this filling grace is nothing else but the Holy Ghost But by the Holy Ghost we must vnderstand not onely his gifts but also his person both are bestowed on vs the gifts to qualifie vs and the person to continue and increase these qualities in vs. And herein stands a great difference betweene Adam created and Adam redeemed Adam had rich gifts but hee had not the promise of the Spirit to perpetuate his gifts but we haue in Christ And indeed Christ is the Giuer St. Paul saith so but the Psalmist makes him a Receiuer they are easily reconciled for he receiued that which he gaue Therefore Christ here is vnderstood as hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and Man hee receiued as Man that which he gaue as he was God And he gaue this discreetly according to a measure not his power but his wisedome moderated his gift and his wisedome had an eye to the comelinesse and commodity of his mysticall Body the Church And although he gaue discreetly he gaue vniuersally to euery one is his grace giuen euery member hath a marke of his fauour and hath some gift wherewith he may stead the Church And thus farre we came the last Sabbath in opening what Christ doth we must now goe on and see another point herein contained in this 11. Verse Christ giues grace but hee giues it not without meanes for hee giues Ministers And of these Ministers this Verse doth shew vs the different degrees and the common originall the different degrees for some are Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists c. the common originall for Christ giues them all Of these points God willing briefly and in their order First then Christ that is our means vseth means himself giues grace before he giues grace To vnderstand this we must obserue a distinction of grace There is grace of Adoption and grace of Edification the first makes Christians the second maketh Ministers Christ giues the latter that by it he may giue the former The Ministers Calling then stands in grace of Edification that is in ability to bring others to the state of Christians Christ could doe it of himselfe he that at first made man after his Image could repaire that Image againe in man And that he can doe it he sheweth plainly in those whom he first cals and maketh meanes to call others of these wee haue patternes Adam Abraham the Apostles So that though causa salutis be coniuncta yet it is arbitraria the vse of meanes in our saluation is not necessary but voluntary no Minister may dreame that Christ doth vse him because he needs him he must rather acknowledge how much he is bound to Christ that he vouchsafeth to vse him though he hath no need of him He doth honour him with the name of a Co-adiutor and fellow-labourer in the whole course of mans conuersion Ministers beget vs to Christ they nourish vs in Christ they binde and loose our soules they open and shut Heauen and in a word they saue All these things Christ doth by them and the people must acknowledge causam coniunctam the co-operation of the Minister with Christ St. Paul doth excellently expresse it by the resemblance of an Epistle written whereunto he compares the Corinthians 2. Cor. 3. and makes the author thereof the Spirit and himselfe Hee vseth another similitude of Husbandry 1. Cor. 3. whereunto concurreth God and himselfe The foolishnesse of Preaching and the demonstration of the Spirit goe together and Faith is wrought by Gods Word but as it is heard from men The people then may not seuer these they may not looke for inspirations from heauen without preaching on earth nor thinke that preaching on earth will preuaile without inspiration from heauen But causae coniunctae are eyther coordinatae or subordinatae they are both of equall power or one hath soueraignty ouer the other Christ concurres with man and man with Christ But farre be it from vs to thinke that their power is equall in this businesse no Dominium est Christi Ministerium hominis Christ is Lord man is but the seruant and therefore whatsoeuer man doth he must doe according to his instructions he may not presume to doe more or lesse Balaam could tell Balaac so and St. Paul deliuers nothing but what be receiued of the Lord. We may not make new Articles of Faith nor institute new Sacraments we may not publish any other Couenant betweene God and man than our Master is pleased to enter into nor set to any other seales than his The Angels behold Gods face alwayes to direct their seruice and Christ did not his owne but his Fathers will when hee was on earth and shall man arrogate more vnto himselfe No he must still remember his subordination and venter no farther than he hath commission I haue not yet opened enough the inequality betweene Christ and vs in this worke for indeed a Minister is not only a subordinate cause but also no better than an instrument the efficacy of all that hee doth proceedeth from him that vseth it Other Soueraignes giue their charge and leaue their seruants to vse their owne faculties in dispatch of their businesse and the worke is no greater than their faculties can compasse the Embassadors and Commissioners of Princes beare witnesse to this truth according to their weaknesse or wisedome doth their errant speede But it is not so in that worke wherein Christ and the Minister concurres it is true that the Minister must vse the vttermost of his endeauour and husband his talent to the best aduantage but his planting his watering his watching his building is of little force except the worke be set forward with a stronger hand except Christ giue increase there is an inward influence which is soly Christs and produceth the Heauenly light and life In regard of this Ministers are but Imagines as Saint Ambrose speaketh in Psal 38. they do but outwardly delineate and represent in the Word and Sacraments what Christ doth powerfully worke by his Spirit So that the Minister seeth how farre hee is employed and how short hee comes in this worke of equality with Christ And seeing Christ will haue our ministry vsher as it were his efficacy and will haue the people to reuerence our words if they meane to bee partaker of his workes Chrysostome speaketh not amisse when he saith that we doe in potestate seruire so serue our Master that we haue authority ouer the Church and so we need not be ashamed nor may be contemned whose seruice is so honourable And thus much in generall of the calling of the Ministry I come now to speake of their degrees And here we must marke that they haue all a degree aboue others but yet they differ in degrees betweene themselues grace of Adoption is common to all the Church not so grace of Edification the Apostle implyes it in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restraining the later grace to some few And indeed if all should haue
the more choice God had the more grace hee vouchsafed to them whom hee chose so that wee must resolue the words thus Although all the world be mine yet thou shalt be to me and so the Offer will appeare absolutely free What shall we say then vnto these things Surely as God hath little cause by reason of our vilenesse to ioy that wee are His so wee haue great cause by reason of our happinesse to ioy that God is ours who would be ambitious after any woddly thing that may be partaker of this gracious prerogatiue And all Nations may partake of it It is true that these words were spoken to Israel and therefore the Iewes at this day count all Nations slaues beside themselues appropriating vnto themselues this Prerogatiue but their pride should blush when it considers that God hath so many hundred yeares stript them of their spirituall ornaments and made them corporall slaues to all the World 1 Epist 2. Saint Peter applies this very text vnto Christians and the foure and twentie Elders confesse thus vnto Christ Reuel 5. Thou hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud out of enerie kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests These words then belong to Vs Rom. 11.20 yet must wee not bee high-minded but feare Gen 49. if Israel lost his primogeniture so may we God may say to vs as Iacob said to Reuben for his sinne Non excelles thou shalt bee disinherited Hos 1.9 Gnammi may become Lo-Gnammi they are Gods people may cease to bee his people What is the way to preuent it Surely dutie to consider of this gracious Prerogatiue and indeuour carefully to partake thereof If we esteeme it as it deserues and desire it as we ought we shall not faile to haue it and by it be entred into the houshold of Saints those Saints whose memory wee solemnize this day for they became such by this Prerogatiue and this Prerogatiue will make vs such if wee bee Gods peculiar treasure here on earth wee shall be it much more in the kingdome of heauen by how much our gold shall be freer from drosse and no cloud shall dimme our precious jewels If we be Kings here in the state of grace our kingdome is but like that of Dauid full of warre but when wee come to heauen our kingdome shall be like that of Salomon it shall bee a kingdome of peace And our Priest-hood which is now often interrupted and neglected often shall neuer depart from before God and wee shall sacrifice to him day and night Finally holy wee are now rather in the good purpose of our minde then in the performance of our life but then we shall bee Trees of life euer laden with kindly fruit fit to honour to cheare both God and men LEt vs all pray for and God grant vnto vs all such a beginning of this gracious Prerogatiue in this life that we may haue the full consummation thereof with all the Saints departed in the life to come Amen Remember me O Lord with the fauour of thy people visit me with thy saluation That I may see the felicitie of thy chosen and reioyce in the ioy of thy people and glorie with thine inheritance Psal 116. The fifth Sermon EXODVS 19. VERS 5. Now therefore if yee will obey my voice c. Then shall yee be c. IN the first message which from mount Sinai God sent by Moses vnto Israel I haue told you heretofore that there are contained two remarkable points the first sheweth what God requires the second what God offers I told you then also that the Text leadeth me to consider these two points first seuerally then ioyntly I haue already considered them seuerally I haue shewed you what they meane it remaineth that I now consider them ioyntly that I shew you how they depend one vpon the other And this Obseruation I draw from the reference of these two particles If and Then If yee shall obey my voice c. Then yee shall be vnto me c. But to deale more distinctly Out of this reference we may draw too good Obseruations The first Wee must not exspect what God doth offer except we performe what God doth require for thus speaketh the Text If yee shall heare my voice and keepe my Couenant Then shall yee bee vnto me c. The second We may not slicke at that which God requires because that which God offers doth infinitely exceed it that will be euident if wee compare them as they are laid downe in the Text Yee shall be vnto me a peculiar treasure aboue all people a Kingdome of Priests an holy Nation If you heare my voice and If you keepe my Couenant Now there is no comparison betweene these Out of these two Obseruations doe arise two other for this reference will teach vs that Our faith and our Charitie must goe before our Hope for wee must heare Gods voice which is the worke of faith and keepe Gods Conenant which is the worke of Charitie before we can exspect to be Gods peculiar treasure a Kingdome of Priests an Holy Nation which blessings are the matter of our Hope And backe againe Our Hope must keepe in heart both our Faith and Charitie for he that is thus resolued that he shall bee Gods peculiar treasure a King to him and his Priest finally Holy to the Lord no doubt no danger will stay him will quell him from hearing Gods voice and keeping Gods Couenants he that so hopeth will beleeue and loue God These are the particulars wherewith I will endeauour God willing to order and quicken yours and mine owne faith hope and charitie I pray God wee may all so listen to them as those that meane to liue by them But before I open them vnto you I must acquaint you with a difference of Gods spirituall promises of them some are Absolute some are Conditionals wee may not confound them Absolute are all those prophecies of the Messias to come and the worke of Redemption foretold and presigured in the Old Testament whereof in the New we read the full accomplishment they take vp the first part of our Creed and of all these absolute promises Gods saying in Esay is true My counsell shall stand and I will accomplish all my will Cap 46. mauger all the infidelitie of man and the machinations of Satan without great absurditie yea impietie cannot these promises bee conceiued to depend on the will of any ereature Angell or man Conditionall promises are those which concerne particular persons or states participation of Christ incorporation into the Church fruition of crernall life of all these the rule of Saint Austin is true Quifecit te sine te non saluabit te sine te euerie person euerie state must put their hands to this worke or else it would neuer goe forward My Text doth containe a Promise of this later sort a Conditionall not an Absolute
Soueraigne Good in regard of Gods loue of vs which haue in vs no louelinesse at all Nay marke it biddeth vs tender our selues vnto him and what are we but as earthen vessels and what doth hee with vs hee maketh vs vessels of gold the peculiar treasure of the King of Heauen He biddeth vs obey but that hee may make vs Commanders wee must heare his voice keepe his Couenant these are markes of obedience but thereupon we shall be Kings and Priests those are markes of authoritie Finally hee biddeth vs apply our selues vnto him which doth beseeme a creature and hee will make vs like vnto himselfe like vnto our Creatour we shall be holy as he is holy Behold here then the bountie of God and folly of man the bountie of God who giueth though according to our capacitie yet not according to our deserts hee giueth as beseemeth himselfe according to the widensse of his owne Greatnesse and Goodnesse doth hee fill his creatures with his blessings especially Man and aboue all men these whom hee receiueth into the Church A man would haue thought that it had beene mercie enough in God in such a strange fashion to deliuer Israel out of Egypt to take such sharpe vengeance vpon their enemies to promise the Israelites that they should not bee subiect to the plagues of Egypt and that hee would bring them into a good land a land flowing with milke and honie a man would thinke I say that these blessings did more then deserue their best obedience and fidelitie and they could in reason desire no more but so to deale with them was not enough in the eye of Gods bountie he measureth vnto them with a more liberall hand and how often doth he giue vnto euery one of vs more not only then we deserue but also then we can desire especially concerning our spirituall state wherein hee is most bountifull to the meanest of his children As God exceeds in bountie so doe men in folly for their eares are open to none seldomer then vnto God to whom they are due neither are they false to any so much as vnto him Let the World or the Deuill or our owne flesh sollicit vs how attentiue how credulous are we how willingly doe we suffer our selues to bee deceiued to bee robbed by them but when God speaketh to vs whose word is truth who counselleth nothing but for our eternall good how heauie eared are we shall I say nay how rebellious Christ may complaine I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine Esay 49. all the day long haue I stretched out my hands to an vnbeleiuing and a gainesaying nation Yet this is not the vttermost of our follies for in our falshood to God we are not only contented to be robbed by others but rather then wee will not haue our will to doe our selues mischiefe we will hire them that shall rob vs. God in Ezekiel obserueth it in the resemblance of the Israelues to a strange kind of Harlot for whereas vsually they are hired to be naught she did vse to hire her louers and prodigally to bestow vpon them the blessings which shee had receiued from God that with them shee might commit spirituall fornication against God so much more doth our sottishnesse esteeme our chiefest enemies then the author of our soueraigne good This folly first tooke place in Eue wherewith she infected Adam and from them both doe we all deriue it and there is none of vs which doth not vsually betray it witnesse the many good Sermons which we heare and whereby we profit little but runne madding after euery vanitie that woes vs and euery new corruption how suddenly doth it ouerspread most of vs I will dwell no longer vpon these primitiues obseruations I come to those which I deriued from them There are three vertues which are called Theologicall Faith Hope and Charitie of these three consisteth as it were the life of a Christian man now though they are all three giuen to a Christian at one time yet in nature one of them goeth before another This text will teach vs how we must order them Faith must haue the first place for wee must first heare Gods voice Hebâ—â— i. and to heare Gods voice is the worke of faith And indeed the Apostle telleth vs that Hee that commeth vnto God must beleeue and without faith it is impossible to please God Saint Austin therefore maketh Faith the foundation of our spirituall building we must begin our Pietie there There is in euery one of vs by nature a knowledge of God and so a kind of Pietie but this will not make a man Gods peculiar treasure but the limiting of our pietie to his voice and performing his Couenant for naturally men vanish in their discourse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not please God The next Vertue must be Charitie for as heate springeth from light euen so doth Charitie from Faith Faith worketh by Charitie and as a man beleeues so will he loue Now Charitie is meant by keeping Gods Couenant that is the worke of Charitie But withall obserue that Faith and Charitie both goe before Hope for wee must heare Gods voice and keepe his Couenant before wee can looke to be his peculiar treasure which is the matter of our Hope if we doe not we shall be peruerse seruants hope vntowardly for Sine fide spes non habet firmamentum a man that doth not beleeue cannot hope how should a man hope for good from him whom he doth not belieue and Sine charitate spes non habet inuitamentum hee should not hope that doth not loue and loue is a strong incouragement vnto hope A very Heathen could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—lutarch they that are well bred hope not but vpon sound reason Saint Paul He◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 8. Cap. 5 Eccles 1. a better Author saith that Faith is the ground of things hoped for hee then that hopeth without faith hath an vngrounded hope The same Heathen Author saith that the hopes of a vertuous soule are genuine but if they be in a vitious soule they are but bastards Iob compares them vnto a Spidersweb the Booke of Wisdome varieth the resemblance of them with great cloquence Yee that feare the Lord trust in him Quaenam spes hypocritae what hope hath the hypocrite Seeing then that vice can bee no ground of hope it is not without cause that Saint Paul in his two Apologies which he maketh for himselfe the one to the High Priest Acts 24. the other to Agrippa Acts 26. layeth for the foundation of his hope his care to keepe a good conscience and indeed by how much the more a man loueth God the bolder may he be to trust in him When Faith and Charitie haue done their worke and yeilded their furtherance vnto Hope then commeth Hope in seasonably with her worke and maketh amends vnto them both by quickning both Faith and Charitie First it quickneth
men It was grosse ignorance in the Iewes to thinke that the outward Character could denominate them without the inward and that they should goe for sonnes of Abraham who in Pietie were so vnlike Abraham Therefore Saint Iohn correcteth this ignorance of theirs and telleth them they are not worthy of so Honourable a title nay God himselfe doth vilisie them calling them sometimes Gentiles in generall sometimes descending to particulars Amos 9 are you not all as the children of Aâ—thiopia vnto me And as if that parentage were too good Thy natiuitie saith God is of the land of Canaan Ezech 16. thy father was an Amorite thy mother an Hittite yet this doth not villifie them enough the worst place of Canaan was Sodome and Gomorra thither doth God send them for their Pedigree Deut. 32. Finally after yee are past Sodome there remaineth nothing but Hell and so low doth Christ debase them Ioh. 8. You are of your father the Diuell euen you that say yee haue Abraham to your father I doe not wonder why Saint Paul after that he had reckoned vp all the parcels of his corporall Nobilitie concludeth I am not the better I am the worse for all this all this is but dung it recommendeth me nothing vnto God nay it may make me blush for that I haue no inward resemblance of him with whom I haue this outward alliance It were good our Nobilitie and Gentrie did learne this who haue nothing to shew that they are the of spring of such worthies as their fathers were but onely that which Tully yeeldeth to Piso a Genealogie or an earthly patrimonie Saint Chrysostome compareth such vnto froth and indeed generous liquor doth cast a froth which froth is insipid and hath nothing of that taste which is in the liquor euen so are they descended of their Parents but their Parents liue not in them and therefore all that they can boast of Ignabiliâ— nobilitas is but an ignoble Nobilitie as Theophylact speaketh it is not worth the standing vpon Malo Pater tibi sit Thersites dummodo tu sis Aeacidae similis Vulcaniaque arma capessas Quam te Thersitae similem producat Achilles The truth whereof Saint Chrysostome setteth before vs in an excellent Simile Behold saith he Gold commeth of the earth a precious mettall of a very base Element we esteeme the Gold we care not for the earth euen so Opaere imperfect in Matth. if a child be worthy it skilleth not how vnworthy his Parents were faithfull Abraham is not the worse because the child of idolatrous Sarah The similitude goeth on Siluer yeeldeth Tinne the better a worse mettall wee neglect the Tinne and keepe the Siluer so if a child be vnworthy what doth it auaile him to be of worthy Parents What is Ismael the better for being the sonne of Abraham If this rule haue exceptions as indeed it hath in worldly societies for many make Idols of rich Nabals Filâ— Deâ—nulla externa prarogatiua aesimâ—nâ—â—â— and knottie blockes yet to Godward the rule is true none can claime spirituall kindred with Abraham but they that are new Creatures dissimilitude of manners argueth Bastards and no Sonnes You haue heard the first branch of their Ignorance they maimed the truth The second is they misplaced it for they began their defence against the wrath to come at this claime We haue Abraham to our father The fathers note that this is preposterous dealing it is not enough for vs to take care that we partake as well of the substance as of the ceremonie in sacred things we must adde a second rule which is this As in knowing God so in knowing our state to Godward we must rise from the effects to the cause that so afterward we may from the cause conclude the effects the euidence is in the effects whereof the assurance is in the cause that wee are the children of God we see most cleerely in our vertues though the ground whereupon wee stand most assuredly is Gods couenant Wherefore the Couenant is not the first step where wee must begin our triall much lesse may wee begin at Predestination we must by degrees of reason read the gifts of God in our Faith Hope and Charitie to worke which the Word and Sacraments were ordained if wee find these they argue Gods loue to vs they prooue wee stand in good tearmes with him And when we haue thus argued from the effects we may safely make demonstrations from the cause and then it will bee a good plea if our Conscience doth question the certaintie of our saluation because the good that we would doe we cannot doe Rom. 7. to say with Saint Paul thankes be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord or that which is equiualent I haue Abraham to my father This plea was prouided to keepe vs in heart in that conflict Of this the Iewes were ignorant and therefore Saint Iohn correcteth this in them blameth them for putting in their claime to the Couenant before they had giuen some proofe of their vertue We are not ignorant of the Romish calumnies and of the distraction of our brethren in forraine parts about this doctrine happily some occasion hereof may be because some deliuer Theologie more Theoretically then practically It were to be wished that at least in so much as must come to the vulgar eye and eare this method were changed lest as it hath so it prooue dangerous to many though I dare say that if the parts of the doctrine publikely authorized by the Reformed Churches be charitably laid together and otherwise to construe the writing is against good manners by a rule in the Ciuill Law wee shall find nothing but that which may passe for sound and good But to leaue methods of Bookes and come to methods of our liues when I rip vp the Tracts of this Argument written by those that either would seeme to be or are indeed zealous of Pietie I find that mens liues opened both their mouthes and set both their Pens a writing therefore I thinke there can be no more compendious course to silence the slaunders of the one and reconcile the distractions of the other Mat. 5.16 then to Let our lights so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our father which is in heauen And thus much of S. Iohns answer to the first part of their errour the correcting of their Ignorance I come now to the second part their Arrogancie double arrogancie for first they appropriate Abrahams family to themselues As they thought themselues to be holy so did they think theÌ„selues to be the onely children of Abraham In their Synagogues it is one of those things for which they giue thanks vnto God that they are born Israelites not Goim Gentiles of whom they neuer speak but with great scorn Cyril Alexandrinus amplifieth this point vpon Osea cap. 9. The Israelites looking loftily and speaking bigge boasted we haue Abraham to our father he addeth
into the Congregation of Israel vnto the third generation Cap. 3. The Booke of Wisedome amplyfieth this point the children of Adulterers shall not come to perfection and the seed of the vnrighteous bed shall be rooted out the like you may read Eccl. 23. but because those Bookes are Apochryphall Cap. 31. ◠here what IOB saith of Adulterie It is a sinne to be condemned it will deuour vnto destruction and it would root out all my posteritie And no wonder that GOD dealeth so with Bastards for which of vs if he haue Land entailed entailes it otherwise then vpon heires lawfully begotten If we thinke Bastards vnworthy to inherite our Lands here on Earth shall GOD thinke them worthy to be heires of the Kingdome of Heauen I will not condemne all Bastards to Hell I know IEPHTA found fauour with GOD and so no doubt haue many others but that commeth to passe by GODS extraordinarie mercie ordinarie Promise we haue none that they shall doe well Yea obserue and you shall find that they seldome keepe a meane if good verie good and if they be bad they are verie bad and parents of such children haue reason rather to feare the worst then hope the best for though GOD at after-hand doth often pardon sinnes yet before-hand he giues no encouragement to sinners You that are the Penitent take this to heart your second match being plaine Adulterie the children borne in such wedlocke must needs be bastards and being Bastards they are not the holy seed yea they are a seed that is cursed so cursed for your fault that as much as in you lyeth you strip them of all blessings on Earth and in Heauen they are fauoured by the Law neither of God nor men And so great wrong done to them should goe to your verie heart you haue sinned against your children not onely against your owne body And let this suffice concerning the doctrine that is in the Prophets Sermon I come now to the exhortation which he deduceth therefrom The exhortation is double according to the double respect which we owe. The first is to our selues keepe your selues in your Spirit or take heed to your Spirit We must take care of our whole man the outward and inward for touching the outward the Apostles rule is 1 Thes 4.4 1 Cor. 3. 1 Cor. 6. We must keepe our vessels in honour we may not defile the Temples of God We may not take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot we must be chast propter carnem Christi as IGNATIVS speaketh because we are bone of Christs bone and flesh of his flesh But as we must take care of our bodyes so must we much more take care of our soules for it is in vaine to keepe the body chast and to retaine an adulterous heart for an adulterous heart though it be peccatum sine teste it hath no man to witnesse it yet is it peccatum Athanasius God will doome it for sinne Yea if a man stop not lust in his heart Math. 15. he will not be master of it in his body for ex abundantia cordis out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh out of that commeth Adulteries and Fornications But qui adinngit Spiritui adimit carni the better the Soule is the better will the body be therefore is temperance properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a man in his right wits because so long as a man hath his wits about him he is master of his lusts but no sooner hath Dalilah brought that Sampson asleepe but the Philistims will be vpon him and depriue him of his strength he will be ouertaken with this lustfull Epilepsie and prophane the Temple of the Lord. But to open this point a little farther we must obserue that as we haue sensuall and reasonable faculties so it was Gods pleasure that those actions which are Elicitae or come naturally from the sensuall faculties should also be imperatae ordered and limited by the rationall therefore is the rationall facultie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the guid and gouernour of our life and he deserues not the name of a man whose sense is not subiect vnto reason But the Spirit doth not onely note the reasonable soule but in an argument concerning the CHVRCH it meaneth that Soule as it is regenerated by Grace and then it putteth vs in mind that the care of our Soules must be more then reasonable it must be spirituall and not onely the best wit of man which is corrupt as appeares in the vnchast chastitie of the Heathen but the sanctifying Grace of God must set bounds to our lusts which will suffer them to passe no farther then they are allowed by Gods Law A man is an excellent creature if he be but a man if he keepe his reasonable Spirit how much more excellent would a Christian man be if he could continue a Christian and preserue in himselfe the Spirit of Grace I may not omit the word keepe it willeth vs to set a watch because we are apt to run riot whether the Spirit signifie Reason or Grace we must watch If reason we must watch that we admit not into our imaginations nor suffer our wits to discourse vpon lustfull fancies we liue in the middest of temptations and none are more insinuating then those that are pleasurable we must take heed therefore that our reason be not betwitched by them they will cunningly euchant vs and transforme vs into beasts before we are aware wherefore we must keepe a watch ouer our Reason and not onely ouer Reason but ouer Grace also that we grieue not the Holy Spirit that we quench him not that we doe not dispite him Ephes 4.30 ◠Thes 5.19 for the Holy Spirit of discipline will not abide in a Soule that is disposed vnto sinne Adspicis vt veniant ad candida tect a columbae the doue-like spirit delighteth to dwell in doue-like persons himselfe being chast in those that are chast Wherefore we must keepe our spirits that for our vnchastitie the Spirit of God forsake vs not You haue the first branch of the exhortation the second followeth This biddeth vs be carefull of that respect which we owe vnto our mate Let no man deale treacherously with his wife A wife a little before my Text is called a mans companion and the wife of his couenant Now you know that fraud in fellowship is abominable especially if that fellowship be established by couenant as wedsocke is and no fellowship vpon straiter couenants then wedlocke for therein there is a double couenant pactum hominis and pactum Dei the persons contracting doe plight their faith each to other that is pactum hominis Then God he commeth in as a partie to knit the knot and will haue this mutuall stipulation made in his sight and in his name so that both stand bound to God not onely to themselues neuer to loose this knot till death them