stoutly in sight against all the impedimentes of their Faith Thus also Paule commaundeth vs to doe 2. The. 3 13. that wee bee not weary of well doing And in an other place he saith 2. Tim 2.5 that no man is crowned except hee striue lawfully Wee must therefore beare all things with a bolde minde and stoute courage which the Lord shall lay vpon vs. 109 The dutie of Christians IT is the parte of Christians so to liue so to behaue themselues and so to suffer all thinges that Christ onely may be the cause of the hatred and persecution which they suffer and then this is and ought to bee a comforte vnto vs that if wee suffer for Christ then are wee his then shall wee say with the Apostle Paul Wee labour and are rebuked because wee trust in the liuing God 1. Tim. 4.10 which is the sauiour of all men especially of those that beleeue This is a great consolation and comfort that how great soeuer the dangers bee if faith bee present it is able to lift vp a discouraged harte For hee that onlye continueth to the ende committing himselfe vnder the tuition and protection of the Lord He I say at length shal be safe although he bee deliuered to the deathe and hated of all men Ma. 10.22 This safetye and health is promised not by resisting but by suffering as the Lorde doeth plainely declare Luk. 21.19 By your pacience saith he possesse your soules The which containeth a woonderfull consolation They whith fight vnder princes are doubtfull of the victorye but Christe promiseth victory without all doubte to them that fight to the ende Let vs not therefore feare or doubt to fight for the glorie of the Lorde Mar. 13.13 althoughe the whole world rise against vs beecause an happye and prosperous ende is promised vnto vs of Iesus Christ the sonne of God which is a faithfull keeper of our saluation if wee continue 110 The Fruite of our communion with the death of Christ IF Wee bee Christians then muste appeare in vs the signe of our Communion with the deathe of Christe whose fruite is that the flesh be crucified with all our concupiscences Ro. 6.8 Howbeit we may not therefore count this communion as none because as yet wee doe feele some reliques of the flesh to liue in vs But wee are continually to study for the encrease therof vntil we are come vnto the marke For it is well if our flesh bee continually mortified and wee haue well profited when the fleshe being subdued hath yeelded to the holye Spirit And there is an other communion of the deathe of Christ whereof the Apostle Paule speaketh in diuerse places 2. Cor. 4 10 and namely to the Corinthians as touching the bearing of the Crosse after whiche followeth the participation of eternall life Newnesse of life muste bee followed after of Christians the whole course of their whole life for if they ought to represent in themselues by the mortification of the fleshe the Image of Christ and life of the spirit That muste bee done once for all but this muste continue still Not as though the fleshe were mortified in vs in a moment but beecause wee muste not reuolte or go backe in mortifying the fleshe For if wee turne backe vnto our filthines we denie Christe Ro. 8.10 of whom wee cannot be partakers but by newnes of life 111 God is not the authour of sinne ALthough God giueth the firste mouing power and strength in all manner of actions which wee must confesse to be good as proceeding from him and ordereth and disposeth all euill Ro. 9.14 which is a peruerting of the good that commeth from God and proceedeth from Sathan and the corruption of mans nature so that he cōuerteth the same alwaies in the end to his glory and the benefit of his elect as we see in the persecution of the wicked and the infirmities of the godlye Ps 19.9 yet is hee by no meanes to be charged as the authour and cause of sinne and euill When it pleased the almightie to shewe foorth his infinite power wisedome goodnes in the creation of thinges visible and inuisible bodily and spiritually it pleased him for the illustration and setting forth of the glory of his goodnes to ordeyne that euil shoulde proceede out of the freewill of his reasonable creatures And this his ordinance is good For although euill bee naught and cursed be he that saith euill is good Esay 5.20 yet that there shoulde bee euill which is Gods ordinaunce it is excellent good The excellencie of goodnes cannot so well appeare and be knowne as by the comparison of the contrarie which is euill Therfore it is perfect good that euill should be the manifestation of that which is good we see that in all the creatures and workes of the worlde God hath ordeyned that his glorie should shine in contraries As to the intent that the beautie and glorie of light should be seene and knowne to bee such as it is he hath ordeyned darkenes For if he had created light to be perpetuall without anye chaunge of darkenes howe had it bene possible for men although liuing in the light to haue knowne the excellencye of light and so should God haue bene defrauded of the glory of so beautiful profitable and comfortable a creature Therfore euen as by darkenes we learne howe to esteeme light and by bitter that which is sweet and euery other thing by his contrarie euen so by the deformity of euil we are taught how great is the excellent comelines of that which is good and so the ordinance of God that there should be euil is perfect good 112 God cannot be accounted the cause of sinne THat the glory of gods mercy might appeare in the saluation of his elect and his iustice in the condemnation of the reprobate Ro. 9.22.23 it was necessary that there should be euil and so necessarie that otherwise there shoulde haue bene no matter for the mercye iustice of God to worke vpon for if there should haue bene no sinne nor euil Ps 19.9 wherein then should the mercie of God haue bene seene in pardoning forgiuing sinnes if there should haue bene no transgression how should the glory of Gods iustice haue shined in punishment And thus it is euident that god by no means may be coūted the author of euil which he hath not created made or wrought but ordeined that it should proceede from the freewill of his reasonable creatures for the illustration of his glory Let vs therefore tremble at his righteous iudgements who doth al thinges according to the good pleasure of his will and hath made the wicked man for the daye of his wrath and yet by no meanes is the cause of his wickednes If any man be not satisfied with this aunswere Ro. 11.33.34 he may enter further vnto the vnmeasurable depth of Gods iudgement into the which he maye rather finde an
motion and as they are selfe taught but it is God that giueth it and that of an especiall goodnes I will not the death of a sinner saith the Lord but that hee conuerte and liue Eze. 18.23 33 And how is that possible If we were able to turne our selues vnto the Lord it were a more excellent worke then to create vs and experience it selfe doth sufficientlye condemne vs. It is moreouer an vndoubted doctrine throughout the whole scripture For in euery place our Lord Iesus Christ giueth himselfe the prayse of turning vs shewing that he will soften our stonie hearts Eze. 11.19 20. Phil. 2.3 and make them bowe to obey him and it is his worke not onely to giue vs that we may but that we will and desire to obey his commandementes and to bee shorte there is nothing that the faithfull ought to doe so much as in this behalfe to giue God the glorie confessing that it is in him onely to turne vs that it is he onely that hath adopted vs in such sort that he must needes draw vs by the grace of his holy spirite The Lorde must open our eyes and eares also before we can attayne to this woonderfull wisedome which is conteyned in the gospell Deu. 29.4 Ro. 8.7 because the natural man vnderstandeth not any part of the secrets of God therefore it followeth that it is an especial gift of the holy ghost when he lighteneth our hearts in the faith of his truth 212 Howe we ought to repent THe true preparatiue to repentāce is to be pricked so nearely as we may feele the euill that is in vs condemne our selues for it we must learne to streine our selues to hold our selues as prisoners although the same fall out contrarie to our desire yet neuerthelesse wee must goe on still further that God may winne the vpper hand of vs. We must learn to hate our selues to take displeasure against ourselues and to be reuenged of our owne naughtinesse 2 Co. 7.11 according as the Apostle sayeth 2. Cor. 7. For repentance importeth that men should condemne thēselues and take vengeance on themselues when they see their whole life corrupted and that they should vse an holy anger against it In steede of desiring to bee reuenged of our enemies when they haue doone vs any harme wee should be chafed and angry with our selues yea and punish our selues for faultes when wee cannot frame our selues vnto the will of God Wee should euery man enter into his owne conscience acknowledge howe corrupt and damnable sinners wee are of our selues Mar. 1.15 confesse our sinnes and when we haue doone so let vs enter from them and behold the great mercie of God 213 The qualities of repentance ONe speciall qualitie of repentance is alwayes to bring with it remission of sinnes for where true repentance goeth before there remission of sinnes must necessarily followe after not that repentance deserueth remission of sinnes but because where God worketh repentance there he pardoneth sinne because of his promise Eze. 18.27 When the wicked sayth the Lorde turneth away from his wickednesse that he hath committed and doth that which is lawful and right Esay 55.7 he shall saue his soule a liue And againe let the wicked forsake his wayes and the vnrighteous his own imaginations and returne vnto the Lorde and he will haue mercy vpon him Here we see to whom forgiuenes of sinnes the mercie of God belongeth as namely to the penitent sinners to those that leaue sinne imbrace godlinesse to those that forsake their owne waies and imaginations and turne vnto the Lorde And as for such as walke on in their own waies and folowe the delightes of sin without any sorrowe or purpose to leaue them they haue nothing to doe with the mercie of God and though Iesus Christ had suffered an hundred deathes which could not be yet shall no vnpenitent sinner haue remission of sinnes by his death nor any other benefites of his passion for they belong onely to his Church and chosen people here vpon the earth He therefore that is not of the church he that is not grafted into Christ by faith he that is not a member of his misticall bodie can enioy nothing by Christs death If a mā abide not in me saith our Sauiour Christ he is cast foorth as a branch and withereth Io. 15.6 and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they burne We may reade also in an other place howe God barreth all stubborne sinners from his mercie Deu. 29.18.19 and doth most terriblie shoot out against them He that heareth the words of this curse and blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shal haue peace although I walke according to the stubbornenesse of my owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst the Lorde will not be mercifull vnto him but then the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoke against that man euery curse that is written in this booke shal light vpō him 214 Of Sacraments and what a Sacrament is THE Lorde hath added vnto the preaching of the Gospell most holy Sacramentes as namely Baptisme and the supper of the Lorde The Sacramentes are holy actions of the faithfull in the church of Christ ordeyned by the Lorde himselfe to be signes and seales of true doctrine first doubtlesse bearing witnesse that we are receaued of God into grace and into the couenaunte and that he is our God that he clenseth vs from our sinnes regenerateth and reneweth vs and adopteth or chuseth vs as sonnes and receaueth vs vnto the partaking and fellowship of all good thinges which of vs must bee kept holy and we must liue godly and innocently before him They are also testimonies that the true Messias in times past promised vnto the old Fathers from the beginning of the worlde is nowe exhibited or giuen of God vnto the Church of Christ I meane Christ our Lorde who truely gaue his flesh and bloud vnto death to redeeme vs with his flesh bloud to nourish vs vnto eternall life that we againe as the Church by him redeemed Lu. 22.19 should keepe in continuall memory the death of our Lord 1. Cor. 11.26 praise him extoll him and giue thankes vnto him The Sacraments are also to admonish vs of our duties that wee should lead our liues in true godlines brotherly loue hold that one religion with whose sacramentes we are separated also frō al other religions 215 A Sacrament consisteth of three partes SAcramentes doe consist of three partes the first is the outwarde signe the seconde is the spirituall or inwarde grace and the thirde part is the worde of Christes institutiō or promise which is as it were the life and soule of the Sacrament Water in Baptisme signifieth that as water naturally hath a propertie to wash and clense the filth from the bodie Io. 1.7 so doth the grace of God through Christes bloude wash away
also speake that Christ is both our wisedome and our iustification that his worde is ours his doctrine is ours his wisdome is ours and that wee professe not one iot or one title wherof he hath not beene an Apostle vnto vs and whosoeuer hee bee that teacheth vs other thinges then what Christ hath taught vs al he is not of our professiō nor of our brotherhood and more then this wee are sure hee teacheth nothing but vaine illusions imaginations of men for all treasures of wisedome and true knowledge are hid in Christ Col. 2.3 Heb. 3.1 2. cor 4 4. Col. 1.15 And seeing it hath pleased him to be our Apostle who is the son of God the brightnes of his glorie the ingrauen forme of his person the heire of all thinges the maker of heauen earth far greater then Angels how vnthankful be we if his doctrine be not our profession and howe vnwise be we if wee will change him eyther for any other or else for all other Whatsoeuer glorious names they bring of Fathers Doctors Counselles and such like bosting wordes wee neither knowe them Esay 52.7 Mat. 7.23 nor their names if they bee ministers of Christ vnto vs their feete are beautifull and their names are honorable if they be their owne ministers we knowe them not nor all their glorie if they saye they be teachers wee may well say againe they are but Phariseis that will be called Rabby Mat. 23.8 We haue no teachers but one and that is Christ and he is the Apostle of our profession 241 The feare of God is true wisedome IF wee desire to fulfill the will of God duely and in such sort as our life may be agreeable vnto God we must beare him all reuerence and seeke to be vnder his hande Deu. 6.13 10.12 vnder his guide and direction wee must seeke to doe him homage as our soueraigne King Ioshua 24 14. we must seeke to dedicate our selues vnto him as our creator wee must seeke to honour him as our Father When this affection and desire shall be in vs then haue we the beginning of the whole lawe and of all righteousnesse and that is the cause why it is sayde Pro. 1.7 that the true wisedome is the feare of God And when we will knowe whether we haue profited in the worde of God we must examine our heartes to make the tryall thereof to feele if we haue such a zeale and desire that God bee honoured and glorified of vs. For if there bee such a feare in the heart the fruites thereof will appeare both in our handes and in our feete and in all the partes and members of our bodie So that they which boast themselues of the feare of God when their life is loosed to all wickednesse their owne tongues tell them they lye and they shewe full well howe impudent and past shame they are when they vaunt so much of the feare of God To serue God aright it behooueth that our heartes he wholy giuen ouer to him it sufficeth not that in outwarde appearance wee haue all the vertue that a man might imagine except such an affection and inwarde desire of the heart goe before The feare of God is no hidden and idle thing although it be in the heart of men yet must it appeare and shewe it selfe in their life For it is the heart whiche gouerneth both the handes and the feete and all the other partes and members of our bodie Wee must therefore learne to shew by effect and experience that we feare God by ordering our whole life according to his will 242 The faithfull are more contented with a little then the vngodly with their aboundance THe holy Ghoste by the mouth of Salomon willing to leade vs to sobrietie contentation softnesse and goodnesse to reuerence and obedience towardes God vnto peace Pro. 16.8 vnitie and amitie towardes our neighbours teacheth vs that a little is better with quietnesse then great reuenewes without equitie Wherein hee agreeth with the saying of the Prophet Dauid Ps 37.16 A small thing sayeth he that the righteous hath is better then great riches of the vngodly Abraham being in the lande of Canaan as a stranger was not after outwarde appearaunce to be compared in worldly wealth with the Kinges and Princes of the earth but the little hee had in respect of them was better then their great aboundance for he was contented and had ynough and possessed in a sounde conscience without doing any wronge to any man that which he had and finally obteyned the great heauenly riches which he looked for Heb. 11.10 Contrarily the great men of the earth aspiring continually vnto greater riches hauing neither contentation nor ynough but hauing committed much wrong and violence and beeing at continuall strife Ge. 18.20 16.24 Eze. 16.49 Heb. 11.24 1. Kin. 17.10 in the ende perished most miserablye Sodome is a fearefull example thereof Moyses did so vnderstande it when he denied to bee the sonne of Pharoes daughter Elisha and the widowe which nourished him prooue it true For the reproouing and condemning of wicked riches we may bring examples out of Saint Luke Luke 12. 16. And for the time present wee may see if wee haue eyes that the poore which are contented with a little liue more at their ease then they which aspire vnto greater riches For the poore worldlings and carnall minded men which thinke they serue for nothinge but to heape vp riches are in a most miserable state because that first of all they are neuer contented but doe murmure and grudge euen against God who seeketh to kill them as they imagine in their fantasie and as by impaciencie they dare spue out Secondly they liue in an euill cōscience for being discōtented with their pouertie they perswade themselues that riches are common and that they may take them where they finde them and in deede where they are not seene they pill poule and steale what so euer they can meete withall Luk. 12.15 Mat. 6.19 2. Cor. 8.7 9.6 Wherefore let vs followe our Lorde take heede and beware of couetousnesse lette vs not laye our treasures vppon earth but make our treasures in heauen And as S. Paule teacheth vs Heb. 13.5 let vs help the necessity of the poore and let our conuersation be without couetousnes c. Thus doing wee shall possesse our goods in righteousnesse the which as concerning our present purpose consisteth in this that we put our trust in the prouidence of God and that wee be good and faithfull stewardes of the riches that hee hath committed vnto vs. In this manner whē we shal haue but a litle after the feeling of the flesh it shall better profit then if we did otherwise possesse great wealth For they that are rich without righteousnesse and equitye Mar. 10.22.23 shall perishe with their goodes 243 Three marks of a christian souldier IT is especially required of a
christian souldier to reioice in the mercy of God to be feruent in prayer to geue thanks to God in all things the heathens which haue no part in the kingdome of Christ are thankful for their life and liberty wealth glorye and worldly prosperity But Christians ought to be thankfull in persecution in thraldome in aduersity in shame in misery and death it selfe Who would think that a Lyon which by nature is fierce and cruell shoulde yeeld forth hony Iud. 14.8 yet Sampson found honye in the bodye of a Lyon Ionas was swallowed vp of a whale yet not hurt Ro. 8.28 We knowe saith the Apostle that al things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God The Apost reioiced in their persecution that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for Christs sake And P speaking of this perfection in the godly saith we reioice vnder the hope of the glory of God Ro. 5.2.3 Neither that onely but also we reioyce in tribulation c who hath not heard of the pacience of Iob his cattel were driuen away his houses consumed with fire Iob. 1.21 his children slaine his body striken with a scurffe his wife loathed him and his freinds forsooke him And yet in all these miseries he fretted not but pacientlye susteining his aduersity The Lorde said he hath geuen the Lord hath taken it blessed be the name of the lord And again Iob. 13. i5 though he slay me yet wil I trust in him What are wee then that are neither thankfull for riches nor for health nor for our pleasures nor in the aboundance of all thinges which abuse the good giftes of God to dishonor him who hath geuen them vnto vs. The earth is the Lords and all that therein is the worlde and they that dwell therein He openeth his hande and filleth all thinges liuing with his blessing Psa 89.11 Ps 145.16 Ia. 1.17 Col. 2.3 Let vs looke vp into the heauens There is GOD the Father of lights from whom euery good and perfect gift commeth There is our redeemer Iesus Christ in whome are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge When we see how mercifully and aboundantlye the Lorde hath dealt with vs in thinges concerning this life Let vs consider with our selues howe many good men and faithfull seruaunts of GOD lacke the same and haue not receaued these blessings in such measure as wee In all these thinges GOD speaketh vnto vs and sheweth that hee is the giuer and that we haue them at his handes and therefore that we vse them well and not be vnthankfull 244 We must not hide our talent in the grounde WHen we shall attaine vnto the light of the trueth through the might of Gods spirit in any acceptable measure we must not holde fast this treasure as it were lockt vp in a chest But we must communicat the graces of God vnto others doe the best we can to draw on the miserable ignorant people to the seruice of god and to cary about with vs the doctrin to publish it to all men when as it is cōmitted vnto vs as a treasure to bestow the gift which we haue receaued vpon our neighbours according to that measure of faith which GOD hath geuen vs. 1. Pe. 4. i0 Psal 119.171.172 Wee must not neglect those whom we might winne but we must gather as much company to the Lord as we can For we shal not need to feare that our blessing shal be diminished as the case stādeth in an earthly inheritaunce Ro. 14.29 the which when it is deuided into many partes euery one hath but a little For as for the heauenly inheritaunce we are very well assured that we lose nothing neither diminish any part of our right when we draw many of our neighbors yea an infinite multitude they al do encrease our glory and ioy When God calleth vs vnto him he goeth not to worke by portions as things either encrease or decrease in this worlde but we shall haue so much that as I said before our saluation shall bee so much the more encreased and our glory augmented when we haue gathered a multitude to our God 245 How Sathan hath bewitched the Papists THe Diuell hath bene no lesse enuious and hath no lesse preuailed in these latter daies then hee hath done in times past For now also hath he made many men to set forth the imaginations of their owne heartes and hath bewitched many to followe their damnable waies whereby the way of truth is blasphemed and for their owne traditions he hath made the word of the Lorde Iesus to be of none effect this work hath he wroght as we may see among the Papistes For whereas Christ hath taught vs to worshippe in spirit and trueth to drinke the wine in the sacrament of his body and bloude Io. 4.23 Ma. 26.27 1. Cor. 14.19 1. Cor. 10 27. Heb. 13.3 to praye in a knowne tongue to eate of any meats without scruple of conscience to vse holy matrimony in all estates as a remedy against sinne yet as though Christ were no prophet vnto vs they haue abrogated these his lawes and made other contrary of their owne This our eies haue seene and our eares haue heard and whether they wil or no they must needes confesse it Yet notwithstanding they flatter themselues in a maruelous madnesse and doing all thing contrary to the Lord Iesu they say still they cannot erre but they shall one day see and know that Christ is the onely Prophet of the newe testament and blessed be the Lorde who hath made vs this day to beleeue it and while yet the day of health and acceptable time is to hearken onelye vnto him and refuse all the vaine inuentions of men 246 The doctrine of the Papistes repugnant to the scriptures WE are taught by the Scriptures that Christ is ascended into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of GOD the father and from thence and no place els Col 3.1 he shall come to iudge the quick and the dead yet contrary to this article of our faith and contrary to the nature of Christs humanity if we beeleeue not that Christ euen in his fleshe is still in earth with vs yea and that in a thousand places at once the church of Rome wil pronounce vs detestable heretickes The scripture teacheth that we haue redemptiō and iustification by faith in Christs bloud onely without the helpe of our owne vertues and good workes For S. Paule saith Ro. 3.18 Therefore wee gather that a man is iustified by faithe without the deeds of the Law And to the Ep. Ye are iustified by grace Eph 2.8.9 and that not of your selues it is the gifte of God not of woorkes leaste any man should bost And yet if we beleue not that our workes do help vs to our iustification and remission of sins the papists wil condemne vs as heretiks The Scriptures sayth Thou shalt make thee no