a coniunction copulatiue ioyning of things together and this is ruach Elohim God the Spirit In a word the Father hath but one respect that is he is produceus non productus producing and not produced The Spirit hath one respect likewise hee is productus produced not producens producing But the the Sonne hath two respects that is he is productus a Patre vna cum Patre producens spiritum sanctum produced from the Father and is one with the Father producing the holy Spirit This is the Trinitie in vnitie and the vnitie in Trinitie three Persons yet but one God And now what is it that you would haue Is it Power to protect you Mercy to forgiue you and Grace to sanctifie you Then seeke eth Iehouah for as Salomon sayde get wisedome get vnderstanding so get Iehouah and get all things For they alone possesse all things which possesse the possesser of all things Well might Dauid say our helpe standeth besham Iehouah for there we haue power and protection mercy and redemption grace and sanctification But this is a Sunne so glorious that wee are not able to behold it a Sea so deepe we cannot sound it and a maiestie so great wee cannot comprehend it I must say with Barnard To enquire of the Trinitie is a peruerse curiosity to beleeue and to hold as the holy Church holdeth is faith and securitie to see it as it is is most perfect and chiefe felicitie And now I say vnto you as Alanus saide to his auditours who told them that hee would open the misterie of the Trinitie and when hee was to speake hereof at the time appointed saide Sufficit vobis vidisse Alanus It is sufficient that you haue seene Alanus So it is sufficient that you haue heard thus much of the incomprehensible Trinitie and this great glorious name Iehouah Eth Iehouah wee will not so let him goe but as Iacob would not let the Angell goe before hee had got a blessing so we will not giue ouer till we haue found the Lord for though we cannot come neere him because of his glory yet let vs tread in his footsteps and that will bring vs to him at length For as the onely way to come to the sea is to follow the streame to the nearest way to follow the Lord is to follow him in his word and this will bring a man peace at the last saith Dauid And this is that which the Lord commaunded saying Seeke mee and you shall liue but seeke not Beth. el. His meaning is that they should obey his word and follow the same and not Ieroboams calues at Beth el. This was commended in Iofiah which sought the Lord that is the will and word of the Lord to doe accordingly Which thing beingsoneedful that the apostle saith Proue that good and acceptable will of the Lord that is to doe it for this is truely to seeke the Lord. When Christ said Seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse hee meaneth that we should doe that righteousnesse And whosoeuer thus seekes the Lord shall finde him to his comfort But here take heede you seeke him not in Poetry Philosophie or in Historiographie for non est hic He is not here The wisedome of the world knew not God in the wisdome thereof Therfore well might the Apostle say Take heede that no man spoyle you through Philosophie A disease whereof many are sicke hauing more delight and being better experienced in humane stories then in godly Diuinity In the one they are cunning in the other they are ignorant When they come to the word they must doe as men that want their sight which put on their spectacles before they can reade so these must turne to the Table before they can finde the Booke Surely it is not like there can be a strong faith when the knowledge is so weake The men of this age are taken with a kinde of giddinesse in the braine and are sicke of curiositie in Religion more ready to enquire after Melchi sedecs father then the way to finde God Much like Adrian who would needes know who was Euandars nurse and great grandfathers granfather to Priamus Maximus reports that Eucledes who being asked wherewith the gods were delighted answered for other things I know not but this I am sure of they hate all curious persons It was strange that the Iewes should forsake the Manna and loue the Garlike and Onions of Egypt But more strange it is to see the men of this time to forsake the word of God and to loue the foame of mens inuentions How are our Sermons now despised if they bee not garnished ouer with historie or Philosophie How many come hither rather for affected wordes then to learne how to practise obedience and to fill their eares with curiositie rather then their hearts with grace There is no great difference betweene the foode of the body and the foode of the soule for good meate must be set out with floures good clothes with toyes and so sound Diuinitie with history These are seekers but for deuils diuintie Looke on the drunkard and you shall finde him a diligent searcher not for the Lord but for strong drinke Hee beginnes with the Sunne-rising and continues till it set and often hee calles for a candle because the whole day is too short and there he and others search till neither witte in their heads grace in their soules nor money in their purses is to be found The adulterer is a searcher not after the Lord but harlots He seekes all in the darke by owle-light lest the chaste birds of honestie should see him and wonder at him and at length findes a bodie going to the graue full of sores and a soule going to hell miserably sinfull The Incloser is a great seeker but to the poore mans cost and his beasts destruction he hedges in the poore mans Common and keepes pasture from his beast and so he is a murderer both of man an beast Not long since by God such an Incloser was strucken dead suddenly from heauen in the very acte of his sinne I could name him I will not The Ingrosser is a great seeker euen to the foure corners of the Land but in all this inambulation hee cannot or will not find the Lord not so much as set a foote in the path of obedience like those dogs running by the riuer Nilus not once giuing a lap at Iacobs Well These seeke not for grace but graine and commodities like the Pharises that compasse sea and land to fill their ware-houses with commodities Surely wee neede not complaine for want of bread were it not for these Inclosers The ambitious man is a diligent seeker hee lookes high and seekes in the ayre yet not for the Lord but for the honour of promotion like Haman that seeke to ride on the Kings horse and thinke the highest step of promotion too low for them
Agnitio peccati ct irae Dei The knowledge of sinne and of the wrath of God This knowledge is so needfull that without it we neuer flee from sinne witnesse that saying of Paul I had not knowne sinne but by the lawe for I had not knowen sinne except the lawe had said Thou shalt not lust By which it appeareth that by the iudgement of Paul concupiscence was no sinne and therefore hee in a happy and blessed estate as he saith in the 9 verse iudging himselfe to bee aliue and therefore sarte from repentance for his concupiscence because he did not see it to be a sinne But when the knowledge of sinne came by the Commaundement then hee rent his heart with contrition vers 10. And as he found this in himselfe so he commands it vnto others instructing them to meekenesse that are contrary minded proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance that they may come to the knowledge of the trueth The like course Peter tooke with the Iewes to make their sinnes appeare vnto them that so he might drawe them to repentance which hee could not haue done without the sight of sinne for the whole neede no. Physitian saith Christ. No man will seeke to the Physitian before he feele his disease no man will repent before hee beleeues himselfe to be a sinner Nemofacit Legem nisi qui credit Legi No man doeth the Lawe but hee that beleeues the Lawe saith Ambrose Who will grieue for his sinne before hee sees that hee hath sinned In this sense a man may say as the Eunuch said when Philip asked him if he knew what he read How can I without a guide So may we well say how shall sinners repent before they knowe their sinne Therefore the counsell of Ieremie is to be followed Let vs search and try our wayes to finde out our sinnes for he that hideth his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth them shall haue mercy The way to get pardon of sinne is first to know them 2. to repent for them This is the first effect of the plowe to discouer our sinnes To haue an acknowledgement of sinne these things are requisite First a skill in the word of God for there hee hath read a Lecture vnto vs both of good and euil sinne and vertue distinguishing the one from the other and painting them both out in their seuerall collours For that is it that is able to make it man wise vnto saluation Dauid asking this question of God Wherewith shall a man redresse his wayes Answere is made By taking heed vnto thy word for nothing doeth make sinne manifest what it is but onely Gods word The Deuill can but he will not Sinne is the lawe of his kingdome whereby it is gouerned and therefore this is to be obserued that the Deuill neuer taughtman to practise any thing but sinne as witnesseth the word of God and therefore farre from making sinne known vnto vs. The like proofe you may haue out of History as Augustine notes Does Paganorum nunquam bene uiuendi sanxisse doctrinam Those Gods of the Pagans neuer established the doctrine of liuing well for they neuer had care of those Cities that gaue them diuine honour And as the Deuill can and will not so nature is blind and cannot Therefore if the blinde lead the blinde they both fall into the ditch There is a kinde of Sympathie betweene sinne and nature onely the word of God can doe it The second thing that is necessary for the acknowledgement of sinne is the illumination of Gods spirit to worke true vnderstanding and iudgement in vs. Paul prayes that the God of our Lord Iesus Christ that father of glory might giue vnto vs the spirit of wisedome that the eyes of our vnderstanding might bee onlightened that we might knowe what the hope is of his calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards vs. So that it is grace that giues vs true vnderstanding to iudge betweene sinne and vertue It is not the Preachers voyce that serues the turne Non verbis hominis fit vt intelligatur verbum Dei facit deus vt intelligatis The words of man cannot make man to vnderstand the word of God but it is God that maketh them to vnderstand Hereunto tend the wordes of Christ. I will send the holy Ghost and hee shall reprooue the world for sinne no man sees sinne in others nor in himselfe that he should reproue it but by the spirit The third thing necessary whereby we may come to the acknowledgement of sinne is a diligene searching into our selues and an examination of our actions as Dauid saith I haue considered my wayes and 〈◊〉 my feete into thy testimonies for it is not enough for vs to consider sinne in others as Horac saith Cur in amicorum vitium tam cernis acutum Quamaut aquila aut sorpous Epidarlins Why doest thou into thy friends ill cariageprie With a quicke Eagles or a serpent eye No let the eyes of our vnderstanding bee looking into our selues as they said to Dauid See to thine owne house O Dauid So I say to thine owne heart O Christian to finde out thy particular sinnes Thus you see that the knowledge of sinne is needfull and you see also how to come to the knowledge thereof Now hauing seene how the spirituall and terrene plow doe agree in the first part let vs come vnto the second which is how the terreno plow doth teare and rent the ground So the spirituall plow teareth vp the soule that there is dolor propten peccatum offensum Deum A sorrow for sinne and for offending God wherein the heart is exceedingly greeued insomuch that no man can expresse the sorrow thereof For awounded spirit who can beare saith the wiseman and a sorrowfull mind drieth vp the boanes And yet this wounded spirit and sorrowfull mind wee must endure For the godly heart is neuer void Vuohospite recedoute alius statim subintrat One guest being gone another straight comes in Thus he is vexed that is to say haled and hurried by strong and violent force Of which Augustine saith Nihil est miserius misere non miser ante seipsum nothing is more miserable then a miserable soule not to comprehend her 〈◊〉 miserie O great is the sorrow of such a plowed soule That as Barnard saith Si msipsum 〈◊〉 speico 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si inspecio me ipsum fere non quaeo If I looke not into my selfe I know not my selfe If I looke into my selfe I cannot indure my selfe So that they say with Dauid Out of the deepe I cried vnto the Lord. And this is the state of the poore penitent soule The consideration hereof teacheth vs that the dolor of heart is no true marke of reprobation for then God would not exhort hereunto as here he doth Sorrow is the
good to obey God and God knew the kingdome too good for him He rent his Obligiens from God and God the Crowne from him Is it good for the vessell of dust to encounter with the arme of omnipotency The potte with the potter Sine percutiat sine percutiatur franginecesse est whether it strike or be strocken it must needs be broken When the Centurian came to Christ for the healing of his seruant he seemed to illustrate this point by an argument taken from himselfe I am a man of authorine I say to one come and he commeth to another goe and he goeth out of which words he frames an argument thus If men haue that prerogatiue to commaund and ordaine lawes then much more God But men haue a prerogatiue to doe the same Ergo God hath prerogatiue and power to command And after this manner God himselfe reasons if you feare to offend the 〈◊〉 of your Prince Then you ought to feare to offend against my commaund But it is true you feare to offend his commaund Ergo You ought to feare to offend my precepts Therefore let vs doe as Soloman saide heare the ends of all feare God and keepe his commaundements For hee is a great and dreadfull God clothed with maiesty the splender of whose glory is tenne thousand times more bright then the Sunne at the sight of whose maiestie the Angels tremble the Heauens melt away like waxe the mountaines smoke the foundations of the earth are mooued and the floods are dried vp and wilt not thou feare to disobey this great and glorious God whose name is wonderfull his iustice infinite his power omnipotent his wisedome vnsearchable his knowledge from eternitie to eternitie and his iudgements intollerable endlesse and remedilesse But if this great and glorious Iehouah which commaunds the sonnes of men to direct their wayes by his word will not serue to perswade you then let the necessity thereof perswade you hereunto for as Peter saide of the name of Iesus so I say of the word there is no other thing that can direct and shewe vs how to walke aright For nihil est 〈◊〉 vel stabile in rebus humanis nothing is firme and stable in humane things Therefore I say with Christ to the Rabbin which asked him saying what shall I doe to be saued in lege quid Scriptum est quomodo legis what is written in the lawe how readest thou for herein is read the righteousnesse of God from faith to faith That is ex fide veteris testementi in fidem noui as Origin obserues from the faith of the olde Testament to the faith of the newe So Chrysostome and this agrees with that of Paul The lawe was our schoolemaster to bring vs to Christ. The olde shewed a Mosias to come the newe sheweth that he is come or as Ambrose saith Ex fide promittentis Dei infidem hominis Credentis From the faith of God promising to the faith of man beleeuing That is the Scriptures doe shew how God giueth and bestoweth his blessings and also how wee are to embrace them God promiseth and man beleeues or as Augustine saith ex fide Praedicantium in fidem andientium from the faith of the Preachers to the faith of the hearers So saith the Apostle faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God preached We preach you beleeue wee teach and you must obey Or ex fide praesentium in fidem futurerum from the faith of things present to the faith of things to come shewing how to liue in the kingdome of grace that hereafter we may enioy the kingdome of glory So doeth the Apostle teach vs saying whatsoeuer is written is written for our learning that we by them might haue hope and consolation of future ioyes For this is that which is able to make a man perfect vnto euery good worke If now you shall demaund of mee wherewith shall a man redresse his wayes I answere with Dauid by taking heede to the word of the Lord for that is the true guide to the kingdome of glory If Gods word the word of righteousnesse be the marke whereat we mustayme then I see fewe hitte the white some shoote wide with the Idolaters some ouer with the proude and ambitious some to lowe with the couetous others too short with their halfe turnes so that as Dauid said they are all gone out of the way non est qui faciat bonum non est usquae ad vnum there is none that doeth good no not one They eate vncleane things in Ashur and oyle is caried into Egypt but woe to such as goe into Ashur or downe to Egypt and haue not asked counsell of Gods word The formest of this cursed crue is the whore of Rome with all her English calues which hath stollen trueths garment to couer errors nakednesse her seuerall names prefigured out her manifold errors She is called a beast Antichrist 〈◊〉 Prophet a whore and multorum 〈◊〉 num sed non boni many names but neuer a good name Of whom I will demaund this one thing whether she be able to maintaine her wayes by the word of God or no If not then as it hath beene saide so is it still Rome is a whore and all those pretended Catholikes bastards begotten in the bed of adultery First let them tell me by what authoritie from the word of God they keepe the word of saluation lockt vp in an vnknowne tongue from the people yea they haue warrant for what they doe and marke it well First the word is the cause of errors and heresies as they say therefore not fit to be knowne Whereas indeede the want of it is rather the cause of errors as the trueth it selfe saith whom wee will belecue before them doe ye not erre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because ye know not the Scriptures And Dauid compareth them to a lanthorne to light our pathes if the light thereof be hid how can they profit vs for still we are ready to stumble at euery error and fall into euery heresie Therefore saith Peter Wee haue a most sure word to the which yee doe well that yee take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place But it seemes these men will bee wiser then God but God shall make it manifest to their confusion that they are fooles Secondly the people cannot vnderstand the word of God when it is translated Ergo it ought not to be translated at all whereas the translation of them is the way to vnderstand them and vnderstanding the way to get faith and faith the way to heauen But why doeth not the wise lesuite reason as well against saluation it selfe thus Man is not able though hee haue the meanes to saue himselfe ergo it is not fit hee should haue the meanes at all And now who will not laugh at such an argument Augustines saying shall end this Why are
sound doctrine honest life and good hospitalitie It is both commondable and commodious for Ministers to preach in the plurall number with good doctrine and charitable hospitalitie wordes without deedes auaile little It is recorded of Alexander Seuerus which said that he was more mooued to beleeue in Christ by the Christians hospitality then by all Origines learned and eloquent perswasions Doctrine and charitie are the two handes which build vp the walles of Sion and who so thus buildes shall receiue a double portion with Beniamin You which are in authoritie both in Church and common-wealth are worthy of double honour in this life and shall reape a two fould croppe in the world to come It may be sayde of Magistrates as it was saide of Christ they are set for the rysing and falling of many in the land you are the high Ceders of Lebanon whose fall is the hurt of many The Church is compared to a building we are the builders you are the side stones and the inferiour people the filling stones So long as you stand the people are safe but if you giue way they fall out by whole heapes Twise happy therefore shall you be if you stand faithfull to the Lord and looke how much you are aboue others in the kingdome of grace by so much shall you shine more then others in the kingdome of glory Thus shall you reape a double blessing with Iacob twise blessed in this world and double crowned in the world to come And you my brethren of the lower sort shall reape a haruest according to your seede for God will make an inquisition after all that you haue done and not a good thought shall goe vnrewarded Then your feeding the hungry clothing the naked pitie to the fatherlesse and widowe ministring to the Saints and your vpholding of religion shalappeare Then shall euery man haue Secundum opera 〈◊〉 peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost Blessed then shall you be in your persons blessed in your actions blessed in your estate and blessed in your posterity And as Christ saide in another kinde all these are but the beginnings the full croppe is yet to come Eye hath not seene eare hath not heard what those things are which God hath layde vppe for those that sowe this seede And thus much briefly for the haruest in generall I come now to the more particular parts of this haruest which are first the property of the worke Reape Secondly the manner of it According to mercie First the propertie of the worke is to reape Haruest is called Autumnus hath that name of Augende increasing For then commeth in store of fruit that the earth bringeth forth which fruit is gathered when the Sunne entreth into Libra which is when the Sunne is in the right line that is called Linea Equinoctialis And so from that time it comes into Libra till it come into the signe that is called Sagittarius Now it is no small comfort to the husbandman after he hath taken great pains and been at great cost to see the haruest approach and the regions to growe white It is no lesse but much more ioy to the child of God which hath sowed the seede of obedience all his lifetime to haue the haruest of promise brought home to the doore of his conscience and ready to enter the barne of his soule But let vs consider this reaping First as it is in grace and then as it will be in glory First we are to consider a little the haruest in grace For they that reape not in grace shall not enioy an haruest in glory Post mercatum solutum nullus negociatur After the market is ended there is neither buying nor selling He that prepareth not things necessary while hee is here is like to want hereafter Wherefore follow the counsell of Christ Lay vp treasure for your selues in heauen that when these earthly Tabernacles shall faile they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations And here for your better vnderstanding how to reape in the kingdome of grace consider it first Temporall and secondly Spirituall First there is an earthly haruest which God hath promised the threshing shall reach vnto the vintage and the vintage shall reach vnto the sowing time and you shall eate your bread in plenteousnesse c. It is no small blessing to dwell in the greene pastures and to haue our cups to ouerflow with abunance Obserue the seed of righteousnes brings the haruest of earthly blessings Would a man reape aboundance and ascend to pompous honour Let him trauell this way and it will bring him thither For godlinesse hath the promise of this life as well as of that to come And this did God teach them by setting before them a catalogue of these things vpon condition that they would obey him The like he saith in another place that they which honour me I will honour them And wee see it as truely performed in Abraham Iacob Iob and many more Obedience brings vs within the couenant of the promise which euer runnes vpon conditions If ye doe if ye beleeue if yee obey The condition being kept the promise is ours as the Apostle notes Ye haue neede of patience that after yee haue done the will of God yee might receiue the promise If you aske who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord Dauid telleth you The man that walketh vprightly and worketh righteousnes and speaketh the trueth from his heart If you aske who shall enter into glory Christ telles you Non auditores sed factores Not hearers but doers If you aske me the way to get earthly blessings I answere with Christ Keepe the Commandements Christ calleth Loue the greatest commandement but Solomon calleth obedience the end of all saying Heare the end of all feare God and keepe his Commandements For this is that which makes vs coheires with Christ by everue wherof all things are ours So saith the Apostle All things are yours and you Christs Soli habent omnia qui habent habentem omnia They alone possesse all things that possesse the Possessour of all things Doth not this minister matter of comfort to those which haue walked in this path of righteousnesse To whom I may say as Christ did to the good seruant Well done you good and faithfull seruants enter into your masters ioy and take possession of these earthly blessings Euery one that beleeueth and doth well confirmeth the Law by his life And you knowe and hardly to bee knowne what the reward of that is which no demension in art no effection in nature no proportion in the creature can expresse Such is the loue of God to them and their right vnto all things Therfore as the Epicures said to themselues so may I say to these Ede bibe lude Eate drinke and be merry But now some obiect against the trueth of this point saying If after obedience we haue right to reape this haruest
why are the children of God in such contempt and pouerty and the off scouring of all things to this day as we see Eliiah was persecured and the false prophets fauoured Michaiah sinitten and the lying prophets honoured Diues rich and Lazarus poore Wherunto answere is made that it is no safe concluding because they possesse them not they haue no right vnto them For by the same argument wee may conclude they haue no right to the kingdome of glory The argument is thus framed Whosoeuer are not in possession of glory haue no right to it But men liuing vpon earth possesse it not Ergo Those that possesse not glory haue no right vnto it The like argument may be framed concerning earthly blessings Those that possesse not riches haue no right thereto The righteous possesse them not Ergo Obedience hath no right thereunto The maior of both these syllogismes is false For possession of a thing doth not argue aright thereunto no more doth not possession argue no right But as a man which hath bought land payd his money writings being made deliuered vnto him hath right to the land though he possesse it not So the godly haue right to them though they possesse them not Besides this it may be the time is not yet come when God will giue vs these things Ioseph was in prison before he came to honour Iacob serued many yeeres before he had his riches Dauid was persecuted before he came to the kingdome Daniel in the denne before he was one of the gouernours Mordecai sate at the gate before he came to preferment And all these in the state of grace long before they came to taste of this haruest Againe there may bee some cause knowen to God why he doth not giue these things generally to his children Why Abraham was rich and Lazarus poore Dauid a king and Mordecai at the gate Surely there is great difference in the natural qualities of men and such an antipathie there is betweene the same and riches that often they steale away our hearts from obedience and therefore God as a wise father giues not what is our right but what is good for vs. I must not forget the wicked which neuer sowed the seed of righteousnesse yet reape they this earthly haruest as fast as the godly and with carying this crop into their barnes the deuill is often conuayed into their hearts There is no more difference betweene Iudas and them then this Iudas had the bag and the deuill in it These haue riches and the deuill with them For vnto the impure all things are impure Their meate apparell riches and honour are cursed vnto them For hee that sayd What hast thou to doe to take my name in thy month and hatest to be reformed saith also What hast thou to doe to take this crop into thy possession And yet who prospers so as these who so beautifull as Absalom so rich as Nabal so honourable as Haman who flourish so well as the sonnes of Belial And yet with Iudas they do but bag vp to their owne confusion He that is much honoured in the way at the end of his iourney is damned and as it were through a faire pasture hee passeth to a prison who by the prosperity of this life present goeth to destruction and confusion This is the end of these men and how can it otherwise be seeing they liue by robbing the Saints of God Zeuxis was a true embleme of these that looking on a picture brake out into a laughter which brought him to the graue in mirth and so died These men haue a day of mirth their life is in the noone of pride but their Sunne shall set in darkenesse and their seeming ioyes shall bee turned into true eternall woes Therefore seeing they haue got the houses of God in possession and the inheritance of the holy ones into their handes let them bee as sparing as may bee to themselues and very liberall to others that seeing they must bee arraigned for theeues and goe to their owne place with Iudas their iudgements may bee more easie This is for the temporall and terrene haruest now followes a spirituall and more comfortable to the soule namely the assurance of saluation with the fruites therof as peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost It was Zacheus his honour that Christ came to his house and it is our comfort to get his promises into our hearts This haruest is so needfull that we cannot be without it for while we are without this we want true ioy the conscience still crying out what shall I doe to be saued But now the good Christian falles hard to worke comes closse to the corne of Gods promises layes hold thereon with the hand of faith and cuts it downe with the sickle of confidence brings it home into the Garner of his soule thrasheth it out by meditation and feedes vpon it by application to his consolation And thus farre doeth the word of my text leade me for kitsru which comes of katsar signifies to licke vp Obserue that the children of God are assured of the kingdome of glory while they liue in the kingdome of grace holy Iob had made such a seede time that in the ende hee came to reape this haruest to his comfort I knowe saith he that my redeemer liueth And thus all the godly can say to the ful assurance of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Iohn now are we the sonnes of God and can say with Paul Christ Iesus liueth in vs and therefore if this earthly tabernacle were destroyed we haue a house eternall in the heauens Thus the childe of God can speake with confidence of assurance of glory while he liues in the kingdome of grace The Apostle saith God hath sealed vs to the day of redemption not so much that he might knowe vs as that wee might knowe our selues to bee his for here wee either receiue or loose life eternall Which thing being so needfull made Salomon to say in the person of the Church Bring mee O King into thy chambers and that this is the true reading obserue the wordes in the originall habiani hammaelaek chadarau which words are in the Imperatiue moode in the originall let the King bring me but fitly put into the Indicatiue moode in the English the King hath brought me yet howsoeuer it shewes the truth of this doctrine for if in the Indicatiue mood it sheweth that it is if in the Imperatiue moode then it sheweth that it must be For no man shal follow the Lambe in glory which hath not followed him first in grace Will you now know the reason thereof hearken then to the trueth of God which telleth vs that wee are iustified by saith now the nature of faith is to assure our hearts of the certainty of his promises First in regard of the nature of faith which is not only historicall to beleeue the