these words is this The Iewes were oppressed by the Babylonians and it was further told them by the Prophet that they should be ledde into captiuitie by the saide Babylonians Now in this distresse of theirs the Lord sets downe the dutie of the faithfull Iewes namely that they must stay themselues by their faith in the Messias and consequently that they shall haue safetie in this life in the middest of all dangers and in the ende haue eternall life And Paul applies this text to his purpose thus Life eternall comes by faith and therefore true righteousnesse before God is by faith For righteousnes is the foundation of life eternall and therefore it is called iustification of life Rom. 5. 17. The law is not of faith The meaning of these words must be gathered by the opposition in the latter part of the verse but he that doth these things shall liue in them And the meaning is this The law doth not prescribe faith in the Messias neither doth it promise life to him that beleeueth in the Messias but to him that doth the things contained in the law In these wordes Paul addes a new argument to the former thus Iustice is by faith the law is not of faith therefore the law is not our iustice Or again thus He that is iustified is iustified by faith the law iustifies no man by faith therefore the law doth not iustifie The conclusion is first in the 11. verse The proposition is expressed and confirmed by the testimonie of the Prophet Habacuk The assumption is in the 12. verse The vse Whē Paul saith No mā is iustified by the law in the sight of God he makes
a double iustification one before God the other before mē Iustification before God is when God reputes a man iust that onely for the merit and obedience of Christ. Iustification before men is when such as professe faith in Christ are reputed iust of men By this distinction Paul who saith that a man is iustified by faith without workes Rom. 3. 28. and Iames who saith that Abraham was iustified by faith and workes Iam. 2. 24. are reconciled for Paul speakes of iustification before God as he himselfe expressely testifieth Rom. 4. 2. and S. Iames speakes of iustification before men which is not onely by the profession of faith but also by workes In the same sort there is a double Election One speciall whereby God knowes who are his The other is more generall whereby we repute all men to be Elect that professe faith in Christ leauing secret iudgements to God Thus Paul writes to the Ephesians Philippians c. as Elect. And the Ministers of the word are to speake to their congregations as to the Elect people of God In the same manner there is a double sanctification one before God in truth Eph. 4. 28. the other before men in the iudgement of charitie Thus men are said to tread vnder foote the blood of Christ wherewith they were sanctified Hebr. 10. 29. Thus all that are of right to be baptised are holy and regenerate not in the iudgement of certentie which is Gods but in the iudgement of charitie which is mans secrets alwaies reserued to God Againe when Paul saith in the sight of God he giues vs to vnderstand that there is an vniuersall iudgement of God before whome we must all appeare and be iudged And when Paul saith in the time present that God iustifieth though not by workes he signifies that this iudgement is alreadie begunne vpon vs euen in this life This must teach vs to walke in godly and holy conuersation in the feare of God and to watch and pray that we may be found worthie to stand before God Malefactours when they are going to iudgement and when they see the Iudge set lay aside skorning and bethinke themselues what to say or doe Now we are these malefactours and we know that God hath alreadie begunne to giue iudgement of vs and therefore we must prepare our selues to make a good reckoning In the testimonie of the Prophet our dutie is set downe and that is that we must in this world liue by faith That we may liue by faith we must doe two things One is to choose the true God for our God the second is in our hearts to cleaue vnto him and that according to his word First therefore we must cleaue fast to his commandements by entring into the way of his precepts and by walking in them For this cause we must haue alwaies about vs the eye of knowledge to direct our steps in the wayes of God that we euer keepe our selues in our callings that is the dutie we owe to God and man Secondly while we stand in the waies of God we shall be assailed with many Temptations on the right hand and on the left therefore we must further cleaue to the promises of God beleeuing his presence protection and assistance in all temptations and daungers And this our faith must be as it were a hand to stay vs. Here two caueats must be remembred One that we must not prescribe vnto God the manner of his assistance but leaue it with other circumstances of time and place to God The second is when all earthly things faile vs we must rest vpon the bare word of God and beleeue the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting This is to liue by faith And this dutie must be practised when we are in the field to fight for our countrey when we lie on our death beddes and when we are in any danger Marke further Paul saith the iust man liues by faith he therefore that is iustified continues to be iustified by his faith and therfore the second iustification that is said to be by our works is a meere fiction And in that none liues by faith but he that is a iust man we see that true faith is alwaies ioyned with the Purpose of not sinning or with the iustice of good conscience and where they are seuered there is no more but a meere pretence of faith When Paul saith the Law is not of faith he sets downe the maine difference betweene the Law and the Gospel The law promiseth life to him that performs perfect obedience that for his works The Gospel promiseth life to him that doth nothing in the cause of his saluation but only beleeues in Christ and it promiseth saluation to him that beleeueth yet not for his faith or for any worke els but for the merit of Christ. The law thē requires doing to saluation and the Gospel beleeuing and nothing els Obiect I. The Gospel requires repentance and the practise of it Ans. Indeede the law doth not teach true repentance neither is it any cause of it but onely an occasion The Gospel onely prescribes repentance and the practise thereof yet onely as it is a fruit of our faith and as it is the way to saluation in which we are to walke and no otherwise Obiect II. The law requires and commands faith Ans. The law requires faith in God which is to put our affiance in him But the Gospel requires faith in Christ the Mediatour Godman and this faith the law neuer knew Obiect III. In the Gospel there are promises of life vpon condition of our obedience Rom. 8. 13. Jf by the spirit ye mortifie the deedes of the flesh ye shall liue 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull to forgiue them Ans. The promises of the Gospel are not made to the worke but to the worker and to the worker not for his work but for Christs sake according to his worke As for example promise of life is made not to the worke of mortification but to him that mortifieth his flesh and that not for his mortification but because he is in Christ and his mortification is the token or euidence thereof And therefore it must be remembred that all promises of the Gospel that mention works include in them Reconciliation with God in Christ. Obiect IV. Faith is a vertue and to beleeue is a worke therefore one worke is commanded in the Gospel and is also necessarie to saluation Ans. The Gospel considers not faith as a vertue or worke but as an instrument or hand to apprehend Christ. For faith doth not cause effect or procure our iustification and saluation but as the beggers hand it receiues them beeing wholly wrought and giuen of God This distinction of the law and the Gospel must be obserued carefully For by it we see that the Church of Rome hath erroniously confounded the law and the Gospel for this many hundred yeares The law of Moses say they
written in tables of stone is the law the same law of Moses written in the hearts of men by the holy Ghost is the Gospel But I say againe that the law written in our hearts is still the law of Moses And this ouersight in mistaking the distinction of the Law and the Gospel is and hath bin the ruine of the gospel We must here further obserue that beleeuing and doing are opposed in the article of our iustification In our good conuersation they agree faith goes before and doing followes but in the worke of our iustification they are as fire and water Hence I gather that to the iustification of a sinner there is required a speciall and an applying faith for generall faith is numbred among the works of the law and the deuills haue it This kind of beleeuing therefore and doing are not opposite Againe hence I gather that works of faith and grace are quite excluded from iustification because the opposition doth not stand betweene beleeuing and the works of nature but simply betweene beleeuing and doing Lastly it may be demaunded why the Lord saith He that doth the things of the law shall liue considering no man since the fall can doe the things of the law Ans. The Lord since mans fall repeates the law in his old tenour not to mocke men but for other waightie causes The first is to teach vs that the law is of a constant and vnchangeable nature The second is to aduertise vs of our weaknes and to shew vs what we cannot doe The third is to put vs in minde that we must still humble our selues vnder the hand of God after we haue begunne by grace to obey the law because euen then we come farre short in doing the things which the law requires at our hands 13 Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law when he was made a curfe for vs for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on the tree 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Iesus that we might receiue the promise of the spirit by faith Paul hauing prooued the truth of his doctrine by sundrie arguments in the former part of this chapter he here answereth an obiection the occasion whereof is from the 10. verse It may be framed on this manner If they be accused that continue not in all things written in the law to doe them then all men are accursed and the Gentiles are not partakers of the blessing of Abraham as you haue said Answer is here made that to them that beleeue there is full redemption from the curse of the law And Paul for the better inlightning of his answer here makes a description of our redemption by foure arguments The first is the author Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law The second is the forme or manner of our Redemption in these words When he was made a curse for vs. And this forme is further declared by the signe in these words for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on the tree The third argument is in the end in these words that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles The last is also an other ende that we might receiue the promise of the spirit Touching the Author in these words Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law sundrie things may be learned First of all comparing these words with the 10. verse or comparing the answer and the obiection together we see and are to obserue that the threatnings of the law are to be vnderstood with an exception from the Gospel All are cursed saith the law that doe not continue to doe all things written therein Except they haue pardon and be redeemed by Christ saith the Gospel And thus are all curses of the law to be conceiued with a limitation or qualification from the Gospel Againe in that Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law here is our comfort that neither hell nor death nor SataÌ„ hath any right or power ouer vs so be it we do vnfainedly beleeue in Christ. For we are bought with a price And for this cause we must be admonished not to feare any euill ouermuch as the reuilings and curses of euill tongues withcraft the plague pestilence famine the sword or death For the curse which makes all these and many other things hurtfull vnto vs is remooued from them that are in Christ. And therefore all immoderate feare should be restrained Thirdly our dutie is to glorifie God and Christ who hath redeemed vs and that both in bodie and soule The redeemed must liue according to the will of their redeemer 1. Cor. 6. 20. This is all the thankfulnes that we can shew to our Redeemer for his mercie Lastly here an obiection made by some may be answered If say they we were redeemed by Christ beeing captiues to the deuill the price of our Redemption was paid to him and not to God Ans. We were captiues properly to the iustice of God in the law to the order whereof we stand subiect and by this meanes we are captiues to the curse of the law and consequently to the deuill who is the minister of God for the Execution of the said curse And beeing captiues to the deuill no otherwise then as he is the minister of God for the infâ—â—cting of punishment the price must not be paid to him but to God who is the principall and hath a soueraigntie ouer him and vs. I come now to the forme of our Redemption Who was made a curse for vs. For the better vnderstanding of these words foure points are to be handled The first is what is this curse Ans. A double death the first of the bodie the second of the soule The first is the separation of the bodie and soule The second is the separation of the whole man from God not in respect of his vniuersall power and presence for the very damned haue their moouing and beeing from him but in respect of his fauour and speciall loue whereby God ceaseth to be their God And this is death indeede whereof the first is but a shadow and this is the curse of the law The second point is How Christ was a curse or accursed who is the fountaine of blessednes Ans. He is not so by nature for he is the naturall sonne of God nor by his owne fault for he is the vnspotted lambe of God but by voluntarie dispensation and therefore Paul saith he was made a curse And he was made a curse first because he was set a part in the eternall counsell of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost to be our redeemer and consequently to be a curse In this regard the father is said to haue sealed him Ioh. 6. 27. and he is said againe to be prcordained before all worlds 1. Pet. 1. 20. and giuen according to the counsell and foreknowledge of God Act. 3. 22. Secondly he was made a curse
in thrall bondage but the very night after the former time was expired nothing no not the raging sea could stoppe their deliuerance Exod. 12. 41. God promised deliuerance after 70 yeares captiuitie to the Israelites in Babylon When this time was expired Daniel praied and at the very beginning of his supplications the decree of God for deliuerance came forth Dan. 9. 23. The vision of God saith the Prophet is for an appointed time Hab. 2. 1. and so is the promise This must teach vs to be content if after much praying we finde not the fruit of our praiers because there is an appointed time for the accomplishing of them In this respect Dauid saith that his eyes failed and he was hoarse in praying Psal. 69. 4. The second question is what is meant by the giuing or sending of the spirit Ans. Without any alteration or change of place it signifies two things The first is Order betweene the persons whereby the Father and the Sonne worke mediately by the holy Ghost the holy Ghost immediatly from them The second is that the Spirit doth manifest his presence by diuine effects in vs. In this respect he is saide to be sent or giuen of the Father and the Sonne The third point is In what order is the spirit giuen For it seemes that we first of our selues beleeue and then receiue the spirit Ans. Men are saide to receiue the spirit when they receiue some new gift of the spirit or the increase of some old gift Ioh. 20. 22. Againe to speake properly faith and the receiuing of the spirit are for time both together For first of all we heare the promise of God then we beginne to meditate and to applie the saide promise to our selues to striue against doubting and to desire to beleeue and in doing of all this we receiue the spirit To beleeue is the first grace in vs that concernes our saluation and when we beginne to beleeue we beginne to receiue the spirit and when we first receiue Gods spirit we beginne to beleeue And thus by our faith receiue we the spirit and thus also the spirit dwells in vs by faith Eph. 3. 17. And we must not imagine that we may or can beleeue of our selues without the operation of the spirit The fourth point is for what ende we receiue the spirit Ans. For sixe For illumination of our mindes 1. Ioh. 2. 27. 1. Cor. 2. 12. for regeneration whereby the Image of God is restored in vs Ioh. 3. for the gouernment of our counsells wills affections actions Isa. 11. 1. Rom 8. 14. for the effecting of that coniunction whereby we are vnited to Christ our head 1. Cor. 6. 17. for consolation Rom. 8. 16. lastly for confirmation in our faith and euery good dutie 2. Cor. 1. 22. Eph. 1. 13. This receiuing of the spirit is one speciall ende of our redemption and therefore it is most necessarie for vs to haue the spirit of God dwelling in vs. If we haue not the spirit we are not Christs and without it we can doe nothing We must for this cause doe such things whereby we may obtaine and receiue a plentifull measure of Gods spirit Repent saith Peter and ye shall receiue the holy Ghost Againe we must carefully retaine and preserue the grace of the spirit in vs by meditation in the word of God by earnest and frequent praier by auoiding all such acts in word or deede that may make a breath in conscience for whatsoeuer offends conscience quenches the spirit Lastly by sauouring the things of the spirit Rom. 8. 5. that is by thinking on things spirituall by affecting of them and delighting in them 15 Brethren I speake as men doe though it be but a mans couenant when it is confirmed no man doth abrogate it or adde any thing thereto 16 Now to Abraham and his seede were the promises made He saith not and to the seedes as of many but and to thy seede as of one which is Christ. 17 And this I say that the law which was 430 yeares after cannot disanull the couenant that was before confirmed of God in respect of Christ that it should make the promise of none effect 17 For if the inheritance be of the law it is no more by promise but God gaue it vnto Abraham by promise In these words Paul meetes with a second Exception or obiection made against that which he here principally stands vpon namely that the blessing of Abraham is conuaied to the Gentiles and that by Christ. The obiection may be framed thus The promise made to Abraham cannot now pertaine to the Gentiles because the law was added to it and by the law it is abrogated and therefore the Gentiles are to be iustified and faued by the obseruation of the law To this obiection Paul makes a double answer One is that the promise cannot be abrogated the second that if it might be abrogated yet the law cannot doe it The first he confirmes on this manner The Testament of God confirmed cannot be abrogated The promises made to Abraham and his seede which is Christ are his Testament confirmed Therefore they cannot be abrogated The proposition is expressed in the 17. verse and is confirmed by comparison thus The testament of man after it is confirmed may not be abrogated much lesse the testament of God v. 15. The minor is propounded in the 16. and 17. verses Now I come to speake of the words as they lie Brethreu Paul had before called them fooles and that iustly because they fell from the doctrine which he taught them to an other Gospel And yet here he calls them brethren And hence let vs learne that in diuision of iudgement and opinion there must be no diuision but vnitie of affection It is and hath bin alwaies the plague of the Church that diuision of heart and affection there takes place where any diuision is in iudgement though men erre of infirmitie This cuill causeth more to be condemned for heretikes then indeede ought to be it maketh schismes where none should be it maketh dissentions to be incurable which otherwise might be cut off And therefore if dissentions in iudgement arise we must remember to suppresse enuie hatred pride selfe loue and let Christian loue beare sway Againe here we see it is lawfull to speake in Sermons as men doe so it be done after the example of Paul with these cautions First it must be done sparingly and soberly without ostentation Secondly it must be done vpon a iust cause as when the sayings of men serue to conuince the hearers and that in their consciences Thirdly a difference must be made betweene the word of man and the word of God least in adding one to the other the word of God loose his grace and excellencie Lastly Gods word onely must be the foundation of the doctrine which is taught and the word of man is to be added in respect of our infirmitie to giue light or to conuince That which Paul
speakes after the manner of men is a principle of law or a conclusion of the light of nature namely that a Couenant or testament confirmed may not be abrogated Paul saith it is the propertie of them that are of reprobate mindes to be truce-breakers Rom. 1. 30. Hence sundrie questions may be resolued The first is whether Legacies giuen to the maintenance of the Masse may be applied to the maintenance of the true worship of God Ans. The testator in the giuing of such Legacies hath a double intention one is general and that is to preserue the worship of God the other is special and that is to preserue the idolatrie of the Masse In this he erreth and therefore his will may be changed For testaments vnlawfully made may be abrogated In the generall he erred not and therefore the goods may lawfully be applied to the maintenance of the true worship of God But it may be saide that the next heires may recall them when the Masse is abolished I answer no. Because they may still be applied to the publike good of the Church The affection of the dead was good in this case though there iudgement was naught and therefore regard is to be had of their affection and intent The second question is whether we are to keepe couenant with heretikes and enemies Ans. Yea for the principle A couenant confirmed may not be abrogated is the conclusion of nature which binds all men without exception at all times if the couenant be lawfull The third question is what if damages and losses follow vpon the couenant made and confirmed must it then be obserued Ans. Of couenants some are single that is bare promises not confirmed by oath and some againe are with oath Againe some couenants are meere ciuill beeing made of man to man and some are more then ciuill beeing made of man to God as contracts of marriage Now if couenants be single couenants and meerely ciuill then may they be changed by the makers or by their successours if hurts and losses arise Yet if couenants be confirmed by oath and if they be made to God they may not be changed so long as they are lawfull though great losses insue Read the example of Iosua Ios. 9. 18. A good man sweareth and changeth not though he lose thereby Psal. 15. 4. The fourth question is whether a contract may not be dissolued when one of the parties hath a disease contagious in deadly manner and incurable Ans. If such a disease follow the contract the marriage not consummate we may presume that God doth dissolue the contract And the couenant dissolued by God we may without daunger hold to be abrogated The last question is whether the Church of Rome hath not dealt wickedly in altering the last testament of Christ when it ministreth the Lords supper vnder one kind Ans. They sinne against the light of nature which teacheth vs not to abrogate the testaments of men much lesse the testament of God It is alleadged that we receiue whole Christ vnder one kind Ans. True indeede But we must consider the end of the sacraments is to signifie and represent perfect nourishment in and by Christ now perfect nourishment is not in bread alone but in bread and wine and by them both ioyned together is signified that Christ is the bread and the water of life now to abolish the cuppe is to abolish the principall vse of the sacrament and to lessen our comfort In the 16. verse Paul saith the promises were made to Abraham in the plurall number because they were sometime made to Abraham sometime to his seede and sometime to both and they were often repeated to Abraham and therefore are called promises though in substance they are but one The seede of Abraham here mentioned is the seede not of the flesh but of the promise Rom. 9. 7. and this seede is first Christ Iesus and then all that beleeue in Christ. For all these are giuen to Abraham as children by the promise and Election of God Moreouer this seede is not many as Paul obserueth but one that is one in number It is obiected that the word seede is a name collectiue and signifies the whole posteritie of Abraham Ans. It doth sometime but not alwaies for Eue saith of Seth God hath giuen me an other seede Gen. 4. 25. that is an other sonne Lastly it is said that this one particular seede of Abraham is Christ Iesus Here by the name Christ first and principally the Mediatour is meant and then secondly all Iewes and Gentiles beleeuing that are set and grasted into Christ by their faith For Paul saith Rom. 9. 8. that the children of God or the children of the promise are the seede of Abraham againe Gal. 3. 29. They which are of Christ are the seede of Abraham And the name Christ signifies not onely the head or Mediatour God and man but also the Church gathered partly of Iewes and partly of Gentiles The bodie saith Paul is one but the members are many euen so is Christ 1. Cor. 11. 12. that is the Church of Christ. Againe I beare in my bodie the remainders of the sufferings of Christ Col. 1. 24. and the Church is called the complement of Christ. Eph. 1. 23. It may be obiected that by this means the seede of Abraham is many and not one because Christ and all beleeuers are the seede Ans. They are all one in respect of one and the same blessing of God which is first giuen to Christ and by Christ to all that beleeue in him All are one in Christ Gal. 3. 28. and he gathers things in heauen and earth into one head Eph. 1. 10. It is here to be obserued that the promises made to Abraham are first made to Christ and then in Christ to all that beleeue in him be they Iewes or Gentiles This Conclusion is of great vse First by it we learne the difference of the promises of the Law and the Gospel The promises of the law are directed and made to the person of euery man particularly the promises of the Gospel are first directed and made to Christ and then by consequent to them that are by faith ingrafted into Christ. Secondly by this we learne to acknowledge the communion that is betweene Christ and vs. Christ as Mediatour is first of all elected and we in him Christ is first iustified that is acquit of our sinnes and we iustified in him he is heire of the world and we heires in him he died vpon the crosse not as a priuate person but as a publike person representing all the Elect and all the Elect died in him and with him In the same manner they rise with him to life and sit at the right hand of God with him in glorie Thirdly here we see the ground of the Certentie of perseuerance of all them that are the true children of God For the office of Christ to which he is set a part is to receiue the promise of God
for vs and to applie it vnto vs. And this worke is done by Christ without impediment and without repentance on his part The seale and foundation of our saluation is this that God accepts and knowes vs for his 2. Tim. 2. 19. and that which concernes vs is that we must worship God in spirit and truth and depart from iniquitie Lastly here is comfort against the consideration of our vnworthines Thou saiest thou art vnworthie of the mercie of God and therefore hast no hope And I say againe dost thou truly exercise thy selfe in the spirituall exercises of faith inuocation repentance be not discouraged thou must not receiue the promise immediately of God but Christ must doe it for thee Though thou be vnworthie yet there is dignitie and worthines sufficient in him If thou say that thou must at the least receiue the promise at the hand of Christ. I adde further that he will not quench the flaxe that doth but smoake neither will he breake the bruised reede He accepts the weake apprehension if it be in truth And our saluation stands in this not that we know and apprehend him but that he knowes apprehends vs first of all v. 17. This I say In the former verses Paul hath laid downe two grounds one is that testaments of men confirmed may not be abrogated the other that the promises were made to Abraham and his seede which is Christ. Now what of all this may some man say Paul therefore addes these words This I say that is the scope and intent of all my speech is to shew that the couenant or testament confirmed by God cannot be abrogated and secondly if it might so be yet that the law could not abrogate the testament because it was giuen 430 yeares after the confirmation of the saide testament And because it might be doubtfull what Paul meanes when he saith the couenant confirmed cannot be abrogated he explanes himselfe in the ende of the verse by saying the promise cannot be made of no effect It is here to be obserued that Paul saith the promise made to Abraham is a couenant or testament It is a Couenant or compact because God for his part promiseth remission of sinnes and life euerlasting and requireth faith on our part In respect of this mutuall obligation it hath in it the forme of a couenant It is also a Will or Testament in two respects First because the promise is confirmed by the death of the mediatour Heb. 9. 15. Secondly the things promised as remission of sinnes and life euerlasting are giuen after the manner of legacies that is freely without our desert or procurement In this we see the great goodnes of God who vouchsafeth to name them in his testament that haue made couenant with the deuill and are children of wrath by nature as we all are Again in that the promise is a testament remission of sinnes and life euerlasting is a Legacie and for the obtainment of thē we must bring nothing vnto God but hunger and thirst after them and make suit vnto God for them by asking seeking knocking Thus are all Legacies obtained there is no more required on our part but to receiue and accept them And though we be neuer so vnworthie in our selues yet shall it suffice for the hauing of the blessing of God if our names be found in the Testament of God Againe Paul saith that the promise made to Abraham is a couenant confirmed of God It may be demanded by what meanes it was confirmed Ans. By oath Heb. 6. 17. Againe it may be demanded to whome it was confirmed Ans. To Abraham as beeing the father of all the faithfull and then to his seede that is first to the Mediatour Christ and consequently to euery beleeuer whether Iew or Gentile For Abraham in the first making and in the confirmation thereof must be considered as a publike person representing all the faithfull Here againe we see Gods goodnes We are bound simply to beleeue his bare word yet in regard of our weaknes he is content to ratifie his promise by oath that there might be no occasion of vnbeleefe Againe here we are admonished to rest by faith on the promise of God as Abraham did when there is no hope Some may say I could doe so if God would speake to me as he did to Abraham I answer againe when God spake to Abraham in him he spake to all his seede and therefore to thee whosoeuer thou art that beleeuest in Christ. And hence we are to gather sure hope of life euerlasting For in the person of Abraham God hath spoken to vs he hath made promise of blessing to vs he hath made couenant with vs and he hath sworne vnto vs. What can we more require of him what better ground of true comfort Hebr. 6. 17. 18. Lastly in that God thus confirmes vnto vs the promise of life euerlasting it must incourage vs to all diligence in the vse of all good meanes whereby we may attaine to the condition of Abraham and it must arme vs to all patience in bearing the miseries calamites that fall out in the strait way to eternal life Further Paul saith that the promise is a couenant confirmed that in respect of Christ because he is the scope foundation of all the promises of God partly by merit and partly by efficacie By merit because he hath procured by his death and passion remission of sinnes and life euerlasting By his efficacie because he seales vp vnto vs in our consciences remission of sinnes and withall restores in vs the image of God The vse If Christ be the ground of the promise then is he the ground and fountaine of all the blessings of God And for this cause the right way to obtaine any blessing of God is first to receiue the promise and in the promise Christ and Christ beeing ours in him and from him we shall receiue all things necessarie The second answer of Paul to the former obiection is that if the promise made to Abraham might be disanulled yet the law could not doe it And he giues a double reason The first is drawne from the circumstance of time Because the promise or couenant was made with Abraham and continued by God 430 yeares before the law was giuen therefore saith Paul the law was not giuen to disanull the promise Against this reason it may be obiected that Abrahams seed was but 400 yeares in a strange land Gen. 15. 13. Ans. Moses speakes of the time that was from the beginning of Abrahams seede or from the birth of Isaac to the giuing of the law and Paul here speakes of the time that was betweene the giuing of the promise to Abraham and the giuing of the law and that was 10 yeares before the birth of Isaac Againe it may be obiected that the Israelites were in Egypt 430 yeares Fxod 12. 40. The dwelling of the children of Israel while they dwelled in Egypt was 430 yeares Therefore it
hearts come vnto Christ and beleeue in him and that by the faith of Christ that is with a faith ioyned with hope loue and new obedience Then shall the promise of pardon and life euerlasting be giuen to vs. Vpon this ground persons in despaire and grieuous offenders may see a plaine way to helpe and succour themselues For the worke of the law concluding vs vnder sinne by the mercie of God tends to our saluation if we will vse the good meanes Lastly Paul saith the promise is made not to euery one that beleeueth according to any faith of his owne but to them that are true beleeuers by the faith of Christ. Therefore euery man shall not be saued in his owne faith and religion but onely they that are of the faith of Christ. 23 For before faith came we were kept vnder the law and shut vp vnto the faith which should afterward be reuealed 24 Wherefore the law was our schoole-master to Christ that we might be made righteous by faith 23 But after that faith is come we are no more vnder the schoole-master Paul in the 19. v. had said that the law was for transgressions till the seede come to which the promise was made And here he makes a more large declaration of his owne meaning The summe of all that he faith may be reduced to a comparison of things vnlike on this manner Before the comming of faith we were vnder the dominion of Moses law but after faith was come we were free The first part of the comparison is amplified by a double fimilitude the law was a Guard vnto vs v. 23. and the law was our schoolemaster v. 24. the second part of the comparison is in the 25. v. Faith That is the Gospel or the doctrine of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by Christ exhibited in the flesh We We Iewes I Paul a Iew and the rest of that nation Law That is the whole Oeconomie policie and Regiment of Moses by lawes partly morall partly Ceremoniall and partly Iudiciall Kept Compassed or guarded Because the lawe before Christ was to the Iewes as a guard of armed men to inclose and keepe them that they should not depart from God and from their allegiance to him vnto the sinnes idolatries and superstitions of the Gentiles Vnto the faith That is till the faith come Afterward reuealed From the creation to the law the Church of God was in one familie and the rest of the world beside was no people of God From the law till Christ the Church of God was inclosed in the nation of the Iewes and all the world beside no Church or people of God And this distinction of a people and no people stoode some time after the comming of Christ. Math. 10. 5. Goe not into the waie of the Gentiles and into the cities of the Samaritans enter ye not After the ascension of Christ this distinction ended because the mysterie of mans redemption was then more plainly reuealed and it began then to be reuealed to the whole world Coloss. 1. 26 27. and Rom. 16. 25. Thus we see that the law serued for transgressions because it was to the Iewes as a Guard to keepe them in the compasse of their dutie that they fell not away to sundrie transgressions The vse This shewes the greatnes of our corruption and that the very frame of our heart is euill continually that the Lord must be faine to set his lawes about vs as a Guard of armed men to keepe vs that we sinne not Againe here we see the vse of Gods lawes which serue to preuent restraine and cut off sinne into which otherwise men would fall vnlesse they were compassed and guarded by laws Some obiect for freedome of will on this manner If the lawes of God cannot be kept they are in vaine but they are not in vaine therefore they may be kept Ans. The maior or first part of the reason is not true For there are other vses of the law of God then the keeping of them for they serue to restraine and preuent open offences and to keepe men in order at the least outwardly An other vse of the law of God was to conclude and shut vp the Iewes into the vnitie of one faith and religion For this cause the Iewes had but one temple one Mercie-seat one high Priest c. Hence it followes that in a godly and Christian Common-wealth where true religion is established there may be no tolleration of any other religion For that which is the end of Gods laws must also be the end of all good lawes in all Common-wealths and kingdomes namely to shut vp the people into the vnitie of one faith The Church of the Iewes is called a fountaine sealed a garden inclosed Cant. 4. 12. a vineyard hedged in Isa. 5. 5. Psal. 80. 13. And here we see what is the hedge or wall of this garden or vineyard namely the regiment or policie of Moses by a threefold kind of law This admonisheth vs to respect and with care to obserue good lawes because they are as it were hedges and fenses of all good societies and the breaking of them is the pulling downe of our fense Where Paul saith till the faith be reuealed Note that the faith or the Gospel was not reuealed to the world till the last age after the comming of Christ. It may be said it was alwaies reuealed to all men but not so cleerely as in these last daies Ans. It was not reuealed to all either darkly or cleerely before the comming of Christ. Act. 14. 16. God suffered the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies Eph. 2. 12. they were without God and without Christ. Rom. 15. 20. Paul preached where Christ was not so much as named Hence it followes that the Vocation of men to life euerlasting is not Vniuersall because Christ was neuer Vniuersally reuealed Neither is mans Redemption vniuersall in respect of the whole world For Redemption by Christ was not reuealed to all nations before the comming of Christ and a benefit to be apprehended by faith if it be vnknowne is no benefit Lastly it is erronious that some teach namely that grace supernaturall is vniuersall that is that the power to beleeue in Christ and the power to turne to God if men will is generally giuen to all But this cannot be because it is not giuen to all men so much as to heare of Christ and to know him Seeing faith is now come it may be demanded what is the Guard whereby we are kept now Ans. The precepts of the morall law The sayings of the wise are as nayles or stakes fastned to range men in the compasse of their owne duties Eccles. 12. 11. Againe the peace of God or the assurance of our reconciliation with God is a Guard to keepe our hearts and senses in Christ. Phil. 4. 7. If this will not doe the deede God hath in store his corrections and iudgements to be as an hedge to hemme vs in Hos.
2. 6. This beeing so our dutie is to guard and inclose our selues specially our hearts Prov. 4. 23. and all the senses and powers of our soules Psal. 141. 3. by the wholesome precepts and counsells of God Considering we lie open to so many enemies we should continually be armed and fensed from the head to the foote Eph. 6. 13. otherwise we shall vpon euery occasion be ouerturned To come to the 24. v. the Iewes might happily say seeing we are thus kept and shut vp by the law what meanes haue we of comfort and of saluation The answer is made the law is further our schoolemaster Here by schoolemaster vnderstand one that teacheth little children or Petits the first rudiments or elements A. B. C. And the law is a schoolemaster to Christ for two causes One because it points out and shadowes forth vnto vs Christ by bodily rudiments of ceremonies and sacrifices The second is because the law specially the morall law vrgeth and compelleth men to goe to Christ. For it shewes vs our sinnes and that without remedie it shewes vs the damnation that is due vnto vs and by this meanes it makes vs dispaire of saluation in respect of our selues and thus it inforceth vs to seeke for helpe out of our selues in Christ. The law is then our schoolemaster not by plaine teaching but by stripes and correction In this verse Paul sets downe the manner and way of our saluation which is on this manner first the law prepares vs by humbling vs then comes the Gospel and it stirres vp faith And faith wrought in the heart apprehends Christ for iustification sanctification and glorification Paul sets this forth by a fit similitude They that would be the seruants and children of God must come into the schoole of God and be taught of him In this schoole are two formes and two masters In the first forme the teacher and master is the law And he teacheth men to know their sinnes and their deserued damnation and he causeth vs to despaire of our saluation in respect of our selues And when men haue bin well schooled by the law and are brought to acknowledge their sinnes and that they are slaues of sinne and Satan then must they be taken vp to an higher forme and be taught by an other schoolemaster which is Faith or the Gospel The lesson of the Gospel is that men after they are humbled must flie to the throne of grace beleeue in Christ and with all their hearts turne vnto God that they may be iustified and glorified When we haue by the teaching of this second master learned this good lesson we are become children and seruants of God By this then it is manifest that there are two sorts of badde schollers in the schoole of Christ among vs. One sort are they which come to the Lords table and yet learne nothing either from the law or from the Gospel but content themselues with the teaching of nature The second sort are they which learne something but in preposterous manner For they haue learned that mercie and saluation comes by Christ and with this they content themselues not suffering themselues first of all to be schooled by the law till they despaire in respect of themselues nor to be schooled of the Gospel till they beleeue in Christ and repent of their sinnes In a word he is a good scholler in the schoole of Christ that first learnes by the law to humble himselfe and to goe out of himselfe and beeing humbled subiects his heart to the voice and precept of the Gospel which biddes vs beleeue in Christ turne to God and testifie our faith by new obedience In the second part of the comparison 25. v. Paul sets downe one point that at the comming of the faith the Iewes were freeed from the dominion of the law of Moses and consequently that the said law was abrogated The lawgiuer that is the expounder of Moses law was to last but till the comming of Shilo Gen. 49. 10. The law of commandements standing in ordinances was abrogated by the flesh of Christ. Eph. 2. 15. And the change of the priesthood brought the change of the law Hebr. 7. 12. For the better cleering of this point three questions are to be demanded The first is when was the policie regiment or law of Moses abrogated Ans. At the comming of the faith or when the Gospel first beganne to be published to the world which was at the Ascension of Christ. And he in his death cancelled the ceremoniall law and tooke it out of the way Col. 2. 14. When the old Testament ended and the new began then was the abrogation of the law now the ending of the old Testament and the beginning of the new was in the Resurrection of Christ. For then was the beginning of the new world as it were The second question is How farre forth the law is abrogated Ans. The law is threefold Morall Ceremoniall Iudiciall Morall is the law of God concerning manners or duties to God and man Now the morall law is abrogated in respect of the Church and them that beleeue three waies First in respect of iustification and this Paul prooues at large in this epistle Secondly in respect of the malediction or curse There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. Rom. 8. 1. Thirdly in respect of rigour For in them that are in Christ God accepts the indeauour to obay for obedience it selfe Neuerthelesse the law as it is the Rule of good life is vnchangeable and admits no abrogation And Christ in this regard did by his death establish it Rom. 3. 31. The Ceremoniall law is that which prescribed rites and gestures in the worship of God in the time of the old testament Ceremonies are either of figure and signification or of order The first are abrogated at the comming of Christ who was the accomplishment of them all Col. 2. 17. The second beeing ceremonies of particular order to the times of the old and new Testament concerne not vs. For example In the commandement of the Sabbath some things are morall some ceremoniall some iudiciall That in one day of seuen there should be an holy rest it is morall Rest vpon the seuenth day from the creation is Ceremoniall in respect of order Strictnes of rest from all labour is ceremoniall in respect of the signification of rest from sinne and rest in heauen Therefore the particular day of rest and the manner of rest is abrogated and Christ by his owne example and by the example of the Apostles examples not beeing contradicted in Scripture appointed the eight day or the day of Christs resurrection to be the Sabbath of the new Testament Iudiciall lawes are such as concerne inheritances lands bargaines controuersies causes criminall and they pertaine to the regiment of the Commonwealth If the Commonwealth of the Iewes were now standing they should be gouerned by these lawes For to them were they giuen The case is not like with vs. Some
the couenant of Grace and therefore we must acknowledge the father to be our father the Son to be our Redeemer the holy Ghost to be our comforter and seeke to grow in the knowledge and experience of this It may be demanded whether baptisme may not be administred in the name of Christ alone or in the name of God without mention of the persons in the Godhead Ans. No. For the true forme of baptisme is here prescribed If it be said that Peter biddes them of Ierusalem repent and be baptized into the name of Christ. Act. 2. 38. I answer that Peters intent in that place is to set downe not the forme of baptisme but the ende and scope thereof which is that we may attaine to true fellowship with Christ. The fourth point is concerning the endes of baptisme which are foure The first is that baptisme serues to be a pledge vnto vs in respect of our weaknes of all the graces and mercies of God and specially of our vnion with Christ of remission of sinnes and of mortification Secondly it serues to be a signe of Christian profession before the world and therefore it is called the stipulation or interrogation of a good conscience 1. Pet. 3. 21. Thirdly it serues to be a meanes of our first entrance or admission into the visible Church Lastly it is a meanes of vnitie Read Eph. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 12. 13. The fifth point concernes the Efficacie of baptisme Of which there be foure necessarie questions The first is whether the Efficacie of baptisme extend it selfe to all sinnes and to the whole life of man For answer I will set downe what we teach and what the Papists We teach that the vse of baptisme inlargeth it selfe to the whole life of man and that it takes away all sinnes past present and to come one caution remembred that the partie baptised stand to the order of baptisme which is to turne vnto God and to beleeue in Christ and so to continue by a continuall renouation of faith and repentance as occasion shall be offered Reasons may be these First the scripture speakes of them that had long before bin baptised and that in the time present baptisme saueth 1. Pet. 3. 21. and ye are buried by baptisme into the death of Christ. Rom. 6. 4. And in the future tense it is saide he that beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued And Paul saith that the Church is cleansed with the washing of water that it may be presented glorious and without spot vnto God Eph. 5. 26. And all this shewes that baptisme hath the same efficacie after which it had before the administration thereof Secondly the couenant of grace is euerlasting Isa. 54. 10. Hos. 2. 19. and the couenant is the foundation or substance of baptisme therefore baptisme is not to be tied to any time but it must haue his force so long as the couenant is of force And this appeares by the example of the Galatians who are now fallen away to an other gospel after their baptisme and yet are instructed and directed by their baptisme Lastly it hath bin the doctrine of the ancient Church that all sinnes are done away by baptisme euen sinnes to come The doctrine of the Papists is that baptisme takes away all sinnes that goe before the administration thereof and that sinnes after baptisme are not taken away by baptisme but by the Sacrament of pennance But the doctrine is erronious as may appeare by the arguments which they vse Argum. first Circumcision had no vse after the administration thereof for the abolishing of sinne Therefore neither hath baptisme Ans. Circumcision had And this appeares because the Prophets put the Iewes in minde of their circumcision when they fell away from God bidding them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts Ier. 4. 4. Arg. 2. The Apostles vsed to call them that sinned after baptisme to confession of sinne and to repentance or pennance Act. 8. 21. 1. Ioh. 1. 9. Ans. This makes for vs for in so doing they bring men to their baptisme and to the order set downe there which is that the partie baptised must first of all turne to God and beleeue in Christ and there is no new order set downe afterward but onely a renewing of this first baptismall order both in the Ministerie of the word and in the supper of the Lord. And whereas they make a distinction of pennance the vertue and pennance the sacrament placing the vertue before and after baptisme and the sacrament onely after for this they haue no word of God Arg. 3. If a man be inlightned that is baptised and then fall againe he cannot be renewed by repentance which is in baptisme Hebr. 6. 6. Ans. The text speakes not of them that fall after baptisme but of them that fall away by an vniuersall Apostasie denying Christ. For it is said v. 7. that they crucifie Christ againe that is crucifie Christ crucified and so make a mocke of him and tread vnder foote the blood of Christ. Hebr. 10. 29. Againe the text speakes not particularly of repentance in baptisme but of all repentance whatsoeuer yea of repentance after baptisme For there is no place for repentance where Christ is renounced Arg. 4. Pennance as Hierome saith is a second table after a shipwracke Ans. Repentance indeede is a second table or bord whereby a sinner fallen from his baptisme returnes againe to it and so comes to the hauen of euerlasting happines Thus then we see that baptisme is the true sacrament of repentance for repentance pertaines to the inward baptisme The vse If baptisme serue for the whole life of man then if thou be in any miserie or distresse haue recourse to thy baptisme and there shalt thou finde thy comfort namely that God is thy God if thou truly turne and beleeue in him Secondly remember euery day the obligation of homage wherewith thou hast bound thy selfe to God specially in thy temptations remember it and see thou stand to it and make it good The second question is whether baptisme abolish Originall sinne or no The answer of the Papist is that it doth so as in the partie baptised there remaineth nothing that God may iustly hate and therefore he saith that Originall sinne after baptisme ceaseth to be sinne properly We teach and are to hold that the perfect and intire baptisme in which the outward and inward baptisme are ioyned together abolisheth the punishment of sinne and the guilt that is the obligation to punishment and the fault yet not simply but in two respects first in respect of imputation because God doth not impute Originall sinne to them that are in Christ secondly in respect of dominion because Originall sinne raigneth not in them that are regenerate Neuerthelesse after baptisme it remaines in thē that are baptised and is still and that properly sinne Paul saith Rom. 7. 20. If I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in
borne anew by the holy Ghost Againe I answer that if the words be meant of baptisme they carrie this sense The kingdome of heauen doth not signifie life eternall but the Church of the new Testament and that in his visible estate Mark 9. 1. and baptisme makes men visible members of the Church and regeneration by the spirit makes them true and liuely members Here then baptisme is made necessarie not in respect of eternall life but in respect of our admission and entrance into the Church whereof it is now the onely meanes The seauenth point is touching the Circumstances of baptisme which are fiue The first concernes the persons which are to administer baptisme of whome I propound foure questions The first is whether not onely Ministers of the word but also lay-persons as they are called or meere priuate men may administer baptisme Ans. Ministers of the word onely For to baptize is a part of the publike Ministerie Matth. 28. 18. Goe teach all nations baptizing them And marke how preaching and baptising are ioyned together and things which God hath ioyned no man may separate Againe he that must performe any part of the publike Ministerie must haue a calling Rom. 10. 14. Hebr. 3. 5. but meere priuate persons haue no calling to this busines And whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne now the Administration of baptisme by priuate persons is without faith For there is neither precept nor fit example for it in the word of God The example of Zippora is alleadged Exod. 4. 28. who circumcised her child Ans. The example is many waies discommendable For shee did it in the presence of her husband when there was no neede shee did it in hast that shee might haue preuented her husband shee did it in anger for shee cast the foreskin at the feete of Moses And it seemes shee was no beleeuer but a meere Madianite For shee contemned circumcision when shee called her husband a man of blood by reason of the circumcision of the child v. 26. and in this respect it seemes Moses either put her away or shee went away when he went downe to Egypt Againe it is obiected that priuate persons may teach and therefore baptize Ans. Priuate teaching and Ministeriall teaching are distinct in kind as the authoritie of a master of a familie is distinct in kind from the authoritie of a Magistrate A priuate person as a father or master when he teacheth the word of God he doth it by right of a master or father and he is mooued to doe it by the law of charitie but Ministers when they teach are mooued to teach by speciall calling and they doe it with authoritie as Embassadours in the roome and stead of Christ. 2. Cor. 5. 21. Againe though a priuate man might dispense the word alone yet doth it not follow that he may administer both the word and the seale thereof both which are ioyned in baptisme and ioyntly administred The second question is whether baptisme administred by a wicked man or an hereâ—â—ke be indeede true baptisme Ans. If the said partie be admitted to stand in the roome of a true pastour or minister and keepe the right forme in baptising according to the institution it is true baptisme The Scribes and Pharisies the chiesest doctours of the Iewes were not of the tribe of Levi but of other tribes and they were indeede euen the best of them but herelikes and Apostataes and consequently to be deposed and excommunicate neuertheles because they were in the place of good teachers and fate in Moses chaire that is taught sundrie points of Moses doctrine therefore Christ saith heare them Math. 23. 1. And to this effect was the conclusion of the Churches in Africa against Cyprian Vpon the same ground the same answer is to be made if it be demanded whether baptisme administred by him that cannot preach be of force or no It were indeede to be wished that all Ministers of holy things were preachers of the word neuerthelesse if such as preach not stand in the roome of lawfull pastours and keepe the forme of baptisme it is baptisme indeede The third question is whether an Intention to baptise be necessarie in him that baptiseth Ans. If the word of Institution come to the Element it is a sacrament whatsoeuer the minister intend Paul reioyced that Christ was preached though many preached him of enuie or contention intending no good Phil. 1. 16. And the Priest in the Masse pronouncing the words of consecration if he intend not to consecrate in Popish learning there is no consecration and thus the bread eleuated is meere bread and not the bodie of Christ and consequently the people adore not Christ but an idol The intention therefore of the minde is not necessarie so be it the Institution be obserued And the efficacse of the sacrament depends not on the will of man but on the will of God The last question is what is the dutie of the Minister in baptising Ans. He stands in the roome of God and what he doth according to the Institution it is as much as if God himselfe had done it with his owne hand from heauen And therefore wheÌ„ the Minister applieth water which is the signe pledge of grace to the body he doth withall applie the Promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to the partie baptised And that is as much as if God should say to the partie calling him by his name I freely giue vnto thee the pardon of thy sinnes and life euerlasting vpon condition thou keepe the order set downe in baptisme which is to turne vnto me and to beleeue in Christ. Here we see a ground of speciall faith for if God for his part by the hand of the Minister applie the promise of mercie vnto euery particular beleeuer euery particular beleeuer is againe by a speciall faith to receiue the promise Againe the consideration of this which God hath done for vs in baptisme must mooue vs seriously to turne vnto him according to all his lawes and by faith of our hearts to apprehend his mercifull promises and to rest on them For when God shall speake vnto vs particularly and as it were assure vs of his mercies with his owne hand and seale we must needs be much mooued and affected therewith The second circumstance is concerning the persons to be baptised and they are all such as be in the Couenant in likelihood or in the iudgement of charitie For the seale may not be denied to them that bring the tables of the couenant And they are of two sorts Men of yeares and Infants Men of yeares that ioyne themselues to the true Church are to be baptised yet before their baptisme they are to make confession of their faith and to promise amendment of life Act. 2. 38. and 10. 38. And thus places of Scripture that require actuall faith and Amendment of life in them that are baptised are to be vnderstood of men of yeares Infants of beleeuing
parents are likewise to be baptised The grounds of their baptisme are these First the commandement of God Matth. 28. 18. Baptize all nations c. in which wordes the baptisme of infants is prescribed For the Apostles by vertue of this commission baptised whole families Act. 16. 31. and 38. Againe circumcision of Infants was commanded by God Gen. 17. 14. and Baptisme in the new Testament succeedes in the roome of Circumcision Col. 2. 11. therefore baptisme of infants is likewise commanded The second ground is this Infants of beleeuing parents are in the couenant of grace for this is the tenour of the couenant I will be thy God and the God of thy seede Gen. 17. 7. It may be said that this promise was made in this sort onely to Abraham because he was to be the father of the faithfull Ans. It pertaines to all beleeuing parents Exod 20. God promiseth to shew mercie to thousands of them that loue him Act. 2. 39. Peter saith to the Iewes that heard him preach The promises belong to you and to your children Paul saith If the parents beleeue the children are holy 1. Cor. 7. 14. If holy then are they in the Couenant now they are holy because we are in the iudgement of Christian charitie to esteeme them all as regenerate and sanctified secret iudgements in the meane season left to God Now then because infants are in the couenant they are to be baptised For this is the reason of S. Peter To whome the promises belong to them belongeth baptisme but to you and your children belong the promises therefore you and your children are to be baptised Act. 2. 38 39. It may be obiected that we cannot tell whether infants be indeede the children of God or no and if they be not children of God we may not baptize them Answer The same may be said of men of yeares for we knowe not whether they be indeede the children of And therefore we may by the like reason exclude them from all sacraments Againe we are to presume in all likelihood that infants of beleeuing parents are the children of God because in their conception and birth God begins to manifest his election shewing himselfe a God not onely to the parents but also to their seed Secondly it is obiected that infants haue no faith and consequently that baptisme is vnprofitable vnto them Ans. Some thinke they haue faith as they haue regeneration that is the inclination or seede of faith Others say that the faith of the parents is also the faith of their children because the parents by their faith receiue the promise of God both for themselues their children And thus to be borne in the Church of beleeuing parents is in stead of the profession of faith To this second opinion I rather incline because it is the auncient and receiued doctrine of the Church Thirdly it is alleadged that infants know not what is done when they are baptized Ans. For all this baptisme hath his vse in them for it is a seale of the couenant and a meanes to admit them into the fellowship of the visible Church whereof for right they are members A father makes a Purchasse for himselfe and his children at the time of the sealing the children know not what is done and yet the purchasse is not made in vaine for them It may be demanded whether the children of Turkes and Iewes are to be baptized Answ. No because the parents are forth of the couenant Secondly it is demanded whether the children of professed Papists are to be baptized Answ. The parents are persons baptized in the name of the father sonne and holy Ghost And though the Papacie be not the church of God yet is the church of God hidden in the papacie and to be gathered out of it and for this cause baptisme remaines still in the Church of Rome For this cause I thinke that infants of professed Papists may be baptized two cautions obserued the first that the foresaid parents desire this baptisme the second that there be sureties which promise the education of the child in the true faith Thirdly it may be demanded whether the children of wicked Christians that is of such as hold in iudgement true religion and denie it in their liues may be baptized Ans. They may for all without exceptiō that were borne of circumcized lews whereof many were wicked were circumcised And we must not onely regard the next parents but also the auncestours of whome it is said If the roote be holy the branches are holy Rom. 11. Vpon this ground children borne in fornication may be baptized so be it there be some to answer for them beside the parents And there is no reason that the wickednesse of the parent should preiudice the childe in things pertaining to life eternall Lastly it may be demanded whether the children of parents excommunicate may be baptized Answ. Yea if there be any beside the parents to answer for the child For the parents after excommunication remaine still for Right members of the Church hauing still a right to the kingdome of heauen out of which they are not cast absolutely but with condition vnlesse they repent and in part that is in respect of communion or vse of their libertie but not in respect of right or title euen as a freeman of a corporation imprisoned remaines a freeman though for the time he hath no vse of his libertie The third Circumstance concernes the time Here one question may be mooued How oft baptisme is to be administred Answ. but once for the efficacie of baptisme extends it selfe to the whole life of man and we are but once borne againe and once ingrafted into Christ. Here let it be obserued that the gift of regeneration is neuer vtterly extinguished for if a man be the second time borne againe he must be baptized againe and againe because baptisme is the sacrament of insition It may be said that a man may remain stil ingrafted into Christ by his own wickednesse make himselfe a dead member I answer that all the members of the mysticall bodie of Christ are liuing mēbers The spirituall temple is made of liuing stones 1. Pet. 2. 5. And marke what Paul saith all the bodie of Christ increaseth with the increasing of God Col. 2. 19. and Eph. 2. 21. Beleeuers are of the bone and flesh of Christ nowe there is no part of the bone and flesh of Christ that dieth The last Circumstance is touching the place that is the publike assemblie or congregation of the people of God Because baptisme is a part of the publike Ministerie and a dependance vpon the preaching of the word of God Secondly the whole congregation is to make profit by the enarration of the institution of baptisme and lastly the said congregation is by praier to present the infant baptized vnto God and to intreat for the saluation thereof the praier of many beeing most effectuall The eight and last point followes concerning the vse
of this world in ciuill societie the second is the regiment or the kingdome of heauen which stands in iustice peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost In the first estate there are sundrie differences of persons that beleeue some fathers and mothers some children some masters and seruants some magistrates and subiects In the second estate there are no outward differences of men but all are members of Christ and all one in him Thus must the text be vnderstood Obiect II. Beleeuers are gouerned by Gods spirit and therefore outward gouernment by magistrates is needlesse Answ. In the visible Church hypocrites are mingled with true beleeuers and they are not gouerned by Gods spirit but by the spirit of the deuill and therefore in respect of them ciuill authoritie is requisite Againe true beleeuers are but in part gouerned by the spirit for the time of this life And for this cause ciuill gouernment is requisite for the ordering of the outward man and for the protection of the Church Obiect III. They that are in Christ are freed from sinne and consequently from subiection which followes vpon sinne Answ. Subiection is either politique or seruile Politicke is when men are subiect for their own good and this was before the fall yeilded by Eve to Adam Seruile subiection when they are subiect for the good of their masters and this onely comes of sinne Againe subiection with ioy was before the fall subiection ioyned with paine and miserie followes vpon sinne Gen. 3. 16. The second question is whether bondage in which some are Lords others bond-men or slaues may stand with Christian religion Answ. It may in the countries where it is established by positiue lawes if it be vsed with mercie and moderation Righteons Abraham had in his owne house bondslaues Gen. 17. 13. God did permit the Iewes to buy the children of the Canaanites Leuit. 25. 45. Paul saith If any man be calied beeing a seruant or bondman let him not care for it 1. Cor. 7. 21. Obiect I. Be not seruants of men 1. Cor. 7. 23. Ans. That is in respect of conscience the subiection whereof must be reserued to God Obiect II. Christians haue libertie by Christ and where libertie is there may be no bondage Answ. Christians obtaine by Christ spirituall libertie in this life and bodily libertie in the life to come Obiect III. Bondage is against the lawe of nature Answ. Against the law of pure nature created in innocencie not against the lawe of corrupt nature the fruite whereof is bondage Obiect IU All are one in Christ therefore the difference of bond men and free-men must cease Ans. All are one in respect of the inward man or in respect of faith and fellowship with Christ but all are not one in respect of the outward man and in regard of ciuill order The sense then of the text is this There are distinctions of men in respect of nation some Iewes some Gentiles in respect of condition some bonde some free some rich some poore some in authoritie some in subiection c. in respect of sexe some men some women yet in Christ Iesus all are euen as one man The vse By this text we may expound another 1. Tim. 2. God would haue all men to be saued that is not all particular persons vpon earth but all kinds For here Paul saith all are one in Christ that is men of all nations of all conditions and of all sexes Againe the name Jewe apposed to Gentiles signifies not onely men of the tribe of Iuda but all circumcized persons of all tribes Rom. 2. 28. and thus it is all one with an Israelite And thus we see howe to expound the place of scripture 2. Chron. 21. 2. where Iehosaphat king of Iuda is called king of Israel The words Iuda and Israel are sometime opposed Iuda signifying the kingdome of the two tribes Iuda and Beniamin and Israel signifying the 10. tribes Sometimes againe they are Synonima and are put one for another as Psalm 114. 1 2. and in this text And Iuda at this time was indeed the true Israel of God and Iehosaphat without any fault in the text as some suppose is truely called king of Israel Thirdly they which are of great byrth and of heigh condicion must be pnt in mind not to be heigh minded nor to dispise them that are of lowe degree for all are one in Christ the obscure and base person hath as good part in Christ as the greatest men that be Therefore we may not swell in pride for outward things The king must not lift vp his hart against his brethren Deut. 17. 20. rich men saith Paul must not be high minded 1. Tim. 6. 17. Iob would not despise the cause of his handmaid Iob. 31. 13. Naaman a great man respected the counsell of his seruants 2. King 5. 13. Fourthly all beleeuers must be on hart and mind 1. Cor. 1. 10. In the kingdome of Christ the wolfe and the lamb dwell together Isai. 11. 6. And good reason for all are on in Christ. And we haue great cause to be humbled when schismes coutentions and differences arise in points of religion For that shewes that hypocrites are mingled with true beleeuers and that we are but in part as yet vnited to Christ. Lastly hence we learne not to hate any man but alwaies to carrie in mind a purpose to doe good to all by thought word and deed and to doe good to men in respect of their names their goods their liues And this wholy mind and purpose must alwaies beare sway in vs. there is no hurt in the mount of the Lord. Isai 1â— 9. Men turne their swords speares into mattocks sithes that are of the kingdom of Christ. Isai 2. 4. because they are one with Christ by the bond of on spirit v. 29. And if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and heires by promise Before Paul had taught v. 7. 8. 9. that all beleeuing gentiles were the children of Abraham and not the Iewes only Here he returnes to the same point againe and prooues it by a new Argument thus Christ is the seed of Abraham v. 16. and all gentiles beleeuing in Christ are parts of him and one with him therefore they also are children of Abraham and heires of all the blessings of God The intent of Paul in these words is to establish and confirme an argument which before he had vrged in this chapter against patrons of workes in the case of our iustification it may be framed thus As Abraham was iustified so are all they that beleeue in Christ instified for they are Abrâ—â—ams children and succeed him v. 29. but Abraham was iustified by faith without workes therefore all beleeuers in Christ are so iustified Let the Argument be obserued for it makes against the Papist who if he studie till his head and heartake shall neuer answer it In this verse Paul sets down the fruit and banefit that comes by the gift of adoption to
c. In these words the Apostle sets forth the greatnesse of the Apostasie of the Galatians by the effect thereof which was to cause him to feare least he had bestowed labour in vaine amōg them First the occasion of the words must be considered and that is expressed in the former words ye obserue daies and moneths And hereupon he saith J am in feare of you And thus Paul teacheth that workes set vp as causes of saluation with Christ make void the Ministerie and grace of God It may be said this is meant of ceremoniall workes and so it is true I answer it is indeed spoken of ceremoniall workes but it must be inlarged to all workes without exception For Paul saith c. 5. v. 3. If ye be circumcised ye are bound to fulfill the whole lawe Hence then it followes that the doctrine of iustification by workes is an errour in the foundation and beeing distinctly and obstinately maintained there is no hope of saluation Againe here we see the fidelitie of the Apostle Paul and it stands in two things the first is his painefull and wearisome labour to gaine the Galatians to God The second is his care that the foresaid labour be not in vaine And in this example of his we learne three things The first that they which are or desire to be dispensers of the word must doe it not for the bellie or for lucres sake or for the praise of men but simply for this ende that they may gaine soules to God The Scribe that would haue followed Christ for gaine was repelled with this answer that Christ had not so much as a place where to lay his head Math. 8. 20. and to preach for by-respects is to make a marchandise of the word of God 2. Cor. 2. 17. The second is that ministers after the example of Paul must be labourers indeed 1. Cor. 3. 9. and workemen 2. Tim. 2. 15. And they must shewe themselues to be so by their care and industrie in winning soules to God And it is not sufficient now and then to make a discourse vpon a text Thirdly Ministers of the word must be watchmen Ezech. 3. 14 and Heb. 13. 17. their office is not onely to gaine and call men to God but also to preserue and keepe them in Christ which are alreadie called Thirdly here we see the condition of the Church of Galatia and of all other visible Churches vpon earth that they are subiect to Apostasie It may be said how can this be considering true beleeuers cannot fall away Ans. In the visible church on earth there are foure kinds of beleeuers The first are they which heare the word without zeale and they are like the stony ground The second are they which heare knowe and approoue the word The third are they which heare knowe and approoue the word and haue a taste of the power thereof and accordingly yeeld some outward obedience The fourth are they which heare knowe approoue and keepe the word in that they beleeue it and are turned into the obedience of it The three first may fall quite away the fourth cannot And by this meanes it comes to passe that visible Churches vpon earth may fall away because of them that professe the faith three to one may vtterly fall away The vse This must teach vs that are members of the visible Church to feare and to suspect our selues and not to content our selues because we haue some good things in vs but we must labour to be sealed vp to the daie of our redemption and to lay vp a good foundation against the time to come 1. Tim. 6. 18. By seeking to haue in vs such good things as are proper to the Elect as vnfained faith in Christ and conuersion to God from all our sinnes It may be demanded how Pauls labour should be in vaine Ans. It was in vaine in respect of his owne desire and affection to saue all the Galatians secondly it was in vaine in respect of the whole bodie of that Church wherof many were hypocrits It was not in vaine in respect of the elect nor in respect of the counsell of God Isa. 55. 11. Againe it may be demanded what must be done when the labours of our callings are in vaine Ans. We must follow the calling and commandement of God whether we haue good successe or no and whatsoeuer come of it Paul feares least his labour is in vaine and yet he still labours When Peter had laboured all night and caught nothing he saith at the commandement of Christ In thy word will I cast out my net Luk. 5. And thus to doe whatsoeuer follows is true wisedome and the feare of God For it must suffice vs that the worke we take in hand is pleasing vnto God And though it be in vaine in respect of men it is not so before God Isa 49. 4. and 2. Cor. 2. 18. This must euery man remember in his place and calling for the establishing of his minde against all euents V. 12. Be you as I for I am euen as you I beseech you brethren ye haue not hurt me at all The words in this verse to the 16. verse are an answer to an obiection The obiection is this we see now by these sharpe reproofes that Paul hath changed his minde toward vs and that he hath turned his loue into hatred The answer is be as I I am as you the speech is very effectuall and significant and it is like the common prouerb Amicus alter ego alter idem that is a mans friend is all one with himselfe The sense of the words is Be as I looke that your minds be not estranged from me but tender me euen as your own selues for I Paul am the same that euer I was I respect and tender you euen as mine own selfe And least the Galatians should say see ye not how Paul commands imperiously be ye as I therefore he addes I beseech you brethren I command you not In the next words he addes a reason of his answer thus Hatred presupposeth a hurt or wrong to be done ye haue done me no hurt or wrong therefore ye may not thinke that I hate you When Paul saith be as I I am as you we learne that there must be a speciall and mutuall loue betweene the teachers and the people Paul saith that he did inlarge his heart for the Corinthians and he requires the like of them 2. Cor. 6. 11. 13. Teachers must shewe their loue by tendering the saluation of the people by all meanes euen as their own soules Paul could haue found in his heart to haue beene accursed for his countrimen the Iewes Rom. 9. 〈◊〉 He desired that he might be offered vp as a drinke offering vpon the sacrifice of the faith of the Philippians Phil. 2. 18. When the Israelites had sinned Moses stands in the breach as it were in the face of the Canon betweene the wrath of God and them by his praier to stay the iudgement of
contention Phil. 1. 15. others make marchandise of the word It is an excellent thing to imbrace the Gospel and yet many men doe it amisse for feare or for honour or for profit or for other sinister respect and not for the Gospels sake This temporall life is an excellent thing yet few there are that know the ende of this life For men commonly spend not their time to seeke the kingdome of heauen and to serue God in seruing of men but with all their might they aime at honours profits pleasures and thus they liue amisse not for the honour of God but for themselues This must teach vs not onely to doe good but to doe it well and to propound good ends to our selues and to seeke to be vpright in the statutes of God Psal. 119. 80. To this ende three things must be done First we must set before vs the will and commandement of God and this must mooue vs to doe the good we doe Secondly the outward action must be conformable to the inward motions of the inward man and they must both goe together Thirdly we must directly intend to obay God in the things we doe and to approoue our hearts and doings to him In that the false Apostles are saide to be ielous or zealous we see how nature can counterfeit 〈◊〉 grace of God and that which the child of God doth by 〈◊〉 that the naturall man can doe by nature Thus Pharao fa 〈…〉 repentance Exod. 9. 27. and Ahab that sold himselfe to worke wickednes 1. king 21. 27. and Iudas in the midst of his despaire is said to repent Matt. 27. 1. Daily experience shewes the like in such persons who in their extremitie with teares vse to bewaile their liues past and with many vowes and protestations promise amendment and yet afterward when they are on foote againe they returne to their old bias In a word there is nothing that the godly man doth by the spirit of God spiritually but an hypocrite may doe the like carnally Nature can play the part of the ape in imitating good things Therefore it stands vs in hand to praie and examine our hearts least we be deceiued in our selues For there may lie a depth of deceit and falshood lurking in the heart And that we be not deceiued two things must be obserued One is that we must cherish in our hearts an vniuersall hatred of all and euery sinne first in our selues and then in others The second is that we must be changed and renewed in our minds consciences and affections Thirdly here we see the propertie of enuie and Ambition in these false teachers Paul must be excluded from the loue of the Galatians that they alone may be loued Thus Iosua would haue excluded Eldad and Medad from prophesying and he would haue Moses to be the onely prophet but Moses saith I would to God all the people could prophecie Num. 11. 29. Iohns disciples would haue excluded Christ baptising but Iohn saith He must increase and I must decrease Ioh. 3. 30. The disciples of Christ would haue excluded one that cast out deuills in the name of Christ but did not follow him and Christ forbad them Luk. 9. 49. Lastly we here see the propertie of deceiuers is to make a diuision betweene the Pastors and the people Beside the former pretended ielousie there is a good ielousie which the Apostle takes to himselfe and els where he calls it the ielousie of God 2. Cor. 11. 2. This ielousie presupposeth the office of the Apostles and all Ministers which stands in three things The first is to become suters to the Church or to the soules of men in the name of Christ and to make the offer or motion in his name of a spirituall marriage and this is done in the ministerie and dispensation of the Gospel The second is to make the Contract betweene mens soules and Christ. Now to the making of a contract the consent of both the parties at the least is required Christ giues his consent in the word Ose 2. 20. and we giue our consent to him and choose him for our head when we turne to God and beleeue in Christ. And the ministerie of the word serues to signifie the will of Christ vnto vs and to stirre vp our hearts to an holy consent The third is after the contract to preserue them in true faith and good life that they may be fit to be presented to Christ in the day of iudgement and so be married to him eternally for then and not before is the marriage of the lambe These duties are all noted by Paul when he saith that he prepared the Corinthians that he might present them as a pure virgin vnto Christ. 2. Cor. 11. 2. And because this charge and office is laid vpon the Apostles and Ministers therefore they are said to be ielous This Ielousie stands in three things The first is to loue the Church indeede and truth for Christs sake The second is to feare least by reason of weaknes and by meanes of the temptations of the deuill the Church and they that beleeue should fall away from Christ. The third is after the fall of the church to be angrie with holy anger and indignation for Christs sake Thus Moses was ielous when the Israelites worshipped the golden calfe and Elias with like zealessue the priests of Baal Thus is Paul said to be ielous in this place and Act. 14. If the Apostle be thus ielous how much more then is Christ himselfe ielous who hath espoused himselfe to his Church This plainly shewes that he cannot brooke either Partner or deputie And therefore his sacrifice on the crosse must stand without the sacrifice of the masse his intercession without the intercession of Saints his merits without the merit of workes his satisfaction without any satisfaction of ours He will haue the heart alone and all the heart or nothing and he will not giue any part of his honour to any other This Ielousie in the Ministers must teach all faithfull seruants of God that they keepe themselues as pure virgins for Christ and set their hearts on nothing in the world but on him Therefore they must hunger after Christ they must account all things dongue for him they must haue their conuersation in heauen with him and loue his comming vnto thē by death Psal. 45. 10. Contrariwise they that set their hearts on any other thing beside him are said to goe a whoring from him and therefore they are accursed Psal. 73. 27. Thus many Protestants doe in their practise whatsoeuer they professe Thus doth the Church of Rome both in word and deede For beside Christ shee hath many other louers and shee goes a whoring after them when shee worships Angels and Saints the images of God and Christ with religious worship Againe by this we are put in minde to yeeld an vniuersall subiection to Christ for this is the dutie of the espoused wife to her husband Lastly that good things
till the comming of the Messias and now the Catholike Church is in the roome of the sanctuarie in it must we seeke the presence of God and the word of life therefore it is called the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Fourthly in Ierusalem was the throne of Dauid Psal. 122. 5. and in the Catholike Church is the throne or scepter of Christ figured by the kingdome of Dauid Reu. 3. 7. Fiftly the commendation of a cittie as Ierusalem is the subiection obedience of the citizens now in the Catholike Church all beleeuers are citizens Eph. 2. 19. and they yeild voluntarie obedience and subiection to Christ their king Psal. 110. 2. Isai 2. 5. Lastly as in Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register so the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reu. 20. 15. Hebr. 12. 23. Againe the Catholike Church dwelling here belowe is said to be aboue in heauen for two causes First in respect of her beginning which is from the Election and grace of God and from Christ the Mediatour of whose flesh and bone we are that beleeue Eph. 5. 30. The iustice whereby we are iustified is in Christ our holinesse and life flowes from the holinesse and life of Christ as from a roote Secondly the Church is said to be aboue because it dwels by faith in heauen with Christ for the propertie of faith is to make vs present after a sort when we are absent Heb. 11. 2. The vse This beeing so we are admonished to liue in this world as Pilgrimes and strangers 1. Pet. 2. 11. and therefore we must not set our loue vpon any earthly thing but our mindes must be vpon the countrie to which we are trauelling And whatsoeuer is an hinderance to vs in our iourney we must cast it from vs that we may goe lightly and if we haue any wrongs done vs either in goods or good name we must the rather be content because we are out of our countrie in a strange place and hereupon we must take occasion to make haste to our iourneys end that is to our own citie and last abode Thus did the Patriarches Heb. 11. 13 15. Secondly we must carrie our selues as Burgesses of heauen Phil. 3. 20. And this we shall do by minding seeking affecting of heauenly things by speaking the language of Canaan which is to inuocate and praise the name of God Lastly by leading a spirituall life that may beseeme the citizens of heauen Many faile in this point when they come to the Lords table they professe themselues to be citizens of the citie of God but in their common dealings in the world they play the starke rebels against God and his word and liue according to the lusts of their blinde and vnrepentant hearts Thirdly when Paul saith that Ierusalem which is aboue is free c. he shewes that the Catholike Church is one in number no more Cant. 6. 8. My doue is aboue and the onely daughter of her mother Ioh. 10. 16. One sheepefold There be many members but one bodie 1. Cor. 12. 12. Fourthly hence we gather that the Catholike Church is invisible For the companie of them that dwell in heauen by their faith cannot be discerned by the eie Iohn saw the heauenly Ierusalem descending from heauen yet not with the bodily eye but in spirit Reuel 21. 10. The things which make the Catholike Church to be the Church namely election vocation iustification glorification are inuisible The papist therfore erreth when he teacheth that the Catholike Church is a visible companie vnder one Pastour namely the Pope And the places which they bring to prooue the visibilitie of the vniuersall Church concerne either particular churches or the churches which were in the daies of the Apostles or againe they speake of the inward glorie and beautie of the Church Free that is redeemed from the bondage of death and sin and so from the curse of the lawe Of this freedome I will speak more afterward The mother of vs all shee is called a mother because the word of God is committed to the keeping of the Church which word is seed 1. Pet. 1. 23. and milke 1. Cor. 3. 2. and strong meat Heb. 5. 14. And the church as a mother which by the ministery of the said word brings forth children to God after they are borne brought forth shee feeds them with milke out of her owne breasts which are the Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament Here a great question is to be propounded namely where we shall find this our Mother For it is the dutie of all children to haue recourse vnto their mother and to liue vnder her wing The aduocates of the Popish Church Priests and Iesuits say we must be reconciled to the Church and See of Rome if we would be of the Catholike church To this purpose they vse many motiues I will here propound seauen of them because heretofore they haue bin scattered abroad among vs. The first motiue The Church of Rome hath meanes of sure and certen interpretation tradition councels fathers we haue nothing but the priuate interpretation of Luther Melancthon Caluin c. Answ. Scripture is both the glosse and the text And the principall meanes of the interpretation of scripture is scripture it selfe And it is a means when places of scripture are expounded by the Analogie of faith by the words scope and circumstances of the place And the interpretation which is sutable to all these is sure certen and publike for it is the interpretation of God Contrariwise the interpretation which is not agreeable to these though it be from Church Fathers and Councells is vncerten and it is priuate interpretation Now this kind of interpretation we allow and therefore it is false that we haue onely priuate interpretations and that all the interpretations of the Church of Rome are publike Secondly I answer that we are able to iustifie our Interpretations of Scripture for the maine points of religion by the consent of Fathers and Councells as well as they of the church of Rome The second motiue We haue no diuine and infallible authoritie to rest on in matter of religion but they of the church of Rome haue Ans. In the Canonicall scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles there is diuine and infallible authoritie for they are now in the new Testament in stead of the liuely voice of God And this authoritie we in our Church acknowledge Secondly I answer that the church hath no diuine and infallible authoritie distinct from the authoritie of scriptures as the Papists teach but onely a Ministerie which is to speake in the name of God according to the written word The third motiue We haue no limitations of opinion and affection but they of the church of Rome haue I answer first we suffer our selues to be limited for opinion by the Analogie of faith and by the written word and so doth
it pertaines to the conscience The vse indeede of our libertie is in outward things as meate drinke apparell c. but the libertie it selfe is in the conscience And thus it differs from ciuill libertie which stands in the moouing of the bodie in the choise of bodily actions and in the free vse of our goods Christian libertie hath two parts a Deliuerance from miserie and Freedome in good things Deliuerance hath foure parts The first is a Deliuerance from the curse of the law for the breach thereof Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. And this comes to passe because there is a translation made of the curse from our persons to the person of Christ. Gal. 3. 13. The second deliuerance is from the obligation of the law whereby it binds vs to bring perfect righteousnes in our owne persons for the attainment of euerlasting life according to the tenour thereof Doe this and liue And this deliuerance is procured because there is a translation made of the fulfilling of the law from our persons to the person of our Sauiour Christ. From these two deliuerances ariseth the Pacification of the conscience partly for our Iustification and partly for our conuersation Touching iustification A sinner in his humiliation and conuersion hath by this doctrine a Libertie without respect to his owne workes or to his owne fulfilling of the law to rest on the meere mercie of God for the forgiuenes of his sinnes and the saluation of his soule and to appeale from the throne of diuine iustice to the throne of grace and to oppose the merit of Christ against the wrath and iudgement of God And this hath bin alwaies the helpe of the godly in their distresse Read 2. Chron. 33. 12. Ezra 9. Dan. 9. Psal. 32. 31. 130. 143. Consider the example of the Publican and the Prodigall sonne who condemne themselues and make their appeale to the court of mercie and grace Here some man may say how shall I know that I am freed from the rigour of the law and from the curse thereof Ans. Thou must first set thy selfe at the barre of Gods iudgement and there must thou arraigne accuse and condemne thy selfe this done thou must vse thy libertie and make thine appeale to Gods mercie and grace for pardon by asking seeking knocking and thus at length shalt thou be resolued touching thy deliuerance Moreouer touching conuersation our consciences are setled thus In that we are freed from the Rigour of the law God in mercie accepts the will and indeauour to beleeue repent and obay for faith repentance and obedience He spares them that feare him as a father spares his child when he indeauours to doe that which he can Mal. 3. 17. The law requires perfect obedience at our hands yet God of his mercie lookes more at the will to obay then the perfection of obedience This must be a stay to our mindes when we see more corruption then grace in our selues and our obedience tainted with many spots of disobedience The third Deliuerance is from the obseruation of the Ceremoniall law of Moses Col. 2. 16. And hence ariseth an other deliuerance from the bondage of humane Traditions as Paul saith If yee be dead with Christ from the Elements of the world why are ye burdened with traditions Col. 2. 20. The fourth Deliuerance is from vnder the tyrannie and dominion of sinne Rom. 6. 14. Let not sinne haue dominion ouer you For ye are not vnder the law but vnder grace In the first tonuersion of a sinner Originall sinne receiues his deadly wound and the dominion thereof is diminished according to the measure of grace receiued The second part of Christian libertie is a Freedome in good things and it is fourefold The first is a freedome in the voluntarie seruice of God Luk. 1. 74. We are deliuered from our enemies that we may serue God in righteousnes and holines before him all the daies of our liues without feare Paul saith that the law is not giuen to the righteous man 1. Tim. 1. 9. because he is a law to himselfe and freely does good duties as if there were no law to bind him The cause of this freedome is the Gift and donation of the free spirit of God Therefore Dauid praies Stablish me with thy free spirit Psal. 5. 1. And Paul saith Where the spirit is there is libertie 2. Cor. 3. 17. And The spirit of life which is in Christ is a Law to vs and frees vs from the power of sinne and death Rom. 8. 2. It may be obiected that this freedome in the voluntarie seruice of God is bondage For Christ saith Matth. 11. 29. Take my yoke vpon you And we are as straightly bound to the obedience of the law of God as Adam was by creation nay more straightly by reason of our redemption by Christ. Ans. The more we are bound to obedience the freer we are because the seruice of God is not bondage but perfect libertie The second freedome is in the free vse of all the creatures of God Tit. 1. 15. To the pure all things are pure Rom. 14. 14. And the reason is because the dominion ouer the creatures lost by Adam is restored by Christ. 1. Cor. 3. 22. And hence it is that Paul calls the forbidding of marriage and of meates with obligation of conscience a doctrine of deuills 1. Tim. 4. 1. The third freedome is a Libertie to come vnto God the father in the name of Christ and in praier to be heard Rom. 5. 2. Eph. 3. 12. Whereas according to our naturall condition our sinnes are a wall of partition betweene vs and God and cause vs to flie from the presence of God and though we crie vnto God and fill heauen and earth with our cries so long as we are in our sinnes we are not heard of him The fourth freedome is a Libertie to enter into heauen in the day of our death Christ by his blood hauing made a way Heb. 10. 19. Thus we see what Christian libertie is The vse followes The Anabaptists gather hence that among Christians there must be Magistrates they must haue power to make lawes beside the lawes of God but this power they haue not because Christians haue a free vse of all the creatures of God by Christian libertie Ans. We must distinguish betweene the libertie it selfe and the vse of it And the Magistrates authoritie deales not with the libertie which is in the conscience but with the vse of it and he doth neither diminish nor abolish the vse of any of the creatures but restraines the abuse and moderates the ouer common vse for the common good Thus Magistracie and Christian libertie may stand together and the rather because libertie is in conscience and the Magistrates authoritie pertaines to the bodie Here is further comfort for all the godly for euen by Christian libertie their consciences are exempted from the power of all creatures men and Angels 1. Cor. 7.
breathing as the soule And so it carries a fit sense For as the bodie without breath is dead and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by breathing so faith that is without workes is dead and it shewes it selfe to be aliue by workes 3. There is a false composition of the wordes to be considered faith that is without workes is dead is true but to say faith is dead without workes as though workes gaue life to faith is false and not the meaning of S. Iames but the former onely Againe the Papists hence gather that faith and loue are ioynt causes in the iustification of a sinner and that faith worketh loue in iustifying men before God But this Interpretation is against the whole scope of this Epistle in which Paul prooues that there is no iustification by the law c. 5. v. 4. and therefore no iustification by loue Againe Paul saith Rom. 3. 21. that righteousnes is reuealed without the law and therefore without loue And againe that we are made the righteousnes of Christ as Christ is made our sinne namely by imputation and therefore not by infusion of loue 2. Cor. 5. 21. Thirdly faith iustifies by apprehending Christ in the promise and therefore not by loue The consequent I prooue thus Faith and loue are two hands of our soule Faith is an hand that laies hold of Christ and it doth as it were pull him and his benefits into our soules But loue is an hand of another kind for it serues not to receiue in but to giue out the good it hath and to communicate it selfe vnto others Therefore faith cannot iustifie by loue Lastly loue in order of nature followes iustification and therefore it doth not iustifie For first of all faith laies hold on Christ then followes iustification vpon iustification follows sanctification and loue is a part of sanctification They vrge for themselues the words of Paul that faith works by loue Ans. Paul doth not shew in this verse what iustifieth but what are the exercises of Godlines in which Christians must be occupied And he doth not shew how faith iustifieth but how it may be discerned to be true faith namely by loue Secondly they obiect that faith and loue are alwaies ioyned and therefore ioyntly worke in iustification Ans. They are ioyned in one person or subiect and they are ioyned in the exercise of Christian life but they are not ioyned in the article of iustification Thirdly they vrge the 2. of S. Iames where it is saide that a man is iustified not onely by faith but also by works v. 24. Ans. Faith in S. Iames is put for an historicall knowledge of religion or for the bare confession and profession of faith Againe iustification is twofold one of the person the other of the faith of the person Iustification of the person is when a sinner is absolued of his sinnes and accepted to life euerlasting for the merit of Christ. Iustification of the faith of the person is when faith is approoued and found to be true faith and a beleeuer iustifies himselfe to be a true beleeuer Of this second iustification speakes S. Iames and it is not onely by faith but also by workes Lastly it may be obiected that loue is of no vse if it doe not iustifie Ans. Iustification and sanctification are two distinct benefits 1. Cor. 1. 30. and 6. 11. Iustification ministers vnto vs deliuerance from hell and a right to life euerlasting Sanctification is a fruit of the former and serues to make vs thankefull to God for our iustification and loue serues for the same vse because it is a speciall part of Sanctification Thus much of the deprauation of the text by the Papists Hence further I gather that many falsely in these last daies boast of faith because it is not ioyned with profiting in knowledge with true conuersion vnto God with fruits of loue to God and man whereas all true faith is fruitefull in good workes 7 Ye did runne well who did letyou that ye should not obay the truth The meaning Ye did runne well In these words Paul alludes to the games of running vsed among the heathen And he compares the word and precepts of God to a way or race beleeuers to runners life eternall to the price God to the vmpire or iudge the lookers on are men and Angels good and badde and the Exercise of religion is the running in this race Read of this 1. Cor. 9. 24. Phil. 3. 13 14. Who the interrogation hath in it the force of a reproofe or complaint And the sense is this they did euill which turned you forth of the way and you haue done euill that you obaied not the truth The like is Psal. 2. 1. Why doe the heathen rage that is it is great wickednes for them to rage Let stoppe intercept your course turne you out of the way That you should not obay that you should not giue credence to the doctrine of Paul and obay it The scope These wordes are a repetition of the principall conclusion of the whole Epistle And this repetition is not in vaine For it serues to bring the Galatians to a consideration of their offence and to amendement of life Hence I obserue that the often and serious consideration of our sinnes and liues past is a meanes to worke in vs a detestation of our sinnes and a reformation of life Thus Dauid saith that vpon consideration of his waies he turned his feete to Gods commandements Psal. 119. 59. And the cause why there is so little amendement among vs is because we neuer so much as thinke what we haue done In these wordes Paul sets downe three duties of Christian people The first is that they must be runners in the race of God Indeede the Sabbath of the Iewes figured a rest which is contrarie to running but this rest is from sinne and not from good duties This dutie of running teacheth vs foure things The first is that we must make hast without delay to keepe the commandements of God specially the commandements of faith repentance new obedience Psal. 119. 32 60. Contrariwise it is a great fault for youth others to deferre amendement till old age or till the last and deadly sicknes For that is the time to ende our running and not to beginne The second is that we are to increase and profit in all good duties specially in knowledge faith repentance But we in this age doe otherwise For either we stand at a staie or goe backe and very fewe of vs proceede forward in good duties And there are two causes of this One is blindnes of minde which makes vs that we see not how little our faith and repentance is and how great is the masse of our corruption the second is our vnbeleefe in the Article of life euerlasting The third dutie is that we must neither looke to the right or left hand or looke to things behind vs to set our affection on them but we must presse on forward to
the price of eternall life Phil. 3. 13. Luk. 9. 62. Here comes a common fault to be considered we in respect of profession goe forward yet we looke backe in our course and minde earthly things Lastly we must not be mooued with the speaches of men which are giuen of vs either to or fro They are lookers on and must haue their speaches and our care must be not to heede them but to looke to our course The second dutie of Christian people is that they must not onely be runners but they must runne well And that is done by beleeuing and by obaying the true religion or as Paul saith by hauing faith and good conscience 1. Tim. 1. 18. These are as it were the two feete by which we runne to life euerlasting Vnder faith we are to comprehend the true acknowledgement of God affiance in him and inuocation c. Vnder good conscience is comprised the purpose of not sinning and the care to obay God in all his commandements To applie this to our selues runners we are but alas few of vs are good runners We haue one good foote and that is our faith or religion which is sound and good but we halt on the other foote our care to keepe conscience is not sutable to our religion And three things cause a lamenes or feeblenes in this foote the lust of the eye that is couetousnes the lust of the flesh and pride of life The third dutie is that we must runne the race from the beginning to the ende and finish our course so as we may apprehend life euerlasting 1. Tim. 6. 11. 2. Tim. 4. 7. 1. Cor. 9. 24. And for this cause we must cherish in our hearts a loue and feruent desire of eternall life and by this meanes we shall be drawne on through all miseries and ouerpasse them to the ende Secondly we must hold and maintaine a constant and daily purpose of not sinning And where we are the weakest there must our resolution be the strongest And thus shall we be constant to the death 8 It is not the perswasion of him that calleth you The meaning This opinion of iustification by the workes of the law is not from God who hath called you from bondage to libertie The scope Paul here meetes with a conceit of the Galatians which was this Why dost thou so often and so sharpely reprooue vs for we hould nothing against conscience but are perswaded of the thing which we say To this Paul answers here this perswasion is not of God because it is against the calling of God for he calles you to libertie and this your opinion drawes you into bondage Here we see the cause of mens declining from God and his worde and that is this Men denie credence to Gods word listen to plausible perswasions and so fall awaie Thus Eue fell in the estate of innocencie by listning to the false perswasions of the deuill The Papists â—usle themselues in their superstitions by a presumption that the Church cannot erre and that god wil not leaue his church destitute of the assistaÌ„ce of his spirit Our common people boulster themselues in their blind waies by a presumption that God is all of mercy and that if they doe their true intent serue God say their praiers deale iustly and doe as they would be done vnto they shall certenly be saued Tradesmen often vse many practises of fraud and iniustice and that vpon a perswasion that they haue a charge and family which must be maintained If men now a daies will not blaspheme drinke and riot as others doe they shall be charged with precisenes and that comes vpon a perswasion that it sufficeth to auoid the outward and notorious crimes which are mentioned and condemned in the law Thus the whole world is misled by blind perswasions Secondly hence we learne to close vp our eyes as it were and absolutely to follow the calling of god to subiect all the powers of our soules vnto it Thus did Abraham when he was called to go he knew not whether and Paul without vsing consultation went and preached in Arabia at the calling of Christ. Thirdly Paul here sets downe a note to discerne of false doctrines and opinions in religion If they be sutable to the calling of God they are good if they be against the calling of God they are naught This is Pauls rule God calles vs to libertie therefore the doctrine of iustification by the workes of the law is naught for it drawes vs into bondage In like â—ort God calles vs to free iustification and therefore the doctrine of humane satisfactions and of the merit of workes is naught Againe God calls vs to an vtter deniall of our selues and therefore the Popish doctrine of preparation and of freedome of will in the conuersion of a sinner is naught Lastly it is to be obserued that Paul saith in the time present of him that calleth you for hence it appeares that God continues to call the Galatians euen after their fall in which they fell away to an other Gospel and as much as in them lay abolished themselues from Christ. This shews Gods patience and that there is a possibilitie of mercie after great and grieuous falls It may be saide how long doth God continue to call men vnto him Ans. So long as he vouchsafeth them the benefit of the publike Ministerie Thus then more then fourtie yeares hath God called vs in England And for this cause it is our part to pray to God for hearing eares to be pearced in our hearts and we must answer the calling of God Psal. 27. 8. at the least in the desires and groanes of our hearts And lastly we must in life and conuersation be sutable to the calling of God 9 A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe The sense As a little leauen leaueneth and fauoreth the whole lumpe of dow euen so one errour or point of corrupt doctrine corrupteth the whole bodie of Christian religion because all the points of religion are linked and compounded together so as if one be corrupt the rest cannot remaine â—ound and incorrupt The scope The obiection of the Galatians is Put case that we erre in ioyning Circumcision and Christ yet there is no cause why thou shouldest â—o sharpely reprooue vs for it is no great errour to ioyne workes and Christ in the cause of our Iustification Paul answers to this obiection by a prouerbe saying that a little leauen of false doctrine corrupts the whole bodie of religion and one errour though it seeme to be of small moment at the first may at length bring with it the corruption and deprauation of many other points The vse In the example of the Galatians we see what is the common fashion of men namely to extenuate their faults and to make small matters of great offences The Phariâ—ies taught that sundrie of Gods commandements were small and little commandements Matth. 5. 19. To them that make no conscience of sinne great
ariseth a distinction of the calling of god sometime it is operatiue because God signifies and withall workes his will in the Elect sometimes againe in respect of others it is only significatiue when God reueales his will to men but spares to worke it for iust causes knowne to himselfe The third point is what is the calling to libertie Ans. An action of God translating men from the kingdome of darknes to his owne kingdome It hath 2. parts inuitement and admission Inuitement is when God offers remission of sinnes life euerlasting to them that beleeue outwardly by the preaching of the Gospell inwardly by the inspiration of heauenly desires Admission is when men are entred into the kingdome of grace and it is either outward or inward Outward admission is made in baptisme Inward admission is when men are taken out of olde Adam and by faith ingrafted into Christ for by this insâ—tion into Christ men are made reall members of gods kingdome The last question is why Paul mentions the calling to libertie in this place Ans. It is the ground of all comfort by it Paul comforts the Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. 9. Againe it is the ground of good life Therefore Peter saith be ye holy as he that hath called you is holy 1. Pet. 1. 15. And Paul walke worthie the calling wherewith he hath called you Eph. 4. 1. If the calling of god doe not mooue vs to amendement of life nothing will doe it We in England haue heard the calling of god more then 40. yeares and yet very few of vs are mooued to change and amend our liues This shewes our Atheisme and vnbeleefe here is almost nothing but heauing shouing and lifting for the world Some are held captiues of their couetousnes some of their pride some of their damnable and fleshly lusts and all this shewes that few or none so much as dreame of a calling to spirituall libertie The first Rule followes Only vse not your libertie as an occasion to the flesh The sense Flesh hereby the Papists vnderstand Sensualitie or carnall appetites but hereby is ment the corruption of all the powers of the soule euen of reason and conscience Paul saith that the wisdom or vnderstanding of the flesh is emnity to God Rom. 8. 7. fleshlines therefore pertaines to the vnderstanding Againe he saith of some that they are puffed vp in the mind of the flesh Col. 2. 18. and he willes the Ephesians to be renewed in the spirit of their minds Eph. 4. 23. The meaning then of the rule is this vse not the benefit of spirituall libertie as an occasion to the flesh to liue according to the flesh Here I consider three things what is the abuse of libertie where is this abuse to be found and what is the right vse thereof The first question is what is the abuse of Christian libertie Ans. To vse it as an occasion of fleshly and carnall libertie that is done 3. waies The first is when men make more things indifferent theÌ„ god euer made Thus the Corinthians vsed fornication as a thing indifferent 1. Cor. 6. To many in these daies drunkennes and surfetting is but a thing indifferent Men vse not to distinguish a thing indifferent and the vse of it but they commonly thinke that if the thing be indifferent in it selfe then also the vse of it is indifferent Thus all abuses of meat drinke apparrell all rioting and gaming dicing and carding c. are excused by the names of things indifferent Secondly our libertie is abused by an immoderate vse of the gifts of god The vse of them is immoderate 3. waies first in respect of time as when Diues fared deliciously and was arraied in rich attire euery day Thus many gentlemen and others offend when they turne recreation into an occupation Secondly the gifts of god are immoderatly vsed in respect of themselues as when men Exceed in eating and drinking as the prophet saith Deut. 29. 19. adding drunkennes to thirst Thirdly in respect of the callings and conditions of men for euery man is to vse the gifts of God according to his place and condition They then offend that beeing but meane persons liuing by trades yet for their diet and apparrel are as great gentlemen gentlewomen Thirdly liberty is abused when the blessings of God are made instruments and as it were flagges and banners to display our riot vanitie ostentation pride for this cause sundry things whereof some are indifferent in themselues are condemned Isai 3. 16. The second question is where is this abuse Ans. Euen among vs in England It is the fashion of men to take vnto themselues a Toleration of sinning some vpon the pacience of God others vpon the doctrine of the gratious Election of God saying that they will liue as they list because if they be Elected to saluation they shall certenly be saued whatsoeuer they doe And some there be that take occasion to continue in their sinnes vpon the mercy of God in the death and passion of Christ. A certen dweller in this towne of Cambridge made awaie himselfe In his bosome was found a writing to this effect that God did shew mercie on great grecuous and desperate sinners and therefore he said that he hoped of mercy though he hanged himselfe Of this mind are many ignorant persons who perseuering in their sinnes yet perswade themselues of mercy because they haue heard that Christ died for mankind And thus the death of Christ is as it were a licence or letters patents to commit sinne Againe great is the abuse of meat drinke and apparell To Elias there came an Angell and said arise and eate 1. King 19. 7. but to the men of our daies there had need come an Angell and saie cease to eate cease to drinke cease to game The third questioÌ„ is what is the right vse of Christian libertie Ans. It stands in 2. things first of all we our selues must be renewed and sanctified To the pure all things are pure Tit. 1. 15. The person must first please God before the action can please him The second is that beside the lawfull vse of the creatures we must haue a spirituall holy vse of theÌ„ The lawfull vse of the creature I call the politick vse therof coÌ„monly allowed takeÌ„ vp among men The spirituall vse is whereby we receiue vse the creature as from the hand of god the father in Christ according to his will and word And the Godly are not to seperate the one vse from the other but are bound by vertue of the 3 commandement to take vp an holy vse of euery gift of God When Noe came out of the Arke soâ— soone as he sett foote vpon the earth he built an altar offered sacrifice and called on the name of God not only for this end to worship god but also to sanctifie the earth and all the creatures of God vnto his vse The like did Abraham when he come into the land of Canaan And
be admonished by Magistrates and Ministers to relinquish their superstitious practises and that vpon a double ground I. Nothing hath efficacie but by the Ordinance of God And this efficacie was either put into the thing in the creation or since by some new Institution in the word And the efficacie of things that comes by any other meanes is by Satanicall operation II. Charmes inchantments and spells whatsoeuer haue no force vnlesse we beleeue that they can doe vs good Now this faith is a false faith and the seruice of the deuill For we must beleeue nothing hope nothing doe nothing without or against the word of God If these two rules be obserued not onely charming but all witchcraft shall be banished out of the world Againe it may be demanded what are the signes that serue to discouer a witch Ans. This discouerie is very hard For witches doe their feates in close manner not onely by foule and open cursing but also by faire speaking and by praising of things And hereupon we haue a fashion in England when we praise any thing withall to blesse it as to say it is a goodly child God saue it that our speach may not be suspected of witchcraft Neuerthelesse there are fiue speciall things that serue to discouer a witch One is the free confession of the accused or suspected witch The second is the confession of the associats of the witch The third is Inuocation of the deuill For that is to renounce baptisme and to make a league with the deuill The fourth is Euidence that the partie hath intertained a familiar spirit in the forme or likenes of some visible creature The fifth is Euidence of any action or actions that necessarily presuppose a league made with the deuill As for example if the partie shew a mans face in a glasse though he professe angelicall holines he is in league with the deuill by whose meanes the feate is wrought There are besides these other signes but they are either false or vncerten A man is sicke he suspects that he is bewitched he takes it on his death that such a partie hath bewitched him All this is nothing but the suspition of one man and therefore no proofe Likewise the testimonie of some wizzard is but the testimonie of one and it is the deuills testimonie and therefore not to be receiued Againe neighbours fall out threatnings are vsed in anger afterward the partie threatned is either sicke or he dies hereupon the partie that vsed threatning words is accused of witchcraft And this is the common course But great circumspection must be vsed for sicknesse and death may arise of any other causes Lastly markes in the bodies of men and women are vncerten signes of witches All this I note the rather because if a iudgement befall a man in his familie presently according to the common fashion he saith he is hurt by euill tongues and challengeth some one or other of witchcraft whereas his owne ignorance vnbeleefe contempt of Gods word and Sacraments c. are the onely witches that hurt him and pull downe Gods iudgements vpon him Heresies The word heresie generally signifies any opinion either good or bad More specially it signifies any errour in religion Thus Ecclesiasticall writers take it For they condemne for heretikes such as erred in smaller points holding the foundation as Vigilantius Novatus c. And the very Opinion that there are Antipodes was condemned for heresie though it be a matter of small moment Yet most properly Heresie may be thus defined It is an errour in the foundation of Christian religion taught and defended with obstinacie Thus Paul saith Tit. 3. 11. that an heretike is peruerted that is put beside the foundation and condemned of himselfe in his sinne that is to say he erres obstinatly euen against his owne conscience I say that heresie is an errour in religion to put a difference betweene an errour in Diuinitie and an errour in Philosophie which is not tearmed heresie and againe to put difference betweene schisme and heresie for heresie is in doctrine schisme in manners order regiment Againe I say heresie is an errour in the foundation of religion to distinguish it from errours that are in smaller points of Diuinitie Some teach that Abraham was borne the 70 of Terah some the 130 of Terah Both cannot be true yet neither of them are heresie Some teach that Daniels weekes begin straight after the returne out of captiuitie others teach that they must begin 80 yeares after both cannot be true yet neither opinion is heresie So there are sundrie opinions touching Ophir Tarshish to which Ionah fled Decapolis in the Gospel all cannot be true yet they are not heresies because they concerne onely times and places and other circumstances of the Bible Lastly I say that heresie is maintained with obstinacy to distinguish heresie a single error For there are three things in heresie an error in the maine doctrine conuiction of the partie touching his error and obstinacie after conuiction The vse In that heresie an error in the minde or vnderstanding is made a worke of the flesh hence it followes that the word flesh signifies more then sensualitie namely the corruption of the higher powers euen of the minde and conscience though Papists teach otherwise Againe if heresie be a worke of the flesh our dutie is to detest and eschew heresies And that we may for euer preserue our selues from them three rules must be obserued I. We must propound vnto our selues the right Principles of religion For as euery Art hath his confessed principles so hath Diuinitie The head and chiefe Principle whereof is this All Scripture of the Prophets and Apostles is giuen by inspiration of God This is the foundation of all true faith here is the highest stay and stoppe This principle is the demonstration of all doctrines and conclusions and it hath no principle aboue it selfe whereby it is to be confirmed As for humane reason it is no principle of religion For it is imperfect and erronious and serues onely to make men without excuse Indeede in the minde of man there are certaine naturall conclusions that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped c. but the certentie of these is in the written word We can by reason dispute of the creation of the world but a full certentie we haue not by reason but by faith in the word Hebr. 11. 3. Againe the Papist makes the authoritie of the Church a principle For that is the first ground which they lay downe that we must captiuate our senses to the authoritie of the Church But this is no principle in religion For we cannot imagine a Church without faith and faith cannot be without the word of God It may be saide that Scripture is the sense of the written word and this sense must be from the Church Ans. Scripture it selfe is both the glosse and the text Scripture is the best interpreter of it selfe And
death yet would a Christian man abstaine from these things because he knowes that they displease Christ and he is gouerned with another spirit to which they are contrarie Also these words are a reason of v. 16. There is no law against them that doe these things therefore walke in the spirit 24 For they that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts The scope In these words Paul prooues that which he said immediatly before namely that there is no law against spirituall men And of this he giues a double reason One is spirituall men are Christs therefore there is no law against them The second is this that is crucified in spirituall men which the law condemneth namely the flesh with the affections and lusts therefore there is no law to condemne the spirituall man In the words I consider three points The first is What is a Christian Ans. A Christian is one that is Christs saith Paul And he is Christs fiue waies I. by the right of creation And so are all men II. by right of redemption 1. Cor. 6. 19. III. by the free gift and donation of God the father Ioh. 17. 11. this donation is begunne in the eternall Election of God and it is accomplished in our effectuall vocation IV. by propagation For all true beleeuers spring out of the blood of Christ and are of his bone and of his flesh as Eue was of the bone and flesh of Adam V. by our donation in baptisme in which we consecrate our selues to God and to Christ. The vse This must teach vs to resigne our selues to Christ and to suffer him to raigne in our hearts and to take the yoke of the Gospel vpon vs. But alas it is farre otherwise with many of vs. For some liue in the transgression of the very law of nature so farre are they from obseruing the Gospel Others thinke it sufficient to follow the teaching of nature If they worship God in some generall manner if they liue peaceably and hurt no man and meane well as they say then all is well and the doing of further duties is reputed curious precisenes And such persons vsually reduce religion to the practise of nature They will be saued by faith but their faith is nothing els but fidelitie They say they worship God but this worship is nothing els but their good meaning and their good dealing These men are content that Christ shall be theirs but they will not be Christs and suffer him to haue a Lordship ouer them II. If thou be Christs then commend thy soule and life and all that thou hast into the hands of Christ. This was the practise of Dauid Psal. 22. of Christ vpon the crosse of Paul 2. Tim. 1. 12. And this practise is the onely way to obtaine safetie and protection For Christ no doubt will keepe his owne III. Comfort If thou be Christs he will care for thee and nothing shall be wanting vnto thee that is for thy good Ioh. 17. 24. Rom. 8. 33. Therefore remember this lesson Neuer grieue ouermuch neuer care ouermuch neuer reioyce ouermuch in the things of this world If thou werest at thine own disposing and finding it were somewhat but there is one that cares for thee namely Christ. The second point to be considered is what is the flesh Ans. It is the corruption of the whole nature of man For the right conceiuing of this we must make a distinction of three things Mans nature the faculties of nature and the corruption of both which corruption hath two parts the losse of the image of God and a pronnes to all wickednes Moreouer this distinction must be without separation of nature from faculties or of corruption from either so as we may say truly that the nature and the powers of the soule of man are corrupted In the flesh are two things Affections and Lusts. By affections vnderstand inordinate affections which shew themselues and beare sway in carnall men as anger in Cain loue of pleasures more then of God in the men of the last times 2. Tim. 3. 3. immoderate sorrow in Ahab when he could not obtaine Naboths vineyard 1. King 21. 4. Lusts are inordinate and infatiable desires after the things of this world as riches honours pleasures c. of this sort are couetousnes gluttonie pride the lust of the flesh c. The vse By this we see what a Carnall man is namely one that is carried away with some inordinate affection or some inordinate lust Herod did many good things at the aduise and motion of Iohn Baptist whome he reuerenced yet was he a carnall man For he was possessed with an inordinate loue of his brothers wife Iudas a disciple of Christ yet a carnall man because he was carried away with the inordinate lust of couetousnes The third point is touching the office of a Christian man And that is to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts For the better conceiuing of this Crucifying must be distinguished It is either the action of Christ or our action Crucifying which is the action of Christ is threefold The first is vpon the crosse where Christ stood in our roome and bare the burden of our sinnes and made an Expiation of them In this respect we are said to be crucified with him Gal. 2. 19. The second is in vs when Christ conuaies the vertue of his death into the hearts of them that are ioyned to him for the causing and effecting of the death of sinne The third is in baptisme whereby Christ seales the two former to them that beleeue Rom. 6. 6. The crucifying which is our action is nothing els but the Imitation of Christ crucified on this manner He was first attached so must we bring our selues into the presence of God He was arraigned so must we set our selues at the barre of Gods iudgement He was accused so must we indite and accuse our selues of our owne sinnes at the barre of Gods iudgement He was condemned and so must we iudge our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord. After iudgement we must proceede to execution of the flesh and that is to vse meanes to crucifie it and they are three The first is by faith to applie to our selues Christ crucified and that is to beleeue not onely that Christ was crucified for vs but that we also were crucified with him Where this faith is sinne shall no more haue domion The second is to beate downe the flesh by the sword of the spirit and that is done by a serious application of the commandements and the threatnings of God to our seuerall affections and lusts The third is to flie the occasions of euery sinne and to cut off the first beginnings of euill The vse This doctrine serues to condemne the drowsie Protestants of our time who professe Christ without making any change in life and conuersation For they are Saints in the Church but in their common dealings they are as worldlings II. Secondly
should haue done workes of supererogation more then the lawe requires in louing their neighbours more then themselues Rom. 9. 1. And if it were a rule it were but a leaden and false rule for we are in some cases bound to loue our neighbour more then our selues especially if he be a greater instrument of Gods glorie in procuring the good of the Church or common wealth as to loue our godly king more then our selues and preferre his safetie and life before our own as the Israelites did Dauids Thou art worth ten thousand of vs 2. Sam. 18. 3. for â—s is a note of similitude and not of equalitie signifying that as we loue our selues heartily and earnestly and inwardly wishing all good to our selues with the like sinceretie of affection we should loue our brethren So that Christ hath added nothing to the lawe in commanding to loue one another as he loued vs. Others say it is called a newe-commandement because it ought to be kept with as great a care and diligence as though it were newe and had beene now first giuen for newe lawes we know are commonly precisely kept at the first but after a while they begin to be neglected and men doe as it were antiquate them accounting them as though they were not Others by a new commandement vnderstand another diuers or different commandement for Christ in the beginning of the Chapter had giuen them a commandement to flie pride to be humble to liue at peace and concord one with anther and then he saith But I giue you a newe commandement i. 〈◊〉 coÌ„mandement differing froÌ„ the former that ye loue one another The word Newe is often taken in scripture in this sense as Exo. 1. 8. There arose vp a new king which knew not Ioseph that is as the 70 interpreters and S. Luke Act. 7. 18. translate it another king Mar. 16. 17. they shall speake with new tongues that is other diuerâ— or different languages from their vsuall tongue for the meaning is not that they inuented a new language which was neuer spoken before but that they spake in a language diuers from that which they vsed before for so it is said Act. 2. 4. They beganne to speake with other tongues Thus our Sauiour Christ telleth his Apostles that he will not drinke any more of the fruite of the vine till he drinke it nâ—we with them in the kingdome of God Matth. 26. 29. Where by newe wine he meaneth not the liquour or iuyce of the grape to preserue animall life but another different drinke wherewith he would entertaine all that were inuited and came vnto his table But these expositions are not so fitte I take it therefore to be called a newe commaundement either in respect of Christ or of vs in respect of Christ two waies 1. Because he renued it not onely by freeing it from the false glosses and interpretations of the Scribes and Pharises the Iewish Rabbins but also in fulfilling it most perfectly whereas it was obliterated and almost antiquated by the great corruption of man for none did euer so perfectly obserue and keepe the lawe as he did Therefore in regard of the newe manner of fulfilling it it is called a newe commaundement 2. Because he abrogating the ceremoniall lawe and many iudicials onely renued this precept of the morall lawe in commanding it as his lawe to the Church Ioh. 15. This is my commandement that ye loue one another as if he should say Though I haue abrogated the ceremoniall lawe and antiquated the iudiciall yet this commandement shal neuer be abrogated and this I commend vnto you againe and againe as my commmandement which aboue all others I would haue you carefully to obserue as that whereby ye shall be knowne to be my Disciples In regard of vs it is called a newe commaundement and that in two respects 1. Because it beeing defaced and almost cleane blotted out of the minde of man by originall sinne is renued againe in the hearts of beleeuers by the powerfull operation of the spirit of God both in their minds and affections In their mindes because they are daiely inlightened with the true knowledge thereof in beeing taught whome they ought to loue viz. not only their friends but euen their enemies with what kind of loue to wit with a â—eruent loue not in word or tongue onely but in deed and trueth and that with free sincere and constant loue in their wills and affections in that they are perswaded by the inward working of the spirit to loue and are inclined thereto being renued by grace 2. Because it doth after a peculiar manner belong vnto vs who are vnder the New Testament in the kingdome of grace seeing that this commandement onely is renued by Christ as his owne proper commandement many others being abrogated as also because it is daily written by the spirit of Christ after a newe manner in the hearts of newe conuerts so that they haue not onely a newe that is a true knowledge thereof but also a newe that is a true sense and feeling of the power of it in their hearts in that they are become newe creatures in Christ Iesus For in him all olde things passe away all things become new 2. Cor. 4 For to them the lawe is no killing letter written in tables of stone but a quickening spirit as beeing written in the fleshly tables of their hearts This seemeth to be the true full and proper meaning of these places for thâ—s S. Iohn 1. Epist. 2. 8. doeth expound it when he saith that it is true in him and in you in the sense before specified both in regard of Christ and the beleeuers in Christ. III. Quest. Seeing the commaundement of louing our brethren is called the law of Christ and a new commandement is not the Gospel a new Law Ans. In no wise for albeit the Law and the Gospel agree in sundrie things as first in the Author God beeing the author of them both of the Gospel Rom. 1. 1. of the Law Rom. 7. 22. Secondly in that both of them were preached knowne and vnderstood in both Testaments the lawe beeing written in the heart of man in the creation the Gospel preached to our first parents in Paradise immediately after the fall and repeated againe and againe to the Patriarkes and prophets from time to time Thirdly in the gerall matter and end of them both in that both the law and the gospel require righteousnesse in him that would come to â—â—se eternall Fourthly in this that they confirme and establish one another in that the lawe commanding iustice and iustifying none shewes that a man is iustified by the free gift and grace of God and that Christ is the end of the law to euery one that beleeueth In that the Gospel iustifieth not by workes but by faith and yet so as that we doe not by our faith abrogate the lawe or make it of none effect but rather establish it and that in
two respects 1. Because by faith we apprehend the righteousnesse of Christ and so in him who hath fulfilled the lawe for vs we fulfill it and so establish it 2. because hauing our hearts purified by faith we liue no more according to the flesh but according to the spirit and so by inchoaâ—e obedience we fulfill the law Lastly in the end in that both the lawe and the gospel tend directly to the manifestation of the glorie of God Yet they differ in 5. things First in the manner of reuealing the lawe before the fall was perfectly known by nature and since the falliâ— part Rom. 2. 15. The Gospel is not known by nature neither was it euer written in mans heart before or after the fall as Paul saith 1. Cor. 2. 9. Those things which the eie hath not seene nor the eare heard nor the heart of man conceiued are they which God hath prepared for them that loue him therefore the Gospel is called a mysterie Rom. 16. v. 25 26. First because the doctrine of the Gospel was made knowne to men and angels by the reuelation of God Eph. 3. 5. 9. Secondly because there is required a special reuelation worke of gods spirit before a man can yeeld assent vnto it Therefore Paul saith We haue not receiued the spirit of the world but the spirit of God that we might know the things that are giuen to vs of God 1. Cor. 2. 12. Secondly in the subiect or doctrine it selfe and that in two respects First the Law preacheth nothing but absolute iustice to the transgressours thereof the Gospel sheweth how iustice is qualified with mercie from all things from which ye could not be absolued by the Law of Moses by him euery one that beleeueth is iustified Act. 13. 39. Secondly the Law teacheth what manner of men we ought to be and what we ought to doe that we may come to eternall life but shewes not howe we may becom such indeed the Gospel teacheth that by faith in Christ we may be such as the Law requires God hath made him to be sinnâ— for vs who knewe no sinne that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him 2. Cor. 5. 21. Thirdly in the obiect The law is giuen to the vniâ—st lawles vngodly prophane 1. Tim. 1. 9 10. that it may shew them their sinnes and the punishment thereby deserued and so may accuse and condemne them the Gospel is to be published and dispensed onely to the penitent which are contrite and broken in heart mourne for their sinnes Math. 11. Esay 57. Luk. 4. IIII. The law promiseth eternall life vpon condition of works Doe this and liue If thou wiâ—â— enter into life keepe the commandements The Gospel promiseth eternall life freely without any condition of works Rom. 4. 5. To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted to him for righteousnes Rom. 3. 21 22. The righteousnes of God is made manifest without the law by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue V. In the effects The Law is no instrumentall cause of faith repentance or any sauing grace it is the minister of death 2. Cor. 3. 7. causing wrath Rom. 3. 15. But the Gospel causeth life it is the grace of God which bringeth saluation Tit. 2. 11. for this cause Paul calleth the Law a dead or killing letter the Gospel a quickning spirit 2. Cor. 3. Fourthly it may be demaÌ„ded whether any maÌ„ be able to fulfil the Law considering that Paul biddeth vs beare one anothers burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ Ans. No meere man can perfectly fulfill the Law in this life This conclusion S. Paul prooueth in sundrie of his Epistles specially by these arguments First by the great and generall deprauation of nature which remaineth in part euen in the regenerate stayning their best actions and making them like a menstruous cloath confessing withall that his best workes are not answerable to the law by reason of the remainders of originall corruption Rom. 7. Now perfect fulfilling of the law cannot stand with corruption of nature and transgression in life For a corrupt fountaine cannot send forth sweete waters neither can a corrupt tree beare good fruit Saint Iames saith He that offendeth in one is guiltie of all and the Scripture pronounceth him accursed that abideth not in all things written in the bookâ— of the law to doe them Popish Doctours answer first that originall corruption which they call the fewell of sinne and the first motions to euill preuenting all consent of will are indeede in the regenerate but they are no sinnes properly But it is false which they teach For euery transgression of the law is a sinne as S. Iohn defines it 1. Ioh. 3. 4. but these are transgressions of the tenth commandement for it either forbiddeth these first motions whether they be primò primae or secundò primae as Schoolemen speake or it forbid doth nothing but the motioÌ„s which are with coÌ„sent of wil which were forbidden in the former commandements and so in effect there are but nine commandements the tenth forbidding no speciall sinne Againe Paul teacheth that these motions preuenting all consent of will are formally opposed to the Law I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde Secondly they answer that Paul Rom. 7. speakes not of himselfe but in the person of the vnregenerate according to the opinion of S. Augustine Ans. Augustine indeede was once of that iudgement but he after retracted that opinion as it is manifest out of his booke of Retractations and the 6. booke against Iulian the Pelagian and that for these reasons First because Paul saith To will is present with me and I doe not the good I would and J delight in the law of God concerning the inward man all which are proper to the regenerate and cannot be affirmed of the wicked Secondly because he makes mention of the inward man which is all one with the new man or the new creature which agreeth onely to the regenerate Thirdly because he saith he is ledde captiue to sinne v. 23. whereas the wicked are not drawne to sinne by force against their wills but runne riot of their owne accord into all wickednes as the horse rusheth into the battell Ierem. 8. 6. Lastly in that he cries out in a sense and sorrow for his sinnes O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death v. 24. which can not be the voice of the vnregenerate for they feele not the burden of their sinne nor desire to be eased of it but take delight and pleasure in it His second reason is this such as our knowledge is such is our loue of God and man but our knowledge is onely in part therefore our loue is but in part and so consequently our obedience is but in part therfore there is no perfect fulfilling of
be content to be deluded by flatterers and clawebackes which please them in their itching humours so they willingly suffer thēselues to be deceiued euē by themselues to the ende that they may appeare to others to be that which in trueth they are not that so they may aduauce and magnifie themselues in the accounpt of the world For as Alexander the great beeing in India caused his souldiers to make and leaue behind them bittes and horse shoes of an extraordinarie greatnesse hudge speares massie shields big helmets long swords and other furniture for horse and man fitting rather Hippocentaurs or Giants then men of ordinarie stature and all to the ende it might be said in future time that Alexander was a mightie Monarch indeed So many there be who setting the faire side outward make goodly glorious shewes in the eies of men and so would haue other to thinke of them accordingly farre aboue their desert that posteritie might iudge them to be that which indeed they are not and so with Alexander in deceiuing others they wittingly deceiue themselues Which spirituall guile of deceiuing our selues in matters touching our saluation is most dangerous when men delude themselues in perswading themselues falsely that they know sufficient that God is to be loued aboue all our neighbour as our selues which is as much as all the preachers in the earth can say that they beleeue when in stead of faith there is nothing but damnable pride and presumption that they repent when it is nothing but deceitfull counterfeiting and hypocrisie Besides the danger consider the indignitie of it men can abide nothing lesse then to be deceiued and circumvented by others and yet behold they are deluders and deceiuers of themselues and that which doth more aggrauate the indignitie of it in such things as ought to be best knowne and most familiar vnto them wherein it is a shame they should be deceiued vz. in the knowledge of themselues and that which is yet more in a matter of greatest moment in the saluation of their soules What maruaile therefore is it that men should be deceiued by the seducer of all seducers the deuill who are so easily deceiued of themselues or rather willing to deceiue themselues Further obserue that proud conceited persons such as haue an ouerweening of themselues and their gifts and of all men thinke fowle scorne to be deceiued euen they are easiliest deceiued yea and that of themselues for so the Apostle saith He that thinketh that he is somewhat c. deceiueth himselfe in his imagination Againe marke hence that no men be their gifts neuer so rare their callings neuer so high their places neuer so great are to good to beare other mens burdens for they that thinke themselues to be somewhat some great men that is too good to put vnder their shoulders to beare the frailties and infirmities of their brethren doe nothing herein but deceiue themselues Princes and Potentates of the earth are prophecied by Esay chap. 49. vers 23. to be nourcing fathers and nourcing mothers vnto the Church not onely by nourishing and defending it as the nource her child but also by bearing with the frailties and wants which are therein Lastly consider that this selfe-conceitednesse and ouerweening of a mans selfe is the very bane and poyson of loue for it maketh proude men thinke themselues too good to become packe-horses or drudges to beare other mens burdens to become seruiceable vnto them in any dutie of loue or to tollerate their frailties or to yeelde of their right or to suffer iniuries at their hands or to put vp any little indignitie without stomacke and discontent because they imagine themselues euery way better then their brethren and therefore ought to be tollerated but not so bound to tollerate and beare with others So that where selfe-loue is there is no true brotherly loue It was well said of the Poet Non benè conveniunt c. maiestas amor It may may be said may not he that is priuie to his owne vertues in conscience of his owne worth iudge himselfe to be somewhat that is to be that which indeed he is or to haue a greater measure of knowledge grace and other gifts then they that haue lesse Answ. He may For humilitie is not sottish the master in humilitie cannot thinke his scholler more learned then himselfe except he shall thinke against his conscience For that saying Let euery man thinke better of another then of himselfe must be restrained onely to equalls and not extended to superiours in regard of their inferiours Secondly I answer that the Apostle in that place speaketh not of the giftes and graces bestowed vpon men but of the persons themselues and of them not so much as they are in the account of men as in the account of God For he saith not Let euery man thinke another more learned wise discreete sober then himselfe for so he may thinke against his conscience but Let euery man thinke another that is any other that is his brother in the Lord better then himselfe to wit before God And this euery man may doe with good conscience for albeit another shall outwardly seeme more ignorant negligent backward in matters of religion then himself yet for any thing he knoweth he may be higher in the fauour of God then he And therefore though a man erre in thinking of another better then of himselfe yet he shall not doe any thing against his conscience Thus the Publican accounted the proud Pharisie better then himselfe For he held him as iust himselfe not worthie to looke vp to heauen yet herein he sinned not nay he is commended for it though he erred in his iudgement of the Pharisie And so if the Pharisie had reputed the Publican better then himselfe that is higher in Gods fauour then himselfe he had not sinned nor done against his conscience For though he might iudge himselfe more iust then the Publican in regard of his life past yet for his present estate before God he could not Though Dauid knew in the particular quarrell betwixt Saul and him that Saul was vniust and he innocent yet if he should haue thought better of Saul in generall then of himselfe he should but haue done his dutie The fourth and last point containeth the remedies of this euill which are the rather to be considered because it is a great sinne one of those seuen which the Lord doth most of all detest Prou. 6. 17. a dangerous sinne hauing a heauie woe attending vpon it Woe to them that are prudent in their owne eyes Isa. 5. 21. a sinne almost incurable Seest thou a man that is wise in his owne eyes there is more hope of a feele then of him Prou. 26. 12. therefore the remedies are more carefully to be known and applied The remedies are specially fiue The first is to looke our selues in the glasse of the Law which will shew what we are without flatterie or partialitie by it
highest heauen and made them fall like thunderbolts into the lowest hell To man for as Dauid saith it is like a griâ—â—ous burden too heauie for him to beare Psal. 38. 4. To God for the hypocriticall and ceremoniall seruice of the Iewes was such a burden vnto him that he was wearie to beare it Isa. 1. 14. Behold I am pressed vnder you aâ— a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues Amos 2. 13. To the creatures who groane vnder this burden beeing by mans sinne subiect to vanitie and corruption Rom. 8. 20 21. Hence it followeth then that those which feele not the waight burden of their sinnes are dead being aliue as Paul speaks in another case 1. Tim. 5. 6. Thirdly we are not to wonder that sinne beeing so heauie a burden should be made so light a matter by carnall men for it is a spirituall burden and therefore no maruell though it be not â—elt of them that are all flesh and no spirit Fourthly this shewes that the more a man doth feele the burden of his sinnes the greater measure of grace and spirituall life he hath and the lesse he feeleth it the more he is to suspect himselfe that the graces of God doe wane and decay in him For corruption is not felt by corruption but by grace therfore the more a man doth feele the burden of his owne corruptionâ— the more grace he hath Fiftly by this we see that the greatest part of the world are dead in their sinnes in that they haue no sense nor feeling of this heauie burden There is indeede great crying out of the stone in the reynes because it is felt to be a great â—orment to the bodie but there is little or no complaining of the stone in the heart because men want spirituall life and sense to discerne it All men can take pittie vpon a beast if he lie vnder his burden and will be readie to helpe him vp againe But all haue not the like sight and sense of the spirituall burden of sinne not sympathy of the miserie of their brethren groaning vnder it Sixtly whereas Paul saith Euery man must beare his owne burden he meeteth with the prophanenesse and Atheisme of our time when men make a mocke at the day of iudgement the strict account that euery man is to giue for himselfe The Iewes were woont to â—east at the threatnings of God denounced by the Prophets and to call the visions of the Prophets oâ—us Iehouae the burden of the Lord in a merriment vsing it aâ— a by-word Ierem. 23. 34 36 38. Thereby signifying that the threats of God were but vaine bugs or scarre-crowes which might perhaps terrifie children but could not hart them The like prophanenesse infidelitie atheisme hath crept into the mindes of many who otherwise proâ—esse the Gospel which they testifie by their speeches in saying they are sure sinne is nothing so ougly hell is not halfe so hotte nor the deuill halâ—e so blacke as preachers say they are or if they be they are sure they shall not goe loaden alone with the burden of their sinns but shall haue coÌ„pany shall perhaps abide the brunt as well as their fellows But alas they know not that the burdeÌ„ of sinne is intollerable that it will eternally presse theÌ„ down to the gulâ—e of hell that they shall neuer be able to be ridde or eased of it Seuenthly we are here admonished to take heede of euery sinne for there is no sinne so small but hath his waight and such a waight as will presse downe to the bottomlesse pit Ro. 6. 23. And though some be greater then others and sinke a maÌ„ deeper into condemnation yet many small sinnes will as easily condemne as a few great Like as sands though but small in quantitie yet beeing many in number will as soone sinke the ship as if it were laden with the greatest burden Eightly seeing the guilt and punishment of sinne is so heauie a burden we are to ease and disburden our selues thereof And that we may doe this we must labour to feele the intollerable waight of it pressing and oppressing the conscience Therefore as those who in their sleepe are troubled with the Ephialtes or mare feeling as it were a great mountaine lying vpon them and pressing them down would giue all the world the waight might be remooued So we feeling the waight and burden of our sinnes are to labour to be disburdened and eased thereof this we shall doe by our repentaÌ„ce toward God and faith in Christ. Math. 11. 28. Come vnto me all ye that are wearie and laden and I will ease you ver 6. Let him that is taught in the word make him that hath taught him partaker of all his goods In these words the Apostle laieth downe an other rule touching the maintenance of the ministerie and competencie of allowance for the ministers of the word for it seemeth that the ministrie among the Galatians was at that time much neglected at least not so respected as it ought In handling of the rule I will first shewe the meaning of the words secondly the reasons of the rule thirdly the obiections against it lastly the doctrine and vses that are to be gathered from it The meaning Let him that is taught The word translated taught signifieth him that is catechized or taught familiarly by word of mouth or liuely voice as when children are taught the first principles of religion But here it hath a larger signification as Oecumenius hath well obserued for him that is any way taught and instructed whether it be in the first principles and rudiments or in points of greater difficultie whether plainely and familiarly as catechizers vse to doe or more profoundly for the instruction of the learned Taught in the word What needes this addition may some say is there any catechizing without the word Answ. The Apostle addeth in the word to shew that he meaneth not so much the doctrine of Christian religion contained in the scriptures as the doctrine of the Gospel which by an exoche or peculiar excellencie is called the word Act. 16. 6. They were forbidden of the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia which is expounded v. 10. to be the preaching of the Gospel Thus it is vsed Act. 14. 25. when they had preached the word in Perga Mark 4. 14. The sower soweth the word And so in sundrie other places And it is further called the word of the kingdome Matth. 13. 19. because it teacheth what is the kingdom of grace and glorie and because it beeing beleeued or as the Apostle speakes beeing mingled with faith in our hearts doth make vs freedenizens of the kingdome of grace in this life and doth aduance vs to the kingdom of glorie in the life to come Secondly it is called the word of God because he is the author of it and no creature man or angel 1. Thess. 3. 13. Thirdly the word of saluation Act. 13. 26. because
one thing to be iust an other thing to be declared and knowne to be iust We are iust by faith but we are knowne to be iust by our works therefore men shall be iudged at the last day not by their faith but by their workes For the last iudgement serueth not to make men iust that are vniust which is done by faith but to manifest them to the world what they are in deede which is done by workes Men are often compared to trees in Scripture Now a tree is not knowne what it is by his sappe but by his fruit neither are men knowne to be iust by their faith but by their workes Indeede a tree is therefore good because his sappe is good but it is knowne to be good by his fruit So a man is iust because of his faith but he is knowne to be iust by his good works therefore seeing that the last iudgement must proceede according to euidence that is vpon record for the bookes must be opened and men must be iudged of those things that are written in the bookes all must be iudged by their workes which are euident and apparent to the view of all men and not by their faith which is not exposed to the sight of any And hence it is that the Scripture saith we shall be iudged according to our workes but it is no where said for our good workes Gregorie saith God will giue to euery one according to his workes but it is one thing to giue according to workes an other thing for workes For works are no way the cause of reward but onely the common measure according to which God giueth a greater or lesser reward Take this resemblance A King promiseth vnequal rewards to runners the least of which would equall the riches of a kingdome vpon condition that he which first commeth to the goale shall haue the greatest reward the second the next and so in order They hauing finished their race the King giueth them the reward according to their running Who would hence but childishly inferre that therefore they merited this reward by their running And whereas they vrge that text Matth. 25. Come ye blessed for I was hungrie and yee fedde me I answer first that the word for doth not alway signifie a cause but any argument or reason takē from any Topick place as Rom. 3. 22 23. The righteousnes of God is made manifest vnto all and vpon all that beleeue For there is no differēce for all haue sinned are depriued of the glorie of God Where sinne is no cause of the righteousnes of faith but onely an antecedent or adiunct common to all men So when we say This is the true mother of the child for shee will not haue it diuided There for doth not implie the cause as though her refusing to haue it diuided did make her the true mother of it but onely the signe that shee was the true mother indeed Secondly be it granted that it implieth the cause yet not the meritorious cause for good workes are said to be causes of eternall life not as meriting procuring or deseruing any thing at the hands of God but as they are the kings high way to eternall life God hauing prepared good works that we should walke in them If a King promise his subiect a treasure hid in the topp of a steepe and high mountaine vpon condition that he clime and digge it out his climing and digging is the efficient cause of enioying the treasure but no meritorious cause of obtaining it seeing it was freely giuen If it be further said that the word for doth here signifie the cause as well as in the words following Goe ye cursed for I was hungrie and ye gaue me no meat seeing our Sauiour Christ speaketh after the same māner of the reward of the godly and punishment of the wicked I ans The paritie of the reason stands in this that as by good works we come to eternall life so by wicked works we runne headlong to perdition The dissimilitude is this that euil works are not onely the way but also the cause of death good workes are the way but not the cause as Bernard saith they are via regni non causa regnandi Obiect III. Here God promiseth eternall life to good workes therefore good works merit eternall life Answ. There is a double couenant Legall and Euangelicall In the legali couenant the promise of eternall life is made vnto workes Doe this and liue If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements But thus no man can merit because none can fulfill the lawe In the Euangelicall couenant the promise is not made to the worke but to the worker and to the worker not for the merit of his work but for the merit of Christ as Apoc. 2. 20. Be faithfull vnto the end and I will giue thee the crowne of life the promise is not made to fidelitie but to the faithfull person whose fidelitie is a signe that he is in Christ in whome all the promises of God are yea and Amen that is most certaine and infallible Secondly if any thing be due to works it is not of the merit of the worke but of gods mercifull promise Augustine saith God made himselfe a debter not by owing any thing but by promising Thirdly no reward is due to workes of regeneration vpon compact and promise first because we are not vnder the couenant of works in which God doth couenant with vs vpon condition of our obedience but vnder the couenant of grace the tenour of which coue nant runneth vpon condition of the merits of Christ apprehended by faith Secondly though we were vnder the legall couenant yet we merit not because our workes are not answerable to the lawe Lastly wheras the pillars of the Romish church teach that the promise made vpon condition of performing the worke maketh the performer to merit is very false This is not sufficient to make a meritorious worke it is further required that the worke be answerable and correspondent in worth and value to the reward as if one shall promise a thousand crowns to him that will fetch a little water out of the next well it is debt indeed in the promiser but no merit in the performer because there is no proportion betweene the worke and the reward Obiect IV. Sowing to the spirit is a good worke and reaping eternall life the reward but reward presupposeth memerit therefore sowing to the spirit doth merit eternall life Ans. There is a double reward One of fauour another of debt Rom. 44. To him that worketh the wages is not counted by fauour but by debt So saith Ambrose There is one reward of liberalitie and fauour another reward which is the stipend of vertue and recompence of our labour Therefore reward signifieth generally any recompence or any gift that is bestowed vpon another whether it be more or lesse whether answerable to the worke or not
come downe from heauen and light vpon them that follow this rule and that they cannot he hindered by the mallice of men Let the Pope then anathematize curse and excommunicate vs both Prince and people because we tread not in the steps of his faith but of the faith of our father Abraham and walke not according to his rule but according to this rule of the Apostle for we need not feare his thunderbolts nor curses seeing the causelesse curse shall neuer come Pro. 26. 2. for what though he curse if God doe blesse It was the thing that comforted Dauid beeing cursed of his enemies in that though they did curse yet God would blesse Psal. 109. 28. and let vs comfort our selues in this that he will curse them that curse his people Gen. 12. 3. Againe if peace and mercy shall be vpon them that walke according to this rule then wrath and indignation shall light vpon those that follow any other rule or deuise any other way or set downe any other meanes of saluation besides or contrary to this False therefore is the opinion of Pucksius that if a man lead an outward ciuil life he may be saued in any religion the Iewe in his Iudaisme the Turke in his Mahometisme the Heathen in his Paganisme For they that walke not in this way according to this rule doe but weary themselues in endlesse Labyrinths and so walking without line or rule in their crooked wayes shall be led with workers of iniquitie whenas peace shall be vpon Israel Psal. 125. 5. Other vses are made of mercy and peace Pag. 11. and 12. to which places I referre the reader The Apostle addeth that peace and mercy shal be vpon all them that walke according to this rule and vpon the Israel of God There is a doble Israell mentioned by Paul Israell according to the flesh 1. Cor. 10. 18. and the Israell of God as there is a twofold Iewe one outward in the flesh another inward in the spirit Rom. 2. 28 29. By the Israell of God the Apostle meaneth all such as are like to Nathaniell who was a true Israelite in whome there was no guile Ioh. 1. 47. whether they be the faithfull Gentiles or beleeuing Iewes And he makes mention of the Israell of God partly by reason of the aduersaries who bragged so much of their father Abraham and that they were the only true Israelites and yet were noe Israelites because they troade not in the steps of the faith of Abraham partly for the weake conuerts who thought it a hard thing to be seuered from the society of those to whome the promises were made partly for vs Gentiles that we might know that all are not Israell which are of Israell Rom. 9. 6. but that all they which are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3. 9. seeing that God is no accepter of persons Act. 10. 34. v. 17. From hence forth let no man put me to busines for I beare in my body the markes of the Lord Iesus Here the Apostle laies downe his last admonition preuenting an obiection that might be made by the false Apostles or the Galatians For whereas it might be said that Paul sought himselfe and the world shunned persecution and therefore ioyned circumcision to Christ to please the Iewes and followed not his owne rule v. 16. he takes away this obiection with great authoritie when he saith from hence forth let no man put me to busines And withall he addes a reason of it for I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus as if he should saie The bonds the imprisonments the stripes wounds and scarres in my bodie doe sufficiently testifie my fidelitie in my ministerie for if I had preached circumcision I should not haue suffered persecution The words may be and are taken in a doble sense First thus The false Apost and you Galatians by their instigation haue beene troblesome vnto me by false accusations and scanderous imputations as that I taught circumcision and the obseruatiō of the ceremoniall Lawe as a thing necessarie to saluation and so you haue made a reuolt from my doctrine by that meanes haue dobled and tripled my labour and paines among you But from hence forth cease to be troblesome vnto me you may take experiment and proofe from me the marks that I beare in my body doe sufficiently witnesse and seale the truth of my doctrine and my fidelitie in myne Apostleship as also whose disciple I am Moses or Christs and what rule I follow Iudaisme or Christianisme Secondly they cary this sense I haue sayd that they which walke according to this rule in glorying onely in the crosse of Christ peace shall be vpon them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God And I say againe and againe that we ought to striue and contend for it to obserue keepe it as a thing most necessarie to saluation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as for othings not necessary to saluation as circumcision c. Let no man troble me in the execution of mine Apostolicall function or hinder the course of the Gospell by vrging any other doctrine or ceremony contrary or diuerse from this as necessary to saluation This one thing is necessarie other things are needles and fruitles in comparison therefore neither I nor the church of God ought to be trobled with them This latter sense I take to be more ageeable to the text Some make the sense to be this I haue had many trobles and conflicts and haue many markes and scarres in my body inflicted by persecutours therfore be no more troblesome vnto me for it were to much to add wormewood to my gale affliction to affliction Here we se the condition of the Apostle and the estate of all faithfull ministers that it is full of troble and molestations For as they are accounted men of turbulent spirits disquieters of the state as Elias was 1. King 21. and Ieremie chap. 15. 18. and Paul Act. 16. 20. 21. 28. So they are most trobled with factious opposers and false teachers who labour to bring into the church things partly needles and superfluous partly hurtfull pernicious Thus the false Apost trobled the pastors and church of Galatia Gal. 5. 10. and the churches of Antiochia Syria Cilicia Act 15. 24. Secondly consider how that the most and greatest trobles of the church haue beene for matter◠not of substance but of circumstance partly not necessarie partly contrarie to the rule which notwithstanding haue bee vrged with fire and fagot as things most necessarie Lastly he that stands forth for the defence of Gods truth as Paul did and all Ministers ought to doe must let goe all circumstances and looke to the substance Not with Martha to trouble himselfe about many needelesse things when as one thing onely is necessarie The reason followeth in these words For I beare in my bodie the markes of the Lord Iesus The word in the Originall translated markes doth properly
scripture namely the Scripture before named the written law in the bookes of the old Testament And further by the law we must vnderstand God in the law Rom. 11. 32. God hath concluded all vnder vnbeleefe Concluded The law is compared to a Iudge or sergeant sinne to a prison And the law is said to conclude or inclose men vnder sinne because it doth to the full accuse and conuince vs of sin so as our mouthes are stopped and we haue no way to escape All All men that came of Adam by generation with all that comes from them their thoughts desires wordes and deedes The promise The thing promised which is Remission of sinne and life euerlasting By the faith of Christ That is the faith whereof Christ is both the author and matter This is added to signifie vnto vs who are true beleeuers namely they which are beleeuers by the faith of Christ. Against this text of Paul blind reason mooueth many questions as namely why God created man and then suffered him to fall why God did not restraine the fall of Adam to his person but suffers it to inlarge it selfe to all mankind so as all be shut vp vnder sinne why the promise is not giuen to all but onely to beleeuers But there are two speciall grounds vpon which we are to stay our minds The first is that God hath an absolute soueraigntie and lordship ouer all his creatures We may not therefore dispute the case with God Rom. 9. 20. He may doe with his owne what he will Math. 20. 15. The second is that the waies and iudgements of God are a gulfe into which the more we search the more we plunge our selues because they are vnsearchable Rom. 11. 33. Marke the phrase of Paul the Scripture concludes all vnder smne if it conclude or shut vp then it determines what is sinne what not And if this be so then it may also determine what is true and what is false and so be truly tearmed a Iudge of controuersies in religion If it shut vp sinners vnder their sinne then also it shuts them that erre vnder their errour for errours be sinnes and fruits of the flesh It is said blasphemously that if the Scripture be a Iudge it is but a dumme Iudge and I say againe that offenders may plead for themselues on this sort that the law is but a dumme Iudge when it condemnes them and shuts them vnder sinne but they shall finde it hath a loud voice in their consciences when they read it seriously and examine themselues by it euen so the Scripture speakes sufficiently for the determination of truth and falshood in matters of saluation when it is searched with care and humilitie When Paul saith We are all shut vp vnder sinne he puts vs in minde of our most miserable condition that we are captiues of sinne and Satan inclosed in our sinnes as in a prison like imprisoned malefactours that waite daily for the comming of the Iudge and stand in continuall feare of execution And seeing our condition is such we must labour to see and feele by experience this our spirituall bondage that we may say with Paul We are sold vnder sinne and that we know there is no goodnes dwelling in our flesh Rom. 7. 14. 18. This is one of the first lessons that we must take out in the schoole of Christ. Againe if we seriously bethinke our selues that we are captiues of sinne and worthie of death it will make vs with contentation of minde to beare the miseries of this life sicknes pouertie reproch banishment c. considering they come farre short of that we haue deserued who are no better then slaues of sinne and Satan Whereas Paul saith that all men with all that proceeds from them is shut vnder sinne he teacheth that all actions of men vnregenerate are sinnes The wisdome of the flesh that is the wisest cogitations counsells inclinations of the flesh are enmitie vnto God Rom. 8. 5. To the vncleane all things are vncleane Tit. 1. 15. An euill tree cannot bring forth good fruit Mat. 7. It may be obiected that naturall men may doe the workes of the morall law as to giue almes and such like Rom. 2. 14. Ans. Sinnes be of two sorts One is when any thing is done slat against the commandement of God The second is when the act or worke is done which the law prescribes yet not in the same manner which the law prescribes in faith in obedience to the glorie of God In this second regard morall works performed by naturall men are sinnes indeede Hence it followes that Libertie of will in the doing of that which is truly good is lost by the fall of Adam and that man cannot by the strength of naturall will helped by grace applie himselfe to the calling of God Whereas Paul saith that the promise is giuen to beleeuers it is manifest that the promise is not vniuersall in respect of all mākind but only indefinite and vniuersall in respect of beleeuers Wherfore their doctrine is not sound that teach the Redemption wrought by Christ to be as generall as the sinne of Adam Indeede if we regard the value and sufficiencie of the death of Christ it is so but if we respect the Communication and donation of this benefit it is not For though all be shut vnder sinne yet the promise is onely giuen to them that beleeue It is obiected that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe 2. Cor. 5. 19. Ans. The text in hand shewes that by the world we are to vnderstād all beleeuers through the whole world And whereas Paul saith God shut vp all vnder vnbeleefe that he might haue mercie vpon all Rom. 11. 32. his meaning is here set downe that he shut both Iewes and Gentiles vnder vnbeleefe that he might haue mercie vpon all that beleeue both of Iewes and Gentiles Marke further the ende of the law is conuiction and the ende of our conuiction is that the promise of mercie may be giuen to them that beleeue Here is notable comfort with incouragement to all good duties Doth the law as it were in the name of God arrest thee doth it accuse and conuince thee of manifold sinnes doth it arraigne thee at the barre of Gods iudgement and fill thy soule with terrour dost thou by the testimonies of the law and thine owne conscience see and feele thy selfe to be a most miserable and wretched sinner well It may be thou thinkest that all this is a preparation to thy damnatiō but it is not For it is cōtrariwise a preparation to thy saluation For the law with a loud voice in thy heart proclaimes thee a sinner and threatens thee with perdition but the end of all this is that Iesus Christ may become a Sauiour vnto thee so be it thou wilt come vnto him and beleeue in him For he saues no sheepe but the lost sheepe and he calls not iust men but sinners to repentance Let vs therefore with all our