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A01456
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The way to heauen In a sermon deliuered at Saint Maries Spittle on Wednesday in Easter weeke the 27. of March. 1611. By Samuel Gardiner, Doctor of Diuinitie.
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Gardiner, Samuel, b. 1563 or 4.
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1611
(1611)
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STC 11582; ESTC S115875
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39,861
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90
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he sheweth the force of his Fayth yet what litle sense he had of Gods mercie when hee so spake may appeare by that hee sayth immediatly after vers 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face and takest mee for thine enimie The Christian sometimes feeleth Fayth and sometimes feeleth none that is at that time when God first calleth him and in the time of temptation Heere a man may marueyle how one may be a Christian who hath no grace or goodnesse in himselfe But it is no marueile for it is with him as it is with an Infant and young Child who albeit yet hee hath not vse of reason yet is a creature reasonable A man that is in a swonde hath no sense of life yet is he not dead Fayth beleeueth the Promises of God yea when we feele the contrarie and in one contrarie beleeueth an other When we feele our sinnes wee beleeue our Iustification When we feele our wretchednesse we beleeue our Blessednesse When we see nothing but eternall death before our eyes it maketh vs beleeue our euerlasting life When we apprehend Gods anger and feele him our enemie it maketh vs to take hold of his louing kindnesse and to put our trust in his fatherly goodnesse When Christ was forsaken of God yet then hee called him his owne God My God my God 8. An other of their Obiections standeth thus There be many sinnes vnknowne to vs and so also vncertaine whether they be pardoned vnto vs. I answere that they ground vpon a foundation that will fayle them For that a man can not be assured of the Pardon of his sinnes though some of them be vnknowne is a false ground I make it plaine thus It is in the case of Faith as it is in that of Repentance But there may be true Repentance of sinnes that are vnknowne God will haue a particular repentance for particular knowen sinnes but where they are hidden and vnknowne to vs hee taketh in good part at our handes a more broad and generall Repentance Of this we haue example in Dauid where he sayth Who can tell how oft hee offendeth Psal 19.12 O cleanse thou mee from my secret faultes Were it not thus we were in wofull case for neither Dauid nor any one else might be saued For though Dauids repentaunce of his knowne sinnes of Murder and Adulterie appeareth vnto vs yet wee finde it not in his Historie or else where in holy Writte that he particulerly repented his poligamie his multiplicitie of Wiues and Concubines which in all probabilitie with the custome of the times he drunke vp as men doe Wine out of Bowles with all facilitie and so in the common reputation that it had that it was no sinne at all it is likely enough of that he repented not at all especially while he considered the superemmencie of his person that he was a King and by that had as good priuiledge and a libertie for this as any common person yet because Scripture determineth him a man chosen of God a partie saued it is peremptorily concluded that this sinne is pardoned Therefore when God pardons the knowne sinnes of man whereof they doe in particuler repent hee doth withall pardon the rest that are vnknowne It is vndeniable Diuinitie that hee that certainely and truely knoweth that but one sinne is pardoned him hee hath before God all his sinnes pardoned him whether knowne or vnknowne wherefore the ignoraunce of certaine sinnes cannot preiudice an vnfallible assurance of the pardon of them all and of his owne saluation 9. Moreouer whereas it is thus obiected vnto vs that this proposition of ours is not of the nature of an Article of our Fayth to be so carryed away hand-smooth as that and therefore that it can not perswade vs as that I answere that the partie that will be saued must as steadfastly beleeue his Saluation as the Articles of the Creeâ—e Because the Promise of life and the Commaundement to beleeue it and apply it to our selues are indiuidually conioyned and can not be deuided Fayth speaketh in the phrase of Dauid J am thine O saue mee Psal 119. And it pronounceth as Paul doth Rom. 8.38 J am perswaded that neither Life or Death neither Angels Principalities or Powers or thinges present or thinges to come are euer able to seperate me from the loue of God which is in Christ Jesu our Lord. It talketh as the Spouse in the Canticles in effect Cantic 8.6 in this zealous affect Loue is strong as death Jealousie is cruell as the Graue The Coales thereof are fierie Coales and a vehement flame Much Water can not quench Loue neither can the Floods drowne it If a man should giue all the substaunce of his house for Loue they would greatly contemne it Two thinges are required of vs to beleeue truly First to vnderstand a thing Secondly to giue our consent vnto it as vnto that which is true Therefore Fayth is called Tota copulatiua and therefore hee that denieth but one poynt of Fayth maketh hanocke of them altogeather Againe to beleeue is one thing to beleeue in this or that is an other thing and it containeth three actions of the person beleeuing 1. To know the thing 2. To acknowledge it 3. To haue trust in it So that this knowledge is not naked and generall For the Diuels haue such knowledge but it is more speciall by which wee know God not onely to be God but to be my God whereby I put my confidence in him 2. Secondly I answere that this Fayth whereby we are to beleeue our owne saluation to consider of it in the proper and true nature of it is as certaine as that whereby we beleeue the Articles of Fayth For whatsoeuer wee pray for according to Gods will that wee are aswell to beleeue that wee shall obtaine as we doe beleeue the Articles of the Fayth This is flatte by that which Christ sayth Marc. 11.24 Whatsoeuer yee desire when yee pray beleeue that yee shall haue it and it shall be done vnto you But wee put vp our Prayers for the remission of our sinnes and for life euerlasting And therefore lay hold vpon the certaintie thereof as vpon the Article of our Christian Fayth If God should particulerly say to thee or mee John or Peter beleeue in mee and thou shalt be saued should not this commaundement be as forcible a binder as any Article of our Fayth But the Minister lawfully called in the name of God when hee preacheth Gods word it is all one as if God should speake from Heauen particularly vnto him and make promise vnto him of eternall life for wee are in legatiue commission from God to runne vpon this his arrant vnto you according to that Saint Paul sayth Now then are we Ambassadours for Christ 2. Cor. 5.20 as though God did beseech you through vs wee pray you in Christes stead that yee be reconciled to God Heb. 4.16 We come to the â—h one of Grace in the
is Fallacia non cauâ—ae in the Minor For we are commaunded to feare not by doubting of Grace but by auoyding of sinne pride and displeasure of God Thirdly those threates and terrours are indefinite peculiarly respecting Hipocrites lurking in the Church who beleeue and stand by that Fayth onely Quae creatur which is beleeued in the profession of the doctrine but they doe not beleeue stand in the Fayth Qua creaâ—tur in the which it is beleeued that is in the assuraunce of the heart Now of such onely is the Minor to be taken and so wee giue them the whole argum nt of such as are truely faythfull it is false The Consequent raysed out of this sentence to the Pâ—â—iapâ—â—ta 〈◊〉 VVorke your situation with feare and trembling Therefore the faythfull may feare their fall Beeing applyed to the feare that is cautelous and carefull is not to be denied For the faythfull must feare that is take heed they fall not and foresee that they plunge not themselues through securitie into vtter perdition This feare Fayth it selfe naturally doth beget and this Care is the Tribute that is due vnto it But as it considereth the feare of doubt and distrust of Gods grace the Antecedent is vntrue for the Apostle by exhorting men to such feare should derogate from the Promises of God and to giue the lye vnto him Therefore both Bellarmine and Stâ—pleton doe but wrangle with the Apostles argument This feare of working of our saluation is not in respect of Gods mercie forgiuing our sinnes but in respect of vs and our nature which is euer apt to turne aside from God There is a threefold feare 1. Of Nature 2. Grace 3. Distrust 1. That of Nature is that whereby the nature of man is troubled with that which any way striueth against it and therefore auoydeth it 2. Feare of Grace is that mother Grace of all others which Salomon calleth The beginning of Wisedome and it is a kind of awe or reuerence vnto God as considering how wee are in the presence of God in all thinges wee doe 3. Feare of Distrust is that melancholie and cruell feare that stabbeth the heart with the sword of Gods Iudgements in the sense and sight men haue of their sinnes without hope of recouerie The first of these three was good by Creation Marc. 14. and therefore our Sauiour was not free of this for it is written of him Hee began to feare The third is naught called a Seruile feare The second is that which is so often commended and commaunded vnto vs in these and such like authorities of Scripture whose nature is onely to make vs more warie and heedfull of our selues that wee runne not into sinne while we consider our owne Infirmities and Gods eternall Iudgementes And this kind of feare as well as the first agree well enough with the certaintie of Fayth and can stand togeather In one and the same respect they will not combine but in some diuersitie of Nature and Reason they goe hand in hand togeather The Saintes of God on the one side are smitten with feare while they recount their so manie and so fearefull falles and withall consider how the mouth of the Law condemneth sinne the hand of God striketh it how he spared not Angels Kingdomes Cities nay not his owne Sonne being in the similitude of sinfull flesh On the other side while they regard the Promises of God and called to minde the tender mercies of God which haue been euer of old they receiue comfort and expell all feare and they set sure foote in the Sanctuarie of the Lord. Diuerse causes breed diuerse effectes in the mindes of men A man that is in the toppe of an exceeding high Tower while his minde is intent vnto nothing else but how he may be in danger to fall and so wholly looketh downeward he cannot but feare but while hee considereth that the place where he standeth hath such Battlementes about and that hee is so mured in with a Wall that hee can not fall hee easily doth ridde himselfe of this feare 6. The sixt Obiection is thus mooued To beleeue that our sinnes are forgiuen vs is no Article of our Beliefe and therefore wee haue nothing to doe to beleeue it I answere them it is vnder these words I beleeue the forgiueness of sinnes I conclude it thus The Diuell beleeueth generally and ingrosse that God pardoneth the Church their sinnes but we are to wade further into the Fayth then the Diuell and apply this remission of sinnes euerie one of vs particulerly to our owne soules If the Papistes will not haue their Catholicke sayth to be better then the Diuels let them for all vs keepe their Fayth to them selues 7. The seuenth Obiection standeth thus In respect of Gods Mercie wee must hope for Saluation but in respect of our vnworthinesse wee must doubt the Promise of the Remission of our sinnes not being independant but conditionall thereafter according as our workes be Wee answere first Wee may not at all lawfully doubt of Gods Mercie because doubtfulnesse is not of the nature of Fayth but rather a naturall corruption 2. If wee consider our owne vnworthinesse it is out of all doubt we must be out of all hope and despaire of our saluation S. Paul teacheth Gal. 5.10 They which are of the workes of the Law are vnder the curse And so he speaketh in his owne case of his owne workes of grace 1. Cor. 4.4 Jn this I am not iustified So Dauid being out of all doubt of his owne deserued damnation sayth ingeniously thus Enter not into Iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for no flesh shall be iustified in thy sight Also the regard of our owne vnworthinesse is no preiudice to the resolutioÌ„ of Gods mercie in Christ For true Fayth maketh an entrance vnto God with boldnesse euen for those persons that are vnworthy in themselues The Centurion that confessed himselfe vnworthy vnder whose roose Christ might enter Math. 8.8 Luc. 15.1 yet is a suppliant to Christ for his Seruant The Prodigall Sonne that acknowledged himselfe a capitall sinner against Heauen Luc. 18.10.13 and his father yet tooke vp good heart went to his father The Publicane smote his heart pronouÌ„ced him selfe a sinner at al hands yet doubted he not to goe into the Temple to pray that his sinnes might be forgiuen him Our Fayth should be as the Fayth of Abraham Who beleeued vnder hope against hope whatsoeuer our vnworthinesse be neuer to cast downe the Sheild of the Fayth which we haue towardes God which defendeth the place where the heart doth lie and the Helme of Saluation which couereth our head in the day of Battell Fayth consisteth not so much in the sense of Gods mercie as in the apprehension of it which apprehesion may be when there is no sense of it Iob. 13.13 This appeareth by Jobes example where he sayth Though he slay mee yet I will trust in him Where