righteousnes by the works of the law haue lost the same this remaineth recorded for the iust that all which sought it by faith not by works haue atteined to true righteousnes in déede What then doth it profit good men to worke good works The good wors of holy men profite 2. waies First weighing their valoure wyth our dutie they cast downe our Peacoks tayle and Egles hearte béeing so farre shorte of that they should they call mans crye to vouche his state vnprofytable to his Lorde And so wyth crauinge Pardon for his sinnes fogetting his fewe déedes now past he hasteneth wyth humblenes to the degrées of encrease to walke and please God as he ought towards the throne of grace where he séeth by fayth himselfe drawne vp wyth courage to rest in Christ for lyfe since his spirite liueth in him Secondly they worke a most assured corroboration in our hartes whylest we consider of whom we haue suche grace Euen that our hartes of Adamant are changed to fleshye not fleshly harts into the same Gods holy spirit is put powred by the power of which we are cause to walke in his lawes and kepe his statutes Al which though we do not or can in such sort as we should yet because his holy finger hath written his sacred lawe in our hartes and put the sinne into our inward parts is himselfe become by his couenant in christ our god and hath chosen vs for his holy people for this cause I say he accepteth vs as iust though we be all sinners and our works are acceptable in his sight and are not wythout their rewarde yet of his mercye deuoyd of our merit thus through our infirmitie worketh he his owne praise So ende we the firste parte of this verse To giue knowledge c. The second pointe is to note whose sinnes are forgiuen and so consequenly what kinde of persons atteine truely and in déede to this saluation by his Prophets preached and this I note of this word To his people For albeit that Christ is of the father giuen to the whole world to be vnto them their sauiour and that there is no age or people vnto whō the death of christ is not sufficient to their saluation and is therfore by himselfe and the worde vouched the sauiour of the world yet are not al people by him saued nor any but suche as here be called his people Now haue we also to consider that neither all that call or chalenge to be his are so in déede For then should not the Infidell Saracene with the Turke onely be cōdēned because they refuse life which is only in christ Iesus to be foūd but also of that nomber which professe christ in shew and receiue the badge and seale of righteousnesse in Baptisme and in the dayes of their flesh inuocate christ as God and call the Father Lorde be furthermore accompted to be of the church and People of God of this multitude shall infinite walke the wandring path to eternall payne Not euery one that crieth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of god c. These are for a time in but at no time are they of the church of god These eyther haue Satan to pull the séede out of their hartes least they should beleue and be saued or beleue with ioye for a season and in fierie triall vade and consume to dust and ashes and turne to their erst conceiued death But saluation standeth at the end of the race happie is he that endureth to the end for he shall be safe Or els do they with the fayth in Christ and gospel of the sonne of God intermedle the cares of this world pleasures of the flesh which do choke the growth of the séede that no Wheate can come to ripenes for the Lordes barne they begin in the spirite but they end in the flesh These albeit they are bidden ghestes yet shall they not once tast of the Bridegromes supper For they being called dayly and the Lord with open armes euer readie to embrace them refuse to come therefore shall desolation deuoure them neither shall Ierusalem saue them or the Sinagoge of Sathan the Church of Rome deliuer them from the wéeping state and wofull paynes prepared for all hypocrites Where in stéed of popish piping and carnall delights shal be mourning and howling in perpetual chaines nayled fast to damnation his gaol And that because they neither heard or sought the Lord with integritie of soule or worshipped him els then with their owne inuentions hauing their harts a long estranged from his delite And albeit they were nourished vp in the bosome of his beloued spouse yet they are to him as Mice in the housholders barne whose purpose is to féede them fat and fill their young of the corne but not at any time to haue the presence of the Masters face For whom also the husband prepareth engins destroyers them to consume though for a time he permit them to their deuised pleasures Such shal be the end of al Papists carnall protestants fained hypocrites which séeke thē selues altogether and not the lord at all As daily those persons passe their time in such wicked lustes But of farre other nature are the true people of god As the other in the day of trial cannot be knowne of him for he shall say depart frō me I know ye not ye workers of iniquitie so the lords people are knowne to him by their name they are borne againe of the spirit They are sanctified by the holy Ghost They are graffed into Christ their vine They are predestinate to life Chosen to bee the f sonnes of god Called to the knowledge of the word of saluation and taught of god The spirit of the sonne is by the loue of the most louing father powred into their harts which causeth thē to crie to him Abba father Their stonie hartes hée mollifieth and turneth into hartes of flesh and into them for their direction and life he putteth his spirit by whose power through the woord sowne and taught he teacheth them his Lawes and geueth them grace to walke in his statutes Thus wrought by GOD they bring forth holy fruites They onely heare his voyce All straunge sound and charminge incantation they vtterly auoyd charme they c neuer so wisely They hunger after the truth and thirst the Lordes righteousnes They claspe their harts by fayth in Christ that through him alone they may apprehend the louing countenance of the heauenly Fathers face They lay their sinnes vppon his crosse and craue by comfortable cries in earnest and ardent prayer to be clothed with his righteousnes They euer confesse their many sinnes and assure them selues by fayth of his saluation They driue away terror and rest in the harbour of a quiet conscience and in most humble wise approche
office he breathed on them and gaue them his holy spirite that thereby they might not only abound in gifts but also should without terror speake his wil and preach his name to all nations So in like maner Paule witnesseth that both the gift of prophecying Prophets Doctors and teachers is by the spirite of god Of which grace he hath promised continuance to the end of the world saying J wil be with you to the end of the world And therfore Iohn warneth thée reader not to beleue euery spirite so he calleth the doctrine by the preacher brought but coÌ„maundeth thée to trie whether they be of god He sheweth thee absolutely that in the preachers of thy age Gods spirit also speaketh saying Hereby shall ye knowe the Spirite of god Euerye spirite that confesseth that Jesus Christe is come in the Fleshe is of GOD. There were false Prophets among the Jewes which kept the people backe from the faith in Christ There were certaine heritiques which denied Christ to be come in the flesh as the scriptures teach him And these so vexed the Church and molested the consciences of the godly bretherne and began to make such shipwracke of the faith of many that the Apostle was driuen from the Doctrine to frame their hartes in Christ to arme by instruction the church of GOD against Cerinthus Ebyon and other heritiques that woulde not acknowledge Christ wholy as the Scriptures proued him to bée The like proofe of Gods spirit is left to thée to the ends of the world to trie the Preachers which come vnto thée whether they haue in them or doe by Gods spirite speake vnto thée He that preacheth Iesus Christ as hée is set downe in the written Scriptures is of god Hée that denieth him in any part their vouched to be in Christ is of Antichrist Whosoeuer hath not this spirite and is a preacher cannot but by the spirite of Sathan vtter as by his receiued spirite all lying fables as Zedkia the false prophet did to Achab. And both Paul and Peter manifestly shew vnto vs that many such false Prophets shall rise vp in the last dayes which shal also denie christ in déede albeit they confesse him with naked words Paule giueth thée notes infallible that euer shall lead thée to a right iudgement of these spirits of error doctoâ—s of diuels First they shall speake lies by hypocrisie fayning truth but trie them by the rule giuen of christ search the scriptures which order the Citizens of Berrea are said to obserue when the Apostles taught them 2. They shal forbid to marrie and who doth forbid I pray thée take vew that ministers may not Marrie not the scripture but rather the flat contrarie Who doth forbid that holy ordinaÌ„ce of god in Paradise to auoyd sinne but the Pope the minister of sinne he doth forbid it to all his sacrificing priestes at all times yet whoredome he permitteth to theÌ„ vnder purchased warrant to al time To al other christians he forbiddeth mariage at certaine times as Aduent Lent Jmber daies c. and Siricius one of the Popes condemneth mariage to be a fruit of the flesh as in the which state a man can not please god Meats which god hath created to be receiued with thanks geuing is made holy by his word praier doth this beast of the Dragon Satanas in paine of daÌ„nation forbid to al at his appoynted times And the breakers of his lawe though blessed of God are of him cursed with booke bell and candle out of his heauen as Pasquine calleth it earth and this naturall life as Lollords heriticks not worthy the benefite of temporall quiet These saith Paule in the place before quoted are the doctrines of Diuels Behold the popish doctrine from whence it commeth and of what spirite it is Flie from it as from hel it selfe Peter warning our times of the like false spirite sayth But there were false Prophets also among the people euen as there shal be false teathers among you which priuely shall bring in damnable heresies eueÌ„ denying the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon them selues swift damnation And many shall followe their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth shal be euill spoken of And through couetousnes shall they with fayned words make marchandise of you whose iudgement long agone is not farre of and their damnation sléepeth not Lay this Scripture before thy hart and indifferently measure thereby the Popish Church and doctrine and thou shalt sée as it were the Apostle to paynt the sinfull Sinagoge of Rome vnto thy prospect With what humblenes of Angels créepe they craftely into the conscieÌ„ces of men what opinions bréed they flat condemned by the word How open they their mouthes to slaunder the gospel of our Christ and cal it heresie though not as it lieth in leaues but as it is truly preached by gods holy prophets in this our dayes And what loue they haue to the word it selfe do thou iudge when hauing the gouernment they burned the Bibles rased the scriptures from of the walles in churches els to that they could burned the graueÌ„ letters in the sacred flesh of christes martirs What marchaundise of mens soules is there in poperie wheÌ„ their God their pope their reliques saints merits their Paul and Peter their heaueÌ„ helly purgatorie thier Masses pardoÌ„s their whole power pelf is set at price al for monei What sinne in man so horrible that shuld not there haue pardon for money What wicked fact pretended shall not there for money not only be pardoned but warranted Amongst the sinnes against the 2. Table is there a greater then Treason I say treason to god his religion his prince and vicar by his great mercy set ouer vs in this natioÌ„ And is not the Pope the head practiser of the same Doth not he loose that in earth by his Bul which god hath most surely tied fast in heauen by his word the sworne and natural due obedience to her Maiestie Doth not he promise absolution where God pronounceth curse and damnation To whatsoeuer person which resisteth his power And is this for any other cause theÌ„ to bring your purses to his coffers your soules to swift damnation Looke vpon the Gnat by that most precious Iewell the reuerend Bishop late of Sarum brought forth to the vew of all mens sight in his learned answere to halting Harding and thou shalt not maruaile though he wold haue vs his again that Camels in great number and yet scarsely could might yearely conuey his huge sommes of money out of this nation Reioyce O England for thy deliuerance embrace the word by Gods spirite put in the mouthes of thy learned Bishops and others their godly brethern in most pleniiful wise So shal thy hart yéeld faithful loue true obedience to our godly Quéen thou shalt reape her aid for
thy quiet but chiefely Gods blessing for thy soules health in his Christ against the spirite of error and Sathan himselfe Secondly to him vz. to his office exercise is ascribed a certaine power to turne the harts of the fathers to their childrē This power is by his preaching the word the spirit of god directing him where note that the word preached is of power to conuert bicause it is the b mallet of God to beat downe sinne and his two edged sword to cut downe vice The mylke of GOD to nourish and alter the crooked nature of mans corpupted fleshe The séede to make him a fruitfull ground the pleasaunt Odor to delight that faythfull scent The faythfull witnesse and the poure of God to ouercome Satan and his assaultes To beate downe strong holdes and euery height that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and to bring and leade captiue to the obedience of Christe euery thought and full power the worde hath to be reuenged of all the obstinate when the obedience of the faythfull is fulfilled It is not for other cause that God doth spare the wicked then that the Godly should first be brought to more perfection and the wicked should waxe more rype in their iniquitie and that the Godly by their tyranie might dayly be exercised and that for a season they deuoure the noysome creatures of the earth that else would more hurte the children of god But when the Aples be rype the Lorde will pull the trée and cast the fruite into the fyre For the wicked as he cannot forget so wil he in his appoynted time poure out the dregges of his angry must be taken away and remoued Euery valley must be exalted euery mountaine brought low the croked must be streyght framed and the rough wayes made playne and this preparation must be by the preaching of the Gospell so expoundeth Luke the place or rather the Angel when he saith to Zachary that J. Bap. should make ready a people instructed for the Lorde As Jhon behaued him nobly so dyd the Apostles faythfully and the Fathers of olde sincerely in this their charge Remaineth that the Princes and Preachers now be diligent therein as best beséemeth their vocation to prepare his holy wayes The way of the Lord is in mans hart which agaynst the comming of his God the king of al kinges he must so prepare that there be nothing to offend his eye or hinder his louing comming If an earthly Prince shal come to a Towne or Citye how are the wayes skoured the path made playne the streates so sanded that the very Horse shall not haue wheron to trip The house paynted the Conduites running wyne the place perfumed and so garnished that his delight may féede wyth pleasure vpon the view of this prepared way This would the Baptist haue vs to thinke vpon when he alludeth to the comfortable comming of their mightie kings and the pompous preparations of the people for his receipt But sith Christes comming is into the soule of man by his Spirite the path of mans conscience must be prepared in desēt sort aswel in matters of cōscience touching religiō as in the reformatiō of his former wicked life for no mā cā be in christ Iesu vnles he be made a new creature The path of our religiō ought to he framed vnto vs by the word of God neyther ought we or may we wythout mere sacrileadge adde thereto or diminishe in the worshippe of the mightie loue in Christ eny thing at all Thrise Cursed be the Papistes therefore that leape vp into Christes Throane and thrust him to the walles setting vp a will worship of their owne inuention hauing no other warrant then the fleshe that framed that Idolatrie But the Scripture holde all them accursed that set vppe false worship vnto him or that builde their nests in mans strength or put their trust in fleshly wisdome or turn the glory of God to a mortall man or set their affiaunce in their inuentions O ye mightie magestrates in and of the church of christ to you this chiefly doth be long so to prepare this heauenly path the no offensiue matter be there left to stay or stop his godly presence from our harts You are to enter the path appoynted to the lord his vse to remoue out of the way euery base beggerly matter that is to the dishonor of God set vp as to his worship or garnishing falsly of his house the rudiments of men which can neuer edifie in the Church of god And to commaund send abroad the Preachers and forerunners of this king to cry for preparation to euery rugged hart depressed conscience with the weight of sin that by the comfort of christs gospel they may be brought to lift vp the eies of their faith to the lord in Sion There Iesus christ is set vp for their saluation there shall their heauie harts laden soules haue new refreshing in him the Lord crucified of his Father againe raysed to lyfe for their iustification And you Baptists of the Lord your dutie is to pull out of mens hartes by sound moderate doctrine the God Maisim and euery height that exalteth it selfe against god The pryd of mans hearte by the power of the worde must you beate downe which proudly say wyth Popish spyte Sic volumus so we will haue it and not by the word to measure the time cause whether so it ought to be All such as set vp their hornes on high against Christes lowly members and nothing lyke of that the path might somthing be skowred such be they which fight for lyfe with tooth and nayle as the prouerbe is to kéepe vppe the troublous thickets and the loftie hye hilles that can not stoupe to the Lordes lawe The Papistes Atheistes and Hypocrites of our dayes I meane which all though they be woll shrubbed and shred yet they begin euen nowe before the springe to budde and hope againe in time to florish as the gréen bay trée But were they lopped dazie height or proined the wyth princely Dauids a cutting knife they as the shred willow florish in a momēt but neuer eftsoones could they take roote The ragged hartes which wyth the Hare skipe here and there to flye from trueth whose smothed lippes imbrace dissimulation your seasoned sound with Helias hart oh ye Prophets of the Lorde must ring wyth power into their eares For most abhominable is the halting Hypocrite he is a Thornie Hedge and Bushe of Briers to wounde and stinge as many as be partakers of his companie The harte chaffed wyth flyght séeketh to the Riuers of water for his comfort But the Hypocryte pursued by Satan to his destruction hath no lust to looke after the water of lyfe which God doth giue to all that fathfully thirst therefore Oh let them know that