Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n
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A17334
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The schole of godly feare a sermon preached at the assises holden in Exeter, March 20, 1614.
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Bury, John, 1580-1667.
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1615
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STC 4180.5; ESTC S262
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20,285
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40
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THE SCHOLE OF GODLY FEARE A Sermon preached at the Assises holden in Exeter March 20. 1614. PSAL. 111.10 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome a good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children harken vnto me I will teach you the feare of the Lord. MAL. 1.6 If I be a Father where is mine honour If I be a Lord where is my feare LONDON Printed by William Stansby for Henry Fetherstone 1615. TO THE HONORABLE SIR HENRY HOBART Knight LORD Chiefe Iustice of the Common Pleas and Sir LAVRENCE TANFIELD Knight Lord chiefe Baron of his Maiesties Exchequer continuance and multiplication of all heauenly Graces and earthly blessings THis Sermon being at first exacted by reuerend authority and since pulled foorth by violent importunity and euen pressed to the Presse inioyeth this onely freedome that it runneth cheerefully to your Lordships hands presenting it selfe a true howsoeuer slender testimony of the Authors thankefull and dutifull respect of your honourable fauours not onely in particular towards himselfe whom you haue beene pleased to grace farre beyond desert but also in generall to Gods Ministers whom with a iust and zealous care you as Gods vpon earth protect from oppression Who seeth not how resolute witnesses hauing armed themselues to seduce a tractable Iury with as formall a tale as the two Elders had deuised against Susanna your Lordship full of the spirit of Daniel that is the iudgement of God for so his name signifieth by prudent sifting and vnexpected interrogatories haue bunted out and dissolued their plotted falshood Who seeth not how vnaccustomed customes incroching vpon the Lords portion allotted and allowed to his Laborers haue shewed as faire pretences of remote Antiquity as were the old sackes old bottles old clothes and mouled bread of the Gibeonites when your discreet inquiry before the Inquest hath espied and descried their neere bordering neighbourhood In a word your Christian care to maintaine the hedge of Iustice for a fence to the Lords vine that euery one which passeth by may not plucke of her grapes putteth into our mouthes a ioyfull gratulation that your Honours are none of them that seek honor by muzzeling the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the Corne. And this leadeth vs to a farther duty viz. to looke vp towards Heauen vnto him that looketh downe from heauen vpon vs to behold and visit his vine which he hath planted with his owne right hand and made strong for himselfe and as hee hath giuen vs such nursing Fathers so we to returne vnto him prayse for your good beginnings and prayer for your good continuance to the glorie of his Name the vpholding of his Church the incouragement of his Ministers and your owne eternall reward through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Your Honours to be commanded in all duty IOHN BERY THE SCHOLE OF GODLY FEARE 1. PET. 1.17 And if yee call him Father who without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke passe the time of your dwelling here in feare THis verse consisteth of a Doctrine and his Vse The Doctrine teacheth vs how to looke vpon God Ye call him Father c. The Vse warneth vs how to looke to our selues Passe the time of your dwelling here in feare The Doctrine proposeth God to our view like Ianus Bifrons as hauing two faces First the chearefull countenance of a Father Ye call him Father Secondly the seuere countenance of a Iudge who without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke If ye call him Father We neede not curiously discusse the seeming difference of Translations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Greeke phrase here vsed being compared with other like places of Scripture as Iames 2.7 Genes 48.5.16 Esay 4.1 yeeldeth vnto vs this plaine sense If yee call him Father that is if yee will passe for his children and professe him to be your Father which we may done three wayes 1. By pretending to the eies of others in shew 2. By presuming in our owne hearts by perswasion 3. By contesting vnto his owne face in prayer that he is our Father and we his children But quo iure God is our Father by what claime Father is a royall prerogatiue originally and primarily due vnto God alone Matth. 23.9 Call no man father vpon the earth for one is your Father which is in heauen but due to others secondarily and vnder him and to him it is due both by Creation and Generation Creation inuested him with an Vniuersall Fatherhood ouer all creatures 1. By Creation but among all principally of Adam who alone resembled his Father being made to the Image of his Maker Genes 1.27 and stiled Adam the sonne of God Luke 3.38 Nor is he Father of Adam alone but of vs also and of both parts of vs our bodies and our soules of our bodies mediately and virtually created in Adams loines and of our soules actually and immediately infused by himselfe For our bodies indeed we are bound to thank Patres carnis whō the Lord hath substituted to be our fathers according to the flesh but for our soules our soules must be lifted vp vnto Patrem spirituū Heb. 12.9 the Father of spirits qui infundendo creat creando infundit who at one and the same instant both createth and infuseth them into these earthly mansions of their fleshly tabernacle But what comfort is it thus to salute him by the name of father in this peculiar language before other creatures seeing the vnhappiest of all his creatures the damned reprobates that shall neuer come neere him or his patrimony are yet as neere as we to this paternitie and may take vp the Prophets words Malach. 2.10 Haue we not all one Father hath not one God made vs Wherefore seeing this is too low 2. By Generation mount we higher from Creation to Generation and here wee finde one Sonne begotten of his Nature and others begotten of his Grace I say one of his nature that is one with him in nature a Sonne as old and as good as his Father coeternall and coequall But as the former was too low Not of nature so this is too high a straine vnto which neither men nor yet Angels can reach for vnto which of the Angels said hee at any time Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee Heb. 1.5 In medio virtus nostra But of Grace the sinewes of our comfort lye in the middest viz. in the sonneship of grace by which a remnant of mankind through the election of grace Rom. 11.5 are separated in the name and for the sake of the naturall beloued Sonne to be sonnes and heires and coheires with him of euerlasting glory Rom. 8.17 for which purpose he granted forth a Dedimus potestatē and as many as receiued him potestatem dedit to them hee gaue power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue on his name Ioh. 1.12 For this inheritance
taken for a manifest conclusion in iudgement that the faith which is fruitlesse is also faithlesse like a painted fire that is indeed no fire hauing Colorem and not calorem some colour of perswasion but no heat of deuotion And seeing the last iudgement will bee vpon the open Theater of the world in view of all men who vse not to diue into the heart of man to see his faith but onely looke in through the lettice of his behauiour nor can iudge of the tree by the inward sappe but by the outward fruit the Lord will manifest the integrity of that iudgement not by inuisible faith but by visible works that all soules may assent acknowledge how they are most iustly distinguished in their recompence that were so different in their liues when Euery one receiueth the things he hath done in his body whether they be good or euill 2. Corinth 5.10 To conclude this point then all men being iudged by rule according to the quality of their workes shall be separated with one generall diuision right from crooked good from bad sheepe from goates and their reward will be diuided accordingly as Esa 3. It shall be well with the iust for they shall eate the fruit of their workes and Woe to the wicked it shall be euill with him for the reward of his hands shall be giuen him For the one sort a gracious call Come ye blessed and for the other a dolefull mittimus Goe ye cursed The quantity of workes is to be scanned two wayes 2. According to their quantity By 1. Tale for their number 2. Scale for their weight For number Euill workers the euill workes wherein are comprehended the words and thoughts of the wicked shall be cast vp by expedite Arithmatike and the transgressions For number which now they daily augment by Addition Multiplication and continuall Progression in sinne without any Substraction by repentance shall then bee summed vp into a totall and a proportionable number of numberlesse paines apportioned vnto them altogether As much as shee liued in pleasure so much giue you to her torment and sorrow Reu. 18.7 For weight in the ballance of Iustice For weight will he poize the grieuousnesse of their sinnes which as they carry seuerall weight in their different natures some being grauiora more heauy then others so also are they aggrauated by circumstances as occasions of information neglected or prouocations to reformation reiected all which being put together substance and circumstance in one scale the other shal haue punishments to counterpoize them all The seruant that knew not his masters will shall bee excused à tanto though not à toto his ignorance must be beaten but being not wilfull with fewer stripes but he that knew it and did it not or would not know to do it he shall be beaten with many stripes Luk. 12.47.48 Hard alas wil it be with the Heathen that walked to hell in darknesse while their starre-light of reason could not discouer the way to heauen but it will bee harder with carnall professors who in the Sun-shine of the Gospell being shewed the narrow way that leadeth to blisse yet gallop along the broad way to destruction Woe and double woe vnto such for if many of the Infidels had beene partakers of the same good meanes and motiues they would a great while agone haue repented sitting in sackcloth and ashes Therefore it shall bee easier for Infidels at the iudgement then for such Luke 10.13.14 In like manner Good workes By tale the good deedes of good men are to be surueighed both by tale and by scale By tale for God doth keepe an Inuentorie of them he hath a Bottle for our teares Psal 56. a Bagge for our almes Luke 12. and a Booke for our good workes Reu. 20. God is not vnrighteous that he should forget any of our good workes Heb. 6.10 Euery godly deed is a flower sent vp to heauen of which our Iudge doth plot vs a neuer-fading Garland of glory and the more flowers the greater garland for He that soweth plenteously shall reape plenteously 2. Cor. 9.6 By scale By scale a weightier good done hath a weightier reward giuen Thou shalt rest and stand vp in thy lot at the end of the dayes said the Angell to Daniel Chap. 12.13 Happy and thrice happy is euery one that hath any lot in heauen the least of all Saints may sing in the Quire of all Saints My lot is fallen in a pleasant ground I haue a goodly heritage Psal 16.6 and yet herein may be disparity there is Dan. 12.3 one general lot for them that be wise to shine as the brightnesse of the firmament but they that turne many to righteousnes haue a speciall lot to shine as the stars for euer and euer Now as all stars are brighter then the firmament so also one star differeth frō another in glory so is the resurrection of the dead 1. Cor. 15. Euery workeman of God though his worke be not worth his meat and drinke being an vnprofitable seruant Luk. 17.10 shall yet haue the penny of eternall life giuen him for wages Euery one his penny that is fulnesse of ioy so that he which hath least neither repineth for himselfe as hauing too little nor enuieth at all others as hauing too much Yet with this fulnesse there stand seuerall degrees according to the seuerall degrees of present grace by which they are diuersly capable of future glorie Some like Gomers some like Ephahs some as pintes some as pottles all shall bee full according to their measure with as much happines as each can wish Al like in satiety but not alike in parity of blisse for euery one shall receiue his reward according to his labor 1. Cor. 3.8 Nor doth this any way vphold the doctrine of merite Yet no merit which arrogating too much to our owne goodnesse in deseruing doth derogate as much from Gods goodnesse in free giuing Farre be it from vs to imagine that our Lord and Master dealeth with vs in commutatiue Iustice as giuing vs Matth. 20.8.9 a pennie for a pennie-worth of worke as if the wages were not counted by fauour but by debt Rom. 4.4 It is indeed giuen as wages but as wages giuen not earned it is a reward but Coloss 3.24 the reward of the inheritance to them that serue the Lord Christ dispensed as vnto seruants a reward of seruing the Lord but conferred as vnto Sonnes for our portion of inheritance Euery one hath his reward not for his labour for we cannot deserue it yet according to his labour by a due and equall inequalitie due only by promise as a portion of grace Ephes 2.8 yet duly performed by proportion of Iustice Passe the time The Vse whereto this doctrine leuelleth is to breed feare for the better impression whereof the Apostle toucheth by the way two motiues giuing vs an inkling of the gliding and slippery state of our life as being 1. 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