them are morall works and workes of grace but these are excluded from iustification and working mans saluation Eph. 2.10 And Paul beeing regenerate saith thus of himselfe I am not guiltie vnto my selfe of any thing yet am I not thereby iustified VI. The cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused but grace without works is the cause of mans predestination the which is the cause of his iustification and therefore grace without workes shall much more be saide to be the cause of iustification Obiect I. Levit. 18.5 He that keepeth my statutes shall liue in them Ans. This saving is a legall sentence and therefore sheweth not what men can doe but what they should doe Obiect II. Psal. 119.1 Blessed are those that walke in the Law of the Lord. Ans. Man is not here said to be blessed because he walketh vprightly but because the person of such walker is by the merits of Christ iustified before God Obiect III. Iudge me according to my righteousnes Psal. 7. And the fact of Phinees was imputed to him for righteouses Ans. These places are not meant of that righteousnes of the person by which it is righteous before God but of the righteousnes of some particular cause or worke For where as Dauid was accused of this crime that he did affect Sauls kingdome he in this point doth in the words aboue mentioned testifie his innocencie before God Obiect IV. We are iudged according to our workes therefore also by them iustified Ans. The reason is not alike because the last iudgement is not the iustifying of a man but a declaration of that iustification which he had before obtained Therfore the last iudgement must be pronounced and taken not from the causes of iustification but from the effects and signes thereof Obiect V. Make you friends of vnrighteous Mammon c. that they may receiue you into eternall habitations Ans. This they doe not as authors of saluation but as witnesses of the same Obiect VI. Dan. 4.24 Redeeme thy sinnes by righteousnes and thine iniquitie by mercie towards the poore Ans. It is rather breake off thy sinnes then redeeme for so is the originall now men breake off their sinnes by ceasing from them not satisfying for them Obiect VII Euill workes condemne therefore good workes iustifie Answ. It followeth not because good works are not perfectly good as euill works are perfectly euill Obiect VIII We are saued by hope Rom. 8. Answer We must distinguish betwixt iustification and saluation saluation is the end iustification is one degree to come to the ende but there is more required to the ende then to a degree subordinate to the ende therefore we are saued by hope and faith but iustified by faith alone Obiect IX Affliction causeth eternall glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Ans. This is doth not as by it owne merit effecting the same but rather as a path and way manifesting and declaring the same Obiect X. Iam. 2.21 Abraham was iustified by workes Ans. Not as any cause of iustification but as a manifestation thereof Obiect XI He that is iust let him be more iust Ans. This place must be vnderstood of iustification before men namely of sanctification or an holy life not of iustification in the sight of God Obiect XII We are iustified by faith therefore by a worke Ans. We are iustified by faith not as it is a vertue and a worke but as it is an instrument apprehending the iustice of Christ whereby we are iustified And in this respect faith is said by the figure called Metonymia to be imputed to vs vnto righteousnesse Obiect XIII The workes of grace are dyed in the blood of Christ. Ans. They are indeed dyed therein but to the ende they might the better please God not iustifie man and whereas they are so stained as that they neede dying in the blood of Christ therefore can they not any waies iustifie sinnefull man And the person of the worker is as well died in Christs blood as is his work yet he can not say that his person doth therefore iustifie him And as I haue now prooued that this doctrine of the Papists is very erronious so I also auouch that it is most ridiculous Because for a man to say that inherent righteousnes is by good works namely the fruits of righteousnes augmented is as if a man should say that the vine is made more fruitfull by bearing grapes or that the internall light of the sunne is augmented by the externall emission of the beames Luthers saying is farre more true Good workes doe not make a good man but a good man doth make workes good The XIIII errour Grace is quite extinguished or rather vtterly lost by any mortall sinne The Confutation I. The word of God doth manifestly declare that it is farre otherwise Ioh. 6. All that the Father giueth me shall come vnto me and him that commeth vnto me I cast not away Math. 16.16 Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church so that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Rom. 5. 1. Beeing therefore iustified we haue peace with God Now how could this be true if he that was before iustified could any way quite fall from grace and so perish II. The elect after their very grieuous fallings from God forthwith repented them of their sinnes as we may see in the example of Dauid Peter c. the which argueth that they had not quite fallen from grace and lost the spirit of God III. If grace be once vtterly lost then the ingraffing of that partie into Christ is quite abolished therefore for such as repent there must needs succeed a second new ingraffing into Christ then it will also follow that they must of necessitie be baptized anew which is absurd to thinke But for all this we denie not but grace may in part and for a time be lost to the end that the faithfull may thereby acknowledge and know their weaknes and for it be humbled but that there is any totall or finall falling from grace we vtterly denie The XV. errour It is possible to fulfill the Law in this life The Confutation The Law is euangelically fulfilled by beleeuing in Christ but not legally by doing the works thereof Reason They which are carnall cannot possibly fulfill the law of God but the most regenerate so long as they liue in this life are carnall in part Rom. 7.14 I am saith Paul of himselfe carnall and sold vnder sinne Prou. 20. Who can say Mine heart is pure I am pure from sinne Eccles. 7. There is none so iust vpon earth which doth good and sinneth not Psal. 130. If thou Lord obserue what is done amisse Lord who shall abide it We are daily taught to pray vnto God Forgiue vs our sinnes Exception Indeede if the iustice of the faithfull be absolutely
of vs that professe faith working by loue It may be demanded what we are to iudge of them that as yet are enemies of God Ans. Our dutie is to suspend our iudgement concerning their finall estate for we knowe not whether God will call them or no and therefore we must rather pray for their conuersion then for their confusion Againe it may be demaunded what is to be thought of all our ancetours and forefathers that liued and died in the times when poperie tooke place Ans. We may well hope the best and thinke that they were saued for though the Papacie be not the Church of God and though the doctrine of Poperie rase the foundation yet neuerthelesse in the verie midst of the Romane Papacie God hath alwaies had a remnant which haue in some measure truely serued him In the olde testament when open Idolatrie tooke place in all Israel God said to Eliah I haue râ—serued seuen thousand to my selfe that neuer bowed knee to Baal and the like is and hath bene in the generall apostasie vnder Antichrist Saint Iohn saith that when the woman fled into the wildernesse for a time euen then there was a remnant of her seede which kept the commandements of God and had the testimonie of Iesus Christ. And againe when ordinarie meanes of saluation faile then God can and doth make a supplie by meanes extraordinarie and therefore there is no cause why we should say that they were condemned Thirdly it may be demanded whethether the common iudgement giuen of Francis Spira that he is a reprobate be good or no Ans. We may with better warrant say no then any man saie yea For what gifts of discerning had they which came to visit him in his extremitie and what reasons induced theÌ„ to giue this peremptorie iudgement He said himselfe that he was a reprobate that is nothing a sicke mans iudgement of himselfe is not to be regarded Yea but he despaired a senselesse reason for so doth many a man yeare by yeare that very often as deepely as euer Spira did and yet by the good helpe of the ministerie of the word both are and may be recouered And they which will auouch Spira to be a reprobate must goe further and prooue two things that he despaired both wholly and finally which if they cannot prooue wee for our parts must suspende our iudgements and they were much to blame that first published the booke Lastly it may be demanded what is to be thought of them that make very fearefull endes in rauing and blaspheming Ans. Such straunge behauiours are oftentimes the fruits of violent diseases which torment the bodie and bereaue the minde of sense and reason and therefore if the persons liued wel we must think the best for we are not by outward things to iudge of the estate of any man Salomon saith that all things come alike to al and the same condition to the iust and to the wicked Thus much of the parts of Predesâ—ination Nowe followes the vse thereof and it concernes partly our iudgements partly our affections and partly our liues The vses which concerne iudgement are three And first by the doctrine of Predestination we learne that there cannot be any iustification of a sinner before God by his workes For Gods election is the cause of iustification because whome God electeth to saluation after this life them he electeth to be iustified in this life Nowe election it selfe is of grace and of grace alone as Paul saith Election is by grace and if it be of grace it is no more of workes or else were grace no grace therefore iustification is of grace and of grace alone I reason thus The cause of a cause is the cause of all things caused but grace alone is the cause of predestinatioÌ„ which is the cause of our vocatioÌ„ iustificatioÌ„ sanctification c. Grace therefore is also the alone cause of all these Therefore the Scriptures ascribe not onely the beginning but also the continuance and accomplishment of all our happinesse to grace For first as election so vocation is of grace Paul saith God hath called vs not according to our works but according to his purpose and grace Againe faith in Christ is of grace So it is said To you it is giuen to beleeue in Christ. Also the iustificatioÌ„ of a sinner is of grace So Paul saith plainly to the Romans you are iustified freely by his grace Againe sanctification and the doing of good workes is of grace So it is said We are his workemanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Also pâ—rseuerance in good workes and godlines is of grace So the Lord saith I will make an euerlasting couenant with them that I will neuer turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Lastly life euerlasting is of grace So Paul saith Life euerlasting is the gift of God through Iesus Christ. Nowe they of the Church of Rome teach the â—lat contrarie they make two iustifications the first whereby a man of an euill man is made a good man the second whereby of a good man he is made better The first they ascribe to grace but so as the second is by workes Secondly hence we learne that the art of iudiciall astrologie is vaine and friuolous They that practise it doe professe themselues to tell of things to come almost whatsoeuer and this they doe by casting of figures and the speciall point of their art is to iudge of mens natiuities For if they may knowe but the time of a mans birth they take vpon them to tell the whole course of his life from yeare to yeare from weeke to weeke and from day to day from the day of his birth to the houre of his death yea that which is more they professe themselues to tell all things that shall befal men either in bodie goods or good name and what kinde of death they shall die But that this their practise is not of God but indeede vnlawefull it may appeare by this because it standes not with the doctrine of Gods predestination Two twinnes begotten of the same parents and borne both at one and the same time by the iudgement of Astrologians must haue both the same life and the same death and be euery way alike both in goods and good name yet we see the contrarie to be true in Iacob and Esau who were borne both of the same parents at one time For Iacob tooke Esau by the heele so as there could not be much difference bâ—tweene them in time yet for all this Esau was a fierce man and wilde giuen to hunting but Iacob was milde of nature and liued at home the one had fauour at Gods hand and was in the couenant but God kept backe that mercie from the other Againe in a pitcht field are
waies first not as causes thereof either conuersant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseparable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are as necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2.21 That Abraham was iustified by workes Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by workes as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes and fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstood that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeed by his obedience and that euen before God Now that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3.28 We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Some answer that ceremoniall workes be excluded here some that morall works some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified freely by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting And v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kind of works are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2.8,9 By grace saith he you are saued tâ—rough faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For we are his workemanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that weâ— should walke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what bee the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnlesse they bee the most excellent workes of grace and let them marke howe Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5.3 If ye be circumcised ye are bound to the whole lawe and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would bee saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole lawe according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I nowe assume no man can fullfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery day to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctifiâ—atioÌ„ is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therefore his best workes are partly from the flesh and in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to bee bound to the rigour of the whole lawe is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without workes For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification therfore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IV. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his works can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till hee be iustified he cannot doe so much as one good worke And thus good workes cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustification is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7.8 Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified therby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kindes of righteousnesse one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The â—ighteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Nowe Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnesse of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsely charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166.31 that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glorie II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119.1 Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart walketh in the lawe of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that indeauoureth to keep Gods commandements Yet is he not blessed simply because hee doth so but because he is in Christ by whome he doeth so and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof III. Obiect When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by praier and fasting Gods wrath is pacified and staied therefore praier and fasting are causes of iustification before God Answ. Indeede men that truely humble themselues by praier and fasting doe appease the wrath of God yet not properly by these actions but by their faith expressed and testified in theÌ„ whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath euen the merits of Christ in whome the
called vniuersall Bishop the vniuersall Church goeth to decaie And chap. 144. I say boldely that whosoeuer calleth or desireth to call himselfe vniuersall priest in his pride is a forerunner of Antichrist And beholde in the preface of the Epistle which ye directed vnto me you caused to be set a proud title calling me vniuersal Pope Bernard Consider that thou art not a Lord of Bishops but one of them Churches are maimed in that the Romane bishop draweth all power to himselfe Againe Gregorie himselfe beeing Pope saith to the Emperour I which am subiect to your commandement haue euery way discharged that which was due in that I haue performed mine allegiance to the Emperour and haue not concealed what I thought on Gods behalfe And pope Leo the fourth after Gregorie 200. yeares acknowledged the Emperour Lotharius for his soueraigne prince and professed obedience without gainsaying to his imperiall commandements To conclude whereas they say that there is a donble head of the Church one imperiall which is Christ alone the other ministeriall which is the pope gouerning the whole Church vnder Christ I answer this distinction robbeth Christ of his honour because in setting vp their ministeriall heade they are faine to borrow of Christ things proper vnto him as the priuiledge to forgiue sinnes properly and the power to gouerne the whole earth by making of lawes that shall as truely bind conscience as the lawes of God c. The 19 point Of the efficacie of the sacraments Our Consent Conclus I. We teach and beleeue that the sacraments are signes to represent Christ with his benefits vnto vs. Conclus II. We teach further that the Sacraments are indeede instruments whereby God offereth and giueth the foresaid benefits vnto vs. Thus farre we consent with the Romane Church The difference The difference betweene vs standes in sundrie points First of all the best learned among them teach that sacraments are phisicall instruments that is true and proper instrumentall causes hauing force and efficacie in them to produce and giue grace They vse to expresse their meaning by these comparisons When the scriuener takes the pen into his hand and writes the action of writing comes from the penne mooued by the hand of the writer and in cutting of wood or stone the diuision comes from the sawe mooued by the hand of the workeman euen so the grace say they that is giuen by God is conferred by the sacrament it selfe Now we for our parts hold that sacraments are not phisicall but meere voluntarie instruments Voluntarie because it is the will and appointment of God to vse them as certaine outward meanes of grace Instruments because when we vse them aright according to the institution God then answerably conferres grace from himselfe In this respect onely take we them for instruments and no otherwise The secōd difference is this they teach that the very action of the minister dispēsing the sacrament as it is a work done giues grace immediatly if the party be prepared as the very washing or sprinkling of water in baptisme and the giuing of bread in the Lords supper euen as the orderly moouing of the pen vpon the paper by the hand of the writer causeth writing We hold the contrarie namely that no action in the dispensation of a Sacrament conferreth grace as it is a worke done that is by the efficacie and force of the very sacramentall action it selfe though ordained of God but for two other waies First by the signification thereof For God testifies vnto vs his will and good pleasure partly by the word of promise and partly by the sacrament the signes representing to the eyes that which the word doth to the eares being also types and certen images of the very same things that are promised in the word and no other Yea the elements are not general and confused but particular signes to the seuerall communicants and by the vertues of the Institution for when the faithfull receiue the signes from God by the hands of the Minister it is as much as if God himselfe with his owne mouth should speake vnto them seuerally and by name promise to them remission of sinnes And things said to men particularly doe more affect and more take away doubting then if they were generally spoken to an whole companie Therefore signes of graces are as it were an applying and binding of the promise of saluation to euery particular beleeuer and by this meanes the oftner they are receiued the more they helpe our infirmitie and confirme our assurance of mercie Againe the sacrament conferres grace in that the signes thereof confirmes faith as a pledge by reason it hath a promise annexed to it For when God commands vs to receiue the signes in faith and withall promiseth to the receiuers to giue the thing signified he bindes himselfe as it were in bond vnto vs to stand to his owne word euen as men binde themselues in obligations putting to their hands and seales so as they cannot go backe And when the signes are thus vsed as pledges and that often they greatly increase the grace of God as a token sent from one friend to an other renewes and confirmes the perswasion of loue These are the two principall waies whereby the sacraments are said to conferre grace namely in respect of their signification and as they are pledges of Gods fauour vnto vs. And the very point here to be considered is in what order and manner they confirme And the manner is this The signes and visible elements affect the senses outward and inward the senses conuay their obiect to the mind the mind directed by the holy Ghost reasoneth on this manner out of the promise annexed to the sacrament He that vseth the elements aright shall receiue grace thereby but I vse the elements aright in faith and repentance saith the minde of the beleeuer therefore shall I receiue from God increase of grace Thus then faith is confirmed not by the worke done but by a kind of reasoning caused in the minde the argument or proofe whereof is borrowed from the elements beeing signes and pledges of Gods mercie The third difference The Papists teach that in the sacrament by the work done the very grace of iustification is conferred We say no because a man of yeares must first beleeue and be iustified before he can be a meete partaker of any sacrament And the grace that is conferred is onely the increase of our faith hope sanctification c. Our Reasons Reason I. The word preached and the sacraments differ in the manner of giuing Christ and his benefits vnto vs because in the word the spirit of God teacheth vs by a voice conueied to the minde by the bodily eares but in the sacraments annexed to the word by certaine sensible and bodily signes viewed by the eie Sacraments are nothing but visible words and promises Otherwise for the giuing it selfe they differ not Christ himselfe faith that in the very worde
Matth. 11.28 No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whoâ—â— the Sonne will reueale him Luke 8. To you it is giuen to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Philip. 2. It is God which worketh in you to will and to doe 1. Cor. 12. 13. No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Briefly he who according to God is to be created to righteousnes and holiness Eph. 4.24 cannot any waies dispose himselfe to iustification or new creation For it is impossible that a thing not yet created should dispose it selfe to his creation The IX errour That preparation to grace which is caused by the power of free-will may by the merit of congruitie deserue iustification The Confutation These things smell of more then Satanicall arrogancie For what man but such an one as were not in his right mind would beleeue that he vnto whom so many millions of condemnations are due could once merit the least dramme of grace The prodigall sonne he was not receiued into fauour by reason of his deserts but by fauour Luk. 15.21 His sonne said vnto him I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne The X. errour The faith of the godly or that which iustifieth is that whereby a man doth in generall beleeue the promised blessednes of God and by which also he giueth his assent to other mysteries reuealed of God concerning the same The Confutation Faith is not onely a generall knowledge and assent to the historie of the Gospel but further also a certaine power both apprehending and seuerally applying the promises of God in Christ whereby a man doth assuredly set downe that his sinnes are forgiuen him and that he is reconciled vnto God Reasons I. A particular assuraÌ„ce of the fauour of god is of the nature of faith Eph. 3.12 By whom we haue boldnes and entrance with confidence by faith in him Rom. 4.20 Neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in the faith and gaue glorie vnto God 21. Beeing fully assured that he which had promised was also able to do it Heb. 10.22 Let vs draw nere with a true heart in assurance of faith II. Particular doubtings is reprehended Mat. 14. â—â— O thou of litle faith why didst thou doubt Luk. 12.29 Hang ye not in suspence III. That which a maÌ„ praieth for to god that must he assuredly beleeue to receiue Math. 11.24 But the faithfull in their praiers make request for adoption iustification and life eternall And therefore they must certainely beleeue that they shall receiue these benefits IV. Rom. 5.1 We beeing thâ—refore iustified we haue peace with God But there can be no peace where there is not a paâ—ticuâ—ar assurance of Gods fauour V. That which the spirit of God doth testifie vnto vs particularly that must also be beleeued particularly But the spirit of God doth giue a particular testimonie of the adoption of the faithfull Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 This therefore is in like sort to be beleeued Whereas they say that no man hath a particular assurance but by especiall reuelation as was that which Abraham and Paul had it is false For the faith of these two is set downe in Scripture as an example which we should all follow For this cause Abraham is called the Father of the faithfull and Paul testifieth the very fame of himselfe 1. Tim. 1.16 For this cause saith he was I receiued to mercie that Iesus Christ should first shew on me all long suffering vnto the example of them which shall in time to come beleeue in him vnto eternall life Againe whereas they say that we haue a morall assurance but not the assurance of faith it is a popish deuise For Rom. 8.16 The spirit of adoption 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together beareth witnesse to our spirits Where we see two witnesses of our adoption our owne spirit and the spirit of God Our spirit doth testifie morally of our adoption by sanctification and the fruits thereof and therefore also the spirit of God witnesseth after another manner namely by the certaintie of faith declaring and applying the promises of God Obiect I. We are commanded to worke our saluation with feare trembling Ans. This feare is not in regard of Gods mercie forgiuing our sinnes but in respect of vs and our nature which is euer prone to slide away and starting from God Obiect II. In respect of Gods mercie we must hope for saluation but in respect of our vnworthines we must doubt Ans. I. We may not at all lawfully doubt of Gods mercie because doubtfulnes is not of the nature of faith but rather a naturall corruption II. If we consider our owne vnworthines it is out of all doubt that we must be out of all hope and despaire of our saluation Obiect III. There be many sinnes vnknowne vnto vs and so also vncertaine whether they be pardoned vnto vs. Answer He that certenly and truly knoweth that but one sinne is pardoned him he hath before God all his sinnes remitted whether they be knowne or vnknowne Obiect IV. No man dare sweare or die in the defence of this proposition I am the child of God or in Gods fauour and iustified Answ. They which haue an vnfained faith will if they be lawfully called not onely testifie their adoption by an oath but seale it also by their blood Obiect V. A man may haue this faith which the Protestants talke of and lie in a mortall sinne and haue also a purpose to perseuere in a mortall sinne Ans. It is farre otherwise for Act. 15.9 True faith purifieth the heart These Sophisters doe further affirme that this faith which to them is nothing but a knowledge and illumination of the mind concerning the truth of Gods word is the roote and foundation of iustification The which if it be true why should not the deuill be iust for he hath both a knowledge of Gods word and thereunto by beleeuing doth giue his assent who notwithstanding he haue such a faith yet can he not be called one of the faithfull Here they except and say The deuils faith is void of charitie which is the forme of faith But this is a doting surmise of their owne braine For charitie is the effect of faith 1. Tim. 1.5 But the effect cannot informe the cause The XI errour Mans loue of God doth in order and time goe before his iâ—stification and reconciliation with God The Confutation Nay contrarily vnlesse we be first perswaded of Gods loue towards vs we neuer loue him For we loue him because he loued vs first 1. Ioh. 4.19 Againe it is impossible that Gods enemie should loue him but he which is not as yet iustified or reconciled to God he is Gods enemie Rom. 5.9,10 Neither is any man before the act of iustification made of Gods enemie his friend The XII errour Iufused or inherent iustice is the formall cause of iâ—stification
iustification of a sinner before God For the cause of a cause is also the cause of the thing caused but foreseene faith is an impulsiue cause whereby God was mooued to choose some men to saluation as it is saide and therefore it is not onely an instrument to apprehend Christs righteousnesse but also a cause or meanes to mooue God to iustifie a sinner because iustification proceedes of Election which comes of foreseene faith now this is erroneous by the doctrine of all Churches vnlesse they be Popish Fifthly this doctrine takes it for graunted that all both young and olde euen Infants that die in their infancie haue knowledge of the Gospell because both faith and vnbeleefe in Christ presuppose knowledge of our saluation by him considering that neither ordinarily nor extraordinarily men beleeue or contemne the thing vnknowne But how false this is euen common experience doth shew Lastly this platforme quite ouerthrowes it selfe For whereas all men equally corrupt in Adam are effectually both redeemed and called the difference betweene man and man standes not in beleeuing or not beleeuing for all haue power to beleeue but in this properly that some are confirmed in faith some are not Now when all without exception are indued with grace sufficient to saluation I demaund why some men are confirmed in grace and others not confirmed as also of Angels some were confirmed and stand and some not confirmed fell No other reason can be rendered but the will of God And to this must all come striue as long as they will that of men beeing in one and the same estate some are saued some iustly forsaken because God would Againe as the foreseeing of â—aith doth presuppose Gods giuiâ—g of faith vnlesse men will say it is naturall so the foreseeing of faith in some men alone doth presuppose the giuing of faith to some men alone But why doth not God conferre the grace of constant faith to all no other reason can be rendered but because he will not Thus then those men whose faith was foreseene are saued not because their faith was foreseene but because God would The third fault is that they ascribe vnto God a conditionall Purpose or counsell whereby he decrees that all men shall be saued so be it they will beleeue For it is euery way as much against common sense as if it had bin saide that God decreed nothing at all concerning man A conditionall sentence determines nothing simply but conditionally and therefore vncertenly and when we speake of God to determine vncertenly is as much as if he had determined nothing at all specially when the thing determined is in the power of mans wil and in respect of God the decree may come to passe or not come to passe Men if they might alwaies haue their choise desire to determine of all their affaires simply without condition and when they doe otherwise it is either because they know not the euent of things or because things to be don are not in their power No reason therefore that we should burden God with that whereof we would disburden our selues Againe the maiestie of God is disgraced in this kind of decree God for his part would haue all men to be saued why then are they not men will not keepe the condition and beleeue This is flat to hang Gods will vpon mans will to make euery man an Emperour and God his vnderling and to change the order of nature by subordinating Gods will which is the first cause to the will of man which is the second cause whereas by the very law of nature the first cause should order and dispose the second cause But for the iustifying of a conditionall decree it is alleadged that there is no eternall and hidden decree of God beside the Gospel which is Gods predestination reuealed Ans. It is an vntruth There be two wills in God one whereby he determineth what he will doe vnto vs or in vs the other whereby he determineth what we shall doe to him Now Predestination is the first whereupon it is commonly defined to be the preparation of the blessing of God whereby they are deliuered which are deliuered and the Gospel is the second Againe Predestination determines who they are and how many which are to be saued and hereupon Christ saith I know whom I haue chosen but the Gospel rather determines what kind of ones and how they must be qualified which are to be saued Lastly Predestination is Gods decree it selfe and the Gospel is an outward meanes of the execution of it and therefore though the Gospel be propounded with a conditionâ— yet the decree of God it selfe may be simple and absolute The fourth defect is the opinion of Vniuersall sauing grace aâ—pertaining to all and euery man which may be fitly tearmed the Schoole of vniuersall Atheisme For it pulls downe the pale of the Church and laies it wast as euery common field it breeds a carelesnes in the vse of the means of grace the word and Sacraments when as men shall be perswaded that grace shal be offered to euery one effectually whether he be of the Church or not at one time or other wheresoeuer or howsoeuer he liue as in the like case if meÌ„ should be told that whether they liue in the market towne or no there shall be sufficient prouision brought them if they will but receiue it and accept of it who would then come to the market Vniuersall grace hath three parts Vniuersall Election vniuersall Redemption vniuersall Vocation Vniuersall Election of all and euery man is a witlesse conceit for if men vniuersally be appointed to grace without exception then there is no electing or choosing of some out of mankind to grace and if some alone be appointed to grace as it must needes be in election then is not grace vniuersall And it is flat against the word of God For Christ auoucheth plainely that fewer be chosen then called and as afterward we shall see all are not called And he further saith that all which are giuen vnto him shall be one with him and haue life euerlasting but all men shall not be one with him and haue life euerlasting and therefore all men are not giuen to Christ of the father that is ordained to saluation And the Scripture saith that all mens names are not written in the booke of life and that the kingdome of heauen was not prepared for all And whereas men build this their vniuersall election vpon the largenesse of the promise of the Gospel vpon the like ground they might as well make an vniuersall decree of Reprobation whereby God decrees all men to be damned indefinitely vpon this condition if they doe not beleeue Now if vniuersall Reprobation be absurd as it is indeede then vniuersall Election of all and euery man must take part therewith As for the vniuersall Redemption of all and euery man it is no better then a forgerie of mans braine There shall be many
Vnto iustification we referre a perswasion of the remission of our sinnes by Christ for by this we are iustified and regeneration too or sanctification and renouation of life a good conscience loue not faigned a pure heart and cleane patience in aduersitie and boasting in tribulation all good works and fruits of the spirit adde herevnto the crosse it selfe which we beare for the trueth of the gospel wherefore whosoeuer feeleth that hee is effectually called that hee doth willingly heare the word that hee doth beleeue the gospell that he is sure of the remission of his sinnes that hee burneth with true loue to his neighbour that hee is bent to euery good worke hee cannot but must needes bee perswaded of his election for God onely doeth communicate these vnto the elect Therefore it is plaine that the elect are confirmed in the assurance of their election by the effects of Predestination and that there is a threefold waie by which God reuealeth to euery man his Predestination But if any shall take an occasion the rather of doubting of his election then of confirming himselfe in it of that which hath beene spoken as concerning the fruites of the spirit and the effects of predestination and that peraduenture because he can feele in himselfe few verie weake fruits of regeneration and election yet let him not be discouraged neither let him doubt of his election but let him vnderset himselfe with these proppes First of all if euer hee truely felt in himselfe that testimonie of the spirit which before I mentioned namely that hee is the sonne of GOD let him knowe vndoubtedly that he is such a one and therefore elected to eternall life For the holy ghost neuer beareth record or perswadeth a man of that which is false for he is the spirit of trueth And they are not the sonnes of God except they haue beene predestinate as the Apostle saith to adoption by Christ and none that is the Sonne of God and a man elected can be made a reprobate and the childe of the deuill Therefore albeit hee feele in himselfe both few and feeble effects of regeneration yet let him not doubt of his election otherwise hee shall disgrace the testimonie which he hath receiued of the holy Ghost yea and that too which as yet hee enioyeth although peraduenture by reason that his minde is troubled by euill affections that testimonie of the holy spirit can scarse be heard in him For the true testimonie of our adoption by the holy Ghost being once giuen vnto our spirit lasteth for euer although it is otherwhiles heard more plainely and at other times is more slenderly and scarce perceiued But howe say you may I knowe whether the testimonie doeth proceede from the holy Ghost and therefore whether it bee a true and certaine testimonie I answer first by the perswasion secondly by the manner of the perswasion lastly by the effects of this testimonie and perswasion For the first the holy Ghost doeth not simplie say it but doth perswade with vs that we are the Sonnes drawne of God and no flesh can doe this Againe hee perswades vs by reasons drawn not from our workes or from any worthinesse in vs but from the alone goodnesse of God the Father and grace of Christ. In this manner the deuill will neuer perswade any Lastly the perswasion of the holy Ghost is full of power for they which are perswaded that they are the sonnes of God cannot but needes must call him Abba Father and in regard of loue to him doe hate sinne and whatsoeuer is disagreeing to his will and on the contrarie they haue a sound and a heartie desire to doe his will If at any time thou hast felt in thy selfe any such testimonie perswade thy selfe it was the testimony of the holy ghost and that very true and certain too and therefore that thou art the child of God and predestinate to eternall life This is the prop by which wee must vnderset that weake beleefe wee haue of our certaine election to eternal life Againe hold this without wauering whatsoeuer thou art that art tempted to doubt of thy election euen as nothing is required at our hands to worke our election for God chose vs of his onely meere goodnes so that we may truly know whether we be elect or not this one thing shall be sufficient namely if we shall attaine to the certaine knowledge of this that we are in Christ and partakers of him for he that is now ingrafted in Christ and is iustified it cannot be but that he was elected in Christ before the foundation of the world And that we may be in Christ faith is both required and is sufficient not perfect faith but true faith though it be so little as a graine of mustard seede and feeble like a young borne babe and that sore diseased too Now that faith which is a liuely a true faith lasteth alwaies as hath beene before declared neither can it at any time altogether faile And so it commeth to passe that they which once haue beene truly ingrafted into Christ remaine alwaies and continue in him according to that saying All that my Father giueth me shall come to me and he which commeth vnto me I will not cast forth That is true no doubt that looke how much the faith is more perfect so much the greater power it hath to knit vs more and more to Christ and therefore we must alwaies endeauour to encrease in faith Yet for all that this is most certaine one little sparkle of true faith is sufficient to engraft vs into Christ. And for that cause we must in no wise doubt of our engrafting into Christ and of our election too by reason of the weaknesse of faith and the small and slender fruits it bringeth out But how shall I certenly know say you whether my faith be a true and liuely faith or not Out of the same grounds from whence the testimonie of our adoption is perceiued First of all if you shall truly feele that you are perswaded of the truth of the Gospel yea and that all your sinnes are pardoned you for Christ and you receiued to fauour Againe if you see that this perswasion is grounded not vpon any merits of yours but on the sole goodnes of God and grace of Christ. Lastly if you feele such a confidence to approach vnto and call vpon the Father and such a loue towards him his Sonne Iesus Christ that ye do hate and detest whatsoeuer is against his glorie as all sinne is and on the contrarie be carried away with a desire to doe those things which serue for the aduancing of his glorie and therefore that you loue all those which desire and seeke the same as the brethren and friends of Christ. For these be the effects which can neuer be seuered from true faith And this is the disposition of true faith therefore as long as thou feelest these effects in thy selfe albeit very
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
faith as he is of the articles of the creed I answer First they prooue thus much that we ought to be as certen of the one as of the other For looke what commandemeÌ„t we haue to beleeue the articles of our faith the like we haue inioyning vs to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes as I haue prooued Secondly these arguments prooue it to be the nature or essentiall propertie of faith as certainely to assure man of his saluation as it doeth assure him of the articles which he beleeueth And howesoeuer commonly men doe not beleeue their saluation as vnfallible as they doe their articles of faith yet some speciall men doe hauing Gods word applyed by the spirit as a sure ground of their faith whereby they beleeue their own saluation as they haue it for a ground of the articles of their faith Thus certainly was Abraham assured of his owne saluation as also the Prophets and Apostles and the martyrs of God in all ages whereupon without doubting they haue bin content to lay downe their liues for the name of Christ in whome they were assured to receiue eternall happines And there is no question but there be many now that by long and often experience of Gods mercy and by the inward certificate of the holy Ghost haue attained to full assurance of their saluation II. Exception Howesoeuer a man may be assured of his present estate yet no man is certaine of his perseuerance vnto the ende Ans. It is otherwise for in the sixt petition Lead vs-not into temptation wee pray that God would not suffer vs to be wholly ouercome of the deuill in any temptation and to this petition we haue a promise answerable 1. Cor. 10. That God with temptation will giue an issue and therefore howesoeuer the deuill may buffit molest and wound the seruants of God yet shall he neuer be able to ouercome them Againe he that is once a member of Christ can neuer be wholly cut off And if any by sinne were wholly seuered from Christ for a time in his recouerie he is to be baptised the second time for baptisme is the sacrament of initiation or ingrafting into Christ. By this reason we should as often be baptized as we fal into any sinne which is absurd Againe S. Iohn saith 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Where he taketh it for graunted that such as be once in Christ shall neuer wholly be seuered or fall from him Though our communion with Christ may be lessened yet the vnion and the bond of coniunction is neuer dissolued III. Exception They say we are indeede to beleeue our saluation on Gods part but we must needs doubt in regard of our selues because the promises of remission of sinnes are giuen vpon condition of mans faith and repentance Now we cannot say they be assured that we haue true faith and repentance because we may lie in secret sinnes and so want that indeed which we suppose our selues to haue Ans. I say again he that doth truly repent and beleeue doth by Gods grace know that he doth repent and beleeue for els Paul would neuer haue said Prooue your selues whither you be in the faith or not and the same Apostle saith 2. Cor. 12. We haue not receiued the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are giuen of God which things are not onely life euerlasting but iustification sanctification and such like And as for secret sinnes they cannot make our repentance voide for he that truly repenteth of his knowne sinnes repenteth also of such as be vnknowne and receiueth the pardon of them all God requireth not an expresse or speciall repentance of vnknowne sinnes but accepts it as sufficient if we repent of them generally as Dauid saith Psal. 19. Who knowes the errours of this life forgiue me my secret sinnes And whereas they adde that faith and repentance must be sufficient I answer that the sufficiencie of our faith and repentance stands in the truth and not in the measure or perfection thereof and the truth of both where they are is certenly discerned Reason VI. The iudgement of the auncient Church August Of an euill seruant thou art made a good child therefore presume not of thine owne doing but of the grace of Christ it is not arrogancie but faith to acknowledge what thou hast receiued is not pride but deuotion And Let no man aske an other man but returne to his owne heart if he finde charitie there he hath securitie for his passage from life to death Hilar. on Matth. 5. The kingdome of heauen which our Lord professed to be in himselfe his will is that it must be hoped for without any doubtfulnesse of vncertaine will Otherwise there is no iustification by faith if faith is selfe be made doubtfull Bernard in his epist. 107. Who is the iust man but he that beeing loued of God loues him againe which comes not to passe but by the spirit reuealing by Faith the eternall purpose of God of his saluation to come Which reuelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace by which when the deedes of the flesh are mortified the man is prepared to the kingdome of heauen Togither receiuing in one spirit that whereby he may presume that he is loued and also loue againe To conclude the Papists haue no great cause to dissent from vs in this point For they teach and professe that they doe by a speciall faith beleeue their owne saluation certenly and vnfallibly in respect of God that promiseth Now the thing which hindreth them is their owne in disposition and vnworthines as they say which keepes them from beeing certen otherwise then in a likely hope But this hindrance is easily remooued if men will iudge indifferently For first of all in regard of our selues and our disposition we can not be certen at all but must despaire of saluation euen to the very death We cannot be sufficiently disposed so long as we liue in this world but must alwaies say with Iacob I am lesse then all thy mercies Gen. 32. and with Dauid Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for none liuing shall be iustified in thy sight and with the Centurion Lord I am not worthie that thou shouldest come vnder my roofe Matth. 8. Secondly God in making promise of saluation respects not mens worthines For he chose vs to life euerlasting when we were not he redeemed vs from death beeing enemies and intitles vs to the promise of saluation if we acknowledge our selues to be â—inners Matth. 9. if we labour and trauaile vnder the burden of them Matth. II. if we hunger and thirst after grace Ioh. 7.37 And these things we may certenly and sensibly perceiue in our selues and when we finde them in vs though our vnworthines be exceeding great it should not
hinder our assurance For God makes manifest his power in our weaknes 2. Cor. 12. and he wil not breake the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flaxe Isa. 42. Thirdly if a man loue God for his mercies sake and haue a true hope of saluation by Christ he is in Christ and hath fellowshippe with him and he that is in Christ hath all his vnworthines and wants laide on Christ and they are couered and pardoned in his death and in respect of our selues thus considered as we are in Christ we haue no cause to wauer but to be certen of our saluation and that in regard of our selues The fourth point touching the iustification of a sinner That we may see how farre we are to agree with them and where to differ first I will set downe the doctrine on both parts and secondly the maine differences wherein we are to stand against them euen to death Our doctrine touching the iustificatioÌ„ of a sinner I propound in 4 rules Rule I. That iustification is an action of God whereby he absolueth a sinner accepteth him to life euerlasting for the righteousnes merit of Christ. Rule II. That iustification stands in two things first in the remission of sinnes by the merit of Christ his death secondly in the imputation of Christ his righteousnes which is an other action of God whereby he accounteth esteemeth that righteousnes which is in Christ as the righteousnes of that sinner which beleeueth in him By Christ his righteousnes we are to vnderstand two things first his sufferings specially in his death and passion secondly his obedience in fulfilling the law both which go togither for Christ in suffering obeied and obeying suffered And the very shedding of his blood to which our saluation is ascribed must not onely be considered as it is passiue that is a suffering but also as it is actiue that is an obedience in which he shewed his exceeding loue both to his father and vs and thus fulfilled the law for vs. This point if some had well thought on they would not haue placed all iustification in remission of sinnes as they doe Rule III. That iustification is from Gods meere mercie and grace procured onely by the merit of Christ. Rule IV. That man is iustified by faith alone because faith is that alone instrument created in the heart by the holy Ghost whereby a sinner laieth hold of Christ his righteousnes and applieth the same vnto himselfe There is neither hope nor loue nor any other grace of God within man that can doe this but faith alone The doctrine of the Romane Church touching the iustification of a sinner is on this manner I. They hold that before iustification there goes a preparation thereunto which is an action wrought partly by the holy Ghost and partly by the power of naturall freewill whereby a man disposeth himselfe to his owne future iustification In the preparation they consider the ground of iustification and things proceeding from it The ground is faith which they define to be a generall knowledge whereby we vnderstand and beleeue that the doctrine of the word of God is true Things proceeding from this faith are these a sight of our sinnes a feare of hell hope of saluation loue of God repentance such like all which when men haue attained they are then fully disposed as they say to their iustification This preparation beeing made then comes iustification it selfe â— which is an action of God whereby he maketh a man righteous It hath two parts the first and the second The first is when a sinner of an euill man is made a good man And to effect this two things are required first the pardon of sinne which is one part of the first iustification secondly the infusion of inward righteousnes whereby the heart is purged and sanctified and this habite of righteousnes stand specially in hope and charitie After the first iustification followeth the second which is when a man of a good or iust man is made better and more iust and this say they may proceede from workes of grace because he which is righteous by the first iustification can bring forth good workes by the merit wherof he is able to make himselfe more iust and righteous and yet they graunt that the first iustification commeth onely of Gods mercie by the merit of Christ. I. Our consent and difference Now let vs come to the points of difference betweene vs and them touching iustification The first maine difference is in the matter thereof which shall be seene by the answer both of Protestant and Papist to this one question What is the very thing that causeth a man to stand righteous before God and to be accepted to life euerlasting we answer Nothing but the righteousnes of Christ which consisteth partly in his sufferings and partly in his actiue obedience in fulfilling the rigour of the law And here let vs consider how neere the Papists come to this answer and wherein they dissent Consent I. They graunt that in iustification sinne is pardoned by the merits of Christ and that none can be iustified without remission of sinnes and that is well II. They graunt that the righteousnes whereby a man is made righteous before God commeth from Christ and from Christ alone III. The most learned among them say that Christ his satisfaction and the merit of his death is imputed to euery sinner that doth beleeue for his satisfaction before God and hitherto we agree The very point of difference is this we hold that the satisfaction made by Christ in his death and obedience to the law is imputed to vs and becomes our righteousnesse They say it is our satisfaction and not our righteousnesse whereby we stand righteous before God because it is inherent in the person of Christ as in a subiect Now the answer of the Papist to the former question is on this manner The thing saith he that maketh vs righteous before God and causeth vs to be accepted to life euerlasting is remission of sinnes and the habite of inward righteousnes or charitie with the fruits thereof We condiscend and graunt that the habite of righteousnes which we call sanctification is an excellent gift of God and hath his reward of God and is the matter of our iustification before man because it serueth to declare vs to be reconciled to God and to be iustified yet we denie it to be the thing which maketh vs of sinners to become righteous or iust before God And this is the first point of our disagreement in the matter of iustification which must be marked because if there were no more points of difference betweene vs this one alone were sufficient to keepe vs from vniting of our religions for hereby the Church of Rome doth rase the very foundation Now let vs see by what reasons we iustifie our doctrine and secondly answer the contrarie obiections Our reasons Reason I. That very thing which must â—e our righteousnes
maner For his obedience in fulfilling the law is aboue Adams righteousnes yea aboue the righteousnes of all Angels For they were all but creatures their obedience the obedience of creatures but Christ his obedience is the obedience or righteousnes of god so tearmed Rom. 1.17 18. 2. Cor. 5.21 not only because god accepted of it but because it was in that person which is very God When Christ obeied God obeyed and when he suffered God suffered not because the godhead suffered or performed any obedience but because the person which according to one nature is God performed obedience and suffered And by this meanes his righteousnesse is of infinite value price merit and efficacie Hence also it commeth to passe that this obedience of Christ serueth not onely for the iustifying of some one person as Adams did but of all and euery one of the Elect yea it is sufficient to iustifie many thousand worldes Now to come to the point this righteousnes that is in Christ in this largenesse and measure is pertaining to vs in a more narrow skantling because it is onely receiued by faith so farreforth as it serueth to iustifie any particular beleeuer But they vrge the reason further saying If Christ his righteousnes be the righteousnes of euery beleeuer then euery man shauld be a Sauiour which is absurb Answ. I answer as before and yet more plainely thus Christ his righteousnesse is imputed to the person of this or that man not as it is the price of redemption for all mankind but as it is the price of redemption for one particular man as for example Christ his righteousnes is imputed to Peter not as it is the price of redemption for all but as it is the price of redemption for Peter And therefore Christ his righteousnesse is not applyed to any one sinner in that largenes and measure in which it is in the person of Christ but onely so farforth as it serueth to satisfie the law for the said sinner and to make his person accepted of God as righteous and no further III. Obiect If we be made righteous by Christ his righteousnes truly then Christ is a sinner truly by our sinnes but Christ is not indeed a sinner by our sinnes Ans. We may with reuerence to his maiestie in good manner say that Christ was a sinner and that truly not by any infusion of sinne into his most holy person but because our sinnes were laide on him thus saith the holy Ghost he which knew no sinne was made sinne for vs and he was counted with sinners Isa. 53. 12. yet so as euen then in himselfe he was without blot yea more holy then all men and angels On this manner saide Chrysostome 2. Cor. 3. God permitted Christ to be condemned as a sinner Againe He made the iust one to be a sinner that he might make sinners iust IV. Obiect If a man be made righteous by imputation then God iudgeth sinners to be righteous but God iudgeth no sinner to be righteous for it is abomination to the Lord. Ans. When God iustifieth a sinner by Christ his righteousnes at the same time he ceaseth in regard of guiltines to be a sinner and to whome God imputeth righteousnes them he sanctifieth at the very same instant by his holy Spirit giuing also vnto originall corruption his deadly wound V. Obiect That which Adam neuer lost was neuer giuen by Christ but he neuer lost imputed righteousnes therefore it was neuer giuen vnto him Ans. The proposition is not true for sauing faith that was neuer lost by Adam is giuen to vs in Christ and Adam neuer had this priuiledge that after the first grace should follow the second and therefore being left to himselfe he fell from God and yet this mercie is vouchsafed to all beleeuers that after their first conuersion God will still confirme them with new grace and by this meanes they perseuere vnto the ende And whereas they say that Adam had not imputed righteousnes I answer that he had the same for substance though not for the manner of applying by imputation VI. Obiect Iustification is eternall but the imputation of Christ his righteousnes is not eternall for it ceaseth in the end of this life therfore it is not that which iustifieth a sinner Ans. The imputation of Christs righteousnes is euerlasting for he that is esteemed righteous in this life by Christ his righteousnes is accepted as righteous for euer and the remission of sinnes graunted in this life is for euer continued And though sanctification be perfect in the world to come yet shall it not iustifie for we must conceiue it no otherwise after this life but as a fruit springing from the imputed righteousnes of Christ without which it could not be And a good childe will not cast away the first garment because his father giues him a second And what if inward righteousnes be perfect in the ende of this life shall we therefore make it the matter of our iustification God forbid For the righteousnes whereby sinners are iustified must be had in the time of this life before the pangs of death II. Difference about the manner of iustification All both Papists and Protestants agree that a sinner is iustified by faith This agreement is onely in word and the difference betweene vs is great indeede And it may be reduced to these three heads First the Papist saying that a man is iustified by faith vnderstandeth a generall or a Catholike faith whereby a man beleeueth the articles of religion to be true But we holde that the faith which iustifieth is a particular faith whereby we apply to our selues the promises of righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ. And that our opinion is the trueth I haue prooued before but I wil adde a reason or twaine I. Reason The faith whereby we liue is that faith whereby we are iustified but the faith whereby we liue spiritually is a particular faith whereby we apply Christ vnto our selues as Paul saith Gal. 2.20 I liue that is spiritually by the faith of the sonne of God which faith he sheweth to bee a particular faith in Christ in the very wordes following who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me particularly and in this manner of beleeuing Paul was and is an example to all that are to be saued 1. Tim. 1.16 and Phil. 3.15 II. Reason That which we are to aske of God in praier we must beleeue it shal be giuen vs as we aske it but in praier we are to aske the pardon of our owne sinnes and the merit of Christs righteousnes for our selues therfore we must beleeue the same particularly The proposition is a rule of Gods word requiring that in euery petition wee bring a particular faith whereby wee beleeue that the thing lawfully asked shall be giuen accordingly Matth. 11.24 The minor is also euident neither can it be denied for we are taught by Christ himselfe to pray on this manner Forgiue
vs our debts and to it we say Amen that is that our petitions shall without doubt be graunted vnto vs. Aug. serm de Temp. 182. And here note that the Church of Rome in the doctrine of iustification by faith cuts off the principall part and propertie thereof For in iustifying faith two things are required first Knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation secondly an Applying of things knowne vnto our selues which some call affiance Nowe the first they acknowledge but the second which is the very substance and principall part thereof they denie III. Reason The iudgement of the auncient Church August I demande nowe doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner Thou saiest I beleeue What beleeuest thou that all thy sinnes may freely be pardoned in him Thou hast that which thou beleeuest Bernard The Apostle thinketh that a man is iustified freely by faith If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot bee remitted but by him alone against whome they were committed but goe further and beleeue this too that by him thy sinnes are forgiuen thee This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost giueth in the heart saying thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Cyprian God promiseth thee immortalitie when thou goest out of this world and doest thou doubt This is indeed not to know God and this is for a member of the Church in the house of faith not to haue faith If wee beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his wordes and promises and wee shall neuer die and shall come to Christ with ioyfull securitie with him to raigne for euer The II. difference touching faith in the act of iustification is this The Papist saith we are iustified by faith because it disposeth a sinner to his iustification after this manner By faith saith he the mind of man is inlightened in the knowledge of the lawe and gospell knowledge stirs vp a feare of hell with a consideration of the promise of happines as also the loue feare of God hope of life eternall Now when the heart is thus prepared God infuseth the habit of charitie other vertues wherby a sinner is iustified before god We say otherwise that faith iustifieth because it is a supernaturall Instrument created by God in the heart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification In this their doctrine is a twofold error I. that they make faith which iustifieth to goe before iustification it selfe both â—or order of nature as also for time whereas by the worde of God at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then iustified and sanctified For he that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the bodie and blood of Christ and is alreadie passed from death to life Ioh. 6.54 The second is that faith beeing nothing else with them but an illumination of the minde stirreth vp the will which beeing mooued helped causeth in the heart many spirituall motions and thereby disposeth man to his future iustification But this indeed is as much as if we should say that dead men onely helped can prepare themselues to their future resurrection For we are all by nature dead in sinne and therefore must not onely be inlightened in mind but also renued in will before we can so much as wil or desire that which is good Nowe we as I haue said teach otherwise that faith iustifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend and apply Christ with his obedience which is the matter of our iustification This is the trueth I prooue it thus In the couenant of grace two things must be considered the substance thereof and the condition The substance of the couenant is that righteousnes and life euerlasting is giuen to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is that we for our parts are by faith to receiue the foresaid benefits and this condition is by grace as well as the substance Now then that we may attaine to saluation by Christ he must be giuen vnto vs really as he is propounded in the tenour of the foresaid couenant And for the giuing of Christ God hath appointed speciall ordinances as the preaching of the word and the administration oâ—â—â—e Sacraments The word preached is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeues and the end of the sacraments is to communicate Christ with all his benefits to them that come to be partakers thereof as is most plainely to be seene in the supper of the Lord in which the giuing of bread and wine to the seuerall communicants is a pledge and signe of Gods particular giuing of Christs bodie and blood with all his merits vnto them And this giuing on Gods part cannot be effectuall without receiuing on our parts and therfore faith must needes be an instrument or hand to receiue that which God giueth that we may find comfort by this giuing The III. difference concerning faith is this the Papist saith that a man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as hope loue the feare of God c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment I. Reason Luke 7.47 Many sinnes are forgiuen her because shee loued much Whence they gather that the woman here spoken of was iustified and had the pardon of sinnes by loue Ans. In this text loue is not made an impulsiue cause to mooue God to pardon her sinnes but onely a figne to shew and manifest that God had alreadie pardoned them Like to this is the place of Iohn who saith 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life because wee loue the brethreÌ„ where loue is no cause of the chaÌ„ge but a signe consequent therof II. Reason Gal. 5.6 Neither circumcision nor vncircumeision auaileth any thing but faith that worketh by loue Hence they gather that faith doeth iustifie togither with loue Ans. The propertie of true faith is to apprehend and receiue something vnto it selfe and loue that goes alwaies with faith as a fruite and an vnseparable companion thereof is of another nature For it doeth not receiue in but as it were giue out it selfe in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man and this thing faith by it selfe cannot doe and therefore Paul saieth that faith worketh by loue The hand hath a propertie to reach out it selfe to lay hold of any thing and to recâ—â—ue a gift but the hand hath no propertie to cut a peece of wood of it selfe without saw or knife or some like instrument yet by help of theÌ„ it can either deuide or cut Euen so it is the nature of faith to goe out of it selfe to receiue Christ into the heart as for the duties of the first and second table faith cannot of it selfe bring them forth no more then the hand can deuide or cut yet ioyne loue to faith then can it practise duties commended concerning God and man
And this I take to be the meaning of this text which speaketh not of iustification by faith but onely of the practice of common duties which faith putteth in execution by the helpe of loue III. Reason Faith is neuer alone therefore it doth not iustifie alone Ans. The reason is naught and they might as well dispute thus The eie is neuer alone from the head and therefore it seeth not alone which is absurd And though in regard of substance the eie be neuer alone yet in regard of seeing it is alone and so though faith subsist not without loue and hope and other graces of god yet in regard of the act of iustification it is alone without thē al. IV. Reason If faith alone doe iustifie then we are saued by faith alone but we are not saued by faith alone and therefore not iustified by faith alone Ans. The proposition is false for more things are requisite to the maine ende then to the subordinate meanes And the assumption is false for wee are saued by faith alone if we speake of faith as it is an instrument apprehending Christ for our saluation V. Reason We are saued by hope therefore not by faith alone Ans. Wee are saued by hope not because it is any cause of our saluation Pauls meaning is onely this that we haue not saluation as yet in possession but waite patiently for it in time to come to be possessed of vs expecting the time of our full deliuerance that is all that can iustly be gathered hence Nowe the doctrine which we teach on the contrarie is That a sinner is iustified before God by faith yea by faith alone The meaning is that nothing within man and nothing that man can do either by nature or by grace concurreth to the act of iustification before God as any cause thereof either efficient material formal or final but faith alone all other gifts graces as hope loue the feare of God are necessarie to saluation as signes thereof cōsequents of faith Nothing in mā cōcurs as any cause to this work but by faith alone And faith it selfe is no principall but onely an instrumentall cause whereby we receiue apprehend and apply Christ and his righteousnesse for our iustificatiō Reason I. Ioh. 3.14,15 As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life In these words Christ makes a comparison on this maner when any one of the Israelites were stung to death by fierie serpents his cure was not by any phisicke surgerie but onely by the casting of his eies vp to the brasen serpent which Moses had erected by Gods commandement euen so in the cure of our soules when we are stung to death by sinne there is nothing required within vs for our recouery but onely that we cast vp and fixe the eye of our faith on Christ and his righteousnes Reason II. The exclusiue formes of speech vsed in scripture prooue thus much We are iustified freely not of the lawe not by the lawe without the lawe without workes not of workes not according to workes not of vs not by the workes of the lawe but by faith Gal. 2.16 All boasting excluded onely beleeue Luk. 8.50 These distinctions whereby workes and the lawe are excluded in the work◠of iustification doe include thus much that faith alone doth iustifie Reason III. Very reason may teach thus much for no gift in man is apt fit as a spirituall hand to receiue apply Christ and his righteousnes vnto a sinner but faith Indeede loue hope the feare of God and repentance haue their seuerall vses in men but none serue for this ende to apprehend Christ and his merits none of them all haue this receiuing propertie and therefore there is nothing in man that iustifieth as a cause but faith alone Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church Ambr. on Rom. 4. They are blessed to whome without any labour or worke done iniquities are remitted and sinne couered no workes or repentance required of them but onely that they beleeue And cap. 3. Neither working any thing nor requiting the like are they iustified by faith alone through the gift of God And 1. Cor. 1. this is appointed of God that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall be saued without any worke by faith alone freely receiuing remission of sinnes Augustine There is one propitiation for all sinnes to beleeue in Christ. Hesyc on Leuit. lib. 1. c. 2. Grace which is of mercy is apprehended by faith alone and not of workes Bernard Whosoeuer is pricked for his sinnes and thirsteth after righteousnes let him beleeue in thee who iustifieth the sinner and beeing iustified by Faith alone he shall haue peace with God Chrysost. on Gal. 3. They said he which resteth on faith alone◠is accursed but Paul sheweth that he is blessed which resteth on faith alone Basil. de Humil. Let man acknowledge himselfe to want true iustice and that he is iustified onely by faith in Christ. Origen on c. 3. Rom. Wee thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe and he saith iustification by faith alone sufficeth so as a man onely beleeuing may be iustified And therefore it lieth vpon vs to search who was iustified by faith without works And for an exāple I thinke vpon the theife who beeing crucified with Christ cried vnto him Lord remember me when thou cōmest into thy kingdome and there is no other good worke of his mentioned in the Gospell but for this alone faith Iesus saith vnto him This night thou shalt be with me in paradise III. Difference The third difference about iustification is concerning this point namely how farreforth good workes are required thereto The doctrine of the Church of Rome is that there be two kinds of iustification the first and the second as I haue said The first is when one of an euill man is made a good man and in this workes are wholly excluded it beeing wholly of grace The second is when a man of a iust man is made more iust And this they will haue to proceede from workes of grace for say they as a man when he is once borne can by eating and drinking make himselfe a bigger man though he could not at the first make himselfe a man euen so a sinner hauing his first iustification may afterward by grace make himselfe more iust Therefore they hold these two things I. that good works are meritorious causes of the second iustification which they tearme Actual II. that good works are means to increase the first iustificatiō which they cal habitual Now let vs see how farforth we must ioyne with them in this point Our consent therefore stands in three conclusions I. That good workes done by them that are iustified doe please God and are approoued of him and therefore haue a reward II. Good workes are necessarie to saluation two
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
mercie in that he pardoned their sinne for the merites of his Sonne Eph. 1. 18. That the eies of your vnderstanding may be lightned that ye may knowe what the hope is of his calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in his Saints 19. And what is the exceeding greatnes of his power towardes vs which beleeue according to the working of his mightie power 20. Which he wrought in Christ. Chap. 3.18 That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height 19. And to knowe the loue of Christ. All these things the Lord himselfe hath thus decreed and in his good time will accomplish them to the glorious praise of his Name Pro. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake yea euen the wicked for the daie of euill CHAP. 50. Concerning the order of the causes of saluation according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome THere are two things requisite to obtained saluation Predestination and the Execution thereof Predestination is a foreordaining of the reasonable creature to grace in this life glory in the life to come Sebast. Cattaneus Enchirid. tract 1. chap. last This in regard of the first effects thereof which are vocation election and ordination to eternall life hath the cause of it in God namely his will but in regard of the last effect which is the execution of such an ordinance and the obtaining of eternall life it hath the cause of it from man because according to the common opinion Gods predestination is by reason of workes foreseene in men that is God doth therefore predestinate or reiect some man because he foreseeth that he will well or badly vse his grace But for the more euident declaration of this these seuen conclusions must be set downe I. The Predestination and Reprobation of God do not constraine or inforce any necessitie vpon the will of man II. God hath predestinated all men that is he hath appointed and disposed all men so as they might obtaine eternall saluation III. Man is neither by necessitie nor chance saued or condemned but voluntarily IV. God hath predestinated some other hath he reiected V. Those whome God hath predestinated by his absolute predestination which can not be lost they shall infallibly die in grace but they which are predestinate by that predestination which beeing according to preâ—ent iustice may be lost by some mortall sinne which followeth are not infallibly saued but oftentimes such are condemned and loose their crowne and glory Hence ariseth that position of theirs that he which is iustified may be a reprobate perish eternally Torrensis Aug. Confess 2. booke 4. chap. 20. Sect. Therfore predestination is not certaine seeing it may be lost VI. God alone doth know the certaine and set number of them which are predestinate VII There is one set number of them which are predestinate or reprooued and that can neither be increased nor diminished The execution of Predestination is either in infants or those of yeres of discretion Concerning infants the merite of Christ is appliyed vnto them by baptisme rightly administred so that whatsoeuer in originall corruption may truely and properly be accounted for sinne it is not onely as I may say not pared away or not imputed but vtterly taken away For there is nothing that God can hate in such as are renued Concil Trid. 5. sect 5. Can. Neuertheles they are vrged to confesse that there remaineth yet in such as are baptized concupiscence or the reliques of sinn The which seeing it is left in men for them to wrestle withall it hath not power to hurt such as yeeld not vnto it The execution of predestination in such as are of riper yeares hath sixe degrees The first is vocation whereby men not for their owne merits but by Gods preuenting grace through Christ are called to turne vnto God The second is a preparation to righteousnesse whereby men through the inherent power of free-will do apply themselues to iustification after that the same power is stirred vp by the holy Ghost For free-will is onely somewhat diminished and not extinguished and therefore so soone as the holy Ghost toucheth and inlighteneth the heart it worketh togither with the same spirit freely assenting vnto the same This preparation hath seuen degreesâ— Biel. 4. booke 14. dist 2. quest The first is faith which is a knowledge and an assent whereby men agree that those things are true which are deliuered concerning God and his will reuealed in the word of God This is the foundation of iustification and prepareth the heart because it stirreth vp free-will that it may affect the heart with those motions by which it is prepared to iustification I. The act of faith is to apprehend the ouglines of sin the wages therof II. After this followeth a feare of Gods anger and of hell fire III. Then begin men to dislike and in some sort to detest sinne From these ariseth a certaine disposition which hath annexed vnto it the merite of congruitie yet not immediate nor sufficient but imperfect IV. At the length faith returneth to the contemplation of Gods mercies beleeueth that God is readie to forgiue sinnes by the infusion of charitie into those which are before sufficiently prepared and disposed V. Out of this contemplation proceedeth the act of hope whereby faith beginneth to desire and to waite on God as the chiefest good VI. Out of this act of hope ariseth loue whereby God is loued aboue all things in the world VII After this loue followeth a new dislike and detestation of sinne not so much in regard of feare of the punishment in hell fire as in regard of the offence of God who is simply loued more then all other things VIII After all these followeth a purpose of amendment of life and here comes in the merit of congruitie that is sufficient or els the immediate sufficient and last disposition before the infusion of grace The third degree of Predestination is the first iustification wherby men of vniust are made iust not only through the remission of their sinnes but also by a sanctificatioÌ„ of the inward maÌ„ by his voluÌ„tary receiuing of grace gifts The efficient cause of this iustification is the mercy of God and the meritorious passion of our Sauiour Christ whereby he purchased iustification for men The instrumentall cause is baptisme The formall cause is not that iustice which was inherent in Christ but which he infuseth into man and that is especially hope and charitie The fourth degree is the second iustification wherby men are of iust made more iust the cause hereof is faith ioyned with good workes It is possible for such as are renued to keepe the commaundements And therefore it is false that a iust man committeth so much as a veniall sinne in his best actions much lesse that he deserueth eternall death for the same The fift degree is the reparation of a sinner by the
the holy Ghost is by little and little begun and increased in vs. Reasons I. Paul would not so greatly bewaile his originall sinne if after Baptisme it ceased any more to bee sinne I see saith he another law in my mēbers rebelling against the law of my mind and leading me captiue vnto the lawe of sinne which is in my members O miserable man ◠who shall deliuer me from this body of death II. Originall sinne is called a sinne out of measure sinfull Rom. 7.13 And Heb. 12.1 a sinne that hangeth fast on or easily compasseth vs about III. Concupiscence is the roote of actuall sin and therefore euen after Baptisme it must properly be a sin IV. Vnlesse that concupiscence were a sinne where would or could be that vehement and hote combate betwixt the flesh and the spirit The VI. errour Baptisme is absolutely necessarie to saluation especially for children The Confutation Wee denie that Baptisme is of absolute necessitie to saluation Reasons I. Sacraments doe not conferre grace but rather confirme grace when GOD hath conferred the same The children of faithfull parents are borne holy not by naturall generation but by the grace of God and are not first made holy by baptisme and as for such as are of yeares of discretion before they be baptized they cannot be baptized vnlesse they beleeue Nowe all such as beleeue they are both iustified and reconciled to God and therefore albeit they without their owne default are depriued of the Sacraments it is vnpossible for thē to perish II. God did precisely appoint circumcision to be on the eight day not on the first or the second nowe there is no doubt but that many infants before their eight daie were preuented of circumcision by death all which for a man peremptorily to set downe as condemned were very absurd III. If circumcision were of such absolute great necessitie why was it for the space of fourtie yeares in the desart intermitted and that onely because the Israelites beeing often in iourney such as were circumcised were by it in ieopardy of death no doubt Moses and Aaron would neuer haue omitted this Sacrament so long if it had bene absolutely necessarie to saluation IV. This doctrine of the absolute necessitie of Baptisme was vnknowne to the auncient Fathers For the primitiue Church did tollerate very godly men though we allow not this their fact that they should deferre their baptisme many yeares yea often to the time of their death Hence was it that Constantine the great was not baptised till a little before his death and Valentinian by reason of his delay was not at all baptized whome notwithstanding Ambrose pronounceth to be in heauen And Bernard in his 77. epist. disputeth that not euery depriuation of Baptisme but the contempt or palpable negligence is damnable The VII errour Man after the fall of Adam hath free-will as well to doe that which is good as that which is euill although it be in a diuers manner that is he hath free-wil to do◠euill simplie and without any externall aide but to doe well none at all but by the grace of God preuenting or guiding vs the which grace notwithstanding euery man hath and to the which grace it is in our free-will either to consent and togither worke with the same or not And therfore the power of free-will to doe that which is good acceptable to God is onely attenuated weakened before conuersion and therefore man can of himselfe worke a preparation to iustification The Confutation Man not regenerated hath free-will to doe onely that which is euill none to doe good He beeing not already conuerted cannot so much as will to haue faith and be conuerted Reasons I. Man is not said to be weake or sicke but dead in sinnes Ephe. 2.1 Col. 1.13 As he therefore that is corporally dead can not stirre vp himselfe that he may performe such workes of viuification no not then when others helpe him so he that is spiritually dead cannot mooue himselfe to liue vnto God II. He is the seruant of Satan and bondslaue of sinne Eph. 2.2 Rom. 6.13 Nowe we knowe that a seruant standeth at the becke pleasure of another and can doe nothing els III. That which no man can by himselfe knowe and beleeue the same he cannot will but no man can knowe beleeue those things that appertaine to the kingdome of GOD. 1. Cor. 2. vers 14. The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God 2. Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues Therefore no man can will by himselfe those things that appertaine to Gods kingdome IV. That which is a deadly enemie to goodnes and is directly repugnant thereunto the same desireth not that which is good but the will is an enemie directly repugnant vnto goodnes Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is hatred against God for it is not subiect to the lawe of God neither indeed can bee Obiect I. The word is neere vnto thee in thine heart and in thy mouth that thou maiest doe the same Deut. 30. Answer It is easie to performe the lawe legallie but not Euangelically Now this is done when as any man doth fulfill the law by a Mediatour and from him receiuing the spirit of god doth endeuour to performe new obedience Obiect II. God giueth many precepts by which we are commanded to repent beleeue obey God c. Therefore to doe these we haue free-will Answ. Such places doe not shew vs what we can doe but what we should doe our weaknes what we cannot doe neither doe they shew what men can doe but what men should doe II. They are instruments of the holy Ghost whereby he doth renue and conuert such as shall be saued They obiect againe God in commanding these doth not require things impossible Ans. He doth not indeede to men in their innocencie but now to all such as fell in Adam he doth and that by their owne default not Gods Obiect III. Philip. 3. 12. Worke your saluation with feare and trembling Answer Paul speaketh of such as are alreadie conuerted which haue their wil in part freed Obiect IV. If the will be a meere patient it is constrained to doe that which is good Answ. The will both in it selfe and of it selfe is a meere patient in her first conuersion vnto God but if it be considered as it is mooued by the spirit of God it is an agent For being mooued it mooueth It is not therefore compelled but of a nilling will is made a willing will The VIII errour The holy Ghost doth not giue grace to will but onely doth vnloose the will which before was chained and also doth excite the same so that the will by her owne power doth dispose her selfe to iustification The Confutation It is apparantly false To will those things which concerne the kingdome of God as faith conuersion and new obedience is the meere gift of Gods spirit
whereby men are iustified in the sight of God The Confutation We doe contrarily hold that the materiall cause of mans iustification is the obedience of Christ in suffering fulfilling the law for vs but as for the formall cause that must needes be Imputation the which is an action of God the Father accepting the obedience of Christ for vs as if it were our owne Reasons I. Looke by what we are absolued from all our sinnes and by which we obtaine eternall life by that alone are we iustified But by Christs perfect obedience imputed vnto vs we are absolued from all our sinnes and through it we are accepted of God to eternall life the which we cannot doe by inherent holinesse Therefore by Christs perfect obedience imputed vnto vs are we alone iustified This will appeare to be true in the exercises of inuocation on Gods name and also of repentance For in tentation and conflicts with sinne and Satan faith doth not reason thus Now I haue charitie and inherent grace and for these God will accept of me But faith doth more rightly behold the sonne of God as he was made a sacrifice for vs and sitteth at the right hand of his Father there making intercession for vs to him I say doth faith flie and is assured that for this his sonne God will forgiue vs all our sinnes and will also be reconciled vnto vs yea and account vs iust in his sight not by any qualitie inherent in vs but rather by the merit of Iesus Christ. Rom. 5.19 II. As Christ is made a sinner so by proportion such as beleeue are made iust But Christ was by imputation onely made and accounted a sinner for vs. 2. Cor. 5. 21. For he became a suretie for vs and a sacrifice for our sinnes vpon which all both the guiltinesse of Gods wrath and punishment for vs was to be laide Hence is it that he is said to become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a curse for vs Therfore we againe are made iust only by imputation III. The contrarie to condemnation is remission of sinnes and iustification is the opposite of condemnation Rom. 8. 33. It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne Therefore iustification is the remission of sinnes Now remission of sinnes dependeth onely vpon this imputation of Christs merits IV. Albeit infused and inherent iustice may haue his due place his praise and also deserts yet as it is a worke of the holy Ghost it is not in this life complete and by reason of the flesh◠whereto it is vnited it is both imperfect and infected with the dregges of sinne Esai 64. Therfore before Gods iudgement seate it cannot claime this prerogatiue to absolue any from the sentence of condemnation Obiect I. This imputation is nothing els but a vaine cogitation Answ. I. Yes it is a relation or diuine ordinance whereby one relatiue is applied to his correlatiue or as the Logitians say is as the foundation to the Terminus II. As the imputation of our sinnes vnto Christ was indeede something so the imputation of Christs iustice vnto vs must not be thought a bare conceit III. Againe the Church of Rome doth her selfe maintaine imputatiue iustic◠namely when as by Ecclesiasticall authoritie shee doth applie the merits and satisfactions of certain persons vnto other members of that Church Whence it is apparant that euen the Popes indulgences they are imputatiue Obiect II. Imputatiue iustice is not euerlasting but that iustice which the Messiah bringeth is euerlasting Ans. Although after this life there is no pardon of sinnes to be looked for yet that which is giuen vs in this life shall to our saluation continue in the life to come Obiect III. If iustification be by imputation he may before God be iust who indeede is a very wicked man Ans. Not so any waies for he that is once by imputation iustified he is also at that same instant sanctified The XIII errour There is also a second iustification and that is obtained by workes The Confutation That popish deuice of a second iustification is a fantasticall delusion For I. The word of God doth acknowledge no more but one iustification at all and that absolute and complete of it selfe There is but one iustice but one satisfaction of God being offended therefore there cannot be a manifold iustification II. If by reason of the increase of inherent iustice iustification should be distinguished into seuerall kindes or parts we might as well make an hundreth kinds or parts of iustification as two III. That which by order of nature doth follow after full iustification before God it cannot be said to iustifie But good workes doe by order of nature follow mans iustification and his absolution from sinnes because no worke can please God except the person it selfe that worketh the same doe before please him But no mans person can please God but such an one as beeing reconciled to God by the merits of Christ hath peace with him IV. Such workes as are not agreeable to the rule of legall iustice they before the tribunall seat of God cannot iustifie but rather both in and of themselues are subiect to Gods eternall curse For this is the sentence of the Law Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things written in the booke of the Law to doe them Now the works euen of the regenerate are not squared according to the rule of legall iustice wherefore Dauid being as it were stricken with the cōsideration of this durst not once oppose no not his best works to the iudgement of God that by them he might plead pardon of his sinnes whence it is that he crieth out and saith Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for then no flesh liuing shall be iustified in thy sight The like doth Iob 9.3 If he namely such an one as saith he is iust contend with God he cannot answer him one of a thousand And Dan. 9. 18. We doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies V. Iustification by works let them be whatsoeuer they can be doth quite ouerturne the foundation of our faith Gal. 5.2 If ye be circumcised Christ will profit you nothing and v. 4. Ye are abolished from Christ whosoeuer are iustified by the law ye are fallen from grace In this place the Apostle speaketh of them not which did openly resist Christ and the Gospel but of such as did with the merit of Christ mingle together the workes of the Law as though some part of our saluation consisted in them Exception This place doth onely exclude such morall works of the flesh as doe goe before faith or the workes of the law of Moses Ans. This is vntrue For euen of Abraham being already regenerated and of those his works which were done when he was iustified Paul speaketh thus To him not which worketh but which beleeueth is faith imputed Those works which God hath prepared that the regenerate should walke in
enemies You haue therefore my good brother iust cause why you should be greatly displeased with many things past but there is no cause why you should despaire Briefly you haue inwardly and as it were dwelling with you euident testimonies of you future reconciliation with God especially if you cease not to pray vnto him earnestly who hath laid the foundation of repentance in you to wit a dislike of sinne and a desire to be reconciled vnto him The sheep which wandered out of the fold ceased not to be a sheep albeit it went astray for a time you now are that sheep to whome that faithfull sheapheard of al those sheep which the father hath committed to him leauing those ninetie and nine doth not so much by my ministerie declare that he seekâ—th you as hauing alreadie sought you though you not seeking him hath indeede founde you Knocke saith he and it shall bee opened vnto you And haue you nowe forgotten those promises which were so often made to them that repent and also which they had experience of who in the sight of the world were in a desperat case But I saith he againe feele no motions of the Comforter I haue nowe no sense of faith or hope but I feele all the contrarie Nay say I you deceiue your selfe as I tolde you before For it is the Comforter alone which teacheth you to hate sinne not so much for the punishment as because it is euill and disliketh God albeit hee shewe not himselfe so fully at the first because you had so many waies grieuously offended him as that he seemeth for a while quite to forsake you And that you haue not quite lost him but that hee is yet in some secret corner of your soule from whence at your instant praiers he will shewe himselfe vnto you this will plainely declare vnto you which I now admonish you of the second time But let vs graunt as much as you can say yet sure it is that your faith was not dead but onely possessed with a spirituall lethargie You liued in the wombe of your mother and there were ignorant of your life A drunken man although hee loose for a time the vse of reason and also of his limmes yet he neuer looseth reason it selfe You would think that in winter the trees were dead but they spring againe in the sommer season At night the Sun setteth but in the next morning it riseth againe And howe often see wee by experience that he which at one time tooke the foile in a combate at another did win the price And knowe this that in the spirituall combate of the flesh with the spirit the like we may see in many partly by reason of the weaknes of our nature partly through sloth to resist and partly for default to beware To these he replieth for such temptations are very hardly remooued I would to God saith he I could perswade my selfe that these promises belonged to me For my present estate constraineth me to doubt whether I am the childe of God or not Laus Christo nescia finis A briefe table directing the Reader of this booke to the principall things in the same ABsence in a Pastor when allowed 77 externall Abstinence 48 Abstraction 21 Abuse of Gods name creatures 55 Accusations on malice 97 vniust Accusations 98 Accusing conscience 18 to Acknowledge God what 39 Acknowledge others good gifts 98 Actuall sinne 20 Adam representing all men 16 his estate in innocency 12 his fall 15 priuate Admonition 141 Adoption 124 Adulterie what 82 lightly punished 85 Affections corrupted 19 Afflictions 124,137 Affiance in God 39 All how said to be saued 169 Allowance of others sinnes 21 Ambition how healed 135 our Ancestours how saued 104 Andreas opinion confuted 180 Angels with their nature office 11 their fall 13 it was more grieuous then mans 15 they serue the elect 142 rash Anger 73 preseruatiues against Angerâ— 135 slowe to Anger 78 snappish Answers 75 curteous Answers 78 Antichrist Satans subiect 35 his sinne 72 when first at Rome 36 Apologie 136,139 Apostates Satans subiects 35 Apostasie 166 Iasciuious Aparrell 84 decent Apparell 86 ApprobatioÌ„ of idolatry coÌ„deÌ„ned 45 Approching to God how 52 to his throne 119 Application of Gods promises necessarie 119 Armour complet with parts 129 Arrius condemned 41 Astrologie 56,57 Artes which are vnlawfull 91 Assaults of a Christian about his calling 130 his faith 131 sanctification 134 assent 139 Asseueration 59 Assurance of knowlege 118 Atheisme 40 Atheists Satans subiects 35 Authoritie ouer creatures lost 23 Authoritie must be obeyed 68 B Babling 97 Ballades 85 Banketting 85,87 on the Sabbath day vnconuenient 65 Bankerupts 90 Baptisme 107,152 the matter water 109 the forme 109 the couenants in Baptisme 109 vse of it 111 Bargaining 89 the Beast who 47 pleasures with Beasts 82 to Beare what it signifieth 95 the Birth of sinne 21 Bitter speaking 73,97 Blasphemie 19,55 Blessednes 144 in what 144 Blessing of children 67 Boasting 97 the Bodie corrupted 19 punished 19 amorous Bookesâ— 85 Booke of life 144 to Bow downe to what 43 Bounds not to be remooued 91 Brawling 73 Buriall of the dead 79 Burning of the flesh 82 Buyers sinne 89 Buying 89 Buggerie 82 C Callings must be sanctified with praier 60 a Calling to liue in 92 effectuall Calling 114 how wrought 116,117 vneffectuall Calling 164 all are not Called 174 Calling on God 52,139 Carelesse vsing of Gods name 55 Ceremonies 121 Chastitie 85,88 Charming 51 Cherubims defend not images 45 Children must obey parents 67 ChildreÌ„ freed from it by the pope 72 Cherubims why painted with wings 11 Choice of one God 42 Censures 95 Christ the foundation of election 24 how subordinate to election 24 why God and man 24,25 his infirmities ibid. vnion of two natures 25 Conception ibid. sanctification ibid. assumption of flesh ibid. Communion of properties 26 distinction of both natures 27 how two wills in him ibid. his natiuitie ibid. Circumcision 28 office ibid. princes his vicegerents ibid. as Mediatour he hath none 29 his Priesthood ibid. he satisfied onely for the elect 29,168 how he did it 29 his passion 9,29 agonie 30 sncrifice ibid. he is the altar ibid. how a priest ibid. humiliation 31 accursednesse ibid. dead ibid. power of it 32 buried 31 descension into hell what 31 abolishing of death 32 fulfilling of the Law 32 intercession 32,33 his propheticall office 33 regall office 33,34 exaltation 33 bodie is visible 34 resurrection 33 power of it 125 ascension 34 his sitting at Gods right haud 34 prerogatiue royall 35 his iustice ours 123 things spoken of him as God and man 26 his manhood exalted 27 he that onely lawgiuer 33 his merits infinite 133 his surrendring his kingdome to his father 36 Christ when receiued 118 Christian conuersation 128 Church goods are not to be sold. 89 the Church may appoint holy daies 62 Ciuill authoritie in Bish. of Rome Antichrist 36 Comedies â—5 Combats vnlawfull 75 CoÌ„forts for affâ—cted coÌ„sciences 132 Combat
L Labour commanded 88 Labourers must be paid 74,91 Law of God morall 36 the Lawe can not be fulfilled in this life 160 vse of the Law 101 vse of it in the regenerate 102 Church Lawes by Christ. 33 Lawe 95 Lawyers sinne 91 Leagues which are lawfull 78 Leagues with infidels 79 Leagues with the godly 54 Lenitie in correction 72 Lending freely 94 Life vnoffensiue 81 vnordinate 88 long Life promised to children 67 Lordships distinguished 23 Lottes 56 Loue of God 39,41 markes of it 40 Loue of God in Christ. 113 Loue of the creature more then god 41 the Lords supper 111 Lower roome at table 87 Lying 54,96 Lucke good and bad 56 Lust of heart 82 Lutherans consubstantiation 112 M Madnes a punishment of sinne 23 Magistrates fathers 66 Magistrates winking at sinne 21 Magistrates to be obeyed 68 Magicke 49 Magitians 35,41,49 Magitians not to be sought vnto 51 Malice 95 Man and wife abusing their libertie 84 Mans creation with circumstances 12 13 created mutable 13 his fall 15 Man Gods image 45,56 pleasures with Men. 82 Manichees condemned 41 Mariage to be sanctified with praier 60 Mariage without parents consent 71 with infidels 46 Marie Christs mother continued a virgine 27 Marcion 41 Martyrdome 139 Marchandise solde to an idolatrous vse 46 Masse may not be heard 45 Mayming of the bodie 74 Meditation of the creation on the Sabbath 65 Meditation of Christs passion 31 Meditation in the promises of the Gospel 118 Meanes of Gods worship 52 Members of Christ. 116 Gods mercie aboue his iustice 44 Merit of congruitie 154 of condignitie 161 the Minde corrupted 17 MINISTERS fathers 66 Ministers sinnes 21 Ministers dutie 52 Mirth at meate 87 Miseries of our neighbour 77 Modestie 85 Monasticall vowes 47 Monkes 91 Monuments of idolatrie 46 Mortification 124 Mourning 80 Mother what 67 Mothers must nurse their owne children 72 Musicke lawfull 81 Musicke in Churches 47 Murder vnpardonable 75 N Naamans worship in the Temple of Rimmon 45 Name of God 54 good Name 99 Necromancie 50 Neglect of Gods seruice 48 Neighbours who and how to be loued 66,74 Non-residencie reprooued by scripture and councels 76,77 Notions of the minde 17 O Obedience to god how measured by him 48 Obedience to superiours 69 Obedience to the law 20 euangelicall Obedience 129 Occasiōs of strife how ministred 76 Offences against superiours 71 equalls 72 inferiours 72,77 Old men fathers 67 Operation of God 9 Oppression 89 Originall sinne 17 not taken away by baptisme 152 Outward actuall sinne 20 Originall sinne deserueth death 173 Othes 59 lawfull ibid. vnlawfull ibid. P Particular perswasion of saluation 119 Paines in childbirth 23 a Punishment for sinne 23 Parents how said to be holy 108 Parents prolong their childrens life 67 Patience in perils 39 Patience with preseruatiues 137 Peace of God 148 Perfection of sinne 21 Permission of euill 14 Periurie 5 Peoples dutie in Gods seruice 52 petition 60 Peters fall 22 Pirats 91 philosophie 81 phisicke 81 pictures 44 plague 81 plaies 85 Pledges to be restored 75,90 to be redeemed 93 strange Pleasures 82 pollution 197 pollution by night 84 the Pope Antichrist 35 Popish superstitions 47,58 popish fasting 48 popish traditions 48 power of the law 102 of Christs death 126 preaching of the Gospel an image of Christ. 45 it begetteth faith 33 praier 138 praiers of the faithful 139 to creatures 49 a meanes to sanctifie Gods creatures 60 praiers on particular occasions 60 praising of God in heauen 145 Predestination 10,167 it is both of the Elect and reprobate 149 immutable 150 not by foreseene workes in man 172 it may be knowne 177 what it is to the Papists 146 Predestination applied 176 preseruatiues against assaults of temptation 131 vocation 131 faith 132 sanctification 134 presumption 22,42 pride 42 promises of God and man 36 promises must be kept 94 pronenesse to diseases a punishment 22 pronouncing vniust sentence 96 propagation of sinne 17 profession of God commanded 39 138 processions 45 prognostications 56 prophesies 50 prophanations of sabbaths 64 punishments of sinne 22 punishments inflicted by superiours to be borne 69 punishments how to be inflicted 70 Q Quarrellings 74 R Railings forbidden 74 Raising of prises in wares 89 Remission of sinnes 122 reioycing at our neighbors good 77 Rebaptizing 110 Rebellion inward 20 Recreation 81 Relikes of idols vnlawfull 46 Reliefe of such as are godly 140 Remember what it signifieth 61 Representing of God in an image 44 Reprobates 165 how farre they may go in godlines 164 Reprobates may know the lord 165 haue temporary faith 165 a tast of the heauenly gifts ibid. outward holines ibid. their falling from God ibid. death 175 condemnation ibid. estate in hell 176 Reprobation 163 Reprobate sense 17 Reuerence to superiours with many branches 68 Reuenge 74 Restitution 89,94 Repentance 129 howe in Reprobates 165 howe in God 2 Resurrection 143 Reading sometimes begetteth faith 103 to rise early on the Sabbath 63 Rogues 91 Robberies ibid. the Romish Hierarchie 48 Rules for the communion of properties 7,26 Rules for vowes 52 Rules for equalitie in contracts 93 Rules for the interpretation of the decalogue 37 Rules for such as would be saued 103 S Sabellius condemned 41 Sabbath commanded in Paradice 63 Sabbath 61 how sanctified 63 how morall and ceremoniall 63,64 why changed 64 a Sabbath daies worke 62 preparation to the Sabbath 64 how prophaned 65 Sacraments 104 how necessarie 107 Sacrifice and Sacrament differ 107 Saluation 146,171 Saluation according to the Church of Rome 146 Saints not to be praied for 49 Samuel raised vp not true Samuel 50,51 Sanctuaries 76 to Sanctifie what 61 Sanctification of Gods creatures 60 Sanctification with the effects thereof 124 Satans shifts to cause infidelitie 132 Satan Gods ape 50 his Sacraments 50 Scandals 76 Scriptures only expoūded by Christ. 34 Serpents head bruised 171 Second causes are not frustrate by Gods decree 8 Securitie 20,42 Seruice of God in heauen 145 Sellers sinne 89 Seruants eie seruice 72 Shame of nakednes a punishment 22 Shooting 81 Signes in the sacraments 105 Sinne what 13 mortall Sinne. 160 why it raigneth in man 102 one Sinne forgiuen all forgiuen 134 Sinne corrupteth onely faculties 17 Sinnes of omission and commission 20 Sinne against the holy ghost 22,166 Sixe daies to worke 62 Single life 87 Sobrietie 86 Soule punished 23 Sorrow for sinne 136 Societie with infidels 46 Soules in heauen 142 Southsaying 50 christian Souldier 129 Spirit of slumber 18 Spirituall drunkennes ibid. Sports on the Sabbath 65 Starres what force they haue 57 Stealing 88 Step-parents to be honoured 66 Strangers not to be iniuried 78,80 the Sting of death 142 Subiect to satan 35 Subiection to Satan a punishment 23 Suretiship 94 Suites in law 47 Supremacie in the Pope a note of Antichrist 35 Superstition 56 Suspitions 96 Superiours dutie to inferiours 70 Superiours to be reuerenced 67 they must speake first 68 Subiects are freed from their allegiance to their prince by the Pope 72 Swearing any way 55 T
of all graces whereas faith is but the instrument As for the places of scripture that mention iustification and saluation by faith they are to be restrained to men of yeares whereas infants dying in their infancie and therefore wanting actuall faith which none can haue without actuall knowledge of Gods will and worde are no doubt saued by some other speciall working of Gods holy spirit not knowne to vs. Furthermore to beleeue signifieth two things to conceiue or vnderstand any thing and withall to giue assent vnto it to be true and therefore in this place to beleeue signifieth to knowe and acknowledge that all the points of religion which followe are the trueth of God Here therefore wee must remember that this clause I beleeue placed in the beginning of the Creede must bee particularly applied to all and euerie article following For so the case standes that if faith faile in one maine point it faileth a man in all and therefore faith is saide to bee wholly copulatiue It is not sufficient to holde one article but hee that will holde any of them for his good must holde them all and hee which holdes them all in shewe of wordes if hee ouerturne but one of them indeede hee ouerturnes them all Againe to beleeue is one thing and to beleeue in this or that is another thing and it containeth in it three points or actions of a beleeuer I. To knowe a thing II. To acknowledge the same III. To put trust and confidence in it And in this order must these three actions of faith be applyed to euery article following which concerneth any of the persons in Trinitie And this must bee marked as a matter of speciall moment For alwaies by adding them to the wordes following we do apply the article vnto our selues in a very comfortable manner As I beleeue in the father and doe beleeue that hee is my father and therefore I put my whole trust in him and so of the rest Nowe wee come to the obiect of generall faith which is either God or the Church in handling of both which I will obserue this order I. I will speake of the meaning of euery article II. Of the duties which we ought to learne thereby III. And lastly of the consolations which may be gathered thence Concerning God three things are to be considered And first by reason of manifolde doubtings that rise in our mindes it may be demaunded whether there be a God many reasons might bee vsed to resolue those that haue scruple of conscience otherwaies wee are bounde to beleeue that there is a God without all doubting As for those Atheists which confidently auouch there is no God by Gods lawe they ought to die the death nay the earth is to good for such to dwell on Malefactours as theeues and rebells for their offences haue their rewarde of death but the offence of those which denies that there is a God is greater and therefore deserues most cruell death The second point followeth namely what God is Answer Moses desiring to see Gods face was not permitted but to see his hinder parts and therefore no man can bee able to describe God by his nature but by his effects and properties on this or such like manner God is an essence spirituall simple infinite most holy I say first of all that God is an essence to shewe that he is a thing absolutely subsisting in himselfe and by himselfe not receiuing his beeing from any other And herein hee differeth from all creatures whatsoeuer which haue subsisting and beeing from him alone Againe I say hee is an essence spirituall because hee is not any kinde of bodie neither hath hee the partes of the bodies of men or other creatures but is in nature a spirit inuisible not subiect to any of mans senses I adde also that he is a simple essence because his nature admits no manner of composition of matter or forme or partes The creatures are compounded of diuers parts and of varietie of nature but there is no such thing in God for whatsoeuer thing he is hee is the same by one and the same singular and indiuisible essence Furthermore he is infinite and that diuers waies infinite in time without any beginning and without end infinite in place because hee is euery where and excluded no where within all places and foorth of all places Lastly hee is most holy that is of infinite wisdome mercie loue goodnes c. and he alone is rightly tearmed most holy because holines is of the very nature of God himselfe whereas among the most excellent creatures it is otherwise For the creature it selfe is one thing and the holines of the creature another thing Thus wee see what God is and to this effect God describes himself to be Iehova Elohim Paul describes him to be a King euerlasting immortall inuisible onely wise to whome is due all honour and glorie for euer The third point is touching the number of Gods namely whether there be more gods then one or no. Ans. There is not neither can there be any more Gods then one Which point the Creed auoucheth in saying I beleeue in God not gods and yet more plainely the Nicene Creede and the Creed of Athanasius both of them explaining the words of the Apostles Creede on this manner I beleeue in one God Howesoeuer some in former times haue erroniously held that two gods were the beginning of all things one of good things the other of euill things others that there was one God in the old testament another in the newe others againe namely the Valentinians that there were thirty couple of gods and the heathen people as Augustine recordeth worshipped thirtie thousand gods yet we that are members of Gods Church must holde and beleeue one God alone and no more Deut. 4.39 Vnderstand this daie and consider in thine heart that Iehouah hee is God in heauen aboue and vpon the earth beneath there is none other Eph. 4.6 One God one faith one baptisme If it be alleadged that the Scripture mentioneth many gods because Magistrats are called Gods Moses is called Aarons god the deuill and all idols are called gods The answere is this They are not properly or by nature gods for in that respect there is onely one God but they are so tearmed in other respects Magistrates are gods because they be Vicegerents placed in the roome of the true God to gouerne their subiects Moses is Aarons god because he was in the roome of God to reueale his will to Aaron the deuill is a god because the hearts of the wicked would giue the honour vnto him which is peculiar to the euerliuing God idols are called gods because they are such in mens conceits and opinions who esteeme of them as of gods Therefore Paul saith an idol is nothing in the world that is nothing in nature subsisting or nothing in respect of the diuinitie ascribed vnto it To proceede forwarde
of the world Secondly all oblations and meate offerings were sprinkled with salt and euery sacrifice of propitiation which was to be burned to ashes was first salted and hereby two things were signified The first that euery one of vs in our selues are loathsome or vile in the sight of God like vnto stinking carrion or raw-flesh kept long vnpoudered A dead and rotten carkeise is loathsome vnto vs but we in our selues are a thousand times more loathsome vnto God The second that we are as it were salted and made sauorie and acceptable to God by the vertue of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse Our dutie then is to labour that we may feele in our selues the biting and sharpnes of the oblation of Christ to wast and consume the superfluities of sinne and the corruptions of our natures And we must withall indeauour that the whole course of our liues and our speech it selfe be gratious and poured with salt least God at length spue vs out of his mouth To this ende hath God appointed his ministers to be the salt of the earth that by their ministerie they might apply the death of Christ and season the people And it hath pleased God to be sprinkle this land with more plentie of this salt then hath beene heretofore But alas small is the number of them that giue any relish of their good seasoning The more lamentable is their case For as flesh that cannot be seasoned with salt putrifies so men that cannot bee sweetned and changed by the sacrifice of Christ doe rot and perish in their sinnes The waters that ishued from vnder the threshold of the Sancturie when they came into the dead sea the waters thereof were holesome but myrie places and marishes which could not be seasoned were made saltpits Now these waters are the preching of the gospel of Chrtst which flowing through all the parts of this I le if it doe not season change our nation it shal make it as places of nettles saltpits at length be an occasion of the eternal curse of god Thirdly Christs priesthood serues to make euery one of vs also to be priests And being priests we must likewise haue our sacrifice and our altar Our sacrifice is the cleane offering which is the lifting vp of pure handes to God without wrath or doubting in our prayers also our bodies and soules our hearts and affections the workes of our liues and the workes of our callings all which must be dedicated to the seruice of god for his glorie and the good of his Church The altar wheron wee must offer our sacrifice is Christ our redeemer both God and man because by the vertue of his death as with sweete odours he perfumes all our obedience and makes it acceptable to God The ministers of the Gospell are also in this manner priests as Paul insinuateth when hee calleth the Gentiles his offering vnto God And the preaching of the word is as it were a sacrificing knife wherby the old Adam must be killed in vs we made an holy acceptable sweete smelling oblation vnto God sanctified by the holy Ghost Therefore euerie one that heareth Gods worde preached and taught must indeauour that by the profitable hearing thereof his sinnes and whole nature may be subdued and killed as the beast was slaine sacrificed vpon the altar by the hand of the Leuite Lastly the exhortation of the holy ghost must here be considered Seeing saith he we haue an high priest which is ouer the house of god let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water the meaning of the wordes is this that if Christ haue offered such a sacrifice of such value and price which procureth pardon of sinne iustification sanctification and redemption then we must labour to be partakers of it to haue our bodies and soules purified and clensed by his blood and sanctified throughout by the holy ghost that thereby we may be made fitte to doe sacrifice acceptable to God in Christ. This is the vse which the Apostle maketh of the doctrine of Christs priesthood in that place which also euery man should apply vnto himselfe for why should we liue in our sinnes and wicked waies euery houre incurring the danger of Gods iudgements seeing Christ hath offered such a sacrifice whereby we may be purged and clensed and at length freed from all woe and miserie Thus much of Christs sacrifice now followes his triumph vpon the crosse That Christ did triumph when he was vpon the crosse it is plainly set downe by the Apostle Paul where he saieth that putting out the hand writing of ordinances that was against vs which was contrarie to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse and hath spoiled the principalities and powers and hath made shewe of them openly and hath triumphed ouer â—hem in the same crosse This triumph is set forth by signes and testimonies of two sorts I. By signes of his glorie and maiestie II. By signes of his victorie on the crosse The signes of his glorie and maiestie are principally seuen The first is the title set ouer his head vpon the crosse Iesus of Nazareth king of the Iewes The ende why titles were set ouer the heads of malefactours was that the beholders might knowe the cause of the punishment and bee admonished to take heede of like offences and be stirred vp to a dislike of the parties executed for their offences And therfore no doubt Pilate wrote the title of Christ for the aggrauating of his cause and that with his owne hand Yet marke the straunge euent that followed for when Pilate was about to write the superscription God did so gouerne and ouer-rule both his heart and hand that in stead of noting some crime he sets downe a most glorious and worthie title calling him Iesus of Nazareth king of the Iewes which wordes containe the very summe and pith of the whole gospel of Christ deliuered by the Patriarches and prophets from age to age We must not thinke that Pilate did this of any good minde or vpon any loue or fauour that he bare to Christ but onely as he was guided and ouerruled by the power of God for the aduancement of the honour and glorie of Christ. The like did Caiphas who though a sworne enemie to Christ yet he vttered a prophecy of him saying that it was necessarie that one should die for the people not that he had any intent to prophecy but because the Lord vsed him as an instrument to publish his trueth And when Balaam for the wages of vnrighteousnesse would haue cursed the Lords people for his life he could not nay all his cursings were turned into blessings By this then it appeares that it is not possible for any man doe what he can to stoppe the course of
rose with Christ are to be noted they were the Saints of God not wicked men whereby we are put in minde that the elect children of God onely are partakers of Christs resurrection Indeede both good and bad rise againe but there is a great difference in their rising for the godly rise by the vertue of Christs resurrection and that to eternall glorie but the vngodly rise by the vertue of Christ not as he is a redeemer but as he is a terrible iudge and is to execute iustice on them And they rise againe for this ende that besides the first death of the bodie they might suffer the second death which is the powring forth of the wrath of god vpon bodie and soule eternally This difference is prooued vnto vs by that which Paul saith Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe Among the Iewes such as had corne fields gathered some little quantitie thereof before they reaped the rest and offered the same vnto God signifying thereby that they acknowledged him to be the author giuer of all increase this offering was also an assurance vnto the owner of the blessing of God vpon the rest this beeing but one handful did sanctifie the whole crop Now Christ to the dead is as the first fruits to the rest of the corne because his resurrection is a pledge an assurāce of the resurrectiō of all the faithful When a man is cast into the sea and all his bodie is vnder the water there is nothing to be looked for but present death but if he carie his head aboue the water there is good hope of a recouerie Christ himselfe is risen as a pledge that all the iust shall rise againe he is the head vnto his Church and therefore all his members must needes follow in their time It may be demaunded what became of the Saints that rose againe after Christs resurrection Answ. Some thinke they died againe but seeing they rose for this ende to manifest the quickening vertue of Christs resurrection it is as like that they were also glorified with Christ and ascended with him to heauen Thus much of the manner of Christs resurrection Now followes the time when he rose againe and that is specified in the Creede The third day he rose againe Thus saith our Sauiour Christ vnto the Pharises As Ionas was three daies and three nights in the whales bellie so shall the sonne of man be three daies and three nights in the heart of the earth And though Christ was but one day and two pieces of two daies in the graue for he was buried in the euening before the Sabbath and rose in the morning the next day after the Sabbath yet is this sufficient to verifie this saying of Christ. For if the analogie had stoode in three whole daies then Christ should haue risen the fourth day And it was the pleasure of God that he should lie thus long in the graue that in might be knowne that he was throughly dead and he continued no longer that he might not in his bodie see corruption Againe it is saide Christ rose againe in the end of the Sabbath when the first day of the weeke began to dawne And this very time must be considered as the reall beginning of the new spirituall world in which we are made the sonnes of God And as in the first day of the first world light was commanded to shine out of darknes vpon the deepes so in the first day of this new world the sonne of righteousnes riseth and giues light to them that sit in darknes and dispells the darknes that was vnder the old Testament And here let vs marke the reason why the Sabbath day was changed For the first day of the weeke which was the day following the Iewes sabbath is our sabbath day which day we keepe holy in memorie of the glorious resurrection of Christ and therefore it is called the Lords day And it may not vnfitly be tearmed Sunday though the name came first from the heathen because on this day the blessed sonne of righteousnesse rose from death to life Let vs now in the next place proceede to the proofes of Christs resurrection which are diligently to be obserued because it is one of the most principall points of our religion For as the Apostle saith He died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification and againe If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vaine and our faith is also vaine The proofes are of two sorts first Christs appearances vnto men secondly the testimonies of men Christs appearances were either on the first day or on the daies following The appearances of Christ the same day he rose againe are fiue And first of all earely in the morning he appeared to Marie Magdalen In this appearance diuers things are to be considered The first of what note and qualitie the partie was to whome Christ appeared Ans. Marie Magdalen was one that had bin possessed with seuen deuils but was deliuered and became a repentant sinner and stood by when Christ suffered and came with sweete odours when he was dead to embalme him And therefore to her is graunted this prerogatiue that she should be the first that should testifie his resurrection vnto men And hence we learne that Christ is readie and willing to receiue most miserable wretched sinners euen such as haue bin vassals and bondslaues of the deuill if they will come to him Any man would thinke it a fearefull case to be thus possessed with deuills as Marie was but let all those that liue in ignorance and by reason thereof liue in sinne without repentance know this that their case is a thousand times worse then Marie Magdalens was For what is an impenitent sinner Surely nothing els but the castle and hold of the deuill both in bodie and soule For looke as a captaine that hath taken some hold or skonse doth rule and gouerne all therein and disposeth it at his will and pleasure euen so it is with all blind and impenitent sinners not one deuill alone but euen legions of deuils possesse them and rule their hearts and therefore howsoeuer they may soothe themselues and say all is well for God is mercifull yet their case is farre worse then Maries was Now then would any be freed from this fearefull bondage let them learne of Marie Magdalen to follow Christ and to seeke vnto him and then albeit the deuil and al his angels possesse their hearts yet Christ beeing the strong man will come and cast them all out and dwell there himselfe The second is what Christ in his appearance said to Marie Ans. He saide Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my father Marie no doubt was glad to see Christ and therefore looked to haue conuersed as familiarly with him as shee was wont before his death but he forbids her to touch him that is not to looke to enioy
and that is Christ and therefore we are said to be chosen to saluation in Christ. He must be considered two waies as he is God we are predestinate of him euen as we are predestinate of the father and the holy Ghost As he is our Mediatour we are predestinate in him For when God with himselfe had decreed to manifest his glorie in sauing some men by his mercie hee ordained further the creation of man in his owne image yet so as by his owne fall hee should infold himselfe and all his posteritie vnder damnation this done he also decreed that the Word should bee incarnate actually to redeeme those out of the former miserie whome he had ordained to saluation Christ therefore himselfe was first of all predestinate as he was to bee our head and as Peter saith ordained before all worlds and wee secondly predestinate in him because God ordained that the execution of mans Election should be in him Here if any demand howe wee may be assured that Christ in his passion stood in our roome and steade the resolution will be easie if we consider that he was ordained in the eternall counsell of God to bee our suretie and pledge and to be a publike person to represent all the elect in his obedience and sufferings and therefore it is that Peter saith that he was deliuered by the foreknowledge and determinate counsell of God And Paul that grace was giuen vnto vs through Christ Iesus before the world was The fifth point is concerning the number of the Elect. And that I expressed in these words hath chosen some men to saluation If God should decree to communicate his glorie and his mercie to all and euery man there could bee no election For he that takes all cannot be said to choose Therefore Christ saith Many are called but fewe are chosen Some make this question howe great the number of the elect is and the answer may bee this that the Elect considered in themselues be innumerable but considered in comparison to the whole world they are but fewe Hence it followes necessarily that sauing grace is not vniuersall but indefinite or partiâ—â—lar vnlesse we will against common reason make the streames more large plentifull then the very fâ—untain it selfe And this must excite vs aboue all thiâ—gs in the world to labour to haue fellowship with Christ to be partakers of the special mercie of God in him yea to haue the same sealed vp in our hearts Benefits coÌ„mon to all as the light of the sunne c. are not regarded of any Things common to fewe though they be but temporall blessings are sought for of all God giues not riches to all men but to some more to some lesse to some none And herupon how doe men like drudges toile in the world from day to day and from yere to yere to inrich themselues Therefore much more ought men to seeke for grace in Christ considering it is not common to all We must not content our selues to say God is mercifull but we must goe further and labour for a certificate in the conscience that we may be able to say that God is indeede mercifull to vs. When the Disciples would haue knowne how many should be saued he omitting the question answers thus Striue to enter in at the straight gate The last point is the ende of Gods election and that is the manifesting of the praise and excellencie of the glorious grace of God Thus hauing seene what Election is let vs come to the Execution thereof Of which remember this rule Men predestinate to the ende that is glorie or eternall life are also predestinate to the subordinate meanes whereby they come to eternall life and these are vocation iustification sanctification glorification For the first he that is predestinate to saluation is also predestinate to be called as Paul saith Whome he hath predestinate them also he calleth Secondly whome God calleth they also were predestinate to beleeue therefore sauing faith is called the faith of the elect And in the Actes as many as were ordained to life euerlasting beleeued Thirdly whome God hath predestinate to life them he iustifieth as Paul saitâ— whome he hath predestinate them he calleth and whome he calleth them he iustifieth Fourthly whome he hath predestinate to life them he hath predestinate to sanctification and holinesse of life as Peter saith that the Iewes were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father vnto sanctification of the spirit Lastly they that are predestinate to life are also predestinate to obedience as Paul saith to the Ephesians Yee are the workemanship of God created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them This rule beeing the truth of God must be obserued for it hath special vse First of all it serues to stoppe the mouthes of vngodly profane men They vse to bolster vp themselues in their sinnes by reasoning on this manner If I be predestinate to eternall life I shall be saued whatsoeuer come of it how wickedly and lewdly soeuer I liue I will therefore liue as I list and follow the swinge of mine owne will But alas like blinde bayards they thinke they are in the way when as they rush their heads against the wall and farre deceiue themselues For the case stands thus all men that are ordained to saluation are likewise ordained in the counsell of God to vse all the good meanes whereby they may come to saluation And therefore all the elect that liue in this world shall be called iustified sanctified and lead their liues in all good conscience before God and men and they that liue and continue in their own wicked waies disputing on this manner If I be ordained to saluation I shall not be damned ouershoote themselues and as much as they can plunge themselues headlong into the very pit of hell And for a man to liue and die in his sinnes let the world dispute as they will it is an infallible signe of one ordained to damnation Secondly there be others that thinke that the preaching of the word the administration of the Sacraments admonitions exhortations lawes good orders and all such good meanes are needlesse because Gods counsels be vnchangeable if a man shall be condemned nothing shall helpe if a man be saued nothing shall hinder But we must still for our part remember that God doth not onely ordaine the ende but also the meanes whereby the ende is compassed and therefore the very vse of all prescribed meanes is necessarie And for this cause we must be admonished with diligence to labour and vse all good meanes that we may be called by the ministerie of the Gospell and iustified and sanctified and at length glorified If a king should giue vnto one of his subiects a princely pallace vpon condition that he shall goe vnto it in the way which he shall prescribe oh what paines would the man
yet afterward alwaies he returned to his old by as againe Foelix trembled before Paul for all that he could not leaue his couetousnesse but euen then he sought for a bribe Secondly the reprobate◠when he repenteth he cannot come vnto God seeke vnto him he hath no power no not so much as once to desire to giue one litle sob for the remissiō of his sinnes if he would giue all the world he cannot so much as giue one rap at gods mercie gate that he may open to him He is very like a man vpon a racke who crieth roreth out for very paine yet cannot desire his tormentor to ease him of his paine Caine would haue bin void of his trembling but he could not aske pardon of his sinne from his heart neither could Saul or Iudas or now can the deuill XIV The reprobate may humble himselfe for some sinnes which he hath committed and may declare this by fasting and teares When Eliah reprooued Ahab for his Idolatrie and threatned him from the Lord it is said that when he had heard these words he rent his cloaths and put sackcloath vpon him and fasted and went softly in token of mourning and this humiliation stayed Gods wrath for a time XV. He may confesse his sinnes euen his particular sinnes before men but this is onely then when his soule is tormented for them and can find no ease For then he sticketh not to vtter his secret filthines to the hearing of all men to the open shaming of himselfe When God smote all that was in the fieldes of Egypt with haile then Pharao sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said vnto them I haue now sinned the Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked pray ye vnto the Lord for it is enough that there be no more mightie thunders c. So Iudas when he saw that Christ was condemned and felt an hell in his conscience brake out and said I haue sinned in betraying the innocent blood And the experience of these daies giueth fearefull examples for the proofe of this point XVI He hath often a desire to be like the children of God in happinesse and to be saued not because he hath any loue to the kingdom of God but because he is afraid of hell As Balaam ouerpressed with the feare of Gods iudgement praied thus Oh that my soule might die the death of the righteous and that my last end might be like his XVII The wicked in their distresse may pray to God and God may heare their praiers and grant them their request as the Israelites wickedly murmuring against God desired flesh in the wildernes God heard their crie and rained Quailes among them But god heareth the wicked after one sort them that feare him after another them that feare him he granteth their requests of loue and mercy to the other of indignation and anger As may appeare in the Israelites who when they were in eating of their Quailes and the meate was within their teeth God in his anger stroke thē with a sore plague And which is more strange then this God hath performed that which he hath promised to the vnbeleeuers though they refused to aske it at his hands euen then whē they were particularly commanded of this thing we haue a worthie example in King Achas who vtterly refused to haue a signe of his deliuerance and the confusion of his enemies when God offered it to him and yet the Lord deliuered him XVIII The reprobate may go further in the profession of religion◠and may seeme for a time to bee planted in the Church for he doth beleeue the promises of God made in Christ Iesus yet so that he cannot apply them to himselfe In this thing the elect and the reprobate differ The reprobate generally in a confused manner beleeueth that Christ is a Sauiour of some men he neither can nor desireth to come to the particular applying of Christ. The elect beleeueth that Christ is a Sauiour of him particularly The reprobates faith may perish in this life but the faith of the elect cannot The reprobate may be perswaded of the mercy and goodnes of God towards him for the present time in the which he feeleth it the elect is not onely perswaded of the mercies he presently enioyeth but also he is perswaded of his eternal election before the foūdation of the world and of his euerlasting life which yet he doth not enioy Yea if God would confound him and he saw nothing but present death and hell fire yet such is his nature that still hee would beleeue for faith and hope are not grounded vpon sense and feeling but are the euidence of those thing◠which were neuer yet seene or felt The life of the faithfull is hid in Christ as the sap in the root of the tree their life is not in sense feeling but in hoping and beleeuing which oftentimes are contrarie to mans sense and feeling XIX After that he hath receiued a generall and a temporarie faith in Gods heauenly word his most mercifull promises of euerlasting life cōtained therin by the power of the spirit of God he commeth to haue a tast in his heart of the sweetnes of Gods mercies and a reioycing in consideration of the election adoption iustification and sanctification of Gods children But what is this taste I expresse it thus after the meaning of Gods word Suppose a banquet prepared in which are many sweet and pleasant and daintie meats At this banquet such as are the bidden guests they must be set downe they see the meates they taste them they chaw them in their mouthes they digest them they are nourished fed and strengthened by them they which are not bidden to this feast may see the meats handle them and taste of them to feele how good they are◠but they must not eate and feede of them The first resemble the elect which truly eate digest are nourished by Christ vnto euerlasting life because they haue great aboundance of the vitall heat of Gods holy spirit in them and doe feele sensibly his grace vertue in them to strengthen them guide them The second sort truly resemble the reprobates which neuer in truth enioy Christ or any of his benefits appertaining to saluation but only see them and haue in their hearts a vanishing but no certen or sound feeling of them so that they may be changed and strengthened and guided thereby To vse another similitude The reprobates haue no more feeling and enioying of Christ and his benefits then those men haue of the sunne which see onely a glimmering of his light at the dawning of the day before it riseth Contrariwise the elect they haue the day-starre euen the Sunne of righteousnes Iesus Christ rising in their hearts the day spring from an high doth visit them the glorie of God doth rise vpon them they haue their eyes annointed
with the oyntment of the Spirit which is the true eye salue and doe plainly behold the sonne of righteousnes they enioy his presence they effectually feele his comfortable heate to quicken and reuiue them XX. From this sense and tast of Gods grace proceed many fruits as first generally he may doe outwardly all things which true Christians doe and he may lead such a life here in this world that although he cannot attaine to saluation yet his paines in hell shal be lesse which appeareth in that our Sauiour Christ saith it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sydon for Sodom and Gomorâ—ha then for Capernaum and other cities vnto which he came in the day of iudgment XXI Also the reprobate may haue a loue of God but this loue can be no sincere loue for it is only because God bestoweth benefits and prosperitie vpon him as appeareth in Saul who loued God for his aduancement to the kingdome here is a difference betweene the Elect and reprobate the Elect loue God as children their fathers but reprobates as hirelings their masters whom they affect not so much for themselues as for their wages XXII Also a reprobate hath often a reioycing in doing those things which appertaine to the seruice of God as preaching and praier Herod heard Iohn Baptist preach gladly and the second kind of naughtie ground receiueth the word preached with ioy XXIII A Reprobate often desireth them whom he thinketh to be the children of God to pray for him As Pharao desired Aaron and Moses to pray to God for him So did Simon Magus desire Peter to pray that none of the things which he had spoken against him should come to passe But yet they cannot pray themselues because they want the spirit of Christ. XXIIII He may shew liking to Gods Ministers he may reuerence them and feare to displease them Thus did Simon Magus who at Philips preaching beleeued wondred at his miracles kept companie with him And Herod is said to feare Iohn knowing that he was a iust man and holy also he gaue reuerence to him Antonius the Emperour called Pius though he was no Christian yet in a generall parliament held at Ephesus he made an act in the behalf of Christians that if any man should trouble or accuse a Christian for beeing a Christian the partie accused should goe free though he were found to be a Christian and the accuser should be punished And Plinius secundus gouernour of Spaine vnder Trajanus the Emperour when he saw an innumerable companie of Christians to be executed being mooued with compassion he wrote in their behalfe beeing no Christian vnto Trajanus to spare them that could be charged with no crime and his letter is yet extant XXV He may be zealous in the religion which he professeth and fall from that profession as the Galatians did who after that they had receiued Paul as an Angel and would haue plucked out their eyes to haue done him good yet they fell from the doctrine which he had taught them to iustification by the works of the Law which flat ouerthroweth iustification by faith alone The same appeareth in Iehu who was very zealous for Gods cause for the defacing of idolatrie and thereupon God blessed him in his children yet neuerthelesse he was a wicked man and followed the vile sinnes of Ieroboam his father XXVI After that he hath sinned he doth in many things in which he is faultie amend and reforme his life and doth professe great holines outwardly Herod he did many things which Iohn Baptist in preaching mooued him vnto Saul when he was to be chosen king professed great humilitie They may represse their vices and corruptions and so moderate themselues that they breake not out as did Haman of whome it is written that when he was full of indignation against Mordecai yet he refraine himself And herein the Elect and the Reprobate differ for the elect are somewhat reformed in euery one of their sinnes But the reprobate though he be amend in many faults yet someone fault or other he cannot abide to haue it reformed and by that in a vile manner the deuill wholly possesseth him As Herod who did many things yet would not leaue his brothers wife And no doubt in Iudas most of his sinnes in appearance were mortified and yet by couetousnesse the deuill possessed him and held him fast chained in bondage vnder him For one sinne is sufficient to him that by it he may bring a man to damnation Secondly in infidels liuing honestly the spirit of God bridleth the force of sinne the corrupt nature that it breake not out as it doth in many other But in Christians that are indeed godly the same spirit not only represseth the corruptioÌ„ of nature outwardly but also mortifieth it within at the root regenerateth the whole maÌ„ into a new creature Thus then neither the faithfull nor infidels doe effect any thing that is laudable but by the spirit of god the faithful by the spirit of regeneration infidels by the same spirit only suppressing the outward act of sinne XXVII Beside this he may haue the gift of working miracles of casting forth deuils of healing and such like and this power of doing strange miracles shall be vsed as an excuse of some of the reprobates in the day of iudgement XXVIII Oftentimes vnto him is giuen the gifts of the holy Ghost to discharge the most waightie calling that can be in any common wealth And this is meant when God is said to giue Saul an other heart that is such vertues as were meet for a King XXIX A reprobate may haue the word of God much in his mouth and also may be a preacher of the word for so prophecying in Christs name shal be vsed as an excuse of reprobates and we know that among the twelue Apostles Iudas was a reprobate And this may be wel perceiued in the resemblance of tasting which the author to the Hebrewes vseth We know that cookes commonly which are occupied in preparing of bankets haue as much feeling and seeing of the meat as any other and yet there is none that eateth lesse of it then they for their stomackes are cloyed with the smell and taste of it so in like maner it may come to passe that the minister which dresseth prouideth the spiritual foode may eate the least of it himselfe and so labouring to saue others he may be a reprobate And it is thought that some of them which built the Arke were not saued in the Arke but perished in the floud XXX When as a reprobate professeth thus much of the Gospell though in deed he be a goat yet he is taken for one of Gods sheepe he is kept in the same pastures and is folded in the same fold with them He is counted a Christian of the children of God and so he taketh himself to be
saluation but with feare and trembling Phil. 2.12 8 He burneth with zeale of the spirit c. And so the rest of the affections are exercised about the promises of God in Christ and by this meanes is the deepe rooting of the word in the heart Thus it commeth to passe that the Reprobate falleth away from faith in the day of triall and temptation but the Elect cannot be changed XXXIIII Thus it appeareth how farre a reprobate may proceed in religion the consideration of this point I direct vnto two sorts of men Carnall gospellers and Papists Carnall gospellers are such among vs as know the word but obey it not or such as bearing a profession neither know it nor obey it And the best of these come short of reprobates in two points 1. In faith they come short of the deuill most of them The deuill beleeueth and trembleth but they contrariwise liuing in their sinnes beleeue and hope How comes this to passe The deuill knoweth the Gospel and the points of it and withall he beleeueth the terrible threatnings of the law and therefore trembleth Drowsie Protestants beleeue the Gospel as the deuill doth though he conceiues the points of it better then they doe as for the law and the threatnings thereof they doe not beleeue them and that makes them euen when they liue in their sinnes to hope and presume of mercie Therefore the deuill beleeues more of Gods word then they doe Secondly they come short of wicked men in outward obedience The young man not yet conuerted to Christ when he was bidden to keepe the commaundements of the second Table answered that he had kept them from his youth and therefore our Sauiour Christ looked vpon him and loued him although this externall obedience was not sufficient for Christ telleth him that one thing is wanting vnto him And in another place he saith except your righteousnes exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharisies you cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Now the carelesse Gospeller is farre from performing this in so much that commonly he makes an open practise of sinne one way or other The causes of their carelesnes are first a perswasion that a man may repent when he will because the Scripture saith At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart God will put all their wickednesse out of his remembrance But indeed late repentance is seldome true repentance and it may be iustly feared least that repentance which men when they are dying frame to themselues die also with them Secondly they flatter themselues imagining that the best man that is hath seuen falles euery day into grosse sinnes whereas the place which they abuse out of the Prouerbs The righteous man falleth seuen times in a day and riseth againe it is rather to be vnderstood of falls into affliction then falls into actuall sinnes Thirdly they deceiue themselues most falsly thinking small sinnes or hidden sinnes to be no sinnes and grossest sinnes in which they liue and lie most dangerously to be but sinnes of infirmitie XXXV By this which hath bin said the professours of Christian religion are admonished of two things First that they vse most painfull diligence in working their saluation in attaining to faith in dying to sinne in liuing to newnesse of life and that their hearts be neuer at rest till such time as they goe beyond all reprobates in the profession of Christ Iesus Seest thou how farre a reprobate may goe presse on to the straight gate with maine and might with all violence lay hold on the kingdome of heauen Slial Herod feare and reuerence Iohn Baptist and heare him gladly and wilt thou neglect the Ministers and the preaching of the word shall Pharao confesse his sinne nay shall Satan beleeue and tremble And wilt not thou bewaile and lament thy sinnes and thy wicked conuersation It behooueth thee to feare and take heed least wicked men and the deuill himselfe rise in iudgement and condemne thee For if thou shalt come short of the duties of a reprobate and doe not goe beyond him in the profession of the Gospel sure it is thou must looke for the reward of a reprobate The second thing is that the professour of the Gospell diligently trie and examine himselfe whether he is in the state of damnation or in the state of grace whether he yet beare the yoke of Satan or is the adopted child of God Thou wilt say this need not thou professest the Gospell and art taken for a Christian yet marke and consider that this often befalleth reprobates to be esteemed Christians and they are often so like them that none but Christ can discerne the sheepe from the goates true Christians from apparant Christians Wherefore it behooueth all men that shew themselues to be Christians to lay aside all pride and all selfeloue and with singlenes of heart to put themselues into the ballance of Gods word and to make iust triall whether in thē repentance faith mortification sanctification c. giue waight answerable to their outward profession which if they doe let them praise God if not let them with all speede vse the meanes that they may be borne anew to the lord and may be inwardly guided by his holy spirit to giue obedience to his will least in the day of Gods trial they start aside from him like a broken bow and fall againe to their first vncleannesse XXXVI To come to the second sort of men and to conclude let the most zealous Papist that is trie himselfe and his whole estate with a single heart as in the presence of Gods maiestie and he shall finde that by his whole religion and profession he doth come short of a reprobate or at the least not goe beyond him in these points before named The Lord open their eyes that they may see it Amen THE ESTATE OF A CHRISTIAN MAN IN this life which also sheweth how farre the Elect may goe beyond the Reprobate in Christianitie and that by many degrees I THe Elect are they whome God of the good pleasure of his will hath decreed in himselfe to choose to eternall life for the praise of the glorie of his grace For this cause the Elect onely are saide to haue their names written in the booke of life II Whome God electeth them he calleth in the time appointed for the same purpose This calling of the Elect is nothing els but a singling and a seuering of them out of this vile world and the customes thereof to be citizens of the kingdome of glorie after this life And the time of their calling is tearmed in Scriptures the day of visitation the day of saluation the time of grace III. This seuering and choosing of the elect out of the worlde is then performed when God by his holy spirit indueth them with true sauing faith a wonderfull gift peculiar to the
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
wil I shewe it you And first of al the dealing of God towards me is a good argumēt to me In the first commandement God hath commanded me to take him to be my God and in the Lords prayer he teacheth me to call him father he hath created the world generally and euery creature particularly for man and so for me to serue for my commoditie necessitie admonition Also he hath made me for his owne image hauing a reasonable soule bodie shape where hee might haue made me a Toad a Serpent a swine deformed franticke Moreouer he hath wonderfully preserued me in my infancie childhood youth middle age hitherto from manifold dangers and perils all which doe confirme in me a perswasion of Gods fatherly loue and that I should not doubt hereof where I might haue beene borne of Turkes loe it was the will of God that I should be borne of Christian parents and be brought into Gods Church by baptisme which is the Sacrament of adoption and requireth faith as well of the remission of my sinnes as of sanctification and holinesse to be wrought of God in me by his grace and holy spirit where I might haue beene borne in an ignorant time and religion God would that I should be borne in these daies and in this countrie where is more knowledge reuealed then euer was here or in many places els is Where I might haue beene of a corrupt iudgement and intangled with many errours of Papistrie and of the Familie of Loue and of the schisme of Browne by Gods goodnes my iudgement is reformed and he hath lightened mine eies to see and my heart to imbrace his sincere trueth By all which things I doe confirme my faith of this that God alwaies hath bin is and will be for euer my father and at my departing forth of this worlde will giue me the crowne of euerlasting glorie Secondly when as man is euermore doubting of the promises of God be they neuer so certaine God of his infinit mercie to preuent al occasions of doubting promiseth to giue his own spirit as a pledge pawne or earnest pennie vnto his children of their adoption election to saluation Nowe since it pleased God to call me from hypocrisie to be a member of his Church I feele that in my selfe which I neuer felt or heard of before In times past I came to praiers and to the preaching of gods word euen as a Beare commeth to the stake nowe the word of God is meate and drinke to me and praier is no burden vnto me but my ordinarie exercise If I rise in the morning I am not well till I haue praied and giuen thankes to God if I do any thing it commeth into my mind to pray In my praiers I find great ioy and comfort and exceeding fauour of God I neuer thinke I can wel take my rest or doe any thing els except first I aske it at Gods hand in Christ. Lastly when my mind and heart is wholly occupied in worldly matters I am stirred vp and as it were drawn to pray vnto god for the remission of my sins and the assurance of my saluation in praier I haue had those grones which for their greatnes cannot be expressed Now from whence commeth all this From the deuil No. In these actions I haue found him my enemie and a continuall hinderer of them For he by his craft when I haue beene heauie and weake hath assailed to prouoke me to some sinnes whereunto my cursed nature was most giuen and I hauing yeelded to him haue beene so hardened blinded by those sinnes that for a time I haue made light account of the word of God and praier Well then peraduenture this came from mine owne selfe No neither This cursed nature of mine hath beene more pleased and delighted with sinne and with the pleasures of the world then with such exercises from which it draweth me and presseth me downe as lead I cannot think that such a poysoning Cockatrice can lay such good egs or that wilde crab trees such as all men are in Adam can bring foorth sweete fruites according to the will of God except God plucke them forth of Adam and plant them in the garden of his mercie and stocke them and graft the spirit of Christ in them Wherefore these are the workes of Gods spirit and my conscience is thereby certified that God hath giuen me the spirit of adoption and therefore that his fauour and mercie shal continue towards me for euer For the gifts of God are without repentance and whome God once loueth him hee loueth for euer Thirdly there be certaine fruits of Gods children which I find in me by which I am confirmed in Gods fauour S. Iohn in his first Epistle saith that hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren Truely I feele in my heart a burning loue towards them which are good Christians though I neuer knew them nor saw them and I am very desirous to doe any good for them and if drops of my heart blood would doe them good they should haue them Moreouer I hate all sinne and wickednes with a bitter hatred and I long to see the comming of my Sauiour Christ to iudgement I am grieued and disquieted because I cannot fulfil the law of god as I ought all which I haue learned forth of Gods word to be tokens of Gods children And thus you see what euidence I haue to shewe that I am a true member of the Church militant and in the fauour of God Timoth. Haue you a steadfast faith in Christ as these arguments seeme to prooue without all wauering doubting and distrusting of Gods mercy Euseb. No no. This my faith which I haue in Christ is euen fought against with doubting and euer assailed with desperation not when I sinne only but also in tentations of aduersitie into which God bringeth me to nurture me to shewe me mine owne heart the hypocrisie and false thoughts that there lie hidde my almost no faith at all and as little loue◠euen then happely when I thought my selfe most perfect of all for when temptations come I cannot stand when I haue sinned faith is feeble when wrong is done vnto me I cannot forgiue in sickenesse in losse of goods in all tribulation I am vnpatient when my neighbour needeth my helpe that I must depart with him of mine owne then loue is cold And thus I learne and feele that there is no power to do good but of god only And in al such tēptations my faith perisheth not vtterly neither my loue and consent to the law of God but they be weake sick wounded and not cleane dead As I dealt with my parents being a childe so nowe deale I towards God my louing father When I was a childe my father and mother taught me nurture and wisdome I loued my father and all his commandements and perceiued the goodnes he shewed me that my father loued me
and all his precepts are vnto my wealth and profit and that my father commandeth nothing for any need he hath thereof but seeketh my profit onely and therefore I haue a good faith vnto all my fathers promises and loue all his commandements and doe them with good will and with good will goe euery daie to the schoole And by the waie happely I sawe a company plaie and with the sight was taken and rauished of my memorie and forgot my selfe and stood and beheld and fell to plaie also forgetting father and mother and all their kindnesse all their Lawes and mine owne profit also Howbeit the knowledge of my fathers kindnes the faith of his promises and the loue that I had againe vnto my father and the obedient minde were not vtterly quenched but laie hidde as all things doe when a man sleepeth or lyeth in a trance And as soone as I had played out all my lusts or else by some had beene warned in the meane season I came againe to my olde profession Notwithstanding many tentations went ouer my heart and the law as a right hangman tormented my conscience and went nie to perswade me that my father would thrust me away and hang me if he catched me so that I was like a great while to run away rather then to returne to my father againe Feare and dread of rebuke and of losse of my fathers loue and of punishment wrastled with the trust which I had in my fathers goodnes as it were gaue my faith a fall But I rose againe as soone as the rage of the first brunt was past and my mind was more quiet And the goodnesse of my father and his olde kindnesse came vnto my remembrance either by mine owne courage or by the comfort of another And I beleeued that my father would not put me away or destroy me and he hoped that I would doe no more so And vpon that I gote me home againe dismayed but not altogether faithlesse the old kindnes would not let me despaire howbeit all the world could not set mine heart at rest vntill the paine had beene past and vntill I had heard the voice of my father that all is forgotten Timoth. Seeing that you haue thus plainely and truely shewed the weaknes of yours and consequently of all mens faith shewe me I pray you how by the weaknes of faith a Christian is not rather discomforted then comforted and assured of his saluation Euseb. God doth not so much regard the quantity of his graces as the truth of them hee approueth a little faith if it bee a true faith yea if faith in vs were no more but a grame of mustard seede which is the least of all other seedes it should be effectuall and God would haue respect vnto it The poore diseased begger with a lame hande hauing the palsie also is able neuerthelesse to reach out the same and receiue an almes of a King and so in like manner a weake and languishing faith is sufficiently able to reach out it selfe and to apprehend the infinite mercies of our heauenly king offered vnto vs in Christ. Faith in the 3. of Iohn is cōpared vnto the eie of the Israelite which although it were of dimme sight or looked a squint yet if it could neuer so little behold the brasen serpent it was sufficient to cure the stings of the fierie serpents and to saue life Timoth. Seeing that you satisfie me in euery point so fully shew me I pray you whether a man may be wicked and haue faith and whether faith entring expelleth wickednesse For I haue heard some say that a man might beleeue the word of God and yet be neuer the better in his life or holier then before he was Euseb. Many there are which when they heare or read of faith at once they consent thereunto and haue a certaine imagination and opinion of faith as when a man telleth a storie or a thing done in a strange land that pertaineth not to them at all which yet they beleeue and tell vs a true thing and this imagination or opinion they call faith Therfore as soone as they haue this imagination or opinion in their hearts they say verely this doctrine seemeth true I beleeue it is euen so then they think that the right faith is there but afterward when they feele in themselues no manner of working of the Spirit neither the terrible sentence of the Law and the horrible captiuitie vnder Sathan neither can perceiue any alteration in themselues and that any good workes followe but finde they are altogether as before and abide in their olde estate then thinke they that faith is not sufficient but that workes must be ioyned with faith to iustification but true faith is onely the gift of god is mightie in operation euer working beeing full of vertue it renueth man and begetteth him a fresh altereth him chaungeth him and turneth him altogether into a newe creature and conuersation so that a man shall feele his heart cleane chaunged and farre otherwise disposed then before and hath power to loue that which before he could not but hate delighteth in that which before he abhorred and hateth that which before he could not but loue And it setteth the soule at libertie and maketh her free to follow the will of God and is to the soule as health to the bodie After that a man is pined with long sicknes the legges can not beare him he cannot lift vp his hands to help him his tast is corrupt sugar is bitter in his mouth his stomack lōgeth after slubbersauce swash at which a whole stomacke is ready to cast his gorge when health commeth she changeth and altereth him cleane giueth him strength in all his members lust and will to do of his own accord that which before he could not do neither could suffer that any man should exhort him to doe and hath now lust in wholsom things and his members are free and at libertie haue power to do all things of his owne accord which belong to a sound and whole man to do And faith worketh in the same maner as a tree brings forth fruit of his own accord and as a man need not bid a tree bring forth fruit so is there no law put to him that beleeueth and is iustified through faith to force him to obedience neither is it needefull For the Law is written and grauen in his heart his pleasure is daily therein as without commandement euen of his own nature he eateth drinketh seeth heareth talketh goeth euen so of his own nature without any compulsion of the law he bringeth forth good works and as a whole man whē he is a thirst tarieth but for drinke when he hungreth abideth but for meat then drinketh and eateth naturally euen so is the faithfull euer a thirst and an hungred after the will of God and tarieth but for an occasion whensoeuer an occasion is giuen he worketh naturally the will
The first argument HE which may in truth be made partaker of the chiefe points of the Popish religion may be made partaker of all but a Reprobate may be made partaker of the chiefe poinâ—s of the Popish religion therefore a Reprobate may be made partaker of all The proofe of the Argument THe proposition is plaine and euery Papist will graunt it all the controuersie is of the assumption wherefore I prooue it thus The Sacrament of Pennance as they call it is one of the chiefe things in the religion of the Church of Rome for it is such a Sacrament that by the power efficacy of it the blood of Christ is deliuered to vs to wash away our sins they say it hath such vertue that the kingdome of heauen is promised to it in the Scriptures and that it is not regeneration but an healing of a man regenerate and that it pardoneth sinne as baptisme And as touching Contrition Papists write it hath power to doe away sinne and to obtaine pardon at Gods hand the same they speake of Confession which they say deliuereth from death openeth paradise and giueth hope of saluation and hereby it may appeare that pennance is one of the greatest points of the popish religion But a reprobate may be truly made partaker of the popish sacrament of penance and indeede performe all in it There be three parts of penance Contrition of the heart Confession of the mouth Satisfaction in the deede All these three Iudas performed first he had Contrition for when he saw that our Sauiour was condemned then he saw his owne finne and was stricken with a griefe for his owne treacherie and repented and presently after he confessed his sinne openly vnto the chiefe Priests and Elders Also he made Satisfaction when he brought againe the thirtie pieces of siluer which he tooke to betray his master Againe Contrition of the heart is the ground of penance and Papists say it is not an act of the holy Ghost but an act of mans free wil proceeding from it and therefore a reprobate may haue it And as for Satisfaction if a reprobate cannot doe it by himselfe yet he may performe it by another for so they say that one may satisfie by anothâ—r wherefore for any thing I can see a reprobate may haue all that is contained in the popish sacrament of penance Faith is another of the chiefest points that is in the religion of the Church of Rome for they say it is the foundation and ground worke of Iustification But reprobates may haue that faith which they meane For they say that it is nothing els but a gift of God and a certaine light of the minde wherewith a man beeing enlightened giuâ—th sure and certen assent to the reuealed word of God And the Rhemists say it is onely an act of the vnderstanding and Andradius saith that Faith is onely in generall actions and cannot come to the particular applying of any thing now all this reprobates may haue for their minds are inlightned to know the truth and to be perswaded of it and therefore they haue this act of the vnderstanding this is a generall faith yea the deuill himselfe can doe thus much who beleeueth and trembleth And their implicite faith which saueth the lay man what reprobate cannot haue it for there is nothing els required but to beleeue as the Church beleeueth though he know not how the Church beleeueth And the Papists themselues say as much for their Councels hold that a wicked man and an heretike may haue confidence in Christ and that an heathen man by the naturall knowledge of God and by the workes of creation might haue faith and in a generall maner beleeue in Christ. The second argument THat religion whose precepts are no directions to attaine peace of conscience leaueth a man still in a damnable case but the precepts of the religion of the Churcâ— of Rome are not directions to attaine peace of conscience therefore it leaueth a man in a damnable case which if it be true a reprobate may be as sound a professour of â— as any other The proofe THe proposition is certen because as long as any man hath his conscience to accuse him of sinne before God he is in state of damnation as Saint Iohn saith If our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart knoweth all things And this is peculiar and proper to the elect children of God to receiue these gifts and graces from God the enioyning of which bringeth peace of conscience True it is indeede that reprobates receiue many graces and gifts at Gods hand but they are no other then such as may be ioyned with the trembling of the conscience as the deuill is said to beleeue but withall to tremble The assumption namely that the religion of the church of Rome can not pacifie the conscience may be easily prooued on this wise A man whose conscience must be truely quieted must first of all be truely humbled Come vnto me saith our Sauiour Christ all ye which are wearied and burdened and I will ease you Whereby it appeareth that they who are to haue their consciences refreshed in Christ must first of all be afflicteâ— with the sense of Gods iudgement yea they must be pressed downe to helward with the weight and burden of their sinnes that they may see and from their hearts confesse that in themselues there is no way to escape damnation The good Phisitian Christ Iesus cannot heale vs before he hath lanced our woundes to the very bottome he neuer can finde any of his sheepe before they be quite lost he neuer powreth into vs the liuing waters of his spirit before we be barren and drie ground void of all moysture and that man must condemne himselfe that would not haue Christ to pronounce sentence of damnation against him Now this true humiliation of a sinner can not be wrought in any mans heart by the religion of the Church of Rome True and sound humiliation is wrought by two means first by making a man to see the greatnes of his sinne and wickednesse secondly by making him to acknowledge that he is destitute and quite bereft of all goodnes For if a man either see not the greatnes of his sinne or haue confidence of any thing in himselfe he can not be humbled but neither of these two things are performed in the church of Rome As touching the first the Romish religion is so farre from amplifying enlarging the greatnes of mens sinnes that it doth extenuate them and lessen them out of measure for it maketh some sinnes to be venial when as the least sinne that can be against Gods law deserueth damnation it teacheth that lesser sinnes are done away by an humble accusation of a mans selfe by saying the Lords praier by knocking vpon the breast and by such like the greater sinnes may be
exhorted him constantly to sticke to the same to play the man nothing doubting but the Lord in his good time would visit him satisfie his desire with plentie of consolation c. The next day when the time came of the martyrdome as he was going to the place and was now come to the sight of the stake although all the night before praying for strength and courage he could feele none suddenly hee was so replenished with the holy Ghost that he cried out clapping with his handes to Austine saying with these wordes Austine he is come he is come c. and that with such ioy and alacritie as one seeming rather to be risen from some deadly danger to libertie of life then as one passing out of the world by any paines of death Desertion in sinne is when God withdrawing the assistance of his spirit a man is left to fall into some actuall and grieuous sin And for all this no man is to thinke that God is the author of sin but onely man that falleth Satan A resemblance of this trueth we may see in a staffe which if a man shall take set vpright vpon the ground so long as he holds it with his hand it stands vpright but so soone as he withdrawes his hand though he neuer push it down it falls of it selfe In this desertion was the good king Hezechiah of whom the holy Ghost speaketh thus Hezechiah prospered in all his waies therefore dealing with the Ambassadours of the Princes of Babel which set to him to enquire of the wonder which was done in the land God left him namely to the pride of his heart to exalt himselfe in tempting him that hee might trie out all that was in his heart To this place appertaine Noes drunkennes Dauids adulterie Peter deniall of Christ. The reason of such desertions may be this If a patient shal be grieuously sicke the phisition will vse all manner of meanes that can be deuised to recoâ—er him if he once come to a desperate case the phisition rather then hee will not restore him will imploy all his skill he will take poyson and so temper it and against the nature thereof he will make a soueraigne remedie to recouer health The elect children of God are diseased with an inward hidden and spirituall pride whereby they affect themselues and desire to bee something in themselues forth of Christ and this sinne is very dangerous firstâ— because when other sinnes die in a man this secret pride gets strength for Gods grace is the matter of pride in such wise that a man will be proude because he is not proud for example if any shall be tempted of the deuill to some proud behauiour and by Gods grace get the victorie then the heart thus thinketh Oh thou hast done well thou hast foiled the enemie neither pride nor any other sinne can preuaile against thee such and such could neuer haue done so and a very good man shall hardly be free from such kinde of motions in this life Secondly there is no greater enemie to faith then pride is for it poisoneth the heart and maketh it vncapable of that grace so loÌ„g as it bereth any sway for he that will beleeue in Christ must be annihilated that is he must be bruised and battered to a flat nothing in regard of any liking or affection to himself that he may in spirit mount vp to heauen where Christ sits as the right hand of the father as it were with both the handes of faith graspe him with all his blessed merits that he may be wisdome righteousnes sanctification redemption life good works whatsoeuer good thing he is neither in nor by nor for himself but euery way forth of himself in Christ. Now this blessed coÌ„ditioÌ„ of a beleeuing heart by naturall selfe-loue and self-liking is greatly hindered God therefore in great mercy to remedie this dangerous corruption lets his elect seruantes fall into trouble of mind and conscience if they happily be of greater hardnes of heart into some actuall sinne and so declaring his wonderfull mercie in sauing them he is faine against his mercie to bring them to his mercie by sinne to saue them from sinne By this meanes the Lord who can bring light out of darknes makes a remedie of sinne to slay pride that inuincible monster of many heads which would slay the soule Though this be so yet none must hereupon venter to commit any sinne against Gods commandements least in so doing they cast awaie their soules For the godly man though he fall into sinne yet it is against his purpose and it makes his heart to bleede and the course of his life shall bee alwaies vpright and pleasing vnto God because he is led by the spirit of God The ends for which god vseth desertioÌ„s are three the first is the chastismeÌ„t of sins past in the former part of mans life that he may search them out consider theÌ„ be hartily sorrowfull for theÌ„ for this end was Iobs triall Trou writest saith he bitter things against me makest me to possesse the sins of my youth The second end is that God may make triall of the present estate of his seruants not that he is ignorant what is in man but because hee would haue all men know themselues To this effect saith Moses And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee in the wildernesse for to humble thee and to prooue thee to knowe what was in thine heart whether thou wouldst keepe his coÌ„mandements or no. This also was the end why the Lord left Ezechias to proue and trie what was in his heart This trial by desertion serueth for two purposes for otherwhiles the Lord vseth it for the manifestation of some hidden sin that the godly may be deeplier humbled and craue more earnestly pardon of that and other sins For as the begger is alwaies mending and peecing his garment where he findes a breach so the penitent and beleeuing heart must alwaies bee exercised in repairing it selfe where it findes a want Againe ofttimes this triall serues to quicken and reuiue the hidden graces of the heart that men may be thankefull for them and feele an increase of theÌ„ in the heart The good husbandmaÌ„ cuts the branches of the Vine not that he hath a purpose to destroy them but to make them beare more fruit In the CaÌ„ticles when Christ left his spouse then shee riseth out of her bed shee opens the doore her hands drop mirrhe on the barre of the doore then further she seekes calls for him and praiseth him more then euer before Dauid testifieth the like of himselfe In my prosperitie I said I shall neuer be mooued c. but thou didst hide thy faâ—e and I was troubled Then cried I to thee O Lord praied to my Lord. Lastly men that liue in the Church beeing for a time left of God
we first loued God but because he first loued vs As though he had said therefore wee loue GOD because hee first that is before the foundation of the world louing vs in Christ by the ingrauing of his loue in our hearts causeth vs to loue him againe as a father So loue is said to wit that loue by which wee loue God to be of God that is to proceede of the loue of God towards vs. And Paul writeth that the loue of God namely that loue by which he loued vs to be shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs and by this shedding of the loue of God in our hearts it commeth to passe that loue is also wrought in our hearts towards God And therefore by that sound loue by which we seele our selues to loue God we are made to know how great that loue of God is by which hee loued vs from all eternitie in Christ. And what is that loue else but predestination In like manner election by which he singled vs from the rest of the world in Christ that we might be holy before him begets in vs a certain image euen of God himselfe that is another election by which we renouncing all other Gods which are worshipped in the world make our choice of this our true God Iehouah to be our god that he may be alwaies before our eies he which sanctifieth vs and the author of our whole saluation Wherefore through this constant election which is in vs we perceiue that the election which is in god as concerning vs is firme and sure not onely as we gather the cause by the effect but also as we gather the patterne by the picture like as by the similitude of the forme of a seale fashioned in waxe we doe easily vnderstand what is the very forme and fashion of the seale Therefore it is manifest that it is the manner of God by the effects of his election predestination imprinted in vs to reueale to euery one of vs his own election and predestination And that two waies both because there are certaine effâ—cts of predestination and by the effects the causes are known and also because there are certaine liuely types of Gods foreknowledge and election by which we are sealed vp vnto God Now by the imprinting of these formes types in vs as the seale is in wax the very first patterns themselues are knowne what they are Furthermore that there is no man elected to eternall life which shal not be sealed vp in the time appointed with these markes of Gods election It is manifest out of these places of scripture which treat of election and predestination The Apostle teacheth that we were elected that wee might be holy and without blame Also he teacheth that all they whome God hath predestinated are likewise called and iustified and by consequent indued with faith and knowledge of God by which they take him for their father with loue also wherewith they loue him as a father Also with a good will and constant purpose by which they desire constantly his glorie Againe he saith in another place the foundation standeth sure hauing this seale in respect of GOD the Lord knoweth who are his Nowe in respect of vs hee putteth downe another seale saying let him depart from iniquitie which calleth vpon the name of the Lord for with this marke all the elect are branded They call vpon the name of the Lord and depart from iniquitie seeking after holinesse and a good conscience And this is that sealing which is so often mentioned in the scriptures As when in the Apocalyps it is said that an innumerable multitude was sealed to the Lord. For like as the father sealed Iesus Christ as hee was man Mediator so also the rest of his children he hath sealed doeth daily seale with sure notes and seales to distinguish them from other men the childreÌ„ of this age For God is said to haue annointed vs and sealed vs and giuen vs the earnest of his spirit in our hearts And again to haue sealed vs with the holy spirit of promise and that to the daie of redemption As it is easie to discerne a right seale from a counterfeit so the true soules of God by the sealing of the spirit are distinguished from hypocrits lawful children froÌ„ bastards It remaineth that we should declare some effects of predestination by which as by markes and seales the Elect may be discerned from Reprobates The first effect of Predestination is Christ himselfe as he is a Mediator and a Sauiour dwelling in our hearts by his holy spirit For as we are elected in him and by him redeemed so by the sprinkling of his blood wee are clensed and sealed and by his dwelling in vs quickened for hee is our life and that eternall and therefore wee are seuered from Reprobates which alwaies remaine in death as in the holy Scriptures we are taught Wee say that this is the first effect of Predestination because we can enioy none of the gifts of god either of election vocation or iustification except in Christ and by Christ For hee hath poured out all the effects of predestination into vs. In that therefore euerie elect faithfull man feeleth Christ to dwell in him and to quicken him hee hath a seale in himselfe by which he may know that he was elected to euerlasting life in the same Christ A part and beginning of which life is this spirituall life by which we now liue to God And as euerie man knoweth himselfe to be the sonne of God in Christ because he calleth vpon God from his heart as a father he may conclude that hee is predestinated to be the sonne of God for Christs cause And that by this first note the faithfull may know that they are elect to eternall life the Apostle sheweth Know ye not saith he your selues that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates And no doubt a Type of this kind of sealing was that sealing which was done in Egypt by the blood of the Lambe namely when the houses of the Israelites were sprinkled with this blood that they might be discerned from the houses of the Egyptians and so be passed ouer vntouched of the Angel And by Christ as by the chiefe effect yea and the cause too of all the effects which followe all other effects of Predestination are put into vs and we are sealed with them The Apostle nameth three principals our calling to wit effectuall our iustification and glorification This third effect we shall obtaine in the life to come the two first in this life And to these two may verie well be referred all other which we receiue in this life by Christ with the effectuall we ioyne a sound hearing of the word of God and the vnderstanding of it accompanied with great and constant delight and ioie faith also and a true knowledge of the deitie humanitie and office of Christ.
briefly consider the effects of predestination prepared for all the elect without which they can in no wise come to the ende and therefore the first effect of predestination is our Lord Iesus with his obedience merits death resurrection glorie namely in that respect he is made mediatour betweene God the father and vs and the head of all the elect And therefore in as much as he is such a one he is also the cause of all other graces and benefits which come vnto vs by the free predestination of God For the effects of predestination are so ordered among themselues that the first which goe before are the causes efficient or if we will so speake the materiall causes of the latter and those that follow Therefore seeing Christ is the first effect of predestination he is also the cause of all other effects by whome we are made partakers of them The Apostle therefore saith very well to the Ephesians In the first place saith he we are elected in Christ namly as in the head to be his members Secondly he writeth that we are predestinate to adoption by Christ namely to obtaine it for we are adopted into the sonnes of God in Christ the first begotten sonne of God and by making vs partakers of his sonâ—hip we are really made the sonnes of God yea and we are also indued with his spirit too that we might be borne anew Thirdly saith he we are made acceptable and beloued vnto the father and his beloued sonne namely Christ. Fouâ—thly that we haue our redemptioÌ„ in the same Christ by his blood and haue obtained remission of sinnes and all wisdome and vnderstanding as well in heauen as in earth In a word the Apostle sheweth there as also else where that whatsoeuer benefits we doe or shall hereafter obtaine counting from our eternall election euen vnto our glorification all those we now doe and shall obtaine hereafter in Christ and by Christ. Therefore whosoeuer are elected to eternall life besides this that they are elected in Christ they are also predestinate to Christ that is to haue fellowship with him that they may by him enioy all other benefits The second benâ—fit of God and effect of our predestination is our effectuall calling to Christ and to his Gospel in which the elect are onely called because it is by the purpose and grace of God which is giuen vs in Christ. And an effectuall calling is knowne by the effects two of which proceed directly from â—t a heartie kind of hearing the word and the conceiuing of it with a very great constant and continuall delight and a true and sure beleefe of the word of the Gospel Thence it is that Christ saith Who is of God saith he namely by election and effectuall calling heareth the word of God very willingly and from his heart and that continually but ye heare not because ye are not of God And this calling is wrought not onely of the preaching of the word as it is in all that be of yeares but also and that chiefly with the inward inspiration of the holy Ghost whiles that the Father draweth them by his spirit whome he will haue to come to Christ Which also was said to be done in infants For this calling is the beginning of saluation euen in this life and therefore it is the Apostles manner in the beginning of his Epistles to make mention of this calling naming all the faithfull The saints called Therefore it must needes be that all they which are elected in Christ must also at length effectually be called and drawne to Christ. After an effectuall calling followeth Faith the effect of predestination which is said to be peculiar vnto â—he elect And without which as the Apostle saith it is not possible to please God For by it we are ingrafted into Christ and are made the members of Christ and without faith no man can be sauâ—d And that this is an effect of Predestination the Apostle plainly sheweth when he saith that he had obtained mercie namely in Gods eternall predestination that he might beleeue Wherefore whosoeuer are predestinate to obtaine eternall life in Christ and by Christ they are also elect to haue the very gift of faith Therefore it must needs be that at length they shall beleeue in Christ. The fourth benefit is Iustification that is a free pardoning of our sinnes and the imputation of the righteousnes of Christ for it followeth Faith because whosoeuer are indued with true faith in Christ are also iustified And that iustification is an effect of predestination the Apostle sheweth when he puttâ—th it after calling before which he setteth predestination And when he saith that we are elect in Christ that we might be holy and without spot or blame in the presence of God and that this is not done while we are in this world but by the pardoning of all our faults and by the imputation of his perfect obedience Wherefore it must needs be that all the elect shall be iustified and be taken for most pure and without blame in Gods presence With iustification is ioyned regeneration and sanctification by the holy Ghost namely whiles we are made new creatures by him and the sonnes of God too not onely by adoption but also by regeneration For when Christ iustifieth vs he doth not onely forgiue vs our vnrighteousnes impute his righteousnes to vs but also he taketh from vs our stonie heart giueth vs a fleshie heart of his owne and he strips vs of our old man puts on his new man Lastly he taketh away the corruption of our nature and makes vs partakers of his diuine nature and so indeed of the sonnes of men he makes vs the sonnes of God and his brethren too Therefore it is saide that we are predestinated to adoption by Iesus Christ and elect that we may be holy without blame and that which is borne of the spirit is called spirit Therfore the elected to eternall life must needs be begotten anew to be the sonnes of God and be made partakers of the diuine nature and be a new creature in Christ. Hence issueth the sixt effect of predestination which is heedfully to be regarded the loue of righteoâ—unesse and the detestation of sinne For in regeneration the affections are principally chaunged Namely the affections of the corrupt nature and flesh into the affections of the diuine nature and spirit Hence it is that the Apostle saith that they which are borne anew doe walke according to the spirit and not after the flesh and not to sauour the things of the flesh but the things of the spirit And the chiefe affections of the flesh are the loue of sinne that is the concupiscence of the flesh and contrariwise the hatred of righteousnesse and the law of God which are not of the Father but of the world Therefore the chiefe affections of regeneration and the spirit are the loue of righteousnesse and of the
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
said religion is against the Catholike principles and groundes of the Catechisme PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPfull Sir William Bowes Knight c. Grace and peace RIght Worshipful it is a notable pollicie of the deuil which he hath put into the heades of sundrie men in this age to thinke that our religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be reunited as in their opinion they were before Writings to this effect are spread abroad in the French tongue and respected of English protestants more then is meete or ought to be For let men in shew of moderation pretend the peace and good estate of the Catholike Church as long as long as they will this Vnion of the two religions can neuer be made more then the vnion of light darknes And this shall appeare if we doe but a little consider howe they of the Romane Church haue rased the foundation For though in wordes they honour Christ yet in deed they turne him to a Pseudo-Christ and an Idol of their owne braine They call him our Lord but with this condition that the Seruant of Seruants of this Lord may chaunge and adde to his commandements hauing so great a power that he may open and shut heauen to whome he will and bind the verie conscience with his owne lawes and consequently be partaker of the spiritual kingdome of Christ. Againe they call him a Sauiour but yet in Vs in that hee giues this grace vnto vs that by our merits wee may be our owne Sauiours and in the want of our own merits wee may pertake in the merits of the Saints And they acknowledge that he died and suffered for vs but with this caueat that the Fault beeing pardoned wee must satisfie for the temporall punishment either in this world or in Purgatorie In a word they make him our mediatour of Intercession vnto God but withal his Mother must be the Queene of Heauen and by the right of a Mother commaund him there Thus in worde they crie Osunna but in deede they crucifie Christ. Therefore wee haue good cause to blesse the name of God that hath freed vs from the yoke of this Romane bondage and hath brought vs to the true light libertie of the gospel And it should be a great height of vnthankfulnesse in vs not to stand out against the present Church of Rome but to yeeld our selues to plottes of reconciliation To this effect and purpose I haue penned this little Treatise which I present to your Worship desiring it might be some token of a thankfull mind for vndeserued loue And I craue withall not onely your Worshipfull which is more common but also your learned protection beeing well assured that by skill and arte you are able to iustifie whatsoeuer I haue truely taught Thus wishing to you and yours the continuance and the increase of faith and good conscience I take my leaue Cambridge Iun. 28. 1597. Your Worships in the Lord William Perkins THE AVTHOR TO THE Christian Reader BY a Reformed Catholike I vnderstand any one that holdes the same necessarie beads of religion with the Romane Church yet so as he pares off and reiects all errours in doctrine whereby the said religion is corrupted Howe this may be done I haue begun to make some little declaration in this small Treatise the intent whereof is to shewe how neere wee may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion and wherein we must for euer dissent My purpose in penning this small discourse is threefolde The first is to confute all such Politikes as hold and maintaine that our religion and that of the Romane Church differ not in substance and consequently that they may be reconciled yet my meaning is not here to condemne any Pacification that tends to perswade the Romane Church to our religion The second is that the Papists which thinke so basely of our religion may be wonne to a better liking of it when they shall see howe neere we come vnto them in sundrie points The third that the common protestant might in some part see and conceiue the point of difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome and know in what manner and how farre forth we condemne the opinions of the said Church I craue pardon for the order which I vse in handling the seuerall points For I haue set them downe one by one as they came to mind not respecting the lawes of method If any Papist shall say that I haue not alleadged their opinions aright I answer that their bookes be at hand and I can iustifie what I haue saide Thus crauing thine acceptation of this my paines and wishing vnto thee the increase of knowledge and loue of pure and sound religion I take my leaue and make an ende The places of doctrine handled are 1 Of Free-will 2 Of Originall sinne 3 Assurance of saluation 4 Iustification of a sinner 5 Of merits 6 Satisfactions for sinne 7 Of Traditions 8 Of Vowes 9 Of Images 10 Of Reall presence 11 The sacrifice of the Masse 12 Of Fasting 13 The state of perfection 14 Worshipping of Saints departed 15 Intercession of Saints 16 Implicite faith 17 Of Purgatorie 18 Of the supremacie 19 Of the efficacie of the Sacraments 20 Of faith 21 Of Repentance 22 The sinnes of the Romane Church REVELAT 18. 4. And I heard another voice from heauen say Goe out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and receiue not of her plagues IN the former chapter S. Iohn sets downe a description of the whore of Babylon that at large as he saw her in a vision described vnto him In the sixteenth verse of the same chapter he foretels her destruction and in the three first verses of this 18. chapter hee goeth on to propound the said destruction yet more directly and plainely withall alleadging arguments to prooue the same in all the verses following Nowe in this fourth verse is set downe a caueat seruing to forewarne all the people of God that they may escape the iudgement which shal befall the whore and the words containe two parts a commandement and a reason The commandement Come out of her my people that is from Babylon The reason taken from the euent least ye be partakers c. Touching the cōmandement first I will search the right meaning of it and then set downe the vse thereof and doctrine flowing thence In historie therefore are three Babylons mentioned one is Babylon of Assyria standing on the riuer Euphrates where was the confusion of Languages and where the Iewes were in captiuitie which Babylon is in Scripture reproched for Idolatrie and other iniquities The second Babylon is in Egypt standing on the riuer Nylus and it is now called Cayr of that mention is made 1. Pet. 5.13 as some thinke though indeede it is as likely and more commonly thought
is eaten his owne flesh which he was to giue for the life of the worlde and what can be said more of the Lords supper Augustine saith that beleeuers are partakers of the bodie and blood of Christ in baptisme and Hierome to Edibia that in baptisme we eate and drinke the body and blood of Christ. If thus much may be said of baptisme why may it not also be said of the word preached Again Hierom vpon Ecclesiastes saith It is profitable to be filled with the bodie of Christ and drinke his blood not onely in mysterie but in knowledge of holy Scripture Nowe vpon this it followes that seeing the worke done in the word preached conferres not grace neither doth the worke done in the sacrament conferre any grace Reason II. Math. 3.11 I baptize you with water to repentance but he that cōmeth after me is stronger then I hee shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Hence it is manifest that grace in the sacrament proceedes not from any action in the sacrament for Iohn though he doe not disioyne himselfe his action from Christ and the action of his spirit yet doth he distinguish thē plainely in number persons and effect To this purpose Paul who had said of the Galathians that he trauelled of them and beget them by the Gospell saith of himselfe that he is not any thing not onely as hee was a man but as hee was a faithfull Apostle thereby excluding the whole Euangelicall ministerie wherof the Sacrament is a part from the least part of diuine operation or efficacy in conferring of grace Reason III. The blessed Angels nay the very flesh of the sonne of God hath not any quickning vertue from it selfe but all this efficacie or vertue is in and from the godhead of the sonne who by meanes of the flesh apprehended by faith deriueth heauenly and spirituall life from himselfe to the members Now if there be no efficacie in the flesh of Christ but by reason of the hypostatical vnion how shall bodily actions about bodily elements conferre grace immediatly Reason IV. Paul Rom. 4. stands much vpon this to prooue that iustification by faith is not conferred by the sacraments And from the circumstance of time he gathereth that Abraham was first iustified and then afterward receiued circumcision the signe and seale of his righteousnes Nowe we knowe that the generall condition of all sacraments is one and the same and that baptisme succeeded circumcision And what can be more plaine then the example of Cornelius Act. 10. who before Peter came vnto him had the commendation of the feare of God and was indued with the spirit of praier and afterward when Peter by preaching opened more fully the way of the Lord hee and the rest receiued the holy Ghost And after all this they were baptised Now if they receiued the holy Ghost before baptisme then they receiued remission of sinnes and were iustified before baptisme V. Reason The iudgement of the Church Basil. If there bee any grace in the water it is not from the nature of the water but from the presence of the spirit Hierome saith Man giues water but God giues the holy Ghost Augustine saide Water toucheth the bodie and washeth the heart but he shewes his meaning else where There is one water saith he of the sacrament another of the spirit the water of the Sacrament is visible the water of the spirit inuisible That washeth the bodie and signifieth what is done in the soule By this the soule is purged and healed Obiect Remission of sinnes regeneration and saluation is ascribed to the sacrament of baptisme Act. 22.21 Eph. 5. Gal. 3.27 Tit. 2. Ans. Saluation and remission of sinnes is ascribed to baptisme and the Lords supper as to the word which is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue and that as they are instruments of the holy ghost to signifie zeale and exhibite to the beleeuing minde the foresaid benefits but indeede the proper instrument whereby saluation is apprehended is faith and sacraments are but proppes of faith furthering saluation two waies first because by their signification they helpe to nourish and preserue faith secondly because they seale grace and saluation to vs yea God giues grace and saluation when we vse them well so be it we beleeue the word of promise made to the sacrament whereof also they are seales And thus we keepe the middle way neither giuing too much nor too little to the sacraments The XX. point Of sauing faith or the way to life Our Consent Conclus I. They teach it to bee the propertie of faith to beleeue the whole whole word of God and especially the redemption of mankind by Christ. Conclus II. They auouch that they beleeue looke to be saued by Christ and by Christ alone and by the meere mercy of God in Christ. Conclus III. Thirdly the most learned among them hold confesse that the obedience of Christ is imputed vnto them for the satisfaction of the lawe and for their reconciliation with God Conclus IV. They auouch that they put their whole trust and confidence in Christ and in the meere mercy of God for their saluation Concl. V. Lastly they hold that euery man must apply the promise of life euerlasting by Christ vnto himselfe and this they grant we are bound to doe And in these fiue points doe they and we agree at least in shewe of wordes By the auouching of the fiue conclusions papists may easily escape the handes of many magistrates And vnlesse the mysterie of popish doctrine bee well known any common man may easily be deceiued take such for good protestants that are but popish priests To this end therefore that we may the better discerne their guile I will shew wherein they faile in each of their conclusions and wherein they differ from vs. The difference Touching the first conclusion they beleeue indeed all the written word of God and more then all for they also beleeue the bookes Apocryphal which antiquitie for many hundred yeares hath excluded from the canon yea they beleeue vnwritten traditions receiued as they say from Councills the writings of the Fathers and the determinations of the Church making them also of equall credit with the written worde of God giuen by inspiration of the spirit Now we for our parts despise not the Apocrypha as namely the books of the Machabees Ecclesiasticus and the rest but wee reuerence them in all conuenient manner preferring them before any other bookes of men in that they haue beene approoued by an vniuersall consent of the Church yet wee thinke them not meete to bee receiued into the Canon of holy scripture and therfore not to be beleeued but as they are cōsenting with the written word And for this our doing we haue directiō from Athanasius Origen Hierom and the Councel of Laodicea As for the vnwriten Traditions they come not within the compasse of our faith neither can
one the fault came on all men to condemnation so by the iustifying of one the benefit abounded toward all men to the iustification of life The third Principle Q. What meanes is there for thee to escape this damnable estate A. Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of God beeing made man by his death vpon the crosse and by his righteousnes hath perfectly alone by himselfe accomplished all things that are needfull for the saluation of mankind 1. Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of God And the word was made flesh and dwelt among vs and we sawe the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father full of grace and trueth 2. Being made man For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seede of Abraham 3. By his death vpon the crosse But he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed 4. And by his righteousnes For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many also be made righteous For he hath made him to be sinne for vs which knewe no sinne that wee should be made the righteousnes of God in him 5. Hath perfectly Wherefore he is able also perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them 6. Alone by himselfe Neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued 7. Accomplished all things needefull for the saluation of mankind And he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole worlde The fourth Principle Q. But how maiest thou be made partaker of Christ and his benfits A. A man of a contrite and humble spirit by faith alone apprehending applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe is iustified before God and sanctified 1. A man of a contrite and humble spirit For thus saith hee that is high and excellent he that inhabiteth the eternitie whose name is the holy one I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to thē that are of a contrite heart The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise 2. By faith alone As soone as Iesus heard that word spoken he said vnto the Ruler of the Sinagogue be not afraid onely beleeue So Moses made a serpent of brasse and set it vp for a signe and when a serpent had bitten a man then he looked to the serpent of brasse and liued And as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man bee lifted vp That whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life 3. Apprehending and applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe But as many as receiued him to them he gaue power to bee the sonnes of God to them that beleeue in his name And Iesus said vnto them I am the bread of life hee that commeth to me shall not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst 4. Is iustified before God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnes Euen as Dauid declareth the blessednes of the man vnto whome God imputeth righteousnes without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered 5. And sanctified And he put no difference betweene vs and them after that by faith he had purified their hearts But ye are of him in Christ Iesus who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption The fift Principle Q. What are the ordinarie or vsuall meanes for the obtaining of faith A. Faith commeth only by the preaching of the word and increaseth daily by it as also by the administration of the Sacraments and praier 1. Faith cōmeth only by the preaching of the word increaseth daily by it But howe shal they cal on him in whom they haue not beleeued how shal they beleeue in him of whome they haue not heard and howe shall they heare without a preacher Where there is no vision the people decay but he that keepeth the lawe is blessed My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge because thou hast refused knowledge I will also refuse thee that thou shalt bee no priest to mee and seeing thou hast forgotten the lawe of thy God I will also forget thy children 2. As also by the administration of the Sacraments After he receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of the faith which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should bee the Father of all them that beleeue not beeing circumcised that righteousnes might be imputed to thē also Moreouer brethren I would not that yee should bee ignorant that all our Fathers were vnder the cloud and all passed through the sea c. 3. And Praier For whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued The sixt Principle Q. What is the estate of all men after death A. All men shal rise againe with their owne bodies to the last iudgement which beeing ended the godly shall possesse the kingdome of heauen but vnbeleeuers and reprobates shall bee in hell tormented with the diuell and his angels for euer 1. All men shall rise againe with their owne bodies Maruell not at this for the houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voice And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation 2. To the last iudgement For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement with euery secret thing whether it be good or euill But I say vnto you that of euery idle worde that men shall speake they shall giue account thereof at the day of iudgement 3. VVhich beeing ended the godly And deliuered iust Lot vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked And the Lord said vnto him goe through the middest of the cittie euen through the middest of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the foreheads of them that mourne and crie for all the abominations that be done in the middest thereof 4. Shall possesse the kingdome of God Then shall the king say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherit ye the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world 5. But vnbeleeuers and rebrobates shall bee in hell tormented with the deuill and his angels Then shal he say vnto them on the left
grace from the sentence of the Law pricking the conscience Q. How is it done A. By praying with sending vp lowd cries for Gods fauour in Christ in the pardoning of sinne and with feruent perseuerance herein till the desire of the heart be graunted Q. What followeth after all this A. God then according to his mercifull promise le ts the poore sinner feel the assurance of his loue wherewith he loueth him in Christ which assurance is a liuely faith Q. Are there diuers degrees and measures of true faith A. Yea. Q. What is the least measure of true faith that any man can haue A. When a man of an humble spirit by reason of the littlenes of his faith doth not yet feele the assurance of the forgiuenes of his sinnes and yet he is perswaded that they are pardonable and therefore desireth that they should be pardoned and with his heart praieth to God to pardon them Q. How doe you know that such a man hath faith A. These desires and prayers are testimonies of the Spirit whose property it is to stirre vp a longing and a lusting after heauenly things with sighes and grones for Gods fauour mercie in Christ. Now where the spirit of Christ is there is Christ dwelling and where Christ dwelleth there is true faith how weake soeuer it be Q. What is the greatest measure of faith A. When a man daily increasing in faith comes to be fully perswaded of Gods loue in Christ towards himselfe particularly and of the forgiuenesse of his owne sinnes Q. When shall a Christian heart come to this full assurance A. Not at the first but in some continuance of time when he hath beene well practised in Repentance and hath had diuers experiences of Gods loue vnto him in Christ then after them will appeare in his heart the fulnesse of perswasion which is the ripenes and strength of faith Q. What benefits doth a man receiue by his faith in Christ A. Hereby he is iustified before God and sanctified Q. What is this to be iustified before God A. It comprehendeth two things the first to be cleared from the guiltines and punishment of sinne the second to be accepted as perfectly righteous before God Q. How is a man cleared from the guiltines and punishment of his sinnes A. By Christs sufferings and death vpon the crosse Q. How is he accepted righteous before God A. By the righteousnes of Christ imputed to him Q. What profit comes by beeing thus iustified A. Hereby and by no other meanes in the world the beleeuer shall be accepted before Gods iudgement seat as worthie of eternall life by the merits o the same righteousnes of Christ. Q. Doe not good works then make vs worthie of eternall life A. No for God who is perfect righteousnes it selfe will finde in the best workes we doe more matter of daâ—uation then of saluation and therefore we must rather condemne our selues for our good workes then looke to be iustified before God thereby Q. How may a man know that he is iustified before God A. He neede not ascend into heauen to search the secret counsell of God but rather desceÌ„d into his own heart to search whether he be sanctified or not Q. What is it to be sanctified A. It comprehendeth two things the first to be purged from the corruption of his owne nature the second to be indued with inward righteousnes Q. How is the corruption of sinne purged A. By the merits and power of Christs death which beeing by faith applied is as a corasiue to abate consume and weaken the power of all sinne Q. How is a man indued with inherent righteousnes A. Through the vertue of Christs resurrection which beeing applied by faith is as a restoratiue to reuiue a man that is dead in sinne to newnes of life Q. In what part of a man is sanctification wrought A. In euery part both bodie and soule Q. In what time is it wrought A. It is begunne in this life in which the faithfull receiue onely the first fruites of the Spirit and it is not finished before the ende of this life Q. What graces of the Spirit doe vsually shew themselues in the heart of a man sanctified A. The hatred of sinne and the loue of righteousnes Q. What proceedes of them A. Repentance which is a setled purpose in the heart with a carefull indeauour to leaue all his sinnes and to liue a Christian life according to all Gods commandements Q. What goeth with repentance A. A continuall fighting and strugling against the assaults of a mans owne flesh against the motions of the deuill and the inticements of the world Q. What followeth after a man hath gotten the victorie in any temptation or affliction A. Experience of Gods loue in Christ and so increase of peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost Q. What followes iâ— in any temptation he be ouercome and through infirmitie fall A. After a while there will arise a godly sorrow which is when a man is grieued for no other cause in the world but for this onely that by his sinne he hath displeased God who hath beene vnto him a most mercifull and louing Father Q. What signe is there of this sorrow A. The true signe of it is this when a man can be grieued for the very disobedience to God in his euill word or deed though he should neuer be punished and though there were neither heauen nor hell Q. VVhat followes after this sorrow A. Repentance renewed a fresh Q. By what signes will this repentance appeare A. By seauen 1. A care to leaue the sinne into which he is fallen 2. An vtter condemning of himselfe for it with a crauing of pardon 3. A great anger against himselfe for his carelesnes 4. A feare least he should fall into the same sinne againe 5. A desire euer after to please God 6. A zeale of the same 7. Reuenge vpon himselfe for his former offence The fifth Principle expounded Q. What outward meanes must we vse to obtaine faith and all blessings of God which come by faith A. The preaching of Gods word and the administration of the Sacraments and praier Q. Where is the word of God to be found A. The whole word of God needfull to saluation is set downe in the holy Scriptures Q. How know you that the Scriptures are the word of God and not mens pollicies A. I am assured of it First because the holy Ghost perswadeth my conscience that it is so Secondly I see it by experience for the preaching of the Scriptures haue the power of God in them to humble a man when they are preached and to cast him down to hell and afterward to restore and raise him vp againe Q. What is the vse of the word of God preached A. First it breedeth and then it increaseth faith
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
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
the pardon of sinne A liuely assuraÌ„ce c Mat. 7. Esay 65.24 d Reu. 21.6 Iob. 4.14 e Luk. 4. 18. Mat. 9. 11. 12. f Psal. 51.3 g Vers. 8. h Vers. 12. i Vers. 1. k Vers. 17. Degrees of faith p Reu. 12.2 Gal. 4. 19. q 1. Cor. 3.2 r Eph. 4. 13. The least mesure of faith s Mat. 17. 20. t Esa. 43. 2. u Mat. 1.25 x Esa. 51.17 y Psal. 22.1 1 A perswasion that sinne is pardonable a Gen. 4. 13. 2 A desire of reconciliation to God in Christ for sinne b Mat. 5. 6. Luk. 1.53 Psal. 145.19 Psal. 10. 17. 38.9 Num. 23. 9. 3 〈◊〉 for pardon c Rom. 8. 25 d Eph. 3. 17. * Ge. 25.22 e Mat. 16. f Mat. 17.23 Luk. 9.45 g Act. 1. 6. h Mat. 8.25 The greatest mesure of faith i Rom. 8.33 * 1. Tim. 1. 16. k Cant. 8.6,7 l Ro. 5.45 m Ps. 23.6 n Psal. 23. 2,3,4 o 1. Sam. 17. 32. p vers 33. q vers 34. r vers 35. s vers 36. a Eph. 3. 17. Vnion with Christ. b Eph. 3.20 Eph. 1.19 1. Cor. 13.16 c Eph. 1.22 23. Communion with Christ. d Ro. 6.4 â— Ioh. 15.1,2 Eph. 4.13 16. e Act. 15.9 f 1. Cor. 1.30 2. Cor. 5.21 Iustification g Luk. 1. 35. Coloss. 2.9 Ioh. 4.14 Mar. 2. 17. h Col. 2.14 Gal. 3.13 Eph. 1.7 i Rom. 4. 18,19 Math. 3.15 Esa. 53. 11. Phil. 2.8 k Rom. 8.1 2,3 Ioh. 17.19 l Rom. 5.1 2,4,5,6 1 Reconciliation m 2. Cor. 5. 18. n Rom. 5. 10,11 2. Cor. 6. 9 Heb. 12.6 2. Sam. 7.14 2. Sam. 12. 13,14 2 Afflictions onely chastisments 3 Merit in Christ. h Matth. 19. 28,29 Apoc. 22.12 and 22. 6. Peace of conscience e Heb. 10.22 Rom. 5. 1. and 16. 15. A difference betweene a deade conscience and a quiet conscience f Ioh. 7.37 Esa. 57.15 g Rom. 5.1 Heb. 9.14 h Act. 23. and 24. 16. i Eph. 3.12 Rom. 5.2 2 Entrance with boldnes into Gods presence k Rom. 5.3 and 14.17 Loâ—e 4 Feâ—ling of Gods loue l Rom. 5.5 a Ioh. 1.12 Gal. 3.26 Heb. 2.11 12. 1. Pet. 2.9 Heb. 6.7,8 1. Cor. 3. 32. Heb. 1.14 15. Rom. 8 28. 2. Cor. 12.7 b Heb. 2. 15. 1. Cor. 15. 54,56 Rom. 5.5 1. Cor. 10. 10. Assurance of adoption The spirit of adoption c Rom. 8. 16. Gal. 4. 6. 1. Pet. 3.21 d 2. Cor. 1.21 e Rom. 8.25 1. Ioh. 3.2 Coloss. 3.3 1. Cor. 3.1 Eph. 4. 14. Labour in prayer for it is the proper spirit of adoption and in praier we shall most of all feele the spirit of adoption Hope a Rom. 8.25 and 5.5 2. Cor. 5.6.7 Heb. 11.2 b 1. Th. 1.3 Rom. 8.38 Sanctification b Act. 15.9 Ps. 103.5 Eze. 11.19 Psal. 51.12 c Gal. 5.24 Col. 3.5 d Eph. 1.1 1. Cor. 15. 45. Mortification e Ro. 6.3,4 Col. 2.12 and 3.2,5 Vâ—uification in the first resurrection f Phil. 3.10 Rom. 6.4 k Col. 1.9 l Psal. 119. 105. m v. 98,99 n 100. o 18. p Ioh. 9.41 q Psal. 1.2 Sanctifcation of the memorie r Ps. 119.11 s Luk. 2. 19. t Prou. 2.1 Sanctification of the will Phil. 2. 13. x Iob 15.16 Eph. 2.2 Luk. 11. 21. y Rom. 7. 14. Sanâ—tification of the affections z Rom. 12.9 a Rom. 12.15 b Luk. 10.20 Ps. 143.6 d Esa. 66.2 e Psal. 48.2 f 2. Pet. 2. 8. Ps. 119. 136 g Ro. 12. 11. h Col. 3. 12 i Eph. 4.26 k 2. Cor. 7.11 l 1. Ioh. 3. 14. m Psal. 119. 128. n vers 127. o Mat. 8.10 p Psal. 2.11 q Act. 9.31 r 1. Pet. 1.6 s 1. Pet. 4.13 t Psal. 33. 20,21 u Rom. 8.23 x 2. Cor. 5.2 y Psal. 86. 8. z Phil. 3.8 Zeale for Gods glorie a Ex. 32. 12. b Rom. 9.3 c 1. Cor. 13. vers 7. d Cant. 8. vers 6.7 The feare of god e Eccl. 12. 14. f Pro. 14.26 g Act. 9. 31. h Psal. 26.8 i Gen. 5. 22. k Gen. 17. 1. l Psal. 4.4 m Exod. 1.17 n Esa. 66.3 Hâ—tred of sinne o Ro. 7. 24. p Cant. 1. 4. q Reu. 22.20 r Luk. 21.27 s 2. Tim. 4.8 2. Cor. 5.6,7 t Luk. 21.26 u Luk. 21.28 Sanctification of the bodie x Rom. 6. vers 19. y Thes. 4.4 z Iob. 31. vers 1. A consolation a Rom. 8. 5. vers 1. Repentance b Act. 26.26 c Psa. 112.6 d Act. 11.23 e 1. Ioh. 3.3 f Psal. 73.13 Repentance after faith sanctification in nature but first in sense and appearance g Ro. 7. 22. h Mat. 26. 69.70,71 72. i Ioh. 12.2 27. k Esa. 61. 3. 1. Tim. 1.5 Fruits of repentance l 1. Sam. 15. 22. m 1. Cor. 10. 31. Hearing of the word y Ioh. 10.27 Iob. 8.47 a Act. 17.11 b Iam. 1. 12. Psal. 26.67 c 1. Cor. 3.18 d Act. 16.14 e Mar. 9.40 f Eph. 6.17 g Ro. 15.16 h Ioh. 6. 63. i Heb. 4.2 k Act. 10.34 Esa 66.3 l 1. Th. 2.13 m Mat. 17.5 1. Pet. 5.4 n Psal. 119. 11. o Psal. 119. 24. Receiuing of the Sacramentâ— p Cant. 2.5 Reliefe of the poore q Gal. 6. 11. r Act. 2.44 s Act. 4. 32. t 2. Cor. 8.23 u 1. Ioh. 3.16 Prayer a Act. 9. 14. b Psal. 14.4 c Ps. 145.18 d Rom. 8.16 e Zac. 12.10 f Eccl. 5.1 Dan. 9.4 g Dan. 9.4 h 1. SaÌ„ 1.15 i Ps. 143. 6. and 42. 1,2 k Rom. 8. â—6 l Mar. 1â— â—8 m Rom. 8.32 n 1. Ioh. 5.14 15. o 1. Th. 5. 17 A lawful calling p Act. 14. 10 q Psal. 101.2 r Psa. 26.1.2 Psa. 119.23 Psal. 18.22 24. Spiritual exercise in tempâ—ationâ— s Reu. 12.17 t Deu. 8.2 3 2. Cor. 16. 12.18 Inward motions of the flesh u Iam. 1.14 x Gal. 5. 17. y Mar. 7.1.2 a Ro. 7.23 b Esay 64. 6. c Ro. 8.3.4 d Ro. 7. 15. e Gal. 9.24 Psal. 16.8 f Esa. 30.21 g Ioh. 16.8 Ro. 2.14.15 1. Pet. 4.3.4 Psal. 67.10 Psal. 119. 104.118 Rom. 7. 15. Little feeling h Cant. 6. 2. b vers 3. c vers 4. d vers 5. e vers 6.7 vers 8. f vers 9. g 10,11 12 13,14,15 i vers 17. No feeling k Cant. c. 3. Vers. 1. l vers 2. m vers 3. n vers 4. o vers 5. p vers 6. q vers 8,9 10. r vers 11. s Cap. 4. vers 1. to the 15. t vers 16. u vers 1. c. 5. 4 A spirituall slumber in worldly pleasures Cant. 5. Mat. 25. 5. Cant. 5. x vers 2. y ver 3. z vers 4. a vers 5. b vers 6. c vers â— d vers â—â— 10,11 â—â— 13,14,15 16. e vers 17. f Cap. 6. â— â— g vers 2. h vers 3.10 the 7. verse of cap. 7. 5 A fal into some sinne n 2. Cor. 7.11 o Act. 2.37 p mat 29.75 Outward afflictions a mat 16.24 b 1. pet 4.17 c Act. 14.22 d Heb. 12.11 c Ioh. 3. f Ioh. 6.2,3 g Iob. 13. 26. h 1.