He is able perfectly to saue them that come to God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them Secondly according to his Deitie partly by applying the merit of his death partly by making request by his holy Spirit in the hearts of the Elect with sighes vnspeakable 1. Pet. 1.2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of the Father to the sanctification of the Spirit Rom. 8. â—6 The Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed We are not therefore to imagine or surmise that Christ prostrateth himselfe vpon his knees before his Fathers throne for vs neither is it necessarie seeing his very presence before his father hath in it the force of an humble petition The end of Christs intercession is that such as are iustified by his merits should by this meanes continue in the state of grace Now Christs intercession preserueth the elect in couering their continuall slipps infirmities and imperfect actions by an especiall and continuall application of his merits That by this meanes mans person may remaine iust and mans works acceptable to God 1. Ioh. 2.2 Hee is a reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but for the sinnes of the whole world 1. Pet. 2.5 Yee as liuely stones be made a spirituall house and holy Priesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. Reuel 8.3,4 And another Angell came and stood before the altar hauing a golden censer and much odours was giuen vnto him that he should offer with the prayers of all Saints vpon the golden altar which is before the throne and tâ—â— smoke of the odors with the prayers of the Saints went vp before God out of the Angels hand Thus farre concerning Christs priesthood nowe follow his Propheticall and Regall offices His Propheticall office is that whereby he immediately from his Father renealeth his word and all the meanes of saluation comprised in the same Ioh. 1.18 The Son which is in the bosome of his father he hath declared vnto you Ioh. 8.26 Those things which I heare of my father I speake to the world Deut. 18.18 I will raise them vp a Prophet c. The word was first reuealed partly by visions by dreames by speech partly by the instinct and motion of the holy ghost Heb. 1.1 At sundry times in diuers manners God spake in old time to our Fathers the Prophets in these last daies he hath spoken to vs by his sonne 2. Pet. 1.21 Prophecie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy ghost The like is done ordinarily onely by the preaching of the word where the holy ghost doth inwardly illuminate the vnderstanding Luk. 24.45 Then opened he their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures v. 21.15 I I will giue you a month and wisdome where against all your aduersaries shall not bee able to speake nor resist Act. 16.14 Whose heart the Lord opened that shee attended on the things that Paul spake For this cause Christ is called the Doctor Lawegiuer and Counsellour of his Church Matth. 23.10 Be ye not called Dâ—ctors for one is your Doctor Iesus Christ. Iam. 4.12 There is one Lawgiuer which is able to saue and to destroy Esa. 9.6 He shall call his name Counsellour c. Yea he is the Apostle of our profession Heb. 3.1 The Angell of the couenant Malac. 3.1 And the Mediatour of the new couenant Heb. 9.15 Therefore the soueraigne authoritie of expouÌ„ding the Scripture only belongs to Christ and the Church hath onely the ministerie of iudgement and interpretation committed vnto her Christs Regall office is that whereby he distributeth his gifts and disposeth all things for the benefit of the elect Psal. 2. and 110.31.2 The Lord said vnto my Lord sit tâ—ou on my right hand till I make thine enimies thy footestoole The execution of Christs Regall office comprehendeth his exaltation Christs exaltation is that by which he after his humiliation was by little and little exalted to glorie and that in sundrie respects according to both his natures The exaltation of his diuine nature is an apparant declaration of his diuine properties in his humane nature without the least alteration thereof Rom. 1. 4. Declared mightily to be the sonne of God touching the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead Act. 2.36 God hath made him both lord Christ whome ye haue crucified The exaltation of his humanitie is the putting off from him his seruile coÌ„dition and all infirmities and the putting on of such habituall gifts which albeit they are created and finite yet they haue so great and so marueilous perfection as possibly can be ascribed to any creature The gifts of his minde are wisdome knowledge ioy and other vnspeakeable vertues of his bodie immortalitie strength agilitie brightnesse Philip. 3.21 Who shall change our vile bodies that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body Math. 17.2 He was traÌ„sfigured before them his face did shine as the sunne and his cloathes were as white as the light Heb. 1.9 God euen thy God hath annointed the with the oyle of gladnes aboue thy fellows Eph. 1.20.22 Christs bodie although it be thus glorified yet is it still of a solide substaÌ„ce compassed about visible palpable and shall perpetually remaine in some certaine place Luk. 24.39 Behold my hands and my feete it is euen I touch me and see a spirit hath no flesh and bones as ye se me haue There be three degrees of Christs exaltation I. His resurrection wherein by his diuine power he subdued death and raised vp himselfe to eternall life 2. Cor. 13.4 Though he was crucified concerning his infirmitie yet liueth he through the power of God Matth. 28.6 Hee is not here for he is risen as he said Come see the place where the Lord was laid The ende of Christs resurrection was to shewe that his satisfaction by his passion and death was fully absolute For one onely sinne would haue detaiâ—ed the Mediatour vnder the dominion of death though he had fully satisfied for all the rest 1. Cor. 15.17 If Christ be not raised your faith is in vaine yee are yet in your sinnes Rom. 4.25 Who was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification II. His ascension into heauen which is a true locall and visible translation of Christs humane nature from earth into the highest heauen of the blessed by the vertue power of his Deitie Act. 1.9 When he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken vp for a cloud tooke him vp out of their sight and while they looked stedfastly towards heauen as he went beholde two men stood by theÌ„ in white apparell which also said Ye men of Galile why stand ye gazing into heauen this Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen
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
intercession his satisfaction is applied to our persons and by consequent the defect of our workes is couered and remooued and they are approued of God the father In a vision Saint Iohn saw an angel standing before the altar with a golden censer full of sweete odours to offer vp with the praiers of the Saints vpon the same And this signifies that Christ presents our workes before the throne of God and by his intercession sanctifies them that they may be acceptable to God And therefore we must remember that when we doe any thing that is accepted of God it is not for our sakes but by reason of the value and vigour of Christ his merit Fourthly the intercession of Christ made in heauen breedeth and causeth in the hearts of men vpon earth that beleeue another intercession of the spirit as Paul saith He giueth vs his spirit which helpeth our infirmities and maketh request for vs with sighes which can not be expressed but he which searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God Now the spirit is said to make request in that it stirres and mooues euery contrite heart to pray with sighes and grones vnspeakable to God for things needfull and this grace is a fruit deriued from the intercession of Christ in heauen by the operation of the spirit For as the Sunne though the bodie of it abide in the heauens yet the beames of it descend to vs that are on earth So the intercession of Christ made in heauen is tied as it were to his person alone yet the grones and desires of the touched heart as the beames thereof are here on earth among the faithfull And therefore if we desire to know whether Christ make intercession for vs or no we neede not to ascend vp into the heauens to learne the truth but we must descend into our owne hearts and looke whether Christ haue giuen vs his spirit which makes vs crie vnto God make request to him with grones sighes that can not be expressed and if we finde this in our hearts it is an euident and infallible signe that Christ continually makes intercession for vs in heauen He that would know whether the Sunne shine in the firmament must not clime vp into the cloudes to looke but search for the beames thereof vpon the earth which when he sees he may conclude that the sunne shines in the firmament And if we would know whether Christ in heauen makes intercession for vs let vs ransacke our owne consciences and there make search whether we feele the spirit of Christ crying in vs Abba Father As for those that neuer feele this worke of Gods spirit in them their case is miserable whatsoeuer they be For Christ as yet makes no intercession for them considering these two alwaies go togither his intercession in heauen and the worke of his spirit in the hearts of men moouing them to bewaile their owne sinnes with sighes and grones that cannot be expressed and to crie and to pray vnto God for grace and therfore all such whether they be yong or old that neuer could pray but mumble vp a few words for fashions sake can not assure themselues to haue any part in Christs intercession in heauen The duties to be learned hence are these First whereas Christ makes intercession for vs it teacheth all men to be most carefull to loue and like this blessed Mediatour and to be readie and willing to become his seruants and disciples and that not for forme and fashion sake onely but in all truth and sinceritie of heart For he ascended to heauen and there sits at the right hand of his father to make request for vs that we might be deliuered from hell and come to eternall life Wicked Haman procured letters from king Ahashuerosh for the destruction of all the Iewes men women and children in his dominions this done Hester the Queene makes request to the king that her people might be saued and the letters of Haman reuoked shee obtaines her request and freedome was giuen and contrarie letters of ioyfull deliuerance were sent in post hast to all prouinces where the Iewes were Whereupon arose a wonderfull ioy and gladnes among the Iewes and it is saide that thereupon many of the people of the land became Iewes Well now behold a greater matter among vs then this for there is the hand-writing of condemnation the law and therein the sentence of a double death of bodie and soule and Satan as wicked Haman accuseth vs and seekes by all meanes our condemnation but yet behold not any earthly Hester but Christ Iesus the sonne of God is come downe from heauen and hath taken away this hand-writing of condemnation and cancelled it vpon the crosse and is now ascended into heauen and there sits at the right hand of his father and makes request for vs and in him his father is well pleased and yeeldeth to his request in our behalfe Now then what must we doe in this case Surely looke as the Persians became Iewes when they heard of their safetie so we in life and conuersation must become Christians turne to Christ imbrace his doctrine and practise the same vnfainedly And we must not content our selues with a formall profession of religion but search our owne hearts and flie vnto Christ for the pardon of our sinnes and that earnestly as for life and death as the thiefe doth at the barre when the iudge is giuing sentence against him When we shall thus humble our selues then Christ Iesus that sit at the right hand of God will plead our cause and be our atturney vnto his father and his father againe will accept of his request in our behalfe Then shall we of Persians become Iewes and of the children of this world become the sonnes of God Secondly when we pray to God we must not doe as the blinde man doth as it were rush vpon God in praying to him without consideration had to the Mediatonr between vs and him but we alwaies must direct our prayers to God in the name of Christ for he is aduanced to power and glorie in heauen that he might be a fit patrone for vs who might preferre and present our praiers to God the father that thereby they might be accepted and we might obtaine our request So likewise we must giue thanks to God in the name of Christ for in him and for his sake God doth bestow on vs his blessings Thus much of Christs intercession the other benefit which concernes Christ kingly office is that he sits at the right hand of his father for the administration of that speciall kingdome which is committed to him I say speciall because he is our king not onely by the right creation gouerning all things created togither with the father and the holy Ghost but also more specially by the right of redemption in respect of another kingdome not
must be gathered to his fathers and put in his graue in peace that his eies may not not see all the euill which God would bring on this place Therefore the Saints departed see not the state of the Church on earth much lesse doe they know the thoughts and praiers of men This conclusion Augustine confirmeth at large III. Reason No creature Saint or Angel can be a mediatour for vs to God sauing Christ alone who is indeede the onely Aduocate of his church For in a true and sufficient Mediatour there must be three properties First of all the word of God must reueale and propound him vnto the Church that we may in conscience be assâ—red that praying to him to God in his name we shall be heard Now there is no Scripture that mentioneth either Saints or Angels as mediatour in our behalfe saue Christ alone Secondly a mediatour must be perfectly iust so as no sinne be found in him at all 1. Ioh. 2.1 If any man â—inne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righâ—eous Now the Saints in heauen howsoeuer they be fully sanctified by Christ yet in themselues they were conceiued and borne in sinne and therefore must needes eternally stand before God by the mediation and merit of an other Thirdly a mediatour must be a propitiatour that is bring something to God that may appease and satisfie the wrath and iustice of God for our sinnes therfore Iohn addeth and he is a propitiation for our sinnes But neither Saint nor Angel can satisfie for the least of our sinnes Christ onely is the propitiation for them all The virgin Marie and the rest of the Saints beeing sinners could not satisfie so much as for themselues IV. Reason The iudgement of the Church Augustine All Christian men commend each other in their prayers to God And who praies for all and for whom none praies he is that one and true mediatour And This saith thy Sauiour thou hast no whither to goe but to me thou hast no way to goe but by me Chrysostome Thou hast no neede of Patrons to God or much discourse that thou shouldest sooth others but though thou be alone and want a Patron and by thy selfe pray vnto God thou shalt obtaine thy desire And on the saying of Iohn If any sinne c. Thy praiers haue no effect vnlesse they be such as the Lord commends vnto thy father And Augustine on the same place hath these words He beeing such a man said not ye haue an Aduocate but if any sinne we haue he saide not ye haue neither saide he ye haue me Obiections of Papists I. Reu. 5.8,9 The foure and twentie Elders fall downe before the lambe hauing euery one harpes and golden vyals full of odours which are the praiers of the Saints Hence the Papists gather that the Saints in heauen receiue the praiers of men on earth and offer them vnto the Father Ans. There by praiers of the Saints are meant their owne praiers in which they sing praises to God and to the Lambe as the verses following plainely declare And these praiers are also presented vnto God onely from the hand of the Angel which is Christ himselfe II. Obiect Luk. 16.27 Diues in hell praieth for his brethren vpon earth much more doe the Saints in heauen pray for vs. Ans. Out of a parable nothing can be gathered but that which is agreeable to the intent and scope thereof for by the same reason it may as well be gathered that the soule of Diâ—es beeing in hell had a tongue Againe if it were true which they gather we may gather also that the wicked in hell haue compassion and loue to their brethren on earth and a zeale to Gods glorie all which are false III. Obiect The angels in heauen know euery mans estate they know when any sinner repenteth and reioyceth thereat pray for particular men therefore the Saints in heauen doe the like for they are equall to the good angels Luk. 20.36 Ans. The place in Luke is to be vnderstood of the estate of holy men at the day of the last iudgement as appeares Math. 22.30 where it is saide that the seruants of God in the resurrection are as the angels in heauen Secondly they are like the angels not in office and ministerie by which they are ministring spirits for the good of men but they are like them in glorie Secondly we diâ—â—ent from the Papists because they are not content to say that the Saints departed pray for vs in particular but they adde further that they make intercession for vs by their merits in heauen New Iesuits denie this but let them here Lumbard I thinke saith he speaking of one that is but of meane goodnes that he as it were passing by the fire shall be saued by the merits and intercessions of the heauenly Church which doth alwaies make intercession for the faithfull by request and merit till Christ shall be compleate in his members And the Romane Catechisme saith as much Saints are so much the more to be worshipped and called vpon because they make praiers daily for the saluation of men and God for their merit and fauour bestowes many benefits vpon vs. We denie not that men vpon earth haue helpe and benefit by the faith and pietie which the Saints departed shewed when they were in this life For God shewes mercie on them that keepe his commandements to a thousand generations And Augustine saith it was good for the Iewes that they were loued of Moses whome God loued But we vtterly denie that we are helped by merits of Saints either liuing or departed For Saints in glorie haue receiued the full reward of all their merits if they could merit and therefore there is nothing further that they can merit The 16. point Of implicite or infolded faith Our consent We hold that there is a kind of implicite or vnexpressed faith yea that the faith of euery man in some part of his life as in the time of his first conuersion and in the time of fome grieuous temptation or distresse is implicite or infolded The Samaritans are saide to beleeue Ioh. 4. 14. beâ—ause they tooke Christ for the Messias and thereupon were content to learne and obey the glad tidings of saluation And in the same place v. 51 the Ruler with his familie is said to beleeue who did no mâ—â—e but generally acknowledge that Christ was the Messias and yeelded himselfe to beleeue and obey his holy doctrine beeing mooued thereunto by a miracle wrought vpon his yong sonne And Rahab Heb. 11.13 is said to beleeue yea shee is commended for faith euen at the time when shee receiued the spies Now in the word of God we cannot finde that shee had any more but a confused generall or infolded faith wherby shee beleeued that the God of the Hebrewes was the true God and his word to be obeied And this faith as it seemes was wrought in her by the
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
they which speak euill of you as of euill doers may by your good works which they shall see glorifie God in the day of thy visitation II. To exhort Heb. 3. 13. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinne Rom. 1.12 That I might be comforted togither with you through our mutuall faith both yours mine III. To comfort 1. Thess. 5.14 Comfort the feeble minded beare with the weake be patient towards all men Iam. 5. 16. Acknowledge your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed 20. He that conuerteth a sinner from going astray out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes 1. Thess. 4. 18. Comfort your selues one another with these words IV. To admonish Rom. 15. 14. I my selfe am perswaded of you brethren that yee also are full of goodnes and filled with all knowledge and are able to admonish one another 1. Thess. 5. 14. We desire you brethren admonish them that are vnruly They shall obserue an holy manner of admonition who in the spirit of meeknes and as it were guiltie of the like infirmitie themselues doe admonish forthwith all their brethren of such faults as they certenly know by them and that out of Gods word Gal. 6.1 Brethren if any man by occasion be fallen into any fault yee which are spirituall restore such an one in the spirit of meeknes considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted Matth. 5. 7. Thou hypocrite cast out first the beame out◠of thine owne eye and then shalt thou see to take the mote out of thy brothers eye 2. Tim. 4.2 Preach the word be instant in season and out of season improoue rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine Math. 18. 15. If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother Rom. 15.14.2 Tim. 4.2 Leuit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart but thou shalt plainely rebuke thy neighbour and suffer him not to sinne Reliefe peculiar to the godly among themselues is a dutie whereby the rich doe out of their plentie supplie the wants of the poore both according to their abilitie and sometimes beyond their abilitie 2. Cor. 8.3 To their power I beare record yea beyond their power they were willing Act. 2.44,45 All that beleeued were in one place and had all things common and they solde their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as euery one had neede CHAP. 48. Of the fourth degree of the declaration of Gods loue and of the estate of the Elect after this life THe fourth degree of the declaration of Gods loue is Glorification Roman 8.30 Glorification is the perfect transforming of the Saints into the image of the Sonne of God Philip. 3.21 Who shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie according to the working whereby he is able euen to subdue all things vnto himselfe 1. Cor. 15.44 It is sowne a naturall bodie and is raised a spirituall bodie there is a naturall bodie and there is a spirituall bodie 45. And it is also written The first man Adam was made a liuing soule the last Adam was made a quickning spirit 49. And as we haue borne the image of the earthly so shall we beare the image of the heauenly Psal. 17. 15. I will behold thy face in righteousnes and when I awake I shall be satisfied with thine image The beginning of Glorification is in death but it is not accomplished and made perfect before the last day of iudgement The death of the Elect is but a sleepe in Christ whereby the bodie and soule is seuered The bodie that after corruption it may rise to greater glorie The soule that it being fully sanctified may immediatly after departure frō the bodie be transported into the kingdom of heauen Against the feare of death note these preseruatiues I. Death it freeth the godly from the tyrannie of Satan sinne the world the flesh and eternall damnation yea from infinite both perills and losses and doth place vs both safe and happie vnder the shadow as it were of Christs wings II. Christ by his death hath sanctified vnto vs both death and the graue III. Christ is both in life and death gaine to the godly Phil. 1.12 IV. Those consolations which the spirit of Christ doth suggest to the soules of the faithfull doe by many degrees surmount the dolours of death V. The desire of that most bright and glorious beholding of God and the presence of those Saints which are departed before vs. VI. In stead of our bodies we shall be clothed with glorie 2. Cor. 5.1 VII The stings of death namely sinne is then so taken away as that that serpent can no more hurt vs. 1. Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie Heb. 2.15 That he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life time subiect to bondage VIII We should not so much thinke of our death as to take an exact account of our life For that man can not die ill who hath liued well and he seldome dieth well that hath liued badly IX The Angels they stand at our elbowes that so soone as a Saint departeth they may with all speede immediatly transport his soule into heauen Soules being once in heauen remaine there till the last day of iudgement where they partly magnifie the Name of God and partly doe waite and pray for the consummation of the kingdom of glorie and full felicitie in body and soule Reuel 5.8 And when he had taken the booke the foure beasts and the foure and twentie Elders fell downe before the Lambe hauing euery one harpes and golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints 9. And they sang a new song saying Thou art worthie to take the booke and to open the seales thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed vs to God by thy blood out of euery kinred and tongue and people and nation Reuel 14. 2. I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps 3. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and they cried with a loud voice saying How long Lord holy and true doest not thou iudge and auenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth CHAP. 49. Of the estate of the Elect at the last day of iudgement THe last day of iudgement shall be on this manner I. Immediatly before the comming of Christ the powers of heauen shall be shaken the Sunne and Moone shall be darkned and the starres shall seeme to fall from heauen at which sight the Elect then liuing shall reioyce but the reprobate shall shake euery ioynt of them II. Then the heauens beeing all set on fire shall with a
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
estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as he did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature behold then a matter of vnspeakeable ioy let vs therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Sauiour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes and praise his name therefore Now we come to the second title of the sonne of God whereby he is tearmed Christ which title is as it were the surname of the second person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as when in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one with Messiah in Hebrewe wherewith the redeemer was named in the old Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all Kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the Kings of Iuda Secondly the priests that serued in the Tabernacle and Temple before the Lord when they were ordained and as it were installed into the priesthood were annointed with oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but afterward the high priests alone Thirdly Prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Nowe this legall annointing was a type and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirit and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For Dauid saith he was annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christs annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature â—e is a Mediatour in the same he is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly he is a Mediatour the godhead is no mediatour without the manhood nor the manhood without the godhead and therefore his annointing extends it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christs annointing hath two parts both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby he was set apart to do the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therfore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reueale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set apart to the work of mediation as he is mediatour or as he is man yet as he is God he doth designe and set himselfe apart to the same worke For to designe the mediatour is a common action of the three persons the father the sonneâ— and the holy ghost and yet considering the father is first in order and thâ—refore hath the beginning of the action for this cause he is said especially to designe as when S. Iohn saith Him hath God the father sealed The second part of Christs annointing is the powring out of the fulnesse of the spirit or grace into the manhood of Christ and it was particularly figured by the holy oile For first that oile had no man but God alone to bee the author of it so the most excellent and vnspeakeable graces of the manhood of Christ haue their beginning from the godhead of Christ. Againe though the same oile was most precious yet was it compounded of earthly substances as myrrhe calamus and Casia and such like to signifie that the spirituall oile of grace whereof the manhood of Christ was as it were a vessell or storehouse did not consist of the essentiall properties of the godhead as Eutiches and his followers in these daies imagine but in certaine created gifts and qualities placed in his humaine nature otherwise we should not haue any participation of them Thirdly the sweete sauour of the holy oile figured that the riches of all grace with the effect thereof in the obedience of Christ doth take away the noisome sent of our loathsome sinnes from the nosthrilles of God and withal doth make our persons and al our actioÌ„s acceptable vnto him as a sweete perfume as Paul saith we are vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ c. And Christs death is for this cause tearmed a sacrifice of sweete smelling sauour And we must further vnderstand that theâ—e gifts of Christs manhood are not conferred in a small scantling or measure for Iohn saith God giueth the spirit not by measure because the graces which are in Christ are farre more both in number and degree then all men or angels haue or shall haue though the good angels and the saints of God in heauen are very excellent creatures stored with manifold graces and gifts of God For this cause Christ is called the head of man because he is euery way the most principal and glorious man that euer was Yet for all this are not the gifts of Christs manhood infinite any way because it is a creature and finite in nature and therefore not capable of that which is infinite By Christs annointing the people of God reape great benefit comfort because they are to be partakers thereof For this cause the oile wherewith he was annointed is called the oyle of gladnes because the sweete sauour of it gladdeth the hearts of all his members and brings the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding The holy oyle poured vpon Aarons head came downe to his beard and to the very skirts of his garments and it signified that the spirituall oyle of grace was first of all poured vpon our head Christ Iesus from thence consequently deriued to al his members that by that meanes he might be not onely annointed himselfe but also our annointer Nowe the benefits which we receiue by his annointing are two The first is that all the elect when they are called to the profession of the Gospell of Christ are in and by him set apart and made spirituall kings priests and prophets as S. Iohn saith He hath made vs kings and priests vnto his father And S. Peter out of Ioel I will poure saith the Lord my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie The second benefit it that all the faithfull receiue the same oile that is the same spirit of God in some little conuenient measure which he receiued aboue measure as Saint Iohn saithâ— The annointing which ye haue receiued of him dwelleth in you and teacheth you all things where by annointing is meant the holy Ghost And hence it is that men are called Christians of the name of Christ that is annointed with the same oyle wherewith Christ was annointed And the holy oyle might not be giuen to a straunger to signifie that to haue the spirit of Christ and to be guided by it is peculiar
they are distinguished and the order of them how the Father is the first the Sonne the second the holy ghost the third and therefore how the father is to be called vpon in the name of the sonne by the holy Ghost By this the praiers of Gods Church and the praiers of heathen men are distinguished who inuocate God as creator out of the father Sonne holy Ghost And hence it is manifest that ignorant and silly people which doe not so much as dreame of the vnion distinction and order of the persons in Trinitie make but a cold and slender kind of praying 2. Secondly we may learne hereby that we are not in any wise to inuocate Saints and Angels but onely the true Iehoua The reason standes thus This praier is either a perfect platforme for all praiers or not to say it were not were an iniurie to our Sauiour Christ to say it is so is also to graunt that it doth fully set downe to whome all praiers are to be made Now in these words there is set downe no inuocation but of God alone For in praier to be tearmed Our father is proper to God Esai 64.16 Thou art our father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not yet thou O Lord art our father and redeemer Papists therefore that are the great patrons of inuocation of Saints in their reformed breuiaries missals deale very fondly for first they pray to Marie that shee would pray to Christ for them and when they haue so done like iuglers they come to Christ and pray vnto him that he would accept Maries praier for them 3. Thirdly we learne that there can be no intercessour betweene God and vs but onely Christ. For here we are taught to come to God not as to a iudge but as to a kind and louing father Now he is a father to vs onely by Christ as for Angels and Saints and all creatures they are not able to procure by any meanes that God should become a father no not so much as to one man 4. Againe if the God to whome we pray be a father we must learne to acquaint our selues with the promises which he hath made in his word to quicken our hearts in all our praiers vnto him and thereby to gather affiance to our selues and perswasion that he wil graunt our requests For this word Father implies a readines and willingnes in God to heare and be mercifull to our praiers And a father can not but must needes make promise of fauour to those that be his children and therefore it can not be that he should call God his father truly which hath not in his heart this assurance that God will fulfill all his promises made vnto him Promises made to praier as these and such like are to be marked as follow 2. Chron. 7.14 If my people among whome my name is called vpon doe humble themselues and pray and seeke my presence turne from their wicked waies then I will heare in heauen and be mercifull vnto their sinnes 2. Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seeke him he will be found of you Esai 65. 34. Before they call I will answer and whiles they speake I will heare Matth. 7.7 Aske and it shall be giuen you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened Luke 11.13 If ye which are euill can giue good gifts vnto your children how much more shall your heauenly father giue the holy Ghost to them that desire him Rom. 10. 12. He that is Lord ouer all is rich vnto all that call on him Iam. 4.8 Draw neere vnto God and he will draw neere vnto you 5. If God be a father who is called vpon then praier is the note of Gods child Saint Luke and S. Paul set out the faithfull seruants of God by this note Act. 9.14 He hath authoritie to bind all that call on thy name 1. Cor. 1.2 To them that are sanctified by Iesus Christ Saints by calling with all that call on the name of our Lord Iesus Christ. And contrariwise Psal. 14.4 it is made one of the properties of an Atheist Neuer to call on the name of God And such persons as neither will nor can or vse not heartily to pray to God they may say that they are perswaded there is a God but in their doings they beare themselues as if there were no God 6. He which would pray aright must be like the prodigall child that is he must not onely confesse his sinne saying Father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee c. but also haue a full purpose neuer after to offend his father For how can a child call him father whome he cares not continually to displease through his lewd conditions He can not doe it neither can any father delight in such a child therefore in praier we must call to minde our lewdnes and rebellions against our heauenly father and with the Publicane in heauines of soule say Lord be mercifull to be a sinner He which can truly doe this is a kinde childe If we consider our selues as we are by nature we are the children of the deuill no child so like his father as we are like him and in this estate we continually rebell against God for the deuill hath all the heart our whole ioy is to serue and please him A man that is to pray must thinke on this and be grieued thereat And happie yea a thousand times happie are they who haue grace giuen them to see this their state and to bewaile it And further it is not sufficient to confesse our sinnes against our mercifull Father but we must set downe with our selues neuer in such sort to offend him againe to lead a new life This point is very profitable for these times For many there be when any crosse or sicknesse comes on them wil pray and promise repentance and all obedience to Gods word if it shall please God to deliuer them but this vsually is but in hypocrisie they dissemble with God and men For when their sicknes is past like a dogge that hath bin in the water they shake their eares and runne straight with all greedines to their former sinnes Is this to call God Father No he that doth this shal not haue God to be his father but the man that is wounded in his soule for his offences past and carrieth a purpose in his heart neuer wittingly and willingly to offend God againe 7. Lastly here we are to obserue that he which would pray must be indued wiâ—h the spirit of adoption the actions whereof in the matter of praier are twofold The first to mooue the heart to crie and call on God as a father It is no easie thing to pray for to a man of himselfe it is as easie to mooue the whol earth with his hand how then comes it that we pray It is a blessed worke of the spirit Rom. 8.15 We
enemies the flesh the deuill and his angels and the world 2. Furthermore whereas we are taught to say Our father this serues to put vs in minde that in praying to God we must bring loue to men with vs. We must all be the children of one father louingly disposed one to another For how should he call God his father who will not take the child of God for his brother Math. 5 2â— When thou art to offer thy gift vnto God if thou haue ought against thy brother first be reconciled and then come and offer thy gift So also Esa. â— 15 the Lord saith that when they pray vnto him he will not heare Why because their hanâ—s are full of bloode In these times many men can be content formâ—lly to pray but yet they will not leaue bâ—ibing oppression deceit vsurie c. The common song of the world is Euery man for himselfe and God for vs all this is the common loue and care that men haue each to other The praiers of such are abominable euen as the sacrifice of a dogge as Esay saith For how can they call God their father that haue no loue to their brethren 3. Thirdly hence we may learne that God is no accepter of persons For this prayer is giuen to all men of what state or degree soeuer All then as well poore as rich vnlearned as learned subiects as rulers may say Our father It is not with the Lord as it is with the world but all are his children that doe beleeue The poore man hath as good interest in Gods kingdome and may call God father as well as the king Therfore the weaker sort are to comfort themselues hereby knowing that God is a father to them as well as to Abraham Dauid Peter And such as are indued with more grace must not therefore swell in pride because they haue not God to be their father more then their inferiours haue Which art in heauen 1. The meaning Quest. HOw may God be said to be in heauen seeing hee is infinite and therefore must needes be euery where 1. King 8.27 The heauens of heauens are not able to containe him Ans. God is said to be in heauen first because his maiestie that is his power wisdome iustice mercie is made manifest from thence vnto vs. Psal. 115.3 Our God is in heauen and doth whatsoeuer he will Psal. 2.4 He that dwelleth in heauen shall laugh them to scorne and the Lord shall haue theÌ„ in derision Esai saith 66.2 Thus saith the Lord Heauen is my throne and the earth is my footstoole Secondly after this life he will manifest and exhibite the fulnes of his glorie to his Angels and Saints in the highest heauens and that immediately and visibly 2. The vse 1. HEreby first we learne that Romish pilgrimages whereby men went from place to place to worship God are vaine and foolish The God to whome we must pray is in heauen Now let men trauell to what placeâ— or countrey they will they shall not come the nearer to heauen or nearer to God by trauelling seeing the earth is in euery part alike distant from heauen 2. Secondly this ouerthrowes popish idolatrie as worshipping of crosses cruciâ—ixes roodes c. vsed to put men in minde of God and Christ. We are taught to lift vp our eyes to heauen seeing God is there and how can we doe this as long as our minds and eyes are poaring vpon an image made by mans arte 3. Again we are here admonished to vse the action of prayer with as great reuerence as possible may be and not to think of God in any earthly manner Well reasons Salomon Eccles. 5.1 Be not rash with thy mouth to speake a word before God Why He is in heauen thou art in earth therefore let thy words be few This reuerence must appeare in holinesse of all our thoughts and affections and in all comelines of gesture And for this cause all wandring by-thoughts all vaine babbling is to be auoided but how goes the case with vs that on the times appointed come to the assemblies to pray Many by reason of their blindnes pray without vnderstanding Many when they are present at praier yet haue their hearts occupied about other matters about their goods and worldly busines such men haue no ioy or gladnes in praying it is a burthen to them Many come to the assembly for custome onely or for feare of punishment if they might be left free they could find in their hearts not to pray at all But let all such men know that this maner of praying is a very grieuous sinne nay greater then mocking of father or mother killing or stealing for it is directly against God the other against men This sinne because it is against the first table and therefore more hard to be discerned it is lightly esteemed and it lesse troubles the consciences of ignorant men yea as it is in deede so it is to be esteemed as a disgrace and plaine mockerie of Gods maiestie Wherefore seeing God is in heauen away with all drowsie and dead praying let vs come with reuerence in our hearts before the Lord. 4. Againe we are here to consider that our hearts in praier must mount vp into heauen and there be present with the Lord. Psal. 25.1 â— Vnto thee O Lord lift I vp my soule The little childe is neuer well but when it is in the fathers lap or vnder the mothers wing and the children of God are neuer in better case then when in affection and spirit they can come into the presence of their heauenly Father and by praier as it were to creepe into his bosome 5. And here we must further learne specially to seeke for heauenly things and to aske earthly things so farre forth as they serue to bring vs to an euerlasting and immortall inheritance in heauen to which we are called 1. Pet. 1.3 6. Lastly whereas our father is in heauen we are to learne that our life on earth is but a pilgrimage that our desire must be to attaine to a better countrey namely heauen it selfe and that we must vse all meanes continually to come vnto it In a word to make an end of the preface in it is contained a double stay or prop of all our prayers The one is to beleeue that God can graunt our requests because he is almightie thus much is signified when he is said to be in heauen The second is to beleeue that God is ready and willing to grant the same and this we are tâ—ught in the title Father which serues to put vs in â—ind that God accepts our prayers Ioh. 16.32 and hath a care of vs in all our miseries and necessities Matth. 6.32 and pitieth vs as much as any earthly father can pitie his child Psal. 103.13 Yet must we not imagin that God will indeed giue vnto vs whatsoeuer we doe vpon our owne heads fancie and desire but we must in our praiers haue recourse to the promise
giue his disciples that they must denie themselues and follow him 2. The second thing is the knowledge of Gods will for otherwise howe shall we doe it How can that seruant please his master which cannot tel what he would haue done of him Most men will haue bookes of statutes in their houses and if they be to deale in any great matter they will doe nothing before they haue looked on the statute In like manner men should haue the bible that is the booke of Gods statutes in their houses the lawes of God must be the men of our counsell before euery action we are to search what is the will of God and then to doe it Here then we are taught to vse the meanes and to pray for knowledge 3. Againe wee are here taught to haue a desire in our hearts and an indeauour in our liues in all things to performe obedience to Gods worde in our liues and conuersations and in our particular callings 4. Lastly we desire patience and strength when it shall please God at any time to exercise vs with the crosse as Paul praies for the Colossians That God would strengthen them by the power of his might vnto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse Coloss. 1.12 5. Error confuted THE Church of Rome teacheth that men by nature haue free will to doe good and that men being stirred vp by the holy ghost can of themselues will that which is good But if this were so why might wee not pray Let my will be done So farre forth as the will of man shall agree with Gods will but this cannot be as wee see in the tenour of this petition In earth as it is in heauen 1. The meaning HAuing shewed the meaning of this petition Thy will be done nowe we are to speake of the condition which shewes in what manner we should doe it For the question might be howe we would doe Gods will and the answer is that his will must be done in earth as it is in heauen Heauen By heauen here is meant the soules of faithfull men departed and the elect Angels Psal. 103.20 Praise the Lord ye his angels that excel in streÌ„gth that doe his commandements in obeying the voice of his word Earth By earth is vnderstood nothing but men on earth because all other creatures in their kind obey God onely man he is rebellious and disobedient Then the meaning is Let thy will be done by vs men on earth as the Angels and Saints departed doe thy will in heauen Question Doe wee here desire to doe the will of God in that perfection it is done by Angels must we be as perfect as they Ans. The words here vsed in earth as it c. doe not signifie an equalitie as though our obedience could in this life bee in the same degree of perfection with Angels but a similitude standing in the like manner of obedience Now it may be asked in what manner do the angels obey God Ans. They do the will of God willingly speedily and faithfully and this is signified in that they are said in the scriptures to be winged and to stand continually beholding the face of our heauenly father And this is the manner in which wee desire to performe Gods will 2. The wants to be bewailed VVE are here admonished to bee displeased with our selues for our slacke and imperfect obedience to God for our hypocrisie priuie prid presumption deadnes of spirit and many other wants which breake out when we are in doing Gods will There is no seruant of God but hath wants in his best workes so we must vnderstand Paul when he saith To will is present with me but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good Rom. 7.18 Where he signifies thus much in effect that hee could beginne good things but not perfect them and goe through-stitch as we say When the godly doe good workes as heare speake gods word pray praise God c. they perform things acceptable to God but in these actions they finde matter of mourning namely the imperfection of the worke therefore Dauid praieth Psal. 143.2 Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant And here we may see how farre wide the Church of Rome is that holdeth good works to be any way meritorious that be euery way imperfect If the men of that church had grace they might see that the corruptions of the flesh were as gyues and fetters about their legges that when they would faine runne the waies of Gods commandements they are constrained to halt downe right and to traile their loynes after them 3. Grace to be desired THe grace here to be desired is sinceritie of heart or a readie and constant purpose and indeauour not to sinne in any thing but to doe Gods wil so as we may keepe a good conscience before God men Act. 24. 16. And for this cause I endeuour alwaies to haue a cleare conscience towards God and towards men This must we hunger after and pray for seeing it is not sufficient to abstaine from euill but also to doe good and in doing good striue to come to perfection A conformitie with Angels in this dutie is to be sought for and to be begun in this life that in the life to come we may be like them in glorie Giue vs this day our daily bread 1. The Goberence THus much of the three first petitions which concerne God now follow the other three which concerne our selues In which order we learne to pray for those things which concerne God absolutely and for those things which concerne our selues not absolutely but so farre forth as they shall make for Gods glorie the building of his kingdome and the doing of his will But how depends this petition on the former In the first we were taught to pray that Gods name might be hallowed which is done when God raignes in our hearts his wil is done Now further his will is obeied in three things first by depending on his prouidence for the things of this life secondly by depending on his mercie for the pardon of sinneâ— thirdly by depending on his power and might in resisting temptations And thus Gods will is obeied 2. The meaning BRâ—ad By bread in this place many of the ancient fathers as also the Papists at this day vnderstand the element of bread in the Sacrament the bodie of Christ which is the bread of life But that cannot be for S. Luke calls it bread for the day that is bread sufficient to preserue vs for the present day and by this he makes it manifest that the words of this petition must be vnderstood not of spirituall but of bodily foode and the bread of life is more directly asked in the second or fourth petition As for the opinion of Erasmus who thinkes that in this so heauenly a prayer made to God the Father there should be no mention made of bread that is of earthly things which euen the Gentiles bestow
very God and that eternall life Ch. How may we keepe our selues in God and neuer commit the sinne to death Ioh. Little children keepe your selues from Images whether they be of false gods or of the true God PSALME XV. Iehoua Dauid O Iehoua who shall dwell as Pilgrimes dwell in tents in thy tabernacle the Church militant who shall rest in thy holy Mountaine the kingdome of heauen Ieho He that walketh perfectly that is he which leadeth the course of his life vprightly Dau. Who is the vpright man Ieho He that worketh righteousnes according to the commandements of the second table and speaketh the trueth in his heart as he thinketh his heart and tongue agreeing Dau. By what notes may this vpright man be knowe and who is he Ieho I. He that slandereth not with his tōgue II. nor doth hurt to his neighbour III. nor receiueth a false report against his neighbour IV. In whose eies a vile person an vngodly and vnrighteous man is contemned but he honoureth them that feare God V. He that hauing sworne to his owne hinderance changeth not VI. He that giueth not his money to vsurie VII neither taketh reward of the innocent Dau. Are these notes vnfallible Ieho He that doth these things shall neuer be mooued shall abide in Gods fauour for euer A BRIEFE DISCOVRSE TAKEN OVT OF THE writings of Hier. Zanchius Wherein the aforesaid case of Conscience is disputed and resolued Assertion I. Onely the elect and all of them not onely truely may bee but also are in that time which god hath appointed them in this life indeed assured of their Election to eternal life in Christ and this is done not one way but many waies WEe say that the Elect alone may bee and indeede are made sure of their election that so wee may exclude the reprobate hypocrites for considering they are not elected they can neuer be truely perswaded that they are elected I say truely because it may come to passe that many in their owne thinking shall be predestinate yet in trueth they are not perswaded so for they are deceiued We haue an example in temporarie Christians who thinke of thēselues that they beleeue in Christ but truely doe not beleeue for their faith is in hypocrisie and for a time onely Wherefore a true and certaine perswasion of election can neuer befall any of the reprobates because the true perswasion of heauenly matters commeth of the holy Ghost which neuer perswadeth any false matter Wherefore how can reprobates be perswaded that they are elected This cōsidered it is not amisse that we attribute this perswasion of which we now speake to the elect alone Wee adde further that all the elect not onely may bee but are indeed made sure of their Election which must bee demonstratiuely confirmed against Schoole-men and other our aduersaries Wee say this is done in the time appointed because the elect before they be called to Christ are neuer sure of their election nay they neuer thinke of it as appeareth in Paul before hee was called and in others Againe in like manner after they haue beene called yet not presently are made sure of their election but some sooner some later Lastly wee adde that this is done many waies what they are if not perfectly yet in part I will afterward shewe Nowe let vs come to the matter The Schoolemen demaund whether a man may be made sure of his Election And they determine that a man cannot except it be by diuine reuelation because Predestination is in God and not in vs. And no man knoweth the things of God but the spirit of God as no man knoweth the things of man but the spirit of man which is in him Againe who knoweth the minde of the Lord therefore say they some speciall reuelation is needfull if any desire to be certified either of his owne or of any other mans predestination their sayings are not simplie to be disliked but in that meaning in which they vnderstand them they are no waie to be approoued For they take a special reuelation to be this if God shall signifie and say expresly to any either by some Angel outwardly or by his spirit inwardly that he is predestinate to life after which sort they hold that Paul and a fewe other Saints had their predestination reuealed to them So they conclude that because euerie man hath not his election reuealed to him after this manner that all men cannot bee assured of their election But they are deceiued for God not onely by this one manner which they speake of doth reueale his will and his counsels but by many for God reuealeth things either by the inward inspiration of his spirit or outwardly by his word or both inwardly and outwardly by inward and outward effects By his spirit he did inspire his Prophets and open many things to come And Christ said to his Apostles as concerning the holy Ghost Hee shall lead you into all trueth By his word hee spake vnto the prophets and in like manner by his word he teacheth vs his will Also by diuers effects he declareth either his mercie or his iustice as it is knowne The same must bee thought of the reuealing of his election to wit that God reuealeth the same to the elect by the holy Ghost by the word and by the most certaine effects of predestination The first testimonie by which God assureth vs of our election is the inward testimonie of the spirit of which the Apostle saith The spirit of God testifieth vnto our spirits that we are the children of God Nowe what is it to be the sonne of God but first of all to be predestinated to be the child of God by adoption and then to be made actually the sonne of God by faith lastly by the same spirit also to be regenerate as Gods children are to put on the nature of the sonne of God or rather the son of God himselfe as the Apostle speaketh Therefore the holy Ghost whilest he inwardly beareth record vnto our spirits that is to our minds being inlightened by his light that we are the sons of God most plainely reuealeth that we were predestinate from all eternitie to adoption for men are not made the sonnes of God by faith nor regenerate to be the sons of God nor put on Christ except they be first of all predestinated to adoption And there can be nothing more certaine then this testimonie for who better knoweth the things o◠god his counsels decrees then the spirit of God which searcheth all things yea the deepe things of god therefore he can most truly reueale vnto euery one of vs the certaintie of our election And he cannot deceiue vs in reuealing it for he is the spirit of trueth which can neither deceiue nor be deceiued If an angel from heauen should be sent to thee as he was sent to Marie and as he spake vnto the fathers should tel thee
conscience with other gifts of Gods spirit which are the earnest of their saluation The second degree is in this life when the bodie goes to the earth and the soule is carried by the Angels into heauen The third is in the ende of the world at the last iudgement when bodie and soule reunited doe ioyntly enter into eternall happines in heauen Now of these three degrees death it selfe being ioyned with the feare of God is the second which also containeth in it two worthie steppes to life The first is a freedome from all miseries which haue their ende in death For though men in this life are subiect to manifold daungers by sea and land as also to sundrie aches paines and diseases as feauers and consumptions c. yet when death comes there is an ende of all Againe so long as men liue in this world whatsoeuer they be they doe in some part lie in bondage vnder originall corruption and the reâ—nants thereof which are doubtings of Gods prouidence vnbeleefe pride of heart ignorance couetousnesse ambition enuie hatred lust and such like sinnes which bring forth fruits vnto death And to be in subiection to sinne on this manner is a miserie of all miseries Therefore Paul when he was tempted vnto sinne by his corruption calls the very temptation the buffets of Sathan and as it were a pricke or thorne wounding his flesh and paining him at the very heart Againe in another place wearied with his owne corruptions he complaines that he is sold vnder sinne and he cries out O miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death Dauid saith that his eyes gushed out with riuers of teares when other men sinned against God how much more then was he grieued for the sinnes wherewith he himselfe was ouertaken in this life And indeede it is a very hell for a man that hath but a sparke of grace to be exercised turmoiled and tempted with the inborne corruptions and rebellions of his owne heart and if a man would deuise a torment for such as feare God and desire to walke in newnesse of life he can not deuise a greater then this For this cause blessed is the day of death which brings with it a freedome from all sinne whatsoeuer For when we die the corruption of nature is quite abolished and sanctification is accomplished Lastly it is a great miserie that the people of God are constrained in this world to liue and conuerse in the companie of the wicked as sheepe are mingled with goates which strike them annoy their pasture and muddie their water Hereupon Dauid cried out Woe is me that I râ—maine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Keâ—ar When Elias saw that Ahab and Iesabel had planted idolatrie in Israel and that they sought his life also he went apart into the wildernes and desired to die But this miserie also is ended in the day of death in as much as death is as it were the hand of God to sort and single out those that be the seruants of God from all vngodly men in this most wretched world Furthermore this exceeding benefit comes by death that it doth not onely abolish the miseries which presently are vpon vs but also pâ—euent those which are to come The righteous saith the Prophet Esay perisheth and no man considereth it in his heart and mercifull men are taken away and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away for the euill to come Example of this we haue in Iosias Because saith the Lord thine heart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place c. behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill whiâ—h I will bring vpon this place And Paul saith that among the Corinthians some were asleepe that is dead that they might not be condemned with the world Thus much of freedome from miserie which is the first benefit that comes by death and the first steppe to life now followes the second which is that death giues an entrance to the soule that it may come into the presence of the euerliuing God of Christ and of all the Angels and Saints in heauen The worthines of this benefit makes the death of the righteous to be no death but rather a blessing to be wished of all men The consideration of this made Paul to say I desire to be dissolued but what is the cause of this desire that followes in the next wordes namely that by this dissolution he might come to be with Christ. When the Queene of Sheba saw all Salomons wisdome and the house that he had built and the meate of his table and the sitting of his seruants and the order of his ministers and their apparrell c. shee saide Happie are thy men happie are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisdome much more then may we say that they are ten thousand folde happie which stand not in the presence of an earthly King but before the King of kings the Lord of heauen and earth and at his right hand inioy pleasures for euermore Moses hath beene renowmed in all ages for this that God vouchsafed him but so much fauour as to see his hinder parts at his request O then what happinesse is this to see the glorie and maiestie of God face to face and to haue eternall fellowship with God our father Christ our Redeemer and the holy Ghost our comforter and to liue with the blessed Saints and Angels in heauen for euer Thus now the third point is manifest namely in what respects death is more excellent then life It may be here the mind of man vnsatisfied will yet further replie and say that howsoeuer in death the soules of men enter into heauen yet their bodies though they haue bin tenderly kept for meate drink and apparrell and haue slept many a night in beddes of doune must lie in darke and loathsome graues and there be wasted and consumed by wormes Answ. All this is true indeede but all is nothing if so be it we will but consider aright of our graues as we ought We must not iudge of our graues as they appeare to the bodily eye but we must looke vpon them by the eie of faith and consider them as they are altered and changed by the death and buriall of Christ who hauing vanquished death vpon the crosse pursued him afterward to his own den and foyled him there and depriued him of his power And by this means Christ in his owne death hath buried our death and by the vertue of his buriall as sweete incense hath sweetned and perfumed our graues and made them of stinking and loathsome cabbines to become princely pallaces and beddes of most sweete and happie rest farre more excellent then beddes of doune And
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
daies lastly in pilgrimages vnto their reliques and images We likewise distinguish adoration or worship for it is either religious or ciuill Religious worship is that which is done to him that is Lord of all things the searcher and trier of the heart omnipotent euery where present able to heare and helpe them that call vpon him euery where the author and first cause of euery good thing and that simply for himselfe because he is absolute goodnes it selfe And this worship is due to God alone beeing also commanded in the first and second commandement of the fist table Ciuill worship is the honour done to men set aboue vs by God himselfe either in respect of their excellent gifts or in respect of their offices authoritie whereby they gouerne others The right ende of this worship is to testifie and declare that we reuerence the gifts of God and that power which hee hath placed in those that be his instruments And this kind of worship is commanded onely in the second table and in the first commandement thereof Honour thy father and mother Vpon this distinction wee may iudge what honour is due to euery one Honour is to bee giuen to God and to whome hee commandeth He commandeth that inferiours should honour or worshippe their betters Therefore the vnreasonable creatures and among the rest images are not to be worshipped either with ciuill or religious worship being indeede far baser then man himselfe is Againe vncleane spirits the enemies of God must not be worshipped yea to honour them at all is to dishonour god Good angels because they excell men both in nature and gifts when they appeared were lawfully honoured yet so as when the least signification of honour was giuen that was proper to god they refused it And because they appeare not now as in former times not so much as ciuil adoration in any bodily gesture is to be done vnto them Lastly gouernours and Magistrates haue ciuill adoration as their due and it can not be omitted without offence Thus Abraham worshipped the Hittites Gen. 23. and Ioseph his brethren Gen. 50. To come to the very point vpon the former distinction we denie against the Papists that any ciuil worship in the bending of the knee or prostrating of the bodie is to be giuen to the Saints they being absent from vs much lesse any religious worship as namely inuocation signified by any bodily adoratiō For it is the very honour of God himselfe let them call it latria or doulia or by what name they will Our reasons Reason I. All true inuocation and praier made according to the will of God must haue a double foundation a commandement and a promise A commandement to mooue vs to pray and a promise to assure vs that we shall be heard For all and euery praier must be made in faith and without a commandement or promise there is no faith Vpon this vnfallible ground I conclude that we may not pray to Saints departed for in the scripture there is no word either commanding vs to pray vnto them or assuring vs that wee shall be heard when we praie Nay we are commanded only to cal vpon God him only shalt thou serue Mat. 4.10 And How shall we call vpon him in whom we haue not beleeued Ro. 10.14 And we haue no promise to be heard but for Christs sake Therefore praiers made to Saints departed are vnlawefull Answere is made that inuocation of Saints is warranted by miracles and reuelations which are answerable to commandements and promises Ans. But miracles reuelations had an end before this kind of inuocation tooke any place in the Church of God and that was about three hundred yeares after Christ. Again to iudge of any point of doctrine by miracles is deceitfull vnlesse three things concur the first is doctrine of faith and pietie to be confirmed the second is praier vnto God that some thing may be done for the ratifying of the said doctrine the third is the manifest edification of the Church by the two former Where any of these three are wanting miracles may be suspected because otherwhiles false prophets haue their miracles to trie men whether they will cleaue vnto God or no Deut. 13.1,3 Againe miracles are not done or to bee done for them that beleeue but for infidels that beleeue not as Paul saith 1. Cor. 14.22 Tongues are a signe not to thē that beleeue but to vnbeleeuers And to this agree Chrysostom Ambrose Isidore who saith Behold a signe is not necessarie to beleeuers which haue alreadie beleeued but to infidels that they may bee conuerted Lastly our faith is to be confirmed not by reuelations and apparitions of dead mē but by the writings of the Apostles prophets Luk. 16.29 Reason II. To pray vnto Saints departed to bowe the knee vnto them while they are in heauen is to ascribe that vnto them which is proper to God himselfe namely to knowe the heart with the inward desires and motions thereof and to know the speeches and behauiours of all men in all places vpon earth at all times The Papists answer that Saints in heauen see and heare all things vpon earth not by themselues for that were to make them Gods but in God and in the glasse of the Trinitie in which they see mens praiers reuealed vnto them I answer first that the Saints are still made more thē creatures because they are said to knowe the thoughts and all the doings of all mē at all times which no created power can well comprehend at once Secondly I answer that this glasse in which all things are said to be seene is but a forgerie of mans braine and I prooue it thus The angels themselues who see further into God then men can do neuer knewe all things in God which I confirme on this manner In the temple vnder the lawe vpon the arke were placed two Cherubins signifying the good angels of god they looked downward vpon the mercieseat couering the arke which was a figure of Christ their looking downward figured their desire to see into the mystery of Christs incarnation and our redemption by him as Peter alluding no doubt to this type in the olde Testament saith 1 Pet. 1.12 which things the angels desired to beholde and Paul saith Eph. 3.10 The manifold wisdome of God is reuealed by the Church vnto principalities and powers in heauenly places that is to the angels but howe and by what meanes by the Church and that two waies first by the Church as by an example in which the angels saw the endlesse wisdome and mercie of God in the calling of the Gentiles Secondly by the Church as it was founded and honoured by the preaching of the Apostles For it seemes that the Apostolicall ministerie in the new testament reuealed things touching Christ which the angels neuer knewe before that time Thus Chrysostome vpon occasion of this text of Paul saith that the angels learned some things by the preaching