everlasting life Thou in thy gifts art manifold whereby Christs Church doth stand In faithfull hearts writing the law the finger of Gods hand Thine holy Ghost into us poure Lords pray by D. Coxe with all his gifts most plenteously Whatsoever is good proceedeth from God as from the principall fountain Rogat Ser. Part. 1. and the only authour All good things come down to us from above from the Father of light The Title of the Sermon is That all good things cometh from God In Christ God the Father doth blesse us with all spirituall and heavenly gifts Part. 3. God is the giver of all good things Now. Cat. quest 249. The particular effects of grace are seene either in mortifying of vice or exercising of vertue in the heart I will begin with those places that speake of mortifying of vice Almightie God mortifie and kill all vices in us Coll. Innoc. day Cat. in the Common Prayer book quest 15.18 Complaint of a sinner A Sacrament is an externall and visible sign of an internall and spirituall grace given unto us This grace in Baptisme is a dying unto sinne and living unto righteousnesse Now let those drops most sweet So moist my heart most dry That I with finne replete May live and sinne may dye That being mortifide This sinne of mine in mee I may be sanctifide By grace of thine in thee So that I never fall Into such mortall sinne That my foes infernall Rejoyce my death therein But vouchsafe me to keep From those infernall foes And from that lake so deep Whereas no mercy growes Make us to follow the doctrin of Iohn the Baptist Coll. on S. Iohn Bapt. day Prayer 1. added to Set. Fast 1625. Prayer 4. Thanksg for ceasing plague 1604. that we may truly repent according to his preaching Give us thy heavenly grace that we may truly and earnestly repent As thou gavest the Ninivites repentance through thy grace so now visit the hearts of thy people in this land with thine heavenly grace and holy Spirit that they may speedily and soundly return unto thee from all their wicked wayes in true repentance and a living faith in Jesus Christ See the like in the Evening prayers set forth in the rainy weather 1613. Homily of falling from God Part. 2. Homily against wilfull rebellion Part. 1. Collect. 1. in Thanksgiving Novemb. 5. and the next prayer there Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit Collect. on Circumcis of Christ that our hearts and all our members being mortified from all worldly and carnall lusts may in all things obey thy blessed will Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickednesse Coll. on Easter tuesday that we may alwayes serve thee in purenesse of living and truth Grant that we forsaking all worldly and carnall affections Coll. on S. Iames day may be evermore ready to follow thy commandments To withstand Satans invasion Give power and strength to every age Lords Pr. by D. Cox Prayer to the holy Ghost before the Serm. Coll. before Epis Fast 1625. Thanksgiving following Coll. 1. Prayer 2. There after the Gospel Prayer against rebel in the Hom. Cain Com. Pray book quest 24. O holy Ghost visit our coast Defend us with thy shield Against all sinne and wickednesse Lord help us win the field Create and make new hearts within us O Lord. Give unto us such effectuall grace that every one of us beholding the plague of his own heart we may abhorre our corruptions and turn our selves away from our evill wayes Give us grace that we may not any more provoke thine indignation against us by our transgressions Make soft and tender the stony hearts of all those that exalt themselves against thy truth Our soules are strengthened and refreshed with the body and bloud of Christ as our bodies are with bread and wine By the strength of the holy Ghost sinfull flesh is subdued and tamed Now. Cat. quest 144. and corrupt desires are brideled and restrained We pray that God will with the moving of his holy Spirit Quest 208. so change and fashion all the wils of us all to the will of his Majestie that we may will or wish nothing that his divine will misliketh Thus much for the effects of grace in mortifying of vice now follow those that belong to the executing vertue in the soul That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and dread thee Letany and diligently to live after thy commandments By thy speciall grace preventing us Collect. on Easter day Sund. 4. after Easter thou dost put into our hearts good desires Almightie God which dost make the minds of all faithfull men to be of one will grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest and desire that which thou dost promise Grant us thy humble servants Coll. Sund. 5. after Easter Sund. 3. after Trinity Sund. 6. after Trinity that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good Lord to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray O God poure into our hearts such love toward thee that we loving thee in all things may obtaine thy promises That thy servants may obtaine their petitions Sund. 10. after Trinity make them to aske such things as shall please thee Grant we beseech thee Sunday 13. that we may so run to thy heavenly promises that we raile not finally to attain the same That we may obtaine that which thou dost promise Sunday 14. make us to love that which thou dost command Grant thy people grace with pure heart and minde to follow thee the onely God Sund. 18. Grant we beseech thee unto thy Church to love that he beleeved Coll. on S. Barthol day Coll. on Sim and Iudes day Prayer at begin of Commandements Prayer after each command After the last commandement Prayer of the Priest in the name of the communicants Prayer 2. after receiving the communion Prayer 2. in the short ones after the communion Prayer 3. Grant us so to be joyned together in unity of Spirit by their doctrine that we may be an holy Temple acceptable to thee Cleanse our hearts that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy name Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keepe this law Lord write all these thy lawes in our hearts we beseech thee Grant us therefore gracious Lord so to eate the flesh of thy deare Sonne Jesus Christ and to drinke his bloud that our sinfull bodies may be made clean by his body and our soules washed through his most precious bloud We most humbly besech thee O heavenly Father so to assist us with thy grace that we may continue in that holy fellowship O Almighty Lord and everliving God vouchsafe we beseech thee to direct sanctifie and govern both our hearts and bodies in the wayes of thy lawes and in the works of thy
thy honour and glory Make us so follow the doctrine Coll. on S. Iohn Bapt. and holy life of Saint Iohn Baptist that we may truly repent and constantly speak the truth boldly rebuke vice and patiently suffer for the truths sake Make we beseech thee all Bishops and Pastours diligently to preach thy holy word Coll. on S. Peter and the people obediently to follow the same Grant that we forsaking all worldly and carnall affections Coll. on S. Iames. may be evermore ready to follow thy commandements Grant us grace to follow thy holy Saints in all vertuous and godly living Collect. on All Saints Prayer after every command Ser. against perill of idol 2. Part. Serm concerning Pr. 1. Part. 1. Part. of Serm. for Rog. week In the same place Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law Let us beseech God that we may flee from all idolatry God for his great mercy sake so work in our hearts by his holy Spirit that we may alwayes make our humble prayers unto him as we ought to do Let us call upon the father of mercy that we may be assisted with the presence of his holy Spirit and demeane our selves in speaking and hearing to the salvation of our souls If we should aske the Saints in heaven whence came their glorious works which they wrought in their lives Esay saith O Lord it is thou of thy goodnesse that hast wrought all works in us Grant that this thy rod Prayers for the Fast 1625. 2. Prayer added in the Letany Thanksgiving 1625. Collect. 1. In the same book 3. Prayer after the Gospel may by thy heavenly grace speedily work in us the fruit and effect of true repentance unfainedly turning and converting unto thee and perfect amendment of our whole lives Give us such effectuall grace that we looking every one of us into the plague of his own heart may abhorre our own corruptions and turn from our evill wayes We most humbly beseech thee to poure thy heavenly grace into our hearts that we may learn to turn unto thee from our wicked wayes CHAP. X. Of Gods governing us SEeing after we are regenerated and have spirituall life wrought in us we still need Gods help to govern us it must needs follow that being spiritually dead by nature we could not be made alive by a morall swasion but by a powerfull work of God That we still need Gods governing grace appeares by authorised books GRant that our doings may be ordered by thy governance Morning Prayer Coll. 3. to do alwayes that is righteous in thy sight We beseech thee Coll. on 5. Sunday in Lent that by thy great goodnesse thy people may be governed and preserved evermore both in body and soul Lord from whom all good things do come Coll. on 5. Sund. after Easter grant us thy humble servants that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good and by thy mercifull guiding may performe the same Lord make us to have a perpetuall feare and love of thy holy name Coll. on 2. Sund. after Trinity for thou never failest to help and govern them whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast love Grant that the course of this world may be so ordered by thy governance Coll. on 5. Sund. after Trinity that thy congregation may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietnesse O Almightie Lord everliving God vouchsafe Short Pray after Com. Prayer 2. we beseech thee to direct sanctifie and govern both our hearts and bodies in the wayes of thy laws and in the works of thy commandements Defend O Lord Prayer in Confirm Hom. of Matrim this child with thy heavenly grace that he may continue thine for ever Married persons must crave the help of Gods Spirit so to rule their hearts that their minds be not desevered Use oft prayer to God In the same Hom. that he would be present by you that he would continue concord and charitie betwixt you We pray that God by his holy Spirit would illuminate and govern the hearts of all such Now. Cat. quest 206. as be of his Cuurch wherein he reigneth specially as in his kingdome As thou hast by Gods guiding quest 251. first conceived this minde and will so shalt thou by his grace attain to a happy end of this thy godly study and indeavour CHAP. XI Of Gods preserving us in godlinesse and from sinne AS the power of God manifests it selfe at first in regenerating us so may it evidently be discerned afterwards in resisting Satans temptations and keeping us in the wayes of piety If an effectuall worke of God be sometimes needfull to keepe us from grosse idolatry in heavy temptations then is it much more needfull to keepe us from evill thoughts and in pious meditations with delight Our flesh is quickly weary of good wayes and easily inclining to evill after we are regenerate If now besides the strength of that working grace which God put into us at first there be need of an effectuall helpe of grace still then was there at first when we were able to doe nothing need not of a stocke that we might use well or ill but of an effectuall work of grace to worke faith and repentance in us Now what need we have of Gods preserving helpe let the bookes speake VOuchsafe Te Deum O Lord to keepe us this day without sinne From all evill and mischiefe Letany from sinne from the crafts and assaults of the devill from thy wrath and from everlasting damnation Good Lord deliver us From all blindnesse of heart from pride vaine-glory and hypocrisie from envy hatred and malice and all uncharitablenesse Good Lord deliver us From fornication and all other deadly sinne and from all the deceits of the world the flesh and the devill Good Lord deliver us That it may please thee to keepe and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee in righteousnesse and holinesse of life thy servant Letany Charles our most gracious King and Governour Lord make us to have a perpetuall feare and love of thy holy name Coll. Sund. 2. after Trin. Sund. 7. Nourish us with all goodnesse and of thy great mercy keepe us in the same Lord we beseech thee grant thy people grace to avoid the infections of the devill Sund. 18. Lord we beseech thee to keepe thy houshold the Church in continuall godlinesse Sund. 22. Almighty God confirme and strengthen you in all goodnesse Absolv at the Communion Cat in book of Com. Pr. quest 13. Pr. 3. in vis of the sicke Veni Creator I pray unto God that it will please him to save and defend us in all dangers ghostly and bodily and that he will keepe us from all sinne and wickednesse Preserve and continue this sicke member in the unity of thy Church Strength and stablish all our weaknesse so feeble and so fraile That neither flesh the world
THE FAITH OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND CONCERNING GODS WORK ON MANS WILL. PVBLIKELY CONFIRMED BY THE SVBSCRIPTIONS OF ALL the Famous Martyrs and Divines thereof Faithfully gathered out of the Authenticke Records of the CHVRCH By Francis Tayler B. in D. and Rector of CLAPHAM in SVRREY LONDON Printed by I. L. for Nicholas Bourne at the South entrance to the Royall Exchange 1641. TO Sir EDWARD DERING of Surenden-Dering in the County of Kent Knight and Baronet and one of the Knights chosen by that County to serve in the Commons House of Parliament SIR THat little interest I have in Kent was the first motive that incited me to desire your worships acquaintance And the report of your zeale for the establishing of Religion and our lawfull liberties encreased this desire The courteous entertainment and familiarity you have since vouchsafed me hath made me bold to present this ensuing Treatise to the view of the world under your protection whom God hath enabled to judge truly of it to defend it The truth is that of late years the Law and the Gospell have bin so dressed both in the Pulpit in the Presse that we neither knew what we beleeved nor what we had Our interest in heaven and in earth were like to be both alike unknowne unto us in a little time The Proverbe is Evill manners beget good Lawes So our good God can bring good out of will The Mystery of Babylon hath wrought among us by upholding the Arminian tenets under colour of pulling downe Puritanes to take away the faith of Protestants Andrews Bilson Whitakers Perkins Calvin Beza have beene strange names Peter Lumbard Thomas Aquinas Bonaventure have bin too familiar in our Vniversities and Pulpits The silence enjoyned in Pulpits and Presses hath burst out on the wrong side while the right side might neither speake nor write Our hope of correcting these disorders next under our great God and our most gracious Soveraigne is in the two Honourable Houses of Parliament Of one of which your Worship is a member My suit then is that your last workes may be better then your first and that as you have been a meanes to discover our by-paths so you will be an instrument to reduce us to our first love Let us know what we have beleeved that know not what wee doe beleeve If you please to move the Honourable House that the Records of our Church may be searched by certaine grave Divines and the writings of our elder and soundest Writers now out of date may be reviewed and a summe of our Religion ever since the reformation professed collected out of these I suppose it will be a great meanes to quiet our troubles and appease our differences at home and to regaine us a good opinion with other Churches abroad Some of which have thought so ill of us as that they have forbidden their young Students to come into England as I have heard from a young man of excellent parts who adventured to come hither being sent from Berne into Holland I have endeavoured to give some light to this businesse in this Treatise wherein I shew the judgement of our Church in one maine point upon which all or the most part of Arminianisme depends I could wish I might be a shoing-horne to draw on men better able to doe the like against all new opinions of Arminianisme Socinianisme and Popery which are thought to grow secretly among us and shew themselves by fits in Preaching and Printing I beseech Almighty God to incline the hearts of all to whom he hath given parts to further this great work of setling the grounds of our Religion by a sweet Harmony This will be for Gods glory the honour of our Church the good of our posterity and the stopping of the mouths of our Adversaries who trumpet out our dissentions for their owne advantage Sir my request is that you would favourably accept this small Present and that God would blesse it to the furtherance of the publike good So praying for the true well-fare of you and all yours I rest Clapham Febr. 20. 1641. At your Worships service in the Lord FRANCIS TAYLOR Fourteene books publikely allowed out of which all these proofes are taken 1. The Book of Common Prayer 2. The Book of Ordination 3. The Book of Articles with the Commenmentary of Mr. Thomas Rogers Chaplain to Archbishop Bankcroft 4. The first Book of Homelies 5. The second Book of Homelies 6. The Catechisme allowed by authoritie 7. Prayer on August 5. 8. Prayer on November 5. 9. The thanksgiving for the ceasing of the plague 1604. 10. Prayers for ceasing of the rainy weather 1613. 11. Prayers on the Kings day March 27. 12. Prayers in the Fast 1625. 13. The thanksgiving for the ceasing of the plague that yeere 14. Prayers in the Fast 1626. Fourteene heads to which all the proofs in this Treatise are to be referred 1. Our owne insufficiency to any good 2. Gods omnipotency shewed in our conversion 3. Gods speciall grace 4. Gods working in infants 5. The giving of internall grace to men 6. The receiving of grace 7. The internall effect of grace 8. The purification of the heart 9. The externall effect of grace 10. Gods governing us 11. Gods preserving us in godlinesse and from sinne 12. The progresse of the regenerate 13. The prayers of holy men 14. Gods grants To the Reader WOnder not Christian Reader that so much paines hath been taken to search the authenticke records of this our famous Church of England for the worke of God upon the will of man That over-large power given by the Adversary to the will of man hath been the navell-string whereby the misbegotten bratts of Arminianisme have beene nourished while they lay lurking in the wombe of nature It is in vaine to talke of predestination out of faith foreseene if there be no power in mans will to beleeve It is as if a Physitian should foresee that a man mortally sicke would of himselfe recover but give him nothing to recover him How can God foresee that such a man mill beleeve who hath no power to doe it unlesse God give it him Gods generall intention to save all men by Christ will not serve the turne unlesse there be in every man a power to apply Christs death unto them Otherwise it is like Physicke prepared for a dead man that cannot take it To say that faith is wrought in us onely by Gods morall swasion is ridiculous if it be not in our power to doe as we are exhorted in all things To teach that Gods work in mans conversion is such as may be frustraed of the saving effect by mans will resisting when God hath done as much as he nseth to doe in regenerating men is absurd unlesse it be left every way indifferent to man to beleeve or not to beleeve and he have power indifferently to doe either It seeme as strange to affir me that the regenerate may totally fall from grace unlesse he
evill affections God is present in his chosen all whole in Majestie together with all his power In the same place wisdome and goodnes From God as from a giver In the same place Hom. for Whitsunday come these graces and gifts kindnesse meeknesse patience Some men will say How shall I know that the Holy Ghost is within me As the tree is knowne by the fruit so is also the Holy Ghost The fruits of the Holy Ghost are love Part. 1. joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faithfulnesse meeknesse temperance Of our selves we be crabbe-trees Hom. of mans misery Part. 2. that can bring forth no apples We be of our selves of such earth as can but bring forth weeds nettles brambles bryers cockle and darnell Our fruits be declared Gal. 5. We have neither faith charity hope patience chastity nor any thing else that good is but of God and therefore these vertues be called there the fruits of the Holy Ghost and not the fruits of man We ought first to crave things that properly belong to the salvation of the soule Hom. of prayer Part. 3. as the gift of repentance the gift of faith the gift of charity and good works patience lowlinesse hope joy love peace which things God requireth of all those that professe themselves his children This holy company of Saints in heaven confesseth constantly Rogat serm Part. 1. that all the goods and graces wherewith with they were endued in soule came of the goodnes of God onely It is meet therefore to thinke that all spirituall goodnesse cometh from God above onely We must needs agree In the same place that whatsoever good thing is in us of grace nature or fortune is of God onely as the onely author and worker Let us confesse that of our selves cometh all evill and damnation Hom. of mans misery Part. 2. Rogat serm Part. 2. and of God all goodnesse and salvation If we confesse that all grace of the soule is of God and is his gift onely it will teach us to thank God for them it will abate our pride when we perceive that nothing comes of our selves but sinne and vice it will keepe us from despising such as have fewer gifts it will make us to have recourse to God for all grace CHAP. VI. Of the receiving of grace IF by another speciall grace of God we doe receive the grace and favour that God offers us in his holy word then there is no question but God doth worke effectually where he doth regenerate Let us therefore heare what the Church teacheth us in that behalfe ALmighty God give us the grace Coll. Sund. 2. after Easter Coll. S. Andrews day that we may alwayes most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit to wit of the death of Christ Almighty God which didst give such grace unto thy holy Apostle S. Andrew that he readily obeyed the calling of thy Sonne Jesus Christ and followed him without delay grant unto us all that we being called by thy holy word may forthwith give over our selves obediently to follow thy holy commandements through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow thy sonne Jesus Christ Coll. S. Matthews day Prayer for Church militant Prayer 3. in Confirm To all thy people give thy heavenly grace and specially to this congregation here present that with meek heart and due reverence they may heare and receive thy holy word Let thy fatherly hand we beseech thee ever be over these children let thy holy Spirit ever be with them and so lead them in the knowledge and obedience of thy word that in the end they may obtaine the everlasting life Send thy heavenly blessing so upon these thy ministers Prayer last in ord of Priests that thy word spoken by their mouthes may have such successe that it may never be spoken in vaine Grant also that we may have grace to heare and receive the same as thy most holy word By faith given us of God we imbrace the promise of Gods mercy Serm. of Salvation Part. 3. Hom. for Whitsunday Part. 1. and of the remission of our sinnes Let us humbly beseech God so to worke in our hearts by the power of his holy Spirit that we being regenerate and newly borne againe in all goodnesse righteousnesse sobriety and truth may in the end obtaine eternall life God of his great mercy so work in all mens hearts by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost Part. 2. that the Gospell may be truely preached truely received and truely followed in all places By the worke of the Holy Ghost we receive this grace of God whereunto we are restored Now. Cat. quest 149. CHAP. VII Of the internall effect of grace THE books attribute the internall effects of grace to God also For howsoever that grace that is given us in regeneration have some power to produce spirituall thoughts yet because our spirituall life is not so compleat as our naturall life and is much hindred from good inclinations by the corruptions of our flesh remaining so that it cannot do that good it would without a fresh supply of Gods assisting grace therefore the help of God is still implored and the praise of the effect given to him Now if in a man regenerate there be need of more grace to help that act which he hath already then certainly the first work of grace whereby a dead man is made alive spiritually must needs be the only effectuall work of Gods Spirit For if he cannot thinke what he would now he hath grace at all times without further help then certainly before he had grace he could do nothing pleasing to God This head of the internall effects of grace is the largest of all the rest We will therefore divide it into two parts First we will treat of the internall effect of Gods grace in generall in the regenerate Secondly of the particular effects of it For the First The effect of grace in generall is set down in these places O God from whom all holy desires Collect. 2. Even Pray all good counsels and all just works do proceed That it may please thee to endue the Lords of the Counsell Letany and all the Nobilitie with grace That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of grace Letany to heare meekly thy word and to receive it with pure affection and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit O God from whom all good things do proceed Coll. Sund. 5. after Easter Sund. 7. after Trin. Sunday 13. after Trin. Coll. Sund. 23. after Trin. Prayer 1. in Matrim Veni Creator O God the Authour and giver of all good things Almightie and mercifull God of whose onely gift it cometh that thy faithfull people do unto thee true and laudable service God our refuge and strength which art the authour of all godlinesse O eternall God giver of all spirituall grace the authour of
the holy Ghost God grant that these words against adultery may not be spoken in vain God by his holy word indueth his people assembled in his Church Hom. of right use of Church with the effectuous presence of his heavenly grace God doth indue his people assembled in his Church Hom. against perill of idol Part. 1. with the effectuall presence of his grace by his word and promises to the attainment of worldly commodities and all heavenly gifts and life everlasting God vouchsafe to purifie our minds through faith in Christ Hom. of inform of such as take offence at some places of Script Part. 2. to instill the heavenly drops of his grace into our hard-stony hearts to supple the same that we be not contemners and deriders of his word but that with all humblenesse of minde and Christian reverence we may indeavour our selves to heare and to read his sacred Scriptures and inwardly so to digest them as shall be to the comfort of our soules and sanctification of his holy Name Man is first made good by the Spirit and grace of God that effectually worketh in him Hom. of Almsdeeds Part. 2. Hom. of Almsdeeds Part. 2. In the same place In the same place and afterwards bringeth forth good fruits The grace of God worketh all in all Whatsoever can be named good and profitable for body or soule comes only of Gods mercy and meere favour and not of our selves God attributes that unto us and to our doings that he by his Spirit worketh in us and through his grace procureth for us God grant that we may alwayes shew our selves thankfull for Christs death Passion Sermon 2. abhorring all kinde of wickednesse and applying our minds wholly to the service of God and the diligent keeping of his commandments It is Gods Spirit which ingendreth a burning zeale towards Gods word Hom. for Whitsunday Part. 1. In the same place In the same place Nicodemus knew not the power of the holy Ghost in this behalfe that it is he which inwardly worketh the Regeneration and new birth of mankinde It is the holy Ghost and no other thing that doth quicken the minds of men stirring up good and godly motions in their hearts which otherwise of their own crooked and perverse nature they should never have The fruits of faith In the same place charitable and godly motions if man have any at all in him they proceed onely of the holy Ghost who is the only worker of our sanctification and maketh us new men in Christ Jesus The Spirit of Jesus is a good Spirit Part. 2. an holy Spirit a lowly Spirit a mercifull Spirit If any man live uprightly he hath the holy Ghost within him If the Saints in heaven were asked Serm. for Rogat week Part. 1. who should be thanked for their regeneration justification and salvation they would answer with David Not to us Lord but to thy Name give all the thanks If they be asked In the same place whence came all their glorious works they would say with Esay O Lord it is thou of thy goodnesse that hast wrought all our works in us not we our selves They be justitiaries and hypocrites In the same place which rob Almightie God of this honour and ascribe it to themselves Let us confesse Serm. for Rogat week Part. 2. that all spirituall graces behoveable for our soule come from God without whose goodnesse no man is called to faith or stayed therein God grant us all grace so to heare his word that we may fulfill it In the same place God give us grace to know those things Part. 3. and to feele them in our hearts This knowledge and feeling is not in our selfe by our selfe it is not possible to come by it Let us therefore meekly call upon the Holy Ghost that he would assist us and inspire us with his presence that in him we may be able to heare our salvation For without his lively and secret inspiration we cannot so much as name Christ Much lesse should we be able to beleeve In Gods Spirit shall we be meet vessels to receive the grace of Almighty God In the same place for it is he that purgeth and purifieth the minde by his secret working He sitteth in the tongue of man to stirre him to speake his honour He onely ministreth spirituall strength to the powers of our soule and body It is Gods Spirit that maketh us to hold the way which God hath prepared for us and to pray boldly to God If any gift we have whereby we may worke to the glory of God and profit of our neighbour all is wrought by this Spirit The holy Spirit will confirme us in all things In the same place Hom. of Matrim Married persons must crave continually of God the helpe of his holy Spirit so to rule their hearts and to knit their minds together that they be not dissevered by any division of discord It is God that worketh in us both the will Serm. of Repen Part. 1. and the deed Phil. 2. For this cause although Ieremy had said before If thou returne O Israel returne unto me saith the Lord yet afterwards he saith Turne thou me O Lord I shall be turned for thou art the Lord try God Ier. 6. And therefore that holy writer and ancient Father Ambrose doth plainely affirme that the turning of the heart to God is of God Ambros de vocat gent. lib. 8. cap. 9. As the Lord himselfe doth testifie by his Prophet saying And I will give thee an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they shall returne unto me with their whole heart God vouchsafe by his holy Spirit to worke a true and unfained repentance in us In the same place If we repent Hom. against wilfull rebell Part. 1. Next pray after Coll. Nove. 5. Now. Cat. quest 43. quest 128. God will either take away evill Princes or of evill make them good Make us now and alwayes truly thankfull in heart word and deed for all thy gracious mercies and this our speciall deliverance We must on the Sabbath rest from our own works and yeeld our selves wholly to Gods governance that he may doe his workes in us From Christs resurrection cometh unto us an endeavour vertue and strength to live well and holily Christ indueth us with strength by the vertue and power of his resurrection to rise from the deadly workes of sinne quest 129. and live to righteousnesse The Spirit of God is called holy quest 142. for that by him the elect of God and the members of Christ are made holy for which cause the scriptures have called him the spirit of sanctification It is onely God which strengthneth man and by whose grace the sinner conceiveth this hope quest 164. minde and will Christ with the inspiration and vertue of the Holy
Ghost doth regenerate and newly forme us to the endeavour of innocency and holinesse quest 173. which we call newnesse of life Faith is the gift of God quest 180. and a singular and excellent gift The Holy Ghost hath wrought faith in my heart by the preaching of the Gospel quest 249. CHAP. VIII Of the purification of the heart MOrall perswasion goes before any intent in man to purifie his owne heart If then this latter act of purifying the heart which must necessarily follow the intention of purging be attributed to God then must he needs doc more in the cenversion of a sinner then morally to perswade him to purge his owne heart Now that this act is ascribed to God the bookes can witnesse O God make cleane our hearts within us Short prayers after the Creed Letany From all blindnesse of heart from pride vaine-glory and hypocrisy from envy hatred and malice Good Lord deliver us Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit Coll. on circumcision of Christ that our hearts being mortified from all worldly and carnall lusts c. Create and make in us new and contrite hearts Coll. 1. day of Lent Coll. 3. on good Friday Coll. on Tuesday in Easter Have mercy upon all Jews Turkes Infidels and Hereticks and take from them all ignorance hardnesse of heart and contempt of thy word Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickednesse that we may c. Grant that we may be presented to thee with pure and cleane mindes Collect. on the Purif of the virgin S. Mary Coll. on S. Matthews day Coll. on S. Lukes day Hom. of Inform of them which take offence c. Part. 2. end Serm. for Rogat week Part. 3. Grant us grace to forsake all covetous desires and inordinate love of riches May it please thee by the wholesome medicines of Lukes doctrine to heale all the diseases of our soules God therefore for his mercies sake vouchsafe to purifie our mindes through faith in his Sonne Jesus Christ and to instill the heavenly drops of his grace into our hard stony hearts to supple the same that we be not contemners and deriders of his infallible word In Gods Spirit shall we be meet vessels to receive the grace of Almighty God For it is he that purgeth and purifieth the minde by his secret working CHAP. IX Of the externall effect of grace IF the externall effects of grace come not altogether from the spirituall power put into us at the first nor from the perswasions of the Ministers but God is said to worke in us the deed as well as the will to doe well and we taught to pray to God for such effectuall grace as may produce good effects outwardly then it follows that the grace it self cannot be wrought in us onely by morall perswasion but must be wrought in us by divine operation Now whither the outward effects of grace be wrought by Gods assisting spirit or no let the authentick records of our Church speak O Lord open thou our lips Short prayers after the Lords Pr. Letany and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise That all Bishops Pastours and Ministers of the Church may both by their preaching and living set forth and shew true knowledge and understanding That it may please thee to give the Magistrates grace to execute Justice and to maintain truth Letany That it may please thee to give us an heart diligently to live after thy commandements Letany That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of grace to heare meekly thy word Letany and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit That it may please thee to endue us with the grace of thy holy Spirit Letany to amend our lives according to thy holy word Grant that we evermore serve thee in holinesse and purenesse of living Prayer in the Letany before the prayer for the King Prayer for the King Prayer for the Bishops Coll. on 1. Sund. after Epiph. Coll. on 5. Sund. after Epiph. Coll. on 1. Sunday in Lent Coll. on Sun before East So replenish the King with the grace of thy holy Spirit that he may alway walk in thy way That Bishops and Curats and all Congregations committed to their charge may truly please thee poure upon them the continuall dew of thy blessing Grant that thy people which call upon thee may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill what they know they ought to do Lord we beseech thee to keep thy Church continually in the true Religion Give us grace to use such abstinence that our flesh being subdued to the spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions Mercifully grant that we both follow the example of Christs patience Receive our prayers 2. Coll. on good Friday that every member of thy holy Congregation in his vocation and ministry may truly and godly serve thee As by thy speciall grace preventing us Collect. on Easter day thou didst put in our minde good desires So we beseech that by thy continuall help we may bring the same to good effect Grant that we may daily endeavour our selves Coll. on 2. Sund. after Easter Coll. on 3. Sund. after Easter Coll. on 1. Sunday after Trinity to follow the blessed steps of Christs most holy life Grant unto all them that be admitted into the fellowship of Christs religion that they may follow all such things as be agreeable to their profession Because the weaknes of our mortall nature can do no good thing without thee grant us the help of thy grace that in keeping of thy commandments we may please thee both in will and deed Grant us Lord we beseech thee Coll. on 9. Sund. after Trinity the Spirit to think and do alwayes such things as be rightfull that we which cannot be without thee may by thee be able to live according to thy will Almightie and mercifull God of whose onely gift it cometh Coll. on 13. Sund. after Trinitie that thy faithfull people do unto thee true and laudable service Because the frailtie of man without thee cannot but fall Coll. on 15. Sund. after Trinity Coll. on 17. Sund. after Trinity lead us to all things profitable to our salvation Lord we pray thee that thy grace may alwayes prevent and follow us and make us continually to be given to all goods works Lord we beseech thee to keep the Church in continuall godlinesse Coll. on 22. Sund. after Trinity that it may be devoutly given to serve thee in good works Grant unto us all Coll. on S. Andr. day that we being called by thy holy word may forthwith give over our selves obediently to fulfill thy holy commandements Grant that we may follow thy holy doctrin that Saint Paul taught Coll. on Convers of S. Paul Coll. on S. Barn Let us not be destitute of thy manifold gifts nor yet of grace to use them alway to