favour If his Charitie be gone if he have lost his first love his life is gone Of such an one it may be said Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead If his hope be gone he is wrapt in despaire The ship hath lost her anchor and who shall save her from rocks or sands if hee have lost his faith the verie foundation of all is gone then Hee is somewhat worse than an Infidell because hee denies what once hee acknowledged So that as long as well live these three vertues must live in us or towards God wee live not and if these things bee in us they will make us wee shall not bee barren nor unfruitfull as Saint Peter saith For these are the substance of all Religion the ground and foundation of true righteousnesse saith Musculus both in the Old and New Testament without these all Ceremonies all Sacraments all outward worship is but dead Sacraments may vary and Ceremonies may vary but these thorowout all parts of our life and thorowout all ages of the world abide the same There is but one Faith one Hope one Baptisme saith St. Paul Ephes 4. consequently but one Charitie as there is but one God the maiâ—e object of Charity Not only abide then these three vertues doe but they abide still the same And abide now that is in the soules of the faithfull during the state of mortality for this Now points to our state of mortality as appeares by the verse afore our Text Now wee see thorow a glasse darkly but then face to face Now that is in the time of this life Then that is in the time of the next So now abide Faith Hope and Charity that is all the while we live here so doe not miracles so do not tongues and prophesie and the gifts spoken of before For these are neither common to all the Elect saith Musculus nor remaine to the end of our lives nor yet necessarily include Hope and Charity not common to all the Elect for many good men want those miraculous gifts nor abide to the end of life for they that have them oftentimes are at a losse the Prophets alway prophesie not neither do the divinely-inspired alwayes speake with tongues but at set times as the Spirit moves them Neither doe these include Charity for we may understand all Prophecy and speake with the tongues of men and Angels yea and have the gifts of Miracles too to move mountaines and yet for lack of Charity come to nothing Charity therefore and Faith and Hope they abide to the last so as none of the other doe They continue the whole Nunc of our life out to the end and we cannot be a moment without them that is without the habite of them As for the act wee doe not perhaps alwaies actually beleeve actually hope or actually love our weake frailty will not permit it but yet we must alwaies have these Graces in habit that is stand ever prepared for the act as occasion serves And thus they abide all three of them necessarily and joyntly and uninterruptedly while wee abide in this world abide they doe all three but one of the three hath the advantage of them for it not onely abides in this world but in the next too Nunc in saeculâ— saeculoriâ— That is Charity and that is the reason why it is preferred above the other The greatest of these is charity Which brings us to the second generall namely the comparative part wherein Charity carries the preheminence among the divine vertues themselves Major autem horum charitas c. For the proofe of which Proposition observe first how Charity beares the sway among the other It commands and moves and as it were enlivens the rest Our love stirres us up to beleeve more and more to hope more and more and the more we love the stronger wee beleeve the more earnestly we hope As it were the Soule over the members so Charity commands all other vertues All worke all doe their parts at Charities bidding so that very well by the Schoole-men she is termed the essentiall sorme of them all For take Faith without Charity and it is a cold and heartlesse thing no warmth no spirit in it we seele no joy in such a saith at all Take Hope without Charity and what is it but a withering â—erbe in cold of winter no sap no juyce in it there is neither delight nor feeling in either of them till Love breath upon them and give them a new life Then Faith is able to stand all encounters and Hope lifts up her head in the forest tryalls when Charity sweetens them all Charity therefore is the greatest and highest of all vertues so much better then Faith and Hope as the building is better then the foundation as the fruite is better than the stalke that beares it Nay Charity it is like the Sun among the lesser Plannets saith Lapide It gives light and vigour and soule to all other graces It is like the fire among the Elements like Gold among other metalls like the Empyraean Heaven above the lower Oâ—bâ—s like the Seraphims among the lesser Angels For Charity is indeed the 〈◊〉 Celestiall fire that inflames the hearts of Gods chosen Charity the true Gold wherewith in a sort we purchase heavenly Merchandise Charity the true Empyraean Heaven wherein dwells God and his Angels that Heaven which enlightens inspires and regulates all the rest Charity is the Seraphicall vertue indeed which makes the Seraphims themselves ardently burning from whence they have their name The same that the Sunne is in the World the Magistrate in his City the Mariner in his Vessell is Charity in the heart of a Christian Without the Mariner the Vessell slotes at randome and perisheth Without her Magistrate the City falls to confusion without the Sun the whole World were darke and without Charity our very life it selfe hath scarce any life in it For Love is the life of life Love is the soule of the World so that God himselfe is called by the name of love 1 Iohn 4. Nor wonder at Saint Iohn for it for of all the vertues in the World none so nearely joynes and unites us to God as love doth Consequently Charity must bee the greatest of all divine vertues as Aquinas notes well For among morall Vertues that is the greatest which comes nearest to the rule of all vertue to wit Right reason That doth Prudence which toucheth the rule as neare as neare may be being it selfe nothing but the view of right reason Consequently prudence is the greatest morall Vertue because it is next the Rule And by the same reason is Charity the greatest of all divine vertues and morall too for the Rule of divine vertues is not reason but God that made reason who is the Rule of reason it selfe Consequently that vertue which toucheth nearest upon God the prime Rule of Rules must needs be the greatest vertue that may be imagined and
delight which abide for ever in his presence hereafter Amen The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND SERMON Hebrews the 11. Chapter the 6. verse For he that commeth to God must beleeve that he is and and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seeke him BEing indebted by my promise to handle particularly the Articles of the Creed which is the summe of our Christian faith I have chosen this Scripture to begin with which is the summe of the whole Creed of all the Articles in it As Faith may bee called the Ground-worke of Religion whereupon Hope and Charity and all other Vertues are built So this Scripture containes the ground-worke of faith it self the very foundation of that on which all Christianity is founded For as no Christian can be saved without faith so no faith possible except wee bee perswaded of thus much before hand namely That God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seeke him Which sentence I deemed so much the more necessary to handle by way of preparative before the Articles of the Creed because it appeares of more antiquity and more universality then the Creed and all the Articles of it yea more ancient then Scripture it selfe out of which the Creed is taken For thus much before any Scripture was written was necessary for all men to beleeve as appeares by the Apostles instance in this place Saint Paul is discoursing here of the faith of the Patriarkes and particularly of Abel and Enochs faith Enoch saith he was translated that he should not see death And he was translated by faith By saith he was translated because he pleased God And without faith it is impossible to please God upon which conclusion if any shall demand what saith had Enoch or what faith Abel that lived so long before any Scripture was written why this faith they had faith Saint Paul this at least without which no saith is imaginable nor any comming to God possible namely that God is and that hee is a rewarder of them that seeke him This faith they had and this as it should seeme was enough to please God and to save them as the world went then but this is not enough for us now We have more Revelations from Heaven even aboundant ones in many ages and many successions in many writings of the Prophets and Apostles and all these are necessary for us to beleeve now Even all the written bookes of the Bible and every thing contained in them for we are to acknowledge them to be Gods Word and if Gods Word then to imbrace and beleeve them and to doubt of nothing in them So that the whole Scriptures are now become necessary for every Christian man of ripe reason on perill of salvation to beleeve To beleeve I say but not particularly to know or remember that is not necessary to salvation for that is businesse enough for a learned Divine that hath nothing else to doe to understand particulars of Scripture and remember them But all must bee beleeved though beleeve I by the most ignorant and all received upon the credit of Gods Spirit as Gods Word whether knowne particularly or no. And yet though all particulars neede not by men of meane capacity bee knowne some must some particulars of Scripture knowne explicitly and beleeved expresly or no salvation for men of ripe judgement possible And those are the heads of Christianity summed up in the Creed which is a short confession of our Faith comprised by the primitive Fathers of the Church to that end that every 〈◊〉 might have it ready as an abstract of all that was necessary And this they did not to make Lay-men carelesse or lazy that they should not care to know more but to direct yong beginners and to leave all of all sorts without excuse that would not know this Because saith Aquinas Faith is the substance of things hoped for And those things only belong essentially to saving faith which concern our Hope the means of salvation And because many things contained in Scripture pertaine not so directly to these as that Isaac had two sonnes that Iacob was in Aegypt and the like therefore are those points that directly concerne mens salvation and the meanes of it summod up in the Creed so that all men are now necessarily bound to know and beleeve thus much at least how much soever they know more Thus then the Scripture is now the rule of Faith and the Creed is the summe of Faith so much as is essentially necessary to every ones salvation But of old before the Scripture was written this ground-work sufficed This may be called Abels and Enochs Creed which is the preparative also to ours and all mens else namely that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that seeke him The words being a conclusion by way of Analysis seeme to imply not onely the summe of our Faith but of our Hope and our Charity too that is the substance of all Religion For our Charity that yee have touched in the first words Hee that comes to God Comes to God that is desires to come neâ—re him to be joyned and united to him saith Estius and such a comming is the very act of love Then for our Hope that yee have in the last words namely that God is a Rewarder of them that seeke him that grounds our Hope For our Faith it is the very heart of the Text that which the Apostle would infer He that comes must beleeve beleeve that God is and that he is a Rewarder c. So that upon presupposall of the necessity of our love St. Paul here grounds our faith and our hope too or rather shewes that our love is to be grounded in faith and hope or else it can never be a right love Love is the top of the building as yee heard last Sunday Love the goodly Tarias the beauty the Crowne and superstructure of all Well but Cogitans â—dificium charitatis necesse est ponaâ— fundamentum fidei saith a Father He that would build up this goodly Tower of Charity must lay the foundation low and strong in a sure faith Oportet accedentem credere Hee that comes that is he that would draw nigh to God by his love must first approach by his faith He that commeth to God must beleeve that he is That the Apostles way of arguing is thus analyticall appeares by what goes before There St. Paul tels us of Enochs translation at the first verse translation to heaven that is glorification glorification presupposes sanctification Before hee was translated Enoch had this testimony that hee pleased God Please God how could he except hee came to him that is except hee loved him For as glorification is the end of our way and implyes an arrivall to and an union with God So Sanctification which is by Charity is the course of our way by which wee still get ground and come neerer and neerer Now impossible we
should reach the end of our way and bee joyned to God except wee come along the way and draw towards God Impossible to come unlesse we first beleeve So that here is a concatenation of duties as Estins notes one hanging as it were in a chaine upon another no glorification no union with God except wee first please him no pleasing him unlesse we come to him by love no love no comming unlesse we take faith in our way unlesse we first beleeve and no beleefe possible no faith not the least graine of it except wee beleeve this namely that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him So that here yee have love and faith and hope all knit together here yee have likewise all three degrees of faith namely Credere Deum Credere Deo and Credere in Deum To beleeve that God is that we have in expresse termes Hee that comes to God must beleeve that he is Credere Deo To beleeve or give credit to God and his word that is implyed in the act of beleeving for if wee must beleeve that God is whom shall we beleeve about it whom shall wee give credit to that this is so to whom but God As hee that comes must beleeve that God is so hee must beleeve God and none but God revealing of this sith God only is fit to be relyed on and then Credere in Deum to beleeve in God that is implyed in the last words to wit that God is a Rewarder of them that seeke him Hee that beleeves God a Rewarder puts his trust in him for his salvation so here is the perfection of faith in all three kinds To beleeve that God is to beleeve God concerning this and what ever he reveales else and to beleeve in God that hee will reward and save us while we diligently seek him We proceed to the handling of the words which consist as it were of foure steps or degrees of drawing nigh to God The first comming He that comes The second beleeving without which no comming Hee that comes must beleeve The third beleese of Gods being without which no beleeving at all for it is the first ground-work of all beleefe concerning God Hee that comes must beleeve that God is The fourth beleefe of his providence or gracious dealing that hee will reward us when wee seeke him without which no comfortable beleeving For little joy or encouragement in well-doing to beleeve that God is except we beleeve also that he is a Rewarder of such as diligently seek him To take these in order we begin with the first Accedentem He that comes by which phrase what should bee meant need not much trouble us to enquire sure we are it can be no corporall comming for God is neither a corporall thing nor corporally or locally distant from his creatures He fils all places lerem 23. Nonne Coelum terram impleo And whither shall I goe from thy presence saith David In him wee live wee move and have our being saith Saint Paul No great way need we to goe after him for he is not far from every one of us Acts 17. But as hee saith in another place The word is nigh to thee even in your hearts that yee may know it and doe it So here God is nigh to us if wee would seeke him even in the midst of us in our very hearts if wee would returne to our hearts by love Redite pravaricatores ad cor saith the Prophet Returne yee sinners to your owne hearts Returne not passibus pedâ—m but passibus affectuum saith a reverend father Not with the steps of your feet but by the steps of your affection For they are indeed the soules feet and this is the way of comming to God namely by setting our hearts upon him by loving by affecting by longing after him Thus Christ invites you to come Come yee that are wearie and heavie laden thus David Come yee children hearken unto me I will teach you thus Isaiah chap. 1. vers 16. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord c. If your sins were as red as scarlet they shall be white as snow So that comming to God it is indeed by turning the course of our affections toward him that is by loving him Turne to the Lord with all your heart saith Joel And why will yee dye ô house of Israel turne rather and live saith Ezechiel Now two things this turning or comming to God requires One Aversio a turning away from the creature a deâ—ying a forsaking our selves and then Conversio a turning toward an approaching or drawing nigh to God The turning away from our selves that is forsaking our owne wayes as the Prophet Esay hath it If we come to God we must come out of the wrong way and come into the right or else no comming And then the turning toward God that is right comming to him and that is by love Then indeed wee come to God when wee give over the love of ourselves and begin to love God and his Commandements better then our selves If yee love me keepe my Commandements saith Christ To come to God therefore it is to make God the end of our actions saith Estius to set him alwaies before our eyes and to propose him and his glory the marke and scope of all that wee goe about To draw nearer to him dâ—ily by growing more and more like him in a holy life according to that of St. Iames Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh â— you Iames 4. Chap. and 8. verse Thus have I looked for thee 〈…〉 Psal 63. to bend our mind upon him Psal 34. They had an eye unto him and were lightned to long for him and waite for him I have waited for thy salvation O God Gen. 4.9 I have longed for thy saving health O Lord. and â—â—thy Law is my delight O God my heart lusteth for thee my flesh longeth after thee Psal 63. to esteeme his favour above health or riches For thy loving kindnesse is better then life in the same Psalme The Law of thy mouth is dearer unto me then thousands of gold and silver Briefly to desire to bee joyned to him Whom have I in Heaven but thee Psal 73. My soule hath desired thee in the night Like as the Hart panteth after the water Brooks Ps 42. When shall I come to appeare before the presence of God All these are so many severall expressions of our love so many formes of comming to God But come to him how shall we except we enter into his way And no entring possibly into that unlesse we beleeve for Faith is the first step of the way If Love and Charity be the building Faith is the foundation as I told you If the service of God and Sanctification be the way why beleeving it is the doore of that way the first entrance the first beginning of it No wonder therefore the A postle adds faith presently upon it as a