brokē from the tree which if it were it could not beare It is a meruaylous proofe to vs of this good and therefore marke it well The Apostle againe sayth There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Yea but who bee those See what followeth Which walke not after the flesh but after the spirite So then if I would know whether I bee in Christ Iesus or no I must looke how I walke that is still how I am sanctified And if I finde that the God of mercie by his perpetual spirit hath wrought in me a chaunge that whereas once I walked after the flesh that is was ruled guided and gouerned by my corrupt nature now it is not so but the holy Ghost leadeth me into a feruent loue of God and a true hatred of euill then is the conclusion inferred by the very spirit of truth himselfe I am in Christ Iesus and there is no condemnation to me nor for me So that Sanctification the lowest step leadeth mée surely to election the highest of the ladder Giue rather diligence sayth Saint Peter my brethren to make your calling and election sure Yea but how might they say shal we do it Peter telleth them If yee doo these things you shall neuer fall And what be those things Hee also sheweth them namely If you ioyne vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience with patience godlynesse with godlynesse brotherly kindnes and with brotherly kindnes loue c. Now what is al this but sanctification of life So that still our rule is proued that if wee woulde know whether we be elected to liue in heauen we must euer looke how we leade our liues in earth And if there the Lorde hath chaunged vs from carelesse to careful men and women to please him in holynesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life then is this Sanctification a note of Iustification Iustification of Vocation Vocation of Election and so heauen is ours But now take heed that in this search for holynesse of life we bee not carryed away with outward shewes For such holynesse holdeth not either in promisses or conclusion of our former argument The Lorde abhorreth approching lippes and reproching hearts And Except your righteousnesse sayth hee exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharesies you shall neuer enter into the kingdome of GOD. That is except you haue more thā a painted visard which they had most glorious and a counterfait hypocriticall shew of holynesse your reckoning of heauen will bee without your host and you will fayle of it Write sayth the Lord to the Angell of the Church of Sardis I knowe thy workes for thou hast a name that thou liuest but thou art dead It is not then a name only y t wil serue the turne Hauing a shew sayth Paule of godlynesse but haue denyed the power thereof As if hée should saie vaine thrice vaine is the shew without the power and truth when this search of our election is in hand O beloued consider then of this earnestly and think with your selues if there be no comfort to be had in our heartes that we are the Lordes appointed to life and blisse in the worlde to come but onely by a true espiall of sanctification of life in our selues how carefull should we bee by hearing of the worde by praying by reading and by all appoynted good meanes to haue this change wrought in vs that our light shining forth may not onely make others glorifie our heauenlie Father for his graces in vs but euen vnto our selues as Saint Peter sayth Make our election and future state in the glorious kingdome of God sure Truly there should be no cares greater than this neyther anie diligence as the Apostle speaketh more faythfull whilest we liue And see with your selues in your secrete meditations often this difference of holynesse and vnholynes of sanctification and prophanenesse the one proueth vnto me my euerlasting ioy with GOD when this course is ended and the other my assured woe with the deuill and his Angels in the blacknesse of darknesse for euer O what are the pleasures of sinne then for a season when swéet meate shall haue so soure a sauce Could the Lord with a more pearcing argument pricke vs forwarde to holy life or with a sharper knife cut in sunder the cords of vanitie iniquitie and sinne wherewith thousandes of vs are so fettered and tempered than to teach vs that the one assureth vs of lasting life and the other of lasting death in the world to come Truly he could not And therefore euerie one laie his hand vppon his soule betimes Beleeue the Lorde and we shall not be confounded Had I wist sayth the olde Prouerbe commeth euer too late Nowe liue like a Christian amongst men and euer liue like a Saint among the Angels of heauen For the Lord hath spoken it But now soake in sin with the bit in thy teeth vnrestrainable and then rot in the reward of it an euerlasting curse from God and all his ioyes for the Lorde hath also sayd it And if this sanctification beloued may not be in shew onely as hath bene said but in truth and veritie how desperate how woful how wretched and miserable is the estate of that man and woman that hath not so much as a shew If there bee no comfort gotte by a glistering outward appearaunce what comfort may be in the soule if the Lord awake to thinke of it where euen this also vtterly wanteth and the contrarie to wit all libertie loosenesse and sinne aboundeth meruailouslie Shall we forget the curse of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell vppon the figge trée that yet had goodly leaues fresh greene because also with y e leaues it had no fruit If so fearefull a curse light vpon that O curses of curses how many of them shalbe vpon those trees that haue not so much as leaues no not one greene leafe but are altogether withered twice dead and plucked vp by y e rootes Wherfore I pray you euen again as you loue your life w t god another day desire any assurāce of it to your soule in this worlde Giue your bodies dayly a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God And fashion not your selues like vnto this world but be you chaunged by the renuing of your minde that you may proue what that good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD is And Whatsoeuer things are true whatsoeuer thinges are honest whatsoeuer things are iust whatsoeuer things are pure whatsoeuer thinges are worthie loue whatsoeuer things are of good report if there be anie vertue or if there be any praise thinke of these things For as you haue hearde and seene trulie proued these thinges shall assure vs that we are the Lordes cared for here and chosen else where to be with him for euer and
them not their committed euill and how earnestly hee prayed for that forgiuenesse Oh sayth he this people haue sinned a great sinne and haue made them Gods of gold Therefore now if thou pardon their sinne thy mercie shal appeare but if thou wilt not I pray thee rase me out of the booke which thou hast written Remember the words of the Apostle Paul to the like effect I say the truth in Christ I lye not my conscience bearing mee witnesse in the holy Ghost that I haue great heauinesse and continuall sorowe in my hart For I would wish my selfe to be separate from Christ for my brethrē that are my kinsmen according to the flesh See beloued and marke wherein the best loue of man to man consisteth and is shewed namely by wishing his spirituall good the good of his soule the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and as the Prophet Dauid sayth the lifting vp of y e light of the Lords countenance vpon him O patternes of loue in this behalfe to their brethren Moses and Paule inimitable of vs vnlesse the Lord assist For where is this heauinesse of hart and continuall sorrowe to see our brethren sinne and by sinne to indaunger themselues here and for euer Where are those flouds of teares which Dauid sayd gushed out of his eyes because men kept not Gods commaundements Alas how strange a tale is this to vs Well it should not be straunge Neither Moses nor Paule would haue wished themselues accursed of God to haue gayned to their brethren ten thousande worldes or any worldly good whatsoeuer but to gayne them spirituall good they did it and therefore much more are wee to care for the saluation of our brethren than for their glorie in this earth if we will imitate them Dauid would neuer haue gushed out teares to see them want wealth but to see them want grace he did Wherefore let vs learne how to loue our brethren wel let vs learne what most pleaseth and displeaseth God what most profiteth and hurteth our neighbours and more hartely pray for the remissiō of their sinnes than for any worldly good It is good loue to wish God his comforts to our frends and to bee greatly touched with their misdoings toward God It was for sinne and the effects of sinne that Ieremy saw in the people and readie to fall vpon them that made him wish his head full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares and that he had a cottage in the wildernesse to sit and sorrowe in Therefore much doe wee seeke for our brethren when we seeke the pardon of their sinnes at Gods hande for them Now beloued if wee bee bound to beseech God to forgiue them their sinnes agaynst him iudge your selues if we bee not bound to forgiue them our selues their sinnes agaynst vs. And agayne what their case is that will euery day say this prayer with their tongues and desire God to forgiue both them and their brethren their sinnes and by and by both goe themselues with many flattring baytes earnest alluremēts euen almost violent constraynts pull the same their brethren to sinne agayne without remorse and feeling Can wee both bee mediators for pardon and tempters to mischiefe with God his good liking Fearefully therefore doe thousands offende and thinke not of it If we will pray for remission for our selues others we must keepe our selues and others as the Lorde will strengthen from such euill agayne when we are pardoned Away then with this good fellowship that tempteth vnto sinne and if any allure you my brethren if other denyals will not serue aske them whether they haue sayd any prayers that day or not if they haue not iudge if that be good companie to go withall or no if they haue aske them if they haue not therin besought God to pardon both their owne sinnes and other mens if they haue how may they then with one breath send foorth good and euill pray for good prouoke to euill aske pardon and doe the thing agayne So shall Satan flye from you The next word is Our what doth that note vnto vs. It sheweth vs what is the qualitie of our riches and wealth for wee haue playde the merchantes and transsigned with an outlandish rouer called the deuil and with him we haue dealt by exchaunge Our barke was fraighted with knowledge with loue with humilitie with ioy with peace with long suffering with gentlenesse with goodnes with faith with méeknesse with temperance and to go no further with all grace and innocencie So that wee might saie of these iewells that they were ours but now we haue vnladed the bark by subtill perswasion and freight it a newe with this rouers wares with ignoraunce with hatred with pride with sorrowes with adulterie with fornication with vncleannesse with wantonnes Idolatry witchcraft debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuie murther dronkennesse gluttonie and such like yea with all want of grace and impuritie So that nowe wee must saie the former were ours and these are ours This is our lading nowe and this haue wee profited by this rouer now Now we must saie Forgiue vs our trespasses then might we saie continue thy graces thē was grace our lading now are we freight til we sink again with sinnes and trespasses Alasse that this word Ours should be applied to these But thus are we fallen and of vs it is nowe sayde that all the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are onely euill continually that we are borne in iniquitie and conceiued in sinne and that wee are not able so much as to think a good thought of our selues Wherefore as I saie this word in our petition telleth vs the quality of our wealth and that our gardens haue growing too much rue in them and too litle hearbe of grace Trespasses bee ours nowe but no trespasses were ours once This thought Sainct Ambrose of when he sayd Diues eras ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei factus perdidisti quod habebas perdi disti pecuniam accepisti a diabolo debitum quod non erat necessarium c. What is our debt but sinne Thou wast rich and made to the image and similitude of God but thou hast lost what thou hadst thou hast lost thy money and taken of the deuill a debt that was not necessarie The best waie for vs is to vnlade agayne this bad merchaundise that we haue got of this rouing merchant by humble prayer to the Lord to forgiue vs our trespasses and to drowne them in the botome of the Sea that they neuer more may be seene aiding vs strengthening vs and confirming vs against our greate and grieuous weakenesse which the Lorde for his mercie sake doe If you will proceed in order the word Trespasses is next The Greeke wordes which the holie Ghost hath vsed in these places here noted are diuerse yet tending to the same matter that he will not giue
by this temptation that now we handle seeketh to perswade Therfore I pray you let vs all note it and thinke of it And as hee did not forbid others such communion so himself did not breake that felowship as already hath appeared and more may if wee marke his practise For hee sayth to the Philippians that he had no body like Timotheus but al did séeke their own and not that which is Iesus Christs Yet neuer do we find that he separated him selfe from their company for feare of partaking with their sinnes And diuers such other places there are What might be added of those famous Churches in the Reuelation Ephesus Pergamus Thyatira and others Doth not the Spirit of God lay downe their blemishes and sheweth what he had against them and those no litle things some of them and yet yeldeth them the names and titles of Churches and calleth their ministers angels What then if a man in those dayes shoulde haue taken offence at these wants of these Churches weakenesses of men and haue sayde they haue preaching but they are not reformed as they should be and therefore I will cut my selfe from them and communicate no longer with them would it haue bene alowed Consider the Lord Iesus his preaching with more holynes and power than euer any else could or shall Were all reformed that heard him nay were his owne disciples reformed wholy How then were they so often rebuked of the Lorde and that iustly Consider the Prophets that were hidden prophesie and did it carefully and yet were told that the people would not obey them Consider the Apostle that sayth we are a sweete sauour to God in some that perish Consider that hee which willeth Paul to plant and Apollo to water reserueth the gift of increase to himselfe and giueth it where when and so farre as he pleaseth So that if the Lords ministers in very great heauines and continuall sorow of heart would wish themselues euen separated from Christ for their brethrens winning yet shall no moe come to the father than Christ will drawe and this happy change must bee at his good pleasure not at their desire How then may we safely fall out with the preaching and preacher and with the Church and her children for want of that which onely GOD must giue and the best preachers haue fayled to obtaine though faithfully doing their dueties namely a full reformation as wee would Shall that holy worde not reforme me because it reformeth not others shall it not be a sauour to me of life to life because to others it is a sauour of death to death If hee offer mee a penny shall I bid him keepe it except hee will giue others as much at my direction May not the Lorde doe with his owne as it pleaseth him for mee or shall I grudge to the Spirite his blowing where he listeth O fearefull falling out with the Lord and his offred goodnes if it bee considered earnestly Wee should remember againe when wee looke so after the fruites of amendment in a Church and stumble so dangerously for wāt of what we wish that Pharisees make greater shewes to some mens eyes than poore Publicanes doe and yet the one iustified more than the other with a righteous God We should remember that Elias was deceyued when hee thought that there were no mo that were reformed but himselfe Our eyes cannot see all men neither can we euer know the worke of the worde preached Inward graces are often where we thought not and outwarde carie more then we know Some iudged lead proues fined golde and glistring gold that seemed to bee proues drossie lead A tender conscience sweete feeling an hope in Christ and his promises inward cryings by faythfull prayer holy thoughtes and meditations sweete prickes and melting motions remorse for sinne and spirituall fights humilitie of heart and peace of mind patience ioy and a number such they bee secret graces not alwayes knowne and discerned of euery man where in truth they are at least not in such measure as in deede they are And therefore since we cannot knowe all either people or graces wrought by the worde preached and there may bee a want aswell in our not seeing all with Elias as in mens misdoings greatly should we feare to condemne and iudge the Churches of GOD for not answering their teaching with any reformation It is an earnest charge and of a mightie God See that ye despise not one of these litle ones For I say vnto you that in heauen their Angels alwayes behold the face of my Father which is in heauen What greater contempt than to thinke that Publicane is not like me I am reformed I am sanctified I haue receyued the holy Ghost others haue not and these by name haue not so O take heede Iudge not thus rashly an other mans seruant All is not gold that glistereth neither all bowers of their knees to Baal that are yet so thought to be euen of a Prophet Lastly wee should lift vp our heads and open our eyes in a louing heart a little wider that we may see the profites of the worde and the gracious mercies of the Lorde to any Church euer and with as hungrie a heart delight to discerne the graces of men as the faults of men Yea much more And if wee see many superstitions banished many abuses amended many snared consciences and fettered soules inlarged true loue of diuers good things and true hatred of diuers euil things wrought Ougly and often othes in many decayed knowledge both in youth and age increased the hearing of the word with Prayers and Sacraments diligently frequented priuate regarde of families in the gouernours of them greatly amended diet and apparell tempred the poore reléeued Princes obeyed peace maintayned c. to confesse then to the due glorie of a gracious God that this is something and this measure some although not all Loue spieth any good wher it loueth loue couereth many things that are not well Surely it doth not for wants denie the good neither for some condemne all And thus if we would looke at Churches children of the Churches no doubt no doubt Satans combe would be cut touching this temptation If any man will say shewe me these reformed ones and good ones in a Church what answereth a learned father Quid hac re opus est Annon satis est eos in ecclesia esse Quāobrem cùm ipsa communionem habetote manete in ecclesia ad sacros coetus sacramenta quemadmodum oportet accedite Etiamsi enim multi impuri publici peccatores non mundati in ea sint tamen vos ab illis non polluemini non magis quam Apostolos Iudaei polluerunt Quin potiùs videte ne à vobis ipsis polluamini propterea quòd multum vobis tribuitis iudicatis omnes plurimum vobis placetis Itaque spiritualis superbia contemptus nimium vestris animis insidet