〈◊〉 your good workes If Christianity bee not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christian is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Idlesby in that building because meere knowledge is to greater damnation Luk. 12.47 and meere knowledge is in the damned in the divell Luk. 4.10 Omnes Grae cinorunt quid sit honestum soli Lacedaemonii faciunt quod est honestum All Christians Know true Christians Doe Christianity The fruit doth shew the tree Luk. 6.44 a good man like the good tree Psal 1. doth bring forth his fruit in due season like the tree of life Rev. 22. in many seasons yea like the tree in Alcinous his orchard in every season Aarons rod did not onely bloome Philosophy saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 felicity is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operation not speculation and the Moralists that their Art is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not an affection but an action Nature frameth men with ten fingers to one tongue but wee invert it Oraque centum like Stentor wee open our mouths wide when wee should open our hands wide Deut. 15.11 But surely they are no excellent servants who will onely weare the Livery therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ saith Christians must doe the workes of Christianity Such as are Christians must doe the works of Christianity and good Christians good workes What absolutely good workes No I absolutely deny that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanctum non est quod geritur sanctum nisi sanctè quod sanctum est peragitur Dew attendit tum actum tum affectum saith St. Cyprian Where there are good works in perfection there must be both a perfect action externall and perfect affection internall But quis idoneus ad haec liveth the man that dareth say he can discharge it Alas alas we have many commissions more omissions In the most vigilant Christian Gregories two wormes will eat out the core and cor of his most hearitie action superbia aut desidia either sloath in them or pride of them will constraine the best Christian to ponder the terminus diminuens remaining opera bona Nostra they are Our good workes and therefore blemished in their goodnesse Christ doth and Christians may call their workes good workes for they are wrought out of a good matter the holy Scriptures 1 Sam. 15.22 by a good efficient the holy Spirit Joh. 15.5 and to a good end to hallow Gods holy name in my text for this day and in our prayer for every day Primitively our workes are pure are cleere in the fountaine but derivatively muddie and dirtie in the channell and kennell of our performance If once they be Our workes Our God doth know it and hath said it All our righteousnesse is but as filthy ragges Isai 64.6 This is enough to vilifie our best actions and to humble our best affections that they are called bona opera Nostra Our good workes Passing the dignitie proceed we to the necessity of our good workes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let your light shine Christ is Imperative and Christians are Optative that they may be Potentiall and Indicative manifestly and powerfully to stop the mouths of ignorant malitious people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by our good workes and godly conversation 1 Pet. 2.15 I will not cramme your attention with that Crambe those common Scriptures for good workes obvious to our Children and Catechists to our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to our very Novices in Religion onely I will appeale to all your memories that all the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Disciples Martyrs Fathers Confessors and sound Professors did ever strive to practise that opus sidei that worke of faith 1 Thess 1.3 and to walke in that narrow way to heaven which is paved with good workes For my part I am through that those who goe not in this via shall never attaine that patria Though Bennard saw not A'll yet hee saw enough in this point and they are blinde Bayards who be so bold as to gainsay it I am transported with this point and as it were translated by this point into a pilgrimage towards heaven like that of Jacob to Padan Aram Gen. 28. me thinketh I have a vision of a ladder reaching to heaven and a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a multitude of the effects of good workes as Angels ascending and descending as messengers to tell us that we shall climbe the ladder where God standeth at the top thereof 1 At the foot below the foot of that ladder lieth Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Before Hell was we were prevented from Hell and elected into Heaven in Christ Jesus The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Charter of our enfranchisment is in Gods Predestination the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or counterpane thereof is in our owne Conversation By doing good workes we may and must make our election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 2 In the fall of Adam we all Adamites fell into Hell Titiones ab incendio out of which fire we are snatched by our blessed Redeemer our good workes are the fruits and signes of that our blessed redemption For if we be the children of Abraham we will doe the deeds of Abraham Joh. 8.39 3 As we were Titiones ab incendio so that wee be not Titiones ad incendium that wee doe not relapse to our ruine but that we are assured that we are justified and shal be glorified The evidence of this assurance is given by the Spirit Causativè by way of operation but it ariseth also from our workes effectivè by way of declaration If wee keepe Gods Commandements we dwell in him and hee in us and herehy we know that hee abideth in us 1 Joh. 3.24 4 That we are elected redeemed justified yea and Glorified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the first fruits and gracious fore feeling thereof Wee must render our regale vectigal our thankfulnesse must bee our tribute to God for that wee are made Citizens and Subjects of his Kingdome And our thanks must be by our deeds we must gratias agere gratias dicere is no phrase Like Cinaetus to his King we must say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When we have done what wee can wee are but unprofitable servants Luke 17.10 Though we shall be unprofitable yet must we not be unthankfull servants and by our good workes wee must declare it 5 True thankfulnesse for our benefits doth alwaies produce true love to our benefactour Now this love must not be Gyges to walke inconspicuous nor an Adombezech to have no Fingers nor like Logick may it be clutcht-fisted but like Rhetorike it must be open handed Love doth dwell at the signe of the open hand and the motto is bona opera vestra Your good workes If we love Christ we will keepe his commandements Joh. 14 21. No servant to Love Love there fore is Obedient and Obedience is the foundation of my Text. I am Obedient to my Creator
it was a sacrifice offered in remembrance of that same passage in the truth of the thing done Israels first-borne you see were preserved in figure of that same truth a certaine Lamb you see was slain Yea but in the meane while where is nostrum you will say Where is that same Passeover which I said was Ours For all this while have we been only in Israel you know and what is Israels I am sure is nought to us True it is not I must confesse but yet for all this have but patience I beseech you for a little time and I nothing doubt but with Gods assistance to repay with interest what erst I promised and to make it cleare unto you how that as well as Israel even we Christians also have a Passeover a passage over from as great an evill a passage over to as great a good For proofe hereof I pray tell me what think you I beseech you of our soule Is not that a thing we must needs grant every whit as deere unto us as our first borne Yea a thing in truth for whose salvation for whose safe passage I meane from hence to Heaven there is no man I thinke so devoid of reason that will not give both first borne and all hee hath too Againe what think you I beseech you of Gods vengeance continually hovering over us for our sinnes and every houre every moment ready to powre us downe to hell Is not that a thing as much to bee dreaded by us as that destroying Angell was by the Israelites yea and by so much the more too by how much wee are to feare eternall death more than temporall But now when by reason of Adams sinne we were all liable to condemnation expecting hourely when Gods justice should have ceazed upon our soules that God in mercy was then pleased not to destroy us with the Egyptians that is as S. Paul phraseth it not to condemn us with the world but to passe over us to spare us as he did his own children some times the Israelites not suffering the Exterminator to have any power at all upon us that thus it was what is more plaine I beseech you throughout the whole body of the New Testament Where read wee not if you have observed it in many places of our being delivered from wrath 1 Thess 1.10 Of our being freed from the Law Rom. 8.2 Gal. 3.13 Ephes 2.5 Of our being redeemed from the Curse Of being saved by Grace And in the fift of St. John the 24. vers where wee have both the terminos of this happy passage of ours reade we not expresly how that each true beleever is already passed from death to life Well then that a Passeover we have that is most certaine you see even we Christians as well as the Jewes yea and that such a Passeover in truth if wee well examine it as wherewith the Jewish Passeover must not compare No neither in respects of that evill which in either Passeover was avoyded the evill in theirs being only a bodily danger wheras it was a spirituall danger you see that wee escaped in ours nor yet in respect of that good which in either Passeover was effected the good in theirs being only a temporall deliverance whereas it was an eternall deliverance you see that was wrought in ours What will you say now unto the meanes ordained by God in either Passeover for the effecting of this good for the avoiding of this evill for the working of this deliverance for the escaping of this danger Even in this respect too is not their Passeover far inferiour alas to ours even as farre as the earth is inferiour unto the heavens even as farre as the creature is inferiour to the Creator Yes for whereas the meanes in theirs was only agnus as saith Saint Ambrose irrationabilis naturae behold in ours it was agnus divinae potentiae whereas the meanes in theirs was only a lamb that was taken by them out of the fould behold in ours it was that Lambe that descended for us downe from heaven even that very Lamb which both S. Peter speakes of and S. John the Baptist points at namely Christ Pascha nostrum Christus est 1 Pet. 1.19 our Passeover saith my text is Christ 2 And the truth is if wee well consider with our selves what was to be done for us in our Passeover what the state we were to passe from what the state wee were to passe unto wee must needs grant how that in all reason none could have been our Passeover save onely Christ alone none the meanes of our passage from the state of wrath to the state of grace none the meanes of our passage from the state of death to the state of glory save onely that Lambe qui tollit peccata mundi even that Lamb of God Joh. 1.36 qui in sinu Patris est that most holy immaculate Lambe Christ For alas alas in the case wee were in could any other lamb have served the turne think you could a lamb out of the stock have beene a sufficient ransome for a mans soule for that which is of more worth than all the lambs in the whole world are yea in truth than the whole World it selfe is or a whole world of worlds besides Why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Proclus of Constantinople 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the redemption of a soule is a greater purchase than either the wealthiest Saint could have compassed or the mightiest Angell how much lesse then could a common lamb trow you have a considerable recompense and counterprice I say not for all the soules in this or that onely particular Kingdome but even for all the soules of all the people in all the Kingdomes under Heaven But now such a Lambe it was that wee wanted such a Lambe that we stood in need of even a Lambe by whose meanes and merit the destroying Angell might bee made passe over not the soules onely of some few Israelites in our little Angle only of the Land of Egypt but over all the soules of all mankinde that either are or have beene since the world began Why and blessed be God and we have cause to feast for it I think such a Paschal Lambe it is that we now have God in mercy having so provided for us that even his onely Son you see should be our Lambe for Pascha nostrum Christus est our Passeover saith my text is Christ Christ I say and in very deed such a true Paschal Lamb is Christ such a perfect Passeover our Passeover such a compleat Passeover ours as that to ours the Jewish Passeover was but as the shadow unto the substance the Jewish Lambe to ours but as the type unto the truth For proofe hereof doe but see the Parallels I beseech you betwixt their Passeover and ours betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they call it and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betwixt our crucifigible Passeover and their legall one and I
us For us Not for himselfe then no there was no cause of death God wot in him Ipse non meruit si non pro pietate mori even his very Judge himselfe being his witnesse there was nothing worthy of death to be found in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Theodoret in the person of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that owed not a death tooke death now upon himselfe and hee subjected himselfe unto death here over whom death in truth had not any right at all And to speake sooth well for us was it that Christ suffered not for himselfe well for us yea very well that he was not sacrificed for himselfe For if the way of that old Serpent had been ever found upon this rocke Prov. 30.19 if this our Lambe had had any spot in him and so had deserved death in himselfe could hee ever then have been a fit Passeover to have now been sacrificed as hee was for us No Si ipse indebitam mortem non susciperet saith Gregorie nunquam nos à debita morte liberaret if Christ I may say in any respect had bin sacrificed for himselfe impossible then had it been that in any respect he should have thus satified as hee did for us but now so it is that in this my Text here Christ was sacrificed we reade for Us. For Us Not for Angels then no as not for himselfe so not for them neither their nature he assumed not their person hee sustained not hee for them was not sacrificed they by him were not delivered It was for Us for us men saith our Creed that the Son of God came downe from heaven that he was incarnate by the holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary that he was made man for us men for us it was that he was made lower than the Angels quod expertus infirma quod passus indigna quod demum per mortem crucis ad sua reversus and that at the last he was thus sacrificed according to this Scripture The truth is had this my Text here been either penn'd or spoken unto us by some Angel why then questionlesse as well for Angels as for Us might wee have said that Christ was sacrificed but now the words you know are Saint Pauls and Saint Paul you know was a man why then for us men it was that Christ was sacrificed you see for us men I say for us Yea but Saint Paul you will say was a Jew and if Christ was sacrificed for Jewes onely very little God knowes will be the benefit that will arise from hence to us True he was so indeed himselfe hath told us how that hee was an Hebrew of the Hebrewes but here is the comfort yet and without this small heart should wee have to keep the feast now here is the comfort I say that this Epistle of his whereof this my Text here is a part portion is not beati Pauli ad Hebraeos the Epistle of S. Paul the Apostle unto the Hebrewes no but ad Corinthios prima his first Epistle unto the Corinthians Now the City of Corinth stood in Greece you must know above seven hundred miles from Judea and therefore questionlesse the people wrote to here were meerly Gentiles no Jewes Why and so they were indeed and because they were so we may from hence gather therefore to our comfort how that for us Gentiles it was that Christ was sacrificed for us Gentiles for us For us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11. O the depth of the riches of the wisedome and goodnesse of our God! how unscarchable are his judgements how his waies past finding out Could it ever have been beleeved that Christ should have been thus sacrificed as he was for us for us sinners of the Gentiles for us that were farre off for us that were without God in the world that the Son of God should be thus slain for us Indeed had it bin for the Jews only that Christ had died here the wonder questionlesse had not been so great for they were Gods inheritance Gods chosen the seed of Abraham Gods friend and if for a friend a man may chance to die sometimes why not sometimes then for a friends seed too But now as for us wee were not only abalienati à Deo not only quoad statum externum strangers but we were also we must remember hostes quoad dissidium internum enemies yea that as well in an active as in a passive sense as well directly as by interpretation as well for that we rebelliously hated Gods rule over us as for that we were in all things contrary unto his will and is it not most strange and admirable in this case we were in that Christ should be sacrificed yet for us the innocent for the guilty the home-borne for strangers the only Son for enemies Christ for us Yet so it was and that now it was so it was no more than was fore-told no more than in Numb 9. ver 10.11 God himselfe had signified that so it should be For besides that first Passeover there in the first moneth reade we not also of a second Passeover if you mark it in the second moneth of a Passeover allowed by God to be slaine purposely for those persons who during the celebration of the first Passeover were in a journey a farre off Yes But now if you will but suffer S. Paul to unvaile Moses his face if you will but expound the Law there by the Gospel Num. 9. ver 10. by Ephes 2. ver 14. you shall then find how that not without a mysterie it is that the Hebrew of this word far off is observed by the learned for some speciall consideration to have extraordinary prickes over it because by that second Passeover there permitted by God to those in a journey farre off God did prefigure unto us Christ here sacrificed you see for us even for us Gentiles in the flesh strangers for us who at that time were farre off both from the kindred of the Jewish nation and from the Covenants also of the promise Sacrificatus est pro nobis Christ is sacrificed saith my Text for us Well then Christ died not you have seen for himselfe here nor yet for Angels no nor yet onely for Jewes neither for Saint Paul writing you see unto Gentiles saith that Christ is sacrificed for us For us he saith not for some few of us under such a Romane Prelate onely or of such a faction for us within the verges onely of the Romish Hierarchy or for us of the Congregation onely in New England No sanguis Christi pretium est saith St. Augustine the Lambe here sacrificed you see is Christ and therefore at too high a rate do they value themselves and the bloud of Christ doe they prize too low qui dicum aut illud tam parvum esse ut solos Afros emerit aut se tam magnos pro quibus solis illud sit datum who being themselves
fore-named motives to and effects of good workes are as so many starres which impart light to us and exercise their influence on us to make our soules vegetative to grow from grace to grace to be fertile and fruitfull in good workes Or like those starres the septem Triones they are brave directions to us towards our haven our heaven and happy are those holy Christians who can steere thither through an ocean of good actions And this last our exemplary piety and charity to edifie our brethren like the starre of the Epiphanie it doth as it were stand over the house and directly direct us to this command of Christ as that starre did those Magi to the person of Christ Or sicut inter stellas Luna minores like the Moone it shineth brightly that we may see the way to heaven in this night of our ignorance and imperfect understanding And as the Astrologers teach of the Moone it doth rule the head and imploieth the braines in holy meditations to compasse an holy conversation But the motive behind is before them â—ll in 〈…〉 incitement like the Sunne it doth obscure all these in a glorious lustre It doth impart light and life to all who are called Christians to walke worthy of their Vocations since by our good workes wee shall glorifie our good God that we shall doe good workes in the sight of the Devill Job 1.8 and in despight of divellish men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Theophylact speaketh that our very enemies shall approve us with their hearts though they reprove us with their tongues Had I the tongues of men and Angels I could say no more to urge the necessity of good workes than what is here said in this Text in this part of my Text Let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our Father which is in heaven I will shut up this Sermon drawing this one Doctrine into a double usefull Application first by way of apologie for our Religion secondly by way of Antilogie against our Religion In the one I will professe the Doctrine of our Church to be admirable in the other I will confesse the practice of our professors not to be answerable 1 Have I here any Auditors who are Papists or Popishly affected If prejudice and partiality have not stopped both the eares of such persons I crave but one corner to receive the true report of their false reports and forged calumnies wherewith they charge our Church Reformed The Protestants doe neglect good workes because they doe not hold them necessary to Salvation saith the Jesuit who did occasion that rare Treatise termed The way to the Church sect 40. Nil nisi Fidem requirunt Lessius saith the Protestants require nothing but faith de Antichristo pag. 250. Suarez more fully and foulely too Quocunque modo vivunt per solam fidem gloriam sibi promittunt neque Mandatorum observationem neque Poenitentiam esse necessariam praedicant the Protestants preach saith the Jesuite Apolog. 5.10 nu 11. that it is no matter how men live promising glory by faith alone accounting both the keeping of the CoÌ„mandements Repentance Unnecessary Legem ad Salutem nequaquam esse necessariam impiè dicere non sunt veriti their Trent Catechisme saith pag. 339. we are not affraid to say impiously That the Law of God is not necessary to Salvation The same smoake ariseth from a cloud of like witnesses Campian Dowly Malvenda Ferus Stella c. against which loud lewd Lie we appeale to our God to our Consciences to our Bookes to our Sermons to this Sermon to our Hearers to our very Children in their Catechismes who were never taught one syllable of such a damnable doctrine But the best is Bellarmine doth blush at these bold calumnies Disertis verbis docent opera esse ad Salutem necessaria non quidem necessitate Efficientiae sed Praesentiae de Justificat 4. The Protestants saith he doe plainly teach that good workes are necessary to Salvation not in the act of Justification but in the worke of Sanctification without which there can be no Salvation Indeed we doe not indeed we dare not avouch with that Jesuite of Rome that at the last day wee expect Justum Judicem a Just Judge not misericordem Patrem not a mercifull Father Nor with those Priests of Rhemes that Heaven is the value worth and price of our workes For my part I professe I can swallow no Pills be they never so artificially gilded No Merits will downe with mee though wrapt up in the quaint phrase of curious Campian Opera tincta sanguine Christi or with the neat distinctions of Condignitie Congruity c. But if it can be proved that the Protestant Church doth hold dogmatically that good workes are not necessary to Salvation I will turne Papist Againe if we make it plaine that they charge us with these palpable grosse shamefull and shamelesse lyes onely to strengthen their desperate resolution in this damnable point of Merits mee thinketh an ingenuous Papist should almost be perswaded to turne Protestant only S. Paul hath told us and fore-told of them there is a generation who will not receive the love of the Truth and therefore God hath sent on them strong delusion that they might beleeve a lye 2. Thes 2.10 11. Concerning the remnant a long Preface would bee requisite to mediate for that short conclusion For my Mistresse Experience hath taught mee her wise Scholar that it is more offensive for a Preacher to reprove sinne than for an Hearer to commit it I hope therefore and pray that in this Congregation there bee none of Malchas his kinsmen who have lost their right eares nor none of Theophrastus his Scholars who used none but their left hands that whatsoever I reach them with a right hand yea and heart too they receive it with a sinister interpretation Beloved I begge an intelligent and charitable attention I will speak in verity in Gods holy name doe you heare in charity Good workes Good God where are those good men who doe performe them some few onely excepted 1 The idlenesse of the poore dejected unrewarded unregarded Mercenaries the lofty lordly deportment of others more plentifully maintained The base flattering of great ones and that more than most basest flattery of the base ones the multitude to the fomenting of faction schisme and disobedience Are these the good workes of our Clergie 2 The slow foot to the house of God the stiffe knee to the worship of God the shut hand to the members of God the evill eye against the ministers of God and as it is feared the schismaticall heart in the Church of God Are these the good workes of your Laity 3 The hyperexcessive prodigality upon hawkes horses hounds drinking dancing and dicing and that incredible parsimonie towards the poore the country Church nay their God Are these the good workes of the Countrey 4 The lying in shops swearing in markets