full vndoubted assuraÌ„ce of the forgiuenes of sin to theÌ„ that commit sin For howsoeuer the knowledg of the free grace of God offered in Iesus Christ in the word of peace and truth through the corruptioÌ„ of mans hart that turneth as the Spider hony into poison may wheras it should coÌ„fort the conscience corrupt the affections whereas it should take away dispaire increas senselesnes so while it should cure one disease procure another yet such shold be such is the power aâ—d profit therof in such as are ordained to eternall life shal be saued as that as it begetteth coÌ„fort in the mourners so obedience eueÌ„ in them that once were disobedieÌ„t it doth not only cheere but sanctifie the conscience and purge it from dead works For the same word of grace that containeth the promises is not only hidden Manna to feed vs but immortal seed to regenerate beget vs anew This preaching therefore of the kingdom of God the riches of the mercy of God offred vnto sinners should breed in theÌ„ repentance as well as saith newnes of life as well as peace in coÌ„science According as the holy Ghost beareth witnes saying dispisest thou the riches of this kindnes patience long suffering not knowing that the bouÌ„tifulnes of God leadeth thee to repentance The end therfore of all the gra es of God giueÌ„ offered and reâ—eiued is holines of life godliâ—es of conuersatioÌ„ For we are redeemed that we should be freed from euil freed vnto righteousnes VVe aâ—e reconciled by the body of the flesh of Christ that we should be without spot and blame before God we are mortified that sin in the body thereof might be abandoned we are iustified that sin in the guiltines therof might be abolished to speak in a word we are sanctified that we might be saints by calling That man therefore that laboureth not for the perswasion of the forgiuenes of his sin to this end that he may surcease to sin laboureth in vaine for he seeketh not and therfore attaineth not the end of his labor He laboreth therfore as the man that looseth his hire he striueth as one that ouerâ—eÌ„meth not he ruÌ„neth as one that getteth not the garland he trauaileth as one that attaineth not the end of his iourney he iourneieth as one that standeth in the middest of his course Alas brethren what is this but to fight as one that beateth the aire to striue but now lawfully to run but as one that getteth not the garland to labor but in vain So striue therfore that you may â—e câ—owned VVhat a perswasion were this I beseech you to thinke that therfore the Lord cleÌ„sed vs that we shuld bewary your selues washed vs that we shuld defile our selues purged vs that like dogs we should retâ—rn to our vomit tooke away our sins that we should sin still forgaue our offences that we should still offeed him and destroyed crucified sin in vs that we should liue in sin still Alas should the graces of God make vs more vngracious his kindnes more vnkind his loue more d â—sloi d were this to walk worthy of the Lord BrethreÌ„ deâ—eiue not your selues the same death of Christ that forgiueth your sins destroyeth aâ—so your sins For Christ by his own death once offering vp himselfe vpon the Altar of his crosse hath destroyed the body as well as the soule the being aswel as the guiltines the power as wel as the merit of sin be died as well to sin as for sin to destroy the old man as wel as to make thee a new maÌ„ as well to make thee liue purely as in thy life to be purified And therefore if thou art partaker of the death of Chrst thou must both attaine the forgiuenesse of thy sinne which is one fruit and part thereof and also the mortification and abolishing of the bodie of thy sinne which is the otheâ— part and fruit thereof As therfore this is true that there is no coÌ„demnation to theÌ„ that are in Christ so this also is as true that no man is in Christ but hee that walketh not afâ—er the flesh but afâ—er the spiâ—it and againe if any maâ— be in Christ he is a new creature In vaine therfore dost thou perswade thy self to be partaker of the forgiuenesse of thy sin if also thou doest not denie sin with the power therof For assure thy selfe that the samâ— spirit that washeth thee sactifieth thee also that clenseth thee renueth thee that taketh away thy sin destroyeth sin in thee And learn this that thy faith that apprehendeth the forgiuenes of sins worketh alwaies by loue which is the keeping of the coÌ„mandements of the Lord the fulfilling of the law If faith therefore purifie thy heart from sin thou wilt sease to sin For the hart being clean the hands wil not be vnâ—lean a good tree wil not bring forth euill fruit a sweet fountain sowre water a good man an euil life a man clensed froÌ„ sin a life stained corrupted with sin I adde hereunto that there is no forgiuenesse of sin where there is not a true repentance for sin therefore the Lord lyeth alwaies his turning froÌ„ his wrath to our turning from our sins and telleth vs plainly that except we do repeÌ„t we shal all perish So that except thou leaue sinne thou art left in thy sin except thou foâ— goe sin God wâ—ll not forgiue sin except thou forsake thine offeÌ„ces thou forsakest Gods mercy How canst thou looke that the lord shuld forbeare his punishments wheÌ„ thou wilt not forbear thy sin how dost thou looke that the Lord should repent him of his wrath when thou wilt not repent thee of thine offences Moreouer know this if thou mean not to surcease to sin that the promises of grace benefits of Christ appertaines not vnto thee For as ther are 2. parts of the word of God I meane the law the Gospel so there are 2. kinds of men to whom these 2. parts especially appertaine The law belongeth to theÌ„ that are contemners of the law to the disobedient to the vvicked sinners to the vngodly prophaÌ„e to the killers of their father of their mother to manslayers te vvhoremongers to buggerers to theeus lyers to periured persons if there be any thing else that bee contrary vnto holesome doctrin But the Gospel with the promises of graue appertaineth vnto theÌ„ that are heauy loden that mourn are oppressed with their sins which being truly humbled are by the law as by a school-master brought vnto so into Christ in whoÌ„ whosoeuer is he is not vnder the law but vnder grace If therefore thou he not in some regard of the number of this latter sort assure thy selfe that the promiseâ— of mercie appertaine not vnto thee Anâ— therefore if thou being an obstinate person appropriate them vnto thy selfe thoâ— art but an Ammonite that incrochest vppon the possession of Israel and Esau thaâ—
if there were that he was but a deceiuer a iugler a false Christ sent into the â—orld to seduce the wicked and them that are appoynted to reprobation as shall more at large appeare in another place But if this will not serue the turn he will perswade vs that Christ came to be a iudge to condemne the world and to leaue them without excuse as he did Martine Luther and so will he set him frowning vpon vs as a Iudge that is displeased with vs. Or if this will not serue hee will tell vs that Christ came not to die for vs but for Peter Paule Dauid and such like but as for vs hee knew vs not we were not then and therfore he could not then die for vs. But yet if this will not suffice hee will euen chide with the soule and ask him whether hee will make Christ a bawd for his sinnes And this especially he vrgeth while wee seeing our own nakednes do seeke and sue for the righteousnes of Christ to put vpon vs as a white garment to couer vs so as our nakednesse the filthinesse of our sins be not seene For then hee will stil vrge this one thing saying Oh thou wouldest haue Christ to be a couer a cloake yea a bawd for thy sin but all in vaine will he say And for the proofe hereof he wil straight alledge the saying of the Lord in the 70. psalme which is to be applied to the obstinate and such as hate discipline and cast the wordes of God behind their back as there plainely appeareth where he saith As soonâ— as thou seest a theefe thou consentest vnto him and thy portion is with the adulterers Thou openest thy mouth to euill and with thy toong thou framest deceit Thou sitting speakest against thy brother slaunderest thy mothers son While thou didst these things because I made my selfe as it were deafe thou thinkest me to be such a one as thy selfe is but I will reproue thee and set before thine eies thy sins in order as they were done And herby he excedingly trobleth the conscience and filleth it with feare and dispaire vntill such time as we feele our selues verely and indeed to be couered ouer with the righteousnes of the son of God Iesus Christ who is made vnto vs of God the Father wisedom holines righteousnes and redemption If this reason will not preuaile against vs he wil reason as wel as we from the holy Ghost and will tell vs that the feare that is bredde in our conscience for our sinnes is not the worke of the spirit of God to frame vs vnto repentance and to breed in vs a godly sorow to amendment of life but rather that it is a seruile fear such as Iames saith is in the deuils who fear tremble yea a doubting such as is in the infidels of whome the same Iames speaketh saying Let not the maÌ„ that doubteth think he shal receiuâ— any thing yea that it is a fore-tast of the displeasure of God and of the fearefull estate of the reprobat And as touching the peace of conscience albeit we haue aboundantly felt the same yet hee wil perswade vs that it was not the peace of conscience but rather an illusion of the deuill sent vnto him by the Lord to deceiue him and so to destroy him by a false flattering of himselfe And for the better perswasion hereof he will tell vs that the diuell can change himselfe into the image of an Angell of light and by that meanes so deceiue vs as that we cannot as he will say discerne the worke of the spirit from the illusion of the deuill To whom if we shal answer that albeit hee can change himselfe into thâ— image of an Angel of light yet not into the like working of the spirit of God for that he cannot create either ioy or peace of conscience or the spirit of adoptioÌ„ in vs. For these are proper works of the spirit yea euen in them that haue a temporarie faith and fall away againe vnto perdition his mouth is stopped he will leaue this reason and come vnto our naturall inclination to sin from thence he will reason after this manner saying Thou knowest that the Lord wil forgiue the sinnes only of the penitent and them that doe repent that leaue their sinnes and neuer commit them againe for that will he say is true repentance But thou ceasest not to sinne for as thou wert conceiued in sinne so thou continuest in sin and then continuing in thy sin how doest thou repent thee of thy sinne and then thou not repenting thee of thy sinne how canst thou looke that thy sinne should be pardoned And thus by a false perswasion that repentance consisteth in a cleane abolishing of sinne and not in the amendment of life as the truth is that it doth hee deceiueth the conscience and perswadeth it that therefore their sinnes are not pardoned because they are not for euer abandoned And vnto this perswasion he addeth diuers other reasons taken from sinne it selfe and first from the greatnes thereof which hee amplifieth and increaseth very artificially shewing himselfe herein a Grammarian that can frame of the positiue which is the lowest the superlatiue which is the highest degree a Rhethoritian that hath a notable facilitie grace in Hyperbole a Logitian that can reason from the lesser to the greater as also if occasion serued froÌ„ the greater to the lesser an Arithmetitian that hath skill in multiplying a Musitian that can make the lowest cord accord and sound equallie wâ—th the highest a Geometritian who as he can describe the whole world in a little paper so infect much paper with the description of a little countrie and to speake in a word a right deuill that make a mountaine of a moule hill For these are the arts or rather deceits of Sathan whereby hee can notably increase the greatnes of our sin If it be but in consent he will perswade vs that it is all one as if it were done And to this purpose he will alledge the saying of Christ in the fift of Mathew where he saith that the that looketh on a woman to lust after her in his hart hath committed adultery with her alreadie If it be committed after grace receiued of knowledge he will perswade vs that it is the sin against the holy Ghost which shall neuer bee pardoned in this world nor in the world to come If it were committed before our calling grosse also he wil tell vs that our sins are greater then that they can be pardoned as he perswaded Cain that his were And for the better perswasion hereof he addeth the testimonie of the law which confirmeth as he pretendeth that which he himselfe affirmeth As for example if a man haue with Salomon committed idolatry or with Dauid adulterie or with Peter apostacie here the law saith that adulterers idolaters fornicators such like the lord wil iudge Sathan saith so the conscience knoweth
beauty of their boies in the loue of their womeÌ„ in the furniture of their table in all other things besides And howsoeuer the wicked are lulled asleepe in securitie that they are carelesse and so come to be past sorrow hauing a brawne ouer their hearts and their consciences seared with a hot burning iron yet I am sure that the elect of God the vessels of mercie desire nothing so much as the assurance of his mercie And therefore euen their life it selfe is vnpleasant without the tast hereof Insomuch that they cannot rest in peace vntill by the peace of God raigning in their conscieÌ„ces his loue shed abroad into their hearts by the holy Ghost they are fully assured that they are washed they a e clensed they are iustifiâ—d in the name of Iesus Christ by the spirit of their God so the free ful forgiuenes of their sins be fully freely sealed vnto their own soules For they are not ignorant how loathsome a thing sin is in the face of God and how fearefull a thing it is to fall into the hands of the liuing lord Knowing therfore these things and the feare and terrour of the Lord I wil not cease during the time of my abode to put you in mind by those meanes that I can of these things that you may not rest contented as the world doth with earthly but may aspire higher seeking for heauenly comforts in the Lord labouring alwayeâ— for those things that are most excellent according to the excellencie of your place striuing to increase in all fulnes of God of the holy Ghost that you may be filled with comfort true ioyes and your ioy no man might take away froÌ„ you This because I could not otherwise do but by writing I haue vsed the same as that onely meaâ—s which the Lord hath left vnto mee and haue according both to your deserts and my debt at the last presumed notwithstanding that diuers reasons of no smal importance which would be neither pleasant nor profitable in their repeating might haue perswaded me to the contrary to dedicate this my labor which what it is I referre to the iudgement of others vnto your Worships the rest of the Churches of God about you to whoÌ„ I acknowledge my selfe a debter also howsoeuer I acknowledge notwithstanding my selfe not to haue receiued from some that experience of loue to speak no hardlier that I looked for And herein as neither the mutterings of others the suspition of flattery not the opinion of pride which might be by the malicious falsely couceiued against me haue more preuailed with me than dutie so I doubt not but that suspition disdain vices too great to raigne in personages of worship professors of the Gospell of God shall find no place in your very raines For both the good opinion that my selfe haue conceiued the world receiued coÌ„cerning your sinceritie will cleare you hereof neither suffer you to entertain any such affectioÌ„ nor me to admit any such suspition And now brethren worshipful beloued in the Lord what remaineth but that I shuld bow the knees of my soule to the father of our Lord Iesus Christ the God of all mercy the Father of al comfort consolatioÌ„ that according to the riches of his mercie he would make you feele and fill you with all spirituall comforts That you may with glorying in the lord look for the hope of glory and the appearing of the mightie God and our sauior Iesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy Ghost three persons and one God immortall inuisible and onely wise be all glory power praise dominion now and euer Amen Yours alwaies in the Lord Iohn Freeman The Epistle to the Reader A Son the one side gentle Reaâ—er I am not ignoraÌ„t either of the spee hes of those that cry out against the coÌ„fortable opening of the prom ses of the grace Gospell of God as that which wil breed as they thinke licentiousnes of life or of the corruption of mans harâ— that maketh his liberty a cloke for the flesh turneth the gâ—aâ—es of God into wantonnesse so on the other side the affâ—ictâ—ons of Sathan in mine own soule who haue been a man that haue had good experience of infirmities the manifold like temptations that I haue seeâ—e to be accomâ—l shed in others my brethren in the world haue been most profitable schoolemaisters to instruct mee in the fearefull miserable estate of the desperate man I therfore comparing the the danger that might grow by the manifestation of the comfortable promises of God in Iesus Christ to the senseles such as are intangled in security with the danger that the ignorance of the same promises of mercie might bring to them that are afflicted The corruptâ—ons of those that corrupt the promises of God with the corruption or â—ather the rottennes of the bones that cleaueth to them that are corrupted for want of the comfort of the promises and finding the one to be ready to peâ—â—sh for the abuse the other foâ— lacke of the vse of the comfoâ—ts of God the one to peâ—â—sh with comfort the other without comfort the one to be gorged or rather to be choked with plenty the other â—o pine away and to starue for want of sufficiâ—ncy and so the estate of them both to be dangerous the one for want the other for wantonnes I resolued in the end to follow the example of PhisitioÌ„s who if they find two or more diseases combined togetheâ— labour first to take away that disease that most endangereth the life or coÌ„meth nerest vnto the hea t. So I seeing the abuse of true coÌ„fort to be dangerous to the abusers but the want thereof to bee deadly to theÌ„ that are afflicted in conscience I haue wholly employed my selfe to take away this later with the effect therof which is despaire a disease that striketh imediatly against the life both of body soule for that it lyeth as we vse to say at the hart And that I might the beâ—â—er doe this I haue applyed cordials that is saâ— h things as are or may be coÌ„foâ—table for the hâ—râ— wherein I haue followed the prescriptioÌ„ of that aâ—â—ient of dayes that only wise Arch Phisit oÌ„ of our souls who giueth coâ—nsâ—l nay charge to comfort his people yea to â—omfort them at the hart which althoâ—gh pe chance by reason of mine owne weaknes or weaknes of the patient I haue not fully attained yet I doubt not but that it wil appear that I haue faithfully atteÌ„pted the performâ—â—e therof applying according to the mesure of the vnderstaÌ„ding of God giueÌ„ vnto me the coÌ„forts of the conscience to the bâ—oken and wounded hart that in such sort as that they may not only take away dispaire but also by the blessing of God security it self that liberty of sinning that some think perthance will ensue by the setting abroch the