let conscience be thy Cater and the word thy warrant so shall the transitories of this life be vnto thée a handsel of heauen and an earnest penny of that blisse which the world neuer dreames of CHAP. II. Of GODS Loue. THus hauing brought thée to the waters of life namely GOD the giuer I will shew thée the Welspring of all blessings his loue to the world c. The perswading cause of this gift is here sayd to be Loue God so loued Quid est Amor saith Aug. nisi quaedam vita duo aliqua copulans vel copulare appetens Amantem amatuÌ„ What is Loue but as it were one life in two heartes one soule in two bodies the Fire which blesseth where it burneth the Soather which no arte can sunder the Knot which no time can vntye the Hand which descaÌ„ts swéet musike on the heart-strings the Cause which made God become man the Vertue which makes man like vnto God I speake not of that hellish fire which makes men slaues but of that heauenly Flame which makes them Saints As Christ was anoynted with the oyle of gladnes aboue his fellows so this vertue is adorned with the crowne of eternity aboue all her fellowes for Paul saith that Fayth brings vs but to the Coffin Hope watcheth the coarse till the ResurrectioÌ„ These two vertues are confined with our life but our loue is refined by our death and dwels with vs after our glorification But this our loue is but a shadow of Gods Loue an Arme of his sea a drop of his fountaine a little flame of his liuing Fire neither in quality so precious nor in quantity so spâ—cious by infinite degrées God loues without cause our loue is our duty God loues vs his enemies we loue him our friend God loues without reward our loue inherits heauen God loues vs first our loue payes him backe his owne Gods loue is feruent our loue is luke-warme Gods loue is infinite our loue is little like our knowledge low of stature like Zacheus Christ must dine in our house his loue must shine in our hearts before we can reflect our borrowed heames loue him againe The excellency of this Gods loue can neither be expressed by our tongue nor impressed in our hearts as it made the world of nothing so the world is nothing to it for it coÌ„prehendeth all is not comprehended of any Our Sauiour heere thought best to expresse this Loue with a sic dilexit to shew vs that his Father is eueÌ„ sick of loue his description is indefinite because his loue is infinite Either Gods loue is so déepe the Christ could not sound it or our reason so shallow that we cannot see it As the Paynter that drew Agamemnon sorrowing for the death of his daughter knew not how to figure his griefe in his face and therefore drew a Vayle ouer it thinking it impossible the gazers idle eye should beholde what the fathers grieued heart could not hold 〈◊〉 Christ leaues that to our admiratioÌ„ which understaÌ„ding cannot attayne A holy Father would faine ayme at the dimensions of this Loue saying Dilèxit Tantus tantillos He a God of infinite maiestie loued vs men of infinite misery But this is obscurum per obscurius for we know neyther quantus Deus the greatnes of his Maiestie nor yet quantuli nos our grieuous misery In a word as we cannot sée the Sunne but by his own light so we cannot learne this Loue but by Gods owne words The Starre alone must lead the Wisemen to Christ and Christ alone must lead vs to his Loue. Now whereas he expresseth it with a Sic So GOD loued the world c. a Father sayth This Aduerbe Sic containes in it all Aduerbes of Loue as if Christ had sayd My Father loued the world so dearely so vehemently so fatherly so feruently c. And Bernard on the Canticles sayth Deus ex se miserandi sumit materiem Gods owne nacure is the motiue of his mercie Then he that can explaine Gods Nature may expresse his Loue. Whereof to affirme the one is impious and to performe the other impossible This is that Loue Christian Reader which in the zeale of God I commeÌ„d to thine endlesse admiration this is the riches of his Grace the chiefe of his Works the summe df his Word the shaddow of himselfe the perfection of his Glory This teacheth our Fayth to stand and our Hope to climbe and our loue to burne This cheereth our labors and beareth our losses and teacheth our sorrow to smile In a word to this excéeding Loue alone we owe our saluation Therefore damnable is the doctrine of the Church of Rome that teacheth vs to erre both in the maner and matter of our Fayth First in the maner they teach vs to doubt of our saluation O iniurie intolerable to doubt of the Promise where such a Loue is our warrant What more frée then gift or who more faithfull then God the Giuer Shall his Loue giue Christ vnto me and my vnbeliefe thrust him from me Is the Trueth like vnto man the he should lye or is his arme shortened that he cannot saue God forbid This Gift is sealed with the bloud of his Sonne registred in the sight of heaueÌ„ witnessed by the holy Angels passed with an othe to the world O incredulity the wit of fooles how many blessings doost thou bar vs from Christ could not work his miracles God caÌ„not shew his mercy where this moÌ„ste lurketh Againe in the matter of our faith they soyst in most dangerously a lump of their owne Leauen for God requires a Wedding garment to couer sinne they bring in a menstruous cloth hee will haue vs build on his Loue they would haue vs iustified by our own Labour he will haue vs trust to his Mercy they would haue vs trust in our merits Pauls whole Epistle to the Romanes shoots only at this marke to beat downe the pride of man who would fayne be his owne saiour to depresse Nature and extoll Grace therefore in the end he addes this vpshot So then wee are saued not of works but of grace And August sayth Gratia est nullo modo quae non est gratuita emni modo Grace is all grace or no grace at all Againe be saith Quisquis tibi enumerat meritasua quid tibi enumerat msi munera tua Againe Vis excidere gratta Iacta merita tua Our very Faith as it 's a grace in vs is beholding to Grace it saues as it 's a hand to lay hold on Christ not as it 's a vertue a worke for all works must humbly be cast at Christs séete with Marie there meitate on his mercy they must not be busy with Martha in the matter of our iustification As God sayd to Paul My Grace is sufficient for thee so I say to all Gods Loue is sufficient for you this loue made you when you were nothing and this Loue must saue you now your are
in my death for nothing but sorrow shall bring my gray head to that graue Thus a good father mourned for a gracious sonne but will you heare a louing parents moane for a lewd child In the 2. Sam. 18. when God purposed to chastice Dauid he made the sonne to whip the father for Absolō that by name should haue bin his fathers ioy by nature proued a Parricide sought to depose his owne syre but God hauing sufficiētly humbled Dauid his child threw the rod in the fire and brought a iudgement vpon Absolom which cost him his life Notwithstanding Dauid being mooued with the good affection of a father more then the bad condition of his sonne was so far frō reioycing in Absoloms death that it almost cost him his own life O Absolom my sonne quoth he would God I had dyed for thee O Absolom my sonne my sonne But God héere is neither like Iacob lamēting a good sonne nor Dauid bewayling a wicked child he resembles good Abrahā who willingly sacrificed his sonne Isaak This was much to giue a sonne yet as if this were not enough to expresse Gods loue the holy Ghost addeth his only begottē sonne he gaue not an adopted sonne as Abraham offred a Rāme in stead of Isaac but his owne sonne And herein appeares his perfect iustice a blessed president to all Iusticiaries In all Gods actions this vertue swayes though his mercy be aboue all his works yet mercy and iustice must kisse together The dearest drop of Christs blood must be shed before GODS instice be left vnsatisfied Nay this was not enough to satissy Gods mercy his loue mounts a degrée higher and further it cannot ascend He gaue his only begottē Sonne When the world could not yéeld the price of our redemption he searched his owne bosome for a Sauiour gaue vs his only sonne If God had many sōnes his mercy had bene meaner his loue had séemed lesse but he gaue vs not one son of many but one all his only Sonne for whose sake he spared not his Angels his delight his bosome friēd the image of himselfe for the ransome of the world O loue beyond all loue how much thou art A holy father in admiratiō of this loue cries Quà m diues es in misericordia quà m magnificus in iusticia quà m munificus in gratia Domine Deus noster Againe Passio tua Domine Iesu vltimū est refugium singulare remediū deficiente sapientia Iustitia non sufficiente sanctiatis succumbentibus meritis illa succurrit cum enim defecerit virtus mea non conturbor scio quid faciam poculum salutaris accipiam c. The instruction that we must learne from the consideration of this vnspeakeable Gift Christ is two-fold First wee are taught to returne our loue againe as Aug. sayes Sinon am are saltem redam are debemus As GOD hath giuen vs his onely Sonne so we must show our reciprocall loue to God and for his Sonne giue him our selues as he hath giuen vs wealth we must bestowe our wealth on him agayne as he hath giuen vs liberty honour children long life knowledge wisdom courage c. these must all wayte on him and doe him honour and seruice Thus we must giue him loue for loue agayne The second vse of Gods vnspeakable boūty is to teach vs to loue our brethren Christ teacheth vs this lesson for his Loue saying I haue giuen you an example how to loue one another Brethren must be vnited in the bond of mutuall loue like Cyrus the Sythians Fagot for the vnity of brothers is Ecce quà m iucundā excéeding ioy to all the Saints But alas let vs see what Louers and what Giuers our wicked age doth afford When I study vpon this duty I find foure sorts of Giuers The first the worst sort haue the hand to giue but not the heart to graunt of whom I may say as Christ sayd Better this hand were cut off they were as poore as Irus then with their rusting riches to be cast into Hell These are the Mammonists of our age whose soule lies treasured w e their rusting pence who are more vnmercyful thē the deuill for he would haue Christ turne stones into bread but these men turne bread into stones euē the bread of the poore into stone walles or else spend it on their accursed lusts forgetting mercy therefore damnation attends thē The second fore haue the heart but not the hand whose myts God accepts aboue all the Mines of the wealthy takes their loue for their largesse The third sort are such as haue neither heart nor hand in this duty these are poore men euery way for he that can bring forth neither good work nor good wil is a dead mēber in Christs Body shall be cut off The fourth sort haue both hand heart these walke in brotherly loue these are they the walk worthy of this Gift Christ shal haue their déeds of mercy crowned with that swéete haruest song Come ye blessed of my Father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world for I was hungry and ye gaue me meate c. CHAP. IIII. Of the world NOwe it remaynes that we consider to whom this great Legacie is bequeathed The world What is the world some friend of Gods No. What is God indebted to the world No. What is the world The world is named and taken diuers wayes first pro soto creato Iohn 1.10 Heb. 11.3 secondly pro mundo damnato Ioh. 17.9 thirdly pro homine mundato Rom. 5.10 Col. 1.20.2 Cor. 5.19 and so it is taken in this place for the world here meant is a certaine small number of the sonnes of Adam which God of his vnspeakable clemency hath set apart to exercise his mercy vpon thē and hath chosen them out of the same lumpe masse that the damned world is of euen all alike firebrands of hell fellowes with the falling Angels all alike Traytours Rebels incarnate Deuils for Augustine sayth Quod tuum est Sathanas est Euery man is of himselfe a deuill Will you heare what Gods iudgement opinion is of the world as men are in themselues In the 145. Psalme God takes a view of man and then sayes Homo vanitati similis factus est Mā is become like vanity As if he had said Whē I made man I made him to mine owne likenesse I had a pleasure to looke on him againe and againe I held my workmanship excéeding good Gen. 1 But lo man hath mard what I haue made he hath befaeed mine Image hath made himselfe like vnto vanity nay he hath so lōg delighted in vantly the now he is vanity it self Psal 39.5 In Iob 1. It is writtē Naked I came out of my mothers wob yea saith a holy Father naked of all grace vertne In 1. Cor. 3. it 's said The wisdom of the world is foolishnes with God How is it then the God bestowes this great Legacy vpon
sooles we know no maÌ„ willingly leaues his land to a foole I answere This amplifyes the mercy of God who hath chosen the foolish things of the world c. Again 1. Cor. 2. Paul sayes The carnal man vnderstands not the things of â—od How then Why surely Ignoti nulla cupido what a man vnderstands not he neyther destres nor delites in Therfore the world was as worthy of this great present as swine are of pearles or the swinish Gergesenes were of Christs coÌ„pany when they willed him to depart out of their coasts Againe Iob. 15.16 it 's sayd The heauens are vncleane in Gods sight how much more is man abominable filthy which drinketh iniquity like vnto water Le here fiesh blood thou wretched offpring of Adam consider here thou vnworthy world tell me what thou wast when Gods mercy found thée out O Loue beyond all loue how much thou art Man abominable and filthy man is fit matter for Gods mercy to worke on Man that drinketh iniquity like vnto water is thought worthy to drink of the waters of Life In this saying Iob doth anatomize the world calling it abominable filthy But will you sée a more exact Anatomy of the world lym me by lymme Paul to the Gal. 5. rips vp the hody of the world there finds in it a whole den of deuils the works of the world saith he are Adultery fornication vncleannes wantonnes Idolatry witchcraft hatred debate emulatioÌ„s wrath conteÌ„tions seditions heresies enuy murthers drunkennes gluttony c Here are the deuils which God must cast out the world as he did the buyers sellers out of his Temple if he will reconcile the world to himself The Apostle brings theÌ„ in by ranks as if hel were broke loose or as if this later world were so wicked that eyther deuils séemed to be turned into men or men into deuils And this signifies S. Iohns saying Totus mundus in maligno positus the whole world is set on mischiefe To conclude this 4. poynt of the vnworthines of the world to whom God hath giuen this Legacy This Vnworthynes shall appeare most excellently if we consider the Iewes a choseÌ„ part of the world or rather a people chosen from the world let vs I say consider in theÌ„ what the world is how vnworthy of such a present WheÌ„ God had sent this vnspeakeable Gift of his onely begotten Sonne to the Iewes by the hands of his seruants the Prophets they tooke his seruants beat some and kild some and stoned others God sent againe his Prophets they vsed them likewise The louing mercy of God looke no vnkindnes at this but at last sent to theÌ„ this Gift by the hand of his only Sonne thinking surely Though they regard not my Gift yet they will reuerence my Sonne But how did they reuerence him This is the heire say they come let vs kil him the inheritance shall be ours Christ was no sooâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—orne but they sought his life how was hee entertained reuiled blasphemed persecuted contemned hunted too fro haled before the Magistrate accused in 2. Consistories there reuiled smitten condemned at last most cruelly done to death Behold here the desert of the world behold here to whom God hath sent his Sonne consider this vprightly thou will cry out with Dauid Lord what is man that thou regardest him what is eyther Iewe or Gentile the thou respectest him If thou wilt néeds shew such Loue theÌ„ shew it to thy holy Angels who honour thée to thy goodly creatures the Sunne the Moone starres who neuer did offend thée onely man is the sinner in this world and he alone tastes of thy goodnesse I. this is mercy Lord to saue where thou mightest destroy to salue where thou findest sicke to helpe where thou findest néed to forgiue our sinnes while we forget our thanks to giue vs heauen who haue deserued hell As the starres shine clearest in the darkest night so thy mercy appeares whitest being coÌ„pared with the blacknes of our deserts Thou didst visit vs when we were nothing but banity thou didst clothe vs in the righteousnes of thy Sonne wheÌ„ we were al naked of grace thou didst instruct vs wheÌ„ we were fooles and heaie vs when we were abominable filthy thou didst séeke vs when we knew thée not find vs when we had lost our selues thou didst set thy hear◠〈◊〉 vs when our hearts were set on mischiese thou didst pray for vs wheÌ„ we persscuted thée dyed for vs when we hated thée thirst our saluation when we thirsted thy hlood thou hast ransomed vs from hell rewarded vs with heauen Therefore to thée Lord to thée will we sing a new song and reioyce in the strength of our saluation We are taught froÌ„ this 4. poynt the excéeding riches of Gods mercy And to come home to our selues what were we before this Gift was sent to vs by the most happy reigne of our dreas Soueraigne As Abraham sent not his seruaÌ„t without gifts when he went to take a wife for Isaac so God sent not Religion empty-handed into our Land but accompanied with a vertuous Prince and gracious Mother of this our Israel and all to woo and winne vs an vnspotted Spouse to our Isaac Christ But what were we I say to whom God hath shewed such mercy the this Text séemes to be spoken of vs So God loued England that he hath giuen c What were we when his Loue sought vs his mercy found vs out Were we not blinde Idolaters horrible back-sliders cruell murtherers of his Saintes For these sinnes he cast off his people the Iewes and yet with these sinnes hath he chosen vs. As a man taketh his wife with all her infirmities so the Lord 〈◊〉 taken vs with all our faults our blind Idolatry and horrible rebellion our wilfull ignorante and wicked resistance our prophane liues polinted consciences our hate of the fruth loue vnto lyes our following the Pope forsaking of Christ all this was but matter for Gods mercy to work on So that we may say with Dauid Lord what is man that thou regardest him Lord what is England that thou respectest it this poore frozen corner of the North that thou art mindful of vs We are frost-bitten Snakes wormes no men whom thou hast so pittifully cherished in thy bosome If hate deserue loue if cruelty merit kindnes if finne purchase pardon if murther require mercy theÌ„ Christ is our due then God is our debtor then heauen is our owne But Lord our hearts tels vs that we are this vn worthy world our liues witnesse that hell is our portion damnation is our due but eternall Life is the Gift of GOD in Christ To whom with thee and the holy Chost hee all prayse honour and glorie for euer and euer Amen FINIS