shall come as ye haue seene him goe into heauen Eph. 4.10 He ascended farre aboue all the heauens The end of Christs ascensâ—on was that he might prepare a place for the faithfull giue them the holy ghost and their eternall glorie Ioh. 14.2 In my fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would haue told you I goe to prepare a place for you c. 16.7 If I goe not away the Comforter will not come vnto you but if I depart I will send him vnto you III. His sitting at the right hand of God the father which metaphorically signifieth that Christ hath in the highest heauens actually all glorie power dominion Heb. 1.3 By himselfe he hath purged our sinnes and sitteth at the right hand of the maiestie in the highest places Psal. 110.1 The Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enimies thy footstoole 1. Cor. 15.25 Hee must raigne till he hath put all his enemies vnder his feete Act. 7.55 He being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly into heauen and sawe the glory of God and Iesus standing at the right hand of God Mark 20.22 His regall office hath two parts The first is his regiment of the kingdome of heauen part whereof is in heauen part vpon the earth namely the congregation of the faithfull In the gouernment of his Church hee exerciseth two prerogatiues royall The first is to make lawes Iames 4.12 There is one Lawgiuer which is able to saue and to destroy The second is to ordaine his ministers Eph. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles others Prophets others Evangelists some Pastours and teachers c. 1. Cor. 12.28 God hath ordained some in the Church as first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers then them that doe miracles after that the gifts of healing helpers gouernours diuersitie of tongues Christs gouernment of the Church is either his collection of it out of the world or conseruation being collected Eph. 4.12 Psal. 10. The second part of his Regall office is the destruction of the kingdome of darknes Col. 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the kingdome of darknes Psal. 2.9 Thou shalt crusâ— them with a scepter of yron and breake them in pieces like a potters vessell Luk. 19.27 Those mine enimies that would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me The kingdome of darkenesse is the whole company of Christs enemies The prince of this kingdome and of all the members thereof is the diuell Eph. 2.2 Ye walked once according to the counsell of the world and after the prince that ruleth in the aire enen the prince that nowe worketh in the children of disobedience 2. Cor. 4.4 The God of this world hath blinded the eies of the infidels 2. Cor. 6.15 What concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidel The members of this kingdome and subiects to Satan are his angels and vnbeleeuers among whome the principall members are Atheistes who say in their heart there is no God Psal. 14.1 And Magitians who bargaine with the diuell to accomplish their desires 1. Sam. 28.7 Psal. 58.5 Idolatours who either adorâ— false Gods or the true God in an idol 1. Cor. 10.7.20 Turkes and Iewes are of this bunch so are Heretiks who are such as erre with pertinacie in the foundation of religion 2. Tim. 2. 18. Apostates or reuolters from faith in Christ Iesus Heb. 6.6 False Christs who bâ—are men in hand they are true Christs Matth. 24.26 There were many such about the time of our Sauiour Christ his first comming as Iosephus witnesseth book 20. of Iewish antiquities the 11,12 14. chapters Lastly that Antichtist who as it is now apparant can be none other but the Pope of Rome 2. Thess. 2.3 Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first and that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersarie and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Reuel 13.11 And I beheld another beast comming out of the earth which had two hornes like the Lambe but he spake like the dragon And he did all that the first beast could doe before him and he caused the earth and them that dwell threin to worship the beast whose deadly wound was healed There were then first Antichristes at Rome when the Bishops thereof would be entitled Vniuersall or supreame gouernours of the whole world but then were they complete when they togither with Ecclesiasticall censure vsurped ciuill authoritie After that Christ hath subdued all his enemies these two things shall ensue I. The surrendering ouer of his kingdome to God the Father as concerning the regiment for at that time shal cease both that ciuil regiment and spirituall policie consisting in word and spirit together II. The subiection of Christ onely in regard of his humanity the which then is when the Sonne of God shall most fully manifest his maiestie which before was obscured by the flesh as a vaile so that the same flesh remaining both glorious vnited to the Sonne of God may by infinite degrees appeare inferiour We may not therefore imagine that the subiection of Christ consisteth in diminishing the glorie of the humanitie but in manifesting most fully the maiestie of the Word CHAP. 19. CONCERNING THE OVTWARD MEANES of executing the decree of election and of the Decalogue AFter the foundation of Election which hath hitherto beene deliuered it followeth that we should intreat of the outward meanes of the same The meanes are Gods Couenant and the seale therof Gods couenant is his contract with man concerning life eternall vpon certaine conditions This couenant consisteth of two parts Gods promise to man Mans promise to God Gods promise to man is that whereby he bindeth himselfe to man to bee his God if he breake not the condition Mans promise to God is that whereby he voweth his allegiance vnto his Loâ—d and to performe the condition betweene them Againe there are two kindes of this couenant The couenant of workes the couenant of grace Ierm 31 3â—.42.43 Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will make a now couâ—nant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah not aâ—cording to the couenant I made with their fathers when I tocke them â—y the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt the which my couenant they brake alâ—hough I was an husband to them saith the Lord. But this shall be the couenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people The couenant of works is Gods couenant made with condition of perfect obedience and
3.14 As Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp 15. That who so beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Act. 10.43 To him also giue all the Prephets witnes that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes The ende and vse of the Gospell is first to manifest that righteousnesse in Christ whereby the whole law is fully satisfied saluation attained Secondly it is the instrument and as it were the conduit pipe of the holy ghost to fashion and deriue faith into the soule by which faith they which beleeue doe as with an hand apprehend Christs righteousnes Rom. 1.16 I am not ashamed of the gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to saluation to as many as beleeue to the Iewe first and then to the Grecian 17. For the iustice of God is reuealed by it from faith to faith Ioh. 6. 33. It is the spirit which quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words which I speake are spirit and life 1. Cor. 1.21 It pleased God by the foolinesse of preaching to saue such as beleeue The Gospell preached is in the flourishing estate of Christs Church that ordinarie meanes to beget faith but in the ruinous estate of the same when as by apostasie the foundations thereof are shaken and the cleere light of the word is darkened then this word read or repeated yea the very sound thereof beeing but once heard is by the assistance of Gods spirit extraordinarily effectuall to them whome God will haue called out of that great darkenesse into his exceeding light Rom. 10.14 How shall they call on him in whome they haue not beleeued and how shall they beleeue in him of whome they haue not heard And howe shall they heare without a preacher Act. 11.19 And they which were scattered abroad because of the affliction that arose about Steuen walked throughout till they came to Phenice and Cyprus and Antiochia preaching the worde to no man but to the Iewes onely 30. Nowe some of them were men of Cyprus and of Cyrene which when thâ—y were come into Antiochia spake vnto the Grecians and preached the Lord Iesus 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number beleeued and turned vnto the Lord. Ioh. 4. 28. The woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and said to the men 29. Come and see a man which hath told me all things that euer I did Is not he the Christ then they went out of the citty and came vnto him 39. Now many of the Samaritans beleeued in him for the saying of the woman which testified He hath tolde me all things that euer I did 41. And many moe beleeued because of his own word 42. And they said vnto the woman Nowe we beleeue not because of thy saying for we haue heard him our selues and knowe that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world Rom. 10.18 I demaunde haue they not heard no doubt their sounde went out through all the earth and their wordes into the endes of the world Thus we may see how many of our forefathers ancestors in the midst of popery obtained eternall life Reuel 12. 17. The dragon was wroth with the woman and went and made warre with the remnant of her seede which kept the commandements of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus Christ. Rom. 11.4 What saith the diuine Oracles I haue reserued to me seuen thousand men which neuer bowed knee to Baal CHAP. 32. Of the Sacraments THus much of the preaching of the word now follow the appendants to the same namely the Sacraments A Sacrament is that whereby Christ and his sauing graces are by certaine externall rites signified exhibited and sealed to a Christian man Rom. 4.11 He receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had when he was circumcised Gen. 7.11 Ye shall circumcise the foreskin of your flesh and it shall bee a signe of the couenant betweene me and you God alone is the author of a Sacrament for the signe cannot confirme any thing at all but by the consent and promise of him at whose handes the benefit promised must be receiued Therefore God it is alone which appointed â—ignes of grace in whose alone power it is to bestowe grace And God did make a Sacrament by the sacramentall word as Augustine witnesseth saying Let the word come to the element and there is made a Sacrament The sacramentall word is the word of institution the which God after a seuerall manner hath set downe in each Sacrament Of the worde there are two parts the commandement and the promise The commandement is by which Christ appointeth the administration of the Sacraments and the receiuing of the same As in Baptisme Goe into the whole world baptizing them in the Name c. In the Lords Supper Take eate drinke doe ye this The promise is the other part of the institution whereby God ordained elements that they might be instruments and seales of his grace As in Baptisme I baptize thee in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy Ghost In the Supper This is my body giuen for you and This this is my blood of the new Testament Therefore this word in the administration of the Sacrament ought to be pronounced distinctly and aloud yea and as occasion serueth explained also to the ende that all they to whome the commandement and promise appertaineth may knowe and vnderstand the same And hence it is very plaine that the ministers impietie doth not make a nullitie of the Sacrament neither doth it any whit hinder a worthy receiuer no more then the pietie of a good minister can profite an vnworthy receiuer because all the efficacie and worthines therof dependeth onely vpon Gods institution if so be that be obserued The parts of a Sacrament are the Signe and the Thing of the Sacrament The signe is either the matter sensible or the Action conuersant about the same The matter sensible is vsually called the signe The mutation of the signe is not naturall by changing the substance of the thing but respectiue that is onely in regard of the vse For it is seuered from a common to an holy vse Therfore there is not any such either force or efficacie of making vs holy inherent or tied vnto the externall signes as there is naturally in bathes to purifie corrupt diseases but all such efficacie is wholly appropriate to the holy Spirit yet so as it is an inseperable companion of true faith and repentance and to such as turne vnto the Lord is together with the signe exhibited Whence it commeth to passe that by Gods ordinance a certaine fignification of grace and sealing thereof agreeth to the signe The thing of the Sacrament is either Christ his graces which concerne our saluation or the action conuersant about Christ. I
cause but for that it so pleased him Rom. 9.18 V. If this opinion should be true then would it follow that men should be condemned for nothing else but incredulitie the which is not so Ioh. 3.36 Christ speaking of vnbeleefe saith not that for it the wrath of God came vpon man but remaineth vpon him And why should we daily aske pardon for our sinnes if nothing but incredulitie or vnbeleefe condemned vs nay although that there were neuer any contempt of the Gospell yet that corruption of originall sinne were sufficient enough to condemne men VI. Also that admiration which Paul hath Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou which disputest with Godâ— doth plainly shew that the cause of the decree of God in reiecting some is vnsearchable and that it doth not at all depend vpon any foreseene contumacie towards the grace of God offered in the Gospel For if it were otherwise we might easily giue a reason of Gods decree August epist. 105. saith very well Who saith he created the reprobates but God and why but because it pleased him but why pleased it him O man who art thou that disputest with God! Some Diuines perceiuing that this is an hard sentence they goe about to mitigate it in this sort The matter say they or obiect of predestination is a reasonable creature and that not simply or absolutely considered but partly as it fell partly as of it selfe it was subiect to fall and thereupon God preordaining men from euerlasting considered them not simply as he was to make them men but as they were such men as might fall into sinne and againe be redeemed by Christ and after called to the light of the Gospel The efficient or first motiue cause was not any foreknowne cause either this or that but the meere will of God For he disposeth all things not of and by his foreknowledge but rather according to the same But these things albeit they may seeme to be subtile deuises yet are they not altogether true Reasons I. The potter when he purposeth to make some vessell doth not consider the clay and regard in it some inherent qualitie to make such a vessell but he maketh it of such and such a forme to this or that vse euen of his alone free-will and pleasure II. Rom. 9.21 Hath not the potter power to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour In which place we may not vnderstand by the name lumpe all mankinde corrupted and fallen and so to be redeemed in Christ for then Paul would not haue said that God made vessels of wrath but rather that he did forsake them after they were made III. This seemeth preposterous that God did first foreknow mankind created fallen and redeemed in Christ and that afterward he ordained them so foreknown to life or to death For the ende is the first thing in the intention of the agent neither will a most skilfull workman first prepare meanes by which he may be helped to doe a thing before he hath set downe in his minde all the endes both such as are most neere and them that are very farre off Now we know this that mans creation and his fall in Adam are but meanes to execute Gods predestination and therefore are subordinate vnto it but the ende of Gods decree is the manifestation of his glorie in sauing some and condemning others Therefore we may not once imagine that God did first consult of the meanes whereby he determined to execute his decree before he deliberated of the election and reprobation of man The IIII. errour Gods calling to the knowledge of the Gospell is vniuersall yea of all men and euery singular person without exception The Confutation This is a very vnreasonable position Reasons I. God would not haue all men called Math. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen He saith not that all but many are called Christ in his Disciples first ambassage chargeth them that they should not preach to the Gentiles of his comming and to the Cananitish woman he saith It is not lawfull to giue that which is holy vnto dogges Mat. 13.11 It is not giuen to euery one to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Rom. 16. 25. The mysterie of the Gospel whether it be meant of Christ or the calling of the Gentiles was kept secret from the beginning of the world II. There be many millions of men which haue not so much as heard of Christ. Act. 14.16 God in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies III. The greatest part of the world hath euer beene out of the Couenant Eph. 2. 12. Ye were I say at that time without Christ and were aliants from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were without God in the world but now ye are no more strangers and forrenners but citizens with the Saints Obiect They are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not simply alienated but abalienated from God now how could they be abalienated except either they or their predecessors had beene in the couenant Ans. The Gentiles are not said to be abalienated from the couenant but from the common-wealth of Israel because that God had then by certaine lawes rites and ceremonies vtterly seuered and distinguished the people of the Iewes from all other nations Obiect This generall calling is not to be vnderstood simply of the ministerie of the word but of the will of God deliuered presently after the fall in his vnwritten word but afterward in his written word and this all men ought to know although many through their owne default know it not Ans. But the Scriptures were committed to the custodie of the Church of God and euery one was not credited with them Rom. 3.2 Vnto the Iewes were of credit committed the Oracles of God 1. Tim. 3. 15. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth Psal. 147. 19. He shewed his words vnto Iacob and his statutes and lawes to the house of Israel 20. He hath not dealt so with euery nation therefore they haue not knowne his lawâ—s Psal. 76. 1. The Lord is famous in Iudea and in Israel is his name great Obiect The couenant of Grace was made with Adam and Eue and in them all mankind was receiued both into the Church and couenant and also called to the knowledge of God Ans. I. This reason wanteth euen common reason and sense to say that God giuing his promise in the daies of Adam and Noah did in them call all mankind that should come after II. Adam before his fall did indeede receiue the grace both for himselfe and for others also and in the fall he lost it both for himselfe and for all others but after the fall he receiued the promise for himselfe alone and not for the whole world otherwise the first Adam should not onely haue beene a liuing creature but a quickning spirit the which is proper to the second
all men can not be charged with vnbeleefe and contempt in respect of the Euangelicall couenant but onely such persons as haue knowne it or at the least heard of it And therefore sundrie heads of the nations may be charged with vnbeleefe as Cain Cham Iaphet Ammon Moab Ismael Esau Madian for they beeing neere to the fathers heard the promises concerning Christ offered sacrifices and obserued externall rites of the Church but afterward fell away from the sincere worship of the true God to idolatrie and all manner of wickednesse and became enemies of God and his people But we plainely denie that there was or could be the like vnbeleefe and contempt of Gods grace in their posteritie which for the most part neuer so much as heard of any couenant their ancetours indeauouring alwaies to burie and extinguish the memorie of that which they hated It is obiected againe that the couenant was made with Abraham and with all mankind after him Because saith the Lord thou hast obeyed my voice in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Ans. Paul giues a double answer first that the place must be vnderstood of many nations secondly that it must bee vnderstood not of all nations in all ages but of all nations of the last age of the world For saith he the scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith preached before the gospell vnto Abraham saying in the shall all thee nations be blessed Well to conclude this point in the making of the couenant there must be a mutual consent of the parties on both sides and beside the promise on Gods part there mâ—st be also a restipulation on mans part otherwise the couenant is not made Noâ—e then it must needes followe that all vnbeleeuers contemning grace offered in Christ are out of the couenaÌ„t as also such as neuer heard of it for where there is no knowledge there is no consent and before the comming of Câ—â—istâ— the greatest part of the world neuer knewe the Messias nor heard of the couenant as Paul saith to the learned Athenians the time of this ignorance God regarded not but nowe he admonisheth all men euery where to repent The foundation and ground worke of the couenant is Christ Iesus the Mediatour in whome all the promises of God are yea and amen and therefore he is called the angel of the conenant and the couenant of the people to bee made with all nations in the last age Now then that we may proceede at large to open the substance of the couenaÌ„t we are in the next place to come to that part of the creede which concernes the second person in Trinitie set downe in these wordes And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne c. from which wordes to the very ende of the Creede such points onely are laid downe as doe notably vnfolde the benefits and the matter of the couenant Nowe the second person is described to vs by three things first his titles secondly his incarnation thirdly his twofold estate His titles are in number foure I. Iesus II. Christ. III. his onely sonne IIII. our Lord. His incarnation and his twofolde estate are set downe afterward To come to his titles the first is Iesus to which if we adde the clause I beleeue on this manner I beleeue in Iesus c. the article which wee nowe haue in hand will appeare to be most excellent because it hath most notable promises annexed to it When Peter confessed Christ to be the sonne of the liuing God he answered vpon this rocke will I build my church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And againe He that confesseth that Christ is the sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God And againe To him giue all the prophets witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Paul saith Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and all thy houshold Thus then the confession in which we acknowledge that we beleeue in Iesus Christ hath a promise of fellowship with God and of life euerlasting But it may be obiected that euery spirit as S. Iohn saith which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God Nowe the deuil and all his angels and vnbeleeuers doe thus much therefore why may not they also haue the benefit of this confession Ans. By spirit in that place is neither meant angels nor meÌ„ nor any creature but the doctrine which teacheth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh it is of God because it is holy and diuine and hath God to be the author of it As for the deuill and his angels they can indeede confesse that Christ the sonne of God was made man and a wicked man may teach the same but vnto the confession whereunto is annexed a promise of eternall life is required true faith whereby wee doe not onely knowe and acknowledge this or that to be true in Christ but also rest vpon him which neither Satan nor wicked men can doe And therefore by this confession the Church of God is distinguished from all other companies of men in the worlde which beleeueth not as Panyms hereticks Atheists turks Iewes al other infidels This name Iesus was giuen to the sonne of God by the father and brought from heauen by an angel vnto Ioseph and Marie and on the day when hee was to be circumcised as the manner was this name was giuen vnto him by his parentâ—â— as they were commanded from the Lord by the Angel Gabriel And therefore the name was not giuen by chance or by the alone will of the parents but by the most wise appointment of God himselfe The name in Hebrew is Iehosoua and it is changed by the Grecians into Iesus which signifieth a Sauiour And it may be called the proper name of Christ signifying his office and both his natures because he is both a perfect and absolute Sauiour as also the alone Sauiour of man because the worke of saluation is wholly and onely wrought by him and no part thereof is reserued to any creature in heauen or in earth As Peter saith For among men there is no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby we may be saued but by the name of Iesus And the author to the Hebrues saith That he is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them If any shall obiect that the promises of saluation are made to them which keepe the commandements the answer is that the lawe of God doth exact most absolute and perfect obedience which can be found in no man but in Christ who neuer sinned and therefore it is not giuen vnto vs nowe that we might by our selues fulfil it and worke out our owne saluation but that beeing condemned by it wee might wholly depende on Christ for eternall life
he saith Christ is the head to his bodie which is his Church and when he ascribes the name of Christ not onely to the person of the Sonne but to the Church it selfe as in the Epistle to the Galatians To Abraham and his seede were the promises made he saith not and to his seedes as speaking of many but and vnto his seede as speaking of one which is Christ that is not the redeemer alone but also the Church redeemed For Christ as he is man is not the onely seede of Abraham And this definition of the Church is almost in so many wordes set downe in the Scriptures in that it is called the Familie of God partly in heauen and partly in earth named of Christ and it is also called the heauenly Ierusalem the mother of vs all and the celestiall Ierusalem and the congregation of the first borne Nowe for the better vnderstanding of the nature estate and parts of the Church two points among the rest must bee considered the efficient cause therof Câ—â—s predestination and the forme the mysticall Vnion In handling the doctrine of Predestination my meaning is onely to stand on such points as are reuealed in the worde and necessarie tending to edification And first I will shewe what is the trueth and secondly the contrary falshoode In the trueth I consider foure things I. what Predestination is II. what is the order of it III. what be the parts of it IV. what is the vse Predestination may thus be deâ—ined It is a part of the counsell of God whereby he hath before all times purposed in himselfe to shewe mercy on some men to passe by others shewing his iustice on them for the manifestation of the glorie of his owne name First I say it is a part of his counsell because the counsell or decree of God vniuersally extends it selfe to all things that are and Predestination is Gods decree so farre forth as it concernes the reasonable creatures especially man Nowe in euery purpose or decree of God three things must be considered the beginning the matter the ende The beginning is the will of God whereby he willeth and appointeth the estate of his creatures it is the most absolute supreame and soueraigne cause of all things that are so farre forth as they haue beeing hauing nothing either aboue it selfe or out of it selfe to bee an impulsiue cause to mooue or incline it and to say otherwise is to make the will of God to be no will Indeede mens wils are mooued and disposed by externall causes out of themselues borrowed from the things whereof deliberation is made because they are to be ruled by equitie and reason and a mans bare will without reason is nothing Nowe Gods will is not ruled by another rule of reason or iustice but it selfe is an absolute rule both of iustice and reason A thing is not first of all reasonable and iust and then afterward willed by God but it is first of all willed by God and thereupon becomes reasonable and iust The matter of his purpose is a decreed manifestation of two of the most ptincipall attributes of the godhead mercy and iustice and that with a limitation or restraint of mercy to some of the creatures and iustice to some others because it was his good will and pleasure And we are not to imagine that this is a point of crueltie in God for his very essence or nature is not iustice alone or mercy alone but iustice and mercy both togither and therefore to purpose the declaration of them both vpon his creatures ouer whome hee is a soueraigne Lord and that without other respects vpon his very will and pleasure is no point of iniustice The supreame end of the counsell of God is the manifestation of his owne glorie partly in his mercy and partly in his iustice For in common equitie the end which he propoundes vnto himselfe of all his doings must be answerable to his nature which is maiestie and glorie and as I haue said iustice and mercy it selfe And because Pauls disputation in the 9. to the Romanes giues light and sufficient confirmation to this which I nowe teach I will stand a little to open and resolue the same From the 1. verse to the 6. he sets downe his griefe conceiued for his brethren the Iewes and therewithall that it might not bee thought that he spake of malice he doth onely in close and obscure manner insinuate the Râ—iection of that nation This done in the 6. v. he answers a secret obiection which might be made on this manner If the Iewes be reiected theÌ„ the word of God is of none effect that is then the couenant made with the forefathers is void but the couenant can not be voide therefore the Iewes are not reiected The assumption he takes for graunted and denies the consequence of the proposition And the ground of his deniall is because there is a distinction betweene man and man euen among the Iewes whereby some are indeede in the couenant some not And this distinction is prooued by three examples the first in this verse that of the children of Iacob the common parent of all the Iewes some are Israel that is truely in the couenant as Iacob was and some are not Israel Now it might be further obiected that the Iewes are not onely the posteritie of Iacob but the seede of Abraham in whome all nations of the earth are blessed and therefore not to be reiected And to this Paul answers vers 7. alleadging a second example of the distinction betweene man and man out of the familie of Abraham in which some were indeede sonnes some were not For the proofe of this first he sets downe the words of the text in Moses In Isaac shall thy seede be called and secondly makes an exposition of them with a collection on this manner Al they which are the sonnes of the promise are the seede of Abraham or the sonnes of God but Isaac is a sonne of promise and not Ismael therefore Isaac is the seed of Abraham and heire of the blessing and not Ismael The proposition is in the 8. verse the assumption in the 9. vers the conclusion in the 7. verse Here marke I. howe he makes a double seede one according to the flesh the other spirituall and two kinde of sonnes one of the flesh the other sonne of the promise or the sonne of God for he puts the one for the other II. that the distinction betweene Isaac and Ismael whereby one is in the couenant of grace the other not standes not in their foreseene saith and vnbeleefe and the fruites of them but in the purpose and will of God it selfe For Isaac is called the childe of promise because by the vertue of it he was borne and beleeued and was adopted the child of God and made heire of the couenant giuen to Abraham and therefore consequently the right of apoption befell him by the meere good pleasure of
in them which are chosen to saluation but vnto them that perish it is by reason of their corruption an occasion of their further damnation Q. How must we heare Gods word that it may be effectuall to saluation A. We must come vnto it with hunger-bitten hearts hauing an appetite to the word we must marke it with attention receiue it by faith submit our selues vnto it with feare and trembling euen then when our faults are reprooued lastly we must hide it in the corners of our hearts that we may frame our liues and conuersations by it Q. What is a Sacrament A. A signe to represent a seale to confirme an instrument to conuey Christ and all his benefits to them that doe beleeue in him Q. Why must a Sacrament represent the mercies of God before our eies A. Because we are dull to conceiue and to remember them Q. Why doth the Sacrament seale vnto vs the mercies of God A. Because we are full of vnbeleefe and doubting of them Q. Why is the Sacrament the instrument of the Spirit to conuey the mercies of God into our hearts A. Because we are like Thomas we will not beleeue till we feele them in some measure in our hearts Q. How many Sacraments are there A. Two and no more Baptisme by which we haue our admission into the true Church of God and the Lords Supper by which we are nourished and preserued in the Church after our admission Q. What is done in Baptisme A. In the assemblie of the Church the couenant of grace betweene God and the partie baptized is solemnly confirmed and sealed Q. In this couenant what doth God promise to the partie baptized A. Christ with all blessings that come by him Q. To what condition is the partie baptized bound A. To receiue Christ and to repent of his sinne Q. What meaneth the sprinkling or dipping in water A. It seales vnto vs remission of sinnes and sanctification by the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Q. How commeth it to passe that many after their Baptisme for a long time feele not the effect and fruit of it and some neuer A. The fault is not in God who keepes his couenants but the fault is in themselues in that they doe not keepe the condition of the couenant to receiue Christ by faith and to repent of all their sinnes Q. When shall a man then see the effect of his baptisme A. At what time soeuer he doth receiue Christ by faith though it be many yeares after he shall then feele the power of God to regenerate him and to worke all things in him which he offered in baptisme Q. How if a man neuer keepe the condition to which he bound himselfe in baptisme A. His damnation shall be the greater because he breaketh his vowe made to God Q. What is done in the Lords Supper A. The former couenant solemnly ratified in Baptisme is renued in the Lords supper betweene the Lord himselfe and the receiuer Q. What is the receiuer A. Euery one that hath beene baptized and after his baptisme hath truly beleeued in Christ and repented of his sinnes from his heart Q. What meaneth the bread and wine the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine A. These outward actions are a second seale set by the Lords owne hand vnto his couenant And they doe giue euery receiuer to vnderstand that as God doth blesse the bread and wine to preserue and strengthen the bodie of the receiuer so Christ apprehended and receiued by faith shall nourish him and preserue both bodie and soule vnto eternall life Q. What shall a true receiuer feele in himselfe after the receiuing of the Sacrament A. The increase of his faith in Christ the increase of sanctification a greater measure of dying to sinne a greater care to liue in newnesse of life Q. What if a man after the receiuing of the Sacrament neuer finde any such thing in himselfe A. He may well suspect himselfe whether he did euer repent or not and thereupon to vse meanes to come to sound faith and repentance Q. VVhat is an other meaues of increasing faith A. Prayer Q. What is praier A. A familiar speech with God in the name of Christ in which either we craue things needfull or giue thankes for things receiued Q. In asking things needfull what is required A. Two things an earnest desire and faith Q. What things must a Christian mans heart desire A. Sixe things especially Q. What are they A. 1. That he may glorifie God 2. That God may raigne in his heart and not sinne 3. That he may doe Gods will and not his lusts of the flesh 4. That he may relie himselfe on Gods prouidence for all the meanes of this temporall life 5. That he may be iustified and be at peace with God 6. That by the power of God he may be strengthened against all temptations Q. What is faith A. A perswasion that these things which we truly desire God will grant them for Christs sake The sixth Principle expounded Q. After that a man hath led a short life in this world what followeth thē A. Death which is the parting asunder of bodie and soule Q. Why doe wicked men and vnbeleeuers die A. That their bodies may goe to the earth and their soules may be cast into hell fire Q. Why doe the godly die seeing Christ by death hath ouercome death A. They die for this ende that their bodies may rest for a while in the earth and their soules may enter into heauen immediatly Q. What followeth after death A. The day of iudgement Q. What signe is there to know this day from other daies A. Heauen and earth shall be consumed with fire immediatly before the comming of the iudge Q. Who shall be the iudge A. Iesus Christ the Sonne of God Q. What shall be the comming to iudgement A. He shall come in the cloudes in great maiestie and glorie with infinite companie of Angels Q. How shall all men be cited to iudgement A. At the sound of a trumpet the liuing shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye and the dead shall rise againe euery one with his owne bodie and all shall be gathered together before Christ and after this the good shall be seuered from the bad these standing on the left hand of Christ the other on the right Q. How will Christ trie and examine euery mans cause A. The bookes of all mens doings shall be laide open mens consciences shall be made either to accuse them or excuse them and euery man shall be tried by the workes which he did in his life time because they are open and manifest signes of faith or vnbeleefe Q. What sentence will he giue A. He will giue sentence of saluation to the elect and godly but he will pronounce
A golden Chaine OR THE DESCRIPTION OF Theologie containing the order of the causes of Saluation and Damnation according to Gods word A view whereof is to be seene in the Table annexed Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences Printed by IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader there are at this day foure seuerall opinions of the order of Gods predestination The first is of the olde and new Pelagians who place the cause of Gods predestination in man in that they hold that God did ordaine meÌ„ either to life or death according as he did foresee that they would by their natural free-will either reiect or receiue grace offered The second of them who of some are tearmed Lutherans which teach that God foreseeing howe all mankinde beeing shutte vp vnder vnbeleefe would therefore reiect grace offered did hereupon purpose to choose some to saluation of his meere mercie without any respect of their faith or good workes and the rest to reiect beeing mooued to doe this because hee did eternally foresee that they would reiect his grace offered them in the Gospell The third Semipelagian Papists which ascribe Gods predestination partly to mercie and partly to mens foreseene preparations and meritorious workes The fourth of such as teach that the cause of the execution of Gods predestination is his mercie in Christ in them which are saued and in them which perish the fall and corruption of man yet so as that the decree and eternall counsell of God concerning them both hath not any cause beside his will and pleasure Of these foure opinions the three former I labour to oppugne as erronious and to maintaine the last as beeing trueth which will beare waight in the ballance of the Sanctuarie A further discourse whereof here I make bold to offer to thy godly consideration in reading whereof regard not so much the thing it selfe penned very slenderly as mine intent affection who desire among the rest to cast my mite into the treasurie of the Church of England and for want of gold pearle and pretions stone to bring a rammes skinne or twaine and a little Goates haire to the building of the Lords tabernacle Exod. 35.23 The Father of our Lord Iesus Christ grant that according to the riches of his glorie thou maiest bee strengthened by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in thy heart by faith to the end that thou being rooted and grounded in loue maiest bee able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and height thereof to knowe the loue of Christ which passeth knowledge that thou maiest be filled with all fulnes of God Amen Farewell Iulie 23. the yeare of the last patience of Saints 1592. Thine in Christ Iesus W. P. A GOLDEN CHAINE OR THE DESCRIPTION OF Theologie THE CONTENTS 1 Of the bodie of Scripture and Theologie pag. 1 2 Of God and the nature of God ibid. 3 Of the life of God pag. 3 4 Of Gods glorie and blessednes pag. 5 5 Concerning the persons of the Godhead pag. 6 6 Of Gods workes and his decree pag. 8 7 Of Predestination and creation pag. 10 8 Of Angels pag. 11 9 Of Man the state of innocencie pag. 12 10 Of sinne and the fall of angels pag. 13 11 Of mans fall and disobedience pag. 15 12 Of Originall sinne pag. 16 13 Of Actuall sinne pag. 19 14 Of the punishment of sinne pag. 22 15 Of Election and of Iesus Christ the foundation thereof pag. 23 16 Of the vnion of the two natures in Christ. pag. 25 17 Of the distinctioÌ„ of both natures pag. 27 18 Of Christs natiuitie and office pag. 27 19 Concerning the outward meanes of executing the decree of Election and of the Decalogue pag. 36 20 Of the first commandement pag. 38 21 Of the second commandement pag. 42 22 Of the third commandement pag. 54 23 Of the fourth commandement pag. 61 24 Of the fift commandement pag. 66 25 Of the sixt commandement pag. 73 26 Of the seuenth commandement pag. 82 27 Of the eight commandement pag. 88 28 Concerning the ninth commaundement pag. 95 29 Of the tenth commandement pag. 100 30 Of the vse of the Law pag. 101 31 Of the Couenant of grace pag. 102 32 Of the Sacraments pag. 103 33 Of Baptisme pag. 107 34 Of the Lords Supper pag. 111 35 Of the degrees of executing Gods decree in election pag. 113 36 Conceâ—ning the first degree of the declaration of Gods loue pag. 114 37 Concerning the second degree of the declaration of Gods loue pag. 121 38 Concerning the third degree of the declaration of Gods loue pag. 124 39 Of Repentance and the fruit thereof pag. 128 40 Of Christian warfare pag. 129 41 Of the first Assault pag. 130 42 Of the second Assault pag. 131 43 Of the third Assault pag. 134 44 Of the patient bearing of the Crosse. pag. 136 45 Of the calling vpon God pag. 138 46 Of Christian Apologie and Martyrdome pag. 139 47 Of edification and Almes among the faithfull pag. 140 48 Of the fourth degree of the declaration of Gods loue and of the estate of the Elect after this life pag. 141 49 Of the estate of the Elect at the last day of iudgement pag. 143 50 Of the estate of the Elect after iudgement pag. 144 51 Concerning the order of the causes of Saluation according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome pag. 146 52 Concerning the decree of Reprobation pag. 163 53 Concerning the exâ—â—â—tion of the decree of Reprobation pag. 164 54 Concerning a new deuised doctrine of Predestination taught by some new and late Diuines pag. 167 55 Of the state and condition of the Reprobates when they are dead pag. 175 56 Of the state of the Reprobates in hell pag. 176 57 Of the Application of Predestinanation ibid. AN EPOSITION OF THE SYMBOLE OR Creede of the Apostles THE CONTENTS The Creede pag. 185 Faith pag. 187 God pag. 198 The three persons pag. 202 The Father pag. 205 Gods omnipotencie pag. 212 The creation 217. 221 Gods counsell pag. 218 The creation of heauen pag. 228 The creation of Angels pag. 231 The creation of Man pag. 236 Gods prouidence pag. 242 Adams fall and Originall sinne pag. 252 The couenant of grace pag. 259 The title Iesus pag. 262 The title Christ. pag. 266 The title Sonne pag. 271 The title Lord. pag. 278 The incarnation of Christ. pag. 279 Christs humiliation pag. 295 Christs passion pag. 297 Christs arraignment pag. 300 Christs execution pag. 328 Christs sacrifice pag. 350 Christs triumph pag. 356 Christs buriall pag. 376 The descension of Christ. pag. 372 Christs exaltation pag. 370 Christs resurrection pag. 379 Christs ascension pag. 396 Christs sitting at c. pag. 407 Christs intercession pag. 409 Christs kingdome pag. 417 The last iudgement pag. 420 The holy Ghost pag. 436 The Church 451.488 Predestination pag. 453 The
the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing God Hence it is that Christ is saide to sanctifie himselfe as he is man Ioh. 17.19 For their sakes sanctifiâ— I my selfe Math. 23.17 As the altar the gift and the temple the gold Math. 23.17 Christ is the Priest as he is God and man Heb. 5.6 Thou art a Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedec 1. Tim. 2.5,6 One Mediatour betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe a ransome for all men to be a testimonie in due time III. God the fathers acceptation of that his sacrifice in which he was wel pleased For had it beene that God had not allowed of it Christs suffering had beene in vaine Matth. 3.17 This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased Eph. 5.1 Euen as Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs to be an offering and a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour to God IV. Imputation of mans sinne to Christ whereby his Father accounted him as a transgressour hauing translated the burden of mans sinnes to his shoulders Esai 53. 4. He hath borne our infirmities and caried our sorrowes yet we did iudge him as plagued and smitten of God and humbled But he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities c. and v. 12. He was counted with the transgressours and he bare the sinnes of many 2. Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sinne for vs which knew no sinne that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him V. His wonderfull humiliation consisting of two parts I. In that he made himselfe of small or no reputation in respect of his Deitie Philip. 2.7,8 He made himselfe of no reputation c. he humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse We may not thinke that this debasing of Christ came because his diuine nature was either wasted or weakened but because his Deitie did as it were lay aside and conceale his power and maiestie for a season And as Irenaeus saith The Word rested that the humane nature might be crucified and dead II. In that he became execrable which is by the law accursed for vs. Gal. 3.10 Cursed is euery one that remaineth not in all things written in the booke of the Law to doe them This accursednesse is either inward or outward Inward is the sense of Gods fearefull anger vpon the crosse Revel 19. 15. He it is that treadeth the winepresse of the fiercenes and wrath of Almightie God Esai 53.5 He is grieued for our transgressions the chastisment of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we were healed This appeared by those droppes of bloode which issued from him by his cryings to his Father vpon the crosse and by sending of Angels to comfort him Hence was it that he so much feared death which many Martyrs entertained most willingly His outward accursednes standeth in three degrees I. Death vpon the crosse which was not imaginarie but true because blood and water issued froÌ„ his heart For seeing that water and blood gushed forth together it is very like the casket or coate which inuesteth the heart called Pericardion was pierced As Columbus obserueth in his Anatomie 7. booke Ioh. 19â—4 His death was necessarie that he might confirme to vs the Testament or Couenant of grace promised for our sakes Heb. 19.15,16 For this cause is he the Mediator of the new Testament that through death c. they which were called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritance for where a testament is there must be the death of him that made the testament c. ver 17. II. Buriall to ratifie the certentie of his death III. Descension into hell which we must not vnderstand that he went locally into the place of the damned but that for the time of his abode in the graue he was vnder the ignominious dominion of death Act. 2.24 Whome God hath raised vp and loosed the sorrowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it Ephes. 4.9 In that he ascended vvhat vvas it but that he also he descended first into the lowest part of the earth It was necessarie that Christ should be captiuated of death that he might abolish the sting that is the power thereof 1. Cor. 15. 55. O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorie Thus we haue heard of Christs maruelous passion whereby he hath abolished both the first and second death due vnto vs for our sinnes the which as we may further obserue is a perfect ransom for the sinnes of all and euery one of the Elect. 1. Tim. 2.6 Who gaue himself a ransome for all men For it was more that Christ the onely begotten Sonne of God yea God himselfe for a small while should beare the curse of the Law then if the whole world should haue suffered eternall punishment This also is worthie our meditation that then a man is wel grounded in the doctrine of Christs passion when his heart ceaseth to sinne is pricked with the griefe of those sinnes whereby as with speares he pierced the side of the immaculate lambe of God 1. Ioh. 3.6 Who so sinneth neither hath seene him nor knowne him Zach. 12.10 And they shall looke vpon him whome they haue pierced and they shall lament for him as one lamenteth for his onely sonne and be sorie for him as one is sorie for his first borne After Christs passion followeth the fulfilling of the Law by which he satisfied Gods iustice in fulfilling the whole Law Rom. 8. 3,4 God sent his owne Sonne that the righteousnes of the Law might be fulfilled by vs. He fulfilled the Law partly by the holines of his humane nature and partly by obedience in the works of the Law Rom. 8.2 The Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death Matth. 3. 15. It becommeth vs to fulsill all righteousnes c. Ioh. 17.19 Now succeedeth the second part of Christs priesthood namely intercession whereby Christ is an Aduocate and intreater of God the Father for the faithfull Rom. 8.34 Christ is at the right hand of God and maketh request for vs. Christs intercession is directed immediately to God the Father 1. Ioh. 2.1 If any man sinne we haue an Aduocate with the Father euen Iesus Christ the iust Now as the Father is first of the Trinitie in order so if he be appeased the Sonne and the holy Ghost are appeased also For there is one and the same agreement and will of all the persons of the Trinitie Christ maketh intercession according to both natures First according to his humanitie partly by appearing before his Father in heauen partly by desiring the saluation of the Elect. Hebr. 9.24 Christ is entred into very heauen to appeare now in the sight of God for vs. and chap. 7. 25.
is expressed in the morall law The Morall Law is that part of Gods word which commandeth perfect obedience vnto man as well â—n his nature as in his actions and forbiddeth the contrarie Rom. 10.5 Moses thus describeth the righteousnes which is of the Law that the man which doth these things shall liue thereby 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and faith vnfained Luk. 16.27 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength Rom. 7. We know that the law is spirituall The Law hath two parts The Edict commanding obedience and the condition binding to obedience The condition is eternall life to such as fulfill the law but to transgressours euerlasting death The Decalogue or ten Commandements is an abridgement of the whole Law and the couenant of workes Exod. 34.27 And the Lord said vnto Moses Write thou these words for after the tenour of these words I haue made a covenant with thee and with Israel And was there with the Lord fourtie daies and fourtie nights and did neither eate bread nor drinke water and he wrote in the Tables the words of the covenant euen the tenne Commandements 1. King 8.9 Nothing was in the Arke saue the two Tables of stone which Moses had put there at Horeb where the Lord made a couenant with the children of Israel when he brought them out of the land of Egypt Matth. 22.40 On these two commandements hangeth the whole Law and the Prophets The true interpretation of the Decalogue must be according to these rules I. In the negatiue the affirmatiue must be vnderstood and in the affirmatiue the negatiue II. The negatiue bindeth at all times and to all times and the affirmatiue bindeth at all times but not to all times and therefore negatiues are of more force III. Vnder one vice expressely forbidden are comprehended all of that kind yea the least cause occasion or entisement thereto is as well forbidden as that 1. Ioh. 3.15 Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a manslayer Matth. 5.21 to the ende Euill thoughts are condemned as well as euill actions IV. The smallest sinnes are entituled with the same names that that sinne is which is expressely forbidden in that commandement to which they appertaine As in the former places hatred is named murther and to looke after a woman with a lusting eye is adulterie V. We must vnderstand euery commandement of the law so as that we annex this condition vnlesse God command the contrarie For God being an absolute Lord and so aboue the law may command that which his law forbiddeth so he commanded Isaac to be offered the Egyptians to be spoiled the brasen Serpent to be erected which was a figure of Christ c. The Decalogue is described in two Tables The summe of the first Table is that we loue God with our mind memorie affections and all our strength Matth. 22. 37. This is the first to wit in nature and order and great commandement namely in excellencie and dignitie CHAP. 20. Of the first commandement THe first table hath foure commandements The first teacheth vs to haue and choose the true God for our God The words are these I am Iehouah thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Thou shalt haue none other God but me The Resolution I am If any man rather iudge that these words are a preface to al the commandements then a part of the first I hinder him not neuerthelesse it is like that they are a perswasion to the keeping of the first commandement that they are set before it to make way vnto it as being more hard to be receiued then the rest And this may appeare in that the three commandements next following haue their seuerall reasons Iehouah This word signifieth three things I. Him who of himselfe and in himselfe was from all eternitie Reuel 1.8 Who is who was and who is to come II. Him which giueth being to all things when they were not partly by creating partly by preseruing them III. Him which mightily causeth that those things which he hath promised should both be made and continued Exod. 6.1 Rom. 4. 17. Here beginneth the first reason of the first commandement taken from the name of God it is thus framed He that is Iehouah must alone be thy God But I am Iehouah Therefore I alone must be thy God This proposition is wanting the assumption is in these words I am Iehouah the conclusion is the commandement Thy God These are the words of the couenant of grace Ier. 32.33 wherby the Lord promiseth to his people remission of sinnes and eternall life Yea these words are as a second reason of the commandements drawne from the equalitie of that relation which is betweene God and his people If I be thy God thou againe must be my people and take me alone for thy God But I am thy God Therefore thou must be my people and take me alone for thy God The assumption or second part of this reason is confirmed by an argumeÌ„t taken from Gods effects when he deliuered his people out of Egypt as it were from the seruitude of a most tyrannous master This deliuerie was not appropriate onely to the Israelites but in some sort to the Church of God in all ages in that it was a typâ—â—f a more surpassing deliuerie from that fearefull kingdome of darkenes 1. Cor. 10.1,2 I would not haue you ignorant brethren that all our Fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the red sea and were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloude and in the sea Coloss. 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne Other Gods or strange gods They are so called not that they by nature are such or can be but because the corrupt and more then diuelish heart of carnall man esteemeth so of them Phil. 3.19 Whose God is their bellie 1. Cor. 4.4 Whose mindes the God of this world hath bewitched Before my face That is figuratiuely in my sight or presence to whom the secret imaginations of the heart are knowne and this is the third reason of the first commandement as if he should say If thou in my presence reiect me it is an heinous offence see therfore thou doe it not After the same manner reasoneth the Lord. Gen. 17.1 I am God almightie therefore walke vpright The affirmatiue part Make choice of Iehouah to be thy God The duties here commanded are these I. To acknowledge God that is to know and confesse him to bee such a God as he hath reuealed himselfe to be in his worde and creatures Col. 1.10 Increasing in the knowledge of God Ierem. 24. 7. And I will giue them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they
be entertained and receiued in the closet of the heart III. The least cogitation and motion the which though it procure not consent delighteth and tickleth the heart Of this kinde are these foolish wishes I would such an house were mine such a liuing such a thing c. And hitherto may we referre all vnchast dreames arising from concupiscence The affirmatiue part Couet that onely which is auaileable to thy neighbour Here are commended I. A pure heart towards our neighbour 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnfained II. Holy cogitations and motions of the spirit Paul praieth 1. Thess. 5.23 that the Thessalonians may be holy not onely in bodie and soule but also in spirit Eph. 4.23 III. A conflict against the euill affections and lusts of the flesh Rom. 7.22 I reioyce in the law of God in regard of the inward man 23. But I see another Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde and making me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members 24. Miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death 2. Cor. 12.7 8 9. CHAP. 30. Of the vse of the Law THe vse of the Law in vnregenerate persons is threefold The first is to lay open sinne and make it knowne Rom. 3.20 By the workes of the Law shall no flesh be iustified in his sight for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne The second vse is accidentarily to effect and augment sinne by reason of the flesh the which causeth man to decline from that which is commanded and euer to encline to that which is prohibited Rom. 7.8 Sinne tooke occasion by the commandement and wrought in me all manner of concupiscence for without the Law sinne is dead 9. For I once was aliue without the Law but when the commandement came sinne reuiued 10. But I died and that commandement which was ordained vnto life was found to be vnto me vnto death The third vse is to denounce eternall damnation for the least disobedience without offering any hope of pardon This sentence the law pronounceth against offendours and by it partly by threatning partly by terrifying it raigneth and ruleth ouer man Rom. 3.19 Wee know that whatsoeuer the Law saith it saith it to them which are vnder the Lawe that euery mouth may be stopped and all the world be culpable before God Gal. 3.10 As many as are of the workes of the law are vnder the curse for it is written Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all that is written in the booke of the Lawe to doe them 2. Cor. 3.7 If the ministration of death written with letters and ingrauen in stones was glorious 8. Howe shall not the ministration of the spirit be more glorious For if the ministration of condemnation were glorious c. The ende why sinne raigneth in man is to vrge sinners to flie vnto Christ Galat. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue 24. Wherfore the law was our schoolemaster to Christ. Heb. 12.18,19,20 The continuance of this power of the law is perpetuall vnlesse a sinner repent and the very first act of repentance so freeth him that he shall no more be vnder the lawe but vnder grace 2. Sam. 12.13 Then said Dauid to Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord wherfore Nathan said to Dauid The Lord also hath forgiuen thy sinne and thou shalt not die Rom. 6.14 Sinne shall not haue dominion ouer you for ye are not vnder the law but vnder grace If therefore thou desirest seriously eternall life first take a narrowe examination of thy selfe and the course of thy life by the square of Gods lawe then set before thine eies the curse that is due vnto sinne that thus bewailing thy miserie and despairing vtterly of thine own power to attaine euerlasting happinesse thou maiest renounce thy selfe and be prouoked to seeke and sue vnto Christ Iesus The vse of the Law in such as are regenerate is far otherwise for it guideth them to new obedience in the whole course of their life which obedience may be acceptable to God by Christ. Rom. 3.31 Doe we therefore through faith make the Law of none effect God forbid nay we rather establish the Law Psal. 119. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight they are my counsellers v. 105. Thy word is a lantarne vnto my feete and a light vnto my pathes CHAP. 31. Of the couenant of Grace HItherto concerning the couenant of works and of the Law now followeth the couenant of grace The couenant of Grace is that whereby God freely promising Christ and his benefits exacteth againe of man that he would by faith receiue Christ and repent of his sinnes Hos. 2.18 In that daie will I make a couenant for them c. 19. And I will marrie thee vnto me for euer yea I will marrie thee vnto me in righteousnesse and in iudgement and in mercie and in compassion v. 20. I will euen marrie thee vnto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt knowe the Lord. Ezech. 36.25 I will poure cleane water vpon you and ye shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I clense you v. 26. And I will giue you a newe heart and a newe spirit will I put within you v. 27. And cause you to walke in my statutes Malach 3.1 The Lord whome ye seeke shall speedily come to his temple euen the messenger of the couenant whome ye desire behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts This couenant is also named a testament for it hath partly the nature and properties of a testament or will First it is confirmed by the death of the testator Heb. 9.16 Where a testament is there must be the death of him that made the testament 17. For the testament is confirmed when men are dead for it is yet of no force so long as he that made it is aliue Secondly in this couenant we doe not offer much and promise small to God but in a manner doe onely receiue euen as the last will and testament of a man is not for the testators but the heires commodity The couenant albeit it be one in substance yet it is distinguished into the old and new testament The olde testament or couenant is that which in types and shadowes prefigured Christ to come and to be exhibited The newe testament declareth Christ already come in the flesh and is apparantly shewed in the Gospel The Gospell is that part of Gods word which cōtaineth a most worthy welcome message namely that mankind is fully redeemed by the blood of Iesus Christ the only begotten sonn of God manifest in the flesh so that now for all such as repent and beleeue in Christ Iesus there is prepared a full remission of all their sinnes togither with saluation and life euerlasting Ioh.
say first Christ and then his graces because no man receiueth grace frō Christ vnlesse he be made truely partaker of his very bodie and blood euen as no man can by right reape any fruite of the ground whereof first hee hath no iust title and interest The action about Christ is spirituall and is either the action of God or of Faith The action of God is either the offering or the Application of Christ his graces to the faithfull The action of faith is the consideration desire apprehension and receiuing of Christ in the lawefull vse of the Sacrament Thus much of the parts of a Sacrament nowe followeth the vnion of the parts This sacramentall vnion I. is not naturall according to the place for there is no mutation of the signe into the thing signed neither is the thing signed either included in or fastened vpon the signe But II. it is respectiue because there is a certaine agreement and proportion of the externall things with the internall and of the actions of one with the actions of the other whereby it commeth to passe that the signes as it were certaine visible wordes incurring into the externall senses doe by a certaine proportionable resemblance drawe a Christian mind to the consideration of the things signified to be applied This mutuall and as I may say sacramentall relation is the cause of so many figuratiue speeches and metonymies which are vsed as when one thing in the Sacrament is put for another As I. The signe is vsed for the thing signified Exod. 12. 11. Ye shall eate it namely the Lambe in hast for it is the Lords passeouer Ioh. 6. 52. I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen if any eate of this breade he shall liue for euer and the bread which I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world 1. Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passeouer is sacrificed for vs. 1. Cor. 10.17 We that are many are one bread and one bodie because we are all partakers of one bread II. The name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as The bread is Christs bodie the cuppe is Christs blood 1. Cor. 11.24 Math. 26.28 III. The effect of the thing signified is giuen to the signe as Circumcision is a couenant Gen. 17. 10. Act. 7.8 The cup is the new Testament in Christs blood Luk. 22.16 Baptisme is the washing of the new birth Tit. 3.5 IV. That which properly belōgeth to the signe is attributed to the thing signified Deut. 10.16 Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts Ioh. 6.53 Vnlesse ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood ye shall haue no life in you The end why a Sacrament was ordained is I. for the better confirmation of our faith for by it as by certaine pledges giuen God of his great mercie doth as it were binde himselfe vnto vs. Now a Sacrament doth confirme our faith not by any inherēt or proper power it hath in it selfe as hath a soueraigne medecine receiued by a patient the which whether a man sleepe or wake it confirmeth his strength but rather by reasoning and vsing the signes when the holy Ghost shall frame in our hearts such a conclusion as this All such as are conuerted rightly vsing the Sacraments shall receiue Christ and his graces But I am conuerted and either now doe or before haue rightly vsed the Sacraments Therefore I shall receiue Christ and his graces II. That it might be a badge and note of that profession by which the true Church of God is distinguished from other congregations III. That it might be a meane to preserue and spread abroad the doctrine of the Gospel IV. It serueth to binde the faithfull that they doe continue both loyall and gratefull to their Lord God V. It is the bond of mutuall amitie betwixt the faithfull How a Sacrament is necessarie to saluation The couenant of Grace is absolutely necessarie to saluation for it comprehending Christ Iesus the very substance of the Couenant man must necessarily either receiue it or perish eternally but a Sacrament is not absolutely necessarie but onely as it is a prop and stay for faith to leane vpon For it cannot entitle vs into the inheritance of the sonnes of God as the couenant doth but onely by reason of faith going before it doth seale that which before was bestowed vpon vs. As we see in humane contracts the bond ariseth from the mutuall consent of the parties but the instrument or bill and the setting to of the seale they doe not make but rather confirme the bond mutually before made the which mutuall consent remaining firme the contract standeth still in force though the instrument or seale be wanting Therefore the want of a Sacrament doth not condemne but the contempt is that which will condemne a man The want of a Sacrament is when we are iustly hindred from the receiuing of the same as when one is preuented by death or liueth in such a place where he cannot receiue the Sacrament And as for the neglect of a Sacrament albeit it be a very grieuous sinne yet is it such an one as for which he that is heartily penitent for the same may well hope for pardon The holy vse of a Sacrament is when such as are truly conuerted doe vse those rites which God hath prescribed vnto their true ends in the receiuing of a Sacrament Therefore I. the reprobate though God offer the whole Sacrament vnto them yet they receiue the signes alone without the things signified by the signes because the signe without the right vse thereof is not a Sacrament to the receiuer of it So Paul saith Rom. 2. 25. Circumcision verely is profitable if thou keepe the Law but if thou be a transgressour of the Law thy circumcision is made vncircumcision And Augustine hath this saying If thou receiue it carnally yet ceaseth it not to be spirituall though to thee it be not so II. The Elect as yet not conuerted to the Lord doe receiue in like manner the bare signes without the thing signified yet so as that that Sacrament shall in them afterward haue his good effect For the Sacrament receiued before a mans conuersion is afterward to the penitent both ratified and becommeth profitable and that vse of the Sacrament which before was vtterly vnlawfull doth then become very lawfull III. The Elect alreadie conuerted doe to their saluation receiue both the signe and the thing signified together yet so as that for their vnworthie receiuing thereof the which commeth to passe by reason of their manifold infirmities and relapses into sinne they are subiect vnto temporall punishments The difference betwixt a Sacrament and a Sacrifice is in a Sacrament God bestoweth his graces vpon vs but in a sacrifice we returne vnto God faith and obedience There are many differences betwixt the Sacraments of the Old testament and these of the New I. They were many these but few II. They pointed at Christ
to come these shew that he is come III. They were appropriate vnto the posteritie of Abraham but these are common to the whole Church culled out of the Iewes and Gentiles CHAP. 33. Of Baptisme THere are two Sacraments 1. Cor. 10. 1. I would not haue you ignorant that all our fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the sea 2. And were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloude and in the sea 3. And did all eate the same spirituall meate 4. And dranke all the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spirituall rocke that followed them which rocke was Christ. Tertull 4. booke contra Marcion August de Symbol ad Catechum 4. booke 6. chap. The first Sacrament is that whereby Christians are initiated and admitted into the Church of God and this is Baptisme The second Sacrament whereby the Church is preserued and nourished is the Lords Supper Baptisme is a Sacrament by which such as are within the couenant are washed with water in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost that beeing thus engraffed into Christ they may haue perpetuall fellowship with him Matth. 28.19 Goe teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Matth. 16.16 He that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued he that beleeueth not shall be condemned 1. Cor. 1.13 Is Christ deuided was Paul crucified for you â—iâ—her were ye baptized into the name of Paul 14. I thanke God I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius 15. Least any should say I had baptized into mine owne name Within the couenant are all the seede of Abraham or the seede of the faithfull These are either of riper yeares or infants Those of riper yeares are all such as adioyning themselues to the visible Church doe both testifie their repentance of their sinnes and hold the foundations of religion taught in the same Church Matth. 3. 6. And they were baptized of him in Iorden confessing their sinnes Act. 8.36 As they went they came to a water then the Eunuch saide See here is water what hindreth me to be baptized 37. Then Philip said If thou beleeue with all thine heart thou maist he said I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God 38. And they went downe into the water both Philip and the Eunuch and he baptized him Exod. 12.48 If a stranger dwell with thee and will observe the Passeouer of the Lord let him circumcise all the males that belong vnto him and then let him come and obserue it and then he shall be as one that is borne in the land for none vncircumcised person shall eate thereof Infants within the Couenant are such as haue one at the least of their parents faithfull 1. Cor. 7.14 The vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeleeuing wife is sanctified by the husband else were your children vncleane but now they are holy Rom. 11.16 If the first fruits be holy so is the whole lumpe and if the roote be holy so are the branches Gen. 17.7 I will establish my couenant betweene me and thee and thy seede after thee in their generations for an euerlasting couenant to be God vnto thee and thy seede after thee 13. He that is borne in thine house and he that is bought with money must needes be circumcised so my couenant shall be in your flesh for an euerlasting couenant Act. 16.31 They said Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thy whole houshold Quest. How are the children of faithfull parents in the couenant Answer Holy parents are two waies to be considered First as they were the sonnes of the first Adam and so are as yet partly carnall In this estate they in like sort doe beget their sonnes the children of wrath For the father begetteth a sonne not as he is a good man but simply as a man and therefore beeing impure he must needes beget that which is impure Secondly we must consider the parents as they are the sonnes of God engraffed into the second Adam In this estate though they cannot deriue faith vnto their posteritie for the sonnes of God are not made such by naturall generation but by the adoption of God the Father yet may they beleeue both for themselues and others according to the tenour of the couenant of grace as Adam did sinne both for himselfe and others and as parents in bargaines doe couenant both for themselues and their heires after them Hence it is that Paul saith that the parents are like vnto the first fruits which doe sanctifie the whole lumpe So then the faith of the parents maketh those their sonnes to be accounted in the couenant which by reason of their age doe not yet actually beleeue To be baptized into the name of the Father c. after the receit of the outward signe of washing is to be made one of Gods familie which is his church and to be partaker of the priuiledges thereof Gen. 48.16 The Angel which hath deliuered me from all euill blesse the children and let my name be named vpon them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Izhak that they may grow as fish into multitude in the middest of the earth Esai 4. 1. In that day shall seuen women take hold of one man saying We will eate our owne bread and we will weare our owne garments onely let vs be called by thy name and take away our reproch By this it is manifest that in this washing of Baptisme there is sealed and propounded a marueilous solemne couenant and contract first of God with the baptized in that God the Father vouchsafed to receiue him into fauour the Sonne to redeeme him the holy Ghost to purifie and regenerate him secondly of the baptized with God who promiseth to acknowledge inuocate and worship none other God but the true Iehouah which is the Father Sonne and holy Ghost The externall and visible matter of baptisme is water for the minister may not baptize with any other liquor but onely with naturall water This was the iudgement of the Primitiue Church For when as a certaine minister for want of water tooke sande and baptized one with that the partie thus besanded was further baptized the former beeing esteemed of none effect Niceph. histor 3. booke 33. chapter The externall forme of baptisme is the ministers washing of the baptized according to the prescript rule of Gods word Rom. 10. 4. The ancient custome of baptizing was to dippe and as it were to diue all the bodie of the baptized in the water as may appeare in Paul Rom. 6. and the Councels of Laodicea and Neocaesarea but now especially in cold countries the Church vseth onely to sprinkle the baptized by reason of childrens weaknesse for very few of ripe yeares are now a daies baptized We need not much to marueile at this alteration seeing charitie and necessitie may dispense with ceremonies and mitigate in equitie the sharpnes of them
of afflicted conscience 129 Commemoration of the creature 55 Commendation for well doing to be vsed 100 Commaundements to man in innocencie 13 Companie 85 want of Compassion 74 Complaints 74 Compunction 165 Concupiscence 100 Conception of sinne 21 Condemnation is by man 164 Confession of sinnes 119 Confidence in creatures 41 Cookes must keepe the sabbath 63 Coniuring 50 Coniunction with God 115 Conscience corrupted 18 not Comforted by a generall election 172 Concealing of sinnes 21,99 Consent in sinne 21 Contentation 92 Contentions 74 Contempt of superiours 71 Contempt of Gods seruice 48 Corne for the poore 75 Conuersation 58 to Couet what â—00 Counterfait wares 89 Countenance austere 74 Couetousnes 89 Couenant of grace and workes 36 102 Couenant with sathan 49 who are in the Couenant 108 Contracts how with whome 88 Contingencie not taken away by gods decree 9 Controuersies how decided 75 Conuersion to God whence 19 Crauing pardon for sinnes 119 Credulitie 98 Creation 10 creatures must not be vsed hardly 74 Cryings 74 Crosses 136 Crueltie 72 Cursings 55 Custome in sinne 21 ConstaÌ„tine what figure he saw 4â— D Damage in goods a punishment 23 Damnation 164,171 Dauncing 85 Death a punishment 23 Death not to be feared 142 Death of the elect 141 Death driuen farre off 20 Decalogue 36 Decree of God 8 it is secret 164 Degrees in sinning 20 Degrees in deuills 15 Defence of a mans selfe 81 Deniall of our selues 1â—8 Derision is persecution 74 Derision of Gods creatures 55 of superiours 71 Desire to please God 40 desires of the flesh how auoided 135 holy Desperation 117 Deuils 36 what they can doe 49 Differences of actuall sinne 21 Disdaine 95 Disobedience 71 Distinction of dominions a punishment 23 Distinction of persons 6 Distrust in God 40 Dissolute life 58 Doubtfulnes 40,132 Dreames 19 Diuination 50 Discerning 126 Duties of man to himselfe 71 E Eares of corne may be pulled to satisfie hunger 80 Eating with circumstances 87 Edict of the law 36 Edification 140 Elders fathers 66 Elect know themselues elect 163 election 23,114,146 by Christ. 24,114 meanes of election 24,36 it is Gods gift 114 it is not generally of all 168 notes of election 177 elect can not finally fall 160 elect haue dominion ouer creatures 124 Elohim what 1 eleuation in the masse 48 enchantments 51 enterludes 85 enuie 74,95 entising to sinne 21 encourage such as feare God 81 equalitie in contracts 93 errours of Predest confuted 149 estate of infidelitie 16 estate of the elect after death 141 143,144 estate of wicked men 175 estimation of our selues 20 eternall life 144 eternall ioy 145 eternall destruction 23,174,175 euangelicall promises indefinite 132 euill things how good with God 9 10 euill thoughts 20 excellencie of gifts reuerenced 69 excuse of sinne whence 18 execution of Gods decree 23 execution of election 25 execution of the decree of reprobation 164 exposition of scripture to xpe 33 externall obseruation of the sabbath 65 extolling of a mans selfe aboue others 72 eyes full of adulterie 84 F the Fall of a christian souldier 130 131 the remedies 131 before my Face what 39 the Fall 14 Falling from God 166 decreed of God 16,173 Faith 117,120,155 a temporarie faith 166 how faith is begotten 33,103 degrees in working it 118 degrees in Faith 120 Faith how shaken 120 not commaunded in the morall law 121 Faires may not be on the sabbath 65 the Faithfull alone haue title to Gods goods 124 False witnesse 95 False sentence 91 Fasting 53,88 Father what 66 Fatherlesse 74 Feare of God 40 of deâ—th 166 to offend God 127 Feasts 87 to idols 45 at Feasts leaue somewhat 87 Feeble not to be inuried 74 Fighting ibid. Flatterie 97 Flight in persecution 140 Forgerie 99 Foreknowledge of God 9 Fornication 82 Found things restore 89,94 Free-will not taken away by Gods decree 9 Free-will 151,153 Frowardnes 74 Funerals how to be solemnized 79 Fulnes of bread 85 G Gaine lawfull 91 vnlawfull ibid. Gaming for gaine ibid. Gate what 63 Gifts of the holy Ghost not saleable 89 Gleanings 80 Glorification 141 perfect Glorie 144 Glorie of God sought aboue all 100 it is the ende of all 146 176 Gospell 103 thought follie 20 God is and what 1 he is denied 20 his nature 1 simplenes 2 infinitenesse 2 he hath neither subiect nor adiunct 2 his essence ibid. immutabilitie ibid. searcher of the heart 3 the life of God ibid. how he willeth euill 3 his loue mercie c. ibid. what God can doe 5 his glorie knowne onely to himselfe ibid how God is knowne to man ibid. God the Father 7 his properties ibid. God the Sonne ibid. he onely incarnate 24 how sent 7 how the Word ibid. his properties 7 God the holy Ghost 8 Gods operation and operatiue permission 9 thy God what 38 others gods what 38 39 Good meaning 20 Good name 99 Goodnes of the creature 11 Gouernment of Christs Church 35 when corrupted 48 Grace can not be extinguished 160 Grapes may be plucked 79 Grief for others our own sins 127 Grauen image 43 Grudges 74 Guiltlesse what 54 H Hallow the sabbath 61 Hardnes of heart 23 Hard and soft heart 42 Hatred of God 42,164 of our neighbour 74 Heauens threefold 11 Hellenisme 40 Heresies spring froÌ„ original sin 17,18 Hell fire 176 Holy Ghost 8 not Christs father 25 Holines of mind 126 of memorie ibid. conscience ibid. will 127 affections ibid. bodie 128 Honour what 83 Hope 39,127 Hope of pardon 118 House coueted 100 Humilitie 40 Hungring after grace 118 Hunting 81 Husbandrie on the sabbath 65 Hypocrisie 47,48 I Idlenes 88 Iealous what 43,44 Iesting at scripture 58 Iewes 35 Idolatrie 45 Idolaters 35 Idol 43 Idolatrous seruice may not be heard 45 Idolaters sorie when they omit their fained worship 18 Illumination 126 Iehouah 38 Image of God 11 how much of Gods Image we reteined 17 Ingrossing commodities 90 Infamie a punishment 23 Infants how saued 114 Infants in the couenant 108 Infants which condemned 164 Ingratitude 72 Inhabitants of the world 11 Inholders dutie 63 Ignorance from Adam 17 sinne of Ignorance 21,22 Impatience in afflictions 41 Impotencie of minde 17 of will 19 Inclination to euill 17 Impuritie of conscience 18,19 Inescation 21 Iniuries 74 Indulgences 47 ImputatioÌ„ of mans sins to Christ. 31 Imputation of Christs righteousnes to man 122 imputatiue iustice prooued 123,156 Iosephs pietie 98 Iourneies on the sabbath day 65 Iudaisme 40 Images in Churches vnlawfull 44 Infirmities to be concealed 78,97,99 Infirmities of the bodie couered by Christ. 33 Infidels how damned 167 Ioy in the holy Ghost 128 Iudgements of God must be regarded 58 Iudging 99 last Iudgement 143 Iust dealing 92 Iugling 51 Iustice. 129 of the faithfull 160 Iustification 121,122 second Iustification confuted 157 Intermission of Gods seruice 48 Interpreting amisse 75 Interpreting wel 98 Iustice inherent 156 K to Kill what who when 73 the Knowledge of Gods law bruiseth the heart 177 the Knowledge of the Gospel 118 Kings are fathers 66
present vnto you an Exposition of another part of the Catechisme namely the Symbole or Creede of the Apostles which is indeede the very pith and substance of Christian religion taught by the Apostles imbraced by the ancient fathers sealed by the blood of martyrs vsed by Theodosius the Emperour as a meanes to ende the controuersies of his time and hereupon hath beene called the rule of faith the keye of faith And furthermore I hope that your Lordship will accept the same in good part the rather because you vouchsafed when you were in Cambridge to be an hearer thereof when it was taught and deliuered Thus crauing pardon for my boldnes I take my leaue commending your L. and yours to the protection of the Almightie Ann. 1595. Apr. 2. Your L. to command William Perkins The Contents of the booke The Creede pag. 185 Faith 187 God 198 The three persons 202 The Father 205 Gods omnipotencie 212 The Creation 217,221 Gods counsel 218 The creation of heauen 228 The creation of Angels 231 The creation of man 236 Gods prouidence 242 Adams fall and originall sinne 252 The couenant of grace 259 The title Iesus 262 The title Christ. 266 The title Sonne 271 The title Lord. 278 The Incarnation of Christ. 279 Christs humiliation 295 Christs passion 297 Christs arraignment 300 Christs execution 328 Christs sacrifice 350 Christs triumph 356 Christs buriall 367 The descension of Christ. 372 Christs exaltation 378 Christs Resurrection 380 Christs ascension 396 Christs sitting at c. 407 Christs intercession 409 Christs kingdome 417 The last iudgement 420 Of the holy Ghost 436 The Church 451,488 Predestination 453 The mysticall vnion 483 The communion of Saints 500 The forgiuenesse of sinnes 506 The resurrection of the bodie 509 Life euerlasting 516 In handling of the foresaid points for orders sake is considered 1. The meaning or such points of doctrine as are necessarie to bee knowne thereof 2. The duties to be learned thereby 3. The comforts that Gods pleople may gather thence AN EXPOSITION OF THE CREED I beleeue in God c. NO man iustly can be offended at this that I begin to treat of the doctrine of faith without a text though some be of mind that in Catechising the minister is to proceed as in the ordinary course of preaching onely by handling a set portion of scripture therefore that the handling of the Creede beeing no scripture is not conuenient Indeede I graunt that other course to bee commendable yet I doubt not but in Catechising the minister hath his libertie to followe or not to followe a certaine text of scripture as we doe in the vsuall course of preaching My reason is taken from the practise of the Primitiue Church whose Catechisme as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues sheweth was contained in sixe principles or grounds of religion which were not taken out of any set text in the old Testament but rather was a forme of teaching gathered out of the most cleare places thereof Hence I reason thus That which in this point was the vse and manner of the Primitiue Church is lawfull to be vsed of vs now but in the Primitiue church it was the manner to catechize without handling any set text of scripture and therefore the ministers of the Gospell at this time may with like libertie do the same so be it they doe confirme the doctrine which they teach with places of scripture afterward Nowe to come to the Creede let vs begin with the name or title thereof That which in English we call the Apostles Creed in other tongues is called Symbolum that is a shot or a badge It is called a shot because as in a feast or banquet euery man payeth his part which beeing all gathered the whole which we call the shot amounteth and so out of the seuerall writings of the Apostles ariseth this creed or briefe confession of faith It is a badge because as a souldier in the field by his badge and liuerie is knowne of what band he is and to what captaine he doth belong euen so by this beleefe a christian man may be distinguished and knowne from all Iewes Turkes Atheists and all false professours and for this cause it is called a badge Againe it is called the creed of the Apostles not because they were the peÌ„ners of it conferring to it besides the matter the very style frame of words as we haue theÌ„ now set down Reason I. there are in this creed certen words phrases which are not to be found in the writings of the Apostles and namely these He descended into hell the Catholike Church The latter whereof no doubt first began to be in vse when after the Apostles daies the Church was dispersed into all quarters of the earth Secondly if both matter and wordes hâ—d beene from the Apostles why is not the creede Canonicall Scripture as well as any other of their writings III. The Apostles had a summarie collecollection of the points of Christian religion which they taught and also deliuered to others to teach by consisting of two heads faith and loue as may appeare by Pauls exhortation to Timothie wishing him to keepe the patterne of wholesome wordes which he had heard of him in faith and loue which is in Christ Iesus Nowe the Creed consists not of two heads but of one namely of faith only not of loue also Wherfore I rather think that it is called the Apostles Creede because it doth summarily conteine the cheife and principall points of religion handled and propounded in the doctrine of the Apostles and because the points of the Creede are conformable and agreeable to their doctrine and writings And thus much of the title Now let vs heare what the creed is It is a summe of things to be beleeued concerning God and concerning the Church gathered forth of the scriptures For the opening of this description First I say it is a summe of things to be beleeued or an abridgement It hath beene the practise of teachers both in the newe and olde Testament to abridge and contract summarily the religion of their time This the Prophets vsed For when they had made their sermons to the people they did abridge them and penned theÌ„ briefly setting them in some open place that all the people might reade the same So the Lord bad Habakuk to write the vision which he sawe and to make it plaine vpon tables that he may runne that readeth it And in the newe testament the Apostles did abridge those doctrines which otherwise they did handle at large â—s as may appeare in the place of Timothie afore named Nowe the reason â—hy both in the old and newe Testament the doctrine of religion was abridged is that the vnderstandings of the simple as also their memories might be hereby helped and they better inabled to iudge of the trueth and to discerne the same from falshood And for this ende the Apostles
bredde and borne with them I adde that this is a gift supernaturall not onely because it is aboue that corrupt nature in which we are borne but also because it is aboue that pure nature in which our first parents were created For in the state of innocencie they wanted this faith neither had they then any neede of faith in the same God as he is Messias but this faith is a new grace of God added to regeneration after the fall and first prescribed and taught in the couenant of grace And by this one thing faith differeth from the rest of the gifts of God as the feare of God the loue of God the loue of our brethrē c. for these were in mans nature before the fall and after it when it pleaseth God to call vs they are but renewed but iustifying faith admits no renuing For the first ingrafting of it into the heart in the conuersion of a sinner after his fall The place and seate of faith as I thinke is the minde of man not the will for it stands in a kind of particular knowledge or perswasion and there is no perswasion but in the minde Paul saith indeede that we beleeue with the heart Rom. 10. but by the heart he vnderstands the soule without limitation to any part Some doe place faith in the minde and partly in the will because it hath two parts knowledge and affiance but it seemes not greatly to stand with reason that one particular and single grace should be seated in diuerse parts or faculties of the soules The forme of faith is to apprehend the promise Gal. 3. 14. that we might receiue the promise of the spirit through faith and Ioh. 1.12 to receiue Christ and to beleeue are put one for another and to beleeue is to eate and drinke the bodie and blood of Christ. To apprehend properly is an action of the hand of man which laies hold of a thing and pulls it to himselfe and by resemblāce it agrees to faith which is the hand of the soule receiuing and applying the sauing promise This apprehension of faith is not performed by any affection of the will but by a certen and particular perswasion whereby a man is resolued that the promise of saluation belongs vnto him Which perswasion is wrought in the minde by the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 2.12 And by this the promise which is generall is applied particularly to one subiect By this one action sauing faith differeth from all other kindes of faith From historicall for it wanteth all apprehension and standeth onely in a generall assent From temporarie faith which though it make a man to professe the Gospell and to reioyce in the same yet doth it not throughly applie Christ with his benefits For it neuer brings with it any thorough touch of conscience or liuely sense of Gods grace in the heart And the same may be said of the rest The principall and maine obiect of this faith is the sauing promise God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeues in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life But some will say Christ is commonly said to be the obiect of faith Ans. In effect it is all one to say the sauing promise and Christ promised who is the substance of the couenant Christ then as he is set forth vnto vs in the word Sacraments is the obiect of faith And here certaine questions offer themselues to be skanned The first What is that particular thing which faith apprehendeth Answ. Faith apprehendeth whole Christ God and man For his godhead without his manhoode and his manhoode without his godhead doth not reconcile vs to God Yet this which I say must be conceiued with some distinction according to the difference of his two natures His godhead is apprehended not in respect of his essence or nature but in respect of his efficacie manifested in the manhood whereby the obedience thereof is made meritorious before God as for his manhoode it is apprehended both in respect of the substance or thing it selfe and also in respect of the efficacie and benefits thereof The second In what order faith apprehends Christ Answ. First of all it apprehendes the very bodie and bloode of Christ and then in the second place the vertue and benefits of his bodie and blood as a man that would feele in his bodie the vertue of meate and drinke must first of all receiue the substance thereof To goe forward Besides this mayne promise which concernes righteousnesse and life euerlasting in Christ there be other particular promises touching strength in temptations comfort in afflictions and such like which depend on the former and they also are the obiect of iustifying faith and with the very same faith we beleeue them wherewith we beleeue our saluation Thus Abraham by the same faith wherewith he was iustified beleeued that he should haue a sonne in his olde age Rom. 4.19,22 And Noe by that faith whereby he was made heyre of righteousnes beleeued that he and his familie should be preserued in the floode this conclusion beeing alwaies laide downe that To whome God giues Christ to them also he giues all things needefull for this life or the life to come in and by Christ. And hereupon it comes to passe that in our prayers besides the desire of things promised we must bring faith whereby we must be certenly perswaded that God will graunt vs such things as he hath promised and this faith is not a newe kind or distinct faith from iustifying faith Thus we see plainly what sauing faith is Whereas some are of opinion that faith is an affiance or confidence that seemes to be otherwise for it is a fruit of faith and indeede no man can put any confidence in God till he be first of all perswaded of Gods mercie in Christ towards him Some againe are of minde that loue is the very nature and forme of faith but it is otherwise For as confidence in God so also loue is an effect which proceedeth from faith 1. Tim. 1.5 The ende of the law is loue from a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained And in nature they differ greatly Christ is the fountaine of the waters of life Faith in the heart is as the pipes and leads that receiue in and hold the water and loue in some part is as the cocke of the conduit that lets out the water to euery commer The propertie of the hand is to hold and of it selfe it can not cut yet by a knife or other instrument put into the hand it cuts the hand of the soule is faith and his propertie is to apprehend Christ with all his benefits and by it selfe it can doe nothing else yet ioyne loue vnto it and by loue it will be effectuall in all good duties Now to proceede further first we are to consider how faith is wrought secondly what be the differences of it For the first faith is
who beeing tempted of the deuill and asked how he beleeued answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeued beeing againe asked how the Church beleeued he answered as I beleeue whereupon the deuill as they say was faine to depart Well this fond and ridiculous kind of faith we renounce as being a meanes to nuzle men in blindnes superstition and perpetuall ignorance yet withall we doe not denie but that there is an implicite or infolded faith which is when a man as yet hauing but some little portion of knowledge in the doctrine of the Gospel doth truly performe obedience according to the measure thereof and withall hath care to get more knowledge and shewes good affection to all good meanes whereby it may be increased In this respect a certaine ruler who by a miracle wrought vpon his child was mooued to acknowledge Christ for the Messias and further to submit himselfe to his doctrine is commended for a beleeuer and so are in the like case the Samaritanes And thus much of weake faith which must be vnderstood to be in a man not all the daies of his life but while he is a yong babe in Christ. For as it is in the state of the bodie first we are babes and grow to greater strength as we grow in yeres so it is with a christian man First he is a babe in Christ hauing weake faith but after growes from grace to grace till he come to haue a stroÌ„g faith example wherâ—of we haue in Abraham who was strong and perfect both in knowledge and apprehension This strong faith is when a man is indued with the knowledge of the Gospell and grace to apprehend and apply the righteousnes of Christ vnto himselfe for the remission of his owne sinnes so as he can say distinctly of himselfe and truely that he is fully resolued in his owne conscience that he is reconciled vnto God in Christ for all his sinnes and accepted in him to life euerlasting This degree of faith is proper to him that beginnes to be a tall man and of ripe yeares in Christ. And it commeth not at the first calling of a man vnto grace And if any shall thinke that he can haue it at the first he deceiueth himself For as it is in nature first we are babes then as we increase in yeares so we growe in strength so it is in the life of a Christian first ordinarily he hath a weake faith and after growes from grace to grace till he come to stronger faith and at the last he be able to say he is fully assured in his heart and conscience of the pardon of his sinnes of reconciliation to God in Christ. And this assurance ariseth from many experiences of Gods fauour and loue in the course of his life by manifold preseruations and other blessings which beeing deepely and duly considered bring a man to be fully perswaded that God is his God and God the father his father and Iesus Christ his redeemer and the holy Ghost his sanctifier Now howesoeuer this faith be strong yet is it alwaies imperfect as also our knoweledge is and shall so long as wee liue in this worlde be mingled with contrarie vnbeleefe and sundry doubtings more or lesse A great part of men amongest vs blinded with grosse ignorance say they haue faith and yet indeede haue not For aske them what faith they haue they will answere they beleeue that God is their father and the Sonne their redeemer c. aske them how long they haue had this faith they will answer euer since they could remember aske them whether they euer doubt of Gods fauour they will say they would not once doubt for all the world But the case of these men is to bee pitied for howesoeuer they may perswade themselues yet true it is that they haue no sound faith at all for euen strong faith is assaulted with temptations and doubtings and God will not haue men perfect in this life that they may alwaies goe out of themselues and depend wholly on the merite of Christ. And thus much of these two degrees of faith Nowe in whome soeuer it is whether it be a weake faith or a strong it bringeth forth some fruit as a tree doth in the time of sommer And a speciall fruite of faith is this confession of faith I beleeue in God c. so Paul saith With the heart a man may beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth man confesseth to saluation Confession of faith is when a man in speech and outwarde profession doth make manifest his faith for these two causes I. That with his mouth outwardly he may glorifie God and doe him seruice both in body and soule II. That by the confession of his faith he may seuer himselfe from all false Christians from Atheists hypocrites and all false seducers whatsoeuer And as this is the dutie of a Christian man to make profession of his faith so here in this Creede of the Apostles wee haue the right order and forme of making confession set downe as we shall see in handling the parts thereof The Creede therefore setts downe two thinges concerning faith namely the action of faith and his obiect which also are the parts of the Creed The action in these wordes I beleeue the obiect in all the wordes following in God the Father Almightie maker c. And first let vs beginne with the action I beleeue in God Wee are taught to saie I beleeue not vvee beleeue for two causes First because as wee touched before in the Primitiue Church this Creede was made to bee an aunswere to a demaunde or question which was demaunded of euery particular man that was baptized for they asked him thus What doest thou beleeue then he aunswered I beleeue in God the Father c. And thus did euerie one of yeares make profession of his faith and it is likely that Peter alluded hereunto saying the stipulation or aunswere of a good conscience maketh request to God The second cause is howesoeuer we are to pray one for another by sayingâ— O our Father c. yet when we come to yeares we must haue a particular faith of our own no man can be saued by another mans faith but by his owne as it is said The iust shall liue by his faith But some will say this is not true because children must be saued by their parents faith the aunswere is this the faith of the parent doth bring the child to haue a title or interest to the Couenant of grace and to all the benefits of Christ yet doth it not applie the benefits of Christs death his obedience his merits and righteousnesse vnto the infant for this the beleeuer doth onely vnto himselfe and to no other Againe some may say if children doe not apprehend Christs benefits by their parents faith howe then is Christs righteousnesse made theirs and they saued Answer By the inwarde working of the holy Ghost who is the principal applier
nature darknes and let God but speake to our blind vnderstandings our ignorance shall depart and we shall be inlightened with the knowledge of the true God and of his will as Paul saith God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse is he which hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glorie of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Secondly God made all creatures without motion labour or defatigation for his very bidding of the worke to be done was the doing of it And this thing no creature can doe but God onely though vnto Adam labour was without paine before the fall Thirdly the matter and the first beginning of all creatures was nothing that is all things were made when as there was nothing whereof they might be made as Paul saith God calleth those things which be not as though they were And indeede in the first creation all things must be made either of the essence of God or of nothing but a creature can not be made of the essence of God for it hath no parts it is not diuisible and therefore God made all things that were made out of himselfe or his owne essence the conclusion then is that the framing of the creatures in the beginning was not of any matter but of nothing because before the creation out of God there was nothing This must teach vs to humble our selues Many there be that stand vpon their ancestours but let them here looke whence they came first namely as Abraham saith of himselfe of dust and ashes And what was this dust and ashes made of surely of nothing wherefore euery mans first beginning is of nothing Well then such men as are caried away with their pedigree and descent if they look well into it they shall finde small cause to boast or bragge And this consideration of our first beginning must mooue vs to true humiliation in our selues Fourthly God in framing his creatures in the beginning made them good yea very good Now the goodnes of the creature is nothing else but the perfect estate of the creature whereby it was conformable to the will and minde of the Creator allowing and approouing of it when he had made it for a creature is not first good and then approoued of God but because it is approoued of God therefore it is good But wherein will some say stands this goodnes of the creature I anâ—wer in three things I. in the comelines beautie and glorie of euery worke in his kind both in forme and constitution of the matter II. In the excellencie of the vertue which God hath giuen to it for as he hath appointed euery creature for some especiall ende so he hath fitted and furnished it with sufficient power and vertue for the accomplishing of the same ende III. In the exceeding benefit and profitablenesse that came by them to man But since the fall of man this goodnes of the creature is partly corrupted and partly diminished Therefore when we see any want defect or deformitie in any of them we must haue recourse backe againe to the apostasie of our first parents and remember our fall in them and say with a sorrowfull heart this comes to passe by reason of mans most wretched sinne which hath defiled heauen and earth and drawne a curse not onely vpon himselfe but vpon the rest of the creatures for his sake whereby there goodnes is much defaced Fifthly the ende of creation is the glorie of God as Salomon saith God made all things for his owne sake yea euen the wicked for the day of euill And God propounds this principall ende to himselfe not as though he wanted glorie and would purchase it vnto himselfe by the creation for he is most glorious in himselfe and his honour and praise beeing infinite can neither be increased nor decreased but rather that he might communicate and make manifest his glorie to his creatures and giue them occasion to magnifie the same For the reasonable creatures of God beholding his glorie in the creation are mooued to testifie and declare the same among men The sixth shall be touching the time of the beginning of the world which is betweene fiue thousand and sixe thousand yeares agoe For Moses hath set downe exactly the computation of time from the making of the world to his owne daies and the Prophets after him haue with like diligence set downe the continuance of the same to the very birth of Christ. But for the exact account of yeares Chronologers are not all of one minde Some say there be 3929. from the creation to Christs birth as Beroaldus some 3952. as Hierome and Bede some 3960. as Luther and â—o Lucidus some 3963. as Melancthon in his Chronicle and Functius some 3970. as Bullinger and Tremellius some towards 4000. as Buntingus Now from the birth of Christ to this day are 1592. yeares and adding these together the whole time amounteth And God would haue the very time of the beginning of the world to be reuealed first that it might be knowne to the Church when the couenant of grace was first giuen by God to man and when it was afterward renewed and how Christ came in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. secondly that we might know that the world was not made for the eternall and euerliuing God but for man thirdly that we might learne not to set our hearts on the world on the things therein which haue beginning and ende but seeke for things eternall in heauen And before the time which I haue named began there was nothing beside God the world it selfe and all things else were vncreated Some men vse to obiect and say what did God all that while before the world was how did he imploy himselfe what was he idle Ans. The Iewes to this badde question make as badde an answer For they say he was continually occupied in making many little worlds which he continually destroied as he made them because none pleased him till he made this But we must rather say that some things are reuealed which God did then as that he decreed what should come to passe when the world was that then the blessed persons in Trinitie did take eternal delight each in other If any man will needes know more let him heare what Moses saith Secret things belong to the Lord our God but things reuealed to vs and to our children for euer and let them marke what one eluding the question answered namely that God was making hell fire to burne all such curious persons as will needes know more of God then he hath reuealed to them for where God hath not a mouth to speake there we must not haue an eare to heare therefore our dutie is to let such curious questions passe Seuenthly some may aske in what space of time did God make the world I answer God could haue made the world and all things in it in one moment but he
we so poreblinde that we cannot discerne any blessing and prouidence of God in them Therefore let vs learne to looke vpon both ioyntly togither and so shall wee bee thankfull vnto God in prosperitie and patient in aduersitie with Iob and Dauid This lesson Paul learned I can be abased saith he and I can abound euery where in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungrie and to abound and to be in want Fourthly seeing Gods prouidence disposeth all things wee are taught to gather obseruations of the same in things both past and present that we may learne thereby to be armed against the time to come Thus Dauid when hee was to encounter with Goliah gathered hope and confidence to himselfe for the time to come by the obseruation of Gods prouidence in the time past for saith he when I kept my fathers sheepe I slue a lyon and a beare that deuoured the flocke nowe the Lord that deliuered me out of the paw of the lyon and out of the paw of the beare he will deliuer me out of the hand of this Philistim Fifthly because Gods prouidence disposeth all things when we make lawfull promises to doe any thing we must put in or at the least conceiue this condition if the Lord will for S. Iames saith that we ought to say If the Lord will and if we liue we will doe this or that This also was Dauids practise for to all the congregation of Israel he saide If it seeme good to you and if it proceede from the Lord our God we will send to and fro Sixtly seeing Gods prouidence is manifested in ordinary means it behooueth euery man in his calling to vse them carefully when ordinarie meanes be at hand wee must not looke for any help without them though the Lord be able to doe what he wil without meanes Ioab when many Aramites came against him he heartened his souldiers though they were but fewe in number bidding them be strong and valiant for their people and for the citties of their god and then let the Lord doe that which is good in his eies And our Sauiour Christ auoucheth it to be flat tempting of God for him to leape downe from the pinacle of the temple to the ground wheras there was an ordinarie way at hand to descend by staires Hence it appeares that such persons as wil vse no means whereby they may come to repent and beleeue doe indeede no more repent and beleeue then they can be able to liue which neither eate nor drinke And thus much of the duties Nowe followe the consolations first this very point of Gods speciall prouidence is a great comfort to Gods Church for the Lord moderateth the rage of the deuill and wicked men that they shal not hurt the people of God Dauid saith The Lord is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide And when Iosephs brethren were afraid because they had solde him into Egypt he comforteth them saying that it was God that sent him before them for their preseruation So king Dauid when his owne souldiers were purposed to stone him to death he was in great sorrow but it is said he comforted himselfe in the Lord his God Where we may see that a man which hath grace to beleeue in God and rely on his prouidence in all his afflictions and extremities shall haue wonderfull peace and consolation Before we can proceede to the articles which followe it is requisite that we should intreat of one of the greatest workes of Gods prouidence that can be because the opening of it giueth light to all that inâ—ueth And this worke is a Preparation of such meanes whereby God will manifest his iustice mercie It hath two parts the iust permission of the fall of maÌ„ the giuing of the CouenaÌ„t of grace For so Paul teacheth wheÌ„ he saith That god shut vp all vnder vnbeleefe that he might haue mercie vpon all And againe The scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Christ Iesus should be giuen to them that beleeue Touching the first that we might rightly conceiue of mans fall we are to search out the nature and parts of sinne Sinne is any thing whatsoeuer is against the will and word of God as S. Iohn saith Sinne is the transgression of the lawe And this definition Paul confirmeth when he saith that by the lawe comes the knoweledge of sinne and where no lawe is there is no transgression and sinne is not imputed where there is no lawe In sinne we must consider three things the fault the guilt the punishment The fault is the anomie or the inobedience it selfe and it comprehends not onely huge and notorious offences as idolatrie blasphemie theft treason adulterie and all other crimâ—s that the world criâ—s shame on but euery disordered thought affection inclination yea euery defect of that which the law requireth The guilt of sinne is whereby a man is guiltie before God that is bounde made subiect to punishment And here two questions must be skanned where man is bound and by what For the first Man is bound in conscience And hereupon the conscience of euery sinner sitts within his heart as a little iudge to tell him that he is bound before God to punishment For the second it is the order of diuine iustice set downe by God which bindes the conscience of the sinner before god for he is Creatour and Lord and man is a creature and therefore must either obey his will and commandementâ— or suffer punishment Nowe then by vertue of Gods lawe conscience bindes ouer the creature to beare a punishment for his offence done against God yea it tells him that he is in danger to be iudged and condemned for it And therefore the conscience is as it were the Lordes Sergeant to informe the sinner of the bond and obligation whereby he alwaies stands bound before God The third thing which followeth sinne is punishment and that is death So Paul saith The stipend of sinne is death where by death wee must vnderstand a double death both of bodie and soule The death of the bodie is a separation of the bodie from the soule The second death is a separation of the whole man but especially of the soule from the glorious presence of God I say not simplie from the presence of God for God is euery where but only from the ioyfull presence of Gods glorie Now these two deaths are the stipends or allowance of sinne and the least sinne which a man committeth doth deserue these two punishments For in euery sinne the infinite iustice of God is violated for which cause there must needes be inflicted an infinite punishment that there may be a proportion betweene the punishment and the offence And therefore that distinction of sinne which Papists make namely that some are in themselues veniall and some mortall is false and
Gods eyes We are vnder the wrath of God by nature and can not attaine to euerlasting life of our selues Wherefore it doth stand euery one of vs in hand to abase our selues vnder the mightie hand of God in that we are become by our sinnes the very basest of all the creatures vpon earth yea vtterly to dispaire in respect of our selues and with bleeding hearts to bewaile our owne cases There is no daunger in this it is the very way to grace none can be a liuely member of Christ till his conscience condemne him and make him quite out of heart in respect of himselfe And the want of this is the cause why so fewe perceiue any sweetnesse or comfort in the Gospell and why it is so little loued and embraced now a daies Lastly if all mankind be shut vp vnder vnbeleefe the dutie of euery man is to labour in vsing all good meanes whereby we may be deliuered from this bondage and to pray to God with Dauid Create in me a â—lâ—an heart O God and renew a right spirit within me And crie out with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And we must neuer be at rest till we haue some assurance in conscience that in Christ we haue freedome from this bondage and can with the Colossians giue thanks that we are deliuered from the power of darknesse and translated into the kingdome of Christ. This should be the affection of euery man because the spirituall thraldom vnder sinne is of all miseries most loathsome and burdensome And in this respect the day of death should be vnto vs most welcome because it doth vnloose vs from this miserable estate in which we doe almost nothing but displease God For this is the greatest griefe that can be to such as are indeed the children of God by their sinnes to offende their mercifull father As for those which feele not the weight of their natural guiltinesse and corruption but lie slumbring in the securitie of their owne hearts they are therefore the more miserable in that beeing plunged in the gulfe of all miserie yet they feele no miserie Thus much of the permission of the fal of man Now we come to the Couenant of grace Which is nothing els but a compact made betweene God man touching reconciliation and life euerlasting by Christ. This couenant was first of all reuealed and deliuered to our first parents in the garden of Eden immediately after their fall by God himselfe in these wordes The seede of the woman shall bruise the serpents head and afterward it was continued and renued with a part of Adams posteritie as with Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. but it was most fully reuealed accomplished at the comming of Christ. In the Couenant I will consider two things the parties reconciled between whome the Couenant is made and the foundation thereof The parties are God and man God is the principal and he promiseth righteousnesse and life eternall in Christ Man againe bindes himselfe by Gods grace to beleeue and to rest vpon the promise Here it may be demanded why man is more in the couenant then angels Ans. The will of God in this point is not reuealed vnlesse it be because angels fell of themselues not mooued by any other but man did fall by them Againe it may be asked whether all mankind were euer in the couenant or no Ans. We can not say that all and euery man hath bin and nowe is in the couenant but onely that little part of mankinde which in all ages hath bin the Church of God and hath by faith embraced the couenant as Paul plainly auoucheth The scripture saith he hath concluded all vnder sin that the promise of the saith of Iesus Christ should be giueÌ„ not vnto all men but to theÌ„ that beleeue Without faith no man can please God and therefore God makes no couenant of reconciliation without faith Againe since the beginning of the world there hath bin alwaies a distinction betweene man and man This appeares in the very tenour of the words of the couenant made with our first parents where God saith he will put difference betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent meaning by the seede of the woman Christ with all the elect whome the father hath giuen vnto him who shall bruise the serpents head and tread Satan vnder their feete And by the seede of the serpent he meaneth wicked men that liue die in their sinnes as S. Iohn saith he that committeth sinne is of the deuil And according to this distinction in times following was Abel receiued into the couenant and Cain reiected some were the sonnes of God in the daies of Noe some the sonnes of men In Abrahams family Ismael is cast out and the couenant established in Isaac Iacob is loued Esau is hated And this distinction in the families of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Paul approoueth when he maketh some to be the children of the flesh and some other the children of the promise And againe the Iewes a people of God in the couenant the Gentiles no people For Paul makes it a priuiledge of the Iewes to haue the adoption and couenants and the seruice of God and the promises belonging vnto them whereas he saith of the Ephesians that they were alients from the common wealth of Israel and were straungers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were without Christ and without God in the world And the same may be said of the whole bodie of the Gentiles excepting here and there a man who were conuerted and became Proselytes And this is manifest in that they wanted the word and the Sacraments teachers And this saying of the prophet Ose I will call them my people which were not my people and her belooued which was not beloued is alleadged by Paul to prooue the calling of the Gentiles Some doe alleadge to the contrarie that when the couenant was made with our first parents it was also in them made with al mankind not one man excepted that the distinction and difference betweene man and man ariseth of their vnbeleefe and contempt of the couenant afterward Ans. Indeed in the estate of Innocency Adam by creation receiued grace for himselfe and his posteritie and in his fall he transgressed not onely for himselfe but for all his posteritie but in receiuing of the couenant of grace it cannot be prooued that he receiued it for himselfe and for all mankind nay the distinction betweene the seede of the woman and the seede of the serpent mentioned in the very first giuing of the couenant shewes the contrarie for if after the fall all and euery part of mankinde were receiued into the couenant then all men without restraint should be the seed of the woman bruising the serpents head and the serpent should haue no seede at all And againe
sheepe of the house of Israel Christ Iesus came to poure oile into our woundes Christ came to set them at libertie which are in prison and to place them in freedome that are in bondage Now a man cannot poure oile into a wound before there be a wound or before it be opened and we feele the smart of it And how can wee be set at libertie by Christ except we feele our selues to be in bondage vnder hell death and damnation When the Disciples of Christ were vpon the sea in a great tempest they cried Master saue vs we perish So no man can hartily say I beleeue Iesus Christ to be my Sauiour before he feele that in himselfe he is vtterly lost and cast away without his helpe But after that we perceiue our selues to be in danger and to be ouerwhelmed in the sea of the wrath of God then we crie out with the disciples Lord Iesus saue vs we perish Many protestants in these daies hold Christ to be their Sauiour but it is onely formably from the teeth outward and no further for they were neuer touched with the sense of their spirituall miserie that they might say with Daniel Shame and confusion belongeth vnto vs and with the Publicane I am a sinner Lord be mercifull to me And therefore the conclusion is this that if we will haue Christ to be our Sauiour we must first beleeue that in our selues we are vtterly lost and so must that place be vnderstood where Christ saith he is not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that is to those which in their owne sense and feeling are lost in themselues Secondly if Christ be a Sauiour then we must acknowledge him to bee so But howe shall we doe this I answer Thus A man is taken to be a skilful Phisition by this that many patients come vnto him and seeke for helpe at his hands And so should it be with Christ. But alas the case is otherwise Euery man can talke of Christ but fewe acknowledge him to be a Sauiour by seeking to him for their saluation because they iudge themselues righteous and feele not themselues to stand in need of the helpe of Christ. Nay which is more If a man be knowne that can cure straunge diseases men will seeke to him by sea and land and sell both goods and landes to get helpe at his hands Euen so if men were perswaded that Christ were a perfect Sauiour and that they were sicke and vtterly vnable to be saued without him they would neuer rest nor be in quiet but seeke vnto him for his help and crie with Dauid O Lord say vnto my soule that thou art my saluation The womaÌ„ that was diseased with an issue of blood came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if we shal seeke to come to Christ and doe but touch his pretious bodie and bloode by the hand of faith the issues the bleeding wounds of our soules shall be dried vp When a man that had beene sicke eight and thirtie yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda he was faine to lie there vncured because when the angel troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent vs or steppe before vs. And if we finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not drawe neere vnto him let vs then doe as the palsie man did he got foure men to carrie him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they could not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bed by cordes to Christ that hee might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put to their shoulders and by their praiers as with cordes bring vs to Christ that we may receiue eternall saluation beeing otherwise dead in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Marie gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue conuenient names vnto them which may put them in minde of duties either to God or men This is worthie of our obseruation for many care not howe they name their children yea it is at this day and euer hath beene that some giue such names to them as that at the very rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen vnto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then when they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy ghost therefore though we doe not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a wise godly choice in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in steade of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the olde Testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borrowed from the holy ancetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steps And thus much of the duties Now followe the consolations that Gods Church people râ—ape from this that the sonne of god is our Sauiour WheÌ„ as all mankind was included vnder sin and condemnation then the Lord had mercy vpon vs and gaue vnto man the couenant of grace in which he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and vnspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioiced herein wheÌ„ Christ was born Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the lord Now if they reioice thus exceedingly at Christs birth who was not their Sauiour because they stood not in need to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doth principally concerne and no maruel for if we had wanted this blessed Sauiour it had bin better to haue bin a bruit beast or any other creâ—ture then a man for the death of a beast is the ende of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endlesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his owne sonne to restore him to a better
in the eternal counsell of God set apart to be a publike suretie or pledge for vs to suffer and performe those things which we in our persons should haue suffered and performed For this cause God the father is said to giue his sonne vnto vs and the sonne again to giue his life for his friends The â—econd question is how by the short and temporary death of the sonne of God any man can possibly bee freed from eternall death and damnation which is due vnto him for the least sinne Ans. When we say that the sonne of God suffered it must be vnderstood with distinction of the natures of Christ not in respect of the Godhead but in respect of the assumed manhood yet neuerthelesse the passion is to be ascribed to the whole person of Christ God and man and from the dignitie of the person which suffered ariseth the dignitie excellencie of the passion wherby it is made in value and price to counteruaile euerlasting damnation For when as the sonne of God suffered the curse for a short time it is more then if all men and angels had suffered the same for euer VII The difference of the passion of Christ and the sufferings of Martyrs and that stands in two thinges First Christs passion was a cursed punishment the sufferings of the Martyrs are no curses but either chastisements or trials Secondly the passion of Christ is meritorious for vs euen before god because he becam our mediatour and suretie in the couenant of grace but the sufferings of Martyrs are not of value to merit for vs at Gods hand because in suffering they were but priuate men and therefore they nothing appertaine to vs. By this it appeares that the Treasury of the Church of Rome which is as it were a common chest containing the ouerplus of the merits of saints mingled with the merits of Christ kept and disposed by the Pope himselfe is nothing els but a sensles dotage of mans braine And whereas they say that Christ by his death did merit that Saints might merit both for themselues and others it is as much as if they should say the sonne of God became Iesus to make euery one of vs Iesus And it is a manifest vntruth which they say For the very manhood of Christ considered apart from the Godhead cannot merit properly coÌ„sidering whatsoeuer it is hath or doth it is hath and doth the same wholly and onely by grace whereas therefore Christ meriteth for vs it is by reason he is both God and man in one person For this cause it is not possible that one meere man should merit for another The vse of the passion followeth It is the manner of Friers and Iesuits in the Church of Rome to vse the consideration of the passion of Christ as a meanes to stirre vp compassion in themselues partly towards Christ who suffered grieuous torments and partly towards the virgin Marie who for the torments of her deere sonne was exceedingly troubled and withall to kindle in their hearts an indignation towards the Iewes that put Christ to death But indeede this kind of vse is meere humane and may in like manner be made by reading of any humane historie But the proper and the speciall vse of the passion indeede is this first of all we must set it before our eies as a looking glasse in which we may clearely beholde the horriblenesse of our sinnes that could not be pardoned without the passion of the sonne of God and the vnspeakable loue of Christ that died for vs and therefore loued his own enemies more then his owne selfe and lastly our endlesse peace with God and happinesse in that considering the person of our redeemer who suffered the pangs of hell wee may after a sort finde our paradise euen in the middest of hell Secondly the meditation of Christs passion serues as a most worthie meanâ— to beginne and to confirme grace specially when it is mingled with faith and that two waies For first it serues to breede in our hearts a godly sorrowe for our sinnes past when we doe seriouslie with our selues consider that our owne sinnes were the cause of all the paines and sorrowes calamities which he suffered in life and death When any man had sinned vnder the lawe hee brought vnto the temple or tabernacle some kind of beast for an offering according as he was prescribed laying his hand vpon the head of it and afterward slaying it before the Lord. Now by the ceremony of laying on the hand he testified that he for his part had deserued death and not the beast and that it beeing slaine and sacrificed was a â—igne vnto him of the sacrifice of Christ offered vpon the crosse for his â—innes And hereby we are taught that so oft as we remember the passion of Christ we should lay our hands as it were vpon our owne heades vtterly accusing and condemning our selues euermore keeping this in our hearts that Christ suffered not for himself but for our offences which were the proper cause of all his woe and miserie And as Christs passion was grieuous and bitter vnto him so should our sinnes likewise bee grieuous and bitter vnto vs let vs alwaies remember this otherwise we shall neuer reape any sound benefit by the passion of Christ. Againe the passion of Christ is a notable meanes to stirre vp in our hearts a purpose and a care to reforme our selues and liue in holines and newnes of life on this manner Hath the sonne of God so mercifully dealt with me as to suffer the curse of the whole lawe for my manifolde iniquities and to deliuer me from iust and deserued damnation yea no doubt he hath I am resolued of it if I should go on in mine old course I should be the most ingratefull of all creatures to this my louing Sauiour I will therefore by his grace returne and reforme my life And in this very point of reformation the passion of Christ is set before vs as a most liuely patterne and example to followe For as much saith S. Peter as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh arme your sâ—lues likewise with the same minde which is that he which hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne Where he teacheth that there must be in vs a spirituall passion answerable to the passion of Christ. For as his enemies did lade him with miseries euen to the death of the crosse so should we lade our owne flesh that is the corruption of our natures with all such meanes as may subdue and weaken crucifie and kill it To the doing of this three things especially are required First we must consider that the corruption of our rebebellious natures is like the great and mightie Goliah and the grace of God which we receiue like young and little Dauid and therefore if wee desire that grace should preuaile against corruption we must disarme the strong man and strippe him of all his weapons
bee they goe to farre for if to die the first death bee to suffer a totall separation of bodie and soule then also to die the second death is wholly and euerie way to bee seuered from all fauour of God and at the least for a time to bee oppressed of the same death as the damned are Nowe this neuer befell Christ no not in the middest of his sufferinges considering that euen then he was able to call God his God Therefore the safest is to follow the meane namely that Christ died the first death in that his bodie and soule were really and wholly seuered yet without suffering any corruption in his bodie which is the effect and fruit of the same that withall he further suffered the extreame horrours and pangs of the second death not dying the same death nor being forsaken of God more then in his own apprehension or feeling For in the very middest of his sufferings the father was well pleased with him And this which I say doth not any whit lesson the sufficiencie of the merit of Christ for whereas he suffered truely the very wrath of God and the very torments of the damned in his soule it is as much as if all the men in the worlde had died the second death and had bin wholly cut off from God for euer and euer And no doubt Christ died the first death onely suffering the pangs of the second that the first death might be an entrance not to the second death which is eternall damnation but a passage to life eternall The benefits and comforts which arise by the death of Christ are specially foure The first is the change of our naturall death I say not the taking of it away for we must all die but whereas by nature death is a curse of God vpon man for eating the forbidden fruite by the death of Christ it is changed from a curse into a blessing and is made as it were a middle way and entrance to coÌ„uaigh men out of this worlde into the kingdome of glorie in heauen and therefore it is said Christ by his death hath deliuered them from the feare of death which all the daies of their liues were subiect to bondage A man that is to encounter with a scorpion if he knowe that it hath a sting he may be dismaied but beeing assured that the sting is taken away he neede not feare to encounter therewith Nowe death in his owne nature considered is this scorpion armed with a sting but Christ our Sauiour by his death hath pulled out the sting of our death and on the crosse triumphantly saith O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victory and therefore euen then when wee feele the pangs of death approch wee should not feare but conceiue hope considering that our death is altered and changed by the vertue of the death of Christ. Secondly the death of Christ hath quite taken away the second death from those that are in Christ as Paul saith There is no no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Thirdly the death of Christ is a meanes to ratisie his last will and testament For this cause was Christ the Mediatour of the newe testament that through death which was for the redemption of the transgressions which were in the former testament they which were called might receiue the promise of the eternall inheritance For where a testament is there must be the death of him that made the testament for the testament is confirmed when men are dead for it is yet of no force as long as he is aliue that made it And therefore the death of Christ doth make his last wil and testament which is his couenant of grace authentical vnto vs. Fourthly the death of Christ doth serue to abolish the originall corruption of our sinnefull hearts As a strong corasiue laid to a sore eates out all the rotten and dead flesh euen so Christs death being applyed to the heart of a penitent sinner by faith weakens and consumes the sinne that cleaues so fast vnto our natures and dwells within vs. Some will say howe can Christs death which now is not because it is long agoe past and ended kill sinne in vs nowe Answ. Indeede if we regard the act of Christs death it is past but the vertue and power thereof endureth for euer And the power of Christs death is nothing els but the power of his Godhead which inabled him in his death to ouercome hell the graue death and condemnation and to disburden himselfe of our sinnes Nowe when we haue grace to denie our selues and to put our trust in Christ by faith are ioyned to him theÌ„ as Christ himselfe by the power of his godhead ouercame death hell and damnation in himselfe so shall wee by the same power of his godhead kill and crucifie sinne corruption in our selues Therefore seeing we reape such benefit by the death of Christ if wee will shewe our selues to bee Christians let vs reioyce in the death of Christ and if the question bee what is the chiefest thing wherein wee reioyce in this world we may answer the very crosse of Christ yea the verie least drop of his blood The duties to be learned by the death of Christ are two the first concernes all ignorant and impenâ—tent sinners Such men whatsoeuer they be by the death of Christ vpon the crosse must be mooued to turne from their sinnes and if the consideration hereof will not mooue them nothing in the world will By nature euery man is a vassall of sinne and a bondslaue of Satan the deuill raignes and rules in al men by nature and we our selues can do nothing but serue and obey him Nay which is more we liue vnder the fearefull curse of God for the least sinne Well now see the loue of the sonne of God that gaue himselfe willingly to death vpon the crosse for theeâ— that he might free thee from this most feareful bondage Wherfore let all those that liue in sin ignoraÌ„ce reason thus with theÌ„selues Hath Christ the son of god done this for vs and shal we yet liue in our sinnes hath he set open as it were the veâ—ie gates of hell and shall we yet lie weltring in our damnable waies and in the shadowe of death In the feare of God let the death of Christ be a meanes to turne vs to Christ if it can not mooue vs let vs be resolued that our case is dangerous To goe yet further in this point euery one of vs is by nature a sicke man wounded at the very heart by Satan though we feele it not yet we are deadly sicke and beholde Christ is the good phisitian of the soule and none in heauen or earth neither Saint angel nor man can heale this our spirituall wound but he alone who though he were equall with the Father yet he came downe from his
God which is the first cause of our saluation without respect of any thing in the person of Isaac For what God by his promise brings to passe in time that he most freely decreed before all times Nowe considering the Iewes might say that Ismael was reiected because he was borne of the hand-maid Hagar whereas they for their parts descend of Abraham and Sarai by Isaac the lawefull sonne Paul addes a third example of the distinction betweene man and man out of the familie of Isaac in which Iacob was a true sonne and heire of the promise and Esau was not Nowe the distinction of these two persons is propounded in the 10. vers and confirmed verse 11 12 13. in which are set downe three things I. the time of this distinction yer the children were borne and therefore when they had neither done good nor euill And this circumstance is noted to shewe that God was not mooued by any preuision or preconsideration of Iacobs godlinesse and Esaus prophanenesse to preferre the one before the other II. the ende why the distinction was made at this time and not afterward when they were borne is that the purpose of God which is according to his election might remaine sure not of workes but by him that calleth that is that by this meanes it might appeare that when God receiues any man into the couenant of eternall life it proceedes not of any dignitie in the man whome God calleth but from his mercie and alone good pleasure that his decree of sauing the elect might remaine firme and sure for euer Hence it is manifest that there is an vnchangeable decree of election of some men for he that takes all and accepts none can not be said to choose to saluation depending vpon the alone will of God and therefore necessarily by the lawe of contraries there is an opposite decree of reprobation for in that God ordaineth some to eternall saluation hee testifies thereby that his purpose is to passe by some without shewing of mercy III. The author of this distinction God himselfe by his purpose before al times which purpose he made manifest by testimony giuen to Rebecca saying the greater shall serue the younger that is the first borne and more excellent according to the flesh shall loose his birthright and the blessing of his father and in respect of title to the couenant be subiect to the younger And because this testimony concerning the freedome and seruitude of Iacob and Esau might seeme sufficient to prooue the election of the first and the reiection of the second therefore Paul addes a secōd testimony out of Malachi I haue loued Iacob hated Esau that is I haue purposed to loue Iacob to hate Esau. And these words no doubt are alleadged to expound the former place out of Moses and shew that the bondage of Esau was ioyned with the hatred of God and the feedom of Iacob with the loue of God as tokens thereof Against this receiued exposition of the former words which I haue nowe propounded sundrie exceptions are made First that the prerogatiue of Isaac aboue Ismael and Iacob aboue Esau was only in temporarie blessings in that God vouchsafed vnto them the right of the land of Canaan Ans. If these places are to bee vnderstood of temporall blessings and not spirituall then the Apostle hath not fitly alleadged the former examples to prooue the reiection of the Iewes from the Couenant For though it be graunted there be a difference betweene man and man in respect of earthly blessings yet doeth it not followe that there shall be the same difference in things concerning the kingdome of heauen If a father for some cause disinherit one or two of his children it were absurd thereupon to conclude that he might therefore kil any of the rest Againe the land of Canaan was not onely an earthly inheritance but also a pledge and figure vnto our forefathers of a better inheritance in heauē and therefore the excluding of Ismael and Esau from the land of Canaan was a signe that they were excluded from the couenant of grace and the right of eternall life Some others say that by Iacob and Esau are not meant two persons but the two nations of the Idumeans and the Israelites Ans. It is a manifest vntrueth For it was not possible for two nations to striue in the wombe of Rebecca vnlesse wee considered them as they were comprehended vnder the two heads to wit the verie persons of Iacob and Esau. And whereas they say that Esau in person neuer serued Iacob but onely in his posteritie the answer is that Iacobs freedome and prerogatiues were spirituall and not temporall which by faith he saw a farre off but inioyed not and therefore proportionally Esau was debased to the condition of a seruant in respect of his younger brother not so much in respect of his outward estate and condition as in regard of the couenant made with his auncestours from which hee was barred And though it bee graunted that by Iacob and Esau two nations and not two persons are to be vnderstood yet all comes to one head for the receiuing of the nation of the Israelites into the couenant and the excluding of the nation of the Edomites both descending of Iacob and Esau serue as wel to prooue Gods eternal election reprobation as the receiuing and reiecting of one man Others say that these words I haue hated Esau are thus to be vnderstood I haue lesse loued Esau then Iacob But how then shall we say that Paul hath fitly alleadged this text to prooue the reiection of the Iewe from the fauour of God and the Couenant of grace considering that of men wherof one is loued more of God the other lesse both may still remain in the Couenant Lastly it is alleadged that the former exposition makes Ismael Esau damned persons Ans. We must leaue vnto God all secret iudgement of particular persons and yet neuerthelesse Paul doth very fitly in there two persons both descending of Abraham and both circumcised set forth examples of such as for their outward prerogatiues are indeede barred from the couenāt of life euerlasting before god And again the opposition made by Paul requires that the contrarie to that which is spoken of Isaac and Iacob should be said of Ismael and Esau. And there is nothing spoken of either of them in the Scriptures which argues the disposition of men ordained to eternall life Ismael is noted with the brand of a mocker and Esau of a prophane man To proceede in the text because the doctrine of Paul deliuered in the former verses might seeme strange vnto the Romanes therefore in the 14. verse he laies downe an obiection and answers the same The obiection is this If God put distinction betweene man and man without respect had to their persons vpon his owne will and pleasure then is he vniust but he is not vniust therfore he makes no such distinction The answer is God forbid
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
how shall he not with him giue vs all things also And touching it sundrie points must be considered The first is what is meant by this giuing Ans. It is an action or worke of God the Father by the holy ghost whereby Christ as redeemer in the appointed time is really communicated to al ordained to saluation in such manner that they may truely say that Christ himselfe withall his benefits is theirs both in respect of right thereto and in respect of all fruit redounding thence and that as truely as any man may say that house and land giuen him of his ancetours is his owne both to possesse and to vse The second point is what is the very thing giuen Answ. Whole Christ God and man is giuen because his humanitie without his godhead or the godhead without the humanitie doth not reconcile vs to God Yet in this giuing there must be a diuers consideration had of the two natures of Christâ— for the communication of the godhead is merely energeticall that is onely in respect of operation in that it doth make the manhood personally vnited vnto it to be propitiatorie for our sinnes and meritorious of life eternall And to auouch any communication of the godhead in respect of essence were to bring in the heresie of the Maniches and to maintaine a composition and a commixtion of our natures with the nature of God Againe in the manhood of Christ wee must distinguish betweene the subiect it selfe the substance of body and soule and the blessings in the subiect which tend to our saluation And the communication of the aforsaid manhood is in respect of both without separation for no man can receiue sauing vertue from Christ vnlesse first of all he receiue Christ himselfe as no man can haue the treasure hid in the fielde vnlesse first of all he haue the fielde and no man can be nourished by meate and drinke vnlesse first of all he receiue the substance of both And this is the cause why not onely in the preaching of the worde but also in the institution of the Lords supper expresse mention is made not onely of Christs merit but also of his verie bodie and blood whereby the whole humanitie is signified as appeares by that place where it is said that the Word was made flesh And though the flesh of it selfe profit nothing as S. Iohn saith yet as it is ioyned to the godhead of the sonne and doth subsist in his person it receiueth thence quickening vertue to reuiue and renue all those to whome it shall be giuen Lastly among the blessings that are stored vp in the manhood of Christ for our saluation some are giuen vnto vs by imputation as when wee are iustified by the righteousnesse indeede inherent in his manhoode but imputed vnto vs some by infusion as when holinesse is wrought in our heartes by the spirit as a fruite of that holinesse which is in the manhood of Christ and deriued from it as the light of one candle from another The third point is in what manner Christ is giuen vnto vs. Ans. God the father giueth Christ vnto his Church not in any earthly or bodily manner as when a king bestoweth a gift with his owne hand and putteth it into the hand of his subiect but the manner is altogether celestiall and spirituall partly because it is brought to passe by the meere diuine operation of the holy Ghost partly because in respect of vs this gift is receiued by an instrument which is supernaturall namely faith whereby we lay hold on and applie vnto our selues the Euangelicall promises And this manner of giuing may be conceiued thus A man that neuer stirred foote out of England holds and enioyes land in Turkie but how comes it to be his Thus the Emperour was willing and content to bestow it and the man for his part as willing to accept and receiue it and by this meanes that which at the first was the Emperours by mutuall consent becomes the mans In the same manner God the Father hath made an Euangelicall couenant with his Church in which of his mercie he hath made a graunt of his owne sonne vnto vs with righteousnesse and life euerlasting in him and we againe by his grace accept of this graunt and receiue the same by faith thus by mutuall consent according to the tenour of the couenant any repentant sinner may truly say though I now haue mine aboad vpon earth and Christ in respect of his manhood be locally in heauen yet is he truly mine to haue and to enioy his bodie is mine his blood is mine As for the giuing receiuing of the bodie blood of Christ in bodily manner which the Papists maintaine in auouching the reall transubstantiation of bread and wine in the sacrament into the bodie and blood of Christ and the Lutherans also in teaching that his bodie and blood is substantially either in or with or vnder the bread and wine is an erroneous conceit flat opposite to sundrie points of the Cbristian faith For Christ to this very houre retaineth still the essence and essentiall properties of a true bodie and we beleeue that really and visibly he ascended into heauen and there abides till his second comming to the last iudgement who then hauing but common reason would imagine a communication of the bodie of Christ pent vp in the element of bread and conueyed into our bodies by the mouth and stomacke The third point is whether we are not lords of Christ he being thus giuen vnto vs. Ans. No for this donation is not single but mutuall As Christ is giuen to vs so we againe are giuen to Christ as he himselfe saith Those whome thou hast giuen me Father I haue kept And we are giuen vnto him in that our bodies and soules are made his not onely as he is God but also as he is our redeemer and our sinnes with the guilt thereof are made his by imputation and the punishment thereof is wholly laid vpon him This is all the dowrie which the Church beeing the spouse of Christ hath brought vnto him The fifth point is how any man in particular may know that Christ is giuen vnto him of the Father Ans. When God giues Christ to man he withall giues man grace and power to receiue Christ and to apprehend him with all his benefits and this we doe when we vtterly renounce our selues this world and all things therein bewaile our sinnes past resting on the death of Christ for the pardon of them al and as it were with both the armes of faith catching holde vpon him in all estates both in life and death When the heart of any man is truely disposed and inclined to doe these and the like things wee may truely say that God hath giuen him grace to receiue Christ. The second thing required to make vs one with Christ is the Mysticall vnion which is a Coniunction wherby Christ his Church are actually coupled
into one whole Mystical bodie Now that we may the better cōceiue the nature of it sundrie questions are to be mooued The first what kinde of coniunction this is Ans. In the scripture we meete with three kinde of coniunctions The first is coniunction in nature when sundrie things are coupled by one and the same nature As the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost being three distinct subsistances are all one and therefore ioyned in one godhead or diuine nature Nowe Christ and the beleeuer are not ioyned in nature for thē they twaine should haue one bodie and soule The second coniunction is in person when things in nature different so concurre togither that they make but one person as the bodie and soule make one man and the godhead of the sonne with his manhood make but one Christ in whome there is an vnion of distinct natures with vnity of person Nowe Christ and a Christian are not ioyned in person for Christ is one person Peter a second and Paul a third distinct from thē both so many men as there bee so many seuerall persons The third coniunction is in spirit and this is the coniunction meant in this place whereby Christ and his Church are ioyned togither for the verie same spirit of God that dwelleth in the manhood of Christ and filleth it with all graces aboue measure is deriued thence and dwelleth in all the true members of the Church and filleth them with the like graces in measure and therefore S. Iohn saith Hereby wee knowe that we dwell in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit Hence it followes that the bond of this coniunction is one and the same spirit descending from Christ the head to all his members creating also in them the instrument of faith whereby they apprehend Christ and make him their owne The second is what are the things vnited Ans. Not the bodie of the beleeuer to the bodie of Christ or the soule to his soule but the whole person of the man to the whole person of Christ yet in this order we are first of al immediately ioyned to the manhood of Christ by the manhood to the godhead The third question is what is the manner of this coniunction Answ. Wee must not thinke that Christ and his Church are ioyned by imagination as the minde of man and the thing whereof he thinkes or by consent of heart as one friende is ioyned with another and as the Iewes conuerted were all of one heart and soule or by any abode in one place or by touching as sea and lande are both ioyned togither and make one globe or by any composition or cōmixtion of substances as when many ingredients are put togither to make one medicine But this coniunction is altogither spirituall as the former Giuing was and incomprehensible to mans reason and therefore wee must rather labour to feele it by experience in the heart then to conceiue it in the braine Yet neuerthelesse it shall not be amisse to consider a resemblance of it in this comparison Suppose a man hauing the parts of his bodie disioyned farre asunder his head lying in Italy one arme in Germanie the other in Spaine and his leggs with vs in England suppose further all these parts or quarters haue all one soule extending it selfe vnto them all and quickening each of them seuerally as though they were neerely ioyned togither and though the parts be seuered many hundred miles asunder yet the distance of place doth not hinder the coniunction considering one and the same soule doth inlarge it selfe and giue life vnto them all In the same manner the head of the Mysticall bodie Christ our Sauiour is nowe in heauen and some of his members in heauen with him and some in earth and of these some in England some in Germanie some in Italy some in Spaine distant many thousand miles asunder and the spirit of God is as it were the soule of this bodie which giueth spirituall life to all the members distance of place doth not hinder this coniunction because the holy Ghost which linketh all the partes togither is infinite The benefits which we receiue by this Mysticall vnion are manifold For it is the ground of the conueiance of all grace The first is that by means hereof euery Christian as he is a Christian or a man regenerate hath his beginning and being in Christ howesoeuer as he is a man hee hath his beeing and subsisting in himselfe as Paul saith Ye are of God in Christ. And We are members of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones Howe will some say can this be After this manner The comparison is taken from our first parents Eue was made of a rib taken out of Adams side he beeing cast into a slumber this beeing done Adam awaked and said This nowe is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh Christ was nailed on the crosse and his most pretious blood was shed and out of it arise and spring all true Christians that is out of the merit of Christs death passion whereby they become newe creatures Secondly euery one that beleeueth in Christ by reason of this vnion hath an vnspeakable prerogatiue for hereby he is first vnited to Christ and by reason thereof is also ioyned to the whole trinitie the father the sonne and the holy Ghost and shall haue eternall fellowship with them Thirdly sundrie men specially Papists deride the doctrine of iustification by imputed righteousnes thinking it as absurde that a man should be iust by that righteousnesse which is inherent in the person of Christ as if we should say that one man may liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another But here we may see that it hath sufficient foundation For there is a most neere and strait vnion betweene Christ and all that beleeue in him and in this vnion Christ with all his benefits according to the tenour of the couenant of grace is made ours really therfore we may stande iust before God by his righteousnesse it beeing indeede his because it is in him as in a subiect yet so as it is also ours because it is giuen vnto vs of God Nowe there is no such vnion betweene man and man and for that cause one man can not liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another Fourthly frō this fountaine springes our sanctificatiō wherby we die to sin and are renued in righteousnes and holines Wormes flies that haue lien dead al winter if they be laid in the sunne in the spring time begin to reuiue by vertue thereof euen so whē we are vnited to Christ are as it were laid in the beames of this blessed sonne of righteousnes vertue is deriued thence which warmeth our benummed hearts dead in sinne and reuiueth vs to newnes of life whereby we begin to affect and like good things and put in practise all
in more speciall manner they giue assent vnto the couenant of grace made in Christ that it is most certaine and sure and they are perswaded in a general and confused manner that God will verifie the same couenant in the members of his Church This is all their faith which indeede proceedeth from the holy Ghost but yet it is not sufficient to make them sound Professors For albeit they doe generally beleeue Gods promises yet herein they deceiue themselues that they neuer applie and appropriate the same promises to their own soules An example of this faith we haue Ioh. 2.24 where it is said that when our Sauiour Christ came to Ierusalem at the feast of Easter manie beleeued in his name and yet hee would not commit himselfe vnto them because he knewe them all and what was in them To come to the second thing those professors which are indued with thus much grace as to beleeue in Christ in a confused maner goe yet further for this their faith though it be not sufficient to saluation yet it sheweth it selfe by certaine fruites which it bringeth forth for as a tree or a branch of a tree that hath no deepe rooting but either is couered with a few moules or els lieth in the water at the season of the yeare bringeth forth leaues and blossomes and some fruite too and that for one or two or moe yeares so one that is an hearer of the word may receiue the word and the worde as seed by this generall faith may bee somewhat rooted in his heart and setled for a season and may bring foorth some fruites in his life peraduenture very faire in his owne and other mens eies yet indeede neither sound nor lasting nor substantiall What these fruites are it may be gathered forth of these wordes where it is said that they receiue the word with ioy when they heare it for here may be gathered First that they doe willingly subiect themselues to the ministerie of the word Secondly that they are as forward as any and as ioyfull in frequenting sermons Thirdly that they reuerence the Ministers whome they so ioyfully heare Lastly they condemne them of impietie which will not be hearers or be negligent hearers of the word Now of these and such like fruâ—ts this may be added though they are not sound yet they are void of that grosse kind of hypocrisie For the mindes of those Professors are in part enlightened and their hearts are indued with such a faith as may bring forth these fruits for a time and therefore herein they â—issemble not that faith which they haue not but rather shew that which they haue Adde hereunto that a man beeing in this estate may deceiue himselfe and the most godly in the world which haue the greatest gifts of discerning how they and their brethren stand before the Lord like as the figtree with greene leaues deceiued our Sauiour Christ as he was man for when in his hunger he came vnto it to haue had some fruit he found none If this be so it may be then required how these vnsound professours differ from true professours I answer in this they differ that they haue not sound hearts to cleaue vnto Christ Iesus for euer Which appeareth in that they are compared to stonie ground Now stonie groundes mingled with some earth are commonly hot and therefore haue as it were some alacritie and hastinesse in them and the corne as soone as it is cast into this ground it sprouteth out very speedily but yet the stones will not suffer the corne to be rooted deepely beneath and therefore when sommer commeth the blade of the corne withereth with rootes and all So it is with these professours they haue in their hearts some good motions of the holy Ghost to that which is good they haue a kind of zeale to Gods word they haue a liking to good things and they are as forwards as any other for a time and they doe beleeue But these good motions and graces are not lasting but like the flame and flashing of straw and stubble neither are they sufficient to saluation With the true professours it is farre otherwise for they haue vpright and honest hearts before the Lord Luk. 8. 15. And they haue faith which worketh by loue Gal. 5.6 And that Christian man which loueth God whatsoeuer shall befall yea though it were a thousand deaths yet his heart can neuer be seuered from the Lord and from his Sauiour Christ as the spouse speaketh vnto Christ of her owne loue Cant. 8.6 Set me as a seale on thy heart as a signet vpon thy arme for loue is as strong as death iealousie is as cruell as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame Much water cannot quench loue neither can the flouds drowne it if a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue they would greatly contemne it Wherefore good Reader seeing there is such a similitude and affinitie betweene the temporarie professor of the Gospell and the true professor of the same it is the dutie of euery Christian to trie and examine himselfe whether he be in the faith or not 2. Cor. 13.5 And whereas it is an hard thing for a man to search out his own heart we are to pray vnto God that he would giue vs his spirit to discerne betweene that which is good and euill in vs. Now when a man hath found out the estate of his heart by searching it he is further to obserue and keepe it with all diligence Prou. 4. 23. that when the houre of death or the day of triall shall come he may stand sure and not be deceiued of his hope And for this purpose I haue described the most of these small treatises which follow to minister vnto thee some helpe in this examining and obseruing of thine own heart Read them and accept of them and by the blessing of God they shall not be vnprofitable vnto thee And if they shall any whit helpe thee helpe me also with thy prayer 1595. FINIS CERTAINE PROPOSITIONS DECLARING HOW FARRE A MAN MAY goe in the profession of the Gospel and yet be a wicked man or a Reprobate I. A Reprobate hath in his mind a certain knowledge of God of common equitie among men of the difference of good from bad and this is partly from nature partly from the contemplation of Gods creatures in which the wisdome the power the loue the mercie the maiestie of God is perceiued II. This knowledge is only generall and imperfect much like the ruines of a Princes pallace it is not sufficient to direct him in doing of a good work For example he knoweth that there is a God and that this God must be worshipped come to particulars who God is what a one he is how he must be worshipped Here his knowledge faileth him and he is altogither vncertain what to doe to please God III. By reason of this knowledge the Reprobate doeth
feele themselues forlorne and vtterly reiected of God according to the sense and iudgement of the flesh yet by faith they can apprehend his hidden mercie and behold it a farre off in the glasse of his promise And so they doe often shew contrarie affections in their praiers as Dauid doth Iacob when he wrastled with the Angel for life and death neuer gaue ouer and when he was foild he would not cease before the Lord had blessed him This his wrastling is a type of the conflicts which the faithfull are to haue with the Lord himselfe who vseth to bring his owne children as it were to the field and he assaileth them with the one hand and with the other he holdeth them vp that so he may prooue and exercise their faith And for this cause the Church is called by the name of Iacob An example may be had in the woman of Canaan First our Sauiour Christ gaue her faith and by that faith shee was mooued to seeke to him but when shee was once come to him he gaue her three repulses First by saying nothing Secondly by denying her Thirdly by calling her dogge Thus Christ in appearance made shew as though he would neuer haue graunted her request But shee at euery repulse was more instant crying more earnestly vnto him and shee plainly opposed her selfe to him would take no deniall for such is the nature of true faith Wherefore the faithfull when they feele themselues ouerwhelmed with sinne turmoiled with cōflicts of Satan when they feele the anger of God offended with them yet they can euen then lift vp their eye lids and giue a glimps at the brasen serpent Iesus Christ and can fling themselues into the armes of Gods mercie and catch hold of the hand of God buffeting them and kisse it LX. By these temptations it comes to passe that a Christian though he can not fall finally from Christ yet he may fall very dangerously from his former estate First the graces of God may be by his default lessened in him else Paul would not haue giuen out these exhortations quench not the spirit Grieue not the holy spirit of God by whome ye are sealed vnto the day of redemption Secōdly the graces of God may be buried in him and couered for a time so that he may be like a man in a traunce who both by his owne sense and by the iudgement of the Physitian is taken for dead This was the estate of Peter who though he confessed that Christ was the Sonne of the liuing Lord yet he denied him and forswore him at the voice of a damsell Thirdly he may fall againe into the same sinne after repentance Indeede this is a daungerous case yet it may befall a true christian Otherwise when as the Israelites Gods people had fallen away from him by their sinnes and idolatries he would not stil haue offered them mercie as he doth by his Prophets And Paul praieth the Corinthians in Christs stead that they would be reconciled to God who neuerthelesse were before reconciled to God Fourthly he may commit a sinne of presumption which is a fearfull sinne beeing done wittingly of knowledge and willingly and with some wilfulnesse Therefore Dauid praied Keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes and to shew himselfe to be in daunger of it he praieth further let them not haue dominion ouer me Lastly he may fall into despaire of Gods mercie for a time and this is a dangerous sinne For he which despaires makes all the promises of God to be false and this sinne of all other is most contrarie to true sauing faith In this estate was Dauid when beeing in trouble he saide this is my death And Paul shewes that the incestuous man might haue fallen into desperation when he saith Comfort him least he be swallowed vp of ouermuch heauines And it must be remembred that the church of Rome erreth in this that she teacheth desperation to be a sinne against the holy Ghost This sinne against the holy ghost is a blasphemie spoken against the knowne truth of Gods word or a deniall of Christ of a wilfull and obstinate malice But desperation may arise through ignorance of a mans owne estate through horrour of conscience for sinne through an often relapse into some sinne through the ouerdeepe consideration of a mans owne vnworthines lastly by abiuration of the truth through compulsion and feare This befell Francis Spira who after his Apostasie despaired Yet they are much ouerseene that write of him as a damned creature For first who can tell whether he despaired finally or no. Secondly in the very midst of his desperation he complained of the hardnes of his heart which made him that he could not pray no doubt then he felt his hardnes of heart and the feeling of corruption in the heart is by some contrarie grace so that we may conueniently thinke that he was not quite bereft of all goodnes though he neuer felt it then nor shewed it to the beholder LXI The cause why a Christian cannot quite fall away from grace is this after that he is sanctified he receiueth from God another speciall grace which may be called Corroboration For he hath in him not onely the sanctifying but also the strengthening power of Christ. Therfore Paul praieth for the Ephesians that they may be strengthened in the inner man for the Colossians that they might be strengthened with the glorious power of Christ. And of himselfe he saith that he is able to doe all things through the power of Christ that strengtheneth him Dauid saith that God renueth them that feare him as the eagle renueth her decaied strength From hence as from a speciall cause ariseth patience and perseuerance vnto the ende for when a man is supported by the power of Christ he may be able to beare many crosses patiently with a contented mind and perseuer in bearing of it how long soeuer the crosse endureth LXII Thus much of the estate of a Christian in this life Now I will adde some reasons in the way of perswasion to all men but especially to worldlings and to loose professours of the Gospel that they would vtterly denie themselues and vse all meanes to become true Christians by being made new creatures in Christ and by leading such a life as may adorne the Gospel of Christ. My first reason is this the man that liueth in this world not beeing a true Christian is farre more vile then the basest creature of all euen the dogge or toade For first he is nothing els but a filthie dunghill of all abomination and vncleannes the stink whereof hath infected heauen earth no perfumes could euer delay it in the nostrils of God but onely the suffering of Christ beeing a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God We make it very daintie to come neere a lazar man that
terrible but it is false to them that bee in Christ to whome many things happen farre more heauie and bitter then death IV. Death at the first brought foorth sinne but death in the righteous by meanes of Christs death abolisheth sinne because it is the accomplishment of mortification And death is so far from destroying such as are in Christ that there can bee no better refuge for them against death for presently after the death of the bodie followes the perfect freedome of the spirit and the resurrection of the bodie V. Lastly death is a meanes of a Christian mans perfection as Christ in his owne example sheweth saying Beholde I will cast out deuills and will heale still to daie and to morrowe and the third I will bee perfected Nowe this perfection in the members of Christ is nothing els but the blessing of God the author of peace sanctifying them throughout that their whole spirits and soules and bodies may be preserued without blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Nowe hauing often thus considered with my selfe of the excellencie of death I thought good to drawe the summe and cheife heads thereof into this small Treatise the protection and consideration whereof I commend to your Ladiship desiring you to accept of it and read it at your leisure If I be blamed for writing vnto you of death whereas by the course of nature you are not yet neere death Salomon will excuse me who saith that wee must remember our Creator in the daies of our youth Thus hoping of your H. good acceptance I pray God to blesse this my little labour to your comfort and saluation Septemb. 7. 1595. Your H. in the Lord W. Perkins ECCLESIASTES 7. 3. The day of death is better then the daie that one is borne THese words are a rule or precept laid downe by Salomon for weightie causes For in the chapters going before he sets forth the vanitie of all creatures vnder heauen and that at large in the very particulars Now men hereupon might take occasion of discontentment in respect of their estate in this life therefore Salomon in great wisdom here takes a new course in this chapter begins to lay downe certaine rules of direction and comfort that men might haue somewhat wherewith to arme themselues against the troubles and the miseries of this life The first rule is in this third verse that a good name is better then a pretious oyntment that is a name gotten maintained by godly conuersation is a speciall blessing of God which in the midst of the vanities of this life ministreth greater matter of reioycing and comfort to the heart of man then the most pretious oyntment can doe to the outward senses Now some man hauing heard this first rule concerning good name might obiect and say that renowme good report in this life affoards slender comfort considering that after it followes death which is the miserable end of all men But this obiection the wise man remooueth by a second rule in these words which I haue in hand saying that the daie of death is better then the daie that one is borne That we may come to the true proper sense of this precept or rule three points are to be considered First what is death here meÌ„tioned secondly how it can be truely said that the daie of death is better then the daie of birth thirdly in what respect it is better For the first death is a depriuation of life as a punishment ordained of God and imposed on man for his sinne First I say it is a depriuation of life because the verie nature of death is he absence or defect of that life which God vouchsafed man by his creation I adde further that death is a punishment more especially to intimate the nature and qualitie of death and to shewe that it was ordained as a meanes of execution of Gods iustice and iudgement And that death is a punishment Paul plainely auoucheth when hee saith that by one man sinne entred into the worlde and death by sinne And againe that death is the stipend wages or allowance of sinne Furthermore in euerie punishment there be three workers the ordainer of it the procurer and the executioner The ordainer of this punishment is God in the estate of mans innocency by a solemne lawe then made in these verie wordes In the daie that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Genesis 2. â—7 But it may be alleadged to the contrarie that the Lord saith by the Prophet Ezechiel that hee will not the death of a sinner and therefore that hee is no ordainer of death The answere may easily bee made and that sundrie waies First the Lord speakes not this to all men or of all men but to his owne people the church of the Iewes as appeares by the clause perfixed Sonne of man say vnto the â—ouse of Israel c. Again the words are not spoken absolutely but only in waie of comparison in that of the twaine hee rather wills the conuersion and repentance of a sinner then his death and destruction Thirdly the verie proper meaning of the wordes importe thus much that God doeth take no delight or pleasure in the death of a sinner as it is the ruine and destruction of the creature And yet all this hinders not but that God in a newe regard and consideration may both will and ordaine death namely as it is a due and deserued punishment tending to the execution of iustice in which iustice God is as good as in his mercie Againe it may bee obiected that if death indeede had beene ordained of God then Adam should haue beene destroyed and that presently vpon his fall For the verie wordes are thus Whensoeuer thou shalt eate of the forbidden fruite thou shalt certainly die Ausvvere Sentences of Scripture are either Legall or Euangelicall the lawe and the Gospel beeing two seuerall and distinct parts of Gods worde Nowe this former sentence is Legall and must be vnderstood with an exception borrowed from the Gospell or the couenant of grace made with Adam and reuealed to him after his fall The exception is this Thou shalt certenly die whensoeuer thou eatest the forbidden fruite except I doe further giue thee a meanes of deliuerance from death namely the seed of the woman to bruise the serpents head SecoÌ„dly it may be answered that Adam and all his posteritie died and that presently after his fall in that his bodie was made mortall and his soule became subiect to the curse of the Lawe And whereas God would not vtterly destroy Adam at the very first but onely impose on him the beginnings of the first and second death he did the same in great wisdome that in the midst of his iustice he might make a way to mercie which thing could not haue beene if Adam had perished The executioner of this punishment is hee that doeth impose and inflict the same on man and that also is God
though the bodie rotte in the graue or be eaten of wormes or of fishes in the sea or burnt to ashes yet that will not be vnto vs a matter of discomfort if we doe well consider the ground of all grace namely our coniunction with Christ. It is indeede a spirituall and yet a most reall coniunction And we must not imagine that our soules alone are ioyned to the bodie or soule of Christ but the whole person of man both in bodie and soule is ioyned and vnited to whole Christ. And when we are once ioyned to Christ in this mortall life by the bond of the spirit we shall remaine and continue eternally ioyned with him and this vnion once truly made shall neuer be dissolued Hence it followes that although the bodie be seuered from the soule in death yet neither bodie nor soule are seuered from Christ but the very body rotting in the graue drowned in the sea burned to ashes abides still vnited to him and is as truly a member of Christ then as before This point we must remember as the foundation of all our comfort and hold it for euer as a truth For looke what was the condition of Christ in death the same or the like is the condition of al his mēbers Now the cōditiō of Christ was this though his body soule were seuered each frō other as far as heauen the graue yet neither of them were seuered frō the godhead of the Sonne but both did in death subsist in his person And therefore though our bodies and soules be pulled asunder by naturall or violent death yet neither of them no not the bodie it selfe shall be seuered and disioyned from Christ. It will be alleadged that if the bodie were then vnited to Christ it should liue and be quickned in the graue Ans. Not so when a mans arme or legge is taken with the dead palsie it receiues litle or no heat life sense or motion from the bodie and yet notwithstanding it remaines still a membrr of the bodie because the flesh and the bone of it remain ioined to the flesh and the bone of the bodie euen so may the body remaine a member of Christ though for some space of time it receiue neither sense nor motion nor life from the soule or from the spirit of Christ. Furthermore wee must remember that by the vertue of this coniunction shall the dead bodie be it rotten burned deuoured or howsoeuer consumed at the day of iudgement rise to eternal glorie In the winter season trees remain without fruit or leaues and beeing beaten with winde and weather appeare to the eye as if they were rotten trees yet when the spring time comes again they bring forth as before buddes and blossomes leaues and fruit the reason is because the bodie graines and armes of trees are all ioyned to the roote where lies the sappe in the winter season and whence by meanes of this coniunction it is deriued to all the parts of the tree in the spring time Euen so the bodies of men haue their winter also in which they are turned to dust and so remaine for the space of many thousand yeares yet in the day of iudgement by meanes of that mysticall coniunction with Christ shall diuine and quickning vertue streame thence to all the bodies of the Elect to cause them to liue againe and that to life eternall But some will say that the wicked also rise againe Answ. They doe so indeede but not by the same cause for they rise by the power of Christ as he is a iudge to condemne them whereas the godly rise againe by the vertue of Christs resurrection whereof they are partakers by meanes of that blessed and indissoluble coniunction which they haue with Christ. And the bodies of the Elect though they putrifie and consume neuer so much in the graue yet are they still in the fauour of God and in the couenant of grace to which because they haue right and title beeing dead they shall not remaine so for euer but shall rise to glorie at the last iudgement Therefore the rotting of the bodie is nothing in respect and the death of the bodie is no death And therefore also death in the olde and new Testament is made but a sleepe and the graue a bed whereof the like was neuer seene wherein a man may rest nothing at all troubled with dreames or fantasies and whence he shall rise no more subiect to weaknesse or sicknesse but presently be translated to eternall glorie By this then which hath bin said it appeares that the death of the righteous is a second degree to euerlasting happines Now then considering our coniunction with Christ is the foundation of all our ioy and comfort in life and death we are in the feare of God to learne this one lesson namely that while we haue time in this world we must labour to be vnited vnto Christ that we may be bone of his bone flesh of his flesh This very point is as it were a flaggon of wine to reuiue our soules when they be in a sowne at any instant And that we may be assured that we are certenly ioyned to Christ we must shew our selues to be members of his mystical bodie by the daily fruits of righteousnes and true repentance And beeing once certenly assured in conscience of our beeing in Christ let death come when it will and let it cruelly part asunder both bodie and soule yet shall they both remaine in the couenant and by meanes thereof be reunited and taken vp to life eternall Whereas on the contrarie if men be out of the couenant and die out of Christ their soules goe to hell and their bodies rotte for a time in the graue but afterwards they rise to endlesse perdition Wherefore I say againe and againe labour that your consciences by the holy Ghost may testifie that ye are huing stones in the Temple of God and braunches bearing fruit in the true vine and then ye shall feele by experience that the pangs of death shall be a further degree of happines then euer ye found in your liues euen then when ye are gasping and panting for breath Thus much of the meaning of the text now followes the vses and they are manifold The first and principall is this In that Salomon preferres the day of death before the day of birth he doth therein giue vs to vnderstand that there is a direct and certen way whereby a man may die well if it had beene otherwise he could not haue said that the day of death is better And whereas he auoucheth this he shewes withall that there is an infallible way whereby a man may make a blessed ende Therefore let vs now come to search out this way the knowledge and true vnderstanding whereof must not be fetched from the writings of men but from the word of God who hath the power of life and death in his owne hand Now that a man may die well Gods
in that respect may be saide to be the cause of euery mans death So saith Anna The Lord killeth and maketh aliue The Church of Ierusalem confessed that nothing came to passe in the death of Christ but that which the foreknowledge and eternall counsell of God had appointed And therefore the death also of euery member of Christ is foreseene and ordained by the speciall decree and prouidence of God I adde further that the very circumstances of death as the time when the place where the maner how the beginnings of sicknes the cōtinuance and the ende euery fit in the sicknes and the pangs of death are particularly set down in the counsell of God The very hayres of our heads are numbered as our Sauiour Christ saith and a sparrow lights not on the ground without the will of our heauenly father Dauid saith excellently My bones are not hidde from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned beneath in the earth thine eyes did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were all things written which in continuance were fashioned when there was none of them before And he praies to God to put his teares into his bottle Now if this be true that God hath bottles for the very teares of his seruants much more hath he bottles for their blood and much more doth he respect and regard their paines and miseries with all the circumstances of sicknes and death The carefull meditation of this one point is a notable meanes to arme vs against feare and distrust and impatience in the time of death as some examples in this case will easily manifest I held my tongue and saide nothing saith Dauid but what was it that caused this patience in him the cause follows in the next wordes because thou Lord diddest it And Ioseph saith to his brethren Feare not for it was the Lord that sent you before me Marke here how Ioseph is ariued against impatience and griefe and discontentment by the very consideration of Gods prouidence and so in the same manner shal we be confirmed against all feares and sorrowes and say with Dauid Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints if this perswasion be once setled in our hearts that all things in sicknes and death come to passe vnto vs by the prouidence of God who turnes all things to the good of them that loue him The second meditation is to be borrowed from the excellent promise that God made to the death of the righteous which is Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them The author of truth that can not lie hath spoken it Now then let a man but throughly consider this that death ioyned with reformed life hath a promise of blessednes adioyned vnto it and it alone will be a sufficient meanes to stay the rage of our affections and all inordinate feare of death and the rather if we mark◠wherein this blessednes consists In death we are indeed thrust out of our old dwelling places namely these houses of clay and earthly tabernacles of our bodies wherein we haue made long aboad but what is the end surely that liuing and dying in Christ we might haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in heauens which is vnspeakable and immortall glorie If a poore man should be commaunded by a Prince to put off his torne and beggerly garments and in stead thereof to put on royall and costly robes it would be a great reioycing to his heart oh then what ioyfull newes must this he vnto all repentant and sorrowfull sinners when the King of heauen and earth comes vnto them by death and biddes them lay downe their bodies as ragged and patched garments and prepare themselues to put on the princely robe if immortalitie No tongue can be able to expresse the excellencie of this most blessed and happie estate The third meditation is borrowed from the estate of all them that are in Christ whether liuing or dying He that dieth beleeuing in Christ dieth not forth of Christ but in him hauing both his bodie and soule really coupled to Christ according to the tenour of the couenant of grace and though after death bodie and soule be seuered one from an other yet neither of them are seuered or disioyned from Christ. The coniunction which is once begun in this life remaines eternally And therefore though the soule goe from the bodie and the bodie it selfe rotte in the graue yet both are still in Christ both in the couenant both in the fauour of God as before death and both shal againe be ioyned togither the bodie by the vertue of the former coniunction beeing raised to eternall life Indeede if this vnion with Christ were dissolued as the coniunction of bodie and soule is it might be some matter of discomfort and feare but the foundation and substance of our mysticall coniunction with Christ both in respect of our bodies and soules enduring for euer must needs be a matter of exceeding ioy and comfort The fourth meditation is that God hath promised by his speciall blessed comfortable presence vnto his seruants when they are sick of dying or any way distressed When thou passest through the water I will be with thee saith the Lord and through the floods that they doe not ouerflow thee when thou walkest through the very fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shal the flame kindle vpon thee Now the Lord doth manifest his presence three waies the first is by moderating and lessening the paines and torments of sicknesse and death as the very wordes of the former promise doth plainly import Hence it comes to passe that to many men the sorrowes and pangs of death are nothing so grieuous and troublesome as the afflictions and crosses which are laid on them in the course of their liues The second way of Gods presence is by an inward and vnspeakable comfort of the spirit as Paul saith We reioyce in tribulation knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience c. but why is this reioycing because saith he in the next words the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost Againe Paul hauing in some grieuous sicknes receiued the sentence of death saith of himselfe that as the sufferings of Christ did abound in him so his consolation did abound through Christ. Here then we see that when earthly comforts faile the Lord himselfe drawes neere the bed of the sicke as it were visiting them in his owne person and ministring vnto them refreshing for their soules With his right hand he holds vp their heads and with his left hand he embraceth them The third meanes of Gods presence is the ministery of his good Angels whome the Lord hath appointed as keepers and nources vnto his seruants to hold them vp and to
shall in time to come beleeue in him to eternall life Againe Philip. 3.8 he saith I thinke all things but losse that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes but that which is through the faith of Christ that I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection afterward he addeth v. 15. Let vs as many as be perfect be thus minded III. Whatsoeuer we pray for according to Gods will we are bound to beleeue that it shall be giuen vnto vs Mark 11. 24. Whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shall be done vnto you But we pray for the pardon of our sinnes and for life euerlasting by Christ and that according to the will of God Therefore we are bound in conscience to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting IV. If God should speake particularly to any man and say vnto him Cornelius or Peter beleeue thou in Christ and thou shalt be saued this commandement should bind him particularly Now when the Minister lawfully called in the name and stead of God publisheth the Gospel to the congregation that is as much as if God himselfe had spoken to them particularly calling each of them by their names and promising vnto them life euerlasting in Christ. 2. Cor. 5.20 We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through vs pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled to God It may be and is obiected that if euery man be bound in conscience to beleeue his owne Election and saluation by Christ then some men are bound to beleeue that which is false because some there be euen in the middest of the Church which in the counsell of God were neuer chosen to saluation I answer that this reason were good if men were bound absolutely to beleeue their saluation without further respect or condition but the bond is conditionall according to the tenour of the couenant of grace for we are bound to beleeue in Christ if we would come to life euerlasting or if we would be in the fauour of God or if we would be good disciples and members of Christ. I answer againe that whatsoeuer a man is bound to beleeue is true yet not alwaies in the euent but true in the intention of God that bindeth Now the commaundement of beleeuing and applying the Gospell is by God giuen to all within the Church but not in the same manner to all It is giuen to the Elect that by beleeuing they might indeede be saued God inabling them to doe that which he commands To the rest whome God in iustice will refuse the same commandement is giuen not for the same cause but to another end that they might see how they could not beleeue and by this meanes be bereft of all excuse in the day of iudgement God doth not alwaies giue commandements simply that they might be done but sometimes for other respects that they might be meanes of triall as the commaundement giuen to Abraham of killing Isaac againe that they might serue to keepe men at the least in outward obedience in this life and stop their mouthes before the tribunall seat of God In that we are bound in conscience on this manner to beleeue the promises of the Gospel with an application of the benefits thereof to our selues sundry necessarie and profitable points of instruction may be learned The first that the Popish Doctours abolish a great part of the Gospel when they teach that men are bound to beleeue the Gospel onely by a Catholike faith which they make to be nothing els but a gift of God or illumination of the mind whereby assent is giuen to the word of God that it is true and more specially that Iesus is Christ that is an all-sufficient Sauiour of mankind All which the damned spirits beleeue whereas the Gospel for the comfort and saluation of mens soules hath a further reach namely to enioyne men to beleeue that the promise of saluation is not onely true in it selfe but also true in the very person of the beleeuer as appeares euidently by the Sacraments which are as it were a visible Gospel in which Christ with all his benefits is offered and applied to the particular persons of men to this ende no doubt that they might beleeue the accomplishment of the promise in themselues Secondly we learne that it is not presumption for any man to beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes for to doe the wil of God to which we are boūd is not to presume now it is the will of God to which he hath bound vs in conscience to beleeue the remission of our owne sinnes and therefore rather not doe it is presumptuous disobedience Thirdly we are here to marke and to remember with care the foundation of the vnfallible certentie of mans saluation For if man be bound in conscience first to giue assent to the Gospel and secondly to applie it to himselfe by true faith then without doubt a man by faith may be certenly perswaded of his owne Election and saluation in this life without any extraordinarie reuelation Gods commandements beeing in this and the like cases possible For commandements are either Legal or Euangelical Legall shew vs our disease but giue vs no remedie and the perfect doing of them according to the intent of the Lawgiuer by reason of mans weaknes and through mans default is impossible in this world As for Euangelical commandements they haue this priuiledge that they may and can be performed according to the intent of the Lawgiuer in this life because with the commandement is ioyned the inward operation of the spirit in the elect to inable them to effect the dutie cōmaunded and the will of God is not to require absolute perfection at our hands in the Gospel as in the law but rather to qualifie the rigour of the law by the satisfaction of a Mediatour in our stead and of vs we being in Christ to accept the vpright will and indeauour for the deede as the will to repent and the will to beleeue for repentance and true faith indeede Now then if things required in the Gospell be both ordinarie and possible then for a man to haue an vnfallible certentie of his owne saluation is both ordinarie and possible But more of this point afterward Lastly all such persons as are troubled with doubtings distrustings vnbeleefe despaire of Gods mercie are to learne consider that God by his word bindes them in conscience to beleeue the pardon of their owne sinnes be they neuer so grieuous or many and to beleeue their owne election to saluation whereof they doubt Men that are but ciuill haue care to auoid robbing and killing because God giues commandements against stealing and killing why then should not we much more striue against our manifold doubtings and distrustings of Gods loue in Christ hauing a commaundement of God that calls vpon vs and binds vs to so Thus
before God must satisfie the iustice of the law which saith doe these things and thou shalt liue Now there is nothing can satisfie the iustice of the law but the righteousnes obedience of Christ for vs. If any alleadge ciuill iustice it is nothing for Christ saith Except your righteousnes exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises you can not enter into the kingdome of heauen What shall we say that workes doe make vs iust that cannot be for all mens workes are defectiue in respect of the iustice of the law Shall we say our sanctification whereby we are renewed to the image of God in righteousnes and true holines that also is imperfect and can not satisfie Gods iustice required in the law as Isai hath said of himselfe and the people Al our righteousnes is as a menstruous cloth To haue a cleere conscience before God is a principall part of inward righteousnes and of it Paul in his owne person saith thus I am priuie to nothing by my selfe yet am I not iustified thereby 2. Cor. 4.4 Therefore nothing can procure vnto vs an absolution and acceptance to life euerlasting but Christs imputed righteousnes And this will appeare if we doe consider how we must come one day before Gods iudgement seat there to be iudged in the rigour of iustice for when we must bring some thing that may counteruaile the iustice of God not hauing onely acceptation in mercie but also approbation in iustice God beeing not onely mercifull but also a iust iudge II. Reason 2. Cor. 5.21 He which knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that we might be made the righteousnes of God which is in him Whence I reason thus As Christ was made sinne for vs so are we made the righteousnes of God in him but Christ was made sinne or a sinner by imputation of our sinnes he beeing in himselfe most holy therefore a sinner is made righteous before God in that Christs righteousnesse is imputed and applied vnto him Now if any shall say that man is iustified by righteousnes infused then by like reason I say Christ was made sinne for vs by infusion of sinne which to say is blasphemie And the exposition of this place by Saint Hierome is not to be despised Christ saith he beeing offered for our sinnes tooke the name of sinne that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him Not ours nor in vs. If this righteousnesse of God be neither ours nor in vs then it can be no inherent righteousnesse but must needes be righteousnesse imputed And Chrysostome on this place saith It is called Gods righteousnesse because it is not of workes and because it must be without all staine or want and this cannot be inherent righteousnes Anselme saith He is made sinne as we are made iustice not ours but Gods not in vs but in him as he is made sinne not his owne but ours not in himselfe but in vs. Reason III. Rom. 5.19 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous marke here is a comparison betweene the first and second Adam And hence I reason thus As by the disobedience of the first Adam men were made sinners so by the obedience of the second Adam are we made righteous Now we are not onely made sinners by propagation of naturall corruption but by imputation For Adams first sinne was the eating of the forbidden fruit which very act is no personall offence but is imputed to all his posteritie in whō we haue all sinned The Fathers call this very sinne Adams hand-writing making vs debters vnto God And therefore in like manner the obedience of Christ is made the righteousnes of euery beleeuer not by infusion but by imputation IV. Reason A satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires at our hands is accepted of God as the iustice it selfe But Christs obedience is a satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires as the Papists themselues auouch Therfore this satisfaction is our iustice And me thinkes the Papists vpon this consideration haue little cause to dissent from vs. For if they make Christs obedience their satisfaction why should they not fully close hands with vs and make it their iustice also V. Reason The consent of the ancient Church Bernard saith epist. 190. The iustice of an other is a assigned vnto man who wanted his owne man was indebted and man made paiment The satisfaction of one is imputed to all And why may not iustice be from an other as well as guiltines is from an other And in Cant. serm 25. It sufficeth me for all righteousnes to haue him alone mercifull to me against whome I haue sinned And Not to sinne is Gods iustice mans iustice is the mercifulnes of God And serm 61. Shall I sing mine owne righteousnes Lord I will remember thy righteousnes alone for it is mine also in that euen thou art made vnto me righteousnes of God What shall I feare least that one be not sufficient for vs both it is not a short cloke that cannot couer two it will couer both thee and me largely beeing both a large and eternall iustice August on Psal. 22. He praieth for our faults and hath made our faults his faults that he might make his iustice our iustice Obiections of Papists Obiections of the Papists proouing inherent righteousnesse to be in the matter of our iustice before God are these I. Obiect It is absurd that one man should be made righteous by the righteousnes of an other for it is as much as if one man were made wise by the wisdome of an other Ans. It is true that no man can be made righteous by the personall righteousnes of an other because it pertaines onely to one man And because the wisdome that is in one man is his altogether wholly it can not be the wisdome of an other no more then the health and life of one bodie can be the health of an other But it is otherwise with the righteousnes of Christ it is his indeede because it is inherent in him as in a subiect it is not his alone but his and ours together by the tenour of the Couenant of grace Christ as he is a Mediatour is giuen to euery beleeuer as really and truly as land is giuen from man to man and with him are giuen all things that concerne saluation they beeing made ours by Gods free gift among which is Christ his righteousnes By it therefore as beeing a thing of our owne we may be iustified before God and accepted to life euerlasting II. Obiect If a sinner be iustified by Christ his righteousnes then euery beleeuer shall be as righteous as Christ and that can not be Ans. The proposition is false for Christ his righteousnes is not applied to vs according as it is in Christ neither according to the same measure nor the same
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
frees men from the common cares molestations and distractions that be in the familie vers 28. Such shall haue trouble in the flesh but I spare you Thirdly because single parties doe commonly with more bodily ease and libertie worship God it beeing still presupposed that they haue the gift of continencie v. 34. The vnmaried woman careth for the things of the Lord that shee may be holy both in bodie and spirit Againe though we mislike the vowe yet we hold and teach that men or women beeing assured that they haue the gift of continencie may constantly resolue and purpose with themselues to liue and lead a single life 1. Cor. 7. 37. He that standeth firme in his owne heart that he hath no neede but hath power of his owne will and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keepe his virgine he doth well And we embrace the saying of Theodoret on 1. Tim. chap. 4. For he doth not saith he blame single life or continencie but he accuseth them that by law inacted compell men to follow these And men made themselues chaste for the kingdome of heauen Matth. 19.12 not by vowe but by a purpose of heart which is farre lesse then a vow and may be changed vpon occasion whereas a vow cannot vnlesse it doe euidently appeare to be vnlawfull Thirdly for such persons as are able to containe to liue single for the ends before named indeede we hold it to be no counsell of perfection yet doe we not denie it to be a counsell of expedience or outward ease according to that which Paul saith v. 25. I giue mine aduise and 35. I speake this for your commoditie not to intangle you in a snare Lastly we thinke that if any hauing the gift of continencie doe make a vow to liue single and yet afterward marrie the said gift remaining they haue sinned Yet not because they are married but because their vow is broken And thus said Augustine of widowes that married after their vow lib. de bono viduit cap. 9. The second is the vow of pouertie and monasticall life in which men bestow all they haue on the poore and giue themselues wholly and onely to praier and fasting This vow is against the will of God Act. 20.35 It is a more blessed thing to giue then to receiue Prou. 28.7 Giue me neither riches nor pouertie Deut. 28.22 Pouertie is numbred among the curses of the law none whereof are to be vowed And it is the rule of the holy Ghost 2. Thess. 3. 10. He that will not labour namely in some speciall and warrantable calling must not eate And v. 12. I exhort that they worke with quietnes and eate their owne bread Now when as men liue apart from others giuing themselues onely to praier and fasting they liue in no calling And it is against the generall vow made in baptisme because it freeth men from sundrie duties of the morall law and changeth the proper ende of mans life For euery man must haue two callings The first is a generall calling of a Christian by vertue of which he performeth worship vnto God and duties of loue to men The second is a particular calling wherin according to his gift he must doe seruice to men in some function pertaining either to the Church or commonwealth whereof he is a member And the first of these twaine must be performed in the second and the second in and with the first The ende of mans life is not onely to serue God by the duties of the first table but by seruing of man in the duties of the second table to serue God And therefore the loue of our neihhbour is called the fulfilling of the whole law Rom. 13.10 because the law of God is practised not apart but in and with the loue of our neighbour This beeing so it is manifest that vowed pouertie in monkish life makes many vnprofitable members both of Church and common-wealth And though we mislike this vow also yet we doe it holding these conclusions I. That a man may forsake all his goods vpon speciall calling as the Apostles did when they were sent to preach the Gospell through the whole world Secondly goods may be forsaken yea wife children parents brethren and all in the case of confession that is when a man for the religion of Christ is persecuted and constrained to forsake all he hath For then the second table giues place to the duties of the first Mark 10.29 II. That for the time of persecution men may withdraw themselues iust occasion offered and goe apart to wildernesses or like places Heb. 11.37 yet for the time of peace I see no cause of solitarie life If it be alleadged that men goe apart for contemplation and spirituall exercises I say againe that Gods grace may as well be exercised in the familie as in the cloister The familie is indeed as it were a schoole of God in which they that haue but a sparke of grace may learne exercise many vertues the acknowledgement of God inuocation the feare of God loue bountifulnes patience meeknes faithfulnes c. Nay here be more occasions of doing or taking good then be or can be in a cloister III. That we condemne not the old and ancient Monks though we like not euery thing in thē For they liued not like idle-bellies but in the sweat of their owne browes as they ought to doe and many of them were married and in their meate drinke apparell rule vow and whole course of life differed from the Monks of this time euen as heauen from earth The third vowe is of regular obedience whereby men giue themselues to keepe some deuised rule or order standing most commonly in the obseruation of exercises in outward things as meates and drinkes and apparell c. This vow is against Christian libertie whereby is graunted a free vse of all things indifferent so it be without the case of offence Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the libertie wherein Christ hath made you free Coloss. 2. 16. Let no man iudge you in meate and drinke To conclude whereas the Papists magnifie these their vowes yet make no such account of the vow in baptisme we for our parts must be contrarie to them not onely in iudgement but also in practise and we ought to haue speciall care to make good the vowes we haue plight to God according to his commaundement In our creation we made vow of obedience and beeing receiued into the couenant of grace we vowed to beleeue in Christ and to bring forth fruits of new obedience and this vow is renewed as oft as we come to the Lords table our dutie therfore is to performe them also to God as Dauid saith Vow vnto God and keepe it and if we keepe them not all turnes to our shame and confusion Men stand much on the keeping of that word which they haue passed to men and it is taken for a point of much honestie as it is indeede Now