straunger that is within thy gates For in sixe daies the Lord made the heauen and the earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seauenth day therefore the Lord blessed the seauenth day and hallowed it The Resolution Remember This clause doth insinuate that in times past there was great neglect in the obseruation of the Sabboth and would that all degrees and conditions of men should prepare themselues to sanctifie the same especially those that be gouernours of families in corporations and cities to whome this commandement is directed To keepe it holy or to sanctifie it To sanctifie it is to seuer a thing from common vse and to consecrate the same to the seruice of God Here are described the two parts of this commandement the first where of is rest from labour the second sanctification of that rest Sixe daies These wordes containe a close answer to this obiection It is much to cease from our callings one whole day The answer together with a first reason to inforce the sanctification of the Sabbath is in these wordes which is taken from the greater to the lesse If I permit thee to follow thy calling sixe whole daies thou maist well and must leaue one onely to serue me But the first is true Therefore the second The first propositioÌ„ is wanting the second or assumption are these words Sixe daies c. The conclusion is the commandement it selfe Here may we see that God hath giuen vs free libertie to worke all the sixe daies The which freedome no man can annihilate Neuerthelesse vpon extraordinarie occasions the Church of God is permitted to separate one daie or more of the seuen as neede is either to fasting or for a solemne day of reioycing for some benefit receiued Ioel 2.15 The seuenth day The second reason of this commaundement taken from the ende thereof If the Sabbath were consecrated to God and his seruice we must that day abstain from our labours But it was consecrated to God and his seruice Therefore we must then abstaine from our labours The assumption is in these words the seuenth day c. where we must note that God alone hath this priuiledge to haue a Sabbath consecrated vnto him and therefore all holy daies dedicated to what soeuer either Angel or Saint are vnlawfull howsoeuer the Church of Rome haue imposed the obseruation of them vpon many people In it thou shalt doe This is the conclusion of the second reason illustrated by a distribution from the causes Thou thy sonne thy daughter thy seruant thy cattell thy stranger shall cease that day from your labours Any worke That is any ordinarie worke of your callings and such as may be done the day before or left well vndone till the day after Yet for all this we are not forbidden to performe such workes euen on this day as are both holy and of present necessitie Such are those works which doe vpon that day preserue and maintaine the seruice and glorie of God as I. a Sabbath daies iourney Act. 1.12 Which is now Hierusalem containing a Sabbath daies iourney II. The killing and dressing of sacrificed beasts in the time of the law Matth. 12.5 Haue ye not read in the law how that on the Sabbath daies the Priests in the Temple breake the Sabbath and are blamelesse III. Iourneys vnto the Prophets and places appointed vnto the worship of God 2. King 4.23 He said Why wilt thou goe to him this day it is neither new moone nor Sabbath day Psal. 84.7 They go from strength to strength till euery one appeare before God in Zion Such also are the works of mercie whereby the safetie of life or goods is procured as that which Paul did Act. 20. 9. As Paul was long preaching Eutychus ouercome with sleepe fell downe from the third loft and was taken vp dead but Paul went downe and laid himselfe vpon him and embraced him saying Trouble not your selues for his life is in him vers 12. And they brought the boy aliue and they were not a little comforted II. To helpe a beast out of a pit Luk. 14.5 Which of you shall haue an oxe or an asse fallen into a pit and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day III. Prouision of meate and drinke Matth. 12.1 Iesus went through the corne on a Sabbath day and his Disciples were an hungred and began to plucke the eares of corne and to eate In prouision we must take heede that our cookes and houshold â—eruants breake not the Sabbath The reason of this is framed from the lesser to the greater out of that place 2. Sam. 25.15 Dauid longed and said Oh that one would giue me to drinke of the water of the well of Beth-lehem which is by the gate vers 16. Then the three mightie brake into the host of the Philistims and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem that was by the gate and tooke and brought it to Dauid who would not drinke thereof but powred it for an offering vnto the Lord. vers 17. And said O Lord be it farre from me that I should doe â—his is not this the blood of the men that went in ieopardie of their liues therefore would he not drinke The reason standeth thus If Dauid would not haue his seruants aduenture their corporall liues for his prouision nor drinke the water when they had prouided it much lesse ought we for our meates to aduenture the liues of our seruants IV. Watering of cattell Math. 12.11 The Lord answered and said Thou hypocrite will not any of you on the Sabbath daies loose his oxe or asse out of the stable and bring him to the water Vpon the like present and holy necessitie Phisitians vpon the Sabbath day may take a iourney to visit the diseased Mariners their voyage Shepheards may tend their flocke and Midwiues may helpe women with childe Mark 2.27 The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath Within thy gates This word gate signifieth by a figure iurisdiction and authoritie Math. 16.18 The gates of hell shall not ouercome it Let this be a looking glasse wherein all Inholders and intertainers of strangers may looke into themselues and behold what is their dutie For in sixe daies The third reason of this commaundement from the likâ— example That which I did thou also must doe But I rested the seauenth day and hallowed it Therefore thou must doe the like God sanctified the Sabbath when he did consecrate it to his seruice men sanctifie it when they worship God in it In this place we are to confider the Sabbath how farre forth it is ceremoniall and how farre forth morall The Sabbath is ceremoniall in respect of the strict obseruation thereof which was a type of the internall sanctification of the people of God and that is as it were a continuall resting from the worke of sinne Exod. 31.1.3 Speake thou also vnto the children of Israel and say Notwithstanding keepe ye my sabbath for it is
a signe betweene me and you in your generation that ye may know that I the Lord doe sanctifie you The same is recorded Ezech. 20.12 It signified also that blessed rest of the faithfull in the kingdom of heauen Esai 66. 23. From moneth to moneth and from sabbath to sabbath shall all flesh come to worship before me saâ—â—h the Lord. Heb. 4.8,9 10. If Iesus had giuen them a rest c. The Sabbath is likewise ceremoniall in that it was obserued the seauenth day after the creation of the world and was then solemnized with such ceremonies Numb 28.9 But on the sabbath day ye shall offer two lambes of a yeare old without spot and two tenth deales of fine floure for a meate offering â—ingled with oyle and the drinke offering thereof 10. This is the burnt â—ffering of euery Sabbath beside the continuall burnt offering and drinke offering thereof But now in the light of the Gospel and the Churches professing the same the ceremonie of the Sabbath is ceased Col. 2.16 Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an holy day or of the new moone or of the Sabbath 17. which are but shadowes of things to come but the bodie is Christ. The obserâ—ation of the Sabbath was translated by the Apostles from the seuenth day to the day following Act. 20. 7. The first day of the weeke the Disciples beeing come together to breake bread Paul preached to them 1. Cor. 16.1,2 Concerning the gathering for the Saints as I haue ordained in the Churches of Galatia so doe ye also euery first day of the weeke let euery one of you put aside by himselfe and lay vp â—s God hath prospered him that then there be no gatherings when I come This day by reason that our Sauiour did vpon it riâ—e againe is called the Lords day Revel 1.10 I was rauished in the spirit on the Lords day The obseruation of the Sabbath thus constituted by the Apostles was neuerthelesse neglected of those Churches which succeeded them but after was reuiued and established by Christian Emperours as a day most apt to celebrate the memorie of the creation of the world and to the serious meditation of the redemption of mankind Leo and Anton. Edict of holy daies The obseruation of the Sabbath is morall in as much as it is a certaine seauenth day preserueth and conserueth the ministerie of the word and the solemne worship of God especially in the assemblies of the church And in this respect we are vpon this day as well inioyned a rest from our vocations as the Iewes were Esai 58.13 If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath from doing thy will on mine holy day and call my Sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thine owne waies c. Finally it is morall in that it freeth seruants and cattell from their labours which on other daies doe seruice vnto their owners The affirmative part Keepe holy the Sabbath day This we doe if we cease from the workes of sinne and our ordinarie calling performing those spirituall works which we are commanded in the second and third Commandement I. To arise earely in the morning that so we may prepare our selues to the better sanctifying of the Sabbath ensuing This preparation consisteth in priuate praiers and taking account of our seuerall sinnes Mark 1.35 In the morning very earely before day Iesus arose and went into a solitarie place and there prayed The day following was the Sabbath when he preached in the Synagogues 39. Exod. 32. 5 6. Aaron proclaimed saying To morrow shal be the holy day of the Lord so they rose vp the next day earely in the morning Eccles. 4. vers last Take heede to thy feete when thou entrest into the house of God II. To be present at publique assemblies at ordinarie howers there to heare reuerently and attentiuely the word preached and read to receiue the Lords Supper and publikely with the congregation call vpon and celebrate the name of the Lord. 1. Tim. 1.2,3 Act. 20.7 2. King 4.22,23 Act. 13.14 15. When they departed from Perga they came to Antiochia a citie of Pisidia and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and sate downe And after the lecture of the Law and Prophets the rulers of the Synagogue sent vnto them saying Ye men and brethren if ye haue any word of exhortation for the people say on III. When publique meetings are dissolued to spend the rest of the Sabboth in the meditation of Gods word and his creatures Psal. 29. from the beginning to the ending Act. 17. 11. These were also more noble men then they which were at Thessalonica which receiued the word with all readinesse and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so We must also exercise then the workes of charitie as to visit the sicke giue almes to the needie admonish such as fall reconcile such as are at iarre and discord amongst themselues c. Nehem. 8.12 Then all the people went to eate and to drinke and to send away part and to make great ioy The negatiue part Pollute not the Sabboth of the Lord. This is a grieuous sinne Matth. 24.20 Pray that your flight be not in winter nor on the Sabboth daie Lament 1.7 The aduersaries saw her and did mocke at her Sabboths Leuit. 19.30 Ye shall keepe my Sabboths and reuerence my Sanctuarie I am the Lord. In this part are these things forbidden I. The workes of our calling wherein if we doe ought it must be altogether in regard of charitie and not in regard of our owne priuate commodity II. Vnnecessarie iourneyes Exod. 16.29 Tarrie euery man in his place let no man goe out of his place the seuenth day By this reason the master of the family must that day remaine at home to sanctifie the Sabbath with his household III. Faires vpon the Sabboth daie Nehem. 3.19 When the gates of Ierusalem began to be darke before the Sabboth I commaunded to shut the gates charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabboth and some of my seruants set I at the gate that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabboth day read v. 15,16,17,18 IV. All kind of husbandrie as plowing sowing reaping mowing bringing home haruest other the like Exod. 34. 21. In the seauenth day shalt thou rest both in earing time and in haruest shalt thou rest V. To vse iestes sports banquetting or any other thing whatsoeuer which is a means to hinder or withdraw the mind from that serious attention which ought to be in Gods seruice for if the workes of our calling must not be exercised much lesse these whereby the minde is as well distracted from Gods seruice as by the greatest labour VI. An externall obseruation of the Sabboth without an internall regard of godlines Esa. 1.14,15 My soule hateth your new moones and your appointed feastes they are a burden vnto me I am wearie to
I. The instinct of Nature it selfe II. The examples of the Patriarks and other holy personages Abraham buried Sarah Gen. 23.19 Iaakob is buried by his sonnes Gen. 50.12 Steuen by religious and deuout men Act. 8.2 III. The Lords owne approbation of buriall in that he numbreth it amongst his benefits For the want thereof is a curse Ier. 22.19 He vz. Iehoiakim shall be buried as an asse is buried euen drawne and cast forth without the gates of Ierusalem Therefore rather then Moses should be vnburied the Lord himselfe did burie him Deut. 34.5,6 Moses the seruant of the Lord died in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab ouer against Beth-peor but no man knoweth of his sepulchre vnto this day IV. There is no dead carkase so lothsome as man is the which both argueth the necessitie of buriall and how vgly we are in the sight of God by reason of sinne V. The bodie must rise againe out of the earth that it may be made a perpetuall mansion house for the soule to dwell in VI. The bodies of the faithfull are the temples of the holy Ghost therefore must rise againe to glorie VII Buriall is a testimonie of the loue and reuerence we beare to the deceased A funeral ought to be solemnized after an honest and ciuil manner namely agreeable to the nature and credit as well of those which remaine aliue as them which are dead Concerning the liuing they must see that I. their mourning be moderate and such as may well expresse their affection and loue to the partie departed Ioh. 11.34 He said Where haue ye laid him they answered Lord come and see â—5 Then Iesus wept And vers 36. the Iewes said Behold how he loued him II. They must auoid superstition and not surmise that funerall ceremonies are auaileable to the dead Such are the rites of the Church of Rome as to be buried in a Church especially vnder the altar and in a Friars coole III. They ought to take heede of superfluous pompe and solemnities For of all ostentations of pride that is most foolish to be boasting of a loathsome and a deformed corps Esai 22. 15 16. Thus saith the Lord God of hostes Goe get thee to that treasurer to Shebnah the steward of the house and say What hast thou to doe here and whome hast thou here that thou shouldest here hew thee out a sepulchre as he that heweth out his sepulchre in an high place or that graueth an habitation for himselfe in a rocke To this commandement belongeth these duties I. Before the vintage or haruest wâ—â—ught to permit any man for the repressing of hunger to gather grapes or â—â—ucke off the eares of corne in the field Deut. 23.24,25 When thou commest into thy neighbours vineyard then thou maist eate grapes at thy pleasure as much as thou wilt but thou shalt put none in thy vessel When thou commest into thy neighbours corne thou maist plucke the eares with thine hand but thou shalt not mooue a sickle to thy neighbours corne Math. 12. 1. Iesus went on the Sabbath day through the corne and his Disciples were an hungred and began to plucke the eares of the corne and to eate c. II. In the vintage and time of haruest we ought neither to leaue the trees naked of grapes nor rake vp after the reaping eares of corne but to leaue the after gatherings for the poore Leu. 23.22 When you reape the haruest of your land thou shalt not rid cleane the corners of thy field when thou reapest neither shalt thou make any after gathering of thy haruest but shalt leaue them vnto the poore and to the stranger I am the Lord your God Ruth 2.8 Goe to none other field to gather neither goe from hence but abide here by my maidens 7. So shee gleaned in the field vntill euening III. Concerning the soule of our neighbour I. We must seeke all meanes to winne him to the profession of Christian religion 1. Cor. 10. 33. I please all men in all things not seeking mine owne profit but the profit of many that they might be saued Hebr. 10.24 Let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good workes II. We must liue amongst men without offence 1. Cor. 10.32 Giue no offence neither to the Iewes nor to the Grecians nor to the church of God 1. Cor. 8.13 If meate offend my brother I will eate no flesh while the world standeth that I may not offend my brother III. The light of our good life must be as a lanterne to direct the waies of our neighbours Act. 24.14 This I coÌ„fesse vnto thee that after the way which they call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers beleeuing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets 15. And haue hope towards God that the resurrection of the dead which they themselues looke for also shall be both of iust and vniust 16. And herein I endeauour my selfe to haue alway a cleere conscience toward God and toward men IV. If our neighbour offend we are to admonish him 1. Thess. 5.14 We desire you brethrenâ— admonish them that are vnruly comfort the feeble minded beare with the weake be patient towards all men V. If our neighbour runne the waies of Gods commaundement as Dauid speaketh we ought to encourage him in the same VI. Wee may referre such things vnto this commandement as appertaine to the peculiar preseruation of euery seuerall mans life 1. Recreation which is an exercise ioyned with the feare of God conuersant in things indifferent for the preseruation of bodily strength and confirmation of the minde in holines Eccles. 2.2 I said of laughter thou art madde and of ioy what is this that thou doest Esay 5.12 The harpe violl timbrell pipe and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the worke of the Lord neither consider the works of his handes 1. Cor. 10.7 Neither bee ye idolaters as were some of them as it is written The people sate down to eate and drinke rose vp to play Luk. 6.25 Wo be to you that laugh for ye shall waile and weepe Deut. 12.7 There ye shall eate before the Lord your God and ye shall reioice in all that you put your handes vnto both ye and your households because the Lord thy God hath blessed thee To this end hath the worde of God permitted shooting 2. Sam. 1.18 He bade them teach the children of Iudah to shoot as it is written in the booke of Iashur And musicall consort Nehem. 7. 67. Besides their seruants and maides which were seuen thousaud three hundreth and seauen and thirtie they had two hundreth and fiue and fortie singing men and singing women And putting forth of riddles Iudg. 14. 12. Sampson said vnto theÌ„ I will now put forth a riddle vnto you and if you can declare it me within seuen daies of the feast and finde it out I
assent vnto the same knowledge and it is to be found in the deuill and his angels So Saint Iames saith the deuills beleeue and tremble Some will say what a faith haue they Ans. Such as thereby they vnderstand both the Law and the Gospell besides they giue assent to it to be true and they doe more yet in that they tremble and feare And many a man hath not so much For amongst vs there is many a one which hath no knowledge of God at all more thâ—n he hath learned by the common talke of the world as namely that there is a God and that he is mercifull c. and yet this man will say that he beleeueth with all his heart but without knowledge it can not be that any should truly beleeue and therefore he deceiuâ—th himselfe Quest. But whence haue the deuils historical faith were they illuminated by the light of the spirit Ans. No but when the Gospell was preached they did acknowledge it and beleeued it to be true and that by the vertue of the reliques of Gods image which remained in them since their fall And therefore this their faith doth not arise from any speciall illumination by his spirit but they attaine to it euen by the very light of nature which was left in them from the beginning The second kinde of faith is Temporarie faith so called because it lasteth but for a time and season and commonly not to the ende of a mans life This kinde of faith is noted vnto vs in the parable of the seede that fell in the stonie ground And there be two differences or kindes of this faith The first kinde of temporarie faith hath in it three degrees The first is to knowe the Word of God and particularly the Gospell The second to giue an assent vnto it The third to professe it but to goe no further and all this may be done without any loue to the word This faith hath one degree more then historicall faith Examples of it we haue in Simon Magus Acts 8.13 who is saide to beleeue because he held the doctrine of the Apostle to be true and withall professed the same and in the deuils also who in some sort confessed that Christ was the sonne of the most highest and yet looked for no saluation by him Mark 5.7 Act. 19.15 And this is the common faith that abounds in this land Men say they beleeue as the Prince beleeueth and if religion change they will change For by reason of the authoritie of princes lawes they are made to learne some litle knowledge of the word they beleeue it to be good and they professe it thus for the space of thirtie or fourtie yeares men heare the word preached and receiue the sacraments beeing for all this as voide of grace as euer they were at the first day and the reason is because they doe barely professe it without either liking or loue of the same The second kinde of temporarie faith hath in it fiue degrees For by it first a man knowes the word SecoÌ„dly he assenteth vnto it Thirdly he professeth it Forthly he reioiceth inwardly in it Fiftly he bringeth forth some kind of fruit and yet for all this hath no more in him but a faith that will faile in the ende because he wanteth the effectuall application of the promise of the Gospel and is without all manner of sound conuersion This faith is like corne in the house top which groweth for a while but when heate of sommer commeth it withereth And this is also set forth vnto vs in the parable of the seede which fell in a stonie ground which is hastie in springing vp but because of the stones which will not suffer it to take deepe roote it withereth And this is a very common faith in the Church of God by which many reioyce in the preaching of the word and for a time bring forth some fruits accordingly with shewe of great forwardnesse yet afterward shake off religion and all But some will say how can this be a temporarie faith seeing it hath such fruits Ans. Such a kind of faith is temporarie because it is grounded on temporarie causes which are three I. A desire to get knowledge of some straunge points of religion For many a man doth labour for the fiue former degrees of temporarie faith onely because he desires to get more knowledge in Scripture then other men haue The second cause is a desire of praise among men which is of that force that it will make a man put on a shewe of all the graces which God bestoweth vpon his owne children though otherwise he want them and to goe very farre in religion which appeareth thus Some there are which seeme very bitterly to weepe for the sinnes of other men and yet haue neither sorrow nor touch of conscience for their owne and the cause hereof is nothing else but pride For he that sheddes teares for an other mans sinnes should much more weepe for his owne if he had grace Againe a man for his owne sinnes will pray very slackly and dully when he prayeth priuately and yet when he is in the companie of others he praies very feruently and earnestly From whence is this difference surely often it springeth from the pride of heart and from a desire and praise among men The third cause of temporarie faith is profit commoditie the getting of wealth and riches which are common occasions to mooue to choose or refuse religion as the time serueth but such kinde of beleeuers embrace not the Gospell because it is the Gospell that is the gladde tydings of saluation but because it brings wealth peace and libertie with it And these are the three causes of temporarie faith The third kinde of faith is the faith of Miracles when a man grounding himselfe on some speciall promise or reuelation from God doth beleeue that some straunge and extraordinarie thing which he hath desired or foretold shall come to passe by the worke of God This must be distinguished from historicall and temporarie faith For Simon Magus hauing both these kinds of faith wanted this faith of miracles and therefore would haue bought the same of the Apostles for money Yet we must know that this faith of miracles may be in hypocrites as it was in Iudas and at the last iudgement it shall be found to haue bin in the wicked and reprobate which shall say to Christ Lord in thy name we haue prophesied and cast out deuills and done many great miracles And thus much for the three sorts of common faith Now we come to the true faith which is called the Faith of the Elect. It is thus defined Faith is a supernaturall gift of God in the minde apprehending the sauing promise with all the promises that depend on it First I say it is a gift of God Philip. 1.29 to confute the blinde opinion of our people that thinke that the faith whereby they are to be saued is
man but onely order and incline it without any constraint to one part As for example when a people is gathered togither to heare gods word there is none of them but they knowe that they come thither by Gods prouidence In that respect necessarily yet before they come they had all freedome and libertie in themselues to come or not to come and Gods eternall counsell did not hinder the libertie of our wills in comming or not comming nor take away the same but onely incline and turne them to the choice of one part An other example hereof we may haue in our Sauiour Christ whose state and condition of bodie if we regard he might haue liued longer yet by the eternall counsell of God he must die at that place at that time at that houre where and when he died Whereby we may see that Gods counsell doth not hinder the will of man but only order and dispose it Which answer being well marked we shall see these two will stand togither the necessarie and vnchangeable counsell of God and the free will of man And againe that the same action may be both necessarie and contingent necessarie in regard of the highest cause the counsell of God not necessarie but contingent in respect of the second causes as among the rest the will of man Thirdly some will yet obiect against this doctrine that if all things come to passe according to Gods vnchangeable decree then what needes the vsing of any meanes what needs the preaching of the word and receiuing of the Sacraments what needes any lawes Princes Magistrates or gouernment what needes walking in mens ordinarie callings all is to no ende for let men play or worke sleepe or wake let them doe what they will all is one for Gods eternall counsell must needes come to passe therefore it may seeme in vaine for men to busie themselues about such things Answ. But we must know that as God hath appointed all things to come to passe in his eternall and vnchangeable counsell so in the same decree he hath together set downe the meanes and waies whereby he will haue the same things brought to passe for these two must neuer be seuered the thing to be done and the meanes whereby it is done We may read in the Acts in Pauls dangerous voyage towardes Rome and Angel of the Lord tolde Paul that God had giuen him all that sailed with him in the shippe now the soldiers and marriners hearing this might reason thus with themselues Seeing God hath decreed to saue vs all we may do what we will there is no danger for we shall all come to land aliue but marke what Paul saith except these abide in the shippe ye can not be safe where we see that as it was the eternall counsell of God to saue Paul and all that were with him so he decreed to saue all by this particular meanes of their aboad in the shippe King Ezechias was restored to his health and receiued from God a promise that he should haue 15. yeares added to his daies and the promise was confirmed by signe now what doth he cast off all meanes no but as he was prescribed so he applieth a bunch of drie figges to his sore and vseth still his ordinarie diet Therefore it is grosse ignorance and madnesse in men to reason so against Gods decree God in his vnchangeable counsell hath decreed and set downe all things how they shall be therefore I will vse no meanes but liue as I list nay rather we must say the contrarie because God hath decreed this thing or that to be done therefore I will vse the meanes which God hath appointed to bring the same to passe Now follows the Creation which is nothing else but a worke of the blessed Trinitie forming and framing his creatures which were not before and that of nothing The points to be knowne concerning the creation are many The first is the thing by which God did beginne and finish the creation And we must vnderstand that at the first God made all things without any instrumēt or meanes and not as men doe which bring to passe their busines by seruants and helps but onely by his word and commandement as the Psalmist saith He commanded and all things were made In the beginning God saide Let there be light and there was light and by the same meanes was the creation of euery creature following The very power of the word commandement of God was such as by it that thing was made and had a beeing which before was not It may be demaunded what word this was by which God is saide to make all things Answ. The word of God in Scripture is taken three waies for the substantiall word for the sounding or written word for the operatiue or powerfull word The substantiall word is the second person begotten of the substance of the father Now howsoeuer it be true that God the father did create all things by his word that is by his Sonne yet doth it not seeme to be true that by these words God said let there be this or that that the Sonne is meant For that word which God gaue out in the creation was in time whereas the Sonne is the word of the father before all times and againe it is a word common to the three persons equally whereas the Sonne is the word of the father onely Furthermore it is not like that it was any sounding word standing of letters and syllables and vttered to the creatures after the vsuall manner of men that was the cause of them it remaines therfore that all things were made by the operatiue word which is nothing but the pleasure will and appointment of God and is more powerfull to bring a thing to passe then all the meanes in the world beside For Gods willing of any thing is his effecting and doing of it And this is prooued by Dauid when he saith He spake the word and they were made he commanded and they were created Hence we must take out a speciall lesson needfull to be learned of euery man Looke what power God vsed and shewed in making the creatures when they were not the same power he both can and will shew forth in recreating and redeeming sinnefull men by the pretious blood of Christ. By his word he created mans heart when it was not and he can and will as easily create in vs all new hearts specially when we vse the good meanes appointed for that ende As when Christ said to dead Lazarus Lazarus come forth he arose and came forth of his graue though boūd hand foot so when the Lord speaks to our dead hearts by his word and spirit we shall rise forth of the graues of our sins corruptions In the creation of the great world God saide let there be light and presently darknes gaue place and the same he can do to the little world that is to man We are by
for our saluation He is like the Physitian who goes on to launch the wound and heares not the patient though he crie neuer so till the cure be ended Now followeth the second thing to be considered in Christs apprehension namely the dealing of the Iewes wherein we must consider foure things I. how they consult togither concerning Christs apprehension II. how they came to the place and mette him III. how they laid hands on him IIII. how they bound him and tooke him away For the first before they enterprised this matter they did wisely and warily lay their heads togither to consult of the time and place and also of the manner of apprehending him So Saint Matthew saith There assembled together the chiefe Priests and the Scribes and the Elâ—ers of the people into the hall of the chiefe Priest called Caiphas and consulted how they might take Iesus by subtiltie Whence we learne two good instructions first the Iewes hauing a quarrell against Christ could neuer be at â—est till they had his blood and therefore they consult how they might take him but God did so order the matter and disâ—â—ose of their purposes and consultations that euen thereby he did confound them and their whole nation â—or by reason of this hainous sinne against Christ came the iust wrath of God vpon them and so remaineth vnto this day Whereby we see that the Lord will ouerthrow such in their owne wisdome that will be wise without the direction of Gods word and against Christ. And thus it was with Achiâ—ophel who for wisdome was as the oracle of God yet because he rebelled against the Lords annointed God confounded him in his owne wisdome For when his counsell which he gaue against Dauid was not followed he thought himsâ—â—â—e despised as the text saith and sadled his asse and arose and went home into his 〈◊〉 and put his houshold in order and hanged himselfe in this action he shewed himselfe more senslesse then a bruit beast And in our daies the Leaguers that haue bound themselues by othe to roote out the Church of God by his most wonderfull prouidence turne their swords against themselues and destroy each other Therefore if we would be wise we must learne to be wise in Christ for els our counsell will be our owne confusion Secondly hence we learne that if any shall liue in stubbernnesse and rebellion against Christ tâ—â— Lord will so carrie and order those men or that people that in the 〈…〉 shall be the very causes of their owne perdition This we see most pâ—â—â—nâ—â—y in the example of these Iewes for they euermore enuyed Châ—â—st and now they goe on to take counsell against him but God so disposed thereof that euen by this meanes they brought destruction vpon themselues and their countrey This must teach thee to take heed how thou liuest in thy sinnes for if thou doe so the Lord hath many waies to worke thy confusion as thy conscience to condemne thee thy friends to forsake thee the deuill his angels to torment molest thee and his creatures to annoy thee Yea the Lord can leaue all these and mâ—ke thine owne selfe to be the direct meanes of working thine own confusion both in bodie and soule eternally that euen then whâ— thou art most warie and wise in thine owne behalfe and this is the reward of all those that walke on in their euill waies without any true conuersion Hauing consulted in the next place they come to the garden where Christ was to be apprehended And here we are to consider who they were that 〈◊〉 â—â—mely the Scribes and Pharises the high priests and their seruants a â—â—nd of sâ—â—ldiers the seruants of Pontius Pilate the Elders of the Iewes aâ—â—â—hich came with one coÌ„sent to the place where Christ was that they might 〈◊〉 him Where we learne a good lesson that all sorts of wicked men disagreeing among themselues can agree against Christ. The Scribes and Phariseâ—â—ere two contrarie sects and at discord one with another in matters of reâ—â—gioâ—â— and Iudas was one of Christs disciples the Elders differed from theÌ„ all 〈◊〉 souldiours were Gentiles all these were at variance among themselues and could not one brooke another So also we read that Herod and Pontius Pilate were not friends but at the same time when Christ was apprehended Pilate sent him to Herod and they were made friends Now as these wicked men did all conspire against Christ so doe the wicked ones of this world in all countries and kingdomes band themselues against the Church of Christ at this day And howsoeuer such be at discord among themselues yet they doe all ioyne hand in hand to persecute Christ in his members And the reason is plaine because Christ and his religion is as flatte opposite to the corrupt disposition of all men as light is to darknes Againe whereas we see so many sorts of men so amiably consenting to take Christ we may note how all men naturally doe hate and abhorre him and his religion And looke as then it was with Christ so hath it bin with all his members and will be to the ende of the world They are accounted as the offscouring of the world men not worthie to liue on the face of the earth as Christ told his Disciples saying Ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake Let vs also marke how all these came furnished to apprehend Christ the text saith they came with clubs and staues as vnto a theefe All the whole nation of the Iewes knew right well that Christ was no man of violence but meeke and lowly and yet they came armed to apprehend him as though he had beene some mightie potentate that would not haue beene apprehended but haue resisted them Where we see the propertie of an euill conscience which is to feare where there is no cause at all This causeth some to be afraid of their own shadowes and if they see but a worme peepe out of the ground they are at their wits ende and as Salomon saith The wicked flee when none pursueth them After that they are now come to Christ we are to consider two things in their meeting I. Christs communication with them II. The treason of Iudas Concerning their conference it is said Iesus knowing all things that should come vnto him went forth and said vnto them Whome seeke ye they answered him Iesus of Nazareth Iesus answered I am he Now so soone as he had said I am he the stoutest of them fell to the ground as beeing astonished at the maiestie of his word Where note that the word of God is a word of power The same power was in his word when he raised vp Lazarus for when he had lien in the graue and had entred into some degrees of corruption he did no more but saide Lazarus come forth and he that was dead came forth And hence we may also marke what a wonderfull
who begin their artificiall day as I said at the sunne rising The fourth and last point is the order and whole proceding of Christs execution which may be reduced to foure heades the I. his going to execution the II. his crucifying the III. his death the IV. the consequents of his death Againe in his going to execution we may consider many points The first that he is brought out of Ierusalem as a malefactour For the old and ancient custome of the Iewes was to put those whome they iudged to be notorious offenders to death without their teâ—ts when they wandered in the wildernesse and without the walls of Ierusalem least they should any way be defiled with their blood And this fell out by the speciall prouidence of God that that might be fulfilled in Christ which was prefigured in the sacrifices of the old testament when the bodies of beasts were not eaten of the priests but burnt without the campe therefore saith the holy Ghost euen Iesus that hee might sanctifie the people with his owne blood suffered without the gates Hence may all Christians learne to knowe their owne estate and condition first in this worlde they must looke to be accounted the ofscouring of the earth and the filth of the word as the Apostle saith and wee must all prepare our selues to beare this estate They that will be Gods children must not look to be better accepted of in the world then Christ was Secondly by this euery one of vs must learne to bee content to vse this worlde as straungers and pilgrimes beeing euery daie and houre and readie to leaue the same For if Christ the sonne of God himselfe was brought out of Ierusalem as not beeing worthie to haue his aboade there then must euery christian man looke much more for the like extremitie And therefore it is not good for vs to haue our hearts tied to the world and to seeke alwaies to be approoued of the same for that argueth that we are not like to Christ but we must rather doe as poore pilgrimes in straunge countries and that is onely to looke for safe conduct thorough the miseries in this world hauing in the meane season our hearts wills and affections set on the kingdome which is in heauen The second thing is that Christ was made to beare his owne crosse for so it seemes the manner of the Romans was to deale with malefactours And this must put vs in minde of that notable lesson which Christ himselfe taught his disciples namely that if any man will be his disciple hee must denie himselfe take vp his owne crosse dâ—ily and followe him where by the crosse we must vnderstand that portion of affliction which god hath alotted to euery one of his children for there is no child of God to whome he hath not measured out as it were some bitter cup of miserie in this life And therefore Paul saith Nowe reioice I in my suffering for you and fulfill the rest of the fuâ—ferings of Christ in my fleâ—â— By Christs sufferings he meaneth not the passion of Christ but the sufferings of the bodie of Christ that is the Church whereof Christ is the head Moreouer we must suffer as he did that daily because as one day followeth another so one crosse comes in the necke of another And whereas Christ beares the crosse that was laid on him by the handes of the souldiers it must teach vs not to pull crosses vpon our selues but waite til God lay them on vs and when that time comes we must willingly bend our shoulders stoope downe and take them vp whether they be in bodie or in soule and that euery daie if it be Gods will so long as we liue and by this shall we most notably resemble our Sauiour Christ. Thirdly when Christ had carried his crosse so long til he could carrie it no longer by reason of the faintnesse of his bodie which came by buffets whippings and manifold other iniuries then the souldiers meeting with one SimoÌ„ of Cyrene a stranger made him to beare the crosse where we are put in mind that if we faint in the way and be weariâ—ed with the burden of our affâ—â—ctions God will giue good issue and send as it were some Simon of Cyrene to helpe vs and to be our comforter The fourth point is that when Christ was carrying his owne crosse and was nowe passing on towards Golgotha certaine women met him and pitying his case wept for him but Christ answered them and said Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for me but for your selues and your children c. By this we are first of all taught to pitie the state of those that be in affliction and miserie especially those that be the children of God as the Apostle exhorteth vs saying Remember them that are in bondes as though you were bound with them and them that are in affliction as though you were afflicted with them In this lande by Gods especiall blessing we haue enioied the Gospell of Christ with peace a long time whereas other countries and churches are in great distresse some wallowe in palpable ignorance and superstition others haue libertie to enioy the Gospell and want teachers and some haue both the word and teachers yet want peace and are in continuall persecution Nowe when we that haue the Gospel with peace doe heare of these miseries in our neighbour churches wee ought to bee mooued with compassion towards them as though wee our selues were in the same afflictions Secondly whereas Christ saith Weepe not for me but for your selues he doth teach vs to take occasion by other mens miseries to bewaile our owne estate to turne our worldly griefes into godly sorrowe for our sinnes which causeth vs rather to weepe for our offences theÌ„ for our friends although euen this may also be done in a godly maner When a man by bleeding at the nose is brought into danger of his life the Phisitian lets him bloode in another place as in the arme and turnes the course of the blood another waie to saue his life so must we turne our worldly sorrowes for losse of goods or friendes to a godly sorrowe for our offences against God for as S. Paul saith Godly sorrowe causeth repentance vnto saluation not to be repented of but worldly sorrow causeth death The fift point is that when Christ was brought to the place of execution they gaue him vineger to drinke mingled with mirrhe and gall some say it was to intoxicate his braine and to take away his senses and memorie If this be true we may here behold in the Iewes a most wicked part that at the point of death when they were to take away the life of Christ they for their partes had no care of his soule For this is a dutie to be obserued of all magistrates that when they are to execute malefactors they must haue a speciall regard to the good and saluation
rose with Christ are to be noted they were the Saints of God not wicked men whereby we are put in minde that the elect children of God onely are partakers of Christs resurrection Indeede both good and bad rise againe but there is a great difference in their rising for the godly rise by the vertue of Christs resurrection and that to eternall glorie but the vngodly rise by the vertue of Christ not as he is a redeemer but as he is a terrible iudge and is to execute iustice on them And they rise againe for this ende that besides the first death of the bodie they might suffer the second death which is the powring forth of the wrath of god vpon bodie and soule eternally This difference is prooued vnto vs by that which Paul saith Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe Among the Iewes such as had corne fields gathered some little quantitie thereof before they reaped the rest and offered the same vnto God signifying thereby that they acknowledged him to be the author giuer of all increase this offering was also an assurance vnto the owner of the blessing of God vpon the rest this beeing but one handful did sanctifie the whole crop Now Christ to the dead is as the first fruits to the rest of the corne because his resurrection is a pledge an assurāce of the resurrectiō of all the faithful When a man is cast into the sea and all his bodie is vnder the water there is nothing to be looked for but present death but if he carie his head aboue the water there is good hope of a recouerie Christ himselfe is risen as a pledge that all the iust shall rise againe he is the head vnto his Church and therefore all his members must needes follow in their time It may be demaunded what became of the Saints that rose againe after Christs resurrection Answ. Some thinke they died againe but seeing they rose for this ende to manifest the quickening vertue of Christs resurrection it is as like that they were also glorified with Christ and ascended with him to heauen Thus much of the manner of Christs resurrection Now followes the time when he rose againe and that is specified in the Creede The third day he rose againe Thus saith our Sauiour Christ vnto the Pharises As Ionas was three daies and three nights in the whales bellie so shall the sonne of man be three daies and three nights in the heart of the earth And though Christ was but one day and two pieces of two daies in the graue for he was buried in the euening before the Sabbath and rose in the morning the next day after the Sabbath yet is this sufficient to verifie this saying of Christ. For if the analogie had stoode in three whole daies then Christ should haue risen the fourth day And it was the pleasure of God that he should lie thus long in the graue that in might be knowne that he was throughly dead and he continued no longer that he might not in his bodie see corruption Againe it is saide Christ rose againe in the end of the Sabbath when the first day of the weeke began to dawne And this very time must be considered as the reall beginning of the new spirituall world in which we are made the sonnes of God And as in the first day of the first world light was commanded to shine out of darknes vpon the deepes so in the first day of this new world the sonne of righteousnes riseth and giues light to them that sit in darknes and dispells the darknes that was vnder the old Testament And here let vs marke the reason why the Sabbath day was changed For the first day of the weeke which was the day following the Iewes sabbath is our sabbath day which day we keepe holy in memorie of the glorious resurrection of Christ and therefore it is called the Lords day And it may not vnfitly be tearmed Sunday though the name came first from the heathen because on this day the blessed sonne of righteousnesse rose from death to life Let vs now in the next place proceede to the proofes of Christs resurrection which are diligently to be obserued because it is one of the most principall points of our religion For as the Apostle saith He died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification and againe If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vaine and our faith is also vaine The proofes are of two sorts first Christs appearances vnto men secondly the testimonies of men Christs appearances were either on the first day or on the daies following The appearances of Christ the same day he rose againe are fiue And first of all earely in the morning he appeared to Marie Magdalen In this appearance diuers things are to be considered The first of what note and qualitie the partie was to whome Christ appeared Ans. Marie Magdalen was one that had bin possessed with seuen deuils but was deliuered and became a repentant sinner and stood by when Christ suffered and came with sweete odours when he was dead to embalme him And therefore to her is graunted this prerogatiue that she should be the first that should testifie his resurrection vnto men And hence we learne that Christ is readie and willing to receiue most miserable wretched sinners euen such as haue bin vassals and bondslaues of the deuill if they will come to him Any man would thinke it a fearefull case to be thus possessed with deuills as Marie was but let all those that liue in ignorance and by reason thereof liue in sinne without repentance know this that their case is a thousand times worse then Marie Magdalens was For what is an impenitent sinner Surely nothing els but the castle and hold of the deuill both in bodie and soule For looke as a captaine that hath taken some hold or skonse doth rule and gouerne all therein and disposeth it at his will and pleasure euen so it is with all blind and impenitent sinners not one deuill alone but euen legions of deuils possesse them and rule their hearts and therefore howsoeuer they may soothe themselues and say all is well for God is mercifull yet their case is farre worse then Maries was Now then would any be freed from this fearefull bondage let them learne of Marie Magdalen to follow Christ and to seeke vnto him and then albeit the deuil and al his angels possesse their hearts yet Christ beeing the strong man will come and cast them all out and dwell there himselfe The second is what Christ in his appearance said to Marie Ans. He saide Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my father Marie no doubt was glad to see Christ and therefore looked to haue conuersed as familiarly with him as shee was wont before his death but he forbids her to touch him that is not to looke to enioy
this manner I prooue it thus Looke what was his request in our behalfe when he was here vpon earth the same for substance it continues still in heauen but here on earth the substance of his request was that he willed and desired that his father would be well pleased with vs for his merits as appeares by his praier in S. Iohn Father I will that those which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may beholde my glorie which thou hast giuen me for thou louedst me before the fouÌ„datioÌ„ of the world Therefore he still continues to make request for vs by willing and desiring that his father would accept his merits in our behalfe If it be alleadged that Christ in this solemne praier vsed speech and prostration of his bodie the answer is that these actions were no essentiall parts of his praier The prostrating of his bodie serued onely as a token of submission to God as Christ was a creature and the speech which he vsed serued onely to vtter and expresse his request Furthermore a difference here must be marked between Christs passion and his intercession The passion serues for the working and causing of a satisfaction to Gods iustice for vs and it is as it were the tempering of the plaister the intercession goes further for it applies the satisfaction made and laies the salue to the very sore And therefore Christ makes request not onely for the elect generally but for particular men as Paul Iames Iohn and that particularly as he testifieth of himselfe saying I haue praied for thee Peter that thy faith faile not If any shall say that Christs willing and desiring of a thing can not be a request or intercession the answer is that in vertue and efficacie it couâ—teruailes all the praiers in the word For whatsoeuer Christ willeth the same also the father beeing well pleased with him willeth and therefore whatsoeuer Christ as a mediatour willeth for vs at the handes of his father in effect or substance is a request or praier The third point is that Christ alone and none with him makes intercession for vs. And this I prooue by induction of particulars First of al this office appertaines not to the angels They are indeede ministring spirits for the good of Gods chosen they reioice when a sinner is conuerted and when he dieth they are readie to carrie his soule into Abrahams bosome and God otherwhiles vseth them as messengers to reueale his will thus the Angel Gabriel brings a message to Zacharie the priest that God had heard his praier but it is not once said in all the scriptures that they make intercession to God for vs. As for the Saints departed they can not make intercession for vs because they know not our particular estates here on earth neither can they heare our requests And therefore if we should pray to them to pray for vs wee should substitute them into the roome of God because we ascribe that to them which is proper to him namely the searching of the heart and the knowledge of all things done vpon earth though withall we should say that they doe this not by themselues but of God As for the faithful here on earth indeed they haue warrant yea commandement to pray one for another yet can they not make intercession for vs. For first he that makes intercâ—ssion must bring something of his owne that may be of value and price with God to procure the graunt of his request secondly he must doe it in his owne name but the faithfull on earth make request to God one for another not in their owne names nor for their owne merits but in the name and for the merits of Christ. It is a prerogatiue belonging to Christ alone to make a request in his own name and for his owne merits wee therefore conclude that the worke of intercession is the sole worke of Christ God and man not belonging to any creature beside in heauen or in earth And whereas the Papists can not content themselues with his intercession alone as beeing most sufficient it argues plainely that they doubt either of his power or of his will whereupon their praiers turne to sinne The fruits and benefits of Christs intercession are these First by meanes of it wee are assured that those which are repentant sinners shall stand and appeare righteous before God for euer at what time soeuer Christ beeing now in heauen and there presenting himselfe and his merits before his father shewes himselfe desirous and willing and they whosoeuer they are being sinners should be accepted of God for the same euen then immediately at that very instant this his wil is done and they are accepted as righteous before god indeede When a man lookes vpon things directly through the aire they appeare in their proper formes and colours as they are but if they bee looked vpon through a greene glasse they all appeare greene so likewise if God behold vs as we are in our selues we appeare as vile and damnable sinners but if he looke vpon vs as we are presented before his throne in heauen in the person of our Mediatour Christ Iesus willing that we should be approoued for his merits then we appeare without all spot and wrinkle before him And this is the vse Paul makes hereof It is God saith he that iustifieth and the reason is rendred For it is Christ that is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and makes request for vs. Secondly Christs intercession serues to preserue al repentant sinners in the estate of grace that being once iustified and sanctified they may so continue to the ende For when any seruant of God is ouertaken by the corruption of his owne nature and falls into any particular sinne then Christs intercession is made as a blessed hand to apply the salue of his death to that particular sore For he continually appeares before God and shewes himselfe to be willing that God the father should accept his one only sacrifice for the daily and particular sinnes of this or that particular man and this is done that a man beeing iustified before God may not fall away quite from grace but for euery particular sinne may be humbled and receiue pardon If this were not so our estate should be most miserable considering that for euery sinne committed by vs after our repentance we deserue to be cast out of the fauour of God Thirdly Christs intercession serueth to make our good works acceptable to God For euen in the best workes that a man can doe there are two wants First they are good onely in part secondly they are mingled with sinne For as a man is partly spirit or grace and partly flesh so are his works partly gratious and partly fleshly And because grace is onely begun in this life therefore all the workes of grace in this life are sinfull and imperfit Now by Christs
it be with the aduenture of our liues When Dauid desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bâ—thlem three of his mightie men went and brake into the hoast of the Philistâ—ms and brought him water Thus they ventured their liues for Dauids sake and shall not we much more willingly venture our liues to doe Christ seruice in token of thankefulnesse for his continuall preseruing of vs Thus much of the highest degree of Christs exaltation in his kingeome nowe followeth the last point to be beleeued concerning Christ in these wordes From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade And they containe a proofe or a particular declaration of the former article For as on earth those that are set at the right hand of kings doe execute iustice in courts or assises â—or the maintenance of the state peace of the kingdome so Christ Iesus sitting at the right hand of his father that is being made soueraigne Lord of all things both in heauen and earth is to hold a court or assise in which hee shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead Nowe in handling the last iudgement we are to consider these points I. whether there shall be a iudgement or not II. the time of it III. the signes thereof IV. the manner of it V. the vse which is to be made thereof Of these in order For the first point whether there shall be a iudgement or not the question is needefull for as Saint Peter saith There shall come in the last daies mockers which shall walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming which daies are nowe The answer to this question is set downe in this article in which we professe that the comming of Christ to the last iudgement is a point of religion specially to be helde and auouched The reasons to prooue it are principally two first the testimonie of God himselfe in the bookes of the olde and newe testament which affoard vnto vs plentifull proofes touching the last iudgement so as he which will but lightly read the same shall not neede to doubt thereof The second reason is taken froÌ„ the iustice and goodnes of God the propertie wherof is to punish wicked and vngodly men and to honour and reward the godly but in this world the godly man is most of all in miserie for iudgement beginneth at Gods house and the vngodly haue their hearts ease Wâ—cked Diues hath the world at will but poore Lazarus is hunger bitten full of sores and miserable euery way This beeing so it remaineth that after this life therâ— must needes be a iudgement and a second comming of Christ when the godly must receiue fulnesse of ioy and glorie and the vngodly fulnesse of woe miserie This second reason may stoppe the mouthes of all gainesayers in the world whatsoeuer But it may be obiected that the whole world stands either of beleeuers or vnbeleeuers and that there is no last iudgement for either of these for the beleeuer as Christ saith hath euerlasting life and shall not come into iudgement and the vnbeleeuer is condemned alreadie and therefore needeth no further iudgement Ans. Where it is said he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement it must bee vnderstood of the iudgement of condemnation and not the iudgement of absolution and he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie in effect and substance three waies I. in the counsell of God who did foresee and appoint his condemnation as it is a punishment of sinne and an execution of his iustice II. in the word of God where he hath his condemnation set downe III. he is condemned in his own conscience for euery vngodly mans conscience is a iudge vnto himselfe which doth euery houre condemne him and it is a forerunner of the last iudgement And notwithstanding all this there may remaine a second iudgement which is a manifestation and finishing of that which was begunne in this worlde and therefore the meaning of that place is this hee that beleeueth not is alreadie iudged in part but so as the full manifestation thereof shall be at the second comming of Christ. The second circumstance is the time of his iudgement in handling whereof first let vs see what is the iudgement of men secondly what is the trueth For the first two opinions touching this time take place The first is that the second comming of Christ shall be about sixe thousand yeares from the beginning of the worlde and that for the Elects sake some of these daies must be shortned and nowe since the beginning of the worlde are passed fiue thousand almost sixe hundred yeares so as there remaines but foure hundred The groundes of this opinion are these First the testimonie of Elias two thousand yeares before the lawe two thousand yeares vnder the lawe and two thousand yeares vnder Christ. And for the elects sake some of these yeares shall be shortened Answer This was not the sentence of Elias the Thisbite but of another Elias which was a Iewe no prophet And wheras he saith two thousand yeres before the lawe and two thousand yeares vnder the lawe he faileth From the giuing of the law to the comming of Christ was about one thousand and fiue hundred yearesâ— and from the lawe to the creation aboue two thousand Now if Elias cannot set downe a iust number for the time past which a meane man many do what shal we think that he can do for the time to come And if he deceiue vs in that which is more easie to find how shal we trust him in things that be harder The secoÌ„d reason is this How long god was in creating the world so long he shall be in gouerning the same but he was sixe daies in creating the worlde and in the seuenth he rested and so proportionally hee shall bee sixe thousand yeares in gouerning the world euery daie answering to a thousand yeares as Peter saith A thousand yeares are but as one day with God and then shall the end bee Ans. This reason likewise hath no ground in Gods word as for that place of Peter the meaning is that innumerable yeares are but as a short time with God and we may as well say two thousand or tenne thousand yeares are but as one daie with God For Peter meant not to speake any thing distinctly of a thousand yeares but of a long time Thirdly it is alleadged that within sixe thousand yeares from the creation of the world shall appeare in the heauens straunge coniunctions and positions of the starres which signifie nothing els but the subuersion of the state of the world nay some haue noted that the ende thereof should haue beene in the yeare of our Lord a thousand fiue hundred eightie eight their writings are manifest but we finde by experience that this opinion is false and friuolous and their groundes be as friuolous For no man can gather by the ordinarie course of the
of Christ in feeding clothing lodging and visiting of them For we must thinke that many of those against whome this reason shall be brought did know religion and professe the same yea they prophesied in the name of Christ and called on him saying Lord Lord and yet the sentence of condemnation goeth against them because they shew no compassion toward the members of Christ and therefore it is a principal vertue and a speciall note of a Christian to shew the bowels of compassion towards his needie brethren Here againe we note that it is not sufficient for vs to abstaine from euill but we must also doe good For it is not saide I was an hungred and ye tooke from me but When I was hungrie ye gaue me no mâ—ate They are not charged with doing euill but for not doing good S. Iohn saith The axe is laid to the roote of the tree and the reason followes not because the tree bare euill fruit but because it bare not good fruite therefore it must be cast into the fire This condemnes a bad opinion of all worldly men who thinke that all is well and that God will be mercifull vnto them because they doe no man harme Thus we see how the deuill blinds the eyes of men for it will not stand for paiment at the day of iudgement to say I haue hurt no man vnlesse we further doe all the good we can The third point is the defence which impenitent sinners make for themselues in these words Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirstie or naked or in prison or sicke and did not minister vnto thee Thus in their owne defence that which Christ saith they gainsay iustifie themselues Here marke the nature of all impenitent sinners which is to sooth and flatter themselues in sinne and to maintaine their owne righteousnes like to the proud Pharisie in his prayer who bragged of his goodnes and said Lord I thanke thee that I am not as other men are extortioners c. and in the very same manner ignorant persons of all sorts among vs iustifie themselues in their strong faith and bragge of their zeale of Gods glorie and of their loue to their brethren and yet indeede shew no signes thereof And truly we are not to maruell when we see such persons to iustifie themselues before men whereas they shall not be ashamed to doe it at the day of iudgement before the Lord Iesus himselfe The last point is Christs answer to them againe in these words Verily I say vnto you in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me This sentence being repeated againe doth teach vs the lesson which we learned before that when we are to shew compassion to any man especially if he be a meÌ„ber of Gods Church we must not consider his outward estate or his basenes in that he waÌ„ts food or raiment but behold Christ in him not respecting him as a man but as a member of Christ. This it is that must mooue vs to coÌ„passion and cause vs to make a supplie of his wants more then any respect in the world beside And surely when Christ in his members comes to our dores and complaines that he is hungrie and sicke and naked if our bowels yearne not towards him there is not so much as a sparke of the loue of God in vs. The seuenth point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the retribution or reward in these words and they shall go into euerlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall How doe the wicked enter into hell and the godly into heauen Answ. By the powerfull and commaunding voice of Christ which is of that force that neither the greatest rebell that euer was among men nor all the deuills in hell shall be able to withstand it And seeing that after the day of iudgement we must remaine for euer either in heauen or in hell we are to looke about vs and to take heed vnto our hearts Indeede if the time were but a thousand or two thousand yeares then with more reason men might take libertie to themselues but seeing it is without ende we must be most carefull through the whole course of our liues so to liue and behaue our selues that when the day of iudgement shall come we may auoid that fearefull sentence of euerlasting woe and condemnation which shall be pronounced against the wicked And whereas all wicked men shall goe to hell at Christs commaundement it teacheth vs willingly to obey the voice of Christ in the ministerie of the word For if we rebell against his voice in this world when in the day of iudgement sentence shall be pronounced against vs we shall heare an other voice at the giuing whereof we must obey whether we will or no and thereupon goe to euerlasting paine whither we would not Let vs therfore in time denie our selues for our sinnes past and onely relie vpon Christ Iesus for the free remission of them all and for the time to come lead a new reformed life Thus much of the order of Christ his proceeding at the day of iudgement Now follow the vses thereof which are either comforts to Gods Church or duties for all men The first comfort or benefit is this that the same person which died for vs vpon the crosse to worke our redemption must also be our iudge And hence we reape two speciall comforts I. The people of God shall hereby inioy ful redemption from all miseries and calamities which they had in this life So Christ himselfe speaking of the signes of the ende of the world saith to his disciples When you see these things lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neere Then he shal wipe all teares from their eyes Secondly we shall hereby haue a finall deliuerance from all sinne Now what a ioyful thing it is to be freed from sinne may plainly appeare by the crie of S. Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And certen it is that he which knowes what sinne is seriously repents him of the same would wish with all his heart to be out of this world that he might leaue off to sinne and thereby cease to displease God The second comfort is this the godly in this world haue many enemies they are reuiled slandered and oftentimes put to death well Christ Iesus at the day of iudgement will take euery mans case into his owne hand he will then heare the complaint of the godly howsoeuer in this world they found no remedie and then he will reuenge their blood that is shed vpon the earth according to their prayer This comfort is to be coÌ„sidered especially of all those that are any way persecuted or molested by the wicked of this world Now follow the duties to be learned of euery one of vs and they are diuers First the consideration of the last iudgement serueth
God but without that is forth of the Church are dogs enâ—hanters whoremongers adulterers c. And the Arke out of which all perished figured the Church out of which al are condemned And for this cause Saint Luke saith that the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued And the reason hereof is plaine for without Christ there is no saluation but out of the militant church there is no Christ nor faith in Christ and therefore no saluation Againe forth of the militant church there are no meanes of saluation no preaching of the word no inuocation of Gods name no Sacraments and therefore no saluation For this cause euery man must be admonished euermore to ioyne himselfe to some particular church beeing a sound member of the Catholike church The third rule is that the church which here we beleeue is onely one As Christ himselfe speaketh My doue is alone and my vndefiled is the onely daughter of her mother And as there is onely one God and one Redeemer one faith one baptisme and one way of saluation by Christ onely so there is but one church alone The Catholike church hath two parts the church Triumphant in heauen and the church Militant on earth The Triumphant church may thus be described It is a companie of the spirits of iust men triumphing ouer the flesh the deuill and the world praising God First I say it is a companie of the spirits of men as the holy Ghost expressely tearmeth it because the soules onely of the godly departed as of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. are as yet ascended into heauen and not their bodies Furthermore the properties of this companie are two The first is to make triumph ouer their spirituall enemies the flesh the deuill the world for the righteous man so long as he liues in this world is in continuall combate without truce with al the enemies of his saluation and by constant faith obtaining victorie in the ende of his life he is translated in glorious and triumphant maner into the kingdome of glorie This was signified to Iohn in a vision in which he saw an innumerable companie of all sorts of nations kinreds people and tongues stand before the Lambe clothed in long white robes with palmes in their handes in token that they had beene warriours but now by Christ haue gotten the victorie and are made conquerours Their second propertie is to praise and magnifie the name of God as it followeth in the former place saying Amen praise and glorie and wisdome and thankes honour power and might be vnto our God for euermore Hence it may be demanded whether Angels be of this Triumphant church or no Ans. The blessed Angels be in heauen in the presence of God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost but they are not of the mysticall bodie of Christ because they are not vnder him as he is their redeemer considering they can not be redeemed which neuer fell and it can not be prooued that they now stand by the vertue of Christs redemption but they are vnder him as he is their Lord and King and by the power of Christ as he is God and their God are they confirmed And therfore as I take it we can not say that Angels are members of the mysticall bodie of Christ or of the triumphaÌ„t church though indeed they be of the coÌ„pany of the blessed The church Militant may be thus described It is the companie of the elect or faithfull liuing vnder the crosse desiring to be remooued and to be with Christ. I say not that the Militant church is the whole bodie of the elect but onely that part thereof which liueth vpon earth and the infallible marke thereof is that faith in Christ which is taught and deliuered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this faith againe may be discerned by two markes The first is that the members of this companie liue vnder the crosse and profit by it in all spirituall grace And therefore it is said that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heauen And our Sauiour Christ saith If any man will come after me let him denie himselfe and take vp his crosse euery day and follow me The second marke is a desire to depart hence and to be with Christ as Paul saith We loue rather to be remooued out of this bodie and to be with Christ. And againe I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Where yet we must remember that the members of Christ doe not desire death simply and absolutely but in two respects I. that they might leaue off to sinne and by sinning leaue to displease God II. That they might come to enioy happines in heauen and to be with Christ. Touching the generall estate of the Militant church two questions are to be considered The first how farre forth God is present with it assisting it by his grace Ans. God giues his spirit vnto it in such a measure that although the gates of hell can not preuaile against it yet neuerthelesse it remaines still subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners For that which is true in euery member of the church is also true in the whole but euery member of the Militant church is subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners because men in this life are but in part enlightened and sanctified and therefore still remaine subiect to blindnesse of minde and ignorance and to the rebellion of their wills and affections whereby it comes to passe that they may easily faile either in iudgement or in practise Againe that which may befall one or two particular churches may likewise befall all the particular churches vpon earth all beeing in one and the same condition but this may befall one or two particular churches to faile either in doctrine or manners The church of Ephesus failed in leauing her first loue whereupon Christ threatneth to remooue from her the candlesticke And the church of Galatia was remooued to an other Gospell from him that had called them in the grace of Christ now why may not the same things befall twentie yea an hundred churches which befell these twaine Lastly experience sheweth this to be true in that generall Councels haue erred The Councell of Nice beeing to reforme sundrie behauiours among the Bishops and Elders would with common consent haue forbidden marriage vnto them thinking it profitable to be so vnlesse Paphnutius had better informed them out of the Scriptures In the third Councell at Carthage certaine bookes Apocrypha as the booke of Syrach Tobie and the Macchabees are numbred in the Canon and yet were excluded by the Councell of Laodicea And the saying of a Diuine is receiued that former Councels are to be reformed and amended by the latter But Papists maintaining that the Church can not erre alleadge the promise of Christ Howbeit
bodie In the handling whereof sundrie points must be considered The first whether there be a resurrection or no This question must needes be handled because Epicures and Atheists in all ages and at this day some doe call this article in question Now that there is a resurrection of the bodie after death it may be prooued by many arguments whereof I will onely touch the principall The first is taken from the worke of redemption Saint Iohn writeth that Christ came to dissolue the workes of the deuill which are sinne and by sinne death and hence I reason thus If sinne and death are to be dissolued vtterly then the bodies of the faithfull which are dead in the graue must needes be made aliue otherwise death is not abolished but sinne and death must be vtterly abolished therefore there shall be a resurrection Secondly God had made a couenant with his Church the tenour whereof is this I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people This couenant is not for a day or an age or for a thousand yeares or ages but it is euerlasting and without ende so as Gods people may say of God for euer God is our God and likewise God wil say of his church for euermore this people is my people Now if Gods couenant be euerlasting then all the faithfull departed from the beginning of the world must be raised againe to life And if God should leaue his people in the graâ—e vnder death for euer how could they be called the people of God for he is a God of mercie and of life it selfe and therefore though they abide long in the earth yet they must at length be reuiued againe This argument Christ vseth against the Sadduces which denied the resurrection God is not the God of the dead but of the liuing but God is the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob which are dead therfore they must rise again The third argument must be taken froÌ„ the tenor order of Gods iustice It is a special part of gods glory to shew forth his mercie on the godly and his iustice vpon the wicked in rewarding them according to their works as the Apostle saith God will reward euery man according to his works to them that by continuance in well doing seeke glory hoâ—our â—nâ— immortalitie life eternall but vnto them that disobey the truth that be coÌ„tentâ—â—â—â— and obey vnrighteousnes shall be indignation and wrath But in this life God rewardeth not men according to their doings and therefore Saâ—â—mon speaking of the estate of all men in this world saith All things come alike to all and the same â—ondition is to the iust and vniust to the good and badde to the pure and polluted to hâ—â— that offereth sacrifice and to him that offereth none Nay which is more here tâ—e wicked flourish and the godly are affâ—â—cted The vngodly haue hearts ease and all things at will whereas the godly are oppressed and ouerwhelmed with all kind of miseries and are as sâ—eeâ—e appointed for the slaughter It remaines therefore that their 〈◊〉 needes be a generall resurrection of all men after this life that the righteous may obtaine a reward of Gods free mercie and the wicked vtter shame and câ—nâ—usion But some will say It is sufficient that God doe this to the soule of euery man the bodie needeth not to rise againe I answer that the vngodly man doth not worke wickednesse onely in his soule but his bodie also is an instrument thereof and the godly doe not onely practise righteousnes in their soules but in their bodies also The bodies of the wicked are the instruments of sinne and the bodies of the righteous are the weapons of righteousnes and therefore their bodies must rise againe that both in bodie and soule they may receiue a reward according to that which they haue wrought in them The fourth argument which is also vsed by Paul is this Christ himselfe is risen and therefore all the faithfull shall rise again for he rose not for himselfe as a priuate man but in our roome and stead and for vs. If the head be risen then the members also shall rise againe for by the same power whereby Christ raised himselfe he both can and will raise all those that be of his mysticall bodie he beeing the first fruits of them that sleepe The fifth argument is taken from expresse testimonie of Scripture Iob hath an excellent place for this purpose I am sure saith he that my Redeemer liueth and he shall stand the last on the earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this bodie yet I shall see God in my flesh whome I my selfe shall see and mine eyes shall behold and none other for me And Saint Paul to the Corinthians auoucheth and prooueth this point at large by sundrie arguments which I wil not stand to repeate this one remembred If saith he the dead rise not againe then your faith is vaine our preaching is in vaine and the godly departed are perished The sixth argument may be taken from the order of nature which ministreth certaine resemblances of the resurrection which though they be no sufficient proofes yet may they be inducements to the truth Both Philosophers and also Diuines haue written of the Phoenix that first shee is consumed to ashes by the heat of the sunne and that afterward of her ashes riseth a young one and on this manner is her kind preserued Againe swallowes wormes and flies which haue lien dead in the winter season in the spring by vertue of the sunnes heat reuiue againe so likewise men fall in sownes trances beeing for a time without breath or shew of life and yet afterward come againe And to vse Pauls example before the corne can grow and beare fruit it must first be cast into the ground and there rotte And if this were not seene by experience men would not beleeue it Againe euery present day is as it were dead and buried in the night following and yet afterward it returnes againe the next morning Lastly we read how the old Prophets raised some from death and our Sauiour Christ raised Lazarus among the rest that had lien foure daies in the graue and stanke why then should any thinke it impossible for God to raise all men to life But let vs see what reasons may bee alleadged to the contrarie First it is alleadged that the resurrection of bodies resolued to dust and ashes is against common sense and reason Ans. It is aboue reason but not against reason For if impotent and miserable men as experience sheweth can by art euen of ashes make the most curious workmanship of glasse why may wee not in reason think that the omnipotent and euerliuing God is able to raise mens bodies out of the dust Secondly it is said that mens bodies beeing dead are turned into dust and so are mingled with the bodies of beasts and other creatures and one mans bodie with another and
that by reason of this confusion men can not possibly rise with their owne bodies Ans. Howesoeuer this is impossible with men yet it is possible with God For he that in the beginning was able to create all things of nothing is much more able to make euery mans bodie at the resurrection of his owne matter and to distinguish the dust of mens bodies from the dust of beasts and the dust of one mans bodie from another The goldsmith by his art can sunder diuers mettals one frō another some men out of one mettall can drawe another why then should we thinke it vnpossible for the almightie God to doe the like It may bee further obiected thus A man is eaten by a woolfe the woolfe is eaten by a Lyon the Lyon by the foules of the aire the foules of the aire eaten againe by men againe one man is eaten of another as it is vsuall among the Cannibals Nowe the bodie of that man which is turned into so many substances especially into the bodie of another man cannot rise againe and if the one doeth the other doeth not Ans. This reason is but a cauill of mans braine for wee must not thinke that whatsoeuer entreth into the bodie and is turned into the substance thereof must rise againe and become a part of the bodie at the daie of iudgement but euery man shall then haue so much substance of his owne as shall make his bodie to be entire and perfect though another mans flesh once eaten bee no part thereof Againe it is vrged that because flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdome of God therefore the bodies of men shall not rise againe Ans. By flesh and blood is not meant the bodies of men simply but the bodies of men as they are in weaknesse without glorie subiect to corruption For flesh and blood in Scripture signifies sometime the originall sinne and corruption of nature and sometime mans nature subiect to miseries and infirmities or the bodie in corruption before it be glorified and so it must bee vnderstood in this place Lastly it is obiected that Salomon saith The condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition Nowe beasts rise not againe after this life and therefore there is no resurrection of men Ans. In that place Salomon expoundeth himselfe They are like in dying for so he saith as the one dieth so dieth the other he speaketh not of their estate after death The second point to be considered is the cause of the resurrection In mankind we must consider two parts the Elect and the Reprobate and they both shall rise againe at the day of iudgement but by diuers causes The godly haue one cause of their resurrection and the vngodly another The cause why the godly rise againe is the resurrection of Christ yea it is the proper cause which procureth and effecteth their resurrection In the scripture Adam and Christ are compared togither and Christ is called the second Adam these were two rootes The first Adam was the roote of al mankinde and he conueieth sinne and by sinne death to all that sprang of him Christ onely excepted the second Adam which is the roote of all the Elect conueieth life both in bodie and soule to all that are vnited to him and by the vertue of his resurrection they shal rise againe after this life For looke as the power of the godhead of Christ when he was dead in the graue raised his bodie the third day so shall the same power of Christ his godhead conuey it selfe vnto all the faithfull which euen in death remaine vnited vnto him and raise them vp at the last daie And for this cause Christ is called a quickening spirit Nowe the cause why the wicked rise againe is not the vertue of Christs resurrection but the vertue of Gods curse set downe in his word In the daie that thou shalt eate of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death that is a double death both of bodie and soule And therefore they arise onely by the power of Christ as hee is a iudge that this sentence may be verified on them and that they may suffer both in bodie and soule eternall punishment in hell fire Furthermore S. Iohn setteth downe the outward meanes whereby the dead shal be raised namely the voice of Christ The houre shall come saith he in which all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and they shall come forth For as hee created all things by his word so at the day of iudgement by the same voice all shall be raised againe This may bee a good reason to mooue vs to heare the ministers of God reuerently for that which they teach is the very word of God and therefore we are to pray that it may be as effectuall in raising vs vp from the graue of sinne in this life as it shall bee after this life in raising vs vp from the graue of death vnto iudgement Thirdly we are to consider what manner of bodies shall rise at the last day Ans. The same bodies for substance this Iob knew well when he said I shall see him at the last daie in my flesh whome I my selfe shall see and none other for me with these same eies Neuerthelesse the bodies of the elect shall be altered in qualitie being made incorruptible and filled with glorie The last point to be considered is the ende why these bodies shall rise againe The principall end which God intendeth is his owne glorie in the manifestation of his iustice and mercie Nowe at the last daie when all men shall be raised to iudgement by the voice of Christ the godly to life and the wicked to condemnation there shal be a full manifestation both of his mercy and iustice and therefore by consequent a full manifestation of his glorie Thus much for the doctrines touching the Resurrection now followe the vses First it serueth wonderfully for the comfort of all Christian hearts Dauid speaking not onely of Christ but also of himselfe saith most notably Mine heart is glad my tongue reioiceth and my flesh also doth rest in hope Why so For saith he thou shalt not leaue my soule in graue neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Though the daies of this life be daies of woe and miserie yet the day of the resurrection shall bee vnto all the children of God a time of reioicing and felicitie as Peter saith it is the time of refreshing Whosoeuer is now an hungred shall then eate and be filled with the fruite of the tree of life and whosoeuer is now naked shall be then cloathed with the white garments dipped in the blood of the Lambe and whosoeuer is nowe lame shall haue all his members restored perfectly And as this daie is ioyfull to the godly so on the contrarie it is a daie of woe and
of God and according to the tenour thereof must we frame and square our petitions Things promised absolutely as all graces necessarie to saluation may be asked absolutely and things promised with condition as graces lesse necessarie and temporall blessings are to be asked with condition namely so farforth as they shal be for Gods glorie in vs and for our good except it be so that God promise any temporall blessing absolutely as he promised issue to Abraham in his old age The kingdome to Dauid after Saul A deliuerance from captiuitie in Babylon after 70. yeres to the Israelites Againe the preface serues to stirre vp loue and feare in the hearts of them that are about to pray Loue because they pray to a father feare because he is full of maiestie in heauen Hallowed be thy Name 1. The Coherence THus much of the preface now follow the petitions They be sixe in number the three first concerne God the three last our selues The three former petitions are again deuided into two parts the first concernes Gods glorie it selfe the other two the meanes whereby Gods glorie is manifested and inlarged among men For Gods name is glorified among men when his kingdome doth come and his will is done Quest. Why is this petition Hallowed be thy name set in the first place Ans. Because Gods glorie must be preferred before all things because it is the end of all creatures and of all the counsels of God Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake yea euen the wicked for the day of euill And from the order of the petitions here ariseth a worthie instruction namely that euery one in all things they take in hand are to propound to themselues and to intend the glorie of God The reason is this The ende which God hath appointed to all our doings we are to propound to our selues but God hath appointed that the highest ende of all his doings should be his glorie therefore our hearts must be set to seeke it first of all That God will haue his name glorified by vs appeareth in this that he punisheth those which of obstinacie set themselues to dishonour him or by negligence did not sanctifie him when they should haue done so Herod sitting in his royaltie made such an oration that the people cried The voice of a god and not of a man and immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him because he gaue not glorie to God Act. 12. 12. And Moses because he did not sanctifie the Lord in the presence of the children of Israel therefore he came not into the land of promise yet he did not altogether faile in doing of it Thus we may see by these punishments and also by the order of the petitions that it is our duties to preferre the glorie of God before all thing els Quest. Whether are we to preferre the glorie of God before the saluation of our soules Ans. If the cause stand thus that Gods name must be dishonoâ—red or our soules condemned we must account the glorie of God more pretious then the saluation of our soules This is manifest in the order of the petitions The petitions that concerne Gods glorie is first and the petitions that concerne directly our saluation are the fift and sixt Whereby we are taught that before God should want any part of his glorie we must let bodie and soule and all goe that God may haue all his glorie This affection had Moses Exod. 32.32 when he said Either forgiue them or if thou wilt not blot my name out of thy booke In this petition as also in the rest we must obserue three things the first is the meaning of the wordes the second the wants which men must learne to bewaile the third the graces of God which are to be desired 2. The meaning VEry few among the people can giue the right meaning of the wordes of this prayer They pretend that seeing God knowes their good meaning it is sufficient for them to say the wordes and to meane well But faith beeing one of the grounds of praier and there beeing no faith without knowledge neither can there be praier without knowledge and therefore ignorant men are to learne the right meaning of the words Name Name in this place signifieth 1 God himselfe 1. King 5.5 He shall build an house to my Name 2 His attributes as his iustice mercie c. 3 His workes creatures and iudgements 4 His word 5 His honour and praise arising from all these For God is knowne to vs by all these as men are knowne by their names and as all a mans praise and glorie lies in his name so all the glorie of God is in these Hallowed TO hallow is to seuer or set apart any thing from the common vse to some proper and peculiar end as the Temple was hallowed that is set apart to an holy vse and the Priests were sanctified that is set apart to the seruice of God And all that beleeue in Christ are sanctified that is set apart from sinne to serue God In like manner Gods name is hallowed when it is put apart froÌ„ obliuion contempt prophanation pollution blasphemie and all abuses to an holy reuerent and honorable vse whether we thinke speake of it or vse it any manner of way Leuit. 10.3 Ezech. 38.23 Quest. How can a sinfull man hallow Gods name which is pure and holy in it selfe Ans. We doe not here pray that we might make Gods name holy as though we could adde something vnto it to make it holy but that we might be meanes to declare and make manifest to the world by the right vsage of it that it is holy pure and honourable The like phrase is vsed Luke 7. 9. Wisdome is iustified by her children that is acknowledged and declared to be iust Ezech. 38.23 The scope therefore of the first petition is an earnest desire that we might set forth Gods glory whatsoeuer become of vs and it may be expressed thus O Lord open our eyes that we may aright know thee and acknowledge the greatnes of thy power wisdome iustice and mercy which appeares in thy titles words creatures iudgements and grant that when we vse any of these we may therein honour thee and vse them reuerently to thy glorie 3. The wants which are to be bewailed 1. THE wants which we in this place are taught to bewaile are specially foure The first is an inward and spirituall pride of our hearts a sinne that none or very fewe can see in themselues vnlesse the Lord open their eies When our first parents were tempted in paradise the deuill told them they should be as Gods which lesson not onely they but we haue learned and wee conceiue of our selues as little gods though to the world we shew it not This hidden pride when other sinnes die it begins to get strength and to shewe it selfe and appeares in vaine thoughts continually on euery occasion ascending in the mind As may appeare
Lead vs not Or carrie vs not into temptation To be led is to be ouercome of the temptation when it preuâ—iles and wholly gets the victorie so as men tempted are brought to perdition Then the meaning is thisâ— When wee are mooued or entised to sinne Lord keep vs that we bee not ouercome and giue thou an issue with the temptation Quest. God is iust and cannot sinne but if he lead men into temptation shal he not be the author of sinne Ans. Indeed many fearing to charge God with sinne read the words thus Suffer vs not to be ledde But the text is very plaine Lead or carrie vs not And the scriptures elsewhere vse the like phrases of god Exod. 7.3 God is said to harden Pharaohs heart 2. Sam. 24. 1. The Lord mooued Dauid to number the people 2. Thess. 2.11 God sent strong delusions that men might beleeue lies These and such like places haue a speciall meaning thus to be gathered There is no action of man or of the deuill absolutely euill but although in some respects it be euill yet in some other it is good for wee are not to thinke that as there is a maine or absolute good so also there is a maine or absolute euill Thus then temptation being an action it is not in euery respect euill but in some good in some euill And so farre forth as it is good the Lord workes it but as it is euill he doth not worke it but willingly permits it to be done by man and Satan 1. And there be foure respects in which God may be a worker in temptations and yet be free from sinne I. First he tempteth by offering occasions obiects to trie whether a man will sinne or not A master suspecting his seruant which in word professeth fidelitie laies a purse of money in his way to trie if he will steale it which if he steale he hath found by watching him a secret thiefe and so hath laid him open for deceiuing any more Nowe this trying of him is no sinne though he sinne in stealing In the same manner tempteth God his owne seruants to prooue and trie them Deut. â—3 3 Thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of the prophet or dreamer of dreames for the Lord thy God prooueth you to knowe whether ye loue the Lord your God with all your heart 2. Secondly God leades into temptation by withdrawing his grace Neither can this be a sinne in God because he is bound to no man to giue him grace And here is a difference between the tempting of God and Satan God holds backe grace when he tempts the deuill suggests euill motions 3. Euery action so farre forth as it is an action is good and of God Act. 17. 28. In him we liue mooue and haue our being Therfore god is a worker in temptations so farre forth as they are actions One man kils another the very moouing of the bodie in the doing of this villanie is of God but the wickednes of the actioÌ„ is from man and the deuil A man rides vpon a lame horse and stirs him the rider is the cause of the motion but the horse himselfe of the halting in the motion So God is authour of the action but not of the euill of the action 4. The fourth way is in regard of the end God tempts his seruants onely to correct and humble them for their sinnes and to trie howe they will abide the crosse and to mooue them the more to loue him Deut. 8.2 God afflictes the children of Israel to trie them whether they would keepe his commandements 2. Chr. 31.31 He trieth Ezechias to see what was in his heart The deuils ende in tempting is onely to bring the partie to destruction Thus we neede not feare to say that God in some respects doth tempt his owne seruants Deliuer vs from euill That is free vs from the power of the flesh the deuil and the world Some take euill in this place onely for the deuill but wee may take it more largely for all spirituall enemies 1. Ioh. 5.19 The whole world lieth in euill vz. Vnder the power of sinne and Satan These words as I haue said are a proofe and explanation of the former for when a man is deliuered from euill he is not led into temptation the cause being taken away the effect ceaseth 3. The vses 1. HEnce we learne what a righteous God Iehoua is that can worke in euill actions and yet be void of sinne 2. Whereas we say lead vs not c. Wee note that the deuill in temptationâ— can goe no further then God permits him 3. We are not to pray that temptations be quite taken from vs or that wee be wholly freed from them but that they doe not ouercome vs. For it is the Lords wil that his Church should be tempted Nay Dauid desired some kind of temptations Psal. 26.1 Prooue me O Lord. And Iames saith Account it for exceeding ioy when ye shall fall into diuers temptations Iam. 1.2 4. Note also that euery man by nature is the bondslaue of sinne and Satan For where is deliuerance there was a bondage first This confutes the Papists who maintain free wil for we are dead in sinne by nature as a man in a graue and we must still pray thus till we be fully deliuered 4. Wants to be bewailed THe corruption which in this petition we ought to mourne for is the coÌ„tinuall rebellion of our wicked natures and our pronenesse to yeeld vp our selues in euery temptation to sinne Satan And the remnants of the old bondage vnder Satan must be grieuous and irkesome vnto vs and wee must bewaile them bitterly The Iewes in a bodily captiuitie wept when they remembred Sion Psal. 1.27 How much more should wee weepe when wee feele the lawe of our members rebelling against the lawe of our mindes and leading vâ— captiue to sinne 5. Graces to be desired THe contrarie blessing to be desired is that God would stablish vs by his free spirit Psal. 51.12 Which is so called because it sets vs euery day more and more at libertie out of the reach of sinne and Satan For thine is the kingdome the power and glorie for euer 1. The meaning THese wordes containe a reason of all the former petitions whereby wee are mooued to craue things needfull at Gods hand Thine is Earthly kings haue kingdome power and glorie Dan. 2.37 Yet not from themselues but from God whose vicegerents they are on earth Therefore to make a difference betweene Gods kingdome power and glorie and those of earthly kings it is said Thine is the kingdome c. that is that God hath all these in himselfe and from himselfe and men from him The kingdome These words 1. Chro. 26.11 are fully expounded Thine O Lord is greatnesse power and victorie and praise and all that is in heauen earth is thine thine is the kingdome and thou excellest as head ouer all c. The kingdome is said to bee Gods
peruse What one shall then escape and say I can my selfe excuse In iudgement with thy seruant Lord oh enter not at all For iustified in thy sight not one that liueth shall And for thy pitie plentifull O Lord I thee intreat To grant me pardon for my sinne for it is wondrous great O Lord what earthly man doth know the errours of this life Then clense me from my secret sinnes which are in me most rife And keepe me that presumptuous sinnes preuaile not ouer me And then I shall be innocent and great offences flee To thee O Lord my God loe I doe stretch my crauing hands My soule desireth after thee as doth the thirstie lands As handmaids watch their mistris hands some grace for to atchiue So I behold thee Lord my God till thou doe me forgiue Lord turne thee to thy wonted grace my silly soule vptake O saue me not for my deserts but for thy mercie sake My soule why dost thou faint and quaile so sore with paine opprest With thoughts why dost thy selfe assaile so sore within my brest Trust in the Lord thy God alway and thou the time shalt see To giue him thankes with laud and praise for health restorde to thee For why his anger but a space doth last and slacke againe But in his fauour and his grace alway doth life remaine Though gripes of griefe and pangs full sore doe lodge with thee all night The Lord to ioy shall thee restore before the day be light The Lord is kind and mercifull when sinners doe him grieue The slowest to conceiue a wrath and readiest to forgiue And looke what pitie parents deare vnto their children beare Like pitie beares the Lord to such as worship him in feare The Lord that made me knowes my shape my mould and fashion iust How weake and fraile my nature is and how I am but dust O God create in me an heart vnspotted in thy sight And eke within my bowels Lord renue a stable spright With thy free spirit confirme thou me and I will teach therefore Sinners thy waies and wicked shall be turned to thy lore My soule is rauisht with desire and neuer is at rest But seekes to know thy iudgements hie and what may please thee best O would to God it might thee please my waies so to addresse That I might both in heart and voyce thy lawes keepe and confesse In righteousnes I doe intend my time and daies to serue Haue mercie Lord and me defend so that I doe not swerue And with thy sauing health O Lord vouchsafe to visit me That I the great felicitie of thine elect may see And with thy peoples ioy I may a ioyfull minde possesse And may with thine inheritance a glorying heart expresse The Lord the God of Israel be blest for euermore Let all the people say Amen praise ye the Lord therefore FINIS A TREATISE TENDING VNTO A DECLARATION WHETHER A MAN BE IN THE ESTATE OF DAMNATION OR IN THE ESTATE OF GRACE and if he be in the first how he may in time come out of it if in the second how he may discerne it and perseuer in the same to the ende Reuiewed and corrected by the Author The points that are handled be set downe in the page following 2. Pet. 1. vers 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye doe these things ye shall neuer fall Printed for I. P. and I. L. 1600. The Contents of the booke How farre a Reprobate may goe in Christian Religion The estate of a true Christian in this life which also sheweth howe farre the elect beeing called goe beyond all reprobates in Christianitie A Dialogue to the same purpose gathered out of the sauorie writings of Master Tindall and Bradford Howe a reprobate may performe all the religion of the Church of Rome The conflicts betweene Satan and a Christian. How the word of God is to be applied aright vnto the conscience Consolations for the troubled consciences of weake Christians A Declaration of certaine spirituall Desertions TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND MY CHISTIAN FRIEND MASTER Valentine Knightly Esquire one of her Maiesties Iustices of peace in Northampton shiere SIr I pray you consider with me an especiall point of Gods word carefully to be waied it is this Many professors of Christ in the day of grace perswade themselues that they are in the estate of grace and so the true Church esteemeth of them too yet when the day of grace is past they contrariwise shall finde themselues to be in the estate of daÌ„nation remedilesse A dolefull case yet a most resolute trueth and the reason is plaine Men that liue in the Church are greatly annoyed with a fearefull securite and deadnes of heart by which it comes to passe that they thinke it enough to make a common protestation of the faith not once in all their life times examining themselues whether they be in the estate of grace before the eternall God or not And indeede it is a grace peculiar to the man Elect to trie himselfe whether he be in the estate of grace or not The further opening of the trueth of this point as also the daunger of it I haue enterprised in this treatise which I am willing to bestow on you both for the profession of the faith which you make as also for that Christian friendship you haue shewed to me Accept of it I pray you and vse it for your edification Thus I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that is able to builde you vp further and giue you an inheritance among them which are sanctified From Cambridge this 24. of Nouember 1589. Your Worships to command William Perkins To the Christian Reader GOod Reader it is a thing to be considered that a man may seeme both vnto himselfe and to the Church of God to be a true professour of the Gospel and yet indeede be none All professors that be of this sort are excellently described Luk. 8. vers 13. in thesâ— words And they which are vpon the stony grouÌ„d are they which when they shal heare receiue the word with ioy but hauing no roote beleeue for a time in the time of temptation goe away Where are to be noted three things First their faith in that they are said to beleeue for a season Secondly the fruits of that faith in that they are said to receiue the word preached with ioy Thirdly their vnsoundnesse in that they are compared to stony ground and in the time of temptation goe away Concerning their faith wheras the spirit of God saith that they doe beleeue these things are to be considered First that they haue the knowledge of the word of God Secondly that they both can and doe gâ—ue assent vnto the word of God that it is most true Thirdly
no doubt because through the dulnesse of his heart he cannot trie and examine himselfe therfore truly cannnot discerne of his estate whether he be in Christ or not and it may be thought that Sathan is readie with some false perswasion to deceiue him For this is his propertie that vpon whome God threatneth death there Sathan is bold to pronounce life and saluation as on the contrarie to those to whome God pronounceth loue and mercie to those I say he threatneth displeasure and damnation such malice hath he against Gods children XXXI And hereby it commeth to passe that an hypocrite may be in the visible Church and obey it in the word and discipline so be taken for a true member of Christ when as a man indeed regenerate may be excommunicate and end his life before he be receiued againe for this is the end of excommunication that the flesh that is the part vnregenerate may be destroyed and the spirit that is the part regenerate may be kept aliue in the day of the Lord. Now the man in whome is spirit and flesh must needes be the childe of God because this argueth that he hath the sanctifying spirit of Christ. Againe Paul when he biddeth the Corinthians to comfort the incestious man least through the sleight of Sathan he should be ouerwhelmed of ouer much heauines giueth men to vnderstand that he might haue ended his life in great extremitie of sorrowe before he had beene visibly receiued into the Church againe XXXII Though God will neuer adopt any reprobate yet by the adoption of the elect they may receiue profit For they find the blessing of God to be on them by reason that they dwel together haue societie with the children of God For Noahs sake euery one in his family is saued in the flood For lots cause the men of Zoar are preserued froÌ„ the fire And God would haue spared Sodom if there had bin but ten good men in it For Rahabs cause her family and kindred are at libertie in Iericho When Ioseph was in Putiphars house al things prospered well For Samuels cause the Israelites were deliuered from the Philistims And for Pauls cause they which were with him in the ship were preserued And againe a reprobate by meanes of the faith of either of his parents may be within Gods couenant and so may be made partaker of Baptisme one of the seales of the couenant For so God made his couenant with Abraham that he would be not onely his God but also the God of his seede after him which Paul expoundeth not of a few but of all nations Also he saith manifestly that those children either of whose parents are beleeuers are holy which holinesse is not inherent in their persons but onely outward and it is a spirituall prerogatiue graunted them of God in that he vouchsafeth them to be in his couenant whereby they are distinguished from the wicked and prophane men of the world XXXIII Besides this reprobates haue some prerogatiues of God as that lie is patient towards them that before he will destroy them he vseth many meanes to win them that they commonly spend all the daies of their liues in prosperitie insomuch that it is said of them in the Psalme that they goe in continual prosperitie vnto their death and pine not away as the children of God doe But after a certain time God in his iust iudgement hardneth their hearts blindeth the eyes of their minds he maketh their heads giddy with a spiritual drunkennes by the strength of their inward lusts as also by the effectuall opâ—ration of Satan they fall to open infidelitie contempt of Gods word and so run headlong to their own damnation and perish finally And in this they are like to hauks which so long as they liue are caried on the handes of noble men but when they are dead they are cast on the dunghill Iulian the Apostata was first a man learned and eloquent and professed the religion of Christ but afterward he fel and wrote a booke against the religion of Christ answered by Cyril on a time in a battell against the Persians was thrust into the bowells with a dart no man then knew how which dart he pulled out with his owne hand presently blood followed which as it gushed out he tooke it in his hand and flung it into the ayre saying Vicisti Galilâ—e vicisti O thou Galilean meaning Christ thou art the conquerour thou art the conquerour thus he ended his daies in blaspheming Christ whom he had professed The reason of this apostasie is euident Seede that is not deepely rooted in the earth at the beginning of the yeare springeth vp it is greene and bringeth forth leaues flowers and it may be some kind of fruit too when the heat of sommer commeth it parcheth the earth and the corne wanting deepe rooting and therfore wanting moysture withereth away Gods word is like seede which that it may bring forth fruit vnto euerlasting life it must be first receiued of the ground secondly it must be rooted the receiuing of it is when the minde vnderstandeth it and remembreth it he rooting of it is when being beleeued it pierceth to the heart and taketh hold of the affections This rooting is of two sorts the first is when the word rooteth but not deepe ynough as when the word is receiued into the minde and into the heart by the ioy of the heart but not with the residue of the affections The second is a deepe and liuely rooting of the word when the word is receiued into the minde and into the heart by the will and all the affections of the heart The first kind of rooting of the word befalleth to a reprobate who vnderstandeth and reioyceth in the promises of saluation yet he doth not put any confidence in them he can not rest in them he doth not reioyce that his name is written in the book of life he doth not work out his saluation with feare and trembling In a word his heart is in paâ—t softened to reioyce at the preaching of the word of God yet his heart is not opened as Lydias was nor enlarged as Dauid saith to imbrace the truth but the Elect he receiueth the word not onely into his mind least it should be only an imagination but also it is deepely rooted in his heart For 1 In sure confidence he resteth himselfe on Gods promise Rom. 8.38 Heb. 10.22 2 He hopeth and longeth to see the accomplishment of it 1. Thess. 1.10 3 He heartily loueth God for making such a promise to him in Christ. 1. Ioh. 4.10 4 He reioyceth in it and therefore doth meditate on it continually Luk. 10.20 Rom. 5.2 5 He hateth all doctrines which are against it 6 He is grieued when he doth any thing that may hinder the accomplishment of it Math. 26.75 7 He vseth the meanes to come to
children And where the spirit of Christ dwelleth there must needes be faith for Christ dwelleth in the hearts of the faithful by faith Therfore as Rebecca when she felt the Twins striue in her womb though it pained her yet shee knew both that shee had conceiued and that the children were quick in her so they who haue these motions and holy affections in them before mentioned may assure themselues that the spirit of god dwelleth in them and consequently that they haue faith though a weake faith XIX Examples of this small faith are euident in the Apostles who though they beleeued that Christ was the Sauiour of the world yet they were ignorant of his death and resurrection which are the cheife meanes of saluation After his resurrection they were ignorant of his ascension of his spiritual kingdome for they dreamed of an earthly kingdome and at his death they all fled from him and Peter fearefully denied him They being in this estate are not said to haue no faith but to be of little faith Another example we haue in Dauid who hauing continued a long space in his two great sinnes adulterie and murther was admonished thereof by Nathan the prophet beeing admonished he confessed his sinnes and straightway Nathan declared vnto him frō the Lord the forgiuenes of them Yet afterward Dauid humbleth himselfe as it appeareth in the 51. Psalme and praieth most earnestly for the forgiuenes of those and all other his sinnes euen as though it had not bin true that they were forgiuen as Nathan told him the reason is howsoeuer they were remitted before God yet Dauid at his first repenting of them felt none assurance in his heart of the forgiuenes of them onely he had a perswasion that they might be pardoned And therefore he vehemently desired and praied to the Lord to remit them and to sanctifie him anew This then being the least measure of faith it must be remembred that he who hath not attained to it hath as yet no sauing faith at all XX. The greatest measure of faith is a full perswasion of the mercie of God For it is the strength and ripenes of faith Rom. 4.20.21 Abraham not weake in faith but being strengthened in the faith was fully perswaded that he who had promised was able to doe it This full assurance is when a man can say with Paul I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And least any should thinke this saying is peculiar to Paul he testifieth of himselfe that for this cause he was receiued to mercie that he might be an example to them which after should beleeue in Christ to life eternall and the whole Church in the Cant◠vseth the same in effect saying Loue is as strong as death iealousie is as cruel as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame Much water cannot quench loue neither can the flouds drown it if a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue they would contemne it XXI No Christian attaineth to this full assurance at the first but in some continuance of time after that for a long space he hath kept a good conscience before God and before men and hath had diuers experiences of Gods loue and fauour towards him in Christ. This Paul declareth to the Romanes in afflictions God sheds abroad his loue in their hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen to them but how by degrees for from afflictions ariseth patience from patience commeth experience from experience hope and hope neuer maketh ashamed or disappointeth him of eternall life This is euident in Dauids practise Doubtles saith he kindnes and mercie shall follow me all the daies of my life and I shall liue a long season in the house of the Lord. Mark this his resolute perswasion and consider how he came vnto it namely by experience of Gods fauour at sundrie times and after sundrie manners For before he set downe this resolution he numbred vp diuerse benefits receiued of the Lord that he fedde him in greene pastures and led him by the refreshing waters of Gods word that he restoreth him and leadeth him in the paths of righteousnes that he strengtheneth him in great daungers euen of death and preserueth him that in despight of his enemies he enriched him with many benefits By meanes of all these mercies of God bestowed on him he came to be perswaded of the continuance of the fauour of God towardes him Againe Dauid saide before King Saul Let no mans heart faile because of Goliah Thy seruant will goe and fight with the Philistine And Saul said to Dauid Thou art not able to goe against this Philistine to fight with him for thou art but a boy and he is a man of warre from his youth Dauid answered that he was able to fight with and to slay the vncircumcised Philistine And the ground of his perswasion was taken from experience for thus he saide Thy seruant kept his fathers sheepe and there came a Lyon and likewise a Beare and tooke a sheepe out of the flocke and I went out after him and smote him and tooke it out of his mouth and when he arose against me I caught him by the beard and smote him and slew him So thy seruant slew both the Lyon and the Beare therefore this vncircumcised Philistine shal be as one of thē seeing he hath rayled on the hoast of the liuing God The like proceeding must be in matters concerning eternall life Little Dauid resembleth euery Christian Goliah and the armie of the Philistines resembleth Sathan and his power He therefore that will be resolued that he shall be able to ouercome the gates of hell and attaine to life euerlasting must long keepe watch and ward ouer his owne heart and he must fight against his owne rebellious flesh and crucifie it yea he must haue experiences of Gods power strengthening him in many temptations before he shall be fully assured of his attaining to the kingdome of heauen XXII Thus much concerning faith it selfe now follow the fruits and benefits of faith By meanes of this speciall faith the Elect are truly ioyned vnto Christ and haue an heauenly communion and fellowship with him and therefore doe in some measure inwardly feele his holy spirit moouing and stirring in them as Rebecca felt the Twins to stirre in her wombe Christ is as the head in the bodie euery beleeuer as a member of the same bodie now as the head giueth sense and motion to the members and the members feele themselues to haue sense and to mooue by meanes of the head so doth Christ Iesus reuiue and quicken euery true beleeuer and
is full of botches blaines and sores but much more are those men to be abhorred which haue lien many yeares starke dead in sinnes and trespasses and therefore now doe nothing els but rot and stinke in them like vgly loathsome carrions Secondly he which is no Christian is vnder the power of darknes hauing Sathan for his prince and god and giuing vnto him in token of homage his best parts euen his minde and conscience to be his dwelling place and his whole conuersation is nothing els but a perpetuall obedience to Sathan If Atheists and worldlings and carnall gospellers were perswaded of the truth of this as it is most true it would make them howle and crie though now they liue at ease without feeling any prick of conscience for sinne And if they had but the least sense of it in the world it would make their flintie hearts to bleede and it would make them shed riuers of teares But how long shall they continue in this vile estate Truly vntill they come to Christ awake therefore thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shal giue thee light open thine heart to receiue Christ and then he will come and binde the strongâ— man Sathan and cast him out and dwell in thee himselfe Thirdly he which is no Christian is in daunger of all the iudgements of God so that euery moment some of them may befall him He may perish sodainly by water with the old world he may be consumed with fire and brimstone with Sodom and Gomorrha he may be swallowed vp of the earth with Dathan and Abiram he may hang himselfe with Iudas he may haue his braines dashed against the ground and be eaten vp of dogges with Iesabel he may die in hardnesse of heart with Pharao he may despaire with Caine and Iudas he may be stricken with sodaine death with Ananias and Saphira his wife he may be eaten of wormes with Herod he may be smitten with trembling that he cannot heare Gods word with Foelix he may voide his guttes at the stoole with Arius he may crie at his death that he is damned with Latomus he may be left vnto himselfe to mocke blaspheme and renounce Christ with Iuhan and he may suffer many more fearefull iudgements whereof the Lord hath great store and all tend to the confounding of them which will not be humbled vnder his hand Contrariwise the true christian is so farre out of the reach of Gods iudgements that they cannot hurt him Christ is a couering and a cloud against the heate and tempest of Gods iudgements when a mans heart is sprinkled with the bloode of this immaculate Lambe all the the plagues of God passe ouer him In the destruction of Ierusalem the righteous beare a marke in their foreheads and are saued Therefore let him that hath regard to his owne safetie become a Christian. Thirdly the man which is no Christian is in daunger of eternall death and damnation in hell fire and they which fall into this estate it had beene tenne thousand fold better for them if they had neuer bin borne for they are quite separated from the presence of God and from his glorie all the company they haue is with the deuill and his angels Their bodies and soules are tormented with infinite horror and anguish arising of the feeling of the whole wrath of God in which as into a bottomlesse sea they are plunged Thus they are alwaies dying and yet are neuer dead Furthermore the length of this torment must be considered which greatly aggrauates the paine If a man might be deliuered from the paines of hell when he had suffered them so many yeares as there be droppes in the sea or little sands in the whole earth it were some comfort but after that those yeares be expired there shall come no release but the damned shall continue in shriking yelling and gnashing of teeth enduring the consuming heate of Gods wrath without any ende for euer and euer Yea to goe further a wicked man carrieth an hell about him in this life namely an euill conscience which if it be neuer so little touched with any part of Gods anger a man shall feele himselfe to haue euen the pangs of hell in his heart Now therefore they that would escape out of this hellish and damnable estate while they haue time let them pray for the pardon of their sins in Christ and walke according to the spirit in newnes of life and then they may assure themselues that there is no condemnation can belong to them And it must be alwaies remembred that he which would liue when he is dead must die while he is aliue namely to sinne And againe he which would rise to eternall life in the day of iudgement must rise from sinne before he die vnto newnesse of life The fourth reason God hath appointed vnto euery man that liueth in the Church a certaine time of repentance and of comming to Christ. And hee which mispendeth that time and is not made a christian then can neuer be saued This made our Sauiour Christ weepe for Ierusalem and say O if thou hadst knowne at the least in this thy day those things which belong to thy peace but now are they hidden from thine eyes And he further signifieth the destruction of Ierusalem because shee knew not the time of her visitation Againe the neglecting of this time is one cause why not one or two but many shall seeke to enter into the kingdome of heauen and yet shal not be able It is a marueilous thing that they which seeke to be saued should perish but the fault is theirs which seeke when it is too late Now therefore thou secure worldling thy conscience telleth thee that thou hast not yet repented and that thou art not as yet a liuely member of Iesus Christ. And thou knowest further that howsoeuer thou art aliue at this time yet thou hast no lease of thy life God may call thee forth of this world the next yeare the next weeke the next houre yea he may strike thee with sudden death at this very present And in very truth if thou goest forth of this world being no repentant sinner thou goest damned to hell Wherefore delay not one minut of an houre longer but with all speed repent and turne vnto God and bring forth fruits worthie of amendment of life that all thy sinnes may be done away when the day of death or the day of iudgement shall be And doe not thinke with thy selfe that it shall be sufficient to deferre thy turning vnto God till the last ende For late repentance is seldome true repentance And he which continueth long in any sinne is in a dangerous case If a man lie long in any disease he will scarce recouer his former health and he which is growne in the custome of any sinne and the sinne is become ripe in him it is a thousand to one
euill Feelest thou that thy rebellious flesh carrieth thee captiue vnto sinne Looke now onely vpon the lawe of God applie it to thy selfe examine thy thoughts thy words thy deeds by it pray vnto God that he would giue thee the spirit of feare that the lawe may in some measure humble and terrifie thee for as Salomon saith blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but cursed is he that hardneth his heart IV. In the Law these are most effectuall meditations to humble and bridle the flesh which follow First meditate on the greatnes of thy sinnes and of their infinite number and if it may be gather them into a catalogue set it before thee and looke vnto it that thou thinke no sinne to be a small sinne no not the bare thoughts and motions of thy heart Often with diligence consider the strange iudgements of God vpon men for their sinnes which thou shalt find partly in the Scriptures partly by daily experience Doubtlesse thou must thinke that euery iudgement of God is a sermon of repentance Thinke oft on the fearefull curse of the law due vnto thee if thou shouldest sinne neuer but once in all thy life and that neuer so little Remember that whensoeuer thou committest a sinne God is present and his holy Angels and that he is an eye-witnes that he taketh a note of thy sinne and registreth it in a booke Thinke daily of thy ende and know that God may strike thee with sodaine death euery moment and that if then thou haue not repented before that time there is no hope of saluation Thinke on the sodaine comming of our Sauiour Christ to iudgement let it mooue thee continually to watch pray If these will not mooue thee thinke on this that no creature in heauen or in earth was able to pacifie the wrath of God for thy sinnes but his owne Sonne must come downe from heauen out of his Fathers bosome and must beare the curse of the law euen the full wrath of his Father for thee V. When by these meanes thou art feared and thy minde is disquieted in respect of Gods iudgement for thy sinne haue recourse to the promises of mercie contained in the olde and new Testament Is thy conscience stung with sinne And doth the law make thee feele it With all speede runne to the brasen serpent Christ Iesus looke on him with the eie of faith and presently thou shalt be healed of thy sting or wound VI. When thou doest meditate on the promises of the Gospel diligently consider these benefits which thou enioyest by Christ. Through Adam thou art condemned to hel by Christ thou art deliuered from it Through Adam thou hast transgressed the whole law in Christ thou hast fulfilled it Through Adam thou art before God a vile and a lothsome sinner through Christ thou doest appeare glorious in his eyes By Adam euery little crosse is the punishment of thy sinne and a token of Gods wrath by Christ the greatest crosses are easie profitable and tokens of Gods mercie By Adam thou diddest leese all things in Christ all things are restored to thee againe By Adam thou art dead by Christ thou art quickned and made aliue again By Adam thou art a slaue of the deuill and the child of wrath but by Christ thou art the child of God In Adam thou art worse then a toad and more detestable before God but by Christ thou art aboue the Angels For thou art ioyned vnto him and made bone of his bone mystically Through Adam sinne and Sathan haue ruled in thee and led thee captiue by Christ the spirit of god dwelleth in thee plenteouslie By Adam came death to thee and it is an entrance to hell by Christ though death remaine yet it is only a passage vnto life Lastly in Adā thou art poore and blind and miserable in Christ thou art rich and glorious thou art a king of heauen an earth fellow heire with him and shalt as sure bee partaker of it as he is euen now Adam when hee must needs tast of the fruit which God had forbidden him he hath made vs all to rue it euen til this daie but here thou seest the fruits that grow not in the earthly paradise but on the tree of life which is within the heauenly Ierusalem Feare no danger be bolde in Christ to eate of the fruite as God hath commaunded thee it will quicken thee and reuiue thee beeing dead thou canst not doe Satan a worse displeasure then to feede on the godly fruite of this tree and to smell on the sweete leaues which it beareth continually that giue such a refreshing sauour VII Most men now a daies are secure and cold in the profession of the gospell though they haue the plentifull preaching of it And the reason is because they feele not in themselues the vertue and mightie operation of Gods word to renue them and they can not feele it because they doe not applie the word aright vnto their owne soules Plaisters except they be applied in order and time and be laid vpon the wound though they be neuer so good yet they can not heale and so it is with the worde of God and the parts of it which except they be vsed in order and time conuenient will not humble and reuiue vs as their vertue is VIII The common Christian euery where is faultie in this thing Whereas he loueth himselfe and wisheth all good that may bee to himselfe hee doth vsually apply vnto his owne soule the gospel alone neuer regarding the law or searching out his sinnes by it Tell him what ye will his song is this God is mercifull God is mercifull By this meanes it commeth to passe that he leadeth a secure life and maketh no conscience of couetousnes of vsurie of deceit in his trade of lying of swearing of fornication wantonnesse intemperancie in bibbing and quaffing c. But he plaieth the vnskilfull Chirurgian he vseth healing plaisters before his poisoned and cankered nature haue felt the power and paine of a Corasiue And it will neuer be well with him vntil hee take a newe course IX On the contrarie part many good Christians leaue to apply the comfort of the gospel to themselues and onely haue regard to their owne sinnes and Gods infinite vengeance And euen when Satan accuseth them they will not sticke to giue eare to Sathan also accuse themselues so they are brought into fearefull terrors and often draw neere to desperation X. There is a third sort called Sectaries who addict themselues to the opinion of some man These commonly neuer apply the law or the Gospell to themselues but their whole meditation is chiefly in the opinions of him whome they followe As they that followe Luther fewe of them followe his Christian life they regard not that but about consubstantiation and vbiquitie about Images and such like trumperie they infinitely trouble themselues and all Europe too And in England there is a schismatical
not beseeming him a sinne of all other to be detested Reasons I. A blasphemer is viler then the rest of the creatures for they praise God in their kind and shew forth his power goodnesse and wisdome but he dishonoureth God in his wretched speech II. He is as the madde dogge that flieth in his masters face who keepeth him and giueth him bread III. Custome in blasâ—hemies sheweth a man to be the child of the deuill and no child of God as yet A father lying on his death bedde called the three children to him which he kept and told them that one only of them was his owne sonne and that the rest were onely brought vp by him therefore vnto him he gaue all his goods but which of these was his naturall sonne he would not in any wise declare When he was deade euery one of the three children pleaded that he was the sonne and therefore that the goods were his The matter beeing brought before a Iudge could not be ended but the Iudge was constrained to take this course he caused the dead corpes of the father to be set vp against a tree and commaunded the three sonnes to take bowes and arrowes and to shoote against their father and to see who could come neerest the heart The first and second did shoote at their father and did hiâ—â—e him the third was angrie with both the other through naturall affection of a child to a father and refused to shoote This done the Iudge gaue sentence that the two first were no sonnes but the third onely and that he should haue the goods The like triall may be vsed to know who be Gods children Such persons with whome blaspheming is rife are very deuills incarnate and the children of the deuill who rende God in pieces and shoote him through with their darts as it is said of the Egyptian when he blasphemed that he smote or pierced through Gods Name Magistrates and rulers seuerally punish such as shall abuse their names and they doe it iustly how much more then should blasphemers of Gods name escape without great punishment Againe here we must be warned to take heede of that customable swearing and also of periurie It is a very straunge sinne for the periuried person doth not onely sinne himselfe but withall he endeauoureth to intangle God in the same sinne with himselfe Further take heede least thou dost either make or recite the iests which are contriued out of the phrases of Scripture which are very many and very vsually rehearsed in companie The oyle wherewith the tabernacle and the arke of the Testament and the Priests were annointed was holy and therefore no man might put it to any other vses as to annoint his owne flesh therewith or to make the like vnto it Pilate a poore Painym when he heard the name of the Sonne of God was afraid and we much more ought to tremble at the word of God not to make our selues merrie with it And therefore the scoffing of Iulian the Apostata is very fearefull who was wont to reach Christians boxes on the eare and withall bid them turne the other and obey their masters commandement Whosoeuer shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also And he denied pay and like reward to his souldiers that were Christians because he said he would make them fit for the kingdome of heauen considering that Christ had said Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Here also men must learne to take heede of all maner of charmes and enchantments which commonly are nothing els but words of Scripture or such like vsed for the curing of paines and diseases both in men and beasts As for example the first words of S. Iohns Gospel In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God c. are vsed to be written in a paper and hung about mens necks to cure agues But the truth is such kind of practises are deuillish Patrons of charmes hold that in such words as are either diuine or barbarous is much efficacie But whence is this efficacie from God from men or from the deuill If it shall be saide from God we must know that the word vsed in holy manner is the instrument of God to conuey vnto vs spirituall blessings as faith regeneration repentance but it doth not serue to bring vnto vs corporall health Well then belike words take vertue from the speaker and are made powerfull by the streÌ„gth of his imagination Indeed of this opinion are some Phisitians as Avicenna and Paracelsus who thinke that phantasie is like to the sunne which worketh on all things to which his beames doe come and the latter that by imagination miracles may be wrought But this opinion is fond and the reasons alledged for it are without weight For imaginations are no things but shadows of things And as an image of a man in a glasse hath no power in it but onely serues to resemble and represent the bodie of a man so it is with the phantasie and conceit of the mind and no otherwise And if imagination haue any force it is onely within the spirits and humours of a mans own bodie but to giue force to worke in the bodies of others it can not no more then the shadow of one bodie can ordinarily cure the bodie of another on which it lighteth Wherefore words vsed in the way of bodily cure be they in themselues neuer so good are no better then the deuills sacraments and when they are vsed of blinde people he it is that comming vnder hand worketh the cure and by turning himselfe into an angel of light deludes theÌ„ But it were better for a man to die a thousand times then to vse such remedies which in curing the bodie destroy the soule Lastly auoide all imprecations and cursings either against men or other creatures for God in iudgement to punish such cursed speaking often brings to passe such imprecations as may appeare in the Iewes who at the arraignment of Christ cried saying His blood be vpon vs and vpon our children which imprecation is verified vpon them till this day At Newburge in Germanie a certaine mother cursed her sonne saying Get thee away I would thou mightest neuer come againe aliue the very same day he went into the water and was drowned Againe a mother brought her child to the Vniuersitie of Wittenberge by reason he was possessed with an vncleane spirit beeing demaunded how it came to passe shee answered in the hearing of many that in her anger shee said The deuill take thee and thereupon presently the child was possessed And in our countrey men often wish the plague the poxe the pestilence to their children their seruants their cattell and often it falls out accordingly In the daies of king Edward certaine English souldiers as I am certenly informed by a witnesse then present being by a tempest cast vpon the sands on the
Honour thy father and thy mother that they may prolong thy daies Now they prolong the childrens daies by praying to God for blessings on them and by such like duties It is an vse in all places when a man neeseth to salute him by saying Christ helpe you But there is no cause why the words should then be vsed more then at another time The reasons are I. it is an olde custome fetched from the Gentiles before Christ and hath no ground at all for they vsed with the like wordes to wish men health because they thought neesing to be a sacred and holy thing and because some take it to be a signe of vnhappie and euill successe which indeed is otherwise II. If there be any daunger in the braine before neesing when a man hath neesed the danger is past as learned physitians teach therefore there is no cause of the vsing such words then more then at coughing Against the practise of saluting each other some things may be obiected 1. Ioh. epist. 2. vers 10. If there come any vnto you and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither bidde him God speede Answer This place doth not forbid common ciuilitie and curtesie of man to man but onely familiaritie and acquaintance with heretickes yea such acquaintance and familiaritie as may seeme to giue approbation and applause to their badde proceedings II. Elisha sending Gehazi his seruant to lay his staffe on the dead childe of the Sunamite bad him if he met any not to salute them and if they spake to him not to answer them 2. King 4.29 And whē our Sauiour Christ sent his Disciples to preach in Iudea he had them to salute no man by the way Luk. 10.4 Answ. The intent of these two places is not to forbid men to salute others but rather to inioyne Gehazi and the Disciples of Christ onely to omit for that time the practise of the duties of common curtesie so farre forth as they might hinder or delay the performance of weightier affaires Our answers must be soft that anger be neither kindled nor increased A soft answer putteth away wrath but grieuous words stirre vp anger Nabal by churlish language prouoked Dauid to wrath but Abigail by the contrarie appeased him Gedeon spake gently to the men of Ephraim when they were angrie against him and appeased them For the text saith When he had thus spoken then their spirits abated towardes him Therefore Salomon saith well A ioy commeth to a man by the answer of his mouth but how good is a word in due season Now if any shall raile on vs our dutie is not to raile againe Blesse them that persecute you blesse I say and curse not Be courteous not rendring euill for euill neither rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that ye be thereunto called that you should be heyres of blessing This thing was notably practised by Dauid Psal. 109.4 For my friendship they were mine aduersaries but I gaue my selfe to prayer And therefore in this case either silence is to be vsed or at the most onely a iust and manifest defence of our innocencie to be made Ezechias commaunded the people to be silent and not to say any thing to the speech of Rabsachai now flattering now threatning When Eli spake hardly of Anna and bad her put away her drunkennes shee answered Nay my lord I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue neither drunke wine nor strong drinke but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. Thus Ioseph cleares himselfe saying I haue done nothing wherefore they should put me in the dungeon And Daniel to Nabuchodonosor Vnto thee O King haue I done no hurt And our Sauiour Christ when the Iewes said vnto him Say we not true that thou art a Samaritane and hast a deuill answered I haue not a deuill but I honour my father and ye haue dishonoured me And Paul beeing to make an Apologie for himselfe beginnes thus Men and brethren I haue in all good conscience serued God vnto this day Now when a man hath thus cleared himselfe though his owne word in his owne behalfe take no effect yet let him patiently commit his cause to God who in time will manifest the truth and bring it to light as Dauid did Iudge me O God saith he for I haue walked in min◠innocencie And againe The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him but the Lord will not leaue him in his hand nor condemne him when he is iudged Meekenes in reproofe is when any shall admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment with the like moderation that Chirurgeons vse who beeing to set the arme or legge that is forth of ioynt handle it so tenderly that the patient shall skant feele when the bone falls in againe This counsell Paul giueth Brethren if any man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one or set him in ioynt againe with the spirit of meeknes This was practised by Abraham towards Lot when their heardmen were at variance saying Let there be I pray thee no strife between thee me neither between mine heardmen and thine for we are brethren And this is done foure waies First when we reproue a man generally as Nathan did Dauid by a parable Secondly when in the roome of a reproofe we put an exhortation in the exhortation insinuating an oblique reproofe as when a man shall sweare in his talke I shall not neede alwaies to say Ye do very il to sweare and so to dishonour God but I wil lap it vp in the forme of an exhortation as pills are lapt in sugar by saying Yea and nay yea and nay shall serue among vs. Rebuke not an elder but exhort him as a father and young men as brethrē saith Paul to Timothie Thirdly when the reproofe is propounded in a mans own person as though he were faultie which reprooueth Paul practised this Now these things brethren saith he I haue figuratiuely applied to mine owne selfe and Apollos for your sakes that yee might learne by vs that no man presume aboue that which is written Fourthly when the fault is directly reprooued but yet partly with prefaces that we doe it of loue that we wish well to the partie that we speake as considering our selues that wee also are in danger of the same fault and partly by framing the reproofe out of the worde of God that the partie may see himselfe rather to be reprooued by God then by vs after this maner the inferiour may admonish his superiour especially when there is no other way of redresse and he is to listen yeelding himselfe tractable Naaman is aduised by his seruant who said Father if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing wouldst thou not haue done it howe much rather then when he saith to thee Wash be cleane Then went he downe
brimstone from heauen by the foolish virgines who were sleeping when they should haue beene furnishing their lampes and were shut from the marriage of the lambe And to direct thee somewhat in the practise of repentance I haue penned this small treatise vse it for thy benefit and see thou be a doer of it vnlesse thou wilt be a wilfull murderer and shed the blood of thine owne soule And whereas there haue beene published heretofore in English two sermons of Repentance one by M. Bradford Martyr the other by M. Arthur Dent sermons indeed which haue doone much good my meaning is not to adde therunto or to teach any other doctrine but onely to renew and reuiue the memorie of that which they haue taught Neither let it trouble thee that the principall Diuines of this age whome in this treatise I follow may seeme to be at diffeeence in treating of repentance For some make it a fruit of faith containing two parts Mortification and Viuification some make faith a part of it by deuiding it into contrition faith newe obedience some make it all one with regeneration The difference is not in the substance of doctrine but in the logical manner of handling it And the difference of handling ariseth of the diuers acception of repentance It is taken two waies generally and particularly Generally for the whole conuersion of a sinner and so it may containe contrition faith new obedience vnder it and be confounded with regeneration It is taken particularly for the renouation of the life and behauiour and so it is a fruit of faith And this onâ—ly sense doe I follow in this treatise I haue added hereto a few lines of the combat betweene the flesh and the spirit because repentance and this combat are ioyned togither and the one is not practised without the other as appeares by resoluing Psalme 51. Spirit Haue mercie on me O God according to thy louing kindnes Flesh. Yea but this thine adulterie comprehends infinite sinnes therefore looke for no pardon Spirit According to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities Flesh. This sinne hath taken such deepe place in thee that it will be hardly pardoned Spirit Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie and clense me from my sinne Flesh. Thy speciall trespasse is against man Spirit Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned Flesh. Except this one sinne thy life is vnblameable Spirit Behold I was borne in iniquitie c. Yea the best man that is in the practise of godlines often appeares to be vnlike himselfe and the cause is this spirituall combat The flesh otherwhiles makes him wayle and mourne and goe drooping presently after the spirit puts into him as we say the heart of gresse and makes him triumph against the flesh the deuill the world Moses was couragious at the red sea but he failed at the waters of strife Iob first praiseth God and afterward blasphemeth Dauid is often fainting in miserie yet by and by reuiued Wherefore there is good cause why the consideration of repentance and the combat should goe togither that no man after he hath begun to repent might dreame of ease to his flesh as though we should goe to heauen in beds of doune but rather that we might be resolued that when we begin to doe any thing pleasing vnto God then we must looke for nothing but continuall molestation from our vile and wicked natures Written Anno 1593. the 17. of Nouember which is the Coronation day of 〈◊〉 dread Soueraigne Queene ELIZABETH whose raigne God long 〈◊〉 William Perkins CHAP. I. What Repentance is REpentance is a worke of grace arising of a godly sorrow whereby a man turnes from all his sinnes vnto God and brings forth fruits worthie amendment of life I call Repentance a worke because it seemes not to be a qualitie or vertue or habit but an action of a repentant sinner Which appeares by the sermons of the Prophets and Apostles which runne in this tenour Repent turne to God amend your liues c. Whereby they intimate that Repentance is a worke to be done Againe Repentance is not euery kind of worke but a worke of grace because it can not be practised of any but of such as be in the estate of grace Reasons are these I. No man can repent vnlesse he first hate sinne and loue righteousnes and none can hate sinne vnlesse he be sanctified and he that is sanctified is iustified and he that is iustified must needes haue that faith which vnites him to Christ and makes him bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Wherefore he that repents is iustified and sanctified and made a member of Christ by faith II. He that turnes to God must first of all be turned of God and after that we are turned then we repent Surely after I was conuerted I repented and after that I was instructed I smote vpon my thigh I was ashamed yea euen confounded because I did beare the reproch of my youth Some may obiect that repentance goes before all grace because it is first preached The first sermon that euer was made was of repentance preached by God himselfe in Paradise to our first parents And euer since the sermons of all the Prophets and Apostles and of all faithfull ministers haue had repentance for their beginning and scope The answer hereto may be this If we respect the order of nature there be other graces of God which goe before repentance because a mans conscience must in some sort be setled touching his reconciliation with God in Christ before he can begin to repent Wherefore iustification and sanctification in order of nature goe before repentance But if we respect time grace and repentance are both together So soone as there is fire so soone it is hote and so soone as a man is regenerate so soone he repents If we respect the outward manifestation of these twaine repentance goes before all other graces because it first of all appeares outwardly Regeneration is like the sappe of the tree that lies hid within the barke repentance is like the budde that speedily shewes it selfe before either blossome leafe or fruit appeare yea all other graces of the heart which are needfull to saluation are made manifest by repentance And for this cause Repentance as I take it is first preached I adde further that repentance riseth of a godly sorrow in the heart as Paul teacheth Godly sorrow causeth repentance vnto saluation neuer to be repented of It is called a godly sorrow or a sorrow according to God that it may be distinguished from worldly sorrow which is a griefe arising of the apprehension of the wrath of God and other miseries as feare of men losse of good name calamities in goods and other things which in this life follow as punishments of sinne whereas the godly sorrow causeth griefe for sinne because it is sinne And it makes any man in whome it is to be of this disposition
he was This consideration may serue as an iron scourge to driue men from their wicked liues Chrysostome would haue men in their meetings in tavernes and feasts to talke of hell that by often thinking on it they might auoide it A graue and chast matrone being mooued to commit follie with a lewd ruffian after long discourse shee called for a panne of coales requesting him for her sake to holde his finger in them but one houre he answered that it was vnkinde request to whome shee replied that seeing he would not hold so much as one finger in a fewe coales for one small houre shee could not yeeld to doe the thing for which shee should be tormented bodie and soule in hell fire for euer And so should all men reason with themselues when they are about to sinne None will be brought to doe a thing that may make so much as their finger or tooth to ake if a man be but to snuffe a candle he will first spitte on his finger because he can not abide the heate of a small and tender flame Therefore we ought to haue great care to leaue our sinnes whereby we bring endlesse torment to bodie and soule in hell fire to which our fire is but yee in comparison CHAP. IX Of motiues Euangelicall EVangelicall Motiues are two especially The first is taken from the consideration of mans redemption He that redeemed mankind is God himselfe as Paul saith that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe Mans sinne is so vile and haynous in the eyes of God that no Angel nor creature whatsoeuer was able to appease the wrath of God for the least offence But the sonne of God himselfe must come downe from heauen and take mans nature on him and not onely that but he must also suffer the most accused death of the crosse and shed his most pretious heart bloode to satisfie the iustice of his Father in our behalfe If a father should be sicke of such a disease that nothing would heale him but the heart bloode of his owne child he would presently iudge his owne case to be dangerous and would also vow if euer he recouered to vse all meanes whereby he might auoid that disease So likewise seeing nothing could cure the deadly wound of our sinne but a plaister made of the heart blood of Christ it must make vs acknowledge our pitifull â—ase and the haynousnesse of the least of our sinnes and stirre vs vp to newnes of life Againe considering the end of the redemption wrought by Christ was to deliuer vs from our euill conuersation in sinne and vnrighteousnes we are not to continue and as it were lie bathing our selues in sinne for that were as if a prisoner after that he had bin ransomed and had his bolts taken off and were put out of the prison to goe whither he would should returne againe and desire to lie in the dungeon still The second motiue is that God hath made a promise to such as truly repent I. Of remission of sinnes Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes cease to doe euill c. Though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made as white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as wooll And Seeke the Lord while he may be found call vpon him while he is neere Let the wicked forsake his waies and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lord and he will haue mercie on him for he is very plentifull in forgiuing II. Of life euerlasting I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he repent and liue And Thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel Seeke ye me and ye shall liue III. Of mitigating or remoouing temporall calamities Stand in the court of the Lords house and speake vnto all the cities of Iudah c. If so be they will hearken and turne euery man from his euill way that I may repent me of the plague which I haue determined to bring vpon them because of the wickednes of their workes And If we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged that is afflicted with temporall punishments I ioyne with the remoouing of temporall calamities the mitigating of theÌ„ because they are not alwaies taken away when the partie repenteth After Dauids repentance the childe dieth and the sworde departes not from his house And the Prophet Micha brings in the people humbling themselues before God vnder a temporall punishment saying I will beare thy wrath because I haue sinned against thee And it is Gods pleasure that the chastisement shall remaine after the partie is reconciled to him that he may by that mearies be admonished of his sinne and be an example to others As God hath made these mercifull promises to penitent sinners so he hath faithfully performed them so soone as they haue but begun to repent Example of Dauid Then Dauid said vnto Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord And Nathan said to Dauid Thy sin is forgiuen thee Of Manasses When he was in tribulation he praied vnto the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the Lord God of his fathers and praied vnto him and God was intreated of him and heard his praier Of the Publicane The Publicane c. smote his breast saying O God be mercifull to me a sinner I tell you this man departed iustified to his house rather theÌ„ the other Of the thiefe He said vnto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest to thy kingdome Then Iesus said vnto him Verily I say vnto thee to day shalt thou be with me in paradise Hauing such notable promises made to Repentance no man is to drawe backe from the practise of it because of the multitude of his sinnes but rather to do it The Pharises said to Christs disciples Why eates your master with Publicans and sinners When Iesus heard it he said vnto them The whole neede not the phisition but they that are sicke And I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And Verily I say vnto you that Publicanes and harlots shall goe before you into the kingdome of God CHAP. X. Of the time of Repentance THe time of repentance is the time present without any delay at all as the holy Ghost saith To daie if ye will heare his voice And Exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinne Reasons hereof are these I. Life is vncertaine for no man knowes at what houre or moment and after what manner he shall goe foorth of this world Be ye also prepared therefore for the sonne of man will come at an houre when ye think not This one thing should make a man to hasten his repentance and the rather because many are dead who purposed with themselues to repent in time to come
himselfe as hee testifieth of himselfe in the prophet Esai I make peace and create euill Nowe euill is of three sortes naturall morall materiall Naturall euill is the destruction of that order which God set in euery creature by the creation Morall euill is the want of that righteousnesse and vertue which the lawe requires at mans hand and that is called sinne Materiall euill is any matter or thing which in it selfe is a good creature of God yet so as by reason of mans fall it is hurtfull to the health and life of man as henbane wolfebane hemlocke and all other poisons areâ— Nowe this saying of Esai must not be vnderstood of morall euills but of such as are either materiall or natural to the latter of which death is to be referred which is the destruction or abolishment of mans nature created The procurer of death is man not God in that man by his sinne and disobedience did pull vpon himselfe this punishment Therefore the Lord in Oseah O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thine helpe Against this it may bee obiected that man was mortall in the estate of innocency before the fall Answere The frame and composition of mans bodie considered in it selfe was mortall because it was made of water and earth and other elements which are of themselues alterable and changeable yet if wee respect that grace and blessing which God did vouchsafe mans bodie in his creation it was vnchangeable and immortall and so by the same blessing should haue continued if man had not fallen and man by his fall depriuing himselfe of this gift and blessing became euery way mortall Thus it appeares in part what death is yet for the better clearing of this point we are to consider the difference of the death of a man and of a beast The death of a beast is the totall and finall abolishment of the whole creature for the bodie is resolued to his first matter and the soule arising of the temperature of the bodie vanisheth to nothing But in the death of man it is otherwise For though the bodie for a time be resolued to dust yet must it rise againe in the last iudgement and become immortall and as for the soule it subsisteth by it selfe out of the bodie and is immortall And this beeing so it may be demaunded how the soule can die the second death Answ. The soule dies not because it is vtterly abolished but because it is as though it were not and it ceaseth to be in respect of righteousnesse and fellowship with God And indeede this is the death of all deaths when the creature hath subsisting and beeing and yet for all that is depriued of all comfortable fellowship with God The reason of this difference is because the soule of a man is a spirit or spirituall substance whereas the soule of a beast is no substance but a naturall vigour or qualitie and hath no beeing in it selfe without the bodie on which it wholly dependeth The soule of man contrariwise beeing created of nothing and breathed into the bodie and as well subsisting forth of it as in it The kindes of death are two as the kindes of life are bodily and spirituall Bodily death is nothing else but the separation of the soule from the bodie as bodily life is the coniunction of bodie and soule and this death is called the first because in respect of time it goes before the second Spirituall death is the separation of the whole man both in bodie and soule from the gracious fellowship of God Of these twaine the first is but an entrance to death and the second is the accomplishment of it For as the soule is the life of the bodie so God is the life of the soule and his spirit is the soule of our soules and the want of fellowship with him brings nothing but the endlesse and vnspeakable horrours and pangs of death Againe spirituall death hath three distinct and seuerall degrees The first is when a man that is aliue in respect of temporall life lies dead in sinne Of this degree Paul speakes when he saith But shee that liueth in pleasure is dead while shee liueth And this is the case of all men by nature who are children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses The second degree is the very ende of this life when the bodie is laid in the earth and the soule descends to the place of torment The third degree is in the day of iudgement when the bodie and soule meete againe and goe both to the place of the damned there to be tormented for euer and euer Hauing thus found the nature and differences and kinds of death it is more then manifest that the text in hand is to be vnderstood not of the spirituall but of the bodily death because it is opposed to the birth or natiuitie of man The words then must carrie this sense The time of bodily death in which the bodie and soule of man are seuered asunder it is better then the time in which one is brought into the world Thus much of the first point nowe followeth the second and that is howe this can be true which Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the daie of birth I make not this question to call the Scriptures into controuersie which are the trueth it selfe but I doe it for this ende that wee might without wauering bee resolued of this which Salomon auoucheth For there may be sundrie reasons brought to the contrarie Therefore let vs handle the question the reasons or obiections which may be alleadged to the contrarie may all bee reduced to sixe heades The first is taken from the opinion of wise men who thinke it the best thing of all neuer to be borne and the next best to die quickely Nowe if it bee the best thing in the worlde not to bee borne at all then it is the worst thing that can bee to die after a man is borne Answere There bee two sortes of men one that liue and die in their sinnes without repentance the other which vnfamedly repent and beleeue in Christ. Nowe this sentence may bee truely auouched of the first of whome wee may say as Christ said of Iudas It had beene good for him that hee had neuer beene borne But the saying applied to the second sort of men is false For to them that in this life turne to God by repentance the best thing of all is to be borne because their birth is a degree of preparation to happinesse and the next best is to die quickly because by death they enter into possession of the same their happinesse For this cause Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous Salomon in this place preferres the daie of death before the day of birth vnderstanding that death which is ioined with godly life or the death of the righteouâ— The second obiection is taken from the testimonies of Scripture Death is
man it preuailes with him and turnes him to God Furthermore when God will send his owne seruants to heauen hee sends thē a contrarie waie euen by the gates of hell and when it is his pleasure to make men depend on his fauour and prouidence hee makes them feele his anger and to be nothing in themselues that they may wholly depend vpon him and be whatsoeuer they are in him This point beeing well considered it is manifest that the child of God may passe to heauen by the very gulfes of hell The loue of God is like a sea into which when a man is cast hee neither feeles bottome nor sees banke I conclude therefore that despaire whether it arise of weaknes of nature or of conscience of sinne though it fall out about the time of death can not preiudice the saluation of them that are effectually called As for other strange euents which fall out in death they are the effects of diseases Rauings and blasphemings arise of the disease of melancholie and of frensies which often happen at the ende of burning feauers the choller shooting vp to the braine The writhing of the lips the turning of the necke the buckling of the ioyntes and the whole bodie proceede of crampes and convulsions which follow after much euacuation And whereas some in sicknesse are of that strength that three or foure men cannot holde them without bondes it comes not of witchcrafts and possessions as people commonly thinke but of choller in the vaines And whereas some when they are dead become as blacke as pitch as Bonner was it may arise by a bruise or an impostume or by the blacke iaundise or by the putrefaction of the liuer and it doeth not alwaies argue some extraordinarie iudgement of God Nowe these and the like diseases with their Symptomes and straunge effects though they shal depriue man of his health and of the right vse of the parts of his bodie and of the vse of reason too yet they cannot depriue his soule of eternall life And all sinnes procured by violent diseases and proceeding from repentant sinners are sins of infirmitie for which if they know them come againe to the vse of reason they will further repent if not they are pardoned and buried in the death of Christ. And we ought not so much to stand vpon the strangenes of any mans ende when we know the goodnesse of his life for we must iudge a man not by his death but by his life And if this be true that strange diseases and thereupon strange behauiours in death may befall the best man that is wee must learne to reforme our iudgements of such as lie at the point of death The common opinion is that if a man lie quietly and goe away like a lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any man may doe then he goes straight to heauen but if the violence of the disease stirre vp impatience and cause in the partie franticke behauiours then men vse to say there is a iudgement of God seruing either to discouer an hypocrit or to plague a wicked man But the trueth is otherwise For indeede a man may die like a lambe and yet go to hell and one dying in exceeding torments and straunge behauiours of the bodie may goe to heauen And by the outward condition of any man either in life or death wee are not to iudge of his estate before God The fifth obiection is this When a man is most neare death then the deuill is most busie in temptation and the more men are assaulted by Satan the more dangerous troublesome is their case And therefore it may seeme that the day of death is the worst daie of all Ans. The condition of Gods childrē in death is twofold Some are not tempted and some are Some I say are not tempted as Simeon who when he had seene Christ brake forth said Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace c. foresignifying no doubt that he should ende his daies in all manner of peace As for them which are tempted though their case be verie troublesome and perplexed yet their saluation is not further off by reason of the violence and extremitie of temptation For God is then present by the vnspeakeable comfort of his spirit and when wee are most weake he is most strong in vs because his manner is to shew his power in weaknesse And for this cause euen in the time of death the deuill receiues the greatest foile when he lookes for the greatest victorie The sixth obiection is this Violent and sudden death is a grieuous curse of all euils which befall man in this life none is so terrible therefore it may seeme that the day of suddaine death is most miserable Ans. It is true indeed that suddaine death is a curse and a grieuous iudgement of God and therefore not without cause feared of men in the world yet all things considered we ought more to be afraide of an impenitent and euill life then of suddaine death For though it be euil as death it selfe in his owne nature is yet we must not thinke it to be simplie euill because it is not euill to all men nor in all respects euill I say it is not euill to all men considering that no kinde of death is euill or a curse vnto them that are in Christ who are freed from the whole curse of the Law And therefore the holy Ghost saith Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their Labour whereby is signified that they which depart this life beeing members of Christ enter into euerlasting happinesse of what death soeuer they die yea though it be suddaine death Againe I say that suddaine death is not euill in all respects For it is not euill because it is suddaine but because it commonly takes men vnprepared and by that means makes the day of death a blacke day and as it were a very speedie downfall to the gulfe of hell Otherwise if a man be readie and prepared to die suddaine death is in effect no death but a quicke and speedie entrance to eternall life These obiections beeing thus answered it appeares to be a manifest truth which Salomon saith that the day of death is better indeede then the day of birth Now I come to the third point in which the reasons and respects are to be considered that make the day of death to surpasse the day of a mans birth and they may all be reduced to this one namely that the birth day is an entrance into all woe and miserie whereas the day of death ioyned with godly and reformed life is an entrance or degree to eternall life Which I make manifest thus Eternall life hath three degrees one in this life when a man can truly say that he liues not but that Christ liues in him and this all men can say that repent and beleeue and are iustified and sanctified and haue peace of
word requires two things a preparation before death and a right behauiour and disposition in death The preparation vnto death is an action of a repentant sinner whereby he makes himselfe fitte and readie to die and is a dutie very necessarie to which we are bound by Gods commaundement For there be sundrie places of Scripture which doe straightly inioyne vs to watch and pray and to make our selues readie euery way against the second comming of Christ to iudgement Now the same places doe withall binde vs to make preparation against death at which time God comes to iudgement vnto vs particularly Againe looke as death leaueth a man so shall the last iudgement finde him and so shall he abide eternally there may be changes and conuersions from euill to good in this life but after death there is no change at all Therefore a preparation to death can in no wise be omitted of him that desires to make an happie and blessed ende This preparation is twofold generall and particular Generall preparation is that whereby a man prepares himselfe to die through the whole course of his life A dutie most needfull which must in no wise be omitted The reasons are these First of all death which is certen is most vncertaine I say it is certen because no man can eschew death And it is vncertaine three waies first in regard of time for no maÌ„ knoweth when he shall die secoÌ„dly in regard of place for no man knowes where he shall die whether in his bed or in the field whether by sea or by land thirdly in respect of the kind of death for no man knowes whether he shall die of a lingring or sudden of a violent or naturall death Hence it followes that men should euery day prepare themselues to death Indeede if we could know when where and how we should die the case were otherwise but seeing we know none of these it stands vs in hand to looke about vs. A second reason seruing further to perswade vs is this The most daungerous thing of all in this world is to neglect all preparation To make this point more manifest I will vse this comparison A certaine man pursued by an Vnicorne in his flight falls into a dungeon and in his fall takes hold and hangs by the arme of a tree now as he thus hangs looking downeward he sees two wormes gnawing at the roote of the tree and as he lookes vpward he sees and hiue of most sweete honie whereupon he climes vp vnto it and sitting by it feedes thereon In the meane season while he is thus sitting the two wormes gnawe in pieces the roote of the tree which done tree and man and all fall into the bottom of the dungeon Now this Vnicorne is death the man that flieth is euery one of vs and euery liuing man the pit ouer which he hangeth is hell the arme of the tree is life it selfe the two wormes are day and night the continuance whereof is the whole life of man the hiue of honie is the pleasures and profits and honors of this world to which when men wholly giue themselues not considering their endes till the tâ—ee roote that is this temporal life be cut off which beeing once done they plunge themselues quite into the gulfe of hell By this we see that there is good cause that men should not deferre their preparation till the time of sicknes but rather euery day make themselues readie against the day of death But some will say it shall suffice if I prepare my selfe to pray when I begin to be sicke Ans. These men greatly deceiue themselues for the time then is most vnfit to begin a preparation because all the senses and powers of the bodie are occupied about the paines and troubles of the disease and the sicke partie is exâ—rcised partly in coÌ„ference with the Physitian partly with the Minister about his soules health and matters of conscience and partly with friends that come to visit Therefore there must some preparation goe before in the time of health when the whole man with all the powers of bodie and soule are at libertie Again there be some others which imagine and say that a man may repent when he will euen in the time of death and that such repentance is sufficient Ans. It is false which say they For it is not in the power of man to repent when he himselfe will when God will he may It is not in him that willeth or runneth but in God that hath mercie And Christ saith that many shall seeke to enter into heauen and shall not be able But why so because they seeke when it is too late namely when the time of grace is past Therefore it is exceeding follie for men so much as once to dreame that they may haue repentance at command nay it is a iust iudgement that they should be condemned of God in death that did contemne God in their life and that they should quite be forgotten of God in sicknes that did forget God in their health Againe I answer that this late repentance is seldome or neuer true repentance It is sicke like the partie himselfe commonly languishing and dying togither with him Repentance should be voluntarie as all obedience to God ought but repentance taken vp in sicknesse is vsually constrained and extorted by the feare of hell and other iudgements of God for crosses afflictions and sicknes will cause the grossest hypocrite that euer was to stoope and buckle vnder the hand of God and to dissemble faith and repentance and euery grace of God as though he had them as fully as any of the true seruants of God whereas indeede he wants them altogether Wherefore such repentance commonly is but counterfait For in true and sound repentance men must forsake their sins but in this the sinne forsakes the man who leaues all his euill waies onely vpon this that he is constâ—ained to lâ—aue the world Wherefore it is a thing greatly to be wished that men would repent and prepare themselues to die in the time of health before the day of death or sicknesse come Lastly it is alleadged that one of the theeues repented vpon the crosse Answ. The thiefe was called after the eleuenth houre at the point of the twelfth when he was now dying and drawing on Therefore his conuersion was altogether miraculous and extraordinarie and there was a speciall reason why Christ would haue him to be called then that while he was in suffering he might shew forth the vertue of his passion that all which saw the one might also acknowledge the other Now it is not good for men to make an ordinarie rule of an extraordinarie example Thus then this point beeing manifest that a generall preparation must be made let vs now see in what manner it must be done And for the right doing of it â—uâ—e duties must be practised in the â—ourse of our liues The first iâ— the meditation of death in the life time
thinke it not and that their consciences can tell what they think Neither must this seeme strāge For there be two actions of the vnderstanding the one is simple which barely conceiueth or thinketh this or that the other is a reflecting or doubling of the former whereby a man conceiues or thinks with himselfe what he thinks And this action properly pertaines to the conscience The minde thinkes a thought now conscience goes beyond the minde and knowes what the mind thinkes so as if a man would goe about to hide his sinfull thoughts frō God his conscience as it were another person within him shall discouer all By meanes of this second action conscience may beare witnes euen of thoughts and from hence also it seemes to borrow his name because conscience is a science or knowledge ioyned with an other knowledge for by it I conceiue and knowe what I knowe Againe conscience beares witnesse what the wills an affections of men bee in euery matter Rom. 9.1 I say the trueth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnes by the holy Ghost that I haue great heauinesse and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe to be seperate from Christ for my brethren Lastly it witnesseth what be mens actions Eccl. 7.24 Oftentimes also thine heart knoweth that is conscience witnesseth that thou likewise hast cursed others The maner that conscience vseth in giuing testimony stands in two things First it obserues and takes notice of all things that wee doe secondly it doeth inwardly and secretly within the heart tell vs of them al. In this respect it may fitly be compared to a Notarie or a Register that hath alwaies the penne in his hand to note and record whatsoeuer is said or done who also because hee keepes the rolles and recordes of the court can tell what hath beene said or done many hundred yeares past Touching the third point Howelong conscience beares witnes it doeth it continually not for a minut or a day or a moneth or a yeare but for euer when a man dies conscience dieth not when the bodie is rotting in the graue conscience liueth and is safe and sound and when we shall rise againe conscience shall come with vs to the barre of Gods iudgement either to accuse or excuse vs before God Rom. 2.15,16 Their conscience bearing witnes at the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ. By this first dutie of conscience we are to learne three things The first that there is a god and we may be led to the sight of this euen by common reason For conscience beares witnes Of what Of thy particular doings But against whome or with whome doth it giue testimonie thou maiest feele in thy heart that it doth it either with thee or against thee And to whome is it a witnesse to men or angels that cannot be for they cānot heare the voice of conscience they cannot receiue consciences testimonie nay they cannot see what is in the heart of man It remaines therefore that there is a spirituall substance most wise most holy most mightie that sees all things to whome conscience beares record and that is God himselfe Let Atheists barke against this as long as they will they haue that in them that will conuince them of the trueth of the godhead will they nill they either in life or death Secondly we learne that God doth watch ouer all men by a speciall prouidence The master of a prison is knowne by this to haue care ouer his prisoners if he send keepers with them to watch them and to bring them home againe in time conuenient and so Gods care to man is manifest in this that whē he created man and placed him in the worlde he gaue him conscience to bee his keeper to follow him alwaies at his heeles and to dogge him as we say to prie into his actions and to beare witnesse of them all Thirdly hence we may obserue Gods goodnesse and loue to man If hee doe any thing amisse he sets his conscience first of all to tell him of it secretly if then he amend God forgiues it if not then afterward conscience must openly accuse him for it at the barre of Gods iudgement before all the Saints and angels in heauen The second worke of conscience is to giue iudgement of things done To giue iudgement is to determine that a thing is well done or ill done Herein conscience is like to a Iudge that holdeth an assise and takes notice of inditements and causeth the most notorious malefactour that is to hold vp his hand at the barre of his iudgement Nay it is as it were a little God sitting in the middle of mens hearts arraigning them in this life as they shall be arraigned for their offences at the tribunal seat of the euerliuing God in the day of iudgement Wherefore the temporarie iudgement that is giuen by the conscience is nothing els but a beginning or a fore-runner of the last iudgement Hence we are admonished to take speciall heede that nothing past lie heauie vpon vs and that we charge not our conscience in time to come with any matter For if our conscience accuse vs God will much more condemne vs saith S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 3. 18. because he seeth all our actions more clearely and iudgeth them more seuerely then conscience can It shall bee good therefore for all men to labour that they may say with Paul 2. Cor. 4. I knowe nothing by my selfe that they may stand before God without blame for euer Here we must consider two things first the cause that makes conscience giue iudgement secondly the manner howe The cause is the Binder of the conscience The binder is that thing whatsoeuer which hath power and authoritie ouer conscience to order it To bind is to vrge cause and constraine it in euery action either to accuse for sinne or to excuse for well doing or to say this may be done or it may not be done That we may knowe what this phrase meaneth to be bound in conscience we must in minde consider conscience a part by it selfe from the binding power power of Gods commandement For then it hath libertie and is not bound either to accuse or excuse but is apt to doe either of them indifferently but whē the binding power is set once ouer the conscience then in euery action it must needes either accuse or excuse euen as a man in a citie or towne hauing his libertie may goe vp and downe or not goe where and when he will but if his bodie be attached by the magistrate and imprisoned then his former libertie is restrained he is bound and can goe vp and downe but within the prison or some other allowed place The binder of conscience is either proper or improper Proper is that thing which hath absolute and soueraigne power in it selfe to binde the conscience And that is the word of God written in the book
before God must satisfie the iustice of the law which saith doe these things and thou shalt liue Now there is nothing can satisfie the iustice of the law but the righteousnes obedience of Christ for vs. If any alleadge ciuill iustice it is nothing for Christ saith Except your righteousnes exceede the righteousnes of the Scribes and Pharises you can not enter into the kingdome of heauen What shall we say that workes doe make vs iust that cannot be for all mens workes are defectiue in respect of the iustice of the law Shall we say our sanctification whereby we are renewed to the image of God in righteousnes and true holines that also is imperfect and can not satisfie Gods iustice required in the law as Isai hath said of himselfe and the people Al our righteousnes is as a menstruous cloth To haue a cleere conscience before God is a principall part of inward righteousnes and of it Paul in his owne person saith thus I am priuie to nothing by my selfe yet am I not iustified thereby 2. Cor. 4.4 Therefore nothing can procure vnto vs an absolution and acceptance to life euerlasting but Christs imputed righteousnes And this will appeare if we doe consider how we must come one day before Gods iudgement seat there to be iudged in the rigour of iustice for when we must bring some thing that may counteruaile the iustice of God not hauing onely acceptation in mercie but also approbation in iustice God beeing not onely mercifull but also a iust iudge II. Reason 2. Cor. 5.21 He which knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that we might be made the righteousnes of God which is in him Whence I reason thus As Christ was made sinne for vs so are we made the righteousnes of God in him but Christ was made sinne or a sinner by imputation of our sinnes he beeing in himselfe most holy therefore a sinner is made righteous before God in that Christs righteousnesse is imputed and applied vnto him Now if any shall say that man is iustified by righteousnes infused then by like reason I say Christ was made sinne for vs by infusion of sinne which to say is blasphemie And the exposition of this place by Saint Hierome is not to be despised Christ saith he beeing offered for our sinnes tooke the name of sinne that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him Not ours nor in vs. If this righteousnesse of God be neither ours nor in vs then it can be no inherent righteousnesse but must needes be righteousnesse imputed And Chrysostome on this place saith It is called Gods righteousnesse because it is not of workes and because it must be without all staine or want and this cannot be inherent righteousnes Anselme saith He is made sinne as we are made iustice not ours but Gods not in vs but in him as he is made sinne not his owne but ours not in himselfe but in vs. Reason III. Rom. 5.19 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous marke here is a comparison betweene the first and second Adam And hence I reason thus As by the disobedience of the first Adam men were made sinners so by the obedience of the second Adam are we made righteous Now we are not onely made sinners by propagation of naturall corruption but by imputation For Adams first sinne was the eating of the forbidden fruit which very act is no personall offence but is imputed to all his posteritie in whō we haue all sinned The Fathers call this very sinne Adams hand-writing making vs debters vnto God And therefore in like manner the obedience of Christ is made the righteousnes of euery beleeuer not by infusion but by imputation IV. Reason A satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires at our hands is accepted of God as the iustice it selfe But Christs obedience is a satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires as the Papists themselues auouch Therfore this satisfaction is our iustice And me thinkes the Papists vpon this consideration haue little cause to dissent from vs. For if they make Christs obedience their satisfaction why should they not fully close hands with vs and make it their iustice also V. Reason The consent of the ancient Church Bernard saith epist. 190. The iustice of an other is a assigned vnto man who wanted his owne man was indebted and man made paiment The satisfaction of one is imputed to all And why may not iustice be from an other as well as guiltines is from an other And in Cant. serm 25. It sufficeth me for all righteousnes to haue him alone mercifull to me against whome I haue sinned And Not to sinne is Gods iustice mans iustice is the mercifulnes of God And serm 61. Shall I sing mine owne righteousnes Lord I will remember thy righteousnes alone for it is mine also in that euen thou art made vnto me righteousnes of God What shall I feare least that one be not sufficient for vs both it is not a short cloke that cannot couer two it will couer both thee and me largely beeing both a large and eternall iustice August on Psal. 22. He praieth for our faults and hath made our faults his faults that he might make his iustice our iustice Obiections of Papists Obiections of the Papists proouing inherent righteousnesse to be in the matter of our iustice before God are these I. Obiect It is absurd that one man should be made righteous by the righteousnes of an other for it is as much as if one man were made wise by the wisdome of an other Ans. It is true that no man can be made righteous by the personall righteousnes of an other because it pertaines onely to one man And because the wisdome that is in one man is his altogether wholly it can not be the wisdome of an other no more then the health and life of one bodie can be the health of an other But it is otherwise with the righteousnes of Christ it is his indeede because it is inherent in him as in a subiect it is not his alone but his and ours together by the tenour of the Couenant of grace Christ as he is a Mediatour is giuen to euery beleeuer as really and truly as land is giuen from man to man and with him are giuen all things that concerne saluation they beeing made ours by Gods free gift among which is Christ his righteousnes By it therefore as beeing a thing of our owne we may be iustified before God and accepted to life euerlasting II. Obiect If a sinner be iustified by Christ his righteousnes then euery beleeuer shall be as righteous as Christ and that can not be Ans. The proposition is false for Christ his righteousnes is not applied to vs according as it is in Christ neither according to the same measure nor the same
falshood I will make manifest by sundrie reasons and then answer their arguments to the contrarie Our reasons The first shall bee taken from the properties and conditions that must bee in a worke meritorious and they are foure I. A man must doe it of himselfe and by himselfe for if it be done by another the merit doeth not properly belong to the doer II. A man must doe it of his owne freewill and pleasure not of due debt for when wee doe that which wee are bound to doe wee doe no more but our dutie III. The worke must bee done to the profit of another who thereupon must be bound to repay the like IV. The reward and the work must be in proportion equall for if the reward be more then the work it is not a reward of desert but a gift of good will Hence followes a notable conclusion That Christs manhood considered a part from his Godhead cannot merit at Gods hand◠though it be more excellent euery way then all both men and angels For beeing thus considered it doth nothing of it selfe but by grace receiued from the godhead though it also be without measure Secondly Christs manhood is a creature and in that regard bound to doe whatsoeuer it doth Thirdly Christ as man cannot giue any thing to God but that which hee receiued from God therfore cānot the manhood properly by it selfe merit but onely as it is personally vnited vnto the godhead of the Sonne And if this bee so then much lesse can any meere man or any angell merit yea it is a madnes to thinke that either our actions or persons should be capable of any merit whereby we might attaine to life eternall Reason II. Exod. 20. ◠And shew mercie vpon thousands in them that loue me and keepe my commandements Hence I reason thus where reward is giuen vpon mercie there is no merit but reward is giuen of mercie to them that fulfill the law therefore no merit What can we any way deserue when our full recompence must be of mercie And this appeares further by Adam if he had stood to this day he could not by his continuall and perfect obedience haue procured a further increase of fauour at Gods hand but should onely haue continued that happie estate in which he was first created Reason III. Scripture directly condemneth merit of workes Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The proportion of the argument required that S. Paul should haue said The reward of good works is eternall life if life euerlasting could be deserued which cannot because it is a free gift Againe Tit. 3.5 We are saued not by workes of righteousnes which we haue done but according to his mercie he saued vs. And Eph. 2.8 10. By grace you are faued through faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes which God hath prepared that we should walke in them If any works be crowned it is certen that the sufferings of Martyrs shall be rewarded now of them Paul saith Rom. 8.18 The sufferings of this life are not worthie of the glorie to come Where then is the value and dignitie of other works To this purpose Ambr. saith The iust man though he be tormented in the brasen bull is still iust because he iustifieth God and saith he suffereth lesse then his sinnes deserue Reason IV. Whosoeuer will merit must fulfill the whole law but none can keepe the whole law For if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues 1. Ioh. 1. And he that sinnes against one commandement is guiltie of the whole law And what can he merit that is guiltie of the breach of the whole law Reason V. We are taught to pray on this manner Giue vs this day our daily bread wherein we acknowledge euery morsell of bread to be the meere gift of God without desert and therefore must we much more acknowledge life eternall to be euery way the gift of God It must needes therefore be a satanicall insolencie for any man to imagine that he can by his workes merit eternal life who can not merit bread Reason VI. Consent of the auncient Church Bernard Those which we call our merits are the way to the kingdome and not the cause of raigning August Manuali chap. 22. All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my merit is the passion of the Lord. I shall not be void of merits so long as Gods mercies are not wanting Basil on Psal. 114. Eternall rest is reserued for them which haue striuen lawfully in this life not for the merits of their doings but vpon the grace of the most bountifull God in which they trusted August on Psal. 120. He crowneth thee because he crowneth his owne gifts not thy merits And Psal. 142. Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy iustice not in mine not because I deserued it but because thou hast compassion Obiections of Papists Obiect I. In sundrie places of Scripture promise of reward is made to them that beleeue and doe good workes therefore our workes doe merit for a reward and merit be relatiues Answ. Reward is two-fold of debt and of mercie Life euerlasting is not a reward of debt but of mercie giuen of the good will of God without any thing done of man Secondly the kingdome of heauen is properly an inheritance giuen of a father to a child and therefore it is called a reward not properly but by a figure or by resemblance For as a workeman hauing ended his labour receiueth his wages so after men haue lead their liues and finished their course in keeping faith good conscience as dutiful children God giueth them eternall life And hereupon it is tearmed a reward Thirdly if I should graunt that life euerlasting is a deserued reward it is not for our works but for Christs merit imputed to vs causing vs thereby to merit and thus the relation stands directly betweene the Reward and Christs Merit applied vnto vs. Ob. II. Christ by his death merited that our works should merit life euerlasting Ans. That is false all we finde in Scripture is that Christ by his merit procured pardon of sinne imputation of righteousnes life euerlasting it is no where saide in the word of God that Christ did merit that our workes should merit it is a dotage of their owne deuifing He died not for our good works to make them able to satisfie Gods anger but for our sinnes that they might be pardoned Thus much saith the Scripture and no more And in that Christ did sufficiently merit life eternall for vs by his own death it is a sufficient proofe that he neuer intended to giue vs power of meriting the same vnles we suppose that at some time he giues more then is needfull Again Christ in the office of mediation as he is a king Priest and prophet admitteth no deputie or fellow For
the Encratitae Be mindfull be loued children not to bring images into the Church nor set them in the places where the Saints are buried but alwaies carie God in your hearts neither let them be suffered in any common house for it is not meete that a Christian should be occupied by the eyes but by the meditation of the minde Arguments of the Papists The reasons which they vse to defend their opinions are these I. In Salomons temple were erected Cherubins which were images of Angels on the Mercieseat where God was worshipped and thereby was resembled the maiestie of God therefore it is lawfull to make images to resemble God Answ. They were erected byâ— speciall commaundement from God who prescribed the very forme of them and the place where they must be set and thereby Moses had a warrant to make them otherwise he had sinned let them shew the like warrant for their images if they can Secondly the Cheâ—ubins were placed in the holy of holies in the most inward place of the Temple and consequently were remooued from the sight of the people who onely heard of them and none but the high priest saw them and that but once a yeare And the Cherubins without the vayle though they were to be seene yet were they not to be worshipped Exod. 20.4 Therfore they serue nothing at all to iustifie the images of the church of Rome Obiect II. God appeared in the forme of a man to Abraham Gen. 18. 1 13. and to Daniel who saw the auncient of daies sitting on a throne Dan. 9. Now as God appeared so may he be resembled therefore say they it is lawfull to resemble God in the forme of a man or any like image in which he shewed himselfe to men Ans. In this reason the proposition is false for God may appeare in whatsoeuer forme it pleaseth his maiestie yet doth it not follow that man should therefore resemble God in those formes man hauing no libertie to resemble him in any forme at all vnlesse he be commaunded so to doe Againe when God appeared in the forme of a man that forme was a signe of Gods presence onely for the time when God appeared and no longer as the bread and wine in the Sacrament are signes of Christs bodie and blood not for euer but for the time of administration for afterward they become againe as common bread and wine And when the holy Ghost appeared in the likenes of a doue that likenes was a signe of his presence no longer then the holy Ghost so appeared And therfore he that would in these formes represent the Trinitie doth greatly dishonour God and doe that for which he hath no warrant Obiect III. Man is the image of God but it is lawfull to paint a man and therefore to make the image of God Ans. A very cauill for first a man cannot be painted as he is the image of God which stands in the spirituall gifts of righteousnes and true holines Againe the image of a man may be painted for ciuill or historicall vse but to paint any man for this end to represent God or in the way of religion that we may the better remember and worship God it is vnlawfull Other reasons which they vse are of small moment and therfore I omit them II. Differ They teach and maintaine that images of God and of Saints may be worshipped with religious worship specially the crucifix For Thomas of Watering saith Seeing the crosse doth represent Christ who died vpon a crosse and is to be worshipped with diuine honour it followeth that the crosse is to be worshipped so too We on the contrarie holde they may not Our principall ground is the second commaundement which containeth two parts the first forbiddeth the making of images to resemble the true God the second forbids the worshipping of them or God in them in these words Thou shalt not bow downe to them Now there can be no worship done to any thing lesse then the bending of the knee Againe the brasen serpent was a type or image of Christ crucified Ioh. 3.14 appointed by God himselfe yet when the people burned incense to it 2. King 18.4 Hezekias brake it in pieces and is therefore commended And when the deuill bad our Sauiour Christ but to bowe downe the knee vnto him and he would giue him the whole worlde Christ reiects his offer saying Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Math. 4. 10. Againe it is lawefull for one man to worship another with ciuill worship but to worship man with religious honour is vnlawefull For all religious worship is prescribed in the first table and the honour due to man is onely prescribed in the second table and the first commandement thereof Honour thy father which honour is therefore ciuill and not religious Now the meanest man that can be is a more excellent image of God then all the images of God or of Saints that are deuised by men Augustine and long after him Gregorie in plaine tearmes denieth images to be adored The Papists defend their opinions by these reasons I. Psal. 99.5 Cast downe your selues before his footestoole Ans. The wordes are thus to be read Bowe at his footestoole that is at the Arke and Mercyseat for there he hath made a promise of his presence the words therefore say not bow to the Arke but to God at the Arke II. Obiect Exod. 3.5 God said to Moses Stand afar off and put off thy shoes for the place is holy Nowe if holy places must be reuerenced then much more holy images as the crosse of Christ and such like Ans. God commaunded the ceremony of putting off the shoes that he might thereby strike Moses with a religious reuerence not of the place but of his own maiestie whose presence made the place holy Let them shewe the like warrant for images III. Obiect It is lawefull to kneele downe to a chaire of estate in the absence of the king or Queene therefore much more to the images of God of Saints in heauen glorified beeing absent from vs. Answer To kneele to the chaire of estate is no more but a ciuil testimonie or signe of ciuill reuerence by which all good subiects when occasion is offered shewe their loyaltie and subiection to their lawfull princes And this kneeling beeing on this manner and to no other ende hath sufficient warrant in the worde of God But kneeling to the image of any Saint departed is religious and consequently more then ciuill worship as the Papists themselues confesse The argument then prooueth nothing vnlesse they wil keepe themselues to one and the same kind of worship III. Differ The Papists also teach that God may be lawfully worshipped in images in which he hath appeared vnto men as the Father in the image of an old man the sonne in the image of a man crucified and the holy Ghost in the likenes of a doue c. But we hold it vnlawefull to
of Iohn Baptist. Againe Christ saith that they know not the houre of the last iudgement Math. 24. 23. much lesse doe the Saints knowe al things in God And hence it is that they are said to be vnder the altar where they crie How long Lord holy and true wilt thou not reuenge our blood as being ignorant of the daie of their full deliuerance And the Iewes in affliction confesse Abraham was ignorant of them and their estate Isa 63.16 Reason III. Math. 4.10 Christ refused so much as to bowe the knee to Sathan vpon this ground because it was written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Hence it was that Peter would not suffer Cornelius so much as to kneele vnto him though Cornelius intended not to honour him as God Therefore neither Saint nor angel is to be honoured so much as with the bowing of the knee if it carrie but the least signification of diuine or religious honour Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church August Wee honour the Saints with charitie and not by seruitude neither doe we erect Churches to them And Let it not be religion for vs to worship dead men And They are to be honoured for imitation and not to be adored for religion Epiphan Neither Tecla nor any Saint is to be adored for that auncient errour may not ouerrule vs that we should leaue the liuing God and adore things made by him Againe Let Marie bee in honour let the Father Sonne and holy ghost be adored let none adore Marie I meane neither woman nor man Againe Marie is beutifull holy and honoured yet not to adoration When Iulian obiected to the Christians that they worshipped their Martyrs as God Cyrill graunts the memorie and honour of them but denies their adoration and of inuocation he makes no mention at all Ambrose on Ro. 1. Is any so mad that hee will giue to the Earle the honour of the King yet these men doe not thinke themselues guiltie who giue the honour of Gods name to a creature and leauing the Lord adore their fellowe seruants as though there were any thing more reserued for God Obiections of Papists I. Gen. 48.16 Let the angel that kept me blesse thy children Here say they it is a praier made to angels Ans. By the angel is meant Christ who is called the angel of the couenant Malac. 3.1 and the angel that guided Israel in the wildernes 1. Cor. 10.9 compared with Exod. 23.20 Obiect 11. Exod. 23.13 Moses praieth that God would respect his people for Abrahams sake and for Isaac and Israel his seruants which were not then liuing Ans. Moses praieth God to bee mercifull to the people not for the intercession of Abraham Isaac and Iacob but for his couenants sake which he had made with them Psal. 123.10,11 Againe by popish doctrine the fathers departed knew not the estate of men vpon earth neither did they pray for them because then they were not in heauen but in Limbo Patrum III. Obiect One liuing man makes intercession to God for another therefore much more doe the Saints in glorie that are filled with loue pray to god for vs and we pray to them no otherwise then we desire liuing men to pray for vs. Ans. The reason is naught for we haue a commandement one liuing man to pray for another and to desire others to pray for vs but there is no warrant in the word of God for vs to desire the praiers of men departed Secondly there is great difference betweene these two To request our friend either by word of mouth or by letter to praie for vs and by Inuocation to request them that are absent from vs departed this life to pray for vs for this is indeede a worship in which is giuen vnto them a power to heare and helpe all that call vpon them at what place or time soeuer yea though they be not present in the place in which they are worshipped and consequently the seeing of the heart presence in all places and infinit power to helpe all that pray vnto them which things agree to no creature but God alone Thirdly when one liuing man requests an other to pray from him hee onely makes him his companion and fellow member in his praier made in the name of our mediatour Christ but when men inuocate Saints in heauen they being then absent they make them more then fellow members euen mediators between Christ and them The XV. point Of intercession of Saints Our Consent Our consent with thē I will set down in two conclusions Conclus I. The saints departed pray vnto God by giuing thanks vnto him for their owne redēption for the redēption of the whole church of God vpon earth Rev. 5. 8. The foure beasts and the foure and twentie elders fell downe before the Lambe 9. and they song a newe song Thou art worthie to take the booke and to open the seales thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed vs to God .13 And all the creatures which are in heauen heard I saying Praise and honour and glorie and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore II. Conclus The Saints departed pray generally for the state of the whole church Reu. 6.9 And I saw vnder the altar the soules of them that were killed for the word of God and they cried 10. How long Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and aueuge our blood on them that dwell on the earth whereby we see they desire a finall deliuerance of the church and a destruction of the enemies thereof that they themselues with all the people of God might be aduanced to fulnesse of glorie in bodie and soule yea the dumbe creatures Rom. 8. 23. are said to grone and sigh waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies much more then doe the Saints in heauen desire the same And thus farre we consent The dissent or difference They hold and teach that the Saints in heauen as the virgin Marie Peter Paul c. doe make intercession to God for particular men according to their seuerall wants and that hauing receiued particular mens praiers they present them vnto God But this doctrine we flatly renounce vpon these grounds and reasons I. Isa. 63.16 The Church saith to God doubtles thou art our father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel knowe vs not Nowe if Abraham knewe not his posteritie neither Marie nor Peter nor any other of the Saints departed knowe vs and our estate and consequently they cannot make any particular intercession for vs. If they say that Abraham Iacob were then in Limbo which they will haue to be a part of hell what ioy could Lazarus haue in Abrahams bosome Luk. 16.25 with what comfort could Iacob say on his death bed O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation Gen. 46.18 II. Reason 2. King 22.20 Huldah the prophetesse telleth Iosias he
said they speake contraries for quantitie by all learning is the essence of a bodie without which a bodie cannot be 4. In the Creede wee confesse that Christ is ascended into heauen and there after his ascension sits at the right hand of his father and that according to his manhood Hence I conclude that Christs bodie is not really and locally in the sacrament and in euery Host which the priest consecrateth This argument was good when Vigilius against Eutiches said When it the flesh was on earth it was not in heauen and because it is nowe in heauen it is not on earth and he addes afterward that this is the Catholike faith and confession And it was good when Fulgentius said According to his humane substance hee was absent from earth when he was in heauen and he left the earth when he ascended into heauen And The same inseparable Christ according to his whole manhood leauing the earth locally ascended into heauen and sits at the right hand and according to the same whole manhood he is to come to iudgement And it was good when Cyril said No man doubts but that when hee ascended into heauen though hee be alwaies present by the power of his spirit he was absent in respect of the presence of his flesh And it was good when Augustine said According to the flesh which the Word assumed he ascended into heauen he is not here there he sits at the right haÌ„d of the father and he is here according to the presence of his maiestie And Hee went as hee was man and he aboad as he was God he went by that whereby he was in one place he aboad by that whereby he was euery where 5. Againe in that we beleeue the Catholike church it followes that the Catholike church is inuisible because things seene are not beleeued And the answer commonly vsed that we beleeue the holinesse of the Church will not serue the turne For the wordes are plaine and in them we make confession that we beleeue not onely the holinesse of the Church but also the Church it selfe 6. Lastly the articles Remission of sinnes Resurrection of the bodie and Life euerlasting containe a confession of speciall faith For the meaning of them is thus much I beleeue the remission of mine own sins the resurrection of mine own body to life euerlasting that by the iudgement of learned antiquitie August saith If thou also beleeue that thou shalt rise again ascend into heauen because thou art sure of so great a patrone thou art certen of so great a gift And Make not Christ lesse who brings thee to the kingdoÌ„e of heauen for remission of sins Without this faith if any come to baptisme he shuts the gate of mercie against himselfe And Whosoeuer faithfully beleeueth holds this profession of his faith in which all his sins are forgiueÌ„ him let him prepare his wil to the will of god not feare his passage by death And The whole Sacrament of baptisme standes in this that we beleeue the resurrectioÌ„ of the body remission of sins to be giuen vs of God And He gaue these keies to the Church that whosoeuer in his church should not beleeue his sins to be forgiuen they should not be forgiuen vnto him and whosoeuer beleeued turned froÌ„ theÌ„ abiding in the lap of the said church at length shal be healed by faith amendment of life And That which thou hast heard to be fulfilled in the glorious resurrection of Christ beleeue that the very same shall bee fulfilled in thee in the last iudgement and the resurrection of thy flesh shall restore thee for all eternitie For vnlesse thou shalt beleeue that thou art to bee repaired by death thou canst not come to the reward of life eternall And in ancient time the article of the resurrection hath beene rehearsed on this manner The resurrection of this flesh and the last applyed vnto it To euerlasting life Hence then two maine opinions of the Church of Rome are quite ouerthrowen one that we cannot by speciall faith be certaine of the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules the other that a man truly iustified may fall away and be damned Nowe this cannot bee if the practise of the auncient Church bee good which hath taught vs to beleeue euerlasting life ioyntly without remission of sinnes To come vnto the Decalogue first of all it is a rule in expounding the seuerall commandements that where any vice is forbidden there the contrarie vertue is commanded and all vertues of the same kinde with all their causes occasions furtherances This rule is graunted of all and hence it followes that counsels of perfection if they haue in them any furtherance of vertue are inioyned in and by the law and therefore prescribe no state of perfection beyond the scope of the lawe Secondly the commandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. hath two seuerall parts The first forbids the making of carued or graued images the second forbids the adoratioÌ„ of them Now the first part is notably expounded by Moses Deut. 4.16 Take good heed vnto your selues that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure in the likenesse of male or female Marke the reason of this prohibition in the same place for saith he ye saw no image in the day the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb and v. 15. Yee heard the voice of the wordes but sawe no similitude saue a voice Nowe the reason beeing vnderstood of the image of God himselfe the prohibition must needes be so vnderstood Againe there is no question that God directs his commandement against a â—inne in speculation but against some common and wicked practise of the Iewes and that was to represent God himselfe in likenesses and bodily formes Esai 40. 1â— And that was also the practise of the Gentiles that were farre more grosse in this kinde then the Iewes Rom. 1.23 This then is plaine to any indifferent man that the first part of the commandement forbiddes the making of grauen images or likenesses of the true Iehoua and thus the Romane Catechisme vnderstands tâ—â— wordes As for the second part it must be vnderstood according to them eaning of the first and therefore it forbids vs to bow downe to any image of God Hence then it followes that to worship God or Saints in or at images and to worship images with religious worship is abominable idolatrie And common reason might teach vs thus much For they that adore and worship the true God in images doe binde the presence of God his operation grace and his hearing of vs to certen things places signes to which he hath not bound himselfe either by commandement or promise and that is otherwise to worship God and to seeke for his blessings then he hath commaunded himselfe to be worshipped or promised to heare vs. Vpon this ground
day wherein my mother bare me be blessed v. 13. Cursed be the man that shewed my father saying a man child is bornâ— vnto thee and comforted him v. 18. How is it that I came forth of the wombe to see labour sorrow that my daies should be consumed with shame II. Tempting of God when such as distrust or rather contemne him seeke signes of Gods trueth and power Matth. 4.7 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God 1. Corinth 10.6 Neither let vs tempt God as they tempted him and were destroyed by serpents v. 10. Neither murmure ye as some of theÌ„ murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer III. Desperation Gen. 4. 13. Mine iniquity is greater then can be pardoned 1. Thes. 4. 13. Sorrow ye not as they which haue no hope IV. Doubtfulnes concerning the trueth of Gods benefits present or to come Psal. 116.11 I said in mine hast all men are lyers II. Confidence in creatures whether it be in their strength as Ierem. 17.5 Cursed is the man that hath his confidence in man and maketh flesh his arme but his heart slideth from the Lord. Or riches Matth. 6.24 Ye cannot serue God and riches Eph. 5.5 No couetoâ—s person which is an idolater hath inheritance in the kingdome of Christ and of God Or defenced places Iere. 49. 16. Thy feare the pride of thine heart hath deceiued thee that thou dwellest in the clefts of the Rocke and keepest the height of the hill though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee downe from thence saith the Lord. Or pleasure and dainties to such their bellie is their God Phil. 3. 14. Or in physitians 2. Chron. 6. 12. And Asa in the nine and thirtieth yeare of his raigne was diseased in his feete and his disease was extreame yet he sought not the Lord in his disease but to the Physitians Briefly to this place principally may be adioyned that diuelish confidence which Magitians and all such as take aduise at them doe put in the diuell and his workes Leuit. 20. 6. If any turne after such as worke with spirits and after soothsayers to goe a whoring after them then will I set my face against that person and will cut him off from among this people III. The loue of the creature aboue the loue of God Math. 10.37 Hee that loueth father or mother more then me is not worthie of me and he that loueth sonne or daughter more then me is not worthy of me Iohn 12. 43. They loued the praise of man more then the praise of God To this belongeth selfe-loue 2. Tim. 3.2 IV. Hatred and contempt of God when man flieth from God and his wrath when he punisheth offences Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie with God Rom. 1. 30. Haters of God doers of wrong V. Want of the feare of God Psal. 36.1 Wickednes saith to the wicked man euen in mine heart that there is no feare of God before their eyes VI. Feare of the creature more then the Creator Rev. 21.8 The fearefull and vnbeleeuing shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Matth. 10.28 Feare not them which kill the bodie but feare him that can cast both bodie and soule into hell fire Ierem. 10.2 Be not afraid of the signes of heauen though the heathen be afraid of such VII Hardnes of heart or carnall seruice when a man neither acknowledging Gods iudgements nor his owne sinnes dreameth he is safe froÌ„ Gods vengeance and such perils as arise from sinne Rom. 2.5 Thou after thine hardnesse and heart that can not repent heapest to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath Luk. 21.34 Take heede to your selues least at any time your hearts be oppressed with surfetting and drunkennes and cares of this life and least that day come on you as vnawares These all doe ioyntly ingender pride whereby man ascribeth all he hath that is good not to God but to his owne merit and industrie referring and disposing them wholly vnto his owne proper credit 1. Cor. 4.6 That ye might learne by vs that no man presume aboue that which is written that one swell not against another for any mans cause vers 7. For who separateth thee or what hast thou that thou hast not receiued if thou hast receiued it why reioycest thou as though thou hadst not receiued it Gen. 3.5 God doth know that when yee shall eate thereof your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and euill The highest stayre of prides ladder is that fearefull presumption by which many clime rashly into Gods seate of maiestie as if they were gods Act. 12. 22 23. The people gaue a shout saying The voyce of God and not of man but immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him because he gaue not glorie vnto God so that he was eaten vp of wormes and gaue vp the ghost 2. Thess. 2.4 Which is an aduersarie and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God CHAP. 21. Of the second Commandement HItherto haue we entreated of the first Commandement teaching vs to entertaine in our hearts and to make choice of one onely God The other three of the first Table concerne that holy profession which we must make towards the same God For first it is necessarie to make choyce of the true God Secondly to make profession of the same God In the profession of God we are to consider the parts thereof and the time appointed for this profession The parts are two The solemne worship of God and the glorifying of him The second Commandement describeth such holy and solemne worship as is due vnto God The words of the Commandement are these Thou shalt make thee no grauen image neither any similitude of things which are in heauen aboue neither that are in the earth beneath nor that are in the waters vnder the earth thou shalt not bow downe to them neither serue them for I am the Lord thy God a iealous God visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children vpon the third generation and vpon the fourth of them that hate me and shew mercie vnto thousands vpon them that loue me and keepe my Commandements The Resolution Thou shalt not make This is the first part of the commandement forbidding to make an idol Now an idol is not onely a certaine representation and image of some fained God but also of the true Iehouah The which may be prooued against the Papists by these arguments The first is Deut. 4.15 16. Take therfore good heede vnto your selues for yee saw no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire that yee corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure whether it be the likenesse of male or female Out of the words vttered by
Moses a reason may be framed thus If ye saw no image namely of God ye shall make none But ye saw no image onely heard a voyce Therefore ye shall make no image of God The second reason That idolatrie which the Israelites committed the very same is prohibited in this commandement But the Israelites idolatrie was the worship of God in an image Hos. 2. 16. At that day saith the Lord thou shalt call me no more Baali but shalt call me Ishi The golden calfe was an image of God for when it was finished Aaron proclaimed that to morrow should be a feast to Iehouah Exod. 32.5 And the same calfe is tearmed an idol Act. 7.41 Therefore the worshipping of God in an image is here prohibited Any grauen image Here the more speciall is put for the more generall namely a grauen image for all counterfeit meanes of Gods worship The first part of the commandement is here illustrated by a double distribution The first is drawne from the causes Thou shalt not make thee any idol whether it be engrauen in wood or stone or whether it be painted in a table The second is taken from the place Thou shalt not make thee an idol of things in heauen as starres and birds or in the earth as of man woman beasts or vnder the earth as fishes This place is so expounded by Moses Deut. 4. 14. to the 20. verse Thou shalt not bow downe to them This is the second part of the commandement forbidding all men to fal downe before an idol In this word Bow down is againe the speciall put for the generall for in it is inhibited all fained worship of God For I These words are a confirmation of this commandement perswading to obedience by foure reasons The Lord which is strong The first reason God is strong and so able to reuenge idolatâ—ie Heb. 10.31 A iealous God This speech is taken from the estate of wedlocke for God is called the husband of his Church Esay 54.5 Eph. 5.26,27 And our spirituall worship is as it were a certaine marriage of our soules consecrated vnto the Lord. Ier. 2. 2. I remember thee with the kindnes of thy youth and the loue of thy mariage when thou wentest after me in the wildernes in a land that was not sowne Here is another argument drawne from a comparison of things that be like Gods people must alone worship him because they are linked to him as a wife is to her husband vnto whome alone she is bound therefore if his people forsake him and betroth themselues vnto idols he will vndoubtedly giue them a bill of diuorcement and they shall be no more espoused vnto him Visiting To visit is not onely to punish the children for the fathers offences but to make notice and apprehend them in the same faults by reason they are giuen ouer to commit their fathers transgressions that for them they be punished And this is the third reason drawne from the effects of Gods anger Hate me It may be this is a secret answer the obiection whereof is not here in expresse wordes set downe but may be thus framed What if we vse Idols to inflame and excite in vs a loue and remembrance of thee The answer is this by the contrarie You may thinke that your vse of idols kindleth in you a loue of me but it is so farre from that that all such as vse them cannot choose but hate me Shew mercie The fourth reason deriued from the effects of Gods mercie to such as obserue this commandement Here may we first obserue that Gods mercie exceedeth his iustice Psal. 103.8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slow to anger and of great kindnes vers 17. The louing kindnes of the Lord endureth for euer vers 9. He will not alway chide neither keepe his anger for euer Secondly we may not surmise that this excellent promise is made to euery one particularly who is borne of faithfull parents For godly Isaak had godlesse Esau to his sonne and godlesse Saul had godly Ionathan The negatiue part Thou shalt neither worship false gods nor the true God with false worship Many things are here forbidden I. The representation of God by an image For it is a lie Habak 2. 18. What profiteth the image for the maker thereof hath made it an image and a teacher of lies Zach. 10.2 The idols haue spoken vanitie Ierem. 10. 8. The stocke is a doctrine of vanitie The Eliber Councel in the 39. canon hath this edict We thought it not meete to haue images in Churches least that which is worshipped and adored should be painted vpon wals Clement booke 5. ad Iacob Dom. That serpent by others is wont to speake these words We in honour of the inuisible God are accustomed to adore visible images the which out of all controuersie is very false August in his treatise vpon the 113. Psalme The image also of the crosse and Christ crucified out to be abolished out of Churches as the brasen serpent was 2. King 18.4 Hezekiah is commended for breaking in pieces the brasen serpent to which the children of Israel did then burne incense This did Hezekiah albeit at the first this serpent was made by the Lords appointment Numb 21.8 and was a type of Christs passion Ioh. 3.14 Origen in his 7. booke against Celsus We permit not any to adore Iesus vpon the altars in images or vpon Church walls because it is written Thou shalt haue none other gods but me Epiphaniusâ— in that epistle which he wrote to Iohn Bishop of Ierusalem saith It is against the custome of the Church to see any image hanging in the church whether it be of Christ or any other saint and therefore euen with his owne hands rent he asunder the vaile wherein such an image was painted Some obiect the figure or signe which appeared to Constantine wherein he should ouercome but it was not the signe of the crosse as the Papists doe triflinly imagine but of Christs name for the thing was made of these two greeke letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conioyned together Euseb. in the life of Constant. booke 1. chap. 22,25 Neither serue the Cherubims which Salomon placed in the temple for the defence of images for they were onely in the holy of holiest where the people could not see them And they were types of the glorie of the Messiah vnto whome the very Angels were subiect the which we haue now verified in Christ. If any man replie that they worship not the image but God in the image let him know that the creature cannot comprehend the image of the Creator and if it could yet God would not be worshipped in it because it is a dead thing yea the worke of mans hands not of God and therefore is more base then the smallest liuing creature of the which we may lawfully say it is the worke of God This euinceth that no kinde of diuine worship belongeth to an image either simply or by relation