A GODLY AND FRVITFVLL SERMON PREACHED AT LIETH IN Scotland by a faithfull Minister of Gods holy Gospell Psalme 74 10. O God how long shall the adversary reproch thee shall the enemy blaspheme thy name forever 22 Arise O God maintaine thine owne cause remember thy dayly reproch by the folish man Printed 1607. To the godly and Christian Reader IT every where goeth heard with Christs true Church as I heare and feare Neither doe men make that use of the miseries of it that were fit but even in affliction eyther fall away or become faint harted and careles In Scotland the Hierarchy prevaileth much and then Christes Discipline must needs be thrust to the walles Yet see notwithstanding how God stirreth up some to make opposition against that triple-headed Cerberus This Sermon is one playne proofe of it which was both preached and written there and came to my handes by good meanes I haue caused it more plainely to speake English then the Scottish phrase yeelded And yet God is witnes to my soule that I haue done it as neere as I could without any diminution of or addition to either matter or manner Such as it is I present it to thee ayming only at thy benefite and pleasure specially spirituall Farewell and the Lord giue thee grace to use it to all good purposes A GODLY AND FRVITFVL SERMON PREACHED AT Lieth in Scotland by a faithfull Minister of Gods holy Gospell Gal 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made vs free and be not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage SEeing upon us the endes of the world are come saith Paul 1 Cor. 10.11 and now the end of all thinges is at hand saith Peter 1 Pet 4.7 and that day of the Lord is comming like a theefe in the night in the which the heavens shall passe away with a noyse and the elements shall melt with heat and the earth with the works that are therin shal be burnt up 2 Pet 3.10 and therfore seeing Sathan that great redde dragon knowing that he hath but a short time is upon his long chayne ranging and raging drawing downe frō the heavēs even some of the starres who should giue light in Gods Church casting thē to the earth Revel 12. and raysing up false Christs and false Apostles so that if it were possible the very elect should be deceaved Math. 24.24 For these causes we haue made choise of this portiō of holy scripture whereby we may be put in minde and our heartes may be stirred vp to fasten our affections fast upon that gratious liberty wherewith the Sonne of God hath made us free from every spirituall thraldome standing stedfast through faith not entāgling our selues againe with any yoke of bondage untill the crowne of that free kingdom be put upon our heads in the great day of the glorious appearing of our Saviour Iesus Christ The chiefe butte the Apostle Paul shoteth at in this epistle is to establish his doctrine concerning true Iustification by the righteousnes of Iesus onely through faith without any mixture of the works of the lawe whatsoever morall or Ceremoniall against those false Apostles who had crept in amōg the Galathians studying to deceiue bewitch them that they should not beleeue the truth to whom the Apostle before had described Iesus Christ in their sight and as it were crucified him amongst them by the playne and powerful preaching of the gospell cap. 3.1 For the lawe is excluded and debarred in the matter of Iustification faith onely having place apprehending and applying the imputed righteousnes of Iesus Christ But the lawe in the matter of sanctification is admitted as the rule to which the christian mā should square this conversation and as the lanterne that should lead him in the pathes of the Lords cōmandements The Apostle insisteth in this purpose from the beginning of the 3 chap. to the second parte of this fift and after that he hath throughly reasoned and in the end cōcluded in the last verse of the chap going before that they were not the children of the bondwoman Hagar as Ishmael that is servants and slaues under the law through workes and so lying under the curse thereof but sonnes of the free woeman Sara as Isaac that is heires of the promise through faith in Iesus In these wordes which we haue read he inferreth by way of a second conclusion of the premises a graue powerfull admonitiō that seeing they were free and freed from all the bonds bondage of the law morall and Ceremonial their geeat care should be to keepe themselues so The admonition hath 2 branches The one an exhortation to stand fast in the libertie The other a dehortatiō from the contrary not to intangle c. Between these two is interlaced a reason or argument to perswade to the one disswade from the other taken from the purchaser and giver of this libertie who is Christ and so from the excellency thereof This is the libertie wherewith Christ hath made us free therefore stand fast in it This is the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free therfore be not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage In the exhortation we begin at this word therefore which is a particle of illation relatiue of the last verse of the chapt going before upon the which this whole admonition is inforced as a necessary consequent and by a necessary consequent we are the children of the free woeman Sara c. Let us stand fast therfore in this liberty We are not the children of the servant let us not therefore be entangled c. we are the children of the fre woman and not of the servant let us therfore stād fast in the liberty wherwith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled againe with the yoke of bondage The second word is liberty There are sundry sorts of liberty a naturall liberty a civill liberty a bodily liberty a spirituall liberty The first three sorts we overpasse as not pertinent to this text and purpose The liberty of which the Apostle speaketh here is a supernatural spirituall and a heavenly liberty which is generally divided thus into a spiritual internal liberty and a spiritual external liberty The internall liberty is the purchase and gift of Christ to his owne children whereby he setts them at fredome both in soule body immediately from the spirituall thraldome of sinne Sathan c And this is twofold the liberty of Iustification and the libertie of sanctification The liberty which justification brings consisteth in these poynts in perfect freedom from sinne both originall and actuall in respect of meere imputation Now ye are freed frō sinne Rom. 6.22 From the guiltines therof Who will lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen Rom. 8.33 From the punishment thereof death and condemnation There is no condemnation to thē which are in Christ Iesus Rom 8.1 From the law morall the revealer of sinne death in regard of the
curse and condemnation it denounceth the justification it proposeth the rigour of obedience it requyreth ye are not under the law Rom 6 14. Ye are divided from the lawe Rom 7 6. The lawe is not given to the righteous man 1. Tim. 1.9 From the law ceremoniall the witnesser of sinne Christ hath put out the handwryting of Ordinances which was against us toke it out of the way fastened it upon the Crosse Col. 2.24 and so from the traditions and precepts of men or things indifferent whatsoever as binding the conscieÌ„ce which is coÌ„monly called the christian liberty or coÌ„moditie Rom. 14.16 Ye are bought with a price be not the servaÌ„ts of men 1. Cor. 7.23 The liberty which sanctification bringeth is that spirituall priviledge wherby Gods children are freed from the power and dominion of sinne Sathan c not perfectly but in parte yet in al the powers and faculties of the soules senses and members of the body The minde from the power of darknes the will from the power of disobedience the heart from the power of deadnes the affections from the power of pollution and corruption the body and members thereof from the power of sinne wherby they are made weapons of unrighteousnes that the renued man thus freed might at the least concerning the inner man delight in the lawe of God and in his minde serue it without constraint willingly chearfully The law of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law that is the power and authoritie of sinne and death Rom 8 2. This liberty of sanctification hath two degrees the one is in this life imperfect which may be called the liberty of grace the other after this life perfect the liberty of glorie Rom 8.21 the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God The same Apostle to the Col 1.13 shutteth up this twofold liberty of Iustification sanctification in a word The Father saith he hath delivered us from the power of darknes and hath translated us into the kingdome of his deare sonne Now from this internall liberty followeth that comfortable liberty which the Apostle in sundry places calls Parâ—êsia wherby the soule of the freeman hath free accesse to the throne of grace to receiue mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Heb 4.16 From this springeth that peace which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 Rom. 5.1 That ioy which Peter calleth glorious unspeakable 1 Pet. 1.8 Without this internal liberty ther is nothing in the soule and conscience of the sinner but terrour distraction and doubting even in the smallest matters c. The externall liberty which is instrumental and defensiue in respect of the former is likewise twofold the libertie of the preaching and professing of the truth of God the true doctrin drawne out of the pure fouÌ„taine of the word The libertie of the practise of holy Discipline following from the same fountaine This may be called the liberty of the house of God wherby it is governed which is the Church of the living God the piller and ground of the truth 1. Tim 3.15 We call them instrumental because they are Gods powerfull and ordinary instruments through which by his spirit he worketh the internall liberty continueth keepeth it Take away these instruments no Iustification no sanctification 1. Pet. 1.23 We call them dcfensiue because the gard the inward which if they were not would easily vanish and Satan would soone weare it out of the soule The third word in this exhortation is that he desireth to stand in this liberty yea to stand fast as the word importeth as within a compasse or station There appeareth to be a Metaphore in the word borrowed from the custome of worldly warriours who stand stedfast in the station in the which their captaine placeth theÌ„ resolved without feare to fight never to flee but couragiously to confront their adversaries So stand ye stedfast saith the Apostle and settle the affection of your heart fast in the liberty wherin as in a statioÌ„ your graue gracious captaine Iesus hath placed you resisting by faith that spirituall adversary the Devil who wil striue by all meanes possible to drawe you out of that liberty This is the exhortatioÌ„ in the which the Apostle expresly meaÌ„eth the internall libertie froÌ„ the law morall ceremoniall sin death c. In the afore said respects and by consequence of this we inferr the externall defensiue liberties For if we should stand fast in one poynt of this spirituall liberty then we should stand fast in all The dehortation is from the contrary Be not entangled c The yoke of bondage is opposed as contrary to liberty the entaÌ„gling with this yoke to the standing in the libertie This bondage is a spirituall boÌ„dage of the soule conscieÌ„ce principally and is answerable in the opposition to this libertie in all the sorts poynts thereof the bondage under sin Sathan death the law morall ceremoniall traditions of men Antichrist the man of sinne in corrupt doctrine and Discipline We briefly passe it over because it is cleere by the contrary in the words be not entangled And now there appeares also to be a metaphore borrowed from the custom of Oxen or other beasts whose neckes being once comprehended or conteyned as the word signifieth in the yoke are forced to follow whithersoever the driver by word or by goad lusteth So faith the Apostle if you fall backe to bondage you entangle your selues with such a heavie yoke that whither soever sinne or Sathan leades you you must goe This word agayne importeth not that the Galatians had been under the Ceremoniall law for they were of the Gentills and not Iewes to whom this law was proper but that they had ben before under the yoke of bondage the law moral engraven in their hearts by nature albeit defaced by sin the yoke of sinne Idolatrie c. So that now to fall backe to this bondage or whatsoever spirituall yoke was to be entangled againe This is the dehortation in which the Apostle expresly meaneth the yoke of the law ceremoniall morall But by consequence all spirituall yokes of bondage whatsoever are forbidden for if we should not entangle our selues in a my then likewise in none The reasoÌ„ enterlaced betwixt the two branches of the admonition is drawne from the purchaser and giver and so the excellencie of this libertie which is so much the more excellent by how much the contrary bondage is dangerous If ye aske who is the purchaser giver of this libertie the Apostle Paul answereth here it is Christ If the Sonne shall make yow free ye shal be free in deed saith Christ himselfe of himselfe Ioh 8.38 If the Father be the author of this libertie the sonne is the purchaser and giver of this libertie the spirit is the worker and sealer up of this liberty in our soules If ye aske whereby Christ hath purchased this libertie the Apostle Peter answereth Not with
of a blynde conceit that they are partakers of this liberty cast of the law holines righteousnes and all under covert following fulfilling the lusts and vanityes of a prophane heart as though it were a loosenes or licentiousnes and not a holy and a happy liberty Agayne libertie in thinges indifferent as in meat drincke apparell c is not a loosenes but a liberty limitted The Argument of the bellygods gluttōs vayne glorious is not good who reason thus Meat drincke apparell are things indifferent therefore I may eate and drincke when and how oft and how much soever I list albeit excessively I may weare what apparel I please albeit never so costly or glorious For so thou turnest this liberty to a meere loosnes To the which the Apostle Paul setteth generally the limitts of order comelines aedification and that mutuall charitie which should be in christian society Againe the libertie of preaching and professing the truth of Gods word is not a loosenes so that a man may preach or professe what he pleaseth taking to himselfe a liberty of conscience that so many wisheth but it is a limitted liberty We must preach the word keeping our selues precisely within the compasse therof yea we must preach the word as the word there is a limitation both in matter and manner Likwise your profession must be both in matter manner as the word prescribs Lastly the liberty of the government Discipline of Gods house is not a loosnes as though mē might set downe what forme ther of they pleased but a libertie which is bounded limitted both in respect of the substātiall poynts therof which are fixed and immoveable and the circumstantiall poynts therof which are variable and changable For the first the limitts of the poynts fubstantiall is the word either expresse for the most parte or at least by necessary consequēce the word I say particularly for every one of them as the office bearers in the Church their sorts degrees authority power offices calling thereto discharge thereof in preaching the word administring the sacraments exercising of Discipline as is evident out of the Epistles of Paul and the rest Therfore that is not a good argumēt this or that as the estate of Bishops humane or such other is not against the word there is nothing in the word against it therefore it is lawfull Suppose it were so that it were not against the word yet it will not follow if it be among the substantiall poynts as concerning any office bearer his office authority or such like which are perefctly expresly set downe in the word But rather by the contrary it will follow by a sure consequence It is not with the word the word is not with it therefore it is not lawfull Otherwise this libertie is turned to loosenes For the second the limitts of the poynts circumstantiall and ceremoniall is likewise by the word but generally bouūding all and every one of thē in their use with the foresayd three limitts order comlines and aedification Where Ceremonies are placed in a Church having these three joyned with them in peace and wisdome let them be reteyned without superstition Where Ceremonies are placed in a Church breaking their boūds bringing in with them for order confusion for decency uncomely and vngraue disguyzing for aedification offence of the weake in faith of whom there hath ben ever and wil be a number in the Church of Christ in all ages and confirming of others in their superstitions let them without contention in wisdome and authority be removed otherwise this liberty is turned into loosenes Therfore this is not a good argument all ceremonies are in thēselues indifferent therefore they may be reteyned or removed placed or displaced according to our pleasure It followeth not because there is a difference betwixt the indifferency of the thing indifferent in it selfe and the indifferency of the use thereof the thing indifferent in it selfe and it owne nature being nether inclyning to good nor evil is and abideth alwayes indifferent the Christian liberty thereof being in the conscience as a benefite chiefly pertayning therto the authority of man yea of Angels is not able to alter or change the nature thereof by turning indifferency into necessitie for this is onely proper to God to change the quality of thinges by the power of his precept But the use of the thing indifferent is and abydes not alwayes and at al times indifferent in respect of the accidents that accompany the same sometimes offence uncomelines disorder following theron which taketh away the indifferency of the use bynding restrayning the exrernall work that it be not done albeit nothing touching the internall liberty of the conscience which is ever free Otherwise the abuse of the thing indifferent commeth in of necessity craving reformation thereof Somtimes againe the lawfull authority of men in a discrete cōmandement or precept of Christian charity accompanieth the same injoyning the use of the thing indifferent so obliging and bynding the externall worke to be done although not the internall liberty and conscience and that not absolutely but in case of scandall otherwise the worke without sinne may be omitted If ye will say the law giver by his superiour power concerning the externall use of the thing indifferent will remoue the offence followinge therein It will not but rather aggravate it because thereby the externall worke appeareth to be bound to the offensiue use of the thing indifferent which before was free If ye will aske whether the superiour power may not by preceept injoyne the use of thinges indifferent I answer yea but with these conditions First that it be without the opinion of merit and necessary Divine worship Secondly that it be without the offence of the weake or any of Gods children whatsoever and the strenghthening the superstitious in their blynd errors Thirdly that it be not imposed with the clause of perpetuity as though it were a thing necessary but that it be left alterable according as the circumstance of time place person shall requyre Fourthly that it be not urged under the punishment of necessity For exāple if a law or Injunction should impose the use of the surplice in time of divine service the ring in mariage c under the payne of deposition this is to make the use of a thing indifferent necessary for what other or greater shal be the punishment of fornication drunkenes c in the person of any spirituall office bearer So then of all this ye see what a gratious liberty it is wherwith Christ hath made us free and therefore how stedfastly we should stand in it not with a loose licentious heart but with affections fast setled by faith thereon that we be not entangled agayne with the yoke of bondage Thirdly the Apostle layeth out before our eyes the dolefull misery wherin they inwrappe themselues who for sake this liberty they entangle thēselues with the fearefull yoke of bondage
subscribed Sworne Looke the Confession of faith Wherby By the great name of the Lord our God Whereto To continue in obedience of the Doctrine and Discipline of this reformed Church and to defend the same How long All the dayes of our liues Vnder what payne Vnder the payne conteyned in the law and danger both of body and soule in the day of Gods fearefull iudgment How haue all sworne and subscribed Not secretly but solemnely agayne not ignorantly or rashly but saith the wordes after long and due examination being perswaded in coÌ„science through knowledge wrought by the holy spirit and not moved for worldly respects in a through resolution willingly beleeving confessing subscribing affirming before God and the whole world that it is the onely true religion pleasing God and bringing salvation to man and promising to mainteine it both in the Doctrine and Discipline So that if any will alledge that now they may alter because they see greater light surely it may well be greater livyng thou seest but greater light thou canst not see to make thee alter This is a strong reason to bynde the loosest heart and make stedfast the most waÌ„dring soule unles in the sight of God his Angels and the world we would be manifestly perjured make open Apostasy to the high blaspheming of that Gospell of grace which we preach and professe 7. And lastly we know not how long our God shal graÌ„t to vs the liberty of this present life If while we enjoye it we likewise keep fast this pretious liberty purchased to us by Christ and so long possessed of vs in peace the certeinly in weale in wo in life in death we shall find the fruit and comfort thereof But if we forsake this liberty and God come and cut of the liberty of this present life with what assurance shall we looke for the liberty of that better life Therefore let us stand fast in the liberty wherwith Christ hath made us free and not be entangled agayne with the yoke of bondage Now it may be that some wil be reasonyng within themselues after this manner What needes all this a-doe of this liberty the keeping of it and standing in it Wherein is it hurt And by whom I answer to the first If ye will compare the state of our Church as it was within these few yeares with that which now is the graces and faces of â—aithfull men zealous for the house of God their vnity and amity the order comelines of their meetings the coÌ„curreÌ„ce to the Lords worke which theÌ„ was with that which now we looke vpon with our eyes disorder confusioÌ„ division your question wil easily be resolved The time hath been wheÌ„ our Church liberties haue been as a defensed cittie or house but now doores and windowes are partly cast open partly broken up enemies entered so that the faithfull keepers wil be forced eyther to yeld or to suffer but to suffer is farr better for if either our liberties through craft be undermined or through reward be given out of our handes it is likely the Lord will never honor us with them agayne But if by violence they be throwne out of our hands then possesse we a good conscience in our Gods great mercy they shal be repossessed wheÌ„ he thinks time Was not the glorious liberty of Doctrine and Discipline exercised in this land sometime to it that which the Arke of God was to Israel the glory and prayse of it which now is departing there is none like Phinehas wife to mourne for it Was not Scotland albeit the meanest among many Nations yet renowned through the world because Christ in his Gospell of grace was so clearely borne out before our eyes in it And as Bethleem Ephrathah albeit litle among the thousands of Iuda yet renowned because Iesus was borne in it But now we are beating him downe putting him in baÌ„ds covering his face as though we were of purpose now to bury him agayne with the Iewes The Lord be mercifull to us I need not insist in these thinges which are more then evident whereof every one of us talketh privily albeit we speake noâ— much of them publikely I answer to the second question that is by whom our liberties are hurt As concerning our Soveraigne the Kings Majestie he promised at his departure out of this Country and protested as we heare at that meeting late at Liethâ—oe by his CoÌ„missioner that it was no way his highnes intention to alter our government or to hurt our liberties And to testifie our entier and sincere loue reverence and dutifull obedieÌ„ce to him we preach with Christ Math 22.21 Giue unto Caesar our christian Caesar that which is his and unto God those things which are his With Paul Rom 13.1 Let every soule be subiect unto the higher power which is of God and ordayned by him With Peter 1. Pet 2 17. Feare God honor the King We pray for him that his throne may be established with the Sunne and the Moone in his owne person and Royall ofspring till the Sonne of God sett downe his throne in the cloudes to judge the quicke the dead And we will giue to him more honor then Saule requyred of Samuel wheÌ„ he desired that he would but honor him before his people 1. Sam. 15.30 Not only wil we honor him before his people but also before the Lord in sincerity Well then let us search out this hurt among our selues The Lord hath appoynted us to be the lightes of the land holding out his light before this darkened generation to be the eyes for the body of his Church to guide her forward in the way of grace but we haue been in a great measure blinde and darknes our selues The Lord appoynted us to be the watchmen set on the walles of his Sion to see foresee blowe the trumpet and giue warning to his people in time of danger but we haue been blynde and haue not seene and as dombe doges who haue not barked The Lord appoynted us to be builders of his house the ground corner and headstone whereof is Iesus Christ but we haue been breakers downe of that which our worthy predicessors and we our selues haue builded up before and so haue made our selues transgressors saith the Apostle Paul Gal. 2.18 The Lord appoynted us to be the keepers and dressers of his vineyard but we by our sloath and silence haue suffered the hedges therof to be brokeÌ„ downe and many wylde grapes to growe therin The Lord appoynted us to be the sheephards of his flocke to feed them lead them out to the greene pastures of his word and Sacraments but we in a great measure haue been idle sheepheards feading our selues and forgetting the flocke which Christ hath purchased with his pretious bloud Here is the cause of our wounded hurt liberties This we confesse in the sight of God and his Angels for this we cry God mercy for Christs sake O that our heads were