whom they may be deceaved We are therefore to beware that we neither wrong our selvs by credulitie nor others by unjust suspition To receav without examination mens sayings is to make of men God to reject them lightly is to make of men Divels or fools at the best The latter hath pride and uncharitablenesse for the ground the former either argues men to be simple which cannot or idle which will not or presumptuous which think they need not or superstitious which dare not judg or which is worst of all the rest desirous in a kinde of humble hypocrisie to shelter an evill conscience before God under the shadow of great mens Authoritie To presse immoderately mens Authoritie in Divine things is to wrong Gods which alone is authentick and whose will and it alone and all it so far as is fit for us to know it we know more certainly to be contained and preserved without corruption in the Scriptures then any Fathers opinion in the Books which go under his name This also wrongs mens Faith and reason captivating them by prejudice and rather offering a hand to lead the blinde then a light for the help of him that hath eyes to see with I have known some who if they light upon a peremptorie Authour and bold asserter of things were readie to be still of the same opinion with the Book which they last read their weaker judgment being overborn rather by the strength of other mens asseverations then reasons Lastly this ingenders endlesse contentions as is to be seen in some Learned mens writings in which there is more adoe about the meaning of such or such a place in a Father then were enough to determine the whole controversie by the Scriptures and good Reason These things notwithstanding there is both a lawfull and convenient use of humain testimonie even in Divine things as first for the convincing of such thereby as regard it too much and Gods Word too little Thus Paul amongst Heathens even in his verie Sermons alledged Heathenish Poets and Phylosophers and we in our writings rightly alledg Fathers and Councels against Papists and others who more regard the saying of an ancient Father or Canon of a Councell then the written Word of the Ancient of Dayes They are twice overcome who are beaten with their own weapons in which they trust Secondly It induceth a morall probabilitie though no absolute necessitie of truth and though we see not the truth by other mens eyes but by our own yet may we be something held up in the arms of their testimonie to see it the better and so be helped as Zacheus was by the Tree into which he clymbed to see Christ. So the Apostles in penning some parts of Holy Scripture upon occasion of differences in the Churches and opposition to their Apostolicall Authoritie took in for the better passage with men of Gods undoubted truth the concurring testimonie even of ordinarie Christians though both the Decrees Epistles were penned by infallible and immediate direction of the Holy Ghost as well and as much as any other parts of Canonicall Scriptures Thirdly Citation of humain Authoritie helps to wipe away the aspersion of Schism singularitie when we can shew that our assertions and practises have agreement with such as are in account in the Churches Lastly It commends both a mans modesty diligence when he enquires after and withall his cause in the eyes of men when he appears to know the judgments of others in the things he handles as it is on the other side an imputation to him that knows them not and that even where it is otherwise no benefit to know them The Authoritie of him that prescribeth or commandeth within his limits is the same whether the matter be great or small God is God in the smallest things which he requires and man but man in his deepest charges The Prophets and Apostles in their writings are extraordinarie and Pastors and Teachers ordinarie Ministers and neither are either more or lesse in any part of their Ministerie for the instruction of the Churches So likewise all true Reasons are of the same force in themselvs to confirm that for which they are brought neither is any one stronger then other but onely more evident The best but proves of itself the things to be so and the meanest if sound doth as much CAP. X. Of Faith Hope and Love Of Faith Reason and Sense FAith in generall is a firm assent upon knowledg to an affirmation for the credit or authoritie of him that affirmeth a thing whether God or Angel or man To some things we assent by Sense and naturall light to some for certain proof of Reason but the assent of Faith rests upon the fidelitie of the speaker and not upon the Sense or Reason of the thing how agreeable to either soever it be Yet so as the more reasonable the thing related is the more readily we beleev it to be true The thing beleeved Faith apprehends primarily as a matter of truth and therein hath its seat in the understanding Divine Faith assents to the revealed will of God for the authoritie and truth of God which cannot deceav That Faith or act of Faith by which we are justified is a due assent to and application of the promises of the Gospel as made and appertaining to us in particular the generall promise upon condition of application duly and rightly made being as much for certaintie as either extraordinarie revelation or particular nomination of person This application of Gods promises in Christ hath evermore affiance necessarily and immediately ioyned with it For being by the Spirit of God and Word of the Gospel perswaded of Gods love in Christ we cannot but trust unto him rest and repose our selvs upon him and expect accordingly from him all good But as we must lay hold of the stay or prop before we can rest upon it So must Faith go before affiance in order of causes and we lay hold of Gods love before we can repose our selvs upon it Hope is the expectation of the good things promised having Faith for its foundation These two Faith and Hope have many the same objects yet neither all nor any in the same respect We beleev things past present and to come but hope for things to come onely We beleev both promises and threatnings both rewards and punishments in the order set by God but hope onely for things desireable And for the verie same things in themselvs beleeved and hoped for as for example the resurrection of the body and life everlasting we beleev them as present in Gods promises which Faith applyes unto us but hope for them as absent and to come in performance unto which Hope carieth us Faith begets Hope for by beleeving the forgivenesse of our sins and Gods promises for the present we are encouraged to expect and hope for all future good And Hope again as a good Childe helps to
to the knowledg of God This knowledg we must seek with all earnest diligence and store it up carefully in the treasurie of our hearts that knowing God we may love him and trust to him and fear him and honour him that as the Daughters of Ierusalem though before marvailing what ailed the Spouse of Christ to be so affectioned towards her beloved and so earnestly to seek after him as she did when they once came to take knowledg of his perfit beautie would then seek him with her So we knowing God specially in the face of Christ Iesus may so be ravished with love of his Majestie as to have our whole heart set to seek and find him in whose presence is satietie of joyes evermore CAP. II. Of Gods love GOd loveth himself first and most as the cheifest good and all other good things as he communicates with them lesse or more the effects of his own goodnesse And from this infinit love of his own infinit goodnesse is it that he so severely punisheth some Creatures though the Work of his own Hands which he alwaies loveth For first The Creature by sin violating Gods Holinesse and despising his authoritie in his righteous Commandments and so going on in impenitencie and unbelief and withall it being impossible that Gods love of his own Holinesse and Iustice and the honour of the same and the love of the Creatures happinesse so obstinatly dishonouring him should stand togither it cannot be but that the latter must give way to the former and greater and the Creature so sinning become miserable rather then God forgetfull of his own honour and glorie God reveales his glorious Majestie in the highest Heavens his fearfull Iustice in the Hell of the Damned His wise and powerfull Prouidence is manifest through-out the whole World but his gracious love and mercie in and unto his Church here upon Earth which he therefore hath chosen and taken near unto himself that in it might be seen the riches of his glorious grace And albeit all things in God are infinit and one yet are the effects of his love more wonderfull and excellent then of any other his Attributes as appeares in that his greatest and strangest work of giving his only begotten Son to the cursed death of the Crosse for his Enemies out of his love and mercie This the Scriptures and worthily call a great mysterie and which for the rarenesse of it was not onely hidden from the Sons of Men but also from the verie Angels in their perfection of created knowledg Which manifold grace and wisdom of God they therefore desire to look into and learn by the Church Love in the Creature ever presupposeth some good true or apparent in the thing loved by which that affection of union is drawn as the Iron by the Load-stone But the love of God on the contrarie causeth all good wrought or to be wrought in the Creature He first liveth vs in the free purpose of his will and thence worketh good for and in us and then loves us actually for his own good work for and in us and so still more and more for his own further work And hence ariseth the unchangablenesse of Gods love towards us because it is founded in himself and in the stablenesse of the good pleasure of his own will And although the arguments of comfort be great which we draw from the certain knowledg of our love to him yet are those infinitely greater which are taken from the consideration of his love to us as being not onely the ground of the other but in him also infinite and vnchangable And hereupon it was that the Sisters of Lazarus seeking help for their sick Brother sent Christ word not that he who loved him though that were not nothing but that he whom he loved was sick As by the hand of a friend reached unto us we are made partakers of the strength of his whole body to hold or help us up so by the hand of the love of God reached down from Heaven in the Gospel we become interessed in the most comfortable apprehension and happy use of all other his attributes whatsoeuer The more wise powerfull holy glorious eternall and infinite God is the more happy are we by means of his love and mercy in Christ which moveth him to use and improve them all for our good and to communicate them with us as his friends in their effects so far as serves for our happinesse He whom God loves though he know it not is an happy man He that knows it knows himself to be happy Which caused the Apostle to make in his own name and in the names of all the beloved of God that glorious insultation over all the enemies of his their happines that they could not seperate him or them not from the power or wisdom or holinesse but not from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus From this love of God as from a Spring head issueth all good both for grace and glory Yea by it which is more all evill by all Creatures intended or done against us is turned to good to us By it our afflictions work together with our election redemption vocation c. for our good By reason of it the stones of the Feild are at league with us the beasts of the Feild at peace with us yea even the very Sword that killeth us the Fire that burneth us and the Water that drowneth us is a kinde of Spirituall and invisible league with us to do us good Vpon the knowledg of this love of God shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Ghost is laid the foundation and ground-work of whatsoever good thing we return again unto God with acceptation at his hands Vpon this we do build our Faith and confidence in him By this our cold and frozen hearts are not onely thawed but inflamed also with love again to him and to men for him As the Earth being heated by the beams of the Sun beating upon it reflecteth heat again towards the Heavens upon all the bodies between it and them Lastly from hence arise all the pleasing services wherewith we present his Majesty For howsoever we ow our selvs and whatsoever we are or can do vnto him as our gracious and powerfull Creatour absolute Lord yet can we do nothing heartily as we ought but from the Faith feeling of his love in Christ by the motion of the Spirit of a sound minde given unto us But being once drawn sweetly by the coards of Gods goodnes love we readily pleasingly follow after him as being debters and constrained not by necessity but w ch binds more strongly by love The tokens of this love of God in Christ are not onely by us highly to be prized but carefully to be discerned lest we bring our selves into a fools paradise and grow presumptuously secure which is the fore-runner of suddain and
reliev its Father Faith in time of need whereupon the Apostle saith of the Faithfull that if they had hope onely in this life they were of all men the most miserable For what availeth it a man in miserie to beleev eternall life if he had not hope in time to obtain it and therewith freedom and redemption from distresse But we have therefore comfort in beleeving because we have hope of enjoying in due time Love is the affection of union in regard of the loving and of well-wishing in regard of the Creature loved And Divine love is the affection of union with God in his grace and glorie in which mans happinesse consists and with the Creature according unto God Faith is the root and Love the sap spreading forth it self for the fruits of good works throughout all the branches of our lives Faith the beginning and love the end of our conversation By faith we live the life of the Son of God and receav all good from him by Love we are moved and perswaded to use what we have to the good of men and prayse of God And whereas Faith makes a man some great thing richer then the richest and Lord of the whole World Love makes him a Servant unto all men in humbling and applying himself unto them in all lawfull things for their good Now albeit Love have these two prerogatives First that it perswades most effectually and immediately to the use and imployment of all the good things which we have receaved from God to the benefit of others and secondly that whereas Faith and Hope are determined formally in this life and ended in sight in the life to come Love abideth there also and that in these two respects the Apostle ascribes an excellencie and chiefnesse to Love above the other Yet herein Faith hath his singular preheminence that whereas by Love we and what we are become Gods and mens for God by Faith not onely all other things but even God himself becomes ours for all-sufficient good unto us as he saith I am thy God all sufficient By it the will and Word of God is ours for our instruction and direction his righteousnesse ours for our justification his Spirit for our sanctification his power for our protection and his glory for our happinesse in the fruition thereof This Faith in Christ is a gift supernaturall not onely in regard of nature corrupted but even created which therefore is not so properly repaired in men by grace as are some other vertues but after a sort new built from the ground as directing to that attribute in God primarily for its object whereof Adam in innocencie had no need which is mercie through Christ against the miserie of sin and punishment Vnto this Faith most precious promises are made and most excellent things affirmed of it And that not onely for the excellencie of the grace in it self which yet is great and greatly honoureth God in his truth which it beleeveth in his power as able and love as willing to bestow all good things upon us but specially for an attractive and applying facultie which it hath above other vertues to make God ours and all Creatures with him according unto God as is aforesaid To beleev in Christ is to receav him and the promises touching him And hereupon it is said of that cloud of witnesses that by faith they quenched the violence of fire stopped the mouths of Lyons put to flight the armies of alients c. The reason whereof seems to be for that as by justifying Faith they applyed the righteousnesse of God to salvation so by the Faith of myracles they apprehended and applyed the infinite power of God to the producing of those supernaturall effects The strength of true Christian Faith the Divel knows to his cost as that by which he the Prince with his whole Armie the World hath been so often foyled and overcome For being by Faith perswaded that in doing or suffering according to the will of God we please him and are under his protection and blessing we stedfastly persevere in well-doing and patiently endure all things for his names sake whereupon he specially in the day of their distresse assaults the Faith of the godly that that might fail as knowing that if the root of Faith be shaken loose the fruit of good works will wither Faith therefore must as a welcome passenger be well carried and conveied through the Sea of temptations in the Vessell of a good conscience that it suffers not shipwrack by the leaks of an evill directed by the chart of Gods Word and promises rightly understood that it run not a wrong course and having ever in a readinesse the sure and stedfast Anchour of Hope against a stresse and continually gathering into the out-spread sails of a heart enlarged by prayer and meditation the sweet and prosperous gusts of Gods holy Spirit to drive it to the desired Haven This Faith if it be not grounded upon Gods Word is fancie if it receav not the same Word in everie part but where it lists it is sawsinesse if it work not as well yea more in an afflicted state as in a prosperous it is nothing but fleshly presumption if it be not fruitfull in all good works as we have opportunitie and are able it is dead and will in the end like the Faith of the Divels affoard onely matter of trembling Lastly it must be firm and not ambiguous or going by peradventures els it is not faith but opinion Yet are we not here to imagine an Idea of faith free in this infirmitie of our flesh from doubting The tree may stand and grow also though shaken and bended with the wind so may Faith hold its both standing and life notwithstanding such doubtings as the flesh ever lusting against the Spirit mingleth with it Against which weaknesse and imperfection of our Faith we have this firm comfort that we are not saved for no nor by the perfection of the instrument which Faith is but of the object Christ which it apprehendeth and so may with a true though palsie hand of faith receav and keep both Christ and all his benefits This weaknesse and disease of Faith we must not commend as Papists do nor nourish like secure persons but cure with all diligence by the holy and diligent use of the Ministrations sanctified of God and given by Christ for the perfiting of the Saints and edifying of the body till we attain in the unitie of faith and acknowledgment of the Son of God unto a perfit man according to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. Also we must nourish Faith by frequent meditations of Gods love and promises in Christ and of the gracious effects of them and must as the Prophet and Apostle teach us live by it both doing in faith and assurance of acceptance at Gods hands what we do not onely in