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A10556
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Faith and good vvorkes vnited in a sermon preached at the Spittle vpon VVednesday in Easter weeke, 1630. By Richard Reeks minister of the word at Little Ilford, in Essex.
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Reeks, Richard.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 20828; ESTC S115772
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46,778
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68
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FAITH AND GOOD VVORKES Vnited IN A SERMON PREACHED at the Spittle vpon Wednesday in Easter weeke 1630. By RICHARD REEKS Minister of the word at Little Ilford in Essex LONDON Printed by THOMAS HARPER for IOHN HARRIGAT and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Holy Lambe in Pater Noster Row MDCXXX TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR THOMAS FANSHAVV Knight Grace and Glory Right Worshipfull I Haue made bold to dedicate this Sermon to you for that as your affection to Religion loue to learning hatred of superstition and schisme hath rightly honored you so also you proceed euery way to adorne your eminent calling Praerogativam generis similitudo morum magis sibi vendicat quà m ordo maiorum The congruity of manners not the pedegree of ancestors hath the prerogatiue of noble birth wherein although you may plead both yet you are more dignified by the former The Lord hath exalted you to eminent place in the Commonwealth wherein you haue approoued your selfe faithfull to God and his Church so that you are of the number of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Agapet which are able to doe good not which need good to bee donne vnto That therefore which is herein required as touching doing good in this contemplatiue but cold age you haue both in generall and particular so well performed that you stand as a Lampe burning and light shining vnto others to follow your worthy example wherein nothing remaineth but that you be found faithfull as you haue beene vnto death that God may giue vnto you a crowne of life such shall the prayers of him be for you and yours which resteth Your worships in the best seruice euer to be commanded RICHARD REEKS Auspicante Deo Textus legitur in Psalmo xxxvij vers 3. Trust in the Lord and doe good so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed THere is no faith where there is either meanes or hopes difficulties and impossibilities are the true obiects of beleefe Gods charges are oftentimes harsh in the beginnings and proceeding but in the conclusion alwayes comfortable God deferres on purpose that our trials may be perfect our deliuerance wellcome our recompence glorious This knew the holy Psalmist the Prophet Dauid right well and therefore through more then much experience penned this Consolatory Song or Psalme as it plainly appeareth by the argument of it throughout Wherein the Princely Prophet most grauely preuenteth many distrustfull doubts and feares which might in the contemplation of Christianity the comparison of the same with the present gliding delight of the wicked at any time arise in the minds of Gods seruants and followers Here by the way it may bee easie to obserue how hard a thing it is to be a Christian In this respect his meditation affording him not more griefe then wonder And here to keepe his station is hard but to remoue harder One while he scarce restraineth his vnruly desires from euill ofter can finde no list to good sometime he purposeth well and when those thoughts not his begin to lift him from the earth loe hee that rules in the ayre stoops vpon him with powerfull temptations or the world puls him downe with a sweet violence so that it is hard to say whether he be forced or perswaded to yeeld here is much weaknesse more trechery good duties seeme harsh and can hardly escape the repulse or delay of excuses and not without much strife grow to any rellish of pleasure and at the best cannot auoid the mixture of many infirmities But this is not all O God! what aduersaries hast thou prouided for vs weake men What difficulties What encounters Malitious and subtle spirits an alluring world a Serpentine and stubborne nature distrustfull feare neither the least nor last enemie of mankind which though our eyes behold yet with such amazement because crossing carnall reason that from hence ariseth eyther a slauish feare whereby when we see the number and the happinesse of the wicked we like cowardly Israelites are ready to flie and plead their measure for our feare who is able to stand before the sons of Anak Or if not feare so that as we can we weakly resist yet are we foyled with indignation and enuie fretting our selues because of the vngodly and being malicious against the euill doers vers 1. Or which is worst of all heereby we are so stupified that fayth for a while seeming not to haue any being impious and prophane Atheisme stealing on vs maketh this question whether there bee a God or whether blinde chance and fatall necessity and fortune doe not hand ouer head moderate all things heere below So that at some time or other it is hard euen for a beleeuer not to be an Infidell at least in conceit looking carnally to haue God at a bent and if hee come not at a call how easie to cast him off and to betake vs to our owne no lesse idolatrous then ridiculous shifts like the Chinois whipping their gods when they answer not Whereas as the Prophet heere exhorteth his holy ones wait long and seeke him and not onely in their sinking but from the bottome of the deepes call vpon him and though hee kill them still put their trust in him To which purpose in this text is sayd Trust thou in the Lord c. It is not my purpose to spend any time in speaking concerning the authour of this sacred hymne who as it appeareth by the argument of it was Dauid the King neyther will I insist vpon that excellent order Alphabetically heere vsed for the auoyding of tedious prolixity according to the number of the Hebrew letters The Hebrewes in their songs as it might be shewed did follow the method Alphabeticall as some thinke heereby to helpe the memory Others as Vatab. tell vs there is no certayne reason of this versifying Apparet vulgatam carminis rationem fuisse It appeares to be an ancient and vulgar custome Others as Hierom auerre that they were written in Saphick verses to which purpose hee alleadgeth Origen and Philo. Others suppose this order was vsed not onely to help the memory but also to note the worthinesse of the matter And this last opinion may we in this place first of all incline vnto this Psalme being Alphabetum quoddam pijs omnibus discendum vt nouerint vbi sita sit foelicitas beatitudo as Vatab. elsewhere Heere the care of the holy Ghost is especially to bee noted for mans saluation not onely to make the way most plaine for vnderstanding but also the Scriptures as familiar as our A. B. C. for our best conseruing and retayning in our memory So that this Psalme is like Habakuks vision he that runneth may read a lecture of comfort in euery letter and may moreouer well remember what he readeth But what should I stay on that of S. Hierom. in his epistle to Paulus Vrbicus diuiding the whole Alphabet into seuen connexions interpreteth the two and twenty
the pulse of the arme so iudgement is made of the spirituall soundnesse of the heart not so much by wordes and lookes as by the fruits of the hands He shall enter into the kingdome of heauen which doeth the will of my father which is in heauen saith our Sauiour Mat. 7.21 And if yee know these things happy are ye if you doe them Iohn 13.17 S. Aug. De civit Dei l. 6.6.2 reporteth that Varro the great Philosopher did read so much that it was admired how he could write any thing againe he wrote so much that another could hardly read now admit a man had as great knowledge in Diuinity as he in Philosophie that hee could speake with the tongue of men and Angele and had not loue whereby to doe good he were as an inane nihil sounding brasse a tinckling cymball 1. Cor. 13.1 Lastly the Apostle in the cited place telleth vs that faith must worke by loue else it is no faith So here our Prophet requireth the same First faith trust in the Lord. But let it worke by loue in doing good In which sentence both the Prophet and the Apostle set forth the perfection of a Christian in this life which consisteth in 2. parts Inwardly in sayth to God Outwardly in doing good to men 1. Inwardly to God by faith which needeth not our good workes Psal 16.2 O God my goodnesse extendeth not to thee 2. Outwardly to men by good workes which neede not our faith as it is written in the named place But to the Saints that dwell vpon the earth In which respect S. Aug. de ciuit Dei lib. 10. c. 1. sayth that doing of good is pro sacrificijs accepted of God as a Sacrifice Heb. 13.10 Yea prae sacrificijs more then sacrifice Hosea 6.6 I will haue mercy and not sacrifice For to be mercifull is the sole work common to man with God as Synes nor indeed can we any way more neerely resemble God which is most good then in our doing of good Greg. To the necessary performance whereof in the next place we are inuited by many and those most forcible reasons first Reason 1 Because in doing of good wee shall so shew our loue to God So Christ testifieth in Iohn 14.16 If yee loue mee keepe my commandements Heerein our loue to God is made manifest in walking as it becommeth his children The comparison is mod proper if we marke it for as in nature when children are neither in outward feature of the body nor inward qualities of the minde like to their parents which begat and brought them foorth wee say that such children degenerate and grow out of kinde neither can they be outwardly iudged to belong to their parents by reason of that great dissimilitude and vn likelines of maners Euen so on the contrary when we see in the world men walking in by-paths of their own and no way like to their heauenly father in holinesse and righteousnesse no way resembling him which hath begot them in Christ in doing of good we may and iustly say of such that they degenerate and grow out of kinde they do not patrizare tread in their fathers steps going about alwayes doing of good after the example of Christ Iesus our elder brother Againe although we must walke yet it is as children and therefore weakly yet notwithstanding they shew their loue in that they walke and follow so well as they can desirous to goe on further if they could And this is kindly accepted of a louing father So is it with Almighty God whose mercies are far greater then our desires or endeuors are or can be who when hee seeth vs like louing children following in the same way which he leadeth vs accepteth our will for the deed crowning his owne worke in vs. For although wee as children cannot tread in the same steps as he speaketh of Ascanius in the Poet sequiturque patrem non passibus aequis Yet we tread and as we can goe along the very same way and in this true and childlike resemblance of him wee shall much delight our holy father This is the very argument which our Sauiour vseth to the Iewes Iohn 8.39 which stood much vpon their prerogatiues nil nisi Cecropides they boasted themselues to bee Abrahams seede but hee telleth them that their boasting was in vayne of their father since they were so much degenerated from him that they were no longer to bee accounted and called the children of Abraham For when they tolde him Abraham is our father Iesus answered them if yee were Abrahams children yee would doe the workes of Abraham For Abraham by his good workes glorified God and shewed his loue to him in walking as his childe so must all the true seed of Abraham be doing of good to shew their loue to God Whereby moreouer God is glorified For like as when a childe obserueth in most dutifull maner what his father commandeth this redoundeth to the prayse of the father Omnet enim omnia bona dicere laudare fortunas meas qui filium haberem tali ingenio praditum So the Lord is glorified in his children when they intend and seeke his honor and glory by their obseruing him in doing good The costly rayment wherwith others are clothed maketh to the praise of the worker so it is sayd of the good huswife giue her of the fruit of her hands and let her workes prayse her in the gates Prou. 31.31 So the doing of good redoundeth vnto God whose glory ought to be the end of our life and scope of all our actions as Paul teacheth Whether yee eate or drinke or whatsoeuer ye doe let all be done to the glory of God 1. Cor. 10.30 Reason 2 2. Because in doing good we shall so shew our loues to our selues and that in a two fold respect 1. in quieting our owne conscience 2. in making our election certayne As touching the first namely the peace of conscience S. Paul to Timothy 1.1.19 counselleth him to hold fast the fayth and keepe a good conscience now indeed what greater peace can be brought to the conscience then that which ariseth out of our doing of good through a liuelie fayth And As touching the second S. Peter carnestly exhorteth 2. Pet. 1.10 Giue diligence to make your calling and election sure which cannot bee more effectually performed then by our doing of good This alone was the reioycing of the holy Apostle What Not that he had preached not that hee had wrought miracles or done extraordinary workes but that in obedience to Gods commandements and in sincerity of heart hee had his conuersation in the world So likewise his comfortable farewell to the world is grounded vpon his fayth which was shewed by loue through both concluding the peace of his conscience and the assurance of his election I haue fought the good fight I haue kept the fayth I haue finished my course henceforth is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse 2. Tim. 4.7