he proceeds to the other three Attributes viz. Majesty Dominion and Power and sheweth what it is first to ascribe Majesty to God that it is to acknowledge his Majesty and Greatnesse in all his Workes and reprooves our dulnesse that admire onely his Miracles when all his Workes declare his Majestie Many regard not his Miracles nor signes of his wrath He proceeds to the fifth namely Dominion and sheweth that to consist in that authority whereby he commands in all Kingdomes Places Persons and he distinguisheth these into three kinds viz. his kingdome of 1 Power 2 Grace 3 Glory and describes them But insisteth in his Kingdome of Grace within us and reprooves our rebellions and trecheries that yeeld subjection to sinne and Satan and set up our owne wills and lusts to beare rule in us and so make a mocke of Christs Kingdome and that wee ought to subject as the Angels and doe his will as they most willingly speedily and faithfully And to this end to have our soules and bodies purified that hee may dwell and rule in us He proceeds to the sixth and lost Attribute of Power and sheweth that this consisteth in that he doth whatsoever he pleaseth in all places and persons being present in all places by his power though not in body and that this is an ascribing Power to him to depend upon his Power and to trust to his Strength being all-sufficient after that hee observeth all the sixe Attributes to belong to the whole Trinity and that for ever Lastly hee sheweth the divers significations of Amen and therewith how powerfull a conclusion it is in all prayers implying in it faith and zeale in him that prayeth Laus Deo The Analysis of the Epistle of Saint IVDE The Epistle hath five parts 1 Saluation in it three 1 The person saluting described by three 1 His name IVDE 2 His calling a Servant of Iesus Christ 3 His kindred or alliance the brother of Iames. 2 The persons saluted and they are all that are called and sanctified of God the Father reserved to Iesus Christ Verse 1. 3 The matter of the salutation wherein he wisheth to them three things Verse 2. 1 Mercy 2 Peace 3 Love 2 Exordium or entrance wherein he expresseth his purpose in this Epistle which was to write to them concerning salvation and here he testifies 1 His love to them by his kinde compellation Beloved 2 His desire and earnest endeavour to further them in the way of salvation in that he gave all diligence to write of the common salvation 3 Proposition the maine meanes to further you in the way of salvation Verse 3. The maintenance of the true Faith Not acquired by the power of Nature But given once to the Saints 4 Illustration and enforcement by Exhortation Verse 3. that contend earnestly for the maintenance of faith and use motives 1 In respect of God giving because given to the Saints and to neglect it is to neglect Gods grace giving meanes of salvation 2 In respect of some wicked Apostates whom hee describes 1 Generally by their Verse 4. 1 Subtilty crept in 2 Sinne turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and deny God 3 Iudgement ordained of old to this condemnation Admonishing them to whom hee writ to take heede both of their sinne and iudgement by the examples of the Israelites both their Sinne unbeliefe Iudgement destruction Verse 5. Angels both their Sinne pride Iudgement everlasting chaines c. Vers 6. Sodomites and Gomorrheans both their Sinne uncleannesse Iudgement eternall fire Ver. 7 2 Particularly calling them dreamers and describe 1 Their sinnes ranged into two heads 1 Vncleannesse defile the flesh 2 Rebellion in two things 1 Despising Government Verse 8. 2 Railing on This latter aggravated V. 9 10 He parallels them by their patternes Verse 11. Cain for envy Balaam for counselling to vncleannes Corah for contempt of government Hee sets them out by godly resemblances Verse 12. 1 Spots in regard of their defiling staining 2 Dry Clouds Barren Trees in respect of hypocrisie Verse 13. 3 Raging foming waves in respect of their pride and vaine glory 4 Wandring Starres in respect of their errour and ignorance 2 Iudgement the blacknesse of darknesse for ever this hee confirmes out of the prophesie of Enoch wherein two things 1 Prophet by two 1 His name Enoch 2 Order of descent from Adam the seventh from Adam Verse 14. 2 Prophesie the matter of it Verse 14 15. 3 Their properties Verse 16. 1 Murmuring 2 Repining 3 Licenciousnesse 4 Boasting 5 Flattery Direction for maintenance of true faith in three things 1 How to avoid these impious Apostates which draw from the faith which is 1 By remembring the predictions of the Apostles that forewarned of such Mockers and lustfull livers Verse 17 18. 2 Observing their practice answerable to the Apostles prediction making sects being not spirituall but carnall Verse 19. 2 How to preserve themselves in the faith and this by foure meanes Verse 20 21. 1 Mutuall edification 2 Zealous and spirituall invocation 3 Keeping themselves in the love of God 4 Constant expectation of eternall life by the mercy and meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ 3 How to preserve others in the faith 1 The weake by compassion Verse 22. 2 The obstinate by feare Verse 23. 5 Conclusion with prayer and praise to God wherein hee insinuates 1 What they are to expect and desire at Gods hand and their ground because he is able being Verse 24 25. 1 To keepe 2 To present blamelesse c. 1 Onely wise 2 And Sauiour 2 What is to be ascribed to him 1. Glory 2 Maiesty 3 Dominion AN EXPOSITION VPON THE whole Epistle of Saint Iude. VERSE 1. The Author and Pen-man of this Epistle Iude the servant of Iesus Christ c. BEfore I enter upon the handling of this Epistle I will speake briefly first of the Author 2. of the Penman 3. of the Argument 4. of the Occasion of this Epistle For I cannot dilate at large as Salomon did of trees from the Cedar to the Isop nor as Pliny did of beasts frō the Elephant to the Pismeire nor as Lactantius did of Fishes from the Whale to the Lamprey And first for the Author of this booke it is the holy Ghost For all Scripture is given by inspiration from God and Prophecie came 1 Tim. 3 16. 2. Pet. 1. 20. Luke 1. not in old time by the Will of man but holy men spake as they were moved by the spirit of God and it was God that spake by the mouth of all his Prophets which have been since the World began And as he directed the tongues of Holy men to speake and therfore saith our Saviour It is not yee that speake but the spirit of my father in you so he directed Mat. 10. 20. their pens to write so that it was not they that wrote but the holy Ghost by them By this therefore it evidently appeareth of what reverent account this Epistle ought for
divine power have yee not heard it hath it not beene told you from the beginning have yee not understood it by the foundation of the Earth Hee sitteth upon the circle of the Earth and the inhabitants thereof are as Grasse-hoppers he stretcheth out the Heavens as a curtaine and spreadeth them out as a Tent to dwell in And Salomon reasoneth thus Who hath ascended up to Heaven and descended who hath gathered the Wind in his Prov. 30. 4. fist who hath bound the Waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the World what is his name or his Sonnes name if thou canst tell And God reasoning with Iob saith Where wast thou when Job 38. 4 5 6. 8. I layd the foundations of the Earth declare if thou hast understanding who hath layd the measures thereof if thou knowest or who hath stretched the line over it whereupon are the foundations thereof set or who hath layd the corner-stone thereof or who hath shut up the Sea with doores When it issued and come forth out of the Wombe c. The world is Schola Dei the Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke And the Apostle affirmeth Psal 19. 1. that God left not himselfe without witnesse in that hee did good and gave us raine from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse O every showre of raine is a Preacher and tels us there is a God Note this that nothing was made of it selfe nor for it selfe but for another The Heavens we see doe serve the Ayre the Ayre serveth the Earth the Earth the Beasts the Beasts serve Man Man therefore not made of himselfe was made to serve another which can bee no other but God The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake If all things therefore Man which Pro. 16. 4. confuteth Atheisme Againe it is an arrow yea a hammer against Atheisme that all men have a conscience of sinne and are affraid of it Conscience is a witnesse either with us or against us either to excuse us or accuse us It beareth witnesse of what of secret particular actions Against whom against thy selfe To whom to God seeing neither men nor Angels know the secrets of thy heart Let all Atheists barke against the God-head as long as they will Intùs est vermis qui illos mordet within there is a worme that gnaweth them In that men are afraid and ashamed of sinne it argueth that there is a God we see that all creatures purge themselves of their corruption The Sea her froth the water her skumme the earth her vapours the birds their feathers the wine his lees the fire his smoke the oile his some Man therfore that would avoid his sinne and be rid of it hath a conscience of God and proveth there is a God But alas Religion beggeth in these dayes Probitas laudatur alget our religion is in imagination not in faith in opinion not in judgement in the braine not in the heart in word not in deed and effect They professe they know God but inwardly in their works they doe denie him being abominable disobedient and unto every Few truly religious but many Epicures and Atheists good worke reprobate they have a shew of godlinesse but have denyed the power thereof O vile times the worst that have beene ever since the creation of the world and if these dayes should not be shortned no flesh should be saved but for the Elects sake God hath shortned them We Tit. 1. 16. 2 Tim. 3. 5. Mat. 24. 22. Esa 58. 1. 1 Reg. 19. Mar. 3. had need crie aloud and not spare lift up our voices like trumpets For ordinary speaking hath no proportion with extraordinary sinning We cannot come to you as God came to Elias in a still wind in a soft voice we must have Stentors voice be like Iames and Iohn the sonnes of thunder The Heathen said of their infidels Plus amant bovem quā Iovem they love the oxe more than Iupiter we may say of many Christians Plus amant coenam quam coelum cibum quam Christum they love more their supper than heaven more their meat than Christ they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like lapwings that delight in dung like Vespatian who took a tribute of urine Many nations have lived without cloaths without King without armour but never any without God as Tullie said Nulla gens tamfera tamimmanis c. never nation was so wilde so cruell so barbarous but have acknowledged and confessed that there was a God Neere the river Ganges in India be men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without mouthes that live by the sent of flowers among us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men without hearts that beleeve nothing Socrates said Hoc scio quod nihil scio I know this that I know nothing and they hoc credo quod nihil credo I beleeve this that I beleeve nothing they have set downe their rest Non esse Deum non esse daemonem non esse coelum non esse infernum there is no God there is no divell there is no heaven there is no hell and therefore they say Our life is short and tedious and in the death of a man there is no recovery neither was any knowne that have returned Wisd 2. 1 2 3. 4 5. from the grave wee are borne at all adventure and wee shall be hereafter as though we had never beene for the breath is as smoake in our nosthrills and the words as a sparke raised out of the heart which being extinguished the body is turned to ashes and the spirit vanisheth as in the soft ayre c. Come therefore let us enjoy the pleasures that are present c. These wilde Bores roote up the Lords vineyard these Foxes destroy the grapes these Ionas's trouble the ship of England For Christs Psal 80. 13 14. Church is Christs ship tossed with waves but let us runne with the Apostles and awake our Saviour that hee may hurle out Mat. 14. these Ionas's Thirdly the wicked are here described by their carnalitie and libertie they turne grace into wantonnesse for ungodlinesse hath two branches iniquitie in life and manners and impuritie in religion of the first he saith They turne grace into wantonnesse of the second it is said that they denied God and Christ Iesus Of the Act. 6. Rom. 8. first sort were the Libertines that disputed with Steven Paul had to doe with such hereticks vile men that said faciamus mala ut inde veniat bonum Let us doe evill that good may good come thereof Gods grace ought to lead to repentance Or let us be evill that God may be good let us commit iniquitie that Gods glorie may bee revealed let sinne abound that grace may superabound But their judgement is just and their damnation sleepeth not such are all presumptuous sinners Rom. 6. 1. that will sinne of purpose
with an high hand an hard heart and a whorish forehead such are idolaters blasphemers drunkards usurers adulterers robbers which say yet once more will I doe this or that sinne once more will I dallie one cup more will I have for God say they is patient and long suffering thus sin toucheth sinne but God will whet his sword and bend his bow and Psal 7. 11 12. then yee know what followes the blacke arrowes and instruments of death Paul sheweth a better end of grace than wantonnesse hee saith The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared Tit. 2. 11 12. and teacheth us to deny impietie and wicked worldly desires and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The goodnesse of God leadeth us to repentance honor health wealth long Rom. 2. 4. life taketh thee by the hand and leadeth thee to repentance as the Angell led Ezechiel into the Sanctuarie Noli peccare spe nam Bern. paenam dabis re sinne not in hope for thou shalt smart for it indeed It is as great a sinne to presume of grace and mercy as to despaire of grace and mercie for they that despaire may be raised up but such as presume are seldome saved He that heareth Deut. 29. 19. 20 21. the Words of this curse and blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace although I walke in the stubbornesse of my heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not be mercifull unto him but then the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against that man and every curse that is written in this booke shall light upon him and the Lord shall put out his name from under Heaven Therefore Paul in all his writings when he handleth the doctrine of grace and mercie he handleth it very warily as a man handleth gunpowder or quicke-silver lest they should turne it into wantonnesse As 1 Tim. 4. 10. We trust in the living God which is the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10. Rom. 8. 1. especially of those that beleeve And Rom. 8. 1. Now there is no condemnation to them that are in Cerist Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts And 1 Pet. 2. 9. Yee are a chosen generation Gal. 5. 24. a royall priesthood an holy nation that yee should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkenesse into his marveilous light God is a Saviour of all that is of all beleevers there is no condemnation so that we walke in the spirit we are Christs if we crucifie the flesh a royall priesthood if we shew forth the vertues of him that hath made us Kings and Priests Other wisdome hath no portion of the Spirit of God we have neither part nor fellowship in Iesus Christ Sumus in felle nequitiae wee are in gall of bitternesse Let us not then turne the grace of God into wantonnesse as Gods benefits and bounty oft make licentious and impious many do for the better God dealeth with them the worse they deale with him turning grace into wantonnesse and Christian libertie into carnall licentiousnesse not regarding the Apostles Counsell Brethren yee have beene called into libertie only use not your libertie as an occasion unto the flesh but by Love serve yee one another Gal. 5. 13. If God give us an inch wee take an ell and abuse his goodnesse God dealeth with us as a nurse doth with her Child he nourisheth and bringeth us up but wee deale with him as the Asses foale with her damme when she hath sucked her damme shee kicketh with her heele as the swallow doth with men she harboureth with us all summer and in winter departeth and leaveth nothing but dirt behind her Thus Moses complained of Israel Doe yee so reward the Lord O yee folish people and unwise Is not he thy father that hath bought thee he hath made thee and proportioned thee So Deut. 32. 6. Esau complaineth of Iuda I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner and the Esa 1. 3. Asse his masters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people hath no understanding Ieremie reneweth the same complaint a little before the captivity They said not where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Aegpyt that ledus thorough the wildernesse thorough a desart Ier. 2. 6. a wast land thorough a dry land and by the shadow of death by a land that no man passed thorough and where no man dwelt and againe O generation take heed to the word of the Lord have I beene as a wildernesse unto Israel or a land of darkenesse wherefore saith my people then wee are Lords we will come no more unto thee Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire Yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number The matter is more fully handled by Ezechiel Ieremie his mate and companion both before and in the captivity saying Thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy blood Thus all the Prophets Ezech. 16. 22. with open mouth crie out against iniquitie The richer wee are the vainer wee are the higher wee are the prouder wee are the stronger wee are the crueller and the more quarrellous wee are the yonger the lascivier the more healthfull the more sinnefull and carelesse wee wound God with his owne weapon For hee that should have beene upright when hee waxed fat spurned with the Deut. 32. 15. heele thou are fat thou are grosse thou art laden with fat therefore hee forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his salvation We abuse every blessing of God wee are like Aesops snake that lay still in the frost but stung him that warmed her in his bosome so long as God keepeth us sicke and lame and poore we are in some order our eares are full of Sermons our lips full of prayers our hands full of almes our hearts full of holy meditations For when the outward man perisheth the inward man is renewed daily but if we come to health and wealth and strength we rage 2 Cor. 4. 16. like Giants we are like bad ground which the more sweet dewes it receiveth the more weeds it bringeth out And therefore wee Gods patience makes us presumptuous are neere unto cursing whose end is to be burned If God give some libertie and remission wee stretch it too farre if hee permit hawking and hunting we spend most of our dayes in it wee make an Hebr. 6. 8. occupation of play Because God permitteth us to eate and drinke and weare apparell wee eate till wee surfet and drinke till wee be drunken and attire our selves like peacocks like Geta the Emperor that was served
quenched once angry never pleased The Heathens We must love as God doth without desert were wont to say of themen of the primitive Church Ecce ut invicem se diligunt behold how they love one another they knew Christians by that badge but we may say quoth one Ecce Zaneh ut invicem se oderunt behold how they hate one another oppresse one another not Christians but Wolves Lions Leopards Divels nay worse for one Lion eateth not another and the Divels strive not amongst themselves but maintaine their kingdome Let Tygers and Beares and Leopards teare one another Let Scythians and Cannibals eat one another who Mat. 12. know not God nor good humanitie Let them bee without naturall affections but let us love one another and let the Apostle his precept be our practise Be of one minde one suffer with another 2 Tim. 3. 3. love as brethren bee pittifull bee courteous not rendring evill for evill nor rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that yee are thereunto 1 Pet. 3. 8 9. called that yee should bee heires of blessing But yee will say such and such men deserve no kindnesse nor love at our hands I but see what Christ deserveth his eyes blinded his face smitten his hands nailed his feete pierced his heart thrust through with a speare how ought wee then to love one another Beloved saith the Apostle if God so loved us wee ought to love one another In no quality doe wee resemble God 1 Iohn 4. 11. more than in this Love God the Father is Love God the Son is Love God the holy Ghost is Love God the Father in Love gave his Sonne God the Sonne in Love gave himselfe God the Iohn 3. 16. cap. 10. 16. holy Ghost in Love applyeth all this unto us Charitas Dei diffusa in corda nostra per spiritum But note here what love Iude praying for a true Christian love framed by knowledge for among theeves murderers Drunkards ther is a kind of Love First therefore the love of Atheists is condemned which come from profit or from pleasure which love men as the dog doth the bone but this love proceedeth not Excorde puro from a pure heart therefore to be condemned Secondly the love of Gamesters Drunkards and Pot-companions is here condemned For to glosse play eate drinke game bee no good workes therefore this is not to love wee call it good fellowship but such good fellowes will go to the good fellow the Divell if they repent not Thirdly all carnall love is here condemned For love in man may bee a vice aswell as a grace it is a vice when it is set upon a wrong object or is disordered and that three wayes First when wee love things unlawfull as sinne Secondly when wee love things lawfull but too much as the world Thirdly when love is turned into lust and so it is the mother of fornication adultery incest and such like But if wee will have our love a grace it must be a Christian Our love must be truly Christian Graces must be dayly increased love we must love one another in the Lord for the Lord this love is the badge of Christs disciples By this shall all men know that you are my disciples indeed if yee love one another as I have loved you To this S. Peter exhorteth Above all things have fervent love among your selves for love shall cover a multitude of sinnes Non expiando non veniam Iohn 13. 1 Pet. 4. promerendo sed fraternè condonando non vindicando non diffamando not by purging or satisfying for sinnes not by deserving pardon and binding God to forgive sinnes but by brotherly forgiving trespasses not revenging our selves not defaming others Here also is condemned the love of Papists In cathedra unitatis Deus posuit doctrinam veritatis In the chaire of unity God hath put the doctrine of verity they agree as the false Prophets did not in the Lord but against the Lord they make adoe of their councell of Trident and how they agree in all meetings Alas a few buckrome Bishops of Italy conspired together but thirtie eight Bishops in all not like the councell of Nice where were three hundred and eighteene or of Arimine where were sixe hundred Bishops Nor like the Councell of Constance where were foure Patriarks twenty nine Cardinals two hundred threescore and ten Bishops forty seven Archbishops five hundred threescore and foure Abbots and Doctors at the deposing of Benedict the third But let our love bee as it should bee Christian love Let us love as brethren and then the God of Love and Peace shall bee with us and so much for this love that Saint Iude prayeth for But before I shut up this heavenly doctrine note that the Apostle wisheth an increase of Mercy Peace and Love he would have these things to be multiplyed Mercy Peace and Love be multiplied unto you in that he wisheth a multiplication of these Graces he sheweth that there is no perfection of vertues in this life for there is a double grace of God A Restraining and A Receiving Grace The one to keepe us from sinne the other to increase all vertues in us for in all vertues wee creepe like Snayles wee glide like Wormes wee goe like the Messenger of evill newes but in all vices wee runne like Hazael or the Roe of the field we flie like Doves wee grow like the Lily in a night Paul therefore exclaimed The Law is Spiritual but I Carnall sold under sinne for Rom. 7. 14 15. I allow not that which I doe for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. Whereupon Saint Augustine saith Impii volunt valent peccare pii volunt sed non valent benè agere quia nequiunt quod desiderant the wicked are willing and able to sinne the August godly are willing but not able to doe well because they cannot doe that which they desire to doe This made this holy Father Never perfect till wee come to Glory to pray Domine dominetur carni anima animae ratio rationi gratia c. Lord let the Soule rule the Flesh Reason the Soule Grace Reason subdue me to thy will inwardly outwardly sharpen my tongue more and more to sound forth thy praises illuminate my mind more and more to see thee inlarge my heart more and more to beleeve in thee c. For we comprehend not the Mercy Peace and Love of God in any measure Beatitude nostra tribus gradibus perficitur in hac vita per spem fidem quotidie crescentem post hanc vitam cum anima Dei praesentia fruetur post extremum judicium cum anima corpore glorificabimur Our happinesse is perfected in three degrees in this life by Faith and Hope increasing and growing daily after this life when the Soule shall enjoy the presence of God after the last Iudgement when as in Body and
described by the Apostle by a three-fold comparison viz. of clouds without raine trees without fruit starres without light Hee setteth it out by many elegant and apt resemblances insisting especially in the resemblance of it to unfruitfull trees Dehorts from it first because it is odious to God which desireth and delighteth in sincerity of the heart 2. because Christ denounceth so many woes against it Hel being prepared for it Heaven being shut against it The Contents of the foure and twentieth Sermon HAving spoken of the sinnes of the wicked mentioned by Saint Iude viz. Epicurisme Pride Hypocrisie Hee proceedes to their judgement which is eternall damnation it is described by divers names yet by none sufficiently expressed All sufferings here but shadowes the beginning of sorrowes in respect of them Hee setteth out the torments of Hell by the contraries the joyes of Heaven and in themselves being of all sorts yea more than can bee either expressed or conceived upon the consideration hereof hee exhorts to live godly that wee may escape them and this exhortation he urgeth further because they are eternall irremissible and by fire which is intolerable shewed by comparison with our fire in divers respects and these torments to bee multiplyed according as they have multiplyed their sinnes The Contents of the five and twentieth Sermon HAving shewed that all the former sinners shall bee judged hee prooves it out of the Prophesie of Enoch and because this Prophesie being not extant the Papists gather that this and many truths beside being preserved in the Church by traditions therefore traditions are to bee embraced together with Scripture as grounds of faith Hee proveth the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures for faith and manners without tradition and refutes their blasphemous slandering and sleighting the Scriptures and so proceedes to speake of the judgement that Iude intends being the last generall judgement prooving that it must 〈…〉 Secondly that it must bee executed by the Sonne the second person in the Trinity Thirdly the manner how hee shall appeare which shall bee in humane shape yet with power and great glory and this hee sets out by comparing the second comming with his first and his proceeding with them in foro justiciae with this here in foro misericordiae Fourthly the end of his comming to judge all concerning all their workes words thoughts that the Swearers and blasphemers shall have the greatest doome Fiftly that this judgement is most certaine God having appointed it and mens consciences witnessing and telling them it internally Hee concludes with a threefold use 1 For terror of the wicked 2 Comfort of the godly penitent 3 Instruction of all The Contents of the sixe and twentieth Sermon HEE entreth upon Saint Iudes description of the wicked by foure-sinnes 1 Impatience 2 Lusts 3 Pride 4 Flattery Hee handles the two former Impatience and Lusts Shewing impatience to bee double 1 Against God 2 Against Men. The first the roote of many sinnes occasioned many wayes often mentioned in the Scripture ever reprooved and seuerely punished hee exhorts to patience shewes three meanes to effect it and shewes the danger of impatience Impatience against men manifold in all sorts and degrees which he doth sharpely reprooue and perswades patience in regard of our mutuall wants he entereth upon the second sinne viz. Lust hee sheweth that they be most base most pernicious which though God hath taught us to tame by many meanes yet we are too much led by them yeelding both to evill motion and naturall affection all which we must represse by the word and though wee have them remaining in us yet we must not suffer them to raigne in us And further that we may avoid them he setteth out what they be what sinnes they bring forth that they are insatiable infectious to soule and body and make us uncapable of grace and salvation and subject to damnation The Contents of the seven and twentieth Sermon HAving spoken of the two first sinnes of the wicked viz. Impatience and Lusts he proceedeth to the other two Pride and Flattery In speaking of Pride he sheweth that though it bee in the heart yet it vents it selfe most at the mouth as all corruption doth That Pride by 〈◊〉 is in all yet the godly repell it as David Paul glory in the Lord that is the true glory it is vaine to glory in any thing else That proud men shew their pride in speaking 〈◊〉 â—hingâ— yet usually they vaunt most that have lest worth in them as their hearts and speeches are vaine so they get nothing but vanity though they speake proudly for gaine Among all vaunters the Pope is chiefe and his flatterers in the next ranck secondly he speaketh of the last sinne viz. Flattery sheweth the property of Flatterers their aime and their punishments as also of them that listen to them and therefore we should stop our eares against them as Vlysses against the Syrens song That this sinne hath its name from servility and therefore Flatterers are base and servile creatures It is odious in all but especially in Ministers The desire to be flattered the cause of flattery yet he that flatters hath and he that reproveth love Wee should therefore embrace truth and detest flattery though it please The Contents of the eight and twentieth Sermon HAving observed the opposition betweene the Saints to whom he writ and these wicked of whom before he had written hee sheweth that the godly and the wicked are every where opposed and though the wicked the more in number yet not to be followed seeing Christs flocke is little and there be few that shall be saved and better to be blessed with those few then to be condemned with the multitude After commending you for remembring the Word of God he setteth out the excellency and utility thereof taxing our negligence herein and teaching how we may heare and remember and because it is called the Word of the Apostles hee first sheweth that the Doctrine of the Apostles and not humane writings or traditions are to bee relyed upon And secondly he confutes those that gather from hence that the Author of the Epistle was no Apostle and the Epistle not Canonicall and shewes this to be Iudes modesty to alleage others yet no infirming but a confirming of his owne authority Lastly from his kinde compellation beloved he notes his mildnesse and commends that grace and shewes that it must be used in all our courses yet so as with it some tartnesse and severe reprehensions must be used with respect of due circumstances to persons place time kinde of offence and hee reprehends three sorts that reprehends for sinister ends and shewes what should be our chiefe aime in our reproofes The Contents of the nine and twentieth Sermon IVde prophesing of mockers that should bee in the last times hee treats of their sinne observing that Iude put it in the forefront That there have beene mockers in ages some of God and Religion some of men
World for that is to become a vassall unto our servants it is an uncertaine service to serve the Flesh this master is so cholerick so weake so sickly that wee may looke every day to be turned out of doores and that which is worst of al he is least contented when he is most satisfied It is an unthrifty service to serve the Divell all his wayes are death the more service wee doe him the worse is our estate It is an irreligious service to serve Antichrist for such as have the marke of the Beast shall perish with the beast But he that serves God hath the greatest Lord who is most able and the best Lord who is most willing to preferre his followers and reward his servants Let us then serve him for we are his servants Iure creationis jure sustentationis jure redemptionis By right of creation sustentation redemption If every haire of our head were a life and every life as long as Methuselahs it were too little to serve God True it is that Cham was pronounced the first servant as I observed Gen 3. Gen. 8. before for man was made to rule and not to serve But as sinne brought in the first nakednesse and the first travell of women in paine and the first death and the first sorrow and the first flood so it brought in the first service Onely by Christ wee are Manumised Hominis dignitas in tribus splendet The dignity of Rom. 8. 15. man shineth forth in three things In imagine Dei in the image of God In ejus creationis ex nihilo in his creation of nothing In eius dominio super omnes creaturas in his dominion over all his creatures ut ergo tria haec per peccatum amisit sic per gratiam recuperavit as hee lost these three things by sinne so by grace hee hath recovered them dum Domino servit a quo defecit while hee serves God from whom hee fell Now therefore by grace wee are called servants and if that John 15. Iohn 3. Mar. 3. Gal. 3. be too little wee are called the Friends of God Friends of the bridegroome and if that be too little wee are called Brethren Sisters of Christ if that be too little wee are called The Sonnes of God if that be too little wee are called the Spouse of God the wife of the Apoc. 19. 7. Lambe And if all this bee too little wee are called the members of The Pope no Apostle of God yet cals himselfe servum servorum God and of Christ Iesus O the breadth and length and depth and heighth of the love of God towards us that we should be called not forreiners but servants not servants but friends not friends but brethren not brethren but sonnes not sonnes but wives not wives but members 1 Cor. 12. By the way observe here that the Pope not calling himselfe servum Dei the servant of God but servum servorum a servant of Gen. 9. servants calleth himselfe by a cursed title as Cham was and indeed he is a servant of servants that serveth not Christ But say some hee calleth himselfe a servant of servants to shew his humility Indeed hee is lowly in name as any Apostle but as proud in spirit as the Whore of Babylon that makes herselfe Lady over Kings and Emperours For did not Pope Zachary make Childerike the French King to trot by his bridle three miles together Did not Hildebrand cause Henry the fourth to stand three dayes at his gates with his wife and his child barefooted Did not Clement the fifth make Dandalus Duke of Venice to lye under his Table like a dogge to gather crummes Did not Alexander the third tread on the necke of that noble Fredericke in Venice Did not Innocent depose King Iohn of England Did not Clemens the seventh labour to depose Henry the eighth Did not Pius quintus send a Bull against our Queene Did not Clemens the eighth cause the French King to goe bare-footed to Saint Dennis as a Penitentiary The troubles of these five hundred yeeres past may bee ascribed to Popes all Grecia yet rueth it all Africa the mother of Martyrs feeleth it the German Emperours tossed like tennise balles may not forget it the Kings of France have felt it the States of Italy have beene shaken with it the Kings of England have beene deposed whipped murdered Let King Iohn speake Richard the second Henry the eighth and Queene Elizabeth Is this a servant of servants that will thus insult over Kings and Emperours Oh no no. But to leave him Are we with Iude the servants of Iesus Christ Then must we not onely apply our selves to serve him as I have already said but we must imitate the vertues of Iesus Christ and we must attend his pleasure But first wee must imitate his vertues In our Lord and Master Christ Iesus shined many excellent vertues Yea all vertues Love Patience Humility Meekenesse Mildenesse Mercie Puritie Pietie Constancie Obedience c. these must shine in us else falsely wee are called the servants of Christ Christiani nomen frustrà ille sortitur qui Christum minimè imitatur August de vita Christian◠Quid tibi prodest vocari quod non es In vaine hath hee got the name of a Christian which doth not imitate Christ What doth it profit thee to bee called that which thou art not To bee called a Christian and not to bee indeed a Christian a Saint and not to bee Saint the servant of Iesus Christ and not to bee We must attend to Gods service We owe more to God than servants to their Masters the servant of Iesus Christ Qualis haberi velis talis sias If thou wilt be the servant of Iesus Christ thou must bee holy as hee is holy gracious as hee is gracious mercifull as hee is mercifull yea perfect as hee is perfect though not by adequation for that is beyond our power yet by imitation for that is all our duties Againe are wee Christs servants then must wee attend his Pleasure and depend upon his Will and performe all such holy offices as becommeth servants But as Peter Martyr saith wee In Rom. cap. 1. are contrary to servants we are rather Quarter-masters and checkemate with God for servants bestow all their time in their Masters businesse we no time or little time in Gods matters For our goodnesse is as the Morning cloud and as the Morning dew it Hos 6. 4. goeth away Servants beaten fall to prayers wee being chastised of God fall to murmuring and cursing like Iob that cursed the day of his birth Like Ieremy that cursed him that told his father of a man-child Servants are not familiar with their Masters Iob 3. Ier. 20. enemies wee countenance Gods enemies in all places Many Protestants are like Aesops Crow of divers feathers their Religions like Ioseph his party-coloured coat or like the rainebow of all colours we read how Iehoshaphat joyned with
must bee unto us dearer than thousands of silver and gold more precious than the gold of Ophir sweeter than the Honey or the Hony-combe For albeit God can onely by the inward motion of his blessed Spirit worke out make-sure and perfect our salvation yet it pleaseth him in his eternall wisedome to use the word as an ordinary meanes of our vocation and salvation As then God giveth learning by study wisedome by experience riches by travell and like things by like meanes so he maketh perfect the calling of his Saints by the preaching of the Word which Rom. 1. 16. is the power of God to salvation to every man that beleeveth The second title of honour given here to the Saints is Sanctification he calleth them sanctified of God the Father this is the next grace wherewith he adorneth them For God continueth his graces as Iacob continued his wrastling as Peter continued his knocking till they let him in and God will not leave calling and working till hee hath sanctified and perfected his graces like the Sunne that never leaveth shining but commeth Psal 19. Exod. 17. forth as a Bridegroome out of his Chamber and rejoyceth as a Giant to runne his course Like the Fountaine of Elim and waters of Shilo that never leave running The calling of God is without repentance Rom. 11. 29. For God is not a man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of man Numb 23. 19. that he should repent as Balaam though a false Prophet said most truely Whom God calleth them he justifieth whom hee justifieth he sanctifieth and whom he sanctifieth he glorifieth The learned call this Text in Rom. 8. Auream catenam a golden Rom. 8. 29 30. Chaine hee that draweth one linke draweth all the Chaine For as hee that hath one damnable sinne hath all sinne and is guilty of all so hee that hath one grace effectually hath all God perfects his Workes God is not like a stepmother that putteth out her child to nurse he is not as the Partridge or Bird that forsaketh her nests nor Ier. 1. 17. Iob 29. 1 Reg. 3. like the Ostrich that leaveth her egs in the dust like Salomons Harlot that exposed her child to the sword But he is as the Eagle that carrieth her yong in her wings till they can flie as the Pelicane that feedeth her yong ones with her heart-bloud till they can feed themselves He blesseth us untill he hath brought us into his Kingdome of blisse where wee shall never hunger nor thirst any more For Hee will destroy Death for ever and the Lord God will wipe away teares from all faces and the rebuke of his Esa 25. 8 9. people will hee take away out of all the Earth for the Lord hath spoken it and in that day men shal say Loe this is our God We have waited for him and hee will save us this is the Lord wee have waited for him we will rejoyce and bee joyfull in his Salvation So the Lord Iesus hath perfected the worke of our Redemption hee was borne for us he lived hee died he rose againe he ascended hee maketh intercession for us and hee will glorifie us so saith our Saviour Father I will that they which thou hast given me bee with mee even where I am that they may behold my glory that is that they may enjoy the Iohn 17. 24. eternall glory with mee This is a Doctrine of singular comfort like the wine and oyle that revived the wounded man like the news of Iosephs honour Luke 10. Gen. 45. 28. Luke 2. that comforted old Iacob like the song of the heavenly souldiers that rejoyced the Sheepheards like Davids Harpe to drive away Sauls melancholy Hath God begun with thee hath he called thee hast thou felt the motions of his Spirit in thy heart Noli timere bee not afraid hee will end with thee and accomplish all his graces in thee I meane not in perfection Nam sanctitas tribus gradibus perficitur Holinesse consisteth in three degrees In this life while we are regenerate by water and the holy Spirit after this life while the Soule enjoyeth the presence of God after the day of Iudgement when in Soule and body wee shall bee united to our head Christ Iesus In this life there is a threefold Sanctification 1 Imputed unto us 2 Wrought in us 3 Wrought by us Imputed Sanctification is when God imputeth unto us the sanctification of Christ Who is made to us Wisedome Righteousnes 1 Cor. 1. 30. Sanctification and Redemption By this wee are said to bee sanctified when the vertue of Christs Passion the fruit of his Death the power of his Resurrection is applied unto us and Christs Sanctification made ours by imputation Therefore the Apostle saith That Iesus Christ to the end that hee may sanctifie his people with his owne bloud suffered without the gate Heb. 13. 12. Sanctification wrought within us is the inward change of a man iustified whereby the image of God is restored in him a Protestants Religion teach Sanctity change not a non esse ad esse from a not being to a being for the faculties of the soule were before not ab esse ad non esse from a being to a not being for the faculties of the soule remaine still but ab esse ad esse from an ill being to a good being not abolishing the will minde and affections but rectifying and renuing them a change of a man iustified for we are iustified before we are sanctified Iustification is actus individuus Sanctification is actus dividuus we are iustified at once we are sanctified by degrees wee are iustified when our sinnes are not imputed unto us we are sanctified when a cleane heart is created and a right spirit renued in us Sanctification wrought by us is that whereby wee sanctifie and make holy the outward works and actions of our life This the Lord requireth Be ye holy for I am holy To this Saint Paul Levit. 11. 44. exhorteth let us cleanse our selves from all silthinesse of the flesh and 2 Cor. 7. 1. of the spirit and grow up to full holinesse in the feare of God The righteousnesse of Justification is by faith without works the righousnesse of Sanctification is by workes and by faith justifying righteousnesse is perfect but not inherent sanctifying righteousnesse is imperfect but inherent glorifying righteousnesse is perfect and inherent neverthelesse we must confesse that all our sanctification is from God Here the slander of the Papists is answered for Justification for whom God calleth he justifieth and whom hee iustifieth he sanctifieth We preach not an idle faith as they say opening windowes and doores to all wickednesse by a Solifidian error and an imputative Iustice A late Papist in his Treatise of the Eucharist saith We preach liberty we hinder good workes we teach a naked faith No no wee teach sanctity holinesse more than they who with Alexander the third
of the World to them all Venite benedicti come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome Mat. 25. 34. prepared for you and therefore as the Hart desireth the water-brookes so long their Soules after God their Soules after God yea after the living God and they cry day and night Come Lord Jesus come quickely Thou which art our Lord by right of creation by right of redemption by right of gubernation Apoc. 22. by right of preservation Come come away quickely and crown us with glory receive us into thy kingdome where is Gaudium sine fine sine metu finis Ioy without end without feare of end Thus much of the Persons saluted their vocation sanctification and reservation to Iesus Christ THE FOVRTH SERMON VERS II. Mercie unto you and Peace and Love c. Mercy Peace and Love from Father Sonne holy Ghost I Am now come to the Salutation wherein the Apostle wisheth and prayeth for three things 1 Mercy 2 Peace 3 Love Three things more excellent than Mat. 2. the three gifts which the Wisemen bestowed on Christ Gold Frankincense 2 Sam. 23. and Myrrh three things more puissant to overthrow the Divell than the three mighty men that were in the hoast of Israel to overthrow the Philistines and to fetch water out of the well of Bethelem that David longed for three things more comely than the three things that Salomon commended that is a Lion Prov. 30. among beasts a Gray-hound and a Goat Mercy which is the first thing here wished for is ascribed to God the Creator Peace which is the second to Christ the 2 Cor. 1. 3. Ephes 2. 14. Rom. 5. 5. Reconciler Love which is the third to the holy Ghost the Comforter For God hee is called The Father of Mercies Christ is called Our Peace and the holy Ghost Love The Apostle therefore in saying Mercy Peace and Love be multiplied is as if he should have said The God of Mercy forgive you your sinnes the God of Peace give you Peace that passeth all understanding and the God of Love grant that your Love may abound more and more that yee may bee rooted and grounded in Love And yet all this proceedeth from one and the same person Generall and speciall Mercies of God for albeit Mercy be ascribed to the Father Peace to the Sonne and Love to the holy Ghost Creation to the Father Redemption to the Sonne and Sanctification to the holy Ghost yet all these create redeeme and sanctifie For wee worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity wee confound neither the persons nor yet their worke Mercie be unto you Mercy in God is not passive but active Non quoad affectum sed quoad effectum No suffering with us in our wants but succouring us in them Mercy is here taken for grace and the meere favour of God The Apostle therefore in wishing Mercy Peace and Love to the Saints teacheth us Quales esse debent Christianorum salutationes nos literis nostris epistolis honorem opulentiam salutem longam vitam amicis optamus Iudas verò misericordiam pacem charitatem dona coelestia his tribus Ecclesia opus est aliter actum esset And first hee beginneth with Mercie For instead of Grace used by the Apostle Paul in sundry of his Epistles Iude heere nameth Mercy which is all one Mercy and Grace is that whereby all good is conveyed to us therefore an excellent blessing to bee prayed for and this Grace and Mercy of God is fourefold 1 Generall 2 Speciall 3 Temporall 4 Eternall The generall Grace and Mercy of God are those graces and mercies that hee bestoweth upon all men Hence is it that hee causeth the Sun to shine upon good and bad and his Raine to fall upon the just and unjust For there bee some good things which God giveth indifferently both to the good bad as Riches Honour Strength Beautie Health c. And there be some good things which God giveth onely to the good and not to the wicked as saving Faith saving Grace a new Heart a right Spirit peace of Conscience joy in the holy Ghost eternall Life And there are some evill things whereof the good taste as well as the bad as Sickenesse Sorrow Weakenesse of body Imprisonment Famine Sword losse of Friends c. And there are some evill things which God layeth upon the wicked and not upon the good as intolerable horror of conscience desperation Psal 104. 17 18. damnation c. This generall Grace and Mercy of God is over all his cratures the Fowles of the Aire the Fishes in the Psal 145. 9. Sea the beasts of the Fields His Mercie is over all his Workes His speciall Mercy is that whereby hee succoureth his elect This was the Mercy of God that preserved Lot from the burning of Sodome Daniel from the devouring jawes of the hungrie Gen. 19. Lions David from the cruelty of Saul and the Israelites Dan. 6. from the firy Furnace This is that Grace and Mercy which the child of God above all things desireth Lord lift thou up Psal 4. the light of thy countenance upon us His temporall Mercie is that whereby hee spareth sinners and standeth at their doores expecting and waiting their conversion Temporall and eternall Mercies Hereupon one descanteth very finely saying When vaine pleasure biddeth us to sell God and be gone his Mercy and Grace will not so part with us when we are lost in our selves his Mercy and Grace findeth us out when wee lye long in our sinnes his Mercy and Grace raiseth us up when wee come unto him his Mercy and Grace receiveth us when wee come not his Mercy and Grace draweth us when we repent his Mercy and Grace pardoneth us when wee repent not his Mercy and Grace waiteth our repentance The eternall Mercy and Grace of God is that which concerneth our everlasting Salvation this is that Mercy and Grace principally wished for By Grace wee are saved through Faith not of Ephes 2. our selves for it is the gift of God This word Mercy or Grace teacheth us to looke up unto God not unto our selves if wee looke to bee saved wee choose not the Lord but he us Vt salus esset penes figulum non penes lutum Aug. Paul ascriberh all to Grace and Mercy By the Grace of God saith hee I am that I am and his Grace which is in me was not in vaine and thus he taught the Romanes At this present there is a remnant through the election of Grace and if it bee of Grace it is no more of Workes or Rom. 11. 5 6. else Grace were no more Grace but if it bee of Workes it is no more Grace or else were worke no more worke an invincible Argument Peter letteth the Iewes see Terminum a quo terminum ad quem pervenerunt their state under the Law and under Grace Hee hath called you saith
Saint Peter out of darkenesse into his marvellous 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. light which in times past were not a people but now the people of God which in times past were not under Mercy but now have obtained Mercy We have not loved God but hee us Venit medicus ad aegrotos via ad errantes lux ad tenebras vita ad mortuos redemptor ad Bern. captivos The Physitian came unto the sicke the way to wanderers light to darkenesse life to the dead a redeemer to the captives Wee were sicke hee healed us wee wandered hee reduced us wee were blind hee lightend us wee were slaves hee redeemed us No man commeth to the Father but by him Iohn 14. 6. This is not onely that generall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercy and Grace of God which pertaineth to all creatures Beasts Fowle Fishes whereof I spake before but this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 peculiar to man only the Scripture calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the riches of his bountifulnesse c. For The Lord is rich in Mercy rich in mercy because Ephes 2. 4. the treasury of his Mercy and Grace is never exhausted the fountaine never dryed up rich in Mercy because he never ceaseth to communicate the riches of his Mercy and Grace to us rich in Mercy because hee pardoneth all our sinnes upon our true repentance rich in Mercy because he not only pardoneth al our sins upon our true repentance but giveth us repentance and The abundant riches of Gods mercies faith to beleeve the remission of our sinnes rich in mercy because he giveth us privative grace to escape evils and positive enabling us to doe good finally rich in mercy because he preventeth us with mercy and grace before we seeke him and followeth us with mercy and grace when we have found him Bernard in a certaine Sermon makes mention of a seven-fold De Evang. septem panum mercy or grace which hee saith each child of God may finde in himselfe The first is a preventing mercy or grace by which the Lord preserves his Elect from falling into grosse evils Fateor fatebor saith he nisi quia Deus adiuvit me paulo minus cecidisset in omne peccatum anima mea I doe and will ingeniously confesse that unlesse the Lord had preserved mee by grace my soule had gone neere to have fallen into all sinne The second is his forbearing mercy or grace whereby the Lord waiteth for the conversion of a sinner in regard whereof the same Author writeth thus Ego peccabam tu dissimulas non continebam a sceleribus tu à verberibus abstinebas I sinned O Lord and thou seemest not to regard it I contained not my selfe from wickednesse and thou abstainest from scourging me for the same The third is an altering and changing mercy or grace which makes a man setled in the resolution of holinesse whereas before he was prophane and loose in behaviour The fourth is an imbracing mercy or grace whereby God assureth the Convert of his favour The fifth is a confirming mercy or grace which strengthneth and upholdeth the righteous in his goodnesse The sixth is a mercy or grace that sets him in hope and expectation of glory The seventh is a crowning mercy or grace which is the Livery and seisin and full possession of the Kingdome of heaven Thus the LORD hath seven mercies or graces nay seventy times seven mercies even an innumerable multitude of compassions all which Saint Iude here wisheth unto the Saints by which it appeareth how great a blessing the Apostle wisheth in wishing mercy Mercy be unto you For indeed all that wee have is of mercy not of merit of favour not of debt of grace not of nature It is his mercy that wee Lament 3. 2. be not consumed therefore when we pray let this be our petition O God be mercifull unto me a sinner and when we give thankes let Luke 18. 13. Psal 36. this be the foot of our Song For his mercy indureth for ever For his mercy indureth for ever His mercy is Communis peccantium portus the common harbor of all penitent sinners For it is not the wisdome God nor his power noriustice that preserves us from destruction but his mercy So many idle words uttered in a day so many vaine Mercy that we are not consumed thoughts conceived so many evill workes committed I speake positively and now privatively so few prayers in us so few thankesgiving so few almes so weake faith so little knowledge so cold zeale so small love It is not a mercy but a miracle that we are not all consumed that the ayre infecteth us not as it did Iuda that the heavens raine not downe fire and brimstone 2 Sam. 24. as they did upon Sodome that the clouds open not and drowne us all as they did the old world that the earth doth not open Gen. 19. and swallow us all as it did Dathan such pride in the rich such envie in the poore such peevishnesse in age such riot in youth Gen. 6. Numb 16. such robbery on the land such piracy on the Sea such impiety in the Church such iniury in the Common-wealth such wickednesse and Atheisme in all it is a rare mercy that wee be not all consumed The Angels desire an end of this evill world the Saints departed wish the accomplishment of the Elect the number full the body of Christ made perfect The Saints in earth cry Veni Esa 6. Apoc. 6. Apoc. 22. Domine Iesu veni citò Come Lord Iesu come quickly Why doe wee not desire to be loosed that as wee are partakers of his generall speciall and temporall mercies and graces here so we may be partakers of his eternall mercies in heaven The second blessing which the Apostle prayeth for is peace which is taken three waies First for externall peace between man and man Secondly for internall peace betwixt God and man peace of conscience Thirdly for prosperity and the happy event of all things And in all these significations it may be taken in this place in a godly sense if wee take it in the first sense it is a notable blessing and to be prayed for of all men as Iude doth here for peace is the ornament of all places as a Crowne of gold upon their head the Kingdome of Christ is adorned by it The Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe and the Leopard shall lye with Esa 11. 6. 7. 9. the Kid and the Calfe and the Lion and the fat beast together and a little Child shall lead them and the Cow and the Beare shall feed together their yong ones shall lye together and the Lion shall eat straw like the Bullocke and the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the Aspe and the weaned child shall put his hand upon the Cockatrice hole then shall none hurt nor destroy in all the Mountaine of my holinesse Here men by reason
Sabboth the Sacrifice and after tooke them away againe yee shall understand that hee gave them as figures and shadowes and therefore no mutability in the Lord The shadow must give place to the body the figure to the truth the greene blossome to the ripe fruit the seed time to the harvest So reasoneth Paul Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an Holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabboths which are but a shadow of things to come but the bodie is in Christ The day-starre must give place to the Sunne-rising and that to the Sunne at Noone-day Chrysostome compareth Though types cease yet truth and substance remain ever the same the Iewes to a candle the Christians to the brightnesse of the Sunne The Iewes to the first draught of an Image in bare lines the Christians to the same Image filled up with all due proportion and furniture of colours the one to the seed-time Hom. 10. in Mat. Gal. 4. the other to the harvest and reaping of the Corne So Paul compareth the Iewes to a Child the Christians to a perfect man the same light though not in the same quantitie the same Image though not with like furniture the same corne though not growne to the like ripenesse the same person though not in the like perfection of age The Iewes note five things wanting in the Gospell and in the latter Temple that were in the first to disprove this that I have said First the fire that came downe from heaven to burne the Holocausts Secondly the glory of the Angells appearing among the Cherubins Thirdly the inspiration of Gods spirit speaking in the Prophets Fourthly the prefence of the Arke Lastly Vrim and Thummim But all this is nothing for there is now a fuller knowledge of God and greater liberty to the conscience yet the same faith still For the Fathers and we have all Col. 2. Ier. 23. 5. but one faith they beleeved that Christ should come according to Ieremies prophecie Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall raigne and prosper and shall execute iudgement and iustice in the earth We beleeve that he is come and that Christ our Passeover is sacrified for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. Esa 7. They said Virgo concipiet a maid shall conceive and bring forth a Sonne we say Virgo concepit a maide hath brought forth her Sâ—â—ne For when the dayes were accomplished that she should be delivered Luk. 2. 7. she brought forth her first begotten Sonne and wrapped him in swadling clothes and laid him in a Cratch They had sacrifices that prefigured his comming we have Sacraments that represent his comming Heb. 9. and being with us they and wee had but one light they had Lucem matutinam the moning light wee Lucem meridianam the light at noone-day Wee differ but In plus minus therefore saith Christ Blessed are the eyes that see the things that yee see Mat. 10. 24. For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see the things that yee see and have not seene them and to heare those things that yee heare and have not heard them If any object that God giveth us daily new Paith new graces I answere that God giveth not a new a strange faith but addeth to our old faith to our old graces God increaseth faith and his graces in us but not a new a diverse faith like the Arrians that had Fidem annuam menstruam a yeerely and a monthly The Gospell immutable Traditions uncertain Faith For whom God loves hee loves to the end This also commendeth unto us the Gospell that whereas other Lawes and Doctrines are changed altered augmented and diminished Gods Law is not The Law of the Lord is perfect Iohn 13. 1. Psal 19. The Lawes of the Romanes written by Numa Pompilius in Gold The Lawes of the Athenians written by Draco in Bloud the Lawes of the Persians written in Brasse The Lawes of the Lacedemonians written in Milke were altered but Gods Lawes are not Quoad substantiam as concerning their substance Sed quoad maledictionem as concerning the curse 2 Cor. 3. All traditions therefore all Gospels of Thomas Nicodemus Thaddeus and the eternall Gospell invented in Saint Cyrils time by abusing the place in the Revelation which runneth thus I saw another Angel flying in the middest of Heaven having an Apoc. 14. 6. everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth c. must fall to the ground like the house built upon the sand as also all those Revelations of the Paraclete devised by Montanus together with all those that came after the giving of the Gospell which is perfect for ever and so perfect that If any man shall adde unto it God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in Apoc. 22. 18 19. the Booke and if any man shall diminish from the words of the Prophecie of Gods Booke God shall take away his part out of the Booke of Life and out of the holy Citie c. Let us not then adde nor diminish from the Gospell being so perfect for there is but one God one Faith one Baptisme one Christian Hope once revealed Ephes 4. for all But of the late Romish traditions which have entred long since the Gospell entred one may say to Rome as Esay said to Ierusalem Thy Gold is turned into Drosse thy Wine is mixed with Water thy Seede with Cockle thou wert sometime a faithfull Esay 1. City but now become an Harlot thou wert once the house of God but now turned into a cave of theeves Thou sayest that thou art rich and increased in wealth and standest in neede of nothing Apoc. 3. 17. but thou art poore and blind and naked as God said to the Church of Laodice poore and blind and naked indeed God give them hearts to understand and eyes to see their poverty and nakednesse But to passe with this heavenly Scripture as Moses did with the people to the land of Canaan Thirdly this Faith is given to the Saints By Saints hee meaneth the children of God truely converted not because they are perfectly holy and without sinne but in these foure respects First in respect of Separation for they they are elected and gathered out of this world and joyned to Gods people and dedicated to holy services and uses Secondly In respect of Vocation and therefore the Apostle The Saints the subiects of Faith and all Graces when hee said they were sanctified he said by explication that they were Saints by calling Thirdly In respect of Regeneration because they are now new creatures 1 Cor. 1. 2. And lastly In respect of Iustification or imputation because the holinesse and sanctity of Christ is imputed unto them For men may be Saints in this life For there are Saints in Earth as well as in Heaven
on Pilgrimage c. The Friers under a colour of wilfull povertie begged and robbed the world The Nunnes under a shew of single life filled the world full of bastardie Sexcenta millia capita infantum in Gregorii piscina reperta sunt there were six hundred thousand Childrens heads found in Gregories fishpoole The Priests by a colour of Masses made merchandise of soules and filled Iudas satchells The Abbeies under a colour of almes and hospitalitie robbed most parishes of their Ecclesiasticall livings they stole a goose and gave a feather greater theeves than ever was Barabbas they gave a meales meate and robbed a parish of their Church maintenance The Confessors under pretence of auricular confession knew the secrets of all Kingdomes It was the Popes fishing net it hath deposed more than two hundred lawfull Princes it made Fredericke Barbarossa the Popes Footstoole at Venice it exiled the King Desiderius into Lions The Pope under shew of Bulls or pardons hath robbed God of his glorie men of their money and soules of salvation he hath gotten thereby in America foure millions yearly they are like their fathers the Pharisies They devoure widowes houses even under a colour of long prayers wherefore they shall All Atheists before regeneration and conversion receive the greater damnation The whore of Babylon giveth poyson in a golden cup Beda Venerable Beda saith that the serpent in paradise had vultum virgineum a virgins face that hee might deceive Heva a virgin for he is a deceiver Yea from the beginning Math. 23. 14. Apoc. 18. Iohn 8. 44. Apoc. 20. 2. and abode not in the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Dominicans under the pretence of preaching the Franciscans under pretence of chastitie Nam virilia amputarunt the Carmelites under shew of virginitie and the Augustines under pretext of povertie have erected the Papall Kingdome by hypocrisie under colour of religion But Babylon is fallen even Rome the Queene of pride the nurse of idolatries the mother of whordomes the sinke of iniquitie Sentina malorum lacuna scelerum yea the Romish Iezabel is throwne downe and if the palmes of her hands and her skull or any thing of her remaine with us let us pray that it may bee buried also This Dagon is fallen downe twise once in King Edwards daies and againe in our dayes let it never rise againe Let this golden Diana be beaten downe for ever Let this whore of Apoc. â—8 Babylon perish and let her smoke rise up for evermore and let all that love the Lord Iesus say Amen But to proceed in the description of the wicked Secondly they are here described by their impietie hee saith that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without God without Faith without religion they denie God the only Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ so Paul said Ephes 2. 12. Phil. 3. 17 18. of the Ephesians before their conversion They were without Christ alienes from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the Covenant and promise and had no hope and were without God in the World And such were the Philippians They were enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose Ephes 4. 17 18. end is damnation whose God is their bellie and whose glorie is their shame which mind earthly things Such were all the Gentiles spiced with impietie For they walked in the vanitie of their minde having their cogitations darkened and being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them The world is full of such Atheists they swarme like bees in Hibla they abound like lice in Aegypt all the dust was turned into lice and in England all or most mens profession is turned into Atheisme Machivelisme saying that Religion is but policie to keep men in awe Many are of the Luk. 12. fooles religion to eate drinke play but to remember no God to pluckedown to build up to gather in but not to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse Heu vivunt homines tanquam mors nulla sequatur Et velut infernus fabula vanaforet Alas men live as if no death should follow and as if Hell were but a fable There be many now like that Captaine that warred under Adrian the Emperor called Similus who at his death caused this Epitaph to be written upon his tombe Hic jacet Similus c. Here lieth Similus a man that was of many yeares and lived only but Seven many yeares without God but seven yeares in God many yeares wickedly but seven yeares religiously many yeares like an Atheist Atheists consuted by reason and sense but seven yeares like a Christian So a number of us may say that we have lived many yeares and yet but few yeares for God many yeares in sinne and wickednesse but few yeares in vertue and godlinesse There is a double life of Nature Grace In the one all live but in the other the elect only In all ages Atheists have abounded in Davids dayes The foole said in his heart there is no God In Salomons dayes they cryed A quicke dog is better Psal 14. Prov. 9. than a dead Lion We know what we have here but we know not what we shall have in another world In Esayes dayes For there were that said We have made a covenant with death and with Hell are Esa 28. 15. we at agreement In Christs time For there were Sadduces that denyed the Resurrection and affirmed that there was neither Angell nor spirit In Peters dayes For there were that said Where is the promise of his comming and so denyed the last Iudgement In 2 Pet. 3. Chrysostomes time they cried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. give us that which is present let God alone with that which is for to come In Calvins time for then there were such that tooke away all difference betweene good and evill vertue and vice sinne and righteousnesse And in our dayes wee have that deny God and Christ and heaven and hell Angells Spirits and all David calleth them fooles Salomon calleth them Epicures Esay noteth them as blasphemers Christ calleth them Sadduces Chrysostome Nullifidians Calvin Libertines wee call them Machiavels ungodly men Such are worse than the Divell For hee confesseth God but these perhaps deny that there bee Divells so did the Sdaduces these men therfore shal feele Divels before they beleeve Divels I would not be in their coate for the Kingdome of England no not to be Monarch of the world for ten thousand yeares Divels are seene they are felt they are heard yet these men deny them but I will remit them to Philosophie to bee counselled that Sensus non fallitur circa proprium objectum sense cannot be deceived about his proper object The very Heathen will condemne us Tullie saith Non temerè nec fortuitò sati aut creati sumus sed profectò fuit divina quaedam vis quae generi consuleret humano nec id gigneret quod cum exantlavisset labores omnes tum
in dishes after the manner of an Alphabet like Bonosus who as one saith was borne not to live but to drinke like Tiberius Nero called Biberius Mero like Iezabel that painted her face wee powre out our selves in all excesse of riot and so turne all grace to wantonnesse But let us thinke it sufficient for us that we have spent the time past of this life after the lusts of the Gentiles walking in wantonnesse lusts drunkennesse in gluttonie 1 Pet. 4. 3. 4. drinkings and in abominable Idolatrie Wherein it seemeth to them strange that yee runne not with them unto the same excesse of riot c. They be vile creatures that are unkinde to their Sires as the Hippotamos of Nilus that eateth his damme as the Pelicane that sucketh the heart-blood of the old one as the wilde Asse that kicketh her damme as the Viper that eateth out the belly of the old one and such be we God may say of us as Ieremie of the Ier. 5. 7. Iewes I have fed them to the full yet they committed adulterie and assembled themselves by companies in harlots houses They rose up in the morning like fed horses every man neyed after his neighbours wife Here I have to deale with two sortes of men the first are they that refuse the grace gifts goodnes of the Lord in the land of the living Such were the Stoickes that would enjoy no more than they could carry with them they said with Bias Omnia mea mecum porto All that is mine I carry with me that with Crates hurled their silver into the Sea Such were the Essenes in Christs time that had a bed but a span-broad that strawed thornes under them lest they should sleep too long Such were the Hermites in the primitive Church as Antonie Macarius Paulus Thebaeus Hilarion Such were the Monks in Ieromes dayes of whom he maketh three kindes Anchorites Caenobites and the Enobites which fled all company Oppidum illis erat carcer the towne was their prison solitudo autem erat Paradisus the wildernesse was their paradise their bread was acornes their drinke water their meate rootes their bed cold ground Biberunt non è calice sed è concha they dranke not out of a cup but out of a shell Amicti erant non pannis sed pellibus they were clad not with cloth but with skinnes such were our Fryers that professed wilfull poverty such were women the Anchoresses that had no more ground than they scraped with their nayles but God hath given the earth and the fruits thereof to the Sonnes of men So saith the Psalmist The Heavens even the Heavens are the Lords but he hath given the earth to Psal 115. 16. the Sonnes of men It is as lawfull to enjoy the creatures of God as to live The wicked eate the bread of wickednesse and drinke the Pleasure oft ends with sudden destructiō drinke of violence which is unlawfull but to eate the bread of righteousnesse and to drinke the wine well got is lawfull Many are theeves both to their backs and bellies and unthankfull Prou. 4. 17. unto God but so must not wee Christ was present at the Iewes feasts he came Edens bibens eating and drinking therefore they said that he was Edax bibax 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if Luk. 7. 34. he had surfeited wee are the heires of heaven and coheires with Christ and have right in all the creatures of God all is ours heaven is ours heaven and earth is ours if thy garments be silke 1 Cor. 3. thou maiest put them on if thy table be furnished with meate thou maiest eate what thy stomacke craveth if thy Hounds will take the beasts of the land or thy Hawk the fowles of the aire thou maiest doe it I speake not to justifie the abuse of the world that have turned all into riot and usurped upon al the creatures of God with such men or monsters rather I meddle not but in the sinne wherein I found them in that I leave them I speake only of the recreation that God hath given unto his Saints in this wearie life From the heavens in the Sunne Moone and Starres from the ayre in fowles and birds some made for meate some for mirth from the earth in trees fruits and flowers and hearbs some made for necessitie some for pleasure as seeing and smelling from the Sea in variety of fishes Whereupon the Prophet exclaimeth saying O Lord how manifold are thy workes in wisdome hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches so is the great and Psal 104. 24. wide Sea also wherein are things creeping innumerable both small beasts and great If by faith thou art made a member of Christ his right is thine in all the creatures of the world and in his name and to his glory thou maiest use them But we are not troubled with Stoikes Essenes Hermites Monkes Fryers Anchoresses c. but with Epicures qui ducunt dies in bonis subitò descendunt ad infernum which a learned man englisheth thus They sleepe soundly and drinke profoundly and goe to the Divell roundly and that is no lye For they live waxe fat and grow in wealth their seede is established in their sight Iob 21. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. with them and their generation before their eyes their houses are peaceable without feare and the rod of God is not upon them their bullcoke gendreth and faileth not their Cow calveth and casteth not her calfe They send forth their children like sheep and their sonnes dance they take the tabret and the harpe and rejoyce in the sound of the organes they spend their dayes in wealth and sodenly they goe downe to the grave Their throates are sepulchers their stomacks sponges their bellies graves their hands talons their fingers loadstones they eate with Ceres and drinke with Bacchus and sport with Venus Apollo must tickle their eares with the Lute the Muses must sound in that service the Graces must waite on their trencher Ganimede must fill them the cup they are sorry that their patrimonies are Voluptuous mens practises described no larger their bellies no wider their throats no deeper their lives no longer that they might live still in all pleasure So that the saying of S. Iames may be verified in them Yee have lived in Iam. 5. 5. pleasure on the earth and in wantonnesse yee have nourished your hearts as in the day of slaughter They wish with Philopenus a necke as long as a Cranes necke that they may feele the sweetnesse of their meate a long time in their companie is the tabret harpe lute and a paire of cards sooner than the New Testament and as the Prophet speaketh The harpe the viall the timbrell and pipe and wine Esa 5. 12. are in their feasts they regard not the workes of the Lord neither consider the worke of his hands God calleth them to prayer fasting mourning
Et ecce mactant boves oves They fall to killing of sheepe and Esa 22. 12 13. slaying of oxen eating flesh and drinking wine eating and drinking for to morrow we shall dye They turne praying into playing fasting into feasting mourning into mumming almesdeeds into misdeeds As Xerxes being weary of all pleasures promised rewards to the inventers of new pleasures which being invented Ipse tamen non fuit contentus he himselfe was not satisfied was not content The word here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is derived from a towne in Pisidia called Selge built by the Lacedaemonians where all were temperate and not one drunkard the contrary whereof is named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lasciousnesse such men sinne with an high hand All sin but these men sinne presumptuously they never pray with David Keepe thy servant from presumptuous sinnes Sinne in them raigneth Psal 19. not dwelleth contrary to the rule of the Apostle Let not sinne Rom. 6. 12. 2 Cor. 10. Ephes 4. 19. Esa 5. raigne in your mortall bodie that yee should obey it in the lusts thereof they walke not after the spirit but after the flesh they commit sinne with greedinesse they draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sinne as it were with cartropes But man with man will not reason so the sonne with his Fathers the servant with his master the subject with his Prince will the servant be vile and unfaithfull because his master is courteous unto him Absit God forbid Here I must answer one slander or challenge of the Papists they call us Libertines as Howlet and others but they take upon them to iudge betwixt us and the Libertines as the Asse tooke upon him to judge between the Cuckow the Nightingale of all others the Asse might worst doe it and of all others they may worst do it seeing most of their doctrines tend to libertie proving all men to sinne by their pardons and indulgences saying that holy water doth take away sinne that the signe of the Crosse driveth away the Divell calling with Alexander whordome adulterie incest Peccadilla little sinnes excusing the Popes theft as the theft of Israel his drunkennesse as that of Exod. 11. Gen. 9. Iudg. 15. Noah his murders as those of Samsons All their doctrines tend to libertie as their doctrine of ignorance to be the mother of devotion the doctrine of auricular confession which some learned call the Popes fishing net the doctrine of Purgatorie which Popish Doctrine tend to liberty others call the Popes milch Cow or the soule or panche of the Masse their doctrine of satisfactions that a man may be delivered out of hell by the satisfaction of others as was Traian the Pagane Emperor by the prayer and almes of Gregory What naturall man under heaven would not sinne if hee knew that the Pope could give him pardon that hee could free him from hell and purgatory So that truly if I were not a Protestant I would be a Papist if I respected the pleasure of the flesh THE NINTH SERMON VERS IV. And deny God the onely Lord and our Lord Iesus God is denyed many wayes SAint Iude having described the wicked by their hypocrisie that They creepe into the Church and by their Atheisme For hee saith they were Vngodly men and by their Licenciousnesse saying They turne the grace of God into wantonnesse hee commeth now fourthly to describe them by their Blasphemy That they deny God the onely Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ Now there bee many wayes to deny God as to deny his Attributes his Power Providence Iustice Mercy Truth Strength Eternity for these be the names of God and of the essence of God and these are denyed in the lives of most men Some deny his Power as the Proud do some his Providence as the Infidels some his Iustice as the Impenitent some his Mercy as the Desperate some his Truth as Lyars and perjured men some his Strength as the Fearefull doe Of the first sort was Pharaoh of the second sort were the Israelites of the third sort were the Libertines of the fourth was Caine the fifth were Zedeohia and the house of Saul of the last were the Iewes Pharaoh asked Who is God that Exod. 5. 2. Psal 78. 19 20 21. I should let Israel goe The Israelites distrusted God for bread Can God quoth they prepare a Table in the Wildernesse behold hee smote the Rock that the water gushed out the streames overflowed Can hee give bread also and prepare flesh for his people Of the third sort Outward professiō nothing without inward integritie were the Libertines Which turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Of the fourth sort was Cain my sin is greater than can bee forgiven Vpon whom Augustine replyeth finely Mentiris Cain mentiris in gutture major est Dei misericordia Cain thou lyest thou lyest in thy Iude 4. Gen. 4. Aug. throat greater is Gods Mercy than any mans Iniquity of the fifth was Zedechias who forswore himselfe and had therfore first his children slaine before his Face then his own eyes put out and lastly he was carryed away prisoner into Babylon of the last sort were the Iews who relyed upon the Egyptians Now who offendeth 2 Reg. 25. Esa 31. not in one of these or most of these But especially wee deny God in our lives in our deeds thus the Cretians deny him They professed they knew God but by workes they did deny him and were abominable disobedient and unto every Tit. 1. 16. Tit. 2. 3. 5. good worke reprobate and so are we wee have a shew of Godlinesse but wee have denyed the Power thereof I say of Professors as Paul said of the Iewes He is not a Iew that is one outward neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh but hee is a Iew that is Rom. 2. 28. 29. one within and the Circumcision of the heart is the true Circumcision So hee is not a Christian that is one outward but hee is a Christian that is one within that serveth God in Spirit and in Truth And if wee will serve God truly these Divels must be cast out of us that are in us and wee must say unto them as Christ said to Peter Come behinde me Sathan videl the Divels of Avarice Pride Envie Malice c. Which have filled our hearts Mat. 16. 23 as they filled the heart of Andnias The profession of God is knowne by the fruits of it as fire is discerned by the smoke that commeth out of the Chimney as life is discerned by the motion of Man On the contrary if a man would perswade us Act. 5. 3. that there is fire where as there is no heat or that there were life in a carcasse that never moved wee would not beleeve him so beleeve not him that speaketh of God and liveth not in God This is an Axiom in Divinitie that all Adulterers Swearers Theeves Vsurers deny God
salvation of the godly more happy and glorious But perhaps this seemeth hard that God should reprobate some ordaine some to condemnation but I answere No sith hee reprobates none but such as voluntarily sinne and so are the Authours of their owne destruction Obj. But sinners cannot but sinne Answer 1. But by grace they might bee saved Secondly though being left to themselves they sinne necessarily yet they sinne willingly for necessity is to bee distinguished from coaction To cleare this point and the Lord Deus est necessariô bonus non coactè God is necessarily good not coactedly Diabolus mali necessariò peccant non coactè the Divell and the wicked sinne necessarily not coactedly But they say God will have all men to bee saved Audio Paulum loqui de 2 Tim. 2. 4. generibus singulorum non de singulis generum I heare Paul speake of some of all estates and degrees of men not of all in generall Noble therefore and Base Learned and Vnlearned Rich and Poore God will have to bee saved For there is neither Iew nor Grecian there is neither Bond nor Free there Gal. 3. 28. is neither Male nor Female For yee are all one in CHRIST IESVS If any man say that our sinne is extenuated by predestination I answere with Augustine Deus non est vitiorum nostrorum author Mans sinne destruction from himselfe sed ordinator God is not the Authour of our sinnes and vices but the ordinatour the disposer Hereupon saith Salomon The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake yea even the wicked for August lib. de Genesi ad cap. 5. Prov. 16. 4. Hos 13. 9. Iob 34. 10 11 12. the day of evill Blame not God as Hosea said to Israel One hath destroyed thee but in mee is thine helpe Finely said Elihu God forbid that wickednesse should bee in God and iniquity in the Almighty For hee will render unto man according to his worke and cause every one to finde according to his way and certainely God will not doe wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert Iudgement Our sinne is our owne if wee perish it is our owne fault many lay 2 Pet. 2. 12. the fault in Adam but the Wise-man saith it is our owne sinne therefore hee counselleth us Say not thou It is through Eccles 15. 11. the Lord that I turne backe for thou oughtest not to doe the thing that hee hateth But Saint Iames answereth all these cavils saying Let no man say when hee is tempted that hee is tempted of God for God cannot bee tempted with evill neither tempteth hee any man but every man is tempted when hee is drawne away by his owne concupiscence Iam. 1. 13. and is entised In this question wee have to doe with foure kinds of Hogges or Dogges rather Pelagians Manichaeans Anabaptists Epicures All these barke as the Dogges of Corybant who tore in sunder Neanthes the sonne of Pittacus To all which I answere that the perdition of the wicked so dependeth on predestination as that the cause and matter of predestination is found in themselves Adam fell God so ordaining it yet hee fell by his owne fault For God made all things good therefore Adams sinne was not Gen. 1. 31. by creation but it was the malice and corruption of his will it being as a wheele flexible to either side but the hand of the turner comming unto it it turned it to the left hand not to the right God made man right But say some This doctrine destroyeth all care of well doing Eccles 7. 29. for what need wee doe well if God hath elected us or shunne vice if God hath reprobated us But this presupposeth things impossible for God elects none to salvation but whom hee first chuseth in Christ unto an holy and blamelesse life Ephes 1. 4. Neither doth hee reprobate any but for sinne but upon their refusall of Christ Iesus offered to them in the preaching of the Gospell for men are not vessels of wrath till considered as sinners Eph. 2. 3. nor ordained to destruction but upon refusall of the means of Grace Ezek. 24. 13. 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. Wherfore if one man onely were to bee damned in all the whole world every man should Lament 3. 22. feare lest it should be he walke carefully For blessed is the man Prov. 28. 14. that feareth alway And if one man onely were to bee saved in the whole world every man should hope that it is he and so rest on The action in sinne is from God the prarity from mans corruption Gods mercie walke carefully Dum spiro spero quoth a Father whilest I breathe I hope and above all to take the shield of Faith wherewith we may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked To proceede orderly in this point there bee three opinions the first of the Libertines the second of them that deny Gods Aug. Providence by granting a bare permission as that he suffereth all things but not that hee willeth all things the third opinion is of them that grant God to doe all but so that all actions as they proceed from God are just but as they are done of us to be unjust For the first the Libertines make God the author of sin say of all thefts murders whoredomes that not man but God did them they call all these sinnes mens vocations and that doing them we do but walke in our vocations they say Omnia licent all things are lawfull Ergo licet scortari furari occidere therefore lawfull 1 Cor. 10. to whore steale kill so reasoned Quintinus the Libertine with Calvin saying Omnia munda mundis all things are cleane to the Tit. ◠15. cleane Stuprum ergo furtum homicidium esse munda therfore whoredome theft murder to be cleane But we make not God the Author of sin For his soule hateth abhorreth sin his Law curseth and condemneth sin And whereas it is said There is no evill in the City but the Lord doth it himselfe the words are to be understood Non quatenus sunt mala sed quatenus sunt malorum poenae not as they are evill but as they are the punishment of evill Againe every action so far forth as it is an action is good of God For in him we live and move and have our being As for example one man Act. 17. 28. killeth another the very moving of the body in doing this villany is of God but the evill of the action is from Man and the Divell as one saith finely Actio est à Deo nequitia vero actionis ab Bez◠homine the action is from God the lewdnes of the action from man Another useth this cōparison That as the Sun in Summer draweth stench from a Carrion which smelt not before and yet Calvin the beames of the Sunne pure and no cause of the stench of the Carrion so Gods Providence draweth evill out
danger except he take great heed But wherein is wealth so dangerous I answer that it is very troublesome to the outward man the rich mans plenty will not suffer him to sleepe his wealth is like a long garment too side that a man treads upon it often and catcheth a fall So wealth maketh him many times to fall into many maladies and makes him obnoxious to envy and so subject to malice that none are more But to the soule the desire of wealth is most pernicious For first it makes the soule vainely confident The rich mans riches is a strong tower in his imagination Hee thinkes himselfe by them walled Prov. 10. 5. and moated about though indeed hee is as open to danger as other men Hee thinkes himselfe safe if he have Balaams wages wealth and puts his trust in his uncertaine riches The Prophet sayes they Sacrifice to their Nets and burne Incense to their Yarne the meaning is that the same 1 Tim. 6. Abac. 1. 16. confidence which by Sacrifice and incense wee protest to God they put in their wealth And it is noted to bee a passion of the covetous to delight in wealth to flatter themselves in their abundance as if gold were their Sun by day and silver their Moone by night The wise man saith Gold and silver fasten the feet that is the covetous man Eccles 40. 25. he thinkes he stands firme on no ground but on that which is paved with gold But there is yet more evill in wealth it maketh men proud Charge rich men saith the Apostle that they bee 1 Tim. 6. 17. not high-minded and Bernard saith that pride is the rich mans Cousin It is the nature of wealth when it falleth into vile mens hands to blow up the heart as a bladder Pride blowes up the heart is blowne with a quill And therefore Paul saith The rich fall into lusts and temptations To conclude from wealth growes security as a dead sleepe from drunkennesse Let us then beware of this sinne that wee never bee carryed away with the deceit of Balaams wages that wee be not covetous as hee was THE TWO AND TVVENTIETH SERMON VERS XI And perish in the gaine-saying of Core After Mercy followes Iudgement I Am come to the third sin which is the Rebellion of Core whose story is recited by Moses in the Booke of Numbers where is registred and set downe unto us how they rebelled Numb 16. against Moses in the Common-wealth and Aaron in the Church and how the earth opened and swallowed them up for as it can hardly beare any sinnes so most hardly a Rebell the Sunne would give him no light the Ayre would give him no breath the fire no heat the water no cleansing the earth no place but that God for a time disposeth of these creatures to draw men to repentance So saith the Apostle The Lord is not slacke but is patient towards us and would have no man to perish but 2 Pet. 3. 9. would all men come to repentance The Idolaters were slaine with Exod. 32. the sword but the Rebels were swallowed up of the earth as was Iericho and Hierapolis in the primitive Church and twelve Numb 16. Cities of Campania in the dayes of Constantine and many Cities Ios 7. in Greece in the raigne of Tiberius The Minister in the 2 Thes 2. 8. Church is Gods mouth and the Magistrate in the Common-wealth is Gods hand If Aarons Vrim and Thummim would have served Moses Rod and his staffe should not have needed but when the tongue could not perswade the Rod and the Staffe Exod. 32. compelled After a shepheards whistle commeth a dogge after Doctrine God the Author of Government commeth justice GOD led his people like sheepe by the hands of Moses and Aaron the one is to governe the soules the other the bodies of men in good order The Magistrate must kill sin Psal 80. with the Sword the Minister must destroy it with the Word The Magistrate must carefully protect and defend the Sacraments of grace the Minister must faithfully dispence and deliver the Word of truth The Magistrate must behold the outward person the Minister must regard the inward man the Magistrate must punish sinne the Minister reprove iniquity the Magistrate must respect the publicke peace of the Common-wealth the Minister the inward peace of the conscience the Magistrate must correct the body the Minister reforme the soule the Magistrate must prohibit outward wickednesse the Minister forbid the inward corruption of the heart the Magistrate must subdue with his hand the Minister reprove with his tongue the Magistrate must force with violence the Minister teach with patience and when Magistrate and Minister the Sword and the Word goe thus hand in hand together then Kingdomes prosper like the Apple Tree of Persia that beareth fruit monthly for then Are there thrones set for judgement even the Psal 122. 5. thrones of the house of David And therefore Ieremy lamented the overrhrow of the Kingdome and of the Priest as the decay of Ierusalem the Eclipse of all their light God governed his people Exod. 12. Acts 13. of Israel first with a Prophet then with Iudges foure hundred and thirty yeeres Thirdly with Kings as 1 Sam. 8. Fourthly with Dukes and Nobles after the captivity but what the superiour be Hag. 1. it skilleth not so there be a superiour Nam malum quidem est ubi nullus est principatus it is passing evill whereas there is no government For when as there was no King in Israel every man did that which seemed good in his owne eyes The learned make three kindes of Government and all to bee obeyed As first a Monarchie Secondly an Aristocracie Thirdly a Democratie To the which they oppose Tyrannidem Oligarchiam Anarchiam Our regiment is a Monarchy that of the Germanes and Switzers seemeth to be an Aristocracie that of the Low-countries a Democratie which of these three is the best is not agreed upon among the learned Some doe advance the government of many because many are not so soone corrupted as one may be even as a great quantity of water will not so soone putrifie as will a small portion But these must on the other side consider that it is a great deale more hard to find many good than one Reasons why Monarchy is the best forme of government and it is most likely that such an one will prove best whom the Nobility of Royall bloud and Princely examples of predecessors doe invite unto vertue Others doe advance the government of one because it is first most agreeable to nature as Ierome doth witnesse saying In apibus principes sunt grues unum sequuntur ordine literato Imperator unus Dux unus provinciae in navi unus gubernator in domo unus dominus c. Bees have their chiefe governour the Cranes doe follow one another in an exquisite order there is one
naturam in his quae verbo Dei prohibentur Bridle and restraine nature in those things that are forbidden in the Word O Ierusalem saith God wash thy heart from wickednesse that thou maiest be saved how long shall thy wicked Ier. 4. 14. thoughts remaine within thee A naturall man through sinne is like the man that travelled from Ierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeves and was robbed of his rayment wounded c. So the Luk. 10. naturall man is spoyled of all his goods of grace wounded in all the goods of nature his understanding is blinded his will is weake his memory wandring his imagination restlesse his appetite rebellious his senses curious his flesh inclined to all filthinesse What good is to be expected of an Infant sitting upon an untamed horse holding weake reines in his hand in an hilly way full of breaknecks In the same state and condition abideth man destitute of the grace of the Spirit of the Word of God his appetite is as an untamed horse his reason which should rule his appetite is weake and the world is full of breake-necks and snares how miserable therfore is our nature which is carried Lust stirreth to all sinnes head long into wrath envy pride covetousnes whoredome and all uncleannesse Our owne will doth oppugne and fight against God spoileth Paradise enricheth hell evacuateth the blood of Christ subjects the world unto the Divell in this part of the soule is the shop of sinne out of which Satan draweth all his sorce and armour to wound us this is the vineyard in which we ought to labour in this garden let us alwayes walke having the hooke in our hand whereby we may cut off all these noisome Mat. 20. plants if they happen to increase and grow Thy will saith Vlciscere invide extolle teipsum Revenge envy extoll thy selfe noli pacem quaerere seeke not peace iura periura ede bibe lude sweare forsweare eate drinke play But let the Word of God rule thee Put off the old man which is corrupt with his deceiuable lusts and put Ephes 4. 23. on the new man which after God is shapen in righteousnesse and true holynesse Mortify your earthly members fornication uncleanesse unnaturall lusts and covetousnesse which is Idolatry crucify the flesh with the affections Col. 3. 3. Gal. 5. 24. and lusts The Fowler knoweth with what lure to take hawkes the fisher knoweth with what baite to catch the fishes and the Divell knoweth to what sinnes and vices we incline and leane unto and thither he carrieth us headlong whither our lusts carry us Vince ergo libidinem vicisti diabolum Vanquish thy lusts and thou hast vanquished the Divell Herupon saith Iohn I write unto you yong men because yee are strong and the Word of God 1 Iohn 2. 14. abideth in you and yee have overcome the wicked Such yong men God send us many they shall be like little David to overthrow Goliah like the three Worthies that brake thorow the hoast of the Philistines like Gedeons pitcher that drave backe the Madianites Fraena libidinem aliter ingratus es Bridle thy lusts otherwise thou art unthankefull to God which hath given thee so many weapons dedit legem per quam vivis hee hath given thee his Law by which thou livest he hath given grace to performe it he hath given Doctours to instruct us he hath given Sacraments to increase our faith hee hath given inspirations by his Spirit Doe not therefore quench them he hath given us himselfe give then therefore thy selfe and offer thy body and soule a quicke an holy and acceptable sacrifice unto him and walke not after thine owne lusts For lust is the mother of all wickednesse if it bee not betimes killed in the conception The Apostle shewes that lust will bee quickly enticed and being inticed it will conceive and being conceived it will bring forth the birth of some notable evill action and when it is gone so farre like an impudent beldame it will egge on still to the finishing of sinne that so it may bring us to death and destruction But it will be said that the best men have their lusts and sometimes follow them It is true so the brightest fire hath some smoake the soundest oake his sap the purest gold his drosse the fairest body his fleame choller and excrements yet is Lust brings forth sinne and sinne destruction there difference between all smoake and some smoake all drosse and some drosse all evill some evill the evill are notably evill For as they regard not to know God even so God delivereth them up to a reprobate minde to doe those things which are not convenient being Rom. 1. 28 29. full of all unrighteousnes fornication wickednesse covetousnesse maliciousnesse full of envy of murther of debate of deceit c. but good men they are evill onely in part the spirit of Sanctification is sometimes interrupted in the regenerate but never quite abolished while lusts beare sway in the heart it is hindred but not extinguished For the seede of God abideth in them even as madnesse 1 Iohn 3. interrupteth reason sunt enim lucida intervalla as drunkennesse doth not take away the minde it selfe but the use of the minde for a time so doth our lusts yet wee returne as David 1 Sam. 12. Iohn 21. to his chastity as Peter to the confession of Christ for he which thrice together denied him thrice together did confesse him as he fell he rose he fell thrice together and thrice together rose againe The Iebusite did dwell in Ierusalem but he did not dominiere nor rule in Ierusalme So lust dwelleth in the godly but it raigneth not in them He that wanteth all affections is either Rom. 6 a God or a stone and hee that obeyeth all is either damned or a Divell cut them off therefore though they be as an eye or an hand unto thee yet plucke out that eye smite off that hand Mat. 18. that thou mayest enter into Heaven come unto Christ that hee may ease thee of the burthen of thine affections Mundus clamat Ego deficiam te the World cryeth I will faile thee For the World passeth away and the lusts thereof Caro clamat Ego inficiam 1 Iohn 2. 17. te the flesh cryeth I will infect thee Fulfill not therefore the lusts of the flesh diabolus clamat Ego decipiam te the Divell cryeth I will Gal. 5. 16. 1 Pet. 5. deceive thee For hee goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking not onely to deceive but to devoure At Christus clamat Ego reficiam te but Christ cryeth I will refresh thee Come to mee all that travell Mat. 11. 29. and are heavy loden and I will refresh you Vtrum sequi sequi vis Whether of these wilt thou follow the World failing the flesh infecting or the Divell deceiving or Christ refreshing Satan requireth no more of thee but to follow
be adulti of ripe age But alas our English people want judgement therefore all Sects bud in our age The Papists charge us with Sects and variety of opinions that we have Brownists Barrowists Separatists that some will weare Cap and Surplesse some will not they derive twenty Sects from Luther as Anabaptists Adiaphorists Sacramentaries Zwinglians Calvinists c. But we may retort it upon them For they swarme in Staphilus Sects and multitude of opinions as Nominals Reals Augustins Dominicans Franciscans Benedictins as Thâ—mists against Scotists and Canonists against Schoolemen and one against another and God against them all I might speake of Pope against Pope as Stephanus against Formosus one digging vp the grave of another cutting off of their fingers thrusting â—hem into a sack and throwing them into Tyber Councell against Councell as that of Arimine against the Councell of Nice and the two Nicene Councels under Irene against that of Frankford the whole Vniversity of Paris against Iohn 22. Denying the immortality of the soule an opinion condemned there with the blast of trumpets I might name Sir Thomas Moore and Fisher of Rochester striving about Purgatory the one to prove no water in it alledging the place of Zacharie I have loosed the prisoners out of the pit where is no water the other Zach. 9. 11. to prove both fire water in it alledge the saying of the Psalme We went thorow fire and water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy Psal 66. 12. place I might name Howlet lately condemning all our English Papists for comming to the Church of which mind is Dowanus a late Papist I passe over the stirres between Cardinall Caietane and Cardinall Turrecremata so that if we differ in the shell they in the kernell if wee in the bone they in the marrow if wee in ceremonies they in matters of substance if our contentions be motes theirs bee beames if ours mole-hils theirs bee mountaines Turpe est doctori cum culpa red arguit ipsum it is a shame to rebuke being guilty of the same fault They name us Sectaries for leaving Rome commended so by the Apostle Their faith was published thorowout the world But wee have not left old Rome but Rom. 1. 8. this new Rome the mother of whoredomes as the Spirit of God cals her the denne of theeves as the Prophet speaketh Non Apoc. 18. 2 3. Esay 1. 21. à civitate sed à peste wee are departed not from the City but from the plague in the City not from Rome but from the heresy of Rome Daemonum paschua quoth Bernard Satans chiefe enemis to overthrow the Church division and dissentiori But to leave this Let not us be of the number of these wicked ones which are makers of Sects For a Christian must be carefull to keep three things His heart His minde and conversation His heart from infidelity His minde from false opinions and his conversation from Schisme and scandall By Sects and divisions the Communion of Saints the society of Christians the fellowship and unity that wee should have among our selves is quite overthrowne When God would confound their proud attempt in building Babel He devided their language Gen. 11. 8. and so scattered them abroad into all places of the earth So the Divell knowing unity to be the overthrow of his Kingdome soweth the tares of Sects of Schismes and Heresies amongst us that so he may scatter the workemen that should pull downe his kingdome and set up the kingdome of Christ When King Cyrus would passe over to conquer Scythia as saith Herodotus comming to a great and broad River which hindered his journey his policy was this to cut it and divide it in many armes sluces and so made it passable for all his Army This policy is most ready and common with the Divell also who bringing his power of darkenesse to invade us and overrunne us and finding his passage stopped by the flowing streames of Love and concord hath put in execution his wonted meane practice to separate us divide us into many parts factions For as S. August saith CoÌ„cordes nos scit quòd sic possidere non potest he knoweth August ser 16. de util Ieiâ—nij that being at concord and unity together he canot possesse us he cannot now divide one true God among us he can no more inforce false gods upon us Well he hath yet another way sentit vitam nostram esse charitatem mortem dissentionem hee seeth that love and charity is our life and discord and diffention our death and destruction and therefore lites immisit inter Christianâ—s hee hath sent strife and debate among Christians and because hee cannot frame us to many gods hee laboureth to multiply and distract our opinions and soweth tares of Sects and errors in the Lords field Salomon inhibiteth us to meddle with these men Prov. 24. â—1 Keep no company with the seditious Sedition is moved either for matters Ecclesiasticall or Temporall When for matters Ecclesiasticall it is called Schisme which signifieth a rent a division or a cutting asunder and thereupon comes the word Schismaticks or Sectaries dividers hewers cutters asunder For they divide the body of Christ breake the unity of the Church which is an haynous sinne Hemingius saith Qui violat Ecclesiastic ampolitiam multis modis peccat he that violateth Ecclesiasticall policy offendeth many wayes yet some like Naturall men n either relish grace nor discerne spirituall things Diotrephes because they cannot have the chiefe place in the Church Ideirco illam scindunt vel ab eo deficiunt either they will cut the Church in pieces or forsake it These Sects and Schismes among us have done much hurt as they of Athens said of their dissentions Auximus Phillippum nostris dissentionibus We have augmented and strengthened Philip by our dissentions so wee the Pope and his favourites Remember that it is a mans honour to cease from strife but every foole will bee meddling Remember Prov. 20. 3. that there is but one body and one spirit one hope of your calling one faith one baptisme one God and Father over all for his Ephes 4. 4. bloud that died for us Let all these ones make us one indeavouring to our dying day to avoid these makers of sects and to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Thirdly he calleth them naturall men No marvell though they jest and mocke at all Religion with Michol flout and fleere with the adversaries of Iude and Beniamin deride and raile with the 2 Sam. 6. Esdr 4. Esa 28. scorners of Ierusalem for why they are meere naturall men and such savour not the things of God as Christ said to Peter Come behinde me Satan thou savourest not the things that are of God but the things that are of men for their understanding is as the Mat. 16. 23. Sunne under a cloud not lightned and their
will not rectified Deest enim intellectus voluntatis consiliariâ—s for understanding is wanting which is the Counseller of the soule The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse 1 Cor. 2. 14. unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned at spiritus non natura sed gratia the spirit is not of nature but of grace So said Christ of the whole world O righteous Father Iohn 17. 25. the World hath not knowne thee but I have knowne thee and these have knowne c. therefore hee prayed for his Apostles and in them for us all I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the World but that thou keepe them from evill And againe Sanctifie them Iohn 17. 15 17. with thy truth by nature wee are the children of wrath by grace we are Gods adopted Sonnes Hereupon saith the Apostle In times past we walked according to the course of the World and after the spirit that ruleth in the Ayre and that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whome also wee had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde Ephes 2. 3 4 5. and were by nature the children of Wrath nor by creation but by Adams transgression and so by birth as well as others But God which is rich in mercy through the great love wherewith he loved us when wee were dead by sinnes hath quickned us together in Christ by whose grace we are saved There are but two things in us either nature or grace either flesh or spirit Now in the state of nature al are accursed in the state of grace we are blessed For by grace wee beleeve and faith Act. 18. 27. Iohn 1. 12 13. maketh us the sonnes of God for as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sonnes of God even to them that beleeve in his name which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the No true good in us by nature till regenerate will of man but of God Where he distinguisheth of two births the one naturall and the other spirituall a birth from men a birth from God a generation by nature a regeneration by the Spirit as he doth againe to Nicodemus Except a man be borne of Water and of the Spirit hee cannot enter the Kingdome of God and againe Yee Cap. 3. 5 6. Psal 2. 7. must be borne againe there is no naturall Sonne of God but the Lord Iesus we are all the adopted Sonnes of God in Christ and by Christ by his meanes we are raised up together and made to sit together Ephes 2. 6. Rom. 8. 17. in Heavenly places For saith the Apostle If we be children wee are also heires even the heires of God and heires annexed with Christ c. we bring nothing from our mothers wombe but death and damnation every one must say with David I was shapen in wickednes Psal 51. 5. and in sinne hath my mother conceived me Quis dabit mundum de immundo Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse What Iob 14. 4. can be had from the egge of a Cockatrice but a Serpent From a spider but venome from the Taxus tree in India but poyson from the bitter poole Exanthus but bitter water Wee have not Math. 7. Lambes from Woolves no grapes from thornes nor figges from thistles Well said the Schooleman Quòd dona naturalia in Adamo sunt corrupta supernaturalia ablata ille ut radix nos ut rami radix est venenata ergo rami Our naturall gifts in Adam were corrupt our supernaturall taken away he as the roote we as the boughes the root is poisoned therefore the boughes like the waters of Mara untill Moses put in the sweet wood untill God Exod. 17. infuse grace for by grace we are saved and where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more that as sinne had raigned unto death so Ephes 2. 8. Rom. 5. 20 21. might grace also raigne by righteousnesse unto eternall life The Pelagians held that sinne came by imitation not by propagation but Paul confuteth them saying As by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death went over all men forasmuch as Rom. 5. 12. all men have sinned c. These men quoth Iude walke as Naturall men that is in all sinne and vanity as is said of the Gentiles That they walked in the vanity of their minde having their cogitations darkened being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their hearts So Paul reasoned with the Corinths Are yee not carnall For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions 1 Cor. 3. 3. are yee not carnall and walke as men even so reason wee with you When malice envy rancour whoredome covetousnesse pride raigneth among us are wee not naturall men For God would cut downe these sinnes as a sickle If yee live after the flesh yee shal dye but if yee through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8. 13. yee shall live Yea many naturall men goe before us in brideling their lusts and affections Aristides being by the unjust Law of Ostracisme in Athens banished and being asked what hee would to Athens answered Se nihil velle quin tantam rerum prosperitatem ut illis nunquam in mentem veniat Aristides hee desired nothing We should strive to exceed naturall men but so much prosperity to Athens as that they might never remember Aristides The like is said of Phocion condemned to drink hemlocke the juce whereof through extreme cold is poison Being asked what he would unto his Sons said Nothing sed ne hujus unquam iniuriae velint meminisse but that they should never remeÌ„ber this injury Socrates by Philosophie brideled whoredome in himselfe and Telamon by it bare the death of his sonne patiently saying Sciebam me genuisse mortalem I did know that I begat a mortall man I take no pleasure in these prophane examples save only to ashame us as Paul did the Athenians by Aratus and the Cretians by Epimenides and the Corinths by Menander Let our righteousnesse exceed theirs else there is no roome for us in Gods Kingdome our life must have all vertues in it such a life led the Christians they could be touched with no open crime or notorious fault but that they sung Psalmes to Iesus before day as Plinius secundus writeth of them to the Emperour our Saviour Christ told his disciples that their justice must exceed the justice Mat. 5. 20. of the Scribes and Pharises and so must wee tell all Christians that they must exceed Turkes and Pagans or else they shall never see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the liuing yet it is reported
Love of God is shedde abroad Rom. 5. 5. in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us The spies of Canaan said that it was nothing to overcome it and the godly Numb 13. say it is nothing to walke in the wayes of God to doe the precepts of God to read to pray to meditate to fast is nothing For saith the Apostle I am able to doe all things through the help of Phil. 4. 13. Christ which strengtheneth me As for a naturall man all good things are grievous unto him it is death to him to fast to pray to heare read meditate c. as they of Israel said When will the Amos 8. 5. new moneth be gone that we may sell corne and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheate So say a number of naturall men When shall these prayers cease and the Sermon bee at an end that wee may goe about our businesse For indeed they sit in the Church as Ioseph in the Iayle they thinke every minute a moneth till they be gone All sinnes are pleasant to a naturall man to hunt to hawke to eate to drinke to sweare to whore to lye to revenge to follow his pleasures whereof wee have two notable examples the one in Cyprian who confesseth what he was by nature the other in Augustine who telleth Alipius how hardly his naturall sinnes left him how they cried unto him Dimittésne nos nunc What wilt thou leave us now Et non erimus tecum vltra in aeternum None boast more of the Spirit then they that are led by the spirit of errour And shall wee not bee with thee any more for ever What uncleannesse and what dishonesty did they put into my minde Avertat Dominus has sordes ab animo meo the Lord turne these filthy thoughts out of my mind saith hee clamavit Vsquequo Domine usque quo â—rasceris How long Lord how long wilt thou bee angry in finem for ever Quamdiu cras cras cras How long to morrow to morrow Why not now doest thou not put an end unto my turpitude And being converted by Gods Spirit infinite thankes hee gave unto God saying Dirupisti vincula mea Domine Thou hast burst my bands in sunder ô Lord to thee will I sacrifice a sacrifice of praise my heart shall praise thee my tongue shall blesse thee and all my bones shall say Who is like unto thee Praise the Lord ô my soule and all that is within me praise Psal 103. 1 2 3. his holy name praise the Lord ô my soule forget not all his benefits which forgiveth all thy sinne and healeth all thy infirmities which saveth thy soule from death and crowneth thee with mercy and loving kindnesse Sometime God leaveth us to meere nature sometime hee sustaineth us with his grace which is as the Sunne-beames quando adest Sol omnia illustrat cùm removetur omnia sunt tenebrae when the Sunne is present it lighteneth every thing but when it is removed there is nothing but darkenesse So God sometime removeth the beames of his grace which when hee doth there is nothing in us but darkenesse his grace is sufficient for us Nature is not sufficient for us but grace For that is the fountaine from 2 Cor. 12. 9. whence flow all blessings Lastly he saith of these men that they have not the Spirit yet none will boast more of the Spirit then they so did the Gnosticks so did the Montanists as Montanus who carried his two trulles with him Prisca and Maximilla so did the Manichaeans so did Mahomet who teaching a Dove to picke corne at his eare called it the Holy Ghost and being subject to the falling sicknesse called it a traunce wherein hee had conference with the Angell Gabriel and so did the late Libertines of whom Iude here seemeth to prophesy that is Coppinus in Flanders Quintinus and Claudius Persenallus and Pocquius in France and some few others who of late have troubled a great part of Christendome Quintinus being an hostler Anthonius Pocquius a Chamberlain the other two being utterly unlearned led foure thousand men at the first into this errour so strong are the delusions of Satan to them that love not the truth of God that they might bee saved So unconstant 2 Thes 2. 9. are the multitude that whereas they should not bee as children wavering and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the Ephes 4. 14. deceit of men yet are they wavering and are of as many religions as the Raine-bow is of colours The Apostles privative precept can take no place with them Bee not carried away with diverse and strange doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be stablished Hebr. 13. 9. shed with grace and not with meates c. These late Libertines Loose Libertines count all sins lawfull tooke away all difference of good and evill they gave the bridle-reine loose to all licentiousnesse prophesied of by Saint Peter They speake high and swelling words of vanity 2 Pet. 2. 19. and their words are delivered in a strange manner as the Henry Nicolitans to astonish the simple put two beginnings God and the world if any bee of their Sect they say that hee was made God and all wickednesse they did ascribe to God under the name of vocation or calling they did cover all impiety they justified theeves murderers adulterers and all licentious livers for say they it is their calling and let every man abide in the same vocation wherein hee is called Thus doe they wrest and pervert Scripture to their destruction they alledge further 1 Cor. 7. 20. Omnia munda mundis esse That all things are cleane to the Tit. 1. 15. cleane when as Paul speaketh there de adiaphoris of things indifferent not of sinnes to these things they further faine and affirme that Regeneration is a restitution of that innocency which was in Adam and they interprete the state of innocency to bee this not to bee able to discerne betweene white and blacke good and evill and they say that they are continually guided and governed by the Spirit besides they reject all Scripture For the letter killeth c. But these men bee either fanatici mad and beside themselves which 2 Cor. 3. move such foolish questions and genealogies or else they are prophane which having cast off the yoke of Christ waxe wanton But to leave these men they have not the Spirit Note here the Antithesis betweene naturall and spirituall men these two are opposite where by the way note how fondly the Papists speake in calling their Cleargie spirituall and the people temporall whereas these two are not opposite but spirituall and carnall or naturall so the Apostle distinguisheth them Naturall and Spirituall The Naturall man perceiveth not the things of God but 1 Cor. 2. 14. the Spirituall discerneth all things and fondly doe they call their Priests spirituall as though the people
staves end of God for wages it is Death not Life Hell not Heaven Paines not joyes For the wages of sinne is death that Rom. 6. 23. which God doth for us is a gift not a stipend It is hee that must give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified So Christ said Act. 20. 32. It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdome Gift is free gift and Luk. 12. 32. desert they are as opposite as the Tropickes and cannot stand together wee have not chosen Christ but he hath chosen us hee Iohn 15. 18. gave the occasion not we it is mercy not merit grace not nature favour not debt that wee must challenge For by grace are wee saved through faith and that not of our selves it is the gift of Ephes 2. 8 9. God not of Works lest any man should boast himselfe so said Marie His mercy is on them that feare him yet our feare is defective wee can Luk 1. 50. claime nothing but mercy the Canaanite craved but mercy O Lord thou sonne of David have mercy on me Cui daret justus Iudex coronam Mat. 15. 22. Aug. nisi cui dedisset Pater misericors gratiam To whom should the just Iudge give the Crowne but unto whom the mercifull Father hath given grace Gratia non invenit sed fecit nos eligendos Grace hath not found us but hath made us to be chosen Cum Deus coronat merita tua nihil aliud coronat nisi munera sua When God crowneth our merits he crowneth nothing else but his owne gifts Blasphemous therefore is the saying of Dorbel Quòd Deus Coelum carè vendit Three sorts of merits Congrui Digni Condigni amicis quod ipsi carè emunt That God selleth heaven deare to his friends and they buy it deare some travell thither by the foote-path of righteousnesse as the Prophets some by the foote-path of cleannesse as virgins some by the foote-path of repentance as the Confessors some by the foote-path of affliction as the Martyrs some by the foote-path of poverty as the Apostles some by the foote-path of hospitality as the Patriarches But God selleth not heaven he giveth it freely We are Rom. 3. 24. justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus Lex data est ut gratia quaereretur the Law was given that grace should bee sought gratia data est ut lex impleretur and grace is given that the Law might be fulfilled for All is of grace Abraham in his faith David in his godlinesse Iob in his patience Rom. 11. Salomon in his wisdome Elias in his zeale cannot stand before God If thou ô Lord markest iniquity O Lord who shall stand Where Psal 130. 3. the Prophet sheweth that we cannot be just before God by merit but by mercy in the forgivenes of our sinnes therfore saith S. Iude Looke for the mercies of our Lord Iesus Christ unto eternall life But to face out this mercy of God the Papists have found out three sorts of merits Meritum congrui digni condigni Merit of congruity they call those preparations that are before grace and to this end they alledge Cornelius who was a devout man and Act. 10. 2. one that feared God with all his houshold and gave much almes to the people and prayed God continually And yet his prayer and almes did proceed from that sparke of faith that hee had in Christ not from any worke of nature Meritū digni as when a just man prayeth for an unjust as Iob Daniel for the Iewes of whose prayer God saith thus When the land sinneth against me by cōmitting a trespasse then will I stretch out my hand Ezech. 14. 13 14. upon it and will breake the staffe of the bread thereof I will send famine upon it c. And though these three men Noah Daniel Iob were among them they shoul deliver but their owne soules by their righteousnesse saith the Lord God Whereas it is spoken but by way of supposition Meritum condigni be works of supererogation Loud words of Lewd blasphemy too proud words for either men or Angels For no worke of it selfe is pure and can stand before God Quis dabit mundum de immundo Who can bring a cleane thing out of Iob 14. 4. filthinesse The Heavens are not cleane in his sight much lesse men He found folly in his Angels how much more in us that dwell in Iob 15. Iob 4. 18 19. houses of clay This Moses often inculcated to Israel lest they should presume of their righteousnes and thinke themselves exalted by it Speake not thou in thy heart saith Moses For my righteousnesse the Lord hath brought me in to possesse the land for thou entrest not Deut. 9. 4 5. to inherit their land for thy righteousnes or for thy upright heart but for the wickednesse of those nations c. The Lord giueth not thee this good land to possesse for thy righteousnesse for thou art a stiffenecked people And hee maketh a Catalogue of their vices how in the wildernesse in Horeb and in many other places they provoked the No merit of condignity but in Christ Lord to anger you were never good neither egge nor bird quoth Moses Merit of condignity is an action belonging to such a nature as is both God and man not to a bare creature for the Angels themselves cannot merit any thing at Gods hand for they are said to be elected now election is by grace otherwise salvation 1 Tim. 6. Rom. 11. 5. is in the power of the clay not of the potter Yea Adam also if he had stood could have merited nothing of God seeing it is the bounden duty of every creature to obey the Creatour For wee are his workemanship created unto Christ Iesus unto good workes Ephes 2. 10. which God hath ordeyned that wee should walke in them If we do good works yet doe wee but our duety the merit therefore of condignity doth onely agree to Christ God and man whom each nature doth to the effecting of this merit that which belongeth unto it for the humanity doth minister matter to the merit by suffering and performing obedience the Deity of Christ unto which the humanity is hypostatically united doth conferre full and sufficient worthinesse to the worke Hereupon came the voice This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased For God was never pleased in any but in Christ For wee are all by nature the Mat. 3. 17. Ephes 2. 3 4 5. children of wrath but God which is rich in mercy through the great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead by sinnes hath quickned us together in Christ by whose grace yee are saved Againe that a worke may bee meritorious there must bee a proportion betwixt that and eternall life but eternall life is infinite our merits are finite Now a finite worke
Thess 5. 14. them that are unruly comfort the feeble-minded beare with the weake bee patient towards all men Some are wilde heifers and must have a yoake some are rude horses and must have a snaffle some are dull asses and must have a whip and a spurre some are unruly and must bee admonished some feeble and must be comforted some weake and must bee tolerated and towards all we must use patience This doctrine concerneth all but chiefly Ministers they must know who be woolves and who be sheepe who be serpents and who be doves whom to draw and whom to lead when to pipe and when to mourne when to powre in oyle when to powre vinegar when to use the menaces of the Law when to use the promises of the Gospell All ground is not alike some must have a share some a clotting All wood is not to be used aliee some will be plained and is soft some must have a wedge and a beetle All sores are not to bee handled alike some must have searing iron some a seare-cloth So all Christians are not alike to bee handled and it is a notable worke of Gods Spirit to discerne spirits thus Philip discerned not Simon Magus as Peter did Philip 1 Cor. 12. Act. 8. admitted him to Baptisme but Peter spied him in felle nequitiae in the gall of bitternesse In Rome the Magistrate had carried before him Secures fasces hatchets and rods the first for the great the second for the lesse offendors Alterius vitia emendandae alterius frangenda Paul Aug. in Gal. 2. Act. 5. Seneca reprehended Peter to his amendment Peter corrected Ananias to his condemnment Nobilis equus umbra virgae regitur at indomitus nec calcaribus incitari potest A rod will checke a free-horse and a twigge command a gentle nagge whereas the spurre cannot stirre a stubborne jade nor the whippe scare the untamed colt The Nurse when the Child hath a fall will first helpe it up after chide it and if it fall againe correct it so must the Nurse of soules first helpe a brother out of the mire of sinne then chide him for falling into the ditch and if this will not serve applie a sharper corrasive to his sore yet let all this bee done with wisedome and discretion Qui mittit in altum lapidem recidet in caput ejus lest he deale like a man that throwes up a stone rashly in his humour and it falleth downe againe upon his own head Hierom. ad Ruâ—t Monacâ— to teach him wisedome Well wee must have compassion of some for some sinnes are to be pitied we must be so far from hating and rejoycing at their falls that wee ought rather to sorrow and to bee greeved Hereupon saith Paul Brethren if any of you bee overtaken with any fault you that are spirituall helpe to restore him in the spirit of meekenesse Gal. 6. 12. insult not over him but restore him know that thou mayest fall We must be compassionate to such as sinne of infirmity thou art of the same mould he is falne by his own infirmity thou standest by the grace of God Noli superbire be not proud thou standest not of thy selfe Noli superbire but be strong in the Lord and through the power of his might pitty thy brother and restore him with Ephes 6. 10. meekenesse The Word in the originall signifieth to set a thing in joynt as wee doe a legge or an arme dislocated not breaking it but putting it into the place againe when it is out and this is done foure wayes quoth Master Perkins first by reprehending Perkins in his Treatise of the Tongue 2 Sam. 12. generally and covertly as Nathan did David in a parable which entred further into him than if it had beene done roughly Secondly in the place of a reprehension to put an exhortation as are pilles in Sugar so Paul prescribed saying Rebuke 1 Tim. 5. 1. not an Elder but exhort him as a Father and the younger men as brethren c. Thirdly to propound the reproofe in a mans owne person so Paul did saying Now these things Brethren I have figuratively applyed to my selfe and to Apollos for your sake that yee may 1 Cor. 4. 6. learne by us that no man presume above that which is written that one swell not against another for any mans cause Fourthly to reprove but with prefaces insinuations as that we do it of love that we do it of good will so Naamans servant said to his Master saying 2 Reg. 5. 13. Father if the Prophet had commanded thee some great thing oughtest thou not to have done it If we be beleevers of Christ we cannot but lament the fall of a brother and among the members there is such sympathy that if one suffer all the rest suffer with it Wee are the 1 Cor. 12. 26. members of Christ and the members one of another Paul told the Corinthians that in stead of laughing they should have sorrowed What 1 Cor. 5. 2. father is not greeved with the hurt of his children What friend is not greeved at the losse of his friend What shepheard delighteth in the wronging and scattering of his flocke and not in gathering it together How did it greeve Abraham to lose Gen. 17. 1 Sam. 19. Ismael How did Ionathan vexe himselfe for David And how did David rescue a poore sheepe or a Lambe out of the mouth of the Lion And shall not wee rescue a soule out of the mouth 1 Sam. 16. of the Divell If men bee of a contrary minde to us oh doe not hate them but pitty them and instruct them with meekenesse 2 Tim. 2. 25 26. praying God to give them repentance that they may know the truth and that they may come to amendment out of the snare of the Divell which is taken of him at his will Monicha wept so long for Augustine a Manichaean that a Bishop said unto her Filius iot lachrymarum perire non potest A sonne of so many teares cannot perish This affection should bee in us towards a sinner This was in Abraham when hee prayed for Sodom saying Gen. 18. What if there bee but tenne righteous men will you not spare the City And this was also in Moses when hee cryed to God saying Forgive them O Lord or else rase mee out of the Booke of life that thou Exod. 32. hast written And in Esay when hee cried TurneTurne away from mee labour Mâ—n more compassionate toward beasts and beasts to men than men to men not to comfort me I will weepe bitterly because my people perish And in Ieremy when hee wished That his head were a well of water and his eyes fountaines of teares that hee might weepe day and night for the people And this affection was also in Christ when hee wept over Ierusalem saying Oh if thou haddest knowne at the least in this Esa 22. 4. Ier. 9. 1. Luke
perseverance trust not to thy selfe bee not proud of thy continuance in the faith thou mayest fall when thou seest so many fall suspect thy selfe insult not over them but follow the advice of the Apostle Brethren if any of you bee overtaken with any fault you that Gal. 6. 1. are spirituall helpe to restore him in the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe lest thou also bee tempted Noli superbire sed time Bee not Rom. 11. Phil. 12. proud but feare as hee said unto the Romanes yea Let us worke out our salvation with trembling and with feare O tremble tremble tremble thou mayest fall O double and redouble and triple and multiply thy prayers unto God for his assistance when thou seest the dragons tayle cast downe so many starres so many learned Apoc. 12. 5. teachers rare men in Church and commonwealth say to thy selfe Am I better than all these am I wiser than Salomon meeker than Moses patienter than Iob zealouser than Elias godlier than David humbler than Paul yet Salomon was deceived Moses spake unadvisedly Iob cursed the day wherin he was borne 1 Reg. 11. Psal 106. Iob 3. and the night wherin it was said A man child is conceived Elias was almost desperate It is enough Lord take away my life Paul was proud of his revelations and besought God thrice David fell by 1 Reg. 17. 2 Cor. 12. 2 Sam. 12. Bathsheba Have all these fallen and shall I stand for ever Hath God made me a lease a grant of his grace without impeachment of waste No I am weake like a broken hedge like a tortering wall Immo in hac carne non habitat bonum Yea in this flesh of mine Rom. 7. 18. there dwelleth no good thing Beda Venerable Beda maketh mention of foure effects of sinne that is of our originall fall in Adam Infirmity Ignorance Malice Concupiscence Infirmity or weakenes is in the body Ignorance in the minde Malice in the will Concupiscence in the liver or in the affections of the sensitive Our pronenes to fall comes from our originall corruption soule Vndique ergo labimur nusquam tuti sumus we fall therefore every way and we are safe no way Augustine said of himselfe and the rest of the godly Quid sum ego sine te Domine What am I without thee ô Lord And againe Aug. lib. 4. confess in his Soliloquies Quod cecidi fuit in me That I fell it was of my selfe quod surrexi steti ex te fuit Domine That I rose and stood this came from thee ô Lord thou hast opened mine eyes and I see that a temptation and a warfare is the life of man upon the earth no man living is justified in thy sight for if there bee any good thing in us great or small it is of thee and it is thy gift none of ours if any evill it is of our selves For no evill dwelleth with thee Psal 5. hee therefore that seeketh glory to him of that which is thine fur est latro hee is a theefe and a robber similis diabolo qui invidit gloriae tuae and like unto the Divell which envied thy glory If at any time I have stood I have stood by thee if at any time I have fallen I have fallen of my selfe and alwayes should have beene in the dirt and mire haddest thou not raised mee alwayes thy grace prevented mee delivering me from all evils saving mee from evils past raising mee from evils present defending mee from evils to come cutting off before mee all the snares of sinne which if thou haddest not done I had beene a theefe a murderer an adulterer a drunkard an vsurer and there is no sinne or kind of sinne that ever mand idd but I might have done it so farre Augustine for the seeds of the same sinnes that bee in others bee in us and would grow if grace cut them not downe For there is an infusing grace and a restraining grace Granatensis in his meditations confesseth that God working in us by grace doth as a man that kindleth greene wood he blowes often but it burneth not so God sendeth many good inspirations into the heart but wee stifle them For the flesh lusteth against Gal. 5. 16. Mat. 26. Rom. 7. 24. the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh the flesh is weake and there is a Law in our members rebelling against the Law of our minde and leading us captive into the law of sinne This Popish Frier disableth nature and yet ascribeth unto it a power an ability to receive grace and to stand in it Herein we and the Romanists differ in that they say grace helpeth nature wee say that it wholy frameth nature that there is no more goodnesse in our nature then there is water in a flint stone Hereupon saith God I will put a new spirit within their Ezech. 11. 19. bowels and I will take the stony heart out of their bodies and will give them an heart of flesh that they may walke in my statutes And the same thing hee promiseth afterward that is to give them a Ezech. 37. 26 27. new heart and a new spirit to take away their stony heart out of their bodies to give them an heart of flesh and to put his spirit within them to cause them to walke in his statutes and to keepe his judgements to doe them and Paul saith I know that Rom. 7. 18. in mee that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Non dicit exiguum sed No goodnesse in us but that which is infused by grace nullum bonum in nobis hee doth not say a little good but there dwelleth no good thing in us the allurements of the world the temptations of the flesh the suggestions of Satan are so many that if the grace of God did not keepe us wee should fall every houre yea if it were possible the very elect of God should not Mat. 24. bee saved Laquei sunt in senectute juuentute divitijs honoribus cibo somno there be snares in old age in youth in riches in honours meate drinke sleepe Saint Anthony saw the ayre full of snares of tenne shippes which saile in the sea scarce one is drowned and of tenne soules that flote in the seas of this world scarce one is saved Ablata gratia Dei the grace of God being taken away what can a weake man doe among so many strong a dwarfe Bern. among so many Giants a traveller among so many theeves and robbers a naked man among so many armed enemies not men but divels God would have us to live both lives the naturall and supernaturall from the soule which is the naturall forme the powers and senses doe proceed from grace which is the supernaturall forme the vertues and the gifts of the spirit do proceed Let us not despaire therefore There bee more with us than against 2 Reg. 2. us as Elisha said unto his
servant Nam naturae gratia se apponit daemoni Deus malae consâ—â—tudini bonus usus multitudini malorum spirituum exercitus Angelorum Grace opposeth it selfe to nature God opposeth himselfe against the Divell good custome against evill an hoste of heavenly Angels against a multitude of evill spirits For the Angels of the Lord doe pitch their tents about them Psal 34. that feare him God telleth us that his grace is sufficient for us and that his power is made perfect is knowne and evidently seene through our 2 Cor. 12. 9. weakenesse A question here may bee asked If God bee able to keepe us from falling why then doth hee suffer us to fall Why did hee let Adam fall by the subtilty of the serpent why did he let Lot Gen. 3. Gen. 19. Numb 21. 1 Reg. 11. fall in Zoar by wine and strong drinke Why did hee suffer Moses in the desart by infidelity Why did he let Salomon King Salomon wise King Salomon fall by women Why did hee let Peter fall through feare into lying perjurie banning and cursing Mat. 26. Why doth hee suffer most of his Saints to fall some into one sinne some into another and all into some sinne So that it may bee said of the best of them Septies in die cadit justus the Prov. 24. Iam. 3. 2. righteous man sinneth seven times a day Et in multis peccavimus omnes in many things wee offend all Hereto I answere Adams fall was permitted of God to bring to passe this eternall counsell decreed before the foundation of the world concerning the incarnation of his Sonne and the redemption of mankind through him Nam tu quis es qui litigas cum Deo Who art thou that strivest with God Secondly concerning Rom. 9. the fall of other Saints God permitteth them for two causes either that his mercy might bee made manifest in their God permitted Adam and the Saints to fall for divers reasons pardon and reclaiming or else that they may see the frailty of their nature that they stand not by themselves but by God For the way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to direct his pathes that thus God may humble us and that hee that standeth may take heed hee fall not Saint Iude saith not that God ever keepeth us Ier. 10. 23. 1 Cor. 10. 12. from falling but that hee is able to keepe us and will so farre forth doe it as shall stand with his glory and our consolation And this withall I note that God never suffereth his to fall for ever Qui ex Deo est non peccat Hee that is of God sinneth not that is non peccat in aeternum hee sinneth not for ever their 1 Iohn 3. light is eclypsed sometime like the Sunne but never quenched like the fire on the Altar in the Babylonicall captivity they sleepe but they wake againe to righteousnesse they bee not in a lethargie in a dead sleepe like Coranus and Plato who slept and never waked againe â—hey fall sometime but they rise againe like the Dromedary they lye not by it like the Elephant that wanteth jointes they have weeds and faults but they have corne and vertues also like the fields of Sharon whereas the wicked are as Sichem sowne with salt where never fruit grew they have leaves Cant. 4. but they have fruit also like the vine of Megeddo but the wicked Iudg. 9. Mar. 11. are like the figge-tree that Christ cursed they are all leaves all sinne being full of unrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse covetousnesse Rom. 1. 29. full of envy of murder of debate taking all things in evill part they lie downe in sinne they sleepe in sinne they rise up in sinne in the morning they live in it they dye in it it is Alpha Omega Aleph and Tau first and last for the wicked are strangers from the Psal 58. 3. wombe even from the belly thy have erred and spake lies They fall and never rise againe they sinne and repent not of the uncleannesse and fornication and wantonnesse which they have committed 2 Cor. 12. 21. In one word God is able to keepe us and doth keepe us else should wee fall as often as wee are tempted For wee are as dry stubble apt to receive fire but there is a plurality of mercies with God Hee is rich in mercy hee hath mercy for thousands he hath Ephes 2. Exod. 20. Psal 51. Psal 126. â— Ephes 1. 3. 1 Cor. 2. 8. a multitude of mercies he hath lesser mercies and greater mercies Hee filleth our mouthes with laughter and our tongues with joy hee hath corporall blessings and spirituall blessings temporall joyes in earth and everlasting joyes in heaven hee hath a preventing grace in delivering from sinne and a following grace in pardoning sinne he hath an infusing grace and a restraining grace and Iohn 17. 2 Cor. 12. 7. his grace is sufficient for us But here a question may be moved whether the Church may fall from God in doctrine in manners num errare potest tam fide quà m vita whether it may erre as well in faith as in life To this some answer Ecclesia non cadit non errat universaliter totaliter fundamentaliter finaliter that the Church doth not fall doth not erre universally totally fundamentally finally non universaliter The best have erred in omnibus membris not universally in all the members non totaliter in singulis fidei capitibus not totally in every article of faith non fundamentaliter in praecipuis capitibus not fundamentally in the chiefe heads non finaliter in aeternum not finally for euer unto perdition But admit this yet it may fall it may erre The question is not what it doth but what it may doe Ecclesia potest errare the Church may erre whether yee respect it as universall in Councels or the singular members thereof severally quoth Danaeus for it is manifest that I may erre and you may Danaeus erre and hee may erre sic de singulis and so of every one For wee set but in part the which words are meant of every one wee 1 Cor. 13. 9. proceed and goe forward daily wee are not yet come unto perfection wee see the most excellent men have erred as Thomas in Phil. 3. Iohn 20. Act. 10. Num 9. Exod. 32. Act. 1. the resurrection Peter in circumcision Moses in the Passeover Aaron in the golden Calfe in Idolatry All the Apostles in the Kingdome of Christ Lactantius Eusebius Apollinaris Arnobius were tainted errore Chiliastarum with the error of the Chiliasts which held that Christ should come personally and raigne as a King in this world a thousand yeeres yea all men are lyers and all pray Forgive us our trespasses yea looke into the Apocalyps and Mat. 5. Apos 12. 2 Reg. 11. yee shall find that the woman fledde into the wildernesse the whole visible Church under
was not deceived 1 Tim. 2. 14. Gen. 3. Cap. 12. 13. but the woman was deceived and was in the transgression yet Adam sinned and God condemned him but hee sinned not as Eve sinned so Abraham sinned in willing Sara his wife to say that shee was his sister and not only so but hee himselfe said that she was his sister Abraham had now twice fallen into one fault into one Cap. 20. 2. sinne except Canisius will now say that lying is no fault no sinne and excuse in Abraham as they doe theft murder and whoredome in the Pope by the example of Israel who spoiled the Aegyptians of their Iewels of silver and Iewels of gold and raiment and by the example of Samson Who with the jaw bone of an Asse killed Exod. 12. 35. Iudg. 15. 25. a thousand men And by the example of Iacobs polygamie it is said Qui ex Deo est non peccat Hee that is of God sinneth not 1 Iohn 3. 9. â— Iohn 1. 10. and yet the same beloved disciple saith If wee say wee have not sinned wee make God a lier and his word is not in us Canisius therefore hath frontem meretricâ—â—m an harlots forhead and a brow of brasse and carrieth his face in his fist These last Papists have exceeded all their fathers in impudency Ierusalem justified Sodom and Canisius Andradius Ganus Genebrard Bellarmine Ezech. 16. Turrian Stapleton have justified Thomas Aquinas Holcot Briccot Dorbell Duns c. The Locusts be crept out of the bottomlesse pit Apoc. 9. 3. Apoc. 16. cap. 20. these croking frogges are crept out of the mouth of the dragon Satan is let loose to deceive the world spirits of error are gone abroad which speake lies through Hypocrisie and have their 1 Tim. 4. 2. consciences burned with an hote iron and the last error in popery is worse than the first as the Pharises said to Pilate concerning Mat. 27. 64. Christ Sadeele calleth the Iesuites now postremum Satanae anhelantis crepitum as Munster said of the men of India Habent capita canina they have heads like dogges non loquuntur sed latrant they speake not but barke against all trueth like the dogges of the Capitall who left barking at theeves and barked at true men but God shall confound them spiritu oris sui with the breath of 2 Thess 2. his mouth Quod nominamur perfecti inculpati immaculati in that wee are called perfect blamelesse immaculate and without spotte this The Church unperfect in it selfe perfect in Christ commeth to passe non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee are called perfect blamelesse immaculate not in respect of God but of man comparatione quadam by a certaine comparison for not the Angels are like unto Gods righteousnesse for hee found folly in his Angels our righteousnesse is in part not absolute For hee Iob 4. 18. Iam. 2. 10. that faileth in one point is guilty of all Et in uno omnes labimur but in one point wee faile all You can now put to the conclusion easily Fortasse vivimus sine crimine coram hominibus Peradventure wee live without crime before men Non sine peccato coram Deo not without sinne before God which is Pauls distinction The Church sometimes is called pure perfect blamelesse But it is one thing to consider the Church in it selfe another thing to consider it in Christ the Church in it selfe whether wee consider each member of it severally or all the members of it jointly hath many spottes or wrinkles or else how should it bee said to bee saved by the grace of our Lord Iesus The Church considered Act. 15. 11. in Christ may bee said to bee without spotte because it is washed in the blood of Christ and it may be said to bee without wrinkle because Apoc. 1. 5. it is clad with the righteousnesse of Christ for Christ is the white rayment wherewith wee being clothed our filthy nakednesse Apoc. 13. 18. shall not appeare The Church militant is holy in affection for shee fulfilleth not the lusts of the flesh the Church Gal. 6. 16. triumphant is holier in perfection for long white robes are given to every one of them both the militant and triumphant Church is most holy by the grace of redemption in the fruition of glory but the militant spe in hope the triumphant re indeed For unto her was granted that shee should bee arayed with pure fine linnen Apoc. 19. 8. and shining for the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of the Saints for our blessednesse is perfected in three degrees Per spem fidem 2 Thess 1. quotidie crescentem in hac vita by hope and faith continually growing and increasing in this life after this life while the spirit injoyes Eccles 12. 7. the presence of God after the resurrection when wee shall bee glorified in body and in spirit when the Lord Iesus shall change Phil. 3. 20. 1 Cor. 13. our vile body and make it like his glorious body when God shall bee unto us all in all things Gods will is done two wayes sincerely and perfectly againe sincerely onely but imperfectly the former is naturall to the Sonne of God for God giveth not him the spirit by Iohn 3. 34. measure the latter to the adopted Sonnes of God for in many Iam. 3. things wee offend all wee have the spirit by measure and that a little measure In the old Testament who were more holy among all the people then the Priests and yet God commanded them to offer sacrifice first for their owne sinnes then for the Levit. 4. peoples and in the new Testament among all the people under grace who more holy than the Apostles themselves yet Christ commanded them to pray daily and to say Dimitte nobis debita nostra Forgive us our trespasses this therefore is the hope of the Mat. 6. penitent sinners that they have an Advocate with the Father I conclude Our righteousnes is in the remission of sinnes therefore with Aug. Multum eum profecisse qui se parùm profecisse sentit perfectum esse qui se imperfectum esse novit tamen aspirare ad perfectionem that hee hath profited much which thinketh that hee hath profited but a little and that hee is perfect 1 Iohn 2. 2. which knoweth himselfe to bee unperfect and yet aspireth to perfection For God measureth us by our will not by our power For if there bee first a willing minde it is accepted according to 2 Cor. 8. 12. that a man hath and not according to that he hath not This doctrine will give light and open a window to the doctrine now in controversy Whether faith or works justify Bellarmine saith the word Imputation is the opinion of a thing done in deed not in shew only and this is true in a godly sense for they are truly righteous to whom
so God might have given us continuall light but then wee had not felt the comfort of it as now wee doe by darkenesse one contrary openeth another so that still the reason of the Apostle is good By grace are Ephes 2. 8. yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God And againe Wee are justified freely by his grace through the redemption Rom. 3. 24. which is in Christ Iesus As poverty causeth wealth to seeme Lact. lib. 2. c. 8. de orig erroris good as darkenesse commendeth light and sicknes health and death life so our imputed righteousnes the glory of God Wee are as passengers on the sea wee have many waves to overturne our shippe God biddeth us undoe our Cables cast out our anchors Hebr. 6. and fasten them in Christ but a sister of ours that saileth with us unlooseth our Cables and casteth out our anchors on the sand on our works not on Christs works But still to prosecute this point base miserable men will not bee beholding to God but they will barter or cope with God as our men doe in Ice-land and give him so many pilgrimages fast so many dayes heare so many Masses and doe so many works till God bee satisfied but our sinnes are infinite and Gods Majesty is infinite and our works are finite how therefore can they answere that which is infinite In finitum ac infinitum nulla est comparatio There is no comparison betweene that which is finite and that which is infinite The Papists are like the madde man Thraselaus who comming to the haven Piraeum imagined all the shippes to bee his but being cured of that madnesse saw If wee see our sinnes we will extoll Gods grace his poverty so they imagine all their works to bee good Heaven to bee this earth Purgatory to bee theirs all to bee theirs but when they shall see their sinnes truely they will bee of another minde as was Cardinall Poole who said that Gods grace cannot bee extolled too high nor mans righteousnesse cast downe too low so said Luther so said Staphilus so said Turrian wishing that hee had never written against Sadele The third title is glory For shutting up his Epistle with thankesgiving he ascribeth to God glory glory is the commendation of our lippes from the bottome of our hearts for benefits received The Apostle calleth it the cabves of our lips they in Hebr. 13. the Law offered unreasonable calves wee the calves of our lips they offered strange flesh wee our owne flesh they beasts wee our selves Whereupon Paul I beseech you brethren by the mercies of Rom. 12. 1. God that yee offer your bodies a quicke an holy and lively acceptable sacrifice to God God himselfe prescribeth this order in trouble first to call upon him secondly a promise of hearing us thirdly a precept to give thanks Call upon mee in time of trouble I will heare Psal 50. 15. thee and thou shalt glorify mee Wee performe the first God the second but wee performe not the last wee pray in misery but wee give not God glory after that wee bee delivered from that misery Thus the Israelites when God slew them they sought him Psal 78. 34 35 36. and they returned and sought God earely and they remembred that God was their strength and the most high God their Redeemer but they would not glority and praise him for their deliverance but flattered him with their mouth and dissembled with him with their tongue Ten lepers prayed loud in their trouble for they lifted up their voices and said Iesus Master have mercy on us but they were mute as fishes Luk 17. 13. 17. after their deliverance but one glorified God for his clensing witnes our Saviour himselfe Are there not ten clensed where are those nine they have not returned to give God praise save onely this stranger The tenth man with them returned to give thanks and glory to God but not the twentieth not the hundred man with us will glorify God Many pray loud in their misery like the prisoners in the castle The sicke man in his griefe with Ezechiah Esa 38. turneth his face to the wall and prayeth earnestly unto the Lord like a Crane and a Swallow so doe they chatter and mourne as Doves with their eyes lifted up on high So the Mariner in a storme prayeth as the mariners in Assyria who cried every man Ionas 1. 5. to his God and cast the wares that were in the ship into the Sea for the safety of themselves so the souldier in the battell prayeth earnestly to God as the Souldiers of Asa the husband-men in a drought pray for rayne like the Tenne Tribes but when health commeth when it is calme with the mariner when the victory is obtained of the souldier when a gracious raine is fallen to the husbandman they forget thankefulnesse and robbe God of his glory Many in their sicknesses Thankesgiving the chiefest dutie of a Christian promise great zeale and goodnesse and thankefulnesse but they are like the man in Erasmus his Naufragium who in a storme promised the virgin a picture of waxe as bigge as Saint Christopher but when he came to shore would not give a tallow candle Wee promise mountaines but yeeld mole-hils Paul saith As Ephes 5 3 4. for fornication and all uncleannes or covetousnesse let it not be once named among you as it becōmeth saints neither filthines neither foolish talking neither jesting which are things not comely but rather giving of thanks As though the life of a Christian should bee spent onely in praising God as if our tongues were given us onely to that end as if hee had said Iest not Raile not Speake not ribauldrie but rather give thankes use thy tongue to Gods glory and whether 1 Cor. 10. 31. yee eate or drinke or whatsoever yee doe doe all to the glory of God They that have not glorified God here shall not bee glorified in the life to come those tongues shall burne in Hell this is to lay a good foundation Paul willeth Timothy to charge rich men that that they doe good that they bee rich in good workes 1 Tim. 6. 19. that they be ready to distribute and communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may obtaine eternall life Now there is not a better worke than to glorifie God therefore give thankes and sing with the heavenly souldiers Gloria in excelsis Glory bee to God on high Those tongues shall not sing the New song nor follow the Apot. 14. Lambe that here have given God no glory Let thy heart meditate of Gods goodnesse and let thy tongue utter it it is that which God requireth Let them confesse before the Lord his Loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men Nicephorus Psal 107. 15. reporteth of Nestorius the Hereticke that after his
the highest degree as God complaineth I have nourished and brought up Children but they have rebelled against mee The Oxe doth know his owner the Asse his masters crib but Israel Esa 1. 2 3 4. hath not knowne my people hath not understood We are a sinfull nation a people loden with iniquity a seed of the wicked corrupt children We have forsaken the Lord and provoked the Holy one of Israel to anger We professe to serve God but in works wee deny God we have a shew of godlines but inwardly wee deny the power of it our profession Tit. 1. 16. 2 Tim. 3. is like the apples and grapes of Sodom faire to the sight but if you touch them they vanish to smoke so all our profession standeth in words not in works as Iames said Ostende mihi fidem per opera Shew mee thy faith by thy works so Ostende Iam. 2. mihi regnum Dei per subjectionem tuam Shew mee the Kingdome of God by thy subjection by thy obedience which is due to his Word apply thy heart to keepe his statutes alwayes unto the end Bee not deceived God will not thus bee mocked in fine wee shall receive the reward of Rebels Quid dicta audiam cùm facta videam What should I heare words when I should see deeds as Moses said to Israeel laying out their severall rebellions So might I lay out the rebellions of England 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 egge and bird all naught our Fathers naught and wee also our Fathers have forsaken God and kept not his Law and we have Notorious sinners Satans subjects done worse than our Fathers and walke every one after the stubbornesse of his heart As well may wee spit on Christ Iesus buffet and beate him with a reed and cry with the mockers Haile King of the Iewes as kneele in the Church and say Thy Kingdome come Lord and yet in our deeds promote the kingdome of Satan disobey and not receive the Word which is the power of God Rom. 1. 16. to salvation to every one that beleeveth Therefore hee so highly extolleth it saying The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe holdes casting downe the imaginations 2 Cor. 10. 5. and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Wee pray to be like the Angels we must strive then to come neere Mat. 6. them in obedience Three properties are noted in the Angels Obediunt Libentissimè Citissimè Fidelissimè most Willingly Speedily Faithfully They are willing to obey and so wee read that one Angell with speed killed an hundred fourescore and five thousand of the Assyrians in one night We must be like Angels if we looke Esa 37. to live with Angels they praise God day and night so must we Esa 6. But it may bee said of most of us that which Vivaldus said of Corasius Erat foris Cato intus Noro he was a Cato without a Nero within foris Angelus intus Diabolus an Angell without a Divell within foris Agnus intus Lupus a Lambe without a Wolfe within Deum ore laudabat corde factis negabat hee praised God with his mouth but denied him in heart in deeds tales sunt mancipia Diaboli such are the slaves of Satan God doth not raigne as a King in them his grace hath no dominion over them they are in the snare of the Divell and are taken of him at his will In this sence Christ called the Iewes the sonnes of the Divell Yee are of your father the Divell and the lusts of your father will yee doe so 2 Tim. 2. 26. Iohn 8. 44. 1 Iohn 2. 14. Iohn saith in the contrary I write unto you babes because yee have knowne the father Impij servi sunt tot daemoniorum quot vitiorum the wicked are the servants of so many divels as they have sinnes and transgressions it is the divell that hath dominion over them not God by his grace As there is in the body a palsy that striketh the one halfe and an Apoplexy that striketh the whole body so there is in our soules a spirituall palsy if not an Apoplexy our understanding is not lightned with the doctrine of God and our will is not enflamed with the Love of God to doe his will as it becommeth us Hereupon Saint Augustine crieth out Augusta foeda est domus Aug. animae meae Straight and filthy is the house of my soule but when thou commest vnto it ô Lord it shall bee enlarged and mundified of thee it is ruinous Lord repaire and amend it it is filthy Lord clense it and wash it there be many things in this Christ will dwell and raigne in a pure soule house of my soule which may offend thy sacred eyes but who shall purge it and purify it or unto whom shall I cry but unto thee Ab ocultis meis purga me Clense mee from my secret sinnes Let this bee our prayer and pray with that spirit wherewith Augustine prayed it and no doubt God will heare thee and have a Kingdom in thy soule This testimony is true the Heavens have sealed unto it and the living God hath spoken it of the children of men and blessed are wee if wee beleeve it there is more happinesse in one day of Gods service and under his Dominion then in ten thousand dayes of vanity in which Satan hath dominion and wee fall from the Lord of life The sixth and last attribute is Power wherein the excellent praise of God consisteth which is the ability in God to do what hee listeth like unto the former attributes but not all one with them haec enim magis conjungi quà m confundi velim I had rather conjoine these things than confound them as Calvin said in another case Of this power speaketh David O Lord my God thou art Psal 104. 1. exceeding great thou art clothed with glory and Majesty And of this power speaketh Esay Who hath measured the waters in his fist and counted Heaven with a spanne and comprehended the dust of the earth in Esa 40. 12. a measure and weighted the mountaines in a weight and the hilles in a balance And of this power of God speaketh Salomon Who hath Prov. 30. 4. ascended up to Heaven or descended Who hath gathered the Wind in his fist Who hath bound the Waters in a garment Who hath established all the ends of the world What is his Name or his Sonnes Name if thou canst tell And in respect of this power Christ said Ecce vobiscum sum Behold I am with you to the end of the world whereupon Mat. 28. 20. Aug. Augustine finely Iturus erat Christus ad dextram Patris per mortem praesentia Corporali In regard of his Corporall presence he was by death to goe to the right hand of his Father and in regard of his
substance remaine ever 81 The Scriptures immutable tradition uncertaine 82 Divers acceptions of Saints ibid. The Saints onely the subjects of true Faith 83 The wicked usurpers of Gods gifts ibid. Whatsoever they have is for the Saints sake 84 Sermon 8. THe Church and Religion hath many adversaries 85 Every thing hath its contrary ibid. Religion cause of division 86 Religion must bee maintained to death ibid. Secret enemies most dangerous especially such as in a shew of Religion seeke to undermine Religion ibid. The Divell opposeth the Church sometime as a Lion by cruelty sometime as a Serpent by subtilty but he hurts most by subtilty 87 Poperie prevailes most by policy and fraud 88 All Atheists without God before regeneration and conversion 89 There is a two-fold life the one of Nature the other of Grace 90 Most men live as Naturalists ibid. Atheists worse than Divels ibid. Nature teacheth that there is a divine Power 91 Gods power ruleth in all things and doth often change the course of Nature ibid. Reasons to prove the divine Power 92 Religion is more in profession than practice 94 Many by their lives seeme Atheists ibid. Vngodlinesse hath two branches iniquity in life and manners and impurity in Religion ibid. Many turne the grace of God into wantonnesse ibid. Gods grace and bounty ought to leade to Repentance not to make men presumptuous 95 Afflictions make us seeke God 96 Prosperitie makes us forget him and grow rebellious 97 Wee may not despise or renounce the creatures or blessings of God as the Stoicks Anachorites Hermites c. have done ibid. Epicures their practice described and their end 98 vnde 99 Popish Doctrine tends to licenciousnesse ibid. Sermon 9. GOd is denied many wayes 101 They that professe God and live ungodly denie him ibid. Six degrees in sinne ibid. Gods creatures declare him foure wayes 103 God is present foure wayes ibid. The wicked that deny God here shall hereafter feele and acknowledge him ibid. God is one in substance three in person ibid. The Heathen worshipped many gods and the Papists invocate many as Gods yet there is but one onely true God ibid. The unity and trinity in the God-head illustrated by divers resemblances 104 Christ is denied many wayes 105 Faith is most eminent and confident in persecution ibid. Christ is denied when either the sufficiency or efficacy of his death is denyed 106 Knowledge and profession of Christ without practice nothing worth ibid. The Papists deny the offices of Christ consequently 107 Christ onely paid the full ransome for our Redemption 108 Christ our Lord jure Creationis Redemptionis ibid. Divers effusions of Christs bloud especially five 109 Christs passions for us require that wee should consecrate our whole selves and all the service of our soules and bodies him 110 Sermon 10. DEstruction the end of the ungodly 112 Looke not on the present estate but the end of the wicked 113 God is said to write in a booke for the certenty of his decree 114 Gods decree hath two parts Election Reprobation ibid. The causes of either not to bee inquired after 115 Gods judgements often secret alwayes just ibid. Wee must not pry into Gods secrets ibid. Gods will the cause of our election not faith or works 116 Five signes of election 117 Our election perfected by many degrees 118 Reprobation a second part of Gods decree 119 And as he electeth some so hee reprobates others ibid. As all things els have their contraries so the elect theirs namely the reprobate 120 God ordereth sinne but urgeth not to it ibid. Mans sinne and destruction come from himselfe 121 Three opinions concerning Gods dealing in sinne 122 How God is said to cause evill ibid. How God dealeth in reprobation 122 More then Gods bare permission in sinne ibid. How God is said to harden and to blind 124 God worketh by evill men not in them ibid. God Satan and Men concurre in the same action yet have different ends 125 Sermon 11. THough we know much yet we had neede be put in remembrance 527 Continuall instruction like the continuall dropping of raine ibid. Itching eares listen after novelties rather then wholesome doctrine 129 Preaching alwayes necessary otherwise the soule decayes in grace 130 If instruction faile Satan prevailes ibid. Meditation recordation chiefe meanes to enrich the soule 131 God first offereth mercy before hee inflict judgement 132 Gods abundant mercies and miraculous deliverances of the Israelites 133 Gods wrath upon the Aegyptians ibid. Gods abundant mercies to England 135 God allures by mercyes before hee punisheth 136 Contemners of Gods mercies severely punished ibid. Sinne pleasant in the committing in the end damnable 137 God suffereth the wicked till their sinne be at the full 139 God punishes some sooner some later ibid. Looke not on their present estate but their end 140 Sermon 12. INfidelity the cause of Israels destruction 140 And of their sinne the roote 141 Faith the gift of God 143 And the originall of all vertues ibid. True faith is in few 144 Most men led by the flesh rather than by the Spirit ibid. Faith hath a triple foundation ibid. Faith threefold justifying of miracles hystoricall 145 The causes of Salvation ibid. The just live by Faith if no Faith no accesse to God no interest in him 146 Degrees of Faith ibid. God giveth grace according to the measure of Faith 147 Faith all in all in applying and assuring Salvation ibid. The Angels that fell committed many sinnes in one ibid. Wee must bee wise according to sobriety 148 Angels though Spirits in essence yet appeared in divers formes ibid. The sinne of Angels in generall was Apostacy 149 Some Apostacy is unpardonable ibid. Why the Angels that fell were not restored 150 Three reasons of Dorbell why the wicked shall bee punished in Hell more than the Divels recited rejected ibid. All apostacy dangerous though some not damnable ibid. It is the end that crownes all our actions 151 The Christian must be alwayes increasing ibid. The wicked grow worse and worse 152 There is a decay in most ibid. The estate of Angels considered in regard of three severall times namely of Creation Confirmation last Iudgement 153 Divers names of Angels 154 Whence the Angels fell ibid. God the head but not the Redeemer of the good Angels 155 The time of the fall of Angels uncertaine as also the places whither ibid. The Divels though many in number yet there is one chiefe 156 How the Divell is said to worke and to be in the wicked ibid. The Divels though malicious Spirits yet agree in mischiefe 157 Division the cause of confusion 158 Sermon 13. THe case of the Angels most fearefull to be cast out of Heaven 159 Their abode is not certaine but some in the Ayre some in the Earth some in the Sea 160 The Divels malice infinite but his power by God limited ibid. Satan is said to be loosed Apoc. 20. 7. not simply but comparatively 161 The Divels and wicked
243 The envious is fretted at good and glad at the evill betides any ibid. Cain was prophane and grudged at Gods sacrifice 244 Many like Cain grudge to give that is good to God ibid. Gods Ministers are to have honourable maintenance 245 Sacriledge odious among the Heathen they have observed the vengeance of their gods have followed such as have beene sacrilegious ibid. God himselfe hath punished sacriledge in all ages 246 Hypocrites and dissemblers pretend good intend evill ibid. God detesteth hypcrisie and falshood 247 Desperation the bane of the soule excluding Gods mercie ibid. Sermon 21. COvetousnesse the roote of evill and ruine of good 249 Many woes against covetousnesse 250 The covetous man trusteth more in his riches than in the blessed Trinity ibid. Covetousnes deprives the covetous of the 8. beatitudes and makes them subject to the contrary curses 251 Covetousnesse insatiable 253 Covetousnes excludes out of Heaven ibid. Riches unprofitable to soule and body credit and estate 254 A couetous minde never satisfied 255 Vsurers more cruell than wilde beasts ibid. Riches uncertaine not to bee relied on 256 Riches unprofitable if in superfluity 257 Riches preserve not neither from temporall nor spirituall evils 258 Riches not hurtfull by nature but by corruption ibid. Riches hurtfull to the outward and inward man 259 Sermon 22. GOds mercy contemned draweth on judgement 261 The utility and necessity of both Magistracie and Ministery in Church and Common-wealth 262 Government necessary for preservation of states ibid. Three formes of Government viz. Monarchy Aristocracy Democratie ibid. Reasons why Monarchy the best 263 All lawfull government of God ibid. Rebellion pernicious not onely to states but to the Rebels themselves 264 Resemblances being ordinary teach best 266 Preachers may use humane learning but the Word must be his ground to give light 268 The creatures afford a double consideration one naturall another morall or spirituall 269 Epicurisme hath many sinnes accompanying it ibid. Drunkennesse and glutonny odious and pernicious 270 Nature teacheth temperance and sobrietie 271 Wee are most prone to sinne in our drunkennesse ibid. Drunkennesse makes uncapable of Gods spirit and spirituall graces 272 Gluttonous Epicures neither glorifie God nor releeve the poore ibid. Dangerous to converse with Epicures lest stained by them 273 How one may converse with the wicked 274 Love-feasts how used abused abolished 275 Sermon 23. PRide many wayes occasioned every way odious to God 277 Pride vaine in three respects 278 Pride hath beene in all places and all sorts ibid. The godly sometime overtaken by it ibid. Pride is expressed in the things that pertaine to God sixe wayes 279 Pride shewes it selfe many wayes ibid. The proud man insulteth over all 280 Though all prone to pride yet usually the basest proudest ibid. Pride the cause of contention ibid. Pride makes us forget our mortalitie ibid. The proud odious to all God Angels Men onely please the Divell 281 God detesteth pride ibid. Pride is both in Church and Common-wealth and causes heresie in the one and disorder in the other 282 Pride so puffes up men as they become not onely foolish but phrentike ibid. Pride brings shame and destruction 283 Pride will shew it selfe after the death of the proud 284 Knowledge and riches the cause of pride ibid. True zeale like fire that kindleth and burneth by degrees till it come to a full flame 285 Hypocrisie most odious to God and severely punished by him ibid. Sincerity most pleasing to God 286 Christ pronounced against no sinne so many woes as against hypocrisie 289 Hypocrisie blasphemy ibid. Hypocrites make faire showes without truth inwardly pretend religion when they intend the subversion of it 290 Sincerity very rare hypocrisie hath banished 292 Men often compared to trees to shew that God lookes for fruits or wee must looke for the axe ibid. Many carnall gospellers few true professours 293 Most like trees twice dead both in words and deeds 294 Wee must take heed of the sinne of hypocrisie lest wee indure the punishment ibid. Sermon 24. HEll set out by divers names yet none sets it out sufficiently but are as shadowes or the beginning of sorrowes 213 Hell torments amplified being opposed to the joyes of Heaven 297 The damned every way tormented 298 The effects of Gods wrath in afflicting Christ bearing our sinnes and punishing others temporally may serve to set out the torments of the damned whom he punisheth eternally 299 The damned suffer all punishments both of losse and sense 300 The horror of hell should make us abhorre sinne 301 Nothing more hard then the impenitent heart 302 Hell torments as unspeakable so everlasting and irremissible 303 Hell fire compared with our elementary fire in five respects 304 Iudgement and damnation necessary to be preached in time of sinne and security 306 The wicked shall be tormented according to their sinnes the greater sinnes the greater punishment 307 Sermon 25. THere must bee a tyme of manifesting Gods Iustice as well as his power and mercy 301 Antiquity with verity most authentike 308 Traditions equalled with Scriptures by Bellarmine and the Papists ibid. The Scriptures all sufficient for faith and manners 311 Though some scriptures are lost yet so much as is necessary to salvation is preserved ibid. Iudgement fourefold 312 Iudgement generall must needs be as prooved by Scripture ibid. The second person of the Trinity shall judge 313 Christ shall judge as man and why 314 Though Christ shall come in his humanity to judge yet with power and great glory 315 Iudgement fearefull to all much more to the wicked ibid. Christs second comming to judgement compared with his first 316 Christs glory appeared in his humility at his first comming 317 The greatnes of Gods mercy at first aggravates the severity of his justice at the last 318 God hath two Courts Forum misericordiae Forum justitiae Ibid. Gods judgement impartiall 319 Iudgement shall be generall of all men and of every Worke Word Thought 320 Swearers blasphemers most abominable 322 Gods judgement most certaine 324 The conscience of the wicked tell him there will be a judgement 325 The consideration of Christs comming to judgement ought to terrify the wicked comfort the godly instruct all 326 Sermon 26. MVrmuring two-fold against God and against men 329 Murmuring and discontent in most ibid. Murmuring the sinne of the Israelites 330 Murmurers never content ibid. Murmurers severely punished 331 We must patiently subject our wils to Gods 332 The remedies against murmuring ibid. The Saints have bene discountenanced yet subjected their wils to Gods will and have been pacified and comforted 334 Man murmures against man for diuers causes 335 All estates are discontent and murmure against others 336 Murmuring the property of base and envious persons ibid. The lusts of the flesh must be tamed 337 God uses many meanes to teach us to tame our lusts ibid. Most men rather follow their lusts than obey Gods Word 338 Evill thoughts and inordinate affections must be vanquished ibid.
Gods Word the chiefe meanes to restraine lust 339 Lust tempteth to all sinne 340 The best assaulted by lusts but not led by them ibid. All the works of the flesh are from the lusts of the flesh 341 Lusts bring damnation ibid. Lust insatiable 342 Lust defiles body and soule and gives Satan interest in the whole man 343 Lust defaces Gods Image ibid. Lust is in the godly but gaines not in them 344 Sermon 27. THe corruption of the heart is shewed by corrupt speaking 345 The wicked have beene alwayes great boasters with their tongues but performe little with their hands 346 Pride is naturall to us we have it from our first parents 347 Pride the ruine of angels and men ibid. The godly humble in regard of their sinnes not proud of their vertues ibid. Scoffers and slanderers like dogges 348 Good men despise the applause of flatterers and debase themselves ibid. Though we must not endure vaine applause yet wee must free our selves from slanders 349 The most vile usually the most proud and greatest boasters 350 Pride endeth with vanity ibid. Flatterers applaud others for their owne gaine 351 The Popes great boasters 352 Flattery described with the properties and punishment thereof 353 VVe must not listen to flatterers but give God the glory 354 Flattery servile and base 355 Flattering preachers most pernicious ibid. Ministers must reprove the greatest 356 Such as desire to be flattered are occasion of flattery ibid. He that reprooveth doth profit more than he that applauds 357 Flattery to be rejected and despised ibid. Flattery flatterers compared to divers things 358 Flattery gives to vices the names of vertues 359 Sermon 28. CHristians must not live like Heathen infidels 360 The godly and wicked opposite in divers respects 361 Wee must not bee led by the multitude for the greater part are the worser 362 The more glorified the greater joy the more damned the greater torment ibid. Not sufficient to have the VVord unlesse we remember it 363 How wee may heare the VVord profitably that we may find it the savour of life unto life 365 The memory the soules treasury ibid. VVhatsoever doctrine is not remembred is lost 366 Our forgetfulnes and negligence in divine doctrine most grosse ibid. The VVord of God the most sure foundation to build upon 367 The Saints modest in their owne prayse but zealous for Gods glory 369 Circumstances to bee observed in reproving 370 Three sorts of malicious reprehenders condemned 371 Sermon 29. THere have beene scoffers and mockers in all ages 372 Mocking what in Latin whence derived 373 Divers sorts of mockers 374 Mockers of God and religion most odious ibid. Mocking scoffing and jesting the basest fruit of wit 375 Some sinners like Dogges some Hogges ibid. Scoffers punished 376 Mocking a kinde of persecution 378 The tongues of scoffers instruments of persecution 379 Many scoffing Atheists at Christ and Religion 380 Scoffers as the Divels band-dogges so bond-slaves ibid. He is strongest that overcomes his lusts 381 Mortification a signe of justification 383 If no sanctification no glorification 384 Sermon 30. SEctaries cause division in the Church 385 The Church and members thereof love Vnity 386 Dissention the cause of all mischiefe in the Church ibid. Three causes of division in the Church Heresy Schisme Apostacy 387 The difference of these ibid. Pride the cause of Schisme 388 No salvation out of the Church ibid. Heresies though hurtfull in themselves yet God maks them profitable to the Church 389 Heretikes pervert Scriptures to maintaine their errours ibid. The Papists charging us with Sects have more among themselves 390 Satans chiefest engine to hurt the Church is dissention 391 Schisme a grievous sinne ibid. Naturall men perceive not the things of God nor any good 392 By regeneration we are adopted the Sonnes of God 393 Many naturall men exceed Christians in bridling their affections and in some mortall actions 394 Naturall men inventers of Arts and trades 395 Beasts exceed many naturall men ibid. Love makes all things easy 396 A sinner hardly drawne from sinne ibid. Gods grace is to our hearts as the Sunne-beames to the earth ibid. None boast more of the spirit then they that are led by the spirit of error 397 The Popes pride reproved that call onely their Clergy spirituall all other temporall ibid. Naturall men though they have not the spirit of sanctification yet illuminated 398 All grace and true goodnes flowes from Gods Spirit 400 Sermon 31. THe godly and the wicked every way opposite 403 Edification being a building the Saints be the houses 404 VVe must build in our selves temples for the Holy Ghost ibid. Gods VVord the rule and square whereby we must build 405 VVe must endeavour to edify others especially our children 406 VVee must dayly encrease in knowledge grace and goodnes 407 Good men grow dayly in grace and goodnes ibid. The wicked grow dayly worse and worse 408 VVee are none proficients in plenty of meanes ibid. Pride and negligence cause of none proficiciency ibid. VVe bee diligent in seaking knowledge wee shall attaine to it 409 VVe should not build our hope on earth but in Heaven 410 Faith is the originall of all good works 411 No life of grace here or glory hereafter without faith 412 Faith the most excellent of all vertues ibid. Faith is called holy in respect of the effect in the subject secondly of the object thirdly the efficient cause thereof 413 All good works without faith vaine 414 If no holines in life no true faith in heart ibid. Faith is begotten by hearing and encreased also 415 God works not by miracles when hee affords meanes 416 Sermon 32. FAith and prayer may not bee disjoyned 417 Faith the mother of prayer and prayer the meanes to confirme faith ibid. Prayer the meanes whereby wee receive all good things 418 Prayer prevalent over all creatures 419 Prayer pleasant to God and man 420 The Saints have delighted to spend much time in prayer ibid. Divers divisions of prayer into divers kinds in divers respects 421 All prayer must be offered in the mediation of Christ 422 Prayer necessary for all estates for all times 423 Gods wrath powred out upon them that doe not pray ibid. Gods house a house of prayer 424 Prayer comforteth in all estates ibid. ☞ Prayer the food and nourishmert of the soule 405 Prayer sanctifyeth all our actions ibid. Prayer admirable in the effects if in due manner 406 We must pray continually ibid. VVee must pray in the spirit and how 407 The Holy Ghost the Author of prayer yet so as the whole Trinity hath a hand ibid. Prayers must bee spirituall and fervent 409 God regards both the manner and end in all holy duties 410 Our prayers must bee neither tepidae timidae nec temerariae ibid. God heareth not the prayers of sinners except for vengeance 411 God hath promised all good things to prayer ibid. Sermon 33. FAith Prayer and Love have mutuall relation 412 Love the most
excellent of all vertues 413 All vertues vaine without love ibid. Many excellent properties of Love 414 Little love in this age ibid. Love makes men of one heart 415 Many men implacable cruell like Wolues or Divels ibid. An exhortation to love 416 Foure properties of love that it be holy just true constant ibid. The love amongst Atheists and impious condemned 417 The excellency of Love ibid. Atheists agree like a kennell of dogs 418 Most love for lucre ibid. Gods love to us infinite 419 Gods love to us diversly distinguished ibid. Gods loue set out by all the dimensions yet transcendent and unmeasurable ibid. No love comparable to Gods Love 420 Gods love to us the cause of our love to him and the godly ibid. Foure reasons or motives to incite us to love God 1. à mandato 2. ab aequo justo 3. à commodo 4. ab officio 421 The manner how God is to bee loved 422 Love a debt that all owe to God and man but few poy it ibid VVe must shew our love to God by keeping his commandements and serving him 423 An honorable and happy thing to love God ibid. Sermon 34. THe hope of eternal life allays the hardnesse of Gods Commandements 425 Hope of reward makes men endure labours and dangers 426 The blessed estate of the Saints in Heaven 427 Christ and the Saints in their sufferings had an eye to the reward ibid. The joyes of Heaven unspeakable incomprehensible 428 The glorified bodyes shall have spirituall and heavenly qualities namely clarity agility subtility unpassibility and immortality 429 The principall points wherein the glory and joy of the glorified soule and whole Saint consist 430 Earthly mindes regard not Heavenly joyes 431 Divers errours concerning eternall life 432 The joyes of Heaven eternall and infinite ibid. Heaven compared with the wombe of the world 433 An exhortation to seeke after eternall joyes ibid. Eternall life onely the free gift of God 434 Merit end mercy gift and desert opposite ibid. Papists works many of them merit death 435 Merit three-fold Congrui Digni Condigni ibid. None can merit ex condigno but Christ 436 Our works cannot merit because finite and unperfect ibid. Christs righteousnes ours 437 Our works merit not jointly with Christs ibid. Grace threefold Praeveniens Subsequens Consummans ibid. Many Papists renounce their merits and fly to Gods mercy 438 Our election vocation justification sanctification all from grace 439 We must not trust in our works but confesse our sinnes ibid. Sermon 35. DIscretion necessary for distinguishing sinnes and sinners 441 Ministers must use discretion not deale alike with all sinnes and sinners ibid. How to restore with mâ—ekenes them that are fallen 442 VVee should pitty and pray for sinners and not despise them ibid. Many men more compassionate toward their beasts nhan brethren 444 Wee must tak away sinnes with mildenesse and mercy if possible ibid. Reproofe though not pleasing yet profitable 446 Compassion must be shewed especially to the soule 447 The Saints bewaile the estate of the wicked ibid. Threats of judgement belong to the wicked 448 The obstinate must be terrified not soothed ibid. Iudgements denounced against soothing false prophets 449 Reproofes more profitable than soothing flattery 450 Excommunication a grievous censure ibid. Excommunication three-fold 451 Two uses of Excommunication ibid. Sermon 36. THe sinner alwayes in danger 452 The fickle estate of the wicked set out by divers resemblances 453 No estate permanent 454 Sudden destruction waite on the wicked ibid. Death comes not sudden to the Godly 455 The Godly prepare by repentance and godly life for death while they have time 456 Repentance must not be deferred ibid. The saving of soules a most blessed worke 457 Though God save yet both Grace and Faith and Ministery concurre 458 Tho Ministrie being Gods ordinance to save soules is not to be slighted though the World despise them ibid. Foure faculties in the soule whereby it converts the food of the Word and Sacraments to nourishment of the spirituall life 459 The necessitie and excellent fruits of the Ministery set out by divers resemblances 460 The happy estate of them that have means of knowledge 461 Salvation and the misery of them that want it ibid. Sermon 37. NOt onely evill but all appearance of evill is to bee avoided 462 Sinne must bee hated not sported at if if wee love our owne soules ibid. No communion to be holden or society with the wicked 463 Wicked men must be avoided in respect of God and ourselves ibid. Sinne as contagious as the plague and more dangerous 464 Wee must hate sinne because the whole Trinity detest it 465 Wee must hate sinne because Satan is the author being enemie to God and our soules ibid. Sinne must bee hated because it dishonours God not our selves 466 Wee may not hold amity with the wicked boing Gods enemies 467 The amity of the wicked treachery ibid. Sinne onely is hated of God and man and not the person except reprobate 468 Two judgments the one of Faith the other of Charity 469 Wee must leave sinne of conscience not for other respects 470 The punishment of sinne ought to deterre from sinne ibid. Earthquakes an evident signe of Gods anger and a forerunner of judgement 471 Many earth-quakes in many places and much hurt 472 Christians not to be prophaned 473 Sermon 38 VVE are not sufficient to doe any good of our selves without grace 476 Exhortations do not shew what we can but what we should doe 477 Grace both preserves from falling and raiseth us being fallen 478 Our enemies many and powerfull 479 Prayer the best meanes to repell Satan and his temptations 480 All sorts of men have fallen even the Saints ibid. All have the Seminarie of all sinnes in them 481 Grace worketh all in all ibid. Wee walke in the middest of snares 482 God suffered Adam and doth still suffer the Saints to fall for divers reasons 483 Difference betweene the sinnes of Saints and Reprobates ibid. Whether and how the Church may erre 484 The best have erred ibid. The Pope may erre and many of them have erred 485 The distinctions about the erring of the Pope nice and frivolous 486 Sermon 39. HOw wee are said to bee blamelesse notwithstanding we are full of sin 487 Two kindes of righteousnesse 488 Our righteousnesse consists rather in the remission of sinne than perfection of vertue ibid. How we are said to be perfect and yet imperfect 489 The Iesuits and latter Popish writers the worst 490 The Church and members of it impure in it selfe but perfect and pure in Christ 491 Our service may be sincere not perfect 492 Iustification by workes confuted how justified by faith explained 493 Papists flye to the mercy of God and merit of Christ 494 No true joyes and pleasures in this world but all in Heaven ibid. The Saints in Heaven shall have fulnesse of joy undique 495 Heaven the land of the living and Earth land of dead men 496 God shall be all in all to the Saints in Heaven ibid. Worldly minded men desire not Heaven 497 Our life nothing to eternall life ibid. All honours and pleasures on earth nothing to them in Heaven 498 The World fraudulent turbulent momentary 499 Christ the onely comfort to the elect both in this life and that to come ibid. Many hindred from Heaven by pleasure Sermon 40. PRayer and praise the two chiefest parts of Gods worship must follow one another 501 The glory of God hath beene celebrated by all Saints 502 Wee slauld not thinke of the mercies of God in Christ without praising him 503 God described by many attributes yet none can sufficiently set him out ibid. God onely wise all men ignorant and foolish 504 Wee have no true wisedome till infused by God ibid. All wisedome and Knowledge hid in Christ 505 Destinction betweene Science and Sapience ibid. Worldly wisedome folly ibid. Gods Wisedome seene in creation and disposing of all creatures and governing the Church 506 Christ a mercifull and powerfull Saviour in life and death ibid. No Saviours comparable to Christ 507 The Papists derogate from the power and merit of Christ ibid. The imputative righteousnes of the Saints more set out Gods glory than the inherent 508 Mans worke cannot merit ibid. What it is to glorifie God 509 Thankefulnesse the onely sacrifice that God requires ibid. We pray in our wants and doe not praise God when we are releeved 510 Thankesgiving and the praise of God the end of our creation ibid. They thrt doe not glorifie God here shall not be glorified of him hereafter ibid. Two theeves that rob God of his glory and justice 511 A powerfull exhortation to praise God and give up our selves in thankefulnesse ibid. If no praise of God in the mouth no thankfulnesse or grace in the heart 512. Sermon 29. VVHat it is to ascribe majestie to God 514 Miracles are admired for the rarenesse 515 All Gods ordinary workes wonderfull 516 Our dulnesse in ascribing to God majestie in regard of his workes ibid. God reâ—eales himselfe sixe wayes ibid. Gods judgement do not worke Repentance ibid. Wherein Gods dominion standeth 517 Gods three-fold kingdome of power grace glorie ibid. Wee ackowledge our selves subjects of Christs kingdome of grace and yet are rebellious 518 Three properties in the Angels Obedience Libentissime Citissime Fidelissime Obediunt 519 Notorious sinners Satans bond-slaves ibid. Wee must be pure in soule and body that Christ may dwell and rule in us 520 Gods power omnipotent ibid. Christ every where present by his power though not corporally ibid. Christs omnipotenty gives comfort to the Christian 521 Gods incomprehensiblenesse set out by comparison ibid. Christ all in all to us 522 God cannot doe those things that imply contradiction or defect ibid. How attributes are ascribed some time to the whole Trinitie sometime to particular persons 523 All Gods attributes are eternall ibid. God must bee praied and praised for all things temporall and eternall 524 Amen the diverse significations thereof and the efficacie thereof in the conclusion of our praiers ibid. Note that the folio's are mistaken at fol. 425. where you shall finde this marke 〈◊〉 FINIS