with the holy Ghost And this is that which Christ promised once If two of you shall agree vpon earth whatsoeuer thing they shall aske it shall be done vnto them Ferus would haue common praiers made with the common consent of the whole Church or else saith he they are of no force Contrarie to the common practise of the Roman Church amongst vs in times past Againe he writes thus of the euill life of the Church which offends manie Ferus in cap. Act. 23. Although it be a great imperfection and defect where the life is not approued and vertuous yet there is lesse danger if the faith be right and sound then if the life were good and the faith euill For without faith it is impossible to please God and he that comes to God must beleeue Therefore it is of more force if the faith be pure and good then if thy works were good Thus farre Ferus He preferres that Church which hath a right faith although in some respect she faile in good workes before that Church which hath good works and an euill faith And of the Church Ferus in Act 21. and of the sacrifices thereof he writes thus Paul taught that Gods house was the Church and that now the true sacrifice was to bee offered in euerie place So Theodoret expounds it in cap 1. Malach. alleageth this place of S Paul and that of our Sauiour Ioh 4.23 1. Tim. 2.8 the which thing also Malachie prophesied Ferus séemes to expound the sacrifice which Malachie speaks of to be Christian prayer as Saint Paul doth also who saith I will that men pray in all places lifting vp pure hands without wrath or doubtfulnesse S. Paul here without all doubt alludes to Malachie Here is pure hands and that pure sacrifice void of wrath and doubtfulnesse Here is in all places And expounds that place of Malachie of Prayer and not of the Eucharist as some of the Papists do Iacob Vshanskus Guesnensis Archiep. Heb. 13.15 Ose 14 3. And for all Iewish sacrifices for that sacrifice Mincha which was drawn to the altar now Saint Paul puts downe in another place the fruit of our lips which sentence he takes out of Osee who cals prayers and giuing of thanks the calues of our lips And of religion maintained by warres he writes thus He that maintaines his cause by seditions and tumults of the people Ferus in Act. 21. discouers and bewrayes himselfe that he hath not a iust cause A good cause needs not vproares or mans authority who hath God the fauourer and protector of it And doth not the Pope vse these meanes to further his cause In this he declares he is not of God But in this waightie matter to let all mens testimonies passe which are light vpon the ballance as Dauid termes them Psal 62.9 yea lighter then vanitie it selfe and to returne to that vndoubted fountaine of all truth the word of God with which I began That is an euident and infallible marke of Gods Church which the Angell taught Saint Iohn Reu. 19.10 Who when as he would haue worshipped him said See thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren which haue the testimonie Iesus Worship God Here is an euident marke of Gods Church she worships only God and not Angels And secondly here is a reason why we should not worship Angels we debase our selues in worshipping them they are our fellow seruants And who in common sense will worship his equals By worshipping Angels we forget that great dignitie whereunto Iesus Christ hath aduanced vs. We are now Iesus Christs we are his members 1. Cor. 3.23 1. Cor. 6.15 Therfore as he doth not no more should we worship Angels A second mark of Gods Church here also we may learne She hath the testimonie of Iesus And what is that that is the spirit of prophesie as the Angell after expounds it that is the Spirit of God wherby all Gods children are able in some measure to vnderstand and expound the scriptures For as all Gods children haue Gods Spirit so it is no doubt a fire in them and therefore it will burne through Christian charitie it will lighten their knowledge and disperse the mysts of darknesse This fire hath Antichrist quenched by taking the wood and matter of it awaie I meane the Scriptures from the common people And to this that of Saint Paul hath relation no doubt 1. Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit But here they thinke that because they worship Saints and Angels therefore they shall be blamelesse But that shall not excuse them Reu. 14 7. because they are plainly taught and commanded to worship him onely that made heauen and earth And by these words God onely is signified and all other creatures are excluded And this Epithite is commonly attributed to God in the Scriptures Psal 124.8.134.3 Our help standeth in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth Here is as it were a distinction put betwéene the workes and the workman all the works iointly must worship their maker they must not begin one to magnifie or worship another Nay the more to conuince them in this their errour all the Saints and angels haue refused this seruice Act. 10.26 Act. 14.15 Peter to Cornelius Paul to the men of Lystra saying We are men like to your selues why do you honour vs And the angell twise in the Reuelation wheras S. Iohn did not forget himselfe and would haue yéelded to the angell the honour due to God but euen this ciuill outward honor which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the angell twise refused alleaging my former reason Reu. 19.10 22.9 that he was one of our fellow seruants and fellow seruants must not worship one another but only their master Teaching vs to be very warie in worshipping yea euen angels least our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grow into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as amongst the Papists it hath done These two are easily in words distinguished but not so easily in déed To bowe the knée is but a ciuill honor but yet to bow the knee to Baal Rom. 11.4 God accounts part of his honor And S. Paul writes thus most manifestly of the worshipping of angels Let none ouer-rule you Col. 2.18 or spoile you of your prize which by the worshipping of God you obtaine by humblenesse of mind and worshipping of Angels aduancing himselfe into those things hee neuer saw rashly puft vp with his fleshly mind As though hée should saie No man knowes the estate of angels whether they heare our prayers at all times and can helpe vs at their pleasures or not and who will then pray vnto them nay this shall make vs lose our prize We all in this life as Saint Paul teacheth runne as it were in a race 1. Cor. 9.24 now he that runneth in a race must haue his eyes still fixt on the goale
prepared to bring foorth fruits We maie note here how he likens the heart of man vnregenerate to the earth which of his owne nature is colde and drie vnapt altogether to bring forth anie fruits Euen so is the heart of man of his owne nature now being corrupted through sinne vnfit to bring forth any thing that is good And a little after he writes thus I will shewe the same more brieflie and with a plainer example Thou seest a henne that sits vpon her egges first she warmes them and after by the vertue of that heate she giues them life till at length she hatcheth a chicken after the same maner the soule humbly continuing vnder Gods winges in prayer is made partaker of the heate of his spirite by the meanes whereof by little and little she looseth that which she was and she puts off the maners of olde Adam and is partaker of that second Adam which is of God So that as the continuance of that heate makes of an egge a chicken so the continuance of this by Gods grace makes of a man euen a God that is of a fleshly man a heauenlie Here is plainelie mans Regeneration set out Man of himselfe is like an egge hauing no life in him to goodnesse and by the heate of Gods spirit by little and little he is as it were hatched againe and made perfect And after the same author writes thus Will you vnderstand in few words how necessarie it is for a man now being perfect euer to stand in the sight of God and to haue his eies fastned vpon him for this is it which we call continuing in praier let him consider the proportion and the necessity which the moone hath with the sunne whose presence is euer necessarie to her for this example will shewe what we meane verie excellently Thou shalt finde therefore first that the moone hath no light nor brightnesse of her selfe but shee borrowes and takes that of the sunne so also our soule hath no light no brightnes no vertue no grace no fitnesse of deseruing any thing of her selfe but what good thing soeuer she hath she receiues it from the sunne of righteousnesse Iesus Christ What can be said more plainly or truely then this that one soule of it selfe hath no light no clearenesse no power no fitnesse of deseruing any thing And where is then mans fréewill Orat. 5. pro impet amore Dei And in another place hee writes thus I departed from thee like the prodigall Sonne and I went into a farre country and not inhabited where louing vanity I became vaine my selfe I was blind and I desired blindnes still I was a bondslaue and I loued this bondage I was bound neither did my bondes dislike mee I iudged sower sweete and sweete sower I was a most miserable wretch and perceiued it not When I liued in this miserable estate thou didst cast the eies of thy mercie vpon me and though I sinned without ceasing yet notwithstanding thou didst not cease to reclaime me from sinne c. Man delighted in his sinnes hee was not like a prisoner with his giues that longes to haue them taken from him as other Papists teach he had no will to be loosed at all Orat. 6. And againe after Thou art my shepheard for thou feedest and rulest my soule as a sheepe of thy flocke thou art my meate thou art he wherewith I am fedde in that diuine Sacrament of the Altar thou art my father and the father of the world to come For thou hast borne mee againe with great paines vpon the tree of the Crosse and hast giuen me a new essence by the Holy-ghost thou art my head and the vniuersall head of thy Church For from thee as from a head vertue life and spirituall sense flowes into hir and into all hir members Thou art my true Phisition for with thy blood thou hast healed the wounds and wannes of my soule In his regeneration man receiues a new essence by the holie ghost saieth Granatensis and all spirituall powers and senses from the head Iesus Christ and not from Adam Againe the same Granatensis writes thus of Herode Thou seest here in Herod Med. 9. vitae Christi murdering the young innocents what madnes the pride of mans heart and the vnhappy desire of rule would creepe vnto seeing that hee hath not onely surpassed all tyrants in cruelty but also all fooles in folly This my brethren is the misery of mans heart this is the nature of inordinate loue of our selues Selfe loue will proceed thus farre And certainly perswade thy selfe that thou shouldst also commit shipwracke against the same rockes if so be thou hadst the like occasion offered if so be that the grace of God did not preuent and preserue thee No mans will naturally is better then Herods we are all as ambitious as blood thirsty by nature as he if Gods grace did not preuent and preserue vs. This is Granatensis his opinion Againe the same writes thus of mans naturall corruption and of the great benefit of his iustification This our nature Lib. 2. Mem. cap. 2. by originall sinne is depriued of that state and naturall straightnesse wherein God created it For God created it right and straight and lift vp to him thorough loue but sinne bowed it and enclined it to her selfe that is to the loue of these visible things which she loues aboue God and makes more accompt of then of God himselfe For euen as a man which is borne from his mothers wombe crooked or hutchbacked can find no medicine nor any thing in the worlde whereby hee may recouer his naturall straightnes euen so whenas our will is borne thus naturally as it were hutchbacked and crooked no man is able to bring it againe to this straightnes and so to erect it to God that it should loue God aboue all thinges but God which created it Therefore as we cannot obtaine this loue which surpasseth all thinges without God so hee cannot also aboue all things bee sory for his sinnes without the speciall gift and helpe of the same God for the one of these depends of the other VVherefore thereof did not our Sauiour without cause say No man comes to me vnles my father draw him To come to Christ is nothing else but to loue Christ aboue all things and to hate sin aboue all things Such loue and such sorrow for his sinnes no man can haue of himselfe as is required vnles God giue it him When as God therefore deales so with a sinner it is the greatest fauour and greatest good thing in the world that he can doe vnto him For how much greater is the gift of glory aboue the gift of grace so it is a farre greater thing to draw man out of sinne and to place him in grace then he now being in grace to bestow glory vpon him For there is far greater distance betweene sinne and grace then betweene grace and glorye And therefore Thomas Aquinas
light and those vaine shadowes which seeme to mooue hither and thither and to speake and those resemblances of thinges which those men which are thus bound in yron chaines falsely iudge to be things indeed He could not more fitly by any other meanes haue set before our eyes the liues of wicked men For they beeing here groueling on the earth and in loue with their bodies and chained with the innumerable chaines of vices cannot turne their minde that way that they may beholde the light and the true shapes of things For there is no trueth indeed in these bodily and earthly but in diuine and eternall things Therefore all the commodities of this life haue no firme or sound thing in them but onely beare a face or shew of good things And men being now acquainted with these shadowes and being deluded with these Images of things do with tooth and naile pursue after false good things and being effeminated with the false sweetnes of pleasure are so kept in bondage that they are now enemies to all those which woulde ridde them out of those bonds would endeuour to bring them to heauen that they might behold the true sunne indeed and the true light and true men and true good things that is that they might behold heauenly and diuine thinges and that they might haue the vvhole force of their minds fixed in euerlasting things Thus farre Osorius This is mans estate before regeneration to delight in sinne not to be able to be hold the true light naie to be euen an open enemie to those that shall go about to draw him from this bondage or shall endeuour to make him see his owne miserie and vnhappinesse so farre off is he from embracing the true light if it be offered vnto him This is Osorius his iudgement in this place And a little after hee writes thus Is it not most certaine that this is graunted to Christians to behold God as often as they stirre vp their weake faith and doe deuoutly pray for Gods grace that being loosed from these bonds and turned away from these shadowes of things and turned to the true good things indeed that they may mount vp with their minds into heauen and that they may beholde those most excellent and eternall riches and may enioy that sweete and most pleasant familiaritie and talke with God with vnspeakeable ioifulnes Here plainely appeares what effects the grace of God works in mens soules It not onelie looseth them from the stronge and iron chaines of their sinnes but also it withdrawes them from the loue of vanities and turnes them to the loue of vertue and true godlinesse These effectes here Osorius attributes to the grace of God man of his owne nature hath them not Ambrose of mans duetie to God writes thus De Abraham pat lib. 2. ca. 8. That soule which is full of wisedome and righteousnesse is more deuout in the worship of God and paies her tenthes of all the fruits of the earth according to a more heauenly wisedome herein in that she referres the perfection of all her senses and workes to God shee challengeth nothing to hir selfe which is not able to gouerne her selfe vnlesse she were vnderpropped with Gods fauour c. All Abrahams children of their father must learne to paie these tenthes to God But for the maintenance of frée will Rom. 7.18 that place of Saint Paul maie be obiected To will is at hand but to doe good I cannot tell how to do it Saint Austen expounds this place thus De praed gra ca. 13. Although that same will is not of vs it is the gift of God because of him wee haue both to will and to do according to his good pleasure And concerning this place Austen first expounded it of a man vnregenerate but after he changed his mind and expounded it of the regenerate as appeares in his Booke Contra Iu◠cap. 11. Ambrose also is of the same mind with Austen herein and expounds this place of the regenerate speaking of the strife that was betwéene Abraham and Lot which he allegoricallie applies to the soule of man Lib. 2. de Abra. cap. 6. Hereof comes saieth he the discord of our cogitations when as the flesh rebels against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Then there is no small combate when as the Apostle himselfe the Lords chosen vessell saith I see the lawe of my flesh resisting the law of my mind and bringing me in bondage vnder the law of sinne which is in my members He himselfe coulde not pacifie this combate and therefore he fled to Christ saying O vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death that is that I cleaue not to the pleasures of the flesh Who is it that shall loose me from these bonds and shall set me free and shall writh rather the senses to the sobriety of the mind then to the drunkennes of the body but because amongst men he could not find such a guide turning to God he saith The grace of God by our Lord Iesus Christ If he that was so strong trusted not in his owne strength that he might escape the body of death but sought for helpe of Christ what shall we do who are weaker c. Phil. de Dies sum prae dic Tit. amor hominis erga Deum I will conclude this point of free will with a saying of Philippus de Dies When as onely God is the author of the reasonable soule and that the will is a power of such a soule it followeth manifestly that onely God can moue it not onely in bestowing the nature and essence vnto it but also the willing of that which is good and also the end which is the conclusion of all our willings Therefore wee must desire of him with most earnest prayers with that kingly Prophet Incline my heart O God vnto thy Testimonies 2. Of Justification De indulg POligranes a Papist of Christs merites writes thus We must know that Christ the son of God by his works and passions did deserue many things of God his father To himselfe glorie and exaltation as Saint Paul saith for which cause God hath exalted him c. He hath deserued also to men a generall satisfaction for their sinnes For by his bloud hee hath washed away the faults and by his death hath restored the grace of iustification You are iustified freely saith the Apostle by his grace Rom. 3. by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus But by this his merit he hath so freely washed away the faults that according to the faith of the Church and of the holy scripture he hath left some part of the punishment vnredeemed which is either here to be redeemed with the workes of mercie or els to be paied hereafter And therefore thirdly he deserued that he which of himselfe hath deserued it through speciall faith and deuotion might forgiue this punishment himselfe which we
of them yet oftentimes carelesnesse and forgetfulnesse will creepe into our minds therefore he preferres the prayer which a good Christian is able to make of himselfe by such words as the holie ghost shall put in his minde before anie such prayers made of others Cap. 4. be they neuer so deuout And the same Granatensis writing of certaine hymnes made by one Ieronymus Vda saith thus These three hymnes of the trinitie are to be commended to euerie person in this kind and his other hymnes to others which being well vnderstood and deâ—outly repeated and considered are as it were most sweet Mannâ— to our soules making them fit to taste heauenly things So that theâ— all their hymnes being not vnderstood by his iudgement are worth nothing And again of praier he writes thus In the power of this Lord meaning Iesus Christ let vs come to the throne of grace with great confidence being assured that whatsoeuer we shall aske in his name we shall obtaine it This is the chiefe condition which our petition or prayer ought to haue ioyned with it that it may be of force with God as saint Iames saith that is to say faith and sure confidence which ought chiefely to be grounded not in our selues or in our owne works or merits but in the merits of Christ Iesus and also in the infinite goodnes and mercie of God which can be ouercome by no kinde of wickednes and chiefely on the truth of the word and promises of God who through the whole scripture promiseth that he will neuer forsake them which turne to him with their whole heart call vpon him and haue all their hope most assuredly reposed in him Although thou hast beene hitherto a most grieuous sinner yet thou must not therefore be discouraged for as Saint Ierome saith sins that are past do not condemne vs if now they do not please vs. By which words we may plainly perceiue how greatly they are deceiued who waighing their owne wants and infirmities doe despaire of the mercie of God as though God would not heare them if so be they pray vnto him And they do not consider that the principal foundation of this confidence are the merits of Christ the mercie of God and the truth of his words which is as it were a shield as the kingly Prophet saith Compassing about all them that trust in him No sinner by his iudgement ought to dispaire though his sinnes be neuer so grieuous but ought boldlie to come to the throne of grace and what néedes then the intercession of saints Therein he erreth that he makes the mercie of God and the merits of Iesus Christ but the principall and not the onelie foundation of our confidence when as Dauid saith Thou O Lord alone makes me dwell in safetie and securelie what foundation can man haue of confidence or securitie beside this Againe of the excellencie of the name of Iesus in another place he writes thus Thy name is like oyle powred out without all doubt there is a great resemblance betwixt oyle and the name of the bridegroome and therfore the holy ghost not in vaine hath compared the one of them to the other And I say for three properties of oyle because it giues light it feeds and it makes soft if you can yeeld no better reasons then these It feeds the fire it nourisheth the flesh and it asswageth paine Therefore it is light meat and medicine Behold now the same things in the name of the bridegroome It giues light being preached it feeds being studied vpon and being called vpon it lenifieth and asswageth And let vs briefely runne ouer euerie one of these Whereof I pray you sprang so great and so sodaine a light ouer all the world but by the preaching of the name of Iesus Neither is the name of Iesus onely light but also meate are you not so often comforted as you thinke vpon it what makes so fat the minde of him that museth often thereon as it doth what makes our senses so quicke strengthens the powers of our soules makes liuely or good and honest our conuersation cherisheth our chast affections All the meat of the soule is drie if it be not basted with this oyle It is vnsauorie if it be not seasoned with this salt If thou write any thing it doth not please me vnlesse I read Iesus there If thou dispute or conferre it pleaseth me not vnlesse Iesus sounde there Iesus is honie in the mouth musicke in the eare and ioy in the heart but it is also phisicke Is anie amongst vs sorrowfull let Iesus come into his mind and let it leape vp into his mouth and behold as soone as you shall name him light shall spring all clouds shall be disperst and faire sunshine shall appeare Doth anie man fall into sinne nay doth he runne by despaire into the snare of death If he shall call vpon this name of life shall he not by and by begin to breath againe and recouer life What euer accustomed heardnes of heart fainthearted cowardlines cancred malice or slouthfull idlenes was euer able to abide to appeare before this glorious name who had euer the fountaine of teares dried vp and calling on the name of Iesus did not burst out againe more plentifully and flowed more sweetly Who euer now quaking and trembling in daungers this name of power being called vpon did not by and by receiue courage and repell all feare Who euer wauering and boiling in doubts calling vpon this glorious name receiued not forthwith most assured resolution and certaintie Who euer discouraged in aduersitie and euen nowe fainting if hee once but named this name of helpe lacked strength And to this thing the Lord himselfe inuites vs when as he saith Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me Nothing so bridles the rage of anger asswageth the swelling of pride heales the wound of enuie stoppes the streame of ryot quencheth the flame of lust slakes the thirst of couetousnesse and vanquisheth that tickling itching of all vncomlinesse For when I name Iesus I set before mine eies a most meeke man humble and lowly in heart courteous sober chast mercifull and famous in all vertue and holinesse and the same also God omnipotent who heales mee with his example and strengthens me with his arme Therefore I take from him examples to follow as he is a man and helpe to leane and trust vnto in all my troubles as he is God these as Apothecaries stuffe this as the strength and vertue of them And I make thereof such a confection as no Physition in the world is able to make This electuarie thou hast O my soule hid laid vp as it were in the box of this name Iesus most holsome truely which is of power and force against all thy plagues and infirmities Let this boxe be euer in thy bosome euer at hand that all thy thoughts and actions may alwaies be directed to Iesus