teach vs Psal 103.1 35.10 that all parts of man at all times of the yeere are to be imployed in Gods seruice but also to shew vnto vs that wee are not onely to abstaine from euill 1 Cor. 15.58 but also to doe good because not onely the riotous and wastfull Steward that imbezelled his Masters goods but also the idle and thriftlesse seruant that did no good with his Masters goods shall be bound hand and foote and be cast cut into vtter darkenesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And so we reade of Diues that he is tormented in flaming fire Non quia tulit aliena sed quia non dedit propria Not because he did euill to any but because hee did not good to poore Lazarus Luke 18 11. And therefore we should all striue not onely with the Pharisee to be truly able to say that we thanke God we are not Adulterers Swearers Extortioners Drunkards Raylers Lyars or such like but also as Saint Peter bids vs to adde vnto our Faith 2 Pet. 1.5 Vertue and to our Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godlinesse and to Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse and to Brotherly kindnesse Charity and so to goe on from one grace vnto another vntill at last we doe attaine vnto the perfection of goodnesse for assuredly to doe good will be our chiefest comfort Rom. 2.7 in life in death and after death for glory and honour and peace shall be to euery one that doth good and God himselfe will say vnto him Euge serue bone Well done thou good and faithfull seruant Math. 25.23 enter thou into thy Masters ioy Fiftly we should loue the Truth and say the Truth euery man vnto his Neighbour yea and so accustome our selues to Truth Vt mentiri lingua prorsus ignoret 5. To accustome our selues to say the Truth That our tonguâ—s should not know how to lye for as God is Truth so Truth makes vs the Children of God And therefore Pythagoras being demanded wherein men become likest vnto God answered Cum veritatem exercent Stobaeus Ser. 11. When they accustome themselues to say Truth I doe not know two more excellent things Zach. 8. Veritatem pacem diligite and more comfortable for the life of man while hee liues here in this World then Peace and Truth Peace to free vs from all euill and Truth to preserue vs in all good And yet I feare me we may now take vp the Prophet Esayes complaint that Truth is fallen in the streete yea and as Ieremy saith Is perished and cleane gone Esay 59.4.14 Jerem. 7.18 for though as Euripides saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth is a simple speech that requires neither welt nor guard yet now we doe so cunningly and craftily adorne lyes That there is a great want of practising to say the Truth amongst vs. and falshoods that we make them passe currantly for Truth and he that cannot dissemble and deceiue his Neighbour is accounted but a foole that cannot liue in the World So that now it is growen into a common speech to say We know not whom we may trust and we doe verifie that ancient saying Multis annis iam peractis Nulla fides est in factis Mel in ore verba lactis Fel in corde fraus in factis Many yeeres past and gone Faith in deeds there is none Hony in mouth words sweete Gall in heart deceit in deede But if we will haue any part in this God of Truth we must neither vse to speake a lye nor to conceale the Truth for Qui veritatem occultat qui mendacium prodit vterque reus est ille quia prodesse non vult iste quia nocere desiderat Aug. in l. de Agon christiano He that conceales a Truth and he that inuenteth lyes are both alike culpable in the sight of God the one because hee will not doe good the other because hee desireth to doe euill And though Veritas odium parit The Preachers of Truth shall finde little grace with men as Saint Ambrose saith yet must we not hide the Truth for any feare nor yet speake a falshood for any gaine but in all things we must hold fast the Truth Heraclid in sua hist Theat Zwing if we will be like vnto this God of Truth It is reported of one Idor an Abbat that for three things he was most excellent First that he neuer lyed at any time Secondly that he neuer spake euill of any man Thirdly that hee neuer spake any thing without great necessitie I onely wish we were all like him herein 6. To abound in the workes of mercy Sixthly we should reserue mercy for thousands that is to abound in the workes of mercy and compassion and that towards all men either in action or affection for where effecting meanes are wanting God neuer reiects a charitable meaning whereas the doing of good without good will or a large giuing with small charitie proues to be of no validity because he giues but externally some things without himselfe and not internally De semetipso From his heart And thus our mercy should extend it selfe to thousands because wee haue alwayes those before our eyes that haue neede of mercy and that in a double respect The outward workes of mercy are principally sixe 1. Of a corporall necessitie 2. Of a spirituall miserie The Schooles auouch the first to consist chiefly in sixe points 1. Visiting the sicke 2. Feeding the hungry 3. Clothing the naked 4. Redeeming the Captiue 5. Intertayning the Stranger 6. Burying of the Dead And for the second I see not lesse formes of pitty then there be deeds of Charity or acts of iniquity In the first respect the rich may be mercifull and shew pitty vnto the poore and in the second respect the rich may be pittied by the poorest men in the World because none are more lamentable then those that are poore and naked and destitute of the true spirituall riches And therefore in both respects we ought euer to shew mercy and compassion vnto our distressed Brethren Now in mercy there are two speciall acts Sinners are the men that are chiefly to be pittied 1. To see their miseries 2. To helpe their infirmities 1. To see with our eyes and then to helpe with our hands or at least to pitty with our hearts Diues saw Lazarus full of sores and we see men now full of sinnes and yet he did not pitty him nor these will not be helped by vs for if either by reprehension or instruction or by the mildest manner of aduising them yea or by most humbly requesting the Spirituall Lords That it is dangerous to seeke to redresse the dangerous estate of great men and temporall Potentates of this age to looke into their miserable estate wee would seeme to pitty them or make any attempt to helpe them they would make vs all to be
as hee which beleeueth in Christ as sayth the Apostle and prouideth not for his familie hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell and as he which professeth Christian Religion and with his knowledge and Faith and Baptisme hath no good maners no holinesse of life and conuersation which may expresse the liuelihood of this doctrine but hath onely a certaine shew of Religion hauing denied the power thereof is farte worse then an Infidell so is he which sinneth wittingly through knowledge by so much worse then he is which sinneth through ignorance as an inexcusable sinne is worse then that which hath a iust excuse And so Saint Isidore sayth Jsidorus de summo bono l 2. that tanto maius peccatum esse cognoscitur quanto maior qui peccat habetur according to the quality of the offender so is the qualitie of the offence Criminostor culpa est vbi honestior status the greater the man is which sinneth the greater is the sinne which he committeth for as Plato sayth that ignorantia potentum robustorumque hominum hostilis atque teterrima res est the ignorance of great and mighty men is a most vile and hatefull thing Why the sins of great men of eminent place are the greatest sins because it may bee very hurtfull vnto many so may we say that the sinnes of great men and of those that are in place and authoritie are exceedingly sinnefull and doe deserue the greater condemnation not onely because their sinnes are exemplarie sinnes as the old verse sayth Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis and as the prouerbe is like Priest like People Matth. 6.23 but also because in them is required the more eminent vertue wee should bee the light of the world and the great men should be the defenders of the distressed and the helpers of the needy and therefore Si lumen quod in te est tenebrae sunt ipsae tenebrae quatae erunt If thou which shouldest be at patterne of all vertue committest sinne how great is thy sin and if they which should be Patrons of the poore Preachers become robbers of the Church and they which should be Releeuers of the needy become oppressors of their neighbours how intollerable is that cruelty Surely though these things should be but small sinnes in others yet in vs they are horrible transgressions Chrysost hom 24 in c. 7. Matth. Quia impossibile omnino nobis est ad ignorantiae praesidium aliquando confugere Because it is vnpossible for vs to finde any excuse for our selues And therefore though Gentlemen and Courtiers Citizens and worldlings doe leade their liues in lewdnesse and turne the graces of God into wantonnesse and thinke it no great sinnes but either the infirmities of their youth or but the custome of their times yet in vs that are the Preachers of Gods Word or in those that are the Gouernours of the people the least sinne or mis-cariage of our selues which perhaps alijs ignoscitur nobis imputatur is but a veniall sinne in others and shall be pardoned will be found a haynous sinne in vs for which we shall be surely punished Bern. l. 2. de consid ad Eugen. for so Saint Bernard saith Inter seculares nugae nugae sunt in ore sacerdotis sunt blasphemiae Triffles are but triffles among secular men but in the mouth of the Priests triffles proue to be blasphemies and therfore the wise man saith that the meane and the simple man shall obtaine mercy Wis 6.6 when the wise and the mighty shall be mightily punished CHAP. VI. How euery sinne and the least sinne of euery one bringeth death YOu haue heard the diuersity of sinners and the inequality of sinnes and therfore I might now proceed vnto the second part which is the reward of sinne but that I may not forget to obserue that the Apostle saith indefinitely the reward of sinne is death to teach vs these three speciall lessons 1. That euery One sinne brings death 2. That the sinne of euery one brings death 3. That the least sin of any one brings death for First He sayth the reward of sinne is death not of sinnes That any one sinne is sufficient to bring death vnto the Sinner 1 Sam. 17. 2 Sam. 20 9. Sueton. in vit Caesar One is inough if there were no more For as one leake in a shippe is sufficient to sinke it and one vaynes bleeding is inough to let out all the vitall spirits and one wound may kill Golias and Amasa as well as 23 did Caesar So one proud disdainefull thought may cast Lucifer out of Heauen one Apple may cast Adam out of Paradise and one sinne may bring death vpon any one of the sonnes of Adam And therefore seeing the puritie of God can abide no sinne and his iustice will so seuerely punish euery sinne Gen. 3.24 we should not giue way to any sinne for though we keepe the royall Law James 2.10 yet if we fail but in any one point we are guilty of all not that he which committeth any one sin committeh all sinnes but that he is as guilty of death by that one sinne as if hee had committed all sinnes and God can as easily spie out one sinne in man though he had no more as well as he could spie out one man amongst his guests which had not on his wedding garment Matth. 22.12 Secondly as One sinne so the sinne of any one brings death That the sin of any one man be he great or small brings death Gal. 3.10 Jerem 22 24. for cursed is euery one whosoeuer he be that continueth not in all things that are written in the Booke of the Law for to doe them saith the Lord and the soule which sinneth that soule shall die saith the Prophet and Coniah if he offend though he were as the Signet on Gods right hand yet will God cut him off saith the Lord. But what haue not Kings and Princes Lords and Ladies great men Knights and rich men haue not they any priuiledge to haue their pleasures nor any prerogatiue to commit any sinne must they haue no more liberty then the poorest peasant Yes that they haue for when the meane men cannot offend but presently they shall be reprooued and it may be punished whereby many times they are brought to repentance and are themselues cleansed and haue their sinnes pardoned the great men The dangerous estate of Great men because many of vs dare not reproue them for feare to offend them and so to be offended by them may goe on in their sinnes without controulement they may doe it without feare though with the more danger for though it be true of a poore fearefull Preacher dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas that he dares not reprooue these mighty men yet with God there is no respect of persons but Veniam laeso numine nullus habet If Moses the Prince of Gods people
made flesh that is a true and a naturall man in all things like vnto his brethren sinne onely excepted CHAP. V. Of the comfortable instructions that we may collect from this Doctrine of the incarnation of the Word YOu heard what the Word was made Flesh What we may learne from this doctrine of Christ his Incarnation and from thence we may learne many comfortable excellent lessons for our instruction especially in respect 1. Of God 2. Of Christ 3. Of our Selues First in respect of God we may see and we ought seriously to consider it first his great loue and charity towards vs First Gods loue to man that he should giue his onely Sonne to be made flesh for our sake and therefore seeing he gaue his Sonne for vs and that while we were yet sinners while we were yet enemies vnto God how can it be but that he should giue vs all things together with his Sonne especially now being reconniled vnto him through his Sonne Rom. 5.10 for in him he is well pleased and through him he cannot bee offended with vs and therefore Christ to shew how dearely God loueth vs through him saith Whatsoeuer you aske the Father in my Name it shall be giuen you Secondly we may from hence see the faithfulnesse and truth of God in performing his promise Luke 1.73 and the oath that he sware vnto our Fathers Secondly that God is a true performer of all his promises Numb 23.19 touching the giuing of this Word to be made Flesh and therefore wee may assure our selues that whatsoeuer hee saith shall come to passe for he is not as man that he should lie or as the Sonne of Man that he should alter the thing that is gone out of his lipâ— Secondly in respect of Christ we may from hence see these two things First Christs perfect obedience First His great obedience in that he was contented in all things to submit himselfe vnto his Fathers Will and therefore we that doe beleeue in Christ should herein follow the example of Christ to be obedient vnto our heauenly Father Secondly how Christ humbled himselfe Secondly his rare and singular humilitie in that he being the Sonne of God and the eternall Word of God that could haue commanded all the Angels and by his stretched-out-arme without the assumption of our weakenesse haue made all his enemies his footstoole was notwithstanding contented Exininare seipsum to emptie himselfe as it were of his diuine riches and to clothe himselfe with our humane nakednesse and so to become the Sonne of Man and to be made flesh i. e. a vile a base and an abiect thing for vs Psal 144.4 for man is like a thing of naught his time passeth away like a shadow And therâ—fore we should not lift vp our hornes on high Phil. 2. nor speake with a stiffe necke but we should labour to haue the same minde in vs which was in Christ Iesus and learne of him to be meeke and lowly in heart Matth. 11. It was an humble speech of King Dauid when hee said I am a worme and no man a very shame Psal 22.6 or scorne of men and the out-cast of the people Hee was lowly in his owne eyes and did imitate herein our Sauiour Christ who as I shewed you before was not onely contented to be made a true man but also in the iudgement of the World to become no better then one of the basest of the people so rare a patterne of humility did he leaue vnto vs And yet now as the Poet saith Maxima quaeque domus seruis est plena superbis How farre we are from true humilitie Euery man is full of pride and as the prouerbe is euery Iacke will be a Gentleman Proijcit ampullas sesquipedalia verba It is strange to see how we strout our selues and speake great swelling words magnifying our selues by contemning others swaggering them out of countenance and thinking our selues to be gods and not men and with the Church of Laodicea to be rich and want nothing to be wise and valiant Reuel 3.17 and neither our manifold sinnes which are as the sands of the Sea nor our miserable estate which is most fraile and feeble so weake that a little sickenesse will euen vs downe with the dust can humble vs before the mighty hand of God so farre are we from learning true humility And Thirdly we see from hence our Sauiours loue Thirdly the great loue of Christ Bernard ser 1. de Epiphan and his aboundant great charity towards vs for quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior The viler and baser he made himselfe for me the dearer he shewed that he loued me but how could he euer debase himselfe more then he did not onely to appeare for a time in the visible shape of a man but also to assume for euer the true nature of man and though we be loath to take his sweet and easie yoke vpon vs yet he willingly tooke our heauy and bitter yoke on him for he tooke our infirmities and carried all our sorrowes Esay 53.4 and therefore O thou sweet Iesus that vsest to clothe thy selfe with the cloudes as with a garment and now clothest thy selfe with my naturall nakednesse that I might be adorned with thy supernaturall riches we beseech thee inflame our spirits with the loue of thee that nothing but thy selfe may be deare vnto vs because it so pleased thee to vilifie thy selfe for vs. Thirdly in respect of our selues we may from this doctrine of the words incarnation collect vnto our selues these singular comforts As First generally what fruits and benefits we haue What great benefits we receiue by the incarnation of the Word from this incarnation of the Sonne of God Beneficia nimis copiosa multa magna priuata positiua and they are exceeding great blessings innumerable and inualuable as repentance remission of our sinnes Grace Faith Righteousnesse Wisedome Sanctification and Redemption and in a word whatsoeuer blessing grace or goodnesse we haue we haue the same from this incarnate Word for Collos 2.3 in him are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge and from his fulnesse we all receiue and grace for grace Iohn 1.16 For neither his Deitie onely Quia non debuit Because he ought not nor his humanity onely Quia non potuit Aug. c 12. hom de â—vibus Because that could not was sufficient to bee a Mediator betwixt God and man Sed inter diuinitatem solam humanitatem solam mediatrix est diuina humanitas humana diuinitas Christi but betweene the bare humanity and the bare diuinity the diuine humanity and the humane diuinity of our Sauiour Christ doth mediate for vs vnto God and therefore by reason of this Incarnation of the Word God we are made Kings and Priests and a peculiar people vnto God Reuel 1.7 How Christ hath performed all
office of this Angell here expressed to serue Christ to affright the souldiers and to delight these women to teach them to direct them Reuel 4.8 and to preserue them in all their wayes for as they neuer cease to serue the Lord so they neuer cease to preserue the Saints vntill they cease to serue their God and therefore to vse Saints Bernards exhortation Quantum debet hoc verbum inferre reuerentiam afferre deuotionem conferre fiduciam How ought this doctrine to moue vs and worke in vs reuerence for their presence confidence for their custody and obedience vnto God for so great an argument of his beneuolence vnto man as to giue his Angels charge ouer vs Et quam cauté ambulandum and how warily ought we to walke seeing the Angels of God are euer present with vs when all the men of the world are absent from vs It is reported of a godly Virgin that being often sollicited by a gallant vnto vnlawfull lust at last she yeelded that if hee met her at such a place he should haue leaue to worke his pleasure with her both came to the place appointed and the place was full of people then the mayden told him that now if he pleased he might vse her as he would he answered that now for shame he durst not doe it in the sight of so many men and women then she replyed and thinkest thou that I dare doe that in the presence of God and his holy Angels which thou darest not doe in the sight of mortall men and I wish euery one of vs did so that is to be ashamed to doe those things in the sight of God and his holy Angels Psal 139.2 Velleius paterculus which we are afraid to doe in the presence of men for they alwayes see vs though wee see not them they are about our beds and about our pathes and spie out all our wayes and therefore as Marcus Drusus when one told him he could build him an house of such a forme as that no man might see what he did therein answered that hee liked better of such an Architector as could build his house so as that euery one passing by might plainely see what was done therein so I wish to God that euery one of vs would striue and labour so to liue as it becommeth vs to doe in the sight of God and of his blessed Angels And so we see the Resurrection of Christ fully and plainely shewed vs to the eternall praise and glory of God and to the endlesse ioy and happinesse of all Christians through the said Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power and dominion both now and for euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which gauest thine onely Sonne Iesus Christ to suffer death for our sinnes to descend into Hell to destroy our enemies and to rise againe for our iustification and so to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God and the true Sauiour of all men We most humbly beseech thee to raise vs from the death of sinne from all our sinnes and to giue vs grace to beleeue in thee to be thankfull vnto thee and to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life that when we shall be laid to rest in our graues we may rest in assured hope to be raised vp by Christ to liue with him for euermore through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Sixt Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Sixt greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Ascention of our SAVIOVR and of the Donation of the HOLY GHOST EPHES. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith when hee ascended vp on high heeled captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men AFter that the blessed Apostle Saint Paul had by many arguments proued vnto the Ephesians that they should earnestly studie The coherence of this verse with what goeth before and most carefully labour to preserue the vnity of the Church of Christ he seemeth in the seuenth verse to answer a certaine obiection that might bee made viz. seeing the graces the gifts and the offices which God hath bestowed vpon his Church are so many and so manifold so diuers and so vnequall some hauing many graces some but few some one gift and some another how can it be that this vnity can be so faithfully preserued therefore the Apostle sheweth that the diuersity and inequality of gifts is not onely no hinderance but is indeed a great furtherance to cherish and preserue the same First Because all these gifts do flow from the same fountaine Iesus Christ Secondly Because they are all giuen and imparted for the same end and purpose that is to gather together the Church of Christ into the vnity of faith The first reason he proueth out of this Prophesie of Dauid who speaking of the Messias triumphing ouer his enemies saith Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men And The second reason he confirmeth at large in the verses following where he sheweth that Christ gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and all to this end that is for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the boâ—y of Christ till wee all come into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God Two things contained in this verse And therefore we finde contained in this verse two speciall points First A confirmation of the Apostles alledged reason that all graces doe flow from Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith Secondly A Propheticall prediction of the Messias in these words When he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men That the Scripture is the best warrant for all Preachers For the first I meane not to stand long vpon it I will onely note this one thing that all we the Teachers of Gods people according to the example of this Apostle nay of Christ himselfe and of all Christs true Schollers should not teach any positiue point of doctrine vnlesse we can either directly or by necessary consequence proue and confirme the same out of the Sacred Scriptures for whatsoeuer hath not authority from the word of God Eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur may as well be reiected as receiued Hieron in Matth. c. 23. saith Saint Hierom and whatsoeuer is therein contained it requires absolute faith without doubting because as Hugo Cardinalis saith Quicquid in sacris literis docetur veritas est sine fallacia quicquid praecipitur bonitas est sine malicia quicquid promittitur faelicitas est sine miseria Whatsoeuer is caught in the Scripture it is truth it selfe without fallacy whatsoeuer is commanded it is purely good without the commixtion of any euill and whatsoeuer is promised it is perfect felicitie without the least
foure-folde 1. Hystoricall 2. Of miracles 3. Temporarie 4. Iustifying The first is common to the diuels aswell as to men for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath diuers significations First of Faith as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know to whom I haue trusted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 relie not vpon the people but commonly in Scriptures it signifieth to assent as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abraham beleeued God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I partly beleeue it Iames 2 19. saith the Apostle and in this respect the Apostle saith the diuels beleeue for wee beleeue what wee know daemones Deum pagani credunt and the very diuells doe know God saith Saint Augustine Aug. de cognit verae vit c. 37. and they know Christ Acts 19.14 Mat. 8.29 and they know the Scriptures for they alleadged the same to Christ and they know the Gospell and haue called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the way of saluation and therfore they must needs beleeue quia fides est cognitio eadēque certissima in quantū intellectus determinatur ad aliquod cognoscibile because faith is the most surest knowledge of things and wee cannot choose but beleeue what wee doe certainely know And Saint Augustine comparing the confession of Saint Peter thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Mat. 16 Mar. c. 1. Aug. de vnico bap c. 10. and the confession of the diuell I knowe who thou art euen that holy one of God saith that although Saint Peter was commended and the diuell rebuked Idem tract 10. in Ep. Iohn yet in vtrisque non falsa sed vera non detestanda sed approbanda est the confession was true in both and therefore the faith of the diuels in respect of the obiect must needs be a right and a true faith A doctrine to confound wicked liuers who as Saint Augustine saith peiores et tardiores sunt quam daemones are farre worse then the diuells for he beleeues and trembles but the wicked euen as Nero when Seneca diswaded him from his villanies and perswaded him so to carie himselfe vt facta superi semper comprobent sua as that the Gods might alwayes approue his actions answered like a dogged Athiest stulte verebor esse cum faciam deos thou foole dost thou thinke that I feare or beleeue when I doe these things that there are any gods so doe they scarse beleeue there is any God for if they did I wonder that with the diuells they doe not tremble Mat. 7.22 Tit. 1.1 1. Iohn 5.4 Iohn 3.15 The second and third kinde of faith that is the faith of miracles and the temporarie faith which beleeueth for a time and then falleth away they are likewise common vnto the wicked aswell as vnto the godly for they doe not onely beleeue the Law and the Gospell with an hystoricall faith but they may also doe many miracles as our Sauiour testifieth The fourth is onely proper vnto the true Saints of God and it is called fides electorum the faith of Gods elect a faith that ouercommeth the world and a faith which cannot perish If any man would know whether hee hath this faith or not hee must looke into these two things 1. His workes 2. Perseuerance Greg. l. 2. ho. 22. in c. 40. Ezech. For first this is called fides operans a faith that worketh and that worketh by charitie and therefore Saint Gregory saith Quantum credimus tantum amamus tantum quisque operatur quantum credit that a true beleeuer loues as he beleeueth and worketh as he loueth and Saint Augustine excellently saith that credere in deum est credendo amare amando in eum ire to beleeue in God is by beleeuing to loue him and by louing him to bee vnited and made one with God so that to haue this true faith in God is to loue God and to doe the will and Commaundements of God And secondly this faith is a continuing and perseuering faith such as will continue vnto the end These are the two mayne properties of the true sauing faith Secondly Secondly of Hope Luther in gal de ◠5. Exod. 25.20 Hope is a patient expectation of the thing that we beleeue and it is not onely inseperably ioyned vnto faith each one hauing respect to other as the two Cherubims looking on the Mercie Seat but it hath such great affinitie with faith as that the one can hardly be discerned from the other Yet I finde they differ in three respects 1. Of order 2. Of obiect 3. Of office for How Hope differeth from Faith First though as the fire and the light in respect of time doe appeare together so all graces are infused together yet as the fire is before the light because the light is caused by the fire so Faith saith Alexander de Hales in respect of causality Alexan. de Hal. p. L. 12. M. 3. ar 2. because all graces flow from it is the mother grace and the root of all the rest and therefore faith is the ground of hope and doth alwayes precede the same in which respect Saint Augustine saith Sicut in radice arboris nullae apparent pulchritudinis species c. As in the root of a tree there appeareth no shew of beauty and yet what beauty or goodnes soeuer is in the whole tree the same proceedeth from the root euen so saith he what vertue or goodnesse soeuer sheweth it selfe in any man it doth all spring from the root of faith Secondly Alsted syst theolog l. 3. loc 17. Obiectum fidei adaequatum est omne verbum Dei in genere the obiect of faith is the word of God the obiect of hope is res verbi the promise of God and the goodnesse of God faith beleeues there is a Heauen and a Hell hope onely lookes for good things and faith is of things past things present and things to come but hope is onely of things to come Thirdly the office of faith is to tell vs what we must beleeue but the office of hope is to tell vs how we must patiently abide and looke for what we doe beleeue And wee finde hope to bee either 1. Humane Hope two fold 2. Diuine The first is many times fallible Plaut rud Nam multa praeter spem scio multis bona euenisse ego etiam qui sperauerint First Humane hope spem decipisse multos for as many things doe happen to many one beyond their hope so their hopes doe deceiue many one and as the Poet saith Fallitur augurio spes bona saepe suo They doe deceiue themselues by their owne hope and yet this is an exceeding great helpe vnto men in all their actions Spes seruat afflictos and this is the chiefest stay vnto afflicted mindes Nam Fortuna innocentem deserit saepe spes nunquam for when fortune forsaketh many times an
many other words to his neuer-dying-praise for that faith wherwith he beleeued wherby he should be saued and the thiefe vpon the Crosse desired onely to be remembred when Christ came vnto his Kingdome That God giueth more then we pray for but Christ granted him that day to be with him in Paradise and those blinde men which besought Christ onely to restore their naturall sight whereby they might see the light of the Sunne had also the spirituall eyes of their soules opened whereby they did beleeue in the Sonne of God and so that man in the Gospell whereby we may vnderstand euery sinfull man desired but 3. loaues only to entertain his guest but his friend that is God Luke 11.8 did giue him as many as he needed to shew vnto vs that Christ is such a bountifull Master that if we pray vnto him he will not onely giue vs what meane things we aske but also many more excellent heauenly things which hee knoweth to bee needfull for vs Yea Thirdly he doth not onely giue vs what we aske and more then we aske but he giueth vs also farre better things then wee aske Act. 3.5 for as Saint Peter gaue the lame Creeple the health of his body when he desired but a little almes to releeue his want So God giueth vs the health of our soules That God giueth vs better things then we desire when we desire the wealth of the world he inricheth vs with Heauenly treasures when we craue worldly vanities because it is the property of God saith Saint Bernard Dare prius quod potius to giue vs first what is best for vs And therefore whensoeuer we pray to God for any thing we may be sure our prayer will neuer bee fruitlesse but will certainly bring vs either those things that we aske or things far better for vs then the things we aske for God seeth that we desire many times such things as wee our selues afterwards should finde they had beene hurtfull to vs We know not what is good for our selues if we had obtained them euen as many times we giue great thankes vnto God that many things were denyed vnto vs which we desired of him and therfore God doth well and he doth good vnto vs in denying what we desire when we desire things hurtfull for our selues And yet because our prayers shall neuer returne emptie away from God Quid prosit vel obsit nouit medicus non aegrotus Christ giueth vs those things that are healthfull for vs when we aske for things hurtfull if we aske them as we ought to doe for a man may pray rightly and yet for things hurtfull because we know not what is good for our selues And therefore Saint Augustine saith excellently well Quod multis propitius deus non tribuit quod volunt vt tribuat quod vtile est that God denieth many times his Saints with whom he is well pleased what they would haue that he may bestow vpon them what they should haue Aag serm 54. Quia audit deus suos ad necessitatem non ad voluntatem Because God heareth his seruants to giue them what they neede and not what they craue God sheweth his loue many times in denying vs. And so it is apparant that as quaedam concedit iratus God granteth some things vnto the wicked when he is most angry with them as he did the Quailes vnto the Israelites of whom the Psalmist saith that while the meat was in their mouth the wrath of the Lord came vpon them and consumed the wealthiest in Israel Ita quaedam negat propitius so he denyeth many things to whom he loueth as he denied Elias when he desired to die 1. Reg. 13.4 and the sonnes of Zebedee when they desired to sit Mark 10.35 the one on his right hand and the other on his left hand in his Kingdome that is in a temporall Monarchie which they dreamed of And hee doth this vt meliora tribuat that he may bestow farre better things vpon them then they desired for themselues for so we finde he denied Elias to die so meanely that hee might carrie him vp in a fierie Chariot most gloriously and so hee denied the sonnes of Zebedee that temporall honour which they desired that they might both sit on his right hand in eternall felicitie Secondly Many other excellent fruits of prayer as prayer is most profitable to obtaine what is desired so it is most auaileable to preuent iudgements threatned against vs as we may see in the examples of the Niniuites and so likewise to remoue iudgements inflicted on vs Ier. 26.19 as we may see in Iames 5.18 and in Reg. 8.53 Thirdly prayer is most auaileable to preserue and to nourish all spirituall graces Luke 23.32 Colloss 1.9 for by this Saint Peters Faith was preserued and the Collossians knowledge was increased as the Apostle sheweth Fourthly prayer is the chiefest meanes to weaken sinne in vs and to procure our sinnes remitted vnto vs as our Sauiour himselfe sheweth when he teacheth vs to pray vnto God to forgiue vs our trespasses as wee forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Fiftly prayer Sanctifieth the creatures for our vse and maketh them to become vsefull and healthfull 1. Tim. 4.5 which otherwise might proue pernitious and hurtfull vnto vs. Sixtly prayer ouercommeth all creatures it diuided the red sea it stopped the heauens it opened the same againe Prayer ouercommeth all things it brought Ionas from the Whales bellie Daniel from the Lions den and Saint Peter from the dungeon it ouercomes all men quia plus valet vnus sanctus orando quam innumeri peccatores praeliando one man praying will auaile more then many men fighting saith the Glosse vpon the prayer of Moses when Iosuah fought with Amalech and it ouercomes the verie diuels which goe not out but by prayer and fasting for as Christ made a scourge of smalle cords to driue the buyers and sellers out of the Temple so the prayers of a christian consisting of many petitions is like that scourge of small cords able to driue out all diuells all sins from the soule of a christian which is the Temple of the holy Ghost Gen. 32.26 Prayer only preuaileth with God Seuenthly prayer preuaileth against God himselfe for I pray thee let me goe saith God vnto Iacob for the day approacheth not so saith Iacob I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me O Iacob wilt not thou let God go no saith he except he blesse me I but will God take this well at thy hands that thou wilt not let him goe O yes for he saith my delight is to be with the sonnes of men and so Iacob preuailed with God and his name was called Israell And I would to God that wee would also wrastle with God by prayer as neuer to let him go vntill he blesse vs for then we shall be sure hee will not goe at all