their confusion If any thing may be accounted theirs it is t Dan. 12 2. Math. 13 42. destruction of their Soules confusion of their faces contempt of their persons horrour of their consciences the company of the Deuils the tormenting of their bodies the feeling of Gods wrath and the separation from his presence and glory all these shall indeede be theirs and wholly theirs and onely theirs and alway theirs when their secret sinnes and wickednesse shall bee reueiled Then they shall call to the Hils to couer them and try to the Mountaines to keepe them from the sight of God from the seat of his iudgement and from the fiercenesse of his wrath and indignation And as the Apostle teacheth concerning the godly as we shewed before that all things worke for the best to them so we may truely teach on the contrary that to those which loue not the Lord nor the Lord them all thinges turne to their destruction and further their condemnation the Word the Sacraments and all other exercises of Religion u Deut. 32 15 and 2â— 4. as we see in the Israelites and in Iudas whom no instructions could conuert no miracles could mooue no meanes could profit or bring to repentance If a man had any suit in some Princes Court to make or a supplication to put vp and there should finde the Prince the Peeres the Nobles the Commons and all men set against him to crosse him and contradict him to resist and gaine-say him his case would be iudged of all men to bee most miserable but thus the case standeth with all euill and vngodly men that stand in neede of God and of good men and of all Gods Creatures yet shall haue no releefe or refreshing from them God will deny them Christ wil not know them the Spirit will not comfort them the Angels will not guard them the Prayers of the Church will not help them the Gospell shall not pardon them the Sacraments shall not strengthen them the Beasts shall not spare them the Creatures shall not sustaine them And if they shall peraduenture finde any comfort or consolation in them yet what would that auaile them when their owne conscience within their owne breasts should arraigne them as a Malefactor conuince them as a witnesse condemne them as a Iudge and torment them as an Executioner This we see in the example of Caine when hee had made a breach and wound in his conscience he could rest no where he could abide in no place he stood in feare of euery Creature he cryed out x Ge. 4 13 14 My punishment is greater then I can beare Behold thou hast cast me out of this day from the Earth and from thy face shall I be hid and shall be a Vagabond and a Runnagate in the Earth and whosoeuer findeth me shall slay me In this State and condition doe all the Reprobate and vnregenerate stand they shall finde no peace in any Creature in Heauen and Earth and their owne conscience as a thousand witnesses shall torture and torment them And if any time they seeme to haue peace and to finde rest their peace is a false and deceitfull peace They laugh sometimes but it is from the teeth outward and in mirth the heart is heauy They haue riches but they are as Vsurpers and as Theeues haue them who shall come to be arraigned and condemned for them Their outward estate seemeth happy but it is most slippery and vncertaine when they say peace peace then commeth sudden destruction as the paine vpon a Woman in trauaile But the righteous howsoeuer they seeme many times miserable in trouble and destitute of all good thinges do indeede want nothing which God seeth to be for his glory and their good they haue that true peace which our Sauiour promiseth to leaue with them and to bestow vpon them y Iohn 14 27. Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you not as the world giueth giue I vnto you let not your hart be troubled nor feare Marke then the difference betweene the godly and the vngodly the condition of the godly is in shew miserable but indeede most blessed z 2 Cor. 6 9. They are as vnknowne and yet knowne as dying behold they liue as chastned and yet not killed as sorrowing and yet alway reioycing as poore and yet making many rich as hauing nothing and yet possessing all thinges On the other side the condition of the wicked is in shew blessed and happy but indeede and in truth most wretched lamentable and miserable Their laughter is madnesse their peace is vnquietnesse their ioy is sorrow of heart and the end thereof is heauinesse To this purpose the Wise-man saith a Pro. 14 12 15. There is away that seemeth right to a man but the issues thereof are the waies of death So then howsoeuer the vngodly eate and drinke sing and daunce iest and talke of vaine thinges howsoeuer they labour to auoid greefe and put away the euill day farre from them howsoeuer they passe away the time merily and liue as if they had made a Couenant with death yet they cannot be in quiet and rest for they haue an Hang-man and Tormentor within them from whose hands they cannot be deliuered to wit their conscience which doth checke them and terrifie them before the iudgement seat of God although they striue to make themselues beleeue that there is neither God not Deuill neither heauen nor hell neither saluation nor damnation Thvs much of the blessings craued in this saluation From God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ Now we come to consider from whence these guifts come and who is the Author of them to wit from God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost So then these graces heere intreated are craued and wished from the blessed Trinity distinguished into three persons Doctrine 3. All blessings are to be craued from God alone in christ Iesus Wee learne from hence that all good things of what sort soeuer either for obtaining blessings or auoiding iudgements are to be intreated and requested from God All thinges temporall and eternall are to be asked and begged from that one God which is reueiled vnto vs by the Scripture in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost When Isaac purposed and prepared a Gen. 27 28. to blesse his Sonne Iacob and to pronounce what blessings should come vpon him and his posterity hee said God giue thee of the Dew of Heauen and of the fatnesse of the Earth and of the plenty of Wheat and Wine God gaue this forme to Aaron and his Sonnes of blessing the Children of Israell b Num. 6 24 25. The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine vpon thee and be mercifull vnto thee the Lord lift vp his countenance vpon thee and giue thee peace The Booke of the Psalmes doth plentifully offer this truth vnto vs in the practise of Dauid and other the deare
in this manner passe them ouer Now let vs handle the perticular Doctrine that ariseth from this Salutation The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with your Spirit Amen This is the last clause of the Epistle wherein he wisheth the same that he did in the beginning to wit the grace of Christ If there had beene any more notable or excellent blessing to craue and desire for him then this grace of Christ no doubt he would haue asked it and should haue obtained it for him Hee would haue made some mention of it either in the beginning or at the latter ending or in some other place of this Epistle But seeing we finde no other blessing rehearsed or required beside this grace of Christ it is most certain the Apostle knew no greater or better guift then this grace of christ And indeed he which nameth and commendeth the grace of Christ doth except or exclude nothing which is good for vs or profitable vnto vs either in this life or in the life to come For the grace of Christ whereby we vnderstand the free fauour of God which we by no duties or workes haue deserued or can any way deserue comprehendeth vnder it as it were within the compasse of it euery good thing and euery perfect guift For the spirituall blessings of God as Remission of sinnes Iustification Sanctification and eternall Life doe all flow from this grace as from a Fountaine Now it is called the grace of Christ and that fitly and worthily because he hath obtained it for vs by the price of his owne precious bloud he hath deserued to haue the same bestowed vpon vs. For the grace of God the Father properly belongeth vnto him and Christ Iesus his naturall sonne in whom alone he is well pleased is the Treasure Store-house of his Father by whose hand is bestowed whatsoeuer is bestowed vpon vs. Doctrine 1. Spirituall thinges are to be prayed for and preferred before earthly thinges Seeing therefore the Apostle maketh so great reckoning of this grace that he speaketh of it first and last and remembreth it in the beginning and in the ending and sendeth this Salutation vnto him wee learne from hence that Spirituall thinges are to be prayed for and preferred before earthly thinges they must haue the first place and earthly thinges be set in the last place This appeareth in that forme of blessing which God prescribeth vnto Aaron and to his Sonnes d Num. 4 6 23 24. Thus ye shall blesse the Children of Israell and say vnto them The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine vpon thee and be mercifull vnto thee The Lord lift vp his countenance vpon thee and giue thee peace Heere we see what the Priests and Leuites were especially to craue to wit the fauour of God and his free grace This is plentifully prooued in the Psalmes of Dauid as Psal 4. e Psal 4 6. Many aske who will shew vs any good but Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs where he sheweth that the multitude call for Riches and Honour and Pleasure and account them the onely good thinges but the godly preferre the fauour of God before all and make it their chiefe felicity And in another place f Psal 80 3. Turne vs againe ô God and cause thy face to shine that we may be saued The Church was now in affliction they wanted temporall blessings yet their chiefe desire was to feele the louing countenance of God to shine vpon them This appeareth farther vnto vs in the Lordes prayer left vnto vs by Christ our Sauiour to direct vs to pray he teacheth and prescribeth this order vnto vs that g Mat. 6 9. we first of all aske such thinges as concerne God and his glory and then those thinges that belong to our selues Thus are the prayers directed that the Apostle Paule maketh and offereth vp for the Churches to which he writeth he craueth aboue all thinges grace and peace he desireth that they might haue h Ephe. 1 7 3 16. Collos 1 9. the Spirit of wisedome and of reuelation that the eyes of their minde may be lightned that they may be strengthened in the inner man Yea this is so plaine and pregnant a truth that the very Heathen in their best meditations haue confessed i Virgil. eclog. 3. A loue principium this that God must haue our first thoughts and the beginning of all our workes who blesseth those that are so begun and giueth vnto them good successe If all these Testimonies produced out of the Old Testament alleaged out of the New and confirmed by the vniforme consent of the Gentiles be laide together wee may gather from thence that in our praiers and iudgements we are to preferre and desire especially and principally spirituall things Reason 1. If any doubt remaine in vs let vs consider the reasons that so it may bee remooued First Spirituall and Heauenly blessings are beyond all comparison more excellent and bring more sound ioy of heart then earthly blessings can doe The Prophet testifieth this by his owne experence k Psal 4 7. Thou hast giuen me more ioy of heart then they haue had when their Wheate and their Wine did abound The thinges of this life are corruptible the thinges of the life to come are incorruptible The Apostle Peter speaking of the inheritance of eternall life calleth it l 1 Pet 1 4. immortall and vndefiled and that withereth not reserued in heauen for vs. But among the earthly Treasures what more excellent then Gold Yet he calleth it m 1 Pet. 1 7 18. the Gold that perisheth and afterward Ye are not redeemed with corruptible thinges as Siluer and Gold from your vaine conuersation but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot If then all worldly thinges euen those that be most pure and precious be transitory and corruptible they are not chiefly to be esteemed Reason 2 Secondly howsoeuer the wedge of Gold preuaileth much with men and can in a manner doe all thinges yet it is of no force with God it cannot remoue his iudgements or turne away his wrath from vs it cannot redeeme or pay the ransome of one Soule we were boght with a greater price Hence it is that the Prophet saith n Psal 49 6 7. They trust in their goodes and boast themselues in the multitude of their Riches yet a man can by no meanes redeeme his Brother he cannot pay his ransome to God If riches that can doe much could doe this then the richest should be the happiest and the poorest men should be the most miserable But this standeth not with the will and wisedome of God To this purpose the Prophet Ezekiell saith o Ezek 7 19. Zeph 1 18. They shall cast their Siluer in the streetes and their Gold shal be cast farre off their Siluer and their Gold cannot deliuer them in tht
suffer with Christ we shall raigne with him if we dye with Christ we shall liue with him if we n Rom. 8 29. 2 Tim. 2 11 12 1 Pet. 4 12. be made like vnto him in ignominy wee shall be made like vnto him in glory The Apostle Peter exhorteth the people of God Not to thinke it strange concerning the fiery tryall which was among them to prooue them as though some strange thing were come vnto them but to reioyce inasmuch as they were partakers of Christs sufferings If any thing be able to lift vp your handes and to raise vp your harts vnder the Crosse this consideration is able to refresh our weaknesse and comfort our feeble Spirits that our afflictions shall no otherwise bee respected and regarded then if the load were laid vpon Christ himselfe On the other side this serueth to terrifie the hearts of all persecuters of the godly and Enemies of all righteousnesse they can neuer escape the hand of God and of Christ whom they do persecute in his members They haue not to doe onely with men like vnto themselues but with him that is the eternall God against whom they can neuer preuaile This is it that deceiueth the proud persecuters of the poore people of God they dreame they haue to doe no further then with weake men who are not able to resist them and that they haue no farther account to make But they must know that their persecutions reach to Christ and that they slander reuile reproach and hurt the person of Christe himselfe so often as they slander reuile reproach and hurt the least and lowest member of Christ and therefore shall not escape fearefull punnishment Hence it is that Christ speaking vnto Saule when hee was conuerted to the Faith o Acts 9 5. It is hard for thee to kicke against prickes It is therefore a fearefull thing to be a persecuter p 2 Thess 1 6. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you which are troubled rest with vs when the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from Heauen with his mighty Angels c. So the Apostle Iohn describing the tribulation of the Church saith q Reuel 2 10. Behold it shall come to passe that the Deuill shall cast some of you into Prison He doth not say the persecuters shall doe it but the Deuill because he ruleth in them hee carrieth them to do his will albeit they be blind and see it not albeit they be hardned and vnderstand it not albeit they be senselesse and regard it not And our Brother Timotheus c. Heere is the second person writing this Epistle Paule ioyneth vnto him Timothy a man of reuerent account and famous in the Church as he doth in many other places of his Epistles The former Epistle to the Corinthians r Magdeb. Centur. lib 2. cap. 7. was written by Paule and Sosthenes the latter by Paule and Timothy Paule and all the Bretheren which he had with him at Rome ioyned together in the writing the Epistle to the Galathians Paule Siluanus and Timothy wrote the Epistles to the Thessalonians So in this place Paule ioyneth Timothy with him in his suit because howsoeuer he were in great credit with Philemon and able to obtaine a great matter at his hands yet he knew he should preuaile better by the helpe and assistance of another then he could do himselfe alone seeing two may preuaile more then one He honoureth him also with the name of a deere Brother whom oftentimes hee calleth his naturall Sonne that his guiftes and graces may be considered with his person and carry the greater waight in his suite and so Philemon sooner yeeld his consent and grant this request beeing requested and as it were set vpon by so many Doct. 4. All duties are better done by the help of others then alone by our selues From this practise of the Apostle we learne that what good thing soeuer we enterprise and take in hand wee shall better effect it with others then alone by our selues The ioyning vnto vs the hand and help of others is profitable and necessary to all things belonging vnto vs for the better performing and accomplishing of them This the Wise man teacheth Eccl. 4. when he saith Å¿ Eccles 4 9 12 Two are better then one Abimelech being directed by God to stirre vp Abraham obtaineth by his meanes t Gen. 20 17. who prayed for him that which he could not compasse and accomplish alone by himselfe The like we might say of the three friends of Iob they obtained the fauour of God u Iob. 42. 8. and the accepting of their Sacrifice through the intercession of Iob which without him they could not obtaine Absolom not beeing x 2 Sam. 14 4 able to purchase procure of himselfe the good will of his Father moueth Ioab to deale for him Ioab vseth the helpe of the subtill Woman of Tekoah whereby hee is reconciled to his Father Heereby it commeth to passe y Ephe. 6 18. Col 4. 3. 2 Thes 3 1. that Paule so often requesteth and requireth the prayers of the Church that vtterance may be giuen vnto him that he may open his mouth boldly to publish the secrets of the Gospell All these places of Scripture prooue plainely and directly vnto vs that what matter of waight and importance soeuer we enterprise and goe about it is good for vs to take to our selues the helpe of others to further vs therein Reason 1. The truth of this Doctrine will better appeare vnto vs if wee weight the causes and consider the reasons For first the labour and wages of two is better and greater then of one alone In all doing of duties there z Psal 19 11. is profit reward but where greater strength is ioyned and force vnited there is greater fruit of the labour seene This is the reason vrged by the Wise man Eccle. 4. where the Doctrine hath his confirmation when hee had taught that two are better then one he addeth immediatly a Eccle 4 9. For they haue better Wages for their labour It maketh vs hauing company to be more cheerefull in labouring it deuoureth the tediousnesse and wearisomnesse of the worke and it prouoketh vs to an holy emulation who shall goe before each other Hence it is that Christ Iesus calling and sending out his Apostles b Mar. 6 7. Mat. 10 2 3. did send them forth two and two and the Euangelist doth couple and as it were yoake them together Peter and Andrew Iames and Iohn Philip and Bartlemew Thomas and Mathew c. Thus they were sent and thus they laboured together When God had called Moses to go to Pharaoh and to will him to let his people go he sent him not alone but ioyned vnto him his brother Aaron When the Lord Iesus appointed the seauenty disciples to second the labours of his twelu Apostles c Luke 10 1.
ſ Gen. 31 40. Hee was in the day consumed with heate and with frost in the night and his sleepe departed from his eyes whatsoeuer was torne of Beastes he brought it not vnto him but made it good himselfe This is it which the Centurion in the Gospell confesseth and commendeth in his seruants t Math. 8 9. For I am a man also vnder the authority of another and I haue Souldiers vnder me and I say to one Goe and he goeth and to another Come and hee commeth and to my seruant do this and hee doth it These examples also of that seruant and Souldier that waited vppon Cornelius is notable to this purpose u Acts 10 7. who being trained vp in the feare of God shewed all fidelity and forwardnesse to performe the will and commaundement of his Maister and went to bring Peter by whose Ministerie they might bee further instructed Thus we see that religious seruants are the best Seruants the most dilligent Seruants the most true and trustie Seruants the most prouident and profitable Seruants and therefore it belongeth to al Masters of families to be carefull to teach them the feare of the Lorde and to traine them in the wayes of godlinesse Heereby they shall honor God heerby they shal do great good to their soules heerby they shal discharge a good Conscience heereby they shall procure their owne profite and further their owne gaine Which in times past was to thee vnprofitable but nowe profitable both to thee and to mee The Apostle in this place speaking of the estate of Onesimus and shewing what hee was before his Conuersion and what hee was after dooth fitly distinguish the times and sayeth that before his Calling to the Faith hee was vnprofitable seruing to no other purpose but to feede himselfe and fill vp a place but no good no grace no godlinesse appeared to bee in him But where did he conuerse and lead this life Was it where the name of God was not knowne or where the sound of the Gospell was not heard No it was in faithfull Philemons house This may at the first seeme a very strange and wonderfull thing that he liuing in so religious an house in so reformed a family with so godly a company which had the reputation of a little Church should fauour nothing of piety nothing of Christianitie but remaine in vnfaithfulnesse toward God and in vnrighteousnesse toward his Maister Doctrine 2. In godly families are manie times vngodly Children and Seruants In godly families are manie times vngodly Children and Seruants From this description of Onesimus in the time of his ignorance before his eyes were opened and his heart reformed wee learne that it falleth out notwithstanding the desire and diligence of the Gouernors of the house that in reformed families are oftentimes found vnreformed persons In godly places do many times lurke vngodly Children and vncorrigible seruants into whose hearts no instruction will enter and whose disposition no meanes of reformation can alter We see this in the first family that euer was vpon the earth and there haue beene no more wicked men in the world then they that haue had the best meanes to direct them Adam had malicious and murthering Caine Abraham had persecuting and sauage Ishmaell Noah had scoffing and cursed Cham Isaac had vngracious and prophan Esau Dauid had ambitious and aspyring Absalom So it was with Eli with Samuel with Hezekiah with Iosiah sundry others who after good means vsed by themselues haue found much euill practised by their Children The Fathers are often carefull to lay a good foundation to nurture their children with good instruction a Homer Odysis lib. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet few children prooue like their Fathers but are a degenerate and vnregenerate off-spring Reason 1. And albeit this do sufficiently appeare vnto vs by Testimonies of Scripture and by daily experience yet we shall farther be confirmed in this truth if we waigh the Reasons whereupon it standeth First Religion commeth not by inheritance and grace cannot be conueyed by propagation but euery man begetteth his like as he himselfe is by nature as one Serpent engendereth another This Moses teacheth that when Adam was faln from God and had lost the grace of sanctification b Gen. 5 3. He begat a child in his owne likenes after his owne Image Godly Parents may leaue their children temporal possessions but they cannot bequeath vnto them Faith and a good conscience which are not to be found in the naturall man Reason 2. Secondly there must be a new byrth begun by Gods spirit for the grace of regeneration whereby we are brought to haue one foote in Gods Kingdome is not of flesh and blood but of water and the spirit it is not of the will of man but of the worke of God This is it which our Sauiour setteth downe c Iohn 1 12 13 and 3 3 5. As many as receiued him to them he gaue prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his Name which are borne not of bloode nor of the will of the Flesh nor of the will of man but of God Likewise when hee disputed with Nicodemus who was ignorant of this Doctrine he saith Verily verily I say vnto thee except that a man be borne of Water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God It is he onely that gaue the heart that is able to change the heart it is hee that gaue the eyes that is able to open the eyes Reason 3. Thirdly albeit the vnregenerate persons and loose liuers doe not want education and good bringing vp yet they are not amended and reformed because God doth not purpose their conuersion but appoint their confusion The Lord stirred vp Pharaoh d Rom. 9 17. to this same purpose that hee might shew his power in him and that his name might be declared throughout al the earth yet he sent vnto him Moses and Aaron to cleare his owne Iustice to make him without excuse The like the Scripture speaketh of the sonnes of Eli who were reproued of him for making the Israelites to trespasse and to abhorre the offerings of the Lord yet they regarded not his reproofe beeing the Father of their bodies the Priest of the most high God and the iudge of the people and this reason is rendered why they obeyed not his voice hearkned not to his Counsell e 1 Sam. 2 25. Because the Lord would slay thē So then whether we do consider that grace cannot be conueyed by propagation or that it is the proper worke of the spirit to effect our regeneration or that God will glorifie his great name in the confusion of such as break the bands and cast away the Cordes of Discipline from them wee cannot greatly maruaile that in reformed places are oftentimes to bee found vnreformed persons Vse 1. Let vs make vse of this Doctrine and see
trauailing to the place of Gods worship n Psal 84 6 10 passed throgh many dangers endured much heat and suffered many wants in the wildernes for the pleasure that they took in his seruice The profit they reaped did swallow vp the tediousnes of the paines the loue to his court◠did mittigate the greatnes of the labor This made thē say A day in thy Courts is better then a thousand other where I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God then to dwel in the tabernacles of wickednes Where is this zeale to be found among vs Who sheweth this forwardnesse to Gods seruice Or whom can a man single out to say of him that no want or weather doeth hinder him from the exercises of godlinesse Wee are growne vnto that loathing of the heauenly Manna that albeit it fall in the middest of our Campe and round about our habitations yet wee will not steppe out of the doores to see it nor open our mouthes to taste it nor stretch out our handes to gather it either the blasts of winde do trouble vs or the feare of raine doth hinder vs or the heate of Summer doth burne vs or the colde of Winter doth pinch vs or a Lyon in the way doth stay vs and euery trifle stoppeth our iourney If our heart were in the house of God it would quickly moue our feet to carry vs thither But where the heart is not euery member is heauy and hardlie drawne to do their dutie The Deuils do the will of God by constraint and against their wils it must be otherwise with vs. Where the heart is there is our delight The Prophet describing the flourishing estate of the Church sayth o Psal 10 2 3 The Lord shall send the rod of thy power out of Sion bee thou Ruler in the middest of thine enemies thy people shall come willingly at the time of assembling thine Armie in holy beauty the youth of thy wombe shall bee as the Morning Dew Where he sheweth that the people of God were wont to come to the hearing of the word to the partaking of the Sacrifices to the receiuing of the Sacraments and to the exercises of Religion they assembled and gathered themselues together freely and of their owne accord to present themselues before the Lord. This duty is required of vs we must come willingly to Christ to heare him speake vnto vs. It is one vertue to come into the house of God but to come chearfully and comfortably as to a feast is a double vertue and that which giueth life vnto her comming If we come vnwillingly and be drawn to our duty on the Lords day either by shame of the world or by fear of law we come as dead men that are without working of the spirit or desire of profit or feeling of comfort or encrease of Faith or bettering of obedience If the danger of law did not more compel thē then the conscience of their duty or the loue of religion allure them many among vs would sildome or neuer keep the Lords Saboths nor attend vpon his ordinances they com to them as willingly as the Beare goeth to the stake as chearfully as the malefactor passeth to the place of execution Hence it is that some come to this place once a month others once a quarter others only vpon high daies solemne feasts more I think to shew themselus then to labor to saue their souls Such was the zeale of our brethren to the gospell in the daies of persecution that they went more willingly to the fire flame then these men in the dayes of peace com to the hearing of the word and to the house of prayer They were more chearful in suffring of death then these are in seeking the means of life Hence it is that some linger so long before they come are afraid they shall be there too soon Others when they are present giue litle attention not at al regard to profit themselues Others are ready to depart and be gone before the assembly is dismissed and think they haue learned enough These are they that think they are at liberty to do what they list to go and com when they list They make no conscience to begin end the exercises of religion together and so profit accordingly hauing litle more knoledge then brute beasts Vse 3 Thirdly this confuteth the common aduersary which ascribe al to the work done regard nothing at al either the mind of the doer or the maner of doing as their blind distinction de congruo condigno teacheth They hold that the bare presence at the sacrifice of the Masse without any good intention of the mind is meritorious in the sight of God This is their opus operatum the which is indeed the cutthroat of al true religion For admit once into the worship of God an outward resting in the worke done who wil regard the reformation of the hart But this fitteth wel enough the new Roman religion which consisteth wholy in externall obseruations in delighting the eye in pleasing the eare the other senses but requireth nothing aright which may not be performed of a Reprobat God is a spirit p Iohn 4 24. they that worship him must worship him in spirit truth so that whatsoeuer religion resteth teacheth men to rest in ceremonial and carnal obseruations is a false religion inuented by the deuil This also is the error of the ignorant people that wil not be accounted Papists yet are as ignoraunt as they in their practise and as superstitious in their deuotions and as corrupt in their opinions They neuer looke to their harts to purge them nor to their affections to order them aright when they come to the seruice of God If they can say oh we haue heard the worde we haue bin at the church we haue prayed to God they think al is well and that God can require no more at their hands They dreame the whole seruice of God to stand in outward things only as though they were the things wherein the Lord delighteth and not rather the truth and vprightnesse of the hart This is it for which the Prophet Esay reprooueth the people in his time and compareth them to the Princes of Sodom and to the people of Gomorra notwithstanding a zealous obseruation of the outwarde ordinances that they practised God commanded q Esay 1 11 12 13. What haue I to doe with the multitude of your Sacrifices I am full of your burnt offerings and the fat of Rams I desire not the blood of Bullockes Goats and Lambes when you come to appeare before mee who required this at your hands Bring no oblations in vain Incense is an abhomination vnto me I cannot suffer your New-Moones nor Saboths nor solemne assemblies I am weary to beare them because your works are euill But wash you make you clean take away the euill of your works from