the 8. Rom. where the inheritance pertaineth not to one as to the eldest sonne in an earthly kingdome but euerie one doth inherit all the reuenues rents and rights of the whole kingdome none more or lesse then another but all haue full possession of all things that are all perfect For as â—â—â—rie saith this kingdome is most high in dignitie most free in libertie most secure in peace most glorious in honour most pure in clearnesse most ioyous in the societie of Angels most copious in the affluence of riches influence of pleasures confluence of all perpetuall graces This is the portion of all those that are the sonnes of God this is the preheminence sayth one translation the prerogatiue sayth another the priuiledge saith another the dignitie saith another of all those that receiue Christ Iesus but they all say this He gaue them power to bee the sonnes of God He gaue them power Here is the maner set downe how they come by the benefite they do not buy it as the Heretikes Circumseliones thinke they haue it not in their owne naturalitie as the Pelagians hold they worke it not out of their owne abilitie as the Papists suppose but they receiue it of Gods meere liberalitie He gaue them power It is the mercie of God the goodnesse of God the bountie of God that bestowes this benefite vpon vs. The best in this case must say with Iacob I am not worthy the least of thy benefits Gen. 32. Gene. 32. The best must say with Daniel Righteousnesse belongeth onely vnto thee to vs belongeth nothing but shame Dan. 9. Dan. 9. the best must say with Iob If I would seek to iusti fie my self I must needs condemne my selfe If we consider with our selues what we are of our selues we shall plainly finde our selues the best of vs all dust and ashes by our substance Gen. 3. by knowledge but beasts Gene. 3. Ierem. 10.4 Ephes 2.3 Iere 10.4 by nature the children of wrath Ephes 2 13. I remember Lemnius giues a strange report of flesh let buls flesh lie aboue the ground in the open ayre it turnes to Bees let horse-flesh lie in that maner it turneth to Hornets but let mans flesh lie in that sort it turnes to Serpents I will banke the application least I be taken for a Bee or a Hornet I say no more but if any chalenge any goodnes vnto themselues as of themselues or of their owne power it is much vanitie for of our selues wee cannot so much as thinke a good thought 2. Cor. 3.5 It is more arrogancie because we giue that to our selues which is proper to God for euerâ—e good and perfect gift commeth from aboue Iames the 1.17 It is most iniquitie because we doe not acknowledge the giuer thankefully Col. 3.17 for all praise and glorie is to be giuen to God Col. 3.17 Wherefore as the wise man saith White birds with blacke feathers haue no prerogatiue if merit then death if mercie then life saluation commeth freely from the mercie of God August Cant. 2. Bernard Non per innatam sed per donatam iustitiam salui sumus saith Augustine Non infixa sed infusagratia Whereon saint Bernard I for my loue and my loue for me that she may know her self to be full of grace when she ascribes all to her loue and nothing to her selfe He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue By grace ye are saued through Iesus Christ Ephe. 2.8 sayth saint Paule and that not of your selues it is the gift of God It is the gift of God taken holde on by faith which is the meanes by which we receiue all good things the meanes by which we are made the sonnes of God Galat. 3. Iohn 1. ep 5. Rom. 4. you are all the sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ And our Apostle himselfe in his 1. Epist 5. cap. reaffirmes his report He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God not the vnbeleeuers but beleeuers And in the 3 Rom. It is one God which shall iustifie circumcision of faith and vncircumcision thorow faith Chpysost This faith saith Chrysostom must be simple without curious searching strong without fearfull fainting constant without doubtfull wauering this faith will appeare by the fruites which are good workes Gregor by the triall which is affliction by the ende which is saluation If thou be like the Persian Apple-tree sayth Basill that beares continually buds blossoms greene fruit ripe fruit some fruit for all winter stormes or sommers blasts till it be rooted vp if thou hast this faith thou art surely the sonne of God for to them onely that beleeue hee gaue power to be the sonnes of God Euen to those that beleeue on his name Here is now the obiect of our faith which is the subiect of our saluation the name of Iesus to which the mercies merits and mediation of Christ belong which are al coÌ„tained in his name Iesus which signifieth a sauiour To Abraham his seed was the promise made not saying to his seed but in his name as of one Lord Iesus Christ to him all the Prophets giue witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Act. 10.43 In his name shall all the Nations of the world be blessed Acts. 10.43 whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall bee saued Great is the name of the Lord and preuaileth The name of the Lord bring eth mightie things to passe Mine enemies compasse me round about saith Dauid but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them Our enemies the world the flesh and the diuell compasse vs round about but in the name of the Lord in the mercies merits and mediation of Iesus Christ we may destroy them They kept me in on euery side saith Dauid hell death and damnation kept vs in on euerie side but in the mercie merits and mediation of Iesus Christ wee may escape they came about me like Bees saith Dauid but in the name of the Lord they are extinct they came about vs like Bees but in the name the mercie merits mediation of the Lord Iesus Christ they are so extinct that we may boldly say and safely crie death where is thy sting Application hell where is thy victorie Christ Iesus is come the king is come and the king comming the enemies are fled Those that haue eies to see let them see those that haue eares to heare let them heare those that haue a heart to vnderstand let them vnderstand those things that belong vnto their peace let them see the loue of Christ in comming to his owne and embrace it heare the fault of his owne in receyuing him not and eschew it Vnderstand the benefit of our saluation giuen to as many as receyue him by beleeuing on his name enioy it Christ Iesus is come he that was to come to the Patriarks is come to the
thinke to put vs downe with the fault of our forefathers but as it is in the vision of S. Iohn we see who glorieth in the greatest nuÌ„ber euen Antichrist himselfe Apoc. 19. and let him glorie in the rout rabble of his vnhalowed complices sithence praise be giuen to him that sits aboue and swaies below the haruest of true intertainers is great and the line of them that receiue Christ is stretched farre and wide vpon the face of the whole earth It is not tied to the familie of Iacob as the Iewes would haue it nor to the soyle of Affricke as the Donatists would haue it nor to the sea of Rome as the Papists would haue it but God hath chosen for the seede of Abraham all which haue the faith of Abraham and for the familie of Iacob Iohn 4.23 Aâ—o 21.12 all that worship the Lord in spirit and in truth Iohn 4.23 And therefore in the Reuelation 21.12.13 the Church of God is compared vnto a citie hauing 12. gates opening 3. into euerie quarter of the world And saint Pauâ—e the second to the Ephesians and the 14. sheweth that now the wall of partition is broken downe so that all the world is equally the Church of God and some did faithfully receiue Christ though his owne receyued him not for so much do these wordes as many report and import Although for the quantitie the Church of God be counted smal yet for the qualitie it is greater then the rest because Christ doth more esteem one member of his mysticall bodie then all the number of infidels and wicked reprobates in the world though Christ call his flocke a little flocke yet he sayth Feare not my little flocke it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a king dome We must needes confesse the number of the faithfull is lesse then the number of the wicked we cannot denie but there is more store of weedes then corne in the Lords haruest For Noah and his family being but eight persons all the world was drowned in wickednes for Lot and his two sonnes Sodome and Gomorrah with all the cities round about were burned in sinne for one thankfull Samaritane there were nine vnthankefull leapers for one Elias there were 450. Prophets of Ball. Reg. â— 18. for one Micheas there will be 400. false Prophets to Aâ—â—ab 2.22 there will bee but one of a citie and two of a tribe which shall enter into Sion Iere. 3.14 in steade of the two legges and peece of the eare which the sheepheards shall saue from the mouth of the Lion the whole bodie shall be deuoured Amos. 3,1â— but a few names will be found in Sardi which haue not defiled their garments Apo. 3.4 for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth vnto destruction and many there be that enter into it but straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life eternall and few there bee that find it we graunt more chaffe then graine more tares then corne in the Lords field We grant Christ came vnto his own and his own receiued him not yet dearly beloued the flocke of Christ is farre greater then can be perceiued by the eyes of men For as Iohn sayth there are verie many wolues within and very many sheep without and therefore we must not take vpon vs to iudge our brethren nor despaire our selues but leaue iudgement vnto God and looke for mercie of the Lord 2. Tim. 2.13 for as saint Paule sayth The foundation of God remayneth sure and hath his seale Dominus nouit qui sunt sui The Lord knoweth who are his There is no place nor any sort of people throughout the world where the Lord hath not some chosen In the wicked court of Pharo there flourished godly Ioseph with that cruell persecutor of the Prophets Achab there was a preseruer of Prophets and a seruer of God Obadiah In the house of Rimmon where the king of Aram serued strange gods the captaine of his host Naaman serued onely the Lord God of Israel In the campe of souldiers which is most suspected there was Cornelius most sincere In the ranke of sinners that were most detected euen amongst the Publicanes were found Mathew and Zacheus the faithfull seruants of God amongst the blindest recreants the verie Pharisies was Necodemus that refused his companions and thought nothing too deare to bestow in the honour of our Sauiour Herod that mortall enemie of Iesus Christ had Manahen his companion and Iohanna the wife of Chuza the steward in his house which feared God the Iewes themselues that were so malicious against Christ had some amongst them that receiued him there was Nathaniell in whom there was no guile there was olde Simeon which looked for the consolation of Israel there was religious Annah that serued God day and night with fasting and prayer and confessed the Lord Iesus to all that looked for redemption in Ierusalem Thus was the state of Christs Church for euer certaine though the seate vncertaine sometimes where to find her This is the certaine seale of our saluation though the signe vncertaine sometimes where to finde it because wee cannot iudge with outward senses who receiue or not receue Christ Iesus when he commeth yet is it most certaine that as many as do receiue him to them he giueth power to be the sonnes of God Here is the soueraigntie of our saluation following the certaintie therof we are made the sonnes of God by receiuing the sonne of God comming vnto vs and into vs. A happie day and a happie deed a blessed time and a blessed change for vs that are by nature the sonnes of Adam the children of wrath by such a guest by such a grace should be made the sonnes of God Filius Dei saith S. Cyprian factus erat homo vt faceret homines filios Dei vnicus natus erat attamen noluit manere vnus The sonne of God was made man that he might make men the sonnes of God he was borne one but wold not liue alone hee loued vs so that he could not leaue vs till he had made vs his brethren sonnes with him to God our father neuerthelesse there is great difference between his sâ—ate and ours he is the naturall sonne of God we the adopted he begotten in eternitie the perfect sonne of his father we creased in dew time out of the earth our mother he borne we made the sonnes of God yet such his kindnesse that he neuer saith Paâ—er meus dominus vester sed dominus meus pater vesâ—er as saith S. Greg. My father and your Lord but my Lord and your father The reason is as saint Basill sayth Sic tungit vt non distinguit siâ— distinguit vt non seiungit he doth so ioyne that he doth not distinguish and so distinguish that he doth not diuide so that we are sons being sonnes are fellow heyres with Iesus Christ in his kingdom Rom. 8. as the Apostle saith in