is not from the earth but from heaven and if he give life to them that are dead he may be justly called The bread of life 3. He addeth these words to comfort Beleevers and to terrifie unbeleevers For no greater comfort can be to them that receive him by a true and lively faith then the assured hope that they shall be raised up by him from death to a glorious and immortall life and on the other part it is matter of exceeding terror to the unbelieving and wicked that they shall not be partakers of this blessed resurrection but they shall be raised up to shame and confusion This point is urged diverse times hereafter by our LORD and therefore it may be we shall have occasion to speak of it more fully Only now consider that this is a point which we should at this time deeply meditate upon He who calleth us and offereth himself unto us is no lesse then he who hath power of life and death even of eternall life and of eternall death If wee answer him and embrace his Calling we may look to have confidence joy and glory at our death and resurrection but if we do otherwayes we can expect nothing but terrour sorrow and confusion Though we think little now of death and resurrection yet they wil come It is appointed for all men once to die and after death cometh judgement The soul will be called out of the body the body will be called out of the grave and both will be called before the Tribunall of GOD. If thou hearkned devotly and obediently to his Calling here Thou shalt lift up thine head then being confident that thy redemption draweth near When GOD sayeth to thy soul at death Come out thou shalt encourage it and say Go 〈◊〉 my soule fear nâ—t it is the Voice of my Beloved calling not to destroy but to save thee It is the voice of him who hath often called me before and whom I have answered by his Grace It is the Voice of him that I was longing for He said to me before Behold I come I have answered even so Amen LORD Iesus come But on the contrary if thou hast despised his gracious and mercifull Calling here thy terrour shall be unspeakable at death and at the resurrection He shall call when thy Lamp is not prepared and albeit thou would not be drawn by his Mercy his Justice shall draw thy soule out of thy body at death and thy body out of the grave at the resurrection although thou call then he will not heare but will say Depart from me I know thee not Long have I cast open the doore of my Mercy unto thee but thou would not enter and now it is shute O how terrible shall this Calling or rather Drawing of iustice be to the disobedient soule body Faine would they draw back into that very nothing out of which they were brought Therefore the wicked shall say then unto the hills and to the mountains fall upon us and cover us from the Face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the Face of the Lamb. Let us therefore while we have time thinke both upon his Mercy Justice These are the two armes of his Providence whereby he draweth to good and from evil MERCY is as it were his Right-Hand which is alluring and comfortable justice his Left-Hand which is terrifying and dreadfull Let us labour That his left hand may be vnder our head as the Spouse speaketh and that his right hand may embrace us that is let us thinke upon his gracious Promises that we may be allured to obey him and withall consider his dreadfull terrours that we may stand in awe to despise his invitations I will speake no more of this Now I proceed It is written in the prophets And they shall be all taught of GOD c. Here he confirmeth and cleareth what he said of the drawing of men to him by the Father He confirmeth it by the testimony of scripture It is written sayeth he in the prophets they shall be all taught of GOD. This testimony is expresly set down Isaiah 54. 13. Where the PROPHET speaking of the happy estate of the Church of the new Testament sayeth to her All thy children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be their peace According to the sense it is also to be found else-where especially in the 31. 33. of Iâ—r where the LORD speaking of the Church of the new Testament sayeth After those dayes it shall come to passe that I will put my law in their hearts writ it in their inward parts and they shall be my people and I will be their GOD and they shall not teach every man his brother and every man his neighbour but they shall know me from the highest to the least sayeth the LORD For clearing of this yee are to understand that to be taught of God is nothing else but to have our minds enlightned by the knowledge of him and to have his love â—â—â—ed abroad in our hearts so that we obey him and that not out of the fear of punishment but out of the love of righteousnes Of this teaching the Prophet spake when he said Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest and teachest out of thy law and when he said againe Teach me to do thy Will O GOD for it is good This our Saviour manifesteth in the next words wherein he explaineth what it is To be taught by GOD saying That such an one heareth and learneth of the Father and cometh to him that is he that is so taught understandeth and beleeveth that which the Father revealeth and embraceth it by sincere love and affection and so cometh to Christ by faith by hope by love and obedience Hence S. AUGUSTINE in his book of the Grace of Christ 12. and 13. chapters inferreth That this doctrine of the Father is nothing else but his heavenly Grace communicated to us whereby he maketh us not only to know what we should do but also to do what we know whereby he maketh us not only to beleeve that which should be loved but also to love that which we beleeve This is the doctrine of the Father whereby from on hye by his unspeakable Power inwardly he manifesteth his truth and communicateth to us the love of himself This also is manifest as S. AUGUSTINE observeth there from the 1. Thess 4. 9. where S. PAUL sayeth As for brotherly love yee have not need that I should write unto you for yee are taught of GOD to love one another So the Teaching of GOD maketh us not only to know what should be done but also to do that which we know And he that knowes and doeth not is not caught by God He is not taught according to grace but according to the law he is not taught according to the spirit but according to the letter Secondly Yee are to consider that our Saviour by urging
where wee find the saints professing and avowing their hope in God most confidently But say they yet for all this wee are uncertain of our Love But consider I pray you that S. Peter being demanded by our Saviour concerning his love to him answereth most confidently Thou knowest that I love thee Thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee So S. Augustine in his 8. book of the Trinitie 7. chap. saieth That wee more certainlie know the love that we carrie to our brother then our brother himself They answere to this That wee may know indeed certainly that there is in us a love and affection to God and our neighbour but yet say they we cannot know for what end and upon what motive wee love him and consequently whether our love be such as it ought to be But they should consider that the Apostle saieth 1. Cor. 2. â—1 That the spirit of a man knoweth the things of a man and that wee haue received the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Hence a most learned Romanist Vega in his 9. book of â—ustificat 39. chap. granteth That wee may know not only our own inward actions but also for what end and upon what motive they are exercised by us and consequently that we love God above all things and that wee are ready to suffer the losse of all things rather then to offend him and that wee have truly sorrowed for our bypast sinnes But to leave this let us mark here That it is not without great cause that DAVID intending to blesse exalt God mentioneth particularly this his assurance that God was his God that he had a particular interest in him This as we touched before is a most singular benefit from which many excellent fruits do spring For first hence floweth a boldnesse toward God a boldnesse to come in his presence and a confidence to be heard of him in our praiers If our heart condemne us not we haue confidence towards God 1. Iohn 3. 21. A son that is perswaded of his fathers love is bold to come to him and to present his sutes unto him when occasion serveth so wee being perswaded that God is our God and Father are confident to poure out our hearts in his bosome and to expect a gracious answere from him I have written unto you saieth S. Iohn 1. 5. 13. 14. 15. that ye may know that ye have eternall life And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us And we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him Where first wee have the knowledge of eternall life then confidence to be heard to have our petitions granted If wee have to do with a man of whom wee know not whether he loveth us or not we can have but small hope to obtain our sutes from him but if wee be assured that we have his favour wee are confident to obtaine our requests according to that degree of favour which we perswade our selves to enjoy so if we be perswaded that God is our God and Father we cannot doubt of obtaining from him that which is good If ye that are evill can give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give his good Spirit and all good things to them that ask him He that gave to us his own Son when we did not pray to him how much more with him will he give to us all things which wee pray for Secondly This assurance that God is our God and that we are in his favour maketh us to go on cheerfully in the obedience of God It enlargeth our heart with comfort so that wee runne the way of Gods Commandements There is nothing that will make a good servant cheerfull in doing his Masters will so much as to know that himself and his service is well accepted so nothing more fit to stirre us up to alacritie in well doing then to know that our persons and works are acceptable to God This is a notable spurre to a good life Hee that hath this hope purgeth himself that he may be holy as God is holy saieth S. Iohn I have hope towards God of the resurrection of the just and unjust saieth S. PAUL Acts 24. 16. And herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Thirdly This assurance that God is ours and that we have his love breedeth to us peace that passeth understanding and joy unspeakable and glorious even amidst all our worldly troubles S. Paul having said Rom. 5. 1. being justified by faith wee have peace with God subjoyneth That we rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God and that wee rejoyce also in our tribulations For being at one with God the peace of God keepeth our mindes Philip. 4. 7. It guardeth and defendeth them as a wall or garrison so the word signifieth It guardeth I say not only our bodies or estats always but also our minds that we sink not through the weight of our afflictions nor fall away from our stedfastnesse by any crosses For he that is in this estate can reason thus Though my wealth and preferment be taken away though my friends have forsaken mee though want and troubles sease upon mee Yet Christ is mine God is mine heaven and the inheritance of the joyes of it is mine These outward troubles can do no more but batter without and at the most pull down the earthly house of this bodie but That building which is without hands in heaven they cannot reach unto These troubles may take away my outward joyes but that joy which is within which is in God even my God is beyond the power of Life or death of height or depth of principalities or powers of things present or things to come Rom. 8. 38. This comforted Iob in the midst of all his grievous sorrowes I know saieth he that my Redeemer liveth and that with mine eyes I shall see him This comforted the godly Hebrews chap. 10. 34. Yee took joyfullie the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye haue in heaven a better and an enduring substance Hence hope which is grounded upon this assurance is compared to an Anchor Heb. 6. 19. An Anchor holdeth the ship firme and stable that it be not driven hither and thither or overwhelmed although the sea bee stormie and tempestuous even so our hope setleth our soules in the midst of tribulations that wee bee not swallowed up thereby So it is compared to an helmet 11. Thess 5. 8. For as an helmet securing the head putteth courage in a Souldier to fight so hope securing us of the maine point our eternall safety giveth courage and confidence to us in all our troubles I come now to David his last expression of that which he intendeth to praise and blesse That is the
â—nd the essence of things distinguished from 〈◊〉 perfections and 〈◊〉 perfections distinguished one from another It is faâ— otherwayes in God what soever is dispersed here there in the creature is all joyned in him in a most perfect unitie and that without any limits or bounds as was said before Thus shortly yee have that which wee can conceive of this infinite Greatnesse of God whereby wee may easily understand that there is no end of it not any thing that can be compared to it All the creatures in respect of him are nothing Isai 40. 12. Hee meteth out the heaven with his span saieth the Prophet there Hee measureth the waters in the hollow of his hand be comprehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure weigheth the mountains in scales and the hils in a balance Behold the nations are 〈◊〉 the drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust in the balance All nations are before him as nothing and are counted to himâ—lesse then nothing and vanitie If yee would compare the hudge Ocean with a small drop of water taken out of it yee would think there were a great distance betwixt them and yet far greater distance is there betwixt this great God and all the creatures that are or are possible That drop of water is of that same nature with the rest of the water of the Ocean but the perfections of the creatures are not of that kinde with that which is in God as we have showen That drop of water little as it is was a part of the Ocean but the perfections of the creatures ar no part of God 3. If many drops were added to that one drop it might at last equall the whole Ocean but adde whatsoever yeâ— can conceive to the goodnes to the power to the wisdom c. that is in the creatures they can never equall the Goodnesse or Wisdome or Power that is in God So his Greatnesse is infinitly high above all that is or can be without himself Secondly Hence followeth that which DAVID saieth here That him greatnesse is unsearchable or incomprehensible It is have no bound or ground how can it be searched out by the creature which is finite and bounded It is true God comprehendeth himself follie His Infinitnesse is to him in a manner finite His Vnderstanding is infinite and therefore equall to his divine Effence yea one and the same with it But no creaturesâ— man or angell can fully search into 〈◊〉 comprehend this â—reatnes of God If this could be wee should see him as perfectly as he can be seen nothing of him should be hid from us and all his greatnesse should be inclosed as it were within the compasse of our mindes which cannot be except our understanding and sight were infinite Hence by the way we may learne that we should not curiously pry into his nature decrees counsels which are unsearchable as himself is It becometh us to praise him that he hath revealed and manifested himself to us so far forth as he knoweth to be fit for his own glory and our salvation and so much the rather that he hath sent his own Son for this effect God hath no man seen at any time Ioh. 1. 18. but the only begotten son that is in the bosome of the Father he hath revealed him unto us We should be content with this and should labour to make a right use of this knowledge purging our hearts daylie that we may bee prepared for the blessed sight of his countenance with which there is fulnesse of joy This much of the Perfection of God Let us now come to the duties which wee ought to it DAVID expresseth this one That he should be greatly praised Great is the Lord saieth he and greatly to bee praised According to his greatnes so should his praise be His greatnes is infinite as we have showen and therefore he is worthie of infinite praise Hee deserveth to be praised not only for ever and ever but also with an infinite affection if it were possible to us It is true all that wee can do in this kinde is small For what can our little tongue contribute to the praising of the great God yet wee should labour to do what wee can to the uttermost Our endeavours to praise him should be without end and our continuance in his praises should be without end This is a part of service from which the blessed spirits of men and angels iâ— heaven are not exempted They praise him that sit upon the Thron and the lamb saying Blessing and glorie and power and honour and dominion be to him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe for ever Neither do they ever intermitt or end this exercise Blessed are they that dwell in thy house saieth DAVID they are still praising thee For the more full clearing of this dutie We are to consider That the due coÌ„sideration of the greatnesse of Gods excellency First inflameth our heart with sincere love of him and that love being kendled in our hearts filleth both our soules with joy and our mouthes with praise There ariseth from it joy in us when we look upon these inestimable perfections of the infinite Wisdome Power Joy and Blesse that are in God If thou assuredly knew that thy beloved son abounded in wealth honour and all happinesse it could not be but matter of exceeding joy unto thee so it cannot but fill thy soule with joy when thou considerest that thy God and Father hath within himself the infinite fulnesse of all good and blesse Secondly From this love springeth the praise of God When we see his perfections and love him that hath them wee cannot choise but praise and blesse him we cannot but desire his glory above all things being ready to imploy all the powers of our bodie and soule to the promoving of it Wee are not coÌ„tent to praise and honour him our selves but labour to draw all men with us to the same exercise As good Courtiours that serve a worthy Prince so praise his vertue and power as that they labour to draw others to the love and obedience of him Even so they that serve this great King aright endeavour to bring all others as much as lyeth in them to the knowledge of of his infinite Greatnesse Wisdome Power and Goodnesse c. to the love and reverence of him Neither labour they only by their words to do this but also by their deeds by obedience to him in their life and conversation according to that of our Saviour Let your light so shyne before men that all that see your good works may glorifie your Father which is in heaven This is the dutie of all and the practise of them that are good but alace how few such are there Wee are so farre for the greatest part from praising and honouring God and stirring up others thereunto that we both dishonour him our selves and provoke others to
is no more partaker of the intercession and prayers of the Church and of the blessings which thereby are plentifully obtained to those that are within it In a word such an one is left to himself as a wretched and forlorne creature destitute of the presence assistance and protection which God graciously giveth to his Church and to the Members thereof and wherewith he covereth it as it were as the cloud did the tabernacle and so is exposed to the will the furie of the devil as a sheep without a shepherd to the Wolf for the kingdome of the devil is especially without the Church of God There he ruleth and reigneth in the children of disobedience Hence according to the judgement of many such are said 1. Cor. 5. To be delivered over unto Satan albeit it be true also that in the Primitive Church for the greater terrour of disobedient persons who suffered themselves to bee excommunicat◠Diverse of them were given over to Satan as to an Executioner to have their bodies afflicted by him So some think that the incestuous Corinthian 1. Cor. 5. was not only excommunicated but also delivered to the Devil to be afflicted bodily and so they think also of Alexander and Hymeneus of whom S. PAUL saith 1. Tim. 1. That he had delivered them to Satan that they might learne not to blaspheme This is the most dreadfull sentence of the Church which Christ promiseth here to ratifie and confirme in heaven It were better for a man saieth Augustine in his first book against the Adversaries of the Law and Prophets and 17 Chapter that he were stoned to death or killed with the sword or torne with the teeth of beasts then to be strucken with this sentence Hee that is bound this way saith he is bound with more grievous and terrible bonds then if they were of iron and adamant The principall Intention of the Church is not to reclaime the person guilty in this Excommunication for it is exercised against such who are incorrigeable and refuse to heare the voice of the Church It is true the reclaiming of such an one is secondarlie intended for he is separate from the society of good Christiās that he may be ashamed that so he may come in end to a sense of his own sinne but the maine intention of the Church is to purge it self from such rotten and infecting Members which obstinatly go on in an evil course and there is none but may see that this proceeding is full of equity if a member of the bodie be corrupted and the rest of the bodie in danger to be infected thereby it must needs bee cut off In all well governed Cities Leprous persons those that are infected with the Plague at separated from others in a word Those that ar obstinatly disobedient and refractarie in any wel governed society or at least cast out of that society and is it not reason that they who are disobedient to the voice of the Church who are ready to infect others with an infection that tendeth to everlasting death be removed and debarred from the fellowship of the faithfull Hence yee may observe first what is the reason that we so slowly proceed to the pronouncing of this sentence of excommunication against those that are disobedient to the voice of the Church Some that have zeal but without sufficient knowledge accuse us for this as negligent or favouring the errours of those persons God knoweth we detaste their errours and that the true cause of out leasurlie proceeding is that knowledge which we have of the terrour and dreadfulnesse of this sentence A physitian will use all means to cure a diseased part of the body before he proceed to the cutting it off and when he is forced to do that he will not do it but with grief and sorrow It is reported of the Emperour Titus who was called the delight of mankinde that even at the just executions of malefactors he used to sigh and monrue Though Absolom had rebelled against his father David and would have taken from him both his crown and his life yet when his army went out against him he said Deale gently with the young man and when he heard that he was killed he cryed out O Absolom Absolom my son Absolom would God I had died for thee and yet the love of spiritual father ought to be greater toward their children then the love of any carnall father can be as CHRIS observeth Is it any wonder then that we are loath to cut any off by the terrible and dreadfull sentence of excommunication and to deliver them to Satan the enemie of mans salvation especially since we are taught by the Apostle 2. Tim. 2. That the servant of the LORD should he gentle and patient in meeknes instructing them that are contrarie minded if GOD will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth that they may escape out of the snares of the devil who holdeth them captive at his will Secondly Ye may perceive hence how wofull and lamentable is the state of those persons who by their obstinate disobedience to the voice of the Church draw upon themselves this fearfull and terrible sentence It is not without cause that such are compared by an ancient writter to those that are mad Mad persons though they be most strongly bound yet they esteem nothing of their bonds for they are not sensible of their own misery so is it with those of whom I speak They contemne all that is done to them in this kinde and yet in the meane time they are bound both in earth and heaven by GOD and by man Would God that their eyes were opened that they might see the miserable estate of their own soules which are fertered with most strong chains that will draw them unto eternall condemnation Heaven and Earth may passe away but this Word of our LORD shall stand firme Whatsoever ye binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Let them not therefore flatter themselves with this that they see not now the visible judgements of God immediatly ceasing upon men and women that they see not their bodies afflicted by the devil or any such thing GOD is a Patient and Long-suffering GOD but in end recompenseth the delay of punishment with the weight of it if we despise his Goodnesse and by so doing Treasure up wrath to our selves against the day of wrath revelation of the righteous Judgement of GOD. Lastly I beseech you all to remember that it is your duty to esteeme those to be bound both by GOD and by his Servants whom we do binde by this fearfull sentence of excommunication and to carry your selves toward thē as if they wer heathens and publicane So is the Commandement of our Saviour urged againe againe by the Blessed Apostles who requireth that we withdraw our selves from such persons In the ancient Church they did so shune the company of persons excommunicat that scarce they would
speaketh This is that which the devote soule desireth in the first of the Canticles 4. Draw me and wee will rune after thee Of this drawing chiefly as I said these words are to be understood It hath sundry excellent properties whereof I shall touch but some 1. It is so necessar unto us That without it none can come to Christ as our Saviour saith here which he also mainly intends in this place If out Saviour had not called upon Lazarus when he was in his grave with a mighty Voice saying Lazarus come forth he should have remained there still untill he had returned into the dust Even so except the Voice of GOD Call and Draw us out of our corruption we can never come out of it Without me sayeth our LORD Yee can do nothing We are not sufficient of our selves as of our selves to thinke a good thought but all our sufficiency is of GOD. 2. Cor. 3. 5. Our minds are full of blindnes vanity and forgetfulnes our wills are perverse and bent to evil and our spirituall enemies are mighty Yea beside that these actions whereby we must follow GOD are sublime heavenly and supernaturall which nature of it self can never reach unto If the body of a man be able and found he may indeed walke and rune yet can he not slie because that is above the reach and power of nature even so although there were not that corruptions in us which is indeed in us yet without the speciall Assistance of GOD we could never mount up to these high heavenly actions whereby we follow Christ by believing his Truth by loving his Goodnes and hoping in his Mercy It is necessary therefore that we be furnished by him with new Strength whereby he draweth us and inableth us to follow after him He giveth us the eye of Faith whereby we may beleeve meditate contemplate these mysteries which are necessary to be known for our salvation God saieth S. PAUL 2. Cor. 4. who commanded light to shine out of darknes hath made his Light to shine in our hearts He giveth to our soules the spirituall feet or rather wings of Hope and Love by which we may follow after him They that wait upon the LORD Isa 40. 31. shall renew their strength they shall mount up as the â—agels they shall run and not be weary they shall walk not be faine Love and Hope which are the affections of the soul are as it were the feet of it whereby it moveth toward that which it apprehendeth as Good Love is the chief affection and as it were the right foot Thence ariseth desire of Good when it is absent joy of Good when it is present hatred of the contrary evill feare of that evil when it approacheth and sorrow for it when it seizeth on us Hope is as it were the least foot of the soule whereby we move toward that Good which is hard to be obtained From it ariseth boldnes courage magnanimity constancie to endure travails and troubles anger zeale to resist impediments But this Love and Hope simply considered will never leade us in the way to Christ and therefore as God giveth us Faith to be a spirituall eye so he giveth us supernaturall Love and Hope to be the feet of our soule whereby we may move and runne after Christ in the way of the obedience of these commandements which by the light of faith are manifested to us yet so as we chiefly leane to the Love of GOD and our neighbour which is as I said the right and chief foot whereby our hope is strengthened and confirmed For hope maketh us not ashamed because the Love of GOD is shed abroad iâ— our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given us Rom. 5. 5. To conclude this point then This drawing is so necessary that without It noné did ever come or shall ever come to Christ Of our selves we can with these Jews murmure at his Words disassent from them but cannot beleeve them farrelesse can we love him and trust in his mercy Without common calling spoken of before none can come at all in any measure and without this effectuall drawing none can come as he ought Secondly This drawing of the Father is not necessary only for one moment but is a continued and perpetuall assistance We cannot begin without it nor without it can wee end It is GOD that worketh in us both to will and to do Some thought that the beginning of our conversion is from our solves but most falsly There is no good thought nor good affection in us but from God till he preveene and excite us we can neither seek nor desire as we ought The devote soule had never said Draw me and we will ran after thee except in some measure before she had been drawn and excited to seek and to desire to run after Christ Therefore our LORD saieth Behold I stand at the doore I knock He knocketh before we open yea he softneth he openeth it as he did the heart of Lydia Our endevours are none at all saieth S. BERNARD except they be excited He saith Seek my Face before we answer Thy Face LORD I will seek hide not thy Face from me neither cast away thy servant in displeasure So on the other part our endevours are but in vaine if they be not still assisted accompanied by the powerfull Grace of GOD. Hence David sayeth in that same place before cited Thou hast been my help leave me not neither forsake me O GOD of my salvation I have laboured more abundantly then all the Apostles sayeth S. PAUL yet not I but the Grace of God that is within me Albeit we be set in the right way yet can wee not go a foot except Christ bee with us Except thy Presence go with us take us not hence said MOSES to the LORD Exod. 33. who answered him My Presence shall go before thee and give thee rest Whence is it that Godly men do not only follow Christ but think his yoake easie and his burden light because Christ his Grace is alwayes with them supporting strengthening comforting them Hence the deniall of themselves seemeth easie their patience sweet their humility glorious their prayers and devetion pleasant and joyfull Christ going before them also as it were from whose precious oyntments so sweet a smell proceedeth as allureth and draweth after him those that do perceive them His divine Perfections are as it were these precious oyntments especally his Mercy Wisdome and Holines all which send forth a sweet flagrant smell which is most powerfull to draw after him what are his gracious Promises and manifold Blessings his heavenly Illustrations his divine Consolations and most sweet affections of devotion but as it were the sweet and flagrant smell of his Mercy What is his word which is the word of life that discovereth to us the way of salvation but as it were the sweet savour of his Wisdome So all
these excellent vertues that were in him were as it were the savour of his Holines whereby it diffuseth it self for alluring and drawing men to him and that still nearer and nearer Thus his drawing of us continueth still while we are here Neverthelesse I am continually with thee sayeth David Psal 73. Thou holdest me by my right hand thou wilt guide me by thy counsell and afterwards receive me into Glory Thirdly This draught of us by God is in some sort reciprocall mutuall As he draweth us so in some sort we draw him We draw God to us by our prayers sighs and groans yea by them we hold and bind him in a manner Let me go said he to Iacob wrestling with him For the day approacheth Let me alone said he to Moses that my anger may vaxe hote Thus by every vertue patience chastitie mercy c. And by every good worke we draw God in some measure to us who the better we are draweth the nearer to us and delighteth the more in us But especially we draw him to us by love which GOD himself who is Love doeth alwayes accompany He that abideth in love abideth in GOD and GOD abideth in him sayeth S. IOHN If any man love me sayeth our LORD I will love him and my Father will love him and my Father and I will come and dwell with him Thus being drawn by God we draw him to us in some manner but yet absolutly we draw not him but by him are drawn to himself For it is he who giveth us all that strength of beauty vertue and love which pleaseth him he giveth it for this effect that we may be united more and more to Him wherein our Happinesse standeth Fourthly This draught of GOD is not a violent draught but most sweet motion of us wherby we who were before unwilling are made now willingly and gladly to come to Christ yea and to run after him The Manichees as CHRIGOST here reporteth affirmed that man was drawn to GOD violently and that his will was forced for which doctrine they alledged this place No man can come to me c. This was a foolish and absurd doctrine A man cometh not to Christ by bodily motion but by the beliefe of his minde love of his heart which cannot be against the will Thou may come to the Church saith holy AUGUSTINE against thy will thou may come to the altar against thy will thou may take the sacrament also against thy will but believe canst thou not against thy will for with the hear◠man beleaveth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation and againe If thou comest against thy will thou beleevest not and if thou beleevest not thou comest not at all Neither doeth the word of drawing necessarly import that violence is alwayes used toward the thing that is drawn Both in scripture and in other writes things are said to be drawn which are not forced Men are said to be drawn by their own desires and delights Trahit sua quemue voluptas said the Poet which testimony S. AUGUSTINE citeth here And if men sayeth he be truly said to be drawn by their own pleasure how much more may they be said to be drawn by truth and righteousnesse happines and eternall lise all which Christ is Thus in holy scripture Hos 11. The LORD sayeth That he drew the people of the Jews with the bands of men and with the cords of love meaning his benefits which he abundantly poured upon them which might have served as cords to draw them unto him But it may be yee will say if men be not forced to come to Christ why then is the word of drawing here used since properly it signifieth a moving of any thing be way of force I answer this word is used here not without great reason For first That Action of God wherby he bringeth us to himself is like to drawing in this that as when a thing is drawn the power is outward by which the thing draws is moved without which it should not be moved even so in the first drawing of us to God by his illustrations and inspirations the power is without us and independent from the liberty of our will This Calling of God preveeneth our will yea we are so farre from willing it that oftentimes we resist and strugle against it and would be gladly quite of these heavenly inspirations that we might the more freely follow our carnall joyes In this respect this Calling of God may Justly be called a drawing without which we can no more move toward GOD then a weight can move upward except it be drawn Secondly Our effectuall Calling is called a drawing to signifie the vehement and mighty power whereby GOD changeth the heart of man when it is his purpose to bring it home to himself drawing importeth vehemencie and strength and what is so mighty and strong as this change of the right hand of the most high Thereby somtimes suddenly hee so worketh upon the soul of man that he who was before drowned in vice and long accustomed to it beginneth now to abhore that which most vehemently before he loved and on the contrary to desire love that which before he abhored By this power he that before was the enemie persecutor it may be of Christ When the heavenly Light had shined about S. PAUL yea when it had shined within him and when God had stretched out his Hand and had taken hold of his heart he incontinent cryed out LORD what will thou have me to do Now he acknowledgeth him to he his LORD and the Law-giver whom before hee esteemed a Transgressor of the law Now he offereth himself to do his Will whom before he persecuted although he himself should therfore have been persecuted This Calling indeed was extraordinary yet some thing like thereunto we may find in every one that is effectually called This is shadowed forth in the parable of calling to the marriage Luk. 14. All were called indeed but some were but simplie called and after their refusall no more urged but others were not left untill they were brought in the king commandeth to compell them to come in So God dealeth with his elect he so calleth that he leaveth them not till they answer and follow him Till then he still urgeth by perswasions exhortations reprooffs benefits scourges illustrations and inspirations though they be blind he by calling giveth them sight to know the way to the banqueting house although they be halt and maimed he giveth them feet to walk unto it And in a word no lesse powerfully bringeth them unto himself then if he did use violence unto them Thirdly Albeit no violence be used to the soul of him that is converted when he is called yet there is violence used against satan from whose power he is drawn by the mighty Power of God that he may no more be the slave of satan but