nos incipimus postea dei omnia adiuvamur Aug. in Psal 51. c. In euery good worke wee our selues doe not first begin the same and then afterward are assisted by the mercy of God but it is he that first inspireth both our faith and loue towardâ— him without any of our good deserts preceeding And seeing that this vertue as it is saide is a diuine motion inspired into mans heart I remember that Dauid praying to God for the same did first desire God Psal 51.10 to Create a newe heart within him As if he shuld say That which must steed me in this matter must come from aboue neither is there any thing in mine heart already that can be made to serue in this businesse therfore it is needfull not that my old heart be renewed but that I haue another heart not made or framed of the old but created to the which also ô Lord I beseech thee to renew within me thy spirit which I haue enioyed heretofore of thine especiall loue and fauour towards me Therefore although the Lord both commandeth and commendeth the labour and diligence of man as the meanes wherby he is willing to exhibite vs his graces yet doe all our labours and diligence nothing profit vs therin except there be both loue and grace in the Giuer that is in God who iustifieth and frameth mans heart to his Image and will for the sake of his sonne For this grace and mercy proceeding from that diuine loue doth euer preuent vs and go before our faith our loue our vertues our Iustice Yea this is the same whereby wee haue further engendred in our hearts and made able to apprehend that Iustice the which as a good Tree groweth and buddeth and beareth fruite namely all those godly vertues qualities and actions which are required of that man whom the Lord hath iustified And therefore in our iustification Two things in our Iusttification there is not onely the faith of the Belieuer but also the grace of him that iustifieth This meate our Sauiour when in his Doctrine he saide Ioh. 15. Without mee ye can doe nothing that is yee cannot bring fourth any manner fruite either healthfull or profitable neither are yee able to doe any good work acceptable to the Lord except ye belieue in me and by your faith remaine in me And hereof is it that when Saint Paul speaketh of mans iustification being very warie that nothing thereof be yeelded to mans workes or merits hee saith that we are iustified sometimes by grace sometimes by mercy sometimes by faith approaching grace for it is most certaine as Augustine saith againe that the grace is of him that calleth Ad Sympli g. 2. vocantis est Gratia c. Grace and faith and the good workes followe him which hath receiued that grace neither yet are the workes such as obtaine grace but such as proceede of grace And this he maketh plaine by a notable Simbole or similitude For the fire saith he scaldeth not that it may be hoate but therefore because it is hoate nor therefore runneth well the wheele that it may be round but for that it is already round So no man worketh well that hee may thereby receiue grace but therefore hee worketh well because hee hath already obtained it for how can he liue iustly which hath not bin iustified how can he liue holily who hath not bene sanctified So said Augustin alluding to the words of Christ First make the tree good and then the fruit will be good for a good man from the good treasure of his heart bringeth foorth that which is good but on the other side yee can not gather figges of thistles the euill man from the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is euill and how can ye think or speake or do well when your selues are euill By this wee see that howsoeuer our aduersaries would that our perfect iustice should depend on our workes that no worke seeme it neuer so good before men is a perfect worke of Iustice except it be wrought by the person iustified Whereof it was saide that the very Prayers of the vngodly are turned into sin Neither may wee imagine No good worke but that which followeth grace that any work endeuour studie thought or Action is eyther acceptable to the lord or profitable for mans soule without this precedeÌ„t grace which proceedeth from the eternall loue of God in his sonne the Which we may explane by a familiar example though taken froÌ„ an heathen History without iust offence Valerius Maximus Valer. Max. Lib. 2. among his examples of memorable deeds maketh mention of one Liuius Torquatus Manlius a noble Consul of Rome and of his Son â— right valiant and couragious gentleman This gentleman saith he being of a couragious mind went forth with his men of Warre waged battaile against another Nation his fathers enemie but without his said fathers leaue fauor or knowâ—edge and thereof got the victory and a famous conquest in the iudgement of all men who at his returne home praised his valiant exployt noble action with the highest applause the which they all hoped would not onely be confirmed but also tripled by his most noble father Howbeit Torquatus contrary both to their hope and his expectation did not onely preseÌ„tly vnfold his great dislike of his son who aduentured to goe forth without his will consent and so in his disgrace but also al the action great exploit of his aduenture for he commanded him to be slaine for a sacrifice Satius iudicaus patrem forti filio quam patriam miliâ—ari disciplina carere Iudging it better that a father wanted such a valiant son then that the country should be depriued of her militarie discipline In like maner we should beware that we presume not to get credit with the Lord by any worke that we shall endeuour to doe without his grace good wil preuenting vs or to thinke that we can be righteous holy acceptable vnto him but that he first iustifie vs in his son And truly besides this memorable example the very experiment of mens dealing after the course of nature and reason informeth vs of those things The order of Noahs approbatioÌ„ Gen. 6.8.9 But passing by them let vs againe returne to those examples Testimonies of the holy Scriptures and therein first consider the method and order of the righteousnesse and approbation of holy Noah It is reported of him First that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Secondly that he was a righteous man Thirdly that he was perfect Fourthly that he walked with God In that he found grace are two things obserued First that the Lord louing him did fauour him next that hee gaue him faith wherby to finde and apprehend that diuine grace In that hee is saide to be righteous wee are taught that the Lord who had fauoured him and graunted him faith did also approue and
and your Brother and Sauiour Therefore should yee also be patient which are his children and my brethren and by me preserued Againe God is patient to you ward therefore should ye also be patient not only towards him but also one towards an other of you And surely as the Soole is imperfect without the Ground-Rise neither can a Christian be a sufficient labourer in the Lords field or meete qualified for this Spirituall Plough without patience For by this hard things are easie grieuous matters are made tollerable and sowre thinges seeme sweete The contrition of the heart the humiliation of the minde the confession of the mouth the narration of the flesh and the hope of remission is mightily confirmed and established by this Christian vertue Therefore let vs harken therein to the Lord and his holy Apostles which exhort and perswade vs to helpe on the Plough with this powerfull Ground-rise CHAP. XX. The seuenth part of the Soole is the broad Hale THe sixt member of the spiritual Soole Conuersion of mind is called Stiua and englished the Handle or Hale on the which the Plough-man holding his hand by winding and wilding the same turneth the Soole and correcteth the worke comparable therein to the Mariner who holding the Helme of his Shippe turneth about the same and correcteth the errour of his course at his pleasure And of this as hauing a double vse there be two sorts as whereon either hand of the Plough-man might leane for the better framing of the worke The one is called the Broad handle the other the Round-handle to the former is fastened that which is called the Ground-rise by the which the furrow is cast vp and fully perfected and this noteth the Conuersion of the minde as the other the correction of the action both the which are no lesse necessarie then the turning of the turfes and amendement of the faults For the turfe being thereby loosed from the ground must bee altred as that which was before downeward turned vpward and that which was vpward turned downe Againe by this kind of correction that which was old must be renewed and the spinie turse changed into a gentle soyle But first of the former By this is meant the altring of the affection and the conuersion of the minde It is well knowne that the mind in his right nature is the same by whose light all inferiour vertues are directed and gouerned and by the which beeing well qualified a man is made able to iudge betweene truth and falshood good and euill But without this as deuoide of reason which hath her seate in the minde a man is comparable to the perishing beast Here was it where the Lord imprinted the image of his nature and happy had bin our condition had not that soueraigne image bene taken from sinful man But as saith the Wise man Man sought out many inuentions yea the Serpent as a venemous Salamander infected this part of mans soule which being therby as the roote of a tree poisoned could thenceforth naturally yeeld no wholesome fruit Isa â—7 â—0 Rom. 1.18 Thus man hauing his minde surcharged in most pittifull wise fel out of his wit as one cast into a lewd minde in the vanity whereof he walked hauing his cogitation darkened and became a stranger from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him But seeing the Lorde is willing man should be restored and brought home he giueth him by his spirite an alteration of mind being chaunged from euill to good from the diuell to God And this God chiefly required in that word of the wise man My sonne giue me thine heart for hauing thine heart I shall easily haue thy body also Mans hart and mans minde We may here note that the minde and the heart of man doe often signifie one and the same thing in the Scripture as the fountaine or roote of all his cogitations words actions and endeuours Adam had turned his minde or heart from God when he listned to his wife and turned to the Serpent but then he began to turne againe when hee ackowledged his sinne and sought to the Lorde for mercie The Israelites in the Wildernesse had forgotten God that made them but then they began to remember him and to chaunge their mindes when they began to repent So the Iewes captiued in Babylon for their auersion forgetfulnes of God Psal 137. began at length to turne towardes him and remember Sion Thus also Manasses and Dauid and Salomon and Peter and Paul turned from their former wicked liues wherein they had offended the Maiestie of God and came home againe humbly acknowledging their errours And this is that which our Sauiour teacheth in the comming home of the lost Sonne to his Faher against whom he had sinned being now of another minde and constitution then he was when hee went from home Saint Paul perceiuing not only the praise but the profit of this good alteration desired the Romans by the tender mercies of God to be changed by the renewing of their mindes Rom. 12.2 1. And S. Peter Pet. 4.1 put for our example Christ Iesus to whom hee would wee should in minde bee conformed Ier. 31. And this the Prophet vnderstoode in the person of the children of Ephraim who had beene estranged from Gods grace and now desired to bee reclaimed and receiued into fauour againe saying Conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted for thou art the Lord my God But Dauid Wee neede new harts to shew the manner of this action desired God to create in him a new heart and renew the right spirit within him Where note that this worke must bee framed not of any thing in our selues but another heart is to be created that is not made or framed of that older heart but created that is of nothing by a new worke for the word to create is to make something not ex praeiacente materia but of nothing For so indeed need we to haue new made hearts that the holy Spirit may againe be renewed to vs in the same For it is certaine that wee haue turned away from the Lord with the Prodigall Sonne and louing darknesse more then light haue thought the pleasures of sinne for the time better then the diuine graces which last for euer wherein wee must confesse with Dauid Daniel that we haue egregiously erred transgressed and offended against God and the Angells But now wee are better resolued and thinking more reuerently of the Lord in goodnes are by this readie to renew our former loue and turning our hearts againe vnto our God doe endeuour to serue him in singlenesse of minde This is that which the Prophet Ioel would perswade when hee saith Rent your hearts and not you garments Ioel. 2.13 and turne to the Lord your God Loe this is that first Plough-handle and such is the true vse thereof Now let vs consider of the second CHAP. XXI The eight part of
as besides many testimonies of holy Scriptures wee finde it verified in that fearefull example of Nimrod the mightie Hunter Nebuchadnezar the Monarch of Babylon Herod Abimelech Antiochus Holofernes and such haughtie-hearted plowers of mischiefes For the Lorde dooth alwaies resist the proude as vnworthy both his benediction and Kingdome Therefore to his Saintes hee commends humilitie in the which as they are called blessed so haue they in the ende the Kingdome of heauen and happinesse eternall Thirdly the Culter of this Soole is that Shame Sinfull Shame which bringeth sinne as by the which the sinner denieth to acknowledge and confesse his sinnes and transgressions committed either to God or to the coÌ„gregatioÌ„ or to his euen brother whom hee hath offended contrarying or withstanding that Confession of the mouth which was semblant to the Culter whereby the earth pierced with the Share is opened and diuided Neuerthelesse as the euill man from the euill treasure of his heart brings forth that which is euill he is not any thing ashamed to belke and blatter forth heinous blasphemies against God and the King scandalles letters periuries euill wordes and to sinne openly without shame This was Sodomes abhomination imitating therein wicked Cayn who albeit hee could not but see the heinousnesse of his owne fault would yet not confesse himselfe faultie or at the least not much faultie but ieasted as it were at Gods commination As Is my sinne so great or greater then that it may bee pardoned But as those obtaine no promise of pardon so are they iustly secluded from all hope of sauing health Well therefore said S. Augustine Aug. in Psal O homo quid times confiteri c. O thou man wherefore fearest thou to confesse that which by confession I am yet more ignorant of then of that I know not at all Why shamest thou thy sinnes to confesse I am a sinner as thou art I am also a man and nothing of that which is humane is wanting in me Confesse thy sinne ô man euen before man a sinfull man to a sinfull man Choose now either part If thou conceale thy sinnes for want of Confession thou shalt be damned as vnconfest For to this ende the Lord requireth mans confession that he might pardon the man which is thereby humbled and to this end hee dammes him which confesseth not that hee might punish the person which is proud The Plough Beame of Impietie is the repletion of bread pampering of the flesh and luxurie 4. Luxury a seuere enemie to true Mortification For as that beame of Pietie is the strength of godly Repentance so is this the vtter dissolution of the same as then when men are filled and glutted with carnall lustes they are apt and readie to all impietie and wickednesse with greedines Gregor in moral in Iob. Aug. de ciu dei lib. 12. For as Gregory said afteâ— that the vice of luxurie hath assailed mans minde it scarcely permits him to thinke of any goodnesse for his desires are clibbe or clammie for of an euill suggestion springs cogitation of cogitation affection of affection delight of delight consent of consent operation of operation custome of custome dispaire of dispaire defence of sinne of defence of sinne proud boasting Ezech. 16. Gen. 6. of proud boasting death This was an other of Sodomes sinnes as witnesseth the Prophet vnder the title of their idlenesse and of the filthy sinners in the time of the generall deluge whereof it followed that they both perished the former by fire the latter by water in the Lords fearefull anger whose iustice most worthily abhorres this filthy Plough-beame The Tractory of this Aratre is a desperate minde touching any consolation or helpe from aboue or of the life to come 5. Desperation Sap. 2.22 the which the vngodly hope not for Therefore whereas the faithfull are drawen foorth and perswaded through the hope of those good things promised them these vngodly thereof both doubtfull and desperate slug on the waues of this world slumber as in the darke night erre from the right way and setting before them onely that which either their owne wisedome or power or policie or labours or studies or the fauour and the wealth of the world may suggest procute and affoord them they perish with prophane Esau and with that rich man Gen. Luk. 12. Sap. 5. Ambros super Luc. lib. 12. who lost his soule suddenly in the night For the hope of the vngodly as saith the wise man is like a drie Thiftle-flower blowne off with the winde Against the which humour of those vngodly thus counselleth Saint Ambrose Nemo diffidat c. Let no man distrust Let no man as guiltie of his former sinnes dispaire of the diuine graces The Lord knowes how to alter his sentence if thou knowest how to amend thy faults Isidor de Sum. bono lib. 2. But as to commit an euill action is the death of the Soule so to dispaire of Gods mercie and grace is the falling downe headlong of a man into hell Therefore as the godly person should be wary that he fall not through pride Aug. in lib. de sym so should the sinner take heede that hee dispaire not through malice After this followes the Ground-Rise of Impieties Soole and that is impious Impatiencie 6. Impatiencie or that malicious Anger the which in them who are not well plained but left ill hewen and rough meetes daily with those oppositions of mans nature with exceeding great murmure and vnreasonable exclamations nor indeede through the disposition of a daungerous euill humour of mans heart is the same able to sustain and perseuer in the assaults and tentations but cracketh breaketh and giueth ouer because it hath not nor can obtaine either the loue diuine or any hope of good thinges future or is willing to endure any aduerse or hard aduentures In Pastor for Pieties cause Ipsa quae mater est omnium custosque virtutum per impotientiae vitium virtus amittitur That Vertue of Charitie saith Gregorie which is the mother and keeper of all Vertues is quite ouerthrowne by the vice of impatiencie With this Ground-Rise laboured Saul though King of Israel and Demas though sometimes an hearer and follower of the blessed Apostles 1. Pet. who thereby waxing faint perished in the way to the terrour of other â— Auersion froÌ„â—od The Broad-Hale of this Aratre is Auersio the turning away from God this Saint Paul noted and reproued in them of his time which turned their eares from the truth 2 Tim 4. Deut. 9 Sap. And Moses in those Israelites whose hart was turned from the Lord their God Whereas true Conuersion hath peace and life this hath trouble and death for the Apostating of the vngodly is his owne destruction according to that comination 1. Kin. 9.6 If ye shall turne away from me saith the Lord then will I cut you off from the land which I haue giuen you This is a
Infidelitie which retaining a prophane doubtfulnesse of Gods word of the Articles of faith and of the promises of grace and saluation in the holy Messias cannot apply to it selfe any of Christs merits nor apprehend hope of remission or iustification not bring forth or effect any of those good fruites which belong to true repentance but rather lifteth vp the Beame of Luxurie and turneth the ridges of impiety whereof spring those noisome tares which the enuious man soweth in the field of his heart Chrysost in Mat. 13. For this is right semblant to that sandie ground the which is made neuer the more fruitfull for the raine that falles therein but remaines barren touching all good fruites This Key therefore is nothing profiâ—able as is the Key of Pietie but alwaies noisome as by the which no man of what estate soeuer hee be can or may please God Gen. 3. Mat. 25. 1. Cor. 10. Mat. 22.11 who by our onely faith in his Sonne is well pleased This sinne spewed Adam and Henah out of Paradise caused the Isralites to fall in Wildernesse the fiue foolish Virgins to bee barred out from the Brides chamber and the dissembling Hypocrite to be expelled the mariage Table Therefore as our Lorde often commended vnto his followers Faith so also hee reprooued them for their vnbeliefe from the which hee much laboured to withdraw them lest whiles they continued infidelious with the maligne world they perished with the same The last member of this Soole Aratre is Malitious Crueltie 14. Malitious Crueltie likened to the Taw which dooth not onely compasse the Beame but holdeth the Tractory by the helpe of the Key This vice fastened to Dispaire by the Key of Impietie embraceth the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life with that wisedome which is earthly sensuall and diuellish The Taw of Pietie which is true Charitie loueth God and hateth the diuell this haâ—eth God and loues the Diuell that likes well the worde of God and abhorreth the worlde this loatheth the word of God and affecteth the worlde that honoureth the Spirit and suppresseth the flesh this honoureth the flesh and grieues the Spirit of God that embraceth the true brethren in Christ and consolateth them in their afflictions this disdaines them and addes paines to their troubles for this vice is most cruell to the true members of Christ but fauourable and obsequious to the Ministers of Antichrist finally the former perfects all vertues this replenisheth the dole of all vices For as Charitie is the fulfilling of the Lawe so is this the transgression of the same and as euery vertue is comprehended within loue so are all vices vnder vncharitable crueltie and therefore vnto such an one appertaines punishment as to the iust belongs honour as saide Philo Iudaus Philo in officio Iudieis seeing that hee who of his maligne minde perpetrateth cruell actions is not onely vnhappy but vniust Wherefore as in the old time the Lord plagued the Giants for their crueltie so afterward Gen 6. hee both reprooued and reprobated the Iewes and their sacrifices for the same saying I will haue mercie and not sacrifices for your hands are full of blood in regard whereof all your sacrifices oblations yea your praiers are sinfull before mee Lo such is the Soole of Impietie so opposite and contrary to that of true Pietie spoken of before CHAP. XXXIII Of the Oxen which labour and draw on the Soole of Impietie THe Aratre or Soole of Impietie is drawne forth with ten impious * Gregor moral in Iob. li. 1. c. 16. Nomine boum â—liquando habetudo fatuorum disignatur c. Oxen which allude in number nature and quality to those fiue yoke of Oxen with the which he ploughed who being called to the mariage feast of the Kings son refused to come and would bee excused and these are so many kindes of wicked and euill disposed persons which being coupled together consent and agree to plough iniquitie vngodlinesse and being ten they compleat and furnish fiue yokes or couples as a perfect number of maligne diuelish works in the field of this world In this for the first yoke is placed the prophane Atheist and the beastly Epicure In the second the maleuolent Heretike the Romish Iesuite In the third the factious Schismatike and the contentious Seditionary In the fourth the recoiling Apostate and the thriftlesse idle labourer In the fift the carnal Protestant and the Hypocrite The first denieth the eternal essence and being of God which was which is and shall be euer the same as such which said in Iob 1. Atheists Iob. 21.7 Who is the Almightie and in the Psalme Psal 14.1 There is no God or God is not Iob calleth them vngodly and Dauid calleth them fooles for they be neither of any religion towards God nor wise for themselues nor profitable to the Church And of the next affinity to these are the Cyclopicall Epicures 2 Epicures which diriding all discipline especially the doctrine of the resurrection and defying the Lord Iesus they make their bellies their gods consolating their hearts with this loathsome loare Let vs eate and drink and be merry here whiles we liue for we may die to morrow and then shalt haue no pleasure neither in this world nor any where else Sap. 2. Mat. Of this kind were those vngodly sinners in the dais of SalomoÌ„ those saduces in the time of Christ those grunting swine which when St. Paul met at Ephesus fought with them 1. Cor. 15. Ignat. epist 3. though in quality beasts after the manner of men The former Oxe in the second yoke The secoÌ„d yoke 1. Heretikes is he which doth not only inuent and broach a diuelish error and damnable opinion in the Church to the seduction hurt of the people but labours most eagerly by all arguments waies meanes to maintaine defend the same against the manifest approued truth of Gods word Of this kinde was Arrius Eutichius Manichaeus Sabellianus Valenteneanus and such others in the time of those bloody persecutions of the Church by the Roman Emperors before after the raigne of blessed Constantine by whose impiety both the Tyrants were much prouoked against the Christians and the Saints much offended To these are combined in the same yoke those impropriate Catholicks â— Romish Catholikes which depending on the Bishop of Rome haue with his impiety not only swallowed vp into their caniculare wombes all the Satanicall heresies broached and defended by those auncient Heretickes in the Church but also haue vomited and cast forth the same on the poore people of this time to the seducing of many simple soules laden with sinne and the great disturbance of the Christian peace And therein they are not contented Cassiod in Psal either through the desire of riches and an odious boasting of pride and vaine-glorie to persecute others which consent not