say then the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue attained vnto righteousnesse euen the righteousnes which is of faith Christ is receiued when euery seuerall person doth particularly apply vnto himselfe Christ with his merits by an inward perswasioÌ„ of the heart which commeth none other way but by the effectuall certificate by the holy Ghost concerning the mercy of God in Christ Iesus 1. Cor. 2.12 Wee haue receiued not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of GOD that we might knowe the things that are giuen to vs of GOD. Ezech. 12.10 I will poure the spirit of grace vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem and they shall looke vnto me whome they haue wounded Rom. 8.16 His spirit beareth witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Eph. 1.13 In whom also ye haue trust after that ye heard the word of truth euen the Gospell of your saluation wherein also after that ye beleeued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise 2. Cor. 1.22 In the worke of faith there are foure degrees or motions of the heart linked and vnited togither and are worthy the consideration of euery Christian. The first is knowledge of the Gospell by the illumination of gods spirit Esay 53.11 By his knowledge shall my seruant iustifie many Ioh. 7.3 This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. To this in such as are truely humbled is annexed a serious meditation of the promises in the Gospell stirred vp by the sensible feeling of their owne beggerie And after the forsaid knowledge in all such as are enlightened commeth a generall faith whereby they subscribe to the trueth of the Gospell Heb. 4.2 Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as also vnto them but the word that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it 1. Tim. 1.19 Hauing faith and a good conscience which some haue put away and as concerning the faith haue made shipwracke 1. Tim. 2.4 Who will that all men should bee saued and come vnto the knowledge of the trueth This knowledge if it be more full and perfect is called in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the full assuraÌ„ce of vnderstâ—Ì„ding Col. 2.2 That their hearts might be comforted and they knit togither in loue and in all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding to knowe the mysterie of God euen the father and of Christ. Rom. 14.14 I knowe and am perswaded through the Lord Iesus that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe Luk. 1.1 For as much as many haue taken in hand to set forth the storie of those things whereof we are fully perswaded 1. Thes. 1.5 Our gospell was vnto you not in word onely but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance The second is hope of pardon whereby a sinner albeit he yet feeleth not that his sinnes are certainly pardoned yet he be beleeueth that they are pardonable Luk. 15.18 I will goe vnto him father and say Father I haue sinned against heâ—uen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants The third is an hungring and thirsting after that grace which is offered to him in Christ Iesus as a man hungreth and thirsteth after meate and drinke Ioh. 6.35 and 7.37 Reu. 21.6 And he said vnto me It is done I am A and Ω the beginning and the ende I will giue to him that is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied The fourth is the approching to the throne of Grace that there flying from the terror of the Law he may take hold of Christ and finde fauour with God Heb. 4.16 Let vs therefore goe boldly to the throne of grace that we may receiue mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede This approching hath two parts The first is an humble confession of our sinnes before God particularly if they be knowne sinnes and generally if vnknowne this done the Lord forthwith remitteth all our sinnes Psalm 32.5 I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah 2. Sam. 12. 13. Dauid said to Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord wherefore Nathan said to Dauid The Lord hath taken away thy sinne thou shalt not die Luk. 15.19 The secoÌ„d is the crauing pardon of some sinnes with vnspeakable sighes and in perseuerance Luk. 15.21 Act. 8.22 Repent of this wickednesse and pray God that if it be possible the thought of thine heart may be forgiuen thee Rom. 8. 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed Hos. 14.2,3 O Israel returne vnto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie Take vnto you wordes and turne to the Lord and say to him take away al iniquitie and receiue vs gratiously The fift arising of the former is an especiall perswasion imprinted in the heart by the holy Ghost whereby euery faithful man doth particularly apply vnto himselfe those promises which are made in the Gospell Matth. 9.2 They brought vnto him a man sicke of the palsie and when Iesus saw their faith he saide vnto the sicke of the palsie Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Mat. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith bee it vnto thee as thou desirest Gal. 2.20 I liue yet not I nowe but Christ liueth in me and in that I nowe liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me This perswasioÌ„ is ought to be in euery one eueÌ„ before he haue any experieÌ„ce of Gods mercies Mat. 15.22 A womaÌ„ a Canaanite came out of the same coasts and cried saying vnto him Haue mercie on me O Lord the sonne of Dauid my daughter is miserably vexed with a deuill c. 23,24,25,26,27 Ioh. 20.29 Iesus said vnto him Thomas because thou hast seene me thou beleeuest blessed are they which haue not seene and haue beleeued Hebr. 11. 1. Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene In philosophy wee first see a thing true by experience and afterward giue our assent vnto it as in naturall philosophy I am perswaded that such a water is hot because when I put mine hand into it I perceiue by experience an hot qualitie But in the practise of faith it is quite contrarie For first we must consent to the word of God resisting all doubt and diffidence and afterward will an experience and feeling of comfort followe 2. Chron. 20.20 Put your trust in the Lord your God and ye shall be assured beleeue his
is expressed in the morall law The Morall Law is that part of Gods word which commandeth perfect obedience vnto man as well â—n his nature as in his actions and forbiddeth the contrarie Rom. 10.5 Moses thus describeth the righteousnes which is of the Law that the man which doth these things shall liue thereby 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and faith vnfained Luk. 16.27 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength Rom. 7. We know that the law is spirituall The Law hath two parts The Edict commanding obedience and the condition binding to obedience The condition is eternall life to such as fulfill the law but to transgressours euerlasting death The Decalogue or ten Commandements is an abridgement of the whole Law and the couenant of workes Exod. 34.27 And the Lord said vnto Moses Write thou these words for after the tenour of these words I haue made a covenant with thee and with Israel And was there with the Lord fourtie daies and fourtie nights and did neither eate bread nor drinke water and he wrote in the Tables the words of the covenant euen the tenne Commandements 1. King 8.9 Nothing was in the Arke saue the two Tables of stone which Moses had put there at Horeb where the Lord made a couenant with the children of Israel when he brought them out of the land of Egypt Matth. 22.40 On these two commandements hangeth the whole Law and the Prophets The true interpretation of the Decalogue must be according to these rules I. In the negatiue the affirmatiue must be vnderstood and in the affirmatiue the negatiue II. The negatiue bindeth at all times and to all times and the affirmatiue bindeth at all times but not to all times and therefore negatiues are of more force III. Vnder one vice expressely forbidden are comprehended all of that kind yea the least cause occasion or entisement thereto is as well forbidden as that 1. Ioh. 3.15 Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a manslayer Matth. 5.21 to the ende Euill thoughts are condemned as well as euill actions IV. The smallest sinnes are entituled with the same names that that sinne is which is expressely forbidden in that commandement to which they appertaine As in the former places hatred is named murther and to looke after a woman with a lusting eye is adulterie V. We must vnderstand euery commandement of the law so as that we annex this condition vnlesse God command the contrarie For God being an absolute Lord and so aboue the law may command that which his law forbiddeth so he commanded Isaac to be offered the Egyptians to be spoiled the brasen Serpent to be erected which was a figure of Christ c. The Decalogue is described in two Tables The summe of the first Table is that we loue God with our mind memorie affections and all our strength Matth. 22. 37. This is the first to wit in nature and order and great commandement namely in excellencie and dignitie CHAP. 20. Of the first commandement THe first table hath foure commandements The first teacheth vs to haue and choose the true God for our God The words are these I am Iehouah thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Thou shalt haue none other God but me The Resolution I am If any man rather iudge that these words are a preface to al the commandements then a part of the first I hinder him not neuerthelesse it is like that they are a perswasion to the keeping of the first commandement that they are set before it to make way vnto it as being more hard to be receiued then the rest And this may appeare in that the three commandements next following haue their seuerall reasons Iehouah This word signifieth three things I. Him who of himselfe and in himselfe was from all eternitie Reuel 1.8 Who is who was and who is to come II. Him which giueth being to all things when they were not partly by creating partly by preseruing them III. Him which mightily causeth that those things which he hath promised should both be made and continued Exod. 6.1 Rom. 4. 17. Here beginneth the first reason of the first commandement taken from the name of God it is thus framed He that is Iehouah must alone be thy God But I am Iehouah Therefore I alone must be thy God This proposition is wanting the assumption is in these words I am Iehouah the conclusion is the commandement Thy God These are the words of the couenant of grace Ier. 32.33 wherby the Lord promiseth to his people remission of sinnes and eternall life Yea these words are as a second reason of the commandements drawne from the equalitie of that relation which is betweene God and his people If I be thy God thou againe must be my people and take me alone for thy God But I am thy God Therefore thou must be my people and take me alone for thy God The assumption or second part of this reason is confirmed by an argumeÌ„t taken from Gods effects when he deliuered his people out of Egypt as it were from the seruitude of a most tyrannous master This deliuerie was not appropriate onely to the Israelites but in some sort to the Church of God in all ages in that it was a typâ—â—f a more surpassing deliuerie from that fearefull kingdome of darkenes 1. Cor. 10.1,2 I would not haue you ignorant brethren that all our Fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the red sea and were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloude and in the sea Coloss. 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne Other Gods or strange gods They are so called not that they by nature are such or can be but because the corrupt and more then diuelish heart of carnall man esteemeth so of them Phil. 3.19 Whose God is their bellie 1. Cor. 4.4 Whose mindes the God of this world hath bewitched Before my face That is figuratiuely in my sight or presence to whom the secret imaginations of the heart are knowne and this is the third reason of the first commandement as if he should say If thou in my presence reiect me it is an heinous offence see therfore thou doe it not After the same manner reasoneth the Lord. Gen. 17.1 I am God almightie therefore walke vpright The affirmatiue part Make choice of Iehouah to be thy God The duties here commanded are these I. To acknowledge God that is to know and confesse him to bee such a God as he hath reuealed himselfe to be in his worde and creatures Col. 1.10 Increasing in the knowledge of God Ierem. 24. 7. And I will giue them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they
be entertained and receiued in the closet of the heart III. The least cogitation and motion the which though it procure not consent delighteth and tickleth the heart Of this kinde are these foolish wishes I would such an house were mine such a liuing such a thing c. And hitherto may we referre all vnchast dreames arising from concupiscence The affirmatiue part Couet that onely which is auaileable to thy neighbour Here are commended I. A pure heart towards our neighbour 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnfained II. Holy cogitations and motions of the spirit Paul praieth 1. Thess. 5.23 that the Thessalonians may be holy not onely in bodie and soule but also in spirit Eph. 4.23 III. A conflict against the euill affections and lusts of the flesh Rom. 7.22 I reioyce in the law of God in regard of the inward man 23. But I see another Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde and making me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members 24. Miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death 2. Cor. 12.7 8 9. CHAP. 30. Of the vse of the Law THe vse of the Law in vnregenerate persons is threefold The first is to lay open sinne and make it knowne Rom. 3.20 By the workes of the Law shall no flesh be iustified in his sight for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne The second vse is accidentarily to effect and augment sinne by reason of the flesh the which causeth man to decline from that which is commanded and euer to encline to that which is prohibited Rom. 7.8 Sinne tooke occasion by the commandement and wrought in me all manner of concupiscence for without the Law sinne is dead 9. For I once was aliue without the Law but when the commandement came sinne reuiued 10. But I died and that commandement which was ordained vnto life was found to be vnto me vnto death The third vse is to denounce eternall damnation for the least disobedience without offering any hope of pardon This sentence the law pronounceth against offendours and by it partly by threatning partly by terrifying it raigneth and ruleth ouer man Rom. 3.19 Wee know that whatsoeuer the Law saith it saith it to them which are vnder the Lawe that euery mouth may be stopped and all the world be culpable before God Gal. 3.10 As many as are of the workes of the law are vnder the curse for it is written Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all that is written in the booke of the Lawe to doe them 2. Cor. 3.7 If the ministration of death written with letters and ingrauen in stones was glorious 8. Howe shall not the ministration of the spirit be more glorious For if the ministration of condemnation were glorious c. The ende why sinne raigneth in man is to vrge sinners to flie vnto Christ Galat. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue 24. Wherfore the law was our schoolemaster to Christ. Heb. 12.18,19,20 The continuance of this power of the law is perpetuall vnlesse a sinner repent and the very first act of repentance so freeth him that he shall no more be vnder the lawe but vnder grace 2. Sam. 12.13 Then said Dauid to Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord wherfore Nathan said to Dauid The Lord also hath forgiuen thy sinne and thou shalt not die Rom. 6.14 Sinne shall not haue dominion ouer you for ye are not vnder the law but vnder grace If therefore thou desirest seriously eternall life first take a narrowe examination of thy selfe and the course of thy life by the square of Gods lawe then set before thine eies the curse that is due vnto sinne that thus bewailing thy miserie and despairing vtterly of thine own power to attaine euerlasting happinesse thou maiest renounce thy selfe and be prouoked to seeke and sue vnto Christ Iesus The vse of the Law in such as are regenerate is far otherwise for it guideth them to new obedience in the whole course of their life which obedience may be acceptable to God by Christ. Rom. 3.31 Doe we therefore through faith make the Law of none effect God forbid nay we rather establish the Law Psal. 119. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight they are my counsellers v. 105. Thy word is a lantarne vnto my feete and a light vnto my pathes CHAP. 31. Of the couenant of Grace HItherto concerning the couenant of works and of the Law now followeth the couenant of grace The couenant of Grace is that whereby God freely promising Christ and his benefits exacteth againe of man that he would by faith receiue Christ and repent of his sinnes Hos. 2.18 In that daie will I make a couenant for them c. 19. And I will marrie thee vnto me for euer yea I will marrie thee vnto me in righteousnesse and in iudgement and in mercie and in compassion v. 20. I will euen marrie thee vnto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt knowe the Lord. Ezech. 36.25 I will poure cleane water vpon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I clense you v. 26. And I will giue you a newe heart and a newe spirit will I put within you v. 27. And cause you to walke in my statutes Malach 3.1 The Lord whome ye seeke shall speedily come to his temple euen the messenger of the couenant whome ye desire behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts This couenant is also named a testament for it hath partly the nature and properties of a testament or will First it is confirmed by the death of the testator Heb. 9.16 Where a testament is there must be the death of him that made the testament 17. For the testament is confirmed when men are dead for it is yet of no force so long as he that made it is aliue Secondly in this couenant we doe not offer much and promise small to God but in a manner doe onely receiue euen as the last will and testament of a man is not for the testators but the heires commodity The couenant albeit it be one in substance yet it is distinguished into the old and new testament The olde testament or couenant is that which in types and shadowes prefigured Christ to come and to be exhibited The newe testament declareth Christ already come in the flesh and is apparantly shewed in the Gospel The Gospell is that part of Gods word which cōtaineth a most worthy welcome message namely that mankind is fully redeemed by the blood of Iesus Christ the only begotten sonn of God manifest in the flesh so that now for all such as repent and beleeue in Christ Iesus there is prepared a full remission of all their sinnes togither with saluation and life euerlasting Ioh.
to Take the name of god in vaine 54 Talke corrupt 85,97 table Talke 87 Tales raised 97,98 Taunting 75 Tempting of God 41 Temptation 21,130,132 Tempter 129 Terrour of conscience 19,23 Terrours for well doing 19 Testament 103 Thanksgiuing 52,60,130 Theologie what 2 Theft how punished 91,92 Thrift 92 Titles of God where to be vsed 5â— Titles may be giuen to men 68 Trafficke with infidels 46 Transubstantiation 112 Trembling at gods presence 23,113 Trials of suites before infidels 47 Trouble of minde 23 Truth to be spoken 92 Truces 79 Turkes the deuils subiects 35 the two Trees in Eden 13 Tyrants to be obeyed 69 Tyrants punishment 75 V Vanitie from Adam 18 Vaine-glorie 96 Vertue of creatures lost by sinne 23 Vices not to be allowed 96,97 abstained from 98 to Visite 44 Viuification 126 Vowes 47,53 Vncharitable opinions of such as feare God 20 Vnion with God 41 Vnion of christians with Christ. 115 spirituall Vnderstanding 126 Vniust dealing 88 Vnprofitable warres 89 Vsurie 90 W Washing in baptisme 109 Wasting others goods 72 Wages deteined 75 Wantonesse 84 Christian Warrefare 129 Warriars 129 Weights falsified 89,93 Wedlocke 87 Will corrupted 19 Will worship 47 spirituall Wisdome 126 Witches 52 Wishing 101 Witnesse 98 the Worke of God 8 Works of the elect howe acceptable to God 98 the World and parts thereof 11 how the godly esteem of the World 127 the Word how first reuealed 33 the Word preached a meanes of saluation 33 to sanctifie Gods creatures 60 Wise in his own conceit 73 Widowes not to be iniuried 75 to Winne men to religion 51 Wares to be saleable 93 Gods worship when corrupted 48 meanes by which God is Worshipped 50 Workes iustifie not 151,161 Workes foreseene 172 Worme of conscience 176 Whole man punished 23 Worshipping the beast 47 of deuills 49 Z Zeale of Gods glorie 58,127 FINIS AN EXPOSITION OF THE SYMBOLE OR CREEDE OF THE APOSTLES ACCORDING TO THE TENOVR OF THE SCRIPTVRE AND the consent of the Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church reuewed and corrected BY William Perkins They are good Catholikes which are of sound faith and good life August lib. quaest in Matth. cap. 11. PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDWARD Lord Russell Earle of Bedford Grace and peace c. RIght Honourable excellent is the saying of Paul to Titus To the pure all things are pure but to the impure and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled In which wordes he determines three questions The first whether things ordained and made by God may become vncleane or no his answer is that they may and his meaning must be conceiued with a distinction By nature things ordained of God are not vncleane for Moses in Genesis saith that God saw all things which he had made and they were very good yet they may become vncleane either by lawe or by the fault of men By law as when God forbids vs the things which in themselues are good without whose commandement they are as pure as things not forbidden Thus for the time of the olde Testament God forbade the Iewes the vse of certaine creatures not because they were indeeede worse then the rest but because it was his pleasure vpon speciall cause to restraine them that he might put a difference betweene his owne people and the rest of the world that he might exercise their obedience and aduertise them of the inward impuritie of minde Now this legall impuritie was abolished at the ascension of Christ. By the fault of men things are vncleane when they are abused and not applied to the ends for which they were ordained The second question is to whome things ordained of God are pure He answers to the pure that is to them whose persons stand iustified and sanctified before God in Christ in whome they beleeue who also doe vse Gods blessings in holy manner to his glorie and the good of men The third question is who they are to whome all things are vncleane his answer is to the vncleane by whome he vnderstands all such I. whose persons displease God because they doe not indeede beleeue in Christ II. who vse not the gifts of God in holy manner sanctifying them by word and praier III who abuse them to bad endes as to riot pride and oppression of men c. Nowe that to such the vse of all the creatures of God is vncleane it is manifest because all their actions are sinnes in that they are not done of faith and a mans persons must first please God in Christ before his action or worke done can please him Againe they vse the blessings and creatures of God with euill conscience because so long as they are forth of Christ they are but vsurpers thereof before God For in the fall of the first Adam we lost the title and interest to all good things and though God permitte the vse of many of them to wicked men yet is not the former title recouered but in Christ the second Adam in whome we are aduanced to a better estate then we had by creation Hence it followes necessarily that to omit all other things Nobilitie though it be a blessing and ordinance of God in it selfe is but an vncleane thing if the enioyers thereof be not truly ingrafted into Christ and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The blood vnstained before men is stained blood before God by the fall of Adam if it be not restored by the blood of Christ the lambe of God And hence it follows againe that Nobilitie must not dwell solitarie but combine her selfe in perpetuall fellowship with heartie loue and syncere obedience of pure and sound religion without the which all pleasant pastimes all sumptuousnes of building all brauerie in apparell all glistering in gold all delicate fare all delightfull musicke all reuerence done with cappe and knee all earthly pleasures and delights that heart can wish are but as a vanishing shadow or like the mirth that beginnes in laughing and endes in woe A happie thing were it if this consideration might take place in the hearts of all noble men it would make them honour God that they might be honoured of God with euerlasting honour and it would make them kisse the Sonne least he be angrie and they perish in the way I speake not this as though I doubted of your Lordships care in this very point but mine onely meaning is to put you in minde that as you haue begunne to cleane vnto Christ with full of purpose of heart so you would continue to doe it still and doe it more withal to manifest the same vnto the whole world by honouring Christ with your owne honour and by resembling him specially in one thing in that as he grew in stature and yeares he also grew in grace and fauour with God and men And for this very cause without any consideration of earthly respects I further
bredde and borne with them I adde that this is a gift supernaturall not onely because it is aboue that corrupt nature in which we are borne but also because it is aboue that pure nature in which our first parents were created For in the state of innocencie they wanted this faith neither had they then any neede of faith in the same God as he is Messias but this faith is a new grace of God added to regeneration after the fall and first prescribed and taught in the couenant of grace And by this one thing faith differeth from the rest of the gifts of God as the feare of God the loue of God the loue of our brethrē c. for these were in mans nature before the fall and after it when it pleaseth God to call vs they are but renewed but iustifying faith admits no renuing For the first ingrafting of it into the heart in the conuersion of a sinner after his fall The place and seate of faith as I thinke is the minde of man not the will for it stands in a kind of particular knowledge or perswasion and there is no perswasion but in the minde Paul saith indeede that we beleeue with the heart Rom. 10. but by the heart he vnderstands the soule without limitation to any part Some doe place faith in the minde and partly in the will because it hath two parts knowledge and affiance but it seemes not greatly to stand with reason that one particular and single grace should be seated in diuerse parts or faculties of the soules The forme of faith is to apprehend the promise Gal. 3. 14. that we might receiue the promise of the spirit through faith and Ioh. 1.12 to receiue Christ and to beleeue are put one for another and to beleeue is to eate and drinke the bodie and blood of Christ. To apprehend properly is an action of the hand of man which laies hold of a thing and pulls it to himselfe and by resemblāce it agrees to faith which is the hand of the soule receiuing and applying the sauing promise This apprehension of faith is not performed by any affection of the will but by a certen and particular perswasion whereby a man is resolued that the promise of saluation belongs vnto him Which perswasion is wrought in the minde by the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 2.12 And by this the promise which is generall is applied particularly to one subiect By this one action sauing faith differeth from all other kindes of faith From historicall for it wanteth all apprehension and standeth onely in a generall assent From temporarie faith which though it make a man to professe the Gospell and to reioyce in the same yet doth it not throughly applie Christ with his benefits For it neuer brings with it any thorough touch of conscience or liuely sense of Gods grace in the heart And the same may be said of the rest The principall and maine obiect of this faith is the sauing promise God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeues in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life But some will say Christ is commonly said to be the obiect of faith Ans. In effect it is all one to say the sauing promise and Christ promised who is the substance of the couenant Christ then as he is set forth vnto vs in the word Sacraments is the obiect of faith And here certaine questions offer themselues to be skanned The first What is that particular thing which faith apprehendeth Answ. Faith apprehendeth whole Christ God and man For his godhead without his manhoode and his manhoode without his godhead doth not reconcile vs to God Yet this which I say must be conceiued with some distinction according to the difference of his two natures His godhead is apprehended not in respect of his essence or nature but in respect of his efficacie manifested in the manhood whereby the obedience thereof is made meritorious before God as for his manhoode it is apprehended both in respect of the substance or thing it selfe and also in respect of the efficacie and benefits thereof The second In what order faith apprehends Christ Answ. First of all it apprehendes the very bodie and bloode of Christ and then in the second place the vertue and benefits of his bodie and blood as a man that would feele in his bodie the vertue of meate and drinke must first of all receiue the substance thereof To goe forward Besides this mayne promise which concernes righteousnesse and life euerlasting in Christ there be other particular promises touching strength in temptations comfort in afflictions and such like which depend on the former and they also are the obiect of iustifying faith and with the very same faith we beleeue them wherewith we beleeue our saluation Thus Abraham by the same faith wherewith he was iustified beleeued that he should haue a sonne in his olde age Rom. 4.19,22 And Noe by that faith whereby he was made heyre of righteousnes beleeued that he and his familie should be preserued in the floode this conclusion beeing alwaies laide downe that To whome God giues Christ to them also he giues all things needefull for this life or the life to come in and by Christ. And hereupon it comes to passe that in our prayers besides the desire of things promised we must bring faith whereby we must be certenly perswaded that God will graunt vs such things as he hath promised and this faith is not a newe kind or distinct faith from iustifying faith Thus we see plainly what sauing faith is Whereas some are of opinion that faith is an affiance or confidence that seemes to be otherwise for it is a fruit of faith and indeede no man can put any confidence in God till he be first of all perswaded of Gods mercie in Christ towards him Some againe are of minde that loue is the very nature and forme of faith but it is otherwise For as confidence in God so also loue is an effect which proceedeth from faith 1. Tim. 1.5 The ende of the law is loue from a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained And in nature they differ greatly Christ is the fountaine of the waters of life Faith in the heart is as the pipes and leads that receiue in and hold the water and loue in some part is as the cocke of the conduit that lets out the water to euery commer The propertie of the hand is to hold and of it selfe it can not cut yet by a knife or other instrument put into the hand it cuts the hand of the soule is faith and his propertie is to apprehend Christ with all his benefits and by it selfe it can doe nothing else yet ioyne loue vnto it and by loue it will be effectuall in all good duties Now to proceede further first we are to consider how faith is wrought secondly what be the differences of it For the first faith is
wrought in and by the outward ministerie of the Gospell accompanied by the inward operation of the spirit and that not suddenly but by certaine steps and degrees as nature frameth the bodie of the infant in the mothers wombe 1. by making the brain and heart 2. by making veines sinewes arteries bones 3. by adding flesh to them all And the whole operation of the spirit stands in two principall actions First the enlightening of the minde the second the moouing of the will For the first the holy Ghost inlightens mens minds with a further knowledge of the law then nature can affoard and thereby makes them to see the sinnes of their hearts and liues with the ouglines thereof and withall to tremble at the curse of the law Afterward the same spirit opens the eye to vnderstand and consider seriously of righteousnes and life eternall promised in Christ. This done then comes the second worke of the holy ghost which is the inflaming of the will that a man hauing considered his fearefull estate by reason of sinne and the benefits of Christs death might hunger after Christ and haue a desire not so much to haue the punishments of sinne taken away as Gods displeasure and also might enioy the benefits of Christ. And when he hath stirred vp a mā to desire recōciliation with god in Christ then withall he giues him grace to pray not onely for life eternall but especially for the free remission and pardon of all his sinnes and then the Lords promise is Knocke and it shall be opened seeke and ye shall finde After which he further sendes his spirit into the same heart that desireth reconciliation with God and remission of sinnes in Christ and doth seale vp the same in his heart by a liuely and plentifull assurance thereof The differences degrees of faith are two I. a weake faith II. a strong faith Concerning the first this weake faith shewes it selfe by this grace of God namely an vnfained desire not onely of saluation for that the wicked and graceles man may haue but of reconciliation with God in Christ. This is a sure signe of faith in euery touched and humbled heart and it is peculiar to the elect and they which haue this haue in them also the ground and substance of true sauing faith which afterwardes in time will grow vp to greater strength Reasons I. Promise of life euerlasting is made to the desire of reconciliation Psal. 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore Psal. 143. 6. My soule desireth after thee as the thirstie lande Psal. 145. 19. He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied Reuelat. 21.6 I will giue vnto him which is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely II. The hungering desire after grace is a sanctified affection where one affection is sanctified all are sanctified where all are sanctified the whole man is sanctified and he that is sanctified is iustified and beleeues III. God accepts the will and desire to repent and beleeue for repenting and beleeuing indeed wherefore this desire of reconciliation if it be soundly wrought in the heart is in acceptation with God as true faith indeede But carnall men will say If faith yea true faith shew it selfe by a desire of reconciliatiō with God in Christ for all our sinnes then we are well ynough though we liue in our sinnes for we haue very good desires I answer That there be many sundrie fleeting motions and desires to doe good things which grow to no issue or head but in time vanish as they come Nowe such passions haue no soundnesse in them and must be distinguished from the desire of reconciliation with God that comes from a bruised heart◠and brings alwaies with it reformation of life therefore such whatsoeuer they are that liue after the course of this world and thinke notwithstanding that they haue desires that are good deceiue themselues Now faith is saide to be weake when a man either failes in the knowledge of the Gospell or else hauing knowledge is weake in grace to applie vnto himselfe the sweet promises thereof As for example we know that the Apostles had all true sauing faith except Iudas and when our Sauiour Christ asked them whome they thought that he was Peter in the person of the rest answered for them all and said Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God for which our Sauiour commended him and in him them all saying Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke that is vpon Christ which Peter confessed in the name of them all will I build my Church And yet about that time we shall finde in the Gospell that they are called men of little faith Now they failed in knowledge of the death of Christ and of his passion and resurrection and were caried away with a vaine hope of an earthly kingdome And therefore when our Sauiour shewed them of his going downe to Ierusalem and of his sufferings there Peter a little after his notable confession beganne to rebuke Christ and said Master haue pitie on thy selfe this shall not be vnto thee And vntill he had appeared to them after his death they did not distinctly beleeue his resurrection Again weake faith though it be ioyned with knowledge yet it may faile in the applying or in the apprehension appropriating of Christs benefits to a mans owne selfe This is to be seene in ordinarie experience For many a man there is of humble and contrite heart that serueth God in spirit and truth yet is not able to say without great doubtings and wauerings I know and am fully assured that my sinnes are pardoned Now shall we say that all such are without faith God forbid Nay we may resolue our selues that the true child of God may haue a hungering desire in his heart after reconciliation with God in Christ for all his sinnes with care to keepe a good conscience and yet be weake sometime in the apprehension of Gods mercie and the assurance of the remission of his owne sinnes But if faith faile either in the true knowledge or in the apprehension of Gods mercies how can a man be saued by it Ans. We must know that this weake faith will as truly apprehend Gods mercifull promises for the pardon of sinne as strong faith though not so soundly Euen as a man with a palsie hand can stretch it out as well to receiue a gift at the hand of a king as he that is more sound though it be not so firmely and steadfastly And Christ saith that he will not breake the bruised reede nor quench the smoking flaxe The Church of Rome beares men in hand that they are good Catholicks if they beleeue as the Church beleeues though in the meane season they can not tell what the Church beleeues And some Papists commend this faith by the example of an old deuout father
who beeing tempted of the deuill and asked how he beleeued answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeued beeing againe asked how the Church beleeued he answered as I beleeue whereupon the deuill as they say was faine to depart Well this fond and ridiculous kind of faith we renounce as being a meanes to nuzle men in blindnes superstition and perpetuall ignorance yet withall we doe not denie but that there is an implicite or infolded faith which is when a man as yet hauing but some little portion of knowledge in the doctrine of the Gospel doth truly performe obedience according to the measure thereof and withall hath care to get more knowledge and shewes good affection to all good meanes whereby it may be increased In this respect a certaine ruler who by a miracle wrought vpon his child was mooued to acknowledge Christ for the Messias and further to submit himselfe to his doctrine is commended for a beleeuer and so are in the like case the Samaritanes And thus much of weake faith which must be vnderstood to be in a man not all the daies of his life but while he is a yong babe in Christ. For as it is in the state of the bodie first we are babes and grow to greater strength as we grow in yeres so it is with a christian man First he is a babe in Christ hauing weake faith but after growes from grace to grace till he come to haue a stroÌ„g faith example wherâ—of we haue in Abraham who was strong and perfect both in knowledge and apprehension This strong faith is when a man is indued with the knowledge of the Gospell and grace to apprehend and apply the righteousnes of Christ vnto himselfe for the remission of his owne sinnes so as he can say distinctly of himselfe and truely that he is fully resolued in his owne conscience that he is reconciled vnto God in Christ for all his sinnes and accepted in him to life euerlasting This degree of faith is proper to him that beginnes to be a tall man and of ripe yeares in Christ. And it commeth not at the first calling of a man vnto grace And if any shall thinke that he can haue it at the first he deceiueth himself For as it is in nature first we are babes then as we increase in yeares so we growe in strength so it is in the life of a Christian first ordinarily he hath a weake faith and after growes from grace to grace till he come to stronger faith and at the last he be able to say he is fully assured in his heart and conscience of the pardon of his sinnes of reconciliation to God in Christ. And this assurance ariseth from many experiences of Gods fauour and loue in the course of his life by manifold preseruations and other blessings which beeing deepely and duly considered bring a man to be fully perswaded that God is his God and God the father his father and Iesus Christ his redeemer and the holy Ghost his sanctifier Now howesoeuer this faith be strong yet is it alwaies imperfect as also our knoweledge is and shall so long as wee liue in this worlde be mingled with contrarie vnbeleefe and sundry doubtings more or lesse A great part of men amongest vs blinded with grosse ignorance say they haue faith and yet indeede haue not For aske them what faith they haue they will answere they beleeue that God is their father and the Sonne their redeemer c. aske them how long they haue had this faith they will answer euer since they could remember aske them whether they euer doubt of Gods fauour they will say they would not once doubt for all the world But the case of these men is to bee pitied for howesoeuer they may perswade themselues yet true it is that they haue no sound faith at all for euen strong faith is assaulted with temptations and doubtings and God will not haue men perfect in this life that they may alwaies goe out of themselues and depend wholly on the merite of Christ. And thus much of these two degrees of faith Nowe in whome soeuer it is whether it be a weake faith or a strong it bringeth forth some fruit as a tree doth in the time of sommer And a speciall fruite of faith is this confession of faith I beleeue in God c. so Paul saith With the heart a man may beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation Confession of faith is when a man in speech and outwarde profession doth make manifest his faith for these two causes I. That with his mouth outwardly he may glorifie God and doe him seruice both in body and soule II. That by the confession of his faith he may seuer himselfe from all false Christians from Atheists hypocrites and all false seducers whatsoeuer And as this is the dutie of a Christian man to make profession of his faith so here in this Creede of the Apostles wee haue the right order and forme of making confession set downe as we shall see in handling the parts thereof The Creede therefore setts downe two thinges concerning faith namely the action of faith and his obiect which also are the parts of the Creed The action in these wordes I beleeue the obiect in all the wordes following in God the Father Almightie maker c. And first let vs beginne with the action I beleeue in God Wee are taught to saie I beleeue not vvee beleeue for two causes First because as wee touched before in the Primitiue Church this Creede was made to bee an aunswere to a demaunde or question which was demaunded of euery particular man that was baptized for they asked him thus What doest thou beleeue then he aunswered I beleeue in God the Father c. And thus did euerie one of yeares make profession of his faith and it is likely that Peter alluded hereunto saying the stipulation or aunswere of a good conscience maketh request to God The second cause is howesoeuer we are to pray one for another by sayingâ— O our Father c. yet when we come to yeares we must haue a particular faith of our own no man can be saued by another mans faith but by his owne as it is said The iust shall liue by his faith But some will say this is not true because children must be saued by their parents faith the aunswere is this the faith of the parent doth bring the child to haue a title or interest to the Couenant of grace and to all the benefits of Christ yet doth it not applie the benefits of Christs death his obedience his merits and righteousnesse vnto the infant for this the beleeuer doth onely vnto himselfe and to no other Againe some may say if children doe not apprehend Christs benefits by their parents faith howe then is Christs righteousnesse made theirs and they saued Answer By the inwarde working of the holy Ghost who is the principal applier
righteous man And Saint Iohn saith Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren that is such as are members euen because they are so The second signe of this affection is a loue and desire to the comming of Christ whether it be by death vnto any man particularly or by the last iudgement vniuersally and that for this ende that there may be a full participation of fellowshippe with Christ. And that this very loue is a note of adoption it appeares by that which S. Paul saith that the crowne of righteousnes is laid vp for all them that loue the appearing of Christ. The outward token of adoption is New-obedience wherby a man endeauours to obey Gods commandements in his life and conuersation as Saint Iohn saith Hereby we are sure that we know him if we keepe his commandements Now this obedience must not be iudged by the rigour of the morall law for then it should be no token of grace but rather a meanes of damnation but it must be esteemed considered as it is in the acceptation of God who spares them that feare him as a father spares an obedient sonne esteeming things done not by the effect and absolute doing of them but by the affection of the doer And yet least any man should here be deceiued wee must knowe that the obedience which is an infallible marke of the childe of God must be thus qualified First of all it must not be done vnto some fewe of Gods commandements but vnto them all without exception Herod heard Iohn Baptist willingly and did many things and Iudas had excellent things in him as appeares by this that he was content to leaue all and to follow Christ and he preached the Gospel of the kingdome in Iurie as well as the rest yet alas all this was nothing for the one could not abide to become obedient to the seauenth commaundement in leauing his brother Philips wife and the other would not leaue his couetousnesse to die for it Vpright and sincere obedience doth inlarge it selfe to all the commandements as Dauid saith I shall not be confounded when I haue respect to all thy commaundements And Saint Iames saith he which faileth in one law is guiltie of all that is the obedience to many commaundements is indeede before God no obedience but a slatte sinne if a man wittingly and willingly carrie a purpose to omit any one dutie of the lawe He that repents of one sinne truly doth repent of all and he that liues but in one knowne sinne without repentance though he pretend neuer â—o much reformation of life indeed repents of no sinne Secondly this obedience must extend it selfe to the whole course of a mans life after his conuersion and repentance We must not iudge of a man by an action or two but by the tenour of his life Such as the course of a mans life is such is the man though he through the corruption of his nature faile in this or that particular action yet doth it not preiudice his estate before God so be it he renue his repentance for his seuerall slippes and falls not lying in any sinne and withall from yeare to yeare walke vnblameable before God and men S. Paul saith The foundation of God remaineth sure the Lord knoweth who are his Now some might hereupon say it is true indeede God knowes who are his but how may I be assured in my selfe that I am his to this demaund as I take it Paul answers in the next words Let euery one that calleth on the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie that is let men inuocate the name of God praying seriously for things whereof they stand in neede withall giuing thanks and departing from all their former sinnes and this shall be vnto them an infallible token that they are in the election of God Thirdly in outward obedience it is required that it proceede from the whole man as the regeneration which is the cause of it is through the whole man in bodie soule and spirit Againe obedience is the fruit of loue and loue is from the pure heart the good conscience and faith vnfained Thus we haue heard the testimonies and tokens whereby a man may be certified in his conscience that he was chosen to saluation before all worlds If and desire further resolution in this point let them meditate vpon the 15. psal and first epistle of S. Iohn beeing parcels of Scripture penned by the holy Ghost for this ende Here some will demand how a man may be assured of his adoption if he want the testimonie of the spirit to certifie him thereof Ans. Fire is knowne to be no painted but a true fire by two notes by heate and by the flame now if the case fall out that the fire want a flame it is still knowne to be fire by the heate In like manner as I haue saide there be two witnesses of our adoption Gods spirit and our spirit now if it fall out that a man feele not the principall which is the spirit of adoption he must then haue recourse to the second witnesse and search out in himselfe the signes and tokens of the sanctification of his owne spirit by which he may certenly assure himselfe of his adoption as we know fire to be fire by the heate though it want a flame Againe it may be demanded on this manner how if it come to passe that after inquirie we finde but fewe signes of sanctification in our selues Ans. In this case we are to haue recourse to the least measure of grace lesse then which there is no sauing grace and it stands in two things an heartie disliking of our sinnes because they are sinnes and a desire of reconciliation with God in Christ for them all and these are tokens of adoption if they be soundly wrought in the heart though all other tokens for the present seeme to be wanting If any shall say that a wicked man may haue this desire as Balaam who desired to die the death of the righteous the answer is that Balaam indeede desired to die as the righteous man doth but he could not abide to liue as the righteous he desired the ende but not the proper subordinate meanes which tend vnto the ende as vocation iustification sanctification repentance c. the first is the worke of nature the second is the worke of grace Nowe I speake not this to make men secure and to content themselues with these smal beginnings of grace but onely to shewe howe any may assure themselues that they are at the least babes in Christ adding this withall that they which haue no more but these small beginnings must be carefull to increase them because he which goes not forward goes backeward Lastly it may be demanded what a man should doe if he want both the testimonie of Gods spirit and his owne spirit and haue no meanes in the world of assurance Ans.
how are the members of the visible Church qualified and discerned the answer followeth in the definition professing the faith Whereby I meane the profession of that religion which hath bin taught from the beginning and is now recorded in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles And this profession is a signe and marke whereby a man is declared and made manifest to be a member of the Church Againe because the profession of the faith is otherwhiles true and syncere and otherwhiles onely in shewe therefore there be also two sorts of members of the visible church members before God and members before men A member of the church before God is he that beside the outward profession of the faith hath inwardly a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained whereby he is indeede a true member of the church Members before men whome we may call reputed members are such as haue nothing else but the outward profession wanting the good conscience and the faith vnfained The reason why they are to be esteemed members of vs is because we are bound by the rule of charitie to thinke of men as they appeare vnto vs leauing secret iudgements vnto God I added in the last place that the Church is gathered by the word preached to shew that the cause whereby it is begunne and continued is the word which for that cause is called the immortall seede whereby we are borne anew and milke whereby we are fedde and cherished to life euerlasting And hence it followeth necessarily that the preaching of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles ioyned with any measure of faith and obedience is an vnfallible marke of a true church Indeede it is true there be three things required to the good estate of a church the preaching of the Gospell the administration of the Sacraments and due execution of Discipline according to the word yet if the two latter be wanting so be it there be preaching of the word with obedience in the people there is for substance a true church of God For it is the banner of Christ displaied vnder which all that warre against the flesh the deuill the world must range themselues As the Lord saith by the Prophet Esai I will lift vp my hand to the Gentiles and set vp my standard vnto the people and they shall bring their sonnes in their armes and their daughters shall be carried vpon their shoulders Hence it followeth that men which want the preaching of the Gospell must either procure the same vnto themselues or if that can not be because they liue in the middest of idolatrous nations as in Spaine and Italie it is requisite that they should ioyne themselues to those places where with libertie of conscience they may enioy this happie blessing Men are not to haue their hearts glued to the honours and riches of this world but they should be of Dauids minde and rather desire to be dorekeepers in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of vngodlines In the Canticles the spouse of Christ saith Shew me O thou whome my soule loueth where thou feedest where thou liest at noone for why should I be as shee that turneth aside to the flocks of thy companions To whome he answereth thus If thou know not O thou the fairest among women get thee forth by the steppes of the flocke and feede thy kids by the tents of the shepheards that is in those places where the doctrine of righteousnes and life euerlasting by the Messias is published When the Shunamites child was dead shee told her husband that shee would go to the man of God to whome he answered thus Why wilt thou goe to him to day it is neither new moone nor sabbath day whereby it is signified that when teaching was skarse in Israel the people did resort to the Prophets for instruction and consolation And Dauid saith that the people wheresoeuer there aboad was went from strength to strength till they appeared before God in Sion And oftentimes they beeing Proselytes there aboade must needes be out of the precincts of Iewrie Thus we see what the visible Church is now further concerning it three questions are to be skanned The first is how we may discerne whether particular men and particular Churches holding errours be found members of the Catholicke church or no. For the answering of this we must make a double distinction one of errours the other of persons that erre Of errours some are destroiers of the faith some onely weakners of it A destroier is that which ouerturneth any fundamentall point of religion which is of that nature that if it be denied religion it selfe is ouerturned as the deniall of the death of Christ and the immortalitie of the soule iustification by workes and such like and the summe of these fundamentall points is comprised in the Creede of the Apostles and the Decalogue A weakning errour is that the holding whereof doth not ouerturue any point in the foundation of saluation as the errour of freewill and sundrie such like This distinction is made by the holy Ghost who saith expressely that the doctrines of repentance and faith and baptismes and laying on of hands and the resurrection and the last iudgement are the foundation namely of religion and againe that Christ is the foundation and that other doctrines consonant to the word are as gold and siluer laid thereupon Secondly persons erring are of two sorts some erre of wâ—aknes beeing carried away by others or of simple ignorance not yet beeing conuicted and informed concerning the truth Some againe erre of obstinacie or affected ignorance which hauing bin admonished and conuicted still perseuere in their forged opinions This beeing saide wâ—e nowe come to the point If any man or Church shall hold an errour of the lighter kinde he still remaines a member of the Church of God and so must be reputed of vs. As when a Lutherane shall hold that images are still to be retained in the church that there is an Vniuersall Election of all men c. for these and such like opinions may be maintained the foundation of saluation vnrased This which I say is slatly auouched by Paul If any man saith he build on this foundation gold siluer pretious stones timber hay or stubble his worke shall be made manifest by the fire c. and if any mans worke burne he shall loose but yet he shall be safe himselfe And therefore the hay and stubble of mens errours that are beside the foundation on which they are laid doe not debarre them from beeing Christians or members of the church A man breaks downe the windows of his house the house stands he breakes downe the roofe or the walls the house yet stands though deformed he pulls vp the foundation the house it selfe falls and ceaseth to be an house Now religion which we professe is like an house or building and some points thereof are like windowes doores walls roofes
law of God and the hatred of sinne For that which is spoken chiefly of Christ Thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie is to be vnderstood of all the members of Christ endued with his spirit because it is truly accomplished in them Hence it is that Dauid who in himselfe did represent the disposition of all the regenerate saide of himselfe I haue loued thy law thy law is in the middle of my heart I haue hated all the workers of iniquitie I will not sitte with the wicked Also Paul I am delighted saith he in the law of God according to the inner man that is in as much as I am borne anewe And no man doubteth but that both these affections are the effects of predestinatioÌ„ except he be ignorant that all these are the gifts of God which as in time he bestoweth on his so also he hath decreed to bestow them on them before the foundation of the world And from these two affections beeing the first fruits of regeneratiâ—n ariseth a care and endeauour to doe good workes that is to flie sinne and to fulfill the law of God which is the seauenth effect of predestination For he which hateth any thing from his heart he taketh heede of it as much as he can and he fleeth from it and escheweth it and on the contrarie he which loueth any thing from his heart that also he seeketh after and endeauoureth himselfe to the compassing of it Therefore the Apostle Iohn maketh this a chiefe difference betweene the sonnes of God and the children of the deuill that is betweene them that are borne anew and them that are not borne anew that the children of God both loue and doe righteousnesse and the children of the deuill loue sinne and doe it as also the deuill sinned from the beginning and Christ came to dissolue the workes of the deuill namely in his elect for in the reprobate he leaueth them vntouched because they are not giuen him of the father to be purged borne anew and saued Therefore seeing Christ was before ordained and predestinate to the doing of all these workes and that there is no good wrought in vs which was not prouided for vs in Christ from all eternitie it is a cleare case that the care also of doing good workes is an effect of predestination And the Apostle plainely teacheth it when he saith that we were created in Christ to good workes which God hath prepared that we might walke in them To this purpose serueth that which the Apostle deliuereth of loue vnfained to which he sheweth that we were elect and of a good conscience which he makes the inseparable companion of the faith of the elect Lastly of a pure heart which he ascribeth to the elect considering the vnfaithful haue nothing cleane in them and that their minde and conscience is defiled Now that this care to doe good workes is necessarie in all the elect Peter sheweth it when he bids vs endeauour to make our election and calling sure by good workes as some copies haue it But to whom shall we make it sure not vnto God for it was sure vnto him before the foundation of the world but vnto our selues and to our neighbours And this is one of the chiefest vses of good workes that by them not as by causes but as by effects of predestination and faith both we and also our neighbours are certified of our election and of our saluation too Furthermore considering whiles we haue a care to glorifie God to doe good works and we will not be conformable to the world in the wickednes of it neither submit our selues to our flesh and Sathan the flesh the world and Sathan doe perpetually warre against vs and therewithall it commeth to passe they beeing most valiant enemies that either we are ouercome or at the least in fight are foiled And therfore we are constrained to flie vnto the Lord and to craue his assistance therefore the eight effect of our predestination is the calling vpon God that in this fight he would giue vs ayd against the Deuill the world and the flesh For this is the propertie of the spirit which the elect haue to stir them vp to praier for the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with gronings that cannot be vttered that is to say it mooueth vs to make request And because we are sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his sonne into our hearts crying Abba Father And God biddeth vs cal vpon him in the day of tribulation promising to heare vs. From these proceedeth the ninth effect of predestination namely a perpetuall repentance for our daily slippes and a continuall desire to be bettered in godlinesse So that also for this cause chiefly we heartily desire to be dissolued out of this world and to be with Christ for this end that we might sinne no more For this is a thing proper to the elect of God euen now borne anew as we may see in the Apostle who speaketh thus in the name of all the regenerate O miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death And again I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ. From this ninth effect proceedeth the tenth namely a desire that Christ may come and make an end of all our miseries and sinnes and perfectly restore his owne kingdome That this is proper to the elect the Apostle sheweth when he saith that they loue the comming of the Lord and Iohn bringeth in the spouse of Christ crying Come Lord Iesus come quickly Yea and Christ himselfe hath taught vs to pray Let thy kingdome come And because that they which pray on this wise are also heard according to Gods promise In the day of tribulation call vpon me and I will heare thee hence appeareth the eleuenth effect of Predestination true patience that is not onely true comfort but also a reioycing in aduersitie as the Apostle describeth it And therefore a certaine taking vp of courage and recouerie of strength against his enemies whereby it commeth to passe that all things turne to the saluation of the elect For the elect albeit they be often beaten downe in fight yet because Christ speedily sendeth ayd from heauen vnto them they rise vp couragiously and begin againe the fight against sinne and the deuill and all other the enemies of Christ and they fight so long till they be made conquerours and are assured of the victorie and of the crowne which assurance also is an effect of Predestination giuen to all the elect For what saith the Apostle shall we say to these things If God be on our side who can be against vs Thereforâ— our Lord Iesus teacheth that the elect can not be seduced and so perish no not by the cunning of Antichrist and his miracles And lastly hence appeareth that last effect of Predestination which we can obtaine in this life the gift of perseuerance vnto
the ende in faith and a true confession of Christ ioyned with a manifest care to liue a godly life and a desire to glorifie him For this gift is bestowed vpon all the elect as the Lord promiseth by Ieremie I will put my feare into their hearts that they may not depart from me And when they shall come to the end of their liues they shall be receiued into the heauenly glorie vntill such time as their bodies also beeing raised vp they may take full possession of eternall life Thus we see that it is very certaine that those which are elected to eternall life are also predestinate to vse those meanes by which as by certaine steps and staires they climbe into that heauenly dwelling place And therefore that we were predestinate to these meanes namely Faith Iustification and good workes because we were elected to eternall life according to the purpose and grace of God Wherefore by this meanes the doctrine also of the Pelagians is confuted as touching predestination to life by our faith and workes which God foresaw we should doe Whereas on the contrarie therefore God did predestinate vs to faith and good workes because he did choose vs to eternall life For the Apostle saith not I obtained mercie because I was faithfull or because I should be faithfull but that I might be faithfull Neither saith he that we are elected in Christ because we should be holy and without blame but that we might be holy and without blame Neither doth he say that we were created in Christ because we did or should doe good works but we were created to good works which God prepared that we might walke in them Lastly he saith not that the grace of Christ appeared because we were to liue soberly iustly and godly but that it therefore appeared that we denying all vngodlines and the lusts of this world might liue soberly iustly and godly iâ— this present world We see therefore that by this doctrine that wicked opinion is ouerthrowne which teacheth that we doe preuent the grace of God by our merits which God foresaw And on the contrarie here we see how foully the bellygods of this world are deceiued which reason thus if we be predestinate to eternall life and our predestination be certaine and vnchangeable what neede wee endeauour our selues beleeue or doe good workes for howsoeuer it fall out and howesoeuer the elect doe liue vndoubtedly they cannot perish because they are predestinate to eternall life Alas poore wretches they see not that they seuer those things that are to be conioyned namely the ende and the meanes of the ende that they breake the chaine which in no wise either can or must be loosed whilst that they seuer their calling iustification yea and Faith too good workes from predestination and glorification As though God did glorifie them whome he did predestinate before he called and iustified them yea and before they can beleeue and shewe their quicke and liuely faith by workes Contrariwise let vs learne what our dutie is If any be elect to eternall life they also are predestinate to the meanes by which they come vnto it And wee beleeue as wee are bound to doe that wee are predestinate to eternall life and therefore we must also beleeue that we haue beene elected to faith and good workes that by them as by certaine steps wee might bee brought to eternall life And therefore so farre must we be from neglecting Faith and the meanes of good works of a holy life that contrariwise it is rather our dutie to keep Faith in a good conscience and to be conuersant in good workes which God hath prepared that we might walke in them And because we can neither attaine to the ende nor the meanes that bring vs therevnto of our selues Therfore it is our part to craue them at Gods hands by praier that hee would giue vs faith and a care to doe good workes and increase them in vs. Neither must we onely aske them but also certainely trust that wee shall obtaine them for Christ his cause For if for all them which are predestinated to eternall life God hath prepared faith by which they may beleeue and good workes to walke in therefore if we beleeue as by Gods commandement we are bound that we are in Christ elected to eternall glorie wee must also be perswaded that before we depart hence hee wil giue vs true repentance encrease true faith inflame vs with loue lastly that hee will minister vnto vs aboundantly all things in Christ to obtaine the ende Yea this confidence also and praier it is one effect of predestination by which wee get the rest Therefore this doctrine we must hold that predestination to eternall life doth not take away the meanes of obtaining it but rather establish them And therfore both these principles are true namely that the elect to life cannot perish and vnlesse a man beleeue in Christ and perseuere vnto the ende in this faith working by loue he shall perish The reason is because in predestination the means the end of it are so ioyned togither that the one can not be seuered from the other Wherefore whosoeuer holdeth not the meanes vnto the ende amongest which faith is one it is manifest that he was neuer predestinate and therefore must needes perish as on the contrarie he which holdeth faith must needes be saued So the truth of these propositions is euident He which beleeueth in the Sonne hath eternal life contrariwise he which beleeueth not in the sonne the anger of God remaineth vpon him because as a constant faith is a signe of election so obstinate infidelitie is a token of reprobation FINIS Bradfords answer to Careles Careles I Am troubled with feare that my sinnes are not pardoned Bradford They are for God hath giuen thee a penitent and beleeuing heart that is an heart which desireth to repent and beleeue For such an one is taken of him he accepting the will for the deede for a penitent and beleeuing heart indeede Trin-vni Deo gloria A DIRECTION FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TONGVE according to Gods word Printed by Iohn Legate Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. To the reader CHristian Reader lamentable and feâ—â—efull is the abuse of the tongue among all sortes degrees of men euerâ— where Hence daily arise manifold sinnes against God and â—nnuâ—erable scandals and grieuances to our brethren It would make a mans heart to bleede to heare and consider howe Swearing Blaspheming Cursed speaking Raâ—ling Backbiting Slandering Chiding Quarrelling CoÌ„tending Iesting Mocking Flattering Lying Dissembling Vaine and idle talking ouerflow in all placeâ— so as men which feare God had better bee any where then in the companie of most men Well thou art thou a man which hast made little conscience of thy speech and talke repent seriously of this sinne and amend thy life least for the abusing of thy tongue thou crie with Diues in hell Send
of the old and new Testament Reason I. He which is the Lord of conscience by his word and lawes binds conscience but God is the onely Lord of conscience because he once created it and he alone gouernes it and none but he knowes it therefore his word and lawes onely binde conscience properly II. He which hath power to saue or destroy the soule for the keeping or breaking of his lawes hath absolute power to bind the soule and conscience by the same lawes but the first is true of God alone Iam. 3. 12. There is one Lawgiuer which is able to saue and destroy Esa. 33.22 The Lord is our iudge the Lord is our lawgiuer the Lord is our King and he will saue vs. Therefore the word of God alone by an absolute and soueraigne power binds conscience Because this point is cleare of it selfe further proofe is needlesse Hence we are taught sundrie points of instruction I. Such as are ignorant among vs must labour to get knowledge of Gods word because it binds conscience Neither will the plea of ignorance serue for excuse because whether we know Gods lawes or know them not they stil bind vs And we are bound not onely to doe them but when we know them not we are further bound not to be ignorant of them but to seeke to know them If we had no more sinnes our ignorance were sufficient to condemne vs. II. Gods word is to be obeyed though we should offend all men yea loose all mens fauour and suffer the greatest domage that may be euen the losse of our liues And the reason is at hand because Gods word hath this prerogatiue to bridle binde and restraine the conscience III. Whatsoeuer we enterprise or take in hand we must first search whether God giue vs libertie in conscience and warrant to doe it For if we doe otherwise conscience is bound presently to charge vs of sinne before God Lastly we doe here see how daungerous the case is of all Time-seruers that will liue as they list and be of no certen religion till differences and dissentions therein be ended and they haue the determination of a generall Councill for whether these things compasse or no certen it is that they are bound in conscience to receiue and beleeue the auncient Propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine touching the true worship of God and the way to life euerlasting which is the true religion The same is to be said of all drowsie Protestants and luke-warme gospellers that vse religion not with that care and conscience they ought but onely then and so farre forth as it serues for their turnes commonly neglecting or despising the assemblies where the word is preached and seldome frequenting the Lords table vnlesse it be at Easter Like silly wretches they neither see nor feele the constraining power that Gods word hath in their consciences Gods word is either Law or Gospell The Law is a part of Gods word of things to be done or to be left vndone And it is threefolde Morall Iudiciall Ceremoniall Morall lawe concernes duties of loue partly to God and partly towards our neighbour it is contained in the Decalogue or ten commandements and it is the very law of nature written in all mens hearts for substance though not for the manner of propounding in the creation of man and therefore it bindes the consciences of all men at all times euen of blind and ignorant persons that neither knowe the most of it nor care to knowe it Yet here must be remembred three exceptions or cautions I. When two commandements of the morall law are opposite in respect of vs so as we cannot doe them both at the same time then the lesser commandement giues place to the greater and doth not binde or constraine for that instant Example I. God commaunds one thing and the magistrate commands the flat contrarie in this case which of these two commandements is to be obeyed Honour God or Honour the Magistrate the answer is that the latter must giue place to the former and the former alone in this case must be obeyed Act. 4.19 Whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then God iudge ye II. The fourth commandement prescribes rest on the Sabbath day now it falls out that at the same time a whole towne is set on fire and the sixt commandement requires our help in sauing our neighbours life and goods Nowe of these two commandements which must be obeied for both cannot The answer is that the fourth commandement at this time is to giue place and the sixt commandement alone bindes the conscience so as then if neede should require a man might labour all the day without offence to God Math. 9.13 I will haue mercie and not sacrifice And the rule must not be omitted That charitie towards our neighbour is subordinate to the Loue of God and therefore must giue place to it For this cause the commandement concerning charitie must giue place to the cōmandement concerning loue to God and when the case so falls out that wee must either offend our neighbour or God we must rather offend our neighbour then God II. Caution When God giues some particular commandement to his people therein dispensing with some other commandement of the moral law for that time it bindes not For euen the morall commandements must be cōceiued with this condition Except God command otherwise Example I. The sixt commandement is Thou shalt not kill but God giues a particular commandement to Abraham Abraham offer thy sonne Isaac in sacrifice to me And this latter commandement at that instant did binde Abraham and he is therefore commended for his obedience to it II. And when God commanded the children of Israel to compasse Ierico seuen daies and therefore on the Sabbath the fourth commaundement prescribing the sanctifying of rest on the Sabbath for that instant and in that action did not bind conscience III. Caution One and the same commandement in some things binds the conscience more straitly and in doing some other things lesse Gal. 6.10 Doe good to all men but specially to them which are of the houshold of faith Hence it ariseth that though all sinnes be mortall and deserue eternal death yet all are not equall but some more grieuous then others Iudiciall lawes of Moses are all such as prescribe order for the executiō of iustice and iudgement in the common wealth They were specially giuen by God and directed to the Iewes who for this very cause were bound in conscience to keepe them all and if the common wealth of the Iewes were nowe standing in the old estate no doubt they should cōtinue stil to bind as before But touching other nations and specially Christian common wealths in these daies the case is otherwise Some are of opinion that the whole iudiciall lawe is wholly abolished and some againe runne to the other extreame holding that iudiciall lawes bind Christians as straightly as Iewes but no
whole man whereby all the powers and faculties of the whole man are forth of order Esa. 57.20 The wicked are like the raging of the sea that cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dirt Thus much of the two first actions of conscience which are to accuse and condemne the second followeth to excuse and absolue To excuse is an action of the conscience giuing iudgement that the thing is well done To absolue is an action of the conscience giuing iudgement that a man is free and cleare from fault and so from punishment From these two actions arise some speciall affections I. boldnes and confidence Prou. 28.1 The righteous are bold as a lyon II. Ioy and reioycing 2. Cor. 1. 12. Our reioycing is the testimonie of my conscience that in all simplicitie and godly purenes I haue had my conuersation in the world Hence it is said that a good conscience is a continuall feast Hitherto I haue spoken how conscience giues iudgement of things done and past now followeth hir iudgement of things to be done Conscience giues iudgement of things to come by foretelling and as it were saying inwardly in the heart that the thing may be well done Of this kind of iudgement euery man may haue experience in himselfe when he is about to enterprise any busines either good or bad By this we may see the goodnes of God to all men If a man beeing to make an vnknowne iourney should finde one that would goe with him and shew him the way and all the turnings thereof he could not but take it for a point of curtesie Well we are pilgrimes in this world our life is our iourney God also hath appointed our conscience to be our companion and guide to shew vs what course we may take and what we may not And here it must be noted that in all things to be done conscience is of great force and beares a great stroke For this is the beginning of a good worke that the conscience first of all giue her iudgement truly that the thing may be done and is acceptable to God Rom. 14.23 Whatsoeuer is not of faith that is whatsoeuer is not done of a setled perswasion in iudgement conscience out of Gods word howsoeuer men iudge of it is sinne Againe God regards not the outward pompe of the action of the doer but obedience and especially the obedience of the heart therfore vnles the coÌ„science first of all approoue the thing to be good and agreeable to Gods will it can be nothing els but a sinne And he that shall doe a thing because it is good in his owne eyes not knowing that God doth allowe of it preferres himselfe before God disobeies as the seruant that in his masters house will not doe his masters will but his owne will From this former rule arise three other the first whatsoeuer is done with a doubting conscience is a sinne For example some beleeuers in the Primitiue Church held that still after the ascension of Christ there remained a differeÌ„ce betweene meate and meate and therefore it was a scruple to them to eate of sundrie kind of meates now put the case that by example they are drawne on to eate swines flesh or some other thing which they thinke is forbidden this done there is no question but they haue sinned as Paul prooueth Rom. 14. 14. I knowe and am perswaded through the Lord Iesus that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe but vnto him tâ—at iudgeth any thing vncleane it is vncleane and v. 23. He that doubteth is condemned if he eate because he eateth not of faith The second whatsoeuer thing is done in or with an erronious conscience it is a sinne For example in the Primitiue Church diuers of the gentiles held this errour that fornication was a thing indifferent and therefore conscience tolde them that they might doe it and yet neuerthelesse fornication in them was a sinne because conscience erred in her iudgement And euill remaines euill though conscience say the contrarie a thousand times The third what is done against conscience though it erre and bee deceiued it is sin in the doer Example An Anabaptist holding it vtterly vnlawful to sweare is brought before a magistrate and vrged either through feare or some like cause takes an oath and that against his owne conscience nowe the question is whether he hath sinned or no Ans. Hee hath indeede sinned not so much because hee hath taken an oath for that is the ordinance of God but because hee hath taken an oath in a bad manner that is against his conscience therfore not in faith Thus it is manifest that conscience beares a great stroke in all things that are to be said or done And hereby we are aduertised of many things First if a thing done without good direction of conscience bee a sinne then much more that which is done without good direction of Gods word is a flat sinne for without direction of Gods word conscience can giue no good direction And if God will hold that for a sinne which is done without direction of his word then no doubt Gods word ministers sufficient direction for all actions whatsoeuer so as if a man be but to receiue a morsel of bread into his mouth it can so farre forth direct him that in doing of it hee shall be able to please God If this were not true maÌ„s case were most miserable For then we should sinne in manifold actions and that without remedie And hereby the Word I meane nothing but the Scriptures of the olde and newe testament which containe in themselues sufficient direction for all actions As for the lawe of nature though it affoard indeede some direction yet is it corrupt imperfect vncerten whatsoeuer is right and good therein is contained in the written word of god And as for the best vnwritten traditions let all the Papists in the world answer if they can howe I may in conscience be perswaded that they are the word of God If they say that the auncient fathers of the Primitiue Church auouch in their writings that they are Apostolicall traditions I aunswer againe howe shall I knowe and be certaine in conscience that the fathers subiect to errour in saying so haue not erred Againe we learne hence that a good intention is not sufficient to make a good work vnles withall conscience giue iudgement that God doth approue the action This shewes the ignorance of our people that when as in their dealings they runne vpon a good meaning then alwaies they thinke they do well and please God Thirdly hence it appeares that all things deuised by man for the worship of God are flat sinnes because conscience cannot say of them that they please God Esay 29.13 Mar. 7.7 Lastly we learne here that ignorance of Gods will and word is a dangerous thing and makes the life of man to abound yea to flowe with a sea of offences against God Men commonly thinke that if
they keepe themselues froÌ„ periurie blasphemie murder theft whoredome all is well with them but the trueth is that so long as they liue in ignorance they want right and true direction of conscience out of Gods worde and therefore their best actions are sinnes euen their eating and drinking their sleeping and waking their buying and selling their speech and silence yea their praying and seruing of god For they do these actions either of custome or example or necessitie as beasts doe and not of faith because they know not Gods will touching things to be done or left vndone The consideration of this point should make euery man most carefull to seeke for knowledge of Gods word and daily to increase in it that hee may in all his affaires haue Gods lawes to bee the men of his counsell Psal. 116. 24. that hee may giue heede to them as to the light shining in a darke place 2. Pet. 1.19 that he may say with Peter when Christ commanded him to launch forth into the deepe and to cast forth his nette Lord we haue bin all night and haue catched nothing yet in thy word will I let downe my nette Luk. 5.5 CHAP. III. Of the kindes of conscience and of conscience regenerate COnscience is either good or badde Good conscience is that which rightly according to Gods word excuseth and comforteth For the excellency goodnesse and dignitie of conscience standes not in accusing but in excusing And by doing any sinne whatsoeuer to giue an occasion to the conscience to accuse and condemne is to wound it and to offend it Thus Paul saith that the Corinthians wounded the consciences of their weake breathren when they vsed their libertie as an occasion of offence to them 1. Cor. 8,9 12. Againe hee calleth a good conscience a conscience without offence that is which hath no stop or impedimeÌ„t to hinder it from excusing Act. 24. 19. Good conscience is either good by creation or regeneration Good by creation was the conscience of Adam which in the estate of innocency did onely excuse and could not accuse him for any thing though it may be an aptnes to accuse was not wanting if afterward an occasion should be offered And hence we haue further direction to consider what a good coÌ„science is namely such an one as by the order set downe in the creation excuseth onely without accusing Yea to accuse is a defect in true conscieÌ„ce following after the first creation For naturally there is an agreement and harmonie betweene the parts and the whole but if the conscience should naturally accuse there should be a dissent and disagreement and diuision between the conscience and the man himselfe Regenerate conscience is that which beeing corrupt by nature is renewed and purged by faith in the blood of Christ. For to the regenerating of the coÌ„science there is required a conuersion or change because by nature all mens consciences since the fall are euill and none are good but by grace The instrument seruing to make this change is faith Act. 15.19 Faith purifieth the heart The meritorious cause is the blood of Christ. Heb. 9.14 Howe much more shall the blood of Christ c. purge your conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God The propertie of regenerate conscience is twofold Christian libertie and Certentie of saluation Because both these haue their place not in the outward man but in the spirit and conscience Christian libertie is a spirituall and holy freedome purchased by Christ. I say it is spirituall first to put a difference betweene it and ciuill libertie which standes in outward and bodily freedomes and priuiledges secondly to confute the Iewes that looke for earthly libertie by Christ and the Anabaptists who imagine a freedome from all authoritie of Magistrates in the kingdome of Christ. Againe I say it is an holy freedome to confute the Libertines who thinke that by the death of Christ they haue libertie to liue as they list Lastly I say it is purchased by Christ to shewe the authoritie thereof Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made you free And to confute the Papists whose doctrine in effect is thus much that this libertie is procured indeede by Christ but is continued partly by Christ and partly by the man himselfe Christian libertie hath three parts The first is a freedome from the iustification of the morall law For he that is a member of Christ is not bound in conscience to bring the perfect righteousnes of the lawe in his owne person for his iustification before God Gal. 5. 1. with v. 3. Hence it followeth that he that is a Christian is likewise freed from the curse and condemnation of the law Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to theÌ„ that are in Christ. Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the lawe when he was made a curse for vs. By this first part of Christian libertie it appeares that there cannot be any iustification of a sinner by works of grace before God For he that wil be iustified but by one worke is debter to the whole lawe Gal. 3.3 but no man that is a member of Christ is debter to the whole law for his libertie is to be free in that point therefore no man is iustified so much as by one worke of his own The second part is freedome from the rigour of the lawe which exacteth perfect obedience and condemneth all imperfection Rom. 6. 14. Sinne hath no more dominioÌ„ ouer you for ye are not vnder the law but vnder grace 1. Ioh. 5.3 This is the loue of God that ye keepe his commandements and his commandements are not grieuous Hence it followeth that God will accept of our imperfect obedience if it be sincere yea he accepts the will desire and indeauour to obey for obedieÌ„ce it selfe Malach. 3.17 And I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him The third part is that the conscieÌ„ce is freed from the bond of the ceremoniall law Gal. 3.25 But after that faith is come wee are no more vnder a schoolemaster Eph. 2. 15. And hath broken the stoppe of the partition wall in abrogating through his flesh the lawe of commandements which standeth in ordinances Coloss. 2.14 And hath put out the hand writing of ordinances which was against vs. v. 26. Let no man therefore condemne you in meat and drinke or in respect of any holy day or of the newe moone c. Hence it followeth that all Christians may freely without scruple of conscience vse all things indifferent so be it the manner of vsing them be good And first when I say thâ—t all may vse them I vnderstand a two-folde vse naturall or spirituall The naturall vse is either to releeue our necessities or for honest delite Thus the Psalmist saith that God giues not onely bread to strengthen the heart of man but also wine to make glad the heart and oyle to make the face to
liue here we are in the fight and as long as we are in the fight we haue no certaine victorie V. Some places speaks of the vncertentie of other mens saluation which we grant The author of the booke de vocat Gent. 1. clast saith We can pronounce of no man before his ende that he shall be in the glorie of the elect August lib. de perseuer cap. 13. Men are not with any certaine asseueration to auouch that others belong to this calling VI. Some speake of that certaintie which comes by reuelation without the word Greg. lib. 6. epist. 22. to Gregoria Whereas you adde in your epistles that you will be earnest with me till I write that it hath beene made known vnto me that your sinnes are forgiuen you haue required a hard and vnprofitable thing Hard because I am vnworthie to whome a releuation should be made Vnprofitable because you must not be made sure touching your sinnes vnlesse it bee in the last day of your life for then you should not be able to bewaile the same sinnes VII Some places denie vnto man that certentie which is proper to God which is to discerne in himselfe all things to come plainely as they shall come to passe without helpe of testimonie and outward signes Bernard â—erm 1. de Septuages Who can say I am of the Elect I am of the predestinate to life certenly we haue none as yet but the affiance of our hope comforteth vs. Conferre these words with those that follow For this cause certaine signes and manifest tokens of saluation are giuen that it may bee a thing out of doubt that hee is in the number of the elect in whome these signes are Thus I haue in some part made manifest that an vnfallible certentie of pardon of sinne and life euerlasting is the propertie of euery renued conscience Now therefore I will proceede further to consider howe this certentie is caused and imprinted in the conscience The principall agent and beginner thereof is the holy Ghost inlightning the mind and conscience with spiritual and diuine light and the instrument in this action is the ministerie of the Gospel whereby the word of life is applied in the name of God to the person of euery hearer And this certaintie is by little and little conceiued in a forme of reasoning or practicall syllogisme framed in the mind by the holy Ghost on this manner Euery one that beleeues is the child of God But I doe beleeue Therefore I am the child of God The proposition is made by the minister of the word in the publike congregation and it is nothing else but the promise of eternall life applied to the particular hearers The second part or the assumption is the voice of conscience regenerate or the voice of Gods spirit in the same Nowe Papists write and auouch that the assumption is false but the reasons which they vse to prooue the same are of small moment First they alleadge that many are deceiued in their perswasions thinking they haue that which they haue not I answer againe that many doe falsly presume of Gods mercie and imagine they haue that faith which they haue not and in all such the assumption is false yet in all them that are chosen to saluation and truely called it is vnfallibly true For such as haue receiued the gift of true faith haue also another gift of discerning whereby they see and knowe their own faith It is further obiected that Ieremie saith 17.9 The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who caÌ„ know it But the intent of this place is only to shew that no man can search his heart to the very bottome to see all and euery want infirmitie and wicked inclination that is therein For originall sin wherewith the heart of man is tainted is a pronnes or dispositioÌ„ to all the sinnes that are or may be And though men can not discerne all their sinnes yet many of them are certenly knownâ—â— why may not then many of the graces of God be certenly knowne especially those which be of the principall as faith sanctification repentance Againe it is alleadged that Peter beleeued that hee was able to lay downe his life for Christs sake and yet indeede was not as the euent declared for when the time came he denied Christ. Ans. Peter at that time was but weake in faith and hee was much carried away with a confidence of his owne strength which made him speake those wordes of presumption and though he failed in this one particular action yet failed he not in the principall that is in the perswasion of the pardon of his owne sinnes and of life euerlasting In a word it is certaine that many perswade themselues of Gods mercie and yet are deceiued neuerthelesse all such as doe truely beleeue are not deceiued The holy Ghost making them to see that in themâ—elues which by nature they cannot discerne as Paul signified when hee said I speake the trueth I lie not my conscience bearing me witnes by the holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 Againe the same testimonie is giuen otherwise thus Euery child of God hath the pardon of his sinnes saith Gods word But I am Gods child and therefore haue the pardon of my sinnes saith the renued conscience by the direction of Gods spirit Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 After that this testimony is once begun it is confirmed by the same means as also by praier and the Sacraments But it may be demanded howe a bodily element as bread wine water should be able to confirme a perswasion of our adoption that is in the conscience Answ. The element in the sacrament is an outward seale or instrument to confirme faith not as a medicine restores and confirmes health whether we thinke on it or not whether we sleepe or wake and that by his owne inherent vertue but by reasoning in a syllogisme made by the good conscience that medium thereof beeing the outward signe in the Sacrament By meanes of which syllogisme the holy Ghost mooues and stirres the minde yea cherisheth and increaseth faith on this manner He which vseth the elements aright shall receiue the promises But I doe or I haue vsed the elements aright Therefore I shall receiue the promises Whereas presumption and the illusion of Satan vse as wel to tel a man that he is the child of God as the true testimonie of regenerate conscience the way to put difference between them is this I. Presumption is natural and from the very wombe but this testimonie of conscience is supernaturall II. Presumption is in them that make no account of the ordinarie meanes of saluation This testimonie comes by the reuerent and carefull hearing of Gods worde III. Presumption is in them that vse not to call on the name of God but this testimonie of conscience is ioyned with the spirit of adoption which is the spirit of praier IV. Presumption is ioyned with loosenes of life this testimonie brings with it alwaies an happy change
be resolued of Gods special prouidence towards vs in euery case condition of life when we haue so well profited in the schoole of Christ that we can see and acknowledge Gods prouidence goodnes as well in sicknes as in health in pouertie as in wealth in hunger as in fulnes in life as in death we shall be very well content whatsoeuer any way befalls vnto vs. The preseruatiues of good conscience are two the first is to preserue and cherish that sauing faith whereby we are perswaded of our reconciliatioÌ„ with God in Christ for this is the roote of good conscience as hath beene shewed Nowe this faith is cherished and confirmed by the daiely exercises of inuocation and repentance which be to humble our selues to bewaile and confesse our sinnes to God to condemne our selues for them to pray for pardon and strength against sinne to praise God and giue him thankes for his daily benefits And by the vnâ—ained and serious practise of these duties repentance and faith are daiely renewed and confirmed The second preseruatiue is the maintaining of the righteousnes of a good conscience which righteousnesse as I haue said is nothing els but a constant indeauour and desire to obey the wil of god in all things That this righteousnes may be kept to the end we must practise three rules The first is that we are to carry in our hearts a purpose neuer to sinne against God in any thing for where a purpose is of committing any sin wittingly and willingly there is neither good faith nor good conscience The second is to walke with God as Enoch did Gen. 5.24 which is to order the whole course of our liues as in the presence of God desiring to approoue all our doings euer vnto him Now this perswasion that wheresoeuer we are we doe stand in the presence of God is a notable meanes to maintaine sinceritie Ge. 17.1 I am god al-sufficient walke before me be perfect And the waÌ„t of this is the occasion of many offences as Abraham said Because I thought surely the feare of God is not in this place they will slay me for my wiues sake Gen. 20. 11. The third rule is carefully to walk in our particular callings doing the duties thereof to the glorie of God to the good of the common wealth and the edification of the Church auoiding therein fraud couetousnesse and ambition which cause men oftentimes to set their consciences on the tenters and make them stretch like cheuerill Thus we see how good conscience may be preserued Reasons to induce hereunto are many I. Gods straight commandement 1. Tim. 1.19 Keep faith and good conscience And Prou. 4.23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence II. The good conscience is the most tender part of the soule like to the apple of the eie which beeing pierced by the least pinne that may bee is not onely blemished but also looseth his sight Therefore as God doth to the eie so must wee deale with the conscience God giues to the eie certaine lids of flesh to defend and couer it from outward iniuries and so must we vse meanes to auoid whatsoeuer may offend or annoy conscience III Manifolde benefits redounde vnto vs by keeping good conscience First so long as we haue care to keepe it we keepe inioy all other gifts of Gods spirit Good conscience the rest of Gods graces are as a paire of turtle doues when the one seedes the other feedeth when the one likes not the other likes not when the one dies the other dies so where good conscience is maintained there are many other excellent gifts of God Hourishing and where conscience decaies they also decaie Againe good conscience giues alacritie vnto vs and boldnesse in calling on Gods name 1. Iohn 3.21 If our heart condemne vs not we haue boldnesse towards God Thirdly it makes vs patient in affliction comforts vs greatly when by reason of the grieuousnesse of our afflâ—ction wee are constrained to kneele on both knees and take vp our crosse regenerate conscience as a sweet companion or like a good Simon laies too his shoulder and helpes to beare one end of it Lastly when none can comfort vs it will be an amiable comforter a friend speaking sweetly vnto vs in the very agony and pang of death IV. Not to preserue the conscience without spot is the way to desperation It is the pollicy of the deuil to vse meanes to cast the conscience into the sleep of securitie that he may the more easily bring maÌ„ to his own destruction For as diseases if they be long neglected become incurable so the conscience much and often wounded admits little or no comfort Neither will it alwaies boote a man after many yeares to say at the last cast Lord be mercifull to me I haue sinned Though some be receiued to mercie in the time of death yet far more perish in desperation that liue in their sinnes wittingly and willingly against their owne conscience Pharao Saul and Iudas cried all peccaui I haue sinned against god yet Pharao is hardned more and more and perisheth Saul goeth on in his sinnes and despaireth Iudas made away himselfe And no maruel for the multitude of sinnes oppresse the conscience and make the heart to ouerflowe with such a measure of griefe that it can fasten no affiance in the mercie of God Lastly they that shall neglect to keepe good conscience procure many hurts and daungers and iudgements of God to themselues When a ship is on the sea if it bee not well gouerned or if there bee a breach made into it it drawes water and sinkes and so both men and wares and all in likelihood are cast away Nowe wee all are as passengers the world is an huge sea through which we must passe our ship is the conscience of euery man 1. Tim. 1.19 3.12 the wares are our religion and saluation all other gifts of God Therfore it standes vs in hand to be alwaies at the helme and to carrie our ship with as euen a course as possibly we can to the intended port of happines which is the saluation of our soules But if so be it we grow carelesse and make breaches in the ship of conscience by suffering it to dash vpon the rocks of sinne it is a thousand to one that we in the end shall cast away our selues and all wee haue And in the mean season as conscience decaies so proportionally all graces and goodnesse goes from vs Gods commandements begin to be vile vnto vs the knowledge thereof as also faith hope and the inuocation of Gods name decay Experience sheweth that men of excellent gifts by vsing badde conscience loose them all Finis A Reformed Catholike OR A DECLARATION SHEWing how neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of Religion and wherein we must for euer depart from them with an Aduertisment to all fauourers of the Romane Religion shewing how the
them But the first is euidently true Ergo For first the minde must approoue and giue assent before the will can choose or wil and when the mind hath not power to conceiue or giue assent there the will hath no power to will Reason III. Thirdly the holy Ghost auoucheth Eph. ◠1 Coloss. 2. 13. that all men by nature are dead in sinnes and trespasses not as the Papists say weake sicke or halfe dead Hence I gather that man wanteth naturall power not to will simply but freely and frankly to will that which is truly good A dead man in his graue can not stirre the least finger because he wants the very power of life sense motion no more can he that is dead in sinne will the least good nay if he could either wil or do any good he could not be dead in sinne And as a dead man in the graue cannot rise but by the power of god no more can he that is dead in sinne rise but by the power of Gods grace alone without any power of his owne Reason IV. Fourthly in the conuersion and saluation of a sinner the scripture ascribeth all to God and nothing to mans freewill Ioh. 3.3 Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God Eph. 2. 10. We are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus to good workes And c. 4. v. 24. the new man is created to the image of God Now to be borne againe is a worke of no lesse importance then our first creation and therefore wholly to be ascribed to God as our creation is Indeede Paul Philip. 2. 12 13 biddeth the Philippians worke out their saluation with feare and trembling not meaning to ascribe vnto them a power of doing good by themselues And therefore in the next verse he addeth It is God that worketh both the will and the deede directly excluding all naturall free-will in things spirituall and yet withall he acknowledgeth that mans will hath a worke in doing that which is good not by nature but by grace Because when God giues man power to will good things then he can will them and when he giueth him a power to doe good then he can doe good and he doth it For though there be not in mans conuersion a naturall cooperation of his will with Gods spirit yet is there a supernaturall cooperation by grace enabling man when he is to be conuerted to will his conuersion according to which S. Paul saith 1. Cor. 15.10 I haue laboured in the faith but least any man should imagine that this was done by any naturall power therefore he addeth yet not I that is not by any thing in me but Gods grace in me inabling my will to doe the good I doe Reason V. The iudgement of the auncient Church August The will of the regenerate is kindled onely by the holy Ghost that they may therefore be able because they will thus and they will thus because God works in them to will And We haue lost our freewill to loue God by the greatnes of our sinne Serm. 2. on the words of the Apostle Man when he was created receiued great strength in his freewill◠but by sinning he lost it Fulgentius God giueth grace freely to the vnworthie whereby the wicked man beeing iustified is enlightened with the gift of good will and with a facultie of doing good that by mercie prruenting him he may beginne to will well and by mercie comming after he may doe the good he will Bernard saith It is wholly the grace of God that we are created healed saued Coūcil Arausic 2. cap. 6. To beleeue and to will is giuen from aboue by infusion and inspiration of the holy Ghost More testimonies and reasons might be alleadged to prooue this conclusion but these shall suffice now let vs see what reasons are alleadged to the contrarie III. Obiections of Papists Obiect I. First they alleadge that man by nature may doe that which is good and therefore will that which is good for none can doe that which he neither willeth nor thinketh to doe but first we must will and then doe Now say they men can doe good by nature as giue almes speake the truth doe iustice and practise other duties of ciuill vertue and therefore will that which is good I answer that a naturall man may doe good workes for the substance of the outward worke but not in regard of the goodnes of the manner these are two diuers things A man without supernatural grace may giue almes doe iustice speake the truth c. which be good things considered in themselues as God hath commanded them but he cannot do them well To thinke good things to doe good things are naturall workes but to thinke good things in a good maner and to do them well so as God may accept the action done are workes of grace And therefore the good thing done by a naturall man is a sinne in respect of the doer because it failes both for his right beginning which is a pure heart good conscience and faith vnfained as also for his ende which is the glorie of God Obiect II. God hath commanded all men to beleeue and repent therefore they haue naturall freewill by vertue whereof beeing helped by the spirit of God they can beleeue and repent Ans. The reason is not good for by such commandements God sheweth not what men are able to doe but what they should doe and what they cannot doe Againe the reason is not well framed it ought rather to be thus Because God giues men commandement to repent and beleeue therefore they haue power to repent and beleeue either by nature or by grace and then we hold with them For when God in the Gospell commandeth men to repent and to beleeue at the same time by his grace hee inableth them both to will or desire to beleeue and repent as also actually to repent and beleeue Obiect III. If man haue no freewill to sinne or not to sinne then no man is to be punished for his sinnes because he sinneth by a necessitie not to be auoided Ans. The reason is not good for though man cannot but sinne yet is the fault in himselfe and therefore he is to be punished as a bankrupt is not therfore freed from his debts because he is not able to pay them but the bills against him stand in force because the debt comes through his own default The second point of Originall sinne The next point to be handled is concerning Originall sinne after baptisme that is how farreforth it remaineth after baptisme A point to be wel considered because hereupon depend many points of popery I. Our Consent I. Conclus They say naturall corruption after baptisme is abolished and so say we but let vs see how far it is abolished In originall sinne are three things I. the punishment which is the first and second death II. Guiltines which is the binding vp of the creature vnto punishment
iudgement §3 Of the Binding of the conscience §4 Of the moral law binding a The morall law i. vnchangeable in respect of that eternall iustice which it prescribeth yet it is changeable as it is applied to some particular actions and cases and in that respect it admits a dispensation and no otherwise b 1. Com. c 5. Com. §5 Of Iudicialls binding a Iuris particularis b Iuris communis a Eurip. in Hecuba Theodos. Arcad l. 3. c. de Episâ— audien Gen. â—4 28. Ier. 29. 23. Inst. ss Item lex Iulian. publ iudic â—â— Of the ceremoniall lâ—w binâ—ing August epist 19. ad Hier. ‖ 7. Of the gospel binding Psal. 147.8 Ioh. 15.20 Aug. tract 89. in Ioh. a Tho. 22. q. 10. art 1. a 1. Ioh. 3.8 Lumb lib. 3. dist 23. §8 Of humane lawes binding a Imperia b princely commandements Ier. 26.11 15. Lib. de vita Spirit sect 4 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 18 b 〈◊〉 Ioh. 1. Cor. 8.9 Apol. c. 9. l. de pudicitia Contra. Cels. lib. 8. Epist. 154. ad Publicolam Eus. l. 5.26 Sozom. l. 7. cap. 19. Hier. epist 118. ad Luc. Serm. de Temp. 62. Epist â— 6â— Chrys. on Math. hom 47. Hieron ad Marcel de â—ror Moâ— Sess. 24. can 3. a Facere aliquid praeter legem non contratameÌ„ §9 Of an oath binding a Thus saith August epist. 154. ad Publicolam Lumb sent l. 3. dist 93. Tho. 2.2 q. 89. a P. Mart. class 2. loc 13. n. 21. Melanct. in Eâ—h quaest de iuram b Calv. vpon Psal. 15. a Qui sui iuris nâ— est obligare se non potest b Bellar. lib. 2. de Mon. cap. 36. Conci Gang. cap. 16. Serm. 30. de verbis Apost § 10. Of a vowe binding a the darknesse of Egypt Well insoâ—â—ed a Erronious consâ—ience bin â—eth so far forth that if a mâ—n iudge a thing to be euill though falsely and yet afterward doe it he hath sinned dishonoured God as maâ—h as in him lieth a In respect of that excellent â—â—l â—â—e in which man was created §1 Of Christian libertie a TripudiuÌ„ est circulus cuius centruÌ„ Diabolus a Pag. 571. §2 Of certentie of saluation Bernard epist 107. a marke it well Aug. tract 50. on Ioh. Aug. de verbis dom ser. 7. Ambr. on 1. Cor. 1. Hesich on Levit. Bernard ser. 1. de Annunc Mariae a Thus Hierome vnderstands the chapter Bern. serm de octau passae Hierome on this place a Aug. lib. de Trin. 13. c. 1. b Epist. 112. c Lib. 8. de Trin. c. 8. a Read Bernard serm de Annunc a Marke it well a Reason §3 Of the duties of regenerate conscience Ex. 23.29 §4 Of euill conscience Luk. 5.8 Dead conscience Conscience beâ—ummed â—eared consciâ—â—ce Stirring conscience a Moraliter bona sed in non renatis mala b Splendida peccata §1 Mans first dutie to get good conscience Good conscience a fruit of faith §2 Mens second dutie to keâ—pe gâ—â—◠〈◊〉 a Consc. bonae non stat cum proposito peccandi Epist. 17. Eusto Paulae ad Marcel Ser. in Cant. 33. Epist. 125. C. in nomine dist 23. referente Iâ—ello 2. Thess. 2. de grat l. arbitr 1. a Posse velle actu velle recipere a August de corrept grat c. 12. b Epist. 105. c Fulg. lib. Praed d Bernard l. de libro arbitrio a Aug. contr â—ul l. 5. c. 3. a ad Valer. I. 1. c. 24. b Lib. 2. cont Iul. c Tract 24. in Ioh. c quoad imputationem d quoaâ— existentiam Bellar. l. 3. p. 1. 129. cl Gal. 3.14 Mar. 11.24 1. Ioh. 5. 14. Ioh. 6.63 a de verbis Dei ser. 28. b Tract 5. in epist. Ioh. a Bellarm. de iustif lib. 2. cap. 7. a Iren. lib. 5. cap. 17. Chrysost. homil ad Neoph a namely for himselfe b As any one starre partakes in the whole light of the â—un with the rest of the starres so far forth as the saide light makes it to shine a we haue posse velle he had no more but posse si vellet and he wanted velle quod posset August de corrept gra cap. 11. a de verb. dei serm 7. b Sâ—rm 1. dâ— Annunc c Serm. de Natal a Particula non causalissed illatiua vel rationalis a de verbis domâ— ser. 4â— b supra Can. serm 22. Lib. dâ— grat lib. â—rbit a De interpellatione David 4. vel ps 72. Super. lib. 3. dist 19. concl 5. Heb. 7.24 a Serm. 37. de veâ—bis Apost Luc. 22. Petri negat De bono mor. a de resur rect carnis Aug. de doct Christ. l. 1. 2. a adminicula cultus divini Zozom l. 1. cap. 13. a Epiph. bar 78. August de mon. Eccl. l. 2. c. 31. de opere Monach c. 17. a So saith Romane Cateâ—h oâ—â— Command a de Idol c. 3. b Etym. l. 8. c in Isa. 37. d contr Ceâ—s lib. 7. e Epist. ad Iob. Hierus a Summ. part 3. quest 25. art 3. ad Simpliâ— lib. 2. q. 3. Tract 1. in Ioh. Li. 9. in Ioh. c. 21. Contr. Eutich l. 1. 4 Lib. 2. ad Thrasi mundum cap. de categor quant De Symb. ad Catech. l. 1. c. 1. Dialog 1. immutab same dialog Lib. de duab nat Christ. Li. 4. dist 11. a Hesych lib. 2. c. 8. in Leuiticum Theodoret. dialog 2. Euang. l. 4. Niceph. l. 17 c. 25. Amâ—la 2. l. de off eccles c. 12. 15. Li. de expos Liturg. c. 26. Ioh. de Combis comp Theolog. lib. 6. cap. 14. Serm. de Ascens 1. Serm. 14. fer pascae Concil Matiscon 2. c. 4. Epist. 122. Lib. 2. quaest vet Nou. Test. Ad Rom. Lib. 2. de Virg. Ad Damas. Tolet. Concil 12. c. 5. Milevet cap. 12. Concil Tol. 4. c. 12. c. Iacob de coÌ„secr dip 1. Lib. de corpor sang dom cap. 9. Deut. 16.2 Dialog cum Triph. Ad Scapulam Lib. 4. c. 35. Epist. 86. Contra Psychicos Hist. l. 5 c. 17. Mola tract 3. c. 11. a Navar. c. 21. Num. 27. Iud. 20.26 2. Sam. 1.12 Act. 10.6 1. Tim. 4. Trip. hist. â— 9. cap. 38. Hist. trip l. 1. c. 10. Tract 3. c. 11. conc 8. Mark 7.6 Mat. 12.41 Phil. 3.13 15. Chr. 15.17 16.12 chap. 11. Prolog in Ioh. Reu. 6.9 de vera relig c. 53. heres 79. Lib. 3. contr Parmen c. 3 Tract in Ioh. 22. De perfectu Evang. chap. 8.4 Lib. 4. dist 4.5 p. 6 on the second Command q. 149. supeâ— Exod. Epitom phil moral de grad delict Iust. lib. 3. c. 2.9.5 a Mol. tract 3. c. 27. conclus 15. b Bonnav Durand c Bannes 2. q. 2. art 7. ascribes this opinion to Gul. Paâ—isiensis and to Altisiodoransis Rhem. Test. on 1. Cor. 14. Mol. tract 5. c. 30. conclus 12. Contra affer Luc. art 8. in Levit. l. 9. apud Cyril de Act. Foelic c. 21. Homil. 50. tom
good ordering of particular both things and actions as person place and time require These two haue these effects which follow I. To discerne betweene good and euill Heb. 5.14 Strong meate belongeth to them that are of age which through long custome haue their exercised to discerne both good and euill Phil. 10.1 That we may discerne things that differ one from an other II. To discerne of spirits 1. Ioh. 4.1 Deerely beloued beleeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they are of God 1. Thess. 5.21 Trie all things and keepe that which is good Act. 17.11 There were more noble men then they which were at Thessalonica which receiued the word with all readines and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so III. To meditate vpon the word and works of God Psal. 1.2 But his delight is in the Law of God and in that Law doth exercise himselfe day and night Psal. 119.15 I will meditate in thy precepts and consider thy waies Psal. 107. the whole psalme IV. To discerne and acknowledge mans owne inward blindnes Psal. 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it vnto the endâ— 28. Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law II. The sanctitie of the memorie is an abilitie to keepe a good thing when it is offered to the minde and as neede serueth to remember it Psal. 119.11 I haue hid thy promise in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee Psal. 16.7 I will praise the Lord who hath giuen me couÌ„sell my reines also teach me in the nights Luk. 2.51 His mother kept all these things in her heart III. The sanctitie of conscience which is a grace of God whereby a mans conscience excuseth him for all sinnes after they are forgiuen him in Christ as also of his vpright walking in the whole course of his life 1. Tim. 1.19 Hauing faith and a good conscience which some hauing put away c. 1. Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified Act. 23. 1. Paul said I haue in all good conscience serued God vntill this day Act. 24.16 I endeauour my selfe to haue alway a cleare conscience toward God and toward men Psal. 26. 1 2 3. Iudge me O Lord for I haue walked in mine innocencie my trust hath beene also in the Lord therefore shall I not slide Prooue me O Lord and trie me examine my reines and mine heart For thy louing kindnesse is before mine eyes therefore haue I walked in thy truth Hence in all godly men ariseth the inward peace of God and the outward alacritie in the countenance Phil. 4.7 The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding shall preserue your hearts and mindes in Iesus Christ. Prov. 28.1 The wicked flee when none pursueth but the righteous are bold as a Lyon IV. Sanctitie of will whereby man beginneth to will that which is good and to refuse the contrarie Therfore in this estate the will is partly freed from bondage partly in bondage to sinne Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deede euen of his owne pleasure Rom. 7. 18. I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good c. v. 19 20 21 22. V. Sanctitie of affections is the right moouing of them 1. Thess. 5. 23. Rom. 7.24 Affections of most especiall note are these I. Hope whereby men with sighings looke for the accomplishing of their redemption Rom. 8.23 This hope when it is once strong and liuely hath also her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is full assurance as faith hath Heb. 6.11 And we desire that euery one of you shewe the same diligence to the full assurance of hope vnto the ende 1. Pet. 1.3 Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundant mercie hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead II. Feare of offending God because of his mercie 1. Pet. 1.17 If yee call him father which without respect of person iudgeth according to euery mans worke passe the time of your dwelling here in feare Psal. 103.4 There is mercie with thee that thou maist be feared III. A base account of all worldly things in respect of Christ Iesus Phil. 3. 7. But the things that were aduantage to me I accounted losse for Christs sake 8. Yea doubtlesse I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whome I haue counted all things losse and doe iudge them to be â—oâ—â—g that I might winne Christ. IV. The loue of God in Christ which is like vnto death and as a fire that cannot be quenched Cant. 8.6 Loue is strong as death iealousie is cruell as the graue the coles thereof are fire coles and a vehement flame V. A feruent zeale to Gods glorie Rom. 9.3 I vvould wish my selfe to be separate from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh VI. An anguish of minde for our owne sinnes and others also Psal. 119 1â—6 Mine eyes gush out with teares because men keepe not thy law 2. Pet. 2.7 And deliuered iust Lot being vexed with the vncleanly conuersation of the wicked 8. For he beeing righteous and dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their vnlawfull deedes VII Exceeding great ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 The kingdome of God is not meate and drinke but righteousnes and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost VI. Sanctitie of bodie whereby it is a sit instrument for the soule to accomplish that which is good Rom. 6.19 As ye haue giuen your members seruants to vncleannesse and to iniquitie to commit iniquitie so now giue your members seruants vnto righteousnes in holines CHAP. 39. Of Repentance and the fruits thereof FRom sanctification Repentance is deriued because no man can earnestly repent except he denying himselfe doe hate sinne euen from his heart and embrace righteousnes This no man either will or can performe but such an one as is in the sight of God regenerated and iustified and indued with true faith Therefore albeit in such as are conuerted repentance doth first manifest it selfe yet regarding the order of nature it followeth both faith and sanctification Hence also is it euident that this repentance legall contrition beeing some occasion and as it were a preparation to true conuersion is begotten by the preaching of the Gospel Repentance is when a sinner turneth vnto the Lord. Act. 26.20 He shewed first vnto them of Damascus and at Ierusalem and through all the coasts of Iudea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turne to God and to doe workes worthie amendment of life 1. Ioh. 3.3 Euery man that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe as he is pure
by some circumstances inherent in the person is mooued to doe this or that Now as for God he did vpon his meere pleasure elect some and reiect others eternally not mooued or vrged thereunto by any thing whatsoeuer out of himselfe II. He is debter to none but may by good right doe with his creatures what seemeth good vnto him in his owne eyes III. It is one thing with God to accept of persons and another to make choice of men This if we should not graunt it would follow that God must be deemed blame-worthie because he made not all his creatures most glorious Angels Obiect VIII If God decreed to reiect certaine men then did he hate his creature Answ. God decreed to reiect his creature and workmanship not because he hated it but because he appointed it to hatred And it is one thing to hate and another to appoint to hatred And indeede God doth not actually hate any thing but for sinne That saying of Augustine to Simplicius is fitte for this purpose When God maketh the wicked whome he doth not iustifie vessells of wrath he doth it not to hate that which he made for in that he made them vessels they haue their vse namely that by their paines to which they were ordained the vessels of honour might reape profit God therefore doth not hate them in that they are men or vessels neither any thing that he made in them by creation or ordination For God hateth nothing which he hath made But in as much as he made them vessels of destruction he did it to instruct others As for their impietie which he neuer made that he hateth vtterly As therfore a iudge hateth theft in a mā but he doth not hate his punishment that he is sent to worke in the mines For the theefe doth the first the iudge the latter so God whereas of the companie of them which perish he maketh vessels of perdition he doth not therefore hate that which he doth that is the cōdemnation of those which perish in their due punishment for sinne Obiect IX The reprobates are said in many places of Scripture to be redeemed by Christ as 2. Pet. 2.1 Ans. First we must not vnderstand such places meant of all reprobates but of such as are for a time in the Church II. They are saide to be redeemed iustified and sanctified both in their owne iudgements and the Churches also in as much as they make an externall profession of the faith But this is a iudgement of charitie not of certentie Obiect X. God might be thought cruell if that he had ordained the greatest part of the world to destruction Answer God could well enough haue decreed that euen all men should vtterly haue beene reiected and yet he should haue beene neuer a whit either cruell or vniust Reasons I. He adiudged all and euery one of those soule and wicked spirits which fell from him to eternall torments II. He decreed also as is apparant by the euent that men should liue by the slaughter of beasts and yet God is not therefore cruell against them and surely God is no more bounden vnto man then vnto the very bruit beasts Exception God appointed all to be saued with this caueat and condition If they beleeue Answer This is absurd to affirme for I. by this meanes the decree of God should depende vpon the will of man◠when as contrarily Gods decree doth limit and order all inferiour causes II. It quite taketh away the certaintie of Gods decree because a conditionall proposition doth set downe nothing as beeing or it doth not certainly affirme any thing Obiect If the merit of Christ did not extend it selfe as farre as the fall of Adam then is not the head of the Serpent broken nor Satans kingdome abolished by Christ. Ans. This brusing of the Serpents head is seene in them onely which are at enimitie with the Serpent namely in such as truly beleeue Gen. 3.15 compared with Rom. 16.20 To conclude that is not true which they say namely that this opinion of an vniuersall and effectuall redemption of euery singular man is a notable remedie to comfort afflicted consciences For I appeale to the iudgement of all men whether there is in this manner of consolation any great comfort to the conscience afflicted Christ died for all men Thou art a man Therefore Christ died for thee The II. errour God did foreknow the fall of Adam but he did not by his eternall decree foreordaine the same and therefore that his fall was without the agent permission of God The Confutation It is false For I. there is not the least thing in nature but it commeth to passe by the decree and will of God Math. 10.30 Wherefore such as affirme that God did onely foreknow this or that they doe either quite ouerturne the prouidence of GOD or at the least imagine that it is a very idle prouidence II. The fact of Herod and Pilate in deliuering Christ against their own consciences to be crucified may seeme to be as heinous as was Adams fall and yet they are said to haue done that which the hand of the Lord had fore-ordained to be done Act. 4. 28. Againe the fall of Adam was two manner of waies by Gods actiue or rather operatiue permission I. In as much as the fall was an action for in God alone we liue we mooue and haue our beeing II. In as much as that his fall was but a bare triall of his loyaltie to God whereby God would trie both the power and will of his creature The III. errour God by reason that he did foresee the disobedience of some or that they would contemne the Gospel did decree their destruction and condemnation The Confutation We vtterly denie that the foreseeing of the contempt of grace in any was the first and principall cause of the decree of reprobation Reasons I. Paul Rom. 1. doth deriue the common condemnation of the Gentiles from hence namely that they withheld the truth in vnrighteousnes that is because they did wittingly extinguish that light of nature by their wicked doings which they had of the knowledge of God and would not obey their consciences inwardly checking them for the same II. If that faith foreseene be not the cause of the decree of Election it can not be that the want of faith foreseene should be the cause of the decree of reprobation but rather as faith doth in order of causes follow after election so must incredulitie reprobation For there is the like reason or proportion of contraries III. Many infants depart this life both beeing out of the true Church and before they haue any vse of reason and againe many there are which albeit they liue long yet being either idiots and fooles or borne deafe they cannot come to the true vse of reason in all which it is not credible that their should be suspected any contempt of the Gospel which they could not learne IV. Esau was hated of God for none other
wise doe Secondly by the manner of perswasion for the holy Ghost draweth not reasons â—rom the workes or worthinesse of man but from Gods fauour and loue and this kinde of perswasion is far different from that which Satan vseth Thirdly by the effects of that testimonie For if the perswasion arise from presumption it is a dead perswasion but contrarily it is most liuely and stirring if it come from the holy Ghost For such as are perswaded that they are elected and adopted children of GOD they will loue god they wil trust in him and they will call vpon him with their whole heart IV. If the testimonie of Gods spirit be not so powerfull in the elect then may they iudge of their election by that other effect of the holy ghost namely Sanctification like as we vse to iudge by heate that there is fire when wee cannot see the flame it selfe V. And of all the effects of sanctification these are most notable I. To feele our wants and in the bitternes of heart to bewaile the offence of GOD in euery sinne II. To striue against the flesh that is to resist and to hate the vngodly motions thereof and with griefe to think them burthenous troublesome III. To desire earnestly and vehemently the grace of God and merite of Christ to obtaine eternall life IV. When it is obtained to account it a most pretious iewel Phil. 3.8 V. To loue the minister of Gods word in that he is a minister and a Christian in that he is a Christian and for that cause if neede require to be readie to spende our blood with them Mat. 10.42 1. Ioh. 3.16 VI. To call vpon God earnestly and with teares VII To desire and loue Christs comming and the day of iudgement that an ende may bee made of the daies of sinne VIII To flie all occasions of sinne and seriously to endeauour to come to newnesse of life IX To perseuere in these things to the last gaspe of life Luther hath a good sentence for this purpose Hee that will serue God must saith he beleeue that which cannot bee seene hope for that which is deferred and loue God when he sheweth himselfe an enemie and thus remaine to the ende VI. Nowe if so be all the effects of the spirit are very feeble in the godly they must know this that God trieth them yet so as they must not therewith be dismaied because it is most sure that if they haue faith but as much as a graine of mustard seede and bee as weake as a young infant is it is sufficient to ingraffe theÌ„ into Christ therefore they must not doubt of their election because they see their faith feeble and the effects of the holy Ghost faint within them VII Neither must hee that as yet hath not felt in his heart any of these effects presently conclude that hee is a Reprobate but let him rather vse the word of God and the Sacraments that hee may haue an inward sense of the power of Christ drawing him vnto him and an assurance of his redemption by Christs death and passion VIII No man may peremptorily set downe that himselfe or any other is a reprobate For God doth oftentimes preferre those which did seeme to be most of all estranged from his fauour to be in his kingdome aboue those who in mans iudgement were the children of the kingdome Hence is it that Christ saith The Publicanes and harlots goe before you and many an one is called at the eleuenth houre as appeareth by that notable example of the thiefe vpon the crosse The vses which may be made of this doctrine of predestination are very many First for our instruction we are taught these things I. That there is neither any iustification by workes nor any works of ours that are meritorious For election is by the free grace of God and therefore in like sort is iustification For as I saide before the cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused And for this reason in the worke of saluation grace doth wholly challenge al to it selfe Rom. 11.5 At this time there is a remnant through the election of grace 2. Tim. 1.9 Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was Phil. 1. 29. Vnto you iâ— is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should beleeue in him but also suffer for his sake Rom. 3.24 Wee are iustified freely by grace Tit. 3.5 Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we had done but according to his mercie he saued vs. Ezech. 36. 27. I will cause you to walke in my statutes Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternall life II. That Astrologie teaching by the casting of Natiuities what men will be is ridiculous and impious because it determineth that such shall be very like in life and conuersation whom God in his predestination hath made vnlike Iacob and Esau borne of the same parents and almost in the same moment of time for Iacob held Esau by the heele as he was borne were of most vnlike dispositions and had diuers euents The like may we see in all twinnes and others which are borne at the same time III. That God is most wise omnipotent iust and mercifull O the wonderfull riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! howe vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past finding on t Eph. 1.5 Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Secondly beeing the seruants of Christ we are admonished I. To fight against all doubting and diffidence of our saluation because it neither depeÌ„deth vpon workes nor faith but vpon Gods decree which is immutable Math. 24.24 Luk. 10.20 Reioice that your names are written in the booke of life Rom. 8.33 Who shall any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne 2. Tim. 2.19 This teacheth that the anker of hope must be fixed in the trueth and stabilitie of the immutable good pleasure of God so that albeit our faith bee so tossed as that it is in danger of shipwracke neuerthelesse it must neuer sinke to the bottome but euen in the middest of danger take hold vpon repentance as on a board so recouer it selfe II. To humble our soules vnder the mightie hand of God for wee are as clay in the hand of the potter Rom. 9.21 They through infidelitie are broken off but thou standest through faith Be not high minded but feare III. To giue all glorie to God 2. Thess. 2.13 We ought to giue thankes alwaie to God for you brethren beloued of the Lord because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation IV. To beare crosses patiently Rom. 8.29 Those which he knewe before he hath also preâ—estinate to be made like to the image of his sonne This likenesse
of yeares of discretion as they must needes be whome we seeke to comfort in this place Nowe because that externall vocation is not proper onely to the elect for many are called but fewe are chosen but such a vocation as is effectuall that is whereby the vnderstanding is not onely enlightened with the sauing knoweledge of God but in the will also there is created a true though not a perfect hatred of sinne from whence ariseth an abhorring of sinne and loue of that which is good or rather a desire to will and do that which is right Therefore when wee see one thus dangerously tempted we apply vnto his afflicted conscience that true Nepenthes and comfortable and restoratiue medicine which is taken from Gods effectuall vocation as it were out of an Apothecaries boxe If therefore I haue to doe with such an one who either was neuer called by the preaching of the Gospel or if he were called yet seemeth both to himselfe and others neuer to haue regarded him that called and hence concludeth that he is not in the number of them whome God hath purposed to take pitie vpon I forthwith tell him that Satan plaieth the Sophister in teaching him thus to conclude for this his reason is as vntrue as if a man looking at midnight seeing that the Sunne is not then risen should therefore affirme that it would neuer rise And this is that which when I obiected to D. Andreas pag. 482. he very boldly corrupting my meaning printed this as mine assertion Say vnto a man that is asflicted the sunne is risen although as yet it be not risen But I teach not lies howesoeuer this deprauation of my wordes came from D. Andreas printers or himselfe And whereas D. Andreas excepted that this consolation were to no purpose because he that was afflicted might doubt whether this sunne would euer rise or not I answered to him that which the printers haue quite left out and which I will now therefore more fully repeat I was woont therefore to tell the partie thus troubled after he had forsaken his false and diueliâ—h position that although an externall vocation were not of force enough to appease an aâ—flicted conscience yet it was of sufficient force and efficacie against the deuill For I tell him that they which neuer had externall nor internall calling they if wee regard an ordinarie calling must needes perish but whosoeuer is once called he hath set as it wereâ— his foote in the first entrie into the kingdome of heauen and vnlesse it be by his owne default he shall come afterwards into the courts of God so by degrees into his Maiesties pallace And for the confirmation of this I vse diuers waies For why say I doubtest thou of his good will towards thee who in mercy hath sent me a minister to cal thee vnto him thou hast no cause vnlesse thou alleadge the number of thy sinnes If this be all why oppose the infinite greatnes of Gods mercie against thy sinnes who hath sent me to bring thee vnto him The Lord vouchsafeth to bring thee into the way of the elect why art thou a stumbling blocke vnto thy selfe refusest to â—ollow him If thou feelest not as yet inwardly thy selfe to be stirred forward pray that thou maist be-know this for a most sure truth that this desire in thee is a pledge of Godâ— fatherly good will towards thee He neither can nor will be wanting to this which he hath stirred vp in thee After these exhortations I shewe him howe some are called at the eleuenth houre how the Gentiles after many thousand yeares were called to be Gods people how the theefe was saued vpon the crosse these and other remedies I vsed whereof I neuer remember that it repented me But if I deale with such as haue before obeyed the Lords calling and either by reason of some grieuons sinne into which they haue fallen or because they haue absented themselues from the Church of GOD or in that they refusing publike and priuate admonitions haue beene offensiue to the Church or which in mine experience hath befallen many very good and godly persons whilest they satisfie not thâ—mselues they are so altogither busily conuersant in reprehending and iudging themselues that they for a while forget the mercie of God with these to omit such as for some natural infirmities are if they procure not speedy helpe of some expert Minister most dangerously tempted with these I say I vse this order First I desire that they intimate vnto me that which especially grieueth theÌ„ and as I vnderstand both the thing and measure thereof by them I take especiall care of this that they beeing already ouermuch cast down that I then by the seuere denunciation of the Law doe not quite ouerturne them yet so as that I doe not altogither withdrawe them either from condemning their former sinnes or the meditation of Gods iudgement And so as much as I can I temper the words of consolation as that I nothing cloak Gods anger against them for their sinnes After I haue thus prepared them I then demand whether they haue beene euer in this case or no Nay say they for the most part the time was when I was in great ioy and peace of conscience I serued the Lord then was I an happie person full of faith full of hope But now wretch that I am I haue lost my first loue and there is nothing vexeth me more then to remember those times past But say I whether consideration is more grieuous vnto thee the apprehension of Gods iudgements or the dislike of thy selfe that thou shouldest offend so gratious and so louing a father Both say they but especially the latter Therefore say I sinne also displeaseth thee in that it is sinne namely because it is euill and God who is goodnesse it selfe is offended with it It is euen as you tolde vs say they and I am now ashamed that so vile and wicked a wretch as my selfe should come before so gratious and mercifull a father Then I tell them that no man is offended but rather is glad when he can iniurie one whome hee hateth this they graunt and withall say God forbidde that albeit the Lord hate me I in like sort should hate him vnto whome if it were possible I would be reconciled againe Then I adde this Bee of good comfort my deare brother you are in good case For who can loue God especially when he is wounded by him who can bewaile the losse of his friendshippe who can desire to come againe into his fauour but he whom God still loueth although for a time he be angrie with him except peraduenture you haue not learned thus much that the knowledge of our saluation commeth not from flesh and blood but from God himselfe who first vouchsafed to instruct vs and from Christ Iesus manifesting the Father vnto vs And that it is Gods blessing that we doe loue God who loued vs first when we were his
Creede beeing a summary collection of things to bee beleeued was gathered briefly out of the word of God for the helping of memory and vnderstanding of men I adde that this Creede is concerning God and the Church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe thereof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference between it and and other writings and to shew the authoritie of it which I will further declare on this manner There bee two kinde of writings in which the doctrine of the Church is handled and they are either diuine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the olde and newe Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not onely the pure word of God but also the scripture of God because not onely the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the style and the phrase was set downe by the immediate inspiration of the holy ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soueraigne and they are of sufficient credit in and by themselues needing not the testimonie of any creature not subiect to the censure either of men or Angels binding the consciences of all men at all times and beeing the only foundation of faith and the rule and canon of all trueth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinarie writings of the Church consenting with Scriptures These may be called the word or trueth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written word of god but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the style and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man and therefore they are in such sort the word of God as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth and falshood in matters of religion is not soueraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authoritie and pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed ouer the whole worlde and among the rest the Creede of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers and disciples apostolicall men deliuered to the Church and conueied from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the bookes and confessions of priuate men Nowe betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other vniuersall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath beene receiued and approoued by vniuersall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholike Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should vpon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any country can not do it without Catholike consent of the whole Churche yet particular writings and confessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholike Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith among all Churches to trie doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it borroweth his authoritie froÌ„ scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demand the number of Creedes Ans. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alleadged that wee haue many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creed c. I answer the seuerall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seueral faiths and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles creede is most ancient and principall all the rest are not newe Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better auoid the heresies of their times Further it may be demanded in what forme this Creede was penned Ans. In the forme of an answere to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thouâ— then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeue in God c. And this maner of questioning was vsed euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was conuerted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeue with all thine heart thou maist Then he answered I beleede that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first vse of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is saide for a prayer beeing indeede no prayer and when it is vsed so men make it no better then a charme Before we come to handle the particular points of the Creede it is very requiâ—ite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set forth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relation betweene faith and Gods word The common propertie of faith is noted by the author of the Hebrewes when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be vnderstood not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men doe not presently enioy but onely hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doth after a sort giue subsisting or beeing vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a man doth make a thing as it were visible beeing otherwise inuisible and absent Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the Elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold The first is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeue the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two parts knowledge of Gods word and an
to beleeue in this one God is in effect thus much I. To knowe and acknowledge him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his worde II. To beleeue him to bee my God III. From mine heart to put all mine affiance in him To this purpose Christ saith This is eternall life to knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Nowe the knowledge here meant is not a bare or generall knowledge for that the deuils haue but a more speciall knowledge wherby I know God not onely to be God but also to be my God and thereupon doe put my confidence in him And thus much of the meaning of the first wordes I beleeue in God c. Nowe followe the duties which may bee gathered hence First of all if we are bound to beleeue in God then we are also bound to take notice of our naturall vnbeleefe whereby we distrust God to checke our selues for it and to striue against it Thus dealt the father of the child that had a dumme spirit Lord saith he I beleeue Lord helpe mine vnbeleefe And Dauid Why art thou cast downe my soule and wâ—y art thou so diâ—quieted in me wait on God And that which our Sauiour Christ saide once to Peter men should daiely speake to themselues O thou of littlâ— faith why hast thou doubted But some may say wherein standes our vnbeleefe Answere It standes in two thinges I. In distrusting the goodnesse of God that is in giuing too litle or no affiance to him or in putting affiance in the creature For the first few men will abide to be told of their distrust in God but indeede it is a common and riâ—e corruption and though they soothe themselues neuer so yet their vsuall dealings proclaime their vnbeleefe Goe through all places it shall be found that scarse one of a thousand in his dealings makes conscience of a lie a great part of men gets their wealth by fraud and oppression and all kinde of vniust and vnmercifull dealing What is the cause that they can doe so Alas alas if there be any faith it is pinned vp in some by-corner of the heart and vnbeleefe beares sway as the lord of the house Againe if a man had as much wealth as the world comes to he could finde in his heart to wish for an other and if he had two worlds he would be casting for the third if it might be compassed the reason hereof is because men haue not learned to make God their portion and to stay their affections on him which if they could doe a meane portion in temporall blessings would be enough Indeede these and such like persons will in no wise â—eelde that they doe distrust the Lord vnlesse at some time they be touched in conscience with a sense and feeling of their sinnes and be throughly humbled for the same but the truth is that distrust of Gods goodnesse is a generall and a mother-sinne the ground of all other sinnes and the very first and principall sinne in Adams fall And for the second part of vnbeleefe which is an affiance in the creatures read the whole booke of God and we shall finde it a common and vsuall sinne in all sorts of men some putting their trust in riches some in strength some in pleasures some placing their felicitie in one sinne some in an other When King Asa was sicke he put his whole trust in the Phisitians and not in the Lord. And in our daies the common practise is when crosses and calamities fall then there is trotting out to that wise man to this cunning woman to this sorcerer to that wizzard that is from God to the deuill and their counsell is receiued and practised without any bones making And this shewes the bitter roote of vnbeleefe and confidence in vaine creatures let men smoothe it ouer with goodly tearmes as long as they will In a word there is no man in the world be he called or not called if he looke narrowly vnto himselfe he shall finde his heart almost filled with manifold doubtings and distrustings whereby he shall feele himselfe euen carried away from beleeuing in God Therefore the dutie of euery man is that will truly say that hâ— beleeues in God to labour to see his owne vnbeleefe and the fruits thereof in his life As for such as say they haue no vnbeleefe nor feele none more pitifull is their case For so much the greater is their vnbeleefe Secondly considering that we professe our selues to beleeue in God we must euery one of vs learne to know God As Paul saith How can they beleeue in him of whome they haâ—e not heard and how can they heare without a preacher therefore none can beleeue in God but he must first of all heare and be taught by the ministerie of the word to know God aright Let this be remembred of young and old It is not the pattering ouer of the beleefe for a praier that will make a man a good beleeuer but God must be knowne of vs and acknowledged as he hath reuealed himselfe partly in his word and partly in his creatures Blinde ignorance and the right vse of the Apostles Creede will neuer stand togither Therefore it standes men in hande to labour and take paines to get knoweledge in religion that knowing God aright they may come steadfastly to beleeue in him and truely make confession of their faith Thirdly because wee beleeue in God therefore another dutie is to denie our selues vtterly and to become nothing in our selues Our Sauiour Christ requires of vs to become as little children if wee would beleeue The begger depends not on the releefe of others till hee finde nothing at home and till our hearts bee purged of selfe-loue and pride wee cannot depend on the fauour and goodnesse of God Therefore hee that would trust in God must first of all be abased and confounded in himselfe and in regard of himselfe be out of all hope of attaining to the least sparke of the grace of God Fourthly in that wee beleeue in God and therefore put our whole trust and assurance in him we are taught that euery man must committe his bodie his soule goods life yea all that he hath into the handes of God and to his custodie So Paul saith I am not ashamed of my sufferings for I knowe whome I haue beleeued and am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that day A worthie saying for what is the thing which Paul committed vnto the Lord it was his owne soule and the eternall saluation thereof But what mooues him to trust God surely his perswasion whereby he knewe that God would keepe it And Peter saith Let them that suffer according to the will of God committe their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull creatour Looke as one friende laieth downe a thing to be kept of another so must a man giue that he hath to the
by inflicting vpon him some lesser punishment This pollicie is as it were a looking glasse in which we may behold of what nature and condition all plotts and pollicies of men are which are deuised and practised without the direction of Gods word In it we may obserue two things the first is the ground thereof which is a most silly simple or rather senslesse argument For he reasoneth vs I finde no fault in this man therefore I will chastise him and let him goe A man would hardly haue thought that one hauing but common sense would haue made such a reason much lesse a greâ—t iudge sitting in the roome of God But in him we may behold and see the ground of all humane pollicie which is beside the word of God namely the foolish and blind reason of men The second thing to be considered is the proceeding and isâ—ue of this pollicie Pilate must either whippe Christ beeing innocent or put him to death which are both sinnes and great offences Now he maketh choice of the lesser which is to whippe him and is perswaded that he ought to doe so whereas of two sinnes or euils a man ought to doe neither And in doing this Pilate beginnes to make a breach in his conscience and that is the fruit that all politicks reape of their deuisâ—s which proceede by the light of their owne reason without the word of God By this example we are admonished of two things first that before we enterprise any businesse we must rectifie our iudgements by Gods word Dauid was a most wise King and no doubt had withall a graue and wise counsell but yet he preferred the word of God before all saying Thy tesâ—â—mâ—â—ies are my counsellers Secondly in our proceedings we must keepe an vprâ—ght pure and vnblameable conscience as Paul exhorteth Timothie to haue the mysterie of faith in a pure conscience giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that a good conscience is at it were a chest or cupboard in which we are to keepe and locke vp our religion and all other graces of God as the most pretious iewells that can be and that if we suffer this chest to be broken vp all our riches and iewels are gone But let vs yet viewe the dealing of Pilate more particularly he whippes Christ puts on him a purple garment puts a reede in his hand sets a crowne of thornes vpon his head and causes the souldiours to mocke him and spit in his face Now in this that Christ standing in our roome was thus shamefully abused we must consider what was due vnto euery one of vs for our sinnes namely shame reproch in this life in the life to come endles confusion And we see the confession of Christ to be true which he made to Pilate that his kingdome was not of this world for if it had beene so they would haue put a crowne of gold vpon his head and not a crowne of thornes which nothing at all beseemed an earthly king and in stead of a reede they would haue put a scepter into his hand and in stead of buffetting and spitting on him they would haue adored him and fallen downe before him Againe whereas Chriâ—â— our head in this world ware no other crown but one made of thoâ—ns it serueth to teach all those that are the members of Christ that they must not looke for a crowne of glorie in this life because that is reserued for the life to come And if we would then weare the crowne of glorie with Christ we must here in this life weare a crown of thornes as he did for as Paul saith If we suffer with Christ we shall also raigne with him and that which was fully verified in Christ the head must in some sort be verified in euery true member of Christ. Pilates third pollicie was this when he sawe that neither of the two former would preuaile he comes forth vnto the Iewes and makes an oration to this effect that nowe was the feast of the passeouer and that they had a custome that the Gouernour should then deliuer vnto the people a prisoner whome they would therefore he asked them whether he should let loose to them Barrabas or Iesus which is called Christ this Barrabas was a notable malefactour that with insurrection had committed murther And thus Pilate cunningly matcheth Christ with Barrabas thinking that the Iewes would rather chuse him then Barrabas beeing a notorious malefactour not worthie to liue on the face of the earth and by this meanes he thought to haue deliuered Christ from death though otherwise he accouÌ„ted him as a malefactour The ground of this pollicie as we see is an old custome of the Iewes that a prisoner should be let loose at Easter And it may be the ende of this custome was to increase the solemnitie of the feast But whatsoeuer in trueth the ende was the fact it selfe was but a prophanation of the time and an abomination before the Lord for Salomon saith He that iustifieth the wicked condemneth the iust euen they both are abominatioÌ„ before the Lord. The like practise takes place with many in these daies who thinke the Lords day neuer well spent vnlesse they may adde solemnitie thereunto by reuel riot by frequeÌ„ting of tauerns and alehouses And furthermore where Pilate matcheth Christ beeing innocent with Barrabas and the people preferre him before Christ hauing libertie to choose either it shewes that God in his prouidence had appointed that Christ should not stand in his owne roome before Pilate but in our roome and steade as a Mediatour betweene God and vs. And in this fact of the people we see howe sinne by degrees takes hold of men and that speedily Who would haue thought that these Iewes which a little before cried Hosanna and spread their garments before Christ in the way would euer haue preferred a murtherer before him But it was the doing of the high priestes the Scribes and Pharises who did animate and stirre them vp to this wickednes and hereupon when they had yeelded first to to attach him and then to accuse him they are carried to an higher degree of impietie namely to seeke his blood and least he should escape their handes they plunge themselues deeper yet preferring a wretched murtherer eueÌ„ seditious Barrabas before him This must teach euery one of vs to take heede of the beginnings euen of the least sinnes for the deuill is cunning he will not plunge a man into the greatest sinnes at the first but this manner is by little and little to creepe into the heart and hauing once possession thereof by steppes to bring men to the height of sinne and that with speede We must therefore in the feare of God preuent sinne betimes and at the first motion cut off all occasions hereof that which Paul saith of heresie comparing it to a canker or gangrene may be â—aid of all sinne The nature of the gangrene is to runne from one ioynt
elect For the better knowing of it there is to bee considered First what faith is Secondly how God doth worke it in the hearts of the elect Thirdly what degrees there be of faith Fourthly what are the fruits and benefits of faith IIII. Faith is a wonderfull grace of God by which the elect doe apprehend and apply Christ and all his benefits vnto themselues particularly Here first it is to be coÌ„sidered that the very nature of faith staÌ„deth in a certaine power of apprehending and applying Christ. This is declared by Paul whe he saith Ye are buried with him through baptisme by whome ye are also risen againe with him by the faith of the power of God who raised him from the dead Where it appeareth that faith is made a meanes to communicate Christ himselfe his death and buriall and so all other benefits to the beleeuer Againe to beleeue in Christ and to receiue or to lay hold on Christ are put one for another by Saint Iohn which declareth that there is a speciall applying of Christ euen as we see when a man hath any thing giuen him he reacheth out his hand and pulleth it to himselfe and so makes it his owne Moreouer faith is called the putting on of Christ which cannot be vnles Christs righteousnes be specially applyed to the heart as the garment to the backe when it is put on Lastly this may appeare in that faith is called the eating and drinking of Christ for there is no eating of meat that nourisheth but first it must be tasted and chewed in the mouth then it must be coÌ„ueyed into the stomack there digested lastly it must be applyed to the parts of the bodie that are to be nourished And Paul praieth for the Ephâ—sians that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith which plainely importeth this apprehending and applying of Christ. I adde further that faith is a wonderfull grace of God which may appeare first in that Paul calleth it the faith of Gods power because the power of God is especially seene in the begetting of faith Secondly experience sheweth it to be a wonderfull gift of God when a man neither seeth nor feeleth his sinnes then to say hee beleeueth in Gods mercie it is an easie matter but when a man shall feele his heart pressed downe with the waight of his sinnes and the anger of God for them then to apply Gods free mercie to his own soule it is a most hard matter for then it is the propertie of the cursed nature of man to blaspheme God and to despaire of mercie Iudas who no doubt often preached mercy and redemption by Christ in the securitie of his heart when Gods hand was vpon him and the Lord made him see the vilenesse of his treacherie he could not comfort himselfe in Christ if one would haue giuen him ten thousand worlds but in an hellish horror of conscience hanged himselfe desperately which sheweth what a wonderfull hard thing it is at the same instant when a man is touched for his sinnes then to apply Gods mercie to himselfe Yet a true Christian by the power of faith can doe this as it may appeare in Dauid In the day of my trouble saith he I sought the Lord my sore ran and ceased not in the night my soule refused comfort I did thinke vpon God and was troubled I praied and my spirit was full of anguish and hee addeth the word Sebah a note very likelie of some wonderfull thing Againe he being almost in the gulfes of hell euen then cried to the Lord for helpe Iob saith If God should destroy him yet he would for all that beleeue in him still Vndoubtedly strange is the band of faith knitting Christ his members togither which the anguish of spirit cannot and the strokes of Gods hand doe not vnloose V. This apprehending of Christ is not done by any corporall touching of him but spiritually by assuraÌ„ce which is wheÌ„ the elect are perswaded in their hearts by the holy ghost of the forgiueuesse of their owne sinnes and of gods infinit mercie towards them in Iesus Christ. According to that of Paul Now we haue receiued not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things which are giuen vs of God The things which the spirit of God maketh known to the faithfull particularly are their iustification adoption sanctification eternall life and thus when any are perswaded of these things concerning themselues they doe in their hearts distinctly apply and appropriate Christ and his benefits to themselues VI. The maner that God vseth in the begetting of faith is this First he prepareth the heart that it may be capable of faith Secondly he causeth faith by little and litle to spring and to breed in the heart The preparation of the heart is by humbling an softening of it to the doing of this there are foure things requisite The first of them is the knowledge of the word of God both of the lawe and of the gospel without the which there can be no faith according to that saying of Esaiah By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie many And that of Iohn This is eternall life that they know thee to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The onely ordinarie meanes to attaine faith by is the word preached which must be heard remembred practised and continually hid in the heart The least measure of knowledge without which a man cannot haue faith is the knowledge of Elements or the fundamentall doctrines of a Christian religionâ— A fundamentall doctrine is that which beeing obstinately denied all religion and all obtaining of saluation is ouerthrown This knowledge hath a generall faith going with it which is an assent of the heart to the known trueth of Gods word This faith when it is grown vp to some great measure it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the full assurance of vnderstanding and it is to bee seene in the martyrs who maintained Gods trueth against the persecutions of the false Church vnto death VII Although both elect and reprobate may be enlightned to know the word of God yet the elect in this thing goe farre beyond all reprobates for it is specially said of them that God is their schoole-master that he sofeteneth their stony hearts and maketh them pliable that hee draweth them that hee openeth their senses hearts eares vnderstandings that the holy ghost is their annointmeÌ„t and their eie-salue to cleare the eies of their minde to conceiue the mysteries of Gods worde And the difference of illumination in them is threefolde I. First the knowledge which the reprobate hath concerning the kingdoÌ„e of heauen is only a generall and confused knowledge but the knowledge of the elect is pure certaine sure distinct and particular for it is ioyned with a feeling and inward experience of the thing
hath a disease or sore in his bodie before he can be cured of it he must see it feele paine of it and bee in a feare least it bring him into danger of death after this he shall see himselfe to stande in neede of phisicke and he longeth till he be with the phisitian when hee is once come to him he desireth him of all loues to helpe him and to shewe the best skill he can he will not spare for any cost then hee yeeldes himselfe into the Phisitians handes perswading himselfe that by Gods blessing he both can and wil help him after this he comes to his former health againe On the same manner euery man is wounded with the deadly wounde of sinne at the very heart and he that would be saued and escape damnation must see his sinne be sorrowfull for it and vtterly despaire of his own strength to attaine saluation thereby furthermore he must see himselfe to stand in neede of Christ the good Phisitian of his soule and long after him and crie vnto him with deepe sighes and groanes for mercie after this Christ Iesus will temper him a plaister of his owne heart blood which beeing applied he shall finde himselfe reuiued and shall come to a liuely assurance of the forgiuenesse of all his sinnes So it was in Dauid when he repented of his adulterie and murther First God made him see his sinnes for he saith I knowe mine iniquities and my sinnes are euer before me Secondly he felt Gods anger for his sinnes make me saith he to heare ioy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may reioice Thirdly he vtterly despaired of his owne strength in that he said stablish me with thy free spirit signifying thereby vnlesse the Lord would stay him with his glorious power he should runne headlong to his owne confusion Fourthly he comes to see himselfe stand in great neede of Gods fauour one mercy wil not content him he praieth for the whole innumerable multitude of his mercies to be bestowed on him to doe away his iniquities Fiftly his desire and his prayer for the forgiuenesse of his sinne are set downe in the whole Psalme And in his prayer he gathereth some comfort and assurance of Gods mercie towards himselfe in that he saith The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Againe the like appeareth in Dauid Psal. 32.3 When I held my tongue my bones consumed in my roring all the day 4. For thy hand was heauie vpon me day and night my moisture was turned into the drought of sommer Sela. 5. I confessed my sinnes vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquities I said I will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the iniquitie of my sinne To this purpose is the example of R. Glouer Martyr who being somwhat troubled at his entrance into prison testifieth thus of himselfe So saith he I remained without any further conference of any man by the space of eight daies and till the bishops comming in which time I gaue my selfe continually to prayer and meditation of the mercifull promises of God made to all without exception of persons that call vpon the name of his deare sonne Iesus Christ. I found in my selfe daiely amendment of health of bodie increase of peace of conscience and many consolations from God by the helpe of his spirit and sometimes as it were a tast and glimmering of the life to come all for his onely sonne Iesus Christs sake XVI There are diuers degrees and measures of this vnfained faith according as there be diuers degrees of Christians some are yet in the wombe and haue their mother the Church trauelling of them some are newe borne babes feeding on the milke of the word some are perfect men in Christ come to the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ. XVII The least measure of faith that any Christian can haue is compared to the graine of mustard seed the least of all seeds and to flaxe that hath fire in it but so weake that it can neither giue heat nor light but only maketh a smoke and is called by the name of a little faith and it may bee thus described When a man of an humble heart doth not yet feele the assurance of the forgiuenes of his own sinnes and yet he is perswaded that they are pardonable desiring that they might be pardoned and therefore praieth to God that he would pardon them and giue him strength to leaue them XVIII A little faith may more plainely be knowne by considering of these foure points first that it is onely in his heart who is humbled for sinne For the Lord dwelleth with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to receiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Secondly it is in a man especially at the time of his conuersion and calling to Christ after which he is to growe from faith to faith Thirdly this faith though it bee in the heart yet it is not so much felt in the heart this was in Dauid at some times My God my God why hast thou forsaken me saith he The first wordes my God my God are speeches of faith yet the latter why hast thou forsaken me shew that thē he had no feeling of Gods mercie A little faith then is in the heart of man as in the spring time the fruite is in the bud which yet appeareth not but onely hath his nature and substance in the bud Lastly the beginnings and seedes of this faith or at the least signes and effects thereof are three The first is a perswasion that a mans own sinnes are pardonable this perswasion though it be not faith yet it is a good preparation to faith for the wicked cut themselues off quite from Gods mercie in that with Cain they say their sinnes are greater then that they can be forgiuen The second is a desire of the fauour and mercie of God in Christ and of the meanes to attaine to that fauour This desire is a speciall grace of God and it hath the promise of blessednes and it must be distinguished from that desire which wicked men haue who though they desire life eternal as Balaam did yet they cannot sincerely desire the meanes as faith repentance mortification reconciliation c. The third is praier for nothing in this world but only for the forgiuenesse of their sinnes with great sighes groanes from the bottome of the heart which they are not able to expresse as they feele them Now this heartie praying and desire for the pardon of sinne can neuer come from the flesh but onely from the spirit who stirreth vp these heauenly motions of longing desiring sighing after remission of sinne and all other graces of God which hee belloweth vpon his
by his heauenly power maketh him to doe the good which he doth And as from the stocke sappe is deriued to the grift that it may liue and grow and bring forth fruit in his kind so doe all the faithfull that are grafted into Christ the true vine And as the grift loseth his wild nature and is changed into the nature of the stocke and bringeth forth good fruit so in like manner it is with them that are in Christ who by little and little are wholly renued from euill to good XXIII The Elect beeing thus ioyned vnto Christ receiue three wonderfull benefits from him Iustification Adoption Sanctification Iustification is when the Elect beeing in themselues rebellious sinners and therefore firebrands of hell fire and Gods owne enemies yet by Christ they are accepted of the Lord as perfectly pure and righteous before him XXIIII This Iustification is wrought in this manner Sinne is that which maketh a man vnrighteous the child of wrath vengeance In sinne there are three things which are hurtfull to man the first is condemnation which commeth of â—inne the second is actuall disobedience of the law in sinne the third is the root and fountaine of sinne originall corruption These are three deadly woundes and three running sores in the hearts and consciences of all sinners Now Christ Iesus is perfectly righteous and in him a sinner may finde three inestimable benefits answerable to the three former euills First the sufferings of Christ vpon the crosse sufficient for all mens sinnes Secondly the obedience of Christ in fulfilling the law Thirdly the perfect holines of the humane nature of Christ these are three soueraigne medecines to heale all wounded consciences and they are as three running streames of liuing water to bathe and to supple the bruised and contrite heart Now then commeth faith and first laieth hold of the sufferings of Christ and so a sinner is freed from the punishment and guilt of sinne and from eternall damnation thus the first deadly wound is cured Againe faith laieth hold on the perfect obedience of Christ in fulfilling the law and thus the second wound is cured Thirdly faith applieth the holines of Christs humane nature to the sinner and then he is accepted of God as perfectly righteous and so his third deadly wound is cured Thus a sinner is made righteous by the righteousnes of Christ imputed to him XXV From true iustification proceede many other benefits and they are either outward or inward Outward benefits are three The first is Reconciliation by which a man iustified is perfectly reconciled to God because his sinne is done away and he is arayed with the perfect righteousnes of Christ. The second is that afflictions to the faithfull are no punishments for sinne but onely fatherly and louing chastisments For the guilt and punishment of sinne was borne of Christ. Now therefore if a Christian be afflicted it is no punishment for then God should punish one fault twise once in Christ and the second time vpon the Christian which thing doth not agree with his iustice it remaineth therefore that afflictions are onely corrections in the faithfull The third benefit is that the man iustified doth deserue and merit at Gods hands the kingdom of heauen For being made perfectly righteous in Christ and by his righteousnes he must needs merit eternall life in and by the merits of Christ. And therefore Paul calleth it the iustification of life Rom. 5.18 XXVI Inward benefits proceeding from iustification are those which are inwardly â—elt in the heart and serue for the better assurance of iustification and they are principally fiue The â—irst is Peace and quietnes of conscience As all men naturally in Adam are corrupt so all men naturally haue corrupt and defiled consciences accusing them and arraigning them before Gods iudgement for their sinnes in such wise that euery suspition of death and feare of imminent daunger maketh a naturall man stand agast at his wits end knowing not what to doe but by faith in Christ the Christian is perswaded of remission of his sinnes and so the disquietnes of his conscience is appeased and he hath an inward peace in all extremities which can not be taken from him XXVII The slumbering and dead conscience is much like to the good conscience pacified many through ignorance take the one for the other But they may be seuered and discerned thus First let the beleeuing Christian examine himselfe whether his conscience was afflicted with the sense of Gods iudgements and pressed downe with the burthen of his sinne before he came to that quietnesse for then he may be in good hope that it was the Spirit of God who brought that peace because God hath promised That he will dwell with the humble and contrite to reuiue and quicken them But if he haue alwaies had that peace from the beginning of his daies he may easily deceiue himselfe by taking the numnesse and securitie of a defiled conscience for the true peace of conscience Secondly let him search from whence this peace of his conscience proceedeth For if it come from any thing else but from the certaintie of the remission of sinne it is no true peace as many flattering theÌ„selues in sinne dreaming of a pardon are thereupon quieted and the deuill is readie enough to put this into their minds but this can be no true peace Thirdly let him examine himselfe if he haue a care to keepe a good conscience which if he haue he hath also receiued from the Lord a good and a quiet conscience For if God bestow vpon any man a gift concerning his saluation he giueth him also a care to keepe it XXVIII The second inward benefit is An entrance into Gods fauour and a perseuerance in it which is indeede a wonderfull benefit When a man commeth into fauour with his Prince then he is bold to come vnto him and he may haue free accesse vnto his presence and he may sue to his Prince for any benefit or preferment whereof he standeth in neede may obtaine it before any other so they which are in Gods fauour by reason that they are freely pardoned and iustified in Christ doe boldly approach into Gods presence and they are readie to aske and sure to obtaine any benefit that is for their good The third is a spirituall ioy in their hearts euen then when they are afflicted because they looke certenly to obtaine the kingdome of heauen The fourth is that the loue of God is shed in the hearts of the faithfull by the holy Ghost that is that the holy Ghost doth make the faithfull very euidently to feele the loue of God towards them and doth as it were fill their hearts with it XXIX The second maine benefit is Adoption whereby they which are iustified are also accepted of God as his
by the law Now then this good work of God to my saluation standeth in two points the working of the law the working of the gospel the preaching of the law was a key that bound and damned my conscience the preaching of the gospel was another key that loosed me againe These two salues I meane the lawe the gospel vsed God and his preacher to heale cure me a wretched sinner withall The law did driue out my disease and made it appeare was a sharp salue and fretting corrasiue and killed the dead flesh and loosed and drew the sore out by the root and all corruption It pulled from me all trust and confidence I had in my selfe and in mine owne works merits deseruings and ceremonies and robbed me of all my righteousnesse and made me poore It killed me in sending me downe to hell and bringing me almost to vtter desperation and prepared the way of the Lord as it is written of Iohn Baptist. For it was not possible that Christ should come vnto me as long as I trusted in my selfe or in any worldly thing or had any righteousnes of mine own or riches of holy works Then afterward came the gospel a more gentle plaister which suppled and swaged the woundes of my conscience and brought mee health it brought the spirit of God which loosed the bandes of Satan and coupled me to God and his will through a strong faith and feruent loue Which bandes were to stroÌ„g for the deuill the world or any creature to loose And I a poore and wretched sinner felt so great mercie that in my selfe I was most sure that God would not forsake me or euer withdraw his mercy loue froÌ„ me And I boldly cryed out with Paul saying Who shall separate me from the loue of God c. Finally as before when I was bound to the deuil his will I wrought all manner of wickednes for I could do no otherwise it was my nature euen so now since I am coupled to God by Christs blood I do good freely because of the spirit this my nature And thus I trust I haue satisfied your fiâ—st demaÌ„d Timoth. Yea but me thinkes you doe too much condemne your selfe in respect of sinne For I can remember that from your childhood you were of a good and gentle nature and your behauiour was alwaies honest and ciuil you could neuer abide the companie of them that were roysters and ruffians swearers and blasphemers and contemners of Gods word and drunkards which nowe are tearmed good fellowes And your dealing with all men hath bin euer commended for good faithfull and iust What meane you then to make your selfe so abominable and accursed and to say you were so whollie addicted vnto wickednesse and your will so fearefully and miserably in captiuitie vnto the will of the deuil Euseb. Brother Timothie I knowe what I say God giue me grace to speak it with more liuely feeling of my weaknes and with a more bitter detestation of my sin By nature through the fall of Adam am I the child of wrath heire of the vengeance of God by birth yea and so from my first conception and I had my fellowship with the damned deuils vnder the power of darkenesse rule of Satan while I was yet in my mothers wombe and although I shewed not the fruits of sinne as soone as I was borne nor long after yet was I full of the naturall poison from whence al wicked deedes doe spring and cannot but sinne outwardly as soone as I am able to worke be I neuer so young if occasion be giuen for my nature is to sinne as is the nature of a serpent to sting and as a Serpent yet young or yet vnbroughtforth is full of poison and cannot afterward when time and occasion is giuen but bring foorth the fruites threreof And as an adder a toade or a snake is hated of man not for the euill it hath done but for the poison that is in it and hurt which it cannot but doe so am I hated of God for that naturall poison which is conceiued and borne with me before I doe any outward euill And as the euill which a venemous worme doth maketh it not a serpent but because it is a venemous worm therfore doth it euill and poisoneth euen so doe not our euill deedes make vs euil first but because we are of nature euill therefore doe we euill and thinke euil to eternall damnation by the lawe and are contrarie to the will of God in our will and in all things consent vnto the will of the fiend Timoth. As yet I neuer had such a feeling of my sinne as you haue had and although I would be loath to commit any sinne yet the Law was neuer so terrible vnto me condemning me pronouncing the senteÌ„ce of death against me and stinging my conscience with feare of euerlasting paine as I perceiue it hath bin vnto you therefore I feare oftentimes least my profession of religion should be onely in truth meere hypocrisie I pray you let me heare your mind Euseb. A true saying it is that the right way to goe vnto heauen is to sayle by hell and there is no man liuing that feeleth the power and vertue of the blood of Christ which first hath not felt the paines of hell But yet in these paines there is a difference and it is the will of God that his children in their conuersion shall some of them feele more and some lesse Ezechias on his death bed complaineth that the Lord breaketh his bones like a Lion that hee could not speak by reason of paine but chattered in his throat like a Crane mourned like a Doue Iob saith that God is his enemie and hath set him vp as a marke to shoot at and that the arrowes of the Almightie are vpon him and that the poyson of them hath drunke vp his spirit Dauid bewaileth his estate in many Psalmes but especially in the 130. Psalme where he beginneth on this manner Out of the deepe places haue I called vnto thee O Lord which is as though he should say O my poore soule fall not flat downe vexe not thy selfe out of measure the burden of thy sinnes presse thee sore indeede but be not for al that quite ouerwhelmed thou art thrust down so low into the depth of deepes that thou hadst neede crie aloud to be heard of him which dwelleth in the highest heightes and the euer burning hell fire is not farre from that lake whither thine iniquities haue plunged thee so that thou maiest perceiue as it were the Eccho of their cries and desperate howlings which be there cast out of all hope of euer comming forth But the Lord which bringeth forth euen to the borders of hell his best beloued when they forget theÌ„selues knoweth also how well to bring them backe againe Goe no further then downeward but lift vp thy heart together with thine eie and seeke vnto the
in their professions callings I am perswaded there would be a thousād vices cut off which in men abound and are committed without shame Timoth. I think the rest of your Christian exercises be the practising of the Commandements of the lawe Euseb. Yea they are indeede Timoth. Me thinkes it is an hard point of the law for a man to loue his enemie Euseb. It is indeede yet in the faithfull it will be so for they haue in their hearts a perswasion that wheras they are damned in themselues yet in Christ the mercie of God is most plentifull to their saluation and al this God confirmeth and sealeth vnto them by his holy spirit and therefore they cannot but loue God againe and that with a feruent loue euen aboue all things in the world and so they loue all Gods creatures and euen their enemies because they beare the image of God whome they loue like as I haue a friend loue him I loue all of his name all his kinred and all that appertain vnto him And by the way here is a good way to know whether we haue faith or not◠though faith onely iustifie and make the mariage betweene our soule and Christ and is properly the marriage garment yea and the signe Tau that defendeth vs from the smiting and power of euill angels and is also the rocke on which Christs church is built and standeth against all weather of wind and tempest yet is faith neuer seuered from hope and charitie then if a man will be sure that his faith is perfect let him examine himselfe whether he loue the law and in like manner if he will know whether he loue the law that is loue God and his neighbour then let him examine himselfe whether he beleeue in Christ onely for the remission of sinne obtaining the promises made in the Scripture And euen so let him compare his hope of the life to come with faith and loue and to the hatred of sinne in his life which hatred the loue of the law ingendreth in him And if they accompanie not one another all three together then let him be sure all is but hypocrisie Timoth. Yet by your leaue faith cannot make a man iust before God without hope and charitie then they also with faith hath some stroke in iustification Euseb. I answer though they be inseparable yet I praise God I doe conceiue how these three haue three separable and sundrie offices Faith which onely is an vndoubted and sure affiance in Christ and in the Father through him certifieth the conscience that the sinne is forgiuen and the damnation of the law taken away And with such perswasions mollifieth the heart and maketh it loue God againe and his law And as oft as we sinne faith onely keepeth that we forsake not our profession and that loue vtterly quench not and hope faile and onely maketh the peace againe for a true beleeuer trusteth in Christ alone and not in his owne workes nor ought els for the remission of sinnes The office of loue is to powre out againe the same goodnes that it hath receiued of God vpon her neighbour to be to him as it feeleth Christ to be to it selfe The office of loue is onely to haue compassion and to beare with her neighbour the burden of his infirmities 1. Pet. 4. Loue couereth the multitude of sinnes that is to say considereth the infirmities and interpreteth all to the best taketh for no sinne at all a thousand things of which the least were enough if a man loued not to goe to law for and to trouble and disquiet an whole towne and somtime a whole realme too The office of hope is to comfort in aduersitie and to make patient that we faint not nor fall downe vnder the crosse or cast it off our backes Thus these three inseparable haue separable offices and effects as heate and drines beeing inseparable in the fire haue yet their separable operations for drines onely expelleth the moystnes of all that is consumed by fire and heate onely destroieth the coldnes And it is not all one to say the drines onely and the drines that is alone neither is it all one to say faith onely and faith that is alone Timoth. You are to be commended you are so perfect in these high points of religion but I know you speake of experience for in you faith and hope towards God and charitie towards your neighbour are inseparable Euseb. I require no commendations shame and confusion befall me eternally that all glorie may be vnto God Timoth. But let vs talke on further of our duties which wee must performe if we wil liue Christian like among men And I pray you tel me what do you meane that you giue so much vnto the poore considering you are so poore your selfe I speake my conscience if you had ability you would do more then an hundred of those rich men doe Euseb. God knowes my heart it is a hell vnto me to see my brother for whom Christ shed his blood to want if I haue any thing in the world to giue him Among Christian men loue maketh all things common euery man is others debter and euery man is bound to minister to his neighbour to supplie his neighbours lacke of that wherewith God hath indued him Christ is Lord ouer all and euery Christian is heire annexed with Christ and therfore Lord ouer all and euery one is Lord of whatsoeuer another hath if then my brother or neighbour neede I haue to helpe him and if I shewe not mercie but withdraw my hands from him then rob I him of his own am a theefe A Christian man hath Christs spirit now Christ is mercifull if I shall not bee mercifull I haue not Christs spirit if I haue not Christs spirit then am I none of his And though I shewe mercie vnto my brother yet if I doe it not with such burning loue as Christ did it vnto me I must knowledge my sinne and desire mercie in Christ. Timotheus If a man must be franke and free then a man must giue of his owne stocke to the poore members of Christ and diminish his own substance Euseb. Yea indeede if neede so require wee are made stewards of those goods which God hath giuen vs shall a steward take all vnto himselfe without reproofe I am sure that they which were conuerted at Peters first Sermō after Christs ascension diminished their substance when they sold them and gaue them to the poore I am sure that the Churches which were in Macedonia which sent reliefe vnto their Churches euen aboue their abilitie they being in extreame pouertie did diminish their possessions and God graunt our conuersatiōs may be like theirs And that we should be like them their examples of great compassion are recorded in the scriptures Timoth. Many of vs haue our selues wife children father mother kinsfolke to relieue so that it will be heard to deale after this manner Euseb.
sisters there if one fight with another or if any doe you wrong you may not reuenge or smite for that pertaineth to the father only But if your father giue you authoritie in his absence and command you to smite if they will not bee ruled but abuse you then you are another person Notwithstanding yet you haue not put off the first person but are a brother still and must euer loue prooue all things to rule with loue but if loue will not serue then you must vse the office of another person or sinne against your father Euen so when you are a temporall person you put not off the spirituall therefore you must euer loue but when loue will not helpe you must with loue execute the office of the temporall person You must loue your neighbour in you heart because he is your brother in the first state yet you must obey your ruler who hath power ouer you and when neede requireth at his commandement you must goe with the Constable or like officer and breake open your neighbors dore if he will not open it in the Kings name yea if hee will not yeeld in the Kings name you may smite him to the ground till he be subdued and lookâ— what harme he getteth that be vpon his owne head Timoth. I vnderstand you well As I am a member of the spiritual bodie of Christ I must in all my conuersation follow him with patience meeknes long suffering ouercomming other mens euils with well doing yet if the hurt be greater then I can beare I must take a new person on me and if I bee a ruler with loue seeke amendment if a subiect then in the feare of God coÌ„plaine to my ruler But further I pray you soyle me this doubt If I shall be taken for a souldier me thinkes that I should then shake off all loue and meeknes and then I could not practise this Christian rule Euseb. Yes if our Queene God saue her grace should send you on warfare into another countrie you must obey at Gods commandement and goe and auenge your princes quarrell which you know not but that it is right When you come thither remember the two states in which you are and knowe that in the first state that is the regiment spiritual you must loue them with whom you fight and that they are your brethren bought with Christs blood as well as you and for Christs sake hate them not yet as you are in the second state a souldier at your princes commaundement you must fight against them and maintaine your princes quarrel bring them vnder her power therwithall be content with your princes wages neither desire your aduersaries life or goods saue to aduantage your prince So then a souldier neede not cast away meekenesse for hee may fight with his enemie and sley him and yet loue him Timoth. Another thing I would know of you which now commeth to my minde I haue a Landlord he seemeth to be a very good man he countenanceth all the good preachers in our countrie and hee rideth vsually ten miles to heare sermons I holde of him a house and a little land not scarse enough to finde my poore familie my lease is come out and I haue taken a newe lease but I haue paied such a great fine and my yearely rents are so racked that I feare I and all my housholde are like to begge our bread this is it disquieteth me and almost maketh me at my wits ende what is your counsell and aduise Euseb. Surely it maketh my heart to bleed to see how many men bragge of the gospell and yet what little fruite the gospell hath in them and what little loue they shew euen they which abound in rents and lands My poore aduise is this that you would with patience depend vpon Gods prouidence It is said Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the earth Then let all the worlde studie to doe you wrong yea let them studie to bring you to extreame miserie do it too yet if you be meek you shall haue foood and raiment enough for you and yours And no doubt God who is alwaies true of his promise shall raise vp some to helpe you And my counsel is that you giue your Landlord now and then a capon now a pigge now a goose and if you be able â— lambe or a calfe and let your wife visit your landladie now and then with spiced cakes with apples peares cherries and such like and be you readie with your oxen or horses fiue or sixe times in the yeare to fetch home their woodâ— to plow their land then no doubt God may soften their hearts and mooue them to haue some pitie and compassion on your poore estate Timoth. I haue done all this Nay may it be spoken betweene you and me I am at commaundement and am as a drudge to them to doe their busines and to leaue my owne vndone and yet haue neither meate drinke nor money Euseb. More is the pitie But remember that they which cannot come to see men deale vprightly in the world yet doe in their hearts hunger and thirst after this righteousnes are pronounced blessed Timoth. To let this passe shew me one rule how I might generally in all matters behaue my selfe among men and then for this time I will cease to trouble you Euseb. Aske your owne conscience what you may or ought to doe Would you men did so with you Then doe you it Would not be so dealt with Then doe it not You would not that men should doe you wrong and oppresse you You would not that men should doe you shame and rebuke he on you kill you hire your house from you or tice your seruant away or take against your will ought that is yours You would not that men should sell you false ware when you put them in trust to make it readie or to lay it ought for you and you would not that men should deceiue you with great othes swearing thâ—t to be good which is indeede very nought you would not that men should sell you ware that is nought and too deare to vndoe you doe no such thing then vnto your neighbours but as loath as you would be to buie false ware too deare for vndoing your selfe so loath be you to sell false ware or too deare foâ— vndoing your neighbour And in all cases how glad would you be to be holpen so glad be to helpe your neighbour So in all things aske your consciencâ— what is to be done betweene your neighbour and you and she will teach you But because you are wearie of reasoning I will also ende Desiring God to increase in vs his heauenly graces as faith and repentance and loue according to his good pleasure Amen The assertion A Reprobate may in truth be made partaker of all that is contained in the Religion of the Church of Rome and a Papist by his religion cannot goe beyond a Reprobate
euill Feelest thou that thy rebellious flesh carrieth thee captiue vnto sinne Looke now onely vpon the lawe of God applie it to thy selfe examine thy thoughts thy words thy deeds by it pray vnto God that he would giue thee the spirit of feare that the lawe may in some measure humble and terrifie thee for as Salomon saith blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but cursed is he that hardneth his heart IV. In the Law these are most effectuall meditations to humble and bridle the flesh which follow First meditate on the greatnes of thy sinnes and of their infinite number and if it may be gather them into a catalogue set it before thee and looke vnto it that thou thinke no sinne to be a small sinne no not the bare thoughts and motions of thy heart Often with diligence consider the strange iudgements of God vpon men for their sinnes which thou shalt find partly in the Scriptures partly by daily experience Doubtlesse thou must thinke that euery iudgement of God is a sermon of repentance Thinke oft on the fearefull curse of the law due vnto thee if thou shouldest sinne neuer but once in all thy life and that neuer so little Remember that whensoeuer thou committest a sinne God is present and his holy Angels and that he is an eye-witnes that he taketh a note of thy sinne and registreth it in a booke Thinke daily of thy ende and know that God may strike thee with sodaine death euery moment and that if then thou haue not repented before that time there is no hope of saluation Thinke on the sodaine comming of our Sauiour Christ to iudgement let it mooue thee continually to watch pray If these will not mooue thee thinke on this that no creature in heauen or in earth was able to pacifie the wrath of God for thy sinnes but his owne Sonne must come downe from heauen out of his Fathers bosome and must beare the curse of the law euen the full wrath of his Father for thee V. When by these meanes thou art feared and thy minde is disquieted in respect of Gods iudgement for thy sinne haue recourse to the promises of mercie contained in the olde and new Testament Is thy conscience stung with sinne And doth the law make thee feele it With all speede runne to the brasen serpent Christ Iesus looke on him with the eie of faith and presently thou shalt be healed of thy sting or wound VI. When thou doest meditate on the promises of the Gospel diligently consider these benefits which thou enioyest by Christ. Through Adam thou art condemned to hel by Christ thou art deliuered from it Through Adam thou hast transgressed the whole law in Christ thou hast fulfilled it Through Adam thou art before God a vile and a lothsome sinner through Christ thou doest appeare glorious in his eyes By Adam euery little crosse is the punishment of thy sinne and a token of Gods wrath by Christ the greatest crosses are easie profitable and tokens of Gods mercie By Adam thou diddest leese all things in Christ all things are restored to thee againe By Adam thou art dead by Christ thou art quickned and made aliue again By Adam thou art a slaue of the deuill and the child of wrath but by Christ thou art the child of God In Adam thou art worse then a toad and more detestable before God but by Christ thou art aboue the Angels For thou art ioyned vnto him and made bone of his bone mystically Through Adam sinne and Sathan haue ruled in thee and led thee captiue by Christ the spirit of god dwelleth in thee plenteouslie By Adam came death to thee and it is an entrance to hell by Christ though death remaine yet it is only a passage vnto life Lastly in Adā thou art poore and blind and miserable in Christ thou art rich and glorious thou art a king of heauen an earth fellow heire with him and shalt as sure bee partaker of it as he is euen now Adam when hee must needs tast of the fruit which God had forbidden him he hath made vs all to rue it euen til this daie but here thou seest the fruits that grow not in the earthly paradise but on the tree of life which is within the heauenly Ierusalem Feare no danger be bolde in Christ to eate of the fruite as God hath commaunded thee it will quicken thee and reuiue thee beeing dead thou canst not doe Satan a worse displeasure then to feede on the godly fruite of this tree and to smell on the sweete leaues which it beareth continually that giue such a refreshing sauour VII Most men now a daies are secure and cold in the profession of the gospell though they haue the plentifull preaching of it And the reason is because they feele not in themselues the vertue and mightie operation of Gods word to renue them and they can not feele it because they doe not applie the word aright vnto their owne soules Plaisters except they be applied in order and time and be laid vpon the wound though they be neuer so good yet they can not heale and so it is with the worde of God and the parts of it which except they be vsed in order and time conuenient will not humble and reuiue vs as their vertue is VIII The common Christian euery where is faultie in this thing Whereas he loueth himselfe and wisheth all good that may bee to himselfe hee doth vsually apply vnto his owne soule the gospel alone neuer regarding the law or searching out his sinnes by it Tell him what ye will his song is this God is mercifull God is mercifull By this meanes it commeth to passe that he leadeth a secure life and maketh no conscience of couetousnes of vsurie of deceit in his trade of lying of swearing of fornication wantonnesse intemperancie in bibbing and quaffing c. But he plaieth the vnskilfull Chirurgian he vseth healing plaisters before his poisoned and cankered nature haue felt the power and paine of a Corasiue And it will neuer be well with him vntil hee take a newe course IX On the contrarie part many good Christians leaue to apply the comfort of the gospel to themselues and onely haue regard to their owne sinnes and Gods infinite vengeance And euen when Satan accuseth them they will not sticke to giue eare to Sathan also accuse themselues so they are brought into fearefull terrors and often draw neere to desperation X. There is a third sort called Sectaries who addict themselues to the opinion of some man These commonly neuer apply the law or the Gospell to themselues but their whole meditation is chiefly in the opinions of him whome they followe As they that followe Luther fewe of them followe his Christian life they regard not that but about consubstantiation and vbiquitie about Images and such like trumperie they infinitely trouble themselues and all Europe too And in England there is a schismatical
and vndiscret companie that would seeme to crie out for discipline their whole talke is of it and yet they neither knowe it nor will be reformed by it and yet they are enemies to it as for the lawe of God and the promises of the Gospell they little regard they maintain vile sinnes in refusing to heare the reading or the preaching of the word and this is great contempt of Gods benefits and vnthankefulnesse to him They are full of pride thinking themselues to be full when they are emptie to haue all knowledge when they are ignorant and had neede to bee catechized the poyson of Aspes is vnder their lippes they refuse not to speake euill of the blessed seruants of God Well doe they aboue all things seeke the kingdome of GOD then let them be sincere seekers of it which they shall doe if in seeking Christs kingdome they seeke the righteousnesse thereof vnto which they can neuer come but by the applying of the threatnings of the lawe and the comforts of the gospel to their own consciences But whereas they seeke the one and not the other they giue all men to vnderstand with what spirit they speake CONSOLATIONS FOR THE TROVBLED consciences of repentant Sinners Sinner GOod sir I know the Lord hath giuen you the tongue of the learned to be able to minister a word in time to him that is wearie therefore I pray you helpe me in my miserie Minister Ah my good brother what is the matter with you and what aile you Sinner I liued a long time the Lord he knoweth it after the manner of the world in all the lusts of my filthie flesh then I was neuer troubled but it hath plesed GOD of his mercie to touch my heart and to send his owne sonne that good sheapheard Iesus Christ to fetch me home to his owne fold euen vpon his own necke and since that time it is a wonder to see howe my poore heart hath beene troubled my corruption so boyles in me and Sathan will neuer let me alone Minister Your case is a blessed case for not to be troubled of Satan is to be possessed of him that is to be held captiue vnder the power of darkenes and to be a slaue and vassall of Sathan for as long as the strong man keepes the hold all things are is peace Contrariwise hee that hath receiued any sparkle of true faith shall see the gates of hell that is the deuill and his angels in their full strengthâ— to stand vp against him and to fight with an endles hatred for his finall confusion Sinner But this my trouble of mind hath made me oftentimes feare least God would reiect me and vtterly depriue me of the kingdome of heauen Minister But there is no cause why it should so doe For how should heauen bee your resting place if on earth you were not troubled how could god wipe away your teares from your eies in heauen if on earth you shead them not You would be freâ— from miseries you looke for heauen vpon earth But if you will go to heauen the right waie is to saile by hel If you wil sit at Christs table in his kingdome you must bee with him in his temptations You are as Gods corne you must therefore goe vnder the fâ—aile the fanne the milstone and the ouen before you can be Gods bread You are one of Christs Lambes looke therefore to be fleeced and to haue the bloodie knife at your throat all the daie long If you were a market sheepe bought to be solde you should be stalled and kept in a fat pasture but you are for Gods owne occupying therfore you must pasture on the bare common abiding stormes tempests Sathans snatches the worlds woundes contempt of conscience and frettes of the flesh But in this your miserie I will be a Simon vnto you to helpe you to carrie your crosse so be it you will reueale your mind vnto me Christian. I will doe it willingly my temptations are either against my faith in Christ or against repentance for my sinnes Minister What is your temptation as touching faith Christian. Ah woe is me I am much afraid least I haue no faith in Christ my Sauiour Minister What causeth this feare Christian. Diuers things Minister What is one Christian. I am troubled with many doubtings of my saluation and so it comes into my minde to thinke that by my incredulitie I should quite cut off my selfe from the fauour of God Minister But you must knowe this one thing that he that neuer doubted of his saluation neuer beleeued and that hee which beleeueth in trueth feeleth many doubtings and wauerings euen as the sound man feels many grudgings of diseases which if he had not health he could not feele Christian. But you neuer knewe any that hauing true faith doubted of their saluation Minister What will you then say of the man that said Lord I beleeue Lord helpe mine vnbeleefe And of Dauid who made his moane after this manner Is his mercy cleane gone for euer Doth his promise faile for euermore Hath God forgotten to be mercifull Hath he shut vp his tender mercie in displeasure Yea hee goeth on further as a man in despaire And I said this is my death Hereby it is manifest that a man indued with true faith may haue not onely assaults of doubting but of desperation This further appeareth in that he saith in an other place Why art thou cast downe my soule Why art thou disquieted within me Waite on God for I will yet giue thankes he is my present helpe and my God And in very truth you may perswade your selfe that they are but vnreasonable men that say they haue long beleeued in Christ without any doubting of their saluation Christian. But Dauid had more in him then I haue for me thinkes there is nothing in this wicked heart of mine but rebellion against GOD nothing but doubting of his mercie Minister Let me know but one thing of you these doubtings which you feele doe you like them or doe you take any pleasure in them and doe you cherish them Christian. Nay nay they appeare very vile in mine eies and I do abhorre them from my heart and I would faine beleeue Minister In man we must consider his estate by nature and his estate by grace In the first hee and his flesh are all one for they are as man wife therfore one is accessarie to the doings of the other When the flesh sinneth the man also sinneth that is in subiection to the flesh yea when the flesh perisheth the man likewise perisheth beeing in this estate with the flesh a louing couple they are they liue and die together But in the estate of grace though a man haue the flesh in him yet hee and his flesh are diuorced asunder This diuorcement is made when a man begins to dislike and to hate his flesh and the euil fruits of it this separation
but were preuented by death and shall neuer repent II. The longer a man liues in any sinne the greater danger because by practise sinne gets heart and strength Custome is of such force that that which men vse to doe in their life time the same they doe and speake when they are dying One had three poundes owing him to bee paid three seuerall yeares when he was dying nothing could be got of him but three yeres three poūds Againe by deferring repentance men treasure vp wrath against the daie of wrath If a malefactor for his punishment should be appointed euery daie to carrie a sticke of woode to an heap to burne him twentie yeares after it must needs be an exceeding great punishment and miserie and this is the case of euerie sinner who neglecting repentance from daie to daie doth thereby imploy himselfe in heaping vp the coles of Gods wrath to burn his soule in hell when the daie of death comes III. The more the time is prolonged the harder it is to repent the longer a man goes in his sicknesse without phisicke the harder is the recouerie And where the deuill dwels long he will hardly be remooued The best waie to kill a serpent is to crush it in the head when it is young IV. It is as meat and drinke to the deuil to see men liue in their sinnes deferring repentance as on the contrary there is great ioy among the angels of God in heauen when a sinner doth repent V. Late repentance is seldome or neuer true repentance For if a man repent when he can not sinne as in former time as namely in death then hee leaues not sinne but sinne leaues him wherefore the repentance which men frame to themselues when they are dying it is to be feared least it die with thē And it is verie iust that he should bee contemned of God in his death who contemned God in his life Chrysostom saith that the wicked man hath this punishment on him that in dying hee should forget himselfe who when he was liuing did forget God VI. We are with Abel to giue vnto God in sacrifice euen the fat of our flocke nowe they which deferre repentance to the ende doe the contrarie Late repenters offer the slower of their youth to the deuill and they bring the lame broken sacrifice of their old age to God CHAP. XI OF CERTAINE CASES IN Repentance I. Case of a Reuolt WHether a man that hath professed Christ and his religion yet afterward in persecution denies Christ and forsweares the religion may repent and be saued Answere It is a grieuous estate yet a man may come to repentance afterward Manasses fell away to idolatrie and witchcraft and yet was receiued to mercie So did wise Salomon and yet no doubt recouered is receiued to life euerlasting My reason is because God vouchsafed him to be a penman of some parts of holy Scripture And the scriptures were written not by such as were men of God onely but by such as were holy men of God Peter denied Christ of knowledge against his owne conscience and that with cursing and banning and yet came to repentāce afterward as appeares by the testimonie of Christ I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not therefore when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren Obiect I. Mat. 10.33 Whosoeuer shall denie me before men him will I denie before my father which is in heauen Ans. The place is onely to be vnderstood of such a deniall of Christ which is finall Obiect II. Heb. 6.4 It is impossible that they which were once lightened haue tasted of the heauenly gift c. if they fal away should be renued by repentance And Heb. 10.26 If we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth there remaines no more sacrifice for sinne Ans. These places must bee vnderstood of the sin which is to death in which mē of desperate malice against Christ vniuersally and wholly fall away from religion For the H. Ghost saith not if they fall but if they fall away And it is added that they crucifie the sonne of God and make a mocke of him that they trample vnder foote the sonne of God that they account the blood of the newe testament an vnholy thing that they despise the spirit of God And the word translated willingly imports somewhat more namely to sinne because a man will that is wilfully The like answere is to be giuen to the question whereby it is demanded whether men ouertaken with the vnnaturall sinnes mentioned Rom. 1.24,25,26 may come to repentance afterward or no namely that although the sinnes be hainous and capitall yet the grace of repentance is not denied as appeares in the example of the Corinthians 1. Cor. 6.9 10,11 VVHether the child of God after repentance for some grieuous sinne doe fall into the same againe and come to repentance the second time Ans. The case is dangerous as wee may see by comparison in the bodie If one fall into the relapse of an ague or any other strong disease it may cost him his life and the recouerie will bee verie hard Christ said to the man that had bin sicke eight and thirtie yeres after that he had healed him Behold thou art whole sinne no more least a worse thing befall thee And the vncleane spirit returning takes to him other seauen spirits worse then himselfe Indeede we finde no particular example of recouerie after a relapse in the scriptures yet no doubt a recouerie may be Reasons are these I. Promise is made of remission of sins in Christ without any tearme of time without any limitation to any number or kinds of sinne saue onely the blasphemy against the H. Ghost Therefore there may be a repentance and saluation after a relapse II. Christ tels Peter that he must forgiue not til seuen times only which peraduenture he thought to be very much but seuentie seuen times and that in one daie if one returne seuentie times and say it repents me Now if we must do this which haue not so much as a drop of mercie in vs in comparison of God hee will no doubt often forgiue euen for one sinne if men will returne and say it repents me considering that with him is plentifull redemption and he is much in sparing III. Case of Restitution VVHether hee that repents is to make restitution if hee haue taken any thing wrongfully from his neighbour Ans. Yea Zacheus when hee repented and receiued Christ gaue halfe of his goods to the poore and if hee had taken any thing by forged cauillation he restored it foure folde It is but a bad practise when a man on his death bed will verie deuoutly bequeath his soule to God and his goods euill gotten as his conscience wil often crie in his eare to his children and friendes without either restitution or amends making Quest. But what if a man be not able to
thou and the rest deserued rather to be swallowed of the earth and to goe downe into the pit aliue then to haue any part in the merit of Christ crucified When thou readest of his buriall thinke that it was to ratifie his death and to vanquish death euen in his owne denne Applie this buriall to thy selfe and beleeue that it serues to make thy graue a bedde of doune and to free thy bodie from corruption Lastly pray to God that thou maist feele the power of the spirit of Christ weakning and consuming the bodie of sinne euen as a dead corps rottes in the graue till it be resolued to dust When thou hast thus perused and applied to thy selfe the historie of the Passion of Christ goe yet further and labour by faith to see Christ crucified in all the workes of God either in thee or vpon thee Behold him at thy table in meate and drinke which is as it were a liuely sermon and a daily pledge of the mercie of God in Christ. Behold him in all thine afflictions as thy partner that pitieth thy case and hath compassion on thee Behold him in thy most dangerous temptations in which the deuil thundreth damnation behold him I say as a mightie Sampson bearing away the gates of his enemies vpon his owne shoulders and killing more by death then by life crucifying the deuill euen then when he is crucified by death killing death by entrance into the graue opening the graue and giuing life to the dead and in the house of death spoiling him of all his strength and power Behold him in all the afflictions of thy brethren as though he himselfe were naked hungrie sicke harbourles and do vnto them all the good thou canst as to Christ himselfe If thou wouldest behold God himselfe looke vpon him in Christ crucified who is the ingrauen image of the fathers person and know it to be a terrible thing in the time of the trouble of thy conscience to thinke of God without Christ in whose face the glorie of God in his endlesse mercie is to be seene 2. Cor. 4.6 If thou wouldest come to God for grace for comfort for saluation for any blessing come first to Christ hanging bleeding dying vpon the crosse without whome there is no hearing God no helping God no sauing God no God to thee at all In a word let Christ be all things without exception vnto thee Coloss. 3. 11. for when thou praiest for any blessing either temporall or spirituall be it whatsoeuer it will be or can be thou must aske it at the hands of God the father by the merit and mediation of Christ crucified now looke as we aske blessings at Gods hand so must we receiue them of him and as they are receiued so must we possesse and vse them daily namely as gifts of God procured to vs by the merit of Christ which gifts for this very cause must be wholly imploied to the honour of Christ. FINIS A DISCOVRSE OF Conscience Wherein is set downe the nature properties and differences thereof as also the way to Get and keepe good Conscience The second Edition PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. The Contents Chap. 1. What Conscience is 2. The actions or duties of conscience Where this point is handled How any thing is said to bind conscience 3. The kindes and differences of conscience Where is handled Libertie of conscience and the question disputed whether a man may in conscience be vnfallibly certen of his saluation 4. Mans dutie touching conscience which is to get and to keepe it TO THE RIGHT HONOVABLE SIR WILLIam Piryam Knight Lord chiefe Baron of her Maiesties Exchequer Grace and peace RIght Honourable it can not be vnknowne to your selfe or to any man of a daies experience that it is thought a smal matter to commit a sinne or to lie in sinnes against a mansâ— owne conscience For many when they are told of their dutie in this point replie and say What tell you me of Conscience Conscience was hanged long agoe But vnlesse they take better heede and preuent the danger by repentance Hanged conscience will reuiue and become both gibbet hangman to them either in this life or the life to come For Conscience is appointed of God to declare and put in execution his iust iudgement against sinners and as God cannot possibly be ouercome of man so neither can the iudgement of Conscience beeing the iudgement of God be wholly extinguished Indeede Satan for his part goes about by all meanes he can to benumme the conscience but all is nothing For as the sicke man when he seemes to sleepe and take his rest is inwardly full of troubles so the benummed and arousie conscience wants not his secret pangs and terrours and when it shall be roused by the iudgement of God it waxeth cruell and fierce like a wild beast Againe when a man sinnes against his conscience as much as in him lieth he plungeth himselfe into the gulfe of desperation for euery wound of the conscience though the smart of it be little felt is a deadly wound and he that goes on to sinne against his conscience stabbes and woundes it often in the same place and all renewed woundes as we know are hardly or neuer cured Thirdly he that lieth in sinnes against his conscience can not call vpon the name of God for guiltie conscience makes a man flie from God And Christ saith God heareth not sinners vnderstanding by sinners such as goe on in their owne waies against conscience and what can be more dolefull then to be barred of the inuocation of Gods name Lastly such persons after the last iudgement shall haue not onely their bodies in torment but the worme in the soule and conscience shal neuer die and what will it profit a man to gaine the whole world by doing things against his owne conscience and loose his owne soule Now that â—â—en on this manner carelesse touching conscience may see their foâ—lie and the great danger thereof and come to amendment I haue penned this small treatise and according to the auncient and laudable custome as also according to my long intended purpose I now dedicate and present the same to your Lordship The reasons which haue imboldened me to this enterprise all by-respects excluded are these Generall doctrine in points of religion is darke and obscure and very hardly practised without the light of particular examples and therefore the doctrine of conscience by due right pertaines to a man of conscience such an one as your Lordship is who others of like place not excepted haue obtained this mercie at Gods hand to keepe faith and good conscience Againe considering that iustice and conscience haue alwaies bin friends I am induced to thinke that your Lordship beeing publikely set apart for the execution and maintenance of ciuill iustice will approoue and accept a Treatise propounding rules and prâ—cepts of conscience Thus therefore crauing pardon for my boldnes and
hoping of your Lordships good acceptance I commend you to God and to the word of his grace 1596. Iune 14. Your L. to command William Perkins OF CONSCIENCE CHAP. I. What Conscience is COnscience is a part of the vnderstanding in all reasonable creatures determining of their particular actions either with them or against them I say conscience is a part of the vnderstanding and I shewe it thus God in framing of the soule placed in it two principall faculties Vnderstanding and Will Vnderstāding is that facultie in the soule wherby we vse reason it is the more principall part seruing to rule order the whole man therfore it is placed in the soule to be as the wagginer in the waggin The Will is another facultie whereby wee doe will or nill any thing◠that is choose or refuse it With the will is ioyned sundrie affectiōs as ioy sorrow loue hatred c. whereby we imbrace or eschewe that which is good or euill Nowe conscience is not placed in the affections nor will but in the vnderstanding because the actions thereof stand in the vse of reason Vnderstanding againe hath two parts The first is that which stands in the viewe and contemplation of trueth and falshood and goes no further The second is that which standes in the view and consideration of euery particular action to search whether it be good or badde The first is called the Theoricall the second the practicall vnderstanding And vnder this latter is conscience to be comprehended because his propertie is to iudge of the goodnes or badnes of things or actions done Againe I say that conscience is a part of the minde or vnderstanding to shewe that conscience is not a bare knowledge or iudgement of the vnderstāding as men commōly write but a naturall power facultie or created qualitie from whence knowledge and iudgement proceede as effects This the Scriptures confirme in that they ascribe sundrie workes and actions to conscience as accusing excusing comforting terrifying which actions could not thence proceede if conscience were no more but an action or act of the mind Indeede I grant it may be taken for a kind of actuall knowledge in the minde of man but to speake properly this knowledge must proceede of a power in the soule the propertie whereof is to take the principles and conclusions of the mind and apply them and by applying either to accuse or excuse This is the ground of all and this I take to be conscience If it be obiected that conscience cannot be a naturall power because it may be lost I answer if conscience be lost it is onely in respect of the vse thereof as reason is lost in the drunken man and not otherwise I adde that the proper subiects of conscience are reasonable creatures that is men and Angels Hereby conscience is excluded first of all from bruite beasts for though they haue life and sense and in many things some shadows of reason yet because they want true reason they want conscience also Secōdly from God the creator who beeing righteousnes it selfe needeth not conscience to order and gouerne his actions And whereas Peter saieth 1. Pet. 2. 19. that men must endure griefe wrongfully for conscience of god his meaning is not to shewe that God hath conscience but that men are to suffer many wrongs because their conscience doe bind them in so doing to obey Gods wil which conscience directly respecteth And I say that conscience is in all reasonable creatures that none might imagine that some men by nature haue conscience in them some none at all For as many men as there are so many consciences there be and euery particular man hath his owne particular conscience The proper end of conscience is to determine of things done And by this conscience is distinguished from all other gifts of the minde as intelligence opinion science faith prudence Intelligence simplie conceiues a thing to be or not to be opinion iudgeth a thing to be probable or contingent science iudgeth to be certen and sure faith is a perswasion whereby we beleeue things that are not prudence discerneth what is meet to be done what to bee left vndone but conscience goes further yet then all these for it determines or giues sentence of things done by saying vnto vs this was done this was not done this may bee done this may not be done this was well done this was ill done The things that conscience determines of are a mans own actions his own actions I say To be certen what an other man hath said or done it is commōly called knowledge but for a man to be certaine what he himselfe hath done or said that is conscience Againe conscience meddles not with generals onely it deales in particular actions and that not in some few but in all The manner of consciences determination is to set downe his iudgement either with the creature or against it I adde this clause because conscience is of a diuine nature and is a thing placed of God in the middest betweene him and man as an arbitratour to giue sentence and to pronounce either with mā or against man vnto God For otherwhiles it consents and speaks with God against the man in whome it is placed otherwhiles againe it consents with him and speakes for him before the Lord. And hence comes one reason of the name of conscience Scire to knowe is of one man alone by himselfe and conscire is when two at the least knowe some one secret thing either of them knowing it togither with the other Therefore the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or conscientia Conscience is that thing that combines two togither and makes thē partners in the knowledge of one and the same secret Now man and man or man and Angel cannot be combined because they cannot knowe the secret of any man vnlesse it be reuealed to them it remaines therefore that this combinatiō is onely betweene man and God God knowes perfectly all the doings of man though they be neuer so hid and concealed and man by a gift giuen him of God knowes togither with God the same things of himselfe and this gift is named Conscience CHAP. II. Of the duties of Conscience THe proper actions or duties of conscience are twofold to giue testimony or to giue iudgement Rom. 2.15 Conscience giues testimonie by determining that a thing was done or it was not done Rom. 2.15 Their conscience also bearing witnesse 2. Cor. 1.12 Our reioycing is the testimonie of our conscience that in c. Here we must consider three things I. of what things conscience beares witnes II. in what manner III. how long For the first conscience beares witnesse of our thoughts of our affections of our outward actions That it beares witnesse of our secret thoughts it appeares by the solemne protestation which at some time men vse In my conscience I neuer thought it whereby they signifie that they thinke something or they
shall in time to come beleeue in him to eternall life Againe Philip. 3.8 he saith I thinke all things but losse that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes but that which is through the faith of Christ that I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection afterward he addeth v. 15. Let vs as many as be perfect be thus minded III. Whatsoeuer we pray for according to Gods will we are bound to beleeue that it shall be giuen vnto vs Mark 11. 24. Whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shall be done vnto you But we pray for the pardon of our sinnes and for life euerlasting by Christ and that according to the will of God Therefore we are bound in conscience to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting IV. If God should speake particularly to any man and say vnto him Cornelius or Peter beleeue thou in Christ and thou shalt be saued this commandement should bind him particularly Now when the Minister lawfully called in the name and stead of God publisheth the Gospel to the congregation that is as much as if God himselfe had spoken to them particularly calling each of them by their names and promising vnto them life euerlasting in Christ. 2. Cor. 5.20 We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through vs pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled to God It may be and is obiected that if euery man be bound in conscience to beleeue his owne Election and saluation by Christ then some men are bound to beleeue that which is false because some there be euen in the middest of the Church which in the counsell of God were neuer chosen to saluation I answer that this reason were good if men were bound absolutely to beleeue their saluation without further respect or condition but the bond is conditionall according to the tenour of the couenant of grace for we are bound to beleeue in Christ if we would come to life euerlasting or if we would be in the fauour of God or if we would be good disciples and members of Christ. I answer againe that whatsoeuer a man is bound to beleeue is true yet not alwaies in the euent but true in the intention of God that bindeth Now the commaundement of beleeuing and applying the Gospell is by God giuen to all within the Church but not in the same manner to all It is giuen to the Elect that by beleeuing they might indeede be saued God inabling them to doe that which he commands To the rest whome God in iustice will refuse the same commandement is giuen not for the same cause but to another end that they might see how they could not beleeue and by this meanes be bereft of all excuse in the day of iudgement God doth not alwaies giue commandements simply that they might be done but sometimes for other respects that they might be meanes of triall as the commaundement giuen to Abraham of killing Isaac againe that they might serue to keepe men at the least in outward obedience in this life and stop their mouthes before the tribunall seat of God In that we are bound in conscience on this manner to beleeue the promises of the Gospel with an application of the benefits thereof to our selues sundry necessarie and profitable points of instruction may be learned The first that the Popish Doctours abolish a great part of the Gospel when they teach that men are bound to beleeue the Gospel onely by a Catholike faith which they make to be nothing els but a gift of God or illumination of the mind whereby assent is giuen to the word of God that it is true and more specially that Iesus is Christ that is an all-sufficient Sauiour of mankind All which the damned spirits beleeue whereas the Gospel for the comfort and saluation of mens soules hath a further reach namely to enioyne men to beleeue that the promise of saluation is not onely true in it selfe but also true in the very person of the beleeuer as appeares euidently by the Sacraments which are as it were a visible Gospel in which Christ with all his benefits is offered and applied to the particular persons of men to this ende no doubt that they might beleeue the accomplishment of the promise in themselues Secondly we learne that it is not presumption for any man to beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes for to doe the wil of God to which we are boūd is not to presume now it is the will of God to which he hath bound vs in conscience to beleeue the remission of our owne sinnes and therefore rather not doe it is presumptuous disobedience Thirdly we are here to marke and to remember with care the foundation of the vnfallible certentie of mans saluation For if man be bound in conscience first to giue assent to the Gospel and secondly to applie it to himselfe by true faith then without doubt a man by faith may be certenly perswaded of his owne Election and saluation in this life without any extraordinarie reuelation Gods commandements beeing in this and the like cases possible For commandements are either Legal or Euangelical Legall shew vs our disease but giue vs no remedie and the perfect doing of them according to the intent of the Lawgiuer by reason of mans weaknes and through mans default is impossible in this world As for Euangelical commandements they haue this priuiledge that they may and can be performed according to the intent of the Lawgiuer in this life because with the commandement is ioyned the inward operation of the spirit in the elect to inable them to effect the dutie cōmaunded and the will of God is not to require absolute perfection at our hands in the Gospel as in the law but rather to qualifie the rigour of the law by the satisfaction of a Mediatour in our stead and of vs we being in Christ to accept the vpright will and indeauour for the deede as the will to repent and the will to beleeue for repentance and true faith indeede Now then if things required in the Gospell be both ordinarie and possible then for a man to haue an vnfallible certentie of his owne saluation is both ordinarie and possible But more of this point afterward Lastly all such persons as are troubled with doubtings distrustings vnbeleefe despaire of Gods mercie are to learne consider that God by his word bindes them in conscience to beleeue the pardon of their owne sinnes be they neuer so grieuous or many and to beleeue their owne election to saluation whereof they doubt Men that are but ciuill haue care to auoid robbing and killing because God giues commandements against stealing and killing why then should not we much more striue against our manifold doubtings and distrustings of Gods loue in Christ hauing a commaundement of God that calls vpon vs and binds vs to so Thus
the like places of Scripture the intent whereof is to make vs circumspect and feareful least we should offend God by any sinne our owne weaknesse considered and the imminent iudgements of God And this kind of feare as all the first may stand with certaintie of faith Rom. 11. Thou standest by faith be not high minded but feare Psa. 2. Serue the Lord in feare and reioice in trembling Obiect 6. Where there is no word there is no faith For faith and the worde of God be relatiues But there is no word of God that saith to particular men Cornelius or Peter or Iohn thy sinnes are pardoned excepting a fewe persons as Marie Magdalen and the palsie man c. Therefore there is no particular faith Ans. Though there be no word set down in Scripture touching the saluation of this or that particular man yet there is set downe that which is equiuolent to a particular worde and as much in effect For the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting is giuen with a commandement that euery man apply the promise to himselfe as I haue before prooued and this is altogither as much as if euery mans particular name had beene put in the promise I adde further that the promises of the gospel must bee considered two waies first as they are generally set downe in Scripture without application to any person secondly as they are taught and published in the ministery of the word the end whereof is to apply them to the persons of men partly by preaching and partly by administring the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper which are seales of righteousnes of faith Nowe the promise applied and as I may say particularized to the members of the Church is by the vertue of Gods ordinance as much as if God himselfe had giuen the promise particularly and annexed mens names vnto it It is further aunswered that the promise of remission of sinne is preached not simply but vpon condition of mens faith and repentance which indeede cannot be certainely knowne I answere againe as I haue alreadie prooued that he which truly beleeueth and repenteth knoweth that he doth certainly beleeue and repent Obiect 7. To beleeue the pardon of a man owne sinnes is none of the articles of faith propounded in any Creed either of the Apostles or the Nicene fathers or Athanasius or any other creed Answ. This faith is contained vnder these wordes I beleeue remission of sinnes and I prooue it thus These wordes are an article of Christian faith and therefore they must in sense containe more then the deuil doth or can beleeue now the deuill beleueth thus much that God giues remission of sinnes to his Church Christian men therefore must go one step further and beleeue particularly the remission of their own sinnes Otherwise if the Papists will haue the Catholike faith to beleeue no more in this point then the damned spirits beleeue let them take it to themselues But they reply further that if there were any such article of faith then some persons must beleeue that they are iust though they willingly commit mortall sinne which is an euident falshood Ans. He that beleeues the pardon of his owne sinnes by true faith hath the spirit of God in him and a constant purpose not to sinne against God and therfore if hee sinne it is against his purpose and without any full consent of will and it is not hee that doeth it but the sinne that dwelleth in him But if it so fall out that the childe of God be ouertaken with any actuall sinne then his case standeth thus Hee hath by his fall wounded his conscience weakened his faith bereaued himselfe of Gods fauour as much as in him lieth made himselfe guiltie of a sinne and worthie of damnation and God for his part accordingly turnes the wonted signes of his fauour into signes of anger and displeasure and though it be pardoned in the purpose of God yet is it not actually pardoned till the partie repent Things standing thus we teach not that men must beleeue the pardon of their sinnes while they liue and lie in them for that were flatly to teach falshood for trueth but our doctrine is that such persons must first of al humble themselues and say with the prodigall child that they haue sinned against God and are not worthie to be called his children any more and again renue their decaied faith and repentanceâ— that they may beleeue as before their perfect reconciliation with God Obiect 8. In respect of God who is trueth it selfe we are to beleeue the promise in particular yet if we respect our owne vnworthinesse and indisposition we are to feare and in some part to doubt For the promise of remission of sinnes is not absolute but depends vpon the condition of our workes Therefore our certentie is onely coniecturall Ans. I answer first that in respect of our owne vnworthines we are not to doubt of our saluation but to be out of all doubt yea to despaire before the iudgement seat of God For they which are of the works of the law are vnder the curse Gal. 3.10 and Paul saith of his own works of grace In this I am not iustified 1. Cor. 4.4 And Dauid being out of al doubt of his owne deserued daÌ„nation in regard of his own vnworthines saith freely Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for no flesh shall bee iustified in thy sight Againe the consideration of any vnworthines in our selues doth not hinder a resolution concerning Gods mercie in Christ. For true faith makes an entrance vnto God with boldnes I say with boldnes euen for those persons that are vnworthie in themselues Eph. 4. 12. And Abraham whose faith is to be followed of vs did not vpon the consideration of his old decaied bodie rest himselfe with bare hope vpon a likelihood of the accomplishment of gods promise but he beleeued vnder hope euen against hope Rom. 4.18 Lastly I answer that the ground of the former obiection is erronious namely that the promise of saluation depends on the condition of our works because the Scripture saith it is made and accomplished on mans part freely I graunt indeede that to the promise there is annexed a condition of faith yet faith must not here be considered as a worke but as an instrument apprehending Christ with his benefits and withall repentance with the fruits thereof are on our part required yet no otherwise but as they are necessary consequents of faith and the signes and documents thereof Obieâ—t 9. No man knowes all his sinnes no man therefore can certainly knowe that all his sinnes are pardoned and that he is accepted of God Ans. The ground of this argument is false namely that a man cannot be assured of the pardon of his sinnes if some of them be vnknowne And to make this manifest I will lay downe a more certen ground which shall be this As the case is in Repentance so it is also
in faith but there may be true and suâ—ficient repentance of vnknown sinnes God indeed requires a particular repentance for particular knowne sinnes but if they be hidden and vnknowne he accepts a generall repentance An example whereof we haue in Dauid Who knowes saith he the errours of this life then purge me from my secret sinnes If it were not as I haue said neither Dauid nor any man else could be â—aued For when Dauid â—epented greatly of his murder and adulterie yet we finde not that he repented particularly of his polygamie which in all likelihoode through the swinge and custome of those times was not then reputed to be any sinne specially in the person of a king and yet because as we know he is certenly saued this very sinne is pardoned Therefore when God pardons the knowne sinnes of men whereof they doe in particular repent he doth withall pardon the rest that are vnknowne And by this it appeares that the ignorance of some hidden sinnes after a man with diligence hath searched himselfe cannot preiudice an vnfallible assurance of the pardon of them all and of his owne saluation Obiect 10. We pray for the pardon of our owne sinnes and therefore we are vncerten of pardon the man which knowes that he hath pardon neede not pray for it I answer first when we are taught by Christ to pray for the forgiuenes of our debts we are put in minde not to seeke the pardon of all our sinnes whether past or present but specially of our present and daily offences whereby we make our selues day by day guiltie till such time as we humble our selues repent of them Secondly by this petition we are taught to aske the increase of our assurance because though God bestow endlesse mercie on vs yet we are skant in receiuing of it our hearts beeing like a narrow necked vessell which beeing cast euen into the Ocean sea receiueth in water onely droppe by droppe Obiect 11. No man can beleeue his owne saluation as he beleeues the articles of faith therefore no man can beleeue the pardon of his sinnes and his saluation by an infallible certentie I answer first that euery one that lookes for saluation by Christ is bound in conscience as certenly to beleeue his owne saluation and adoption by Christ as he beleeues the articles of faith Because to the promise of life there is annexed a commandement to beleeue and applie it Secondly this faith whereby we are to beleeue our owne saluation if we respect the true and proper nature thereof is as certen as that faith whereby we beleeue the articles of faith Thirdly as there be diuerse ages in the life of man so there be diuers degrees and measures of true faith There is first of all a beginning or rudiment of faith like the smoking flaxe and bruised reede which Christ will neither quench nor bruise Againe there is weake faith which beleeueth the promise truly but yet is perplexed with many doubtings Lastly there is strong faith which hath ouercome all doubtings and is not onely for nature certen as the former is but also a large and plentifull perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ. Examples of this we haue in Abraham Dauid the Martyrs and such like worthie men Now by the second faith men doe as certenly beleeue their adoption as the articles but not so firmely and fully But by the last remission of sinnes is not onely as certenly but also as fully beleeued as any article of faith Obiect 12. Ancient fathers the lights of Gods Church haue alwaies condemned this vnfallible and speciall certentie of faith which the Protestants hold and maintaine Ans. Though wee builde not the doctrine of our religion vpon the iudgements of men yet we refuse not in this and other points to bee tried by the fathers whose writings well vnderstood make more for vs then for the Popish religion And their testimonies commonly alleadged to confute the certentie of speciall faith are much abused I. Many of them serue to prooue that a man cannot iudge and discerne of euery particular motion and grace of his heart of the increase of these graces and the contrarie disease of speciall vices and wants many whereof are hidden from the vnderstanding Theodoret in his comment 1. Cor. 4. I will not saith he free my selfe from sin but waite the sentence of God for it often falls out that men sinne of ignorance and thinke that to be equall and iust which the God of all sees to be otherwise August de verbis deiâ— serm 23. Peraduenture thou findes nothing in thy conscience but hee findes something that seeth better And vpon Psal. 41. I knowe that the iustice of my God shall abide but whether mine shall or no I knowe not for the saying of the Apostle terrifieth me Hee which thinkes hee standes let him take heed least he fall Here he speakes of his inward righteousnes and that as it is considered in it selfe without the assistance of God For he addes afterward Therefore because there is no stabilitie in me for my selfe hereupon my soule is troubled for my selfe Chrysostom homil 87. on Iohn I am grieued least peraduenture supposing my selfe to loue doe not loue as before when I seemed constant and couragious vnto my selfe I was found but a dastard These and a thousand like testimonies prooue nothing For though a man cannot fully discerne his heart either in respect of euery one of his owne sinnes or in respect of euery grace yet this hinders not but that he may haue an vnfallible certentie of his saluation and also a sufficient gift to discerne his owne faith and repentance II. Other places must be vnderstood of proud presumption and of a kinde of securitie in which men dreame of ease and libertie without trouble or temptation August de corrept grat cap. 13. Who of all the companie of the faithfull as long as he liues in this mortall condition can presume that hee is of the number of the predestinate And de bona persever cap. 22. No man can be secure touching eternall life â—ill this life be ended Bernard epist. 107. Hauing now receiued the knowledge of himselfe in part he may reioyce in hope but not in securitie as yet Hieron Dan. 4. Let no man boldly promise to another the pardon of sinnes III. Some places auouch that a man cannot be sure of perseuerance to the end without fals and decaies in grace all which we grant August de ciuit dei lib. 11. cap. 12. Although the Saints be certaine of the reward of their perseuerance yet they are found to bee vncertaine of the perseuerance it selfe for what man can know that he shall perseuere in the practise and increase of righteousnes vnto the ende except he be assured of it by some reuelation IV. Some places must be vnderstood of experimentall certentie when the euent is accomplished Hieronâ— book 2. against Pelagians Call no man blessed before his ende for as long as we
thus Though Christ hath freed thee from death by his death yet thou art quite barred from heauen because thou neuer didst fulfil the law The conscience answereth I know that Christ is my righteousnes and hath fulfilled the law for me Thirdly the deuill replies and saith Christs benefits belong not to thee thou art but an hypocrite and wantest faith Now when a man is driuen to this straight it is neither wit nor learning nor fauour nor honour that can repulse this temptation but onely the poore conscience directed and sanctified by the Spirit of God which boldly and constantly answereth I know that I beleeue And though it be the office of the conscience after it is renued principally to excuse yet doth it also in part accuse When Dauid had numbred the people his heart smote him 2. Sam. 24.10 Iob saith in his affâ—iction that God did write bitter things against him and made him possesse the sinnes of his youth Iob 13. 26. The reason hereof is because the whole man and the very conscience is onely in part regenerate and therefore in some part remaines still corrupt Neither must it seeme straunge that one and the same conscience should both accuse and excuse because it doth it not in one and the same respect It excuseth in that it assureth a man that his person stands righteous before God and that he hath an indeauour in the generall course of his life to please God it accuseth him for his particular slippes and for the wants that be in his good actions If any shall demaund why God doth not perfectly regenerate the conscience and cause it onely to excuse the answer is this God doth it for the preuenting of great misâ—hiefes When the Israelites came into the land of Canaan the Cananites were not at the first wholly displacedâ— Why Moses rendreth the reason least wild beasts come and inhabit some parts of the land that were dispeopled and more annoy them then the Cananites In like manner God renues the conscience but so as it shall still accuse when occasion serueth for the preuenting of many dangerous sinnes which like wild beasts would make hauocke of the soule Thus much of good conscience now follows euill conscience and that is so called partly because it is defiled and corrupted by originall sinne partly because it is euill that is troublesome and painefull in our sense and feeling as all sorrowes calamities and miseries are which for this very cause also are called euills And though conscience be thus tearmed euill yet hath it some respects of generall goodnes in as much as it is an instrument of the execution of diuine iustice because it serues to accuse them before God which are iustly to be accused It hath spread it selfe ouer mankind as generally as originall sinne therefore it is to be found in all men that come of Adam by ordinarie generation The propertie of it is with all the power it hath to accuse and condemne and thereby to make a man afraid of the presence of God and to cause him to flie from God as from an enemie This the Lord signified when he said to Adam Adam where art thou When Peter saw some little glimbring of the power and maiestie of God in the great draught of fish he fell on his knees and saide to Christ Lord goe from me for I am a sinnefullman Euill conscience is either dead or stirring Dead conscience is that which though it can doe nothing but accuse yet commonly it lies quiet accusing little or nothing at all The causes why conscience lieth dead in all men either more or lesse are many I. Defect of reason or vnderstanding in crased braines II. Violence and strength of affections which as a cloud doe ouercast the minde and as a gulfe of water swallow vp the iudgement and reason and thereby hinder the conscience from accusing for when reason can not doe his part then conscience doth nothing For example some one in his rage behaues himselfe like a madde man and willingly commits any mischiefe without controlment of conscience but when choller is downe he beginnes to be ashamed and troubled in himselfe not alwaies by grace but euen by the force of his naturall conscience which when affection is calmed beginnes to stirre as appeareth in the example of Cain III. Ignorance of Gods will and errours in iudgement cause the conscience to be quiet when it ought to accuse This we find by experience in the deaths of obstinate heretikes which suffer for their damnable opinions without checke of conscience Dead conscience hath two degrees The first is the slumbring or the benummed conscience the second is the seared conscience The benummed conscience is that which doth not accuse a man for any sinne vnlesse it be grieuous or capitall and not alwaies for that but onely in the time of some grieuous sicknes or calamitie Iosephs brethren were not much troubled in conscience for their villanie in selling their brother till afterward when they were afflicted with famine and distressed in Egypt Gen. 42. 2. This is the conscience that commonly raignes in the hearts of drousie Protestants of all carnall and lukewarme gospellers and of such as are commonly tearmed ciuill honest men whose apparant integritie will not free them from guiltie consciences Such a conscience is to be taken heede of vs as beeing most daâ—gerous It is like a wild beast which so long as he lies asleepe seemes very tame and gentle and hurts no man but when he is roused he then awakes and flies in a mans face and offers to pull out his throate And so it is the manner of dead conscience to lie still and quiet euen through the course of a mans life and hereupon a man would thinke as most doe that it were a good conscience indeede but when sicknes or death approcheth it beeing awaked by the hand of God beginnes to stand vp on his legges and shewes his fierce eyes and offers to rend out euen the very throat of the soule And heathen Poets knowing this right well haue compared euill conscience to Furies pursuing men with firebrands The seared conscience is that which doth not accuse for any sinne no not for great sinnes It is compared by Paul 1. Tim. 4.2 to the part of a mans bodie which is not onely bereft of sense life and motion by the gangrene but also is burnt with a searing yron and therefore must needes be vtterly past all feeling This kind of conscience is not in all men but in such persons as are become obstinate heretikes and notorious malefactours And it is not in them by nature but by an increase of the corruption of nature and that by certaine steppes and degrees For naturally euery man hath in him blindnes of minde and obstinacie or frowardnes of heart yet so as with the blindnes and ignorance of minde are ioyned some remnants of the light of nature shewing vs what is
this absurd conceit that they are not in danger of the wrath of God though they offend And the opinion of our common people is hereunto answerable who thinke that if they haue a good meaning and doe no man hurt God will haue them excused both in this life and in the day of iudgement The third is a iust and serious examination of the conscience by the law that we may see what is our estáte before God And this is a dutie vpon which the Prophets stand very much Lam. 3.40 Man suffereth for his sinne let vs search and trie our hearts and turne againe to the Lord. Zeph. 2. 1. Fanne your selues fanne you O nation not worthie to be beloued In making examination we must specially take notice of that which doth now lie or may hereafter lie vpon the conscience And after due examination hath beene made a man comes to a knowledge of his sinnes in particular and of his wretched and miserable estate When one enters into his house at midnight he findes or sees nothing out of order but let him come in the day time when the sunne shineth and he shall then espie many faults in the house and the very motes that flie vp and downe so let a man search his heart in the ignorance and blindnesse of his minde he will straightway thinke all is well but let him once begin to search himselfe with the light and lanterne of the law and he shall finde many foule corners in his heart and heapes of sinnes in his life The fourth is a sorrow in respect of the punishment of sinne arising of the three former actions And though this sorrow be no grace for it befals as well the wicked as the godly yet may it be an occasion of grace because by the apprehension of Gods anger we come to the apprehensioÌ„ of his mercie And it is better that conscience should grieue wound vs do his worst against vs in this life while remedie may be had then after this life when remedy is past Thus much of preparation now follows the remedie and the application of it The remedie is nothing else but the blood or the merits of Christ who specially in conscience felt the wrath of God as when he said My soule is heauie vnto death and his agonie was not so much a paine and torment in bodie as the apprehension of the feare and anger of God in conscience and when the holy Ghost saith That he offered vnto God praiers with strong cries and was heard from feare he directly notes the distresse and anguish of his most holy conscience for our sinnes And as the blood of Christ is an all-sufficient remedie so is it also the alone remedie of all the sores and wounds of conscience For nothing can stanch or stay the terrrours of conscience but the blood of the immaculate lambe of God nothing can satisfie the iudgement of the conscience much lesse the most seuere iudgement of God but the onely satisfaction of Christ. In the application of the remedie two things are required the Gospell preached and faith the Gospell is the hand of God that offereth grace to vs and faith is our hand whereby we receiue it That we indeede by faith receiue Christ with all his benefits we must put in practise two lessons The first is vnfainedly to humble our selues before God for all our wants breaches and wounds in conscience which beeing vnto vs a paradise of God by our default we haue made as it were a little hell within vs. This humiliation is the beginning of all grace and religion pride and good conscience can neuer goe togither And such as haue knowledge in religion and many other good gifts without humiliation are but vnbridled vnmortified and vnreformed peâ—sons This humiliation containes in it two duties the first is confession of our sinnes especially of those that he vpon our consciences wherewith must be ioyned the accusing and condemning of our selues for then we put conscience out of office and dispatch that labour before our God in this life which conscience would performe to our eternall damnation after this life The second dutie is Deprecation which is a kind of praier made with groanes and desires of heart in which we intreat for nothing but for pardon of our sinnes and that for Christs sake til such time as the conscience be pacified To this humiliation standing on these two parts excellent promises of grace and life euerlasting are made Prou. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercie 1. Ioh. 1.6 If we acknowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes Luk. 1.35 He hath fiâ—led the hungrie with good things and sent the rich emptie away Which are also verified by experience in sundrie examples â— Sam. 12.13 Dauid said to Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to Dauid The Lord also hath put away thy sinne 2. Chr. 33.43 When Manasses was in tribulation he praied to the Lord his God and huÌ„bled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers and praied vnto him and God heard his praier Luk. 23.43 And the thiefe said to Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest to thy kingdome Then Iesus said vnto him Verely I say vnto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise By these and many other places it appeares that when a man doth truly humble himselfe before God he is at that instant reconciled to God and hath the pardon of his sinnes in heauen and shall afterward haue the assurance thereof in his owne conscience The second lesson is when we are touched in conscience for our sinnes not to yeeld to naturall doubtings and distrust but to resist the same and to indeauour by Gods grace to resolue our selues that the promises of saluation by Christ belong to vs particularly because to doe thus much is the very commandement of God The third thing is the reformation of conscience which is when it doth cease to accuse and terrifie and begins to excuse and testifie vnto vs by the holy Ghost that we are the children of God and haue the pardon of our sinnes And this it will doe after that men haue seriously humbled themselues and praied earnestly and constantly with sighes and grones of spirit for reconciliation with God in Christ. For then the Lord will send downe his spirit into the conscience by a sweete and heauenly testimonie to assure vs that we are at peace with God Thus we see how good conscience is gotten and because it is so pretious a iewell I wish all persons that as yet neuer laboured to get good conscience now to begin Reasons to induce men thereto may be these I. you seeke daie and night from yere to yere for honours riches and pleasures which ye must leaue behind you much more therefore ought you to seeke for renewed
sinne in no man after baptisme is voluntarie and therefore no sinne Ans. The proposition is a polliticke rule pertaining to the courts of men and must be vnderstood of such actions as are done of one man to another and it doth not belong to the court of conscience which God holdeth and keepeth in mens hearts in which euery want of conformitie to the lawe is made a sinne Secondly I answer that originall sin was voluntarie in our first parent Adam for he sinned brought this miserie vpon vs willingly though in vs it be otherwise vpon iust cause Actual sinne was first in him and then originall corruption but in vs originall corruption is first and then actuall sinne Obiect III. Where the forme of any thing is taken away there the thing it selfe ceaseth also but after baptisme in the regenerate the forme of originall sinne that is the guilt is quite remooued and therefore sinne ceaseth to be sin Answ. The guilt or obligation to punishment is not the forme of originall corruption but as we say in schooles an accident or necessarie companion thereof The true forme of originall sinne◠is a defect and depriuation of that which the lawe requireth at our hands in our minde will affections and in al the powers both of soule and bodie But they vrge this reason further saying where the guilt punishment is taken away there is no fault remaining but after baptisme the guilt and punishment is remooued and therefore though originall corruption remaine it is not as a fault to make vs guiltie before God but onely as a weakenes Ans. Guilt is remooued and not remooued It is remooued from the person regenerate which stands not guiltie for any sinne originall or actuall but Guilt is not remooued from the sin it selfe or as some answer there bee two kindes of guilt actuall and potentiall The actuall guilt is whereby sinne maketh man stand guiltie before God and that is remooued in the regenerate But the potentiall guilt which is an aptnesse in sin to make a man stand guiltie if he sinne that is not remooued and therefore still sinne remaineth sinne To this or like effect saith Augustine Wee say that the guilt of concupiscence not whereby it is Guiltie for that is not a person but that whereby it made man guiltie from the beginning is pardoned and that the thing it selfe is euill so as the regenerate desire to be healed of this plague Obiect III. Lastly for our disgrace they alleadge that we in our doctrine teach that originall sinne after baptisme is onely clipped or pared like the haire of a mans head whose roots still remaine in the flesh growing and increasing after they are cut as before Answ. Our doctrine is abused for in the paring of any thing as in cutting of the haire or in lopping a tree the roote remaines vntouched and thereupon multiplieth as before But in the mortification of originall sinne after baptisme we hold no such paring but teach that in the very first instant of the conuersion of a sinner sinne receiueth his deadly wound in the roote neuer afterward to be recouered The third point Certentie of saluation I. Our Consent I. Concl. We holde and beleeue that a man in this life may be certain of saluation and the same thing doth the Church of Rome teach and holde II. Concl. We hold and beleeue that a man is to put a certaine affiance in Gods mercie in Christ for the saluation of his soule and the same thing by common consent holdeth the foresaid Church this point maketh not the difference betweene vs. III. Concl. We hold that with assurance of saluation in our hearts is ioyned doubting and there is no man so assured of his saluation but he at sometime doubteth thereof especially in the time of temptation and in this the Papists agree with vs and we with them IV. Concl. They goe further and say that a man may be certaine of the saluation of men or of the Church by Catholike faith and so say we V. Concl. Yea they hold that a man by faith may be assured of his own saluation through extraordinarie reuelatiō as Abrahā others were so doe we VI. They teach that we are to be certaine of our saluation by speciall faith in regard of God that promiseth though in regard of our selues and our indisposition we can not and in the former point they consent with vs. II. The dissent or difference The very maine point of difference lies in the manner of assurance I. Concl. We hold that a man may bee certaine of his saluation in his owne conscience euen in this life and that by an ordinarie aud speciall faith They hold that a man is certaine of his saluation onely by hope both of vs holde a certainty we by faith they by hope II. Concl. Further we hold and auouch that our certainety by true faith is vnfallible they say their cetaintie is onely probable III. Conclus And further though both of vs say that we haue confidence in Gods mercy in Christ for our saluation yet we doe it with some difference For our confidence commeth from certen and ordinarie faith theirs from hope ministring as they say but a coniecturall certentie Thus much of the difference now let vs see the reasons too and fro III. Obiections of Papists Obiect I. Where there is no word there is no faith for these two are relatiues but there is no word of God saying Cornelius beleeue thou Peter beleeue thou and thou shalt be saued And therefore there is no such ordinarie faith to beleeue a mans owne particular saluation Ans. The proposition is false vnlesse it be supplied with a clause on this manner Where there is no word of promise nor any thing that doth counteruaile a particular promise there is no faith But say they there is no such particular word It is true God doth not speak to men particularly Beleeue thou thou shalt be saued But yet doth he that which is answerable hereunto in that he giueth a generall promise with a commandement to applie the same and hath ordained the holy ministerie of the word to applie the same to the persons of the hearers in his owne name and that is as much as if the Lord himselfe should speake to men particularly To speake more plainely in the Scripture the promises of saluation be indefinitely propounded it saith not any where if Iohn will beleeue he shall be saued or if Peter will beleeue he shall be saued but whosoeuer beleeueth shall be saued Now then comes the minister of the word who standing in the roome of God and in the stead of Christ himselfe takes the indefinite promises of the Gospel and laies them to the hearts of euery particular man and this in effect is as much as if Christ himselfe should say Cornelius beleeue thou and thou shalt be saued Peter beleeue thou and thou shalt be saued It is answered that this applying of the
said that this commandement is spoken as well of the vnwritten as of the written word I answer that Moses speaketh of the written word onely for these very words are a certaine preface which he set before a long commentarie made of the written lawe for this end to make the people more attentiue and obedient Testimonie II. Isai 8.20 To the lawe and to the testimonie If they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Here the Prophet teacheth what must be done in cases of difficultie Men must not rūne to the wizard or southsayer but to the lawe and testimonie and here he commends the written word as sufficient to resolue all doubts and scruples in conscience whatsoeuer Testimonie III. Ioh. 20.31 Those things were written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is the Christ and in beleeuing might haue euerlasting life Here is set downe the full ende of the gospell and of the whole written word which is to bring men to faith cōsequently to saluatiō therfore the whole scripture alone is sufficient to this end without traditiōs If it be said that this place must bee vnderstood of Christs miracles onely I answer that miracles without the doctrine of Christ knowledge of his sufferings can bring no man to life euerlasting and therefore the place must bee vnderstood of the doctrine of Christ and not of his miracles alone as Paul teacheth Gal. 1.8 If wee or an angell from heauen preach vnto you any thing beside that which we haue preached let him be accursed And to this effect he blames them that taught but a diuers doctrine to that which he had taught 1. Tim. 1.3 Testimonie IV. 2. Tim. 3.16,17 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto euery good work In these wordes be contained two arguments to prooue the sufficiencie of Scripture without vnwritten verities The first that which is profitable to these foure vses namely to teach all necessarie trueth to confute all errours to correct faults in manners and to instruct in righteousnes that is to informe al men in all good duties that is sufficient to saluation But Scripture serueth for all these vses and therefore it is sufficient and vnwritten traditions are superfluous The second that which can make the man of God that is Prophets and Apostles and the ministers of the word perfect in all the duties of their callings that same word is sufficient to make all other men perfect in all good workes But Gods word is able to make the man of God perfect Therefore it is sufficient to prescribe the true and perfect way to eternall life without the helpe of vnwritten traditions V. The iudgement of the Church Tertul. saith Take from heretickes the opinions which they maintaine with the heathen that they may defend their questions by Scripture alone and they cannot stand Againe We neede no curiositie after Christ Iesus nor inquisition after the gospel When we beleeue it wee desire to beleeue nothing beside for this we first beleeue that there is nothing more which wee may beleeue Hierome on Math. 23. writing of an opinion that Iohn Baptist was killed because he foretold the comming of Christ saith thus This because it hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued In which wordes there is a conclusion with a minor and the maior is to bee supplyed by the rules of logicke thus That which hath not authoritie from Scriptures may as easily be contemned as approoued but this opinion is for therefore Behold a notable argument against all vnwritten traditions Augustine booke 2. cap. 9. de doct Christ. In those things which are plainely set downe in Scripture are found all those points which containe faith and manners of liuing well Vincentius Lirinen saith the Canon of the Scripture is perfect and fully sufficient to it selfe for all things Beside these testimonies other reasons there bee that serue to prooue this point I. The practise of Christ and his Apostles who for the confirmamatiō of the doctrine which they taught vsed alwaies the testimony of Scripture neither can it be prooued that they euer confirmed any doctrine by tradition Act. 26.22 I continue vnto this day witnessing both to smal and great saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come And by this we are giuen to vnderstand that we must alwaies haue recourse to the written word as beeing sufficient to instruct vs in matters of saluation II. If the beleeuing of vnwritten traditions were necessarie to saluation then we must as well beleeue the writings of the auncient Fathers as well as the writings of the Apostles because Apostolicall traditions are not els where to be found but in their bookes And we may not beleeue their sayings as the word of God because they often erre beeing subiect to errour and for this cause their authoritie when they speake of traditions may be suspected and we may not alwaies beleeue them vpon their word Obiections for Traditions First they alleadge 2. Thess. 2.15 where the Apostle biddes that Church keepe the ordinances which he taught them either by word or letter Hence they gather that beside the written word there be vnwritten traditions that are indeede necessarie to be kept and obeyed Ans. It is very likely that this Epistle to the Thessalonians was the first that euer Paul writ to any Church though in order it haue not the first place and therfore at that time when this Epistle was penned it might well fall out that some things needfull to saluation were deliuered by word of mouth not being as yet written by any Apostle Yet the same things were afterward set downe in writing either in the second epistle or in the epistles of Paul Obiect II. That Scripture is Scripture is a point to be beleeued but that is a tradition vnwritten and therefore one tradition there is not written that we are to beleeue Ans. That the bookes of the old and new Testament are Scripture it is to be gathered and beleeued not vpon bare tradition but from the very bookes themselues on this manner Let a man that is indued with the spirit of discerning read the seuerall bookes withall let him consider the professed author thereof which is God himselfe and the matter therein contained which is a most diuine and absolute truth full of pietie the manner and forme of speach which is full of maiestie in the simplicitie of words the ende whereat they wholly aime which is the honour and glorie of God alone c. he shall be resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe Yea and by this meanes he may discerne any part of Scripture from the writings of mē whatsoeuer Thus thē scripture prooues it selfe to be scripture yet
report and relation of the miracles done in the land of Egypt whereby she was mooued to ioyne hir selfe vnto the people of God and to beleeue as they did By these examples then it is manifest that in the very seruants of God there is and may be for a time an implicite faith For the better vnderstanding of this point it is to be considered that faith may be infolded two waies fiâ—st in respect of knowledge of things to be beleeued secondly in respect of the apprehension of the obiect of faith namely Christ and his benefits Now faith is infolded in respect of knowledge when as sundrie things that are necessarie to saluation are not as yet distinctly knowne Though Christ commended the faith of his disciples for such a faith against which the gates of hell should not preuaile yet was it vnexpressed or wrapped vp in regard of sundrie points of religion for first of all Peter that made confession of Christ in the name of the rest was at that time ignorant of the particular meanes whereby his redemption should be wrought For after this he went about to disswade his master from the suffering of death at Ierusalem whereupon Christ sharply rebuked him saying Come behinde me Sathan thou art an offence vnto me Againe they were all ignorant of Christs resurrection till certaine women who first saw him after he was risen againe had told them and they by experience in the person of Christ had learned the truth Thirdly they were ignorant of the ascension for they dreamed of an earthly kingdome at the very time wheÌ„ he was about to ascend saying Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israelâ— Act. 1.6 And after Christs ascension Peter knew nothing of the breaking downe of the partition wall betweene the Iewes and Gentiles till God had better schooled him in a vision Act. 10.14 And no doubt we haue ordinarie examples of this Implicit faith in sundrie persons among vs. For some there be which are dull and hard both for vnderstanding and memorie and thereupon make no such proceedings in knowledge as many others doe and yet for good affection and conscience in their doings so farre as they know they come not short of any hauing withall a continuall care to increase in knowledge and to walke in obedience according to that which they know And such persons though they be ignorant in many things yet haue they a meaning of true faith and that which is wanting in knowledge is supplied in affection and in some respects they are to be preferred before many that haue the glibbe tongue and the braine swimming with knowledge To this purpose Melancthon said well We must acknowledge the great mercie of God who puts a difference betweene sinnes of ignorance and such as are done wittingly and forgiues manifold ignorances to them that know but the foundation and be teachable as may be seene by the Apostles in whome there was much want of vnderstanding before the resurrection of Christ. But as hath bin saide he requires that we be teachable and he will not haue vs to be hardned in our sluggishnesse and dulnesse As it is saide psal 1. he meditateth in his law day and night The second kind of implicite faith is in regard of Apprehension when as a man can not say distinctly and certenly I beleeue the pardon of my sinnes but I doe vnfainedly desire to beleeue the pardon of them all and I desire to repent This case befalls many of Gods children when they are touched in conscience for their sinnes But where men are displeased with themselues for their offences and doe withall constantly from the heart desire to beleeue and to be reconciled to God there is faith and many other graces of God infolded as in the little and tender budde is infolded the leafe the blossome and the fâ—uit For though a desire to repent and to beleeue be not faith and repentance in nature yet in Gods acceptation it is God accepting the will for the deede Isa. 42.3 Christ will not quench the smoking flaxe which as yet by reason of weakenesse giues neither light nor heate Christ saith Math. 6. 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied where by persons hungring and thirsting are meant all such as feele with griefe their owne want of righteousnesse and withall desire to be iustified and sanctified Rom. 8.26 God heares regards the very grones and sighes of his seruants yea though they be vnspeakable by reason they are oftentimes little weake and confused yet God hath respect vnto them because they are the worke of his owne spirit Thus when we see that in a touched heart desiring to beleeue there is an infolded faith And this is the faith which many of the true seruants of God haue and our saluation stands not so much in our apprehending of Christ as in Christs comprehending of vs and therefore Paul saith Phil. 3. 12. he followeth namely after perfection if that he might comprehend that for whose sake he is comprehended of Christ. Now if any shall say that without a liuely faith in Christ none can be saued I answer that God accepts the desire to beleeue for liuely faith in the time of temptation and in the time of our first conuersion as I haue saide Put case a man that neuer yet repented falls into some grieuous sicknes and then beginnes to be touched in conscience for his sinnes and to be truly humbled hereupon he is exhorted to beleeue his owne reconciliation with God in Christ and the pardon of his owne sinnes And as he is exhorted so he endeauoureth according to the measure of grace receiued to beleeue yet after much striuing he can not resolue himselfe that he doth distinctly and certenly beleeue the pardon of his owne sinnes onely this he can say that he doth heartely desire to beleeue this he wisheth aboue all things in the world and he esteemes all things as dung for Christ and thus he dies I demaund now what shall we say of him surely we may say nothing but that he died the child of God and is vndoubtedly saued For howsoeuer it were an happie thing if men could come to that fulnesse of faith which was in Abraham and many seruants of God yet certen it is that God in sundrie cases accepts of this desire to beleeue for true faith indeede And looke as it is in nature so is it in grace in nature some die when they are children some in olde age and some in full strength and yet all die men so againe some die babes in Christ some of more perfect faith and yet the weakest hauing the seedes of grace is the child of God and faith in his infancie is faith All this while it must be remembred I say not there is a true faith without all apprehension but without a Distinct apprehension for some space of time for this very desire by faith to apprehend Christ and
his merits is a kind of apprehension And thus we see the kinds of implicite or infolded faith This doctrine is to be learned for two causes first of all it serues to rectifie the consciences of weake ones that they be not deceiued touching their estate For if we thinke that no faith can saue but a full perswaâ—ion such as the faith of Abraham was many truly bearing the name of Christ must be put out of the role of the children of God We are therefore to know that there is a growth in grace as in nature and there be differences and degrees of true faith and the least of them all is this Infolded faith This in effect is the doctrine of M. Caluin that when we begin by faith to know somewhat haue a desire to learne more this may be tearmed an vnexpressed faith Secondly this point of doctrine serues to rectifie and in part to expound sundrie Catechismes in that they seeme to propound faith vnto men at so high a reach as few can attaine vnto it defining it to be a certen and full perswasion of Gods loue and fauour in Christ whereas though euery faith be for his nature a certen perswasion yet onely the strong faith is the full perswasion Therefore faith is not onely in generall tearmes to be defined but also the degrees and measures thereof are to be expounded that weake ones to their comfort may be truly informed of their estate And though we teach there is a kinde of implicite faith which is the beginning of true and liuely faith yet none must hereupon take an occasion to content themselues therewith but labour to increase and goe on from faith to faith and so indeede will euery one doe that hath any beginnings of true faith be they neuer so little And he which thinks he hath a desire to beleeue and contents himselfe therewith hath indeede no true desire to beleeue The difference The pillars of the Romish Church laies downe this ground that faith in his owne nature is not a knowledge of things to be beleeued but a reuerent assent vnto them whether they be knowne or vnknowne Hereupon they build that if a man know some necessarie points of religion as the doctrine of the Godhead of the Trinitie of Christs incarnation and of our redemption c. it is needelesse to know the rest by a particular or distinct knowledge and it sufficeth to giue his consent to the Church and to beleeue as the pastours beleeue Behold a ruinous building vpon a rotten foundation for faith containes a knowledge of things to be beleeued and knowledge is of the nature of faith nothing is beleeued that is not knowne Isai 53.11 The knowledge of my righteous seruant shall iustifie many and Ioh. 17.2 This is eternall life to know the eternall God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. In these places by knowledge is meant faith grounded vpon knowledge whereby we know and are assured that Christ and his benefits belong vnto vs. Secondly this kind of assent is the mother of ignorance For when men shall be taught that for sundrie points of religion they may beleeue as the Church beleeues that the studie of the Scriptures is not to be required of them yea that to their good they may be barred the reading of them so be it they know some principall things contained in the articles of faith that common beleeuers are not bound expressely to beleeue all the articles of the Apostles Creede that it sufficeth them to beleeue the articles by an implicite faith by beleeuing as the Church beleeueth fewe or none will haue care to profit in knowledge And yet Gods commaundement is that we should grow in knowledge and that his word should dwell plenteously in vs Col. 3.16 Againe the Papists say that the deuotion of the ignorant is often seruice better accepted then that which is done vpoÌ„ knowledge Such say they as pray in latin pray with as great consolation of spirit with as little tediousnes with as great deuotion and affection and oftentimes more then the other and alwaies more then any scismaticke or hereticke in his owne language To conclude they teach that some articles of faith are beleeued generally of the whole Church onely by a simple or implicite faith which afterward by the Authoritie of a generall Counsell are propounded to be beleeued of the Church by expresse faith Roffensis against Luther giues an example of this when he confesseth that Purgatorie was litle known at the first but was made knowne partly by Scripture and partly by reuelation in processe of time This implicite faith touching articles of religion we reiect holding that all things concerning faith and manners necessarie to saluation are plainely expressed in Scripture and accordingly to be beleeued The 17. point Of Purgatorie Our consent We hold a Christian Purgatorie according as the word of God hath set downe the same vnto vs. And first of all by this Purgatorie we vnderstand the afflictions of Gods children here on earth Ier. 3. The people afflicted say thou hast sent a fire into our bones Psal. 65.12 We haue gone through water and fire Malach. 3.3 The children of Levi must be purified in a purging fire of affliction 1. Pet. 1.7 Afflictions are called the fiâ—rie triall whereby men are clensed from their corruptions as golde from the drosse by the fire Secondly the blood of Christ is a purgatorie of our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.7 Christs blood purgeth vs from all our sinnes Heb. 9.14 It purgeth our consciences from dead workes And Christ baptizeth with the holy Ghost and with fire because our inward washing is by the blood of Christ and the holy Ghost is as fire to consume and abolish the inward corruption of nature To this effect saith Origen Without doubt we shall feele the vnquenchable fire vnles we shall now intreat the Lord to send downe from heauen a purgatorie fire vnto vs whereby worldly desires may he vtterly consumed in our mindes August Suppose the mercie of God is thy purgatorie The difference or dissent We differ from the Papists touching purgatorie in two things And first of all for the place They hold it to be a part of hell into which an entrance is made onely after this life we for our parts denie it as hauing no waraant in the word of God which mentioneth onely two places for men after this life heauen and hell with the two-fold condition thereof ioy and torment Luk. 16.25 26. Ioh. 3.36 Apoc. 22.14 15. and 21.7,8 Matth. 8.11 Nay we finde the contrarie Reu. 14.13 they that die in the Lord are saide to rest from their lâ—bours which can not be true if any of them goe to purgatorie And to cut off all cauills it is further said their workes that is the reward of their workes follow them euen at the heeles as an Acoluth or seruant doth his master Augustine saith well After this life there remaines no
all things were cheape 20 That drinking and bezeling in the alehouse or tauerne is good felowship and shewes a good kind nature and maintaines neighbourhoode 21 That a man may sweare by the Masse because it is nothing now and by r Ladie because shee is gone out of the countrie 22 That euery man must be for himselfe and God for vs all 23 That a man may make of his owne whatsoeuer he can 24 That if a man remember to say his praiers in the morning though hâ— neuer vnderstand them he hath blessed himselfe for all the day following 25 That a man praieth when he saith the ten Commandâ—ments 26 That a man eates his maker in the Sacrament 27 That if a man be no adulterer no thiefe nor murderer and doe no man harme he is a right honest man 28 That a man neede not haue any knowledge of Religion because he is not booke-learned 29 That one may haue a good meaning when he saith and doth that which is euill 30 That a man may goe to wizards called wisemen for counsell because God hath prouided a salue for euery sore 31 That ye are to be excused in all your doings because the best men are sinners 32 That ye haue so strong a faith in Christ that no euill companie can hurt you These and such like sayings what argue they but your grosse ignorance Now where ignorance raigneth there raignes sinne and where sinne raignes there the deuill rules and where he rules man are in a damnable case Ye will replie vnto me thus that ye are not so bad I would make you if neede be you can say the Creede the Lords prayer and the ten Commandements and therefore ye will be of Gods beleefe say all men what they will and you defie the deuill from yours hearts I answer againe that it is not sufficient to say all these without booke vnlesse ye can vnderstand the meaning of the words and be able to make a right vse of the Commandements of the Creede of the Lords prayer by applying them inwardly to your hearts and consciences and outwardly to your liues and conuersations This is the very point in which ye faile And for an helpe in this your ignorance to bring you to true knowledge vnfained faith and sound repentance here I haue set downe the principall point of Christian religion in sixe plaine and easie rules euen such as the simplest may easily learne and hereunto is adioyned an exposition of them word by word If ye doe want other good direction then vse this my labour for your instruction In reading of it first learne the sixe principles and when ye haue them without the booke and the meaning of them withall then learne the exposition also which beeing well conceiued and in some measure felt in the heart ye shall be able to profit by Sermons whereas now ye cannot and the ordinarie parts of the Catechisme namely the ten Commaundements the Creede the Lords prayer and the institution of the two Sacraments shall more easily be vnderstood Thine in Christ Iesus William Perkins The foundation of Christian religion gathered into sixe Principles The first Principle Question VVHat doest thou beleeue concerning God A. There is one God creator and gouernour of all things distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Prooues out of the word of God 1. There is a God For the invisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the creation of the world beeing considered in his workes to the intent that they should be without excuse Neuerthelesse he left not himselfe without witnesse in that he did good and gaue vs raine from heauen and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnes 2. This God one Concerning therefore meat sacrificed to idols we knowe that an idol is nothing in the worlde and that there is none other God but one 3. He is creatour of all things In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth Through faith wee vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God so that the things which we see are not made of things which did appeare 4. He is gouernour of all things The eies of the Lord in euery place behold the euill and the good Yea and all the haires of your head are numbred 5. Distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And Iesus when he was baptized came straight out of the water and loe the heauens were opened vnto him and Iohn sawe the spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him And loe a voice came from heauen saying This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased For there are three which beare record in heauen the Father the word and the holy Ghost and these three are one The second Principle Q. What dost thou beleeue coÌ„cerning man coÌ„cerning thine own selfe A. All men are wholly corrupted with sinne through Adams fall and so are become slaues of Sathan and guiltie of eternall damnation 1. All men are corrupted with sinne As it is written there is none righteous no not one 2. They are wholly corrupted Nowe the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit and soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in vanitie of their minde Hauing their cogitation darkened and beeing strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their heart When the Lord sawe that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually 3. Through Adams fall Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the worlde and death by sinne and so death went went ouer all men for so much as all men haue sinned 4. And so are become slaues of Sathan Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of the worlde and after the prince that ruleth in the aire euen the spirit that nowe worketh in the children of disobedience For as much then as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himselfe likewise tooke part with them that hee might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuill In whome the God of this world hath blinded the mindes that is of Infidels that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the image of God should not shine vnto them 5. And guiltie of eternall damnation For as many as are of the workes of the Lawe are vnder the curse for it is written Cursed is euery man that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Lawe to doe them Likewise then as by the offence of
in them which are chosen to saluation but vnto them that perish it is by reason of their corruption an occasion of their further damnation Q. How must we heare Gods word that it may be effectuall to saluation A. We must come vnto it with hunger-bitten hearts hauing an appetite to the word we must marke it with attention receiue it by faith submit our selues vnto it with feare and trembling euen then when our faults are reprooued lastly we must hide it in the corners of our hearts that we may frame our liues and conuersations by it Q. What is a Sacrament A. A signe to represent a seale to confirme an instrument to conuey Christ and all his benefits to them that doe beleeue in him Q. Why must a Sacrament represent the mercies of God before our eies A. Because we are dull to conceiue and to remember them Q. Why doth the Sacrament seale vnto vs the mercies of God A. Because we are full of vnbeleefe and doubting of them Q. Why is the Sacrament the instrument of the Spirit to conuey the mercies of God into our hearts A. Because we are like Thomas we will not beleeue till we feele them in some measure in our hearts Q. How many Sacraments are there A. Two and no more Baptisme by which we haue our admission into the true Church of God and the Lords Supper by which we are nourished and preserued in the Church after our admission Q. What is done in Baptisme A. In the assemblie of the Church the couenant of grace betweene God and the partie baptized is solemnly confirmed and sealed Q. In this couenant what doth God promise to the partie baptized A. Christ with all blessings that come by him Q. To what condition is the partie baptized bound A. To receiue Christ and to repent of his sinne Q. What meaneth the sprinkling or dipping in water A. It seales vnto vs remission of sinnes and sanctification by the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Q. How commeth it to passe that many after their Baptisme for a long time feele not the effect and fruit of it and some neuer A. The fault is not in God who keepes his couenants but the fault is in themselues in that they doe not keepe the condition of the couenant to receiue Christ by faith and to repent of all their sinnes Q. When shall a man then see the effect of his baptisme A. At what time soeuer he doth receiue Christ by faith though it be many yeares after he shall then feele the power of God to regenerate him and to worke all things in him which he offered in baptisme Q. How if a man neuer keepe the condition to which he bound himselfe in baptisme A. His damnation shall be the greater because he breaketh his vowe made to God Q. What is done in the Lords Supper A. The former couenant solemnly ratified in Baptisme is renued in the Lords supper betweene the Lord himselfe and the receiuer Q. What is the receiuer A. Euery one that hath beene baptized and after his baptisme hath truly beleeued in Christ and repented of his sinnes from his heart Q. What meaneth the bread and wine the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine A. These outward actions are a second seale set by the Lords owne hand vnto his couenant And they doe giue euery receiuer to vnderstand that as God doth blesse the bread and wine to preserue and strengthen the bodie of the receiuer so Christ apprehended and receiued by faith shall nourish him and preserue both bodie and soule vnto eternall life Q. What shall a true receiuer feele in himselfe after the receiuing of the Sacrament A. The increase of his faith in Christ the increase of sanctification a greater measure of dying to sinne a greater care to liue in newnesse of life Q. What if a man after the receiuing of the Sacrament neuer finde any such thing in himselfe A. He may well suspect himselfe whether he did euer repent or not and thereupon to vse meanes to come to sound faith and repentance Q. VVhat is an other meaues of increasing faith A. Prayer Q. What is praier A. A familiar speech with God in the name of Christ in which either we craue things needfull or giue thankes for things receiued Q. In asking things needfull what is required A. Two things an earnest desire and faith Q. What things must a Christian mans heart desire A. Sixe things especially Q. What are they A. 1. That he may glorifie God 2. That God may raigne in his heart and not sinne 3. That he may doe Gods will and not his lusts of the flesh 4. That he may relie himselfe on Gods prouidence for all the meanes of this temporall life 5. That he may be iustified and be at peace with God 6. That by the power of God he may be strengthened against all temptations Q. What is faith A. A perswasion that these things which we truly desire God will grant them for Christs sake The sixth Principle expounded Q. After that a man hath led a short life in this world what followeth thē A. Death which is the parting asunder of bodie and soule Q. Why doe wicked men and vnbeleeuers die A. That their bodies may goe to the earth and their soules may be cast into hell fire Q. Why doe the godly die seeing Christ by death hath ouercome death A. They die for this ende that their bodies may rest for a while in the earth and their soules may enter into heauen immediatly Q. What followeth after death A. The day of iudgement Q. What signe is there to know this day from other daies A. Heauen and earth shall be consumed with fire immediatly before the comming of the iudge Q. Who shall be the iudge A. Iesus Christ the Sonne of God Q. What shall be the comming to iudgement A. He shall come in the cloudes in great maiestie and glorie with infinite companie of Angels Q. How shall all men be cited to iudgement A. At the sound of a trumpet the liuing shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye and the dead shall rise againe euery one with his owne bodie and all shall be gathered together before Christ and after this the good shall be seuered from the bad these standing on the left hand of Christ the other on the right Q. How will Christ trie and examine euery mans cause A. The bookes of all mens doings shall be laide open mens consciences shall be made either to accuse them or excuse them and euery man shall be tried by the workes which he did in his life time because they are open and manifest signes of faith or vnbeleefe Q. What sentence will he giue A. He will giue sentence of saluation to the elect and godly but he will pronounce
reconciliation in nature for the desire is one thing and reconciliation is an other but in Gods acceptation for if we being touched throughly for our sinnes doe desire to haue them pardoned and to be at one with God God accepts vs as reconciled Againe desire to beleeue it is not faith in nature but onely in Gods acception God accepting the will for the deede That this doctrine is the will and word of God it appeares by these reasons First of all God hath annexed a promise of blessednes and of life euerlasting to the desire of grace Math. 5. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied Ioh. 7.38 If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke Reu. 21. I will giue vnto him which is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely Now what is this to thirst properly it is when we are in a drought or drinesse and want drinke to refresh vs to desire it And therefore by a resemblance they are saide to thirst after righteousnesse that want it and would haue it and they thirst after Christ that feele themselues out of Christ and desire yea long after the blood of Christ that they might bee refreshed with it in their consciences Here then we see that the desire of mercie in the want of mercie is the obtaining of mercie and the desire to beleeue in the want of faith is faith Though as yet thou want firme and liuely grace yet art thou not altogether void of grace if thou canst desire it thy desire is the seed conception or budde of that which thou wantest nowe is the spring time of the ingrafted worde or the immortall seede cast into the furrowes of thy heart waite but a while vsing good meanes and thou shalt see that leaues blossoms and fruites will shortly followe after Secondly the desire of any good thing is accepted of God as the liuely inuocation of his holy name Psal. 10. God heareth the desires of the poore Psal. 145. Hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him When Moses said nothing but onely desired in heart the helpe and protection of God at the red sea the Lord said vnto him why criest thou vnto me Exod. 14. And when wee knowe not to pray as wee oughtâ— Paul saith that the spirit maketh request by the inward groanes of the heart Rom. 8 26â— Hence I gather when a man in his weakenes praies with â—ighes and groanes for the gift of liuely faith the want whereof he finds in himselfe his very praier on this manner made is as truely in acceptation with God as the praier made in liuely faith Thirdly to the testimonie of Scripture I adde the testimonies of Godly and learned men not to prooue the doctrine in hand but to shewe a consent and to prooue thus much that the thing which I auouch is no priuat phantasie of any man Augustine saieth Let thy desire be before him and thy father which seeth in secret shall rewarde thee openly for thy deâ—ire is thy praier and if thy desire be continuall thy praier is continuall Hee addes further in the same place that the desire is a continuall voice and the crie of the heart and the inward inuocation of God which may bee made without intermission Againe The whole life of a good christian is an holy will and desire And that which thou desirest thou seest not but by desiring art as it were inlarged and made capable that when it shall come which thou shalt see thou maiest be filled Bernard saith What is not desire a voice Yea a very strong voice God heareth the desire of the poore and a continuall desire though we speake nothing is a voice continued Luther saith Christ is then truely omnipotent and then truely raignes in vs when we are so weak that we can scarce giue any groane For Paul saith that one such groane is a strong crie in the eares of God filling both heauen and earth Againe very fewe knowe howe weake and small faith and hope is vnder the crosse and in temptation For it appeares then to be as smoaking flaxe which a good blast of winde would presently put out but such as beleeue in these combates and terrours against hope vnder hope that is opposing themselues by faith in the promises of Christ against the feeling of sinne and the wrath of God doe finde afterward that this little sparke of faith as it appeares to reason which hardly perceiueth it is peraduenture as the whole element of fire which filleth all heauen and swalloweth vp all terrours and sinnes Again the more we finde our vnworthinesse and the lesse we finde the promises to belong vnto vs the more we must desire them beâ—ing assured that this desire doeth greatly please God who desireth and willeth that his grace should be earnesâ—ly desired This doeth faith which iudgeth it a pretious thing and therefore greatly hungereth and â—hirsâ—eth after it and so obtaines it For God is delighted to fill the hungrie with good things and to send the rich emptie away Theodore Beza saith If thou finde not thine heart inwardly touched pray that it may be touched for then must thou knowe that this desire is a pledge of the fathers good will to thee Kimnitius saith When I haue a good desire though it doe scarcely shewe it selfe in some little and slender sigh I must bee assured that the spirit of God is present and worketh his good work Vrsinus saith Faith in the most holy men in this life is vnperfect and weake Yet neuerthelesse whosoeuer feeles in his heart an earnest desire to beleeue and a striuing against his naturall doubtings both can and mâ—st assure himselfe that he is indued with true faith Againe Wicked men doe not desire the grace of the holy spirit whereby they may resist sinne And therefore they are iustly depriued of it for hee that earnestly desireth the holy Ghost hath it alreadie because this desire of the spirit cannot be but from the spirit as it is saide Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied Bradford saith Thy sinnes are vndoubtedly pardoned c. for god hath giuen thee a penitent and beleeuing heart that is an heart which desireth to repent and beleeue for such an one is taken of him hee accepting the will for the deede for a penitent and beleeuing heart indeede Taffine saith Our faith may be so small and weake as it doth not yet bring forth fruits that may be liuely felt of vs but if they which feele themselues in such estate desire to haue these feelings namely of Gods fauour and loue if thâ—y aske them at Gods hand by praier this desire and praier are testimonies that the spirit of God is in theÌ„ and that â—â—ey haue faith alreadie for is such a desire a fruite of the flesh or of the spirit It is of the
holy spirit who bringeth it forth onely in such as he dwells in c. Then these holy desires and praiers beeing the motions of the holy Ghost in vs are testimonies of our faith although they seeme to vs small and weake As the woman that feeleth the mooning of a childe in her body though very weak assureth her selfe that shee hath conceiued and that shee goeth with a liue childe so if we haue these motions these holy affections and desires before mentioned let vs not doubt but that we haue the holy Ghost who is the author of them dwelling in vs and consequently that we haue also faith Againe he saith If thou hast begun to hate and flee sinne if thou feelest that thou art displeased at thine infirmities corruptions if hauing offended God thou feelest a griefe and a sorrow for it if thou desire to abstaine if thou thou auoidest the occasions if thou trauailest to doe thy endeauour if thou praiest to God to giue thee grace all these holy affections proceeding from none other then from the spirit of God ought to be so many pledges and testimonies that hee is in thee Master Knokes saith Albeit your paines sometimes bee so horrible that you finde no release nor comfort neither in spirit nor bodie yet if thy heart can onely sob vnto God despaire not you shall obtaine your hearts desire And destitute you are not of faith for at such time as the flesh naturall reason the lawe of God the present torment the deuill at one doe crie God is angrie and therefore there is neither helpe nor remedie to be hoped for at his handes at such time I say to sob vnto God is the demonstration of the secret seede of God which is hidde in Gods elect children and that onely sob is vnto God a more acceptable sacrifice then without this crosse to giue our bodies to be burnt euen for the truthes sake More testimonies might be alleadged but these shall suâ—fice Against this point of doctrine it may bee alleadged that if desire to beleeue in our weakenesse bee faith indeede then some are iustified and may be saued wanting a liuely apprehension and full perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ. Answere Iustifying faith in regard of his nature is alwaies one and the same and the essentiall propertie thereof is to apprehend Christ with his benefits and to assure the very conscience thereof And therefore without some apprehension and assuranee there can be no iustification or saluation in them that for age are able to beleeue Yet there be certaine degrees and measures of true faith There is a strong faith which causeth a full apprehension and perswasion of Gods mercy in Christ. This measure of faith the Lord vouchsafed Abraham Dauid Paul the Prophets and Apostles and Martyrs of God It were a blessed thing if all beleeuers might attaine to this height of liuely faith to say with Paul I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor any thing else shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God in Christ but all cannot therefore there is another degree of faith lower then the former and yet true faith called a little or weake faith and it also hath a power to apprehend and apply the promise of saluation but as yet by reason of weakenesse it is infolded as it were and wrapt vp in the heart as the leafe and blossome in the budde For such persons as haue this weake faith can say indeede that they beleeue their sinnes to bee pardonable and that they desire to haue them pardoned but as yet they cannot say that they are without all doubt pardoned And yet the mercie of God is not wanting vnto themâ—â—or in that they doe and can desire and indeauour to apprehend they doe indeede apprehend God accepting the desire to doe the thing for the thing done This which I say will the better appeare if the groundes thereof bee considered Faith doeth not iustifie in respect of it selfe because it is an action or vertue or because it is strong liuely and perfect but in respect of the obiect thereof namely Christ crucified whome faith apprehendeth as hee is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments It is Christ that is the author matter of our iustice and it is he that applieth the same vnto vs as for faith in vs it is but an instrument to apprehend and receiue that which Christ for his part offereth and giueth Therefore if faith erre not in his proper obiect but followe the promise of God though it doe weakly apprehend or at the least cause a man onely to endeauour and desire to apprehend it is true faith and iustifieth Though our apprehension be necessarie yet our saluation standes rather in this that God apprehendes vs for his owne then that we apprehend him Phil. 3.12 Out of this conclusion springes another not to bee omitted that God accepts the indeauour of the whole man to obey for perfect obedience it selfe THat is if men indeauour to please God in all things God will not iudge their doings by the rigour of the lawe but will accept their little and weake indeauour to doe that which they can doe by his grace as if they had perfectly fulfilled the lawe But here remember I put this caueat that this indeauour must be in and by the whole man the very minde conscience wil affections doing that which they can in their kinds and thus this indeauour which is a fruite of the spirit shall be distinguished from ciuill righteousnes which may bee in heathen men The trueth of this conclusion appeares by that which the Prophet Malachi saith that God will spare them that feare him as a father spares his childe who accepts the thing done as well done if the child shewe his good will to please his father and to doe what he can IV. Conclusion To see and feele in our selues the want of any grace and to be grieued therefore is the grace it selfe The Exposition VNderstand this conclusion as the former namely that griefe of heart for the want of any grace necessarie to saluation is as much with God as the grace it selfe When being in distresse wee cannot pray as we ought God accepts the very groanes sobbes and sighes of the perplexed heart as the praier it selfe Rom. 8. 26. When we are grieued because we cannot bee grieued for our sinnes it is a degree and measure of godly sorrowe before God Augustine saith well Sometimes our praier is luke-warme or rather colde and almost no praier nay sometime it is altogither no praier at all and yet we cannot with griefe perceiue this in our selues for if we can but grieue because we cannot pray we nowe pray indeede Hierome saith Then we are iust when wee acknowledge our selues to be sinners Againe this is the true wisdome of man to knowe himselfe to be imperfect And that I may so speake the perfection of all iust men in the flesh is imperfect