beleeueth in him is not ashamed but euery one that sinneth is ashamed therefore hee that falleth into the shame of sinne seemeth as yet not to beleeue Cyprian Cyprian singeth the same song where he saith Quomodo dixit se credere in Christum qui non facit quod Christus facere praecepit How doth hee say that hee beleeueth in Christ who doth not that which Christ hath commaunded him Ambrose is as peremptorie in the Point Amb. lib. 6. Epist 36. where he saith Vbi quis caeperit luxuriart incipit deuiare a vera fide Hee that swaggereth swarueth from the Fayth Aug. in Ioh. serm 61. Augustine hereunto performeth testimonie in sundry places as where hee sayth Qui fidem habet sine spe et dilectione Christum esse credit non in Christum credit Whosoeuer hath Fayth without Hope and Loue beleueth that Christ is but hee beleeueth not in Christ Aug. de fide et operib c. 23. Againe where he sayth Insoperabilis est bona vita a fide quae per dilectionem operatur immo ueró ipsa est bona vita Good life is not to be seuered from Fayth which worketh by Loue yea Fayth is of it selfe good life Wherefore the 12. Article of the Christian confession of the Church of England is most sound which professeth in this wise Good workes are the fruites of Iustifying fayth and doe necessarily spring and grow from thence Wherefore Fayth beeing the badge of the Elect and Workes inseparably being the effectes thereof the sequell must needes bee that Good workes must be also the Liuerie of the Elect whereby they may be knowne Which stoppeth the mouth of our carnall Epicures who vpon the foundation of Gods immutable decree of our election would lay the structure and composition of a dissolute conuersation while they reason thus Wee may liue as wee list because if wee be predestinated vnto life wee can not be lost But such are to know that the End and the Meanes that make to the end must needes goe togeather Fayth and Good Workes inseparably accompanie the worke of our Election God glorifieth not the Elect before hee hath Called and Iustified them yea before they Beleeue and declare by their Workes that they doe beleeue Ephes 2.10 Hence is it that the Apostle sayth Wee are created in Christ Iesu vnto good Workes which God hath ordained that wee should walke in them Ephes 1.4 And hereto serue these inferences of Saint Paul of Loue vnfaigned 1. Tim. 1.19 vnto whic h we are chosen and of a good Conscience which as an impartible companion is of the Fayth of the Elect. This endeauour to performe Good works is to all the Elect necessarie 2. Pet. 1.10 as Peter teacheth where he willeth vs that wee make sure our Election and Vocation by good workes as many Copies haue it not to God our vocation being certaine vnto him before the Worldes creation but to our selues to our neighboures This is one of the chiefest vses we make of Good workes that by them not as causes but effectes of our Election and Fayth wee our selues and our brethren are assured and secured of our saluation Where the mouthes of the Pelagians are stopped who make the foresight of our Fayth and Workes in God the cause of our Saluation when as of the quite contrary-side God hath predestinated vs to Fayth and Good workes because he hath chosen vs to eternall life 1. Cor. 7.25 Wherefore Paul speaketh cautelously where he sayth Jobtained mercy of the Lord to be faythfull he saith not Because I was to be faithfull As where he speaketh in the same manner thus That we should be vnblamable not because we were to bee such As againe where hee sayth Ephes 1.4 Wee are created in Christ Iesu vinto Good workes which God hath ordained that wee should walke in them not because wee did them As finally where he saith Tit. 2.11 The Grace of God hath appeared that wee should liue soberly righteously godly not because wee were so to doe It can not be rightly said that God first foreseeth that men are to beleeue and afterward predestinateth them to beleeue Because whom hee foreknew should beleeue therefore hee foreknew it Contra. Tryphon because hee decreed it Wherefore Iustine Martyr calleth them The Elect who are foreknowne that they should beleeue wherefore such as by Gods grace are delighted in Good workes in them there is a certaine signe and seale that they beleeue in Christ and so that they are elected in Christ vnto eternall life Fayth is of the nature of a Tree in operation which naturally of it selfe bringeth foorth fruites so that there is no need that the Tree be commaunded to yeeld her encrease So the faythfull man without coaction disposeth himselfe to be fruitfull in Good workes the Law of God being grafted in his heart so that his delight is dayly in the same So that of his owne accord he doth Good workes as of him selfe hee cateth hee drinketh seeth heareth and performeth such faculties as are incident to Nature As hee that is thirstie doth but stay vntill drinke come and as hee that is hungrie expecteth his meate and then willingly and naturally hee taketh them both So the Faythfull man hungrie and thirstie of Righteousnesse taketh the aduantage of all occasions to doe the Workes thereof Although Fayth alone iustifieth and knitteth the Marriage knotte betweene the Soule Christ and is properly the Wedding garment and the signe Tau which must Protect vs from the power of the euill Angels yet Fayth is neuer seuered from Charitie Wherefore the Faythfull are resembled to Orchardes Vines and Trees that bring foorth Fruite in season The Church by Isaiah is resembled to a Vine Isai 5.7 furnished with a Wine-presse and Towre for the purpose wherefore Christ sayth Ioh. 15.1 I am the Vine and my Father is the Husbandman euery Branch that beareth not fruite in mee hee taketh away and euery one that beareth fruite he purgeth it that it may bring foorth more fruite Wherefore God is sayd to haue come downe to the Garden of Nuttes Cant. 6.10 to see the fruites of the Valley to see if the Vine budded and the Pomegranats flourished Moreouer we are to Bring foorth Fruites in patience For God Luk. 8.15 the Lord of the Vineyard commeth to his Vine with a pruning Knife in his hand to toppe and cutte off the luxurious Branches that we might bring foorth more Fruite and be in better liking Christians are Trees of righteousnesse Ezech. 47.4.12 grewing by the Riuers of the Sanctuarie But not such Trees as ours are for they take roote vpwarde in Heauen in Christ and their branches grow downeward and fructifie among men Wherefore theoricall Religion is not enough It serueth not our turnes to beare the name of Christians if wee liue not as Christians True Pietie challengeth a departure frō Iniquitie Jacobs smooth Voyce and Esaus rough
in the number of those whom thou hast put apart to eternall life And because this Exposition seemeth to breed and to bring some absurdities with it as that so great a man should make a motion of a thing impossible his Predestination in the certificate of his owne knowledge beeing not to be altered as also that hee should desire that which is vnlawfull to be raced out of the Register of the Righteous which is to change copie and to turne enemie vnto God they put in this surioynder that the Prophet rauished in zeale of affections to the glory of God and the good of the people was somewhat beside himselfe and spake he knew not what So likewise they consider of Saint Paules vow to be sundred from Christ for his Brethren his Kinsmen according to the flesh And it is incident as wee know to these passionate affections as heeding only that vpon which their minde is bent not to heed themselues This is the verdite of very great men whose authoritie wee are iustly to reuerence But to vnbowell our thoughts in the case howsoeuer we may yeeld them what they say concerning Moses inasmuch as his parley with God was extemporall and familiar and wee may note him of some rashnesse That wee should marke out Saint Paul for such a man and make him of this humour is more I am perswaded then that place will suffer For Paul wrote it and not worded it his hand ledde the Penne the Spirit led his heart as his solemne preamble into that matter witnesseth Rom. 9.1 in this forme of contestation I say the truth in Christ and lye not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the Holy-ghost This patheticall prouocation and appellation of the Apostle is argument of perswasion sufficient vnto vs that mature deliberation and not precipitate affection wrought this resolution And in that the Spirit suggested it it cannot be excepted against Againe we distinguish of the nature and manner of his vow as there is a separation from the loue of Christ And as there is a priuation of the fruites of his loue That Paul did wish the first to bid Christ adiew and to be execrable for his Breathren it is not nay ought not to be supposed For that flatly crosseth the conclusion of the Chapter before touching his inseparable societie with Christ and it checketh the principall cause of the very Vow it selfe which was not so much his loue to his Brethren as his loue to Christ whose glorie hee thought in the repudiation of the people should not be litle hazarded as to whom appertained the Adoption and the Glorie the Couenant and the Law the Worship of God and Promises and of whom came Christ according to the flesh For hee saw what the World would gather vpon it if God should roote out the Israelitas and plant the Nations namely that either God stood not to his Promise or that Jesus was not that Messiah promised This was that which pricked Paul in the quickest Vaine and stabbed him at the Heart Yet did his inwarde Bowels bleede in affections to his Brethren condoleing their destruction But Christ and his glory put them to the vttermost straint that might be Wherefore while hee is in this Feruour of loue and his affections are thus flagrant towardes Christ it is not without reason to thinke that in compunction to his kinne hee could wish to be cut off from the communion of Christ But wee take it that wee are in the right in expounding his Wish of the fruites of Christes loue as the felicitie of the faythfull in the life eternall of which he would be depriued and determined to damnation rather then his eyes should behold the expunction of his people out of the Couenant of Grace to the great obloquie reproach of Gods name and of his sonne Christ Iesus And this fitteth well the spirit of that loue that he beareth towards Christ And this is the Glosse of Chrisostome on this text Neyther doubt we at all but that the same Spirit was with Moses his tongue which was with Pauls Pen that the one spake the other wrote with aduisement enough the same cause the extent of their loue to the glorie of God and the indemnitie of their People working these affectionate wishes in them Wherefore both these obiections of examples receiue the same answere As if Moses should haue saide in this maner O be gratious vnto thy People not only for their owne saluation sake but for the glorie of thy name or if thine hand must needs take hold on Iudgement let their blood be vpon my head and let mee goe downe vnto the damned Neither doth this imprecation of his strike at all at the Foundation of Gods vnchaungeable decree of election the same implying in it a tacite condition if it were possible But hee knew it that it was absolutely impossible As Christ when he did deprecate the remooueall of the Cuppe which he knew before could not be remooued Father if it be possible let this Cuppe passe from mee The short sūme therefore of Moses his suite is this Rather blotte mee if it may bee out of thy Booke of life then that thy People should be destroyed and thy name blasphemed all which maketh nothing to the purpose to prooue that those that are penned downe in that Booke may be afterward put out And thus much shall suffice for the forepart of this Text. It followeth And hath this Seale The Lord knoweth who are his By an other fitte Metaphor hee concludeth the certaine saluation of the elect alluding to the auntient custome of men setting their Signets and sealing Rings to that which they minde to ratifie God signed the promises of temporall deliueraunces made vnto his people with his gracious seale A Seale was set vpon Noah and his Family that the Deluge should not drowne them Sodome was not sentenced to combustion before Loth and his Family were marked out to an happie preseruation In the inflicted punishment vpon the first borne of Egipt the aspersion of the Blood of the Lambe vpon the Lintels and Dore-postes of the houses of the Jsraelites was the Lords Broad seale and Charter of their immunitie from the common slaughter Whereas sixe Angels in Ezechiel were dispached by God against Ierusalem for their destruction Ezech. 9. An other Angell apparelled in white with an Incke-horne at his Girdle was Legatus a Latere sent on this Legatiue errant to saue such as should be sealed with the letter Tau vpō their fore-heads as theire pasport and protection Much more is our spirituall deliuerance assured vs by signes and seales of it There is no man elected vnto eternall life but shal be sealed at the time appointed And this is that sealing which is so often mentioned in the Scriptures as where in the Reuelation it is sayd Apo. 7.4.8 that a number without number was sealed vnto the Lord. For like as the Father hath sealed Iesus Christ as he was Man
Incarnate Deuill and his end was most fearefull but without the greater supportation of Gods grace wee should not onely betray Christ with Judas but worser then the Jewes wee should a thousand wayes crucifie him Consider we with our selues whether there be not now in Hell such who were of better conuersation then wee while wee liued heere on earth Isai calleth the people of his time Isai 1.10 The people of Sodom and the people of Gomorah 9 Finally from the clause and conclusion of this sentence Let euery one who calleth on the Name of the Lord depart from Iniquitie direction vnto Sanctification aryseth because whom God hath chosen vnto life hee hath also chosen vnto newnesse of life Ephes 1.4 Hee hath chosen vs sayth Saint Paul before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in loue Whereto answereth that which hee hath else-where in the same Letter Ephes 2.10 Wee are created in Christ Jesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that wee should walke in them Wee haue the same Diuinitie deliuered vs in his writing to the Thessalonians 2. Thess 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the Spirit and the Fayth of trueth Rom. 8. The Elect are stiled Vessels of honour Wherefore such as will be of that nature 2. Tim. 2.21 for that high seruice and not be Disshes of disgrace must so carrie themselues as they may be numbred among such But while wee soake our selues in our Sinnes and lie wallowing in our Wickednesse we are worse then Treen Trayes Vessels of the vildest vse whatsoeuer It is so set downe and established by order that the Sunne should giue vs his light by day and the Moone by night and this standing wherein they were primitiuely placed they still keepe Yea euery Creature in her kinde keepeth the course at the first prefixed them in the creation of all things The Grasse groweth Trees fructifie according to the blessing pronounced by the mouth of God vpon them when they were first in beeing the verie ende and purpose of their beeing thus are all Christians Trees that are planted by the right hand of God to giue their fruite in due season this beeing the period and ende of their election their holy conuersation If thou shouldst passe by a ground wherein thou shouldst see a beautifull Vine prudently kept enclosed with a wall that nothing could hurt it thou wouldest conclude that the owner thereof was a carefull man a good Husband indeed so is euery one of vs to keepe our bodyes and soules in that godly and holy manner as the verie aduersarie to our Religion be hee an Infidell beholding vs may haue occasion to reuerence our Religion and to say Great is the God of the Christians In the setting vp of an House first we lay the Foundation then the Sides and Walles round about and then the Roofe the vppermost part thereof Fayth is the Foundation of this our House Good workes are the Walles and the rest of the Building that is to be ioyned to this Foundation To the pulling downe of an House the course is quite contrarie to that which was taken when it was first erected for that which was set vp last was the Roofe and with the Roofe we beginne to reaue it and we come to the Foundation at the last So the Deuill seeking the ruine of vs all hee first assaulteth our Good workes the vppermost of our Building our Almes our Fastes our Prayers our Charitie and then he layeth at the Foundation of our Fayth and sayth Downe with it downe with it euen to the ground Finally this parcell of Scripture is the very Period of all the Scripture as the purport of all the Workes of God done and yet in doing towardes vs. They haue many endes and purposes beside the principall whereof is the Glorie of God the rest come in at the second hand and are seruantes vnto this as ordinated and sequestred to this seruice and office of furthering and setting soorth the excellencie of this Glorie Now among those of the secondarie sort this easily is the chiefe A zeale to Pietie a diligent endeauour to depart from Iniquitie The whole Scripture is resolued into Law and Gospell Historie is a midling betweene both and an appurtenaunce vnto them The whole Law is abridged and summed in this sentence Declina a malo et fac bonum Eschew that is euill and ensue that is good The whole knowledge of the Law is in the knowledge of our three-folde estate 1. Of that we had by Creation 2 Of that wee haue now by Nature 3. Of that wee ought to be now this one end to Depart from Iniquitie is Finis vltimis alwayes at the ende of all of them three Wee are told what we were by Creation that we should striue by Departing from iniquitie to recouer our primitiue condition Wee are shewed what wee are now by corruption that wee might runne from the Law to Christ and lead a holy conuersation 3. Lastly it lessoneth vs what wee ought to bee namely Conformable to our first Image of Righteousnesse and holinesse by renouncing all Wickednesse This is the onely Tribute siluer he requireth at our handes as Moses thus expresly telleth vs in Deuteronomie Deut. 10.12 What doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to feare the Lord thy God and to walke in his wayes The same is the consideration of the Law of the Gospell signified by Zacharie Luke 1.75 That wee being deliuered out of the hands of our enimies might serue him without feare in righteousnesse and holinesse before him all the dayes of our life as by Paul in like manner where he sayth Tit. 2. The Grace of God that bringeth saluation to all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we should denie all vngodlinesse and worldly lusts that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and appearing of that glorie of that mightie God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of Good workes The like respect there is of all the Workes of God and his Sonne Christ already wrought or to be wrought for vs. The scope at which they driue is the renuntiation of our Sinnes All the Workes of God whatsoeuer they bee must be of these three kindes 1. Such as concerne our Creation Preseruation Protection 2. Or such as belong to our Redemption by Christ 3. Or such as appertaine to our communicate Redemption and Grace 1 The Creation of the World was for mans sake to the end that man might know God and by knowing glorifie him This is plaine by this the Apostle sayth Rom. 1.20.21 The inuisible thinges of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the creation