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
Apostles except Iudas was lost because he was so preordinated to be lost Whosoeuer therefore are truely giuen to Christ by the Father they are in such safe protection vnder Christ as they cannot perish because they are Elected that is Iohn 13.18 giuen to Christ Elsewhere foretelling vs that one of the Colledge of Apostles should betray him he prefaceth to the poynt in hand in this wise I speake not of you all J know whom J haue chosen but it is that the Scripture might be fulfilled Hee that eateth bread with me hath lift vp his heele against mee Hee giueth the cause to Gods eternall Election that none of the Apostles was to admit such a prodigious sinne of prodition but onely Iudas as proposed to perdition Thus hauing heard Christ him selfe speaking for vs what need wee more witnesses Rom. 8.30 Yet wee please to heare what Saint Paul can say for vs. In his golden Chaine twined with his foure indiuiduall linckes the person Predestinated is proclaymed at the Standard therewithall Called Iustified Glorified And hee is in his expostulatorie Scrutinie Inquirie after him that dare stand out aduersarie to this his positiue Diuinitie Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that Iustifieth who shall condemne As if he should haue disputed it thus They are Elected therefore can they not be Condemned Yea he prouoketh the proudest Enimie to the field for the triall of this trueth as Affliction Tribulation and all the vnited forces of Temptations telling vs how these when they haue done their worst can neuer be of power to raise our Foundation and to sunder vs from Christ Lastly he would haue vs beleeue this as a sure word of prophecie that neither Angels Dominations or Powers future nor present thinges altitudes or deapthes nor any thing else from the Center to the Circumference can vndoe this Foundation of our eternall and infallible Election Destroy this Foundation and all these rowes of spirituall Stones layde herevpon must needs come tumbling downe As this saying of Saint Paul Rom. 5.1 Being iustified by Fayth wee haue Peace towards God Which peace of conscience towards God we can not haue so long as we hoouer as the Rauen betweene Heauen and Earth and are in perplexitie about our Election As this other his ghostly Aphorisme Fayth maketh not ashamed Rom. 5.5 because the loue of God is shed abroad in our heartes by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs If fully and finally this loue may be lost of vs whereby we are couered with shame and confusion as it were with a Cloake As this his other peece of Lecture Rom. 8.16 The spirit of God witnesseth with our spirit that we are the children of God So be it that wee yeeld that the Spirit may be quite extinguished in vs. It is Saint Iohns assertion 1. Ioh. 2.19 and the marke indeed of those of reprobate condition They went from vs but they were not of vs for if they had been of vs they should haue continued with vs For it is flatte which Saint Paul sayth The giftes and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 and so by course of consequence he cannot repent that he hath predestinated vs. Thus doe our Popelinges fall before the Scriptures as Dagon before the Arke and the foundation of our Election standeth sure And now we will deale with them by dinte and force of reason and thus dispute for the soliditie of this our Foundation 1. First a posteriorj Gods purpose to saue the Elect in this world is absolutly constant Therefore he so Calleth Iustifieth Regenerateth them so qualifieth them with the Induments and Ornaments of his spirit so gouerneth them and giueth them the guift of perseuerance as he neuer repenteth himselfe of these collated benefites inasmuch as repentance cannot fall vpon him as Scripture before taught vs. God followeth his chosen with an indiuiduall vnwearisome and eternall loue So sayeth God in Jeremie Ierem. 31.3 J haue loued thee with an euerlasting loue So sayeth Christ in John For as much as he loued his owne which were in the world vnto the end he loued them Iohn 13 1. But he willeth and worketh nothing now which was not willed and determined by him from all eternitie wherfore this foundation is of absolute stabilitie 2. A priorj we pleade thus Election is only in God and not in man in as much as Election was before the Creation and so before man Ephes 1.4 Wee were chosen saieth the Apostle before the worlds foundation Againe if Eection be a part of diuine Prouidence and Prouidence is Gods the Sequence is naturall that Election must be in God and no part thereof may cleaue to mans thumbes And hence also the deduction is as needfull that it is eternall and immutable as consisting in God onely in whom all thinges are according to his nature without variablenesse or shaddow of change Stood the Foundation of our Election vpon no surer ground then Man it would soone be turned vp For Euripus changeth not oftner then Man And what may Man doe simply by himselfe towards his owne saluation He that is a reprobate can lay to himselfe a sure Foundation wherevpon he may build his owne damnation in asmuch as not beeing sufficiently supported by the hand of God God not beeing bounde vnto him thereunto he simply can bring foorth nothing but fruites vnto death with willfullnesse enough and so vndoe himselfe But Election cannot so bee made sure of the part of the Elect as by nature mutable and as so continually and grieuously sinfull So as so farre as it layeth in them they quite strip themselues of the graces of God and if doome should be denounced according to their deedes there were no foundation made for them in Heauen The effects of Election are in the persons themselues that are elected as their vocation passiue and so their Iustification and regeneration in this sense also faith and the workes of faith and at last their glorification in like manner Wherefore these effects in vs that are of the Elect admitte an alteration in respect of our selues Wherevpon by nature faith and regeneration may be lost of vs and of righteous wee may become vnrighteous and so fall from grace and perish But in regard of predestination and diuine decree which is in God so immutable it can not be that these guiftes of God and these effectes of Predestination should be quite without effect and therefore hauing dependance on God our saluation is most safe Haue a view heereof in the course of the world led by the hand of heauenly prouidence For Saeculum Speculum The World is a Looking-glasse in this case For how is it that it is so well ordered so as the Heauens keepe their stations appointed thē the Sunne knoweth his vprising and the Moone her going downe the alternall entercourse of the day and the night is not to bee disturbed and all
strengthneth me The grace that God giueth all such as feare him according to that the royall Prophet sayeth He shall make them strong Psal 103.5 and lusty like an Eagle This grace is ours in a double respect 1. Of the promise of God in Jeremie J will put my feare in their heartes that they shall neuer depart from mee Luk. 22.32 2. Of the Prayer of Christ J haue prayed for thee that thy sayth should not fuile thee Hetherto maketh this sweete speech of Augustine De corrept et gratia cap. 2. Ipse cos facit in bono perseuerare quj facit bonos He that maketh men good maketh men to continue good and hee alloweth not that loue that may be lost wherfore hee sayeth Charitas quae deserj potest nunquam vera fuit That Charitie that may be casseered is but counterfaite 4 An other Obiection is from the examples of such as haue departed from the Fayth Ephes 1.4 1. Thes 1.4 1. Pet. 1.1 as the Ephesians Thessalonians and dispearsed Iewes styled in holy Writinges The elect and chosen whereas many of them did afterward forsake their first Loue and gaue vp their Fayth as it were in the plaine field Heereto we answere that there are two sortes of Iudgementes touching mans estate this way 1. The one is called Iudicium Certuudinis the Iudgement of Certaintie by which an vndoubted doome may be deliuered of any mans Election But that is Gods royaltie peculiar to himselfe sette downe in his sacred and secret booke of counsailes man is not to meddle with it no further then God hath reuealed to one man an othermans estate 2. The other is termed Judicium Charitatis The Iudgement of Charitie whereby wee proceede by the Lawe of Loue esteeming of such as liue in the Church and outwardly beare loue to the word of truth to be in the Calender of the Chosen vntill wee haue a better Schoolemaister then Nature to informe vs the contrarie Now in respect these Ephesians Thessalonians and Iewes did beare these outward markes the Apostle maketh the best construction of their doinges as Charitie would haue him 2. Againe they may be deemed to be thus denominated a maiorj parte of the greatest part according to the common course of speach wherby we call it an Heape of Corne which standeth most vpon the Corne though much confounded with colder and with chaffe 5 An other Obiection Reuel 3.11 is this admonition Saint John giueth Hold that which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne whereby is meant as some would haue it The Crowne of heauenly glory Whereto they inferre this Prouiso of the Apostle 1. Cor. 10.12 Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed least he fall We answere that the Crowne there mentioned is the Crowne of the Ministrie which without losse to our election may be lost and can not be rightly taken for the Crowne of heauenly glorie And what if it could we should graunt so much there would be nothing gotten by it For it is to be conceiued that one of these two wayes it is to be lost 1. Either in respect of our selues 2. Or of God 1. In respect of our selues wee easily yeelde it that wee may soone loose this Crowne from our heads For we are fickle and feeble nothing else but a compound of corruption Now Death and not the Diademe of Glorie is the debt that is due to Sinne. 2. But in respect of God who hath chosen vs and of Christ in whom wee are chosen this Crowne can neuer be taken away from vs in asmuch as the giftes and vocation of God Rom. 11.29 are without reuersion Wherefore in both these respectes wee haue warning in the Scriptures to looke to our standing and to tread sure least wee fall And are taught herewithall that the Elect stand sure in the Sanctuarie of the Lord they are vnder the safe protection of Christ and so can not perish 6 The last Obiection I will deale with is from such places of Scripture as speake of Blotting out of the Booke of life As that peece of Imprecation of Dauids against his Enimies Psal 69.29 Let them be wiped out of the Booke of the Liuing and not be written among the Righteous As that asseueration of the Spirit in the Apocalips Reuel 3.5 He that ouercommeth I will not put out his name out of the Booke of Life Exod. 32.32 Rom. 9.3 As those passionate wishes of Moses Paul to be put out of the writinges of the house of Israel for the saluation of the people of God committed to their charge All which places conclude nothing lesse then that they make shew of at the first sight being not throughly vnderstood Dauids enemies had neuer any name in Gods booke but only in the courtious opinion of the Church And therefore it can not properly be sayd of them that they were spunged out But in Scripture phrase they are taken so to be when their hypocrisie is discouered and they are manifested what they are So Augustine expoundeth those wordes of the Psalme Let them be wiped out of the Booke of the Liuing that is Scriptjnon esse cognoscantur tam ab ipsis quam ab alijs Let it appeare both to themselues and others that they are not written downe They seeme to be written sayth the same Father Secundum praesentem Iustitiam et temporariam fidem as they carry credite in the World for their good carriage of themselues in their outward actions and for their temporarie profession Concerning Moses his wish some thereby would meane the Booke of this present life as if Moses should desire to dye for his People As if he should haue saide Eyther saue them or slay mee But this meaning is too light to suite with the grauitie of this his petition For many Captaines and Valiaunts haue been founde that haue been prodigall of their owne for the safeguard of their Souldiers liues And it is the commaundement the Godly stande charged with to giue their liues for their Brethren Wherein Moses had had his matches euen among the Heathens such as were Philenj that were brethren Decius Curtius Theseus and such like that made no spare of the effusion of their blood for the benefite of their Countrie Wherefore some giue these wordes to the Booke of the Couenant as if he should haue sayd Blot my Name out of thy Church-booke and let it no more be in the number of those to whom thou hast made thy Promises of eternall life Not that Moses desired directly to be damned for the peoples deliueraunce but onely to be excommunicate from the Church that is heere on earth which is somewhat more then to die But some of better iudgement then the the former are of the minde that Moses looked higher then so namely to the Booke of eternall life as if he should thus say Rather then thy whole people should perish let my name no more stand in thy Predestinatiō-booke
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