auctority over vs and yet heerein it doth exceede all this and is made most sinfull even in the highest degree for that it is committed against him vvhose mercies haue so farre exceeded towardes vs and haue made vs so deepelie endebted vnto him that if we should most frankely and freely giue our selues and all that vve haue to bee prest and ready continually to doe him service if I saie wee shoulde doe this againe and againe yea ten thousande times more then we are any way able yet we can no way match his vnspeakeable kindnes or be answerable vnto his endles loue To forget him then that hath so remembred vs hath given vs such cause to remember him coÌ„tinually casteth vs downe below all maÌ„ner of â—enceles liveles creatures yea it maketh vs in some sort worse then the very devils theÌ„selues For they in sinning forgate God their Creator saÌ„ctifier but we adde also thervnto the forgetting of God our Saviour redeemer WheÌ„ we defile our selues with the pollutions of the vvorlde vvee forgette that we vvere ever clensed from our olde sinnes and former vncleanes we tredde vnder foote the sonne of God count the blood of the covenant 2 Pet. 1. 9. Heb. 10. 29. as a vile thing of no price and after a sort crucifie againe the Lord of glory We contemne and despise this blessing of blessinges and cleane sette at naught this mercy of mercies or else wee would not so wretchlesly forgette the same We forgett it for if we did carefully embrace remember it it would not be without fruit But we contemne and forget it and neglect the meanes wherby we should be put in continual remembrance of it yea by little little we are drawen on eveÌ„ to hate to persecute these meanes and so draw nearer nearer vnto that sin of sins which maketh vs vncapeable of all mercie From the which sin from al other that we might be preserved The manifold means that God hath ordaned to preserve the remeÌ„braÌ„ce of his endlesse loue in Christ and the residue of his manifolde mercies as 1. the word the Lord hath given vs his holy word to bee alwaies before our eies and so to keepe in vs a faithful remembrance of all his mercies wherin we may record his gracious merciful covenaÌ„t in Christ by the which he hath giveÌ„ himselfe to vs to be our God and hath taken vs to himselfe to be his people wherein we may reade his will and testament in the which he hath adopted vs for his sonnes in Christ made vs heires to all his treasures hath bequeathed vnto vs besides al other gifts that grand legacy of eternal glory wherin we may pervse that autheÌ„tical charter of al these priveledges immunities which we preseÌ„tly do are hereafter more fully to enioy being already made fellow citizeÌ„s with the saints of the houshold of God and incorporated into the heavenly caelestial Ierusalem wherin we may take a true view of the large plenary pardon of all our trespasles and debtes of that great graunt of the free remission of al our sins signed after a sort with the Lords owne hand ratified coÌ„firmed with 2. The Sacraments Doe this in remeÌ„braÌ„ce of me the seale of his sacraments For they were also ordained for the same principal end vse that by the outward resemblaÌ„ce of the visible signes vvith the invisible grace they might togither vvith the word not only represent and sette before our eies the Lords spiritual giftes and graces for Sacramentes if they had no resemblance they should be no Sacramentes but also to assure vs by the bodely receiving of the outvvard signes of the invvard participation of the invisible giftes The Church hath also appointed vnto vs certaine principall feastes as the feast of the nativity of the LORD and of his resurrection and ascension and the like that they might likewise be a meanes vnto vs to 3. Festivall daies continue an holy remembrance of his principall mercies And therefore on those daies there are appointed also to bee opened vnto the Lordes people such speciall parcelles of holy Scripture as do more clearly sette forth the same And for that these feasts come but once in the yeare there is one special day appointed in 4 The Saboth or the Lords day every vveeke that vve should not onely call to minde that God made the vvorld in sixe daies and rested the seaventh blessed it and consecrated it to the holie remembrance of the glorious worke of the creatioÌ„ but much more that we which are ChristiaÌ„s haue the Iewes Saboth traÌ„slated into the day of the Lords resurrection should most carefully record especially on that daie that he both died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification And therefore as vpon the Iewes Sabboth there were certaine Psalmes appointed to be redde publikely to the people for Read these Psalmes hymnes not cursorely for fashion but with relligious and devout attention thou shalt soone finde the fruite thereof the calling to their remeÌ„brance of the blessings of the Lord so in the churches of the ChristiaÌ„s the same haue bin coÌ„tinued even to this day other holy hymmes added therto for the further manifestation of the same mercies And for as much as this publike meeting of the whole coÌ„gregation to record the Lords mercies is appointed by the Lord himselfe to be but one day in the weeke therfore there is a most strait charg giveÌ„ also by the Lord hiÌ„selfe that every one of the Lordes people shoulde privatly every day haue their resort to the word of God and meditate therin day night that so they might keepe a coÌ„tinual remeÌ„braÌ„ce of al those things which never can be too much remembred And least any of the more simple ignorant should pleade either simplicity in vnderstaÌ„ding or weaknes in remembring the Lord in his great goodnes hath provided a remedy also for the same by causing diverse short plaine senteÌ„ces to be sett down in his holy word which are both easie to be vnderstood to be remembred also These and the like seÌ„tences may easily be learned without booke and ought to be remembred when we are by our selues continually 5. The office of the Lords Ministers Psal 105 1. that so eveÌ„ they might haue no preteÌ„ce at al to faile in so behovful necessary a duty As Iob 35. 10. Ier. 2. 6. 5. 24. 14. 20. Ho. 14. 2. And yet least any of the Lords servaÌ„ts should discontinue in this the Lords worke he hath appointed also the ministers of his word to be his faithful remeÌ„braÌ„cers therin to cal coÌ„tinually vnto their remembrance both the Lordes manifold mercies and their manifold dueties that they owe vnto him for the same For if all the Lords people ought not only themselues to be employed diligeÌ„tly about the Lords works but also to further
workes but of his meere mercy grace and favour And so our Saviour himselfe teacheth vs in the parable of the husbandman that went and sent labourers into Math. 20. 1. his vineyard whereof some vvere hired at the beginning some at the middle and some at the end of the day and yet each of them receaued the same wages the same hire Vpon occasioÌ„ of which parable Saint Ambrose saith that such as were hired at the latter end Amb de vocat Genâ— l 1. c. 5 of the day do represent vnto vs those which are called to the Lords service at the end and vpshotte of their liues whom he hath chosen without works and vpon whome he doth rather powre forth the riches of his grace then yeelde a rewarde vnto their labours that they also who haue laboured swette the whole day and continued their whole life in the service of God and yet receaue but their penny with the other may thereby vnderstand that they also rather receiue a gift of grace then wages oâ— hâ—râ— due to their workes For there is but one waâ— to liâ—e for all thâ—… are saued and therefore if any of the faithfull be saued by meere merâ—y 〈…〉 without the merite of their owne workes then no dâ—ubt but all are saued after the same manner And verely it would goe verie harde even with the best if they should be put to wâ—…e the gâ—rlande of glory by theâ—… owne worthines before they should weaâ—e iâ— Loose it in deede we could easily and that in the sâ—…te of our greatest innocency and perfection but recover it againe we never could but onely by the meanes of our powerfull Redeemer VVhen Fabitu Maximus had wonne the city Tarentum which Cicero dâ— senecâ—…te Salinator before had lost being forced by the enemy to hide his head in the castle Salinator mette him and saide vnto him By my helpâ— Fabiâ—… thou hast wonne Tarentum True quoth Fabius smiling For if thou hadst not lost it I could not haue recovered it and even so may it be replied to the proude and vaine glorious Papists that are not ashamed to boast that by the meanes and merite of their owne workes Christ hath restored to them againe the kingdome of heâ—ven that in verie deede vnlesse we by our own workes had lost the same he should haue had no neede to haue recovered it A certaine noble mans sonne as it is reported comming to his father for maintenance was sent by him to demise certaine landes to such whose estates were now expired who comming to the place appointed and sitting in court demised to each one his estate for a penny Now might these men iustly boast of the fruite of their penny or of the kindenes of that noble gentleman who lette them renewe their coppies for so small a sine Surely he hâ—d beene a verie vngratefull tenante that would haue done so and altogether vnworthy of so great a favour VVe had all in Adam forfeited our estates in the kingdome of heauen whatsoever the best of vs can giue towardes the renewing of the same it is but as a penny to a good coppy-hold Seeing then our most gratious God hath so tenderly loued vs that he hath giuen vs his onely begotten sonne who hath purchased it againe for vs by his owne death and so hath renewed againe our estates therein wilwilling vs that we should earnestly endeavour to shew our selues dutifull and thankefull vnto him that hath beene so mercifull and gracious to vs telling vs also againe and againe that this our labour shall not be in vaine in the LORD and that it shall not be lost which we employ in his service but that he will crown it with eternall glory shall we nowe ascribe this crowne of glorye to our simple endevours vvhich vve employ in his service or to his infinite and endles goodnes vvho hath purchased it for vs vvith his ovvne blood Verely he vvere too too vnthankfull a vvretch vvho vvoulde ascribe it to the merite of his owne vvorkes and not to the meere mercy of his gracious redeemer The Apostle Saint Paul who if any had to glorie in the merite of his owne vvorkes yet disclaymeth them all in the matter of salvation saying GOD forbid that I shoulde glorie in any thing saue in the crosse of â—ESUS CHRIST For hee Gal. 6. 14. knewe that GOD had made him vnto vs vvisedome righteousnes 1. Cor. 1. 30 sanctification and redemption that hee vvhich glorieth should glory in the LORD He knevve that there vvas no other foâ—dation of his salvation to bee laide then Iesus CHRIST and him 1 Cor. 3. 11. crucified and that there vvas no other name giuen vnder heaven vvhereby vvee might bee saued but onely the name of our blessed Act. 4. 12. Saviour Not the name of our owne or other mens workes oâ— Masses Dirigesses Pardons or the like seeing if it might haue beene vvrought by any such meanes CHRIST had died in vaine he might then haue spared all his paines and avoided Gal. 2. 21. all those most grievous torments vvhich hee endured for mans redemption Especially if it be true vvich they teach that the good vvorkes of the regenerate if not in themselues yet in respect of the spirite vvhose fruites they are are of infinite price satisfactorie for sinne vvhich is infinitely heinous and aunsvvereable to the ioyes of the kingedome of heaven then it had beene sufficient for our Saviour CHRIST to haue bestovved his spirite vpon the faithfull by vvhose infinite purity their vvorkes being sanctified they might haue beene thus enabled to saue themselues and so his ovvne death had beene but superfluous for the vvorking out of mans salvation But if it bee a most heinous impietie to avouch Christes death to be superfluous and that he died in vaine then let vs all which looke for any benefite by his death ascribe the glorie of eternall life onely to him vvho is therefore called Ioh. 6 35. Apoc. 22. 2 1 Ioh. 5. 20. Col. 33. the bread of life the tree of life autor of life yea life it selfe for that our life resteth onely in him that is our onely iust title to eternall life Take hold then of CHRIST take hold of life reach forth thine hand to any other thing and thou reachest it to vanitie and takest holde as it vvere of thornes and of fire Looke not for life but vvhere it dwelleth Our life is hidde in CHRIST vvith GOD death reigneth in the vvhole vvorlde beside and leadeth every creature to the bondage of corruption If thou looke vp into heaven vvithout this reconciler there vvill appeare nothing but displeasure and vvrath if thou cast dovvne thine eyes vppon the earth there thou shalt see nothinge but fearefull confusion If thou call to Abraham hee knovveth thee not if to the wise virgines their oile is not sufficient for themselues and for thee also if to Saint Paule hee vvas not crucified for thee if to the most
my sins and also MERITORIOVS of eternall glory wherefore pretende no longer your Romish doctrine to bee the Catholike faith seeing that it is directly contrary to the maine grounds and Articles of the Catholike faith Lastly by this treatise it may be perceived how the Bishop of Rome and his aaherentes haue brought in that great Apostasie from the faith foretold by the Apostle and haue also fulfilled all the other prophecies which dâ— concerne the great Antichrist and therefore that hee is most truly and iustly charged by the professors of the Gospell to be that very grerâ— Antichrist THE TRIALL OF TRVTH CHAP. 1. 1 That all fundamentall pointes of faith are contained within the articles of the creede by the iudgement of diverse catholicke men that lived in former ages and that all such are to be taken for false prophets which teach any other faith then is contained in these groundes of faith 2 That the people ought to examine the doctrine of their pastors teachers by the rule levell of the canonical scriptures and the grounds of faith therein contained 3 That all pointes of faith necessary to salvation are plaine and easie to every faithful and humble christian who is sufficiently exercised in the word of God 4 That the people ought to vnderstand the severall pointes of their faith and not beleeue in grosse and blindefully as the church beleeveth THIS word SymboluÌ„ signifying a summe The Symbole or creede of the Apostles an heape coÌ„gested togither or a signe or badge to discerne one from another teacheth vs that in these articles of our faith is contained the whole summe of such things as are to be beleeued of every true faithfull christian whereby both the teacher of the true faith may bee discerned from the false and a right beleever from a wrong The creede as testifieth an ancient writer is a perfect August ser 115. de tempore collection and summe plaine shorte full that the playnnes might helpe the weakenes of the hearers the shortnes their memory the fullnes their instruction Vnto whom consenteth Cassianus the creed saith Lib. 6. de Inâ— car domini he is called a collection or summe because whatsoever is plentifully dispersed throughout the body of the divine scripture is heere all collected knitte vp togeather in a perfect brevity the Lord herein as a most louing father providing both for the slowenes and also for the dulnes of some of his children that the simple and weake minde shoulde not be troubled to vnderstand that which also it might easily keepe in memory Russious saith that In exposit Symboli this creede is called a signe or badge because in the apostles as it may appeare by the Actes of the Apostles many of the circumcised Iewes did fayne themselues to be the apostles of Christ and either for their bellies sake or for gaine went forth to preach setting out the gospell of Christ not with that sincerity and integrity as it was delivered by the apostles Therefore saith he the Apostles made this creede to be a marke whereby it might be knowen vvho did preach Christ truly according vnto the rules of the apostles Now by these interpretations of the name Symbole made by these auncient and learned fathers we may obserue these fowre thinges 1 First that seeing in their iudgementes this creede containeth a perfect summe of our christian faith therfore the doctrines of the church of Rome concerning pilgrimages pardons purgatory the papall supremacy and the like being neither expresly set downe therein nor necessarily to be drawen out of the same are no fundameÌ„tall pointes of our christian religion Nay may they not admit this as a sufficient exception against them all they are none of my creede therefore I neede not beleeue them Nay further doth noâ— this vehemently vrge and presse our Romanistes with the badge and marke of false prophets in that they teach other fundamentall pointes of faith then are delivered in this summe of faith 2 Secondly we learne that seeing the people that were coÌ„verted to the faith of Christ in the primitiue church were by this rule to examine to discerne the doctrine of the true teachers from the false that even so the faithfull people are novve also by the same rule to examine to discerne the doctrine of their pastors teachers and not in a sottish and brutish simplicity to pinne their faith vpon their sleeues and without all examination and triall blindfully to followe whithersoever they leade them and to beleeue as they beleeue Nay they are to be thankefull to their most gracious God who hath provided for theÌ„ so good a meanes whereby they themselues albeit weake and simple yet may discerne truth from falsehoode and rest on their owne most assured knowledge embracing the substance of christian religion not for company but for conscience yea the devill raging and the limbes of Antichrist threatning and our great and manifold sinnes deserving that God should take againe from vs the vse of his worde how ought especially the simple so to lay vp in their heartes the true sence and meaning of these articles of our creede that it may never be takeÌ„ from them but that even thereby they may be enabled against all their adversaries to iustifie their sound christian faith be made ready to confirme and seale it with their bloud 3 Thirdly we learne that seeing the articles of our christian faith were set downe with that shortnes and plainnes that all the faithfull be they never so simple might vnderstand them and keepe them also in memory all pointes of faith necessary to salvation or at the least the hardest pointes being in them contained therefore all thinges necessary to salvation are plaine and easie even to the simplest amongst the Lordes people if so be Prov 8. 9. 9. 4. Hebr. 5. 14. they be desirous in all holy humility to vnderstand the truth are sufficiently exercised in the word of truth 4 Fourthly we learne that seeing these articles were set downe plainely for the capacity of the simple therefore they ought nor to be debarred from the right vnderstanding of them detained in the darkenes of ignorance as it shall be further declared in the nexte chapter Now on the contrary side the church of Rome teacheth that all pointes of faith necessary to salvation are not set downe no not in the large volumes of the canonicall scriptures much lesse within the straiter boundes of this shorte summe of faith that the people should not presume to examine discerne the doctrine of their pastors teachers that the doctrine of faith is full of hardenes and difficulty aboue the capacity of the Lords people and therefore that they must content themseâ—ues to be without this knowledge perswading themselues that ignorance is the mother of devotion as may well be of their blinde superstitious devotion CHAP. 2. That it is not enough for the lay
people to beleeue in grosse and blindefully as the church beleeueth but that they ought to vnderstand the seuerall pointes of their faith IN the Lords praier we are taught to call 〈◊〉 in 〈…〉 alâ—…tie â—…er of heaven earth c. God not my father but our father to teach vs in charity to presume such to bee Gods children which cal vpon one common father togither vvith vs in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ our sole and onely mediatour But in our creede we are taught to saye not vvee beleeue but I beleeue to teach vs that it is not the faith of any other but everie one 's owne particular faith vvhich ioyneth him vnto the house-holde of faith and causeth him to be admitted amonge the members of the faithfull For as by beleeving that such a one or such a one taketh a verie good course to make cloth or to manure the grounde maketh not an other man a good cloth maker or husband-man vnlesse hee knovve the like courses himselfe and bee able also to practise the same even so it maketh not a faithfull christian to beleeue as such or such a faithfull man beleeueth except hee himselfe holde a right faith For an others faith can make mee no more faithfull then an other mans charitie can make me charitable or an other mans patience can make me patient The iust shall liue by his owne faith and Hab 2. 4. not by the faith of any other And so we are taught by the general coÌ„fession of all the articles of our christian faith which is to be made of every faithfull christian that the true christian catholike faith is not to beleeue in grosse and blindfully as the church beleeveth but distinctly and particularly both concerning God that he is one in substance and essence distinguished into three persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost and also concerning his workes that he made vs and not we our selues that he redeemed vs and not we our selues and that he sanctified vs and not we our selues Where vnto agreeth the creede of Athaâ—asius Wherin it is most pereÌ„ptorely avouched that not not only the learned but the vnlearned also even whosoever will be saued not as in the last place but before all thinges neither as a matter only convenient but as a thing most necessary must holde the catholike faith and that he must beleeue and confesse the mistery of the vnity in trinity and of the trinity in vnity with that other great missery of godlines also God manifested in the flesh For as with the hart man Rom 10 10 beleeveth vnto righteousnes so with the mouth he confesseth to salvation So that the true faith both instructeth the harte with knowledge and directeth also the tongue in the confession of the same For as Ierome faith of the scripture that it consisteth not in the reading but Advers Lucif in the vnderstanding so we may say that the catholike faith consisteth not in the wordes wherein it is expresse but in the catholyke sence and meaning and therefore not the bare reciting of the wordes of the creede but the right vnderstanding of the of the sence and meaning thereof maketh a sonnde and a catholike christian This is everlasting life saith our Saviour Christ to Ioh. 17. 3. knowe the true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ The which knowledge vvhen the Apostles were to preach to other they are saide to haue receaued the keyes of the kingdome of heaven and the same knowledge when they vvere endued withall themselues it vvas a token and signe vnto them that they vvere then receiued among the number of the faithfull Vnto you saith our Saviour Christ vnto his disciples it is giuen Mark 4. 11. to knowe the misteries of the kingdome of heaven but vnto them vvhich are without all thinges are done in parables that seeing they may see and not discerne and hearing they may heare and not vnderstand least at any time they shoulde bee converted and their sinnes shoulde bee forgiuen them A manifest distinction betweene the children of light and the children of darknes vnto the one is giuen the key of knowledge which openeth the dore into the kingdome of Luke 11. 52. heauen the other are left in their blindnes and darkenesse to fall thereby into the pit of eternall destruction For the father of light bringeth his children of light by the light of his word to the kingdome of light and the prince of darkenes bringeth his children of darkenes through the darkenes of ignorance to his kingdome of darkenes Wherefore well may it agree to the Idolatrous Athenians to haue an altar dedicated to an vnknowne God and Act. 17. 23. to professe a blinde kinde of service of God And well may it beseeme the schismaticall Samaritans to worshippe as their fathers worshipped Ioh. 4. 20. and to beleeue as their progenitors beleeued and in truth to beleeue and worshippe they woâ—e not what Surely the faithfull servants of the true God know what they worshippe having for the warrant thereof the infallible word of the everliving Lord and therefore salvation is from them For the true christian saving faith is a wise intelligent and an vnderstanding perswasion it is not a blind blockish and a brutish fancy a blind faith is no faith and a blinde confession is no confession Be not saith the prophet David like the horse and mule in whom there is no vnderstanding Psal 32. 9 1. Cor. 14. 20. Beloved saith the Apostle be not children in vnderstanding but in malice be yee children in vnderstanding bee yee of perfect age And againe be not vnwise but vnderstande what the will of the Lord is If thou Eph. 5. 15. 1. Cor. 14. 16. praiest saith the same Apostle in an vnknowne tongue how can the vnlearned say Amen and ratifie it with his consent euen so if any professing themselues members of the visible church know not the particular points of the christian faith held and taught in the same church how can they faithfully beleeue the same or how caÌ„ they rightly consent thervnto Surely as the seed that falleth on the high way is devoured vp of the fowles of the aire can never giue hope of Math. 13 4. any good harvest so the word of God the seede of faith not vnderstoode can never make vs fruitfull vnto the Lord. Wherefore it was a most godly wish of Moses the man of God O that all the Num. 11. 29 Lordes people could prophecy and that the Lord would put his spirit vpon them And good cause had the childreÌ„ of the captivitie after their returne to their owne couÌ„trey greatly to reioyce before the Lord not onely for that the law of God was distinctly read soundly and sincerely expounded vnto them but especially for that the Lord had opened their eies and had caused them to vnderstaÌ„d the same For all such as the Lord will haue to
themselues many also of the râ—probaâ—e beleeue the mystery of the Trinity the truth of the doctrine coÌ„cerning the vvorkes of the creation redemption and sâ—…ctification but they looke for â—o benefite to redounde to themselues by the fame therefore they beleeue and tremble beeing excluded from all hope But this true catholike faith teacheth the faithfull so to beleeue the doctrine concerning God and his vvorkes that they beleeue also in particular that the benefite thereof belongeth to themselues beeing already receiued into the housholde of faith and made members of the holy catholike church For otherwise then by this faithfull perswasion how could they be induced to beleeue in God and to place their assured hope and confideÌ„ce in him For to beleeue that God is a father redeemer and sanctifier to other and to doubt whether he be such a one to me also were but a cold comfort and a very faint and feeble motiue to induce me to beleeue in God to devote my selfe to his service and to associate my selfe to his church VVherefore it is not to be doubted but that the liuely members of the holy catholike church hauing an holy assurance of the grace and favour of God towardes themselues and being resolued that he is now become their louing father in Christ and hath cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea doe thereby beleeue and reioyce in Gods mercies and so grow daily by little and little into a stedfast aâ— assured perswasion of their full and finall glorification But the church of Rome teacheth her children not to seeke for any assurance in particular of the favour of God and of the remission of their sinnes by the death of Christ but still to doubt and to be in suspence thereof so by keeping them from the true faith excludeth them out of the number of the faithfull and so by consequent out of the true church Whereas the true church the spouse of Christ hauing a stedfast assurance of the loue of her bridegrome is thereby induced not onely to trust confidently in him and to loue him againe but also to testifie the same by harkening most reverently vnto his vndoubted will and resting her selfe onely vpon his most sure word and yeelding all â— Pet. 1. 19. obedience to the same And hereof it is that this true church is sometime called Gods feilde wherein the most pure seede of his Math. 13. 3. holy worde is sowen and not the darnell and cockell of mens inventions sometime his sold wherein are his sheepe which harken onely Ioh 10 5. to the voice of their sheepheard not to the voice of a stranger sometimes Gods family and housholde wherein he ruleth alone all autority Eph 2. 19. of commanding being yeelded to him sometime the mother of the faithfull hauing her children begotten by the immortall seede of the worde of God and nurced also by the sincere milke thereof drawen out of her two brestes which are the olde and the newe testament Lastly Aug in ep Ioh. tract 3. Apoc. 8. 20. she is called a goldeÌ„ candlesticke for that she resteth not on her own light but holdeth out the candle of the word of God to al such as are of his family houshold to direct them therby in the waies of the Lorde and to detect vnto them all stumbling blockes by pathes which might cause them either to stumble or fall or else to wander out of the right way And the verie name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a convocation or congregation doth signifie a company wakened by the shrill call of the voice of a crier out of the drowsie sleepe of ignorance and sinne emploied in the workes and the waies of piety and godlines By all which appellations is signified that the true church hath her children begotten onely of the immortall seede of the word of God and nourished with the sincere milke of the same directed by the light thereof and alwaies ruled by that autority wakened thereby when they fall a sleepe and reclaimed when they beginne to wander made fruitfull also to all good workes Now the church of Rome hath her children begotten also of the corruptible seede of mens traditions and ruled by her owne decrees and decretals for shee will not haue them harken onely to the voice of the true shephearde vttered in the sacred scriptures nor to be obedient to the commaundement of the master of the family onely therein contained nor to be guided by the candle onely of that vndoubted will of God shee deemeth that foode to be to harde meate for them and therefore shee setteth before them the festivityes of her golden legend so causing the prophecy of the Apostle to be fulfilled who saide that the time should come that men shoulde turne away their eares from the truth and 2. Tim 44. should be turned vnto fables Moreover shee addeth to the Canonicall scriptures the bookes Apocrypha and her vnwritten verities to the written word and whereas the holy scripture is profitable after so sufficient a manner to teach that the faithfull christian the man of 2. Tim. 3. 17 God may thereby be made absolute and perfect shee denieth this sufficiency and perfection thereof and whereas the spirit of truâ—h calleth this word a light she calleth it darke and whereas hee avoucheth it to be easie to him that will vnderstand she chargeth it to be an obscure and hidden doctrine even to the Lords owne chosen and peculiar people yea whereas our blessed Saviour the very wisedome of God speaking to the multitude commandeth them to search the scriptures yet shee very flatly forbiddeth the same Ioh. 5 39. Where by it is evident that seeing shee thus disgraceth the holy scriptures inspired of God that vndoubted worde of the bridegrome and his last will and testament sealed with his own blood calling light darkenes and darkenes light harkeneth not wholy â—sa 5. 20. to his decrees therein contained neither suffereth him to strike the stroke only to rule therewith in his owne family repealing disanulling his direct coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts that therefore shee is not to be esteemed the chast faithfull spouse of Christ but a cursed harlot a faithles adulteresse The which thing that it may more evidently appeare I wil here set downe sixteene distinct direct oppositions betweene the true church and the false betweene the faithfull servantes of Christ and the Sinagogue of Satan the limbes of Antichrist Opposit 1. The faithfull especially vnder the raigne of Antichrist flye only to the scriptures as to the onely sufficient iudge for the deciding of all controversies and that according vnto the precise commandement of Christ and the ensample of his faithfull servantes whereas seducing and seduced heretikes take away this key of knowledge and shut the gates against the truth not onely defaming the faithfull for the study of holy scripture but also disgracing those most holy bookes
out of the same The spirit of God sendeth him not to a second table of penance to tâ—ke holde thereof that by the power thâ—rof he might be deliuered but remember saith he how thoâ— hast received and hearde and holde fast and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 3. repent Now no doubt but he had receiued and heard aâ—d therefore was to hold fast that to the peniteÌ„t humble sinner Christs blood is the purgation of all his sins that by the mediatioÌ„ of his death he doth obtaine remission of theÌ„ not only when he is received into favor at the first but even to his liues end being thereby still pâ—eâ—erued in the same grace obtaining the forgiuenesse of hiâ— dayâ—y offences For so S. Iohn setting downe the meanes whereby the faithfull themselues are continually cured of their dailie infirmities If any man sinne saieth hee vvee haue Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. â—0 our Advocate and hee is the propitiation for our sinnes So the Apostle Saint Paul sheweth that not onely when wee were enemies we were reconciled at the first by the death of Christ and obtained the release of our grosser offences but much more beeing once reconciled and made the children of God by CHRIST wee are still preserued in the same grace and obtaine the forgiuenesse of ouâ—…maller offences by the same meanes The trueth is that none are cured of their sinnes by Christ vvhich continue stil in the same and doe not dayly fight against them vvith dayly repentaunce but yet the physicke is one thing vvhereby the soule is cured and the disposition of the soule another thing vvhereby the soule is prepared that so the physicke may effectually vvorke The preparatiue is one thing and the physicke is another thing the physicke is onely the physicke and nothing else Our Saviour CHRIST is our onely physicke and physition also Repentance after a sort may bee called the preparatiue and the Minister of the vvorde may be to vs in steede of the Apothecarie or as â—he physitions man that is sent to vs vvith the purgation The purgation it selfe is made of none other ingredientes but of the most bitter panges of our Saviours owne passion not of the rootes of our hearty repentaunce neither yet of the fruites of our christian faith that is vvhatsoeuer our sinnes bee and vvhensoeuer they bee committed we obtaine not the forgiuenesse of them by our owne merites nor by the satisfactions of any other but onely by the free and vndeserued mercy of GOD and by the most precious satisfaction of the death of CHRIST All haue sinned saith the Apostle and are deprived of the glory of GOD but are iustified from their sinnes freelye Rom 3. 23. by his grace through the redemption that is in CHRIST IESVS And in trueth otherwise our case were most miserable For in the parable of the debtour the summe of one thousande Mat. 18 24. talents declaring the infinitenesse of our debt doth openly proclaime our insufficiency and inabilitie to discharge the same as also the wordes annexed vvhen he had nothing to pay and I forgaue Psal 130. 3. Iob. 93. Psa 143. 2. thee all thy debt For verily if God should marke what were done amisse vvho vvere able to abide it And if hee shoulde call vs to an accounte vvho vvere able to aunsvvere one for a thousande And therefore our best plea is Enter not into iudgement with thy servants O Lord cal vs not to reckoning put not our billes in suite for we are no way able to make payment we are no way able to make satisfaction Div. 10. That Purgatory is no article of the Christian faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 resurâ—…on of â—…sh IF the deliverance of the soules out of Purgatorie had beene an article of the christian faith as it is iudged to be by the church of Rome then it had beene convenient that after mention made of the resurrection of the body out of the custodie of the graue there shoulde haue beene adioyned the deliveraunce of the soule out of the prison of Purgatory the tormentes there being so greate as they say they be the deliverance from thence being as great a blessing at the lest as the raising of the bodies out of their graues should not haue beene altogeather vnremembred especially sinne verie much abounding before the day of the generall resurrection and the Popes pardons nothing so much regarded and his charitie without a fee being not vsual and ordinary Purgatory then must needes be well filled and so the deliverance from thence a great benefite to many Div. 11. That everlasting life is the free gifte of God through CHRIST and noway purchased by the merite of our owne vvorkes 〈◊〉 ever â—…ng IF any thing be bestowed vpon vs by free gift froÌ„ God theÌ„ surely everlasting life is so bestowed as the greatest gift proceeding froÌ„ the most bouÌ„tifull giuer the most excelleÌ„t effect from the most excelleÌ„t cause And why is God else accouÌ„ted a most liberall bountifull free franke and gracious benefactor but that most liberally bountifully frankely and freely he bestovveth vpon his faithfull servantes the most precious crovvne of eternall glory VVhen that bountifulnes saith the Apostle and that loue of GOD our Saviour tovvardes man appeared not by the vvorkes of righteousnes vvhich wee had vvrought but of his ovvne mercie he Tit. 3. 4. saued vs. And verely the glory of this greate bountifulnes must needes haue beene much dimmed if vvee had attained to salvation by our owne merites and not by the LORDES onely mercy The vvages in deede of sinne is death but everlasting life is the gifte of GOD through IESVS CHRIST our Lorde Rom. 6. 23. For our evill vvorkes are perfectly evill and therefore deserue eternall death but our good workes are not perfectly good and therefore eternall life is the free gift of GOD through CHRIST and not a vvages due to the merite of our vvorkes Othervvise vvhy did the Wiseman say Beholde the righteous are here recompenced vpon earth hovve much more the vvicked and the sinner VVhat doth not the LORD as well loue righteousnes Pro 11. 31. to recompence it as he hateth vnrighteousnesse to punish the same Yes verely but this is heere spoken to this end by the VViseman that vve shoulde vnderstand that the sinner most iustly deserueth this punishment vvhereas the righteous deserueth not the revvard And therefore it is not without cause that iust Iob thus speaketh of himselfe If I haue done evill vvoe vnto mee if I haue done righteously yet vvill I not Iob. 10 15. lifte vp my heade being full of confusion because I see mine affliction And vvhy The evill vvorkes of the best are in an higher degree evill then their good vvorkes are in themselues good and therefore in respect of the one they may be rustly cast dovvne vvith the feare of eternall confusion and vvoe but in
only doth this their doctrine of satisfaction and merites greate wrong vnto our Saviour Christ by disanulling the covenant of life made in him and by defacing of the sufficiency of his death but otherwise also it is most iniurious vnto God and tendeth highly to the dishonour of his sacred maiesty 1. First it maketh him like to a very vniust and hard Land-lord whoe hauing graunted an estate in a bargaine vnto a yonger brother vpon a sufficient fine tendered by the elder yet will not let the yonger enioy it vnlesse he fine for it againe himselfe 2. Secondly it maketh him like to a cruell Creditour who hauing the debt discharged to the vttermost by a frieÌ„d yet casteth the poore debtour himselfe into prison vntill he there also in parte make some satisfaction 3. Thirdly it maketh him like to a mercilesse Iudge who hauing punished an ofâ—ence with condigne punishment yet will haue the offender punished againe as if he delighted in the tormentes of the miserable 4. Fourthly it maketh him lesse mercifull then man who doth remitte to his penitent brother all manner of offence and all manner of revenge also 5. Lastly it â—inistreth matter to the malitious to the satisfying of his malicious humor to the full seeing as GOD doth pardon vs so vve are to deale one vvith an other and therefore if GOD doth so forgiue vs our sinnes in CHRIST as that we must yet still either afflict our selues vvith the rigorous vvorkes of Penance or else bee cast into the extreame tormentes of Purgatorie then we may also so forgiue our brother as that we may yet procure his most greavous punishment Wherefore let all true and faithfull Christians abhorre those aboâ—inations of the whore of Babylon yea let all such as looke for forgiuenes of sinne and eternal life by the covenant of mercy in CHRIST Iesus giue the glory thereof not to themselues or their owne workes but onely to the death of our al-sufficient Redeemer And yet let them haue a most earnest care to shew forth their most holy faith by their godly workes not as if they were part of the satisfaction made for sinne or anie parcell of the price giuen for the purchase of eternall glorie but thereby to testifie their thankefulnes to him who hath paide the whole price for that purchase himselfe and hath made for them a perfect and full satisfaction For true faith is not idle nor deade but a living faith working by loue albeit this mother iustifieth vvithout the Fides iustificat ante partum Roffensis helpe of her daughters yea before their very birth as the truth hath forced an enimie to confesse For workes do follovve the iustified man they go not before our iustification even as good fruits proceede from a tree which is already good declaring and not making the tree good Wherfore if we which by nature are wilde oliues being ingraffed in Christ are made good oliues and if we which of our selues bringe forth sowre grapes being planted into the true vine yeeld a sweete liquor if we be made good trees and pleasant plantes such as are setled in the caelestiall paradise we owe that wholy to our engraâ—…ing into Christ by a true faith and not in any vvise to the fruites of our faith the vvhich are only requisite and necessary duties vvhich are carefully to be performed of all such as are called to be pertakers of so greate mercies For as in those landes and liuinges vvhich are holden of temporall Lords ther are besides the fines paide for the purchase of the first estates certaine rentes services and other duties vvhich are also to be performed for the quiet and peaceable possessing of the same liuinges and yet he were but a simple tenante that vvoulde imagine those rentes and seruices to be his whole fine or any part or parcell thereof even so the faithfull which haue their estates purchased for them by the death of Christ in the kingdome of heaven must as it vvere pay their rents performe their services submit theÌ„selues to the custoÌ„e of that heavenly mannour and yet they must neither be so proud nor so simple as to thinke that these rentes services and duties are any part or parcell of that fine that was paid for the first purchase of that heavenly inheritance Chap. 13. That the very end and scope of the sacramentes also is to teach the faithfull that remission of sinne and eternall life is obtained onely by faith in Christ VNTO the preaching of the gospell and Bap isme Eucharist doctrine of the new testament vvere adioyned by our Saviour Christ the sacramentes of the newe TestameÌ„t For it pleased our louing and gracious father not only to giue vs eternall life in his onely begotten sonne but also by certaine external rites and ceremonies to take vs as it were by the hand and to put vs into possession thereof If vvee had beene saith Chrysostome spirituall GOD Chrys in Math. hom 83. vvoulde haue giuen vs these thinge nakedly and spiritually but now for that our soules dvvell in bodies hee giueth spirituall thinges vnder visible creatures Visible sacramentes saith another vvere In quaest ve teris testamenti ordained for such as are environed vvith flesh that by the steppes thereof vvee mighte ascende from such thinges as are seene to thinges that are vnderstoode Saint Austine calleth the sacraments Aug. â—ont Faustum Lib. 19. Cap. 16. in generall a visible vvorde as our Saviour calleth the cuppe in particular the nevve Testament in his bloode because as the worde and testament doth teach our eares that the blood of Christ is the purgation of all our sinnes and his body the bread of eternall life even so doe the sacramentes represent the same doctrine visibly to our eies For certaine it is that in the right vse of thâ—se holy mysteries by the reverent receauinug of the bodely creatures God doth ratifie to the faithfull his graunt and donation of spirituall thinges that is of remission of sinnes and of eternall life in CHRIST IESVS and the faithfull in the religiouâ— vse thereof do againe for their part after a sort vow vnto GOD that they will seeke for the same blessinges onely by Christ and not by any other meanes whatsoever VVherefore the members of the church of Rome seeking for remission of sinnes and eternall life not onely by CHRIST but also by their owne merites and satisfactions may worthely be charged not onely as transgressors of the new TestameÌ„t but also as violaters of the holy sacraments and breakers of that solemne and sacred vovve made at thereceauing of these holy mysteries Yea vvhereas in the religious vse of the sacramentes GOD giueth vs CHRIST vvith all his blessinges according vnto the plaine vvordes of the institution of the LORDES supper take yee eate yee this is my body the church of Rome hath turned this tipsie turvy and vvill not so much receaue CHRIST therein as a sacrifice already offered to GOD for them
Antichrists of these last times doe so apparantly fit the Pope and his Ministers we doubt not but that we may take them for those very parties and that so much the more if we duely consider how in particular also they derogate from the priestly kingly office of our Saviour Christ whereby he accomplished the worke of our redemption There are two pointes wherein his Priesthood consisteth his sacrifice and his mediation Concerning his sacrifice the Apostle teacheth that as it was appointed for all men once to die and after death Heb. 9. 21. iudgement so Christ was once offered to purge the sinnes of many and that if he should haue often offered himselfe he should haue often suffered As also that this is a difference betweene the sacrifices of the Aaronical Priesthood the sacrifice of Christ that they were often reiterated repeated for that it was impossible that the bloode of bulles and goates should take away sins wheras the sacrifice of Christ was but once made neither needed indeede to bee made any more seeing thereby hee hath brought in eternall redemption and made Heb 9 10. 12 14. perfect for ever them that be sanctified Novv as if our Saviour Christ had not by his oblation of himselfe once made brought in eternall redemption and made perfect for euer them that are sanctified the Pope and his Priests will needes offer him againe in their Masse the which they avouch to bee apropitiatory sacrifice both for Heb. 10. 18. the quicke and the dead albeit as the Apostle hath plainly testified where there is remissiō of sin there is no more sacrifice for sin but our Saviour Christ by his one oblation of himselfe once offered hath procured a plenary and full pardon for all our iniquities and sinnes therfore now there cannot remaine any more sacrifice to bee offered for sin especially wheras our Saviour Christ is our only Priest according to the order of Melchizedech who for that he endureth for ever Heb 7. 24. hath an eternall Priesthood which cānot passe frō him to any other and therfore all our Popish Priests which will needs intrude thēselues to be partners with Christ in this office of his Priesthood wil offer him againe vp vnto God are worthily to be condēned for vsurpers of that honour which no way belongeth vnto them Now as they thus by their Priesthood and by their sacrifice of the Masse do deface the Priesthood sacrifice of Christ so doe they also derogate from the same by their doctrine of the Intercessiō mediation of Saintes For whereas our Saviour Christ hath now long since ascēded into heauē there sitteth at the right hād of God ever living to make intercessiō for vs wheras the vertue of his death passiō is alwaies present before God procuring for vs the favor of God a ready graunt to all our requestes as far forth as it is behouefull cōvenient for vs if this mediation intercessiō of Christ which is continually before God be sufficient what need haue we to seeke for the mediation of the Saintes But this mediation of CHRIST in the iudgemente of Sainte Augustine is so sufficient and the resting onely thereon so sure a marke of a faithfull Christian that he is bolde to make this resolution therein VVee haue IESVS CHRIST our advocate and hee is Aug. in ep Ioh. tract 1. the propitiation for our sinnes he that houldeth this holdeth no heresie he that holdeth this maketh no schisme As likevvise on the contrary side he is bold to affirme that if the verie Apostle Saint Iohn Aug. cont Epist Par◅ Lib. 2. cap. 8 himselfe had saide If any man sinne you haue mee for your advocat and I obtaine pardon for your sinnes that no faithfull person vvould haue acknovvledged him for an Apostle of Christ but rather haue defied him as a verie Antichrist 3 Likevvise concerning our Saviours kingly office and autoritie of making of lawes to guid vs in such a course as that vve may vvalke as it becometh those vvhich are called to be pertakers of so greate mercies we know that we are not our owne but his that hath ransomed vs with so greate a price that we should be subiect to his onely lawes and yeeld our obedience onely to his cōmandementes For we haue no other Lord besides him vvho hath autority to impose lawes vpon vs we haue but one Lord and lawgiuer who is able to saue and to destroy Contrary to this roiall and soveraigne autoritie of Christ the Pope and his adherentes Eph. 4. 5. Iac. 4. 12. haue taken vpon them to impose lawes rules orders vpō the people of God yea haue giuen them praise commendation that by obseruing the same they may doe workes of supererogation availeable for the salvation of other men may winne such credit as to be accoūted the only religious of all other may attaine to greater holines perfectiō thē may be gottē by the law of God So that albeit Moses himselfe after that he had delivered Deut. 4. 8. the law of God to the people testified of the dignity exelēcy thereof that there was no people that had lawes so righteous as vvas all that lavv vvhich he had set before them yet the Pope would beare the world in hand that the rules of Frier Fraūcis Dominicke the rest do lead vnto greater holines perfection thē may be obtained by the law of God Wherefore it is not without 1 Tim 3. 16 4. 1. cause that the Apostle did fore signifie that as our redmption wrought by God manifested in the flesh is the greatest mystery of Christian godlines evē so the prohibitiō of meates marriage according to the rules of Frier Fraūcis the rest should be the doctrine in outward shew of greatest excellency perfectiō amōg false prophets of the last times the limbes mēbers of the great Antichrist wherein the Pope his adherēts most iniuriously derogating frō the law of Christ our only spiritual Lord king doth shew himselfe that man of sin that sonne of pride that very Antichrist who was to sit in the tēple of God to advaūce himselfe aboue God 4 For what doth he else whē he advaūceth his orders rules aboue Gods law not only so but presumethto dispence against the law of God to set greater penalties vpon the breach of his owne orders thē vpō the trāsgressiō of Gods cōmādemēts yea flatly to repeale the precise cōmandemēts of Christ An example whereof we haue in the Lords supper the which was ordained by him in both kindes to assure the faithfull of their full perfect spirituall nourishmēt they haue by him as S. Austin some of the Aug. in tr in Joh. 26. Schole mē also haue taught The which glorie of Christ to be our spiritual nourishmēt vnto eternall life that it might be abolished or at the least
also execution accordingly never making stay of your fervent zeale vntill yee haue brought her to her vtter desolation And so if yee fight this good fight and fulfill your course keepe the faith be yee most assured that there is laid vp for you a crowne of righteousnes 2. Tim. 4. 7. which the righteous iudge shall giue vnto you and to all those that loue his appearing Now to the immortall invisible and onely wise God be all honour and glory dominion and power praise and thankes both now and ever Amen Psal 40. 74. Let all those that seeke thee be ioyful and glad in thee and let all such as loue thy salvatioÌ„ say alwaies The Lord be praised FINIS THE SECOND PART OF THE TRIAL OF TRVTH WHEREIN IS SET DOWNE THE proper fountaine or foundation of all good works the fowre principal motiues which the spirit of God so often vseth in the sacred scriptures to perswade therevnto togither with the contrariety of the doctrine of the Church of Rome to the same wherein also are opened not only the causes of all true piety and godlines but also of all heresie and Idolatry which is and hath beene among Gentiles and Iewes and vs likewise that are called Christians By JOHN TERRY He that commendeth himselfe is not allowed but whom the Lord commendeth 2. Cor. 10. 18. VVhether we be out of our wit we are it to God or whether we be in our right minde we are it vnto you The loue of Christ constraineth vs. 2. Cor. 5. 13. 14. AT OXFORD Printed by Joseph Barnes and are to be solde in Fleetstreete at the signe of the Turkes head by IOHN BARNES 1602. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL Master Doctor RIVES warden of S. Mary Colledge of VVinchester in Oxford commonly called New Colledge and to the residue of the members that are or haue bin of that society IT is a truth generally confessed Right VVorshipful yee the residue beloved in the Lord that of all feastes that is the most sumptuous and dainty which wisedome hath provided for Proâ— 9. her guests the which consisteth of three courses that is of the instructions of faith of the precepts of life and of the rules of discipline and government The two first courses of this worthy feast especially the first coÌ„sisting of the instructions of faith as they haue bin seasoÌ„ed served in by the Lords most skilfull Cookes and sworne servaÌ„ts and also as they haue beene attempted to be distempered even poisoned by the blacke guard of Antichrists kitchin the devils scullery I haue already set before the Christian Reader which vouchsafeth to be a guest at wisedomes table that vnder the tast of the Right Reverend Father in God my very good Lorde the Bishop of SaruÌ„ And now that which was then wanting of the second service without the supply wherof this feast might seeme to be somwhat sparing as far forth as I haue beene credited therewith I present vnto the church vnder the approbation of the Right worshipful M. Doctor Riues laâ—e chiefe overâ—eer of our coÌ„mon mother the Vniversity of Oxford and remaining still a careful Guardian of one of my speciall nurses the Colledge of S. Mary of Winchester in Oxford coÌ„moÌ„ly called New Colledge Sir your kinde affection towardes mee of long time and your friendly perswasion in moving mee to publish to the benefite of the church of Christ the first part of my private labours and your advaÌ„cemeÌ„t by God to the governmeÌ„t of that Colledge vnto the which â—owe more then vnto any other place or person whatsoever seeing there I had my being well wheras elsewhere I had but my bare being or rather with my being my being evil haue induced me so farre forth to presume of your favour and good will as that I am bold to request your protection for the seconde part of these my travailes and paines For my hope is the more that God hath advaÌ„ced you to worshippe that the greater will bee your care to further all such meanes as doe concerne his worship that you do esteeme this to be your chiefest worship that you haue receiued of the â—ord not only a minde to will but also by reason of your place hability to perfourme many thinges that belong to the glory of God and to the good of his church Cicero saide of Caesar that his high estate had nothing greater and his nature nothing better theÌ„ that he was both able ready to preserue many And Plinie saidâ— of Vespasian that the greatnesse of his honor had changed nothing in him but this that now by his advancement he was made able as before he was willing to doe good to many And Aristotle hath set down this as a differeÌ„ce between a king a tyraÌ„t that the one seeketh the publike the other his own private good Lastly the Poet could say that this was the great Hoc reges habeÌ„t magnificum ingens nullus quod ra piat dies prodesse miseris and magnificeÌ„t prerogatiue of princes which no day could take from them to profite the miserable and to protect the suppliant c. Now Christian magistrates know more then these heathenish persoâ—s did which liued without the knowledge of the true God eveÌ„ that they are the Lords Leifetenantes not onely to preserue the commodities of their earthly kingdoÌ„ms for the good of their subiects but much more to maintaine establish among them the meanes whereby they may be made partakers of the kingdome of heaven And verely this is a great dignity vnto you that God the full fountaine of all good thinges hath made you a river to water the plantes of a goodly nursery and to minister vnto theÌ„ al such thinges as might further their growth and a carfull Guardian to fence and keepe them from all such things as might worke their annoy ance that so many good trees might grow vp therein fit to be transplanted into many places of this land to replenish the same with much fruite We also which haue bin heretofore plantes in your nurserie hope that your river wil flowe forth farre further and extend it selfe even vnto vs to water vs with some of your droppes and to bee our fence and fortification that the fruites of faith godlines that growe vpon our branches may bee the better preserved and kept vntill they come to maturity and ripenes And now to come to you my foster brethren as I togither with you expect protection and direction from our common head so as a fellowe member I am bould to put you in minde that while yee may come to the full breast yee desire the sincere milke of the word that ye may grow thereby if ye haue tasted how sweete the Lord is and what an honour it is to be borne of God and how great is the gaine of faith and godlines And that while the yeeres of plenty coÌ„tinue ye follow the ensample of provident Ioseph and
lay vp in the store-houses of your harts all manner of spiritual graine that when yee be called abroad to be the â—ords husbandmen yee may bee able to sow the Lordes fielde with plentifull store of all good seede Verely the harvest is great and the Matth. 9. 37 labourers are â—ewe and ye may well perceive by experience in your selues what a labour it is to bring into tillage the vntidy soile of one soule to cause it to yeelde but a meane harvest for vndoubtedly in this kind of husbandry especiallie is the proverbe best verified A great harvest and a little corne And therefore also my brethren while ye are so neere the Lords aâ—moâ—… â—ay fitte your selues with weapons of all sortes offensiue and defensiue furnish your selues nowe with all manner of munition against the time that yee are to be sent to any speciall kind of service by any of the Lordes chiefest captaines commanders Ye haue in place of your Honorable Founder the right reverend Father in God the Bishop of Winchester one that hath bin of your owne society a famous and renowned Coronell who hath most couragiously fought the Lordes battels and hath fitted for you many notable weapons whereby yee may be able not onely to encounter but also to subdue and vanquish the enimie who hath already called some of you and is readie to cal other of you also and to place you over no meane bandes O most reverend and renowned Bilson thou hast best deserved among al our companie to haue the prehemineÌ„ce for that thy sword hath hewen cleane a sunder manie of the stroÌ„gest greatest Pillars of the VVesterne Babilon O lift it vp stil against the common enemie and let it be as the bowe of Ionathan as the sword of Saule which never returned emptie 2. Sam. l. 22. from the blood of the slaine and from the fatte of the mightie And so as all the sheves of Iosephes brethren did stand about Iosephes sheife Gen. 37. 7. and did obeysance vnto it so shal al our swordes stoupe lowe to thy sword and shal be marshalled at thine appointment But to turne to you my brethren which are nowe as it were the Lordes trained souldiers and out of whose companie manie captaines are to be chosen for the guiding and leading of many severall bandes ye may behould and looke vpon the ensamples of your owne predecessors even of such as haue beene of your owne society And withal yee may somewhat respect your pay which no doubt may bee good here if that you endevour faithfully to performe your service but especially you may assure your selues that you shall receiue a large allowance when ye come to appeare before the great Lord of all hostes and the high generall of all armies Then if yee haue fought the good fight and kept the faith and finished your course there remaineth for you a crowne of righteousnes and if this be given to every good souldier what a large portion may every captaine expect But here by the way I would willingly put you in minde of this one thing which is that many famous captaines and couragious souldiers both in the bodelie and ghostlie fightes haue beene brought to vtter ruine and decay by leaving the pursuite of the vanquished enemie and by turning too hastelie greedelie after the pray Waâ— not Hanniball and his armie made weake and effeminate by the spoiles of Capua which could not bee daunted by all those hard labours that they patientlie endured in passing over the vnpassable Alpes And how els was the large and ample Empire of the city of Rome and of manie other great kingdoÌ„es and couÌ„tries overthrowne But to omitte these great commanders in bodilie Religio peperâ—t divitias filia devoravit matrem warres haue not the most famous captaines in spirituall services come to ruine by the same meanes What made the high Priestes Elders among the Iewes to destroy Christ and to treade vnder their feete his heavenlie doctrine but that they might retaine the favour of the Romane Emperour so might preserue their earthlie estate And did not the latter Bishops of Rome neglect the true gift of gifts given vnto their predecessors by Constantines Lord while they laide all their plottes howe they might most firmelie â—ease themselues and their successors of the preâ—ended donation of the Emperour Constantine And what made them giue over the carefull seeking of that glorious inheritance that St. Peter enioyeth in the highest heavens but their deepe devising how they might make the counterfeite and forged evidences of St. Peters patrimonie to goe for currant and good And whereof also did it proceede that they clouted and patched togither but with all manner of worldly pollecie and cunning such an earthly religion as they nowe professe but that they saw it to bee most fitte for the better maintenaÌ„ce of their earthly kingdome And was not all this most significantly shadowed drawen out vnto vs Apocal. 9. by a starre falling from heaven to earth who giuing over the care of heavenly matters and fastening his heart wholy vppon earthlie became the heade of the blacke and darke kingdome of Antichrist which can agree to none so fitly as to the Papacy wherof a Bishop is the cheife prince who is stil accouÌ„ted as a most principall starre aboue al other by many that thinke themselues to bee the onely Christians And not onelie this starre is fallen by this meanes but also Apocal. 12. the dragon is said with this his taile of ambition covetousnes to throw down eveÌ„ the third part of the stars of heaven to cast them to the earth Which he bringeth to passe when hee perswadeth them to vse all vnlawfull meanes to bring them to their earthly preferments commodities also wheÌ„ he causeth them to giue over all their former laboures in setting forth and promoting the kingdome of God that so they may haue more leasure to seeke their owne by neglecting the things that are Iesus Christs Wherfore worthy of most Mr. Foxe in his third consideration given to the professors of the Gospel honourable commendation commemoration is that sinceritie that was in Wickeleife others of those times who went about bare-foote and very meanely cladde preaching the ioyfull and glad tydings of the Gospel thinking it to be a sufficient reward to haue liberty freely to publish the same albeit it were without all earthly reward But here I pray you mistake me not for I thinke it no way to be vnlawful for the ministers of the Gospell to enioy temporall possessions honours seeing they are best worthie of them that know how to vse them best and are thereby made more careful to ameÌ„d their worke as they perceive their wages to be amended but these things are spoken to this end that al such as seeke after earthly vanities by al sinister meanes are moued therby to giue over their labours in preaching and publishing
bountifully bestowed vpon vs. 1 The will of God is to be respected of vs in doing good workes for that it is holy good perfect Rom. 12. 1. If then we wil bee assured to haue our workes good wee must haue our eies bent vpon the will of God that must most carefully be respected of vs yea the holy good and perfect wil of God must be the motiue and inducemeÌ„t vnto vs for the most willing and ready performing of the same The Apostle St. Paule hauing sette downe in the former part of his Epistle to the Romans the principles and groundes of our Christian faith being in the latter part thereof to deliver the doctrine of good workes beginneth that matter after this manner I beseech you saith he by the mercifulnes of God that you giue vp your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable serving of God And fashion not your selues like vnto this world but be yee changed by the renewing of your minde that ye may prooue what is the good will of God acceptable and perfect In which wordes we may obserue these two pointes first in what things the service of God consisteth not in the sacrificeing vp of vnreasonable beasts but in offring vp of our selues for that is our reasonable serving of God secondly who ought to be our directers and guides in performing our service due vnto God not the customes or fashions of this world nor the intents and divices of our owne harts but the good will of God acceptable and perfect Wherby we are to learne that if we wil be the approoved servaÌ„ts of God and haue our service allowed of him we must haue an intentiue eie to the Lords will make it the rule of all our works yea if wee will be citizens with the saintes and of the housholde of God and fellow servants with the Angels themselues then as they stand prest ready alwaies before God to attend his pleasure and to performe his will so must wee also walke continually before God as in his eies in his presence presenting our selues vnto him in our dayly praiers and still labouring by all meanes possible that his will may be done here by vs on earth as it is in heaven Mat. 6. 10. by his holy Angels When that kind of serving of God by the sacrificing of beasts was most in force Samuel said vnto Saule who had transgressed the flat commandement and wil of God to offer as he pretended sacrifice to God Is God so well pleased with sacrifice as when the voice of the Lord is obeied Beholde to obey is better 1. Sam. 15. 22. then sacrifice and to harken is better then the fat of Rammes It is the highest degree of wisedome and goodnes of himselfe to be able to conceiue that which is good and the second degree is of such as knowing their own wants betake themselues to be wholy guided and ruled by those in whom dwelleth wisedome in al abouÌ„dance Now perfect wisedome and goodnes dwelleth only in God his will is most holy iust and perfect yea it is the most perfect rule of all holines and of all iustice Neither doth God will and commande things so much for that they are iust lawful and good but rather those things are therefore iust lawful good for that they are willed and commanded of God When vpoÌ„ occasion of this holy and comfortable doctrine of the gospell that the sinnes of the faithfull doe the more evidently set forth the mercy of God in Christ in that he is of himselfe so good and so good vnto such which Rom. 3. 5. are so and so vnworthy in themselues obiection was made If our vnrighteousnes setteth forth the glory of Gods goodnes then the Lord may seeme to be vniust in punishing sinne for that his glory is thereby the more furthered the Apostle answereth by an exclamation or rather by a detestation saying God forbid else how should God iudge the world Seeing he is not a iudge after the manner of mortal men who being advanced to high estate do many times corruptly abuse their high authority but it is not so with God For his being iudge of the world is not by birth or electioÌ„ or suite or purchase but by nature For in that he is God creator of all hee is iudge of all and his most vpright and vncorrupt will is the soveraigne rule of all righteousnes and it his is the extraordinary prerogatiue of this his most righteous will that hee cannot possibly wil or coÌ„mand any thing that is vniust So that if he coÌ„mand the Israelites to borrow of the Aegyptians Iewels of silver Exod. 3. 23. Iewels of gold so to rob the Aegyptians they may boldly do the same and keepe those Iewels to their owne vses as his lawful gifts as the pledges of his fatherly loue If God coÌ„maÌ„d Levy to Exod. 32. 27 consecrate his hands in blood if he know not father nor mother brother nor friend but execute the Lords veÌ„geance without respect of persons he shall receiue a blessing for the same So likewise if Abraham be commanded of God to kill holy innocent Isaak Gen. 22. 16 his deare and only sonne from whom was to proceed that holy seed in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed if hee but intende in all humble obedience to the will and commaundement of GOD to performe the same GOD will so â—pproue and like of him for it that hee will in recompence thereof even vow and sweare his everlasting blessednes Nay if the most holie but secret counsell of God wherin he hath chosen some to eternall life before they were borne yea before the foundatioÌ„ of the world was laid and refused other be called in question and condemned also by the corrupt reason of maÌ„ yet this is a sufficient iustification thereof vttered by the Lordes owne mouth I Exod. 33. 19 Voluntas beneplacitâ— Mat. 11. 26. will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy and I will haue compassion on whom I wil haue compassion Whervnto our Saviour also subscribeth saying even so O father for so was it thy good pleasure And the same plea is made likewise by the Apostle in the same case he will haue Rom. 9. 18. mercy on whom he will haue mercy and whom he will he hardeâ—eth But this secret wil of God is mainly improued by the Church Not only the secret but also the revealed will of God is blasphemously defaced by the church of Rome voluntas signi of Rome yea and flatly condemned of cruelty and tyranny Neither hath shee any better regard of the revealed will of God set downe in the sacred bookes of the canonicall scripture For shee hath presumed to plucke downe out of the seate of highest iudgment the booke of God in that tongue wherin it was penned by the speciall direction of Gods vn-erring spirite hath
harken but in parte to the preceptes of men and not to resigne our selues wholy to the Lord to be guided ruled only by his lawes For this people being in outward shew and profession the onely people of God in performing the service of God did observe those things which God himselfe had coÌ„manded yet because they did ascribe somewhat to their owne wisedome and did thinke that they could adde something takeÌ„ out of their owne braines or delivered to them by tradition from their fathers as matters profitable to the servâ—ce of God their wisdome was condemned for folly and their honouring of God for the dishonouring of his holy name and for the corrupting of his service And verely is it not extreme folly and madnes to take vpon vs to be wiser theÌ„ God vnder any pretence whatsoever to presume against so special and peremptory a decree of the supreme iudge of the whole earth set downe in direct termes with his owne penne That which I commaund thee thou shalt doe that only thou shalt not add ought therto nor take ought therfrom And againe Deut. 4. 5. 6 Take beed that you doe that which the Lord your Goa hath commaunded you yee shall not turne to the right hand nor to he left you shall doe that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord not that which is good in your owne eies For who hath knowen the mind of the Lord or who hath beene his counsellour Verely St. Paule had many and great revelations Rom. 11. 54 and was rapt vp into Paradise even into the third heaven and heard such words as cannot be vttered yet he acknowledged that it did not belong vnto him to beare rule over the faith of the people of God Nay he denounceth a double curse against himselfe 2. Cor. 1. 24. Gal. 1. 8. and against any Angel whoÌ„soever if that he presume to deliver any other Gospell or point of faith then was receiued from God himselfe For we are all whatsoever we be but fellow schollers in the schoole of Christ he is our onely teacher scholemaster and his doctrine onely is sound and catholike Wee are but fellow servants vnder one Lord he onely hath authority to rule and raigne over our soules and his commandements must beare the whole sway In the earthly kingdome there is Iewe Gentile In the kingdomes of this world there is a difference betweene prince and people master servant but in the kingdome of Christ all are servaÌ„ts alike vnder one master 1 Cor 2. 24. Heb 1. 14. bond and free Lord and servant prince subiect but in the spiritual kingdome of Christ all are one of the same estate condition and calling they are al alike the Lordes free-men and they are al the servants and subiectes of Christ For what is Paule or what is Apollos but Ministers by whom ye haue beleeved And what are the most glorious Angels themselues Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes that shall bee heires of salvation And what honourable title haue the highest in the church of Christ taken vnto themselues to sette forth their owne dignity honour Iames a servant of God of the Lord Iesus Christ Simon Peter a servant and an Apostle of Iesus Christ Paule a servant of God an Apostle of Iesus Christ And what honorable title haue the highest in the earthly kingdome as they did belong to the spiritual kingdome of Christ taken vnto them selues to the setting forth of their dignity and honour Behould saith David a great king I am thy servant I am thy servant and the sonne of thine handmaide And what honourable title haue the Angels in heaven taken vnto thâ—selues to the setting forth of their dignity and honour I am thy fellow servant saith the Angel to St. Iohn and one of thy brethren which haue the testimony of Iesus worshippe God Yea the most blessed virgin Mary the mother of the Lord who is called by the children of the church of Rome their Lady and Queene of hoaven as if shee were a meeâ—e mate and peere to our Lord acknowledgeth this to be her greatest honour that God had respect vnto the lowe estate of his haÌ„dmaide Al then in the spiritual kingdome of Christ are fellow servaÌ„ts which are not to make lawes in matters concerning the service of God but to proclaime the lawes of their onely Lord and to propose them vnto their fellow servants to be religiously observed by them al. The which if we could so throughly dispatch that we should stand as it were idle for lacke of worke then wee might harken for a new master and goe as it were about the country to seeke more work Or if we could performe so much of his worke as were answerable to that allowance and wages wee receiue froÌ„ him theÌ„ we might seeke for some other worke also for the mending of our wages and for the bettering of our maintenance Or if we could haue better wages allowance and and maintenance at anothers hand then we might cast of the Lordes livery betake our selues to a more profitable service But wee can never so perfectly performe our duty to God but that in many things we shal faile all neither will our labour be it never so great be ever answerable vnto our wages neither is it possible for any of vâ— to finde so good a master as the Lord is and therfore it is good keeping of vs in his service and continuing in his feare that his favour may be our countenance credite and his livery our protection and safety it is good for vs in al our workes to haue his commandements before our eies to sette before vs his soveraigne authority that so in all thinges we seruing him may be acknowledged of him as his faithfull servants But vnto the children of the church of Rome the auctority of this our onely Lord is noâ— so great that he should rule over their consciences by his own laws alone vnlesse there be ioined therto the decrees of their church the constitutions of their popes the Canon of their councels and the rules of the founders of their religious orders Yea their popes power is so great with them that he can dispence with the law of our only Lord and free from obedience to his commandements He can alter the substantial points of the Lords service maime and mangle the institution of Christ wheras none of his owne Concil Trident. Scss 7. c. 13. patches and ragges must in any case bee neglected and omitted without the daÌ„ger of their blacke curse Yea the perfect fulfilling of the whole law of God is so light and easie to these men that they shoulde stand as it were idle and vnimployed if no greater matter were requiâ—ed at their hands therefore the founders of their religious orders haue found out many workes of greater holines and perfection which were not commanded
of the meanest witch that hath before bouÌ„d her selfe vnto him And hee doeth extenuate all that service that Iob himselfe had done vnto God for that he was so sufficiently hyred thereto paide so well for it and that before hand Doth Iob saith he feare Iob. 1. 9. God for nought Haste thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about al that he hath on every side Thou hast blessed the works of his hands and his substance is encreased in the land and therefore what great thing is it that he doth so regard thee hath he not very good cause so to do Verily if he did not seek to serue thee after the best manner he were the wickedst wretch that ever lived Now if the most envious and malicious wretch of all other who by his intollerable ingratitude and vnthankfulnes had deprived himselfe most iustly of al the Lords blessings could yet notwithstanding reason after this maÌ„ner how much more ought the true and faithfull servants of God themselues which do and for ever shall enioy the inestimable favour of his vnchangeable loue set the loving kindnes of the Lord alwaies before their eies making it a sharpe spurre to stirre them vp to walke on forwarde in the Lords truth and even to run the way of his coÌ„mandements And that Psal 16. 3. so much the rather for that the Lord himselfe hath beene so carefull to remember them thereof in sundry places of divine scripture and that after a most vehement and patheticall manner Ier. 2. 31. O yee generation take yee heede vnto the word of the Lord Haue I bin vnto you a wildernes or a land of darknes Wherfore say my people we are Lords we will come no more vnto thee Surely I haue not bin as a wildernes but as a most fruitful land ministring vnto you all blessings in all aboundance And therefore yee ought to haue beene most fertile in my feare and most plentifull in my service This most ample beneficence of God towards his people is so apparant that he appealeth therein even to themselues O yee inhabitants of Ierusalem and men of Iudah iudge yee I pray you betweene Isa 5. 3. me my vineyard What could I haue done any more vnto my vineyard that I haue not done vnto it So likewise in the Prophet Micah O my Mich. 6. 3. people what haue I done vnto thee or wherein haue I grieved thee testifie against me Surâ—… I brought thee up out of the land of Aegypt redeemed thee out of the house of servants and I sent before thee Moses Aron and Myriam O my people remember now what Balaak king of Moab had devised and what Balâ—am the sonne of Beor answered him froÌ„ Shittim vnto Gilgall that yee may know the righteousâ—es of the Lord. The recital of the which so great kindnesse and loue did so inwardly touch the very hart of the Prophet of the residue of the faithfull to whoÌ„ it was vttered that immediatly in their person he calleth as it were al the powers of his soule to a consultation howe al dâ—tiful thankefulnes may after the best manner be rendred vnto God for these his so large and ample mercies Wherewithall saith he shall I come before the Lord and bowe my selfe before the most high God Shall I come before him with burnt offrings and vvith calâ—es of an yeare olde will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rammes or with teâ— thousand rivers of oile Shall I giue my first borne for my transgression the fiâ—ite of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shevved thee ô man what is good and what the Lord requireth at thy hands Surely to do iustly and to loue mercy to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God Wherby we may learne what be those sacrificeâ— that are best acceptable to God first to do iustlie in giuing to God that which is due to God and to man that which is due to man Secondly to sheâ—e mercy to them that are in misery and lastly to haue Gods goodnes alwaies before our eies our owne vnworthines that so wee may learne to humble our selues to renouÌ„ce our owne worth and to cleaue vnfeinedly vnto God yea to deny to die vnto our selues that so we may devote out selues and our whole liues only to God And verely when the Lord hath once revealed shewed vnto vs how he hath loued vs and given himselfe vnto vs and hath abounded towardes vs in his gracious blessings and hath caused al his creatures to serue to our vse theÌ„ shal we desire in al sincerity to loue and please him and to resigne our selues wholy to his service When God shal say vnto vs ye are my people then shal we answere thou art our GOD. When Christ shal haue Hos 2. 23. made manifest his tender affection to his spouse haue taught her to say my beloued is mine and hath assured me of his â—idelity Cant. 2. 16. then shal shee reply I am his and am fully resolved to keepe true touch and faith with him His loue is mine and shall bee alwaies before mine eles and my service is his and shal be continually in his sight If a master among men should giue vnto his servant an annuity of 20. nobles by the yeere or some little farme or other living if hee serue him not therefore at his becke hee crieth out straight waies against his ingratitude but if he happen to ioine against him in any cause or suite and that with his professed and deadly enemie how intollerable an indignity doth this seeme in his sight Now we our selues haue receaved from our grand master and Lord not only some small parte portion of our liueing maintenaÌ„ce but our selues also whatsoever we enioy out lot tâ— is fallen out vnto vs in a good grouÌ„d we haue a very goodly hevitage Psal 16. 6. for the Lord himselfe is our portioÌ„ he doth maintaine our lotte What vnkind vnthankful wretches are we theÌ„ if we surrender not backe againe vnto him both our selues al that we enioy to be prest ready at his coÌ„mandemeÌ„t If we keepe not a continual remeÌ„braÌ„ce of these inestimable mercies sette theÌ„ not alwaies before our eies wee bee worthy to be cleane cast out of his sight vtterly to be put out of his remeÌ„braÌ„ce If so ful streames flowing froÌ„ so pure a fouÌ„taine do not moisteÌ„ the dry barreÌ„ soile of our soules make vs fruitful to al good works theÌ„ are we verely but badd grouÌ„d â—…re to the curse whose end is to be burâ—…d Vndoubtedly as al the rivers flowing out of the sea returne thither againe so empty theÌ„selues after a sort into their mothers lappe eveÌ„ so the Lords innumerable blessings issuing froÌ„ the maine sea of his loue vnto the vse of his faithful sincere servaÌ„ts are thaÌ„kfully returned by them backe againe and faithfully employed
in his seruice The bondslaues of Satan seeme sometimes to drawe nigh vnto God to seeke the advauÌ„cemeÌ„t of his honor glory but it is either afflictioÌ„ that forceth theÌ„ to cry that they might be delivered Psal 78. 34. Hos 7. 14. Ioh. 6. 26. out of the haÌ„d of the oppressor or they howle vpoÌ„ their beds for corne wine and follow Christ for more bread the gratious gifts of God already receiued do not allure them to come in sincerity to God For they say not in their heartes O let vs feare the Lord which giueth vs raine â—arely late in due season and reserveth Ierem. 5. 24. for vs the appointed weekes of harvest Neither doe they say vvhere Iob. 35. 10. is the God that made vs that giveth vs songes in the night vvhich teacheth vs more then the beastes of the earth and giveth vs more wisedome then the fowles of the heavens But the sincere servantes of Thankfulnes for benefits already received bringeth the faithfull to God wheras hope of profite to come and their owne necessities force hypocrites sometimes to flie vnto him 2 Reg. 5. 17 Is 38. 20. The contemplation of Gods mercies our owne defectes vnworthines is the proper cause of all sincere devotion especially the manifestation of the endles loue of God in Christ is the peculiar cause of faith by faith of all other parts of piety godlines Christ knowing that God hath advaunced them with honour aboue al the residue of his creatures seeke to advaunce his honour aboue al other yea they most duly weighing with theÌ„selues how deeply they are endebted vnto his divine maiesty for his gracious gifts already receiued desire rather to discharge some of the billes of their former debtes then more more stil to grow in arearages Naaman the Syrian being al his life long brought vp in most grosse blindnes Idolatry when he was cured of his leprosy by the goodnes of the God of Israel that is by the goodnes of the only true God Now saith he I know that there is no God but only in Israel therfore wil I not heÌ„ceforth offer any burnt offring or sacrifice to any other God saue to the Lord. So wheÌ„ Ezechias had obtained of God a great deliverance froÌ„ his most dangerous disease howe doth he sing vnto the Lord reioice in his goodnes vow vnto God perpetual homage service The graue saith he caÌ„not coÌ„fesse thee death caÌ„not praise thee but the liuing shall coÌ„fesse thee as I doe this day the father to the children shall declare thy truth The Lord was ready to saue me therfore wil I sing my songs in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life The like may be said of al the residue that haue vnfeinedly given themselues vnto God For how were they drawen therevnto but by the linkes of his loue by the chaine of his blessings Devotion saith Aquinas is a special act of religion importing nothing else but the devoting of a mans hearte to the prompt service of the almighty God the cause wherof is the contemplation meditation of the Lords benefits of our owne defects For if we would duly weigh coÌ„sider with our selues the Lords most bountiful largesse towards vs which are vnworthy of the leasts of his mercies deserue nothing but vengeance and wrath especially if we would religiously record that one invaluable gift of God who so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish but haue life everlasting it would not otherwise be but that we should be wounded and pricked at the very hearte for our former contempts disloyalties and rebellions against so good and gratious a GOD and should also be made more careful for the time to come to looke better vnto our steppes and to be more respectiue serviceable vnto our God For so wrought this heavenly phisike in Peter Paule with al the residue of the servants of Christ it purged a way the putrified humours of corrupted affections recovered theÌ„ to spiritual health life It is sufficieÌ„t saith St. Peter that wee haue speÌ„t the time past of our life after the lustes of the GeÌ„tiles walking in 1. Pet. 4 2. Our defectes Gods loue Our dutie or devotioÌ„ vvantonnes lustes drunkennes and in abominable Idolatries But nowe seeing we knowe that Christ hath suffered for sinne we ought also to suffer in the flesh and to cease from sinne and henceforward to liue as much time as remaineth in the flesh not after the lustes of men but after the vvill of God So likewise the Apostle St. Paule Wee also our selues vvere in Tit. 3. 3. Our defectes Gods loue times past vnwise disobedient deceiued serving dâ—verse lustes and vâ—lâ—ptuousnes living in malitiousnes and eâ—vy hatefull and hating oâ—… another but when the boâ—…tâ—fulnes and loue of God our Saviour toward man appeared he not onely saved vs from the guilte of our sinnes by giving himselfe a ransome for our soules but also hee destroyed the power Our dutie or devotioÌ„ of sinne in vs and so raysed vs vp to newnes of life For albeit the wicked turne the grace of God into wantonnes saying let vs sinne that grace may abound yet the saying grace of God teacheth the godly another lesson even to deny vngodlines and worldly lustes and to live Tit. 2. 11. iustly soberlie and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope appearing of the mighty God and of our Sâ—viour Iesus Christ vvho gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeeme vs from all â—…iquitiâ— and purge vs to be a peculiar people to himselfe zealous of good workes So likewise albeit the LORDES temporall blessinges are to the wicked as thornes choaking vp the good seedes of pietie and godlines and as baites to snare them and to drawe their heartes from God and as chaines to binde them fast vnto the varities of this wicked world yet to the godlie they are as sweete sauce to make them â—eede more eagerly vppon the foode of their soules and as spurres to make them runne more readilie in the way of Gods commaundementes and as ladders to lifte them vp vnto GOD that so they may come to the fruition of his greater blessinges For to the pure all thinges are pure in so much that their verie sinnes make them to hate sinne the more and the little tast of the LORDES mercies causeth them more vehemently to thirst after a full cuppe of the same mercies yea the more they see their owne wantes and the LORDES fulnes the more they are stirred vp to renouÌ„ce themselues to cleaue Eph. 5. 8. Our de fectes Gods loue Our duty or devotioÌ„ vnfainedly vnto the Lord. Yee were darknes saith the Apostle but now yee are light in the Lord Walke as children of the light as if he should haue said vnto them Remember your
beginne but also finish our regeneration and new birth seeing all the residue of the gratious giftes of GOD testifying and witnessing his fatherly loue are ayders also and assisters herein being all of them fitte fewel for this heavenly fire and do cause it to burne more fervently to breake out into a greater flame Wee acknowledge O Lord say the penitent Israelites our wickednes and the wickednes of our forefathers for we haue sinned against thee doe not abhorre vs for thy names sake cast not downe the throne of thy glory remeÌ„ber and breake not thy covenant with vs. Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can giue rainâ—…r can the heavens give showers It is not thou O Lord our God Therfore we will waite vpoÌ„ thee for thou hast made al these things In which words we may perceive that it was the due consideration of the covenant of God made vnto them in Christ whereby GOD after a sorte had bounde himselfe to bee merciful vnto them whensoever they did repent that caused this people to returne vnto their GOD and to acknowledge and bewaile their owne corruptions and sinnes the which also was vvell forvvarded by the remembrance of the LORDES smaller blessinges even by the due consideration of this that raine and truitfull seasons came onelie from him and all other giftes and blessinges vvhatsoever So Hos 14. vvhere the Prophet exhorteth the people to returne to the LORDE and say Take avvaie all iniquitie and remoove is gratiouslie so vvill vvee render to thee the calues of our lippes Ashur shall not Ho. 14. 3. sâ—… vs neyther vvill vvee ride vppon horses neither vvill we say any more to the workes of our hands yee are our Gods for in thee the fatherles findeth mercy Now they could not truly hope for pardon fot their sins and iniquities but onely in the promise of the the Messias it was that then that first ledde them vnto God the which was seconded by the due consideration of this that al aide and helpe is also found at his hands who is the helper of the helples And verely we haue no right at al vnto any of the Lords blessings as loÌ„g as we be at warre at emnity with God we must be first recoÌ„ciled vnto God made heires by Christ before we can lay iust claime to a childes part to haue our portion in that inheritaÌ„ce that doth descend vnto vs froÌ„ our heavenly father And therfore when the Lord would giue vnto Ahaz king of Iudah assurance but of this one temporal blessing even of his bodely deliveraÌ„ce froÌ„ his bodely enemies behould saith he this shal be your The loue of God in Christ is the fountaine and foundatioÌ„ of all other blessings signe that I wil bring to passe this thing for you A virgine shall concâ—aue beare a sonne she shall call his name Immanuel As if the Lord should haue said I haue bouÌ„d my selfe by promise even froÌ„ the beginning of the world to giue you my son to be a pledge of my loue to be the conduite of my mercies how shal I not theÌ„ with him by him convey them vnto you particularly howe shal I not nowe performe this my promise made in him for your deliverance from these your bodely enemies For the cause that moued God to make this glorious world at the first and to store it with such variety of al manner of blessings was his owne most free and vndeserved loue towards his elect in Christ and therfore when they are actually bestowed vpon them the same proceedeth from the very selfe-same spring The which wheÌ„ they The Lords gratious giftes are blessings to the faith full onely for to the vnfaithfull they are turned into curses are bestowed vpon the vnfaithful they are not blessings but curses for that they make them more earthly covetous licentious riotous proud cruel vnthaÌ„kful the like and so encrease their most grievous condeÌ„nation whereas to the faithful who are the right heires vnto them they are not curses but blessings for they make them the more to reioice in the Lord to be more obedient thaÌ„kfull vnto him more beneficial helpful vnto their neighbours and so further their faith repentance and loue and encrease in them all sincere devotion When David was remembred by the Prophet Nathan of his foule faulte committed with Bethshebah the wife of Vrias and of the great dishonour that redounded to God by that his most odious and grievous crime how that the Lord had not so deserved at his hands who had advaunced him from the shepheards crooke to the scepter of the king and had given into his bosome his masters wiues and could would haue done him more honor if that had not bin inough howe did even these smaller blessings worke most effectually in the hart of David peircing wounding his most tender soul causing him with many most bitter teares to bewaile his former most grievous vnthankfulnes And howe did the remembrance of the same mercies cause him also at another time to reioyce in the Lord and to triumph and most vehemently and earnestly to 2. Sam. 7. 18 1. Chro. 17. 16. pray vnto God for an obedient thankful hart What am I ô Lord saith he what is my fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto And what is this thy people Israel that thou didst after a sorte muster togither al thy armies for their deliveraÌ„ce out of Aegipt What sawest thou in vs or in our progenitors that thou hast thus laden vs with thy loue and filled vs with such abundance of thy mercies O lett our harts therfore be filled with thy loue and let our hands stil be employed in thy service keepe this in the purpose thoughts of our harts for ever and so prepare our soules to feare thee Neither was he himselfe only thus stirred vp to imploy himselfe al his autority wealth to the promoting furthering of the Lordes service but also with the selfe same argument doth he endevour to perswade his principal subiects servantes to be helpers to his son Solamon in the same worke Is not saith he the Lord your God with you hath given you rest on every side For 1. Chro. 22. 18. he hath given the inhabitantes of the land into mine hand and the lande is subdued before the Lord and his people Now then set your harts and your soules to seeke the Lord your God arise build the Lords sanctuarie So likewise when the Lord had brought the children of Israel into the promised lande and had placed them in the quiette and peaceable possession thereof howe doth godly Iosuah hauing a greate care that after his death they should bee true and faithfull to their GOD who had beene so true and faithful to them make a large recitall of their manifolde mercies so lately receaved and then proposeth this option and choice vnto
each one the other therein then how much more ought they to doe it which are appointed to be publik officers for the same purpose How ougâ—t they especially most carefully to put in practise the exhortation of the prophet by calling continually vnto the people and saying Praise the Lord and call vpon his name and declare his workes among the people Sing vnto him sing praises vnto him and let your talking be of all his wondrous works Reioice in his holy name let the harts of them reioice that seâ—ke the Lord. Seeke the Lord and his strength seâ—ke his face continually Remember the maâ—veâ—lous works that he hath done the wonders and the iudgments of his mouth â—h yee seede of Abraham his servant ye châ—ldren of Iacob his chosen he is the Lord our God â— The 〈…〉 â—…ssistance accordâ—… to his own covenant And yet if all men faile in their duety the Lorde himselfe will not faile in that covenant which he hâ—th made with all his chosen wherein hee hath promised that hee himselfe will write his lawes in their heartes and plant them in their mindes and that he will doe the same so sufficiently that it shall not be a matter of absolute necessity for every one to exhort and to admonish his neighbor saying know the Lord for they shall all know me saith the Lord even Ier. 31 34. from the greatest vnto the least So and so beneficiall it is vnto all the Lords people to know the Lord and his gracious blessings to keepe a continuall remembrance of the same and therefore so and so many meanes hath the Lord appointed in his vnspeakeable wisedome and goodnesse for the stirring vp of every one of his faithful servants to the ready and careful performance of this so beneficiall and necessary a worke So and so carefull hath the Lord been that the people devoted vnto his service should want no meanes to strengthen further them in the holy exercise of sincere devotion Now let vs see how the church of Rome which boasteth so highly of her owne great devotions land of the huge multitude of all manner of good works which so and so abounde among her children religiously extolleth the Lords mercies what a carefull remembraunce shee keepeth of his goodnes seeing as it hath beene shewed that is the mother and the nurce of all sound and sincere devotion and the fountain welspring of all good workes The word of God in setting downe the great gracious blessings of God doth declare vnto vs these three pointes First the cause of them even his owne goodnesse and loue secondly the end which is the manifestation of his goodnes and loue thirdly the effect which is the working therby in the harts of his chosen of al inward graces outward dueties also both to God to our neighbour The grace goodnes loue and mercy of God is the full fountaine froÌ„ whence all his blessings doe issue flow The great blessed worke of mans redemption issueth from thence as our Saviour testifieth So God loved the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but haue Ioh. 3. 16. life everlasting The great blessed worke of the creation and all the residue of his gracious blessings many of the particulars wherof are set down by the prophet Ps 136. come also from thence even because his mercy enduâ—eth for ever This mercy loue of God is not oâ—ly most ample large but also most free vndeserved For every good gift and every perfect giving commeth downe froÌ„ Iac. 1. 17. aboue froÌ„ the father of light we hold all that wee enioy from this grand vniversal lâ—ndlord therefore we must pay our whole rent to him performe only to his court our suit service we are endebted vnto him alone for the loane of al that we possesse therfore to him alone we must discharge all our debt His loue also is most free vndeserved he seeketh therin not to gain any thing to himselfe but only to do good to benefit other this doth farther set forth the greatnes of his loue so doth enlarge the bil of our debt SecoÌ„dly the end why God bestoweth his blessings is that they might be vnto vs most plaine demoÌ„strations of his loue most certain testimonies of his goodnes Shew me saith St. Iams thy faith by thy works I wil shew thee my faith by my works Iac 2. 18. 1. Ioh. 3. 18. My childreÌ„ saith St. Iohn let vs not loue in word in toÌ„gue but in work in truth That loue theÌ„ is in truth that is effectual in works and that faith is souÌ„d right that sheweth it selfe in the fruits Wherfore god who would haue his choseÌ„ know be fully perswaded that he loveth theÌ„ in truth sheweth it forth to them by his most gracious and manifold blessings as by the effects fruits therof and this is also a great addition vnto his loue Thirdly the Lord maketh his loue manifested by his blessings the meanes to beget and to encrease faith loue repentance and the like in the hearts of his elect and chosen children he putteth them not out to vse nor taketh any encrease for them for his estate cannot be bettered nor his blessednes encreased the profite and encrease accrueth to vs and therefore by them we merite nothing at the hands of God nor make him thereby any way endebted to vs but wee our selues are more and more still in his debt for the free lone francke gift of all his blessings Now then to returne againe to the first point The loue of God is the ful fountaine of all manner of his blessings both bodyly and ghostly and he himselfe is not only the author but also the disposer and bestower of them all the blessings themselues and the meanes are of him and the working also of the one and the other Temporal meanes are in themselues nothing without the speciall power of God working in them by them Man liveth not by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And life consiseth not in the great aboundance of all such thinges aâ— doe belong to the maintenance of life The horse is counted but a vaine thing to saue a man neither can he deliver any one by his much strength the watchman also waketh but in vaine vnlesse the Lord keepe the citty So spirituall meanes also are nothing without the effectuall power of the almighty working by them for that is the very soule and life of all He that planteth is nothing and hee that watereth is nothing but God that giveth the encrease Iohn the Baptist can baptise but with water Austine can but speake to our bodyly eares Christ baptiseth only with the holy Ghost and he that hath his chaire in heaven is he only that can teach the heart The water in baptisme can
sheepes cloathing therfore cannot easily be discerned vntill their cloakes be taken from them a due viewe be taken of them by their portraitures and resemblances most liuely drawen out onely by the pensill of the Prophets and Apostles Doth not S. Iohn also will the Christian congregation not to beleeve ever ie spirite but to trie the spirites whether they bee of 1. Ioh. 4. 1. God or no seeing even then in his life time many false Prophets were gone out into the world For he is a foole that beleeveth every Prov. 14. 15 thing and the iointes of true wisdome are these two first to bee â—ober in our owne opinions and secondly not to bee to hasty in giving credit to others Proue all things saith the Apostle 1. The. 5. 21 but approue that which is good even that which is found to be so by sufficient triall Yea he was not only contented to haue his owne doctrine to bee tried but also giueth a straite charge that the same be diligentlie done I speake saith hee as to them that have vnderstanding iudge yee what I say and his commaundemente is 1. Cor 10. 15 that all other teachers be subiect also to the same lawe Lett the Prophets speake two or three and let the other iudge VVherfore Origen 1. Cor. 14. 29 Orig. in Ios hom 2. speaking vnto the people saith vnto them Doe yee that vvhich is vvritten that is that one speaking all the rest examine So saith he vvhiles I speake that vvhich I thinke doe yee discerne vvhat is right and vvhat is othervvise And Saint Ambrose Ambr. cp lib. 5. orat in Auxen doth exasperate his auditory against his adversarie Auxentius for that hee refused to haue his cause heard and tryed by the censure and iudgment of the people Auxentius saith hee speaking to the people knovving you not to bee ignorant of the faith hath shunned your iudgement and hath chosen foure or five heathen men Then in that hee hath chosen Infidels hee is vvorthie to bee condemned of Christians because hee hath reiected she Apostles precepte vvhere hee saith Dare any of you having ought against another hee iudged vnder the vniust and not rather vnder the Saints Yee see that vvhich hee hath offered is against the Apostles auctority But vvhat speake I of the Apostle vvhen the LORDE himselfe proclaimeth by the Prophet Heare yee mee O my people that know vvhat belonges to iudgment in vvhose hearte my Lavve is GOD saith Heare yee mee O my people that knovve iudgment Auxentius saith yee knovve not hovve to iudge yee see that hee contemneth GOD in you vvhich refuseth this sentence of the heavenly oracle for the people in vvhose hearts the lavve of God is doth iudge VVho then doth you vvrong Hee that refuseth or hee that referreth himselfe to your audience Wherfore to be able to discerne the spirites and to distinguish truth from falshoode and verity from vanity is not a special gift proper to a few but a generall grace common to al the Lords people For as the natural man is able to discerne holesome foode from vnholesome vnlesse his body be infected with sicknesse and his tast distempered with some corrupte humor so the spirituall man is able to discerne the foode of the soule and to distingush falshoode from truth vnlesse his minde be blinded with errour and his iudgment corrupted with some preiudicate opinion According as our Saviour himselfe hath Ioh. 10. vers 4. sette it dovvne as a property belonging to all his sheepe that they doe knovve his voice from the voice of a stranger and are able to discerne the sheepheard from the wolfe And verely hovve othervvise could they shunne the wolfe and follovv the shepheard Hovve could they flye falshood that leadeth to destruction and embrace the truth to the salvation of their soules Yea but saith the composer of the Ward-vvord if the The due trial of the doctrine of our teachers by the touchstone of the scriptures is not the cause of falling into heresie but of sinding ouâ— the truth People may iudge of the doctrine of their teachers and if every one may make choice according to his ovvne private fancy is not this the high and open vvay to errour and heresy It is sufficiently declared before that the people ought to try and to discerne by the Scriptures the doctrine of their pastors and teachers and to approue of that only which is agreeable to that foundation of truth but not of that which best fitteth their owne private fancies or the fanciful opinions of any other For we must not drawe our pastors and teachers before the consistory of our owne harts to receive their censure iudgmeÌ„t froÌ„ our selues but before the tribunal seat of the word of God For as for our selues wee must not presume to pronounce any definitiue sentence but we must giue our esseÌ„t consent to that seÌ„teÌ„ce which we vnderstaÌ„d to be pronouÌ„ced by that iudge And if we be desirous rightly to vnderstaÌ„d what is the seÌ„tence of that iudge we must renouÌ„ce our own iudgmeÌ„t which we haue drawen other froÌ„ the blindnes of our corrupt nature or else froÌ„ our evil badde education we must become fooles that is coÌ„demne all our 1. Cor. 3. 18. own thoughts of extreme folly if we be desirous to be partakers of that wisdome which is to be learned out of the word of God the fouÌ„taine welspring of all wisdome We must most huÌ„bly devoutly resort in our praiers to the father of light that he would cause vs to behold our own blindnes darknesâ— haue our continual recourse to his holy word which is a lanterne to our feete and a light to our pathes that so the eles of our mind being lightned we may attaine to a sound and vncorrupt iudgment and be â—…le to disâ—…rne falshoode from truth For if thou call for knovvledge and crie for vnderstanding and if thou seeke for her as for silver Pro. 2. 3. and search for her as for treasures then shalt thou vnderstande the feare of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God A scorner indeed seeketh Pro. 14. 6. knowledge and findeth it not but vvisedome is easie to him that will vnderstande The vvorde of God saith Origen is shut vppe against Orig. in Exod. hom 9. Heb. 5. 11. the negligent but it is open to them that seeke and knocke Manie thinges saieth the Apostle are harde to them that are dull of hearing and are vnexpert in the vvorde of righteousnes and haue not their vvittes exercised through longe custome to discerne betvveene good and evill But if vvee haue our continuall resorte vnto GOD by praier and bee dayly exercised in reading and meditating on the vvorde of GOD and lay it as our sure ground-worke and foundation of all trueth vvee shall not long bee neglected neither shal our labour bee in vaine in the Lord but we shal be lightned with
greate Aâ—…rist who haue solde themselues to deface the incomparable dignity and the most ample sufficiencie of the mosâ— precious â—…ath of our almighty and sufficient Saviour haue not onely vveighed in the same ballance the vvorks of the saintes and maâ—ched them in meriting vvith the workes of Christ albeâ—t they haue gâ—uen them as it were for manners sake the vpper hande but also they haue denied such excellency to rest in his obedience and sufferings Rhâ—m in c. 8. ep adâ—rom that in themselues they should be meritorious of eternall glorie or any whit comparable therevnto Div. 7. That CHRISTES obedience and sufferings are the onely meritorious cause of eternall glorie THe Apostle to shewe that we haue perfect reconciliation with God forgâ—uenesse of sinne and full redemption by Suffered Col. 1. 15. by the blood of Christ setteth downe the excellency of this our most glorious Saviour who spared not to shedde his blood for vs as that he is the image of the invisible GOD the fiâ—st begotten of all creatures that by him all things were created in heaven earth whether they be thrones domiâ—…oÌ„s or powers yea that it pleased the father that in him all fulnes should dwell So the Heb. 1. 1. apostle to the Hebrew to shew that Christ is the perfect purgatioÌ„ of our sins setteth down the excelleÌ„cy of his persoÌ„ that he who is heâ—re of al things by whom also the world vvas made being the brightnes of his fathers glory the engraveÌ„ forme of his person sustaining all thinges by the might of his power hath by himselfe purged our sinnes In respect of the greatenes of the which price that vvas giuen for the raunsome of our soules Saint Peter saith 1. Pet. 1. 18. that vvee are not redeemed vvith corruptable thinges as vvith silver and golde but vvith the pretious bloode of CHRIST as of a lambe vndefiled and vvithout spotte So then our redemption was not valued at gold and silver it vvas not set at solowe a rate neither vvas it purchased vvith so small a price but he that vvas The greatnes of the sacrifice that was offred for sinne the onely begotten SONNE OF GOD the second person in the glorious TRINITIE of the same substance might maiesty with the father hauing taken vpon him our humane nature and ioyned it in one person with his divine and hauing sanctified â—t aboue measure by the infinite purity and perfection thereof and in it hauing fulfilled all righteousnes not onely by doing but also by suffering vvhatsoever vvas ansvvereable to the most exact and severe iustice of GOD for all our sinnes this even this so singular a person thus and thus qualified hath by himselfe purged our sinnes and giuen himselfe a ransome for our soules Behold then here the greatnes of that satisfaction that was made for our sinnes the summe of that raunsome that was paide for our soules the quantity of the price that vvas given for the purchase of the kingdome of glory In respect of the inestimable 2. Cor. 6. 20 value wherof the Apostle saith Ye are bought with a price with a price with a witnesse vvith such and so great a price that all the holines of all saintes and angels is no way matchable or comparable thereto How is it then that sinfull and wretched man should coÌ„ceaue so high an opinion of the worth of his owne workes that he should so much as but imagine that he himselfe could make satisfaction for those sinnes purchase that kingdome that was valued at so high a rate and purchased with so great a price Surely if it be meere madnes to imagine that here in this world we may purchase for an halfepeny that which is iustly valued at ten thousande poundes then it is as great madnes to imagine that vve are able by our ovvne vvorkes to purchase heaven for the which vvas giuen the Sonne of GOD himselfe seeing all our best works are not as an halfepenny to ten thousaÌ„d pound in respect of Christ and his righteousnes Therfore no marvaile though the Apostle S. Paul who had laboured more painefully in the Lords vineyarde and endured more crosses for the Gospell of Christ theÌ„ any of the rest of his fellovve Apostles yet dareth not thrust himselfe in as a party in this vvorke but vtterly disclaymeth and renounceth it saying Was Paule crucified for you Surely no but a 1. Cor. 1. 13 person of farre greater estate excellency worthines dignity and perfection For albeit pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Leo epist 8â— ad Palastinos saintes yet the slaying of no innocent person is the propitiation of the world the iust haue themselues receiued not giuen crownes the manhood of the faithfull hath beene patterns of patience and not endowmentes of righteousnes their deathes indeede haue beene rare and singular but yet none of them therevvithall hath discharged anothers debt whereas there is one LORD CHRIST in vvhome all are deade crucified and raysed vp againe And Augustine saith CHRIST is for me a Aug. in Ioh. Tract 47. dore vnto you for yee are his sheepe purchased by his bloode beholde your price which is not giuen by mee but is deâ—lared and preached by me And in truth no man can deliver his brother no not so much as from Psal 49. 7. bodily death nor make atonement vnto God for him For it cost more to redeeme SOVLES For vvhat recompence can a man giue for his Mat. 16. 26. â—vvne soule much lesse for the soule of any other VVherefore farre be it from the humility of al true and faithful christians that they shoulde so highly esteeme of their ovvne holines as if thereby they coulde make satisfaction for SINNE or merite the crovvne of eternall GLORIE vvhereas the cheifest amongst the SAINTES duely and truely vveighing their ovvne vvorth haue iudged themselues vnvvorthy of the very least of the LORDES mercies O GOD saith Iacob of my Gen. 32. â— father Abraham and God of my father I saak which saâ—dst vnto me returne vnto thy countrey and vnto thy kinâ—ed and I will doe thee good I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies Likewise Iohn the Baptist Ioh. 1 27. confesseth of himselfe that he is noâ—worthy to loose so much as the very â—atcheâ— of Christes shoe and the Centurion that he is not worthy so much as to receaue CHRIST vnder his roofâ— Nowe if these Luc. 7. 6. men so holy and high in favouâ— vvith GOD who haue wrestled prevailed with the Lord himselfe being as greate as any borne of vvomen of so rare singular a faith as hath not beene fouÌ„d no not in Israell if these I say did truely acknovvledge themselues not vvorthy of the Lords meanest blessings no doubt theÌ„ but they did also acknowledge with the prodigaâ—…on themselues not worthy to be called Gods sons nor vvorthy of remission of sins eternal glory And verily
as all the Lords blessings so especially these of the greatest value descende vnto the â—aithful only by gift and what is so free as gift and flovv meerely from the full fountaine of the Lordes most free and vndeserued mercy in Christ and not from themselues and their owne merites All haue sinned saith the Apostle and are deprived of the glorie of God Rom. 3. 23. but are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus And againe the wages of sinne iâ— death but everlasting life Rom. 6. 23. is the gift of God through IESVS CHRIST our Lord. â—astly by grace yee are sâ—ved through faith and that not of your selues it is the Eph. 2. 8. gifâ—e of GOD not of vvorkes least any â—an shoulde bâ—ast himselfe The which with the like testimonies being so evident for our iustification salvation bestowed vpon vs freely in Christ haue as it may be thought forced the childreÌ„ of the church of Rome to devise a double iustification the first proceeding from Gods free mercy in Christ the second from our own merite and deserts But this distinction they learned not of the Apostle who affirmeth that not only at the first we are brought into favor with God by Christ and freely iustified by his blood but also that much more wee are brought to the end of our salvation and to our full and final glorification by the same free vndeserued mercy of God in Christ For so is the Apostles â—llation God saith hee setteth out his loâ—e rewards Rom 5. 8. vs seeing whose we were yet sinners Christ died for vs Much more then being now iustified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shall bee saved by his life By vvhich wordes it is evident not that the faithfull which are at the first â—ustified by Christes blood are made able to iustifie themselues aftervvard by their ovvne vvorkes and to procuâ—e their ovvne salvation by their owne merites but much more saith he shall they bee preserued in the same grace and broughte to their salvation by CHRIST and by his life And verily if our first iustification by Christ bee sufficient vvhat neede vve seeke for a second iustification by our ovvne vvorkes And if our title vvhich vve haue to the kingdome of heaven by our Saviours death be good enough vvhat neede haue we to speake for any other title Can that vvhich is once iustly mine be made Quod semel 〈…〉 potest mihi â—…quiri pluribus causia by any other title morâ— mine Either can a man haue many â—ust titles to one thing Surely there bee tvvo heavens and tvvo salvations as vvel as there be tvvo iustâ—fications For hovvsoeuer it be avouched in the vvord of truth that God will rewarde our vvorkes vvith the inheritaunce of his heauenly kingdome yet vve must not thinke that so great a revvarde being bestovved vpon so sory a service doth proceede from the merit and worthines of our owne vvorkes but from the meere mercy of him that doth so accept of vs and of our vvorks in Christ as that he doth crowne them with eternall glory The which being bestowed vpon our workes of charity is yet still called an inheritaunce Came yee blessed Mat. 25. 34. of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the worlde that we may still knowe and acknowledge that it is not a purchase made by our owne workes but an inheritaunce freely bestowed vpon such as are adopted into the number of the sons of God by faith in Christ For as for the straitest of our workes if they were squared by the levell of the law they would be fouÌ„d in some respect crooked and those things which seeme in vs to carry most weight if they were weighed in the ballance of Gods iustice they would appeare too light our best righteousnes being in some force vnrighteous and our greatest perfection stayned vvith imperfection Our knovvleâ—ge saith the Apostle is vn 1 Cor. 13. 9 perfect and our charity is vnperfect and therefore to be done away in the place of perfection not that the invvarde graces themselues are then vtterly abolished for they followe vs in death and Apo. 14. 13. neuer faile vs when all earthly treasures bâ—dde vs adevv but that the imperfections vvhich remaine in the greatest graces of the most perfect heere in this vvorlde are to bee done avvay in the vvorlde to come and the foundation of the kingdome of GOD vvhich is begunne to bee laide heere in this life to bee made perfect in the life to come The perfection sayeth Sainte Hierome of all the iust in Hie. l. 1. câ—… Pelag. this life is imperfecte perfection yea all our righteousnesse as faith the prophet is as a menstruous cloth and therefore the most Esa 64 6. holy that liue here should wash themselues with snow water and make Iob. 9. 30. August de tempore â—erm 49. themselues most cleane yet their owne cloathes would make them filâ—hy In the resurrection as saith an ancient father we beleeue that we shall fulfill all righteousnes in respect whereof all that we doe in this life is but very dounge Our humble righteousnes saith Bernard of vve haue Bern. serm 5 de verb. Es They of the Councell of TreÌ„t haue thought themselues better then these fathers cursing al such as be of their iudgment Ses 6. c. 16. c. 25. any at all is perhappes sincere but not pure except perchaunce vve imagine our selues to be better then our fathers who affirmed no less truely then humbly that alour righteousnes was aâ— a stained cloth for how saith he can that righteousnes be pure which caÌ„not be without faulte Where first we may obserue that he tearmeth our righteousnes which we attaine vnto here in this life humble secondly he thinketh it to be so small that he seemeth to doubt whether there be any such thing at all thirdly he calleth it sincere perhaps fourthly noâ— purâ— without all doubt fiftly he affirmeth this even of the best lastly hee avoucheth it to be a meere impossibility to be otherwise hovve can that be pure VVherefore it may not seeme stâ—ange that vvhich Gregorie teacheth that the holy man doth see his very vertuous worke to bee vicious if it come to bee scanned of a iust iudge And that Austin threatneth vengeance and woe against the same VVoe worth the commendable life of man if God should iudge it without mercy Now if Greg. in Iob. l. 9. c 1. Aug. l. 9. Confes c. 13. our very perfection be imperfect and our purity impure our righteousnes as a menstruous cloth and as very dounge if our vertue be vicious and our commendable life deserue a Woe theÌ„ when the Lord doth reward his faithfull servantes he doth not the same for the worthines of their