which is not a reward os merit but of mercie not of debt but of fauour as it appeares here by the persons Of whom God the Father Through whom the Steward God the Sonne To whom to the labourers yet so that the last be paied first and the first last When euen All our time of labouring in the vineyard is termed in this and other places of holy writ a day Behold now the day of saluation Exhort one another while it is called to day Now our whole pilgrimage on earth is called a day in two respects especially 1. For the shortnesse of our life 2. For that after this our day is spent wee shall no longer worke All our time is but a day and that a short day a winters day for our eternal night is infinitly longer then our temporall day and alas it is but a little part of this little day that we worke Multum temporis eâ—ipitur nobis plus subducitur plurimum effâ—uit exigua pars est vitae quam nos viâ—imus It is the least part of our life that we truly liue for wee spend our youth which is our morning in toyes and vanities and our old age which is our afternoone for the most part is lost in carking and caring for things of this life so that there remaineth only the noone of our day As Epaminondas aptly we must salute young men with good morow or welcome into the world old men with good night because they bee leauing the world only those of middle age with good day Let vs examine then how we spend our noone Though honest men vse not to sleepe at noone yet all wee being labourers in Gods haruest and vineyard ordinarily sleepe almost halfe our time Other houres we waste in eating other in playing and that which is worst of all most of all in sinning all which time wee cannot properly bee said to liue for as the scripture teacheth vs plainly bad workes are not the workes of light but of night and darknesse a day mispent is lost amici diem perdidi Similis Captaine of the guard to the Emperour Adrian after he had retired himselfe and liued priuatly seuen yeeres in the countrey confessed that hee had liued only 7. yeers and caused to be written vpon his tombe Hic iacet Similis cuius aetas multorum annorum fuit ipse septem duntaxat annos vixit So many religious men haue numbred their yeeres not from the day of their birth but of their new birth from their beginning of their regeneration and repentance reputing all that time lost which was idly misspent in the market of the world so that whether we consider our life of nature or life of grace our whole time may well be called a short day Secondly a day in regard of our eternal night in which we cannot worke for there is no grace in the graue nor health in hell I must worke the workes of him that sent me saith Christ while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke When euen is come the Lord of the vineyard shall say to his steward call the labourers and giue them their hire This euen is either euery mans end or else the worlds end the particular houre of our death or the general day of iudgement at both which as well the loiterer as the labourer shall receiue his reward The next point to be discussed is what Giue them their hire The word hire doth exceedingly trouble the Papists for they cannot or at least will not vnderstand how eternal life may be both a reward and a gift whereas it is demonstrated in holy Scripture that the immortall crowne of glorie is called a reward secundùm quid only but a gift simplicitè◠if we compare life euerlasting to the worke and looke no further it is called a reward Matth. 5.12 Great is your reward in heauen but examine the first original from whence the worke it selfe also proceedes and all is meerely and wholly gift eternall life is the gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord whereas the blessed Apostle said the wages of sinne is death If there were any merits in our workes the sequell of his speech should haue been The wages of righteousnesse is eternall life hee saith not so but the gift of God is eternall life and so by that which he doth not say as also by that which he doth say sheweth that there is no place for merit If then it be of grace it is no more of works otherwise grace is no grace Gratia non erit gratia vllo modo nisi sit gratuita omniâ—odo Grace is not grace in any sort if it be not free in euery sort In this controuersie the scriptures and fathers and many learned Papists are on our side God saith in the law that he will shew mercy to such as keep his commandements Ergo rewâ—â—â— is giuen of mercy to them that fulfill the law Christ saith in the Gospell It is your fathers pleasure to giue youâ— kingdome And Paul The sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory in the life to come The most iudicious and the most indifferent for both parties among the fathers is Augustine who repeates in his works often this one golden sentence Deus coronat dona sua non merâ—aâ—â—â—â—râ— God crowneth his owne gifts not our merits according to that of Dauid Hee crowneth vs with compassion and louing kindnesse Eternall life should be rendred as due vnto thee if of thy selfe thou hadst the righteousnesse to which it is due But of his fulnesse wee receiue not onely grace now to liue iustly in our labours vnto the end but also grace for this grace that afterward wee may liue in rest without end Haec est gratia â—ratis dâ—â—a non meritis operantis sed miseratione donaxâ—iâ— Origen saith he can hardly be perswaded that there can be any worke which by debt may require reward at Gods hand in as much as it is by his gift that wee are able to doe or thinke or speake any thing thatiâ— good Marke the Hermite saith He that doth good 〈◊〉 â—â—ng reward thereby serueth not God but his owne wâ—â—◠〈…〉 the words of my text The Lord of the vineyard 〈…〉 hire not as paying a price to their labour buâ— powâ—ing forth the riches of his goodnesse to the◠〈…〉 chosâ— without works that euen they alâ—o who 〈…〉 with much labour and haue receiued no mâ—re 〈…〉 may vnderstand that they haue receiued a 〈…〉 not wages for their worke So Saint 〈…〉 in Rom 8. Greg. Magnus in Psalm 〈…〉 1. dâ— interpell cap. 1. in Luc. lib. 8. c. 17. Fulgentius ad Monimum lib. 1. Many learned Papists agree with vs also both in their positions and practise Bernard in his sermon vpon the Annunciation said that the merits of men are not such as that life eternall
saith Hebr. 1.1 that God the Father in olde time spake by the Prophets Esay doth ascribe this vnto the Sonne My people shall know my name in that day they shall know that I am he who sent to them and the reason hereof is plaine because all the workes of the sacred Trinitie quoad extra be common vnto all the three persons and so God the Father and God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost send The persons diuersitie then alters not the sacred Identitie but as Interpreters obserue that text of Malachie compared with this of Matthew proues notably that God the Father and God the Sonne are all one their power equall their maiestie coeternall My messenger In the vulgar Latin Angelum meum Origen therefore thought Iohn was an Angell but other expositours more fitly that the Baptist was Angelus officioÌ„ non naturâ so Malachie cals other Prophets Angels in his 2. Chapt. 7. The Priests lips shall preserue knowledge and they shall sâ—eke the law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts Angelus Domini so Preachers are called Angels in the new Testament that is messengers and ambassadours of God and here the Gospell agrees with the Epistle This is a paterne of S. Pauls precept Preachers are to be respected as the Ministers of Christ and stewards of God for God saith of Iohn the Baptist Behold I send my messenger c. Happily some will obiect if ordinarie Prophets are called Angels how doth this testimonie proue Iohn to be more then a Prophet Answere is made by Zacharie that Iohn is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophet here by Matthew that Angell as it were bedell or gentleman vsher vnto Christ. As then in a solemne triumph they be most honoured who goe next before the king so Iohn being next vnto Christ euen before his face is greater then they who went farre off he was the voice Christ the word now the word and the voice are so nâ—ere that Iohn was taken for Christ. Againe Iohn may be called that Angell in regard of his carriage so well as his calling for albeit he did no miracle yet as one said his whole life was a perpetuall miraâ—le first his conception was wonderfull begotten saith Ambrose with prayer Non tà m complexibus quà m orationibus An Angell from heauen auoucheth as much in the first of Luke verse 13. Feare not Zacharie for thy prayer is heard and thy wife Elizabeth shall beare thee a Sonne and thou shalt call his name Iohn It was another miracle that a babe which could not speake yea that was vnborne began to execute his angelicall office and to shew that Christ was neere that dumbe Zacharie should prophesie was a third wonder at his circumcision and so the whole life of Iohn was very strange liuing in the wildernes more like an Angell then a man and in a word those things which are commendable in other seuerally were found in him all ioyntly being a Prophet Euangelist Confessor Virgin Martyr liuing and dying in the truth and for the truth I know not as Ambrose speakes whether his birth or death or life was more wonderfull How Iohn doth prepare the way before Christ is shewed in the Gospell on next Sunday yet obserue this much in generall that it is the Ministers office to shew men the right way to saluation and to bring them vnto God our Sauiour hath promised to come vnto men it is our dutie therefore to knocke at the doores of your heart by preaching faith and repentance to prepare the way for our master that when himselfe knocks he may be let in and so sup with you and dwell with you and you with him euermore Amen The Epistle PHILIP 4.4 Reioyce in the Lord alwaies againe I say reioyce A Text of reioycing against the time of reioycing whereby the Church intimates how wee should spend our Christmas ensuing not in gluttonie and drunkennesse in chambâ—ring and wantonnesse doing the diuel more seruice in the twelue daies then in al the twelue moneths but rather in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs making melodie in our hearts vnto the Lord I say the Church allotting this scripture for this Sunday teacheth vs how this holy Time should be well imploied not in vnholinesse and mad meriments among Lords of misrule but in good offices of religion as it becomes the seruants of him who is the God of order obseruing this festiuall in honour of Iesus not Iacchus alway praising our heauenly Father in louing vs so well as to send his Sonne to saue his seruants and lest we should erre in our spirituall reuels obserue in this Epistle both The Matter Of our ioy The Manner Of our ioy The matter and obiect of our ioy reioyce in the Lord. The manner how Long alway reioyce The manner how Much againe and againe reioyce It is an old rule in Philosophie and it is true in Diuinity y t affections of the mind as anger feare delight c. are in their own nature neither absolutely good nor simply euill but either good or bad as their obiect is good or bad As for exaÌ„ple to be angry or not angry is indifferent Be aâ—grie and sin not saith Paul there is a good anger Whosoeuer is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly saith Christ is in danger of iudgement there is a bad anger So Matth. 10.28 Feare not them that kill the body and are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell So likewise to reioyce or not to reioyce in it selfe is neither absolutely disgracefull nor altogether commendable we may not reioyce in the toyes of the world in frowardnes or doing euill faith Salomon Non in vitijs non in diuitijs saith Bernard Woe bee to you that thus laugh for yee shall waile and weepe but wee may delight in the Lord saith Dauid Reioyce in Christ saith Mary then our ioy is good when as our ioyes obiect is good yea God as Paul here Reioyce in the Lord. As sorrow is a straitning of the heart for some ill so ioy the dilating of the heart for some good either in possession or expectation Now Christ is our chiefe good as being author of all grace in this life and all glorie in the next and therefore we must chiefly reioyce in him and in other things only for him in him as the donor of euery good and perfect gift for him that is according to his will as the phrase is vsed 1. Cor. 7.39 If her husband be dead sâ—ee is at libertie to marrie with whom shee will only in the Lord. So then we may reioyce in other things for the Lord as in the Lord we may reioyce in our selues as being the Lords and in other because they reioyce in the Lord. Psal. 16.3 All my delight is vpon the Saints that are in the earth
but vpon constraint of law and penaltie of statute such oblations are not acceptable because they bee not quicke The Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer and thanksgiuer Nothing is done well but that only which is done with our will freely readily liuely Or quicke That is quickned through faith for as the soule is the life of the body so faith is y e life of the soule without which he y t liueth is dead for the iust doth liue by faith Hâ—e situs esâ— Vacia said Seneca when he passâ—d by the ground of that voluptuous Epicure Vacia lieth here dead and buried and so Paâ—l of a widow liuing in pleasure She is dead euen while she doth liue That our sacrifice therefore may bee liuing it must proceede from a faith that is liuely Or liuing That is a continuall sacrifice The sacrifices of the Iewes haue now their end but the sacrifices of Christians are without end We must 〈◊〉 giue thanks and alâ—aies pray The fire on our altar must neuer goe out our sacrifice neuer die In the Law beasts appointed for sacrifice were first slaine and then offered and that for two causes especially first as Ambrose notes to put the sacrificer in mind what hee deserued by sinne namely death and secondly because those bloodie sacrifices were types of Christs death on the crosse which is the propitiation for our sinnes In like manner euery Christian sacrifice must bee dead to the world that he may liue to God mortifying his earthly members and crucifying his carnall affections that he may become a new creature in Christ. As death depriues a man of naturall life so mortification destroyes the bodie of sinne which is the sensuall life Moriatur ergo ne moriatur mutetur homo ne dâ—mnetur quoth Augustine We must die for a time in this life lest wee die for euer in the next life Wee must rise againe with Christ saith Paul Now a man must be dead before hee can rise againe first grafted with Christ to the similitude of his death and after to the similitude of his resurrection Hee that liued ill and now demeanes himselfe well is risen againe from the death of sinne to the life of grace mortified and yet a liuing sacrifice the more mortified the more liuing Rom. 8.13 If ye mortifie the deedes of the bodie by the spirit ye shall liue This killing of our beastly desires is verie fit whether we consider our selues as Men. This killing of our beastly desires is verie fit whether we consider our selues as Ciuill men This killing of our beastly desires is verie fit whether we consider our selues as Christian men This killing of our beastly desires is verie fit whether we consider our selues as Eminent men As men that we may leade our life not according to sense but according to reason otherwise wee should be rather sensuall beasts then reasonable men As ciuill men that we may not liue according to lust but according to law though not according to conscience yet according to custome that wee breake not the statutes and disturbe not the common-wealth wherein we liue The Philosophers in old time comprehended all points of mortification in these two words sustine abstine As Christian men for he that will be Christs disciple must deny himselfe abnegare suos sua se. The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force that is by mortification and daily fighting against the lusts of the flesh as Basil Chrysostome Augustine Hierome Gregoriâ— Theophylact Euthymius expound it Last of all yet most of all mortification is necessarie for eminent persons either in the Ministerie or Magistracie For great ones ought especially to be good Their sacrifice must be most quicke that they may be paternes vnto other as it were walking statutes and talking lawes to the people Holy The second thing required in our sacrifice so we reade Leuit. 22. that vnhallowed and vncleane persons ought not to touch the things of the Lord. Ye shall be holy for I the Lord am holy this is the will of God euen our sanctification The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued as Plato notes of the priuatiue particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying that holie things are not infected with the corruptions and filth of the world when our throte is an open sepulchre when our mouth is full of cursing and bitternes when our feete are swift to shed blood when our bodies are sinkes of sinne wee cannot be an holie sacrifice for the law is plaine Yee shall not offer any thing that hath a blemish not a beast that is scabbed not a bullocke nor a sheepe that hath a member lacking The drunkard then that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without his head as Clemens Alexandrinus termed him and the coward who wants an heart and the rotten adulterer whose bodie is neither holie nor whole is no sacrifice for the Lord. The Latines haue deduced the word sanctum of sancire quasi sancitum hereby teaching vs that our sacrifice must be constant and continuall That by-word A yong Saint an old Diuell is a wrie word for wee must be good in our youth better in our manhood best of all in our old age wee must grow from grace to grace till wee bee of full growth in Christ dedicating all that is within vs all that is without vs all that is about vs vnto the seruice of God Seruius expounding the words of Virgil Qui foedera numine sancit affrmes that sanctum is sanguine consecratum and so must our sacrifice be consecrated and dipped in Christs blood in whom only God is well pleased and therefore as it followeth in the text if holie then acceptable Now that it may bee well accepted of God two things are required especially 1. That it bee grounded vpon his word 2. That it be performed in faith Obedience is better then sacrifice no sacrifice then is pleasing to God except it bee done according to his will inuocation of Saints adoration of the consecrated host administration of the Sacraments vnder one kinde diuine seruice in an vnknowne tongue praying to the dead mumbling of Masses iumbling of beades worshipping of Images and other like trash which are the very Diana of the Romisâ— religion haue no foundation in holie Scripture not built vpon the rocke Christ but vpon the sands of humane braines and therefore not acceptable but abominable to the Lord. A new religion is no religion To deuise phantasies of God is as bad as to say there is no God Againe courses of life not warranted by Gods owne booke such as are rather auocations from God and goodnesse then vocations as ordinarie cheating brotheldrie coniuring and all other vnlawfull occupations or professions are not a sweete fauour to God but altogether stinking in his nostrels If we
God to make me cleane but if thou wilt thou thy selfe canst and therefore thou art the very Christ neither doth he doubt of his mercie for he saith not make me cleane but if thou wilt make me cleane It is enough to shew my need I coÌ„mit the rest to thy cure to thy care Thou canst doe whatsoeuer thou wilt and thou wilt do y â— which shall be most for my good thy glorie This may teach vs how to confesse our wickednesse to God as also to professe his goodnesse vnto men Our wickednesse vnto God for as Seneca truly Prâ—ma sanitatis pars est velle sanari The first step vnto health is to be desirous of helpe Ipse sihi denegat curam qui suam medico non publicat causam Our sinnes are a spirituall vncleannes and leprosie defiling the whole bodie making our eyes to lust our mouth to curse our tongue to lie our throte an open sepulchre our hands nimble to steale our feete swift to shed blood It is therefore necessarie we should manifest vnto Christ our sores that he may see them and search them and salue them Againe by this example wee may learne to professe the faith of Christ openly Though the kings of y e earth stand vp and the rulers take counsell against the Lord and against his anointed Other happily thinke so but dare not say so Some peraduenture say so though they thinke not so but I beleeue as I speake and speake as I beleeue Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Hitherto concerning the patient I come now to the physition in whom two things are obseruable 1. His mercie who would so readily 2. His might who could so easily cure such an incurable leprosie And Iesus put foorth his hand He granted that cheerefully which the leper desired earnestly The leper said if thou wilt and Christ answereth I will and as I will I say be thou cleane and as I say I doe His leprosie was immediatly cleansed hee spake the word and it was done hee commanded and it was effected euen with a little mouing of his lips and touch of his finger Here then is comfort for the distressed soule the leper calles and Christ heales him the Centurion comes and Christ helps him Other Physitions are deceiued often themselues and often deceiue others and therefore we venture much when we trust them a little The best physicke as one said is to take no physicke but if wee commit our cause to this heauenly Doctor our venture is without all peraduenture for hee cureth all that call vpon him and easeth all that come vnto him Iesus put foorth his hand and touched him Extendens manum suam quod fuit liberalitatis contra auaros tetigit eum quod fuit humilitatis contra superbos dicens volo quod fuit pietatis contra inuidos mundare quod fuit potestatis contra incredulos It was vnlawfull to touch a leper as we finde Leu. 14. In that therfore Christ touched here this leper he shewes himselfe to be greater then Moses aboue the law When Elisha cured Naaman hee did not put his hand on the place because hee was subiect vnto the law but Christ touched this leper as being Soueraigne of the law So Chrysostome Ambrose Theophylact Ludolphus and almost all other vpon the place Secondly note with Melancthon that morall duties are to be preferred before ceremoniall offices and therfore Christ neglects a ceremonie to saue his brother and that according to Gods owne commandement I will haue mercie not sacrifice The best glosse vpon the Gospel is faith and the best exposition of the law is loue Christ therefore did offend the sound of the law but not the sense Thirdly this intimates that Christ was homo verus and yet not homo merus a very man in touching but more then a meere man in healing with a touch Ambrose pithily Volo dicit propter Fotinum imperat propter Arium tangit propter Manichaeum He did touch the leper to confute Manichaeus denying him to be very man he did vse the imperatiue moode be thou cleane to confound Arius denying him to be very God Fourthly obserue with Cyrillus of Alexandria the preciousnes of Christs humanitie the which vnited vnto the Godhead is the sole salue of all our sores his rags are our robes his crying our reioycing his death our life his incarnation our saluation Fifthly with Aquin to demonstrate that himselfe and none other cured him because himselfe and none other touched him Sixthly with Caluin and Marlorat Christs humility who did vouchsafe not onely to talke with the leper but also to touch the leper According to this example we must learne not to loath any Lazarus as the rich Glutton in the Gospell but rather at it is reported of Elizabeth the Kings daughter of Hungary to make medicines for his maladies and plaisters for his wounds in humanity to relieue the distressed in humility to kisse the very feete of the poore As Christ stretched out his hand to the leper so we should put forth our hand to the needy Let not thine hand saith the Wise man be streâ—ched out to receiue and shut when thou shouldest giue Lastly with Tertullian and other how Christ in this action respected not the letter but the meaning which is the soule of the law The scriptures are not in superficie sed in medulla non in verborum folijs sed in radice rationis Now the reason of the law forbidding the cleane to touch vncleane was lest hereby they should be polluted But Christ could not be thus infected he therefore touched the leper not to receiue hurt but to giue helpe so the text of Paul is to be construed hos deuita The Nouice may not be familiar with an old subtill fox but a iudicious Diuine may confer with an heretike not to peruert himselfe but to conuert his aduersary Christ may touch a leper if it be to heale him and the Minister of Christ may teach an heretike if it be to win him and not to wound the truth I will be thou cleane I will If God will is the stile of man our will being subordinate to Gods eternall decrees in whom we liue and moue and haue our being But I will is the stile of God only who doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him in heauen in earth in sea Ps. 135.6 The commanding terme then I will and imperatiue moode be thou cleane except we reade the text with the spectacles of Arius euidently proue that Christ is God Almighty And immediatly his leprosie was clensed This amplifieth exceedingly Christs greatnesse and goodnesse first in that he cured this vncleane person thorowly then in that he cured him quickly for in all our suits vnto men we desire two things especially that they deale soundly and roundly Christ dealt so soundly with this leper as
by right is owing for them his reason is this Omnia merita Dei dona sunt ita homo magis propter ipsa Deo debitor est quam Deus homini For saith he all our merits are the gifts of God and so man is rather a debter to God for them then God to man And in another place Meritum meum miseratio Domini c. my merit is Gods mercy c. Stella God my protector looke not vpon me but first looke vpon thine onely Sonne place betweene me and thee his crosse his blood his passion his merit that so thy iustice passing thorow his blood when it commeth at the last to me it may be gentle and full of mercy Frier Ferus in his commentaries vpon this plece saith that the parable of the vineyard teacheth that whatsoeuer God giueth vs is of grace not of debt And in his Postil he professeth openly that if it were not for pride this question would soone be at an end Gregorius Ariminensis vpon Peter Lombard defends at large that no worke done by man though comming from the greatest charity meriteth of condignity either eternall life or any other reward temporall because euerie such worke is the gift of God His owne words are Ex hoc infero quod ne dum vitae eternae sed nec alius alterius praemij aeterni vel temporalis aliquis actus hominis ex quantâcunque charitate elicitus est de condigno meritorius apud Deum quia quilibet talis est donum Dei Cardinall Bellarmin after he had a long time trauelled and wearied himselfe in the questions of iustification at the last holds it the safest course to repose our whole trust in the onely mercies of God propter incertitudinem propriae iustitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam totamin solâ Dei misericordiâ benignitate reponere Thus as you see Papists of the best note for learning accord with vs in the pulpit and schoole Now for their practise that learned Clerk Chemnitius hath obserued long since that most of them in the question of iustification by works haue said one thing in their disputations and another in their meditations otherwise behauing themselues at their death then in their life For when once they see that they must appeare before the bar of Gods iustice they plead for the most part guilty crauing a Psalme of mercy Miserere mei Deus secunudum multitudâ—nem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam Pope Gregory counselleth vs vt recta quae agimus sciâ—ndo nesciamus in plaine English to take no further notice of our good workes but to renounce them Anselmus Archbishop of Canterbury confesseth often in his meditations that all his life was either vnprofitable or damnable Whereupon hee concludes at last Quidergo restâ—t ô peccator nisi vt in totâ vitá tuá deplores totam vitam tuam What remaines to bee done in our whole life but to lament for the sinnes of our whole life Abbot Bernard hath this sweet saying Sufficit ad â—eritum scire quod non sufficiant merita Penury of merit is a dangerous pouerty presumption deceitfull riches I will therefore saith he pray with Salomon O Lord giue me neither pouerty nor riches neither want of merit neither abundance of presumption Sherwin a Seminary Priest executed for treason with Edmund Campian at Tiborne when hee was in the cart ready to die though he held himselfe a Martyr for the Catholike faith acknowledged notwithstanding ingennously the miseries imperfections and corruptions of his owne vile nature relying wholly vpon Christ and inuocating no Saint but his Sauiour ending his life with these words O Iesus Iesus Iesus be to me a Iesus But the truth of this doctrine doth appeare more plainly by the consideration of the persons here mentioned of whom through whom to whom First of whom the Lord of the vineyard that is God the Father who saith in the 15. verse that the eternall penny is his owne and that he may doe with it what he list If it were debt then not his owne neither could he dispose of it as he will In execution the worke goeth before the reward as here the labour before the hire but in Gods intention the reward is before the worke God therefore giueth vs grace to worke wel because formerly by his election he giueth vs eternall life Whom he doth predestinate them hee calleth and whom he calleth he iustifieth and whom he iustifieth them he glorifieth And so his mercy is from euerlasting to euerlasting from euerlasting predestination to euerlasting glorification Happily some will say prâ—â—ise is debâ—â—ut God promised and couenanted with 〈◊〉 â—â—bourers in the second verse to giue them a penny 〈◊〉 made that this very promise is mercy on Gods part not merit on our part by promise hee bindeth himselfe but by merit wee bind him vnto vs. It is in his own power to promise and without promise he should be tied vnto nothing but whether there be promise or not he is tied in iustice to reward desert If a man deserue a penny he must haue a penny for God infinitely rich in mercy doth highly scorne to owe any laborer a farthing but if this penny be due not by any performance of man but onely by the promise of God it cannot truly be called a reward of debt but of fauour not purchase but inheritance Come 〈◊〉 blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you c. Inheritance is a matter of birth and not of industry The younger brother often is of betâ—â—◠〈◊〉 then the elder yet that cannot make him his fatâ—â—â—â— heire When therefore the Scripture sets â—orth vnto vs eternall life vnder the condition of inheritance it teacheth vâ— plainly that we cannot attaine it by merit but that God electing vs his childen bâ—â—â—re any worke giueth vs freely the state and prerogatiue thereof Christ is the Steward by whom euery labourer hath his hire for we receiue nothing from God the Father but by God the Sonne grace by Iesus Christ. The persons vnto whom reward is giuen are the first and the last labourers in Gods vineyard and the last hath equall pay with the first If then in our spirituall warfare any good worke chance to leape ouer the wall and challenge to it selfe any prerogatiue of merit and so the diuell by his seeming retreat infect it with the bane of pride as hauing obtained victory we must vse it as Torquaâ—us did his oueruenturous sonne cut it off with the vnpartiall sword of the spirit for daring beyond his commission I conclude with Augustine It is true righteousnesse vnto which eternall life is due but if it be true it is not of thy selfe It is from aboue descending downe from the father of lights that thou mightst haue it if at least thou haue it verily thou hast receiued it for what hast thou
that thou hast not receiued Wherefore O man if thou be to receiue eternall life it is indeed the wages of righteousnesse but to thee it is grace to whom righteousnesse it selfe is also grace That God cals it is his mercy that thou commest at his call it is his mercy that thou dost labour when thou art come it is his mercy that thou art rewarded for thy labour it is his mercy By the grace of God I am that I am and his grace which is in me was not in vaine but I labored more abundantly then them all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me The Epistle 2. COR. 11.19 Ye suffer fooles gladly c. SAint Paul was so modest in his owne cause that hee cals himselfe the greatest sinner and the least Saint but in Gods cause perceiuing that his personall disgrace might tend to the generall hurt of the Church and scandall of the Gospell he doth boast with the prowdest In whâ—â—soeuer aâ—â—â— tâ—an is bold I am bold also Not out of vaine glory to commend himselfe but out of a iust necessitie to stop the mouthes of other especially to confound the false teachers He doth therefore first confer then prefer himselfe before them all He compares himselfe with them in that which is lesse commendable namely for his birth and ancientry 〈◊〉 are Hebrewes euen so â—m I they are Israelites euen so am â— they are the seed of Abraham euen so am I whereas they reioice after the flesh I will reioice also vers 18. As he doth equall himselfe with them in things carnall so prefer himselfe before them in things spirituall in that which is more worthy praise to wit in his Apostleship First in generall They are the Ministers of Christ I speake as a foole I am more put apart to preach the Gospell of God not by man but by Iesus Christ. In more particular he doth extoll himselfe aboue them all in two points especially 1. For that he suffered moe troubles as he sheweth in this scripture 2. For that he receiued mo graces as he declareth in the next Chapter His troubles here mentioned are partly such as himselfe assumed of his owne accord such as other imposed on him In stripes aboue measure SupramoduÌ„ virtutis humaâ—â— supra modum coÌ„suetuâ—inis humanae In prâ—â—â—n more plenteously in death ofâ— of the Ieâ—s sâ—ue times I receiued forty stripes saue one Thrice was I beaten with rods I was once stoned I suffered thrice shipwracke night and day haue I been in the deep sea in perill of watâ—rs in perill of robbers in ieopardie of mine owne nation in ieopardâ— among the heathen inperils in the Citie in perils in wildernesse in perils among false brethren c. Outward Labour watching hunger thirst fasting cold nakednesse Inward I am cumbred daily and take care for all the congregations c. The naturall man is comforted in three things especially quiet rest liberall diet good apparell For rest Paul did labour much euen with his owne hands night and day watching osten preaching sometime till midnight Acts 20.7 For diet he sometime was in hunger and thirst vpon want 1. Cor. 4.11 and often he did fast for the â—aming of his body 1 Cor. 9.27 For apparell he was in cold and nakednesse the one hurtfull to himselfe the other hatefull to the world For his inward afflictioâ— he tooke care for the whole Church exceeding solicitous for their spirituall temporall good spirituall who is weake in faith or good works and I am not grieued insirmis factus sum infirmus I became weak to the weake that I may win the weake So the Prophet Oh that mine head were full of water and mine cies a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people Concerning defects in temporall good he saith Who is offended that is afflicted and I burne not in heat of compassion All this Saint Paul doth hedge in with a preface before Yee suâ—â—er fooles c. And a protestation after vers 31. The God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which is blessed for euermore knoweth that I lie not In the preface Saint Paul doth tax the Corinthians folly for that they suffered and that gladly the false teachers to tyrannise ouer their persons and purses eitâ—er secretly defrauding or openly deuouring their estate whereas the good Apostles in the meane while who preached liberty of conscience and sought not their owne but that which is Iesus Christ were neglected and despised As it was in Corinth it is in England the craftie Iesuit and dissembling schismatike preuaile more with the people then the true Protestant Preacher Our popish Ladies are so wise that they suffer the Iesuit to bring both their credits and consciences into bondage to deuoure their husbands estate to take what they list inioyning penance to other while they pamper themselues and exalt their order aboue all either Priest or people So the Schismatike gaines by losse as in familiar letters it is the best rhetoricke to vse no rhetoricke carere figuris sigurat epistolam And as Sciâ—io said he was neuer lesse alone then when he was alone so the factious haue neuer so much liuing as when they haue no liuing But the Protestant Pastor is kept often from his own which all lawes of God and men hold his due by prohibitions and vniust vexations or else paied with insupportable grudging and enuie Some will happily complaine with Innocentius Iustitia nisi venit non prouenit neque datur nisi vendatur So that as trauellers obserue Diuines are lesse regarded in England then in any nation of the world either Christian or heathen Saint Paul in his protestation calles to witnesse the most mercifull and most mighty that he speaks nothing but the truth He that knoweth all knoweth I doe not lie The Lord is to be feared because God to be loued because the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ to be praised because blessed for euermore By this great good glorious Lord whom I dare not abuse because great will not because good may not because glorious I protest that all is true which I haue said or shall say It appeares then in his preface that he dealt wisely in his protestation that hee dealt truly Some commend themselues truely but not wisely moe commend themselues wisely but not truly Paul here doth both approuing himselfe before God and men before God in speaking so truly before men in speaking so wisely The Gospel Luke 8.4 When much people were gathered together and were come to him out of all cities he spake by a similitude The sower went out to sow c. OVr Sauiour Christ in this Scripture propoundeth a parable expoundeth a parable In the propounding three points are regardable the Occasion When much people c. vers 4. Parable
like Dauids vine doth couâ—r the mountaines with her boughes and stretcheth her branches vnto the sea extending it selfe to God Angels men in men to our selues and other in other vpward to supeâ—iours downward to inferiours on the right hand to friends on the left to foes Loue theÌ„ in respect of other is of greater vse but if we consider a man in himselfe priuâ—tly faith is more needfull then loue as wherein originally stands our communion and fellowship with God by which Christ dwels in our hearts into which as an hand Almightie God powreth all the riches of his grace for our saluation and by which only whatsoeuer else is in vs is accepted of God as Saluâ—anus excellently Omnibus semper ornatibus ornamento est quiae sine hac nihil tam ornatum quod ornare possit See Epist. Dom. 17. post Trinit Againe charitie is greater in latitude of continuance faith apprehends the Lords gratious promise concerning eternall saluation and hope doth expect it with patience When God then shall haue fulfilled his word and filled vs with vnspeakable ioy when in that other life we shall see God face to face faith is at an end hope is at an end their vse cease but loue shall continue betweene God and vs an euerlasting bond So the fathers expound it only loue saith Chrysostome is eternall in this respect the greatest is charitie because they passe away but charitie continueth alway So Saint Augustine Loue is the greatest of the three because the other two departing it shall continue more increased and better assured auctior certior permanebit In this pâ—esent life there are three but in the life to come loue remaineth onely therefore that is greater which is euer needfull then that which once shal haue an end And so Gorran and other popish writers heretofore construed this text I conclude to saue a man faith is greater in a man saued charitie is the greater vntill faith haue finished our saluation loue must yeeld to faith but when faith hath fully saued vs it shall haue an end and so must yeeld to loue which is without end The Gospel LVKE 18.31 Iesus tooke vnto him the twelue and said vnto them Behold we goe vp to Ierusalem and all shall be fulfilled c. IN this Gospell our Sauiour Christ the true light of the world doth illuminate two sorts of blinde the disciples who were spiritually blind and a poore beggar who was corporally blind The disciples vnderstood not as yet the mysteries of our redemption wrought by Christs humiliation and exaltation by the one taking from vs all euill and by the other giuing all that is good Hee died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Christ therefore doth open their eies and instruct them in these two points exactly First generally vers 31. Behold we goe vp to Ierusalem and all things c. Secondly more particularly declaring the maner of his death and resurrection in the 32.33 verses Concerning his passion fiue things are deliuered traditio that hee shall be betraied illusio that hee shall be mocked conspuitio that hee shall be spitted on flâ—gellatio that hee shall be scourged occisio that hee shall be put to death For truth it selfe was betraied wisdome it selfe mocked glory it selfe spitted on innocencie it selfe scourged and life it selfe killed Concerning his resurrection hee sets downe two points especially 1. that he shal rise 2. that hee shall rise the third day Iesus tooke vnto him the twelue Reuealing to them the secrets of his kingdome foretelling his passion for two causes especially 1. that they might beare it more patiently praemoniti praemuniti 2. to signifie that hee suffered willingly Ioh. 10.18 See Gosp. dom 10. post Trin. Behold This word of attention is like the sounding of a trumpet before some waighty proclamation or like the ringing of a great bell before the sermon of a famous Preacher And therefore let vs heare this doctrine with an especiall care which Christ hath commended vnto vs here by such a remarkable note We goe vp Christs passion is called an exaltation or ascending For albeit he could not ascend higher as God yet he was exalted by his humiliation as man and had a name giuen him aboue euery name Phil. 2.8.9 Lucifer and Adam by climbing vp were cast downe but Christ by casting himselfe downe went vp Or We goe vp insinuating that his iourney was not easie Facilis descensus Auerni Men go sooner downe hil then vp hill yet he that hath a good horse can ride faster vp hill then downe hill So the charets and horsemen of Israel assisted by Gods especiall grace lifting them vp aboue the base vallies of the world runne faster and are more delighted in heauens vp hill then the wicked iâ— hels downe hill To Ierusalem Interpreters haue rendred sundry reasons why Christ was crucified at Ierusalem especially two First because there was not enough malice in any other Citie to kill the Lord of life none but the holy could enuie the most holy The prophane Gentiles ignorant Iewes elsewhere did not maligne Christ in his words and wonders Ierusalem onely the Prophet-killer could not indure the Prophet His holinesse and wisdome was the fittest obiect for the Scribes and Pharises enuie That vpon them might come all the righteous blood shed vpon earth euen from Abel the shadow to Christ the substance whose bloud speakes better things vnto vs and cries â—owder against them then that of Abel Here note by the â—ay that as the Sonne of God was crucified in the Citie of God so by good correspondence the members of Christ are persecuted most by the vicar of Christ. Secondly Christ suffered in that eminent place that his passion and patience might be renowned in the whole world There was not another stage fit for his tragedie which is our comedie In a mysticall sense Christ and his Apostles ascend to Ierusalem euen to Ierusalem aboue the new Ierusalem prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband but the god of this world with his company descend to Iericho to the lowest hell Hee that followes not Christ in his course goes from Ierusalem to Iericho from heauenly paths vnto the by-waies of destruction and so he falles among theeues that is as the fathers expound it among many diuels and euils who rob him and wound him and in fine will leaue him dead except Christ the true Samaritan relieue him and set him in his right way againe And all shall be fulfilled that are written by the Prophets of the Sonne of man As the Painter at the first drawes his picture with a coale roughly then with an accurate pensill and orâ—ent colours exactly so the holy Ghost in the Prophets and old Testament shadowed Christs passion obscurely but in the new paints it as it were to life perspicuously